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The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is a commonly used tool for evaluating verbal learning and memory in neuropsychological assessments. In recent years, we developed a Virtual Reality (VR) adaptation of the RAVLT (VR-RVLT), aiming for increased ecological validity compared to the traditional pen and paper gold standard (GS-RAVLT). Following validation in healthy cohorts, the VR-RAVLT was validated with thirty individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD) that completed both the GS-RAVLT and the VR- RAVLT. Validity of the VR-RAVLT was evaluated by assessing its construct and discriminant validity, and test–retest reliability, in comparison to the GS-RAVLT. Results of the PD participants were compared to those of 46 previously recruited healthy participants with comparable age and level of education. Main outcome measures derived from the remembered items on the test lists, exhibited significant and comparable correlations between VR-RAVLT and GS-RAVLT, both among healthy participants and PD participants. Likewise, serial position effects were similar for both formats amog the PD participants. Additionally, both formats showed similar discriminatory ability between healthy controls and PD participants, as well as comparable test–retest reliability measures. Taken together, the results suggest that the VR-based RAVLT is equally effective in measuring verbal memory capabilities in individuals with PD as compared to the GS-RAVLT. Certain results indicate that the virtual reality version has the capability to encompass additional factors that might impact memory performance, thereby suggesting an enhanced ecological validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late-life divorce is increasing in the Western world, including among family-oriented societies like Israel in which the most common family status for older adults (age 60 years and older) is being in a heterosexual long-term marriage with adult children. Within a life-course framework, we use both dyadic and individual interview analysis to explore the process that led to the timing of late-life divorce. Understanding this process from dyadic and individual perspectives could strengthen knowledge regarding this expanding phenomenon in family-oriented societies and could contribute to developing targeted interventions and policies for such couples. Semi-structured interviews were conducted separately with 44 heterosexual ex-spouses comprised of 10 dyads (n = 20) and 24 individuals (n = 13 women; n = 11 men). The divorces were mostly after age 60 and followed a long-term marriage with children. Two themes emerged from the analysis: the long-term phase of divorce delay despite longstanding motivations, and the moment of final decision with its various background accelerators. The discussion addresses intersections between personal time, family time, and social/cultural time related to divorce, and between intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects. Implications for family gerontology are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sports and physical activity are known risk factors for pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). The aim of this study is to examine the impact of amateur running on PFD, quality of life (QoL), and sexual function. Methods: Amateur runners were contacted through social media. Their PFD, sexual function, and QoL were evaluated by self-reporting validated questionnaires (PFDI-20, PISQ-12, IIQ-7). They were divided by degree of effort into two categories, 'High effort' and 'Moderate effort'. The differences between the two groups were examined by a Mann–Whitney U Test, T-Test, and Chi-square test. Results: 180 women were included. A high incidence of PFD was found among 'High effort' runners in comparison to 'Moderate effort' runners. In addition, women who scored above the median in the PFDI-20 showed significantly greater impairment in QoL and sexual function. Interestingly, the 'High effort' group reported experiencing higher intensity orgasms compared with women in the 'Moderate effort' group. A correlation was also found between the weekly running distance and the intensity of orgasm experienced (P value = 0.004). Conclusion: 'High effort' runners present a higher incidence of PFD in comparison to 'Moderate effort' runners. Professional pelvic floor muscle training counselling should be considered even for amateur runners. Future interventional physical therapy studies should be carried out in order to investigate preventative strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a systematic analysis, this study explores the feasibility of turning the Pan-Arabism ideology into a reality. We trace five challenges to the ideology, dividing them into inherent and secondary difficulties. Two inherent challenges made pan-Arabism almost an impossible idea from its outset. The first is religion and sectarianism, and the second is tribalism. The secondary challenges, which include the struggle over leadership, contesting Arab and non-Arab ideologies, and the attitude toward Israel, hampered the realization of the idea. Reviewing the causes of the collapse of the pan-Arabism ideology leads us to conclude that this notion was a mere unachievable dream. Moreover, even as a propaganda tool, pan-Arabism is veiling the aspirations and ambitions of different Arab politicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider stochastic dynamics of a population which starts from a small colony on a habitat with large but limited carrying capacity. A common heuristics suggests that such population grows initially as a Galton–Watson branching process and then its size follows an almost deterministic path until reaching its maximum, sustainable by the habitat. In this paper we put forward an alternative and, in fact, more accurate approximation which suggests that the population size behaves as a special nonlinear transformation of the Galton–Watson process from the very beginning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State Machine Replication (SMR) solutions often divide time into rounds, with a designated leader driving decisions in each round. Progress is guaranteed once all correct processes synchronize to the same round, and the leader of that round is correct. Recently suggested Byzantine SMR solutions such as HotStuff, and LibraBFT achieve progress with a linear message complexity and a constant time complexity once such round synchronization occurs. But round synchronization itself incurs an additional cost. By Dolev and Reischuk's lower bound, any deterministic solution must have Ω (n 2) communication complexity. Yet the question of randomized round synchronization with an expected linear message complexity remained open. We present an algorithm that, for the first time, achieves round synchronization with expected linear message complexity and expected constant latency. Existing protocols can use our round synchronization algorithm to solve Byzantine SMR with the same asymptotic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronological and biological age correlate with DNA methylation levels at specific sites in the genome. Linear combinations of multiple methylation sites, termed epigenetic clocks, can inform us the chronological age and predict multiple health-related outcomes. However, why some sites correlating with lifespan, healthspan, or specific medical conditions remain poorly understood. Kidney fibrosis is the common pathway for chronic kidney disease, which affects 10% of European and US populations. Results: Here we identify epigenetic clocks and methylation sites that correlate with kidney function. Moreover, we identify methylation sites that have a unique methylation signature in the kidney. Methylation levels in majority of these sites correlate with kidney state and function. When kidney function deteriorates, all of these sites regress toward the common methylation pattern observed in other tissues. Interestingly, while the majority of sites are less methylated in the kidney and become more methylated with loss of function, a fraction of the sites are highly methylated in the kidney and become less methylated when kidney function declines. These methylation sites are enriched for specific transcription-factor binding sites. In a large subset of sites, changes in methylation patterns are accompanied by changes in gene expression in kidneys of chronic kidney disease patients. Conclusions: These results support the information theory of aging, and the hypothesis that the unique tissue identity, as captured by methylation patterns, is lost as tissue function declines. However, this information loss is not random, but guided toward a baseline that is dependent on the genomic loci. Significance statement: DNA methylation at specific sites accurately reflects chronological and biological age. We identify sites that have a unique methylation pattern in the kidney. Methylation levels in the majority of these sites correlate with kidney state and function. Moreover, when kidney function deteriorates, all of these sites regress toward the common methylation pattern observed in other tissues. Thus, the unique methylation signature of the kidney is degraded, and epigenetic information is lost, when kidney disease progresses. These methylation sites are enriched for specific and methylation-sensitive transcription-factor binding sites, and associated genes show disease-dependent changes in expression. These results support the information theory of aging, and the hypothesis that the unique tissue identity, as captured by methylation patterns, is lost as tissue function declines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronological and biological age correlate with DNA methylation levels at specific sites in the genome. Linear combinations of multiple methylation sites, termed epigenetic clocks, can inform us the chronological age and predict multiple health-related outcomes. However, why some sites correlating with lifespan, healthspan, or specific medical conditions remain poorly understood. Kidney fibrosis is the common pathway for chronic kidney disease, which affects 10% of European and US populations. Results: Here we identify epigenetic clocks and methylation sites that correlate with kidney function. Moreover, we identify methylation sites that have a unique methylation signature in the kidney. Methylation levels in majority of these sites correlate with kidney state and function. When kidney function deteriorates, all of these sites regress toward the common methylation pattern observed in other tissues. Interestingly, while the majority of sites are less methylated in the kidney and become more methylated with loss of function, a fraction of the sites are highly methylated in the kidney and become less methylated when kidney function declines. These methylation sites are enriched for specific transcription-factor binding sites. In a large subset of sites, changes in methylation patterns are accompanied by changes in gene expression in kidneys of chronic kidney disease patients. Conclusions: These results support the information theory of aging, and the hypothesis that the unique tissue identity, as captured by methylation patterns, is lost as tissue function declines. However, this information loss is not random, but guided toward a baseline that is dependent on the genomic loci. Significance statement: DNA methylation at specific sites accurately reflects chronological and biological age. We identify sites that have a unique methylation pattern in the kidney. Methylation levels in the majority of these sites correlate with kidney state and function. Moreover, when kidney function deteriorates, all of these sites regress toward the common methylation pattern observed in other tissues. Thus, the unique methylation signature of the kidney is degraded, and epigenetic information is lost, when kidney disease progresses. These methylation sites are enriched for specific and methylation-sensitive transcription-factor binding sites, and associated genes show disease-dependent changes in expression. These results support the information theory of aging, and the hypothesis that the unique tissue identity, as captured by methylation patterns, is lost as tissue function declines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When looking for an account that explains how pain changes consciousness, one finds that most studies in the phenomenology of pain focus either on the outcome of the change, or on how it affects the self, as a conscious object, and the self's experiences in the world of objects. This paper focuses on the mechanism of consciousness, exploring the nature of the change that pain creates in consciousness and how exactly that change occurs. The paper provides a systematic, phenomenological inquiry in three phases: one identifies three essential attributes of consciousness, another identifies three essential attributes of pain, and a third analyses the outcome of the integration between both sets of attributes. The paper demonstrates how the change wrought by pain on the self, as a conscious object, allows the self to breach its boundaries as an object, and experience being a non-object, even if only in part and temporarily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of geological depressions abounding on Mars and other planetary bodies remains poorly understood, partially due to the limited variability in the geological settings of existing terrestrial analogs. Here, we present a new terrestrial analog that is located at the northwestern margin of the Levantine volcanic field of Harrat Ash-Shaam along the Dead Sea Transform. The analog site consists of tens of geological depressions (locally named "juba") that morphologically resemble Martian bowl-shaped pits and occur within a Pleistocene basaltic plateau that overlies Meso-Cenozoic carbonates. To constrain plausible formation mechanisms for the juba depressions, we carried out detailed field mapping and morphometric analyses using a 0.25 m/pixel digital terrain model (DTM) derived from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) survey covering 34 km2 of the study area, and centimeter-scale, ground-based LiDAR scans of selected juba depressions. We show that variable magnitudes of slope asymmetry between northand south-facing walls within the juba depressions, along with different degrees of sediment infilling, provide effective proxies for the relative geomorphic maturity of these landforms, and in turn indicate asynchronous formation of the juba depressions after the Pleistocene emplacement of the Harrat Ash-Shaam basalts in the study area. Our findings preclude formation of the juba depressions by phreatomagmatic explosions and instead point toward collapse into missing subsurface volume. In a broader context, we propose that the morphometric analyses developed herein to distinguish between plausible juba formation mechanisms in the Harrat Ash-Shaam volcanic field can be extended to better constrain the formation mechanisms of similar pit features on Mars and other planetary bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the relations between different Jewish migrant communities during the early 1950s in the Tira transit camp (Ma’abara) that was established on the land of the Arab village of Al-Tira near Haifa. The Tira camp was divided into two parts. While the population of the north camp was dominated mainly by Jewish migrants from Romania, the south camp was home mainly to Jewish migrants from Iraq. This article concentrates on the Iraqi Jews, particularly those from Mosul who settled in the south camp, and examines their relations with Jews from Baghdad. The article examines the ways in which the borders between the south camp and north camp influenced the intercommunal relations in this space. It also explores the manner in which the relations between the different Jewish communities in Iraq were reflected in the relations among the migrants in the south camp. During the transition from the Arab village of Al-Tira to the Jewish village of Tira, dozens of Palestinian refugees returned to the lands of the village. Thus, the article also examines the crossing of ethnic and national borders and the relations between Jews and Arabs in this shared space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ability of adolescents to regulate their emotions and take advantage of their parents' guidance may affect how they experience their transition to adulthood and their tendency to develop current and future mental health problems. The present study had two aims; first, to test the effectiveness of interpersonal emotion- regulation (ER) compared to self-ER. Second, to examine how interaction between parent/adolescent anxiety influences the effectiveness of interpersonal compared to self-ER. Methods: 39 couples of parents (13 males; 26 females, 39–61 years of age) and adolescents (17 males; 22 females, 13–18 years of age) participated in the study. Adolescents viewed negative emotional images with low or high intensity. For each image, they were instructed to either choose and apply a regulatory strategy (i.e., self ER) or to apply a regulatory strategy chosen by their parents (i.e., interpersonal ER). Results: It was found that in low anxiety parents- low anxiety adolescents, the effectiveness of self and interpersonal ER were equal. In low-anxiety parents- high-anxiety adolescents, on the other hand, there was a significant advantage to interpersonal compared to self-ER. In high-anxiety parents, there was a significant advantage to self, compared to interpersonal ER in reducing distress, independent of the level of anxiety experienced by the adolescent. Conclusions: The study has significant clinical implications, providing a behavioral tool to decrease distress in highly anxious individuals during the challenging times of pre-adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1982 Lebanon War is one of the most controversial events in Israeli history. The prevailing narrative of this war states that it was a war of deception, a war in which Defense Minister Ariel Sharon deceived Prime Minister Menachem Begin and the entire Israeli government. However, this narrative does an injustice to Menachem Begin. In this narrative, Begin is perceived as a victim, as one who was deceived by his defense minister. Begin had a much more significant role. This article claims that in terms of Menachem Begin's policy toward Lebanon, the Lebanon War was an event waiting to happen. The main argument is that from the moment Menachem Begin came to power in 1977, a countdown to a comprehensive action in Lebanon was started. The decisions and actions taken by Begin and his governments in the years preceding 1982, paved the way to the Lebanon War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study suggests using user-initiated detecting and data gathering from power-limited and even passive wireless devices, such as passive RFID tags, wireless sensor networks (WSNs), and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, that either power limitation or poor cellular coverage prevents them from communicating directly with wireless networks. While previous studies focused on sensors that continuously transmit their data, the focus of this study is on passive devices. The key idea is that instead of receiving the data transmitted by the sensor nodes, an external device (a reader), such as an unnamed aerial vehicle (UAV), or a smartphone is used to detect IoT devices and read the data stored in the sensor nodes, and then deliver it to the cloud, in which it is stored and processed. While previous studies on UAV-aided data collection from WSNs focused on UAV path planning, the focus of this study is on the rate at which the passive sensor nodes should be polled. That is, to find the minimal monitoring rate that still guarantees accurate and reliable data collection. The proposed scheme enables us to deploy wireless sensor networks over a large geographic area (e.g., for agricultural applications), in which the cellular coverage is very poor if any. Furthermore, the usage of initiated data collection can enable the deployment of passive WSNs. Thus, can significantly reduce both the operational cost, as well as the deployment cost, of the WSN. The performance of the proposed scheme was validated by simulation. The simulation results demonstrate a significant reduction in the power consumption of the sensors, in comparison with the power consumed by sensors in conventional WSNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years Lebanon has been facing economic challenges. Various Lebanese satire shows deal with the difficult economic situation in Lebanon, displaying the high cost of living, corruption, and poor infrastructure. It seems that these shows are faithfully airing public grievances, but is this the case? Are satire shows looking for the common Lebanese denominator while dealing with economic issues or highlighting the different and divisive issues? Does each TV station follow its sectarian affiliation regarding the economic situation? Or do they present socioeconomic issues neutrally? The article uses Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky's propaganda model to answer these questions. By examining six satire shows from five TV stations broadcast mainly between 2011 and 2016, the article will try to determine whether satire shows fit the propaganda model by shaping their messages or airing their sketches unfiltered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On June 6, 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon with the aim of destroying the military infrastructure of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which was serving as a launching pad for terrorist infiltrations and Katyusha attacks into northern Israel. From its outset, the Israeli public considered the war an exceptional case and a deviation from the "proper" course of Israeli history. Allegedly, unlike other Israeli wars, the 1982 War did not relate to Israeli security concerns but instead to the political aims and whims of Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon. Also, it is often described as an unjust war of choice, which Israel initiated while it was not facing an existential threat. The claim that the 1982 Lebanon War was exceptional and a deviation from original Israeli principles is the main interest of this article. To determine whether the Lebanon War was a breach of Israeli history or a deviation from Israeli foundational political-moral principles, one must analyze the core tenets of Israel's security strategy to which it adhered in most of its battles. Using the security doctrine as a guide map reveals that the conflict was neither unique nor a deviation but rather a fulfillment of long-standing Israeli security principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on Jerusalem's Musrara—a neighborhood trapped between borders—between 1948 and 1967. Barbed wire running along the eastern side of the neighborhood divided the city of Jerusalem between 1948 and 1967. Musrara's western border separated it from West Jerusalem, thus enhancing the division between its residents—new immigrants of Middle Eastern descent—and the mainly Ashkenazi population of the western part of Jerusalem. Our analysis of a neighborhood on the margins of Jewish and Arab existence in post-1948 Jerusalem considers the perspectives of immigrants and refugees living on a double border that separated the Eastern-Arab part of the city from its Western-Jewish part, or between "old Jerusalem" and "new Jerusalem." The border also signified the boundary between "first Israel" and "second Israel," or the Jewish frontier and neighborhoods in the city center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1960s, thousands of Haitians have boarded wooden sailing vessels in attempts to reach the United States. Commentators have long conflated the perceived characteristics of Haitians making this journey with the material qualities of the vessels they use, creating the racialized archetype of the "boat person" in the process. This article examines how Haitian vessels have emerged as metonyms of Haitian subjectivity within three discourses: US journalistic and security accounts concerned with Haitian migration by sea, North American sailing connoisseurs' specialized "boat talk," and Haitian mariners' informal communications about sailing and boat building. By juxtaposing these discourses, I reveal a set of aesthetic regimes that authorize a range of material effects, including US migration policing at sea but also Haitian attempts to create enduring maritime worlds. While various actors point to socioculturally coded ensembles of material qualities to evaluate Haitian vessels, their assessments also depend on the directional movement and location of the entities they evaluate. I suggest, then, that such evaluations should be understood as kinetico-spatial in orientation. In attending to kinetico-spatial aesthetic evaluations and their racializing effects, anthropologists can illuminate the material entailments, the erasures, and the forms of life such interpretive orders render thinkable and unthinkable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the emerging concepts on the reduction of animal use in non-clinical studies is the use of virtual control group (VCG) to replace concurrent control group (CCG). The VCG involves the generation of a control data from historical control data to match a specific study design. This review focuses on two recently published proof-of-concept (POC) studies conducted in rats. One major issue that was consistently seen across these POC studies was the non-reproducibility of some quantitative endpoints between the CCG and the VCG, with clinical pathology parameters being the most affected. The inconsistencies observed with the clinical pathology parameters when using VCGs may lead to: (1) misconception about the accuracy and sensitivity of traditional clinical pathology biomarkers and its implications on safety monitoring in the clinic; (2) inability to correctly identify and characterize organ dysfunctions; (3) interference with the weight-of-evidence approach used in identifying hazards in toxicologic clinical pathology and toxicology studies at large; and (4) wrong interpretations and data reproducibility issues. Other alternatives to reduce animal use in toxicology studies are also discussed including blood microsampling for toxicokinetics, scientifically justified use of recovery animals, and appropriate use and continuous investments in new alternative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the potential of a novel system using outlier detection screening algorithms and to identify medication related risks in an inpatient setting. Methods: In the first phase of the study, we evaluated the transferability of models refined at another medical center using a different electronic medical record system (EMR) on 3 years of historical data (2017–2019), extracted from the local EMR system. Following the retrospective analysis, the system's models were fine-tuned to the specific local practice patterns. In the second, prospective phase of the study, the system was fully integrated in the local EMR and after a short run-in period was activated live. All alerts generated by the system, in both phases, were analyzed by a clinical team of physicians and pharmacists for accuracy and clinical relevance. Results: In the retrospective phase of the study, 226,804 medical orders were analyzed, generating a total of 2731 alerts (1.2% of medical orders). Of the alerts analyzed, 69% were clinically relevant alerts and 31% were false alerts. In the prospective phase of the study, 399 alerts were generated by the system (1.6% of medical orders). The vast majority of the alerts (72%) were considered clinically relevant, and 41% of the alerts caused a change in prescriber behavior (i.e. cancel/modify the medical order). Conclusion: In an inpatient setting of a 600 bed computerized decision support system (CDSS) -naïve medical center, the system generated accurate and clinically valid alerts with low alert burden enabling physicians to improve daily medical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viruses are important ecological, biogeochemical, and evolutionary drivers in every environment. Upon infection, they often cause the lysis of the host cell. However, some viruses exhibit alternative life cycles, such as chronic infections without cell lysis. The nature and the impact of chronic infections in prokaryotic host organisms remains largely unknown. Here, we characterize a novel haloarchaeal virus, Haloferax volcanii pleomorphic virus 1 (HFPV-1), which is currently the only virus infecting the model haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii DS2, and demonstrate that HFPV-1 and H. volcanii are a great model system to study virus-host interactions in archaea. HFPV-1 is a pleomorphic virus that causes a chronic infection with continuous release of virus particles, but host and virus coexist without cell lysis or the appearance of resistant cells. Despite an only minor impact of the infection on host growth, we uncovered an extensive remodeling of the transcriptional program of the host (up to 1,049 differentially expressed genes). These changes are highlighted by a down-regulation of two endogenous provirus regions in the host genome, and we show that HFPV-1 infection is strongly influenced by a cross-talk between HFPV-1 and one of the proviruses mediated by a superinfection-like exclusion mechanism. Furthermore, HFPV-1 has a surprisingly wide host range among haloarchaea, and purified virus DNA can cause an infection after transformation into the host, making HFPV-1 a candidate for being developed into a genetic tool for a range of so far inaccessible haloarchaea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new track vehicle model over rigid horizontal and inclined surfaces. • A model that accounts for the distribution of the normal forces along the track. • Pure turning over inclines can cause substantial sliding. • Analytical modeling is validated with experimental results. This paper studies the locomotion of a robot fitted with flexible rubber tracks while driving and climbing over rigid horizontal and inclined surfaces. We developed a model that accounts for sliding during rotation and the distribution of the normal forces along the track. On horizontal surfaces, we found that the size of the robot (width and length) and the normal force distribution along the track had a substantial influence on its turning speed and radius, whereas the coefficient of friction (COF), the robot's mass and inertia had a much lesser influence. The model shows that on inclined surfaces, even on relatively small slopes, the robot substantially slides downwards as it tries to rotate. The results of the model and the simulations were validated using a tracked vehicle that was built and tested on a solar panel. The experimental results of the turning radius and rotational speed were within 2% of the model (see video). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The human body is inhabited by a diverse community of commensal non-pathogenic bacteria, many of which are essential for our health. By contrast, pathogenic bacteria have the ability to invade their hosts and cause a disease. Characterizing the differences between pathogenic and commensal non-pathogenic bacteria is important for the detection of emerging pathogens and for the development of new treatments. Previous methods for classification of bacteria as pathogenic or non-pathogenic used either raw genomic reads or protein families as features. Using protein families instead of reads provided a better interpretability of the resulting model. However, the accuracy of protein-families-based classifiers can still be improved. Results: We developed a wide scope pathogenicity classifier (WSPC), a new protein-content-based machine-learning classification model. We trained WSPC on a newly curated dataset of 641 bacterial genomes, where each genome belongs to a different species. A comparative analysis we conducted shows that WSPC outperforms existing models on two benchmark test sets. We observed that the most discriminative protein-family features in WSPC are widely spread among bacterial species. These features correspond to proteins that are involved in the ability of bacteria to survive and replicate during an infection, rather than proteins that are directly involved in damaging or invading the host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and hypothesis: Sports and physical activity are known risk factors for altered pelvic floor function, which may affect sexual activity. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of amateur running on sexual function. Methods: Amateur runners were contacted through social media. Their pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), sexual function and quality of life were evaluated by self-reported validated questionnaires (PFDI-20, PISQ-12, IIQ-7). They were divided by degrees of effort into 'High effort' and 'Moderate effort.' The differences between the two groups were examined by Mann-Whitney U, t and chi-square tests. Results: One hundred eighty amateur runners were included. No significant differences in the sexual function were found between the two groups. The 'High effort' group reported experiencing higher intensity orgasms compared with women in the 'Moderate effort' group, and a correlation was found between the weekly running distance and intensity of orgasm that they experienced (p = 0.004). Conclusions: High effort physical activity may be associated with improved orgasm, which may be explained by better clitoral circulation and better function of the pelvic floor muscles. Clinicians that treat symptoms related to PFD and sexual dysfunction may raise awareness of the advantages of physical activity and pelvic floor muscle training and rehabilitation, which may improve tone and circulation and hence sexual function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty years after its occurrence, the 1982 Lebanon war remains academically understudied with the received wisdom about the conflict largely based on political and journalistic accounts. According to these accounts, the war was a political ploy by Defence Minister Ariel Sharon and Prime Minister Menachem Begin aimed at achieving far-reaching political goals rather than a defensive attempt to remove the terrorist threat to Israel's northern areas. By placing the conflict within the context of Israeli history and the Arab-Israeli conflict, on the one hand, and the nature and characteristics of modern warfare, on the other, this article offers a more nuanced interpretation of the Lebanon War, showing that it was not fundamentally different from past military encounters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oncology setting may give rise to significant feelings of helplessness among oncologists via patients' inevitable deaths or suffering. The current study examines whether and how oncologists' sense of control (locus of control; LOC) influences their compassion fatigue and satisfaction. Methods: Seventy-three oncologists completed the following questionnaires: the Professional Quality of Life scale; Levenson's Internal, Powerful Others, and Chance scale; the Guilt Inventory, State Guilt subscale; and the Learned Helplessness scale. Results: Oncologists reported high levels of secondary traumatic stress and burnout and moderate levels of compassion satisfaction. A positive association between oncologists' external LOC and compassion fatigue, and a negative association between oncologists' internal LOC and compassion fatigue, were found. Helplessness, but not guilt, had a mediating role in these associations. Internal LOC was also positively associated with compassion satisfaction. Conclusions: The current study highlights oncologists as a population at risk of experiencing compassion fatigue and emphasizes oncologists' locus of control as a predisposition that plays a role in the development of this phenomenon. Additionally, the cognitive as well as the emotional aspects of control were found to be important factors associated with compassion fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Weighted Tree Augmentation problem (WTAP) is a fundamental problem in network design. In this paper, we consider this problem in the online setting. We are given an n-vertex tree T = (V , E) and an additional set L ⊆ V 2 of edges (called links) with costs. Then, terminal pairs arrive one-by-one and our task is to maintain a low-cost subset of links F such that every terminal pair that has arrived so far is 2-edge-connected in T ∪ F . This online problem was first studied by Gupta, Krishnaswamy and Ravi (SICOMP 2012) who used it as a subroutine for the online survivable network design problem. They gave a deterministic O (log 2 n) -competitive algorithm and showed an Ω (log n) lower bound on the competitive ratio of randomized algorithms. The case when T is a path is also interesting: it is exactly the online interval set cover problem, which also captures as a special case the parking permit problem studied by Meyerson (FOCS 2005). The contribution of this paper is to give tight results for online weighted tree and path augmentation problems. The main result of this work is a deterministic O (log n) -competitive algorithm for online WTAP, which is tight up to constant factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dark Triad traits of Psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and Narcissism should be clearly recognizable within a multidimensional personality space. Two such personality spaces were investigated in this study: HEXACO (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience); and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ) space (Extraversion, Neuroticism, Activity, Sensation Seeking, and Aggressiveness). Our sample comprised 289 participants (137 males, 145 females, 7 unspecified) who completed these three questionnaires: HEXACO–60, ZKA-PQ/SF, and the SD3, assessing the Dark Triad. We reduced the dimensionality of each space to that of a 2D representation using Smallest Space Analysis (SSA). Three research questions guided the data analysis: (a) Do the HEXACO and ZKA-PQ SSA spaces conform to the structure of a radex? (b) Will these spaces remain invariant following the entry of the Dark Triad traits into the analyses? (c) Where will the Dark Triad traits be located in each SSA space? For ZKA-PQ space, the structure was clearly indicative of a radex, both prior to entering the Dark Triad traits into the analysis, and subsequent to this. Psychopathy and Machiavellianism were in close proximity in the Aggressiveness region; Narcissism was positioned at the common origin. In contrast, HEXACO space did not conform to a radex; furthermore, the presence of the Dark Triad traits distorts this 2D SSA space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current pandemic has instigated a considerable amount of adversity and vulnerability in an era that values comfort, ease and equilibrium. When hardships and adversity are perceived as undesirable they tend to be denied and avoided, increasing the challenge to deal with them in a constructive manner. Without proper guidance in how to navigate hard times, and a better understanding of the meaning and significance embedded in adversity, the potential for development may be overlooked. Based on second wave positive psychology's (SWPP 2.0) holistic approach to health, this paper provides an additional perspective on destabilization and adversity-discussed as a basic law of nature in the cycle of full development shared by all life. Empirical evidence and models focusing on positive change and transformation are reviewed and discussed. Through integrating models of human development, with the basic structures of development and growth in the natural world, an integrative and encompassing perspective of adversity and vulnerability is suggested. From this perspective, full human development involves acknowledging our interconnectedness with the natural world as a source of knowledge informing us of the structures by which life thrives. The contribution and practical implications of these underpinnings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Several studies have shown an association between panic disorder (PD) and reduced balance abilities, mainly based on functional balance scales. This pilot study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of studying balance abilities of persons with PD (PwPD) using computerized static and, for the first time, dynamic balance measurements in order to characterize balance control strategies employed by PwPD. Methods: Twelve PwPD and 11 healthy controls were recruited. PD diagnosis was confirmed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM‐IV), and the severity of symptoms was evaluated using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM‐A), PD Severity Scales (PDSS), and Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS). Balance was clinically assessed using the Activities‐Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale and physically by the Mini‐Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini‐BESTest). Dizziness was evaluated using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) scale. Postural control was evaluated statically by measuring body sway and dynamically by measuring body responses to rapid unexpected physical perturbations. Results: PwPD had higher scores on the HAM‐A (17.6 ± 10.3 vs. 3.0 ± 2.9; p <.001), PDSS (11.3 ± 5.1 vs. 0; p <.001), and PAS (20.3 ± 8.7 vs. 0; p <.001) questionnaires and lower scores on the balance scales compared to the controls (ABC scale: 156.2 ± 5.9 vs. 160 ± 0.0, p =.016; Mini‐BESTest: 29.4 ± 2.1 vs. 31.4 ± 0.9, p =.014; DHI: 5.3 ± 4.4 vs. 0.09 ± 0.3, p <.001). In the static balance tests, PwPD showed a not‐significantly smaller ellipse area of center of pressure trajectory (p =.36) and higher body sway velocity (p =.46), whereas in the dynamic balance tests, PwPD had shorter recovery time from physical perturbations in comparison to controls (2.1 ± 1.2s vs. 1.6 ± 0.9 s, p =.018). Conclusion: The computerized balance tests results point to an adoption of a "postural rigidity" strategy by the PwPD, that is, reduced dynamic adaptations in the face of postural challenges. This may reflect a nonsecure compensatory behavior. Further research is needed to delineate this strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an attempt to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, associated with severe environmental effects, the current research is focused on the identification of the thermoelectric potential of p-type (GeTe)1-x(Bi2Te3)x alloys, with x values of up to 20%. Higher solubility limit of Bi2Te3 in GeTe, than previously reported, was identified around ∼9%, extending the doping potential of GeTe by the Bi2Te3 donor dopant, for an effective compensation of the high inherent hole concentration of GeTe toward thermoelectrically optimal values. Around the solubility limit of 9%, an electronic optimization resulted in an impressive maximal thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, of ∼1.55 at ∼410° C, which is one of the highest ever reported for any p-type GeTe-rich alloys. Beyond the solubility limit, a Fermi Level Pinning effect of stabilizing the Seebeck coefficient was observed in the x=12%-17% range, leading to stabilization of the maximal ZTs over an extended temperature range; an effect that was associated with the potential of the governed highly symmetric Ge8Bi2Te11 and Ge4Bi2Te7 phases to create high valence band degeneracy with several bands and multiple hole pockets on the Fermi surface. At this compositional range, co-doping with additional dopants, creating shallow impurity levels (in contrast to the deep lying level created by Bi2Te3), was suggested for further electronic optimization of the thermoelectric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Searchable symmetric encryption (SSE) enables a client to store a database on an untrusted server while supporting keyword search in a secure manner. Despite the rapidly increasing interest in SSE technology, experiments indicate that the performance of the known schemes scales badly to large databases. Somewhat surprisingly, this is not due to their usage of cryptographic tools, but rather due to their poor locality (where locality is defined as the number of noncontiguous memory locations the server accesses with each query). The only known schemes that do not suffer from poor locality suffer either from an impractical space overhead or from an impractical read efficiency (where read efficiency is defined as the ratio between the number of bits the server reads with each query and the actual size of the answer). We construct the first SSE schemes that simultaneously enjoy optimal locality, optimal space overhead, and nearly optimal read efficiency. Specifically, for a database of size N, under the modest assumption that no keyword appears in more than N1-1/ log logN documents, we construct a scheme with read efficiency O(log logN). This essentially matches the lower bound of Cash and Tessaro (EUROCRYPT '14) showing that any SSE scheme must be suboptimal in either its locality, its space overhead, or its read efficiency. In addition, even without making any assumptions on the structure of the database, we construct a scheme with read efficiency O(logN). Our schemes are obtained via a two-dimensional generalization of the classic balanced allocations ("balls and bins") problem that we put forward. We construct nearly optimal two-dimensional balanced allocation schemes, and then combine their algorithmic structure with subtle cryptographic techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether fertility treatments impact the risk of breast cancer in Jewish Israeli BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.Design: Historical cohort study.Setting: University-affiliated tertiary medical center.Patient(s): A total of 1,824 Jewish Israeli BRCA1/2 mutation carriers from a single center were stratified into 1,492 (81.8%) carriers who were not treated for infertility and 332 (18.2%) carriers who underwent fertility treatment with clomiphene citrate (n = 134), gonadotropin (n = 119), in vitro fertilization (n = 183), or a combination of treatments (n = 89).Intervention(s): None.Main Outcome Measure(s): Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of breast cancer with fertility treatment and other hormonal and reproductive variables.Result(s): Breast cancer was diagnosed in 687 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Multivariate analysis, either of the whole group or stratified by each gene, showed no association between fertility treatment and breast cancer risk, regardless of the type of treatment (clomiphene citrate: HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.49-1.19; gonadotropin: HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.28-1.01; in vitro fertilization: HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.39-1.08; and combined treatments: HR 1.23, 95% CI 0.49-3.06). An increased breast cancer risk was associated with paternal origin of the mutation (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.17-1.75) and use of oral contraceptives for >5 years (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.27-2.06) in both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. Ovarian cancer risk was decreased with the use of any oral contraceptive (HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.46-0.82).Conclusion(s): Fertility treatment for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers is not associated with a discernible increase in breast cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measured the photon count rate (PCR) and dark count rate (DCR) of a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD) exposed to either a DC magnetic field (up to 60 mT) or to a low-amplitude oscillating field (0.12 – 0.48 mT , up to 50 kHz). In both cases, the results show an increase in the PCR and the DCR as the DC field or the frequency of the AC field increase. However, the ratio DCR/(PCR + DCR) increases significantly with an increasing DC field, whereas this ratio is approximately constant as the frequency of the AC field increases up to frequencies in the kHz regime. The results suggest a more favorable effect of AC fields on the operation of the SNSPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nature-based therapeutic approaches have largely centered on the significance of nature, as a unique setting. This article focuses on an additional perspective, that of nature as actively influencing the therapeutic process, providing significant content. Purpose: The main objective of this study was to shed light on how practitioners experience, perceive, and work with nature to serve therapeutic goals. Methodology/Approach: Grounded theory inquiry was implemented. Data included in-depth interviews conducted with 26 nature-based practitioners with different professional backgrounds from five countries and field observations of six nature-based workshops. Findings/Conclusions: Four major categories emerged: (a) A basic belief among practitioners that nature is actively influencing the therapeutic process, providing significant and relevant personal information; (b) the practitioners' relationship with nature and its role in the therapeutic process; (c) the practice of working with nature so nature's input is acknowledged and integrated intentionally; (d) creating the conditions for the clients' engagement with nature as a resource via five themes. Implications: This study expands on common notions of nature-based facilitation, illuminating the possibilities and potential of integrating nature's input as beneficial and relevant to the therapeutic process by working with nature. The operational and practical steps for working with nature are delineated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Israel's 1982 war in Lebanon is one of the most controversial events in its history. It is considered the war of Prime Minister Menachem Begin and his defense minister, Ariel Sharon, and hence a war of choice. One of the historical questions concerning that war revolves around its origins. The widespread assumption is that the roots can be found in 1981, the year in which Israel was on the verge of war with both Syria and the PLO. However, this article claims that the 1967 Six-Day War was the point of departure to the 1982 Lebanon War when the PLO settled in Lebanon. The issue of the origins of the 1982 war is not an exclusively historiographic matter. It has broader implications concerning the nature of the war. If the roots of the conflict can be found in 1967, then the war was a result of a prolonged process. Indeed, Israel started the war, but it was only after other options that it exercised had failed. Hence, it was not at all a war of choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on a particular form of positive transformation taking place in the wilderness, defined here as peak transformative experience. A large number of studies have been conducted on the negative transformative effect of a single traumatic event, while very little research has focused on positive transformational events. We addressed this lacuna by studying a unique case of quick positive transformation, taking place in nature. This study goes beyond the common description and outcome of the peak experience by focusing specifically on the process of personal transformation. Applying a phenomenological approach, 15 participants aged 28 to 70 years, who identified as having had such an experience, were interviewed. Analysis of these interviews revealed the "essence" of the peak experience in nature which led to the rapid transformation. This essence involved the recognition of formerly unknown aspects of self, projected onto nature and experienced in an embodied way, evoking an insight into a meaningful personal issue. Choosing to own these newly discovered aspects and integrate them resulted in rapid personal transformation. The findings are discussed, underscoring the centrality of nature in this process, the importance of free choice, and the potential for harnessing positive transformative peak experiences in nature for human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tangential discontinuities known as cold fronts (CFs) are abundant in groups and clusters of galaxies (GCs). The relaxed, spiral-type CFs were initially thought to be isobaric, but a significant, |$10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| – |$20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| jump in the thermal pressure P t was reported when deprojected CFs were stacked, interpreted as missing P t below the CFs (i.e. at smaller radii r) due to a locally enhanced non-thermal pressure P nt. We report a significant (∼4.3σ) deprojected jump in P t across a single sharp CF in the Centaurus cluster. Additional seven CFs are deprojected in the GCs A2029, A2142, A2204, and Centaurus, all found to be consistent (stacked: ∼1.9σ) with similar pressure jumps. Combining our sample with high quality deprojected CFs from the literature indicates pressure jumps at significance levels ranging between 2.7σ and 5.0σ, depending on assumptions. Our nominal results are consistent with P nt ≃ (0.1–0.3) P t just below the CF. We test different deprojection and analysis methods to confirm that our results are robust, and show that without careful deprojection, an opposite pressure trend may incorrectly be inferred. Analysing all available deprojected data, we also find: (i) small variations around the mean density and temperature CF contrast q within each GC, monotonically increasing with the GC mass M 200 as |$q\propto M_{200}^{0.23\pm 0.04}$|⁠ ; (ii) hydrostatic mass discontinuities indicating fast bulk tangential flows below all deprojected CFs, with a mean Mach number ∼0.76; and (iii) the newly deprojected CFs are consistent (stacked: ∼2.9σ) with a |$1.25^{+0.09}_{-0.08}$| metallicity drop across the CF. These findings suggest that GCs quite generally harbour extended spiral flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion regulation plays a central role in empathy. Only by successfully regulating our own emotions can we reliably use them in order to interpret the content and valence of others' emotions correctly. In an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based experiment, we show that regulating one's emotion via reappraisal modulated biased emotional intensity ratings following an empathy for pain manipulation. Task-based analysis revealed increased activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) when painful emotions were regulated using reappraisal, whereas empathic feelings that were not regulated resulted in increased activity bilaterally in the precuneus, supramarginal gyrus and middle frontal gyrus (MFG), as well as the right parahippocampal gyrus. Functional connectivity analysis indicated that the right IFG plays a role in the regulation of empathy for pain, through its connections with regions in the empathy for pain network. Furthermore, these connections were further modulated as a function of the type of regulation used: in sum, our results suggest that accurate empathic judgment (i.e. empathy that is unbiased) relies on a complex interaction between neural regions involved in emotion regulation and regions associated with empathy for pain. Thus, demonstrating the importance of emotion regulation in the formulation of complex social systems and sheds light on the intricate network implicated in this complex process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intracluster medium of a galaxy cluster often shows an extended quasi-spiral structure, accentuated by tangential discontinuities known as cold fronts (CFs). These discontinuities are thought to isolate between low-entropy, high-metallicity gas inside (i.e., below) the CF that was lifted from the center of the cluster by some radial factor fi and high-entropy, low-metallicity gas outside the CF that was pushed inward by a factor fo. We find broad support for such a picture, by comparing the entropy and metallicity discontinuities with the respective azimuthal averages, using newly deprojected thermal profiles in clusters A2029, A2142, A2204, and Centaurus, supplemented by deprojected CFs from the literature. In particular, the mean advection factors fK and fZ, inferred from entropy and metallicity, respectively, strongly correlate () with each other, consistent with large-scale advection. However, unlike sloshing simulations, in which the inside/outside phases are an inflow/outflow settling back to equilibrium after a violent perturbation, our results are more consistent with an outflow/inflow, with the fast, Mach gas inside the CF being a rapidly heated or mixed outflow, probably originating from the cD galaxy, and gas outside the CF being an , slowly cooling inflow. In particular, entropy indicates an outside advection factor fKo that is approximately constant in all CFs, gauging the distance traversed by inflowing gas within a cooling time. In contrast, and vary considerably among clusters and strongly correlate () with the virial mass, and , suggesting that each cluster sustains a quasi-steady spiral flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the campaign by the International League for the Rescue of the Jews in the Arab Countries (1948- 1950), formed by organisations representing Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews in Israel and the Herut party and aimed at preventing damage to the status of the Jews in the Arab states and promoting their emigration to Israel. The article will review the characteristics of the campaign, focusing on the public discourse it sparked in Israel around the idea of a population exchange between the Jews of the Arab states and the Palestinian refugees. This campaign, in which the memory of the Holocaust and the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide were employed, created a linkage between these two populations and expressed the political and social changes of this transitional period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let S 1 (the Schatten–von Neumann trace class) denote the Banach space of all compact linear operators T : ℓ 2 → ℓ 2 whose nuclear norm ‖ T ‖ S 1 = ∑ j = 1 ∞ σ j (T) is finite, where { σ j (T) } j = 1 ∞ are the singular values of T. We prove that for arbitrarily large n ∈ N there exists a subset C ⊆ S 1 with | C | = n that cannot be embedded with bi-Lipschitz distortion O(1) into any n o (1) -dimensional linear subspace of S 1 . C is not even a O(1)-Lipschitz quotient of any subset of any n o (1) -dimensional linear subspace of S 1 . Thus, S 1 does not admit a dimension reduction result á la Johnson and Lindenstrauss (Conference in modern analysis and probability, American Mathematical Society, Providence, 1984), which complements the work of Harrow et al. (Automata, languages and programming (ICALP 2011), Springer, Heidelberg, 2011) on the limitations of quantum dimension reduction under the assumption that the embedding into low dimensions is a quantum channel. Such a statement was previously known with S 1 replaced by the Banach space ℓ 1 of absolutely summable sequences via the work of Brinkman and Charikar (J ACM 52(5):766–788, 2005). In fact, the above set C can be taken to be the same set as the one that Brinkman and Charikar considered, viewed as a collection of diagonal matrices in S 1 . The challenge is to demonstrate that C cannot be faithfully realized in an arbitrary low-dimensional subspace of S 1 , while Brinkman and Charikar obtained such an assertion only for subspaces of S 1 that consist of diagonal operators (i.e., subspaces of ℓ 1 ). We establish this by proving that the Markov 2-convexity constant of any finite dimensional linear subspace X of S 1 is at most a universal constant multiple of log dim (X) . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to examine the impact of the transition from Yishuv to state on the Sephardi and Mizrahi leadership, as reflected in the patterns of organization and action of the Sephardi community councils in general, and the Councils of the Sephardi Community in Tel Aviv and Haifa in particular. Against the background of the growing centralized power of the state under the leadership of Mapai and the application of the principle of statism (mamlachtiut), the article will discuss the activities of the Councils of the Sephardi Community in Haifa and Tel Aviv. The article analyzes the process that led in 1951 to the dissolution of the Sephardi and Oriental Communities Union as a political framework, as well as the decision made in the same year by the community councils in Haifa and Tel Aviv to withdraw from political activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce this special issue, which re-examines the fluctuating fortunes of the Mediterranean in anthropology and ask what it offers for contemporary anthropological explorations. We locate the Mediterranean within the history of anthropological (and more broadly, ethnographic) development of core ideas and methodologies concerning personhood, narrative, and culture making. Our approach to the study of the Mediterranean focuses less on why anthropologists abandoned a notion of regional cultural unity, and more on the bases through which such unity is performed and on the concepts and categories which anthropologists might recuperate to account for such performances, even in the wake of their rejection of 'cultural areas' as such. Such an analytical move requires the remapping of the Mediterranean as a regional formation that is both multi-scalar and transnational. We argue that the Mediterranean must be approached alongside other attempts to critically remap space and human and ecological connections in anthropology and at is margins; that the study of the Mediterranean should converse with recent developments in the study of sea and oceanic worlds, whether from a historical anthropological or transnational/transregional perspective. At the same time, we outline the benefits of paying attention to the unique place that the Mediterranean might occupy among such maritime worlds. Such a Mediterranean projects a kaleidoscopic vision, combining not just premodern pasts and modern presents, but also a long and conflictual present perfect, in which past and present processes enliven each other, underwriting possible futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectivesMethodResultsConclusionTo examine in-depth experiences of loneliness and freedom after late-life divorce from an intergenerational familial/dyadic perspective in a family-oriented society that also values self-determination. Considering the expansion of late-life divorce, it is important to understand its consequences for the family wellbeing.According to phenomenology tradition, data was collected through 51 semi-structured qualitative interviews, comprised from 7 family units (n = 33) including all/most family members and 9 parent-child dyads (n = 18), using thematic-analysis and dyadic interview-analysis principles. Analyzing family units enables a more complex examination of the phenomena, providing a holistic view of family life.Loneliness and freedom experienced simultaneously was the most common. A gap was identified between generations regarding benefits and costs of late-life divorce. Whereas most divorcees emphasized the benefits of freedom, most of their adult-children mainly described the disadvantages of loneliness, perceiving both loneliness and freedom as negative.Late-life divorce is a complex experience comprised of both loneliness and freedom. Each generation experiences the benefits and costs of late-life divorce differently. Unique aspects of freedom and loneliness at old age in a socio-cultural context located between self-determination and family-oriented are discussed, including strategies of coping with loneliness. Implications for families and professionals are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the development of the relations between Jews and Arabs in Haifa during the British Mandate period from the perspective of the Sephardi and Oriental Jews (Mizrahim). It focuses on the two Sephardi neighborhoods in Haifa: Ard al-Yahud and Harat al-Yahud. The article examines the character of the shared Jewish-Arab space that existed in both these mixed neighborhoods, which were inhabited by both Jews and Arabs. The character of this spatial system was exposed during the course of a local political struggle to secure representation for the Sephardi and Oriental Jews and to improve their social condition, as well as during periods of security tension. The article also examines the attitude of the Sephardi leadership toward the 'Arab question', and discusses the manner in which everyday life in Ard al-Yahud and Harat al-Yahud manifested the existence of an Arab-Jewish identity during the Mandate period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]