VOICES BY THE SEA: A DIALOGIC READING OF THE EXODUS NARRATIVE

It is known that the biblical account of Israel’s past consists of diverse generic, thematic and ideological elements, between which inconsistencies and tensions sometimes arise. This phenomenon is defined as ‘scriptural complexity’. From early times this complexity has been treated by source or redaction criticism; currently, canonical-theological and literary approaches are employed. This thesis adopts a Bakhtinian ‘dialogic’ approach to languages and literary voice, to study the ‘scriptural complexity’ in the book of Exodus, especially the narrative in chaps. 12-14 and the inserted song in chap. 15. After introducing the ‘scriptural complexity’ and the possible methods of dealing with it (Chapter 1), and the life and the concept of dialogism of Bakhtin (Chapter 2), the Bakhtinian concepts will be adopted and applied to the book of Exodus. A survey of the voices of the ‘speaking person’ in the book will be conducted, and the Passover instructions in Exodus 12 will be used as a test case to illustrate what results from a dialogic reading of the biblical text (Chapter 3). Based on this, a dialogic reading of the narrative of the Israelites crossing the Sea (Chapter 4) and the Song of the Sea (Chapter 5) will be performed. The voice of the narrator in the narrative of the Israelites’ crossing of the Sea will also be studied (Chapter 6). The reading shows that several different ‘voices’ are involved in the transmission of the tradition, and these represent a dialogue between different possible ideologies. This dialogue re-accentuates the authoritative voice of YHWH such that it allows later generations to participate truly and dialogically in the observance of the traditions. Exploring the multiple and complex dialogic relationships between the various voices indicates that the narrative in the Exodus events foregrounds the characters’ voices, and allows them to interact dialogically. It results in an enriched and multilayered understanding of the role of each ‘voice’ in the story. The exploration of the dialogic relationship between the singing voices of the inserted song and the narrative voices also enables the reader to understand and respond to the implicit significance of YHWH’s action in the narrative. Analysis of the Bakhtinian concept of ‘authoring’ also suggests that the narrator’s voice represents the authorial voice of the biblical narrative. By bestowing form to the verbal material, this authorial voice leads the reader to participate in a dialogue between the various voices and to co-author the values and significance according to various ‘dialogizing backgrounds’. This thesis argues that it is beneficial to read the biblical discourse as utterance with ‘voices’ rather than mere text, so that the reader can re-enter the once uttered discourse and participate in a living dialogue through the ‘scriptural complexity’

Effects of Crushed Oyster Shell on Strength and Durability of Marine Concrete Containing Fly Ash and Blastfurnace Slag

A large quantity of oyster shell is generated every year in coastal regions. Instead of being dumped as waste, after crushing or grinding, oyster shell may be recycled for use in concrete. Herein, the use of crushed oyster shell (COS) in conjunction with fly ash (FA) and blastfurnace slag (BS) to produce marine concrete was studied. By varying the COS, FA and BS contents in the marine concrete, the combined effects of COS, FA and BS on the cube compressive strength, water penetration, cyclic wetting-drying chloride attack and long-term seawater attack resistances were evaluated. The results showed that the addition of proper amounts of COS, FA and BS has positive effects on the strength and durability of marine concrete, but excessive COS may have negative effects. Hence, the combined addition of COS, FA and BS up to a certain optimum COS content is a promising way of producing a higher performance and greener marine concrete

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI &lt;18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For school&#x2;aged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI &lt;2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI &gt;2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

Measurements of (tt)over-barH Production and the CP Structure of the Yukawa Interaction between the Higgs Boson and Top Quark in the Diphoton Decay Channel

The first observation of the (tt) over barH process in a single Higgs boson decay channel with the full reconstruction of the final state (H -> gamma gamma) is presented, with a significance of 6.6 standard deviations (sigma). The CP structure of Higgs boson couplings to fermions is measured, resulting in an exclusion of the pure CP-odd structure of the top Yukawa coupling at 3.2 sigma. The measurements are based on a sample of protonproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy root s = 13 TeV collected by the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1). The cross section times branching fraction of the (tt) over barH process is measured to be sigma B-(tt) over barH(gamma gamma) = 1.56(-0.32)(+0.34) th, which is compatible with the standard model prediction of 1.13(-0.11)(+0.08) fb. The fractional contribution of the CP-odd component is measured to be f(CP)(Hu) = 0.00 +/- 0.33.Peer reviewe

Measurement of the inclusive and differential Higgs boson production cross sections in the leptonic WW decay mode at p root s=13 TeV

Measurements of the fiducial inclusive and differential production cross sections of the Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV are performed using events where the Higgs boson decays into a pair of W bosons that subsequently decay into a final state with an electron, a muon, and a pair of neutrinos. The analysis is based on data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC during 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1). Production cross sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum of the Higgs boson and the associated jet multiplicity. The Higgs boson signal is extracted and simultaneously unfolded to correct for selection efficiency and resolution effects using maximum-likelihood fits to the observed distributions in data. The integrated fiducial cross section is measured to be 86.5 +/- 9.5 fb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation of 82.5 +/- 4.2 fb. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectations is observed in the differential measurements.Peer reviewe

Measurement of the inclusive and differential Higgs boson production cross sections in the leptonic WW decay mode at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

Measurements of the fiducial inclusive and differential production cross sections of the Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV are performed using events where the Higgs boson decays into a pair of W bosons that subsequently decay into a final state with an electron, a muon, and a pair of neutrinos. The analysis is based on data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC during 2016–2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb−1. Production cross sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum of the Higgs boson and the associated jet multiplicity. The Higgs boson signal is extracted and simultaneously unfolded to correct for selection efficiency and resolution effects using maximum-likelihood fits to the observed distributions in data. The integrated fiducial cross section is measured to be 86.5 ± 9.5 fb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation of 82.5 ± 4.2 fb. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectations is observed in the differential measurements

Recycling Old Concrete as Waste Concrete Powder for Use in Pervious Concrete: Effects on Permeability, Strength and Eco-Friendliness

The fine portion of crushed old concrete is difficult to be recycled for use in new concrete because it contains old cement paste, which generally has high porosity and low strength. Hence, in practice, the coarse portion is recycled as coarse aggregate and the fine portion is mostly not recycled. Nevertheless, attempts have been made in recent years to recycle the fine portion as waste concrete powder (WCP) by grinding before use. In this research, WCP was used to make pervious concrete. The WCP was added using the paste replacement method (PR method) of replacing an equal volume of cementitious paste. A series of pervious concrete mixes containing 100% recycled coarse aggregate and having different amounts of WCP added were produced for testing of interconnected porosity, water permeability and strength. The results showed that the addition of WCP using the PR method can improve the interconnected porosity by 9% and water permeability by 18%, greatly enhance the strength by 86%, as well as decrease the cement consumption by 10% at the same time. Therefore, the addition of WCP as paste replacement has great potential to be applied to the production of eco-friendly high-performance pervious concrete