bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Glucose‐induced thermogenesis in patients with small cell lung carcinoma. The effect of acute β‐adrenergic inhibition
Authors: Simonsen L. , Bülow J. , Tuxen C. , Christensen N. J.
Published: April 2008

Summary. Seven patients with histologically verified small cell lung carcinoma were given an oral glucose load of 75 g on two occasions to examine the effect of glucose on whole body and forearm thermogenesis with and without acute (3‐adrenergic inhibition with propranolol. Whole body energy expenditure was measured by the open circuit ventilated hood system. Forearm blood flow was measured by venous occlusion strain‐gauge plethysmography. The uptake of oxygen in the forearm was calculated as the product of the forearm blood flow and the difference in arteriovenous oxygen concentration. The glucose‐induced thermogenesis in the 120 min following the glucose load was significantly reduced by β‐adrenergic inhibition with approximately 50% from 63–9 ± 5–8 kJ 120 min‐1 (mean ± SE) to 27–8 ± 9–8 kJ 120 min‐1 (P<0–01). Almost the entire reduction took place from 60 to 120 min (P<0–005). The integrated glucose‐induced forearm oxygen uptake in the period 60–120 min following the glucose load was significantly reduced after β‐adrenergicinhibition from 103 ± 28 μmol 100 g‐160 min‐1 to 29 ± 29 μmol 100 g‐1 60 min‐1 (P<0–05). The noreadrenaline concentration in the arterial blood was not increased in the baseline period compared to healthy elderly; it increased following the glucose load while there was no demonstrable increase in adrenaline concentration in the two experiments. It is suggested that these patients have increased sensitivity of the β‐adrenergic receptors and an early facultative component of the glucose‐induced thermogenesis in part takes place in the forearm.
Cardiac output determined by the CO2 rebreathing method during arm exercise
Authors: Hopman M. T. E. , Oeseburg B. , Binkhorst R. A.
Published: April 2008

Summary: Since arm exercise affects the respiratory muscles the CO2 rebreathing method for determining cardiac output (QR) has to be evaluated during arm exercise. The purpose of this study was (1) to compare three different methods of determining arterial CO2 tension (PaCO2) during arm exercise, (2) to verify the linearity of the relationship between QR and oxygen uptake (VO2) during arm exercise, and (3) to investigate whether the CO2 rebreathing method according to Collier can determine accurately QR during arm exercise. Sixty male subjects performed arm‐cranking exercise at 20%, 40% and 60% of their individual maximal load. Carbon dioxide output (V̂O2) was measured by gas exchange measurement, and mixed venous CO2 tension (Pv̂O2) was determined from the CO2 rebreathing plateau at each exercise level. PaCO2 was estimated in three different ways: (A) by the modified Bohr formula for dead space, (B) by an arterialized blood sample from the hyperaemic ear‐lobe, and (C) by the end‐expiratory CO2 tension. A, B, and C were used to calculate QRa, Qb and Qc, respectively. The Pearson's correlation coefficient was high (P < 0–01) among the three different ways of estimating PaCO2. The QR‐VO2 relationship proved to be linear (P < 0–01). The Q‐values showed a good agreement with the direct Fick measurements, and were in the same range compared to other results obtained by dye dilution, electrical impedance cardiography and the exponential CO2 rebreathing method during arm exercise. In conclusion, the CO2 rebreathing method appeared to be accurate to determine Q during submaximal arm exercise.,
Insulin resistance is not exhibited by advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients
Authors: Jakobsson P. , Jorfeldt L. , von Schenck H.
Published: April 2008

Summary. We have previously reported increased blood glucose concentrations and skeletal muscle glycogen depletion in severe COPD patients with chronic respiratory failure. In order to see if insulin resistance exists in severe COPD, we investigated nine patients with advanced COPD with chronic hypoxaemia and seven healthy control subjects of similar age, using the euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic glucose clamp technique. We could not demonstrate a subnormal intravenous glucose requirement in response to insulin when maintaining euglycaemia in the COPD patients with chronic hypoxaemia. This indicates that the net metabolism of glucose in COPD patients with chronic hypoxaemia is not resistant to insulin.
Effect of posture on baroreflex sensitivity in healthy subjects
Authors: Hartikainen J. , Vanninen E. , Länsimies E.
Published: April 2008

Summary. In this study we investigated whether body position has significant effects on baroreflex sensitivity in healthy subjects. Baroreflex sensitivity was calculated from pressure overshoot after the release of a Valsalva strain in the supine and sitting positions in 10 subjects. At rest, no difference was found in supine and sitting mean R‐R intervals (837±82 and 858±86 ms, respectively), whereas systolic and diastolic blood pressures were lower in the supine position (111.3±24.6 vs. 141.2±12.6 mmHg, P<0.01 and 54.8±14.7 vs. 75.6±13.4 mmHg, P<0.001, respectively). Baroreflex sensitivity in the supine (9.0±4.1 ms±mmHg‐1) and sitting positions (8.8±4.9 msXmmHg‐1) did not differ significantly from each other. The correlation between supine and sitting baroreflex sensitivity was 0.96 (P<0.001) and in 9 out of 10 subjects the discrepancy between supine and sitting baroreflex sensitivity was <2.0 ms±mmHg‐1. We conclude that baroreflex sensitivity measured in the supine and sitting positions do not differ significantly from each other.
A flow model of respiration in health and disease
Authors: Nisell O.
Published: April 2008

Summary. Respiratory functions operating to transport O2 are depicted by a flow diagram which consists of eight consecutive units, each depending on the preceding one. All the units are characterized by three features: applicable drive, special capability and outgoing flow. The flows are: respiratory centre output for breathing; effects of respiratory motor nerves; contractions of respiratory muscles; ventilation movements of abdomen and thorax wall; ventilation movements of lungs and air; O2 taken up during ventilation transport; O2 flow through alveolar membrane; and O2 consumed during blood transport. Equations describe connections of the units. The magnitude of the pleural pressure swing during the ventilation cycle apparently estimates the respiratory drive if the functional connection from the respiratory centre to pleural pressure is normal.

Data from the literature are used to evaluate some unit parameters, at rest and during exercise. Breathlessness in somatic disease appears to originate from a low special capability of one or several units, raising, as does exercise, respiratory drive and effort.
Effects of ambulation on foot oxygen tension in limbs with peripheral atherosclerosis
Authors: Carter S. A.
Published: April 2008

Summary. As walking a few steps increases the arteriovenous pressure difference for blood flow through the feet, we studied the effect of a brief period of walking on transcutaneous oxygen tension (tcPO2). Foot tcPO2 was measured using Clarke type electrodes before, during and after a brief period of repetitive walking on the treadmill in 15 patients with various degrees of arterial obstruction. TCPO2 was significantly higher during walking, than while standing on the treadmill, in limbs with severe disease manifested by toe systolic pressure < 30 mmHg (mean change 0.7 kPa or 5 mmHg, P= 0.001). Also, supine tcPO2 was significantly higher following periods of walking than before in limbs with toe pressure both below and above 30 mmHg (mean change 1.5 kPa or 11 mmHg, P < 0.001). The results indicate that a brief period of walking increases skin oxygenation. Regimens of such exercise may promote healing in some limbs with arterial disease.
Heat‐washout: a new method for measuring cutaneous blood flow rate in areas with and without arteriovenous anastomoses
Authors: Midttun M. , Sejrsen P. , Colding‐Jørgensen M.
Published: April 2008

Summary. A new method, the heat‐washout method, for measuring total cutaneous blood flow rate is introduced. The measurements were performed with a transcutaneous (tc) PO2‐electrode that is capable of heating and measuring local temperature, and it is constructed with a thermostatically controlled cap. The probe was heated electrically to a selected temperature 2–10 degrees above normal skin temperature. When the temperature was stable, the heating element was turned off, and the temperature was registered every 10 s until a stable baseline temperature, Tb, was obtained. Tb, was subtracted from the registered temperatures giving δTs that were plotted in a semi‐logarithmic diagram. The heat‐washout was monoexponential, and the slope was used for calculating blood flow rate in accordance with the principle of Kety, using a known partition coefficient. The method was applied to the forearm in two subjects, and the results were compared to blood flow rates obtained simultaneously by the 133Xe‐washout method in the same area. The equation of the regression line was y = 2.5 + 0.968X and the correlation coefficient was 0.986 at temperature levels of 37.45°C. In the pulp of the thumb, blood flow rates, in arteriovenous anastomoses, were estimated in two subjects by subtracting the capillary blood flow rate, measured by 133Xe‐washout, from the total cutaneous blood flow rate, measured by heat‐washout. Due to a relatively low diffusions coefficient for 133Xe compared to heat, 133Xe cannot be used for measurement of blood flow rate in arteriovenous anastomoses.
Thromboxane metabolite excretion in patients with hand‐arm vibration syndrome
Authors: Nowak J. , Barregård L. , Benthin G. , Granung G. , Wennmalm Å.
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY. As chronic exposure to hand‐held vibrating tools may cause endothelial injury, a subsequent sustained platelet activation with the increased release of vasocon‐stricting thromboxane A2 (TxA2) could be of pathophysiological importance in vibration‐induced Raynaud's phenomenon. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate whether or not hand‐arm vibration syndrome is accompanied by increased endogenous TxA2 biosynthesis. The study involved 64 men, aged 23–61 years, stratified according to the exposure to vibrating tools, the presence of Raynaud's phenomenon, and smoking habit. Forty of them were car mechanics and 24 were age‐matched healthy volunteers who served as controls. The assessment of platelet TxA2 formation in vivo was performed by quantification of the urinary excretion of its major metabolite, 2,3‐dinor‐thromboxane B2 (2,3‐dinor‐TxB2), employing gas chromatography ‐ mass spectrometry. The average urinary excretion rate of 2,3‐dinor‐TxB2 in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon was 296±42 pg/mg creatinine and did not differ significantly from the corresponding values in controls (328±62 pg/mg creatinine) or individuals exposed to vibrating tools, but without any signs of vasospastic disease (232±29 pg/mg creatinine). The only statistically significant difference was found between smokers and non‐smokers (P < 0.001), a finding confirming the existence of chronic platelet dysfunction in cigarette smokers. The present data indicate that chronic exposure to vibrating tools, with or without Raynaud's phenomenon, is not associated with an enhanced platelet function as monitored by the urinary excretion of 2,3‐dinor‐TxB2. Hence, a possible vibration‐induced vascular injury does not seem to provide a stimulus sufficient to induce a persistent platelet activation.
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Authors: Samuelsson Pär , Blohmé Göran , Fowelin Jesper , Eriksson Jan W
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY. We evaluated a novel, simple non‐invasive method to assess systolic arterial toe pressures (ATP). It was empolyed in 63 subjects, of which 37 had suspected or established lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) and 26 did not. 48 of the subjects had diabetes and 15 were non‐diabetic. Pulsatile toe blood flow was monitored with a regular pulse oximeter (Biox 3700™, BOC Ohmeda, Helsingborg, Sweden) (POX) with the sensor on the tip of the great toe. A small blood pressure cuff was placed around the proximal part of the toe and was connected to a sphygmomanometer (Tycos™, Levimed AB, Hoganas, Sweden). Systolic pressure was estimated as the cuff pressure at which pulsatile blood flow ceased during cuff inflation. Toe pressure measurement was obtained, in parallel, using the established strain gauge plethysmographic technique. There was a good concordance between the two methods (linear regression: r=0.93; y = 1.1 X x‐6.4; y = pressure obtained with the pulse oximeter, x = pressure obtained with strain gauge, in mmHg). However, patients with very low systolic toe pressures, < 20 mmHg, could not be reproducibly assessed using the POX method. In conclusion, the POX method was found to be a simple and reliable method for the estimation of systolic toe pressures, at least for those above the severly ischemic level. It may provide an easily accessible and cost‐effective means of vascular assessment at the bedside, as well as for out‐patients.
Non‐invasive evaluation of sympathovagal balance in athletes by time and frequency domain analyses of heart rate and blood pressure variability
Authors: Uusitalo A. L. T. , Tahvanainen K.U.O. , Uusitalo A. J. , Rusko H. K.
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY. We examined how the time and frequency domain measures of heart rate and blood pressure variability at supine rest reflect the sympathovagal balance of 23 female and male endurance athletes. Pharmacological blocking by atropine and propranolol was used as a standard for defining autonomic control of the heart. The Rosenblueth and Simeone model for neural control of heart rate was used to calculate the sympathovagal balance index (Abai)‐ Atropinization significantly decreased all time and frequency domain measures of heart rate and blood pressure variability. (3‐Blockade significantly decreased further the low‐ < 0–07 Hz) and medium‐frequency power (007‐0‐15 Hz) variability of R‐R intervals (RRI) and SD of RRI. Abal was 0–629 ± 0019, indicating that parasympathetic activity predominated in the athletes. Basal heart rate (r= 0–519, P < 001), SD of RRI (r= ‐0–533, P < 0–01), root‐mean‐square of successive RRIs (RRI RMSSD) (r= ‐0–579, P < ‐05), RRI total (r=‐0–557, P <001) and RRI high‐frequency (HF) power (r= ‐0–582, P < 0–01) correlated significantly with Abal and parasympathetic activity index. We concluded that the best non‐invasive method of evaluating the sympathovagal balance of athletes at supine rest is to measure SD of RRI, RRI RMSSD, HF and total power of RRI variability. All heart rate variability measures were mainly parasympathetically modulated. The nature of blood pressure variability measures remained unclear and they could not be used to evaluate the sympathovagal balance among athletes.
Different [3HJouabain binding characteristics of fast and slow skeletal muscles in IDDM and NIDDM diabetic rats
Authors: Banydsz T. , Kovacs T.
Published: April 2008

SUMMARY. The aim of this study was to determine the ouabain receptor density, sodium content and contractile properties of skeletal muscles in rats with insulin‐dependent (IDDM) and non‐insulin‐dependent (NIDDM) diabetes mellitus induced by streptozo‐tocin treatment. These parameters were compared in isolated soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of diabetic animals and their age‐matched controls. Reversibility of the diabetes‐induced changes was studied by insulin or thyroxine substitution. In IDDM SOL muscles both the maximum [3H]ouabain binding capacity (5max) and dissociation constant (Kd) were decreased, the sodium content of the muscles increased and the velocity of contraction and relaxation decreased. Similar changes (except for the reduction of Smax) were observed in diabetic EDL muscles; however, in this case these differences were less prominent. All of these changes were reversed by insulin substitution, whereas thyroxine treatment normalized only the changes in 5max and velocity of contraction. In contrast to the changes observed in IDDM, NIDDM increased both Kd and Bmax values. Linear correlation was observed between the velocity of contraction or relaxation and the density of [3H]ouabain binding sites in the SOL muscles of IDDM rats. It is concluded that IDDM and NIDDM induce opposite alterations in the density and ouabain sensitivity of the Na+‐K+ pump in rat skeletal muscle. These diabetic changes are fully reversible with insulin substitution, they are variable in size according to the type of muscle, and are also reflected in the sodium content and, ultimately, in the contractile parameters of the muscles.
Flying an amphibian flagship: conservation of the Axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum through nature tourism at Lake Xochimilco, Mexico
Authors: BRIDE I. G. , GRIFFITHS R. A. , MELÉNDEZ‐HERRADA A. , MCKAY J. E.
Published: April 2008

The effectiveness of flagship species as a conservation tool is controversial, and amphibians are not usually regarded as meeting the strategic criteria that flagships demand. Capitalizing on the historical, cultural and economic importance of the Axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum at Lake Xochimilco, Mexico, a conservation programme for this species and its habitat was developed using the Axolotl as a flagship. The threats to the lake are complex and stem from the unsustainable use of its resources. The needs and livelihoods of local stakeholders must therefore be taken into account before attempting to address the threats. The programme therefore focused on developing nature tourism by training local boatmen (remeros) in environmental interpretation. Surveys showed that the boatmen increased their incomes and job satisfaction after training, and that the environmental interpretation programme improved relevant knowledge and awareness of visitors. Although ongoing threats mean that reintroduction of captive‐bred Axolotls is not appropriate, zoos with captive populations of Axolotls supported the programme regionally and internationally by providing publicity, funds, staff expertise, training support and themed educational activities. By raising both funds and awareness for the wider conservation of Lake Xochimilco, the Axolotl is probably the first amphibian flagship to be launched successfully.
Seasonal variations in stable isotope ratios of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from western Washington rivers
Authors: Reichert William L , Greene Correigh M , Bilby Robert E
Published: April 2008

Salmon carcasses provide a marine derived nutrient (MDN) subsidy to river systems, but the extent to which it affects juvenile salmon growth is unclear. To evaluate temporal and spatial nutrient contributions from watershed sources and MDNs using stable isotopes, Skagit River (Washington, USA) juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) were collected. Muscle samples were taken from fry through smolts to measure temporal changes in δ15N and δ13C. δ15N and δ13C levels declined from emergence until fall, when they approached values for resident cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) collected above anadromous barriers. Muscle δ13C was highly variable and did not increase subsequently. However, coho salmon δ15N increased during the winter. March coho salmon parr δ15N levels suggested high variability in carcass availability for consumption. During the next spring, δ15N levels again declined. In Griffin Creek, a Snoqualmie River tributary, a significant relationship between carcass density and δ15N and δ13C levels was found in March coho salmon parr. At high spawner densities, some parr δ15N exceeded carcass values; however, parr δ13C increased moderately. These findings show that stable isotope data provide insights on seasonal sources of nutrients. In addition, results indicate that March coho salmon parr δ15N levels would be a useful index of carcass availability for overwintering juvenile consumption.
THEORETICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE SPIN HAMILTONIAN PARAMETERS FOR THE TETRAGONALCu2+CENTERS INNH4X(X = Cl, Br, I)
Authors: WU SHAO-YI , GAO XIU-YING , LIN JI-ZI , FU QIANG , ZHANG HUA-MING
Published: April 2008

The spin Hamiltonian (SH) parameters g factors g‖, g⊥and the hyperfine structure constants A‖and A⊥for the tetragonal Cu2+centers (i.e., [ CuX4( H2O )2] clusters) in NH4X ( X = Cl, Br, I ) are theoretically investigated by means of the diagonalization procedure of complete (10×10) energy matrix (DPCEM) for a 3d9ion in tetragonal symmetry. The crystal-field parameters in the energy matrix are determined from the superposition model. The calculated SH parameters are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.
CLUSTER KINETICS AND DYNAMICS OF OSCILLATOR SYNCHRONIZATION
Authors: MCCOY BENJAMIN J. , MADRAS GIRIDHAR
Published: April 2008

Occurring in many natural and engineered systems, the collective synchronization of oscillators has attracted much research attention to understand its behavior. Following the well-known similarity of the synchronization to a condensation phase transition, we present a new approach on how a distribution kinetics model for cluster growth can be adapted to describe synchronization dynamics. We find that oscillators which synchronize, or cluster, according to a reversible association-dissociation mechanism demonstrate behavior like the conventional stability analysis. Oscillators proceed through exponential time dependence before taking on the power law behavior at intermediate times, as reported for model computations. The power varies for synchronization and depends on the rate coefficient, but is constant for desynchronization. In this analysis, the rate coefficient for cluster growth replaces the coupling constant in the conventional linear analysis. In terms of the coupling constant K and its critical value Kc, the coherence increases as (1-Kc/K), the expression that has been found to hold in the absence of noise.
GEOMETRICAL AND TOPOLOGICAL MODELING OF SUPERCOILING IN SUPRAMOLECULAR STRUCTURES
Authors: BOI LUCIANO
Published: April 2008

Both microscopic and macroscopic worlds are plentiful in knotted and linked structures. But even at the mesoscopic level, works in molecular topology have shown that Nature builds DNA molecules, which form actual knots and links between themselves. Qualitative similarities may be observed between forms of the microscopic world, as well as between those of the macroscopic world; and by extracting the structures, it is possible to study their dynamics thanks to topological methods and techniques. The aim of this paper is to show that knots and links are ubiquitous scale-independent objects carrying a tremendous amount of precious information on the emergence of new forms and structures especially in living matter. In fact, knotting and unknotting are "universal" principles underlying these forms and structures. This study is focused on showing that differential geometry and topological knot's theory can be used, notably (a) to describe three-dimensional structures of DNA and protein-DNA complexes, and (b) to explain how geometrical supercoiling occur in the most fundamental supra-molecular structures and why it is essential for their biological activity.
Regulation of Actin Assembly Associated With Protrusion and Adhesion in Cell Migration
Authors: Le Clainche Christophe , Carlier Marie-France
Published: April 2008

To migrate, a cell first extends protrusions such as lamellipodia and filopodia, forms adhesions, and finally retracts its tail. The actin cytoskeleton plays a major role in this process. The first part of this review (sect. ii) describes the formation of the lamellipodial and filopodial actin networks. In lamellipodia, the WASP-Arp2/3 pathways generate a branched filament array. This polarized dendritic actin array is maintained in rapid treadmilling by the concerted action of ADF, profilin, and capping proteins. In filopodia, formins catalyze the processive assembly of nonbranched actin filaments. Cell matrix adhesions mechanically couple actin filaments to the substrate to convert the treadmilling into protrusion and the actomyosin contraction into traction of the cell body and retraction of the tail. The second part of this review (sect. iii) focuses on the function and the regulation of major proteins (vinculin, talin, tensin, and α-actinin) that control the nucleation, the binding, and the barbed-end growth of actin filaments in adhesions.
Response To Kairomones By Some Alysiine and Eucoilid Parasitoid Species (Hymenoptera)
Authors: Vet Louise E.M.
Published: April 2008

Larval parasitoids of frugivorous Drosophila as well as related parasitoid species that attack Drosophila or Fannia species in mushrooms use water soluble larval kairomones in host location. Parasitoids of fungivorous flies allocate more searching time to patches containing a filtrate of mushrooms infested with host larvae compared to patches with a filtrate of uninfested mushrooms. Filtrates of mushrooms infested with a non-host species do not increase their searching time. Studies with parasitoids of frugivorous Drosophila showed that the ability to recognize kairomone is acquired through learning. Females without oviposition experience do not respond differently to patches with and without kairomone. Parasitoids that had learned the kairomone of one drosophilid host species also recognized the kairomone of another host species, which suggests that kairomones from Drosophilidae may be similar.
The Uphill Climb of Thai Cartooning
Authors: Lent John A.
Published: April 2008

This article is a synthesis of data the author gathered through interviews, observation, textual analysis and secondary literature searches, most of which were conducted in August 1993. Comic art in Thailand is treated from macro and micro perspectives, beginning with a brief history of, and contemporary insights about, the politics and economics of cartooning. Because political cartoonists have figured prominently in the country's often turbulent times, they are discussed in sections that highlight their professional concerns and their relationship with the government. The background and current status of the comic book industry is also presented, ending with a case study of the largest comics publisher in Thailand, Bun Lour Sarn.
"Fuku-chan" Goes to Java: Images of Indonesia in a Japanese Wartime Newspaper Comic Strip
Authors: Okamoto Rei
Published: April 2008

This article will discuss how a wartime Japanese comic strip portrayed Japan's war against the Allied troops, the natural settings, customs and cultural forms of Java, and the relationship of the Japanese and the Javanese. The discussion is based on a textual analysis of a popular newspaper comic strip, "Fuku-chan" (Little Fuku), during the three-month period in 1942 when Java was the focus of the strip. A close analysis of this widely read newspaper strip reveals how images of Indonesia - a newly occupied, unknown place - were introduced to the Japanese audience at the early stages of World War II (1941-1945).
Message in a Bottle: A Gallery of Social/Political Cartoons from Burma
Authors: Leehey Jennifer
Published: April 2008

In Burma or Myanmar where the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) seeks control over public discourse, social and political criticism must be carefully disguised. Cartoons, featured in privately published monthly magazines, play an important role in the circulation of critical discourse. Cartoons allow for multiple interpretations and thus can carry social messages through the strict censorship system. Eleven cartoons are presented, suggesting some current popular concerns. They satirize state propaganda and raise questions about the impact of new foreign investment. More generally, they reflect a worldview which sees norms of morality and rationality being steadily eroded under SLORC rule.
As Night Falls: A Dusun Harvest Ritual in Brunei1
Authors: Kershaw Eva Maria , Kershaw Roger
Published: April 2008

The Dusuns of Brunei constitute the largest non-Muslim indigenous minority of the state, numbering a little under 10,000 and remain the only indigenous group maintaining an ancient Bornean religion in vital form. But "pressures of modernization" and, most recently, government-sponsored Islamization have made inroads into these beliefs and practices. Just as the crocodile has been driven to the edge of extinction in Brunei rivers by hunters from other ethnic groups, so also is the survival of Dusun religion now questionable in the face of cultural inroads originating not only from economic development but from the limitless pretensions of the state. This essay presents in some detail a ritual which has remained immune to the impact of Islam among its performers to date. As the myths continue to fall into oblivion, the temarok buayo remains a context where the traditionally intimate relationship between the crocodile and Dusuns is still celebrated.
Wives' Voices: Unequal Reward Distribution in Small Family Businesses
Authors: Chiu Catherine C.H.
Published: April 2008

Women incorporate their labour in the family businesses owned by their husbands. Their labour is an important family resource for business survival but they do not reap the benefits proportional to their contributions. Most of them are resigned to the objective gender inequalities. Economic necessity, the absence of viable alternatives and the ideology of women's roles make their compliance inevitable. The enhancement of economic and social status resulting from their incorporation also provides a strong incentive for their continued cooperation.
The Tarekat Qadiriyah Wa Naqsyabandiyah in East Java and Islamic Politics in Indonesia
Authors: Turmudi Endang
Published: April 2008

This article explores the political aspects of Islamic parties in Jombang, East Java. The issue came about during the controversy arising out of the defection of the leader of the Tarekat Qadiriyah Wa Naqsyabandiyah, an Islamic order, prior to the 1977 general election. It raised questions as to the political orientation of Islamic groups in Indonesia during the 1970s and 1980s.
Intergenerational Support and Gender: A Comparison of Four Asian Countries
Authors: Ofstedal Mary Beth , Knodel John , Chayovan Napaporn
Published: April 2008

We examine patterns of intergenerational support, with a key focus on the gender of the providers, in four countries in East and Southeast Asia: Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. These countries make an interesting set for comparison because they are characterized by varying levels of social and economic development and different family systems, with the Philippines and Thailand having bilateral family systems, Taiwan having a strong patrilineal family system, and Singapore having a mix of the two systems across ethnic groups. Our analyses are based on a recent round of national surveys of older persons that were conducted in each country. The results reveal distinctive patterns and varying levels of flexibility across countries with respect to the gender of coresident married children, but only modest gender patterning in the provision of financial and material support and visiting patterns.
Southeast Asia: Comparatist Errors and the Construction of a Region
Authors: Rajah Ananda
Published: April 2008

This paper questions the utility of traditional depictions of Southeast Asia as a region in terms of cultural criteria. These depictions, are essentialized characterizations and to the extent that they are directed at identifying Southeast Asia as a region, they reflect comparatist errors. It is argued that the central issue is not how Southeast Asia can or cannot be depicted as a region but, rather, conceptualizing regions and regionness as human constructs. Such an approach requires a focus on interactions instead of identity. From this perspective, regions may be seen as interpenetrated systems, both in a global sense and in sub-regional terms. Interpenetration is seen in terms of interactions of varying intensity and density centering on structures of interest which may be competitive or complementary and where the role of brokers and broker institutions are pivotal. Accordingly, from a long-term human historical perspective, endogenous experiences of region and regionness may well be regarded as variable phenomena depending on the structures of interest and the part played by brokers and broker institutions in any given historical period.
The Logical Role of the Liar Paradox in Titus 1:12,13: a Dissent From the Commentaries in the Light of Philosophical and Logical Analysis
Authors: Thiselton Anthony C.
Published: April 2008

The proposition Cretans are always liars" is not a socio-contingent proposition about Cretans in Titus 1:12,13. It has nothing to do with stereotyping Cretans, but, placed as it is on the lips of a Cretan speaker, constitutes a purely logical or formal proposition which expresses a paradox. A careful tracing of the functions of logical paradox from Zeno and the other Greeks to modern mathematical logic demonstrates its frequent function as meta-language, to break out of a vicious circularity which may arise from within a single-level system of propositions. In Titus, the context substantiates the view which also emerges from philosophical analysis that paradox may expose a logical asymmetry between first-person utterances of a kind which are necessarily embedded in life through given commitments and third-person utterances which do not entail any given stake in life. The paradox of Titus 1:12 brings into focus the self-defeating and often fruitless escalation of claims in purely verbal exchanges which may be transposed to a constructive level if truth-claims made by the elders or bishops can be perceived as drawing currency from blameless conduct. They are not to be "empty talkers" who "profess to know God but deny him by their deeds" (1:8,10,16). A clumsy confusion arose in Patristic exegesis and thereafter between the logically necessary and logically contingent status of the proposition in Titus 1:12 for reasons which are explained here, including the blurring of two distinct traditions about "Epimenides" of Crete, with whom the paradox of the liar is strongly associated. Counterarguments to this proposal are considered and addressed, including the special function of the postscript "this testimony is true" (Titus 1:13a).
New Testament Ethics and Ours: Homosexuality and Sexuality in Romans 1:26-27
Authors: Davies Margaret
Published: April 2008

The article contains one major argument and one minor argument. The major argument is that Paul's strictures against homosexual practice were taken over from Leviticus and expressed a concern of Hellenistic Judaism. The Pauline subversion of the web of relations which make sense of the exclusion of homosexual practice within the Jewish tradition, however, leaves the Pauline strictures without warrant. The minor argument is that we in the twentieth century should subvert the Pauline assumption of difference between males and females, again adopted from the Jewish tradition, and that we should recognize a continuum and variety. Such a subversion would allow us to see ourselves primarily as people rather than primarily as either men or women.
Words as Deeds and Deeds as Words
Authors: Downing F. Gerald
Published: April 2008

A disjunction between "words and "deeds" is commonplace, but misleading. E.P. Sanders has used it to discount the retelling of the "sayings" of Jesus in favour of other narratives, seen as "the facts. " But speech-act analysis reminds us not only that we "do things with words," but that even mute "actions" are intentional, as
Texts in Dialogue With Texts: Intertextuality in the Ruth and Tamar Narratives
Authors: VAN WOLDE Ellen
Published: April 2008

This article reflects upon intertextuality or the dialogue between texts. After a survey of various views of intertextuality, a procedure for studying the intertextual relationships between biblical texts is presented. An extensive study of the dialogue between the Ruth and Tamar narratives concludes the article. The large amount of shared semantic and narratological features in these stories enable the reader to discover how Ruth and Tamar turn out to be the instruments by which Judah, Naomi and Boaz perceive and attain knowledge. As foreigners they are able to confront the insiders and to hold a mirror up to their faces. But in both stories, Ruth and Tamar disappear at the end and become ellipses in their own stories. Tamar made Judah see, Ruth made Naomi change and Boaz become aware, but their revealing activities eventually lead to their own disappearance. The mirror intended to unveil the audience has lead to the emptying of the foreigners, who do not confront, but confirm the Judahite identity.
Violence and the Construction of Gender in the Hebrew Bible: a New Historicist Approach 1
Authors: Washington Harold C.
Published: April 2008

This programmatic essay examines the discursive connections between violence and gender in the Hebrew Bible, as well as the methodological problem of the perpetuation of these biblical gender constructions in scholarly interpretation. Adopting a New Historicist perspective on the mutually productive relation of text and culture, the essay asserts that the institutions of warfare and rape are fundamental to the discursive production of the gendered subject in biblical texts: violence against a feminine object is central to consolidation of masculine identity. The article examines Hebrew sacral war motifs, the Deuteronomic laws of warfare and rape, biblical narratives of sexual assault, the prophetic metaphor of divine judgment as rape, and the motif of women who kill in the book of Judges.
'The Light of God's Law': Violence and Metaphysics in the '50s Widescreen Biblical Epic
Authors: Sheen Erica
Published: April 2008

The essay offers a reading of two episodes from widescreen biblical epics of the 1950s: Henry Koster's CinemaScope The Robe (Twentieth Century Fox, 1952), the story of the Roman centurion who played dice for Jesus' robe at the foot of the cross, and Cecil B. De Mille's VistaVision The Ten Commandments (Paramount, 1957). Widescreen technology was developed in response to a catastrophic postwar slump in cinema attendance. In this respect, it was extremely successful: by 1960, De Mille's film was top of Variety magazine's all-time grossing list. More important, however, is the fact that it transformed the very nature of the cinema image. This article reassesses the historical and theoretical significance of the '50s biblical epic, and argues not only that the metaphysics of presence it inscribed within the Hollywood frame has not been adequately theorised, but also that its transcendental values anticipate the challenge to poststructuralist thinking that has been gathering momentum in Jacques Derrida's readings of Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas.
Rereading the Body Politic: Women and Violence in Judges 21
Authors: Bach Alice
Published: April 2008

The essay compares the treatment of the women of Shiloh in Judges 21 with that of the pilegesh who is raped in Judges 19. The gaps and silences surrounding the violent acts against women described in Judges 21 can be filled with modern atrocities committed against women, particularly those in the rape camps in Bosnia. Filling the gaps will oblige the reader to hear the silence of the women who were given no agency by the biblical authors. If women can march through city streets to "take back the night," then feminist critics can also "take back the texts," or at least recognize what is at stake in the process of representing rape and the act of reading violence.
The Introduction To Ibn Rushd's Bidăyat Al-Mujtahid
Authors: Dutton Yasin
Published: April 2008

Ibn Rushd's Bidāyat al-mujtahid is a book on legal differences (ikhtilāf)1 in which he not only details the main points of difference between the various Sunni legal schools (madhāhib, sing. madhhab) but also aims to explain the juristic principles (usŪl) that lie behind these differences in the details (furŪc) of the law. Presented here is a new annotated translation of the Introduction to this book, which is of interest both as a masterly summary of these basic juristic principles from a classical Muslim point of view, and for what it tells us about Ibn Rushd the jurist. The translation is prefaced by an introductory section giving brief details of Ibn Rushd the man and the nature and significance of his Bidāya.
A Sociology of Sacred Texts
Authors: Davies Jon
Published: April 2008

In 1992 Sheffield Academic Press will publish a selection of the papers given at this Conference, which was held in Newcastle in July 1991. The Conference was organized by the Department of Religious Studies at Newcastle University. The Head of the Department at the time was Professor John Sawyer. The publication will be edited by the new Head of the Department, Jon Davies, and by Isabel Wollaston, currently a British Academy Post Doctoral Fellow at Oxford. Two of our students-Carol Charlton and Michael Burke-worked extra hours to make sure the organisation functioned. Our thanks are due to them and to all participants. This article is in part a summary of the Conference and of those papers which will appear in the book. It is also a contribution in its own right to an understanding of the relationships between the social sciences [sociology and anthropology] and theology. Several cross-cutting social, personal and professional loyalties can, and often do create degrees of distance, dispute and misunderstanding between the two disciplines. As it happens, this Conference managed to find a respectable acreage of common ground; but it is perhaps useful to mention some of the possible areas of controversy, if only because any future conference will probably have to deal with them more directly than we chose to! Readers will of course realise that the book is still being prepared and that the papers discussed here may well be altered or added to. The premise of this article is that all "TEXTS", be they sacred or secular, ancient or modem, canonical or provisional, are the products of human social transactions, a human context, with all that this means for the processes of text-creation and the business of conscious, purposeful, fallible, writing and editing. Texts and contexts change together; and change each other.
Non-substantial Individuals in the Categories
Authors: Heinaman Robert
Published: April 2008

There is a dispute as to what sort of entity non-substantial individuals are in Aristotle's Categories. The traditional interpretation holds that non-substantial individuals are individual qualities, quantities, etc. For example, Socrates' white is an individual quality belonging to him alone, numerically distinct from (though possibly specifically identical with) other individual colors. I will refer to these sorts of entities as 'individual instances.' The new interpretation1 suggests instead that non-substantial individuals are atomic species such as a specific shade of white that is indivisible into more specific shades. On this view, non-substantial individuals are what we would call universals2 which can be present in different individual substances, but are labelled 'individuals' by Aristotle because, like individual substances, there is nothing they are said of.3 In this paper I will defend the traditional account by attempting to show that it is supported by the slender textual evidence that is available. I will begin by stating three serious objections to the traditional interpretation. Next I will show that in works later than the Categories Aristotle accepted individual instances of properties of the sort found in the Categories by the traditional interpretation. Finally, I will set out the evidence that supports the traditional interpretation and answer the three objections.
Definitions and Hypotheses in Posterior Analytics 72 a 19-25 and 76 b 35-77 a 4
Authors: Landor Blake
Published: April 2008

In An. Post. I, 2, 72 a 8ff., Aristotle gives a description of the kinds of premisses that can occur in a demonstration. It is the purpose of this paper to explore some difficulties that arise in the interpretation of this passage and of the related passage at An. Post. I, 10, 76b 33 ff.
The Moral and Conceptual Universe of Cockfighters: Symbolism and Rationalization
Authors: Hawley Fred
Published: April 2008

Cockfighting is an ancient sport that has deep roots in rural parts of the world and in certain areas of the United States. It also has great symbolic significance to its practitioners and aficionados as an affirmation of masculine identity in a increasingly complex and diverse era. Although the activity is illegal in most jurisdictions, it continues, generally in a covert setting. Because cockfighting is subject to criminal sanction and informal social disapproval, cockfighters have developed rationalizations which they use among themselves and offer to outsiders. These rationalizations are complex; some are overtly religious in nature. Cockfighters do more than merely talk about their pastime - they actively engage in formal and informal lobbying to keep criminal penalties for their activity at a low level of severity. As the nation continues to urbanize, these lobbying efforts, while effective in the past, are gradually losing legislative support. For a number of reasons, the pastime is losing respectability and adherents and will probably be criminalized nationwide before the end of the century.
The Symbolic Role of Animals in the Plains Indian Sun Dance
Authors: Lawrence Elizabeth Atwood
Published: April 2008

For many tribes of Plains Indians whose bison-hunting culture flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries, the sun dance was the major communal religious ceremony. Generally held in late spring or early summer, the rite celebrates renewal-the spiritual rebirth of participants and their relatives as well as the regeneration of the living earth with all its components. The sun dance reflects relationships with nature that are characteristic of the Plains ethos, and includes symbolic representations of various animal species, particularly the eagle and the buffalo, that once played vital roles in the lives of the people and are still endowed with sacredness and special powers. The ritual, involving sacrifice and supplication to insure harmony between all living beings, continues to be practiced by many contemporary native Americans.
The Caring Sleuth: Portrait of an Animal Rights Activist
Authors: Shapiro Kenneth
Published: April 2008

The present study of the psychology of animal rights activists utilizes a qualitative analytic method based on two forms of data: a set of questionnaire protocols completed by grassroots activists and of autobiographical accounts by movement leaders. The resultant account keys on the following descriptives: (1) an attitude of caring, (2) suffering as an habitual object of perception, and (3) the aggressive and skillful uncovering and investigation of instances of suffering. In a final section, the investigator discusses tensions and conflicts arising from these three themes and various ways of attempting to resolve them.
The Abuse of Animals and Domestic Violence: A National Survey of Shelters for Women who are Battered
Authors: Wood David S. , Weber Claudia V. , Ascione Frank R.
Published: April 2008

The maltreatment of animals, usually companion animals, may occur in homes where there is domestic violence, yet we have limited information about the prevalence of such maltreatment. We surveyed the largest shelters for women who are battered in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Shelters were selected if they provided overnight facilities and programs or services for children. Ninety-six percent of the shelters responded. Analysis revealed that it is common for shelters to serve women and children who talk about companion animal abuse. However, only a minority of respondents indicated that they systematically ask about companion animal maltreatment in their intake interview. We discuss the implications of these results for domestic violence programs, animal welfare organizations, and programs serving children of women who are battered by their partners.