On the Shoulders of Humphrey Carpenter: Reconsidering Biographical Representation and Scholarly Perception of Edith Tolkien

In his obituary for Carpenter, Douglas A. Anderson reviews Carpenter’s “long and complex” involvement with the subject of his 1977 authorized biography, indicating that “with [Carpenter’s] passing it is time to begin to assess his changing perspectives on Tolkien and on his own Tolkien-related work.” Since its publication, Carpenter’s biography of Tolkien, which Anderson calls “an excellent book. . . unusually accurate more than a quarter of a century after it was written, despite many advances in Tolkien scholarship” remains a largely unquestioned authority, its influence so entrenched as to be virtually invisible. As a result, scholarship on Tolkien, from biography to criticism, remains overwhelmingly influenced by Carpenter’s perspectives and methods, which, by Carpenter’s admission, are not always strictly fact-based. This influence is particularly pronounced in discussions of Tolkien and gender, which rely heavily on Carpenter’s depiction of Tolkien’s relationships with his mother, and with his wife Edith. In spite of scholarly reluctance to engage in the “biographical criticism” that Tolkien opposed, phrasing from Carpenter’s biography—or very close paraphrase—functions as evidence of dysfunction or sentimentalism, repeated as fact, sometimes without citation. An example is Carpenter’s assertion that “after [his mother] died, his religion took the place in his affections that she previously occupied.” Carpenter’s interpretations of Tolkien and Edith’s relationship dynamic are often used to pass judgement on the author without considering that Carpenter, as the member of a younger generation, was already influenced by the drastic changes in relationships and gender roles of the 1960s and 70s. This paper will review Carpenter’s vexed relationship with the subject of his biography, offer evidence of the pervasive and often hidden scholarly use of the biography, and review Carpenter’s own negative and misleading depiction of Edith before offering some alternate interpretations of Edith’s character and situation before and during her marriage

Investigation of damage mechanisms in 3D interlock textile composites under low velocity soft impact loading

Performances of a three-dimensional (3-D) woven composites subjected to impact loading are investigated in this study. Low velocity (lower than 10 m.s-1) impacts with largely deformable rubber impactors are adressed. Variability issues by performing repeated impact tests in the same conditions and the mass velocity effect on damage tolerance by varying the impact conditions are the main points of interest. Force-time and force-displacement curves and damage mechanisms observed on micrographies are particularly commented.AN

Experimental investigations and variability considerations on 3D interlock textile composites used in low velocity soft impact loading

This study investigates the performance of three-dimensional (3-D) woven interlock composite plates subjected to impact loading. Low velocity (lower than 10 m s 1) impacts with highly deformable rubber impactor are addressed. Response variability is investigated by conducting several impact tests in the same conditions. The effect of mass and velocity on damage tolerance is studied by varying the impact conditions. Force–time, displacement–time and force–displacement curves are first analyzed in such various impact conditions. Secondly, damage mechanisms are highlighted through microscopic observations. The large geometrical deformation of the rubber impactor during impact leads to a loading less localized than for a hard impactor which induces a wide spread damage distribution. Comments on the relations between damage states and mass–velocity conditions are proposed

Dry period plane of energy: Effects on glucose tolerance in transition dairy cows

Overfeeding energy in the dry period can affect glucose metabolism and the energy balance of transition dairy cows with potential detrimental effects on the ability to successfully adapt to early lactation. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of different dry cow feeding strategies on glucose tolerance and on resting concentrations of blood glucose, glucagon, insulin, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in the peripartum period. Cows entering second or greater lactation were enrolled at dry-off (57 d before expected parturition) into 1 of 3 treatment groups following a randomized block design: cows that received a total mixed ration (TMR) formulated to meet but not exceed energy requirements during the dry period (n = 28, controlled energy); cows that received a TMR supplying approximately 150% of energy requirements during the dry period (n = 28, high energy); and cows that were fed the same diet as the controlled energy group for the first 28 d, after which the TMR was formulated to supply approximately 125% of energy requirements until calving (n = 28, intermediate energy). Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTT) with rapid administration of 0.25 g of glucose/kg of body weight were performed 28 and 10 d before expected parturition, as well as at 4 and 21 d after calving. Area under the curve for insulin and glucose, maximal concentration and time to half-maximal concentration of insulin and glucose, and clearance rates were calculated. Insulin resistance (IR) indices were calculated from baseline samples obtained during IVGTT and Spearman rank correlations determined between IVGTT parameters and IR indices. Treatment did not affect IVGTT parameters at any of the 4 time points. Correlation between IR indices and IVGTT parameters was generally poor. Overfeeding cows energy in excess of predicted requirements by approximately 50% during the entire dry period resulted in decreased postpartum basal plasma glucose and insulin, as well as increased glucagon, BHB, and NEFA concentrations after calving compared with cows fed a controlled energy diet during the dry period. In conclusion, overfeeding energy during the entire dry period or close-up period alone did not affect glucose tolerance as assessed by IVGTT but energy uptake during the dry period was associated with changes in peripartal resting concentrations of glucose, as well as postpartum insulin, glucagon, NEFA, and BHB concentrations

F.A.R.O.G. FORUM, Vol. 9 No. 2

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/francoamericain_forum/1082/thumbnail.jp

Le FORUM, Vol. 9 No. 4

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/francoamericain_forum/1083/thumbnail.jp

F.A.R.O.G. FORUM, Vol. 9 No. 2

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/francoamericain_forum/1082/thumbnail.jp

Separable and non-separable multi-field inflation and large non-Gaussianity

In this paper we provide a general framework based on $\delta N$ formalism to estimate the cosmological observables pertaining to the cosmic microwave background radiation for non-separable potentials, and for generic \emph{end of inflation} boundary conditions. We provide analytical and numerical solutions to the relevant observables by decomposing the cosmological perturbations along the curvature and the isocurvature directions, \emph{instead of adiabatic and entropy directions}. We then study under what conditions large bi-spectrum and tri-spectrum can be generated through phase transition which ends inflation. In an illustrative example, we show that large $f_{NL}\sim {\cal O}(80)$ and $\tau_{NL}\sim {\cal O}(20000)$ can be obtained for the case of separable and non-separable inflationary potentials.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure

Rubber Impact on 3D Textile Composites

A low velocity impact study of aircraft tire rubber on 3D textile-reinforced composite plates was performed experimentally and numerically. In contrast to regular unidirectional composite laminates, no delaminations occur in such a 3D textile composite. Yarn decohesions, matrix cracks and yarn ruptures have been identified as the major damage mechanisms under impact load. An increase in the number of 3D warp yarns is proposed to improve the impact damage resistance. The characteristic of a rubber impact is the high amount of elastic energy stored in the impactor during impact, which was more than 90% of the initial kinetic energy. This large geometrical deformation of the rubber during impact leads to a less localised loading of the target structure and poses great challenges for the numerical modelling. A hyperelastic Mooney-Rivlin constitutive law was used in Abaqus/Explicit based on a step-by-step validation with static rubber compression tests and low velocity impact tests on aluminium plates. Simulation models of the textile weave were developed on the meso- and macro-scale. The final correlation between impact simulation results on 3D textile-reinforced composite plates and impact test data was promising, highlighting the potential of such numerical simulation tools