Preliminary findings from geological mapping of the Hokusai (H5) quadrangle of Mercury

Quadrangle geological maps from Mariner 10 data cover 45% of the surface of Mercury at 1:5M scale. Orbital MESSENGER data, which cover the entire planetary surface, can now be used to produce finer scale geological maps, including regions unseen by Mariner 10. Hokusai quadrangle (0–90° E; 22.5–66° N) is in the hemisphere unmapped by Mariner 10. It contains prominent features which are already being studied, including: Rachmaninoff basin, volcanic vents within and around Rachmaninoff, much of the Northern Plains and abundant wrinkle ridges. Its northern latitude makes it a prime candidate for regional geological mapping since compositional and topographical data, as well as Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) data, are available for geological interpretation. This work aims to produce a map at 1:2M scale, compatible with other new quadrangle maps and to complement a global map now in progress

'Real' Nature, 'Aesthetic' Nature and the Making of Artworks: Some Challenges of Cross-Cultural Collaboration

The social and educational benefits of cultural exchange within the realm of art are often asserted. However, what of the meaning and value of the actual artworks arising from those exchanges? This paper analyses the barriers to shared understanding that arose in relation to an extended exchange between Japanese and British artists and philosophers on the connection between Nature and Art, 2011-13. First, cultural interfacing is explored in relation to four types– combinatorial, hierarchic, hermeneutic, and thematic – and the case is made that communalities of practice alone cannot guarantee true cultural integration or understanding. Next, six Japanese and Western concepts of ‘Nature’ – as an ontological entity, a class of objects, a domain, a force, a system and an Ideal - are distinguished in relation to the history and beliefs of those cultures. The argument then moves to the interface between Art and Nature: Nature can be the subject of Art, but can it literally be its content? Finally, the relationship between culture and theory is itself explored in relation to two artworks, and their supposed meanings and links. The Appendices include a detailed summary of the distinctions between Japanese and Western aesthetic systems

Edoxaban: an update on the new oral direct factor Xa inhibitor.

Edoxaban is a once-daily oral anticoagulant that rapidly and selectively inhibits factor Xa in a concentration-dependent manner. This review describes the extensive clinical development program of edoxaban, including phase III studies in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE). The ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 study (N = 21,105; mean CHADS2 score 2.8) compared edoxaban 60 mg once daily (high-dose regimen) and edoxaban 30 mg once daily (low-dose regimen) with dose-adjusted warfarin [international normalized ratio (INR) 2.0-3.0] and found that both regimens were non-inferior to warfarin in the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with NVAF. Both edoxaban regimens also provided significant reductions in the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, cardiovascular mortality, major bleeding and intracranial bleeding. The Hokusai-VTE study (N = 8,292) in patients with symptomatic VTE had a flexible treatment duration of 3-12 months and found that following initial heparin, edoxaban 60 mg once daily was non-inferior to dose-adjusted warfarin (INR 2.0-3.0) for the prevention of recurrent VTE, and also had a significantly lower risk of bleeding events. Both studies randomized patients at moderate-to-high risk of thromboembolic events and were further designed to simulate routine clinical practice as much as possible, with edoxaban dose reduction (halving dose) at randomisation or during the study if required, a frequently monitored and well-controlled warfarin group, a well-monitored transition period at study end and a flexible treatment duration in Hokusai-VTE. Given the phase III results obtained, once-daily edoxaban may soon be a key addition to the range of antithrombotic treatment options

The Local and the Global: Hokusai's Great Wave in Contemporary Product Design

This article examines the impact and significance of Hokusai’s so-called The Great Wave in contemporary product promotion and design. Arguably Japan’s first global brand, this influential 19th-century woodcut has been widely adopted to style and advertise a wide range of merchandise, most of it neither manufactured in Japan nor primarily dependent on the commodification of the Japanese aesthetic or locale. Interpretation of the varied contexts in which the distinctive cresting wave appears challenges essentialising narratives that see the modern adoption of such traditional non-Western motifs as expressions of Japonisme or Orientalism. Taking an interdisciplinary approach that brings to bear design and global studies theory, Guth instead focuses on how this highly adaptive motif, with its connotations of being both nowhere and everywhere, serves to mediate between the local and the global. Despite the ubiquity of The Great Wave in the commercial realm, to date there have been no studies of its cross-cultural significance. To carry out this project, Guth conducted extensive research into the merchandise on offer in museum shops and online websites, and among global brands such as Patagonia that have made use of the motif. Guth also interviewed designers and users of the products to assess the rationale for the choice of this form of branding and the degree to which awareness of its origins influenced purchases. Guth was invited to present this new research on the global commercial impact of Hokusai’s The Great Wave at an international conference on ‘Hokusai in Context’ in Berlin in 2011. The conference paper and resulting published essay were developed to form a chapter in a book-length investigation into the global iconicity of Hokusai’s wave from its creation to the present day. The book, Hokusai’s Great Wave: Biography of a global icon, will be published by University of Hawai’i Press in 2014

Update on Extended Treatment for Venous Thromboembolism

The importance of assessing the probability of venous thromboembolism recurrence, a condition that includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, lies in the fact that it is the most important factor in deciding the duration of anticoagulant treatment. Risk of recurrence depends mostly on the presence of a risk factor for developing venous thromboembolism, with patients with unprovoked events being at the higher risk of recurrence. The risk of recurrence needs to be balanced with the risk of bleeding and the potential severity of these thrombotic and hemorrhagic events. In patients with an unprovoked venous thromboembolism who complete treatment for the acute (first 10 days) and post-acute phase of the disease (from day 10 to 3-6 months), decision has to be made regarding prolonged antithrombotic therapy to prevent recurrences. The main goal of extended treatment is preventing recurrences with a safe profile in terms of bleeding risk. Many therapeutic options are now available for these patients, including antiplatelet therapy with aspirin or direct oral anticoagulants. Moreover, apixaban and rivaroxaban at prophylactic doses have demonstrated efficacy in preventing recurrences with a low risk of bleeding

Geological mapping of the Hokusai (H05) quadrangle of Mercury: Status update

[Introduction] MESSENGER data are being used to construct ~1:3M scale quadrangle geological maps of Mercury. Here, we present our progress mapping the Hokusai (H05) quadrangle

Preliminary observations of Rustaveli basin, Mercury

Rustaveli basin on Mercury (82.76° E, 52.39° N) is a 200.5 km diameter peak-ring basin. Since the approval of its name on April 24, 2012, it has not featured prominently in the literature. It is a large and important feature within the Hokusai (H5) quadrangle of which we are currently producing a 1:2M scale geological map. Here, we describe our first observations of Rustaveli

Esperanto, graphic archetypes, biophilia. Esperanto, archetipi grafici, biofilia

Oggi è diffusa l’idea che il linguaggio iconico sia quello dell’era informatica, basato su un simbolo dal significato decifrabile con immediatezza a livello globale, tassello di un mondo virtuale che ha definitivamente traghettato l’umanità sulle rive di quel tanto atteso Esperanto voluto da Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, dagli effetti altamente benefici ma che nei giovani anche di medesimo idioma rende la parola parlata ormai quasi obsoleta, effetto collaterale questo ovviamente indesiderato. Tali tasselli iconico/informatici presenti nei nostri computer, tablet, cellulari ecc. vengono oggi percepiti in modo del tutto diverso da come lo erano i simboli fino agli anni ’70 e oltre. Sono degli enzimi o amminoacidi, degli agenti che svolgono svariate funzioni per noi. Ognuno di essi è un piccolo robot, un buon amico che ci tiene compagnia e che, all’occorrenza, ci viene in aiuto per trovare un’informazione, un’automobile in affitto, per effettuare una prenotazione, un piccolo divertimento, ecc. Ciò che qui interessa di questi potenti tasselli pro–attivi è, da un lato, il loro rapporto storico/ evolutivo significante–significato, cosa per la quale è necessario chiamare in campo l’Esperanto e gli archetipi grafici; dall’altro, capire se e come la città reale nel suo insieme possa trovarne giovamento, oltre quindi alla dimensione miope dei monitor small, large e x–large. In tal senso è utile operare un salto ontologico in direzione dell’ipotesi biofilica di Stephen Kellert, che possa aprire a possibili scenari di interazione tra simboli pro–attivi e territori non solo urbano/ambientali tout court, ma anche psicologico–comportamentali–percettivi, che stimolino a un uso fluido–dinamico della città e dei suoi spazi. Analizzare gli archetipi grafici − secondo una visione XYZ − ed usarne alcuni in tale chiave all’interno della biofilia, può rivelarsi utile a umanizzare la città trasformandola psicologicamente, con l’aiuto del verde, dell’arte e dell’architettura, in un organismo amico, nei cui tessuti resi vivi e non irritanti il fluido umano si senta protetto, avvolto e partecipe.Today we have the idea that the iconic language is that of the computer age, based on a symbol of decipherable meaning with a global immediacy, part of a virtual world that has definitively ferried humanity on the banks of that long–awaited Esperanto wanted by Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, with very beneficial effects, but that in young people even of the same language makes the spoken word almost obsolete, being this a collateral unwanted effect. These iconic/informatic dowels in our computers, tablets, mobile phones, etc. are perceived today in a completely different way from the symbols used until the 70s and beyond. They are enzymes or amino–acids, agents that perform various functions for us. Each of them is a small robot, a good friend who keeps us company and that, when necessary, helps us to find information, a rented car, to make a reservation, a little fun, etc. What is interesting here on these powerful proactive dowels is on the one hand their historical/evolutionary connection symbol–meaning, which is why it is necessary to call Esperanto and the graphic archetypes in the field, on the other to understand if and how the real city as a whole can find an advantage from them, out from the short–sighted dimension of small–large–xlarge monitors. In this sense it is useful to make an ontological leap towards the biophilic hypothesis of Stephen Kellert, that could open possible scenarios of interaction between proactive symbols and territories not only urban/environmental tout court, but also psychological–behavioral–perceptive, which stimulate a fluid–dynamic use of the city and its spaces. Analyzing graphic archetypes − according to an XYZ vision − and using some of them under this key within biophilia, can be useful to humanize the city, transforming it psychologically, with the help of green, art and architecture, into a friendly organism, in whose tissues rendered alive and not irritating, the human fluid feels protected, wrapped and participant

Hamburg's warehouse district in Martin tom Dieck's "hundert Ansichten der Speicherstadt"

Most texts that deal with Martin tom Dieck’s black-and-white comic "hundert Ansichten der Speicherstadt" (Zürich: Arrache Cœur, 1997, French title: Vortex) claim that it depicts the eponymous warehouse district (Speicherstadt) in Hamburg. As this paper shows, this claim is inaccurate: although the architecture in tom Dieck’s drawings clearly refers to buildings in the warehouse district, the differences in the details are so obvious, that to speak of a straightforward depiction of the Speicherstadt is oversimplifying. After a brief comparison with Christoph Schäfer’s picture book "Die Stadt ist unsere Fabrik" (Leipzig: Spector Books, 2010), the paper concludes with a discussion of the depiction of urban environments in general and in tom Dieck's book in particular

Objects and ideas : Japan and Europe in the nineteenth century

Contacts between nations and countries have always contributed to mutual understanding between peoples and their cultures and customs. It is true of contacts between Japan and the Western world. The nineteenth century was a breakthrough for Japan, although its evaluation is still the subject of discussion. The following remarks are devoted to the encounter of these two cultures following the Kanagawa Treaty from the perspective of the protection of cultural heritage. The different histories of Japan and the Western countries created different cultural and national identities, resulting in different understandings of works of art and craft items, and hence the different status of each side’s sense of values: artistic, cultural, and national. It is one of the important reasons the Japanese forfeited so many items representative of their arts and culture