This is Not a Photo Opportunity: Verbal/Visual Struggle in Francophone Travel Narratives

This article explores the ethics and aesthetics of representing travel and intercultural encounter in textual and photographic forms. Taking as its starting point two textual accounts of journeys in the course of which photographic narratives were also produced, the article explores the possibilities and limitations of textuality and visuality and thus considers the implications of, or new opportunities afforded by, reading – and ultimately publishing – these narratives as iconotexts. Focusing on Pierre Loti's L'Inde (sans les Anglais) (1901) and Ella Maillart's Oasis interdites (1937), the article also offers an alternative perspective on writers whose work is commonly associated with an imperialist or exoticist discourse, with cliché and one-dimensionality. As such, it aims to replace the monolithic, orientalist vision often attributed to these writers with ambiguity, ethical hesitation and a plurality of perspectives. Using these examples as a springboard, the article seeks to argue that verbal/visual mobility in narratives representing mobility contributes to resisting static, monolithic perceptions of other cultures. Using the work of British graffiti artist Banksy as a foil for exploring photography as cultural commodification and art as commodity, the article also seeks to engage with current debates in Humanities research on ekphrasis and iconotextuality and on the problematics of representing other cultures within an ethical and/or humanist frame.

Direct evidence for cation non-stoichiometry and Cottrell atmospheres around dislocation cores in functional oxide interfaces

Long-range strain fields associated with dislocation cores at an oxide interface are shown to be sufficient enough to create significant variations in the chemical composition around the core (Cottrell atmospheres). Such stress-assisted diffusion of cations towards the cores is proposed to significantly impact the properties of nanoscale functional devices. The figure shows a Z-contrast image of a single dislocation core at an oxide interface.

Identification of lesion components that influence visual function in age related macular degeneration

To explore the relation between lesion composition as assessed by fundus photography and fluorescein angiography with clinical measures of vision in eyes of patients with age related macular degeneration (AMD).