Milton's Hellenism

This thesis investigates the Hellenism of the English poet John Milton from his student writings at Cambridge through to Paradise Lost. It explores Milton’s engagement with classical, Hellenistic, Byzantine, and Early Modern Greek texts and it considers Milton’s reading of Greek scholarship and interactions with Greek scholars and Hellenic scholarship. Chapter 1, ‘Milton’s Cambridge Greek’, consists of two sections: ‘Protestant Hellenism at Milton’s Cambridge: A Case Study of James Duport’s Greek Paraphrase of the Book of Job, Threnothriambos (1637)’ and ‘Greek and the “Lady of Christ’s College”: Latin–Greek Code-Switching in Milton ‘Prolusion VI’’. Chapter 2, ‘Milton Among the Hellenists in England and Italy’ considers the role that Greek played in Milton’s correspondence and poetic exchanges with Charles Diodati and Lucas Holstenius; it also considers the nature of Milton’s own Hellenic research at libraries in Rome and Florence during his travels in Italy from 1638–39. Chapter 3 considers the political and polemical roles that Greek texts played for Milton from the mid-1640s to 1660 and consists of three sections: ‘Marshall’s Ignorant Hand: Milton’s Greek Epigram and the 1645 Poems Frontispiece and the First Edition of Langbaine’s Longinus (1636)’; ‘O Soul of Sir John Cheek: Milton and the Legacy of Sixteenth-Century Greek Humanism’; and ‘John Milton, Leonard Philaras, and Early Modern Advocacy for Greece’s Liberation from the Ottoman Empire’. The final, fourth chapter explores the influence of Greek texts—ranging from the Homeric epics and the fragmentary Epic Cycle through to Byzantine and Early Modern Greek texts—upon Milton’s design of Books 1 and 2 of Paradise Lost

An analysis of the effect of data processing methods on magnetic propeller models in short GRBs

We present analysis of observational data from the Swift Burst Analyser for a sample of 15 short gamma-ray bursts with extended emission (SGRBEEs) which have been processed such that error propagation from Swift’s count-rate-to-flux conversion factor is applied to the flux measurements. We apply this propagation to data presented by the Burst Analyser at 0.3-10 keV and also at 15-50 keV, and identify clear differences in the morphologies of the light-curves in the different bands. In performing this analysis with data presented at both 0.3-10 keV, at 15-50 keV, and also at a combination of both bands, we highlight the impact of extrapolating data from their native bandpasses on the light-curve. We then test these data by fitting to them a magnetar-powered model for SGRBEEs, and show that while the model is consistent with the data in both bands, the model’s derived physical parameters are generally very loosely constrained when this error propagation is included and are inconsistent across the two bands. In this way, we highlight the importance of the Swift data processing methodology to the details of physical model fits to SGRBEEs

Intrinsically microporous polymer retains porosity in vacuum thermolysis to electroactive heterocarbon

Vacuum carbonization of organic precursors usually causes considerable structural damage and collapse of morphological features. However, for a polymer with intrinsic microporosity (PIM-EA-TB with a Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) surface area of 1027 m2g–1), it is shown here that the rigidity of the molecular backbone is retained even during 500 °C vacuum carbonization, yielding a novel type of microporous heterocarbon (either as powder or as thin film membrane) with properties between those of a conducting polymer and those of a carbon. After carbonization, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) morphology and the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) Guinier radius remain largely unchanged as does the cumulative pore volume. However, the BET surface area is decreased to 242 m2g–1, but microporosity is considerably increased. The new material is shown to exhibit noticeable electrochemical features including two pH-dependent capacitance domains switching from ca. 33 Fg–1 (when oxidized) to ca. 147 Fg–1 (when reduced), a low electron transfer reactivity toward oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, and a four-point-probe resistivity (dry) of approximately 40 MΩ/square for a 1–2 μm thick film

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Welsh devolution and the problem of legislative competence

With political consensus reached across Wales and Westminster that the current conferred powers model of Welsh devolution should be replaced with a reserved powers model as exists in Scotland and Northern Ireland, this article looks back at the systems instituted under the Government of Wales Act (2006) and compares it with the proposals contained within the draft Wales Bill (2015) and Wales Bill (2016). This involves an in-depth comparison of the consequences for legislative clarity and robustness of the shift in 2011 from Part III of GoWA 2006, which instituted a system for the ad hoc transfer of powers to the National Assembly, to Part IV, which provides the Assembly with direct primary powers over specific policy areas, and the subsequent comparison of the existing system with the draft bill’s proposals. In doing so, two claims are advanced: (i) that the system instituted in Part III of GoWA was actually preferable to that unlocked with the shift to Part IV; and (ii) that this existing system was nevertheless preferable to the proposed reserved power model contained in the draft Wales Bill Ultimately, what the Welsh case illustrates is how constitution building should not be done; and furthermore, that there are inherent problems regarding legislative competence within conferred powers models of devolution, but a reserved powers model is no panacea either