Claude Le Fustec, Northrop Frye and American Fiction

Most of the secondary literature about Northrop Frye belongs to one of two large categories, the theoretical or the practical. Claude Le Fustec’s Northrop Frye and American Fiction, the latest addition to the University of Toronto Press’s “Frye Series,” belongs to both. The primary theoretical issue has to do with the relationship between literature and religion, a relationship that has presented itself to the critical intelligence for a long time. In Plato’s Ion, for example, the poet is pre..

Pity the Northrop Frye Scholar? Frye's Anatomy of Criticism: Fifty Years After

Panorama de la relación de Northrop Frye con el mundo hispánico y de su presencia actual en los estudios literarios en el mundo entero. Este trabajo expone gran cantidad de datos que refutan la tesis de que Frye haya quedado obsoleto. A survey of the relationship of Northrop Frye to Hispanic culture as well as of Frye’s presence in current literary criticism worldwide. This essay sets out a great deal of facts that run counter the claim of Frye’s work being obsolete

Rotary Balance Wind Tunnel Testing for the FASER Flight Research Aircraft

Flight dynamics research was conducted to collect and analyze rotary balance wind tunnel test data in order to improve the aerodynamic simulation and modeling of a low-cost small unmanned aircraft called FASER (Free-flying Aircraft for Sub-scale Experimental Research). The impetus for using FASER was to provide risk and cost reduction for flight testing of more expensive aircraft and assist in the improvement of wind tunnel and flight test techniques, and control laws. The FASER research aircraft has the benefit of allowing wind tunnel and flight tests to be conducted on the same model, improving correlation between wind tunnel, flight, and simulation data. Prior wind tunnel tests include a static force and moment test, including power effects, and a roll and yaw damping forced oscillation test. Rotary balance testing allows for the calculation of aircraft rotary derivatives and the prediction of steady-state spins. The rotary balance wind tunnel test was conducted in the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel (VST). Rotary balance testing includes runs for a set of given angular rotation rates at a range of angles of attack and sideslip angles in order to fully characterize the aircraft rotary dynamics. Tests were performed at angles of attack from 0 to 50 degrees, sideslip angles of -5 to 10 degrees, and non-dimensional spin rates from -0.5 to 0.5. The effects of pro-spin elevator and rudder deflection and pro- and anti-spin elevator, rudder, and aileron deflection were examined. The data are presented to illustrate the functional dependence of the forces and moments on angle of attack, sideslip angle, and angular rate for the rotary contributions to the forces and moments. Further investigation is necessary to fully characterize the control effectors. The data were also used with a steady state spin prediction tool that did not predict an equilibrium spin mode

Herbicide impacts on exotic grasses and a population of the critically endangered herb "Calystegia affinis" (Convolvulaceae) on Lord Howe Island

Introduced perennial grasses are capable of altering the habitat of native species, causing reductions in population size and vigour, and potentially affecting life-history processes such as survival, pollination and seedling recruitment. We examined the utility of herbicide treatment on two exotic grasses, Pennisetum clandestinum (Kikuyu) and Stenotaphrum secundatum (Buffalo grass) to restore the habitat of Calystegia affinis, a critically endangered species endemic to Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. Using two herbicides, Asset (designed to affect only grasses) and Glyphosate (a general herbicide), we compared effectiveness in reducing grass cover on a population of Calystegia affinis. We protected Calystegia plants from the herbicides by ensuring their leaves were covered by plastic bags during herbicide application. Both herbicides were similarly effective in reducing grass cover after four weeks and had no noticeable adverse affect on Calystegia (suggesting the plastic bag protection was effective). After 26 weeks, Glyphosate was more effective in maintaining a reduced grass cover. Plots treated with either herbicide had a greater relative increase in abundance of Calystegia stems compared to untreated controls. The Glyphosate treatment resulted in the greatest relative increase in stem abundance, but this was not significantly greater than in the Asset treatment. We consider that spraying with Glyphosate treatment, with follow-up monitoring and spot-spraying, will assist the recovery of the Calystegia affinis population. Ultimately, the maintenance of a weed-free zone at the forest edge will provide suitable habitat for additional recruitment of this and other native species

Critical points and resonance of hyperplane arrangements

If F is a master function corresponding to a hyperplane arrangement A and a collection of weights y, we investigate the relationship between the critical set of F, the variety defined by the vanishing of the one-form w = d log F, and the resonance of y. For arrangements satisfying certain conditions, we show that if y is resonant in dimension p, then the critical set of F has codimension at most p. These include all free arrangements and all rank 3 arrangements.Comment: revised version, Canadian Journal of Mathematics, to appea

Critical Points and Resonance of Hyperplane Arrangements

If $\Phi_\lambda$ is a master function corresponding to a hyperplane arrangement $\mathcal A$ and a collection of weights $\lambda$, we investigate the relationship between the critical set of $\Phi_\lambda$, the variety defined by the vanishing of the one-form $\omega_\lambda=\operatorname{d} \log \Phi_\lambda$, and the resonance of $\lambda$. For arrangements satisfying certain conditions, we show that if $\lambda$ is resonant in dimension $p$, then the critical set of $\Phi_\lambda$ has codimension at most $p$. These include all free arrangements and all rank $3$ arrangements

Auditory Multi-Stability: Idiosyncratic Perceptual Switching Patterns, Executive Functions and Personality Traits

Multi-stability refers to the phenomenon of perception stochastically switching between possible interpretations of an unchanging stimulus. Despite considerable variability, individuals show stable idiosyncratic patterns of switching between alternative perceptions in the auditory streaming paradigm. We explored correlates of the individual switching patterns with executive functions, personality traits, and creativity. The main dimensions on which individual switching patterns differed from each other were identified using multidimensional scaling. Individuals with high scores on the dimension explaining the largest portion of the inter-individual variance switched more often between the alternative perceptions than those with low scores. They also perceived the most unusual interpretation more often, and experienced all perceptual alternatives with a shorter delay from stimulus onset. The ego-resiliency personality trait, which reflects a tendency for adaptive flexibility and experience seeking, was significantly positively related to this dimension. Taking these results together we suggest that this dimension may reflect the individual?s tendency for exploring the auditory environment. Executive functions were significantly related to some of the variables describing global properties of the switching patterns, such as the average number of switches. Thus individual patterns of perceptual switching in the auditory streaming paradigm are related to some personality traits and executive functions.</p

Claude Le Fustec, Northrop Frye and American Fiction

Most of the secondary literature about Northrop Frye belongs to one of two large categories, the theoretical or the practical. Claude Le Fustec’s Northrop Frye and American Fiction, the latest addition to the University of Toronto Press’s “Frye Series,” belongs to both. The primary theoretical issue has to do with the relationship between literature and religion, a relationship that has presented itself to the critical intelligence for a long time. In Plato’s Ion, for example, the poet is pre..

Disruption of recruitment in two endemic palms on Lord Howe Island by invasive rats

Invasive species may have negative impacts on many narrow range endemics and species restricted to oceanic islands. Predicting recent impacts of invasive species on long-lived trees is difficult because the presence of adult plants may mask population changes. We examined the impact of introduced black rats (Rattus rattus) on two palm species restricted to cloud forests and endemic to Lord Howe Island, a small oceanic island in the southern Pacific. We combined estimates of the standing size distribution of these palms with the proximal impacts of rats on fruit survival in areas baited to control rats and in unbaited areas. The size distribution of palms with trunks was comparable across baited and unbaited sites. Small juvenile palms lacking a trunk (\50 cm tall) were abundant in baited areas, but rare in unbaited sites for Lepidorrhachis mooreana, and rare or absent in 3 out of 4 unbaited Hedyscepe canterburyana sites. All ripe fruits were lost to rats in the small fruited L. mooreana. Fruitremoval was widespread but less (20–54%) in H. canterburyana. Both palms showed evidence of a reduced capacity to maintain a juvenile bank of palms through regular recruitment as a consequence of over 90 years of rat impact. This will limit the ability of these species to take advantage of episodic canopy gaps. Baiting for rat control reduced fruit losses and resulted in the re-establishment of a juvenile palm bank. Conservation of both endemic palms necessitates control (or eradication) of rat populations on the unique cloud forest summits of the island

The Effect of Resistance Training on Telomere Length in Women Recovering from Breast Cancer

The purpose of this exploratory analysis was to examine the effects of resistance training (RT) on leukocyte telomere length in breast cancer survivors. Samples from 33 breast cancer survivors were analysed following a 16-week RT or usual care intervention (RT: n = 19, control: n = 14). The RT group performed supervised exercise three times per week. Leukocyte telomere length was assessed before and after training using quantitative PCR. Changes in telomere length were analysed using ANCOVA, with the change score being the dependent variable, and the baseline value the covariate. Effect sizes (ES) were calculated via partial eta squared. We found a non-statistically significant change in telomere length, and a small associated ES in the RT group compared to the control group for change in telomere length (p = 0.78, ES = 0.003). Our exploratory study demonstrates that a 16-week RT intervention does not have a significant effect on telomere length in women recovering from breast cancer. Therefore, RT is a safe intervention that does not accelerate biological ageing