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Charlotte Brontë's Gothic Fragment: 'The Story of Willie Ellin'
Get PDF'This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Edinburgh University Press in Victoriographies. The Version of Record is available online at: https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/vic.2021.0407Charlotte Brontë’s eighteen-page fragment, ‘The Story of Willie Ellin’, written shortly after the publication of Villette in 1853, combines the gothic and realism and uses multiple narrators to tell a disturbing story of cruelty towards a child. The generic instability and disordered temporal framework of this fragment make it unlike anything Brontë had previously written, yet it has attracted the attention of few scholars. Those who have discussed it have condemned it as a failure; the later fragment ‘Emma’, also left incomplete by the author’s premature death, has been seen as the more likely beginning of a successor to Villette. ‘The Story of Willie Ellin’ reveals Brontë at her most experimental as she explores the use of different narrative voices, including that of an unnamed genderless ‘ghost’, to tell a story from different perspectives. It also shows Brontë representing a child’s experience of extreme physical abuse which goes far beyond the depictions of chastisement in Jane Eyre (1847). This essay argues that ‘The Story of Willie Ellin’ affords rich insights into Brontë’s ideas and working practices in her final years, suggesting that it should be more widely acknowledged as a unique aspect of Brontë’s oeuvre, revealing the new directions she may have taken had she lived to complete another novel
The role of brain size on mammalian population densities
Get PDFThis is the peer reviewed version of the following article: González‐Suárez, M., Gonzalez‐Voyer, A., von Hardenberg, A., & Santini, L. (2020). The role of brain size on mammalian population densities. Journal of Animal Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13397, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13397. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving1. The local abundance or population density of different organisms often varies widely. Understanding what determines this variation is an important, but not yet fully resolved question in ecology. Differences in population density are partly driven by variation in body size and diet among organisms. Here we propose that the size of an organism’ brain could be an additional, overlooked, driver of mammalian population densities.
2. We explore two possible contrasting mechanisms by which brain size, measured by its mass, could affect population density. First, because of the energetic demands of larger brains and their influence on life history, we predict mammals with larger relative brain masses would occur at lower population densities. Alternatively, larger brains are generally associated with a greater ability to exploit new resources, which would provide a competitive advantage leading to higher population densities among large‐brained mammals.
3. We tested these predictions using phylogenetic path analysis, modelling hypothesized direct and indirect relationships between diet, body mass, brain mass and population density for 656 non‐volant terrestrial mammalian species. We analysed all data together and separately for marsupials and the four taxonomic orders with most species in the dataset (Carnivora, Cetartiodactyla, Primates, Rodentia).
4. For all species combined, a single model was supported showing lower population density associated with larger brains, larger bodies and more specialized diets. The negative effect of brain mass was also supported for separate analyses in Primates and Carnivora. In other groups (Rodentia, Cetartiodactyla and marsupials) the relationship was less clear: supported models included a direct link from brain mass to population density but 95% confidence intervals of the path coefficients overlapped zero.
5. Results support our hypothesis that brain mass can explain variation in species’ average population density, with large‐brained species having greater area requirements, although the relationship may vary across taxonomic groups. Future research is needed to clarify whether the role of brain mass on population density varies as a function of environmental (e.g. environmental stability) and biotic conditions (e.g. level of competition)
The Journey of Higher Degree Apprenticeships
No full textCase study within book chapterThis case study examines the impact that Higher Degree Apprenticeships have as drivers for social change and opportunity. It underpins a Chapter which explores the journey of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships
Examination and validation of a Patient-Centric Joint Metric: "Problem Joint"; empirical evidence from the CHESS US dataset
No full textIntroduction: Severe hemophilia (FVIII/FIX level <1%) is characterized by spontaneous hemarthrosis leading to progressive joint deterioration and chronic pain in the affected individual. Unless these recurrent hemarthroses can be prevented, e.g. with the use of prophylactic factor replacement therapy, these patients will develop chronic synovitis, pain, and eventually destruction of the joint. Current metrics such as 'Target joint' and other clinical measures of joint morbidity are prevalent and widely accepted. Measures focused solely on bleeding activity, such as the 'Target joint' metric, are arguably becoming less sensitive as current treatment strategies look to significantly reduce or eradicate joint bleeds, though they maintain clinically relevant and complementary to delivery of comprehensive hemophilia care. Key opinion leaders in the haemophilia field have debated the need for a more patient relevant measure of haemophilia-related joint morbidity. 'Problem Joint' (PJ), which is defined as having chronic joint pain and/or limited range of movement due to compromised joint integrity (chronic synovitis and/or haemophilic arthropathy), with or without persistent bleeding was derived through consensus. The objectives of this working group are to examine the usefulness and validity of the PJ metric. Initial research presented here was used to test the sensitivity of PJ as a patient relevant metric with respect to key outcomes for US haemophilia patients. Methods: Data on PJs, as well as demographic, clinical and socio-economic variables was captured within the 'Cost of Haemophilia Across Europe: A Socioeconomic Survey' datasets (CHESS: I, II, Paediatric, and US studies). These data contain a total of 992 paediatric (age 1-17) and 2,437 adults (age 18+) with haemophilia from eight European countries and the US. Statistical analysis explored the association of PJ count and location with respect to two key outcomes: quality of life, as measured by an EQ-5D score, and overall work impairment, measured by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire (WPAI). Those with current inhibitors were excluded from the analysis, and the US cohort comprised the focus of this initial research into the topic. Results: The US cohort contained information on 345 people with haemophilia (PwH) and captured adults only, with a mean age of 35 years. Approximately, 43% of PwH had one or more PJs. Lower body PJs were more prevalent than upper body: 40% had one or more lower body PJs vs. 27% upper body. The majority of PJs were located in the ankles, knees and elbows. The relationship between EQ-5D and number of PJs showed a negative trend (see Figure 1): the average EQ-5D score was: 0.81 for those with zero PJs (N=197); 0.79 for those with one PJ (N=24); 0.70 for two PJs (N=29); 0.68 for three PJs (N=24) and 0.49 for those patients with four of more PJs (N=59). Similarly, an increase in number of PJs meant greater work productivity impairment versus no PJs recorded: 30.08% (N=102) vs. 19.51% (N=137), respectively. Discussion: Results from the US cohort found that an increase in the number of PJs was associated with an increasing humanistic burden in PwH. The proposed Problem Joint definition takes a holistic viewpoint and provides a patient relevant perspective. Further work is planned to evaluate the appropriateness of the measure, and test the sensitivity in European and pediatric cohorts
Liberalism
No full textA political philosophy that emerged from the Enlightenment, liberalism has a complex relationship with democracy, colonialism, postcolonialism, globalization, and literature. Democracy has been shaped by a tension between “classical liberalism”, which prioritizes liberty, and “modern liberalism”, which emphasizes equality. Liberalism also moulded the informal empire of free trade, and the “liberal imperialism” that devised a “civilizing mission” to justify formal empire. The development of liberalism has been vital in the anglophone settler colonies, particularly the USA; often, especially in South Africa, it has been focused on racial justice. The neo-liberalism that emerged in the late twentieth century advocates the globalization of unfettered capitalism and personal liberty. Many postcolonialists consider neo-liberalism a reprise of liberal imperialism, with “human rights” replacing the “civilizing mission” as a cultural-imperialist pretext for economic exploitation
The Cambridge History of South African Literature
Get PDFThis chapter in the landmark Cambridge History of South African Literature offers a comprehensive discussion of the 'liberal-concerned' tradition in South African fiction, from the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century. It comprises five main parts: 'Liberalism in politics and civil society'; 'Classic liberal fiction, 1883-1948'; 'Liberal fiction during apartheid, 1948-70'; 'Post-liberal fiction during apartheid, 1970-90'; '(Post-)liberal fiction after apartheid'
Enhanced design of an offgrid PV-battery-methanation hybrid energy system for power/gas supply
No full textExtensive studies have been carried out on various hybrid energy systems (HESs) for providing electricity to off-grid areas. However, a standalone HES that is capable of providing power and gas, has been less studied. In this paper, a standalone Photovoltaic (PV)-battery-methanation HES is proposed to provide adequate, reliable and cost-effective electricity and gas to the local consumers. Identifying a potential solution to maximize the reliability of the system, asked by consumers, and to minimize costs required by the investors is challenging. Bi-level programming is adopted in this study to tackle the pre-mentioned issue. In the outer layer, an optimal design is obtained by means of particle swarm optimization. In the inner layer, an optimal operation strategy is found under the optimal design of the outer layer using sequential quadratic programming. The results indicate that 1) The bi-level programming used in this study can find the optimal solution; 2) The proposed HES is proved to be able to supply power and gas simultaneously. 3) Compared with the right most and leftmost points on Pareto set, the total costs are reduced by 17.77% and 2.16%
Mesenchymal stem cell conditioned medium increases glial reactivity and decreases neuronal survival in spinal cord slice cultures
Get PDFSpinal cord slice cultures (SCSC) allow study of spinal cord circuitry, maintaining stimuli responses comparable to live animals. Previously, we have shown that mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) transplantation reduced inflammation and increased nerve regeneration but MSC survival was short-lived, highlighting that beneficial action may derive from the secretome. Previous studies of MSC conditioned medium (CM) have also shown increased neuronal growth. In this study, murine SCSC were cultured in canine MSC CM (harvested from the adipose tissue of excised inguinal fat) and cell phenotypes analysed via immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. SCSC in MSC CM displayed enhanced viability after propidium iodide staining. GFAP immunoreactivity was significantly increased in SCSC in MSC CM compared to controls, but with no change in proteoglycan (NG2) immunoreactivity. In contrast, culture in MSC CM significantly decreased the prevalence of βIII-tubulin immunoreactive neurites, whilst Ca transients per cell were significantly increased. These results contradict previous and reports of how MSC and their secretome may affect the microenvironment of the spinal cord after injury and highlight the importance of a careful comparison of the different experimental conditions used to assess the potential of cell therapies for the treatment of spinal cord injury. [Abstract copyright: © 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.
A Concordance Analysis of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Hainish Cycle
Get PDFWhereas prior academic studies of the Hainish Cycle have been primarily produced by means of textual analysis, I demonstrate that a concordance analysis of its six novels reveals significant, yet heretofore overlooked, ecological aspects of Le Guin’s series. As becomes apparent, snow imagery literalises the Hainish Cycle’s New Wave moves from technological, to biological and sociological concerns, emphasising the series’ significant challenge to the technophilic assumptions and eschatological foundations of the preceding Golden Age. Accordingly, this article demonstrates the primacy of the datum of snow within the narratives of the Hainish Cycle novels, and delineates its important contribution to the series’ SFnal dialectic on aggregate
Bearing bad news: The impact of delivering and receiving news of sudden bereavement
Get PDFSweeney, S, Article Title, Bearing bad news: The impact of delivering and receiving news of sudden bereavement (Journal Volume Number 31 and Issue Number 2) pp. 319–331. Copyright © [2021] (The Authors). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.First responders and care professionals are often required to convey the deeply distressing news to relatives of the sudden death of a loved one. Witnessing the extreme anguish and grief of those receiving such news can have a detrimental effect on the bearers, leading to peritraumatic distress and feelings of inadequacy and burnout. For the recipients of such news, how it is delivered will impact on their understanding, acceptance, and processing of the sudden loss and may be a precursor for complicated grief or mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. Through writing about her own experience, the author aims to illustrate how interaction with professionals supported or impacted adversely on her grief and is intended to maintain professionals’ awareness of the impact of their delivery on recipients. Ancillary professionals also have an important role in how they interact with the bereaved and in ameliorating their deep distress
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