Ecological Biopower, Environmental Violence Against Animals, and the "Greening" of the Factory Farm

The promulgation of pollution control regulations governing factory farms has led to a striking new way of representing and intervening in the bodies of farmed animals: the body is being represented as a source of pollution, and various technological interventions, from genetic engineering to dietary changes, are being deployed to reduce pollution at the source. In this article I analyze this new technoscientific project through the theoretical lens of ecological biopower. Focusing on the industrial pork sector's efforts to keep the cost of complying with nutrient management regulations in check, the article examines the case of “environmental nutrition,” a dietary strategy that aims to reduce the excretion of nutrients from the bodies of swine. By highlighting whose diet is being changed in this approach and whose is not, I argue that environmental nutrition is as much about avoiding the exercise of ecological biopower over human beings as it is about exercising ecological biopower over farmed animals. I also argue that the pressing need to reduce the environmental impacts of factory farming is being used to justify new forms of violence against animals

An ethnographic investigation into the development and trialing of more accessible text materials for second language teaching and learning in physical science

This dissertation discusses the development of alternative science curriculum materials for a secondary schooling context where English, the medium of instruction, is a second language for both teachers and students. The research is located in an interpretative ethnographic framework and the data gathered during the classroom-based trialing of the materials highlights the vital role of language in the teaching and learning of school science. An interactive reading model coupled with a discourse approach to text analysis explores some of the language difficulties which black students experience with their science textbooks. That many students fail to develop adequate reading strategies is identified as lying at the heart of many learning problems. It is suggested that the key to comprehension is instruction from a base of more accessible text materials. Furthermore, although science practical work does not automatically advance students' knowledge and understanding, relevant and contextualised learning activities do equip students to become more self-directed and reflective learners of science

The taste of togetherness.

The larvae of fruit flies produce pheromones to control whether they are attracted to others of the same species or whether they avoid members of a different species

Dual color plasmonic pixels create a polarization controlled nano color palette

Color filters based upon nanostructured metals have garnered significant interest in recent years, having been positioned as alternatives to the organic dye-based filters which provide color selectivity in image sensors, as nonfading “printing” technologies for producing images with nanometer pixel resolution, and as ultra-high-resolution, small foot-print optical storage and encoding solutions. Here, we demonstrate a plasmonic filter set with polarization-switchable color properties, based upon arrays of asymmetric cross-shaped nanoapertures in an aluminum thin-film. Acting as individual color-emitting nanopixels, the plasmonic cavity-apertures have dual-color selectivity, transmitting one of two visible colors, controlled by the polarization of the white light incident on the rear of the pixel and tuned by varying the critical dimensions of the geometry and periodicity of the array. This structural approach to switchable optical filtering enables a single nanoaperture to encode two information states within the same physical nanoaperture, an attribute we use here to create micro image displays containing duality in their optical information states

The Value of Adding Nothing: A Call for Reform-Oriented Polynomial Division

The call to implement reform practices in schools reflects the historical turn away from the behaviorist theory of learning in education. Yet the praxis of this turn remains a significant challenge, particularly within mathematics classrooms where procedural memorization is emphasized. In this article, we show one means of how to advance our pursuit of meaningful mathematics into polynomial division. Building on the literature for reform-based division methods, an alternative to the long division algorithm will be explored that relies solely on adding zero and fundamental algebraic principles

'Every day feels like Friday, every Friday feels like the end of the term' : restarting 'the worst school in the country' : an autoethnography

This research paper details an autoethnographic investigation into a tumultuous year in my professional life that affected my identity and personal existence. I became the manager of a failing inner city secondary school for boys identified as having emotional and behavioural difficulties. The school had been deemed as being in need of `Special Measures' for several years and had at times been colloquially labelled as the worst school in England. I recorded not just my experiences but also my most intimate thoughts and feelings about what I experienced during the academic year 2002 - 2003. This was achieved through the production of a reflective journal that was nearly 300 pages long on its completion. The thesis is drawn from the contexts surrounding the school and its population as well as from the data I recorded in the journal. On finishing this paper I still do not understand how a school can be allowed to degenerate into the lawless and uncaring environment I encountered in September 2002. What I have discovered during my research is the importance of humanity, compassion, respect and equality when attempting to recover a school that has been disregarded and left to rot. I have been shocked and challenged by the physical, cognitive and emotional demands made by working in the environment described in my thesis. The journey of myself through the year in question can be genuinely described as harrowing. My fervent hope is that this research can help avoid what happened at Osbourne occurring in any other educational establishment. My reflections on Osbourne have helped me reach the conclusion that at the moment I simply cannot leave the school even though I am exhausted by it and my health has suffered. I cannot trust the school to anyone else at the moment; we have been through too much together. As I think this paper will demonstrate, I have given myself to the school

Economical genotyping of little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) clades from feather-based DNA

Determination of clade membership is a crucial requirement for many research questions addressing phylogeography, population structure, mating patterns, speciation, and hybridisation. The little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) can be separated into two deeply divergent clades. However, assigning clade membership in little blue penguins requires molecular methods. Genetic sequencing can be used to identify clade membership but is expensive. Here, we present an economical alternative to the use of sequencing to determine little blue penguin clade membership. We extracted DNA from feathers using a method that produced reasonable quantities of DNA. We then amplified the D-loop section of the mitochondrial control region from total genomic DNA extracts, using the primers 'C L-tRNAglu' and 'D H-Dbox' followed by digestion with the restriction enzyme AluI. When visualised on a gel, distinctive banding patterns clearly indicated clade membership. We sequenced a subset of our samples and verified the accuracy of this method. The methods we present should facilitate little blue penguin research through a cost-effective approach to clade analysis as well as a successful technique to extract DNA from feathers when blood or tissue samples are not available

Towards a multidisciplinary practice for human remains: the conservation, collection, and display of human remains and objects made from them.

Towards a multidisciplinary practice for human remains: the conservation, collection, and display of human remains and objects made from them. This research discussion examines the breadth and complexity of a unique strand of museum collections, artefacts that often cross boundaries of classification, being defined as both material culture and human remains. It explores some of the controversial methods in which collections of human remains were amassed as well as the decision-making processes involved in exhibiting them. The care, collection and display of human remains is shown to involve a wide spectrum of disciplines and stakeholders, including minority religious organisations, local communities, indigenous groups, anthropologists, archaeologists and museums. Inspired by my work within the conservation department of Norfolk Archaeology and Museums Service, specifically the conservation treatment and preparation of a ceremonial Tibetan apron constructed from human bone, the role that conservators can play in the treatment of human remains is investigated. My research reveals that in order to fulfil policies and guidelines, which tend to adopt the culturally defined, cover-all stance of ‘respect’ as the method of treatment for all human remains, a multidisciplinary practice is vital. Within this discussion I argue that a multidisciplinary practice allows for an inclusive, progressive and pluralistic approach to the treatment of human remains