Moral Performativity in Eighteenth-Century Abolitionism and Black Lives Matter

The shallow phenomenon of moral performativity is consistently prevalent from the abolitionist movement of the eighteenth-century, to the Black Lives Matter movement of the twenty-firstcentury. Olaudah Equiano’s extraordinary abolitionist text, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, investigates and utilizes this phenomenon as he offers readers across centuries the opportunity to recognize the tenacious inequality which Black people face, as well as the paradoxical value that moral performativity provides. Through a close reading of Equiano’s religious argument, as well as his sentimental family scene, it may be recognized how egoism has the potential to unite with sentimentalism, and thus, may result in profound affective responses that lead to public displays of support among audiences. In the context of Equiano’s narrative, this essay deconstructs and compares eighteenth-century and contemporary moral ideologies and egoism in relation to social injustice. Further, this essay contemplates the perpetual racist misconstructions concerning Black affect, and the selfish incentives that may function to obstruct social progress. Predominantly, in this essay, I ponder whether audience engagement in moral performativity may alter social norms surrounding racial inequality, and thereby, successfully advance pertinent anti-racism movements

Lost in the Wilds of Canada

https://commons.und.edu/settler-literature/1159/thumbnail.jp

Vector and tensor fields

This thesis consists of two unconnected parts. In the first part we study the Cr-conjugacy classes of flows on two dimensional manifolds whose flow lines near a fixed point are diffeomorphic to the level surfaces of a Morse function near a critical point and which have no holonomy. We show how these can be decomposed into those in which every flow line is closed and those in which no flow line is closed. In the remainder of the thesis we consider the latter case and show that then the number of limit sets is finite. He describe their geometry and use the techniques of ergodic theory to show that the number of asymptotic cycles is finite in certain cases. We show that the asymptotic cycles are classifying for flow of this type on a manifold of genus 2 with exactly two non- trivial limit sets. Finally we give some new examples on manifolds of higher genus both of flows in which every flow line is [] and of flows in which each limit set is a closed, nowhere dense set which meets any transverse interval in a perfect set. In the second part we consider differential operators which are functionally associated to Hiemannian manifolds and which satisfy a regularity condition that arise in the proof of the index theorem via the heat equation. These are classified in terms of the On-equivariant representations of the general linear group

The natural and rural world in twentieth century British poetry

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Council for National Academic Awards for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyDuring two hundred years of urbanisation and industrialisationg British poetry has often seemed more concerned with the natural and rural world. The thesis uses this paradox to explore two particular aspects of Twentieth Century poetry of the natural azid rural world -'its attitude and orientation towards the actual changing conditions of its subject matter and the significance of this in literary value judgements. To consider these ideological questions in a way that maintains the specificity and creativity of experience and of literatureq Raymond Williams's concept of "structure of feeling" is introduced. In addition, two broad, historical approaches to this poetry are distinguished: the first involves the transformation of pastoral into rural realism in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, while the second, which dates from the Romantic revival, offers a poetry of personal experience and metaphysical enquiry. In early Twentieth Century poetryq these approaches frequently converge to form a common front against modernism, while simultaneously, particularly in Edward Thomas and DH Lawrence, fresh importance is attached to the idea of nature poetry for metaphysical enquiry. In considering the post-war revival Of nature and rural poetry, the original approaches are redefined in terms of a materialist- /metaphysical polarity. For Hugh MacDiarmid and Ted Hughes, the tension within this polarity is claimed to be especially productive, while in writers like Hopkins and RS Thomas, a basic commitment to metaphysical orthodoxy is seen to be damagingly incompatible with the principles of free imaginative enquiry and the ontological autonomy of nature. The two central questions of the thesis about Twentieth Century poetry of the natural and rural world, those conceining social change and metaphysical enquiry, are related in two ways: through attention to the cultural mediation of poetic language and form and through demonstrating that creative response to the full conditions of life is politically and metaphysically fundamental

On the naturalness of Einstein's equation

We compute all 2-covariant tensors naturally constructed from a semiriemannian metric which are divergence-free and have weight greater than -2. As a consequence, it follows a characterization of the Einstein tensor as the only, up to a constant factor, 2-covariant tensor naturally constructed from a semiriemannian metric which is divergence-free and has weight 0 (i.e., is independent of the unit of scale). Since these two conditions are also satisfied by the energy-momentum tensor of a relativistic space-time, we discuss in detail how these theorems lead to the field equation of General Relativity.Comment: 12 pages, added references, corrected typo

Energy and electromagnetism of a differential form

Let X be a smooth manifold of dimension 1+n endowed with a lorentzian metric g, and let T be the electromagnetic energy tensor associated to a 2-form F. In this paper we characterize this tensor T as the only 2-covariant natural tensor associated to a lorentzian metric and a 2-form that is independent of the unit of scale and satisfies certain condition on its divergence. This characterization is motivated on physical grounds, and can be used to justify the Einstein-Maxwell field equations. More generally, we characterize in a similar manner the energy tensor associated to a differential form of arbitrary order k. Finally, we develop a generalized theory of electromagnetism where charged particles are not punctual, but of an arbitrary fixed dimension p. In this theory, the electromagnetic field F is a differential form of order 2+p and its electromagnetic energy tensor is precisely the energy tensor associated to F.Comment: 28 pages. Referee's suggestions added. To appear in Journal of Mathematical Physic

Sexual exploitation in children: Nature, prevalence and distinguishing characteristics reported in young adulthood

The aim of this study was to explore the nature and extent of sexual exploitation in a university student sample, whilst being clear that sexual exploitation is sexual abuse. Overall, 47% of participants (96 out of 204) reported having been approached by an adult in a sexual manner when they were under the age of 16. The study predicted that a number of individual characteristics would increase a young person’s vulnerability for sexual exploitation. These included low self-esteem, external locus of control, social loneliness and insecure attachment. Results indicated lower levels of self-esteem among those who had been approached sexually, although it is not clear in terms of causality. There were no differences in scores for locus of control or loneliness. Relationship anxiety was significantly linked with children having engaged in sexual behaviours with an adult. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of emerging individual characteristics relating to a risk of sexual exploitation

Efficiency and safety of varying the frequency of whole blood donation (INTERVAL): a randomised trial of 45 000 donors

Background: Limits on the frequency of whole blood donation exist primarily to safeguard donor health. However, there is substantial variation across blood services in the maximum frequency of donations allowed. We compared standard practice in the UK with shorter inter-donation intervals used in other countries. Methods: In this parallel group, pragmatic, randomised trial, we recruited whole blood donors aged 18 years or older from 25 centres across England, UK. By use of a computer-based algorithm, men were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 12-week (standard) versus 10-week versus 8-week inter-donation intervals, and women were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 16-week (standard) versus 14-week versus 12-week intervals. Participants were not masked to their allocated intervention group. The primary outcome was the number of donations over 2 years. Secondary outcomes related to safety were quality of life, symptoms potentially related to donation, physical activity, cognitive function, haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations, and deferrals because of low haemoglobin. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN24760606, and is ongoing but no longer recruiting participants. Findings: 45 263 whole blood donors (22 466 men, 22 797 women) were recruited between June 11, 2012, and June 15, 2014. Data were analysed for 45 042 (99·5%) participants. Men were randomly assigned to the 12-week (n=7452) versus 10-week (n=7449) versus 8-week (n=7456) groups; and women to the 16-week (n=7550) versus 14-week (n=7567) versus 12-week (n=7568) groups. In men, compared with the 12-week group, the mean amount of blood collected per donor over 2 years increased by 1·69 units (95% CI 1·59–1·80; approximately 795 mL) in the 8-week group and by 0·79 units (0·69–0·88; approximately 370 mL) in the 10-week group (p<0·0001 for both). In women, compared with the 16-week group, it increased by 0·84 units (95% CI 0·76–0·91; approximately 395 mL) in the 12-week group and by 0·46 units (0·39–0·53; approximately 215 mL) in the 14-week group (p<0·0001 for both). No significant differences were observed in quality of life, physical activity, or cognitive function across randomised groups. However, more frequent donation resulted in more donation-related symptoms (eg, tiredness, breathlessness, feeling faint, dizziness, and restless legs, especially among men [for all listed symptoms]), lower mean haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations, and more deferrals for low haemoglobin (p<0·0001 for each) than those observed in the standard frequency groups. Interpretation: Over 2 years, more frequent donation than is standard practice in the UK collected substantially more blood without having a major effect on donors' quality of life, physical activity, or cognitive function, but resulted in more donation-related symptoms, deferrals, and iron deficiency. Funding: NHS Blood and Transplant, National Institute for Health Research, UK Medical Research Council, and British Heart Foundation

Longer-term efficiency and safety of increasing the frequency of whole blood donation (INTERVAL): extension study of a randomised trial of 20 757 blood donors

Background: The INTERVAL trial showed that, over a 2-year period, inter-donation intervals for whole blood donation can be safely reduced to meet blood shortages. We extended the INTERVAL trial for a further 2 years to evaluate the longer-term risks and benefits of varying inter-donation intervals, and to compare routine versus more intensive reminders to help donors keep appointments. Methods: The INTERVAL trial was a parallel group, pragmatic, randomised trial that recruited blood donors aged 18 years or older from 25 static donor centres of NHS Blood and Transplant across England, UK. Here we report on the prespecified analyses after 4 years of follow-up. Participants were whole blood donors who agreed to continue trial participation on their originally allocated inter-donation intervals (men: 12, 10, and 8 weeks; women: 16, 14, and 12 weeks). They were further block-randomised (1:1) to routine versus more intensive reminders using computer-generated random sequences. The prespecified primary outcome was units of blood collected per year analysed in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary outcomes related to safety were quality of life, self-reported symptoms potentially related to donation, haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations, and deferrals because of low haemoglobin and other factors. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN24760606, and has completed. Findings: Between Oct 19, 2014, and May 3, 2016, 20 757 of the 38 035 invited blood donors (10 843 [58%] men, 9914 [51%] women) participated in the extension study. 10 378 (50%) were randomly assigned to routine reminders and 10 379 (50%) were randomly assigned to more intensive reminders. Median follow-up was 1·1 years (IQR 0·7–1·3). Compared with routine reminders, more intensive reminders increased blood collection by a mean of 0·11 units per year (95% CI 0·04–0·17; p=0·0003) in men and 0·06 units per year (0·01–0·11; p=0·0094) in women. During the extension study, each week shorter inter-donation interval increased blood collection by a mean of 0·23 units per year (0·21–0·25) in men and 0·14 units per year (0·12–0·15) in women (both p<0·0001). More frequent donation resulted in more deferrals for low haemoglobin (odds ratio per week shorter inter-donation interval 1·19 [95% CI 1·15–1·22] in men and 1·10 [1·06–1·14] in women), and lower mean haemoglobin (difference per week shorter inter-donation interval −0·84 g/L [95% CI −0·99 to −0·70] in men and −0·45 g/L [–0·59 to −0·31] in women) and ferritin concentrations (percentage difference per week shorter inter-donation interval −6·5% [95% CI −7·6 to −5·5] in men and −5·3% [–6·5 to −4·2] in women; all p<0·0001). No differences were observed in quality of life, serious adverse events, or self-reported symptoms (p>0.0001 for tests of linear trend by inter-donation intervals) other than a higher reported frequency of doctor-diagnosed low iron concentrations and prescription of iron supplements in men (p<0·0001). Interpretation: During a period of up to 4 years, shorter inter-donation intervals and more intensive reminders resulted in more blood being collected without a detectable effect on donors' mental and physical wellbeing. However, donors had decreased haemoglobin concentrations and more self-reported symptoms compared with the initial 2 years of the trial. Our findings suggest that blood collection services could safely use shorter donation intervals and more intensive reminders to meet shortages, for donors who maintain adequate haemoglobin concentrations and iron stores. Funding: NHS Blood and Transplant, UK National Institute for Health Research, UK Medical Research Council, and British Heart Foundation

The complexities of community involvement in Sure Start local programmes: A case study

Sure Start is a Government's scheme, the professed aim of which is to provide a positive commencement to life for children through the integration of early education, childcare, health and family support (Sure Start, 2005b). Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) were considered to be a fundamental aspect of this agenda (Sure Start 2005b). At the time of writing, SSLPs were transforming into Children's Centres (Glass, 2005). Strikingly, it has been claimed that the 'involvement' of the 'community', is the fundamental principle of SSLPs (Eisenstadt, 2002). Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that SSLPs are considered to have a relatively unique approach to 'community involvement'. However, what 'community involvement' in SSLPs means in practice is largely unreported. Markedly, research into this area has concentrated on the formal mechanisms of 'community involvement' such as Management Boards and Parents' Forums (Marrow and Malin, 2004; Hassan, Spencer and Hogard, 2006; Briant, 2004; Lomas and Hannon, 2005 and Johnson, 2004). Consequently, this research aimed to explore 'community involvement' across SSLPs more broadly in order to address this identified gap in the literature. This research was fundamentally a case study of a particular SSLP. It utilised focus groups, with both service users and staff members, as a method of data generation. Additionally, it adopted the fundamental principles of a grounded theory approach to data analysis (Charmaz, 2006). The key finding of this research was that both staff and service users perceived the fundamental aspect of 'community involvement' to be the form of relationship developed between them. In particular, the informal nature of this relationship was stressed and highly valued. Thus, it may be considered essential that staff within Children's Centres develop such informal relationships with service users in order for families to access services in the first instance and for the services to be successful in meeting outcomes. In addition, staff within other initiatives and perhaps statutory services could benefit from the development of such informal relationships. A further implication of the high value placed on these informal relationships, is that the mode of measuring 'community involvement' within SSLPs should be altered. A move from measuring the number of 'community' representatives on the Management Board to a more exploratory investigation of the perceived quality of staff-service user relationships would be more useful and relevant. Other findings from this research should be carefully considered for the transition to Children's Centres and perhaps beyond. Areas for potential improvement include the extent to which the 'same few faces' are 'involved' and service users being more thoroughly informed regarding policy changes. More positive aspects of SSLPs which could be taken forward to Children's Centres include, the means of accessing the so called 'hard to reach' through Family Partnership Workers, outreach services, and free services and innovative informal volunteering opportunities, including one off activities and simply 'mucking in'. In addition, there were noticeable differences in the perceptions of different groups of staff members regarding the priority placed on 'community involvement' which should be explored further