Root SDK in prophetic literature

This investigation of the root SDK in prophetic literature has been executed according to the following"developmental pattern. First, the history of the scholarly investigation of the root §DK has been traced from the period of the 1860fs to the present. Second, contextual usages of SDK and its derivatives have been examined in all prophetic literature; such literature being divided for purposes of contrast into (1) pre-exilic (2) post-exilic (other than Isaiah 40-66) (3) Isaiah 40-55, and (4) Isaiah 56-66. Both the synonyms and antonyms used contextually with SDK have also been examined according to the four-fold division cited above. Third, as a means of isolating the relationship between the number of occurrences of the root SDK in a given body of literature and the percentage of total prophetic literature which that body constituted, a "frequency index" was established as an aid in clarifying this relationship. Fourth, both at the conclusion of basic sections of the thesis and at the termination of the thesis itself, specific contributions and characteristics of the study have been noted. As an aid in summarizing further the nature and character of this investigation the particular chapters are annoted as follows.Chapter I: The Root SDK and Old Testament Scholarship: The history of scholarly investigation into the meaning of SDK is traced in this chapter from the time of Diestel and Ortloph to the present era (culminating in the contribution of Kl. Koch). Based upon that investigation the following emphases were accepted as determinative for understanding the concept of SDK in prophetic literature; indeed, in the whole of biblical theology. These emphases were then tested against the evidence inherent in the use of SDK and its derivatives within prophetic literature.First, the basic meaning of §DK is conformity to a norm or standardSecond, such conformity as characterizes the connotation of §DK is found in the relationship(s) in which man exists. Although the relationship imposes demands, and the fulfillment of those demands is crucial to SDK as a reality in human experience, the relationship itself is the norm and not the demands imposed by the relationship. Additionally, the demands associated with §DK may fluctuate in direct response to the relationship and/or the situation.Third, fundamental to the conception of §DK is "wholeness;" both of the individual and the community. The maintainance of this wholeness, the equilibrious balance within the relationship, is fundamental.Fourth, §D£ is both determined by and created within the sphere of the cult; the liturgies of entrance constituting one means of determining SDK and. the theophanic presence of Yahweh being the means of creating one aspect of SDK.Chapter II: The Connotation of SDK in Prophetic Literature Other Than Isaiah 40-66 Pre-exilic and post-exilic (other than Isa. 40-66) prophetic literature was examined from the context of both the usage of the root SDK in each of its several contexts and the use of synonyms and antonyms"used contextually with SDK. The root and its derivatives were characterized according to their reference to (1) man's character and action (2) inanimate objects (3) an ideal king or future leader, and (4) the action and character of Yahweh. Upon the basis of the actual usage of SDK it is apparent that pre-exilic prophetic literature gave greater attention to §DK in its relationship to man's character and action and to an ideal ruler than did post-exilic prophetic literature. Within the post-exilic era attention shifted to Yahweh's action and character.Synonyms and antonyms used contextually with SDK in prophetic litera¬ ture other than Isaiah 40-66 reflect a preponderant'emphasis upon relation¬ ship as fundamental to the connotation of SDK and its derivatives. The use of antonyms reflects the same emphasis, for unrighteousness is con¬ sistently portrayed as a breach of covenant fellowship; a rupture of the wholeness which covenant life is destined both to inaugurate and to sustainChapter III: The Connotation of SDK in Isaiah 40-66 The use of the root SDK and its derivatives, as well as synonyms and antonyms Used contextualiy*with SDK, reflects the following characteristics First, an analysis of §DK according to the same, four-fold pattern as followed in chapter two reflects two significant factors. (1) In the category of man's character and action the frequency index suggests that Isa. 56-66 makes proportionately higher usage of SDK in the category of man's character and action than does Isa. 40-55. (2) In view of the frequency with which SDK is used of Yahweh's action and character is Isa. 40-55 as against Isa! 56-66 one might well conclude that Isa. 40-55 uses §DK with this connotation to a far greater degree than does Isa. 56-66 (15 vs. eight occurrences). When one compares the frequency index, however it is significant that Isa. 56-66 has a slightly higher frequency index than does Isa. 40-55 (1.11 vs. 1.04).Second, synonyms and. antonyms clearly reflect the deliverance motif so characteristic of the exile in Isa. 40-55 and the problems of moral and spiritual disintegration in Isa. 56-66. In this regard Isa. 56-66 is much more like the message of the pre-exilic prophets in its use of $DK than is Isa. 40-55. This is graphically illustrated in that of the 46 or more uses of SPf in the same context with SDK in prophetic literature 44 are pre-exilic and within Isaiah 56-66. Post-exilic prophetic literature (excluding Isa. 40-66) makes one use of the concept in the same context with SDK and. Isa. 40-55 makes a single use of MSPT in the same context with SDK.Chapter IV: Conclusion Based upon the contextual usage of SDK and its derivatives, together with a comparison of synonyms and antonyms used contextually with SDK, the study of the root §DK in prophetic literature confirms the definition posed at the conclusion of the investigation of the history of interpretation, prior to the actual study of the 172 occurrences of the root SDK in prophetic literature:SDK connotes conformation to a relationship and the equilibrious balance maintained through the fulfillment of the demands of that relationship, whether the subject be God. or man

Ideological diversity, hostility, and discrimination in philosophy

Members of the field of philosophy have, just as other people, political convictions or, as psychologists call them, ideologies. How are different ideologies distributed and perceived in the field? Using the familiar distinction between the political left and right, we surveyed an international sample of 794 subjects in philosophy. We found that survey participants clearly leaned left (75%), while right-leaning individuals (14%) and moderates (11%) were underrepresented. Moreover, and strikingly, across the political spectrum, from very left-leaning individuals and moderates to very right-leaning individuals, participants reported experiencing ideological hostility in the field, occasionally even from those from their own side of the political spectrum. Finally, while about half of the subjects believed that discrimination against left- or right-leaning individuals in the field is not justified, a significant minority displayed an explicit willingness to discriminate against colleagues with the opposite ideology. Our findings are both surprising and important, because a commitment to tolerance and equality is widespread in philosophy, and there is reason to think that ideological similarity, hostility, and discrimination undermine reliable belief formation in many areas of the discipline

Effects of UV Light on Local Stream Frog Behavior

Amphibian declines have been well documented throughout the world. Several studies have examined whether UV radiation from the sun is a possible contributing cause to declining populations. In Southern California, two closely related species of treefrogs, Pseudacris hypochondriaca and Pseudacris cadaverina, coexist in many perennial streams. P. hypochondriaca is primarily nocturnal while P. cadaverina is known to bask in direct sunlight. The purpose of the study is to determine how the two different species of frogs will react under different types of light emitted by a portable flashlight. The light was emitting either UV radiation or visible light, or was turned off as it was slowly brought toward the frog. When the frog jumped from its resting position, the light was held stationary and the distance from the light to the original frog perch was recorded. Our results suggest that both species are more sensitive to the UV light than to the light that was turned off or the visible light. Frogs jumped much sooner when presented with UV even the light was farther away from them. There appeared to be no differences in the sensitivity of the two species to the UV light. Our results suggest that both species of treefrogs are sensitive to UV. This sensitivity may be due in part to the large levels of UV that reach streams after wildfires. Wildfires are a natural part of these ecosystems and the removal of tree canopy by wildfire may create periodic strong selection on riparian animals to avoid increased levels of UV radiation

Lowest-energy structures of 13-atom binary clusters: Do icosahedral clusters exist in binary liquid alloys?

Although the existence of 13-atom icosahedral clusters in one-component close-packed undercooled liquids was predicted more than half a century ago by Frank, the existence of such icosahedral clusters is less clear in liquid alloys. We study the lowest-energy structures of 13-atom AxB13-x Lennard-Jones binary clusters using the modified space-fixed genetic algorithm and the artificial Lennard-Jones potential designed by Kob and Andersen. Curiously, the lowest-energy structures are non-icosahedral for almost all compositions. The role played by the icosahedral cluster in a binary glass is questionable.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure (conference paper of LAM12) to be published in J. Non-Crystalline Solid

Adjustable cutting tool holder

This patent application describes a device for varying the geometry of a cutting tool for use in machining operations

Nova-like Cataclysmic Variables in the Infrared

Novalike cataclysmic variables have persistently high mass transfer rates and prominent steady state accretion disks. We present an analysis of infrared observations of twelve novalikes obtained from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer All Sky Survey. The presence of an infrared excess at >3-5 microns over the expectation of a theoretical steady state accretion disk is ubiquitous in our sample. The strength of the infrared excess is not correlated with orbital period, but shows a statistically significant correlation (but shallow trend) with system inclination that might be partially (but not completely) linked to the increasing view of the cooler outer accretion disk and disk rim at higher inclinations. We discuss the possible origin of the infrared excess in terms of emission from bremsstrahlung or circumbinary dust, with either mechanism facilitated by the mass outflows (e.g., disk wind/corona, accretion stream overflow, and so on) present in novalikes. Our comparison of the relative advantages and disadvantages of either mechanism for explaining the observations suggests that the situation is rather ambiguous, largely circumstantial, and in need of stricter observational constraints.Peer reviewe

Ginseng on Hyperglycemia: Effects and Mechanisms

It has been reported that American ginseng attenuates hyperglycemia and may present itself as a supplement to diabetes therapy. However, the lack of standardization in the usage of ginseng root leads to inconclusive results when applied to diabetes treatment. The mechanisms of American ginseng root in the treatment of diabetes remains a mystery. This greatly limits the effective utilization of American ginseng in facilitating diabetic therapy. Initiating studies have shown that American ginseng increases insulin production and reduces cell death in pancreatic β-cells. Also, studies have revealed American ginseng's ability to decrease blood glucose in type II diabetes patients as well as in streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals (STZ-diabetic mice). These data suggest that effects of ginseng in improving hyperglycemia may alter mitochondrial function as well as apoptosis cascades to ensure cell viability in pancreatic islet cells. This review briefly summarizes current knowledge of ginseng components and clinical studies related to diabetes. Further research will be needed to explore and identify the component(s) of ginseng, which may be responsible for the beneficial effects observed in animal studies which could then be extrapolated to human islets

Molecular architecture of a multifunctional MCM complex

DNA replication is strictly regulated through a sequence of steps that involve many macromolecular protein complexes. One of them is the replicative helicase, which is required for initiation and elongation phases. A MCM helicase found as a prophage in the genome of Bacillus cereus is fused with a primase domain constituting an integrative arrangement of two essential activities for replication. We have isolated this helicase–primase complex (BcMCM) showing that it can bind DNA and displays not only helicase and primase but also DNA polymerase activity. Using single-particle electron microscopy and 3D reconstruction, we obtained structures of BcMCM using ATPγS or ADP in the absence and presence of DNA. The complex depicts the typical hexameric ring shape. The dissection of the unwinding mechanism using site-directed mutagenesis in the Walker A, Walker B, arginine finger and the helicase channels, suggests that the BcMCM complex unwinds DNA following the extrusion model similarly to the E1 helicase from papillomavirus

The Ambulatory Pediatric Association Fellowship in Pediatric Environmental Health: A 5-Year Assessment

Background: Evidence is mounting that environmental exposures contribute to causation of disease in children. Yet few pediatricians are trained to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease of environmental origin. Objectives: To develop a cadre of future leaders in pediatric environmental health (PEH), the Ambulatory Pediatric Association (APA) launched a new 3-year fellowship in 2001—the world’s first formal training program in PEH. Sites were established at Boston Children’s Hospital, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, George Washington University, University of Cincinnati, and University of Washington. Fellows are trained in epidemiology, biostatistics, toxicology, risk assessment, and preventive medicine. They gain clinical experience in environmental pediatrics and mentored training in clinical research, policy development, and evidence-based advocacy. Thirteen fellows have graduated. Two sites have secured follow-on federal funding to enable them to continue PEH training. Discussion: To assess objectively the program’s success in preparing fellows for leadership careers in PEH, we conducted a mailed survey in 2006 with follow-up in 2007. Conclusions: Fifteen (88%) of 17 fellows and graduates participated; program directors provided information on the remaining two. Nine graduates are pursuing full-time academic careers, and two have leadership positions in governmental and environmental organizations. Ten have published one or more first-authored papers. Seven graduates are principal investigators on federal or foundation grants. The strongest predictors of academic success are remaining affiliated with the fellowship training site and devoting <20% of fellowship time to clinical practice. Conclusion: The APA fellowship program is proving successful in preparing pediatricians for leadership careers in PEH