Arthur in the Mountains:The Multivalency of Mont-Saint-Michel and the St Gotthard Pass in the Alliterative Morte Arthure

Very little has been written on the topic of mountains in medieval English literature. For the most part, there is a tendency to consider them as incidental background features of a work, serving as part of a broader metaphorical conceit, or as hostile and dangerous spaces, landscapes of trial or necessary obstacles to overcome in the course of travel. Scholarship on the medieval environment has developed significantly in recent decades alongside a broader interest in environmental and ecological humanities. However, it is only quite recently that work relating to the study of premodern and early modern mountains has begun to challenge the widely-held belief that the eighteenth century marks a clear dividing line in the way that authors, artists, and poets were defining and conceptualising mountain landscapes. Focusing on the Alliterative Morte Arthure, this article argues that our understanding of the value of mountain settings in works of Middle English literature has been simplistic. As growing scholarly interest in the medieval environment continues to broaden our awareness of the actual landscapes and ecologies of the Middle Ages, literary scholars should simultaneously pay further attention to mountains as part of the medieval imagination. Focusing in particular on two moments from the poem - Arthur’s encounter with the giant on Mont-Saint-Michel and his crossing of the Alps via the St Gotthard pass - this article argues that there is a richness to the mountains of the Alliterative Morte that goes far beyond the clichés and overused motifs that have so far been recognised as the medieval period’s foremost contribution to mountain literature. They are at once alien and familiar, dangerous and bucolic, literal and figurative. Far from being background features of the poem, they form a consistent and integral part of the poet’s cultivation of meaning throughout the text

The rhythms and rhythmanalysis of household energy demand

Recent work on energy demand has outlined a series of different factors that determine patterns of energy use and the importance of the social relations that underpin them. Here, we extend calls to recognise that energy consumption is rooted in people’s homes and communities by illuminating the significance of rhythms in contemporary patterns of energy demand. We argue that renewed attention on social relations should also focus analysis on the various rhythms and temporalities that influence how people use energy – and how such tempos and contexts change and evolve over time. To do so, we review recent work to outline a framework of how these rhythms and temporalities influence social relations and vice-versa and methods for more holistic understandings of energy demand and potential interventions

Uncertain festival futures:How European music festival organisers navigate ‘loss’

Risk management and the navigation of loss are inherent to work conditions within the festival industry. With festivals cancelled, postponed or redesigned, the coronacrisis has deeply affected the already uncertain festival sector. Based on thirty-five interviews with Danish, Dutch and British music festival organisers, this article examines which losses organisers experienced when facing a social trauma that disrupted their ontological security. Additionally, it analyses how they have coped and responded to this situation via organisational and emotional strategies. Three phases in how organisers cope with loss are identified, where organisational and individual responses play varying, complementary roles: 1) imminent short-term loss and its realisation, 2) acceptance of short-term loss and 3) moving beyond loss. The analysis reveals how managing potential personal loss and facing organisational crisis should not merely be seen in terms of a rational decision-making process but is also mediated by emotional losses organisers experience as not only their livelihood, but their work identity is existentially challenged. Implications are drawn on the nature of cultural work, with attention to the entwinement of personal and professional identities

Experimental History in the Study of Lost Costume

This interjection is a consideration of the importance of experimental history in the rediscovery of costume for the stage, without which designers, productions, and material knowledge would continue to go largely undocumented. Reusing the practice as research methodologies used by scholars such as Toni Bates and Hilliary Davidson, experimental history allows the scholar to piece together existing inconsistencies and scarcities in recorded information and offers them a greater insight into the visual aspect of the design, along with the successes and failures which may have led to the existing scarcity of recorded information. In the case of costume history, drawn designs, photographs or posters often long outlive the physical object, and while some of the written documentation may survive, it is much less common to see these types of physical records in archives. Material considerations are significant for the development of the design, from durability to weight, to aesthetic impact on the stage, the design drawings do little to suggest these nuances. And it is these nuances which can often lead to the success or failure of that design. With these types of material archives lost, it is the place of experimental history and the ability of artists and makers to literally piece back together elements of the productions that have been lost

Mobile telephone contingency management to encourage adherence to supervised medication among individuals most at risk of non-adherence to opioid agonist treatment:a study protocol for a feasibility study (TIES2)

BackgroundSupervision of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) ensures that individuals take their correct daily dose to minimise withdrawal and craving, safeguard against diversion and overdose, and receive optimal benefit from OAT. There is an urgent need to develop effective interventions to increase medication adherence and technological solutions to streamline communication between pharmacies and prescribers. The authors have developed technology to deliver contingency management (CM) remotely by mobile telephone (mCM) and alert prescribers of missed doses. In a previous feasibility study, the authors found mCM was feasible to deliver and acceptable to patients, prescribers, and pharmacists but encountered difficulty recruiting patients starting methadone treatment. Since COVID-19, supervision guidelines have changed to focus on patients at risk of/not adhering to their medication. This study aims to assess the feasibility of conducting a future confirmatory trial to assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of mCM to encourage adherence with supervised methadone or buprenorphine. It will use broader eligibility criteria, including patients receiving buprenorphine, and target a revised group of serial re-starters.MethodsUsing a cluster randomised design, three drug services will be randomised 1:1:1 and 20 patients, attending seven pharmacies linked to each service, will be recruited (i.e. a total of N = 60). Each drug service providing supervised medication will be randomly allocated to deliver: (i) telephone-delivered text-message reinforcement with modest financial incentives; (ii) telephone-delivered text-message reminders; or (iii) no telephone text-messages. Prescribers will receive reports of patient attendance. Feasibility will be determined based on four progression criteria: the number of patients enrolled, the percentage of screened patients who are eligible, adherence to the telephone system, based on matches between sign-in at the pharmacy and pharmacy dispensing records and follow-up rates. We will also undertake qualitative assessments of clinicians’ perspectives on the revised eligibility criteria undertaken.DiscussionThis study will assess the feasibility of using mCM to target a clinically important group of patients non-adhering to their supervised medication. In the future, and if effective, mCM will encourage medication adherence among patients, enabling them to achieve an optimum dose and full benefit from OAT.Trial registrationISRCTN33965312 (26/06/2023). This manuscript was submitted on February 27th, 2024. While recruitment was due to end on February 29th, we recruited our last patient on February 12th. The last patient/last visit took place on May 2nd, 2024

Particle algorithms for animal movement modelling in receiver arrays

Particle filters and smoothers are sequential Monte Carlo algorithms used to fit non‐linear, non‐Gaussian state‐space models. These algorithms are well placed to fit process‐oriented models to animal‐tracking data, especially in receiver arrays, but to date they have received limited attention in the ecological literature. We introduce a Bayesian filtering–smoothing algorithm that reconstructs individual movements and patterns of space use from animal‐tracking data, with a focus on passive acoustic telemetry systems. Within a sound probabilistic framework, the methodology integrates the movement process and the observation processes of disparate datasets, while correctly representing uncertainty. In a simulation‐based analysis, we compare the performance of our algorithm to the prevailing heuristic methods used to study movements and space use in passive acoustic telemetry systems and analyse algorithm sensitivity. We find the particle smoothing methodology outperforms heuristic methods across the board. Particle‐based maps represent simulated movements more accurately, even in dense receiver arrays, and are better suited to analyses of home ranges, residency and habitat preferences. This study sets a new state‐of‐the‐art for movement modelling in receiver arrays. Particle algorithms provide a robust, flexible and intuitive modelling framework with potential applications in many ecological settings

Uncertainty experienced by newly qualified doctors during the transition to internship

Introduction: Uncertainty is an inherent feature of medical practice. Uncertainty Tolerance (UT) describes how individuals experience and respond to uncertainty, with lower UT associated with negative outcomes, including burnout. Periods of career transition can be particularly uncertain, but there is little research into newly qualified doctors' uncertain experiences during their transition to internship (TTI). Early career doctors have a high incidence of burnout; therefore, understanding how new doctors experience uncertainty could be valuable. We explored the sources of, responses to and moderators of uncertainty during the TTI to inform support of this group. Methods: Engaging social constructionism, we conducted a cross‐sectional qualitative study with 13 intern doctors who graduated from a single Australian medical school during their TTI. Participants completed a semi‐structured interview within five months of commencing practice in 2021. Data were analysed using framework analysis, informed by the integrative UT model. Results: Although participants described clinical uncertainty during the TTI (i.e. unknown aspects of patient care due to ambiguity, complexity or probability), dominant sources of uncertainty related to novel scenarios (e.g. tasks and responsibilities experienced for the first time) and their professional role (e.g. boundaries and expectations). Participants described responding to uncertainty by asking for help from senior colleagues and reported feelings of stress. Key factors that moderated responses to uncertainty included support, time and perceived stakes. Discussion: Our results suggest that educators, supervisors and employers should aim to reduce the extraneous uncertainties associated with the TTI. Approaches to achieve this could include orientation programmes that appropriately familiarise interns with workplace environments and systems, reducing role ambiguity by setting clear expectations and facilitating regular feedback, and creating psychologically safe working environments with adequate senior support. These approaches may allow newly qualified doctors the capacity to explore clinical uncertainties and develop their UT through methods such as critical reflection

Photoredox Autocatalysis:Towards a Library of Generally Applicable Sulfonamide Reductive Photocatalysts

Dichotomous thinking dominates the field of synthetic photochemistry—either a reaction needs a photocatalyst or not. Herein, we report the identification of a photoredox autocatalytic pathway - an alternative to the existing mechanistic paradigms - to access cyclic biaryl sulfonamides (BASNs). This reaction does not require exogenous catalyst as the visible light absorbing deprotonated product - with potent excited state reductive power - acts as the photocatalyst for its own synthesis. This finding implicated BASN as a novel organophotocatalyst architecture and allowed a rapid, modular, and low-cost combinatorial synthesis of a BASN library that expedited optimal photocatalyst screening. Furthermore, BASN was revealed as a widely applicable organophotocatalyst for diverse transition metal-free transformations such as: intramolecular (spiro)-cyclizations, defunctionalizations, and C−C / C-heteroatom couplings

The New Experts of Online Dating:Feminism, Advice and Harm on Instagram

Situated within the theoretical work of Giddens and others on the role of expertise in contemporary society, this paper evaluates the Instagram accounts of six dating-themed influencers. We seek to understand the role and strategies of these ‘new experts’ in presenting, evaluating and responding to contemporary heterosexual dating harms. Our analysis is informed by the existing literature on digital feminism, gendered abuse and conceptions of harm, but also recognises how social media marketing strategies shapes the expertise provided. We conclude that while the emerging expert discourses around online dating seek ostensibly to advocate for women, they are contradictory, likely to contribute to social anxiety, and could risk diluting and individualising the material reality of abuse