The Subversion of Wagnerian Gender Dynamics in James Joyce’s Ulysses

To the uninitiated, the works of James Joyce can descend into endless and impenetrable obscurity, but one thinker provides a key to deciphering Joyce’s writing: German operatic composer Richard Wagner. Wagner dominated nineteenth-century culture and Joyce could not escape his omnipotent influence. Whereas many artists tried to adopt aspects of Wagner’s artistic philosophy as their own, Joyce’s works reveal an inherent kinship with the composer. Allusions to Wagner’s radical “music dramas” are evident across Joyce’s œuvre. Wagner’s influence is not only found in the implicit and explicit allusions in Ulysses,—as Timothy Martin and other scholars have noted—but also in Joyce’s adoption of Wagner’s artistic philosophy and literary techniques. Specifically, Joyce expands on Wagner’s aesthetic philosophy and emphasizes drama and myth to explore gender relations in Ulysses. I argue that in Ulysses, Joyce modifies Wagner’s artist-hero and self-sacrificing woman to complicate and critique the cultural expectation for the male protagonist’s reliance on female love for absolution. Joyce’s women—specifically Marion “Molly” Bloom and Gerty MacDowell—undermine the artist-hero’s redemption by blending the barrier between the two misogynist feminine archetypes: the Virgin and the Temptress. Whereas Wagner’s female characters are either the virginal redeemers, like Elisabeth from Tannhäuser, or fatal temptresses, like Kundry from Parsifal, Joyce’s female characters blur the barrier between the two archetypes. Molly and Gerty inhabit both the Virgin and Temptress archetypes, thereby wholly fulfilling neither. Thus, they disrupt the fixed gender roles necessary to propel the artist-hero towards salvation

The main contradictions of the concept regarding the subject content of the Ukrainian public sector in the contest of the accounting system modernization

Розглянуто основні проблеми процесу інтеграції вітчизняної облікової системи державного сектора економіки України, її адаптації до Міжнародних стандартів бухгалтерського обліку та фінансової звітності; основні заходи, визначені Стратегією модернізації системи бухгалтерського обліку в державному секторі України. Проаналізовано основні підходи щодо розмежування поняття суб’єктів державного сектора економіки. Наведено основні відмінності поняття «суб’єктів бухгалтерського обліку в державному секторі» на основі Господарського кодексу України у розділі «Загальні питання» Стратегії модернізації системи бухгалтерського обліку в державному секторі на 2007 – 2015 роки та у інших нормативних актах. На основі здійсненого аналізу останніх законодавчих нововведень щодо реформування бухгалтерського обліку державного сектора України сформульовано практичні рекомендації щодо його подальшого удосконаленняThe main problems of the integration process of the national public sector accounting system of Ukraine and its adaptation to the International accounting and financial reporting standards are disclosed in the article. The main measures, determined by the modernization strategy of the public sector accounting system of Ukraine are considered. The basic approaches to differentiation of the concept of subjects of the public sector of economy are analyzed. The basic differences of the “public sector accounting subjects” concept are given on the basis of the Commercial Code of Ukraine, of the chapter “General questions” of the “Strategy of modernization of the public sector accounting system for 2007-2015” and of other legal documents. Based on the accomplished analysis of the latest legal documents concerning the public sector accounting reformation in Ukraine, the practical recommendations for its future improvement are proposed in the article. The main subjects of the public sector accounting are determined. The plan of the Ukrainian public sector accounting standards adaption is viewed and analyzed in the article. The surface analysis of the already accepted nineteen accounting standards is performed by the author. Also the key measures defined in the “Strategy of modernization of the public sector accounting system” are characterized depending on the annual tasks. Three different approaches to the identification of subjects’ ambiguity in the public sector are examined by the author of article. The basic theoretical ideas concerning the harmonization of all elements of the economic system of Ukraine with international regulations and performance are considered. The attempt to compare the subjective determination of the domestic and international accounting standards is made by the author. All the issues and recommendations, presented in the article, will help to improve the accounting organization in the budgetary system

Opportunities and the role of government in meeting the needs of society in an innovative economy

Розглянуто наявний стан, рівень та можливості задоволення потреб суспільства за умов формування інноваційної економіки. Показано, що підвищення інтересу держави до формування інноваційної економіки призведе до покращення якості життя населення і в цілому піднесення економіки країни. Активна роль держави покладена в основу стабільного розвитку України, що створює можливості в задоволенні всебічних потреб суспільства. Формування інноваційної економіки в державі приносить не тільки нові перспективи, а й створює додаткові стандарти, що, в свою чергу, ускладнюють сам процес життєдіяльності людини.The chosen direction towards innovative way of development and increase of the people life quality needs to found the ways of combining government expenditures for satisfying people needs and government possibilities to do so. One of the features of innovative economy is a shift from the full employment towards the flexible employment and social integration. Such process is explained by new technologies in production that have appeared. They cause the decrease in the demand for labor force. To satisfy its own needs a person has to get through the difficult process of obtaining skills how to work. Increase of the role of government in the income structure of citizens increases the number of low income people who are directly dependent on the existing socio-economic policy. Under conditions of forming an innovative economy increase in government spending on basic needs in the society results in the decrease of time in achieving a positive effect, which creates conditions for meeting other, higher needs. Thus, labor as one of the spheres of human life no longer is only the way of survival and this affects the people’s quality of life

State debt sustainability under global financial fragility conditions

У зв’язку з тенденціями до змін на міжнародних валютних ринках та поглибленням світової економічної нестабільності, багато держав постають перед викликом погіршення стану зовнішньої боргової (фінансової) спроможності, оскільки глобальна нестабільність значно впливає на процеси трансформації світового фінансового ринку. Проте, не зважаючи на зазначену тенденцію, масштаби міжнародних фінансових потоків стабільно продовжують збільшуватися. Боргова стабільність держави визначає можливість погашення зовнішнього боргу перед іншими державами та міжнародними фінансовими організаціями. Відповідно, уряд кожної країни прагне підтримувати безпечний рівень зовнішньої боргової безпеки за допомогою різних методів та прийомів, оскільки зниження боргової стабільності призводить до порушення рівноваги усієї фінансової системи. Збільшення об’єму зовнішнього боргу свідчить про малу ефективність фіскальної та боргової політики держави. А фінансові ризики пов’язані з кризовими явищами у світовій економіці призводять до збільшення державних видатків на обслуговування зовнішнього боргу. На світовому фінансовому ринку також спостерігаються значні зміни в самій системі (умови, засади, способи) надання кредитів, де домінуючими є короткотермінові кредитні програми «stand by», які мають як негативні, так і позитивні аспекти. Вони доступніші, але водночас дорожчі для позичальників. Отже, кожна держава повинна бути в безпеці у глобальному фінансовому просторі, при цьому не посилювати боргове навантаження на довготерміновий період. За результатами аналізу описаних проблем сформовано ряд рекомендацій щодо формування ефективної державної політики в управлінні зовнішньою борговою стійкістю, яка повинна включати комбіновані групи заходів і відображати ефективність використання усіх типів державної політики.Due to the tendencies towards the changes in international currency markets and enhancement of the world economic fragility, many countries are facing the challenge of worsening the external debt (financial) capacity, as global fragility has a significant impact on the processes of global financial market transformation. However, despite the above mentioned tendency, the scale of international financial flows is steadily increasing. The state debt sustainability determines the possibility of foreign debt retirement to other states and international financial organizations. Relatively, the government of each country tends to maintain the safe level of external debt security by means of different methods and techniques, since the debt sustainability reduction results in the entire financial system disequilibrium. The increase of the total external debt indicates the low efficiency of the state fiscal and debt policy. And, financial risks related to the crisis developments in the world economy lead to the increase in government spending on foreign debt servicing. In the world financial market, there are also significant changes in the system (terms, principles, methods) of credit allocation, where short-term «stand-by» credit programs having both negative and positive aspects are more accessible, but at the same time are more expensive for borrowers. Therefore, each state should be safe and secure in the global financial space, while not exacerbating the long-term debt burden. According to the result of analysis of the above described problem, a list of recommendations concerning the effective public policy formation in external debt sustainability management including combined groups of measures and reflecting the effectiveness all types of public policy use are formulated

Using PICO to Align Medical Evidence with MDs Decision Making Models

Modern medicine is characterized by an “explosion” in clinical research information making practical application of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM), problematic for many clinicians. We have developed a PICO-(evidence based search strategy focusing on Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome)-based framework for (indexing and retrieving medical evidence and we posit that the use of PICO allows for organizing evidence that is aligned with an MD’s decision making model. We describe a study where medical students evaluated our PICO-based approach and results show that students are eager to apply EBM but are hindered by a lack of specialist skills. Students reported that the PICO-based framework for organizing evidence provided an intuitive way of accessing and evaluating evidence and would be useful for their clinical tasks

Investigating the design of Smart Objects in the domain of forgetfulness

PhDWhen we forget things, we feel anxious which can impact our day negatively. Some individuals believe they are forgetful, so emphatically, it disrupts their day. There has been little discussion about perceived forgetfulness in design and HCI, combined with few studied smart objects to aid with memory. However, embedded systems, radio frequency identification (RFID) and HCI research provides inspiration towards creating a solution. Challenges of creating a day-to-day smart object that can enhance a user’s lifestyle are explored and recommended design guidelines for creating a smart object in a specific domain are the focus of this thesis. Using an experience-centred approach, ‘Message Bag’ and ‘Tag Along’ are two purpose built object-based memory aids that have emerged as a result of investigating the design processes for smart objects. The work examines smart objects in the context of forgetting what items to pack in a bag. A solution presented is a device consisting of an RFID system involving (a) pre-tagging essential items; (b) scanning those tagged items and; (c) viewing a corresponding light illuminate, to communicate to the user. Although the conceptual model is simple, success depends on a combination of technical design, usability and aesthetics. These scanning interactions result in a person feeling more confident as suggested through autoethnography reporting, real-world, third person engagements - single user walkouts, conference demos, professional critiques, and residential weekends with potential users (focus group) studies conducted. My work involved extensive autobiographical research and design-led enquiries. Testing was undertaken with investigative prototypes, followed by field testing high-fidelity prototypes. This involved an in-the-wild comparative study involving six users over several months. Results show that people feel more confident and respondents claim no longer needing to continually check items are packed, thus ‘gaining time’, and feeling less forgetful. Although the application of RFID is not new to ubiquitous computing, this implementation, styling and system immediacy is novel. This thesis presents the development of ten prototypes as well as design guidelines. The research provides a solid base for further exploration, and includes discovery of the importance of a user’s style universe and extreme ease-of-use. I conclude with the presentation of early positive results including; (i) the unique form factor becomes a reminder itself and; (ii) usability coupled with the intuitive nature of the system is shown to be essential. We found that when you are creating a smart object, usability and an intuitive nature is even more important than in a standard system. When dealing within the domain of forgetfulness, this is paramount.This research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the Media and Arts Technology Doctoral Training Centre from the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary University of London

Combating cross-border organized crime in the border region of the state: strategy development methodology

The article describes the methodology for the following successive stages: data collection on cross-border organized crime; analysis of the impact of PEST factors of the border region on the number of cross-border crimes committed by organized criminal groups; generalization and analysis of parameters for assessing the capabilities of organized criminal groups; assessment of the level of capabilities of organized criminal groups to commit cross-border crimes; passporting of organized criminal groups specializing in cross-border crimes; modeling of scenarios of the development of organized criminal groups illegal activities by types of cross-border crimes; selection of options for fighting cross-border organized crime by the targeted impact on organized criminal groups. The strategy envisages a complex of the following measures: rapid (operational) interventions in critical situations; anti-crisis measures of the border guard operation to neutralize threats; other regime and control measures to strengthen the protection of the state border; standard planned and preventive measures; measures of sustainable development of the border security system. Implementing the methodology in practice enables the development of a strategic approach to effectively utilize the resources of state law enforcement agencies in combating cross-border crime

Decision Making by Emergency Room Physicians and Residents: Results From a Clinical Trial

Clinical decision-making is complex and uncertain and is dependent on accurate and timely information that is typically managed through Information Technology (IT) solutions. One particular class of IT that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the medical community is Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS). This paper will discuss results of the use of a CDSS that was developed for assisting triage decision making of pediatric abdominal pain in the Emergency department. We show how different user groups (staff physicians and residents) use the CDSS input variables in their triage decision making models