The trials and tribulations of the revenants : narrative techniques and the fragmented hero in Mary Shelley and Théophile Gautier

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Henry James’s double-bind: chasing possibilities in “The Jolly Corner”

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Leaps and bounds: Hawthorne’s strategies of poetic economy

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Numerical modelling of coastal structures armoured with concrete units

Looking to a future where the structural stability of single concrete armour layers is based upon numerical investigation, this thesis addresses the first major task, which is the representation of real structures. Coastal structures armoured with concrete units are created in prototype dimensions in a numerical model with satisfied realism for first time. The available 3D computer model based on FEMDEM (the combined finite-discrete element method), which has the capability for multi-body simulation of complex shaped objects, was used. A major challenge was to develop a methodology for the numerical creation of concrete armour layers that would satisfy the stringent criteria required by the designers of breakwater units for on-site constructed ‘random’ and ‘interlocking’ systems. A novel feature to obtain realistically tight systems is the use of four initial types of regular orientations of units, which are sequenced appropriately on a pre-defined positioning pattern grid. This new methodology enables different armour layer models to be built, characterised and examined. The scope of the study is limited to dry conditions and performance under oscillatory loading is investigated by means of vibration. Design variables such as initial packing density, underlayer roughness and number of rows are evaluated and the technical criteria are challenged. The use of a different type of unit shape is also examined to show the potential of the developed technology. A set of analysis tools including accurate calculation of packing density on a local and global basis and the distribution of unit displacements after disturbance were developed to evaluate designs. It is confirmed that the packing density is the most important parameter, which influences the performance of armour layers; the tighter the packs, the less are the displacements of units under disturbance. A single armour layer with low number of rows of units also proved to be stable. It is easier for units placed on a relatively smooth underlayer to find tighter positions, causing higher values of total average packing density. But when disturbed, armour layers placed on a rough underlayer are more stable. The use of a different type of unit shape is also examined in this thesis, with the purpose to present the potential of the developed technology to such applications. Results may be considered to have limited applicability to the real behavior of structures under wave action. However, they provide some insights into how such complex coastal structures behave. This research constitutes a stepping stone on the way to models that accommodate wave action and will may one day improve the engineering design and understanding of movement of these concrete armour units.Open Acces

Children with 5′-end NF1 gene mutations are more likely to have glioma

Objective:To ascertain the relationship between the germline NF1 gene mutation and glioma development in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).Methods:The relationship between the type and location of the germline NF1 mutation and the presence of a glioma was analyzed in 37 participants with NF1 from one institution (Washington University School of Medicine [WUSM]) with a clinical diagnosis of NF1. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using both unadjusted and weighted analyses of this data set in combination with 4 previously published data sets.Results:While no statistical significance was observed between the location and type of the NF1 mutation and glioma in the WUSM cohort, power calculations revealed that a sample size of 307 participants would be required to determine the predictive value of the position or type of the NF1 gene mutation. Combining our data set with 4 previously published data sets (n = 310), children with glioma were found to be more likely to harbor 5′-end gene mutations (OR = 2; p = 0.006). Moreover, while not clinically predictive due to insufficient sensitivity and specificity, this association with glioma was stronger for participants with 5′-end truncating (OR = 2.32; p = 0.005) or 5′-end nonsense (OR = 3.93; p = 0.005) mutations relative to those without glioma.Conclusions:Individuals with NF1 and glioma are more likely to harbor nonsense mutations in the 5′ end of the NF1 gene, suggesting that the NF1 mutation may be one predictive factor for glioma in this at-risk population.</jats:sec

Construing Acts of Voicing in Christina Dalcher's Vox Through Vulnerability Metaphors

In the digital era, and especially in the context of the fourth industrial revolution, where everyone’s digitally mediated voice can, potentially, reach the entire world, Dalcher’s dystopian novel, Vox, expresses a very real fear of being silenced. In modern America,apurist movement voted into power has silenced all women and girls overnight. The novel investigates the intersection of physicality and the immateriality of spoken words. The narrator’s voice, sober but without restriction, contrasts sharply with the limitations imposed around her and uncovers the silent horror of a dystopian America where half the population has lost all rights of self-disposal, both physical and discursive. Employing the conceptual metaphor theory of Lakoff and Johnson (2003), this study explores metaphors in Vox that shape discourse(s) on voicing vulnerability and on voice as visibility through an interdisciplinary discourse analysis that draws on the fields of literature and linguistics.En la era digital, y especialmente en el contexto de la cuarta revolución industrial, donde la mediada voz digital puede potencialmente alcanzar cualquier parte del mundo, la novela distópica de Dalcher, Vox, expresa el miedo muy real a ser silenciado. En la sociedad americana contemporánea, un movimiento purista llega al poder y silencia a todas las mujeres y niñas en el transcurso de una noche. La novela investiga la intersección del carácter físico e inmaterial de las palabras habladas. La voz narrativa, sobria pero sin restricciones, ofrece un contraste pronunciado a las limitaciones que encuentra impuestas a su alrededor y destapa los horrores silenciosos de una América distópica donde la mitad de la población ha perdido todos sus derechos de autogestión tanto físicos como discursivos. Siguiendo la teoría de la metáfora conceptual de Lakoff y Johnson (2003), este estudio explora las metáforas que modelan aquellos discursos que dan voz a la vulnerabilidad e investiga la voz como visibilidad desde un análisis del discurso interdisciplinar que hace uso de las áreas de literatura y de lingüística