BALAÃO – O QUE OUVE AS PALAVRAS DE EL, TEM O CONHECIMENTO DE ELYON E VÊ A VISÃO DE SHADDAI: UM ESTUDO DE NÚMEROS 22-24

A presente pesquisa busca avaliar exegeticamente o texto que se encontra na Bíblia, especificamente no livro de Números capítulos 22-24 que relata sobre um personagem conhecido como Balaão. A pesquisa tem também como objeto o estudo sobre o panteão de divindades relatado no mesmo texto, assim como também o estudo dos textos descobertos em Deir Alla, na Jordânia, que apresentam um personagem designado como Balaão, possivelmente o mesmo personagem de Nm 22-24. A motivação que levou ao desenvolvimento dessa pesquisa foi o fato de se ter deparado com os conceitos dos diversos nomes divinos exibidos no texto, além da questão do profetismo fora de Israel, assim como as possibilidades hermenêuticas que se abrem para a leitura desse texto bíblico. O conceito geral sempre foi o de que Israel era a única nação onde existiam “verdadeiros” profetas e uma adoração a um único Deus, o “monoteísmo”. O que despertou interesse foi perceber, especialmente por meio da leitura dos livros bíblicos, que o profetismo não se restringiu somente a Israel. Ele antecede à formação do antigo Israel e já existia no âmbito das terras do antigo Oriente Médio, e que Israel ainda demorou muito tempo para ser monoteísta. Quem é esse Balaão, filho de Beor? Estudaremos sobre sua pessoa e sua missão. Examinaremos os textos de Deir Alla sobre Balaão e sua natureza de personagem mediador entre o divino e o humano. Esse personagem é apresentado como um grande profeta e que era famoso como intérprete de presságios divinos. Analisaremos a importante questão sobre o panteão de deuses que são apresentados na narrativa de Balaão nomeados como: El, Elyon Elohim e Shaddai, além de Yahweh. Entendemos, a princípio, que o texto possui uma conexão com a sociedade na qual foi criado e usando da metodologia exegética, faremos uma análise da narrativa em questão, buscando compreender o sentido do texto, dentro de seu cenário histórico e social. Cenário este, que nos apresentou esse profeta, não israelita, que profere bênçãos dos deuses sobre Israel e que, além disso, pronuncia maldições sobre os inimigos desse mesmo Israel. Percebemos que, parte do texto pesquisado é apresentado sob a ótica de Israel sobre as outras nações. A pesquisa defende, portanto, que o texto de Nm 22-24, além de nos apresentar um profeta fora de Israel igual aos profetas da Bíblia, defende que, o panteão de divindades também era adorado por Israel e que tais nomes são epítetos de uma mesma divindade, no caso YHWH. Defende, também, um delineamento de um projeto de domínio político e militar de Israel sobre as nações circunvizinhas.

The acquisition of skilled motor performance: Fast and slow experience-driven changes in primary motor cortex

Behavioral and neurophysiological studies suggest that skill learning can be mediated by discrete, experience-driven changes within specific neural representations subserving the performance of the trained task. We have shown that a few minutes of daily practice on a sequential finger opposition task induced large, incremental performance gains over a few weeks of training. These gains did not generalize to the contralateral hand nor to a matched sequence of identical component movements, suggesting that a lateralized representation of the learned sequence of movements evolved through practice. This interpretation was supported by functional MRI data showing that a more extensive representation of the trained sequence emerged in primary motor cortex after 3 weeks of training. The imaging data, however, also indicated important changes occurring in primary motor cortex during the initial scanning sessions, which we proposed may reflect the setting up of a task-specific motor processing routine. Here we provide behavioral and functional MRI data on experience-dependent changes induced by a limited amount of repetitions within the first imaging session. We show that this limited training experience can be sufficient to trigger performance gains that require time to become evident. We propose that skilled motor performance is acquired in several stages: “fast” learning, an initial, within-session improvement phase, followed by a period of consolidation of several hours duration, and then “slow” learning, consisting of delayed, incremental gains in performance emerging after continued practice. This time course may reflect basic mechanisms of neuronal plasticity in the adult brain that subserve the acquisition and retention of many different skills.

Cerebral organization for language in deaf and hearing subjects: Biological constraints and effects of experience

Cerebral organization during sentence processing in English and in American Sign Language (ASL) was characterized by employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 4 T. Effects of deafness, age of language acquisition, and bilingualism were assessed by comparing results from (i) normally hearing, monolingual, native speakers of English, (ii) congenitally, genetically deaf, native signers of ASL who learned English late and through the visual modality, and (iii) normally hearing bilinguals who were native signers of ASL and speakers of English. All groups, hearing and deaf, processing their native language, English or ASL, displayed strong and repeated activation within classical language areas of the left hemisphere. Deaf subjects reading English did not display activation in these regions. These results suggest that the early acquisition of a natural language is important in the expression of the strong bias for these areas to mediate language, independently of the form of the language. In addition, native signers, hearing and deaf, displayed extensive activation of homologous areas within the right hemisphere, indicating that the specific processing requirements of the language also in part determine the organization of the language systems of the brain.

Vibration frequency measurement using a local multithreshold technique

In this paper, we demonstrate the use of a video camera for measuring the frequency of small-amplitude vibration movements. The method is based on image acquisition and multilevel thresholding and it only requires a video camera with high enough acquisition rate, not being necessary the use of targets or auxiliary laser beams. Our proposal is accurate and robust. We demonstrate the technique with a pocket camera recording low-resolution videos with AVI-JPEG compression and measuring different objects that vibrate in parallel or perpendicular direction to the optical sensor. Despite the low resolution and the noise, we are able to measure the main vibration modes of a tuning fork, a loudspeaker and a bridge. Results are successfully compared with design parameters and measurements with alternative devices.

Projecte RIU: cambios percibidos por agentes de salud y profesionales tras una intervención en salud en un barrio en situación de vulnerabilidad

Objetivo: Describir los cambios percibidos por la población y los profesionales en relación con la salud y el uso de servicios tras la intervención RIU con agentes comunitarios en un barrio vulnerable. Diseño: Estudio descriptivo cualitativo con entrevistas individuales y grupales y observación participante de octubre de 2008 a julio de 2009. Emplazamiento: Barrio Raval (Algemesí-Valencia). Participantes: Selección por muestreo opinático de 7 mujeres agentes de salud, todas las que finalizaron la intervención, y 10 profesionales implicados en la misma. Método: Con las mujeres se mantuvo una entrevista grupal a los 6 meses, y una entrevista grupal y 7 individuales a los 9 meses de intervención. Se realizó un análisis temático de tipo descriptivo desde el modelo de promoción de salud. Con los profesionales se utilizó observación participante en una reunión a los 9 meses, analizándose las notas de campo según: valoración del proyecto, cambios detectados, dificultades y recomendaciones. Resultados: Las mujeres adquirieron información sobre salud, anticoncepción, embarazo y servicios sanitarios; señalaron cambios en autocuidados y habilidades sociales y liderazgo; interiorizaron el rol de agente de salud difundiendo lo aprendido y manifestando mejor autoestima y reconocimiento social. Provocaron cambios en su entorno relativos al cuidado de la salud y el acceso a los servicios. Los profesionales no incorporaron a su trabajo la perspectiva comunitaria; valoraron el proyecto, coincidieron con las mujeres en la mejora del acceso y uso de servicios y en el acercamiento población-profesionales. Conclusiones: RIU aumenta las capacidades de las personas participantes, su reconocimiento social y mejora el acceso y uso de servicios sanitarios.

Ultrathin high-index metasurfaces for shaping focused beams

The volume size of a converging wave, which plays a relevant role in image resolution, is governed by the wavelength of the radiation and the numerical aperture (NA) of the wavefront. We designed an ultrathin (λ/8 width) curved metasurface that is able to transform a focused field into a high-NA optical architecture, thus boosting the transverse and (mainly) on-axis resolution. The elements of the metasurface are metal-insulator subwavelength gratings exhibiting extreme anisotropy with ultrahigh index of refraction for TM polarization. Our results can be applied to nanolithography and optical microscopy.

Tyrocinium pharmaceuticum, theorico-practicum, galeno-chymicum : auctum, correctum, et reformatum ... /

Mode of access: Internet.

Home food preservation; salting, canning, drying, freezing,

Mode of access: Internet.

Historiae Byzantinae scriptores post Theophanem, partim nunc primum editi, partim recensiti, et nova versione adornati, quorum catalogum proxima pagina indicabit /

Incluye según índice: Chronici jussu Constantini Porphyrogenneti conscripti, a Leone Armenio usque ad Michaelem Theophili ; Idem Constantinus Porphyrogennetus de Basilii Imp. avi vita & rebus gestis ; Anonymus continuator Theophanis, a Leone Sapiente usque ad Romanum, Constantini Porphyrogenneti ; Orthodoxorum Invectiva adversus Iconomachos ; Joannis Jerosolymitani Narratio de Iconomachis ; Joannes Cameniata, & Demetrius Cydonius, de Excidio Thessalonicae ; Symeonis Magistri ac Logothetae Annales, a Leone Armenio usque ad Nicephorum Phocam ; Georgii Monachi vitae recentiorum Imperatorum, a Leone Armenio usque ad Constantinum Porphyrogennetum.

Commiphora gileadensis sap extract induces cell cycle-dependent death in immortalized keratinocytes and human dermoid carcinoma

We would like to dedicate this article to the memory of Professor Yoram Milner, who has passed away before this study was achieved. We are immeasurably indebted to him, professionally and personally. The study was supported by grants from the ICA Foundation and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space.

Antiguas comunidades judías en Macedonia, Tracia y Épiro Superior

Evidencias de carácter literario, epigráfico y arqueológico-arquitectónicas, atestiguan la existencia de comunidades judías en Macedonia, Tracia y Épiro Superior (hoy Albania) durante los períodos romano y bizantino temprano. Los Hechos de los Apostoles mencionan la presencia de comunidades judías, y sus sinagogas, en Filipos, Tesalónica y Verroia, en Macedonia. El descubrimiento de inscripciones griegas en Bizya (Tracia), en Tesalónica y Dión, y en la antigua sinagoga de Stobia, sugieren que dichas comunidades preservaron su independencia religiosa y gozaron de un seguro estatus social, económico y cultural. Una antigua tumba judía encontrada en Tesalónica, decorada con una menorah, la sinagoga de Claudius Tiberius Polycharmos en Stobia y la de Saranda (Épiro Superior), añaden pruebas arqueológico- arquitectónicas a las fuentes literarias. A pesar de que las fuentes literarias, los datos epigráficos y los hallazgos arqueológicos son relativamente escasos, parece que en estas regiones, y en otras de la Península Balcánica, existieron también otras comunidades judías.

Transiting Exoplanet Studies and Community Targets for JWST's Early Release Science Program

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will likely revolutionize transiting exoplanet atmospheric science, due to a combination of its capability for continuous, long duration observations and its larger collecting area, spectral coverage, and spectral resolution compared to existing space-based facilities. However, it is unclear precisely how well JWST will perform and which of its myriad instruments and observing modes will be best suited for transiting exoplanet studies. In this article, we describe a prefatory JWST Early Release Science (ERS) Cycle 1 program that focuses on testing specific observing modes to quickly give the community the data and experience it needs to plan more efficient and successful transiting exoplanet characterization programs in later cycles. We propose a multi-pronged approach wherein one aspect of the program focuses on observing transits of a single target with all of the recommended observing modes to identify and understand potential systematics, compare transmission spectra at overlapping and neighboring wavelength regions, confirm throughputs, and determine overall performances. In our search for transiting exoplanets that are well suited to achieving these goals, we identify 12 objects (dubbed “community targets”) that meet our defined criteria. Currently, the most favorable target is WASP-62b because of its large predicted signal size, relatively bright host star, and location in JWST's continuous viewing zone. Since most of the community targets do not have well-characterized atmospheres, we recommend initiating preparatory observing programs to determine the presence of obscuring clouds/hazes within their atmospheres. Measurable spectroscopic features are needed to establish the optimal resolution and wavelength regions for exoplanet characterization. Other initiatives from our proposed ERS program include testing the instrument brightness limits and performing phase-curve observations. The latter are a unique challenge compared to transit observations because of their significantly longer durations. Using only a single mode, we propose to observe a full-orbit phase curve of one of the previously characterized, short-orbital-period planets to evaluate the facility-level aspects of long, uninterrupted time-series observations.