The massacre of St. Bartholomew’s (24-27 August 1572) and the sack of Antwerp (4-7 November 1576): print and political responses in Elizabethan England

The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572) and the Sack of Antwerp (1576), two of the most notorious massacres of the 1570s, were of international consequence in a confessionally-divided Europe. This thesis offers a comparative analysis of the Elizabethan political and print responses to both atrocities, evaluating to what extent and in what ways each shaped the increasingly Protestant political character of the period. It compares strands of argument aired by Elizabethan councillors, courtiers, military commanders and clerics, in contrast with the content of contemporary news pamphlets, to establish whether there was any overlap between the parameters of political debate and topical print. It investigates whether, and on what occasions, statesmen or figures associated with the court may have sought to confessionalise public opinion via the production of printed news. Analysing often overlooked printed sources, the thesis focuses on aspects of content and contexts of production. It considers the kinds of comment expressed on the massacres per se and in relation to: the nature of the wars in France and the Low Countries; Elizabeth’s foreign and domestic agendas; the compound significance of her gender, the unresolved succession and her realm's vulnerability to foreign invasion; and providential discourses concerning God’s favour and protection. These lines of enquiry throw up some insights into changing English attitudes towards the Catholic crowns of France and Spain and key figures abroad. Finally, the thesis reaches some broader conclusions regarding the development of an increasingly militant Anglo-Protestant nationalism in the mid-Elizabethan period

A Comparative Analysis of Name and Likeness Rights in the United States and England

This comment will initially examine English law regarding appropriation, using as a point of departure the early professional cases. It will then discuss the contemporary standard applied in modern actions under the theory of passing off, tracing the development of the theory. Thirdly, the right of privacy will be examined from the American perspective. The right of publicity, the fourth topic, is derived from the right of privacy. Finally, after a brief look at the extrajudicial source of the rules utilized by the British Advertising Industry, the comment will conclude with a discussion of the author\u27s proposals for future legislation

Spitzer IRS Spectra of Luminous 8 micron Sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud: Testing color-based classifications

We present archival Spitzer IRS spectra of 19 luminous 8 micron selected sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The object classes derived from these spectra and from an additional 24 spectra in the literature are compared with classifications based on 2MASS/MSX (J, H, K, and 8 micron) colors in order to test the "JHK8" classification scheme (Kastner et al. 2008). The IRS spectra confirm the classifications of 22 of the 31 sources that can be classified under the JHK8 system. The spectroscopic classification of 12 objects that were unclassifiable in the JHK8 scheme allow us to characterize regions of the color-color diagrams that previously lacked spectroscopic verification, enabling refinements to the JHK8 classification system. The results of these new classifications are consistent with previous results concerning the identification of the most infrared-luminous objects in the LMC. In particular, while the IRS spectra reveal several new examples of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with O-rich envelopes, such objects are still far outnumbered by carbon stars (C-rich AGB stars). We show that Spitzer IRAC/MIPS color-color diagrams provide improved discrimination between red supergiants and oxygen-rich and carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch stars relative to those based on 2MASS/MSX colors. These diagrams will enable the most luminous IR sources in Local Group galaxies to be classified with high confidence based on their Spitzer colors. Such characterizations of stellar populations will continue to be possible during Spitzer's warm mission, through the use of IRAC [3.6]-[4.5] and 2MASS colors.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures, to be published in A

Techniques for solving Nonlinear Programming Problems with Emphasis on Interior Point Methods and Optimal Control Problems

The primary focus of this work is a thorough research into the current available techniques for solving nonlinear programming problems. Emphasis is placed on interior-point methods and the connection between optimal control problems and nonlinear programming is explored. The document contains a detailed discussion of nonlinear programming, introducing different methods used to find solutions to NLP problems and then describing a large variety of algorithms from the literature. These descriptions make use of a unified notation, highlighting key algorithmic differences between solvers. Specifically, the variations in problem formulation, chosen merit functions, ways of determining stepsize and dealing with nonconvexity are shown. Comparisons between reported results on standard test sets are made. The work also contains an understanding of optimal control problems, beginning with an introduction to Hamiltonians, based on their background in calculus of variations and Newtonian mechanics. Several small real-life problems are taken from the literature and it is shown that they can be modelled as optimal control problems so that Hamiltonian theory and Pontryagin's maximum principle can be used to solve them. This is followed by an explanation of how Runge-Kutta discretization schemes can be used to transform optimal control problems into nonlinear programs, making the wide range of NLP solvers available for their solution. A large focus of this work is on the interior point LP and QP solver hopdm. The aim has been to extend the solver so that the logic behind it can be used for solving nonlinear programming problems. The decisions which were made when converting hopdm into an nlp solver have been listed and explained. This includes a discussion of implementational details required for any interior point method, such as maintenance of centrality and choice of barrier parameter. hopdm has successfully been used as the basis for an SQP solver which is able to solve approximately 85% of the CUTE set and work has been carried out into extending it into an interior point NLP solver

Informant Personality Is Associated With Ratings of Memory Problems in Older Adults

Memory complaints are a key diagnostic criterion for dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment. Rating scales can be used to capture information about individuals’ memory problems from informants such as family members. However, problems with scale reliability suggest that individual differences influence the ratings informants provide. This project tested whether informants’ neuroticism was associated with their ratings of an older adult’s memory. In an online study, 293 volunteers completed a Five Factor personality questionnaire and used two memory questionnaires to provide ratings of memory problems in an older individual they knew well. Rater neuroticism correlated positively with estimates of memory problems: more neurotic informants provided higher estimates of memory difficulties in the person they were rating. A second study replicated this finding with 786 volunteers and another widely used memory measure, the AD8. In both studies, exploratory analyses suggested the effect size was large enough to impact on clinical practice

Infrared Diagnostics for the Extended 12 micron Sample of Seyferts

We present an analysis of Spitzer IRS spectroscopy of 83 active galaxies from the extended 12 micron sample. We find rank correlations between several tracers of star formation which suggest that (1) the PAH feature is a reliable tracer of star formation, (2) there is a significant contribution to the heating of the cool dust by stars, (3) the H$_2$ emission is also primarily excited by star formation. The 55-90 vs. 20-30 spectral index plot is also a diagnostic of the relative contribution of Starburst to AGN. We see there is a large change in spectral index across the sample. Thus, the contribution to the IR spectrum from the AGN and starburst components can be comparable in magnitude but the relative contribution also varies widely across the sample. We find rank correlations between several AGN tracers. We search for correlations between AGN and Starburst tracers and we conclude that the AGN and Starburst tracers are not correlated. This is consistent with our conclusion that the relative strength of the AGN and Starburst components varies widely across the sample. Thus, there is no simple link between AGN fueling and Black Hole Growth and star formation in these galaxies. The distribution of Sil 10 micron and 18 micron strengths is consistent with the clumpy torus models of Sirocky et al. We find a rank correlation between the [NeV] 14 micron line and the 6.7 micron continuum which may be due to an extended component of hot dust. The Sy 2s with a Hidden Broad Line Region (HBLR) have a higher ratio of AGN to Starburst contribution to the SED than Sy 2s without an HBLR. This may contribute to the detection of the HBLR in polarized light. The Sy 2s with an HBLR are more similar to the Sy 1s than they are to the Sy 2s without an HBLR

Developing patient-friendly genetic and genomic test reports: formats to promote patient engagement and understanding

10.1186/s13073-014-0058-6Genome Medicine675