Placing political economy: organising opposition to free trade before the abolition of the Corn Laws

The unfurling of global capitalism – and its attendant effects – has long been fertile intellectual terrain for geographers. But whilst studies of the processes and mechanisms of globalisation undoubtedly assume a talismanic importance in the discipline, geographers, with few exceptions, have left examinations of early economic liberalism to historians. One such critically important episode in the evolution of the liberal economic project was the repeal of the so-called 'Corn Laws' in 1846. Whilst the precise impact of the Manchester-based Anti-Corn Law League (ACLL) continues to be a matter of conjecture, Eric Sheppard has asserted that their particular take on political economy managed to assume a 'truth-like status' and worldwide universality. But the ACLL's campaign represents only one, albeit decisive, stage in the long intellectual and practical struggle between 'protectionists' and the disciples of free trade. Studies of the non-'Manchester' components have tended to focus squarely upon national politics. This paper examines a pivotal attempt in 1838 by Lord Melbourne's Government to experiment with the effective elimination of import duties on fresh fruit. Unlike most agricultural commodities, table fruit was produced in a tightly defined area, thus allowing the Government's experiment to play out, in theory, without national political fallout. Whilst the Government's clandestine actions left little time for a concerted opposition to develop, Kentish fruit growers soon organised. A formidable lobby was forged that drew wide local support yet also evolved beyond the original 'epistemic community'. Whilst the coalition failed in their efforts to reintroduce protective duties, their actions allow us to see how protectionist ideologies and policies were vivified through practices at many different spatial scales and to better understand the complex spatiality of protectionist takes on political economy. Their campaign also changed – at least in the short term – the course of British mercantile policy.

Granular fertilizer drying and agglomeration in storage

In the manufacture of granular NPK fertilizer the product is cooled before packaging and storage in moisture-proof bags. It has been shown that the temperature of the fertilizer prior to packing is significant in that at high temperatures, drying of the granules takes place in the bag which causes an increase in the humidity of the air surrounding the granules and thus an increase in moisture content at the granule - granule interface. This surface moisture was shown to increase the likelihood of agglomeration in the fertilizer by a capillary adhesion/unconfined yield stress model. An iterative model was set up to establish conditions that would prevent drying occurring, which takes into account fertilizer drying rate, fertilizer cooling rate cooling rate and the effect of coating oils on the drying mechanism.

Effect of composition, solvent exchange liquid and drying method on the porous structure of phenol-formaldehyde gels

Organic gels have been synthesized by sol–gel polycondensation of phenol (P) and formaldehyde (F) catalyzed by sodium carbonate (C). The effect of synthesis parameters such as phenol/catalyst ratio (P/C), solvent exchange liquid and drying method, on the porous structure of the gels have been investigated. The total and mesopore volumes of the PF gels increased with increasing P/C ratio in the range of P/C B 8, after this both properties started to decrease with P/C ratio for P/C[8 and the gel with P/C = 8 showed the highest total and mesopore volumes of 1.281 and 1.279 cm3 g-1 respectively. The gels prepared by freeze drying possessed significantly higher porosities than the vacuum dried gels. The pore volume and average pore diameter of the freeze dried gels were significantly higher than those of the vacuum dried gels. T-butanol emerged as the preferred solvent for the removal of water from the PF hydrogel prior to drying, as significantly higher pore volumes and specific surface areas were obtained in the corresponding dried gels. The results showed that freeze drying with t-butanol and lower P/C ratios were favourable conditions for the synthesis of highly mesoporous phenol–formaldehyde gels.

Green Owl and the Corn Maiden

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to engage a different notion of feminism in accounting by addressing the issues of feminism, balance, and integration as a means of understanding differently the world for which one accounts. The ideas are communicated by the sharing of experiences through myth and storytelling.

Design/methodology/approach: An alternative lens for understanding the giving of accounts is proposed, drawing on earlier feminist accounting literature as well as storytelling and myth.

Findings: Including the subjective and intersubjective approaches to experiencing and understanding the world recommends an approach whereby both the feminine-intuitive and the masculine-rational processes are integrated in constructing decision models and accounts.

Research limitations/implications: Through an expanded view of values that can be included in reporting or recounting a different model is seen, and different decisions are enabled. The primary limitation is having to use words to convey one’s subjective and intersubjective understandings. The written medium is not the most natural language for such an undertaking.

Practical implications: By enabling the inclusion of more feminine values, a way is opened to engage more holistically with the society in which decisions are embedded.

Originality/value: Drawing on the storytelling tradition, a holistic model is suggested that can lead to emergence of a more balanced societal reporting.

Keywords: Feminism, Integration, Accounting, Storytelling, Myths

Paper type: Research paper

The effect of freeze-drying parameters on the cure characteristics of freeze-dried BSA-loaded silicone elastomer

To formulate therapeutic proteins into polymeric devices the protein is typically in the solid state, which can be achieved by the process of freeze-drying. However, freeze-drying not only risks denaturing the protein but it can adversely affect the cure characteristics of protein-loaded silicone elastomers. This study demonstrates that a variation in the parameters of the freeze-dryer can significantly affect the residual moisture content of freeze-dried BSA, which in turn has an effect on the bulk density and flow properties of the BSA. The bulk density and flow properties of the BSA subsequently affect the cure characteristics of BSA-loaded silicone elastomers. An increase in the residual moisture content results in the freeze-dried BSA having a decreased bulk density and poor flow properties which can have a detrimental effect on the cure characteristics of a freeze-dried BSA-loaded silicone elastomer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2012

Alternate wetting and drying irrigation for rice in Bangladesh: Is it sustainable and has plant breeding something to offer?

The crop management practice of alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is being promoted by IRRI and the national research and extension program in Bangladesh and other parts of the world as a water-saving irrigation practice that reduces the environmental impact of dry season rice production through decreased water usage, and potentially increases yield. Evidence is growing that AWD will dramatically reduce the concentration of arsenic in harvested rice grains conferring a third major advantage over permanently flooded dry season rice production. AWD may also increase the concentration of essential dietary micronutrients in the grain. However, three crucial aspects of AWD irrigation require further investigation. First, why is yield generally altered in AWD? Second, is AWD sustainable economically (viability of farmers' livelihoods) and environmentally (aquifer water table heights) over long-term use? Third, are current cultivars optimized for this irrigation system? This paper describes a multidisciplinary research project that could be conceived which would answer these questions by combining advanced soil biogeochemistry with crop physiology, genomics, and systems biology. The description attempts to show how the breakthroughs in next generation sequencing could be exploited to better utilize local collections of germplasm and identify the molecular mechanisms underlying biological adaptation to the environment within the context of soil chemistry and plant physiology.

Water Content Determinations for Peat and Other Organic Soils Using the Oven-Drying Method

There has been much debate in the literature over the past 60 years regarding an appropriate oven-drying temperature for water content determinations in peat and other organic soils. For inorganic soils, the water content is usually based on the equilibrium dry mass corresponding to drying temperatures in the range 100-110°C. However, for peat and other organic soils, several researchers have recommended lower drying temperatures in the range 60-90°C in an attempt to prevent possible charring, oxidation, and/or vaporization of substances other than pore water. However, all of the relevant water is not fully evaporated at too low a temperature, and because specimen dry mass is a function of drying temperature, the resulting water content values are lower than those determined for the temperature range 100-110°C. Experimental data reported in this article show that oven drying of peat and other organic soils at 100-110°C using either gravity-convection or forced-draft ovens is acceptable for routine water content determinations. Because a standardized oven temperature is desirable when correlating water content with other material properties, it is recommended that oven drying of peat and other organic soils be performed over temperature ranges of either 105-110°C or 105 ± 5°C, in line with standardized ranges for inorganic soils. © 2014 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.