21,279 research outputs found
Representations of the oil encounter in Amitav Ghosh's The circle of reason
This article analyses the handling of generic form in the middle section of Amitav Ghosh’s The Circle of Reason (1986), a section which has hitherto received little critical attention and which some readers find puzzling. In particular, it examines two literary modes used by Ghosh in representing a fictional Middle Eastern state: the picaresque and social realism. This well-demarcated textual focus forms the foundation for larger points about Ghosh’s writing, his critique of contemporary capitalist values and Western imperialism. Additionally, the article adumbrates ways in which Ghosh’s critique of the Oil Encounter can be connected to recent political developments, such as the so-called "war on terror". It is also a significant contribution to writing on oil. Colonial sugar, spice, and even cod have all received due attention, while oil, the author suggests, remains woefully under-discussed, given its determining role in contemporary economies
Seating tool for preparing molded-plug terminations on FCC
Hand-operated tool positions and seats window piece and conductor spacer onto conductors of two stripped cables during process of terminating cables with molded plug. Tool accommodates cables up to 3 in. wide and is used in conjunction with folding tools
Unintentional F doping of the surface of SrTiO3(001) etched in HF acid -- structure and electronic properties
We show that the HF acid etch commonly used to prepare SrTiO3(001) for
heteroepitaxial growth of complex oxides results in a non-negligible level of F
doping within the terminal surface layer of TiO2. Using a combination of x-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy and scanned angle x-ray photoelectron diffraction,
we determine that on average ~13 % of the O anions in the surface layer are
replaced by F, but that F does not occupy O sites in deeper layers. Despite
this perturbation to the surface, the Fermi level remains unpinned, and the
surface-state density, which determines the amount of band bending, is driven
by factors other than F doping. The presence of F at the STO surface is
expected to result in lower electron mobilities at complex oxide
heterojunctions involving STO substrates because of impurity scattering.
Unintentional F doping can be substantially reduced by replacing the HF-etch
step with a boil in deionized water, which in conjunction with an oxygen tube
furnace anneal, leaves the surface flat and TiO2 terminated.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure
Parental problems, case plan requirements, and service targeting in child welfare reunification
Only about half of parents attempting to reunify with their children in foster care succeed in their efforts. Parents are ordered by the court to use treatment services in order to resolve their problems. These treatment services thus play a critical role in reunification, and in fact the use of services appropriately matched to parents\u27 problems has been found to be associated with a greater likelihood of reunification. However, there is little in the literature regarding the specific requirements of reunification case plans, and whether they are accurately targeted at reunifying parents\u27 problems. This mostly descriptive study uses case file data to examine the relationship between parental problems and case plan requirements for a sample of parents reunifying with their children in one large urban California county. Findings show that most reunifying parents had multiple problems, and were required to attend approximately 8 service events per week. There was a positive correlation between the total number of concerns (treatment problems and life challenges) and required weekly service events. While 85% of parents were ordered treatment services for all their identified problems, over 30% were ordered services targeting problems they were not known to have. Overall, 58% of parents were ordered both all appropriate and only appropriate services. Implications for policy and practice are discussed, including the need for models of service delivery that limit the burden of accessing multiple service locations for reunifying parents
Economic Growth and Threatened and Endangered Species Listings: A VAR Analysis
We conduct several analyses to examine the link between threatened and endangered species listings and macroeconomic activity. Preliminary tests using ordinary least squares are run on both time series data on the national level and cross sectional data at the state level. The analysis is then extended using vector autoregressive (VAR) techniques. VAR results, impulse response functions and variance decompositions are reported to shed more light on the causal relationships between threatened and endangered species, GDP and population. Our results indicate that there is little or no empirical evidence that GDP growth rates lead to changes in the number of threatened and endangered species listings.
Sprue cutoff tool for molded FCC plugs
Sprue removal operation is accomplished by positioning plug on tool bed, adjusting blades, and moving handle down for cutting process. Blades are raised to remove trimmed plug
Economic Growth and Threatened and Endangered Species Listings: A VAR Analysis
We conduct several analyses to examine the link between threatened and endangered species listings and macroeconomic activity. Preliminary tests using ordinary least squares are run on both time series data on the national level and cross sectional data at the state level. The analysis is then extended using vector autoregressive (VAR) techniques. VAR results, impulse response functions and variance decompositions are reported to shed more light on the causal relationships between threatened and endangered species, GDP and population. Our results indicate that there is little or no empirical evidence that GDP growth rates lead to changes in the number of threatened and endangered species listings. Key Words: Economic growth, endangered and threatened species, vector autoregression
MELEES - e-support or mayhem?
This paper reports on progress in developing a web-based environment to support non-specialist mathematics students taking University level Mathematics as a compulsory subject in their first and second years. The scale and diversity of the service teaching provision at Nottingham invites the use of a technology-based framework in order to make available the ‘good practice’ features developed both locally and elsewhere. Initially the two year development is focusing on: • establishing a supportive environment; • providing feedback to students, their lecturers and importantly to their home Schools; • identifying and supporting e-learning strategies; • improving student motivation. Current activities have been primarily directed to the first three bullet points
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