A Geography of Grief: An Exploration of the Significance of the Northern New Mexican Landscape in the Grieving process

I grew up within this landscape, yet I have never tired of the way the elements of stone, dust, and sky seem to writhe and pull away from one another. Alternately piercing through the earth as craggy mountains, or slicing deep canyons into the muted grey green expanses of crumbly earth, this land seems to cower beneath a blisteringly blue sky. In this land that fills our palms with the spines of tender cacti, and purple afternoon monsoons melt our roads into clay slicks with their deluge—I explore how the same intensity of this place, which forces drivers to relinquish their cars to muddy roadside embraces—also shelters within its feral grasp

UNA VISIÓN HISTÓRICA SOBRE EL INSTITUTO DE LA HERENCIA (CANON DE DIBRA)

In evidence of such ancient legal-civil tradition, we should pay special attention to Albanian canons. This work aims to analyze the institute of heritage in the Canon of Dibra, a canon that was applied in the region of Dibra, an ethno-cultural unit with its special tradition and culture, which consisted of nine self-governed units. These units qere governed by the regulations of the Canon of Dibra. This canon extended its effects on the central Albanian province of Dibra, which was allocated on both sides of the Black Drin River and included areas such as small and large Gryka, Bulqiza, Reci, Dardha, Çidhna, Muhurri, Luznia and Topalltia. In this article are treated the rules and provisions of the Canon of Dibra about the heritage, the circle of family members who may be heirs, the content of the right to inheritance and its basic characteristics, which are covered by a historical point of view

Correlation between instruction time and student’s school attitude: Albania vs European Countries

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between curriculum instruction time and student' school attitude. A mixed research approach was used in the study. The random-cluster samples of students, teachers, principals, and curriculum specialists were selected to be used in the research. The qualitative approach, including a review of official documentation as well as interviewing, was used to support a quantitative approach in the study. The descriptive analysis and a bivariate correlation statistic were used for the processing of data, and the inductive open coding and the typology techniques were used to analyse the qualitative data.  It is found that there are differences in instruction time between European countries and Albania. At the same time, the results showed that there is a relatively non-adequate student's school attitude in lower secondary education. The study demonstrated that there is a positive correlation between curriculum instruction time and the students' school attitude. It is one of a very small number of studies in curriculum instruction time to provide such results

COVID-19 fear, post-traumatic stress, growth, and the role of resilience

Understanding the factors through which pandemic fear may be associated not just with distress, but also with growth outcomes is crucial to informing interventions across population groups and cultural settings. To achieve this aim, in a cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between the fear of COVID-19, post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth while assessing the moderating role of trait resilience. Findings showed that fear of COVID-19 was associated with both stress and growth outcomes and that resilience was a significant moderator of these effects. Specifically, trait resilience acted as a buffer against post-traumatic stress and as a booster factor for appreciation for life. Given the imbalance between needs and resources in times of global pandemic, interventions promoting psychological wellbeing should leverage existing resources and consider psychological resilience as a valuable target to protect against negative and optimise positive outcomes

The Interpersonal Dimension of Pandemic Fear and the Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health: The Role of Coping Strategies

(1) Background: Current COVID-19 research has mainly focused on negative outcomes associated with fear of the pandemic with the examination of potentially positive outcomes remaining underexplored. Based on the dual-factor model of mental health, which postulates positive and negative dimensions, we assessed the influence of COVID-19 fear on both negative and positive mental health outcomes and examined the mediational role of coping strategies. (2) Methods: A convenience sample of 231 respondents participated in an online survey reporting on measures of pandemic fear (SFS), distress (HADS), post-traumatic growth (PTGI) and individual differences in terms of coping strategies (CSI-SF). (3) Results: Respondents’ main concerns related with the pandemic highlighted the interpersonal and social dimensions implicated in fear of COVID-19. As expected, fear of the pandemic was associated not just with negative but also positive outcomes, while different coping strategies played a role in determining such effects. More specifically, disengagement coping mediated the effects of fear on anxiety and depression, whereas engagement coping was the only mediator of the relationship between COVID-19 fear and post-traumatic growth. (4) Conclusions: Approaches to promote psychological wellbeing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic should on the one hand be sensitive to the needs of the more vulnerable population groups, while on the other leverage existing resources to harness the potential for growth. Strengthening engagement coping in the context of fears triggered by the pandemic may constitute a valuable target to protect against negative and optimize positive mental health outcomes in the general population

Sludge disposal

Mulj nastaje u postupku pročišćavanja otpadnih voda. Pročišćena otpadna voda se ispušta u prirodni prijamnik, a problem predstavlja izdvojeni mulj koji je potrebno obraditi i konačno zbrinuti radi očuvanja ljudskog zdravlja i okoliša. Za svaki pojedini uređaj koji pročišćava otpadnu vodu potrebno je odabrati siguran način kojim će se obrađeni mulj zbrinuti. Učinak uređaja za pročišćavanje ne smije se vrednovati jedino kakvoćom pročišćene vode, nego i učinkovitošću obrade mulja koji se izdvoji u postupku pročišćavanja. Što je stupanj pročišćavanja otpadnih voda veći, time su i količine izdvojena mulja veće. Mulj uz bezopasne tvari sadrži i opasne tvari kao što su teški metali, organski spojevi, biomasa i druge štetne tvari koje se tijekom pročišćavanja izdvajaju iz otpadnih voda. Mulj treba obrađivati stalno bez štetnih utjecaja na okoliš. Nakon što se utvrdi količina mulja, njegovo porijeklo i osnovne značajke, odlučuje se njegov način obrade i zbrinjavanja. Postoje različiti načini zbrinjavanja mulja upotrebom u poljoprivredi, odnosno za slične namjene kao što su cvjećarstvo, šumarstvo, pašnjaci, sanacija oštećenih dijelova zemljišta, korištenjem proizvoda termičke obrade - pepela u građevinarstvu, odlaganje mulja na deponijama te u građevinskoj industriji. Svi navedeni postupci imaju svoje prednosti i nedostatke te su tijekom godina primjene ukazali na pojavu raznih problema i ograničenja. Mulj je potrebno zbrinuti na odgovarajući održivi način što zahtjeva veću financijsku potporu. Donošenjem zakonskih regulativa na državnoj i lokalnoj razini potrebno je izraditi odgovarajuće analize, kriterije, smjernice te planirati provedbu načina obrade i konačnog odlaganja mulja iz otpadnih voda. U pravilu, važno je imati dobro izveden i efikasan sustav obrade i zbrinjavanja mulja. Cilj ovog rada je provesti istraživanje i analizu koja podrazumijeva postupke obrade i zbrinjavanja mulja sukladno s načelima održivog razvoja

Learned women and women authors in Ragusan and Dalmatian renaissance poetry in Italian

This essay focuses on strategies of representation and ideas about learned women and women authors in the sixteenth-century Italian poetry written by Ragusan and Dalmatian authors (Hanibal Lucić, Ludovik Paskalić, Dinko Ranjina, Sabo Bobaljević, Miho Monaldi and others). In the first part, the evidence of women’s fifteenth-century lyric poetry, contained in the Regin manuscript, is analysed. The second part examines the representation of learned women in the Italian verses of the mentioned poets and considers their role in the literary culture of the second half of the sixteenth century. The last part of the work deals with the poems of Ragusan and Dalmatian authors in two Italian poetry collections connected with learned women

The Rime of Miho Monaldi, or the Fate of a Book

Među dubrovačkim i dalmatinskim pjesnicima 16. stoljeća koji su stihotvorili na talijanskom jeziku, Mihu Monaldiju dosad se pridalo vrlo malo pozornosti. Književna kritika o njegovim je Rimama sudila strogo, često zapostavljajući poetičke odrednice lirskoga pjesništva 16. stoljeća, a ta pjesnička zbirka nije nikad bila sustavno proučena, što pokazuje i bibliografska zbrka o Monaldijevim djelima u literaturi. Ovaj rad zamišljen je kao prvi korak u takvu proučavanju, a cilj mu je konačno rasvijetliti sudbinu te pjesničke zbirke počevši od njezina prelaska iz rukopisnog u tiskani oblik na samom kraju 16. stoljeća. Naglasak je u raspravi na inkvizitorskoj cenzuri kojoj su Monaldijeve pjesme prije tiskanja bile podvrgnute, dok se pomnom analizom svih sačuvanih primjeraka – njih trideset tri – pokazuje da su Rime, zajedno s ostatkom Monaldijeva opusa, doživjele samo jedno izdanje do 18. stoljeća, a ne dva, kako se u literaturi dosad redovno navodilo. Konačno, osvrt na problematično suvremeno izdanje Rima iz 2020. godine podsjeća na potrebu preispitivanja načina izdavanja starih hrvatskih pisaca te odnosa između filologije i književne kritike kakav jest i kakav bi mogao biti.Among the Dalmatian and Ragusan poets of the 16th century writing in Italian the least attention has been devoted to date to the poetic oeuvre of the Dubrovnik poet Miho Monaldi. The reason for this should be sought in the rather harsh judgement of Mihovil Kombol that tended to mould the views of later studies of Monaldi’s poetic collection titled Rime. Kombol underplayed the specific features of Renaissance literary culture in Dubrovnik, above all its multilingualism and the intellectual ties with Italy, as well as the poetic conventions of 16th-century lyric poetry. Unlike his philosophical works, Monaldi’s Rime were never systematically studied or compared with the Italian poetry contemporary to him. The lack of scholarly attention is also reflected in the bibliographical confusion about the number of editions of his work. This essay is conceived as a first step in the systematic consideration of Rime, and of the remainder of his oeuvre, first published posthumously in 1599 in Venice. Monaldi’s works were prepared for the press by his nephews Marin and Gabro Battitorre, who inherited his manuscripts. However, the Battitorre brothers did not come into possession of the papers immediately upon the death of their uncle. It was only after 1594, on the death of Monaldi’s aunt, Deša Turčinović, who bequeathed to the brothers her property and all that she had inherited, that they became the owners of Monaldi’s manuscripts. The brothers prepared Monaldi’s works – Irene, overo della bellezza (Irene, or on Beauty), Dialogo dell’havere (Dialogue on Property) and Compendio breve della metafisica (A Short Compendium of Metaphysics) – for the press in the spring of 1599, as witnessed by the dedicatory epistles in the printed edition. From these we learn that the relationship between Monaldi and Marin Battitorre was very close, and the publication of the work was a mark of the latter’s gratitude toward his late uncle. It is now impossible to ascertain how the uncle had intended his printed oeuvre to be arranged, although the intention to have it printed is discernible. Documents in the State Archives in Venice reveal something about the process of the printing of Monaldi’s works. They include the printing license, the certificate issued by the Reformers of the University of Padua and the approval of three readers who had reviewed the manuscripts of the works for the purposes of censorship. These approvals are invaluable for they tell of the changes made in the text of Rime and of the dialogue Irene by the chief inquisitor. We learn of this also from the printer’s address to the readers in the 1599 edition of Irene. While something can be learned from archival documents about the process of the printing and censorship of Monaldi’s works, the surviving copies pose much more complicated problems. Since all of Monaldi’s works were printed at the same time in Venice, one would expect them to have circulated together. Nevertheless, fewer than half of the known exemplars contain all the works, while in other volumes only two works are bound together, and some copies have just one work. The question arises as to the reason for this heterogeneity. Monaldi’s works were issued as three bibliographical units, each having its own title page, dedication, and signature series. Thematically, they can be divided into two units: philosophical works (dialogues) and poetic works (Rime). In the first unit, Irene and the two shorter dialogues are bound with a list of errata for Irene alone (at the end of the index of the two shorter dialogues), while Rime are an independent whole that is not connected with the dialogues. Similarly significant are the two versions of the title page that appear in the printed copies of Monaldi’s works. They differ only in the engraved coat of arms. On one title page is featured the coat of arms of Christina of Lorraine, and on the other the alleged Monaldi’s coat of arms. Battitorre was a merchant who was active in Venice and had business contacts with Florentine merchants, and it seems that the choice of coat of arms was closely connected to his personal aspirations in Italy. While it has been previously noted that in early 1608 Pietro Petracci dedicated an anthology of devotional verses Le Muse sacre to Battitorre, it has not been observed that the same work contains two Petracci poems for Battitorre or that in 1607 the printer Giovanni Battista Ciotti of Siena dedicated to Battitorre a translation into Italian of the work by the Spanish Jesuit Pedro Ribadeneira. Nor has it been observed that Battitorre was a more prolific poet than previously thought and that he wrote in Italian too, for in 1608 two of his encomiastic sonnets in Italian were included in the Dialoghi of Giovan Battista Clario, also published by Ciotti; one was for the addressee of the dedicatory epistle, and the other for the printer. Dialoghi gives us an insight into Battitorre’s publishing activity in the early 17th century, as the book also included a sonnet of Pietro Petracci addressed to Battitorre as well as the printer’s address to the readers, from which it can be gathered that the printing of the Dialoghi was in fact Battitorre’s initiative. Another Battitorre’s publishing enterprise, which introduced considerable confusion into literary history, tells us a little more about his aspirations in Italy. The published scholarship often claims that in 1604 Battitorre produced a second edition of Monaldi’s works. This supposed second edition had on the title page of Irene the engraved coat of arms of Ferdinand II Habsburg, with whom Battitorre was closely associated, as he was very active in Ferdinand’s circle of patronage in the first decade of the 17th century. What appeared to be the second edition of Monaldi’s works, furnished with a new title page and a new dedication again witnessing to Battitorre’s changing social ambitions, was, rather, a new issue of the edition of 1599. A detailed study of the surviving copies from 1599 and the surviving copies from 1604 (over thirty altogether) proves that the copies of the so-called 1604 edition are, in fact, nothing but copies of the 1599 edition in which the first gathering was replaced with a newly printed one, containing a different title page, featuring a new coat of arms, and a different dedication, while the address to the readers remained the same and was simply reset. The purpose of the new gathering was to conceal the fact that the rest of the book actually came from the 1599 printing, of which copies were obviously still available in 1604 and were in this way refurbished in order to reach a new kind of audience. Therefore, it can be concluded that before the Occhi edition of 1783, Monaldi’s works went through only one edition, that from 1599, which in 1604 was placed on the market again with a new title page and a changed dedicatory epistle. For the printing of Monaldi’s poems in Dubrovnik, Occhi used the copy of Jakov Basiljević preserved today in the Dubrovnik Research Library, as can be inferred from the traces of ink left by Occhi’s compositors. The final part of the essay considers the latest contribution to the study of Monaldi’s works – the Matica hrvatska edition of Rime from 2020, edited and tranlated by Tonko Maroević. While this was a turning point in the critical reception of Monaldi, the edition was in many ways problematic. Two sonnets are missing from the reprint, and the censored places that are left empty in the previous editions of Rime are here filled with replacements that use images of original typography without alerting the reader to such interventions. It is not known which copy the editor of the reprint used, but it was almost certainly the one kept in the Library of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. This copy contains, in the censored places, handwritten variants that supplement the text. These variants are introduced as printed words in the Matica edition, as if they had been there originally. The comparison of the typography of the words in the censored places with the remainder of the text, as well as the analysis of the metrical problems, proves that in the Matica edition the facsimile was graphically modified and corrected, and that in fact the original Monaldi text has been materially emended without any justification

New insights of LXR signalling in inhibition of cancer proliferation and inflammation

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are ligand-activated transcription factors belonging to the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily. Up-to-date, more than 1900 publications have established the role of LXRs in cholesterol homeostasis, lipogenesis, glucose metabolism, atherosclerosis, proliferation, and inflammation. In this thesis we have focused mainly on the role of LXR in proliferation and inflammation. In Paper I we studied the role of LXR on the inhibition of proliferation in breast cancer cell lines through PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. Phosphorylation of several protein kinases in this pathway was reduced upon LXR activation, such as AKT and PI3K. Expression of both phosphatases PTEN and PHLPP, which directly regulate PI3K product (PIP3) and AKT respectively, was induced by LXR on transcriptional and protein levels. Furthermore, we showed that LXRβ was main executer of the antiproliferative effect in human MCF7 breast cancer cell line. In Paper II we continued the findings of paper I to explore more the role of LXR in inhibition of proliferation in human breast cancer cell line in relation to signaling pathway. In this study we investigated whether LXR regulates mTOR complex pathway in human breast carcinoma cell line. Thus, we identified that activated LXR inhibited proliferation of MCF7 cell via mTORC1 by affecting the phosphorylation of Raptor at Ser792 and mTOR at Ser2448, and its downstream target p70S6K and 4EBP1. Our data showed that there was no direct effect of LXR on the phosphorylation status of mTORC2. We further identified that LXR stimulation induced proliferation of MCF7 cells when Raptor was depleted, suggesting the crucial role of Raptor in LXR inhibition of cell proliferation. In Paper III we investigated the impact of LXR agonists on triple negative human breast cancer using a patient-derived xenograft model. Primary tumors from patients were grafted into immune–compromised mice, where the tumour was allowed to expand. The primary tumour was then collected and used for subsequent xenografts, for generating a large mouse colony, all bearing tumors were shown that maintained the characteristics of the original tumour. We found that activation of LXR reduced progression of triple negative breast tumors in vivo. Moreover, we showed that LXR reduced phosphorylation of AKT at Ser473 residue, decreased expression of the proliferation marker Ki67, as well as reduction of both α-SMA (smooth muscle actin) and capillary density. The last two are angiogenic markers, thus suggesting a role of LXR in regulation of angiogenesis. In Paper IV we demonstrated a protective role of LXR in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We used dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) to induce colitis in mice. We observed that LXR deficient mice showed severe and fast disease progression with slower recovery as well as decreased survival rates. In addition, activation of LXR reduced the infiltration of immune cells and the expression of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines in the colon epithelium of mice. In patients with IBD, expression of both LXRα and LXRβ were significantly suppressed in inflamed colon compared with healthy controls