bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TANGENT-POINT SELF-AVOIDANCE ENERGIES FOR CURVES
Authors: STRZELECKI PAWEŁ , VON DER MOSEL HEIKO
Published: July 2011

We study a two-point self-avoidance energy [Formula: see text] which is defined for all rectifiable curves in ℝn as the double integral along the curve of 1/rq. Here r stands for the radius of the (smallest) circle that the is tangent to the curve at one point and passes through another point on the curve, with obvious natural modifications of this definition in the exceptional, non-generic cases. It turns out that finiteness of [Formula: see text] for q ≥ 2 guarantees that γ has no self-intersections or triple junctions and therefore must be homeomorphic to the unit circle 𝕊1 or to a closed interval I. For q > 2 the energy [Formula: see text] evaluated on curves in ℝ3 turns out to be a knot energy separating different knot types by infinite energy barriers and bounding the number of knot types below a given energy value. We also establish an explicit upper bound on the Hausdorff-distance of two curves in ℝ3 with finite [Formula: see text]-energy that guarantees that these curves are ambient isotopic. This bound depends only on q and the energy values of the curves. Moreover, for all q that are larger than the critical exponent q crit = 2, the arclength parametrization of γ is of class C1, 1-2/q, with Hölder norm of the unit tangent depending only on q, the length of γ, and the local energy. The exponent 1 - 2/q is optimal.
BIKEI, INVOLUTORY BIRACKS AND UNORIENTED LINK INVARIANTS
Authors: AKSOY SINAN , NELSON SAM
Published: July 2011

We identify a subcategory of biracks which define counting invariants of unoriented links, which we call involutory biracks. In particular, involutory biracks of birack rank N = 1 are biquandles, which we call bikei or 双圭. We define counting invariants of unoriented classical and virtual links using finite involutory biracks, and we give an example of a non-involutory birack whose counting invariant detects the non-invertibility of a virtual knot.
OPTIMIZATION OF DESIGN PARAMETERS FOR FLUORESCENCE LAMINAR OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHY
Authors: CHEN CHAO-WEI , CHEN YU
Published: July 2011

Laminar optical tomography (LOT) is a mesoscopic tomographic imaging technique ranging between confocal microscopy and diffuse optical tomography (DOT). Fluorescence LOT (FLOT) provides depth-resolved molecular information with 100–200 μm resolution over 2–3 mm depth. In this study, we use Monte Carlo simulation and singular-value analysis (SVA) to optimize the source-detector configurations for potential enhancement of FLOT imaging performance. The effects of different design parameters, including source incidence and detector collection angles, detector number, and sampling density, are presented. The results indicate that angled incidence/detection configuration might improve the imaging resolution and depth sensitivity, especially for low-scattering medium. Increasing the number of detectors and the number of scanning steps will also result in enhanced imaging performance. We also demonstrate that the optimal imaging performance depends upon the background scattering coefficient. Our result might provide an optimization strategy for FLOT or LOT experimental setup.
SEF: A Secure, Efficient, and Flexible Range Query Scheme in Two-Tiered Sensor Networks
Authors: Bu Jiajun , Yin Mingjian , He Daojing , Xia Feng , Chen Chun
Published: July 2011

Large-scale wireless sensor networks follow the two-tiered architecture, where master nodes take charge of storing data and processing queries. However, if a master node is compromised, the information stored in it may be exposed, and query results can be juggled. This paper presents a novel scheme called SEF for secure range queries. To preserve privacy, SEF employs the order-preserving symmetric encryption which not only supports efficient range queries, but also maintains a strong security standard. To preserve authenticity and integrity of query results, we propose a novel data structure called Authenticity & Integrity tree. Moreover, SEF is flexible since it allows users to include or exclude the authenticity and integrity guarantee. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to use the characteristic of NAND flash to achieve high storage utilization and query processing efficiency. The efficiency of the proposed scheme is demonstrated by experiments on real sensor platforms.
Relationships among Contrasting Measurements of Microbial Dynamics in Pasture and Organic Farm Soils
Authors: Edenborn S. L. , Sexstone A. J. , Sutanto Y. , Chapman J. A.
Published: July 2011

Soil bacteria exhibit short-term variations in community structure, providing an indication of anthropogenic disturbances. In this study, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN), community level physiological profiling (CLPP), and culture-dependent DGGE (CD DGGE) fingerprinting of the 16S rRNA gene were used to compare microbial communities in organic farm and pasture soils subjected to differing agronomic treatments. Correlation analyses revealed significant relationships between MBC, PMN, and data derived from microbial community analyses. All measures separated soil types but varied in their ability to distinguish among treatments within a soil type. Overall, MBC, PMN, and CLPP were most responsive to compost and manure amendments, while CD DGGE resolved differences in legume cropping and inorganic fertilization. The results support the hypothesis that culturable soil bacteria are a responsive fraction of the total microbial community, sensitive to agronomic perturbations and amenable to further studies aimed at linking community structure with soil functions.
Regulation of Cerebral Blood Flow
Authors: Peterson Eric C. , Wang Zhengfeng , Britz Gavin
Published: July 2011

The control of cerebral blood flow is complex, and only beginning to be elucidated. Studies have identified three key regulatory paradigms. The first is cerebral pressure autoregulation, which maintains a constant flow in the face of changing cerebral perfusion pressure. Flow-metabolism coupling refers to the brains ability to vary blood flow to match metabolic activity. An extensive arborization of perivascular nerves also serves to modulate cerebral blood flow, so-called neurogenic regulation. Central to these three paradigms are two cell types: endothelium and astrocytes. The endothelium produces several vasoactive factors that are germane to the regulation of cerebral blood flow: nitric oxide, endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization factor, the eicosanoids, and the endothelins. Astrocytic foot processes directly abut the blood vessels, and play a key role in regulation of cerebral blood flow. Lastly, new research has been investigating cell-cell communication at the microvascular level. Several lines of evidence point to the ability of the larger proximal vessels to coordinate vasomotor responses downstream.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV): History, Pathophysiology, Office Treatment and Future Directions
Authors: Hornibrook Jeremy
Published: July 2011

BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo. It most often occurs spontaneously in the 50 to 70 year age group. In younger individuals it is the commonest cause of vertigo following head injury. There is a wide spectrum of severity from inconsistent positional vertigo to continuous vertigo provoked by any head movement. It is likely to be a cause of falls and other morbidity in the elderly. Misdiagnosis can result in unnecessary tests. The cardinal features and a diagnostic test were clarified in 1952 by Dix and Hallpike. Subsequently, it has been established that the symptoms are attributable to detached otoconia in any of the semicircular canals. BPPV symptoms can resolve spontaneously but can last for days, weeks, months, and years. Unusual patterns of nystagmus and nonrepsonse to treatment may suggest central pathology. Diagnostic strategies and the simplest “office” treatment techniques are described. Future directions for research are discussed.
Fluorofenidone Attenuates Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis by Inhibiting TGF-β1-Induced Fibroblast Activation
Authors: Yuan Qiongjing , Wang Rui , Peng Yu , Fu Xiao , Wang Wei , Wang Linghao , Zhang Fangfang , Peng Zhangzhe , Ning Wangbin , Hu Gaoyun , Wang Zhaohe , Tao Lijian
Published: July 2011

Background: Novel therapeutic agents are urgently needed to combat renal fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to assess, using complete unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in rats, whether fluorofenidone (AKF-PD) [1-(3-fluorophenyl)-5-methyl-2-(1H)-pyridone] inhibits renal fibrosis, and to determine whether it exerts its inhibitory function on renal fibroblast activation. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham operation, UUO and UUO/AKF-PD (500 mg/kg/day). Renal function, tubulointerstitium damage index score, extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, and the expressions of TGF-β1, collagen III, α-SMA, p-Smad2, p-Smad3, p-ERK1/2, p-JNK and p-p38 were measured. In addition, the expressions of α-SMA, fibronectin, CTGF, p-Smad2/3, p-ERK1/2, p-p38 and p-JNK were measured in TGF-β1-stimulated normal rat renal fibroblasts (NRK-49F). Results: AKF-PD treatment significantly attenuated tubulointerstitium damage, ECM deposition, the expressions of TGF-β1, collagen III, α-SMA, p-ERK1/2, p-p38 and p-JNK in vivo. In vitro, AKF-PD dose-dependently inhibited expressions of α-SMA, fibronectin and CTGF. Furthermore, AKF-PD did not inhibit Smad2/3 phosphorylation or nuclear accumulation, but rather attenuated ERK, p38 and JNK activation. Conclusion: AKF-PD treatment inhibits the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis in obstructed kidneys; this is potentially achieved by suppressing fibroblast activation. Therefore, AKF-PD is a special candidate for the treatment of renal fibrosis.
Conflicting Thoughts about Death
Authors: Harris Paul L.
Published: July 2011

Most research on children’s conception of death has probed their understanding of its biological aspects: its inevitability, irreversibility and terminal impact. Yet many adults subscribe to a religious conception implying that death marks the beginning of a new life. Two recent empirical studies confirm that in the course of development, children supplement their biological conception of death with this religious conception. Depending on which of those two conceptions is primed, children as well as adults arrive at mutually inconsistent conclusions about whether death arrests various bodily and mental processes. The coexistence of these two conceptions within the same individual raises questions about the extent to which children and adults recognize that inconsistency and how they respond when it is brought to their attention.
Circulating Sex Hormones Modulate Vascular Contractions and Acute Response to 17β-Estradiol in Rat Mesenteric Arteries
Authors: Keung Wendy , Man Ricky Y.K.
Published: July 2011

Aims: We investigated how modification of levels of the sex hormones 17β-estradiol and testosterone affects vascular contraction and nongenomic vascular effects of 17β-estradiol. Methods: Male and female rats were treated with vehicle, 17β-estradiol (25 µg/kg/day) or testosterone (1 mg/kg/day) for 14 consecutive days after sham gonadectomy or gonadectomy was performed. Isometric tensions were then measured from mesenteric arteries of each group of rats. Results: Contraction to phenylephrine was increased in mesenteric arteries from rats with or without gonadectomy treated with testosterone for 14 days compared to their intact controls. Contraction to phenylephrine was reduced in mesenteric arteries of rats with or without gonadectomy treated with 17β-estradiol for 14 days compared to their intact controls. Incubation of mesenteric arteries with 17β-estradiol (1 nmol/l) for 30 min reduced contraction to phenylephrine in mesenteric arteries of rats that were treated with testosterone for 14 days. This acute incubation of 17β-estradiol had no effect on arteries from rats that were treated with 17β-estradiol for 14 days. The acute effect of 17β-estradiol (1 nmol/l) is preserved in arteries without endothelium. Conclusion: Our results suggest that 14 days’ testosterone treatment enhances while 14 days’ 17β-estradiol treatment suppresses contraction as well as the nongenomic effects of 17β-estradiol in the vascular smooth muscles.
Reduction in Protein-Bound Solutes Unacceptable as Marker of Dialysis Efficacy during Alternate-Night Nocturnal Hemodialysis
Authors: Meijers Bjorn , Toussaint Nigel D. , Meyer Timothy , Bammens Bert , Verbeke Kristin , Vanrenterghem Yves , Kerr Peter G. , Evenepoel Pieter
Published: July 2011

Background: The uremic retention solutes indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate are linked to cardiovascular disease and overall survival. Dialytic clearances are limited, which is principally attributed to tight protein binding. Extending dialysis duration would be expected to substantially increase protein-bound uremic solute removal. The aim of the current study was to study protein-bound uremic retention solute clearances and kinetics during longer-hours nocturnal hemodialysis. Methods: In a prospective cohort study of 32 maintenance alternate-night nocturnal hemodialysis patients, we followed serum concentrations, solute removals and solute clearances of p-cresyl sulfate and indoxyl sulfate. Spent dialysate sampling was fractionated to compare solute removals between the first 4 h and next 4 h of nocturnal dialysis. Single-compartment variable volume kinetics were calculated. Results: Dialytic clearances of protein-bound uremic retention solutes are maintained during nocturnal (longer-hours) dialysis. Clearances of indoxyl sulfate exceed those of p-cresyl sulfate, presumably due to less tight protein-binding. Apparent distribution volumes increase substantially during nocturnal dialysis, indicative of multi-compartmental behavior of the protein-bound uremic retention solutes indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate. Conclusions: During nocturnal hemodialysis, serum concentrations of protein-bound solute concentrations are reduced less than predicted. Reduction ratios are not a valid tool to estimate total solute removal of protein-bound uremic retention solutes.
The Role of Statins in Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Kalaitzidis Rigas G. , Elisaf Moses S.
Published: July 2011

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality not only amongst the general population, but also in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Persons with CKD are much more likely to die of CVD than to experience kidney failure. Clinical trials have demonstrated that statins are gaining widespread acceptance as a principal therapy for the primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerosis and CVD. In CKD patients the role of statins in primary prevention of CVD remains to be clarified. The absolute benefit of treatment with a statin seems to be greater among nondialysis-dependent-CKD patients. Studies in end-stage renal disease patients on dialysis did not confirm these results. Recently, however, the Study of Heart and Renal Protection (SHARP) has suggested that statins with ezetimibe may be beneficial even in dialysis patients. Clinical studies with statins on proteinuria reduction and renal disease progression have yielded conflicting results. Some studies have shown a prominent reduction in proteinuria, while other studies have shown that statins had no effect or may cause proteinuria at high doses. This review examines the clinical evidence of the observed benefits of kidney function with the use of this drug category in CKD patients.
Targumic Influence on Jewish Bible Translations in Neo-Aramaic
Authors: Sabar Yona
Published: July 2011

Jewish Neo-Aamaic translations of the Bible were orally transmitted from generation to generation by local teachers to disciples. The translations were adjusted for the various dialects (Zakho, Urmia, etc.), and even from one teacher to another according to their memory and knowledge, but certain principles remain more or less prevalent. Thus, the translations are normally quite rigid, reflecting the Hebrew syntax almost word forword. However, insome cases they deviate from this principle for euphemistic and other reasons, often following in the steps of the ancient Aramaic Targums. This may be a direct continuous tradition reflected in the translations of other Jewish languagesas well, but could be also via popular commentaries such as Rashi's.
A Study on Translation Technique in the Peshitta to Jeremiah
Authors:   Williams
Published: July 2011

Our understanding of the translation technique of the Peshitta of Jeremiah has been considerably advanced through a recent monograph by Gillian Greenberg. This proposed that the Peshitta of Jeremiah bears witness to a Hebrew text shorter than the Masoretic Text and that the Masoretic Text contains redactional expansions subsequent to the translation of the Peshitta. Some of the evidence used to support these conclusions is questioned here, and explanations differing from those of Greenberg are proposed for a number of other passages in Jeremiah.
Some Remarks on Linguistic and Lexical Change in the North Eastern Neo-Aramaic Dialects
Authors: Khan Geoffrey
Published: July 2011

The great diversity of the North Eastern Neo-Aramaic dialect group has only partially been studied. This is now an urgent task, since many of the dialects are now in danger of extinction. These dialects exhibit many fascinating linguistic features, which makes their investigation very rewarding. Investigation of these dialects also casts important light on some issues in the historical development of Aramaic and of North-West Semitic languages in general. Some of these issues are discussed in the paper. Particular attention is directed to the relationship of the lexicon of North-East Neo-Aramaic to that of earlier forms of literary Aramaic.
Is Subtlety in Translation the Reason for the Targumic Use of Various Verbs of Fleeing?
Authors: Dray Carol
Published: July 2011

For some time the use of various verbs of fleeing in the Targum has attracted attention. Around twenty five years ago Bernard Grossfeld acknowledged the difficulty of reaching any sound conclusion as to their use. Recently Eveline van Staalduine-Sulman considered these verbs in Targum Samuel and concluded that they displayed subtly different meanings. This study examines their use in the whole of the Targum to the Former Prophets to test the proposition of subtlety.
The Aramaic Dialect of the James Ossuary Inscription
Authors: Flesher Paul
Published: July 2011

Discussion of the Aramaic used in the James Ossuary inscription has so far been limited to whether the Aramaic grammatical forms could be found in the first century. There is a little evidence that supports a positive answer. This essay asks a different question, in which Aramaic dialect are the inscription's Aramaic forms most common? That answer is that they are the standard forms in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, which was the Galilean dialect from the end of the second century onwards. The inscription is thus most likely later than the period claimed by its promoters.
Word-Smithing: Some Metallurgical Terms in Hebrew and Aramaic
Authors: Levene Dan , Rothenberg Beno
Published: July 2011

The collaboration between Dr Dan Levene and Prof. Beno Rothenberg on a project that aims to identify references to metals and metalworking techniques in what are primarily Judaic sources has been a bringing together of two different approaches to studying the past: philology and archaeometallurgy. This paper highlights the way in which the lexicography of certain terms must inevitably rely on knowledge of the relevant technology and its history. To illustrate this point two terms are examined: 1. the word srp and the shifting meanings of some of its cognates across time; and 2. the word 'nk, that appears in Amos 7.7-8.
Description of one new, and new data on two known, species of Enchodelus Thorne, 1939 (Dorylaimida: Nordiidae) from Iran
Authors: Pourjam Ebrahim , Robbins Robert , Pedram Majid , Ye Weimin , Peña-Santiago Reyes
Published: July 2011

This contribution provides a study of one new and two known species of Enchodelus. Enchodelus sardashtensis sp. n. is characterised by its 1.3-1.5 mm long body, lip region 13-15 μm broad and offset by marked depression, odontostyle 22-27 μm or 1.5-1.8 lip region diam. long, neck 290-310 μm long, pharyngeal expansion 100-110 μm long or 35-38% of total neck length, a dorsal cellular mass (pseudocoelomocyte) present between cardia and proximal end of anterior ovary, uterus tripartite and 95-145 μm long, V = 44-48, female tail rounded conoid (19-23 μm, c = 61-76, c′ = 0.7-0.8) and bearing saccate bodies, and male unknown. This species is close to E. altherri and E. arcticus. Enchodelus groenlandicus and E. longispiculus are recorded for the first time in Iran and in Asia, respectively and compared to other known populations of these species. A molecular characterisation of E. longispiculus is also performed based on ribosomal DNA near-full-length small subunit 18S gene, internal transcribed spacer and partial 5.8S gene. Phylogenetic analysis revealed E. sardahtensis sp. n. and E. longispiculus to be in a monophyletic clade with all other Enchodelus with rounded tail.
Prothallonema tomici n. sp. (Tylenchida: Sphaerulariidae) parasitising Tomicus piniperda (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Bulgaria
Authors: Pilarska Daniela , Takov Danail , Nedelchev Sevdan
Published: July 2011

Prothallonema tomici n. sp. (Tylenchida: Sphaerulariidae) is described as a parasite of the bark beetle Tomicus piniperda (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytidae). The new species is characterised by the relatively short body (0.3-0.5 mm) and short prolapsed uterus ((0.16-0.44) × (0.065-0.15) mm), relatively anterior position of the vulva (83.8-85.5%), stylet with fine asymmetrical basal knobs, hemizonid and hemizonion, four incisures, subterminal phasmids and tail terminus always curved dorsad. The entomoparasitic and mycetophagous generation were observed in the body cavity of T. piniperda. Comparing the two generations of J4 showed that the mycetophagous generation had a longer and more robust body, shorter pharynx and tail, longer reproductive system and vulva located further posteriorly. It can be concluded that, in the haemocoel, the entomoparasitic generation can develop through all stages whilst the mycetophagous generation develops to the J4 and then dies.
A Jewish Neo-Aramaic Translation of Genesis Recorded in Mosul, Iraq, ca. 1841 (Ms. Syr. 7, Houghton Library, Harvard University)
Authors: Burns Joshua Ezra
Published: July 2011

The subject of the present study is a transcription of the first two chapters of Genesis in an undocumented Jewish Neo-Aramaic literary dialect. Recorded in the vicinity of Mosul, Iraq, at some point during the mid-nineteenth century, the Genesis manuscript is accompanied by another of identical provenance preserving a selection from the Gospel of Matthew in the same ostensibly Jewish dialect. The purpose of my analysis is to establish the provenance of this exceptional pair of documents, and, upon the basis of this determination, to analyze the contents of the Genesis manuscript in light of other attested Jewish Neo-Aramaic renderings of the biblical text.
The Narratological Purpose of Aramaic Prose in Ezra 4.8 – 6.18
Authors: Berman Joshua
Published: July 2011

Regnant documentary theories do not account for the large amount of Aramaic narrative framing seen in Ezra 4–6. The discourse employed by this narrator shows him to be a Samarian in orientation. The implied author constructs this narrative perspective as a poetic device through which the reader/listener learns that the foes of his time—Samarian and Persian—are not as formidable as he may have thought them to be, and that the God of Israel works in ways that he may not have appreciated without this external testimony.
Reexamination of the Bare Preterite Base in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Zakho
Authors: Gutman Ariel
Published: July 2011

In Neo-Aramaic dialects the historic passive participle is used as the base form for the preterite tense. Nonetheless, the scholarly tradition saw it as a passive form, especially when it appears alone as a 'bare form'. A wide corpus study of Jewish Zakho Neo-Aramaic shows, however, that in some cases it is justified to see this form as bearing an active function. This is established through the examination of the information-structure associated with the form. A comparison to an older stratum of Neo-Aramaic, namely the Nerwa texts from the 17th century, provides a possible diachronic explanation of this change.
Telltale Signs of a Semitic Prototext for the Peshitta of Daniel
Authors: Lund Jerome
Published: July 2011

Earlier scholars concluded correctly that the Peshitta of Daniel was translated from a Semitic prototext, but their arguments were less than compelling. Basing the argument on vocabulary, to wit the consistent rendering of Hebrew as and Aramaic as, the use of Persian loanwords, and the preservation of a rare Semitic adverb, provides a more convincing case than offered in the past. Though not necessary to prove the point, the author suggests that what could be interpreted as a peal passive participle may in fact be an internal peal passive suffix conjugation form. This suggestion is presented for scholarly consideration and should not be considered fundamental to the major thesis.
‘So I Girded My Loins in the Vision of Righteousness and Wisdom, in the Robe of Supplication’ (1QapGen ar VI.4). ‮קשט‬ in the Book of the Words of Noah and Second Temple Jewish Aramaic Literature
Authors: Lange Armin
Published: July 2011

This study analyses the Aramaic root ‮קשט‬ and its derivatives in the Book of the Words of Noah and Second Temple Jewish Aramaic literature. In its basic meaning the root and its derivatives signify the straightness of a matter, but they oscillate semantically from a simple statement regarding the truth of a matter to the idea of a universe that is patterned by righteousness. In its broad and often highly philosophical range of meanings, the concept of qûšṭâ comes closest to the idea of Maat in ancient Egyptian thought.
The Literary Relationship between the Genesis Apocryphon and Jubilees: The Chronology of Abram and Sarai’s Descent to Egypt
Authors: Segal Michael
Published: July 2011

Scholars have long noted the affinity of the Genesis Apocryphon and Jubilees. However, there is still no consensus regarding the direction of the relationship between them. This study approaches this question by analysing their shared chronology surrounding the patriarchs’ descent to Egypt. It is demonstrated that 1QapGen’s chronology results from considerations of biblical interpretation. Interestingly, Jubilees’ chronological framework is problematic at exactly this point. It is suggested that this confusion is the result of the conflation of the Apocryphon’s chronology with an alternative interpretation of Gen. 16.3. Jubilees therefore reflects a later stage in the development of these traditions than the Apocryphon.
Is the Genesis Apocryphon a Unity? What Sort of Unity Were You Looking For?
Authors: Bernstein Moshe J.
Published: July 2011

A source-critical or tradition-historical approach to the Genesis Apocryphon will quite justifiably emphasize the features of the Apocryphon that point toward what can be described as its lack of compositional unity. There exists, however, a level on which the Apocryphon can be shown to be a whole; that is its narrative unity. The latter is the result of the ways in which the final author/composer organized and manipulated the sources and traditions, whether written or oral, with which he worked. The acknowledgment that the Apocryphon is unified on this level opens the door to its treatment as an integral (if fragmentary) literary artifact, as I shall demonstrate in further studies.
"Fickle Fate Has Exhausted My Burning Heart": An Egyptian Engineer of the 19th Century Between Belief in Progress and Existential Anxiety
Authors: Konrad Felix
Published: July 2011

Little is known about the worldview and self-image of low-ranking Egyptian civil servants and graduates of state schools of the mid-19th century. Based on an unusual self-referential text which the young irrigation engineer Muhammad Kānīal-Baqlī had printed in 1865, this article seeks to discover the social and cultural orientation of a simple efendi of the mid-19th century and how he interpreted his world. It will show how al-Baqlī acted as an individual in a world defined by constraints and dependencies and how he tried to realise his ambitions for social recognition and advancement. Despite his subaltern position, al-Baqlī participated in the dominant hegemonic discourse about reform, progress and civilisation, and he aimed to adapt it to his own ambitious purposes. He also attempted to define what ought to be provided for him as an individual and as a member of an emerging social group, the afandīya, by a progressive and just government.
Al-Mustabsirūn, "Those Who Are Able To See The Light": Sunnī Conversion to Twelver Shī'ism in Modern Times
Authors: Sindawi Khalid
Published: July 2011

The present study's objective is to analyze the phenomenon of the mustabsirūn in Twelver Shī'ism in modern times. The term mustabsir is used among (Twelver) Shī'ites to refer to someone who has left his previous faith, converted to Shī'ism and adopted its doctrines. In this study we inquire into the meaning of the term in general, in the Qur'ān and its commentaries, and as a specific term. We examine the motivation for conversion to Shī'ism, the types and status of converts and the reasons which drive them to convert, the pressures and threats which converts face from Sunnī circles and how converts cope with these and respond to the attacks on them. The study also surveys mustabsir websites and their contents, books which such converts have written, describing their conversion experience, as well as factors which have contributed to the popularity of the conversion movement, among them the support which Iranian cultural missions provide to converts, the Lebanon War of 2006 and the burgeoning popularity of Hasan Nasr Allāh, the political protection which many converts enjoy, monetary and economic emoluments given to converts, and Shī'ite satellite TV stations and websites. The study's main conclusion is that the terms mustabsir ("he who has had his eyes opened", convert to Twelver Shī'ism) and istibsār (the verbal noun: conversion) have taken on a clear and definite meaning, denoting a real trend in recent years, although still relatively limited in scope, so that at present and in the foreseeable future Sunnī Muslims have no reason to fear this trend.
Questioning Hierarchies of Harm: Women, Forced Migration, and International Criminal Law
Authors: Ramji-Nogales Jaya
Published: July 2011

Though international criminal law has made great strides in addressing harm perpetrated against women in wartime, its gendered structure diverts attention away from other significant harms that women endure as a result of armed conflict. In particular, international criminal law's hierarchy of harm elevates crimes committed as part of a plan or pattern across political groups over equally serious forms of harm perpetrated randomly, often within political groups. Thus the private and opportunistic harms enabled by situations of displacement and perpetrated against female forced migrants do not fall clearly within the framework of international criminal law. This vacuum of accountability extends beyond international criminal law, as female forced migrants cannot rely on their own governments, their host governments, and often even international humanitarian organisations to protect them against opportunistic violence. International criminal law could fill the void only after quite serious reconstruction, namely expansion of its scope and restructuring of its focus. It may be that a structure designed specifically to prevent and account for opportunistic violence against female forced migrants would be better equipped to perform that task. Criminal accountability might be better performed in national legal systems or informal justice systems created within camp environments. There are also solutions other than criminal accountability, such as human rights law, that might be more appropriate in addressing such harms. In the meantime, until a solution is found that places these 'private' crimes on equal footing with 'public' attacks currently prohibited by international criminal law, the serious and frequent harms suffered by forcibly displaced women will continue to be overlooked, relegated to the bottom of the hierarchy of harm.
The Paradoxical Feminist Quest for Remedy: A Case Study of Jane Doe v. Islamic Salvation Front and Anouar Haddam
Authors: Bennoune Karima
Published: July 2011

This article analyses Jane Doe v. Islamic Salvation Front et al., an Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) case brought in the United States by the late Rhonda Copelon, a leading feminist international lawyer. Bennoune explores the experiences of the Jane Doe plaintiffs, exposing the limited legal avenues that were available to them at the time. She finds that Copelon's creative ATCA litigation strategy embodied a symbolic, feminist act in the paradoxical quest for justice, armed with the knowledge that it would likely become a losing battle. The article ultimately shows that the ACTA litigation, even if unsuccessful in the end, recognised that non-state actors can harm human rights, and provided a powerful avenue for expressing plaintiffs' grievances when no other court would hear them.
Assessing Civil Liability for Harms to Women during Armed Conflict: The Rulings of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission
Authors: Reed Lucy
Published: July 2011

This article provides a descriptive account of rulings of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission (EECC) related to harms inflicted during the Ethiopia-Eritrea armed conflict that disproportionately affected women. Following the introduction, it presents a brief overview of the creation of the EECC and its jurisdiction, procedure and rulings. It then discusses the EECC's rulings on sexual violence, describing the special considerations for applying its standard and quantum of proof in relation to liability and damages in rape claims. The next part focuses on the import of the EECC's rulings in relation to expelled and other displaced civilians (including internally displaced persons), who were largely women and other vulnerable populations. Although the EECC did not, for the most part, find displacement itself to be a violation of the jus in bello, it did award significant amounts of compensation for harms suffered by expelled and displaced civilians and for relief provided to such persons, who were predominantly women and other vulnerable populations, as well as for Eritrea's violation of the jus ad bellum.
Lumen in obscuris: The Winding Road of Modern Endoscopy
Authors: Pogliano Claudio
Published: July 2011

The historical process leading to the recent invention of endoscopic capsules that are swallowed and travel through the alimentary canal, or to virtual voyages inside the human body one of the last amazing digital technologies has been long and winding. This essay seeks to retrace some steps of that process, since the second half of the 18th century. Numerous medical practitioners, technicians, and instrument makers aimed to explore inner body parts and interspaces by means of the sense of sight. In the mid-19th century Endoscope was called the instrument that would allow to bring light into unknown recesses and visualize them; urethra and bladder were the organs at first investigated, but soon the medical gaze proceeded to penetrate the esophagus and the stomach, not without several obstacles to be overcome.
The Importance of Being Florentine: A Journey around the World for Wax Anatomical Venuses
Authors: de Ceglia Francesco Paolo
Published: July 2011

This article reconstructs the 19th century history of events regarding a few female wax anatomical models made in Florence. More or less faithful copies of those housed in Florence's Museum of Physics and Natural History, these models were destined for display in temporary exhibitions. In their travels through Europe and the United States, they transformed the expression "Florentine Venus" into a sort of brand name used to label and offer respectability to pieces of widely varying quality.
Coupling Modes among Action Centers of Wave–Mean Flow Interaction and Their Association with the AO/NAM
Authors: Zhao Nan , Liang Sujie , Ding Yihui
Published: July 2011

The Arctic Oscillation/Northern Hemisphere annular mode (AO/NAM) is attributed to wave–mean flow interaction over the extratropical region of the Northern Hemisphere. This wave–mean flow interaction is closely related to three atmospheric centers of action, corresponding to three regional oscillations: the NAO, the PNA, and the stratosphere polar vortex (SPV), respectively. It is then natural to infer that local wave–mean flow interactions at these three centers of action are dynamically coupled to each other and can thus explain the main aspects of the three-dimensional coherent structure of the annular mode, which also provides a possible way to understand how the local NAO–PNA–SPV perspective and the hemispheric AO/NAM perspective are interrelated. By using a linear stochastic model of coupled oscillators, this study suggests that two coupling modes among the PNA, NAO, and SPV are related to the two-dimensional pattern in sea level pressure of the AO. Although both of them may contribute to the AO/NAM, only one is related to the three-dimensional equivalent barotropic structure of the NAM, while the other one is mainly restricted to the troposphere. So the equivalent barotropic structure of the NAM, as usually revealed by the regression of the zonal wind against the AO index, is the manifestation of just one coupling mode. Another coupled mode is a baroclinic mode that resembles the NAM only in the troposphere. However, this similarity in spatial structures does not imply that the total variability of the AO/NAM index can be explained by those of the NAO–PNA–SPV or their coupling modes, because of the existence of the variability that may contribute to the AO/NAM, produced outside of these three regions. It is estimated that the coupling modes can jointly explain 44% of the variance of the AO/NAM index.
Extratropical Influence on ITCZ Shifts in Slab Ocean Simulations of Global Warming
Authors: Frierson Dargan M. W. , Hwang Yen-Ting
Published: July 2011

Recent studies with climate models have demonstrated the power of extratropical forcing in causing the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) to shift northward or southward, and paleoclimate data support the notion that there have been large shifts in the ITCZ over time. It is shown that similar notions apply to slab ocean simulations of global warming. Nine slab ocean model simulations from different modeling centers show a wide range of ITCZ shifts in response to doubling carbon dioxide concentrations, which are experienced in a rather zonally symmetric way in the tropics. Using an attribution strategy based on fundamental energetic constraints, it is shown that responses of clouds and ice in the extratropics explain much of the range of ITCZ responses. There are also some positive feedbacks within the tropics due to increasing water vapor content and high clouds in the new ITCZ location, which amplify the changes driven from the extratropics. This study shows the clear importance of simulating extratropical climate responses with fidelity, because in addition to their local importance, the impacts of these climate responses have a large nonlocal impact on rainfall in the tropics.
Democracy’s New Song
Authors: Bilbija Marina
Published: July 2011

W. E. B. Du Bois’s (1935/1998) Black Reconstruction in America, 1860–1880 is commonly regarded as the foundational text of revisionist African American historiography. But Black Reconstruction did more than correct the historical record, it also interrogated the very limits of historiography—what it can communicate, and what and who its “appropriate” subjects should be. Drawing on Susan Gillman’s concept of race melodrama as the dominant framework for late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century racial thinking, this article posits Black Reconstruction as a race melodrama par excellence, with special emphasis on the text’s strategic invocations of music in emotionally and spiritually charged moments. To this end, it traces Du Bois’s use of song, scenes of singing, librettos, and lyrics as both an affective and de-familiarizing device through which he is able to yoke the former slaves’ messianic/religious experience of freedom and their understanding of democracy.
“Look, Baby, We Got Jesus on Our Flag”
Authors: Blum Edward J.
Published: July 2011

Examining debates about the person, place, and meaning of Jesus Christ in African American social development, creative expression, political thought, civil rights activism, international visions, and economic plans, this article suggests that religious discussions have revealed robust democratic cultures. From the age of slavery to the era of Obama, religious discussions and political cultures have been intertwined. Spiritual debates have played a role in community formation; individualism and universalism have worked in tandem; and Jesus Christ—a provincial figure executed thousands of years ago—became essential to international and political visions. This article suggests that Jesus functioned historically in two prominent political ways for African Americans. First, he stood as a counterpoint to American racism that limited the social, legal, political, and cultural rights of African Americans. Second, he functioned as a focus of intraracial and interracial debate, dialogue, and dissension over the role of religion in black politics.
Is the merger necessary? The interactive effect of perceived necessity and sense of continuity on post-merger identification
Authors: Giessner Steffen R
Published: July 2011

The changes experienced during a merger often reduce post-merger organizational identification among the workforce, thereby undermining the strategic goals of the merger. While previous research has shown that employees’ post-merger identification suffers less when they experience a sense of continuity, the current article explores methods of preserving post-merger identification even when employees experience a sense of discontinuity. It is hypothesized that for these employees, the perceived necessity of the merger strongly influences post-merger identification, because a sense of necessity can reduce the uncertainty that typically inhibits post-merger identification. A field study is presented ( N = 144) to support this hypothesis. Finally, implications for the organizational pre-merger communication process are discussed.
Relationship Between Level of Education and Breastfeeding Duration Depends on Social Context
Authors: Colodro-Conde Lucía , Sánchez-Romera Juan F. , Tornero-Gómez María J. , Pérez-Riquelme Francisco , Polo-Tomás Mónica , Ordoñana Juan R.
Published: July 2011

This article presents trends of breastfeeding in Spain from the 1960s to the end of the century, analyzing the relationship between level of education and breastfeeding duration. A sample of 666 adult women provided data about breastfeeding practices for children born between 1958 and 2002. Joinpoint regression models for breastfeeding duration for the firstborn child throughout these years show a U-shaped curve, with a sharp decrease at the beginning of the 1970s (−17.2%) and a gradual increase toward the end of the century (1.9%). However, the trend for women with primary studies shows a constant decrease throughout the whole period (−7.4%), while higher education levels relate to a positive trend from the 1970s onward (3.4%). The authors conclude that in the Spanish context, maternal level of education is not associated with breastfeeding duration in the same direction or with the same magnitude across time. Factors related to breastfeeding should be studied, taking into account social context.
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
Authors: Szucs Kinga A. , Labbok Miriam H.
Published: July 2011

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is a worldwide organization of physicians dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding and human lactation. In this Physician Focus, we describe the mission and activities of the Academy. We also highlight opportunities for physicians to participate.
Iranian nurses and hospitalized teenagers’ views of dignity
Authors: Nahid Dehghan Nayeri  , Karimi Rogheyeh , Sadeghee Tabandeh
Published: July 2011

Respect for human dignity is a basic and crucial component of nursing care. Illness with restricted physical ability and being confined to bed can compromise the dignity of patients. The views of adolescents regarding dignity in care have not previously been researched. This article details a descriptive-analytic study in which survey data was collected from all nurses and compared with a convenience sample of 180 hospitalized adolescents in two hospitals in Iran. The data was analyzed with SPSS software. A significant difference between nurses and hospitalized ill adolescents’ perceptions was identified in relation to: understanding the importance of privacy (p < 0.001); observance of privacy (p < 0.001); importance of interaction between nurses and patients (p = 0.019); and the observance of interaction between nurses and patients (p < 0.001). Attention to adolescents’ views about dignity can help nurses to improve quality of care for this group.
Citizenship and autonomy in acquired brain injury
Authors: Schipper Karen , Widdershoven Guy A M , Abma Tineke A
Published: July 2011

In ethical theory, different concepts of autonomy can be distinguished. In this article we explore how these concepts of autonomy are combined in theory in the citizenship paradigm, and how this turns out in the practice of care for people with acquired brain injury. The stories of a professional caregiver and a client with acquired brain injury show that the combination of various concepts of autonomy in practice leads to tensions between caregivers and clients. These dynamics are discussed from a care ethics perspective, stressing the importance of relationships and interdependence, as well as paying attention to various, sometimes conflicting, perspectives in a deliberative dialogue.