Journal articles on the topic 'Ballarat Mechanics' Institute History'

Background: Death by hanging is a vital health hazard worldwide; it is classified as violent mechanical deaths resulting from asphyxia. The manner of death in hanging is suicide in the majority of the cases, and accidental hanging is less common, and homicidal hanging is still less common. The study was aimed towards analyzing sociodemographic patterns, precipitating factors for committing hanging at Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), Ballari, India. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the mortuary of VIMS, Ballari, Karnataka, India. From January 01, 2016, to December 31, 2020, 356 alleged hanging cases were brought to the mortuary for postmortem examination, and the cause of death was attributed to hanging. The necessary data were collected with the help of history, inquest reports, meticulous postmortem examination, etc. The results were obtained after tabulating and data analyzed with a cross-sectional study. Results: Of 356 cases of hanging, the majority of the cases were in the age group of 31-40 years (140 patients; i.e., 39.32%). Male preponderance was detected in 235(66%) cases, and most victims have married 199(56%) subjects. Concerning seasonal variation, we noted that the maximum number of suicides by hanging was reported in July to September 141(39.60%). Out of 356 hanging cases, 178(50%) were employed. The predisposing factor was Chronic illness in 136(38.20 %) cases, followed by financial stress and psychological problems in 120(33.70%) and 50(14.04%) cases, respectively. Most of the victims belonged to the Hindu religion, 290(82%) cases. Moreover, 320(90%) of cases had no suicide note. Conclusion: Hanging is challenging to prevent due to numerous concomitant factors, but psychological counseling, economic support, and education can reduce the incidence of hanging.

Irish mechanics' institutes have received little attention from historians of science, but their history presents intriguing questions. Whereas industrialization, Protestant dissent and the politics of liberal social reformers have been identified as crucial for the development of mechanics' institutes in Britain, their influence in Ireland was regionally limited. Nonetheless, many unindustrialized, provincial, largely Catholic Irish towns had mechanics' institutes in the first half of the nineteenth century. This paper investigates the history of the two mechanics' institutes of Galway, founded in 1826 and 1840, and analyses how local and national contexts affected the establishment, function and development of a provincial Irish mechanics' institute. Situating these institutes within the changing social and political constellations of early and mid-nineteenth-century Ireland, it shows how Catholic emancipation, the temperance movement and different strands of Irish nationalism affected approaches to the uses of science and science education in Ireland.

The Dublin Mechanics’ Institute (1824–1919), like others of its kind, was established with the declared purpose of providing technical education to the city’s working classes. While its educational objectives were at best partially achieved, the Institute made a significant contribution to the development of Dublin’s public sphere. Especially after 1848, when the Institute acquired the building that would later become the Abbey Theatre, its premises became a hybrid space where the lower middle and working classes could not only attend courses and lectures, but also receive political training on the managing board, organise their own public events at the lecture hall and negotiate relations with their ‘social betters’ in the common area of the reading room. This article looks at the Dublin Mechanics’ Institute through the different venues it occupied between 1824 and 1904, in order to examine the connection between the provision and regulation of physical space and the development of civic and political culture. It argues that the Institute, far from representing a history of failure, must be understood as a key piece in the incorporation of the lower middle and working classes to Irish civic life during the middle decades of the nineteenth century.

The article is devoted to an important period in the history of agricultural engineering education at Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy – the 120-year history of the Agricultural Machinery Department of the Institute of Mechanical and Power Engineering named after V.P. Goryachkin. The authors distinguish six stages of the Department’s development – from its origin in the depths of the Petrovsky Agricultural and Forestry Academy, the Department’s establishment at the Moscow Agricultural Institute in 1901, and its development in the 20th-21st centuries. Particular attention focuses on the contribution of the founder and longterm head of the Department, academician V.P. Goryachkin – his developing agricultural mechanics and establishing an agricultural engineering school in our country.

Abstract The history of the All-Russian Scientific Conference "Conjugate Problem of Mechanics of Reactive Mediums, Informatics and Ecology" had started with scientific seminars, which began in 1973 at the initiative of young personnel of the Aerothermochemistry Department of the Research Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics of Tomsk State University. They tested new scientific results and established channels with leading scientists of scientific schools.

In the 1950s - 1970s, the most important organizational form of higher education science was research institutes attached to higher education institutions. Having appeared in the 1920s, it proved effective. The first thematic laboratories were organized in Leningrad in 1956 at the Polytechnic Institute by Professor B.P. Konstantinov (who later became an academician) and the Electrotechnical Institute named after V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin) by Professor N.P. Bogoroditsky. The desire of scientists to increase efficiency of the research, to bring it closer to the practical needs of the national economy reflected in the organization of 13 research institutes at the Polytechnic Institute in 1963. In the 1950s - 1960s, the Leningrad State University had the previously formed research institutes: the Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics, Physical, Chemical, Biological and Physiological institutes, the Institute of the Earth’s Crust, the Geographical and Economic Institute. In 1959 – 1965, the University’s scientists completed the research on 5,300 planned topics. They performed 3,017 separate experimental and theoretical research, prepared 785 textbooks and teaching aids, completed 543 dissertations, and conducted contractual work on 955 topics. Only in 1969, 3,500 research papers created by LSU scientists were published. Among them were 107 monographs and 74 textbooks. Creative collaboration with industry workers was an integral part of the activities of the Leningrad State University’s scientists. Many of the LSU collective’s research were directly related to production needs. In 1959, the collective of the Physical faculty concluded 32 contractual works and 19 agreements on creative cooperation with industrial enterprises. In 1963, they performed research on 60 contractual topics for a total of 1,100,000 rubles, at the same time conducting 22 topics, provided by the agreements on the creative cooperation for a total amount of 1,300,000 rubles.

The Natural History Society of New Brunswick (1862-1932) based in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, produced an impressive body of research, including significant geological discoveries. Research and public education output of the Society was prolific. George Matthew, the Society's leading geologist published more than 200 scientific papers. Between 1862 and 1917 the Bulletin of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick records more than 800 lectures read before the Society and public audiences. Lectures were often at the leading edge of scientific discovery, such as Matthew's 1890 report of the first authentic Precambrian fossil. This amateur society supported the research of its members by developing a significant library. The only other library in the city with scientific resources belonged to the local Mechanics' Institute, later acquired in part by the Natural History Society. It is clear from library reports and minutes that, from the beginning, the intent was to provide members access to a science library necessary to support their research activities. Both libraries were particularly important as the Great Fire of 1877 destroyed personal libraries while the Society and Institute libraries were untouched. The library was particularly strong in North American and British journals and classic works in early geology. Some of the research shortcomings of Society members may have been a result of the library's weakness in European technical literature. The library and collections of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick formed the basis for the present New Brunswick Museum.

Background: Pneumonia is an infection of the pulmonary parenchyma, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Inflammation potentiates hypoalbuminemia. CRP is an acute phase reactant produced by the liver in response to inflammation, which depends on severity of illness. Serum albumin concentration as a negative acute phase reactant, changes with change in CRP(C-reactive protein) value. Objectives: To study the prognostic significance of commonly used biomarkers serum Albumin level and C - reactive protein in hospitalized patients with Community Acquired Pneumonia. Methodology: The prospective study was conducted in a hospital affiliated to Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Science, Ballari. Patients with signs and symptoms of CAP were hospitalized based on a CURB-65 score. After informed consent, all relevant data was collected. Clinical examination and laboratory parameters i.e. Serum albumin & C - reactive protein levels on day 1, 3 & 7/discharge were carried out. The values of serum albumin & C - reactive protein were analyzed with the clinical profile and outcome in these study groups. Results: In our study, CAP was more commonly seen among the age group of 61-70 yrs (27%). COPD was a major associated co-morbidity (50%) and smoking was an important risk factor (70%). The majority had a CURB 65 score of >3-5 on admission (64%). Out of 50 patients, 26% of them had severe hypoalbuminemia (<2.5 mg/dl) and 58% of them had mild hypoalbuminemia (2.5-3.5 mg/dl) on day 1 of admission. When serum albumin levels at the time of admission were analyzed for the time of discharge, there was significant change (P=0.025) noted, i.e an increase in serum albumin levels were seen in all patients who had clinical signs of resolution. 38% of patients had serum CRP levels <100 mg/l and 40 % had 101-200 mg/l and 22% of them had levels > 200 mg/l. There was decrease in CRP level at the time of discharge (p=0.001). Serum Albumin levels and CRP levels showed significant change from day 1 to the day of discharge (p=0.025 and P=<0.001) respectively. ICU requirement, need for mechanical ventilation and other outcomes correlated well with serum albumin levels (p=0.021, p=0.004, p=0.003 respectively). Conclusion: Our study showed a history of smoking, COPD and hypoalbuminemia at presentation were major risk factors present for CAP. Patients with severe hypoalbuminemia had high morbidity and mortality in the form of ICU requirement, need for mechanical ventilation, complications and death. CRP serves as an important marker of inflammation whose series levels reduce significantly with cure / resolution of pneumonia. Thus, serum albumin levels and C reactive protein can be used as a prognostic biomarker in community acquired pneumonia.

Prior to 1982, pipe damping values in nuclear plants were prescribed by Regulatory Guide 1.61 and Appendix N to Section III of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. In the early 1980s, it became clear that piping design was too conservative resulting in systems that had far too many supports, particularly snubbers. These supports were costly to design, install, and inspect; contributed to increased worker radiation exposure; and since snubbers sometimes lock when unloaded causing higher fatigue usage in piping, the safety margin of the systems was reduced. A series of steps was undertaken by the Pressure Vessel Research Committee (PVRC) to propose new damping limits, which culminated in alternate damping allowable values, called PVRC damping. This damping was later adopted as Code Case N-411 to the ASME Code. Code Case N-411 has enabled several utilities to make significant reductions in the number of snubbers on their plants, resulting in lower maintenance costs, lower worker radiation exposure, and greater reliability (since the consequences of snubber malfunction are reduced). More recently, the Electric Power Research Institute sponsored a project by Bechtel to review the damping data, perform a regression analysis, and recommend a permanent change to the ASME Code to replace Code Case N-411.

A brief history of how DSIR Grasslands operated as a plant breeding institute for New Zealand pastoral farming is presented, and this perspective shows how the present situation has been shaped whereby cultivars are now developed under contract to the forage division of AgResearch. A hypothetical cultivar development programme is detailed to show the mechanics of the Cultivar Development and Maintenance Unit (CDMU) operation. The role of CDMU in the future is discussed along with the continuing pressure for white clover seed production area in Canterbury. Keywords: buried seed, CDMU, cultivar development, plant variety rights, seed industry

Saint John, New Brunswick, has a long history of popularization of geology dating back to lectures presented in the 1820s. The first lecture series that included geology and presented to a public audience in 1824 was followed by almost a century of public engagement and presentation of geology topics to a relatively small city of 20 000 to 30 000 people. Lectures were often very general about the science of geology, specific as to the nature of minerals and mining in New Brunswick, and leading edge concerning the first discoveries of significant fossils in the Province. Even though it was a relatively small community, Saint John had an abundance of knowledgeable people, and institutions for presentation and discussion at the Saint John Mechanics’ Institute and the Natural History Society of New Brunswick.

This paper takes up the concept of ‘crisis’ at both historical and historiographical levels. It proceeds through two examples of periods that have been described by historians of physics using a language of crisis. The first examines an incipient German theoretical-physics community around 1900 and the debates that concerned the so-called ‘failure’ of the mechanical world view. It is argued, largely on the basis of what is now an extensive body of secondary literature, that there is little evidence for a widespread crisis in this period. Abandoning the term as both description and explanation, one comes to the far more intriguing suggestion that the conflict over foundations was not evidence of a divisive dissonance but rather of collective construction. What has been termed crisis was, in fact, the practice of theoretical physics in the fin de siècle. The second example is the period either side of the advent of quantum mechanics around 1925. Different subgroups within the theoretical-physics community viewed the state of the field in dramatically different ways. Those, such as members of the Sommerfeld school in Munich, who saw the task of the physicist as lying in the solution of particular problems, neither saw a crisis nor acknowledged its resolution. On the other hand those, such as several researchers associated with Niels Bohr's institute in Copenhagen, who focused on the creation and adaptation of new principles, openly advocated a crisis even before decisive anomalies arose. They then sought to conceptualize the development of quantum mechanics in terms of crises and the revolutions that followed. Thomas Kuhn's language of crisis, revolution and anomaly, it is concluded, arises from his focus on only one set of theoretical physicists. A closer look at intra-communal differences opens a new vista onto what he termed ‘normal’ and ‘revolutionary’ science.

Pulsed heating experiments that measure high-temperature thermophysical properties using pyrometric measurement of the temperature–time history of metal specimens rapidly heated by passage of electric current have a 30-year history at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In recent years, efforts have been made to move beyond the limitations of the standard technique of using costly, black-body geometry specimens. Specifically, simultaneous polarimetry measurement of the spectral emissivity has permitted study of sheet and wire specimens. This paper presents the results of two efforts to expand beyond the macroscopically monolithic, single-phase materials of all previous studies. In the first study the melting temperatures of coatings, including Ti and Ti(Al) alloys, deposited on higher melting Mo substrates are measured. In the second study the melting temperatures of substrates, Ti and Cr, covered by higher melting W and Mo coatings are measured.

The article highlights the life and creative path of the outstanding domestic scientist, theorist, methodologist and practitioner of agricultural engineering K. G. Schindler, associated with the formation of agricultural mechanics in Ukraine. The methodological foundation of the research is the principles of historicism, scientific nature and objectivity in reproducing the phenomena of the past based on the complex use of general scientific, special, interdisciplinary methods. For the first time a number of documents from Russian and Ukrainian archives, which reflect some facts of the professional biography of the scientist, were introduced into scientific circulation. The main directions of fruitful pedagogical and scientific activities of K. G. Schindler, key segments of his creative search, which determined the further development of agricultural engineering, his leadership in the scientific community were described. It was proved that Professor K. G. Schindler has the primacy in founding the Station of Testing for Agricultural Machines and Tools at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, which provided students of agronomic and mechanical faculties with the opportunity to get acquainted with the existing types and designs of tillage machines, systematically test its research methods. In addition, the station carried out scientific work on the study of certain issues of agricultural mechanization, development of methods and devices for research of agricultural machinery and implements. The seven functions of the agronomic-type research station developed by scientists for the first time in Europe at the beginning of the last century have become a reference point for many generations of researchers of agricultural machinery. K. G. Schindler was the first in the world to theoretically substantiate the need to improve the design of tillage equipment depending on soil and climatic conditions, made a significant contribution to the theory of soil deformation with the shelf of the plow body. In addition, he improved the Sakka dynamometer, developed a control dynamometer to check traction dynamometers and other devices, improved existing and developed new designs of tillage machines. K. G. Schindler was the first in Ukraine to teach a course in agricultural engineering.

The special lead article in this issue of EJAM, by Profs. John Ockendon and Brian Sleeman, is dedicated to Prof. Joseph B. Keller (referred to as Joe by his friends), Emeritus professor of Stanford University, who was one of the greatest applied mathematicians of our time. Joe died in September 2016. A workshop in honour of Joe was held at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge, UK, in March 2017, focussing on some of the astonishingly wide range of topics in the mathematical sciences and continuum mechanics that Joe made substantial contributions to over his long career. This article discusses some of these pioneering contributions, describes some modern developments as discussed by the workshop speakers, and provides a more personal tribute to Joe, his history, and to his large influence on the international applied mathematics community. May the spirit of Joe, and his flavour of applied mathematics, continue to be reflected in EJAM.

Aim: To evaluate the anxiety in patients of maxillofacial trauma using HAM-A scale presenting in emergency department and compare it with elective maxillofacial surgery patients Study design: Analytical cross sectional study. Place and duration of study: Study was conducted from May 2021 to Apr 2022 at Dental unit of Nishtar Institute of Dentistry. Methodology: 80 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included. Inclusion criteria was any patient aged between 12-80 years irrespective of gender who got isolated facial trauma, patients with no previous history of psychological disorder. Hamilton anxiety scale was used to make a proforma which was filled by on duty post graduate trainee. p-value of ≤0.05 was significant. Results: There were 61 males (76.2%) and 19(23.8%) females. Mean age of patients in group A (facial trauma) was 40.5±15.20 years and in group B (elective surgery) was 50.2±10.47 years. HAM-A score in group A was 25.15±9.74 (moderate to severe anxiety) and in group B it was 12.12±4.44 (mild anxiety) which was statistically significant. (p value 0.00). Conclusion: Maxillofacial injuries may pose a heavy impact psychological lives of patients and patients may suffer from anxiety and depression. A multidisciplinary team approach with surgeon and psychiatrist be included to reduce physical damage and psychological impact on patients. Keywords: Anxiety, depression, maxillofacial trauma

As in other countries, the public in Argentina became aware of the existence of something called “the theory of relativity” only after November 1919. Although the news of Arthur Eddington's eclipse expedition, which provided the first confirmation of Einstein's theory, was poorly reported in the newspapers, by the end of 1920 Einstein had become a household name for the educated middle class of Buenos Aires, the capital city of the country. This was in great measure the result of the activity of a few enthusiastic lecturers. Significantly, none of them belonged to the prestigious Institute of Physics of the University of La Plata, which during the decade of the 1910s was considered the most important center of physical research in Latin America. Between July and August 1920 the Spanish physicist Blas Cabrera – perhaps the greatest popularizer of Einstein's theory in Spain – visited Argentina and talked about relativity. In September Georges Duclout, a French engineer who had graduated from the Zurich Polytechnic and by then was professor of applied mechanics at the School of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences (FCEFyN) of the University of Buenos Aires, also gave a series of conferences on the subject. That same month José Ubach, a Jesuit astronomer trained at the Ebro Observatory in Spain, and established in Buenos Aires, lectured on relativity at the Colegio del Salvador.

This study investigates the failure characteristics of reinforced concrete slabs subjected to moderate-velocity impacts by conducting impact tests and numerical simulations. In a series of tests, a spherical steel projectile with a mass of 8.3 kg and a diameter of 80 mm is collided with an reinforced concrete slab at an impact velocity of 65–90 m/s. To investigate the failure characteristics of the reinforced concrete slab, impact motion of the projectile, reaction force, and strain–time history on the back surface and reinforcing bars of the reinforced concrete slab were measured. Failure modes obtained experimentally were compared with the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry formula proposed for the local damage of reinforced concrete slabs. Test results revealed that a circular scabbing crack on the back surface of the reinforced concrete slab was completed while there is a sharp increase in the reaction force. Numerical simulations using a high-fidelity concrete model reasonably reproduced the failure characteristics of an reinforced concrete slab. Numerical results demonstrated that the scabbing failure of an reinforced concrete slab subjected to a moderate-velocity impact was initiated by the penetration of the projectile and was completed during the reaction force response.

The work of the leading scientist in the field of mechanics – Vikentii Khomych Gerburt-Geibovych is analyzed. He became one of those who, after the successful graduation from the Kharkiv Practical Technological Institute, stayed in this educational establishment as a teacher. In addition, his further activities contributed to the establishment of higher technical education in Ukraine. It should be noted that for a long time the name of this scientist was out of the attention of historians of science and technology. Therefore, taking into account the scientific work by V. Gerburt-Geibovych, as well as the using of archival materials, it is worthwhile the outlining of the results of the scientific activity of this scientist. Information about the future scientist's family is provided. In particular, it is stated that he was from a noble family. The talented graduate of KhPTI was invited to work at this educational institution. It is shown what subjects the scientist taught. Heredity in teaching the course of flour-mill production from the teacher – Professor K. Zworykin to the student – V. Gerburt-Geibovych was traced. The information about the probation of a scientist at the enterprises of Russian Empire is considered. V. Gerburt-Geibovych᾽s formation as a scientist is shown. For example in 1902 the scientist withProfessor G. O. Latyshev, on behalf of the Kharkiv Agricultural Society, became one of the organizersof ploughs testing at Yankivsky Estate of the merchant P.I. Kharitonenko. In order to maintain an appropriate level of knowledge and exchange of information in 1909, the scientist visited the IX congress of flour mills and the 1st All-Russian flour-grinding exhibition held in St. Petersburg in the so-called «salt city». In 1911, the scientist was in a scientific trip in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Holland, where he inspected the several mills, elevators and factories that produced machines for mills. The activity of the scientist in the development of a new course of lectures – wood technology is analyzed. His research not only in the field of mechanics but also in botany is shown. The expert work of the scientist, including in the equipping of the salt-making plant and in the designing of mills, is shown. The activity of the scientist at the posts of the deputy chairman of the Student technical society and the chairman of the Committee for the needy students of KhTI are considered. Every month Academic Committee received a request from the students for material assistance. Funds for such payments were provided by citizens from all over the Russian Empire who arranged special evenings, performances for the students of the KhTI, some of them left the wills, where the estates departing in favor of students. The scientist had to consider applications, manage the distribution of funds and made reports. On the pages of «Proceedings of South Russian Association of Technologists» the reports about received funds were published: sponsors were indicated by name and the amount of donations The information about cooperation of V.Gerburt-Geibovych with the Southern Russian Society of Technologists, the editorial office of the «Melnyk» magazine and the edition "People's Encyclopedia" was provided. In particular, in 1910, he published his articles «About the article A.M. Erlanger»,«Effect on the quality of the flour of forced work of roller machines and prepacking», «About the needing of thorough separation of small impurities before the grain delivering to cockler». Next year, in the magazine «Melnyk», he published his article «About cooklers and methods of grain cleaning». It was shown that the scientist was one of the founders of women's polytechnic education in Ukraine. The presence of five daughters in the family became a significant incentive for Vikentii Khomych to open the Women's Polytechnic Institute in Kharkiv. The first years of functioning of this newly created institution are considered. It is alleged that wife of a scientist and one of the daughters graduated from the Women's Polytechnic Institute. In addition, in June 1919 Vikentii Khomych elected the vice-rector of the Kharkov Technological Institute. Emphasis is made on significant stress in the work, which led to a weakening of the scientist's health. Thanks to interviewing of relatives of the scientist, the year of his death was ascertained. Despite a rather short life course, only 48 years old, the scientist has left a distinctive mark in the history of the Kharkiv Technological Institute, which he graduated from. The memory of prominent ancestor remains among his descendants.

The stages and results of fundamental and applied research regarding the problems of strength, resource, survivability and technogenic safety carried out at the A. A. Blagonravov Mechanical Engineering Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences throughout a 80-year history are considered. Equations of state and criterion expressions regarding static and dynamic loading, high-cycle and a low-cycle fatigue resistance, high-temperature and low-temperature static and cyclic strength, stress-strain states analysis upon elastic and elastoplastic strain, problems of linear and nonlinear fracture mechanics are derived. The last decades have been marked by the development of basic research on the mechanics of catastrophes, survivability and man-made safety of machines and structures, including the results of complex developments in all the listed areas of strength and resource. The results of studying strength, resource and survivability are the basic components for the mechanics of catastrophes and risks in the technogenic sphere, as well as the new principles and technologies for technogenic objects ensuring their safe operation and prevention on a reasonable scientific basis emergency and catastrophic situations and°r minimize possible damages attributed to them. Diagnostics of the current parameters of the material state and determination of the characteristics of stress-strain states in the most loaded zones of the analyzed technical system is thus a tool for ensuring safe operation conditions. The solution to the problem of assessing the strength and resource in such conditions includes creation of generalized mathematical and physical models of complicated technological, operation and emergency processes in technical systems to analyze conditions of their transition from normal state to emergency or catastrophic states. It is shown that as the analyzed structure passes through admissible to limiting states thus causing the occurrence of failures and subsequent emergency and catastrophic situations, it is necessary to introduce into the regulatory calculations of such states an additional set of defining equations and their parameters characterizing these limiting states. Those calculations are based on the systems of criterion equations, including the parameters of risk, safety and security of the technosphere objects.

Abstract. Ralph B. Peck (1912–2008), graduate and doctor of philosophy in civil engineering (1934 and 1937 respectively) from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was one of the major contributors to the development of geotechnics in the twentieth century. Born in Winnipeg (Manitoba) as an American national, he was influenced from childhood by the world of civil engineering through his father, Orwin K. Peck, who was a civil engineer, mainly as a structural engineer in the railway sector. In the absence of job offers as a structural engineer, Ralph Peck arrived at Harvard University in 1938 to attend the soil mechanics courses taught by Arthur Casagrande, which guided Peck's professional career towards geotechnics. In addition to Casagrande, Peck had the opportunity to meet and work with other very important people related to geotechnics: Albert E. Cummings, Laurits Bjerrum, Alec W. Skempton and especially Karl Terzaghi, with whom he established a great friendship, in addition to providing support, professional advice and performing important work, such as the Chicago Subway Works. Peck actively dedicated himself to consulting work, which led him to visit 44 states within the United States and 28 countries on five continents. In addition, he also participated in research work where he was asked and was a committed lecturer at the University of Illinois, where he was a professor for 32 years. The objective of this paper is to analyse, through Peck's biography, his contribution to the field of geotechnics based on his research, teaching and consultancy work, and through the influence of Peck on other important people in the field, such as Karl Terzaghi.

Accidents involving collisions of heavy-duty trucks with highway bridge piers occurred occasionally, in which the bridge piers might be subjected to severe damage, and cause the collapse of the superstructure due to the loss of axial loading capacity. The existing researches are mostly concentrated on the light- or medium-duty trucks. This article mainly concerns about the collisions between the heavy-duty trucks (e.g. tractor-trailer) and bridge piers as well as the evaluation of the impact force. First, by modifying the finite element model of Ford F800 single-unit truck, which was developed by National Crash Analysis Center, the finite element model of a tractor-trailer is established. Then, the full-scale tractor-trailer crash test on concrete-filled steel pier jointly conducted by Texas Transportation Institute, Federal Highway Administration, and Texas Department of Transportation is numerically simulated. The impact process is well reproduced and the established model is validated by comparison of the impact force. It indicates that the tractor-trailer impact force time history consists of two or three peaks and the corresponding causes are revealed. Furthermore, the parametric influences on the impact force are discussed, including the diameter and cross section shape of the pier, cargo weight, impact velocity, relative impact position, and vehicle type. Finally, the finite element model of an actual reinforced concrete highway bridge pier is established, and the impact force and lateral displacement of the pier subjected to the impact of the tractor-trailer are numerically derived and discussed.

Purpose Porous asphalt has been used for than 50 years, but it was originally developed in 1970 at Franklin institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By 1974 the first formalized procedure was created by the federal highway administration to design mixtures. Many researches on porous asphalt mixture have been conducted for the past two decades. However, there remains some concern about the potential adverse impacts of infiltrated surface water on the underlying groundwater. The purpose of this paper is to presents a short review on the application of porous asphalt pavement stormwater treatment. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, a critical review on history and benefits is presented followed by review of general studies of using porous asphalt pavement, and some recent scientific studies that examine potential contamination of soil and groundwater because of infiltration systems. Findings This paper indicates that porous asphalt pavement is more efficient than conventional pavements in terms of retaining pollutants, improving the quality of water and runoff while maintaining infiltration. Originality/value This paper may also help reduce land consumption by reducing the need for traditional storm-water management structures. However, on the other hand, the priority objectives which is minimizing increased flooding and pollution risks while increasing performance efficiency and enhancing local environmental quality-of-life is achieved.

The publication is dedicated to the contribution of Professor Aleksandr Petrovich Bychkov (1921–2009) to the development of Tomsk State University. Bychkov devoted more than 50 years of his life to Tomsk State University (TSU). As the rector of TSU (1967–1983), he made a significant impact on the improvement of not only TSU, but the entire scientific and educational complex of Tomsk Oblast. As the rector, Bychkov worked a lot and fruitfully on strengthening the material base, raising the scientific and pedagogical level of professors and research workers of faculties and research institutes and, on this basis, the level of training of university specialists. Throughout its history, Tomsk State University has striven for a close combination of training highly qualified specialists with conducting fundamental and applied scientific research. In this regard, an important event for the university was the opening (1968) of the Research Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (the first director was A.D. Kolmakov). In the same 1968 the Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics was opened (the first director was V.A. Pegel). One of the indicators of the recognition of TSU’s merits in the field of scientific work was the approval of Tomsk State University as the basic university of the West Siberian Scientific and Methodological Council of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education of the RSFSR. The contribution of Tomsk State University named after V.V. Kuibyshev in the training of highly qualified specialists and in the development of science was marked by the awarding of TSU with the Order of the October Revolution in 1980. Over 70 professors and teachers were awarded orders and medals. In the 1960s–1970s, when Bychkov was TSU’s rector, the material base of the university improved noticeably. A new building of the Research Library was put into operation, including a 12-tier storage for 2.5 million volumes; three buildings for research institutes, a sports complex, a university stadium, four dormitories for students and one for graduate students, four apartment buildings for teachers and scientific workers, a children’s center (in Yuzhnaya Square) were built. In 1970, the reconstruction of the tropical greenhouse of the Botanical Garden began. As a rector, Bychkov used to delve into all the little details in the economic life of the university, attend lectures and exams (he attended the lectures of all professors who worked at TSU at that time); he also found time for intensive social work. Bychkov was one of the initiators of “Professor Days” (since 1978) when professors and associate professors organized lectures and talks at enterprises and in districts of the region. He was recognized for his benevolence, abilities to hear the interlocutor, to unite and motivate to accomplish the assigned task. Optimist by nature, he was able to instill optimism in those around him.

Objective: To early diagnose the patients of AMI by using cardiac markers like CK, CK-MB, to find out the significance of these enzymes in comparison with high sensitive Troponin T hs and to find out the presence of a micro-infarction by using newly developed cTnT hs method. Patients and Methods: This was a cross sectional study, conducted at Punjab Institute of Cardiology and included 545 patients. Blood sample of every patient “Suspected of AMI” was sent to the laboratory for estimation of CK, CK-MB by conventional kit method and a high sensitive Troponin T reagent kit was used for prompt diagnosis of AMI. Patients of varying age were included and demographic details like hypertension, diabetes and smoking, family history of IHD, were collected to find out association with AMI. Results: Out of 545 study participants 62.65% (n=341) were male and 37.43% (n=204) were females, the mean age was 54.8 ± 13.42 years, the most frequent risk factor seen was hypertension (HTN in 72.0 % (n=90), followed by Smoking 45.5% (n=90), Diabetes mellitus (DM) 43.3% (n=90), and frequency of family history was seen 18.8% (n=90) in patients positive for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). 78.8% (n=90) males and 21.2%(n=90) females, indicated more prevalence of AMI in male population with frequency of AMI in patients from 41-60 years of age. There was significant association between hypertension, smoking and diabetes with AMI. Family history was not significantly associated with the incidence of AMI. CPK, CK-MB were performed on patient’s serum sample according to the procedures determined by reagent kits of Roche Diagnostic company on Chemistry Analyzer Hitachi 912. Optimized UV test method was used according to DGKC (German Society of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine) and IFCC. Special Chemistry analyzer Cobas e 411, automated instrument was used for the quantitative measurement of Troponin T by using Chemiluminescence method (Troponin T hs reagent kits of Roche Diagnostic Company). Conclusion: It was concluded that a direct relationship exists between Troponin T and CPK, and CK-MB was more specific with even more closer and linear relationship with Troponin T hs. It was further observed that high sensitive Troponin T reagent method alone was sufficient to make a final diagnosis of AMI. Troponin T hs alone not only reduces the investigation time but reduces the overall cost as well. Keywords: Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background: The treatment of cardiovascular disease is an expensive treatment and need expertise also. There are facilities in private setup as well as in government t hospital. At times it becomes difficult to choose between private and government facilities for various reason, cost and safety being the two most important factors. Objective: To assess the choice of patient for treatment of CVD as a private patient or through government/safety nets and see its association with factors involved in decision making. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical Place and Duration of Study: Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology from 1st January 2020 to 30th June 2020. Methodology: Sixty patients chose private treatment and government/safety net treatment was assessed. Then the frequency of various factors involved was determined and their association was evaluated with choice of treatment. Results: Fifty one (85%) opted government/ safety net treatment and 9 (15%) opted private treatment. Education, Income and cost of treatment were the three major factors associated with choice of treatment having respective p-values 0.015, <0.001 and <0.001. The attitude toward consultation was also found associated with option of treatment. The median waiting time for government/safety net treatment was 129(119–143) days while for private treatment it was 3 (2–4) days. Conclusion: The frequency for choice of private treatment is very low and, those with less education and low on resources opt for government treatment while those who had better income and education and prefer to be treated earlier opt for private treatment but still take the option of government health facilities due to safety and cost concern. Keywords: CABG, Safety nets

In the new issue, our scientific journal offers you thirteen scientific articles. As always, we try to offer a wide variety of topics and areas and follow current trends in the history of science and technology. In the article by Olha Chumachenko, оn the basis of a wide base of sources, the article highlights and analyzes the development of research work of aircraft engine companies in Zaporizhzhia during the 1970s. The existence of a single system of functioning of the Zaporizhzhia production association “Motorobudivnyk” (now the Public Joint Stock Company “Motor Sich”) and the Zaporizhzhia Machine-Building Design Bureau “Progress” (now the State Enterprise “Ivchenko – Progress”) has been taken into account. Leonid Griffen and Nadiia Ryzheva present their vision of the essence of technology as a socio-historical phenomenon. The article reveals the authors' vision of the essence of the technology as a sociohistorical phenomenon. It is based on the idea that technology is not only a set of technical devices but a segment of the general system – a society – located between a social medium and its natural surroundings in the form of a peculiar social technosphere, which simultaneously separates and connects them. Definitely the article by Denis Kislov, which examines the period from the end of the XVII century to the beginning of the XIX century, is also of interest, when on the basis of deep philosophical concepts, a new vision of the development of statehood and human values raised. At this time, a certain re-thinking of the management and communication ideas of Antiquity and the Renaissance took place, which outlined the main promising trends in the statehood evolution, which to one degree or another were embodied in practice in the 19th and 20th centuries. A systematic approach and a comparative analysis of the causes and consequences of those years’ achievements for the present and the immediate future of the 21st century served as the methodological basis for a comprehensive review of the studies of that period. The article by Serhii Paliienko is devoted to an exploration of archaeological theory issues at the Institute of archaeology AS UkrSSR in the 1960s. This period is one of the worst studied in the history of Soviet archaeology. But it was the time when in the USSR archaeological researches reached the summit, quantitative methods and methods of natural sciences were applied and interest in theoretical issues had grown in archaeology. Now there are a lot of publications dedicated to theoretical discussions between archaeologists from Leningrad but the same researches about Kyiv scholars are still unknown The legacy of St. Luke in medical science, authors from Greece - this study aims to highlight key elements of the life of Valentyn Feliksovych Voino-Yasenetskyi and his scientific contribution to medicine. Among the scientists of European greatness, who at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries showed interest to the folklore of Galicia (Halychyna) and Galician Ukrainians, contributed to their national and cultural revival, one of the leading places is occupied by the outstanding Ukrainian scientist Ivan Verkhratskyi. He was both naturalist and philologist, as well as folklorist and ethnographer, organizer of scientific work, publisher and popularizer of Ukrainian literature, translator, publicist and famous public figure. I. H. Verkhratskyi was also an outstanding researcher of plants and animals of Eastern Galicia, a connoisseur of insects, especially butterflies, the author of the first school textbooks on natural science written in Ukrainian. A new emerging field that has seen the application of the drone technology is the healthcare sector. Over the years, the health sector has increasingly relied on the device for timely transportation of essential articles across the globe. Since its introduction in health, scholars have attempted to address the impact of drones on healthcare across Africa and the world at large. Among other things, it has been reported by scholars that the device has the ability to overcome the menace of weather constraints, inadequate personnel and inaccessible roads within the healthcare sector. This notwithstanding, data on drones and drone application in Ghana and her healthcare sector in particular appears to be little within the drone literature. Also, little attempt has been made by scholars to highlight the use of drones in African countries. By using a narrative review approach, the current study attempts to address the gap above. By this approach, a thorough literature search was performed to locate and assess scientific materials involving the application of drones in the military field and in the medical systems of Africans and Ghanaians in particular. The paper by Artemii Bernatskyi and Vladyslav Khaskin is devoted to the analysis of the history of the laser creation as one of the greatest technical inventions of the 20th century. This paper focuses on establishing a relation between the periodization of the stages of creation and implementation of certain types of lasers, with their influence on the invention of certain types of equipment and industrial technologies for processing the materials, the development of certain branches of the economy, and scientific-technological progress as a whole. The paper discusses the stages of: invention of the first laser; creation of the first commercial lasers; development of the first applications of lasers in industrial technologies for processing the materials. Special attention is paid to the “patent wars” that accompanied different stages of the creation of lasers. A comparative analysis of the market development for laser technology from the stage of creation to the present has been carried out. Nineteenth-century world exhibitions were platforms to demonstrate technical and technological changes that witnessed the modernization and industrialization of the world. World exhibitions have contributed to the promotion of new inventions and the popularization of already known, as well as the emergence of art objects of world importance. One of the most important world events at the turn of the century was the 1900 World's Fair in Paris. Thus, the author has tried to analyze the participation of representatives of the sugar industry in the World's Fair in 1900 and to define the role of exhibitions as indicators of economic development, to show the importance and influence of private entrepreneurs, especially from Ukraine, on the sugar industry and international contacts. The article by Viktor Verhunov highlights the life and creative path of the outstanding domestic scientist, theorist, methodologist and practitioner of agricultural engineering K. G. Schindler, associated with the formation of agricultural mechanics in Ukraine. The methodological foundation of the research is the principles of historicism, scientific nature and objectivity in reproducing the phenomena of the past based on the complex use of general scientific, special, interdisciplinary methods. For the first time a number of documents from Russian and Ukrainian archives, which reflect some facts of the professional biography of the scientist, were introduced into scientific circulation. The authors from Kremenchuk National University named after Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi presented a fascinating study of a bayonet fragment with severe damages of metal found in the city Kremenchuk (Ukraine) in one of the canals on the outskirts of the city, near the Dnipro River. Theoretical research to study blade weapons of the World War I period and the typology of the bayonets of that period, which made it possible to put forward an assumption about the possible identification of the object as a modified bayonet to the Mauser rifle has been carried out. Metal science expert examination was based on X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to determine the concentration of elements in the sample from the cleaned part of the blade. In the article by Mykola Ruban and Vadym Ponomarenko on the basis of the complex analysis of sources and scientific literature the attempt to investigate historical circumstances of development and construction of shunting electric locomotives at the Dnipropetrovsk electric locomotive plant has been made. The next scientific article continues the series of publications devoted to the assessment of activities of the heads of the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Empire. In this article, the authors have attempted to systematize and analyze historical data on the activities of Klavdii Semyonovych Nemeshaev as the Minister of Railways of the Russian Empire. The article also assesses the development and construction of railway network in the Russian Empire during Nemeshaev's office, in particular, of the Amur Line and Moscow Encircle Railway, as well as the increase in the capacity of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The article discusses K. S. Nemeshaev's contribution to the development of technology and the introduction of a new type of freight steam locomotive for state-owned railways. We hope that everyone will find interesting useful information in the new issue. And, of course, we welcome your new submissions.

IntroductionBallarat’s Theatre Royal was the first permanent theatre built in inland Australia. Upon opening in 1858, it was acclaimed as having “the handsomest theatrical exterior in the colony” (Star, “Editorial” 7 Dec. 1889) and later acknowledged as “the grandest playhouse in all Australia” (Spielvogel, Papers Vol. 1 160). Born of Gold Rush optimism, the Royal was loved by many, yet the over-arching story of its ill-fated existence has failed to surface, in any coherent fashion, in official history. This article takes some first steps toward retrieving lost knowledge from fragmented archival records, and piecing together the story of why this purpose-built theatre ceased operation within a twenty-year period. A short history of the venue will be provided, to develop context. It will be argued that while a combination of factors, most of which were symptomatic of unfortunate timing, destroyed the longevity of the Royal, the principal problem was one of stigmatisation. This was an era in which the societal pressure to visibly conform to conservative values was intense and competition in the pursuit of profits was fierce.The cultural silence that befell the story of the Royal, after its demise, is explicable in relation to history being written by the victors and a loss of spokespeople since that time. As theatre arts historiographer McConachie (131) highlights, “Theatres, like places for worship and spectator sports, hold memories of the past in addition to providing a practical and cognitive framework for performance events in the present.” When that place, “a bounded area denoted by human agency and memory” (131), is lost in time, so too may be the socio-cultural lessons from the period, if not actively recalled and reconsidered. The purpose of this article is to present the beginning of an investigation into the disjointed narrative of Ballarat’s Theatre Royal. Its ultimate failure demonstrates how dominant community based entertainment became in Ballarat from the 1860s onwards, effectively crushing prospects for mid-range professional theatre. There is value in considering the evolution of the theatre’s lifespan and its possible legacy effects. The connection between historical consciousness and the performing arts culture of by-gone days offers potential to reveal specks of cross-relevance for regional Australian theatrical offerings today.In the BeginningThe proliferation of entertainment venues in Ballarat East during the 1850s was a consequence of the initial discovery of surface alluvial gold and the ongoing success of deep-lead mining activities in the immediate area. This attracted extraordinary numbers of people from all over the world who hoped to strike it rich. Given the tough nature of life on the early gold diggings, most disposable income was spent on evening entertainment. As a result, numerous venues sprang into operation to cater for demand. All were either canvas tents or makeshift wooden structures: vibrant in socio-cultural activity, however humble the presentation values. It is widely agreed (Withers, Bate and Brereton) that noteworthy improvements occurred from 1856 onwards in the artistry of the performers, audience tastes, the quality of theatrical structures and living standards in general. Residents began to make their exit from flood and fire prone Ballarat East, moving to Ballarat West. The Royal was the first substantial entertainment venture to be established in this new, affluent, government surveyed township area. Although the initial idea was to draw in some of the patronage which had flourished in Ballarat East, Brereton (14) believed “There can be no doubt that it was [primarily] intended to attract those with good taste and culture”. This article will contend that how society defined ‘good taste’ turned out to be problematic for the Royal.The tumultuous mid-1850s have attracted extensive academic and popular attention, primarily because they were colourful and politically significant times. The period thereafter has attracted little scholarly interest, unless tied to the history of surviving organisations. Four significant structures designed to incorporate theatrical entertainment were erected and opened in Ballarat from 1858 onwards: The Royal was swiftly followed by the Mechanics Institute 1859, Alfred Hall 1867 and Academy of Music 1874-75. As philosopher Albert Borgmann (41) highlighted, the erection of “magnificent settings in which the public could gather and enjoy itself” was the dominant urban aspiration for cultural consumption in the nineteenth century. Men of influence in Victorian cities believed strongly in progress and grand investments as a conscious demonstration of power, combined with Puritan vales, teetotalism and aggressive self-assertiveness (Briggs 287-88). At the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the Royal on 20 January 1858, eminent tragedian, Gustavos Brooke, announced “… may there be raised a superstructure perfect in all its parts, and honourable to the builder.” He proclaimed the memorial bottle to be “a lasting memento of the greatness of Ballarat in erecting such a theatre” and philosophised that “the stage not only refines the manners, but it is the best teacher of morals, for it is the truest and most intelligible picture of life. It stamps the image of virtue on the mind …” (Star, “Laying” 21 Jan. 1858). These initial aspirations seem somewhat ambitious when viewed with the benefit of hindsight. Ballarat’s Theatre Royal opened in December 1858, ironically with Jerrold’s comedy ‘Time Works Wonders’. The large auditorium holding around 1500 people “was crowded to overflowing and was considered altogether brilliant in its newness and beauty” by all in attendance (Star, “Local and General” 30 Dec. 1858). Generous descriptions abound of how splendid it was, in architectural terms, but also in relation to scenery, decorations and all appointments. Underneath the theatre were two shops, four bars, elegant dining rooms, a kitchen and 24 bedrooms. A large saloon was planned to be attached soon-after. The overall cost of the build was estimated at a substantial 10,000 pounds.The First Act: 1858-1864In the early years, the Royal was deemed a success. The pleasure-seeking public of Ballarat came en masse and the glory days seemed like they might continue unabated. By the early 1860s, Ballarat was known as a great theatrical centre for performing arts, its population was famous both nationally and internationally for an appreciation of good acting, and the Royal was considered the home of the best dramatic art in Ballarat (Withers 260). Like other theatres of the 1850s diggings, it had its own resident company of actors, musicians, scenic artists and backstage crew. Numerous acclaimed performers came to visit and these were prosperous and happy times for the Royal’s lively theatrical community. As early as 1859, however, there was evident rivalry between the Royal and the Mechanics Institute, as suggested on numerous occasions in the Ballarat Star. As a multi-purpose venue for education and the betterment of the working classes, the latter venue had the distinct advantage of holding the moral high ground. Over time this competition increased as audiences decreased. As people shifted to family-focussed entertainments, these absorbed their time and attention. The transformation of a transient population into a township of families ultimately suffocated prospects for professional entertainment in Ballarat. Consumer interest turned to the growth of strong amateur societies with the establishment of the Welsh Eisteddfod 1863; Harmonic Society 1864; Bell Ringers’ Club 1866 and Glee and Madrigal Union 1867 (Brereton 38). By 1863, the Royal was reported to have “scanty patronage” and Proprietor Symonds was in financial trouble (Star, “News and Notes” 15 Sep. 1864). It was announced that the theatre would open for the last time on Saturday, 29 October 1864 (Australasian). On that same date, the Royal was purchased by Rowlands & Lewis, the cordial makers. They promptly on-sold it to the Ballarat Temperance League, who soon discovered that there was a contract in place with Bouchier, the previous owner, who still held the hotel next door, stating that “all proprietors … were bound to keep it open as a theatre” (Withers 260-61). Having invested immense energy into the quest to purchase it, the Temperance League backed out of the deal. Prominent Hotelier Walter Craig bought it for less than 3,000 pounds. It is possible that this stymied effort to quell the distribution of liquor in the heart of the city evoked the ire of the Protestant community, who were on a dedicated mission “to attack widespread drunkenness, profligacy, licentiousness and agnosticism,” and forming an interdenominational Bible and Tract Society in 1866 (Bate 176). This caused a segment of the population to consider the Royal a ‘lost cause’ and steer clear of it, advising ‘respectable’ families to do the same, and so the stigma grew. Social solidarity of this type had significant impact in an era in which people openly demonstrated their morality by way of unified public actions.The Second Act: 1865-1868The Royal closed for renovations until May 1865. Of the various alterations made to the interior and its fittings, the most telling was the effort to separate the ladies from the ‘town women’, presumably to reassure ‘respectable’ female patrons. To this end, a ladies’ retiring room was added, in a position convenient to the dress circle. The architectural rejuvenation of the Royal was cited as an illustration of great progress in Sturt Street (Ballarat Star, “News and Notes” 27 May 1865). Soon after, the Royal hosted the Italian Opera Company.However, by 1866 there was speculation that the Royal may be converted into a dry goods store. References to what sort of impression the failing of theatre would convey to the “old folks at home” in relation to “progress in civilisation'' and "social habits" indicated the distress of loyal theatre-goers. Impassioned pleas were written to the press to help preserve the “Temple of Thespus” for the legitimate use for which it was intended (Ballarat Star, “Messenger” and “Letters to the Editor” 30 Aug. 1866). By late 1867, a third venue materialised. The Alfred Hall was built for the reception of Ballarat’s first Royal visitor, the Duke of Edinburgh. On the night prior to the grand day at the Alfred, following a private dinner at Craig’s Hotel, Prince Alfred was led by an escorted torchlight procession to a gala performance at Craig’s very own Theatre Royal. The Prince’s arrival caused a sensation that completely disrupted the show (Spielvogel, Papers Vol. 1 165). While visiting Ballarat, the Prince laid the stone for the new Temperance Hall (Bate 159). This would not have been required had the League secured the Royal for their use three years earlier.Thereafter, the Royal was unable to reach the heights of what Brereton (15) calls the “Golden Age of Ballarat Theatre” from 1855 to 1865. Notably, the Mechanics Institute also experienced financial constraints during the 1860s and these challenges were magnified during the 1870s (Hazelwood 89). The late sixties saw the Royal reduced to the ‘ordinary’ in terms of the calibre of productions (Brereton 15). Having done his best to improve the physical attributes and prestige of the venue, Craig may have realised he was up against a growing stigma and considerable competition. He sold the Royal to R.S. Mitchell for 5,500 pounds in 1868.Another New Owner: 1869-1873For the Saturday performance of Richard III in 1869, under the new Proprietor, it was reported that “From pit to gallery every seat was full” and for many it was standing room only (Ballarat Star, “Theatre Royal” 1 Feb. 1869). Later that year, Othello attracted people with “a critical appreciation of histrionic matters” (Ballarat Star, “News and Notes” 19 July 1869). The situation appeared briefly promising. Unfortunately, larger economic factors were soon at play. During 1869, Ballarat went ‘mad’ with mine share gambling. In 1870 the economic bubble burst, and hundreds of people in Ballarat were financially ruined. Over the next ten years the population fell from 60,000 to less than 40,000 (Spielvogel, Papers Vol. 3 39). The last surviving theatre in Ballarat East, the much-loved Charles Napier, put on its final show in September 1869 (Brereton 15). By 1870 the Royal was referred to as a “second-class theatre” and was said to be such bad repute that “it would be most difficult to draw respectable classes” (Ballarat Star, “News and Notes” 17 Jan. 1870). It seems the remaining theatre patrons from the East swung over to support the Royal, which wasn’t necessarily in the best interests of its reputation. During this same period, family-oriented crowds of “the pleasure-seeking public of Ballarat” were attending events at the newly fashionable Alfred Hall (Ballarat Courier, “Theatre Royal” June 1870). There were occasional high points still to come for the Royal. In 1872, opera drew a crowded house “even to the last night of the season” which according to the press, “gave proof, if proof were wanting, that the people of Ballarat not only appreciate, but are willing to patronise to the full any high-class entertainment” (Ballarat Courier, “Theatre Royal” 26 Aug. 1872). The difficulty, however, lay in the deterioration of the Royal’s reputation. It had developed negative connotations among local temperance and morality movements, along with their extensive family, friendship and business networks. Regarding collective consumption, sociologist John Urry wrote “for those engaged in the collective tourist gaze … congregation is paramount” (140). Applying this socio-cultural principle to the behaviour of Victorian theatre-going audiences of the 1870s, it was compelling for audiences to move with the masses and support popular events at the fresh Alfred Hall rather than the fading Royal. Large crowds jostling for elbow room was perceived as the hallmark of a successful event back then, as is most often the case now.The Third Act: 1874-1878An additional complication faced by the Royal was the long-term effect of the application of straw across the ceiling. Acoustics were initially poor, and straw was intended to rectify the problem. This caused the venue to develop a reputation for being stuffy and led to the further indignity of the Royal suffering an infestation of fleas (Jenkins 22); a misfortune which caused some to label it “The Royal Bug House” (Reid 117). Considering how much food was thrown at the stage in this era, it is not surprising that rotten debris attracted insects. In 1873, the Royal closed for another round of renovations. The interior was redesigned, and the front demolished and rebuilt. This was primarily to create retail store frontage to supplement income (Reid 117). It was reported that the best theatrical frontage in Australasia was lost, and in its place was “a modestly handsome elevation” for which all play-goers of Ballarat should be thankful, as the miracle required of the rebuild was that of “exorcising the foul smells from the old theatre and making it bright and pretty and sweet” (Ballarat Star, “News and Notes” 26 Jan. 1874). The effort at rejuvenation seemed effective for a period. A “large and respectable audience” turned out to see the Fakir of Oolu, master of the weird, mystical, and strange. The magician’s show “was received with cheers from all parts of the house, and is certainly a very attractive novelty” (Ballarat Courier, “Theatre Royal” 29 Mar. 1875). That same day, the Combination Star Company gave a concert at the Mechanics Institute. Indicating the competitive tussle, the press stated: “The attendance, however, doubtless owing to attractions elsewhere, was only moderately large” (Courier, “Concert at the Mechanics’” 29 Mar. 1875). In the early 1870s, there had been calls from sectors of society for a new venue to be built in Ballarat, consistent with its status. The developer and proprietor, Sir William Clarke, intended to offer a “higher class” of entertainment for up to 1700 people, superior to the “broad farces” at the Royal (Freund n.p.) In 1875, the Academy of Music opened, at a cost of twelve thousand pounds, just one block away from the Royal.As the decade of decreasing population wore on, it is intriguing to consider an unprecedented “riotous” incident in 1877. Levity's Original Royal Marionettes opened at the Royal with ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to calamitous response. The Company Managers, Wittington & Lovell made clear that the performance had scarcely commenced when the “storm” arose and they believed “the assault to be premeditated” (Wittington and Lovell in Argus, “The Riot” 6 Apr. 1877). Paid thuggery, with the intent of spooking regular patrons, was the implication. They pointed out that “It is evident that the ringleaders of the riot came into the theatre ready armed with every variety of missiles calculated to get a good hit at the figures and scenery, and thereby create a disturbance.” The mob assaulted the stage with “head-breaking” lemonade bottles, causing costly damage, then chased the frightened puppeteers down Sturt Street (Mount Alexander Mail, “Items of News” 4 Apr. 1877). The following night’s performance, by contrast, was perfectly calm (Ballarat Star, “News and Notes” 7 Apr. 1877). Just three months later, Webb’s Royal Marionette pantomimes appeared at the Mechanics’ Institute. The press wrote “this is not to be confounded, with the exhibition which created something like a riot at the Theatre Royal last Easter” (Ballarat Star, “News and Notes” 5 July 1877).The final performance at the Royal was the American Rockerfellers’ Minstrel Company. The last newspaper references to the Royal were placed in the context of other “treats in store” at The Academy of Music, and forthcoming offerings at the Mechanics Institute (Star, “Advertising” 3 July 1878). The Royal had experienced three re-openings and a series of short-term managements, often ending in loss or even bankruptcy. When it wound up, investors were left to cover the losses, while the owner was forced to find more profitable uses for the building (Freund n.p.). At face value, it seemed that four performing arts venues was one too many for Ballarat audiences to support. By August 1878 the Royal’s two shop fronts were up for lease. Thereafter, the building was given over entirely to retail drapery sales (Withers 260). ReflectionsThe Royal was erected, at enormous expense, in a moment of unbridled optimism, after several popular theatres in Ballarat East had burned to the ground. Ultimately the timing for such a lavish investment was poor. It suffered an inflexible old-fashioned structure, high overheads, ongoing staffing costs, changing demographics, economic crisis, increased competition, decreased population, the growth of local community-based theatre, temperance agitation and the impact of negative rumour and hear-say.The struggles endured by the various owners and managers of, and investors in, the Royal reflected broader changes within the larger community. The tension between the fixed nature of the place and the fluid needs of the public was problematic. Shifting demographics meant the Royal was negatively affected by conservative values, altered tastes and competing entertainment options. Built in the 1850s, it was sound, but structurally rigid, dated and polluted with the bacterial irritations of the times. “Resident professional companies could not compete with those touring from Melbourne” by whom it was considered “… hard to use and did not satisfy the needs of touring companies who required facilities equivalent to those in the metropolitan theatres” (Freund n.p.). Meanwhile, the prevalence of fund-raising concerts, created by charitable groups and member based community organisations, detracted from people’s interest in supporting professional performances. After-all, amateur concerts enabled families to “embrace the values of British middle class morality” (Doggett 295) at a safe distance from grog shops and saloons. Children aged 5-14 constituted only ten percent of the Ballarat population in 1857, but by 1871 settler families had created a population in which school aged children comprised twenty-five of the whole (Bate 146). This had significant ramifications for the type of theatrical entertainments required. By the late sixties, as many as 2000 children would perform at a time, and therefore entrance fees were able to be kept at affordable levels for extended family members. Just one year after the demise of the Royal, a new secular improvement society became active, holding amateur events and expanding over time to become what we now know as the Royal South Street Society. This showed that the appetite for home-grown entertainment was indeed sizeable. It was a function that the Royal was unable to service, despite several ardent attempts. Conclusion The greatest misfortune of the Royal was that it became stigmatised, from the mid 1860s onwards. In an era when people were either attempting to be pure of manners or were considered socially undesirable, it was hard for a cultural venue to survive which occupied the commercial middle ground, as the Royal did. It is also conceivable that the Royal was ‘framed’, by one or two of its competitor venues, or their allies, just one year before its closure. The Theatre Royal’s negative stigma as a venue for rough and intemperate human remnants of early Ballarat East had proven insurmountable. The Royal’s awkward position between high-class entrepreneurial culture and wholesome family-based community values, both of which were considered tasteful, left it out-of-step with the times and vulnerable to the judgement of those with either vested interests or social commitments elsewhere. This had long-term resonance for the subsequent development of entertainment options within Ballarat, placing the pendulum of favour either on elite theatre or accessible community based entertainments. The cultural middle-ground was sparse. The eventual loss of the building, the physical place of so much dramatic energy and emotion, as fondly recalled by Withers (260), inevitably contributed to the Royal fading from intergenerational memory. The telling of the ‘real story’ behind the rise and fall of the Ballarat Theatre Royal requires further exploration. If contemporary cultural industries are genuinely concerned “with the re-presentation of the supposed history and culture of a place”, as Urry believed (154), then untold stories such as that of Ballarat’s Theatre Royal require scholarly attention. This article represents the first attempt to examine its troubled history in a holistic fashion and locate it within a context ripe for cultural analysis.ReferencesBate, Weston. Lucky City: The First Generation at Ballarat 1851–1901. Carlton South: Melbourne UP, 1978.Brereton, Roslyn. Entertainment and Recreation on the Victorian Goldfields in the 1850s. BA (Honours) Thesis. Melbourne: University of Melbourne, 1967.Borgmann, Albert. Crossing the Postmodern Divide. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992. Briggs, Asa. Victorian Cities: Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Melbourne. London: Penguin, 1968.Doggett, Anne. “And for Harmony Most Ardently We Long”: Musical Life in Ballarat, 1851-187. PhD Thesis. Ballarat: Ballarat University, 2006.Freund, Peter. Her Maj: A History of Her Majesty's Theatre. Ballarat: Currency Press, 2007.Hazelwood, Jennifer. A Public Want and a Public Duty: The Role of the Mechanics Institute in the Cultural, Social and Educational Development of Ballarat from 1851 to 1880. PhD Thesis. Ballarat: University of Ballarat 2007.Jenkins, Lloyd. Another Five Ballarat Cameos. Ballarat: Lloyd Jenkins, 1989.McConachie, Bruce. Engaging Audiences: A Cognitive Approach to Spectating in the Theatre. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2008.Reide, John, and John Chisholm. Ballarat Golden City: A Pictorial History. Bacchus Marsh: Joval Publications, 1989.Spielvogel, Nathan. Spielvogel Papers, Volume 1. 4th ed. Bakery Hill: Ballarat Historical Society, 2016.Spielvogel, Nathan. Spielvogel Papers, Volume 3. 4th ed. Bakery Hill: Ballarat Historical Society, 2016.Urry, John. Consuming Places. London: Routledge, 1995.Withers, William. History of Ballarat (1870) and some Ballarat Reminiscences (1895/96). Ballarat: Ballarat Heritage Services, 1999.NewspapersThe Age.The Argus (Melbourne).The Australasian.The Ballarat Courier.The Ballarat Star.Coolgardie Miner.The Malcolm Chronicle and Leonora Advertiser.Mount Alexander Mail.The Star (Ballarat).

AbstractThe history of the following note is as follows. In 2003, I invited Kenneth Johnson to Berlin to give a talk on adhesion in a seminar at the Institute of Mechanics. His lecture on the topic "Mechanics of adhesion of spherical surfaces" took place on Monday, January 26, 2004. In the run-up to the seminar, Professor Johnson sent me a historical note dated November 18, 2003. In my opinion, this note, which was written in the form of a paper, may be of interest for experts in contact mechanics and tribology. Prof. Johnson did not publish it, so it remained a private communication. For a publication he might have made a revision and would possibly have credited other important contributions. But this we can only guess at, and therefore the note is published below in the form I received it from Kenneth L. Johnson, with only a few misprints corrected. It is interesting as a historical document from Ken Johnson, who played a key role in development of theory of adhesive contacts.

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare, aggressive, difficult-to-diagnose haematological neoplasm with high mortality. The first case in Ecuador of a young patient with no relevant pathological history, admitted to the internal medicine service of the Enrique Garcés Hospital for presenting cutaneous macula, arthralgias and myalgias, which is complicated with pleural effusion type exudative and poor respiratory mechanics. Extension tests revealed: Acute myeloid leukemia type M2, which is why he was referred to a reference cancer center to complete study and management. Cytogenetic and phenotypic studies corroborated the diagnosis of BPDCN, Treatment with Hyper-CVAD protocol was instituted, however, the patient presented respiratory, renal and haematological commitment that progresses to refractory and death shock. The aggressive nature of this rare leukemia is a limitation in time to institute targeted treatment, most often determining high mortality.

In the early 1850s, a young and reform-minded phonographer named William Orr , based in Oshawa C.W., devised an ambitious plan to promote phonography and reformed spelling throughout Canada West and the British North American colonies. A promoter of Pitman shorthand, the editor and publisher of the journal the Canadian Phonetic Pioneer (1859-1861), and in all probability the country's first phonotypographer, Orr was considered in his own day to be a "fonetic pioneer" and even today can be considered an innovator in the fields of media and communications. This essay reconstructs the life and work of William Orr and the publishing history of the Canadian Phonetic Pioner, traces his involvement in the politics of the international phonographic community, and looks at related mid-century efforts to promote the "art phonographic" (through platform demonstrations, new associations, and Mechanics' Institute classes). "Spelling reform" is placed here, as it was for its practitioners, in the context of other mid-century social reform movements.

Place and Duration of Study: Sample: Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, Abia State and Laboratory Department, JAROS Inspection Services Limited, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, between April 2018 and June 2018. Methodology: A total of 204 samples comprising of 123 auto-mechanics and 81 non -auto-mechanics were assayed. Detailed information of the bio-data of the subjects including age, gender, medical history, health information and lifestyle were obtained from each participant. Blood samples were collected from for the analysis of inflammation markers, IL-6, TNF-α and CRP were determined using standard methods and techniques. The effect of age and duration of exposure on the inflammation parameters were considered. Statistical Analysis System (SAS), STAT 15.1, developed by SAS Institute, North Carolina State University, USA was used for statistical analysis. Data were presented as Mean ± SEM, comparison of means of groups that are more than two was done using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and the Tukey test of multiple comparison was used to test for variance within and across groups. Results: There was significant increase in the means of IL-6, TNF-α and CRP in the exposed subjects (p <0.05) compared with the control subjects There was no significant difference (p >0.05) in the means of IL-6, TNF-α and C-reactive protein (CRP) between the age groups of the exposed and the control subjects. Similarly, there was no significant difference between the groups, based on duration of exposure. This suggests that the toxic effect does not depend on the age or duration of exposure but on other factors for the automechanics in Aba. Conclusion: This study shows that the exposure of automechanics may significantly increase the serum IL-6 TNF-α and Hs-CRP levels. Increase in the serum levels of the inflammation markers is predictive of the danger of future pathology in automechanics compared with non automechanics in Aba metropolis. Age and duration did not influence significant variation in the automechanics.

AbstractA special interdisciplinary project course was offered in the Fall of 2006 within the Carnegie Institute of Technology at Carnegie Mellon University. The course was open to students from across the university, it drew participants from Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy, Materials Science and Engineering, Architecture, the School of Design. This multidisciplinary collection of students formed the necessary knowledge base to approach the various tasks of the project. Each student was to rely on their academic experience and talents to contribute to the work, while simultaneously learning from those in other disciplines. The participating material science and engineering were juniors acquainted with fundamental of materials. Some students were taking courses involving steel making process and steel mechanical properties concurrently. Students in civil and mechanical engineering and architecture are familiar with structural design and construction processes. Students in engineering and public policy and environmental engineering have experience with life cycle assessment and environmental impacts. The collaborative group experience introduced students to how disciplines interact in the real world, encouraging them to pursue their own interests in broader areas.The project consisted of three efforts assessing life cycle impact in terms of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and economic costs of equivalent products made from both steel and wood The first effort involved comparison of steel products versus wood products in existing designs. The second, looked at the optimization of steel products to improve design options and the third tried to identifying opportunities to leverage the use of steel materials in green building design and construction, based on certification requirements established by the US Green Building Council and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.At Carnegie Mellon, the Green Design Initiative researchers have been leaders in life cycle assessment methodology development and assessment, and have a history of merging students and faculty from across the university into research teams. This multidisciplinary project was good example of how common topics can be exploited to provide excellent discovery opportunities for undergraduate engineering programs.

In 1971, John Maxwell Freeland, an Australian architectural historian, published 'The Making of a Profession: A History of Growth and Work of the Architectural Institutes in Australia'. Commissioned by the Council of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, Freeland’s book detailed the history of the architecture profession in the country from British settlement to 1970, which he summarized as follows: From the grudging hands of unwilling convicts Australia’s building passed to opportunistic but unlettered craftsmen, thence to ambitious trades-contractor-architects and eventually to the smooth hands of the professional gentlemen. The gentleman-architect became the artist-architect, who in turn became, in response to bewildering imperatives in a rapidly changing word, the technologist-businessman-architect. And much of the colour and the fun and the adventure was squeezed out of architecture as it became a serious business. Freeland’s ‘technologist-businessman-architect’ is a figure that by the 1970s had appeared in many places across the globe. By then, as economics, management and scientific methods had gained currency, the personal service of an individual architect had become the corporate service of an architectural firm, while the practice of architecture had become less a profession and more and more a business. Furthermore, from the 1970s, to counter the ravages of developers and package-dealers, architects and architectural firms also increasingly widened the range of the services that they offered. Many began working with developers, while others became developers themselves, or ventured into the building industry. In addition to expanding their professional services, some also expanded their geographic scope, and became global entrepreneurs. Although today, this narrative is well-known, little scholarship exists that examines precisely how such changes occurred on the ground – certainly in Australia. Freeland’s history of the architecture profession concludes in 1970, and while several publications have appeared that document the country’s architecture post-1970, these focus predominantly on its aesthetics rather than its professional mechanics. This paper seeks to take a first step towards addressing this dearth by examining the career and work of Edwin Codd (1939-), an Australian architect, educator, businessman and global entrepreneur, who saw it as his mission to transform the way in which architecture was taught, procured and produced. Commencing in the late 1960s and extending to the early 2000s, Codd’s career paralleled and propelled the aforementioned changes in the profession of architecture in Australia, from technologist-businessman-architect to global entrepreneur. The paper draws on interviews with Codd and his (former) collaborators, and on archival research and a literature review of contemporary periodicals. These primary sources have been complemented with a reading of secondary sources on the history of architecture in Australia following the 1960s.

EditorialThroughout history, there have been many outstanding women whose achievements continue to impress and amaze us today. For example, in the field of science, Madame Marie Curie was the first woman Nobel Prize winner and the only person to be awarded a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. From China, Tu Youyou is a Nobel laureate who discovered artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin, used to treat malaria, a breakthrough in twentieth-century tropical medicine, saving millions of lives around the globe. Businesswomen such as Angela Ahrendts, a former fashion executive who helped revitalize Apple, Inc., and Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook), are recognized as two of the world’s most influential business leaders.Now, more than ever, women are at the forefront of developments in optics and photonics research and business. One of those leaders is Elizabeth Rogan, CEO of Optica (formerly the Optical Society and the Optical Society of America.) As the executive in charge of an organization devoted to promoting the generation, application, archiving, and dissemination of knowledge in optics and photonics worldwide, Ms. Rogan has successfully expanded the depth and breadth of Optica’s technical and global reach. Her education and expertise are in industry, finance, and strategy. She utilizes these skills in partnership with a large and technically diverse group of Ph.D. volunteers and staff specialists. Combining the efforts of these many talented people with a unity of purpose has proven to be a highly effective approach for Rogan and the association she has led for nearly two decades.Ms. Rogan is a strong advocate for women. For instance, the association’s “Faces of Optica” campaign features a wide range of accomplished women in research and applications. And she was an enthusiastic participant in the “Rose in Science,” which celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments of women scientists.Light Special Correspondents interviewed Elizabeth Rogan about Optica’s legacy, culture, and personal experiences as its CEO in this issue. She also discussed the reasons behind the recent rebranding of the organization and the bonds of friendship the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Optica have built over the years.Please join us for an in-depth look at why this century-plus-year-old organization has a fresh new vision for the future.

Critics are always trying to catch up with the phenomena they analyse, and critics of celebrity culture are no different. For most of its history, the celebrity apparatus has had a vested interest in staying invisible. So long as it remained illegible to cultural analysis, it could claim to be simply a transparent medium for exhibiting star quality. The celebrity’s public profile could appear to be the well-earned result of talent and determination, or the seemingly magical crystallization of his or her personality. But recently, some of the mechanics of celebrity culture have gained their own prominence. This hypertrophic state produces new cultural mutations and opens new possibilities for critique. Celebrity culture has a long history of structuring the production, distribution and reception of texts around the mystique of a particularly fascinating individual (Braudy). While apparently revealing the deep selfhood of a famous person to a mass audience, the cultural apparatus of celebrity concealed the industrial conditions in which its texts were produced. The hagiographic writings of journalists and biographers, meanwhile, focussed on the unique qualities of celebrated individuals and thus functioned as an adjunct to the apparatus. Recently, an academic critique of celebrity has emerged, which strategically brackets the experience of the individual in order to focus on the phenomenon’s cultural scaffolding. P. David Marshall theorised celebrity’s place in the circulation of power, Joshua Gamson used audience interviews to broaden our understanding of how it is consumed, and Tyler Cowen analysed its effect on the economy. Richard Dyer, Joe Moran and Charles L. Ponce de Leon considered celebrity’s place in film, literature and journalism respectively. And critics such as Carl Freedman, David Shumway and Sharon O’Dair observed its incursions into politics and the academy. These studies made it possible to think critically about the mechanisms that celebrity culture had traditionally kept hidden. But I contend that celebrity culture has changed the way it operates, reflexively revealing some of its mechanisms. The structure of the apparatus is becoming as much an object of fascination as the individuals it promotes. An organic structure becomes hypertrophic when it grows in such an exaggerated way that its function in the organism or ecosystem is affected. Hypertrophic celebrity now requires cultural critics to develop new kinds of insight and sophistication. Hypertrophic celebrity culture has seen the rise of several formats for interactive cross-platform content; they include Pop Idol, Pop Stars, Fame Academy and Big Brother. Generically related to “reality TV” – whose affinities with surveillance and social control have been remarked by Andrejevic, Grindstaff and Johnson, among others – these formats also have wider significance for celebrity culture. Whilst they remain primarily broadcast television programmes, their makers are keen to maximise the possibility of interacting with them via digital TV, the Internet, email, WAP, PDAs, SMS and the telephone. Moreover, they thrive on the free publicity provided by talk shows, magazines and so on. This platform-hopping exploits an important characteristic of celebrity culture that has not previously been so apparent. Although it appears to be centred on an individual, celebrity culture is in fact radically rhizomatic. It operates as an intertextual network in which texts from several media (film, TV, photography, print) collectively create a public profile that is not, finally, under anyone’s control. The first symptom of this hypertrophy is a shift in how celebrity culture holds our attention. Each new celebrity product has to be dynamically different from what the celebrity has done before, yet also reassuringly familiar. The new work must offer new satisfactions, without detaching itself completely from a winning formula. The “classic” response to this dilemma was to structure a celebrity career around a developmental narrative of subjective growth. This marketing strategy underwrote a key element of bourgeois subjectivity. At the limit, it could lead to the multiple reinventions practised by, for example, Madonna or David Bowie, where the celebrity’s different incarnations appear to be linked by nothing but their own will to self-creation. With nothing else to lend continuity to their protean careers, we fall back on the assumption that it must be the hidden depths of their subjectivity that fascinate us so much. But the new celebrities, like other consumables, come with built-in obsolescence. Rather than developing, they are discarded. Take David Sneddon, winner of the first UK Fame Academy. His first single went straight to the top of the charts in January 2003, but by 2004 he’d quit singing to write songs instead. Or take One True Voice, the boy band constructed by Pop Stars: The Rivals. They split after releasing only two singles. As these examples suggest, what endures now is not the celebrity but the format. Just as postmodern architecture displays the ducts and pipes that make a building function, so hypertrophic celebrity foregrounds the mechanisms that manufacture celebrities. The Idols format, developed in the UK by Fremantle Media, has now reached 100 million viewers around the world. Its marketing rhetoric reveals its inherent contradictions. On one hand, it presents itself as “the televised search for a new national solo pop idol”. On the other it “continues to create major recording artists in all territories in which it airs”. Are these people discovered or created? The producers try to pander to our supposed preference for “organic” artists (The Beatles) over “manufactured” ones (The Monkees), by maintaining that they are seeking out star quality, and exposing performers to a public that can recognise talent when it sees it. But they remain fascinated by the structures that support a celebrity profile, and the Frankenstein-like possibility of creating a celebrity from scratch. Fame Academy, developed by Initial (part of Endemol UK), is even more conflicted about the status of its contestants. On one hand it presents them as hard-working young hopefuls who undertake a “gruelling” schedule in an “Academy” which appears as a parody of an English boarding school. (The press release specifies that they have to sew name-tags into their underwear and go to bed at 11pm.) They compete for a record deal with Polydor, “the UK’s leading record company”. On the other hand the producers recognise that they are not nurturing talent but constructing celebrities. The prize also includes “a show business lifestyle for a year”. The producers are clearly aware that to nurture another modestly successful recording artist is not their aim. Musical success is only one element of a package that comprises a flat, a car, a holiday, a personal stylist and tickets to “VIP events”. Since these undertakings are more concerned with the mechanics of celebrity culture than with any particular individual, it seems fitting that the formats have been far more successful than any of the contestants. The Idols format has been broadcast in 22 territories, from the USA to Kazakhstan; 6.9 million votes were cast in the first season of Fame Academy; and a third season of Pop Stars is planned. Most successful of all, however, has been Big Brother, the format developed by Endemol in the Netherlands, and exported to twenty other countries. While the other formats discussed here remain caught between paradigms of discovery and construction, Big Brother makes no pretence of searching for exceptional or talented individuals. Instead, it explores the idea that anyone can be turned into a celebrity. Exhibit A: Jade Goody. A 21-year-old dental nurse, Jade was a contestant (not the winner) on Big Brother 2 in the UK. During the series, she appeared on the front page of tabloid newspapers eighty-seven times. She went on to appear on the cover of the highest-selling issue of Heat magazine (547,000 copies), to feature in her own documentary (What Jade Did Next), to release two diet and exercise videos and to return to reality TV in Celebrity Wife Swap. Since Jade’s selling point is her entertaining ignorance, the publicists had some difficulty describing her, relying on the vague tautology “irrepressible and unstoppable”. Daniel Boorstin’s classic definition of the celebrity as someone who is “famous for being famous” does not begin to describe Jade. She is famous for having been made famous. She is the product of our new fascination with the mechanisms that make celebrity function. But while some of the mechanisms that drive that apparatus now appear on the surface, they conceal a further layer of manipulation. Behind the pseudo-democracy of American Idol lies the watertight contract that the contestants were required to sign with 19 Group, founded by Simon Fuller. It owns the rights to the names, voices, likenesses and biographies of the contestants, everywhere and forever. It also has an option on the recording, merchandising and management of the ten finalists. Behind the disembodied voice of Big Brother lies the work of a production team driven to improve audience share, advertiser revenue and viewing figures. And behind them lie the four men who form the Executive Board of Endemol, whose companies turned over 914 million Euros last year. The hypertrophy of celebrity culture leaves us once again trying to catch up. No sooner had academic critics begun to theorise the apparatus of celebrity than it started to spawn new and self-conscious mutations in which the apparatus no longer relied on its own invisibility to do its work. We will need to be light on our feet to keep up with its ongoing metastases. References Andrejevic, Mark. “The Kindler, Gentler Gaze of Big Brother: Reality TV in the Era of Digital Capitalism.” New Media and Society 4.2 (2002): 251-70. Boorstin, Daniel J. The Image, or, What Happened to the American Dream. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1961. Braudy, Leo. The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and Its History. New York: Vintage Books, 1997. Cowen, Tyler. What Price Fame? Cambridge MA: Harvard UP, 2000. Dovey, Jon. “Reality TV.” The Television Genre Book. Ed. Glen Creeber. London: British Film Institute, 2001. 134-5, 7. Dyer, Richard. Stars. London: British Film Institute, 1998. Freedman, Carl. “Polemical Afterword: Some Brief Reflections on Arnold Schwarzenegger and on Science Fiction in Contemporary American Culture.” PMLA 119.3 (2004): 539-46. Gamson, Joshua. Claims to Fame: Celebrity in Contemporary America. London: U of California P, 1994. Grindstaff, Laura. “Trashy or Transgressive? ‘Reality TV’ and the Politics of Social Control.” Thresholds: Viewing Culture 9 (1995): 46-55. Johnson, Katie N. “Televising the Panopticon: The Myth of ‘Reality-Based’ TV.” American Drama 8.2 (1999): 1-26. Marshall, P. David. Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1997. Moran, Joe. Star Authors: Literary Celebrity in America. London: Pluto Press, 2000. O’Dair, Sharon. “Stars, Tenure and the Death of Ambition.” Michigan Quarterly Review 36.4 (1997): 607-27. O’Dair, Sharon. “Academostars Are the Symptom: What’s the Disease?” Minnesota Review: A Journal of Committed Writing 52-54 (2001): 159-74. Ponce de Leon, Charles L. Self-Exposure: Human Interest Journalism and the Emergence of Celebrity in America, 1890-1940. Chapel Hill and London: U of North Carolina P, 2002. Shumway, David. “The Star System Revisited.” Minnesota Review: A Journal of Committed Writing 52-54 (2001): 175-84. Shumway, David R. “The Star System in Literary Studies.” PMLA 112.1 (1997): 85-100. Links http://www.popidols.tv/theshow.stm – Official Pop Idol site from the UK’s ITV Network. http://www.19.co.uk/site3s.html – 19 Group, who manage the finalists of American Idol. http://www.fremantlemedia.com/page.asp?partid=12 – Fremantle Media, producers of the Idols format. http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2002/09/18/idol_contract/index.html – Salon.com article revealing details of the contracts Idols contestants were required to sign. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/07_july/15/fame_academy2.pdf – Fame Academy Press Pack from the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/07_july/15/fame_academy_series2.shtml – Fame Academy Press Release from the BBC. http://www.tvtome.com/PopstarsTheRivals/ – Unofficial guide to the second season of the Pop Stars format. http://www.endemol.com – Endemol, producers of the Big Brother format. http://www.endemoluk.com – the UK arm of Endemol, parent company to Initial, who produce the Fame Academy format. http://bigbrother.channel4.com/bigbrother/ – Big Brother website from the UK’s Channel Four network. http://backtoreality.gonna.co.uk/celebs/jadegoody.htm – Profile of Jade Goody. http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/B/bigbrother/news/newsstory00015.html – Press release for What Jade Did Next. http://www.davidsneddon.tv/ – Official David Sneddon Website. http://www.endemoluk.com/initial/ – Initial, “the UK’s leading producer of music entertainment and live event television”, responsible for the Fame Academy format. Part of Endemol UK. http://idolonfox.com/ – Fox TV’s American Idol Website Citation reference for this article MLA Style Mole, Tom. "Hypertrophic Celebrity." M/C Journal 7.5 (2004). echo date('d M. Y'); ?> <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0411/08-mole.php>. APA Style Mole, T. (Nov. 2004) "Hypertrophic Celebrity," M/C Journal, 7(5). Retrieved echo date('d M. Y'); ?> from <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0411/08-mole.php>.

The labyrinth is probably the most universal trope of complexity. Deriving from pre-Greek labyrinthos, a word denoting “maze, large building with intricate underground passages”, and possibly related to Lydian labrys, which signifies “double-edged axe,” symbol of royal power, the notion of the labyrinth primarily evokes the Minoan Palace in Crete and the myth of the Minotaur. According to this myth, the Minotaur, a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, was born to Pesiphae, king Minos’s wife, who mated with a bull when the king of Crete was besieging Athens. Upon his return, Minos commanded the artist Daedalus to construct a monumental building of inter-connected rooms and passages, at the center of which the King sought to imprison the monstrous sign of his disgrace. The Minotaur required human sacrifice every couple of years, until it was defeated by the Athenian prince Theuseus, who managed to extricate himself from the maze by means of a clue of thread, given to him by Minos’s enamored daughter, Ariadne (Parandowski 238-43). If the Cretan myth establishes the labyrinth as a trope of complexity, this very complexity associates labyrinthine design not only with disorientation but also with superb artistry. As pointed out by Penelope Reed Doob, the labyrinth is an inherently ambiguous construct (39-63). It presumes a double perspective: those imprisoned inside, whose vision ahead and behind is severely constricted, are disoriented and terrified; whereas those who view it from outside or from above – as a diagram – admire its structural sophistication. Labyrinths thus simultaneously embody order and chaos, clarity and confusion, unity (a single structure) and multiplicity (many paths). Whereas the modern, reductive view equates the maze with confusion and disorientation, the labyrinth is actually a signifier with two contradictory signifieds. Not only are all labyrinths intrinsically double, they also fall into two distinct, though related, types. The paradigm represented by the Cretan maze is mainly derived from literature and myth. It is a multicursal model, consisting of a series of forking paths, each bifurcation requiring new choice. The second type is the unicursal maze. Found mainly in the visual arts, such as rock carvings or coin ornamentation, its structural basis is a single path, twisting and turning, but entailing no bifurcations. Although not equally bewildering, both paradigms are equally threatening: in the multicursal construct the maze-walker may be entrapped in a repetitious pattern of wrong choices, whereas in the unicursal model the traveler may die of exhaustion before reaching the desired end, the heart of the labyrinth. In spite of their differences, the basic similarities between the two paradigms may explain why they were both included in the same linguistic category. The labyrinth represents a road-model, and as such it is essentially teleological. Most labyrinths of antiquity and of the Middle Ages were designed with the thought of reaching the center. But the fact that each labyrinth has a center does not necessarily mean that the maze-walker is aware of its existence. Moreover, reaching the center is not always to be desired (in case it conceals a lurking Minotaur), and once the center is reached, the maze-walker may never find the way back. Besides signifying complexity and ambiguity, labyrinths thus also symbolically evoke the danger of eternal imprisonment, of inextricability. This sinister aspect is intensified by the recursive aspect of labyrinthine design, by the mirroring effect of the paths. In reflecting on the etymology of the word ‘maze’ (rather than the Greek/Latin labyrinthos/labyrinthus), Irwin observes that it derives from the Swedish masa, signifying “to dream, to muse,” and suggests that the inherent recursion of labyrinthine design offers an apt metaphor for the uniquely human faculty of self-reflexitivity, of thought turning upon itself (95). Because of its intriguing aspect and wealth of potential implications, the labyrinth has become a category that is not only formal, but also conceptual and symbolic. The ambiguity of the maze, its conflation of overt complexity with underlying order and simplicity, was explored in ideological systems rooted in a dualistic world-view. In the early Christian era, the labyrinth was traditionally presented as a metaphor for the universe: divine creation based on a perfect design, perceived as chaotic due to the shortcomings of human comprehension. In the Middle-Ages, the labyrinthine attributes of imprisonment and limited perception were reflected in the view of life as a journey inside a moral maze, in which man’s vision was constricted because of his fallen nature (Cazenave 348-350). The maze was equally conceptualized in dynamic terms and used as a metaphor for mental processes. More specifically, the labyrinth has come to signify intellectual confusion, and has therefore become most pertinent in literary contexts that valorize rational thought. And the rationalistic genre par excellence is detective fiction. The labyrinth may serve as an apt metaphor for the world of detective fiction because it accurately conveys the tacit assumptions of the genre – the belief in the existence of order, causality and reason underneath the chaos of perceived phenomena. Such optimistic belief is ardently espoused by the putative detective in Paul Auster’s metafictional novella City of Glass: He had always imagined that the key to good detective work was a close observation of details. The more accurate the scrutiny, the more successful the results. The implication was that human behavior could be understood, that beneath the infinite façade of gestures, tics and silences there was finally a coherence, an order, a source of motivation. (67) In this brief but eloquent passage Auster conveys, through the mind of his sleuth, the central tenets of classical detective fiction. These tenets are both ontological and epistemological. The ontological aspect is subsumed in man’s hopeful reliance on “a coherence, an order, a source of motivation” underlying the messiness and blood of the violent deed. The epistemological aspect is aptly formulated by Michael Holquist, who argues that the fictional world of detective stories is rooted in the Scholastic principle of adequatio rei et intellectus, the adequation of mind to things (157). And if both human reality and phenomenal reality are governed by reason, the mind, given enough time, can understand everything. The mind’s representative is the detective. He is the embodiment of inquisitive intellect, and his superior powers of observation and deduction transform an apparent mystery into an incontestable solution. The detective sifts through the evidence, assesses the relevance of data and the reliability of witnesses. But, first of foremost, he follows clues – and the clue, the most salient element of the detective story, links the genre with the myth of the Cretan labyrinth. For in its now obsolete spelling, the word ‘clew’ denotes a ball of thread, and thus foregrounds the similarity between the mental process of unraveling a crime mystery and the traveler’s progress inside the maze (Irwin 179). The chief attributes of the maze – circuitousness, enclosure, and inextricability – associate it with another convention of detective fiction, the trope of the locked room. This convention, introduced in Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” a text traditionally regarded as the first analytic detective story, establishes the locked room as the ultimate affront to reason: a hermetically sealed space which no one could have penetrated or exited and in which a brutal crime has nevertheless been committed. But the affront to reason is only apparent. In Poe’s ur-text of the genre, the violent deed is committed by an orangutan, a brutal and abused beast that enters and escapes from the seemingly locked room through a half-closed window. As accurately observed by Holquist, in the world of detective fiction “there are no mysteries, there is only incorrect reasoning” (157). And the correct reasoning, dubbed by Poe “ratiocination”, is the process of logical deduction. Deduction is an enchainment of syllogisms, in which a conclusion inevitably follows from two valid premises; as Dupin elegantly puts it, “the deductions are the sole proper ones and … the suspicion arises inevitably from them as a single result” (Poe 89). Applying this rigorous mental process, the detective re-arranges the pieces of the puzzle into a coherent and meaningful sequence of events. In other words – he creates a narrative. This brings us back to Irwin’s observation about the recursive aspect of the maze. Like the labyrinth, detective fiction is self-reflexive. It is a narrative form which foregrounds narrativity, for the construction of a meaningful narrative is the protagonist’s and the reader’s principal task. Logical deduction, the main activity of the fictional sleuth, does not allow for ambiguity. In classical detective fiction, the labyrinth is associated with the messiness and violence of crime and contrasted with the clarity of the solution (the inverse is true of postmodernist detective mysteries). The heart of the labyrinth is the solution, the vision of truth. This is perhaps the most important aspect of the detective genre: the premise that truth exists and that it can be known. In “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” the initially insoluble puzzle is eventually transformed into a coherent narrative, in which a frantic orangutan runs into the street escaping the abuse of its master, climbs a rod and seeks refuge in a room inhabited by two women, brutally slashes them in confusion, and then flees the room in the same way he penetrated it. The sequence of events reconstructed by Dupin is linear, unequivocal, and logically satisfying. This is not the case with the ‘hard boiled’, American variant of the detective genre, which influenced the inception of film noir. Although the novels of Hammett, Chandler or Cain are structured around crime mysteries, these works problematize most of the tacit premises of analytic detective fiction and re-define its narrative form. For one, ‘hard boiled’ fiction obliterates the dualism between overt chaos and underlying order, between the perceived messiness of crime and its underlying logic. Chaos becomes all-encompassing, engulfing the sleuth as well as the reader. No longer the epitome of a superior, detached intellect, the detective becomes implicated in the mystery he investigates, enmeshed in a labyrinthine sequence of events whose unraveling does not necessarily produce meaning. As accurately observed by Telotte, “whether [the] characters are trying to manipulate others, or simply hoping to figure out how their plans went wrong, they invariably find that things do not make sense” (7). Both ‘hard-boiled’ fiction and its cinematic progeny implicitly portray the dissolution of social order. In film noir, this thematic pursuit finds a formal equivalent in the disruption of traditional narrative paradigm. As noted by Bordwell and Telotte, among others, the paradigm underpinning classical Hollywood cinema in the years 1917-1960 is characterized by a seemingly objective point of view, adherence to cause-effect logic, use of goal-oriented characters and a progression toward narrative closure (Bordwell 157, Telotte 3). In noir films, on the other hand, the devices of flashback and voice-over implicitly challenge conventionally linear narratives, while the use of the subjective camera shatters the illusion of objective truth (Telotte 3, 20). To revert to the central concern of the present paper, in noir cinema the form coincides with the content. The fictional worlds projected by the ‘hard boiled’ genre and its noir cinematic descendent offer no hidden realm of meaning underneath the chaos of perceived phenomena, and the trope of the labyrinth is stripped of its transcendental, comforting dimension. The labyrinth is the controlling visual metaphor of the Coen Brothers’ neo-noir film The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001). The film’s title refers to its main protagonist: a poker-faced, taciturn barber, by the name of Ed Crane. The entire film is narrated by Ed, incarcerated in a prison cell. He is writing his life story, at the commission of a men’s magazine whose editor wants to probe the feelings of a convict facing death. Ed says he is not unhappy to die. Exonerated of a crime he committed and convicted of a crime he did not, Ed feels his life is a labyrinth. He does not understand it, but he hopes that death will provide the answer. Ed’s final vision of life as a bewildering maze, and his hope of seeing the master-plan after death, ostensibly refer to the inherent dualism of the labyrinth, the notion of underlying order manifest through overt chaos. They offer the flicker of an optimistic closure, which subscribes to the traditional Christian view of the universe as a perfect design, perceived as chaos due to the shortcomings of human comprehension. But this interpretation is belied by the film’s final scene. Shot in blindingly white light, suggesting the protagonist’s revelation, the screen is perfectly empty, except for the electric chair in the center. And when Ed slowly walks towards the site of his execution, he has a sudden fantasy of the overhead lights as the round saucers of UFOs. The film’s visual metaphors ironically subvert Ed’s metaphysical optimism. They cast a view of human life as a maze of emptiness, to borrow the title of one of Borges’s best-known stories. The only center of this maze is death, the electric chair; the only transcendence, faith in God and in after life, makes as much sense as the belief in flying saucers. The Coen Brothers thus simultaneously construct and deconstruct the traditional symbolism of the labyrinth, evoking (through Ed’s innocent hope) its promise of underlying order, and subverting this promise through the images that dominate the screen. The transcendental dimension of the trope of the labyrinth, its promise of a hidden realm of meaning and value, is consistently subverted throughout the film. On the level of plot, the film presents a crisscrossed pattern of misguided intentions and tragi-comic misinterpretations. The film’s protagonist, Ed Crane, is estranged from his own life; neither content nor unhappy, he is passive, taking things as they come. Thus he condones Doris’s, his wife’s, affair with her employer, Big Dave, reacting only when he perceives an opportunity to profit from their liason. This opportunity presents itself in the form of Creighton Tolliver, a garrulous client, who shares with Ed his fail-proof scheme of making big money from the new invention of dry cleaning. All he needs to carry out his plan, confesses Creighton, is an investment of ten thousand dollars. The barber decides to take advantage of this accidental encounter in order to change his life. He writes an anonymous extortion letter to Big Dave, threatening to expose his romance with Doris and wreck his marriage and his financial position (Dave’s wife, a rich heiress, owns the store that Dave runs). Dave confides in Ed about the letter; he suspects the blackmailer is a con man that tried to engage him in a dry-cleaning scheme. Although reluctant to part with the money, which he has been saving to open a new store to be managed by Doris, Big Dave eventually gives in. Obviously, although unbeknownst to Big Dave, it is Ed who collects the money and passes it to Creighton, so as to become a silent partner in the dry cleaning enterprise. But things do not work out as planned. Big Dave, who believes Creighton to be his blackmailer, follows him to his apartment in an effort to retrieve the ten thousand dollars. A fight ensues, in which Creighton gets killed, not before revealing to Dave Ed’s implication in his dry-cleaning scheme. Furious, Dave summons Ed, confronts him with Creighton’s story and physically attacks him. Ed grabs a knife that is lying about and accidentally kills Big Dave. The following day, two policemen arrive at the barbershop. Ed is certain they came to arrest him, but they have come to arrest Doris. The police have discovered that she has been embezzling from Dave’s store (Doris is an accountant), and they suspect her of Dave’s murder. Ed hires Freddy Riedenschneider, the best and most expensive criminal attorney, to defend his wife. The attorney is not interested in truth; he is looking for a version that will introduce a reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury. At some point, Ed confesses that it is he who killed Dave, but Riedenschneider dismisses his confession as an inadequate attempt to save Doris’s neck. He concocts a version of his own, but does not get the chance to win the trial; the case is dismissed, as Doris is found hanged in her cell. After his wife’s death, Ed gets lonely. He takes interest in Birdy, the young daughter of the town lawyer (whom he initially approached for Doris’s defense). Birdy plays the piano; Ed believes she is a prodigy, and wants to become her agent. He takes her for an audition to a French master pianist, who decides that the girl is nothing special. Disenchanted, they drive back home. Birdy tells Ed, not for the first time, that she doesn’t really want to be a pianist. She hasn’t been thinking of a career; if at all, she would like to be a vet. But she is very grateful. As a token of her gratitude, she tries to perform oral sex on Ed. The car veers; they have an accident. When he comes to, Ed faces two policemen, who tell him he is arrested for the murder of Creighton Tolliver. The philosophical purport of the labyrinth metaphor is suggested in a scene preceding Doris’s trial, in which her cocky attorney justifies his defense strategy. To support his argument, he has recourse to the theory of some German scientist, called either Fritz or Werner, who claimed that truth changes with the eye of the beholder. Science has determined that there is no objective truth, says Riedenschneider; consequently, the question of what really happened is irrelevant. All a good attorney can do, he concludes, is present a plausible narrative to the jury. Freddy Riedenschneider’s seemingly nonchalant exposition is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Succinctly put, the principle postulates that the more precisely the position of a subatomic particle is determined, the less precisely its momentum is known in this instant, and vice versa. What follows is that concepts such as orbits of electrons do not exist in nature unless and until we measure them; or, in Heisenberg’s words, “the ‘path’ comes into existence only when we observe it” (qtd. in Cassidy). Heisenberg’s discovery had momentous scientific and philosophical implications. For one, it challenged the notion of causality in nature. The law of causality assumes that if we know the present exactly, we can calculate the future; in this formulation, suggests Heisenberg, “it is not the conclusion that is wrong, but the premises” (qtd. in Cassidy). In other words, we can never know the present exactly, and on the basis of this exact knowledge, predict the future. More importantly, the uncertainty principle seems to collapse the distinction between subjective and objective reality, between consciousness and the world of phenomena, suggesting that the act of perception changes the reality perceived (Hofstadter 239). In spite of its light tone, the attorney’s confused allusion to quantum theory conveys the film’s central theme: the precarious nature of truth. In terms of plot, this theme is suggested by the characters’ constant misinterpretation: Big Dave believes he is blackmailed by Creighton Tolliver; Ed thinks Birdy is a genius, Birdy thinks that Ed expects sex from her, and Ann, Dave’s wife, puts her faith in UFOs. When the characters do not misjudge their reality, they lie about it: Big Dave bluffs about his war exploits, Doris cheats on Ed and Big Dave cheats on his wife and embezzles from her. And when the characters are honest and tell the truth, they are neither believed nor rewarded: Ed confesses his crime, but his confession is impatiently dismissed, Doris keeps her accounts straight but is framed for fraud and murder; Ed’s brother in law and partner loyally supports him, and as a result, goes bankrupt. If truth cannot be known, or does not exist, neither does justice. Throughout the film, the wires of innocence and guilt are constantly crossed; the innocent are punished (Doris, Creighton Tolliver), the guilty are exonerated of crimes they committed (Ed of killing Dave) and convicted of crimes they did not (Ed of killing Tolliver). In this world devoid of a metaphysical dimension, the mindless processes of nature constitute the only reality. They are represented by the incessant, pointless growth of hair. Ed is a barber; he deals with hair and is fascinated by hair. He wonders how hair is a part of us and we throw it to dust; he is amazed by the fact that hair continues to grow even after death. At the beginning of the film we see him docilely shave his wife’s legs. In a mirroring scene towards the end, the camera zooms in on Ed’s own legs, shaved before his electrocution. The leitmotif of hair, the image of the electric chair, the recurring motif of UFOs – all these metaphoric elements convey the Coen Brothers’ view of the human condition and build up to Ed’s final vision of life as a labyrinth. Life is a labyrinth because there is no necessary connection between cause and effect; because crime is dissociated from accountability and punishment; because what happened can never be ascertained and human knowledge consists only of a maze of conflicting, or overlapping, versions. The center of the existential labyrinth is death, and the exit, the belief in an after-life, is no more real than the belief in aliens. The labyrinth is an inherently ambiguous construct. Its structural attributes of doubling, recursion and inextricability yield a wealth of ontological and epistemological implications. Traditionally used as an emblem of overt complexity concealing underlying order and symmetry, the maze may aptly illustrate the tacit premises of the analytic detective genre. But this purport of the maze symbolism is ironically inverted in noir and neo-noir films. As suggested by its title, the Coen Brothers’ movie is marked by absence, and the absence of the man who wasn’t there evokes a more disturbing void. That void is the center of the existential labyrinth. References Auster, Paul. City of Glass. The New York Trilogy. London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1990. 1-132. Bordwell, David. Narration in the Fiction Film. Madison: Wisconsin UP, 1985. 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London: Chancellor Press, 1994. 103-114. Telotte, J.P. Voices in the Dark: The Narrative Patterns of Film Noir. Urbana: Illinois UP, 1989. Citation reference for this article MLA Style Shiloh, Ilana. "A Vision of Complex Symmetry: The Labyrinth in The Man Who Wasn’t There." M/C Journal 10.3 (2007). echo date('d M. Y'); ?> <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0706/09-shiloh.php>. APA Style Shiloh, I. (Jun. 2007) "A Vision of Complex Symmetry: The Labyrinth in The Man Who Wasn’t There," M/C Journal, 10(3). Retrieved echo date('d M. Y'); ?> from <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0706/09-shiloh.php>.