The Oxford Handbook of Heracles

The first half of the volume is devoted to the exposition of the ancient evidence, literary and iconographic, for the traditions of Heracles’ life and deeds. After a chapter each on the hero’s childhood and his madness, the canonical cause of his Twelve Labors, each of the Labors themselves receives detailed treatment in a dedicated chapter. The “Parerga” or “Side-Labors” are then treated in a similar level of detail in seven further chapters. In the second half, the Heracles tradition is analyzed from a range of thematic perspectives. After consideration of the contrasting projections of the figure across the major literary genres, epic, tragedy, comedy, philosophy, and in the iconographic register, a number of his myth-cycle’s diverse fils rouges are pursued: Heracles’ fashioning as a folkloric quest-hero; his relationships with the two great goddesses, the Hera that persecutes him and the Athena that protects him; and the rationalization and allegorization of his cycle’s constituent myths. The ways are investigated in which Greek communities and indeed Alexander the Great exploited the figure both in the fashioning of their own identities and for political advantage. The cult of Heracles is considered in its Greek manifestation, in its syncretism with that of the Phoenician Melqart, and in its presence at Rome, the last study leading into discussion of the use made of Heracles by the Roman emperors themselves and then by early Christian writers. A final chapter offers an authoritative perspective on the limitless subject of Heracles’ reception in the western tradition.

Poole's Textbook on Contract Law

Course-focused and comprehensive, Poole’s Textbook on Contract Law provides an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. This book has been guiding students through contract law for many years. It places the law of contract clearly within its wider context, including the growing distinction between commercial and consumer contracting, before proceeding to provide detailed yet accessible treatment of all the key areas encountered when studying contract law. Part 1 considers formation, looking in detail at agreement, certainty and agreement mistakes, the enforceability of promises and the intention to be legally bound. Part 2 looks at content, interpretation, exemption clauses and unfair terms, performance, and breach. Part 3 considers the enforcement of contractual obligations including remedies, detailed treatment of damages for breach of contract, privity and third party rights, and discharge by frustration. Part 4 looks at methods of policing the making of a contract, such as non-agreement mistakes which render the contract void, misrepresentation, duress, undue influence, unconscionable bargains, and illegality. The book also includes references to relevant EU consumer legislation and introduces students to the various attempts (international and European) to produce a harmonized set of contract principles.

Part II Formation, 3 Agreement

This is a detailed treatment of the rules governing the formation of contract. All facets of that process are covered. Modern ;transactions are often formed by electronic negotiation. Accordingly, the postal rule needs to be supplemented by reference to e-mailed offers and acceptances. Other features of formation include: relief when negotiations abort, based on the principle of unjust enrichment; ‘multipartite contracts’, that is, agreements involving more than two parties; the revocation of offers before acceptance; the special nature of acceptance when the contract is unilateral, rather than both parties having obligations; the possibility of acceptance without words, that is, by conduct; the problem of silence on the part of the offeree; and competition between parties to win the so-called battle of the forms.

Successful treatment of aortic valve endocarditis caused by Enterococcus casseliflavus: a case report

Background Enterococcus casseliflavus is rarely isolated from human specimens. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports on its detailed treatment course and prognosis. Here, we present the first known case of E. casseliflavus endocarditis with a detailed treatment course. Case presentation An 86-year-old Japanese woman was transferred to the emergency department with dyspnoea, wheezing, and lumbago. Her medical history included hypertension, chronic kidney disease, idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, and rectal carcinoma. Physical examination revealed expiratory wheezes and a diastolic murmur (Levine 2/6) at the 4th right sternal border. Chest radiography revealed bilateral interstitial opacities and slight cardiac dilatation. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated the presence of mobile vegetation with perforation, prolapse, and regurgitation of the aortic valve. With a suspicion of infective endocarditis, we started administering intravenous ampicillin/sulbactam. Thereafter, blood cultures identified E. casseliflavus through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The antimicrobial treatment was then switched to ampicillin plus gentamicin. The patient underwent aortic valve replacement on the thirteenth hospital day. She was administered intravenous ampicillin and gentamicin for 6 weeks. The patient was discharged 8 weeks after admission. Conclusions Our case demonstrated that E. casseliflavus could cause infective endocarditis, which can be successfully treated with a 6-week regimen of ampicillin and gentamicin in combination with proper surgical treatment.

ANTHONY GILBERT (b. 1934)Peace Notes (2011)

This chapter explores Anthony Gilbert’s Peace Notes (2011), a highly original and fascinating seven-movement cycle. The evocative poems by Sarah Day, full of colourful imagery and alliterative syllables, are ideally suited to detailed treatment, and Gilbert crafts the vocal lines with consummate care, incorporating some characterful ornamentation. Brief, exposed fragments contrast with longer, arching spans, and the writing becomes a little more demanding as the piece progresses. Preparatory work is essential; some rhythms, carefully honed to fit the words, could seem elusive at first, but a dedicated singer should enjoy mastering their subtleties. Extremes of tessitura are largely avoided, but Songs 3–6 (‘Iris’, ‘Margin’, ‘Piano’, and ‘Enrapt’) have some sustained passages that occasionally leave the singer suspended on a high pitch—something that heavier voices may find difficult. The piano writing is relatively unchallenging: lean, uncluttered, and lucid, apart from occasional trills. It supports and enriches the voice part but never drowns it, leaving the singer free to place and manipulate phrases without feeling harried. Dynamics are typically refined and meaningful, affecting vocal and pianistic timbres.

Colorectal cancer

The colorectal cancer chapter explores one of the top four cancers being diagnosed in the UK. Within this chapter are explanations of the staging of colorectal cancer. There are also descriptions of the symptoms and causes associated with cancer within the colon or rectum. The incidence and necessary investigations are detailed. Treatment for colorectal cancer is explored in relation to surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and biological therapy. Ways the nurse can advise prevention of colorectal cancer are identified and bowel screening is examined. Additionally, prognosis for people with colorectal cancer is described. The important nursing issue of long-term care, termed survivorship is reported upon. Succinct details on the issues related to colorectal cancer can be used by the nurse within clinical practice.

Francis Hutcheson on Liberty

This paper aims to reconstruct Francis Hutcheson's thinking about liberty. Since he does not offer a detailed treatment of philosophical questions concerning liberty in his mature philosophical writings I turn to a textbook on metaphysics. We can assume that he prepared the textbook during the 1720s in Dublin. This textbook deserves more attention. First, it sheds light on Hutcheson's role as a teacher in Ireland and Scotland. Second, Hutcheson's contributions to metaphysical disputes are more original than sometimes assumed. To appreciate his independent thinking, I argue, it is helpful to take the intellectual debates in Ireland into consideration, including William King's defence of free will and discussions of Shaftesbury's views in Robert Molesworth's intellectual circle. Rather than taking a stance on the philosophical disputes about liberty, I argue that Hutcheson aims to shift the focus of the debates towards practical questions concerning control of desire, cultivation of habits, and character development.

Robot Museums

Bradbury’s spring 1980 trip to Washington, D.C. rekindled his relationship with the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum and resulted in a detailed treatment for a new planetarium show titled “The Great Shout of the Universe.” Chapter 14 also documents Bradbury’s day on Capitol Hill with Senator Claiborne Pell and his evening lecture at the Smithsonian’s Baird Auditorium. Bradbury’s summer in France was followed by the release of his hundred-story retrospective collection, The Stories of Ray Bradbury, a collection he compiled with Knopf editor Nancy Nicholas and Knopf president Robert Gottlieb. Chapter 14 concludes with a survey of reviews, with special attention to Thomas M. Disch’s unsettling New York Times piece.