Kadesheinu beMitsvotekha ; The function of the Mitsva

The mitsva reflects one of the most pivotal concepts of Judaism. It sanctifies those who answer its calling, and the Jew and Judaism is unique and “chosen” because of it. In this article we highlight the various ways the mitsvot and Halakha transform us and mold the Jewish personality: (a) by converting the “ought” into a “must”; (b) by transforming daily prosaic acts of man into sacred deeds; (c) by converting simple chronological, linear time into special moments of kedusha. The mitsva involves the total personality - “head, heart and hand” and makes the body equally important with the soul in the service of Hashem. Sanctification is accomplished both through deed and thought. The Torah wants the Jew to build an environment which strengthens his religious values and has designated Erets Yisrael as the most fitting place for kedusha

New addition curing polyimides

In an attempt to improve the thermal-oxidative stability (TOS) of PMR-type polymers, the use of 1,4-phenylenebis (phenylmaleic anhydride) PPMA, was evaluated. Two series of nadic end-capped addition curing polyimides were prepared by imidizing PPMA with either 4,4'-methylene dianiline or p-phenylenediamine. The first resulted in improved solubility and increased resin flow while the latter yielded a compression molded neat resin sample with a T(sub g) of 408 C, close to 70 C higher than PME-15. The performance of these materials in long term weight loss studies was below that of PMR-15, independent of post-cure conditions. These results can be rationalized in terms of the thermal lability of the pendant phenyl groups and the incomplete imidization of the sterically congested PPMA. The preparation of model compounds as well as future research directions are discussed

Autumn Arrival and Moult in King Eiders (Somateria Spectabilis) at Disko, West Greenland

Observations of King Eiders and their moult carried out at western Disko Island, West Greenland, July-October 1991 and 1992 showed two waves of immigration. The post-breeding males arrived mainly in early August in advanced body moult and undertook wing moult between mid-August and late September. Females arrived from mid-August and peaked in the second half of August. Females undertook body and wing moult from late August into October. A significant part of the females as well as males from the eastern Canadian Arctic appear to perform a moult migration to central West Greenland.Key words: King Eider, Somateria spectabilis, moult migration, sex ratio, moult, West Greenland, Disko IslandDes observations d'eiders à tête grise et de leur mue faites de juillet à octobre 1991 et 1992, dans la partie occidentale de l'île Disko, située à l'ouest du Groenland, ont révélé deux vagues d'immigration. Les mâles ayant accompli leur tâche de reproducteurs arrivaient surtout au début d'août, dans un état de mue corporelle bien avancé, et la mue des ailes avait lieu entre mi-août et fin septembre. Les femelles arrivaient à partir de mi-août et leur nombre culminait durant la dernière quinzaine du mois. Pour les femelles, la mue du corps et des ailes commençait fin août et se poursuivait en octobre. Un grand nombre des femelles comme des mâles de l'Arctique canadien oriental semblait effectuer une migration accompagnée de mue vers le centre-ouest du Groenland.Mots clés : eider à tête grise, Somateria spectabilis, migration accompagnée de mue, rapport mâles-femelles, mue, Groenland occidental, île Disk

A case of non-HPV related primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the cervix

© 2020 Objective: Primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the cervix is a rare subtype of adenocarcinoma that has often been misclassified in the literature due to the lack of clear-cut diagnostic criteria. A new classification system has recently been developed that aims to provide clarity and reproducibility when diagnosing subtypes of endocervical adenocarcinoma. This case report demonstrates the difficulty in diagnosing primary endometroid adenocarcinoma, application of the new diagnostic guidelines, and a review of the literature of this rare non-HPV subtype. Case: A 76 year-old women presented with postmenopausal bleeding and was found to have an exophytic cervical mass. Biopsies showed an adenocarcinoma of probable endometrial origin. She underwent a robotic-assisted simple hysterectomy with bilateral pelvic lymph node sampling and omental biopsy. Final pathology report demonstrated a primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the cervix, measuring 2.4 cm in size, diagnosed using the recently developed International Endocervical Adenocarcinoma Criteria and Classification (IECC) system. Patient was then treated with external beam radiation therapy and concurrent chemotherapy, followed by vaginal brachytherapy. She had no evidence of disease at her 15-month follow-up visit. Conclusion: Primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the cervix is a rare and diagnostically challenging tumor of the cervix. This case illustrates the challenges associated with diagnosis of this endocervical carcinoma subtype and the need for a multi-disciplinary approach when determining treatment

Guarding the treasure : [Rezension zu:] Tamar Ross, Expanding the Palace of Torah: Orthodoxy and Feminism, Brandeis University Press, Waltham 2004, xxiv + 342 pp.

I. Introduction The early 1970s in the United States was a turbulent, rebellious period – in which all questions were legitimate, certainly on the college campus. As the rabbinic advisor to the Orthodox minyan at Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel, I found myself challenged repeatedly by congregants, colleagues and friends regarding the status of women in Jewish law and ritual. This required me, in turn, to search for honest and appropriate explanations and rationale. This quest has continued to preoccupy me for more than three decades. When I first embarked on this endeavor, I did so with a sense of confidence and commitment. As a “Halakhic Feminist,” I have searched for ways to increase women’s involvement in Jewish spiritual and ritual life, and I remain confident in the inherent viability of the halakhic process. But through it all, my highest commitment has been to the integrity of Halakhah. I firmly believe that without Halakhah as our anchor, we would rapidly lose our direction and raison d’etre.Because of these sensitivities, I picked up Tamar Ross’s recent book “Expanding the Palace of Torah: Orthodoxy and Feminism” with a great deal of excitement and anticipation. The author comes with wonderful credentials: she is an esteemed professor of philosophy, a traditional Jewess, and a highly respected Orthodox feminist. Academically, this extremely analytical, insightful, erudite and welldocumented book turned out to be highly challenging because of its interdisciplinary nature, saturated with new jargon and concepts. But it was by no means disappointing. Indeed, more than 300 pages later, I found myself intellectually edified and stimulated by my newfound understanding of the history, philosophy and theology of feminism. Prof. Ross is quite effective at outlining many of the troubling issues concerning the status of women in Jewish law – issues that every thinking, committed Jew should ponder. As a result, this work has received generally laudatory reviews. Despite all the above, I found the book very unsettling. In her preface (p. xvii), the author indicates that, in addition to scholars of religion and feminism, this book is directed to two other audiences. The first group includes those who have been sensitized by feminism but are desirous of keeping their grip on tradition. The second audience consists of those who are firmly Orthodox, but would like to gain greater insight into what the feminist fuss is all about.5 In short, as the title ofthe book suggests, Prof. Ross attempts to span the divide between Orthodoxy and feminism. Unfortunately, I do not believe she has succeeded in this task, and this essay is an attempt to delineate why

Investigation of lateral acceleration-bending coupling for a large booster utilizing multi accelerometers

Selection of accelerometer positions to predict system stability of lateral acceleration-bending coupling in large flexible booste

2-Meth­oxy-3,4-diphenyl­phenol

The title compound, C19H16O2, was isolated as the major product after the solid-state photochemical reaction of 2-meth­oxy-4,4-diphenyl­cyclo­hexa-2,5-dienone. The dihedral angles between the central ring and pendant benzene rings are 60.76 (6) and 51.64 (6)°. The O—C vector of the meth­oxy group is almost perpendicular to the plane of the central ring as indicated by the C—C—O—C torsion angle of 94.89 (18)°. Hydrogen-bonded dimers are formed in the crystal structure via O—H⋯O inter­actions. The data were collected at room temperature on a Bruker SMART X2S diffractometer in the automated mode and processed manually thereafter