bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Usefulness of Standard BMI Cut-Offs for Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being in Women
Authors: Vieira Paulo N. , Palmeira António L. , Mata Jutta , Kolotkin Ronette L. , Silva Marlene N. , Sardinha Luís B. , Teixeira Pedro J.
Published: November 2012

Objective: We examined BMI-based obesity categories and risk for poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and psychological well-being (PWB). Methods: Participants were 1,795 women aged 35.3 ± 10.2 years with a mean BMI of 26.6 kg/m2, not seeking treatment (55%) or upon entry into a weight control program. Assessments included general HRQOL, weight-related HRQOL, self-esteem, and body image. Results: All variables, except general HRQOL, were different (p < 0.001) between normal-weight and overweight/obese women. For weight-related HRQOL and body image, worse psychosocial scores were observed linearly with higher obesity levels. Self-esteem was lower in overweight and obese women in comparison with normal-weight women, with no difference between class I and class II obesity. Participants entering a clinical program reported higher physical HRQOL, but lower self-esteem and poorer body image than community-dwelling women of equal weight. Conclusions: BMI categories are useful for identifying increased impairment in PWB and HRQOL in overweight and obese (class I or II) women. Women with a BMI under 25 kg/m2 reported improved well-being and HRQOL in comparison to overweight or obese women. However, this relation may not be linear across all psychosocial outcomes, with unique patterns emerging for the association of obesity level with specific dimensions of PWB and HRQOL.
Reduction in the Leptin Concentration as a Predictor of Improvement in Lung Function in Obese Adolescents
Authors: Leão da Silva Patrícia , Túlio de Mello Marco , Cheik Nadia Carla , Lima Sanches Priscila , Munhoz da Silveira Campos Raquel , Carnier June , Inoue Daniela , do Nascimento Claudia M.O. , Oyama Lila M. , Tock Lian , Tufik Sérgio , Dâmaso Ana R.
Published: November 2012

Objective: To assess the effects of weight loss on adipokines, asthma-related symptoms, exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) and lung function, and to evaluate the role of leptin and adiponectin levels on lung function after treatment in obese adolescents. Methods: 84 postpubertal obese adolescents were enrolled and distributed in quartiles according to weight loss (low (<2.5 kg), low to moderate (>2.5 and <8 kg), moderate (<8 and <14 kg) and massive (<14 kg)). Body composition was measured by plethysmography, and visceral and subcutaneous fat were detected by ultrasound. Serum levels of adiponectin and leptin were analyzed. Lung function, asthma and EIB were evaluated according to the American Thoracic Society criteria. Patients were submitted to 1 year of interdisciplinary intervention consisting of physiotherapy, medical, nutritional, exercise, and psychological therapy. Results: After treatment the moderate and massive weight loss promoted an increase in adiponectin and adiponectin/leptin (A/L) ratio as well as a decrease in leptin levels and a reduction in EIB frequency and asthma-related symptoms. Furthermore, the reduction in leptin levels was a predictor factor to improvement in lung function. Conclusion: Interdisciplinary therapy was able to decrease EIB and asthma-related symptoms and to improve pro/anti-inflammatory adipokines. Additionally, the leptin concentration was a predictor factor to explain changes in lung function.
Management of Obesity-Induced Kidney Disease: A Critical Review of the Literature
Authors: Kiortsis Dimitrios N. , Christou Maria A.
Published: November 2012

It is well established that obesity is a risk factor for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and may promote the progression to end stage renal disease (ESRD). Therefore, it is strongly suggested that reduction of body weight can be an important intervention in order to reduce the prevalence of renal impairment. The current article describes extensively the already published trials which have studied the association between weight loss and kidney disease. The weight management programs include surgical and non-surgical interventions (low-calorie diet, aerobic exercise, drug-induced weight loss, combination treatment). The focus has been placed on the following renal function markers: albuminuria, proteinuria, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and creatinine clearance. This review also aims to clarify challenges that clinicians have to deal with in everyday practice regarding the management of obesity-induced kidney disease (degree of weight loss, duration of the weight loss program, early initiation of the intervention).
Does Quantifying Epicardial and Intrathoracic Fat With Noncontrast Computed Tomography Improve Risk Stratification Beyond Calcium Scoring Alone?
Authors: Forouzandeh Farshad , Chang Su Min , Muhyieddeen Kamil , Zaid Rashid R. , Trevino Alejandro R. , Xu Jiaqiong , Nabi Faisal , Mahmarian John J.
Published: November 2012

Background—

Noncontrast cardiac computed tomography allows calculation of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and measurement of epicardial adipose tissue (EATv) and intrathoracic fat (ITFv) volumes. It is unclear whether fat volume information contributes to risk stratification.

Methods and Results—

Cardiac computed tomography was performed in 760 consecutive patients with acute chest pain admitted thorough the emergency department. None had prior coronary artery disease. CACS was calculated using the Agatston method. EATv and ITFv were semiautomatically calculated. Median patient follow-up was 3.3 years. Mean patient age was 54.4±13.7 years and Framingham risk score 8.2±8.2. The 45 patients (5.9%) with major acute cardiac events (MACE) were older (64.8±13.9 versus 53.7±13.4 years), more frequently male (60% versus 40%), and had a higher median Framingham risk score (16 versus 4) and CACS (268 versus 0) versus those without events (all
P
<0.01). The MACE group had a higher median of EATv (154 versus 116 mL) and ITFv (330 versus 223 mL), and a higher prevalence of EATv >125 mL (67% versus 44%) and ITFv >250 mL (64% versus 42%) (all
P
<0.01). CACS, EATv, and ITFv were all independently associated with MACE. CACS was associated with MACE after adjustment for fat volumes (
P
<0.0001), whereas EATv and ITFv improved the risk model only in patients with CACS >400.

Conclusions—

CACS and fat volumes are independently associated with MACE in acute chest pain patients and beyond that provided by clinical information alone. Although fat volumes may add prognostic value in patients with CACS >400, CACS is most strongly correlated with outcome.
A Randomized, Controlled Pilot Study of Autologous CD34+ Cell Therapy for Critical Limb Ischemia
Authors: Losordo Douglas W. , Kibbe Melina R. , Mendelsohn Farrell , Marston William , Driver Vickie R. , Sharafuddin Melhem , Teodorescu Victoria , Wiechmann Bret N. , Thompson Charles , Kraiss Larry , Carman Teresa , Dohad Suhail , Huang Paul , Junge Candice E. , Story Kenneth , Weistroffer Tara , Thorne Tina M. , Millay Meredith , Runyon John Paul , Schainfeld Robert ,   for the Autologous CD34+ Cell Therapy for Critical Limb Ischemia Investigators
Published: November 2012

Background—

Critical limb ischemia portends a risk of major amputation of 25% to 35% within 1 year of diagnosis. Preclinical studies provide evidence that intramuscular injection of autologous CD34+ cells improves limb perfusion and reduces amputation risk. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of intramuscular injections of autologous CD34+ cells in subjects with moderate or high-risk critical limb ischemia, who were poor or noncandidates for surgical or percutaneous revascularization (ACT34-CLI).

Methods and Results—

Twenty-eight critical limb ischemia subjects were randomized and treated: 7 to 1×10
5
(low-dose) and 9 to 1×10
6
(high-dose) autologous CD34+ cells/kg; and 12 to placebo (control). Intramuscular injections were distributed into 8 sites within the ischemic lower extremity. At 6 months postinjection, 67% of control subjects experienced a major or minor amputation versus 43% of low-dose and 22% of high-dose cell-treated subjects (

P

=0.137). This trend continued at 12 months, with 75% of control subjects experiencing any amputation versus 43% of low-dose and 22% of high-dose cell-treated subjects (
P
=0.058). Amputation incidence was lower in the combined cell-treated groups compared with control group (6 months:

P

=0.125; 12 months:

P

=0.054), with the low-dose and high-dose groups individually showing trends toward improved amputation-free survival at 6 months and 12 months. No adverse safety signal was associated with cell administration.

Conclusions—

This study provides evidence that intramuscular administration of autologous CD34+ cells was safe in this patient population. Favorable trends toward reduced amputation rates in cell-treated versus control subjects were observed. These findings warrant further exploration in later-phase clinical trials.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00616980
Ischemic Preconditioning Reduces Neurovascular Damage After Hypoxia-Ischemia Via the Cellular Inhibitor of Apoptosis 1 in Neonatal Brain
Authors: Lin Wan-Ying , Chang Ying-Chao , Ho Chien-Jung , Huang Chao-Ching
Published: November 2012

Background and Purpose—

The neurovascular unit is a major target of hypoxia-ischemia (HI) injury in the neonatal brain. Although neurons are the cellular target of ischemic preconditioning (IP), vessel tolerance also contributes greatly to protection. Nerves and vessels cross-talk and use common signals during development. Cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 1 (cIAP1) is an important regulator that inhibits apoptosis. This study hypothesized that cIAP1 is a shared molecule underlying IP-mediated neurovascular protection against HI in the neonatal brain.

Methods—

In vivo IP was induced by 2-hour reversible occlusion of right carotid artery 24 hours before HI on postpartum day 7 in rat pups. In vitro oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) preconditioning was established in SH-SY5Y neuronal cells and in human microvascular endothelial cell-1 vascular endothelial cells. cIAP1 expression was inhibited by cIAP1 small interfering RNA in vivo or by lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA in vitro, or was upregulated by the lentiviral expression system.

Results—

IP reduced apoptosis, selectively increased cIAP1 in neurons and vascular endothelial cells, and provided long-term neuroprotection against HI. Intracerebroventricular delivery of cIAP1 small interfering RNA significantly attenuated IP-mediated cIAP1 upregulation and neuroprotection in vivo. In vitro, OGD preconditioning induced cIAP1 and protected against OGD cell death in SH-SY5Y neuronal and human microvascular endothelial cells-1. Knockdown of cIAP1 by lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA decreased the protective effect of OGD preconditioning in SH-SY5Y and human microvascular endothelial cell-1, whereas overexpression of cIAP1 by lentivirus protected against OGD in these cells.

Conclusions—

cIAP1 is a shared molecule underlying IP-induced protection in neurons and vascular endothelial cells against HI in the neonatal brain.
The Korean War through the Prism of Chinese Society: Public Reactions and the Shaping of “Reality” in the Communist State, October–December 1950
Authors: Hajimu Masuda
Published: November 2012

A great deal has been written about the Korean War, but most of it has dealt with high-level decision-making or the experiences of combat units and soldiers. This article takes a different approach, looking at the reactions of Chinese citizens to the war and the way their perceptions were molded in part by the Communist regime and in part by memories of the brutal Japanese occupation in the 1930s and 1940s. Formerly classified Chinese documents shed valuable light on the way popular attitudes affected the Communist authorities and vice versa. The regime, led by Mao Zedong, exercised harsh rule in China, but ordinary citizens' observations and judgments were not necessarily the product of Communist Party programs. The regime also had to be constantly mindful of popular morale. The “Resisting America and Assisting Korea” campaign was devised and controlled by the Communist Party but was also shaped in part from below.
“I Am a Great Sinner”: Jesuit Missionary Dialogues in Southern India (Sixteenth Century)
Authors: Županov Ines G.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

In this article I look into a Jesuit dialogical and catechetical text—a confession manual—published in Tamil in 1580. Written as instructions for Tamil Catholics and for Jesuit confessors, these kinds of texts were nodal points in which Tamils and missionaries reprocessed their knowledge of each other and established rules for appropriate social interaction and Catholic sociability. My claim is that theConfessionairocaptured and condensed Tamil voices and arguments in a network of Jesuit normative vocabulary and offered a language of self-knowledge expressed in affective vocabulary. A confession manual should not be considered only a strategy for missionary manipulation but also an important tool for the social self-empowerment of the new convert.
“Western Gods Meet in the East”: Shapes and Contexts of the Muslim-Jesuit Dialogue in Early Modern China
Authors: Benite Zvi Ben-Dor
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This essay is concerned with the possibilities and limitations of the Jesuit-Islamic dialogue in China in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It presents and discusses evidence for the interest of Chinese Muslims and Jesuits in each other almost from the outset, immediately after Matteo Ricci’s arrival in China. Muslims read Jesuit material and even incorporated it in their own works. Chinese Muslims were not, however, interested in Jesuit doctrines because of a shared monotheist faith: Chinese Muslims clearly saw Christianity not as a sister faith but as a Western one, and that was the main reason for their interest. With regard to the tendency to compare Jesuits and Chinese Muslims as two rivals competing for success in the Chinese world of ideas, the Chinese Muslim scholars should be considered not as rivals of the Jesuits but primarily as Chinese scholars engaging Jesuit knowledge and using it selectively for their own purposes.
A Photograph of Four Orientalists (Bombay, 1885): Knowledge Production, Religious Identities, and the Negotiation of Invisible Conflicts
Authors: Vicente Filipa Lowndes
Published: November 2012

Abstract

By analyzing the history of a photograph taken in a Bombay photo studio in 1885, this article explores notions of the production of knowledge on India and cultural dialogues, encounters, appropriations, and conflicts in colonial British India in the late nineteenth century. The photograph was taken after a Hindu religious ceremony in honour of the Italian Sanskritist Angelo de Gubernatis. Dressed as a Hindu Brahman, he is the only European photographed next to three Indian scholars, but what the image suggests of encounter and hybridity was challenged by the many written texts that reveal the conflicting dialogues that took place before and after the portrait was taken. Several factors were examined in order to decide who should and who should not be in the photograph: religion, cast, and even gender were successively discussed, before the category of “knowledge” became the bond that unified the four men who studied, taught, and wrote on India.
On Defining a Homeric Idiom
Authors: van Erp Taalman Kip A. Maria
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This paper deals with characteristics, hitherto unnoticed, of Iliad 13.824-9, 18.463-7 and 22.345-8, and tries to show that parallels that have been adduced in connection with these passages are often no parallels at all.
Stage Movement and Staging in Menander’s Dyskolos
Authors: Rzepkowski Krzysztof
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This paper argues that major entrances and stage business in Menander’sDyskoloscan be staged more easily if Knemon’s house is located near the exit to the city (on the audience’s right).
Folk Narrative Techniques in the Alexander Romance
Authors: Karla Grammatiki A.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

A structurally-oriented analysis of theAlexander Romancedemonstrates that the work is not a mere random conglomeration drawn from various sources. The author is attempting to create a work possessing unity and cohesion and to this end he employs basic motifs associated with the hero, such as the motif of world-conqueror, of the φρενήρης (‘intelligent’) and the link with Heracles and Dionysus, which run through the totality of the work and ensure its cohesion. An additional interesting technique employed by the author is that of the redeployment of a motif. For example, the archetypal folk hero figure of Nektanebo, who is presented in the introduction of theRomanceas Alexander’s father, is characterized by three features: magic, disguise and deception. These elements are used in a variety of ways in the description of the adventures of Alexander. In addition the triadic schema and antithesis are also employed. Considering that such figures are characteristic of folk tales as well, one acquires an idea of how skillfully the author has reworked his material, in order to create, by means of ‘popular’ tools, his own folk hero.
“Going Public”: Portraits of the Empress Dowager Cixi, Circa 1904
Authors: Wang Cheng-hua
Published: November 2012

Through an examination of both oil portraits and photographs of the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), this essay explores the visibility and publicity of portraits of political figures in the last years of China’s imperial history. There are two main issues of concern here. First, the essay discusses how Cixi assumed the role as head of the ‘Great Qing State’ in international diplomacy and politics by using portraits of herself as a public representative to construct a coherent image of her own. Second, the study investigates a new form of political self-fashioning that centered on portraiture, and that emerged in public space in the forms of publication and exhibition. This self-fashioning was tested in public space, which was now conducive to the formation of public opinion, the manipulation of which did not always lie in the hands of political figures such as Cixi.
Reconsidering 4QSama and the Textual Support for the Long and Short Versions of the David and Goliath Story
Authors: Johnson Benjamin J.M.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The story of David and Goliath contains one of the classical textual problems. It exists in two versions: a short version in LXXB and a longer version in the MT. The question of priority has divided scholars and much scholarly ink has been spilt attempting to resolve the issue. In the discussion about the short and long versions of the David and Goliath story the witness of 4QSama has largely been ignored. The present study surveys all of the extant portions of 1 Samuel 17-18 in 4QSama where there is a variant between LXXB and MT. This survey shows that 4QSama most likely contained the long version of the story.
“My Beloved Son, Come and Rest in Me”: Job’s Return to His Mother’s Womb (Job 1:21a) in Light of Egyptian Mythology
Authors: Hays Christopher B.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Job 1:21a makes better sense when understood in light of the Egyptian idea of death as a return to the womb of the mother goddess; that mythology provides a much more likely context than the idea of “Mother Earth,” which is attested only in texts that are (or are likely to be) quite late. As in various other cases in the book (for example, in his expressions of preference for death) Job practices a kind of theological brinksmanship, crossing an apparent line only to pull back in the next breath or the next chapter. In light of the Hathor/womb headrests from the tombs at St. Étienne’s, it may be that Job’s theological rhetoric was not merely a literary invention.
The Merkabah as a Substitute for Messianism in Targum Ezekiel?
Authors: Damsma Alinda
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This article questions the theory that Targum Ezekiel holds a distinctive position within the corpus of Targum Jonathan to the Prophets with regard to Messianism. According to the hitherto unchallenged studies by Samson Levey, Targum Ezekiel is proof that Merkabah mysticism functioned as a substitute for Messianism after the cataclysm of 70 CE. This theological shift was supposedly instigated by R. Yoḥanan b. Zakkai at a time when messianic speculations had become doctrinally too dangerous. However, the present study shows that the lack of Messianism already goes back to the Hebrew Vorlage itself. A thorough examination of Targum Ezekiel’s translational strategy reveals further that the targumist in fact had a keen eye for the actual meaning of the few messianic references. On the strength of these and other findings it is argued that Targum Ezekiel’s approach to Messianism is not at odds with the rest of the corpus.
Characteristics and heritability analysis of head scales of the Hungarian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis, Méhely 1893)
Authors: Üveges Bálint , Halpern Bálint , Péchy Tamás , Posta János , Komlósi István
Published: November 2012

The objective of our research was to determine the heritability of head scale numbers ofVipera ursinii rakosiensis. 430 specimens (177 males and 253 females) were included in the analysis, most of which were born and raised in the Hungarian Meadow Viper Conservation Centre between 2004 and 2008. Due to the controlled breeding conditions, the dams of the offspring were known, and the sires were known in 51% of the cases. Only the ancestors of the wild caught specimens were unknown, but these animals were included as parents in the analysis. Photographic identification was used to identify and characterise the specimens, the majority over consecutive years. We counted the following scales: loreal-, circumocular-, apical-, and crown (intercanthal- and intersupraocular-) shields, as well as presence-absence data of other characteristics which are detailed further in the article. The variance and covariance components were determined via the restricted maximum likelihood method. The repeatability animal model consisted of the year of birth and the sex of the snakes as fixed effects, the dam as permanent environmental, and the animal as random effects. Heritability values varied between 0.32 and 0.70. We also report scale numbers and statistics of differences between scale numbers of sexes.
New highly polymorphic microsatellite loci for the Galápagos marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus
Authors: MacLeod Amy , Koch Volker , García-Parra Carolina , Trillmich Fritz , Steinfartz Sebastian
Published: November 2012

We describe the development and characterisation of six new dinucleotide motif microsatellite loci for populations of marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), endemic to the Galápagos archipelago. Primers were based on microsatellite-bearing sequences and initially developed using universally labelled primers. When analysed across 5 populations (representing 150 individuals), new loci displayed, on average, high levels of genetic diversity (range: 2-13 alleles, mean: 5.73) and values of heterozygosity (range: 0.0-0.906, mean: 0.605). No consistent deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium or significant linkage disequilibrium were observed, and all loci were shown to be free of common microsatellite errors. Utilising the 13 previously available microsatellite loci for this species, we describe here four multiplex combinations for the successful amplification of 19 microsatellite loci for marine iguanas. This powerful set of highly polymorphic markers will allow researchers to explore future questions regarding the ecology, evolution, and conservation of this unique species.
Morphological and molecular characterisation of Criconemoides brevistylus Singh & Khera, 1976 and C. obtusicaudatus Heyns, 1962 from South Africa (Nematoda: Criconematidae) with first description of a male C. obtusicaudatus and proposal of new synonyms
Authors: van den Berg Esther , Tiedt Louwrens R. , Subbotin Sergei A.
Published: November 2012

During recent collections in South Africa, two species of Criconemoides were found. Criconemoides brevistylus is described and illustrated from a golf course in KwaZulu-Natal Province. It is compared with several closely related species, and three previously described species (C. helicus, C. onostris and C. paronostris) are regarded as junior synonyms of C. brevistylus. Criconemoides obtusicaudatus is described and illustrated from a maize field in Limpopo Province. The male of the species is described for the first time. Molecular characterisation of C. brevistylus and C. obtusicaudatus using the D2-D3 expansions segments of 28S rRNA and ITS rRNA gene sequences are provided. Phylogenetic relationships of these species with other Criconemoides are discussed.
Speaking of Mystery: An Interpretation
Authors: Scott Charles E.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

In this paper the word mystery refers to “what” cannot be understood or intellectually grasped; a mystery is concealed and unavailable for direct explanation. The questions the discussion raises address the decisive differences that sensibilities and feelings often make in our encounters with mysteries as well as occurrences of mystery that seem undetermined by differences of sensibility. The main topics are: mystery and eternal return, contexts of mystery, another kind of speaking about mystery (that take account of one’s own sensibility), turning away from Nietzsche and Heidegger and toward a prioritizing of feeling.
May Yhwh Bless You and Keep You from Evil: The Rhetorical Argument of Ketef Hinnom Amulet I and the Form of the Prayers for Deliverance in the Psalms
Authors: Smoak Jeremy D.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Most of the attention that the two silver amulets discovered at Ketef Hinnom Jerusalem have received in recent scholarship has centered upon their date and relationship to the biblical texts. This is due in part to the fact that both amulets preserve formulations of the biblical Priestly Blessing from Numbers 6:24–26. The new edition of the amulets published in 2004, however, provides impetus for new questions about the form of the incantations on the amulets and what the magical objects tell us about ancient Judahite apotropaic practices. In particular, the new edition provides a clearer picture of the content and form on both amulets. In turn, the new edition paves the way for a better understanding of how the incantations functioned as magical texts, which attempted to make an argument about their own efficacy as apotropaic objects. Despite this fact, few studies have devoted sufficient to the overall form and content preserved in the incantations. The following paper will describe the content and structure of the incantation on Amulet I and argue that the specific statement made therein provides a unique glimpse into the argument of magical texts in ancient Judah. Finally, the following paper will also briefly compare the content and structure of the incantation to several Psalms that petition Yhwh for protection against various ills. Such a comparison reveals that there may have been more fluidity between magical formulae and ancient Judahite prayer traditions than previously recognized.
‘Silver’: A Hurrian Phaethon
Authors: James Peter , van der Sluijs Marinus Anthony
Published: November 2012

Abstract

It is proposed that the story of the Hurrian deity ‘Silver’, as portrayed in the Late Bronze Age Song of Silver, is a plausible precursor to the classical myth of Phaethon. Shared motifs include the teasing of the young hero, the revelation by his mother of his father’s divine identity, a temporary assumption of power in heaven, a clash with the god of thunder, a disastrous episode involving the Sun and the Moon, and an etymology meaning ‘radiance’. As the Phaethon myth also seems to contain Semitic elements, it is argued that the source of the classical story was the region of northern Phoenicia to Cilicia, or Cyprus.
On Women, Power, and Politics During the Last Phase of the Ilkhanate
Authors: Gilli-Elewy Hend
Published: November 2012

Abstract

As a social and cultural study, this article is an attempt to contribute to the discussion around the end of the Ilkhanate by looking at the question of assimilation of Muslim and Mongol traditions during Abū Saʿīd’s rule (reg. 716-736/1316-1335). By studying this period through the main focus of women’s roles, it hopes to draw connections between the traditional Turco-Mongol status of elite women, the process of Islamization of the Ilkhanate, and the Ilkhanate’s inability to ensure continuity of government after the death of Abū Saʿīd. It will highlight the role of women of the ruling house during this period that on the one hand was seen as a Golden Age of the Ilkhanate, but on the other hand was marked by political fragmentation, confusing alliances, marriages, and numerous rebellions which ultimately led to its dissolution. The tension between choosing to remain loyal to traditional Turco-Mongol values and the processes of cultural exchanges, integration, and especially conversion to Islam becomes particularly interesting when studying the role of women in the late Ilkhanid court.
Florentine Convent as Practiced Place: Cosimo de’Medici, Fra Angelico, and the Public Library of San Marco
Authors: Allie Terry-Fritsch
Published: November 2012

Abstract

By approaching the Observant Dominican convent of San Marco in Florence as a “practiced place,” this article considers the secular users of the convent’s library as mobile spectators that necessarily navigated the cloister and dormitory and, in so doing, recovers, for the first time, their embodied experience of the architectural pathway and the frescoed decoration along the way. To begin this process, the article rediscovers the original “public” for the library at San Marco and reconstructs the pathway through the convent that this secular audience once used. By considering the practice of the place, this article considers Fra Angelico’s extensive fresco decoration along this path as part of an integrated “humanist itinerary.” In this way, Angelico’s frescoes may be understood not only as the result of the social relationship between the mendicant artist and his merchant patron, but also, for the first time in art historical scholarship, as a direct means of visual communication with the convent’s previously unrecognized public audience and an indicator of their political and intellectual practices within the Florentine convent.
Islam and the Study of Ethics
Authors: Kelsay John
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Aaron Hughes’ critique of certain trends in Islamic Studies raises some important questions. The force of the critique rests on limiting the sample of material, however. I suggest we broaden the selection of scholarly work to include studies focused on questions of ethics, understood as the study of normative discourse. A number of articles published in the Journal of Religious Ethics provide an illustration of an alternative approach to the study of Islam, and suggest a more hopeful picture than the one provided by Hughes.
The Odes of Solomon as Apocalyptic Literature
Authors: Novak Michael Anthony
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The Odes of Solomon is generally categorized as early Jewish-Christian apocrypha, particularly as a lyrics-book of early Christian worship songs. They give us a glimpse into earliest Christian worship and Christian understandings of the recent advent of the Messiah. As a matter of genre, they are easily discussed as liturgical texts, poetry, or musical lyrics. This examination reveals that the Odes are filled with themes of apocalyptic literature, far beyond the extent hitherto recognized. These apocalyptic themes situate the Odes in earliest Christian literature, revealing ties to the Johannine corpus, particularly to the Revelation, to “Two Ways” catechetical literature, and to merkabah mysticism. In the Odes, there is revealed a need for a wider understanding of apocalyptic literature. Such recognition of other expressions of an apocalyptic worldview, transcending the boundaries of the formal genre of the apocalypse, would illumine relations among a variety of early Christian texts.
Christian Baptism As Seen by Outsiders: Julian the Apostate As an Example
Authors: Sandnes Karl Olav
Published: November 2012

Abstract

How did ancient pagan intellectuals look upon Christian baptism? The aim of the present article is to provide such an outsider’s perspective. This serves a double purpose: to depict pagan critique of Christian faith and baptism in particular, but also to see if this critique in any way mirrors contemporary baptismal theology and practice. Julian the Emperor has two texts wherein baptism is addressed at some length. The claim that sins and mischief could simply be washed away by merely being immersed in a bath was appalling to him. The simplicity involved in Christian baptism was offensive. The only true remedy for a sick soul was the exercise provided for by the toil of Greek education. Julian’s critique mirrors fundamental convictions held by Christians on baptism, which may be summarised in the word of grace.
Comparative hematology of wild Anguilliformes (Muraena helena, L. 1758, Conger conger, L. 1758 and Anguilla anguilla L. 1758)
Authors: Ðikić Domagoj , Lisičić Duje , Matić-Skoko Sanja , Tutman Pero , Skaramuca Daria , Franić Zdenko , Skaramuca Boško
Published: November 2012

The objective of this study was to compare circulating blood cell counts and morphology of three eel species: Muraena helena (moray), Conger conger (European conger) and Anguilla anguilla (European common eel). Moray and conger were collected from the Adriatic Sea at the Elaphite Islands near Dubrovnik, Croatia; common eels were collected in the Neretva River, Croatia. Hematological comparison was conducted using Natt-Harrick’s and May-Grünwald Giemsa staining methods. The hematocrit of moray and conger were similar, while common eel had higher values by 60%. Manual cell count showed that common eel had the highest erythrocyte count. Conger had a higher erythrocyte count than moray, with a higher percentage of proerythrocytes and senescent erythrocytes compared to moray and common eel. The leukocyte count was similar in common eel and moray and slightly lower in conger. The thrombocyte count was highest in conger and lowest in moray. In all three species, the neutrophil (heterophil) nuclei appeared as either circular or bi-lobed. Moray had the highest neutrophil (heterophil) percentage and a subtype with intensively basophilic cytoplasm appearing in a similar percentage as the normal type. In common eel, neutrophils (heterophils) were the only detected granulocytes. Basophils were detected in conger eels. Eosinophils were not detected in any of the sampled fish. The size of all cell types in moray was slightly larger than in other two species. In conclusion, our findings reveal major differences in the cell count and diversity in cell subtypes between three kin species of eels.
“The Next Darfur” and Accountability for the Failure to Prevent Genocide
Authors: Jørgensen Nina H. B.
Published: November 2012

Genocide has occurred throughout history and the task of prevention may sometimes appear futile in spite of the clear obligation to prevent in the 1948 Genocide Convention. Taking Raoul Wallenberg’s inspiration to the collective consciousness as a backdrop, this article aims to explore the different accountability mechanisms that give strength to the legal obligation to prevent genocide. The situation in Sudan and South Sudan provides a focal point as it tests the international community’s resolve to act to prevent future instances of genocide within the parameters of the responsibility to protect. In relation to Darfur, individual responsibility of senior leaders has taken centre-stage, but this should not divert the spotlight from other accountability options focused on the state and international organisations. An attempt is made to connect the different aspects of the legal regime with reference to the goal of ensuring accountability if prevention fails in the context of Sudan and South Sudan.
Dilemmas of Democratisation from Legal Revolutions to Democratic Constitutionalism?
Authors: Blokker Paul
Published: November 2012

The ideas of the rule of law and constitutionalism have become an intrinsic part of any process of democratisation around the world. This was equally the case in the radical changes that occurred in East-Central Europe (ECE) around the year of 1989. The adherence in the region to a form of “new constitutionalism” has been frequently seen as an indispensable contribution to the processes of democratisation. However, in this too little attention has been paid to the dilemmas, tensions and perverse effects that may emerge in the institutionalisation and practice of new constitutionalism, not least in terms of an enduring tension between constitutionalism as an ordering and stabilising device and democracy as an uncertain and indeterminate process of verification of public views on the common good. The experiences in ECE since 1989 with regard to new constitutionalism are ambiguous. It is undeniable that an emphasis on a higher law with entrenched rights and robust constitutional review has involved important “corrections” of certain outgrowths of democratic politics and in this prevented forms of “tyranny of the majority” or the endangering of the guarantee of universal rights. But it is equally true that new constitutionalism has been adopted at a price, not least with regard to the emergence of more widespread, publicly shared constitutional cultures as well as in terms of underexplored potentials of democratic constitutionalism and endorsement of civic engagement in the region. Democratic dilemmas and perverse effects have emerged in terms of domestic tensions, in particular regarding democratic debilitation, but also stem from tensions with legal orders beyond the national arena.
Contemporary Regulation of Public Policy Participation of the Saami and Roma: A Truncated Process
Authors: Koutouki Konstantia , Farget Doris
Published: November 2012

Participation of the Roma and Saami in public policy decision-making reveals several inherent shortcomings of current democratic decision-making institutions present in their structure, choice of political orientations and legal norms within States and at the supranational level. Furthermore, it exposes the problematic nature of sociocultural pluralism, specifically the extent to which the political decision-making process makes space for heterogeneous identities and identity-based perceptions. The legal normativity that establishes a right to participation in political decision-making for minority and indigenous peoples tends to reproduce the illusion of inclusion within democratic societies. In actuality, however, the overriding importance conferred on the interests of the dominant group confines participation by marginalised groups to the periphery of the system. With this in mind, our goal is to present a relatively precise picture of the current avenues available to the Roma and Saami for participation in public policy decisions. We begin with an overview of the existing forums for participation and then present the legal foundations of such participation, providing an assessment of the system throughout.
Right to Self-Determination in International Law: Towards Theorisation of the Concept of Indigenous Peoples/National Minority?
Authors: Nobirabo Musafiri Prosper
Published: November 2012

The problem of the concept of the right to self-determination under international human rights is that it is vague and imprecise. It has, at the same time, generated controversy as it leaves space for multiple interpretations in relevant international legal instruments. This paper examines if indigenous people and minority groups are eligible to the right to self-determination. If so, what is the appropriate interpretation of such right, in light of indigenous/minority groups at national as well as the international level?
Israel’s Unwillingness? The Follow-Up Investigations to the UN Gaza Conflict Report and International Criminal Justice
Authors: Azarov Valentina , Weill Sharon
Published: November 2012

Following Israel’s ‘Operation Cast Lead’, the UN called upon the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to conduct investigations and prosecutions of international crimes in accordance with international standards. The measures that the Israeli authorities undertook, when carefully examined, fall short of international standards. When examined under the lens of the admissibility criteria of the complementarity principle under Article 17 of the ICC Statute, this deficient practice emerges as part of a broader policy intended to shield perpetrators and maintain a climate of impunity for those committing international crimes. The need to find alternative avenues to provide victims with access to justice calls for an interrogation of the role of international criminal justice mechanisms, such as the ICC, in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This article examines recent developments concerning Israel’s investigations under the criteria set out by the complementarity principle.
The Notice Requirement of Article 39 and Islamic Law: Developed vs. Developing Countries
Authors: Alaoudh Abdullah S.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Article 39 of the United Nations Convention for the International Sale of Goods, 1980 (CISG) requires a buyer to notify the seller within a reasonable time of any non-conformity. This requirement has been advanced by courts and applied mostly in favour of the developed countries by adopting a strict interpretation of Articles 39 and 44. This interpretation should be revisited, taking into consideration certain circumstances within some developing countries, e.g., observance to Islamic law and the lack of sophistication of many buyers as to regulations for international commerce. Although the provisions in Article 39 are not uncommon in several developing countries and under Islamic law, during their implementation, however, courts may neglect the Article’s legislative history and intent to uniformity and flexibility. Such strict interpretation may deter developing countries from participating in and benefiting from the CISG. A more contextual interpretation of these Articles will not contradict Islamic law.
The Bayʿ al-ʿInah Controversy in Malaysian Islamic Banking
Authors: Shaharuddin Amir
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The current practice of Islamic banking in Malaysia has been criticised as insufficiently different from conventional banking. One of the foci of this criticism is the application of bayʿ al-ʿinah, sales contract with immediate repurchase, in creating a number of so-called Islamic financing products. The present article examines the classical jurists’ assessment of the contract and then evaluates the justifications of the Malaysian National Shariʿah Advisory Committee (NSAC). As a case study, this article analyses the application of bayʿ al-ʿinah in inventing a credit card of Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad. Understanding the NSAC’s justifications will help us comprehend their methodology and approach when approving other Islamic banking products in the country.
Greek Medicine in the Fifteenth Century
Authors: Jackson Donald F.
Published: November 2012

The fact that a number of printed editions of Greek physicians appeared during the sixteenth century is clear evidence that publishing houses of the time believed that a substantial interest in such texts existed. What is most surprising is that, until the last decade of the fifteenth century, a prevailing shortage of Greek medical manuscripts had not at all troubled the scholarly and medical communities. This essay shows how minor a niche Galen and other Greek medical writers occupied in the West for a long period of time, until some significant occurrences brought them to the forefront in the 1490s.
A Risky Enterprise: The Aldine Edition of Galen, the Failures of the Editors, and the Shadow of Erasmus of Rotterdam
Authors: Perilli Lorenzo
Published: November 2012

The Aldine edition of Galen, awaited for more than 25 years, was perhaps the most risky enterprise in the whole history of the publishing house, and it almost brought Aldus' heirs to bankruptcy. Although the editors were among the most renowned specialists of the time, the edition was harshly criticized by one former friend and collaborator of Aldus, Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam. Why? Was the edition so bad, were the manuscripts on which the edition was based responsible for its quality? Or were there other reasons for Erasmus' complaint? This paper tries to give some hints in order to answer such questions, arguing that the role of Erasmus in the assessment of the value of the edition should take us into Aldus' house in the period of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, and into the political and religious debate of the time.
‘Thy Daughters Shall Prophesy’: The Assemblies of God, Inerrancy, and the Question of Clergywomen
Authors: Hoover Jesse A.
Published: November 2012

In 1935, the General Council of the Assemblies of God (USA) officially opened the pastorate to ‘matured women…who have developed in the ministry of the Word’. Today, the AG remains the only major conservative denomination to fully affirm female ordination. Unfortunately, this achievement remains largely ignored in contemporary scholarly literature, largely due to the influence of an article by Barfoot and Sheppard in 1980 which dismissed the AG’s official endorsement of clergywomen as having little lasting impact as the denomination matured into ‘priestly’ tranquility. In this article, I argue that such an interpretation is historically outdated. By extending Barfoot and Sheppard’s analysis of the General Council minutes to the present day, we find instead that significant progress has been made. Such a positive trend invites a reappraisal of the Assemblies of God’s scriptural hermeneutic underlying its enthusiastic endorsement of female ordination and also suggests cross-denominational application among similarly inerrantist denominations.
African Traditional Religion and Pentecostal Churches in Lusaka, Zambia: An Assessment
Authors: Ireland Jerry M.
Published: November 2012

This study seeks to discover how African Traditional Religion (ATR) is viewed by Pentecostal church leaders in Lusaka, Zambia. The convenience sample focused on fourteen Pentecostal churches of various denominational affiliations within the city of Lusaka, Zambia. A thirty-one-item survey tool, the Assessment of Traditional Religious Practices (ATRP), was developed and administered to 128 leaders regarding the prevalence of traditional religious practices among their congregants. The ATRP also assessed how these leaders typically respond to concerns related to ATR within their ministerial context. Findings indicated that traditional beliefs and practices continue to persist, though at nominal levels, within these churches. More importantly, a majority of these leaders feel adequately equipped to handle issues related to ATR because they understand their ministerial calling in terms of spiritual empowerment. The study concludes that the challenges presented by ATR regarding Christian discipleship continue to persist in local Pentecostal churches. However, leaders have employed a practical theological understanding of Pentecostalism, allowing them to overcome many of these same challenges.