Sublime Lessons: Education and Ambivalence in War Exhibitions

This paper examines how experiences of the sublime are regulated in the war exhibitions of modern museums. Ambivalence is a key feature of the sublime because subjects are forced to negotiate simultaneous feelings of terror and awe in the face of something unrepresentable like war. This paper analyses how war exhibitions dispel ambivalence by resuscitating a Kantian sublime full of resolution, catharsis and transcendence. In this context, potentially destabilising encounters with horrific objects (e.g. guns, bombs, shrapnel) are neutralised by didactic 'Lessons of War' and celebratory narratives of victory. Using examples from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Imperial War Museum in London and the Smithsonian Institution, this paper illustrates how conventional war exhibitions reproduce a politics of consensus by carefully managing the experience of the sublime.

A ring-closing metathesis approach to the bicyclo[4.3.1]decane core of caryolanes

A synthesis of highly substituted and sterically congested bicyclo[4.3.1]decenes, a structure embedded in the core 4,7,6-tricyclic system of natural caryolanes, was successfully achieved via a ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction of syn-1,3-diene substituted cyclohexanols. The construction of the diene substrates, starting from 4-acetoxy-3-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one, employed diastereoselective copper-mediated conjugate addition and Grignard reactions. An X-ray crystal structure determination of a key synthetic intermediate confirmed the relative stereochemistry of the RCM bicyclic product.

Genetic Polymorphisms in Nitric Oxide Synthase 3 Gene and Implications for Kidney Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims: The NOS3 gene is a biological and positional candidate for diabetic nephropathy. However, the relationship between NOS3 polymorphisms and renal disease is inconclusive. This study aimed to clarify the association of NOS3 variants with nephropathy in individuals with type 1 diabetes. Methods: We conducted a case-control study examining all common SNPs in the NOS3 gene by a tag SNP approach. Individuals with type 1 diabetes and persistent proteinuria (cases, n = 718) were compared with individuals with type 1 diabetes but no evidence of renal disease (controls, n = 749). Our replication collection comprised 1,105 individuals with type 1 diabetes recruited to a nephropathy case group and 862 control individuals with normal urinary albumin excretion rates. Meta-analysis was conducted for SNPs where more than three genotype datasets were available. Results: A novel association was identified in the discovery collection (rs1800783, p(genotype) = 0.006, p(allele) = 0.002, OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.08-1.47) and supported by independent replication using a tag SNP (rs4496877, pairwise r(2) = 0.96 with rs1800783) in the replication collection (p(genotype) = 0.002, p(allele) = 0.0006, OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.10-1.45). Conclusion: The A allele of rs1800783 is a significant risk factor for nephropathy in individuals with type 1 diabetes, and further comprehensive studies are warranted to confirm the definitive functional variant in the NOS3 gene. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel

The character and denomination of shares in the Victorian equity market

The seminal work of J. B. Jefferys highlighted two unusual features of the Victorian equity market, namely high share denomination and uncalled capital. This article examines the extent to which publicly traded company stocks in the nineteenth century had these features. It also analyses the effect of these features on stock returns using monthly data for the London Stock Market over the period 1825–70. We find that stocks with unpaid capital earned a higher return, which is consistent with investors being rewarded for the risk of a call on their personal assets. We also find that stocks with a high share denomination earned a lower return, which is consistent with the view that this feature was conducive to superior corporate governance.

A new model based approach for the prediction and optimisation of thermal homogeneity in single screw extrusion

In polymer extrusion, delivery of a melt which is homogenous in composition and temperature is important for good product quality. However, the process is inherently prone to temperature fluctuations which are difficult to monitor and control via single point based conventional thermo- couples. In this work, the die melt temperature profile was monitored by a thermocouple mesh and the data obtained was used to generate a model to predict the die melt temperature profile. A novel nonlinear model was then proposed which was demonstrated to be in good agreement with training and unseen data. Furthermore, the proposed model was used to select optimum process settings to achieve the desired average melt temperature across the die while improving the temperature homogeneity. The simulation results indicate a reduction in melt temperature variations of up to 60%.

Determination of higher heating value of petro-diesels using mid-infrared spectroscopy and chemometry

Higher heating value (HHV) is probably the most important property of the fuels. Bomb calorimeter and derived empirical formulae are often used for accurate determination of HHV of fuels. A useful empirical equation was derived to estimate HHV of petro-diesels from their C and H contents: HHV (in MJ/kg) = 0.3482(C) + 1.1887(H), r (2) = 0.9956. The derived correlation was validated against the most common formulae in the literature, Boie and Channiwala-Parikh correlations. Accordingly, accurate determination of C and H contents is essential for estimation of HHV and avoids using a bomb calorimeter. However, accurate estimation of C and H contents requires using expensive and laborious gas chromatographic techniques. In this work, chemometry offered a simple method for HHV determination of petro-diesels without using bomb calorimeter or even gas chromatography. PLS-1 calibration was used instead of gas chromatography to find C and H contents from the non-selective mid-infrared (MIR) spectra of petro-diesels, HHV was then estimated from the earlier empirical equation. The proposed method predicts HHV of petro-diesels with high accuracy and precision, with modest analysis costs. The present method may be extended to other fuels.

Nonresident Father Involvement with Children and Divorced Women's Likelihood of Remarriage

Although remarriage is a relatively common transition, little is known about how nonresident fathers affect divorced mothers’ entry into remarriage. Using the 1979–2010 rounds of the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979, the authors examined the likelihood of remarriage for divorced mothers (N = 882) by nonresident father contact with children and payment of child support. The findings suggest that maternal remarriage is positively associated with nonresident father contact but not related to receiving child support.

Contaminants in surface water and sediments around the Tynagh Mine, Galway, Ireland.

A former silver mine in Tynagh, Co. Galway, Ireland is one of the most contaminated mine sites in Europe with maximum concentrations of Zn, As, Pb, Mn, Ni, Cu, and Cd far exceeding guideline values for water and sediment. The aims of this research were to 1) further assess the contamination, particularly metals, in surface water and sediment around the site, and 2) determine if the contamination has increased 10 years after the Environmental Protection Agency Ireland (EPAI) identified off-site contamination. Site pH is alkaline to neutral because CaCO3-rich sediment and rock material buffer the exposed acid generating sulphide-rich ore. When this study was compared to the previous EPAI study conducted 10 years earlier, it appeared that further weathering of exposed surface sediment had increased concentrations of As and other potentially toxic elements. Water samples from the tailings ponds and adjacent Barnacullia Stream had concentrations of Al, Cd, Mn, Zn and Pb above guideline values. Lead and Zn concentrations from the tailings pond sediment were 16 and 5 times higher, respectively, than concentrations reported 10 years earlier. Pb and Zn levels in most sediment samples exceeded the Expert Group (EGS) guidelines of 1000 and 5000 mg/kg, respectively. Arsenic concentrations were as high as 6238 mg/kg in the tailings ponds sediment, which is 62 and 862 times greater than the EGS and Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines (CSQG), respectively. Cadmium, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn concentrations in water and sediment were above guideline values downstream of the site. Additionally, Fe, Mn and organic matter (OM) were strongly correlated and correlated to Zn, Pb, As, Cd, Cu and Ni in stream sediment. Therefore, the nearby Barnacullia Stream is also a significant pathway for contaminant transport to downstream areas. Further rehabilitation of the site may decrease the contamination around the area.