bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Proper Orthogonal Decomposition for Dimensionality Reduction in Mode-Locked Lasers and Optical Systems
Authors: Shlizerman Eli , Ding Edwin , Williams Matthew O. , Kutz J. Nathan
Published: October 2011

The onset of multipulsing, a ubiquitous phenomenon in laser cavities, imposes a fundamental limit on the maximum energy delivered per pulse. Managing the nonlinear penalties in the cavity becomes crucial for increasing the energy and suppressing the multipulsing instability. A proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) allows for the reduction of governing equations of a mode-locked laser onto a low-dimensional space. The resulting reduced system is able to capture correctly the experimentally observed pulse transitions. Analysis of these models is used to explain the sequence of bifurcations that are responsible for the multipulsing instability in the master mode-locking and the waveguide array mode-locking models. As a result, the POD reduction allows for a simple and efficient way to characterize and optimize the cavity parameters for achieving maximal energy output.
Gait Difficulty, Postural Instability, and Muscle Weakness Are Associated with Fear of Falling in People with Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Mak Margaret K. Y. , Pang Marco Y. C. , Mok Vincent
Published: October 2011

The present study aimed to examine the contribution of gait impairment, postural stability and muscle weakness to the level of fear of falling in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Fifty-seven community-dwelling individuals with PD completed the study. Fear of falling was assessed by the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale. Postural stability and gait difficulty were determined by the posture and gait subscores of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-PG). A Cybex dynamometer was used to measure isokinetic knee muscle strength. Individuals with PD achieved a mean ABC score of73.6±19.3. In the multiple regression analysis, after accounting for basic demographics, fall history and disease severity, the UPDRS-PG score remained independently associated with the ABC score, accounting for 13.4% of the variance (P<0.001). The addition of knee muscle strength significantly improved the prediction model and accounted for an additional 7.3% of the variance in the ABC score (P<0.05). This is the first study to demonstrate that the UPDRS-PG score and knee muscle strength are important and independent determinants of the level of fear of falling in individuals with PD. Improving balance, gait stability and knee muscle strength could be crucial in promoting balance confidence in the appropriately targeted PD population.
Blockade of Fatty Acid Synthase Induces Ubiquitination and Degradation of Phosphoinositide-3-Kinase Signaling Proteins in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Tomek Katharina , Wagner Renate , Varga Franz , Singer Christian F. , Karlic Heidrun , Grunt Thomas W.
Published: October 2011

Aberrations within the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway occur in greater than 45% of ovarian carcinomas. The PI3K cascade transmits signals from ErbB receptors downstream to S6 and 4EBP1, which are involved in protein biosynthesis. Many ovarian carcinomas reveal hyperactivation of ErbB1 (epidermal growth factor receptor) or ErbB2 (HER2/neu). Unfortunately, the benefit of anti-ErbB drugs is yet rather limited in ovarian carcinomas. Thus, novel targeting strategies are needed for ovarian carcinomas. The lipogenic enzyme fatty acid synthase (FASN) is overexpressed in approximately 80% of ovarian carcinomas. It stimulates cell growth and signifies poor prognosis. FASN inhibition impedes (ErbB) membrane receptor signaling and sensitizes cells against anti-ErbB drugs. Here, we show that the FASN inhibitor C75 and FASN-targeting siRNAs abrogate growth, induce apoptosis, and downregulate phosphorylation/expression of the PI3K effectors AKT, mTOR, p70S6K, S6, and 4EBP1. In contrast, FASN inhibition impairs expression but only weakly affects phosphorylation of ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinases in ovarian carcinoma cells. Cycloheximide-mediated blockade of protein translation reveals that C75- or FASN siRNA–induced shutdown of FASN accelerates decomposition of signaling proteins. This effect is caused by C75- or FASN siRNA–dependent stimulation of ubiquitination followed by lysosomal-autophagosomal proteolysis. In contrast, PI3K inhibitor LY294002 blocks phosphorylation but does not reduce expression/stability of PI3K effectors. Forced expression of hyperactive (HA) AKT1, unlike HA-MEK1, impairs the growth-inhibitory action of C75. We provide first evidence that the anticancer action of FASN inhibitors is at least partially mediated by drug-dependent proteolysis of PI3K effectors. FASN is a promising cancer target, whose inhibition not only abrogates lipogenesis, which is indispensable for cancer growth, but also downregulates oncogenic PI3K signaling. Mol Cancer Res; 9(12); 1767–79. ©2011 AACR.
Loss of Trop2 Promotes Carcinogenesis and Features of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Jianbo , Zhang Kaihua , Grabowska Dorota , Li Aimin , Dong Yiyu , Day Ryan , Humphrey Peter , Lewis James , Kladney Raleigh D. , Arbeit Jeffrey M. , Weber Jason D. , Chung Christine H. , Michel Loren S.
Published: October 2011

Trop2, an oncogenic cell surface protein under investigation as a therapeutic target, is commonly overexpressed in several epithelial tumor types yet its function in tumor biology remains relatively unexplored. To investigate the role of Trop2 in epithelial carcinogenesis, we generated Trop2−/− mice, which are viable and possess a normal lifespan. Contrary to expectations, Trop2 loss fails to suppress keratinocyte transformation. Instead, ras-transformed Trop2−/− keratinocytes preferentially pass through an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and form tumors with spindle cell histology. Furthermore, Trop2 loss renders Arf-null mice susceptible to the formation of biphasic sarcomatoid carcinomas containing both squamous and spindle cell components upon carcinogen exposure in an otherwise skin cancer–resistant strain (C57BL/6). Immortalized keratinocytes derived from Trop2−/−Arf−/− mice exhibit enhanced proliferative and migratory capacity as well as increased activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and Src prior to transformation. The clinical relevance of these findings was supported by studying the molecular epidemiology of Trop2 in primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. This analysis revealed that Trop2 mRNA levels are decreased in a subset of tumors with features of EMT, and total loss of Trop2 protein expression is observed in the spindle cell component of sarcomatoid carcinomas. Therefore, while previous studies have emphasized the potential importance of Trop2 gain of function, these results uncover a role for Trop2 loss in tumorigenesis and the mesenchymal transdifferentiation observed in a subset of squamous cell carcinomas. Mol Cancer Res; 9(12); 1686–95. ©2011 AACR.
Coffee Consumption Could Affect the Activity of Some Liver Enzymes and Other Biochemical Parameters in Healthy Drinkers
Authors: Onuegbu Anaelechi J. , Olisekodiaka Japhet M. , Adebolu Olubukunmi E. , Adesiyan Adekunle , Ayodele Olugbenga E.
Published: October 2011

Objective: To investigate the effect of coffee consumption on some liver function indices in adult male and female Nigerians. Subjects and Methods: Thirty apparently healthy subjects, consisting of 18 men and 12 women, were made to consume 2 g of coffee daily for a total of 30 days. Activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and plasma concentrations of total and conjugated bilirubin, total protein and albumin were determined using standard methods. Results: Relative to baseline values, coffee consumption raised mean levels of ALT by 4 IU/l (p < 0.001), AST by 2.0 1 U/l (p < 0.001), ALP by 3.0 1 U/l (p < 0.01), total bilirubin by 0.90 mg/dl (p < 0.05) and total protein by 1.1 g/l (p < 0.05). Gender differences were observed. Significantly higher mean ALP concentration was only seen in male subjects, while mean bilirubin concentration was significantly raised in female volunteers alone. On the other hand, the mean total protein and albumin concentrations in individual male and female groups were not significantly altered (p > 0.05 in each case). Conclusion: The result obtained from the study suggests that short-term consumption of coffee might have a significant effect on the integrity of the liver function tests studied.
Spontaneous Uterine Perforation of Choriocarcinoma with Negative Beta-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin after Chemotherapy
Authors: Xie Chuan , Zheng Lan , Li Zheng-Yu , Zhao Xia
Published: October 2011

Objective: To report an extremely rare case of spontaneous uterine perforation of choriocarcinoma with negative beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) post-chemotherapy. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: We present a 35-year-old choriocarcinoma patient whose serial serum β-hCG levels following a fifth course of chemotherapy had been within the normal range, but who developed spontaneous uterine perforation with intra-abdominal hemorrhage after eight courses of combined chemotherapy. The patient then underwent an emergency hysterectomy and survived. Conclusion: Patients with persistent focus of disease in the uterus might experience uterine perforation even after adequate chemotherapy, and therefore, the follow-up for patients after chemotherapy is very important.
A Simple Way to Reconstruct a Human 3-D Hypodermis: A Useful Tool for Pharmacological Functionality
Authors: Lequeux C. , Auxenfans C. , Thépot A. , Géloën A. , André V. , Damour O. , Mojallal A.
Published: October 2011

Background: Adipose tissue engineering has been hampered by the inability to culture mature adipocytes. Adipose-derived stem cell (ASC) culture opens the way for the preparation of human 3-D hypodermis in large quantities. These models play a role in obesity-related active molecules and slimming agent screening. Moreover, they contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underpinning obesity. Materials and Methods: Freshly extracted ASC from fat tissue were characterized by flow cytometry for CD73, CD90, CD105, HLA-ABC, CD14 and CD45 markers and by Western blot for pref-1. Their differentiation in mature adipocytes was followed by lipid and adiponectin secretion or by oil red O staining and radioimmunoassay. Neosynthesized extracellular matrix (ECM) of 3-D hypodermis was investigated by immunohistochemistry (collagen type I, V and VI) and transmission electron microscopy. Results: Our results demonstrate that the culture of preadipocytes in proliferation medium for 15 days followed by 16 days of culture in differentiation medium allowed production of the thickest single-layer hypodermis in which preadipocytes and mature adipocytes coexist and synthesize adiponectin and ECM components. Functionality of our 3-D single-layer hypodermis was demonstrated both by a 3.5-fold glycerol production after its stimulation with norepinephrine (adrenergic agonist) and by its slimming after caffeine treatment versus the nontreated 3-D hypodermis. Conclusion: This economic 3-D model, easy to prepare and giving reproducible results after the treatment of actives, is useful for pharmacotoxicological trials as an alternative to animal experimentation.
Incidence, Predictors, and Clinical Impact of Tissue Prolapse after Coronary Intervention: An Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography Study
Authors: Jin Qin-hua , Chen Yun-dai , Jing Jing , Tian Feng , Guo Jun , Liu Chang-fu , Chen Lian , Sun Zhi-jun , Liu Hong-bin , Wang Zhi-feng , Wang Jin-da , Gai Lu-yue
Published: October 2011

Objectives: To evaluate the predictors of tissue prolapse after stenting and whether this phenomenon can affect the clinical outcome. Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination after stent implantation were included. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of tissue prolapse after stent implantation was performed. The lesions were classified into 4 groups according to the severity of tissue prolapse. We analyzed the clinical, procedural, and image-based predictors of severe tissue prolapse and evaluated the clinical impact of tissue prolapse. Results: Tissue prolapse within the stented segment was visible in 102/104 (98.08%) cases. The frequency and severity of tissue prolapse was similar in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and non-ACS lesions. The OCT-defined thin cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) was related with severe tissue prolapse (≧grade III) (r = 17.722, p < 0.001). No difference in events was observed among different tissue prolapse groups during the hospitalization period and 1-year follow-up. Conclusions: The incidence of tissue prolapse after stent implantation was relatively high, irrespective of the clinical presentation. OCT-defined TCFA lesions were more likely with severe tissue prolapse (≧grade III). Tissue prolapse was not associated with clinical events during the hospitalization period and 1-year clinical follow-up.
Red Ear Syndrome: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Eismann Regina , Gaul Charly , Wohlrab Johannes , Marsch Wolfgang Christian , Fiedler Eckhard
Published: October 2011

Red ear syndrome (RES) is characterized by the attack-like occurrence of erythema, edema and dysesthesia of one or less frequently both ears. We report the case of a 31-year-old woman with stabbing pain and marked erythema and discrete edema of one ear, existing for 4 months, occasionally accompanied by burning and local hyperhidrosis. Differential diagnoses such as perichondritis, contact dermatitis, erysipelas and other infections were ruled out. Based on her history, the clinical pattern and the unremarkable further diagnostics, we diagnosed RES. A review of the literature is included.
A Case for Early Screening for Diabetic Kidney Disease
Authors: Whaley-Connell Adam , Chaudhary Kunal , Misra Madhukar , Khanna Ramesh
Published: October 2011

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health dilemma contributing to increasing global morbidity and mortality. There is increasing recognition that early detection and management of CKD is critical in delaying disease progression as well as improving mortality rates. However, kidney disease is a silent process and usually goes undetected until more advanced stages, wherein the opportunity to intervene and improve kidney-related outcome is diminished, since awareness of CKD is low in earlier stages. Herein, we will review the screening and detection strategies for CKD as well as the importance of intervention in early stages to reduce progression and also the burden of CKD.
Bleeding Risk Comparing Targeted Low-Dose Heparin With Bivalirudin in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Bangalore Sripal , Cohen David J. , Kleiman Neal S. , Regev-Beinart Tal , Rao Sunil V. , Pencina Michael J. , Mauri Laura
Published: October 2011

Background—

Prior randomized trials have shown reduced bleeding with bivalirudin compared with unfractionated heparin (UFH) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, it is not known if this benefit is also present when UFH doses are more tightly controlled (as measured by activated clotting time, ACT).

Methods and Results—

Patients enrolled in the EVENT (Evaluation of Drug-Eluting Stents and Ischemic Events) registry, were divided into 3 groups, based on the antithrombotic drug used during PCI (UFH monotherapy, UFH+glycoprotein IIb-IIIa receptor inhibitor [GPI], or bivalirudin alone). Propensity score matching was used to adjust for measured covariates (89 variables) and to compare bivalirudin versus UFH monotherapy and bivalirudin versus UFH+GPI groups. The UFH groups were stratified based on ACT achieved (optimal ACT defined as 250–300 for UFH monotherapy and 200–250 when GPI was also used). The primary bleeding outcome was in-hospital composite bleeding, defined as events of access site bleeding, Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction major/minor bleeding, or transfusion. Primary (in-hospital death/myocardial infarction) and secondary ischemic outcomes (death/MI/unplanned repeat revascularization at 12 months) were also evaluated. Propensity score matching yielded 3022 patients for the UFH monotherapy versus bivalirudin comparison and 3520 patients for the UFH+GPI versus bivalirudin comparison. Bivalirudin use was associated with numerically lower bleeding rates at all categories of achieved ACT when compared with UFH (low, optimal, high ACT: 2.5% versus 4.7%, 1.9% versus 6.0%, 3.1% versus 4.8%, respectively) or heparin+GPI groups (low, optimal, high ACT: 0.0% versus 2.7%, 2.7% versus 5.2%, 2.4% versus 6.1%, respectively) and was not associated with any statistically significant increase in either primary or secondary ischemic outcomes.

Conclusions—

Among unselected patients undergoing PCI, bivalirudin use during PCI was associated with a lower risk of bleeding at all comparator ACT levels without an increase in ischemic outcomes.
Impact of Incomplete Revascularization on Long-Term Mortality After Coronary Stenting
Authors: Wu Chuntao , Dyer Anne-Marie , King Spencer B. , Walford Gary , Holmes David R. , Stamato Nicholas J. , Venditti Ferdinand J. , Sharma Samin K. , Fergus Icilma , Jacobs Alice K. , Hannan Edward L.
Published: October 2011

Background—

The impact of incomplete revascularization (IR) on adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention remains inconclusive, and few studies have examined mortality during follow-ups longer than 5 years. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that IR is associated with higher risk of long-term (8-year) mortality after stenting for multivessel coronary disease.

Methods and Results—

A total of 13 016 patients with multivessel disease who had undergone stenting procedures with bare metal stents in 1999 to 2000 were identified in the New York State's Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Reporting System. A logistic regression model was fit to predict the probability of achieving complete revascularization (CR) in these patients using baseline risk factors; then, the CR patients were matched to the IR patients with similar likelihoods of achieving CR. Each patient's vital status was followed through 2007 using the National Death Index, and the difference in long-term mortality between IR and CR was compared. It was found that CR was achieved in 29.2% (3803) of the patients. For the 3803 pair-matched patients, the respective 8-year survival rates were 80.8% and 78.5% for CR and IR (
P
=0.04), respectively. The risk of death was marginally significantly higher for IR (hazard ratio=1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.26,
P
=0.04). The 95% bootstrap confidence interval for the hazard ratio was 0.98 to 1.32.

Conclusions—

IR may be associated with higher risk of long-term mortality after stenting with BMS in patients with multivessel disease. More prospective studies are needed to further test this association.
Family Change and Time Allocation in American Families
Authors: Bianchi Suzanne M.
Published: October 2011

Delayed marriage and childbearing, more births outside marriage, the increase in women’s labor force participation, and the aging of the population have altered family life and created new challenges for those with caregiving demands. U.S. mothers have shed hours of housework but not the hours they devote to childrearing. Fathers have increased the time they spend on childcare. Intensive childrearing practices combine with more dual-earning and single parenting to increase the time demands on parents. Mothers continue to scale back paid work to meet childrearing demands. They also give up leisure time and report that they “are always rushed” and are “multitasking most of the time.” Time-stretched working couples reduce the time they spend with each other. A large percentage of both husbands and wives also report they have “too little time” for themselves. Delayed childbearing and the aging population also increase the likelihood that both (adult) children and elderly parents need support and care from workers later in life.
Workplace Flexibility and Daily Stress Processes in Hotel Employees and Their Children
Authors: AlmeIda David M. , Davis Kelly D.
Published: October 2011

This research aims to understand the consequences of inadequate workplace flexibility through the lens of daily stress processes. Using a sample of hourly paid hotel employees with children ages 10 to 18 who participated in a daily diary study, the authors compared workers with low and high flexibility on stressor exposure, reactivity, and transmission. The findings showed a consistent pattern of hourly workers with low flexibility having greater exposure to work stressors in general and to workplace arguments in particular. Workers with low flexibility were also more emotionally and physically reactive to work stressors. There was some evidence of stressor transmission to children when parents had low flexibility. Increasing workplace flexibility could serve as a protective factor in exposure and reactivity to stressors experienced in daily life.
Workplace Flexibility and Worker Agency
Authors: Root Lawrence S. , Young Alford A.
Published: October 2011

“Worker agency”—the idea that workers have free will and will exercise it to meet their needs—is a fundamental part of organizational psychology and the sociology of work. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in a midwestern factory, the authors examine how workers create opportunities for short-term flexibility within a workplace characterized by shift work, strict production quotas, and team organization. Coping mechanisms involve sympathetic supervisors and supportive coworkers. Workers also describe taking independent action when the structure does not permit them to meet obligations to their families. These exercises in worker agency can be understood in terms of their legitimacy in the workplace and their potential for disruption of work. Worker agency also can be a positive factor in the workplace. Workers describe a supportive work environment as a critical factor that promotes loyalty and a willingness to go beyond workplace requirements for the good of the organization.
The Human Face of Workplace Flexibility
Authors: Schneider Barbara
Published: October 2011

This article reviews several recent studies on working families and discusses the importance of why workplace flexibility needs to become a standard of the U.S. workplace. Most children reside in households with either two employed parents or an employed single parent. The inflexibility of work and school schedules is a pressure that working parents feel on a daily basis and one that affects their work-related productivity, health, and family life. Whether employed in a white-collar job or in a low-wage one, employed parents often experience anxiety and guilt as they face the obligations of work and family. Parent-role overload and time deprivations are particularly acute problems that many employed mothers and fathers cope with on a daily basis. Overall, work-family conflict leads to decreased psychological well-being. Parents need to work to meet the needs of their families, yet their lives show signs that the current situation is untenable. A new balance needs to be achieved between work and home for working families.
Keeping Women in the Science Pipeline
Authors: Goulden Marc , Mason Mary Ann , Frasch Karie
Published: October 2011

Premier science largely depends on the quality of the pool of future scientists. Women now represent a large part of the talent pool in the United States, but many data sources indicate that they are more likely than men to “leak” out of the science pipeline before obtaining tenure at a college or university. The authors’ research examines this issue in detail, drawing on multiple sources, including the Survey of Doctorate Recipients and several original surveys. Their findings show that family formation—most important marriage and childbirth—accounts for the largest leaks in the pipeline from graduate school to the acquisition of tenure for women in the sciences. The authors also find that researchers receive limited benefits when it comes to family responsive policies, such as paid maternity and parental leave, and that young scientists receive the least. Together, federal agencies and universities can make headway in solving this systemic problem.
Grip Surface Affects Maximum Pinch Force
Authors: Seo Na Jin , Shim Jae Kun , Engel Alexander K. , Enders Leah R.
Published: October 2011

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether people change their isometric pinch grip generation depending on the surface they gripped. Specifically, the effect of grip surface friction condition on (a) maximum force produced in the direction normal to the contact surface, (b) fluctuation of normal force, and (c) the digit force’s angular deviation from the direction normal to the grip surface was quantified.

Background: Isometric pinch grip has been traditionally thought to be independent from the friction condition between the finger and gripped surface, which may be questionable.

Method: For this study, 12 healthy participants performed maximum isometric pinch grip exertion on high-friction rubber and low-friction paper surfaces. Maximum normal force, normal force variance, and digit force’s angular deviation from the normal direction were quantified.

Results: Pinch grip on the high-friction rubber surface was associated with 10% greater maximum normal force and 50% reduced normal force variance, compared with the low-friction paper surface ( p < .05). Digit force’s angular deviation was not significantly different between the two surface friction conditions.

Conclusion: The data support that people do change their pinch grip generation (maximum normal force and normal force variance) depending on the surface they gripped, potentially by using sensory feedback. The results of this study demonstrate that even a simple isometric pinch grip (no lifting associated) is affected by grip surface friction.

Application: Grip surface condition should be considered for clinical assessments, biomechanical investigation, and motor control studies to ensure consistency in measurements and validity of comparisons.
Early adult outcomes for Irish children with behavioural difficulties
Authors: Cleary Anne , Nixon Elizabeth
Published: October 2011

Background:

There are few longitudinal studies of Irish children and, to date, no studies reporting long-term outcome for those with behavioural disorder in childhood. This paper describes psychological and educational outcomes for a group of Irish children initially assessed at age 11 years and re-examined 10 years later. The period during which the research was conducted coincided with a time of increasing wealth in Ireland and the consequent development of psychological and educational services.

Aims:

To follow up and assess psychological and educational outcomes for a group of young people aged 21 years, half of whom had high levels of behavioural problems at age 11.

Method:

Data were gathered at two time points for 97 children and their families. Childhood measures included psychological and behavioural functioning, IQ, family background and economic circumstances. Outcome measures assessed in young adulthood included psychological functioning, educational attainment and trouble with the law.

Results:

Behavioural deviance at age 11 was found to be highly predictive of negative outcomes in early adulthood including a greater likelihood of involvement in criminal activity and less educational success. The likelihood of educational failure increased with the accumulation of risk factors including economic disadvantage and low IQ.

Conclusions:

These findings, supported in other international studies, underline the importance of behavioural difficulties in childhood for adult outcome, even in an environment of greater service and educational opportunities and access.
Transcendent Authority
Authors: Mc Bride S. Dean
Published: October 2011

Moses transmits to Israel the call of a God of incomparable power, and his intimate access to that power without being destroyed by it makes him not only mediator but model for the formation of a people set apart, holy to Yahweh.
Moses in the Visual Arts
Authors: Flynn Elisabeth L.
Published: October 2011

Moses as a challenge to artistic representation has spanned the centuries, and modern attempts to meet that challenge show that the figure of Moses remains alive and visible even in our day.
Did Jesus Consider His Death to be an Atoning Sacrifice?
Authors: Antwi Daniel J.
Published: October 2011

The notion that Jesus' death is an atoning sacrifice is grounded in Jesus' own understanding of the temple and sacrificial cult in light of the dawn of the New Age.
A Hermeneutic of Pastoral Care and the Law/Gospel Paradigm Applied to the Divorce Texts of Scripture
Authors: Molldrem Mark J.
Published: October 2011

With the dramatic increase in the percentage of divorces as compared with marriages, there is urgent need for the church to reflect theologically on how it cares for divorced persons.
The Garden and the Plaza
Authors: Brown William P. , Carroll John T.
Published: October 2011

The Bible has more to say about urban landscapes than it does about green pastures and still waters. Moreover, scripture uses certain agricultural images to impart a compelling vision of the city and, more broadly, what it means to live in community before God.
From Eden to Jerusalem
Authors: Sparks O. Benjamin
Published: October 2011

More than ever, the city needs congregations with an urban, metropolitan vocation. As suburban sprawl continues, we are invited by our own scriptures to be faithful to the city.
Four Stations en Route to a Parabolic Homiletic
Authors: Black C. Clifton
Published: October 2011

To preach the LORD'S word is to administer God's relief for this world's cardiac sclerosis with the shock of healing grace.
Reading Revelation Today
Authors: Blount Brian K.
Published: October 2011

The Book of Revelation commends bold witness-active resistance to powerful, deeply entrenched forces of institutional evil. This courageous witness may bring about suffering and even death but also, as in the example of Martin Luther King, Jr., the transformation of society.
Bounded Openness
Authors: Jones Sereme
Published: October 2011

The church can benefit from the critical impulses of both postmodernism and feminism. As a community of bounded openness, the church adopts certain rules and normative claims, while remaining open to God, others, and the world.
Hungry for Honor
Authors: Parker Evelyn L.
Published: October 2011

However distorted and dysfunctional, gangs satisfy the hunger for honor among adolescents. Churches that take ministry with youth seriously will seek to enable them to express their need for honor, group belonging, and hope in life-affirming ways.
Theology when Everything is Out of Control
Authors: Choon-Leong Seow
Published: October 2011

Qoheleth's theology concerns the practical realities of life and how one can cope in a topsy-turvy world. He espouses an ethic of liberality and enjoyment in the face of uncertainty.
From Liberation to Evangelization
Authors: George Sherron Kay
Published: October 2011

In Latin America, Catholics, historic Protestants, and Pentecostals are interpreting scripture in new ways. Their diverse perspectives and methodologies challenge the global faith community to learn from one another through mutual correction and sharing.
Meeting Jesus Again in the First Place
Authors: Laird Lance D.
Published: October 2011

Palestinian theologians seek to free their people from exclusive notions of election and promise through approaches to scripture that draw on the experience of the Israeli occupation. Scripture may be used as a weapon of oppression, but it may also inspire a commitment to justice, the restoration of right relations between Israelis and Palestinians.
Paul, Theologian of God's Apocalypse
Authors: De Boer Martinus C.
Published: October 2011

Paul applies apocalyptic language not only to the End and Christ's parousia but also to the gospel he proclaims and the faith it creates. The whole of God's saving activity in Jesus Christ, from beginning to end, is apocalyptic.
Know Your Context
Authors: Fowl Stephen
Published: October 2011

In his “thankless thanks” to the Philippians, Paul subverts the cultural assumptions of his day by providing a new narrative of God's solidarity with the community.
Biblical Spirituality
Authors: Schneiders Sandra M.
Published: October 2011

Biblical spirituality must strike a delicate balance between historical-critical engagement with scripture and opening oneself to the Word's life-transforming potential.
Reading the Bible with Holocaust Survivors and Rescuers
Authors: Astell Ann W.
Published: October 2011

Challenged to respond to Nazi heresy and to offer practical assistance to persecuted Jews, Christians who were caught in the crucible of the Third Reich learned to read the Bible differently. After Auschwitz, we are still learning from their example.
Encountering the Sower
Authors: Juel Donald H.
Published: October 2011

The parable of the Sower is problematic not because of its obscurity but precisely because of its utter clarity. The uneasiness the parable provokes will be settled only by a word from God, encountered in a community in which the gospel is preached and the sacraments celebrated.
Beyond Petty Pursuits and Wearisome Widows
Authors: Reid Barbara E.
Published: October 2011

The three Lukan parables that feature female characters have often been interpreted as stories about women tending to trivial tasks. Yet these figures reveal the divine work of transforming and feeding, extravagantly seeking after the lost for redemption, and persistently pursuing justice until it is achieved.
Welcoming Grace, Costly Commitment
Authors: Carroll John T.
Published: October 2011

According to Luke, Jesus commends in word and action a vision of God's domain as one defined by grace—welcoming, inclusive grace received and, in turn, extended to others.
“He Offered Himself”
Authors: Nelson Richard D.
Published: October 2011

As both priest and victim, Christ offered himself through sacrificial actions involving death, entry into the heavenly sanctuary, and cleansing by blood. Hebrews highlights the soteriological, psychological, and social benefits of this sacrifice.
Christ and the Present Evil Age
Authors: Garrett Susan R.
Published: October 2011

What does it mean to claim Jesus as Lord over the principalities and powers in a world where oppression, terror, and death so often seem to have the last word? Jesus' “answer” is not an intellectual explanation but a charge and a benediction, to guide believers and empower them to persevere.
Fides Quaerens Spem
Authors: Louw Daniel J.
Published: October 2011

Pastoral care must recover its unique identity as a theological discipline. In addressing the reality of evil, pastoral care reinterprets divine power as compassionate and creative empowerment, the basis for hopeful activity.
Facing Evil: Evil's Many Faces
Authors: Nelson Susan L.
Published: October 2011

Evil is both the experience of suffering and the fear that suffering subverts all meaning and order in the world. Given evil's many faces, at least five paradigms can be identified to account for God's relationship to suffering.
Friends with God?
Authors: Lapsley Jacqueline E.
Published: October 2011

The friendship shared by Moses and God offers a more appropriate model of faithfulness than Israel's prescribed obedience. The intimacy of their relationship offers an alternative model for the church's relationship to God, a countercultural “covenantal friendship.”
Jesus as Friend in the Gospel of John
Authors: O'Day Gail R.
Published: October 2011

In popular image, Jesus as friend is sentimentalized, but not so in the Fourth Gospel. Jesus gave his life in love for others and always spoke and acted boldly—marks of friendship in the cultural world of the New Testament.
Violence and Women's Lives in the Book of Judges
Authors: Hackett Jo Ann
Published: October 2011

Violence in the book of Judges is a function of the lawless era it describes, but it is also intertwined with the lives of women. The women in the book are both perpetrators and victims of violence; the relationship between violence and women's lives is a surprisingly intimate one.
“I was only a little angry”
Authors: Fretheim Terence E.
Published: October 2011

A biblical understanding of God's relationship with Israel and the world helps us interpret passages in the prophetic literature that link God and violence. With tears, lament, and regret, God takes into the divine self the violent effects of sinful human activities and thereby makes possible a non-violent future for God's people.
The Priestly Vocation
Authors: Dozeman Thomas B.
Published: October 2011

Biblical writers present a grand vision of the priestly vocation, in which the sacramental life of worship is translated into an ethical mission to the world. It is a vision in which the priestly vocation of the ordained in the sanctuary and the priestly vocation of the laity in the world work in concert to fulfill the divine vision of a transformed earth. 1
The Prophet Jeremiah and Exclusive Loyalty to God
Authors: O'connor Kathleen M.
Published: October 2011

In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet's calling involves profound engagement with the world, with God, and with the local community. Exclusive allegiance to and intimate experience of God propel the prophet into the world, become the fiery source of his passion, and make Jeremiah the model of survival for his devastated community.
The Arithmetic of Eros
Authors: Linafelt Tod
Published: October 2011

Love, according to the poets, is something like a math problem. Whether it is two striving to become one or the triangulating effect of three, we find a venerable history of number-crunching in the literature of love, not least in ancient Israel's great poetic presentation of desire, the Song of Songs.
Clones of God
Authors: Towner W. Sibley
Published: October 2011

The claim of the Priestly writers that the Creator made human beings in the divine image is both audacious and ambiguous. Assuming that among other things “image” means that human beings are able to enter into relationship with God and God's creatures, the concept is also empowering. It suggests that the Old Testament view of human nature is far more positive than our dour stress on human sinfulness has led us to imagine.
“Is This Not Why You are Wrong?”
Authors: Mays James Luther
Published: October 2011

The question of how Scripture is to be interpreted lies at the heart of the Sadducees' challenge to Jesus. His reply has implications for exegesis practiced as ministry.
Conflict and Community in the Johannine Letters
Authors: Rensberger David
Published: October 2011

The three Johannine Letters present a number of very difficult problems regarding their authorship and historical background, as well as many passages that are obscurely written and difficult to translate and interpret. Nevertheless, they also have important insights to offer regarding the nature of God, the meaning of the incarnation, and the importance and the difficulty of Christian community as a witness to and an expression of divine love.
Care and Keeping East of Eden: Gen 4:1–16 in Light of Gen 2–3
Authors: Swenson Kristin M.
Published: October 2011

“Am I my brother's keeper?” has resonated through the centuries as the rhetorical question of a belligerent murderer. Yet it uses a verb whose appearance, disappearance, and appearance again in the greater narrative of chapters 2–4 suggests that it may be a genuine question with surprisingly far-reaching implications. By answering the question, readers are implicated in a complicated responsibility, for and with the Other, that mediates the very presence of God.
Themes in Haggai-Zechariah-Malachi
Authors: Redditt Paul
Published: October 2011

A survey of a number of themes common to the Book of the Twelve shows that an intertextual approach to Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and the whole Book of the Twelve offers perspectives on issues in the texts not available to studies that isolate the individual collections.
Expecting a Hymn, Encountering An Argument: Introducing the Rhetoric of Philippians and Pauline Interpretation
Authors: Marchal Joseph A.
Published: October 2011

Paul's letter to the Philippians, a dense and dynamic piece of rhetoric, is too often overlooked in Pauline interpretation. Careful, critical analysis of the argument in the letter as a whole, as well as its famous hymn, attunes the interpreter to the ethical and political dimensions of this important document.
The Baptism of Christ and Temptations by Michele Tosini: A Lukan Reading
Authors: Hornik Heidi J.
Published: October 2011

For Michele Tosini, the baptism of Christ has profound allusions to Christ's suffering and death. In the Baptism of Christ and Temptations, Tosini is creative in his placement of the temptation narratives and in his selection of the Lukan account.
The Raising of Lazarus: Caravaggio and John 11
Authors: Oates Amy
Published: October 2011

Combining art historical and biblical scholarship, this article examines John 11 to offer textual reasons for the unique motifs and composition in Caravaggio's Raising of Lazarus (1608–09) and to provide greater insight into the painting and its source.
Lamenting Back to Life
Authors: O'Connor Kathleen M.
Published: October 2011

The confessions of Jeremiah are prayers for people mired in loss and play a major role in the theological and spiritual process of healing. They keep communication with God alive in the midst of destruction and despair.
Interlocutions: The Poetics of Voice in the Figuration of YHWH and His Oracular Agent, Jeremiah
Authors: Diamond A.R. Pete
Published: October 2011

Mythopoesis must rescue Israel from its colonial crisis. YHWH and prophet achieve textual existence via multi-voiced figural realism. A poetics of voice lends them efficacious illusion and resilient generative appeal.
Reading the Bible in Nazi Germany: Gerhard von Rad's Attempt to Reclaim the Old Testament for the Church
Authors: Levinson Bernard M.
Published: October 2011

From 1933 until 1945, the Hebrew Bible and the connection between Christianity and Judaism came under attack in Nazi Germany. Gerhard von Rad defended the importance of the Old Testament in a courageous struggle that profoundly influenced his interpretation of the book of Deuteronomy.
“Sing to the Lord No Threadbare Song”: Theological Angularity in the Face of Advent Sentimentality
Authors: Witvliet John D.
Published: October 2011

To ward off Advent sentimentality, preachers and church musicians need to find theologically robust approaches to proclaiming the simultaneously sobering and glorious eschatological themes of Advent. Classical Christian doctrines, brought to life by theologically astute contemporary hymnwriters, offer many promising angles of vision for worshipers, preachers, teachers, and theologians.
Revelation's Visionary Challenge to Ordinary Empire
Authors: Koester Craig R.
Published: October 2011

Revelation addresses the ordinary challenges facing Christians under Roman rule, rather than speaking only to those enduring a time of terror. Some of the readers were struggling, but others were affluent and complacent. The book's visions seek to alter the way they see the political, religious, and economic dimensions of imperial life and to call them to renewed faithfulness to God and the Lamb.
Calvin as Biblical Interpreter Among the Ancient Philosophers
Authors: Steinmetz David C.
Published: October 2011

God providentially guided the ancient classical authors into the perception of truths and the unmasking of errors. Even the errors they never caught are instructive. For Calvin, the only proper response to this rich intellectual heritage for a devout Christian people called to love God with their minds as well as with their hearts must always remain profound gratitude.
On the Threshold of Kingship: A Study of Agur (Proverbs 30)
Authors: Yoder Christine Roy
Published: October 2011

The placement of the sayings of Agur (Prov 30) between instructions for an implied reader who is poised to assume leadership (Prov 28–29) and instructions to the implied reader as king (Prov 31:1–9) prompts this exploration of what role the unknown, arguably foreign and feeble sage Agur plays in the book of Proverbs.
The Quest for the Church in the Gospel of John
Authors: Culpepper R. Alan
Published: October 2011

From the earliest centuries, the Gospel of John has been embraced as the church's gospel. The first commentaries on any book of the New Testament were written on the Gospel of John. Nothing matches the beauty and lofty Christology of its poetic prologue, words that more than any others guided the councils of the early church and led to the definitive expression of orthodox Christology.
The Gospel of John: The “End” of Scripture
Authors: Moloney Francis J.
Published: October 2011

The explicit citations of the sacred Scriptures of Israel in the Gospel of John are plotted to culminate in Jesus' final word from the Cross. The words of Jesus are regularly presented as the fulfillment of Scripture, and his words are even read as Scripture. The Gospel of John is a presentation of Jesus as the continuation and perfection of Israel's sacred Scriptures.
Lenten Practice in a Musical Mode
Authors: Brown Frank Burch
Published: October 2011

The music most pertinent to Lent often engages and stretches us in ways that, while intimately connected with faith, can nonetheless be difficult to put into words or to accommodate within Sunday worship. Yet faith shaped by worship and Scripture informs the very capacity to hear—and be changed by—vital resonances in such music.
Poetry as a Resource for Worship in the Lenten Season
Authors: Griffiths Richard
Published: October 2011

This essay examines the suitability of poetry as a vehicle for prayer, worship and meditation. It takes two specific examples of Lenten courses based on poetry: one based on depictions of the events of Holy Week and one based on a discussion of the problem of suffering in a world created by a loving God. It also looks at the liturgical use of the arts in Holy Week services.
Religious Identity in the Public Square
Authors: Hanson Paul D.
Published: October 2011

This article grows out of and hopes to remain a part of a conversation in which Jews and Christians ponder over the manner in which they can contribute to the public good from the richness of their Scriptures and traditions. It suggests a thoughtful hermeneutic that is simultaneously faithful to ancestral traditions and open to the contributions of all thoughtful individuals and groups within a diverse society.
“Wherever This Good News Is Proclaimed”: Women and God in the Gospel of Matthew
Authors: Weaver Dorothy Jean
Published: October 2011

A careful examination of Matthew's narrative reveals a striking portrait of those who in the patriarchal world of first-century Palestine are largely people of little power and low esteem. To bring God into the story of women is ultimately, for Matthew, to grant women extraordinary and unanticipated significance for the life and the faith of the people of God.
The Season of Easter: Imaginative Figurings for the Body of Christ
Authors: Carvalhaes Cláudio , Galbreath Paul
Published: October 2011

The development of Easter as a fifty-day season in the church year was an extended historical process that allowed major theological themes to find their place as a part of this central celebration in the life of the church. Careful attention to the embodiment of these themes in our Easter celebration can foster the work of renewal in our own diverse communities of faith.
The Resurrection of Jesus in Art
Authors: Luz Ulrich
Published: October 2011

In the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus is not described as a visible event, and for this reason, the resurrection was not represented directly in visual arts for about 1,000 years. Direct representations of the resurrection as an event appeared only after 1000 C.E. They were concrete, and they objectivized and historicized the resurrection in a problematical way.