Urothelial Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder in Young Adults: Presentation, Clinical behavior and Outcome

Introduction. There is not much evidence regarding clinical behavior of bladder cancer in younger patients. We evaluated clinical characteristics, tumor recurrence and progression in patients younger than 40 years old with urothelial bladder carcinoma. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 31 patients less than 40 years old who were firstly managed with bladder urothelial carcinoma in our department. Data were analysed with the Chi-square test. Results. Mean age was 31.7 years. Mean followup was 38.52 months (11–72 months). Nineteen (61%) patients were diagnosed with GII and 2 (6%) patients with GIII disease. Five (16%) patients presented with T1 disease. Three (9%) patients with invasive disease underwent cystectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy and one developed metastatic disease. Ten (32%) patients recurred during followup with a disease free recurrence rate of 65% the first 2 years after surgery. From those, 1 patient progressed to higher stage and three to higher grade disease. No patient died during followup. Conclusions. Bladder urothelial carcinoma in patients younger than 40 years is usually low stage and low grade. Management of these patients should be according to clinical characteristics and no different from older patients with the same disease

The archaeobotany of Neolithic and Bronze Age Crete: synthesis and prospects

This paper explores the full potential of archaeobotanical research in the investigation of issues such as agricultural practices and resource management and mobilisation in shaping the social dynamics of Neolithic and Bronze Age Crete, through a synthesis for the first time of all available archaeobotanical information to date. To this body of data new information is added from six sites: Kephala Petras, Pryniatikos Pyrgos, Aghia Fotia, Knossos Little Palace North, Sissi and Zominthos. A comprehensive methodology is devised using three units of analysis to allow an in-depth study, firstly of the quality of the available dataset and secondly of its content. A total of 80 archaeobotanical records, compiled in one database, are examined in the light of the methods employed for their sampling, recovery and processing. The reliability of the current dataset is assessed, highlighting shortcomings; methodological issues are addressed to improve its quality. These records are then analysed according to their temporal, spatial and contextual distribution across the island. A synthesis of the full resource base, including cereals, legumes, fruits, nuts, condiments and wild species, is conducted, providing a contextualised picture of their availability and use, and identifying lacunae and interpretational potential. On these bases a research agenda is set and future research priorities and new approaches are suggested that place archaeobotany in the core of current archaeological discourse on social models, practices and meanings for prehistoric Crete

A coupled 3D isogeometric and discrete element approach for modelling interactions between structures and granular matters

A three-dimensional (3D) isogeometric/discrete-element coupling method is presented for modelling contact/impact between structures and particles. This method takes advantages of the geometry smoothness and exactness of isogeometric analysis (IGA) for continuous solid media and the effectiveness and flexibility of the discrete element method (DEM) for particulate matters. The coupling procedure for handling interactions between IGA elements and discrete elements (DEs) includes global search, local search and interaction calculation. In the global search, the CGRID method is modified to detect potential contact pairs between IGA elements and DEs based on their bounding box representations. The strong convex hull property of a NURBS control mesh plays an important part in the bounding box representation of IGA elements. In the local search, the proposed approach treats each spherical DE centroid as a slave node and the contact surface of each IGA element as the master surface. The projection of a DE centroid onto an IGA element contact surface is solved by modifying the simplex method and Brent iterations. The contact force between an IGA element and a DE is determined from their penetration by using a (nonlinear) penalty function based method. The whole coupled system is solved by the explicit time integration within a updated Lagrangian scheme. Finally, three impact examples, including the impact of two symmetric bars, a tube onto a footing strip, and an assembly of granular particles to a tailor rolled blank, are simulated in elastic regime to assess the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method

Archaeology, Hydrogeology and Geomythology in the Stymphalos Valley

This paper uses the results of recent excavations of the city of Stymphalos and environmental studies on the floor of the Stymphalos polje to examine the role of both the lake and springs in the history of the classical city. Associated with Artemis and famed for Herakles' sixth labour (killing of the Stymphalian birds), the city has a rich (geo)mythology. While this narrative has been associated solely with the lake, it is argued here that this geomythology was part of the city's relationship to environmental unpredictability and the relationship between water supply and water loss. Seen in this context, the construction of the fountain-house above the contemporary lakeshore is symbolic of the importance of springs to the foundation and sustainability of the classical city during both the Greek and Roman Periods. Through these archaeological and environmental analyses, we seek to illustrate the complimentary, but complex nature of archaeological, hydrogeological and palaeoenvironmental data that intersect in the geomythological landscapes of Mediterranean antiquity

Letter from Katerina Kopaka to Emmett L. Bennett Jr., January 12, 2000

In an email exchange, Bennett writes to Kopaka that he has copies of files which she has requested. She responds with an address where to send these files.Classic

Une bague minoenne de Malia

Κατά τή διάρκεια ἑνός καθαρισμοῦ τοῦ κτηρίου Δα στά Μάλια βρέθηκε, τό 1981, ἡ σφενδόνη ἑνός μολύβδινου δακτυλιδιοῦ. Ἔχει σχήμα ἐλλειψοειδές καί εἶναι διακοσμημένη μέ τήν παράσταση μιᾶς πομπῆς τριῶν γυναικῶν. Αὐτη ἡ νέα πομπική σκηνή εἶναι ἀρκετά χαρακτηριστική ἐπειδή προέρχεται ἀπό μία κατοικία τῶν Νεοανακτορικῶν μινωικῶν χρόνων.En juin 1981, un chaton de bague en plomb a été découvert lors d'un nettoyage dans la maison Δα de Malia. De forme ovale, le chaton porte en creux la représentation de trois femmes qui s'avancent vers la droite : cette nouvelle représentation d'une procession féminine est d'autant plus intéressante qu'elle figure sur une bague minoenne datant de l'époque des Seconds Palais et provenant d'un contexte résidentiel.Kopaka Katérina. Une bague minoenne de Malia. In: Bulletin de correspondance hellénique. Volume 108, livraison 1, 1984. pp. 3-12

‘Gavdos: The House’. A Theatre/Archaeology Narrative and Pieces of Knowledge of Diachronic Home Life

At the site called Katalymata, on the island of Gavdos off the south western Cretan shores, the University of Crete is excavating a spacious building complex dating back to the Bronze Age (3rd and mainly 2nd millennia BC). In this paper, we discuss a theatrical performance inspired by this discovery and investigation, which was first presented in situ on the field in 2012. The play was created by young members of the research team, who are themselves both archaeologists and actors. It is based on the accounts in the excavation notebooks of the prehistoric activities revealed in the building’s stratigraphy and enlivened by the memories of the modern islanders of their happenings at home. It also draws upon wider cognitive pieces of relevant knowledge—philosophical, literary and other. This combination was moulded to produce a structured narrative of domestic life on the island through time, and illustrate some specific aspects and overall meanings, material and symbolic, of ‘dwelling’ down the ages. Since its Gavdiot premiere, the work has been adapted for different media to travel in Greece and elsewhere in Europe, as a performative guided tour played in historic houses, as a lecture performance for conferences and art venues, and as an audiovisual installation in museums of contemporary art

Ληνοί Μινωικοί. Installations minoennes de traitement des produits liquides

Στην παρούσα μελέτη εξετάζουμε έναν πολύ χαρακτηριστικό τύπο βιοτεχνικής εγκατάστασης, που συναντάται συχνά σε οικισμούς ή μεμονωμένα κτήρια της μινωικής εποχής. Πρόκειται, στην απλούστερη και πιο συνηθισμένη μορφή του, για έναν κολουροκωνικό κάδο με προχοή τοποθετημένο πάνω σ ένα τεχνητό βάθρο ή θρανίο και ένα μεγάλο αγγείο σε άμεση συνάρτηση μ' αυτόν, σε χαμηλότερο επίπεδο, για την περισυλλογή κάποιου υγρού. Για τον τύπο αυτόν της εγκατάστασης έχουν δοθεί μέχρι σήμερα ποικίλες ερμηνείες της χρήσης του : για το διαχωρισμό δύο υγρών (λαδιού και νερού), κατά τη διαδικασία παραγωγής του λαδιού ' για τη σύνθλιψη σταφυλιών κατά την παρασκευή του κρασιού ' απλά για το πλύσιμο υφασμάτων. Μετά την παρουσίαση ενός κατά το δυνατόν πλήρους καταλόγου όλων των μέχρι σήμερα γνωστών μινωικών εγκαταστάσεων αυτού του τύπου, γίνεται μια απόπειρα κατανόησης της λειτουργίας τους, με τη βοήθεια συγκριτικών και εικονογραφικών στοιχείων (σε διαχρονική βάση). Τέλος, εξετάζεται ο ρόλος των εγκαταστάσεων αυτών στο ευρύτερο κοινωνικοοικονομικό πλαίσιο της μινωικής εποχής.Nous examinons ici un type très caractéristique d'installation artisanale, fréquente dans les habitats ou les bâtiments isolés de l'époque minoenne. Elle est composée, dans sa forme la plus simple et la plus courante, d'un récipient tronconique avec bec verseur placé sur une plate-forme artificielle ou un banc et, en immédiate relation avec lui, d'un grand vase situé à un niveau inférieur, servant à recueillir un liquide. On a donné des interprétations variées de ces installations : servaient-elles à séparer deux liquides (huile et eau), au cours de la production de l'huile ? à écraser les raisins pendant la fabrication du vin? à laver les vêtements? Après avoir dressé un catalogue, aussi complet que possible, des installations minoennes de ce type connues à ce jour, on tente de comprendre leur fonctionnement, à l'aide de données comparatives et de parallèles iconographiques diachroniques. Enfin, on examine le rôle de ces installations dans le cadre socio-économique plus large de l'époque minoenne.Platon L Leftéris, Kopaka Katérina. Ληνοί Μινωικοί. Installations minoennes de traitement des produits liquides . In: Bulletin de correspondance hellénique. Volume 117, livraison 1, 1993. pp. 35-101