bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loss of RAB‐3/A in Caenorhabditis elegans and the mouse affects behavioral response to ethanol
Authors: Kapfhamer D. , Bettinger J. C. , Davies A. G. , Eastman C. L. , Smail E. A. , Heberlein U. , McIntire S. L.
Published: April 2008

The mechanisms by which ethanol induces changes in behavior are not well understood. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans loss‐of‐function mutations in the synaptic vesicle‐associated RAB‐3 protein and its guanosine triphosphate exchange factor AEX‐3 confer resistance to the acute locomotor effects of ethanol. Similarly, mice lacking one or both copies of Rab3A are resistant to the ataxic and sedative effects of ethanol, and Rab3A haploinsufficiency increases voluntary ethanol consumption. These data suggest a conserved role of RAB‐3‐/RAB3A‐regulated neurotransmitter release in ethanol‐related behaviors.
Reticular erythema with focal mid‐dermal elastophagocytosis (REMDE)
Authors: Hillen Uwe
Published: April 2008

A 57‐year‐old man presented with a persistent arcuate partly reticular erythema of the upper chest. Histopathological examination revealed an upper and mid‐dermal perivascular and interstitial dermatitis with macrophages which had engulfed elastic fibers. Additionally a focal dermal elastolysis was observed. The characteristic clinicopathological constellation has hitherto been reported in only 3 cases, including our case. Presumably, the disease belongs to a spectrum of clinical manifestation of mid‐dermal elastolysis. It is suggested to gather future cases under the provisional diagnosis ‘‘reticular erythema with focal mid‐dermal elastophagocytosis” (REMDE) to gain more insights into this rare disease.
Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia increases intestinal protein permeability and the prevalence of cow's milk protein intolerance
Authors: Raimondi Francesco , Indrio Flavia , Crivaro Valeria , Araimo Gabriella , Capasso Letizia , Paludetto Roberto
Published: April 2008

Aims: Bilirubin is a newly discovered modulator of the gut barrier in vitro and in vivo. We studied the effect of bilirubin on the serosal to mucosal intestinal permeability in vivo. We also investigated the prevalence of cow's milk protein intolerance (CMPI) in infants with moderate hyperbilirubinemia versus matched controls.

Methods: Faecal alpha 1 antitrypsin (a1AT) was used to monitor intestinal protein loss; a large cohort was prospectively followed for 12 months for sign and symptoms of CMPI.

Results: Neonates with hyperbilirubinemia had higher stool excretion of a1AT than controls (0.68 ± 0.28 mg/g vs. 0.25 ± 0.11 mg/g; p < 0.01). Faecal a1AT correlates with total serum bilirubin (TSB) (r = 0.85; p < 0.01). Also, in the first 12 months of life, formerly hyperbilirubinemic infants had an higher prevalence of CMPI (14/353 vs. 4/339; χ2= 4.018, p = 0.045).

Conclusions: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia increases stool protein loss and is also a mild risk factor for CMPI.
Predictive value of Apgar score in infants with very low birth weight
Authors: Mori Rintaro , Shiraishi Jun , Negishi Hirokuni , Fujimura Masanori
Published: April 2008

Background: Accurate prediction of the prognosis of infants with very low birth weight is beneficial both for their parents and for healthcare professionals.

Methods: This was a population‐based study of all low‐birth‐weight infants admitted to neonatal units in one region in Japan. The Apgar score at 1 and 5 min and neonatal mortality were retrospectively analyzed to obtain the predictive values of the scores. The results were stratified into two categories by birth weight and three time periods (1980–1986, 1987–1993 and 1994–2000).

Results: The predictive values improved in the later years, and therefore only the data obtained in the period 1994–2000 were used. A score of less than 5 at 5 min appears to be a good predictor of neonatal mortality in infants with a birth weight between 1500 g and 2499 g (positive likelihood ratio, 17.59 [95% confidence interval (CI) 12.68–24.40]); however, there is no evidence that the score is a good predictor of neonatal mortality in infants with very low birth weight.

Conclusion: In infants with a low birth weight between 1500 g and 2499 g, an Apgar score at 5 min of less than 5 is a good predictor of neonatal mortality. The score is not useful in predicting the short‐term prognosis of very low‐birth‐weight infants.
Paediatric poisonings treated in one Finnish main university hospital between 2002 and 2006
Authors: Kivistö Juho E , Arvola Taina , Parkkari Jari , Mattila Ville M
Published: April 2008

Aim: Acute poisonings are a major cause of morbidity among children. This study aims to describe the incidence and nature of emergency visits for acute paediatric poisoning among Finnish children.

Methods: All patients younger than 16 years admitted to the Tampere University Hospital's emergency department with a diagnosis of poisoning during 2002–2006 were identified from the Hospital Information System using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐10).

Results: Altogether 369 emergency visits were diagnosed with poisoning, the overall incidence being 8.1 per 10 000 person–years (95% CI 7.3–9.0). A majority of patients were adolescents aged 10–15 years (48%) and children under 5 years (45%). Boys represented 55% of the cases. Nonpharmaceutical agents were suspected to be the cause in 60.4% and pharmaceuticals in 30.6% of the intoxications. Multiple agents were involved in 8.4% of the cases. Ethanol was the agent in 30.9% of the poisonings. Most patients (78.9%) were hospitalized (median length of stay 1 day). Overall mortality was 0.3%.

Conclusion: Acute paediatric poisonings represent a relatively frequent problem in Finland, and remain a life‐threatening problem. The high proportion of alcohol poisonings highlights the necessity to develop more effective primary prevention programs.
EFFECT OF WHEY PROTEIN EDIBLE FILM PACKAGING ON THE QUALITY AND MOISTURE UPTAKE OF DRIED PEANUTS
Authors: JAVANMARD MAJID
Published: April 2008

Whey protein, a by‐product of cheese manufacture, can be used to make edible films and coatings that are oxygen, aroma, oil and/or moisture barriers. Dried peanut kernels were packed into whey protein concentrate (WPC)–olive oil composite films and stored at 25C for 4 weeks. Peroxide value (PV), moisture uptake and sensory attributes of control (unpacked) and packed samples were evaluated for 28 days. Maximum moisture uptake was found (5.40 ± 0.14%) in unpacked (control) peanut kernels, but packaging peanuts in WPC–olive oil films led to minimum moisture uptake. Dried peanut packed with WPC films with glycerol : protein ratios (w/w) of 0.7 received better crunchiness and overall acceptability than the control and other treated samples in other film compositions. WPC–oil bags reduced the PV in treated dried peanut kernels. WPC–lipid composite films can delay the development of rancidity of dried peanuts at intermediate (50%) relative humidities. Incorporation of oil in WPC films had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on the PV of packed peanuts. Weight losses of unpackaged peanuts at a higher level (10.15% w/w) were significantly bigger than peanuts packaged at a lower level (1.05% w/w).

These results suggest that a whey protein‐based film is a viable alternative packaging process for peanuts and could improve the shelf life and some sensory properties of nuts.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Whey protein, a by‐product of cheese manufacture, can be used to make edible films and coatings that are oxygen, aroma, oil and/or moisture barriers. The mechanical properties of whey protein films can provide durability when used as coatings on food products, films separating layers of heterogeneous foods or pouches for food ingredients. To the degree the edible films and coatings protect foods, the amount of packaging can be reduced and recyclability of the packaging waste can be improved.
Management and reproduction of the Komodo dragon Varanus komodoensis Ouwens 1912 at ZSL London Zoo
Authors: SUNTER G.
Published: April 2008

The Komodo dragon Varanus komodoensis is the world's largest living lizard. Despite numerous collections exhibiting these animals, only a small number of institutions worldwide have managed to breed them. Here, we discuss the new, purpose‐built breeding facility at ZSL London Zoo and recent husbandry changes that resulted in the oviposition of two fertile clutches of eggs and five hatchling Komodo dragons for the first time in the United Kingdom. Four of the Komodo dragons were produced parthenogenetically, which is the first time this has been documented in this species.
Krill diel vertical migration fine dynamics, nocturnal overturns, and their roles for aggregation in stratified flows
Authors: Sourisseau M , Simard Y , Saucier F J
Published: April 2008

A set of high-resolution observations on short-term dynamics of krill diel vertical migrations (DVM) in the St. Lawrence Estuary are presented here, including vertical mass transfer measurements from multifrequency echo sounding coupled with stratified net sampling and tracers of individual vertical movements from stomach pigments over a 72 h period. The data set is supplemented by vertical migration speeds and biomass diel patterns from ADCP (acoustic Doppler current profiler) time series lasting up to 3 months. All krill always rapidly migrated to the surface in synchrony at sunset. Soon after the ascent, fed krill started to swim downward. A scattering layer was then formed at their daytime depth with sometimes a significant backscatter at intermediate depths, especially around midnight. A reorganisation in the upper water column then occurs, likely for a predawn feeding bout. At dawn, the krill mass still feeding in upper water column synchronously swam downward to their daytime depth. This nocturnal asynchronous vertical behaviour, conforming to the DVM hunger-satiation hypothesis, repeated between August and October in two different years, the DVM timing being determined by day length.
Analysis of trade-offs between threats of invasion by nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and intentional isolation for native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi)
Authors: Peterson Douglas P , Rieman Bruce E , Dunham Jason B , Fausch Kurt D , Young Michael K
Published: April 2008

Native salmonid fishes often face simultaneous threats from habitat fragmentation and invasion by nonnative trout species. Unfortunately, management actions to address one may create or exacerbate the other. A consistent decision process would include a systematic analysis of when and where intentional use or removal of barriers is the most appropriate action. We developed a Bayesian belief network as a tool for such analyses. We focused on native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) and nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and considered the environmental factors influencing both species, their potential interactions, and the effects of isolation on the persistence of local cutthroat trout populations. The trade-offs between isolation and invasion were strongly influenced by size and habitat quality of the stream network to be isolated and existing demographic linkages within and among populations. An application of the model in several sites in western Montana (USA) showed the process could help clarify management objectives and options and prioritize conservation actions among streams. The approach can also facilitate communication among parties concerned with native salmonids, nonnative fish invasions, barriers and intentional isolation, and management of the associated habitats and populations.
Models and indicators for assessing conservation and fisheries-related effects of marine protected areas
Authors: Pelletier Dominique , Claudet Joachim , Ferraris Jocelyne , Benedetti-Cecchi Lisandro , Garcìa-Charton José Antonio
Published: April 2008

Two kinds of approaches have been used for assessing conservation and fisheries-related effects of marine protected areas (MPAs): (i) statistical modelling based on field data and (ii) mathematical modelling quantifying the consequences of MPAs on the dynamics of populations, communities, and fisheries. Statistical models provide a diagnostic on the impact of MPAs on the ecosystem and resources; they are also needed for devising and assessing sampling designs for monitoring programs. Dynamic models enable exploration of the consequences of MPA designs and other management policies. We briefly review how each of these approaches has been implemented up to now in the literature and identify potential indicators of MPA effects that can be obtained from each approach to provide scientific advice for managers. Methodological gaps that impede the assessment of MPA effects and the construction of appropriate indicators are then discussed, and recent developments in this respect are presented. We finally propose ways to reconcile the two approaches based on their complementarity to derive suitable indicators to support decision making. In this respect, we suggest in addition that MPA managers should be associated from the beginning to the design and construction of indicators.
INFLUENCE FUNCTIONAL FOR DECOHERENCE OF INTERACTING ELECTRONS IN DISORDERED CONDUCTORS
Authors: VON DELFT JAN
Published: April 2008

In this review, we rederive the controversial influence functional approach of Golubev and Zaikin (GZ) for interacting electrons in disordered metals in a way that allows us to show its equivalence, before disorder averaging, to diagrammatic Keldysh perturbation theory. By representing a certain Pauli factor [Formula: see text] occuring in GZ's effective action in the frequency domain (instead of the time domain, as GZ do), we also achieve a more accurate treatment of recoil effects. With this change, GZ's approach reproduces, in a remarkably simple way, the standard, generally accepted result for the decoherence rate. — The main text and appendices A.1 to A.3 of the present review are comparatively brief, and have been published previously; for convenience, they are included here again (with minor revisions). The bulk of the review is contained in several additional, lengthy appendices containing the relevant technical details.
INSIGHTS INTO THE MECHANISMS OF QUINOL OXIDATION IN CYTOCHROME bc1IN LIGHT OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE BACTERIAL COMPLEX
Authors: ESSER LOTHAR , YU LINDA , YU CHANG-AN , XIA DI
Published: April 2008

The ten years since the first publication of the structure from bovine heart mitochondria in 1997 have significantly broadened our structural knowledge of cytochrome bc1and b6f complexes from various organisms under a variety of conditions providing unprecedented mechanistic insights into the function of these essential enzymes. Still many questions remain. The bifurcated electron transfer at the quinol oxidation ( QP) site is one of the most difficult and unresolved problems. Intertwined with it, the proton translocation pathway and the quinol oxidation chemistry have remained focuses of intense research. Structural studies of mitochondrial bc1complexes have not only provided an atomic view of the bc1complex, defining many critical, functionally important features such as the locations of the QPand QNsites, but have also offered a number of important clues to mechanistic issues leading to the formulation of the "conformational switch of ISP" hypothesis. Intensive biochemical, genetic, and biophysical studies coupled with structural investigations have provided strong support for this hypothesis. The recent structure determination of the bc1from the photosynthetic bacterium R. sphaeroides promises further insight.
Local Gene Expression in Axons and Nerve Endings: The Glia-Neuron Unit
Authors: Giuditta Antonio , Tai Chun Jong , Eyman Maria , Cefaliello Carolina , Bruno Anna Paola , Crispino Marianna
Published: April 2008

Neurons have complex and often extensively elongated processes. This unique cell morphology raises the problem of how remote neuronal territories are replenished with proteins. For a long time, axonal and presynaptic proteins were thought to be exclusively synthesized in the cell body, which delivered them to peripheral sites by axoplasmic transport. Despite this early belief, protein has been shown to be synthesized in axons and nerve terminals, substantially alleviating the trophic burden of the perikaryon. This observation raised the question of the cellular origin of the peripheral RNAs involved in protein synthesis. The synthesis of these RNAs was initially attributed to the neuron soma almost by default. However, experimental data and theoretical considerations support the alternative view that axonal and presynaptic RNAs are also transcribed in the flanking glial cells and transferred to the axon domain of mature neurons. Altogether, these data suggest that axons and nerve terminals are served by a distinct gene expression system largely independent of the neuron cell body. Such a local system would allow the neuron periphery to respond promptly to environmental stimuli. This view has the theoretical merit of extending to axons and nerve terminals the marginalized concept of a glial supply of RNA (and protein) to the neuron cell body. Most long-term plastic changes requiring de novo gene expression occur in these domains, notably in presynaptic endings, despite their intrinsic lack of transcriptional capacity. This review enlightens novel perspectives on the biology and pathobiology of the neuron by critically reviewing these issues.
Sensitivity to Interaural Level Difference and Loudness Growth with Bilateral Bimodal Stimulation
Authors: Francart Tom , Brokx Jan , Wouters Jan
Published: April 2008

The interaural level difference (ILD) is an important cue for the localization of sound sources. The sensitivity to ILD was measured in 10 users of a cochlear implant (CI) in one ear and a hearing aid (HA) in the other severely impaired ear. For simultaneous presentation of a pulse train on the CI side and a sinusoid on the HA side the just noticeable difference (JND) in ILD and loudness growth functions were measured. The mean JND for pitch-matched electric and acoustic stimulation was 1.7 dB. A linear fit of the loudness growth functions on a decibel-versus-microampere scale shows that the slope depends on the subject’s dynamic ranges.
Questionnaire Analysis of Swallowing-Related Outcomes following Glossectomy
Authors: Kazi R. , Prasad V. , Venkitaraman R. , Nutting C.M. , Clarke P. , Rhys-Evans P. , Harrington K.J.
Published: April 2008

Objective: To determine the effects of a partial/total glossectomy on the swallow-related quality of life (QOL). Design: Cross-sectional, single-centre cohort study. Patients and Methods: Thirty-one patients who underwent partial/total glossectomy at our centre participated in the study. Main outcome was measured using the MD Andersen Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) questionnaire. Results: Responses were received from 24 males and 7 females (response rate of 77.5%) with a median age of 50 years (range: 28–72). Median follow-up in patients was 33 months (range 4–210). The mean MDADI total score in our series of patients was 71.7 (SD 18.8). Mean MDADI global score was 64.5 (SD 29.1), mean Emotional score was 71.9 (SD 19.1), mean Functional score was 73.7 (SD 19.1) and mean Physical score was 69.3 (SD 21.7). Statistically significant differences were seen between the global, emotional and physical scores of patients who had received radiotherapy (Mann-Whitney, p < 0.05) and tracheostomy (functional score, Mann-Whitney, p = 0.038). Conclusion: The presence of tracheostomy tube and previous radiotherapy affects swallowing outcome in patients who have had surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.
Modified Prosthetic Vascular Conduits
Authors: Kapadia Muneera R. , Popowich Daniel A. , Kibbe Melina R.
Published: April 2008

Atherosclerosis in the form of peripheral arterial disease results in significant morbidity. Surgical treatment options for peripheral arterial disease include angioplasty, endarterectomy, and bypass grafting. For bypass grafting, vein remains the conduit of choice; however, poor quality and limited availability have led to the use of prosthetic materials. Unfortunately, because of a lack of endothelium and compliance mismatch, neointimal hyperplasia develops aggressively, resulting in high failure rates. To improve graft patency, investigators have developed surgical, chemical, and biological graft modifications. This review describes common prosthetic materials, as well as approaches currently in use and under investigation to modify and improve prosthetic conduits for bypass grafting in an effort to improve graft patency rates.
Medical Management of Small Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Authors: Baxter B. Timothy , Terrin Michael C. , Dalman Ronald L.
Published: April 2008

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a common condition that may be lethal when it is unrecognized. Current guidelines suggest repair as the aneurysm diameter reaches 5.0 to 5.5 cm. Most aortic aneurysms are detected incidentally when imaging is done for other purposes or through screening programs. Ninety percent of these aneurysms are below the threshold for intervention at the time of detection. A number of studies have sought to determine factors that lead to progression of aneurysmal disease that might be amenable to intervention during this period of observation. We review these studies and make recommendations for the medical management of small abdominal aortic aneurysms. On the basis of our current knowledge of the causes of aneurysm, a number of approaches have been proposed to prevent progression of aneurysmal disease. These include hemodynamic management, inhibition of inflammation, and protease inhibition. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical practice guidelines rules of evidence have helped to define strength of evidence to support these approaches. Level A evidence (from large randomized trials) is available to indicate that observation of small aneurysms in men is safe up to a size of 5.5 cm and that propranolol does not inhibit aneurysm expansion. Level B evidence (from small randomized trials) suggests that roxithromycin or doxycycline will decrease the rate of aneurysm expansion. A number of studies agree that tobacco use is associated with an increased rate of aneurysm expansion. Level B and C evidence is available to suggest that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) may inhibit aneurysm expansion. There are animal data but no human data demonstrating that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or losartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker, will decrease the rate of AAA expansion. A pharmacological agent without important side effects that inhibited aneurysm expansion could change current approaches to aneurysm treatment. Additional studies are needed to clarify the potential role of doxycycline, roxithromycin, and statin therapy in the progression of aneurysmal disease.
Olfactory Microhabitat Selection in Leptopilina Heterotoma (Thomson) (Hym.: Eucoilidae), a Parasitoid of Drosophilidae
Authors: Vet Louise E.M. , Van Opzeeland Karin
Published: April 2008

Leptopilina heterotoma (Thomson) and Asobara tabida (Nees), solitary endoparasitoids of frugivorous Drosophila larvae, are assumed to be competitors. Olfactometer experiments showed, however, that the species differ in their preference for microhabitat odours. Whereas A. tabida prefers a fresh fermenting sugar/yeast medium, L. heterotoma prefers this medium in a later stage of decay. These results are confirmed by field observations. This temporal separation between the species, which is not complete because some multiparasitism does occur, may be one of the factors to their coexistence. Odour preference in L. heterotoma is not modified by larval conditioning, but conditioning of the adults significantly influenced their odour response. The ecological significance of such learning is discussed. It is argued that even though such behavioural flexibility may enhance foraging efficiency when resources are unpredictable, it may also influence the amount of competition between the two parasitoid species.
The Philippine Komiks: Text as Containment
Authors: Reyes Soledad S.
Published: April 2008

In its 80 years of existence, the Philippine komiks has provided more than fun and entertainment to its millions of readers. A large number of series, especially in the American colonial era, problematized taken-for-granted realities shaped by the people's colonial experience. The post-war years witnessed the production of more serials which mirrored the complex series of transformations that Philippine society has undergone.
The "Revealing" and "Concealing" of Technology
Authors: Parayil Govindan
Published: April 2008

From the point of view of the oppressed and the exploited in an iniquitous political economic order, technological change conceals more than what it reveals. The concealing of technology could be the ideological bias or intentions of its promoters or protagonists which is more often concealed than revealed in social theories and analysis of technological change. Using the poison gas explosion at the Union Carbide pesticide plant at Bhopal as a case in point, I will argue that this technological massacre of a city population can be read only as the concealing of the "real" nature of the technology of the so-called "Green Revolution" in India's agricultural modernization programme.
The Offering of Isaac in Jewish and Christian Tradition
Authors: Jensen Robin M.
Published: April 2008

Until recently, early Christian artistic representations of Abraham offering Isaac for sacrifice have been understood as symbols of Christ's passion and (simultaneously or alternately) typological references to the Eucharistic offering. This interpretation has been influenced by early Christian writings which understand Isaac to have been a type of Christ and his offering a prefigurement of Jesus' passion. In the past two decades some scholars have challenged that interpretation, particularly with reference to images that were made before the mid-fourth century CE, partly by offering arguments regarding the place of the artistic image in the religion's social matrix, and partly by distinguishing different purposes for images and texts. This paper examines the images themselves and re-opens the question of the artistic presentation of this biblical narrative and its interpretation. The first section of the study presents the most exemplary images, and then examines both early Christian and Jewish literature regarding the sacrifice of Isaac. The last section of the paper critiques various scholars' interpretations of the images' meaning in early Christian times by reflecting on the integration of text and image, as well as the methods and problems of iconographical study. Of particular concern is the question of what characterizes "popular" communication. The paper concludes that, although presented in a different form and possibly more available to a general audience, early Christian artistic representations may be vehicles for the same symbolic and allegorical typologies that are presented in documents from the same time period and geographical region.
Texts Don't have Ideologies
Authors: Fowl Stephen
Published: April 2008

Over the past fifteen years "ideological criticism" of the Bible has grown to become an accepted practice within the academy. It has provided a site where feminists, Marxists, liberation theologians and other interested parties have been able to engage in discussion aimed largely at displaying the wide variety of competing interests operating in both the production and interpretation of the Bible. Unfortunately, it is common among ideological critics of the Bible to speak of biblical texts as having ideologies. The thrust of this article is to claim that this way of thinking confuses a wide range of issues concerning the relationships between texts and the social practices which both generated those texts and are sustained by interpretations of particular texts. This position is defended by an examination of the various ways in which the Abraham story was read from Genesis through Philo, Paul, and Justin Martyr.
CONCENTRIC STRUCTURES IN MARK 1:14-3:35 (4:1) With Some Observations on Method
Authors: VAN IERSEL B.M.F.
Published: April 2008

The various divisions suggested for Mark 1:14-3:35 (4:1) show that the problem of the delimitation and arrangement of concentric structures calls for a criterion by which it is possible to decide between conflicting divisions. The Gospel of Mark originated in a semi-literature culture where texts were read to an audience from manuscripts written in scription continua. The criterion required is based on the assumption that concentric structures were designed to structure the reading/hearing process by distinguishing between segments. Since concentric structures consist in the repetition of elements used before, easily recognizable repetitions take priority over those less identifiable. On the basis of this criterion indicators of macro-divisions are preferred to those of micro-divisions, so that, e.g., the parable discourse in 4:2-34 is regarded as an individual section and thus becomes the centre of the second main part. The criterion is also used for segmenting the text at micro-level, e.g., in Mark 3, where 3:7-9 + 4:1 is preferred to 3:21 + 3:31-35. With the help of the usual criteria 1:14-4:1 is analyzed and identified as the first section. It consists of three segments, each concentric in structure. Standing in the centre of the middle segment, 2:18-22, the discussion about fasting and the two sayings related to it are about the relation between old and new, which is the theme of the whole section.
Freu Dich, Jüngling-Doch Nicht, Weil Du Jung Bist Zum Formproblem Im Schlussgedicht Kohelets (Koh 11,9-12,8)
Authors: Lohfink Norbert
Published: April 2008

Das Schlußgedicht des Koheletbuches beginnt in Koh 11,9, und es endet in 12,8-vgl. meine Begründung in der Festschrift Graf Reventlow (1994). Dieser Aufsatz handelt von den poetologischen Problemen, die das Gedicht aufwirft. In einem ersten Teil 11,9f wird eine an weisheitlichen Modellen geschulte, außerordentlich harmonische erste Strophe aufgebaut. Damit ist zugleich die Erwartung erzeugt, daß eine zweite Strophe gleicher Gestalt folgt, oder sogar mehrere. Doch bald nach dem Beginn der zweiten Strophe in 12,1 erzwingt der Inhalt eine immer größere Längung der Aussage, so daß die begonnene Form zerbricht. Allerdings entsteht zugleich aus dem formalen Chaos wieder neue Gestalt, ja die ursprüngliche Form wird innerhalb der neuen Form gewissermaßen zitiert und so wiederhergestellt. Erst durch diesen Verlust und Neugewinn der Form entsteht die wirkliche Form dieses Gedichtes. Dieser formale Prozeß ist eng verbunden mit der Entwicklung der Bilder und Gedanken. Ich erkläre das ganze vom anvisierten Rezipienten her. Dieser erwartet auf der Ebene griechischer Bankettlieder eine Auf
The Contribution of the Literary Study of Chronicles To the Solution of Its Textual Problems
Authors: Kalimi Isaac
Published: April 2008

As is true of other biblical authors, the Chronicler's literary methods and techniques were not handed down to us along with the text he produced. These methods and techniques are elusive: the scholar must ferret them out through close literary examination of the text. It is in this process that the parallel texts prove to be of great value: a careful comparison of the text of Chronicles with its sources in the books of Samuel and Kings has pointed clearly to the forms and structures, literary devices and techniques, and methods of editing and adaptation which the Chronicler applied to the earlier texts. Awareness of the Chronicler's methods facilitates the study of other aspects of the book of Chronicles, one of which is the text: we have reexamined the assumed corruptions, omissions and "textual emendations" of various kinds posited by translators, commentators and especially modern scholars. We arrive at a new understanding of various verses through familiarity with the literary technique which determined their present form. For example, we find that the Chronicler altered the earlier texts to create textual harmonizations, antitheses, chiasmus, inclusio, resumptive repetitions and paronomasia.
(Re)Mark(S) On the Cross
Authors: Thatcher Tom
Published: April 2008

This essay seeks to analyze tensions in historical criticism by reviewing Raymond Brown's treatment of "the cry of dereliction" in The Death of the Messiah. Brown navigates a three-tiered reading of Mark 15: the text/surface level, an intertext level, and a historical Jesus level. The historical Jesus level will presumably operate as an extra-linguistic control which enhances the objectivity of Brown's reading of the surface text. But this "history" in Brown's reading actually refers to a sub-text generated by proposed intertextual links which Brown's own language renders unstable. The deconstruction of Brown's reading is followed by an attempt to read Mark 15:34 in explicitly intertextual terms, using Michael Riffaterre's semiotic theory. While the conclusions reached by this method are basically identical to Brown's, they are hopefully based on a more careful approach to the question of intertextual relations.
The Prophetic Text and the Literature of Dissent in Latin America: Amos, Garcia Marquez, and Cabrera Infante Dismantle Militarism
Authors: CARROLL R M. Daniel
Published: April 2008

This article attempts a reading of the final form of Amos within the framework of the literary tradition of the novels of dissent in Latin America. Works by the Colombian Gabriel Garcia Márquez and the Cuban Guillermo Cabrera Infante are presented in order to demonstrate how literary strategies can take apart the pretense and cruelty of the militarism so endemic to Latin American history and society. The reading of Amos shows how pervasive militarism is in the world of the prophetic text and highlights how that text ridicules and condemns it through literary technique. Amos, therefore, echoes many of the concerns of Latin American texts. As the scripture of the Christian church, however, Amos not only can be read alongside of other protest literature but can also make a particular contribution to help the people of God on that continent confront the harsh realities of life.
A "Balanced" Reading of the Rape of Dinah: Some Exegetical and Methodological Observations
Authors: Noble Paul
Published: April 2008

This article explores some of the central methodological issues connected with ideological readings of the Bible through reflecting upon the contrary interpretations of Genesis 34 offered, on the one hand, by Danna Fewell and David Gunn (which, they claim, is made from the standpoint of a "feminist" ideology) and, on the other hand, by Meir Sternberg (whose reading is charged by Fewell and Gunn with being "androcentric"). After assessing the exegetical disagreements between them, it is argued that both readings are deficient in being over-narrowly focused upon the question of the reader's feelings towards the characters of the story. A new interpretation is therefore offered, which sees the story as primarily concerned with exploring the issues of "crime and punishment." In the light of these exegetical studies it is argued that Fewell and Gunn's claim that all reading is necessarily ideological is undermined by their actual exegetical practice, which oscillates between (i) an objective, reader-independent style of exegesis which makes useful contributions to the understanding of Genesis 34 but offers nothing distinctively ideological; and (ii) a form of ideological "reading" which does not undermine but simply talks at cross-purposes to the doctrine of "foolproof composition" that Fewell and Gunn are attempting to refute. Their "reader-oriented" argument fails because it does not appreciate how the effects that a reader's own ideological presuppositions have upon his or her interpretations may be corrected by a sound exegetical methodology.
"Begehre Nicht Ihre Schönheit in Deinem Herzen" (Prov 6,25): Eine Aktualisierung Des Ehebruchsverbots Aus Persischer Zeit1
Authors: Maier Christl
Published: April 2008

The article focuses on the warning about the "strange woman" in Prov 6:20-35. This instruction alludes to the Decalogue and the commandment to instruct children in the Torah, which follows the Schma' Yisrael. As an actualizing interpretation of this tradition, Prov 6:20-35 should be related to the process of canonizing the Torah and dated in the late Persian period. The instruction is written by men and women, a group of the Judean upper class who warn against sexual intercourse with women outside normal marriage relations. In their attempt to preserve existing family ties and social status, the authors create a negative image of women: every woman who is not an obedient wife can be called a "strange" one. In view of the text's ambivalent character, a modern interpretation of Prov. 6:20-35 attentive to gender must criticize the marginalization of women, while at the same time pointing to the contribution of women to this perspective. Recognizing the positive intention of its authors, who see Scripture as a guide for daily life, can help us to maintain the basic intention and at the same time to tell another, modern midrash that treats gender relationships in a more sensitive way.
Clio and Canons: in Search of a Cultural Poetics of the Hebrew Bible
Authors: Carroll Robert P.
Published: April 2008

The enterprise of writing "histories" of "ancient Israel" in which biblical historiography is reproduced by old credulists or critiqued by new nihilists represents one of the leading edges of contemporary biblical studies in relation to the Hebrew Bible. This quest for a cultural poetics or cultural materialist accounts of the Bible is virtually equivalent to a New Historicism in the discipline. In this article analyses of three topics from current debates in biblical studies (historiography of "ancient Israel", the empty land topos, canons and context) are used to provide insights into how new historicist approaches to contextualizing literature may contribute to these current debates about the Bible.
Qoheleth Among the Sociologists
Authors: Harrison C. Robert
Published: April 2008

Seeking to understand the radical pessimism of Qoheleth, interpreters have often shied away from examining the social-historical circumstances of Qoheleth's world. Here Qoheleth's thought is set in the context of the sociological milieu of third century BCE Judea. That milieu-which drew forth Qoheleth's skepticism and created an audience for it-can be placed in context and elaborated by paradigms drawn from the discipline of comparative sociology. This paper explores three independent but complementary macro-sociological models (world-system theory, the comparative study of empires, and patterns of change among axial civilizations) to show that Qoheleth's era was marked by extreme disturbances of social resources in the realms of economics, class structure, and culture. In combination, world events and their social repercussions can be seen as having had a profound influence on the development of Qoheleth's essentially negative world view.
Tragic and Comic Forms in Amos
Authors: Wood Joyce Rilett
Published: April 2008

The literary distinction between the poetry of Amos and its prophetic update is matched by a difference in the form of the two works. Amos composed a dramatic piece, and its plot structure has the downward movement of tragedy. His commentator changed the tragic poetry into a historical piece, and its narrative structure has the upward movement of comedy. Each narrative movement takes on a definite but contradictory form, and the form structures each literary text as a whole and also shapes its individual components. Understanding the tragic and comic forms in Amos is the way to capture the flow and meaning and interwoven complexities of the whole book. The idea that Amos composed a dramatic monologue or tragic monody for recitation before an audience is supported by the literary evidence and corroborated by the wider cultural background of the Mediterranean world. The comic author, in common with Greek comic writers, commented on the tragic poet and his poetry by way of parody, imitation, quotation and allusion.
Cross-Currents in the Book of Jonah: Some Jewish and Cultural Midrashim On a Traditional Text
Authors: Sherwood Yvonne
Published: April 2008

The book of Jonah, which was once read by scholars with an impossibly straight face, is now regularly read as satire. In this article I look at how these satirical readings at once release humour and constrain it, by tailoring humour to a pedagogic purpose and heaping all our laughter upon the prophet's head. Jonah criticism, in Bakhtin's term, has been oppressively monologic, promoting YHWH'S perspective and the religious ideology of the reader, and using Jonah's words merely as evidence of his particularism and selfishness. The prophetic caricature is sinister and the laughter hollow, for Jonah is styled as the clownish Jew, resisting God's universalistic innovations and comically tripping over the truth of Rom. 3:29. Arguing that such readings are guilty of the sectarianism and myopia they criticise, I look for more nuanced ways of reading the text. The models I use are parody, dialogism and carnival, and the sources I look at range from the Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer to Herman Melville's Moby Dick. These readings tend to highlight ambiguity and disjuncture at the level of the word (for example the twisting word ) and between the voices of Jonah and God. Read dialogically, I maintain, the book loses its sing-song childish quality and easy morality and becomes a far more interesting, subversive, and genuinely comic text.
Saint John's Apothecary: Differance, Textuality, and the Advent of Meaning
Authors: Price Robert M.
Published: April 2008

The Book of Revelation can be analyzed in much the same terms as those used by Jacques Derrida to deconstruct the Phaedrus in "Plato's Pharmacy." The Apocalypse is read as polemicizing against the written word (the mark of the Beast) on behalf of the Living Word whose Parousia (Presence) will sweep away every signifier so that the Transcendental Signified may be seen face to face. And yet it may be read as subverting this very polemic by virtue of its own inescapable textuality. This textuality is deemed so sacrosanct that any would-be redactor is threatened with damnation, and once one deconstructs it, its illusion of Present Truth is dispelled and deferred. Precisely as in the Phaedrus, writing is the pharmakon, both the hated poison and the needful remedy: it substitutes for the desired Presence/Parousia while pretending to convey it. The same potent potion is dispensed from both Plato's Pharmacy and St. John's Apothecary.
The King's Preferential Option for the Poor: Rhetoric, Ideology and Ethics in Psalm 72
Authors: Houston Walter
Published: April 2008

Psalm 72 embodies the ideal that the Davidic dynasty wished to be seen by its subjects to fulfil. Rhetorical analysis shows that the conception of the king as the protector of the poor is offered as the sole justification for the world-wide dominion claimed for him. But this ideology, which presents the king as caring for the poor of his own people but claiming tribute from foreign nations, contains a moral contradiction, as well as concealing the truth that the king was supported by domestic exploitation. However, the appropriateness of the model of the tributary mode of production is questioned in the light of the evidence for private property rights. The ideology draws its plausibility from an ancient tradition of royal measures in favour of the poor. Although direct evidence is limited, it will have been to the advantage of the judaean dynasty to take such measures in order to repress the independent power of local elites. The text suppresses this interest of the king, as well as his own exploitative activity, in favour of his alleged concern for the poor, and thus harmonizes the interests of the king with theirs. But it achieves this at the expense of the doctrine of unconditional divine election, deriving the king's legitimacy from his fulfilment of the divine will in his 'option for the poor'. The psalm's permanent ethical value lies in that it treats state authority as legitimate only if exercised on behalf of the weakest members of society.
Constructing Identity in 1 Samuel 17
Authors: George Mark K.
Published: April 2008

The actual battle between David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 takes a mere three verses to narrate, thereby raising the question of why this chapter is fifty-eight verses long. By drawing on H. White's work on historiography and the mimetic aspects of historical narratives, and informed by M. Foucault's notions of discourses and discursive strategies, this essay considers how issues of identity construction are addressed in 1 Samuel 17. A suggestion is then made as to why the construction of identity would have been an important issue in exilic and postexilic Israel and how 1 Samuel 17 addresses that issue.
Hiding Behind the Naked Women in Lamentations: a Recriminative Response
Authors: Guest Deryn
Published: April 2008

The figure of Zion/Woman as used in Lamentations is problematic for female readers. She suffers utter humiliation at the hands of an avenging deity and provides the focal point for the guilt and shame of Israel. Despite claims that this metaphor was meant to humiliate the male community and stimulate repentance, the female figure provides an easy scapegoat behind which the male community may hide. Moreover, the metaphor is encoded with various stereo-typical expectations and operates on a shared value system between writer and reader, which are offensive and damaging to the female reader. This article exposes the damaging implications of the metaphor and asks what one can subsequently 'do' with Lamentations.
A Simple View of Peripeteia
Authors: Schrier O.J.
Published: April 2008

1. Introduction. 2. Review of Allan's major proposals. 3. Review of the problems concerned and outline of the proposed solution. 4. The Oedipus example. 5. The meaning of the expressions used in the definition. 6. The punctuation of the Lynceus example. 7. Aristotle's brevitas.
Hera and Herakles
Authors: Rutgers A.J.
Published: April 2008

For reasons of symmetry between Zeus and Hera, Hera is identified with the night sky; further arguments in favour of this interpretation are the myth about the origin of the Milky Way, Hera's epitheton bo-opis (with the great shining eye, the Moon) and the etymological argument, that old-indian svarga means the sky. A further result of this interpretation is not only that the enmity between Hera and Herakles, the night sky and the morning sun, becomes intelligeable, but also the etymology Herakles = "he who is famous by Hera"; for Herakles' deeds, which have made him famous, are performed on the twelve constellations of the Zodiac, which ornate the night sky However, if it is tried to set the twelve deeds of Herakles in parallel to the successive overpowering of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac by the morning sun, it is seen that this correspondence holds only for 4 out of 12 cases.
Ayodhya: a Hindu Jerusalem
Authors: Bakker Hans
Published: April 2008

This article discusses the concept of 'holy war' and the religious ideas it implies. According to some these ideas are characteristic of monotheistic traditions. The author investigates recent developments in Hinduism and comes to the conclusion that some of these characteristics are coming to the fore in modern forms of the Hindu religion that have strong bonds with fundamentalist movements. The question of the mosque occupying the holy spot in Ayodhyā, which is considered as the birth-spot of Visnu's incarnation as Rama, plays a central role in these developments. 'Liberation' of this site has many features in common with the motif of liberating Jerusalem in the age of the crusades. The author concludes by remarking that, though Hinduism has proved in the past to be a religion not prone to holy wars, recent developments in Indian society have made the prospect of a holy war between Hindus and Muslims seem only too real and close.