Unusual Settings Research Articles

Exceptional Rarity Unveiled: Isolated Fungal Osteomyelitis of Great Toe by Fusarium Solani-Unprecedented Presentation and Exquisite Management Insights

Fungal osteomyelitis is a rare but significant condition, often associated with immunocompromised states or severe systemic illnesses. This condition involves fungal pathogens, primarily Aspergillus, Candida, and Mucor species. Among these, Aspergillus is the most commonly implicated, especially in cases of vertebral osteomyelitis, although fungal infections involving bones like the distal phalanx of the toe are rare. In particular, Fusarium solani, though less frequently reported, has gained recognition for its role in causing localized osteomyelitis in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. A case involving a 57-year-old male with no significant history of immunosuppression is presented. The patient developed localized pain and swelling in the left toe following a minor traumatic injury. Initial radiographic imaging revealed bone erosion, leading to a diagnosis of osteomyelitis. Cultures from bone biopsy identified Fusarium solani as the causative pathogen. This is noteworthy as the fungus, though commonly found in soil, water, and plants, rarely infects bone structures. The patient was treated with a combination of antifungal therapy, including voriconazole and surgical debridement. The rarity of Fusarium solani osteomyelitis and its unusual presentation in an immunocompetent host adds to the complexity of diagnosing fungal infections in osteomyelitis. Treatment typically involves a multidisciplinary approach that combines both medical and surgical interventions. The case highlights the importance of considering fungal pathogens, even in unusual clinical settings, especially when initial treatments fail to provide resolution. Early diagnosis and targeted therapy can improve outcomes, particularly in cases involving uncommon fungal pathogens such as Fusarium solani. This report emphasizes the need for awareness of fungal osteomyelitis in immunocompetent individuals and underscores the critical role of fungal cultures and imaging studies in guiding management.

Feasibility of cardiopulmonary exercise test in an athlete who underwent total laringectomy.

We report the case of an athlete who, despite facing the challenges of laryngectomy, underwent a comprehensive cardiopulmonary exercise test to assess both his ability to participate in sports and his cardiopulmonary fitness. We not only highlight the individualized approach to sports assessment in a challenging medical context but also emphasize the feasibility of employing cardiopulmonary testing in evaluating subjects in unusual settings.

Critical perspectives on GVC theory: uncovering GVC resilience through non-lead power

Critical perspectives on GVC theory: uncovering GVC resilience through non-lead power

Space for everyone

Abstract Something special happens when people encounter astronomy and geophysics in unusual settings, and the RAS plans to embrace that to diversify its outreach

Queuing Simulation Modelling for the Interview Process at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions

Queuing simulation modelling is one of the indicators used to determine the effectiveness of procedures that incorporate queuing simulation modelling. As a result, this paper utilised queueing theory throughout the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution’s interview process in Malaysia. The simulation reveals that the queuing simulation comprises a single queue connecting to multiple servers. Each interview stage involves serving more than two (2) candidates concurrently. As a result, the model used in this case study is a multiple-server model, in which more than two (2) servers concurrently serve a single waiting line in parallel. The purpose of queuing simulation modelling is to quantify operational characteristics such as the average number of candidates in the line, the average number of candidates in the system, and the average wait time for candidates in the line and the system. The results indicate that all steps are well-organised and completed within the time constraints associated with each stage. Identifying individuals who combine necessary skills with the ability to overcome challenges, manage stress, deal with ambiguity, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate resourcefulness will benefit the organisation in the short and long term. Therefore, the organisation developed a procedure in which job candidates are immersed in unusual settings to elicit the most useful information about their fitness, personality, critical thinking ability, creativity, and interpersonal skills.

Primary Chest Wall Ewing Sarcoma with Indolent Behavior in an Elderly Male

Abstract Introduction/Objective Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most common primary malignant bone tumor, primarily affecting children and young adults within the first two decades of life. Over 80% of cases are positive for CD99 and exhibit a characteristic t(11;22) translocation resulting in an EWSR1::FLI1 fusion. Extraosseous ES is extremely rare and most reported cases occur in patients less than 50 years old. We report an unusual case of extraosseous ES arising from the chest wall in an elderly male that showed slow interval progression on imaging studies. Methods/Case Report An 83-year-old male with a past medical history of COPD and tobacco use presented to the emergency department for a mechanical ground level fall and a worsening cough over the prior week. Of note, he was found to have a 6.1 cm pleural based mass seven years prior. The patient was ultimately discharged home with recommended oncologic follow-up for this long-standing chest wall mass due to an increase in size on imaging. A PET scan showed a hypermetabolic subpleural mass in the right lower chest wall measuring 7.6 cm with invasion through the adjacent ribs and intercostal spaces into the adjacent soft tissue. A core biopsy was performed, which demonstrated a small round blue cell tumor diffusely positive for CD99 and Bcl-2, lacking significant mitotic activity and necrosis. Given the unusual clinical features, a next generation sequencing (NGS) panel for sarcoma fusions was performed and identified an EWSR1::FLI1 fusion, supporting the diagnosis of ES/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). Results (if a Case Study enter NA) NA Conclusion ES is relatively common as a primary bone tumor in children and young adults, but is rare in the chest wall and pleura and is extremely rare in the elderly. The clinical course for ES is typically aggressive. Diagnosis of ES can be challenging as CD99 positivity is nonspecific. The characteristic t(11;22) EWSR1::FLI1 fusion can be identified through FISH or NGS. At 83 years old, this is, to our knowledge, the oldest patient reported in the literature with this diagnosis. The slow interval growth of this mass over a period of seven years is also unusual. These combined clinicopathologic features are exceedingly unique and expand upon the reported spectrum and behavior of the Ewing’s family of sarcomas. The use of broad NGS panels among pathologists may result in increased identification of ES in unusual clinical settings in the future, while also providing more confident pathologic classification in challenging situations.

Giant cell tumor of the clivus misdiagnosed as calcifying fibrous tumor

Abstract Introduction/Objective Giant cell tumors of bone (GCTs) are generally benign, locally aggressive lesions accounting for approximately 4% of primary bone tumors. GCTs of the skull are rare and constitute <1% of all reported GCTs as they typically occur in the epiphysis of long bones. Specifically, in the clivus location, these tumors are exceedingly rare with fewer than 10 articles in English literature. The purpose of this report is to describe a case of GCT in this unusual location that was misdiagnosed as giant cell reparative granuloma on biopsy and subsequently calcifying fibrous tumor on resection. Methods/Case Report A 34-year-old male presented with history of headache, visual disturbance, epistaxis, and nausea. MRI demonstrated a large soft tissue mass eroding the clivus. A biopsy was interpreted at an outside institution as giant cell reparative granuloma. The patient was treated with denosumab and subsequently underwent resection of the mass due to worsening symptoms. Post-treatment pathology was interpreted as calcifying fibrous tumor. The patient presented to our institution for further management and outside pathology was reviewed. Histologically, the initial tumor was composed of a bland spindle cell proliferation with admixed osteoclast-type giant cells. In this location, the differential diagnosis includes Brown tumor, giant cell reparative granuloma, and, rarely, GCT. HG34W immunostain was positive in the tumor cells confirming the diagnosis of GCT. The post-therapy specimen showed abundant woven bone formation and a lack of giant cells. Post-denosumab GCT are known to show these features. Follow up imaging showed a slow growing moderately enhancing mass at the resection site. Patient is alive with disease 36 months after initial diagnosis. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) NA Conclusion With rare exceptions, bone tumors frequently follow generalized patterns of involvement. Pathologists need to be aware of these exceptions. Appropriate panel of immunohistochemical stains help clinching the right diagnosis, especially in unusual clinical settings.

Modern Horror Thrillers: A Traumatic and Linguistic Study of the Movies The Little Stranger and The Boy

Emerging as an exhilarating genre in the current film industry, horror thrillers are a new genre alongside science fiction. These genre forms captivate the audience because they offer a brief but exhilarating break from daily life and serve as an escape from reality. In these films, William Brent Bell and Lenny Abrahamson, directors of The Boy and The Little Stranger, respectively, demonstrated the modern horror thriller technique. This research intends to demonstrate how splendidly traumatic events are utilised in contemporary films, along with the ideal discourse change in those people who are suffering from mental trauma, which has inspired the current interest in horror thrillers. This study was based on two perspectives: the first was the destructive power of trauma and its impact on one’s language, which can ruin or bring about disaster in one's life, and the second was how the film industry makes use of this trauma for the commercial success of horror films. In both of these films, horror is portrayed through unusual settings and occurrences. Through discourse analysis and descriptive methods, this study can conclude with the idea that conventional belief in spirits and other supernatural beings was irreparably damaged in today’s films. These films may be compelled to depict the reality that each individual's suffering induces fear, resulting in the emergence of fantastical, eerie concepts and a change in their language.

МЕТОДИКА ЭКСПЕРТНОЙ ОЦЕНКИ КАЧЕСТВА ПЭТ-ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЙ ПАЦИЕНТОВ

Purpose: To develop the method of experts’ quality evaluation of the PET images as an additional quality control method for accurate, comparable, and reproducible PET diagnostics results, and to conduct image quality evaluation in different PET departments used this method. Material and methods: 60 PET images (without CT) of the patients who underwent whole body PET/CT with 18F-FDG were collected from 12 PET/CT scanners in 9 PET departments. Experts’ quality evaluation was conducted with questioning of the experts. Each expert evaluated the image quality by five-point scale and filled out the special form which include three image quality criteria: image clarity, artefacts, and general image quality. There were 28 experts from 8 different PET departments who have work experience in radiology from 1 to 32 years. The results of experts’ quality evaluation of the PET images were examined for correlations with parameters of acquisition and reconstruction protocols, examination methods. The results were also examined for dependance of subjective factors such as work experience and work conditions of experts. The minimum required number of experts were defined. The results were analyzed used statistical methods. Results: The PET images obtained by 8 PET/CT scanners had mean quality value more than 4 points (good quality). PET/CT scanners, which had the lowest quality value, have the obsolete or unusual settings and reconstruction parameters. The correlations between experts’ quality evaluation of the PET images and acquisition parameters (acquisition time per bed, multiplication of injected activity and acquisition time per bed), and examination methods (injected activity and uptake time) were established. The results of experts’ quality evaluation of the PET images were dependent on work experience and work conditions of experts. Conclusion: The method of experts’ quality evaluation of the PET images of the patients based on the questioning of the experts working in PET was developed and demonstrated in the current study. The results showed this method has the potential to compare the PET images obtained by different acquisition and reconstruction protocols, and it can be applied during the optimization of examination method and for the determination of obsolete and unusual settings of PET/CT. Experts’ evaluation of the PET images should include the opinion of at least six experts with different work experience in PET from several PET departments.

Recent findings on the role of wild-type and mutant p53 in cancer development and therapy.

The p53 protein is a tumor suppressor encoded by the TP53 gene and consists of 393 amino acids with four main functional domains. This protein responds to various cellular stresses to regulate the expression of target genes, thereby causing DNA repair, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, metabolic changes, and aging. Mutations in the TP53 gene and the functions of the wild-type p53 protein (wtp53) have been linked to various human cancers. Eight TP53 gene mutations are located in codons, constituting 28% of all p53 mutations. The p53 can be used as a biomarker for tumor progression and an excellent target for designing cancer treatment strategies. In wild-type p53-carrying cancers, abnormal signaling of the p53 pathway usually occurs due to other unusual settings, such as high MDM2 expression. These differences between cancer cell p53 and normal cells have made p53 one of the most important targets for cancer treatment. In this review, we have dealt with various issues, such as the relative contribution of wild-type p53 loss of function, including transactivation-dependent and transactivation-independent activities in oncogenic processes and their role in cancer development. We also discuss the role of p53 in the process of ferroptosis and its targeting in cancer treatment. Finally, we focus on p53-related drug delivery systems and investigate the challenges and solutions.

Guerilla Science: Mixing Science with Art, Music and Play in Unusual Settings

Abstract Outreach activities at the interface of science and art present a unique opportunity to connect and engage with “latently interested” publics who do not otherwise take part in science activities such as visiting science museums. In this article, the authors present “Guerilla Science” as one model that supports the hypothesis that well-designed science and art (STEAM) programming in informal settings can broaden participation in and facilitate engagement with STEM-related topics. The article describes a range of interactive events featuring scientists and artists and accompanying research into the impact of these events on a public audience.

Largest marsh in New England near a precipice

The Great Marsh in northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire is the largest salt marsh in New England and includes the marsh surrounding Plum Island Sound, one of the most studied coastal wetlands in the United States. A primary goal in marsh research today is predicting their resilience in a regime of sea-level rise, which has become increasingly based on modeling studies with sparse or site-specific field data input. Here, we present the results of a vertical accretion study using 210Pb and 137Cs geochronology developed from 50-cm long auger cores taken at 15 locations throughout the PIS marsh. Two significant outliers were omitted from the final analyses due to their unusual depositional settings. The 137Cs spike produced the shortest-term record and lowest average accretion rate (2.5 mm/yr). Of the various 210Pb accretion models (Constant Flux-Constant Sedimentation: CF-CS, Constant Rate of Supply: CRS, Constant Initial Concentration: CIC), we chose the CF-CS model accretion rate for comparison to other environmental parameters and future marsh projections due to the robust R2 linear regression values and its wide use. The 13 stations exhibited an average accretion rate of 3.13 mm/yr, which is 0.6 mm/yr greater than the average rate reported elsewhere in New England. Individual accretion rates show no correlation with geography, elevation, bulk density, loss on ignition, distance to tidal channels, or peat thickness, indicating the complexity of the interacting factors that control marsh growth. Using moderate sea-level rise predictions, we show that large portions of the high marsh are likely to be converted to low marsh by 2050, and that the entire marsh high platform will become low marsh prior to 2070. This is the first time that wide spread field data are used to project a major transformation of the Plum Island Sound platform marsh that undoubtedly will lead to dramatic changes to marsh drainage, backbarrier hypsometry, tidal current dominance, and redistribution of sediment reservoirs, that will include the fronting barrier islands.

Non-Invasive Ventilation in a Non-Standard Setting – Is it Safe to Ventilate Outside the ICU?

Abstract Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is considered a fundamental method in treating patients with various disorders, requiring respiratory support. Often the lack of beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the concomitant medical conditions, which refer patients as unsuitable for aggressive treatment in the ICU, highlight the need of NIV application in general non-monitored wards and unusual settings – most commonly emergency departments, high-dependency units, pulmonary wards, and even ambulances. Recent studies suggest faster improvement of all physiological variables, reduced intubation rates, postoperative pulmonary complications and hospital mortality with better outcome and quality of life by early well-monitored ward-based NIV compared to standard medical therapy in patients with exacerbation of a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, after a surgical procedure or acute hypoxemic respiratory failure in hematologic malignancies. NIV is a ceiling of treatment and a comfort measure in many patients with do-not-intubate orders due to terminal illnesses. NIV is beneficial only by proper administration with appropriate monitoring and screening for early NIV failure. Successful NIV application in a ward requires a well-equipped area and adequately trained multidisciplinary team. It could be initiated not only by attending physicians, respiratory technicians, and nurses but also by medical emergency teams. Ward-based NIV is supposed to be more cost-effective than NIV in the ICU, but further investigation is required to establish the safety and efficacy in hospital wards with a low nurse to patient ratio.

Boundary conditions and vacuum fluctuations in {mathrm {AdS}}_4

Initial conditions given on a spacelike, static slice of a non-globally hyperbolic spacetime may not define the fates of classical and quantum fields uniquely. Such lack of global hyperbolicity is a well-known property of the anti-de Sitter solution and led many authors to question how is it possible to develop a quantum field theory on this spacetime. Wald and Ishibashi took a step towards the healing of that causal issue when considering the propagation of scalar fields on AdS. They proposed a systematic procedure to obtain a physically consistent dynamical evolution. Their prescription relies on determining the self-adjoint extensions of the spatial component of the differential wave operator. Such a requirement leads to the imposition of a specific set of boundary conditions at infinity. We employ their scheme in the particular case of the four-dimensional AdS spacetime and compute the expectation values of the field squared and the energy-momentum tensor, which will then bear the effects of those boundary conditions. We are not aware of any laws of nature constraining us to prescribe the same boundary conditions to all modes of the wave equation. Thus, we formulate a physical setup in which one of those modes satisfy a Robin boundary condition, while all others satisfy the Dirichlet condition. Due to our unusual settings, the resulting contributions to the fluctuations of the expectation values will not respect AdS invariance. As a consequence, a back-reaction procedure would yield a non-maximally symmetric spacetime. Furthermore, we verify the violation of weak energy condition as a direct consequence of our prescription for dynamics.

Strange Innocence: "Aquí nace la inocencia" by Luisa Valenzuela

Strange Innocence:"Aquí nace la inocencia" by Luisa Valenzuela Diane E. Marting It wasn't people that disappeared, but subversives. Personally, I never killed a child; what I did was to hand over some of them to charitable organizations so that they could be given new parents. Subversive parents educate their children for subversion. This has to be stopped. Interview with General Ramon Camps (1983)1 In her essay "The Corpus Delicti," Josefina Ludmer argues that Argentine literature and Latin American literature in general is characterized by classic fictions about crimes of the state—a special kind of crime fiction.2 Fictions about crimes of the state do abound in Latin America—hence Ludmer's term 'classic'—although all kinds of crime fiction clearly exist in the region.3 Argentine writer Luisa Valenzuela has written about her country's crimes in the 1970s and 1980s in many of her works, especially in Cambio de armas (1982), Cola de lagartija (1983), and the well-known stories from 1975, "Los mejor calzados" and "Aquí pasan cosas raras," among other works. In this essay I argue that a neglected short story by Valenzuela, "Aquí nace la inocencia" is another of her fictions that speaks of the criminal state and mirrors the state's perversion of ideas about truth and justice. Strangeness characterizes most of the stories in Aquí pasan cosas raras: bizarre behaviors, odd happenstance, weird desires, unusual settings, and ironic developments of plot and politics entertain and disconcert the reader. In a new foreword in 1991, Valenzuela reported that her return to Argentina the year prior to writing the 1975 collection had inspired her: "Así nació Aquí pasan cosas raras, llevándome de sorpresa en sorpresa" (5).4 Valenzuela explains further: [S]upe casi de inmediato que el Buenos Aires del momento nada tenía que ver con el que yo había dejado casi tres años antes. De golpe se había roto la legendaria calma de nuestra ciudad. La surcaban las oscuras fuerzas de la violencia, todo auto que pasaba podía ser una amenaza, todo paquete una bomba, los cafés eran sitios de sospecha y delación. Entre lo que la gente [End Page 117] relataba y lo que se veía en las calles se iba entretejiendo una red de locura que fue cerrando su malla hasta oprimirnos de tal forma que era difícil reconocer lo que en verdad ocurría. (5) A reporter by trade at the time, Valenzuela noticed the growth of ferocious, extra-legal acts of violence upon her return from living abroad in Mexico, Paris, and Barcelona. But at the same time, she knew she could not write directly and openly about the violence and hope to be published or even to survive. While writing with concrete and real-world detail, Valenzuela hides the meanings of these stories from anyone not aware of the context, as she explains in the third edition of the stories: Después de publicados entendí que estos cuentos, esencialmente realistas, usan las máscaras del humor negro, el grotesco o el hiperrealismo para eludir las censuras que en casos como el que sufríamos entonces los argentinos puede llegar a ser tan triple como la A desencadenada del terror. ("Presentación" 6) The Triple A, or Alianza Anticomunista Argentina, was an extremist, ultraconservative terrorist group under the control of José López Rega, the infamous member of the inner circle of two Argentine Presidents: Juan Domingo Perón and later Isabel Perón, his widow. Ironically, López Rega, the leader of a paramilitary torture and execution squads, blazoned the official title of Ministro de Bienestar Social. López Rega's power over the Peróns—and Argentina—was the greatest from 1973–1976 through his organization, which is credited with over seven hundred murders and various other crimes (Jansen González). The story I am analyzing here was composed prior to the coup d'état of the dictatorship in 1976 during the Presidency of Isabel Perón and López Rega's ascendency to full power. The activities of his reign of terror were still largely covert. Rita Arditti writes that "the sinister Argentina Anticommunist...

Conducting surveys with multidisciplinary health care providers: Current challenges and creative approaches to sampling, recruitment, and data collection.

Surveys represent one of the most common and useful ways to collect self-reported data on a wide variety of topics and from a diversity of respondents, including health care providers (HCPs). Unfortunately, survey response rates have been declining for decades; surveys with HCPs often yield response rates of 40% or less. Another major challenge in surveys with HCPs arises from difficulties in identifying appropriate sampling frames. The lack of appropriate sampling frames is particularly problematic when trying to survey multiple types of HCPs or those who work in unusual practice settings or specialties. The purpose of this paper is to describe the current challenges to survey research with college HCPs who are members of multidisciplinary care teams, and propose alternative approaches to sampling and data collection. An exemplar is provided in which three different approaches to sampling, recruitment and data collection were undertaken with a multidisciplinary sample of college HCPs. The three approaches are compared in terms of response rates, costs, and sample characteristics. Differences were noted in effort, response rates, and sample characteristics. Respondents recruited from professional organization mailing lists were disproportionately from smaller, private college/universities, as compared with those recruited from colleges/universities selected from a U.S. Department of Education list. However, no differences in variables of interest were found between the three samples, reducing concerns of potential bias. Developing best practices for surveying multiple types of HCPs will become increasingly important as we seek to better understand current care processes and plan implementation studies to promote the adoption of practice recommendations.

Uncovering the scaling of innovations developed by grassroots entrepreneurs in low-income settings

ABSTRACTLow-income entrepreneurs operating in resource-scarce settings are typically referred to as subsistence entrepreneurs – informal, operating on a small scale, and selling products developed and produced by others. This study establishes the notion of a unique category of low-income entrepreneurs who have developed, commercialised, and scaled innovations and are self-employed by choice. Further, the paper investigates the scaling process of these innovative grassroots entrepreneurs. The sample consists of four grassroots entrepreneurs from India who founded an enterprise to sell their self-developed innovations. The study follows the grounded theory approach, which is suitable for the exploration of complex questions in unusual settings. The theoretical lens used in this study is entrepreneurial bricolage since the interest of the study lies in understanding action and the usage of existing resources. The contribution of the paper is twofold. First, it contributes to the literature on low-income entrepreneurship by bolstering the theoretical archetype of grassroots entrepreneurs and developing a process model for their scaling process. Second, the study contributes to the literature on bricolage by introducing the notion of grassroots bricolage as a behaviour to utilise and combine both locally available contacts and a broader network as resources in novel ways.

Evaporitic carbonates in the pre-salt of Santos Basin – Genesis and tectonic implications

Abstract Since the first discoveries of oil accumulations in the carbonate reservoirs of the Lower Cretaceous Barra Velha Formation of the Santos Basin, their genesis has been the subject of intense discussion. Different depositional models have been proposed, with some authors advocating a microbial origin, while others an abiotic origin as travertines or travertine-like rocks. This search for a modern carbonate analogue for these unusual rocks may have disregarded an intriguing alternative: an evaporative model supported by our petrographical and geochemical data. Evaporitic sediment patterns in endorheic basins, in a depositional framework of brine drawdown, are dominated by ephemeral salt pan hydrology. Bedded salt crusts form a stack of subaqueous aligned crystal beds at the sediment-water interface; salt grows diagenetically within saline and mud layers beneath the dry pan surface; finally laminated sediments are deposited. We observe a similar cyclic pattern in the pre-salt core we described: beds of shrub-like crystals and diagenetic spherulites growing in magnesium clay matrix are followed by laminites. The model we propose attempts to contribute solving the puzzle of Pre-Salt carbonate deposition by integrating sedimentology and geochemistry with basin tectonics. Our observations and basin tectonics point to the exciting possibility that the sag phase carbonates of the Santos-Campos basin were deposited as the initial/transitional stage of a closed sub-sea-level evaporite basin whose rising salinities culminated in the deposition of halite and bittern salts (carnallite, sylvite, tachyhydrite). Basinwide evaporites are singular events in the geological record. They form when a giant sub-sea-level basin becomes a sump of continental, marine and hydrothermal fluids, producing unexpected brine compositions in unusual depositional settings present in ancient evaporitic basins but absent from most modern ones. The novelty in this paper is that we apply to pre-salt carbonate deposition the sedimentology, hydrology and geochemistry of ancient evaporitic basins. With this concept in mind, we propose a geochemical model for the unusual pre-salt carbonate precipitation of the Santos Basin. Regarding the Walvis-Rio Grande volcanic high as a topographic barrier during the Aptian, we suggest that the main sources of calcium to the Barra Velha paleolake were hydrothermal brines, mostly from infiltrating seawater that reacted at depth with the basalts of the volcanic barrier. Hyperextension of the lithosphere, with a shallow Moho, increased geothermal gradients to levels favorable for the generation of hydrothermal CaCl2 brines, a process facilitated by the already elevated Ca++ ion and low sulfate concentration of the Cretaceous ocean. These CaCl2-rich fluids would pass through the volcanic barrier into a sub-sea-level paleolake in the rift basin. The high salinity paleolake would become saturated in calcium bicarbonate/carbonate as internally drained NaHCO3-bearing alkaline waters, formed by physical/chemical weathering of penecontemporaneous basaltic rocks, mix with the CaCl2-bearing hot brines percolating through the barrier, producing a hybrid brine (2NaHCO3 + CaCl2 = Ca(HCO3)2 + 2NaCl). Such a depositional system, integrating the geochemical-depositional controls of sag phase carbonates with those of the South Atlantic evaporites, has important implications for unravelling the genesis of these exotic deposits.

Narrative Complexity and Cultural Relevance in the Name of Public Service Broadcasting: The Cases of Borgen and Herrens Veje

Abstract Danish television has been able to produce a remarkable number of successful primetime dramas over the last years from Forbrydelsen (The Killing, DR 2007-12) to Herrens Veje (Ride upon the Storm, DR 2017-). Many of them are Nordic Noir crime dramas, yet the list also includes political thrillers and family dramas. This article briefly summarizes main reasons for the prolific production environment at public service broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR). Some of the exceptional circumstances of Danish television demonstrate why the relatively small country was able to produce shows that found devoted audiences around the world. While the DR production framework has received much attention, this article takes a closer look at narrative composition, issues of characterization and the presentation of themes. Analyzing the first episodes of Borgen (DR 2010-13) and Herrens Veje, the article proposes that it is specifically the combination of multiperspectivity of the leading protagonists and how their life is linked to wider cultural, social and political debates, that can be identified as one main outcome of the fruitful collaboration between DR and various creative personnel. While both shows adhere to the main characteristics of complex serial drama as identified by Jason Mittel and Trisha Dunleavy, there are also some noticeable differences, including their strong public service ethos, their unusual Danish settings, the avoidance of transgressive protagonists, character-centred storylines and their slow, indulgent pace.

Andries Botha et « human elephant »: sculpture et écologie

The South African sculptor Andries Botha is known for his installations, for his bronzes of historical personalities and, with the establishment in 2006 of the foundation “Human Elephant” for his “Lifesize Elephant” sculptures made from recycled materials. Displayed in Europe and America in unusual settings, these elephants are the messengers of Botha’s engagement on behalf of ecology and the environment. Although “environmental art” they are also museum-like. In Durban, the three elephants placed at Warwick Junction elicited strong reactions up to and including their own destruction. The period between their vandalization in 2010 and restoration in 2015 saw something remarkable: the elephants were taken care of and brought back to “life.” This ex cathedra dimension had escaped completely not only the artist but also a recent scholarly publication devoted to the event. Because of conformism? Because of academic patterns of thought? Because of preconceived ideas on the official “copyright holders” of art? The event in Durban is a magnificent example of the public’s spontaneous and creative interaction with a seemingly abandoned work, its truly “humane” appropriation and the putting into social practice of its ecological aim.