What England Is, Has Been, and Ought To Be: Shakespeare and the Kingdom

Richard II, Henry IV Part One, Henry IV Part II, and Henry V form the second of Shakespeare’s two historical tetralogies dealing with the Wars of the Roses. This second tetralogy covers a twenty-three-year period of English history, and the kingdom that Shakespeare depicts in these plays is one that is rife with conflict. Drawing on the historical context of both the time when the plays were written, and the time where the plays were set, as well as the directorial choices of more recent productions, this research examines how the tensions that arise within families in each of the four plays reflect an ongoing argument over the kingdom’s identity: from John of Gaunt’s upbraiding of King Richard for his failure to cleave to England’s idealised past and the conflicts over legitimacy of succession that Richard’s deposition sparks, to Henry V reinterring King Richard’s body at Westminster Abbey in an attempt to finally lay the past to rest. The question of what England is, what England has been, and what England ought to be lies at the heart of each of the four plays, and dominates the reign of three successive kings as the attempt to answer the question of what England stands for under their regime causes tension between an idealised past, a fractious present, and an unknown future- destabilising both the royal family and the kingdom they rule

"Tender-Hearted Cousin": Queerness As Strength in 'Richard II'

Gregory Doran’s  2013 adaption of Shakespeare’s Richard II, performed by the RSC, was notable for its emphasis of a romantic subplot between King Richard and his cousin, the Duke of Aumerle. Their intimate relationship was again emphasised when Doran revived the production as part of the RSC’s King and Country cycle in 2016, thereby demonstrating that for Doran, Richard’s queerness is a fundamental aspect of the play. This research will investigate how the presentation of Richard’s sexuality, and his relationship with Aumerle in particular, has an impact on the way in which characters and situations within the play are perceived by the audience.  This exploration will be underpinned by an analysis of the RSC’s 2013 performance. Use will also be made of commentary and interviews about the production, as well as critical reviews. Comparisons will be made between Doran’s production of Richard II and versions of the play produced by other directors, such as Simon Goodwin, who makes less of Richard’s sexuality, or Rupert Goold, who characterises it as a disadvantage. These contrasts will be made  to demonstrate the difference that Richard’s overt Queerness - or lack thereof - has on the  audience’s perception of the story. Examining this topic will demonstrate the nuances that the queer relationships in Doran’s production add to Richard II.  In particular, Doran’s version of the play uses Richard II’s sexuality as a source of strength, rather than as a catalyst for his downfall, and his intimate relationship with Aumerle humanises an otherwise selfish and narcissistic King

Trends and developments in the poetic language of Bilād al-Shām, 1967 -1987

This study examines the development of poetic language in modem Arabic poetry through discussion of a selection of twelve poems from Bilād al-Shām (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine), applying a method of analysis and evaluation based on a close study of the text itself rather than on critical sources. A practical method of analysis is used to examine elements of poetic language, namely rhythm, theme and structure, the poet's voice, word-association, metaphor and symbol, all of which form the text. The study is introduced by a brief review of the development of modem Arabic poetry, of previous studies of poetic language in modem Arabic poetry, and an analysis of the poetic language in four outstanding poems of the post-second world war period. The four poems were chosen since they are typical of die changes, renewal or departure from classical poetic language. These poems embody new forms in both expression and ideas, and express the Arab identity by discussing Arab social and political problems. The four poems may not be the best poems of their time but each one clearly exhibits a different use of elements of poetic language current at the time. These poems, which are written before and during 1967, are still effective and influential today. Their poetic language is still the criterion by which to examine and compare the twelve selected poems in part two. The poems were chosen from those composed in Bilād al-Shām after the events of 1967. This choice was made to enable die writer to investigate die effect of the war upon poetry, to illustrate pan-Arabism and nationalism, and to examine the poetic language in these poems. In both part one and part two my concern is to present facts rather than arguments. My intention is also to make a brief comparison and conclusion. These conclusions - drawn from the discussion - are found in part three. This study deals with the following: the identification of common factors and differences in the poems discussed; the existence, or lack, of creative trends in the use of language; the degree of influence of the four poems upon the twelve selected poems; and whether die twelve poems imitate ideas, concepts, words and symbols derived from the four poems. It also traces the development of poetic language as it approaches the prose style and as it establishes a different use of metaphors and symbols

Podoconiosis pathogenesis: renewed use of an historical archive

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Impact of microfibres on feeding in the freshwater amphipod Gammarus pulex

Microplastics (MP) are now a ubiquitous pollutant in aquatic environments, they can be manufactured (primary) or result from degradation of larger plastics (secondary). The most numerous MP found in aquatic environments are microfibres (MF), these MF occur from degradation of rope and textiles. A novel method for producing MF and exposing the amphipod Gammarus pulex to MF using algal wafers was devised, along with a protocol to compare feeding choices between two food options. Feeding choices between uncontaminated wafers and a variety of MF were investigated. It was found that all MF 50µm were (Oris ovis 70µm, Human hair 50-100µm). Gammarus pulex showed avoidance to feeding on acrylic MF when given a choice of uncontaminated wafers, this avoidance was not observed with either cat or cotton fibres. This implies that acrylic MF were either not recognised as food or were in some way repellent. When given the option between combinations of wafers contaminated with different fibres, G. pulex showed avoidance to acrylic when the other choice was either cat or cotton. When parasitised by Polymorphous minutus, G.pulex have been shown to alter their feeding behaviour. However, the same avoidance of acrylic MP was observed, although this avoidance was not statistically significant, no other impact from P minutus was observed. It was found that G. pulex would not ingest glitter in sizes 800 - 100µm. The ingestion of MF seems limited by size and composition impacts feeding preferences, with organic MF or no contamination being preferred to synthetic MF contamination. While feeding preferences were impacted, no MF had any impact on either growth or mortality during a 28-day exposure. The implications for these observed impacts upon G. pulex and the environment are further discussed

Microplastic and organic fibres in feeding, growth and mortality of Gammarus pulex

Microplastic fibres (MPFs) are a major source of microplastic pollution, most are released during domestic washing of synthetic clothing. Organic microfibres (OMF) are also released into the environment by the same means, with cotton and wool being the most common in the UK. There is little empirical evidence to demonstrate that plastic fibres are more harmful than organic fibres if ingested by freshwater animals such as Gammarus pulex. Using our method of feeding Gammarus MPFs embedded in algal wafers, we compared the ingestion, feeding behaviour and growth of Gammarus exposed to 70 µm sheep wool, 20 µm cotton, 30 µm acrylic wool, and 50 µm or 100 µm human hair, and 30 µm cat hair at a concentration of 3% fibre by mass. Gammarus would not ingest wafers containing human hair, or sheep wool fibres. Given the choice between control wafers and those contaminated with MPF, cat hair or cotton, Gammarus spent less time feeding on MPF but there was no difference in the time spent feeding on OMFs compared to the control. Given a choice between contaminated wafers, Gammarus preferred the OMF to the MPF. There were no significant differences in growth or mortality among any of the treatments. These results conclude that MPFs are less likely to be ingested by Gammarus if alternative food is available and are not more harmful than OMFs

What the fluff is this? - Gammarus pulex prefer food sources without plastic microfibers

Investigations into the impact of micro plastics (MP) and microfibers (MFs) upon the freshwater aquatic environment are still in their infancy despite our growing awareness of their importance. Gammarus pulex have long been used as a study organism for ecotoxicology and several studies have already used them to investigate the impact of MFs. One area of research which has not been exploited is the extent to which G. pulex can detect MFs and whether or not they avoid eating them. To answer this question we developed a reliable and accurate method of exposing Gammarus to known amounts of MF embedded in algal wafers. Here we show that when given the choice between control wafers and those contaminated with 2% or 3% MF Gammarus ingest fewer MF than would be expected if a random choice was made (2% W = 7 P = 0.01698, 3% W = 13 P = 0.03397). Their feeding behaviour also changes, with a significant reduction in time feeding (F1,18 = 21.3 P = 0.0002) as well as significantly fewer visits to contaminated wafers (F1,18 = 5.312 P = 0.0333). This suggests that G. pulex are able to detect MF in the 200-500 μm range and are partially repelled by them

A varicocoele mimicking a hydrocoele in a man with portal hypertension: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Hydrocoele is a condition frequently encountered in adult urological practice. It is usually of benign aetiology and often diagnosed on clinical grounds. Surgical repair, if indicated, is generally straightforward.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a 53-year-old man with liver cirrhosis and clinical features of a hydrocoele, in whom flow was demonstrated using Doppler ultrasonography in the fluid around the testis, which communicated via varices with the left renal vein.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this patient with misleading clinical signs, diagnosis was established radiologically. Had surgery proceeded without this investigation, significant intra-operative bleeding would have been likely.</p

Teaching Science Students How to Think

Scientific thinking is more than just critical thinking. Teaching the full range of ways to think like a scientist who practices high quality science is rare. A new core subject in the Bachelor of Science at the University of Newcastle was developed to allow students to explore six different ways to thinking scientifically through understanding what high-quality science is and contrasting it with poor science and non-science (pseudoscience). Our evaluation indicates that learning about how to think scientifically and be a scientist who practices high quality science is a skill that is valued by and relevant to first year undergraduate students. An evidence-based pedagogy including active learning, participatory learning, student-centred learning, constructive alignment and quality formative and summative feedback to students can support high learning outcomes