bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Book of Ruth and the Possibility of a Feminist Canonical Hermeneutic
Authors: Bauckham Richard
Published: April 2008

The book of Ruth is written from a female perspective, which in 4:9-17 is deliberately contrasted with a male perspective. The inter-textual contrast between the gynocentricity of Ruth and the androcentricity of most narrative literature in the Hebrew Bible is recognized within the text of Ruth by the appending of the genealogy in 4:18-22. Here the male voice of compilers of traditional patrilineal genealogies replaces the female voice of the story. Though the story and the genealogy purport to recount the same history, the women's world of the story is completely ignored by the genealogy. This contrast characterizes Ruth as the kind of history which official, masculine Israelite history leaves out. Thus the conclusion of the book, which functions to give it a canonical setting in the larger biblical story, also gives it the specific canonical function of exposing the androcentricity of other biblical narratives. The book's revelation of the women's world which other narratives render invisible can therefore function canonically, not merely as an exception to the prevalent androcentricity of biblical literature, but also representatively, authorizing the reader to supply the female perspectives which are elsewhere omitted. This study of Ruth, it is suggested, offers an example of a feminist canonical hermeneutic which would also explore the specific ways in which other gynocentric texts within the canon (such as those parts of the Gospels which adopt the perspective of their female characters) can function canonically. Allowing these gynocentric texts a canonical role of relativizing the androcentric texts makes possible a feminist hermeneutic which can take the canon seriously as a body of literature normative for faith and practice.
Reading Asceticism: Exegetical Strategies in the Early Christian Rhetoric of Renunciation
Authors: Clark Elizabeth A.
Published: April 2008

When in early Christianity the ascetic body came to occupy a central discursive position, exegetes needed to find in Scripture ballast for their changing cultural project. This essay identifies three strategies by which patristic exegetes appropriated for their own purposes an apparently "underasceticized" Hebrew and early Christian past. The writings of John Chrysostom, Jerome, and Origen, respectively, provide the textual base. Chrysostom minimized the difference separating ancient Hebrew from contemporary Christian values: Hebrew patriarchs and Christian ascetics were not to be hierarchically positioned in relation to each other. Rather, "difference" and "distinction" were signalled through an exegetically established and maintained hierarchy of husband over wife. A second interpretive option, represented by Jerome, accentuated the difference between the "carnality" of the Hebrew past and the "spirituality" of the Christian ascetic present. Although Jerome rejected the charges of "Manicheanism" hurled against him, he nonetheless accorded "distinction" to the ascetics of his own day through ingenious intertextual readings of Scripture. A third exegetical model, represented by Origen, circumvented the debate over the "difference in times" by abandoning any chronological trajectory between Hebrew past and Christian present. Here it was not ascetic bodies that were distinguished from marital ones, but reason from sense, virtue from vice-a choice open to both the celibate and the married. The essay thus seeks to correlate modes of exegesis with the debates over asceticism that were prominent in early Christian writing. It also suggests the usefulness of contemporary theory for appreciating the rhetoric of these Fathers' exegesis.
The Biblical King David and His Artistic and Literary Afterlives
Authors: O'Kane Martin
Published: April 2008

The story of David has occupied the minds of biblical critics and fired the imagination of artists over the years. David's status as founder of a dynasty of kings is highlighted in Jewish and Christian traditions and his multifaceted personality has found expression in many and varied artistic forms. The central focus in this article is the way in which the figure of David has been represented in art and literature generally, but with specific reference to Allan Massie's King David, A Novel (1995) as an interpretation of the biblical story of David. By way of introduction some general comments are offered on the attraction and appeal of the biblical narrative for both artist and writer. Such comments help to situate the discussion of the David narrative within the wider cultural approach, an approach used to good effect in the works of Mieke Bal, Cheryl Exum and Larry Kreitzer.
"Women Tongue Speakers, Be Silent": a Reconstruction Through Paul's Rhetoric 1
Authors: Eriksson Anders
Published: April 2008

Whereas interpreters commonly assert that women play a marginal role in 1 Corinthians 12-14, this article argues that Paul's prohibition of women's public speaking in 1 Cor. 14:34 is actually the main issue. Paul's use of the insinuatio, the Subtle Approach, as his rhetorical strategy is the key interpreters need to reconstruct the rhetorical situation and to understand adequately his argumentation. A group of tongue-speaking women who have gained the status of a spiritual elite, pose a threat to Paul and create disorder in the worship services. In a critical dialogue with Antoinette Clark Wire, it is maintained that Paul designates these women pneumatics to be not "prophets" but merely "tongue speakers."Paul uses much male/female imagery for the polemical purpose of making a gender-based dissociation and redefinition of the wider phenomenon "inspired speech," into the categories "prophecy" and "glossolalia."He connects prophecy with rationality, order and male social roles in the public sphere, and glossolalia with contemporary ideas of female inferiority. Paul's negative portrayal of glossolalia is part of his rhetorical effort to silence the women tongue speakers in the church meeting.
Out of Mind, Out of Voice: Slave-Girls and Prophetic Daughters in Luke-Acts
Authors: Spencer F. Scott
Published: April 2008

The promise in Acts 2 (disclosed in Peter's programmatic citation of Joel at Pentecost) that women in general and female slaves in particular will become Spirit-inspired prophets is never fully realized and is even resisted to some degree within the wider Lukan narrative. An examination of three cases involving direct speech by slave-girls (paidiskai) in Luke-Acts, set within diverse literary and social contexts (Lk. 22.54-62; Acts 12.12-17; 16.16-18), uncovers a consistent pattern of truthful proclamation on the part of each slave-girl followed, however, by some form of repudiation-even stigmatization-of her and her message. Despite its more inclusive and receptive ideals, ultimately Luke-Acts more mirrors than challenges conventional first-century Mediterranean society in its suppression of lower-class female voices.
Returning To China: Biblical Interpretation in Postcolonial Hong Kong
Authors: Lee Archie C.C.
Published: April 2008

The paper aims to construct a new framework for biblical studies from the context of postcolonial Hong Kong. While present biblical scholarship has largely depended on historical-critical exegesis, biblical scholars of Asia have begun to conceive a different approach to the Bible, because of not only a new context of reading, but also a radically different cultural-political location of the reader. This location, as it is now being formulated, is a reading between East and West, between the dominant interpretation and scholarship of the formerly colonial and Western cultures and the newly arising consciousness of emerging postcolonial identities in the histories and cultures of Asia. After about some 150 years of British colonial rule, the identity of being a people of Hong Kong is highly hybridised. It is a hybrid identity of being cultural Chinese and yet pragmatically British, both a strong sense of identification with China and an unexplainable fear of being national Chinese. Such location of a reader transforms one's understanding of a biblical text such as Isaiah 56-66 and sheds a new light on the meaning of the return in some of its major passages.
Reader Identification and Alienation in the Legal Rhetoric of the Pentateuch
Authors: Watts James W.
Published: April 2008

Three voices dominate Pentateuchal discourse in turn: the omniscient narrator relates the stories of Genesis and Exodus, YHWH delivers the laws of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, and Moses combines narrative and law in the rhetoric of Deuteronomy. These three dominant voices of the Pentateuch are interdependent and almost interchangeable: the anonymous narrator, like Moses the scribe, requires both divine inspiration and reader acceptance for authorization of the story; the divine lawgiver requires reader acceptance of human mediation of the commandments; the prophetic scribe depends on authority delegated by both God and readers to interpret the stories, the laws, and the sanctions. The Pentateuch leaves the unification of speaking voices incomplete, however, and as a result divides the audience in two. God and Moses (or, at least, God through Moses) address the people in the wilderness and also the readers who overhear their speeches. Their audience comprises Israel throughout time, from Sinai to the present, as Deuteronomy makes explicitly clear. The narrator, by contrast, addresses only the readers through a discourse lying outside the story being narrated. Thus the Pentateuch's use of a third-person omniscient and impersonal narrator resists the unifying rhetoric of the divine and human speeches which it contains. By providing knowledge unavailable to the Israelites in the story, the narrator persuades readers to both identify with and to alienate themselves from aspects of wilderness Israel.
Reformer, Saint, and Savior: Visions of the Great Mother in the Novel Xingshi Yinyuan Zhuan and Its Seventeenth-Century Chinese Context
Authors: Berg Daria
Published: April 2008

The theme of the Great Mother emerges as a leitmotif in the seventeenth-century vernacular Chinese novel Xingshi yinyuan zhuan. This paper analyzes the portrayal of the protagonist Mme. Chao as a mother-figure, her transformation from a virtuous widow to a local leader, and her posthumous apotheosis, while placing her representation within the literary and historical context of the novel. The characterization of Mme. Chao as a reformer, saint, and savior in times of disaster dramatizes a millenarian ambience that appears to have prevailed during the last years of the Ming dynasty, reflecting the apprehension of the apocalypse and the search for a new kind of moral leadership.
Ancient Hinduism as a Missionary Religion
Authors: Sharma Arvind
Published: April 2008

The paper is conceptually divided into four parts. In the first part the widely held view that ancient Hinduism was not a missionary religion is presented. (The term ancient is employed to characterize the period in the history of Hinduism extending from fifth century B.C.E. to the tenth century. The term 'missionary religion' is used to designate a religion which places its followers under an obligation to missionize.) In the second part the conception of conversion in the context of ancient Hinduism is clarified and it is explained how this conception differs from the notion of conversion as found in Christianity. In the third part the view that ancient Hinduism was not a missionary religion is challenged by presenting textual evidence that ancient Hinduism was in fact a missionary religion, inasmuch as it placed a well-defined segment of its members under an obligation to undertake missionary activity. Such historical material as serves to confirm the textual evidence is then presented in the fourth part.
Lay and Monastic Forms of Pure Land Devotionalism: Typology and History
Authors: Andrews Allan A.
Published: April 2008

This study attempts to broaden the usual understanding of the Chinese and Japanese Pure Land traditions by delineating two orientations toward Pure Land devotionalism: A lay orientation which is usually considered the whole of Pure Land devotionalism, and a monastic orientation which is often excluded from the history of Pure Land piety. This distinction makes clear not only the greater breadth of the Pure Land movement, but the way in which its growth was influenced by cross-currents between its two wings. In part one of the paper, the two orientations are typologically differentiated by considerations of (1) their views of history and of the human condition, (2) the types of buddha-reflection (nienjolnembutsu) they taught, and (3) their soteriologies. In part two we then sketch the history of these two forms of Pure Land devotionalism in China and Japan down to the twelfth century. We propose four stages of development: (1) A stage of initial formulation of the principals and styles of the monastic and the lay oriented traditions by Lu-shan Hui-yuan [334-416] and T'an-luan [c. 488-554], respectively; (2) a stage of clear differentiation of the two traditions represented by Chih-i [538-97] on the one hand, and by Shan-tao [613-81] on the other; (3) a stage of integration of the two forms, in China by Tz'u-min hui-jih [680-748], and in Japan by Genshin [942-1017]; and (4) a stage of radical re-differentiation of these by Hônen [1133-1212] in Japan.
Arnold Van Gennep and the Rise of French Sociology of Religion
Authors: Belier Wouter W.
Published: April 2008

Van Gennep's contribution to the science of religion can be assessed from various points of view. Most scientists concentrate on Van Gennep's often quoted Les rites de passage. Other scientists call him the "Master of French ethnology" or the "Master of the study of French Folklore". Van Gennep is seen as a heroic martyr, harassed by academic interests. A third point of view concentrates on the question why Van Gennep was excluded from the Année sociologique group. This matter of Van Gennep being excluded from the Année sociologique group is theoretically the most interesting one. Van Gennep discussed methodological questions with the members of this group. Through this discussion we can gain a clearer understanding of the rise of early French sociology. The purpose of this article is to examine those various points of view. After discussing the assessment concentrating on Les rites de passage, the assessment by his admirers Belmont and Zumwalt, I will give space to the discussion between Van Gennep and the members of the Année sociologique group. Important items in this discussion are those concerning the interpretation of totemism as an archaic institution, the relation between individuals and society, the ontological status of society and the empirical nature of social sciences. In the conclusion I will assess those various points of view. The examination and conclusion will be preceded by a biographical sketch and a survey of Van Gennep's oeuvre.
Savages, Drunks, and Lab Animals: The Researcher's Perception of Pain
Authors: Phillips Mary T.
Published: April 2008

Historically, treatment for pain relief has varied according to the social status of the sufferer. A similar tendency to make arbitrary distinctions affecting pain relief was found in an ethnographic study of animal research laboratories. The administration of pain-relieving drugs for animals in laboratories differed from standard practice for humans and, perhaps, for companion animals. Although anesthesia was used routinely for surgical procedures, its administration was sometimes haphazard. Analgesics, however, were rarely used. Most researchers had never thought about using analgesics and did not consider the subject worthy of serious attention. Scientists interviewed for this study agreed readily that animals are capable offeeling pain, but such assertions were muted by an overriding view of lab animals as creatures existing solely for the purposes of research. As a result, it was the exceptional scientist who was able to focus on anything about the animal's subjective experience that might lie outside the boundaries of the research protocol.
Dissection as an Instructional Technique in Secondary Science: Choice and Alternatives
Authors: Bowd Alan D.
Published: April 2008

This article examines the role of dissection in the teaching of secondary biology and environmental science, within the context of the development of attitudes toward animals. Retrospective data concerning their experience in high school with dissection for 191 undergraduate education students are described, and their reported use of alternatives to invasive animal study are evaluated in relation to specific educational objectives in secondary science. It was found that most students were required to perform dissections, that many but not most experienced negative and stable emotional reactions, and that teachers employed limited alternatives to dissection in their classes. The implications of this for secondary science teaching and for teacher education are discussed.
The Basilisk and Rattlesnake, or a European Monster Comes to America
Authors: Sax Boria
Published: April 2008

This article looks at legends of the basilisk, a fabulous creature of ancient and medieval lore that was believed to kill with a glance, and shows how many characteristics of the basilisk were transferred to the rattlesnake in the New World. The deadly power of "fascination, " also known as "the evil eye, " which legend attributes to both basilisk and rattlesnake, was understood as an expression of resentment over the perceived lack of status of reptiles in the natural world and directed at so-called "higher" animals. The persistence of such legends suggests some of the limitations of capitalistic American society in dealing with inequalities.
Are Smelly Animals Happy Animals? Competing Definitions of Laboratory Animal Cruelty and Public Policy
Authors: McAllister Groves Julian
Published: April 2008

Regulations surrounding laboratory animal care have tried to address aspects of an image of laboratory animal cruelty publicized by animal rights activists. This image of cruelty, however, is not consistent with the experiences of those charged with the day-to-day care of laboratory animals. This article examines the incongruities between the public image of cruelty to animals in laboratories as promoted by animal rights activists, and the experiences of laboratory animal care staff who apply and enforce laboratory animal care regulations. In doing so, the article illuminates why regulations surrounding laboratory animal care are difficult to comply with on the part of the policy enforcers, and are continuously contested by both animal rights activists and animal research personnel.
Definition and Cultural Representation of the Category Mushi in Japanese Culture
Authors: Laurent Erick
Published: April 2008

In this essay, I attempt to define the 'ethnocategory' mushi (insects, larvae, small animals) in Japanese culture, through a semantic analysis of the Chinese characters bearing the radical "mushi," and fieldwork research in rural Japan. The research offers criteria for an animal's inclusion in the category, reveals the differences in people's perception of mushi according to age and gender, and elicits a structure of the category as a series of concentric circles around a semantic core. The richness and complexity of the findings provide insight into Japanese attitudes towards animals and nature.
The Social Construction of Orangutans: An Ecotourist Experience
Authors: Russell Constance L.
Published: April 2008

Applying social construction theory to the study of other animals, this article reports research conducted on ecotourist constructions of orangutans. Two "stories" dominated: Orangutan as Child and Orangutan as Pristine. The cultural and historical specificity of these constructs as well as their implications for conservation are discussed.
Ethical Ideology and Moral Persuasion: Personal Moral Philosophy, Gender, and Judgments of Pro- and Anti-Animal Research Propaganda
Authors: Nickell Darcy , Herzog Harold A.
Published: April 2008

We examined the relationship between personal moral philosophy, gender, and judgments of the effectiveness of materials designed by advocacy groups to sway public opinion about biomedical research using nonhuman animals. Twenty-six male and 74 female undergraduates evaluated 16 advertisements or brochures developed by groups which either supported or opposed animal research. The subjects also completed the Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ) and were offered the opportunity to sign postcards urging their congressperson to either support or eliminate federal funding of animal research. Females perceived the anti-animal research materials to be more effective than did the males, a difference that was not found in the case of the pro-animal research materials. The idealism dimension of the EPQ and gender accounted for a significant portion of the variation in judgments of the effectiveness of the anti-animal research materials but not the pro-animal research materials. The pattern of postcard signing was predicted by the subjects' evaluations of the stimulus materials but not gender or the EPQ variables.
Safe in Unsafe Places: Leisure, Passionate Avocations, and the Problematizing of Everyday Public Life
Authors: Leffler Ann , Lerner Elinor , Gillespie Dair L.
Published: April 2008

Leisure is often distingtrished frorn and considered subsidiary to some other world, the "real" world. This paper explores how participation in passionate avocations _ leisure pursuits both generating and requiring heavy personal identity investments_ affects the public interface between the "real " world and the alternate world of the passionate avocation. We use the world of dog sport enthusiasts to problematize polar conceptualizations of certain important aspects of social life. In particular, we examine shifting experiential definitions of "safe" and "unsafe" public places by looking at how participation in dog sports shapes both the possibility of certain kinds of public interactions and also participants' public identities _ how they define themselves and are defined in public. The data come from four major sources. First, since 1992 we have interviewed approximately 50 enthusiasts in various dog sports. Second, by training and showing our own dogs, we enjoy participant observer access to a variety of dog-related activities and people. Third, we are involved in several Internet groups about dogs. Finally, using a technique Denzin (1989) terms "auto -ethnography, " two of the authors toured the country for nine months, attending dog sports events and training sessions and conducting interviews.
Treasuring, Trashing or Terrorizing: Adult Outcomes of Childhood Socialization about Companion Animals
Authors: Raupp Carol D.
Published: April 2008

Being hit or being given away are subabusive, common behaviors that harm companion animals. Violent childhood socialization increases the risk of adult abuse of animal companions, but relatively little is known about the origins of societally tolerated maltreatment of pets by adults. University students completed surveys about general attitudes toward animals, family socializaton, and current relationships with pets. These students generally had positive childhood socialization about pets and reported high levels of current attachment. Adults whose parents had given children's companion animals away had a heightened likelihood of giving their own pets away. Mothers' kindness to their children's pets was associated with adults' attachment to animal companions, but attachment was not related to the likelihood of hitting current pets. People who score high on a measure of pet abuse potential hit their pets. The pattern of findings related to gender implies that males are at somewhat greater risk for having negative socialization experiences involving pets, for greater pet abuse potential as adults, and for weaker attachments. However, females were equally likely to hit their pets or give them away. The childhood predictors of attitudes about animals, pet abuse potential, hitting pets, giving away pets, and attachment found in this nonclinical, noncriminal sample contribute to our understanding of developmental influences upon relationships with companion animals.
Cosmos and Computation in Early Chinese Mathematical Astronomy
Authors: Sivin N.
Published: April 2008

The usual description of Chinese mathematical astronomy as a fundamentally practical, empirical collection of techniques reflects not national character but a conscious choice at a certain point in history. The two great systems of the first century A.D. were necessarily founded upon and greatly conditioned by philosophical assumptions about the simple cyclical character of the celestial motions. Astronomers were forced to incorporate mediocre prediction methods for lunar eclipses and planetary motions, which their postulates were too crude to fit. Techniques of very high accuracy could have been discovered and used with no more sophisticated mathematics, but they could not have been assimilated to the formal character of Chinese astronomy as a whole. The dilemma was resolved over the next few centuries, not by astronomers' substituting new assumptions more conformable to the complexity of the phenomena, but by their becoming indifferent toward cosmology.
Facts and Events: The Histoyian's Task
Authors: De Rijk L.M.
Published: April 2008

Basically, a historian's conception of history is to be judged by the status he assigns to historical fact. We on our part have defined fact as the mental entity to which direct reference is made by a descriptive statement accepted as true (1.2-1.4). Next, we have tried to throw further light on this conception, not least by enlisting the aid of linguistics (1.5-1.7). History-as distinct from what others have termed 'history in an objective sense'-has been defined as 'histoire connaissance', whose central concerns it is to render insightful what we have called the vis-à-vis (XYZ), sometimes indicated by the, to me repellent, term 'histoire réalité' (2.2). Further reflection on what ultimately constitutes fact has led us to adopt, in line with others, an extension of Kuhn's paradigm concept:
Conversing with Nature: Ecological Symbolism in Central Nepal
Authors: Campbell Ben
Published: April 2008

Anthropologists have in recent years been grappling with the popular notion that indigenous peoples have a relationhip of oneness with nature. These debates have been strongly influenced by theories of the psychology of perception and cognition, but this paper argues that dimensions of power need to be recognized in expressions of indigenous relationships with nature. Using narratives from the Tamang people of Nepal, it is argued that notions of natural type and species relationality cannot be divorced from the ideology of natural difference between castes and the effects of naturalized inequalities of power. Tamang myth attributes trees and animals with potential for trans-species reproduction in a logic that mirrors the conceptual fragility of boundaries between human types. Indigenous conversations with nature may appear to some as fantastical, but listening to them leads to an appreciation of how connectedness with natural process operates as a discourse of power.
Walter Bauer - Exeget, Philologe Und Historiker
Authors: Strecker Georg
Published: April 2008

Am 8. August 1977 jährte sich zum 100. Mal der Geburtstag des einstigen Göttinger Lehrstuhlinhabers für Neues Testament: Prof. D. Dr. phil. h.c. WALTER BAUER (* 8.8.1877 ; †17.11.1960). In Anwesenheit der Tochter des Jubilars, Frau Dr. M. SCHUHBAUER, bekundete die theologische Fakultät ihrem ehemaligen Mitglied ehrendes Andenken in der Niederlegung einer Blumengabe an seinem Grabe. Im Rahmen der anschließenden Feierstunde erfuhr das wissenschaftliche Werk des Geehrten die folgende Würdigung.
Hybridization within the Rana ridibunda Complex of North Africa
Authors: Hemmer Helmut , Konrad Armin , Bachmann Konrad
Published: April 2008

Cellogel electrophoretic study of the plasma protein pattern, especially the albumin fractions, and microdensitometric determination of erythrocyte nuclear DNA amount in 25 frogs of the Rana ridibunda complex from different localities in Morocco and Algeria allows the conclusion that two different forms of this complex are hybridizing in North Africa, as it is found in the Rana esculenta complex in Europe or in the East Asian green frogs. These forms can be identified by their albumin alleles, but not yet by their morphology. They produce mainly triploid hybrids.
GRAY, HARDWICKE, BUCHANAN-HAMILTON, and Drawings of Indian Softshell Turtles (Family Trionychidae)
Authors: Webb Robert G.
Published: April 2008

Each of the original water-color drawings of trionychid turtles of HARDWICKE and BUCHANAN-HAMILTON is discussed. Some of these drawings were published by GRAY and serve as types for four available names (two are valid, Chitra indica and Trionyx hurum) and one occupied name. Taxonomic data concerning all illustrations is provided. The type-locality of Trionyx hurum is restricted to Barrackpore, West Bengal, India. Emyda dura ANDERSON, 1876 is regarded as a nomen nudum.
Die Schildkrötenarten der jungtertiären Gattung Clemmydopsis BODA, 1927 (Emydidae - Batagurinae)
Authors: Mlynarski Marian , Schleich Hans-Hermann
Published: April 2008

In spite of the revision by WILLIAMS (1954), whose opinions were shared by subsequent authors, a redescription of the genus Clemmydopsis turned out to be necessary. Additional material led to the consideration of three instead of two valid species, C. steinheimensis, C. sopronensis and C. turnauensis. Ecological interpretations have become possible. For each of the three species a new diagnosis and a brief rediscription is given.
Zur Morphologie und Biologie von Telmatobius montanus LATASTE 1902, nebst Beschreibung seiner Larve (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae)
Authors: Busse Klaus
Published: April 2008

As only little is known about the Leptodactylid frog Telmatobius montanus from the Andean range of Santiago de Chile, it has been tried to gather more information about this species. Additional data about the external morphology and its variation are presented as well as photographs oflive and preserved adults. The tadpole is also described, using both live and preserved material. The frog is mainly aquatic, having some adaptations to this environment like an increased skin surface by means of folds that are however not so well developed as in some other members of this genus. The larva, adapted to a mountain stream habitat, has a large mouth and a depressed body. Some general aspects of the behaviour of larvae and adults, in the field and in captivity, are documented. Like in various other Telmatobiinae the larval stage lasts long. Adults eat small water insects, mostly at larval stage, and worms. The tadpole feeds on algae and detritus. Adults sometimes have parasitic mites within their skin, especially in somewhat polluted waters. It is possible that the species was restricted to its present range by means of the introduction of salmonids in the andean streams.
Modifications sélectives du régime des Vipères (Reptilia : Viperidae) lors de la croissance
Authors: Girons Hubert Saint
Published: April 2008

L'étude du régime des Vipères européenes, dans des conditions semi-naturelles, montre que chez six d'entrelles nouveau-nés se nourrissent essentiellement ou exclusivement de petits Lézards, la dépendance vis à vis de ce type de proie étant d'autant plus accentuée et de plus longue durée que les nouveau-nés sont de plus petite taille. Au contraire, les subadultes et les adultes, à partir d'une taille voisine de 40 cm, cessent complètement d'attaquer les Lézards, petits ou grands, leur régime étant composé essentiellement par des Micromammifères. Le fait que les adultes cessent de se nourrir de Lézards répond certainement à une pression de sélection impérieuse. En effet, dans la nature la biomasse des populations de Vipères est presque toujours très supérieure à celle des populations de Lézards, qui sont pourtant indispensables à l'alimentation des nouveau-nés. Un partage des ressources alimentaires est donc nécessaire et, lorsqu'elles deviennent capables d'ingérer des petits Mammifères, les Vipères cessent d'attaquer les Lézards. Deux autres espèces ont cependant résolu ce problème par d'autres méthodes. Chez Vipera latastei monticola, une réduction importante de la taille rétablit un rapport normal entre la biomasse des Vipères et celle des Lézards, seules proies disponibles dans les biotopes très particuliers où survit cette sous-espèce. Chez V. ursinii, la consommation d'Orthoptères fournit aux jeunes une abondance de proies à leur taille et les adultes peuvent continuer à consommer des Lézards, tout en leur adjoignant des Micromammifères.
Molecular Evolution and the Phylogenetic Relationships of the African Toad, Bufo danielae PERRET, 1977 (Salientia : Bufonidae)
Authors: Bachmann K. , Hemmer H. , Konrad A. , Maxson L.R.
Published: April 2008

Phylogenetic relationships of the African toad Bufo danielae are investigated using a variety of biochemical approaches. Nuclear DNA content was assayed and compared to representatives of three species groups of African Bufo. Cellogel electrophoresis of plasma proteins was performed and patterns of B. danielae compared with those of representatives of the African B. regularis species complex. Finally microcomplement fixation analyses of albumin relationships of B. danielae and African Bufo were carried out. The strengths of the varied approaches for phylogenetic analysis are discussed. B. danielae appears most closely related to B. maculatus and B. pusillus, it being some 5-6 million years since these species last shared a common gene pool.
The development of a radio tracking system for anuran species
Authors: van Nuland G.J. , Claus P.F.H.
Published: April 2008

A telemetric system suitable for radio tracking anuran species is described. Its characteristics are given in detail, which will enable electrical engineers to construct the various elements. The system proved to be successful in field tests with Bufo bufo bufo L.
Ecologie, éthologie et développement de Phrynodon sandersoni PARKER, 1939 (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae)
Authors: Amiet Jean-Louis
Published: April 2008

Ecology and behaviour of the adults and tadpoles of Phrynodon sandersoni, (Ranidae, Phrynobatrachinae), an endemic species from south Cameroon. Eggs are incubated, only during night, by the mother. Tadpoles do not feed and are probably partly terrestrial. Eco-ethological data corroborate the affinities between Phrynodon and Petropedetes.
Die Diagnose der mitteleuropäischen Urodela (Amphibia) nach der Morphologie des Mundhöhlendaches
Authors: Viertel Bruno
Published: April 2008

The pattern of teethrows on the roof of the mouth and the numbers of teeth enable as diagnostic characteristics the determination of the Central European Urodela. Particularly the distinction between T. vulgaris and T. helveticus is now definite in all stages after metamorphose. The degree of development of the vomeromaxillarfold (Triturus) respectively of the vomerfold (Salamandra) indicates whether a specimen is an adult, juvenile or newly metamorphosed one.
Ecological Isolation in Triturus cristatus and Triturus marmoratus (Amphibia: Salamandridae)
Authors: Schoorl Jaap , Zuiderwijk Annie
Published: April 2008

A field study has been made in the relatively narrow sympatric zone of Triturus cristatus and T. marmoratus, in the department Mayenne (France). Ecological data have been analysed. In the sympatric area specific preferences appear to exist: ecological isolation has developed in some areas. Typical T. marmoratus areas are hilly and wooded, provided with many terrestrial hiding-places, while forest pools and springs especially serve as spawning sites. T. cristatus areas are flat and open. Comparison with distribution data of 24 years ago shows expansion of T. cristatus at the expense of T. marmoratus, which presumably is true for the whole sympatric zone. The preferences of the species in combination with changes in environment by human intervention explain the detected changes in distribution. Ecological isolation as a phenomenon in the speciation of both species is discussed.
La lagartija de Bocage, Podarcis bocagei (SEOANE, 1884): Primeros datos sobre su distribución, colorido y ecología
Authors: Perez Mellado Valentin
Published: April 2008

P. bocagei is considered a valid species, and several criteria are used for distinguish it in sympatry of P. hispanica, a closely related species. A detailed distribution map is provided for this lizard, which occurs in Galicia, León, Orense, Zamora, western slopes of the Sistema Central, and probably, the north of Portugal. P. hispanica males and females in the Sistema Central are significant larger than males and females of P. bocagei. Significant differences in size, scalation and ecology are apparent between the Sistema Central and northern populations of P. bocagei, but no taxonomic decisions are made, pending a more detailed study. The examination of the masseteric shield revealed its large size in P. bocagei and its absence in most of the P. hispanica studied. P. bocagei has a relatively robust, deep skull, probably related to his terrestriral habits, unlike P. hispanica, which has a flattened skull and, at least in the Sistema Central, is a saxicolous species. P. bocagei is very common in Galicia and is found there at altitudes between 0 and 1500 meters, but in the Sistema Central is restricted to Quercus pyrenaica forests, between 800 and 1200 meters.
Feeding Ecology of the Nocturnal Gecko Hemidactylus brookii in Ghana
Authors: Avery R.A.
Published: April 2008

The diet of Hemidactylus brookii captured at Legon, Ghana, during July was composed entirely of arthropods; Lepidoptera larvae and cockroaches formed 40% of the total weight of food. Daily food intake during the dry season estimated from production of excretory urates was equivalent to that of small diurnal lizards, and given by the relationship F = 20.9W0.51 where F = food consumption in mg dry weight per day and W = live weight in grams. Daily intake during the wet season was variable and often reduced.
Comparaison electrophorétique de quelques espèces de Lacertidés Méditerranéens, Genera Podarcis et »Archaeolacerta«
Authors: Guillaume Claude-P. , Lanza Benedetto
Published: April 2008

An electrophoretic investigation of 17 gene loci in 11 populations of Meditteraneans lacertids (Podarcis muralis, P. tiliguerta, P. hispanica, P. sicula, "Archaeolacerta" bedriagae) completed with a dendrogram after unweighted pair groups' arithmetic average cluster analysis of NEI genetic identity values, show: - important differences between Podarcis muralis and Podarcis tiliguerta, apparently sufficient to justify the maintenance of this taxon at the specific level; - important differences between animals of Archaeolacerta, Podarcis and Lacerta s. str. (MAYER et TIEDEMANN, 1982) which would allow to raise Archaeolacerta at a generic statute. This study allows equally to establish the diminution of percentage of polymorphic loci for micro-insular P. tiliguerta populations according to the removal from Sardinia and the estimate separation's time. A tentative phylogenetic explanation is done by the authors.
Water balance of salamanders (Salamandra salamandra (L.)) from different habitats
Authors: Degani Gad
Published: April 2008

Salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) from semi-arid and moist habitat maintained their body weight constant on 40% and 50% field capacity respectively. The water turnover of salamanders from moist habitats (50 % field capacity) was 93 μl.g-1.day-1 and the water turnover of salamanders from semi-arid habitats (40% field capacity) was 47 μl.g-1.day-1 and 49 μl.g-1.day-1. The blood plasma concentration of salamanders from semi-arid habitats was higher than the blood plasma concentration of salamanders from moist habitats when they were found, in water balance, on soil with a low moisture content.
Chemotaxonomical investigations in the collective genus Lacerta (LACERTIDAE; SAURIA) by means of protein electrophoresis
Authors: Mayer Werner , Tiedemann Franz
Published: April 2008

10 species (peloponnesiaca, muralis, melisellensis, graeca, oxycephala, horvathi, bedriagae, vivipara, viridis, agilis) of the genus Lacerta were examined by employing protein electrophoretic data for 16 genloci. Gene frequencies are given and genetic distances calculated according to NEI (1971, 1972). These and former attempts to subdivide the genus Lacerta are discussed. The electrophoretic results provide the possibility of a classification of the examined species into groups at the subgenus level corresponding to those valid before BÖHME (1971) and ARNOLD (1973): genus Lacerta subgenus Lacerta s. str. subgenus Podarcis subgenus Archaeolacerta subgenus Zootoca
Zur Frage der taxonomischen Stellung europäischer und nordwestafrikanischer Perleidechsen (Sauria, Lacertidae, Lacerta lepida-Gruppe)
Authors: Bischoff Wolfgang
Published: April 2008

Ocellated lizards from Tunisia and Spain respectivelywere hybridized. The hybrids proved to be much more aggressive than normal specimens but did not show any sexual activity among each other. Back crossing experiments revealed a strongly reduced fertility of the hybrids and demonstrated that the degree of genetic incompatibility by far exceeds the subspecific, i. e. infraspecific level. The two forms are, thus, ranked here as allospecies: Lacerta pater LATASTE, 1880, and Lacerta lepida DAUDIN, 1802.
The Incrassatio Frontoparietalis in Frogs, its Origin and Phylogenetic Significance
Authors: Jarosova Jirina , Rocek Zbynek
Published: April 2008

The incrassatio frontoparietalis is a clearly delimited part ofthe frontoparietal, covering the gap or gaps in the dorsal wall of the endocranium. In frogs, this structure originates in very early ontogenetic stages, and keeps its shape without considerable changes till maturity. Therefore, it is probably a good diagnostic character. Moreover, it is presumed that this structure also is a good phylogenetic character, and its study based on an extensive recent and fossil material might contribute to our present knowledge of the frog phylogeny.
Embryogenèse et Relations Nucleocytoplasmiques chez les Hybrides experimentaux entre Bufo bufo l., Bufo viridis LAUR. et Bufo calamita LAUR
Authors: Delarue Michel
Published: April 2008

Hybridization between three european species of Bufonids (B. bufo; B. viridis and B. calamita) has been performed under laboratory conditions. Developmental analysis have shown that morphogenesis is very often affected by hypomorphosis. When hybrids are viable up to an advanced stage, it is possible to disclose expression ofparental characters. Developmental difference between reciprocal crossings compared to nucelocytoplasmic hybridization (interspecific nuclear graft) lead to show a viability which is always greater for hybrids formed with B. bufo eggs. This remark joined to injection experiments ofcytoplasmic fractions (DELARUE, 1981)emphasizes qualitative differences of each species receiving egg cytoplasm about their morphogenetic potentialities.
Seasonal changes in the testes and ductus epididymis of the lizard Agama stellio stellio
Authors: Loumbourdis N.S. , Kattoulas M.E.
Published: April 2008

In this study, the breeding biology of the lizard Agama stellio stellio was investigated. Adult testis weight changes markedly during the year, reaching maximum size in spring and minimum in summer. Seminiferous tubule diameter has its maximum level in spring and minimum in summer. Spermatogenesis is initiated in mid August and terminated in early July. Spermiogenesis is generally restricted to the period following hibernation. In July and August there is a complete spermatogenetic stasis. Epididymal tubules have their maximum diameter and epithelial cell height in spring. They are secretory during this season.
Size Relationship between Growing Oocytes and Their Nuclei in Two Gekkonine Lizards
Authors: Duda P.L. , Annalakshmi M.
Published: April 2008

The role played by the nucleus in growth and differentiation of oocytes in lower chordates is well documented (CASPERSSON, 1950; RAO, 1959; MAZIA, 1969). All such studies ask for the determination of changes in the nuclear size at different stages of growth of the oocytes to establish such a role. No account of dimensional changes in a growing oocyte correlated with changes in its nucleus is available for an amniote and to the best of our knowledge, none for a reptile. This communication describes the metrical relationship between growing oocytes and their nuclei in two gekkonine lizards, Hemidactylus flaviviridis and H. brooki, from India with the aim of determining the extent of the influence of the nucleus over the growth and differentiation of the oocytes of these lizards.
Autecological Observations of Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Sauria: Lacertidae) in Southern Spain
Authors: Busack Stephen D. , Jaksic Fabian M.
Published: April 2008

Autecological aspects of Acanthodactylus erythrurus were examined at La Algaida, Cádiz Province, Spain. The male population is composed of 60 % adult and 40 % subadult individuals; male hatchlings increase in size at a rate of 0.06 mm/day from hatching ( 31 mm snout-vent length) to sexual maturity (∼61 mm); 50 % do not survive beyond 1.5 years, but those which reach adult size may live 1.9 years. Females grow from hatching (∼ 28 mm) to sexual maturity( 57 mm) at a rate of 0.05 mm/day; less than half survive 1.4 years and the life span of some individuals is 2.1 years. Adult males outnumber adult females 1.4:1, but subadult ratios are 1:1. Adults and subadults associate with different plant species during their activity period, but each age class tends to avoid open sand patches. These 8.4-13 g lizards feed on a wide variety of insects and appreciable quantities of plant material. 49% ofall males and 82% ofall females actively consume Halimium halimifolium. We suspect this lizard species is wide ranging and non-territorial ; only one agonistic encounter was recorded and it was interspecific (with Psammodromus algirus). The frequency of escape from predation is estimated at 26.8 %, based on tail-loss figures, and the incidence of cestode parasitism (Oochoristica cf. tuberculata) is 2.1 %. The population studied was highly resilient to 16 months of intense human predation.
Ceramic powder characterization by multilayer perceptron (MLP) data compression and classification
Authors: Bonifazi G. , Burrascano P.
Published: April 2008

A neural network approach for pattern classification has been explored in the present paper as part of the recent resurgence of interest in this area. Our research has focused on how a multilayer feedforward structure performs in the particular problem of particle characterization. The proposed procedure, after suitable data preprocessing, consists of two distinct phases: in the former, a feedforward neural network is used to obtain an image data compression. In the latter, a neural classifier is trained on the compressed data. All the tests have been conducted on a sample constituted by two different typologies of ceramic particles, each characterized by a different microstructure. The sample image of different particles acquired and directly digitalized by scanning electron microscopy has been processed in order to achieve the best conditions to obtain the boundary profile of each particle. The boundary is thus assumed to be representative of the morphological characteristics of the ceramic products. Using the neural approach, a classification accuracy as high as 100% on a training set of 80 sub-images was achieved. These networks correctly classified up to 96.9% of 64 testing patterns not contained in the training set.