bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Presynaptic actions of endocannabinoids mediate α-MSH-induced inhibition of oxytocin cells
Authors: Sabatier Nancy , Leng Gareth
Published: November 2005

We recently showed that central injections of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) inhibits oxytocin cells and reduces peripheral release of oxytocin, but induces oxytocin release from dendrites. Dendritic oxytocin release can be triggered by agents that mobilize intracellular calcium. Oxytocin, like α-MSH, mobilizes intracellular calcium stores in oxytocin cells and triggers presynaptic inhibition of afferent inputs that is mediated by cannabinoids. We hypothesized that this mechanism might underlie the inhibitory effects of α-MSH. To test this, we recorded extracellularly from identified oxytocin and vasopressin cells in the anesthetized rat supraoptic nucleus (SON). Retrodialysis of a CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist to the SON blocked the inhibitory effects of intracerebroventricular injections of α-MSH on the spontaneous activity of oxytocin cells. We then monitored synaptically mediated responses of SON cells to stimulation of the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT); this evoked a mixed response comprising an inhibitory component mediated by GABA and an excitatory component mediated by glutamate, as identified by the effects of bicuculline and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione applied to the SON by retrodialysis. Application of CB1 receptor agonists to the SON attenuated the excitatory effects of OVLT stimulation in both oxytocin and vasopressin cells, whereas α-MSH attenuated the responses of oxytocin cells only. Thus α-MSH can act as a “switch”; it triggers oxytocin release centrally, but at the same time through initiating endocannabinoid production in oxytocin cells inhibits their electrical activity and hence, peripheral secretion.
Enhancement of Spontaneous and Heat-Evoked Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Neurons by the Endovanilloid/Endocannabinoid N-Arachidonoyldopamine (NADA)
Authors: Huang Susan M. , Walker J. Michael
Published: November 2005

N-arachidonoyldopamine (NADA) is an endogenous molecule found in the nervous system that is capable of acting as a vanilloid agonist via the TRPV1 receptor and as a cannabinoid agonist via the CB1 receptor. Using anesthetized rats, we investigated the neural correlates of behavioral thermal hyperalgesia produced by NADA. Extracellular single cell electrophysiology was conducted to assess the effects of peripheral administration of NADA (i.pl.) on nociceptive neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Injection of NADA in the hindpaw caused increased spontaneous discharge of spinal nociceptive neurons compared with injection of vehicle. The neurons also displayed magnified responses to application of thermal stimuli ranging from 34 to 52°C. NADA-induced neural hypersensitivity was dose dependent (EC50 = 1.55 μg) and TRPV1 dependent, as the effect was abolished by co-administration of the TRPV1 antagonist 5′-iodoresiniferatoxin (I-RTX). In contrast, co-administration of the CB1 antagonist SR 141716A did not attenuate this effect. These results suggest that the enhanced responses of spinal nociceptive neurons likely underlie the behavioral thermal hyperalgesia and implicate a possible pain-sensitizing role of endogenous NADA mediated by TRPV1 in the periphery.
Two Kinematic Synergies in Voluntary Whole-Body Movements During Standing
Authors: Freitas Sandra M.S.F. , Duarte Marcos , Latash Mark L.
Published: November 2005

We used a particular computational approach, the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis, to investigate joint angle covariation patterns during whole-body actions performed by standing persons. We hypothesized that two kinematic synergies accounted for the leg/trunk joint covariation across cycles during a rhythmic whole-body motion to stabilize two performance variables, the trunk orientation in the external space and the horizontal position of the center of mass (COM). Subjects stood on a force plate and performed whole-body rhythmic movements for 45 s under visual feedback on one of the four variables, the position of the center of pressure or the angle in one of the three joints (ankle, knee, or hip). The Fitts-like paradigm was used with two target amplitudes and six indices of difficulty (ID) for each of the four variables. This was done to explore the robustness of kinematic postural synergies. A speed-accuracy trade-off was observed in all feedback conditions such that the movement time scaled with ID and the scaling differed between the two movement amplitudes. Principal-component (PC) analysis showed the existence of a single PC in the joint space that accounted for over 95% of the joint angle variance. Analysis within the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis has shown that data distributions in the joint angle space were compatible with stabilization of both trunk orientation and COM location. We conclude that trunk orientation and the COM location are stabilized by co-varied changes of the major joint angles during whole-body movements. Despite the strong effects of movement amplitude and ID on performance, the structure of the joint variance showed only minor dependence on these task parameters. The two kinematic synergies (co-varied changes in the joint angles that stabilized the COM location and trunk orientation) have proven to be robust over a variety of tasks.
Temperature Modulates Taste Responsiveness and Stimulates Gustatory Neurons in the Rat Geniculate Ganglion
Authors: Breza Joseph M. , Curtis Kathleen S. , Contreras Robert J.
Published: November 2005

In humans, temperature influences taste intensity and quality perception, and thermal stimulation itself may elicit taste sensations. However, peripheral coding mechanisms of taste have generally been examined independently of the influence of temperature. In anesthetized rats, we characterized the single-cell responses of geniculate ganglion neurons to 0.5 M sucrose, 0.1 M NaCl, 0.01 M citric acid, and 0.02 M quinine hydrochloride at a steady, baseline temperature (adapted) of 10, 25, and 40°C; gradual cooling and warming (1°C/s change in water temperature >5 s) from an adapted tongue temperature of 25°C; gradual cooling from an adapted temperature of 40°C; and gradual warming from an adapted temperature of 10°C. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the taste responses at 25°C divided 50 neurons into two major categories of narrowly tuned (Sucrose-specialists, NaCl-specialists) and broadly tuned (NaCl-generalistsI, NaCl- generalistsII, Acid-generalists, and QHCl-generalists) groups. NaCl specialists were excited by cooling from 25 to 10°C and inhibited by warming from 10 to 25°C. Acid-generalists were excited by cooling from 40 to 25°C but not from 25 to 10°C. In general, the taste responses of broadly tuned neurons decreased systematically to all stimuli with decreasing adapted temperatures. The response selectivity of Sucrose-specialists for sucrose and NaCl-specialists for NaCl was unaffected by adapted temperature. However, Sucrose-specialists were unresponsive to sucrose at 10°C, whereas NaCl-specialists responded equally to NaCl at all adapted temperatures. In conclusion, we have shown that temperature modulates taste responsiveness and is itself a stimulus for activation in specific types of peripheral gustatory neurons.
Death or Declaw: Dealing with Moral Ambiguity in a Veterinary Hospital
Authors: Atwood-Harvey Dana
Published: November 2005

The medical practice of declawing has received much political debate over the past few years. Yet, empirical and theoretical research on how this practice is maintained and the ethical positions of those who actually participate in this work is lacking. Drawing from 9 months of ethnographic fieldwork in a feline-specific veterinary hospital and open-ended interviews with veterinarians and staff, this study examines veterinary staff members' attitudes toward, and strategies for, dealing with the medical practice of declawing. Specifically, findings show that a number of staff felt uncomfortable with their participation in onychectomy (declawing) and relied heavily on organizational support structures to cope both with these feelings and the moral ambiguity about the practice. Relying on these structures, the veterinarians and their staff are able simultaneously to define felines as subjects worthy of respect for their quality of life, protect their own self-identity as people who work toward the best interest of animals, and paradoxically support action toward felines that they find morally objectionable.
Pernicious Portrayals: The Impact of Children's Attachment to Animals of Fiction on Animals of Fact
Authors: Henderson Antonia , Anderson Marla
Published: November 2005

This paper argues that the lack of distinction between human and nonhuman animals in the fantastic world of children's literature and film results in distorted representations of intelligence, capabilities, and morality of nonhuman animals. From the perspective of attachment theory, the paper shows how humans internalize and sustain misrepresentations throughout adulthood and how these misrepresentations influence relationships with real animals. An ongoing search for the ideal "Walt Disney dog" of childhood jeopardizes relationships to companion animals. Trying to recreate the fantasy dog by genetic manipulation of a real animal's characteristics results in needless distress for companion animals. Because the companion does not meet expectations engendered by childhood stories, normal dog behaviour—chewing, digging, and barking—may result in relinquishing the dog for adoption and subsequent euthanasia. Shifting to the scientific realm, the paper discusses the on-going debate on the study of animals' human-like abilities, most salient in ape language programs. In closing, the paper discusses the disservice done to real animals as illusions of childhood and subsequent misunderstandings leave them judged by impossible, anthrocentric standards—which they rarely can fulfill.
The coordination of ky / ' l kn in Cant. i 1-3 and related texts
Authors: Perry T. A.
Published: November 2005

Although the locution ky ' l kn introducing adverbial clauses of cause is well known, the coordination of its separate parts is virtually unstudied. My interest here is in how causality is expressed by groups of clauses in which ky is coordinated with ' l kn, creating a total structure of "since" / "therefore." A clearer understanding of this structure has important implications for the interpretation of well-known passages of Hebrew Scripture, notably the opening strophes of The Song of Songs and Psalms.
Free-Sorting of Colors Across Cultures: Are there Universal Grounds for Grouping?
Authors: Roberson Debi , Davies Ian , Corbett Greville , Vandervyver Marieta
Published: November 2005

These studies examined naming and free-sorting behavior by informants speaking a wide range of languages, from both industrialized and traditional cultures. Groups of informants, whose color vocabularies varied from 5 to 12 basic terms, were given an unconstrained color grouping task to investigate whether there are systematic differences between cultures in grouping behavior that mirror linguistic differences and, if there are not, what underlying principles might explain any universal tendencies. Despite large differences in color vocabulary, there were substantial similarities in grouping behavior across language groups, and substantial within-language variation across informants. It seems that all informants group stimuli based on some criterion of perceptual similarity, but those with large color vocabularies are more likely to group stimuli in line with their basic color terms. The data are best accounted for by a hybrid system that combines a universal principle of grouping by similarity with culture-specific category salience.
Reflections on Therapeutic Practice Guided by a Husserlian Perspective
Authors: Giorgi Barbro
Published: November 2005

In this article, there is a suggestion that the application of certain key concepts or procedures of Husserlian phenomenology can be helpful in the practice of therapy. It is well known that how a therapist is present to a client and his or her story is critical for the success of therapy. What is less clear, however, is how to address this "way of being" in therapy and what kinds of interventions are helpful to clients. In addressing some of these difficult issues, the Husserlian concepts found to be helpful are (1) Husserl's chief directive to go "back to the matters themselves," (2) the distinction among real and irreal objects, (3) presence to the order of phenomena, the phenomenal realm, (4) the intentional-fulfilling-identifying nature of conscious acts, (5) the phenomenological-psychological reduction, and (6) the discovery and description of eidetic structures of experience. These fundamental philosophical distinctions are taken up within a psychological perspective and elaborated and used within a phenomenological psychological perspective.
Living Through Some Positive Experiences of Psychotherapy
Authors: Giorgi Amedeo , Gallegos Nico
Published: November 2005

In this article three clients were asked to describe some alleviation of symptoms that they may have experienced in psychotherapy. The descriptions were broad enough so that they were able to be characterized as positive experiences. Positive experiences were easy to come by but they took place within a context of ongoing therapy that included as well negative experiences and lack of progress. Instrumental for the existence of the positive experiences was a high quality relationship with the therapist that was safe, trusting, caring and non-judgmental. Phenomenological reflections on the empirical findings indicated 1) that focused symptom relief was not necessarily the best strategy for outcome evaluation of therapy, 2) threw doubt on termination of therapy as a good criterion for the experience of therapy and 3) concluded that the relationship between therapist and client is complex but unified in a way that needs further clarification.
Unpacking the Ecological Footprint of Nations
Authors: Jorgenson Andrew K. , Rice James , Crowe Jessica
Published: November 2005

This study unpacks the combined national ecological footprint index into its subcomponents and examines the effects of international power and certain domestic factors on more specific forms of consumption-based environmental impacts. Using partial data for 206 countries, recursive indirect effects models are tested for each subcomponent of the combined footprint that treat international power as an exogenous variable and domestic income inequality, urban population, and human capital as endogenous variables. Results indicate that the cropland, forest, energy, and built area footprints are largely a function of relative position in the international stratification system and level of urban population. Domestic income inequality is a significant predictor of forest and energy footprints, and findings for the grazing land and fisheries footprints contrast sharply with international political-economic theorization.
Economic Vulnerability, Multidimensional Deprivation and Social Cohesion in an Enlarged European Community
Authors: Whelan Christopher T. , Maître Bertrand
Published: November 2005

In this article we have sought to combine regional and social exclusion perspectives on economic exclusion in the enlarged European Community. Our analysis, based on the European Quality of Life Survey, confirms that while the economically vulnerable, identified through latent class analysis, constitute substantially larger groups in the poorer economic clusters, they are much more sharply differentiated from others in the richer clusters. While the economically vulnerable are also disadvantaged in relation to measures of multidimensional deprivation and social cohesion, between economic clusters differences on these dimensions cannot be accounted for by corresponding variations in levels and intensity of economic vulnerability. In fact, the impact of such vulnerability on social cohesion is greater in the more affluent clusters.
Fundamental Study of CBA-blown Bubble Growth and Collapse Under Atmospheric Pressure
Authors: Xu Donglai , Pop-Iliev Remon , Park Chul B. , Fenton R. G.
Published: November 2005

This article focuses on gaining a fundamental understanding of the bubble growth and collapse phenomena in a chemical blowing agent (CBA)based foaming process under atmospheric pressure. The behavior of CBA-blown bubbles exposed to various processing conditions is observed using a hot-stage optical microscope-based image processing system. A mathematical model that accounts for the effects of diffusion, surface tension, viscosity, and elasticity has been employed. It has been found that the processing temperature, diffusivity, and gas bulk concentration have dominant effects on the life span of CBA-blown bubbles.
Microcellular Wood Fiber Reinforced PP Composites: Cell Morphology, Surface Roughness, Impact, and Odor Properties
Authors: Bledzki Andrzej K. , Faruk Omar
Published: November 2005

This article presents the investigations on the cell morphology, surface roughness, impact properties, and odor concentration of microcellular wood fiber reinforced PP composites in injection molding process with different chemical foaming agents. The chemical foaming agent and wood fiber content strongly affect the microcellular structures of wood–PP composites. Microcells' morphology (cell size, shape, and distribution) is investigated using optical light and scanning electron micrographs. Charpy impact strength, impact resistance, and damping index of the composites are influenced by different chemical foaming agent types and content. The odor concentration and surface roughness significantly improved due to microfoaming.
Radiation Cross-linked Polyethylene Foam: Preparation and Properties
Authors: Danaei M. , Sheikh N. , Taromi F. Afshar
Published: November 2005

The ability of some additives to increase the efficiency of polyethylene (PE) cross-linking is studied. The results confirm that additives are effective especially at low doses. Formulations of radiation cross-linked PE foam are used, and optimum conditions for the foaming process to prepare desirable final products are obtained. In addition, different properties of the foam, such as tensile properties, density, water absorption, thermal conductivity, and cellular structure, are determined in relation to blowing agent concentration. Finally, a PE foam formula with desirable properties is introduced.
Measurement of Shear Viscosity and Solubility of Polystyrene Melts Containing Various Blowing Agents
Authors: Choudhary M. , Delaviz Y. , Loh R. , Polasky M. , Wan C. , Todd D. B. , Hyun K. S. , Dey S. , Wu F.
Published: November 2005

This article presents measured data on shear viscosity and solubility of HCFC-142b and HFC-134a/ethanol blowing agent laden polystyrene melts at different temperatures. This study establishes the baseline for more novel and innovative blowing agent systems to replace HCFC-142b. The shear viscosity is measured using a helical barrel rheometer. Apparent solubility is determined by observing the onset of gas bubble presence or absence in a specially designed optical cell with sapphire windows using a microscope–CCD camera–monitor/recorder system. The article presents a selection of viscosity and solubility data and, where possible, compares them with measurements carried out by others. The dynamic methods of measuring solubility and viscosity of gas laden polymer melts used in this study are closer to the polymer foam manufacturing practice.
Modern Jewish Identity and the Apostle Paul: Pauline Studies as an Intra-Jewish Ideological Battleground
Authors: Langton Daniel R.
Published: November 2005

This is the second of two related studies of Jewish approaches to the apostle Paul. The context of the first was that of Jewish-Christian dialogue, while the context of the second is that of intra-Jewish ideological debate. Jewish Pauline Studies can be understood as a theatre of war in a wider intra-Jewish ideological battle. That is, Jewish commentaries on Paul appear to reflect and inform more general debates in the Jewish community on issues such as how to establish Jewish authenticity, how to regard the Law in modernity, how to respond to non-Jewish culture and ideas, how to regard marginal figures, how to relate Judaism and nationalism, and how to relate Judaism and Christianity. Some of the key figures treated in this schematic survey of the history of the Jewish interpretation of Paul include Claude Montefiore, Joseph Klausner, Hans Joachim Schoeps, Hugh Schonfield, Samuel Sandmel, Alan Segal, Richard Rubenstein, Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer and Daniel Boyarin.
History, Hermeneutics and the Unity of Luke-Acts
Authors: Rowe C. Kavin
Published: November 2005

This article attempts to raise questions on the basis of the early reception history of Luke and Acts about the relation between a literary-critical interpretation and an interpretation of Luke's work that asks after its meaning for an early Christian audience. That Luke-Acts can be read as a literary unity is not challenged. But the evidence that we have suggests that Luke and Acts were not read/heard together by the early Christians in the ancient world. We may thus ask whether our interpretations that depend in principle on the unity of Luke-Acts are in fact not as historical as we might suppose, at least in the sense that the texts would not have been heard together in the way we read them today. Conversely, we may also ask whether a historical interpretation that seeks to read Luke and Acts as they were most likely heard is of necessity estranged from the literary dynamics of Luke-Acts.
From Intended Strategies to Unintended Outcomes: The Impact of Change Recipient Sensemaking
Authors: Balogun Julia , Johnson Gerry
Published: November 2005

The tendency for intended strategies to lead to unintended consequences is well documented. This longitudinal, real-time analysis of planned change implementation provides an explanation for this phenomenon. We focus on the social processes of interaction between middle managers as change recipients as they try to make sense of the change interventions. We show the extent to which lateral, informal processes of inter-recipient sensemaking contribute to both intended and unintended change outcomes, and therefore the unpredictable, emergent nature of strategic change. The findings raise the issue of the extent to which it is possible to manage evolving recipient interpretations during change implementation.
You Bastard: A Narrative Exploration of the Experience of Indignation within Organizations
Authors: Sims David
Published: November 2005

Our patience with forming interpretations and reinterpretations of others' behaviour is not unlimited. The time comes when we lose interest in trying to understand, and conclude that another person is behaving in a way that is simply unacceptable. This paper explores the narratives that go with immoderate indignation, even for those best versed in the idea that they should attempt to understand the perspective of the other. The paper offers a reflexive comment on the difficulty of analysing such a topic, on the grounds that the phenomenon under discussion can debilitate analytic writing. Three narratives are discussed in which one person was seen as behaving in a despicable way by others. The description and analysis of the narratives are used to offer a narrative understanding of the process by which some people become indignant with others. It suggests a narrative construction of how sense is made of indignation, particularly in cases where two narratives come up against each other. It concludes by considering how the process of being indignant can produce conflicting emotions of joy and guilt for those involved.
Peripheral Vision
Authors: Cooper Robert
Published: November 2005

The act of relating is analysed as a constitutive feature of human agency. Relating is viewed as the continuous work of connecting and disconnecting in a fluctuating network of existential events. Relating re-lates the human world as a restless scene of flowing parts in which whole, self-contained objects take second place to the continuous transmission of movement. The relating of the world of moving parts is illustrated through the examples of modern methods of mass production and the transmission of information which both produce a 'weakening of reality'.
D-space and Deform Closure Grasps of Deformable Parts
Authors: Gopalakrishnan K. “Gopal” , Goldberg Ken
Published: November 2005

Building on the well-established form closure framework for holding rigid parts, in this paper we propose a new framework for holding deformable parts. We consider the class of deformable parts that can be modeled as linearly elastic polygons with a triangular finite element mesh and given stiffness matrix. We define the D-space (deformation-space) of a part as the C-space of all its mesh nodes. Free space is the intersection of the set of topology-preserving mesh configurations with the complement of the union of all D-obstacles that represent collisions of the part with finger bodies. Consider a given set of finger bodies in frictionless contact with a part. When positive work is needed to release the part, we say that it is in deform closure. We present numerical examples and prove two results: (1) if a contact set holds a rigid part in form closure, it will hold the equivalent deformable part in deform closure and (2) deform closure is frame invariant.

We then consider frictionless deform closure grasps with two contact points. We define a measure of grasp quality based on balancing the potential energy needed to release the part against the potential energy that would result in plastic deformation. Given two jaw contacts at the perimeter nodes, we develop numerical algorithms to determine the optimal jaw separation based on this metric. For a part with n mesh nodes and p perimeter nodes, we give an algorithm that computes the optimal separation in time O(n3 p2 +p6 log p) and an approximation algorithm that runs in time O(n3 p2 +(p2 /ε)log p) .
Solving Models of Controlled Dynamic Planar Rigid-Body Systems with Frictional Contact
Authors: Greenfield Aaron , Saranli Uluç , Rizzi Alfred A.
Published: November 2005

Effective modeling and control of multibody systems interacting with their environment through frictional contact remains a challenging problem. In this paper, we address the planar version of this problem by developing a general method to compute the instantaneous dynamic solution for planar rigid bodies interacting with their environment through Coulomb frictional contacts. The resulting analytical forward solution is represented in piecewise linear form, which admits tractable inversion for implementing behavioral control. We address the inherent problem of ambiguity in the resulting model (both between and within a particular linear model) by resorting to enumeration techniques and solve for the complete collection of possible model solutions in the presence of both contact constraints and additional task-specific linear constraints. We illustrate the application of these techniques by developing a controller to reliably achieve the dynamic self-righting of a hexapod robot.
Semidifferential Invariants for Tactile Recognition of Algebraic Curves
Authors: Ibrayev Rinat , Jia Yan-Bin
Published: November 2005

In this paper we study the recognition of low-degree polynomial curves based on minimal tactile data. Euclidean differential and semidifferential invariants have been derived for quadratic curves and special cubic curves that are found in applications. These invariants, independent of translation and rotation, are evaluated over the differential geometry at up to three points on a curve. Their values are independent of the evaluation points. Recognition of the curve reduces to invariant verification with its canonical parametric form determined along the way. In addition, the contact locations are found on the curve, thereby localizing it relative to the touch sensor. Simulation results support the method despite numerical errors. Preliminary experiments have also been carried out with the introduction of a method for reliable curvature estimation. The presented work distinguishes itself from traditional model-based recognition in its ability to simultaneously recognize and localize a shape from one of several classes, each consisting of a continuum of shapes, by the use of local data.
Coordinating Multiple Droplets in Planar Array Digital Microfluidic Systems
Authors: Griffith Eric J. , Akella Srinivas
Published: November 2005

In this paper we present an approach to coordinate the motions of droplets in digital microfluidic systems, a new class of lab-on-a-chip systems for biochemical analysis. A digital microfluidic system typically consists of a planar array of cells with electrodes that control the droplets. The primary challenge in using droplet-based systems is that they require the simultaneous coordination of a potentially large number of droplets on the array as the droplets move, mix, and split. In this paper we describe a general-purpose system that uses simple algorithms and yet is versatile. First, we present a semi-automated approach to generate the array layout in terms of components. Next, we discuss simple algorithms to select destination components for the droplets and a decentralized scheme for components to route the droplets on the array. These are then combined into a reconfigurable system that has been simulated in software to perform analyses such as the DNA polymerase chain reaction. The algorithms have been able to successfully coordinate hundreds of droplets simultaneously and perform one or more chemical analyses in parallel. Because it is challenging to analytically characterize the behavior of such systems, simulation methods to detect potential system instability are proposed.
Probik: Protein Backbone Motion by Inverse Kinematics
Authors: Noonan Kimberly , O'Brien David , Snoeyink Jack
Published: November 2005

To investigate the parameters of the protein design problem that we are exploring in collaboration with biochemists, we have developed a tool that uses inverse kinematics to support moving small fragments of protein backbone, while respecting biochemists' desires to “remain in favorable regions of the Ramachandran plot” and “preserve ideal geometry”. By presenting estimates of derivatives in response to motion, we are able to refine these qualitative desires as we work with our collaborators. We then explore low-dimensional bases to parametrize the space of backbone motions.
The Mythology of Begetting and Sex in the Church Fathers' Writings
Authors: Dauzat Pierre-Emmanuel
Published: November 2005

If we follow Matthew's Gospel 1, 1-16, it seems that the ‘genealogy of Jesus Christ’ is extremely clear: son of David, son of Abraham, who fathered Isaac … Right up to Jacob, who ‘fathered Joseph, the husband of Mary, who bore Jesus, called the Chrisf. Luke 3, 23-8, which echoes Matthew, introduces a first discrepancy: after an exceptional ‘when Jesus began his work he was about 30’, he says he was ‘the son, as people thought, of Joseph’. This ‘as people thoughf casts doubt on the whole of the following genealogy, even though it goes back still further, as far as ‘Adam, son of God’: the ‘hiatus’ is clearly the ‘virgin birth’, ‘when I have no husband’, as Luke writes in 1, 34. So the very idea of descent, and with it the notion of sex associated with procreation, appears to be questioned at the very moment it is being stated. Far from being a paradox that only we moderns can see, the difficulty did not go unnoticed by many Fathers of the Church. The sole aim of what follows is to describe some of the responses attempted during Christianity's early centuries in order to patch over this break with classical rules of descent.
Androgyny and Equality in the Theosophico-Theurgical Kabbalah
Authors: Idel Moshe
Published: November 2005

Androgyny may have more than one meaning. On the one hand, it may point to the anatomical coexistence of two sorts of sexual organs in an individual body. This is an observable fact and its most well-known expression is found in the famous myth from Plato's Symposium (para.189). Alternatively, in other texts this concept may point to a state understood by some scholars to be an allegory, a form of spiritual perfection. This interpretation is found in the writings of Jacob Boehme, Nicolai A. Berdiaev and, more recently, C.G. Jung, Mircea Eliade and Elemire Zola. Needless to say, Romantic literature is replete with an idealization of this theme. According to some texts, it is a matter of a special structure of souls, some form of primeval spiritual twinness, a view related somehow to Plato's myth, but applied this time to the soul, rather than the body. In other cases, which we will examine in the following pages, androgyny is related to the state of explicit coexistence of male and female qualities in the same entity, but in a special manner, namely as equal components.
Bisexuality in the Mythology of Ancient India
Authors: Doniger Wendy
Published: November 2005

Does the term ‘bisexual’ refer to what one does or what one is? It makes a difference, and Americans seem uncertain as to which is the primary meaning. Bisexuality refers, in common English parlance, primarily to the existential nature of a person's sexual partners; thus the Britannica Online defines bisexuality actively, as ‘in human sexuality, sexual interest in and attraction to members of one's own and the opposite sex. A bisexual is a person with both heterosexual and homosexual desires.’ That is, a bisexual does something bisexual. But Merriam Webster gives as the first meaning the existential definition, ‘possessing characteristics of both sexes, hermaphroditic’, and only as the second meaning the active definition, ‘sexually oriented toward both sexes’. That is, a bisexual is something bisexual, primarily, and only secondarily someone who does something bisexual. This subtle distinction takes on more obvious dimensions in mythological formulations, which, in the case of ancient India, easily and happily imagine creatures that are bisexual in the existential sense but must construct highly elaborate plots to allow bisexual relationships in the active sense.
The Tetralogy of Richard Wagner: A Mirror of Androgyny and of the Total Work of Art
Authors: Nattiez Jean-Jacques
Published: November 2005

Richard Wagner has long been recognized as one of the first composers of the modern era to have brought authentic myth to opera house stages. Leaving behind the realm of history (explored in Rienzi) and then that of legend (Der fliegende Holländer [The Flying Dutchman], Tannhaüser and Lohengrin) he turned to the world of myth with Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), a four-part work staged over four days, inspired by the Eddas and the Niebelungenlied, to which, in all probability, he had initially gained access through the anthology of German myths compiled by Jakob Grimm. This link with the mythic universe is so strong that Claude Lévi-Strauss did not hesitate to see in Wagner ‘the undeniable originator of the structural analysis of myths … it is a profoundly significant fact that the analysis was done in the first instance in music’. Our intent here, however, is not to debate this intriguing - and provocative - assertion by the famous anthropologist. Rather, the aim is to go beyond the first-level myth related by the Ring tetralogy - the creation of the world, the majesty and collapse of the gods, the rise of man and the return to the state of nature - in order to examine the extent to which these four operas contain also the origin myth of music and of the Gesamtkunstwerk, the ‘total work of art’ to which Wagner aspired, founded upon the androgyne myth that united poetry with music, respectively considered as the manifestations of the male and female principles.
Eve and Lilith: Two Female Types of Procreation
Authors: Rousseau Vanessa
Published: November 2005

In the mythology specific to the Christian narrative of original sin the symbolism of death is placed in close association with work and sexuality. In Paradise Adam and Eve are asexual elements who are not yet mortal and required to provide for their needs in terms of food. Once they taste the fruit, the situation is reversed and humankind is cast into corruption, sin, sexuality and death.
From Myth to Pathology: Perversions of Gender-Types in Late 19th-Century Literature and Clinical Medicine
Authors: Albert Nicole G.
Published: November 2005

Our current thinking on the subject of gender-types seems to arise from present-day considerations linked largely to the coming out of homosexuality onto the social and political stage as well as to feminists’ questioning of established sexual norms. Yet such considerations are not new; they came to the fore at the end of the 19th century, on the one hand with the sudden emergence into literature of ‘dubious creatures (êtres incertains)’ of ambivalent sexuality, and on the other with the birth of modern sexology.
Prevarication over the Sex of Stones: Caillois and Myth (Postscript)
Authors: Dauzat Pierre-Emmanuel
Published: November 2005

That era thought it had set us free: since the Enlightenment we had put an end to Aristotle's myths about women and his direct line ‘from the glans penis to the gianduia pinealis’, the obligatory obverse of the ‘wandering’ uterus that causes women's silly flightiness. Half a century later, when the fair sex took over men's brains in scholarly medical disputes, it needed the experience of the thanklessness of the flesh and its pleasures, alias Casanova, so ‘hassled’ by anatomical ecstasies, to remind believers in the ‘thinking uterus’ of the obvious: ‘Women have a uterus, men have sperm, that is the sum of the difference; but if thought comes from the soul and not the body, why … involve the uterus in women rather than the sperm in men?’ Hence the learned gentlemen's ‘spermatic sentiments’. And here is a fine conclusion: ‘Woman thinks as woman’, ‘man thinks as man’ … and as the refrain says, they both dance well! So we've learnt a lot.
The Lineaments of Desire in Arab-Muslim Culture: A Conversation with Nicole G. Albert and Lydia R. Ruprecht
Authors: Chebel Malek
Published: November 2005

Q: Do some founding myths affect how the gendered body is perceived within Islam? Is there one myth or several about the place of the androgyne in Arab-Muslim culture? A: There's no such thing as the androgyne, in the European sense. But we do have literary myths associated with androgyny: The Thousand and One Nights is where the concept is best illustrated. And this is such a well-known text, one in fact that Pasolini translated into light and images in the film that famously bears its name.
‘Varius multiplex multiformis’: Impressions of Federico Fellini's Satyricon
Authors: Ladjali Cécile
Published: November 2005

Fellini attempted to be painter, poet and musician in making Satyricon, a ‘free adaptation of Petronius's classic’, as the subtitle indicates. The film can be divided into three parts. The central section of the triptych is devoted to a hermaphrodite character. This figure, borrowed from Ovid, is the incandescent heart of the film, in which very many types of the dual and ambiguity are required to embody all the varieties of love and death. Hermaphroditus sums up the poetic, plastic and philosophical intentions carried by these figures. He also draws the shadow of their strange silhouette towards a proto-Christian horizon, which the film's three-part construction sets out to reveal.
Effect of Laminate Configuration on the Properties of Glass Fiber-reinforced Plastics (GFRPs) Mixed Composites
Authors: Mariatti M. , Chum P. K.
Published: November 2005

Studies on the effect of laminate configuration on the properties of glass fiberreinforced plastics (GFRPs) are carried out. The GFRP-laminated composites are prepared by a hand lay-up technique. Five types of laminate configurations are prepared, and the correlation between different laminate configurations and the end physical and flexural properties are analyzed. In this present study, the effect of water absorption on the flexural properties of GFRP composites is examined. As a result, it is found that the properties of GFRPs are governed by the laminate configurations of the laminate system, which further influence the properties of GFRPs after the water absorption test.
Accurate Flexural Analysis of Clamped Moderately Thick Cross-ply Rectangular Plates by Superposition of Exact Untruncated Infinite Series Solutions
Authors: Umasree P. , Bhaskar K.
Published: November 2005

A rigorous analytical solution for the title problem is presented here using the method of superposition. The derivation of tedious Levy-type solutions, commonly used in such an approach, is obviated by the ingenious use of their infinite series counterparts, which are summed without truncation so as to retain accuracy. The methodology is fast convergent and yields accurate results without excessive computation. Tabulated results are presented for two cross-ply plates for future comparisons.
Effects of High-Intensity Endurance Training on Maximal Oxygen Consumption in Healthy Elderly People
Authors: Østerås Håvard , Hoff Jan , Helgerud Jan
Published: November 2005

The primary intent of this study was to determine whether high-intensity endurance training increased maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) in an older adult population. Twenty-one healthy, untrained men and women (69.7 years, SD 2.7 years) participated and were randomly assigned to a high-intensity training group (TG) (n = 10) and a control group (CG) (n = 11). The TG trained three times a week for 10 weeks. Each 60-minute training session included four repetitions of exercise at approximately 85% to 95% of maximal heart rate separated by 4-minuterest periods. The control group was encouraged to perform no additive strength or endurance training during the study period. Maximal oxygen consumption increased significantly (p < .05) (13.2%) in the TG compared to the CG. Walking economy and maximal walking speed were unchanged after the training intervention. This training study demonstrates that high-intensity endurance training significantly improves VO2max in older adults.
Use of Computer Input Devices by Older Adults
Authors: Wood Eileen , Willoughby Teena , Rushing Alice , Bechtel Lisa , Gilbert Jessica
Published: November 2005

A sample of 85 seniors was given experience (10 trials) playing two computer tasks using four input devices (touch screen, enlarged mouse [EZ Ball], mouse, and touch pad). Performance measures assessed both accuracy and time to complete components of the game for these devices. As well, participants completed a survey where they evaluated each of the devices. Seniors also completed a series of measures assessing visual memory, visual perception, motor coordination, and motor dexterity. Overall, previous experience with computers had a significant impact on the type of device that yielded the highest accuracy and speed performance, with different devices yielding better performance for novices versus experienced computer users. Regression analyses indicated that the mouse was the most demanding device in terms of the cognitive and motor-demand measures. Discussion centers on the relative benefits and perceptions regarding these devices among senior populations.
Stereotypes and Perceptions of the Elderly by the Youth in Nigeria: Implications for Social Policy
Authors: Okoye Uzoma Odera , Obikeze Dan S.
Published: November 2005

This study investigates stereotypes and perceptions of the elderly by youths, their effects on intergenerational relations, and the implications for traditional social support systems and social policy in Nigeria. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 800youths aged 15 to 30 and selected through a stratified random sampling process from both rural and urban areas of Anambra State of Nigeria. Four focus group discussion sessions also were conducted. Results show that Nigerian youths do not see the elderly as making too many demands on their children. The respondents, however, possess a number of aging stereotypes. They believe that the elderly behave like children and are sickly, conservative, suspicious, and secretive. Having stereotypes is related to level of education but not to gender, age, or place of residence. The policy implications of these findings are discussed and a new approach to care for the elderly recommended.
The Effect of Socioeconomic Factors on Fire in China
Authors: Lizhong Yang , Heng Chen , Yong Yang , Tingyong Fang
Published: November 2005

Fire differs remarkably from other natural disasters because of its close relationship with human behaviors, which are affected by socioeconomic factors. In this article, research on the relationship between socioeconomic factors and fire in China is presented. Correlation analysis shows that in China, socioeconomic factors have a notable influence on fire. But the degree of correlation between them is different from that in other countries. In China, tendency of fire incidence and serious fire situations occur with the development of economy, which is a distinctive characteristic of the relationship between fire and socioeconomic factors. The fire data from China sounds paradoxical between two periods under study and the research indicates that fire rate has a poor relationship with college education, while in developed countries they are revealed as negative correlation. Finally, we discuss how socioeconomic factors influence fire and some predictions made on the fire situation in China.
Experimental Investigation on Smoke Propagation in a Transversely Ventilated Tunnel
Authors: Choi J. S. , Kim M. B. , Choi D. H.
Published: November 2005

In order to determine the key features of the fire safety design in transversely ventilated tunnels, the smoke propagation characteristics are examined as a function of fire size, fire location, and airflow rates of supply and exhaust. A 12-m long scale model of the Memorial tunnel, with a scale down ratio of cross section 1/20, is used. Fire sizes and ventilation rates in real tunnels are then deduced from the Froude similarity. In general, it is found that the smoke propagating distance increases with the fire size and decreases with the exhaust ventilation rate. When the fire location is off-centered, the propagating distance becomes substantially larger than that of the centered fire with the same size. A hazardous situation generated from an imbalance between the supply rate and the exhaust rate is also observed. The results suggest that the smoke propagating distance and/or the smoke filling may serve as good criteria for determining the transverse ventilation rate.
Fire Size and Fire Spread in Tunnels with Longitudinal Ventilation Systems
Authors: Carvel R. O. , Beard A. N. , Jowitt P. W. , Drysdale D. D.
Published: November 2005

The results and findings of three previous research projects are combined with new research to estimate the overall influence of longitudinal ventilation on fire size and spread in tunnels. Each of the three previous projects is briefly described. Combining the results of these three projects, together with the knowledge of HGV fire behavior in an experimental test, enables the estimation of the maximum fire size of a fire in a tunnel and the conditions under which it might spread to an adjacent vehicle, for a given longitudinal ventilation velocity. These results have been combined into a single computer model. The results are presented and discussed. It is concluded that, although it may greatly increase the heat release rate of a fire in a tunnel, increasing the ventilation velocity will tend to reduce the likelihood of the fire spreading to an adjacent vehicle, assuming no flame impingement.