Thirteenth Year Research Articles

Notes from (art) Song Lab: A Generative Model for Song Collaborations

Abstract: Song collaborations are a mainstay for pianists who work in vocal repertoire. Those experiences are foundational for exploring singer-pianist relationships, but they rarely address the relationships with composers or text authors. There are few reference materials for composer-performer collaborations, and none that document the triangular connections between composers, poets, and performers. In June 2024, (art) Song Lab celebrated its thirteenth year of fostering these collaborations. This column explores the how and why of these creative combinations, with analysis of new approaches to productive communication, augmented musicianship, and healthy respect for the creative integrity among all participants.

The beginning of prophethood and the stages of Islamic call during the Meccan period in (Kitab Al-Umm) by Al-Shafi'i

The history of the prophet's life (peace be upon him) begins with the revelation. Furthermore, historians give importance to the pre-Islamic period, meaning the conditions of people before the Islamic religion. Additionally, Muhammad's choice (peace be upon him) for prophecy. This invitation is divided into two phases in Mecca: the secret invitation phase lasted for three years in the first year of the prophecy, 610 AD. And the stage of declaration of the invitation is also divided into two stages: the stage of the prophet's invitation (peace be upon him) to his close relatives, and the stage of invitation to people in general and the people of Mecca in particular. This stage ended with the migration of Muslims to Medina in the thirteenth year of the prophecy. Imam Al-Shafi'i, may God have mercy on him, in his book Al-Umm, which is the primary focus of this research, conveys to us all this information in the various parts of his book, utilizing verses of the noble Quran and the Hadiths of the Prophet as evidence for his opinions on every topic he posed.

A Political Time Rewritten: Revisiting the Founding Year of the Khitan Empire

Abstract Materials dating from the Liao dynasty usually record the founding year of the Khitan Empire as 907; this was done deliberately, rather than it being caused by the negligence of historians. The official history records of the Khitan Empire contain two completely different narratives of the founding year: the account of “Junji Taiyi deity Repeatedly Appearing” from the “Biography of Taizu” in Liaoshi reflects the original appearance of the history of the empire foundation period in the first year of the Shence era (916). Other records were reworded by later historians, which caused the contents of these originally clear records to become completely blurred and concealed. This rewriting process may have been completed in the thirteenth year of the Zhongxi era (1044) during Emperor Xingzong’s reign; the records advance Emperor Taizu’s rise to the throne to the year that the Tang dynasty was destroyed. That year was essential in reconstructing the founding history of the Khitan Empire and a narrative showed a strong tendency to orthodoxy in the late Liao dynasty. This article offers further reflection on the portrayal of a political epoch in historical records from a dynamic and productive angle.

Combined trabeculotomy-trabeculectomy for glaucoma after congenital cataract surgery: long-term results

ObjectifNotre étude présente les résultats à long terme (> 5 ans) de la chirurgie du glaucome faisant suite à une chirurgie de la cataracte congénitale. NatureÉtude rétrospective. MéthodesIl s'agit d'une revue de synthèse des dossiers médicaux de tous les enfants qui ont fait l'objet, entre 2005 et 2014, d'une intervention en raison d'un glaucome après avoir subi une chirurgie de la cataracte congénitale au service d'ophtalmologie pédiatrique du département d'ophtalmologie de l'Alexandria Main University Hospital (Alexandrie, Égypte) et pour lesquels on dispose d'un suivi à 5 ans. Les données démographiques, cliniques et chirurgicales ont été tirées des dossiers médicaux. La réussite reposait sur la stabilité et/ou le rétablissement de l'excavation du nerf optique comparativement à ce qui a été observé lors de la visite initiale et, en l'absence de cette donnée, sur une pression intraoculaire (PIO) inférieure à la PIO initiale et une PIO inférieure à 16 mm Hg avec (réussite mitigée) ou sans (réussite complète) collyre antiglaucomateux. RésultatsLes dossiers médicaux de 48 enfants ont été passés en revue. On disposait des données de suivi pendant au moins 5 ans pour 32 yeux de 24 enfants, qui ont donc été inclus dans l’étude. L’âge moyen (± é.-t.) des enfants de l’étude était de 11,6 ± 11,3 mois (fourchette : 3,2–52,0 mois) lors de l'examen initial, et la durée moyenne du suivi (± é.-t.) était de 105,5 ± 31,4 mois (fourchette : 60–156 mois). Sur le total des 47 chirurgies du glaucome, une technique reposant à la fois sur une chirurgie de l'angle et une chirurgie filtrante avec antimétabolite était l'intervention le plus souvent réalisée (n = 30; 63,8 %). Les pourcentages annuels de réussite de la cinquième à la treizième année après l'intervention se chiffraient respectivement comme suit : 69,6 %; 68,8 %; 77,8 %; 50,0 %; 71,4 %; 60,0 %; 50,0 %; 83,3 % et 50,0 %. ConclusionsLa chirurgie du glaucome réalisée après une chirurgie de la cataracte congénitale demeure sûre, et son efficacité s'est maintenue pendant les 13 années suivantes.

EDITORIAL

Dear friends,
 
 We are all eagerly waiting the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In the meantime, you can enjoy our first issue of Science of Gymnastics Journal this year. We have entered the thirteenth year of publication. Let’s hope this number will bring us good luck!
 
 In this issue we have many interesting articles. The first is by William Sands and his colleagues. They tried to answer the big question whether gymnastics is rising or sinking. It opens questions we need to consider, including whether to pursue the Olympic motto Faster, Higher, Stronger or perhaps “a healthy mind in a healthy body” is a worthy goal too.
 
 There is a wide spectrum of other important research projects that our authors from many different parts of the world contributed. We are proud of our diversity and the range our authors cover.
 
 We also have a small anniversary, i.e., this issue presents Anton Gajdoš’s 20th short historical note, introducing two German gymnasts, Alfred Schwarzmann (Olympic all-around champion ) and Walter Stefans, who were both members of the winning team at the OG in Berlin 1936.
 
 From our June issue onward, we will add a DOI number to each article as the University of Ljubljana and our Faculty of Sport have been authorized to generate DOI.
 
 We strongly recommend all authors to use Grammarly or Instatext (you can find them using any search engine on the internet) before sending their manuscript to the editor. Both tools are free and can improve your writing.
 
 Just a reminder that if you cite the journal, its abbreviation in the Web of Knowledge is SCI GYMN J.
 
 I wish you enjoyable reading and many ideas for new research projects and articles,

Microvascular Complications, Peripheral Artery Disease and Mortality in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, in Two Counties of Southern Lithuania over 13 Years: Analysis Using a Cohort Database of the National Health Insurance.

Background and Objectives: People living with diabetes mellitus are at risk of developing many serious and life-threatening complications. The present study aimed to determine the occurrence of microvascular complications, peripheral artery disease, and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), in 2 Lithuanian counties. Materials and Methods: The data on residents aged ≥ 18 years, who were diagnosed for the first time in 2004 with uncomplicated T2DM, were obtained from the National Health Insurance Fund database. The occurrence of T2DM microvascular complications, peripheral artery disease, and mortality during the period from 2004 to 2016 were assessed by gender and age groups (<65 and ≥65 years). Results: During the 13 years, 46.9% of the patients developed T2DM complications. More men than women developed at least 1 T2DM complication (50.8% vs. 44.8%, p = 0.035). The mean time for developing any T2DM complication was 9.2 years. The probability of occurrence of any complication was 0.07 in the second year and increased to 0.59 in the thirteenth year of living with diabetes. Within the 13 years, 38.2% of the patients died. More men (43.1%) than women (35.5%) died during the analysis period (p = 0.036). Mortality was higher among older patients (60.7%) than among younger patients (22.2%) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results of this study provide a comprehensive picture of microvascular complications, peripheral artery disease, and mortality among patients with T2DM of two Lithuanian counties. Information about the occurrence of T2DM complications and mortality will assist further studies in estimating the burden of T2DM and in performing economic evaluations of T2DM prevention and treatment in Lithuania.

Gestalt Review: 25 Years

<i>Gestalt Review</i>: 25 Years

Occurrence of Weeds in an Orchard due to Cultivation of Long-Term Perennial Living Mulches

The living mulch permanence along with the succession of their weed infestation in an apple orchard were evaluated at the Research Station, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. The perennial cover crops: white clover and colonial bent grass, as well as the annual dwarf nasturtium, were sown as living mulches in apple tree rows, in the year of establishing the orchard. Blue fescue was sown one year later to replace the dwarf nasturtium. The percent of covers and temporal dominance dynamics of weeds were estimated during the first 13 years of the orchard maintenance. The occurrence of annual weeds, which had been abundant in all the living mulches in the year of their sowing, decreased in the following years of orchard maintenance. Conversely, the dominance of several perennial weed species increased as the orchard reached the full cropping period. White clover exhibited the lowest permanence. Dynamic spreading of &lt;em&gt;Elymus repens &lt;/em&gt;(L.) Gould and other species from the Poaceae family was the direct cause of this cover crop disappearance. The presence of perennial dicotyledonous weeds, primarily &lt;em&gt;Taraxacum officinale &lt;/em&gt;Web. and &lt;em&gt;Convolvulus arvensis &lt;/em&gt;L., also contributed to the diminished sod of all the living mulches. Blue fescue maintained satisfactory dominance relative to colonial bent grass for nearly the entire first decade of the research. Nevertheless, both grass living mulches were present on less than half of the tree row soil surface area, in the thirteenth year after planting of the apple trees.

Appraising Commercial Expenditure Efficiency of General Medical Education and Residency Programmes in Nigeria

Purpose: The purpose of the research is to establish the standard period taken in full recovery of cost outlays, rate of returns for general physicians and marginal returns to consultants, and appropriate profitability indices. Mixed ex-post “facto” data and primary data-sets pertaining medical education expenditure across levels and lifecycle career earnings of Nigerian physicians in public service were employed. The longitudinal secondary and primary data-set were obtained from cohorts of physicians that participated in the two stages of medical education, published programmes charges posted in brochures of some public universities’ medical schools and gazette consolidated medical salaries scheme of scale for medical workers in the public service. Method of Analysis: Break-even analysis was applied to determine minimum number of years required to fully invested capital; “elaborate (full cash flows) discounting” with internal rate of return method was used for calculation of the private and marginal rate of returns. Then, profitability ratio approach was applied to determine the level of viability of medical education across levels. Cost construction indicates that about N30 million and N69.5 million are committed as investments on general medical education and residency training of the licensed general physicians and consultant-physicians respectively. The lifecycle career earnings estimates of the general practice physicians and consultant-physicians employed in the public service worth N356 million and 814 million. Results: The break-even period for full recovery of investments in general practice physicians is 5.25 around the thirteenth years of medical education and 6.33 years for residency-trained consultants, occurring in the 21st period of this layer of vocational training respectively. Individual rate of returns on investments in general medical education of average licensed general physicians is 32 percent and 32 percent marginal rate of returns to additional investment expenditures on residency training (earnings premium of consultant-physicians). This combined rate of returns of consultant-doctors (general medicine plus residency training) is 64 percent. Net present value of cash-flows of the average general physician and consultant-doctors in Nigeria is worth N326 million and N744 million respectively. Whilst the profitability index derived from the present value of net cash-flows is 1.32 for general physicians and 1.69 for the specialist. Conclusion: The paper concludes that investments to medical education in Nigeria are worth-while; but more rewarding for residency training. Timing of education (age-range when doctors get certified) influences the earnings and rate returns to investments and value of one’s intellectual capital and net-worth (statistical financial value of life). Contribution to Knowledge: The results of assessment of individual’s expenditure efficiency in medical/higher education confirm that investment in medical education is worthwhile. The findings enhance rational decision for individuals, private sector and government organizations respectively and veritable information for policy formulation. Originality: This research is an exploratory assessment of individual participants’ spending efficiency in medical education in Nigeria and other developing country establishes tentative pay-back period of such investments, unit rates of returns across levels and profitability indices.

11th ISIEM (International Seminar on Industrial Engineering & Management, “Technology and Innovation Challenges Towards Industry 4.0 Era”

PREFACEBismillahirrahmanirrahim,Assalamu’alaikum Warrahmatullah Wabarrakatuh,This issue is published in line with the Eleventh International Seminar on Industrial Engineering and Management (11th ISIEM). The articles cover a broad spectrum of topics in Industrial Engineering and Management, which are Quality Engineering Management, Decision Support System and Artificial Intelligent, Ergonomics, Supply Chain Management, Production System, Operation Research, and Industrial Management. These articles provide an overview of critical research issues reflecting on past achievements and future challenges. Those papers were selected from 120 abstracts, and we send these papers to IOP to be published there as an Open Access Proceeding. This statistic shows the high competition to get published on this proceeding.This issue and seminar become special as more delegates come and join from various country as well as universities. We host 90 delegates both from abroad and local.The 11th ISIEM is hosted by seven universities, which are Universitas Pasundan, Universitas Esa Unggul, Universitas Trisakti, Universitas Tarumanagara, Universitas Al-Azhar Indonesia, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, and Universitas Pancasila.This is the thirteenth years of the collaboration of those universities, and the second time we had MOU with IOP in United Kingdom to publishing the papers that is indexed by Scopus.In this occasion, let us give special thanks to Prof. Dr. Md. Mamun Habib, from BRAC Business School (BBS), BRAC University, Bangladesh, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Supply Chain Management (IJSCM) UK, Prof. Dr. Dzuraidah Abd. Wahab from Center for Integrated Design of Advanced Mechanical Systems Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, for their contribution as keynote speakers. We are also grateful to all reviewers, for their commitment, effort and dedication in undertaking the task of reviewing all of the abstracts and full papers. Reviewing a large number of submissions in a relatively short time frame is always challenging. Without their help and dedication, it would not be possible to produce this proceeding in such a short time frame. I highly appreciate all members of committees (advisory, steering, and organizing committees) for mutual efforts and invaluable contribution for the success of seminar.Wassalamu’alaikum Warrahmatullah Wabarrakatuh.Ir. Wahyukaton, MT.Chairman

ВЛИЯНИЕ ПОДСЕВА ЛЮЦЕРНЫ НА ПРОДУКТИВНОСТЬ БОБОВО-ЗЛАКОВОГО ТРАВОСТОЯ В УСЛОВИЯХ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ ЯКУТИИ

Productivity of the sown pastures created in the conditions of the Central Yakutia, first of all, depends on security of grasses with nitrogen. The rational combination of biological and mineral nitrogen helps to solve the problems of plant protein in the permafrost soils of Yakutia. The need to use a biological source of nitrogen is currently due to the lack and high cost of nitrogen fertilizers supplied. An important environmentally friendly source of nitrogen is biological nitrogen accumulated by perennial legumes due to symbiosis with nodule bacteria. Legumes have the unique ability to provide themselves with the necessary amount of biological nitrogen and enrich the soil with it. The aim of the research is to study the effect of alfalfa sowing on the productivity of legume-grass stand during haying. Research on the effect of seeding alfalfa on productivity conducted in the scientific station of Institute. Overseeding alfalfa were the summer sowing. Experience laid on the herbage of the seventh year of life (1997). Experience had 8 options: 4 options grasses - lakokraski Sitnikova grade Mancari, awnless brome variety Khaptagayskiy, legume-grass pasture includes grasses and alfalfa sickle grade Yakut yellow in 4-fold repetition. The efficiency of mineral nitrogen (N 120 ) against the background of P 60 K 60 was studied, inoculation of alfalfa seeds was carried out using the bacterial preparation Yakut local strain KB № 1. The article presents the results of studies on the effect of alfalfa seeding on the productivity of old-age cereal and legume-grass. An optimal species composition of cereal, legume-cereal grass, yield formation, and determines the productivity of seeded grass stands when haying use. According to the results of studies, the seeded grass of the thirteenth year of life with the introduction of N 120 formed the maximum yield in the cereal grass to 2,4 t/ha of dry matter and exceeded the control by 118%, the exchange energy of 19,8,GJ/ha of raw protein 449 kg/ha, feed units 1,2 thousand from 1 ha. Higher productivity was obtained by switching on alfalfa legume-cereal grass under scarification - 1.4 thousand feed. Significant increase in the sowing of inoculated alfalfa seeds obtained a maximum yield of 3.4 t/ha of dry matter. Under the influence of inoculation of seeds, the productivity of grass increases by 353 feed unit per 1 ha, exchange energy per 5.6 GJ, crude protein per 3.0 C. dry matter. The highest increase in nitrogen collection was obtained in the variant with alfalfa sowing at inoculation up to 604 kg/ha, which can replace the use of mineral nitrogen at a dose of 224 kg per hectare. Thus, to increase the productivity of sown legume-grass stands, it is necessary to use the bacterial preparation Yakut local strain KB № 1.

The morbidity of myocardium infarction in the Russian Federation, the Siberian Federal District and the Omsk region

The study was organized to analyze myocardium infarction morbidity in the Russian Federation, the Siberian Federal District and the Omsk Region of the Russian Federation. In the Omsk Region, in 2014 myocardium infarction morbidity amounted to 175.6 cases per 100 000 of population that is 1.4 times higher tan in the Siberian Federal District and in the Russian Federation. The morbidity of recurrent myocardium infarction amounted to 56.9 cases per 100 000 of population. During thirteenth years period, in Russia, level of acute myocardium infarction morbidity decreased up to 12%, in the Siberian Federal District up to 10% and in the Omsk Region up to 25%. The morbidity of recurrent myocardium infarction in Russia increased up to 32%, in the Omsk Region up to 68%. The increasing of morbidity of recurrent myocardium infarction in Russia resulted in increasing of percentage of recurrent myocardium infarction up to 1.3 times, in the Siberian Federal District up to 1.4 times and in the Omsk Region up to 1.8 times. The high myocardium infarction morbidity in the Omsk Region is determined by high social and economic losses in the Region. The Regional health care has an important task of optimization of activities targeted to achievement of the all-Russian level of myocardium infarction morbidity.

REDfly: the transcriptional regulatory element database for Drosophila.

The REDfly database provides a comprehensive curation of experimentally-validated Drosophila transcriptional cis-regulatory elements and includes information on DNA sequence, experimental evidence, patterns of regulated gene expression, and more. Now in its thirteenth year, REDfly has grown to over 23 000 records of tested reporter gene constructs and 2200 tested transcription factor binding sites. Recent developments include the start of curation of predicted cis-regulatory modules in addition to experimentally-verified ones, improved search and filtering, and increased interaction with the authors of curated papers. An expanded data model that will capture information on temporal aspects of gene regulation, regulation in response to environmental and other non-developmental cues, sexually dimorphic gene regulation, and non-endogenous (ectopic) aspects of reporter gene expression is under development and expected to be in place within the coming year. REDfly is freely accessible at http://redfly.ccr.buffalo.edu, and news about database updates and new features can be followed on Twitter at @REDfly_database.

Operating Situation and Problems of Art Bank and Improvement Direction

매년 많은 신진 미술작가들이 미술시장으로 유입되고 있지만, 작품 활동만으로 는 창작활동을 유지할 수 없었다. 특히 미술 분야는 고급예술이라는 인식이 강해서 일반인들은 접근이 제한되고 일반 구매자의 입장에서 고가의 미술작품을 구입한다는 것은 매우 어려운 데다가, 미술품대여사업은 일부 상업 화랑을 중심으로 운영되어 창작지원과 미술시장을 상생시키는 데에는 일정한 한계가 있었다. 이를 개선코자 우리나라는 2005년 2월에 설립하여 문화관광부에서 주관하고 국립 현대미술관에서 집행 관리하고 있다. 미술은행이란 정부의 예산으로 미술품을 구입하여 공공건물에 전시함으로써 미술문화의 활성화와 대중화를 추구하고 미술작가를 지원하는 미술품 렌탈 서비스로 영국&#8901;프랑스&#8901;캐나다에서 좋은 평가를 받고 있다. 현재 시행 13년차를 맞이하고 있는 미술은행 제도는 매년 추천제&#8901;공모제&#8901;현 장구입제 등을 통해 350~400여의 작품을 구입하고 있다. 미술은행은 미술의 대중화라는 긍정적인 평가도 존재하지만, 국민의 미술문화 향유권 신장과 작가 지원, 미술시장의 활성화 등을 동시에 쫓다 보니, 시행 초부터 문제의 소지를 갖고 있었다. 운영상으로는 예산의 부족과 홍보가 거의 이루어지지 않아 일반인들이 거의 알지 못한다는 점이 가장 큰 문제이며 작품 선정에 있어서는 신진작가 양성과 미술작가들의 형평성에 문제가 있다는 부정적인 평가도 계속되고 있다. 예를 들어, ‘예술성 있는 작품을 구입하다 보면 일반의 취향을 고려하지 않는다’라던가, ‘대중성을 고려하면 예술성을 도외시하여 하향 평준화한다’고 해서, ‘많은 장르를 고루 배려해 고가의 작품을 매입하면 나눠 주기식이 아니냐’, 반대로 ‘소수 고가의 작품 매입하면, 편중 매입이 아니냐’는 논란을 피할 수 없었다. 이렇듯 현행 미술은행에 대한 비판들은 과거의 범주에서 크게 벗어나지 않고, 공정성 시비와 미술은행의 목적인 ‘국민문화 향수권 향상, 미술에의 대중화가 실제로 가능한가’에 대한 근본적인 문제에 직면하게 되었다. 이에 이 글에서는 국내 미술은행 현황을 분석하고 그 문제점을 국내 및 해외 사례와 비교 분석하여 이를 토대로 현 제도의 개선방안을 모색하고자 하였다.Many new artists are entering the art market every year, but they can not keep creative activities. Especially, it is very difficult to purchase expensive art works from the viewpoint of general buyers because access is limited and general buyers are very aware that art is a high- end art. In addition, the art loan business is centered on some commercial galleries, There was a certain limit to the mutual benefit. To improve this, Korea was established in February 2005 and is managed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and managed by the National Museum of Contemporary Art. Art Bank is an art gallery rental service that supports art artists by promoting and popularizing art culture by purchasing artworks on the government’s budget and exhibiting them in public buildings, and has been well received in the UK, France and Canada. The Art Bank system, which is now in its thirteenth year of implementation, purchases 350~400 works each year through recommendation, public offering, and on-site purchase. Although the art bank has a positive evaluation of popularization of arts, it has been a problem since the enforcement of the law because it pursues the promotion of the citizens enjoyment of art culture, the support of artists, and the revitalization of the art market. It is the biggest problem that the public is hardly aware of the lack of budget and publicity due to lack of budget. In the selection of the works, there is a negative evaluation that there is a problem in educating new artists and equity. For example, the Art Bank criticized “that if people buy artistic works, they do not consider the taste of the general public”, or “if it considers the popularity, people tend to downsize artistry and downgrade it”. Also, “when Art Bank bought many high-priced works in consideration of a lot of genres, they criticized it as a purchase type of distribution”. On the contrary, “when Art Bank bought a few high-priced works”, it could not avoid “the controversy”. This criticism of the current art bank faced the fundamental problem of “fairness fiction” and “the enhancement of the public interest of the national culture and the popularization of art” which is the purpose of the art bank. In this paper, we analyze the current status of art bank in Korea and compare the problems with domestic and overseas cases.

NŪR UD-DĪN JAHĀNGĪR AND FATHER KIRWITZER: THE INDEPENDENT DISCOVERY OF THEGREAT COMETS OF NOVEMBER 1618 AND THE FIRST ASTRONOMICAL USE OFTHE TELESCOPE IN INDIA

The year 1618 in astronomy was a unique one in that it presented three bright cometary apparitions in quick succession. The comets created a sensation, and belonged to an era when Galileo's telescopic observations had created a paradigm shift in our perception of the heavens and Johannes Kepler was introducing a fundamental change in mathematical astronomy by redefining orbits of planets around the Sun. This paper is an account of the observations of two of the three great comets of 1618, made from India. This turned out to be a unique occasion because these same targets of opportunity were followed independently by astronomers from two very different ‗schools', and their observations were recorded quantitatively. Jahāngīr, the fourth Mughal Emperor of India, recorded in the <italic>Tūzūk-i Jahāngīrī</italic> (<italic>The Memoirs of Jahāngīr</italic>), the appearance of two comets during a Royal journey from the town of Dohad in Gujarat to Agra, the capital city of the Empire, in the thirteenth year of his accession. From the recorded dates, Jahāngīr turns out to be an independent discoverer of two great comets that appeared one after the other in November 1618. Meanwhile, Father Venceslaus Kirwitzer and fellow Jesuits observed these comets from Goa, and their first observations also correspond to the discovery dates of the comets. These same comets also were followed by Father Antonius Rubinus from Cochin. Fr. Kirwitzer collated and published these observations in 1620 in a short treatise where he states that he also viewed these comets with a 'tubo optico'. This is the first recorded use of a telescope in India.

Influence of peach–almond hybrids and plum-based rootstocks on mineral nutrition and yield characteristics of ‘Big Top’ nectarine in replant and heavy-calcareous soil conditions

The agronomic performance and leaf mineral nutrition for ‘Big Top’ nectarine budded onto twelve Prunus rootstocks were evaluated. Seven Prunus amygdalus×Prunus persica hybrids (Adafuel, Adarcias, Felinem, Garnem, Monegro, GF 677, and Mayor), two Prunus davidiana×P. persica hybrids (Barrier, Cadaman), a Prunus insititia plum (Adesoto), a Prunus domestica plum (Tetra), and another selection considered to be an hybrid of Prunus cerasifera×P. amygdalus parentage (Replantpac). Rootstocks were budded during the summer of 1999, and trees were established in a replant site in March 2001. The trial was located in the Ebro Valley (Northeastern, Spain) on a heavy-textured and calcareous soil typical of the Mediterranean area which supported a previous peach orchard until 2000. At the thirteenth year after budding, growing conditions generated varying levels of tree mortality, the highest with peach-almond hybrids: Adafuel, Garnem and Monegro. In contrast, all Replantpac trees survived well and the mortality rate was low on the other rootstocks. Adesoto, Tetra, and Adarcias proved to be the most dwarfing rootstocks, while Cadaman and Replantpac were the most invigorating and generated greater cumulative yields. However, the highest yield efficiency was recorded on GF 677, although it did not differ significantly from other peach-almond (Adarcias, Felinem) and plum (Adesoto, Tetra) rootstocks. The highest fruit weight was observed on Barrier and the lowest on Felinem and Mayor, but they did not differ significantly from the rest of rootstocks. Leaf mineral analysis of trees showed all rootstocks induced N and Fe deficiency and P optimum value according to reference values. Nevertheless, the tendency of plum Adesoto to induce higher Fe leaf concentration could indicate higher tolerance to iron-chlorosis in calcareous soils. The most invigorating rootstock Replantpac seems to induce higher SPAD values and adequate K, Mg and Mn values according to reference values. Tetra induced the best balanced nutritional values (ΣDOP), especially when compared with Barrier and Cadaman, although it did not differ significantly from GF 677 and Mayor.

The Aratean corpus in Vat. Grec. 1087

For nearly 150 years, scholars have devoted considerable effort trying understand the various means by which the astrothesic knowledge of the Graeco-Roman world passed to the modern age. Thanks to the magisterial work of Paul Kunitzsch and others, our grasp of the tortuous journey of Ptolemy's Syntaxis mathematike from the original Greek to its Latin translations in the twelfth century has become much firmer. But despite the attention of a far wider range of scholars, the intricacies of the transmission of the Phaenomena of Aratus to the Latin West remain more elusive. This is primarily due to the fact that, soon after its composition, the poem attracted a huge entourage of ancillary material: the so-called 'Aratean corpus', composed of a rudimentary star catalogue, sets of celestial maps, a series of illustrated mythological explanations of the forms of the individual constellations and a potted biography of the author.Realising that the sorts of questions generated by the 'Aratean corpus' have yet to be solved by the practitioners of a single discipline working in isolation, the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa organised the first of what one hopes will be a continuing series of interdisciplinary workshops devoted to examining a specific set of tightly-defined topics from a variety of scholarly viewpoints.Their first subject of study was the Vatican manuscript, BAV Vat. grec. 1087, which is a collection of astronomical material compiled sometime between the late 1320s and early 1330s by the Byzantine astronomer, historian, theologian and antiquarian, Nicephoros Gregoras. Its contents include one of the oldest manuscripts of the introduction to Ptolemaic astronomy by Theodoros Metochites (the Stoicheiosis astronomike , completed in 1316); Metochites's Commentary on the Syntaxis mathematike ; a fragment of Theon of Alexandria's Commentary on the Syntaxis mathematike ; a set of unique excerpts and annotated illustrations connected to the catasteristic fables reputedly collected by Eratosthenes, now known as the 'Fragmenta vaticana catasterismorum' ; and a melange of two versions of a Treatise on the astrolabe by Gregoras himself. The codex was probably produced in the scriptorium at the monastery complex of Chora, just outside the city walls of Constantinople. Even though several scribal hands have been identified, the whole manuscript bears traces of corrections and annotations in Gregoras's own hand.The essays within this volume provide a fascinating series of short studies of several key issues. Filippomaria Ponanti presents an introduction to the astronomical texts and sets them within the larger ambit of Byzantine astronomy during the Paleologian renaissance of the latter half of the thirteenth and early years of the fourteenth centuries. …

Editorial

Since its launch in 2002, Aging Cell has strived to publish the highest caliber research in biogerontology (now often referred to as the biology of aging). Aging Cell has rapidly established itself as a highly respected and reputable journal and has maintained its leadership role in publishing some of the most important and exciting research in this field. As we enter 2014 (the thirteenth year of our publication), Aging Cell will undergo some changes that we wish to introduce here to our readership. An important goal of the editors-in-chief has always been to ensure that Aging Cell remains current and relevant to the scientific community at large. With a steady increase in the submission and publication of articles from many countries around the globe, we recognize the importance of maximizing the accessibility and impact of the research published in the journal. To maintain and promote our leading position, the publishers, with the support of the editorial team, and the Anatomical Society, have decided to convert Aging Cell to an author-pays open access model. This change will not only comply with funder mandates, but more importantly, it will allow anyone and everyone around the world with internet access to read all material in Aging Cell, irrespective of field, host institution, location, or mode of internet access. Articles will be published under a Creative Commons license, and authors will be the copyright holders. All other editorial policies, such as those concerning the scope of the journal, the review process, and the length, number, and quality of accepted articles, will remain in place (visit our website, http://www.aging-cell.com/, for additional details). We have also made a number of important changes to the Aging Cell website which we believe will enhance the experience of accessing content in the journal. The new website is more attractive visually and provides constantly updated information on features of interest in the journal as well as the aging field at large. To complement this, the content of Aging Cell and articles of interest in other journals can be followed on Twitter (https://twitter.com/AgingCell). Through an improved website and by keeping pace with social media, Aging Cell aims to develop into an online interaction hub for the aging research community. An important strength of Aging Cell has always been its editorial team and policies, in particular the large and diverse editorial board. This board is comprised of internationally recognized leaders in all the subfields of biogerontology who act as supervising editors, managing the entire review process of assigned papers (including the choice of reviewers and rendering decisions). Hence, papers reviewed by Aging Cell receive personal attention from the top experts in the field. This rigorous process often necessitates extensive revisions and ensures that only the highest quality papers are published in the journal. Many authors have commented on the dramatic improvement of their papers during the review process. The membership of the editorial board is continuously updated, with several new members joining us in 2013 (visit our website, http://www.aging-cell.com/, for additional details). We hope that all of you will share our excitement in these new developments. We would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and managing editorial team for their hard work and dedication, and for making Aging Cell what it is: the flagship journal of the biology of aging. Above all, we would like to thank our readership – we hope you have found the content of the journal informative as well as important for your research. We welcome any comments or suggestions, and as always, we welcome your best papers.

CHIEF EDITORS' NOTE

IJSSD has entered into its thirteenth year. As at 31 December 2012, 12 volumes comprising 52 issues and containing 482 technical and discussion papers were published. Topics covered in these papers range from structural stability and dynamics of structural elements to complex mega structures to nanostructures. With increasing pressure from researchers to publish their ndings in IJSSD promptly, we are pleased to announce that the number of issues will be increased to 8 with e®ect from this year 2013. In line with our goal to publish high quality papers in IJSSD and for the journal to enjoy a high impact factor, we have decided this year to introduce the IJSSD Best Cited Paper Award 2013. This award is presented to authors whose paper has received the most citations over the last ve years (i.e. from 2008 to 2012) from publications captured in the Web of Science. Based on this criterion, we are pleased to present this award to R. Degenhardt, A. Kling, H. Klein, W. Hillger, H.C. Goetting, R. Zimmermann, K. Rohwer and A. Gleiter. Their paper is entitled \Experiments on buckling and postbuckling of thin-walled CFRP structures using advanced measurement systems, and it appeared in Volume 7, Issue 2, pp. 337 358, June 2007. This award, in the form of a certi cate, will recognize the signi cant contribution to the journal by these authors. We hope to receive the continuing support of the IJSSD editorial board members and readers in contributing high quality papers, providing critical review reports on the manuscripts sent to them for review, and in promoting the journal to their institution libraries and colleagues around the world.

Introduction: Antitrust and Regulatory Update

This issue marks the thirteenth year of a special feature of the Review of Industrial Organization: �Antitrust and Regulatory Update�. As has been true for the past few years, I asked the Chief Economists of the U.S. Department of Justice�s Antitrust Division (DOJ), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the DG Competition of the European Union (DGComp) to write essays about the interesting aspects of the important antitrust and regulatory issues that confronted their agencies during this past year. I am pleased to report that all four individuals responded affirmatively, and the essays in this issue of the Review (all of them co-authored with career economists at their respective agencies) are the products of their affirmative responses. As has been reflected in previous years� essays from these agencies, mergers and merger policy continue to be important, and all four of the essays provide the economic analyses that were applied in the ass ... This issue marks the thirteenth year of a special feature of the Review of Industrial Organization: �Antitrust and Regulatory Update�. As has been true for the past few years, I asked the Chief Economists of the U.S. Department of Justice�s Antitrust Division (DOJ), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the DG Competition of the European Union (DGComp) to write essays about the interesting aspects of the important antitrust and regulatory issues that confronted their agencies during this past year. I am pleased to report that all four individuals responded affirmatively, and the essays in this issue of the Review (all of them co-authored with career economists at their respective agencies) are the products of their affirmative responses. As has been reflected in previous years� essays from these agencies, mergers and merger policy continue to be important, and all four of the essays provide the economic analyses that were applied in the ass ...