4,680 research outputs found
Gustave Doré's illustrations to Idylls of the king and Anglo-French politics
This paper will consider the critical response to Gustave Doré's illustrations to Idylls of the King, published between 1866 and 1868. Historians and critics have assumed that this edition was a commercial success, when in fact it was a dramatic failure that contributed significantly to the collapse of the Moxon firm. This paper will suggest that the critical response to the Doré edition drew upon the ambiguous nationality of the project. English commentators found the idea of their Poet Laureate illustrated by a French artist difficult to accept and interpreted the perceived failings of Doré's images in these terms. The instigator of the project, James Bertrand Payne (manager of the Moxon firm) was from Jersey and took considerable pride in his Anglo-French background and his role in advising Doré. Initially Tennyson was enthusiastic about the book and collaborated willingly with a French antiquarian on a prose translation of the Idylls. The poet's opinion of the edition soon changed. This was partially due to the overtly commercial approach of Payne, but arguably Tennyson's attitude was also influenced by the changing political situation in France during the build up to the Franco-Prussian War
Open access monographs: a humanities research perspective
This article discusses the thoughts of a humanities researcher in relation to open access (OA) publishing. Digital media have dramatically improved access to historic texts but library e-books are frustrating due to software and loan arrangements. Authors of illustrated books risk losing control of book design, although new media offer opportunities to improve image quality and access. Alfred Tennyson's career shows that authors have been sensitive about the physical form of their work since the Victorian period and ignoring the material significance of the book could make us overlook the fundamental changes that the e-book represents. Monographs retain value as a way of evaluating substantive research projects and those published through the OA process will have great advantages over the commercial e-book. âGreenâ OA publishing is impractical for humanities scholars and funded âgoldâ OA publishing is likely to involve a labour-intensive application process
Policies for mixed communities: faith-based displacement activity?
The belief that it is fairer if communities are ``mixed'' can be traced at least to the late nineteenth century and the founders of the Garden City Movement. The idea is now firmly established in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and national policies. This article reviews the evidence and argues that this is essentially a faith-based policy because there is scant real evidence that making communities more mixed makes the life chances of the poor any better. There is overwhelming evidence that the attributes that make neighborhoods attractive are capitalized into house prices/rents. The result is that poor people cannot afford to buy into nicer neighborhoods, which anyway have amenities of no value to them. Moreover, ``specialized neighborhoods'' are an important element in agglomeration economies and seem to be welfare enhancing. Thus, policies for mixed neighborhoods treat the symptoms rather than the causes of poverty. Efforts to improve social equity would be more effectively directed toward people themselves rather than moving people around to mix neighborhoods
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The effects of resistance training on mood following an autonomous vs. yoked protocol
textBackground. Previous research has shown that an individualâs post-exercise mood plays an important role in their likelihood to participate in that exercise activity in the future (Emmons & Diener, 1986; Williams et al., 2008; Williams et al., 2012). Of the possible moderating variables in the exercise-affect relationship, exercise intensity shows the most support. However, an uncoupling effect manifested in Parffit, Rose, & Burgess (2006) showed that self-selecting the intensity acted as an affective buffer and essentially allowed participants to exercise at higher intensity without the expected drop in affect. It may be, therefore, that autonomy may further serve to moderate the impact of exercise on mood. Design. To explore this issue, we employed a "yoked" design (Dickerson & Creedon, 1981). Participants were randomly assignment to either a free-choice resistance exercise, or a yoked control. The yoked participant performs a bout of exercise that matches the selection of their autonomous counterpart. In this study, 14 college-aged students participated in a testing session to estimate 1-repetition maximums, and a resistance exercise session that was either autonomous (self-selected) or a relative replication (yoked). Participants completed mood questionnaires following the resistance exercise session. Results. A 2 (group) x 3 (time) with repeated measures on the second factor showed significant main effects of time for the Felt Arousal Scale F(2, 13) = 4.15, p = .05 and Negative Affect F(2, 11) = 4.28, p = .05 such that arousal and negative affect both declined during recovery. Additionally, five of the seven yoked participants were unable to progress through their relative resistance exercise bout without a decrease in weight in order to achieve the prescribed number of repetitions. Conclusion. Autonomy does not appear to be a critical component of affect following resistance training. Further research is needed to explore resistance training as a model of autonomy manipulation, and to test the possibility of a performance detriment accompanying a loss of autonomy.Kinesiology and Health Educatio
Urban policy - helping people or helping places? New evidence from London on social exclusion and the spatial articulation of the distribution of income
That local job creation within a large urban labour market does not have a significant long term influence on the unemployment rates of local residents has long been documented (for example in Cheshire, 1979; Burridge & Gordon 1981; Gordon & Lamont, 1982). Urban ?regeneration policy? continues, nevertheless, to be targeted at small areas within large cities. This has been a continuing element in British urban policy, for example, since the Innner Urban Areas Act of 1978. An explicit aim of such urban policy has been to ?regenerate local economies and provide jobs for local people?. Increasingly European regional policy has also attempted to intervene on the basis of smaller areas within large urbanised regions. In the literature two mechanisms have been explored to explain the failure of local job creation to influence the unemployment rates of local residents. The operation of housing markets and social housing systems and the way that these generate social segregation means that the source of unemployment differentials across urban areas is primarily that poor neighbourhoods are where those with a higher propensity to be unemployed are concentrated. In addition it has been shown that interaction between local labour markets linked by significant commuting flows means that any differential opportunities that result from local job creation are quickly diffused throughout the set of interacting labour markets. Commuting flows adapt so that characteristic specific unemployment rates tend to equality throughout the urbanised region. This paper examines evidence relating to an additional mechanism: local migration. Data were collected for one area of regeneration in west London - Harlesden. This area was the recipient of a City Challenge grant of ?37.5 million running over 5 years from 1993. It is quite typical of disadvantaged neighbourhoods within large British cities. It grew up on the back of a successful industrial economy which has now been subject to 35 years of decline. It has a large concentration of ethnic minorities and - despite evidence of some success in local job creation - a relatively worsening unemployment rate over the 5 year regeneration period. Data for three samples of people of working age were collected: a sample of those who had lived within the area throughout the period of the regeneration; a sample of ?outmovers?; and a third of ?inmovers?. The samples were large enough for statistical analysis and the differing labour market experience of the samples over the five year period was compared. Differences were very substantial, with the out-movers having far the greatest labour market success. The results reinforce the important role of housing markets in articulating overall social inequality to generate the observed geographical patterns of poverty and social exclusion in urbanised regions. They also reinforce the need to distinguish between the goals of regenerating local economies within cities and that of improving the lives of the most disadvantaged. They also underline the need to think more carefully about what exactly is meant by the aim of providing jobs for local people. These and other implications for policy are explored. Burridge, P. and Gordon, I. (1981) Unemployment in the British Metropolitan Labour areas. Oxford Economic Papers, 33, 274-97. Cheshire, P.C. (1979) Inner areas as spatial labour markets: a critique of the inner area studies. Urban Studies, 16(2), 29-43. Gordon, I. and Lamont, D. (1982) A model of labour-market interdependencies in the London region. Environment and Planning A, 14, 238-64.
ADN: An Information-Centric Networking Architecture for the Internet of Things
Forwarding data by name has been assumed to be a necessary aspect of an
information-centric redesign of the current Internet architecture that makes
content access, dissemination, and storage more efficient. The Named Data
Networking (NDN) and Content-Centric Networking (CCNx) architectures are the
leading examples of such an approach. However, forwarding data by name incurs
storage and communication complexities that are orders of magnitude larger than
solutions based on forwarding data using addresses. Furthermore, the specific
algorithms used in NDN and CCNx have been shown to have a number of
limitations. The Addressable Data Networking (ADN) architecture is introduced
as an alternative to NDN and CCNx. ADN is particularly attractive for
large-scale deployments of the Internet of Things (IoT), because it requires
far less storage and processing in relaying nodes than NDN. ADN allows things
and data to be denoted by names, just like NDN and CCNx do. However, instead of
replacing the waist of the Internet with named-data forwarding, ADN uses an
address-based forwarding plane and introduces an information plane that
seamlessly maps names to addresses without the involvement of end-user
applications. Simulation results illustrate the order of magnitude savings in
complexity that can be attained with ADN compared to NDN.Comment: 10 page
Taste and morality at Plymouth Grove: Elizabeth Gaskellâs home and its decoration
In 2010 Manchester Historic Buildings Trust appointed Crick Smith Conservation to analyse the paint and decorative finishes of the Gaskellâs House at 84 Plymouth Grove, Ardwick, Manchester. The purpose of this commission was to inform the Trust of the way that decorative surfaces were treated during the period of the Gaskell family occupancy and to make recommendations for the reinstatement of the decorative scheme. This article will examine Elizabeth Gaskellâs attitude towards taste and interior decoration and then explain how the techniques of architectural paint research can be used to establish an authoritative account of the decorative scheme implemented at Plymouth Grove during her lifetime. We will argue that this enhanced understanding of how Gaskell handled the decoration and furnishing of her home can contribute towards our understanding of the authorâs life and work
Westminster REFRAME workshops for Guyâs and St Thomasâ Hospital staff: Evaluation report
Executive summary
Introduction
Being a doctor is often a highly rewarding career, but it can be a challenging role. The demands of the job can lead doctors to experience high stress levels and burnout, and put them at risk of psychiatric morbidity. Resilience training, by providing insight, self-regulation skills and time for reflection, may have the potential to mitigate distress and improve physician wellness. The Westminster REFRAME workshop is a half day, intensive resilience-training programme, originally designed for FY1 doctors to help them cope and perform safely and competently as professionals. The workshop, in a form now taught by a larger team of trainers, has been adapted for other medical staff. This report presents evaluation findings on the experiences and outcomes of the workshop for doctors at various stages of their career, as well as a small number of other hospital staff.
Methods
Westminster REFRAME workshops were put on for different groups of staff at Guyâs Hospital: speciality training (ST) 1+ doctors, consultants, the Junior doctors leadership group and other members of clinical staff. Generally, different groups were invited to particular workshops and the content was fine tuned slightly to be inclusive when membership was diverse. Workshopsâ maximum capacity was 20. All attendees were invited to take part in the evaluation. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data from participants at three time points: immediately prior the workshop (baseline), immediately after the workshop (post workshop), and two months after the workshop (follow-up). Outcome measures collected included perceived stress and positive well-being. Additionally, participants are asked to rate six statements about the workshop (e.g. âthe workshop was useful to meâ; âThe ideas and concepts were communicated clearlyâ). Open-ended questions collected written data regarding participantsâ experiences and perceptions of the workshop and any changes they had made as a result of attending.
Key findings
âą Of the 68 doctors and health professionals attending a Westminster REFRAME resilience workshop, 63 completed baseline and post-workshop questionnaires, and 47 completed a follow-up questionnaire.
âą Participants reported elevated levels of stress at baseline.
âą Comparisons between baseline and 2-month follow-up questionnaires revealed a statistically significant improvement in both participant stress levels and well-being ratings.
âą Participant ratings of various aspects of the workshop presented a positive overall picture of participantsâ experiences of the day: many responses rated different aspects of the workshop with the maximum scores of 4 and 5.
âą Ninety percent of participants said that the workshop was useful, with 8% unsure how useful the workshop had been and 2% reporting not finding it useful. Ninety-two percent of participants felt that that topics covered were useful for their work. The majority of participants said that they intended to use some of the techniques they had learnt on the workshop.
âą Participants valued having time to explore stress and resilience issues including sharing experiences of work stress with peers, practical demonstrations on stress management, and having time to reflect on stress and coping.
âą Participants reported wanting even more on practical solutions to manage stress in the workshop, some would have liked a longer session.
âą Ninety percent of participants reported that they intended to do at least one thing differently as a result of attending the workshop; 75% of those who completed a follow-up questionnaire had actually done something differently. Changes made included using breathing techniques learnt on the workshop, meditating, taking more breaks/time out, adopting a different mental approach to stress/stressful situations, increased reflection on stressful situations, improved communication with colleagues, and approaching certain work situations differently.
âą Changes resulted in participants reporting that they were calmer at work and home, more effective at work, taking work home with them less, or had more energy.
âą Over half of participants felt that their patients had benefited from their attending a resilience training workshop: doctors felt that being more calm and focussed (as a result of resilience techniques) led to improved interactions with patients and more efficient working.
âą The Westminster REFRAME website intended to support doctors to make changes, was rarely used by participants. Key reasons for not doing so included not being aware that it existed, lack of time, and having forgotten about it.
âą The new evaluation strategy (e.g. new evaluation procedures, reworked questionnaires) improved the questionnaire completion rate and provided more contextual data regarding how participants were experiencing the workshop.
Participant quotes
âGreat people â course director (especially [anonymised]) and other consultants on the course. Good to meet and have time with other colleagues. Confirmation that my own speciality is better off than many others. Much less isolated and more team working.â
âGood group size. Lecturers/facilitators experienced, calm and steered. Open/honest/non-judgemental. Experience sharing. V useful techniques and strategies put in clear way.â
âVery practical, important information, useful and good to apply to everyday life.â
âThe relationship between my nervous system and thinking demonstrated to me.â
âBetter work life balance ensuring I do regular exercise, and don't work at weekends or on holiday.â
âThis has allowed me to become more focused. Work is work and personal life is separate. I used to find it very difficult not to take ongoing issues at work home and I think I am managing this better.â
Conclusions
The Westminster REFRAME workshop was generally well received by attending healthcare staff, suggesting that the workshop had been successfully adapted for a wider group of health professionals. Statistically significant improvements in both the stress and well-being scores of participants, along with self-reported behaviour change amongst a number of attendees, suggest that the workshop has the potential to improve staff resilience and well-being. However, findings should now be confirmed with a larger comparative study.
Additional work to support and encourage behaviour change after the workshop may be useful, particularly additional promotion of the resilience website during and after the workshop.
The new evaluation strategy was successful, it improved the questionnaire completion rate providing more reliable data on the workshop. Additionally, the inclusion of a stress measure was useful, as it identified doctors as being vulnerable to high levels of stress. The stronger qualitative element of the evaluation was helpful in providing data on how participants were using the information they had learnt on the course
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