An Infinite Circle is a Straight Line Duet for violin and piano Ian Percy (2014)

This very short duet for violin and piano emerged from a theoretical study into the linear qualities and musical possibilities of composing with Pi (3.14159...). Pi is infinite and linear, but is part of the equation used to calculate the circumference of a circle (cyclic and self-contained). The composer was attracted by this contradiction. Stumbling across a quotation accredited to Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) stating that 'an infinite circle is a straight line' seemed to enhance the contradiction within the compositional premise. The oxymoronic hint of 'philosophical mathematics' contained within the quote was all the additional inspiration needed. This quotation has since been adopted as the concept for a series of compositions. As a guiding template for the musical characters interacting within this duet, a single line of narrative was conceived from the Kepler quote. This scenario is used as a performance indication at the start of the score: "A curved horizon: the sun sets on another summer." The material used in this short piece all references Pi in some way (rhythm, proportion, chord, interval, repetition), and circular symmetry is represented through vertical and linear pitch-palindromes (inverted and transposed to reduce direct recognition). Inverted mirror symmetry (reminiscent of Da Vinci’s use of mirror-writing) is used extensively within the short score. This duet is part of a planned series of works exploring the musical possibilities of the infinite integer of Pi. The composer has initial sketches for 6 unaccompanied bass and baritone voices and plans to set Pi as a linear chant within cyclic pitch and rhythm patterns: The maximum triangle is an infinite line

Glucose regulation and face recognition deficits in older adults: the role of attention

The present study investigated the perceptual, attentional and memory processes underlying face recognition deficits observed in older adults with impaired glucoregulation. Participants were categorised as good glucoregulators or poor glucoregulators on the basis of an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Using event-related potential (ERP) methodology, 23 participants (18 females, range = 62 to 88 years old, mean age = 73.87 years old, SD = 8.41) performed a 2-stimulus oddball task. Participants were asked to rate and memorise 10 ‘target’ faces, which were then presented amongst 120 unfamiliar foils. Behavioural results indicated that good glucoregulators were significantly more accurate at recognising target faces. ERP markers of early visual perception (the P1 and N170 components) and memory formation (the P3 component) were unaffected by glucoregulatory efficiency. The P2 component, an index of attentional processing, was larger and delayed in the poor glucoregulators. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to suggest that face recognition deficits in poor glucoregulators may be due to impairments in attentional processing

Reconceptualising On-Street Sex Work as a Complex Affective Assemblage

The chapter explores a reconceptualization of on-street sex work as a complex affective assemblages. Complex Affective Assemblage theory can be traced to Deleuze & Guattari's development of social assemblage theory most notably in 'A thousand Plateaus', but now extends into complexity theory, the affective turn in cultural studies, and new materialist philosophies, and is keenly associated with the (differing) assemblage theory of Massumi and Delanda. The chapter takes up the reconceptualization of on-street sex work in terms of this approach, and in particular draws upon an empirical study of the operation of Engagement and Support Orders in the complex affective assemblage of on-street sex work. The aim of this reconceptualization is to better address concerns of social justice for sex workers

'A failed political entity': Charles Haughey and the Northern Ireland question, 1945-1992

This book is the first of its kind. It tell the story of Haughey’s youthful republicanism (when he burnt a Union Jack flag in 1945 and then years later when proposed that the Irish government ‘invade’ Northern Ireland in 1955!) to his period in consecutive Fianna Fáil governments in the 1960s (when he helped crush the IRA border campaign!). Then of course was his involvement with the Arms crisis and his integral role in attempts to import guns into Ireland in the hope of arming Northern Republicans (the nascent Provisional IRA). Following several years in the political abyss during the 1970s (following his sacking as a government minister) Haughey made the greatest political comeback in the history of modern Irish politics. In 1979 he became Fianna Fáil leader and taoiseach. It was his time as leader of his beloved party (1979-1992) that Haughey made his greatest impact in relation to Northern Ireland. The book explores Haughey attitude to Anglo-Irish relations from 1979 to 1992 (specifically his relationship with Margaret Thatcher); his role during the Republican hunger strikes, 1980-1981; his contribution to the New Ireland Forum, 1983-1984; his relationship with Ulster Unionism and the SDLP; Irish-American relations during the 1980s; and lastly his integral role in kick-starting the Northern Ireland peace process (I name him the ‘grandfather’ of this process – a controversial argument, but it’s support by evidence). In essence, this book lifts the lid on Haughey’s real attitudes (private and public) to the emotive issue of Northern Ireland and more generally Anglo-Irish relations: a hitherto misunderstood subject. It delves into Haughey’s private life, revealing, on the one hand, the flawed nature of his character, which was a mixture of political opportunism and anglophobia. Yet, on the other, he is depicted as a man of conviction. Irrespective if you agreed with his stance on Northern Ireland, the book reveals the extent that Haughey was driven by a personal crusade; a mission to see his beloved country reunited. This book is not a ‘hatchet job’ on Haughey. Rather it offers a fair and balanced assessment of his attitude to Northern Ireland over the course of his political career. In fact, it points out many of the positive contributions that Haughey make, particularly during his early period a taoiseach (his Dec. 1980 Anglo-Irish summit meeting with Thatcher, for instance). But equally it is not afraid to lampoon Haughey for some of his more outlandish stances in relation to Northern Ireland (the Arms Crisis; his antics at the New Ireland Forum, 1983-1984; and his opposition to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, to name a few)

'"A lanterne to looke ... into their very hartes": The Palesmen's Petitions during the Nine Years' War'

The Nine Years’ War affected the daily lives and functioning of individuals and communities throughout Ireland, yet no detailed consideration has been offered on how the inhabitants of the English Pale responded to the pressures of this war. While official correspondence sheds certain light on the consequences of this conflict, equally, if not more, important is how the Palesmen perceived the war’s impact on their own community and their relationship with the English crown. The best evidence for this is found in the individual and corporate petitions submitted by Palesmen during this period. These carefully worded documents offer exceptional insight into the social and political attitudes of the Palesmen, yet they have escaped thorough investigation thus far. Constituting the first detailed analysis of the Palesmen’s wartime petitions and treatises, this chapter will explore how the inhabitants of the Pale expressed their political loyalty, their grievances, and their rights as crown subjects

Is Radicalisation a “Good Concept”?

Over the last two decades, numerous definitions of radicalisation have emerged, introducing ambiguities among scholars and leading to numerous debates. The discipline contends with these ambiguities as critics point out the lack of conceptual clarity. The persistent struggle to articulate a clear and comprehensive definition underscores the imperative for a rigorous conceptual analysis. This paper aims to address this issue by focusing on narrowing down definitions through specific criteria and establishing common attributes for conceptualisation. The methodology involves collecting unique radicalisation definitions from 48 English and French journal articles. These definitions were analysed using criteria for concept formation proposed by Gerring’s Framework. The study aims to establish a possible consensus and initiate discussions towards a more operational concept of radicalisation in social sciences

"Time's Renewal": Death and Immortality in Thomas Hardy's 'Emma Poems'

This essay examines how Hardy’s poetry considers the possibility of immortality, a concept that preoccupied him throughout his life, and which he examined within the context of rapidly shifting philosophical and scientific theories about time. The publication of Wessex Poems in 1898 coincided with the publication of William James’s Human Immortality, at a time when philosophers and spiritualists were grappling with the implications of Darwin’s theory as it pertained to long-held ideas about the soul and posthumous eternity. The subject intrigued Hardy, who acquired a copy of James’s Human Immortality and also Henry Drummond’s Natural Law in the Spiritual World (1894). While much critical attention has been focused on Hardy’s ‘Poems of 1912-1913’, scholarly studies of this series are often driven by a biographical interest and primarily examine how this sequence of elegies captures the psychological trauma of sudden bereavement. In my essay I demonstrate that while Hardy’s elegies are highly personal responses to the death of his first wife Emma, they are also reflections on the relationship between time and death. I offer a reading of the ‘Poems of 1912-1913’, in light of Hardy’s interest in spiritualism, and how this reading of Bergson, and his later reading in Einstein, impacted on his later poetry on the subject of mortality and death, including poems published posthumously in Winter Words (1928). Through close reading of poems on mortality from the death of Emma in 1912 to poems from the posthumously published Winter Words (1928), I examine how linear ideas about time in Hardy’s elegies contend with his belief (held from 1875) in the unreality of time, as he examines the possibility of life after death, or life outside of time

Does participation in the hope challenge school-based ntervention programme based on the reciprocal reading model have a sustainable impact on trainee teachers’ teaching practice?

The focus of this research is to explore the extent to which participation in a schoolbased intervention programme based on the reciprocal reading model has a sustainable impact on trainee teachers’ (trainees) teaching practice, specifically their teaching of reading comprehension skills. Descriptive data analysis is used to compare pre and post measures of self-efficacy. In order to build a richer picture, a qualitative approach was chosen, combining interview question responses, focus group discussion, and a case study of a single trainee to explore how participation in the intervention impacted the teaching of reading comprehension. The findings reveal that this intervention was sustainable and all trainees were able to incorporate elements into their teaching, with some implementing the reciprocal reading model fully

‘Political Branding: the Tea Party and its use of participation branding’

The emergence of the Tea Party movement in 2009 witnessed the surfacing of a populist, anti-Obama libertarian mobilization within the United States. The Tea Party, a movement that brought together a number of disparate groups—some new, some established—utilized participation branding where the consumer attributed the movement its own identity and brand. Its consumer-facing approach, lack of one single leader, and lack of a detailed party platform, in combination with its impact on the 2010 election races in America, earmarks it as a contemporary and unconventional brand phenomenon worthy of investigation

Literature and Modern Time: Technological Modernity, Glimpses of Eternity, Experiments with Time

‘Modern Time’ is a collection of nine essays that explore literature in the context of a wave of challenges to linear conceptions of time witnessed in the fin de siècle and early twentieth century. These challenges were not uniform in character. They came from multiple quarters reflecting major new developments in the fields of philosophy, science and technology. ‘Modern Time’ considers a spectrum of ways in which linear time is challenged in literature of the era, whether through transcendence of it, escape from it, or forcible ejection from it. The volume will demonstrate that literature of the era under scrutiny was not simply reacting to new theories of time—in some cases it is actually inspiring and anticipating them. Thus ‘Modern Time’ promises to offer a genuine dialogue between literature and time theory and in doing so will uncover and examine influences and connections— sometimes unexpected—between philosophers and writers of the era