The allegorical Middle Dutch text, Een gheestelijc casteel [A Spiritual Castle], encourages readers to mentally construct a precious castle in which they will be able to receive Christ. The... Show moreThe allegorical Middle Dutch text, Een gheestelijc casteel [A Spiritual Castle], encourages readers to mentally construct a precious castle in which they will be able to receive Christ. The description of the castle provides a mnemonic image that readers could use during prayer and meditation. Although the author makes no direct reference to Luke 10:38, the allegory is authorized by the exegesis of this Biblical passage: Mary is the castle in which Jesus has entered and she keeps the active and spiritual life, symbolized by Martha and Mary Magdalene, in perfect balance. The Middle Dutch text likely originated around 1460 in the Brussels convent of Jericho (Regular Canonesses). In the last decade of the fifteenth century, the text, now adapted for a lay audience, was printed in Antwerp by Govaert Bac. He was an important member of the Antwerp guild of St Luke, the professional association of painters and printers that also included Antwerp’s principal chamber of rhetoric. The attractive architectural allegory and exercise presented in Bac’s booklet finds parallels in contemporary paintings of Mary and the Christ Child, who are often either portrayed in a landscape with a castle-like architectural structure clearly visible in the background or within a castle-like building. In the former compositions the castle can be viewed as a reflection or ‘echo’ of Mary as a castle (the painting thus portrays two castles) while at the same time functioning as a reminder to those familiar with the meditative image of the spiritual castle to pursue their spiritual skopos. The latter images could be seen as portraying a castle (Mary) within a castle (building), similar to Mary (or the womb) within a room, or even Jan van Eyck’s Madonna in the Church. Show less
The second-century bce Libyco-Berber inscriptions from Dougga (present-day Tunisia) have seven different signs for sibilants. In this article the sibilant system of these inscriptions and of the... Show moreThe second-century bce Libyco-Berber inscriptions from Dougga (present-day Tunisia) have seven different signs for sibilants. In this article the sibilant system of these inscriptions and of the language they represent is studied in detail. It is shown that the different signs are not just graphemic variants but represent different pronunciations. It is also shown that there is a possibility that the seven signs in fact represent three or four articulations with a length contrast, even though the evidence is very weak. As Proto-Berber has been reconstructed with only three sibilants (+ length opposition), the choice of how to analyze the seven Libyco-Berber sibilant signs has important implications as to how the relationship between Libyco-Berber and Proto-Berber is to be assessed. Show less
This study compared the pedagogical effects of educational robot development and the block based programming perspectives, which are used in programming education, on middle school students. Its... Show moreThis study compared the pedagogical effects of educational robot development and the block based programming perspectives, which are used in programming education, on middle school students. Its participants were 78 sixth graders. Considering the students' preferences, 38 students were assigned to the experimental group, which studied with robotics (Lego EV3) sets, and 40 students were assigned to the control group, which studied with block-based programming environment (Scratch). All the topics of the programming unit, which are shown in the methods section, were taught to both groups for 10 weeks using the two different approaches. The change created by the implementation between the groups was tested for academic achievement, computational thinking skill efficacy perceptions, and conceptual knowledge levels. The results indicate that educational robotics develop middle school students' academic achievement and computational thinking skill efficacy perceptions more effectively than block-based programming environments. The connections between the concepts of the students who did robotics were also found to be more solid than those who worked with block-based software. Show less
Lenkens, M.; Nagelhout, G.E.; Schenk, L.; Sentse, M.; Severiens, S.; Engbersen, G.; ... ; Lenthe, F.J. van 2020
The genus Phyllanthus is paraphyletic as currently circumscribed, with the genera Breynia, Glochidion and Synostemon nested within it. A phylogeny based on nuclear (ITS, PHYC) and chloroplast (matK, .Show moreThe genus Phyllanthus is paraphyletic as currently circumscribed, with the genera Breynia, Glochidion and Synostemon nested within it. A phylogeny based on nuclear (ITS, PHYC) and chloroplast (matK, accD-psaI, trnS-trnG) markers is presented, including 18/18 subgenera and 53/70 sections. Differences in habit, branching type, floral and fruit characters are discussed, and we find indications for shifts in pollination and dispersal strategies possibly underlying the convergent evolution of these characters in multiple clades. Several taxonomic issues were found in the subgeneric classification of Phyllanthus that will require new transfers and rank changes. Phyllanthus subg. Anesonemoides, subg. Conami, subg. Emblica, subg. Gomphidium, subg. Kirganelia and subg. Phyllanthus are polyphyletic, and several sections appear to be paraphyletic (e.g., P. sect. Anisonema, sect. Emblicastrum, sect. Pseudoactephila, sect. Swartziani, and sect. Xylophylla); P. subg. Phyllanthodendron is furthermore paraphyletic with the genus Glochidion nested within. To create a classification of tribe Phyllantheae that comprises exclusively monophyletic taxa, it is necessary to treat several clades at the same taxonomic rank as the genera Breynia, Glochidion and Synostemon. Since combining all genera would lead to one giant heterogeneous genus that is difficult to define, we recommend dividing Phyllanthus into several monophyletic genera, which have previously been recognized and often possess diagnostic (combinations of) morphological characters. This new classification is forthcoming. Show less
Background Acidosis-induced kidney injury is mediated by the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system, for which urinary renin is a potential marker. Therefore, we hypothesized that sodium bicarbonate... Show moreBackground Acidosis-induced kidney injury is mediated by the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system, for which urinary renin is a potential marker. Therefore, we hypothesized that sodium bicarbonate supplementation reduces urinary renin excretion in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and metabolic acidosis.Methods Patients with CKD stage G4 and plasma bicarbonate 15-24 mmol/l were randomized to receive sodium bicarbonate (3 x 1000 mg/day, similar to 0.5 mEq/kg), sodium chloride (2 x 1,00 mg/day), or no treatment for 4 weeks (n = 15/arm). The effects on urinary renin excretion (primary outcome), other plasma and urine parameters of the renin-angiotensin system, endothelin-1, and proteinuria were analyzed.Results Forty-five patients were included (62 +/- 15 years, eGFR 21 +/- 5 ml/min/1.73m(2), plasma bicarbonate 21.7 +/- 3.3 mmol/l). Sodium bicarbonate supplementation increased plasma bicarbonate (20.8 to 23.8 mmol/l) and reduced urinary ammonium excretion (15 to 8 mmol/day, both P < 0.05). Furthermore, a trend towards lower plasma aldosterone (291 to 204 ng/L, P = 0.07) and potassium (5.1 to 4.8 mmol/l, P = 0.06) was observed in patients receiving sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate did not significantly change the urinary excretion of renin, angiotensinogen, aldosterone, endothelin-1, albumin, or alpha 1-microglobulin. Sodium chloride supplementation reduced plasma renin (166 to 122 ng/L), and increased the urinary excretions of angiotensinogen, albumin, and alpha 1-microglobulin (all P < 0.05).Conclusions Despite correction of acidosis and reduction in urinary ammonium excretion, sodium bicarbonate supplementation did not improve urinary markers of the renin-angiotensin system, endothelin-1, or proteinuria. Possible explanations include bicarbonate dose, short treatment time, or the inability of urinary renin to reflect intrarenal renin-angiotensin system activity. Show less
The alliance between Iran, Syria and Hezbollah is central to Middle East security –yet we know surprisingly little about what makes it possible. Existing accounts concentrate on material or... Show moreThe alliance between Iran, Syria and Hezbollah is central to Middle East security –yet we know surprisingly little about what makes it possible. Existing accounts concentrate on material or ideational incentives to explain this alliance, without however offering a systematic explanation for its rise and endurance. Most strikingly, these accounts fail to acknowledge how different these actors are from one another, and how unlikely it is for them to form an alliance –let alone a stable one. This article traces the genealogy of this curious form of cooperation in order to shed light on the sources of converge that are strong enough to overcome their manifold divergences. It finds that shared memory of humiliation and betrayal at the hands of the US and the West more generally is the main reason for the rise and endurance of this alliance. It is an alliance that defends an absolutist conception of self-determination in order to resist US hegemony in the region, even it violates the individual self-determination of the people under their authority. Overall, the article shows that neither materialist nor ideational approaches get to the bottom of why states cooperate amongst themselves and with nonstate actors to form counter-hegemonic alliances, such as the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis—a form of counter-hegemonic non-hegemonic cooperation. Show less
ENGLISH BELOW:De 1965 à 1975, des travailleurs immigrés venus seuls – la plupart originaires de Turquie, du Maroc et de l’Europe du Sud – ont participé aux transformations des cultures sexuelles et... Show moreENGLISH BELOW:De 1965 à 1975, des travailleurs immigrés venus seuls – la plupart originaires de Turquie, du Maroc et de l’Europe du Sud – ont participé aux transformations des cultures sexuelles et de genre de l’Europe du Nord. Cependant, à partir du milieu des années 1970, l’arrivée des épouses et enfants venus de leur pays d’origine conduit à un changement d’attitude à l’égard de la liberté sexuelle. Cet article explore, dans le cas des Pays-Bas, ce tournant conservateur chez les travailleurs immigrés lié au regroupement familial. Il propose l’utilisation du fonds de collections photographiques déposées par des immigrant.es à l’Institut d’histoire sociale d’Amsterdam et montre l’intérêt de ces archives personnelles pour écrire une histoire de la sexualité et de l’immigration.From the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s, solo male guest-workers – often from Turkey, Morocco, and southern Europe – participated in the radicalizing gender and sexual cultures of northwest Europe. From the mid-1970s onward, however, with the arrival of wives and children from their countries of origin, these men’s attitudes toward sexual liberty changed. This article explores this conservative turn during the guest-worker family reunification years in the Netherlands, using photographs from the Historical Image Archive of Migrants (International Institute of Social History, the Netherlands) to show how personal photo collections can contribute to histories of sexuality and immigration. Show less
In this commentary I briefly discuss the term advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). The last two words, medicinal products, correctly indicate that we are dealing with medicines. However,... Show moreIn this commentary I briefly discuss the term advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). The last two words, medicinal products, correctly indicate that we are dealing with medicines. However, oftentimes ATMPs and products within the ATMP family are erroneously called therapies, which may raise confusion, as illustrated with some examples, and may lead to ignorance of the importance of pharmaceutical product quality. The first two words, advanced therapy, are arguable as well, because they do not accurately describe the products involved and advanced is a temporal description of therapies, many of which may not (yet) be advanced at all. It is recommended to avoid such confusing wording and instead call medicines by their proper name. Show less
Mock, E.D.; Kotsogianni, I.; Driever, W.P.F.; Fonseca, C.S.; Vooijs, J.M.; Dulk, H. den; ... ; Stelt, M. van der 2020
N-Acylphosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) is regarded as the main enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), a family of bioactive lipid mediators.... Show moreN-Acylphosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) is regarded as the main enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), a family of bioactive lipid mediators. Previously, we reported N-(cyclopropylmethyl)-6-((S)-3-hydroxypyrrolidin-1-yl)-2-((S)-3-phenylpiperidin-1-yl)pyrimidine-4-carboxamide (1, LEI-401) as the first potent and selective NAPE-PLD inhibitor that decreased NAEs in the brains of freely moving mice and modulated emotional behavior [Mock et al. Nat Chem. Biol., 2020, 16, 667−675]. Here, we describe the structure−activity relationship (SAR) of a library of pyrimidine-4-carboxamides as inhibitors of NAPE-PLD that led to the identification of LEI-401. A high-throughput screening hit was modified at three different substituents to optimize its potency and lipophilicity. Conformational restriction of an N-methylphenethylamine group by replacement with an (S)-3-phenylpiperidine increased the inhibitory potency 3-fold. Exchange of a morpholine substituent for an (S)-3-hydroxypyrrolidine reduced the lipophilicity and further increased activity by 10-fold, affording LEI-401 as a nanomolar potent inhibitor with drug-like properties. LEI-401 is a suitable pharmacological tool compound to investigate NAPE-PLD function in vitro and in vivo. Show less
Edition and study of P.Vindob. A.P. 01788, a papyrus fragment from third/ninth-century Egypt containing Arab genealogical information in the form of two lineages. At least one of these lineages... Show moreEdition and study of P.Vindob. A.P. 01788, a papyrus fragment from third/ninth-century Egypt containing Arab genealogical information in the form of two lineages. At least one of these lineages belongs to ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ (d. 43/664). Show less
This squib briefly explores how contextualized embeddings – which are a type of compressed token-based semantic vectors – can be used as semantic retrieval and annotation tools for corpus-based... Show moreThis squib briefly explores how contextualized embeddings – which are a type of compressed token-based semantic vectors – can be used as semantic retrieval and annotation tools for corpus-based research into constructions. Focusing on embeddings created by the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformer model, also known as ‘BERT’, this squib demonstrates how contextualized embeddings can help counter two types of retrieval inefficiency scenarios that may arise with purely form-based corpus queries. In the first scenario, the formal query yields a large number of hits, which contain a reasonable number of relevant examples that can be labeled and used as input for a sense disambiguation classifier. In the second scenario, the contextualized embeddings of exemplary tokens are used to retrieve more relevant examples in a large, unlabeled dataset. As a case study, this squib focuses on the INTO-INTEREST construction (e.g. I’m so into you). Show less
