Zeitschriftenartikel zum Thema „Trans fallacy“

The primary aim of this paper is to show that Alex Byrne’s arguments in “Are Women Adult Human Females?” provide no reason to doubt the truth of the proposition that trans women are women. Byrne’s conclusion is that women are adult human females. However, it is safe to say that much of the interest in his article is driven by the assumption that it is a short step from that conclusion to the further conclusion that trans women are not women. If Byrne is understood to be defending that further conclusion, however, then some of his arguments are dialectically ineffective. The others commit an evidential fallacy or rest on a false premise.

Abstract Composer intent has generally been downplayed by contemporary music analysts, often being regarded as an example of an intentional fallacy at best and misleading at worst. This analysis of Grey Grant's choral work posits that such a dismissal not only ignores the potential for an enhanced expressive context afforded by composers' own assessments, but it also contributes to the silencing of already marginalized voices, such as in the case of transgender composers. The author proposes a methodology that incorporates the voices of living composers while circumventing concerns about confirmation bias by building on the framework of music theory, queer musicology, and queer theory. The article demonstrates this theoretical framework using an interview of a transgender composer to supplement an analysis of their contemporary choral piece. By analyzing the work with the added context of the composer's statements about their own music, the author paints a more complete picture of the work, one that reinvests music analysis with the trans voice behind the composition.

The essay investigates Mary Oliver’s reflection upon, and questioning of, language as a marker of human/nonhuman divide as it unfolds in her second, 2013 “species collection” on dogs, Dog Songs (her first one being Owls and Other Fantasies, her 2006 similar collection, portraying her ways of communicating with birds). Through an exploration of both the visual and audial modes of Oliver’s conversations with the dogs she owned in her life, and treated as companions, this study demonstrates that the poet held an attitude toward the nonhuman which in contemporary theoretical terms would be defined as an “indistinction approach” to the animal question (Calarco 2015). In Dog Songs, Oliver portrays a proximity between humans and animals that ultimately preserves an unavoidable distance. Her writing exploits both her intuition of animals’ capacity for agency and creativity—which accompanies the de-emphasizing of human uniqueness—and her consciousness that we need tropes from human experience to convey our perception of nonhuman ways of life. Moreover, through her representation of the animal’s gaze, of a powerfully ironic reversal of the aims (and effects) of the pathetic fallacy, and of narrative empathy, she proves that an imaginative use of language makes poetry a distinct space for our efforts to envisage an ecosystem that animals may inhabit as our equals.

Specimens of Fallacia tenera were collected from the surface sediment at in a river estuary in Japan. Auxosporulation occurred in a rough culture. Morphological structures of vegetative cells and auxospores were observed in detail. The vegetative cells have one H-shaped chloroplast. The striae were interrupted by two depressed lateral sterna internally and partly covered by a finely porous conopeum on the external surface. The lateral sterna and porous conopea formed two more or less curved longitudinal canals connecting with the exterior via opening pores on both sides of a terminal fissure. This combination of characteristics is unique to the genus Fallacia. The cingulum was composed of three bands, such as an open valvocupula and two comparatively thin pleurae. The two pleurae could be distinguished by the shape of their ligulae. The second band had a triangular ligula, whereas the ligula of the third band is arc-shaped. The auxosporulation was type IA1a in Geitler’s classification. Two paired gametangia formed two anisogametes in each of them. Two auxospores formed in the thecae of the gametangia after a trans physiological anisogamy. The perizonium of the auxospore consisted of a set of transverse bands and five longitudinal bands. The primary transverse band was about twice wider than the secondary ones. The circular incunabular scales were present on the two terminals of the auxospore and on the surface of the primary transverse band. The primary longitudinal band had an acute terminal and was flanked by secondary longitudinal bands. Each side had two secondary longitudinal bands. All longitudinal bands were immediately beneath the transverse bands. Morphological comparison between Fallacia and Pseudofallaica, and the taxonomic position of F. tenera is also discussed.

En sistemas de fallas laterales con discontinuidades en forma de cambios de orientación o fallas en échelon, el desplazamiento lateral procede extensión y subsidencia o levantamiento y compresión. Estos procesos originan estructuras de cuencas tensiónales o bloques de presión, características de ambientes tectónicos de fallamiento transformado o en el interior de las placas. Se han identificado estructuras tensiónales en el sistema de fallas de San Andrés-Golfo de California, en el sistema Polochic-Motagua y en la porción central de México en la Faja Volcánica Trans-Mexicana. Estas estructuras tensiónales muestran varias características comunes, no obstante la diversidad de escalas y de ambientes tectónicos en que se presentan. Entre estas características se encuentran la forma geométrica que se aproxima a un rombo y sus relaciones entre los largos y anchos. Independientemente del tamaño de la cuenca, los anchos tienen una relación con la mitad del los largos de 1:16. Dicha relación sugiere que esta característica está asociada al proceso de formación y evolución de las cuencas. En este trabajo se examina un mecanismo para el origen y evolución de estructuras tensiónales que implica la rotación de bloques en el dominio de la estructura asociada al desplazamiento lateral. El proceso de rotación parece construir el mecanismo responsable de la formación de las cuencas. La relación geométrica de 1:16 corresponde al cociente de términos adyacentes en la progresión geométrica de Fibonacci y a la sección áurea o rectángulo de oro, empleando en Arte y Arquitectura. Se discuten varios aspectos relacionados con el proceso de crecimiento de organismos, que presentan relaciones semejantes, así como la característica de sistemas dinámicos en los cuales ciertos fenómenos aleatorios presentan patrones geométricos simples, construyendo formas especiales de ‘caos’, y sistemas determinísticos simples con relativamente pocos elementos que generan comportamientos caóticos y que sin embargo sugieren relaciones casuales y presentan relaciones geométricas. Finalmente, se discuten varias características del modelo de origen y evolución de las cuencas tensiónales y se analizan las estructuras en la región de California - Golfo de California. Los datos paleomagnéticos indican la ocurrencia de rotaciones. La magnitud de estas rotaciones aumenta con la edad de la cuenca.

En la zona geotérmica de San Agustín del Maíz (Michoacán) se han identificado depósitos de sínter de sílice coexistiendo con manifestaciones hidrotermales activas. Estos depósitos, considerando el modo de deposición, se separan en bandeados de fractura y estratificados. Los primeros están asociados a los conductos a través de los cuales los fluidos ascienden a la superficie, mientras que los segundos se forman a partir de los fluidos que logran llegar a la superficie. Los depósitos estratificados presentan diferentes litofacies que se pueden agrupar en un rango con dos miembros finales: por un lado, un depósito hidrotermal puro, denso, de aspecto vítreo y compacto. Por el otro lado, un depósito hidrotermal limo-arenoso, deleznable, con impresiones de plantas y algunos líticos. El depósito vítreo se considera geiserita, formado por salmueras con temperaturas superiores a los 70 °C, mientras que el depósito limo-arenoso se considera que se ha formado por salmueras con temperaturas inferiores a los 70 °C y en algunos casos, distantes de la surgente termal. Los depósitos vítreos están constituidos mineralógicamente solo por ópalo (C y CT), mientras que los depósitos limo-arenosos están formados por ópalo en conjunto con otras fases mineralógicas asociadas a sedimentos. Se ha establecido que las litofacies y la mineralogía de los depósitos de sínter de sílice pueden dar información de las temperaturas y las tasas de deposición de las surgentes hidrotermales que les dieron origen. Esta información es de utilidad para la identificación de áreas donde existió mayor emergencia de fluidos hidrotermales a la superficie y con mayor temperatura (e.g. facies de geiserita), especialmente en zonas geotérmicas con un contexto geológico similar al de San Agustín del Maíz (e.g. sector central del Cinturón Volcánico Trans-Mexicano). Dichas áreas con importante circulación de fluidos pueden coincidir localmente con intersección de fallas, terminación de fallas y rampas de relevo.

La región de Valle de Santiago del campo volcánico de Michoacán-Guanajuato está caracterizada por un lineamiento NNW-SSE de 20 maars en una zona de 50 km x 7 km, con 13 de ellos en una subzona de 14 km x 6 km. Este lineamiento parece estar asociado a una zona de debilidad cortical o fractura, orientada oblicua al patrón estructural de la Faja Volcánica Trans-Mexicana (TMVB). Ciento veintiuna muestras fueron colectadas de 13 diferentes unidades volcánicas correspondientes a andesitas pliocénicas y basaltos y andesitas cuaternarias en maars, conos cineríticos y volcanes compuestos. La polaridad magnética, excepto en una unidad, es normal. La edad de K-Ar más antigua asociada a la actividad de los maars es 1.2 Ma. Las polaridades magnéticas normales sugieren que la actividad volcánica se desarrolló predominantemente durante el crón de Brunhes, lo que indica edades más jóvenes a 0.78 Ma. La dirección media y polo paleomagnético estimada de 10 sitios son: Dec = 353.7°, Inc = 39.2°, k=42, α95 = 7.6° y PLAT = 78.4° N y PLOG = 180.0° E. El lineamiento de Valle de Santiago forma parte de un conjunto regional en el sector norte de la TMVB que incluye a la zona de falla de Querétaro-Taxco (QTFZ). Estos lineamientos NNW-SSE intersectan los patrones estructurales más jóvenes ENE-WSW representados por la falla Chapala-Tula. Datos paleomagnéticos para el sector este de la cuenca de Chapala indican rotaciones de bloques en sentido antihorario. Datos para el graben de Acambay en la zona de intersección con la QTFZ sugieren rotaciones en sentido horario y antihorario. Los datos para Valle de Santiago tienen una diferencia dentro de la negativa 6.3° + 6.1° con respecto a la dirección esperada. La diferencia está dentro de la incertidumbre; sin embargo, sugiere la posible ocurrencia de rotación antihoraria, similar a la deformación regional en este sector de la TMVB.

Declinaciones paleomagnéticas para unidades volcánicas dentro del graben de Acambay presentan rotaciones contrarias a las manecillas del reloj con respecto a las direcciones de referencia. La dirección promedio del área comprende desde -18.5 ± 7.5 a -15.8 ± 7.2 grados, asumiendo que la región se comporta como un dominio tectónico coherente y rígido. La deformación a nivel local parece más compleja y varios dominios tectónicos pueden ser identificados. Estimaciones de rotaciones locales han alcanzado hasta -49 grados y dentro del graben alrededor de -40 grados. Las diferencias angulares podrían ser resultado de: a) variación secular, b) rotaciones diferenciales de dominios tectónicos pequeños, c) deformación interna dentro del dominio rotado, d) diferencias en edades y tiempos de rotación, e) efectos de muestreo y medición, f) complejidades estructurales de orden local que pudiesen dar origen a correcciones erróneas, g) una combinación de los anteriores factores. Los resultados paleomagnéticos son analizados de acuerdo con la distribución geográfica dentro del graben, posición relativa de los sitios de muestreo con respecto a los escarpes de falla, etc. Los factores (a), (b), (c) y (d) son considerados importantes. Los resultados apoyan la ocurrencia de una rotación en contra de las manecillas del reloj de un gran dominio, posiblemente relacionado a esfuerzos regionales dextrales y transtensión dentro del arco magmático. Localmente las deformaciones dentro del graben parecen distribuidas en dominios menores, los cuales presentan montos diferentes de rotaciones antihorarias.

La estructura y morfología regional al sur y al oeste de Guadalajara están dominadas por un sistema Neogeneo de tres "rifts" que intersectan en una junta triple continental localizada a unos 50 km al SSW de la ciudad. Este sistema controla la actividad volcánica de la Faja Volcánica Trans-Mexicana (FVTM). La estratigrafía regional se define de estudios de campo. Las unidades más antiguas en el "rift" de Chapala son una suceción gruesa de brechas heterogéneas cubiertas por una secuencia de flujos andesíticos con fechamiento entre 12 y 8.8 Ma. Esta secuencia forma una meseta amplia disectada por fallas asociadas al proceso de "rifting". Localmente está cubierta por sedimentos lacustres del Mioceno tardío al Plioceno temprano. El proceso de "rifting" se inició durante el hiatus en volcanismo después del ciclo volcánico del Mioceno tardío. Para el Plioceno medio se inicia el volcanismo efusivo del a FVTM, que continua con menos intensidad en el Cuaternario. La apertura del "rift" de Chapala se inició a fines del Mioceno tardío a lo largo de lineamientos N90°E, presentando al principio movimientos laterales izquierdos y luego normales. La mayoría de estos lineamientos han permanecio inactivos desde el Pleistoceno y la deformación en la zona es de lineamientos N135°E a N180°E. Estos lineamientos controlan las 2 ramas del sistema tripe. El "rift" de Chapala constituye un aulacogeno. Las deformaciones extensionales E-W afectan al Graben de Citala, cuyo extremo sur puede considerarse como el moderno punto triple.

Con base en los análisis estratigiáfico, estructural y petroquímico se propone la evolución geológica, desde el Cre­tácico, de la Cuenca de México, la cual se localiza en el sector central del Arco Volcánico Trans-americano (AVT). Los resultados indican que del Aptiano al Turoniano Tardío prevaleció la sedimentación marina calcárea. La se­dimentación calcárea cambió a tipo flysch en el intervalo de tiempo comprendido entre el Coniaciano y el Campaniano Temprano. Las secuencias cretácicas fueron plegadas en el transcurso del Maestrichtiano al Eoceno Tem­prano, como consecuencia de la orogenia Laramide. Al finalizar dicho plegamiento, aconteció, durante el Eoce­no Tardío-Oligoceno Temprano, fallamiento normal conjugado con desplazamiento lateral derecho, contemporá­neamente con sedimentación clástica continental tipo molasa y con efusiones fisurales basálticas alcalinas. Las rocas volcánicas calci-alcalinas de composición variable de andesítica a riolítica del Oligoceno Tardío-Mioceno Temprano son comtemporáneas de la secuencia ignimbrítica de la Sierra Madre Occidental y se relacionan con la actividad del Arco Magmático del Terciario Medio. Los eventos volcánicos que se asocian genéticamente con el AVT y con fallas normales del Plio-Cuaternario orientadas preferentemente oeste-este están representados por: andesitas basálticas, andesitas y dacitas calci-alcalinas del Mioceno Medio-Tardío, Plioceno Temprano, Plioceno Tardío y Cuaternario; basaltos alcalinos y calci-alcalinos del Plio-Cuaternario y por basaltos, andesitas basálticas y andesitas calci-alcalinas del Cuaternario. El régimen endorreico de la Cuenca de México y la consecuente sedi­mentación lacustre del Pleistoceno-Holoceno se originaron como consecuencia del intenso volcanismo que edifi­có la Sierra Chichinautzin.

La circulación extracorpórea (CEC) ha permitido llevar a cabo cirugía cardíaca para la corrección de las cardiopatías congénitas. La disfunción renal postoperatoria es una de las complicaciones más frecuentes. Los factores asociados no están claros en el grupo pediátrico. Objetivo: Identiflcar los factores de riesgo para desarrollar falla renal aguda en pa- cientes pediátricos con cardiopatías congénitas sometidos a corrección quirúrgica bajo circulación extracorpórea en el Centenario Hospital Miguel Hidalgo, tomando como mar- cador la alteración del flltrado glomerular calculado por el método de Schwartz. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio ambis- pectivo, longitudinal y observacional en 87 pacientes someti- dos a cirugía cardiaca electiva con circulación extracorpórea en el Centenario Hospital Miguel Hidalgo durante el periodo de diciembre de 2013 a noviembre de 2016. Se evaluó la asociación de las variables pre, trans y postoperatorias al de- sarrollo de disfunción renal. Los resultados se expresaron con análisis estadístico descriptivo usando medidas de tendencia central y estadística inferencial para encontrar la relación de la disfunción renal aguda con las variables independientes analizadas. Se consideró que existió diferencia o asociación signiflcativa si la probabilidad asociada al test aplicado era menor que 0,05 (p<0,05). Resultados: De los 87 pacientes analizados el 6.8% presentó alteración de la TFG al ingreso al servicio de UCIP, 12.7% a las 24 horas y 22.9% a las 48 horas. 1l tiempo de circulación extracorpórea sí contri- buyó signiflcativamente al deterioro del flltrado glomerular (p 0,000) al igual que al tiempo de pinzamiento (p 0,000). Conclusiones: La circulación extracorpórea afecta de mane- ra signiflcativa la función renal tomando como marcador la alteración del flltrado glomerular realizada con el método de Schwartz y clasiflcada con la escala de RIrL1 adaptada para pacientes pediátricos.

Con base en una síntesis de datos geocronológicos, estratigráficos y estructurales de los terrenos volcánicos de México, reconstruimos las relaciones espacio-temporales entre la Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) y la Faja Volcánica Trans-Mexicana (FVTM). Un análisis de 520 edades radiométricas integradas con lo datos geológicos disponibles muestra que la migración del volcanismo dominantemente silícico del arco de la SMO con orientación NNW, al arco intermedio a máfico de FVTM con orientación E-W, ocurrió gradualmente en respuesta al progresivo desarrollo de la trinchera de Acapulco durante el Mioceno Temprano y Medio. Durante la mayor parte del Oligoceno, el arco de la SMO se desarrollo en un cinturón amplio con orientación NNW hasta la longitud de la ciudad de México al este y hasta la actual trinchera de Acapulco hacia el sur. Al final del Oligoceno y principios del Mioceno, el frente volcánico se situó a 230 km de la trinchera, aunque el resto del arco mantuvo la misma localización. Se piensa que este cambio refleja el desarrollo progresivo de la trinchera actual, ene l sitio de la antigua frontera transforme entre la placa Norteamericana y el bloque Chortis. En el Mioceno Medio, los productos intermedios y máficos fueron emplazados a lo largo de un cinturón con orientación general E-W, extendiéndose también al este de la ciudad de México, mientras que en el Mioceno Tardio este volcanismo asumió un carácter uniformemente basáltico y una amplia distribución. La orientación gerelral del arco no ha cmabiado desde hace 16 Ma al presente, aunque e observa una migración del frente volcánico hacia la trinchera. Basados en la orientación general del arco y en la composición dominante de los primeros productos volcánicos, proponemos que la FVTM comenzó hace aproximadamente 16 Ma cuando empezó a formarse un arco volcánico intermedio a máfico con una orientación general E-W. La evolución tectónica de las partes occidental y central de la FVTM esta caracterizada por una fase Mioceno Medio de fallamiento transcurrente seguida de una fase transtensional y extensional entre el Mioceno Tardio y el presente. La deformación se concentra en una zona con tendencia NW-SE en la parte occidental en una zona amplia de 50-70 km orientada E-W en la parte central de la FVTM. La coincidencia entre el inicio de la FVT y la fase de fallamiento transcurrente nos lleva a proponer que las fallas trascurrentes NW-SE y E-W podrían haber provisto vías preferenciales al magma cortical, permitiendo la formación de la FVTM con su orientación oblicua con respecto a la trinchera.

Abstract Background: Mutations of the NPM1 gene are one of the most frequent genetic aberrations in adult AML. AML with mutated NPM1 is categorized as a disease entity according the WHO-2016 classification and clinically associated with female sex, high white blood cells at diagnosis, normal karyotype and high CD33 antigen expression. We recently showed that patients with NPM1-mutated AML benefit from all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) as adjunct to intensive induction therapy (Ann Hematol. 2016; 95:1931-1942; Haematologica. 2009;94:54-60). Based on the regular high CD33 expression in AML with mutated NPM1 we hypothesized that gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) added to intensive therapy with ATRA may further improve clinical outcome in AML with mutated NPM1. Aim: To evaluate GO in combination with intensive induction and consolidation therapy and ATRA in NPM1 mutated AML within the randomized AMLSG 09-09 trial (NCT00893399) Methods: Between May 2010 and September 2017, patients ≥18 years of age and considered eligible for intensive therapy were randomized up-front for open-label treatment with GO. Induction therapy consisted of two cycles of A-ICE (idarubicin 12mg/m² iv, day 1,3,5 [in induction II and for patients >60 years reduced to d 1, 3]; cytarabine 100mg/m² continuous iv, day 1 to 7; etoposide 100mg/m² iv, day 1-3 [in induction II and for patients >60 years reduced to d 1, 3]; ATRA 45 mg/m²/day po on days 6-8 and 15mg/m² days 9-21, +/- GO 3mg/m² iv day 1). Consolidation therapy consisted of 3 cycles of high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC; 3g/m² [reduced to 1g/m² in patients >60 years] bid, days 1-3; Pegfilgrastim 6mg sc, day 10; ATRA 15 mg/m²/day po, days 4-21; +/- GO 3mg/m² on day 1 [first consolidation only]). The primary endpoints of the study were event-free survival (EFS) as early endpoint tested 6 months and overall survival (OS) tested 4 years after study completion with sequential testing according the fallback procedure described by Wiens (Statistics 2003;2:211-215). This report focusses on the early EFS endpoint. Further secondary endpoints were response to induction therapy, cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) and cumulative incidence of death (CID). Results: In total 588 patients were evaluable for analysis (n=296, standard-arm; n=292 GO-arm). Median age was 58.7 years (range, 18.4-82.3 years), ECOG performance status was 0 in 34.1% and 1 in 55.1%, and FLT3-ITD was present in 16.8% of the patients, with baseline characteristics well balanced between the two arms. After first induction therapy death rates were significantly higher in the GO-arm (7.5%) (p=0.02) compared to the standard-arm (3.4%); in both study-arms causes of death were mainly infections. Following induction therapy complete remission (CR) and CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi) were 88.5% and 85.3% (p=0.28), refractory disease (RD) 6.1% and 5.1% (p=0.72), death 5.4% and 9.6% (p=0.06) in the standard- and GO-arm, respectively. Due to prolonged thrombocytopenia after second induction therapy in the GO-arm, the protocol was amended in that GO was omitted in second induction and first consolidation cycles, if prolonged cytopenias were observed during first induction therapy. The study treatment was completed in 197 and 171 patients (p=0.11), allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in first CR was performed in 18 and 21 patients (p=0.51) in the standard- and GO-arm, respectively. Median follow-up was 2.6 years (95%-CI, 2.4-3.1 years). Two- and 4-year EFS were 53% (95%-CI, 48-60%) and 58% (95%-CI, 52%-64%), and 44% (95%-CI, 38-52%) and 52% (95%-CI, 46%-59%) in the standard- and GO-arm, respectively. According to the pre-specified significance level of 0.025, EFS in the GO-arm was not different to that in the standard-arm (p=0.21). In patients achieving CR/CRi after induction therapy, CIR was significantly reduced in the GO-arm compared to the standard-arm (p=0.018), whereas no difference in CID was noted between both arms (p=0.89). Conclusion: The addition of GO to intensive induction therapy with ICE plus ATRA was associated with a higher death rate. In patients achieving a CR/CRi after induction therapy significantly less relapses occurred in the GO- compared to the standard-arm. Disclosures Schlenk: Pfizer: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Paschka:Astex: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Travel support; Otsuka: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sunesis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Meyers Squibb: Other: Travel support, Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Other: Travel support; Janssen: Other: Travel support; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel support, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel support, Speakers Bureau; Agios: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Other: Travel support. Fiedler:Amgen: Other: support for meetíng attendance; Gilead: Other: support for meeting attendance; Pfizer: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Amgen: Patents & Royalties; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; ARIAD/Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, support for meeting attendance; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSO: Other: support for meeting attendance; Teva: Other: support for meeting attendance; JAZZ Pharmaceuticals: Other: support for meeting attendance; Daiichi Sankyo: Other: support for meeting attendance. Lübbert:Cheplapharm: Other: Study drug; Celgene: Other: Travel Support; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; TEVA: Other: Study drug. Götze:Novartis: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel aid ASH 2017; JAZZ Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding. Schleicher:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Investigator; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Ipsen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Eissai: Other: Investigator; Astra Zeneca: Other: Investigator; Pfizer: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Speakers Bureau. Greil:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; MSD: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sandoz: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Heuser:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding; BergenBio: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Sunesis: Research Funding; Tetralogic: Research Funding; Bayer Pharma AG: Consultancy, Research Funding; StemLine Therapeutics: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy. Ganser:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Döhner:Agios: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Research Funding; Sunesis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astex Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; AROG Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Agios: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Celator: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astex Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; AROG Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria; Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Sunesis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celator: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

En el presente estudio se presentan los resultados de los análisis y observaciones realizadas en los planos de falla que afloran en el sector oriental de la Sierra de Pachuca, donde se ubican los cerros La Crucita, La Sotolera y Las Colmenas. En los planos de falla se observaron conjuntos de estrías superpuestos y con diferentes orientaciones. Los conjuntos de estrías se pueden clasificar en dos diferentes orientaciones, las cuales se interpretan como reactivaciones en el movimiento de los bloques de falla en respuesta al cambio de orientaciones de los esfuerzos principales en la corteza. Se hace una comparación entre un sentido de desplazamiento antiguo que define fallas normales y uno más reciente que define fallas de desplazamiento lateral. Los resultados sugieren la instauración de un régimen de trans-tensión de escala regional.

Objetivo: Evaluar la seguridad y eficacia del TOT en el tratamiento de la incontinencia urinaria de esfuerzo femenina, de acuerdo a nuestra experiencia. Material y Métodos: Estudio prospectivo de 30 pacientes a los que se realizó TOT en la Unidad de Ginecología, del Departamento de Ginecología y Obstetricia del Hospital Regional de Ica, entre enero del 2010 y mayo del 2012. Se utilizó malla de polipropileno, macroporo, monofilamento (Prolene) y las agujas de Emmet. Mediana de edad 53.7 años, paridad 4.2. Resultados: El tiempo operatorio del TOT fue de 18 minutos (mediana). De las 30 pacientes, al mes se constató curación de la incontinencia de esfuerzo en 27 (90%), 2 (6.7%) casos mejoría, 1 (3.3%) casos falla de la cirugía. A los tres meses y seis meses de seguimiento se presenta un 96.7% de cura y 3.3% de falla. Se presentaron 2 complicaciones intraoperatorias, correspondiendo a lesión de vagina. Una con la tijera durante la disección del espacio vesico-vaginal hacia el agujero obturador y otro con la aguja de Emmet. Durante el postoperatorio inmediato hubo un caso con dolor perineal tratado con analgésicos. Durante el postoperatorio tardío en una paciente presento erosión de la malla, como consecuencia se retiró la malla. Conclusión: De acuerdo a nuestra experiencia con 30 casos, el TOT se presenta como una técnica segura y eficaz en el tratamiento quirúrgico de la incontinencia de orina de esfuerzo.

This paper aims to fill the gap in dividend policy researches of listed companies in Vietnam stock exchanges. Effects of changes in earning to changes in dividend actions of selected listing firms are tested in order to figure out their relationships. The multinomial logistic regression model is employed with the data from a balanced panel of 2,790 firm-year observations representing 310 listed firms in both Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange and Hanoi Stock Exchange during the 9-year period from 2008 to 2016. The study has estimated odds and odds ratios of four dividend change cases in responses to each of three cases of earning changes. The results shows that: When earnings increase, the probability that firms increase dividend is 55%, higher than probabilities that firms keep dividend unchanged, decrease dividend or no dividend of, 26%, 13% and 6% respectively, all at significance of 1%; When earnings decrease, the probability that firms reduce dividend is 44%, higher than probabilities that firms increase, keep dividend unchanged, or pay no dividend of, 20%, 27% and 9% respectively, all at significance of 1%; When firm had negative earning, probability that firm pay no dividend is 86% (at significance of 1%), that is much higher than probability that firms reduce dividend (8%, at all at significance of 5%); The results are supportive to the hypothesis that dividend actions are strongly affected by firms’ earnings and past dividend actions. The research results are meaningful to dividend income investors in formulating their investment strategies and for management of firms in designing firms’ dividend policies. Keywords Dividend, earning, odds, probability, multinomial logistic regression model References [1] Adaoglu Cahit, Instability in the dividend policy of the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) corporations: evidence from an emerging market, Tạp chíEmerging Markets Review, Số 1(3),Trang: 252-270, (2000)[2] Al-Najjar Basil, Dividend behaviour and smoothing new evidence from Jordanian panel data, Studies in Economics and Finance, Số 26(3),Trang: 182-197, (2009)[3] Al-Yahyaee KH, TM Pham và TS Walter, Dividend smoothing when firms distribute most of their earnings as dividends, Tạp chíApplied Financial Economics, Số 21(16),Trang: 1175-1183, (2011)[4] Baker H Kent và Gary E Powell, Determinants of corporate dividend policy: a survey of NYSE firms, Financial Practice and education, Số 10,Trang: 29-40, (2000)[5] Bhattacharya Sudipto, Imperfect information, dividend policy, and “the bird in the hand” fallacy, Bell journal of economics, Số 10(1),Trang: 259-270, (1979)[6] Chomsky, N. (2012). 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SBS Lecture Series: Noam Chomsky, University of Arizona.[7] Đinh Bảo Ngọc và Nguyễn Chí Cường, Các nhân tố ảnh hưởng đến chính sách cổ tức của các doanh nghiệp niêm yết trên thị trường chứng khoán Việt Nam, Tạp chíPhát triển kinh tế, Số 290,Trang: 42-60, (2014)[8] Farsio, F., Geary, A., & Moser, J., The relationship between dividends and earnings,Journal for Economic Educators, 4(4), 1 – 5, 2014[9] Glen Jack D, Yannis Karmokolias, Robert R Miller và Sanjay Shah (1995), Dividend policy and behavior in emerging markets: To pay or not to pay, The World Bank, (2004).[10] Kighir Apedzan Emmanuel, Normah Haji Omar và Norhayati Mohamed, Corporate cash flow and dividends smoothing: a panel data analysis at Bursa Malaysia, Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting,No. 13(1), p: 2-19, (2015).[11] Kumar Praveen, Shareholder-manager conflict and the information content of dividends, Review of Financial studies,No. 1(2),p: 111-136, (1988)[12] Lintner John, Distribution of incomes of corporations among dividends, retained earnings, and taxes, The American economic reviewJournal,No. 46(2),p: 97-113, (1956)[13] Miller Merton H và Franco Modigliani, Dividend policy, growth, and the valuation of shares, the Journal of Business,No. 34(4), pp: 411-433, (1961)[14] Miller Merton H và Kevin Rock, Dividend policy under asymmetric information, The Journal of Finance,No.40(4),p: 1031-1051, (1985)[15] Ngô Thị Quyên, 'Các nhân tố tác động đến chính sách cổ tức tại các doanh nghiệp niêm yết trên thị trường chứng khoán Việt Nam', Luận án tiến sĩ, Đại học KTQD, (2016).[16] Nguyễn Minh Kiều, Chính sách cổ tức, từ liên kết (2012) [17] Nguyễn Thị Minh Huệ, Tác động của thông báo cổ tức lên giá cổ phiếu của các doanh nghiệp niêm yết trên sở giao dịch chứng khoán TP.HCM, Tạp chí Phát triển kinh tế, Số 26(5),Trang: 44-59, (2015)[18] Nguyễn Thị Minh Huệ, Nguyễn Thị Thùy Dung và Nguyễn Thị Thùy Linh (2014), Những nhân tố ảnh hưởng đến chính sách chi trả cổ tức của các doanh nghiệp cổ phần tại Việt Nam, Tạp chíKinh tế & Phát triển, Số 210,Trang: 33-42, (2014)[19] Nguyen, X. M. and Q. T. Tran (2016). "Dividend Smoothing and Signaling Under the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis: A Comparison of US and Southeast Asian Markets." International Journal of Economics and Finance 8(11): 118.[20] Pandey Indra M, Corporate dividend policy and behaviour: the Malaysian experience, Working paper No. 2001-11-01,(2001),[21] Pruitt Stephen W và Lawrence J Gitma, The interactions between the investment, financing, and dividend decisions of major US firms, Financial review,No. 26(3),p: 409-430, (1991)[22] Ross, S. A., The determination of financial structure: The incentive signaling structure,Bell Journal of Economics, 8: 23-40 (1977)[23] Trần Thị Hải Lý, Quan điểm của các nhà quản lý doanh nghiêp Việt Nam về chính sách cổ tức với giá trị doanh nghiêp, Tạp chíPhát triển và Hội nhập, Số 4,Trang: 13-20. (2012)[24] Trần Thị Tuấn Anh (2016). "Các yếu tố tác động đến chính sách cổ tức của doanh nghiệp Việt Nam tiếp cận bằng hồi quy phân vị." Phát triển kinh tế 2: 108-127.[25] Võ Xuân Vinh, Các yếu tố tác động chính sách cổ tức bằng tiền mặt,Tạp chíKinh tế & Phát triển, Số 197,Trang: 36-43, (2013)[26] Vũ Văn Ninh, 'Hoàn thiện chính sách trả cổ tức trong các doanh nghiệp cổ phần niêm yết chứng khoán ở Việt Nam', Luận án tiến sĩ kinh tế, Học viện Tài chính, (2008)

La enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) es un proceso fisiopatológico, cuya consecuencias la pérdida del número y funcionamiento de nefronas, desembocando a menudo en insuficiencia renal terminal, la que se considera un problema de salud pública en el mundo. La ERC se caracteriza también por la falla de la función en grados variables de intensidad con innumerables repercusiones derivadas de la acumulación de los productos finales del metabolismo con alteración del equilibrio hidroelectrolítico y acido base, trastornos hormonales y nutricionales. En estadíos avanzados se puede presentar prevalencia elevada de malnutrición en la ERC, estimada entre el 50-70%. La aparición de la Desnutrición en estos pacientes se da por numerosas anormalidades por lo que la intervención temprana en el manejo nutricional de estos pacientes, y el seguimiento de manera interdisciplinaria en los diferentes estadios, es esencial para contribuir con la disminución en la progresión de la enfermedad y mantener o mejorar el estado nutricional del individuo y favorecer el crecimiento. La prescripción del requerimiento de energía se debe dar el 100% de sus necesidades energéticas totales hasta el 150% por encima de su ingesta. Las recomendaciones proteica se sugiere un 100 al 140% si se encuentra en estadío 3 y del 100 al 120% en estadios 4 a 5. Las grasa: Se debe dar menos del 30% de las calorías totales con restricción de las grasas Saturadas y de las Trans Carbohidratos del 55-65% de la ingesta diaria. La fibra se recomienda dar 15- 25 gramos por día con mayor consumo de fibra soluble por su efecto metabólico Sodio entre 120 y 2300 miligramos por día según la edad del niño, Potasio dar restringido en caso de hiperkalemia. Las vitaminas dar una ingesta del 100% , las del complejo B , Acido Fólico, Vitamina C ,Calcio dar del 100 al 200% de las recomendaciones por edad del niño. El Fosforo se debe dar en niños con estadios de 3 a 5 un 100% de la recomendación y los líquidos se restringirá en niños con estadios 3 a 5 con oligoanuria.

En este artículo se analiza una secuencia de siete sismos (2.5<Mw<3.0) ocurridos en la Ciudad de Morelia, México. Esta serie de temblores ocurrieron en un intervalo de 33 horas en el mes de octubre de 2007. Fueron registrados por dos estaciones locales ubicadas en esa Ciudad. Morelia se encuentra en la la parte central de la Faja Volcánica Trans-Mexicana (CTMVB, por sus siglas en inglés). Las formas de onda y los espectros de estos sismos son sorprendentemente similares, sugiriendo que sus localizaciones y mecanismos focales son casi idénticos. La inversión de forma de onda, restringida a partir de fallas descritas anteriormente en el área (rumbo ~E-O, buzando al norte), arroja un mecanismo focal definido por , y , lo cual es consistente con los mecanismos focales reportados previamente en la región. Dado que, para estos pequeños eventos, la señal se confunde con el ruido para frecuencias f<0.2Hz, se estimó el momento sísmico a partir del espectro de las ondas S en una banda de frecuencias definida en el intervalo 0.2≤f≤1Hz. Sin embargo, en esta banda de frecuencias, existe una amplificación significativa de las ondas símicas debida a una capa de baja velocidad provocada por rocas volcánicas superficiales presentes en cualquier sitio localizado en el CTMVB. En la estimación del y en la interpretación de los espectros observados, se aproximó esta amplificación usando el cociente espectral H/Z. Asumiendo un modelo de fuente , los espectros observados pueden ser explicados con ternas (Δσ, t*, ) (5MPa, 0.02s, 20Hz) y (20 MPa, 0.03 s, 20 Hz), donde Δσ es la caída de esfuerzos asumiendo el modelo de Brune y t* y .son los parámetros de atenuación. Con el fin de simular el movimiento fuerte del terreno, para un sismo postulado de , se usaron estas combinaciones de parámetros junto con las técnicas de Empirical Green Function (EGF) y Random Vibration Theory (RVT). Las aceleraciones horizontales PGA y velocidades PGV en los sitios de referencia están en el rango de 23 a 46 cm/ y de 1.5 a 3.52 cm/s para una caída de esfuerzos de Δσ=5Mpa. Los valores pronosticados para una caída de esfuerzos Δσ=20Mpa son casi el doble (44-89 cm/ and 2.5-6.1 cm/s). Las estimaciones obtenidas, especialmente para Δσ=5MPa, son considerablemente más pequeñas que las reportadas a partir de datos globales. Esta comparación sugiere que existe una alta atenuación en la región volcánica o una inadecuada estimación del efecto de t* y .

IntroductionI have been studying the creation of Metro style train travel in Sydney for over a decade. My focus has been on the impact that media has had on the process (see Richardson, “Curatorial”; “Upheaval”; “Making”). Through extensive expert, public, and media research, I have investigated the coalitions and alliances that have formed (and disintegrated) between political, bureaucratic, news media, and public actors and the influences at work within these actor-networks. As part of this project, I visited an underground Métro turning fifty in Montreal, Canada. After many years studying the development of a train that wasn’t yet tangible, I wanted to ask a functional train the simple ethnomethodological/Latourian style question, “what do you do for a city and its people?” (de Vries). Therefore, in addition to research conducted in Montreal, I spent ten days wandering through many of the entrances, tunnels, staircases, escalators, mezzanines, platforms, doorways, and carriages of which the Métro system consists. The purpose was to observe the train in situ in order to broaden potential conceptualisations of what a train does for a city such as Montreal, with a view of improving the ideas and messages that would be used to “sell” future rapid rail projects in other cities such as Sydney. This article outlines a selection of the pathways wandered, not only to illustrate the power of social research based on physical wandering, but also the potential power the metaphorical and conceptual wandering an Actor-Network Theory (ANT) assemblage affords social research for media communications.Context, Purpose, and ApproachANT is a hybrid theory/method for studying an arena of the social, such as the significance of a train to a city like Montreal. This type of study is undertaken by following the actors (Latour, Reassembling 12). In ANT, actors do something, as the term suggests. These actions have affects and effects. These might be contrived and deliberate influences or completely circumstantial and accidental impacts. Actors can be people as we are most commonly used to understanding them, and they can also be texts, technological devices, software programs, natural phenomena, or random occurrences. Most significantly though, actors are their “relations” (Harman 17). This means that they are only present if they are relating to others. These relations and the resulting influences and impacts are called networks. A network in the ANT sense is not as simple as the lines that connect train stations on a rail map. Without actions, relations, influences, and impacts, there are no actors. Hence the hyphen in actor-network; the actor and the network are symbiotic. The network, rendered visible through actor associations, consists of the tenuous connections that “shuttle back and forth” between actors even in spite of the fact their areas of knowledge and reality may be completely separate (Latour Modern 3). ANT, therefore, may be considered an empirical practice of tracing the actors and the network of influences and impacts that they both help to shape and are themselves shaped by. To do this, central ANT theorist Bruno Latour employs a simple research question: “what do you do?” This is because in the process of doing, somebody or something is observed to be affecting other people or things and an actor-network becomes identifiable. Latour later learned that his approach shared many parallels with ethnomethodology. This was a discovery that more concretely set the trajectory of his work away from a social science that sought explanations “about why something happens, to ontological ones, that is, questions about what is going on” (de Vries). So, in order to make sense of people’s actions and relations, the focus of research became asking the deceptively simple question while refraining as much as possible “from offering descriptions and explanations of actions in terms of schemes taught in social theory classes” (14).In answering this central ANT question, studies typically wander in a metaphorical sense through an array or assemblage (Law) of research methods such as formal and informal interviews, ethnographic style observation, as well as the content analysis of primary and secondary texts (see Latour, Aramis). These were the methods adopted for my Montreal research—in addition to fifteen in-depth expert and public interviews conducted in October 2017, ten days were spent physically wandering and observing the train in action. I hoped that in understanding what the train does for the city and its people, the actor-network within which the train is situated would be revealed. Of course, “what do you do?” is a very broad question. It requires context. In following the influence of news media in the circuitous development of rapid rail transit in Sydney, I have been struck by the limited tropes through which the potential for rapid rail is discussed. These tropes focus on technological, functional, and/or operational aspects (see Budd; Faruqi; Hasham), costs, funding and return on investment (see Martin and O’Sullivan; Saulwick), and the potential to alleviate peak hour congestion (see Clennell; West). As an expert respondent in my Sydney research, a leading Australian architect and planner, states, “How boring and unexciting […] I mean in Singapore it is the most exciting […] the trains are fantastic […] that wasn’t sold to the [Sydney] public.” So, the purpose of the Montreal research is to expand conceptualisations of the potential for rapid rail infrastructure to influence a city and improve communications used to sell projects in the future, as well as to test the role of both physical and metaphorical ANT style wanderings in doing so. Montreal was chosen for three reasons. First, the Métro had recently turned fifty, which made the comparison between the fledgling and mature systems topical. Second, the Métro was preceded by decades of media discussion (Gilbert and Poitras), which parallels the development of rapid transit in Sydney. Finally, a different architect designed each station and most stations feature art installations (Magder). Therefore, the Métro appeared to have transcended the aforementioned functional and numerically focused tropes used to justify the Sydney system. Could such a train be considered a long-term success?Wandering and PathwaysIn ten days I rode the Montreal Métro from end to end. I stopped at all the stations. I wandered around. I treated wandering not just as a physical research activity, but also as an illustrative metaphor for an assemblage of research practices. This assemblage culminates in testimony, anecdotes, stories, and descriptions through which an actor-network may be glimpsed. Of course, it is incomplete—what I have outlined below represents only a few pathways. However, to think that an actor-network can ever be traversed in its entirety is to miss the point. Completion is a fallacy. Wandering doesn’t end at a finish line. There are always pathways left untrodden. I have attempted not to overanalyse. I have left contradictions unresolved. I have avoided the temptation to link paths through tenuous byways. Some might consider that I have meandered, but an actor-network is never linear. I can only hope that my wanderings, as curtailed as they may be, prove nuanced, colourful, and rich—if not compelling. ANT encourages us to rethink social research (Latour, Reassembling). Central to this is acknowledging (and becoming comfortable with) our own role as researcher in the illumination of the actor-network itself.Here are some of the Montreal pathways wandered:First Impressions I arrive at Montreal airport late afternoon. The apartment I have rented is conveniently located between two Métro stations—Mont Royal and Sherbrooke. I use my phone and seek directions by public transport. To my surprise, the only option is the bus. Too tired to work out connections, I decide instead to follow the signs to the taxi rank. Here, I queue. We are underway twenty minutes later. Travelling around peak traffic, we move from one traffic jam to the next. The trip is slow. Finally ensconced in the apartment, I reflect on how different the trip into Montreal had been, from what I had envisaged. The Métro I had travelled to visit was conspicuous in its total absence.FloatingIt is a feeling of floating that first strikes me when riding the Métro. It runs on rubber tyres. The explanation for the choice of this technology differs. There are reports that it was the brainchild of strong-willed mayor, Jean Drapeau, who believed the new technology would showcase Montreal as a modern world-scale metropolis (Gilbert and Poitras). However, John Martins-Manteiga provides a less romantic account, stating that the decision was made because tyres were cheaper (47). I assume the rubber tyres create the floating sensation. Add to this the famous warmth of the system (Magder; Hazan, Hot) and it has a thoroughly calming, even lulling, effect.Originally, I am planning to spend two whole days riding the Métro in its entirety. I make handwritten notes. On the first day, at mid-morning, nausea develops. I am suffering motion sickness. This is a surprise. I have always been fine to read and write on trains, unlike in a car or bus. It causes a moment of realisation. I am effectively riding a bus. This is an unexpected side-effect. My research program changes—I ride for a maximum of two hours at a time and my note taking becomes more circumspect. The train as actor is influencing the research program and the data being recorded in unexpected ways. ArtThe stained-glass collage at Berri-Uquam, by Pierre Gaboriau and Pierre Osterrath, is grand in scale, intricately detailed and beautiful. It sits above the tunnel from which the trains enter and leave the platform. It somehow seems wholly connected to the train as a result—it frames and announces arrivals and departures. Other striking pieces include the colourful, tiled circles from the mezzanine above the platform at station Peel and the beautiful stained-glass panels on the escalator at station Charlevoix. As a public respondent visiting from Chicago contends, “I just got a sense of exploration—that I wanted to have a look around”.Urban FormAn urban planner asserts that the Métro is responsible for the identity and diversity of urban culture that Montreal is famous for. As everyone cannot live right above a Métro station, there are streets around stations where people walk to the train. As there is less need for cars, these streets are made friendlier for walkers, precipitating a cycle. Furthermore, pedestrian-friendly streets promote local village style commerce such as shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants. So, there is not only more access on foot, but also more incentive to access. The walking that the Métro induces improves the dynamism and social aspects of neighbourhoods, a by-product of which is a distinct urban form and culture for different pockets of the city. The actor-network broadens. In following the actors, I now have to wander beyond the physical limits of the system itself. The streets I walk around station Mont Royal are shopping and restaurant strips, rich with foot traffic at all times of day; it is a vibrant and enticing place to wander.Find DiningThe popular MTL blog published a map of the best restaurants the Métro provides access to (Hazan, Restaurant).ArchitectureStation De La Savane resembles a retro medieval dungeon. It evokes thoughts of the television series Game of Thrones. Art and architecture work in perfect harmony. The sculpture in the foyer by Maurice Lemieux resembles a deconstructed metal mace hanging on a brutalist concrete wall. It towers above a grand staircase and abuts a fence that might ring a medieval keep. Up close I realise it is polished, precisely cut cylindrical steel. A modern fence referencing another time and place. Descending to the platform, craggy concrete walls are pitted with holes. I get the sense of peering through these into the hidden chambers of a crypt. Overlaying all of this is a strikingly modern series of regular and irregular, bold vertical striations cut deeply into the concrete. They run from floor to ceiling to add to a cathedral-like sense of scale. It’s warming to think that such a whimsical train station exists anywhere in the world. Time WarpA public respondent describes the Métro:It’s a little bit like a time machine. It’s a piece of the past and piece of history […] still alive now. I think that it brings art or form or beauty into everyday life. […] You’re going from one place to the next, but because of the history and the story of it you could stop and breathe and take it in a little bit more.Hold ups and HostagesA frustrated General Manager of a transport advocacy group states in an interview:Two minutes of stopping in the Métro is like Armageddon in Montreal—you see it on every media, on every smartphone [...] We are so captive in the Métro [there is a] loss of control.Further, a transport modelling expert asserts:You’re a hostage when you’re in transportation. If the Métro goes out, then you really are stuck. Unfortunately, it does go out often enough. If you lose faith in a mode of transportation, it’s going to be very hard to get you back.CommutingIt took me a good week before I started to notice how tired some of the Métro stations had grown. I felt my enthusiasm dip when I saw the estimated arrival time lengthen on the electronic noticeboard. Anger rose as a young man pushed past me from behind to get out of a train before I had a chance to exit. These tendrils of the actor-network were not evident to me in the first few days. Most interview respondents state that after a period of time passengers take less notice of the interesting and artistic aspects of the Métro. They become commuters. Timeliness and consistency become the most important aspects of the system.FinaleI deliberately visit station Champ-de-Mars last. Photos convince me that I am going to end my Métro exploration with an experience to savour. The station entry and gallery is iconic. Martins-Manteiga writes, “The stained-glass artwork by Marcelle Ferron is almost a religious experience; it floods in and splashes down below” (306). My timing is off though. On this day, the soaring stained-glass windows are mostly hidden behind protective wadding. The station is undergoing restoration. Travelling for the last time back towards station Mont Royal, my mood lightens. Although I had been anticipating this station for some time, in many respects this is a revealing conclusion to my Métro wanderings.What Do You Do?When asked what the train does, many respondents took a while to answer or began with common tropes around moving people. As a transport project manager asserts, “in the world of public transport, the perfect trip is the one you don’t notice”. A journalist gives the most considered and interesting answer. He contends:I think it would say, “I hold the city together culturally, economically, physically, logistically—that’s what I do […] I’m the connective tissue of this city”. […] How else do you describe infrastructure that connects poor neighbourhoods to rich neighbourhoods, downtown to outlying areas, that supports all sorts of businesses both inside it and immediately adjacent to it and has created these axes around the city that pull in almost everybody [...] And of course, everyone takes it for granted […] We get pissed off when it’s late.ConclusionNo matter how real a transportation system may be, it can always be made a little less real. Today, for example, the Paris metro is on strike for the third week in a row. Millions of Parisians are learning to get along without it, by taking their cars or walking […] You see? These enormous hundred-year-old technological monsters are no more real than the four-year-old Aramis is unreal: They all need allies, friends […] There’s no inertia, no irreversibility; there’s no autonomy to keep them alive. (Latour, Aramis 86)Through ANT-based physical and metaphorical wanderings, we find many pathways that illuminate what a train does. We learn from various actors in the actor-network through which the train exists. We seek out its “allies” and “friends”. We wander, piecing together as much of the network as we can. The Métro does lots of things. It has many influences and it influences many. It is undeniably an actor in an actor-network. Transport planners would like it to appear seamless—commuters entering and leaving without really noticing the in-between. And sometimes it appears this way. However, when the commuter is delayed, this appearance is shattered. If a signal fails or an engine falters, the Métro, through a process mediated by word of mouth and/or social and mainstream media, is suddenly rendered tired and obsolete. Or is it historic and quaint? Is the train a technical problem for the city of Montreal or is it characterful and integral to the city’s identity? It is all these things and many more. The actor-network is illusive and elusive. Pathways are extensive. The train floats. The train is late. The train makes us walk. The train has seeded many unique villages, much loved. The train is broken. The train is healthy for its age. The train is all that is right with Montreal. The train is all that is wrong with Montreal. The artwork and architecture mean nothing. The artwork and architecture mean everything. Is the train overly limited by the tyres that keep it underground? Of course, it is. Of course, it isn’t. Does 50 years of history matter? Of course, it does. Of course, it doesn’t. It thrives. It’s tired. It connects. It divides. It’s functional. It’s dirty. It’s beautiful. It’s something to be proud of. It’s embarrassing. A train offers many complex and fascinating pathways. It is never simply an object; it lives and breathes in the network because we live and breathe around it. It stops being effective. It starts becoming affective. Sydney must learn from this. My wanderings demonstrate that the Métro cannot be extricated from what Montreal has become over the last half century. In May 2019, Sydney finally opened its first Metro rail link. And yet, this link and other ongoing metro projects continue to be discussed through statistics and practicalities (Sydney Metro). This offers no affective sense of the pathways that are, and will one day be, created. By selecting and appropriating relevant pathways from cities such as Montreal, and through our own wanderings and imaginings, we can make projections of what a train will do for a city like Sydney. We can project a rich and vibrant actor-network through the media in more emotive and powerful ways. Or, can we not at least supplement the economic, functional, or technocratic accounts with other wanderings? Of course, we can’t. Of course, we can. ReferencesBudd, Henry. “Single-Deck Trains in North West Rail Link.” The Daily Telegraph 20 Jun. 2012. 17 Jan. 2018 <https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/single-deck-trains-in-north-west-rail-link/news-story/f5255d11af892ebb3938676c5c8b40da>.Clennell, Andrew. “All Talk as City Chokes to Death.” The Daily Telegraph 7 Nov. 2011. 2 Jan 2012 <http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/all-talk-as-city-chokes-to-death/story-e6frezz0-1226187007530>.De Vries, Gerard. Bruno Latour. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2016.Faruqi, Mehreen. “Is the New Sydney Metro Privatization of the Rail Network by Stealth?” Sydney Morning Herald 7 July 2015. 19 Jan. 2018 <http://www.smh.com.au/comment/is-the-new-sydney-metro-privatisation-of-the-rail-network-by-stealth-20150707-gi6rdg.html>.Game of Thrones. HBO, 2011–2019.Gilbert, Dale, and Claire Poitras. “‘Subways Are Not Outdated’: Debating the Montreal Métro 1940–60.” The Journal of Transport History 36.2 (2015): 209–227. Harman, Graham. Prince of Networks: Bruno Latour and Metaphysics. Melbourne: re.press, 2009.Hasham, Nicole. “Driverless Trains Plan as Berejiklian Does a U-Turn.” Sydney Morning Herald 6 Jun. 2013. 16 Jan. 2018 <https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/driverless-trains-plan-as-berejiklian-does-a-u-turn-20130606-2ns4h.html>.Hazan, Jeremy. “Montreal’s First-Ever Official Metro Restaurant Map.” MTL Blog 17 May 2010. 11 Oct. 2017 <https://www.mtlblog.com/things-to-do-in-mtl/montreals-first-ever-official-metro-restaurant-map/1>.———. “This Is Why Montreal’s STM Metro Has Been So Hot Lately.” MTL Blog 22 Sep. 2017. 11 Oct. 2017 <https://www.mtlblog.com/whats-happening/this-is-why-montreals-stm-metro-has-been-so-hot-lately>. Latour, Bruno. We Have Never Been Modern. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993.———. Aramis: Or the Love of Technology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996. ———. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.Law, John. After Method: Mess in Social Science Research. New York: Routledge, 2004.Magder, Jason. “The Metro at 50: Building the Network.” Montreal Gazette 13 Oct. 2016. 18 Oct. 2017 <http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/the-metro-at-50-building-the-network>.Martin, Peter, and Matt O’Sullivan. “Cabinet Leak: Sydney to Parramatta in 15 Minutes Possible, But Not Preferred.” Sydney Morning Herald 14 Aug. 2017. 7 Dec. 2017 <https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/cabinet-leak-sydney-to-parramatta-in-15-minutes-possible-but-not-preferred-20170813-gxv226.html>.Martins-Manteiga, John. Métro: Design in Motion. Dominion Modern: Canada 2011.Richardson, Nicholas. “Political Upheaval in Australia: Media, Foucault and Shocking Policy.” ANZCA Conference Proceedings 2015. Eds. D. Paterno, M. Bourk, and D. Matheson.———. “A Curatorial Turn in Policy Development? Managing the Changing Nature of Policymaking Subject to Mediatisation” M/C Journal 18.4 (2015). 7 Aug. 2019 <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/998>.———. “‘Making it Happen’: Deciphering Government Branding in Light of the Sydney Building Boom.” M/C Journal 20.2 (2017). 7 Aug. 2019 <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/1221>.Saulwick, Jacob. “Plenty of Sums in Rail Plans But Not Everything Adds Up.” Sydney Morning Herald 7 Nov. 2011. 17 Apr. 2012 <http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/plenty-of-sums-in-rail-plans-but-not-everything-adds-up-20111106-1n1wn.html>.Sydney Metro. 16 July 2019. <https://www.sydneymetro.info/>.West, Andrew. “Second Harbour Crossing – or Chaos.” Sydney Morning Herald 31 May 2010. 17 Jan. 2018 <http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/second-harbour-crossing--or-chaos-20100530-wnik.html>.

I remember the first time I saw a dead body. I spawned just before dawn; around me engines were clattering into life, the dim silhouettes of tanks beginning to move out in a steady grinding rumble. I could dimly make out a few other people, the anonymity of their shadowy outlines belied by the names hanging over their heads in a comforting blue. Suddenly, a stream of tracers arced across the sky; explosions sounded nearby, then closer still; a tank ahead of me stopped, turned sluggishly, and fired off a couple of rounds, rocking slightly against the recoil. The radio was filled with talk of Germans in the town, but I couldn’t even see the town. I ran toward what looked like the shattered hulk of a building and dived into what I hoped was a doorway. It was already occupied by another Tommy and together we waited for it to get lighter, listening to the rattle of machine guns, the sharp ping as shells ricocheted off steel, the sickening, indescribable, but immediately recognisable sound when they didn’t. Eventually, the other soldier moved out, but I waited for the sun to peek over the nearby hills. Once I was able to see where I was going, I made straight for the command post on the edge of town, and came across a group of allied soldiers standing in a circle. In the centre of the circle lay a dead German soldier, face up. “Well I’ll be damned,” I said aloud; no one else said anything, and the body abruptly faded. I remember the first time I killed someone. I had barely got the Spit V up to 4000 feet when out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something below me. I dropped the left wing and saw a Stuka making a bee-line for the base. I made a hash of the turn, almost stalling, but he obviously had no idea I was there. I saddled-up on his six, dropping down low to avoid fire from his gunner, and opened up on him. I must have hit him at perfect convergence because he disintegrated, pieces of dismembered airframe raining down on the field below. I circled the field, putting all my concentration into making the landing that would make the kill count, then switched off the engine and sat in the cockpit for a moment, heart pounding. As you can tell, I’ve been in the wars lately. The first example is drawn from the launch of Cornered Rat Software’s WWII Online: Blitzkrieg (2001) while the second is based on a short stint playing Warbirds 3 (2002). Both games are examples of one of the most interesting recent developments in computer and video gaming: the increasing popularity and range of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs); other notable examples of historical combat simulation MMOGs include HiTech Creations Aces High (2002) and Jaleco Entertainment’s Fighter Ace 3.5 (2002). For a variety of technical reasons, most popular multiplayer games—particularly first-person shooter (FPS) games such as Doom, Quake, and more recently Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2002) and Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001)—are played on player-organised servers that are usually limited to 32 or fewer players; terrain maps are small and rotated every couple of hours on average. MMOGs, by contrast, feature anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of players hosted on a handful of company-run servers. The shared virtual geography of these worlds is huge, extending across tens of thousands of square miles; these worlds are also persistent in that they respond dynamically to the actions of players and continue to do so while individual players are offline. As my opening anecdotes demonstrate, the experience of dealing and receiving virtual death is central to massively multiplayer simulations as it is to so many forms of computer games. Yet for an experience is that is so ubiquitous in computer games (and, some would say, even constitutes their experiential core) death is under-theorised. Mainstream culture tends to see computer and console game mayhem according to a rigid desensitisation argument: the experience of repeatedly killing other players online leads to a gradual erosion of the individual moral sense which makes players more likely to countenance killing people in the real world. Nowhere was this argument more in evidence that in the wake of the murder of fifteen students by Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, 1999. The discovery that the two boys were enthusiastic players of Id Software’s Doom and Quake resulted in an avalanche of hysterical news stories that charged computer games with a number of evils: eroding kids’ ability to distinguish fantasy from reality, encouraging them to imitate the actions represented in the games, and immuring them to the real-world consequences of violence. These claims were hardly new, and had in fact been directed at any number of violent popular entertainment genres over the years. What was new was the claim that the interactive nature of FPS games rendered them a form of simulated weapons training. What was also striking about the discourse surrounding the Littleton shooting was just how little the journalists covering the story knew about computer, console and arcade games. Nevertheless, their approach to the issue encouraged readers to see games as having real life analogs. Media discussion of the event also reinforced the notion of a connection with military training techniques, making extensive use of Lt. Col. (ret) David Grossman, a former Army ranger and psychologist who led the charge in claiming that games were “mass-murder simulators” (Gittrich, AA06). This controversy over the role of violent computer games in the Columbine murders is part of a larger cultural discourse that adopts the logical fallacy characteristic of moral panics: coincidence equals causation. Yet the impoverished discussion of online death and destruction is also due in no small measure to an entrenched hostility toward popular entertainment as a whole, a hostility that is evident even in the work of some academic critics who study popular culture. Andrew Darley, for example, argues that, never has the flattening of meaning or depth in the traditional aesthetic sense of these words been so pronounced as in the action-simulation genres of the computer game: here, aesthetic experience is tied directly to the purely sensational and allied to tests of physical dexterity (143). In this view, the repeated experience of death is merely a part of the overall texture of a form characterised not so much by narrative as by compulsive repetition. More generally, computer games are seen by many critics as the pernicious, paradigmatic instance of the colonisation of individual consciousness by cultural spectacle. According to this Frankfurt school-influenced critique (most frequently associated with the work of Guy Debord), spectacle serves both to mystify and pacify its audience: The more the technology opens up narrative possibilities, the less there is for the audience to do. [. . .]. When the spectacle conceals the practice of the artists who create it, it [announces]…itself as an expression of a universe beyond human volition and effort (Filewood 24). In supposedly sapping its audience’s critical faculties by bombarding them with a technological assault whose only purpose is to instantiate a deterministic worldview, spectacle is seen by its critics as exemplifying the work of capitalist ideology which teaches people not to question the world around them by establishing, in Althusser’s famous phrase, an “imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of their existence” (162). The desensitisation thesis is thus part of a larger discourse that considers computer games paradoxically to be both escapist and as having real-world effects. With regard to online death, neo-Marxism meets neo-Freudianism: players are seen as hooked on the thrill not only of destroying others but also of self-destruction. Death is thus considered the terminus of all narrative possibility, and the participation of individuals in fantasy-death and mayhem is seen to lead inevitably to several kinds of cultural death: the death of “family values,” the death of community, the death of individual responsibility, and—given the characterisation of FPS games in particular as lacking in plot and characterisation—the death of storytelling. However, it is less productive to approach computer, arcade and console games as vehicles for force-feeding content with pre-determined cultural effects than it is to understand them as venues within and around which players stage a variety of theatrical performances. Thus even the bêtes noire of the mainstream media, first-person shooters, serve as vehicles for a variety of interactions ranging from the design of new sounds, graphics and levels, new “skins” for player characters, the formation of “tribes” or “clans” that fight and socialise together, and the creation of elaborate fan fictions. This idea that narrative does not simply “happen” within the immediate experience of playing the game, but is in fact produced by a dynamic interplay of interactions for which the game serves as a focus, also suggests a very different way of looking at the role of death online. Far from being the logical endpoint, the inevitable terminus of all narrative possibility, death becomes the indispensable starting point for narrative. In single-player games, for example, the existence of the simple “save game” function—differing from simply putting the game board to one side in that the save function allows the preservation of the game world in multiple temporal states—generates much of the narrative and dramatic range of computer games. Generally a player saves the game because he or she is facing an obstacle that may result in death; saving the game at that point allows the player to investigate alternatives. Thus, the ever-present possibility of death in the game world becomes the origin of all narratives based on forward investigation. In multiplayer and MMOG environments, where the players have no control over the save game state, it is nevertheless the possibility of a mode of forward projection that gives the experience its dramatic intensity. Flight simulation games in particular are notoriously difficult to master; the experience of serial death, therefore, becomes the necessary condition for honing your flying skills, trying out different tactics in a variety of combat situations, trying similar tactics in different aircraft, and so on. The experience of online death creates a powerful narrative impulse, and not only in those situations where death is serialised and guaranteed. A sizable proportion of the flight sim communities of both Warbirds and Aces High participate in specially designed scenario events that replicate a specific historical air combat event (the Battle of Britain, the Coral Sea, USAAF bomber operations in Europe, etc.) as closely as possible. What makes these scenarios so compelling for many players is that they are generally “one life” events: once the player is dead, they are out for the rest of the event and this creates an intense experience that is completely unlike flying in the everyday free-for-all arenas. The desensitisation thesis notwithstanding, there is little evidence that this narrative investment in death produces a more casual attitude toward real-life death amongst MMOG players. For example, when real-world death intrudes, simulation players often reach for the same rituals of comfort and acknowledgement that are employed offline. Recently, when an Aces High player died unexpectedly of heart failure at the age of 35, his squadron held an elaborate memorial event in his honor. Over a hundred players bailed out over an aerodrome—bailing out is the only way that a player in Aces High can acquire a virtual human body—and lined the edges of the runway as members of the dead player’s squad flew the missing man formation overhead (GrimmCAF). The insistence upon bodily presence in the context of a classic military ceremony marking irrecoverable absence suggests the way in which the connections between real and virtual worlds are experienced by players: as tensions, but also as points where identities are negotiated. This example does not seem to indicate that everyday familiarity with virtual death has dulled the players’ sensibilities to the sorrow and loss accompanying death in the real world. I began this article talking about death in simulation MMOGs for a number of reasons. In the first place, MMOGs are more commonly identified with their role-playing examples (MMORPGs) such as Ultima Online and Everquest, games that focus on virtual community-building and exploration in addition to violence and conquest. By contrast, simulation games tend to be seen as having more in common with first-person shooters like Quake, in the way in which they foreground the experience of serial death. Secondly, it is precisely the connection between simulation and death that makes games in general (as I demonstrated in relation to the media coverage of the Columbine murders) so problematic. In response, I would argue that one of the most interesting aspects of computer games recently has been the degree to which generic distinctions have been breaking down. MMORPGs, which had their roots in the Dungeons and Dragons gaming world, and the text-based world of MUDs and MOOs have since developed sophisticated third-person and even first-person representational styles to facilitate both peaceful character interactions and combat. Likewise, first-person shooters have begun to add role-playing elements (see, for example, Looking Glass Studios’ superb System Shock 2 (1999) or Lucasarts' Jedi Knight series). This trend has also been incorporated into simulation MMOGs: World War II Online includes a rudimentary set of character-tracking features, and Aces High has just announced a more ambitious expansion whose major focus will be the incorporation of role-playing elements. I feel that MMOGs in particular are all evolving towards a state that I would describe as “simulance:” simulations that, while they may be associated with a nominal representational reality, are increasingly about exploring the narrative possibilities, the mechanisms of theatrical engagement for self and community of simulation itself. Increasingly, none of the terms "simulation,” "role-playing" or indeed “game” quite captures the texture of these evolving experiences. In their complex engagement with both scripted and extemporaneous narrative, the players have more in common with period re-enactors; the immersive power of a well-designed flight simulator scenario produces a feeling in players akin to the “period rush” experienced by battlefield re-enactors, the frisson between awareness of playing a role and surrendering completely to the momentary power of its illusory reality. What troubles critics about simulations (and what also blinds them to the narrative complexity in other forms of computer games) is that they are indeed not simply examples of re-enactment —a re-staging of supposedly real events—but a generative form of narrative enactment. Computer games, particularly large-scale online games, provide a powerful set of theatrical tools with which players and player communities can help shape narratives and deepen their own narrative investment. Obviously, they are not isolated from real-world cultural factors that shape and constrain narrative possibility. However, we are starting to see the way in which the games use the idea of virtual death as the generative force for new storytelling frameworks based, in Filewood’s terms, on forward investigation. As games begin to move out of their incunabular state, they may contribute to the re-shaping of culture and consciousness, as other narrative platforms have done. Far from causing the downfall of civilisation, game-based narratives may bring with them a greater cultural awareness of simultaneous narrative possibility, of the past as sets of contingent phenomena, and a greater attention to practical, hands-on experimental problem-solving. It would be ironic, but no great surprise, if a form built around the creative possibilities inherent in serial death in fact made us more attentive to the rich alternative possibilities of living. Works Cited Aces High. HiTech Creations, 2002. http://www.bartleby.com/201/1.html Althusser, Louis. “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes Toward an Investigation).” Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays. By Louis Althusser, trans. Ben Brewster. New York, 1971. 127-86. Barry, Ellen. “Games Feared as Youths’ Basic Training; Industry, Valued as Aid to Soldiers, on Defensive.” The Boston Globe 29 Apr 1999: A1. LexisNexis. Feb. 7, 2003. Cornered Rat Software. World War II Online: Blitzkrieg. Strategy First, 2001. http://www.wwiionline.com/ Darley, Andrew. Visual Digital Culture: Surface Play and Spectacle in New Media Genres. London: Routledge, 2000. Debord, Guy. The Society of the Spectacle. Donald Nicholson-Smith. New York: Zone Books, 1994. 1967. Der Derian, James. “The Simulation Syndrome: From War Games to Game Wars.” Social Text 8.2 (1990): 187-92. Filewood, Alan. “C:\Games\Dramaturgy: The Cybertheatre of Computer Games.” Canadian Theatre Review 81 (Winter 1994): 24-28. Gittrich, Greg. “Expert Differs with Kids over Video Game Effects.” The Denver Post 27 Apr 1999: AA-06. LexisNexis. Feb. 7 2003. GrimmCAF. “MojoCAF’s Memorial Flight.” Aces High BB, 13 Dec. 2002. http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/sh... IEntertainment Network. Warbirds III. Simon and Schuster Interactive, 2002.http://www.totalsims.com/index.php?url=w... Jenkins, Henry, comp. “Voices from the Combat Zone: Game Grrlz Talk Back.” From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games. Ed. Justine Cassell and Henry Jenkins. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT P, 1998. 328-41. Lieberman, Joseph I. “The Social Impact of Music Violence.” Statement Before the Governmental Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Oversight, 1997. http://www.senate.gov/member/ct/lieberma... Feb. 7 2003. Murray, Janet H. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. New York: Free, 1997. Poole, Steven. Trigger Happy: Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2000. Pyro. “AH2 FAQ.” Aces High BB, 29 Jan. 2003. Internet. http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/sh... Feb. 8 2003. Links http://www.wwiionline.com/ http://www.idsoftware.com/games/doom/ http://www.hitechcreations.com/ http://www.totalsims.com/index.php?url=wbiii/content_home.php http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;threadid=77265 http://www.senate.gov/member/ct/lieberman/releases/r110697c.html http://www.idsoftware.com/games/wolfenstein http://www.idsoftware.com/games/quake/ http://www.ea.com/eagames/official/moh_alliedassault/home.jsp http://www.jaleco.com/fighterace/index.html http://www.bartleby.com/201/1.html http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;threadid=72560 Citation reference for this article Substitute your date of access for Dn Month Year etc... MLA Style Mullen, Mark. "It Was Not Death for I Stood Up…and Fragged the Dumb-Ass MoFo Who'd Wasted Me" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 6.1 (2003). Dn Month Year < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0302/03-itwasnotdeath.php>. APA Style Mullen, M., (2003, Feb 26). It Was Not Death for I Stood Up…and Fragged the Dumb-Ass MoFo Who'd Wasted Me. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture, 6,(1). Retrieved Month Dn, Year, from http://www.media-culture.org.au/0302/03-itwasnotdeath.html

Resumen La resección transanal miniinvasiva ha mejorado los resultados de las resecciones transanales clásicas. Estas técnicas se han difundido en los últimos años debido al desarrollo del TAMIS (trans anal minimally invasive surgery), que consiste en un puerto multicanal transanal por el que se introduce instrumental laparoscópico clásico. Debido a esto, no sólo ha aumentado el número de procedimientos transanales realizados, sino también sus indicaciones, incluyendo un amplio abanico de patologías. En esta publicación destacamos su rol como procedimiento miniinvasivo de exéresis de un adenocarcinoma rectal insuficientemente resecado luego de un procedimiento endoscópico, permitiendo un estudio adecuado de la lesión. Se describirán los principales detalles de la técnica y sus resultados Introducción El equilibrio para lograr un tratamiento adecuado y mantener la calidad de vida ha derivado en el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas y tecnologías. Las técnicas transanales combinadas con el abordaje endoscópico surgen como alternativa a la resección local convencional.(1) En 1988, Buess et al.,(2) describen la microcirugía endoscópica transanal (TEM: transanal endoscopic microsurgery) como ejemplo de cirugía por orificios naturales y posteriormente surge la cirugía endoscópica transanal (TEO: transanal endoscopic operation). Estas técnicas permitieron mejorar la visibilidad y calidad de la resección, así como tratar lesiones rectales más proximales.(3) El TAMIS (trans anal minimally invasive surgery) surge a partir del desarrollo de la cirugía mininvasiva de puerto único (single port). Descrita en 2010 por Atallah y cols.(4) como una alternativa al TEM/TEO, consiste en la utilización de un puerto único multicanal transanal combinado con el uso de instrumental laparoscópico.(5) Esto ha facilitado su desarrollo y permitido ampliar las indicaciones de lesiones pasibles de resección transanal incluyendo: lesiones benignas, tumores neuroendócrinos, tumores del estroma gastrointestinal (GIST), resección con criterio curativo en adenocarcinomas rectales T1, reseccion de tumores T2 (casos individualizados), resecciones no oncológicas en pacientes con elevado riesgo quirúrgico o por elección propia, exéresis biópsica de la “cicatriz” de una lesión rectal luego del tratamiento neoadyuvante.(1) En este caso, destacamos su rol como coadyuvante de la resección endoscópica frente a resecciones insuficientes (superficiales, márgenes insuficientes, fragmentación). Método Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 68 años a la que durante una videocolonoscopia se le reseca un polipo rectal sésil localizado a 7 cm del margen anal (foto 1). El informe histológico refleja la resección endoscópica incompleta de un adenocarcinoma de recto bajo, con infiltración submucosa de 4 mm de profundidad y márgenes de resección comprometidos. Se decide realizar una resonancia nuclear magnética de recto (foto 2) y la resección de espesor parietal total por TAMIS para estudio completo de la lesión. Procedimiento bajo anestesia general. Previamente, ayuno y preparación retrógrada del recto para la correcta visualización de la lesión. Profilaxis antibiótica con Ampicilina-Sulbactam. Paciente en posición ginecológica y Trendelemburg optimizando la visión de la luz rectal. El monitor se coloca hacia la cabeza del paciente, el cirujano entre las piernas a derecha y el asistente a izquierda. El tacto rectal no evidencia lesiones. Esfínter normotónico. Dilatación anal suave para facilitar la colocación del dispositivo y disminuir el riesgo de trauma esfintérico. Introducción del GelPOINT PathÒ plegado, lubricado. Fijación a la piel para evitar su rotación o explusión, minimizando el trauma del canal anal (foto 3). Colocación de la tapa hermética de gel y los tres puertos de acceso. En el puerto central se coloca la óptica y en los otros dos, los instrumentos laparoscópicos. El insuflador se conecta en el trócar más superior para evitar que el flujo de CO2 “salpique” la óptica con el líquido acumulado en el sector declive del recto. Conexión del GelPOINT PathÒ a una bolsa de estabilización para mantener una cavidad estable. Neumorrecto a 12 mmHg. Identificación de cicatriz de polipectomía en cara posterolateral derecha, a 7cm del margen anal. Realce de la lesión con azul de Metileno (foto 4). Marcado circunferencial de la misma con electrobisturí (margen de 1 cm). La resección comienza a la hora 6 avanzando por ambos lados hasta el sector proximal. Esta maniobra facilita la disección del margen en profundidad. Se toma la pieza por mucosa sana para evitar su fragmentación, asegurando una pieza única y con margen adecuado (foto 5). Extracción de la lesión retirando la tapa del dispositivo y se repera para su estudio anatomopatológico (foto 6). Cierre de la brecha rectal con sutura barbada 3-0 (V-Loc TM, Covidien, Mansfield, MA). Postoperatorio sin incidentes. Alta el mismo día. Resultado anatomopatológico: cicatriz inflamatoria sin malignidad. Fotos 1. Se observa la cicatriz de aspecto nacarado, con fibrosis convergente. Foto 2. Obsérvese el engrosamiento mucoso en cara posterolateral izquierda. Foto 3. Colocación de la plataforma y comienzo de la cirugía. Foto 4. Realce de la lesión con azul de Metileno. Foto 5. Comienzo de la disección. Foto 6. Resección completa. Marcado de la pieza para anatomía patológica. Discusión El desarrollo del TEM/TEO, trajo un cambio en la indicación y resultados de la cirugía transanal.(3) Asimismo, permitió el tratamiento de lesiones en todos los sectores del recto y colon sigmoides distal, con mejores resultados que la cirugía transanal convencional. El TAMIS surge como alternativa al TEM/TEO presentando ciertas ventajas: menor costo; plataforma más facil de colocar; uso de instrumental laparoscópico; campo visual de 360º (vs 220º del TEM); no requiere cambios de posición del paciente (con posibilidad de abordaje intraperitoneal combinado) y curva de aprendizaje corta para cirujanos expertos en laparoscopía.(1,3,4,5,6) Además de la resección de tumores rectales, se ha descrito su uso para la reparación de fístulas rectoureterales, hemostasis de lesión de Dielafoy rectal, reparación de fallas de suturas colo o ileorrectales, extracción de cuerpos extraños y abordajes transcolostomía.(7) Actualmente, existe un renovado interés en TAMIS debido al desarrollo de la escisión mesorrectal total transanal (ta-TME) combinado con resección laparoscópica intraabdominal, facilitando la escisión completa del mesorrecto, cuya disección es dificultosa por vía abdominal exclusiva,(6,8) En esta publicación, comunicamos también su valor en la resección de cicatrices rectales de procedimientos endoscópicas insuficientes. En TAMIS, las dos plataformas más utilizadas son: SILS portÒ (Covidien, Mansfield, Massachusetts, EEUU) y GelPoint PathÒ (Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, California, EEUU).(6) Su material flexible basado en un elastómero termoplástico permite ajustar instrumentos laparoscópicos de diferente tamaño. Se adapta al canal anal disminuyendo la distensión del esfínter y, gracias al material de confección, genera un sistema de sellado que minimiza la pérdida de CO2. La menor longitud en comparación al TEM, permite mayor angulación y movimiento de las pinzas durante el procedimiento. 4,7) Una de las dificultades técnicas relacionadas al TAMIS es la inestablidad del neumorrecto por el flujo pulsátil del insuflador. En los últimos años se han desarrollado dispositivos como el insuflador Airseal TM y las bolsas estabilizadoras de gas, como la que hemos utilizado. Esto crea un neumorrecto estable, evitando el flujo rítmico y el colapso de la luz rectal, facilitando el procedimiento.(9) El neumorrecto suele realizarse a 15 mmHg con flujo alto, para lograr una adecuada distensión.(6) Para la resección con márgenes adecuados, destacamos la utilidad del realce de la lesión con tinción vital como el azul de Metileno.(10) Esto permite diferenciar mejor el área patológica de la mucosa normal, facilitando el marcado de la lesión con un margen seguro de 5-10 mm.(3) La resección en profundidad dependerá del tipo de lesión. En las resecciones anteriores de espesor parietal completo debe tenerse cuidado de no lesionar la vagina, la uretra/próstata. Es preferible la utilización del electrobisturí para visualizar los planos de disección, si bien pueden utilizarse otros métodos de hemostasis. La pieza obtenida debe ser única y marcarse adecuadamente para su estudio anatomopatológico.(6) Un punto controversial es el cierre de la brecha rectal a nivel subperitoneal. Las últimas publicaciones recomiendan que debe intentarse siempre que sea posible. En cirujanos experimentados y centros de alto volumen se observa una tendencia a realizar el cierre parietal. Puede utilizarse una sutura barbada 2-0 o 3-0 que facilita la maniobra.(3) Como ventajas, habría menos complicaciones fundamentalmente hemorrágicas y aumentaría la velocidad de cicatrización. Sin embargo, esto no esta completamente demostrado y el cierre puede ser dificultoso.(6) En cuanto a los resultados, el TAMIS tiene resultados similares a otras técnicas endoscópicas de cirugía transanal. (18) Los porcentajes de resección incompleta o de fragmentación varían según las series, pero son mejores en comparación a la resección local clásica. Se reportan mayores márgenes de resección R0 (88-90% para la resección endoscópica vs 55% local clásica), menor fragmentación (1.4% vs 24%) y menor recurrencia local acumulada (4-6% a 20% vs 29%).(1,3,4) La morbilidad global con las resecciones endoscópicas transanales varía entre el 7 y 31% en distintos reportes. Esta variabilidad depende de los criterios utilizados para su evaluación. Afortunadamente, más de la mitad son leves y no requieren tratamiento.(3) Dentro de las complicaciones más relevantes destacamos: la hemorragia y la incontinencia. La hemorragia es la complicación más frecuente (1-13%) y se asocia a dejar abierta la brecha rectal. Generalmente es leve y se detiene espontáneamente. En cuanto a la incontinencia, se ha reportado una incidencia de 10%, de grado variable. Está dada fundamentalmente por la dilatación anal y colocación de la plataforma.(7) Sin embargo, los últimos estudios han mostrado alteraciones prinicpalmente manométricas sin traducción clínica. Se ha reportado tanto para TEM como para para TAMIS.(5) La dehiscencia de la línea de sutura y el desarrollo de abscesos perirrectales se observa en 5% de los casos. Este porcentaje aumenta en pacientes sometidos a neoadyuvancia. Las lesiones uretrales/vaginales se ven en 5,8%. La perforación intraperitoneal en resecciones altas puede repararse por abordaje transanal o laparoscópico abdominal simultáneo.(3) Otras complicaciones poco frecuentes son: estenosis anal, fístulas rectovaginales, lesiones vasculares y nerviosas, embolia gaseosa, neumoretroperitoneo, retención aguda de orina, dolor, fiebre.(7) Conclusión Gracias a la accesibilidad y familiaridad de los materiales laparoscópicos para el cirujano, el TAMIS ha permitido extender la aplicación de los procedimientos endoscópicos por vía transanal, con una mejor calidad de resección que la técnica transanal convencional. Esto permite ampliar sus indicaciones, como en este caso, que se utilizó para la resección de un tumor rectal luego de una resección endoscópica insuficiente, permitiendo su estudio anatomopatológico completo, definiendo la conducta terapéutica. Bibliografía Moreira A, Zapata G, Bollo C, Morales R, Sarotto L. TAMIS: ¿Un nuevo estándar para el tratamiento de los pólipos de recto? Revisión de la bibliografía y reporte de nuestra experiencia. Rev Argent Coloproct (2019) 30(1): 1-11. Buess G, Kipfmüller K, Hack D, Grüssner R, Heintz A, Junginger T. Technique of transanal endoscopic microsurgery. Surg Endosc (1988) 2(2): 71-75. Rossi G. Relato oficial. Resecciones transanales: pasado, presente y futuro. Rev Argent Coloproct (2019) 30(3): 1-77. Atallah S, Albert M, Larach S. Transanal minimally invasive surgery: A giant leap forward. Surg Endosc (2010) 24: 2200-2205. Villanueva JA, Alarcón L, Jiménez B. Cirugía endoscópica transanal: nuevas alternativas con instrumentos de cirugía laparoscópica convencional. In: http://www.medigraphic.com/cirugiaendoscopica. (2011) 14(4): 174-179. Quinteros F, Thiruppathy K, Albert M. Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery (TAMIS): operative technique, pitfalls and tips. In: Minimally invasive approaches to colon and rectal diseases: technique and best practices. Ross HM et al. (eds), Springer Science + Buisness Media New York (2015) 25: 283-91. Heras MA, Cantero R. Cirugía transanal a través de puerto único (TAMIS). Revisión frente otras técnicas de excisión endoscópica de lesiones rectales. Rev Argent coloproct (2013) 2: 55-60. Arroyave MC, De Lacy B, Lacy AM. Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) for rectal cancer: step by step description of the surgical technique for a two-teams approach. Eur J Surg Oncol (2017) 43(2): 502-505. doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2016.10.024.Epub 2016 Nov 20. Waheed A, Miles A, Kelly J, Monson JRT, Motl JS, Albert M. Insufflation stabilization bag (ISB): a cost-effective approach for stable pneumorectum using a modified CO2 insufflation reservoir for TAMIS and taTME. Tech Coloproctol (2017) 21: 897-900. Moreira Grecco A, Dip F, Sarotto L. Methylene blue TAMIS guided procedure facilitates adenomatous polyps resection. In: https://www.sages.org/meetings/annual-meeting/abstracts-archive/methylen-blue-tamis-guided-procedure-facilitates-adenomatous-polyps-resection/.

Introdução: A transmissão SARS-CoV-2 de humano para humano pode ocorrer e o risco de propagação no ar durante os procedimentos odontológicos geradores de aerossóis permanece uma preocupação. Acredita-se que um enxaguatório bucal antimicrobiano pré-operacional reduza o número de micróbios orais. No entanto, a eficácia do enxaguatório bucal pré-procedimento na redução do número de microrganismos disseminados por meio do aerossol gerado por procedimentos odontológicos ainda não está clara. Objetivo: avaliar através de uma revisão de literatura o uso de enxaguantes bucais na redução da carga viral do SARS-CoV-2. Materiais e Método: O levantamento literário para esta pesquisa foi realizado no período de dezembro de 2019 a 10 de agosto de 2020 nas bases de dados Scielo e Medline/PubMed. Na estratégia de busca, foram utilizadas as palavras “SARS-CoV-2”, “2019-nCoV”, “COVID-19”, “Dentistry”, “Odontologia”, “Odontología”, “Mouthwashes”, “Antissépticos Bucais” e “Antisépticos Bucales”. Resultados: Uma busca sistematizada foi realizada, foram encontrados 661 artigos, após a realização da leitura criteriosa dos artigos completos foram selecionados 42 artigos. 88% dos estudos indicavam o uso de Peróxido de hidrogênio a 1%, 76% indicavam Povidine 0,2% e apenas 19% o uso da Clorexidina a 0,12%. Conclusão: Os estudos presentes na literatura apresentam divergências nas indicações e porcentagens dos enxaguantes indicados. Os protocolos clínicos devem ser avaliados para reduzir o risco de transmissão e proteger pacientes e profissionais.Descritores: Infecções por Coronavírus; Betacoronavirus; Odontologia; Antissépticos Bucais.ReferênciasGe ZY, Yang LM, Xia JJ, Fu XH, Zhang YZ. Possible aerosol transmission of COVID-19 and special precautions in dentistry. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2020;21(5):361-68. Peng X, Xu X, Li Y, Cheng L, Zhou X, Ren B. Transmission routes of 2019-nCoV and controls in dental practice. 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Introduction Japan has long been cited as a major source of cute (kawaii) culture as it has spread around the world, as encapsulated in Christine R. Yano’s phrase ‘Pink Globalization’. This essay charts recent developments in Japanese society through the cute character Rilakkuma, a character produced by San-X (a competitor to Sanrio, which produces the famed Hello Kitty). His name means ‘relaxed bear’, and Rilakkuma and friends are featured in comics, games and other products, called kyarakutā shōhin (also kyarakutā guzzu, which both mean ‘character goods’). Rilakkuma is pictured relaxing, sleeping, eating sweets, and listening to music; he is not only lazy, but he is also unproductive in socio-economic terms. Yet, he is never censured for this lifestyle. He provides visual pleasure to those who buy these goods, but more importantly, Rilakkuma’s story charitably portrays a lifestyle that is fully consumptive with very little, if any, productivity. Rilakkuma’s reified consumption is certainly in line with many earlier analyses of shōjo (young girl) culture in Japan, where consumerism is considered ‘detached from the productive economy of heterosexual reproduction’ (Treat, 281) and valued as an end in itself. Young girl culture in Japan has been both critiqued and celebrated in in opposition to the economic productivity as well as the emotional emptiness and weakening social prestige of the salaried man (Roberson and Suzuki, 9-10). In recent years, ideal masculinity has been further critiqued with the rise of the sōshokukei danshi (‘grass-eating men’) image: today’s Japanese male youth appear to have no appetite for the ‘meat’ associated with heteronormative, competitively capitalistic male roles (Steger 2013). That is not to say all gender roles have vanished; instead, social and economic precarity has created a space for young people to subvert them. Whether by design or by accident, Rilakkuma has come to represent a Japanese consumer maintaining some standard of emotional equilibrium in the face of the instability that followed the Tōhoku earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in early 2011. A Relaxed Bear in a Precarious Japan Certainly much has been written about the ‘lost decade(s)’ in Japan, or the unraveling of the Japanese postwar miracle since the early 1990s in a variety of unsettling ways. The burst of the ‘bubble economy’ in 1991 led to a period of low or no economic growth, uncertain employment conditions and deflation. Because of Japan’s relative wealth and mature economic system, this was seen a gradual process that Mark Driscoll calls a shift from the ‘so-called Japan Inc. of the 1980s’ to ‘“Japan Shrink” of the 2010s and 2020s’ (165). The Japanese economy was further troubled by the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, and then the Tōhoku disasters. These events have contributed to Japan’s state of ambivalence, as viewed by both its citizens and by external observers. Despite its relative wealth, the nation continues to struggle with deflation (and its corresponding stagnation of wages), a deepening chasm between the two-tier employment system of permanent and casual work, and a deepening public mistrust of corporate and governing authorities. Some of this story is not ‘new’; dual employment practices have existed throughout Japan’s postwar history. What has changed, however, is the attitudes of casual workers; it is now thought to be much more difficult, if not impossible, to shift from low paid, insecure casual labour to permanent, secure positions. The overall unemployment rate remains low precisely because the number of temporary and part time workers has increased, as much as one third of all workers in 2012 (The Japan Times). The Japanese government now concedes that ‘the balance of working conditions between regular and non-regular workers have therefore become important issues’ (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare); many see this is not only a distinction between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, but also of a generational shift of those who achieved secure positions before the ‘lost decade’, and those who came after. Economic, political, environmental and social insecurity have given rise to a certain level public malaise, not conducive to a robust consumer culture. Enter Rilakkuma: he, like many other cute characters in Japan, entices the consumer to feel good about spending – or perhaps, to feel okay about spending? – in this precarious time of underemployment and uncertainty about the future. ‘Cute’ Characters: Attracting as Well as Attractive Cute (‘kawaii’) culture in Japan is not just aesthetic; it includes ‘a turn to emotion and even sentimentality, in some of the least likely places’ (Yano, 7). Cute kyarakutā are not just sentimentally attractive; they are more precisely attracting images which are used to sell these character goods: toys, household objects, clothing and stationery. Occhi writes that many kyarakutā are the result of an ‘anthropomorphization’ of objects or creatures which ‘guide the user towards specific [consumer] behaviors’ (78). While kyarakutā would be created first to sell a product, in the end, the character’s popularity at times can eclipse the product’s value, and the character thus becomes ‘pure product’, as in the case of Hello Kitty (Yano, 10). Most characters, however, merely function as ‘specific representatives of a product or service rendered mentally “sticky” through narratives, wordplay and other specialized aspects of their design’ (Occhi, 86). Miller refers to this phenomenon as ‘Japan’s zoomorphic urge’, and argues that etiquette guides and public service posters, which frequently use cute and cuddly animals in the place of humans, is done to ‘render […] potentially dangerous or sensitive topics as safe and acceptable’ (69). Cuteness instrumentally turns away from negative aspects of society, whether it is the demonstration of etiquette rules in public, or the portrayal of an underemployed or unemployed person watching TV at home, as in Rilakkuma. Thus we see a revitalization of the cute zeitgeist in Japanese consumerism in products such as the Rilakkuma franchise, produced by San-X, a company that produces and distributes ‘stationary [sic], sundry goods, merchandises [sic], and paper products with original design.’ (San-X Net). Who Is Rilakkuma? According to the company’s ‘fan’ books, written in response to the popularity of Rilakkuma’s character goods (Nakazawa), the background story of Rilakkuma is as follows: one day, a smallish bear found its way unexplained into the apartment of a Japanese OL (office lady) named Kaoru. He spends his time ‘being of no use to Kaoru, and is actually a pest by lying around all day doing nothing… his main concerns are meals and snacks. He seems to hate the summer [heat].’ Other activities include watching television, listening to music, taking long baths, and tossing balls of paper into the rubbish bin (Nakazawa, 4). His comrades are Korilakkuma (loosely translated as ‘Little Rilakkuma’) and Kiiroitori (simply, ‘Yellow Bird’). Korilakkuma is a smaller and paler version of Rilakkuma; like her friend, she appears in Kaoru’s apartment for no reason. She is described as liking to pull pranks (itazuradaisuki) and is comparatively more energetic (genki) than Rilakkuma; her main activities are imitating Rilakkuma and looking for someone with whom to play (6). Lastly, Kiiroitori is a small yellow bird resembling a chick, and seems to be the only character of the three who has any ‘right’ to reside in Kaoru’s apartment. Kiiroitori was a pet bird residing in cage before the appearance of these two bears, but after Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma set themselves up in her small apartment, Kiiroitori was liberated from his cage and flies in the faces of lazy Rilakkuma and mischievous Korilakkuma (7). Kiiroitori likes tidiness, and is frequently cleaning up after the lazy bears, and he can be short tempered about this (ibid). Kiiroitori’s interests include the charming but rather thrifty ‘finding spare change while cleaning up’ and ‘bear climbing’, which is enjoyed primarily for its annoyance to the bears (ibid). Fig. 1: Korilakkuma, Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori, in 10-year anniversary attire (photo by author). This narrative behind these character goods is yet another aspect of their commodification (in other words, their management, distribution and copyright protection). The information presented ­– the minute details of the characters’ existence, illustrated with cute drawings and calligraphy – enriches the consumer process by deepening the consumers’ interaction with the product. How does the story become as attractive as the cute character? One of the striking characteristics of the ‘official’ Rilakkuma discourse is the sense of ‘ikinari yattekita’ (things happening ‘out of the blue’; Nakazawa 22), or ‘naru yō ni narimasu’ (‘whatever will be will be’; 23) reasoning behind the narrative. Buyers want to know how and why these cute characters come into being, but there is no answer. To some extent, this vagueness reflects the reality of authorship: the characters were first conceptualized by a designer at San-X named Kondō Aki, who left the company soon after Rilakkuma’s debut in 2003 (Akibako). But this ‘out of the blue’ quality of the characters strikes a chord in many consumers’ view of their own lives: why are we here? what are we doing, and why do we do it? The existence of these characters and the reasons for their traits and preferences are inexplicable. There is no reason why or how Rilakkuma came to be – instead, readers are told that to just relax, ‘go with the flow’, and ‘what can be done today can always be done tomorrow’. Procrastination would normally be considered meiwaku, or bothersome to others who depend on you. In Productive Japan, this behavior is not valued. In Precarious Japan, however, underemployment and nonproductivity takes the pressure away from individuals to judge this behavior as negative. Procrastination shifts from meiwaku to normality, and to be transformed into kawaii culture, accepted and even celebrated as such. Rilakkuma is not the first Japanese pop cultural character to rub up against the hyper productive, gambaru (fight!) attitude associated with previous generations, with their associated tropes of the juken jikoku (exam preparation hell) for students, or the karōshi (death from overwork) salaried worker. An early example of this would be Chibi Marukochan (‘Little Maruko’), a comic character created in 1986 but whose popularity peaked in the 1990s. Maruko is an endearing but flawed primary school student who is cute and amusing, but also annoying and short tempered (Sakura). Flawed characters were frequently featured in Japanese popular culture, but Maruko was one of the first featured as heroine, not a jester-like sidekick. As an early example of Japanese cute, subversive characters, Maruko was often annoying and lazy, but she at least aspired to traits such as doing well in school and being a good daughter in her extended family. Rilakkuma, perhaps, demonstrates the extension of this cute but subversive hero/ine: when the stakes are lower (or at their lowest), so is the need for stress and anxiety. Taking it easy is the best option. Rilakkuma’s ‘charm point’ (chāmu pointo, which describes one’s personal appeal), is his transgressive cuteness, and this has paid off for San-X over the years in successful sales of his comic books as well as a variety of products (see fig. 2). Fig. 2: An example of some of the goods for sale in early 2014: a fleecy blanket, a 3d puzzle, note pads and stickers, decorative toggles for a school bag or purse, comic and ‘fan’ books, and a toy car (photo by the author). Over the decade between 2003 and 2013, San X has produced 51 volumes of Rilakkuma comics (Tonozuka, 37 – 42) and over 20 different series of stuffed animals (43 – 45); plus cushions, tote bags, tableware, stationery, and variety goods such as toilet paper holders, umbrellas and contact lens cases (46 – 52). While visiting the Rilakkuma themed shop in Tokyo Station in October 2013, a newly featured and popular product was the Rilakkuma ‘onesie’, a unisex and multipurpose outfit for adults. These products’ diversity are created to meet the consumer desires of Rilakkuma’s significant following in Japan; in a small-scale study of Japanese university students, researchers found that Rilakkuma was the number one nominated ‘favorite character’ (Nosu and Tanaka, 535). Furthermore, students claimed that the attractiveness of favorite characters were judged not just on their appearance, but also due to specific characteristics: ‘characters that are always idle, relaxed, stress-free’ and those ‘that have unusual behavior or stray from the right path’ (ibid) were cited as especially attractive/attracting. Just like Rilakkuma, these researchers found that young Japanese people – the demographic perhaps most troubled by an insecure economic future – are attracted to ‘characters that have flaws in some ways and are not merely cute’ (536). Where to, Rilakkuma? Miller, in her discussion of Japanese animal characters in a variety of cute cultural settings writes Non-human animals emerge as useful metaphors for humans, yet […] it is this aesthetic load rather than the lesson or the ideology behind the image that often becomes the center of our attention. […] However, I think it is useful to separate our analysis of zoomorphic images as vehicles for cuteness from their other possible uses and possible utility in many areas of culture (70). Similarly, we need to look beyond cute, and see what Miller terms as ‘the lesson’ behind the ‘aesthetic load’: here, how cuteness disguises social malaise and eases the shift from ‘Japan Inc.’ to ‘Japan Shrink’. When particular goods are ‘tied’ to other products, the message behind the ‘aesthetic load’ are complicated and deepened. Rilakkuma’s recent commercial (in)activity has been characterized by a variety of ‘tai uppu’ (tie ups), or promotional links between the Rilakkuma image and other similarly aligned products. Traditionally, tie ups in Japan have been most successful when formed between products that were associated with similar audiences and similar aesthetic preferences. We have seen tie ups, for example, between Hello Kitty and McDonald’s (targeting youthful fast food customers) since 1999 (Yano, 129). In ‘Japan Shrink’s’ competitive consumer market, tie ups are becoming more strategic, and all the more interesting. One of the troubled markets in Japan, as elsewhere, is the music industry. Shrinking expendable income coupled with a variety of downloading practices means the traditional popular music industry (primarily in the form of CDs) is in decline. In 2009, Rilakkuma began a co-badged campaign with Tower Records Japan – after all, listening to music is one of Rilakkuma’s listed favourite past times. TRJ was then independent from its failed US counterpart, and a major figure in the music retail scene despite disappointing CD sales since the late 1990s (Stevens, 85). To stir up consumer interest, TRJ offered objects, such as small dolls, towels and shopping bags, festooned with Rilakkuma images and phrases such as ‘Rilakkuma loves Tower Records’ and ‘Relaxed Tour 2012’ (Tonozuka, 72 – 73). Rilakkuma, in a familiar pose lying back with his arms crossed behind his head, but surrounded by musical notes and the phrase ‘No Music, No Life’ (72), presents compact image of the consumer zeitgeist of the day: one’s ikigai (reason for living) is clearly contingent on personal enjoyment, despite Japan’s music industry woes. Rilakkuma also enjoys a close relationship with the ubiquitous convenience store Lawson, which has over 11,000 individual stores throughout Japan and hundreds more overseas (Lawson, Corporate Information). Japanese konbini (the Japanese term for convenience stores), unlike their North American or Australian counterparts, enjoy a higher consumer image in terms of the quality and variety of their products, thus symbolize a certain relaxed lifestyle, as per Merry I. White’s description of the ‘no hands housewife’ breezing through the evening meal preparations thanks to ready made dishes purchased at konbini (72). Japanese convenience stores sell a variety of products, but sweets (Rilakkuma’s favourite) take up a large proportion of shelf space in many stores. The most current ‘Rilakkuma x Lawson campaign’ was undertaken between September and November 2013. During this period, customers earned points to receive a free teacup; certainly Rilakkuma’s cuteness motivated consumers to visit the store to get the prize. All was not well with this tie up, however; complaints about cracked teacups resulted in an external investigation. Finding no causal relationship between construction and fault, Lawson still apologized and offered to exchange any of the approximately 1.73 million cups with an alternate prize for any consumers who so wished (Lawson, An Apology). The alternate prize was still cute in its pink colouring and kawaii character pattern, but it was a larger and much sturdier commuter type mug. Here we see that while Rilakkuma is relaxed, he is still aware of corporate Japan’s increasing sense of corporate accountability and public health. One last tie up demonstrates an unusual alliance between the Rilakkuma franchise and other cultural icons. 2013 marked the ten-year anniversary of Rilakkuma and friends, and this was marked by several prominent campaigns. In Kyoto, we saw Rilakkuma and friends adorning o-mamori (religious amulets) at the famed Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), a major temple in Kyoto (see fig. 3a). The ‘languid dream’ of the lazy bear is a double-edged symbol, contrasting with the disciplined practice of Buddhism and complying with a Zen-like dream state of the beauty of the grounds. Another ten-year anniversary campaign was the tie up between Rilakkuma and the 50 year anniversary of JR’s Yamanote Line, the ‘city loop’ in Tokyo. Fig. 3a: Kiiroitori sits atop Rilakkuma with Korilakkuma by their side at the Golden Pavillion, Kyoto. The top caption reads: ‘Relaxed bear, Languid at the Golden Pavilion; Languid Dream Travelogue’Fig. 3b: a key chain made to celebrate Rilakkuma’s appointment to the JR Line; still lazy, Rilakkuma lies on his side but wears a conductor’s cap. This tie up was certainly a coup, for the Yamanote Line is a significant part of 13 million Tokyo residents’ lives, as well as a visible fixture in the cultural landscape since the early postwar period. The Yamanote, with its distinctive light green coloring (uguisuiro, which translates literally to ‘nightingale [bird] colour’) has its own aesthetic: as one of the first modern train lines in the capital, it runs through all the major leisure districts and is featured in many popular songs and even has its own drinking game. This nostalgia for the past, coupled with the masculine, super-efficient former national railway’s system is thus juxtaposed with the lazy, feminized teddy bear (Rilakkuma is male, but his domain is feminine), linking a longing for the past with gendered images of production and consumption in the present. In figure 3b, we see Rilakkuma riding the Yamanote on his own terms (lying on his side, propped up by one elbow – a pose we would never see a JR employee take in public). This cheeky cuteness increases the iconic train’s appeal to its everyday consumers, for despite its efficiency, this line is severely overcrowded during peak hours and suffers from user malaise with respect to etiquette and safety issues. Life in contemporary Japan is no longer the bright, shiny ‘bubble’ of the 1980s. Japan is wrestling with internal and external demons: the nuclear crisis, the lagging economy, deteriorating relations with China, and a generation of young people who have never experienced the optimism of their parents’ generation. Dreamlike, Japan’s denizens move through the contours of their daily lives much as they have in the past, for major social structures remain for the most part in tact; instead, it is the vision of the future that has altered. In this environment, we can argue that kawaii aesthetics are all the more important, for if we are uncomfortable thinking about negative or depressing topics such as industries in decline, questionable consumer safety standards, and overcrowded trains, a cute bear can make it much more ‘bear’-able.ReferencesDriscoll, Mark. “Debt and Denunciation in Post-Bubble Japan: On the Two Freeters.” Cultural Critique 65 (2007): 164-187. Kondō Aki - akibako. “Profile [of Designer Aki Kondō].” 6 Feb. 2014 ‹http://www.akibako.jp/profile/›. Lawson. “Kigyō Jōhō: Kaisha Gaiyō [Corporate Information: Company Overview].” Feb. 2013. 10 Feb. 2014 ‹http://www.lawson.co.jp/company/corporate/about.html/›. Lawson. “Owabi to Oshirase: Rōson aki no rilakkuma fea keihin ‘rilakkuma tei magu’ hason no osore [An Apology and Announcement: Lawson’s Autumn Rilakkuma Fair Giveaway ‘Rilakkuma Tea Mug’ Concern for Damage.” 2 Dec. 2013. 10 Feb. 2014 ‹http://www.lawson.co.jp/emergency/detail/detail_84331.html›. 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