Final Words, Final Shots: Kurosawa, Bortko and the Conclusion of Dostoevsky???s Idiot

In their article "Final Words, Final Shots: Kurosawa, Bortko, and the Conclusion of Dostoevsky???s Idiot" Robert O. Efird and Saera Yoon discuss film adaptations of Dostoevsky???s novel. Both in his homeland and abroad, the major works of Fyodor Dostoevsky have largely made for disappointing film adaptations. This article examines the cultural diversity and aesthetic motivations underlying two very different adaptations of his novel Idiot, with particular attention to the concluding scenes. Both Akira Kurosawa and Vladimir Bortko follow the novelist's lead by hinting at some form of hope and future redemption amidst the tragedy but, for different reasons, they both fail to capture the rich ambiguity and creative ambivalence of Dostoevsky's final words. As the authors argue, the novelist's fluid dialogic aesthetic tends to disappear in visual adaptations, yet paradoxically thrives when released into new contexts less dependent on fidelity to his words. These two adaptations, despite their relative success, demonstrate the inherent difficulty of cinematizing the dynamics of Dostoevsky's art

The Influence of Alloy Composition and microstructure on the corrosion behaviour of Cu-Ni alloys in seawater

The aim of the study was to relate the general corrosion behaviour of CuNi 10-alloys in seawater with its iron content and microstructure. To that end the microstructure of four commercial alloys with various Fe-contents (1.20-1.78%) and there laboratory melted alloys with various Fe-contents (1.5-2.5%) were investigated in the as delivered state and after three different heat treatments. Samples of these alloys were exposed to flowing natural seawater. During exposure electrochemical measurements were performed. After exposure the weight loss was determined. Moreover, for a number of samples the corrosion products were analysed by means of electron microprobe analysis. Irrespective of the Fe-content, the presence of discontinuous precipitates in the laboratory melted alloys turned out to be detrimental with regard to general corrosion. To a less extent this also holds for alloys with high concentrations of continuous precipitates, as observed for iron contents of 2 and 2.5%. The precipitate free alloys as well as the ones containing low concentrations of continuous precipitates because of low Fe-concentrations (<1.5%Fe) do show a good corrosion behaviour. The corrosion behaviour of commercial CuNi 10 Fe in the as received condition was generally comparable with that of laboratory melted alloys with continuous precipitates. The corrosion rates of the former do not exceed those of the latter, which are very low for practical applications. Finally the corrosion behaviour of five laboratory melted CuNi5 alloys, containing up to 4% fe in solution, was investigated. It turned out that their reciprocal polarisation resistance in the steady state situation is lower than those for the CuNi 10 Fe alloys

Increased Coronary Artery Disease Severity in Black Women Undergoing Coronary Bypass Surgery

Race and sex disparities are believed to play an important role in heart disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between race, sex, and number of diseased vessels at the time of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and subsequent postoperative outcomes. The 13,774 patients undergoing first-time, isolated CABG between 1992 and 2011 were included. Trend in the number of diseased vessels between black and white patients, stratified by sex, were analyzed using a Cochran-Armitage trend test. Models were adjusted for age, procedural status (elective vs. nonelective), and payor type (private vs. nonprivate insurance). Black female CABG patients presented with an increasingly greater number of diseased vessels than white female CABG patients (adjusted P(trend) = 0.0021). A similar trend was not observed between black and white male CABG patients (adjusted P(trend) = 0.18). Black female CABG patients were also more likely to have longer intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay than other race-sex groups.Our findings suggest that black female CABG patients have more advanced coronary artery disease than white female CABG patients. Further research is needed to determine the benefit of targeted preventive care and preoperative workup for this high-risk group

Job satisfaction differences between generation X workers and older workers

The purpose of this study was to investigate job satisfaction of credit union employees at all organizational levels. Due to the rapidly changing work environment, understanding work attitudes of all employees has become important. This researcher designed this study to gain a better understanding of the differences in the level of job satisfaction of Generation X workers and older workers

Racial Differences in Survival among Hemodialysis Patients after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

The aim of this study was to examine racial differences in long-term survival among hemodialysis patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). To our knowledge this has not been previously addressed in the literature. Black and white hemodialysis patients undergoing first-time, isolated CABG procedures between 1992 and 2011 were compared. Survival probabilities were computed using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method and stratified by race. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using a Cox regression model. A total of 207 (2%) patients were on hemodialysis at the time of CABG. White (n = 80) hemodialysis patients had significantly decreased 5-year survival compared with black (n = 127) patients (adjusted HR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2–2.8). Our finding provides useful outcome information for surgeons, primary care providers, and their patients

Blocked Randomization with Randomly Selected Block Sizes

When planning a randomized clinical trial, careful consideration must be given to how participants are selected for various arms of a study. Selection and accidental bias may occur when participants are not assigned to study groups with equal probability. A simple random allocation scheme is a process by which each participant has equal likelihood of being assigned to treatment versus referent groups. However, by chance an unequal number of individuals may be assigned to each arm of the study and thus decrease the power to detect statistically significant differences between groups. Block randomization is a commonly used technique in clinical trial design to reduce bias and achieve balance in the allocation of participants to treatment arms, especially when the sample size is small. This method increases the probability that each arm will contain an equal number of individuals by sequencing participant assignments by block. Yet still, the allocation process may be predictable, for example, when the investigator is not blind and the block size is fixed. This paper provides an overview of blocked randomization and illustrates how to avoid selection bias by using random block sizes

Season of Birth and Risk for Adult Onset Glioma

Adult onset glioma is a rare cancer which occurs more frequently in Caucasians than African Americans, and in men than women. The etiology of this disease is largely unknown. Exposure to ionizing radiation is the only well established environmental risk factor, and this factor explains only a small percentage of cases. Several recent studies have reported an association between season of birth and glioma risk. This paper reviews the plausibility of evidence focusing on the seasonal interrelation of farming, allergies, viruses, vitamin D, diet, birth weight, and handedness. To date, a convincing explanation for the occurrence of adult gliomas decades after a seasonal exposure at birth remains elusive