Search Results (63)

The fourth-century historian Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, lived during the anti-Christian persecutions of the Roman emperor Maximinus Daia and believed fervently that Jesus Christ would imminently return to alleviate the suffering of God’s people. When Constantine the Great became emperor and converted to Christianity, the bishop’s disposition towards the ‘last things’ or end times, known as eschatology, suddenly changed to a belief that God’s kingdom had already been inaugurated in this emperor’s reign. In this way, Eusebius conflated Church and Empire into a single organism governed by the emperor on behalf of Christ. This article demonstrates that this disposition in fact emerged from the bishop’s problematic Christology. Heretofore, the concept of the Logos had been applied to Son of God as creator of the world and who assumed human nature as Jesus. However, Eusebius’ disposition towards the Logos was subordinationist and dissociative, thus paving the way for him to depict the emperor as an agent of, and inhabited by, the Logos in the eschatological working out of earthly affairs from the vantage point of the city of Rome. Eusebius therefore essentially replaced Christ’s eschatological agency in the usurpation of the Church by the eternal city that was ultimately recapitulated within Constantine himself, even after the latter had died. Full article

This article presents the results of high-resolution multimodal remote sensing surveys which were performed in the Roman city of Caesarea Maritima at the sunken Herodian harbour of Sebastos. A joint team of scholars from the Universities of Malta and Haifa conducted the surveys at the area of the harbour’s entrance in order to answer questions related to its original architecture, long-term functioning, and gradual degradation processes. The core methodology employed comprised teams of divers performing a meticulous photogrammetric survey in order to generate a high-resolution 3D plan of the harbour’s entrance. The results present two different architectural styles on either side of the harbour entrance, which suggests two different building stages, potentially deriving from a late renovation attempt. The current state of the entrance channel, still deep and wide enough for the passage of vessels despite collapse and sedimentation processes, suggests the long-term functionality of the entrance, even while other parts of the harbour have structurally deteriorated and gone out of use. Full article

Background and Objectives: Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is a well-established technique for evaluating myocardial perfusion and function in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease. While conventional dual-detector SPECT scanners have limitations in spatial resolution and photon detection sensitivity, recent advancements, including full-ring solid-state cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors, offer enhanced image quality and improved diagnostic accuracy. This study aimed to compare the performance of Veriton-CT, a full-ring CZT SPECT system, with GE Discovery 530c, a dedicated cardiac fixed-angle gamma camera, in myocardial perfusion imaging and their correlation with coronary angiography findings. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study that analyzed 21 patients who underwent MPI at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kauno Klinikos. A one-day stress–rest protocol using 99mTc-Sestamibi was employed, with stress testing performed via bicycle ergometry or pharmacological induction. MPI was first conducted using GE Discovery 530c (GE Health Care, Boston, MA, USA), followed by imaging on Veriton-CT, which included low-dose CT for attenuation correction. The summed stress score (SSS), summed rest score (SRS), and summed difference score (SDS) were analyzed and compared between both imaging modalities. Coronary angiography results were retrospectively collected, and lesion-based analysis was performed to assess the correlation between imaging results and the presence of significant coronary artery stenosis (≥35% and ≥70% narrowing). Image quality and the certainty of distinguishing the inferior myocardial wall from extracardiac structures were also evaluated by two independent researchers with differing levels of experience. Results: Among the 14 patients included in the final analysis, Veriton-CT was more likely to classify MPI scans as normal (64.3%) compared to GE Discovery 530c (28.6%). Additionally, Veriton-CT provided a better assessment of the right coronary artery (RCA) basin, showing greater agreement with coronary angiography findings than GE Discovery 530c, although the difference was not statistically significant. No significant differences in lesion overlap were observed for the left anterior descending artery (LAD) or left circumflex artery (LCx) basins. Furthermore, the image quality assessment revealed slightly better delineation of extracardiac structures using Veriton-CT (Spectrum Dynamics Medical, Caesarea, Israel), particularly when evaluated by an experienced researcher. However, no significant difference was observed when assessed by a less experienced observer. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that Veriton-CT, with its full-ring CZT detector system, may offer advantages over fixed-angle gamma cameras in improving image quality and reducing attenuation artifacts in MPI. Although the difference in correlations with coronary angiography findings was not statistically significant, Veriton-CT showed a trend toward better agreement, particularly in the RCA basin. These results indicate that full-ring SPECT imaging could improve the diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive MPI, potentially reducing the need for unnecessary invasive angiography. Further studies with larger patient cohorts are required to confirm these findings and evaluate the clinical impact of full-ring SPECT technology in myocardial perfusion imaging. Full article

Data are limited for assessing the effect of COVID infection on endothelial function, pre- and post-pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess changes in pre-pandemic cardiovascular parameters after COVID-19 infection. This prospective cohort study used EndoPAT2000 Itamar Medical Ltd., Caesarea, Israel, to measure the augmentation index (AI; arterial elasticity) and reactive hyperemic index (RHI; endothelial function). Markers of endothelial function, inflammation, and gut integrity were collected at pre- and post-pandemic visits. COVID-negative and COVID-positive participants were matched on pre-pandemic covariates, and AI ≥ 5.0 was defined as having worse AI. Among the 156 participants, 50% had documented COVID-19 infection. Groups were balanced (p > 0.05) on pre-pandemic characteristics. Increases in oxLDL (p = 0.03) were observed in the COVID-positive group, and COVID infection had a negative effect on inflammatory markers (sVCAM-1, sTNF-RI, sTNF-RII, sCD14) and gut integrity (I-FABP, BDG) compared to COVID-negative participants (p < 0.05). There was a 16.7% (p = 0.02) increase in the proportion of COVID-positive participants with AI ≥ 5.0, without a significant change (p = 0.09) among the COVID-negative group. COVID-positive status, female sex, and higher IL-6 and sCD163 were associated (p < 0.05) with an increase in having worse AI. COVID infection is independently associated with arterial stiffness. For COVID survivors, female sex and higher markers of inflammation were associated with arterial stiffness. Full article

Background/Objectives:Neosporosis is a major cause of abortions in cattle worldwide. Primary results showed that the administration of a live attenuated vaccine during the mid-pregnancy stage of naturally infected cows may assist in preventing abortions. In this study, the effect of vaccination was evaluated in five dairy herds, with a follow-up of three consecutive pregnancies and re-vaccination during the subsequent pregnancies of some of the cows. Methods: A total of 1059 heifers were serologically tested during their first pregnancy, and 260 and 21 of them were re-tested during their second and third pregnancies. Vaccination was administered to 193 of 420 cows with antibody titers of 1:800 or higher, and 23 of them were re-vaccinated. Data were collected regarding the outcome of each pregnancy, the number of inseminations required and removal from the herd. Vertical transmission was evaluated in 136 pre-colostral calves born from 29 vaccinated and 107 unvaccinated dams. Results: The total seroprevalence using a cutoff titer of 1:800 was 33.1, 36.5 and 85.7% during the three consecutive pregnancies. The antibody titers of individual cows fluctuated over time. Abortion rates and the rate of removal from the herd were significantly higher in seropositive cows. The rate of vertical transmission increased in correlation with the dam’s antibody titer. Immunization resulted in lower abortion rates at two of the farms. Vaccine efficacy ranged from a negative effect to 54% at different farms, with an overall efficacy of 10.4%. The effect of vaccination on abortions, reproductive performance, antibody titers, vertical transmission and removal from the herd was not significant. Conclusions: These results demonstrate varying vaccine efficacies among farms and suggest that neosporosis is a multifactorial disease that cannot be solely controlled by vaccination. Full article

Background and Objectives: Metabolic syndrome (MS) represents several diseases encompassing a heterogeneous group of biochemical and physiological abnormalities characterized by structural and functional alterations in the myocardium, including the endothelium of the coronary arteries. MS also affects a substantial portion of the global population. Understanding the risk factors, the development and treatment associated with MS are of paramount importance for early identification, treatment and prevention. This study was designed to evaluate the role of the supplementation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) on endothelial function in patients with MS. Materials and Methods: A total of 80 patients with MS were enrolled in two groups. The study evaluated endothelial function (EF) in subjects before and after a three-month treatment with n-3 PUFAs in a dose of 2.4 g daily (800 mg, three times a day) vs. placebo, using an Endo-PAT2000 device (Itamar Medical Ltd., Caesarea, Israel) measuring the reactive hyperemia index (a parameter of EF) and augmentation index (a parameter of arterial stiffness). Plasmatic levels of glutathione peroxidase, homocysteine, apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein were also evaluated for comparison. Results: The results showed that the average value of reactive hyperemia index before the treatment with n-3 PUFAs was 1.62 ± 0.42, compared to 1.96 ± 0.62 at the end of the study (p < 0.005). The augmentation index changed from 14.66 ± 19.55 to 9.21 ± 15.64 after the treatment (p = 0.003) with n-3 PUFA. The results also revealed a statistically significant decrease in apolipoprotein B (0.94 ± 0.36 vs. 1.13 ± 0.35, p = 0.001) and homocysteine (19.31 ± 5.29 vs. 13.78 ± 3.05, p = 0.001) and an increase in glutathione peroxidase plasma levels (41.65 ± 8.90 vs. 45.20 ± 8.01), p = 0.001. Conclusions: The results of this prospective study showed a significant improvement in EF in subjects with MS treated with n-3 PUFAs in a dose of 2.4 g daily. Full article

Stability studies remain a crucial aspect of power systems dynamic analysis, and are typically explored in three main categories: numerical methods, linearization techniques, or direct methods, which utilize Lyapunov energy functions. This paper belongs to the third category, and highlights the usefulness of the Popov stability criterion in the analysis of nonlinear power system models. The main advantage of this criterion is that it provides conditions for global asymptotic stability of an equilibrium point, for a nonlinear dynamic system. We show a general method to apply this stability criterion, and examine its uses in several specific applications and case-studies. The results are demonstrated by analyzing the stability of a system that includes a grid-connected storage device and a renewable energy source. Full article

This paper reviews recent works related to applications of reinforcement learning in power system optimal control problems. Based on an extensive analysis of works in the recent literature, we attempt to better understand the gap between reinforcement learning methods that rely on complete or incomplete information about the model dynamics and data-driven reinforcement learning approaches. More specifically we ask how such models change based on the application or the algorithm, what the currently open theoretical and numerical challenges are in each of the leading applications, and which reinforcement-based control strategies will rise in the following years. The reviewed research works are divided into “model-based” methods and “model-free” methods in order to highlight the current developments and trends within each of these two groups. The optimal control problems reviewed are energy markets, grid stability and control, energy management in buildings, electrical vehicles, and energy storage. Full article

Infrequent rabies cases occur in Israel, endangering humans and animals. While dogs receive mandatory vaccinations, farm animals are vaccinated voluntarily. However, optimal vaccination protocol for small ruminants is lacking. The aim of this study was to test the immunological responses to the rabies vaccine, with or without a booster, in sheep and goats; 70 ewes and 49 does participated in the trial. Following the first vaccine, 88% of the ewes and 100% of the does had a sufficient level of rabies antibodies (>0.5 IU/mL) 30 days post-vaccination. A year later, 82% of the ewes that had received a booster dose remained protected, whereas 46% of the non-boosted ewes had a sufficient antibody level. For does, 83% of those receiving a booster maintained sufficient antibody levels 1 year later; 80% of the non-boosted does remained protected, demonstrating no significant contribution of the booster dose in this group of goats. However, while the initial immunological response of the does was higher, the change in response between 1 month and 12 months post-vaccination differed significantly between species, with a greater titer reduction in the does. Differential immunological responses between individuals and between species warrant longer-term studies to recommend a proper vaccine protocol for each species. Full article

With a few notable exceptions, the word “epinoia” has not been heard with a philosophical ear since the time of Epicurus and the Stoics. In addition to the scarce mentions it had received in philosophy, epinoia was strewn across the plays of Euripides and Aristophanes and, more so, across the canonical body of Christian theology, from Patristics—Origen, Cyril of Alexandria, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, Maximus the Confessor—to the late Byzantine period. Straddling the divide between the authorities of the nascent Church and those they suspected of heresy, it made a spectacular appearance in Gnostic texts (The Apocryphon of John), cryptically embodying the reconciliation of knowledge and life. On the margins of the Christian tradition, first-century CE controversial religious figures such as Simon Magus associated epinoia with the great goddess and the womb of existence, even as, three centuries later, Eunomius of Cyzicus—the theological arch-enemy of the Cappadocian Fathers, Basil and Gregory—deplored it for its hollowness and pure conventionality. In this paper, I argue that epinoia is the figure of anarchic intelligence in theology and philosophy alike. The anarchy of epinoia is its note of defiance: the escape from power it plots is the most serious challenge to power, the royal road to liberation from the oppressive unity of Being, Mind, or Concept. Full article

Studies in recent years indicate that reproductive tract microbial communities are crucial for shaping mammals’ health and reproductive outcomes. Following parturition, uterine bacterial contamination often occurs due to the open cervix, which may lead to postpartum uterine inflammatory diseases, especially in primiparous individuals. However, investigations into spatio-temporal microbial transitions in the reproductive tract of primigravid females remain limited. Our objective was to describe and compare the microbial community compositions in the vagina at late gestation and in the vagina and uterus at early postpartum in first-pregnancy heifers. Three swab samples were collected from 33 first-pregnancy Holstein Friesian heifers: one vaginal sample at gestation day 258 ± 4, and vaginal and uterine samples at postpartum day 7 ± 2. Each sample underwent 16S rRNA V4 region metagenetic analysis via Illumina MiSeq, with bioinformatics following Mothur MiSeq SOP. The reproductive tract bacterial communities were assigned to 1255 genus-level OTUs across 30 phyla. Dominant phyla, accounting for approximately 90% of the communities, included Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Fusobacteria. However, the results revealed distinct shifts in microbial composition between the prepartum vagina (Vag-pre), postpartum vagina (Vag-post), and postpartum uterus (Utr-post). The Vag-pre and Utr-post microbial profiles were the most distinct. The Utr-post group had lower relative abundances of Proteobacteria but higher abundances of Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, and Tenericutes compared to Vag-pre, while Vag-post displayed intermediate values for these phyla, suggesting a transitional profile. Additionally, the Utr-post group exhibited lower bacterial richness and diversity compared to both Vag-pre and Vag-post. The unsupervised probabilistic Dirichlet Multinomial Mixtures model identified two distinct community types: most Vag-pre samples clustered into one type and Utr-post samples into another, while Vag-post samples were distributed evenly between the two. LEfSe analysis revealed distinct microbial profiles at the genus level. Overall, specific microbial markers were associated with anatomical and temporal transitions, revealing a dynamic microbial landscape during the first pregnancy and parturition. These differences highlight the complexity of these ecosystems and open new avenues for research in reproductive biology and microbial ecology. Full article

Bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) is an arthropod-borne viral disease, which frequently causes significant epizootics in susceptible water buffalo and cattle in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Middle East. In the current study, a two-stage protocol for BEFV viral isolation was developed. Data on the clinical signs, geographic distribution and phylogenetic analysis of BEFV strains isolated in Israel in 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2023 were summarized. It was found that during 2015–2021, all BEF outbreaks were caused by local BEFV strains, whereas the epizootic of BEFV in 2023 was caused by a new “Mayotte-like” BEFV strain. A comparison of bluetongue (BT) and BEF outbreaks during 2023 in Israel demonstrated that the incidence of BEFV was 2.21 times higher and its pathogenicity was more serious for the cattle population compared to that caused by BTVs. A phylogenetic analysis of Israeli and global BEFV revealed the emergence of non-local strains in new areas. This finding suggests that BEFV can no longer be classified based only upon geographic distribution. Considering a phylogenetic, genetic and proteomic analysis of all available BEFV strains, we suggest classifying them as a single serotype, which includes four lineages. Full article

The purpose of Byzantine hospitals—whether primarily curative facilities or caring hospices—has long intrigued scholars. This paper proposes a third perspective on Byzantine hospitals, suggesting that the Basilian monastic hospitals of the fourth to sixth centuries were not merely philanthropic facilities for the sick and destitute but also centers for ascetics’ spiritual growth. Basil of Caesarea incorporated charitable actions by ascetics as essential to achieving Christian perfection within the coenobitic community, developing a theology of compassion that advocated for the purification of harmful passions like anger and pride through the virtue of compassion. In the fifth and sixth centuries, Theodosius the Cenobiarch, who founded a coenobium and hospitals in the Judean Desert, upheld Basil’s idea of the purification of the soul through compassion for the sick. Additionally, the nosokomeion (hospital) of the sixth-century Monastery of Seridos in Gaza emphasized the healing of spiritual diseases through compassion for the sick, as reflected in various epistles. Thus, Basil of Caesarea’s theology of compassion in pursuit of Christian perfection was a foundational element in the emergence and development of hospital spirituality in Christian Late Antiquity. Full article

The employment of the maritime medium by Southern Levantine societies is examined here through its engagement with coastline facilitation and the building of artificial harbors where natural bays are insufficient or non-existent. The development and availability of technologies and methods are surveyed and analyzed vis-à-vis local choices made to adopt or to reject mediating tools such as jetties, quays, and breakwaters. The article discusses technological and conceptual innovations against the background of long-term practices, essentially in favor of natural features. Despite the early adoption of emerging technologies by such exemplars as Iron Age Atlit, Hellenistic Akko-Ptolemaïs, or Roman Caesarea, the rest of the Southern Levant did not join in, and Caesarea, Akko-Ptolemaïs, and Atlit fell short of maintaining their facilities in the long term. The solution for ships was found instead in natural anchorages and, much more dominantly, in the beaching of smaller vessels and offshore anchoring of larger ones. Full article

The Easter controversy of the late second century unveiled a profound theological and cultural debate within early Christianity. Originating from differing practices regarding the calculation of Easter dates, the dispute pitted the churches of Asia Minor against the Roman Church. This paper primarily employs a method of documentary analysis. It analyzes the accounts provided by the fourth-century historian Eusebius of Caesarea in his work The History of the Church. It is also cross-referenced with the works of second-century Christian writers. Through this process, this paper seeks to reconstruct the situation of this Easter controversy. Furthermore, it aims to uncover the struggle for apostolic authority concealed beneath the surface of this debate over dates. Central figures like Victor I and Polycrates engaged in this struggle for Apostolic authority, responding to challenges posed by heresies. Victor I leveraged his position to convene religious conferences and issue excommunication decrees against dissenting churches, laying claim to the papal primacy. However, Polycrates invoked the apostolic succession and heritage from John the Apostle to assert the legitimacy of the churches in Asia Minor, challenging Victor I’s attempts at centralizing power within the Roman see. The controversy reflected broader debates over apostolic succession and ecclesiastical power structures. The Easter controversy serves as a case study of the Early Church’s engagement with practical theology and the integration of religious festival culture with social backgrounds, highlighting the significance of Easter as a symbol of Christian unity and collective memory. This debate highlighted theological nuances and underscored broader issues of communal identity and the power struggle within early Christian communities. Full article