Oshio Heihachirō and his revolt of 1837 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Japanese at Massey University

Although there is an abundance of resource material concerning Oshio Heihachiro in Japanese, there is very little in English. Thus, this thesis seeks to make available and analyse for English readers some of the rich offerings that exist in Japanese. It sets out to describe the life and times of Oshio and to analyse the influences that moulded his thought and that ultimately motivated him to take action against the heartless hierarchy and greedy merchants who refused to show any compassion on the desperately poor during the disastrous days of the Tempo Famine (1830-1837). The later life and death in an abortive uprising in 1837 of Oshio Heihachiro were a clear commentary on his thought and teaching, namely, the necessity of the unity of knowledge and action. He was a living embodiment of the Wang Yang-ming dictum, "To know and not to act is the same as not knowing at all". His first-hand knowledge of the situation impelled him to action. Oshio's morality and integrity were sincerely demonstrated in his final act of sacrificing his reputation, and even life itself, for his principles. He was a reformer, not a revolutionary as some historians call him. His motivation was moral, not political. His was the dilemma of being grateful for the favours and status that his family enjoyed through the Tokugawa Shogunate and of being grieved by the corruption and inefficiency exhibited by the Shogunate's representatives, of supporting the system in principle on the one hand and of being exasperated by the intransigence of the system's officials on the other. With scant planning and preparation, he foolhardily attacked the heartless bureaucrats and wealthy merchants of Osaka. This was tantamount to a challenge against the most repressive powers of the autocratic authority of his day, the Shogunate itself. His revolt was fated to fail but it sent ripples in ever-widening circles throughout Japan in the final decades of the Tokugawa period

Cognition in investigation: The metaphor of detectives' thinking styles and the research process

The literature on research in organizational theory and the social sciences at large is primarily focused on the formal dimensions of the research process and largely ignores the cognitive activities involved in theorizing. We use Dean's (2000) hierarchical typology of the thinking processes of police detectives as an analogical framework to reflect on the cognitive processes of organizational researchers. Graphical depictions of the investigative thinking styles of method, challenge, skill, and risk are presented in a 3-D model. From this we construct a model for the research process that incorporates both the formal dimension related to the management of the research project and the dimension of the cognitive modes activated. We draw implications for theorizing, the conduct of research projects, researchers' self-reflexivity, and the training of research students

The abuse of psychotropic drugs.

This report provides a brief introduction to drug use in Ireland. The author provides a general history of drug use, types of drugs used, and problems of modern city life. In terms of the Irish situation, the author suggests that the problem of drug abuse presents itself in adolescents who experiment with drugs in a largely urban populations i.e. Dublin. Since 1968, 29 drug addicts have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals, and there has been an increase in the number of patients admitted on an outpatient basis. The author recommends an increase in the facilities available for young people, and increase in the provision of health information. A clear distinction must be made between 'hard' and 'soft' drugs, and appropriate measures should be taken to prevent their spread in society and to reduce the impact of the drug subculture. The author also recommends the further study of prescription practices, the provision of supervised treatment programmes and more drug education programmes

The causes of death among the South African-born and immigrants to South Africa

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The causes of death of South African doctors and dentists

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A report on propanidid, an intravenous anaesthetic, in Porphyria variegata

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Response of mercury in a forest stream to lime application: Accelerated watershed recovery

Following decreases in acid deposition, some impacted surface waters in northern Europe and the northeastern USA are beginning to recover. The resultant increases in pH in these waters has coincided with increased dissolved organic carbon concentrations, which is also correlated with increases in both total mercury and methylmercury concentrations. Understanding how ecosystem mercury dynamics respond to recovery from acid deposition has important implications for fisheries and human exposure. Honnedaga Lake is one of seven lakes in the Adirondack Park of New York State with a heritage Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) population, making the bioavailability and trophic transfer of mercury (Hg) a particular concern. Lime was applied to a tributary watershed of Honnedaga Lake in 2013 in an effort to accelerate biological recovery from acid deposition. Significant increases in DOC, THg and MeHg were evident in streamwater after treatment (maximum THg post-treatment=5.5 ng/L, maximum THg reference=2.15 ng/L). Six months after treatment, there was no significant difference in MeHg concentrations from reference values, while DOC and THg remained significantly higher than pre-treatment and reference values. This pattern suggests that Hg is leaching at elevated levels from the treated watershed, but that short-lived increases in MeHg could not be sustained due to limitations in either the net methylation rate or the transport of MeHg to the stream

Status and remediation of mercury in fish and aquatic ecosystems

Mercury is a known neurotoxin which can bioaccumulate and biomagnify as methylmercury, causing significant human and ecological impacts. New York State and the surrounding region is impacted by mercury in complex ways as some areas are recovering from the effects of acidic deposition while the entire region is increasingly influenced by climate change. In order to better understand the drivers and trends of mercury dynamics in New York State, my research was conducted in three phases: 1) the impact of lime (calcium carbonate) additions on mercury cycling in small acid-sensitive headwater streams of the Adirondack State Park; 2) applied advanced analytical techniques to improve our understanding of the complex relationship between mercury and dissolved organic matter; and 3) examined spatial and temporal trends of fish mercury concentrations across New York State Given interest in the relationship between acidification and fish mercury concentrations, in phase one I examined the use of lime as an acidification remediation strategy and its impact on mercury cycling. Lime has been shown to effectively mitigate the effects of acidic deposition in northern Europe as well as northeastern North America, however the impact of this management strategy on mercury cycling has not been examined. Previous work at Honnedaga Lake has shown a watershed scale application of lime alters mercury transport and cycling and is highly correlated with dissolved organic matter in headwater streams. Extending the period of record demonstrates that elevated mercury and dissolved organic matter in streamwater draining a limed watershed continued for the three years of my study. This pattern contrasts with streams that received direct channel applications which resulted in much more limited increases lasting only 72 - 96 hours. In these small headwater streams, mercury was mobilized from treated areas but was not methylated before being exported from the study site. Critically, there was no evidence of increased bioaccumulation in stream macroinvertebrates following treatment, however my study period was too short to examine the long-term impacts and potential community changes resulting from continued calcium amendments. In phase two, I explored the relationship between mercury and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Following the watershed addition at Honnedaga Lake, a shift in the specific ultraviolet absorbance of DOC was observed. This shift suggests an increased molecular weight and aromaticity of DOC entering the limed tributary. Several studies have shown that the quality of dissolved organic matter can have important effects on the bioavailability of mercury and methylmercury. Using advanced analytical techniques and methods developed from laboratory experiments, I analyzed aquatic samples collected from the watershed treatment and reference streams. Preliminary analysis of surface waters by Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectroscopy (FTICR-MS) reveals an increase in the proportion of thiol functional groups and aromaticity in the first four weeks following treatment, but no significant difference between study sites in later samples. This information could help inform watershed management decisions and serve as a proxy for natural recovery of aquatic ecosystems from acidic deposition. Phase three built upon a previous state-wide survey of lake fish conducted from 2003-2005. This survey found significant biological mercury hotspots in the Adirondack and Catskill State parks, and significant correlations of fish mercury concentrations with factors related to acidification and wetland area. The latest survey, conducted from 2013-2015, I found somewhat different results. Fish Hg in the Adirondack and Catskill regions remained elevated relative to the rest of NYS, however, the landscape and chemistry drivers from the earlier survey no longer applied across the whole state. Long-term changes in fish mercury concentrations were not evident in the recent survey. This lack of a change may suggest the major driver of fish mercury for inland waters is shifting away from regional Hg emissions towards the effects of legacy Hg and acid inputs or changes in nutrient status, invasive species, climate change and/or increasing global Hg emissions

Coproporphyria

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