bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PROBING THE IMPACT OF GAMMA-IRRADIATION ON THE METABOLIC STATE OF NEURAL STEM AND PRECURSOR CELLS USING DUAL-WAVELENGTH INTRINSIC SIGNAL TWO-PHOTON EXCITED FLUORESCENCE
Authors: KRASIEVA TATIANA B. , GIEDZINSKI ERICH , TRAN KATHERINE , LAN MARY , LIMOLI CHARLES L. , TROMBERG BRUCE J.
Published: May 2011

Two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) spectroscopy and imaging were used to investigate the effects of gamma-irradiation on neural stem and precursor cells (NSPCs). While the observed signal from reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) was localized to the mitochondria, the signal typically associated with oxidized flavoproteins (Fp) was distributed diffusely throughout the cell. The measured TPEF emission and excitation spectra were similar to the established spectra of NAD(P)H and Fp. Fp fluorescence intensity was markedly increased by addition of the electron transport chain (ETC) modulator menadione to the medium, along with a concomitant decrease in the NAD(P)H signal. Three-dimensional (3D) neurospheres were imaged to obtain the cellular metabolic index (CMI), calculated as the ratio of Fp to NAD(P)H fluorescence intensity. Radiation effects were found to differ between low-dose (≤ 50 cGy) and high-dose (≥ 50 cGy) exposures. Low-dose irradiation caused a marked drop in CMI values accompanied by increased cellular proliferation. At higher doses, both NAD(P)H and Fp signals increased, leading to an overall elevation in CMI values. These findings underscore the complex relationship between radiation dose, metabolic state, and proliferation status in NSPCs and highlight the ability of TPEF spectroscopy and imaging to characterize metabolism in 3D spheroids.
A Multi‐Model Stereo Similarity Function Based on Monogenic Signal Analysis in Poisson Scale Space
Authors: Li Jinjun , Zhao Hong , Shi Chengying , Zhou Xiang
Published: May 2011

A stereo similarity
function based on local multi‐model monogenic
image feature descriptors (LMFD) is proposed to
match interest points and estimate disparity map
for stereo images. Local multi‐model monogenic
image features include local orientation and
instantaneous phase of the gray monogenic
signal, local color phase of the color monogenic
signal, and local mean colors in the multiscale
color monogenic signal framework. The gray
monogenic signal, which is the extension of
analytic signal to gray level image using Dirac
operator and Laplace equation, consists of local
amplitude, local orientation, and instantaneous
phase of 2D image signal. The color monogenic
signal is the extension of monogenic signal to
color image based on Clifford algebras. The
local color phase can be estimated by computing
geometric product between the color monogenic
signal and a unit reference vector in RGB color
space. Experiment results on the synthetic and
natural stereo images show the performance of
the proposed approach.
Dysregulation of the Intrarenal Vitamin D Endocytic Pathway in a Nephropathy-Prone Mouse Model of Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Fowlkes John L. , Bunn R. Clay , Cockrell Gael E. , Clark Lindsey M. , Wahl Elizabeth C. , Lumpkin Charles K. , Thrailkill Kathryn M.
Published: May 2011

Microalbuminuria in humans with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with increased urinary excretion of megalin, as well as many megalin ligands, including vitamin-D-binding protein (VDBP). We examined the DBA/2J diabetic mouse, nephropathy prone model, to determine if megalin and VDBP excretion coincide with the development of diabetic nephropathy. Megalin, VDBP, and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25-OHD) were measured in urine, and genes involved in vitamin D metabolism were assessed in renal tissues from diabetic and control mice at 10, 15, and 18 weeks following the onset of diabetes. Megalin, VDBP, and 25-OHD were increased in the urine of diabetic mice. 1-α hydroxylase (CYP27B1) mRNA in the kidney was persistently increased in diabetic mice, as were several vitamin D-target genes. These studies show that intrarenal vitamin D handling is altered in the diabetic kidney, and they suggest that in T1D, urinary losses of VDBP may portend risk for intrarenal and extrarenal vitamin D deficiencies.
Optimal Sensor Placement for Health Monitoring of High‐Rise Structure Based on Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Yi Ting-Hua , Li Hong-Nan , Gu Ming
Published: May 2011

Optimal sensor placement (OSP) technique plays a key role in the structural health monitoring (SHM) of large‐scale structures. Based on the criterion of the OSP for the modal test, an improved genetic algorithm, called “generalized genetic algorithm (GGA)”, is adopted to find the optimal placement of sensors. The dual‐structure coding method instead of binary coding method is proposed to code the solution. Accordingly, the dual‐structure coding‐based selection scheme, crossover strategy and mutation mechanism are given in detail. The tallest building in the north of China is implemented to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the GGA. The sensor placements obtained by the GGA are compared with those by exiting genetic algorithm, which shows that the GGA can improve the convergence of the algorithm and get the better placement scheme.
Metabolic Profile of Offspring from Diabetic Wistar Rats Treated with Mentha piperita (Peppermint)
Authors: Barbalho Sandra M. , Damasceno Débora C. , Spada Ana Paula Machado , Silva Vanessa Sellis da , Martuchi Karla Aparecida , Oshiiwa Marie , Machado Flávia M. V. Farinazzi , Mendes Claudemir Gregório
Published: May 2011

This study aimed at evaluating glycemia and lipid profile of offspring from diabetic Wistar rats treated with Mentha piperita (peppermint) juice. Male offspring from nondiabetic dams (control group: 10 animals treated with water and 10 treated with peppermint juice) and from dams with streptozotocin‐induced severe diabetes (diabetic group: 10 animals treated with water and 10 treated with peppermint juice) were used. They were treated during 30 days, and, after the treatment period, levels of glycemia, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and fractions were analyzed in the adult phase. The offspring from diabetic dams treated with peppermint showed significantly reduced levels of glucose, cholesterol, LDL‐c, and triglycerides and significant increase in HDL‐c levels. The use of the M. piperita juice has potential as culturally appropriate strategy to aid in the prevention of DM, dyslipidemia, and its complications.
Spinodal Theory: A Common Rupturing Mechanism in Spinodal Dewetting and Surface Directed Phase Separation (Some Technological Aspects: Spatial Correlations and the Significance of Dipole-Quadrupole Interaction in Spinodal Dewetting)
Authors: Singh Satya Pal
Published: May 2011

The emerging structures in spinodal dewetting of thin nano films and spinodal decomposition of binary mixtures are found to be similar with certain differences attributed to the nonlinearities inherent in the wetting forces. This paper deals with the technological aspects of the spinodal processes by giving a brief account of the theory and to correlate the two phenomena termed as spinodal dewetting of thin nanofilms and surface-directed phase separation. The MC simulation micrographs at early stage of spinodal dewetting of a (linear) polymer film confined between two hard walls (using FENE potential between the beads on same chain and Morse potential between inter and intra chain beads) show similarities with surface-directed phase separation (using metropolis algorithm) in creation of holes. The spinodal dewetting is also criticized on the basis of global minimization of free energy emerging from dipole-quadrupole interactions. A novel molecular scale-driving mechanism coming from asymmetric interface formation in spinodal processes is also proposed. It can be believed that the modeling done with the films under confinement of two walls works as a classical mathematical ansatz to the dipole-quadrupole interaction coming from quantum origins and giving rise to lateral interactions in the process reflecting a colossal behavior in thin nano films though weak in nature.
Traditional Japanese Formula Kigikenchuto Accelerates Healing of Pressure‐Loading Skin Ulcer in Rats
Authors: Kimura Mari , Shibahara Naotoshi , Hikiami Hiroaki , Yoshida Toshiko , Jo Michiko , Kaneko Maria , Nogami Tatsuya , Fujimoto Makoto , Goto Hirozo , Shimada Yutaka
Published: May 2011

We evaluated the effect of kigikenchuto (KKT), a traditional Japanese formula, in a modified rat pressure‐loading skin ulcer model. Rats were divided into three groups, KKT extract orally administered (250 or 500 mg/kg/day for 35 days) and control. KKT shortened the duration until healing. Immunohistochemically, KKT increased CD‐31‐positive vessels in early phase and increased α‐smooth muscle actin‐(α‐SMA‐) positive fibroblastic cells in early phase and decreased them in late phase of wound healing. By Western blotting, KKT showed the potential to decrease inflammatory cytokines (MCP‐1, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α) in early phase, decrease vascular endothelial growth factor in early phase and increase it in late phase, and modulate the expression of extracellular protein matrix (α‐SMA, TGF‐β1, bFGF, collagen III, and collagen I). These results suggested the possibility that KKT accelerates pressure ulcer healing through decreases of inflammatory cytokines, increase of angiogenesis, and induction of extracellular matrix remodeling.
On Step Approximation for Roseau′s Analytical Solution of Water Waves
Authors: Tsai Chia-Cheng , Hsu Tai-Wen , Lin Yueh-Ting
Published: May 2011

An indirect eigenfunction marching method (IEMM) is developed to provide step approximations for water wave problems. The bottom profile is in terms of successive flat shelves separated by abrupt steps. The marching conditions are represented by the horizontal velocities at the steps in the solution procedure. The approximated wave field can be obtained by solving a system of linear equations with unknown coefficients which represents the horizontal velocities under a proper basis. It is also demonstrated that this solution method can be exactly reduced to the transfer‐matrix method (TM method) for a specific setting. The combined scattering effects of a series of steps can be described by a single two‐by‐two transfer matrix for connecting the far‐field behaviors of both sides for this method. The solutions obtained by the IEMM are basically exact for water wave problems considering step‐like bottoms. Numerical simulations were performed to validate the present and commonly used methods. Furthermore, it also shows that the solutions obtained by the IEMM converge very well to Roseau′s analytical solutions for both mild and steep curved bottom profiles. The present method improves the converges of the TM method for solving water wave scattering over steep bathymetry.
A Pilot Study of Ketamine versus Midazolam/Fentanyl Sedation in Children Undergoing GI Endoscopy
Authors: Lightdale Jenifer R. , Mitchell Paul D. , Fredette Meghan E. , Mahoney Lisa B. , Zgleszewski Steven E. , Scharff Lisa , Fox Victor L.
Published: May 2011

Background. Ketamine sedation has been found superior by physician report to traditional sedation regimens for pediatric endoscopy.Goal. To objectively compare sedation with ketamine versus midazolam/fentanyl for children undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy.Study. Patients received one of two regimens and were independently monitored using a standardized rating scale.Results. There were 2 episodes of laryngospasm during ketamine sedation. Univariate analyses showed patients sedated with ketamine () moved more (median 25% of procedure time versus 8%, ) and required similar low levels of restraint (0.83% versus 0.25%, ) as patients sedated with midazolam/fentanyl (). Age-adjusted analyses suggested that patients sedated with ketamine were comparably more quiet ().Conclusions. A pilot trial of ketamine at our institution was associated with episodes of laryngospasm. In addition, children sedated with ketamine moved and required restraint similarly to patients sedated with midazolam/fentanyl. Physician perceptions may be affected by the fact that children who received ketamine were less likely to vocalize distress.
Blood Harmane Concentrations in 497 Individuals Relative to Coffee, Cigarettes, and Food Consumption on the Morning of Testing
Authors: Louis Elan D. , Factor-Litvak Pam , Gerbin Marina , Jiang Wendy , Zheng Wei
Published: May 2011

Harmane, a potent neurotoxin linked with several neurological disorders, is present in many foods, coffee, and cigarettes. We assessed whether morning food/coffee consumption and smoking were reflected in blood harmane concentrations (BHCs) we obtained in an epidemiologic sample (). Participants who smoked on the morning of phlebotomy had similar logBHCs to those who had not smoked (); there was no correlation between logBHCs and number of cigarettes (). Among the coffee drinkers, there was no correlation between number of cups and logBHCs (). Participants who had eaten on the morning of phlebotomy had similar logBHCs to those who had not (); logBHCs did not correlate with the time latency between last food consumption and phlebotomy (). BHCs in this sample of ~500 individuals did not covary with recent smoking, coffee, or food consumption, suggesting that our inability to withhold these exposures on the morning of phlebotomy was not reflected in the BHCs we measured.
Some Coupled Fixed Point Results on Partial Metric Spaces
Authors: Aydi Hassen
Published: May 2011

We give some coupled fixed point results for mappings
satisfying different contractive conditions on complete partial metric spaces.
Analysis of the Crust Deformations before and after the 2008 Wenchuan Ms8.0 Earthquake Based on GPS Measurements
Authors: Wu Jicang , Liu Renzhao , Chen Yongqi , Tang Conrad , Meng Guojie , Dang Yaming
Published: May 2011

We use the movement velocities of GPS stations in western Sichuan province, China, to determine the distribution of horizontal strain accumulation before the 2008 Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake with a piecewise approximation approach and the coseismic displacements to determine the fault slips of the earthquake with an inversion analysis method. The results show that the distribution of the principal strain rates is strongly related to the active faults in the region, but along Longmenshan fault where the earthquake occurred, the strain rates are much lower than the others. The fault slip distribution shows mainly a thrusting with dextral striking, and the fault slips in the upper parts of the fault plane are in general bigger. Using the current strain accumulation rate and the released energy by the earthquake, we predict such a big earthquake in Longmenshan fault zone will happen in 460 to 1380 years.
Discovering Ways That Influence the Older Nurse to Continue Bedside Practice
Authors: Spiva LeeAnna , Hart Patricia , McVay Frank
Published: May 2011

A descriptive qualitative approach was used to investigate older nurses practicing bedside nursing and to identify ways to influence older nurses to continue bedside practice. A purposive sample of 18 older nurses was recruited from a healthcare system located in the Southeastern United States. Interpretative analysis of interviews resulted in the identification of three constitutive patterns and eight themes. The first constitutive pattern identified was attributes of the older nurse. The themes comprising this pattern were (a) professional growth in confidence and skills through experience and (b) passion and love for nursing. The second constitutive pattern was enduring stress and frustration. The themes comprising this pattern were (a) physical and mental changes associated with aging, (b) increased patient acuity and patient load, (c) constant change, and (d) time constraints. The third constitutive pattern was enhancements needed for older nurses to continue bedside nursing. The themes comprising this pattern were (a) work environment enhancements and (b) organizational relationship enhancements. Findings may provide a better understanding of the older nurse's role in bedside nursing.
Exchange Perturbation Theory for Multiatomic Electron System and Its Application to Spin Arrangement in Manganite Chains
Authors: Orlenko E. V. , Orlova T. S. , Orlenko F. E. , Zegrya G. G.
Published: May 2011

A new methodology of binding energy calculation with respect to different spin arrangements for a multiatomic electron system is developed from the first principle in the frame of the exchange perturbation theory (EPT). We developed EPT formalism in the general form of the Rayleigh‐Srchödinger expansion with a symmetric Hamiltonian, taking into account an exchange and nonadditive contributions of a superexchange interaction. The expressions of all corrections to the energy and wave function were reduced to the nonsymmetric Hamiltonian form. The EPT method is extended for the case of degeneracy in the total spin of a system. As an example of the application of the developed EPT formalism for the degeneracy case, spin arrangements were considered for the key 〈Mn〉–O–〈Mn〉 (〈Mn〉:
Mn3+ or Mn4+) fragments in manganites. In 〈Mn〉–O–〈Mn〉 for La1/3Ca2/3MnO3 are in good agreement the obtained estimations of Heisenberg parameter and binding energy with the available experimental data.
ΔNp63 Versatilely Regulates a BroadNF-κBGene Program and Promotes Squamous Epithelial Proliferation, Migration, and Inflammation
Authors: Yang Xinping , Lu Hai , Yan Bin , Romano Rose-Anne , Bian Yansong , Friedman Jay , Duggal Praveen , Allen Clint , Chuang Ryan , Ehsanian Reza , Si Han , Sinha Satrajit , Van Waes Carter , Chen Zhong
Published: May 2011

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and many other epithelial malignancies exhibit increased proliferation, invasion, and inflammation, concomitant with aberrant nuclear activation of TP53 and NF-κB family members ΔNp63, cRel, and RelA. However, the mechanisms of cross-talk by which these transcription factors coordinate gene expression and the malignant phenotype remain elusive. In this study, we showed that ΔNp63 regulates a cohort of genes involved in cell growth, survival, adhesion, and inflammation, which substantially overlaps with the NF-κB transcriptome. ΔNp63 with cRel and/or RelA are recruited to form novel binding complexes on p63 or NF-κB/Rel sites of multitarget gene promoters. Overexpressed ΔNp63- or TNF-α–induced NF-κB and inflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) reporter activation depended on RelA/cRel regulatory binding sites. Depletion of RelA or ΔNp63 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly inhibited NF-κB–specific, or TNF-α–induced IL-8 reporter activation. ΔNp63 siRNA significantly inhibited proliferation, survival, and migration by HNSCC cells in vitro. Consistent with these data, an increase in nuclear ΔNp63, accompanied by increased proliferation (Ki-67) and adhesion (β4 integrin) markers, and induced inflammatory cell infiltration was observed throughout HNSCC specimens, when compared with the basilar pattern of protein expression and minimal inflammation seen in nonmalignant mucosa. Furthermore, overexpression of ΔNp63α in squamous epithelial cells in transgenic mice leads to increased suprabasilar cRel, Ki-67, and cytokine expression, together with epidermal hyperplasia and diffuse inflammation, similar to HNSCC. Our study reveals ΔNp63 as a master transcription factor that, in coordination with NF-κB/Rels, orchestrates a broad gene program promoting epidermal hyperplasia, inflammation, and the malignant phenotype of HNSCC. Cancer Res; 71(10); 3688–700. ©2011 AACR.
“Tried, Convicted, and Condemned, in Almost Every Bar-room and Barber's Shop”: Anti-Irish Prejudice in the Trial of Dominic Daley and James Halligan, Northampton, Massachusetts, 1806
Authors: Brown Richard D.
Published: May 2011

To elucidate the question of equal rights for “foreigners,” this essay considers anti-Irish and anti-foreign prejudice in Massachusetts criminal proceedings in the early republic. The trial of Daley and Halligan, long remembered as an example of anti-Irish Catholic prejudice, is examined in the context of other criminal trials of the period.
The Yankee Soldier's Might: The District of Maine and the Reputation of the Massachusetts Militia, 1800–1812
Authors: Smith Joshua M.
Published: May 2011

In post-Revolutionary Massachusetts, the militia was a well-respected institution. So when the commonwealth expanded into the far-flung District of Maine, Jeffersonians and Federalists battled one another for the plum. As external forces bred internal dissent, the militia fell into disarray just as the country drifted toward another war with England.
Emerson's English Traits and the Paradox of Empire
Authors: Roberson Susan L.
Published: May 2011

Ralph Waldo Emerson's English Traits, a travel book about his journey to England, also meditates on the effects of globalization and colonization. At a time when America was on the cusp of becoming a global power, Emerson ponders how to assure the “care and culture of men” against the “tyranny of trade.”
Harvard's “Constructed Utopia” and the Culture of Deception: The Expansion toward the Charles River, 1902–1932
Authors: Sacks Benjamin J.
Published: May 2011

Between 1902 and 1932, Harvard University embarked on an unprecedented expansion program. The Harvard Riverside Associates and President Abbott Lawrence Lowell used proxy real estate agents to obtain the necessary land for undergraduate houses, a tactic that brought the ire of local residents, property owners, and state officials.
Negotiation Process and Negotiation Context
Authors: Crump Larry
Published: May 2011

This article examines how external events grounded in a negotiation’s relevant environment (i.e., negotiation context) influence negotiation process and outcome. Multilateral, regional and bilateral environments are examined through linkage theory to gain understanding about the impact of external events or context on negotiation process and outcome. Linkages between a negotiation and its context are examined through five trade negotiations: the WTO Doha round (multilateral-global); the Free Trade Area of the Americas (multilateral-regional); EU‐Mercosur (bilateral-regional); EU‐Chile (bilateral); and US‐Chile (bilateral). In addition to developing greater understanding about the strategic relationship between a negotiation and its context this article establishes a theoretic framework that defines the known universe of linkage dynamics. The impact of multilateral environments on the regional negotiation process and outcome is of particular interest, as is the strategic use of bilateral environments in seeking to achieve multilateral geopolitical ends.
Conflict of Interest and Value: An Analysis of Negotiations between Taiwan and China, 1992‐1998
Authors: Li Chien-pin
Published: May 2011

In the 1990s, Taiwan and China conducted over twenty rounds of negotiations through the semi-official Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) concerning the following issues: notarized papers, registered mail, illegal immigration, fishing disputes, airplane hijacking, and post-1997 shipping links between Taiwan and Hong Kong. Regrouping these issues into rights, law-and-order, and shipping, this study analyzes the differences in the negotiation processes and outcomes through variations of value-interest alignments and their perceived impact on future policy objectives.
Who Gets a Seat at the Table? A Framework for Understanding the Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion in Peace Negotiations
Authors: Lanz David
Published: May 2011

Who gets a seat at the table and who does not is an important consideration for successful peacemaking. However, current research does not provide sufficient guidance for understanding the politics of participation in peace negotiations. This article develops a conceptual framework for understanding these dynamics. Its central theme is that the inclusion or exclusion of a given actor in peace negotiations is affected by two independent factors. One factor pertains to the practical requirements of the peace process and addresses the following question: does the participation of a given actor augment the chance of reaching a sustainable peace settlement? The other factor relates to the normative dimension of peace talks: is the participation of a given actor consistent with the values of international mediators and sponsors of peace negotiations? The article argues that the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion result from the interplay of these two factors. The most straightforward situation for mediators is when practical requirements and international norms are mutually reinforcing. Difficulties arise from scenarios where practical effectiveness and norms contradict each other. This is the case when the involvement of a given person (or group) is imperative in terms of the peace process, but difficult to justify politically because this person has committed terrorist acts or is indicted by an international court.
Microstates in Negotiations beyond the Nation-State: Malta, Cyprus and Luxembourg as Active and Successful Policy Shapers?
Authors: Panke Diana
Published: May 2011

Malta, Cyprus and Luxembourg are sovereign states with less than one million inhabitants and, consequently, are often referred to as “microstates.” This article inquires into the negotiation activities and conditions for success of microstates in negotiations beyond the nation-state. It develops a set of hypotheses on negotiation activity and on negotiation success and tests them qualitatively by drawing on the example of day-to-day negotiations in the European Union. Luxembourg is considerably more active than Malta and Cyprus. This is due to differences in domestic coordination practices (performance and cooperation between lead ministries and Permanent Representations), as well as different negotiation styles (proactive vs. reactive). Microstates can be influential, if they actively participate in negotiations for issues of high importance and if they select effective strategies in the given setting. Thus, microstates can sometimes turn into successful shapers of law beyond the nation-state ‐ despite their slimmer administrations, fewer staff and ‐ on average ‐ negligible bargaining power.
Beyond the Meeting: How Community Activists Construe Idea Transfer from Intercommunity Encounters ‐ The Cases of Northern Ireland and Kosovo
Authors: Ploss Katharina
Published: May 2011

Intercommunity dialogue encounters are a crucial tool for constructive conflict resolution. This research examines grassroots dialogue encounters with regard to the societal position of the participants, as well the situation ‘on the ground’ as influential to the transfer process. Interviews in Northern Ireland and Kosovo with community activists stressed the effectiveness of personal characteristics of dialogue participants when it came to transfer. Moreover, the readiness ‐ affected by socio-economic conditions as well as external/secondary conflict parties ‐ of the peer group to listen to its participant seemed fundamental.
Dutch Courts Safeguarding Rights under the EEC-Turkey Association Law. Case Note on District Court Rotterdam Judgments of 12 August 2010, and District Court Roermond Judgment of 15 October 2010
Authors: Tezcan-Idriz* Narin
Published: May 2011

Two District Courts in the Netherlands found the obligation to integrate imposed on some categories of third-country nationals by the Law on Integration (Wet Inburgering), to be incompatible with the standstill and non-discrimination provisions of the EEC-Turkey Association Law. In their judgments the courts followed the guidance provided by the case-law of the Court of Justice and resolved the cases accordingly. In the current political climate, where immigration issues are hotly debated, these judgments were not welcomed by the government and the municipal authorities involved in the cases. The judgments were immediately taken to appeal to the Centrale Raad van Beroep (the Administrative High Court).
Introduction Eastern Indonesia under Reform: The Global, the National and the Local
Authors: Bräuchler Birgit , Erb Maribeth
Published: May 2011

The boundaries of what has constituted “Eastern Indonesia” have shifted depending on the historical, cultural, political, or economic context. We review various ways that Eastern Indonesia has been understood, to overview the different ways of delineating and approaching this fascinating part of Indonesia in order to introduce this special issue. The intention of this special issue, however, is not to attempt to clearly define Eastern Indonesia once and for all, but to open up via these various historical and contemporary concerns with Eastern Indonesia, new ways of grappling with this region in the present Post-Suharto era. The current social and political transformations offer a great deal of opportunity to reflect on the way global and national flows of people, money, notions of governance and religious ideas, are so crucial to understanding and making sense of the current dynamics in the region. By focusing our attention on how these global and national influences intersect with the local, we want to bring out how they are appropriated and manipulated by local communities; at the same time they may undermine and transform what is taking place at the local level.
Re-Considering Eastern Indonesia
Authors: Fox James J.
Published: May 2011

Eastern Indonesia has been a region of international interest since its identification as a source of spices and rare woods. This paper considers ideas of sovereignty held by both Portuguese and Dutch at the time of European contact. It traces the consequence of the application of these ideas to the development of forms of governance in eastern Indonesia: in particular, the concept of indirect rule that began with contracts of trade fostered by the Dutch East India Company. Such contacts with local rulers or community representatives provided the basis for later colonial rule and contributed to specific social identities that remain prominent to the present. These historically established social identities continue to underpin various efforts at establishing local autonomy.
Marginal Governance in the Time of Pemekaran: Case Studies from Sulawesi and West Papua
Authors: McWilliam Andrew
Published: May 2011

One of the outcomes of the radical decentralisation policies accompanying political reform and democratisation in Indonesia is a sustained administrative programme known by the term pemekaran, or a ‘blossoming’ of new administrative and budgetary units that extend to the farthest corners of the nation. This paper explores aspects and impacts of the pemekaran process as it unfolds in two remote corners of Indonesia, namely the sub-district of Routa in Konawe Regency of Southeast Sulawesi and the newly-established district of Bintuni in the swamp lands of Bintuni Gulf, West Papua. In both regions the strategic possibilities that accompany pemekaran have fostered a vibrant local politic based around appeals to established patterns of landed authority. But the logic of pemekaran can lead to fragmentation and confusion over jurisdictional authority. Critics argue that the process dilutes capacity and political authority. Supporters acknowledge the limits but applaud the extension of development funding into areas which otherwise would remain isolated and impoverished. The paper explores some of the dimensions of this debate and the role of pemekaran in shaping local experience on the margins of the state.
Kings on Stage: Local Leadership in the Post-Suharto Moluccas
Authors: Bräuchler Birgit
Published: May 2011

In 2007, village kings from all over the Moluccan province gathered in Ambon city and founded a pan-Moluccan raja forum called Majelis Latupati Maluku (MLM). The association is meant to unite traditional leadership, re-integrate Moluccan society and build an effective interface to the regional government. Decisive were two factors: firstly, the inter-religious violence that had torn Moluccan society apart required neutral means to (re)unify the Moluccan people and prevent further conflict; and secondly, the decentralisation laws passed in post-Suharto Indonesia were meant to re-empower the local level by legalising the revival and reconstruction of local political structures and the comeback of traditional leaders, such as the raja, in the Moluccas. These village kings attracted tremendous attention all of a sudden and great hopes are placed in them both from the top, as well as from the bottom. This article aims to discuss the enormous challenges the MLM faces by analysing current developments and looking into the historical dimension of the raja and the MLM. This includes critical reflections on questions of representation, the interface between tradition (adat) and politics, the notion of an inventive adaptation of so-called traditional institutions to new requirements and the potential of the raja and the MLM as means for peace.
Philo’s Perception of the Roman Empire
Authors: Berthelot Katell
Published: May 2011

Philo’s perception of Rome is less positive than has generally been argued. Although Philo appreciated the pax romana and the religious freedom generally enjoyed by Jews in the Roman Empire, he was nevertheless critical of Rome. In particular, he rejected the idea that the Roman empire was the outcome of divine providence and would last forever. He opposed the spiritual kingship of Israel to the worldly and transitory dominion of Rome. Moreover, he expected Roman rule to fade away in the end, and Israel to blossom as no other nation ever had in the past.
Inscriptions, Synagogues and Rabbis in Late Antique Palestine
Authors: Millar Fergus
Published: May 2011

The numerous works of “rabbinic” literature composed in Palestine in Late Antiquity, all of which are preserved only in medieval manuscripts, offer immense possibilities for the historian, but also present extremely perplexing problems. What are their dates, and when did each come to be expressed in a consistent written form? If we cannot be sure about the attribution of sayings to individual named rabbis, how can we relate the material to any intelligible period or social context? In this situation, it is natural and right to turn to contemporary evidence, archaeological, iconographic and epigraphic. The primary archaeological evidence is provided by the large (and increasing) number of excavated synagogues. But, it has been argued, rabbinic texts are not centrally concerned with synagogues or the congregations which met in them. So perhaps “rabbinic Judaism” and “synagogal Judaism” are two separate systems. Alternatively, the epigraphic evidence attests individuals who are given the title “rabbi,” and these inscriptions, on stone or mosaic, include some which derive from synagogues. But perhaps “rabbi,” in this context, was merely a current honorific term, and these are not the “real” rabbis of the texts? It will be argued that this distinction is gratuitous, and that in any case the largest and most important synagogue-inscription, that from Rehov, both is “rabbinic” in itself and mentions rabbis as religious experts.
Emanation et création: le motif du manteau de lumière revisité
Authors: Costa José
Published: May 2011

In many texts, the rabbis of Antiquity interpreted Ps 104:2 (“He covereth Himself with light as with a garment”) with reference to the first light. Three great scholars were interested by these commentaries: V. Aptowitzer, A. Altmann and G. Scholem. Hovewer, none of them has taken into account all the texts concerned. A comparison of all existing versions makes possible a reevaluation of the already proposed models and shed new light on four essential topics: a double structure which explains the origin of light in two different ways (the garment explanation and the place of the Temple explanation), two groups of texts, one which deals with the apparition of light, the other with the creation of the world from light, the relation between emanation and creation and the esoteric/mystic dimension of the texts. The articulation between emanation and creation which characterizes explicitly the latest versions and maybe also the ancient ones, comes from Hellenistic Judaism. It anticipates the similar concerns of the medieval Jewish philosophers and mystics or may be contemporary with them.
Syphilis, Sex, and Marriage in Early Modern Spain
Authors: Berco Cristian
Published: May 2011

Although scholarship on the early modern syphilis epidemic has greatly increased our understanding of the medical, institutional, and individual responses to this illness, little is known about patients’ familial and personal lives beyond the hospital walls. Examining patients treated at Toledo’s Hospital de Santiago in the mid-seventeenth century, this article analyzes their attitudes towards sexuality and marriage as they lived with chronic venereal disease. Produced in a post-Tridentine context that ideally emphasized individual control of sexual sin, the hospital and notarial records patients left behind reveal ambivalence towards sexuality and marriage. Not only did competing messages on sexuality affect patients who displayed expressive sexual lives under specific circumstances, but only those who engaged communal networks, socioeconomic position, and medical assumptions on sexuality and disease successfully managed to marry.
The Holy Spirit as Agent, not Activity: Origen’s Argument with Modalism and its Afterlife in Didymus, Eunomius, and Gregory of Nazianzus
Authors: Radde-Gallwitz Andrew
Published: May 2011

In the latter half of the fourth century, Didymus the Blind, Eunomius of Cyzicus, and Gregory of Nazianzus all responded to the position that the Holy Spirit is merely an activity of God, and not a substantial reality. Heretofore, those who held this position have remained unidentified in modern scholarship. In this article, it is argued that the fourth-century arguments derive directly from an authentic fragment (number 37) of Origen’s Commentary on John, in which Origen argues against some form of modalism, perhaps Sabellianism. Origen’s use of John 3:8 together with 1 Corinthians 12:11 became decisive for later theologians in ascribing agency to the Spirit. Despite their obvious differences, Didymus, Eunomius, and Gregory follow Origen in viewing it as imperative to speak of the Spirit as a substantial reality in order to preserve the scriptural portrayal of the Spirit as active. Accordingly, this article provides testimony to the diverse legacy of Origen in the fourth century, as well as to the function of ‘substance’ language in fourth-century doctrinal disputes.
Preserving the Divine: ατο- Prefixed Generative Terms and the Untitled Treatise in the Bruce Codex
Authors: Muehlberger Ellen
Published: May 2011

In Greek literature from antiquity, there is a set of terms formed from verbs of origination or generation and prefixed with ατο-, which are represented primarily in three types of literature prior to the fifth century: in the surviving fragments from Numenius, in apologetic histories which incorporate oracular statements about first gods, and in the reports about and examples of Sethian literature. By considering the range of transliterated words in the Coptic Untitled Treatise based upon ατο- prefixed generative terms from Greek, we can discern several of the traditions that underlie this text’s multiple, often competing, narratives about the structure and population of the divine world. Many of those traditions are also recorded in apologetic histories, and comparison with these shows that the Untitled Treatise is an example of a different mode of historical writing, one which is preservationist rather than explicitly persuasive.
A New Link between Origen and the Gospel of Thomas: Commentary on Matthew 14,14
Authors: Grosso Matteo
Published: May 2011

In this short note a previously unrecognized parallel to a Thomas saying in Origen’s work is presented: in a paragraph of the Commentary on Matthew 14,14 dense with biblical quotations, a remembrance of the same logion recorded in Gos. Thom. 62,1 emerges. This piece of evidence might be included in the dossier concerning the relationship between Origen and the Gospel of Thomas, on which recent scholarship has turned its attention.
Envy and Anger at the World’s Creation and Destruction in the Treatise without Title ‘On the Origin of the World’ (NHC II,5)
Authors: Crislip Andrew
Published: May 2011

The passion of envy in the Nag Hammadi Treatise without Title has been noted by scholars for four decades. The present essay approaches the use of the competitive emotions in the Treatise without Title with a sensitivity to ancient conceptions of the passions, and thus clarifies the role of envy. The Treatise without Title links the passion of envy with anger, an emotional concatenation that is found elsewhere in Jewish and Christian emotional thought, and this emotional concatenation drives the action in three core episodes: the origin of the world from the shadow, the engendering of Death by Yaltabaoth, and the final destruction of the gods of chaos and the prime parent. By reading the emotions in the Treatise thusly, the structuring role of envy is clarified, and long debated elements (i.e. the descent of “bile” into the world, and the mutual destruction of the archons) are explained.
Recording and Identifying European Frontier Deaths
Authors: Grant Stefanie
Published: May 2011

Migrant deaths at EU maritime borders have more often been seen in the context of national border control, than in terms of migrant protection and human rights. The 2009 Stockholm Programme accepted the need for action to avoid tragedies at sea, and to ‘record’ and ‘identify’ migrants trying to reach the EU. But it did not specify how this should be done. There are parallels between these migrant deaths, and deaths which occur in conflict and humanitarian disaster. The principles of human rights and humanitarian law which apply in these situations should be developed to create legal and policy frameworks for use in the case of migrants who are missing or who die on EU sea frontiers. The purpose would be to enable evidence of identity to be preserved, to protect the rights of families to know the fate of their relatives, and to create common national and international procedures.
Language and Knowledge Tests for Permanent Residence Rights: Help or Hindrance for Integration?
Authors: Böcker Anita , Strik* Tineke
Published: May 2011

More and more Member States require immigrants from outside the EU to pass language or knowledge-of-society tests in different stages of the immigration and integration process. This article focuses on the application of this requirement as a condition for obtaining a permanent residence permit or the EU long-term resident status. It is based on an international comparative study that included seven Member States with integration conditions (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom). The article analyses the reasons behind the introduction of language and knowledge tests for applicants for a permanent residence permit or the EU long-term resident status in these Member States. Secondly, it examines the effects of the tests on the integration process of third-country nationals admitted for non-temporary stay. Finally, it discusses the legal constraints posed by EU and international law.
The Privatization of Control over Labour Migration in the Netherlands: In Whose Interest?
Authors: de Lange* Tesseltje
Published: May 2011

Migration control has become subject to ‘privatization’ and is more often than not in the form of internal control, such as for example with employer sanctions. This privatization has taken place through coercive and permissive state action. Coercive state action is the implementation of employer sanctions. It is demonstrated how the drive for efficiency and the consequences of the implementation of employer sanctions in the Netherlands in the sphere of private law create a disaggregation between the state and society. In addition to their influence on contracts and civil law suits, employer sanctions in the Netherlands have created a system of private policing. Another form of privatization is the more permissive form of state action entailing the approval by the state of certain employers. These employers are entitled to fast-track and simple procedures, mainly for highly skilled migrant workers, in exchange for acts of migration control. The question is in whose interest these privatizations are taking place. It is argued that the consequences of privatization, however efficient it may be, may in the end not necessarily be in the interest of the nation-state.
Continuity and Development in Roman Catholic Ecclesiology
Authors: Wood Susan
Published: May 2011

An overview of the conceptualizations of the Catholic Church from the theology of Bellarmine to contemporary understanding of the church as communion shows both continuity and development from one concept to the next rather than an abrupt change to a new model that discards the model preceding it. This essay examines the church as perfect society, church as mystical body, church as sacrament, church as people of God, and church as communion, demonstrating that the various conceptualizations represent development, balance, correction, and a deeper penetration in the understanding and articulation of the prior conceptualizations. The church as body of Christ develops the spiritual and Christological dimension of the church as society. The church as sacrament offers a way of differentiating between Christ and the church while at the same time retaining the close correlation between the two. The church as people of God introduces historical consciousness into the definition of the church. The church as communion synthesizes the strong sacramental and spiritual identity of the church with its organizational structure.
Origin of Madagascan Scarabaeini dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): dispersal from Africa
Authors: Scholtz Clarke , Sole Catherine , Forgie Shaun , Wirta Helena
Published: May 2011

Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island, has a long history of isolation (160 million years) and a wide range of climates and ecosystems which have in turn resulted in high levels of endemism across different taxonomic levels. Although Madagascar has a rich dung beetle fauna that belongs to various tribes only three species of the Scarabaeini are found there, namely Scarabaeus viettei, S. radama and S. sevoistra. These three species are superficially quite distinctive and have, consequently, had a variable taxonomic history since the first one was described in 1896. The morphological differences between these species resulted in them being placed in different genera at different times. However, currently, based on cladistic analyses, they are all classified in the genus Scarabaeus. In this study, two of the species, S. viettei and S. radama, were included in a phylogenetic analysis based on two mitochondrial gene regions — cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and 16S rRNA — and a 247 morphological and behavioural dataset of 23 members of the Scarabaeinae. A Bayesian phylogram supports the monophyly of the genus Scarabaeus, with the two species from Madagascar appearing sister to three species of Scarabaeus from south-west Africa. Estimated times of divergence based on published mutation rates of 0.012 and 0.0075 for COI indicate that a shared African/Madagascan origin occurred around 15.18 or 24.15 million years ago, respectively. is study is another example in support of Madagascan fauna having an African origin with colonisation having occurred via dispersal as opposed to ancient vicariant events.