Our Shared Japan: Contemporary Spaces of Love and Exoticism in Irish Women’s Poetry

The aim of this paper is to analyse the new perspectives on the locus amoenus put forward by contemporary women poets in Ireland, in particular those by the female authors included in the anthology Our Shared Japan, edited by Irene De Angelis and Joseph Woods (2007). This paper argues that these writers provide alternatives to traditional pastoralism that trigger new reflections on women’s identities and subjectivities. As Donna L. Potts asserts, some constitutive aspects of the pastoral tradition are “the relationship between nature and human nature, and between the present and the mythicised past, the motif of transformation, etc.” (9). These aspects will be scrutinised in the context of travel to the new, exotic space of Japan. The alterity that the poetic voices meet with in their travel provides them with new perceptions of themselves and their affective life in relation to the environment. This renegotiation of identity is mostly made through the body, which becomes a tool for knowledge and communication. The heterotopia (Foucault) of the trip, therefore, provides the perfect space for the poetic subjects to interact, change and reflect about their identity, their sense of belonging or alienation and the impact of travel on their emotional life.

LA INTIMIDAD EN EL CINE DE NO FICCIÓN: UN’ORA SOLA TI VORREI, DE ALINA MARAZZI

Resumen: El documental ha experimentado, desde finales del siglo XX,un significativo giro subjetivo y se ha erigido como un espacio idóneo parala experimentación narrativa y visual con el objetivo de dar cuenta de laintimidad. A partir de esta premisa, pretendemos demostrar que este girosupone la puesta en escena de un yo que construye un relato alrededor desí y que, además, en el caso del discurso fílmico construido por cineastasmujeres este sí femenino tiene características peculiares.Abstract: Documentaries have experienced, since the late TwentiethCentury, an important subjunctive change becoming a perfect space forthe narrative and visual experimentation in order to show intimacy. Fromthis premise, we want to demonstrate that this change has an evidentconsequence: there is a new me which builds a story around itself and that,besides, in the case of the film speech built by women, this (her) self has special features to take into account.

Inclusion of Hajłasz – Sobolev class Mpα(X) into the space of continuous functions in the critical case

Let (X, d, µ) be a doubling metric measure space with doubling dimension γ, i. e. for any balls B(x, R) and B(x, r), r < R, following inequality holds µ(B(x, R)) ≤ aµ (R/r)γµ(B(x, r)) for some positive constants γ and aµ. Hajłasz – Sobolev space Mpα(X) can be defined upon such general structure. In the Euclidean case Hajłasz – Sobolev space coincides with classical Sobolev space when p > 1, α = 1. In this article we discuss inclusion of functions from Hajłasz – Sobolev space Mpα(X) into the space of continuous functions for p ≤ 1 in the critical case γ = α p. More precisely, it is shown that any function from Hajłasz – Sobolev class Mpα(X), 0 < p ≤ 1, α > 0, has a continuous representative in case of uniformly perfect space (X, d, µ).

The Impact of Modern Ultramarathons on Shaping the Social Identity of Runners. The Case Study of Karkonosze Winter Ultramarathon

Despite the growing interest in extreme sports around the world, researchers have rarely investigated the complex factors that have led to a developed commitment to extreme sports in recent years. Precisely, the social identity of ultramarathoners remains a research niche. The aim of the article is to analyze the impact of a sports event on shaping social identity of ultramarathon runners on the example of Karkonosze Winter Ultramarathon (held in Poland). The qualitative method used in the article—interviews with runners—made it possible to examine the factors that create social identity, among which the motives for participation, sports subculture, and the authenticity of the experience play a key role. The first part of the article describes the theoretical aspects of social identity in sport. The second, empirical part presents the research results supplemented by the statements of the contestants. In this case, the subject of analysis is the motives for participation in a winter ultramarathon and their characteristics. Lastly, the article analyzes the subculture of ultramarathoners and the experience of contestants’ authenticity. The investigated winter ultramarathon created the perfect space for creation, deepening and celebrating the social identity of ultramarathoners assessed as a value in itself. The article enriches the present knowledge about the motivation of ultramarathoners because, unlike the results of quantitative research, it presents in-depth responses of runners who were not always concerned by existing research questionnaires.

Secrecy, Alterity, and Defiant Femininity in Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin's The Boys of Bluehill

This article traces the connections between defiant femininity, indeterminacy, and the theme of secrecy in Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin's collection The Boys of Bluehill (2015). In particular, it analyses the secret as the main poetic device used by Ní Chuilleanáin to articulate the gaps and absences within totalitarian, essentialized discourses such as History. In her poetry, secrecy – manifested as silence, uncertainty, marginality and alterity – emerges as the space of peripheral voices and experiences, buried and silenced by official accounts of Ireland's past. As the unavowable manifestation of the Other, the secret also stands as the perfect space for a defiant form of femininity which emerges as a disrupting force, endlessly open to the possibility of change. In Ní Chuilleanáin's work, the secret is never fully disclosed; her poems are thus perpetually open to different interpretations, pointing towards an uncertain future of indeterminate potentiality for her female characters. As this article shows, this uncertainty at the heart of Ní Chuilleanáin's work can be read subversively as an enabling force.

From Osteoclast Differentiation to Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: Molecular and Clinical Insights

Bone physiology relies on the delicate balance between resorption and formation of its tissue. Bone resorption depends on a process called osteoclastogenesis in which bone-resorbing cells, i.e., osteoclasts, are produced by the differentiation of more undifferentiated progenitors and precursors. This process is governed by two main factors, monocyte colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL). While the former exerts a proliferating effect on progenitors/precursors, the latter triggers a differentiation effect on more mature cells of the same lineage. Bone homeostasis requires a perfect space–time coordination of the involved signals. When osteoclastogenesis is poorly balanced with the differentiation of the bone forming counterparts, i.e., osteoblasts, physiological bone remodelling can turn into a pathological state, causing the systematic disruption of bone tissue which results in osteopenia or osteolysis. Examples of these conditions are represented by osteoporosis, Paget’s disease, bone metastasis, and multiple myeloma. Therefore, drugs targeting osteoclastogenesis, such as bisphosphonates and an anti-RANKL monoclonal antibody, have been developed and are currently used in the treatment of such diseases. Despite their demonstrated therapeutic efficacy, these agents are unfortunately not devoid of side effects. In this regard, a condition called osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) has been recently correlated with anti-resorptive therapy. In this review we will address the involvement of osteoclasts and osteoclast-related factors in the pathogenesis of ONJ. It is to be hoped that a better understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying bone remodelling will help in the design a medical therapeutic approach for ONJ as an alternative to surgical procedures.

Enhancing Fun Through Gamification to Improve Engagement in MOOC

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), regardless of their topic, are a perfect space to generate, through virtual learning communities associated with them, very valuable resources for their participants and, in general, anyone interested in the topic covered. If in the design of these learning spaces, elements specific to games are added to them, which is known as gamification, we can try to increase the engagement of the student towards the course and, therefore, towards the community. This paper presents an experience of a MOOC of Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain) with a connectivist approach. Aspects such as fun and motivation have been worked on in the design, through the application of gamified activities and the use of elements from social networks, considered as gamification, with the aim of increasing participation and engagement within a Facebook group, used as a community to support the course. We have analyzed aspects such as enjoyment and motivation, the result of which has been active participation and high engagement within the MOOC community in the form of content and especially great interaction, highlighting the existence of continuous activity once the edition of the MOOC is finished, as a consequence of a habit generated in the student.

Comunicación de Marca en Instagram, ¿Una Cuestión de Género? El Rol del Influencer de Moda

Young people have found in the social networks the perfect space to inform and be informed. However, only a few have the ability to influence in purchasing decisions, lifestyle or preferences of the rest. The so-called social influencers have become an active part of brand communication, especially those dedicated to fashion. This research puts the focus on the strategies, resources and calls to participation used for the main Spanish fashion prescribers in their communication through Instagram. The gradual incorporation of men into this sector requires identifying the attitudes and forms of the connection -generating participation- or not taking into account the genre of the author and the type of values he projects. Through content analysis, the communicative activity of the 13 most outstanding characteristics is monitored in 2017. The results show a very similar use of recovery techniques, mainly promotional; dubious compliance with Spanish regulations on advertising - which obliges authors to explicitly state any message that promotes a product or service of a contractual relationship; and the use of the image to build idyllic lives from everyday scenes.

Common network characteristics of four bus transport networks in Northeast China based on a perfect space P

The space P and space L representation models are often adopted together in the empirical analysis of bus transport networks (BTNs). In this paper, we develop a new representation model for BTNs using double edge weights and node weights, namely perfect space P. The model incorporates the number and lengths of directed routes between the two stations and the number of routes that connect to each station. Based on the model, we develop an empirical study on four large BTNs in Northeast China. Some common network characteristics of the BTNs are revealed and discussed in detail. The results show that several empirical distributions follow an exponential law. Moreover, the unweighted path length distributions can be fitted by a Gaussian function, while the weighted path length distributions can be fitted by a composite Gaussian function. Specifically, we introduce the weighted-degree distribution with different lengths and the special edge weight distribution, given the new evidence for the random behavior during the expansion of BTNs, including new stations and routes.