Empty Field Research Articles

From Underwater

From Underwater Sarah Janczak (bio) No one is ever able to feel how farwe swim. How fast knives scrape skin. Plasma in water is still crimson.I never knew what logic was for anyway. At 12, I belly-flopped my stomach raw,just to learn to dive. We chew slowly. Savordessert, when we glide to the center of this table and lie so closeour whispers devour each other's devotion. There is no learninghere. I have already done that. My mouth commits the felonies fingerscannot. We sacrifice our hands for this. [End Page 265] After the Illness Came I Went Skinny as my spine,a silhouette,a bare branch.I don't know where it came fromonly, how it left mescarred, translucent.Disease sliced flanks of fleshas if hipswere butterand suddenly there were thousandsof men to feed.Invisibilitywas a needle, needles manageable.A zipped torsointo linen,into leather. Even [End Page 266] the afternoon windfelt like itwas lifting me;I could lean into it, and itwould carry meback to beforesteel or cold. Before I knewall the waysthat this bodycan forsake me. [End Page 267] Congenitus For Grace We are called mineral,gravel. We come heavyfrom palms that pounddough. From the depths of black water, gills of fish,marrow. We come from oil.We are called sunlighton tennis courts, sweat. Earth-rising fault linesthat shake, from limbslike snakes. Carrot seedand basil, summer, and all things holy.Lace tablecloths,sob stories, salted cod,an empty field for a front yard.We are called broken bootsand floodplains. The bottomof a well; dark, and damp,and misty. We stand [End Page 268] upright in our home.Sweep the floor, unlock the doors.There is already an open window. It is safeto let the night breeze in. [End Page 269] Sarah Janczak Sarah Janczak studied writing and women's history at Sarah Lawrence College. Her poems have recently appeared in Hayden's Ferry Review, the Los Angeles Review, and Witness. She can be reached at sejanczak@gmail.com. Copyright © 2018 Sarah Janczak

Vosotros, hijos de Dios. Hacia la infundamentación de la Ley

¿Qué sucede cuando lo que se busca ha estado sin embargo en el mismo lugar? ¿Existe la posibilidad de un mundo nuevo si el horror de Dios adviene en este tiempo? El presente texto intenta situar una imagen, un busto que muestre el campo vacío que lo sostiene, un Padre que se presente en la ominosa dermis de un prójimo siempre a punto de ser destruido. Para ello es necesario que las cosas en juego estén fundadas en nada.

Postcatastrophic Re-Reading of Tadeusz Hołuj’s Puste pole

This article deals with the re-interpretation of Tadeusz Hołuj’s drama Puste pole (1963; The Empty Field) and its theatrical staging by Józef Szajna in 1965. Based on the drama I want to demonstrate how the artists – who were both survivors of the concentration camp in Auschwitz – managed re-presenting the Holocaust despite the political situation and the accompanying anti-Semitic government campaign in Poland in the 1960s. The reception of the drama of then and nowadays shows how that re-presentation was once interpreted due to the political circumstances, which made the issue of the Holocaust and the Jews bannend from public life, language, and memory. Finally I explore how Hołuj’s drama can be read today when we approach it via postcatastophic re-reading determined by after-knowledge, retrospection, and retroactivity.

Perceived Space in the HTC Vive

Underperception of egocentric distance in virtual reality has been a persistent concern for almost 20 years. Modern head-mounted displays (HMDs) appear to have begun to ameliorate underperception. The current study examined several aspects of perceived space in the HTC Vive. Blind-walking distance judgments, verbal distance judgments, and size judgments were measured in two distinct virtual environments (VEs)—a high-quality replica of a real classroom and an empty grass field—as well as the real classroom upon which the classroom VE was modeled. A brief walking interaction was also examined as an intervention for improving anticipated underperception in the VEs. Results from the Vive were compared to existing data using two older HMDs (nVisor SX111 and ST50). Blind-walking judgments were more accurate in the Vive compared to the older displays, and did not differ substantially from the real world nor across VEs. Size judgments were more accurate in the classroom VE than the grass VE and in the Vive compared to the older displays. Verbal judgments were significantly smaller in the classroom VE compared to the real classroom and did not significantly differ across VEs. Blind-walking and size judgments were more accurate after walking interaction, but verbal judgments were unaffected. The results indicate that underperception of distance in the HTC Vive is less than in older displays but has not yet been completely resolved. With more accurate space perception afforded by modern HMDs, alternative methods for improving judgments of perceived space—such as walking interaction—may no longer be necessary.

Where Do We Go from Here?

Where Do We Go from Here?

Jüri Talvet Juhan Liivi radadel / Jüri Talvet on the Trails of Juhan Liiv

Teesid: Käesolev uurimus põhineb Jüri Talveti juubeliüritusel peetud ettekandel ning keskendub professori Liivi-alase tegevuse käsitlemisele. Artiklis tutvustan Talveti Liivi-tõlgenduse uudseid ja vähemärgatud detaile, mis kajastuvad tema koostatud Liivi luule väljaannetes ja nendega ühenduses olevates kriitilistes käsitlustes. Siinjuures tahan näidata, et Talvet avaldab Liivi luulet teistsuguses võtmes ja teisendab oluliselt seda normi, mille vahendusel Liivi luulet tänapäeval tuntakse. The article addresses Jüri Talvet’s interpretation of poetry by Juhan Liiv (1864–1913). Its focus lies on a collection of Liiv’s poetry Snow Drifts, I Sing: Selected Poems (Lumi tuiskab, mina laulan: Valik luulet, 2013) compiled by Talvet. I shall compare this book with the most extensive volume of Liiv’s poetry of the previous century With and Without You (Sinuga ja sinuta, 1989) edited by Aarne Vinkel, which has had a major role in the shaping of the norms that serve as a basis for understanding Liiv’s work in recent times. The article observes how these volumes mediate Liiv’s poetry and the way Talvet transposes its earlier publishing standards. More particularly, I will analyse the poetry collection edited by Talvet from five perspectives: I will map the new texts and text fragments included in the work, discuss Talvet’s corrections and highlight the omitted fragments and full texts. Such specific treatment can be narrowed down to three broader topics: what new additions Talvet makes to the known textual body of Liiv’s poems (new texts); what changes he makes to previously published poems (textual additions, corrections and omissions); what he has left out (omitted texts). Talvet adds a great number of texts to the known body of Liiv’s poems. The poetry book Snow Drifts, I Sing contains over 20 poems that are not included in With and Without You; furthermore, Talvet publishes a number of new pieces of poetry. These texts have been extracted from Estonian print media at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, early publications of Liiv’s poetry compiled by Friedebert Tuglas and Liiv’s written legacy. Of the more obscure or unpublished finds I will pay most attention to the poem I Found (Leidsin). The analysis of this poem shows that even though Talvet’s contributions to the body of Liiv’s published poetry may seem insignificant at first, the texts bear a certain aesthetic significance or value of thought that definitely sharpens and expands the view on Juhan Liiv’s poetry. Besides new texts, the volume compiled by Talvet also introduces a number of new versions of well-known poems. This includes text additions, corrections as well as omissions. Such changes have been applied to more than 20 poems. The most fascinating modifications occur in the poems “I Walked toward the Forest” (“Ma kõndisin metsa poole”), “Autumn” (“Sügise”) (i.e. the poem beginning with the verse “Drab sand and empty field” (“Igav liiv ja tühi väli”)) and “Infidelity” (“Truudusetus”). Compared to Vinkel, Talvet has managed to find better publication solutions for several of Liiv’s poems and his reasoning has dispelled a certain ambiguity that has long reigned over the publication of some of Liiv’s texts. And even though some of Talvet’s selective choices for Snow Drifts, I Sing have raised questions, the collection and his accompanying monograph allow readers to discover the reasoning behind his decisions and general problems concerning the publication of Juhan Liiv’s poetry. The poetry book Snow Drifts, I Sing excludes a great number of texts—more than 30—that were previously included in With and Without You. The omission of a rather well-known poem Future (Tulevik) raised the most questions and Talvet has not provided any reasons for that. Nevertheless, the general tightening of the circle of Liiv’s poetic works is understandable because most of the poems excluded from Snow Drifts, I Sing are generally lacking and fail to convey Liiv’s magnitude as a poet to the reader. The abundance of such texts may draw attention away from the intensity of Liiv’s poetry. Talvet’s selection has a clearer focus than Vinkel’s, emphasizing the unusual and unique quality of Liiv’s poetry. My research demonstrates that Talvet’s innovations have external scope and inherent gravitas—they concern a considerable number of Liiv’s poems and are expressed in substantial modifications. Despite the long and exhaustive publication practice of Liiv’s poems, Talvet has managed to present Liiv to the reader in a considerably different manner.

Urban Climate Design

Urban Climate Design

The Heart Dwells in Emptiness: On the Relationship between the Deep Heart of Zacharias and Hongzhi’s Empty Field

The Heart Dwells in Emptiness: On the Relationship between the Deep Heart of Zacharias and Hongzhi’s Empty Field

Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency

Who molded public perceptions of modern presidents and how was it done? Often the perpetrators were less well-known advisers, David Greenberg argues. In this encyclopedic volume chronicling 120 years of White House imagery, Greenberg explains that presidential spin existed long before television and the Internet and was often engendered by behind-the-scenes White House experts. Spotlighting spin is a daunting task, akin to chasing a wind-blown soap bubble across an empty field. Yet the narrative holds together quite impressively, even if Greenberg is a bit uneven in his treatment. Presidential influence is separated into six historical categories: the ages of publicity (1896–1920), ballyhoo (1921–1932), communication (1933–1945), news management (1945–1960), image making (1960–1968), and spin (1969–2016). The point is that each president had his methods, fitted to his particular electorate, media, and White House personalities. Rooted in well-documented discussion, The Republic of Spin is, nevertheless, more esoteric than most presidential compendiums, which usually focus on nuts-and-bolts issues. Greenberg explores philosophical underpinnings and democratic ideals in lengthy ponderings. He asserts that shadowy advisers often affected the public's acceptance of changing democratic norms. The narrative frequently strays from the presidency for several pages, because the book is neither about presidents, necessarily, nor about the press. Presidents are men guided by image makers, and the focus is on that relationship. At the same time, journalists are wooden figures, by and large (with some notable exceptions, such as Walter Lippmann), who are manipulated and maneuvered.

Urban Climate Design: Improving thermal comfort in Dutch neighbourhoods

Urban Climate Design: Improving thermal comfort in Dutch neighbourhoods

Commentary: Cultural differences in on-line sensitivity to emotional voices: comparing East and West.

Commentary: Cultural differences in on-line sensitivity to emotional voices: comparing East and West.

Identity Technologies: Constructing the Self Online ed. by Anna Poletti and Julie Rak

Anna Poletti and Julie Rak, editors. Identity Technologies: Constructing the Self Online. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2014. 286 pp. $34.95. The collected essays in Identity Technologies provide not only a timely examination of contemporary digital identity practice but serve as experiment in interdisciplinary dialogue (Poletti and Rak 3). Contributors come from diverse academic backgrounds including (but not limited to) auto/biography and new media studies, borrowing theories and methodologies from each other's fields as means of interrogating the potentially limiting assumptions of their respective areas of expertise. The volume's commitments are largely concerned with interdisciplinarity: to demonstrate how auto/biography studies' recent troubling of notions of subjectivity and concern with how the self is produced through representation (5) could nuance from new media studies and to indicate how auto/biography studies might benefit from imitating the of new media theorists in their study of non-narrative forms of identity work (7), which could rectify auto/biography studies' previous tendency to focus on those digital genres that most resemble autobiographical genres (for example, text-heavy blogs their predecessors online diaries). Recurring concerns in this collection include the situatedness of digital identity within offline geographical, economic, and racialized contexts; how the affordances of digital interfaces influence the kinds of writing--and by extension, the kinds of selves--that are produced; and how the formation online identity is inextricable from digital community and the technologies that enable and direct communities' formation. Contributors demonstrate how attention to the contexts of digital identity can add nuance to analyses of how online sociality fits into subject formation overall, an approach that poses productive challenges for auto/biography studies as a field heavy in the text-centric approaches familiar to English departments. Several authors in this (Kennedy, Cover, Nakamura, Gray) contend that, where possible, scholarship should consider the contexts of digital identity construction. Online and selves are not separate entities; rather, they are continuous, mutually influential, and involve many of the same self-fashioning practices insofar as both online and performances operate in response to the ongoing demand that we process our selves and our actions into coherence, intelligibility, and recognizability (Cover 56). The authors in this collection criticize the tendency in scholarship to focus on the novelty of the technologies themselves, a tendency that promotes the misconception that communication technologies are producers of effects, rather than cultural elements of the complexity of human interactions (Gray 171). Authors in this volume set a precedent for how to read closely in online environments, a practice that must take into consideration the various contexts and contingencies that contribute to online identity performance. The concept of affordances, which is key to this collection, refers to those properties (overt and covert) of a digital interface that determine how it will be used and, consequently, the kinds of identities that will be enacted using a particular social platform in the context of computerized environments. Essays in Identity Technologies (notably those by Gregg, Morrison, Rivard, and McNeill) are nuanced by an awareness of how the tools and functions built into the platforms we use impact the character of our self-disclosure, and therefore shape the selves we create. This concept is most explicitly referred to in Aimee Morrison's study of the history of the Facebook status in its various iterations over time, analyzing how subtle changes in how the empty field coaxes information affects the kind of updates and narratives that are registered. …

Water-Soluble Phosphine Capable of Dissolving Elemental Gold: The Missing Link between 1,3,5-Triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA) and Verkade's Ephemeral Ligand.

We herein describe a tricyclic phosphine with previously unreported tris(homoadamantane) cage architecture. That water-soluble, air- and thermally stable ligand, 1,4,7-triaza-9-phosphatricyclo[5.3.2.1(4,9)]tridecane (hereinafter referred to as CAP) exhibits unusual chemical behavior toward gold and gold compounds: it readily reduces Au(III) to Au(0), promotes oxidative dissolution of nanocrystalline gold(0) with the formation of water-soluble trigonal CAP-Au(I) complexes, and displaces cyanide from [Au(CN)2](-) affording triangular [Au(CAP)3](+) cation. From the stereochemical point of view, CAP can be regarded as an intermediate between 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA) and very unstable aminophosphine synthesized by Verkade's group: hexahydro-2a,4a,6a-triaza-6b-phosphacyclopenta[cd]pentalene. The chemical properties of CAP are likely related to its anomalous stereoelectronic profile: combination of strong electron-donating power (Tolman's electronic parameter 2056.8 cm(-1)) with the low steric demand (cone angle of 109°). CAP can be considered as macrocyclic counterpart of PTA with the electron-donating power approaching that of strongest known phosphine electron donors such as P(t-Bu)3 and PCy3. Therefore, CAP as sterically undemanding and electron-rich ligand populates the empty field on the stereoelectronic map of phosphine ligands: the niche between the classic tertiary phosphines and the sterically undemanding aminophosphines.

Three Poems

[1] In the photograph, the men are on a beach. Two of them in short, light bathing trunks. One is frail, the other, athletic, standing squarely on thick, muscular legs, his trunks folded over at the waist. They’re squinting into a sun that casts their shadows, almost life-sized, beside them on the sand. A third man is stretched out at their feet, fully dressed, city shoes, suit coat, dark glasses. They’re all in the foreground, looking at the photographer. Behind them, just far enough away that it’s clear that he’s not with them, yet close enough that it looks like he’s trying to get their attention, a young boy is stretched out on the sand in the exact same position as the third, and parallel to him. White shirt, sarouel, black belt tied high on the waist. He’s looking at the three of them. In the opposite corner, the silhouette of a fifth man in the distance, naked, carrying his clothes under his arm. A darker spot marks his pubis, contrasting with the white folds of the cold, pale cloth clinging to the genitals of the two bathers, toward whom he turns his gaze. On the horizon is a line of white buildings, their geometric forms underscored by the darker line of the breakwater and the boats at anchor, their masts barely visible against the sky. Along with the diagonal line of the shore, they form a triangle that stretches from one end of the picture to the other. “It was somewhere at the beginning of summer” [2] In the center of the picture, two men are sitting in wooden chairs at a small round table. Behind them, you can see the trunks of several palms, a gnarled olive, and leafy shadows on the sandy ground. They are in the light. Their shadows are angled slightly to the left and mix with those of the fronds of a palm tree that is planted farther back, behind the photographer. They both have their legs crossed. One, sitting up straight, looks off to the side; the other sits back, relaxed, with his hips at the very edge of the seat, one arm slung over the armrest, and his upper body angled toward the other’s, his bare legs stretching gracefully out under the table. His mouth is slightly open. And he is smiling. “a garden in sun and shade” [3] Four men, standing side by side in the middle of an empty field crossed by two large tire tracks; they’re walking along them. Behind and around them, empty space. They look uncomfortable; they’re bundled up in too many layers of clothes that are all too light. It’s cold. It may have snowed. That morning, they hauled everything out of the closet that could possibly keep them warm – long johns, old raincoats, army jackets, woolen trousers, long socks, overcoats with worn velvet collars. One of them is even wearing plus fours. They’re smiling, their chins tucked down into their scarves, their shoulders hunched up a bit. Two of them have linked their arms, and a third leans in, trying to fit more gracefully into the frame. “light without sound” Translations from the French By Cole Swensen above Photo from family albums of the writer’s uncles in Tunisia. Courtesy of the author. Born and raised in Paris, Lola Créïs has collaborated on several literary journals, including the Cahier Critique de Poésie at the Centre International de Poésie Marseille, for which she edited special issues on Bernard Collin and Danielle Mémoire. She is also the co-founder of the literary journal Numéro Zéro. These texts are part of a seventeenpoem series published by the Centre International de Poésie Marseille in 2013. Cole Swensen is a poet, translator, and founding editor of La Presse (www. lapressepoetry.com). Three Poems by Lola Créïs WORLDLITERATURETODAY.ORG 45 ...

The physical chemistry of cytoplasm and its influence on cell function: an update

From the point of view of intermolecular interactions, the cytoplasmic space is more like a crowded party in a house full of furniture than a game of tag in an empty field. Understanding the physical chemical properties of cytoplasm is thus of key importance for understanding cellular function. This article attempts to provide an entrée into the current literature on this subject and offers some general guidelines for thinking about intracellular biochemistry.

The importance of context information for the spatial specificity of gaze cueing

In three experiments, we investigated the spatial allocation of attention in response to central gaze cues. In particular, we examined whether the allocation of attentional resources is influenced by context information-that is, the presence or absence of reference objects (i.e., placeholders) in the periphery. On each trial, gaze cues were followed by a target stimulus to which participants had to respond by keypress or by performing a target-directed saccade. Targets were presented either in an empty visual field (Exps. 1 and 2) or in previewed location placeholders (Exp. 3) and appeared at one of either 18 (Exp. 1) or six (Exps. 2 and 3) possible positions. The spatial distribution of attention was determined by comparing response times as a function of the distance between the cued and target positions. Gaze cueing was not specific to the exact cued position, but instead generalized equally to all positions in the cued hemifield, when no context information was provided. However, gaze direction induced a facilitation effect specific to the exact gazed-at position when reference objects were presented. We concluded that the presence of possible objects in the periphery to which gaze cues could refer is a prerequisite for attention shifts being specific to the gazed-at position.

Differential Cortical c-Fos and Zif-268 Expression after Object and Spatial Memory Processing in a Standard or Episodic-Like Object Recognition Task.

Episodic memory reflects the capacity to recollect what, where, and when a specific event happened in an integrative manner. Animal studies have suggested that the medial temporal lobe and the medial pre-frontal cortex are important for episodic-like memory (ELM) formation. The goal of present study was to evaluate whether there are different patterns of expression of the immediate early genes c-Fos and Zif-268 in these cortical areas after rats are exposed to object recognition (OR) tasks with different cognitive demands. Male rats were randomly assigned to five groups: home cage control, empty open field (CTR-OF), open field with one object (CTR-OF + Obj), novel OR task, and ELM task and were killed 1 h after the last behavioral procedure. Rats were able to discriminate the objects in the OR task. In the ELM task, rats showed spatial (but not temporal) discrimination of the objects. We found an increase in the c-Fos expression in the dorsal dentate gyrus (DG) and in the perirhinal cortex (PRh) in the OR and ELM groups. The OR group also presented an increase of c-Fos expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Additionally, the OR and ELM groups had increased expression of Zif-268 in the mPFC. Moreover, Zif-268 was increased in the dorsal CA1 and PRh only in the ELM group. In conclusion, the pattern of activation was different in tasks with different cognitive demands. Accordingly, correlation tests suggest the engagement of different neural networks in the tasks used. Specifically, perirhinal-DG co-activation was detected after the what-where memory retrieval, but not after the novel OR task. Both regions correlated with the respective behavioral outcome. These findings can be helpful in the understanding of the neural networks underlying memory tasks with different cognitive demands.

Local demodulation of holograms using the Riesz transform with application to microscopy

We propose a Riesz transform approach to the demodulation of digital holograms. The Riesz transform is a higher-dimensional extension of the Hilbert transform and is steerable to a desired orientation. Accurate demodulation of the hologram requires a reliable methodology by which quadrature-phase functions (or simply, quadratures) can be constructed. The Riesz transform, by itself, does not yield quadratures. However, one can start with the Riesz transform and construct the so-called vortex operator by employing the notion of quasi-eigenfunctions, and this approach results in accurate quadratures. The key advantage of using the vortex operator is that it effectively handles nonplanar fringes (interference patterns) and has the ability to compensate for the local orientation. Therefore, this method results in aberration-free holographic imaging even in the case when the wavefronts are not planar. We calibrate the method by estimating the orientation from a reference hologram, measured with an empty field of view. Demodulation results on synthesized planar as well as nonplanar fringe patterns show that the accuracy of demodulation is high. We also perform validation on real experimental measurements of Caenorhabditis elegans acquired with a digital holographic microscope.

Multi‐image based method to correct vignetting effect in light microscopy images

Vignetting is the radial attenuation effect of the image's brightness intensity from the center of the optical axis to the edges. To perform quantitative image analyses it is mandatory to take into account this effect, intrinsic of the acquisition system. Many image processing steps, such as segmentation and object tracking, are strongly affected by vignetting and the effect becomes particularly evident in mosaicing. The most common approach to compensate the attenuation of the image's brightness intensity is to estimate the vignetting function from a homogeneous reference object, typically an empty field, and to use it to normalize the images acquired under the same microscope set-up conditions. However, several reasons lead to the use of image-based methods to estimate the vignetting function from the images themselves. In this work, we propose an effective multi-image based method suitable for real-time applications. It is designed to correct vignetting in wide field light microscopy images. The vignetting function is computed stemming from a background built incrementally from the proposed background segmentation algorithm, validated on several manually segmented images. The extensive experiments carried out using cell cultures, histological samples and synthetic images prove that our method almost always yields the best results and in worst cases are comparable to those achieved by using homogeneous reference objects.

Simulation and analysis of an individual-based model for graph-structured plant dynamics

We propose a stochastic individual-based model of graph-structured population, viewed as a simple model of clonal plants. The dynamics is modeled in continuous time and space, and focuses on the effects of the network structure of the plant on the growth strategy of ramets. This model is coupled with an explicit advection-diffusion dynamics for resources. After giving a simulation scheme of the model, the capacity of the model to reproduce specific features of clonal plants, such as their efficiency to forage resources and colonize an empty field by means of phalanx or guerrilla strategies, is numerically studied. Next, we propose a large population approximation of the model for phalanx-type populations, taking the form of an advection-diffusion partial differential equation for population densities, where the influence of the local graph structure of the plant takes the form of a nonlinear dependence in the gradient of resources.