El sentirse extranjero y los signos del distanciamiento en "La luz, de otra manera" de Vicente Gallego

This paper examines the role played by the desolate surroundings of an anonymous coastline in the constitution of a man who has distanced himself from his seemingly tiring former existence. As he looses the ‘masks’ – which once conditioned his personality and behaviour – of this previous life, he starts to slowly rise through the contemplation of his surroundings and body to a knowledge which entails wonder and requires a certain degree of otherness.Este trabajo examina la función del entorno desolado de una costa anónima en la constitución de un personaje que se ha distanciado de una existencia anterior que intuimos ajetreada. Al irse despojando de las ‘máscaras’ – tanto de personalidad como de comportamiento – de su vida anterior, la voz se va elevando lentamente a través de la contemplación del entorno y su cuerpo a un conocimiento que trae consigo el asombro y requiere, en cierto grado, la otredad

Manifestaciones del esplín moderno en "Los ojos del extraño", de Vicente Gallego: la plasmación del quebranto vital

Uno de los exponentes del regreso a un tono romántico, que fue una de las características de la “poesía de la experiencia” —un movimiento lírico que tuvo cierto protagonismo en el panorama literario de las últimas dos décadas del siglo pasado—, es el libro “Los ojos del extraño” del autor valenciano Vicente Gallego. En consonancia con los presupuestos de ese movimiento, el poemario nos presenta la decadencia de un hombre todavía joven, que en sucesivas composiciones nos va detallando los altibajos, y sobre todo los bajos, de su “áurea mediocritas”: siente que la madurez se le ha echado encima cuando justo había comprendido para qué servía la juventud, y el paso a la nueva edad, aunque temprano, le contagia un sentimiento agridulce de inquietud que le hace lamentar todo aquello que el curso malogrado de sus días le ha impedido conseguir. El peso de la oportunidad perdida redunda en una devaluación de la existencia que le infecta con un pesimismo conformista, con que aún intenta hallar aquellos regalos que, a pesar del aburrimiento, la vida nos sigue deparando de vez en cuando.One of the exponents of the return to a Romantic tone, which was one of the characteristics of the “poetry of experience” —a lyrical movement that was quite prominent in the literary panorama during the last two decades of the twentieth century—, can be found in “Los ojos del extraño” by the Valencian author Vicente Gallego. In line with the concepts of that movement, this poetry book depicts the decadence of a man who is still young, and who, in successive compositions, details the ups and downs (especially the downs) of his “aurea mediocritas”. He feels that adulthood has crept up on him when he has just become aware of youth, and this early passage to a new age infects him with a bittersweet unrest which makes him regret everything that the unfortunate course of his life has not enabled him to achieve. The weight of missed opportunities leads to a devaluation of his own existence that, in turn, confers on him a pessimistic conformism, with which he still tries to find those gifts that, in spite of boredom, life continues to offer us from time to time.peerReviewe

The Moderating Effect of Mission Statement Integration Within Non-Profit Organizations

Understanding non-profit organizational factors that distinguish successful companies from unsuccessful companies will aid in the implementation of clearer business planning strategies (Bart, 1998). Past research has shown that companywide mission statements have the capability to optimize productivity and energize the workforce (Patel et al., 2015). This study aimed to examine the effects of mission statements on prevalent factors linked to nonprofit organizational success. It was hypothesized that (1) the integration of the mission statement into the work environment moderates the relation between P-O fit and employee engagement and (2) mission statement integration also moderates the relation between P-O fit and turnover intentions. These hypotheses were not supported; however, exploratory analyses indicated that industry type, mission statement accurateness, and employment longevity have strong influences over the hypothesized relations

Characterization of rickettsial infection dynamics within Dermacentor variabilis and Amblyomma maculatum

Spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia are primarily associated with their reservoir host and vector, the tick. Rickettsial colonization and maintenance within the arthropod is a key component of vector competence and pathogen transmission to the mammalian host. Contemporary detection of novel tick hosts for rickettsial species, combined with an unprecedented rise in human cases of SFG rickettsiosis, necessitates a deeper understanding of tick/Rickettsia interactions. The hypothesis for this work is that if primary tick/Rickettsia pairings do not exist then rickettsial determinants account for primary vector/pathogen relationships. To this end, Dermacentor variabilis and Amblyomma maculatum ticks were exposed to R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. montanensis, R. amblyommii or R. felis. Rickettsial exposure negatively impacted the fitness of A. maculatum, but not D. variabilis. Transovarial and transtadial transmission of rickettsiae was most successful for R. amblyommii and R. parkeri in both, A. maculatum and D. variabilis eggs, larvae, and nymphs. Maintenance of rickettsiae in both tick species via transstadial transmission was diminished from unfed larvae to unfed F1 adults. To further investigate the maintenance of Rickettsia in the arthropod host, an in vitro and in vivo model of R. parkeri infection was utilized. Rickettsial proteins implicated in intracellular actin-based motility (Sca2 and RickA) were shown to function similarly in mammalian and tick cell culture, suggesting conserved functionality in both hosts. In vivo dissemination of a wild-type strain of R. parkeri was measured against two strains deficient in Sca2 and RickA expression. Wild-type, RickA, and Sca2 deficient strains R. parkeri persisted in all tick organs organs at 7 days post-exposure. The findings suggest transovarial transmission specificity to be tick species dependent and vertical transmission is not sustainable

Qualitative investigation of the role of collaborative football and walking football groups in mental health recovery

Efforts to increase physical activity levels in people with serious mental health conditions are viewed as desirable but little is known about how best to support this group to engage in exercise over extended periods. From a personal recovery perspective, the dominant paradigm in current mental health service delivery, one promising route involves participation with, rather than administration to or supervision of, mental health service users in team sports, usually football, in order to foster sharing of common interests and experiences. We aimed to explore the factors underlying the success of four collaborative mental health football (soccer) projects and the role played by football in mental health care delivery and in personal recovery. We held semi-structured focus groups with service user (n = 18) and staff (n = 7) participants from four football groups (two 'walking' football and two regular football) in two geographical National Health Service Boards in Scotland. Thematic analysis revealed that, central to success, were perceived relational, and personal and physical recovery-related benefits; competition and collaboration-related aspects were important drivers of interest in and commitment to the groups. Further, participants identified barriers to and concerns for continued success; specifically, they expressed that they need more explicit support from senior management. The clear emerging message was that collaborative football groups were perceived by participants as a conduit for recovery and an important aspect of mental healthcare delivery. Playing football was associated with a sense of wellbeing, and enhanced relationships between service users and staff

Stochastic Methods for the Neutron Transport Equation II: Almost sure growth.

The neutron transport equation (NTE) describes the flux of neutrons across a planar cross-section in an inhomogeneous fissile medium when the process of nuclear fission is active. Classical work on the NTE emerges from the applied mathematics literature in the 1950s through the work of R. Dautray and collaborators, [7, 8, 19]. The NTE also has a probabilistic representation through the semigroup of the underlying physical process when envisaged as a stochastic process; cf. [7, 17, 18, 20]. More recently, [6] and [16] have continued the probabilistic analysis of the NTE, introducing more recent ideas from the theory of spatial branching processes and quasi-stationary distributions. In this paper, we continue in the same vein and look at a fundamental description of stochastic growth in the supercritical regime. Our main result provides a significant improvement on the last known contribution to growth properties of the physical process in [20], bringing neutron transport theory in line with modern branching process theory such as [14, 12].Comment: one figur

Strategic interdisciplinary approach for non-lethal pigeon control on the University of South Africa's Mukleneuk campus

Often perceived as pests, pigeon control is applied without investigating environmental, ecological and anthropogenic factors which affect their populations and response to controls. Estate Management of the University of South Africa’s Muckleneuk campus identified a need to investigate and address a perceived pigeon problem. Staff perceptions regarding the presence and attitude towards control of the pigeons was undertaken through an online Survey Monkey questionnaire and semi- structured interviews until saturation was achieved. It was determined that the a s sumed negative perception towards the pigeons was in fact incorrect. Participants would rather encourage the nesting and breeding activities of pigeons on campus, as they felt that the human–pigeon interactions and viewing of squabs in nests contributed positively to their work environment. Participants did not consider the pigeons or their related activities to pose a problem. It was felt that should control be imposed, the birds should rather be humanely managed through non-lethal measures rather than eradication. Pigeon numbers on five buildings on the University’s campus were counted at dawn and dusk, every week, for two years. The first year provided baseline data and the second year was when control measures were applied. The study determined that the pigeon population index fluctuated seasonally while breeding occurred throughout the year, with notable peaks and declines relating to physiological and population dynamics. The pigeons seemed to make opportunistic use of crop availability in surrounding farmlands during optimal production periods, while conserving energy when not favourable. Site selection in relation to building aspect indicated significant differences in all the seasons except for winter, while a positive significant relationship between level height and pigeon number was recorded. Once the control measures were applied, the total pigeon index on the campus declined by 50%. Control structures differed significantly in efficacy. Bird spikes indicated the highest efficacy at reducing the pigeon population index and seasonality did influence this efficiency. Birds of prey and an audio bird scarer were used to compare actual versus implied predator presence, it was determined that there was an association between method of scaring and the number of pigeons observed on the different time periods. Pigeons were observed to continue the natural trend of dispersion and return at the dawn and dusk counts during the audio bird scarer trial without being actively discouraged or dislodged from the building. Pigeons reacted positively to the visual raptor presence, which caused them to take flight from the buildings. The visual effect was only temporary however as pigeons returned once the threat had been removed 10 minutes post scare. The studies concluded in an interdisciplinary management plan presented to the University Estates.Environmental ScienceM. Sc. (Environmental Science