Old English spells in BBC's "Merlin"

This paper investigated Old English spells in BBC’s Merlin. The aim was to find out whether Old English, used for entertainment purposes such as this TV series, was simply reconstructed or whether it was inevitably reinvented in the process of “retro-translation,” as the Arthurian story itself. An inquiry into Merlin’s Old English grammar and vocabulary was conducted and an attempt was made to answer the following questions: Do the long ago discarded inflections still matter? Are declension and agreement rules for the different parts of speech adhered to? What verb forms have been used? Do Old English words take on new meanings? Are they encountered in different contexts? Finally, what are the strategies employed by the translators? Have they resorted to borrowing or ventured into novel creations? It is difficult to say whether Old English has been recreated in accordance with the rules of the language or whether it was reinvented, for the analysis reveals Merlin’s spells to involve a mixture of preservation and innovation. Old English grammar was neither entirely disregarded nor strictly adhered to. As declension turned out to be the greatest challenge, words were more often than not uninflected for case, gender and number. The direct object was frequently found in the nominative case, whereas the indirect often took the accusative inflection. Case requirements concerning prepositions were not always fulfilled either. Adjectives tended to follow the patterns of the strong declension in general but did not always agree in case and gender with the nouns they modified. Verbs displayed disagreement with the subject on several occasions. The infinitive and the imperative were the most common among verbs, with the former often assuming the function of the latter. The indicative mood was preferred to the subjunctive. The past tense and the passive voice were rarely used. On the contrary, almost half of the spells did not need any revising. Those, however, appeared to be far less complex sentences as they tended to include one or several words only, with the exception of a few more elaborate instances. Most of Merlin’s Old English vocabulary rested on common word choices, although there were several less comprehensible spells with puzzling combinations of particular word meanings. Old English literature proved to be a fruitful source of vocabulary as many words, phrases and even entire lines were borrowed or adapted for the purposes of the enchantments. A few novel compounds were noted, although literary borrowings were the more frequent strategy. So, why Merlin? In the words of Crystal, who was referring to the English language (2003: 3): Because it’s fun, beautiful and important. Merlin has sparked an interest in something as important (or not) as the roots of the English language by way of telling such a beautiful and fun story, interweaving ancient languages and mythologies with amusing storylines and characters. This paper might be of interest to some Merlin/Old English/language lovers, and hopefully will be of use to the diligent Merlin fans out there who have already done so much work, researching and translating the spells into various languages, and incorporating them into their own little works of art. It might provide some answers to those who keep asking questions such as this one (lembas7, 2013):Strangath: (The Diamond of the Day, Part 1) Spell used by Merlin to attempt to summon a cup to his hand. Hopefully this means something like “Come!” and not something basic like “Cup!” which would be embarrassing. Couldn’t find the translation on the site, so I’m crossing my fingers for this one

KLINIČKO LABORATORIJSKE KORELACIJE I KOMUNIKACIJSKO DIJAGNOSTIČKI PROCES

Clinical-laboratory correlations are the most important part of everyday practice in the era of modern clinical medicine. It is based on the successful functioning of the patient-physician (clinician)-laboratory triangle. Laboratory or other diagnostic tests do not define specific clinical entity or disease; however, they are very useful to make decision related to complicated diagnostic procedures and therapies. Each clinical diagnostic process begins with medical history and physical examination where the doctor uses professional and communication skills. This is followed by setting of the working diagnosis and differential diagnosis. Finally, laboratory tests should help in successful diagnosis and treatment. Daily communication between clinicians and laboratory professionals is very important, and teamwork guidelines are based on modern technological achievements, which is the main postulate for effective diagnostic procedures and treatment. Translational medicine has been developed rapidly in the past ten years, representing a two-way communication between basic science and clinical practice. Discovery of biomarkers and different new molecular pathways in the pathogenesis of disease has enabled early detection of disease when it could not be detected by other standard diagnostic methods. This should lead to more successful diagnosis and treatment.U modernoj medicini kliničko laboratorijske korelacije dio su svakodnevne prakse i temelje se na uspješnom funkcioniranju trokuta bolesnik–liječnik– laboratorij. Laboratorijsko-dijagnostičke pretrage ne definiraju pojedini klinički entitet, ali pomažu kliničaru u donošenju daljnjih složenijih dijagnostičkih procedura i terapijskih odluka. Svaki kliničko-dijagnostički proces započinje anamnezom i fizikalnim pregledom gdje se liječnik koristi stručnim i komunikacijskim vještinama. Nakon stvaranja radne dijagnoze i diferencijalnih dijagnoza odabiru se laboratorijske pretrage koje trebaju pomoći u što bržem i uspješnijem dijagnosticiranju bolesnikovog problema – bolesti. Svakodnevna komunikacija kliničara i laboratorijskih stručnjaka, donošenje smjernica timskim radom utemeljenih na suvremenim tehnološkim dostignućima preduvjet su uspješnog dijagnostičkog procesa i liječenja. Translacijska medicina se razvija zadnjih desetak godina i predstavlja dvosmjernu komunikaciju između bazičnih znanosti i kliničkih struka. Otkriće biomarkera i molekularnih puteva u nastanku bolesti omogućava ranije otkrivanje bolesti kada se ne može otkriti standardnim metodama. To bi trebalo pripomoći u uspješnijem dijagnosticiranju bolesti i liječenju oboljelih

Numerical analysis of hysteresis in rating curves for open channel flow

For the purpose of studying the hysteresis in rating curves for unsteady flow regime in open channels, a numerical analysis of water wave propagation is performed by a numerical integration of one-dimensional (1D) Saint Venant differential equations. By applying two different boundary conditions, which are specified as the time change in water level h at the upstream boundary of the flow domain, it is shown that the downstream rating curves can obtain the same shapes in the Q-h plane. However, to emphasize the expected difference in rating curves, a third, time axis, is added. Accordingly, the rating curves obtain a spatial shape from which the dynamics of evolution in the relation between the stage h and related discharge Q can be evidenced. Apart from the description of the used numerical formulation (based on the method of characteristics), a numerical example is also presented in the support of the given statements

Visiting and Narrating: An Interspecific Tale of Melancholia

My research uses sustainable book design as an outlet for studying the destructive dialogue between humans and the earth in the Anthropocene epoch. I investigate the effects of the Anthropocene on my own mental health, particularly attuned to moments of enlightenment and depression that arise as a result of the realities of human-made climate change. Our impact on earth has consequences that are both physical (droughts, flooding, illnesses/pandemics, etc.), and mental (stress, anxiety, depression, etc.). Exploring the phenomenon of loss of language in the depressed mind, I examine what experiences would improve this condition. This search leads me to the comfort I find in reading books and through the practice of finding myself in the written word. The acknowledgement of written language in books as both destructive (historically and culturally in Indigenous communities) and healing (as a sanctuary for independent mental and emotional growth) is the point of interest in this research. Books exist as a vessel for communication, capturing historical shifts in societal values. In this way they serve as a dynamic timeline. Books move through space and thought, reflecting and dictating moments past, and also imagining futures. They are physically still and contained but breathe through their connection to other literary works — fiction and nonfiction. This research will live similarly, communicating the present and future outcome of our time on earth as a result of our past; our actions, while fleeting, influence the reaction of the land. In my material explorations and compositions, I view the land as body and the body as text — relational vessels for interspecific communication

FNA based diagnosis of head and neck nodal lymphoma [Citomorfološka dijagnoza limfoma u području glave i vrata]

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy has become a well established technique in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of patients with head and neck lesions. As in lymphoma diagnostics, FNA serves as a screening method in evaluating potentially affected lymph node for open or core biopsy. According to the World Health Organization classification of lymphoid neoplasms, today it is important to recognize cell morphology and reveal its phenotype, then combine it with different genotypic information and clinical data to provide appropriate therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of FNA and immunocytochemistry based lymphoma diagnostic in head and neck region. We conducted a retrospective study during a period of three years where cases with either FNA diagnosis or clinical suspicion of newly recognized or relapsing lymphoma were reviewed. In the study were included patients that were referred to our laboratory from hematology department, in whom head and neck lymphadenopathia was found and lymph node FNA preceded other procedures. Two hundred eighty-five aspirations from 248 patients fulfilled study criteria. Adequate specimens were diagnosed as lymphoma in 100 cases (36%), in 65 male and 35 female patients, 76 in patients with newly discovered disease and 24 in patients with prior lymphoma diagnosis. Overall sensitivity of FNA specimens in the diagnosis of head and neck lymphomas was 90%, specificity 88%, predictive value of a positive result 97%, and predictive value of negative result 61%. Based on our results FNA corroborated with immunophenotyping by immunocytochemistry can be method of choice in primary lymphoma diagnosis as a method complementary to histopathology in lymphoma diagnostics

Searching for carbonylome biomarkers of aging – development and validation of the proteomic method for quantification of carbonylated protein in human plasma

Aim To develop a method for measuring protein carbonylation in human plasma and serum samples, which was previously implied in numerous age-related phenotypes. Methods Protein expression and carbonylation were analyzed in plasma samples obtained from 12 healthy human individuals by using a novel method that combines affinity-based albumin and immunoglobulin G removal, and aminooxy dyeing in one- or two-dimensional gels. In addition, carbonylome profile of plasma and serum was compared. Coefficients of variation and intra-class correlation coefficients were used in statistical analysis. Results Following a step-wise laboratory development and optimization process, we measured the protein expression and carbonylation for 813 proteins from the plasma. The analysis of repeated measurements suggested excellent coefficients of variation, which rarely exceeded 10%. The average value of intra-class correlation based on absolute agreement (ICC) for protein expression was 0.97 ± 0.02, while for carbonylation it was 0.73 ± 0.24. The removal of the most extreme protein outlier in carbonylation assessment increased the average ICC to 0.87 ± 0.04. Low protein spot volume substantially reduced repeatability. Serum carbonylation estimates were similar to those from plasma, with the ICC in the range of 0.86-0.89. Conclusion We developed a reliable method for the measurement of human plasma protein carbonylation, which can be used for the assessment of carbonylome biomarkers of aging

The ABCD grading system in assessment of corneal cross-linking effect in keratoconus with different cone locations

Purpose The aim of this study was to analyse the postoperative corneal cross-linking results of corneal parameters and the ABCD grading system, depending on the cone location. Methods Thirty eyes of 25 patients with keratoconus (KC), who received the corneal cross-linking (CXL) treatment, were included in this study. The exclusion criteria were: patients under 18 years of age, corneal pachymetry less than 400 μm, corneal scarring, history of ocular trauma, history of ocular surgery, and corneal pathology other than KC. Patients were examined at the baseline visit, and followed-up at three, six, and twelve months after the CXL. All patients underwent visual acuity and Scheimpflug tomography at all visits. Progression parameters, keratometries, and ABCD grading were compared between the visits. Patients were classified into two groups: central and paracentral cones group (within the central 5 mm corneal zone) and peripheral cones group (outside the central 5 mm corneal zone), based on X-Y coordinates of maximal keratometry (Kmax). Results Parameter A remained relatively stable throughout the follow-up period in both groups. Parameter B and parameter C showed a significant increase in both groups postoperatively. Parameter D showed stability at the 6-month post-CXL visit in the peripheral KC group, while the central and paracentral KC group showed improvement at the 12-month post-CXL visit. Conclusion There was no significant difference in the postoperative response between different cone locations in the ABCD grading system, when classifying according to the Kmax, except an earlier recovery of the parameter D in peripherally located cones

FNA Based Diagnosis of Head and Neck Nodal Lymphoma

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy has become a well established technique in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of patients with head and neck lesions. As in lymphoma diagnostics, FNA serves as a screening method in evaluating potentially affected lymph node for open or core biopsy. According to the World Health Organization classification of lymphoid neoplasms, today it is important to recognize cell morphology and reveal its phenotype, then combine it with different genotypic information and clinical data to provide appropriate therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of FNA and immunocytochemistry based lymphoma diagnostic in head and neck region. We conducted a retrospective study during a period of three years where cases with either FNA diagnosis or clinical suspicion of newly recognized or relapsing lymphoma were reviewed. In the study were included patients that were referred to our laboratory from hematology department, in whom head and neck lymphadenopathia was found and lymph node FNA preceded other procedures. Two hundred eighty-five aspirations from 248 patients fulfilled study criteria. Adequate specimens were diagnosed as lymphoma in 100 cases (36%), in 65 male and 35 female patients, 76 in patients with newly discovered disease and 24 in patients with prior lymphoma diagnosis. Overall sensitivity of FNA specimens in the diagnosis of head and neck lymphomas was 90%, specificity 88%, predictive value of a positive result 97%, and predictive value of negative result 61%. Based on our results FNA corroborated with immunophenotyping by immunocytochemistry can be method of choice in primary lymphoma diagnosis as a method complementary to histopathology in lymphoma diagnostics

FNA Based Diagnosis of Head and Neck Nodal Lymphoma

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy has become a well established technique in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of patients with head and neck lesions. As in lymphoma diagnostics, FNA serves as a screening method in evaluating potentially affected lymph node for open or core biopsy. According to the World Health Organization classification of lymphoid neoplasms, today it is important to recognize cell morphology and reveal its phenotype, then combine it with different genotypic information and clinical data to provide appropriate therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of FNA and immunocytochemistry based lymphoma diagnostic in head and neck region. We conducted a retrospective study during a period of three years where cases with either FNA diagnosis or clinical suspicion of newly recognized or relapsing lymphoma were reviewed. In the study were included patients that were referred to our laboratory from hematology department, in whom head and neck lymphadenopathia was found and lymph node FNA preceded other procedures. Two hundred eighty-five aspirations from 248 patients fulfilled study criteria. Adequate specimens were diagnosed as lymphoma in 100 cases (36%), in 65 male and 35 female patients, 76 in patients with newly discovered disease and 24 in patients with prior lymphoma diagnosis. Overall sensitivity of FNA specimens in the diagnosis of head and neck lymphomas was 90%, specificity 88%, predictive value of a positive result 97%, and predictive value of negative result 61%. Based on our results FNA corroborated with immunophenotyping by immunocytochemistry can be method of choice in primary lymphoma diagnosis as a method complementary to histopathology in lymphoma diagnostics