Metaphors and Similes for Yahweh in Hosea 14:2-9 (1-8) : a Study of Hoseanic Pictorial Language

Problem. Compared with the effort to interpret other parts of the book of Hosea, especially the first three chapters, the final chapter has been rather neglected. Additionally, the variety of explanations offered for certain biblical images in Hos 14 indicates a necessity to clarify the methods of interpretation of biblical metaphorical language. Method. Chapter 1 clarifies the theory of metaphors on which the study is based. Chapter 2 determines the limitation and the structure of the passage Hos 2:2-9 (Eng. 1-8). In chapters 3 to 6 the metaphors and similes of this passage which refer to Yahweh, i.e., healing, loving, dew, and tree, are investigated in turn. According to the results of modern linguistics, metaphors and similes are investigated as phenomena of language based on the Old Testament as their immediate cultural and linguistic context and, if necessary, on figurative speech of the ancient Near East. The language traditions of the metaphors are studied. On this background the actual usage in the book of Hosea with its twists, alterations, and reversals is interpreted. Results. The study demonstrates that Hosea\u27s metaphors and similes are deeply rooted in Israelite language traditions. An interpretation based on mythology or cult practices, that understands the metaphors in some sense as a literal description of Hosea\u27s or the people\u27s experience, is rejected because it is not supported by the texts and because it implies a devaluation of the metaphors. The metaphoric language in Hos 14 suggests that there exists a covenant relationship between Yahweh and His people Israel. Moreover, all the metaphors for Yahweh are traditionally connected with kingship. However, they are used in such a way that they give expression to an eschatological hope with Yahweh as Israel\u27s king. This hope, however, does not downgrade Yahweh\u27s radical judgment. The use of similes and clusters of metaphors has a rational effect and demonstrates how the prophet argues with his audience. Conclusions. Biblical metaphors and similes must be interpreted on the background of their language conventions. The particular characteristic of the use of the metaphor becomes clear and can only be appreciated in comparison to its conventions. The study of convention and actual usage yields the appropriate interpretation

Autonomous Rendezvous with an Uncertain, Uncooperative Tumbling Target: the TumbleDock Flight Experiments

As the amount of orbital debris grows so too does the need for on-orbit repair and deorbit solutions to avoid cascading Kessler syndrome. While a number of options have been proposed for capturing defunct satellites and other high-value debris, methods for performing close-proximity rendezvous with these objects are also necessary. However, a significant portion of these objects are tumbling with unknown angular orientation and rate; the rendezvous procedure for these tumbling objects is complex and must be performed in real-time, precluding human teleoperation or offline, on-the-ground solutions. Therefore, autonomous rendezvous for these tumbling targets is highly desirable. A fully autonomous rendezvous pipeline was recently proposed by the authors, and has been extended in this paper to a working demonstration in microgravity on resource-constrained hardware. Utilizing factor graph-based SLAM to identify a target object’s rotation, nonlinear programming-based motion planning, and robust control for safe online-updateable reference trajectory tracking, this work overviews the TRACE (Tumbling Rendezvous via Autonomous Characterization and Execution) algorithmic pipeline in its entirety. The pipeline is shown in practice on a sample rendezvous case with a tri-axially tumbling target. The centerpiece of this work is on-orbit results following a two-year hardware implementation and microgravity testing campaign using NASA’s Astrobee robots. A number of implementation considerations are discussed, including augmentations to the Astrobees’ localization system. This work represents the first autonomous on-orbit rendezvous with an uncharacterized, uncooperative tumbling target, to the authors’ knowledge

Transsignaling of Interleukin-6 Crucially Contributes to Atherosclerosis in Mice

Objective-Transsignaling of interleukin (IL)-6 is a central pathway in the pathogenesis of disorders associated with chronic inflammation, such as Crohn disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory colon cancer. Notably, IL-6 also represents an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) in humans and is crucially involved in vascular inflammatory processes. Methods and Results-In the present study, we showed that treatment with a fusion protein of the natural IL-6 transsignaling inhibitor soluble glycoprotein 130 (sgp130) and IgG1-Fc (sgp130Fc) dramatically reduced atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic Ldlr(-/-) mice without affecting weight gain and serum lipid levels. Moreover, sgp130Fc treatment even led to a significant regression of advanced atherosclerosis. Mechanistically, endothelial activation and intimal smooth muscle cell infiltration were decreased in sgp130Fc-treated mice, resulting in a marked reduction of monocyte recruitment and subsequent atherosclerotic plaque progression. Of note, patients with CAD exhibited significantly lower plasma levels of endogenous sgp130, suggesting that a compromised counterbalancing of IL-6 transsignaling may contribute to atherogenesis in humans. Conclusion-These data clarify, for the first time, the critical involvement of, in particular, the transsignaling of IL-6 in CAD and warrant further investigation of sgp130Fc as a novel therapeutic for the treatment of CAD and related diseases. (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2012;32:281-290.