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The High Hallow: Tolkien’s Liturgical Imagination (2025) by Ben Reinhard.
No full textBook review, by Tom Emanuel, of The High Hallow: Tolkien’s Liturgical Imagination (2025) by Ben Reinhard
Belliphonic Tolkien: Listening to the Wars in Middle-earth
No full textThis paper explores the belliphonic—the sonic dimension of warfare—in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, focusing on the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. While modern warfare studies emphasize the sounds of mechanized combat, the acoustic landscapes of ancient and medieval battles remain understudied. Drawing on recent scholarship by Clauss, Lummer, Potthoff, and Pretzer, this study situates Tolkien’s soundscapes within both historical and mythological traditions. Tolkien’s immersion in classical, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse literature, combined with his experience of World War I, enabled him to create richly layered battle sounds in which horns, cries, silence, and environmental acoustics carry narrative and psychological weight. Through close reading, the paper examines how Tolkien employs explicit, implied, and plausible sounds to shape morale, leadership, and mood. The shifting soundscape of the Rohirrim—from ritualized horns to the heavy silence before their charge—reveals how sound structures expectation and emotion. Théoden’s horn-blast and battle cry revive heroic conventions reminiscent of Exodus and the Völuspá, while Merry’s sensory disorientation under the Witch-king reflects both medieval depictions of fear and the shellshock familiar from WWI poetry. Ultimately, the study argues that Tolkien’s battles are not primarily visual spectacles but intricate auditory experiences that link medieval traditions, modern warfare, and the mythic cosmology of the Ainulindalë, transforming war into a narrative of sound and meaning. This paper was presented at Oxonmoot 2025, St. Anne\u27s College, Oxford on September 7th, 2025
State Records And Confirmations Of Odonata From Illinois And Missouri
No full textThe occurrence of several species of Odonata in Illinois and Missouri is reported for the first time including Telebasis byersi Westfall, Tachopteryx thoreyi (Hagen), Aeshna mutata Hagen, Celithemis fasciata Kirby, fodona deplanata (Rambur), and Dythemis fugax Hagen for Illinois; and Cordulegaster obliqua (Say), Gomphus quadricolor Walsh, Helocordulia uhleri (Selys), C. fasciata, and C. verna Pritchard for Missouri. Also, the presence of several species is confirmed including Archilestes grandis (Rambur), C. obliqua. Hagenius brevistylus Selys, and Anax longipes Hagen for Illinois; and Lestes eurinus Say, H. brevistylus, Stylogomphus albistylus (Hagen), Arigomphus villosipes (Selys), A. longipes, and L. deplanata for Missouri
Sirex nigricornis (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) Oviposition Preference and Development in Relation to Host Age, and a Novel Live-Trapping System for Wood-Borers
Get PDFSirex nigricornis F. (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) is a pine-inhabiting woodwasp native to eastern North America. A non-native congener, S. noctilio F., was discovered along the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario in New York in 2004 and its current distribution now includes seven northeastern states, Ontario, and Quebec. Its discovery led to a sharp increase in research focusing on S. noctilio as well as S. nigricornis. Research on these two species, and their associates, requires efficient methods for field collection and laboratory rearing. Success of these programs relies on successful collection of, and oviposition by, live females in artificial conditions. Moisture content has been implicated as a key factor in determining host suitability for oviposition and development of Sirex, but an optimum moisture level for rearing has not been determined. We measured changes in moisture content along the length of shortleaf pine bolts over time. We exposed S. nigricornis mating pairs to ten replicates of three shortleaf pine bolts, each of which was cut and field-seasoned for 0, 15, and 30 days. Laboratory emergence was monitored and, after emergence ceased, oviposition preference was quantified among bolt ages and their associated moisture contents. Moisture content decreased over time, with the majority of moisture loss occurring at the ends of bolts. Females significantly preferred drilling in freshly cut bolts, however, successful development and emergence occurred only in 15-day-old bolts. Future studies incorporating laboratory rearing should keep bolts protected from wood-borers either outdoors, or in a humidity and temperature controlled room to mimic environmental conditions, for approximately 15 days prior to laboratory oviposition. These conditions will enable successful laboratory oviposition and development. A description of a novel live trapping method for collection of adult female S. nigricornis is provided
Xiphydria prolongata (Hymenoptera: Xiphydriidae): First North American Hosts and State Records for Connecticut and New York
Get PDFAdults of the Eurasian sawfly, Xiphydria prolongata (Geoffroy) (Hymenoptera: Xiphydriidae), were reared from Salix nigra Marshall in Connecticut and from Salix alba L. in New York. These are the first reported hosts for North America, and the collecting localities represent the first state records
Surveillance, Punishment, and Rebellion: The Eye of Sauron and Foucauldian Panopticism in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings
Get PDFThis article uses Michel Foucault\u27s theory of Panopticism, as outlined in his book Discipline and Punish as a framework for understanding the role of surveillance in Middle-earth throughout J. R. R. Tolkien\u27s The Lord of the Rings. Drawing parallels between Foucault’s understanding of the Panopticon of Jeremy Bentham and Tolkien’s depiction of Sauron’s totalitarian vision, the paper explores the ways in which power operates invisibly through intermediaries, such as the Orcs and the Nazgûl, who internalize Sauron’s all-seeing gaze and perpetuate his dominion as well as through magical/technological means of gazing such as the Palantíri. This essay argues that, although Foucault\u27s theory may elucidate the ways in which Tolkien\u27s anti-industrialist sentiments manifest throughout his Middle-earth, ultimately, the Panopticon serves as a framework for understanding how evil functions for Tolkien, providing further insight into the complex moral philosophy of the author
Biology and Larval Morphology of Agrilus subcinctus (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), with Comparisons to the Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis
Get PDFEmerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is an exotic invasive pest of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees that was first discovered in North America in 2002. There has been concern that surveyors could confuse immature stages of EAB with A. subcinctus Gory, an ash borer native to North America. We conducted studies in 2006-2009 in southern Michigan to determine biological and morphological characters for distinguishing immature A. subcinctus and EAB life stages. Agrilus subcinctus adults were captured on yellow sticky cards from late May through mid-August, with peak flight occurring in June. Agrilus subcinctus egg laying began in late May to early June. Agrilus subcinctus eggs were smaller than EAB eggs. Agrilus subcinctus eggs and immature stages were found only on dead ash twigs, while EAB primarily infests live stems and branches. We determined that A. subcinctus has four larval instars, with 4th instar A. subcinctus being similar in size to 2nd instar EAB. Shape of abdominal segments, pronotal groove, and urogomphi can be used to distinguish larvae of A. subcinctus from EAB. The following hymenopteran parasitoid species were reared from immature A. subcinctus stages: Avetianella sp. (Encyrtidae), Ecphylus sp. (Braconidae), Eurytoma sp. (Eurytomidae), near Hadrotrichodes (possible undescribed genus; Eulophidae), Heterospilus sp. (Braconidae), Metapelma sp. (Eupelmidae), and Oodera sp. (Pteromalidae)
A Multi-Modal Intervention to Improve Identification, Management, and Prevention of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections in the Urgent Care Clinic
Get PDFNearly 60% of women will suffer from a urinary tract infection (UTI) in their lifetime, with 20- 40% of them suffering from multiple (Anger et al., 2022). The primary purpose of this evidence-based project was to implement a multi-modal intervention to improve identification of women who suffer from recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs) and to assist in the prevention and treatment of future UTIs. Additionally, the project aimed to increase the number of referrals to urology for better management of these patients. This project was implemented at an Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) in northwest Indiana. Eligible participants who presented with UTI symptoms were provided questions A1-3 from the Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection Symptom Scale (RUTISS) to determine if they suffer from rUTIs. This determined the need for urology referral. After urinalysis (UA) showed signs of a UTI, participants were prescribed antibiotic treatment according to current best standards of practice. Additionally, they received education on behavior modifications and the use of cranberry and D-mannose supplements. Participants were called following a 3- and 6- week period to determine if they developed a rUTI, if they had followed up with urology, and if they followed the multi-modal interventions discussed during their visit. Data was collected and a Fisher’s exact test, p-value (p=1.000; Fisher\u27s exact test), and number needed to treat (NNT), showed that this project was not statistically significant, and the interventions were not very effective in preventing rUTIs (NNT=116). Patient in the treatment group had 1.0 times the risk of a rUTI in 6 weeks. Findings from this project can guide future research and development of guidelines for management of rUTIs
Measurement of the shielding factor of the Magnetically Shielded Room for the nEDM experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory
No full textThe neutron Electric Dipole Moment (nEDM) experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory is designed to search for the nEDM at the level of 10^-27 e*cm. The experiment will make use of the Ramsey method of separate oscillatory fields at room temperature. To minimize statistical and systematic uncertainties, the experiment is enclosed in a five layer Mu-metal magnetically shielded room (MSR). The performance of the MSR can be characterized by the shielding factor, the ratio of the magnetic field measured in the absence of the MSR to the magnetic field measured inside the MSR. A set of solenoidal coils was used to produce a magnetic field and construct a new measurement of the shielding factor to compare with previous measurements of different methods. Results of the new shielding factor measurement will be presented