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The extant texts of Enochic Judaism present accounts about the early history of humankind, which use the motifs familiar from the ancient Mesopotamian historiography. The different versions of the Jewish story of the Watchers originate as counter narratives about the antediluvian sages, or apkallus, which are known from the cuneiform literature. The myth of Adapa in Akkadian offers a version of the narrative in which the sage was promoted in heaven to a god-like status, which concept is corroborated with an entry in the cuneiform compendium Tintir and the Chronicle of the Esagila. This tradition also associated Adapa with the immortalized flood survivor. In the form of a counter narrative, the Enochic texts of Judaism attributed the heavenly assumption to Enoch and presented the Watchers as the demonic entities subordinated to him. The fall of the Watchers, the promotion of Enoch, and the primordial battle against evil forces are depicted in the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoch 85–90. A very similar scenario is found in the Chronicle of Esagila, which describes the early history of humankind from the Babylonian perspective. It can be demonstrated that the Animal Apocalypse uses this or a similar cuneiform historiographic source as the basis of its counter narrative.

"Human being as a natural body: The perceptual worlds of Estonian literature from the 1960s to the 1980s." People develop their sense of self partly as a social self-consciousness, but also through the way their immediate perceptual world registers upon consciousness. This primary place perception of the self is, at the same time, inseparable from the circulation of ideas within culture more broadly. This article considers the relationship between a sense of self and the natural environment during the Soviet period, as it appears in the fiction and nonfiction of that era. More particularly, the art­icle analyzes the role of the natural environment in cultural consciousness, viewing it in the context of the global sphere of ideas and the behavioural patterns of the time. The self is understood not as a closed and fixed set of characteristics, but as a relational space where different factors are constantly creating and recreating the self-consciousness of the subject. In support of this reading, the article develops a multiscalar model of naturecultural selfhood. The first part of the article focuses on perception-based selfhood and its representation in Estonian literature, while the second gives an outline of the main aspects of environmental thought and environmental issues of the time and builds on the notion of a perception-based selfhood to conceptualize a multiscalar, perception- and idea-based selfhood. The discussion touches upon Jaan Kruusvall’s short story “Sorcerer’s Bread” (Sortsi leib), Teet Kallas’s short story “The Death of a Dog” (Koera suremine), Mats Traat’s novel “Pasqueflower, a Cure of Sadness” (Karukell, kurvameelsuse rohi), Edgar Kase’s auto-ethnographic “Road to Tranquility. Muraka Wetland Complex” (Tee vaikusesse. Muraka soostik), and Jaan Kaplinski’s essays. Kaplinski traces the relationship between selfhood and the living environment back to childhood: the self is based on a child’s sensuous experience of place. Kruusvall and Traat bring a literary focus on the intensification of place-attachment that leads to the recognition of one’s “true self,” or the feeling of being completely one with the surrounding world. From the late 1960s, discussions of environmental ethics in Estonia come to refer to the moral philosophy of Albert Schweitzer and the cautionary modelings of the future offered by the Club of Rome. Schweitzer’s environmental ethics binds the selfhood constructed from the experience of one’s own environment with a sense of global responsibility and the idea of oneness with all life.

Abstract RecQ helicases—also known as the “guardians of the genome”—play crucial roles in genome integrity maintenance through their involvement in various DNA metabolic pathways. Aside from being conserved from bacteria to vertebrates, their importance is also reflected in the fact that in humans impaired function of multiple RecQ helicase orthologs are known to cause severe sets of problems, including Bloom, Werner, or Rothmund-Thomson syndromes. Our aim was to create and characterize a zebrafish (Danio rerio) disease model for Bloom syndrome, a recessive autosomal disorder. In humans, this syndrome is characterized by short stature, skin rashes, reduced fertility, increased risk of carcinogenesis, and shortened life expectancy brought on by genomic instability. We show that zebrafish blm mutants recapitulate major hallmarks of the human disease, such as shortened lifespan and reduced fertility. Moreover, similarly to other factors involved in DNA repair, some functions of zebrafish Blm bear additional importance in germ line development, and consequently in sex differentiation. Unlike fanc genes and rad51, however, blm appears to affect its function independent of tp53. Therefore, our model will be a valuable tool for further understanding the developmental and molecular attributes of this rare disease, along with providing novel insights into the role of genome maintenance proteins in somatic DNA repair and fertility.

Abstract The consideration of the descendance is indispensable in the preservation of endangered animal breeds. The authors compared mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequence in three descendant breeds of the extinct Zaupel sheep, firstly. Their investigation was carried out in order to prove the common origin of Waldschaf (Austria), Bovec sheep (Slovenia) and Cikta (Hungary). A total of 118 biological samples were taken from non‐related representatives of the three breeds between 2015 and 2017. A newly designed primer pair was also used to amplify the segment (1180 bp) to be tested. The total number of haplotypes in the whole study population was 49. The majority of which fell into haplogroup B. The significant negative value of the Fu's Fs statistic (Fs statistic = −3.296, p = 0.013) based on haplotype frequencies demonstrated a moderate foreign gene flow. As a novel observation haplogroups C and D appeared in Cikta and Bovec sheep, respectively. The Tajima D‐test value in the entire study population was −0.914 (p > 0.10), meaning that the separation of the three descendant breeds did not cause genetic drift, these are collectively in genetic equilibrium. The genetic information confirmed the common origin of the breeds known from the breed history.

Introduction: A significant proportion of ischaemic stroke patients present with unknown symptom onset time. DWI-FLAIR mismatch on MRI can help to identify those eligible for thrombolysis. We set out to analyse the short-term efficacy and safety of thrombolysis in a real-world setting. Methods: A retrospective single-centre observational study was conducted. We collected data between January 2017 and April 2020. Patients with a large vessel occlusion (LVO) were excluded. Outcomes were compared between thrombolysed patients and those who did not receive alteplase due to lack of DWI-FLAIR mismatch or other contraindications. We analysed baseline and discharge NIHSS scores for efficacy and defined good outcome as any neurological improvement (ANI) on the NIHSS. In terms of safety, the presence and severity of intracerebral haemorrhage on follow-up imaging was analysed, and mortality at 90 days assessed. Results: Seventy-one patients were included in this study, of whom 29 received thrombolysis. Significantly more patients had ANI in the thrombolysed group (OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.178–8.479; p = 0.020). In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, only thrombolysis correlated with ANI (OR, 3.051; 95% CI, 1.135–8.206; p = 0.027). Two thrombolysed patients suffered intracerebral haemorrhage (6.90%), of whom one was symptomatic and eventually fatal. We did not find a significant difference in 90-day mortality between the two groups (OR, 0.81, 95% CI, 0.134–4.856; p = 1.000). Conclusions: Our real-world data demonstrate that thrombolysis based on DWI-FLAIR mismatch in patients without LVO has an early beneficial effect. The rate of intracerebral haemorrhage was similar to this complication reported in large thrombolysis trials with known onset times.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), being the culprit for one-third of deaths globally, constitute a challenge for biomedical instrumentation development, especially for early disease detection. Pulsating arterial blood flow, providing access to cardiac-related parameters, involves the whole body. Unobtrusive and continuous acquisition of electrical bioimpedance (EBI) and photoplethysmography (PPG) constitute important techniques for monitoring the peripheral arteries, requiring novel approaches and clever means. Methods: In this work, five peripheral arteries were selected for EBI and PPG signal acquisition. The acquisition sites were evaluated based on the signal morphological parameters. A small-data-based deep learning model, which increases the data by dividing them into cardiac periods, was proposed to evaluate the continuity of the signals. Results: The highest sensitivity of EBI was gained for the carotid artery (0.86%), three times higher than that for the next best, the posterior tibial artery (0.27%). The excitation signal parameters affect the measured EBI, confirming the suitability of classical 100 kHz frequency (average probability of 52.35%). The continuity evaluation of the EBI signals confirmed the advantage of the carotid artery (59.4%), while the posterior tibial artery (49.26%) surpasses the radial artery (48.17%). The PPG signal, conversely, commends the location of the posterior tibial artery (97.87%). Conclusions: The peripheral arteries are highly suitable for non-invasive EBI and PPG signal acquisition. The posterior tibial artery constitutes a candidate for the joint acquisition of EBI and PPG signals in sensor-fusion-based wearable devices—an important finding of this research.

Background: Pelotherapy is the traditional procedure of applying curative muds on the skin’s surface—shown to have a positive effect on the human body and cure illnesses. The effect of pelotherapy is complex, functioning through several mechanisms, and depends on the skin’s functional condition. The current research objective was to develop a methodology and electrodes to assess the passage of the chemical and biologically active compounds of curative mud through human skin by performing electrical bioimpedance (EBI) analysis. Methods: The methodology included local area mud pack and simultaneous tap water compress application on the forearms with the comparison to the measurements of the dry skin. A custom-designed small-area gold-plated electrode on a rigid printed circuit board, in a tetrapolar configuration, was designed. A pilot study experiment with ten volunteers was performed. Results: Our results indicated the presence of an effect of pelotherapy, manifested by the varying electrical properties of the skin. Distinguishable difference in the measured real part of impedance (R) emerged, showing a very strong correlation between the dry and tap-water-treated skin (r = 0.941), while a poor correlation between the dry and mud-pack-treated skin (r = 0.166) appeared. The findings emerged exclusively in the frequency interval of 10 kHz …1 MHz and only for R. Conclusions: EBI provides a promising tool for monitoring the variations in the electrical properties of the skin, including the skin barrier. We foresee developing smart devices for promoting the exploitation of spa therapies.

Abstract Background Selecting stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) based on prehospital stroke scales could provide a faster triage and transportation to a comprehensive stroke centre resulting a favourable outcome. We aimed here to explore the detailed severity assessment of Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS) to improve its ability to detect LVO in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed in a prospectively collected registry of consecutive patients with first ever AIS admitted within 6 h after symptom onset. On admission stroke severity was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the presence of LVO was confirmed by computed tomography angiography (CTA) as an endpoint. A detailed version of CPSS (d-CPSS) was designed based on the severity assessment of CPSS items derived from NIHSS. The ability of this scale to confirm an LVO was compared to CPSS and NIHSS respectively. Results Using a ROC analysis, the AUC value of d-CPSS was significantly higher compared to the AUC value of CPSS itself (0.788 vs. 0.633, p

Background: Wearable technologies for monitoring cardiovascular parameters, including electrocardiography (ECG) and impedance cardiography (ICG), propose a challenging research subject. The expectancy for wearable devices to be unobtrusive and miniaturized sets a goal to develop smarter devices and better methods for signal acquisition, processing, and decision-making. Methods: In this work, non-standard electrode placement configurations (EPC) on the thoracic area and single arm were experimented for ECG signal acquisition. The locations were selected for joint acquisition of ECG and ICG, targeted to suitability for integrating into wearable devices. The methodology for comparing the detected signals of ECG was developed, presented, and applied to determine the R, S, and T waves and RR interval. An algorithm was proposed to distinguish the R waves in the case of large T waves. Results: Results show the feasibility of using non-standard EPCs, manifesting in recognizable signal waveforms with reasonable quality for post-processing. A considerably lower median sensitivity of R wave was verified (27.3%) compared with T wave (49%) and S wave (44.9%) throughout the used data. The proposed algorithm for distinguishing R wave from large T wave shows satisfactory results. Conclusions: The most suitable non-standard locations for ECG monitoring in conjunction with ICG were determined and proposed.

Climate change and aging infrastructure are the main stressors for existing urban drainage systems (UDS), causing more frequent overloading. The locations of flooded areas and system behavior under different scenarios can be analyzed using calibrated SWMM5 models. This study presents the implementation of an automatic calibration module designed for SWMM5. This module can be utilized for different types of drainage systems, including those that contain only impervious subareas, a mix of impervious and pervious subareas, as well systems that include natural ditches or channels. The latter are the most complex because, in this case, it is necessary to include the inflow of groundwater to the model. A dynamic link library (DLL) created by the authors enables automatic calibration of 21 parameters in SWMM5 in previously defined limits. The module enables calibrating up to five parameters simultaneously. This study presents different strategies for calibration, describes their limitations and possible solutions.

Abstract Introduction People with Down's syndrome (DS) have a high prevalence of early‐onset Alzheimer's disease. Early markers of Alzheimer's disease pathology identifiable before clinical change are needed for the evaluation of preventative treatments. The retina, an extension of the brain, may provide a noninvasive imaging site. Methods Forty‐nine adults with DS and 36 age‐matched controls completed retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) assessments using optical coherence tomography. RNFL thickness was analyzed in relation to cognitive status and age and previously acquired cortical thickness and cerebral amyloid β binding data in a subgroup. Results RNFL thickness was greater in the DS group and did not show age‐related thinning. RNFL correlated positively with cognitive scores and cortical thickness and was reduced in participants with positive cerebral amyloid β binding. Discussion Increased RNFL in adults with DS may represent early Alzheimer's disease–related changes. Thinning was present in those with cerebral amyloid β binding, independent of age.

Abstract Introduction Comorbid Alzheimer disease pathologies are frequently found in people with Down syndrome (DS). We report a deep phenotyping study undertaken over 7 years in a participant with DS who was nondemented at baseline but developed dementia after 5 years. Methods Throughout the course of the study, the participant was seen 4 times (2010, 2013, 2015, and 2017). Multimodal neuroimaging, including three serial scans of [11C]‐PiB‐PET, four structural magnetic resonance imagings, as well as a [18F]‐AV1451 scan, was interpreted alongside detailed neuropsychological assessments over the study period. Results Amyloid beta accumulation preceded the onset of dementia and cognitive decline, which in turn corresponded to the predominant deposition of tau in temporoparietal cortices. Discussion Until now, data on the longitudinal trajectories of amyloid accumulation, tau pathology, and brain atrophy over multiple time points remain scarce in DS. This case report highlights the potential for deep phenotyping imaging to elucidate the substrates of cognitive decline in DS, although further longitudinal studies are necessary to clarify the relative contributions of both amyloid and tau.

Introduction: There are conflicting results in the literature regarding the connection between thrombophilias and ischaemic stroke. However, most of the clinical studies have not differentiated between various ischaemic stroke subtypes. Our aim was to investigate whether there is an association between the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and ischaemic stroke due to small vessel disease (SVD) in patients ≤50 years of age. Patients and methods: We performed a retrospective search in the database used at our Health Centre. Our study population consisted of 100 ischaemic stroke patients. 65 patients had MTHFR C677T variants: 21 were homozygous (TT allele), 45 were heterozygous (CT). 35 stroke patients did not carry MTHFR C677T polymorphism (wild genotype, CC). Stroke subtypes were determined according to the TOAST classification. Pearson's chi-squared test of independence was used to evaluate differences between subgroups and multivariate logistic regression was also performed. Results: More than half of our study population (52.00%) had lacunar strokes. The ratio of SVD in patients ≤50 years of age with TT homozygous variant was significantly higher compared to heterozygous and wild type subjects (p = 0.032 and p = 0.03 respectively). Multivariate logistic regression also showed, that apart from hypertension, only TT homozygosity was a predictive factor for SVD related stroke (p = 0.014, OR 1.619, 95% CI 1.390–18.338). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that in a Hungarian population of ischaemic stroke patients ≤50 years of age, SVD is the most common stroke subtype. In addition, we found association of SVD stroke with hypertension and MTHFR 677TT homozygous polymorphism.

The aim of our research was the evaluation of the maternal genetic background of two Hungarian autochthonous sheep breeds of different geographical origin. A major argument for the preservation of endangered animal breeds is their documented past and historical importance. These also include the registration of pedigree data. This is the first study to evaluate and compare Tsigai and Cikta sheep in Hungary. Our investigation is based on two complete sequences of mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b gene and control region). Our research was performed on these two sheep breeds with markedly different breed histories and breed characteristics to determine a possible common maternal genetic background, as ultimately the origin of both breeds can be traced back to Asia Minor. Between 2015 and 2017, a total of 203 biological samples were taken using a newly introduced founder sampling method. We found that the prevailing haplogroup B accounted for over 80% of both breeds, strengthening the common ancestral root. However, the pairwise genetic differentiation estimates (KST) calculated using the sequence-based statistics for cytochrome b gene and control region were 0.034 and 0.021, respectively (both at level p < 0.05); thus, revealing genetic differentiation in both sequences between the Tsigai and Cikta. We note that the known different history of the breeds is clearly justified by the currently studied deviations in their maternal genetic background.

Ischemic stroke is among the leading causes of mortality and long-term disability worldwide. Among stroke risk factors the importance of genetic background is gaining interest. There is a growing body of evidence of changes of metabolite levels and enzyme activities involved in the conversion of Trp during the course of cerebral ischemia. We compared the frequencies of ten SNPs of five genes related to Trp metabolism between groups of 122 ischemic stroke patients and 120 control individuals. Furthermore, we examined the mRNA levels of TPH1, IDO1 and KYAT1 genes in peripheral venous blood with the aim of assessing (i) whether there are changes in their expression during the course of stroke and (ii) does any of their investigated SNPs have an impact on gene expression. In seven cases out of ten studied polymorphisms we detected significant differences in frequencies in relation to ischemic stroke occurrence, etiology, and clinical parameters. We also detected changes in the expression of TPH1 and IDO1 genes during the course of the disease. We found that those IDO1 variants which show a trend towards elevated mRNA level are more frequent in stroke patients than in controls. Our results are important novel observations which suggest a causal relationship between elevated IDO1 expression and stroke etiology.

Ádám Annus,1 László Vécsei1,2 1Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, 2MTA-SZTE Neuroscience Research Group, Szeged, Hungary Abstract: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive, chronic, neurodegenerative disease characterized by rigidity, tremor, bradykinesia and postural instability secondary to dopaminergic deficit in the nigrostriatal system. Currently, disease-modifying therapies are not available, and levodopa (LD) treatment remains the gold standard for controlling motor and nonmotor symptoms of the disease. LD is extensively and rapidly metabolized by peripheral enzymes, namely, aromatic amino acid decarboxylase and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). To increase the bioavailability of LD, COMT inhibitors are frequently used in clinical settings. Opicapone is a novel COMT inhibitor that has been recently approved by the European Medicines Agency as an adjunctive therapy to combinations of LD and aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor in adult PD patients with end-of-dose motor fluctuations. We aimed to review the biochemical properties of opicapone, summarize its preclinical and clinical trials and discuss its future potential role in the treatment of PD. Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, COMT inhibitors, opicapone

Introduction: Acute ischemic strokes (AIS) due to tandem occlusion (TO) of intracranial anterior large vessel and concomitant extracranial internal carotid artery (EICA) are represent in 15–20% of all ischemic strokes. The endovascular treatment (EVT) strategy for those patients is still unclear. Although the intracranial mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is considered as a standard treatment approach, the EICA lesion stent necessity remains a matter of debate. We sought to assess the efficacy and safety of EVT in tandem lesions, particularly the EICA stenting management. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all patients with anterior circulation stroke associated with EICA lesion and receiving EVT in the three participated stroke centers between November 2017 and December 2020. Patients’ data were collected from our prospective stroke registry (STAY ALIVE). Patients enrolled in our study were divided into two groups depending on whether acute carotid stenting (ACS) or balloon angioplasty only (BAO) technique was used. Our primary outcome was the 90-day functional outcome assessed by modified Rankin scale (mRS). Mortality at 90 days and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) were considered as secondary outcomes. Results: A total of 101 patients (age: 67 ± 10 years, 38.6% female) were enrolled in our study, including 29 (28.3%) BAO cases, and 72 (71.3%) patients treated with ACS. Patients in the BAO group were slightly older (70 ± 9 years vs. 66 ± 10 years, p = 0.054), and had higher prevalence of comorbidities such as hypertension (100.0% vs. 59.4%, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in favorable outcomes (51.7% vs. 54.4%, p = 0.808) between the groups. However, we observed a trend towards higher rates of sICH (8.3% vs. 3.4%, p = 0.382) and 90-day mortality (23.5% vs. 13.8%, p = 0.278) with significantly higher frequency of distal embolization (39.1% vs. 17.9%, p = 0.043) in patients with ACS. In the overall population age (p = 0.013), atrial fibrillation (AF) (p = 0.008), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) baseline (p = 0.029), and successful recanalization (p = 0.023) were associated with favorable outcome. Conclusion: Endovascular approach of EICA in addition to MT was safe and effective in tandem occlusion of anterior circulation. Furthermore, our results suggest that balloon angioplasty technique without acute stenting shows a comparable favorable outcome rate to ACS with moderately less hemorrhagic events and mortality rates.

Changes in a certain parameter are often a few magnitudes smaller than the base value of the parameter, specifying significant requirements for the dynamic range and noise levels of the measurement system. In case of electrical bioimpedance acquisition, the variations can be 1000 times smaller than the entire measured value. Synchronous or lock-in measurement of these variations is discussed in the current paper, and novel measurement solutions are presented. Proposed methods are simple and robust when compared to other applicable solutions. A common feature shared by all members of the group of the proposed solutions is differentiation. It is achieved by calculating the differences between synchronously acquired consecutive samples, with lock-in integration and analog differentiation. All these methods enable inherent separation of variations from the static component of the signal. The variable component of the bioimpedance can, thus, be acquired using the full available dynamic range of the apparatus for its detection. Additive disturbing signals and omnipresent wideband noise are considered and the method for their reduction is proposed.

Starting with a debate in September 2012 on the incorporation of domestic violence as a distinct offence in Hungary’s new Criminal Code, the issue of gender and proper womanhood has regularly re-surfaced in statements made by ruling coalition MPs in parliamentary debates. Drawing on discourse analysis, this study investigates a selection of these statements in the context of the government’s current policy and public discourse. The paper argues that these discourses outline an essentialist model reflective of a dominant ideology that is traditional, Christian, patriarchal and heteronormative, which, by hinting at women’s accountability for certain social ills, also allows for a chain of associations that ultimately results in the subversion of the overall social status of women, dividing and marginalising them further and discrediting any claims or actions aimed at establishing a more egalitarian society in the country.

Teesid: Artikkel lähtub teesist, et armastus kui tunne on lahutamatu sellest, kuidas seda tunnet sõnastatakse ja mõistetakse, ning analüüsib armastust kui kultuurilist kujutelma, mille äratundmine toimub vastavalt ühiskondlikele tõerežiimidele. Analüüsin armastusekujutust kirjandusteostes Alain Badiou armastusmudelite abil ning lisan juurde „omailma-armastuse mudeli“, mis rõhutab armastatu lahutamatust teda ümbritsevast ruumist: armastus ei hõlma vaid armastatut kui kindlalt piiritletud kehalist üksust, vaid ka seda, kuidas armastatu suhestub teda ümbritseva ruumiga ja inimestega. This article presents and analyses Western cultural models for speaking and thinking about love. According to Michel Foucault, each society establishes its regimes of truth: certain types of discourses are approved as truthful while others are declared unreliable. Each society includes mechanisms of control, which distinguish true statements from false, and assign some people (but not others) the authority to judge the true and the false, the acceptable and the unacceptable. Regimes of truth also establish paradigms for judging the truthfulness of love: according to the romantic regime, for example, love is something ephemeral, ungraspable and immeasurable, it transgresses established boundaries and norms; according to the pragmatic regime, by contrast, love can be expressed in economic terms and thus measured: a precious gift expresses commitment (else it would be a waste of money). There may be no common ground for one regime to concede legitimacy to a value asserted by a competing regime. In the view of the romantic regime, for example, the pragmatic regime might be judged as cynical and failing to grasp the essence of love – such weighing of feelings belongs to modern regimes of truth. Both romantic and pragmatic regimes of truth belong to the larger field of cultural imaginaries. Regimes of truth order and systematize the sphere of cultural imaginaries. I understand cultural imaginaries as the common ground for cultural identifications, a cultural complex that links together cultural memory, the value systems of one’s present era, and commonly shared expectations of the future. Cultural imaginaries are grounded partly in national culture, including the cultural knowledge shared by the national community and communicated in classic texts of that culture. In addition to specifically national cultural knowledge, cultural imaginaries of course include supranational value systems. The sphere of cultural imaginaries includes many inconsistencies and incoherences and it is always in flux. Alain Badiou outlines four philosophical models of love: romantic, practical, sceptical, and existential. I suggest that only two of these, romantic and practical (which I call pragmatic), have attained the status of truth regimes. Badiou foregrounds the existential model: according to this model, love is the refashioning of the world through the two, the replacement of an egocentric perspective with a new perspective based on difference. The greatest enemy of such love is not an intruder from the outside, but the self itself that prefers its own egocentric world to the love-world that is constituted through difference. Following some popular models of romantic relations in novels, I point to frequent tensions between the different models of love in fiction: contract-love versus romantic love, love as desire versus love as a friendly attachment, and I promote a model of love as encompassing not simply the figure of the beloved, but also his or her surrounding world. The conglomerate of relations that surrounds the human body and plays part in its identification could be called, following Jacob von Uexküll, an environing world of love. Thus, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or in Kasuema by Silvia Rannamaa, the female protagonist loves her male counterpart within the context of his environing world, where the beloved’s situatedness in the world becomes a defining part of the amorous relationship. Novels and films offer also a model of love which runs against Badiou’s ideal model of existential love: in some texts, the reader witnesses the birth of agency through love. In Asta Willmann’s short story “Patu vili”, the main character Berit grows from a passive, suffering, violated woman into an active, powerful figure who has strength enough to make groundbreaking decisions. She does not experience love as an existential relationship that offers her the possibility to relate to the world through the two, but she does grow as a human being and she finds strength and support in her relationship. The article concludes with the analysis of Mäetaguse vanad by Anton Hansen Tammsaare – in face of the death of one of the longterm partners, this short story exemplifies important qualities of shared life.

Urban stormwater drainage systems (UDS) are severely affected by the changing climate bringing along inter alia more intense rainfall events. The conduits, usually having limited capacity, are unable to cope with these excessive flowrates. Therefore, measures must be undertaken to temporarily accumulate extra flowrates in order to avoid the flooding. There are several options available to tackle this challenge, e.g., low impact development (LID) solutions, best management practices (BMP), stormwater real-time control measures (RTC). In this study the efficiency of in-line and off-line detention tanks are analyzed. Moreover, new concept of smart in-line storage system is created and evaluated. This solution shows significant reduction in peak flow, economic benefit and is particularly suitable for the districts with limited construction space. The concept has been successfully tested in 10 ha dense urban development area in Estonian capital Tallinn.

Investigations have indicated that in addition to traditional sources, drained peat soils can be considered as a significant source of nitrogen in Estonia. This changes the measures to improve water quality in rivers. At present modelling of nitrogen in rivers has been concentrated on influence of agricultural activity. However, drained peat can increase nitrogen concentrations even without fertilization and farming activities. This investigation describes the attempt to model water quality in the watershed with large share of drained peat soils. A good alignment between measured and modelled nitrate concentrations using the MACRO and the SOILN for MACRO models was shown.

The aim of this paper is to determine the influence of irregular wall roughness of old pipes to pressure drop and flow velocity in Water Distribution Systems (WDS). Typical calibration of a numerical model of an existing WDS that contains old pipes is usually based on the estimation of roughness of the pipes using nominal pipe diameters. Due to wall build-up the shape of the inner pipe surface can vary temporally and spatially. In this study a series of numerical investigations are carried out using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software to determine the effect of irregular pipe diameter to pressure drop and flow velocity.

In the context of wireless sensor networks, energy prediction models are increasingly useful tools that can facilitate the power management of the wireless sensor network (WSN) nodes. However, most of the existing models suffer from the so-called fixed weighting parameter, which limits their applicability when it comes to, e.g., solar energy harvesters with varying characteristics. Thus, in this article we propose the Adaptive LINE-P (all cases) model that calculates adaptive weighting parameters based on the stored energy profiles. Furthermore, we also present a profile compression method to reduce the memory requirements. To determine the performance of our proposed model, we have used real data for the solar and wind energy profiles. The simulation results show that our model achieves 90–94% accuracy and that the compressed method reduces memory overheads by 50% as compared to state-of-the-art models.

The main focus of this research article is the evaluation of selected voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) solutions in wireless mesh network (WMN) scenarios. While WMNs have self-healing, self-forming, and dynamic topology features, they still pose challenges for the implementation of multimedia applications such as voice in various scenarios. Therefore, various solutions to make WMN more suitable for VoIP application have been proposed in the scientific literature. In this work, we have extensively explored a set of applicable scenarios by conducting experiments by means of a network simulator. The following scenarios were selected as the most representatives for performance evaluation: first responders, flooded village, remote village, and platoon deployment. Each selected scenario has been studied under six sub-scenarios corresponding to various combinations of the IEEE 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11s, and 802.11e standards; the G.711 and G.729 codecs; and the ad hoc on demand distance vector (AODV) and hybrid wireless mesh protocol (HWMP) routing protocols. The results in terms of quality of service (measured with the mean opinion score rating scale), supported by the analysis of delay, jitter and packet loss, show that 802.11g integration with both VoIP codecs and AODV routing protocol results in better VoIP performance as compared to most other scenarios. In case of 802.11g integration with 802.11s, VoIP performance decreases as compared to the other sub-scenarios without 802.11s. The results also show that 802.11n integration with 802.11e decreases VoIP performance in larger deployments. We conclude the paper with some recommendations in terms of combinations of those standards and protocols with a view to achieve a higher quality of service for the given scenarios.

Energy harvesting technologies such as miniature power solar panels and micro wind turbines are increasingly used to help power wireless sensor network nodes. However, a major drawback of energy harvesting is its varying and intermittent characteristic, which can negatively affect the quality of service. This calls for careful design and operation of the nodes, possibly by means of, e.g., dynamic duty cycling and/or dynamic frequency and voltage scaling. In this context, various energy prediction models have been proposed in the literature; however, they are typically compute-intensive or only suitable for a single type of energy source. In this paper, we propose Linear Energy Prediction “LINE-P”, a lightweight, yet relatively accurate model based on approximation and sampling theory; LINE-P is suitable for dual-source energy harvesting. Simulations and comparisons against existing similar models have been conducted with low and medium resolutions (i.e., 60 and 22 min intervals/24 h) for the solar energy source (low variations) and with high resolutions (15 min intervals/24 h) for the wind energy source. The results show that the accuracy of the solar-based and wind-based predictions is up to approximately 98% and 96%, respectively, while requiring a lower complexity and memory than the other models. For the cases where LINE-P’s accuracy is lower than that of other approaches, it still has the advantage of lower computing requirements, making it more suitable for embedded implementation, e.g., in wireless sensor network coordinator nodes or gateways.

The Conditions of Soviet Colonialism

This article analyses the current state of research in studies of Soviet colonialism and considers inner tensions within this emerging field. By now, dozens of monographs and hundreds of articles touch upon the various aspects of Soviet postcolonialism, yet the field is fragmented and full of inner contradictions and unanswered questions: What is the relationship of research in Soviet colonialism to postcolonial studies in general? What is its relationship to traditional Sovietology? Areas of tension are found through historical and geographical perspectives, in the Russian neglect of its own Soviet imperialism, and in the long-distance scholarship dominant in the area. This paper argues that what we are witnessing now is the pains of a paradigm change, further aggravated by special complexities within the field. The article offers a historical overview of the development of studies of Soviet colonialism and shows that a decisive turn took place in the first decade of the twenty-first century. In 1990s, postcolonial perspectives were more widely employed in analyses of Tsarist-era Russian history. In the 2000s, several important monographs about the Soviet Union were published, yet, interestingly, their main focus was the inter-war period, before the Baltic states were annexed to the Soviet Union. Thus, for research into Baltic Soviet history, these collections and monographs can only provide background information. As for the post-WWII era, most important work from the perspective of Baltic studies – that is, general arguments about the developments in Soviet Union – remain on the level of single articles, the best known of these being David Chioni Moore’s „Is the Post- in Postcolonial the Post- in Post-Soviet? Toward a Global Postcolonial Critique“ (2001). The article makes a distinction between the general term „empire-studies“ and the more restricted notion of „studies of colonialism“; it further distuinguishes post colonial studies as a sub-category of studies of colonialism. Empire-studies approaches the Soviet Union as a multinational empire, but not necessarily a colonial one. Studies of colonialism argue that Soviet Union was indeed a colonial enterprise where subordinated nations and ethnicities were exploited in the interests of the central power. Postcolonial Soviet studies would apply a postcolonial critique to the research of the area: this would involve a bricolage analysis of power-relations, mechanisms of desire, the hybridity of the colonial subject, and its traumatic identity; it would shift the focus of research from the politico-historical features to socio-cultural features of the period. Though the notions „colonial“ and „postcolonial“ are widely in use in contemporary Soviet studies, the postcolonial turn is far from complete.

This article investigates ways of writing about the everyday in contemporary life. It starts by posing the question of why literature thrives especially on violence and extraordinary events. If literature strives to speak to us through our experience of being in the world, and aims to help us understand our common human experience, should it not rather avoid the extraordinary? Without a doubt, a topic needs to captivate its writer no less than its reader--otherwise the writing and the reading would not take place at all. For perfectly understandable reasons, whenever literature proposes to face death, this implies that the given text is something to be taken seriously; it signifies that here one is dealing with existential matters, not just with the myriad small nothingnesses of the everyday. However, the present article analyzes a different way of intensifying the quotidian: turning the everyday into an experience of beauty. A writer can find moments of special importance from within the everyday, relieving the reader from the boredom of „nothing happens” by other means than through an encounter with death and the extraordinary. Through a close reading of several Estonian novels („Indigo” by Peeter Sauter and „Tõde ja õigus” by Anton Hansen Tammsaare), the article suggests that, instead of underlining the burdensome boredom of the everyday, literature has the potential, through the power of its imagery, to aestheticize the everyday, even against the conscious will of the writer. If the routine of the everyday involves the automatization of life and a loss of the intense feeling of being in the world, Heidegger reminds us that the work of art opens up being in the world as a whole – and art does so precisely by relying on the everyday, not on moments of extraordinary significance. Thus, art would imply the disappearance of the everyday as a locus of boredom, unfullfilment, obligation and repetition, and the replacement of the everyday with pidulik elu, a life at once festive and solemn. For Heidegger, the everyday is a based on a structure of Care. Indeed, Care is the existential meaning of the everyday and the basis of human existence. Insofar as literature might aim towards revealing the structure of Care, this effort would involve the creation of festive life precisely out of the ordinariness of the everyday. Thus, in addition to the way literature might depart from the everyday by means of the violent and the extraordinary, literature might also recover the solemn festivity of the everyday as a way of making a piece of fiction readable, thus creating loci of desire and interest in the text.

The extracts from 17 ready available plants were prepared by 95% ethanol extraction in Soxhlet extractor. The crude extracts were examined for their antioxidation properties using the automatized swift test (Rancimat) and lard as a substrate. The extracts with the most promising results (Rosmarinus officinalis and Salvia officinalis) were chromatographed on silica gel column and the fractions so obtained were explored separately. Second fraction from the chromatography of rosemary extract exhibited the antioxidation activity (induction period 8 h at 0.002% wt.) comparable with the activity of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) at 12.5 times higher concentration (induction period 11.45 h at 0.025% wt.). The antimicrobial efficiency of these extracts was determined with the aid of three dimensional agar method on four selected microorganisms (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus). The most effective were extracts from agrimony, black tea, rosemary and sage. Extracts possessing good antioxidation activity also exhibited antimicrobial efficiency.

A tanulmány a megapoliszok létrejöttének okait vizsgálja. Párizs és az lle-de-France régió példáján mutatja be a folyamatot, s ennek tervezési, szabályozási problémáit. A szerző elemzi a témával kapcsolatos francia kutatói és tervezői véleményeket, a fejlődési lehetőségek kapcsán felmerült ellentéteket, vitákat.

Jelen tanulmány az urbanisztika és a településfejlesztés oktatásának, a képzés intézményesülésének franciaországi fejlődését mutatja be. A képzési rendszer áttekintése, megismertetése mellett a szerző az urbanisztika és a településfejlesztés fogalmak lényegét, ismeretelméleti státuszát is tisztázni kívánja.