"The god called Nothingness", Büchner, Shakespeare and Original Sin

This chapter presents two passages that resonate with Shakespeare. Robespierre's haunting broadly echoes the bloodstained hands motif in Macbeth. Simon's abuse of his wife echoes Hamlet's abuse of Ophelia in the nunnery scene. At one end of the spectrum, we find the citation shaping its host text: the relation here would be tuitional or doctrinal. At the other end, the host text absorbs the citation and transforms it: the relation here would be intuitive and dialectical. Thinking is nothing but its own mirror, consciousness cloudily reflected back as unconscious. Wittingly or not, the passage reproduces traditional theological doctrine in respect of the teeming multiplicity of mental sinfulness. Buchner's obsessive disinterring from Shakespeare's text of the kindred themes of original sin and the theatrum mundi arises from authentic "existence categories". They carry no hint of ideological back-formations of the kind associated with the apostle of reaction, Joseph de Maistre

World trade and the Tennessee farmer : an overview of trade-induced instability and its effects on individual farms

This study was intended to provide diagnostic insight into some of the political and economic factors affecting crop price fluctuations and their effect on decision-making on West Tennessee farms. The primary focus was on the impact of foreign trade on domestic price stability from the farmer\u27s perspective. The study included an overview of foreign agricultural trade of the United States in recent history, with an emphasis on how the trade and agricultural policies of the U.S. and its major trading partners interact to influence price stability in this country. The four major cash crops in West Tennessee (soybeans, cotton, com, and wheat) were analyzed with respect to the characteristics of importance to decision-makers on both the policy and farm levels. These characteristics included price, production and export trends, the inter-national supply and demand situation, market structure, and other factors affecting the long-term prospects for exports. This information was incorporated into several simulated decision-making situations to illustrate the effect of different degrees of price variability on farm income. Three five-year price scenarios were assumed; one with large price fluctuation, one with low fluctuations, and one with a series of bad (low price) years for soybeans. These scenarios represented domestic farm-level prices for the four major commodities with no interference from the government. These basic prices could then be modified by one of six government programs. Two variations—one with annual cost-of-production adjustments and the other without—of three types of government programs were assumed. The three types of government programs were a market floor support system, an income support system, and a price band system. A total of eighteen different situations were therefore assumed (each of three scenarios subject to six programs). This macro-level view was then balanced with a micro-level view. Two illustrative farms were assumed—a medium-sized full-time farm and a small, limited resource, part-time farm. Each farm used four naive strategies to attempt to deal with uncertainty. The illustrative model showed the effects on farm income for each farm under every combination of strategy, government program, and scenario. The income figures were used to assess not only the average income and income variation under each situation but also the effect on the ability of each farm to generate enough income to weather the low income years, survive as a business, and to provide a source of livelihood for the family. The study found that world trade in agricultural commodities will probably continue to increase in the near future. While some international agreements may reduce domestic price variability to some extent, the potential for major price fluctuations still exists due to the basic structure of the international markets and the continuation of policies which distort market signals. Of the four crops with which the study is concerned, the most promising was soybeans. Corn also has some potential while both cotton and wheat are subject to greater uncertainty. While the illustrative model was too general to be used for prescribing certain actions, it did allow for generalizations to be drawn about the interaction of scenarios, programs and farm-level strategies. Implications were also made for directions for future research in this area

'Learning together': Sharing international experience on new models of primary care

No abstract available

End-Capping Strategies for Triggering End-to-End Depolymerization of Polyglyoxylates

Polymers that undergo end-to-end depolymerization in response to the cleavage of a stimuli-responsive end-cap are promising for diverse applications from drug delivery to responsive coatings and plastics. It is critical that the end-cap is designed to respond to an appropriate stimulus for the application. In the current work, end-caps for triggering the depolymerization of poly(ethyl glyoxylate) (PEtG) were explored. First, a phenylboronate, a disulfi de, and an azobenzene were utilized to impart redox-responsive properties to PEtG. Then, methoxy-substituted trityl groups were used to provide sensitivity to mild acid. A multiresponsive platform was also introduced, allowing PEtG to respond to multiple stimuli, either simultaneously or independently. Incorporation of a cross-linkable trialkene endcap enabled the preparation of networks that could subsequently be depolymerized. Finally, high molar mass PEtG could be depolymerized by mechanical stimulation independent of the end-cap. It is anticipated that the versatility in end-capping strategies and potential depolymerization stimuli will not only expand PEtG’ s utility for different applications but also be useful for other classes of end-to-end depolymerizable polymers

Cannabis and schizophrenia

BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a mental illness causing disordered beliefs, ideas and sensations. Many people with schizophrenia smoke cannabis, and it is unclear why a large proportion do so and if the effects are harmful or beneficial. It is also unclear what the best method is to allow people with schizophrenia to alter their cannabis intake. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of specific psychological treatments for cannabis reduction in people with schizophrenia.To assess the effects of antipsychotics for cannabis reduction in people with schizophrenia.To assess the effects of cannabinoids (cannabis related chemical compounds derived from cannabis or manufactured) for symptom reduction in people with schizophrenia. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register, 12 August 2013, which is based on regular searches of BIOSIS, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PUBMED and PsycINFO.We searched all references of articles selected for inclusion for further relevant trials. We contacted the first author of included studies for unpublished trials or data. SELECTION CRITERIA We included all randomised controlled trials involving cannabinoids and schizophrenia/schizophrenia-like illnesses, which assessed:1) treatments to reduce cannabis use in people with schizophrenia;2) the effects of cannabinoids on people with schizophrenia. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We independently inspected citations, selected papers and then re-inspected the studies if there were discrepancies, and extracted data. For dichotomous data we calculated risk ratios (RR) and for continuous data, we calculated mean differences (MD), both with 95% confidence intervals (CI) on an intention-to-treat basis, based on a fixed-effect model. We excluded data if loss to follow-up was greater than 50%. We assessed risk of bias for included studies and used GRADE to rate the quality of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS We identified eight randomised trials, involving 530 participants, which met our selection criteria.For the cannabis reduction studies no one treatment showed superiority for reduction in cannabis use. Overall, data were poorly reported for many outcomes of interest. Our main outcomes of interest were medium-term data for cannabis use, global state, mental state, global functioning, adverse events, leaving the study early and satisfaction with treatment. 1. Reduction in cannabis use: adjunct psychological therapies (specifically about cannabis and psychosis) versus treatment as usualResults from one small study showed people receiving adjunct psychological therapies specifically about cannabis and psychosis were no more likely to reduce their intake than those receiving treatment as usual (n = 54, 1 RCT, MD -0.10, 95% CI -2.44 to 2.24, moderate quality evidence). Results for other main outcomes at medium term were also equivocal. No difference in mental state measured on the PANSS positive were observed between groups (n = 62, 1 RCT, MD -0.30 95% CI -2.55 to 1.95, moderate quality evidence). Nor for the outcome of general functioning measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (n = 49, 1 RCT, MD 0.90 95% CI -1.15 to 2.95, moderate quality evidence). No data were reported for the other main outcomes of interest 2. Reduction in cannabis use: adjunct psychological therapy (specifically about cannabis and psychosis) versus adjunct non-specific psychoeducation One study compared specific psychological therapy aimed at cannabis reduction with general psychological therapy. At three-month follow-up, the use of cannabis in the previous four weeks was similar between treatment groups (n = 47, 1 RCT, RR 1.04 95% CI 0.62 to 1.74, moderate quality evidence). Again, at a medium-term follow-up, the average mental state scores from the Brief Pscychiatric Rating Scale-Expanded were similar between groups (n = 47, 1 RCT, MD 3.60 95% CI - 5.61 to 12.81, moderate quality evidence). No data were reported for the other main outcomes of interest: global state, general functioning, adverse events, leaving the study early and satisfaction with treatment. 3. Reduction in cannabis use: antipsychotic versus antipsychotic In a small trial comparing effectiveness of olanzapine versus risperidone for cannabis reduction, there was no difference between groups at medium-term follow-up (n = 16, 1 RCT, RR 1.80 95% CI 0.52 to 6.22, moderate quality evidence). The number of participants leaving the study early at medium term was also similar (n = 28, 1 RCT, RR 0.50 95% CI 0.19 to 1.29, moderate quality evidence). Mental state data were reported, however they were reported within the short term and no difference was observed. No data were reported for global state, general functioning, and satisfaction with treatment.With regards to adverse effects data, no study reported medium-term data. Short-term data were presented but overall, no real differences between treatment groups were observed for adverse effects. 4. Cannabinoid as treatment: cannabidiol versus amisulprideAgain, no data were reported for any of the main outcomes of interest at medium term. There were short-term data reported for mental state using the BPRS and PANSS, no overall differences in mental state were observed between treatment groups. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Results are limited and inconclusive due to the small number and size of randomised controlled trials available and quality of data reporting within these trials. More research is needed to a) explore the effects of adjunct psychological therapy that is specifically about cannabis and psychosis as currently there is no evidence for any novel intervention being better than standard treatment,for those that use cannabis and have schizophrenia b) decide the most effective drug treatment in treating those that use cannabis and have schizophrenia, and c) assess the effectiveness of cannabidiol in treating schizophrenia. Currently evidence is insufficient to show cannabidiol has an antipsychotic effect

Tracking down Witkacy in Australasia: sources, race, productions, context and speculation.

Witkacy (Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz) is the only major European dramatist to have written a play set in Australia. While his philosphical, theatrical, theoretical and visual work is little known in Australia, by charting a chronology of Australian productions of his plays since 1974 for the first time, the article places the artist-writer’s experimental theatrical work within larger colonial and post-colonial historical contexts and debates. Looking at the context of his 1914 trip to Australia with his friend the anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski, it examines and speculates on connections between his plays and radical theatrical ideas, and the Australian context, reflecting on various threads of connection in Australian Indigenous and non-indigenous performance and theatre. It also documents Polish migration and connections to Poland on Australian cultural production, and suggests one important genealogy for contemporary performance work that exists between the disciplines of visual art and theatre. The article creates a context for the writer’s recent film and installation 'Witkacy & Malinowski: a cinematic séance in 23 scenes' which was shown at the Sydney and Brisbane Film Festivals in 2019, Tatra Museum, Zakopane in 2020 and the Słupsk Cultural Centre in 2021

Certain physico-chemical relationships in the potato tuber

Potatoes to be used for seed purposes must reach a certain standard of freedom from various diseases, notably the virus diseases, severe mosaic and leaf-roll. Normally, stocks to be used for seed purposes are inspected during the growing season, with a view to grading them into stock seed categories or otherwise. This is usually a fairly laborious process and, at times, may not be really accurate. Apart from this, other stocks not previously graded as stock seed may be required for seed purposes and, once the tops of the plants have died down, there is no method whereby the presence of virus infection can be proved or disproved, except by grafting, a process which takes a few months to complete.The object of the present investigation was to explore the connection between the biochemical activity of tubers and the incidence of virus infection. Since a principal line of attack had been suggested by earlier studies on the reducing value of the ascorbic acid in tubers, attention was directed to a more complete study of the concentration and distribution of ascorbic acid occurring under different conditions.The correlation of biochemical activity with the incidence of virus infection would be an important step in the control of disease. The importance of such a relationship is at once obvious from a consideration of the following points. Crops could be graded scientifically and the personal error of the inspector could be eliminated. The stocks could be graded at any period of the nine months when the tubers are out of the ground instead of the very short interval of time when the plants are actively growing in the field. The method could also be used, in addition to the method used at present, if crops, which had not been inspected, were required under exceptional circumstances for seed purposes

Dangerous Conversations in "The Duchess of Malfi"

The proposition of this essay is that conversation exists as a theme in its own right in "The Duchess of Malfi". It is clear that Webster borrowed from "The Civil Conversation" (1586), as Steffano Guazzo’s book was known in English translation. Less clear is what Webster makes of conversation. As in Guazzo, honesty of conversation is a civil rather than courtly construct, and as such tracks with the theme of merit as against degree. But Webster entangles the conversation of meritorious characters with that of vicious characters in ways that Guazzo would not have countenanced. The result is a moral ambiguity which is difficult to read in terms of virtue ethics, and which calls for a reading in terms of the totalitarian contexts of the revenge play and the Tacitean history play. Such difficulties are most evident in the entangled and climatic conversations between Bosola and the Duchess

Responsive Listening Behavior

Humans use their bodies in a highly expressive way during conversation, and animated characters that lack this form of non-verbal expression can seem stiff and unemotional. An important aspect of non-verbal expression is that people respond to each other's behavior and are highly attuned to picking up this type of response. This is particularly important for the feedback given while listening to some one speak. However, automatically generating this type of behavior is difficult as it is highly complex and subtle. This paper takes a data driven approach to generating interactive social behavior. Listening behavior is motion captured, together with the audio being listened to. This data is used to learn an animation model of the responses of one person to the other. This allows us to create characters that respond in real-time during a conversation with a real human