The Language of Death and Bare Life: Revisiting Forugh Farrokhzād’s Poetry

Death is a timeless subject which has occupied the minds of human beings throughout their far-reaching history, and scholars and writers have dealt with this subject in their own ways. In contemporary Persian poetry, death has an imposing presence, a good many modernist poets have tried to tame this wild subject in their artistic work, especially the poets who were writing during the period from the 1953 Iranian coup to the very beginning of the 1970s, when a degree of social peace and prosperity began to shine on the whole nation. An influential poet who was active at the first half of this period was Forugh Farrokhzād (1934-1967), who believed that every human being discovers the secret of their individuality in the mirror of their death, and it is in the face of death that they mature

A comparative study of marriage in honey bees optimisation (MBO) algorithm in multi-reservoir system optimisation

Contemporary reservoir systems often require operators to meet a variety of goals and objectives; these in turn frequently complicate water management decision-making. In addition, many reservoir objectives have non-linear relationships and are therefore difficult to implement using traditional optimisation techniques. A practical application of the marriage in honey bees optimisation (MBO) algorithm is being utilised for Karkheh multi-reservoir system, south-western Iran, where supplying irrigation water for agricultural areas and maintaining a minimum in-stream flow for environmental purposes is desired. Optimal monthly reservoir release information by MBO is highlighted and the results compared to those of other evolutionary algorithms, such as the genetic algorithm (GA), ant colony optimisation for continuous domains (ACOR), particle swarm optimisation (PSO) and elitist-mutation particle swarm optimisation (EMPSO). The results indicate the superiority of MBO over the algorithms tested.Keywords: non-linear optimisation, multi reservoir system, honey bee mating optimisation algorithm, evolutionary algorithms, meta-heuristic algorithm

Arhetip sjene u romanu Yusef’s Days and Nights Mahmuda Dowlatabadija

The present article studies Mahmoud Dowlatabadi’s novel Yusef ’s Days and Nights and attempts to provide a different reading of the novel through the application of C. G. Jung’s theories on the collective unconscious and archetypes. From Jung’s perspective, the collective unconscious is the reservoir of psychic energy and the source of all human memories; also, the archetypes are universal mental structures the recognition of which becomes possible through the symbolic interpretation of dreams, fantasies, myths, and rituals. “Shadow” is one of the most important archetypes that, according to Jung, is the dark half of our being. This shadow is our alter-ego, and it is only when we accept it as a part of our being that we can achieve psychic equilibrium and complete the process of individuation. The process of individuation, and indeed of the conscious mind’s coming to terms with the ‘self,’ usually begins with suffering. Although this initial shock is not often recognized, it is a kind of summoning. However, Yusef (the protagonist of the novel) follows the path of denial and his projections of his fears and anxieties gradually make the distinction between illusion and reality difficult for him. Therefore, the confrontation with theshadow, although difficult and perhaps horrifying, is a necessary step on the road towards mental and psychical maturity.Rad iščitava roman Yusef ’s Days and Nights Mahmouda Dowlatabadija kroz prizmu teorija C. G. Junga o kolektivnome nesvjesnom i arhetipovima. Iz Jungove perspektive, kolektivno nesvjesno spremište je psihičke energije i izvor svih ljudskih uspomena, a arhetipovi su univerzalne mentalne strukture čije prepoznavanje omogućava simboličko tumačenje snova, maštarija, mitova i rituala. „Sjena“ je među ključnim arhetipovima te, prema Jungu, mračna polovica ljudskoga bića. Ona je alter-ego i tek nakon što je čovjek prihvati kao dio svojega bića, postaje moguće postići psihičku ravnotežu i zaključiti proces individuacije. Proces individuacije, kao i pomirenja svjesnoga uma sa „sobom“, obično započinje patnjom. Iako se taj početni šok vrlo često ne prepoznaje, on je svojevrsni poziv. Međutim, protagonist romana Yusef u stanju je poricanja, a projekcije njegovih strahova i strepnji postupno mu otežavaju razlikovanje iluzije i stvarnosti, iz čega proizlazi da je suočavanje sa sjenom, premda teško i zastrašujuće, nužan korak na putu prema duševnoj i psihičkoj zrelosti

99mTc-DMSA Scintigraphy Revealed A Unilateral Multicystic Anomaly In A Horseshoe Kidney

The multicystic dysplastic pattern in a half of a horseshoe kidney is a very uncommon presentation. We present a 6-month-old male infant with a history of antenatally unilateral cystic abnormality in the right kidney which was reevaluated after birth by ultrasonography (US) and 99m Tc-DMSA scintigraphy. The US showed a horseshoe kidney with the multicystic dysplastic area on the right side, which proved to be non-functional on 99m Tc-DMSA scintigraphy

Primary skeletal muscle lymphoma with unusual soft tissue metastases in the stomach and pancreas detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT

A 69 y/o woman with a history of primary diffuse large B cell lymphoma in the right thigh muscle was referred for recurrence evaluation with 18F-FDG PET/CT. After routine courses of chemoradiation, MRI was done in order to evaluate treatment response with inconclusive findings. 18FDG PET/CT revealed abnormal uptake in the primary site of the disease as well as secondary involvement of stomach, pancreas, pelvic lymph nodes, and both tibiae. Our case showed the importance of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of unusual soft tissue extension of lymphoma

Reading Sense in Verse: Synesthesia in the Poetry of Edith Sitwell and Houshang Ebtehaj

Synesthesia, among other rhetorical devices, has played a prominent role in conveying the intended messages in the realm of poetry. Nonetheless, it has not grabbed adequate attention to its nature and function. Belonging to the domain of comparative literature, this essay has benefitted from analogy studies as its methodology to render novel perspectives in the meaning and reading of the poetry of Sitwell and Ebtehaj. Here, we have attempted, firstly, to foreground the function of synesthesia and, secondly, to enrich the understanding of the mentioned poets. This paper concludes that the realization of synesthesia heavily and helpfully affects the perception of literary poems. In addition, to showcase such influence, a reasonable number of poems by Sitwell and Ebtehaj were subjected to scrutiny, indicating that a great deal of their poetry is best understood only after investigating synesthesia. This essay is merely concentrated on two poets, yet its findings can be helpful for the whole field of poetry

Multiple photopenic vertebrae in the bone scintigraphy of a young man with Gorham disease: CT and MRI correlation

We report a rare pattern of extensive bone abnormalities on the Tc-99m MDP bone scintigraphy in a patient with Gorham disease. This rare condition is the result of vascular and lymphatic channel proliferation in bony structures which induce bone resorption. Our case is a 28-year-old man with a history of biopsy-proven soft tissue hemangioma in the left thigh, encountered with a recent diagnosis of multiple vertebral hemangiomata in the axial skeleton and progressive bony destructions in the pelvis on CT and MRI images, referred for bone scintigraphy. Multiple photopenic hemangiomata were noted on bone scan

Poetry of Epiphany: James Wright and Sohrab Sepehri

This paper’s aim is to present a comparative study of the poetry of the American James Arlington Wright and the Persian Sohrab Sepehri in order to examine the main ground of convergence in their poetry, which is epiphany or sudden revelation of truth. This revelation is mostly informed by intuitive, as opposed to logical, thinking and a mystical union with nature and natural elements. The poetic art of both Sepehri and Wright precisely consists in reminding the readers of the necessity of redefining and reconstructing the self through an awakening based on spiritual moments. In both Sepehri and Wright, the magic moments are presented through epiphany whose mission is to alert the soul to the absence/presence of what matters, and to the ways of dealing with the problem

Blockade of p75 neurotrophin receptor reverses irritability and anxiety-related behaviors in a rat model of status epilepticus

Background: Many recent epidemiological studies have shown that epileptic patients are more likely suffer from depression, anxiety, and irritability. However, the cellular mechanisms of epilepsy-induced psychotic behaviors are not fully elucidated. Neurotrophin receptors have been suggested to be involved in epilepsy and also in psychiatric disorders. Up-regulation of p75NTR expression and activation of p75NTR signalling cascades after the seizure have been shown, but the role of the p75 receptor in epilepsy-induced psychotic behaviors has not been documented so far. Therefore, the present work aimed to investigate the effect of p75 receptor blockade on seizure activity, irritability, and anxiety-like behaviors in a rat model of status epilepticus. Methods: Rats were injected with pilocarpine (350 mg/ kg, i.p.) to induce status epilepticus. Then various behavioral tests were performed after the blockade of p75NTR alone or in combination with p75 antagonist and phenobarbital. Molecular analysis by PCR was performed to investigate the expression of p75 and pro-NGF. Results: Molecular findings indicated a high level of mRNA expression for both p75 receptors and pro-NGF in the epileptic model group. Results also showed that the administration of p75 antagonist alone or in combination with phenobarbital was able to significantly influence the behavioral responses. Furthermore, 20-hours video monitoring showed a decrease in the frequency and duration of seizures in the rat group receiving p75 antagonist. Conclusion: Taken together, the present study suggests that the blockade of the p75 receptor may affect the irritability and anxiety-related behavior in a rat model of status epilepticus. © 2018, Pasteur Institute of Iran. All rights reserved

Blockade of p75 neurotrophin receptor reverses irritability and anxiety-related behaviors in a rat model of status epilepticus

Background: Many recent epidemiological studies have shown that epileptic patients are more likely suffer from depression, anxiety, and irritability. However, the cellular mechanisms of epilepsy-induced psychotic behaviors are not fully elucidated. Neurotrophin receptors have been suggested to be involved in epilepsy and also in psychiatric disorders. Up-regulation of p75NTR expression and activation of p75NTR signalling cascades after the seizure have been shown, but the role of the p75 receptor in epilepsy-induced psychotic behaviors has not been documented so far. Therefore, the present work aimed to investigate the effect of p75 receptor blockade on seizure activity, irritability, and anxiety-like behaviors in a rat model of status epilepticus. Methods: Rats were injected with pilocarpine (350 mg/ kg, i.p.) to induce status epilepticus. Then various behavioral tests were performed after the blockade of p75NTR alone or in combination with p75 antagonist and phenobarbital. Molecular analysis by PCR was performed to investigate the expression of p75 and pro-NGF. Results: Molecular findings indicated a high level of mRNA expression for both p75 receptors and pro-NGF in the epileptic model group. Results also showed that the administration of p75 antagonist alone or in combination with phenobarbital was able to significantly influence the behavioral responses. Furthermore, 20-hours video monitoring showed a decrease in the frequency and duration of seizures in the rat group receiving p75 antagonist. Conclusion: Taken together, the present study suggests that the blockade of the p75 receptor may affect the irritability and anxiety-related behavior in a rat model of status epilepticus. © 2018, Pasteur Institute of Iran. All rights reserved