Placing man in the New West: Masculinities of The Last Picture Show

The Last Picture Show does not fall within the genre of the Western, yet the cinematic narrative mourns the loss of the iconic Westerner — a man — and the passing of his home places that constitute the Old West. This paper is concerned with the ways in which this man and his places are transformed along with the embryonic but inexorable emergence of the New West — and its attendant demand for recognition of hitherto unheard voices (e.g., women, Latinos) — that accompanied significant social, cultural and political shifts that were beginning to emerge within the country as a whole in the represented early 1950s. His represented sites of contestation are found within the frame of the small west Texas town of Anarene, created by Larry McMurtry's novel of the same name as the film, both of which reflect contexts of the era in which they were constructed — the mid 1960s to early 1970s. We suggest that the film shows a great sensitivity to the ways in which particular masculinities are constituted in specific places, to the tensions that arise from the changing nature and definitions of masculinity as they are linked to these places, and with his sense of nostalgia and loss that accompanies his inevitable decline. But there is no clear and empowered place for women in these new places, only a recontextualized form of a patriarchal order which is not relational and which still maintains essentialist assumptions of gender. The Old West has taken new shape, much to the chagrin of man, but it is hardly a New West, with its emerging and representative voices. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Trace element and molecular markers of organic carbon dynamics along a shelf–basin continuum in sediments of the western Arctic Ocean

Molecular organic biomarkers together with trace element composition were investigated in sediments east of Barrow Canyon in the western Arctic Ocean to determine sources and recycling of organic carbon in a continuum from the shelf to the basin. Algal biomarkers (polyunsaturated and short-chain saturated fatty acids, 24-methylcholesta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol, dinosterol) highlight the substantial contribution of organic matter from water column and sea-ice primary productivity in shelf environments, while redox markers such as acid volatile sulfide (AVS), Mn, and Re indicate intense metabolism of this material leading to sediment anoxia. Shelf sediments also receive considerable inputs from terrestrial organic carbon, with biomarker composition suggesting the presence of multiple pools of terrestrial organic matter segregated by age/lability or hydrodynamic sorting. Sedimentary metabolism was not as intense in slope sediments as on the shelf; however, sufficient labile organic matter is present to create suboxic and anoxic conditions, at least intermittently, as organic matter is focused towards the slope. Basin sediments also showed evidence for episodic delivery of labile organic carbon inputs despite the strong physical controls of water depth and sea-ice cover. Principal components analysis of the lipid biomarker data was used to estimate fractions of preserved recalcitrant (of terrestrial origin) and labile (of marine origin) organic matter in the sediments, with ranges of 12–79%, 14–45%, and 37–66% found for the shelf, slope, and basin cores, respectively. On average, the relative preserved terrestrial organic matter in basin sediments was 56%, suggesting exchange of organic carbon between nearshore and basin environments in the western Arctic.     

Fatty acids and sterols as source markers of organic matter in sediments of the North Carolina continental slope

To estimate the source and diagenetic state of organic matter reaching bottom sediments, fatty acids and sterols were measured in unconsolidated surface material (flocs) at 12 sites ranging from 600 to 2000 m across the mid-Atlantic continental slope off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Total free and esterefied fatty acids were similar in distribution and concentration to other coastal systems, with values ranging from 0.64 to 46.52 μg mg⁻¹ organic carbon (1.10–68.85 μg g⁻¹ dry sediment). Although shallow (600 m) stations contained significantly greater fatty acid concentrations than deep (> 1400m) stations, high variability observed at mid-depth (800 m) collections precluded a consistent relationship between total fatty acid concentration and station depth. At three sites where underlying sediments were also collected, decreases in total fatty acids, reduced amounts of polyenoic acids and significant presence of bacterial fatty acid suggest rapid reworking of labile organic material that reaches the sediment surface. The distribution of sterols was remarkably consistent among all sites even though there were large variations in concentrations (1.8–20.7 μg mg⁻¹ organic carbon). Sterol composition indicated phytoplankton, principally diatoms and dinoflagellates, as the principal source of labile organic matter to sediments, together with a significant input of cholest-5-en-3β-ol typical of zooplankton and their feeding activity. A minor but widespread terrigenous input was also evident based upon significant concentrations of sterols dominant in vascular plants.     

The dynamics of natural pipe hydrological behaviour in blanket peat

Natural soil pipes are found in peatlands, but little is known about their hydrological role. This paper presents the most complete set of pipe discharge data to date from a deep blanket peatland in Northern England. In a 17.4‐ha catchment, we identified 24 perennially flowing and 60 ephemerally flowing pipe outlets. Eight pipe outlets along with the catchment outlet were continuously gauged over an 18‐month period. The pipes in the catchment were estimated to produce around 13.7% of annual streamflow, with individual pipes often producing large peak flows (maximum peak of 3.8 l s^?1). Almost all pipes, whether ephemerally or perennially flowing, shallow or deep (outlets > 1 m below the peat surface), showed increased discharge within a mean of 3 h after rainfall commencement and were dominated by stormflow, indicating good connectivity between the peatland surface and the pipes. However, almost all pipes had a longer period between the hydrograph peak and the return to base flow compared with the stream (mean of 23.9 h for pipes, 19.7 h for stream). As a result, the proportion of streamflow produced by the pipes at any given time increased at low flows and formed the most important component of stream discharge for the lowest 10% of flows. Thus, a small number of perennially flowing pipes became more important to the stream system under low‐flow conditions and probably received water via matrix flow during periods between storms. Given the importance of pipes to streamflow in blanket peatlands, further research is required into their wider role in influencing stream water chemistry, water temperature and fluvial carbon fluxes, as well as their role in altering local hydrochemical cycling within the peat mass itself. Enhanced piping within peatlands caused by environmental change may lead to changes in the streamflow regime with larger low flows and more prolonged drainage of the peat. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

NIGHTGLOW: an instrument to measure the Earth’s nighttime ultraviolet glow—results from the first engineering flight

We have designed and built an instrument to measure and monitor the “nightglow” of the Earth’s atmosphere in the near ultraviolet (NUV). In this paper we describe the design of this instrument, called NIGHTGLOW. NIGHTGLOW is designed to be flown from a high altitude research balloon, and circumnavigate the globe. NIGHTGLOW is a NASA, University of Utah, and New Mexico State University project. A test flight took place from Palestine, Texas on July 5, 2000, lasting about 8 h. The instrument performed well and landed safely in Stiles, Texas with little damage. The resulting measurements of the NUV nightglow are compared with previous measurements from sounding rockets and balloons.     

On determining the noon polar cap boundary from SuperDARN HF radar backscatter characteristics

Previous work has shown that ionospheric HF radar backscatter in the noon sector can be used to locate the footprint of the magnetospheric cusp particle precipitation. This has enabled the radar data to be used as a proxy for the location of the polar cap boundary, and hence measure the flow of plasma across it to derive the reconnection electric field in the ionosphere. This work used only single radar data sets with a field of view limited to 2 h of local time. In this case study using four of the SuperDARN radars, we examine the boundary determined over 6 h of magnetic local time around the noon sector and its relationship to the convection pattern. The variation with longitude of the latitude of the radar scatter with cusp characteristics shows a bay-like feature. It is shown that this feature is shaped by the variation with longitude of the poleward flow component of the ionospheric plasma and may be understood in terms of cusp ion time-of-flight effects. Using this interpretation, we derive the time-of-flight of the cusp ions and find that it is consistent with approximately 1 keV ions injected from a subsolar reconnection site. A method for deriving a more accurate estimate of the location of the open-closed field line boundary from HF radar data is described.     

The monosaccharide spectra of natural waters

Monosaccharides were determined in waters and sediment pore waters from a wide variety of environments and locations. Desalting was performed by electrodialysis and concentrated extracts were analyzed by two forms of liquid chromatography. At least 12 sugars were identified. Glucose and fructose were the dominant monosaccharides in nearly all samples examined. Analyses of over 150 seawater and sediment pore water samples showed that fructose is highly significantly correlated (>0.99) with glucose concentrations. Laboratory kinetic experiments on the epimerization reaction, glucose ? fructose, in sterilized natural seawater in the dark, yielded a forward rate constant, k₁, of 1.2 × 10^?5 h^?1 at 25°C and 1.6 × 10^?7 h^?1 at 2°C. The approximate time required to attain equilibrium at 25°C was 1.1 y and at 2°C, 15.4 y; the measured equilibrium constant was in the range 0.3–0.4. The actual ratio of fructose to glucose in natural water samples was usually in the range 1.0–1.4/l, independent of the total monosaccharide concentrations, which varied in the samples by a factor of ～100. Several possible explanations for the apparent discrepancy in the determined and found ratios are discussed: the presence of universal, as yet, undiscovered major biological sources for fructose in marine environments; preferential utilization of glucose; preferential incorporation of fructose into or onto inorganic colloids; and preferential formation of fructose-transition metal ion associations.     

Modelling phosphorus transport in a surface irrigation drain

Understanding phosphorus (P) transport from agricultural land is essential to the development of effective management strategies that reduce the impact of agriculture on inland water quality. This paper describes the development and application of a process based model describing P transfer down a farm scale irrigation drain.     

The organic analysis of the murchison meteorite

The organic compounds released from the Murchison carbonaceous chondrite following vaporization-pyrolysis at 150, 300 and 430°C were investigated. The total organic yield was 272 ppm and consisted of n-alkanes, alkenes, aromatic hydrocarbons and thioaromatics. The composition and yield at all three temperatures are compared with those obtained by an identical analysis on another carbonaceous chondrite, Allende, and two terrestrial rocks.Comparison of compounds released by 150°C volatilization of Murchison and Allende reveals remarkable similarities, suggesting commonality in the processes responsible for their formation. The origin of the organic compounds found can be explained in terms of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis followed by partial equilibration of the primary products. However, problems concerning the relationship between types of carbonaceous chondrites remain unresolved.     

Characterization of magnetite particles in shocked quartz by means of electron- and magnetic force microscopy: Vredefort, South Africa

Submicroscopic opaque particles from highly shocked granite-gneisses close to the core of the Vredefort impact structure have been investigated by means of micro-analytical techniques with high spatial resolution such as electron diffraction, orientation contrast imagery and magnetic force microscopy. The opaque particles have been identified as nano- to micro-sized magnetite that occur in several distinct modes. In one sample magnetite occurs along relict planar deformation features (PDFs) in quartz, generally accepted as typical shock lamellae. The magnetite particles along shock lamellae in quartz grains virtually all show uniform crystallographic orientations. In most instances, the groups of magnetite within different quartz grains are systematically misorientated such that they share a subparallel <101> direction. The magnetite groups of all measured quartz grains thus appear to have a crystallographic preferred orientation in space. In a second sample, orientations of magnetite particles have been measured in microfractures (non-diagnostic of shock) of quartz, albite and in the alteration halos, (e.g. biotite grains breaking down to chlorite). The crystallographic orientations of magnetite particles are diverse, with only a minor portion having a preferred orientation. Scanning electron microscopy shows that magnetite along the relict PDFs is invariably associated with other microcrystalline phases such as quartz, K-feldspar and biotite. Petrographic observations suggest that these microcrystalline phases crystallized from locally formed micro-melts that intruded zones of weakness such as microfractures and PDFs shortly after the shock event. The extremely narrow widths of the PDFs suggest that heat may have dissipated rapidly resulting in melts crystallizing relatively close to where they were generated. Magnetic force microscopy confirms the presence of magnetic particles along PDFs. The smallest particles, <5 μm with high aspect ratios 15:1 usually exhibit intense, uniform magnetic signals characteristic of single-domain magnetite. Consistent offsets between attractive and repulsive magnetic signals of individual single-domain particles suggest consistent directions of magnetization for a large proportion of particles. Received: 16 November 1998 / Accepted: 17 May 1999