Spectrum (E-Journal)
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When God\u27s Not in the Quarrel: The Negative Irony in Lear\u27s Politics of the Common
William Shakespeare’s King Lear illustrates the importance of Christian ideals in Early Modern England by portraying a pagan kingdom in which those ideals do not exist. Heavily influenced by Christian scriptures (notably the Book of Acts), Shakespeare’s first audiences understood King Lear as an exploration of a godless world which must eventually become dysfunctional. The play can be approached as a study in “negative irony,” the device through which something (in this case, Christian morality) is celebrated through a portrayal of its antithesis (Hunt 30). The system of communal living, common ownership, and personal com-monality described in Acts is not something that Shakespeare portrays as tenable in a non-Christian context. Through this lens, we see that King Lear juxtaposes the highly religious culture of Early Modern England with the imagined tragedy of a culture devoid of the same religion
English
The willingness to undermine liberal standards of justice and imprisonment has been a major criticism of the detention camp at Guantánamo Bay. The camp’s propensity to evade judicial mechanisms offered on American soil is particularly due to its deliberate opacity.
This paper begins with a brief overview of the major arguments in favour of the closure of the facility and the challenges that have prohibited the closure thus far, based on a review of debates and commentary found in investigative reports, legal documents, and scholarly analyses. A substantive portion of this piece will highlight three demonstrable areas where transparency is being detrimentally avoided in the conduct of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp: press access, health care, and the detainee defense counsel. A critique of increasing transparency as a possible impetus to keep the facility open will close the discussion. Ultimately, the transgressions of Guantánamo are so detrimental to American self-conception of liberal values that a correction of the facility’s opacity should be but an intermediary step to closing the facility entirely
Effective detection of proteins following electrophoresis using extracts of locally available food species
Procedures in life sciences research laboratories often require chemicals and plasticware that are costly, toxic or pose a risk to the environment. Therefore, sustainable alternatives would be of interest, provided that they generate suitable data quality. Coomassie blue and silver staining are the most widely used methods for detecting proteins following electrophoresis in the laboratory. However, their use presents challenges in terms of safety and waste management. In the current study, aqueous extracts were prepared from a series of common food species and evaluated as alternative stains for protein detection. Beets, blueberries, purple cabbage, raspberries and strawberries were employed to stain identical proteins separated under the same conditions in electrophoresis gels. Extracts of the first two species resulted in protein bands that were detectable through visible light transillumination, whereas extracts from all five species generated specific protein bands under ultraviolet light. The raspberry-derived extract was selected for further study based on the brightness of the fluorescent protein bands and minimal background staining. For both bovine serum albumin and lysozyme at 2.5 μg and 0.5 μg protein per band, the mean signal intensities obtained with raspberry extract staining were just below half of those obtained with Coomassie blue. Furthermore, the mean intensities using raspberry extract were equivalent to those obtained using Coomassie blue in the detection of 0.1 μg protein. Therefore, raspberry could be used to produce an effective stain for the routine laboratory analysis of proteins
La place des Noirs dans la société française des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles: comme observé dans Ourika de Claire de Duras
The black individual had a unique role in nineteenth-century France and was treated as inferior. The global presence of slavery, as well as racism in French society, objectified black individuals, turning them into a symbol of French power and conquest. The exploration of this project will focus on the symbolic representation of the black individual and his societal role in the nineteenth century as presented through the tale Ourika by Claire de Duras.
Ourika recounts the experience of a young black Senegalese girl bought into slavery and raised in France under the tutelage of a wealthy Frenchwoman. Throughout the story, the French perception of the black individual is revealed as we follow the young heroine\u27s growth and observe the discovery of her place in French society. Through an analysis of Ourika, focusing on her evolving perspective of her position in French society and the treatment she receives from French characters, I will create a relationship between Duras\u27s novel and the social characteristics of France in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This research analyzes Ourika in three parts, an overview of eighteenth and nineteenth-century France, an inspection of Ourika\u27s acquisition, and how Ourika\u27s perception of her race is altered after she surrenders. realize that she is different from her contemporaries. In each section, we will contextualize aspects of the narrative to French history to better understand the treatment of black people at the time.Partie intégrante de la perception occidentale de l’Autre, l’individu Noir avait un rôle unique dans la France du dix-neuvième siècle et était traité comme inférieur. La présence mondiale de l’esclavage ainsi que le racisme dans la société française ont objectivé les individus Noirs, les transformant en un symbole de la puissance et de la conquête françaises. L’exploration de ce projet portera sur la représentation symbolique de l’individu Noir et son rôle sociétal au dix-neuvième siècle tel que présenté à travers le conte Ourika de Claire de Duras.Présentée comme une histoire vraie, Ourika raconte l’expérience d’une jeune fille Noire sénégalaise achetée à l’esclavage à l’âge de deux ans et élevée en France sous la tutelle d’une Française aisée. Tout au long de l’histoire, la perception française de l’individu Noir se révèle alors que nous suivons la croissance de la jeune héroïne et observons la découverte de sa propre identité et de sa place dans la société française. À travers une analyse d’Ourika, en me concentrant spécifiquement sur sa perspective évolutive de sa position dans la société française et le traitement qu’elle reçoit des personnages français, je créerai une relation entre le roman de Duras et les caractéristiques sociales de la France aux dix-huitième et dix-neuvième siècle. Cette recherche analyse Ourika en trois parties : un aperçu de la France à l’époque, une inspection de l’acquisition d’Ourika, et comment la perception d’Ourika de sa race est modifiée après qu’elle se rend compte qu’elle est différente de ses contemporains. Dans chaque section, nous contextualiserons les aspects du récit à l’histoire de France pour mieux comprendre le traitement des Noirs à l’époque.
Dangers, Delights, Development: Female Travel in The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Turkish Embassy Letters
This paper examines the portrayal of travel for women in two eighteenth-century literary texts by women writers: The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe and The Turkish Embassy Letters by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. With a focus on the mental, emotional, and psychological effects of female travel that each author depicts, it analyzes both the dramatic dangers and pleasures faced by Radcliffe’s Gothic heroine and the more mild, cerebral ones experienced by the historical Montagu. Drawing on the work of Marianna D’Ezio, Adam Watkins, and Mary Jo Kietzman, it argues that both Radcliffe and Montagu ultimately endorsed the idea of travel for women through their work, portraying the pleasure, experience, and self-cultivation it afforded as outweighing its dangers. Finally, it posits that this position resisted both Enlightenment and Romantic ideas of appropriate female behaviours and desires by encouraging women readers to experience the world outside of the domestic sphere
Where the Skin Meets: Queerness and Disavowal in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick
Over the last half century, the analysis of homoerotic themes present in the author’s novels has been a particularly generative subset of Melville studies. Among this body of research, the relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg in Moby-Dick has proven to be a compelling avenue of research regarding modes of queer representation in an historical period wherein the open discussion of homosexuality was viewed as anywhere from taboo to illegal. This paper builds on the work of other Melville scholars, such as Caleb Crain and Kellen Bolt, in examining the ways in which 19th century ideas of race intersect with the representation of an eroticized male relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg. I suggest that the particular lens of racialized eroticism through which 19th century white observers viewed Polynesian men inherently denies the potential for disavowal of same-gender attraction to the non-White subject. This denial necessarily reifies racial hierarchy by giving a White male participant in a homoerotic relationship the ability to dictate its boundaries. I argue that even if, as Bolt suggests, Ishmael’s relationship with Queequeg represents a rejection of 19th century American nativist sentiment, Ishmael retains the ability to distance himself from accusations of homoeroticism in a way that is not possible for Queequeg and his exoticized body. I conclude with an exploration of how the Victorian freak-show archetype of the tattooed man connects with Ishmael’s decision to tattoo himself and thus voluntary take on racializing signifiers within his contemporary context
Evaluating a Social Media Campaign for a Parent Educational Video on Bronchiolitis
Bronchiolitis, or lower airway swelling, is a common cause of pediatric hospital admissions. Parents have expressed wishes for more information regarding bronchiolitis but had difficulty finding reliable information, suggesting the need for more effective and easily accessible information resources. Knowledge translation (KT) tools like videos provide research-based information and may be conveniently disseminated to large audiences through social media. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a social media campaign to promote a video on bronchiolitis. A social media campaign was conducted from 14 October to 30 November 2019. User interactions were recorded for the Facebook and Twitter accounts, website, and YouTube of Evidence in Child Health to Enhance Outcomes (ECHO), Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence (ARCHE), and Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK). Baseline metrics were collected from 1 August to 30 September 2019 and post-campaign metrics were collected from 1 December 2019 to 31 March 2020. Mean monthly changes, standard deviations, and percent changes between periods were generated for the baseline, campaign, and post-campaign periods. Overall, there was a visible increase in user interactions throughout the campaign period. There was an overall downward trend in user interactions following the campaign. These findings suggest that social media may be a useful method of KT tool dissemination when consistently used. The downward trend post-campaign highlights the need for further research to investigate methods to maintain continuous interaction following a campaign
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Problematic Romantic Relationships in Adulthood: A Review of the Literature
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prominent neurodevelopmental disorders worldwide. Although viewed as a childhood behavioural disorder, longitudinal research has shown that ADHD symptoms frequently persist into adolescence and adulthood. Although previously overshadowed in the research literature, more attention is now being given to the connection between ADHD and romantic relationships in adults. This inattention can be attributed to the prioritization of child and adolescent populations and the emphasis on psychoeducational, cognitive, and behavioural problems. However, with the emergence of executive function (EF) models, more researchers are exploring the breadth of possible ADHD-related problems. In the past five years especially, studies have been pursuing the relational and emotional challenges faced by those with ADHD and their partners. Given the prevalence and extent of ADHD-related challenges, it is vital to identify how relationship problems emerge and provide effectivepsychosocial coping strategies for romantic partners to mitigate relationship dissatisfaction and turnover. This literature review evaluates research studies on ADHD and romantic relationships by exploring factors such as divorce rates, marital satisfaction, relationship length, negative emotions and habits, and distinctions between ADHD subtypes. This analysis identifies potential gaps in the literature and problems concerning replicability, generalizability, and sample representation in ADHD-related research studies. It then concludes by providing intervention suggestions for those involved in ADHD relationships
Peacemaking: Conflict resolution using Cool Clues for elementary students
It is recommended that violence prevention interventions start early for students and include conflict resolution education and social-emotional skills training components. Although school-based programs have shown some promise, community-based or out-of-school time programs require more study. A social-emotional learning-focused conflict resolution intervention using role-play and puppetry was implemented in a small afterschool program as an exploratory study. Student participants’ conflict resolution knowledge and after-school teacher observation of their pro-social skill behaviors were assessed pre- and post- program. Although many participants scored high in conflict resolution knowledge pre-program, they appeared to gain some additional knowledge, specifically on disagreements between friends and empathy for other’s feelings. After-school teachers, however, observed no significant overall differences in their pro-social behaviors pre- and post- program. All in all, as an exploratory study, the slight positive changes in knowledge provide data to suggest continuing the curriculum with more emphasis on the weakest topics as well as more role-play or puppet play about friendship and sharing behaviors
A Critical Investigation of Mediated Representations of Sport-Related Pain and Injury
Academic literature has consistently demonstrated that athletes are socialized to accept a culture of risk, which is thought to be inherent within sport. In accepting this culture of risk, sport-related pain and injuries are normalized. This normalization is reinforced by the media through the glorification of (primarily) male athletes who play through their pain in (largely) contact sports. The purpose of this study was to investigate how CBC Sports Weekend constructed sport-related pain and injury across a variety of sports. Twenty broadcasts that aired from August – December 2019 were selected and subjected to thematic analysis. The results indicated a paradoxical representation of sport-related pain and injury. CBC Sports Weekend reinforced a culture of risk and rewarded athletes for taking (successful) risks and toughing it out through injuries, across a wide range of sports. At the same time, broadcasters showed concern for athletes’ health and well-being following a fall, crash or injury. Importantly, these paradoxical narratives demonstrated an improvement in how sport-related pain and injury is portrayed, augmenting more recent academic literature that suggests sport-related pain and injury media narratives are shifting towards prioritizing health