'Delightfully dense':The Art of Stupidity in Late James

In its sheer obviousness and inability to conceal itself, stupidity functions as a vital foil to the unscrupulous workings of the intellect in The Spoils of Poynton and The Golden Bowl. This essay examines the cultural and historical context of James’s appropriation of stupidity as a positive force capable of restoring ethical clarity to situations that have become mired in complexity. By tracing the pairing of stupid and intelligent characters, I argue that in contrast to the failed union of Fleda Vetch and Owen Gereth, Bob and Fanny Assingham represent the sublimation of a marriage of opposites into a dialectical union

An examination of the effects of stimulant medication on response inhibition: A comparison between children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

This study investigated whether methylphenidate is effective in improving response inhibition in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD were compared with normally developing children on measures of response inhibition. Participants with ADHD were compared across two conditions--medicated and unmedicated. There was no significant difference between the inhibitory control of children with and without ADHD. Children with ADHD showed significant improvements in inhibitory control following methylphenidate. The findings of the present study contrast with previous studies which document reduced inhibitory control in ADHD, compared with normally developing children. Reports of methylphenidate improving functioning in children with ADHD are supported. Limitation and implications of the study are discussed

SOIL SALINITY AND SODICITY OF GALVESTON AND PELICAN ISLANDS, TEXAS

Galveston Island, Texas, is frequently affected by hurricanes. In 2008, Hurricane Ike inundated much of the island with seawater, causing elevated soil salinity levels that killed much of the vegetation on the island, including tens of thousands of trees. Residual salinity in soils and groundwater has hampered vegetation re-establishment in some areas. This project aims to create a map product that displays the current soil salinity and sodicity levels on Galveston and Pelican Islands. The existing USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Galveston County Soil Survey map units were used as a base for the project. ArcGIS Desktop software was used to establish a sampling design with randomly located sampling points within each soil survey map unit. Samples were taken at 200 different soil sampling plots across Pelican and Galveston Island. A total of 328 samples were collected, composed of 129 subsurface and 199 surface samples. The soil samples were tested in the laboratory for pH, macro-and micronutrients, and saturated paste properties such as sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and electrical conductivity (EC). The data was entered into ArcGIS for analyses, and an interpolated surface using inverse distance weighted (IDW) was created. The average salinity for the soil samples in this study varied from the predicted values produced by the NRCS Web Soil Survey. Surface samples had a higher average EC but a lower average SAR than subsurface samples. There was a significant difference between surface and subsurface EC levels, while there was no significant difference in SAR values. There is a positive correlation between EC and SAR levels. About half the samples are not salt impaired. The other half were classified as saline, sodic, or saline sodic. The areas with higher salinity and sodicity included the dredge material on Pelican Island, the tidal flats on the Galveston Bay coast, and the industrial areas close to the coastline. The large suburban and downtown area of Galveston Island had the lowest salinity and sodicity

Reconnecting Gävle’s Delta

This speculative design-led research project addresses the challenges of transforming dilapidated post-industrial brownfield sites into thriving, sustainable, resilient urban neighbourhoods. Tasked with allocating urban growth, municipality planning departments increasingly look towards underused but centrally located industrial sites for future development. Coastal brownfield sites, with the promise of prime waterfront views, are especially sought after, but can also pose many complex urban and environmental challenges. This thesis confronts these challenges using the site-specific scenario at Näringen – an industrial 232-hectare site zoned for urban transformation – in Gävle, Sweden. Faced with urban growth, deindustrialisation, disconnectivity, flooding, and environmental disrepair, Reconnecting Gävle’s Delta is a design proposal which draws on Nature-based Solutions, including Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) principles, and ideas of the ‘productive city’ to imagine a new climate-adapted mixed-use district at Näringen. First, a new water channel island is proposed to deal with future sea level rise by preventatively ‘inviting the water’, resulting in the creation of a new recreation island for the city. Second, a network of multifunctional blue-green corridors mitigates against cloudburst flooding while providing a focal point around which new mixed-use neighbourhoods – including housing, community, business, and industrial productive activities – can be designed. Reconnecting the Delta critiques Gävle’s anthropocentric and monofunctional planning approaches (which it argues led to Näringen’s urban and environmental degradation in the first place), instead presenting a vision for reciprocity; firstly between ecological and urban systems – which in this project is initiated through a district-wide BGI framework; and secondly, between old and new – not just through preserving or recycling elements of the current physical urban environment, but through resolutely integrating and celebrating industrial productive activities (manufacturing, trade, logistics, repairs) that have historically and continue to take place at Näringen. The thesis concludes by encouraging the city of Gävle, and urbanism more broadly, to invest in further research that explores the integration of local production and industry as part of a truly mixed, sustainable, and flood-resilient city

Who Sings and Who Falls Silent? A Spatial and Social Analysis of Virgilian Graffiti in Pompeii

This study analyzes Pompeian domestic spaces in which graffiti that quote the works of Virgil have been found. This is particularly compelling because of the Aeneid’s status as a ‘national epic,’ simultaneously ‘high’ culture and seemingly part of the ‘common’ imagination. In the past scholars have argued that the presence of Virgilian graffiti was not indicative of widespread interaction with Virgil, and that a select few individuals were responsible for these quotations. Drawing from ideas proposed by modern graffiti studies and spatial theorists and employing the methodology developed by the Virtual Pompeii Project, this study uses network analysis measures to show that a variety of people likely created Virgilian graffiti, rebutting former assumptions that they were the work only of educated elite men or school children

Who Sings and Who Falls Silent? A Spatial and Social Analysis of Virgilian Graffiti in Pompeii

This study analyzes Pompeian domestic spaces in which graffiti that quote the works of Virgil have been found. This is particularly compelling because of the Aeneid’s status as a ‘national epic,’ simultaneously ‘high’ culture and seemingly part of the ‘common’ imagination. In the past scholars have argued that the presence of Virgilian graffiti was not indicative of widespread interaction with Virgil, and that a select few individuals were responsible for these quotations. Drawing from ideas proposed by modern graffiti studies and spatial theorists and employing the methodology developed by the Virtual Pompeii Project, this study uses network analysis measures to show that a variety of people likely created Virgilian graffiti, rebutting former assumptions that they were the work only of educated elite men or school children

“Delightfully dense”: The art of stupidity in late James

In its sheer obviousness and inability to conceal itself, stupidity functions as a vital foil to the unscrupulous workings of the intellect in The Spoils of Poynton and The Golden Bowl. This essay examines the cultural and historical context of James’s appropriation of stupidity as a positive force capable of restoring ethical clarity to situations that have become mired in complexity. By tracing the pairing of stupid and intelligent characters, I argue that in contrast to the failed union of Fleda Vetch and Owen Gereth, Bob and Fanny Assingham represent the sublimation of a marriage of opposites into a dialectical union

'Who cares a button'?: Women in Love and the question of scale

'Who cares a button'?: Women in Love and the question of scal

A Case Study on the Use of Music in a Christian Kindergarten Classroom to Facilitate Worship, Enhance Learning and Broaden Classroom Management Techniques

This study examines the case in which music was effectively employed in the learning and management of 20 students in a Seventh-day Adventist kindergarten classroom. Data was gathered by direct observation of classroom interactions, interviews with the teacher and with a composer of children\u27s music, and through the use of a questionnaire to parents. This study found that the use of music in the classroom stemmed from the teacher\u27s philosophy. It also significantly contributed to the achievement of the goals of Seventh-day Adventist education. A variety of music was used in the classroom for enhancing religious education (through worship, chapel and Bible classes), and for the facilitation of learning (particularly in phonics and mathematics) and classroom management (directing students and setting class tone). In her interview, the teacher stated that she believed that music created an environment conducive to the learning and development of her kindergarten students. It was noted that the behaviour management in the classroom was conducted in a positive manner. The questionnaires revealed that parents believed the music employed in the classroom was beneficial and that songs learned at school were sung at home and taught to siblings and friends. The significance of this study lay particularly in the suggestions it created for further study