Keratoconus: an analysis of corneal asymmetry

Background: Keratoconus, a non-inflammatory corneal ectasia, is reported to have bilateral involvement in over 90% of patients. The purpose of this study was to quantify the extent of asymmetry of disease at presentation to a regional corneal clinic.

Professing translation: the acts-in-between

Drawing on scholarship in translation ethics (Berman 1992; Cronin 2003) and performance studies (Conquergood 2002; Jackson 2004), this article approaches translation in the theatre from the double perspective of theory and practice. Professing translation as a model for the resolution of entrenched binaries (scholar/artist; theoretician/practitioner), the author sees the practice of translating for performance not just as a method of discovery or a hermeneutic tool but also as a mode of reflection that brings together both “readerly” and “writerly” approaches to text (Barthes 1974). By drawing on the experience of writing translations of García Lorca for the Belgrade Theatre, Calderón for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Lope de Vega for the Watermill Theatre and the Washington Shakespeare Theatre, the article attempts to characterise such translation as an act of physical imagination, of a holistic understanding of both language and performance, into which textuality is incorporated and by which it is superseded. © John Benjamins Publishing Company

Insights into torpor and behavioural thermoregulation of the endangered Juliana's golden mole

The cryptic, subterranean ways of golden moles (Chrysochloridae) hamper studies of their biology in the field. Ten species appear on the IUCN red list, but the dearth of information available for most inhibits effective conservation planning. New techniques are consequently required to further our understanding and facilitate informed conservation management decisions. We studied the endangered Juliana's golden mole Neamblysomus julianae and aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using implantable temperature sensing transmitters to remotely acquire physiological and behavioural data. We also aimed to assess potential body temperature (T-b) fluctuations in relation to ambient soil temperature (T-a) in order to assess the potential use of torpor. Hourly observations revealed that T-b was remarkably changeable, ranging from 27 to 33 degrees C. In several instances T-b declined during periods of low T-a. Such 'shallow torpor' may result in a daily energy saving of c. 20%. Behavioural thermoregulation was used during periods of high T-a by selecting cooler microclimates, while passive heating was used to raise T-b early morning when T-a was increasing. In contrast to anecdotal reports of nocturnal patterns of activity, our results suggest that activity is flexible, being primarily dependent on T-a. These results exemplify how behavioural patterns and microclimatic conditions can be examined in this and other subterranean mammal species, the results of which can be used in the urgently required conservation planning of endangered Chrysochlorid species.

Hibernation and non-shivering thermogenesis in the Hottentot golden mole (Amblysomus hottentottus longiceps)

Although heterothermy (hibernation and torpor) is a common feature among mammals, there is debate over whether it is a derived or ancestral trait relative to endothermic homeothermy. Determination of the physiological characteristics of primitive mammals is central to understanding the evolution of endothermy. Moreover, evaluation of physiological mechanisms responsible for endothermic heat production [e.g. non-shivering thermogenesis (NST)] is key to understanding how early mammals responded to historical climate changes and colonised different geographical regions. Here we investigated the capacity for NST and heterothermy in the Hottentot golden mole, a basal eutherian mammal. NST was measured as the metabolic response to injections of noradrenalin and heterothermy by recording body temperature in free-ranging animals. We found that hibernation and torpor occurred and that the seasonal phenotypic adjustment of NST capacity was similar to that found in other placental mammals. Using phylogenetically independent contrasts, we compared measured values of NST with those obtained from the literature. This showed that all variation in NST was accounted for by differences in phylogeny and not zoogeography. These findings lend support to the observation that NST and heterothermy occur in the Afrotheria, the basal placental mammalian clade. Furthermore, this work suggests that heterothermy, rather than homeothermy is a plesiomorphic trait in mammals and supports the notion that NST mechanisms are phylogenetically ancient.

Vortex line and ring dynamics in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates

Vortex dynamics in inhomogeneous Bose-Einstein condensates are studied numerically in two and three dimensions. We simulate the precession of a single vortex around the center of a trapped condensate, and use the Magnus force to estimate the precession frequency. Vortex ring dynamics in a spherical trap are also simulated, and we discover that a ring undergoes oscillatory motion around a circle of maximum energy. The position of this locus is calculated as a function of the number of condensed atoms. In the presence of dissipation, the amplitude of the oscillation will increase, eventually resulting in self-annihilation of the ring.

Vortex shedding and drag in dilute Bose-Einstein condensates

Above a critical velocity, the dominant mechanism of energy transfer between a moving object and a dilute Bose-Einstein condensate is vortex formation. In this paper, we discuss the critical velocity for vortex formation and the link between vortex shedding and drag in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous condensates. We find that at supersonic velocities sound radiation also contributes significantly to the drag force.

Dissipation and vortex creation in Bose-Einstein condensed gases

We solve the Gross-Pitaevskii equation to study energy transfer from an oscillating