The poet sings: “resonance” in Paul Valéry’s poietics

This paper analyses Paul Valéry’s theories relating to his stated goal of poetic production: the attainment of “resonance” and a “singing-state”. My intention is to defend Valéry’s theory as a valid and consistent model of the creative process in poetry. To that end, I will draw support from T. W. Adorno’s claim that Valéry’s manner of reflective journalising in his Notebooks can furnish us with what he calls “aesthetic insight”. The consistency of Valéry’s theory will be supported by comparisons with the inferentialist understanding of semantics. Valéry proves to be a reliable exemplar of what might be called a “practice-led” aesthetics

Writing as life performed

In this chapter I explore the interrelatedness of practice, rehearsal, and performance and their applicability in the domain of “life.” These relationships are complicated when, in reference to Adorno’s Minima Moralia, the content of critical-essayistic production (which is analogous to aesthetic production in many ways) is ultimately that of the life of the author. I propose that to a large extent, the categories of practicing, rehearsing, and performing that are derivable from artistic-productive experience can be extended to lived experience. Working and living seriously and critically have significant points of convergence. What I attempt to disrupt is the presupposition of any “natural” hierarchy between these categories, whereby, for example, performance – connoting the tangible accomplishment of goals and the visibility of that accomplishment – takes precedence over the open-ended tasks of practice and rehearsal

What was the programme theory of New Labour’s health system reforms?

To examine whether the Health System Reforms delivered the promise of being a coherent and mutually supporting reform programme; to identify the underlying programme theory of the reform programme; to reflect on whether lessons have been learned. \ud \ud Documentary analysis mapping the implicit and explicit programme theories about how the reforms intended to achieve its goals and outcomes. Semi-structured interviews with policy-makers to further understand the programme theory. \ud \ud The Health System Reforms assumed a ‘one size fits all’ approach to policy implementation with little recognition that some contexts can be more receptive than others. There was evidence of some policy evolution and rebalancing between the reform streams as policy-makers became aware of some perverse incentives and unforeseen consequences. Later elements aimed to restore balance to the system. \ud \ud The Health System Reforms do not appear to comprise a coherent and mutually supportive set of levers and incentives. They appear unbalanced with the centre of gravity favouring suppliers over commissioners. However, recent reform changes have sought to redress this imbalance to some extent, suggesting that lessons have been learned and policies have been adapted over time

Cues from neuroepithelium and surface ectoderm maintain neural crest-free regions within cranial mesenchyme of the developing chick

Within the developing vertebrate head, neural crest cells (NCCs) migrate from the dorsal surface of the hindbrain into the mesenchyme adjacent to rhombomeres (r)1 plus r2, r4 and r6 in three segregated streams. NCCs do not enter the intervening mesenchyme adjacent to r3 or r5, suggesting that these regions contain a NCC-repulsive activity. We have used surgical manipulations in the chick to demonstrate that r3 neuroepithelium and its overlying surface ectoderm independently help maintain the NCC-free zone within r3 mesenchyme. In the absence of r3, subpopulations of NCCs enter r3 mesenchyme in a dorsolateral stream and an ectopic cranial nerve forms between the trigeminal and facial ganglia. The NCC-repulsive activity dissipates/degrades within 5-10 hours of r3 removal. Initially, r4 NCCs more readily enter the altered mesenchyme than r2 NCCs, irrespective of their maturational stage. Following surface ectoderm removal, mainly r4 NCCs enter r3 mesenchyme within 5 hours, but after 20 hours the proportions of r2 NCCs and r4 NCCs ectopically within r3 mesenchyme appear similar

Dwelling and the sacralisation of the air: A note on acousmatic music

This paper adapts Martin Heidegger’s philosophy of ‘dwelling’ in order to effect a liaison between acousmatic music and ecological concern. I propose this as an alternative to both the propagandist use of music as a means of protest and to using the science of ecology as a domain that might furnish new compositional means. I advance the interpretation that acousmatic music ‘occupies the air’ in ways that transform the meaning of that dimension. It allows the sky to be sky and the earth, earth. I use the precedent of bell ringing as an example of sonic activity that occupies the air in order to furthe

Criminal Squatting and Adverse Possession: The Best Solution?

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in the Journal of Housing Law following peer review. The definitive published version will be available online on Westlaw UK or from Thomson Reuters DocDel service

A doctrinal approach to property law scholarship. Who cares and Why?

This article was first published by Thomson Reuters in the Property Law Review and should be cited as Dixon, M. (2014) A doctrinal approach to property law scholarship. Who cares and Why?. Property Law Review 3: 160-165. For all subscription inquiries please phone, from Australia: 1300 304 195, from Overseas: +61 2 8587 7980 or online at www.thomsonreuters.com.au/catalogue The official PDF version of this article can also be purchased separately from Thomson Reuters. This publication is copyright. Other than for the purposes of and subject to the conditions prescribed under the Copyright Act (Australia) 1968, no part of it may in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, microcopying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Limited. PO Box 3502, Rozelle NSW 2039. www.thomsonreuters.com.a

Speeding up active mesh segmentation by local termination of nodes.

This article outlines a procedure for speeding up segmentation of images using active mesh systems. Active meshes and other deformable models are very popular in image segmentation due to their ability to capture weak or missing boundary information; however, where strong edges exist, computations are still done after mesh nodes have settled on the boundary. This can lead to extra computational time whilst the system continues to deform completed regions of the mesh. We propose a local termination procedure, reducing these unnecessary computations and speeding up segmentation time with minimal loss of quality

Some blood pressure studies in normal horses and in horses affected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The literature indicated that the main obstacle to indirect peripheral blood pressure measurements (sphygmomanometry) in horses, is the lack of a large superficial artery capable of being temporarily occluded. Consequently, the standard human sphygmomanometric techniques employing palpatory and auscultatory methods are unsatisfactory in horses. Some other sphygmomanometric techniques including the xylol bead modified palpatory, the photoelectric and the modified auscultatory methods were assessed by trials on horses. The latter method was shown to be the only potentially useful technique.Blood pressure measurements using this technique showed that the blood pressure of resting horses shows continuous short term cyclic variations, an observation which was supported by direct peripheral blood pressure measurements. Peripheral blood pressure was shown to significantly increase in horses during excitement and also following submaximal exercise. During longer term studies, many technical difficulties were encountered with the modified auscultatory technique and it was concluded that it would be unlikely to become acceptable for general clinical use.The literature concerning right heart blood pressure measurements in horses indicated that very little information was available concerning the right heart blood pressure alterations that occur in chronic pulmonary disease. Angiographic studies indicated that the use of a single hydrostatic baseline for all right heart blood pressure as is currently used by all authors, causes estimation of right ventricular pressure. measurements, an under- A separate hydrostatic baseline was therefore established for right ventricular blood pressure measurements.It was shown that horses clinically affected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), had pulmonary and systolic right ventricular hypertension and that this hypertension became reversed during remission stages of the disease. Further studies showed that a close relationship existed between carotid arterial hypoxaemia and pulmonary hypertension in COPD affected horses.This relationship between arterial hypoxaemia and pulmonary hypertension in COPD was substantiated by inducing partial remission of pulmonary hypertension in clinically affected horses, by oxygen administration. In contrast, normal pulmonary hypertension was induced by rendering temporarily hypoxaemic, by administration of nitrogen enriched air.Marked pulmonary hypertension was also induced during experimental hypercapnia or acidosis production. Bicarbonate, atropine or furosemide administered intravenously had no significant short term effects on pulmonary arterial pressure. No clinical or cardiac catheterisation evidence of right heart failure was observed in any COPD affected horses. These observations were substantiated by the relative in frequency of right ventricular hypertrophy that was observed on post mortem examinations of horses affected with chronic pulmonary disease