Absorbing the gaze, scattering looks: Klimt’s distinctive style and its two-fold effect on the eye of the beholder

Among the most renowned painters of the early twentieth century, Gustav Klimt is often associated – by experts and laymen alike - with a distinctive style of representation: the visual juxtaposition of realistic features and flattened ornamental patterns. Art historical writing suggests that this juxtaposition allows a two-fold experience; the perception of both the realm of art and the realm of life. While Klimt adopted a variety of stylistic choices in his career, this one popularised his work and was hardly ever used by other artists. The following study was designed to observe whether Klimt’s distinctive style causes a specific behaviour of the viewer, at the level of eye-movements. Twenty-one portraits were shown to thirty viewers while their eye-movements were recorded. The pictures included artworks by Klimt in both his distinctive and non-distinctive styles, as well as other artists of the same historical period. The recorded data show that only Klimt’s distinctive paintings induce a specific eye-movement pattern with alternating longer (“absorbed”) and shorter (“scattered”) fixations. We therefore claim that there is a behavioural correspondence to what art historical interpretations have so far asserted: The perception of “Klimt’s style” can be described as two-fold also at a physiological level

THE SAINT GEORGE QUARANTINE STATION OF PIRAEUS, GREECE (1865–1947)

For centuries, the marine quarantine system was the major protection of the public health against serious infectious diseases around the world. The present study reconstructs the history of the Quarantine Station of Piraeus, one of the largest Mediterranean ports, known as the “Lazaretto of Saint George”, as a vital element in the maritime sanitary protection of Greece. Our research will investigate the impact left by this institution on public health, as well as on the economic life of the port of Piraeus and the adjacent capital city of Athens. With regard to the first issue, we will seek to evaluate its role in relation to major outbreaks in the capital, as well as the arrival of 1.3 million Greek refugees after the Greco-Turkish War of 1922. The opening of Suez Canal (1865) was a great challenge and the institution was problematic at administrative and sanitary levels. During 20th century, the station complied with the national public health legislation and the international sanitary conventions. Until the Second World War, the Lazaretto of Saint George played a key role in both the protection of public health in general, but also in the economic and industrial progress of Piraeus and Athens

Determinants of Sexual Activity and Its Relation to Cervical Cancer Risk among South African Women

BACKGROUND. Invasive cervical cancer is the commonest cause of cancer morbidity and mortality in South African women. This study provides information on adult women's sexual activity and cervical cancer risk in South Africa. METHODS. The data were derived from a case-control study of hormonal contraceptives and cervical cancer risk. Information on age of sexual debut and number of lifetime sexual partners was collected from 524 incident cases and 1541 hospital controls. Prevalence ratios and adjusted prevalence ratios were utilised to estimate risk in exposures considered common. Crude and adjusted relative risks were estimated where the outcome was uncommon, using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS. The median age of sexual debut and number of sexual partners was 17 years and 2 respectively. Early sexual debut was associated with lower education, increased number of life time partners and alcohol use. Having a greater number of sexual partners was associated with younger sexual debut, being black, single, higher educational levels and alcohol use. The adjusted odds ratio for sexual debut < 16 years and ≥ 4 life-time sexual partners and cervical cancer risk were 1.6 (95% CI 1.2 – 2.2) and 1.7 (95% CI 1.2 – 2.2), respectively. CONCLUSION. Lower socio-economic status, alcohol intake, and being single or black, appear to be determinants of increased sexual activity in South African women. Education had an ambiguous effect. As expected, cervical cancer risk is associated with increased sexual activity. Initiatives to encourage later commencement of sex, and limiting the number of sexual partners would have a favourable impact on risk of cancer of the cervix and other sexually transmitted infections.National Cancer Institute (R01 CA 73985

World-wide epidemiology of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B and associated precore and core promoter variants

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72281/1/j.1365-2893.2002.00304.x.pd

Recent investigations of early Roman cameo glass : Part 2. X-ray fluorescence analyses induced by Synchrotron radiation

The elemental composition of 14 Roman cameo glass fragments was measured quantitatively b y X-ray fluorescence analysis induced by synchrotron radiation. The study was intended to learn more about the possible manufacturing techniques of these glasses. In the white cameo decor of nine fragments all belonging to vessels a higher lead oxide concentration was detected compared to the colored body. In contrast, lead oxide is not enhanced in the remaining five fragments from cameo disks or plates. The higher concentrations may be interpreted as flux added to lower the melting temperature of the white cameo layers of the vessels, thus supporting the recent hypothesis that these cameo vessels were manufactured with the help of a mold on a turning wheel, which had not to be used for the production of cameo plates

Associations Among Healthcare Utilization and Binge Drinking

Objective. To examine associations among routine healthcare services and binge drinking in Vermont adults. Methods. We analyzed a cross-sectional sample of randomly selected 6516 adults who participated in the self-reported 2017 Vermont Behavioral Risk Surveillance System survey. We estimated odds ratios for responses indicative of binge drinking in association with length of time since last routine checkup using a bivariate logistic regression model. Results. Participants who reported binge drinking were 31% (OR = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.56, 0.83) less likely to engage in a healthcare visit within the past year controlling for age, employment status, annual household income, and sex with all tests holding statistical significance (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion. Findings indicated that binge drinking coincided with a decrease in likelihood of using routine healthcare services within one year. Policy recommendations. Binge drinking remains a costly form of substance misuse, physically to the individual and financially to the public. Addressing perceived barriers and encouraging those who binge drink to seek annual routine healthcare services is vital to ensuring these at-risk populations receive car