The Structure of Scares: Art, Horror, and Immersion in Marisha Pessl's Night Film

Is immersion merely a subjective response to a work, or can it be an objective formal feature of the work itself? This article examines the unique situation of horror as a genre that demands a substantial level of immersion in order to be successful and will begin to answer this question through a close reading of Marisha Pessl's Night Film (2013). Through the novel's intricate staging of different forms of immersion that is made possible by its extended length, this article argues that Pessl and the horror genre more generally seek to establish a difference between something like literal immersion, which requires the engrossment of a reader or viewer in the world of the story, and immersion as a formal technique, which is for the most part indifferent to the actual engagement of the audience and instead produces a claim immanent to the work itself.

Can subsidies paid directly to employers reduce residential discrimination in employment? An assessment based on serial field experiments

‘Emplois Francs’ is a new public policy in France that provides financial assistance to companies when they hire a jobseeker living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood. This study evaluates the effect of this policy by using three waves of correspondence tests spaced six months apart to measure discrimination in access to employment based on ethnic origin and place of residence. We find a substantial level of discrimination based on ethnic origin and a lower level of residential discrimination. We find that the programme decreases residential discrimination after six months, but we cannot conclude that the effect is still present 12 months later.

Contesting Sectarian Identity in Pakistan: Narratives from the Three Cities

Pakistan is facing a new wave of sectarian divide thus literally making it difficult for minority religious groups such as Shias to practice their religious rituals with freedom and liberty. During the last decade, the sectarian killings have increased to a substantial level much to the worry of the government and general public. The present study explores the impact of the widening sectarian cleavage due to the Shia rituals during and after the sacred month of Muharram in Pakistan. Shia religious practices are being challenged and their rites held down by the extremist groups who are bent upon hurl unforgiving criticism, random killings, a plethora of hate speeches, and religious demonstrations throughout Pakistan. Such practices have made it more exacting for the Shias to commemorate their religious rituals during Muharram throughout Pakistan. The large cities like Quetta, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Jhang have faced multifaceted sectarian clashes which made Shias vulnerable in the performance of rituals.

Local good, global bad

Purpose Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings For those who appreciate both business strategy and the English language, there is one term that started to gain traction in the 1990s that has always provided a substantial level of discomfort. While a necessary and important term within the realms of globalization, this word nevertheless often raises uncomfortable questions regarding a firm’s strategy, while simultaneously being one of the ugliest words in the English language. The word being referred to is this: glocalization. Practical implications Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Grass trimmer hand-arm vibration reduction using multi-axial vibration absorber

In this investigation, the novel multi-axial vibration absorber is proposed to reduce the handle vibration of petrol engine grass trimmer. The proposed vibration absorber is designed using Dunkerley’s equation and fabricated for testing. The experimental modal analysis of absorber is conducted to find resonance frequencies of the absorber and to validate the results obtained from equations. The experimental tests are carried on grass trimmer with absorber attached near handle location to find effectiveness of absorber in reducing hand-arm vibrations in the x, y and z directions. The result indicated that the total vibration value measured at the handle of grass trimmer is reduced by substantial level with the attachment of multi-axial vibration absorber.

Human Enhancement Ethics and Uncertainty

This article deals with some uncertainties associated with human enhancement ethics. It presents the latter as a kind of a narrative made up of scientific and philosophical concepts. In the paper it is shown that scientific notions underpinning the human enhancement tendency are burdened with a substantial level of uncertainty, especially when the radical enhancement is considered. On the level of philosophical thinking, we encounter many unresolved questions concerning the understanding of the good and our post human destiny, namely who we want to become and why. This amounts to a high level of uncertainty. However, uncertainties are not utterly useless and destructive. They can play roles of stimulating factors or, at least, they can be helpful in discovering new horizons for our existence. In some situations they can also lead us to realize and appreciate what we possess already.

Effect of Marmatite on Bioleaching Behaviors of Chalcopyrite

Bioleaching experiments were used in this experiment to study the interaction between marmatite and chalcopyrite. In the sterile system, the copper extraction rate of single chalcopyrite was only 20%, much lower than the copper extraction rate of L. ferriphilum system, which is 95%. The addition of L. ferriphilum can improve the copper extraction rate to a substantial level. In both the sterile and L. ferriphilum system, the single chalcopyrite got a higher copper extraction rate than the mixture minerals of chalcopyrite and marmatite, and with the increase of marmatite, the copper extraction rate decreased. So marmatite may inhibit the dissolution of chalcopyrite. The reason may be that the redox potential of mixture mineral was not in the optimum range.

Upgoing thumb sign

Objective:To assess the frequency of this finding in patients with minor stroke and TIAs compared to those with stroke mimics and to evaluate the level of agreement between examiners to detect an upgoing thumb sign.Methods:We previously reported an upgoing thumb sign as a subtle clinical finding in patients with transient ischemic attacks or minor stroke. In this study conducted between March 2016 and October 2016 at the Stroke Prevention Clinic at University Hospital, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, participants were examined independently by stroke faculty and fellows who were blinded to each other's findings. The frequency of the upgoing thumb sign in patients with minor or threatened stroke was compared to that in patients with stroke mimics, and the level of agreement between examiners and clinical findings was assessed with the Cohen κ test.Results:The upgoing thumb sign was observed more frequently in those with minor stroke/TIA than in those with stroke mimics (p = 0.001). A substantial level of agreement between examiners was recorded in the detection of the thumb sign (κ: right 0.71, left 0.78). In addition, an upgoing thumb sign showed a substantial level of agreement with the patient's symptoms (examiner 1: κ = 0.65, p < 0.01; examiner 2: κ = 0.64; p < 0.01).Conclusions:An upgoing thumb sign is a sensitive and reliable indicator of brain involvement. This examination is noninvasive, easy, reliable, and highly compatible with and confirmatory of the patient's symptoms.

Misinformation due to a Low-Quality International Multilingual Survey

This letter explains why International Fertility Decision-making Study (IFDMS), reported by Bunting, Tsibulsky, and Boivin (2013) in Human Reproduction 28(2), does not have a substantial level of validity and comparability.

Key Enterprise Architectural Challenges in Local Government

The many enterprise applications of government require a substantial level of collaboration. The impact of one decision on other aspects of the business requires analysis, including statistical (predictive) analytics, sentiment analytics, and cultural and skills analytics.Further, the shift from purely cost-centered decision making to that of “whole-of-government 1 is palpable. Accordingly, extensive electronic and mobile collaboration is required, even though such collaboration is counterintuitive to the mindset of prioritising according to departmental policies. In addition, the challenges governments face range from the time taken to approve an initiative, considering the complexity of processes, to its organisational structure and ever-changing technology in this age.