Greek-Romanian Symbiotic Patterns in the Early Modern Period: History,Mentalities, Institutions - I

The patriarchal decree validating the establishment of the Wallachian archdiocese in 1359; a series of documents pertaining to the early history of the Koutloumousiou monastery on Mount Athos; the surviving redactions of Patriarch Niphon II's lost vita; the proceedings of the interrogation of a Greek priest arrested by the Polish authorities on charges of conspiracy and espionage; and an emphatically digressive section in Matthew of Myra's verse chronicle known as History of Wallachia. This article, of which the first part is presently published, offers a discussion of these textual materials - which span four crucial centuries of Balkan history and represent an intriguing variety of discursive practices and traditions. It aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the intricate mechanisms that generated a climate of toleration, mobility and inter-ethnic contact in the Ottoman Balkans, enabling a symbiotic relationship between Greeks and Romanians, which found its vital space in the semi-autonomous and strategically located Danubian principalities, and endured throughout the early modern period despite having been severely undermined by opposing tendencies and conflicting interests. The two sections at hand focus on the Bishop of Myra's pivotal text, as well as on written records related to the early, and yet formative, contacts between the nascent Romanian states and the late Byzantine Empire; in the two remaining sections, which will appear in the next volume of The Historical Review, this endeavour will be brought to a conclusion by means of a (necessarily selective) presentation of evidence dating from the period after the fall of Constantinople and up to the beginning of the seventeenth century

THE PEDIATRIC FLAT FOOT: PRE AND POST SURGICAL CORRECTION 3D KINEMATICS DATA

Introduction: aim of this study was to establish normality parameters and analyze 3D kinematic data before and after surgical correction of the pediatric flexible flat foot Materials and methods: study population was composed of 2 groups: 10 children (20 feet, 5M/5F)without any disorders of the foot were evaluated to obtain normal reference data; 20 children with bilateral flexible flatfoot candidate to bilateral surgical correction (40 feet, 13M/7F) The RFM -3D kinematics protocol was used. Clinical, radiographic and instrumental evaluation were performed preoperatively and at 12 months by the same surgeon An arthroereisis of the subtalar joint was performed by the same surgeon. Patients were divided in 3 groups:1:normality;2:before surgery;3: after surgery. For all the variables and for the three planes of the space comparison between groups were performed. Results: 3D rotational joint variables and planar angles were defined for normality, before and after sur-gery at the upright standing position. Differences were observed: hind foot , frontal plane; Chopart Joint ,transverse plane; Lisfanc Joint, frontal/transverse planes; ratio between 1rst and 2nd metatarsal, transverse plane; 2nd and 5th metatarsal versus ground respectively, sagittal plane; MLA, transverse plane Discussion/conclusions:: different variables, normalized after correction, suggest that surgery performed at the hind foot can also improves mid foot pronation, increases the medial longitudinal arch and im-proves ratio between metatarsal bones, allowing to quantify changes that clinical and radiological evaluation cannot provide. The pediatric foot is similar to the adults and pediatric flexible flat foot could be corrected surgically, even if painless

Greek-Romanian Symbiotic Patterns in the Early Modern Period: History, Mentalities, Institutions - II

This is the second part of a larger study seeking to contribute to a better understanding of the sustained process of religious, socio-political and cultural contact between Greek and Romanian ethnic groups in the early modern period. The two sections published here bring forward and discuss little-known and yet important evidence covering the first two post-Byzantine centuries and are intended to elaborate, supplement or contextualise the materials presented in the first part (which appeared in the previous volume of this journal). Not accidentally, this article ends with an unavoidable reference to the very text that ignited our exploration into the historical landscape of the pre-modern Balkans, a short but striking passage from Matthew of Myra's early seventeenth-century chronicle known as History of Wallachia. Indeed, Matthew's testimony stands out as one of the first conscious attempts to account for the uneasy, but also prolific, dynamic and multi-layered, relationship between the two peoples. It has been the aim of this paper to illustrate the basic patterns of that intricate, as much as intriguing, relationship as it was being shaped in the aftermath of the Byzantine Commonwealth's absorption into the challenging world of the Ottoman Turks. 

Alan Lomax, Hard Hitting Songs for Hard-Hit People, (Notes on the songs by Woody Guthrie, Music transcribed and edited and with an afterword by Pete Seeger)

On first going through the book Hard Hitting Songs for Hard-Hit People, one may think this is just a collection of songs referring to the era where people actually had a reason to feel and be hard-hit. This, in itself, might well be a good starting point to delve into a difficult time in American history such as the Depression years and reflect on the impact it had on the individual’s daily life and well-being or the lack of it. As the story through music unfolds and this ‘journey’ takes us t..

Greek-Romanian Symbiotic Patterns in the Early Modern Period: History, Mentalities, Institutions - II

This is the second part of a larger study seeking to contribute to a better understanding of the sustained process of religious, socio-political and cultural contact between Greek and Romanian ethnic groups in the early modern period. The two sections published here bring forward and discuss little-known and yet important evidence covering the first two post-Byzantine centuries and are intended to elaborate, supplement or contextualise the materials presented in the first part (which appeared in the previous volume of this journal). Not accidentally, this article ends with an unavoidable reference to the very text that ignited our exploration into the historical landscape of the pre-modern Balkans, a short but striking passage from Matthew of Myra's early seventeenth-century chronicle known as History of Wallachia. Indeed, Matthew's testimony stands out as one of the first conscious attempts to account for the uneasy, but also prolific, dynamic and multi-layered, relationship between the two peoples. It has been the aim of this paper to illustrate the basic patterns of that intricate, as much as intriguing, relationship as it was being shaped in the aftermath of the Byzantine Commonwealth's absorption into the challenging world of the Ottoman Turks. 

Factors influencing car user propensity to shift to other modes and their impacts on demand for airport parking facilities

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to analyse the factors influencing car user behaviour and examine the possible impacts of public transit improvements on the demand for airport long-term parking facilities. The case of the Athens International Airport (AIA) is considered for the analysis. Design/methodology: The followed approach comprises three steps: First the related literature is reviewed and the method is presented. Then data collection is carried out through a survey questionnaire comprising a revealed preference and a stated preference part. The compiled data is processed using factor analysis. Finally, the results are assessed leading to the drawing of final conclusions. Findings: The results of the analysis enable: (a) to determine different user groups with different demand elasticities and likelihoods to shift to public transport, and (b) to conclude from the quantitative representation of the different user groups the real impact on the car parking demand. Research limitations: The analysis gives no consideration to the mix of measures that can possibly increase competitiveness of parking services such as real-time information about availability of parking space to users; online booking and discount rates for early birds, etc. Originality/value: The paper includes original work based on primary data from a field survey, similar of which has not been published for the AIA. The results are important for airport authorities to keep a balance between parking demand and supply by formulating the right marketing policies.Peer Reviewe

Role of cellular ion channels in the BK polyomavirus life cycle

BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) is a human pathogen that infects the majority of the population, worldwide, establishing a lifelong infection. Immunocompromised patients following renal transplantation, are likely to suffer from severe clinical complications, including polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (PVAN), which can ultimately lead to kidney graft failure. Currently, there are no direct acting anti-viral compounds targeting BKPyV and the number of renal transplants is increasing significantly. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand the viral life cycle in order to identify potential targets that can be exploited for therapeutic development. Ion channels play a critical role in kidney physiology by controlling several processes, implicating them as candidate proteins required for BKPyV infection. A pharmacological analysis was performed in which human primary renal epithelial cells were treated with a range of pharmacological modulators of host ion channels and the effect on BKPyV production assayed using a fluorescence-based technique. From this approach, it was identified that the clinically available drug, Glibenclamide is a potent inhibitor of BKPyV infection. Biochemical analysis and molecular-based techniques revealed that the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) was the target of Glibenclamide and time-of-addition experiments indicated that CFTR might be required during the entry and trafficking of BKPyV through the cytoplasm. These studies provide the first reported requirement for host ion channels in the BKPyV life cycle. Studies on other related polyomaviruses, including JCPyV, SV40 and Merkel cell polyomavirus determined a cell type-dependent requirement of CFTR in the viruses’ life cycle, highlighting the importance of understanding the role of host ion channels in polyomaviruses’ life cycle. Ion channels are an emerging target for many medical conditions and such compounds that target these may represent a novel strategy for developing therapeutics to treat PVAN and/or other polyomavirus-associated clinical complications