556 research outputs found
Medieval conceptions of reason and the modes of thought in Piers Plowman
No full textThis thesis is an attempt to shed light on the related questions of how we should read Piers Plowman and of what kind of book its author was trying to write. In the first chapter it is argued that feminine line-endings are an important feature of Langland's metre, and consideration is given to how they affect our reading of the verse. It is suggested that the verse demands a slow and meditative reading, and that Langland's text emerges as a list of items not easily related to each other; the reader is challenged to work out connexions and thus in a sense to compose his own poem. The second chapter is an examination of the medieval conceptions and modes of thought that are associated with the word "reson". The term "reasonable" is later used to refer to these. In the last part of the chapter it is argued that Langland's aim is to make his readers seek salvation, and that he is aware of certain difficulties with the traditional, "reasonable" approaches of other moralists. His own book is "unreasonable"; its mixture of modes of thought, and hence of the thought-worlds they project, makes narrative consistency and definiteness of argument impossible. In the rest of the thesis some of the juxtapositions between modes of thought are examined. The. third chapter deals with "positive” juxtapositions, which create in the reader's mind a sense of satisfying, but nevertheless "unreasonable", illumination; the speech of Wit and the vision of the Passion and Crucifixion are discussed in detail. The fourth chapter deals with "negative" juxtapositions, which provoke a sense of bewilderment and dissatisfaction; discussion centres on Ymaginatiyf's speech in the C text, Need's speech, and the confessions of the Seven Deadly Sins
Deception and Britain's road to war in Iraq
No full textEver since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, there has been a widely shared public perception in the UK and beyond that the British government lied in making the case for war. One major theme has been the view that the Blair government lied about the strength of the intelligence about alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the extent of the WMD capabilities claimed by that intelligence. A second theme that has received less attention has been the view that the Blair government lied in claiming that its actions at the United Nations (UN) were aimed at securing peaceful Iraqi compliance with its disarmament obligations. Instead, most think that the UK was actually committed to a policy of regime change by force and did not want the ‘UN route’ to produce a peaceful outcome. The article argues that the conceptual focus of the discussion needs to be broadened from lying to also considering deception by omission and deception by distortion as part of a campaign of organized political persuasion. It argues that, on the WMD intelligence, it is now apparent that a campaign of deceptive organized political persuasion was conducted by UK officials. With respect to the UN route, there is mounting evidence that the Blair government ran a campaign of deception on this issue as well to pave Britain’s road to war in Iraq
Producing Piers Plowman to 1475: author, scribe, and reader
No full textMy doctoral thesis, "Producing Piers Plowman to 1475: Author, Scribe, and Reader," charts a new material history of William Langland's fourteenth-century dream vision, Piers Plowman, from its earliest composition to the onset of print in England. The study is divided into three sections, which examine the production of Piers from three perspectives: textual history, manuscript circulation, and medieval reception. The first section of the thesis conducts a study of Langland's revisionary process, presenting a new theory of authorial revision from the A to B version that has important implications for our understanding of authorship in Piers Plowman and for the future editing of the poem. The second section transitions into an examination of the early circulation of the Piers manuscripts in various geographical and social milieux. It examines two case studies of manuscript circulation in the Southwest Midlands and East Anglia, linking them to regionalized networks of scribes and patrons. Finally, Section III moves into a discussion of the literary contexts in which Piers circulates, particularly in multi-text manuscripts, examining how the poemâs reception by a medieval audience affected its development as a literary text. This section treats production from a more theoretical standpoint, investigating the relationship between the poem's audience and the "production" of meaning in a social and historical context. As I will argue, each of these sections acts as an important frame of reference for understanding the multifaceted formation of Piers Plowman as a literary text and cultural landmark. In particular, the thesis emphasizes the importance of Piers's various contexts, from its textual genesis in the author's composition and revision to its circulation and reception in an unstable manuscript culture. It suggests that the people and the places that surrounded Piers Plowman in its early development fundamentally shaped the poem we have today.</p
Performance Evaluation of LS-SVR Model in Predicting Scour Depth in Bridge Piers
No full textIn this research work, two machine learning models including Least Squares Support Vector Machines (LS-SVR) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) were used to predict the scour depth around the bridge piers. For this purpose, 240 data series including pier geometry, flow condition, sediment characteristics, and some dimensional parameters were used. Dimensional and no dimensional parameters were considered. The performance of the models was evaluated using root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) criteria. The results showed that in both models, the use of dimensional parameters for prediction leads to high prediction accuracy. The comparison between the models also showed that the LS-SVR algorithm with the criteria RMSE=46.84, MAPE=38.03, NSE=0.62 for the test data of the first model and RMSE=28.62, MAPE=38.97, NSE=0.67 for the test data results of the second pattern are more accurate than the ANFIS algorithm. This research indicates that machine learning models are a suitable alternative to empirical models in predicting scour depth of bridge piers
Lateral strength Of urm piers: comparison between codified criteria and in-plane test results
No full textThe lateral resistance represents one of the most significant wall parameters to be used in the seismic analyses for the design/assessment of masonry buildings. In this article, an investigation on in-plane lateral strength of URM piers has been proposed thorough a comparison between the results from codified criteria and the outcomes of several experimental in-plane cyclic tests on masonry walls. In this context, a new database collecting the results of in-plane cyclic tests on unreinforced masonry piers, carried out within different research projects, has been devel-oped. The database consists of walls with bricks and blocks with different masonry materials (clay, lightweight aerated concrete, AAC, calcium silicate), bed-and head-joint typologies, di-mensions, boundary conditions, vertical applied loads and horizontal loading history. This source of information of consistent and reliable test results represents a necessary step into the process of definition of shared rules in the European context.Accepted Author ManuscriptApplied Mechanic
Effects of Piers on Water Recession on the Southern Shores of Winam Gulf, Homa- Bay County, Kenya
No full textPiers are important man-made water vessel landing facilities in lakes and seas. A study on the effects of piers on water recession was conducted on the Southern shores of Winam Gulf of lake Victoria, Homa Bay County in Kenya. It was conducted in three pier points namely Kendu Bay, Kowour/Homa Lime and Homa Bay. The study aimed at explaining a phenomenon whereby the Western side of the piers on the Southern shores of the gulf, having more water recession than on their Eastern side. This unique phenomenon has not been sufficiently researched on hence, instigated the research. It collected data on the length of recession at the sides of the piers, directions of water currents flow based on devised simple current simulator and empirical studies. Google map and Landsat map techniques were used for aerial data collection. Ground truthing was carried out to corroborate the findings of the aerial data based on physical ground measurement and observation. The result had it that the sides of the piers facing currents directly were more recessed than the opposite sides. Homa Bay pier had its Western side 38m shorter than the Eastern side which had only receded 2m. Kowuor/Homa Lime pier had its Northern side 32m more recessed than the Southern side. The drenching works at Kendu Bay pier at the time of study, made it impossible to accurately measure its sides under recession. However, it showed the same trend based on Landsat and Google maps data. The data were presented using photographs, ‘current rose,’ maps and diagrams
Modification of nektonic fish distribution by piers and pile fields in an urban estuary
No full textLarge urban piers degrade habitat value for several estuarine benthic fish species by shading, but their effects on mobile nektonic species is less well understood due to sampling challenges. Dual Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) allowed equal access to sampling in the water column of structured shaded and unshaded vs. open environments in both dark and light conditions by methods similar to video but without light. Sampling (n = 228, 5-minute transects) occurred under and around four large municipal piers of varying dimensions in the Hudson River estuary during day and night from summer and fall in 2007 - 2009. The distribution of small (5 - 25 cm in length) and large (25 – 850 cm) fishes were analyzed separately in recognition of functional guild differences. Small fishes occupied open water, shaded under-pier, and un-decked relict piling habitats, but were significantly more abundant during the day in open unshaded water than under adjacent piers or in piling habitats.. Small fish occurred under 3 of 4 piers of varying size and configuration at 10 - 20% of the median abundances of adjacent open water. However, while schools were rare under piers they could be very large, so that abundance greatly exceeded mean open water abundance variance so as to preclude confidence in differences among piers. The differences among habitats was not significant at night, and the difference among piers was also not significant at night. School membership for small fish appeared to mitigate adverse effects of shading and may influence scaling of their response to shading and could therefore influence pier design. Large (>25 cm) predatory fish were uncommon but responded similarly to habitat effects as did small fish. Habitats did not segregate fish by guild as small forage fish co-occurred in 65.8% of samples with large piscivores. Studies that provide species-specific and mechanistic interpretation of dynamic habitat use as well as further quantification of scaling effects could improve our understanding of how fishes respond to piers and other structures on urban shorelines.Peer reviewed
The Life and Character of the Author of The Vision of Piers Plowman
No full textThe fourteenth century poem known as the Vision of Piers Flowman is recognized by scholars as one of the most important works of medieval literature. It is often considered as a complement to the panoramic picture of fourteenth century social life drawn by the author of the Canterbury Tales. Its popularity is indicated by the existence of no less than sixty manuscripts containing three different versions that have been named the A, B, and C text respectively. Studies of the texts, their meaning, and their author have been made for their usefulness in se- curing a picture of the age. Evidence, internal and external, has been advanced as proof that the author was, variously, this man or that. But no attempt has been made to synthesize these findings with a view to producing a biography of the author of this important work
Evaluation of Timber Pile Supported Marine Piers
No full textRiver piers were constructed during the later part of 19th and early part of 20th centuries to handle increased marine freight traffic in the coastal regions of the United States. The sub-structure of these piers, commonly referred to as “finger-piers”, was usually constructed with a timber deck relieving- platform supported by timber piles. These platforms were used to support either earth-fill and/or concrete arch supports, which in turn provided structural support for the main floor. Most of the piers also had superstructures, usually truss-supported roof with columns, and a railroad siding. Many existing piers on the Delaware River in Philadelphia and the Hudson River in New York harbor are examples of this kind of piers. These piers are now being increasingly refurbished as site for new uses including condominiums, storage warehouses, cruise terminals and other waterfront developments. These new uses require evaluation of the available structural and soil load capacity of existing foundations. Additionally, a number of historical monuments are supported on timber piles. Current load capacity of these piles also is of interest to the engineers. For the study presented herein, the laboratory testing program consisted of strength tests on specimens sawed from full size pile segments submerged in river water for about 100 years. Tests consisted of compression parallel to grain, compression perpendicular to grain and radial specimen. For comparison, tests were also conducted on new pile specimens. Additionally, deck and pile core samples were also tested. The specimens were prepared and tested in accordance with the provisions of ASTM D 143-52 for small clear timber specimens. Significant strength and modulus of elasticity losses were observed. This paper summarizes the methodology of a comprehensive investigation of evaluating current condition of existing Piers, structural strength and soil capacity of pier piles, typical results and experience of the author in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area
In-plane drift capacity at near collapse of rocking unreinforced calcium silicate and clay masonry piers
No full textIn recent years, seismic assessment of existing unreinforced masonry (URM) structures is being increasingly based on nonlinear methods. The in-plane displacement capacity represents one of the most crucial yet still debated features of the nonlinear behaviour of URM piers. International codes often employ empirical models to estimate the pier ultimate drift. These models usually depends on the failure mode (flexure or shear) and on the properties of the pier (such as geometry, material properties, boundary or loading conditions). The present work focuses on the displacement capacity of Dutch masonry piers, or walls comparable to those, failing after the activation of a rocking mechanism. As a consequence, a dataset of 38 quasi-static tests on URM piers representative of the Dutch masonry is constructed and statistically analysed. The dataset, that includes also new laboratory tests recently performed at Delft University of Technology, consists of both calcium silicate and clay brick masonry piers characterised by low axial compressive loads and limited thickness. The displacement capacity of calcium silicate masonry is of special interest because it was not investigated in the past as extensively as for clay brick masonry. The analysis of the dataset highlights the influence of axial load ratio, aspect ratio and pier height on the drift capacity of Dutch rocking URM piers, whereas the other parameters do not appear to have a remarkable impact. Subsequently, a new empirical equation is derived and calibrated against the dataset. The accuracy of the proposed equation is assessed by comparing it to empirical models recommended in international standards and in the literature. For the considered dataset, representative of Dutch rocking URM piers, the proposed equation improves the accuracy of the predictions and fairly reproduces the dependence of the experimental drift capacity on the principal wall parameters.Applied MechanicsStructural Design & Mechanic
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