Encounter: Alone in the Woods

Encounter aims to take the viewer into the darkest parts of the mind through my own journey into the woods. With the images, my work attempts to capture a pure level of the fear that I felt as I ventured into the woods, alone, at night to experience the emotions I wanted to show. Similarly, Encounter deals with why we see what we see; as in, why do we think we see Bigfoot in the shadows? Where does that idea come from? Through my research, I work to prove that our culture has implanted the imagery and thoughts of monsters into our minds, despite better judgment. So when one is alone and scared, logic falls by the wayside, and our nightmares become a reality

Martyrdom, Antinomianism, and the Prioritising of Christians - Towards a Political Theology of Refugee Resettlement

This article considers the approaches taken in the United States (US) and Australia to prioritising the resettlement of Christians from Syria and Iraq. Focusing first upon respective models and the immediate political factors that lead to their adoption, it analyses in depth the specific role played by the evangelical constituency in the US, and their theologically-infused concern for the 'persecuted church' in 'enslaved' lands. Recognising this movement enjoys less influence in Australia, the article considers the ways in which Australia's resettlement policies and political narratives have nonetheless increasingly participated in tropes familiar to classical antinomian political theology, not least that resettlement is tied to a redemptive generosity of the State that works to denigrate and undermine the legal obligations demanded by those who arrive irregularly by boat. The article also critiques the use of 'vulnerability' as a touchstone principle for the fair allocation of scarce resettlement places, and its propensity to be used for cherry-picking purposes. Finally, as part of the argument that resettlement is susceptible to being used as a vehicle for those motivated by more explicit theological concerns, the article explores the leveraging for political, redemptive, and eschatological purposes of images and narratives of the 'martyred' middle-eastern Christian

Assessment of the influence of intra-abdominal pressure on the parameters of liver structure and function in patients undergoing laparoscopic gallbladder surgery

Trideset i četiri godine nakon prve laparoskopske holecistektomije (LH), koju je izveo Mühe, LH je postala zlatni standard u lečenju kalkuloze i polipoze žučne kese . Ključni element u laparoskopskoj hirurgiji koji pruža jasnu vidljivost i prostor za sigurnu i efikasnu operaciju je pneumoperitoneum. Pneumoperitoneum sa visokim intraabdominalnim pritiskom može uticati na respiratornu, kardiovaskularnu, hepatičnu i bubrežnu funkciju tokom i nakon laparoskopskih operacija. Mogućnost promena u funkciji jetre izazvane laparoskopskom hirurgijom može se smanjiti skraćivanjem vremena rada i primenom nižeg intraabdominalnog pritiska (IAP). Cilj ove studije je da proceni efekte CO2 pneumoperitoneuma na strukturne i funkcionalne testove jetre tokom i nakon laparoskopske holecistektomije.Thirty-four years after the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), performed by Mühe, LC has become the gold standard in treating calculose and polyps of the gallbladder (1). The key element in laparoscopic surgery that provides visual clarity and space for safe and effective surgery is pneumoperitoneum (2). High-pressure pneumoperitoneum can effect on respiratory, cardiovascular, hepatic, and renal function during and after laparoscopic operations (2,3). The possibility of changes in hepatic function induced by laparoscopic surgery can be reduced by shortening in operation time and using lower intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) (2,4). The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of CO2 pneumoperitoneum on structural and functional tests of the liver during and after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Non-classical presentation of congenital cholesteatoma as cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea – Case report and systematic review of the literature

Objective Congenital cholesteatoma (CC) becomes clinically apparent as a cholesteatoma usually during childhood. Nontraumatic otogenic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea with an intact tympanic membrane is a very rare symptom. Methods The review of recent literature and case report of the 60-year old patient – a trumpeter presented with nontraumatic otogenic CSF rhinorrhea, intact tympanic membrane on microotoscopy, and besides colorless fluid in right nasal cavity, normal finding on nasal endoscopy examination. Results CSF rhinorrhea was caused by CC in the petrous bone apex. Early diagnosis was facilitated by computed tomography scanning. Complete cholesteatoma removal was accomplished using a middle fossa craniotomy and an open non-radical antromastoidectomy. Conclusion The diagnosis of otogenic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea is challenging and it can easily be misdiagnosed. Congenital cholesteatoma is a rare entity. We present a non-classical presentation of CC in an adult male, with a previously unreported symptom of CSF rhinorrhea. Symptomatic improvement occurred after surgical treatment of the disease

High motility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein and its receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) expression in chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps

Introduction. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) affects 14% of the world population. The high motility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein triggers inflammation, cell proliferation and cell survival through its receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) upon release from stressed or necrotic cells. The aim of the study was to analyze the expression and function of HMGB1 and RAGE in CRS, providing more information about HMGB1 signaling pathway in CRS, to determine its potential clinical significance. Material and methods. Thirty-seven patients with CRS and 26 normal controls (NC) were enrolled in this study. Classification of disease severity using the SNOT-20 questionnaire, nasal endoscopy, CT scan, assessment of allergy status, microbiological and cytological analysis was performed in patients. Fresh sinus mucosa samples were obtained and analyzed by immunohistochemistry for HMGB1 and RAGE expression in epithelial cells. ELISA assay was performed to evaluate the concentration of HMGB1 in the patients’ sera. Results. No differences were found in HMGB1 immunoexpression between CRS patients and NC, however there was a highly significant difference in RAGE immunoexpression between both groups. There was a correlation between RAGE expression and number of tissue-infiltrating lymphocytes. Further, RAGE expression positively correlated with disease severity and a positive history for allergies. Conclusions. Interaction of HMGB1 and RAGE might be relevant to CRS pathomechanisms leading to sinus mucosa hyperproliferation. CRS pathogenesis might be especially related to the RAGE overexpression correlated with disease severity and allergy.

Coping with Hard Times in NW Iceland: Zooarchaeology, History, and Landscape Archaeology at Finnbogastaðir in the 18th Century

During a cooperative archaeological project in NW Iceland (Strandasýsla) involving the Icelandic National Museum and Hunter College of the City University of New York.1990 season, a small rescue excavation at the site of Finnbogastaðir generated a quantifiable collection of animal bones dating to the early modern period, mainly to the 18th century. The 18th c was a period of hardship in much of Iceland, with widespread tenantry, adverse climate, and degradation of many terrestrial landscapes posing severe challenges to poor farmers- perhaps most intensely in the Vestfirðir. The animal bone collection from Finnbogastaðir reflects a multi-stranded subsistence economy involving seals, birds, and fish as well as domestic stock. Reconstruction of the fishing pattern indicates a mixed strategy that probably produced some stockfish for local exchange or for export but was mainly aimed at household provisioning. The nearly contemporary Jarðabók land register provides a direct comparison to the documentary record, and ongoing site survey and excavation in the NW provides a broader landscape/seascape perspective on the archaeofauna and documents. This small rescue investigation thus serves to illustrate the potential for an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to Iceland’s past, including periods with extensive documentary resources

Откривање хипотензије током спиналне анестезије за царски рез континуираним неинвазивним праћењем артеријског притиска и интермитентним осцилометријским праћењем крвног притиска код болесница третираних ефедрином или фенилефрином

Introduction/Objective. Despite frequent side effects such as hypotension, spinal anesthesia (SA) is still one of the best anesthetic methods for elective cesarean section (CS). Intermittent, oscillometric, noninvasive blood pressure monitoring (NIBP) frequently leads to missed hypotensive episodes. The objective was to compare continuous non-invasive arterial pressure (CNAP) monitoring with NIBP in the terms of efficiency to detect hypotension. Methods. In this study, we compared CNAP and NIBP monitoring for hypotension detection in 76 patients divided into two groups of 38 patients treated with ephedrine (E) or phenylephrine (P), during threeminute intervals, starting from SA, by the end of the surgery. Results. In E group, significantly lower mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) values with CNAP compared with NIBP (p = 0.008) was detected. By monitoring CNAP, we detected 31 (81.6%) hypotensive patients in E group and significantly lower number, 20 (52.6%), with NIBP (p = 0.001), while in P group CNAP detected 34 patients (89.5%) and NIBP only 18 (47.3%), p = 0.001. By monitoring CNAP, we detected significantly higher number of hypotensive intervals in E and P groups (pУвод/Циљ Упркос честим нежељеним ефектима као што је хипотензија, спинална анестезија је и даље техника избора за планирани царски рез. Интермитентно неинвазивно праћење крвног притиска често не детектује хипотензивне епизоде. Циљ ове студије је био да се упореди континуирано неинвазивно праћење артеријског притиска са интермитентним неинвазивним праћењем крвног притиска у смислу ефикасности у откривању хипотензије.Методе Упоређивани су системи за континуирано неинвазивно праћење артеријског притиска и интермитентно неинвазивно праћење крвног притиска ради детекције хипотензије код 76 болесница подељених у две групе од по 38 болесница, третираних ефедрином (Е) или фенилефрином (Ф), на свака три минута, почевши од спиналне анестезије па све до краја операције.Резултати У групи Е су детектоване знатно ниже средње вредности систолног крвног притиска континуираним неинвазивним праћењем артеријског притиска у поређењу са интермитентним неинвазивним праћењем крвног притиска (p = 0,008). Континуираним неинвазивним праћењем артеријског притиска детектована је 31 (81,6%) хипотензивна болесница у групи Е и знатно мањи број, 20 (52,6%) болесница, интермитентним неинвазивним праћењем крвног притиска (p = 0,001), док је у групи Ф континуираним неинвазивним праћењем артеријског притиска детектована хипотензија код 34 болеснице (89,5%), а интермитентним неинвазивним праћењем крвног притиска код 18 (47,3%) болесница, p = 0,001. Континуираним неинвазивним праћењем артеријског притиска детектован је знатно већи број хипотензивних епизода у групама Е и Ф (p < 0,001). pH вредности умбиликалне крви биле су значајно ниже код хипотензивних у односу на нормотензивне болеснице у групама Е и Ф, и са континуираним неинвазивним праћењем артеријског притиска и интермитентним неинвазивним праћењем крвног притиска, респективно (p < 0,001, p = 0,027 у групи Е, и p = 0,009, p < 0,001 у групи Ф).Закључак Континуирано неинвазивно праћење артеријског притиска је много ефикасније у откривању хипотензије током царског реза у спиналној анестезији, што омогућава бржи третман и мање нежељених ефеката код мајке и новорођенчета

Assessment of the influence of intra-abdominal pressure on the parameters of liver structure and function in patients undergoing laparoscopic gallbladder surgery

Trideset i četiri godine nakon prve laparoskopske holecistektomije (LH), koju je izveo Mühe, LH je postala zlatni standard u lečenju kalkuloze i polipoze žučne kese . Ključni element u laparoskopskoj hirurgiji koji pruža jasnu vidljivost i prostor za sigurnu i efikasnu operaciju je pneumoperitoneum. Pneumoperitoneum sa visokim intraabdominalnim pritiskom može uticati na respiratornu, kardiovaskularnu, hepatičnu i bubrežnu funkciju tokom i nakon laparoskopskih operacija. Mogućnost promena u funkciji jetre izazvane laparoskopskom hirurgijom može se smanjiti skraćivanjem vremena rada i primenom nižeg intraabdominalnog pritiska (IAP). Cilj ove studije je da proceni efekte CO2 pneumoperitoneuma na strukturne i funkcionalne testove jetre tokom i nakon laparoskopske holecistektomije.Thirty-four years after the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), performed by Mühe, LC has become the gold standard in treating calculose and polyps of the gallbladder (1). The key element in laparoscopic surgery that provides visual clarity and space for safe and effective surgery is pneumoperitoneum (2). High-pressure pneumoperitoneum can effect on respiratory, cardiovascular, hepatic, and renal function during and after laparoscopic operations (2,3). The possibility of changes in hepatic function induced by laparoscopic surgery can be reduced by shortening in operation time and using lower intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) (2,4). The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of CO2 pneumoperitoneum on structural and functional tests of the liver during and after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Adventures in the grey zone: constitutionalism, rights and the review of the executive power in the migration context

The physical and legal isolation of the irregularly arriving non-citizen in Australia is a product of various legal strategies, from legislation mandating detention to the experimental 'excision' of parts of the country from the operation of statute and the scrutiny of the courts. Australia's innovative use of legislation to carve out spaces within which an unencumbered sovereign executive power can expand has unsurprisingly seen commentators turn to cosmological metaphors. This chapter builds upon David Dyzhenhaus' nuanced description of these spaces as 'grey holes' where the impression of legality is created by legislative and judicial endorsement of strategies which exclude meaningful judicial review of executive conduct. By reference to five recent cases in which these strategies were challenged, it explores the curious attempt to use the law in order to suspend the law, the changeable role of the judiciary in both consolidating and piercing these legislatively carved exclusionary zones, and the muscular anti-dialogic reassertion of legislative dominance that invariably accompanies perceived judicial interference. The chapter's principal aim is to use these case studies to map out the current state of both constitutional doctrine and institutional relations with respect to the rights of non-citizens in the exercise of executive power in Australia. It contrasts the notorious rights reluctance of the Australian political system and its culture of deference and trust in the executive with the impressive architecture of administrative justice developed over the past three decades, and considers the tension that surrounds contemporary appeals to 'sovereignty' as source of power, as well as the contentious role played by traditional legalism as both a shield and a sword in the court's juridical arsenal for scrutinizing rights-precluding executive conduct