527 research outputs found

    Confronting the Joint Legacies of the Holocaust and Colonialism in Alex Miller''s Landscape of Farewell

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    The aim of this article is to apply the concept of synergy to the workings of memory in Alex Miller''s Landscape of Farewell (2007) by focusing on the relationship between its two main characters, Max Otto, a German professor of history, and Dougald Gnapun, an Aboriginal elder. It does so with a view to analysing the way in which fiction can weave connections between different histories of violence-in this case the Holocaust and the colonisation of Australia-while simultaneously pointing to the risks of downplaying the specificities of each case. Both men are burdened by traumatic memories of past atrocities: for Max it is his father''s complicity in the crimes of Nazism, while for Dougald it is the 1861 Cullin-la-Ringo massacre of white settlers, allegedly led by his great-grandfather. Max and Dougald meet through Vita McLelland, a young Aboriginal academic visiting Hamburg, who invites Max to a conference at the University of Sydney and then to visit her uncle Dougald in Queensland so that the professor can learn about the history of Australia''s indigenous people. Though far from one another in terms of geographical and cultural background, a close friendship develops between these two men whose only initial link is their being descendants of perpetrators. I argue that by confronting the joint legacies of the Holocaust and colonialism through Max and Dougald''s synergistic and transformative friendship, and by placing their stories/memories in a broader transnational and transhistorical context, Miller''s fictional recreation of these historical events engages with the complex relationship between victimisers and victims, perpetrators and descendants, history and fiction, remembrance and appropriation, which, as in the case of Max and Dougald, suggests the possibility of reconciliation with, and a letting go, of traumatic pasts

    Big catch, little sharks: Insight into Peruvian small-scale longline fisheries.

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    PublishedJournal ArticleThis is the final version of the article. Available from Wiley Open Access via the DOI in this record.Shark take, driven by vast demand for meat and fins, is increasing. We set out to gain insights into the impact of small-scale longline fisheries in Peru. Onboard observers were used to document catch from 145 longline fishing trips (1668 fishing days) originating from Ilo, southern Peru. Fishing effort is divided into two seasons: targeting dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus; December to February) and sharks (March to November). A total of 16,610 sharks were observed caught, with 11,166 identified to species level. Of these, 70.6% were blue sharks (Prionace glauca), 28.4% short-fin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus), and 1% were other species (including thresher (Alopias vulpinus), hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena), porbeagle (Lamnus nasus), and other Carcharhinidae species (Carcharhinus brachyurus, Carcharhinus falciformis, Galeorhinus galeus). Mean ± SD catch per unit effort of 33.6 ± 10.9 sharks per 1000 hooks was calculated for the shark season and 1.9 ± 3.1 sharks per 1000 hooks were caught in the dolphinfish season. An average of 83.7% of sharks caught (74.7% blue sharks; 93.3% mako sharks) were deemed sexually immature and under the legal minimum landing size, which for species exhibiting k-selected life history traits can result in susceptibility to over exploitation. As these growing fisheries operate along the entire Peruvian coast and may catch millions of sharks per annum, we conclude that their continued expansion, along with ineffective legislative approaches resulting in removal of immature individuals, has the potential to threaten the sustainability of the fishery, its target species, and ecosystem. There is a need for additional monitoring and research to inform novel management strategies for sharks while maintaining fisher livelihoods.We would like to thank the members of the fishing communities who participated in this study, in particular the fishers who were willing to have an observer onboard. We acknowledge Pro Delphinus staff: Bernedo, Cuentas, Lopez, and Mamani, for their help in data collection. We are thankful also to Pro Delphinus staff Natalia Ortiz and Nadia Balducci for support in data entry. This study was conducted in conjunction with and funded by the Darwin Initiative Sustainable Artisanal Fisheries Initiative in Peru and an initial grant from the Oak Foundation through Duke University. MJW was funded by PRIMaRE. JAS and JCM received support from ORSAS and University of Exeter, respectively

    Adaptación del “Cuestionario de Evaluación de la Adhesión al Tratamiento antirretroviral” (CEAT-VIH) para su uso en Perú

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    Objective: To adapt and validate the “Assessment of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Questionnary” “Cuestionariopara evaluar la adhesión al tratamiento antirretroviral” (CEAT-VIH) for use in Peru, in HIV-infected patients in highlyactive antiretroviral therapy (HAART).Method: Understanding of the questionnaire was evaluated as well as its psychometric properties in 41 HIV-infectedpatients; antiretroviral therapy for at least 3 months was required. Data was obtained between December 2005 andJanuary 2006. CEAT-VIH was carried out the day when sample for HIV viral load and CD4 cell count were taken.Reliability and validity related to two external criterions were evaluated.Results: CEAT-VIH showed appropriate reliability (α = 0,706) and adequate external criterion-related validity for CD4cell count (r = 0,439, p < 0.005), and for HIV viral load (r = - 0,548, p < 0, 005).Conclusions: CEAT-VIH has proved to be useful to assess the level of adherence and to identify the factors affectingpatient adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in Peru.Objetivos: El objetivo de este estudio fue adaptar y validar el “Cuestionario para evaluar la adhesión al tratamientoantirretroviral” (CEAT-VIH) para su uso en el Perú, en pacientes VIH y SIDA en tratamiento antirretroviral degran actividad (TARGA).Métodos: Se evaluó la comprensión del cuestionario así como sus propiedades psicométricas en una muestra de 41pacientes con VIH y SIDA en tratamiento antirretroviral de gran actividad (TARGA) por más de tres meses. Elperiodo de estudio estuvo comprendido entre diciembre 2005 y enero 2006, el proceso de validación incluyó la aplicacióndel cuestionario el mismo día de la toma de muestra para el análisis de la carga viral y de los linfocitos TCD4.Se analizó la fi abilidad, la correlación de la puntuación con el recuento de linfocitos TCD4 y la carga viral.Resultados: Los resultados mostraron una adecuada fi abilidad (α = 0,706) y validez de criterio externa: respecto alrecuento de linfocitos TCD4 (r = 0,439, p < 0,005), y respecto a la carga viral (r = - 0,548, p < 0, 005).Conclusiones: El CEAT-VIH ha demostrado ser una adecuada herramienta para evaluar el nivel de adherencia eidentifi car los factores que infl uyen en la adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral en una muestra de pacientesVIH y SIDA en Perú

    Barry Unsworth's Morality Play: Narrative, detection, history

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    © 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Morality Play is a historical detective novel set in the late fourteenth century and published in 1995, at a time of flourishing for historical fiction in Britain. This article argues that the novel shares some of the features of contemporary British historical fiction (notably, a degree of self-referentiality and a concern with the relationship between reality and representation), but also retains more traditional historical novels' desire to show the fate of individuals caught at moments of historical change. Using White's reflections on forms of historical writing and an understanding of the history of detective fiction, the article brings this currently under-examined text to critical attention and, in so doing, contributes to current scholarly understanding of the so-called 'historical turn' in late-twentieth century British fiction

    Methodological considerations in the analysis of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in tufted capuchins (Cebus apella)

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    Analysis of fecal glucocorticoid (GC) metabolites has recently become the standard method to monitor adrenocortical activity in primates noninvasively. However, given variation in the production, metabolism, and excretion of GCs across species and even between sexes, there are no standard methods that are universally applicable. In particular, it is important to validate assays intended to measure GC production, test extraction and storage procedures, and consider the time course of GC metabolite excretion relative to the production and circulation of the native hormones. This study examines these four methodological aspects of fecal GC metabolite analysis in tufted capuchins (Cebus apella). Specifically, we conducted an adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) challenge on one male and one female capuchin to test the validity of four GC enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) and document the time course characterizing GC me- tabolite excretion in this species. In addition, we compare a common field-friendly technique for extracting fecal GC metabolites to an established laboratory extraction methodology and test for effects of storing “field extracts” for up to 1 yr. Results suggest that a corticosterone EIA is most sensitive to changes in GC production, provides reliable measures when extracted according to the field method, and measures GC metabolites which remain highly stable after even 12 mo of storage. Further, the time course of GC metabolite excretion is shorter than that described yet for any primate taxa. These results provide guidelines for studies of GCs in tufted capuchins, and underscore the importance of validating methods for fecal hormone analysis for each species of interest

    Holographic studies of quasi-topological gravity

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    Quasi-topological gravity is a new gravitational theory including curvature-cubed interactions and for which exact black hole solutions were constructed. In a holographic framework, classical quasi-topological gravity can be thought to be dual to the large NcN_c limit of some non-supersymmetric but conformal gauge theory. We establish various elements of the AdS/CFT dictionary for this duality. This allows us to infer physical constraints on the couplings in the gravitational theory. Further we use holography to investigate hydrodynamic aspects of the dual gauge theory. In particular, we find that the minimum value of the shear-viscosity-to-entropy-density ratio for this model is η/s0.4140/(4π)\eta/s \simeq 0.4140/(4\pi).Comment: 45 pages, 6 figures. v2: References adde

    Validation of control of allergic rhinitis and asthma test for children (CARATKids)--a prospective multicenter study

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    BACKGROUND: Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test for Children (CARATKids) is the first questionnaire that assesses simultaneously allergic rhinitis and asthma control in children. It was recently developed, but redundancy of questions and its psychometric properties were not assessed. This study aimed to (i) establish the final version of the CARATKids questionnaire and (ii) evaluate its reliability, responsiveness, cross-sectional validity, and longitudinal validity. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in 11 Portuguese centers. During two visits separated by 6 wk, CARATKids, visual analog scale scales and childhood asthma control test were completed, and participant's asthma and rhinitis were evaluated by his/her physician without knowing the questionnaires' results. Data-driven item reduction was conducted, and internal consistency, responsiveness analysis, and associations with external measures of disease status were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 113 children included, 101 completed both visits. After item reduction, the final version of the questionnaire has 13 items, eight to be answered by the child and five by the caregiver. Its Cronbach's alpha was 0.80, the Guyatt's responsiveness index was -1.51, and a significant (p < 0.001) within-patient change of CARATKids score in clinical unstable patients was observed. Regarding cross-sectional validity, correlation coefficients of CARATKids with the external measures of control were between 0.45 and -0.69 and met the a priori predictions. In the longitudinal validity assessment, the correlation coefficients between the score changes of CARATKids and those of external measures of control ranged from 0.34 to 0.46

    Mucin Secretion Induced by Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

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    Nanoparticle (NP) exposure has been closely associated with the exacerbation and pathophysiology of many respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma. Mucus hypersecretion and accumulation in the airway are major clinical manifestations commonly found in these diseases. Among a broad spectrum of NPs, titanium dioxide (TiO2), one of the PM10 components, is widely utilized in the nanoindustry for manufacturing and processing of various commercial products. Although TiO2 NPs have been shown to induce cellular nanotoxicity and emphysema-like symptoms, whether TiO2 NPs can directly induce mucus secretion from airway cells is currently unknown. Herein, we showed that TiO2 NPs (<75 nm) can directly stimulate mucin secretion from human bronchial ChaGo-K1 epithelial cells via a Ca2+ signaling mediated pathway. The amount of mucin secreted was quantified with enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA). The corresponding changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration were monitored with Rhod-2, a fluorescent Ca2+ dye. We found that TiO2 NP-evoked mucin secretion was a function of increasing intracellular Ca2+ concentration resulting from an extracellular Ca2+ influx via membrane Ca2+ channels and cytosolic ER Ca2+ release. The calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) mechanism played a major role in further amplifying the intracellular Ca2+ signal and in sustaining a cytosolic Ca2+ increase. This study provides a potential mechanistic link between airborne NPs and the pathoetiology of pulmonary diseases involving mucus hypersecretion
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