Catholic literature and secularisation in France and England, 1880-1914

This book is the first comparative study of its kind to explore at length the French and English Catholic literary revivals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It compares individual and societal secularisation in France and England and examines how French and English Catholic writers understood and contested secular mores, ideologies and praxis, in the individual, societal and religious domains. It also addresses the extent to which some Catholic writers succumbed to the seduction of secular instincts, even paradoxically in themes which are considered to be emblematic of Catholic literature. The breadth of this book will make it a useful guide for students wishing to become familiar with a wide range of such writings in France and England during this period. It will also appeal to researchers interested in Catholic literary and intellectual history in France and England, theologians, philosophers and students of the sociology of religion. CONTENTS: Preface and acknowledgements Introduction 1. Individual and societal secularisation in France and England 2. Recovering the porous individual 3. Thinking and believing 4. The fragments of secular society 5. Mending secular fragmentation 6. Ultimate societal values 7. Catholic religiosity and the hierarchical Church 8. Catholic religiosity and the charismatic Church Conclusion Bibliography Index

Zwei Wege zur 'Aufhellung der Finsternisse in der Welt'. Zum untergründigen Wechselverhältnis von Literatur & Malerei bei Thomas Bernhard & Francis Bacon:for subterranean exchange relationship between literature and painting in Thomas Bernhard & Francis Bacon

This chapter undertakes the first examination of the role the fine arts play in Thomas Bernhard’s prose works. Though not as prominent as the role of music, painting and the fine arts play a crucial role in Frost and Alte Meister; these two novels coincidentally also happen to be the first and last novels written by Bernhard. This chapter takes its cue from the positive role awarded to Francis Bacon in the novel Das Kalkwerk. Comparing and contrasting the relation and influence between the art of Bacon and the literature of Bernhard, I am able to demonstrate a number of surprising analogies. Following a brief biographical synopsis, I focus on four aesthetic operations that are crucial to both artists. Using the key terms of ‘middle way’, ‘variation’, ‘vibration’ and ‘mediation’, I am able to uncover surprising similarities between the novels and the paintings. These hidden connections are further confirmed by looking at the two artists’ shared major motifs, namely the slaughterhouse, the scream, the relation between animals and humans, and pain. This bleak outlook on the state of human civilisation that these two major artists of the end of the 20th century share, embodies both a warning and a prophesy for the 21st century.

Can grassroots organisations and NGOs substitute for the State in Russia? A review of the literature and suggestions for a future research agenda

The paper investigates the relationship between civil society and the state. Using the unique lens of the state-substitution (the process whereby civil society organisations take on government roles) the paper reviews the literature and highlights three key issues: - Civil society is weak in Russia and its contribution to democracy development is limited - The Russian State has be withdrawing from its responsibilities to care for its citizens, leaving a field of opportunity for civil society organisations. - The state has subsequently began to encroach on civil society organisations mainly through the use of legislative changes and government sponsored organisations These trends have far reaching implications for civil society organisations, in particular those which take up or take over government roles and responsibilities. The literary evidence shows that the Russian state leverages its political power into the sphere of civil society similar to how it regained control over the economy in the early 2000s. This Russian variant of civil society attributes the state as a key player in all societal spheres.

The servitization of manufacturing:a review of literature and reflection on future challenges

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the state-of-the-art of servitization by presenting a clinical review of literature currently available on the topic. The paper aims to define the servitization concept, report on its origin, features and drivers and give examples of its adoption along with future research challenges. Design/methodology/approach – In determining the scope of this study, the focus is on articles that are central and relevant to servitization within a wider manufacturing context. The methodology consists of identifying relevant publication databases, searching these using a wide range of key words and phrases associated with servitization, and then fully reviewing each article in turn. The key findings and their implications for research are all described. Findings – Servitization is the innovation of an organisation's capabilities and processes to shift from selling products to selling integrated products and services that deliver value in use. There are a diverse range of servitization examples in the literature. These tend to emphasize the potential to maintain revenue streams and improve profitability. Practical implications – Servitization does not represent a panacea for manufactures. However, it is a concept of significant potential value, providing routes for companies to move up the value chain and exploit higher value business activities. There is little work to date that can be used to help practitioners. Originality/value – This paper provides a useful review of servitization and a platform on which to base more in-depth research into the broader topic of service-led competitive strategy by drawing on the work from other related research communities.

How organizational cognitive neuroscience can deepen understanding of managerial decision-making:a review of the recent literature and future directions

There is growing interest in exploring the potential links between human biology and management and organization studies, which is bringing greater attention to bear on the place of mental processes in explaining human behaviour and effectiveness. The authors define this new field as organizational cognitive neuroscience (OCN), which is in the exploratory phase of its emergence and diffusion. It is clear that there are methodological debates and issues associated with OCN research, and the aim of this paper is to illuminate these concerns, and provide a roadmap for rigorous and relevant future work in the area. To this end, the current reach of OCN is investigated by the systematic review methodology, revealing three clusters of activity, covering the fields of economics, marketing and organizational behaviour. Among these clusters, organizational behaviour seems to be an outlier, owing to its far greater variety of empirical work, which the authors argue is largely a result of the plurality of research methods that have taken root within this field. Nevertheless, all three clusters contribute to a greater understanding of the biological mechanisms that mediate choice and decision-making. The paper concludes that OCN research has already provided important insights regarding the boundaries surrounding human freedom to act in various domains and, in turn, self-determination to influence the workplace. However, there is much to be done, and emerging research of significant interest is highlighted.

Advancing the psychology of entrepreneurship:a review of the psychological literature and an introduction

This article provides a narrative review of psychology of entrepreneurship research published in leading psychology journals, based on which we develop an organising framework for future psychological contributions to this field. Furthermore, we introduce the manuscripts collected in this special issue. Our review identified five research areas, broadly corresponding with basic psychological domains, namely personal differences; careers; health and well-being; cognition and behaviour; and leadership; as well as three cross-cutting themes: gender issues; genetic and biological foundations; and context. With the aim to stimulate integration across different approaches and disciplines, we propose a framework to understand how psychologists can offer innovative contributions to the multi-disciplinary entrepreneurship literature. This includes a focus on the entrepreneur embedded in and in interaction with his or her immediate and wider context; attention to different types of entrepreneurs; and a focus on dynamic within-person processes evolving over time.

Resource-efficient supply chains:a research framework, literature review and research agenda

Purpose: To define a research agenda for creating Resource-Efficient Supply Chains (RESC) by identifying and analysing their key characteristics as well as future research opportunities. Design/methodology/approach: We follow a systematic review method to analyse the literature and to understand RESC taking a substantive theory approach. Our approach is grounded in a specific domain, the agri-food sector, because it is an intensive user of an extensive range of resources. Findings: The review shows that literature has looked at the use of resources primarily from the environmental impact perspective. It shows a lack of understanding of the specific RESC characteristics, and concludes more research is needed on multi-disciplinary methods for resource use and impact analyses as well as assessment methods for resource sensitivity and responsiveness. There is a need to explore whether or not, and how, logistics/supply chain decisions will affect the overall configuration of future food supply chains in an era of resource scarcity and depletion and what the trade-offs will be. Research limitations/implications: The paper proposes an agenda for future research in the area of resource–efficient supply chain. The framework proposed along with the key characteristics identified for RESC can be applied to other sectors. Practical implications: Our research should facilitate further understanding of the implications and trade-offs of supply chain decisions taken on the use of resources by supply chain managers. Originality/value: The paper explores the interaction between supply chains and natural resources and also defines the key characteristics of RESC.

A room with a view:window images and 'open immanence' in the writings of adolphe retté and G.K. chesterton

Adolphe Retté and G.K. Chesterton often use the image of a window, a paradox given the widespread view that Catholic writers are usually closed minded. This article asks whether Charles Taylor's philosophy of the individual could explain this paradox more satisfactorily. Chesterton's windows express a realist epistemology, while Retté's windows express the illumination of faith. The themacity of the subject in their writings, however, shows that their windows give expression to Taylor's 'open immanence', rather than Taylorian 'porosity'. Their reactionary character can be interpreted as a kind of Taylorian 'buffering' which is necessary for believing writers resisting secularity. © 2011 The Author. Published by Oxford University Press 2011; all rights reserved.

The science and technology of corpus, and corpus for science and technology

Corpus Linguistics is a young discipline. The earliest work was done in the 1960s, but corpora only began to be widely used by lexicographers and linguists in the late 1980s, by language teachers in the late 1990s, and by language students only very recently. This course in corpus linguistics was held at the Departamento de Linguistica Aplicada, E.T.S.I. de Minas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid from June 15-19 1998. About 45 teachers registered for the course. 30% had PhDs in linguistics, 20% in literature, and the rest were doctorandi or qualified English teachers. The course was designed to introduce the use of corpora and other computational resources in teaching and research, with special reference to scientific and technological discourse in English. Each participant had a computer networked with the lecturer’s machine, whose display could be projected onto a large screen. Application programs were loaded onto the central server, and telnet and a web browser were available. COBUILD gave us permission to access the 323 million word Bank of English corpus, Mike Scott allowed us to use his Wordsmith Tools software, and Tim Johns gave us a copy of his MicroConcord program.

Do tinted lenses or filters improve visual performance in low vision? A review of the literature

This is a review of studies that have investigated the proposed rehabilitative benefit of tinted lenses and filters for people with low vision. Currently, eye care practitioners have to rely on marketing literature and anecdotal reports from users when making recommendations for tinted lens or filter use in low vision. Our main aim was to locate a prescribing protocol that was scientifically based and could assist low vision specialists with tinted lens prescribing decisions. We also wanted to determine if previous work had found any tinted lens/task or tinted lens/ocular condition relationships, i.e. were certain tints or filters of use for specific tasks or for specific eye conditions. Another aim was to provide a review of previous research in order to stimulate new work using modern experimental designs. Past studies of tinted lenses and low vision have assessed effects on visual acuity (VA), grating acuity, contrast sensitivity (CS), visual field, adaptation time, glare, photophobia and TV viewing. Objective and subjective outcome measures have been used. However, very little objective evidence has been provided to support anecdotal reports of improvements in visual performance. Many studies are flawed in that they lack controls for investigator bias, and placebo, learning and fatigue effects. Therefore, the use of tinted lenses in low vision remains controversial and eye care practitioners will have to continue to rely on anecdotal evidence to assist them in their prescribing decisions. Suggestions for future research, avoiding some of these experimental shortcomings, are made. © 2002 The College of Optometrists.

Prediction of the equilibrium structures and photomagnetic properties of the Prussian blue analogue RbMn[Fe(CN)6] by density functional theory

A periodic density functional theory method using the B3LYP hybrid exchange-correlation potential is applied to the Prussian blue analogue RbMn[Fe(CN)6] to evaluate the suitability of the method for studying, and predicting, the photomagnetic behavior of Prussian blue analogues and related materials. The method allows correct description of the equilibrium structures of the different electronic configurations with regard to the cell parameters and bond distances. In agreement with the experimental data, the calculations have shown that the low-temperature phase (LT; Fe(2+)(t(6)2g, S = 0)-CN-Mn(3+)(t(3)2g e(1)g, S = 2)) is the stable phase at low temperature instead of the high-temperature phase (HT; Fe(3+)(t(5)2g, S = 1/2)-CN-Mn(2+)(t(3)2g e(2)g, S = 5/2)). Additionally, the method gives an estimation for the enthalpy difference (HT LT) with a value of 143 J mol(-1) K(-1). The comparison of our calculations with experimental data from the literature and from our calorimetric and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements on the Rb0.97Mn[Fe(CN)6]0.98 x 1.03 H2O compound is analyzed, and in general, a satisfactory agreement is obtained. The method also predicts the metastable nature of the electronic configuration of the high-temperature phase, a necessary condition to photoinduce that phase at low temperatures. It gives a photoactivation energy of 2.36 eV, which is in agreement with photoinduced demagnetization produced by a green laser.

Cells, surfaces and adhesion

This thesis concerns cell adhesion to polymer surfaces with an experimental emphasis on hydrogels. The thesis begins with a review of the literature and a synthesis of recent evidence to describe the process of cell adhesion in a given situation. The importance of understanding integrin-adhesion protein interactions and adhesion protein-surface interactions is emphasised. The experimental chapters describe three areas of investigation. Firstly, in vitro cell culture techniques are used to explore a variety of surfaces including polyethylene glycol methacrylate (PEGMA) substituted hydrogels, sequence distribution modified hydrogels and worn contact lenses. Cell adhesion to PEGMA substituted gels is found to decrease with increases in polyethylene oxide chain length and correlations are made between sequence distribution and adhesion. Worn contact lenses are investigated for their cell adhesion properties in the presence of antibodies to specific adhesion proteins, demonstrating the presence of vitronectin and fibronectin on the lenses. The second experimental chapter addresses divalent cation regulation of integrin mediated cell adhesion. Several cell types and various cations are used. Zinc, previously not regarded as an important cation in the process, is found to inhibit 3T3 cell adhesion to vitronectin that is promoted by other divalent cations. The final experimental chapter concerns cell adhesion and growth on macroporous hydrogels. A variety of freeze-thaw formed porous gels are investiated and found generally to promote cell growth rate.Interpenetrating networkbased gels (IPN) are made porous by elution of dextrin particles of varying size and loading density. These materials provide the basis for synthetic cartilage. Cartilage cells (chondrocytes) plated onto the surface of the porous IPN materials maintain a rounded shape and hence phenotypic function when a critical pore size and density is achieved. In this way, a prospective implant, made porous at the perpendicular edges contacting natural cartilage can be both mechanically stabilised and encourage the maintenance of normal matrix production at the tissue interface.

Alzheimer’s disease and the eye

Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is a major disorder causing visual problems in the elderly population. The pathology of AD includes the deposition in the brain of abnormal aggregates of ß-amyloid (Aß) in the form of senile plaques (SP) and abnormally phosphorylated tau in the form of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). A variety of visual problems have been reported in patients with AD including loss of visual acuity (VA), colour vision and visual fields; changes in pupillary response to mydriatics, defects in fixation and in smooth and saccadic eye movements; changes in contrast sensitivity and in visual evoked potentials (VEP); and disturbances of complex visual functions such as reading, visuospatial function, and in the naming and identification of objects. Many of these changes are controversial with conflicting data in the literature and no ocular or visual feature can be regarded as particularly diagnostic of AD. In addition, some pathological changes have been observed to affect the eye, visual pathway, and visual cortex in AD. The optometrist has a role in helping a patient with AD, if it is believed that signs and symptoms of the disease are present, so as to optimize visual function and improve the quality of life. (J Optom 2009;2:103-111 ©2009 Spanish Council of Optometry)

The design and engineering of a reactor test facility for thermal processing of biomass

This thesis describes the design and engineering of a pressurised biomass gasification test facility. A detailed examination of the major elements within the plant has been undertaken in relation to specification of equipment, evaluation of options and final construction. The retrospective project assessment was developed from consideration of relevant literature and theoretical principles. The literature review includes a discussion on legislation and applicable design codes. From this analysis, each of the necessary equipment units was reviewed and important design decisions and procedures highlighted and explored. Particular emphasis was placed on examination of the stringent demands of the ASME VIII design codes. The inter-relationship of functional units was investigated and areas of deficiency, such as biomass feeders and gas cleaning, have been commented upon. Finally, plant costing was summarized in relation to the plant design and proposed experimental programme. The main conclusion drawn from the study is that pressurised gasification of biomass is far more difficult and expensive to support than atmospheric gasification. A number of recommendations have been made regarding future work in this area.

Leisure at work in Britain, West Germany, France and Japan : a cross-cultural comparative study

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the impact of changing values and attitudes toward work and the workplace in Britain, West Germany, France and Japan. A cross-national approach was adopted in order to gain a better understanding of differences and similarities in behaviour and to identify aspects specific to each society. Although the relationship between work and leisure has been thoroughly examined and there is a growing body of literature on changes in the values associated with these two phenomena, little research has been carried out into leisure at work. Studies of work time have tended to consider it as a homogeneous block, whereas recent research suggests that more attention should be devoted to unravelling the multiple uses of time at the workplace. The present study sought to review and analyse this new approach to the study of work time, and special attention is devoted to an examination of definitions of leisure, recreation, free time and work within the context of the workplace. The cross-cultural comparative approach gave rise to several problems due to the number of countries involved and the unusual combination of factors being investigated. The main difficulties were differences in the amount and quality of literature available, the non-comparability of existing data, definitions of concepts and socio-linguistic terms, and problems over access to organizations for fieldwork. Much of the literature generalizes about patterns of behaviour and few authors isolate factors specific to particular societies. In this thesis new empirical work is therefore used to ascertain the extent to which generalizations can be made from the literature and characteristics peculiar to each of the four countries identified. White-collar employees in large, broadly comparable companies were studied using identical questionnaires in the appropriate language. Respondents selected were men and women, aged between 20-65 years and either managers or non-managers. Patterns of leisure at work were found to be broadly similar in the national contexts, but with the Japanese and the West Germans experiencing the least leisure at work, and the British and the French perceiving the most. The general trend seems to be toward convergence of attitudes regarding leisure at work in the four countries. Explanations for variations in practice were sought within the wider societal contexts of each country.