Mecenazgo ducal y espectáculo como expresión del poder en las ciudades conquistadas: el caso de los países bajos borgoñones

At the end of the fourteenth century the county of Flanders held by Luis of Male was inherited by his daughter Margaret and her husband Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy. The new sovereigns had to prove their authority against the strong privileges previously gained by the cities of that county, one of the most developed territories in Europe. The revolt of Gent and the Battle of Roosebeke (1384) won by the ruler, confirmed the control of the Valois Burgundy dynasty on the recently acquired lands. The conflict between cities and the political aspirations of dukes of Burgundy would be a constant problem throughout the fifteenth century in the Low Countries as showed many other riots and revolts in Gent and Bruges. Every conflict between the city and the sovereign inspired the court to celebrate the victory and to applaud the ducal control on Flemish cities. Ducal control was expressed by the iconography of art works, emphasised during the spectacular entry of the duke to the humiliated city. The aim of this paper is to investigate and describe the construction of the visual glory of the duke by the analysis of chronicles that describe celebrations of the ducal entry to the city. The comparison between the iconographical analysis of the manuscripts, tapestries and other pieces from the collection of the duke and the chronicles of Jean Froissart, Georges Chastellain and Enguerrand de Monstrelet allows a deep understanding of the image of mightiness created by the court around the figure of the duke of Burgundy in relations to the collapsed cities. The result will finally show how was constructed the image of the early modern city in peace with a sovereign dominating it and if it corespond to the ducal ideology of justice, equity and common good.Tis research was supported by the James I University: Pla de promoció de la investigació de la Universitat Jaume I per a l’any 2016, programa de mobilitat del personal investigador, E-2016-09

A WISE method for designing IIR filters

The problem of designing optimal digital IIR filters with frequency responses approximating arbitrarily chosen complex functions is considered. The real-valued coefficients of the filter's transfer function are obtained by numerical minimization of carefully formulated cost, which is referred here to as the weighted integral of the squared error (WISE) criterion. The WISE criterion linearly combines the WLS criterion that is used in the weighted least squares approach toward filter design and some time-domain components. The WLS part of WISE enforces quality of the frequency response of the designed filter, while the time-domain part of the WISE criterion restricts the positions of the filter's poles to the interior of an origin-centred circle with arbitrary radius. This allows one not only to achieve stability of the filter but also to maintain some safety margins. A great advantage of the proposed approach is that it does not impose any constraints on the optimization problem and the optimal filter can be sought using off-the-shelf optimization procedures. The power of the proposed approach is illustrated with filter design examples that compare favorably with results published in research literature

an In Vitro Study

The poor healing potential of tendons is still a clinical problem, and the use of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) was hypothesized to stimulate healing. As the efficacy of PRPs remains unproven, platelet lysate (PL) could be an alternative with its main advantages of storage and characterization before use. Five different blood products were prepared from 16 male donors: human serum, two PRPs (Arthrex, (PRP-ACP); RegenLab (PRP-BCT)), platelet concentrate (apheresis, PC), and PL (freezing-thawing destruction of PC). Additionally, ten commercial allogenic PLs (AlloPL) from pooled donors were tested. The highest concentration of most growth factors was found in AlloPL, whereas the release of growth factors lasted longer in the other products. PRP-ACP, PRP- BCT, and PC significantly increased cell viability of human tenocyte-like cells, whereas PC and AlloPL increased Col1A1 expression and PRP-BCT increased Col3A1 expression. MMP-1, IL-1β, and HGF expression was significantly increased and Scleraxis expression decreased by most blood products. COX1 expression significantly decreased by PC and AlloPL. No clear positive effects on tendon cell biology could be shown, which might partially explain the weak outcome results in clinical practice. Pooled PL seemed to have the most beneficial effects and might be the future in using blood products for tendon tissue regeneration

Saraqib Thobe Identification in the May Weber Ethnographic Collection

The artistic tradition of embroidery in communities across the Arabian Peninsula has long served as a means of expressing local identity, values, and craftsmanship through the decoration of garments. Distinctive patterns, stylistic choices, and color palettes allow for the regional identification of embroidered clothing. This research examines a Syrian thobe housed in the May Weber Ethnographic Collection at Loyola University Chicago, using physical analysis and comparative study to identify its origins. By analyzing the garment’s embroidery patterns, construction techniques, and aesthetic details, this study not only determines the likely regional provenance of the thobe but also explores the broader cultural and historical significance of embroidery within Syrian textile traditions

A level playing ‘field’? A Bourdieusian analysis of the career aspirations of further education students on sports courses

There is currently a distinct dearth of research into how sports students’ career aspirations are formed during their post-compulsory education. This article, based on an ethnographic study of sport students in tertiary education, draws on data collected from two first-year cohorts (n = 34) on two different courses at a further education college in England. The study draws on ethnographic observations, and semi-structured group interviews, to examine in-depth the contrasting occupational perspectives emergent within these two groups of mainly working-class students, and how specific cultural practices affect students’ career aspirations. Utilising a Bourdieusian framework, the paper analyses the internalised, often latent cultural practices that impact upon these students’ diverse career aspirations. The hitherto under-researched dimension of inter-habitus interaction and also the application of doxa are outlined. The article reveals how the two student cohorts are situated within a complex field of relations, where struggles for legitimisation, academic accomplishment and numerous forms of lucrative capital become habituated. The study offers salient Bourdieusian-inspired insights into the career aspirations of these predominantly working-class students and the ways in which certain educational practices contribute to the production and reproduction of class inequalities

Review of the exhibition: “Als Ich Can”, 10 July - 6 January 2020, Kunstkammer, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Viena

Review of the exhibition: “Als Ich Can”, 10 July - 6 January 2020, Kunstkammer, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vien

Square Root Raised Cosine Fractionally Delaying Nyquist Filter – Design and Performance Evaluation

In this paper we propose a discrete-time FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filter which is meant to be applied as a square root Nyquist filter and fractional delay filter simultaneously. The filter enables to substitute for a cascade of square root raised cosine (SRRC) Nyquist filter and fractional delay filter in one device/algorithm. The aim is to compensate for transmission delay in digital communication system. Performance of the filter in the role of a matched filter is evaluated using a newly defined energetic ISI (Intersymbol Interference) measure and ability of the filter to completely eliminate the ISI involved by fractional delay of symbol shaping filter in transmitter or by channel delay. Considerations and results of the contribution are documented by suitable eye-diagrams and the SRRC filter responses

Hong Kong Adolescents’ Perceptions of Selected Aspects of the Job Interview Process

Increasingly, new labor market entrants must understand and be adequately prepared to engage in the interview process. This exploratory, descriptive case study examined the naïve and informed perceptions of disadvantaged youths in Hong Kong who participated in a job-seeking skills workshop on job interviewing. Qualitative data was coded using an emergent design, through multiple phases of coding to develop thematic findings. Pre- and post- survey data were compared to illustrate changes as a result of the workshop intervention. Participants identified five main themes or groups of questions as being important in a job interview. Two themes were deemed most critical; (a) reasons for being interested in the job and (b) reasons to hire the interviewee. Post-workshop perceptions about interview questions appeared to be less externally-oriented than those obtained before the workshop. Personal traits and work-related skills were perceived as the most important information to relate to potential employers. Workshop participants were better able to identify important elements of the job interview and articulate ways to present personal skills and qualities in appropriate ways. This exploratory study contributes to the discourse on job-seeking youth by highlighting potential areas for further study, as well as potential targeting and improving of job-seeking skills through focused workshop interventions

Economic Attainment Patterns of College-Educated Women in Mid-Career: An Objective Indicator of Career Success

The purpose of this study was to identify latent classes of college-educated late-baby-boomer generation women’s economic attainment (income) patterns during mid-career and examine the family and job satisfaction characteristics within each latent class. Longitudinal latent class analysis was used to analyze income data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 for 607 college-educated women in the United States for the years 1990 to 2010. The analysis revealed five distinct patterns of women’s economic attainment. A majority of the sample (72.7%) fell into the sustained growth group in which women’s economic attainment increased continuously and consistently. Approximately one-third of the sample exhibited sporadic (steady decline, early-sustained, and late rebound) or limited (stagnant growth) patterns. Both newly-formed family and family-of-origin factors differed significantly across classes. However no difference in job satisfaction among classes was found

The Privacy of a Court Painter: Michel Sittow and his Journeys to the Courts of Isabella of Castile, Christian II of Denmark, and Margaret of Austria

The painter Michel Sittow worked for at least three courts: Castile,Denmark, and the Habsburg’s Low Countries. His presence and, tosome extent, his status and activities are documented in scatteredindications in financial sources and inventories. Examining thoseprimary sources, this article pursues two lines of inquiry. Firstly, wetrace Sittow’s trajectory and the connection of his artworks to thesethree periods of his life. Secondly, we deploy the painter’s case toponder material and immaterial courtly boundaries that would haveconstituted different degrees and forms of privacy at court. Finally,this dual examination shows that he may indeed have posed a threatto the privacy of some of his royal employers