The novel, in relation to the dissemination of liberal ideas, 1790-1820

The thesis deals with the part played by the novel, 1790-1820, in the dissemination of liberal ideas. The term 'liberal' has been used to cover the theories concerning the nature and destiny of man, his natural rights and the proper constitution of the society in which he lives. The ideas have been identified in their 18th century form, their philosophic origin traced, their effect estimated and their popularization, in the works of Godwin and other political reformers, illustrated. It has been shown that novelists were aware of current opinion, not only from a knowledge of the written works of the reformers, but from a common body of thought made familiar to them by such means as the work of the Political societies in enlightening the public, the literary coteries, the Conversation Clubs, the Westminster Forum and other debating societies; by reviews, pamphlets and tracts; by events indicating serious social unrest; by the publicity attendant on prosecutions for libel and other causes celebres; fey their connection with Methodism; by their effect on educational theory. Liberal ideas have been traced in various kinds of novel; in deliberate propaganda, in those revealing such opinion without particular urgency, or reflecting it unconsciously; in those attacking, or offering antidotes for, the new philosophy, and in the satires. Changes in, modifications of, themes used earlier have been noted. The material used is new and a critical estimate of it is submitted. The thesis aims at establishing two things; first, that the dissemination of these views did not cease, as critics have stated, with the reaction against the French Revolution, but persisted until after 1820; secondly, that the novel, used deliberately with an extra-literary purpose, is influenced by an unusually close connection with the historical background, shown in the use of current events and living people as material for plots and characters, and that this influence, by preserving the heterogeneous nature of the novel, retards its development as a literary form.<p

Network sensitivity to geographical configuration

Gravitational wave astronomy will require the coordinated analysis of data from the global network of gravitational wave observatories. Questions of how to optimally configure the global network arise in this context. We have elsewhere proposed a formalism which is employed here to compare different configurations of the network, using both the coincident network analysis method and the coherent network analysis method. We have constructed a network model to compute a figure-of-merit based on the detection rate for a population of standard-candle binary inspirals. We find that this measure of network quality is very sensitive to the geographic location of component detectors under a coincident network analysis, but comparatively insensitive under a coherent network analysis.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for proceedings of the 4th Edoardo Amaldi conference, incorporated referees' suggestions and corrected diagra

River Discharge

In 2014, combined discharge from the eight largest Arctic rivers (2,487 km3) was 10% greater than average discharge for the period 1980-1989. Values for 2013 (2,282 km3) and 2012 (2,240 km3) were 1% greater than and 1% less than the 1980-1989 average, respectively. For the first seven months of 2015, the combined discharge for the six largest Eurasian Arctic rivers shows that peak discharge was 10% greater and five days earlier than the 1980-1989 average for those months

Coordination and Sustainability of River Observing Activities in the Arctic

To understand and respond to changes in the world’s northern regions, we need a coordinated system of long-term Arctic observations. River networks naturally integrate across landscapes and link the terrestrial and ocean domains. Changes in river discharge reflect changes in the terrestrial water balance, whereas changes in water chemistry are linked to changes in biogeochemical processes and water flow paths. Sustained measurements of river water discharge and water chemistry are therefore essential components of an Arctic observing network. As we strive to establish and sustain long-term observations in the Arctic, these two measurements must be coupled. Although river discharge and chemistry measurements are already coupled to some extent within national boundaries, this is not done in a consistent and coordinated fashion across the pan-Arctic domain. As a consequence, data quality and availability vary widely among regions. International coordination of river discharge and chemistry measurements in the Arctic would be greatly facilitated by formal commitments to maintain a set of core sites and associated measurements that are mutually agreed upon among pan-Arctic nations. Involvement of the agencies currently operating river discharge gauges around the Arctic and establishment of an overarching coordination entity to implement shared protocols, track data quality, and manage data streams would be essential in this endeavor. Focused studies addressing scale-dependent relationships between watershed characteristics and water chemistry, in-stream processes, and estuarine and coastal dynamics are also needed to support interpretation and application of Arctic river observing data as they relate to land and ocean change

Numerical wave optics and the lensing of gravitational waves by globular clusters

We consider the possible effects of gravitational lensing by globular clusters on gravitational waves from asymmetric neutron stars in our galaxy. In the lensing of gravitational waves, the long wavelength, compared with the usual case of optical lensing, can lead to the geometrical optics approximation being invalid, in which case a wave optical solution is necessary. In general, wave optical solutions can only be obtained numerically. We describe a computational method that is particularly well suited to numerical wave optics. This method enables us to compare the properties of several lens models for globular clusters without ever calling upon the geometrical optics approximation, though that approximation would sometimes have been valid. Finally, we estimate the probability that lensing by a globular cluster will significantly affect the detection, by ground-based laser interferometer detectors such as LIGO, of gravitational waves from an asymmetric neutron star in our galaxy, finding that the probability is insignificantly small.Comment: To appear in: Proceedings of the Eleventh Marcel Grossmann Meetin

Causes of Differences in Soil Series of the Missouri River Bottomlands of Monona County

The current soil survey of Monona County has revealed many differences in the alluvial deposits occurring in the Missouri River bottomlands. As a consequence the soils developed from these different deposits show numerous dissimilarities. It is the purpose of this paper to describe and explain the causes of the differences encountered. The principal factors in soil formation are climate, organisms, topography, parent material and time. In the Missouri River bottomlands of Monona County it can be assumed that climate and organisms are not important causes of soil differences. In general, differences in topography are closely related to differences in parent material. Thus parent material or time of deposition or both, must be the principal cause or causes of soil differences. The soils found on the Missouri River bottomlands are, for the most part, formed from alluvial materials. Some coarser alluvium may have been resorted by wind action subsequent to deposition but areas showing evidence of wind action are not extensive. The principal source of alluvium is the Missouri River; next, the tributary rivers and streams; and, of least importance, the steep bluffs that form the sides of the valley

Atom lithography using MRI-type feature placement

We demonstrate the use of frequency-encoded light masks in neutral atom lithography. We demonstrate that multiple features can be patterned across a monotonic potential gradient. Features as narrow as 0.9 microns are fabricated on silicon substrates with a metastable argon beam. Internal state manipulation with such a mask enables continuously adjustable feature positions and feature densities not limited by the optical wavelength, unlike previous light masks.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure