The Kings, the City and the House of David on the Mesha Stele in Light of New Imaging Techniques

Thanks to new imaging techniques applied to the Mesha stele and its squeezes, the decipherment of this major inscription is significantly improved. In this essay, I present three case studies, in lines 4, 12 and 31 respectively. In line 4, the reading 'kings' is to be preferred; in line 12, the reading 'city' is confirmed; in line 31, the mention of the 'house of David' remains hypothetical but is the most probable reading. With the Tel Dan inscription, the Mesha stele might be the earliest historical witness of a ruler named David who, in the ninth century BCE, was remembered as the founder of a Judahite dynasty.Peer reviewe

Why is low waist-to-chest ratio attractive in males? The mediating roles of perceived dominance, fitness, and protection ability

Past research suggests that a lower waist-to-chest ratio (WCR) in men (i.e., narrower waist and broader chest) is viewed as attractive by women. However, little work has directly examined why low WCRs are preferred. The current work merged insights from theory and past research to develop a model examining perceived dominance, fitness, and protection ability as mediators of to WCR-attractiveness relationship. These mediators and their link to both short-term (sexual) and long-term (relational) attractiveness were simultaneously tested by having 151 women rate one of 15 avatars, created from 3D body scans. Men with lower WCR were perceived as more physically dominant, physically fit, and better able to protect loved ones; these characteristics differentially mediated the effect of WCR on short-term, long-term, and general attractiveness ratings. Greater understanding of the judgments women form regarding WCR may yield insights into motivations by men to manipulate their body image

MARKED FOR CONSCIOUSNESS: ACCENT SYMBOLS AS AN INTERPRETIVE TOOL IN SCHUMANN’S DUO WORKS WITH PIANO

Robert Schumann’s duo works with piano contain a wide and varied assortment of accent markings. Most of these accents are represented by five different symbols: fp, sf, a one-note hairpin, a wedge, and circumflex. The number of these symbols, particularly in the violin sonatas, represents a considerable amount of instruction to the performer and presents an interpretive problem: with so many intensity markings bearing down on the phrases and threatening to tear apart the form, how can the performer render an organic whole? How can so many notes be accented? These details have much to tell the performer about a composition when the interpreter shifts from a quantitative approach (“How much accentuation?”) to a qualitative approach (“What is this accent doing here?”). Whereas one potential model for interpreting accent markings might scale Schumann’s five signs by intensity from the fortepiano at the lowest to the sforzando at the highest, we suggest here that accents may instead be classified by whether they articulate the boundaries of a phrase, underscore its melodic shape, highlight a syncopation, a significant harmonic event, reveal form, foreshadow a later event, or set up a central tension. In the process of such classification, the investigation of a marking may invite questions about the character of a theme, the communication of a structural framework, and what means are at the performer’s disposal for rendering a given accent marking. Such insight serves to strengthen interpretive conviction. This dissertation project’s performance component comprised three recitals: on February 24, 2017, Schumann’s Violin Sonata no. 1, Liederkreis op. 39, and Fantasiestücke op. 73 with Lydia Chernicoff (violin), Tanya Langlois (mezzo-soprano), and Emily Robinson (clarinet); on October 20, 2017, the Adagio and Allegro for Horn, Liederkreis op. 24, and Dichterliebe op. 39 with Avery Pettigrew (horn), Tanya Langlois (mezzo-soprano), and Gran Wilson (tenor); on March 10, 2018, Violin Sonatas nos. 2 and 3 with Elizabeth Adams (violin). The recitals were performed at the University of Maryland’s Gildenhorn and Ulrich Recital Halls. The recitals are available on compact discs which can be found in the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM)

Advancing the field of health systems research synthesis.

Those planning, managing and working in health systems worldwide routinely need to make decisions regarding strategies to improve health care and promote equity. Systematic reviews of different kinds can be of great help to these decision-makers, providing actionable evidence at every step in the decision-making process. Although there is growing recognition of the importance of systematic reviews to inform both policy decisions and produce guidance for health systems, a number of important methodological and evidence uptake challenges remain and better coordination of existing initiatives is needed. The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, housed within the World Health Organization, convened an Advisory Group on Health Systems Research (HSR) Synthesis to bring together different stakeholders interested in HSR synthesis and its use in decision-making processes. We describe the rationale of the Advisory Group and the six areas of its work and reflects on its role in advancing the field of HSR synthesis. We argue in favour of greater cross-institutional collaborations, as well as capacity strengthening in low- and middle-income countries, to advance the science and practice of health systems research synthesis. We advocate for the integration of quasi-experimental study designs in reviews of effectiveness of health systems intervention and reforms. The Advisory Group also recommends adopting priority-setting approaches for HSR synthesis and increasing the use of findings from systematic reviews in health policy and decision-making

Clinically Actionable Hypercholesterolemia and Hypertriglyceridemia in Children with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

OBJECTIVE: To determine the percentage of children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in whom intervention for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides was indicated based on National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines. STUDY DESIGN: This multicenter, longitudinal cohort study included children with NAFLD enrolled in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network. Fasting lipid profiles were obtained at diagnosis. Standardized dietary recommendations were provided. After 1 year, lipid profiles were repeated and interpreted according to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Expert Panel on Integrated Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction. Main outcomes were meeting criteria for clinically actionable dyslipidemia at baseline, and either achieving lipid goal at follow-up or meeting criteria for ongoing intervention. RESULTS: There were 585 participants, with a mean age of 12.8 years. The prevalence of children warranting intervention for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol at baseline was 14%. After 1 year of recommended dietary changes, 51% achieved goal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 27% qualified for enhanced dietary and lifestyle modifications, and 22% met criteria for pharmacologic intervention. Elevated triglycerides were more prevalent, with 51% meeting criteria for intervention. At 1 year, 25% achieved goal triglycerides with diet and lifestyle changes, 38% met criteria for advanced dietary modifications, and 37% qualified for antihyperlipidemic medications. CONCLUSIONS: More than one-half of children with NAFLD met intervention thresholds for dyslipidemia. Based on the burden of clinically relevant dyslipidemia, lipid screening in children with NAFLD is warranted. Clinicians caring for children with NAFLD should be familiar with lipid management

Representing Clinical Practice Guidelines with Declarative Programming

Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) describe recommended actions for diagnosis and treatment of various patient conditions. These guidelines are most often presented in a narrative form, requiring time from a physician’s already busy schedule and careful study, considering the guidelines may contain poor organization and lack clear, descriptive evidence for recommendations. Too often, this means that the information provided by guideline authors is ignored in clinical practice. Over the past few decades, much effort has gone into translating clinical practice guidelines into clinical-decision support systems to make guideline information more accessible and improve physician-patient interactions. To contribute to physicians’ accessibility of guideline information, we attempted to develop a methodology to represent clinical practice guidelines as computer-implementable guidelines (CIG) with declarative programming. There are many obstacles in this implementation, such as underspecified conditions for recommendations, lack of knowledge and consensus in several areas, and heavy use of ambiguous terms. We report the measures we took to counter each of these issues, which allowed us to ultimately produce several models that could serve as computer-implementable guidelines for use in clinical practice. Through close analysis of our guideline implementation process, we hope to recognize patterns of knowledge and issues in the medical domain that will ease future clinical practice guideline implementation

Averting Dyadic Conflict: The Role Of International Political Economy

My dissertation explores the potential pacifying effect of dyadic economic interactions on international conflict. Research literature on the role of economic ties and conflict is complex and there are opposing findings. This study dives into this problem and brings new evidence to bear on this lasting debate. I argue that dyadic economic ties, introduced as dense economic integration (DEI) in this study, have a pacifying effect on the onset of militarized interstate disputes (MIDs) and the escalation of those disputes up to interstate war. To evaluate this argument, I examine the presence of conflict and the level of DEI from 1965 to 2001 in all countries. The results support the hypotheses that DEI reduces the likelihood of the onset of MIDs and the escalation of those disputes. Furthermore, these results have important implications for the role of economic ties and conflict, and provide strong evidence in support of the pacification of international conflict through DEI