A Graph-Theoretic Formulation of Exploratory Blockmodeling

We present a new simple graph-theoretic formulation of the exploratory blockmodeling problem on undirected and unweighted one-mode networks. Our formulation takes as input the network G and the maximum number t of blocks for the solution model. The task is to find a minimum-size set of edge insertions and deletions that transform the input graph G into a graph G\u27 with at most t neighborhood classes. Herein, a neighborhood class is a maximal set of vertices with the same neighborhood. The neighborhood classes of G\u27 directly give the blocks and block interactions of the computed blockmodel. We analyze the classic and parameterized complexity of the exploratory blockmodeling problem, provide a branch-and-bound algorithm, an ILP formulation and several heuristics. Finally, we compare our exact algorithms to previous ILP-based approaches and show that the new algorithms are faster for t ? 4

Kunstangst. Anxiety as a Defining Moment of Aesthetical Experience

U ovom članku nastojimo uvesti pojam Kunstangst [dan. umjetnička tjeskoba] kao oznaku za destabilizirajuće i transformativno stanje koje umjetničko djelo može nametnuti svome promatraču. Do današnjih dana, umjetnički diskurs i kuratorij nastavljaju oblikovati prosvjetiteljski ideali. Ovo nasljeđe potiče nas da se riješimo svoje individualnosti, bilo da se stavimo na tuđe mjesto, bilo da težimo objektivnosti i ponovljivosti. Navedeno smatramo vrlo problematičnim, a da bismo preispitali znanstvene, racionalne i nepristrane pristupe, odlučili smo istražiti osobniji, intimniji odnos između umjetničkog djela i promatrača. Izraz Kunstangst proizlazi iz egzistencijalističke koncepcije tjeskobe, koja potječe od filozofije Sørena Kierkegaarda. Nadamo se da će nam prijenos tog egzistencijalističkog pojma pružiti novi estetski alat koji će nam omogućiti poništavanje lanaca prosvjetiteljske misli i pomoći u približavanju intenzitetu u srcu estetskog iskustva. Kao ispomoć pri aproprijaciji tako apstraktnog filozofskog pojma i njegovoj primjeni na estetiku, inkorporirat ćemo istraživanje psihologa Kazimierza Dabrowskog koji tvrdi da vanjski sukobi mogu izazvati tjeskobu koja – usmjeri li se pravilno – može postati transformativnim iskustvom. Slijedeći ovu liniju razmišljanja u estetskom kontekstu, vjerujemo da na taj način umjetničko iskustvo može nositi transformativni potencijal.In this paper, we wish to propose a notion Kunstangst [Danish for art anxiety] as a designation for the destabilising and transformative state that art can impose on its spectator. To this day, art discourse and curation continue to be shaped by Enlightenment ideals. This legacy urges us to dispose of our individuality, either by putting ourselves in someone else’s place or by striving towards objectivity and repeatability. We regard this as highly problematic, and to question the scientific, rational, and disinterested approaches, we have chosen to investigate a more personal, intimate relation between artwork and spectator. The notion Kunstangst derives from the existentialist concept of anxiety, which originates in the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard. We hope that the transfer of this existentialist concept will provide us with a new aesthetic tool that can enable us to undo the chains of Enlightenment thought and help us approximate the intensity at the heart of aesthetic experience. Aiding us in the appropriation of such an abstract philosophical concept and its application to aesthetics, we incorporate the research of psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski. He claims that external conflicts can evoke anxiety, which can – if properly engaged with – become transformative experiences. Following this line of reasoning in an aesthetic context, we believe that this is how the art experience can have transformative potential

Systemic and cerebral vascular endothelial growth factor levels increase in murine cerebral malaria along with increased Calpain and caspase activity and can be reduced by erythropoietin treatment

The pathogenesis of cerebral malaria (CM) includes compromised microvascular perfusion, increased inflammation, cytoadhesion, and endothelial activation. These events cause blood–brain barrier disruption and neuropathology and associations with the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway have been shown. We studied this pathway in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA causing murine CM with or without the use of erythropoietin (EPO) as adjunct therapy. ELISA and western blotting was used for quantification of VEGF and relevant proteins in brain and plasma. CM increased levels of VEGF in brain and plasma and decreased plasma levels of soluble VEGF receptor 2. EPO treatment normalized VEGF receptor 2 levels and reduced brain VEGF levels. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α was significantly upregulated whereas cerebral HIF-2α and EPO levels remained unchanged. Furthermore, we noticed increased caspase-3 and calpain activity in terminally ill mice, as measured by protease-specific cleavage of α-spectrin and p35. In conclusion, we detected increased cerebral and systemic VEGF as well as HIF-1α, which in the brain were reduced to normal in EPO-treated mice. Also caspase and calpain activity was reduced markedly in EPO-treated mice

Systemic and cerebral vascular endothelial growth factor levels increase in murine cerebral malaria along with increased calpain and caspase activity and can be reduced by erythropoietin treatment

The pathogenesis of cerebral malaria includes compromised microvascular perfusion, increased inflammation, cytoadhesion and endothelial activation. These events cause blood-brain barrier disruption and neuropathology and can be associated with the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling pathway. We studied this pathway in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA causing murine cerebral malaria with or without the use of erythropoietin as adjunct therapy. ELISA and western blotting was used for quantification of VEGF and relevant proteins in brain and plasma. Cerebral malaria increased levels of VEGF in brain and plasma and decreased plasma levels of soluble VEGF receptor 2. Erythropoietin treatment normalised VEGF receptor 2 levels and reduced brain VEGF levels. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α was significantly upregulated whereas cerebral HIF-2α and erythropoietin levels remained unchanged. Furthermore, we noticed increased caspase-3 and calpain activity in terminally ill mice, as measured by protease-specific cleavage of α-spectrin and p35. In conclusion, we detected increased cerebral and systemic VEGF as well as HIF-1α, which in the brain were reduced to normal in erythropoietin-treated mice. Also caspase and calpain activity was reduced markedly in erythropoietin-treated mice

Molecular evolution of Puumala hantavirus in Fennoscandia: phylogenetic analysis of strains from two recolonization routes, Karelia and Denmark

Like other members of the genus Hantavirus in the family Bunyaviridae, Puumala virus (PUUV) is thought to be co-evolving with its natural host, the bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus. To gain insight into the evolutionary history of PUUV in northern Europe during the last post-glacial period, we have studied wild-type PUUV strains originating from areas along two postulated immigration routes of bank voles to Fennoscandia. Full-length sequences of the S RNA segment and partial sequences (nt 2168–2569) of the M segment were recovered by RT–PCR directly from bank vole tissues collected at three locations in Russian Karelia and one location in Denmark. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strains from Karelia and Finland belong to the same genetic lineage, supporting the hypothesis that PUUV spread to present Finland via a Karelian land-bridge. The Danish PUUV strains showed no particularly close relatedness to any of the known PUUV strains and formed a distinct phylogenetic lineage on trees calculated for both S and M segment sequences. Although no direct link between the Danish PUUV strains and those of the southern Scandinavian lineage was found, within the S segment of Danish PUUV strains, two regions with higher similarity to either northern Scandinavian or – to a less extent – southern Scandinavian genetic lineage

Proceedings from the VIth International Congress of Art History Students: Interdisciplinarity in Art History

When we first applied for the role of organizers of the VIth International Congress of Art History Students, in what now seems like a very distant late 2016, we knew there would be a lot of work ahead of us. The congress had, by then, become a traditionand somewhat of a landmark event in the academic year of art history students, with an ever-growing base of international students, professors and other researchers gathering at the Croatian capital. Keeping the importance and legacy of the event in mind, while also seeing the potential for further development, we worked hard and gave all we could during the next 12 months with the goal of raising the congress to a whole new level. Of special importance for us was the congress topic of Interdisciplinarity in art history, taken not only in methodological or theoretical, but in a much broader sense. With it, we wanted to stress the importance of such approach, especially in the contemporary scientific community in which the humanities are often looked down upon. From usage of contemporary technologies in art historical research, to finding the common ground between related fields, we wanted to show what art history can be in the 21st century, and all the potential it holds.When we first applied for the role of organizers of the VIth International Congress of Art History Students, in what now seems like a very distant late 2016, we knew there would be a lot of work ahead of us. The congress had, by then, become a traditionand somewhat of a landmark event in the academic year of art history students, with an ever-growing base of international students, professors and other researchers gathering at the Croatian capital. Keeping the importance and legacy of the event in mind, while also seeing the potential for further development, we worked hard and gave all we could during the next 12 months with the goal of raising the congress to a whole new level. Of special importance for us was the congress topic of Interdisciplinarity in art history, taken not only in methodological or theoretical, but in a much broader sense. With it, we wanted to stress the importance of such approach, especially in the contemporary scientific community in which the humanities are often looked down upon. From usage of contemporary technologies in art historical research, to finding the common ground between related fields, we wanted to show what art history can be in the 21st century, and all the potential it holds