bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Religion, Post-Religionism, and Religioning: Religious Studies and Contemporary Cultural Debates1
Authors: Nye Malory 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe interaction between the contemporary study of religion and contemporary cultural debates has tended to be marked by indifference, and there have been relatively few attempts to engage with the discourses of postmodern theory. In this paper I examine some of the ways in which recent anthropologists have sought to question some of their basic disciplinary assumptions with regard to the 'culture concept', particularly by putting forward strategies of 'writing against culture' or by writing culture in more dynamic terms (as cultural or culturing). This insight, which is relevant in itself to the contemporary study of religion, can be extended to a re-evaluation of the 'religion' concept, which I suggest could be reconstructed in terms of practice theory as religious practice or religioning. In conclusion I argue that to maintain its relevance within the broad field of contemporary humanities scholarship, the discipline of religious studies needs to aligrt itself more clearly (theoretically and methodologically) with the dynamic interface between the approaches of cultural anthropology, cultural theory, and other postmodern' theoretical discourses.
The Historical Assessment of Speech Acts: Clarifications of Austin and Skinner for the Study of Religions
Authors: Beduhn Jason David 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis essay examines Quentin Skinner's historicist use of J. L. Austin's speech act theory, corrects and clarifies some ways in which Skinner seems to misapply Austin's categories, and argues that Skinner's approach, when refined by these few adjustments, is a viable program for the historical study of religious literature. What must be lift behind in refining Skinner's project is the latter's apparent interest in an author's intentions, which is a datum absent from historical evidence. It is argued that speech acts have their effect only by means of public construal and response, and that history is an account of these construals, regardless of whether these correspond to what agents subjectively intended. The use of intentional descriptions of speech and action turns out to be a mere historiographic trope, with heuristic, but not explanatory value.
Religious discourse and first person authority
Authors: Godlove Terry F 
Published: January 2010

AbstractCompetent speakers are normally authoritative as to the meaning of their words. Increasingly students of religion seem to be discounting this "first person authority", claiming that religious persons are not - as they seem to be - talking about what Hume called "invisible intelligent powers", gods, goddesses, ancestors, angels, and the like. This interpretative stance has understandably drawn criticism. I argue that the force of first person authority is diminished in religious discourse, and that this explains why it is so widely discounted. My argument turns on a broadly externalist account of linguistic meaning. When we view linguistic meaning as somehow "in the head" of the speaker, the interpreter will be set the incoherent task of trying to extract it with a minimum of distortion. But by viewing the meaning of words as emerging from the circumstances, mental and physical, and of their use, we may uncover the basis of first person authority and come to understand why its place in religious discourse has proved elusive.
Reconciliation
Authors: Ikenga-Metuh Efemie 
Published: January 2010

AbstractIn this article, the late Professor Efemie Ikenga-Metuh reflects on the basic message that Pope John Paul II delivered on the occasion of his 1998 visit to Nigeria. That message, says Metuh, could be summarized in two words: Reconciliation and Dialogue. It will only be when Nigerians begin to dialogue frankly and respectfully with one another that they will be able to come to reconciliation. And in reconciliation is the key to deliverance from the situation of corruption and injustice in which Nigeria is still so sadly held hostage. In diesem Beitrag überlegt der jüngst verstorbene Professor Efemie Ikenga-Metuh die Grundbotschaft, die Papst Johannes Paul II bei seinem Besuch in Nigerien 1998 anbot. Diese Botschaft lässt sich nach Metuh in zwei Worte fassen: Versöhnung und Dialog. Erst wenn die Nigerianer beginnen, offen und rücksichtsvoll miteinander in Dialog zu treten, werden sie fähig sein, sich zu versöhnen. Und die Versöhnung ist der Schlüssel, um aus der Situation von Korruption und Ungerechtigkeit herauszukommen, die Nigerien immer noch so schwer bedrückt.
"Give Us the Tools and We Will Finish the Job"
Authors: Gittins Anthony J 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis article is a summary of a course that Anthony J. Gittins, CSSp. and Dianne Bergant, CSA gave in 2000 in Kiribati in the Central Pacific. In a first section, the course is summarized; in a second section some of the dynamics of the course are explored. The course aims at giving local peoples the tools to become a theologizing community, and so develop the confidence and expertise to create a local theology for and by themselves.
Community Polarization Around Cultural Adaptation in the Liturgy in a Fiji Indian Catholic Community
Authors: Hoare Frank 
Published: January 2010

AbstractIn this essay, veteran Columban missionary Frank Hoare analyzes a dispute in the Fiji Indian community over the possibilities of employing hierarchically-approved, Indian adaptations to the Liturgy in a parish in Fiji. Hoare suggests that at bottom the dispute was not only about popular religiosity versus official religious practice, nor was it even about the limits of syncretism in Christian faith and practice. Rather, it was a dispute that went to the heart of power and authority structures within several of the Fiji Indian villages in the parish. Ultimately, Hoare concludes, inculturation in the Fiji Indian context needs to go beyond importing practices from Indian Christianity and translating Hindu practices for use within Christian contexts: "... a true and deep inculturation cannot result from borrowing forms from India, even if approved by ecclesiastical authorities, but will only come about through ongoing dialogue with the Fiji Indian Catholics as they try to hear and understand the gospel faith which transcends all cultures and express it in symbols and forms of their lived experience."
Foreign Funding of Catholic Mission in South Africa: a Case Study
Authors: Bate Stuart C. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis article forms part of an ongoing study of money as a cultural signifier in western missionary praxis. The focus here is foreign funding of Catholic mission in Africa. It presents a case study of a particular donor agency, given the pseudonym, "funding the mission," and its role in financing Catholic mission projects in South Africa between 1979 and 1997. This period was one of tremendous social change in South Africa during which the Catholic Church spent a large amount of time and effort in reviewing its own praxis culminating in the launch of a pastoral plan in 1989. The article begins by reviewing "funding the mission's" own vision of its missionary role emphasizing its funding criteria. Then there is an analytical presentation of the funding data. This looks at the amounts donated, the categories of projects funded and the identity of the applicants. Identity is first considered in terms of Catholic criteria: dioceses, religious congregations, lay people and ecumenical groups and then as social criteria: foreign, South African and racial identity. The article then proceeds to a missiological reflection in terms of the meaning of money in ecclesial praxis and then its cultural role in society and the church. In this section the missiological category of inculturation provides the hermeneutic key both from the cultural perspective of the donors and that of the recipients. Finally there is a reflection on the notion of sharing within the church and whether sharing from the richer nations is helping or hindering the process of inculturation within African local churches. It includes some suggestions for a more effective response.
The Third Millennium and the Unity of Humankind
Authors: Osthathios Geevarghese Mar 
Published: January 2010

AbstractAt the beginning of the third millennium, with so many people in the world suffering from the negative effects of globalization and neoliberal capitalism, it is time for the world's religions to risk the "impossible possibility" of global interreligious community. God as such is a community of love, and God calls women and men to live lovingly. Actions of love are more important than doctrinal orthodoxy. The Hindu proverb, "let the world be healthy" is exactly right. The author proposes that there be established a "United Religious Organization" which will promote such a "healthy world."
Nazareth as Model for Mission in the Life of Charles De Foucauld
Authors: Wright Cathy 
Published: January 2010

AbstractCharles de Foucauld (1858-1916) certainly never envisioned himself as a missionary at the moment of his conversion. He was a contemplative who wanted to live for God alone in imitation of the hidden life of Jesus at Nazareth. But this same concept of Nazareth that became the lens through which he saw his relationship with God and his place in the world became a dynamic force that evolved over the course of the years. Charles' evolving understanding of this took him from Trappist monk, to hermit, to what he called a "missionary monk." He came to believe that a contemplative life lived in close proximity with others could be a living sign of the love of God. His past life experiences played no small part in the way he saw presence and goodness as a means of "shouting the Gospel by one's life" and in his eventual mission among the Muslim people of the Sahara. Charles clearly set out to convert them according to the model of evangelization in his day. But his own ongoing conversion and growing friendships, as well as his extensive study of the language of the Tuareg, among whom he lived, developed into a model of mission based on friendship and respect, where the "other" becomes "brother and sister" and where evangelization is about communion and solidarity as a sign of the Reign of God.
Re-Rooting Mission in the Family
Authors: de Mesa José M 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe family, José M. de Mesa argues in this article, is the basic unit of the church, and should therefore be the basic unit of the church's mission. It is in the family where the Kingdom of God is most immediately experienced and witnessed to, and where the inclusiveness of God's saving presence can be exercised through the practice of dialogue and hospitality. Following the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, Dr. de Mesa calls for an understanding of marriage as a distinct ordo or ministry within the church, and for a renewed recognition of the family as the "domestic church," missionary by its very nature. "Parishes and dioceses," he says, "ought to rethink their pastoral vision, approaches and programs in renewing ecclesial life by first looking at the church already alive in families. The question should then be, 'How can these families be more church?' rather than 'How can we involve people (who belong to families) in the parish or the diocese?"'
Pentecostalism in Africa and the Changing Face of Christian Mission
Authors: Asamoah-Gyadu Kwabena 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThird World Christianity has been experiencing exponential growth since the turn of the twentieth century. Nowhere is this renewal in Christianity more visible than Africa, where religious innovations led by indigenous Christians have mostly been Pentecostal in character. The Pentecostal movements leading the current renewal of Christianity in African countries like Ghana are autonomous, independent of both the established historic mission denominations and the older classical Pentecostal churches like the Assemblies of God. Ghanaian Pentecostalism in its various streams has adapted the global Pentecostal culture to suit the needs of the local context in ways that have changed the nature and direction of Christian mission. The traditional themes of healing, deliverance, prosperity and empowerment associated with the global Pentecostal movement have been synthesized with traditional worldviews, giving Pentecostal Christianity an added relevance in African context. This has yielded massive responses. In Pentecostal movements under discussion, therefore, one finds the ingenious ability of indigenous Christians to appropriate a phenomenon of global significance for local consumption.
Theological Education and Mission
Authors: King Fergus 
Published: January 2010

AbstractIn this article, veteran Tanzania missionary Fergus King reflects on the connection between mission and theological education. "Mission" is primarily God's mission, participation in which is constitutive of the church's very nature. In today's debate, "theological education" is pulled between a commitment to a more "holistic" approach (paideia) and a more academic approach (Wissenschaft), and while it needs both it also must take into account local context: location, culture, language and worldview. When context is taken into account, theological education cannot but be mission-oriented, since its goal becomes an education that aims at a faithful and relevant communication of the gospel to fellow Christians and non-Christians, both locally and universally. King concludes with some reflections on the nature of theological authority: ultimately authority resides in the entire church, past and present. Theological education, therefore, is aimed at all Christians, at whatever level they find themselves.
Factors Involved in the Development of Osteoarthritis after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery
Authors: Keays Susan L. , Newcombe Peter A. , Bullock-Saxton Joanne E. , Bullock Margaret I. , Keays Anthony C. 
Published: January 2010

Background The incidence of osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is disturbingly high, with reports of nearly 50% of patients developing mild to moderate osteoarthritis 6 years after surgery. Few studies have assessed the factors involved in the development of osteoarthritis. Hypothesis: The following 10 factors will be found to be predictive of osteoarthritis meniscectomy, chondral damage, patellar tendon grafting, age at surgery, time delay between injury and surgery, type and intensity of postsurgery sport, quadriceps strength, hamstring strength, quadriceps-to-hamstring strength ratio, and residual joint laxity. Study Design Cohort study (prognosis); Level of evidence, 1. Methods Fifty-six subjects with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction were followed for 6 years after surgery. Assessment included KT-1000 arthrometer testing, isokinetic strength testing, a return-to-sport questionnaire, and a radiograph assessment. A discriminant analysis was performed to assess which of the 10 factors could discriminate between those patients who developed tibiofemoral and patellofemoral osteoarthritis and those who did not. Results Five factors were found to be predictive of tibiofemoral osteoarthritis. Meniscectomy (r = .72) and chondral damage (r = .41) were the strongest discriminators, followed by patellar tendon grafting (r = .37) (χ2 [7, n = 56] = 25.48; P = .001). Weak quadriceps (r = .39) and low quadriceps-to-hamstring strength ratios (r = .6) were very close discriminators (χ2 [8, n = 42] = 15.02; P = .059). For patellofemoral osteoarthritis, meniscectomy (r = .45), chondral damage (r = .75), and age at surgery (r = .65) were predictors or close predictors (χ2 [7, n = 54] = 13.30; P = .065). Conclusion As not all 10 factors studied were predictive of osteoarthritis, the hypothesis was only partially proven. Preventing further meniscal and chondral damage in patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency is critical. Grafting using the hamstring tendons and restoration of quadriceps-to-hamstring strength balance are associated with less osteoarthritis.
Residual γH2AX foci as an indication of lethal DNA lesions
Authors: Banáth Judit P , Klokov Dmitry , MacPhail Susan H , Banuelos C Adriana , Olive Peggy L 
Published: January 2010

Abstract

Background
Evidence suggests that tumor cells exposed to some DNA damaging agents are more likely to die if they retain microscopically visible γH2AX foci that are known to mark sites of double-strand breaks. This appears to be true even after exposure to the alkylating agent MNNG that does not cause direct double-strand breaks but does produce γH2AX foci when damaged DNA undergoes replication.

Methods
To examine this predictive ability further, SiHa human cervical carcinoma cells were exposed to 8 DNA damaging drugs (camptothecin, cisplatin, doxorubicin, etoposide, hydrogen peroxide, MNNG, temozolomide, and tirapazamine) and the fraction of cells that retained γH2AX foci 24 hours after a 30 or 60 min treatment was compared with the fraction of cells that lost clonogenicity. To determine if cells with residual repair foci are the cells that die, SiHa cervical cancer cells were stably transfected with a RAD51-GFP construct and live cell analysis was used to follow the fate of irradiated cells with RAD51-GFP foci.

Results
For all drugs regardless of their mechanism of interaction with DNA, close to a 1:1 correlation was observed between clonogenic surviving fraction and the fraction of cells that retained γH2AX foci 24 hours after treatment. Initial studies established that the fraction of cells that retained RAD51 foci after irradiation was similar to the fraction of cells that retained γH2AX foci and subsequently lost clonogenicity. Tracking individual irradiated live cells confirmed that SiHa cells with RAD51-GFP foci 24 hours after irradiation were more likely to die.

Conclusion
Retention of DNA damage-induced γH2AX foci appears to be indicative of lethal DNA damage so that it may be possible to predict tumor cell killing by a wide variety of DNA damaging agents simply by scoring the fraction of cells that retain γH2AX foci.
Breathlessness is associated with urinary incontinence in men: A community-based study
Authors: Hirayama Fumi , Lee Andy H , Hiramatsu Tetsuo , Tanikawa Yoshimasa 
Published: January 2010

AbstractBackgroundUrinary incontinence (UI) is a distressing problem for older people. To investigate the relationship between UI and respiratory symptoms among middle-aged and older men, a community-based study was conducted in Japan.MethodsA convenience sample of 668 community-dwelling men aged 40 years or above was recruited from middle and southern Japan. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form, the Medical Research Council's dyspnoea scale and the Australian Lung Foundation's Feeling Short of Breath scale, were administered by face-to-face interviews to ascertain their UI status and respiratory symptoms.ResultsThe overall prevalence of UI was 7.6%, with urge-type leakage (59%) being most common among the 51 incontinent men. The presence of respiratory symptoms was significantly higher among incontinent men than those without the condition, especially for breathlessness (45% versus 30%,p= 0.025). The odds of UI for breathlessness was 2.11 (95% confidence interval 1.10-4.06) after accounting for age, body mass index, smoking and alcohol drinking status of each individual.ConclusionsThe findings suggested a significant association between UI and breathlessness in middle-aged and older men.
Attraction of Anopheles gambiae to odour baits augmented with heat and moisture
Authors: Olanga Evelyn A , Okal Michael N , Mbadi Phoebe A , Kokwaro Elizabeth D , Mukabana Wolfgang R 
Published: January 2010

AbstractBackgroundThe search for a standard human surrogate in the form of a synthetic mosquito attractant has been the goal of many laboratories around the world. Besides alleviating the occupational risk subjected to volunteers participating in vector surveillance and control, discovery of potent attractants underpins the development and deployment of mass trapping devices for controlling mosquito-borne diseases.MethodsA dual-port olfactometer was used to assess behavioural responses of femaleAnopheles gambiaemosquitoes towards synthetic versus natural (whole human emanations and worn socks) attractants. The synthetic attractants included a standard blend consisting of ammonia, carbon dioxide and water; and Ifakara blend 1 (IB1) consisting of various aliphatic carboxylic acids. Natural attractants were obtained from two males known to be less and highly attractive (LA and HA, respectively) to the mosquitoes. Mosquito responses to the volunteers' worn socks were also investigated. The effect of heat (25-27°C) and moisture (75-85%) on the mosquito behavioural responses was determined.ResultsA significantly higher proportion of mosquitoes was attracted to each volunteer when compared to the standard blend. Whereas the proportion of mosquitoes attracted to person LA versus IB1 (49% versus 51%, respectively; P = 0.417) or his worn socks did not differ (61% versus 39%, respectively; P = 0.163), far more mosquitoes were attracted to person HA relative to IB1 (96% versus 4%; P = 0.001) or his worn socks (91% versus 9%; P = 0.001). Person HA attracted a significantly higher proportion of mosquitoes than his worn socks, the standard blend and IB1 when these were augmented with heat, moisture or both (P = 0.001). Similar results were obtained with person LA except that the proportion of mosquitoes attracted to him versus his worn sock augmented with heat (P = 0.65) or IB1 augmented with heat and moisture (P = 0.416) did not differ significantly.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that olfactory cues are key mediators of the mosquito host-seeking process and that heat and moisture play a minor role. The need for a standard, highly stringent positive control for screening synthetic attractants is strongly highlighted.
Carnosine retards tumor growth in vivo in an NIH3T3-HER2/neu mouse model
Authors: Renner Christof , Zemitzsch Nadine , Fuchs Beate , Geiger Kathrin D , Hermes Matthias , Hengstler Jan , Gebhardt Rolf , Meixensberger Jürgen , Gaunitz Frank 
Published: January 2010

Abstract

Background
It was previously demonstrated that the dipeptide carnosine inhibits growth of cultured cells isolated from patients with malignant glioma. In the present work we investigated whether carnosine also affects tumor growth in vivo and may therefore be considered for human cancer therapy.

Results
A mouse model was used to investigate whether tumor growth in vivo can be inhibited by carnosine. Therefore, NIH3T3 fibroblasts, conditionally expressing the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu), were implanted into the dorsal skin of nude mice, and tumor growth in treated animals was compared to control mice. In two independent experiments nude mice that received tumor cells received a daily intra peritoneal injection of 500 μl of 1 M carnosine solution. Measurable tumors were detected 12 days after injection. Aggressive tumor growth in control animals, that received a daily intra peritoneal injection of NaCl solution started at day 16 whereas aggressive growth in mice treated with carnosine was delayed, starting around day 19. A significant effect of carnosine on tumor growth was observed up to day 24. Although carnosine was not able to completely prevent tumor growth, a microscopic examination of tumors revealed that those from carnosine treated animals had a significant lower number of mitosis (p < 0.0003) than untreated animals, confirming that carnosine affects proliferation in vivo.

Conclusion
As a naturally occurring substance with a high potential to inhibit growth of malignant cells in vivo, carnosine should be considered as a potential anti-cancer drug. Further experiments should be performed in order to understand how carnosine acts at the molecular level.