In memoriam Arthur Kinloch Irvine (1935-2011)

  Obituary 

An ‘Old Amharic’ Commentary on the Nicene Creed

Translation of a pre-modern Amharic commentary on the Nicene Creed in English. The text of a Commentary on the Nicene Creed (ṣälotä haymanot) which forms the subject of this paper appears at the end of a copy of the Psalter and Wǝddase Maryam belonging to the Ethiopian church at Däbrä Gännät in Jerusalem [MS JE 48 E = MS Dabra Gannat 186]. The text was copied and circulated privately by the late Roger Cowley, who also records that material similar in outline but different in detail is contained in the andǝmta-commentary on the Anaphora of the Nicene Fathers

Yvonne Treis: A Grammar of Kambaata, Part 1: Phonology, Nominal Morphology, and Non-verbal Predication

 Review  

The Semitic Basis of the Amharic Lexicon.

This thesis sets out to examine the make-up of the Amharic vocabulary, principally from the point of view of Amharic as a Semitic language. There can be no doubt that Amharic is a Semitic language in accordance with all the tenets and methods of standard language classification. Typically this does not rely primarily on lexical evidence, but more on the "conservative" levels of analysis, such as morphology. The level of the lexicon probably occupies the opposite position to morphology in so fair as it is typically the least conservative and the most subject to innovation and outside influence. It is this sensitivity of the lexicon to extra-linguistic factors such as ethnic contacts, cultural patterns and directions, influences from outside the community (political, commercial, or intellectual), find so on that provides the value of this kind of study of the vocabulary of a language. The first part of this thesis examines the Semitic basis of the Amharic lexicon from the angle of the straightforward dictionary-list and then from the evidence of various texts, the latter taking into account the important factor of relative word frequencies. The figures from these analyses reveal that approximately 73% of the identifiable roots in the lexicon are of inherited Semitic origin and that this proportion increases to an average of 85% in the texts; that is to say, that, generally speaking, the higher frequency roots are overwhelmingly of inherited Semitic origin. The principal other constituent sources of vocabulary in Amharic are, in descending order, Cushitic (especially Agaw), Arabic, Ge'ez, Aramaic and Hebrew, and finally European languages. The second part of this thesis examines in detail, by means of individual etymological discussions of representative items, a number of semantic fields chosen to cover a wide spectrum of culturally specific and non-specific vocabulary. The overall trend here reflects the principle that much of the general, or basic vocabulary of Amharic in all fields is inherited Semitic, whilst loan elements, of whatever origin, are typically names of specific objects

Short treatment with antalarmin alters adrenal gland receptors in the rat model of endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which endometrial tissue is found outside the uterine cavity. Previous reports suggest that there is a dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis during the progression of endometriosis. Our previous report showed that a short-term treatment with antalarmin, a corticotrophin releasing hormone receptor type 1 (CRHR1) antagonist decreases the number and size of endometriotic vesicles in the auto-transplantation rat model of endometriosis. Our current goal was to examine the mRNA expression of intra-adrenal receptors to better understand the mechanisms of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis involvement in endometriosis. We used two groups of female rats. The first received sham surgery or endometriosis surgery before collecting the adrenals after 7 days of the disease progression. The second group of animals received endometriosis surgery and a treatment of either vehicle or antalarmin (20 mg/kg, i. p.) during the first 7 days after endometriosis induction and then the disease was allowed to progress until day 60. Rats with sham surgery served as controls. Results showed that the mRNA expression of the mineralocorticoid (MRC2) receptor was lower in the rats after 7 days of endometriosis surgery and in rats with endometriosis that received antalarmin. In addition, the CRHR1 was significantly elevated in animals that received antalarmin and this was counteracted by a non-significant elevation in CRHR2 mRNA. The glucocorticoid receptor mRNA within the adrenals was not affected by endometriosis or antalarmin treatment. This report is one of the first to explore intra-adrenal mRNA for receptors involved in the HPA axis signaling as well as in the sympatho-adrenal signaling, calling for additional research towards understanding the role of the adrenal glands in chronic inflammatory diseases such as endometriosis

Elasmobranch bycatch in the demersal prawn trawl fishery in the Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea

The elasmobranch bycatch of the Gulf of Papua Prawn Fishery is investigated in detail for the first time. Fisheries observers collected data on the elasmobranch bycatch from a total of 403 trawl sets (1,273 hrs) in the Gulf of Papua. A total of 40 species of elasmobranchs were recorded ranging in size from a 12 cm disc width stingray to a 350 cm total length sawfish. High mortality rates were recorded (>80%), attributed to the long trawl durations (up to 4 hours). The future inclusion of bycatch reduction devices would likely reduce the number of larger elasmobranchs being caught, based on evidence from the prawn trawl fisheries of northern Australia, and is being investigated by the PNG National Fisheries Authority. Differences in catch compositions were detected across the management zones as well as between the two monsoonal seasons (SE Monsoon and NW Monsoon). Increased monitoring and additional research is required and management plans should address the elasmobranch bycatch and in particular their high mortality rate

Elasmobranch bycatch in the demersal prawn trawl fishery in the Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea

The elasmobranch bycatch of the Gulf of Papua Prawn Fishery is investigated in detail for the first time. Fisheries observers collected data on the elasmobranch bycatch from a total of 403 trawl sets (1,273 hrs) in the Gulf of Papua. A total of 40 species of elasmobranchs were recorded ranging in size from a 12 cm disc width stingray to a 350 cm total length sawfish. High mortality rates were recorded (>80%), attributed to the long trawl durations (up to 4 hours). The future inclusion of bycatch reduction devices would likely reduce the number of larger elasmobranchs being caught, based on evidence from the prawn trawl fisheries of northern Australia, and is being investigated by the PNG National Fisheries Authority. Differences in catch compositions were detected across the management zones as well as between the two monsoonal seasons (SE Monsoon and NW Monsoon). Increased monitoring and additional research is required and management plans should address the elasmobranch bycatch and in particular their high mortality rate

Proopiomelanocortin Neurons in Nucleus Tractus Solitarius Are Activated by Visceral Afferents: Regulation by Cholecystokinin and Opioids

The nucleustractus solitarius (NTS) receives dense terminations from cranial visceral afferents, including those from the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Although the NTS integrates peripheral satiety signals and relays this signal to central feeding centers, little is known about which NTS neurons are involved or what mechanisms are responsible. Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons are good candidates for GI integration, because disruption of the POMC gene leads to severe obesity and hyperphagia. Here, we used POMC– enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic mice to identify NTS POMC neurons. Intraperitoneal administration of cholecystokinin (CCK) induced c-fos gene expression in NTS POMC–EGFP neurons, suggesting that they are activated by afferents stimulated by the satiety hormone. We tested the synaptic relationship of these neurons to visceral afferents and their modulation by CCK and opioids using patch recordings in horizontal brain slices. Electrical activation of the solitary tract (ST) evoked EPSCs in NTS POMC–EGFP neurons. The invariant latencies, low failure rates, and substantial paired-pulse depression of the ST-evoked EPSCs indicate that NTS POMC–EGFP neurons are second-order neurons directly contacted by afferent terminals. The EPSCs were blocked by the glutamate antagonist 2,3- dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfonyl-benzo[f]quinoxaline. CCK increased the amplitude of the ST-stimulated EPSCs and the frequency of miniature EPSCs, effects attenuated by the CCK1 receptor antagonist lorglumide. In contrast, the orexigenic opioid agonists [D-Ala(2), N-Me-Phe(4), Gly-ol(5)]-enkephalin and met-enkephalin inhibited both ST-stimulated EPSCs and the frequency of miniature EPSCs. These findings identify a potential satiety pathway in which visceral afferents directly activate NTS POMC–EGFP neurons with excitatory inputs that are appropriately modulated by appetite regulators

Managing Loan Declines. A best practice manual

Access to credit is a vital part of many people’s financial management, especially in difficult economic times. But especially in such times, affordability and credit records come under further pressure and loan applications may be unsuccessful. At best, a declined loan applicant is simply disappointed, but other scenarios include a turn to high cost or illegal credit sources, or severe detriment due to lack of funds. This Manual provides guidance for credit unions and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) that are dealing with applicants who may be declined for credit. The report provides practical suggestions about how to manage the declines process