Courting failure: women and the law in twentieth-century literature

Book extract kindly used with the permission of the University of Akron Press.For the past twenty years, the law and literature movement has been gaining ground. More recently, a feminist perspective has enriched the field. With Courting Failure: Women and the Law in Twentieth-Century Literature, Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson adds a compelling voice to the discussion. Courting Failure critically explores the representation of women, fictional and historical, in conflict with the law. Macpherson focuses on the judicial system and the staging of women’s guilt, examining both the female suspect and the female victim in a wide variety of media, including novels like Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace, theatrical plays, movies such as I Want to Live! and Legally Blonde, and the television series Ally McBeal. In these texts and others, canonical or popular, Macpherson exposes the court as an arena in which women often fail, or succeed only by subverting the system

Some aspects of analytical chemistry as applied to water quality assurance techniques for reclaimed water: The potential use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for automated on-line fast real-time simultaneous multi-component analysis of inorganic pollutants in reclaimed water

The potential use of isotopically excited energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry for automated on line fast real time (5 to 15 minutes) simultaneous multicomponent (up to 20) trace (1 to 10 parts per billion) analysis of inorganic pollutants in reclaimed water was examined. Three anionic elements (chromium 6, arsenic and selenium) were studied. The inherent lack of sensitivity of XRF spectrometry for these elements mandates use of a preconcentration technique and various methods were examined, including: several direct and indirect evaporation methods; ion exchange membranes; selective and nonselective precipitation; and complexation processes. It is shown tha XRF spectrometry itself is well suited for automated on line quality assurance, and can provide a nondestructive (and thus sample storage and repeat analysis capabilities) and particularly convenient analytical method. Further, the use of an isotopically excited energy dispersive unit (50 mCi Cd-109 source) coupled with a suitable preconcentration process can provide sufficient sensitivity to achieve the current mandated minimum levels of detection without the need for high power X-ray generating tubes

Thomas Henry Manning (1911-1998)

Dr. Thomas Henry Manning, Officer of the Order of Canada, former Vice-Chairman and Executive Director of the Arctic Institute of North America, and famed Canadian Arctic expert, died on 8 November 1998 at Smiths Falls, Ontario, after a long illness. He was the author of more than fifty scholarly papers and reports, about half of them on zoological subjects, but he was probably best known for his record as an exceptional Arctic traveller on land and sea. ... Manning was awarded the Bruce Medal of the Scottish Geographical Society and Royal Philosophical Society of Edinburgh in 1944; the Patron's Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 1948; and the Massey Medal of the Royal Society of Canada in 1977. He was appointed an Officer in the Order of Canada in 1974 and awarded an honorary doctorate of literature by McMaster University in 1979. Manning was exceptionally tough, vigorous, fearless, patient, hard-working and resourceful, qualities that made him the matchless Arctic traveller and scientist that he was, and earned him respect among Inuit and Southerners alike

Practitioner perspectives on strategies to promote longer-term benefits of acupuncture or counselling for depression: a qualitative study

Background: Non-pharmacological interventions for depression may help patients manage their condition. Evidence from a recent large-scale trial (ACUDep) suggests that acupuncture and counselling can provide longer-term benefits for many patients with depression. This paper describes the strategies practitioners reported using to promote longer-term benefits for their patients. Methods: A qualitative sub-study of practitioners (acupuncturists and counsellors) embedded in a randomised controlled trial. Using topic guides, data was collected from telephone interviews and a focus group, altogether involving 19 counsellors and 17 acupuncturists. Data were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis. Results: For longer-term impact, both acupuncturists and counsellors encouraged insight into root causes of depression on an individual basis and saw small incremental changes as precursors to sustained benefit. Acupuncturists stressed the importance of addressing concurrent physical symptoms, for example helping patients relax or sleep better in order to be more receptive to change, and highlighted the importance of Chinese medicine theory-based lifestyle change for lasting benefit. Counsellors more often highlighted the importance of the therapeutic relationship, emphasising the need for careful “pacing” such that the process and tools employed were tailored and timed for each individual, depending on the “readiness” to change. Our data is limited to acupuncture practitioners using the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, and counsellors using a humanistic, non-directive and person-centred approach. Conclusions: Long-term change appears to be an important focus within the practices of both acupuncturists and counsellors. To achieve this, practitioners stressed the need for an individualised approach with a focus on root causes

Binary open clusters in the Milky Way: photometric and spectroscopic analysis of NGC 5617 and Trumpler 22

Using photometry and high resolution spectroscopy we investigate for the first time the physical connection between the open clusters NGC 5617 and Trumpler 22. Based on new CCD photometry we report their spatial proximity and common age of ~70 Myr. Based on high resolution spectra collected using the HERMES and UCLES spectrographs on the Anglo-Australian telescope, we present radial velocities and abundances for Fe, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca and Ni. The measured radial velocities are -38.63 +/-2.25 km/s for NGC 5617 and -38.46 +/-2.08 km/s for Trumpler 22. The mean metallicity of NGC 5617 was found to be [Fe/H] =-0.18 +/-0.02 and for Trumpler 22 was found to be [Fe/H] = -0.17 +/-0.04. The two clusters share similar abundances across the other elements, indicative of a common chemical enrichment history of these clusters. Together with common motions and ages we confirm that NGC 5617 and Trumpler 22 are a primordial binary cluster pair in the Milky Way.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure, accepted by MNRA

Ultra-high-sensitivity two-dimensional bend sensor

A multicore fibre Fabry-Perot-based strain sensor interrogated with tandem interferometry for bend measurement is described. Curvature in two dimensions is obtained by measuring the difference in strain between three co-located low finesse Fabry-Perot interferometers formed in each core of the fibre by pairs of Bragg gratings. This sensor provides a responsivity enhancement of up to 30 times that of a previously reported fibre Bragg grating based sensor. Strain resolutions of 0.6 n epsilon/Hz(1/2) above 1 Hz are demonstrated, which corresponds to a curvature resolution of similar to 0.012 km(-1)/Hz(1/2)

An assessment of Malaysian wooden furniture manufacturers’ readiness to embrace chain of custody (COC) certification

Although Malaysia is a major producer and exporter of wood products in the world, the status of wood products certification in the industry is relatively unknown. Therefore, a study was carried out to assess the status of chain of custody certification among wooden furniture manufacturers using a structured questionnaire to interview firms who had participated at the annual Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF). Results collated indicate that the readiness to adopt chain of custody certification among wooden furniture manufacturers was low. The lack of price premiums, limited market potential and high cost was cited as the primary reasons deterring furniture manufacturers from adopting chain of custody certification. Furthermore, the use of plantation wood resources, such as Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis), perceived to be certified wood resources, reflects the lack of understanding among the manufacturers. This study shows that an increasing adoption of chain of custody certification among wooden furniture manufacturers in Malaysia can be realized in the market organisation, especially with regards to price premiums and market requirements

Success Factors of Rubberwood as a Furniture Stock in South East Asia

The study evaluated the consumer perceptions towards Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) as a premier furniture material. The data for this study was collected from a questionnaire survey, completed by 250 buyers who attended the international furniture fairs in Malaysia. Correlation analysis showed that the success factors of Rubberwood as a furniture stock are primarily its low cost and ample availability. According to 82% of the respondents, the three major advantages of Rubberwood as a furniture stock in comparison to other furniture wood species are its lower cost, environmental friendliness and workability. Inadvertently, Rubberwood furniture is also plagued by the perception of being low-cost