106 research outputs found
Cryptodrassus platnicki Sankaran & Caleb & Sebastian 2020, comb. nov.
No full textCryptodrassus platnicki (Gajbe, 1987) comb. nov. Drassyllus platnicki Gajbe, 1987: 289, figs 1–5. Type material Holotype (not examined) INDIA • ♀; Maharashtra, Nagpur, Kachari Sawanga village / Kachari (sa) village; 21°11′41.53″ N, 78°39′12.05″ E; 448 m a.s.l.; 5 Mar. 1984; U.A. Gajbe leg.; NZC-ZSI, Kolkata 5144/18. Justification of the transfer Even though we did not examine the type of D. platnicki, which may either be lost or misplaced somewhere in the collection, this species agrees with Cryptodrassus spp. in generic features such as obliquely placed, large, contiguous PMEs, cheliceral promargin with three and retromargin with single tooth and epigyne with anteriorly placed atrium. All these indicate that this species in fact belongs to Cryptodrassus. The structure of vulvae of this species looks closely similar to the vulvae of C. khajuriai comb. nov., suggesting a possible synonymy of the former species with the latter one (compare Figs 1 C–D, 2C–D with Gajbe 1987: figs 3–4); however, confirmation requires the examination of the type or topotype materials of C. platnicki comb. nov. Remarks We were unable to find the type of D. platnicki in the arachnid collection of ZSI, even though the author claimed that the type was deposited here (Gajbe 1987).Published as part of Sankaran, Pradeep M., Caleb, John T. D. & Sebastian, Pothalil A., 2020, On the taxonomic validity of Indian ground spiders: II. Genera Drassyllus Chamberlin, 1922 and Nodocion Chamberlin, 1922 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), pp. 1-14 in European Journal of Taxonomy 673 on pages 7-8, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.673, http://zenodo.org/record/390834
Honour and recognition in the German novel of banditry ca 1800
No full textThis article performs a reading informed by Honneth’s theory of recognition of the two best-known German novels of banditry of the 1790s, Johann Heinrich Zschokke’s Abaellino der große Bandit (1794) and Christian August Vulpius’ Rinaldo Rinaldini (1799) in an effort to understand how popular literature participates in and reflects upon the discourse on honour and recognition around 1800. Its status as popular genre makes the novel of banditry (Räuberroman) a potentially interesting source on shifts in the theory and practice of honour as experienced by ordinary Europeans at the turn of the 19th century. The genre was found to relate to the honour discourse not directly, but in the manner of a heterotopia, simultaneously located outside that discourse and referentially connected to it. Taken in isolation, the novel of banditry is not an informative source on the changing role of honour and new patterns of intersubjective recognition in late 18th century Europe. Seen as part of a particular constellation of textual production and reception, however, the genre sheds light on the aporias of honour experienced by those socially marginal ‘new readers’ intent on exploiting literature in the struggle for enhanced social recognition.Peer reviewe
Oedignatha adhartali Sankaran & Caleb & Sebastian 2019, comb. nov.
No full text<i>Oedignatha adhartali</i> (Gajbe, 2003) comb. nov. <p> <i>Castianeira adhartali</i> Gajbe, 2003: 1035, figs 1–4 (♂ ♀).</p> <p> <b>Type material.</b> Holotype ♀ and allotype ♂ from INDIA: Madhya Pradesh: Jabalpur: Adhartal (23°11’57.24’’N, 79°56’39.08’’E), 399 m a.s.l., leg. Pawan Gajbe; 5 October 1997; repository NZC-ZSI, not examined.</p> <p> <b>Remarks.</b> We were unable to find the types of <i>C</i>. <i>adhartali</i> in the arachnid collection of ZSI, even though the author claimed that the types were deposited here (Gajbe 2003).</p> <p> This species was described on the basis of male and female specimens (Gajbe 2003). Although we did not examine the types of <i>C</i>. <i>adhartali</i>, which were presumably not deposited in ZSI, the illustrations of this species available in the original description are useful, at least to confirm its misplacement in <i>Castianeira</i> and to support its inclusion in the liocranid genus <i>Oedignatha</i> Thorell, 1881. Its pedipalp is clearly not pear-shaped with an apically oriented embolus and without accessory sclerites, as in all castianeirines. Instead, the pedipalp of <i>C</i>. <i>adhartali</i> has a medially placed, nearly globular tegulum with multiple sclerites, as seen in the case of <i>Oedignatha</i> species (cf. Gajbe 2003: fig. 4 and Deeleman-Reinhold 2001: figs 353, 357, 365, 367, 371). The epigyne is also similar to other <i>Oedignatha</i> species (cf. Gajbe 2003: fig. 3 and Fig. 3 C–D). Based on these observations, we consider the transfer of <i>C</i>. <i>adhartali</i> to <i>Oedignatha</i> fully justified.</p>Published as part of <i>Sankaran, Pradeep M., Caleb, John T. D. & Sebastian, Pothalil A., 2019, New synonymies and transfers in Castianeira Keyserling, 1879 (Araneae, Corinnidae, Castianeirinae) from India, pp. 331-340 in Zootaxa 4623 (2)</i> on page 334, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4623.2.7, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/3255491">http://zenodo.org/record/3255491</a>
The life and works of James Miller, 1704-1744, with particular reference to the satiric content of his poetry and plays.
No full textPhDJames Miller was born the son of a Dorset rector in 1704. He
was himself ordained, but acquired no benefice until just before his
early death, probably because of a scathing portrayal of the Bishop
of London in one of his verse satires. At Oxford he wrote a vivacious
comedy of humours, set in the University. Its production in 1730
began his dramatic career, at a time when the number of London
theatres had just doubled, and new dramatic forms were being invented.
In 1731 his poem Harlequin-Horace, a witty inversion of
the Ars Poetica, attacked pantomime and opera, but also painted a
lively portrait of the entire theatrical world, in the tradition of
the Dunciad.
After collaborating in a translation of Moliere's works Miller
wrote two plays based on this author. Of all his dramatic works
these were the most successful with his contemporaries, and were
followed by a modernisation of Much Ado, and a ballad-opera adapted
from an afterpiece by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, and rendered highly
topical. Miller made similar use of a recent French comedy showing
a Red Indian's reactions to civilisation, a satiric "fable" by Walsh
and Voltaire's Mahomet. A large quantity of original material was
incorporated into most of these, and this is generally satirical in
nature. The Indian is made to voice almost egalitarian sentiments.
An afterpiece, "The Camp Visitants", satirised military inaction
in the war, and was apparently banned. The manuscripts of the six
plays produced after the Licensing Act bear the examiner's deletions,
and illustrate the nature of the censorship at this time.
Miller's greatest strength is probably his flexible, vigorously
colloquial dialogue. His political satire is mostly contained in
the poetry, which attacks Walpole's administration with increasing
vehemence through the seventeen-thirties, until its fall. In 1740
two poems that used Pope in symbolic contrast to Walpole caused a
sensation. In both poetry and plays Miller is also a social satirist,
who lays unusually strong emphasis on false taste and the deterioration
of culture
The clergy of the deaneries of Rochester and mailing in the diocese of Rochester, c. 1770 – 1870
No full textThis is a study of the concerns and life - style of the clergy of the established Church in two Kent Deaneries throughout the hundred year period, 1770 -1870. How far, it is considered, were episcopal hopes, which were expressed in the Charges of Bishop and Archdeacon, fulfilled in the parishes, especially in the matters of residence and education. The extent of non-residence is deduced from. such evidence as is available for the earlier part of the period and after 1830 from Visitation and other returns. The provision of Sunday Schools is used as an example of clerical response to a diocesan policy in the field of education. The exercise of patronage, residence, plurality, the length ofincumbencies, the employment of curates and their prospects, are looked at throughout the period. The provision of new churches, agrarian unrest, tithe and clerical emoluments, church rate, relationship with dissent, worship provision , the visitation process, the clergyman's role in society, the differing demands of town ministry and rural ministry are examined as events bring them to the fore . The priorities of successive bishops are noted and the lives of sample clergymen are taken for each period, both to flesh-out the statistics and to illustrate the evolving pattern of ministry
Comparative phylogeography of six Highland Ethiopian passerines in the eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot
No full textTopographically complex montane regions in the tropics harbor high biodiversity and drive diversification. Located within the East Africa Biodiversity Hotspot, the Ethiopian Highlands are one such montane region of high species diversity but disproportionately undescribed genetic diversity. Montane habitats of the Ethiopian Highlands are divided by lowland barriers including the Blue Nile Valley (BNV) and Great Rift Valley (GRV). These lowland barriers have shaped phylogeographic patterns in sedentary taxa like frogs and rodents but the relative effects of the GRV and BNV have not been assessed in dispersive taxa such as birds. We used whole genome resequencing data from six codistributed highland songbirds to assess comparative patterns of phylogeographic structure in our focal species and how those compare to patterns in other taxonomic groups. Generally, we found that populations separated by the GRV are more differentiated than populations separated by the BNV, but also that species appeared to respond idiosyncratically. The phylogeographic structure found in these taxa have similarities and differences with previous work in frogs and rodents, but overall, no single pattern is consistent across taxonomic groups. Within taxa, genetic diversity was broadly consistent across localities and was explained by harmonic mean NE through time, although there were noticeable reductions in one population each of two species. Here, we showed that highland topography impacts the diversification of even the most dispersive Ethiopian taxa by quantifying population genetic variation of six avian species in the East Africa Biodiversity Hotspot.Embargo status: Restricted until 06/2024. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link
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Fine-scale spatial variation shape fecal microbiome diversity and composition in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus)
No full textHost-associated gut microbiota is important in understanding the coevolution of host-microbe, its causes, and consequences that may help the wildlife population to adapt to its rapid climatic changes. Mammalian gut microbiota composition and diversity may be affected by a variety of factors including geographic variation, seasonal variation in diet, habitat disturbance, environmental conditions, age, and sex. However, there have been few studies that have examined how ecological and environmental factors influence gut microbiota composition in animals' natural environments. In this study, we explore how host habitat, geographical location, and environmental factors affect the fecal microbiota of Cynomys ludovicianus at a small spatial scale. We collected fecal samples from five geographically distinct locations in Texas Panhandle occupying habitats classified as urban and rural areas using high throughput 16S gene amplicon sequencing. The results showed that the microbiota of fecal samples was largely dominated by phylum Bacteroidetes. Fecal microbiome diversity and composition differed significantly across sampling sites and habitats. Prairie dogs inhabiting urban areas showed reduced fecal diversity due to a more homogenous environment and anthropogenic disturbance. Urban prairie dog colonies displayed greater phylogenetic variation than those in rural habitats. Differentially abundant analysis revealed that bacterial species pathogenic to humans and animals were highly abundant in urban areas which indicates that host health and fitness might be negatively affected. The random forest model identified Alistipes shahii as the important species driving the changes in fecal microbiome composition. Despite the effects of habitat and geographic location of the host, we found a strong correlation with environmental factors- the average maximum temperature was the best predictor of prairie dog fecal microbial diversity. Our findings suggest that reduction in alpha diversity in conjunction with greater dispersion in beta diversity could be indicative of declining host health in urban areas which could help determine future conservation efforts. Moreover, several bacterial species pathogenic to humans and other animals detected highly abundant in urban areas may adversely affect host phenotype and fitness.Embargo status: Restricted until 09/2023. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link to the left
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Shooting Spitballs at Tanks: Some Thoughts on the Limits of Open Access
No full textThe gold model of open access, in which an author/sponsoring institution must pay an Article Processing Charge (“APC”) is merely another instance of the neoliberalization of the university. However, this can be combatted by an expansion of the role of the library in the university, as well as wider agitation beyond it
Wordsworth and death
No full textWordsworth is known as the poet of joy and hope, and to associate his name with death may seem at first strange. Yet, according to his own estimation, he was the poet not simply of joy but of “the very heart of man," of "human kind, and what we are”, of "men as they are men within themselves." Any vision of human nature which does not take into account the facts of mortality and bereavement is blinkered and inevitably inadequate and Wordsworth was committed to clarity of perception and the fullest insights of the Imagination. He did not shy away from the implications of “our mortal Nature”; throughout his career, he sought to portray in poetry the place of death in human life.
Two basic ways of understanding mortality are considered in this thesis: the first is death as disjunction, extinction, the end; the second is death as part of a larger continuity, a threshold, a stage. The conflict between these two visions was fundamental to Wordsworth's thought, and writing. Isolation and despair were the corollaries of the first vision, while the capacity for love and hope which was essential to the life of the human spirit was nurtured and made possible by the second. Wordsworth wrestled in his writings with the effects of these different visions of death on the complexities of human nature.
The thesis has been divided into three main parts. Section I - Death in Wordsworth's Time - seeks to place the poet into a historical context. Section II - Death in Wordsworth' Life - is concerned with Wordsworth's personal experiences of loss and feelings about his own mortality, And in Section III - Death in Wordsworth's Poetry - what he had to say about death is considered in relation to some of the other major themes in his poetry
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