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Battling the closet : queerness in 1940s British literature
No full textIn 1940s Britain, the upheaval of gender ‘norms’ during the Second World War destabilised the structures of the heterosexual matrix and generated a wartime climate that was, in many respects, queer. Critics working in the field have demonstrated how the literature from this turbulent decade of British history navigated the wartime definitions of ‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’ and the reversion to heterosexual ‘norms’ in the postwar. This thesis examines the queerness of 1940s British literature in its multiple configurations. Approaching the decade through queer theory allows for a more generous, playful, and capacious exploration of the literary engagement with gender, sexuality and desire throughout the 1940s, beyond the restrictive parameters of heterosexuality. To this end, the thesis is divided into three chapters that trace the presence of queerness across the decade from early war through to the postwar. The first chapter concerns ‘masculinity’ and the turn-to-war between 1938-41; it examines how the changing definition of legitimate wartime manhood met with queer resistance in the fictions of Patrick Hamilton and Henry Green. Chapter two takes 1945 and the decadent worlds of Evelyn Waugh and Nancy Mitford as its subject, considering how Camp provided war-weary readers with a much-needed dose of queer escapism – alongside the tantalising prospect of deviant desire. The final chapter looks at women’s postwar desires in novels by the two Elizabeths, Bowen and Taylor, analysing how these fictions resist the return of conventional heterosexuality by engaging in alternative queer fantasies of masochism, role-play, and kink. In every chapter, queer desire and pleasure exist in tension with the negativity associated with being queer within a ‘straight’ society; a juxtaposition that is explored throughout the thesis."This work was supported by a Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship in the Humanities, issued by the Wolfson Foundation."--Fundin
"We protest on walls" : Palestinian political agency in Berlin’s struggle against German state repression
Get PDFFunding: My PhD research is supported by the Santuary Scholarship at the University of St Andrews, Tanya Baker- Asad Scholarship, Funds for Women Graduates (FfWG) for living expences, and STEPs.Based on nine months of ethnographic fieldwork, this article examines Palestinian political graffiti in Berlin as a visible form of resistance against state repression. It conceptualises this repression as a transnational extension of settler-colonial mechanisms – understood as settler coloniality, following Anna-Esther Younes – and deeply entangled with Germany's anti-Palestinian racism and institutionalised memory politics. This framework legitimises surveillance, censorship, racialized policing, and the deployment of high-tech state power against Palestinian activists. Amid this repressive landscape, political graffiti functions as a counter-public, confronting dominant narratives, resisting structural silencing, and reimagining Berlin's urban surfaces as spaces of response. These visual interventions are not merely symbolic; they provoke ideological opponents, nurture political consciousness, and resist historical erasure. Much of this graffiti is created by recently arrived Palestinian refugees, particularly those affiliated with Samidoun, the now-banned Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. The suppression of political graffiti and the framing of Palestinian activism as ‘new antisemitism’ serve to uphold a colonial hierarchy that systematically delegitimizes Palestinian resistance. While acknowledging the limitations of graffiti as a tool for political change – its vulnerability to erasure, alteration, and smudging – this paper emphasises its role in asserting agency, sustaining transnational anti-colonial solidarity, and exposing the contours of anti-Palestinian racism in Germany.Peer reviewe
Georgian foreign policy and strategic culture in Black Sea trilateral cooperation
No full textThis portfolio examines the dualistic nature of Georgian foreign policy, which balances its Euro-Atlantic aspirations with pragmatic regional engagements, exemplified by the Turkey-Azerbaijan-Georgia (TAG) trilateral cooperation framework. The research addresses two central puzzles: first, how Georgian foreign policy navigates ideational aims with its significant security dilemmas; and second, the persistence of TAG cooperation despite divergent foreign policy trajectories among its member states. Drawing on four scholarly papers, the portfolio uses strategic cultural analysis to integrate an array of international relations theoretical perspectives to explore Georgia’s unique approach to foreign policy and international alignment.
Through empirical analyses and case studies, as well as supplemental tests through elite interviews with senior Georgian policymakers and a case study of contemporary phenomena, the portfolio uncovers the mechanisms underpinning Georgian foreign policy and TAG’s resilience. The portfolio finds that Georgia’s strategic culture effectively mediates between ideational and material imperatives. This strategic cultural lens explains Georgia’s capacity for "selective compliance," whereby it aligns with Western norms where beneficial while accommodating regional dynamics when necessary. TAG cooperation exemplifies this balancing act, as it allows Georgia to advance shared regional interests in energy and security while simultaneously bolstering its Euro-Atlantic narrative.
This research contributes to the fields of Georgian foreign policy, strategic culture, and trilateral cooperation, offering novel insights into small state security strategies and Black Sea regional dynamics. By highlighting the interplay of material and ideational factors in alignment, the portfolio advances a more nuanced understanding of how strategic culture shapes foreign policy in complex geopolitical environments
Semigroup congruences and subsemigroups of the direct square
Get PDFWe investigate semigroups S which have the property that every subsemigroup of S × S which contains the diagonal {(s,s):s ∈ S} is necessarily a congruence on S. We call such an S a DSC semigroup. It is well known that all finite groups are DSC, and easy to see that every DSC semigroup must be simple. Building on this, we show that for broad classes of semigroups, including periodic, stable, inverse and several well-known types of simple semigroups, the only DSC members are groups. However, it turns out that there exist nongroup DSC semigroups, which we obtain by utilising a construction introduced by Byleen for the purpose of constructing interesting congruence-free semigroups. Such examples can additionally be regular or bisimple.Peer reviewe
Multi-scale habitat modelling reveals contractions of harbour porpoise distribution within the northeast Atlantic
Get PDFFunding: Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) in partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and Geological Survey Ireland (GSI).In the northeast Atlantic, large-scale changes in marine ecosystems are resulting in an ecological regime shift characterised by the degradation and loss of habitats, alterations to the food web, and ultimately, the redistribution and loss of species. Given the complexity and scale of these environmental changes, there is a critical need to reliably detect and monitor changes in species’ distribution. Here, we used a multi-year and multi-season dataset to model harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) summer and winter distribution in the Irish Atlantic, using a multi-scale modelling approach to identify the best spatio-temporal scales of oceanographic variables. Porpoise sightings data were collected during dedicated line-transect aerial surveys from 2015 to 2017 and 2021–2023. Binary generalised additive models were used to assess the relationships between porpoise presence and oceanographic variables at different spatial (5, 20 and 40 km) and temporal (daily, monthly, and average across survey period) scales. Porpoises were present in coastal waters around Ireland across years and seasons. Rising sea surface temperature was negatively associated with porpoise presence, and models predicted a decline in occurrence probability for the summer and winter seasons after 2016, alongside a contraction in distribution to the Irish Sea, which remained a key habitat throughout the study. As their range contracts, porpoises are likely to be exposed to increased human-induced stressors, highlighting the need for targeted conservation measures. This study demonstrates the value of distribution datasets covering multiple years and different seasons for assessing the responses of large vertebrate species to environmental change.Peer reviewe
Breaking the capacity limit for WO3 anode-based Li-ion batteries using photo-assisted charging
Get PDFFunding: The authors are grateful to London South Bank University and Edinburgh Instruments Ltd. for financial support. XPS was carried out at the XPS facility of the University of St Andrews. S/TEM analysis was performed at the Electron Microscopy Facility, University of St Andrews, and the authors acknowledge support for the centre from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the UK (EP/L017008/1, EP/R023751/1, and EP/ T019298/1).The capacity of a metal ion battery is limited by fundamental parameters. Various strategies have been employed to maximise energy storage, including manufacturing control and investigating the components within the battery system. Recent developments have focused on incorporating photoactive materials into battery architectures to enhance energy density. However, challenges remain in material selection and processing for high-performance electrodes. Here, we show that hydrothermally produced WO3 is a safe, low-cost material with excellent photo-battery performance. Under illumination, the battery achieves a capacity of 1150 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1C and 800 mAh g⁻¹ at 1C, exceeding the theoretical limit (693 mAh g⁻¹). The battery exhibits excellent cycling stability, retaining a capacity of 623 mAh g⁻¹ after 400 cycles at 1C. Using Randles-Sevcik and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, we show that enhanced carrier mobility contributes to the observed capacity beyond the theoretical limit. The photo-conversion efficiency of the battery is 5.96%. Our results demonstrate that light can be used to enhance the capacity of an ion battery system beyond its theoretical limit. This approach can significantly boost the energy storage density of various metal-ion batteries. Moreover, in systems with inherently slow metal-ion diffusion, such as multi-valent systems, photoenhanced charging can make these technologies more competitive.Peer reviewe
Distinct adaptation and epidemiological success of different genotypes within Salmonella enterica serovar Dublin
Get PDFFunding: DAW was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant (GNT1174555) and a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Grant (FSPGN000045). BPH is supported by NHMRC Investigator Grant (GNT1196103). DJI is supported by an NHMRC Investigator Grant (GNT1195210). JSP was supported by a Sylvia and Charles Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship (SMRF22008).Salmonella Dublin is a host-adapted, invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella (iNTS) serovar that causes bloodstream infections in humans and demonstrates increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Using a global dataset of 1303 genomes, coupled with in vitro assays, we examined the evolutionary, resistance, and virulence characteristics of S. Dublin. Our analysis revealed strong geographical associations between AMR profiles and plasmid types, with highly resistant isolates confined predominantly to North America, linked to IncC plasmids co-encoding AMR and heavy metal resistance. By contrast, Australian isolates were largely antimicrobial-susceptible, reflecting differing AMR pressures. We identified two phylogenetically distinct Australian lineages, ST10 and ST74, with a small number of ST10 isolates harbouring a novel hybrid plasmid encoding both AMR and mercuric resistance. Whereas the ST10 lineage remains globally dominant, the ST74 lineage was less prevalent. ST74 exhibited unique genomic features including a larger pan genome compared to ST10 and the absence of key virulence loci, including Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-19 which encodes a type VI secretion system (T6SS). Despite these genomic differences, the ST74 lineage displayed enhanced intracellular replication in human macrophages and induced less pro-inflammatory responses compared with ST10, suggesting alternative virulence strategies that may support systemic dissemination of ST74. The Vi antigen was absent in all ST10 and ST74 genomes, highlighting challenges for serotyping and vaccine development, and has implications for current diagnostic and control strategies for S. Dublin infections. Collectively, this study represents the most comprehensive investigation of S. Dublin to date and, importantly, has revealed distinct adaptations of two genotypes within the same serovar, leading to different epidemiological success. The regional emergence and evolution of distinct S. Dublin lineages highlight the need to understand the divergence of intra-serovar virulence mechanisms which may impact the development of effective control measures against this important global pathogen.Peer reviewe
Assessing Maria Cunitz's Urania Propitia
Get PDFFunding: This project was made possible through funding for a summer studentship (for Wallauer) from the Royal Astronomical Society, and STFC public engagement funding (for Weijmans) ST/S001085/1.Appreciating the astronomical contributions of a neglected 17th century woman
Identifying differences between those with suicidal ideation-with-action, compared to ideation alone, using a community representative sample
Get PDFBackground Few studies examine suicidal ideation in the general population and who might act on suicidal thoughts. It is important to understand ideators, the largest group on the suicidality continuum. Objectives This study examines factors associated with suicidal ideation among community-dwelling individuals, and sociodemographic, health and help-seeking factors associated with ideation accompanied by planning or suicide attempt (‘ideation-with-action’) compared to ideation alone. Methods Using the 2002 and 2012 Canadian Community Health Surveys – Mental Health cycles (CCHS-MH), this cross-sectional cohort study examined 14,708 Ontarians 15 years and older who answered questions about suicidal ideation, and compared characteristics between non-ideators, ideators with a plan or previous attempt, and ideators alone, with chi-square tests and logistic regression. Results 2.1% of CCHS respondents reported past-year ideation alone (n = 302) and another 0.5% reported ideation with plan or past-year suicide attempt (n = 76). The risk profile of ideators compared to non-ideators was similar to that of ideators-with-action compared to ideators-without-action: male, younger, unpartnered, less educated, have lower income, no job, have a mood and anxiety disorder, a substance use disorder and seek help for mental health problems. Most ideators (65%) do not seek help, and those with a plan or previous suicide attempt are more likely to do so. Conclusion Ideators differ in profile in terms of whether they have ideation only, have made a plan or had previous attempts. Risk factors differentiating ideators from non-ideators are the same factors that further differentiate ideators-with-action compared to those with only ideation, suggesting the existence of a suicidality continuum and opening up the opportunity for targeting common risk factors in prevention efforts.Peer reviewe
Investigating the contribution of socioeconomic position to ethnic inequalities in severe COVID-19 outcomes : population-based mediation analyses of national linked Scottish data
Get PDFFunding: This work was supported by the ESRC (grant number ES/W000849/1). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. SA, EK, RM, ED, AHL, KH, AP and SVK are supported by Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00022/2) and the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU17). SVK acknowledges funding from a NRS Senior Clinical Fellowship (SCAF/15/02). AP acknowledges funding from Wellcome Trust (205412/Z/16/Z).We quantified the extent to which socio-economic position (SEP) contributed to ethnic inequalities in severe COVID-19 outcomes (hospitalization or death) in Scotland. We used linked 2011 Scottish Census and health records to assess whether ethnic inequalities were mediated by different SEP measures: area deprivation, educational status, household composition, and multigenerational household. We considered disaggregated ethnicities ‘White Scottish’, ‘White British or Irish’, ‘Other White’, ‘South Asian’, ‘African, Caribbean, or Black’, and ‘Other’. We applied marginal structural models to estimate causal pathways. Of the 3 297 205 individuals analysed, 38 213 (1.2%) had severe COVID-19 outcomes. South Asians had elevated risk of severe COVID-19 compared to White Scottish (hazard ratio: 1.7; 95% confidence interval: 1.5–1.9), while White British or Irish (hazard ratio: 0.7; confidence interval: 0.6–08) and other White (hazard ratio: 0.8; confidence interval: 0.7–0.9) had reduced risk. When holding area deprivation constant, the risk of severe COVID-19 declined by 16.5% for South Asians and 49.2% for White British or Irish; but increased for other White (75.4%). When holding education constant, the risk of severe COVID-19 reduced by 24.8% for White British or Irish and 20.6% for other White; but increased by 74.6% for South Asians. Only a slight change in risk was observed for the South Asians after holding household size and multigenerational household constant. Risk estimates for African, Caribbean or Black, and other groups were underpowered. SEP measures differed substantially in the extent to which they mediated ethnic inequalities in severe COVID-19. This highlights the necessity of addressing multiple dimensions of SEP that drive ethnic inequalities.Peer reviewe
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