The Long Road: An Analysis of the 1557 Book of Mirrors by Seydi Ali Reis

In 1552, Piri Reis was relieved from the Admiralty of the Ottoman Imperial Navy. Seydi Ali Reis was appointed to replace him and his assignment was to return fifteen galleys from Basra to Egypt. This should have been a relatively short journey. Seydi failed miserably, however. He lost most of the ships in battle with the Portuguese and bad weather, which he documents in his travelogue The Mirror of Countries. With nowhere left to turn, he sold the remaining ships in Surat on the west coast of India. To make matters worse, he took the long road home to Istanbul: a circuitous route which stretched his journey for two years. This path went as far north as Samarqand in modern Uzbekistan. The question which arises is why did Seydi take so long to return home

El Estado en escena en «Argenis y Poliarco» de Calderón

Calderón adapted Barclay’s best-selling political romance Argenis (Paris, 1621) with the title Argenis y Poliarco sometime between 1626 and 1636, the date of its first recorded performance. It was first printed in 1637, in the Segunda Parte of his plays. In comparison with other works from that collection, such as El médico de su honra or the two comedias palaciegas, El mayor encanto amor and El galán fantasma, Argenis y Poliarco is virtually unknown, with only a few critical studies and one recent edition by Alicia Vara López (2015). This edition, coupled with the renewed interest in Barclay’s neo-Latin romance, should inspire critical reconsideration of a play that appeared in a transformative moment in Calderón’s career.After reviewing the scholarship on how Calderón transformed the romance into his distinctive theatrical idiom, I investigate the play’s political meaning and challenge the view that Argenis y Poliarco is above all a palatine play about love. While it is true that Calderón simplifies the plot, by eliminating or pushing offstage the overtly political action and by cutting Barclay’s disquisitions on good government, I argue that the political element is not suppressed. It is, rather, recast in theatrical terms. Calderón’s skillful stagecraft constitutes a dramatic representation of a European political order marked by ambiguity, plurality and contingency, where the destiny of a state is determined in large measure by what happens beyond its borders. Calderón adaptó la novela Argenis de John Barclay (Paris 1621) con el título Argenis y Poliarco entre 1626 y 1636, la fecha de su primera actuación documentada. Se publicó por primera vez en 1637, en la Segunda parte de sus obras dramáticas. En comparación con otras obras de dicha colección, como El médico de su honra o las dos comedias palaciegas, El mayor encanto amor y El galán fantasma, Argenis y Poliarco es una comedia casi desconocida, y cuenta con muy pocos estudios críticos y una edición reciente a cargo de Alicia Vara López (2015). Esta edición, junto al interés renovado en la novela neo-latina de Barclay, debería inspirar una reconsideración de una comedia que es fruto de un periodo transformativo de la carrera literaria de Calderón.Tras reseñar la crítica sobre la ‘Calderonización’ de la novela y su adaptación a los patrones de la comedia española, investigo su significado político, poniendo en tela de juicio la interpretación de Argenis y Poliarco como una comedia palatina cuyo tema principal es puramente amoroso. Si bien es cierto que Calderón corta las disquisiciones sobre el buen gobierno, y relega fuera del escenario la acción explícitamente política, no suprime por completo el elemento político. Sostengo que los recursos escenográficos del dramaturgo le permiten representar un mundo político europeo caracterizado por la ambigüedad, la pluralidad y la contingencia, donde el destino de un estado es determinado en gran medida por lo que ocurre fuera de sus fronteras.

Pet Imaging Reveals Reduced Synaptic Density In People With Well-Controlled Hiv Infection

Background: Synaptic injury is a pathological hallmark of neurological impairment in people living with HIV (PLWH), a common complication despite viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, there are no biomarkers sensitive to neurocognitive impairment in PLWH. Measurement of synaptic density in living humans may allow better understanding of HIV neuropathogenesis and provide a dynamic biomarker for therapeutic studies. We applied novel synaptic vesical protein 2A (SV2A) positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging to investigate synaptic density in the frontostriatalthalamic region in PLWH and HIV-uninfected (HIV-) participants. Methods: In this cross-sectional pilot study,13 older male PLWH on ART underwent neurocognitive assessments, MRI, and PET scanning with the SV2A ligand [11C]UCB-J with partial volume correction. SV2A binding potential (BPND) in the frontostriatalthalamic circuit was compared to 13 age-matched HIV- participants, and assessed with respect to neurocognitive performance in PLWH. Results: PLWH had 14% lower frontostriatalthalamic SV2A synaptic density compared to HIV- (PLWH: mean [SD], 3.93 [0.80]; HIV-: 4.59 [0.43]; P = .02, effect size 1.02). Differences were observed in widespread additional regions in exploratory analyses. Higher frontostriatalthalamic SV2A BPND associated with better grooved pegboard performance, a measure of motor coordination, in PLWH (r = 0.61, P = .03). Conclusions: In this pilot study, SV2A PET imaging revealed reduced synaptic density in older male PLWH on ART compared to HIV- both regionally in the frontostriatalthalamic circuit and more globally. Larger studies controlling for factors in addition to age are needed to determine whether differences are attributable to HIV or comorbidities in PLWH. SV2A imaging is a promising biomarker for studies of neuropathogenesis and therapeutic interventions in HIV

The circular business framework for building, developing and steering businesses in the circular economy

The need for a transition towards a circular economy (CE) is evident, as the current economic model is based on the exploitation of far more resources than the planet can replenish sustainably. A significant part of this economic transition is the inception of new, CE-oriented startups and business activities. While business model frameworks (BMF), such as the Business Model Canvas (BMC), were at the center of discussions about structuring business ideas in the beginning of the millennium, the conversation must now shift towards circular BMFs (CBMF). This paper follows the Design Research Methodology (DRM) for an empirical approach to devising a novel CBMF, including expert interviews as well as a first application of the framework with a startup. Throughout this process, a new and innovative tool called Circular Business Framework (CBF) was created and tested based on CE principles

Staging the State in Calderón’s “Argenis y Poliarco”

Calderón adapted Barclay’s best-selling political romance Argenis (Paris, 1621) with the title Argenis y Poliarco sometime between 1626 and 1636, the date of its first recorded performance. It was first printed in 1637, in the Segunda Parte of his plays. In comparison with other works from that collection, such as El médico de su honra or the two comedias palaciegas, El mayor encanto amor and El galán fantasma, Argenis y Poliarco is virtually unknown, with only a few critical studies and one recent edition by Alicia Vara López (2015). This edition, coupled with the renewed interest in Barclay’s neo-Latin romance, should inspire critical reconsideration of a play that appeared in a transformative moment in Calderón’s career.After reviewing the scholarship on how Calderón transformed the romance into his distinctive theatrical idiom, I investigate the play’s political meaning and challenge the view that Argenis y Poliarco is above all a palatine play about love. While it is true that Calderón simplifies the plot, by eliminating or pushing offstage the overtly political action and by cutting Barclay’s disquisitions on good government, I argue that the political element is not suppressed. It is, rather, recast in theatrical terms. Calderón’s skillful stagecraft constitutes a dramatic representation of a European political order marked by ambiguity, plurality and contingency, where the destiny of a state is determined in large measure by what happens beyond its borders. </p