46 research outputs found
CONDITIONS IN BLACK ASH STANDS AT VARYING STAGES OF EAB INVASION : VEGETATION, RADIAL GROWTH, AND CERAMBYCIDAE
No full textThesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Entomology - Master of Science, 2025This thesis, presented in four chapters, focuses on differences in forest vegetation, black ash (Fraxinus nigra) dendroecology across 24 black ash stands, and longhorn beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) species assemblages across eight stands, representing different stages of the emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) invasion referred to as: Post-, Mid-, and Pre-Invasion stands. Chapter one consists of a comprehensive assessment of forest vegetation across EAB Invasion Strata. Post-Invasion stands in the Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula have experienced extensive overstory black ash mortality and Mid-Invasion stands have experienced some black ash mortality, while black ash in Pre-Invasion stands were predominately healthy. Black ash recruits (trees DBH 2.5-10 cm) in Post-Invasion stands exhibited high rates of mortality, and many recruits in Post- and Mid-Invasion stands were infested with EAB larvae. Chapter two focuses on the dendroecology of black ash overstory trees and recruits in 24 stands. Age of black ash recruits also varied but one recruit was 98 years old. In Post-Invasion stands, increases in annual ring width following overstory black ash mortality indicated release of black ash recruits. Chapter three examines cerambycid beetle species assemblages in eight black ash stands in Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula, in stands representing Mid and Pre-Invasion conditions. We recorded 43 new county records for 22 species of cerambycids and captured two species not previously reported from the Upper Peninsula. Finally, chapter four presents results from a 15-year common garden study in which survival and EAB infestations were tracked for four North American ash species: black ash, blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), and white ash (Fraxinus americana), along with two Asian ash species: Chinese ash (Fraxinus chinensis) and Manchurian ash (Fraxinus mandshurica).Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
The virtual image : Brazilian literature in English translation
No full textThe
aim of this thesis is to
examine
how the virtual
image
of Brazil
and
its literature is
constructed
in the Anglo-American world. To this
end, a survey of
Brazilian literary
works
in English translation was
carried out.
Having
gathered this data, it became
possible to establish
correlations
between the historical
moments when such translations
were made, when their number
increased,
and the events occurring at
those times in the international
panorama, as well as to look into the
role of sponsors, publishers and translators in the
selection and
production of such translations.
The data
also allowed a profile of
Brazilian literary
works
in
English translation to be drawn. It became
possible to suggest that
such works
fall into four
main categories:
`authorial
works',
'topical
works',
`ambassadorial
works'
and `consumer-oriented
works'.
In
order
to look
more closely
into how the translation process
has helped to
shape
the
virtual
image
of Brazilian literary
works
in
the Anglo-American world, an analysis of a sample of
translations
of
such works was made. Included in this
sample were
the translations
of works
by Machado de Asis, by Indianist
and
Regionalist
wirters,
culminating
in
an examination of translations of
GuimarAes Rosa's
works.
Having looked
at these aspects of
the translation
process, what
remained
to be done
was to investigate
to what extent
Brazilian
literary
works
in English translation
are read
by the English-
speaking public.
To this
end, a survey of availability and
library
readership was undertaken. Finally,
a reading experiment was carried
out
in
which native speakers of
English
were asked to read the short
story
'A terceira
margem
do
rio',
by GuimarAes Rosa.
The
conclusion attempts to pull all these threads together and
to indicate directions for further
research
Seasonal and annual fluxes of nutrients and organic matter from large rivers to the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas
No full textAuthor Posting. © The Author(s), 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Estuaries and Coasts 35 (2012): 369-382, doi:10.1007/s12237-011-9386-6.River inputs of nutrients and organic matter impact the biogeochemistry of arctic
estuaries and the Arctic Ocean as a whole, yet there is considerable uncertainty about the
magnitude of fluvial fluxes at the pan-arctic scale. Samples from the six largest arctic
rivers, with a combined watershed area of 11.3 x 106 km2, have revealed strong seasonal
variations in constituent concentrations and fluxes within rivers as well as large
differences among the rivers. Specifically, we investigate fluxes of dissolved organic
carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, dissolved inorganic
nitrogen, nitrate, and silica. This is the first time that seasonal and annual constituent
fluxes have been determined using consistent sampling and analytical methods at the pan
arctic scale, and consequently provide the best available estimates for constituent flux
from land to the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas. Given the large inputs of river water
to the relatively small Arctic Ocean, and the dramatic impacts that climate change is
having in the Arctic, it is particularly urgent that we establish the contemporary river
fluxes so that we will be able to detect future changes and evaluate the impact of the
changes on the biogeochemistry of the receiving coastal and ocean systems.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through grants
OPP-0229302, OPP-0519840, OPP-0732522, and OPP-0732944. Additional support was
provided by the U. S. Geological Survey (Yukon River) and the Department of Indian
and Northern Affairs (Mackenzie River)
Reproductive effects in two species of native freshwater gastropod mollusc exposed to 17β-oestradiol or an environmentally relevant mixture of oestrogenic chemicals in outdoor mesocosms
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Recent evidence suggests that molluscs may be sensitive to the effects of endocrine
disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in a similar manner to vertebrates, such as fish. Despite this
(with the exception of TBT-induced imposex in marine gastropods), molluscs have been
largely overlooked in the field of endocrine disruption. Life-cycle studies were conducted
in which two species of native UK freshwater gastropod molluscs (the hermaphrodite
Planorbarius corneus and the gonochorist Viviparus viviparus) were exposed to either
17β-oestradiol or environmentally relevant mixtures of chemicals known to be oestrogenic
to vertebrates and to be present in UK treated sewage effluents (TSE) and rivers. Adult
snails were exposed for four months in outdoor mesocosms, fed by river water, over the
spring and summer (breeding season) in order to examine effects on reproductive output,
growth and mortality. Furthermore, offspring (F1s) were also developmentally exposed
over the same period. F1 juvenile snails were then depurated in river water for nine months
(over winter) after which time their growth, survival, and reproductive success were
measured in further un-dosed river water mesocosm studies in the following
spring/summer. Histopathology was used to determine immediate effects of chemical
exposure on adult and F1 snails’ reproductive health. Histopathology was also used to
determine long lasting effects of chemical exposure on depurated F1s. Exposure to
oestrogenic chemicals resulted in a range of effects, including modulated fecundity and
growth in F0 adults, to retardation of growth, sexual development and fecundity in
developmentally exposed F1s. Exposure to mixtures of oestrogenic chemicals also resulted
in possible modulation of the immune system, resulting in increased parasitism and over
winter mortality of exposed F1s compared to snails exposed to river water alone.
Differences in sensitivity and response to exposure between the two species and the
generations were also observed
Mapping transference : problems of African literature and translation from French into English
No full textAlthough a number of African literary works have been
translated from French into English since the middle of this
century, research and debate on their translation has remained
scanty, fragmentary, and scattered in diverse learned journals
and other short publications. This thesis seeks to broaden the
scope of research by mapping out aspects of transference in
translation in terms of analysis and transfer strategies that
have been, or could be, used. A selection of major translated
works have been compared with their originals, to give textual
examples indicative of transfer strategies.
Current issues in African literature as well as typical
features of the literature in French and English have been
explored in order to examine differences between them and English
and French literatures. The implications of these differences (at
the levels of content, cultural setting, peculiar use of English
and French, and the target audience) for translation are
considered, and a brief historical survey of the translation of
African literature provides insights into how translators have
approached, and continue to approach, literary texts as well as
cope with their target readership. Furthermore, dominant trends
in literary translation studies (mainly in the West) are explored
to determine if, and in what ways, they relate to translation
studies in Africa.
The analysis of transfer strategies focuses on the
distinctive features of francophone African literary texts,
drawing on relevant Western literary translation theories and
models, on African literary theory and criticism, as well as on
other disciplines likely contribute to an informed understanding
of the texts. Finally, a case study applies the analysis to a
text which is translated, and transfer strategies discussed
A REVIEW AND AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF STUDIES OF SOIL CONSERVATION PROGRAMS, PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES
No full textThis paper provides a brief synthesis of articles, papers and studies concerned with soil conservation programs, practices and strategies and their effects on income and water quality. The emphasis is on publications during the 1970's to help bring researchers up to date on some of the current literature.Land Economics/Use,
Juvenile homicide : a criminological study on the possible causes of juvenile homicidal delinquency in Jamaica
No full textJamaica, the so-called land of wood and water, normally is the embodiment of a dream holiday destination with white sandy beaches, tropical palm trees, dazzling sunshine and the typical Caribbean flair. Generally, murder and manslaughter are not associated with Jamaica. However, international comparisons of crime rates reveal that Jamaica has persistently had one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Jamaica has been described as the murder capital of the world in 2006 by the BBC news after more than 1’600 people were killed in the year 2005; a tally of at least five people murdered a day. The majority of the homicides are caused by young men. Despite the dimension and severity of the homicidal problem in Jamaica, it is astonishing that literature on this phenomenon in Jamaica is very sparse and the literature that is available either doesn’t conform to the current homicide situation in Jamaica anymore or is inconsistent with other studies. The aim of the present research study was thus to close this gap and to help the process of comprehending the problem of fatal juvenile delinquency by engaging empirical research in serious efforts to describe and explain the epidemic. According to the author, understanding juvenile homicidal delinquents and their actions and thus ascertaining a plausible explanation for their high homicide rate can only be achieved by going back to those whose acts are to be explained: The juvenile homicidal delinquents themselves. The findings of the present study are therefore based upon the data gathered by means of 20 face-to-face, semi-standardised interviews with young men who have committed at least one homicide during the last five years prior to the interview and were aged between 12 and 25 years at the time of the respective homicide(s). The author acts on the assumption that homicides by juveniles can be understood as a reaction that emerges situationally and is based on a complex bundle of causes which leads to an increased susceptibility to homicides. The aim of the present study was to generate a plausible and scientifically substantiated hypothesis to explain the high proportion of male juveniles responsible for the homicide rate in Jamaica. Three groupings were examined: The individual personality characteristics of the homicide delinquents, the social context influencing the individual’s thoughts and actions and the triggering factors in the homicide context.
The study comes to the conclusion that the homicides of the respondents of the present study – additionally to the basic prerequisites of the occurrence of homicides in general such as a life in deprivation and the failure of the institutions of socialisation to sufficiently socialise their members – can be explained in high gear by the widely dispread culture of violence. Within this culture, violence constitutes a part of every-day behaviour and killing is perceived as a legitimate form of dispute resolution to which one has adapted because it utterly works. This is an instrumental understanding of violent behaviour. This apparent culture of violence of the underclass society with the deeply embedded willingness to apply violence to solve even seemingly minor disputes is intensified by a high gun prevalence and easy firearm accessibility as well as the wide distribution of and attachment to gangs. Firearms as well as delinquent gangs are two powerful factors that accord power, a feeling of strength and superiority to the individual. Status, power and respect rank high within the impecunious underclass society in Jamaica. Violence is perceived as a necessary instrument to sustain the own identity, status and respect. Thus, the fight for respect in the street culture of Jamaica’s urban inner-city youth depicts an act in self-defence for the parties involved. And such an act in self-defence legitimises to kill
Sovereign voices
No full textWhat are the pivotal factors underlying the development and viability of regional Indigenous organisations committed to preserving and promulgating the cultural knowledge of their people? This question is investigated in the experience of Roebourne-based Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation from 2002-08 as it grew from a small scale, subsistence-funded, cultural recording organisation, into an archiving, publishing, digital media, television broadcasting, media training, cultural consultancy, advocacy and Native Title management enterprise.
This study pays careful attention to post-World War II Pilbara history which featured the creation of the Roebourne Aboriginal ghetto and the mining boom that overwhelmed the region in the 1960s and 70s, and more recently was marked by Native Title, the conservative Howard Government, post-ATSIC administrative/ political climate, and the resurgence in iron ore and gas stocks. Also examined are the effects, both on cultural practice in Roebourne and Juluwarlu’s development, of the documentary Exile and The Kingdom, which was produced with the community by the author and Noelene Harrison between 1987 and 1993.1 These histories inform both the reasons for Juluwarlu’s emergence and the meaning of its achievements.
Key findings converge on the character and consequence of leadership and the generative efficacy of the Yindjibarndi cultural, social and ethical system; the advantage obtained via considered partnerships with collaborators; and the adaptive engagement of Indigenous tradition with management principles and communications and media technology – on Indigenous terms, rather than the labour-market-driven schemes that, for example, seek to match Indigenous disadvantage or development with labour shortages in the Pilbara resources industries.
This thesis diverges from other studies that have typically researched Indigenous disadvantage within the context of broader public policy/legislation and political economy, albeit these contexts inevitably inform it. Instead, primary attention is given to the experimental and generative capacity that Juluwarlu brought to negotiating advantage from public and private institutions, challenging their recalcitrance, and sometimes moving beyond them. Finally, Sovereign Voices records how Juluwarlu’s responsibility for country and culture, and insistence on respect and equitable acknowledgement for their custodianship, was charged by media and communications technologies, and how these in turn ramified its organisational wherewithal for the benefit of their community – both practically and a symbolically. Juluwarlu’s mediation and giving of voice, I contend, militated against the ‘silencing’ shroud of the corporate-state-media hegemony
A critical-theoretic study of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission : with reference to the work of Jurgen Habermas
No full textBy using the work of Jurgen Habermas as my central focus
the objective of this thesis was to judge whether the ideas that he has formulated in different bodies of work
illuminate the problems and prospects for sustained
democratic development in a country that has been
affected by the impact of a series of cumulative civilizing
offensives.I argue that the South African Truth and
Reconciliation Commission(TRC) must be judged in relation
to the outcomes that its commissioners attempted to promote.
Following a reading of the works of Habermas I argue that it possible to specify the outcomes that would make it possible for the leaders of a new state to settle their
accounts with the violations of the past by paying the fullest settlement of damages. Through the use of a case
study methodology I was able to step outside of the realms
of pure theory by establishing how some of Habermass
ideas do enable us to acquire an understanding of the outcomes that the TRC was and was not able to influence.
I use the ideas of Habermas in a critical way in order to judge the consequences of successive truth-telling
hearings and the settings in which they were constituted. My
methodology was also theoretic in so far as my goal was to establish whether it was possible to identify a characteristic or trait that differentiates a positive
and/or a full settlement of damages from a negative
and/or an empty settlement of damages.
My analysis has demonstrated that the TRC was not able to establish an authoritative record of the perpetrators who committed violations during the mandate period. Therefore, the judgement that successive truth-telling processes made a decisive contribution to the revision of the country's political culture needs to be revised
"Disney is the Tiffany’s and I am the Woolworth's of the business": A critical re-analysis of the business philosophies, production values and studio practices of animator-producer Paul Houlton Terry
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Animator-producer Paul Houlton Terry has been portrayed as having little passion for the animation he produced and being more concerned with making a profit than producing entertaining cartoons with high production values. The purpose of the dissertation is to re-evaluate Terry‘s legacy to animated cartooning by analyzing his business philosophies, production values, and studio practices.
Application of four psychodynamic factors to the early life and career of Terry, 1887-1929, found that his economic decision making was characterized by: an external locus of control, risk-averse financial behaviour, extreme saving behaviour through precaution, and shrewd money management practices. Based on Terry‘s historical responses to twelve major economic, technological, or institutional forces of change for the period 1929-1955, the psychodynamic factors were found to provide accurate explanations for his studio practices and production decisions.
There was no evidence to support the conclusion that three early career disappointments undermined Terry‘s intrinsic motivation to create animated cartoons. Rather, Terry‘s lack of risk taking, external locus of control, tight studio production schedule, desire to compete with neighbour studio Fleischer, difficulty in separating financial rewards from creative processes in animation, and practice of undertaking surveillance measures on staff may have undermined his and his studio‘s creativity. Archival research found Terry to possess strong passions for and to have made significant creative contributions to the field of animation.
Biographical research found that Terry retained a stable nucleus of highly talented artists who dedicated a significant portion of their working careers to the studio. An analysis of the cel aesthetics of a random sample of animated cartoons produced during the years 1930-1955 found that Terry created animated cartoons with above average cel aesthetics when compared to the other studios thereby supporting an inference that Terry was motivated to producing quality crafted animation. Further research is suggested into the role psychodynamic factors and economic decision-making play in the film production process and a clarification of Terry‘s legacy to the field of animated cartoons
