Mythology, Value-Judgements and Ideology in Northrop Frye's Anatomy and Beyond

Partiendo de Frye este trabajo pretende diferenciar entre mitología e ideología. En la Anatomía, se defiende que el estudio de la literatura debe ser autónomo respecto de sistemas filosóficos y de prejuicios y juicios de valor; se busca una perspectiva específicamente literaria que permita incluir todos los métodos. En obras posteriores, las reflexiones de Frye sobre el mito, la metáfora y la Biblia también esclarecen cuestiones sobre ideología. La literatura puede considerarse como vida del mito y la metáfora; trasciende la ideología y constituye una crítica de la crítica y de la vida. This essay tries to differentiate between mythology and ideology on the basis of Frye’s work. In the Anatomy, there is a defence of the autonomy of literary criticism against philosophical systems as well as against prejudice and value-judgements, and a search after a perspective where all methods can find their place. In later works, the reflections on myth, metaphor and the Bible shed also light on ideology. Literature may be seen as the life of myth and methafor, thus transcending ideology and being a critique of critique as well as of life

INVENTORY ACCURACY OF MAINTENANCE ASSISTANCE MODULES (MAMS) ON SHIPS UTILIZING THE ORGANIZATIONAL MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM – NEXT GENERATION (OMMS-NG)

Proper inventory management is crucial to the success of a naval warship’s completion of mission tasking and maintenance operational readiness. All U.S. naval warships require a predetermined inventory of Maintenance Assistance Modules (MAMs) to test and identify broken parts within a weapons or engineering system when failures occur. Once a part is identified as broken, shipboard personnel order that part through the Navy Supply system and return the MAMs to their appropriate inventory location. These are high-value assets that require 100% inventory validity. Fleet Logistics Center San Diego has raised concerns due to declining inventory accuracy results of MAM inventories. This study contains an analysis of the differences in inventory management procedures between a variety of naval assets, ascertains the most efficient practice of inventory management, and presents possible explanations for the loss of these high-value assets. The authors have determined that there is a disparity between a ship’s inventory validities and Type Commander’s (TYCOM’s) inventory validities due to an inadequate inventory management system and insufficient guidance in procedures and policies for managing MAMs.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Effects of Cardiac Structural Remodelling During Heart Failure on Cardiac Excitation – Insights from a Heterogeneous 3D Model of the Rabbit Atria

Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the western world. One of the effects of heart failure is the structural remodelling of cardiac tissue, including tissue dilation and development of fibrosis. It is therefore important to study these changes and their effect on cardiac activity, in order to gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms in arrhythmogenesis, which will hopefully enable us to develop better treatments for heart failure. In this study we developed biophysically detailed models of the rabbit atria for normal and heart failure conditions. These models were used to study the effects of structural remodelling of heart failure on cardiac excitation wave conduction. Anatomical reconstructions of the control and heart failure hearts were based on contrast enhanced micro-CT imaging. Fibre orientation was extracted from the control and heart failure datasets. Effects of heart failure geometry on the activation pattern of atrial excitation waves were analyzed. It was found that atrial activation time increased from the control to the heart failure case in both isotropic and anisotropic conditions, which is attributed primarily to the dilation of tissue caused by heart failure

Does deterministic coexistence theory matter in a finite world?

Contemporary studies of species coexistence are underpinned by deterministic models that assume that competing species have continuous (i.e., noninteger) densities, live in infinitely large landscapes, and coexist over infinite time horizons. By contrast, in nature, species are composed of discrete individuals subject to demographic stochasticity and occur in habitats of finite size where extinctions occur in finite time. One consequence of these discrepancies is that metrics of species' coexistence derived from deterministic theory may be unreliable predictors of the duration of species coexistence in nature. These coexistence metrics include invasion growth rates and niche and fitness differences, which are now commonly applied in theoretical and empirical studies of species coexistence. In this study, we tested the efficacy of deterministic coexistence metrics on the duration of species coexistence in a finite world. We introduce new theoretical and computational methods to estimate coexistence times in stochastic counterparts of classic deterministic models of competition. Importantly, we parameterized this model using experimental field data for 90 pairwise combinations of 18 species of annual plants, allowing us to derive biologically informed estimates of coexistence times for a natural system. Strikingly, we found that for species expected to deterministically coexist, community sizes containing only 10 individuals had predicted coexistence times of more than 1000 years. We also found that invasion growth rates explained 60% of the variation in intrinsic coexistence times, reinforcing their general usefulness in studies of coexistence. However, only by integrating information on both invasion growth rates and species' equilibrium population sizes could most (>99%) of the variation in species coexistence times be explained. This integration was achieved with demographically uncoupled single-species models solely determined by the invasion growth rates and equilibrium population sizes. Moreover, because of a complex relationship between niche overlap/fitness differences and equilibrium population sizes, increasing niche overlap and increasing fitness differences did not always result in decreasing coexistence times, as deterministic theory would predict. Nevertheless, our results tend to support the informed use of deterministic theory for understanding the duration of species' coexistence while highlighting the need to incorporate information on species' equilibrium population sizes in addition to invasion growth rates

Naval Narratives of Re-enactment: In Which We Serve and Sea of Fire

This essay examines two narrative examples of the Royal Navy and naval combat on screen, exploring their resemblances in the reenactment of naval history and their portrayal of the past through consistent representational strategies. In Which We Serve (Noel Coward and David Lean, 1942) and Sea of Fire (Ian Duncan, 2007) use deliberate and self-conscious recreations of the past to authenticate their interpretations of British naval history, and evince comparably conservative stances towards the Royal Navy and perceptions of its traditions. The similarity of their narratives, which describe the events leading up to the loss of two Navy destroyers, helps to reveal and reinforce the tonal, structural and stylistic parallels in their depictions. The correspondence in their portrayal of naval combat and the institution of the Royal Navy illustrates the consistencies of representation which characterise the naval war film as a distinctive, definable narrative form. Above all, their commitment to the recreation and reenactment of identifiable historical events underpins their importance in the representation and commemoration of the national, naval past. It is this aspect of both productions which is significant in the exploration of the role of visual representations to construct, affirm and broadcast pervasive and persuasive versions of popular history

Evaluation and learning from failure and success: An ANZSOG research paper for the Australian Public Service Review Panel

A research report of how accountability mechanisms within the APS can be improved to ensure evidence-based policy making and advice to government. The authors contend the APS must change how it evaluates the outcomes of its programs and how it learns from examples of success (as well as failure) to ensure more effective and efficient public sector management.Commissioned by Independent Review of the Australian Public Service, ANZSOG

CSF biomarkers for dementia

Although cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker testing is incorporated into some current guidelines for the diagnosis of dementia (such as England's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)), it is not widely accessible for most patients for whom biomarkers could potentially change management. Here we share our experience of running a clinical cognitive CSF service and discuss recent developments in laboratory testing including the use of the CSF amyloid-β 42/40 ratio and automated assay platforms. We highlight the importance of collaborative working between clinicians and laboratory staff, of preanalytical sample handling, and discuss the various factors influencing interpretation of the results in appropriate clinical contexts. We advocate for broadening access to CSF biomarkers by sharing clinical expertise, protocols and interpretation with colleagues working in psychiatry and elderly care, especially when access to CSF may be part of a pathway to disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia

The 'Antiretrovirals, Sexual Transmission Risk and Attitudes' (ASTRA) study. Design, methods and participant characteristics.

Life expectancy for people diagnosed with HIV has improved dramatically however the number of new infections in the UK remains high. Understanding patterns of sexual behaviour among people living with diagnosed HIV, and the factors associated with having condom-less sex, is important for informing HIV prevention strategies and clinical care. In addition, in view of the current interest in a policy of early antiretroviral treatment (ART) for all people diagnosed with HIV in the UK, it is of particular importance to assess whether ART use is associated with increased levels of condom-less sex. In this context the ASTRA study was designed to investigate current sexual activity, and attitudes to HIV transmission risk, in a large unselected sample of HIV-infected patients under care in the UK. The study also gathered background information on demographic, socio-economic, lifestyle and disease-related characteristics, and physical and psychological symptoms, in order to identify other key factors impacting on HIV patients and the behaviours which underpin transmission. In this paper we describe the study rationale, design, methods, response rate and the demographic characteristics of the participants. People diagnosed with HIV infection attending 8 UK HIV out-patient clinics in 2011-2012 were invited to participate in the study. Those who agreed to participate completed a confidential, self-administered pen-and-paper questionnaire, and their latest CD4 count and viral load test results were recorded. During the study period, 5112 eligible patients were invited to take part in the study and 3258 completed questionnaires were obtained, representing a response rate of 64% of eligible patients. The study includes 2248 men who have sex with men (MSM), 373 heterosexual men and 637 women. Future results from ASTRA will be a key resource for understanding HIV transmission within the UK, targeting prevention efforts, and informing clinical care of individuals living with HIV