O’ Brien Center

poster abstractThe O’Brien Center for Advanced Renal Microscopy and Analysis is based around the Indiana Center for Biological Microscopy in Indianapolis (ICBM), and is supported by partnerships with Purdue University and the University of North Carolina. The Center acts as a national resource for investigators to apply state-of-the-art techniques in fluorescence microscopy to research in kidney biology and pathophysiology. Investigators have access to four microscope systems capable of multiphoton and confocal imaging and optimized for intravital imaging studies on rodents. Point-scanning and spinning-disk confocal systems are also available. Training and assistance with development of imaging protocols are available from expert staff at the ICBM. The Center emphasizes development of new and improved methods for imaging the kidney and seeks to disseminate these innovations as widely as possible amongst renal investigators. Currently, the Center is (1) developing new software for rendering, segmentation, analysis and stabilization of three-dimensional data from live imaging experiments; (2) developing new fluorescent probes and delivery methods optimized for intravital imaging studies in the kidney; and (3) exploring methods to increase the reach of multiphoton imaging in the kidney. Funding is available through the Center’s O’Brien Fellows Program to support short visits (one-two weeks) to Indianapolis for data collection, development of imaging protocols to address particular questions and for training in fluorescence microscopy and image analysis. The Center also offers instructional workshops in fluorescence microscopy and intravital imaging every two years. Current information about how to access the resources available through the Center is available at http://medicine.iupui.edu/nephrology/obrien

A low-cost desktop software defined radio design environment using MATLAB, simulink, and the RTL-SDR

In the last 5 years, the availability of powerful DSP and Communications design software, and the emergence of relatively affordable devices that receive and digitize RF signals, has brought Software Defined Radio (SDR) to the desktops of many communications engineers. However, the more recent availability of very low cost SDR devices such as the RTL-SDR, costing less than $20, brings SDR to the home desktop of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as both professional engineers and the maker communities. Since the release of the various open source drivers for the RTL-SDR, many in the digital communications community have used this device to scan the RF spectrum and digitise I/Q signals that are being transmitted in the range 25MHz to 1.75GHz. This wide bandwidth enables the sampling of frequency bands containing signals such as FM radio, ISM signals, GSM, 3G and LTE mobile radio, GPS and so on. In this paper we will describe the opportunity and operation of the RTL-SDR, and the development of a hands-on, open-course for SDR. These educational materials can be integrated into core curriculum undergraduate and graduate courses, and will greatly enhance the teaching of DSP and communications theory, principles and applications. The lab and teaching materials have recently been used in Senior (4th year Undergraduate) courses and are available as open course materials for all to access, use and evolve

Functional studies of the kidney of living animals using multicolor 2-photon microscopy

Optical microscopy, when applied to living animals, provides a powerful means of studying cell biology in the most physiologically relevant setting. The ability of two-photon microscopy to collect optical sections deep into biological tissues has opened up the field of intravital microscopy to high-resolution studies of the brain, lens, skin, and tumors. Here we present examples of the way in which two-photon microscopy can be applied to intravital studies of kidney physiology. Because the kidney is easily externalized without compromising its function, microscopy can be used to evaluate various aspects of renal function in vivo. These include cell vitality and apoptosis, fluid transport, receptor-mediated endocytosis, blood flow, and leukocyte trafficking. Efficient two-photon excitation of multiple fluorophores permits comparison of multiple probes and simultaneous characterization of multiple parameters and yields spectral information that is crucial to the interpretation of images containing uncharacterized autofluorescence. The studies described here demonstrate the way in which two-photon microscopy can provide a level of resolution previously unattainable in intravital microscopy, enabling kinetic analyses and physiological studies of the organs of living animals with subcellular resolution

Social group effects on the emergence of communicative conventions and language complexity

Languages differ in their complexity. One possible explanation for this observation is that differences in social factors influence linguistic complexity: languages which are used for communication in small-scale "societies of intimates" exhibit greater complexity as a result of the communicative contexts in which they are typically employed. We used the techniques from referential communication studies across three experiments to assess the effects of two social group factors — group size and amount of communally-shared knowledge — on the brevity and transparency of linguistic conventions. In Experiment 1 we explored the effects of a manipulation of group size, comparing the conventions which develop from the interaction of two speakers, with those which develop between three speakers. In Experiment 2 we manipulated the extent to which groups of three speakers share talk-relevant contextual information. While we found the conditions which involve larger groups and less shared background information initially resulted in longer labels and a greater reliance on more literal descriptive terms, there was no effect of either factor in the longer term. In Experiment 3 we investigated the transparency of the conventions of Experiments 1 and 2 by assessing how well they could be matched to their intended referents by naive individuals. We found no evidence to support the claims that communicative contexts involving communicating with more individuals, or individuals with whom less relevant information is shared, produce more transparent conventions. Our experiments ultimately provide no support for the idea that the structure of linguistic conventions is shaped by the groups in which they develop

Judean Piracy, Judea and Parthia, and the Roman Annexation of Judea: The Evidence of Pompeius Trogus

Pompey the Great’s 63 BCE conquest of the Jewish kingdom known as the Hasmonean State has traditionally been viewed as an inevitable event since the Roman Republic had long desired to annex the Middle Eastern nations. The prevailing consensus is that the Romans captured the Hasmonean state, removed its high-priest kings from power, and made its territory part of the Republic merely through military force. However, Justin’s Epitome of the Philippic Histories of Pompeius Trogus is a neglected source of new information for understanding relations between the Romans and the Jews at this time. Trogus’s brief account of this period alludes to a more specific reason, or at least, circumstance for Pompey’s conquest of Judea. His work contains evidence that the Jews were involved in piracy, of the type the Republic had commissioned Pompey to eradicate. In addition to this activity that adversely affected Roman commercial interests in the Mediterranean, the Jews were also involved with the Seleucid Empire and the Nabatean Arabs, both of whom had dealings with the Parthians. Piracy, coupled with Rome’s antagonism towards the Parthians, negatively impacted the Republic’s attitude towards the Jews. Considering the evidence from Trogus, Roman fears of Jewish piracy and Jewish links to the Republic’s Parthian enemies were not unfounded

Abstracts by Kenneth Atkinson of the Josephus Between the Bible and the Mishnah: An Interdisciplinary Seminar

The “Humanities and Social Sciences Fund Seminar on Josephus between the Bible and the Mishnah: An interdisciplinary Seminar” was held at the Hotel Neve Ilan in the hill country outside Jerusalem from April 7 to 11, 2019. Organized by Professor Michael Avioz, Chair of the Department of Bible at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, the event consisted of papers delivered by a variety of experts on Josephus and Second Temple Judaism from Israel, Europe and the United States. The following abstracts offer a brief summary of all the papers presented at the conference

Shelamzion Alexander, Hyrcanus II, and Aristobulus II in the Dead Sea Scrolls

The reign of Queen Shelamzion Alexandra (ca. 79-67 B.C.E.), commonly known as Salome Alexandra, marks a unique period in the history of the Hasmonean dynasty. She is not only the sole Hasmonean queen regnant, but a person whose reign is difficult to reconstruct. Josephus’ two accounts of her time in power in his War and Antiquities often differ. The latter of the two, moreover, is consistently more negative than the former work. Although the Rabbinic literature generally describes her in a favorable light, this material is quite late and is therefore of dubious historical value. Although some scholars have tried to isolate the work of Herod’s court historian Nicolaus of Damascus within Josephus’ books in an effort to separate his opinion from his sources, such reconstructions are largely hypothetical in nature since we do not possess the original history of Nicolaus. Such efforts often fail to recognize Josephus’ creativity as a writer: he tended to rework his sources to integrate them into his narrative and often mixed this material with his own opinions. The resulting product, therefore, should be considered the work of Josephus and no longer that of his sources. For these reasons, any additional source regarding the reigns of Shelamzion and her sons, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, is to be welcomed by historians of Second Temple Judaism. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide a wealth of material about her reign that are largely neglected in histories of the Hasmonean period. These texts, although often fragmentary, nevertheless contain much new historical information about her time in power as well as the brief tenures of her sons and the end of Hasmonean monarchy

Historical References and Allusions to Foreigners in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Seleucids, Ptolemies, Nabateans, Itureans, and Romans in the Qumran Corpus

The Dead Sea Scrolls continue to shed new light on the religious history of the Second Temple Period. This unique library also describes many of the most significant historical events of this time. Although most research has focused on the religious content of these texts and their possible Essene authorship, relatively little attention has been paid to their historical and political contents. Although over 900 scrolls were found in the caves inside and around the settlement of Khirbet Qumran, relatively few contain proper names. Only eighteen names of identifiable persons appear in these texts, while other fragments possibly contain two additional names. There are, moreover, several other Dead Sea Scrolls that contain clearly identifiable references or allusions to Second Temple persons and historical events. These documents provide a wealth of new historical information that supplements the writings of Josephus, 1 & 2 Maccabees, and the classical sources. They suggest that the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls were familiar with historical traditions, likely both oral and written, that have not survived. This makes the Dead Sea Scrolls an invaluable source for understanding and reconstructing the history of the Second Temple Period. The writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls frequently used sobriquets and concealed references to describe and interpret significant historical events. Although these texts are often difficult to decipher, a number of scrolls contain clearly recognizable allusions to persons and historical events of the Second Temple Period. This study seeks to highlight some of the contributions of the Dead Sea Scrolls for understanding the history of the Second Temple Period through an examination of all explicit references and probable allusions to foreigners in these writings. These texts suggest that our primary sources for this period are often biased and fail to recount historical events in a factual manner. The Dead Sea Scrolls—many of which were likely written at the same time or shortly after the events they document—should be viewed as a major source of historical information for the Second Temple Period. In some instances the evidence they provide should be preferred to the historical accounts contained in our extant sources

What the Book of First Enoch and the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls Reveal About the History of the Qumran Community

The Aramaic book commonly known as First Enoch is among the most important of all the compositions found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The fragments of this pseudepigraphal work and related documents provide new information about the use and growth of the Enochic traditions, as well as how their contents influenced the community that collected and placed the Dead Sea Scrolls in the caves in the vicinity of Khirbet Qumran. Research on the Enochic literature in this corpus of documents is important for Jewish studies and for understanding the history of Christianity since the New Testament cites from and alludes to First Enoch while the Ethiopian church reveres it as part of its Scripture. This study seeks to offer some new insights concerning the development and use of First Enoch and related Aramaic texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls by examining their importance for the Khirbet Qumran community. The first portion explores the transmission of First Enoch and related writings in the Dead Sea Scrolls to uncover what the copies of these texts tell us about the community at Khirbet Qumran and its precursor movement(s). The second section compares the theology of the prayers preserved in the Aramaic texts with those in the Hebrew Dead Sea Scrolls to show what they reveal about the use of the Enochic traditions by the Qumran sect and related groups. This investigation proposes that the Qumran community’s precursor movement(s) combined elements of pre-Maccabean Aramaic and Hebrew prayers but preferred the theological perspective of the penitential Hebrew prayer tradition. However, First Enoch and related works held a special status for the Khirbet Qumran community as its calendrical system and doctrine of evil shaped its theology for centuries. The Dead Sea Scrolls also show that the authors of the Enochic writings and those who collected and used them were influenced by literature and events in the Hellenistic world

None of the Weakness of Her Sex : Uncovering a Lost Chapter in Women\u27s Studies

From 76-67 BCE a remarkable woman governed ancient Israel as its sole ruler - Queen Salome Alexandra. After the death of her husband, King Alexander Jannaeus, the country was on the verge of civil war. Jannaeus had ruthlessly persecuted his religious enemies. Salome Alexandra assumed power, competently reformed the government, and inaugurated fiscal and political policies that led to what was likely the most prosperous and peaceful period in ancient Israel\u27s history. By examining the life and times of Salome Alexandra, this study will hopefully bring to light the achievements of this amazing woman that have been neglected by scholars of women\u27s studies and history, and in the process uncover a unique period during which women attained unprecedented freedoms and reigned over men