bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endoprobe: A system for radionuclide‐guided endoscopy
Authors: Raylman Raymond R. , Srinivasan Amarnath
Published: December 2004

Methods to guide the surgical treatment of cancer utilizing handheld beta‐sensitive probes in conjunction with tumor‐avid radiopharmaceuticals [such as ‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)] have previously been developed. These technologies could also potentially be used to assist in minimally invasive techniques for the diagnosis of cancer. The goal of this project is to develop and test a system for performing radionuclide‐guided endoscopies. This system (called Endoprobe) has four major subsystems: beta detector, position tracker, endoscope, and user interface. The beta detection unit utilizes two miniaturized solid state detectors to preferentially detect beta particles. The position tracking system allows real‐time monitoring of the unit's location. The beta detector and position tracking system's receiver are mounted on the tip of an endoscope. Information from the beta detector and tracking system, in addition to the video signal from the endoscope, are combined and presented to the user via a computer interface. The system was tested in a simulated search for radiotracer‐avid areas of esophageal cancer. The search for esophageal cancer was chosen because this type of cancer is often diagnosed with endoscopic procedures and has been reported to have good affinity for FDG. Accumulations of FDG in the normal organs of the abdomen were simulated by an anthropomorphic torso phantom filled with the appropriate amounts of radioactivity. A ‐thick gelatin film containing FDG was used to simulate radiotracer uptake in the lining of normal esophagus. Esophageal lesions (both benign and malignant) were simulated by thin disks of gelatin containing appropriate concentrations of FDG embedded in the gelatin film simulating normal esophagus. Endoprobe facilitated visual identification and examination of the simulated lesions. The position tracking system permitted the location of the Endoprobe tip to be monitored and plotted in real time on a previously acquired positron emission tomography‐computed tomography (PET–CT) image of the phantom. The detection system successfully acquired estimates of the beta flux emitted from areas chosen by the user. Indeed, Endoprobe was able to assist in distinguishing simulated FDG‐avid areas as small as in diameter from normal esophagus ( value ). In addition to FDG, Endoprobe can be used with other positron or electron‐emitting radionuclides such as or . The next phase of this project will focus on modification of the prototype to make it more suitable for clinical use.
Distortions induced by radioactive seeds into interstitial brachytherapy dose distributions
Authors: Zhou Chuanyu , Inanc Feyzi , Modrick Joseph M.
Published: December 2004

In a previous article, we presented development and verification of an integral transport equation‐based deterministic algorithm for computing three‐dimensional brachytherapy dose distributions. Recently, we have included fluorescence radiation physics and parallel computation to the standing algorithms so that we can compute dose distributions for a large set of seeds without resorting to the superposition methods. The introduction of parallel computing capability provided a means to compute the dose distribution for multiple seeds in a simultaneous manner. This provided a way to study strong heterogeneity and shadow effects induced by the presence of multiple seeds in an interstitial brachytherapy implant. This article presents the algorithm for computing fluorescence radiation, algorithm for parallel computing, and display results for an 81‐seed implant that has a perfect and imperfect lattice. The dosimetry data for a single model 6711 seeds is presented for verification and heterogeneity factor computations using simultaneous and superposition techniques are presented.
Goniometric and conoscopic measurements of angular display contrast for one‐, three‐, five‐, and nine‐million‐pixel medical liquid crystal displays
Authors: Badano Aldo , Fifadara Dipesh H.
Published: December 2004

Active‐matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs) have become the preferred choice for displaying digital diagnostic images because of their low cost of ownership, high contrast, and small footprint. However, the contrast and luminance of AMLCDs changes significantly with viewing direction. In this paper, we use a goniometric and a conoscopic method to measure angular contrast and luminance in one‐, three‐, five‐, and nine‐million‐pixel medical AMLCDs. The viewing angle characteristics of the displays are compared by evaluating the compliance with the desired grayscale and recommended tolerance limits. Using the measured contrast responses, we determined the angle along each of the orthogonal and diagonal axes for which the luminance ratio drops to 0.5, 0.2, and 0.1 of the maximum ratio, seen at perpendicular viewing. The results show a reduction as large as 54% in available JND levels between the perpendicular and off‐normal viewing directions. All of the display systems proved to have better angular response in the horizontal and vertical direction as compared to the diagonal directions, and none were able to satisfy a 20% contrast tolerance limit for any viewing direction lying in a cone at an angle of 45° from the normal. Additionally, we show that the measured contrast can be significantly affected by the measurement method used to record the angular change in luminance.
Effect ofGanoderma tsugaeon Chronically Carbon Tetrachloride-Intoxicated Rats
Authors: Wu Yueh-Wern , Chen Kuan-Dee , Lin Wen-Chuan
Published: December 2004

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective and anti-fibrotic actions of crude extracts of Ganoderma tsugae (GTE) on chronic liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride ( CCl4) in rats. CCl4(20%, 0.5 ml/rat) was given twice a week for 8 weeks, and animals received GTE through the whole experimental period. GTE showed obvious reducing actions on the elevated levels of glutamate-oxalate-transaminase (GOT) and glutamate-pyruvate-transaminase (GPT) caused by CCl4at weeks 3, 6 and 8. Liver fibrosis in rats induced by CCl4led to the drop of serum albumin and hepatic protein concentrations, while GTE increased serum albumin and hepatic protein concentrations. The CCl4-induced liver fibrosis may prolong the prothrombine time and increase albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio. GTE significantly decreased the prothrombine time and A/G ratio. Liver fibrosis induced by CCl4markedly increased the weight of the spleen, hepatic water and hydroxyproline contents in rats, while GTE decreased the rat's spleen weights, hepatic water and hydroxyproline contents. All these results clearly demonstrated that GTE has hepatoprotective and anti-fibrotic activities.
Effect of a Nutritive-Tonic Drink on Stress-Induced Serum Glucocorticoid in the Mouse
Authors: Sakata Yasuko , Ayada Kentaro , Ito Yoshihisa , Tadano Takeshi , Endo Yasuo
Published: December 2004

We evaluated stress during "restraint with gnawing ( R + G +)" and "restraint without gnawing ( R + G -)" in a mouse system. R + G - induced a higher serum glucocorticoid level than R + G +. Zena F-III (a nutritive-tonic drink prescribed as "Kampo", a traditional Japanese medicine with its origin in Chinese medicine) reduced the glucocorticoid elevation in R + G +, but not in R + G -. These results support the hypotheses that (i) activity, such as gnawing, which potentially leading to escape from distress, reduces the severity of emotional distress and (ii) Zena F-III reduces the severity of mental or emotional fatigue, or increases motivation, in a stressful situation that the animal can manage itself.
Inhibitory Effect of Tetrandrine on Pulmonary Metastases in CT26 Colorectal Adenocarcinoma–Bearing BALB/c Mice
Authors: Chang Kou-Hwa , Liao Hui-Fen , Chang Hen-Hong , Chen Yu-Yawn , Yu Ming-Chien , Chou Cheng-Jen , Chen Yu-Jen
Published: December 2004

Tumor metastasis is a major cause of mortality in cancer patients. The anti-metastatic effect of tetrandrine, an alkaloid isolated from Stephania tetrandrae S. Moore, was investigated in a pulmonary metastatic model of colorectal cancer-bearing mice. Tetrandrine decreased the viability of murine colorectal adenocarcinoma CT26 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. CT26 cells were injected into BALB/c mice via a tail vein to establish pulmonary metastases. After this, the mice were given intraperitoneal injections of tetrandrine (10 mg/kg/day), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) at the same dose, or vehicle for 5 consecutive days. Mice treated with tetrandrine had 40.3% fewer metastases than vehicle-treated mice, and those treated with 5-FU had 36.9% fewer metastases than controls. Both tetrandrine- and 5-FU-treated mice survived longer than mice in the untreated control group. There was no acute toxicity or obvious changes in body weight in any of the mice. These results suggest that tetrandrine may be a useful anti-metastatic agent.
Effects of Antioxidant Herbs on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in a Rat-Pica Model
Authors: Mehendale Sangeeta R. , Aung Han H. , Yin Jun-Jie , Lin Elaine , Fishbein Anna , Wang Chong-Zhi , Xie Jing-Tian , Yuan Chun-Su
Published: December 2004

Nausea and vomiting are significant adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents like cisplatin, and cause significant patient morbidity. Cisplatin treatment results in oxidant gut injury, which is postulated to be the primary cause of nausea and vomiting. We evaluated the effects of two antioxidant herbs, Scutellaria baicalensis and American ginseng berry, on cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting using a rat model. Rats react to emetic or nausea-producing stimuli, such as cisplatin, with altered feeding habits, manifested by increased kaolin consumption (pica). We measured pica in rats to quantify cisplatin-induced nausea. We observed that pretreatment of rats with S. baicalensis or ginseng berry extracts resulted in a significant reduction in cisplatin-induced pica. The in vitro free radical scavenging ability of the herbal extract observed in the study, further confirmed the antioxidant action of the herb. We conclude that herbal antioxidants may have a role in attenuating cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting.
A New Approach to Investigate the Pharmacokinetics of Traditional Chinese Medicine YL2000
Authors: Zhao Yu Nan , Ding Yi , Wang Ru Feng , Xing Dong Ming , Cheng Jie , Du Lijun
Published: December 2004

Much progress has been made in the pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). However, the question on how to investigate pharmacokinetics of TCM extract remains. In this study, we selected a new TCM extract YL2000 developed in our laboratory as the research object and investigated both the pharmacokinetics of baicalin and berberine in YL2000 and the pharmacodynamics of YL2000 in febrile rats. The correlation analysis between the time-concentration curves of baicalin and berberine and the time-effect curve of YL2000 was conducted in plasma by statistical methods. The results showed that the time-effect data of anti-pyretic effect of YL2000 had a negative correlation (r=-0.8312, P<0.1) with the time-concentration data of baicalin in plasma, but had no correlation (r=0.01368, P>0.5) with berberine. These data suggested that baicalin could be selected as a marker of anti-pyretic effect, and that YL2000 could be used to treat fevers according to the disposition of baicalin in vivo.

In this study, we also proposed that one or more active elements in TCM extracts could be selected to represent the pharmacokinetics of TCM extracts in vivo, combined with the pharmacodynamics of TCM extract.
A Pentaherbs Capsule as a Treatment Option for Atopic Dermatitis in Children: An Open-Labeled Case Series
Authors: Hon Kam-Lun Ellis , Leung Ting-Fan , Wong Yin , Lam Wai-Kei Christopher , Guan De-Qi Bill , Ma Kwok-Chiu , Sung Yn-Tz Rita , Fok Tai-Fai , Leung Ping-Chung
Published: December 2004

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), but its therapeutic effects are debatable. We evaluated the clinical and biochemical effects of a TCM capsule (PentaHerbs capsule) in children with AD. After a run-in period of 4 weeks, children old enough to manage oral medication were admitted and their disease severity was evaluated by the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. Blood was obtained for complete blood count, total and allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), biochemical studies and inflammatory markers of AD severity [serum cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK), macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP)] prior to, and after 3 months of, TCM use. Three PentaHerbs capsules twice a day were prescribed for 4 months. Patients were followed monthly to ensure compliance, and SCORAD scores were obtained at each visit. Five boys and four girls participated in the study. All patients had detectable food or inhalant-specific IgE in serum. There was significant improvement in the overall and component SCORAD scores. There were no significant differences between the pre- and post-treatment values of the serum CTACK, MDC, TARC and ECP levels but CTACK showed a decreasing trend (p=0.069). No clinical or biochemical evidence of any adverse drug reaction was observed during the study period. The PentaHerbs capsules were well tolerated by the children and apparent beneficial effects were noted clinically. A larger, randomized placebo-controlled study is required to confirm the efficacy of this formulation for AD.
Hydrodynamic Analysis of Waveforms Induced by Vibrational Stimuli at Meridian and Non-meridian Points
Authors: Lee Myeong Soo , Kim Yong-Chin , Moon Sun-Rock , Shin Byung-Chul , Jeong Dong-Myong
Published: December 2004

Meridian theory is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Although acupuncture has been accepted in many countries, the nature of the meridian theory and the principles of acupuncture are still unclear in the modern scientific view. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in wave propagation of mechanical vibrations (optimal stimulator frequency of 40 Hz) through the pericardium meridian [EH-4 (Chieh-Men) and EH-5 (Chien-Shih)] and adjacent control regions in 20 subjects using hydrodynamic analysis. The mean transfer speed was significantly lower in the meridian (4 m/s) than in the adjacent control region (8.5 m/s, P<0.001). There were also significant differences between the meridian and control points in the attenuation rate (P<0.001) and peak amplitude (P<0.001). In conclusion, these results imply that the substance of the meridian differs from that of the adjacent control regions.
A Birdcage Model for the Chinese Meridian System Part II: The Meridian System as a Birdcage Resonator
Authors: Yung Kaung-Ti
Published: December 2004

We propose that the meridian system as a whole is one grand transmission line, excited periodically at a frequency of f50, the frequency of the 50-round circulation (0.578×10-3 Hz). This grand transmission line is analyzed as a 28-leg, uniform, low pass (LP) electromagnetic (EM) birdcage coil, consisting of capacitors and inductors. The second lowest resonant frequency (mode 1) of the birdcage is f50. Each leg represents one channel and is analyzed as a lossless transmission line itself. The amplitude of the Qi standing wave on each channel is periodically amplified at f50. The average number of acupoints on the 28 channels involved in the 50-round circulation and the speed of Qi were used to calculate the resonant frequencies. A mechanical birdcage consisting of mass and spring may co-exist and exchange energy with the EM birdcage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be used to map the diffusion coefficient, elastic modulus and electric conductivity of tissues in vivo, as an indirect evidence of the existence of the proposed EM and mechanical standing waves.
REGULAR AND BLACK HOLE SOLUTIONS TO HIGHER ORDER CURVATURE EINSTEIN–YANG–MILLS–GRASSMANNIAN SYSTEMS IN FIVE DIMENSIONS
Authors: BRIHAYE YVES , RADU EUGEN , TCHRAKIAN D. H.
Published: December 2004

Solutions to EYM systems in five space–time dimensions possessing no gravity decoupling limits, feature a peculiar critical behavior which is absent in their six-, seven- and eight-dimensional counterparts which do possess flat space limits. This critical behavior in five dimensions persists even when a scalar matter field is added, rendering the model nontrivial in the gravity decoupling limit. To this end, both regular and black hole spherically symmetric solutions to the higher curvature EYM–Grassmannian sigma model in d=5 space–time dimensions are constructed. A study of the solutions to the Grassmannian model in flat space is also carried out.
QUALITY OF HYPERSPHERICAL ADIABATIC APPROXIMATION FOR EXCITED STATES OF ATOMIC SYSTEMS
Authors: DAS TAPAN KUMAR , CHAKRABARTI BARNALI
Published: December 2004

We calculate ground and several low-lying excited states of various two electron atoms using hyperspherical adiabatic approximation (HAA). Its spectracular accuracy, as compared to exact numerical results of a set of coupled differential equations, demands a better understanding of its mechanism. It is seen that factorizability of the potential matrix into a product of a common function of the global length (hyperradius) and a constant matrix, is responsible for this remarkable success. This is a result of the shape invariance condition in multidimensional supersymmetric quantum mechanics.
β-Cell CaVchannel regulation in physiology and pathophysiology
Authors: Yang Shao-Nian , Berggren Per-Olof
Published: December 2004

The β-cell is equipped with at least six voltage-gated Ca2+(CaV) channel α1-subunits designated CaV1.2, CaV1.3, CaV2.1, CaV2.2, CaV2.3, and CaV3.1. These principal subunits, together with certain auxiliary subunits, assemble into different types of CaVchannels conducting L-, P/Q-, N-, R-, and T-type Ca2+currents, respectively. The β-cell shares customary mechanisms of CaVchannel regulation with other excitable cells, such as protein phosphorylation, Ca2+-dependent inactivation, and G protein modulation. However, the β-cell displays some characteristic features to bring these mechanisms into play. In islet β-cells, CaVchannels can be highly phosphorylated under basal conditions and thus marginally respond to further phosphorylation. In β-cell lines, CaVchannels can be surrounded by tonically activated protein phosphatases dominating over protein kinases; thus their activity is dramatically enhanced by inhibition of protein phosphatases. During the last 10 years, we have revealed some novel mechanisms of β-cell CaVchannel regulation under physiological and pathophysiological conditions, including the involvement of exocytotic proteins, inositol hexakisphosphate, and type 1 diabetic serum. This minireview highlights characteristic features of customary mechanisms of CaVchannel regulation in β-cells and also reviews our studies on newly identified mechanisms of β-cell CaVchannel regulation.
Regulation of regional expression in rat brain PC2 by thyroid hormone/characterization of novel negative thyroid hormone response elements in the PC2 promoter
Authors: Shen Xiaoxiong , Li Qiao-Ling , Brent Gregory A. , Friedman Theodore C.
Published: December 2004

The prohormone convertases (PCs) PC1 and PC2 are involved in the tissue-specific endoproteolytic processing of neuropeptide precursors within the secretory pathway. We previously showed that changes in thyroid status altered pituitary PC2 mRNA and that this regulation was due to triiodothyronine-dependent interaction of the thyroid hormone receptor (TR) with negative thyroid hormone response elements (nTREs) contained in a large proximal region of the human PC2 promoter. In the current study, we examined the in vivo regulation of brain PC2 mRNA by thyroid status and found that 6- n-propyl-2-thiouracil-induced hypothyroidism stimulated, whereas thyroxine-induced hyperthyroidism suppressed, PC2 mRNA levels in the rat hypothalamus and cerebral cortex. To address the mechanism of T3regulation of the PC2 gene, we used human PC2 (hPC2) promoter constructs transiently transfected into GH3 cells and found that triiodothyronine negatively and 9- cis-retinoic acid positively regulated hPC2 promoter activity. EMSAs, using purified TRα1 and retinoid X receptor-β (RXRβ) proteins demonstrated that TRα bound the distal putative nTRE-containing oligonucleotide in the PC2 promoter, and RXR bound to both nTRE-containing oligonucleotides. EMSAs with oligonucleotides containing deletion mutations of the nTREs demonstrated that the binding to TR and RXR separately is reduced, but specific binding to TR and RXR together persists even with deletion of each putative nTRE. We conclude that there are two novel TRE-like sequences in the hPC2 promoter and that these regions act in concert in a unique manner to facilitate the effects of thyroid hormone and 9- cis-retinoic acid on PC2.
Murder in the Market: Penal Aspects of Berber Customary Law in the Precolonial Moroccan Rif
Authors: Hart David
Published: December 2004

This article focuses on the penal customary law of the Aith Waryaghar tribe of the Moroccan Rif in the immediate precolonial period during the two-plus decades prior to the emergence from their ranks of the former qādī bin ʿAbd al-Krim, the leader of the Rifian War of 1921-1926. In it are discussed the results of my fieldwork on the related subjects of alliance, bloodfeud and vendetta in the region, with particular attention to the enormous ḥaqq fines levied by the tribal councillors of both the Aith Waryaghar and adjacent tribes for murders committed in the weekly tribal markets. These fines are compared with the contents of five Aith Waryaghar qānūns, customary law documents drawn up in Arabic, deriving from the same period and originally published by Col. Emilio Blanco Izaga in Spanish translation in 1939. Here, the qānūns are presented in order to provide written documentation for the reconstructed accounts given by my elderly informants in the period 1953-1965. The fit between the two sets of accounts is very close, particularly in the spirit of the law if not in the letter. For the major feature of these qānūns is precisely these same heavy fines. The contrast between them and the trifling ones for theft of livestock, for example, is also examined, as are other aspects of feud and vendetta. Finally, the reforming role of bin ʿAbd al-Krim is summarized along with his successful wartime endeavor to substitute the Shariʿa for customary law in the Rif in all major spheres, thereby preempting any Spanish follow-through on the French declaration of the Berber Dahir of 1930 in their own zone of Morrocco.
The Judicial Functions of the SulṬān in Civil Cases According to the Mālikīs up to the Sixth/Twelfth Century
Authors: Yanagihashi Hiroyuki
Published: December 2004

In the earliest Mālikī texts, civil cases in which the SulṬān plays a role can be divided into four groups: (i) those in which the SulṬān plays an instrumental role to help in claiming a right that is substantively endorsed by the fiqh; (ii) those in which the SulṬān is called upon to adjudicate for a practical reason; (iii) those in which the SulṬān adopts a solution required by equity; and (iv) those which fall under the SulṬān's exclusive jurisdiction. Whereas the earliest Mālikīs held that the SulṬān's judgment can be reversed by the qādī only if it is manifestly corrupt, later Mālikīs introduced the notion of delegation of judicial power and the idea that a mujtahid, a qādī or a muftī has a general right to redress an erroneous judgment.
Communal Legal Entities in a Muslim Setting Theory and Practice:
Authors: Cohen Amnon
Published: December 2004

Although there is no term or concept in Islamic law that signifies a communal legal entity, traditional Muslim societies contained several communal entities, such as the Ṭāʾifa or “community”. Such an entity manifests itself in several documents from the sijill of sixteenth-century Jerusalem that deal with relations between the Jewish community and Muslim authorities. For example, when the Jews of Jerusalem attempted to lease a plot for their cemetery, they could not do so as a community, for no such legal entity existed. For this reason, they designated three individuals in whose name the lease was issued, perhaps in an effort to bridge the gap between theory and practice. This was not a mere legal fiction (ḥīla), for when Muslim waqf authorities subsequently determined that one of the three lessees had died, it declared one-third of the lease to be null and void. The Jewish community never challenged this ruling. As demonstrated in this article, the Jewish community applied the same stratagem to other financial matters.
Adaptation to Changing Circumstances: Perpetual Leases and Exchange Transactions in Waqf Property in Ottoman Algiers
Authors: Hoexter Miriam
Published: December 2004

Islamic law allows for perpetual leases and exchange transactions of endowed property as an exceptional means to deal with the inalienability of Waqf assets in cases in which Waqf-property has become dilapidated. In this article I examine the use of these two transactions in connection with the largest public foundation in Ottoman Algiers — the Waqf al-ḥaramayn. These two transactions proliferated during the last few decades of Ottoman rule and were extended to assets which were fully intact, on the condition that the transaction was of material advantage to the Waqf. This policy was conditioned by a number of socio-economic factors particular to Algiers and its important public foundations.
On the Development of Custom as a Source of Law in Islamic Law:
Authors: Libson Gideon
Published: December 2004

Although classical Islamic legal theory did not recognize custom as a source of law, Muslim jurists — in particular, the ḥanafīs — discussed the status of custom already in the pre-classical period. Custom was incorporated into Islamic law in a variety of ways: by including certain practices in the category of sunna or ijmāʾ; by appealing to judicial preference (istiḥsān) and to secondary sources of law, such as fatwās; and by using legal fictions (ḥiyal). Because these methods were not always adequate to deal with the questions that specific practices presented to the jurists, there was an increasing tendency among later ḥanafī jurists to recogize custom as a source of law.
Scholars and Society at Early Islamic Ayla
Authors: Cobb Paul
Published: December 2004

While historical and archaeological sources confirm that the early Islamic city of Ayla (modern al-ʿAqaba, Jordan) was a flourishing port in the ʿAbbāsid period and afterward, our knowledge of the city's population is limited. However, by examining medieval Arabic biographical works, this study reveals a significant scholarly community from the city, dominated by a small number of large families. Most notably, many members of this community were descendants of clients (mawālī) of the Umayyad family, with ties to neighboring regions of the Near East, especially Egypt and the Hijāz.
The Textile Industry in Southeast Asia, 1400-1800
Authors: Hall Kenneth
Published: December 2004

This study of Southeast Asia's regional and native textile trade highlights the transitional patterns of textile use in sixteenth and seventeenth century Banjarmasin, an important Borneo coast port-polity in that era's international pepper trade. Cloth was a multi-purpose commodity bearing rich indigenous legacy that served as the point of reference for revised political, economic, and cultural transactions. In the new order that was emerging, upstream and downstream regularized their interactions and shared in a common cultural bond that was defined by cloth. This was a locally meaningful response to the changing economic circumstances of the seventeenth century, and was only in part a reaction to an increasingly assertive European presence in the eastern Indonesian archipelago.
Reconstructing the Rural Landscape of the Ancient Near East
Authors: Liverani Mario
Published: December 2004

The reconstruction of ancient Near Eastern history has mainly concentrated on urban (and especially palace) environments, leaving the rural landscape outside these analyses. Recent advances in archaeological and palaeobotanical fields greatly help in the recovery of the general outlines of rural exploitation in Mesopotamia and the surrounding regions; yet they cannot but miss the details of the individual exploitation units (fields and orchards), whose size and shape can be reconstructed on the basis of textual data such as cadastral texts (and other administrative recordings) and legal texts (related to the transfer of landed properties). Continuing the author's earlier work on the shape of fields in Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 B.C.), based on cadastral documents from Lagash province in lower Mesopotamia, this article examines, by way of ‘gross’ generalization and occasional exemplification, the entire history of the Mesopotamian landscape from the first administrative landscape in “late-Uruk” documents (ca. 3000 B.C.), down to the Neo-Babylonian documents of the Archaemenid period (ca. 500 B.C.).
The Edict of 495 Reconsidered
Authors: Chase Kenneth
Published: December 2004

Emperor Hsiao-wen of the Northern Wei dynasty issued an edict in the year 495 which established a procedure for defining, classifying, and ranking T'o-pa lineages. This procedure would be carried out once, and the resulting ranks would be hereditary thereafter. The intention was to create a hereditary aristocracy among the T'o-pa which would be similar to that which already existed among the Chinese, so that both the T'o-pa and the Chinese could be considered for bureaucratic office on a comparable basis. This was one of a number of edicts issued around this time which sought to make T'o-pa customs and practices more similar to Chinese ones.
Ottoman Grain Exports from Western Anatolia at the End of the Fourteenth Century
Authors: Fleet Kate
Published: December 2004

This article considers Ottoman policy concerning grain exports from western Anatolia at the end of the fourteenth century and argues that the Ottomans may have introduced a system of control whereby the quantity of grain which could be exported from Anatolia at any one time was restricted.
Technologies of the Self: Courtly Artifice and Monastic Discipline in Early India
Authors: Ali Daud
Published: December 2004

This paper attempts to link the growth of courtly and monastic practices as related historical phenomena in early historic India. The consolidation of urban courts and monastic communities represented a departure from the Vedic way of life in the context of new social relations and increasing urbanisation. Urban society and Buddhist monasticism, as scholars have pointed out, were linked materially and sociologically. This paper explores this linkage further. At the level of practice, courtly comportment and monastic discipline, centred around artifice and discipline, respectively, can be seen as direct inversions of one another. This opposition, however, was complementary and reveals a number of shared assumptions about “reality” leading to a common “hermeneutics” of phenomena, despite contrary ontological approaches and implications for practice.
The Study of Religions and Interfaith Encounter
Authors: Morgan Peggy
Published: December 2004

The varied national and international events marking the centenary of the 1893 Chicago Parliament of Religions culminating in the gathering of about seven thousand five hundred people in Chicago in 1993 have involved many academics. Their presence raises afresh the issue of the relationship between the scholarly study of religions and meetings for interfaith encounter. The scholar can be seen as a participant observer in an area of religious activity of considerable interest and importance in the contemporary world. He or she can also be an advisor and consultant in the interfaith process, helping to raise and analyse questions about the balance of participants and the style of discourse being used. Interfaith activity can both change the scholar and be changed by his or her presence in a parallel way to that of the anthropologist in the field. The scholar of religion finds considerable interest in how, at interfaith gatherings, members of religions define and articulate their religion's essence, select and use teachings and scriptural passages. The reporting of meetings at which members of different faiths share ideas and sometimes worship acts as a positive balance to negative media coverage of conflict and intolerance associated with religions. But there is a need for careful and critical examination of an interfaith confessionalism which may develop at such meetings.
Buddhism and Islam: Past to Present Encounters and Interfaith Lessons
Authors: Scott David
Published: December 2004

The paper deals with the encounter and ensuing responses that can be traced between Buddhism and Islam, during their centuries of contact across Asia (Anatolia, Iran, Central Asia, India), and more recently in the West. Within this panorama of history certain immediate overtly negative images of the other can be perceived in both traditions, manifested in terms of actions and literature. However some more positive images seem to have crystallised in Islam, particularly and significantly within the mystical Sufi streams that emerged in the East Iranian and Central Asian lands. Such historical patterns of confrontation, convergence and mysticism lead into the more modern second part of the study. A geographical-political perspective is first used, as the variations in their relationship in the various countries of SE Asia, and the British situation are noted. This is followed by a review of potential approaches between Islam and Buddhism in the current inter-faith dialogue arena. Whilst some doctrinal areas may be reconcilable (according to Cleary), it is primarily in other areas that more promising avenues of approach may be discerned. One is the area of ethics and social action on issues of common concern, as suggested by figures like Badawi, Gilliat, Askari and Vajiragnana. Another one is in contemplational areas of mysticism, as acknowledged by figures like Idries Shah. In both areas this can be echoed in greater clarity in the Christian-Buddhist dialogue. A further implication may be to bring out the need to view religions in functionalist and transformational terms, rather than culture bound doctrinal norms.
Buddhist Preaching and Sinhala Religious Rhetoric: Medieval Buddhist Methods to Popularize Theravāda
Authors: Deegalle Mahinda
Published: December 2004

Buddhist preaching is one of the most neglected areas in modern scholarship. In Buddhist societies, though varieties of preaching rituals are found, existing scholarly literature contains only scattered and often inadequate or misleading references to Buddhist preaching. Since both historians of religions and Buddhologists have tended to ignore the role of Buddhist preachers and preaching in Theravāda Buddhism, this paper stresses the importance of paying attention to ‘preaching’ in developing a holistic understanding of Sinhala Buddhism.Focusing on the term ‘bana,’ this paper examines the development of Buddhist preaching in Sri Lanka. It demonstrates the way bana has functioned in the popularization of Theravāda since the thirteenth century. First, through an examination of inscriptions, it establishes the development of the term bana as an important religio-historical category in Sinhala Buddhism. Second, it examines the specific usage of the term bana in the sense of preaching in the thirteenth century Pūjāvaliya. Finally, focusing on the Butsarana, an early thirteenth century Sinhala text which contains extensive references to bana, it examines the way Vidyācakravartī innovated Theravāda Buddhist intellectual framework by employing an unconventional term such as ‘kāma’ (desire) to describe Theravāda religious concepts in order to popularize them. It argues that Buddhist preaching developed and grew in the context of Sinhala banapot, and functions as a rich cultural, educational, and religious resource influencing the attitudes and practices of Sinhala Buddhists.
Elitism and Esotericism: Strategies of Secrecy and Power in South Indian Tantra and French Freemasonry
Authors: Urban Hugh
Published: December 2004

Despite the proliferation of interest in the subjects of secrecy and esotericism throughout popular culture, media and entertainment, these phenomena have only recently begun to be treated seriously by historians of religions. In this essay, I suggest a new way of looking at esotericism by engaging in a comparative, cross-cultural analysis, and by looking in particular at its social and political implications. Specifically, I compare two traditions — the Srīvidyā school of Indian Tantra, and the Rectified Scottish Rite of French Freemasonry — juxtaposing and analogically relating them in order to shed new light on both. Contrary to many popular conceptions, I argue that esotericism is by no means primarily a “counter-cultural” or “subversive” phenomenon; rather, it is very often an elitist phenomenon, the province of highly educated, affluent and powerful intellectuals, who wish, not to undermine existing social structures, but rather subtly to reinforce them, or else to bend and reshape them according to their own interests. This essay examines three primary strategies employed by the Tantrics and Masons: 1) the creation of a new social space or private sphere, which promises “equality” and liberation for all classes, while at the same time constructing new and more rigid hierarchies; 2) a hermeneutical strategy, which appropriates the authority of traditional scriptures, while at the same time asserting the superiority of esoteric exegesis; 3) a ritual strategy, which creates a homology between the body of the initiate, the hierarchy of the cosmos and the hierarchy of the esoteric sect, inscribing the individual into the body of the order, and inscribing the order onto the human body.
Notes on the History of the Shamanic in Tibet and Inner Asia
Authors: Gibson Todd
Published: December 2004

Historical treatments of the shaman have often been crippled by dubious and untestable assumptions on the nature of shamanic religion. Anthropological investigations in their turn have seldom dealt with historical issues in any depth. The first part of this contribution attempts to point out the advantages and dangers involved in applying an anthropological perspective to historical issues. A broad definition of the shaman is proposed which is anthropological in intent, while avoiding some possible errors in method. The second part of the article begins by documenting the “shamanic sickness” — widely acknowledged in the ethnological literature — in the careers of several tertons (major figures in the history of Tibetan Buddhism), illustrating that the shamanic role was not limited to the healing and divination that are usually associated with Inner Asian shamans. Buddhist derivations for the names of shamans in modern non-Buddhist cultures are presented; these argue for an association between Buddhism and the shamanic in early Inner Asia that went deeper than the mutual borrowing of cultural forms commonly supposed to have taken place.
Stylistic Elements in the Use of Arabic as Language in Diplomacy: Recent Developments in United Nations Context
Authors: Edzard Lutz
Published: December 2004

In this paper, a number of stylistic features of contemporary diplomatic Arabic will be investigated. These are the interference of historical and contemporary Arab-Islamic thought and terminology with accepted stylistic standards in international documents as well as certain metaphorical, including euphemistical, elements of style that are germane to Arabic. Subject of the discussion will be bi- and multilateral treaties that are either concluded in Arabic or in which Arabic is one of the official languages. Furthermore, diplomatic correspondence that originates in Arabic will be considered. Certain linguistic features of Arabic as surfacing in the said documents, independently of any religious implications, will be closely followed, if relevant for the interpretation of the documents under discussion. One of the main foci of attention will be the vast diplomatic correspondence that has been surrounding the Iraq-Kuwait-crisis. Finally, the unique case of an Arabic diplomatic poem will be cited.
Solar and QBO Influences on the Timing of Stratospheric Sudden Warmings
Authors: Gray Lesley J. , Crooks Simon , Pascoe Charlotte , Sparrow Sarah , Palmer Michael
Published: December 2004

The interaction of the 11-yr solar cycle (SC) and the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and their influence on the Northern Hemisphere (NH) polar vortex are studied using idealized model experiments and ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40). In the model experiments, the sensitivity of the NH polar vortex to imposed easterlies at equatorial/subtropical latitudes over various height ranges is tested to explore the possible influence from zonal wind anomalies associated with the QBO and the 11-yr SC in those regions. The experiments show that the timing of the modeled stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs) is sensitive to the imposed easterlies at the equator/subtropics. When easterlies are imposed in the equatorial or subtropical upper stratosphere, the onset of the SSWs is earlier.

A mechanism is proposed in which zonal wind anomalies in the equatorial/subtropical upper stratosphere associated with the QBO and 11-yr SC either reinforce each other or cancel each other out. When they reinforce, as in Smin–QBO-east (Smin/E) and Smax–QBO-west (Smax/W), it is suggested that the resulting anomaly is large enough to influence the development of the Aleutian high and hence the time of onset of the SSWs. Although highly speculative, this mechanism may help to understand the puzzling observations that major warmings often occur in Smax/W years even though there is no strong waveguide provided by the QBO winds in the lower equatorial stratosphere.

The ERA-40 data are used to investigate the QBO and solar signals and to determine whether the observations support the proposed mechanism. Composites of ERA-40 zonally averaged zonal winds based on the QBO (E/W), the SC (min/max), and both (Smin/E, Smin/W, Smax/E, Smax/W) are examined, with emphasis on the Northern Hemisphere winter vortex evolution. The major findings are that QBO/E years are more disturbed than QBO/W years, primarily during early winter. Sudden warmings in Smax years tend to occur later than in Smin years. Midwinter warmings are more likely during Smin/E and Smax/W years, although the latter result is only barely statistically significant at the 75% level. The data show some support for the proposed mechanism, but many more years are required before it can be fully tested.
The Use of Large-Eddy Simulations in Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Models
Authors: Weil Jeffrey C. , Sullivan Peter P. , Moeng Chin-Hoh
Published: December 2004

A Lagrangian dispersion model driven by velocity fields from large-eddy simulations (LESs) is presented for passive particle dispersion in the planetary boundary layer (PBL). In this combined LES–Lagrangian stochastic model (LSM), the total velocity is divided into resolved or filtered and unresolved or subfilter-scale (SFS) velocities. The random SFS velocity is modeled using an adaptation of Thomson's LSM in which the ensemble-mean velocity and velocity variances are replaced by the resolved velocity and SFS variances, respectively. The random SFS velocity forcing has an amplitude determined by the SFS fraction of the total turbulent kinetic energy (TKE); the fraction is about 0.15 in the bulk of the simulated convective boundary layer (CBL) used here and reaches values as large as 0.31 and 0.37 in the surface layer and entrainment layer, respectively.

For the proposed LES–LSM, the modeled crosswind-integrated concentration (CWIC) fields are in good agreement with the 1) surface-layer similarity (SLS) theory for a surface source in the CBL and 2) convection tank measurements of the CWIC for an elevated release in the CBL surface layer. The second comparison includes the modeled evolution of the vertical profile shape with downstream distance, which shows the attainment of an elevated CWIC maximum and a vertically well-mixed CWIC far downstream, in agreement with the tank data. For the proposed model, the agreement with the tank data and SLS theory is better than that obtained with an earlier model in which the SFS fraction of the TKE is assumed to be 1, and significantly better than a model that neglects the SFS velocities altogether.
Convective Influence on the Heat Balance of the Tropical Tropopause Layer: A Cloud-Resolving Model Study
Authors: Kuang Zhiming , Bretherton Christopher S.
Published: December 2004

The tropical tropopause layer (TTL), and in particular the cold point tropopause, has been previously suggested as a feature decoupled from convection. Using a cloud-resolving model, the authors demonstrate that convection, in fact, has a cooling effect in the TTL that significantly affects its thermal structure. In particular, the cold point is found to be strongly tied to the convective cooling maximum. The authors interpret these as natural features of an entrainment layer such as the TTL. The recognition that the cold point tropopause is strongly tied to, rather than decoupled from, convection suggests that dehydration processes at the cold point cannot be assumed as gradual and the effect of convection may not be ignored.
Growth of Circulation around Supercell Updrafts
Authors: Davies-Jones Robert
Published: December 2004

A formula is derived for the rate of change of circulation around an updraft perimeter at a constant elevation. This quantity depends on the continuous propagation of points on the edge, so an expression for local propagation of the edge is obtained from Petterssen's formula for the motion of an isopleth and the vertical equation of motion. On the edge of an updraft in inviscid anelastic flow, the local propagation velocity along the outward normal is equal to the local nonhydrostatic vertical pressure-gradient force (NHVPGF) divided by the magnitude of the local vertical-velocity gradient. Circulation around an updraft perimeter increases at a rate equal to the line integral around the edge of vertical vorticity times the outward propagation velocity. Formulas are also found for the propagation of an updraft's centroid at a given height and for the acceleration of an updraft's vertical helicity. All of the formulas are tested on exact Beltrami-flow solutions of the governing equations.

The relevance of two paradigms of supercell dynamics to local edge propagation and circulation growth of updrafts is evaluated by decomposing the NHVPGF into linearly and nonlinearly forced parts and examining results of supercell simulations in different types of shear. Propagation across the shear and rate of increase of circulation depend mostly on the nonlinear part of the NHVPGF (as in the vertical-wind-shear paradigm) for updrafts in nearly unidirectional shear and on the linear part (as in the helicity paradigm) for updrafts in shear that turns markedly with height.