29,904 research outputs found
Storm Response of Fluvial Sedimentary Microplastics
Full text linkUp to 80% of the plastics in the oceans are believed to have been transferred from river networks. Microplastic contamination of river sediments has been found to be pervasive at the global scale and responsive to periods of flooding. However, the physical controls governing the storage, remobilization and pathways of transfer in fluvial sediments are unknown. This means it is not currently possible to determine the risks posed by microplastics retained within the world’s river systems. This problem will be further exacerbated in the future given projected changes to global flood risk and an increased likelihood of fluvial flooding.Using controlled flume experiments we show that the evolution of the sediment bed surface and the flood wave characteristics controls the transition from rivers being ‘sinks’ to ‘sources’ of microplastics under flood conditions. By linking bed surface evolution with microplastic transport characteristics we show that similarities exist between granular transport phenomena and the behavior, and hence predictability, of microplastic entrainment during floods. Our findings are significant as they suggest that microplastic release from sediment beds can be managed by altering the timing and magnitude of releases in flow managed systems. As such it may be possible to remediate or remove legacy microplastics in future. <br/
Riverine microplastics: Behaviour, spatio-temporal variability, and recommendations for standardised sampling and monitoring
Full text linkMicroplastics (synthetic polymer particles <5 mm in size) are currently of major research interest due to their ubiquity and persistence in the environment, as well as their alleged adverse impact on aquatic biota. Although most research to date has targeted microplastic pollution within the marine environment, riverine pathways deliver up to 80 % of plastic debris into the seas and oceans. The transfer mechanisms of microplastics through river systems, however, remain largely understudied. A number of authors have attempted to assess the fate of plastic particles in river systems, often reporting contrasting findings. This is mainly due to the heterogeneity of river systems combined with a lack of standardisation between the sampling protocols adopted. Here, we summarise the current state of knowledge on the riverine transport pathways of plastic debris and examine the typical spatio-temporal patterns in microplastic occurrence in river waters and sediments. Furthermore, we critically evaluate the commonly used sampling techniques and provide guidelines for unified field study design. Lastly, we identify issues that warrant further research and propose recommendations for future studies to improve our understanding of microplastics in the riverine environment. Standardisation of sampling methods will be vital for the development of a more reliable microplastic monitoring strategy and, on a longer timescale, the implementation of appropriate mitigation measures
Engraved portrait of James Nayler (1618–1660)
No full textEngraved portrait of James Nayler (1618-1660) by Robert Grave (1768-1825). Inscribed, 'Born at Ardesloe, near Wakefield, in Yorkshire. Was an Independent and served Quarter Master in ye Parliament Army, about the Year 1641. turn'd Quaker in 1651. Punish'd as a Blasphemer 1656. Author of many Books & Dyed at Holm in Huntingtonshire 1660. Aged 44.
Spatio-temporal trends in microplastic presence in the sediments of the River Thames catchment (UK)
Full text linkThis study investigated the spatio-temporal variability of microplastics (MPs) in the sediments of the River Thames (UK) catchment over 30 months (July 2019 – Dec 2021). The average MP concentration was 61 items kg−1 d.w., with fragments <1 mm being dominant and polyethylene (PE) the most common polymer. Adjacent land use influenced MP concentrations and types, with industrial sites showing particularly high levels and a prevalence of small beads and industrial polymers. MP concentrations generally decreased after higher winter flows, likely due to sediment rearrangement or winnowing. This study describes the seasonal concentrations and characteristics of MPs present in sediment from the River Thames catchment, and attempts to identify their likely origin. Further, the study provides new insights into the mobility and fate of MPs in riverine settings under varying flow conditions, which is vital given the predicted increases in flooding under various global heating scenarios
Polyphony and the anxiety of influence in the fiction of Henry James
Full text linkJames's fiction, especially in the Middle Phase, centres
on the figure of the artist and is characterized by, the two
interrelated aspects which previous criticism has largely
overlooked: the Bakhtinian 'polyphonic' -creation of
'author-thinkers'; and the conflict between ephebes and
precursors, for which Harold-Bloom's concept of 'the-anxiety of
influence' is the most illuminating model. Polyphony is the
narrative mode, and influence is the intra-artistic, theme.
These, as the Introduction to the thesis makes clear, are
rehearsed in James's inaugural novel, Roderick Hudson. Rowland
Mallet is an author-thinker, and his failure is caused by
authorial limitations. His monologism -is impaired by his
mistaking empathy for the authorial sympathy. Likewise,
Hudson's failure does not arise from a mercurial temperament,
but from a polyphonic shortcoming: not possessing the power of
fiction to contain the fiction of power in, his mentor. And the
relationships among the three artists - Gloriani, Hudson and
Singleton - perfectly exemplify the Bloomian-theme. It is these
two concepts, polyphony and influence, which are the major
preoccupation in the Middle Phase; as, the works chosen
demonstrate. These are a novella, a novel, and a number of
short stories all of which have been unjustifiably neglected.
Chapter One, on The Aspern Papers, argues that Tina Bordereau,
far from being, the artless victim seen by many critics,
actually challenges and defeats the narrator by the very form
of her narrative. Her 'realist' discourse undermines his
language of 'romance', and shows up its internal unstability.
Chapter Two is an extensive study of the critical reception of
The Tragic Muse. The most common areas of critical attention
have been its contemporary topicality, its relation to previous
novels on similar themes, and the possible genealogy of Gabriel
Nash. Those have all missed the core of the work. - Chapter Three
demonstrates how polyphony and the anxiety of influence make
the novel what it really is. Influence arises from the
juxtaposition of, and the wrestling between, artistic ephebes
and their precursors (Nick and Nash,, Miriam and Madame Carre).
The dialogic quality defined by Bakhtin is crucial to the
proper, and even-handed, characterization of all, the conflicts
in the novel. And since most of James's tales in the eighties
and nineties -are about 'masters - and acolytes, the anxiety of
influence remains central. Chapter Four is a study of 'The
Author of Beltraffiol' and 'The Lesson of the Master'. Again the
characters' manipulations are a crucial focus in a way that
G6rard Genette's terminology helps to illuminate. The fact that
the ephebe is the author-thinker emphasizes the inextricability
of the Bakhtinian and the Bloomian in James. Just as
polyphony offers a different focus for explicating the poetics
of James's fiction; so the ephebal conflict provides the basis
for a fresh perception of James's own artistic struggle
Dr. James Gillam, Spelman College, September 2011
No full textThis video is a conversation with Dr. James Gillam. Dr. Gillam talks about his book, "Life and Death in the Central Highlands: An American Sergeant in the Vietnam War 1968-1970". Daniel Le, AUC Woodruff Library, is the interviewer
James Bond: international man of gastronomy
No full textThis article is concerned with the representation of food and drink in Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. In particular, it examines how the author uses Bond’s culinary knowledge and habits of consumption as an important constituent of his hero’s character. Similarly, the food choices of other characters, notably villains, are shown to be linked, by Fleming, to core aspects of their identity − principally their ethnicity. Bond’s impulse to observe and classify, very much in evidence in the novels’ food sequences, is examined in terms of the texts’ construction of Bond as a skilled identifier of signs
A Tripartite Post-Recession Rebalancing
No full textIn this latest Advance & Rutgers Report, entitled “A Tripartite Post-Recession Rebalancing,” Dean James W. Hughes and Professor Joseph J. Seneca deliver an incisive assessment of the current market conditions and obstacles in the path of our economic recovery. They offer a statistical cautionary tale that the private and public sector need to hear and acknowledge in order for the economy to make continued progress.This report was published as Issue Paper Number 7, November 2011, in Advance & Rutgers Report
Seumas O'Kelly and James Stephens
No full textSO: Ben-Merre, Diana A. (ed.); Murphy, Maureen (ed.). 1989. James Joyce and His Contemporaries. (pp. 155-159). Westport, CT: Greenwood, xii, 188 pp.Source type: Print(0
A critical comparison of William James and Søren Kierkegaard on religious belief
No full textThis thesis is a critical comparison of the accounts of religious belief proposed byWilliam James and Søren Kierkegaard. Both James and Kierkegaard greatly emphasizethe subjective aspects of religious belief. In view of this fact, surprisingly littlecomparative work has been done in this area. I contribute to this literature in two ways.Firstly, I make a brief assessment of what James knew of Kierkegaard’s work.Secondly, I draw four comparisons between Kierkegaard and James. In Chapter One Iexamine the claim that Kierkegaard proposes a pragmatist account of faith of the kindthat James sets out in his essay The Will To Believe. I argue that this claim rests on amisunderstanding of Kierkegaard’s argument that to have faith is to take a risk. In thefollowing chapter I discuss James’s and Kierkegaard’s views on formal proofs for theexistence of God. Both philosophers reject the notion that faith can be based on suchproofs. I distinguish between their positions, and argue in favour of Kierkegaard’s. Inthe third chapter I compare Kierkegaard’s and James’s accounts of religious experience.James views religious experiences as a special kind of evidence for the existence ofGod. For Kierkegaard it is a mistake to view religious experiences as evidence. Suchexperiences should be understood in relation to the concept of religious authority. In thefinal chapter I examine Kierkegaard’s conception of faith as a life-view. I argue that forKierkegaard a life-view is a fundamental perspective on one’s existence. I compare thisconception with James’s concept of philosophical temperament and in relation to hisdiscussion of the sick soul
- …
