The synodical letters between the non-Chalcedonian patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch included in the manuscript: ‘The confession of the fathers’ (i‘tirāf al-ābā’) and the impact of Arabization on their exposition of non-Chalcedonian Christology

Synodalbriefe sind Korrespondenzen, die zwischen den nicht-chalcedonischen Patriarchen von Alexandrien und Antiochien nach ihrer Inthronisation ausgetauscht wurden. Der Hauptzweck des Austausches von Synodalbriefen zwischen den beiden Patriarchen ist die Bestätigung der kirchlichen Glaubensgemeinschaft. Diese Briefe waren für beide Kirchen eine Gelegenheit, ihre Treue zur Glaubenstradition der wichtigsten Vertreter der alexandrinischen nicht-chalcedonischen Christologie wie Athanasius, Kyrill, Dioskur, Severus und Theodosius zu bekräftigen. Die Synodalbriefe enthalten daher ein Bekenntnis zum nicht-chalcedonischen Glauben, in dem die Patriarchen ihre Lehrmeinung eindeutig darlegten und bestätigten, warum sie die Konzilsbeschlüsse von Chalcedon nicht akzeptieren würden. Der älteste Brief, der aus der Korrespondenz zwischen den beiden antichalcedonischen Patriarchensitzen erhalten ist, ist der von Severus von Antiochia (512–538) an Johannes von Alexandrien (505–516), der zwischen 512 und 516 datiert werden muss. Die in dieser Arbeit untersuchten Synodalbriefe stammen aus einem arabischen Manuskript: “Das Bekenntnis der Väter” (i‘tirāf al-ābā’), das aus 32 Briefen besteht. Die Briefe umfassen einen Zeitraum von Severus von Antiochia (512) bis Christodoulus von Alexandria († 1077), d. h. vom frühen 6. Jh bis zum dritten Viertel des 11. Jh. Der terminus post quem für die Herstellung dieser Handschrift wäre das Jahr 1077 n. Chr., da die letzten aufgenommenen Briefe von Christodoulus stammen. Ab wann genau die Synodalbriefe auf Arabisch verfasst wurden, ist unklar. Nach der arabischen Eroberung begann das Arabische, die Muttersprachen Ägyptens und Syriens zu dominieren und allmählich zu ersetzen. Die Synodalbriefe aus dem 6. Jh. bis zur Mitte des 7. Jh. waren höchstwahrscheinlich in griechischer Sprache abgefasst worden, wie beispielsweise die Briefe von Severus von Antiochia und Theodosius von Alexandria. Griechisch war in dieser Zeit sowohl in Ägypten als auch in Syrien verbreitet. In beiden Regionen wurde das Arabische ab dem 11. Jh. zur Hauptsprache. Dies würde darauf hindeuten, dass auch die Synodalbriefe ab dem Anfang des 11. Jh. auf Arabisch verfasst wurden. Diese Annahme wird durch den Verlauf der Arabisierung und die Beobachtung einer Entwicklung in der theologischen Sprache der Briefe gestützt. Was den Zeitraum zwischen der jeweiligen Dominanz der griechischen und der arabischen Sprache in Ägypten und Syrien betrifft, d.h. von der Mitte des 7. bis zum Ende des 10. Jh., so ist es unklar, ob die Synodalbriefe auf Griechisch oder in der jeweiligen Landessprache abgefasst wurden (Koptisch in Alexandria und Syrisch in Antiochien). Im ersteren Fall scheint es wahrscheinlich, dass jede der beiden Kirchen die Synodalbriefe bei Erhalt in ihre Landessprache übersetzt hat. Die Analyse der Synodalbriefe erfolgt in drei Schritten: (1) Übersetzung der 32 Briefe des Manuskripts “Das Bekenntnis der Väter” ins Englische, der eine Übersicht vorausgeht; (2) Beschreibende und vergleichende Analyse der Briefe mit einer historischen und christologischen Einführung; (3) Untersuchung der Auswirkungen von Arabisierung und Islamisierung auf die Briefe. Die Synodalbriefe durchliefen demnach zwei mögliche Übersetzungsphasen: (1) Übersetzung aus dem Griechischen in die Landessprachen der Regionen, Koptisch oder Syrisch; (2) Übersetzung aus dem Griechischen oder aus den lokalen Sprachen ins Arabische. Wir haben zwei Gruppen von Synodalbriefen: Gruppe A enthält die Briefe 1 – 20 (frühes 6. Jh. – spätes 10. Jh.), von denen angenommen werden kann, dass sie ins Arabische übersetzt wurden; Gruppe B enthält die Briefe 21 – 32 (aus dem frühen 11. Jh.), die höchstwahrscheinlich ursprünglich in arabischer Sprache verfasst wurden. Die Darstellung der nicht-chalcedonischen Christologie in den Synodalbriefen zeigt deutliche Unterschiede zwischen Gruppe A und Gruppe B. Die Arabisierung nach dem 10. Jh. hatte erkennbare Auswirkungen auf Gruppe B. Nicht nur kann in jedem Brief in Gruppe B ein Absinken der durchschnittlichen Zahl der nicht-chalcedonischen christologischen Ausdrücke beobachtet werden, sondern auch eine gewisse Zurückhaltung im Ausdruck theologischer Konzepte. Während in Gruppe A die theologische Terminologie klar und präzise war, ist sie in Gruppe B abgeschwächt, unklar und vage.The synodical letters are the correspondences exchanged between the patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch upon their installment on their apostolic see. The main objective of the synodical letters between the patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch, is to confirm the synodical ecclesiastical communion of faith between the two patriarchs. These letters were opportunities for each church to reaffirm its loyalty to the faith of the major figures of the Alexandrine non-Chalcedonian Christology such as Athanasius, Cyril, Dioscorus, Severus, and Theodosius. The synodical letters, therefore, include a profession of the non-Chalcedonian faith in which the patriarchs offered a doctrinal exposition in clear terms and showed why they would not accept the council of Chalcedon. The most ancient letter preserved from the correspondence between the two anti-Chalcedonian sees was the letter from Severus of Antioch (512–538) to John of Alexandria (505–516), which must be dated between 512 and 516. The synodical letters examined in this thesis are extracted from an Arabic manuscript: ‘The confession of the fathers’ (i‘tirāf al-ābā’), which includes thirty-two letters. These letters cover a time range from Severus of Antioch (512) until Christodoulus of Alexandria (†1077), i.e. from the early 6th century to the third quarter of the 11th century. The terminus post quem for compiling this manuscript would be 1077 since the last letters mentioned in the manuscript are those of Christodoulus. When exactly the synodical letters started being composed in Arabic remains unclear since following the Arab conquest, Arabic gradually began to dominate, and slowly replace the native languages of Egypt and Syria. The synodical letters from the 6th century to the mid-7th century and may be later, were most probably composed in Greek, as e.g. the letters of Severus of Antioch and Theodosius of Alexandria. Greek was common in both Egypt and Syria during this period. Although the transition from local languages to Arabic may have started in Syria a little bit earlier than what happened in Egypt, Arabic definitely became the primary language in both regions from the 11th century onwards. This would suggest that the synodical letters as well started being composed in Arabic from the beginning of the 11th century. This assumption is supported by the course of arabization and the development of the theological language of the letters. With regards to the intermediate period between the domination of the Greek and the Arabic languages respectively in both Egypt and Syria, i.e. from the mid-7th to the late 10th century, it is unclear whether the synodical letters exchanged between the two regions, were composed in Greek or in the local language of each region: Coptic in Egypt and Syriac in Antioch. In case of the earlier, there is a probability that either church would have translated the synodical letters into their local language upon receiving them. Thus, we have two groups of synodical letters: Group A includes letters 1 – 20 (early 6th century - late 10th century) and can be assumed to have been translated into Arabic (after an intermediate translation into local languages of the either regions); Group B includes letters 21 – 32 (from the early 11th century) which were most probably composed originally in Arabic. The exposition of non-Chalcedonian Christology in the synodical letters differs amongst Group A and Group B. The arabization which took place after the 10th century had a clear impact on Group B. Not only can a decline in the average number of Non-Chalcedonian Christological expressions in each letter be observed in group B, but also a diffidence in the expression of theological teachings. While in Group A the theological terminology was clear and precise, in Group B it appears toned down, imprecise and vague.2021-10-0

Promotion de la croissance des plantes en utilisant des souches de Streptomyces et de Bacillus produisant de l’auxine, seules ou en consortium

Le monde est confronté à un problème de sécurité alimentaire dû à la surpopulation mondiale qui conduit à une utilisation accrue des engrais chimiques pour augmenter la productivité agricole. Bien que les engrais chimiques présentent des avantages, ils ont des effets négatifs sur l'environnement et la santé humaine. Cela a suscité un intérêt pour l'utilisation des rhizobactéries qui favorisent la croissance des plantes (RFCP) en tant que principes actifs des biofertilisants. Les RFCP favorisent la croissance des plantes par des mécanismes directs et indirects tels que la production de phytohormones, la fixation de l'azote, la solubilisation du phosphate, la production d'antibiotiques et des enzymes lytiques et la production de sidérophores. Dans la présente étude, nous nous sommes concentrés sur la promotion de la croissance des plantes avec l’acide indole acétique (IAA) produit par RFCP. Le but de cette étude était d’établir pour la première fois des consortiums RFCP formés avec des souches d’actinobactéries et de Bacillus produisant de l’IAA. Il a été démontré que les consortiums RFCP offrent une plus grande cohérence que les souches individuelles de RFCP, qui présentent parfois des résultats incohérents dans des conditions réelles. Une technique colorimétrique a été utilisée pour cribler une collection d'isolats d'actinobactéries et de Bacillus en vue de la production d'IAA en utilisant le réactif de Salkowski. La capacité des souches les plus productives en IAA à favoriser la croissance de la plante modèle Lemna minor a été testée. Respectivement, 73% et 11% des souches d'actinobactéries et de Bacillus sélectionnées produisant de l’IAA ont favorisé la croissance de L. minor. La technique de superposition de double gélose a été utilisée pour tester la compatibilité entre les souches actinobactériennes et Bacillus sélectionnées. Il n’a pas été possible de former des consortiums contenant plus de trois souches en raison de l’antagonisme entre les souches ainsi la plupart des consortiums sélectionnés étaient composés de deux souches. Quatorze consortiums ont été testés et sept d’entre eux ont favorisé la croissance de L. minor. La capacité d'une combinaison d'isolats compatibles à promouvoir le nombre de frondes de L. minor était égale ou inférieure à la capacité des souches constituant le consortium. Les consortiums A et E ont également favorisé la croissance des plantules de laitue, indiquant que L. minor est une bonne plante modèle pour le criblage de RFCP. La capacité du consortium A à promouvoir la croissance des plantules de laitue était égale à celle de la souche JW 239 seule, tandis qu'une synergie était observée entre les membres du consortium E, ce qui suscitait de l'intérêt pour l'application sur le terrain.Abstract: The world is facing a food security problem because of global overpopulation that is leading to increased use of chemical fertilizers to drive agricultural productivity. Although, chemical fertilizers are beneficial, they can have negative impacts on the environment and human health. This has inspired interest in using plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as active ingredients of biofertilizers. PGPR promote plant growth by direct and indirect mechanisms such as phytohormones production, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, antibiotics and lytic enzyme production and siderophore production. In the present study we focused on promoting plant growth by indole acetic acid (IAA) produced by PGPR. The aim of this study was to establish for the first time PGPR consortia formed with IAA producing actinobacterial and Bacillus strains. PGPR consortia have been shown to provide more consistency than individual PGPR strains which sometimes show inconsistent results under field conditions. A colorimetric technique was used to screen a collection of actinobacterial and Bacillus isolates for IAA production by using the Salkowski reagent. The ability of the highest IAA producing strains to promote the growth of the model plant Lemna minor was tested. Respectively, 73% and 11% of the selected IAA producing actinobacterial and Bacillus strains promoted L. minor growth. The double agar overlay technique was used to test the compatibility between the selected actinobacterial and Bacillus strains. It was not possible to form consortia containing more than three strains due to the antagonism between the strains, therefore most of the selected consortia were composed of two strains. Fourteen consortia were tested and seven of them promoted L. minor growth. The capacity of a combination of compatible isolates to promote L. minor frond numbers was found to be equal or lower than the capacity of the individual strains composing the consortium. Consortia A and E also promoted lettuce seedlings growth, indicating that L. minor is a good model plant to screen PGPR. Ability of consortium A to promote lettuce seedling growth was equal to that of the single strain JW 239 while a synergy was observed between members of consortium E which suggest that these strains could be of interest for field applications

STR-852: PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF THREE-STORY SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY REINFORCED CONCRETE WALLS

The need for sustainable structures, that provide adequate ductility without experiencing major damage, has led researchers to develop methods to achieve self-centering structures. One of these methods involves the use of superelastic Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) bars. This study assesses the seismic performance of a three-story SMA Reinforced Concrete (RC) shear wall considering different potential locations for the SMA bars. The maximum inter-story drift, residual drift, and damage scheme are evaluated using Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). The use of SMA bars at the plastic hinge of the first floor was found to significantly reduce the residual drifts and associated damage

Seismic fragility assessment of superelastic shape memory alloy reinforced concrete shear walls

Mitigation of seismic damage can be achieved through self-centering techniques. One of the potential techniques involves the use of Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy (SE-SMA) bars in Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures. This study explores the use of such bars in the plastic-hinge regions of RC walls. The seismic performance and vulnerability of SE‑SMA RC walls of ten- and twenty-story buildings are analytically assessed using fragility curves. The maximum inter-story drift, residual drift, and fragility are evaluated using multi strip analysis. The results clearly demonstrate the superior seismic performance of SE-SMA RC walls as compared to steel RC walls

Comparison of Direct Fluorescence Assay and Real-Time RT-PCR as Diagnostics for Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Young Children

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children worldwide. Early detection of RSV is critical to initiate proper care. Two methods, the direct fluorescence assay (DFA) and the real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rt-RT-PCR), that are used for RSV detection were compared. A total of 451 nasopharyngeal aspirates from children 5 years of age or less were tested for RSV using both methods. The overall prevalence rate of the RSV among the children was 23.7% with a significantly higher prevalence among children under the age of 6 months of age when compared to other age groups. The sensitivity of DFA in comparison to rt-RT-PCR was highest (86%) during the first 3 days of symptoms onset and decreased gradually till it reached 65% after the first week. The specificity of DFA in comparison to rt-RT-PCR ranged between 99 and 100% irrespective of the date of collection. We concluded that, although the rt-RT-PCR is more sensitive for RSV detection, the DFA offers a reliable point-of-care alternative detection method especially during the first few days of illness

Chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from the leaves and fruits of the plant (smilax aspera L) in Qadmus – Tartous- Syria

the essential oil was extracted by using hydrodistillation (CLEVENGER  APPARATUS)  from leaves and fruits of Smilax aspera, the plant belongs to the Smilacaceae family in temperate and subtropical regions, identifying the chemical composition was done by gas chromatography technique associated with the mass spectrometry GC / MS. The results of the analysis showed that the essential oil of fruits contains 34 compounds, which accounted for 96,8194% of the total aromatic oil. It was found that the compound Octadecene is the main component of aromatic oil by 12.9308%.   As for the aromatic oil extracted from the leaves. 14 compounds was identified, which accounted for about 99,9995% of the total aromatic oil, and was found that the compound 6,9-Pentadecadien-1-ol  is the main component of aromatic oil by 25.9431%.  

Statistical Analysis of Rainfall Patterns in Jeddah City, KSA: Future Impacts

Recently, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been facing significant changes in rainstorm patterns (rainstorm intensities, frequencies, distributions) causing many flash flood events. The city of Jeddah is located in a coastal plain area, in the middle of the western side of the KSA, which represents a clear case of changing rainstorm patterns. Jeddah has been hit by many rainstorm events, which increased dramatically since 2009 (e.g., one in 2009, one in 2011, one in 2015, and another one happened in 2017). However, in 2018 about six rainstorms occurred. Two major flash flood events occurred in the city in November 2009 and in January 2011. There were significant impacts of these two events causing severe flooding. During these events, 113 persons were announced dead (in the 2009 event), and infrastructures and properties were damaged (roads and highways, more than 10,000 homes and 17,000 vehicles). In addition to that, dam failure occurred in the 2011 event. This situation gives clear evidence in changing the climate system that could cause more storms in the future across the KSA. Generally, Jeddah city has a lack of short-duration data in rainfall stations. In addition to that, there are a limited number of studies that have been done in determining rainstorm patterns. Consequently, the approach of the current study will focus on understanding and determining rainstorm patterns in the period between 2011 and 2017 depending on some digital rainfall stations that have been installed recently in Jeddah city. Rainstorm pattern and the method of distribution are the most crucial factors affecting peak flow and volume calculations. Our findings showed that there are two pattern types for the rainstorms in Jeddah city. Finally, a comparison with SCS-type II distribution was carried out

Seismic performance of concrete core walls reinforced with shape memory alloy bars

Reinforced Concrete (RC) core walls are widely used to resist lateral loads because of their high flexural and torsional stiffnesses. Their seismic performance parameters, including residual displacement, floor acceleration, and residual in-plane rotation, were examined by many researchers. However, reports from previous earthquakes have highlighted the difficulties of repairs addressing their residual displacements and/or rotations. This paper addresses this problem by investigating the influence of self-centering superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) bars on the seismic performance parameters of RC core walls. A case study building is analyzed, considering both steel and SMA reinforcement, for unidirectional and bidirectional seismic excitations. Different mass eccentricities are assumed. SMA RC core walls are found to have significantly reduced floor accelerations, residual displacements, and residual in-plane rotations as compared to steel RC core walls

Seismic Performance of Hybrid Corrosion-Free Self-Centering Concrete Shear Walls

Reinforced concrete (RC) walls are extensively used in high-rise buildings to resist lateral loads, while ensuring an adequate level of ductility. Durability problems, including corrosion of conventional steel reinforcements, necessitate exploring alternative types of reinforcement. The use of glass fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars is a potential solution. However, these bars cannot be used in seismic applications because of their brittleness and inability to dissipate seismic energy. Superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) is a corrosion-free material with high ductility and unique self-centering ability. Its high cost is a major barrier to use in construction projects. The clear advantage of utilizing both SMA and FRP to achieve durable self-centering structures has motivated the development of a composite SMA-FRP bar. This paper investigates the hybrid use of FRP bars and either SMA bars or composite SMA-FRP in concrete shear walls. An extensive parametric study was conducted to study the effect of different design parameters on the lateral performance of hybrid RC walls. The seismic behavior of the hybrid walls was then examined. The hybrid walls not only solved the durability problem but also significantly improved the seismic performance

Stressed Experimental diabetic Rats challenging with Glimepiride

Background: This study was accomplished to evaluate the anticipated effects of glimepiride on some of the hematological parameters besides the antioxidant enzymes of the alloxan-induced diabetic and healthy rats.Methods: In this study, thirty-two adult albino male rats were adopted. The animals were set in a random manner into four groups of eight rats each. The animals of the control group were dosed orally with 5ml distilled water. The second were injected intraperitoneally with 150 mg/kg of Alloxan one time to induce diabetes. The third group were administered a daily oral dose of 5 mg/kg of Glimepiride. The fourth group were injected with alloxan in the same manner as the second group and then dosed orally with 5mg/kg of glimepiride. The above-mentioned experimental protocol has extended for one month and thereafter the planned tests were done.Results: The results showed that diabetes induced by alloxan led to significant decline in the packed cells volume (PCV), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), platelets (PLT), red blood cell counts (RBC), glutathione (GSH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)at (p≤0.05) with significant elevation in the total white blood cells count (WBC), malondialdehyde (MDA), erythrocytes sedimentation rate (ESR) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) comparing with those of the control group. The use of glimepiride alone to the healthy rats led to significant decline in RBC,PLT, GSH and AST with significant elevation in ESR and WBC without an effect on the PCV, Hb, MDA, ALT and ALPat (p≤0.05) comparing with those of the control group. Treatment of alloxan-induced diabetic rats with glimepiride led to significant decline in RBC, HB and PCV with significant elevation in WBC, PLT, GSH, MDA and ALT at (p≤0.05) compared with the control group.Conclusion: We conclude that glimepiride does affect the blood parameters and the antioxidant enzymes.Keywords: Glimepiride; Amaryl; Stress; Diabetes; Rats