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The Belt and Road Initiative and Income Inequality
No full textAs part of their Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Chinese government has invested over eight hundred billion dollars across the globe into various infrastructure projects in a bid to improve economic connectivity and local economic growth, but the altruism of these efforts has come into question. Using the GINI coefficient of countries as a measure of inequality, along with data regarding Chinese investment statistics collected by the American Enterprise Institute, I estimate the effect of the BRI on income inequality in participating nations. While the matter of how foreign investment affects income inequality is still debated, I expect to find that Chinese investment will increase the GINI coefficients of countries receiving loans
The Queer Experience Under the Nazi Regime
No full textIn recent years, historians have focused increasingly on queer victims of the Holocaust. Building on this scholarship, this study draws on recorded testimony from survivors to explore the queer experience during and after the war. The Nazis censored queer media and revised Paragraph 175 of the German criminal code to forbid the practice of homosexuality between men in Germany and in any land that German forces occupied. The Nazis oppressed lesbians as well, finding ways to incriminate them for other offenses or bribing officers to take advantage of them. Ultimately, queer individuals were sent to concentration camps, where they were persecuted by both the SS and their heterosexual peers. Other prisoners believed homosexuality to be a choice, so they did not believe homosexual victims were oppressed the same way they were. This led to exclusion from prisoner-run communities. Queer prisoners who were sent to concentration camps for other reasons, such as Judaism, often disguised their homosexuality to avoid such treatment. Jewish victims who were unable to hide their homosexuality often were assigned to the most strenuous tasks. Nazi oppression wrecked or ended the lives of tens of thousands of queer people through torture, medical experiments, and the dismantling of their reputations. When the Holocaust ended, the queer survivors were forced to live as ex-convicts, rarely receiving the same compensation or safety net that other victims received. What Hitler and the Nazis did to homosexuals must be discussed to acknowledge and prevent the tyrannical treatment of LGBT+ people in society
Does College Football Recruit Quality Affect Win Percentage?
No full textCollege football is a popular sport in the US, and it generates huge amounts of revenue for colleges and local businesses. Colleges want quality student-athletes that will bring in more revenue, and it can be a lucrative business for large colleges. My goal is to estimate the effect of recruit quality on team performance, using team level panel data. The data I am using are from the five biggest conferences in Division One, and they are from 2003 through 2018 seasons. They come from Rivals and Sports Reference, two top sources of sports and recruiting data. My key variable is “stars,” which is a metric used to rate high school recruits that have college level potential. A recruit can be ranked from three to five stars, five stars being the most talented recruits. I believe my key variable will have a positive impact on win percentage, since better talent should result in better performance. I am controlling for points for, points against, strength of schedule, and team fixed effects, which I’m hoping will get a more accurate measure of how recruits affect performance. Controlling for other relevant factors as well as team fixed effects, my preliminary results indicate that higher team level star averages negatively affect winning percentages
From Latin Rhythms to Southern Rhymes: A Life Unscripted
No full textFrom Latin Rhythms to Southern Rhymes\u27\u27 narrates the unexpected journey of a Chilean mom and daughter transplanted from the arid landscapes of the Atacama desert to the lush, drawling heart of Georgia. Through the eyes of a daughter caught between two worlds, the story unfolds, touching on cultural differences, the challenges of love after divorce, and the complexity of identity. The audience is invited into an exploration of assimilation, accent, and the unforeseen twists of life that lead to adopting Southern colloquialisms. From the initial discomfort of foreign words to the transformative embrace of a new family, the story celebrates the resilience of love and the beauty found in the unexpected crossroads of diverse life landscapes. This proposal is part of Dr. Colin Whitworth\u27s panel on Storytelling
Abolitionist Rhetoric and the Campaign Song in 1860
No full textMusic has played a significant role in presidential campaigning since the 1840 campaign of William Henry Harrison (Scott, 2017). This music was circulated in small, printed booklets called “songsters.” In the 19th century, campaign songs typically praised one candidate, or denigrated others, but sometimes lyrics expressed specific viewpoints or outlined aspects of the candidates’ policy platforms (Miles, 1990). The campaign of 1860 was no exception. There were four major candidates for this election: Abraham Lincoln (Republican party), John Breckinridge (Southern Democratic party), John Bell (Constitutional Union), and Stephen Douglas (Democratic Party). The candidates debated many topics, but the main issue at this time was slavery, and candidates turned to the power of song to sway public opinion. Songs for the Great Campaign of 1860 is a collection compiled for the campaign of Abraham Lincoln and his running mate, Hannibal Hamlin. This collection includes “Help! O Help!,” an abolitionist song composed during the period. Unlike the traditional campaign song, “Help! O Help” makes an emotional appeal by offering a poignant narrative of an enslaved mother. “Help! O Help!” tugs at the heartstrings of those that listen to it and exposes them to the grief and loss that enslaved individuals faced on a daily basis. While several scholars have turned a critical lens to campaign music, few have analyzed how songs in campaign songsters dialogue with other abolitionist texts. Drawing on anti-slavery rhetoric in newspapers, pamphlets, and personal narratives, this paper analyzes “Help! O Help!” against the backdrop of these texts, illustrating the vital role music played in the circulation of ideas in the campaign of 1860
Effects of winter shelter characteristics on brumation duration, body mass loss, and Ophidiomyces ophidiicola infection load in a southeastern population of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus)
No full textSnakes in temperate regions undergo a period of general inactivity during the winter season, known as brumation. In populations at high temperate latitudes, a combination of extreme winter temperatures and limited availability of suitable shelter sites often drives the evolution of communal denning strategies. At lower temperate latitudes, less is known regarding the causes and consequences of variable overwintering strategies. More than a decade of research on snake populations across eastern North America has documented the prevalence of Ophidiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo), with the widespread recognition that Oo infection signs are greatest in spring after emergence from overwintering shelters. However, nothing is known regarding potential relationships between Oo infection and the use of different overwintering shelter types. Here, we leverage a unique population of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) from middle Georgia to quantify relationships between winter shelter type (rock outcrop, stream bank, stump hole) and strategy (solitary vs. communal) on brumation duration, body mass loss, and Oo infection load. Preliminary results indicate a significantly different distribution of site types used by solitary and communal snakes, with communal sites being predominantly rock outcrops relative to solitary sites often being stump holes and stream banks. Variation in body mass loss, brumation duration, and Oo infection load was not related to winter shelter type (rock outcrop, stream bank, stump hole) or strategy (solitary vs. communal). However, ongoing sampling could strengthen the current trend of communal snakes having higher infection loads and longer brumation durations than solitary individuals
Esterification Reaction Using a Heterogenous Catalyst
No full textThe esterification reaction of 4-Methoxyphenylacetic acid with 4-Ethylphenol is used to create commercial chemicals with floral properties and is largely demanded by perfume-related industries. Routine esterification reactions use corrosive acids as catalysts and require excess reagents that are unrecoverable. The purpose of this study is to synthesize an ester product under mild conditions using a heterogeneous acid catalyst that is used compared to the traditional, more problematic homogenous acid catalyst under these conditions, excess reagents and catalyst can be recovered. This reaction is aimed at promoting green chemistry to minimize waste. The reaction is carried out through reflux reacting an excess amount of 4-Ethylphenol with 4-Methoxyphenylacetic acid with the addition of the catalyst amberlyst-15 to enhance the rate of the reaction and increase yields. In this study, we report the successful synthesis of the desired ester product along with the recovery of the catalyst and 4-Ethylphenol. Current studies are aimed at recycling the recovered reagents in esterification reactions in line with green chemistry principles
Exploring Veteran Identity through Lyric Analysis
Get PDFResearchers attempt to define what it means to be a Veteran, but it is rare for that question to be directly asked of Veterans. Traditionally, experimenters define variables and ask the group of interest to provide responses without being included in the research process or reaping any direct benefit from participation. A high degree of distrust and disenfranchisement is present within the Veteran community towards the mental health care system and scientists. We aim to use a Community-based Participatory Action Research (CbPAR) model to amplify their voices and focus on what is important to them. We are seeking to allow Veterans to define their identity in their own words. Researchers serve as messengers to help amplify Veteran voices and disseminate their stories to the larger community. This study is part of a larger research project using both photovoice and lyric analysis to help define the “sights and sounds” of Veteran identity. In this study, we asked Veterans to identify songs that answered the question, “What does being a Veteran mean to you?” Veterans worked individually and in groups with researchers through the process of lyric analysis and thematic exploration. Lyric analysis is a music therapy intervention in which the client and therapist listen to a song together and discuss the connection the lyrics have to the client’s life experiences. Transcripts of interviews are being analyzed to uncover shared themes that help researchers understand how they conceptualize their identity as Veterans. External validity will be addressed through member checking, in which participants will review transcripts, discuss identified themes, and choose songs to present as a part of an immersive, interactive gallery experience for the community to allow for their stories to be told. We assert that more research should be done with the Veteran community, not to the
Effect of Amendments on the Transport and Leaching of Lead in polluted soils
No full textMining is essential for acquiring a lot of the natural resources that humans require in their daily lives. Unfortunately, mining activities have resulted in widespread contamination of soils and negatively impacted people and the environment around the world. This project is part of a larger NSF IRES project and assesses the impacts of various soil amendments on the bioavailability and mobility of lead in soils. The objective of the study is to understand how these amendments affect the leaching of heavy metals and nutrients from polluted soils into groundwater. A greenhouse pot-study was conducted using heavy metal-contaminated soils, biochar, compost, and hyperaccumulator plants to investigate the influence of soil amendments on heavy metal leaching. X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry was used to analyze the initial and final concentrations of lead in the soils, while spectrophotometry and chromatography were employed to analyze the leachate collected. Then a study was conducted in the field to investigate naturally contaminated sites in Zambia. Intact soil cores for laboratory column experiments were collected from the contaminated sites. Leachate from the soil cores was collected and analyzed for lead and nutrients. Preliminary results suggest that compost retains lead in the soils by about 30% when compared to unamended soils and other treatments. Being able to determine which amendments minimize the leaching of lead can be used to develop best management practices and guidelines for amending mining wastelands and tailing dumps. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2107177
Engaging every student in American Government: a vertical learning approach
Get PDFThis project is a research-based creative endeavor that aims to design an innovative high school course on American government. The course, titled “American Government: Thinking Classrooms,” has several unique and effective features. It promotes equity in the political science classroom by focusing on student assets, such as their cultural backgrounds, personal experiences, and interests. The course also incorporates social-emotional learning, helping students develop skills such as self-awareness, empathy, and collaboration. Culturally responsive teaching methods are utilized, connecting the content to the students’ lives, using diverse sources and perspectives, and fostering critical thinking. The course adopts Peter Liljedahl’s “building thinking classroom” approach, creating a dynamic and engaging learning environment that encourages student participation, exploration, and inquiry. Project-based learning is implemented, allowing students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems and issues. The course seeks to minimize the pressure of grades and instead focuses on feedback and reflection. It includes brain-based learning practices, such as brain breaks, emotion, movement, and pre-questions, which enhance memory and comprehension. Innovatively, the course uses technology to help personalize learning and provide individualized support and guidance to students. Overall, the course is an effort to combine the most effective, research-based methods for increasing student learning