American University in London

Abstract This book explores the many poems that Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) wrote about his wife Emma Hardy (1840–1912). These poems were nearly all composed in the wake of her death. It opens with a detailed analysis of what poetry meant to Hardy, focusing on his concept of poetry as allied to romance and on his quest to portray in verse what he called ‘the other side of common emotions’. Subsequent chapters offer close readings of the poems inspired by his chance meeting with Emma in St Juliot in Cornwall in 1870, by their courtship on the Cornish coast, and by their famously unhappy marriage. Particular attention is paid to Hardy’s use of classical sources such as Virgil and Ovid and to his reconfiguration of the conventions of elegy. This book also reveals the extent to which various Hardy poems were inspired by his reading of Emma’s memoir, Some Recollections, and by her so-called Black Diaries, which contained bitter denunciations of both Hardy and his family. The ‘Poems of 1912–13’ sequence (published in 1914) contains many of Hardy’s best-known poems about Emma: Woman Much Missed offers fresh interpretations of these elegies, while also weaving them into accounts of the many other Emma-related poems in the Hardy corpus. It concludes with a consideration of his peculiar verse-play The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall (1923), which it reads as an attempt to incorporate into the poetic narrative of his life both Emma and his much younger second wife, Florence Hardy (1879–1937).

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between diabetes status and the risk of breast cancer among adult Americans, exploring the impact of BMI, age, and race on this relationship. A cross-sectional analysis of 8,249 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was conducted. Diabetes was categorized as type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, with both conditions diagnosed according to the ADA 2014 guidelines. The association between diabetes status and breast cancer risk was explored using multiple logistic regression analysis. Patients with diabetes had higher odds of breast cancer (OR: 1.51; 95% CI 1.00 to 2.28), Using the two-piecewise linear regression model, it was observed that there is a threshold effect in the risk of breast cancer occurrence at the age of 52 years. Specifically, the risk of breast cancer is relatively low before the age of 52 but increases significantly after this age. This study identified a significant association between diabetes status and breast cancer risk among adult Americans. We also found a threshold effect in breast cancer occurrence at the age of 52. Age was significantly associated with breast cancer risk in both Non-Hispanic White and Non-Hispanic Black individuals. These findings underscore the importance of diabetes management, maintaining a healthy BMI, and age-related risk considerations in reducing breast cancer risk.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common metabolic disease in pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a history of abortion increases the risk of GDM by meta-analysis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in nine databases of studies on the association between abortion history and GDM up to April 12, 2022. Fixed- or random-effects models were used to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI. The I square value (I2) was used to assess heterogeneity. Possible sources of heterogeneity were explored by conducting subgroup analysis and meta-regression. A sensitivity analysis was also performed for this meta-analysis. Publication bias was assessed by funnel plots and Egger's tests. Thirty-one studies enrolling 311,900 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. The risk of GDM was higher in women who experienced abortion than in those who did not (OR = 1.41 95% CI: 1.28-1.55, I2 = 66.8%). The risk of GDM increased with an increasing number of abortions (1 time: OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.26-2.22; 2 times: OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.26-3.49; ≥3 times: OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.24-5.01). Both spontaneous abortion (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.30-1.78) and induced abortion (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.03-1.11) were associated with an increased risk of GDM. A history of abortion was associated with an increased risk of GDM in pregnant women, which may be a risk factor for predicting GDM.

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to ascertain the relationship between corporate storytellingfor branding and internal stakeholders’ perceptions of the corporate brand. The paucity of existingknowledge found in reviewing a variety of literature sources relating to corporate brand storytellingspurred the authors into carry out the research. The link between themes and elements of corporatestories for branding and strategies for impression management indicates that these elementsrelate to audiences’ perceptions of the corporate brand. From the literature review, there is a linkbetween elements of corporate stories for branding (such as corporate personalities, corporateactivities, corporate values, and corporate associations) and internal stakeholders’ perceptionsand emotional attachment to a corporate brand. Corporate management needs to actively involveinternal stakeholders in developing corporate stories for branding as this is crucial in creatingpositive corporate brand perceptions. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by allowinglisted corporates to maximise the effectiveness of their corporate stories for branding in shapingthe internal stakeholders’ corporate brand perceptions. The paper suggests a conceptual modelfor depicting the relationship between corporate storytelling for branding and internal stakeholders’corporate brand perceptions.

There is currently little understanding of why some individuals find it difficult to engage in self-compassion (SC), defined as a form of self-kindness, self-acceptance, and courage to face one’s distress. This is especially true for women experiencing weight difficulties, despite the emergence of promising results from compassion-focused approaches to weight management. Consequently, this study undertakes a qualitative study to explore the experiences of barriers to self-compassion in women who were actively trying to manage their weight, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). A qualitative study was employed using an interpretive approach. Using purposive sampling, 10 women were recruited from London-based weight loss groups. Three super-ordinate themes emerged: (I) feeling unable to prioritise own needs over others’ needs; (II) having to learn and sustain a new approach to weight loss; and (III) having very high standards. The emergent themes suggest that women who face weight difficulties have numerous barriers to self-compassion. To fully utilise compassionate-based weight loss interventions for women, it is important to recognise these barriers and implement strategies to lessen their impact.

Masande Ntshanga’s novel The Reactive (2014) is the first South African novel written by a black male writer to feature the first-personvoice of an HIV-positive man, Lindanathi. Following Kgebetli Moele’s The Book of the Dead (2009), which gave the virus itself a voice, The Reactive heralds a significant shift in the portrayal of HIV in South African literature. Eben Venter’s Afrikaans novel Ek Stamel, EkSterwe (1996) which was translated into English by Luke Stubbs as My Beautiful Death (2004), and which has – significantly – received little critical review in English as an HIV narrative, tells the story of a white South African man, Konstant, in the Australian diaspora whoeventually succumbs to AIDS. Both novels complicate ideas of masculinity and can be described as ‘coming of age’ narratives or bildungsromans. Both novels sit historically on the cusp of change, before and after the widespread availability of ARVs. Given theircommonality of subject and narrative perspective, these texts seem ripe for comparison despite their authors’ different backgrounds. The shifts and continuities in the representation of HIV/AIDS found between these two novels, published 18 years apart, seem to disrupt the trajectory of the post-colonial bildungsroman as it is mediated (for the first time?) through the HIVpositive narrator. Reading these two novels together helps us to understand literary patterns, associations and dissociations, which reveal a cultural symbology of HIV/AIDS, part of a wider cultural symbology of illness in South African literature.

Purpose: The threat of the COVID-19 pandemic persists despite concerted global efforts to contain it. So also is its impact on social entrepreneurs. One of the main questions being, what is the extent to which small businesses overcome the imminent economic recession amid the threat of COVID-19? Many small businesses have already closed operations due to the countrywide lockdown in India and the resultant cash flow constraints. The government has introduced loan guarantee schemes as a way of support, but it is not sufficient for operational expenses. This study examines the survival traits of positive deviance and social entrepreneurial roles that may be pertinent to women’s empowerment, concerning the challenges that have emerged from the pandemic. Methodology: Case study methodology was adopted, engaging Rosenblatt’s Transactional Theory to collect qualitative data, which are part of the narratives based on the experiences of a focus group within the social entrepreneurial venture, called Pipal Tree, while a descriptive approach was deployed to isolate and analyze the relevant survival traits, that is, leadership, multidimensional resourcefulness, altruism, innovation, norm-violation and labelling/stigmatization. Findings: The findings revealed that every trait—that is, leadership, multidimensional resourcefulness, altruism, innovation, norm-violation, and labelling/stigmatization—could potentially play an important role and contribute towards the sustainability of social entrepreneurs to empower women amidst the pandemic. The paper observed that ultimately this insight might be relevant to social entrepreneurs, managers and policymakers in developing effective survival strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality values: This is a conceptualization and empirically based study that engaged in primary data collection, analysis and interpretation supported with literature evidence. As well as insights on the literature and methodology development, its unique contributions also include conceptualizing the phenomenon and strategy development. Additionally, it promotes diversity and inclusivity, as well as highlighting inequality. Social implication/Practical values: This study can serve as a guide towards addressing social issues relating to global social entrepreneurship policy-making. As such, it would be a powerful tool for women empowerment, policymakers, not-for-profit organizations, civil society and social entrepreneurs in the post-COVID-19 global environment. Theoretical contributions: This study has added the literature to the existing theory relating to social deviance, social entrepreneurship and women empowerment, thereby advancing knowledge. Highlighting issues about how humanity responds to this strange new threat from the COVID-19 pandemic is critical to saving lives. The new knowledge gained will often equip social entrepreneurs to capture new ways of survival (innovative ways) in complex and new challenges to cope with post-COVID-19 socio-economic circumstances. These benefits gained may be beneficial not only in Jharkhand India but nationally as well as globally. The authors also made an addition to the definition of positive deviance. Practical contributions: The study contributes towards enabling social entrepreneurs to cope in uncertain situations, which is critical to survival most challenging or crises and not just in entrepreneurship—so in critical decision-making, problem-solving, diversity management, gender equity, human rights advancement through women empowerment, business setting and expansion, in helping weakness into strengths and ensuring a level playing ground and inclusivity. Women empowerment can be a positive strength in policy formulation and implementation processes. These kinds of reflections from the perspective of women are significant, relevant and valuable in a post-pandemic environment across the Jharkhand India region and are transferable elsewhere across the globe.