bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Abraham in London, Marburg-Istanbul and Israel: Between Theocracy and Democracy, Ancient Text and Modern State
Authors: Sherwood Yvonne 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis article examines three occurrences of the sacrifice of Isaac in relatively recent cultural and political histories: the case of Godden versus Hales (England, 1686); Erich Auerbach's 'Odysseus' Scar' in Mimesis (Istanbul [Marburg], 1943-1945); and the use of the akedah as a political figure for the modern Israeli nation state. In these three very different cases the biblical narrative undergoes a theological-political translation and the God who issues the exceptional command to sacrifice becomes a figure for the sovereign and/or the state. Each political translation also calls forth critical responses in which the core question becomes the relationship of divine monarchy/state authority to freedom, or, to put it another way, of democracy or would-be 'democracy' to 'theocracy' and its various modern political correlates. By analysing these translations and responses, this essay explores how the questions as it were forced on us by Genesis 22 are not just religious, though they can be understood through the idioms of the religious. It concludes by asking whether such theological-political translations could be relevant to 'Biblical Studies Proper' as a more expansive discipline looks outwards to questions of religion, politics and ethics.
The Myth of Birthing the Hero: Heroic Barrenness in the Hebrew Bible
Authors: Havrelock Rachel 
Published: February 2008

AbstractMotherhood in the Hebrew Bible has been celebrated as indicative of female strength as well as derided as patriarchy's primary entrapment. Somewhere between the two, birth figures as a moment of narrative focus on female characters during which they reformulate their status. Birth seems to travel with its companion theme of barrenness as most central biblical characters undergo a prolonged period of infertility and an attendant struggle to conceive. Employing theories of the hero pattern, this essay argues that the movement from barrenness to fertility is a mode of female initiation into a relationship with the divine. While an explicit covenant promises men innumerable descendants and founder status, it is not realized until a parallel female covenant is forged. Where God makes the covenantal overture to men, women demand recognition through speech and deed. Barrenness motivates articulations that reveal concern with female memory and legacy and actions that distill the characters of individual women. Female volition draws divine attention and results in conception that, like circumcision, physically marks an alliance with God. The mothers encode their struggles and journeys from barrenness to fertility in the names of their children. Combining folklore and feminist methodologies, the essay proposes new parameters for understanding female heroism in the Hebrew Bible.
A Humorous Jesus? Orality, Structure and Characterisation in Luke 14:15-24, and Beyond
Authors: Longenecker Bruce 
Published: February 2008

AbstractIf humour is uncharacteristic of the texts of the early Christian movement, sensitivity to rhetorical patterning in oral/aural contexts permits the recognition of innocuous sexual humour in one of the parables attributed to Jesus. Whether or not the humour originates with Jesus, it is suggestive of the way that Jesus was remembered by some of his earliest followers, and lays down a guidepost as to how he might profitably be rendered in modern portraiture or characterised in modern narrative. To that end, this study closes with an assessment of four Jesus novels of the past decade in relation to their depiction of Jesus and humour.
Risk & Reward: The Impact of Animal Rights Activism on Women
Authors: Gaarder Emily 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis qualitative study of 27 women animal activists examines the risks and rewards that accompany a commitment to animal rights activism. One of the common beliefs about animal rights activists is that their political choices are fanatic and unyielding, resulting in rigid self-denial. Contrary to this notion, the women in this study experienced both the pain and the joy of their transformation toward animal activism. Activism took an enormous toll on their personal relationships, careers, and emotional well being. They struggled as friendships ended and family relationships suffered; some experienced harassment and abuse as a result of their efforts. Yet the women were just as likely to extol the rewards and pleasure gained from their participation in the cause of animal liberation. These included a heightened awareness of political issues, greater self-confidence, the feeling that they were making a difference in the world, and the joy of living a “more meaningful life.”
What's Love Got to Do With It? The Interplay of Sex and Gender in the Commercial Breeding of Welsh Cobs
Authors: Hurn Samantha 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe lack of importance traditionally ascribed to human-nonhuman animal relationships in the social sciences has meant that while commercial sex in the human realm has been well documented, very few socio-cultural studies of commercial sex involving nonhuman animals have been undertaken to date. However, the growing recognition that nonhuman, as well as human, animals are “actors” means that their role in the sex trade, (commercial breeding) becomes problematic and eminently worthy of academic attention. This article considers a very particular instance of commercial animal sex—that practiced on stud farms in West Wales, where the breeding of autochthonous Welsh cobs (hardy, stocky native ponies) is of immense political, social, economic, and cultural significance. This study found that in this context Welsh cobs are expected to embody specific gender ideals in what is an inherently inter-subjective relationship. Through their animals' performances, human caregivers (owners) are able to negotiate their own ideas about gender roles, and these in turn determine those individual animals used for breeding and those not.
An In-class, Humane Education Program Can Improve Young Students' Attitudes Toward Animals
Authors: Nicoll Kate , Ellery Samuels William , Trifone Cindy 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAll 8 first-grade classes of an elementary school participated in a study of the efficacy of an in-class humane education program that incorporated regular visits from therapy animals. The study also investigated the relative efficacy of a popular, printed humane-education publication, although it was not possible to use this printed material in its optimal manner. The in-class humane-education program—but not the printed material—significantly increased students' self-reported attitudes toward nonhuman animals as compared to those of students who did not participate in the program. However, neither the in-class program nor the printed material affected student scores on another, self-report measure of interactions with one's nonhuman animal companions. Therefore, the results suggest that such an in-class approach can change young students' attitudes toward animals for the better; not surprisingly, actual interactions with one's pets may be somewhat less tractable.
Dogs: A Continuing and Common Neighborhood Nuisance of New Providence, The Bahamas
Authors: Fielding William 
Published: February 2008

AbstractIn 1841, the first Dog License Act officially described dogs as a nuisance. From then on, observers have repeatedly noted that dogs were a nuisance and that their barking was probably their prime irritant (Fielding, 2006). Three fatal dog attacks since 1991 have highlighted the extent to which dogs can be more than a nuisance (Burrows, Fielding, & Mather, 2004). This study reports the findings from 496 interviews—collected from a convenience sample with a quota—to assess the importance of dogs as a nuisance in the context of all neighborhood nuisances and to determine respondents' reactions to them. This study found dogs were to be the most commonly reported nuisance and the second most important nuisance in neighborhoods. Almost two-thirds of respondents took no action about the nuisances caused by dogs. Compared to their reactions to other nuisances, respondents were least likely to inform the police about dog nuisances. Reasons offered for these reactions may include antiquated laws and a feeling that citizens are not empowered to alter the status quo.
Democratic Resource or Democratic Threat? Profiles of Critical and Uncritical Citizens in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Geissel Brigitte 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWhy are some countries democratic and democratize continuously, while others stagnate? According to theories on political culture, citizens' attitudes are crucial elements. In this context the discussion on critical citizens is gaining prominence: Critical citizens are regarded as a threat to democratic stability or as promoter for democratic reforms. Based on the International Social Survey data (2004), I will contribute some empirical evidence to this controversy. In addition to the common equating of criticism with discontentment, I will also include the normative disposition of “critical” attentiveness. Bivariate and multivariate analyses show that contentment, praised in previous research, or discontentment, as suggested by recent studies, are not the decisive attitudes. It is the political attentiveness which promotes democracies.
A Bayesian Change point model for differential gene expression patterns of the DosR regulon of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Zhang Yi , Hatch Kim A , Wernisch Lorenz , Bacon Joanna 
Published: February 2008

Abstract

Background
Low oxygen availability has been shown previously to stimulate M. tuberculosis to establish non-replicative persistence in vitro. The two component sensor/regulator dosRS is a major mediator in the transcriptional response of M. tuberculosis to hypoxia and controls a regulon of approximately 50 genes that are induced under this condition.
The aim of this study was to determine whether the induction of the entire DosR regulon is triggered as a synchronous event or if induction can unfold as a cascade of events as the differential expression of subsets of genes is stimulated by different oxygen availabilities.

Results
A novel aspect of our work is the use of chemostat cultures of M. tuberculosis which allowed us to control environmental conditions very tightly. We exposed M. tuberculosis to a sudden drop in oxygen availability in chemostat culture and studied the transcriptional response of the organism during the transition from a high oxygen level (10% dissolved oxygen tension or DOT) to a low oxygen level (0.2% DOT) using DNA microarrays. We developed a Bayesian change point analysis method that enabled us to detect subtle shifts in the timing of gene induction. It results in probabilities of a change in gene expression at certain time points. A computational analysis of potential binding sites upstream of the DosR-controlled genes shows how the transcriptional responses of these genes are influenced by the affinity of these binding sites to DosR. Our study also indicates that a subgroup of DosR-controlled genes is regulated indirectly.

Conclusion
The majority of the dosR-dependent genes were up-regulated at 0.2% DOT, which confirms previous findings that these genes are triggered by hypoxic environments. However, our change point analysis also highlights genes which were up-regulated earlier at levels of about 8% DOT indicating that they respond to small fluctuations in oxygen availability. Our analysis shows that there are pairs of divergent genes where one gene in the pair is up-regulated before the other, presumably for a flexible response to a constantly changing environment in the host.
How effective is good domestic kitchen hygiene at reducing diarrhoeal disease in developed countries? A systematic review and reanalysis of the UK IID study
Authors: Stenberg Anna , Macdonald Clare , Hunter Paul R 
Published: February 2008

Abstract

Background
To assess whether domestic kitchen hygiene is an important contributor to the development of diarrhoea in the developed world.

Methods
Electronic searches were carried out in October 2006 in EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane central register of clinical trials and CINAHL. All publications, irrespective of study design, assessing food hygiene practices with an outcome measure of diarrhoea were included in the review. All included studies underwent data extraction and the data was subsequently analysed. The analysis was conducted by qualitative synthesis of the results. Given the substantial heterogeneity in study design and outcome measures meta-analysis was not done. In addition the existing dataset of the UK IID study was reanalysed to investigate possible associations between self-reported diarrhoea and variables indicative of poor domestic kitchen hygiene

Results
Some 14 studies were finally included in subsequent analyses. Of the 14 studies included in this systematic review, 11 were case-control studies, 2 cross-sectional surveys, and 1 RCT. Very few studies identified any significant association with good environmental kitchen hygiene. Although some of the variables in the reanalysis of the UK IID study were statistically significant no obvious trend was seen.

Conclusion
The balance of the available evidence does not support the hypothesis that poor domestic kitchen hygiene practices are important risk factors for diarrhoeal disease in developed countries.
Magnetic resonance imaging of a cholesterol granuloma and hydrocephalus in a horse
Authors: Maulet B. E. B. , Bestbier M. , Jose‐Cunilleras E. , Scrine J. A. , Murray R. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to diagnose cholesterol granulomas in the choroid plexuses in the lateral ventricles of a horse. This report provides, in addition to the clinical signs and pathology findings, a precise description of the MRI appearance of a cholesterol granuloma.
Poor performance associated with equine gastric ulceration syndrome in four Thoroughbred racehorses
Authors: Franklin S. H. , Brazil T. J. , Allen K. J. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryEquine gastric ulceration syndrome (EGUS) is commonly recognised in Thoroughbred racehorses. Although EGUS has previously been associated with reduced athletic performance, no objective studies have been reported.This case report describes 4 racehorses referred for investigation of poor athletic performance where EGUS was the only abnormal finding during a thorough investigation of all body systems. All horses showed considerable improvement in performance following treatment with omeprazole. Therefore, this is the first report in which evidence is presented suggesting a direct link between EGUS and decreased performance, other causes of poor performance having been excluded.
Idiopathic perforating ulceration of the small intestine in five adult horses
Authors: White G. , Mair T. S. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryPerforating ulceration of the small intestine was diagnosed in 5 adult horses. Affected horses presented with signs of low‐grade colic, depression and inappetance. Abdominal paracentesis yielded abnormal peritoneal fluid in all cases. Perforating ulcers were located at the mesenteric border in 4 horses and the ileum in one horse. All horses had diffuse septic peritonitis. The aetiology of the condition is unknown.
Ultrasonographic procedure for a complete examination of the proximal third interosseous muscle (proximal suspensory ligament) in the equine forelimbs
Authors: Denoix J.‐M. , Coudry V. , Jacquet S. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryUltrasonography of the proximal third interosseus muscle (PTIOM, suspensory ligament) is routinely performed for the diagnosis of the cause of proximal metacarpal/tarsal pain. As a result of the complex architecture and deep localisation of this ligament, performing and interpreting ultrasonographic images of this structure can be difficult.This paper describes an ultrasonographic procedure that allows complete imaging of the PTIOM in the forelimbs using a combination of approaches including sagittal and palmarocollateral approaches on the weightbearing limb with linear and convex probes. Moreover, the procedure includes images made on the flexed limb, thereby allowing a better contact and a more complete representation of the PTIOM and palmar aspect of the metacarpal bones.
Urinary bladder rupture secondary to penile and preputial squamous cell carcinoma in a gelding
Authors: May K. A. , Kuebelbeck K. L. , Johnson C. M. 
Published: February 2008

SummarySquamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common external genital neoplasm. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment are paramount to successful outcome; overlooked or misdiagnosed SCC can rapidly invade tissues and metastasise, producing potentially fatal complications. This report describes a case of overlooked SCC that resulted in severe penile infiltration, urethral stricture, and subsequent urinary bladder rupture and peritonitis.
Introduction: The Denk ich an Deutschland Television Film Series
Authors: Sinka Margit 
Published: February 2008

Intended to provoke contemplation and discussion about collectiveidentity in unified Germany, the Denk ich an Deutschland (When I thinkabout Germany) television film series was commissioned by BayerischerRundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting, BR) and Westdeutscher Rundfunk(West German Broadcasting, WDR) and was produced from 1997 to 2004by megaherz gmbh. The complete series consists of twelve documentaryfilms ranging from forty-five to sixty minutes1 with the first five (seeTable 2) having been launched on BR and WDR as a set in October 1998.
The Politics and Policies of Immigration in Germany: A Rearview Look at the Makings of a &quot;Country of Immigration&quot;
Authors: Goodman Sara Wallace 
Published: February 2008

Deniz Göktürk, David Gramling, and Anton Kaes, eds., Germany In Transit: Nation and Migration 1955-2005 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007)Anthony Messina, The Logics and Politics of Post-WWII Migration to Western Europe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007)
Abdominal aortic aneurysm and cytomegalovirus infection
Authors: Nyberg Anders , Skagius Elisabet , Nilsson Ingrid , Ljungh Åsa , Henriksson Anders E. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractCytomegalovirus (CMV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is regarded traditionally as a consequence of atherosclerosis. Several microorganisms have been suggested as possible contributing factors for the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm. The relevance of CMV in the processes underlying the development, expansion, and rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm is unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether CMV infection is related to abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. One hundred nineteen patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and 36 matched controls without abdominal aortic aneurysm were investigated prospectively by CMV serology. Patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm have similar levels of IgG antibodies against CMV as patients with nonruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, small abdominal aortic aneurysm, and controls without abdominal aortic aneurysm. In conclusion, this study fails to demonstrate a connection between CMV infection and abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. J. Med. Virol. 80:667–669, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Simultaneous detection of hepatitis C virus core antigen and antibodies in Saudi drug users using a novel assay
Authors: Alzahrani Alhusain J. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractDrug users and particularly, injecting drug users, are at increased risk for infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aims of the study were to simultaneously detect HCV core antigen and specific antibodies in sera from Saudi drug users using the new HCV combination assay and to compare this data with HCV core antigen, anti‐HCV antibodies and HCV RNA data from the same patients. A total of 297 patients who are followed up or admitted to a drug rehabilitation hospital over a period of 3 years were included in this study. Samples were analyzed using the new HCV Ag/Ab combination assay (Meurex), HCV core Ag assay, HCV antibodies and with the HCV RNA assay. Out of the 297 samples from Saudi drug users, 111 samples (37.4%) have detectable HCV core Ag, 112 samples (37.7%) have detectable HCV antibodies, 118 have detectable HCV RNA, and 116 samples were positive by the HCV Ag/Ab combination assay (39.1%). Out of the 116 samples, HCV core Ag was detected in 110 samples (94.8%), HCV antibodies were detected in 111 (95.7%) samples and HCV RNA was detected in 114 samples (98.3%). In the control group (n = 305), only 2 (0.66%) blood donor were positive by HCV antibodies assay, HCV RNA assay as well as HCV Ag/Ab combination assay. The new HCV Ag/Ab combination assay may well improve the overall quality of diagnosis of HCV infection especially in high risk population such as drug users that necessitates rigorous testing. J. Med. Virol. 80:603–606, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Can the serological status of “anti‐HBc alone” be considered a sentinel marker for detection of “occult” HBV infection?
Authors: Vitale Francesco , Tramuto Fabio , Orlando Ambrogio , Vizzini Giovanni , Meli Valentina , Cerame Giuseppe , Mazzucco Walter , Virdone Roberto , Palazzo Ugo , Villafrate Maria Rosaria , Tagger Alessandro , Romano Nino 
Published: February 2008

AbstractSome individuals have “occult” infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), defined as presence of HBV genome in the serum or liver tissue without HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) in the serum. The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum antibodies against HBV core antigen in isolation (“anti‐HBc alone”) are a useful marker of “occult” HBV in patients with or without hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. “Anti‐HBc alone” was detected in the sera of 119/6,544 (1.8%) asymptomatic outpatients referred to the diagnostic laboratory for routine testing for viral hepatitis, 62/607 (10.2%) drug users, and 42/195 (21.5%) patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Using three in‐house nested‐PCR amplification assays to detect HBV preS‐S (S), precore‐core (C), and Pol viral regions, respectively, “occult” HBV sequences were found in 9 of the 223 sera (4.0%) with “anti‐HBc alone.” The highest prevalence of “occult” HBV sequences (5.9%) was detected in “anti‐HBV alone” sera of individuals referred to the diagnostic laboratory without HCV antibodies. Direct sequencing of all PCR products confirmed the specificity of the PCR reactions and revealed the predominance of HBV genotype D. The data presented in this study suggest that detection of “anti‐HBc alone” could reflect unrecognized “occult” HBV infection and that physicians should consider investigating such patients with HBV molecular tests. J. Med. Virol. 80:577–582, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.