פרסומים

This article examines the durability of high postmortem examination rates in Israel between the 1950s-1980s. Previous studies overlooked the issue of medical authority and the social history of autopsy, focusing on policy, technological development, and conflict between science and religion. By contrast, our analysis brings together the medical interest in unlimited research of dead bodies and the power relations between doctors and subaltern groups in Israel. Based on the Israeli State Archives, the Hebrew University Archives, and the daily press, we argue that medical biopolitical aspirations and the public shaped the history of postmortem examinations in Israel. High rates were embedded in the medical construction of doubt regarding the cause of death that only physicians could resolve by autopsy. Civilian protests led to a temporary decrease in the 1960s, while political and medical intervention brought about a gradual resurgence in postmortem rates in the 1980s.

Abstract Magnolia biondii Pamp is an important ornamental tree species widely grown and used as a rootstock in the propagation of different Magnolia varieties. In the current studies, anatomical, physiological and endogenous hormones were studied to check the effect of IBA 750 mg/L on the adventitious rooting and to provide theoretical and technical support for the propagation of Magnolia biondii Pamp through stem cuttings. Two thousand stem cuttings were prepared and divided into two groups i.e., IBA treated cuttings and water control. For the evaluation of antioxidant enzyme activities, and endogenous hormones levels, samples were collected on the day of planting and each 5th day and further steps were carried out in the laboratory according to the protocols and proper precautions. For the anatomical observations, samples were collected on the 13th, 15th, and 17th day for IBA treated cuttings while 21st, 23rd, and 25th day for control. Collected samples were preserved in the FAA solution and further observations were carried out in the laboratory. Anatomical observations showed that it took 13 days for the differentiation of root primordia to the appearance of young adventitious roots in IBA treated cuttings, while it took 21 days to develop primordia in the control. Antioxidant enzyme activities involved in ROS were significantly higher in the IBA treated cuttings compared to control. POD showed a peak on the 13th day before the emergence of roots in IBA treated cuttings while it showed a peak on the 21st day in the control. PPO showed a peak on the 21st day in the IBA treated cuttings while it showed a peak on the 29th day in the control. SOD showed a peak on the 17th day in IBA treated cuttings, while it showed a peak on the 25th day in the control. Exogenous application of IBA enhanced the endogenous IAA and GA3 levels compared to CK, while it reduced the levels of ABA continuously at the time of rooting and then increased gradually. Inclusively, our study suggests that IBA 750 mg/L is efficient for the rooting of Magnolia biondii Pamp cuttings, as it enhanced the process of antioxidant enzyme activities, endogenous hormones levels and reduced the time of root formation which is evident from the anatomical observations.

Abstract Magnolia biondii Pamp is an important ornamental tree species widely grown and used as a rootstock in the propagation of different Magnolia varieties. In the current studies, anatomical, physiological and endogenous hormones were studied to check the effect of IBA 750 mg/L on the adventitious rooting and to provide theoretical and technical support for the propagation of Magnolia biondii Pamp through stem cuttings. Two thousand stem cuttings were prepared and divided into two groups i.e., IBA treated cuttings and water control. For the evaluation of antioxidant enzyme activities, and endogenous hormones levels, samples were collected on the day of planting and each 5th day and further steps were carried out in the laboratory according to the protocols and proper precautions. For the anatomical observations, samples were collected on the 13th, 15th, and 17th day for IBA treated cuttings while 21st, 23rd, and 25th day for control. Collected samples were preserved in the FAA solution and further observations were carried out in the laboratory. Anatomical observations showed that it took 13 days for the differentiation of root primordia to the appearance of young adventitious roots in IBA treated cuttings, while it took 21 days to develop primordia in the control. Antioxidant enzyme activities involved in ROS were significantly higher in the IBA treated cuttings compared to control. POD showed a peak on the 13th day before the emergence of roots in IBA treated cuttings while it showed a peak on the 21st day in the control. PPO showed a peak on the 21st day in the IBA treated cuttings while it showed a peak on the 29th day in the control. SOD showed a peak on the 17th day in IBA treated cuttings, while it showed a peak on the 25th day in the control. Exogenous application of IBA enhanced the endogenous IAA and GA3 levels compared to CK, while it reduced the levels of ABA continuously at the time of rooting and then increased gradually. Inclusively, our study suggests that IBA 750 mg/L is efficient for the rooting of Magnolia biondii Pamp cuttings, as it enhanced the process of antioxidant enzyme activities, endogenous hormones levels and reduced the time of root formation which is evident from the anatomical observations.

Abstract Magnolia biondii Pamp is an important ornamental tree species widely grown and used as a rootstock in the propagation of different Magnolia varieties. In the current studies, anatomical, physiological and endogenous hormones were studied to check the effect of IBA 750 mg/L on the adventitious rooting and to provide theoretical and technical support for the propagation of Magnolia biondii Pamp through stem cuttings. Two thousand stem cuttings were prepared and divided into two groups i.e., IBA treated cuttings and water control. For the evaluation of antioxidant enzyme activities, and endogenous hormones levels, samples were collected on the day of planting and each 5th day and further steps were carried out in the laboratory according to the protocols and proper precautions. For the anatomical observations, samples were collected on the 13th, 15th, and 17th day for IBA treated cuttings while 21st, 23rd, and 25th day for control. Collected samples were preserved in the FAA solution and further observations were carried out in the laboratory. Anatomical observations showed that it took 13 days for the differentiation of root primordia to the appearance of young adventitious roots in IBA treated cuttings, while it took 21 days to develop primordia in the control. Antioxidant enzyme activities involved in ROS were significantly higher in the IBA treated cuttings compared to control. POD showed a peak on the 13th day before the emergence of roots in IBA treated cuttings while it showed a peak on the 21st day in the control. PPO showed a peak on the 21st day in the IBA treated cuttings while it showed a peak on the 29th day in the control. SOD showed a peak on the 17th day in IBA treated cuttings, while it showed a peak on the 25th day in the control. Exogenous application of IBA enhanced the endogenous IAA and GA3 levels compared to CK, while it reduced the levels of ABA continuously at the time of rooting and then increased gradually. Inclusively, our study suggests that IBA 750 mg/L is efficient for the rooting of Magnolia biondii Pamp cuttings, as it enhanced the process of antioxidant enzyme activities, endogenous hormones levels and reduced the time of root formation which is evident from the anatomical observations.

Schizophrenia is a severe disruption in cognition and emotion, affecting fundamental human functions. In this study, we applied Multi-Scale Entropy analysis to resting-state Magnetoencephalography data from 54 schizophrenia patients and 98 healthy controls. This method quantifies the temporal complexity of the signal across different time scales using the concept of sample entropy. Results show significantly higher sample entropy in schizophrenia patients, primarily in central, parietal, and occipital lobes, peaking at time scales equivalent to frequencies between 15 and 24 Hz. To disentangle the contributions of the amplitude and phase components, we applied the same analysis to a phase-shuffled surrogate signal. The analysis revealed that most differences originate from the amplitude component in the δ, α, and β power bands. While the phase component had a smaller magnitude, closer examination reveals clear spatial patterns and significant differences across specific brain regions. We assessed the potential of multi-scale entropy as a schizophrenia biomarker by comparing its classification performance to conventional spectral analysis and a cognitive task (the n-back paradigm). The discriminative power of multi-scale entropy and spectral features was similar, with a slight advantage for multi-scale entropy features. The results of the n-back test were slightly below those obtained from multi-scale entropy and spectral features.

We explore the potential of nanocrystals (a term used equivalently to nanoparticles) as building blocks for nanomaterials, and the current advances and open challenges for fundamental science developments and applications. Nanocrystal assemblies are inherently multiscale, and the generation of revolutionary material properties requires a precise understanding of the relationship between structure and function, the former being determined by classical effects and the latter often by quantum effects. With an emphasis on theory and computation, we discuss challenges that hamper current assembly strategies and to what extent nanocrystal assemblies represent thermodynamic equilibrium or kinetically trapped metastable states. We also examine dynamic effects and optimization of assembly protocols. Finally, we discuss promising material functions and examples of their realization with nanocrystal assemblies.

To err is human, and as such, administrative errors are an inevitable component of current and future welfare state bureaucracy. Hitherto, while studies on administrative burden have shown us that routine interactions with welfare bureaucracy are often burdensome, very little is known about the nature of these interactions when something goes wrong. Most social policy and public administration scholarship focus on ex-ante analysis of administrative errors, with only scant research devoted to ex-post analysis of how claimants experience such errors once they occur, and the types of costs they may incur. This article contributes to the growing field of administrative burden research by examining welfare claimants' experiences of administrative errors. Analysis of 19 interviews with Israeli benefit recipients uncovered two themes. The first related to the process of correcting errors, including identifying and communicating them to the system. The second theme addressed the consequences of errors: on the one hand, economic and emotional costs including loss of trust in the system, and on the other, acquiring bureaucratic skills. These findings highlight bureaucratic errors as a critical and unique site of learning burden, as well as the need for a human contact to allow claimants to better deal with their consequences.

The utilization of photoelectrochemical cells (PEC) for converting solar energy into fuels (e.g., hydrogen) is a promising method for sustainable energy generation. We demonstrate a strategy to enhance the performance of PEC devices by integrating surface-functionalized zinc selenide (ZnSe) semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) into porous polymeric carbon nitride (CN) matrices to form a uniformly distributed blend of NCs within the CN layer via electrophoretic deposition (EPD). The achieved type II heterojunction at the CN/NC interface exhibits intimate contact between the NCs and the CN backbone since it does not contain insulating binders. This configuration promotes efficient charge separation and suppresses carrier recombination. The reported CN/NC composite structure serves as a photoanode, demonstrating a photocurrent density of 160 ± 8 μA cm–2 at 1.23 V vs a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), 75% higher compared with a CN-based photoelectrode, for approximately 12 h. Spectral and photoelectrochemical analyses reveal extended photoresponse, reduced charge recombination, and successful charge transfer at the formed heterojunction; these properties result in enhanced PEC oxygen production activity with a Faradaic efficiency of 87%. The methodology allows the integration of high-quality colloidal NCs within porous CN-based photoelectrodes and provides numerous knobs for tuning the functionality of the composite systems, thus showing promise for achieving enhanced solar fuel production using PEC.

Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury attempts to represent first-person experience in a radical fashion. In what I call (paradoxically) “free indirect discourse in the first person,” Faulkner ostensibly presents both thought thought and thought below the level of awareness together in one stream of text. The Quentin section in particular relies on an idealistic picture of language as meaningful in itself, apart from any intersubjective context or significant use, as though we could bypass communication and look inside Quentin’s head, finding not the brain but the “exact language” of his conscious life. I consider this temptation by way of Wittgenstein’s critique of the privacy of the mental. Wittgenstein’s aim, I argue, is not to deny or demote interiority, but rather to impugn a certain picture of how “the inner” must look — a realm composed of private objects to which the “I” alone has access. I thus suggest that we think of Quentin as an experiment, an appeal. Faulkner tries to reveal a mind in the brutal fullness of its suffering without forcing that mind to address us: to tell us that they suffer. I contend that this appeal fails, and in failing reveals the manner in which the (not-so-private) mind is essentially embedded in a shared, intersubjective world.

 

August 2023: Daniel Schwartz is a PhD student in English at Brandeis University. His work examines the breakdown of mimesis in modernist literature.

 

 

While the world population is steadily growing, the demand for plant-based protein in general, and chickpea in particular, is rising. Heatwaves and terminal droughts are the main environmental constraints on chickpea production worldwide. Thus, developing better irrigation management for the chickpea agro-system can promote higher and more sustainable yields. Strategic supplemental irrigation can dramatically increase yield when applied at the right time and in appropriate quantities. Here, we studied the response of a modern Kabuli chickpea cultivar to supplemental irrigation during the critical pod-filling period over three growing seasons (2019–2021) in northern Negev, Israel, under semi-arid conditions. Six irrigation treatments were applied based on irrigation factors of 0, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.2, and 1.4 of evapotranspiration (ET0), as measured by an on-site meteorological station. Morpho-physiological parameters and above-ground biomass accumulation were monitored throughout the cropping seasons, and the final grain yield was determined at maturation. Irrigation initiation was guided by the plants' leaf water potential (ΨLWP > 15 bar) in the field. Our results indicate that the optimal water status (as reflected by pressure chamber values) was 12–14 bar during the irrigation period. Furthermore, adhering to an irrigation strategy based on evapotranspiration with an irrigation factor of 1.2 resulted in the highest grain yields over the three-year study period. To ensure an optimal water supply during the reproductive phase compatible with the crop water requirements, maintaining a 25 mm node length above the last fully developed pod and a 90 mm distance between the last fully developed pod to the stem apex is recommended. In conclusion, initiating irrigation when the crop is already at mild drought stress, followed by sufficient irrigation while following the indicated morphology and water potential values, may help farmers optimize irrigation and maximize chickpea crop production.

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological studies highlight an association between pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and oral carriage of the anaerobic bacterium , a species highly linked to periodontal disease. We analysed the potential for to promote pancreatic cancer development in an animal model and probed underlying mechanisms.

DESIGN: We tracked bacterial translocation from the oral cavity to the pancreas following administration to mice. To dissect the role of in PDAC development, we administered bacteria to a genetically engineered mouse PDAC model consisting of inducible acinar cell expression of mutant ( /LSL-G12D; Ptf1a-CreER, iKC mice). These mice were used to study the cooperative effects of mutation and on the progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) to PDAC. The direct effects of on acinar cells and PDAC cell lines were studied in vitro.

RESULTS: migrated from the oral cavity to the pancreas in mice and can be detected in human PanIN lesions. Repetitive administration to wild-type mice induced pancreatic acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM), and altered the composition of the intrapancreatic microbiome. In iKC mice, accelerated PanIN to PDAC progression. In vitro, infection induced acinar cell ADM markers SOX9 and CK19, and intracellular bacteria protected PDAC cells from reactive oxygen species-mediated cell death resulting from nutrient stress.

CONCLUSION: Taken together, our findings demonstrate a causal role for in pancreatic cancer development in mice.

Archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence from the Armenian Highlands and wider southern Caucasus region emphasises the significance of Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 (c. 57–29 ka) as a crucial period for understanding hominin behaviours amidst environmental fluctuations. Ararat-1 cave, situated in the Ararat Depression, Republic of Armenia, presents potential for resolving emerging key debates regarding hominin land use adaptations during this interval, due to its well-preserved lithic artefacts and faunal assemblages. We present the first results of combined sedimentological, geochronological (luminescence and radiocarbon), archaeological and palaeoecological (macrofauna, microfauna and microcharcoal) study of the Ararat-1 sequence. We demonstrate sediment accumulation occurred between 52 and 35 ka and was caused by a combination of aeolian activity, cave rockfall and water action. Whilst the upper strata of the Ararat-1 sequence experienced post-depositional disturbance due to faunal and anthropogenic processes, the lower strata remain relatively undisturbed. We suggest that during a stable period within MIS 3, Ararat-1 was inhabited by Middle Palaeolithic hominins amidst a mosaic of semi-arid shrub, grassland, and temperate woodland ecosystems. These hominins utilised local and distant toolstone raw materials, indicating their ability to adapt to diverse ecological and elevation gradients. Through comparison of Ararat-1 with other sequences in the region, we highlight the spatial variability of MIS 3 environments and its on hominin land use adaptations. This demonstrates the importance of the Armenian Highlands for understanding regional MP settlement dynamics during a critical period of hominin dispersals and evolution.

Why, despite increased female support, do social democratic parties (SDPs) in most Western European countries face electoral decline? To study this puzzle, we harness a well-documented regularity – diminishing support for SDPs by manual workers and their increased support for the far right. We contend that this trend is intensified in contexts where the economic positions of SDPs align with market-oriented policies or converge with those of the far right. Additionally, as men are disproportionately represented among manual workers, this shift contributes to the reversal of the gender gap in support for SDPs. Drawing on public opinion data from 18 countries spanning 46 years, along with labor and party position data, our findings substantiate this argument.