Бачення провінції в живописі Ежего Дуди-Грача (Pojęcie prowincji w malarstwie jerzego dudy-gracza) (The Concept of the province in the paintings of Jerzy Duda-Gracz)

Єжи Дуда-Грач представив естетичний код провінції, який був змінений завдяки переміщенню в бік каліцтва, сакрального в профанський, присутній у його живописі. За допомогою цієї форми художник змінив елементи, що стосуються високої культури. Він використав гомбровичевску форму, через яку були висміяні топоси польської культури. Гротеск у живописі та його елементи спрямовані проти міфів і стереотипів. Через гротеск Дуда заперечує істини, відомі людям, а також знищує те, що, здавалося святим, виставляє на посміховисько очевидні факти, овульгаризовує мистецтво, створюючи пародію і велич. Присутня деградація возвеличених символів і перенесення їх на грунт повсякденного життя. Аналізуючи «Голгофу Ясної Гори» можна зробити висновок, що залишаються непоміченими сучасниками святі речі, все те, що відомо суспільству, у Дуди втрачає сенс, як, наприклад, Христос, який для багатьох віруючих присутній тільки в церкві. Такі схеми, живопис цього художника руйнує і демонструє обмеженість і простоту людей, здавалося б, віруючих. Світ зображений Дудою, це трагічний світ, у якому людина не знаходить внутрішньої гармонії та спокою. (Zaprezentowany kod estetyczny prowincji, który uległ zmianie, przesunięciu w stronę brzydoty, sacrum w profanum, które obecne są w zapożyczeniach malarskich Jerzego Dudy-Gracza. Poprzez formy artysta zdegradował elementy przynależące do kultury wysokiej. Wykorzystał gombrowiczowską formę, poprzez którą ośmieszone zostały toposy kultury polskiej. Groteska w malarstwie Jerzego Dudy-Gracza i jej elementy wymierzone są przeciwko mitom i stereotypom. Poprzez groteskę Duda.) (Jerzy Duda-Gracz presented the aesthetic code of the province that has been changed by moving to the side of the ugliness, the sacred in the profane, presents in his paintings. Using this form the artist is degraded elements relating to high culture. He used gombrowicz’s form, through which were teases toposes of Polish culture. The grotesque in painting and its elements, is directed against myths and stereotypes. Through the grotesque Duda denies the truth known to people, and destroys that seemingly Holy, puts on mock obvious facts, posset and degrades the art, parodying his greatness. There is a degradation of the lofty themes, characters, and transfer them to the soil of everyday life. Analyzing the Golgotha of Jasna Góra, we can conclude that contemporaries go unnoticed is a sacred thing, all what is known in the society – for Duda is meaningless, as, for example, Christ, for many believers is present only in the Church. Such schemes, the artist of this painting, destroys and shows the stupidity and simplicity of the people, it would seem, believers. The world depicted by Duda-a tragic world where a person can not find their inner harmony and tranquility.

Comparing and calibrating black hole mass estimators for distant active galactic nuclei

Black hole mass is a fundamental property of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In the distant universe, black hole mass is commonly estimated using the MgII, Hbeta, or Halpha emission line widths and the optical/UV continuum or line luminosities, as proxies for the characteristic velocity and size of the broad-line region. Although they all have a common calibration in the local universe, a number of different recipes are currently used in the literature. It is important to verify the relative accuracy and consistency of the recipes, as systematic changes could mimic evolutionary trends when comparing various samples. At z=0.36, all three lines can be observed at optical wavelengths, providing a unique opportunity to compare different empirical recipes. We use spectra from the Keck Telescope and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to compare black hole mass estimators for a sample of nineteen AGNs at this redshift. We compare popular recipes available from the literature, finding that mass estimates can differ up to 0.38+-0.05 dex in the mean (or 0.13+-0.05 dex, if the same virial coefficient is adopted). Finally, we provide a set of 30 internally self consistent recipes for determining black hole mass from a variety of observables. The intrinsic scatter between cross-calibrated recipes is in the range 0.1-0.3 dex. This should be considered as a lower limit to the uncertainty of the black hole mass estimators.Comment: ApJ in press, 11 pages, 10 figure

AFM of metallic nano-particles and nano-structures in heavily irradiated NaCl

AFM investigations are reported for heavily, electron irradiated NaCl crystals in ultra high vacuum (UHV) in the non-contact mode with an UHV AFM/STM Omicron system. To avoid chemical reactions between the radiolytic Na and oxygen and water, the irradiated samples were cleaved and prepared for the experiments in UHV. At the surface of freshly cleaved samples, we have observed sodium nano-precipitates with shapes, which depend on the irradiation dose and the volume fraction of the radiolytic Na. It appears that the nano-structures consist of (i) isolated nano-particles, (ii) more or less random aggregates of these particles, (iii) fractally shaped networks and (iv) ‘‘fabrics’’ consisting of bundles of Quasi-1D arrays forming polymeric networks of nano-particles. Almost independent of the concentration of the metallic Na in the samples the size of the individual nano-particles is in the range 1–3 nm. Our new AFM results are fully in line with our CESR and previous Raman scattering results.

Modelling the health-economic impact of the next influenza pandemic in The Netherlands

To optimally develop or adjust national contingency plans to respond to the next influenza pandemic, we developed a decision type model and estimated the total health burden and direct medical costs during the next possible influenza pandemic in the Netherlands on the basis of health care burden during a regular epidemic. Using an arithmetic decision tree-type model we took into account population characteristics, varying influenza attack rates, health care consumption according to the Dutch health care model and all-cause mortality. Actual direct medical cost estimates were based on the Dutch guidelines for pharmaco-economic evaluation. In the base-case scenario with no preventive measure available and an average influenza attack rate of 30%, 4,958,188 influenza infections, 1,552,687 GP consultations, 83,515 hospitalizations and 173,396 deaths will take place in The Netherlands. The burden is highest in adults aged 20 to 64 years. If minimizing the total mortality and sustaining highest net economic returns is the objective, this group needs to be targeted in interventions. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserve

Do Naked Singularities Form?

A naked singularity is formed by the collapse of a Sine-Gordon soliton in 1+1 dimensional dilaton gravity with a negative cosmological constant. We examine the quantum stress tensor resulting from the formation of the singularity. Consistent boundary conditions require that the incoming soliton is accompanied by a flux of incoming radiation across past null infinity, but neglecting the back reaction of the spacetime leads to the absurd conclusion that the total energy entering the system by the time the observer is able to receive information from the singularity is infinite. We conclude that the back reaction must prevent the formation of the naked singularity.Comment: 7 pages (21 Kb), PHYZZX. Revised version to appear in Class. & Quant. Grav. Letts. A discussion of the consistency of the Sine-Gordon model is include

AGN Black Hole Masses and Bolometric Luminosities

Black hole mass, along with mass accretion rate, is a fundamental property of active galactic nuclei. Black hole mass sets an approximate upper limit to AGN energetics via the Eddington limit. We collect and compare all AGN black hole mass estimates from the literature; these 177 masses are mostly based on the virial assumption for the broad emission lines, with the broad-line region size determined from either reverberation mapping or optical luminosity. We introduce 200 additional black hole mass estimates based on properties of the host galaxy bulges, using either the observed stellar velocity dispersion or using the fundamental plane relation to infer $\sigma$; these methods assume that AGN hosts are normal galaxies. We compare 36 cases for which black hole mass has been generated by different methods and find, for individual objects, a scatter as high as a couple of orders of magnitude. The less direct the method, the larger the discrepancy with other estimates, probably due to the large scatter in the underlying correlations assumed. Using published fluxes, we calculate bolometric luminosities for 234 AGNs and investigate the relation between black hole mass and luminosity. In contrast to other studies, we find no significant correlation of black hole mass with luminosity, other than those induced by circular reasoning in the estimation of black hole mass. The Eddington limit defines an approximate upper envelope to the distribution of luminosities, but the lower envelope depends entirely on the sample of AGN included. For any given black hole mass, there is a range in Eddington ratio of up to three orders of magnitude.Comment: 43 pages with 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

The potential economic value of influenza vaccination for healthcare workers in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND: Despite the clinical evidence, influenza vaccination coverage of healthcare workers remains low. To assess the health economic value of implementing an influenza immunization program among healthcare workers (HCW) in University Medical Centers (UMCs) in the Netherlands, a cost-benefit model was developed using a societal perspective. METHODS/PATIENTS: The model was based on a trial performed among all UMCs in the Netherlands that included both hospital staff as well as patients admitted to the pediatrics and internal medicine departments. The model structure and parameters estimates was based on the trial and complemented with literature research, and the impact of uncertainty explored with sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: In a base-case scenario without vaccine coverage, influenza related annual costs were estimated at € 410,815 for an average UMC with 8,000 HCWs and an average occupancy during the influenza period of 6,000 hospitalized patients. Of these costs, 82% attributed to the HCWs and 18% were patient related. With a vaccination coverage of 15.47%, the societal program's savings were € 2,861 which corresponds to a saving of € 270.53 per extended hospitalization. Univariate sensitivity analyses show that the results are most sensitive to changes in the model parameters vaccine effectiveness in reducing influenza-like-illness (ILI) and the vaccination-related costs. CONCLUSION: In addition to the decreased burden of patient morbidity among hospitalized patients, the effects of the hospital immunization program slightly outweigh the economic investments. These outcomes may support healthcare policy makers' recommendations about the influenza vaccination program for healthcare workers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Measured energy expenditure of tube-fed patients with severe neurodevelopment disabilities

Objective: To determine measured resting energy expenditure (REE) of nonambulatory tube-fed patients with severe neurological neurodevelopmental disabilities. Methods: Twenty patients were prospectively studied. Only steady state indirect calorimetry measurements were taken. All measurements were conducted using a canopy system. Nutritional needs were met entirely by enteral feedings via a permanent ostomy. Results: REE was widely distributed from 16 kcals/kg/day to 39 kcals/kg/day. The mean REE (888 ±176 kcals/day) of the patients was significantly (p \u3c 0.01) lower than predicted as estimated by the Harris-Benedict equations (1081 ± 155 kcals/day) and World Health Organization equations (1194 ± 167 kcals/day). Fat-free mass (FFM) was the best parameter for predicting REE. Two predictive equations were developed that are not significantly biased and more precise (≤ 15% error) than conventional predictive formulas. Conclusion: Conventional formulas for estimating energy expenditure are inaccurate and generally overestimate measured energy expenditure of nonambulatory patients with severe developmental disabilities

The AGN Population in X-ray Selected Galaxy Groups at 0.5<z<1.10.5 < z < 1.1

We use Chandra data to study the incidence and properties of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in 16 intermediate redshift ($0.5 < z < 1.1$) X-ray-selected galaxy groups in the Chandra Deep Field-South. We measure an AGN fraction of $f(L_{X,H} > 10^{42}; M_R<-20) = 8.0_{-2.3}^{+3.0}\%$ at $\bar{z} \sim 0.74$, approximately a factor of two higher than the AGN fraction found for rich clusters at comparable redshift. This extends the trend found at low redshift for groups to have higher AGN fractions than clusters. Our estimate of the AGN fraction is also more than a factor of 3 higher than that of low redshift X-ray-selected groups. Using optical spectra from various surveys, we also constrain the properties of emission-line selected AGN in these groups. Contrary to the large population of X-ray AGN ($N(L_{X,H} > 10^{41}$ erg/s) = 25), we find only 4 emission-line AGN, 3 of which are also X-ray bright. Furthermore, most of the X-ray AGN in our groups are optically-dull (i.e. lack strong emission-lines) similar to those found in low redshift X-ray groups and clusters of galaxies. This contrasts with the AGN population found in low redshift optically-selected groups which are dominated by emission-line AGN. The differences between the optically and X-ray-selected AGN populations in groups are consistent with a scenario where most AGN in the densest environments are currently in a low accretion state.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

An early Little Ice Age brackish water invasion along the south coast of the Caspian Sea (sediment of Langarud wetland) and its wider impacts on environment and people

Caspian Sea level has undergone significant changes through time with major impacts not only on the surrounding coasts, but also offshore. This study reports a brackish water invasion on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea constructed from a multi-proxy analysis of sediment retrieved from the Langarud wetland. The ground surface level of wetland is >6 m higher than the current Caspian Sea level (at -27.41 m in 2014) and located >11 km far from the coast. A sequence covering the last millennium was dated by three radiocarbon dates. The results from this new study suggest that Caspian Sea level rose up to at least -21.44 m (i.e. >6 m above the present water level) during the early Little Ice Age. Although previous studies in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea have detected a high-stand during the Little Ice Age period, this study presents the first evidence that this high-stand reached so far inland and at such a high altitude. Moreover, it confirms one of the very few earlier estimates of a high-stand at -21 m for the second half of the 14th century. The effects of this large-scale brackish water invasion on soil properties would have caused severe disruption to regional agriculture, thereby destabilizing local dynasties and facilitating a rapid Turko-Mongol expansion of Tamerlane’s armies from the east.N Ghasemi (INIOAS), V Jahani (Gilan Province Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organisation) and A Naqinezhad (University of Mazandaran), INQUA QuickLakeH project (no. 1227) and to the European project Marie Curie, CLIMSEAS-PIRSES-GA-2009-24751