Reproducing "Iphigenia at Aulis"

Lady Jane Lumley’s Iphigenia at Aulis exemplifies the process of dramatic reproduction in the mid-sixteenth century and in 2014. Lumley’s translation (ca 1554) of Euripides’s tragedy is a text which revivifies the past to confront the emotional consequences of betrayal and loss. In the sixteenth-century context of Lumley’s own family, her translation disturbs and manages the emotional consequences of her father’s involvement in the sacrifice of Lady Jane Grey to fulfil the family’s political ambitions. My historicist approach juxtaposes a consideration of the play’s performances in the Rose Company Theatre in 2014. Drawing on interviews with the director and actors and my observation of spectators’ reactions, I discuss the production’s testing of the script’s immediacy for audiences in a present which had its own preoccupations with the past: namely, the centenary of the outbreak of World Ward I

‘Freedom Among the Dead’:Greville’s Life of The Renowned Sir Philip Sidney

This chapter takes Greville’s claim that his long-deceased friend, Philip Sidney gives him “a kind of freedome even among the dead” as a starting point to analyse how the memorial biography is, for Greville, not just a process of writing another life, but a specifically Protestant means of mourning. It uses Judith Butler’s arguments that mourning makes humans redefine themselves relationally, fostering political community, to analyse Greville’s Dedication to Sir Philip Sidney, as a work in which the process of writing and of rewriting Sidney redefines Greville’s own sense of self and shapes his Protestant politics, hopes, fears, and beliefs

A review of independent living adaptations

This study will explore and test potential changes to the structural and delivery mechanisms for independent living adaptations. This is in order to move towards the Welsh Government goal of ensuring that adaptations can be delivered more speedily to those who need them. In doing so, it will help reduce inherent inequalities in the current system by ensuring joined up solutions, prevention and early intervention activity. This Review was commissioned in the light of some £35 million being spent annually by local authorities in Wales on Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) and the Welsh Government’s own spending of approximately £8 million on Physical Adaptations Grants (PAG) for social tenants. The Review was carried out between May and November 2014 and addressed three aims: mapping the current system performance Indicators testing the feasibility of options for change

Measuring emotional temperatures in Shakespeare’s drama

This paper demonstrates how the computational analysis of Shakespeare’s plays can map the emotional language used across individual plays and across the canon more broadly, affording new insights. It explains how we adapted the “sentiment analysis” tool SentiStrength for use with Early Modern English. Our analyses allow us to test out the long-held critical hypothesis that Shakespeare’s work moved from a comic to a “problem” and tragic period, and thence to a more optimistic redemptive mood in his last plays. The paper will also suggest how computational techniques can further understanding of genre, in particular the relationship between history and tragedy in Shakespeare’s work

A review of independent living adaptations

This study will explore and test potential changes to the structural and delivery mechanisms for independent living adaptations. This is in order to move towards the Welsh Government goal of ensuring that adaptations can be delivered more speedily to those who need them. In doing so, it will help reduce inherent inequalities in the current system by ensuring joined up solutions, prevention and early intervention activity. This Review was commissioned in the light of some £35 million being spent annually by local authorities in Wales on Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) and the Welsh Government’s own spending of approximately £8 million on Physical Adaptations Grants (PAG) for social tenants. The Review was carried out between May and November 2014 and addressed three aims: mapping the current system performance Indicators testing the feasibility of options for change

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Parenting and oral health in an inner-city environment: a qualitative pilot study

Background Preventable oral diseases such as dental caries remain common in the United Kingdom. Clustering of poor health is observed within deprived communities, such as inner-city areas, where elevated levels of dental need are associated with lower uptake of dental care. Successful oral health promotion (OHP) initiatives are contingent upon effective community engagement. The aim of this pilot study was to engage with families with young children to explore community views on oral health and dental care and thus tailor OHP initiatives more effectively to their needs. Methods Qualitative research, involving individual interviews and triad focus groups with parents/caregivers, was conducted in a south London inner-city community as part of a ‘Well London’ programme initiative. Results Seventeen parents/caregivers participated in this pilot study. Parents/caregivers described a spectrum of oral health behaviours based on their social history, past dental experiences and cultural influences. All parents described a clear desire to create healthy lives for their children; however, two broad groups were apparent, termed ‘Oral Health Prioritisers’ and ‘Oral Health Non-prioritisers’. The former reported regularly accessing dental care for their children, believing that oral health contributes to systemic health. Non-prioritisers, however, preferentially used key services considered most beneficial to their child’s wellbeing. Dental services were considered a low priority for this group, where oral health was synonymous with absence of pain. Participants in both groups favoured OHP initiatives involving a range of health and social care services, with schools at the epicentre of programmes. First-time parents were proposed as an important group requiring support in future OHP initiatives with evidence suggesting that first-born children may have delayed presentation to a dentist. Conclusions The findings suggest that this inner-city community may contain sub-groups with contrasting perspectives on oral health and oral health behaviours; nevertheless, there was support for a systems approach to oral health promotion initiatives involving a range of health and social care services, including a critcal role for schools, and actively connecting with first-time parents. The findings provide the basis for further research