Academic literature on the topic 'Eng Shropshire'

Machaeridians are marine Palaeozoic fossils, known from sediments of early Ordovician to mid Permian age (Bengtson, 1978; Cooper and Grant, 1972; Kaasa, 1992). Rare, completely articulated specimens reveal that they were long, slender, bilaterally symmetrical animals, covered by a dorsal scleritome comprising longitudinally arranged series of calcite sclerites (e.g., Adrain et al., 1991; Högström and Taylor, 2001a, 2001b). However, most known machaeridians, including those described in this paper, comprise isolated disarticulated sclerites. Until recently, the taxonomic affinities of the group were uncertain, and historically they were assigned to a number of different phyla (e.g., see Adrain, 1992). However, the recent account of an exceptionally preserved specimen with soft tissue anatomy, from the Lower Fezouata Formation (Lower Ordovician, Tremadocian) of Morocco, now indicates that machaeridians were annelid worms (Vinther et al., 2008).

Abstract. This paper considers the potential of oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios to identify spatial and temporal changes in the water source of a lowland headwater wetland situated adjacent to the River Tern in Shropshire, UK. Stable isotope composition (d18O) of end-members varied between –7.5 and –8.0‰ for groundwater, –7.3 and –8.5‰ for river-water and –4.5 and –8.0‰ for precipitation. Water samples were extracted from six nests each comprising three porous cup samplers at depths of 0.2 m, 0.5 m and 1.0 m between June 2000 and October 2001, and their isotope compositions determined. Groundwater appears to be the main source of water to the wetland, but stable isotope ratios enable seasonal variations in the contribution of precipitation to be determined, and indicate the extent of precipitation storage within the wetland. Keywords: oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, water source, hydrodynamics, lowland wetland

This article analyzes the ‘Hay inclined plane’ designed by the English engineer and entrepreneur William Reynolds and put into operation in 1792 to facilitate the transport of vessels between channels at different levels using an inclined plane. To this end, a study of computer-aided engineering (CAE) was carried out using the parametric software Autodesk Inventor Professional, consisting of a static analysis using the finite-element method (FEM) of the 3D model of the invention under real operating conditions. The results obtained after subjecting the mechanism to the two most unfavorable situations (blockage situation of the inertia flywheel and emergency braking situation) indicate that, with the exception of the braking bar, the rest of the assembly is perfectly designed and dimensioned. In particular, for the blockage situation, the point with the greatest stress is at the junction between the inertia flywheel and the axle to which it is attached, the maximum value of von Mises stress being at that point (186.9 MPa) lower than the elastic limit of the cast iron. Also, at this point the deformation is very low (0.13% of its length), as well as the maximum displacement that takes place in the inertia flywheel itself (22.98 mm), and the lowest safety factor has a value of 3.51 (located on the wooden shaft support), which indicates that the mechanism is clearly oversized. On the other hand, the emergency braking situation, which is technically impossible with a manual operation, indicates that the braking bar supports a maximum von Mises stress of 1025 MPa, above the elastic limit of the material, so it would break. However, other than that element, the rest of the elements have lower stresses, with a maximum value of 390.7 MPa, and with safety factors higher than 1.7, which indicates that the mechanism was well dimensioned.

AbstractIn England the Cambrian successions include relatively continuous, dominantly argillaceous sequences (Nuneaton area, > 900 m thick) and arenaceous successions punctuated by hiatuses (Malvern, Shropshire). The Tremadoc (lower Ordovician) succeeds paraconformably; it is widespread, dominantly argillaceous and locally very thick (> 2000 m). Deposition of the lower Tremadoc is thought to have been rapid. Uplift of regional extent occurred in early Ordovician (post-Tremadoc) times and inversion of the basins, such as the Tremadoc Worcester Graben, occurred during the Variscan Orogeny. The disposition of the Cambrian–Tremadoc beneath the Upper Llandovery unconformity is thought to reflect the arrangement of basins and highs at that time. Evidence from seismic profiles indicates deposition in half-grabens. In the Welsh Borderland, evidence from outcrops and boreholes suggests that the St David's Series (Middle Cambrian) is locally thickened against syn-depositional faults. The thinning and local absence of the St David's Series across such faults is attributed to the influence of tilt-block highs. Rifting and tilting allowed thick Tremadoc to accumulate (e.g. in a precursor Worcester Graben), but evidence for the direction of thickening is masked by lack of seismic markers and by the effect of pre-landovery erosion.

SUMMARYOn two organic farms, nitrate-N and ammonium-N in the surface layers of the soil of representative fields were recorded for 2 years. Nitrate-N was also determined in different soil layers down to 120 cm at the beginning, middle and end of two winters and at intervals after ploughing three fields, to seek evidence of leaching.Nitrate-N and ammonium-N were both consistently low in the surface layers of fields in ley. Nitrate-N accumulated in arable soils on some occasions when there was little or no crop uptake of N, after ploughing, and after very heavy applications of manure.There was some evidence of nitrate leaching in all five fields which were deep-sampled. In four cases, the loss by leaching appeared to be < 25 kg N/ha per winter. In the other case, in which a 4-year ley was ploughed on 5 October, the loss by leaching appeared to be c. 70 kg N/ha. Ploughing in winter, rather than early autumn, might have reduced the nitrate leached, but the drilling of the next crop might have been delayed.The nitrate concentration of water draining from recently ploughed sandy soil in Shropshire was high, but it would have been diluted by water draining from unploughed fields.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the experiences in working collaboratively with physically impaired visual artists and other stakeholders (e.g. disability arts organisations, charities, personal assistants, special needs colleges, assistive technologists, etc.) to explore the potential of digital assistive tools to support and transform practice. Design/methodology/approach – The authors strategically identified key organisations as project partners including Disability Arts Shropshire, Arts Council England, the British Council, SCOPE, and National Star College (a large special needs college). This multi-disciplinary team worked together to develop relationships with disabled artists and to collaboratively influence the research focus around investigating the current practice of physically impaired artists and the impact of digital technologies on artistic work. Findings – The collaborations with disabled artists and stakeholders throughout the research process have enriched the project, broadened and deepened research impact, and enabled a firsthand understanding of the issues around using assistive technology for artistic work. Artists and stakeholders have become pro-active collaborators and advocates for the project as opposed to being used only for evaluation purposes. A flexible research approach was crucial in helping to facilitate research studies and enhance impact of the work. Originality/value – This paper is the first to discuss experiences in working with physically impaired visual artists – including the benefits of a collaborative approach and the considerations that must be made when conducting research in this area. The observations are also relevant to researchers working with disabled participants in other fields.

In previous studies eDNA metabarcoding has been demonstrated as a viable tool for catchment-level biodiversity sampling in rivers (Deiner et al. 2016). However, questions still remain over the appropriate sampling protocol for large spatial scale sampling. River reaches are composed of multiple habitats with species composition varying from one to the next (Costa and Melo 2007). Therefore, how many spatial replicates are needed to reliably represent the river network? Is the previously used approach to sample at every river confluence (Deiner et al. 2016) sufficient or is more needed? These questions were addressed using a case study in the headwaters of the Cound Brook, a tributary to the River Severn in Shropshire, UK. Two sub-catchments of the Cound Brook were used. One sub-catchment had a sample taken at the most downstream point before the confluence. Additionally, a sample at the upstream extent of the same sub-catchment was taken to estimate any correlation between the species found at the beginning of the river reach and at the end. Another sub-catchment also had the same up- and downstream sample design. However, in between was a systemic sampling regime every 500 m. This is to test if increasing the spatial resolution gave significantly different results to the sparser sampling regime. At each sample location, a 1 L water sample was sequentially filtered through membranes of three different mesh sizes: 5µm, 0.45µm and 0.2µm. Sequential filtering was performed because DNA resides in two forms in the environment (Civade et al. 2017), within whole cells (cellular DNA) and outside of cells (extracellular). The theory is that the coarser filters predominantly collect cellular DNA and the finer filters collect predominantly extracellular DNA of increasingly smaller fragment lengths. Consequently, sequential filtering could represent DNA degradation in the environment (Fig. 1). Also, Turner et al. 2014 suggested that the larger particles could determine very recent or local organisms. Therefore, we hypothesised that the DNA collected by the coarser filters would represent local diversity and the DNA collected by the finer filters would reflect biodiversity further upstream. Initial results suggest sequential filtering through the 5µm and 0.45µm filters caught detectable levels of eDNA where the 0.2µm did not catch enough to show up through gel electrophoresis. The relevance of the initial finding suggests that if we only used a 5µm filter the data collected at 0.45µm could have been discarded. Further investigations of any differences in species compositions between filters and the relationships to other sampling locations is still to be determined. This ongoing research is intended to determine the appropriate sampling protocol for a large-scale biodiversity assessment regime combining eDNA metabarcoding and species distribution modelling.

The rhynchosaur Rhynchosaurus articeps Owen, 1842, from the Middle Triassic of Grinshill, northern Shropshire, England, was a small reptile, about 0.5 m long. About 17 individual animals are represented by skulls, complete skeletons and partial skeletons, and these have permitted detailed restorations. The skull (60-80 mm long) is low and broad at the back, and it shows all of the typical rhynchosaur features of beak-like premaxillae, single median naris, fused parietal, broad maxillary tooth plate and dentary, both with multiple rows of teeth, and a deep lower jaw. The skeleton shows adaptations for fast terrestrial locomotion with a semi-erect hindlimb posture and for scratch-digging with the hind-foot. The skeleton is relatively more slender than that of most other middle and late Triassic rhynchosaurs, but this is probably an allometric effect of its much smaller size (they are typically 1-2 m long). A further species of Rhynchosaurus from Warwick, named here R. brodiei , is represented by 15 specimens of partial skulls, tooth-bearing elements, and isolated postcranial bones. It was slightly larger than R. articeps , with a typical skull length of 90 mm, and estimated body length of 0.6 m, but the skull length ranged up to 140 mm. It differs from R. articeps in having a much larger jugal in the cheek area, and in the greater height and breadth of the skull. The isolated maxillary fragments from Bromsgrove probably also belong to R. brodiei . The third species of Rhynchosaurus from Devon, named here R. spenceri , is now known from numerous specimens of at least 25 individuals, most of which were collected recently. These show a range in estimated skull length from 40 to 170 mm, but most specimens are at the upper end of that range, with an average skull length of 140 mm, and an estimated total body length of 0.9-1.0 m R. spenceri differs from R. articeps and R. brodiei in having a skull that is broader than it is long (otherwise a character of late Triassic rhynchosaurs), and it shares the large jugal character with R. brodiei . Teeth are not well preserved in R. articeps, but several specimens of R. brodiei and R. spenceri give detailed information. The pattern of wear, and the nature of the jaw joint, suggest that Rhynchosaurus had a precision-shear bite, as in other rhynchosaurs, with no back and forwards motion. The maxilla had two grooves, a major and a minor one, which received two matching ridges of the dentary on occlusion. The multiple rows of teeth on maxilla and dentary, and the surrounding bone, wore down as uniform units. The diet was probably tough vegetation, which was dug up by scratch-digging, raked together with the hands or the premaxillary beak, and manipulated in the mouth by a strong tongue. Rhynchosaurus is found variously in fluvial-intertidal deposits with evidence of desiccation (Grinshill, Warwick, Bromsgrove), and fluvial-aeolian deposits laid down in arid conditions with occasional flash floods (Devon). The bones have generally been transported (Warwick, Bromsgrove, Devon), but the Grinshill specimens are largely complete and undisturbed. The associated floras and faunas at Warwick, Bromsgrove, and Devon include pteridophytes, gymnospermopsids, bivalves, scorpions, freshwater fish, temnospondyl amphibians and reptiles (macrocnemids, thecodontians, ?procolophonids). Rhynchosaurs are archosauromorph diapsids, possibly related to the enigmatic Trilophosaurus, and a sister group to Prolacertiformes + Archosauria. A cladistic analysis of Rhynchosauria reveals one major subgroup, the Hyperodapedontinae ( Hyperodapedonand and Scaphonyx ), which is late Triassic in age. The earlier rhynchosaurs, including the middle Triassic Stenaulorhynchus and Rhynchosaurus , appear to form successively closer outgroups to the Hyperodapedontinae. The three species of Rhynchosaurus share only one possible synapomorphy in comparison with Stenaluorhynchus : The dentary is well over half the length of the lower jaw. The ‘Rhynchosaurinae’ ( Stenaulorhynchus and Rhynchosaurus ) was not established as a monophyletic group in the present analysis. These two genera share two postulated synapomorphies: the occipital condyle lies well in front of the quadrates, and there are two grooves on the maxilla and two ridges on the dentary. A third postulated synapomorphy, the presence of a single row of teeth on the pterygoid, has not been confirmed in this study for either Rhynchosaurus or Stenaulorhynchus . However, these postulated synapomorphies are outweighed by the synapomorphies that Rhynchosaurus shares with the Hyperodapedontinae. The specimens of Rhynchosaurus have been used as biostratigraphic indicators for the English middle Triassic, indicating Anisian to early Ladinian ages. The three species can be arranged in a sequence from ‘most prim itive’ to ‘most advanced’, but this cannot be used confidently to give a stratigraphic sequence.

This dissertation is an examination of the validity and potential of a series of documents known as feet of fines. It represents the analysis of data gathered from over 5000 original, medieval fines at the Public Record Office in Kew. Computer technology, notably Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and databases, has been utilized in the analysis. This has led to the production of a series of tables, graphs and maps for the chosen study area: the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Gloucestershire. The research has enabled a comparative study of land use and settlement patterns and has revealed that fines are an excellent source for the study of certain themes, such as the period of the "crisis" of the early fourteenth century and the plotting of the course of the advance of pasture in the later medieval period. The origins of feet of fines are examined along with their development, their structure and content. Their value as a source for the historian and the historical-geographer has been assessed and the data has been used for the study of the three counties in question. A regional study of each county has been undertaken along with a general examination of land use and settlement patterns. This is followed by an assessment of how feet of fines can be used to enhance this pattern for the period 1196-1509. All three county studies include a series of tables and graphs produced from the database of fines and maps produced from Unking these databases to a GIS digital mapping system. The conclusion highlights the differences in land use and settlement patterns in the three counties and includes comparisons between the three studies.

This thesis examines the ministry of John Fletcher (1729-85), vicar of Madeley, Shropshire (vic. 1760-85) as a case study on the Church of England and Methodism in the eighteenth century. Studies of Fletcher have tended to focus either on his contribution to Methodist theology or on his designation as Wesley's successor as the leader of the Methodists. The parish of Madeley has been, for the most part, peripheral to Fletcher studies. The present thesis, however, has aimed to examine Fletcher in his parochial context; to study both what the parish tells us about Fletcher, but also what Fletcher tells us about the parish, and more specifically, about the church in the eighteenth century in a local context. The main argument of this thesis is that Fletcher's ministry at Madeley was representative of a variation of a pro-Anglican Methodism--localized, centred upon the parish church, and rooted in the Doctrines and Liturgy of the Church of England. Three recent publications have provided a triad for understanding Fletcher: (1) in his industrial context; (2) in his theological context; and (3), in his relationship with leaders in the Evangelical Revival. This thesis has sought to examine a fourth component: Fletcher's work as an ordained clergyman of the Church of England, that is, in his ecclesial and ministerial context. The main body of the thesis focuses on two primary aspects of Fletcher's parish ministry: his stated duties and his diligence in carrying out other responsibilities and meeting other needs which arose, including addressing the various tensions which developed during his incumbency. Fletcher's background and his call to parochial ministry as well as the religious history of Madeley are outlined first (Chapter 1). There are three chapters which examine his performance of stated duties: worship services and preaching (Chapter 2); pastoral care andeducation (Chapter 5); and confrontation of erroneous doctrine (Chapter 6). Fletcher's ministry also included a scheme of church extension, represented primarily by his development of religious societies on which other aspects of his parochial duty built (Chapter 3). His evangelicalism and commitment to his parish simultaneously raised tensions between Fletcher and his parishioners (provoked by his 'enthusiasm' or zeal), and between Fletcher and John Wesley, whose variations of Methodism had similar aims, but different models of practice. A chapter is devoted specifically to these issues (Chapter 4).Fletcher's chapel meetings formed an auxiliary arm of the church, operating as outposts throughout his parish. His parishioners considered his ministerial model a 'Methodist' one even though it was not technically part of Wesley's Connexion (other than the fact that his itinerants were guests in the parish). In all, it is the conclusion of this thesis that Fletcher's pastoral ministry represents some of the best work of Anglicanism in the eighteenth century, demonstrating that despite the manifest challenges of industrializing society, residual dissent, and competition from the church's rivals, the Establishment was not incapable of competing in the religious marketplace.