bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Doctor of Nursing Practice: Integrating Theory, Research, and Evidence-Based Practice
Authors: Roberts Bridget R.
Published: April 2013

A strong relationship exists between theory, research, and evidence-based practice; and these three entities are necessary to guide practice and contribute to the body of nursing knowledge. Doctor of nursing practice graduates can serve as leaders as they enter into their respective clinical practice areas. Through education of peers, along with translation and evaluation of current theoretical literature and empirical data, these advanced practice nurses can positively influence nursing practice and patient care.
Strong selection pressures impact the capacity of flocculating activated sludge bacteria to granulate
Authors: Ehlers G. A. C. , Turner S. J.
Published: April 2013

The capacity of activated sludge (AS) microbial populations to form dense granules offers the potential to establish efficiently settleable biomass. This has the potential to circumvent problems around ineffective solids–liquid separation and sensitivity to variable chemical oxygen demand (COD) loads. Although a number of studies have evaluated aerobic laboratory granulation reactors as high-rate treatment systems, the biological processes involved in aerobic granulation are not fully understood. Concomitantly, the impact of operation parameters such as organic loading rates is also important for granulation. The ability of a flocculating AS community to granulate under different selection pressures was evaluated in a laboratory sequencing batch reactor by determining levels of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and particle size fractions that developed under feast (4.74 g COD L−1) and famine (0.42 g COD L−1) nutrient regimes. The efficiency of solid–liquid separation was also measured. Aggregation indices showed levels >94% and a sludge volume index factor of up to 0.94, which strongly suggested granule formation; however, microscopy evaluation showed a mixture of flocs and granules. Particle size analysis revealed binomial distribution patterns of particles in the reactor which shifted to smaller tightly bound particles (<200 μm) although large particles (>600 μm) were also measured during famine conditions. This coincided with increases in EPS levels although EPS quantities were low and it is postulated that this could have impacted granule formation: the EPS in the bacterial aggregates were consumed since the AS community was starved.
Evaluation of anomalies in GLDAS-1996 dataset
Authors: Zhou Xinyao , Zhang Yongqiang , Yang Yonghui , Yang Yanmin , Han Shumin
Published: April 2013

Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) data are widely used for land-surface flux simulations. Therefore, the simulation accuracy using GLDAS dataset is largely contingent upon the accuracy of the GLDAS dataset. It is found that GLDAS land-surface model simulated runoff exhibits strong anomalies for 1996. These anomalies are investigated by evaluating four GLDAS meteorological forcing data (precipitation, air temperature, downward shortwave radiation and downward longwave radiation) in six large basins across the world (Danube, Mississippi, Yangtze, Congo, Amazon and Murray-Darling basins). Precipitation data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) are also compared with GLDAS forcing precipitation data. Large errors and lack of monthly variability in GLDAS-1996 precipitation data are the main sources for the anomalies in the simulated runoff. The impact of the precipitation data on simulated runoff for 1996 is investigated with the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) land-surface model in the Yangtze basin, for which area high-quality local precipitation data are obtained from the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). The CABLE model is driven by GLDAS daily precipitation data and CMA daily precipitation, respectively. The simulated daily and monthly runoffs obtained from CMA data are noticeably better than those obtained from GLDAS data, suggesting that GLDAS-1996 precipitation data are not so reliable for land-surface flux simulations.
Assessing aluminium toxicity in streams affected by acid mine drainage
Authors: Waters A. S. , Webster-Brown J. G.
Published: April 2013

Acid mine drainage (AMD) has degraded water quality and ecology in streams on the Stockton Plateau, the site of New Zealand's largest open-cast coal mining operation. This has previously been attributed largely to the effects of acidity and elevated aluminium (Al) concentrations. However, the toxicity of dissolved Al is dependent on speciation, which is influenced by pH which affects Al hydrolysis, as well as the concentrations of organic carbon and sulphate which complex Al. Methods for the assessment of the toxic fraction of Al, by chemical analysis and geochemical modelling, have been investigated in selected streams on the Stockton Plateau, where dissolved Al concentrations ranged from 0.034 to 27 mg L−1. Modelling using PHREEQC indicated that between 0.2 and 85% of the dissolved Al was present as the free ion Al3+, the most toxic Al species, which dominated in waters of pH = 3.8–4.8. Al-sulphate complexation reduced the Al3+ concentration at lower pH, while Al-organic and –hydroxide complexes dominated at higher pH. Macroinvertebrate richness in the streams identified an Al3+ ‘threshold’ of approximately 0.42 mg/L, above which taxa declined rapidly. Colorimetric ‘Aluminon’ analysis on unpreserved, unfiltered waters provided a better estimation of Al3+ concentrations than inductively couple plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) on filtered, acidified waters. The Aluminon method does not react with particulate Al or strong Al complexes, often registering as little as 53% of the dissolved Al concentration determined by ICP-MS.
Modeling the Praia dos Ingleses submarine outfall, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Authors: Carvalho J. L. B. , Trevisan A. , Santos V. , Franklin-Silva L. , Alves L. A.
Published: April 2013

An outfall 1,800 m long was initially proposed by CASAN (Water and Sanitation Company of Santa Catarina) to dispose of treated domestic residual water effluent from Praia dos Ingleses beach. The final plan average flow, estimated for the summer season is 0.1543 m³/s. The characteristics on the near field of the diffuser were calculated using the NRFIELD model supplied by a series of current profiles and density, gathered at the diffuser location between March and April, 2007. Reliable information of raw sewage fecal coliform concentration and nutrients has been supplied by CASAN, based on continuous monitoring of sewage in its treatment plants. The diffuser was designed in such a way that it maximizes the initial dilution allowing the nutrients concentration to comply with legislation limits. However, results showed that the treatment plant should be designed to mainly reduce total phosphorus. A hydrodynamic model was implemented to generate current fields for the far field modeling. Information gathered in the field on variation in water level, wind, and current velocity and direction was used for boundary and/or initial conditions. Then, a Lagrangian advective–diffusive model was used to evaluate the extent of the plumes. The results of far field modeling showed a need to increase the outfall length. A new location 3,300 m from the beach has been proposed.
The incorporation of variability and uncertainty evaluations in WWTP design by means of stochastic dynamic modeling: the case of the Eindhoven WWTP upgrade
Authors: Benedetti Lorenzo , Belia Evangelina , Cierkens Katrijn , Flameling Tony , De Baets Bernard , Nopens Ingmar , Weijers Stefan
Published: April 2013

This paper illustrates how a dynamic model can be used to evaluate a plant upgrade on the basis of post-upgrade performance data. The case study is that of the Eindhoven wastewater treatment plant upgrade completed in 2006. As a first step, the design process based on a static model was thoroughly analyzed and the choices regarding variability and uncertainty (i.e. safety factors) were made explicit. This involved the interpretation of the design guidelines and other assumptions made by the engineers. As a second step, a (calibrated) dynamic model of the plant was set up, able to reproduce the anticipated variability (duration and frequency). The third step was to define probability density functions for the parameters assumed to be uncertain, and propagate that uncertainty with the dynamic model by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The last step was the statistical evaluation and interpretation of the simulation results. This work should be regarded as a ‘learning exercise’ increasing the understanding of how and to what extent variability and uncertainty are currently incorporated in design guidelines used in practice and how model-based post-project appraisals could be performed.
Electrocatalytic degradation kinetic of 4-chlorophenol by the Pd/C gas-diffusion electrode system
Authors: Bian Z. Y. , Bian Y. , Wang H. , Pang L. , Ding A. Z.
Published: April 2013

A Pd/C gas-diffusion cathode which generated H2O2 through a two-electron reduction process of fed oxygen molecule was used to degrade 4-chlorophenol in an undivided electrolysis device. The kinetics of 4-chlorophenol degradation has been investigated by the electrochemical oxidation processes. By inspecting the relationship between the rate constants (k) and inﬂuencing factors, using ﬁrst-order kinetics to describe the electrochemical oxidation process of 4-chlorophenol, a kinetic model of 4-chlorophenol degradation process was proposed to calculate the 4-chlorophenol efﬂuent concentration: C = C0 exp( -3:76 × 10-6C-0.50J2M-0.7Q0.17Dt). It was found that the electrocatalytic degradation rate of 4-chlorophenol was affected by current density, electrode distance, air-feeding rate, electrolyte concentration and initial 4-chlorophenol concentration. The kinetics obtained from the experiments under corresponding electrochemical conditions could provide an accurate estimation of 4-chlorophenol efﬂuent concentration and lead to better design of the electrochemical reactor.
Community structure of psammon ciliates in sandy beaches of lakes
Authors: Kalinowska Krystyna
Published: April 2013

Ciliate abundance and species composition were studied in the sandy beaches of six lakes of different trophic status (Poland). Samples of wet sand were taken in June 2007 from the euarenal (emergent sand), hygroarenal (sand wetted by lake waves) and hydroarenal (submerged sand) zones. The numbers of ciliates ranged from 105 to 2933 ind. cm−3 of sand and did not show any visible trend with lake productivity. In all the studied lakes, ciliates were much more numerous in the euarenal than in the hydroarenal. Small bacterivorous scuticociliates dominated in the euarenal, while Hymenostomatida, Cyrtophorida, Hypotrichida as well as Scuticociliatida comprised a significant part of the ciliate community in the hygro- and hydroarenal zones. There were positive correlations between ciliates and the concentrations of chlorophyll a and total nitrogen.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the marine food web: herrings from the southern Baltic Sea (Clupea harengus) — penguins from the zoo (Spheniscus demersus)
Authors: Reindl Andrzej , Bolałek Jerzy , Falkowska Lucyna
Published: April 2013

The aim of this project was to study the fate of chemically persistent organochlorine xenobiotics in the marine link of the food web, between penguins and herrings (Clupea harengus), which are the only food for Spheniscus demersus from the Gdańsk Zoo. Concentrations of hexachlorobenzene (HCBz), pentachlorobenzene (PCBz), trichlorobenzene (TCBz) and the γ-HCH isomer were determined in Baltic herrings, in muscles, fat and liver of penguins, unhatched eggs, contour feathers and guano. The highest concentrations of fungicides were observed for HCBz. Fungicides were not detected in the liver of penguins and herrings. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) for fungicides reached the highest values in the penguin brain. The highest biomagnification factor (BMF) for PCBz was determined in the muscle tissue and for lindane — in liver. It was confirmed that detoxification of penguins occurred through deposition of fungicides and lindane in guano and through epithelial tissue and eggs.
Occurrence of a multi-species diatom bloom dominated by Proboscia alata (Brightwell) Sandstorm along the southwest coast of India
Authors: Cicily Lathika , Padmakumar K. , Asha Devi C. , Sanjeevan V.
Published: April 2013

The present communication reports on the occurrence of a multi-species diatom bloom in the upwelled waters along the southwest coast of India. During the late summer monsoon season (September 2009) a multi-species diatom bloom with a pale green discoloration of the sea surface was observed in the coastal waters of southwest coast of India. The bloom spread over an area of approximately 15 km2 along the coastal waters off Kannur (Lat. 11°59.471 N, Long. 75°03.446 E). Total diatom cell density of the bloom area was 16 × 104 cells l−1. Proboscia (=Rhizosolenia) alata (Brightwell) Sandstrom constituted 90% of the total phytoplankton population. Other phytoplankton groups that contributed to the bloom population included Chaetoceros spp., Pseudo-nitzschia spp., Rhizosolenia spp., Coscinodiscus sp., Leptocylindrus danicus, Thalassiosira sp., and Bacteriosira sp. Among these Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries, a toxic species with the ability to produce potent neurotoxin domoic acid, was observed with a cell density of 4 × 103 cells l−1. Surface chlorophyll a concentration of the bloom region was 14.1 μg l−1. Nutrient concentrations of the bloom area were 0.01 μmol l−1 for NO2-N, 0.1 μmol l−1 for NO3-N, 0.83 μmol l−1 for PO4-P and 11.44 μmol l−1 for SiO4.
An improved method for efficient isolation and purification of genomic DNA from filamentous cyanobacteria belonging to genera Anabaena, Nodularia and Nostoc
Authors: Kaczyńska Angelika , Łoś Marcin , Węgrzyn Grzegorz
Published: April 2013

The aim of this work was to develop an improved method for isolation and purification of genomic DNA from filamentous cyanobacteria. The method described here employs a modified phenol extraction-based procedure. It allowed us to obtain a high yield (60–620 μg/g wet weight, depending on the cyanobacterial strain) of pure and undegraded genomic DNA (A260/A280 ratio of about 1.8 and A260/A230 ratio of about 2.0). Genomic DNA, isolated from cyanobacteria belonging to the genera Anabaena, Nodularia and Nostoc has been successfully used for construction of gene libraries. Thus, this method can be used in procedures requiring highly purified cyanobacterial DNA.
Annual variability of ichthyoplankton in the Yangtze River estuary of China from August 2002 to 2009
Authors: Jiang Mei , Shen Xin-Qiang , Li Lei , Quan Wei-Min
Published: April 2013

The annual variability of ichthyoplankton in the Yangtze River estuary, located at the junction of the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, on the continental shelf at the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, was studied using vertical tows at twenty stations from August 2002 to August 2009. Basic oceanographic parameters such as temperature and salinity were also measured to evaluate their relationship to the abundance of ichthyoplankton. The eggs or larvae of a total of 34 fish species were present in the samples. Only 8 species were found to occur during every year. Engraulis japonicus and Stolephorus commersonii eggs, as well as Coilia mystus and Stolephorus commersonii larvae, were highly abundant during this period. Additionally, water storage in the Three Gorges Reservoir, which began in June 2003, had significant effects on the abundance of estuarine species, as well as on the composition and diversity of ichthyoplankton; this became evident when these values were compared to the findings from 2002. The number of species (species richness) and abundance of each species varied among the stations relative to the salinity in the estuary during the study period.
Psychosocial Study of Depression Amongst Women in Western Region of Nepal
Authors: Lamichhane Khim Bahadur , De Asis , Chakraborty PK , Sathian Brijesh , Subba Sonu H , Jovanovic Sabine
Published: April 2013

Background In Nepal, 1 - 2 % of the population suffers from severe mental illness, 5 % from moderate mental problems, while 20 - 30 % of all the patients coming to health institutions have some problems related to mental illness. Aims The aim of the study was to describe the socio-demographic profile and problems of the female patients with depression attending psychiatry OPD of Western Regional Hospital & Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara Settings and Design The study was carried out in the Out Patient Department of Psychiatry at Manipal Teaching Hospital and Western Regional Hospital, Pokhara, from May 2005 to April 2006. Material and Method Cohort data of 50 patients from MTH and 50 patients from WRH were collected. The screening criteria for cases for inclusion in the study were as follows: Female patients with headache, mental tension, feeling of hopelessness and persisted sadness in women with abnormal behavior. The diagnosis and management of all the cases were done by the Psychiatrists and doctors of MTH and WRH. The primary source of data was interview of the patients, their relatives and doctors and observation by the study group Statistical Analysis Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with SPSS, version 16, statistical analysis program (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). Results 71.51% female patients and 48.29% male patients visited psychiatry OPD at MTH during the study period. Likewise, compare to male patients (47.5%), female patients (52.5%) were higher in WRH during the study period. Most of the women in depression were in productive age group in both the hospitals ; 42% between 21-30 yrs followed by 33% in 31- 40yrs, 16% in 41-50yrs and 4% in 51-60 yrs . 17% women were service holder in different fields, 39% were housewives, 7% in Business, 33% were working in Agriculture / laborer and 4% were in miscellaneous fields. Conclusion Higher caste women suffered more from depression and incidence is more in rural than in urban areas. Due to lack of awareness, most of the mental disorders go unreported. Sociological intervention in needed for the treatment of mental health problems. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v3i4.7777 Asian Journal of Medical Science Vol.3(4) 2012 pp.39-46
Plasmid profiling of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli strains isolated from urinary tract infection patients
Authors: Khadgi Sabin , Timilsina Uddhav , Shrestha Basudha
Published: April 2013

Introduction- Urinary tract infection is a common community-acquired bacterial disease. Escherichia coli is reported to be the major cause of urinary tract infection. Aim & Objective- The study was conducted with the aim of determining the antibiotic resistance pattern and plasmid profile of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli isolated from Urinary Tract Infection patients. Materials and Method- Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed against E. coli following the protocol for the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Plasmid DNA was isolated following the protocol of Kado and Liu. Results- Multidrug resistant isolates exhibited high resistance to drugs like Amoxicillin, Cefixime, Ciprofloxacin, Cotrimethoxazole, Norfloxacin and Ofloxacin. The plasmid profiling showed that all, except one, isolate contained at least one plasmid. A band of approximately 23 kb was seen in most of the isolates. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v1i1.7918 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, 2013, Vol. 1(1): 1-4
A biomimicing approach to the mixed ligand complexes of bivalent transition metal
Authors: Prasad Bipin Bihari , Sah Ramjee
Published: April 2013

Metal complexes of the type ML1L2[M=Cu(II), Ni(II), and Co(II), L1=?,?'-dipyridyl(dipy.), L2=2-hydroxybenzalidine anthranilic acid (HBAA)] have been synthesized by using ?,?'-dipyridyl(dipy.), 2-hdroxybenzalidine anthranilic acid (HBAA) and metal(II) acetate. The resulting mixed ligand metal complexes have been characterized on the basis of elemental analysis, IR-spectra, electronic spectra, magnetic susceptibilities and molar conductance measurements. The antifungal and antibacterial activities of ligands and there metal complexes have been screened against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v1i1.7922 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, 2013, Vol. 1(1): 16-20
Sedation with Combination of Midazolam, Pentazocine and Propofol for Colonoscopy in Outdoor Patients
Authors: KC Nagendra Bahadur , Pokhrel Dinesh
Published: April 2013

Introduction: Diagnostic colonoscopies are generally done in OPD basis and requires sedation and analgesia to relieve both anxiety and pain. Propofol and midazolam combination is used worldwide and allows rapid and profound sedation with quick recovery. But data on combined sedation with midazolam, pentazocine and propofol are not found. So this study was conducted to test this combination for day care surgery. Methods: Prospectively, 242 colonoscopy procedures who had received combined sedation with midazolam, pentazocine and propofol were analysed. Midazolam and Pentazocine were given intravenously as a single dose of 2 mg and 15 mg respectively. 20 mg of  Propofol was given bolus, than 10 mg top up titrating sedation till procedure is finished. Pulse, Non Invasive Blood pressure and oxygen saturation were recorded. Patients' genders, ages, weight, length of procedure and the need of total received Propofol for complete sedation in mg were recorded. Movement during procedure, the time of recovery and any complications were also recorded. Patients were also asked whether they had any memories of procedure. Results: Lower dose of propofol is required to produce adequate aesthesia. There are no complication and vitals were stable including oxygen Saturation. There was quicker recovery as all patients responds on verbal command just after the procedure and no patient had memories of the procedure. All patients safely discharged within one hour. Conclusions: The combination is safe and comfortable for patients undergoing diagnostic colonoscopy to produce adequate anaesthesia without any significant complications.Medical Journal of Shree Birendra Hospital; July-December 2012/vol.11/Issue2/7-9 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/mjsbh.v11i2.7900
Dengue Virus Detection by Serological and Molecular Method in Different Hospitals of Nepal
Authors: Shah Yogendra , Gupta Govind Prasad , Pandey Kishor , Pun Sher Bahadur , Pant Krishna Prasad , Dhakal Santosh , Pandey Basu Dev
Published: April 2013

Introduction: Dengue is an emerging mosquito-borne viral disease in the world and is the serious public health problem of Nepal. Methods: This study was designed to determine sero-epidemiology of dengue virus infection during the period (June-Nov) of 2010 among suspected patients with fever visiting Koshi Zonal Hospital (KZH), Biratnagar, Narayani sub-regional Hospital (NSH), Birgunj, Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital (STIDH), Kathmandu and Dhading District Hospital (DDH), Dhadingbeshi. The sero-prevalence of anti-dengue IgM antibody was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Among 271 serum samples tested, the anti-dengue IgM positivity was 14.4%. Sero-positivity in male was 10.7% of total and that in female was 3.7%.  Among different age groups, the highest positive cases 11.8% were from age group 15-50 years and found least among the age group above 50 years 0.4%. Out of 4 different hospitals, the highest positive positive cases from STIDH with 9.2% and the least positive cases were from DDH (0.4%). RT-PCR showed 4.7% positivity of 21 samples tested. Conclusions: Enzyme immunoassay and RT-PCR serological marker can be used to diagnose the acute patients of dengue during outbreaks.Medical Journal of Shree Birendra Hospital; July-December 2012/vol.11/Issue2/24-27 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/mjsbh.v11i2.7905
Visual Outcome in Open Globe Injury
Authors: Rajkarnikar Sagar , Bist Ramesh Raj , Gurung Anu , Shrestha Ram
Published: April 2013

Introduction: Ocular trauma is a major cause of monocular blindness and visual impairment throughout the world. It is estimated that more than 2 million people suffer from ocular trauma annually and 40,000 become visually handicapped permanently. The aim of this study was to evaluate the visual outcome in open globe injury patients. Methods: This study was conducted in Nepal Eye Hospital. All the cases of admitted open globe injuries were examined and managed in the hospital were included in this study. The detail history of trauma and visual acuity was recorded. Clinical diagnosis was made after detail examination of anterior and posterior segment.  Patient was treated according to the type of injury. Visual recovery and the cause of poor vision at the time of discharge was also noted. Data was analyzed using the SPSS 11 program. Results: Out of the 100 cases enrolled in the study work related injury was the most frequent injury, metal was the most common causative agent. Males of 20-50 years of age are more vulnerable to open globe injury. Vision improved in 48%, same vision in 39% and deteriorated vision in 13% cases was recorded. Conclusions: Present study reveals that open globe injury can present in varying severity and though the overall prognosis is grave, prompt surgical intervention can result in better visual outcome. The visual outcome in mild to moderate ocular injury was satisfactory but poor in severe injuries.Medical Journal of Shree Birendra Hospital; July-December 2012/vol.11/Issue2/40-43 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/mjsbh.v11i2.7909
Acute intermittent porphyria presenting as recurrent limb weakness
Authors: Karki Binod , Pande Prakash Raj , Sharma Arun , Deo Rajeeb Kumar
Published: April 2013

Acute intermittent porphyria is a rare autosomal dominant condition of porphyrin metabolism resulting from the half-normal Hydroxy methyl bilane synthase activity. The disorder can present with protean manifestation ranging from acute abdomen, psychosis to gross peripheral neuropathy thus making the diagnosis challenging and misled most of the times. A case of Acute intermittent porphyria with extreme neurological involvement in form of acute onset quadriparesis is presented in this paper.Medical Journal of Shree Birendra Hospital; July-December 2012/vol.11/Issue2/44-45 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/mjsbh.v11i2.7910
Defining Identities in Canada: Regional, Imperial, National
Authors: Buckner Phil
Published: April 2013

Abstract:

Growing up in Toronto, Phillip Buckner was a British-Canadian cultural hybrid but with a strong sense of Canadian nationalism that led to his interest in Canadian history. In high school and at the University of Toronto he absorbed a vision of Canadian history that was Ontario-centric and emphasized Canada's British roots but his experience as a graduate student in Britain and as a lecturer at the University of New Brunswick challenged his youthful assumptions. As the founding editor of Acadiensis he sought to promote a more inclusive vision of Canadian history and when he returned to the study of Canada's connection with the British Empire he sought to promote a more balanced understanding of Canada's place within a wider British World. What he did retain was the view that Canadian history matters.
A Potion too Strong?: Challenges in Translating the Religious Significance of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to Film
Authors: Mallinson Jeffrey
Published: April 2013

According to Tolkien, the profound significance of fantasy literature cannot translate to drama. After determining the three main aspects of Tolkien’s books - archetypal characters, eucatastrophe, and myth-creation - one wonders with the late master of fairy stories whether cinematic adaptation of The Lord of The Rings necessarily obscures the original medium’s religious value. Nevertheless, once we consider the influence film has upon a culture’s imagination, the translation process seems possible. Over time, the film adaptation can perpetuate a shared myth and encourage audiences to transcend the cinematic images, allowing them to contemplate the archetypes and eucatastrophe of the original written version.
“Even a Man Who is Pure in Heart”: Filmic Horror, Popular Religion and the Spectral Underside of History
Authors: DeGiglio-Bellemare Mario
Published: April 2013

The popular sectors of society have often been represented as embodying a monstrous curse that promotes passivity with respect to dominant ideological structures. This paper will examine filmic horror and popular religion as perceived locations of ideological manipulation among the subaltern sectors of society. This perceived manipulation has generated moral panics and collective fears about the possibility of people turning into hideous creatures who wreak havoc on themselves and others. Through a critical appraisal of the 1941 horror movie The Wolf Man, this paper will utilize the theme of lycanthropy as a starting-point for probing the “low-end” traditions of popular religion and filmic horror within the writings of theologians, scholars and critics who fear that they promote alienation and re-inscribe hegemony. But is the curse of hegemony as totalizing as it is often described?
Transgressing Boundaries in the Nine Inch Nails: The Grotesque as a Means to the Sacred
Authors: Tatusko Andrew
Published: April 2013

The grotesque is often viewed as a subversive element injected into the fabric of social and religious structures for subversive and offensive purposes intended to garner increased market share and media exposure. As such it has been seen as barbaric or even demonic. However, other theories of the grotesque show that it is often a combination of social and aesthetic criticism that disrupts the ordered structure of experience in terms of boundaries and categories that compose that structure often in terms of explicit traditions, but also in terms of hidden assumptions and values that compose this structure. To this end, there is a connection of the grotesque to the sublime and the ambiguous. There is thus an element of the grotesque that lays claim to mystery and so, can act as a vehicle for understanding crucial concepts in studying divinity. Examples of religious ambiguity and the grotesque in popular culture disclose both aspects of the grotesque and also offer a fructuous medium from which the critical engagement of tradition, boundaries, and the grotesque itself can emerge. The grotesque aesthetic and explicitly religious quoting of the Nine Inch Nails provides a clear medium through which the tentative structure of boundaries is expressed creating creative space for the mystery of the sacred to emerge.
Keeping the Fidelity in Stereo Catechesis: Opportunities and Dangers Inherent in Transmediation of the Gospel as Illustrated in Sister Act I and II
Authors: Olsen Richard
Published: April 2013

This paper examines the opportunities and dangers that can emerge when attempting to make the Gospel relevant to the “new culture” as articulated by French scholar Pierre Babin. It argues that inherent dangers exist when attempting to adapt the Gospel to the characteristics of members of the new culture. These inherent dangers–and the need to try to reach out despite them–are clearly illustrated in the Sister Act movies. Of particular note is the shift of focus from God toward music and personality as agents of change. The paper concludes by suggesting the term “interface” as a potentially useful addition to Babin’s lexicon in discussing transmediation and the Gospel.
Swaggering Savagery and the New Frontier
Authors: Stephenson Barry
Published: April 2013

The “war on terror” launched by the Bush administration in the wake of 9/11 is disturbing for many reasons, not least of which is the brutality with which this war has been carried out. A second feature of the American response to 9/11 to draw fire both at home and abroad is the “cowboy” swagger of President Bush and the Bush administration. A third point of criticism argues that 9/11 offered the Bush administration the perfect excuse to test the doctrine of “preemptive war” as a tool in the extension of American control of territory rich in oil reserves. These three features of the war on terror—its brutality, the cowboyism of the White House, and a context of American empire—are interrelated phenomena, and they are the product, at least in part, of the frontier myth that informs American popular culture and civil religion. The rhetoric, visual, and performative culture of the Bush Administration vis-à-vis the contemporary war of terror has too many resemblances to earlier “wars on savagery” to ignore. There is a new frontier to be conquered, and the Bush administration overtly mythologizes, ritualizes, frames, and sells this new “war” with reference to an earlier one, namely, the Indian wars.
Everyday is [Not] Like Sunday
Authors: Smith Zachary R.
Published: April 2013

The secular experience of Sunday in the rhetoric of rock ’n’ roll (sex, drugs and subversion) proves Eliade’s formulation of the profane readily encapsulates with the term’s popular understanding. As David Chidester articulates, rock ’n’ roll is often viewed as “the antithesis of religion, not merely an offensive art form, but a blasphemous, sacrilegious, and antireligious force in society.” In the same way that Christianity sought to differentiate itself from Judaism, so too does rock ’n’ roll seek to make ground from the traditional terms and Puritanical values with which Christianity regularly deals. As in most attempts at differentiation, the differentiator can never escape those fundamental commonalities it shares with the differentiated. Judaism and Christianity, for instance, differ most dramatically in practice and belief, but share a similar discourse. Despite the concerted efforts of some to categorically separate the two into diametric oppositions, Christianity and rock ’n’ roll share certain fundamental qualities which, as Chidester advances, ultimately render the relationship between the two ambivalent; “rock ’n’ roll has appropriated some of the elementary forms of religious life,” and so has religion, particularly Christianity, appropriated some of the elementary forms of rock ’n’ roll. The relationship between the two, then, will prove as complicated and as strained as the relationship between Christianity and its antecedent, Judaism. Just as Sunday stands out as a site of differentiation between Christianity and Judaism, a battleground upon which claims to religious meaning are contested, so does Sunday serve as an access point into the nexus of Christianity and rock ’n’ roll, where the significance of the day, and by extension the legitimacy of the respective traditions, is alternately contested, conferred, and confirmed.
Book Reviews
Authors: Macdonald Paul , Lynch Christopher , Baker Kelly J. , Spencer Caleb D. , Kozlovic Anton Karl
Published: April 2013

Vanhoozer, Kevin J., Charles A. Anderson, and Michael J. Sleasman, eds. Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends, reviewed by Paul Macdonald

Arroyo, Raymond. Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles, reviewed by Christopher Lynch

Beal, Timothy K. Roadside Religion: In Search of the Sacred, the Strange, and the Substance of Faith, reviewed by Kelly J. Baker

Elkins, James. On the Strange Place of Religion in Contemporary Art, reviewed by Caleb D. Spencer

Bertonneau, Thomas, and Kim Paffenroth. The Truth is Out There: Christian Faith and the Classics of TV Science Fiction, reviewed by Anton Karl Kozlovic
The Anointing of the Airwaves: Charismatic Televangelism’s Impact on the Church and Community in urban India
Authors: James Jonathan D.
Published: April 2013

The Indian Government’s open policy on satellite television is attracting a plethora of American-based charismatic television ministries in India. This study, albeit based on preliminary findings from a limited study of church and Hindu community leaders, shows that Charismatic pastors are more positive about Charismatic televangelism than non-Charismatic pastors. Both groups, however, have strong reservations on issues like fundraising, dress code and western dancing. The high-caste Hindus revealed during the research that they were resistant to any form of Christian evangelism including televangelism. Besides caste, class, language and gender, televangelism faces cultural barriers in reaching Indians. The prosperity, success and healing doctrines of Charismatic teaching seem to appeal to Hindus from the middle to lower level economic classes. Concerns have been expressed, however, by Christian leaders that these Hindus who are attracted to Charismatic televangelism may be espousing a form of Christianity (loosely termed “popular Christianity”) that focuses on personal fulfillment rather than personal holiness and accountability within the life of the Christian community.
Celling the End Times: The Contours of Contemporary Rapture Films
Authors: Walliss John
Published: April 2013

This article examines the contours of contemporary rapture films, examining them as cultural documents that reflect the particular religio-political worldviews of their producers, and more broadly of the evangelical Christian/premillennialist milieu in which they are produced and consumed. In particular, it argues that the films may be seen to operate on several levels simultaneously. On one level they seek to educate their viewers in the specifics of premillennial understandings of prophecy in an entertaining manner and encourage those who have not yet done so to undergo a born again experience. However, on another, equally important level, they also serve to articulate and possibly even redefine a sense of evangelical identity within the context of a late modern, increasingly globalised world through the language and imagery of the apocalypse.
Fundamentalist Christians, Raunch Culture, and Post-industrial Capitalism
Authors: Deutchman Iva Ellen
Published: April 2013

This article argues that fundamentalist Christians are losing the political battle to transform the larger political culture in America. I suggest two primary and interrelated reasons why the Christian Right is losing the culture war. The first such reason has to do with the values of post-industrial capitalism. While not directly hostile to Christian values, capitalism believes in whatever sells (like pornography or non-marital sex). The second reason has to do with the vast changes in American sexual behaviour and attitudes as a result of the 1960s. The current sexual culture, combined with U.S. market culture, makes it virtually impossible for the Christian Right to win any of its political fights against pornography, gay marriage, sex education in public schools, etc.
The Evolution of Rock and Roll: Its Religious and Ecological Themes
Authors: Dunbar Dirk
Published: April 2013

The evolution of messages in rock and roll, diversity and disparity included, offers unique insights into an emerging ecocentric paradigm. The contagious affirmation of the gift of life that began with Rock’s primal beat became a revolt against and a questioning of authority’s values and, ultimately, has led to a quest for new forms of identity and spirituality. This essay examines the evolution through three particular lenses — the cultic forms of old-time rock and roll, the countercultural messages of folk and classic Rock, and the ecofeminism of contemporary singer-songwriters — as a means of elucidating the evolution of rock and roll’s religious and ecological themes.
Saint Cinema: The Construction of St. Francis of Assisi in Franco Zeffirelli’s Brother Sun Sister Moon (1972)
Authors: Kozlovic Anton Karl
Published: April 2013

Franco Zeffirelli’s Brother Sun Sister Moon (1972) is one of the most popular and accessible biopics of St. Francis of Assisi available, and an important exemplar of the ever-burgeoning religion-and-film genre. Despite its thirty-year vintage, it is generating renewed academic interest as a legitimate form of religious expression and contemporary visual piety. This celluloid hagiography was Zeffirelli’s first movie following his disfiguring car accident and quasi-mystical recommitment to Catholicism. The critical literature was reviewed and the film explicated through the lens of humanist film criticism. Zeffirelli had constructed the medieval St. Francis as a 1960s hippie and Christ-figure with a strong autobiographical flavour. Yet, this stylistic did not greatly diminish the historical St. Francis’ passionate commitment to nature, anti-materialism and christic holiness. It was concluded that Zeffirelli had successfully repeated St. Francis’ 13th century revolutionary message for the 20th century using the popular medium of our day. Further research into film-faith dialogue was recommended.
Book Reviews
Authors: Rycenga Jennifer , Gilmore Michael J. , Van Dyke Michael , Remillard Arthur J. , Chad Bonita
Published: April 2013

Tara Magdalinski and Timothy J. L. Chandler, ed., With God on Their Side: Sport in the Service of Religion, reviewed by Jennifer Rycenga

Darrell W. Cluck, Catherine S. George, and J. Clinton McCann, Jr., Facing the Music: Faith and Meaning in Popular Songs, reviewed by Michael J. Gilmour

John Lardas, The Bop Apocalypse: The Religious Visions of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs, reviewed by Michael Van Dyke

Joseph L. Price, ed., From Season to Season: Sports as American Religion, reviewed by Arthur J. Remillard

Bradley J. Birzer, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-earth, reviewed by Bonita Chad
Tender Warriors: Muscular Christians, Promise Keepers, and the Crisis of Masculinity in Left Behind
Authors: Chapman Jennie
Published: April 2013

The Left Behind series of “rapture” novels is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing, indeed perplexing, popular cultural phenomena to emerge from America in recent years. This essay seeks to analyze the problem of masculinity in the novels. A close textual examination reveals a masculinity that is far from monolithic and, at times, deeply troubled. Rather than offering consistent and convincing performances of hegemonic masculinity, the male protagonists vacillate between spectacular displays of heroic machismo, and affective acts of feminine submission. I will argue that the paradoxical representation of masculinity in Left Behind can be located in the ambivalent notions of gender that are evident in both the prophetic hermeneutic of dispensationalism, and the broader culture of conservative evangelicalism.
Arcade Fire’s Parodic Bible
Authors: Gilmour Michael J.
Published: April 2013

Estimant insuffisante la distinction entre patrimoine matériel et immatériel, Olivier Bauer privilégie le concept de « matrimoine », une approche du patrimoine qui permet de valoriser le rôle des femmes, de reconnaître la valeur patrimoniale des biens indivis et de prendre en compte les mondes imaginaires qui leur sont associés. Jetant un regard neuf sur le Québec, il montre la place fondamentale que l’hostie y occupe, le mot fait partie du vocabulaire religieux, mais il est aussi le juron favori des Québécois ; la chose est consommée par les catholiques romains au moment de l’Eucharistie, mais elle est aussi vendue dans les magasins pour être grignotée comme goûter. Par conséquent, il propose d’inscrire l’hostie au matrimoine du Québec. Il énumère trois avantages qu’il y aurait à matrimonialiser l’hostie, reconnaître le rôle fondamental des femmes dans l’Eucharistie, refuser que l’Église catholique romaine s’attribue le monopole de l’hostie, prendre en compte le monde imaginaire du corps du Christ.

Arcade Fire’s 2006 album Neon Bible is currently one of the darlings of the entertainment world (winning a Juno in 2008 in the category Alternative Album of the Year). The album includes a surprisingly harsh critique of contemporary North American church life, though this critique does not extend to Christianity itself. What is interesting about Arcade Fire’s approach to religious subject matter is the way they construct their commentary on church and society. Neon Bible is a clever parody of Christianity, one that recalls Mikhail Bakhtin’s descriptions of medieval carnivals (Rabelais and His World), in that carnivals introduce “a second world and a second life outside officialdom” (6). The band does this very thing, ridiculing the official ecclesial authority by usurping its rightful place, in effect, through an unofficial, popular culture medium. They not only recorded their album in the sacred space of a church (literally), they even call the finished product a “bible.” These comments on Arcade Fire’s use of parody in Neon Bible also draw on Linda Hutcheon’s definitions of the term.
The Land of Faery as Cosmic Cheat: A Lewisian Analysis of Robert Zemekis’ Contact
Authors: Newman Marc T.
Published: April 2013

This essay explores Robert Zemekis’ film adaptation of Carl Sagan’s book Contact, through the lens of rhetorical constructs adapted from the critical writings of another science-fiction author, C.S. Lewis; specifically his concept of Sehnsucht, the rhetoric of technology, the persuasive use of misdirection in indoctrination, and the power of debunking to destroy someone’s sense of values. I argue that Zemekis’ film represents a “cosmic cheat” in that it promises filmgoers transcendence, but delivers only a warm materialistic nihilism. Ultimately, however, it may be that the resilience of the transcendence inherent in faery stories will overcome the sterility of technology.
Apocalyptic Premeditations
Authors: Remes Justin
Published: April 2013

The administration of George W. Bush mobilized support, in part, through its use of what media theorist Richard Grusin calls premediation, the evocation of potential futures in an attempt to modulate affective states. This essay argues that the premediatory logic of the Bush administration is best understood by linking it with the apocalyptic tradition. Bush, like the apocalypticists before him, used vague, disastrous premonitions to engender vulnerability and fear, thus encouraging an unquestioning acceptance of authoritarian rule. The Bush administration’s premediatory strategy is best exemplified by two of its most famous campaign ads, along with the colour-coded terror alert system it introduced.
From Hippies to Jesus Freaks: Christian Radicalism in Chicago’s Inner-City
Authors: Young Shawn David
Published: April 2013

This study traces the history of Jesus People USA (JPUSA). Founded in 1972, this community is one of the most significant surviving expressions of the original Jesus Movement of the sixties and seventies and represents a radical expression of contemporary countercultural evangelicalism. JPUSA’s blend of Christian Socialism, theological orthodoxy, postmodern theory, and ethos of edgy artistic expression (as demonstrated at their annual music festival) prove what some scholars have longed suspected—evangelicalism is a diverse, complex movement, which simply does not yield to any attempt at categorization. JPUSA and their festival provide yet another example of this complexity. This study will provide more valuable information for scholars who seek to understand American evangelicalism and its continued relationship to American culture and society.
Redemptive Fear: A Review of Sacred Terror and Further Analyses of Religious Horror Films
Authors: Hong Seung Min
Published: April 2013

Despite growing interest, the film genre horror still receives marginal attention in study of the relationship between religion and popular culture. Through a review of the existing literature on this topic and new arguments, this essay will discuss reasons for increasing the attention on the impact of religion on horror films. The paper begins by reviewing Douglas Cowan’s Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen, an authoritative contemporary work in which the author argues for the importance of horror in revealing the sociophobics of the viewers. Following this review, the paper discusses the arguments of religious and media scholars with some interest in the subject. Finally this paper adds to the prevailing arguments by presenting an Evangelical perspective on the relationship between religion and horror to illustrate the importance of this connection.