Great Western Research Articles

Analyzing The Peony Pavilion and Romeo and Juliet from a Comparative Perspective of Chinese and Western Cultures

Literature, as an important part of culture in terms of ideology, is the most convenient material to study the characteristics of different cultures. This paper selects the masterpieces "Peony Pavilion" and "Romeo and Juliet" of the two great Chinese and Western dramatists, Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare, and compares and analyzes them in four aspects, namely, the background of the creation, plot design, main characters' image, and the ending of the love, so as to analyze the differences between the two works in the spirit of the Chinese and Western cultures, the way of thinking, the concepts of human beings, and the understanding of tragedy.

Using multi-platform LiDAR to guide the conservation of the world's largest temperate woodland

Australia's Great Western Woodlands are the largest intact temperate woodland ecosystem on Earth, spanning an area the size of the average European country. These woodlands are part of one of the world's biodiversity hotspots and, despite subsisting on just 200–400 mm of rainfall a year, can store considerable amounts of carbon. However, they face growing pressure from a combination of climate change and increasingly frequent and large wildfires, which have burned over a third of these slow-growing, fire-sensitive woodlands in last 50 years alone. To develop conservation strategies that bolster the long-term resilience of this unique ecosystem, we urgently need to understand how much old-growth woodland habitat remains intact and where it is distributed across this vast region. To tackle this challenge, we brought together data from an extensive network of field plots distributed across the region and combined this with information on vegetation 3D structure derived from drone, airborne and spaceborne LiDAR. Using this unique dataset, we developed a novel modelling framework to generate the first high-resolution maps of woodland tree size and age structure across the entire region. We found that 41.2% of the woodland habitat is covered by old-growth stands, equivalent to an area of approximately 39,187 km2. Only 10% of these old-growth woodlands fall within current protected areas managed by the state government. Instead, most remaining old-growth woodlands are found either within the Ngadju Indigenous Protected Area (26.9%) or outside of formal protected areas on leaseholds and privately owned lands (57.2%). Our maps of woodland size and age structure will help guide the targeted management and conservation of the Great Western Woodlands. Moreover, by developing a robust pipeline for integrating LiDAR data from multiple platforms, our study paves the way for mapping the 3D structure and carbon storage of open and heterogeneous woodland ecosystems from space.

Recruitment of medical graduates from Prague to foundation programme jobs in a UK hospital: results of a 6-year project

International medical graduates (IMGs) are required to fill foundation-level posts in the NHS. Recruiting for these posts is difficult and time consuming. In 2016, we created a link between the Great Western Hospital, Swindon and Charles University, Prague to recruit to these posts. Here, we describe in detail the recruitment process, level of support and outcomes after 6 years, including the success rate of completion of foundation training and their career progression. Formal structured interviews occurred in Prague or online. Support included tailored educational/clinical supervision and additional simulation sessions. Data collected included exception reports and sick leave records. In 2022, a survey established satisfaction levels with the project and subsequent career progression. All 51 doctors (100%) recruited as IMGs completed foundation training. Exception reporting and sick leave were below the Trust average. Of those doctors, 39 (76%) replied to the survey. All reported that the appointments helped them progress in their careers and 23 (45%) have subsequently been appointed successfully to a national Specialty Training Scheme. This project improved recruitment of non-deanery foundation doctors, prevented rota gaps and provided adequate staffing of junior doctors in our hospital. Concerns around employment of IMGs can be offset by providing a supportive and developmental environment.

The Great Western Schism, 1378–1417: Performing Legitimacy, Performing Unity by Joëlle Rollo-Koster (review)

The Great Western Schism, 1378–1417: Performing Legitimacy, Performing Unity by Joëlle Rollo-Koster (review)

Conservation of birds in an urban environment – wild bird fauna at the Osijek Zoo, Croatia

Zoos are our closest, independent, and continuous link to nature. Apart from providing the opportunity to observe captive and exotic wild animals, they also attract various species of wild birds. For that purpose, the main goal of this study was to provide a list of free-living bird species at the Osijek Zoo. During 2021, fieldwork was performed monthly using a point count transect, except during the breeding season when counts were performed twice a month. A total of 61 species were recorded, belonging to 31 families distributed in 15 orders. The most frequently recorded species were Hooded crow, Corvus cornix and Great tit, Parus major. Five species observed at the Osijek Zoo are listed as endangered species in the Red Book of Birds of Croatia: critically endangered: European roller, Coracias garrulus; endangered: Great egret, Ardea alba and Western marsh harrier, Circus aeruginosus; vulnerable: Little egret, Egretta garzetta and Black stork, Ciconia nigra. It appears that the Osijek Zoo provides a good foundation for a high diversity of bird fauna, indicating that this is a good quality urban area. The Osijek Zoo should also strive to preserve this abundant avifauna, by educating the public on conservation, and forbidding any potentially disturbing behaviours.

Great Western Woodlands - size and age structure maps

Great Western Woodlands - size and age structure maps

The Impact of Place-Based Policies on Firm Performance: Evidence from China

This study investigates the causal effect of the first round of China’s Great Western Development Strategy (GWDS) on the total factor productivity (TFP) of Chinese manufacturing firms employing the geographic regression discontinuity design. It uses the firm-level data from China’s Annual Survey of Industrial Firms (ASIF) database from 1998 to 2007. To follow the principle of the geographic regression discontinuity design and ensure the validity of our identification strategies, only firms within a 10 km radius on either side of the GWDS boundary were retained in the baseline regression. The main results include some of the following: (1) The GWDS increased the TFP of firms on the western side of the boundary in the range of 11.2% to 13.7%. (2) The main mechanisms of this improvement were identified as the reduction of a firm’s actual income tax rate and increased firm investment in high-quality human capital. (3) The GWDS has a greater impact on private firms, small firms, and labor-intensive firms. This study provides reliable evidence that place-based policies can promote the sustainable development of firms within the affected regions, and could serve as policy inspiration to alleviate regional development disparities in other developing countries.

Extension Treatment: Preventing Recurrence of Venous Thromboembolism

A conversation with David Sutton, co-director of the Staffordshire Thrombosis and Anticoagulation Centre, University Hospitals North Midlands, UK, and Sue Rhodes, venous thromboembolism (VTE) clinical nurse specialist and joint Anticoagulant Lead at Great Western Hospitals, Swindon, UK. VTE is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality, and is still a bigger killer than breast cancer, prostate cancer, and road traffic accidents.1 While there has been little change in the number of cases since 2010, treatment options have improved. EMJ talked to thromboembolism experts about VTE extension treatment and its role in preventing recurrence.

Culturing the desert microbiota.

Over the last 30 years, the description of microbial diversity has been mainly based on culture-independent approaches (metabarcoding and metagenomics) allowing an in-depth analysis of microbial diversity that no other approach allows. Bearing in mind that culture-dependent approaches cannot replace culture-independent approaches, we have improved an original method for isolating strains consisting of "culturing" grains of sand directly on Petri dishes (grain-by-grain method). This method allowed to cultivate up to 10% of the bacteria counted on the surface of grains of the three sites studied in the Great Western Erg in Algeria (Timoudi, Béni Abbès, and Taghit), knowing that on average about 10 bacterial cells colonize each grain. The diversity of culturable bacteria (collection of 290 strains) predicted by 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that Arthrobacter subterraneus, Arthrobacter tecti, Pseudarthrobacter phenanthrenivorans, Pseudarthrobacter psychrotolerans, and Massilia agri are the dominant species. The comparison of the culture-dependent and -independent (16S rRNA gene metabarcoding) approaches at the Timoudi site revealed 18 bacterial genera common to both approaches with a relative overestimation of the genera Arthrobacter/Pseudarthrobacter and Kocuria, and a relative underestimation of the genera Blastococcus and Domibacillus by the bacterial culturing approach. The bacterial isolates will allow further study on the mechanisms of tolerance to desiccation, especially in Pseudomonadota (Proteobacteria).

Detection of vertebrates from natural and artificial inland water bodies in a semi-arid habitat using eDNA from filtered, swept, and sediment samples.

Biomonitoring is vital for establishing baseline data that is needed to identify and quantify ecological change and to inform management and conservation activities. However, biomonitoring and biodiversity assessment in arid environments, which are predicted to cover 56% of the Earth's land surface by 2100, can be prohibitively time consuming, expensive, and logistically challenging due to their often remote and inhospitable nature. Sampling of environmental DNA (eDNA) coupled with high-throughput sequencing is an emerging biodiversity assessment method. Here we explore the application of eDNA metabarcoding and various sampling approaches to estimate vertebrate richness and assemblage at human-constructed and natural water sources in a semi-arid region of Western Australia. Three sampling methods: sediment samples, filtering through a membrane with a pump, and membrane sweeping in the water body, were compared using two eDNA metabarcoding assays, 12S-V5 and 16smam, for 120 eDNA samples collected from four gnammas (gnamma: Australian Indigenous Noongar language term-granite rock pools) and four cattle troughs in the Great Western Woodlands, Western Australia. We detected higher vertebrate richness in samples from cattle troughs and found differences between assemblages detected in gnammas (more birds and amphibians) and cattle troughs (more mammals, including feral taxa). Total vertebrate richness was not different between swept and filtered samples, but all sampling methods yielded different assemblages. Our findings indicate that eDNA surveys in arid lands will benefit from collecting multiple samples at multiple water sources to avoid underestimating vertebrate richness. The high concentration of eDNA in small, isolated water bodies permits the use of sweep sampling that simplifies sample collection, processing, and storage, particularly when assessing vertebrate biodiversity across large spatial scales.

98 - Improving the use of NOACS for cancer-related VTE in Great Western Hospital

98 - Improving the use of NOACS for cancer-related VTE in Great Western Hospital

Calcinosis circumscripta in a rabbit with recurrent cervical myelopathy.

Journal of Small Animal PracticeEarly View Images in Small Animal Practice Calcinosis circumscripta in a rabbit with recurrent cervical myelopathy C. Abeloos, Corresponding Author C. Abeloos clotilde.abeloos@hotmail.fr Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, Bunstead Barns, Poles Lane, Hursley, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2LL UK Corresponding author email: edward.ives@andersonmoores.comSearch for more papers by this authorT. Dutton, T. Dutton Great Western Exotics, Units 10 – 16, Berkshire House, County Business Park, Shrivenham Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 2NR UKSearch for more papers by this authorD. Denk, D. Denk Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorE. J. Ives, E. J. Ives edward.ives@andersonmoores.com Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, Bunstead Barns, Poles Lane, Hursley, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2LL UKSearch for more papers by this author C. Abeloos, Corresponding Author C. Abeloos clotilde.abeloos@hotmail.fr Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, Bunstead Barns, Poles Lane, Hursley, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2LL UK Corresponding author email: edward.ives@andersonmoores.comSearch for more papers by this authorT. Dutton, T. Dutton Great Western Exotics, Units 10 – 16, Berkshire House, County Business Park, Shrivenham Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 2NR UKSearch for more papers by this authorD. Denk, D. Denk Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorE. J. Ives, E. J. Ives edward.ives@andersonmoores.com Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, Bunstead Barns, Poles Lane, Hursley, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2LL UKSearch for more papers by this author First published: 26 March 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13596Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation

Warfare and Logistics along the US-Canadian Border during the War of 1812 by Christopher Dishman

Drawing from a wide array of archival and secondary sources, Dishman’s analysis of the War of 1812 takes a close look at the combat along the United States–Canadian border. His focus is on the military dimension of the war, more specifically the logistical challenges faced by the two combatants. Dishman’s central argument is that the key factor in the fighting was the difficulties that both sides faced in moving men and materials into the Great Lakes border region on a reliable and timely basis. The British had a long, horizontal supply line stretching from the St. Lawrence valley westward through the Great Lakes and western Ontario. The vulnerability of this line was obvious to American strategists, but it was never fully severed due to the chronic manpower and supply problems that Americans faced, caused chiefly by the lack of roads in the region.Dishman’s close look at a specific theater of the war and the logistical problems intrinsic to the region is both the strength and weakness of the book. The well-written and nicely paced narrative makes a clear contribution to an understanding of the war for scholars with a foundation in this field. Whereas historians often emphasize the lack of American preparedness for the war and the poor performance of its aging generals, Dishman instead argues convincingly that despite those points having some validity, those conditions were not determinative in the Americans’ overall failure to successfully invade Upper Canada and sever its supply lines. He gives the Americans credit, however, for holding their own in the ongoing naval struggle for Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, based on an effective ship-building program and good leadership from officers such as Commodore Oliver Perry. He also gives credit to the British military leaders whose actions were heavily constrained by the tenuousness of the long supply lines that, in some sense, led all the way back to England.The book provides a detailed and compelling story of the thrust and parry of two foes making the best of relatively poor military situations. The British and Americans traded victories and defeats, but none were conclusive enough to change the basic equation of the wider war. Fighting in the United States–Canadian borderland theater ultimately resulted less in a stalemate than in a rough equilibrium that had much to do with negotiators in Europe choosing to settle the entire conflict as essentially a draw.The limitation in Dishman’s approach is the absence of much in the way of political or cultural background. He touches briefly on Americans’ aversion to a standing army and to federal taxes as hindrances to the cause, along with the outright refusal of most state militias to cross state borders or the Canadian border. More discussion about these issues, as well as about the Republican–Federalist divide and the economic differences between U.S. states and regions would have helped to establish the context for the fighting at the border. In the same vein, Dishman underserves the Native Americans involved. He mentions them but does not adequately cover their specific connection to the war and the significance of their betrayal by their British allies. In contrast, Dishman’s recurring references to the demands that the Napoleonic wars placed on the British military demonstrate the effectiveness of widening the scope of a significant, though relatively narrow, frame of analysis.The War of 1812 is famously misunderstood and much-maligned, certainly in the U.S. and even more in the European historical literature. This monograph argues persuasively for the importance of long and tenuous supply lines, certainly not a glamorous topic but a useful one for scholars of this period, demonstrating that this war was anything but short, insignificant, or dull.

Optimal intermittent electrification and its effect on battery sizing and energy saving using a high-fidelity train model

The fastest way to decarbonise traction energy of a railway network is full electrification of the network. However, full electrification can be costly and is often delayed due to complicated planning procedures. Often, it is not financially viable to electrify certain sections of the network due to geographical challenges such as hillsides and requirements to raise or lower the tracks. Intermittent electrification can provide a way to reduce emissions on a route without fully electrifying it. This paper presents an optimal intermittent electrification strategy and compares its effects on required battery size to a ‘common-sense’ approach. The “common-sense” approach is a heuristic electrification method where high-power sections of the route are electrified first. Energy savings are demonstrated using a validated high-fidelity bi-mode train model on the Newbury-Plymouth route of Great Western Railway in the UK. Unlike prior research, the optimal electrification strategy considers energy consumptions for both directions of a journey on the route and is therefore optimal regardless of travel direction. The 278-km Newbury-Plymouth route was divided into 50 equal discrete sections for the optimization process, which then identified sections that should be prioritised for electrification as they consume the maximum energy. A high charge/discharge lithium titanite-oxide battery was modelled and installed on the virtual vehicle to determine the required battery sizing for given optimal percentages of intermittent electrification. The battery sizing strategy includes battery wear effects from charge/discharge cycle life and shows the battery life to be 1.42 years if kept at 55°C and 6 years if kept at 25°C. At 36% electrification, using the ‘common-sense’ approach, the battery weighs 10,500 kg and the battery-OLE train reduces the CO2 emissions and energy usage on the route by 83% when compared to the diesel-only train.

Lidar Profiling of Aerosol Vertical Distribution in the Urbanized French Alpine Valley of Annecy and Impact of a Saharan Dust Transport Event

The vertical aerosol layering of the troposphere is poorly documented in mountainous regions, particularly in the Alpine valleys, which are influenced by valley and mountain winds. To improve our knowledge of particulate matter trapped in the Annecy valley, synergetic measurements performed by a ground-based meteorological Raman lidar and a Rayleigh-Mie lidar aboard an ultralight aircraft were implemented as part of the Lacustrine-Water vApor Isotope inVentory Experiment (L-WAIVE) over Lake Annecy. These observations were complemented by satellite observations and Lagrangian modeling. The vertical profiles of aerosol optical properties (e.g., aerosol extinction coefficient (AEC), lidar ratio (LR), particle linear depolarization ratio (PDR)) are derived from lidar measurements at 355 nm during the period between 13 and 22 June 2019. The background aerosol content with an aerosol optical thickness (AOT) of 0.10 ± 0.05, corresponding to local–regional conditions influenced by anthropogenic pollution, has been characterized over the entirety of Lake Annecy thanks to the mobile ultralight payload. The aerosol optical properties are shown to be particularly variable over time in the atmospheric column, with mean LRs (PDRs) varying between 40 ± 8 and 115 ± 15 sr (2 ± 1 and 35 ± 2%). Those conditions can be disturbed by air masses that have recirculated over the valley, as well as by contributions from neighboring valleys. We have observed an important disruption in the atmospheric aerosol profiles by the arrival of an exceptionally dry air mass (RH ~ 30%), containing aerosols identified as coming from the Great Western Erg (AOT ~ 0.5, LR = 65 ± 10 sr, PDR = 20–35%) in the Sahara. These desert dust particles are shown to influence the entire atmospheric column in the Annecy valley. Such an experimental approach, coupling upward and downward lidar and spaceborne observation/Lagrangian modelling, was shown to be of significant interest for the long-term monitoring of the evolution of aerosol loads over deep valleys. It allows a better understanding of the influence of dust storms in the presence of severe convective weather processes.

Ecology of Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) in Western Australian Eucalypt Woodlands II. Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus (Ptilotula) ornatus

ABSTRACT The Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus (Ptilotula) ornatus is a short-billed honeyeater which has declined in abundance over its range in Western Australia (WA), but remains abundant in the Great Western Woodland (GWW) where this study was conducted. It is also found in southeastern Australia where it occurs mostly in mallee woodlands. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters form colonies from which they exclude small honeyeaters, canopy insectivores, and lerp-feeders; colonies persist for years. Colonies occurred in habitats dominated by different species of eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp), but were structurally similar, with trees of similar size forming a dense canopy, and lacking a shrub layer. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters rely on lerp and honeydew for energy and take arthropods within the colony by gleaning and probing from eucalypts, and opportunistic hawking. Foliage is the most common foraging substrate, but they also probe under bark of live branches and trunks. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters move between patches of nectar-rich flowers outside the colonies, aggregating where eucalypt blossom is abundant. Such movements can be described as locally nomadic and there was no evidence in the GWW of migration or regional scale movements. The proportion of nectar and non-nectar foraging did not differ between years or localities, with half of foraging observations being of nectar-feeding. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters are sensitive to the effects of drought, with less nesting during dry seasons, and colonies abandoning less productive habitats. Nests were spaced over a wide height range, but most were in the lower canopy of eucalypts. Nesting was not synchronous. Their decline can be attributed to the fragmentation and clearing of the most productive habitats in WA for agriculture and urban expansion. Extensive areas of productive forest and woodlands are required to maintain colonies. As a result, Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters are vulnerable to land-clearing and climate change and should be listed as threatened. Currently they are listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’. Conservation of Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters and associated species will only be achieved through protection of extensive areas and corridors of intact forest and woodland, such as the Great Western Woodland in WA.

West German Single Action Army-inspired Revolvers in the United States

After the Second World War, the proliferation of western movies and television shows in the United States drove substantial demand for revolvers styled after the Colt Single Action Army. While domestic companies such as Ruger, Great Western, and Colt themselves provided products to fulfil this demand, there were market opportunities for imported revolvers as well. Today, Italy dominates the U.S. consumer market for imported historical replica firearms, but at one time West Germany—with its still-recovering post-war economy—was a substantial source of inexpensive single-action revolvers. Despite their prevalence, very little has been published on these revolvers. To date, five West German firearms companies have been identified as producing these revolvers for the U.S. consumer market. Prior to the Gun Control Act of 1968, there were limited product marking requirements, which, combined with these revolvers being imported under a wide range of brands, can make identification challenging. This article provides an overview of the broader post-Second World War U.S. market for Colt Single Action replicas, provides a summary of each of the five key West German manufacturers, and presents a straightforward identification schema allowing the reader to differentiate between common makes and models.

The Long and Stony Road to Union: The Intellectual Development of the Concept of Via Concilii from the Outbreak of the Great Western Schism to the Councils of Pisa and Constance

:This paper will discuss the considerations of theological and canonical scholars from France and Italy during the Great Western Schism to solve the division of the Church using the via concilii. The main focus will be on the accentuation of conciliar thought, depending upon the various times and the places where the via concilii was discussed. While at the beginning of the schism a solution involving the two contenders was in the foreground, its continuation led to a rethinking—a search for a solution which did not require, and was indeed against, the resisting popes. No attempt will be made to discuss in this paper other issues treated by contemporary scholars such as the fundamental relationship between the pope and the council (although this is relevant to the question of the positioning of the council), or the reform.

Albanska nacionalna armija početkom 21. veka

The Albanian National Army is a terrorist organization that operates on the territory of several Balkan states in the areas it considers to be the so-called geospace of "Greater Albania". It was created very soon after the end of the war in Kosovo and Metohija and has since then promoted the new Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) under a different name. The idea of the so-called Greater or Natural Albania dates from the middle of the 19th century. Namely, in 1878, a group of Albanians and Albanian champions, assisted by the Turks, formed their first organization, the League of Prizren, in the town of Prizren, Kosovo and Metohija, where they proclaimed the ideas of the so-called Greater Albania, as well as the fight against Orthodox Christians in the Balkans. That struggle continues today. It started with the so-called Kosovo Committee, and it continued until the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century with the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA or UÇK). The idea of the so-called "Greater Albania" never died. It culminated in the wars of 1998 to 1999, as well as in new armed conflicts in 2000 and 2001 in the area of southern Central Serbia and part of today's North Macedonia. The inheritors and executors of this idea are the new terrorist organizations created by the reorganization of the KLA, namely "OVPMB", "ANA", "ONA" and "OVČ", as well as the armed formations of the so-called "Kosovo". These organizations will not be significantly different from their mother, the KLA, except that they will face new challenges. The great Western powers will also show their interests and will immediately provide their moral and economic support to the terrorists in the fight against the Serbian and Macedonian authorities.

From Dante to Dostoevsky: The Golden Age of Christian Art (1321-1821)

The focus on sacrificial, other-centered love in the works of both authors exemplifies the profound influence of Christianity on the great Western art of the half-millennium that separates them.