Albert Pierrepoint and the cultural persona of the twentieth-century hangman

Albert Pierrepoint was Britain’s most famous 20th-century hangman. This article utilises diverse sources in order to chart his public representation, or cultural persona, as hangman from his rise to prominence in the mid-1940s to his portrayal in the biopic Pierrepoint(2005). It argues that Pierrepoint exercised agency in shaping this persona through publishing his autobiography and engagement with the media, although there were also representations that he did not influence. In particular, it explores three iterations of his cultural persona – the Professional Hangman, the Reformed Hangman and the Haunted Hangman. Each of these built on and reworked historical antecedents and also communicated wider understandings and contested meanings in relation to capital punishment. As a hangman who remained in the public eye after the death penalty in Britain was abolished, Pierrepoint was an important, authentic link to the practice of execution and a symbolic figure in debates over reintroduction. In the 21st century, he was portrayed as a victim of the ‘secondary trauma’ of the death penalty, which resonated with worldwide campaigns for abolition

The Magpie Trial follow up study: outcome after discharge from hospital for women and children recruited to a trial comparing magnesium sulphate with placebo for pre-eclampsia

Contributing member: Caroline Crowther is listed as a member of the Magpie Trial Follow Up Study Collaborative GroupBACKGROUND: The Magpie Trial compared magnesium sulphate with placebo for women with pre-eclampsia. 10,141 women were recruited, 8804 before delivery. Overall, 9024 children were included in the analysis of outcome at discharge from hospital. Magnesium sulphate more than halved the risk of eclampsia, and probably reduced the risk of maternal death. There did not appear to be any substantive harmful effects on the baby, in the short term. It is now important to assess whether these benefits persist, and to provide adequate reassurance about longer term safety. The main objective of the Magpie Trial Follow Up Study is to assess whether in utero exposure to magnesium sulphate has a clinically important effect on the child's chance of surviving without major neurosensory disability. Other objectives are to assess long term outcome for the mother, and to develop and assess appropriate strategies for following up large numbers of children in perinatal trials. STUDY DESIGN: Follow up is only feasible in selected centres. We therefore anticipate contacting 2800–3350 families, for 2435–2915 of whom the woman was randomised before delivery. A further 280–335 children would have been eligible for follow up if they had survived. The total sample size for the children is therefore 3080–3685, 2680–3210 of whom will have been born to women randomised before delivery. Families eligible for the follow up will be contacted, and surviving children screened using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires. Children who screen positive, and a sample of those who screen negative, will whenever possible have a paediatric and neurodevelopmental assessment. When women are contacted to ask how their child is, they will also be asked about their own health. The primary outcome is a composite measure of death or neurosensory disability for the child at 18 months. DISCUSSION: The Follow Up Study began in 2002, and now involves collaborators in 19 countries. Data collection will close at the end of 2003

Cyclodehydrogenation of poly(perylene) to poly(quaterrylene): Toward poly(peri-naphthalene)

Cyclodehydrogenation of soluble polyperylenes gives polymers containing predominantly quaterrylene units by spectral analysis. Evidence for larger rylene units is also seen. These polymers represent important intermediates toward a poly(peri- naphthalene) (PPN). Reactions on model compounds suggest that the insolubility of polymers with larger rylene units is predominantly due to the rigidity of the polymer backbone

Cyclodehydrogenation of poly(perylene) to poly(quaterrylene): Toward poly(peri-naphthalene)

Cyclodehydrogenation of soluble polyperylenes gives polymers containing predominantly quaterrylene units by spectral analysis. Evidence for larger rylene units is also seen. These polymers represent important intermediates toward a poly(peri- naphthalene) (PPN). Reactions on model compounds suggest that the insolubility of polymers with larger rylene units is predominantly due to the rigidity of the polymer backbone

Lady Jane,

All the neighbors are curious about the new family that moves into a long-empty New Orleans house, especially the identity of the little girl with the pet heron.All the neighbors are curious about the new family that moves into a long-empty New Orleans house, especially the identity of the little girl with the pet heron.Mode of access: Internet.SPEC: Gift of Joann and Ned Chalat

Lady Jane /

All the neighbors are curious about the new family that moves into a long-empty New Orleans house, especially the identity of the little girl with the pet heron."Fourteenth thousand" -- Title page.All the neighbors are curious about the new family that moves into a long-empty New Orleans house, especially the identity of the little girl with the pet heron.Mode of access: Internet.SPEC: Gift of Joann and Ned Chalat

Typhoon /

Publisher's advertisements on verso of t.p. and 16 p. at end."First separate English edition" -- Cf. Keating.Keating, G.T. A Conrad memorial library,Mode of access: Internet.SPEC: In Peter K. Gould Literary Collection, gift of Peter K. Gould. Bound in red cloth; blind-stamped on covers; stamped in gold on spine. Signature on inside front cover: "C. Sonter" Signature on front fly-leaf: "T.R. Braithwaite, 1919