bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Animal Ontologies and Media Representations: Robotics, Puppets, and the Real of War Horse
Authors: Parker-Starbuck Jennifer
Published: October 2013

Through examining the shift from the literary representation of the horse, to its depiction by puppets, to the cinematic “real” bodies onscreen in the production development of the film War Horse , this essay suggests that performance offers an imaginative space that can enable us to reconceptualize the interspecies relationships between the human and the nonhuman. It examines these performance spaces alongside technological developments that have revolved around the bodies of animals, interweaving the move in military developments from the live horse, to the tank, to the animal-shaped drone/robot. Tracing an interspecies reliance between humans and animals that has its roots in mechanical representations of animals, such as automata and the early cinematic exploration of animal bodies, the essay raises questions about the possibilities of performance to foster more collaborative interchanges between human and nonhuman animals. The reliance upon animal bodies in historical and current military development, such as DARPA’s hummingbird drone and Cheetah robot, have allowed technologized “animals” to replace humans in extreme situations, while engagement with the animal through the puppet form, despite its absence, reminds us of its presence.
Bug Bytes: Insects, Information, and Interspecies Theatricality
Authors: Chaudhuri Una
Published: October 2013

This essay uses an animal studies perspective to situate Tracy Letts’s 1996 play Bug at a particularly fraught and complex moment in the long history of an “insect imaginary,” which has variously registered and managed humans’ intense ambivalence toward insects. The complexity includes a dawning recognition—alongside a reluctant admission—that insect species may not be as alien as we have traditionally styled them. In Bug , as in a variety of other recent insect representations, a revisioning of the insect imaginary is linked to a digitally inflected post-humanism in which decentered intelligence and distributed agency offer a welcome alternative to individualistic—selfcentered—modes of political and artistic expression.
Augmented primary humoral immune response and decreased cell-mediated immunity by Murraya koenigii in rats
Authors: Kaur Inderjit , Bhatia Sneh , Bhati Yogendra , Sharma Vinay , Mediratta Pramod K. , Bhattacharya Swapan K.
Published: October 2013

Background:
Murraya koenigii (Rutaceae) (curry patta: Hindi) of the family Rutaceae is used in the traditional Indian system of medicine for its immunomodulatory properties. The essential oil of the leaves of M. koenigii possesses antimicrobial, antifungal, and pesticidal activities and is used for the treatment of amebiasis, diabetes, and hepatitis. The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of M. koenigii on humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in rats.

Methods: Aqueous extract of M. koenigii leaves was administered orally in a dose of 350 mg/kg. Cell-mediated immunity was assessed by measuring foot pad thickness following sensitization by injection of keyhole limpet hemocyanin and subsequent challenge by the same. Humoral immunity was assessed by measurement of hemagglutination titer to sheep red blood cells (SRBCs).

Results: In the humoral immune response, the administration of M. koenigii [350 mg/kg per os (p.o.)] from day 1 to day 7 after sensitization with SRBC on day 0 caused a significant increase in the primary anti-SRBC titer. However, the secondary immune response was decreased significantly (p<0.05) as shown by a decrease in secondary anti-SRBC titer measured on day 11 following a booster dose of antigen on day 8. In the delayed-type hypersensitivity test, M. koenigii (350 mg/kg, p.o.), when administered for 14 days, produced a significant (p<0.05) decrease in foot pad thickness when compared with the control group.

Conclusions: Thus, these results suggest that oral administration of M. koenigii augments primary humoral immune response and decreases cell-mediated immunity.
Low-dose hydrocortisone replacement therapy is associated with improved bone remodelling balance in hypopituitary male patients
Authors: Behan Lucy-Ann , Kelleher Grainne , Hannon Mark J , Brady Jennifer J , Rogers Bairbre , Tormey William , Smith D , Thompson Christopher J , McKenna Malachi J , Agha Amar
Published: October 2013

Objective

Glucocorticoid (GC) therapy is associated with adverse effects on bone metabolism, yet the effects of different GC physiological replacement regimens in hypopituitarism are not well characterised. We aimed to assess the effect of three hydrocortisone (HC) replacement dose regimens on bone turnover.

Study design

An open cross-over study randomising ten hypopituitary men with severe ACTH deficiency to three commonly used HC dose regimens: dose A (20 mg mane and 10 mg tarde), dose B (10 mg mane and 10 mg tarde) and dose C (10 mg mane and 5 mg tarde).

Methods

Following 6 weeks of each regimen, the participants underwent 24-h serum cortisol sampling and measurement of bone turnover markers: bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, procollagen type I N-propeptide (PINP), intact osteocalcin (OC(1–49)), C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide (CTX-I) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP5b). Bone remodelling balance was estimated as an absolute ratio (PINP:CTX-I) and as an index using standardised scores derived from the matched controls.

Results

There were significant increases in the concentrations of the formation markers PINP (P=0.045) and OC(1–49) (P=0.006) and in the PINP:CTX-I ratio (P=0.015), and a more positive bone remodelling balance index (P=0.03) was observed in patients on the lowest dose C than in those on the highest dose A. Mean 24-h cortisol concentrations correlated negatively with CTX-I (r=−0.66 andP=0.04) and TRACP5b (r=−0.74 andP=0.01) in patients on dose B and with OC(1–49) (r=−0.66 andP=0.04) and CTX-I (r=−0.81 andP<0.01) in patients on dose C. In patients receiving the lower-dose regimen, trough cortisol concentrations correlated with increased bone formation and resorption.

Conclusion

Low-dose HC replacement (10 mg mane and 5 mg tarde) is associated with increased bone formation and a positive bone remodelling balance. This may have a long-term beneficial effect on bone health.
The therapeutic outcome of intravenous steroid therapy for active Graves' orbitopathy is influenced by the time of response but not polymorphisms of the glucocorticoid receptor
Authors: Vannucchi Guia , Covelli Danila , Campi Irene , Origo Daniele , Currò Nicola , Cirello Valentina , Dazzi Davide , Beck-Peccoz Paolo , Salvi Mario
Published: October 2013

Background

Glucocorticoids are the mainstay of immunosuppression for active moderate–severe Graves' orbitopathy (GO).

Aim

To analyze the response to therapy and the contribution of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene polymorphisms to the therapeutic outcome of intravenous glucocorticoids (IVGC) in active moderate–severe GO.

Methods

We have studied 58 patients treated with 7.5 g i.v. methylprednisolone (cumulative dose). Ophthalmological assessment was performed at baseline and at 6–8, 12–16, and 24–30 weeks after the first infusion. Three GR gene polymorphisms, ER22/23EK, N363S, and BCL1, which have been associated to variable sensitivity to steroids, were studied in 43/58 patients. The therapeutic outcomes defined as: i) reduction of the clinical activity score (CAS) ≥2 points or ii) reduction of proptosis ≥2 mm or iii) improvement of diplopia according to the Gorman score were also studied in relation to treatment schedule, age, gender, duration of thyroid or GO, smoking habits, and serum TSH-receptor autoantibodies levels.

Results

In total, 70% of patients responded and had GO inactivation (CAS <4) as early as 6–8 weeks. At 12–16 weeks, the proportion of patients who became inactive increased by another 10% up to a total of 80%. ER22/23EK and N363S polymorphisms were present only in about 7%, while the Bcl1 variant was present in 30% of patients; no significant association of any of the GR polymorphisms with either the therapeutic response or the occurrence of side effects was observed.

Conclusions

Most patients with active GO respond to IVGC as early as 6–8 weeks of therapy and the analyzed GR polymorphisms do not influence the therapeutic effect of steroids. Questions arise about the need of continuing therapy up to 12 weeks in nonresponders. We suggest that these patients may be switched to other treatments alone or in combination with steroids.
Oral liquid levothyroxine treatment at breakfast: a mistake?
Authors: Cappelli Carlo , Pirola Ilenia , Gandossi Elena , Formenti Annamaria , Castellano Maurizio
Published: October 2013

Objective

Taking levothyroxine (l-T4) with coffee or with water followed by coffee intake within a few minutes results in poor TSH response in many patients. T4is available in tablet form worldwide, but novel formulations in soft gel capsule or liquid form are now available.

Design

We fortuitously identified a euthyroid patient who wrongly consumed liquidl-T4with coffee at breakfast; after changing the time of consumption to 30 min before breakfast, no change in TSH, free T4(fT4), and free tri-iodothyronine (fT3) concentrations was observed. Once the first patient was identified, additional stable euthyroid patients who consumed liquidl-T4with coffee were identified.

Methods

Patients were recruited by searching our ‘thyroid patients’ database. All the patients on liquidl-T4treatment were contacted by phone to ask them whether they tookl-T4at breakfast. We identified 54 patients who were submitted to TSH, fT4, and fT3evaluation, with the indication that the same dosage ofl-T4be consumed 30 min before breakfast. We determined their TSH, fT4, and fT3concentrations after 3 and 6 months again.

Results

No significant difference in thyroid hormone concentrations was observed in patients when they consumedl-T4at breakfast or when they consumed it 30 min before breakfast for 3 and 6 months (TSH: 2.5±1.1 vs 2.5±1.1 and 2.4±1.1 mIU/l respectively, fT4: 12.4±2.4 vs 12.5±2.4 and 12.3±2.1 pg/ml respectively, and fT3: 3.4±0.6 vs 3.4±0.6 and 3.3±0.5 pg/ml respectively).

Conclusion

Oral liquidl-T4formulations could diminish the problem ofl-T4malabsorption caused by coffee when using traditional tablet formulations.
Paf receptor expression in the marsupial embryo and endometrium during embryonic diapause
Authors: Fenelon Jane C , Shaw Geoff , O'Neill Chris , Frankenberg Stephen , Renfree Marilyn B
Published: October 2013

The control of reactivation from embryonic diapause in the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) involves sequential activation of the corpus luteum, secretion of progesterone that stimulates endometrial secretion and subsequent changes in the uterine environment that activate the embryo. However, the precise signals between the endometrium and the blastocyst are currently unknown. In eutherians, both the phospholipid Paf and its receptor, platelet-activating factor receptor (PTAFR), are present in the embryo and the endometrium. In the tammar, endometrial Paf releasein vitroincreases around the time of the early progesterone pulse that occurs around the time of reactivation, but whether Paf can reactivate the blastocyst is unknown. We cloned and characterised the expression of PTAFR in the tammar embryo and endometrium at entry into embryonic diapause, during its maintenance and after reactivation. Tammar PTAFR sequence and protein were highly conserved with mammalian orthologues. In the endometrium, PTAFR was expressed at a constant level in the glandular epithelium across all stages and in the luminal epithelium during both diapause and reactivation. Thus, the presence of the receptor appears not to be a limiting factor for Paf actions in the endometrium. However, the low levels of PTAFR in the embryo during diapause, together with its up-regulation and subsequent internalisation at reactivation, supports earlier results suggesting that endometrial Paf could be involved in reactivation of the tammar blastocyst from embryonic diapause.
Comparison of fecundity and offspring immunity in zebrafish fed Lactobacillus rhamnosus CICC 6141 and Lactobacillus casei BL23
Authors: Qin Chubin , Xu Li , Yang Yalin , He Suxu , Dai Yingying , Zhao Huiying , Zhou Zhigang
Published: October 2013

To increase the knowledge of probiotic effects on zebrafish (Danio rerio), we compare the effects of two probiotic strains,Lactobacillus rhamnosusCICC 6141 (a highly adhesive strain) andLactobacillus caseiBL23 (a weakly adhesive strain), on zebrafish reproduction and their offsprings' innate level of immunity to water-borne pathogens. During probiotics treatments from 7 to 28 days, both theLactobacillusstrains, and especiallyL. caseiBL23, significantly increased fecundity in zebrafish: higher rates of egg ovulation, fertilization, and hatching were observed. Increased densities of both small and large vitellogenic follicles, seen in specimens fed eitherLactobacillusstrain, demonstrated accelerated oocyte maturation. Feeding either strain ofLactobacillusupregulated gene expression ofleptin,kiss2,gnrh3,fsh,lh,lhcgr, andpaqr8, which were regarded to enhance fecundity and encourage oocyte maturation. Concomitantly, the gene expression ofbmp15andtgfb1was inhibited, which code for local factors that prevent oocyte maturation. The beneficial effects of theLactobacillusstrains on fecundity diminished after feeding of the probiotics was discontinued, even for the highly adhesive gutLactobacillusstrain. AdministeringL. rhamnosusCICC 6141 for 28 days was found to affect the innate immunity of offspring derived from their parents, as evinced by a lower level of alkaline phosphatase activity in early larval stages. This study highlights the effects of probiotics both upon the reproductive process and upon the offsprings' immunity during early developmental stages.
Characterization of spermatogonial markers in the mature testis of the dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula L.)
Authors: Bosseboeuf Adrien , Gautier Aude , Auvray Pierrick , Mazan Sylvie , Sourdaine Pascal
Published: October 2013

In dogfish, spermatogenesis progresses from a restricted germinative zone, which lines the dorsal testicular vessel. Single spermatogonia (As), including the spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), produce successively paired (Ap), undifferentiated (Au4to Au512), and differentiated (Ad1to Ad8) spermatogonia and preleptotene (PL) spermatocytes through 13 mitoses. Dogfish spermatogonial subpopulations present classical morphological characteristics but cannot be distinguished on the basis of molecular markers. This characterization has been initiated in mammals despite the difficulty to separate each spermatogonial subpopulation. For instance, both glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha 1 (GFRα1) and promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein (PLZF) are markers of undifferentiated spermatogonia, whereas receptor tyrosine kinase C-kit is a marker of differentiated spermatogonia. The aim of this study is to characterize spermatogonial markers and to differentiate several spermatogonial subpopulations. Dogfish cDNA sequences have been identified and validated by phylogenetic analyses forgfrα1,plzf,pou2, as well as for high-mobility group box proteins 2 and 3 (hmgb2and3) and for mini-chromosome maintenance protein 6 (mcm6). We have used the anatomical advantage of the polarized dogfish testis to analyze the expression of those markers by RT-PCR andin situhybridization.gfrα1,pou2, andplzfhave been detected in the testicular germinative zone, suggesting that spermatogonial markers are relatively well conserved among vertebrates but with a less restricted expression forplzf. Moreover,hmgb3andmcm6have been identified as new markers of differentiated spermatogonia. Finally, this first molecular characterization of spermatogonial subpopulations in a chondrichthyan model will be useful for further studies on the SSC niche evolution.
Long exposure to mature ooplasm can alter DNA methylation at imprinted loci in non-growing oocytes but not in prospermatogonia
Authors: Obata Yayoi , Wakai Takuya , Hara Satoshi , Kono Tomohiro
Published: October 2013

DNA methylation imprints that are established in spermatogenesis and oogenesis are essential for functional gametes. However, the mechanisms underlying gamete-specific imprinting remain unclear. In this study, we investigated whether male and female gametes derived from newborn mice are epigenetically plastic and whether DNA methylation imprints are influenced by the niche surrounding the nuclei of the gametes. When prospermatogonia possessing sperm-specific DNA methylation imprints were fused with enucleated fully grown oocytes and exposed to the ooplasm for 5–6 days, the DNA methylation status of the reconstituted oocytes remained identical to that of prospermatogonia for all the imprinted regions analysed. These results suggest that the imprinting status of prospermatogonia is stable and that the epigenome of prospermatogonia loses sexual plasticity. By contrast, when non-growing oocytes lacking oocyte-specific DNA methylation imprints were fused with enucleated fully grown oocytes and the reconstituted oocytes were then cultured for 5–6 days, theIgf2r,Kcnq1ot1and, unexpectedly,H19/Igf2differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were methylated. Methylation imprints were entirely absent in oocytes derived from 5-day-old mice, andH19/Igf2DMR is usually methylated only in spermatogenesis. These findings indicate that in the nuclei of non-growing oocytes the chromatin conformation changes and becomes permissive to DNA methyltransferases in some DMRs and that mechanisms for maintaining non-methylated status at theH19/Igf2DMR are lost upon long exposure to mature ooplasm.
Domestic violence and public participation in the media
Authors: Bou-Franch Patricia
Published: October 2013

Recent research suggests that as a social public problem, domestic violence is sustained in a number of social contexts that naturalize violence against women through gendered discourses and ideologies of male violence. This paper examines domestic violence vis-à-vis public participation in the media. In doing so, it seeks to explore the social public aspects of domestic violence and to investigate whether the gendered discourse of male violence is also sustained through the new electronic spaces of public participation. To this end, a corpus of unsolicited digital comments – a form of ‘citizen journalism’ – to a British online newspaper was compiled and analysed. This paper draws from research on gender, pragmatics and critical/computer-mediated discourse analysis. The analysis reveals that some citizen journalists resorted to abuse-sustaining discourses; these were challenged by others who questioned the gendered ideologies of male violence against women.
Strong female speakers
Authors: Sznycer Karolina
Published: October 2013

The paper examines the resistant patterns of the discourse of female tennis players in the institutional setting of a post-match press conference from the perspective of discursive psychology. The saliently non-conventional discourse of female representatives of tennis is juxtaposed against the ideological representations of gendered models of public speaking with their attendant stereotypes of powerless femininity and powerful masculinity. It is posited that the media performances of female tennis players are neither oriented to canonical femininity nor canonical masculinity. Their dominant identity construction is that of an athlete preoccupied with norms of professional efficiency, which is projected through their marked use of patterns of offensive and defensive rhetoric (Potter 1996). Tennis players’ subjectivity management rests on resisting media versions of their subject sides (Edwards 2005a, 2007) which either attend to stereotypical notions of gendered identities or detract from their status as efficient professionals.
The construction of ‘tough’ masculinity
Authors: Lawson Robert
Published: October 2013

Drawing on narrative data collected during a three-year ethnography of a Scottish high school, this article examines the construction of working-class adolescent masculinities. More specifically, the analysis focuses on how adolescent male speakers negotiate, reject and align themselves with the hegemonically dominant ideology of ‘tough’ masculinity, the role socially low-risk discourses of ‘tough’ masculinity play in interaction, and how speakers integrate a range of discursive strategies which help maintain homosociality when ‘tough’ masculinity is at stake. I argue that discourses which appear to be about ‘being tough’ do a great deal more social work than might be expected.
Beyond Kindness
Authors: Swinton John
Published: October 2013

Caring that is genuinely person-centred and truly compassionate can be difficult in a forensic mental health context. Whilst our professional roles indicate that we need to be kind to offenders no matter what they may have done or how they behave, the question of whether and how we should be compassionate is more complex. Kindness is a personal quality that enables an individual to be sensitive to the needs of others and to take personal action to endeavour to meet those needs. Compassion has to do with a deep awareness of the suffering of another accompanied by the wish to relieve it. Compassion differs from kindness in that its focus is primarily on the alleviation of suffering. Compassion is precisely what many offenders don’t appear to have and yet, compassion is precisely what they often require. In this paper I will explore the complex tension between kindness and compassion and its relationship to spiritual care, with a view to opening up some creative conversations that are theoretically interesting and practically significant for those who offer and receive care within a forensic mental health context.
CPD – An Essential Component of Healthcare Chaplaincy
Authors: Fraser Derek
Published: October 2013

The need to focus on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as part of the professional life of the chaplain is explored with reference to nationally agreed criteria. A six stage model is utilized to enable some shape to be given to the process. Attention is paid to the use of self within the process and the implications for the individual chaplain as well as the team leader chaplain are considered.
Recognizing and Meeting the Spiritual Needs of Hospital Inpatients
Authors: Howard Naomi , Snowden Austyn , Telfer Iain , Waller Rob
Published: October 2013

The aim of this project is to improve understanding of the spiritual needs of inpatients and to establish how well these are recognized and met. Interviews were carried out with 13 patients, who had seen a chaplain, to ascertain their spiritual needs. Nursing staff were interviewed about their perception of patients’ spiritual needs, and the referring chaplain’s written account of the intervention was obtained. The study examined and found that there was variable agreement between patients’ and nurses’ ratings of spiritual needs, which may suggest nurses do not always recognize the need for specialist spiritual care referral. Conversely there was substantial agreement between patient and chaplain reported outcomes of chaplaincy intervention (?=0.77; 95% CI, 0.495 – 1.047), suggesting that chaplains met personally relevant spiritual needs. The results of this research suggest that spiritual needs are important to patients, regardless of religious affiliation, and that chaplains meet these needs. However, staff are not necessarily good at recognizing the need for specialist referral.
Re-evaluating Chaplaincy
Authors: Nolan Steve
Published: October 2013

Healthcare is a dynamic and evolving culture within which chaplaincy has continually adapted to maintain professional relevance and respect. Over time, forms of chaplaincy have emerged as responses to changes in culture: multi-faith chaplaincy and the subtle shift in focus from religious care to spiritual care being two examples. However, adaptation impacts on the character of chaplaincy and questions its core values. Outcome Oriented Chaplaincy (OOC) is a response to the “paradigm shift” in healthcare chaplaincy that aims to integrate assessment, intervention, outcome evaluation and care planning into the chaplain’s role. OOC seems perfectly adapted to the culture of contemporary market-driven healthcare; however, the values underwriting this culture are being questioned, and their impact on professional values challenged. This paper accepts OOC has much to offer chaplaincy, but calls for a critical engagement with the model, arguing that the demand to remain relevant to contemporary healthcare culture should not be at the expense of person-centred, person-focused values of compassion, dignity and respect embodied within the presence model of spiritual care.
Using IFF Kitbag to Support Staff Working in Mental Health Teams
Authors: Hannah Margaret , McNidder Roddy
Published: October 2013

The International Futures Forum has developed IFF Kitbag to help people grow their personal capacities to stay calm, build relationships and foster resilience. The resource has been used in team away days for people working in mental health services in a Health Board area in Scotland. Feedback from using the resource suggests it provides helpful ways for people working in mental health teams to grow their capacity for more effective working practices. Examples include greater self awareness, better listening and understanding the need to support each other. Further work is needed to assess whether these outcomes are sustained over time.
Mirror Mirror On the Wall
Authors: Paterson Michael
Published: October 2013

Eliciting stories is the bread and butter of healthcare chaplaincy but only the naïve would think that storytelling is value free or one directional. Chaplains themselves are bearers of stories which motivate and inspire, support and challenge. Creating spaces for the micro stories of clinical practice to be heard against the backdrop of wisdombearing macro stories lies at the heart of Values-based Reflective Practice. The author outlines some of the challenges and graces inherent within such reflection.
In the Land of Unlikeness
Authors: Franz Kevin
Published: October 2013

The work of chaplaincy within mental healthcare brings an invitation to enter a “world of unlikeness”, to set out deliberately to see and know the world through the experience of the other. If we respond to the invitation, cultivating an interpathic approach as the guiding model of our work, we are led to the margins, to places of anxiety and puzzlement. They can also be places of adventure where we discover both friendship and fresh ways of being ourselves. This reflection suggests that the hospitality we receive, both from individuals and within communities, can renew us as practitioners, as human beings and as people of faith.
Is There Evidence-based Confirmation of the Value of Pastoral and Spiritual Care?
Authors: Foskett John
Published: October 2013

This article begins as a response to Julian Raffay’s exploration of spiritual assessment and care based upon the assessment tool HOPE (JHCC 12.2). It draws upon experience and research in spirituality and religion in the South West of the UK, comparing it with other research and publications. It recounts how research by and amongst mental health service users, professionals and religious leaders reveals important aspects of spiritual and religious care for people with mental health problems. Recent publications confirm the importance of user-led research and practice for their spiritual care and wellbeing. It is an invitation to join this conversation.
A study of Chinese serial verb constructions within the framework of the Cardiff Grammar
Authors: Wei He , Jingyuan Zhang
Published: October 2013

This paper explores the nature of Chinese serial verb constructions within the framework of the Cardiff Grammar. In a serial verb construction, a primary predication and an embedded secondary predication may be realized as a simple sentence with a ranking clause and an embedded clause, while multiple primary predications may be realized by more than one ranking clause. Our findings have been subsequently checked against attempts at natural language understanding and generation. Chinese serial verb constructions are different from typical Chinese simple or complex sentences, but can be grouped into either simple or complex types.
The interrelation between evaluative categories and evaluated items
Authors: Wang Yong , Xu Jie
Published: October 2013

On the basis of 1,171 actual IEC (It-Evaluative Construction, i.e., extraposition in traditional grammar) examples from the BNC and other sources, the present paper investigates the interrelationship between the two major semantic elements of the construction, the Evaluator and the Evaluated. It is found that first-order entities never occur in the IEC as the Evaluated; all instances of the Evaluated belong to second or third-order entities. A general correspondence exists between modality and third-order entities and between attitude and second-order entities. That is, all the exponents of modality are directed to third-order entities and an overwhelming majority of attitudinal exponents is oriented to second-order entities, and vice versa. (The 55 exceptions are explainable in terms of relevance of the entity to the text.) Thus, the distribution of the evaluative categories and the evaluated entities and the correlation between them are semantically motivated.
Relational Network Theory as a bridge between linguistics and neuroscience
Authors: García Adolfo
Published: October 2013

Sydney Lamb is the creator and main developer of Relational Network Theory (RNT), a neurocognitive model of language. The theory’s major manifesto, titled Pathways of the Brain, was published in 1999. In several conferences given since then, Lamb has introduced a number of refinements, most of which have not appeared in print. Besides, Pathways of the Brain leaves open several questions which prove crucial to the theory’s long-time followers and newcomers alike. In this interview, Professor Lamb discusses historical, technical, and practical aspects of RNT, addressing both recent innovations and recurring queries.
Appraisal in the time of conflict
Authors: Tilakaratna Namala , Mahboob Ahmar
Published: October 2013

Differences of opinion carry the seeds of conflict in the best of times, but the consequences of such conflict and disagreement may be severe in contexts of war and political struggle. Often conflict and disagreement in relation to socio-political issues are voiced publicly in political discussions broadcast on television. These discussions are aimed at an ideal audience who is able to interpret the different political alignments and value positions of participants within the discussion. The purpose of this article is to examine the use of explicit and inexplicit evaluative language within a Sri Lankan political discussion in English through the use of the Appraisal framework in Systemic Functional Linguistics. In this paper, we provide an in depth analysis of resources of Appraisal as it is used within a locally produced, English language political discussion on the topic of ‘Public Confidence in the Media’. Participants within the discussion use a variety of linguistic resources to convey their attitude inexplicitly when discussing a range of politically sensitive subjects against the backdrop of the ongoing civil war. Based on the analysis of the data, we demonstrate that the Appraisal framework makes evaluation within the text more easily accessible and enables the coder to interpret a considerable amount of evaluation within the text. However, many evaluative instances still remain accessible only to the ‘ideal reader’ or a bilingual Sri Lanka audience. This is especially evident in instances where the data shows examples of ‘afforded’ Appraisal, which is evaluative only in relation to the context. Based on this analysis, the importance of analyzing texts from a variety of contexts in order to highlight areas for further research with the use of a framework such as Appraisal is suggested.
Teaching ‘periodicity’ in an EFL writing class to help students develop ideas from paragraph to text
Authors: Piriyasilpa Yupaporn
Published: October 2013

Generally speaking, the structure of language used in different pieces of writing depends on the genre (a staged, goal-oriented social process: Martin, 1992; 1997) or text type each text belongs to. With the genre of an exposition (a text type which aims to persuade the reader that something is the case: Gerot and Wignell, 1994: 197) in particular, the arguments are organized in different paragraphs, and each paragraph of the argument is typically composed of the three basic elements: topic sentence, supporting details, and concluding sentence (Oshima and Hogue, 2006: 3). In the context of ‘English as a Foreign Language’ (EFL), writing is viewed amongst learners as one of the most difficult skills to master (Syananondh and Padgate, 2005; Piriyasilpa, 2009). Especially, when writing an exposition, they often focus on form, without concern for discourse organization or text texture. This results in their arguments being organized with the three basic elements of paragraph, but without construction as a unified whole. This study reports on a curriculum which, by teaching the concept of ‘periodicity’ (the waves of information flow in a text: Martin and Rose, 2003) aimed to help students: (1) understand how the organizational principle used in a shorter text can be used to organize a much longer text; (2) create relations of language and meaning; and (3) develop a unified whole in their written texts. In this study, students were taught both paragraph structure and cohesion. They were asked to submit written examples both before and after learning about ‘periodicity’, these examples were then compared for hyperTheme, hyperNew and thematic development. It was found that the knowledge of ‘periodicity’ has shown students how the organizational principle they used in a shorter text can be used ‘fractally’ to organize a longer text. This paper discusses the results and some implications for future study in the area of writing skill development.
Falling Rain, Reigning Power in Reptilian Affairs
Authors: Vargas-O’Bryan Ivette
Published: October 2013

Animals such as the snake (in a herpetological reptilian sense and in its naga variety including the dragon) are prominent subjects in the Buddhist tradition. Snakes are not just partners to humans, or supports or hangings on temples, but are also central figures positioned to convey power struggles within and without the Buddhist tradition. As a Tibetan doctor makes sure he feeds the naga in the little house he built for it behind the hospital or the annual rituals on naga days indicate, there is recognition throughout South Asian Buddhism that nagas are not something to be ignored, but must be reckoned with, respected and incorporated into people's lives. Being possessed or inhabited by a klu (serpent) in the Tibetan medical texts or in a street in Dharamsala, India, indicates the real potential for lack of control and a loss of balance of power. Historically, Tibetan rituals to the klus were used to maintain political prominence, like the rituals rulers would conduct in ancient India and China to maintain the rains for their crops, often linked with ethical conduct, thus, fertile lands maintain a fertile rulership. Snakes in Buddhism command respect and serve as reminders of the ephemeral nature of existence. In juxtaposing ritual alongside narrative, medical and visual texts in the Buddhist traditions of India, Tibet and Nepal, this article will discuss how the presence of snakes have often been indicative of struggles to gain (or regain) prominence against other native traditions, to recover a cultural identity and to protect or create personal wealth, health or knowledge.
Guardian Spirits, Omens and Meat for the Clans
Authors: Chaudhuri Sarit K.
Published: October 2013

Animals play significant roles in the construction of the cultural and religious life of the Tani indigenous communities (e.g. Adis, Nyishis, Galos, Apatanis and Tagins) of Arunachal Pradesh. Without the ritual sacrifice of mithuns (forest buffalo), hardly any agricultural festival takes place. Similarly, exchange of mithuns during marriage is mandatory among most of the Tani tribes. Ritual sacrifices of pigs are common when shamans and oracles must negotiate with the world of spirits. This article discusses animal sacrifice amongst the Apatanis, with particular emphasis on the myoko and murung festivals. On such occasions, animal sacrifice and rites involving hepatoscopy are performed to main a balance between the different worlds. Local shamans, the holder of territorial and ancestral knowledge, explain through oral narratives how the creation of the world (and thus the existence itself of the tribe) depends on specific non-human animals. Ritualized mythical narrations also provide a rationale behind such extensive sacrificial performances. This article is an attempt to report, preserve and reflect on a still unexplored aspect of South Asian culture, and to underscore the significance of non-human animals in the multifarious construction of cultural and religious life in the folklore tradition of Tani indigenous tribes ofArunachal Pradesh.
Talking Animals
Authors: Olivelle Patrick
Published: October 2013

Animals are certainly good to think (bonnes a penser), as famously noted by Claude Levi-Strauss, but from the dawn of literature humans have also given them voices so that they can participate vicariously in an anthropomorphized animal linguistic and social world paralleling the human, giving rise to the literary genre of the animal fable. The earliest use of animals in literature was probably as similes. Such allegories abound in the earliest strata of the Rg-Veda. What is interesting in these comparisons for later animal tales is that a particular characteristic is singled out as defining a particular animal and constituting its very nature (svabhava). The association of a particular species with a set of moral and intellectual qualities, with personality traits, plays a central role in later animal fables. But what about talking animals? When do they make their first appearance in the extant corpus of Indian literature? This article will reflect on the religious and cultural backdrop within which the anthropomorphizing habit of Indian animal tales took place in Indian Sanskrit literature.
Karman and Compassion
Authors: De Clercq Eva
Published: October 2013

As a religious tradition which largely defines itself by its propagation of non-violence (ahimsa) and respect for all living beings, Jainism gives particular attention to the wellbeing of animals, for example, in the prescription of a strict (lacto-)vegetarian diet, in advocating animal rights and the sponsorship of animal shelters. Against this background, this article examines the presence of animals and other non-human beings in Jaina mythology, more precisely the so-called Jaina Universal History. This Universal History in practice consists of the biographies (caritra or purana) of 63 heroes (salaka- or maha-purusas), many of whom have parallels in broader South Asian epic, puranic or narrative traditions. This article introduces the various ways animals are dealt with in these Jaina puranic narratives, and will focus in particular on their symbolic value as representatives of human heroes.
Horses That Weep, Birds That Tell Fortunes
Authors: Pinault David
Published: October 2013

This article discusses whether South Asian Muslims view non-human animals as more than utilitarian markers and metaphors for human desires, or instead regard animals not as objects to be exploited but as autonomous beings who have their own intrinsic worth. Two cases will be examined. The first study explores the annual Shia Zuljenah or ‘Horse of Karbala’ procession in Ladakh (India) and Lahore, when a riderless horse is caparisoned to represent Zuljenah (the stallion ridden by Imam Husain ibn ‘Ali into combat at Karbala) and is then led through the streets as the focus of a procession involving communal selfflagellation, outbursts of wailing and agitated attempts by thronging participants to press against the horse so as to capture Husain’s blessing. This is particularly significant as medieval sources and contemporary informants claim Zuljenah wept and beat its head against the ground empathetically at the death of its master, thus showing devotion and grief. Second, animal-transformation tales will be explored as a way of considering links between Hinduism and Islam in human understandings of animals. Controversies about Hindu influence overshadow rituals involving animals in South Asian Muslim devotionalism today, as exemplified in the use of fortune-telling parrots in Lahore and Rawalpindi. Certain Pakistani Sufis and sorcerers claim mastery over jinns that take the shape of gecko lizards to spy out malevolent spirit-world presences, including ‘Hindu jinns’ that are believed to infest various localities in Lahore.
Winged Messengers, Feathered Beauties and Beaks of Divine Wisdom
Authors: Dähnhardt Thomas
Published: October 2013

This article intends to investigate the role played by different kinds of birds in the narrative scheme of the mediaeval love romance (premakhyan or mathnawi), a literary genre used by Indian Sufi poets aimed at conveying an esoteric message through the allegorical language of war and love. Although the principal actors of these poems are human, the functional role played by different animals such as birds (e.g. parrot, peacock, red-finch etc.) appears both as symbolically illustrative and intrinsically didactic. Works such as the Padmavat of Malik Muhammad Jayasi and the Madhumalati of Sayyid Manjhan Rajgiri are credited with successfully charging the adopted imagery and figurative language of their native Indian environment with the sophisticated teachings of Islamic esotericism (Sufism). The role of birds emerging from these works will be illustrated by and compared against their description in the literary productions of the Deccan where the mathnawi, an important literary genre imported from Persia, featured as one of the predominant expressions of early Urdu literature. The aim of the investigation is to show how through the channel of animal characters, the cross-cultural symbiosis operated in the Indo-Islamic environment appears through the language of symbolism that demonstrates the potential of unification inherent in the realm of imagination.
The Biggest Star of All
Authors: Dwyer Rachel
Published: October 2013

In 2010, the Indian elephant (elephas maximus indica) was declared a National Heritage Animal, in view of its contribution to Indian culture and history. It is not surprising that the elephant features in Hindi film, but it is striking that it features in a range of genres, including the mythological, the historical, the social film and features in several children’s films, a rare genre in Indian cinema. In these films the elephant is shown to have a complex status, being divine, especially in association with the elephant-headed god Ganesha, as a moral and noble animal with human qualities, as well as a working animal participating in warfare and in circuses. The elephant’s qualities are often contrasted with those of humans, with the elephant always esteemed for its moral rectitude, its devotion, its dedication and its sense of joy. The elephant has names and characters but it does not appear as an animal outside the realms of humans and anthropomorphic gods (with even Ganesha having a humanlike body). However, although the Hindi film cannot feature the elephant’s current status as an endangered species whose only predator is man, it does create an interest and empathy for this symbolically significant animal. This article explores these representations in films, including animated films (My friend Ganesha, 2007), mythological films about Ganesha (Shri Ganesh Mahima, 1950); children’s films (Haathi mere saathi, 1971; Safed haathi, 1978); historical films (Mughal-e Azam, 1960; Jodhaa Akbar, 2008), and as a forestry worker (Munimji,1955; Pakeezah, 1971), including in one of the earliest feature films shot in India, which produced India’s first international star, Sabu: Elephant boy, 1937.
Dark Shades of Power
Authors: Zeiler Xenia
Published: October 2013

The crow is subject to intricate symbolism in religious traditions worldwide. In mythology, crows are very often understood to be wise and cunning on the one hand and dangerous and inauspicious on the other. This highly ambivalent character dominates the crows' representation in South Asia. But while crows as birds only play a secondary role in classic Hindu mythology, they are of particular interest in Tantric narratives and Tantric rituals. In the general Hindu context, the crow is often stereotyped as inauspicious and its role limited to that of vahana (vehicle of a deity). Conversely, in Tantric ritual manuals, the crow's sphere of influence is based on a broader concept. Such scriptures imply ominous and 'dark' aspects of agency in crows, but they do so in a strikingly different way than Hindu classic mythology. Tantra emphasizes an ambivalent potential in crows as beneficial to certain rituals and occasionally incorporates a 'crow potency' in ritual instructions. This article discusses the role of the crow in certain Tantric rituals and mythologies and analyses its relation with inauspicious, ominous, deities
Fear, Reverence and Ambivalence
Authors: Allocco Amy
Published: October 2013

In contemporary South Indian Hinduism, nagas are ambivalently imaged: they are divine beings with the capacity to bless as well as to curse. In addition to their primary association with fertility, these divinized non-human animals are perceived as particularly receptive to women's concerns (healing and familial prosperity) and are widely worshipped to obtain these blessings. The ritual propitiation of snake deities is overwhelmingly the practice of women in Tamil Nadu today, where naga deities take multiple manifestations, including that of divine snakes who live in anthills and anthropomorphic goddesses who are installed in temples. Yet nagas who are disturbed or harmed may cause a malefic astrological condition called naga dosam (snake blemish). This astrological flaw, which manifests in inauspicious planetary configurations in an individual's horoscope, is faulted for late marriage and infertility as well as an array of additional negative effects. Drawing on many years of ethnographic fieldwork and textual study in Tamil Nadu, this article describes and analyses myths and narratives that reveal the dual character of nagas as divine beings capable of dispensing blessings, as well as blocking marriage and with holding much-desired offspring. The article also analyses the critical dimension of gender in nagas' narratives, where human males often beat or kill their household's reptilian visitor, while females respond with offerings and reverence.