EUROPE IN OUR BLOOD... About the Nadezhda Venediktova`s book Caesar and Venediktova. Cultural excavations

Cultural Excavations by Nadezhda Venediktova were published in late autumn 2021, at the time most suitable for philosophical speculations. This way of thinking brings us close to a collapse that might equally turn out productive or catastrophic. Its anaemic academic manner stands out among full-blooded well-crafted literature of saturated and inspiring reality. Pandemic or not, we seek to know whether there is a need to distinguish between various cultures if at the end of the day people are still people. The author does not provide the answer but rather invites us to join a sophisticated mental game in fine textual decorations. And readers will walk away a little confused about simplicity of binary oppositions, and straightforwardness of the logic that a bored visitor so happily lays their hands on, eager and happy to get down to work. The book evolves around the topic of meeting thyself in different cultural surroundings. Sunlit essays bear the imprint of the bitter rationalism of the French enlightenment coupled with a weathered love of personal presence in the world. In her latest work, Nadezhda Venediktova ‘ambitiously comments on life’s creative abilities’. Vivid sketches entitled Passions for Europe may take place by a nameless lake in Zurich but remind readers of Michel Houellebecq’s concrete jungle, of Spengler’s mathematics. But nothing here speaks of The Decline of the West, under the author’s thoughtful gaze Europe comes to life fresh and real — a proverbial sphynx with its intriguing riddles. The author’s underworld meetings with the world literature alternate with colorful Italian landscapes. Vibrant images of friends are so true to life that remind of the immortality of soul. The soul of Europe is truly immortal and found across the continent — Italy, Britain, Austria, Germany, France, Greece, Switzerland, Spain — gave their name to the chapters but cannot be reduced to a dusty catalogue. Nadezhda Venediktova presents European countries through effortless florid metaphors. This what happens when Europe looks into the author’s soul, though it might look otherwise from an outside perspective.

Copan Walk Away Specimen Processor (WASP) Automated System for Pathogen Detection in Female Reproductive Tract Specimens

ObjectiveAutomation is increasingly being applied in clinical laboratories; however, preanalytical processing for microbiology tests and screening is still largely performed using manual methods owing to the complex procedures involved. To promote automation of clinical microbiology laboratories, it is important to assess the performance of automated systems for different specimen types separately. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the potential clinical application of the Copan Walk Away Specimen Processor (WASP) automated preanalytical microbiology processing system in the detection of pathogens in female reproductive tract specimens and its feasibility in optimizing diagnostic procedures.MethodsFemale reproductive tract specimens collected from pregnant women at their first obstetric check-up were inoculated into culture media using the Copan WASP automated specimen processing system and were also cultured using a conventional manual inoculation method. After 48 h of culture, the growth of colonies was observed, and the types of bacteria, number of colonies, and efficiency in isolating single colonies were compared between the automated and manual groups. The specimens collected from the WASP system using the Copan-ESwab sample collection tubes were further analyzed for the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Ureaplasmaurealyticum (UU) via fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and an immunochromatographic assay to investigate the feasibility of this method in optimizing detection of these common pathogens of the female reproductive tract.ResultsCompared with the manual culture method, the Copan WASP microbiology automation system detected fewer bacterial types (P<0.001) and bacterial colonies (P<0.001) but had a higher detection rate of single colonies (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the detection rates of common pathogens encountered in clinical obstetrics and gynecology, including group B Streptococcus (GBS) (P=0.575) and Candida (P=0.917), between the two methods. Specimens collected in the Copan-ESwab tubes could be used for screening of GBS and CT via fluorescence-based qPCR but not with immunochromatography. However, UU and NG were not detected in any sample with either method; thus, further validation is required to determine the feasibility of the Copan system for screening these pathogens.ConclusionThe Copan WASP microbiology automation system could facilitate the optimization of diagnostic procedures for detecting common pathogens of the female reproductive system, thereby reducing associated costs.

Characterization of Organic Compound Doped Inorganic Ammonium Phosphate: Crystal Formation and Opto-Electrical Properties

The opto-electrical properties of mixing organic compound with inorganic material is the subject matter of electronic industry. Nonlinear active single crystals of amino acid doped ammonium phosphate was characterised using various experimental techniques. Specifically alanine was doped with inorganic material and characterised in terms of carbon role in structure formation and related properties. The structural and electrical properties are studied by analysing absorption, transmission, hardness and conductivity of the doped one. The structure and electrical framework are well suited with expected values of pure inorganic one. Otherwise the organic one mixed with inorganic one does changes these properties remarkably which are essential for application in modern livelihood of human nature. The single crystal obtained from doping of organic one with the properties of inorganic material proves to be suitable for robo one to walk away with newer developments. It promises a newer way of developing crystals with good mechanical strength, flexible and all kinds of opto-electrical properties. Interestingly the modern electronic appliances will greatly benefit from this development of organic one to the inorganic one.

Spinning Futures: Interrogating Feminist Pedagogy and Methodology With Speculative Fiction

In this article, we interrogate our experiences as four women academics with two short stories written in conversation with one another: The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin, and “The Ones Who Stay and Fight,” written by N. K. Jemisin. Both Le Guin and Jemisin’s stories evoke questions about ethics and responsibility in the face of oppression. More specifically, both stories offer complicated and nuanced considerations for how we respond methodologically and pedagogically to systemic oppressions and violence as feminist subjects.

The Symmetry and Asymmetry of Bidder and Target Termination Fees in Acquisitions

Termination fees have become a frequently employed non-price term in acquisition contracts. They allow the breaking party to walk-away from the transaction after paying a fee to the remaining party. While the inclusion of termination fees has been shown to increase contracting efficiency, the fee size has received only scant academic interest. This is surprising as termination fees are often asymmetric, i.e., of unequal magnitude for the bidder and the target. Based on an international dataset of 25,026 global acquisitions between 2012 and 2015, we find that bidder and target characteristics influence the structure of termination fees. More precisely, we show that target termination fees are higher if the target is insolvent. Bidder termination fees are higher, in contrast, if the bidder is an institutional investor. Our study thus contributes to understanding the influence of bargaining power on non-price terms by examining the structure of termination fees.

Prisoners of their own device: Brexit as a failed negotiating strategy

Brexit has occasioned a rightward shift in British politics as successive leaders have grappled with the difficulties of negotiating with the European Union and the vicissitudes of politics in the governing Conservative party. Explanations for the hardening of Eurosceptic preferences focus on the demands of ‘taking back control’ and the polarisation of post-referendum politics as key drivers. But they have not explored the ways in which negotiation strategies shaped – rather than reflected – domestic political developments. Drawing on two-level games accounts of ‘synergistic’ bargaining, this article argues both David Cameron and Theresa May sought to leverage Eurosceptic sentiment in their respective negotiations to make it more credible the United Kingdom would walk away if its demands were rejected. While both leaders failed to convey their resolve, they inadvertently strengthened Eurosceptic constituencies back home, contributing to the paucity – and the rejection – of their negotiated agreements.

Walking Away from a Mathematics Problem Is OK

Providing students the autonomy and choice to learn when productive struggle becomes unproductive is a core teaching belief in the author’s classroom. This article tells the story of one student’s ability to know and express when his frustration was too great and how he chose to walk away from his work and return the next day.