Temporal Framing in the Conte: From Theoretical Debate to Oral Story Performance

This article explores ‘temporal framing’ in the oral conte. The starting point is a recent theoretical debate around the temporal structure of narrative discourse which has highlighted a fundamental tension between the approaches of two of the most influential current theoretical models, one of which is ‘framing theory’. The specific issue concerns the role of temporal adverbials appearing at the head of the clause (e.g. dates, relative temporal adverbials such as le lendemain) versus that of temporal ‘connectives’ such as puis, ensuite, etc. Through an analysis of a corpus of contes performed at the Conservatoire contemporain de Littérature Orale, I shall explore temporal framing in the light of this theoretical debate, and shall argue that, as with other types of narrative discourse, framing is primarily a structural rather than a temporal device in oral narrative. In a final section, I shall further argue, using Kintsch’s construction-integration model of narrative processing, that framing is fundamental to the cognitive processes involved in oral story performance.

Rule Britannia!: British Stock Market Returns, 1825-1870

This article presents a new series of monthly equity returns for the British stock market for the period 1825-1870. In addition to calculating capital appreciation and dividend yields, the article also estimates the effect of survivorship bias on returns. Three notable findings emerge from this study. First, stock market returns in the 1825-1870 period are broadly similar for Britain and the United States, although the British market is less risky. Second, real returns in the 1825-1870 period are higher than in subsequent epochs of British history. Third, unlike the modern era, dividends are the most important component of returns.

The rate of return on equity across industrial sectors on the British stock market, 1825-70

This article assesses the contribution of the various industrial sectors to the growth of the British equity market in the 1825–70 period. It also provides estimates of the rates of return on these industrial sectors in this period. The article then proceeds to examine whether differences in rates of return across the various sectors can be explained by risk or other financial factors. One of the main findings is that the relatively high rates of return in the banking, insurance, and miscellaneous sectors appear to be in some measure explained by the presence of extended liability and uncalled capital.

Toxicity of mono-, di- and tri-chlorophenols to lux marked terrestrial bacteria, Burkholderia species Rasc c2 and Pseudomonas fluorescens

Burkholderia species RASC and Pseudomonas fluorescens were marked with lux genes, encoding for bioluminescence and used to assess the toxicity of mono-, di- and tri-chlorophenols by determining the decline in bioluminescence following exposure to the compounds in aqueous solution. Toxicity was expressed as a 50% effective concentration value (EC50, equating to the concentration of compound which caused a 50% decline in bioluminescence. Comparing the toxicity values of the compounds showed that, in general, increasing the degree of chlorination, increased toxicity. By carrying out forward multiple linear regressions with log10 EC50 values and physio-chemical descriptors, it was shown that molecular parameters describing the hydrogen bonding nature of a chlorophenol provided a better fit than regressions between toxicity data and log10 Kow alone. Utilising these descriptor variables in equations, it was shown that the toxicity of chlorophenols to the lux marked bacteria could be predicted from the compounds physio-chemical characteristics. By correlating lux marked RASC c2 and P. fluorescens EC50 values with toxicity values using Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow), Tetrahymena pyriformis (ciliate) and marine bacterium Vibriofischeri, it was apparent that lux marked RASC c2 correlated well with the freshwater aquatic species (P. promelas and T. pyriformis). This implied that for predictions of toxicity of organic xenobiotic compounds to higher organisms, lux marked RASC c2 could be utilised as a rapid surrogate.

Le origini di Gubbio (Gubbio, Italy):The origins of Gubbio

6 month exhibition in Palazzo dei Consoli, Gubbio consisting of major archaeological discoveries and c.250 objects+ text and photographs.

Il Neolitico di Umbria - gallery, San Marco Gubbio.:Neolithic text and selection of material for display and interpretation

2009-10 Perugia – provision of material and data for gallery and information panels in Perugia Museo dei Provincia