15,858 research outputs found
An exploration of the outsider's role in selected works by Joseph Conrad, Malcolm Lowry, V.S. Naipaul.
No full textPhDThis thesis explores ways in which the outsider questions rather than confirms
dominant cultural values whilst avoiding the crudity of overt politicisation. I argue
that the outsider's preference for an observer's stance is not so much an act which
denies responsibility to the world of his day, but rather a means of reassessing its
priorities.
In Section One, I discuss Conrad's role as an outsider in the age of Empires. I
demonstrate the ways in which Conrad employs narrators, frequently using strategies
of irony which can be and have been read in very different ways. I argue that Conrad
uses irony as a tool for condemnation rather than condonement of imperialist practice,
if not its ideology.
In Section Two, I discuss Lowry as an emigre from England (so contrasting
him with Conrad, the immigrant from Europe), and examine his dissenting voice
which opposes bourgeois prejudice against the working class, a totalising ideology
like Fascism, and a Western rationalism which sees too rigid a distinction between
sanity and madness. I demonstrate how Lowry as an outsider reacts to the age of
twentieth century World Wars.
In Section Three, I discuss Naipaul's role as an outsider in the age of
decolonisation, when bogus liberals and false redeemers fail to rebuild the newly
independent post-colonial states. As in Conrad's case, I show how a failure to read
Naipaul's ironic tone of voice has given rise to radically divergent views as to what he
is about. I also link Conrad and Naipaul through their cultural negotiation between the
'centre' and its peripheries.
By looking at these three writers in chronological order and offering a
comparative perspective on their work, I highlight the outsider's disturbing, yet
illuminating role within a historical context. I also draw attention to creative tensions
between artistic concerns and a serious political purpose. I assess the outsider as
observer and man of conscience rather than as a` mere onlooker. I conclude that the
outsider also fulfils a social obligation by promoting critical awareness on the reader's
side by means of his defamiliarising perspective
[Letter from Alex Bradford to Lieutenant and Mrs. Ray Starner - November 4, 1940]
No full textLetter from Alex Bradford to Lieutenant and Mrs. Ray Starner describing the the current state of affairs that the author was experiencing, including: the London blitz, the moral of the troops on the ground, and the collective company of men opposing the Nazi regime
The Swift satellite and redshifts of long gamma-ray bursts
No full textUntil 6 October 2005 sixteen redshifts had been measured of long gamma-ray bursts discovered by the Swift satellite. Further 45 redshifts have been measured of the long gamma- ray bursts discovered by other satellites. Here we perform five statistical tests comparing the redshift distributions of these two samples assuming as the null hypothesis an identical distribution for the two samples. Three tests (Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) reject the null hypothesis at significance levels between 97.19 and 98.55%. Two different comparisons of the medians show extreme (99.78 - 99.99994)% significance levels of rejection. This means that the redshifts of the Swift sample and the redshifts of the non-Swift sample are distributed differently - in the Swift sample the redshifts are on average larger. This statistical result suggests that the long GRBs should on average be at the higher redshifts of the Swift sample
The student's guide to completing an author study
No full textThe 'Student's guide to completing an author study' emerged during the early development of the school library resource center program at Glen Stewart Elementary School in Stratford Canada on Prince Edward Island. This research process centered on an author study, with direct teaching and clear assignment. The resulting model has been adapted to various grade levels and subject areas in different schools.Source type: Electronic(1)http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=49237063&Fmt=7&clientId=65345&RQT=309&VName=PQ
Active X-ray optics for the next generation of X-ray space telescopes
No full textDescribed within is the design, manufacture, metrology and X-ray testing of an active X-ray
prototype intended for the next generation of X-ray telescopes. One of the challenges faced by
the X-ray telescope community is how to combine high resolution and high sensitivity into one
system, as weight limitations place constraints on the optics that can be launched. Therefore the
mandate of the active X-ray prototype is to provide high sensitivity through the ability of the optics
to be nested and to deliver high angular resolution through the active control of the optic’s form.
Piezoelectric unimorph actuators provide the active component: it is intended that they will correct
for figure errors within the optic and therefore increase the angular resolution capability.
The prototype’s design is based upon an ellipsoidal segment which provides point-to-point
focussing of an X-ray source. The prototype itself is composed of an electroformed nickel optic
where the non-reflective surface is populated with 30 piezoelectric actuators and it is the production
of the prototype that is the core of the presented research. Metrology of the actuators’ influence
functions is presented and highlight the prototype’s ability to deform its optic surface by microns.
In addition, the measured influence functions are compared against finite element models and a
distinct similarity between the functions is observed.
The prototype was tested at an X-ray beamline facility in November 2008 and the results
showed the prototype’s ability to correct the optic to achieve an improved angular resolution: from
0.786 arc-minutes to 0.686 arc-minutes in terms of full width half maximum. Finally, difficulties
in the manufacture of the prototype and X-ray testing shall be presented alongside future work in
conclusion to this thesis
Author, Geraldine Brooks at the National Library of Australia for the 2009 Ray Mathew Lecture, Canberra, 23 October 2009 [picture] /
No full textTitle from acquisitions documentation.; Part of the collection: Portraits of author, Geraldine Brooks during her visit to the National Library of Australia for the 2009 Ray Mathew Lecture, Canberra, 23 October 2009.; Acquired in digital format; access copy available online.; Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.; Photographed by a staff member of the National Library of Australia
A 2 h periodic variation in the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1
No full textSpectroscopy of the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1 using the Gran Telescopio Canarias have revealed a ?2 h periodic variability that is present in the three strongest emission lines. We tentatively interpret this variability as due to orbital motion, making it the first indication of the orbital period of Ser X-1. Together with the fact that the emission lines are remarkably narrow, but still resolved, we show that a main-sequence K dwarf together with a canonical 1.4 M? neutron star gives a good description of the system. In this scenario, the most likely place for the emission lines to arise is the accretion disc, instead of a localized region in the binary (such as the irradiated surface or the stream-impact point), and their narrowness is due instead to the low inclination (?10°) of Ser X-1
X-ray polarization in relativistic jets
No full textWe investigate the polarization properties of Comptonized X-rays from relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) using Monte Carlo simulations. We consider three scenarios commonly proposed for the observed X-ray emission in AGN: Compton scattering of blackbody photons emitted from an accretion disc; scattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons and self-Comptonization of intrinsically polarized synchrotron photons emitted by jet electrons. Our simulations show that for Comptonization of disc and CMB photons, the degree of polarization of the scattered photons increases with the viewing inclination angle with respect to the jet axis. In both cases, the maximum linear polarization is ≈20 per cent. In the case of synchrotron self-Comptonization (SSC), we find that the resulting X-ray polarization depends strongly on the seed synchrotron photon injection site, with typical fractional polarizations P≈ 10–20 per cent when synchrotron emission is localized near the jet base, while P≈ 20–70 per cent for the case of uniform emission throughout the jet. These results indicate that X-ray polarimetry may be capable of providing unique clues to identify the location of particle acceleration sites in relativistic jets. In particular, if synchrotron photons are emitted quasi-uniformly throughout a jet, then the observed degree of X-ray polarization may be sufficiently different for each of the competing X-ray emission mechanisms (synchrotron, SSC or external Comptonization) to determine which is the dominant process. However, X-ray polarimetry alone is unlikely to be able to distinguish between disc and CMB Comptonization
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Observations of the 57Fe+23 hyperfine transition in clusters of galaxies
No full textWe present a search for the hyperfine transition of the 57Fe+23 ion at 3.071 mm in clusters of galaxies with the ATNF Mopra telescope. The results are compared with a realistic estimate of the peak brightness temperature of the line in a cooling flow cluster A85, using the available X-ray data
School library resource center policies in Canada: re-viewing a shared vision
No full textReports on a follow-up to an earlier 1992 study on school library policies in the provinces and territories of Canada. Examines current issues that are affecting the realization of a shared vision for school libraries in Canada. Contends that new curriculum policies have incorporated resource-based learning information skills and information technology skills, but these documents only rarely acknowledge the role of teacher-librarians. Concludes by stating that these changes in curriculum policy development need to be taken into account by school library advocates in developing a new vision for school libraries in Canada.M3: Article; Accession Number: ISTA3303756; Doiron, Ray; Source Info: January 1998, Vol. 4 Issue 1, p1; Note: Update Code: 3306; Subject Term: INSTRUCTIONAL materials centers; Subject Term: CANADA; Author-Supplied Keyword: Policies; Author-Supplied Keyword: Resource centers; Number of Pages: 14p. Document Type: ArticleSource type: Electronic(1)http://search.ebscohost.com.rlproxy.upei.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=ISTA3303756&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-liv
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