Annette Kellerman

Annette Kellerman’s entrée into silent film began in the middle of an acrimonious battle to control the terms of her vaudeville career. Australian-born, she had established herself as a powerful draw on the American vaudeville circuit by promoting her “Perfect Woman” physique and presenting spectacular high diving and underwater exhibitions. Caught in a firestorm between theatre magnates B. F. Keith and William Morris after Morris offered Kellerman $1,500 per week, she astutely used her commercial popularity to get an agreement to appear in several silent kinetoscope shorts. She was ordered by court decree to fulfill the rest of her contract with Keith before beginning with Morris (Gibson and Firth 2005, 79–82)

Dar apie baltus, gudus ir gotus

This paper aims to shed light on the tenacious tendency of would-be philologists and self-taught historians to embellish the history of the Lithuanian nation and its civilization by providing interpretations of ancient texts without real evidence. In particular, the authors review some methodological aspects of historical research in the work of the Lithuanian émigré J. Statkutė de Rosales, Europos šaknys ir mes, lietuviai (The Roots of Europe and We, the Lithuanians). This article points out that her claim that the Goths were the mighty ancestors of today’s Lithuanians derives from a macroscopic misinterpretation and alteration of the only existing text about the origin of the Goths, which is the late Latin Getica, written by Jordanes. Statkutė, who recently received a doctorate honoris causa, identifies the Goths with the ancient Lithuanians by comparing the word Gothi with the Lithuanian ethnonym gudai, and asserts that world historians have intentionally been duped for years by a few deceitful scholars into believing that the Goths originated in Scandinavia. Statkutė holds that the island of Scandza depicted by Jordanes should not be identified with Scandinavia at all, but with the Baltic coast from Eastern Poland to Lithuania.The authors of this paper examine the actual text of Jordanes both philologically and with cross-references to other authors, finding that Statkutė’s conclusions are extremely erroneous. Not only has the Latin text been incorrectly translated by Statkutė in more than one passage, but she has also kept silent – most probably on purpose – about some crucial information, thereby lending support to her theories. The identification of Scandza, the fatherland of the Goths according to Jordanes, with the Baltic coast has to be ruled out mainly by the fact that the Latin historian clearly describes the phenomena of the polar night and midnight sun as being typical of Northern Scandza. Statkutė’s approach to sources written in Latin also appears compromised, not only by leaving out relevant information, but also by her difficulty in understanding (and therefore translating) the texts as well. The authors of this paper point out several other misinterpretations of facts, which are presented in her book as more or less revolutionary findings. In addition, Statkutė’s arrogant accusations against distinguished scholars would be inappropriate even if she were correct in her assumptions. As a matter of fact, her sole merit today is the attempt to arouse Lithuanians’ interest in their own distant past.Straipsnyje vertinama Jūratės Statkutės de Rosales pateikta vėlyvosios Antikos geografo Jordano informacija apie gotus ir Skandzos salą jo darbe „De Getarum sive Gothorum origine et rebus gestis“. Šią salą autorė mėgina lokalizuoti ne kaip Skandinavijos pusiasalį, bet kaip Aistmarių pusiasalį, o pačius salos gyventojus gotus atitinkamai laiko baltų gentimi, ankstesnių tyrinėtojų esą nepagrįstai priskirtą germanams.Patikrinus Jordano tekstus paaiškėjo, kad autorės interpretacija nepagrįsta dėl jos pačios ne visai tiksliai išverstų Jordano tekstų, taip pat dėl nutylėto tekstų tęsinio, kur Jordanas rašo apie salos šiaurinei daliai būdingą poliarinę dieną ir poliarinę naktį.Gotų tapatinimas su gudais nepagrįstas fonetiškai, nes etnonimas ‘gudai’ lotyniškai būtų užrašytas ‘Gudi’ arba ‘Gudae’, bet ne ‘Gothi’.Daroma išvada, kad Jordano aprašytoji Skandzos sala vis dėlto sietina su Skandinavijos pusiasaliu, o gotai buvo viena iš joje gyvenusių germanų genčių. Niekuo nepagrįstas yra ir autorės mėginimas lotynišką Žemaitijos pavadinimą ‘Samogitia’ aiškinti kaip „Žemąją Getiją“ ir taip susieti ją su gotais. Raz jeszcze o pochodzeniu bałtów, gudai i gotówW artykule poddano ocenie informacje na temat Gotów i wyspy Skandza, pochodzące z pracy starożytnego geografa i historyka Jordanesa De Getarum sive Gothorum origine et rebus gestis (O pochodzeniu i czynach Gotów) i wykorzystane przez litewską badaczkę emigracyjną J. Statkutė de Rosales w jej książce Europos šaknys ir mes, lietuviai (Korzenie Europy i my, Litwini). Wyspę tę autorka próbuje identyfikować nie jako Półwysep Skandynawski, a półwysep Zalewu Wiślanego, natomiast mieszkańców tej wyspy – Gotów – odpowiednio uważa za plemię bałtyckie, jej zdaniem niesłusznie zaliczane przez wcześniejszych badaczy do ludów germańskich.Po dokonaniu filologicznej analizy tekstów Jordanesa okazało się, że interpretacja autorki jest nieuzasadniona, ponieważ cytowane przez badaczkę ustępy tekstu zostały przez nią przetłumaczone niezbyt dokładnie, ponadto J. Statkutė de Rosales przemilczała dalsze fragmenty zawierające kluczowe informacje, gdzie Jordanes pisze o charakterystycznym zjawisku występującym w północnej części wyspy, mianowicie o dniu polarnym i nocy polarnej.Utożsamianie Gotów z gudai (etnonim, którym Litwini określali swoich południowo-wschodnich, niekiedy też południowo-zachodnich sąsiadów) jest nieuzasadnione fonetycznie, gdyż etnonim ten po łacinie przybrałby formę gudi lub gudae, ale nie gothi.Z powyższych rozważań można wyciągnąć wniosek, że opisaną przez Jordanesa wyspę Skandza należy jednak wiązać z Półwyspem Skandynawskim, Goci zaś byli jednym z zamieszkujących go plemion germańskich.Niczym nieuzasadniona jest też próba tłumaczenia łacińskiej nazwy Żmudzi (Samogitia) jako „Dolnej Getii” i takim sposobem związania jej z Gotami.SŁOWA KLUCZOWE: Goci, gudai, Skandynawia, Statkutė de Rosales, Jordanes, Prätorius, pseudoteorie

216 MHz repetition rate passively mode-locked electrically-pumped VECSEL

Electrically pumped vertical external cavity surface emitting laser is passively mode-locked at record-low repetition rate of 216 MHz demonstrating potential peak power scalability. A quantum dot saturable absorber is used to achieve stable operation

Light emission enhancement using randomly distributed plasmonic nanoparticle arrays

We have fabricated and characterised the optical properties of solution processed randomly distributed gold nanoparticle plasmonic arrays that are coated with a thin-film fluorescent dye. Three times enhancement in the emission intensity of the fluorescent dye Pyridine 2 has been observed. Our results are further supported by finite difference time domain simulations that predicted up to 7 times enhancements in the emission intensity as a result of the coupling between the molecular dipoles and the confined field in the underlying plasmonic array. Our results demonstrate the potential of using such structures in organic light emitting devices and chemical and bio-sensing applications

Model studies of oxygen-intercalated graphite

The possibility of intercalating oxygen to reduce the conductivity of graphite has been investigated by modified intermediate neglect of differential overlap 3 and tight-binding methods. The cluster calculations suggest that the most stable position for the oxygen atom is 1.25 A above a carbon-carbon bond. The tight-binding band calculation predicts the stage-I intercalated graphite to be a zero-indirect-gap semiconductor. Higher-stage intercalated graphite is expected to have a finite insulating gap whose value is governed by the carbon-oxygen interaction

Full characterization of vibrational coherence in a porphyrin chromophore by two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy

In this work we present experimental and calculated two-dimensional electronic spectra for a 5,15-bisalkynyl porphyrin chromophore. The lowest energy electronic Qy transition couples mainly to a single 380 cm–1 vibrational mode. The two-dimensional electronic spectra reveal diagonal and cross peaks which oscillate as a function of population time. We analyze both the amplitude and phase distribution of this main vibronic transition as a function of excitation and detection frequencies. Even though Feynman diagrams provide a good indication of where the amplitude of the oscillating components are located in the excitation-detection plane, other factors also affect this distribution. Specifically, the oscillation corresponding to each Feynman diagram is expected to have a phase that is a function of excitation and detection frequencies. Therefore, the overall phase of the experimentally observed oscillation will reflect this phase dependence. Another consequence is that the overall oscillation amplitude can show interference patterns resulting from overlapping contributions from neighboring Feynman diagrams. These observations are consistently reproduced through simulations based on third order perturbation theory coupled to a spectral density described by a Brownian oscillator model

Unresectable Primary Tracheal Synovial Sarcoma

Synovial sarcoma (SS) comprises less than 1% of head and neck cancers, and less than five cases of adult primary tracheal SS have been described. This case describes a patient encountered at a community-based academic hospital, and retrospective chart review was performed for data collection. A woman in her forties presented with shortness of breath due to a superior mediastinal mass found to be an unresectable primary tracheal SS. Primary treatment resorted to curative-intent radiation therapy. Subsequent metastasis required systemic chemotherapy with pazopanib. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of this nature and adds to understanding the presentation, diagnosis, natural history, and treatment outcomes of primary tracheal SS. This case was exempt from review by the institutional review board and complied with privacy policy standards

Geometry-dependent electrostatics near contact lines

Long-ranged electrostatic interactions in electrolytes modify their contact angles on charged substrates in a scale and geometry dependent manner. For angles measured at scales smaller than the typical Debye screening length, the wetting geometry near the contact line must be explicitly considered. Using variational and asymptotic methods, we derive new transcendental equations for the contact angle that depend on the electrostatic potential only at the three phase contact line. Analytic expressions are found in certain limits and compared with predictions for contact angles measured with lower resolution. An estimate for electrostatic contributions to {\it line} tension is also given.Comment: 3 .eps figures, 5p

Psychosis-Induced Exertional Rhabdomyolysis without Acute Kidney Injury or Myoglobinuria.

BACKGROUND Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical syndrome that results from skeletal muscle breakdown and the release of intracellular enzymes into systemic circulation [1,2]. We present a case of non-traumatic rhabdomyolysis with transaminitis, without myoglobinuria or acute kidney injury. Cases reports of rhabdomyolysis with elevation of serum creatine kinase (hyperCKemia) in the absence of myoglobinuria or renal failure are limited in the literature. CASE REPORT A 21-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department following an acute psychotic episode. One week earlier, his bloodwork had been within normal limits. Biochemical investigations on admission revealed hyperCKemia (590 000 U/L), transaminitis (AST, 628; ALT, 160), and normal creatinine (0.83), without myoglobinuria. Non-traumatic rhabdomyolysis was suspected, and the patient was treated with aggressive intravenous fluid resuscitation and transferred to Inpatient Psychiatry on day 10 of hospitalization. The complete metabolic panel was trended daily, without indication of kidney injury. The creatine kinase (CK) and liver function tests trended downward. CONCLUSIONS This report presents a rare case of exertional rhabdomyolysis with CK levels nearly 3000 times the upper limit of normal, without myoglobinuria or acute kidney injury. Acute kidney injury is a dangerous complication of rhabdomyolysis. Traditionally, clinicians use serum CK levels to predict the likelihood of acute kidney injury and/or renal failure in rhabdomyolysis. Ultimately, this patient was diagnosed with exertional rhabdomyolysis with hyperCKemia and transaminitis without myoglobinuria or acute kidney injury. More research is needed to elucidate the protective patient characteristics against rhabdomyolysis-associated acute kidney injury, associations between CK and myoglobinuria, and diagnostic criteria for psychosis-associated hyperCKemia