Folk like us: Emotional movement from the screen and the platform in British life model lantern slide sets, 1880-1910

This is the final version. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.The turn of the Nineteenth Century was the golden age of the magic lantern, at least in terms of its popularity across the UK, as in much of Europe and the United States. This article argues that one of the chief reasons for its success in this period was that often it both represented and was presented by individuals similar to those in many of its audiences. Focusing on life model lantern slide series/sets, which were also at their most popular during this period, the article draws on two large datasets in order to consider aspects of screen practice associated with the slides themselves and with their conditions of performance. The article argues that slides and shows were designed to foster recognition and projection in their audiences, allowing them to compare the moral lessons conveyed by many life model sets with their own everyday experiences. The article thus seeks to explain the persuasiveness of many life model slide sets, showing that a form of entertainment which sometimes appears melodramatic or naïve to modern viewers, was in fact skilfully designed to fulfil such important objectives for countless local presenters and their audiences.Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC

On the emergence of the Λ{\bf\Lambda}CDM model from self-interacting Brans-Dicke theory in d=5{\bf d= 5}

We investigate whether a self-interacting Brans-Dicke theory in $d=5$ without matter and with a time-dependent metric can describe, after dimensional reduction to $d=4$, the FLRW model with accelerated expansion and non-relativistic matter. By rewriting the effective 4-dimensional theory as an autonomous three-dimensional dynamical system and studying its critical points, we show that the $\Lambda$CDM cosmology cannot emerge from such a model. This result suggests that a richer structure in $d=5$ may be needed to obtain the accelerated expansion as well as the matter content of the 4-dimensional universe.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

The magic lantern: open medium

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordArts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC

Lantern Mobilities

This is the author acepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordArts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC

The lecture-brokers: the role of impresarios and agencies in the global Anglophone circuit for lantern lecturing, 1850-1920

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordThe lantern lecturing business diversified in a number of ways in the second half of the nineteenth century. At the bottom end of one kind of cultural scale were individuals that we now might think of as ‘citizen-scientists’ (or citizen-litterateurs, -travellers, -art historians, - church historians, -entertainers &c.), who were often to be found filling schedules within local literary and mechanics’ institutes, or, as these organisations gradually declined between the 1850s and 1890s, within museums, libraries, or local history and photographic societies. By contrast, the business of ‘popular lecturers’ – of speakers who could be relied upon to fill venues wherever they travelled – was a fully commercialised concern: theirs was a market increasingly dominated by discourses of celebrity; they tended to visit not only the usual run of lecturing institutes but also major town halls, theatres, and concert halls, and they frequently embarked on both national and international tours, a scale of enterprise that usually necessitated a support network comprising lecture agencies, managers, and impresarios. This article considers the work of three such agencies, whose networks incorporated much of the Anglophone world for over five decades: Major James Pond’s lecture bureau in the United States, Gerald Christy’s Lecture Agency in Britain, and R.S. and Carlyle Smythe’s lecture management business, which stretched from South Africa to New Zealand. Beginning by tracing the emergence of centralised popular lecturing systems in the United States and Britain from the 1850s, the article then discusses the emergence and consolidation of these three businesses between the 1860s and 1920s, arguing that they should be regarded as key mobilisers of the global trade in celebrity lantern lecturing. The article describes for the first time the global foundations for the top end of the lantern business, and for lecturing practices that would come to be regarded as high status across international lantern cultures.Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)Australian Research Counci

Transcriptomic changes in the frontal cortex associated with paternal age

Advanced paternal age is robustly associated with several human neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly autism. The precise mechanism(s) mediating the paternal age effect are not known, but they are thought to involve the accumulation of de novo (epi)genomic alterations. In this study we investigate differences in the frontal cortex transcriptome in a mouse model of advanced paternal age

Common sleep disorders in pregnancy: a review

In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of common sleep disorders during pregnancy, including their characterization, prevalence, risk factors, and possible contribution to maternal and fetal outcomes. We conducted a quasi-systematic literature search of the MEDLINE database and identified 744 studies from 1991 through 2021, inclusive, that met our inclusion criteria. We synthesized the existing literature on sleep disorders during pregnancy and highlighted controversies, research gaps, and needed clinical developments. Our review covers a range of sleep disorders, including insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and circadian rhythm disorders. We discuss the prevalence of these disorders in pregnancy and their potential impact on maternal and fetal health outcomes. We also explore the relationship between sleep disorders, pre-pregnancy comorbidities such as obesity, and pregnancy-related conditions such as gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia. In addition to summarizing the existing literature on sleep disorders during pregnancy, we also highlight opportunities for further research in this area. We suggest that future studies should strive to employ validated and objective measurement tools for sleep disorders and prioritize utilization of longitudinal methods with participant follow-up through postpartum, mid-life, menopause, and beyond. We also put forward investigation into the impact of circadian rhythm disruption on reproductive physiology and early pregnancy outcomes as an area of important work. Overall, our review provides valuable insights on sleep and reproduction and into common sleep disorders during pregnancy and their potential impact on maternal and fetal health outcomes

Heterodinuclear titanium/zinc catalysis: synthesis, characterization and activity for CO2/epoxide copolymerization and cyclic ester polymerization

The preparation of heterodinuclear complexes, especially those comprising early-late transition metals coordinated by a simple or symmetrical ancillary ligand, represents a fundamental challenge and an opportunity to prepare catalysts benefitting from synergic properties. Here, two new mixed titanium(IV)-zinc(II) complexes, [LTi(OiPr)2ZnEt] and[LTi(OiPr)2ZnPh], both coordinated by a diphenolate tetra(amine) macrocyclic ligand (L), are prepared. The synthesis benefits from the discovery that reaction of the ligand with a single equivalent of titanium tetrakis(iso-propoxide) allows the efficient formation of a mono-Ti(IV) complex, [LTi(OiPr)2]. All new complexes are characterized by a combination of single crystal X-ray diffraction, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry techniques. The two heterobimetallic complexes, [LTi(OiPr)2ZnEt] and [LTi(OiPr)2ZnPh], feature trianionic coordination by the macrocyclic ligand and bridging alkoxide groups coordinate to both the different metal centres. The heterodinuclear catalysts are compared to the mono-titanium analogue, [LTi(OiPr)2], in various polymerization reactions. In the alternating copolymerizations of carbon dioxide and cyclohexene oxide, the mono-titanium complex is totally inactive whilst the heterodinuclear complexes show moderate activity (TOF = 3 h-1); it should be noted the activity is measured using just 1 bar pressure of carbon dioxide. In the ring opening polymerization of lactide and ε-caprolactone, the mono-Ti(IV) complex is totally inactive whilst the heterodinuclear complexes show moderate-high activities, qualified by comparison to other known titanium polymerization catalysts (L-lactide, kobs = 11 x 10-4 s-1 at 70 °C, 1 M in [lactide]) and ε-caprolactone (kobs = 5 x 10-4 s-1 at 70 °C, 0.9 M in [ε-caprolactone])

Student Satisfaction and Performance in an Online Teacher Certification Program

The article presents a study which demonstrates the effectiveness of an online post baccalaureate teacher certification program developed by a Wisconsin university. The case method approach employing multiple methods and multiple data sources were used to investigate the degree to which pre-service teachers were prepared to teach. It was concluded that the study supports online delivery as an effective means of teacher preparation, but it was limited in the number of students followed into their first year of teaching

Reflective Journaling: A Theoretical Model and Digital Prototype for Developing Resilience and Creativity

Reflection is commonly discussed as a tool for personal and professional development that is becoming increasingly important in today’s global and digital world. In this paper, we propose a model that suggests ways in which reflection, in the form of Reflective Journaling, can support the development of creativity and resilience, which are needed to enable individuals to function effectively in a fast-changing environment. In addition, the model proposes ways in which external support and progress monitoring can be used in conjunction with skills in adaptive resilience and structured creativity, to support the maintenance of reflective journaling as a habit, in the longer term, thus creating virtuous cycles of skills and behaviours that can reinforce each other. Based on our model, and additional user research, we describe the design of a first digital prototype that aims to support the use of Reflective Journaling and to develop creativity and resilience through suggested mechanisms. Initial evaluations of our prototype are positive. It has been well-received by early test users, and has the potential to address all the connections defined. We therefore suggest that the theoretical model can be used to develop digital tools, such as the one included, to help those who wish to develop the habit of reflective journaling, and through that a range of other skills associated with resilience and creative thinking. We see this as a starting point for investigating this potential in more depth