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Ismail Kadare, the celebrated author whose books took on political oppression in his native Albania, died Monday at 88, the New York Times reports. Kadare was born in the Albanian [...]

The longlist for the International Booker Prize has been revealed, with 13 books in contention for the prestigious British literary award given to works of fiction translated into English and [...]

This month, Emily Wilson's translation of The Iliad will be released by Norton, following the success of her Odyssey in 2017. In a 15-page Translator's Note, she recalls the difficulty [...]

The functional ecology of arable weeds provides a way of comparing present-day and past farming regimes. This paper presents the R package WeedEco, an open-source resource which allows users to compare their archaeobotanical dataset against three previously published arable weed models to understand fertility, disturbance or a combination of both. The package provides functions for data organisation, classification and visualisation, allowing users to enter raw archaeobotanical data, obtain trait values from the functional trait dataset, conduct discriminant analysis and plot the results against the relevant present-day model. Using data from the early medieval site of Stafford in the UK, the paper provides a detailed example of the use of the package, demonstrating its different functions, as well as how the results can be interpreted.

Mediastinal masses can be challenging to the surgical team and anesthetic considerations vary according to the location, pathology, surgical approach, and patient comorbidities. We report the case of a 21 cm symptomatic intrathoracic teratoma in a postpartum patient with a history of poliomyelitis. Significant challenges were presented for anesthetic induction, potential extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and the use of neuraxial pain techniques and neuromuscular blockade. This case report demonstrates techniques to safely manage a patient with a large symptomatic mediastinal mass and potential neuromuscular disease.

We present the case of a tracheal injury that occurred during a Maze procedure performed via sternotomy that was not initially detected by ventilator air leak, but rather by the visual presence of gas bubbles escaping the trachea during chest irrigation. Careful investigation and machine check did reveal a subsequent air leak that would have otherwise been overlooked. Furthermore, the use of intraoperative bronchoscopy was essential in guiding and confirming surgical repair. This case underscores the need for ongoing vigilance and suggests the utility of chest irrigation with Valsalva maneuvers after procedures performed in the vicinity of the trachea to exclude injury.

The protracted domestication model posits that wild cereals in southwest Asia were cultivated over millennia before the appearance of domesticated cereals in the archaeological record. These ‘pre-domestication cultivation’ activities are widely understood as entailing annual cycles of soil tillage and sowing and are expected to select for domestic traits such as non-shattering ears. However, the reconstruction of these practices is mostly based on indirect evidence and speculation, raising the question of whether pre-domestication cultivation created arable environments that would select for domestic traits. We developed a novel functional ecological model that distinguishes arable fields from wild cereal habitats in the Levant using plant functional traits related to mechanical soil disturbance. Our results show that exploitation practices at key pre-domestication cultivation sites maintained soil disturbance conditions similar to untilled wild cereal habitats. This implies that pre-domestication cultivation did not create arable environments through regular tillage but entailed low-input exploitation practices oriented on the ecological strategies of the competitive large-seeded grasses themselves.

Biotechnology in the UK is at a difficult age. Too old to be irresponsible, too young to be taken seriously. It is a bright child, full of promises. Its talk […]

ART and science both endeavour to explore the mysteries of existence. Art does it by creating physical forms that reveal intangible subject matter or illuminate previously unconsidered aspects of the [...]

It was examined whether intracoronary ultra. sound-defined plaque morphology of symptom-producing severely stenosed, atherosclerotic coronary artery lesions is related to patient-related clinical variables. Data regarding anginal pattern (stable vs unstable), age, sex, history of smoking, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and lesion location were recorded in 146 hemodynamically stable patients referred for clinically indicated balloon angioplasty or directional atherectomy. Intracorenary ultrasound images of the lesions were obtained before and after the intervention. Lesions were classified as soft (homogeneous echoes less dense than adventitia) or hard (bright echoes with or without acoustic shadowing). Eighty-three lesions (57%) were classified as soft and 63 (43%) as hard. Univariate analysis showed anginal pattern, age, vessel location and history of smoking to be significantly related to plaque morphology. Multivariate analysis revealed only anginal pattern age and vessel location to be independent predictors of plaque morphology. The frequency of echogenic hard plaque was significantly higher in patients aged >60 years (56 vs 300/o; p = 0.001), those with stable angina (69 vs 35%; p = 0.002), and lesions located in the distal arterial segments (68 vs 31%; p

Arterial distensibility is diminished by atherosclerosis. This process has not been well studied in the coronary arteries. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in coronary arterial distensibility in 4 groups of patients. Group I (n = 20) consisted of patients with normal vessels, group II (n = 40) with diseased undilated vessels, group III (n = 15) after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), and Group IV (n = 20) after successful directional coronary atherectomy (DCA). Intracoronary ultrasound imaging was used to assess distensibility, plaque morphology and atherosclerotic burden (expressed as the percentage of total vessel cross-sectional area occupied by plaque: percent plaque area). Distensibility was defined as percent change in lumen area in a cardiac cycle. Group I (normal vessels) had a distensibility = 14 [+ or -] 5%, which was significantly greater than that seen in group II distensibility = 4 [+ or -] 2%, p

Nearly 1100 biotechnology companies employing 20,417 people exist the world over. Twelve companies have declared one year's profit while there are five with more than one year's profit and two with overall profitability. Major companies have invested a total of $3.6 billion. Canada, US, France, Belgium and UK have conducted field trials of recombinant plants. Germany has passed the maximum number of recombinant protein or monoclonal antibody-based drugs.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) intravascular ultrasound imaging can detect lipid-rich plaques (LRPs). LRPs are associated with acute coronary syndromes or myocardial infarction, which can result in revascularisation or cardiac death. In this study, we aimed to establish the relationship between LRPs detected by NIRS-intravascular ultrasound imaging at unstented sites and subsequent coronary events from new culprit lesions.

I was fascinated by your article regarding the potentially rich seams of vinyl to found at the various radio stations throughout the UK. I have been trading as Vinylshrine (www. [...]

Cristina Odone ('The new intolerance', 10 January) writes that 'believers should present themselves as ordinary people ... They should not appear to be religious zealots or gay-bashers or rabid pro-lifers.' [...]

Ofsted's 2017 review of the Reception year curriculum, Bold Beginnings, asserts that reading is the core purpose of the Reception year, and advocates 'systematic synthetic phonics' as the teaching method. This article challenges this precept by reference to recent research into the nature of reading, the way children learn in the Reception class of a primary school, and the actual practice of early years teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the use of assessment by teachers to replace external marking. It shows how professional participation and moderation can provide reliability in summative assessment, even in public examinations for older students. It draws on historical experiences of assessment for A-level English literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRO 'Like Dorian [Yates], I'm a HIT trainer. The philosophy is that once you've reached total muscular effort, any sets beyond that are counterproductive. So, not counting warm-ups, I do [...]

Going green should mean 'going beyond offsetting' even if it costs more, according to The Bookseller's recent top-level publishing seminar (see page 8). Going green is a global imperative, and [...]

Patient selection is important for ambulatory surgical practices. Proper patient selection for ambulatory practices will optimize resources, and lead to increased patient and provider satisfaction. As the number and complexity of procedures in ambulatory surgical centers increases, it is important to ensure that patients are best cared for in facilities that can provide appropriate levels of care. This review addresses the multiple variables and resources that should be considered when selecting patients for anesthesia in ambulatory centers and offices.

Regarding 'Employers Find Smooth Sailing in PTO Waters' (September), not all employers may like the looks of the water! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In California (and possibly other states), employers utilizing a [...]

An analysis of the English 21 consultation put forward by the QCA in order to identify the challenges that will face English education in the future. Issues such as the use of technology and the use of assessment are examined.

The article discusses the different experiences of male and female students studying English literature at colleges in Great Britain. Focus groups were conducted to gather student's perspectives on gender and learning, and the author discusses mixed and single-gender classrooms, socialization between classmates, and teacher-student relationships. The research also addressed collaborative versus independent academic work, student assessment, and human relations in English studies.

The article focuses on the Special Collections using Augmented Reality to Enhance Learning and Teaching (SCARLET) project developed by the University of Manchester and the Manchester Information and Associated Services (Mimas) in Great Britain. It is inferred that the project addresses one of the principal obstacles about the use of special collections in teaching and learning. The project is funded through the Learning and Teaching Innovation Grants programme of the Joint Information Systems Committe (JISC). Thes management of rare books, manuscripts and archives at John Rylands University Library of Manchester is highlighted.

The article focuses on the architectural design of Jacobean room by John Hodgson and Ron Hubble. It reveals that Hodgson created a series of original carvings in the style of Grinling Gibbons and made moulds of the carvings. In addition, Hubble assembled Hodgson's moulds into wall-size castings that students will use to create their own rooms.

The article discusses the experiences of students in transitioning from A-level to university English literature classes. Positive reactions of students regarding the greater emphasis on ideas and freedom from strict curriculum requirements in university classes are discussed, as well as negative experiences with poorly-explained literary theory and online courses.

The American College of Cardiology Foundation, along with key specialty and subspecialty societies, conducted an appropriate use review of common clinical scenarios where cardiac computed tomography (CCT) is frequently considered. The present document is an update to the original CCT/cardiac magnetic resonance appropriateness criteria published in 2006, written to reflect changes in test utilization, to incorporate new clinical data, and to clarify CCT use where omissions or lack of clarity existed in the original criteria.1