bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Doctrine of Justification and Merit in Roman Catholic with Anglicans and in the Light of Luther's 'Theological Grammar' of 'Incarnate Faith'
Authors: McSorley Harry
Published: March 2013

At its fourth plenary meeting in the Summer of 1986, the Second Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission completed work on a statement entitled Salvation and the Church. The statement was published during Church Unity Week in January, 1987. A reading of the document bears out the claim made in the press release at the end of the Llandaff meeting that the participants in the dialogue 'have reached agreement on those issues of salvation and justification which gave rise to deep divisions between Roman Catholics and Protestants in the sixteenth century'. The agreed statement recognizes that 'the extent to which Anglicans and Roman Catholics have actually been in disagreement on this topic is itself a matter of debate' . This alludes, at least in part, to the fact that some Anglicans have not found serious difficulty with the doctrine of justification as expounded by the Council of Trent, while others, Evangelical Anglicans in particular, having identified themselves with the exposition of that doctrine by the Continental Reformers, share the widespread perception of both Protestants and Roman Catholics that Trent's teaching is antithetical to that of the Reformers. Whichever side of the debate one defends, the debate's very existence required that ARCIC-II address the topics of salvation and justification 'in response to the conviction that it is necessary for the two Communions to be in agreement on this issue as they make further progress towards full communion of faith and sacramental life'.
The Question of Ideological Determination In Liberation Theology
Authors: Wells Harold
Published: March 2013

A common charge brought against liberation theology, both by some Protestant theologians and by Vatican authorities, is that it is determined by an ideological commitment, a commitment prior to Christ and the gospel. For example, the Instruction on Certain Aspects of the 'Theology of Liberation' (August 1984) issued by the Vatican Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, charges that the 'ideological core borrowed from Marxism ... exercises the function of a determining principle' in liberation theology. According to this view, in liberation theology Christianity has been co-opted by an alien ideology. The sequel, Instruction on Christian Freedom and Liberation, (April 1986) while much less sharply critical, and even cautiously supportive of liberation theology, does not in any way withdraw the earlier judgment and warning about ideological domination. The particular aspect of liberationist teaching most objected to by the Vatican is the theory of class struggle, which, it is said, distorts the understanding of key Christian doctrines.
Relativism and Religious Tolerance
Authors: Evans Donald
Published: March 2013

Jay Newman's Foundations of Religious Tolerance is a substantial and independent piece of philosophical reflection. Unlike many liberal advocates of religious tolerance he does not base it on a social-contract view of society or on a view of human knowledge as being essentially limited and fallible in religious matters. Instead, his arguments are relevant to conservative perspectives, both theological and philosophical, and so his book is a specially valuable contribution, for conservatism has often seemed to legitimize intolerance.
Ralph Connor's Christianity: the Evangelical Liberalism of C. W. Gordon
Authors: Fraser Brian
Published: March 2013

The reading public of the Anglo-Saxon world made the Reverend C. W. Gordon a best-selling novelist. It bought over thirty million copies of the twenty-six novels he published between 1898 and 1936 under the pseudonym of Ralph Connor. Literary critics and historians have examined Connor's novels as romantic and colourful accounts of the opening of the Canadian West, as expressions of a particular school of nationalism, or as manifestations of early twentieth century reformism. I But for the minister of St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg, the novels served primarily as a means of promoting an aggressive evangelical Protestantism that saw Christianity as the most powerful dynamic in the moral and social life of the young Canadian nation. Gordon's novels, by his own estimation, presented the Gospel as 'a synonym for all that is virile, straight, honourable and withal tender and gentle in true men and women' , and sought to persuade people of the practical power of Christianity. Given the remarkable reception accorded Gordon's novels, Ralph Connor's Christianity is an important window into the Protestant mind in Canada in the opening years of the twentieth century.
Paul's Appeals to His Damascus Experience and I Cor. 15:5-7: Are They Legitimations?
Authors: Plevnik Joseph
Published: March 2013

In 1963, U. Wilckens suggested that, in regard to I Cor. 15:5—11, the real reason for transmitting the list of appearances of the risen Jesus was not to name the witnesses who, on the basis of these appearances of the risen Jesus to them could testify that Jesus rose from the dead, but rather to legitimate the authority figures and groups in the early church. That these witnesses also affirmed the fact of Jesus' Resurrection or that the risen Jesus through these self-revelations manifested his Resurrection, was presupposed. From I Cor. 15:8—11, it is clear that self-legitimation is also the intention of Paul in appealing to the appearance of the risen Christ to him, and this is supported by his references in Gal. 1:12, 15 and I Cor. 9:1 to his Damascus experience.
Jesus the Jew: Christian and Jewish Reactions
Authors: Vermes Geza
Published: March 2013

I hope I may be forgiven if use my two books, Jesus the Jew and Jesus and the World of Judaism, and the comments and criticisms generated by them, to present the general issue facing us. With the hindsight of fourteen years of argument, it is interesting to note that in 1973, 'Jesus the Jew' was chosen because it was a strong title, whereas by now it has become part of common parlance (the 1983 Easter leader of The (London) Times bore the title, 'Jesus was a Jew' , and the present bishop of Oxford spoke in the (London) Observer of December 21, 1986 of 'a continuing [theological] emphasis on Jesus the Jew'. There is indeed a danger now that the expression may soon become a cliche. After a brief survey of the two studies, I will tum to the religious reactions — Christian and Jewish, although perhaps understandably, more frequently Christian than Jewish — that the current preoccupation with the topic have provoked. Finally, from behind the shelter of the historian's proverbial 'without fear or favour' (sine ira et studio) objectivity, I will endeavour to formulate some questions habitually bypassed, both by denominational writers and practitioners of inter-faith dialogue.
The Firmest Grasp of the Real: Barth on Original Sin
Authors: Webster John
Published: March 2013

Any attempt seriously to probe the phenomena of human wickedness soon runs into a problem: we seem to find it extraordinarily difficult to describe evil as that which we can and do perpetrate. 'Many men seem perfect strangers to their own characters ... There is plainly in the generality of mankind, an absence of doubt or distrust, in a very great measure, as to their moral character and behaviour; and likewise a disposition to take for granted, that all is right and well with them in these respects.' So writes Bishop Butler in the remarkable tenth sermon in the Rolls Chapel, 'Upon Self-Deceit'. To say, as Butler does, that we are commonly incapable of piercing through the illusions we entertain about our characters, is not only to say that a person's ability morally to engage with wickedness is dependent upon their ability to acknowledge failure in themselves. It is also to say that the difficulties of dealing with the topic of evil lie less in accounting for its origins than in offering a description of it as action undertaken not just by others but by ourselves
Don Wiebe: A Shift in His Method?
Authors: Stoesz Donald
Published: March 2013

The issue this essay raises is whether Don Wiebe has shifted in his method. The reason for this inquiry is my continuing confusion about what Don Wiebe considers the proper method(s) of a faculty of religious studies to be. In his latest article on the subject (1984), Wiebe is sceptical about theology being sufficiently critical to incorporate a reductionistic explanation into its method. Two conclusions can be drawn from this criticism.
Gerrard Winstanley's Theology of Creation: An Approval1
Authors: Lindsey William
Published: March 2013

Studies of the seventeenth-century English theologian and political activist Gerrard Winstanley (1609 — 676) have usually taken one of two tacks: Winstanley is viewed as a theologian, and the radical political import of his theology is discounted; or he is interpreted as a political reformer who eventually repudiated his early theological works, and who eschewed theology for rational political analysis. Winstanley is remembered by historians primarily because of his radical 'digging' experiment. As a result of his theological convictions, he and his followers appropriated common land which had been enclosed by large landholders, and planted crops upon the land as a sign of protest against the enclosure of land and as a statement of the right of the dispossessed to the land. The movement which he founded, the 'Diggers', took its name from this digging experiment.
The Point of Trinitarian Theology
Authors: Haight Roger
Published: March 2013

This article is an attempt to review the doctrine and theology of the Trinity in terms of the point which underlies both and which in the end makes them intelligible. By the point of the doctrine I mean the deeper truth or truths that it represents; I mean the kernel that lies within, the 'one thing necessary' that lies below the surface of the affirmations about God. Thus I shall not be speaking of the doctrine directly, but of the deeper experience and Christian convictions that lie behind it. The point of the doctrine is the reality which grounds it and hence what should always be aimed at and protected in the theology of the doctrine itself.
Churches and Sociological Research
Authors: Baum Gregory
Published: March 2013

In recent years churches have occasionally turned to sociologists for help. They have asked these social scientists to study the ecclesiastical set-up and come up with proposals for improving its outreach and efficiency. Is this a wise thing to do? The answer to this question depends on the approach to sociology taken by the practitioner.
Models and Modelling in Spiritual Development: Toward a New Concept in Spiritual Developmental
Authors: Anch Michael , Chiasson Cyril
Published: March 2013

When one examines the current literature on spiritual (religious / faith) development, one factor stands out. There are not so much theories of spiritual development as there is a spiritual developmental theory. For most attempts at examining spiritual development tend to apply established theories of personality and cognitive development to the issue, but are not in themselves theories of spiritual development. While the point is initially surprising, it may reflect the simple fact that spiritual development, whatever else it may be, is not something that occurs independently or apart from the development of the whole person. Rather, it occurs within that process. The key issue is that, until fairly recently, we have not recognized the religious or spiritual dimension of personality, or the developmental character of that dimension, as integral to the process of human becoming or of becoming human.
Praying in Two Tongues: Conflicting Principles of Worship in the Anglican Church of Canada
Authors: Hayes Alan
Published: March 2013

Since 1985 the Anglican Church of Canada has authorized the use of two quite distinct forms of worship. The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) of 1959 is a Canadian revision of the prayer books of the English Reformation, and technically remains the standard Canadian Anglican liturgy. The Book of Alternative Services (BAS) published in 1985 and authorized for use until 1989, embodies the modem concepts of worship associated with what is usually called the 'Liturgical Movement', the dominant school of liturgical . thought in Western Christianity today. For the present, therefore, and in principle, the denomination recognizes not simply two different worship books but two quite distinct, and in most respects opposed, approaches to worship. Such a liturgical and liturgiological split-personality is paralleled in many other parts of the communion: the Church of England, for instance, also recognizes both a BCP reflecting Reformation principles and an Alternative Services Book (ASB) influenced by the Liturgical Movement; the Episcopal Church in the USA comprehends within its new (1979) prayer book (USBCP), a comparable conflict, there named 'Rite One' and 'Rite Two'. Several other Protestant traditions have also found their worship in a tug-of-war between the Reformation and the Liturgical Movement.
Identity, Politics, and Theological Ethics: A RevIew Article
Authors: Whitehead Raymond
Published: March 2013

On first looking into Richard Fox's Reinhold Niebuhr: A Biography (New York: Pantheon Books, 1985), I had the sense of stepping into a landscape at once strange and familiar. Three decades ago I was a beginning theology student at Manhattan's Union Seminary as Niebuhr brought to a close his active teaching career. He was my first professor of Christian ethics and had been a factor in my decision to attend Union. I had already entered his world, having studied at his Alma Mater, Elmhurst College, where his name and fame were commonplace. I was an outsider to a Germanic world at Elmhurst, which delighted in the reflected glory brought to the school by Reinhold and his equally famous theologian-ethicist brother H. Richard Niebuhr.
Yes, But What Philosophy?
Authors: Despland Michael
Published: March 2013

The history of the interaction between philosophy and Christian theology has been long and complex. Few controls have been exercised on the interaction lately, so that today one can likely find a theologian to support any philosophical position, and vice-versa. I will not comment on the theological agenda Schner explicitly presented and on which Wiebe made implicit comments, but will limit my contribution to the philosophical side of the exchange.
Uniting the Children of Athens and Jerusalem
Authors: Hamilton Kenneth
Published: March 2013

'WHAT has Athens to do with Jerusalem?' asked Tertullian. Well, the situation has been the classic one of the arranged marriage between the son of an impoverished patrician family and the daughter of a wealthy one. No doubt the marriage-broker pointed out the advantage of the merger to both families. The heirs of Jerusalem would enjoy the social prestige of Athens and would be welcomed into the best cultural establishments. The heirs of Athens would take over title to the large inheritance of religion. Yet there were misgivings from the start. Athens resented the thought of her grandchildren calling 'Mom' a descendant of desert tribes who still spoke with an outlandish accent. Jerusalem grieved over the likelihood of her grandchildren growing up to despise their mother's family and adopting the pagan outlook of their father's people.
Some Implications of Jung's Understanding of Mysticism
Authors: Dourley John
Published: March 2013

For Carl Jung, the imagery depicting religious experience represented a valued extemalization of the deepest energies and structures of the psyche, energies and structures in which humanity universally participates. In reference to what he considered to be his discovery of the psyche as author of religious experience, Jung refers to his ‘demonstration of the psychic origin of religious experience.’ In continuity with his understanding of the intra-psychic origin of religion, his fascination with mystics of many traditions was grounded on his conviction that their experience and imagery were immediate and particularly intense experiences of the archetypal, and thus religious, depths of the psyche itself.
The Issues in the Definition of the Council of Chalcedon
Authors: Slusser Michael
Published: March 2013

This is a brief summary of current scholarship on the Christo logical definition of the Council of Cha1cedon in 451 A.D. I It is not an entire history of the Christological controversies, but by its sharp focus may bring out clearly points sometimes lost in the complexity of more ambitious surveys. After a sketch of what happened at the council, the Definition itself, in a new and very literal translation, will be the object of analysis. Finally, several conclusions will be presented as to what the council did and did not proclaim.
The Historical and Theological Problem of the Jesus Question
Authors: Strecker Georg
Published: March 2013

The So-called Historical (historisch) Jesus and the Historic (geschichtlich) Biblical Christ is the title of a work which Martin Kiihler, systematic theologian at the theological faculty at Halle, Germany, published in 1892. Kahler deals with the Jesus problem as it had arisen in the face of the growing importance of the historical-critical method in biblical studies, especially for the systematic theologian. […] He distinguishes, therefore, between the historical Jesus whom the eye of the historian perceives, and the Christ of faith, the "manifest God." The opponent who called for such a differentiation is represented by the life-of-Jesus literature of the nineteenth century. For Kiihler, the call came from those who sought to reconstruct an historical life of Jesus from the New Testament Gospels, with the aid of historical criticism. […] That is the extent of Kahler's position, reflecting an opinion which signals a fundamental alternative to the Jesus problem. In the following paper, I will look at whether and to what extent• this position can be maintained today.
Decolonizing Theology in the Caribbean: Prospects for Hermeneutical Reconstruction
Authors: Moseley Romney
Published: March 2013

For the past two decades Caribbean theologians have been trying to "decolonize" theology in order to lend theological support to the subversion of colonial domination. Given the thoroughness of colonization in church and state by the British, French, Dutch and Spanish, decolonization requires a radical transformation in religious and political consciousness. In the political domain, decolonization is the forming of national and regional identities to complement the development of new structures of self-governance, independence and interdependence. In the theological domain, decolonization entails hermeneutical reconstruction — "critical discrimination as to what is primary and what is secondary, what is accidental, what is authentic and what is distortion” in the meaning and praxis of Christianity.
Women and Christ: Toward Inclusive Christologies
Authors: Leonard Ellen
Published: March 2013

Christology claims a universal significance for Christ. Contemporary Christologies struggle with the implications of this claim, raising questions about the inclusivity of Christology from many perspectives, including questions arising from Jewish-Christian dialogue, dialogue with other religions, and most recently ecological concerns. My focus is on the inclusion of women in our understanding of Christology.
An Open Letter to Cranford Pratt and Roger Hutchinson
Authors: Silman Janet
Published: March 2013

I have chosen to respond to Christian Faith and Economic Justice: Toward a Canadian Perspective in the form of an open letter because I share your commitment to dialogue and my method of ethical reflection requires being as explicit as possible about my own viewpoint. I address you as a Canadian Christian feminist who believes that a "preferential option for the poor" is inherent in the biblical witness, and who, since no one has a monopoly on the truth, seeks to remain open to other perspectives.
Christology in the Context of Jewish-Christian Relations: Unresolved Issues and the Theology of Edward Schillebeeckx
Authors: Kuikman Jacoba
Published: March 2013

The questions of the uniqueness and universality of Jesus loom large in scholarly discussions of the relationship of Christianity to other religions. This can be seen in the recent work of scholars such as John Hick and Paul Knitter, who deal with Christ in the context of world religions, as well as in that of spokesmen for Jewish-Christian dialogue, such as John Pawlikowski and Paul van Buren. Both groups of scholars address the same question - namely, that of the uniqueness of the Christ-event and Christianity vis-à-vis other faiths. All are disturbed by the problem that the traditional self-understanding of Christianity either dismisses or subordinates the value of other religions.
The Fate of Judas: Matthew 27:3-10
Authors: Conrad Audrey
Published: March 2013

Of the synoptic gospels, only Matthew includes a passage (27:3-10) describing the fate of Judas Iscariot. The character of Judas and his actions are firmly in the tradition: some kind of betrayal took place which he personifies, and a locatable field is associated with him in living memory. Money is involved. To attribute greed to Judas as motive springs easily to mind as 'apologetic,' especially if the historical facts were not known to the tradition, or were known but were awkward to acknowledge. These traditional elements came to Matthew from his source, Mark.

Matthew, along with Mark and Luke, accounts for Judas' acts as foreordained by scripture and foreknown by Jesus: the Messiah must be handed over, and Judas is the one who will do it. Mark and Luke leave it at that. Judas leaves the fellowship, and we are not told what becomes of him. Only Matthew elaborates on Judas' end. Why? What are his intentions? Where it stands, the pericope of Matthew 27:3-10 impedes the flow of an exciting story. It is implausible on a realistic level: surely there wasn't time between trials for the Sanhedrin to make a land purchase! Given Matthew's customary smoothness, the awkward narrative here suggests it was of major importance to him to include the content of 27:3-10.

Although this pericope, and the gospel as a whole, permit much speculation regarding method of composition and historical veracity I will limit my investigation to Matthew's redactional agenda — the work of the author as author. To view Matthew as author more clearly, I will examine his use of Old Testament sources and themes in light of his methods and intentions as discernible elsewhere in the gospel, in the hope of discovering how the character of Judas Iscariot functioned for Matthew, and his motives for constructing the pericope as he did.
Playing With Fire? On Prometheus Rebound: The Irony of Atheism
Authors: Khan Abrahim
Published: March 2013

Can God will the human good so that choosing His will is ipso facto choosing authentic humanity? The analysis of modem atheism in Joseph C. McLelland's Prometheus Rebound links this question to the image of Prometheus and the new prometheans — key historical figures and movements leading a wilful struggle for survival against any alien force pretending to hold the secret of being human. The conflict of wills (Prometheus against Zeus) means not only mastery of technology, and thus human autonomy. For according to McLelland, McConnell Professor of Philosophy of Religion at McGill University in Montreal, Prometheus' gift of fire is an ambiguous legacy. While fire is symbolic of a rebellion of will against every alien power holding the human spirit in bondage, the cost of gaining that gift is an anthropology without any transcendent root. The image of Prometheus, on the rebound, is a return of idols. Perhaps an idol returned is in the form of military might and its accompanying technology, as recently unleashed under Operation Desert Storm. Thus, an irony of 'playing with fire' is that the gift has proven tragic. Technological independence can become a threat to humanity. Or, as McLelland expresses it theologically, to think for oneself means to trust only in the human and worldly and thus to deny God (p. 29). In his book, subtitled The Irony of Atheism, McLelland explores the ironic fate of the new prometheans and closes — ironically — on a note in favour of a theism that will accommodate Prometheus, the master of rebellion, as saint of humanism, without having spelled out the theism. A treat in the history of ideas, McLelland's analysis of
McLelland and Buckey on Modern Atheism
Authors: Schner George
Published: March 2013

When two lengthy, scholarly books appear within a year of one another on the same subject, they beg for comparison. Unless the authors are collaborators or declared opponents, they are unlikely to be conversant with each other's work. However, the occurrence provides the reader a fascinating opportunity not merely to compare the treatment of material but often to consider, as in the case of the almost simultaneously published Prometheus Rebound by J .C. McLelland and At the Origins of Modern Atheism by M.J. Buckley, two quite different theories at work on the same material. I propose to examine several points of comparison, and then venture some remarks on the success and usefulness of the respective works. I will conclude with a remark about the general business of the philosophy of religion and presuppositions about its work.
Where was the Gospel of Thomas Written?
Authors: Desjardins Michael
Published: March 2013

Stevan Davies has helped to set the direction of modem scholarship in two areas throughout the 1980s. In The Revolt of the Widows: The Social World of the Apocryphal Acts, he argued that the New Testament apocryphal Acts originated in communities of continent Christian women striving for a new mode of self-expression. His study sparked others which explored the social and feminist ramifications of this type of early Christian literature.In a second innovative book, The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom, Davies sought to convince us, contrary to the current scholarly direction, that the Gospel of Thomas was not a gnostic document of concern mainly to historians of second-century Christianity. Instead, he encouraged us to set this gospel in the mid-first century, to understand it in the context of Christian baptismal initiation and instruction, and to view it as representative of contemporary Jewish wisdom speculations. The challenging nature of his thesis, the appended English translation of the Coptic text by David Cartlidge, and the absence of other accessible commentaries on this gospel all helped to make this book the most widely-read study on the Gos. Thom. in North America during the last decade.

This paper emerges directly from The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom. It addresses more narrowly the issue of where the Gos. Thom. was written. Davies, setting this gospel in the mid-first century, hoped to dislodge the prevailing theory that it probably was written in Edessa.He proceeded in this task by rebutting three of Helmut Koester's arguments which favoured such an Edessene connection
The Meaning of Jesus' Death in the 'Last Supper' Traditions
Authors: Kobayashi Nobuo
Published: March 2013

The account of the institution of the Last Supper is found four times in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians II:23-25, Mark 14:22-25, Matthew 26:26-29, and Luke 22:15-20. These can be divided into two types, the Pauline (I Cor. and Luke) and the Markan (Mark and Matt.). It is generally agreed, nevertheless, that all developed from the same tradition. Without entering into the texts' tradition-historical problem, I will explore the meaning of Jesus' death expressed in them and, in particular, Jesus' words over the cup.
Christ as Prototype
Authors: Farris James
Published: March 2013

Even a cursory acquaintance with the pseudonymous writings of Søren Kierkegaard would render problematic the prominence given to the imitatio Christi in the later religious works. The central and continuing theme of Kierkegaard's earlier Christology presents Christ as the great incognito, the redeemer who is unrecognizable in terms of historical salvific features. The mere fact that he existed historically and presented himself as God incarnate at a point of time constitutes his objectivity for faith's appropriation. Paradoxically, in the moment of incarnation the eternal becomes temporal, and in the moment of faith the temporal one gains eternity. It is not through a process of moral and spiritual achievement patterned on a portrait of the historical Jesus that humans are saved, but by the absurdity of trusting the soul's eternal well-being to the securing of contemporaneity with Christ at the point of his becoming flesh.
Dreaming Together: Christians and Jews in the Twenty-first Century
Authors: Fisher Eugene
Published: March 2013

On October 28, 1965, 221 Fathers of the Second Vatican Council voted placet ("it pleases") on one of the most controversial documents of the Council, the fourth section of the declaration of the Church's relationship with nonChristian religions, Nostra Aetate ("In Our Time"). Indeed, no statement of the Council better distilled, in the famous opening lines of Gaudium et Spes, "the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties" of the twentieth century, than these fifteen Latin sentences.

The mid-1960s was a time of dreams and of the dashing of dreams. Set against the background of the Shoah, it was a time of prosperity and expanded vision in the United States and, I presume, in Canada as well, a time of the Peace Corps and civil rights, of Martin Luther King, Jack and Bobby Kennedy and of assassinations and Vietnam. Somehow, for many American Catholics and many American Jews, Nostra Aetate came to symbolize it all. After two millennia of often fractious and at times violent relations, the Roman Catholic Church, great in number and rich in tradition, made a turning, a heshon ha nefesh ("reconsideration of the soul") and turned its face for the first time in all those long, bitter centuries, toward rather than away from the Jewish people who had given it birth and early nurture.

Today is not the time to reprise those centuries, with their ambiguities and in many ways remarkable spiritual fecundity in both Christianity and Judaism. Today, standing on the verge of the third millennium of the relationship, we look ahead. We allow ourselves to dream and in dreaming to search the horizon for landmarks on the way to a reconciliation between our two ancient traditions.
Experimental study of phase equilibria in the “SnO”–CaO–SiO2 system in equilibrium with tin metal
Authors: Xu Xiaoyong , Hayes Peter C. , Jak Evgueni
Published: March 2013

Experimental studies have been conducted to determine the primary phases and liquidus temperatures in the binary “SnO”–SiO2 and ternary “SnO”–CaO–SiO2 systems in equilibrium with tin metal between 1 148 and 1 673 K, using a high temperature equilibration and quenching technique followed by measurement of phase compositions using electron probe X-ray microanalysis. The melting temperature of cassiterite (SnO2) in equilibrium with tin metal was found to be between 1 398 and 1 403 K. The following primary phase fields were identified in the system: malayaite (CaSiSnO5), pseudo-wollastonite (CaSiO3), tridymite and cristobalite (SiO2), and cassiterite (SnO2). The liquidus of the “SnO”–CaO–SiO2 system is dominated by the tridymite or cristobalite (SiO2), and pseudo-wollastonite (CaSiO3) primary phase fields in the range of compositions studied.
Grain refining of aluminium alloys and silicon by means of boron-nitride particles
Authors: Wulf Eric , Alphei Lukas David , Westfal David , Seitz Jan-Marten , Schaper Mirko , Becker Jörg August , Feldhoff Armin , Bach Friedrich-Wilhelm
Published: March 2013

Investigations were carried out to grain refine the aluminium alloys Al-6Si (all compositions given in wt.%) and Al-12Si as well as pure silicon by means of inoculation using boron nitride nano-particles. Comparative tests were performed using both conventional grain refiners based on titanium as well as without inoculants. Analyses were performed using scanning electron microscopy, tensile testing, thermographic and metallographic techniques. In doing this, a significant effect on grain refining is verified by inoculating using boron nitride which exceeds the effect of conventional grain refiners.
Crystallization Behavior of Polypropylene-graft-cardanol Prepared by Reactive Extrusion
Authors: Chen Q. , Yin F. , Zheng L. , Xiao X. , Lin J.
Published: March 2013

The polypropylene-graft-cardanol (CAPP) was prepared by reactive extrusion of polypropylene (PP), dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and cardanol. Differential scanning calorimeter, polarizing microscope and wide-angle X-ray diffraction were used to evaluate the effects of DCP and cardanol on the nucleation and crystallization of PP. Results indicated that DCP could work as crystallization nucleator for PP and cardanol could afford the impurity needed at the small angle kick pleat of lamellae during spherulite growth. For the effect of DCP on nucleation, it was found that the crystallization rate of PP was enhanced by 2 to 3 times by the addition of 0.2% DCP. For the effect of cardanol on spherulite growth, it was found that the growth rates of CAPP were increased from 10.9μm · min−1 to 13.5 μm · min−1 by the addition of 5% cardanol. Due to the nucleation effect of DCP, the total crystallization rates of degraded PP initiated by DCP at the process of reactive extrusion (dPP) and of CAPP were quicker than that of PP. Attributed to the promotion by cardanol, the spherulite grew more perfectly in CAPP than in PP, so Avrami exponents of PP increased from 2.1–2.5 to 3.1–3.5 by the addition of cardanol.
Limitations of Simple Flow Models for the Simulation of Nanoimprint
Authors: Teyssèdre H. , Gilormini P. , Régnier G.
Published: March 2013

A quick evaluation of the forces involved in nanoimprint would be very helpful in the prevention of mold deflection. Unfortunately, it is shown here that assuming simplified flows may lead to quite incorrect evaluations of these forces, even for simple periodic patterns and a Newtonian behavior. The mere use of the classical result of the lubrication theory does not account for the range of thickness-to-width ratios that may be involved, especially at the beginning of the process. An improved squeeze model includes this effect, but still underestimates the imprint force. Moreover, finite element simulations demonstrate limitations of two more elaborate models that are found in the literature. These simulations also show that two flow modes can be defined, according to whether or not the polymer touches the mold sidewalls. A deeper analysis of these two modes may help the definition of a more appropriate simplified model in the future.
Joint Strength for Laser Transmission Welding of Thermoplastics: A Simulation Approach
Authors: Aden M. , Liviany F. , Olowinsky A.
Published: March 2013

For laser transmission welding of thermoplastics the tensile strength of the joint is measured and microtome cuts of the joint are taken. The joining experiments are carried out for PA66 (Ultramid A3K) for different scan velocities and laser powers. Varying the laser power the tensile strength of the joint obtains a maximum. The value of the power where the maximum is reached depends on the scan velocity. In the thermal simulation the temperature distribution is calculated. The distributions perpendicular to the scan direction are compared to the microtome cuts of the joint. The temperature distribution in a plain parallel to the joining zone is used to calculate an area where the temperature is above the melting temperature and below the degradation temperature. Calculating this area as a function of the laser power gives a maximum area approximately at the same power where the tensile strength of the joint is maximal.
A Comparative Analysis of Energy Costs of Photovoltaic, Solar Thermal, and Wind Electricity Generation Technologies
Authors: Dale Michael
Published: March 2013

Global installed capacity of renewable energy technologies is growing rapidly. The ability of renewable technologies to enable a rapid transition to a low carbon energy system is highly dependent on the energy that must be “consumed” during their life-cycle. This paper presents the results of meta-analyses of life-cycle assessments (LCA) of energy costs of three renewable technologies: solar photovoltaic (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), and wind. The paper presents these findings as energetic analogies with financial cost parameters for assessing energy technologies: overnight capital cost, operating costs and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The findings suggest that wind energy has the lowest energy costs, followed by CSP and then PV.
Tissue-Specific Actions of Glucocorticoids on Apoptosis: A Double-Edged Sword
Authors: Gruver-Yates Amanda , Cidlowski John
Published: March 2013

First described for their metabolic and immunosuppressive effects, glucocorticoids are widely prescribed in clinical settings of inflammation. However, glucocorticoids are also potent inducers of apoptosis in many cell types and tissues. This review will focus on the established mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis and outline what is known about the apoptotic response in cells and tissues of the body after exposure to glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis affects the skeletal system, muscular system, circulatory system, nervous system, endocrine system, reproductive system, and the immune system. Interestingly, several cell types have an anti-apoptotic response to glucocorticoids that is cytoprotective. Lastly, we will discuss the pro- and anti-apoptotic effects of glucocorticoids in cancers and their clinical implications.
Catecholamines and Neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease—From Diagnostic Marker to Aggregations of α-Synuclein
Authors: Sawada Hideyuki , Oeda Tomoko , Yamamoto Kenji
Published: March 2013

Parkinson’s disease is the second most prevalent disease of the brain. It is characterized by midbrain dopaminergic neuronal degeneration accompanied by Lewy bodies, intra-cytoplasmic neuronal inclusions that consist mainly of alpha-synuclein. The cardinal motor features are muscular rigidity, bradykinesia, and resting tremor and, in advanced cases, postural instability. Symptoms are relieved by dopamine replacement therapy, but progress slowly. Clinical diagnosis is made according to medical history, neurological examinations and the response to anti-Parkinsonian drugs. There are no laboratory tests for diagnosis of the disease; however, for development of disease-modifying treatment, early diagnosis by objective laboratory test is required. Recently, postsynaptic sympathetic norepinephrine nerve terminals were found to be degenerated as well as mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons. Cardiac norepinephrine denervation can be seen by meta-iodine-benzyl guanidine scintigraphy, and may be a reliable diagnostic marker. Degeneration of norepinephrinergic and dopaminergic neurons suggests that catecholamines may play a central role in the neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. Recently several studies showed that alpha-synuclein aggregates in cells exposed to dopamine. Here, we review findings relating to an early diagnostic marker for detecting degeneration of the peripheral sympathetic nerves, and propose the hypothesis that catecholamines cause alpha-synuclein to aggregate and play an important role in disease pathogenesis.
Diagnosis of Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Bacterial Infections with the Use of Multiplex PCR Assays
Authors: Xirogianni Athanasia , Tsolia Maria , Voyiatzi Aliki , Sioumala Maria , Makri Antonia , Argyropoulou Athina , Paniara Olga , Markoulatos Panayotis , Kourea-Kremastinou Jenny , Tzanakaki Georgina
Published: March 2013

The investigation of respiratory infections by molecular techniques provides important information about the epidemiology of respiratory disease, especially during the post-vaccination era. The objective of the present study was the detection of bacterial pathogens directly in clinical samples from patients with upper and lower respiratory tract infections using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays developed in our laboratory. Clinical samples taken over a three-year period (2007–2009) and obtained from 349 patients (adults (n = 66); children (n = 283)) with signs and symptoms of certain upper or lower respiratory tract infections, consisted of: bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL, n = 83), pleural fluids (n = 29), and middle-ear aspirates (n = 237). Overall, 212 samples (61%) were confirmed by culture and/or PCR. Among the positive samples, Streptococcus pneumoniae (mainly serotype 3) was predominant (104/212; 49.0%), followed by non-typable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) 59/212; 27.8%) and Streptococcus pyogenes (47/212; 22%). Haemophilus influenzae type b was detected in only three samples. The underlying microbiology of respiratory infections is gradually changing in response to various selective pressures, such as vaccine use and antibiotic consumption. The application of multiplex PCR (mPCR) assays is particularly useful since it successfully identified the microorganisms implicated in acute otitis media or lower respiratory tract infections in nearly 75% of patients with a positive result compared to conventional cultures. Non-culture identification of the implicated pneumococcal serotypes is also an important issue for monitoring pneumococcal infections in the era of conjugate pneumococcal vaccines.
Sustainability—What Are the Odds? Envisioning the Future of Our Environment, Economy and Society
Authors: Jordan Stephen
Published: March 2013

This article examines the concept of sustainability from a global perspective, describing how alternative futures might develop in the environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The alternatives to sustainability appear to be (a) a catastrophic failure of life support, economies, and societies, or (b) a radical technological revolution (singularity). The case is made that solutions may be found by developing a global vision of the future, estimating the probabilities of possible outcomes from multiple indicators, and looking holistically for the most likely paths to sustainability. Finally, an intuitive vision of these paths is offered as a starting point for discussion.
Can Scholarly Communication Be Multilingual? A Glance at Language Use in US Classical Archaeology
Authors: Hempel Karl
Published: March 2013

Classical archaeology is one of the few humanities in which several European languages, above all English, German, French and Italian, are used for specialized communication, in particular for scholarly publications. From previous research, it appears that non-English speaking archaeologists tend to feel a certain discomfort at the lack of impact of publications written in languages other than English. This article aims to analyze the attitudes of US classical archaeologists towards multilingualism and reception of non-English research publications. A survey of US university archaeologists was conducted, which demonstrates that they are convinced that scholarly communication in the field must remain multilingual, thus showing an attitude similar to that of their European colleagues. As for reception of non-English archaeological literature, language barriers seem to be growing, both in teaching and research, due to current US language and library policies.
Pesticide Flow Analysis to Assess Human Exposure in Greenhouse Flower Production in Colombia
Authors: Lesmes-Fabian Camilo , Binder Claudia
Published: March 2013

Human exposure assessment tools represent a means for understanding human exposure to pesticides in agricultural activities and managing possible health risks. This paper presents a pesticide flow analysis modeling approach developed to assess human exposure to pesticide use in greenhouse flower crops in Colombia, focusing on dermal and inhalation exposure. This approach is based on the material flow analysis methodology. The transfer coefficients were obtained using the whole body dosimetry method for dermal exposure and the button personal inhalable aerosol sampler for inhalation exposure, using the tracer uranine as a pesticide surrogate. The case study was a greenhouse rose farm in the Bogota Plateau in Colombia. The approach was applied to estimate the exposure to pesticides such as mancozeb, carbendazim, propamocarb hydrochloride, fosetyl, carboxin, thiram, dimethomorph and mandipropamide. We found dermal absorption estimations close to the AOEL reference values for the pesticides carbendazim, mancozeb, thiram and mandipropamide during the study period. In addition, high values of dermal exposure were found on the forearms, hands, chest and legs of study participants, indicating weaknesses in the overlapping areas of the personal protective equipment parts. These results show how the material flow analysis methodology can be applied in the field of human exposure for early recognition of the dispersion of pesticides and support the development of measures to improve operational safety during pesticide management. Furthermore, the model makes it possible to identify the status quo of the health risk faced by workers in the study area.
Modeling the Cumulative Effects of Social Exposures on Health: Moving beyond Disease-Specific Models
Authors: White Heather , O'Campo Patricia , Moineddin Rahim , Matheson Flora
Published: March 2013

The traditional explanatory models used in epidemiology are “disease specific”, identifying risk factors for specific health conditions. Yet social exposures lead to a generalized, cumulative health impact which may not be specific to one illness. Disease-specific models may therefore misestimate social factors’ effects on health. Using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey and Canada 2001 Census we construct and compare “disease-specific” and “generalized health impact” (GHI) models to gauge the negative health effects of one social exposure: socioeconomic position (SEP). We use logistic and multinomial multilevel modeling with neighbourhood-level material deprivation, individual-level education and household income to compare and contrast the two approaches. In disease-specific models, the social determinants under study were each associated with the health conditions of interest. However, larger effect sizes were apparent when outcomes were modeled as compound health problems (0, 1, 2, or 3+ conditions) using the GHI approach. To more accurately estimate social exposures’ impacts on population health, researchers should consider a GHI framework.
Management of Occupational Exposure to Engineered Nanoparticles Through a Chance-Constrained Nonlinear Programming Approach
Authors: Chen Zhi , Yuan Yuan , Zhang Shu-Shen , Chen Yu , Yang Feng-Lin
Published: March 2013

Critical environmental and human health concerns are associated with the rapidly growing fields of nanotechnology and manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs). The main risk arises from occupational exposure via chronic inhalation of nanoparticles. This research presents a chance-constrained nonlinear programming (CCNLP) optimization approach, which is developed to maximize the nanaomaterial production and minimize the risks of workplace exposure to MNMs. The CCNLP method integrates nonlinear programming (NLP) and chance-constrained programming (CCP), and handles uncertainties associated with both the nanomaterial production and workplace exposure control. The CCNLP method was examined through a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) manufacturing process. The study results provide optimal production strategies and alternatives. It reveal that a high control measure guarantees that environmental health and safety (EHS) standards regulations are met, while a lower control level leads to increased risk of violating EHS regulations. The CCNLP optimization approach is a decision support tool for the optimization of the increasing MNMS manufacturing with workplace safety constraints under uncertainties.