Reader response research in stylistics

This article introduces the special issue. In it, we argue that research into reader response should be recognised as a vital aspect of contemporary stylistics, and we establish our focus on work which explicitly investigates such responses through the collection and analysis of extra-textual datasets. Reader response research in stylistics is characterised by a commitment to rigorous and evidence-based approaches to the study of readers’ interactions with and around texts, and the application of such datasets in the service of stylistic concerns: to contribute to stylistic textual analysis and/or wider discussion of stylistic theory and methods. We trace the influence of reader response criticism and reception theory on stylistics and discuss the productive dialogues which exist between stylistics and the related fields of the empirical study of literature and naturalistic study of reading. After offering an overview of methods available to reader response researchers and a contextualising survey of existing work, we argue that both experimental and naturalistic methods should be regarded as ‘empirical’, and that stylistics is uniquely positioned to embrace diverse approaches to readers and reading. We summarise contributions to the special issue and the valuable insights they offer into the historical context of reader response research and the way readers perceive and evaluate texts (either poetry or narrative prose). Stylistic reader response research enables both the testing and development of stylistic methods, in accordance with the progressive spirit of the discipline, and also the establishment of new and renewed connections between stylistic research and work in other fields

Variability of Universal Life Cash Flows under Higher Risk Investment Strategies

This integrated project studied the offsetting elements of higher nominal yields, greater credit loss expectations, and higher capital requirements on the profitability of the life insurer that pursues a higher yield investment strategy. Profitability measures were developed for a Universal Life product. The report provides an attribution of profit drivers for the insurer. The effects of credit rating migration on credit loss rates and bond capital charges were examined, and investment strategies were tested under credit stress scenarios

Lessons from LIMK1 enzymology and their impact on inhibitor design

LIM domain kinase 1 (LIMK1) is a key regulator of actin dynamics. It is thereby a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of fragile X syndrome and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Herein, we use X-ray crystallography and activity assays to describe how LIMK1 accomplishes substrate specificity, to suggest a unique ‘rock-and-poke’ mechanism of catalysis and to explore the regulation of the kinase by activation loop phosphorylation. Based on these findings, a differential scanning fluorimetry assay and a RapidFire mass spectrometry activity assay were established, leading to the discovery and confirmation of a set of small-molecule LIMK1 inhibitors. Interestingly, several of the inhibitors were inactive towards the closely related isoform LIMK2. Finally, crystal structures of the LIMK1 kinase domain in complex with inhibitors (PF-477736 and staurosporine, respectively) are presented, providing insights into LIMK1 plasticity upon inhibitor binding

Development of sports turf systems suitable for Irish conditions.

End of Project ReportThe principal objective of the study was to establish scientific data in relation to the nutritional requirements and best management practice for golf greens constructed to the United States Golf Association (USGA) 1973 specification under Irish conditions. The game of golf is one of the biggest sports industries in the world. Income from golf tourism in Ireland has increased from £73 million in 1994 to £180 million in 1998. Good quality turfgrass is required to underpin the promotion of golf tourism. Traditionally, golf greens on Irish golf courses were constructed from local materials and vary from green to green within a given golf course and also between different golf courses. In recent years there is a perception that the quality of putting surfaces is superior on greens constructed to the USGA specification. In addition, greens constructed to this specification are similar one to the other and location to location. The principal features of the USGA 1973 specification could be summarised as follows: (1) A network of drainage pipes installed in the underground soil covered with a carpet of peat gravel; (2) A blinding layer of specifically graded sand placed on the peat gravel; (3) A root zone mixture of graded sand (80%) and graded peat moss (20%) by volume. The particle size of the component layers must comply to the exact specification in terms of size, diameter and shape. As sands contain no nutrients, the management of greens constructed mainly of sand is more exacting than the traditional soil constructed greens. The results from this project confirmed this assumption. Three major objectives were researched in this project: (a) the effect of micro nutrients, when applied or omitted, on the quality and growth of grass on a green surface; (b) the encroachment of Poa annua (annual meadow grass) onto the green; and (c) the comparison of two nitrogen top dressing programmes on sand greens. The detailed results are given in the text and in the conclusions of this report.European Union Structural Funds (EAGGF

Hydrogen Two-Photon Continuum Emission from the Horseshoe Filament in NGC 1275

Far ultraviolet emission has been detected from a knot of Halpha emission in the Horseshoe filament, far out in the NGC 1275 nebula. The flux detected relative to the brightness of the Halpha line in the same spatial region is very close to that expected from Hydrogen two-photon continuum emission in the particle heating model of Ferland et al. (2009) if reddening internal to the filaments is taken into account. We find no need to invoke other sources of far ultraviolet emission such as hot stars or emission lines from CIV in intermediate temperature gas to explain these data.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Compassion Versus Care in Healthcare Institutions: What’s the Difference?

In February 2013, the Francis Report outlined what it described as ‘systematic failings’ at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust resulting in the death and suffering of many patients through neglect (in the UK context, hospitals can apply to gain foundation trust status. Foundation trust hospitals are part of the National Health Service (NHS) but are not directed by central government and have greater freedom to decide the way services are delivered. They adhere to core NHS principles of free medical treatment based on need and not the ability to pay.) A lack of compassion, particularly among nursing staff, was identified as one of the contributing factors to poor care. The NHS was founded on the core value of compassion that today is one of six values all NHS staff are expected to demonstrate. Frequently invoked as a means to ensuring good patient care, it is a concept that is contested by a number of writers who argue that such moral emotions are not only unnecessary but dangerous. The purpose of this work is to explore the difference between compassion and care (but not medical treatment) in the context of the NHS. The paper draws on the work of Anca Gheaus, who argues there is a distinction to be made between the two and that while it is possible to be compassionate towards everybody, the ability to care, is limited to fewer people and is a more intense and engaged activity. Regarded as the founding myth of the NHS, the work also draws on the parable of the Good Samaritan to make the distinction between the two concepts more visible, and argues the roles played by the Good Samaritan and the innkeeper, remain relevant to the workings of today’s healthcare system. It also reflects on the need for kindness within the system

Mechanical strength of silica fiber splices after exposure to extreme temperatures

By using a combination of type-I and regenerated gratings, the mechanical strength of optical fiber splices after exposure to temperatures over 1300 °C was characterized. Splice strength was found to decrease with temperature with a secondorder polynomial dependence after exposure to environments hotter than 500 °C. Splices exposed to temperatures above 1300 °C were 80% more fragile than non-exposed splices. The lack of optical attenuation and the narrowing distribution of breaking strengths for higher temperatures suggest surface damage mechanisms, such as hydrolysis, play a key role in weakening post-heating and that damage mechanisms dominate over strengthening induced by crack melting. © 2012 SPIE

Predicting Graph Categories from Structural Properties

Complex networks are often categorized according to the underlying phenomena that they represent such as molecular interactions, re-tweets, and brain activity. In this work, we investigate the problem of predicting the category (domain) of arbitrary networks. This includes complex networks from different domains as well as synthetically generated graphs from five different network models. A classification accuracy of 96.6% is achieved using a random forest classifier with both real and synthetic networks. This work makes two important findings. First, our results indicate that complex networks from various domains have distinct structural properties that allow us to predict with high accuracy the category of a new previously unseen network. Second, synthetic graphs are trivial to classify as the classification model can predict with near-certainty the network model used to generate it. Overall, the results demonstrate that networks drawn from different domains (and network models) are trivial to distinguish using only a handful of simple structural properties