Arthur and the grail stories appeared in this French prose cycle together for the first time; scholars explore its social, historical, literary and manuscript contexts and account for its enduring interest. The early thirteenth-century French prose Lancelot-Grail Cycle (or Vulgate Cycle) brings together the stories of Arthur with those of the Grail, a conjunction of materials that continues to fascinate the Western imagination today. Representing what is probably the earliest large-scale use of prose for fiction in the West, it also exemplifies the taste for big cyclic compositions that shaped much of European narrative fiction for three centuries. A Companion to the Lancelot-Grail Cycle is the first comprehensive volume devoted exclusively to the Lancelot-Grail Cycle and its medieval legacy. The twenty essays in this volume, all by internationally known scholars, locate the work in its social, historical, literary, and manuscript contexts. In addition to addressing critical issues in the five texts that make up the Cycle, the contributors convey to modern readers the appeal that the text must have had for its medieval audiences, and the richness of composition that made it compelling. This volume will become standard reading for scholars, students, and more general readers interested in the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, medieval romance, Malory studies, and the Arthurian legends. Contributors: RICHARD BARBER, EMMANUELE BAUMGARTNER, FANNI BOGDANOW, FRANK BRANDSMA, MATILDA T. BRUCKNER, CAROL J. CHASE, ANNIE COMBES,HELEN COOPER, CAROL R. DOVER, MICHAEL HARNEY, DONALD L. HOFFMAN, DOUGLAS KELLY, ELSPETH KENNEDY, NORRIS J. LACY, ROGER MIDDLETON, HAQUIRA OSAKABE, HANS-HUGO STEINHOFF, ALISON STONES, RICHARD TRACHSLER. CAROL DOVER is associate professor of French and director of undergraduate studies, Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Articles on comedy in Arthurian romance - French, Dutch, Italian, Scottish and English. The texts analyzed underline the wide dissemination of the Arthurian story in medieval and post-medieval Europe, from Scotland to Italy, while the various analyses of the manifestations of comedy refute the notion of romance as ahumourless genre. Indeed, the comic treatment of conventional themes and motifs appears to be not only characteristic of later romance but an essential element of the genre from its beginnings and from its earliest development. Authors of Arthurian romance, from Chretien de Troyes to Malory, writing in French, Italian, Middle Dutch, and Middle English, and the creators of an Irish prose-tale, all question the fundamental assumptions of romance and romancevalues through the medium of comedy. The theme of comedy in Arthurian romance has been developed from the orignal session at the Arthurian Congress in Toulouse. Contributors: ELIZABETH ARCHIBALD, FRANK BRANDSMA, CHRISTINE FERLAMPIN-ACHER, LINDA GOWANS, DONALD L. HOFFMAN, MARGOLEIN HOGENBIRK, NORRIS J. LACY, MARILYN LAWRENCE, BENEDICTE MILLAND-BOVE, PETER S. NOBLE, KAREN PRATT, ANGELICA RIEGER, ELIZABETH S. SKLAR, FRANCESCO ZAMBON.

PRTs: How Do We Know if They Work? Stability, Security, Transition and Reconstruction (SSTR) programs have become central to the US and NATO efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan and will continue to play a key role in any operational plan effort during the stability operations or the transfer to civil authority phase. Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) are the near unanimous governmental tool of choice for implementing SSTR efforts, yet there is no quantitative way to determine if PRTs are achieving the desired effects or progressing towards the desired objectives. Research has revealed little or no work done towards formalizing effectiveness measures in spite of official direction to accomplish the same. A 2007 General Accountability Office report found the "DOD has taken several steps to improve planning for stability operations, but faces challenges in developing capabilities and measures of effectiveness" and "DOD has made limited progress in developing measures of effectiveness because of weaknesses in DOD's guidance." Undoubtedly, there exists a significant need for MoEs with little being done to address the problem. One could presume the lack of effort stems from personnel being too busy conducting operations to address what is perceived as a secondary tasking.

ACC believes its current methodology for predicting the reliability of its Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) and Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM) stockpiles could be improved. They require a predictive model that delivers the best possible 24-month projection of cruise missile reliability using existing data sources, collection methods and software. It should be easily maintainable and developed to allow a layperson to enter updated data and receive an accurate reliability prediction. The focus of this thesis is to improve upon free flight reliability, although the techniques could also be applied to the captive carry portion of the missile reliability equation. The following steps were taken to ensure maximum accuracy in model results. 1. Add more detail to flight test reliability calculation. 2. Convert the ground test data into a usable form (reduce). 3. Engage in an exercise in feature selection. 4. Develop a Matlab model prototype. 5. Validate the model via problems with known solutions. 6. Apply an appropriate data fusion technique to the different network outputs (logistic regression, feed-forward and radial basis function). 7. Put the model into the form of a usable tool for the end-user. The end product is the ALCM/ACM Reliability Estimation System (AARES), a VBA-based model that meets all user criteria.

The legend of King Arthur has embedded itself in British and American culture. Twentieth century and contemporary America, in particular, has proved to be a rich breeding ground for the Arthurian mythos, not only in films, novels, short stories, and fantasy and science fiction, but in other areas of popular and mass culture as well.

This work is a collection of 19 previously unpublished essays by the authors that demonstrate the great extent to which the Arthurian legend continues to permeate contemporary culture beyond film and literature. The essays cover the Arthurian legend in economics, ethics, education, entertainment, music, fun and games, the Internet, and esoterica.