Chaotic Fashion Research Articles

The Troubled Flight of Tennessee Williams's Sweet Bird : From Manuscript through Published Texts

The Troubled Flight of Tennessee Williams's Sweet Bird: From Manuscript through Published Texts DREWEY WA YNE GUNN Tennessee Williams has seldom been able to resist revising or rewriting his plays. Of his eighteen full-length plays published as of autumn 1979, thirteen have appeared in print, and seventeen been produced, in more than one version.' Critics have rarely examined the differing texts, but in general one can say that Williams's final revisions are the superior versions. As he reworks a play, he usually tightens its structure and sharpens its dramatic values. However , one notable exception to this pattern exists: Sweet Bird ofYouth. The three successive texts , 1959- 1962, represent rather a sequential degeneration of Williams's artistic control, for in each revision the structure, the development of the characters, and the focus of the play become progressively less coherent. The fact is all the more lamentable since even the first published text ofthe play represents a failure in vision. After working and reworking elements that went into Sweet Bird for at least nine years, Williams had in 1958 arrived at an unpublished script of great literary and probably considerable dramatic merit. But for some reason, when the play went into production in New York the following year, he frantically rewrote it and in the process lost sight ofhis initial concept. The manuscripts at the Humanities Research Center of the University of Texas at Austin allow us to follow the growth and unification of Williams's ideas as he came to this 1958 version, and likewise pennit us to understand the extent of the play's deterioration in printed form. As Vivienne Dickson shows in the only other published study of the evolution of a Williams play (A Srreetcar Named Desire), the playwright frequently starts with various story possibilities in mind and explores characters in different ways before settling on a plot outline.' The play will then go through several stages as he develops this story. Williams has said that he writes "three or four drafts when not more than two should be necessary, simply because I did not acquire in my green years the right kind of technical habits."3 Sweet Bird of Youth grew out of a varied assortment of one-act plays and sketches, Sweet Bird: Manuscript through Published Texts 27 some dating as far back as 1949. About 450 pages of manuscript at the University of Texas remain from this incubatory stage. They are often in a fragmented and confused state, since Williams shuffled pages of dialogue freely from one version to another as he revised and then Stored discarded scripts in a rather chaotic fashion. Thus it is sometimes difficult to know exactly how the material fits together. In general, however, one can recognize three distinct sets of characters and themes which finally came together in Sweet Bird. The characters from one set to another share anumber of common names, though these are often assigned to widely differing types. From the beginning, Williams was apparently aware that his disparate plot threads would one day be woven together. A first group of sketches, made up of three different series, centers around the downfall of Boss Finley, a corrupt politician with all the prejudices of the Old South. One series of very fragmentary sketches concerns his loss of control over his henchmen, with whom he has been involved in some unspecified illegal traffic. In a second series, the Boss has cancer of the larynx and hemorrhages during a major campaign speech. A number of pages relate the effect his career has had on his daughter, Rose, but her character varies greatly from one sketch to another. In one version, she is a lost innocent; in another, rather corrupt herself. Yet a third series, the most developed, revolves around the Boss's problems with his mistress. Generally also called Rose, though sometimes Candy, she is the prototype for Miss Lucy in Sweet Bird. In one of the more finished playlets, she is found alone on New Year's Eve 1949, angry because the Boss is celebrating in the company of his wife at an important state function from which a mistress is naturally excluded. The playlet is...

Periodic and chaotic breathing of pulses in a ringlaser

By a numerical integration of the laser equations for a homogeneously broadened, two level ringlaser system, we have found that in addition to the cw solution and the selfpulsing solution more complicated solutions are possible. These solutions are pulse solutions, where the maximum or minimum pulse amplitude in the cavity varies with time (breathing of the pulses). These variations occur either in a periodic or in a chaotic fashion, depending on the parameters and initial conditions. The characteristic times of these variations are usually much longer than the time needed for a light pulse to travel through the cavity.

Clinical and ultrastructural study of painful neuroma

A clinical and light and electron microscopic study of three cases of painful neuroma, surgically resected, was made. It was found (a) that painful neuromas contain large numbers of small diameter, unmyelinated fibers in an apparently much larger proportion than myelinated fibers and (b) that a consistent, unrestrained growth of perineurial cells parallels the constant regeneration of axis cylinders. This results in the unabated formation of large numbers of “nerve minifascicles” growing in a chaotic fashion. Degeneration of axis cylinders and/or of myelin is minimal. It is suggested that the increased numbers of unmyelinated axis cylinders in traumatic neuromas could be related to the painful symptoms in some patients. It is further postulated that the unrestricted growth of perineurial cells is an attempt to contain the regeneration of axis cylinders and that the maintenance of perineurial integrity by fascicle ligation is important in the relief of painful human neuromas. (Neurosurgery 8:181-190, 1981)

Clinical and ultrastructural study of painful neuroma.

A clinical and light and electron microscopic study of three cases of painful neuroma, surgically resected, was made. It was found (a) that painful neuromas contain large numbers of small diameter, unmyelinated fibers, in an apparently much larger proportion than myelinated fibers and (b) that a consistent, unrestrained growth of perineurial cells parallels the constant regeneration of axis cylinders. This results in the unabated formation of large numbers of "nerve minifascicles" growing in a chaotic fashion. Degeneration of axis cylinders and/or of myelin is minimal. It is suggested that the increased numbers of unmyelinated axis cylinders in traumatic neuromas could be related to the painful symptoms in some patients. It is further postulated that the unrestricted growth of perineurial cells is an attempt to contain the regeneration of axis cylinders and that the maintenance of perineurial integrity by fascicle ligation is important in the relief of painful human neuromas.

An investigation of the stability of a magnetohydrodynamic shear layer

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the conditions of instability and post-critical flow in an electrically driven shear layer which has been previously studied both theoretically and experimentally. The shear layer forms as a primarily azimuthal flow in an electrically conducting fluid between the edges of two parallel and coaxial circular electrodes, mounted in insulating planes, when a current is passed between them in the presence of a strong, axially applied magnetic field. The aximuthal velocity at any radial position in the layer is maximum near the electrode planes and decreases to zero at the centreplane between the electrodes. Radial and axial secondary velocity components apparently exist, though smaller in magnitude than the azimuthal velocity throughout most of the layer.The experiments employ a miniature hot-film sensor as an instantaneous velocity indicator in mercury. The following experimental results are reported. \begin{eqnarray*} & R_c = 2420,\quad 150 \leqslant M \leqslant 350,\\ & R_c = 345\,M^{\frac{1}{3}},\quad 350\leqslant M \leqslant 650, \end{eqnarray*} where Rc is the critical Reynolds number of the shear layer, based upon the maximum velocity in the layer and the layer thickness, and M is the Hartmann number based upon the distance from the electrodes to the centreplane. For values of M below about 300, oscillograms of the hot-film signal show that the layer goes unstable in a chaotic fashion. For M ≥ 300, however, the instabilities grow to produce a wave-like post-critical flow of steady amplitude. The waves are apparently parallel to the applied magnetic field and drift in the azimuthal direction at a constant proportion (10–15%) of the critical velocity. The maximum intensity of the peak to peak fluctuations from the measured mean azimuthal velocity appears to be about 0·05. These fluctuations decrease to zero at the centreplane. By an approximate measurement of wavelength it is determined that the integral number of waves in the post-critical flow increases with M.The physical mechanism governing the onset of instability has not been established. The manner in which hydrodynamic and electromagnetic forces interact with the destabilizing disturbances cannot be fully understood without further theoretical analysis.

Economic Aftermath of the Great Leap in Communist China

Under the new program, production targets for many commodities were repeatedly adjusted upward, and maximum pressure was applied on production units to achieve assigned output quotas by whatever means necessary. Another salient feature of the Great Leap movement was a greater emphasis on indigenous methods of production and labor-intensive investment projects. This policy, officially called walking with two legs, represented a sharp departure from previous development strategy which had stressed only modern production techniques and large-scale investment projects. The technical dualism introduced in 1958 was based on the assumption that native and small plants require less capital and a shorter construction period and that such plants can make use of local resources and labor that might otherwise be unemployed. These arguments were even more persuasive because of the discontinuation of Soviet loans which led to restraints on the importation of modern equipment for the ambitious economic development plans. Theoretically, the technical dualism envisaged by the Great Leap program is not inherently unreasonable. In a country like Communist China, the rate of economic growth could be maximized, assuming a fixed amount of investment, by developing laborintensive production. Misallocation of resources would occur only if this strategy were carried too far and conducted in a chaotic fashion. The Great Leap movement, lasting about two years, was abandoned in 1960 after the country had been afflicted by a prolonged and serious agrarian crisis. The economic situation made continued industrial expansion impossible. The most obvious consequence of the Great Leap was the enormous waste involved. Indigenous production methods often proved either too costly in comparison with their counterparts in the modern sector or capable of producing only low quality goods. A large number of the backyard furnaces hastily built in 1958 dissolved into piles of mud and brick after a few rains. Others were given up by the local authorities because of prohibitively high operation costs. Only a small portion of the indigenous blast furnaces survived and then only after some renovation. Similar situations prevailed in other industries, such as the small coal pits utilizing primitive methods of production that had been opened in 1958. Another serious form of wastage was created as a result of inter-

Diseases of the Cardiovascular System (Excluding Hypertension and Atherosclerosis)

Electrocardiography has continued to be an active field, with studies relating to intraventricular conduction and leads or lead systems suitable for vectorcardiography contributing heavily. The important and contro­ versial problem is still undecided regarding the nature of excitation of the free wall of the left ventricle, namely, whether the subendocardial muscle is activated in a rapid and chaotic fashion with only the epicardial layers con­ tributing substantially to the QRS complex as recorded in external (direct or semidirect) leads, or whether radial spread 9f excitation occurs through the entire wall of this chamber. The group bf workers ( 1) whose studies have favored the latter view have provided no further evidence to support it, but in investigations using the same techniques, have shown that in the dog with left branch block the septum is excited from right to left, with the left ventricle activated earliest on the anterior, epicardial aspect. The latter causes excitation to pass inward toward the cavity of the left ventricle for a short time. In experimental studies and limited observations on the human heart directed toward an analysis of the form of the QRS complex in epicar­ dial leads, Pipberger and his associates (2) have confirmed their earlier im­ pression that only the outer layers of the left ventricle contribute signifi­ cantly to the R wave seen in: epicardial leads. The implications of these observations, particularly in myocardial infarction, were pointed out and in this connection, the frequent occurrence of a QRS complex with a small initial r wave and large S wave (rS) in the epicardial lead over an infarct was mentioned. Sodi-Pallares and his colleagues (3), in ingenious experimental studies, attempted to relate pathways of ventricular activation to findings in vector­ cardiograms. This was done by determining the locations of maximal posi­ tivity and negativity on the epicardial surface of the ventricles at a number of instants of time during excitation. These they designated as the apparent maximal potential gradients and, when represented by vectors, made it possible to construct vectorcardiograms in the three usual planes. These vectorcardiograms were compared with vector figures recorded by the use of the cube system of electrode placement, and agreement was sufficiently close to justify the conclusion that vectorcardiograms give valuable in-

Acoustical Characteristics of Underwater Jet-Edge Systems

It has been shown that underwater whistles, of a type wherein a fiat jet is projected on a sharp edge, may be very effective for certain purposes. Nevertheless, workers have been discouraged from further exploitation of these devices by the complicated nature of their characteristics. As one varies the parameters of such a whistle, its output may vary rapidly in frequency and amplitude, the generator jumping from one mode of oscillations to another in a seemingly chaotic fashion. In hopes of finding some regularity in this behavior a study has been made of the output spectrum of a reed-type whistle as a function of its parameters. It is found that, at least, some aspects of its characteristics may be understood surprisingly well if one compares the whistle sound with the associated edge tone, obtained by replacing the thin blade normally used with a heavy, rigid nonvibrating wedge. Characteristic “resonance” effects take place as the frequency of an edge tone stage nears a natural frequency of the blade, the sequence of events being very similar to results for jet-edge-resonator whistles in air.

THE BIOELECTRIC POTENTIAL OF SEEDS AS A FUNCTION OF GROWTH AND OF X-RAY DOSAGE

When a cell is subjected to x-radiation, small islands of chemical change are produced in the region where energy quanta are absorbed. Because radiation penetrates more or less uniformly all parts of small living systems, these islands are produced probably in all the cell parts (membranes, cytoplasm, nuclei and chromosomes). Thus in an organic system that is complex to start with, many different kinds of molecules are destroyed and likewise many new ones come into existence in a chaotic fashion. These changes produce disorganization in either functional or control activities of the cells, or in both. Experimental observations (4) show that generally functional activity is not easily affected by radiation because of the continuous supply of new material through nutrition. Such processes as respiration, metabolism, and enzymatic activity were found to be little influenced by radiation. Dale (4) has shown that only very large doses reduce the activity of enzymes. This reduction can have little importance in tissue unless the sources of enzymes are inactivated. The exact origin of bioelectric potentials is still open to question although a great deal of work has been done to determine the cause and the seat of the electrical asymmetry responsible for the e.m.f. (5, 6). However, it is recognized that in all biological systems there are a great number of phase boundaries with resulting differences of potential. There undoubtedly are many membrane potentials created by a difference of concentration of the electrolyte on the two sides of each membrane. The islands of ionization produced by the passage of x-rays through biological materials together with the chemical changes caused thereby are bound to affect the bioelectric potentials under any plausible theory of the origin of these potentials. The object of these experiments is to measure the bioelectric potentials of seeds as a function of growth and of x-ray dosage.