bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Joint latent space models for network data with high-dimensional node variables
Authors: Zhang Xuefei , Xu Gongjun , Zhu Ji
Published: December 2021

Network latent space models assume that each node is associated with an unobserved latent position in a Euclidean , and such latent variables determine the probability of two nodes connecting with each other. In many applications, nodes in the network are often observed along with high-dimensional node variables, and these node variables provide important information for understanding the network structure. However, classical network latent space models have several limitations in incorporating node variables. In this paper, we propose a joint latent space model where we assume that the latent variables not only explain the network structure, but are also informative for the multivariate node variables. We develop a projected gradient descent algorithm that estimates the latent positions using a criterion incorporating both network structure and node variables. We establish theoretical properties of the estimators and provide insights into how incorporating high-dimensional node variables could improve the estimation accuracy of the latent positions. We demonstrate the improvement in latent variable estimation and the improvements in associated downstream tasks, such as missing value imputation for node variables, by simulation studies and an application to a Facebook data example.
Mutation in senataxin alters the mechanism of R-loop resolution in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 4
Authors: Kannan Annapoorna , Cuartas Juliana , Gangwani Pratik , Branzei Dana , Gangwani Laxman
Published: December 2021

Mutation in the senataxin (SETX) gene causes an autosomal dominant neuromuscular disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 4 (ALS4), characterized by degeneration of motor neurons, muscle weakness and atrophy. SETX is an RNA-DNA helicase that mediates resolution of co-transcriptional RNA:DNA hybrids (R-loops). The process of R-loop resolution is essential for the normal functioning of cells, including neurons. The molecular basis of ALS4 pathogenesis and the mechanism of R-loop resolution are unclear. We report that the zinc finger protein ZPR1 binds to RNA:DNA hybrids, recruits SETX onto R-loops and is critical for R-loop resolution. ZPR1 deficiency disrupts the integrity of R-loop resolution complexes containing SETX and causes increased R-loop accumulation throughout gene transcription. We uncover that SETX is a downstream target of ZPR1 and that overexpression of ZPR1 can rescue R-loop resolution complexe assembly in SETX-deficient cells but not vice versa. To uncover the mechanism of R-loop resolution, we examined the function of SETX-ZPR1 complexes using two genetic motor neuron disease models with altered R-loop resolution. Notably, chronic low levels of SETX-ZPR1 complexes onto R-loops result in a decrease of R-loop resolution activity causing an increase in R-loop levels in spinal muscular atrophy. ZPR1 overexpression increases recruitment of SETX onto R-loops, decreases R-loops and rescues the spinal muscular atrophy phenotype in motor neurons and patient cells. Strikingly, interaction of SETX with ZPR1 is disrupted in ALS4 patients that have heterozygous SETX (L389S) mutation. ZPR1 fails to recruit the mutant SETX homodimer but recruits the heterodimer with partially disrupted interaction between SETX and ZPR1. Interestingly, disruption of SETX-ZPR1 complexes causes increase in R-loop resolution activity leading to fewer R-loops in ALS4. Modulation of ZPR1 levels regulates R-loop accumulation and rescues the pathogenic R-loop phenotype in ALS4 patient cells. These findings originate a new concept, ‘opposite alterations in a cell biological activity (R-loop resolution) result in similar pathogenesis (neurodegeneration) in different genetic motor neuron disorders’. We propose that ZPR1 collaborates with SETX and may function as a molecular brake to regulate SETX-dependent R-loop resolution activity critical for the normal functioning of motor neurons.
Rapid vigilance and episodic memory decrements in COVID-19 survivors
Authors: Zhao Sijia , Shibata Kengo , Hellyer Peter J. , Trender William , Manohar Sanjay , Hampshire Adam , Husain Masud
Published: December 2021

Recent studies indicate that COVID-19 infection can lead to serious neurological consequences in a small percentage of individuals. However, in the months following acute illness, many more suffer from fatigue, low motivation, disturbed mood, poor sleep and cognitive symptoms, colloquially referred to as ‘brain fog’. But what about individuals who had asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19 and reported no concerns after recovering from COVID-19? Here, we examined a wide range of cognitive functions critical for daily life (including sustained attention, memory, motor control, planning, semantic reasoning, mental rotation and spatial–visual attention) in people who had previously suffered from COVID-19 but were not significantly different from a control group on self-reported fatigue, forgetfulness, sleep abnormality, motivation, depression, anxiety and personality profile. Reassuringly, COVID-19 survivors performed well in most abilities tested, including working memory, executive function, planning and mental rotation. However, they displayed significantly worse episodic memory (up to 6 months post-infection) and greater decline in vigilance with time on task (for up to 9 months). Overall, the results show that specific chronic cognitive changes following COVID-19 are evident on objective testing even amongst those who do not report a greater symptom burden. Importantly, in the sample tested here, these were not significantly different from normal after 6–9 months, demonstrating evidence of recovery over time.
Representational similarity scores of digits in the sensorimotor cortex are associated with behavioral performance
Authors: Gooijers J , Chalavi S , Koster L K , Roebroeck A , Kaas A , Swinnen S P
Published: December 2021

Previous studies aimed to unravel a digit-specific somatotopy in the primary sensorimotor (SM1) cortex. However, it remains unknown whether digit somatotopy is associated with motor preparation and/or motor execution during different types of tasks. We adopted multivariate representational similarity analysis to explore digit activation patterns in response to a finger tapping task (FTT). Sixteen healthy young adults underwent magnetic resonance imaging, and additionally performed an out-of-scanner choice reaction time task (CRTT) to assess digit selection performance. During both the FTT and CRTT, force data of all digits were acquired using force transducers. This allowed us to assess execution-related interference (i.e., digit enslavement; obtained from FTT & CRTT), as well as planning-related interference (i.e., digit selection deficit; obtained from CRTT) and determine their correlation with digit representational similarity scores of SM1. Findings revealed that digit enslavement during FTT was associated with contralateral SM1 representational similarity scores. During the CRTT, digit enslavement of both hands was also associated with representational similarity scores of the contralateral SM1. In addition, right hand digit selection performance was associated with representational similarity scores of left S1. In conclusion, we demonstrate a cortical origin of digit enslavement, and uniquely reveal that digit selection is associated with digit representations in primary somatosensory cortex (S1).

Significance statement In current systems neuroscience, it is of critical importance to understand the relationship between brain function and behavioral outcome. With the present work, we contribute significantly to this understanding by uniquely assessing how digit representations in the sensorimotor cortex are associated with planning- and execution-related digit interference during a continuous finger tapping and a choice reaction time task. We observe that digit enslavement (i.e., execution-related interference) finds its origin in contralateral digit representations of SM1, and that deficits in digit selection (i.e., planning-related interference) in the right hand during a choice reaction time task are associated with more overlapping digit representations in left S1. This knowledge sheds new light on the functional contribution of the sensorimotor cortex to everyday motor skills.
Substance use disorders among primary care patients screening positive for unhealthy alcohol use
Authors: Metz Verena E , Palzes Vanessa A , Kline-Simon Andrea Hessel , Chi Felicia W , Campbell Cynthia I , Weisner Constance M , Sterling Stacy A
Published: December 2021

Background

Despite high prevalence of polysubstance use, recent data on concurrent alcohol use in patients with specific substance use disorders (SUDs) are lacking.

Objective

To examine associations between specific SUDs and alcohol consumption levels.

Methods

Using electronic health record data, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 2,720,231 primary care adults screened for alcohol use between 2014 and 2017 at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Alcohol consumption levels were categorized as no reported use, low-risk use, and unhealthy use (exceeding daily, weekly, or both recommended drinking limits). Using multinomial logistic regression, and adjusting for sociodemographic and health characteristics, we examined the odds of reporting each alcohol consumption level in patients with a prior-year SUD diagnosis (alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, inhalant, opioid, sedative/anxiolytic, stimulant, other drug, nicotine, any SUD except nicotine) compared to those without.

Results

The sample was 52.9% female, 48.1% White; the mean age was 46 years (SD = 18). Patients with SUDs were less likely to report low-risk alcohol use relative to no use compared with patients without SUDs. Patients with alcohol or nicotine use disorder had higher odds of reporting unhealthy alcohol use relative to no use; however, patients with all other SUDs (except cocaine) had lower odds. Among patients who reported any alcohol use (n = 861,427), patients with SUDs (except opioid) had higher odds of exceeding recommended limits than those without.

Conclusion

The associations of unhealthy alcohol use and SUDs suggest that screening for both alcohol and drug use in primary care presents a crucial opportunity to prevent and treat SUDs early.
Fungi as mediators linking organisms and ecosystems
Authors: Bahram Mohammad , Netherway Tarquin
Published: December 2021

Fungi form a major and diverse component of most ecosystems on Earth. They are both micro and macroorganisms with high and varying functional diversity as well as great variation in dispersal modes. With our growing knowledge of microbial biogeography, it has become increasingly clear that fungal assembly patterns and processes differ from other microorganisms such as bacteria, but also from macroorganisms such as plants. The success of fungi as organisms and their influence on the environment lies in their ability to span multiple dimensions of time, space, and biological interactions, that is not rivalled by other organism groups. There is also growing evidence that fungi mediate links between different organisms and ecosystems, with the potential to affect the macroecology and evolution of those organisms. This suggests that fungal interactions are an ecological driving force, interconnecting different levels of biological and ecological organisation of their hosts, competitors, and antagonists with the environment and ecosystem functioning. Here we review these emerging lines of evidence by focusing on the dynamics of fungal interactions with other organism groups across various ecosystems. We conclude that the mediating role of fungi through their complex and dynamic ecological interactions underlie their importance and ubiquity across Earth's ecosystems.
Ps-splitting analysis reveals differential crustal deformation beneath the Qinling Orogenic Belt and its surrounding areas
Authors: Li Mengkui , Wu Tengfei
Published: December 2021

Crustal anisotropy parameters beneath the Qinling Orogenic Belt (QOB) and its surrounding areas (including the northeastern Tibetan Plateau) are investigated by harmonic fitting the arrival times of the P-to-S converted phase from the Moho and an intracrustal discontinuity. The measurements reveal strong and spatially varying crustal anisotropy beneath the study region, with an average splitting time of 0.50 ± 0.17 s. The eastern Kunlun Orogen (EKLO), western part of QOB (WWQL) and Longmenshan block (LMB) present relatively larger crustal anisotropy, and the fast orientations changed gradually from NWW–SEE in EKLO and WWQL to NEE–SWW in LMB. The crustal anisotropy measurements, combined with the results from ambient-noise tomography and gravity inversion, suggest that the middle-lower crustal flow induced by the inhomogeneous crustal thickening during the early stage of plateau growth exists beneath these areas. The fast orientations beneath the eastern part of the QOB are predominantly NNE–SSW, nearly orthogonal to that from local shear wave splitting and teleseismic XKS splitting. The crustal anisotropy measurements suggest a layered deformation beneath the eastern QOB. The upper crust retains the fossil deformation formed during the main orogeny, the middle-to-lower crust is dominated by the N–S oriented subduction, collision and continued convergence between the North China Block, South China Block and Qinling microblocks; the upper mantle is decoupled from the crust and mainly controlled by the mantle flow from the Tibetan Plateau.
3-D multicomponent full waveform inversion for shallow-seismic target: Ettlingen Line case study
Authors: Irnaka T M , Brossier R , Métivier L , Bohlen T , Pan Y
Published: December 2021

In this work, we investigate methodological development and application of viscoelastic full waveform inversion to a multicomponent source and receiver data set at the near-surface scale. The target is located in Germany and lies in an ancient war trench from the War of the Spanish Succession that was buried at approximately 1 m depth. We present the pre-processing of the data, including a matching filter correction to compensate for different source and receiver coupling conditions during the acquisition, as well as a dedicated multistep workflow for the reconstruction of both P-wave and S-wave velocities. Our implementation is based on viscoelastic modelling using a spectral element discretization to accurately account for the wave propagation complexity in this shallow region. We illustrate the inversion stability by starting from different initial models, either based on dispersion curve analysis or homogeneous models consistent with first arrivals. We recover similar results in both cases. We also illustrate the importance of accounting for the attenuation by comparing elastic and viscoelastic results. The 3-D results make it possible to recover and locate the trench precisely in terms of interpretation. They also exhibit another trench structure, in a direction forming an angle at 45° with the direction of the targeted trench. This new structure had been previously interpreted as an artifact in former 2-D inversion results. The archaeological interpretation of this new structure is still a matter of discussion.
Sensitivity studies on the thermal beta+decay and thermal neutrino loss rates in the multizone X-ray burst model mesa
Authors: Lau Rita
Published: December 2021

Recently, it has been discovered that the beta+decay rates and neutrino loss rates of 64Ga and 68Se greatly affect the light curves and final abundances of X-ray bursts in a one-zone model in all circumstances. Here we further expand the study to the multizone model mesa and compare the results with observations of the bursting source GS 1826–24. It was found that the light curve of the modified beta decay rates of 64Ga is more comparable to observations than the standard beta decays. The final mass fractions of the ashes of the X-ray bursts for elements with a mass number of 38 (38Ar, 38Ca) are greatly modified because of the beta+decay rate and neutrino loss rate of 68Se. They also produce more URCA nuclei, which may lead to stronger cooling in the neutron star crusts. Both the modified rates of 68Se and 64Ga make the recurrence times of the simulated X-ray bursts longer because they cause more energy loss than the standard rates and more time is needed to accumulate energy to trigger the bursts.
Dust accumulation near the magnetospheric truncation of protoplanetary discs around T Tauri stars
Authors: Li(李日新) Rixin , Chen(陈逸贤) Yi-Xian , Lin(林潮) Douglas N C
Published: December 2021

The prevalence of short-period super-Earths that are independent of host metallicity challenges the theoretical construction of their origin. We propose that dust trapping in the global pressure bump induced by magnetospheric truncation in evolved protoplanetary discs (PPDs) around T Tauri stars offers a promising formation mechanism for super-Earths, where the host metallicity is already established. To better understand this planet-forming scenario, we construct a toy inner disc model and focus on the evolution of dust trapped in the bump, taking into account the supply from drifting pebbles and loss due to funnel flows. We develop an implicit coagulation–fragmentation code, rubble, and perform a suite of simulations to evolve the local dust-size distributions. Our study for the first time considers dust feedback effect on turbulent diffusion in this kind of model. We report that efficient dust growth and significant accumulation of dust mass are possible in less turbulent disc with sturdier solids and with faster external supply, laying out a solid foundation for further growth towards planetesimals and planetary embryos. We further find that, depending on the dominant process, solid mass may predominantly accumulate in cm-sized grains or particles in runaway growth, indicating different ways of forming planetesimals. Furthermore, these various outcomes show different efficiencies in saving dust from funnel flows, suggesting that they may be distinguishable by constraining the opacity of funnel flows. Also, these diverse dust behaviours may help to explain the observed dipper stars and rapidly varying shadows in PPDs.
Long-term outcomes of transplant kidneys donated after circulatory death
Authors: Müller Amélie K , Breuer Eva , Hübel Kerstin , Lehmann Kuno , Cippà Pietro , Schachtner Thomas , Oberkofler Christian , Müller Thomas , Weber Markus , Dutkowski Philipp , Clavien Pierre-Alain , de Rougemont Olivier
Published: December 2021

Background

Donation after circulatory death (DCD) represents up to 40% of used kidney grafts. While studies have shown similar outcomes compared with donation after brain death (DBD) in the short term and mid-term, no data on long-term outcomes exist.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed patients transplanted at our institution between January 1985 and March 2000. All DCD recipients were matched one-to-one with patients transplanted with DBD grafts during this period according to sex, age and year of transplantation and followed up until December 2020. During this period, 1133 kidney transplantations were performed, of which 122 were with a DCD graft.

Results

The median graft survival after 35 years of follow-up was 23 years [277 months {95% confidence interval (CI) 182–372}] in DBD recipients and 24.5 years [289 months (95% CI 245–333)] in DCD recipients (P = 0.65; hazard ratio 0.91). Delayed graft function occurred in 47 patients in the DCD group compared with 23 in the DBD group (P < 0.001), albeit without a significant long-term outcome difference in graft or patient survival. We could not show any difference in graft function in terms of creatinine levels (133 versus 119 µmol/L), proteinuria (370 versus 240 mg/24 h) and glomerular filtration rate slope (–0.6 versus –0.3 mL/min/year) between the two groups for graft survival >20 years.

Conclusions

This is the first study to show similar graft survival and function in DCD kidneys compared with DBD kidneys after 35 years of follow-up. DCD grafts are a valuable resource and can be utilized in the same way as DBD grafts.
Competition in Education
Authors: Butera Fabrizio , Świątkowski Wojciech , Dompnier Benoît
Published: December 2021

In this chapter, the authors delineate how competition circulates through education. First, the authors show how competitive ideologies, values, and norms are transmitted from society to educational institutions, in particular ideologies and values such as meritocracy, the belief in a fair free market, and neoliberalism, as well as norms such as productivism and employability. Second, the authors review the competitive structures and climates within educational institutions that shape students’ values, goals, and behaviors, in particular structures such as normative assessment, tracking, and numerus clausus, as well as climates such as classroom climate, goal structures, and error climate. Third, the authors report research that documents the impact of students’ competitive values, goals, and behaviors on educational outcomes, from learning and achievement to social relations. Finally, the authors conclude by reflecting on how such a socialization of students may impact society in a feedback loop, either in terms of maintenance of the status quo or in terms of social change.
Barriers to Access in the Norwegian Criminal Justice
System
Authors: Kermit Patrick , Olsen Terje
Published: December 2021

This chapter presents and discusses barriers that Deaf people who have Norwegian Sign Language as their first language face in encounters with the Norwegian criminal justice system. Since this system is based exclusively on spoken language, and mainly depends on the individual law professional’s ability to establish critical, self-reflective practices in each case, Deaf people’s legal safety, as demanded by the rule of law, cannot be taken for granted. Establishing a public, independent, professionalized sign language interpreter service in Norway, however, has helped to reduce risks for Deaf people. Independent interpreters can demand changes in the criminal justice system’s practices, thus making these practices more accessible to Deaf people. Empirical examples illustrating the interaction between Deaf people, law professionals, and interpreters are presented and analyzed. This interaction is less characterized by conflict and more by cooperation and mutual recognition, where both Deaf people and law professionals state their confidence and trust in their interpreters. The chapter concludes that structural change and organization, such as the establishment of an independent public interpreter service in Norway, trump general and well-meant inclusive intentions in organizations such as the Norwegian criminal justice system when it comes to secure Deaf peoples’ rights and the prevention of miscarriage of justice.
Jeremiah and Inner Biblical Exegesis
Authors: Rom-Shiloni Dalit
Published: December 2021

Bringing inner biblical exegesis as a methodology to the study of Jeremiah has opened venues to discuss Jeremiah in two quite separate spheres: The book and its literary evolution, as well as the prophetic activity in its early oral-written stages. This chapter is aimed at presenting the great benefits and the many pitfalls that these cross-lines (of methodology and Jeremiah) provide for the study of the prophetic book, and not least, for the basic methodological presumptions of inner biblical exegesis as part of the study of intertextuality in prophetic literature. Focusing on interpretive (i.e., adaptation/actualization) techniques within the plethora of intertextual relationships, this chapter takes the utilization of pentateuchal traditions (rarely, texts) in Jeremiah as a case study, and calls to question some of the basic scholarly assumptions concerning Jeremiah: the differences of style (poetry and prose) and the options to differentiate the prophet from his followers/tradents/editors.
Theories of Prophecy in Jeremiah
Authors: Mastnjak Nathan
Published: December 2021

In turning prophecy into a form of literature, the authors of ancient Israelite prophetic books repeatedly addressed the nature of prophecy itself. This preoccupation suggests that the phenomenon of prophecy was by no means a simple and known concept to the authors of this literature, but rather one in need of discursive construction. The authors of Jeremiah explored theories of prophecy from a variety of perspectives. While all the Jeremiah traditions assume a basic definition of prophecy as the mediation of a divine message through an intermediary, they also move beyond this conception in a number of ways. Though prophetic literature ostensibly presents disembodied prophecy, the authors of Jeremiah frequently direct their attention to the essentially embodied nature of prophecy. The prophet’s bodily experience, for these authors, cannot be separated from his capacity to transmit the divine message. Other parts of the Jeremiah tradition negotiate a history of prophecy in relation to Moses and Deuteronomy. For these texts, prophecy has to be understood as an unfolding history that begins but does not end with Deuteronomy. Finally, a distinct thread of tradition imagines Jeremiah’s words as carrying an almost magical efficacy. Rather than merely transmitting a message, Jeremiah’s speech has the effect of bringing about the divine judgment on Judah. In each case, the ancient authors navigate the innovative contours of prophetic literature by actively exploring the potencies of prophecy.
The Prophet Jeremiah
Authors: Goldstein Ronnie
Published: December 2021

This chapter considers the legends about the prophet Jeremiah, describing their literary character, and it situates them within the compositional history of the book. It identifies three distinct editorial impulses at work within this corpus: idealization, schematization, and historization. Only a few of the texts concerning the prophet can be called proper narratives, and those grew separately from the prophecies. A possible key to understanding the history of the legends lies in the double cycle of stories about Jeremiah in the last days of Jerusalem (Jer 37:11–40:6). These chapters preserve two interdependent accounts, one reworking the other and transforming the prophet from human being to hero. Another important factor in the shaping of the legends was their use of narratives of earlier encounters between kings and prophets (Jeremiah 26 and 36; Jer 37:3–10; 21:1–10; Jeremiah 28). The so-called “Biography of Jeremiah” (Jer 37–44), for its part, is an artificial composition assembled a long time after the period of Jeremiah. This sequence was composed by a late Deuteronomistic redactor, who combined narratives about the prophet and a chronicle concerning the last days of the kingdom of Judah in order to set forth his view of the prophet’s role in history. This redactor also integrated Jeremiah 42 and 44, reinforcing the notion that the preservation of the Israelite’s covenant with YHWH depends on the returnees from Babylon. Finally, this essay examines the creation of quasi-narratives out of materials that have almost no biographical basis (Jeremiah 18–20).
Two Ancient Editions of the Book of Jeremiah
Authors: Stipp Hermann-Josef
Published: December 2021

The book of Jeremiah has been handed down from antiquity in two separate editions that differ markedly from each other: MT and the Alexandrian version (JerAlT), which is represented by the original Greek translation (JerG*) and certain Qumran fragments. The Alexandrian edition is about one-seventh shorter than its Masoretic counterpart, and it deviates from JerMT both in its macro-structure and in some traits of its microstructure. A growing and well-founded consensus holds that the two editions derive from a common ancestor, with JerAlT still closely resembling this predecessor, whereas JerMT has been enlarged and restructured. This chapter characterizes the translation technique of JerG* and the value of that source as an access to its Hebrew Vorlage. Further, the essay discusses the most important reasons for the text-historical priority of the Alexandrian edition and the secondary nature of the Masoretic Sondergut (the material specific to the Masoretic edition), with the strongest probative force accorded to the pre-Masoretic idiolect, an extended set of linguistic properties distinguishing the Sondergut from the remainder of the book and, to a major part, from the entire rest of the Hebrew Bible. Finally, the chapter summarizes the particular features of the Sondergut, it reflects on the intention guiding the scribes who created this corpus, and concludes with an estimate of its date of origin.
Jeremiah
Authors: Middlemas Jill
Published: December 2021

Abstract: This chapter offers a discussion of the history of ancient Israel as related to the exile and Judahite diaspora that took place at the time in which the prophet Jeremiah is said to be active and in which the book that bears his name took shape. It focuses on the topoi of exile and diaspora. In so doing, it highlights reflection that took place at the time—e.g., the refraction of the prophetic tradition to correspond to the perspective of the Babylonian exiles, the golah, as the inheritors of the traditions and legitimacy of the former kingdom of Judah. It also shows how diaspora functions as a subset to the theme of exile in order to discount future promises of homecoming, restoration, and blessing to other Judahite communities that experienced the fall of Judah in the sixth century bce.
The Double Text of Jeremiah Revisited
Authors: Rofé Alexander
Published: December 2021

From the time of the Church Fathers, it has been recognized that the Greek translation (LXX) of the book of Jeremiah is shorter than the received Hebrew text (MT). Modern assessments of this textual situation have viewed the LXX as between one-eighth and one-sixth shorter than the corresponding Masoretic text of the book of Jeremiah. Since manuscripts have been found at Qumran that seem to confirm the antiquity of the shorter LXX recension, many explanations for this editorial discrepancy have focused on the phenomenon of editorial expansion within the Masoretic tradition. This chapter presents a range of counter-evidence demonstrating that the LXX has been subjected to a sustained process of editorial concision.
Textualization and the Book of Jeremiah
Authors: Schaper Joachim
Published: December 2021

Textualization implies the emergence of the concept of a “text” as a specific object that needs to be handled in a specific way: an object that is conceptualized as part of a tradition of reading and interpreting—indeed, an object that is constituted by the desire to preserve and make available a specific utterance (irrespective of whether that utterance was originally produced orally or in writing). Written texts therefore are the results of the desire of an individual or a community to establish a tradition for a speech act that the individuals or the community intend to preserve. As is the case with oral texts, written texts can give rise to ritualized or otherwise significant uses of the text-object. This is the key to the understanding of prophetic collections in the Bible, and especially in the book of Jeremiah. While “tradition” (Überlieferung) is the aim of textualization, that tradition comes in various shapes and forms. The growth of prophetic books is an excellent illustration of Konrad Ehlich’s analysis of the characteristics of textualization and its purposes, especially with regard to the fact that prophetic oracles were, in ancient Israel and Judah, textualized for the purpose of being preserved and performed and of serving as the basis for Fortschreibungen.
Jeremiah at Qumran
Authors: Dimant Devorah
Published: December 2021

The eminent status of Jeremiah’s prophecies is well reflected in late biblical books of the Second Temple era, focused as they are on the Jeremianic prophecy forecasting seventy years of Israel’s servitude to Babylon (Jer 25:11–12; 29:10). They proposed various interpretations (see Zach 1:12; 7:5; 2 Chr 36:20–21; Dan 9) and the interest in this prediction continued well into the last centuries of the Second Temple period (e.g., 1 En 10–12; 89:59–90; 93:1–10; 91:11–17). The owners of the Qumran library shared this interest. Beside five copies of Jeremiah prophetic compositions, surfaced among the Scrolls, the Qumran texts contain various allusions and quotations from Jeremiah's biblical prophecies, including some concealed pesharim. This chapter surveys them in its first section. In its second part the chapter reviews and analyzes the references to the prophet’s personality and life, elaborated in the Damascus Document 8:20 and in the Apocryphon of Jeremiah C.
Contested Theologies in the Book of Jeremiah
Authors: Fischer Georg
Published: December 2021

The book of Jeremiah testifies to disputes about theologies on various levels. Comparison of the Hebrew text and the version of the Septuagint shows large differences regarding the manner in which they speak of God. These differences suggest that the Greek translation tried to evade unusual, challenging, or provocative aspects attributed to God by mitigating or omitting them. The opposition between YHWH, with Jeremiah on his side, and the people together with their leaders shapes the main conflict within the book. The latter wish a “comfortable” relationship without liability, whereas God and his prophet require an exclusive liaison and determination. In some passages, Jeremiah has views which differ from those of YHWH. These texts illustrate that even a prophet has to “learn,” to open himself to God’s broader horizons and distinct plans. (d) Some features of the theological message of the book of Jeremiah are unique and set it apart from all other scrolls of the Bible. Jeremiah thus conveys a particular, independent view of YHWH, which sometimes stands in contrast to Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and other writings, although sharing the same belief in the one and only God. (e) The theological struggles within the book of Jeremiah find a continuation in the conflict of contemporary interpretations. Instead of explaining the various positions with diachronic considerations, it seems sounder to understand the rich variety of theologies therein as due to the different characters, altered situations and circumstances, and to the development of the individuals within the course of history.
Jeremiah Interpretation in Subaltern Context
Authors: Katho Bungishabaku
Published: December 2021

This generation has witnessed a great interest in the study of the book of Jeremiah. Unfortunately, much of this scholarship is unreadable for the church and for ordinary readers because it mainly concentrates on diachronic questions, neglecting pastoral-theological and sociohistorical ones. Yet, the voices one hears in the book of Jeremiah are deeply in touch with the historical realities of the seventh-century bce as well as twenty-first-century situations of poverty, war, injustice, and corruption. The best way to accomplish such interpretation is by acknowledging the valuable tools conceived by the experts of the book of Jeremiah and using these tools in a language understandable to ordinary readers today in their varying contexts.
The Ultimate Commitment
Authors: Huffmon Herbert B.
Published: December 2021

In the ancient Near East, the “heart” is the center of memory and decision-making, and in Mesopotamian extispicy, the “liver” is the “tablet of the gods” on which the gods inscribe a “true verdict,” providing basic guidance for the people. In international treaties, and especially in Assyrian treaties, emphasis is placed on the importance of “full-hearted” loyalty to the suzerain, going beyond mere “lip service.” The Egyptian “Book of the Dead” likewise emphasizes the central importance of the true testimony of the heart as decisive in the dangerous transit to the afterlife, to becoming an Osiris. These sources combine to emphasize the ultimate commitment expressed by the reference in Jeremiah 31:33 to God’s forthcoming “new covenant” which God will write on the hearts of the people. This is, as it were, a “programming” which transforms them in such a way that they will, by inner necessity, be a loyal people, submitting themselves to God’s guidance and protection.
Portraits of the Prophet in the Book of Jeremiah
Authors: Holt Else K.
Published: December 2021

This chapter presents three different theological portraits of Jeremiah: Jeremiah as the (embodied) word of God, the lamenting Jeremiah, and Jeremiah as a political advisor to king and people. The introductory section discusses the historical and hermeneutic background for a literary, non-historicist reading of the book of Jeremiah and presents the approach in the article as “la seconde naïveté.” The portrait of Jeremiah as the word of God governs the presentation of the prophet in the book. It is conveyed through the call narrative and the initial audition-vision in chapter 1, which emphasizes how Jeremiah is supposed to do God’s work among the nations while God promises to protect the prophet. The second part, Jeremiah the Lamenter, presents three different portraits of the lamenting prophet: the prophet correlated with God, lamenting the apostasy of the people; the prophet correlated with the people, lamenting the absence of God; and the prophet lamenting his own charge as a prophet. Finally, Jeremiah is presented as a political advisor to both king and people, a task that is deemed to fail, due to the king’s obduracy and the people’s stubborn ignorance. The conclusion asks for the background of such a diverse presentation of one prophet and his message.
Imprisoned in Prose
Authors: Bodner Keith
Published: December 2021

In this essay the author undertakes a close reading of chapter 38 of the book of Jeremiah, with three interrelated aims: first, to explore the various characters, ranging from the prophet and the king, to the insiders of the royal court, and an outsider, Ebed-Melech the Cushite; second, to probe the contribution of each scene to this critical sector of the prophet’s career, and draw attention to the narrative strategies that are artfully deployed in this chapter; third, to briefly reflect on the role of this episode in the book of Jeremiah, for it could be that chapter 38—on the threshold of exile—unfolds a kind of narrative experience that plunges the reader into the maelstrom of Jerusalem’s confusion and anxieties in the final hours leading up to the city’s demolition and the deportation of the citizenry.
Legislative Politics
Authors: Sohn Byoung Kwon
Published: December 2021

This chapter discusses the general characteristics of the South Korean National Assembly frequently observed since democratization in 1987. Among other things, the chapter primarily focuses on the two major actors in the South Korean parliamentary arena, standing committees and legislative parties. It starts by describing the evolution of the National Assembly, maintaining that the South Korean legislative process has been heavily dominated by the president and the executive branch in one way or another. This observation was never truer than during the authoritarian eras, but has also been the case since the start of the Sixth Republic. With respect to the major actors, political parties in the National Assembly can be said to play a predominant role, while the standing committees have atrophied despite their nominal centrality and positional importance. All the explanations in this chapter suggest that the so-called inter-party consultative system more often than not gives way to majoritarianism in the actual legislative process when the two modes collide.
The History of Korea, 1905–1945
Authors: Lynn Hyung-Gu
Published: December 2021

This chapter provides an overview of key questions, issues, and debates in the scholarship on the political history of Korea from 1905 to 1945. Japan placed Korea in protectorate status in 1905 and colonized the country in 1910. After nearly forty years under colonial rule, the dominant narrative in the scholarship in South Korea from 1945 to the mid-1980s focused on Japanese colonial oppression and the Korean struggle against it to achieve national independence. The focus of this chapter is on subsequent approaches that have supplemented, qualified, challenged, and refined interpretations of this era. These include analysis of the causes behind the emergence of modern nationalism in Korea; the internal political polarization between left and right and the internal conflicts within each camp that formed the domestic foundations for the division of the Korean Peninsula after 1945; the bureaucratization that, according to some scholars, served as the template for the developmental state that emerged in South Korea during the 1960s; and the dissolution of absolute monarchy as a viable system of governance in the post-1945 period.
The History of South Korea, 1945–1987
Authors: Park Tae Gyun
Published: December 2021

This chapter explains the flow of modern Korean political history by looking at events beginning with the 1948 election and ending with the 1987 democratization process. The historical events before 1987 can be largely divided into four periods: the period of the First Republic; the period of the Second Republic and the Park Chung-hee administration; the period of the Yusin regime; and the period of the Gwangju Uprising, new military leaders, and the Democratization Uprising in 1987. The purpose of this chapter is to show the macro-flow of modern Korean politics through historical events, focusing on the causal relationships explaining each regime change by describing the characteristics and tendencies of each regime. The events and changes explain how the structure of conflict in modern Korean politics changed from democratization versus authoritarian forces to progressive versus conservative forces and show where the pro-democratization tendency of Korean politics began.
Presidentialism with Parliamentary Characteristics
Authors: Han JeongHun
Published: December 2021

This chapter examines the characteristics of presidentialism in South Korea, equipped with several parliamentary institutional elements in the Constitution. Although the performance of these parliamentary elements have been actively disused, it has not been analysed in a systematic way. In redressing this weakness, this chapter aims to illustrate the conditions under and extent to which these elements distinguish South Korean presidentialism from other presidential systems. In so doing, it first reviews the historical development of these institutions and then explores their long-term performance, focusing both on the National Assembly’s involvement in the president’s appointment of personnel and on executive legislation. The analysis shows that constitutionally the South Korean political regime can be clearly identified as a presidential system. In addition, the parliamentary elements are unlikely to serve as a check on South Korean presidents to orient the political system into one which relies on a mutual dependence between the executive and the legislature.
Nationalism
Authors: Seo Jungmin
Published: December 2021

South Korea’s nationalism and political history have been shaping each other since the late nineteenth century. While anti-colonial nationalism has been the most important element of contemporary South Korean political identity, the South Korean state has also utilized and altered the forms and contents of South Korean nationalism. Key events in South Korean political history such as colonial experiences, national division, the Korean War, authoritarian rule, democratization, and globalization have been interacting with evolving discourses of nationalism in South Korean society. This chapter reviews the historical development of Korean nationalism, while emphasizing the interactions between nationalism and political history. It also suggests that Korean nationalism is at a crossroads amid democratic consolidation and globalization.
Between Modernism and the Underground During the Thaw
Authors: Maurizio Massimo
Published: December 2021

This chapter discusses some of the figures responsible for redeveloping the cultural heritage of Russian modernism and the avant-garde and shaping its reception in the post-Stalinist period. Because Stalinism had sought to consign the modernist experience to oblivion, deeming it too complex and problematic, and to substitute its own cultural dogmas, their work proved crucial for defining the modes of poetic development in underground culture from the mid-1950s onwards. The main figures discussed are Anna Akhmatova, Vasilisk Gnedov, Evgeny Kropivnitsky, Igor Bakhterev, Pavel Zal’tsman, and Ian Satunovsky.
Segregation and American Indian Reservations
Authors: Marley Tennille Larzelere
Published: December 2021

Racial residential segregation is a key feature of the social organization of American society, and is also a fundamental cause of racial inequality. The body of literature on racial residential segregation and its effects on African Americans is expansive, and it is growing for other racial/ethnic groups as well. However, missing from the literature are American Indians. American Indian reservations are prime examples of racial residential segregation. This chapter strives to answer key questions: How is the racial residential segregation of American Indians different from that for other racial/ethnic groups? How can American Indian nations address issues on their reservations that result from segregation? What processes drove the segregation of American Indians onto reservations? American Indian nations are in a unique position to address the effects of racial residential segregation in ways that other racial/ethnic groups cannot. That is because American Indian reservations, despite segregation, are a place of healing.
Reversing Statistical Erasure of Indigenous Peoples
Authors: Huyser Kimberly R. , Locklear Sofia
Published: December 2021

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Peoples are diverse, but their diversity is statistically flattened in national-level survey data and, subsequently, in contemporary understandings of race and inequality in the United States. This chapter demonstrates the utility of disaggregated data for gaining, for instance, nuanced information on social outcomes such as educational attainment and income levels, and shaping resource allocation accordingly. Throughout, it explores both reasons and remedies for AIAN invisibility in large data sets. Using their personal identities as a case in point, the authors argue for more refined survey instruments, informed by Indigenous modes of identity and affiliation, not only to raise the statistical salience of AIANs but also to paint a fuller picture of a vibrant, heterogeneous First Peoples all too often dismissed as a vanishing people.
Race and Indigeneity
Authors: Ramirez Allison
Published: December 2021

Looking at processes of racial boundary formation, especially in everyday practices, allows for researchers to understand how racialized distinctions are made, remade, and understood. For Native Nations, membership is heavily influenced by Indigenous kinship practices. Kinship systems reinforce laws that maintain place-based forms of social organization; however, Indigenous kinship practices are not always accounted for in discussions regarding American Indian racial boundary formation. Overlooking Indigenous kinship practices leaves room for misidentification, especially when misidentification is grounded in anti-Indian and anti-Black racism. Overlooking Indigenous kinship systems also leaves room for Native identity and trauma to be appropriated, namely by white American settlers. This chapter discusses how not accounting for Indigenous kinship systems leaves room for misclassification, appropriation, and racial violence.