16144 research outputs found
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Herbert Butterfield and the History of Science
No full textIn terms of traditional historiography, the history of science is a relatively new field of historical analysis. Though he was certainly not the first person to promote the discipline as worthy of interest in and of itself, British historian Herbert Butterfield can be considered a major popularizer of the history of science as an integral part of world, and especially modern, history. Butterfield, a respected historian who also specialized in diplomatic history, helped create the study as we know it today, in its “great men” formula that has been the basis for narrative accounts of science\u27s historical activities. While earlier practitioners focused on methodological practices or the national grandeur of a country\u27s famous scientists, it was Butterfield who created the field as an integral subcategory of modern world history. This research explored Butterfield\u27s predecessors, his writings on the history of science, and his subsequent promotion of and influence on the history of science
Not Just a Movie
No full textWith the release of Selma, there has been debate over how historically accurate film producers’ movies truly are. The purpose of this study is to analyze if historians should trust history to film producers in the movies they create. This study will examine three movies, Gandhi, Home and the World, and The Battle of Algiers by analyzing their historical validity. It will also examine what is historically inaccurate pertaining to the movies and the motives behind the historical inaccuracies. This study will examine the French, British, Algerian, and Indian views on the issues portrayed in these movies and how they interact based on the region and timeframe of the movies’ production and subjects
La Paysanne et L’héroïne: The Life and Mission of Joan of Arc in the Social Context of the Middle Ages
No full textJoan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) is undoubtedly one of the most notable figures in French history. That a young peasant girl could rise to a position of military power and aid in bringing about the end of the Hundred Years’ War is nothing short of remarkable, and so Joan’s story has fascinated writers and historians for centuries. However, too often Joan of Arc has been viewed from modern perspectives thus leading to a misinterpretation of who she was and what she did. This research attempts to view the life and mission of Joan through the lens of the cultural context in which she lived. It opens with an examination of the nature of social, religious, and gender structures in France during the 1400s. This is followed by an analysis of how Joan of Arc completed her self-proclaimed mission to save France from British occupation both by working with and defying the social structures of the Middle Ages. After briefly addressing the reputation that Joan has gained as a visionary, it concludes that she won that status not only for her daring and revolutionary actions but also because of the ways that she was willing to accept the nature of the society she was born into and work with its constructs
Prayers, Tithes and Tweets: A Rhetorical Analysis of Joel Osteen’s and Pope Francis’s Discussion of Fruits of the Spirit on Twitter
No full textWith many believers worldwide, the Christian Church is organized by countless individuals in leadership roles. Yet, despite many active members, Christians are led by influential leaders who attract millions of followers each, such as Joel Osteen and Pope Francis. Pope Francis and Joel Osteen shape masses through their messages and content, which are becoming increasing accessible through social media channels like micro-blog Twitter. Although theological differences occur, Catholics and Protestants agree on Christianity’s major premises. Thus, Pope Francis and Joel Osteen’s Twitter feeds should contain somewhat similar Christian content and instruction to their followers, such as encouraging the practice of the fruits of the Spirit. The current study asks, How similar are Joel Osteen’s and Pope Francis’ Twitter feeds in teaching how to live a virtuous Christian life according to fruits of the Spirit? Using cluster criticism, a critical approach to rhetoric, an analysis was performed on a sample of Joel Osteen and Pope Francis’s tweets to compare content and understand if these Christian leaders shared similar rhetoric. Although Pope Francis and Joel Osteen had some similar tweeting habits, Pope Francis’s tweets contained much more fruits of the Spirit content than Joel Osteen’s. Additionally, Pope Francis’s interpretations appear founded in Biblical scripture and traditional Catholic Church doctrine whereas Joel Osteen’s tweets contained mostly Prosperity Gospel and positive self-help thinking. These two distinct messages involve very different rhetoric. These results help describe the complexity and division of the Christian church today and signify a deeper power struggle between shifting ideologies of the Christian church, specifically the evangelical American mega-church and the liturgical Catholic Church
Conqueror of Death: A Study of Bacchic Imagery on Roman Sarcophagi
No full textThe Roman counterpart to the Greek god Dionysus, Liber Pater, invited his worshippers to free themselves from their inhibitions and social conventions. In festivals such as Liberalia, boys donned their adult togas for the first time, actors danced across the stage in celebration, and phalluses were revered and worshiped by all. And yet, even as this vibrant form of worship fell out of style after the second century BCE, there seemed to be a resurgence of this Roman Bacchic tradition carved all over sarcophagi from the mid‐first century to the late third century CE, across the Roman empire. So why would a god who was so closely associated with life, fertility, and coming of age and whose popularity had dwindled during the Roman republic come to be depicted on sarcophagi centuries later in the Roman empire? In this project, I will examine depictions of the Ariadne myth on sarcophagi in particular which, as I will argue, reorient Liber worship toward Greek identifications of Bacchus as a figure who can conquer the finality of death. Ariadne is an ideal figure for such an occasion because, according to the tradition surrounding her, she was saved from death twice: first when Dionysus carried her off from Naxos then again at her apotheosis after her death. Although many versions focus on Bacchus’ marriage, in Fasti 495-520, Ovid imagines Ariadne wishing she were dead after Liber brings home a new wife and that her unfaithful husband had never saved her from that fate Theseus left her to. Despite this, Ovid tells us, Ariadne would be renamed Libera and take her place as an immortal among the stars. Stemming from the Ariadne-Bacchus marriage myth all other depictions of Bacchus on sarcophagi start to represent the want for the deceased to live on, immortalized in stone. Through his depiction on sarcophagi, Liber is transformed into the best representation of what we want our loved ones to have: eternal life, happiness, and freedom
Tobacco Production and Undernourishment in Zambia
No full textThis research explores the correlation between the production of tobacco and undernourishment in developing countries. Zambia was used as an example because of its high rates of undernourishment and tobacco production. We researched the positive and negative effects of tobacco growth in this country, as well as its agricultural potential. We concluded that most of the farmers grow tobacco to trade it, instead of using the agricultural potential in this country to grow food and therefore reduce undernourishment rates and food insecurity
Indirect Relationship between Herbivores as Mediated through Endophyte- Containing Plants
No full textFungal endophytes are a key aspect to the defense mechanism of many grasses, and it is their production of alkaloids that has been shown to inhibit herbivory. Up until this point, studies of this kind have primarily been focused on the effect endophytes have upon herbivores. There is a whole breadth of knowledge still to be discovered pertaining to the reciprocal effect, that of the effect of the herbivore on the endophyte. Here, we tested if horse (Equus ferus caballus) saliva has an effect on alkaloid levels produced by endophytes within Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus). In order to determine the biological activity of our treatment groups, a bioassay was performed, using aphids (Rhopalosiphum padi L), and a loline analysis was carried out as well. We found that the infected plants supported fewer aphids than uninfected plants. Saliva caused an increase in aphid survival for the uninfected plants, and the opposite was true for infected plants. To further our results, we intend to perform an ergot chemical assay. Analysis of these results will hopefully give us more insight into the insectfungus interaction
Gadolinium-doped Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles as Scaffolds for Multimodal Imaging
No full textMultimodal imaging agents are beneficial to medical imaging and research because they combine strengths of individual modalities. Nanoparticles provide an excellent scaffold to combine different imaging agents into one entity. Following a literature precedent, we have synthesized gadolinium-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for magnetic resonance imaging. We have characterized these particles using SEM/EDS. Further, we have investigated modification of the surface of these hydroxyapatite nanoparticles using a phosphate-labeled dye. Current goals are to further characterize the size, structure, and composition of these nanoparticles
Modeling for Surface Stimulation of the Median Nerve
No full textPhantom Limb Pain, a pain or discomfort in the missing limb, is experienced by 50-80% of amputees. We hypothesize that by eliciting a “real” sensation in the phantom limb; phantom limb pain may be reduced or eliminated. Previous studies with single electrodes placed at the elbow produced sensation in a portion of the hand and the area increased with increasing stimulation. The objective of this study was to develop a computer model of surface stimulation that can be used to predict the effect of electrode location, size, and configuration on activation of the median nerve. A three-dimensional finite element model of the elbow was created using ANSYS Maxwell. The model was based on the anatomy of the arm and included electrical properties of the tissues including bone, muscles, blood vessels, tendons, and nerves. To validate the model, two 15x30 mm electrodes were applied to the skin of the model to match experimental conditions. Simulations were run on the model by applying a voltage across the electrodes. MATLAB and NEURON were then used to determine whether the axon fired for a given set of parameters. In order to improve the accuracy of the model, differences between motor and sensory axons were investigated. Ion channels were added to the nodes and internodes of the axons, and parameters were varied in order to distinguish motor and sensory axons. The thresholds at different axon diameters were found for the two types of axons to determine which type was activated first. The results were then compared to experimental results. Future work will include modeling an array of electrodes and developing an algorithm to control the stimulation to obtain partial activation of the nerve
Robotic Echolocation Testbed
No full textA bat can identify its position within an environment using ultrasound chirps to perform echolocation. The biology of this process has been studied in depth, and engineers have applied ultrasound ranging in mapping and object detection. However, most engineered systems do not mimic bats, and there is still much to be understood about how a bat actually processes the echoes it hears. In this project, a mobile system was developed that can precisely and reliably carry out echolocation experiments (data collection) for later analysis. A Kobuki robot was used as a base unit, providing mobility and accurate odometry. Custom shelving and mounting hardware were designed for the robot to accommodate a laptop for controlling the robot, along with a Microsoft Kinect sensor and ultrasonic transducers for taking experimental measurements. A Python based software package was designed to provide simple control of the robot and its sensors. This software was designed to work within the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework, and includes high-level interfaces for controlling robot movement and for the simultaneous playing and recording of sounds. Each data-collection experiment consists of a sequence of movements and measurements that the robot should perform. A YAML based specification for representing experiments was developed, so that users can create and execute experiments with simple, human-readable text files. The system we have developed will make future data collection simple, allowing us to focus on the study and analysis of echo signals