title: “All Gas and No Brakes!”: Helpful metaphor or harmful stereotype?

authors: Payne, Monica A.

subjects: adolescence

abstract: In this essay, I consider the concurrent emergence of a new generic metaphor for the adolescent condition and suggest that, given the familiar notions of a poorly controlled (or even totally out-of-control) state of being it invokes, its endorsement by “teen brain” supporters seriously compromises assertions of even-handed promotion of adolescents’ strengths and weaknesses. Of course the riposte to this might be that metaphors matter much less than “hard facts,” and such imagery should be seen merely as helpful (even mildly humorous) conceptual shorthand for complex science. Do a few “mere words,” therefore, truly warrant special attention? Believing they do, and that this metaphor constitutes a significantly undesirable contribution to the way Western adults are being persuaded to think and talk about young people, I first offer an eclectic sampling of its use and then consider its potential influence with reference to the general role of metaphor in constructing developmental understandings.

text: “All Gas and No Brakes!”: Helpful metaphor or harmful stereotype? In this essay, I consider the concurrent emergence of a new generic metaphor for the adolescent condition and suggest that, given the familiar notions of a poorly controlled (or even totally out-of-control) state of being it invokes, its endorsement by “teen brain” supporters seriously compromises assertions of even-handed promotion of adolescents’ strengths and weaknesses. Of course the riposte to this might be that metaphors matter much less than “hard facts,” and such imagery should be seen merely as helpful (even mildly humorous) conceptual shorthand for complex science. Do a few “mere words,” therefore, truly warrant special attention? Believing they do, and that this metaphor constitutes a significantly undesirable contribution to the way Western adults are being persuaded to think and talk about young people, I first offer an eclectic sampling of its use and then consider its potential influence with reference to the general role of metaphor in constructing developmental understandings.

year: 2012

title: Dynamic three-dimensional reconnection in a separator geometry with two null points

authors: Pontin, D.I.

subjects: MHD—plasmas—sun

abstract: The dynamic behavior of disturbances in the vicinity of a pair of magnetically connected three-dimensional null points is examined. The aim is to investigate how nonlinear disturbances lead to strong localized currents that initiate magnetic reconnection at the separator. The problem is formulated in an incompressible cylindrical geometry by superposing arbitrary disturbance fields onto a “background” two-null field. Two different regimes are found for the dynamic evolution, depending on the relative strengths of the background magnetic and velocity fields. In one regime, disturbance pulses split into ingoing and outgoing components, which propagate along the background field lines. In the other “flux pileup” regime, a strong driving flow localizes the disturbances toward the null point pair. Current structures aligned with the spines, fans, and separator present in the field are found to result, and the structure of these currents and their scaling with resistivity is investigated.

text: Dynamic three-dimensional reconnection in a separator geometry with two null points The dynamic behavior of disturbances in the vicinity of a pair of magnetically connected three-dimensional null points is examined. The aim is to investigate how nonlinear disturbances lead to strong localized currents that initiate magnetic reconnection at the separator. The problem is formulated in an incompressible cylindrical geometry by superposing arbitrary disturbance fields onto a “background” two-null field. Two different regimes are found for the dynamic evolution, depending on the relative strengths of the background magnetic and velocity fields. In one regime, disturbance pulses split into ingoing and outgoing components, which propagate along the background field lines. In the other “flux pileup” regime, a strong driving flow localizes the disturbances toward the null point pair. Current structures aligned with the spines, fans, and separator present in the field are found to result, and the structure of these currents and their scaling with resistivity is investigated.

year: 2006-05

title: Identifying fisheries regions in New Zealand: Some conceptual difficulties

authors: Rennie, Hamish Gordon

subjects: Fisheries

abstract: The importance of fisheries to nations is reflected in the production and employment statistics of the country. It is also reflected in socio-cultural symbols (for instance songs, tales), and in socio-political hegemonies.  Just as these may vary from one nation to another, they may also vary from region to region within a nation.  Several nations speak openly in terms of 'fisheries regions' and there have been a number of attempts to identify such regions in the social science literature. An understanding of these regions is seen as step towards defining appropriate policies for the sustainable management of their resources.

In 1986, New Zealand established an innovative fishery management system based on individually transferable quota (ITQ), and subsequently removed the (never-implemented) region-based, fishery management planning structure from the statutes.  These changes might be indicative of a loss of geography, a flattening of the nation's "fishing topography", and might be expected to result in significant changes to the nature and location of fisheries regions.

This paper outlines the changes in the management structure of New Zealand's fisheries. We then attempt a preliminary analysis of fisheries regions in New Zealand as the basis for a "new regional" geography of New Zealand's fisheries. In the process we discuss various criteria for defining fishery regions and present our initial categorisation of New Zealand into those regions. The relationship between these regions and related institutional structures is then discussed. This raises a number of additional questions regarding the concept of a fisheries region, especially in the context of a resurgent indigenous (Maaori) culture, the emergence of new fishing peoples in New Zealand, and the respective size of recreational and commercial fishing sectors.

text: Identifying fisheries regions in New Zealand: Some conceptual difficulties The importance of fisheries to nations is reflected in the production and employment statistics of the country. It is also reflected in socio-cultural symbols (for instance songs, tales), and in socio-political hegemonies.  Just as these may vary from one nation to another, they may also vary from region to region within a nation.  Several nations speak openly in terms of 'fisheries regions' and there have been a number of attempts to identify such regions in the social science literature. An understanding of these regions is seen as step towards defining appropriate policies for the sustainable management of their resources.

In 1986, New Zealand established an innovative fishery management system based on individually transferable quota (ITQ), and subsequently removed the (never-implemented) region-based, fishery management planning structure from the statutes.  These changes might be indicative of a loss of geography, a flattening of the nation's "fishing topography", and might be expected to result in significant changes to the nature and location of fisheries regions.

This paper outlines the changes in the management structure of New Zealand's fisheries. We then attempt a preliminary analysis of fisheries regions in New Zealand as the basis for a "new regional" geography of New Zealand's fisheries. In the process we discuss various criteria for defining fishery regions and present our initial categorisation of New Zealand into those regions. The relationship between these regions and related institutional structures is then discussed. This raises a number of additional questions regarding the concept of a fisheries region, especially in the context of a resurgent indigenous (Maaori) culture, the emergence of new fishing peoples in New Zealand, and the respective size of recreational and commercial fishing sectors.

year: 1998-06-01