Re-evaluating Murakami's Superflat: toward a contextualized interpretation of contemporary Japanese art

This thesis examines Murakami Takashi’s Superflat theory and exhibition as well as the ramifications of its success. Developed through the 1990s and the early 2000s, Murakami’s Superflat theory attempts to prove a direct connection between the aesthetics of Edo period (1603-1868) and contemporary Japanese art. Murakami built his own production studio and branding devices as an attempt to further codify Superflat as a unique movement in Japanese art. As a result of Murakami’s tactics and the popularity of his theory in North America and Europe, many of his contemporaries are frequently analyzed through the lens of Superflat. Yet, the totalizing effect of the Superflat theory does disservice to the majority of Japanese contemporary artists whose work has very little in relation to Murakami’s pop aesthetic. To explore how Murakami achieved this result, this thesis first analyzes the art historical claims made in the Superflat theory. This is followed by an examination of the impetus for and contextualization of the creation of Superflat. As an example of the effect of Murakami’s discursive dominance over conversations of Japanese art in North America, the thesis concludes with an analysis of David Elliott’s 2011 Japan Society exhibition titled "Bye Bye Kiity!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Japanese Contemporary Art." The thesis concludes with the assertion that we must fundamentally re-evaluate the ways in which Japanese art is represented, particularly within the United States

Stratigraphy and geochemistry of the Yoredale rocks between Shap and Appleby

Detailed mapping of the Carboniferous strata of Yoredale facias in north Westmorland has shown that the Middle Limestone Group succession comprises nine well developed cyclothems. The major limestones at their bases are clearly recognisable throughout the region but thin calcareous horizons, found within the clastic successions of four of the earliest cycles, are of more local distribution. Correlations of the limestones with those in the Westmorland Pennines are suggested and involve the equation of the Iron Post Limestone with the siliceous upper leaf of the Newby Mill (= Four Fathom) Limestone. The Upper Limestone Group sediments, lacking well marked calcareous horizons, cannot satisfactorily be divided into cyclothems. However, high in the sequence, the Bewley Castle Limestone has been shown to represent marine strata in the Crag Limestone cyclothem of the Pennines. A decrease in the thickness of the Middle Limestone Group strata, of the order of 10%, has been detected in the western parts of the area as compared to the region east of the Lyvennet. This is consistent with the regional picture of minimal subsidence in west Cumberland and, taken in conjunction with the close similarity in the successions on either side of the Pennine Faults, it indicates that, at this time, a large paxt of northern England behaved as a distinct tectonic unit. In comparison with the rapidly subsiding trough to the north this was a stable region, to the whole of which the term 'Alston Block' may usefully be extended. Its structural unity was broken only after Carboniferous deposition ceased, by the initiation of the Pennine Faults; there is evidence that the latter had no earlier history as hinge-lines affecting deposition. Of particular mineralogical interest are the Grayber Limestone, the upper leaf of which invariably is rich in glauconite, and the argillites which, irrespective of their position in the cycle, have kaolinite as a common component. This is a product of diagenesis and is believed to be due to the deep penetration of weathering under the tropical conditions of immediately post-Carboniferous times. A comparison between pale and dark limestones suggests that finely divided pyrite has a greater influence upon colour than does organic carbon. Little mineralogical variation is present through the major limestones but certain trace elements, most notably manganese and strontium, are present in greatly varying amounts. Manganese is closely associated with iron- and magnesium-bearing carbonates and may total 1% in some dolomitised limestones. Studies of strontium variation in the Little Strickland Limestone strongly suggest that its distribution reflects primary differences in the proportions of aragonite and calcite accumulating on the sea floor. Such variation may prove to be a useful tool in aiding the understanding of the micro-environments of limestone deposition. Chemical and mineralogical data support stratigraphical evidence which indicates that the bulk of the succession was laid down in relatively quiet shallow marine waters whose salinity varied from normal during times of limestone deposition to brackish at higher levels in most of the cycles. Only occasionally, where there is a sheet sandstone with a sharply erosional base, may a fluvial environment be said to have been dominant. A widespread tectonic control, probably depending ultimately upon isostatic forces, is considered to be the basic cause of the cyclic repetition. Uplift in post-Carboniferous times led to strong erosion under a tropical climate which became increasingly arid. Its effects remain clearly recognisable in the reddening of the Carboniferous rocks which may extend to a depth of as much as 1000 feet below the New Red Sandstone unconformity. Two stages of reddening have been recognised; they were separated by a period of local dolomitisation consequent upon the extension into the Vale of Eden of the Zechstein Sea. It is postulated that the Vale underwent rapid sinlcing during the time of accumulation of the New Red Sandstone and that thick deposits did not spread far beyond their present limits. Deep wadi-like channels with a general northerly trend have been recognised and, in the vicinity of Appleby, upstanding remnants of Carboniferous strata, isolated by erosion from the main upland mass, can be proved to exist. The conclusion that this main erosion area lay to the south and west is supported by facies. changes in the basal New Red Sandstone, Brockram giving way to pebbly Penrith Sandstone in a northerly and easterly direction

Regional Geographies of Extreme Heat

Shaped by countless influences from the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and anthroposphere acting across a wide spectrum of spatiotemporal scales, spatial variations in climate are ubiquitous. Meanwhile, the warming signal from anthropogenically elevated greenhouse-gas concentrations is emerging as an overriding determinant for more and more aspects of the climate system, extreme heat among them. In this dissertation, I explore the interaction of these two effects, and the implications of the patterns they create. A key finding is that rapid increases in extreme heat are already occurring, by some metrics having already doubled in the past 40 years, and further nonlinear increases are expected. Another is the strong dependence of extreme heat-humidity combinations on atmospheric moisture, creating subseasonal and interannual patterns dictated by the principal source of regional warm-season moisture — pre-monsoonal advection in some cases, local evapotranspiration in others. These relationships lead to the demonstrated potential for improvements in predictive power, on the basis of sea-surface temperatures and other canonical modes of large-scale climate variability. In contrast to this overall confidence in current temporal patterns and long-term projections, I show that extreme heat at small spatial scales is much more poorly characterized in gridded products, and that these biases are especially acute along coastlines. While summer daytime temperature differences between the shoreline of the Northeast U.S. and locations 60 km inland are often 5°C or more, I find that recent high-resolution downscaled Earth-system models typically represent no more than 25% of this difference. Across the globe, ERA-Interim reanalysis similarly underestimates extreme humid heat by >3°C, a highly significant margin given the large sensitivity of health and economic impacts to marginal changes in the most extreme conditions. I find that these biases propagate into projections, and their importance is also amplified by the large populations living in the affected areas. Rapid mean warming is pushing the climate system to more and more frequently include extreme heat-humidity combinations beyond that which the human species has likely ever experienced. Such conditions, which had not been previously reported in weather-station data, are described in detail and some of the associated characteristics examined. Several channels of analysis highlight that these events are driven primarily by rising sea-surface temperatures in shallow subtropical gulfs, and the subsequent impingement of marine air on the coastline. Given the severity of potential impacts on infrastructure and agriculture, and the size of the populations exposed, this result underscores that major research and adaptation efforts are needed to avoid calamitous outcomes from the emergence of extreme heat-humidity combinations too severe to tolerate in the absence of artificial cooling. This dissertation discusses strategies for advancing knowledge of extreme heat’s natural variations and its behavior under climate change, in order to design metrics, models, methodologies, and presentation types such that essential findings are translated into tangible action in the most effective way possible. Sustained and integrated efforts are necessary to transition to a climate-system management style encompassing more foresight than the effectively unplanned experiment which has been pursued so far, and which has already exacerbated extreme heat events so much

Native American Language Rights

This brief will discuss the status of Native American languages within both social and legal contexts

Evaluating the impacts of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones on the environment and on farmers’ practices: a Scottish case study

The research work associated with the 2011 study was supported by the Co-operative Research Programme of the OECD [grant number JA708774].Nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) have been established throughout Europe to tackle diffuse pollution. This research investigates the attitudes and practices of farmers in the River Eden catchment, within the Strathmore and Fife NVZ in eastern Scotland, and explores how these changed between 2002 and 2011. Attitudes were investigated using interviews; efficiency of nutrient use was evaluated using farm gate nutrient budgets (NBs). Most of the 16 farmers regard NVZ regulations as burdensome and costly; however, attitudes to NVZs became more positive during the period. NBs demonstrated that arable farms generate the least nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) surpluses, dairy the most. N efficiency improved on nine farms and declined on two; P efficiency improved on 12 farms and declined on two. Overall, the 16 farms were using 13% less N and 19% less P in 2011 compared with 2003. Water quality data demonstrate that Nitrate N in the catchment's main rivers dropped between 2004 and 2011 by a mean of 15.5%, whereas mean phosphate P declined very little. Legacy P and Inefficient sewerage treatment facilities may explain the latter finding. Results demonstrate that NVZ regulations, combined with economic pressures, have affected farmers’ attitudes and behaviour, resulting in significant improvements in surface water quality.PostprintPeer reviewe

The national parks and reserves of South Australia

Thesis (MA) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geography, 197

Cigarette smoking in an adolescent psychiatric population

Objective. To examine the relationship between cigarette smoking and psychiatric symptomatology in an outpatient psychiatric population of adolescents.Method. A retrospective analysis was done of 934 patient charts at an outpatient psychiatric centre.Results. 48.4% of the psychiatric sample reported regular smoking behaviour, which is substantially more than the 18.1 % prevalence found in a local epidemiological study. Incomparing smokers and non-smokers within the psychiatric sample, it was noted that smokers were significantly younger and scored somewhat higher on depression ratingscales than non-smokers. A logistical regression, using quasi-Newton estimation, was chosen as the most suitable statistical method for building a classificatory model ofsmoking. Two continuous variables, age and the Hamilton depression score, along with 39 discrete variables, were chosen for modelling purposes. Model building was conducted in a hierarchical fashion, starting with demographic variables, the variable selection beingcontrolled by using chi-square tests of model differences. A predictive model of smoking with nine variables was finally selected.Conclusions. As a whole the results support the strong association between smoking and psychiatric problems, but in this adolescent sample smoking is more likely to be partof a general risk-taking behaviour pattern than an attempt to medicate depression. Anti-tobacco campaigns that highlight the risks of smoking are therefore open invitationsfor adolescents to take up the habit

The emergence of heat and humidity too severe for human tolerance

Humans’ ability to efficiently shed heat has enabled us to range over every continent, but a wet-bulb temperature (TW) of 35°C marks our upper physiological limit, and much lower values have serious health and productivity impacts. Climate models project the first 35°C TW occurrences by the mid-21st century. However, a comprehensive evaluation of weather station data shows that some coastal subtropical locations have already reported a TW of 35°C and that extreme humid heat overall has more than doubled in frequency since 1979. Recent exceedances of 35°C in global maximum sea surface temperature provide further support for the validity of these dangerously high TW values. We find the most extreme humid heat is highly localized in both space and time and is correspondingly substantially underestimated in reanalysis products. Our findings thus underscore the serious challenge posed by humid heat that is more intense than previously reported and increasingly severe