פרסומים

This volume provides a broad perspective on the state of the art in the philosophy and conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics. Its essays take their starting point in the work and influence of Itamar Pitowsky, who has greatly influenced our understanding of what is characteristically non-classical about quantum probabilities and quantum logic, and this serves as a vantage point from which they reflect on key ongoing debates in the field. Readers will find a definitive and multi-faceted description of the major open questions in the foundations of quantum mechanics today, including: Is quantum mechanics a new theory of (contextual) probability? Should the quantum state be interpreted objectively or subjectively? How should probability be understood in the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics? What are the limits of the physical implementation of computation? The impact of this volume goes beyond the exposition of Pitowsky’s influence: it provides a unique collection of essays by leading thinkers containing profound reflections on the field.

 The work of writers in exile is generally expected to display the theme of nostalgia and the techniques of defamiliarization. It is seldom noted that the experience of a young emigrant is sometimes characterized by bouts of overwhelming poignant happiness, of joy yielded by the senses in response to the natural or even urban scenes. This happiness, against the background of a near-sublime self-sufficiency, is a distinctive feature of Nabokov’s experience of the twenties, despite the painful blows that he received; it is a recurrent theme in his poetry, fiction, and letters. By the late 1930s, for a variety of personal and political reasons, the waves of joy become rare. Instead, Nabokov’s other capacities deepen and gain further development, a modified axiology partly replacing the youthful happiness or compensating for the infrequency of its returns. This paper is devoted to the shift of emphases in Nabokov’s poetics and his thematic concerns after he could no longer base his eschatology on a recurrent experience of joyful oneness with the world.     

  המטרה: לבחון את האופן שבה ילדים שנחקרים בעקבות חשד לפגיעה והתעללות בהם מצד הוריהם מבנים את מושג ה"אהבה".   הנבדקים: 82 ילדים שנחקרו בחקירה פורנזית באמצעות פרוטוקול הריאיון NICHD בעקבות חשד להתעללות מינית או גופנית מצד הוריהם. שיטת מחקר: נערך מחקר איכותני, במסגרתו הראיונות עברו ניתוחי תוכן על מנת לזהות את משמעותו של מושג האהבה בעבור הילדים הנחקרים.   מן הממצאים 54 מן הילדים הופנו לחקירה בעקבות חשד להתעללות גופנית ו-28 בחשד להתעללות מינית, מתוכם 68 חשפו את אירועי ההתעללות לאדם מחוץ למשפחה בטרם התחילה החקירה הפורנזית, ו-14 חשפו אותו במהלך החקירה עצמה. הילדים הנחקרים התייחסו בעצמם ובאופן ספציפי לאהבה בשלושה הקשרים: הניסיון להסביר את אירועי ההתעללות; קשיים בתיאור מעשי ההתעללות; ובמסגרת תיאור התוצאות של חשיפת האירועים. בהמשך לכך, הילדים התייחסו למושג אהבה בתיאורם את אירועי ההתעללות כדרך שבה ההורים מראים להם אהבה, וכאשר הם רצו להגן על הוריהם מפני החוקר-מראיין. אהבה הועלתה על ידי הילדים גם כאשר הם רצו לבטא את הפחד שלהם מפני תוצאות חשיפת ההתעללות והפגיעה המשפטית האפשרית בהורים בעקבותיה. בנוסף, נמצא כי בכל המקרים שנותחו, החוקרים-מראיינים התעלמו מהשימוש של הילדים במושג אהבה ומהמשמעויות הטמונות בו.   המחקר מראה כי תפיסותיהם של ילדים את מושג האהבה הינן מרכזיות במסגרת היחסים שלהם עם הוריהם המתעללים וכי במהלכה של חקירה פורנזית יש להתייחס למשמעויות הטמונות במושג זה.   הסבר מושג: פרוטוקול NICHD – מדריך ראיונות חקירה עם ילדים, קורבנות לכאורה להתעללות מינית. הפרוטוקול נועד לשפר את איכות הריאיון עם הילד על ידי הגברת השימוש של מראיינים באסטרטגיות של תשאול פתוח, כדי לעורר נרטיבים חופשיים, עשירים ומדויקים.       

R system is involved in the development of hepatic leptin resistance and in the regulation of sOb-R levels via CHOP.\\ When the human body has stored enough energy from food, it releases a hormone called leptin that travels to the brain and stops feelings of hunger. This hormone moves through the bloodstream and can affect other organs, such as the liver, which also help control our body�s energy levels. Most people with obesity have very high levels of leptin in their blood, but are resistant to its effects and will therefore continue to feel hungry despite having stored enough energy. One of the proteins that controls the levels of leptin is a receptor called sOb-R, which is released by the liver and binds to leptin as it travels in the blood. Individuals with high levels of this receptor often have less free leptin in their bloodstream and a lower body weight. Another protein that helps the body to regulate its energy levels is the cannabinoid-1 receptor, or CB1R for short. In people with obesity, this receptor is overactive and has been shown to contribute to leptin resistance, which is when the brain becomes less receptive to leptin. Previous work in mice showed that blocking CB1R reduced the levels of leptin and allowed mice to react to this hormone normally again, but it remained unclear whether CB1R affects how other organs, such as the liver, respond to leptin. To answer this question, Drori et al. blocked the CB1R receptor in the liver of mice eating a high-fat diet, either by using a drug or by deleting the gene that codes for this protein. This caused mice to have higher levels of sOb-R circulating in their bloodstream. Further experiments showed that this change in sOb-R was caused by the levels of a protein called CHOP increasing in the liver when CB1R was blocked. Drori et al. found that inhibiting CB1R caused these obese mice to lose weight and have healthier, less fatty livers as a result of their livers no longer being resistant to the effects of leptin. Scientists, doctors and pharmaceutical companies are trying to develop new strategies to combat obesity. The results from these experiments suggest that blocking CB1R in the liver could allow this organ to react to leptin appropriately again. Drugs blocking CB1R, including the one used in this study, will be tested in clinical trials and could provide a new approach for treating obesity.

Skip to Next Section Post-surgical implant-associated spinal infection is a devastating complication commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Biofilm formation is thought to reduce penetration of antibiotics and immune cells, contributing to chronic and difficult-to-treat infections. A rabbit model of a posterior-approach spinal surgery was created, in which bilateral titanium pedicle screws were interconnected by a plate at the level of lumbar vertebra L6 and inoculated with a methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) bioluminescent strain. In vivo whole-animal bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and ex vivo bacterial cultures demonstrated a peak in bacterial burden by day 14, when wound dehiscence occurred. Structures suggestive of biofilm, visualized by scanning electron microscopy, were evident up to 56 days following infection. Infection-induced inflammation and bone remodeling were also monitored using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT). PET imaging signals were noted in the soft tissue and bone surrounding the implanted materials. CT imaging demonstrated marked bone remodeling and a decrease in dense bone at the infection sites. This rabbit model of implant-associated spinal infection provides a valuable preclinical in vivo approach to investigate the pathogenesis of implant-associated spinal infections and to evaluate novel therapeutics.

Heavy precipitation events (HPEs) can lead to natural hazards (e.g. floods and debris flows) and contribute to water resources. Spatiotemporal rainfall patterns govern the hydrological, geomorphological, and societal effects of HPEs. Thus, a correct characterisation and prediction of rainfall patterns is crucial for coping with these events. Information from rain gauges is generally limited due to the sparseness of the networks, especially in the presence of sharp climatic gradients. Forecasting HPEs depends on the ability of weather models to generate credible rainfall patterns. This paper characterises rainfall patterns during HPEs based on high-resolution weather radar data and evaluates the performance of a high-resolution, convection-permitting Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in simulating these patterns. We identified 41 HPEs in the eastern Mediterranean from a 24-year radar record using local thresholds based on quantiles for different durations, classified these events into two synoptic systems, and ran model simulations for them. For most durations, HPEs near the coastline were characterised by the highest rain intensities; however, for short durations, the highest rain intensities were found for the inland desert. During the rainy season, the rain field's centre of mass progresses from the sea inland. Rainfall during HPEs is highly localised in both space (less than a 10 km decorrelation distance) and time (less than 5 min). WRF model simulations were accurate in generating the structure and location of the rain fields in 39 out of 41 HPEs. However, they showed a positive bias relative to the radar estimates and exhibited errors in the spatial location of the heaviest precipitation. Our results indicate that convection-permitting model outputs can provide reliable climatological analyses of heavy precipitation patterns; conversely, flood forecasting requires the use of ensemble simulations to overcome the spatial location errors.

Heavy precipitation events (HPEs) can lead to natural hazards (e.g. floods and debris flows) and contribute to water resources. Spatiotemporal rainfall patterns govern the hydrological, geomorphological, and societal effects of HPEs. Thus, a correct characterisation and prediction of rainfall patterns is crucial for coping with these events. Information from rain gauges is generally limited due to the sparseness of the networks, especially in the presence of sharp climatic gradients. Forecasting HPEs depends on the ability of weather models to generate credible rainfall patterns. This paper characterises rainfall patterns during HPEs based on high-resolution weather radar data and evaluates the performance of a high-resolution, convection-permitting Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in simulating these patterns. We identified 41 HPEs in the eastern Mediterranean from a 24-year radar record using local thresholds based on quantiles for different durations, classified these events into two synoptic systems, and ran model simulations for them. For most durations, HPEs near the coastline were characterised by the highest rain intensities; however, for short durations, the highest rain intensities were found for the inland desert. During the rainy season, the rain field’s centre of mass progresses from the sea inland. Rainfall during HPEs is highly localised in both space (less than a 10 km decorrelation distance) and time (less than 5 min). WRF model simulations were accurate in generating the structure and location of the rain fields in 39 out of 41 HPEs. However, they showed a positive bias relative to the radar estimates and exhibited errors in the spatial location of the heaviest precipitation. Our results indicate that convection-permitting model outputs can provide reliable climatological analyses of heavy precipitation patterns; conversely, flood forecasting requires the use of ensemble simulations to overcome the spatial location errors.

Humean Supervenience is the view that (a) there are a plurality of fundamental beings, (b) there are no inexplicable constraints on modal space, and hence the fundamental nature of each such being is independent of those of all the rest and of the fundamental relations in which it stands to the rest, (c) the fundamental beings stand in no fundamental causal or nomic relations, and hence (d) the distribution of any causal or nomic relations in which they do stand globally supervenes on their fundamental natures and the non‐nomic, non‐causal fundamental relations in which they stand. If Humean Supervenience is true, then as A.J. Ayer put it, it's just one damn thing after another. Radical Pluralism is the view that Humean Supervenience is true, and, moreover, that none of the fundamental beings stands in any fundamental relations at all. If Radical Pluralism is true, then, as William James puts it, the world's pieces are held together by nothing more than conjunction: it's just one damn

The use of auxins to improve the vase life of cut flowers is very limited. Previous studies demonstrated that a pulse treatment of Red Cestrum (Cestrum elegansSchlecht.) cut flowers with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) significantly reduced floret bud abscission, whereas 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) was ineffective. This difference resulted, at least in part, from the higher acropetal transport capability of 2,4-D compared to that of NAA. The present research focused on examining the factors affecting the acropetal transport, and hence the efficacy of the two auxins in reducing floret bud abscission of Red Cestrum cut flowers. We assumed that the differential acropetal transport capability of the two auxins results from the difference in their dissociation constants (pKa), with values of 2.75 and 4.23 for 2,4-D and NAA, respectively, which affects their pH-dependent physicochemical properties. Thus, increasing the pH of the pulsing solution above the pKa of both auxins might improve their acropetal movement. Indeed, the results of the present research show that raising the pH of the pulsing solution to pH 7.0 and above improved the efficacy of the two auxins in reducing floret bud abscission, with a higher effect on 2,4-D than that on NAA. Raising the pH of the pulsing solution decreased the adsorption and/or uptake of the two auxins by the cells adjacent to the xylem vessels, leading to an increase in their acropetal transport. The high pH of the pulsing solution increased the dissociation and hence decreased the lipophilicity of the auxin molecules, leading to improved acropetal movement. This effect was corroborated by the significant reduction in their 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (K-OW) values with the increase in the pH. A significant increase in theCeIAA1transcript level was obtained in response to 2,4-D pulsing at pH 7.0 and 8.25 and to NAA pulsing at pH 8.25, indicating that the acropetally transported auxins were taken up by the cells under these conditions. Our data suggest that raising the pH of the pulsing solution would significantly contribute to the increased efficacy of auxins in improving the vase life of cut flowers.