Titus's Tinnitus

Historical approaches to tinnitus have depended highly on cultural factors. While ancient Oriental mysticism regarded it as sensitivity to the divine, Roman medicine associated it with depressive and seizure disorders on the basis of presumed common pathophysiology shared by the three conditions. In the Babylonian Talmud, tinnitus appears as Titus's curse: a gnat buzzing in the brain, responding to sound therapy, and then habituating. Various sources show varied emphases with common attention for contextual and emotional aspects that have become an important focus in modern management of tinnitus.     

Evgeniia/Evgenii: Queer Case Histories in the First Years of Soviet Power

Citing examples of ‘queer’ (gender- and sexually-transgressive) behaviour taken from psychiatric, criminological and forensic literature, the essay explores the formation of Soviet Russian masculinities and femininities during the two decades following 1917. After surveying the legal tradition regarding same-sex eroticism, it discusses expert views of the ‘mannish lesbian’ and the effeminate male homosexual. Compulsory heterosexuality was a central, unproblematized tool used in the construction of a revolutionary socialist respectability during the 1920s. During the Stalinist Five Year Plans of the 1930s, the male ‘homosexual’ was explicitly outlawed while family obligations became more difficult for women to avoid.     

The Maronite Leadership’s Approach toward Syria, 1970–2011: Between Integration,Separation, and Pragmatism

The Maronite–Syria relationship is troublesome, and one can say that the two sides are diametrical opposites. The Maronites, in general, represent the aspiration for an independent Lebanon, while Syria considers Lebanon a part of “Greater Syria” and aspires to annex the Lebanese territories. The Maronite community has consistently resisted these aspirations. However, the Maronite community is not a coherent one, which is reflected in its approach toward Syria. In fact, the Maronite leadership has adopted three different approaches toward Syria: an integrative one that aspires to full cooperation with Syria; a separatist one that strongly considers Lebanon and Syria to be separate states; and a pragmatist one that adheres to intimate or unfriendly ties according to local Lebanese interests. This article introduces the three Maronite approaches and claims that one cannot disassociate these approaches, especially the pragmatist one, from the Syrian policy toward Lebanon, which includes changing alliances according to Syria’s political interests. Moreover, the article suggests that these approaches will remain in place regardless of which Maronite leader supports each one and regardless of who will rule in Syria.     

交通区位演化与空间开发强度的时空协同关系及其弹性识别——重庆市案例实证研究

交通区位条件是反映区域发展潜力的重要指标,分析其与空间开发强度之间的时空协同关系对揭示区域发展的动力机制具有重要启示意义。以重庆市为例,通过指数建模、回归拟合及弹性系数等方法,揭示其间互动关系。研究发现：①研究区交通区位指数处于快速跃升阶段,区域差距有所缩小,空间集聚格局基本稳定;②空间开发强度指数数值整体偏低,增速差异较大,空间集聚格局呈单集聚中心向多集聚中心演进趋势;③不同类型的交通区位指数（内部、外部和综合）与空间开发强度指数均呈显著正相关,且关联性表现出不同状态;④交通区位演化与空间开发强度互动敏感程度较高,各弹性系数空间集聚格局基本一致,但其形成机理差异较大。     

Rapid phytolith extraction for analysis of phytolith concentrations and assemblages during an excavation: an application at Tell es-Safi/Gath,Israel

A rapid phytolith extraction procedure is described, that allows phytolith concentrations and morphotype assemblages to be analyzed within hours. This procedure enables the results of these analyses to be used during an archaeological excavation, in order to better understand how plants were used. The new procedure was tested using a standard phytolith extract and two experimental phytolith-sediment blends and found to be both accurate and precise. The reliability of partial slide counting was evaluated and found to be as accurate and precise as existing phytolith quantification methods. The new extraction and counting procedures were applied to an archaeological site, Tell es-Safi/Gath, Israel. The results demonstrate how information on phytolith concentrations in sediments that are available from one day to the next, can be used during an excavation to more effectively document the local features of interest and obtain better information.