Thea Astley’s modernism of the 'Deep North', or on (un)kindness

Although she is often perceived as a writer of the local, the rural or the regional, Thea Astley herself notes writing by American modernists as her primary literary influence, and emphasises the ethical value of transnational reading and writing. Similarly, she draws parallels between writing of the American ‘Deep South’ and her own writing of the ‘Deep North’, with a particular focus on the struggles of the racial or cultural outsider. In this article, I pursue Astley’s peculiar blend of these literary genres — modernism, the Gothic and the transnational — as a means of understanding her conceptualisation of kindness and community. Although Astley rejects the necessity of literary community, her writing emphasises instead the value of interpersonal engagement and social responsibility. With a focus on her first novel, Girl with a Monkey (1958), this article considers Astley’s representation of the distinction between community and kindness, particularly for young Catholic women in Queensland in the early twentieth century. In its simultaneous critique of the expectations placed on women and its upholding of the values of kindness and charity, Astley considers our responsibilities in our relations with the Other and with community

Monetary Policy Roundtable

On 8 June, the Bank of England and the Centre for Economic Policy Research jointly hosted a Monetary Policy Roundtable.

Interpreting recent movements in sterling

The sterling effective exchange rate has depreciated significantly since the start of the financial market crisis in August 2007. Movements in sterling affect UK monetary policy via their potential impacts on CPI inflation prospects, where it is important to consider the reasons behind the change in the exchange rate. Sterling’s movements potentially reflect a wide range of factors in the United Kingdom and overseas, in both the real economy and in financial markets. Indicative evidence suggests that sterling’s depreciation reflected a combination of perceived changes to UK relative cyclical prospects, the perceived riskiness of UK assets and the apparent need for the UK economy to rebalance, the effects of which may have been amplified by financial market factors. But there is substantial uncertainty about the precise role of each factor.

A point collocation approach to modelling large dissipative silencers

A numerical matching technique known as point collocation is used to model mathematically large dissipative splitter silencers of a type commonly found in HVAC ducts. Transmission loss predictions obtained using point collocation are compared with exact analytic mode matching predictions in the absence of mean flow. Over the frequency range in which analytic mode matching predictions are available, excellent agreement with point collocation transmission loss predictions is observed for a range of large splitter silencers. The validity of using point collocation to tackle large dissipative silencers is established, as is the computational efficiency of the method and its suitability for tackling dissipative silencers of arbitrary, but axially uniform, cross sections

The role of religious experience: a review article

A review article of two contrasting books on the role of religious experience within New Testament studies and practical theology respectively

Restoration of blood vessel function, using nanotechnology

Nanoparticles are emerging drug delivery platforms for improved stability and bioavailability of drugs and vasoprotective nutraceutical compounds, such as resveratrol (RV) for the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hypertension is a significant contributor to CVD, and while its pathophysiology is unclear, oxidative stress is thought to be a key contributor. It is evident that there is a growing need for treatment strategies to prevent future cardiovascular events. This project aimed to develop a potential therapeutic tool for the treatment of CVDs associated with oxidative stress. Nanoparticles (inorganic and organic) were synthesised and characterised using a range of chemianalytical techniques and their potential for the delivery of nutraceutical compounds assessed. The effects of the drug-loaded nanoparticles were assessed using human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) in vitro and using a developed model of acute hypertension in isolated coronary and cerebral vessels to replicate an oxidative environment. Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) functionalised with cerium oxide (CeO2) reduced SiNP surface reactivity and demonstrated antioxidant capacity, improving biocompatibility in vitro. Uptake of novel RV-loaded NLCs (RV-NLCs) by HCAECs maintained their viability and reduced both mitochondrial and cytosolic superoxide levels; vessel incubation in RV-NLCs restored the magnitude of dilation via NO following acute pressure elevation, mediated via AMPK in the coronary artery. In contrast, organic nanoparticles (RV-NLCs and TMSliposomes) were incapable of restoring elevated pressure induced attenuated dilation in cerebral arteries, suggesting alternate mechanisms of impairment. Findings from the present study support the use of nanoparticles for the treatment of CVD, whereby they offer improved biocompatibility, potency and sustained drug release into the vasculature; whilst also highlighting the tissue-specific variability in treatment responses, hence a need for in-depth, comparative studies in the development of novel clinical solutions