On the existence of traveling waves in the 3D Boussinesq system

We extend earlier work on traveling waves in premixed flames in a gravitationally stratified medium, subject to the Boussinesq approximation. For three-dimensional channels not aligned with the gravity direction and under the Dirichlet boundary conditions in the fluid velocity, it is shown that a non-planar traveling wave, corresponding to a non-zero reaction, exists, under an explicit condition relating the geometry of the crossection of the channel to the magnitude of the Prandtl and Rayleigh numbers, or when the advection term in the flow equations is neglected.Comment: 15 pages, to appear in Communications in Mathematical Physic

On the variational limits of lattice energies on prestrained elastic bodies

We study the asymptotic behaviour of the discrete elastic energies in presence of the prestrain metric $G$, assigned on the continuum reference configuration $\Omega$. When the mesh size of the discrete lattice in $\Omega$ goes to zero, we obtain the variational bounds on the limiting (in the sense of $\Gamma$-limit) energy. In case of the nearest-neighbour and next-to-nearest-neibghour interactions, we derive a precise asymptotic formula, and compare it with the non-Euclidean model energy relative to $G$

Existence and stability of viscoelastic shock profiles

We investigate existence and stability of viscoelastic shock profiles for a class of planar models including the incompressible shear case studied by Antman and Malek-Madani. We establish that the resulting equations fall into the class of symmetrizable hyperbolic--parabolic systems, hence spectral stability implies linearized and nonlinear stability with sharp rates of decay. The new contributions are treatment of the compressible case, formulation of a rigorous nonlinear stability theory, including verification of stability of small-amplitude Lax shocks, and the systematic incorporation in our investigations of numerical Evans function computations determining stability of large-amplitude and or nonclassical type shock profiles.Comment: 43 pages, 12 figure

Measurement of psychological entitlement in 28 countries

This article presents the cross-cultural validation of the Entitlement Attitudes Questionnaire, a tool designed to measure three facets of psychological entitlement: active, passive, and revenge entitlement. Active entitlement was defined as the tendency to protect individual rights based on self-worthiness. Passive entitlement was defined as the belief in obligations to and expectations toward other people and institutions for the fulfillment of the individual’s needs. Revenge entitlement was defined as the tendency to protect one’s individual rights when violated by others and the tendency to reciprocate insults. The 15-item EAQ was validated in a series of three studies: the first one on a general Polish sample (N = 1,900), the second one on a sample of Polish students (N = 199), and the third one on student samples from 28 countries (N = 5,979). A three-factor solution was confirmed across all samples. Examination of measurement equivalence indicated partial metric invariance of EAQ for all national samples. Discriminant and convergent validity of the EAQ was also confirmed

Discovery of mating in the major African livestock pathogen Trypanosoma congolense

The protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma congolense, is one of the most economically important pathogens of livestock in Africa and, through its impact on cattle health and productivity, has a significant effect on human health and well being. Despite the importance of this parasite our knowledge of some of the fundamental biological processes is limited. For example, it is unknown whether mating takes place. In this paper we have taken a population genetics based approach to address this question. The availability of genome sequence of the parasite allowed us to identify polymorphic microsatellite markers, which were used to genotype T. congolense isolates from livestock in a discrete geographical area of The Gambia. The data showed a high level of diversity with a large number of distinct genotypes, but a deficit in heterozygotes. Further analysis identified cryptic genetic subdivision into four sub-populations. In one of these, parasite genotypic diversity could only be explained by the occurrence of frequent mating in T. congolense. These data are completely inconsistent with previous suggestions that the parasite expands asexually in the absence of mating. The discovery of mating in this species of trypanosome has significant consequences for the spread of critical traits, such as drug resistance, as well as for fundamental aspects of the biology and epidemiology of this neglected but economically important pathogen

Medicine for Muslims? Islamic Theologians, Non-Muslim Physicians and the Medical Culture of the Mamluk Near East

The present paper is an attempt to define the ways in which the process of radicalization of Islam influenced the medical culture of Egypt and Syria under the Mamluks. Both the transformation of medical culture and the impact of this transformation on medical theory and practice are discussed, above all, in the context of the inter-faith antagonism. The work is in progress, so some of the interpretations are of preliminary character and require further investigation. As an area of research, the microcosm of non-Muslim physicians living and working in the Mamluk state is rather capacious and non-uniform. As such, it can be approached from a number of perspectives. On the most obvious level, the subject belongs, on the one hand, to the social history of medicine; on the other, it forms a part of the history of inter-communal and inter-faith antagonisms. The present study aims at investigating the area where medical culture and inter-communal conflict overlapped. This area constitutes in fact a rather complex puzzle in which the issues of sickness and health were interwoven with ideology, politics, and propaganda based both on the “time-honored tradition” of blaming the doctor and the fear of (and animosity towards) the religious Other. In other words, this is interdisciplinary research, focused on the social aspects of medicine, inter-communal antagonism, and the interaction between them. Approaching such a complex subject matter from just one of the possible perspectives would mean depriving it of its rich and multifaceted context. In order to make the study comprehensive, I have decided to apply a mode of inquiry which is sometimes used by historians of the Alltag, and which allows the scholar to combine many different instruments, including those that are typical for fields such as anthropology, sociology, or social psychology. This mode also makes it possible to make comparisons with other cultures.Maciej Klimiu

Twelve Thousand Cooks and a Muḥtasib. Some Remarks od Food Business in Medieval Cairo

The general aim of this article is to shed some light on the functioning of the industry that was to satisfy the medieval Cairenes’ alimentative needs. As most of the Western travelers who visited Cairo between XIII and XVI centuries observed, the city dwellers generally did not cook at home—they would rather use services offered by cooks in the city streets and bazaars. Indeed, since the majority of the city inhabitants did not have kitchens at their apartments, the easiest way for them—if not the only one—to get a warm meal was to buy ready-made food. Because of the constant and common demand, the offer of public kitchens was fairly rich and assorted enough to satisfy various tastes and meet various financial capabilities of the customers. The quantity of places where ready-made food was being sold night and day was shocking to foreign visitors: the number of street cooks in the city was said to reach ten, twelve, and even twenty thousand.Maciej Klimiu

The Delectable War between Mutton and the Refreshments of the Market-Place. Rereading the Curious Tale of the Mamluk Era

At some point in XV century, or in the decadent period of the Circassian Mamluk era, certain Aḥmad Ibn Yaḥyā Ibn Ḥasan al-Ḥaǧǧār, apparently a resident of Cairo, composed a curious narrative titled Kitāb al-ḥarb al-maʿšūq bayna laḥm aḍ-ḍaʾn wa-ḥawāḍir as-sūq. In 1932-4 the work was partly translated, under the title The Delectable War between Mutton and the Refreshments of the Market-Place, by Joshua Finkel who also provided the translation with the summary of the text and extensive comments. Since that date the tale was summarized a number of times in contemporary studies and there is no need to retell its story once again. In the context of the present study it probably suffices to say that Delectable War features a conflict between two camps, each of which is represented by a significant number of personified edible goods. In other words, various meats, animal fats and meat dishes, led by the mutton-called here King Mutton-fight the camp of meat-free foods that is led by King Honey. The cause is not always clear but, according to the most obvious understanding, the prominence over all the foodstuffs is at stake, both of those in the bazaar and those on the table.Maciej Klimiu

When a shared meal is formalized. Observations on Arabic “table manners” manuals of the Middle Ages

Generally, Arabic medieval texts related to the etiquette of eating are of two categories: one includes those written by authors of theological background, and the other includes secular texts, composed by men motivated by their literary passion and civility rather than Islamic education. Thus, “Arabic” texts were not always identical with “Islamic”. The terms “Arabic-Islamic” (to designate works written by religious scholars) and “Arabic/Islamic” (when both categories are referred to) used in the present essay, are meant to mark the difference. All the compendia of Arabic/Islamic table manners (with one exception) that are of significance for the present study are spread throughout volumes that belong to various genres of literary output. It is not possible to present all the authors or their works here, as the discussed texts are too numerous and too diversified: they were written at various times between X-XV centuries by authors of different geographical, social and professional proveniences. A short presentation is, however, indispensable.Maciej Klimiu