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Perceptions of Pain and Benzodiazepine Use Interrelations: A Qualitative Study
No full textGrowing concern and research attention have focused on potential harms associated with widespread use of benzodiazepine (BZD) medications. Individuals with chronic pain bear a disproportionate burden, characterized by higher rates of BZD prescriptions, longer-term use, and increased dependence compared to the general population. Although theory and emerging evidence suggest that pain may play a role in the maintenance of BZD use, there is no extant data describing how individuals perceive interrelations between their pain and BZD use. The aims of the present study were to conduct a thematic analysis of interview data regarding perceptions of interrelationships between pain and BZD use and to integrate these findings with theory. Participants included 18 adults (Mage = 42.3, 66.7% female) with chronic pain who reported at least weekly BZD use and having a BZD prescription for ≥ 4 weeks. Interviews were conducted via videoconferencing and audio-recordings were transcribed and coded by two independent raters. Thematic analysis culminated in five themes, including: (1) use of BZDs for pain management; (2) pain as a barrier to discontinuing BZD use; (3) concurrent use of BZDs with other pain medications; (4) that BZDs are often prescribed in the context of medical complexity and uncertainty; and (5) that BZDs are perceived to be an enduring staple of pain treatment. These findings offer timely insight into the central role that BZDs play in pain management for some individuals with chronic pain. This is particularly relevant in the context of ongoing efforts to address BZD use and overuse among chronic pain populations
Geochemical and Thermobarometric Constraints on Granite Crystallization
No full textGranite is ubiquitously recognized by many people due to its common use as a building material and its abundance in the Earth\u27s continental crust. From countertops to library steps, and as a source of economically important elements, granitic rocks are deeply intertwined with human development. Defining the pressure and temperature (P– T) conditions under which granitic composition magmas crystallize is critical for understanding their petrogenesis. This dissertation explores granite petrogenesis across three chapters, utilizing detailed analysis of rock-forming minerals, associated fluids, and geochemical variations to understand how compositional variability influences the lowest possible crystallization conditions. Chapter 1 investigates the physical and geochemical evolution of fluids and minerals in the shallow-level Rito del Medio pluton (RDMP), a high-silica hydrous granite located near Questa, New Mexico. The RDMP is a shallow-level medium- to coarse-grained equigranular granitic pluton with abundant miarolitic cavities, and has a “normal” composition that is not enriched in fluxing elements such as Li, B, P, or F. The RDMP has two distinct paragenetic contexts. The groundmass minerals crystallized from water-saturated melts and the miarolitic cavity minerals crystallized from hydrothermal fluids exsolved from the RDMP magma. The rock has a consistent mineralogy through both paragenetic contexts permitting a complete analysis of its magmatic-to-hydrothermal crystallization history. Chapter 2 tracks the changes in P–T throughout the crystallization history of the RDMP using a suite of thermobarometric methods including two-feldspar thermometry, Ti-in-quartz solubility, fluid inclusion microthermometry, Ti-saturation biotite thermometry, and quartz-in-garnet elastic thermobarometry on minerals and inclusions in both paragenetic contexts that accompanied the magmatic-to-hydrothermal transition. Unlike many modern thermobarometric analyses of natural samples that provide a simplistic snapshot of one rock forming mineral’s crystallization, this research uses a multimethodological approach to provide a complete history of crystallization, while limiting the ambiguity and bias inherent in the utilization of a single method. Many thermobarometric methods, including those used in this research, applied to granitic composition rocks yield temperature estimates ~75 to 100 °C lower than the widely used haplogranite water-saturated solidus (hereinafter referred to as “haplogranite solidus”) currently considered as defining the minimum P–T conditions at which melt can exist. Chapter 3 addresses these discrepancies by evaluating the lowest P–T conditions at which granitic rocks can contain melt. Granite crystallization experiments were conducted on 12 granite compositions spanning the range of pressures from 2 to 15 kbar relevant to continental crust formation. The experimental results are consistent with numerous modern thermobarometric results on natural samples and extend magmatic conditions to significantly lower temperatures than the haplogranite solidus that defined the lower limit of magmatic crystallization for \u3e67 years. This phase boundary is a foundational reference curve for a myriad of solid-earth disciplines involving continental crust including studies in igneous and metamorphic petrology, crust formation, geochemical reservoir development, planetary structure, crustal rheology, tectonics, and ore deposits, therefore it is paramount that this phase boundary is accurately recalibrated using modern experimental methodologies
Lattice and Continuum Anomalies : Bridging the Gap
No full textIn this thesis, we explore anomalies both in the continuum and on the lattice, and attempt to establish a connection between the two frameworks. In the continuum limit, we work with Kähler-Dirac fields, while in the discrete setting, we focus on staggered fermions. To facilitate insights relevant to the growing field of quantum computing, we consider a Hamiltonian formalism in addition to the path integral. Anomalies offer a concrete bridge between ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) physics, understanding how anomalies manifest on the lattice versus in the continuum provides a powerful predictive framework. By numerically studying lattice gauge theories, we can impose non-perturbative constraints on the continuum theory. We show that massless Kähler-Dirac fermions exhibit a mixed gravitational anomaly involving a U (1) symmetry which is unique to Kähler-Dirac fields. Under this U (1) symmetry, the partition function transforms by a phase depending only on the Euler character of the background space. Compactifying flat space to a sphere, we find that the anomaly vanishes in odd dimensions but breaks the symmetry to Z4 in even dimensions. This Z4 prohibits bilinear terms in the fermionic effective action. Four-fermion terms are allowed but require multiples of two flavors of Kähler-Dirac fields. In four-dimensional flat space, each Kähler- Dirac field can be decomposed into four Dirac spinors, and hence these anomaly constraints ensure that eight Dirac fermions—or, for real representations, six- teen Majorana fermions—are needed for a consistent interacting theory. These constraints on fermion number agree with results for topological insulators and discrete anomalies rooted in the Dai-Freed theorem. Our work suggests that Kähler-Dirac fermions may offer an independent path to understanding these constraints. We point out that this anomaly survives intact under discretization and is therefore relevant to recent numerical results on lattice models possessing massive symmetric phases. We further show that the effective action resulting from integrating out mas- sive Kähler-Dirac fermions propagating on a curved three-dimensional space is a topological gravity theory of Chern-Simons type. In the presence of a domain wall, massless, two-dimensional Kähler-Dirac fermions appear, localized to the wall. Potential gravitational anomalies arising for these domain wall fermions are canceled via anomaly inflow from the bulk gravitational theory. We also study the invariance of the theory under large gauge transformations. The analysis and conclusions generalize straightforwardly to higher dimensions. Staggered fermions can be thought of as discretized Kähler-Dirac fermions, their shift symmetries satisfy an algebra and, in four Euclidean dimensions, can be re- lated to a discrete subgroup of an SU(4) flavor symmetry. This connection plays a crucial role in showing that staggered fermions lead to a theory of four degener- ate Dirac fermions in the continuum limit. These symmetries are associated with the appearance of certain Z2-valued global parameters. Lattice anomalies can be thought of as obstructions to gauging on the lattice. We propose a strategy to partially gauge these translation symmetries by allowing these parameters to vary locally on the lattice. To maintain invariance of the action under such local variations requires the introduction of Z2-valued higher-form lattice gauge fields. An analogous procedure can also be carried out for reduced staggered fermions, where the shifts correspond to a discrete subgroup of an SO(4) flavor symmetry. We then review the shift and time reversal symmetries of Hamiltonian staggered fermions and their connection to continuum symmetries, concentrating in par- ticular on the case of massless fermions in (3 + 1) dimensions. We construct operators using the staggered fields that implement these symmetries on the lat- tice. We show that the elementary shift symmetry of a single staggered field is tied to a Z4 subgroup of an additional U(1) phase symmetry and anti-commutes with time reversal. This latter property implies that time reversal symmetry will be broken if this phase symmetry is gauged—a mixed ’t Hooft anomaly. How- ever, this anomaly can be canceled for multiples of four staggered fields. Finally, we observe that the naive continuum limit of the minimal anomaly-free lattice model possesses the symmetries and matter representations characteristic of the Pati–Salam Grand Unified Theory (GUT)
Rising Waters, Falling Taxes: The Impact of Hurricane Sandy on Property Tax Assessments in New York City
No full textClimate disasters pose fiscal challenges for local governments by increasing recovery costs and demand for property tax relief. Homeowners with or without property damage face tax burdens that may not match changes to their property value. This study examines the impact of Hurricane Sandy on property values and tax assessments in New York City. Using a difference-in-differences approach and comprehensive property-level data, we find that (1) inundated properties faced greater tax burdens due to limited declines in taxable value; (2) unaffected properties in flood zones saw tax burden increases due to declining market values and unchanged taxable values; and (3) higher-valued homes bore larger tax burden hikes. These uneven consequences stem largely from constrained assessment caps and selective tax relief measures, with strong implications for reforming property tax administration and design
The Soviet Truth about China: Portrayal of the PRC in Pravda during the Sino-Soviet Split
No full textTerminating Pregnancies in Boccaccio
No full textAnalyzing examples from the Decameron (1349-51), De mulieribus claris (1361), and the Corbaccio (1365), I argue that Boccaccio (1313-75) demonstrates an awareness of theological, legal and medical opinions on abortion and contraception at the time. However, he is more attuned to the practical concerns of pregnancy than are many of his contemporaries. Acknowledging the variety of situations facing pregnant people and some parts of their lived experience that were ignored by many religious and legal authorities, Boccaccio highlights a disconnection between theory and practice, and thereby raises questions about the limits of abstract knowledge in the face of practical concerns
The Employment Situation of Veterans: July 2025
No full textVeteran employment trends and statistics among various demographics during July 2025
How Does County Industry Mix Matter for Working-Age Mortality?
No full textThe types of industries that dominate employment in a county shape the health of the entire community, even for people who don\u27t work in those sectors. This brief summarizes findings of a study that examined how five major employment sectors—agriculture, manufacturing, mining and construction, services, and professional services—were associated with overall county-level mortality rates and with mortality from drug overdoses, suicides, alcohol-related causes, and cardiometabolic disease among U.S. adults ages 25-64 from 2000 to 2022 Data are from the National Vital Statistics System and County Business Patterns. Findings show that the effects of local industries shift vary across time and cause of death. Manufacturing employment was once protective, but its benefits have diminished over time, while service sector employment has become increasingly linked to higher mortality rates, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic