Dear Editor, Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a treatment for achalasia which can potentially obviate the need for intraabdominal surgery, whilst at the same time, deliver the same effective treatment as the current standard of care – surgical myotomy. Although POEM has shown encouraging 1-year success rates of more than 90%,1-3 it remains a technically demanding procedure. In the absence o...

William Empson’s poem ‘Letter I’ (1928–35) appears to anticipate the black hole, using the idea of a dying star from which no light escapes as a metaphor for unrequited passion. Closer inspection of the Cambridge undergraduate context in which the poem was written, along with the other source materials incorporated besides Arthur Eddington in the poem, reveals the motivation behind Empson’s pla...

The use of agent-based simulations (ABS) in social science applications presents validation challenges. In this study, the authors use two theories for the growth of rebellion, one an ABS and the other implemented as a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Epstein’s (2001) theory for the rise of rebellion serves as one conceptual model. The authors implement this theory in NetLogo, ...

In her article "Contemporary US-American Satire and Consumerism (Crews, Coupland, Palahniuk)" J.C. Lee focuses on contemporary satire's potential (or lack thereof) for change, reform, or rebellion through an investigation of works by Harry Crews, Douglas Coupland, and Chuck Palahniuk, all of which target consumerism. The said writers employ satire not to initiate rebellion or cultural change, b...

A legitimate state uses violence to enforce contractual agreements within its territory. Criminal organizations may enforce transactions that are legally restricted or banned, or otherwise ignored by the legitimate state. In this sense, criminal organizations may also function as states. Legitimate states may be threatened by violent rebellions. I model how legitimate states and rebellions may ...