bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FUNDAMENTAL STRING (MEMBRANE) ORBITING D5(M5)-BRANES
Authors: NAYAK RASHMI R. , SWAIN PRATAP K.
Published: June 2011

We study fundamental string (F-string) dynamics near D5-brane in some limits. We find that when the angular momentum of the probe brane is proportional to string length (ls) and square root of string coupling constant [Formula: see text], the F-string lies in its metastable orbit at a finite distance from D5-branes. We further study the metastable orbits of a M2-brane in M5-brane background.
IMAGE QUALITY FEEDBACK-BASED ADAPTIVE VIDEO DEFINITION IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SPACE MANIPULATION TASK
Authors: LIU HAOTING , LI JIE , WANG ZHENG , CHENG JIAN , LU HANQING , ZHAO YAN
Published: June 2011

A novel video definition enhancement technique for space manipulation task is presented in this paper. In contrast to other techniques, we implement our algorithm by considering both the feedback of the image quality (IQ) and the correction of the visual fatigue factor simultaneously. First, when designing the objective IQ evaluation metrics, we employ both the subjective evaluation result of the IQ and the information of the attention region to improve their performances. The canonical correlation analysis technique is used to build the connection between the subjective evaluation results and the objective ones. The eye tracking system is employed to search the location of the visual attention. Second, a denoising and enhancement technique in wavelet domain is developed to improve the imaging definition. The whole calculation process is monitored by the feedback of the objective IQ evaluation metrics mentioned above. The evaluation result of IQ is also corrected by some visual fatigue factors since the space tasks are always a long-time mission. The face recognition technique will be included in our system in the future to detect and analyze the visual fatigue, although it is not developed currently. Extensive experimental results have shown the effectivity of our proposed technique.
MULTIORIENTATION-BASED MULTISTRUCTURE MORPHOLOGICAL INPAINTING
Authors: FLORINABEL D. JEMI , JULIET S. EBENEZER , SADASIVAM V.
Published: June 2011

A multiorientation-based multistructure morphological inpainting for the recovery of damaged digitized photographs is proposed. As the inpainting order plays a vital role for human visualization, the method is guided by the orientation of edges at the surrounding known regions of the missing (spoiled) domain. The damaged picture is decomposed into its constituent orientation subbands by steerable filters. The subband information is used for reconstructing the regions within the missing part at a particular orientation, as well as for guiding the integration of the reconstructed regions. Subbands having response at the boundary of the missing domain are named as constructive subbands. The damaged regions are morphologically eroded using the structuring elements of corresponding orientations that of the constructive subbands. The resultant image is obtained using winner-takes-all integration. The novelty of our approach is to explicitly specify the direction of filling thereby ensuring ease in convergence in different orientations and then streamlining the integration process to guarantee complete and natural look. Implementation of region-filling through morphological erosion, a noniterative and nonsampling process, makes the method faster than many other traditional texture synthesis inpainting algorithms and it successfully recovers images with better peak signal to noise ratios and structural similarity index even for massive damages.
A NOVEL COMPRESSED IMAGES QUALITY METRIC
Authors: LU WEN , HE LIHUO , TANG WENJIAN , GAO FEI , HOU WEILONG
Published: June 2011

As the performance indicator of the image processing algorithms or systems, image quality assessment (IQA) has attracted the attention of many researchers. Aiming to the widely used compression standards, JPEG and JPEG2000, we propose a new no reference (NR) metric for compressed images to do IQA. This metric exploits the causes of distortion by JPEG and JPEG2000, employs the directional discrete cosine transform (DDCT) to obtain the detail and directional information of the images and incorporates with the visual perception to obtain the image quality index. Experimental results show that the proposed metric not only has outstanding performance on JPEG and JPEG2000 images, but also applicable to other types of artifacts.
The Transcriptional Control of Lymphatic Vascular Development
Authors: Francois Mathias , Harvey Natasha L. , Hogan Benjamin M.
Published: June 2011

More than 100 years ago, Florence Sabin suggested that lymphatic vessels develop by sprouting from preexisting blood vessels, but it is only over the past decade that the molecular mechanisms underpinning lymphatic vascular development have begun to be elucidated. Genetic manipulations in mice have identified a transcriptional hub comprised of Prox1, CoupTFII, and Sox18 that is essential for lymphatic endothelial cell fate specification. Recent work has identified a number of additional transcription factors that regulate later stages of lymphatic vessel differentiation and maturation. This review highlights recent advances in our understanding of the transcriptional control of lymphatic vascular development and reflects on efforts to better understand the activities of transcriptional networks during this discrete developmental process. Finally, we highlight the transcription factors associated with human lymphatic vascular disorders, demonstrating the importance of understanding how the activity of these key molecules is regulated, with a view toward the development of innovative therapeutic avenues.
Alleviating the Collision States and Fleet Optimization by Introducing a New Generation of Automated Guided Vehicle Systems
Authors: Azimi Parham
Published: June 2011

The aim of the current research is to propose a new generation of automated guided vehicle systems for alleviating the collision states in material handling systems where the automated guided vehicles movements are allowed to be both unidirectional and bidirectional. The objective function is to maximize the average annual profit in an FMS system using a simulation method. Despite several researches done in this field, this criterion has been studied rarely. The current study includes some new changes in AGV design for preventing some common problems such as congestions and deadlocks based on real profits/costs analysis in a flexible manufacturing system. For this reason, some experiments have been carried out to study the effects of several empty vehicle dispatching rules on average annual profit. The results show that the proposed framework is efficient and robust enough for industrial environments.
High-Resolution Imaging of Dendrimers Used in Drug Delivery via Scanning Probe Microscopy
Authors: Shi Lifang , Fleming Christopher J. , Riechers Shawn L. , Yin Nai-Ning , Luo Juntao , Lam Kit S. , Liu Gang-yu
Published: June 2011

Dendrimers and telodendrimer micelles represent two new classes of vehicles for drug delivery that have attracted much attention recently. Their structural characterization at the molecular and submolecular level remains a challenge due to the difficulties in reaching high resolution when imaging small particles in their native media. This investigation offers a new approach towards this challenge, using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). By using new sample preparation protocols, this work demonstrates that (a) intramolecular features such as drug molecules and dendrimer termini can be resolved; and (b) telodendrimer micelles can be immobilized on the surface without compromising structural integrity, and as such, high resolution AFM imaging may be performed to attain 3D information. This high-resolution structural information should enhance our knowledge of the nanocarrier structure and nanocarrier-drug interaction and, therefore, facilitate design and optimization of the efficiency in drug delivery.
Carbon-Based Fibrous EDLC Capacitors and Supercapacitors
Authors: Lekakou C. , Moudam O. , Markoulidis F. , Andrews T. , Watts J. F. , Reed G. T.
Published: June 2011

This paper investigates electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) including two alternative types of carbon-based fibrous electrodes, a carbon fibre woven fabric (CWF) and a multiwall carbon nanotube (CNT) electrode, as well as hybrid CWF-CNT electrodes. Two types of separator membranes were also considered. An organic gel electrolyte PEO-LiCIO4-EC-THF was used to maintain a high working voltage. The capacitor cells were tested in cyclic voltammetry, charge-discharge, and impedance tests. The best separator was a glass fibre-fine pore filter. The carbon woven fabric electrode and the corresponding supercapacitor exhibited superior performance per unit area, whereas the multiwall carbon nanotube electrode and corresponding supercapacitor demonstrated excellent specific properties. The hybrid CWF-CNT electrodes did not show a combined improved performance due to the lack of carbon nanotube penetration into the carbon fibre fabric.
New Nonlinear Controller for a Class of Chaotic Systems Based on Adaptive Backstepping Fuzzy‐Immune Control
Authors: Shih Kai-Shiuan , Li Tzuu-Hseng S. , Tsai Shun-Hung
Published: June 2011

An adaptive backstepping fuzzy‐immune controller for a class of chaotic systems is proposed. An adaptive backstepping fuzzy method and adaptive laws are used to approximate nonlinear functions and the unknown upper bounds of uncertainty, respectively. The proposed adaptive backstepping fuzzy‐immune controller guarantees the stability of a class of chaotic systems while maintaining good tracking performance. The fuzzy‐immune algorithm is used for mathematical calculations. The intelligence algorithm consists of the adaptive backstepping fuzzy method and a novel fuzzy‐immune scheme which generates optimal parameters for the control schemes. Finally, two simulation examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Evaluation of Diagnosis Techniques Used for Spinal Injury Related Back Pain
Authors: Janssen Meaghan , Nabih Aliaa , Moussa Walied , Kawchuk Gregory N. , Carey Jason P.
Published: June 2011

Back pain is a prevalent condition affecting much of the population at one time or the other. Complications, including neurological ones, can result from missed or mismanaged spinal abnormalities. These complications often result in serious patient injury and require more medical treatment. Correct diagnosis enables more effective, often less costly treatment methods. Current diagnosis technologies focus on spinal alterations. Only approximately 10% of back pain is diagnosable, with current diagnostic technologies. The objective of this paper is to investigate and evaluate based on specific criteria current diagnosis technique. Nine diagnostic techniques were found in the literature, namely, discography, myelography, single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT), computer tomography (CT), combined CT & SPECT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), upright and kinematic MRI, plain radiography and cineradiography. Upon review of the techniques, it is suggested that improvements can be made to all the existing techniques for diagnosing back pain. This review will aid health service developers to focus on insufficient areas, which will help to improve existing technologies or even develop alternative ones.
Synthesis and In Vitro Evaluation of Novel Nortropane Derivatives as Potential Radiotracers for Muscarinic M2 Receptors
Authors: Knol Remco J. J. , van den Bos Jan C. , Janssen Anton G. M. , de Bruin Kora , van Eck-Smit Berthe L. F. , Booij Jan
Published: June 2011

Disturbances of the cerebral cholinergic neurotransmitter system are present in neurodegenerative disorders. SPECT or PET imaging, using radiotracers that selectively target muscarinic receptor subtypes, may be of value for in vivo evaluation of such conditions.
6β-acetoxynortropane, a potent muscarinic M2 receptor agonist, has previously demonstrated nanomolar affinity and high selectivity for this receptor. Based on this compound we synthesized four nortropane derivatives that are potentially suitable for SPECT imaging of the M2 receptor. 6β-acetoxynortropane and the novel derivatives were tested in vitro for affinity to the muscarinic M1−3 receptors. The original 6β-acetoxynortropane displayed high affinity (Ki=70–90 nM) to M2 receptors and showed good selectivity ratios to the M1 (65-fold ratio) and the M3 (70-fold ratio) receptors. All new derivatives showed reduced affinity to the M2 subtype and loss of subtype selectivity.
It is therefore concluded that the newly synthesized derivatives are not suitable for human SPECT imaging of M2 receptors.
Study of the Generalized Quantum Isotonic Nonlinear Oscillator Potential
Authors: Saad Nasser , Hall Richard L. , Çiftçi Hakan , Yeşiltaş Özlem
Published: June 2011

We study the generalized quantum isotonic oscillator Hamiltonian given by , g > 0. Two approaches are explored. A method for finding
the quasipolynomial solutions is presented, and explicit expressions for these polynomials are given,
along with the conditions on the potential parameters. By using the asymptotic iteration method,
we show how the eigenvalues of this Hamiltonian for arbitrary values of the parameters g, w, and a
may be found to high accuracy.
Integrating Factors and First Integrals for Liénard Type and Frequency‐Damped Oscillators
Authors: Yaşar Emrullah
Published: June 2011

We consider Liénard type and frequency‐damped oscillator equations. Integrating factors and the associated first integrals are derived from the method to compute λ‐symmetries and the associated reduction algorithm. The knowledge of a λ-symmetry of the equation permits the determination of an integrating factor or a first integral by means of coupled first‐order linear systems of partial differential equations. We will compare our results with those gained by the other methods.
Numerical Study of the Effect of a Power Plant Cooling Water Discharge in the Montevideo Bay
Authors: Fossati Mónica , Santoro Pablo , Urrestarazu Santiago , Piedra-Cueva Ismael
Published: June 2011

The numerical simulation of the water temperature in the Río de la Plata River and Montevideo′s Bay was done using the numerical model of finite elements RMA‐10 in its 2D vertical integrated mode. Parameters involved in the formulations of thermal exchange with the atmosphere were adjusted using measurements of water temperature in several locations of the water body. After calibrating the model, it was used to represent the operation of a power plant located in Montevideo′s Bay. This central takes water from the bay in order to cool its generators and also discharges high‐temperature water into the bay. The correct representation of temperatures at the water intake and discharge of the plant reflects that the model is able to represent the operation of the central. Several analysis were made to study the thermal plume, the effects of the water discharge on the water intake of the power plant, and the effect on environmental variables of the study area like currents.
Election Theology and the Problem of Universalism
Authors: Kaminsky Joel S.
Published: June 2011

This essay critiques the widespread tendencies to assume that universalism is always progressive while particularism is always regressive and that the Bible over time moves away from an intolerant particularism toward a tolerant universalism. In the course of the study, one comes to see that utilizing these binary modern categories often impedes one’s ability to understand the text in its own context. The author concludes by arguing that the Bible’s election theology provides evidence that universalism arose not through a waning of Israel’s sense of her self identity as God’s chosen people, but rather through Israel’s ever deepening reflection on the meaning and significance of her elect status.
Between Imitation and Interpretation:Reuse of Scripture and Composition in Hodayot (1QHa) 11:6‐19
Authors: Tooman William A.
Published: June 2011

1QHodayota 11:6‐19 exemplifies some of the techniques by which an author could, successfully, imitate biblical language without, simultaneously, implying that the reuse was exegetical. Seven scriptural texts—each crafted around themes of life, death, or the sea—dictated the poem’s themes and much of its vocabulary (Jonah 2:3‐7; Ps 77:17‐18; 107:23‐27; Isa 66:7; Jer 10:13/51:16; Job 36:16‐17; 41:23). The author of 1QHa 11:6‐19 mimicked the biblical idiom of these sources, but, to avoid evoking the sources too clearly, the author broke up and/or adapted many of the most rare and distinctive of the borrowed locutions. In those cases where the author reused multiple locutions from a single source-text, the borrowed elements were separated from one another, scattered widely across the new poem. The outcome was a new text that reflected biblical expression and style, yet it did not offer or imply any interpretation of the sources of that style.
Covenantal Election in 4Q252 and Jubilees’ Heavenly Tablets
Authors: Tzoref Shani
Published: June 2011

This study builds upon earlier attempts in scholarship to (1) identify the common element(s) among the thirty or so passages attributed to the Heavenly Tablets in Jubilees, and (2) to determine the unifying factor(s) underlying 4Q252 (4QCommentary on Genesis A). I demonstrate that the close affinity between the list of passages from the book of Genesis that are featured in 4Q252 and those represented in Jubilees’ Heavenly Tablets points to a shared exegetical tradition pertaining to Elect and accursed figures in Genesis. I further argue that the differences between these lists, and between their respective treatments of some of the accursed figures, indicate distinctive recastings of this shared tradition.
A Reexamination of the “Sons of the Pit” in CD 13:14
Authors: Stroup Christopher
Published: June 2011

This paper reexamines the arguments for the reconstruction, “sons of the dawn,” in CD 13:14 and contends that based on material evidence the former consensus reading, “sons of the pit,” is more likely. The reading “sons of the dawn” gained acceptance because of the apparent absence of the necessary stroke for taw and the discovery of a similar phrase in 4Q298. A close examination of a new image of the manuscript, however, reveals the presence of a serif consistent with taw rather than reš and the remnants of ink where one would expect the leg of taw.
How Not to Use 3 Reigns: A Plea to Scholars of the Books of Kings
Authors: Law T. M.
Published: June 2011

The authors of two recent monographs have attempted to discredit the view that the Greek translation of 1 Kings was based on a Hebrew text that differed from the MT. One argues that the translator was responsible, while the other suggests the divergences are the result of inner-Greek revisional activity. While these arguments are not entirely original, they are the latest attempts to challenge the more commonly held view that the Greek translator did in fact translate faithfully from a Hebrew text at odds with the MT. This article assesses these arguments, and concludes with a plea to scholars writing Hebrew Bible commentaries on the books of Kings.
The System of Dividing Lists into Verses
Authors: Breuer Yochanan
Published: June 2011

The system of division within the verse by the accents has been investigated and described, but the system of division into verses has never been described. This article focuses on the system of dividing lists into verses. A list may be divided into verses containing one, two or three items. The decision on the number of items to be included in a given verse depends on the length of the items. Thus, the first step is to determine the exact length of the items suitable for each arrangement. The next step is to describe the exact method of division when the list cannot be evenly divided.
Binding “Sucks”: A Response to Stefan Schorch
Authors: Guillaume Philippe
Published: June 2011

Although Stefan Schorch claims that Amos 6:4 provides the key to the prohibition of cooking a kid in its mother’s milk, Schorch’s article strengthens rather than invalidate the rennet hypothesis.
The Text-Criticism of Psalm 80—Revisited
Authors: Rofé Alexander
Published: June 2011

The first part of this essay reviews cases of doublets in the Biblical texts, in order to substantiate the claim that Ps 80:16,18 represent a full-verse doublet. However, none of its components submits the original text. For the hypothetical reconstruction of the primary reading one must rely on a secondary textual witness—paraphrasis. For that reason, the use of that class of witnesses, also comprising quotations and allusions, is explored. One paraphrasis of Ps 80:13 in Ps 89:41-42 was detected long ago by H. P. Chayes. Building on his finding, it is maintained here that a primary text, lying behind Ps 80:16,18, was paraphrased in Ps 89:22. The reconstruction of that text is offered, followed by the restoration of the last stanza (vss. 15-20) of Psalm 80.
Finding Spaces for Fairness
Authors: Abusharaf Rogaia Mustafa
Published: June 2011

Excavating Gender Justice: The Predicament and the Promise disentangles discourses and practices of asymmetrical power. It engages culture and politics by expounding the ways in which religion, modernity, tradition, jurisprudence, and citizenship have come to comprise constitutive elements of gender politics. When we speak of gender justice, we confront matters that lie at the heart of the knottiest philosophical, legal, and anthropological conundrums. These issues have prompted many to grapple with definitions and typologies derived from fields of inquiry as diverse as neoliberal economics, multiculturalism, constitutionalism, democratic political theory, and development. Excavating Gender Justice provides neither a typology nor a definitive definition of its subject. Others have assumed the task before. For example, Anne Marie Goetz (2007) explained the link between gender justice and debates on citizenship, entitlements, rights, and law and development by delineating three mutually inclusive perspectives: a) gender justice as entitlements and choice, the enabling paradigm; b) gender justice as absence of discrimination; and c) gender justice as positive rights.
A Home for Obedience: Masculinity in Personal Status for Muslims Law
Authors: Abdel Halim Asma M.
Published: June 2011

Over the centuries, family laws around the Muslim world have been enacted mainly with the aim of restricting women and curbing their rights. One of the issues that family laws paid much attention to and legislated in details is disobedience (nushuz) of the wife. Nushuz in shari’a is said to be withholding of the conjugal rights of the husband. Although Nushuz became a description of women’s behavior, in Chapter 4, of the Qur’an, An-Nisa (The Women) mentions the nushuz of both the husband and the wife—nushuz of the wife in verse 34 and a husband’s nushuz in verse 128. This chapter discusses both husband and wife’s nushuz and highlights the masculinity (and manipulation of that interpretation) in the Qur’an to legislate laws such as the Sudanese Personal Status for Muslims Act, 1991. The law dealt with the wife’s disobedience in details, but totally ignored to legislate any limit of the husband’s desertion of his wife or any behavior that may make him the one who is nashiz.
Transnational Feminism and “Local” Realities: The Imperiled Muslim Woman and the Production of (In)Justice
Authors: Siddiqi Dina M.
Published: June 2011

This essay explores the tensions and disjunctures between transnational principles of gender justice and the highly contextualized desires of women who seek the services of legal aid organizations in rural Bangladesh. More specifically, it looks at the shalish, or local village tribunal in the context of efforts to restructure the shalish to make it more “democratic and gender-friendly.” On the basis of a close reading of several case studies, this essay shows how feminist conceptions of rights can sometimes founder in the face of women’s actual desires and expectations. The paper argues for rethinking notions of agency that conceive of individuals as pre-cultural subjects in favor of a framework in which all selves are relational and agency is produced in relation to specific cultural, political and economic logics.
The Paradox of the Female Slave Body in the Islamic Legal System: The Cases of Morocco and Sudan
Authors: Sikainga Ahmad A.
Published: June 2011

This chapter is concerned with the way in which Muslim jurisprudence dealt with the body of female slaves in two Muslim societies: Morocco and the Sudan. While the depiction and the representation of the slave body have generated a great deal of debate among scholars working on slavery in the New World, this subject has received little attention amongst both Islamicists and Africanists. The literature on slavery in the American South and in the Caribbean has shown that the depiction of the slave body reveals a great deal about the reality of slavery, the relations of power and control, and the cultural codes that existed within the slave societies. The slave physical appearance and gestures were used to distinguish between the slaves and free and to justify slavery. Throughout the Americas slaves were routinely branded as a form of identification right up to the eighteenth century. Although the body of the slaves from both sexes was subjected to the same depiction, the treatment of female slaves deserves further exploration. As many scholars have argued, slave women suffer the double jeopardy of being both a slave and a woman. Moreover, the body of the female slave in Muslim societies is of particular significance as many of them were used for sexual purposes, as mistresses and concubines. The chapter shows that the reproductive role of female slaves became a major justice issue, particularly in their struggle for freedom.
The Past Future of Postcolonial “Category” Religion, Theory, and Translation: A Symposium on Arvind-Pal Mandair’s Religion and the Specter of the West
Authors: Abeysekara Ananda
Published: June 2011

In this symposium, three scholars Michael Nijhawan, Ruth Mas, and Sian Hawthorne engage the work Religion and the Specter of the West by Arvind-Pal Mandair. They take up concepts of translation, postcoloniality, memory, representation, writing, and the “category” religion itself in ways that help us think about the future of secular theory and theorizing of religion in the humanities.
Sikhism, Traumatic Repetition, and the Question of Aesthetic Sovereignty
Authors: Nijhawan Michael
Published: June 2011

This article provides a detailed discussion of Arvind Mandair’s new work Religion and the Specter of the West. Written from a sociological vantage point, which is informed by a long commitment to Sikh Studies, the argument presented here focuses on three organizing concepts of Mandair’s work: (1) repetition and how it is to be read within the process of subject formation, (2) trauma as a conceptual tool to rethink postcolonial identity, and (3) aesthetic sovereignty as providing a possible exit out of hermeneutic dilemmas of ‘translating religion.’
Is there a (M)other in the Text? Post-theistic Sikh Ontology and the Question of the Phallus
Authors: Hawthorne Sîan
Published: June 2011

In this paper I examine Arvind Mandair’s retrieval of the posttheistic ontologization of language in early Sikh thought, an aspect which is fundamental for his argument for Sikh postcolonial secularity. However, he frames his argument by drawing—implicitly and explicitly—on a parallel modelling of the ontological function of language found in Lacanian psychoanalysis. Whilst finding much to affirm in Mandair’s argument, I query the extent to which its subterranean reliance on psychoanalysis runs the risk of replicating the Lacanian marginalisation and ultimate exclusion of female subjectivity (paradigmatically the mother) as a figure of alterity and of lack. I argue that a model that promotes the ontology of language as a liberatory and inclusive political tool must also account for the gendered and thus potentially exclusory nature of language.
Yin-Yang Theory, the Human Organism, and the Bai hu tong: A Need for Pairing and Explaining
Authors: Unschuld Paul U.
Published: June 2011

This paper discusses some terminological consequences of the acceptance of a seemingly all-pervasive yin yang dualism by ancient Chinese naturalists, with a focus on the origin of certain technical terms introduced to designate morphological and functional items in the emerging Chinese medicine. These terms were selected from words not originally linked to morphological and physiological notions. They served as metaphors to illustrate both function and the yin yang nature of the items they were chosen to designate. How to translate these terms into Western languages is a complex issue not sufficiently discussed among philologists.In 79 CE, the historian Ban Gu (32‐92) published the Bai hu tong , based on contributions by an unknown number of participants in one of the first documented meetings of intellectuals in antiquity. Chapter 8 offers a discourse on the meaning of qing , ‘emotion’, and xing , ‘moral disposition’. Two terms were available that had been in long use in this arena of meanings, albeit without a clear-cut distinction along the lines of a Yin-Yang categorisation. No metaphors were required here. Rather, a redefinition of qing and xing was required to assign a yang nature to the former and a yin nature to the latter.The Bai hu tong is a telling example of a continuing heterogeneity of explanatory models in early Chinese life sciences. The following discussion offers an impression of the merger of what may originally have been a neutral attempt at a dualistic categorisation of all phenomena in terms of two natural categories of yin and yang with another doctrine. The second clearly valued yang phenomena more highly than yin phenomena and applied this distinction to more and less desirable moral categories. Also, the Bai hu tong offers evidence of different metaphorical usages of the term fu in physiological theory from as early as Han times. To the older meaning: ‘short-term storage facility’ a second meaning of ‘palace’ was added. The question of an adequate translation of such terms in modern languages is worth further thought.1
The Problem of Identifying Mudan and the Tree Peony in Early China
Authors: Kubo Teruyuki
Published: June 2011

The tree peony is a flowering plant found in China, and well-known in
Britain. Its root cortex is often used in Chinese traditional prescriptions,
such as Dahuang mudan tang, Liuwei dihuang wan, and Jiawei shaoyao san. In
contemporary Chinese, the tree peony is called ‘Mudan’, and although its
beauty was largely ignored until the Kaiyuan era (713‐41 CE), a drug of the
same name is mentioned in medical texts of the Eastern Han period (25‐220
CE). The early authoritative materia medica, Xinxiu bencao (659 CE), also
describes a plant called ‘Mudan’, but it is different from the tree peony in
form. Curiously, although the tree peony is not considered to be native to
Japan, it is described as a specialty plant in the early Japanese gazetteer,
Izumonokuni Fudoki (733 CE).This study demonstrates that in early texts
‘mudan’ referred to a different plant from the tree peony, and that ‘mudan’
had two remarkable aliases, ‘bailiangjin’ in China and ‘yamatachihana’ in
Japan. Today, both aliases are used to refer to Ardisia species.
Furthermore, I will demonstrate that the Xinxiu bencao’s description of the
Mudan closely matches that of the Ardisia, especially the A. japonica
species. My investigations therefore suggest that early prescriptions may
have used the Ardisia species, not the tree peony. This raises further
questions: when and how did the tree peony come to replace the Ardisia? This
paper presents the most likely progression of this transition by tracing the
expansion of cultivation of Mudan for ornamental purposes.
Saltpetre in Early and Medieval Chinese Medicine
Authors: Butler Anthony , Moffett John
Published: June 2011

Saltpetre, xiaoshi (), was used extensively in early and medieval Chinese medicine for the treatment of a number of common ailments and as a general aid to good health. Until recently it was thought that saltpetre had no biological action except as a diuretic, but recent research suggests that this is not the case. Some of the claims made by Chinese physicians are consistent with current scientific understanding.
Minorities in Postcolonial Transitions: The Ndebele in Zimbabwe
Authors: Moyo Khanyisela
Published: June 2011

This article argues that there is a legal and political basis for attending to concerns of ethnic minorities in postcolonial transitions. If left unattended, this issue may prompt members of minority groups to resort to preservative measures, including violence to the detriment of the security which is a fundamental objective of the transition. This reaction is often generated by an axiomatic fear of assimilation. The case of the Ndebele of Zimbabwe illustrates this. The article’s position is confirmed by post-colonial state practice that implements minority rights and accords affected groups a right to self-determination or autonomy in tandem with liberal democratic reforms.
Preventing and Responding to Atrocity Crimes in Africa: Interrogating the African Response in Darfur
Authors: Nmehielle Vincent O.
Published: June 2011

There has been much scholarly and public debate regarding whether the ongoing atrocities in Darfur constitute “genocide”. This article posits that, irrespective of the description given to the mass atrocities taking place in the Sudan, there needs to be a more formidable response and intervention by the world community. As part of this, the author examines the African Union (AU) engagement with the Darfur crisis, within the context of Sudan’s membership in the AU. Contending that Darfur is the first litmus test of how the AU is different from its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity, he argues that Darfuris would only realize the benefits of the new regional body if perpetrators of egregious human rights violations are brought to justice.
Voluntary Codes of Conduct for Religious Persuasion: Effective Tools for Balancing Human Rights and Resolving Conflicts?
Authors: Svendsen Are L. , Bless Rainer O. , Richards Matthew K.
Published: June 2011

Attempts by people of faith to persuade others to their beliefs can provoke conflicts—even violence—in communities intent on protecting their privacy and identity. Both advocates and targets claim the protection of competing human rights, which must be balanced. Voluntary codes of conduct offer a viable alternative to government regulation. This article evaluates twenty-one codes and identifies which have greatest potential for conflict-resolution. Effective codes balance competing rights consistent with international law norms, respect multiple traditions, and address a general audience. They motivate compliance, provide a platform for dialogue, and promote the pluralism necessary to freedom of conscience. In contrast, codes focused on a single faith’s or network’s own constituencies are less likely to prevent or resolve conflicts because they tend to advocate a sectarian view and sometimes violate international law. Like aggressive state regulations, these codes can perpetuate rather than prevent conflict.
Bringing “Fullness” to Naomi: Centripetal Nationalism in The Book of Ruth
Authors: Mangrum Benjamin
Published: June 2011

Many interpretations of the Book of Ruth read the relationship between the Judean woman and her Moabitess daughter-in-law as the expression of an inclusive school of thought within Israel’s attempts to define itself. The foreigner, in this view, becomes accepted into the covenant people of God, demonstrating Israel’s multi-ethnic horizons and Yahweh’s universal concern. Yet this essay uncovers the presence of an ideological subtext undergirding the narrative: the nations, represented in the character of Ruth, are the means for Judah’s exaltation—an ideological position that I expose through a literary reading of the narrative. This reading has concomitant implications for the book’s Sitz-im-Leben. This article focuses primarily on two episodes in the narrative, 3:14-18 and 4:13-17, exposing the underlying centripetal ideology that anticipates the restoration and exaltation of Judah through the gifts (or “fullness”) brought in by the nations.
Schizophrenic soothers
Authors: Höglund Kristine , Svensson Isak
Published: June 2011

How can the international community influence belligerents in internal armed conflict to move towards peace? Research on influence strategies in international relations commonly stresses the importance of a combined ‘carrot-and-sticks’ approach, yet little is known about how this mixed strategy is best applied in the context of internal armed conflict. The article addresses this question by developing a theoretical framework exploring the conditions under which the mixed approach is successful in influencing conflict actors and by focusing specifically on non-state actors. It is argued that the effectiveness of the contrast strategy in dealing with non-state actors depends on the balance between the ‘good cop’ approach and the ‘bad cop’ approach, the perceptions of the targets and contextual adoption of the sequencing of strategies. We apply this framework to the case of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka between 2002 and 2008, when the international community’s initial success later turned into a failed attempt to influence the LTTE in the direction of respect for human rights, in ending the violation of the ceasefire and in preventing a return to the battlefield.
International versus domestic explanations of administrative reforms: the case of Turkey
Authors: Sezen Seriye
Published: June 2011

This article examines administrative reforms in Turkey, highlighting its domestic and international explanations and outcomes. First, it briefly reviews the fundamental administrative reforms implemented in the early republican and following periods. Thereafter, some proponents of reforms and their outcomes are analysed with influencing actors. Then, the national or international actors that influenced current reforms and their relative impacts are discussed. The article argues that administrative reforms in Turkey are an appropriate example of policy transfer because reform policies are mainly encouraged by external actors such as the EU, the IMF, and the World Bank. However, the role of internal actors such as governments, business circles and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should not be ignored. Moreover, it can be asserted that the reform process is significantly affected by conflicts of interest among internal actors. Although the Turkish case could be considered an appropriate transfer practice of new public management (NPM) in terms of formal regulations, a thorough examination of their outcomes and challenges reveals that it is time to substitute the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach with ‘different sizes for everyone’.

Points for practitioners

Because every reform attempt derives mainly from political motives, administrative reform cannot be considered a solely technical or operational process. Hence, it not only directly or indirectly has an impact on all aspects of social life, but it is also affected by the historical, political, economic and cultural past of the relevant country. Practitioners should be aware of this and should take into consideration a set of societal factors apart from the purely administrative techniques, if they want to avoid failure, and to achieve efficiency.
Innovations in democratic governance: how does citizen participation contribute to a better democracy?
Authors: Michels Ank
Published: June 2011

Over recent decades, many countries have gained experience with referendums, citizens’ forums, citizens’ juries, collaborative governance, participatory budgeting, and other models in which citizens have a more direct say. Citizen participation is usually considered a valuable element of democratic citizenship and democratic decision-making. Many theorists claim that citizen participation has positive effects on the quality of democracy. This article examines the probability of these claims for a large number of cases in different Western countries. Four types of democratic innovation are distinguished and evaluated according to the extent to which they realize positive effects on democracy. The findings show that citizen involvement has a number of positive effects on democracy: it increases issue knowledge, civic skills, and public engagement, and it contributes to the support for decisions among the participants. The analysis also makes it clear that the contribution of participation to democracy differs according to type of democratic innovations; deliberative forums and surveys appear to be better at promoting the exchange of arguments, whereas referendums and participatory policy making projects are better at giving citizens influence on policy making and involving more people. But, as I try to argue, since these positive effects are perceptible only to those taking part and the number of participants is often small or particular groups are underrepresented, the benefits to individual democratic citizenship are far more conclusive than the benefits to democracy as a whole.

Points for practitioners

This article distinguishes four types of democratic innovation and, for each type, examines the effects of citizen participation on the quality of democracy. It offers a systematic analysis of the contribution of participation to elements of democracy, such as influence on decision-making, inclusion, skills and virtues, deliberation, and legitimacy. The analysis points to a number of positive effects on democracy, but the findings also show that the contribution of participation to democracy differs according to the type of democratic innovations.
The “Messianic” Anointing of Jesus (Mark 14:3—9)
Authors: Guijarro Santiago , Rodríguez Ana
Published: June 2011

Two peculiar elements of the Markan account of the anointing of Jesus in Bethany—the anointing of the head and the mandate to remember—suggest that the evangelist has transformed this memory into a rite by which Jesus is anointed as Messiah. This new ritual redefines the traditional rite of royal anointing to give new significance to the messianic character of Jesus. The mandate to remember the woman’s gesture and the critical moment in which Mark has placed the scene reveal that this new understanding of what it means to be the Messiah is key to the true identity of Jesus and of his followers.
Christology and Discipleship in John 7:37-38
Authors: Baffes Melanie
Published: June 2011

This paper explores interpretations of John 7:37—38, specifically the question of to whom the word autou refers in the phrase potamoi ek tēs koilias autou reusousin (“rivers out of his belly shall flow”). Scholarship is divided on the issue of whether the “living water” flows from Jesus or the believer, and there are sound arguments for both readings. The assertion here is that the author of John intentionally uses ambiguous language to allow readers to interpret the text both ways—in order to highlight the movement from Christology to discipleship and the transfer of Wisdom and Spirit from Christ to the disciples. Using a dialectical mode of thinking, the Evangelist presents parallel realities that seem to be in opposition but, in fact, lead readers to a larger truth. John 7:37-38 calls for a “bothand” reading of multiple meanings rather than an “either-or” dualism that limits the text to one interpretation.
Shamanism and the Shamanic Complex
Authors: Craffert Pieter F.
Published: June 2011

The purpose of this article is to introduce biblical interpreters to shamanism and the study of the shamanic complex. The shaman represents an identifiable pattern of religious entrepreneurs with shared practices and beliefs based on alternate states of consciousness experiences. Based on the bodily and neurological potential for alternate states of consciousness experiences, shamanism finds unique expression within different cultural settings. Shamanic studies also provide the potential for understanding and analyzing various aspects of the biblical tradition. In the final section visionary, ecstatic and prophetic stories as well as other alternate states of consciousness experiences associated with figures such as Paul and Jesus, are presented.
Group Analytical Work with Violent Preadolescents: Working Through and Subjectivation
Authors: Pinel Jean-Pierre
Published: June 2011

The author describes a group experience carried out in a preadolescent unit in which patients have severe narcissistic pathologies and thought disorders. After an exploration of the psychopathological and metapsychological characteristics presented by the subjects and a description of the group setting, the author proposes an analysis of the intrapsychic and group process. He attempts to show that the outcome of the therapeutic process relies on a strict transference and counter-transference relationship—the subjects may then begin to symbolize.
Response to Sha’s comment on article titled ‘Investigative study on machinability aspects of unreinforced and reinforced PEEK composite machining using ANN model’
Authors: Karnik S.R. , Gaitonde V.N. , Mata Francisco , Davim J. Paulo
Published: June 2011

This article adresses the issue of artificial neural network (ANN) training by limited number of samples as raised by Dr. Sha to predict the machinability aspects of unreinforced and reinforced PEEK composite machining. In view of this, the importance of ANN training with the samples obtained by performing the experiments as per factorial design of experiments with orthogonality property to capture the input-output relationship over an experimental region has been emphasized.
Non-linear observer design with finite time convergence for estimation of unactuated angular variables of an underactuated biped robot
Authors: Dehghani R , Fattah A
Published: June 2011

This paper proposes a non-linear observer for estimation of the unactuated variables of a biped robot with point feet. By considering the underactuation problem, a time invariant feedback control is first presented for tracking the stable gait, defined as timescale trajectories, during different phases of motion. A triangular form is derived by only one diffeomorphism map from the original system for the single support phase. A non-linear observer is then designed based on a new form of biped equations, and thereafter finite time convergence of estimation error dynamics is proven. Moreover, the stability of biped motion is studied during different phases by a Poincaré map. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by numerical simulations. Simulation results show that the angular variables of the shank of the stance leg which is unactuated can be estimated properly by a measuring the angular variables of the actuated joints.