Two Trilogies:On Stewart Parker and Tom Murphy

This chapter discusses the relations between Irish cinema and the other arts- chiefly, literature, theatre, painting, and photography. It provides a critical overview of the main scholarly approaches to those forms of adaptation and citation that have tended to dominate Irish film production. It argues that factors such as the historic marginalization of non-literary modernist art in Ireland, a deep cultural resistance to intellectual and politically-engaged filmmaking, and a commercially-driven attachment to formulaic narrative structures, are among the reasons why Ireland has generally failed to produce a distinctive and successful cinema. The chapter concludes by discussing some films that have resisted this trend by offering their audiences a more creative approach to -- or poetics of -- adaptation that has more in common with the visual -- rather than literary -- arts in Ireland.

Finding revelation in anthropology: Alexander Winchell, William Robertson Smith and the heretical imperative

Anthropological inquiry has often been considered an agent of intellectual secularization. Not least is this so in the sphere of religion, where anthropological accounts have often been taken to represent the triumph of naturalism. This metanarrative however fails to recognise that naturalistic explanations could sometimes be espoused for religious purposes and in defence of confessional creeds. This essay examines two late nineteenth-century figures – Alexander Winchell in the United States, and William Robertson Smith in Britain – who found in anthropological analysis resources to bolster rather than undermine faith. In both cases these individuals found themselves on the receiving end of ecclesiastical censure and were dismissed from their positions at church-governed institutions. But their motivation was to vindicate divine revelation, in Winchell’s case from the physical anthropology of human origins and in Smith’s from the cultural anthropology of Semitic ritual.

An siRNA-based functional genomics screen for the identification of regulators of ciliogenesis and ciliopathy genes

Defects in primary cilium biogenesis underlie the ciliopathies, a growing group of genetic disorders. We describe a whole-genome siRNA-based reverse genetics screen for defects in biogenesis and/or maintenance of the primary cilium, obtaining a global resource. We identify 112 candidate ciliogenesis and ciliopathy genes, including 44 components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, 12 G-protein-coupled receptors, and 3 pre-mRNA processing factors (PRPF6, PRPF8 and PRPF31) mutated in autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. The PRPFs localize to the connecting cilium, and PRPF8- and PRPF31-mutated cells have ciliary defects. Combining the screen with exome sequencing data identified recessive mutations in PIBF1, also known as CEP90, and C21orf2, also known as LRRC76, as causes of the ciliopathies Joubert and Jeune syndromes. Biochemical approaches place C21orf2 within key ciliopathy-associated protein modules, offering an explanation for the skeletal and retinal involvement observed in individuals with C21orf2 variants. Our global, unbiased approaches provide insights into ciliogenesis complexity and identify roles for unanticipated pathways in human genetic disease.

A ingerência do conhecimento explícito no conhecimento tácito: a técnica Alexander e a prática e ensino da flauta

O presente trabalho é o resultado duma investiga��ão heurística sobre os efeitos do estudo da Técnica Alexander (TA) na prática e no ensino da flauta. Submeti-me a uma centena de aulas de Técnica Alexander e procedi a uma análise reflexiva da minha aprendizagem e prática individual e pedagógica, registando a sua evolução através da progressiva incorpora��ão dos princípios e metodologias daquela técnica. A primeira parte descreve os princípios e procedimentos da TA enquadrando-a na problem��tica das rela��ões entre conhecimento tácito e explícito, nos processos de controlo motor voluntário e involuntário, e na eficácia e eficiência dos automatismos neuromusculares. A segunda parte constitui a descrição e análise do processo transformador catalisado pelo estudo da TA: modifica��ões na coordena��ão muscular; na técnica respiratória; no empunhar da flauta e na prepara��ão para a emissão da primeira nota, e na rela��ão entre o equilíbrio do instrumento e o movimento dos dedos. Vários procedimentos e exercícios desenvolvidos para a resolução de problemas pessoais são apresentados justificando a sua eficácia. A TA não proporciona apenas altera��ões na coordena��ão muscular mas pode modificar os processos mentais. Por isso alguns princípios para uma organiza��ão eficiente da prática são discutidos e concretizados nalguns exercícios que promovem maior variabilidade, alternância entre análise e integra��ão e clareza na concepção do gesto técnico-musical. Por último, a evolução da minha abordagem pedagógica, incorporando procedimentos inspirados na TA e desenvolvidos ao longo da investiga��ão são ilustrados com alguns alunos. A tese argumenta que a TA pode desempenhar um papel fundamental na melhoria do desempenho dum m��sico e revela-se uma ferramenta pedagógica que merece ser explorada mais sistematicamente num ensino mais baseado numa experimenta��ão guiada que promova uma maior autoconsciência dos processos neuromusculares do que na instrução prescritiva e explícita.

The impact of body fat on three dimensional motion of the paediatric foot during walking

Childhood obesity is commonly associated with a pes planus foot type and altered lower limb joint function during walking. However, limited information has been reported on dynamic intersegment foot motion with the level of obesity in children. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between intersegment foot motion during gait and body fat in boys age 7 to 11 years. Fat mass was measured in fifty-five boys using air displacement plethysmography. Three-dimensional gait analysis was conducted on the right foot of each participant using the 3DFoot model to capture angular motion of the shank, calcaneus, midfoot and metatarsals. Two multivariate statistical techniques were employed; principle component analysis reduced the multidimensional nature of gait analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis accounted for potential confounding factors. Higher fat mass predicted greater plantarflexion of the calcaneus during the first half and end of stance phase and at the end of swing phase. Greater abduction of the calcaneus throughout stance and swing was predicted by greater fat mass. At the midfoot, higher fat mass predicted greater dorsiflexion and eversion throughout the gait cycle. The findings present novel information on the relationships between intersegment angular motion of the foot and body fat in young boys. The data indicates a more pronated foot type in boys with greater body fat. These findings have clinical implications for pes planus and a predisposition for pain and discomfort during weight bearing activities potentially reducing motivation in obese children to be physically active.