A Fair Day’s Pay? Why Workers Deserve More from the Federal Minimum Wage, 49 J. Marshall L. Rev. 167 (2015)

This Comment will examine the benefits and pitfalls of a federal minimum wage while keeping the original reasons for labor reform in mind

The temptation of the reader : the search for meaning in Boris Akunin's Pelagia Trilogy

This article discusses the games that Boris Akunin's Pelagia trilogy (2000–03) plays with the reader's attempts at interpretation and meaning-making. Most critics agree that detective fiction in this ‘whodunnit’ mode is a genre that invites the active participation of its reader in order to uncover a hidden truth. What Akunin's trilogy does, however, is simultaneously to invite this participation and playfully frustrate it by thwarting or disrupting the reader's various attempts at solving its puzzles. This article considers the ludic elements of Akunin's trilogy in three different, though related, interpretive spheres: historical reference; intertextual and metatextual reference; and the search for faith. It concludes that the Pelagia trilogy is best viewed as an example of postmodernist metaphysical detective fiction, which poses provocative questions about the nature of knowledge, the status of meaning, as well as the act of reading.PostprintPeer reviewe

A small scale study into the effect that text & background colour has on processing and self-correction rates for childrens’ on-screen reading

Pedagogical practices in formal educational settings together with the nature of communication technologies in the media and elsewhere mean that children will encounter on-screen typography and screen-based learning opportunities in both formal school settings and during their daily recreational pursuits. Internationally, there is a lack of research informing what good reading practice might look like when teachers use reading material in a screen-based environment. More specifically, there is a lack of research around best practices for the design of this material for children. Greater understanding of how the colour of text and the colour of background influences the “readability” of these reading materials is required. This research sets out to determine the readability of text and background colours in on-screen books for young readers through discussion of the literature to date, as well as discussion of a small scale study which includes a rate-of-error experiment as well as qualitative feedback to provide greater knowledge of the most positive reading environments for children

Abject realism and the depiction of violence in late imperial Russian crime fiction : the case of N.P. Timofeev

This article examines violence in ‘Prestuplenie sueveriia’ (1872) and ‘Na sovesti’ (1879) by Nikolai Timofeev. While many works of early Russian crime fiction sanitize the portrayal of violence, Timofeev takes a different approach in these novellas. His unflinching descriptions of violence employ an aesthetic of 'abject realism', a radical extension of the critical realism more typical of the late Imperial era. A reading of abject realism in Timofeev's writing extends our understanding of the variety within early Russian crime fiction and of the ways in which this particular form of realism functions and the effects that it can create.PostprintPeer reviewe

Spaces of mystery, knowledge and truth in early Russian crime fiction : Semyon Panov's Three Courts, or Murder during the Ball (1876)

This article examines the representation of space and place in a work of nineteenth-century Russian crime fiction. It argues that crime fiction generally offers fertile ground for an interrogation of the representation of space as a means better to understand ideological and aesthetic preoccupations. Appreciation of nineteenth-century Russian crime fiction remains limited in both critical and public circles, and so a focus on the exploitation of space in a work from this particular national tradition will complement existing critical work on this topic relating to other geographical regions and historical periods. This article uses Semyon Panov’s 1876 novel, Three Courts, or Murder During the Ball, as its test case both because it is archetypical of generic practice in Russia in the late nineteenth century to some extent, but also because its representation of space is particularly well-developed. Space in Panov’s Three Courts is examined from a number of different angles here: its use of a setting in an unnamed provincial town; its location in a labyrinthine family mansion which gestures towards the locked-door mystery typical of both this and other genres; its exploitation of the architectural features of the corridor and of a glass ceiling and windows. The article argues that Panov uses all of these spatial elements to interrogate and problematise issues related to the authority of the figure of the detective, the access to the “truth” and the resolution of the criminal mystery.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Bodies of evidence : the depiction of violence against female characters in late imperial Russian crime fiction

Work on this article was supported by the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH) which funds Grace Docherty’s PhD on their Doctoral Training Partnership.This article examines the depiction of violence perpetrated against female victims in Russian crime fiction from the late imperial era (1866-1917). It discusses works by Nikolai Timofeev, Aleksandr Shkliarevskii and Andrei Zarin in which the violence perpetrated against women is not edited out but is described in considerable and striking detail. The article reads both the acts of violence and their literary-fictional portrayal as a reflection of the gender relations operating in patriarchal society at the time and, more specifically, the disenfranchised position of women within the institution of the family. We examine the use of abject and extreme realism in these descriptions as a means of expressing the dehumanization of women that is both a catalyst for, and a consequence of, gendered violence. However, although the use of such realism might imply a criticism of the circumstances that permit violence against female characters, a detailed examination of the specific diegetic terms used by male narrators and focalisors suggests a more ambivalent situation. This discussion of the depiction of violence consequently argues for a revision of the conventionally positive interpretation of the legal reforms enacted in 1860s Russia and of their male enforcers.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Weaving DNA: An Exploration of Notions of Identity and the Re-appropriation of Textiles

This paper reports on the collaborative project Weaving DNA, between Icelandic product designer Hanna Dís Whitehead and Scottish textile designer Claire Anderson. Together the designers research traditional Nordic and Scottish textiles, examining the ways in which these represent and shape aspects of national identity

"Crack down on the celebrity junkies": does media coverage of celebrity drug use pose a risk to young people?

This study analysed news media content to examine the role played by celebrity drug use in young people's perceptions of drug use. We know that young people have access to discourses of drug use through music and other media which may emphasise short term gains (of pleasure or sexual success) over longer term health and social problems. This study goes beyond a simple modelling approach by using Media Framing Analysis (MFA) to take an in-depth look at the messages themselves and how they are 'framed'. New stories about Amy Winehouse's drug use were used and we conducted focus groups with young people asking them questions about drugs, celebrity and the media. Frames identified include: 'troubled genius', 'losing patience' and 'glamorization or gritty realism'. Initially, the press championed Winehouse's musical talent but soon began to tire of her recklessness; the participants tended to be unimpressed with Winehouse's drug use, characterising her as a promising artist who had 'gone off the rails'. Young people were far more critical of Winehouse than might be expected, demonstrating that concerns about the influence of celebrity drug use and its impact on future health risk behaviour among young people may have been over-simplified and exaggerated. This study illustrates the need to understand young people and their frames of reference within popular culture when designing drug awareness information relevant to them. Furthermore, it indicates that critical media skills analysis may contribute to health risk education programmes related to drug use

Occupational therapy predischarge home visits for patients with a stroke (HOVIS): results of a feasibility randomized controlled trial

Objective: To assess the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial of occupational therapy predischarge home visits for people after stroke. Design: Randomized controlled trial and cohort study. We randomized eligible patients for whom there was clinical uncertainty about the need to conduct a home visit to a randomized controlled trial; patients for whom a visit was judged ‘essential’ were enrolled into a cohort study. Setting: Stroke rehabilitation unit of teaching hospital. Participants: One hundred and twenty-six participants hospitalized following recent stroke. Interventions: Predischarge home visit or structured, hospital-based interview. Main outcome measures: The primary objective was to collect information on the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial, including eligibility, control intervention and outcome assessments. The primary outcome measure was the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living Scale at one month after discharge from hospital. Secondary outcomes included mood, quality of life and costs at one week and one month following discharge. Results: Ninety-three people were allocated to the randomized controlled trial; 47 were randomized to intervention and 46 to control. Thirty-three were enrolled into the cohort study. More people were allocated to the randomized controlled trial as the study progressed. One hundred and thirteen people (90%) received the proposed intervention, although there was a need for stricter protocol adherence. Follow-up was good: at one month 114 (90%) were assessed. There were no significant differences between the groups in the randomized controlled trial for the primary outcome measure at one month. The average cost of a home visit was £208. Conclusion: A trial is feasible and warranted given the resource implications of predischarge occupational therapy home visits

A scoping review of nurse-led randomised controlled trials

Background: Nurses comprise the largest portion of the healthcare workforce worldwide. However, nurse representation in the leadership of clinical research and research funding is largely unknown. The Australasian Nursing and Midwifery Clinical Trials Network was established to provide a coordinated network, focussed on building research capacity in nursing and midwifery. To support this work, this scoping review of nurse-led randomised controlled trials was conducted to summarise research activity, as well as highlight future research directions, gaps and resources. Midwife-led trials will be reported elsewhere. Aim: To quantify number, type and quality of nurse-led randomised controlled trials registered between 2000–2021. Design: A scoping review of RCTs. Data Sources: Medline, Emcare and Scopus were searched from 2000 to August 2021. ANZCTR, NHMRC, MRFF and HRC (NZ) registries were searched from inception to July 2021. Review Methods: This review was informed by the JBI scoping review framework using the PRISMA-ScR. Results: Our search yielded 186 nurse-led publications and 279 registered randomised controlled trials. Multiple trials had the same nurse leaders. There were more registrations than publications. Publications were predominantly of high methodological quality; however, there was a reliance on active controls and blinding low. Trial registrations indicate that universities and hospital/healthcare organisations were the major sources of funding, while publications indicate that Governments and the National Health and Medical Research Council were the main funding bodies. Conclusion: A small number of high-quality, large-scale, nationally funded randomised controlled trials were identified, with a larger number of locally funded small trials. There was a disparity between the number of registered trials and those published. Additional infrastructure, funding and career frameworks are needed to enable nurses to design, conduct and publish clinical trials that inform the health system and improve health outcomes. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Research initiated and led by nurses has the potential to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities, and current nurse-led research is of high methodological quality; however, there were very few nurse-led RCTs, conducted by a small pool of nurse researchers. This gap highlights the need for support in the design, conduct and publishing of nurse-led RCTs. Patient or Public Contribution: This is a scoping review; therefore, patient or public contribution is not applicable