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Nuclear Deterrence and Low-Yield Nuclear Weapons in Russia and the United States
Get PDFThis essay examines the impact of new stockpiles of low-yield nuclear weapons in various countries (specifically Russia and the United States) on the current international balance of peace, which is commonly held to be based on mutually assured destruction due to major powers\u27 possession of nuclear weapons.
It is argued that while low-yield weapons might, in certain circumstances, contribute to nuclear deterrence, they introduce far too many destabilizing issues for any additional level of deterrence to be worth the risk. The possibility of miscalculations due to the frequent dual-use of launch systems for both high and low yield weapons and its accompanying risk of accidental launches, the lowered threshold between nuclear and conventional warfare, and the risk of escalation into full nuclear war make nuclear war more, not less, likely when nations add low-yield warheads to their arsenals
Influences of Balance Confidence, Fear of Falling, and Fall History on Physical Activity Levels in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Get PDFBackground: Physical activity levels generally decline with increasing age. Few studies have examined the influences of balance confidence, fear of falling, and fall history on physical activity levels in older adults.
Purpose: To determine the relationships between balance confidence, fear of falling, fall history, and physical activity level in community-dwelling older adults.
Methods: Eighty-eight participants completed the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire (FFABQ), and a self-reported fall history. They reported their monthly activity levels using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were used to analyze the relationships between the outcome measures, including the PASE (PASEi), and the mean of 3 monthly PASE scores (PASE3).
Results: Moderate positive correlations were found between ABC scores and the PASEi (r=0.398) and PASE3 (r=0.384). There were moderate negative correlations between FFABQ scores and the PASEi and PASE3 (r=-0.362, r=-0.349, respectively). Fall history was not correlated with the PASEi or PASE3 (r=-0.148, r=-0.202, respectively).
Conclusion: Community-dwelling older adults who reported higher levels of balance confidence and lower fear of falling avoidance behaviors reported higher levels of physical activity. Fall history was not correlated with physical activity scores. Clinicians should consider assessing balance confidence and fear of falling when encouraging physical activity for older adults
The Trail, 2021-03-19
Get PDFIssue 11https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/thetrail_all/4067/thumbnail.jp
The Role of an Invasive Snail in the Aquatic Food Web at Spirit Lake, Mount St. Helens
Get PDFThe study of Spirit Lake has been ongoing for decades, and in 2015 the arrival of Potamopyrgus antipodarum, an invasive mud snail, has given us an opportunity to study the effects of an invasion in relative isolation. The herbivorous (grazer) mud snail is native to New Zealand though present in many freshwater ecosystems in the United States. The impacts of this invasive species can be that of reducing fish population and dominating the food web connections, including energy (carbon) and nutrient (nitrogen) flow. Currently Spirit Lake is oligotrophic (low in nutrients), and our understanding of macronutrient cycling through biogeochemical analyses is pertinent to assessing and protecting the health of its ecosystem and the surrounding areas connected by streams. Using stable isotope data we analyze how the presence of P. antipodarum in the isolated Spirit Lake ecosystem alters the food web (specifically, if it competes with native herbivorous snails)
Complicating Courtly Love: Queering Sex and Gender in High Medieval Literature (1000-1250)
Get PDFAs medieval scholars have started to study issues of gender and sexuality, more and more queer people are showing up in the source material. Unfortunately, these medieval sources often offer a dire and hostile picture of queer folk. One of the most important examples is Le Roman de Silence which creates a world of questions and ambiguity; the protagonist, born a girl but raised to be a man, grows to excel in the masculine arts, even attracting the admiration and adoration of the Queen. Furthermore, many medieval sources raise questions about the sexed body and societal conceptions of gender, where unacceptability is often more accessible than anything revealing deep anxiety regarding proper behavior. Finally, medieval authors and theorists questioned vulnerabilities in their cultural framework, often resulting in outbursts of hate and reactionary violence, which echoes a queer past. Queering these moments, particularly in Le Roman de Silence where the interplay between indeterminacy, queerness, and anxiety is so salient, shows us the importance of paying attention to -- and destabilizing -- societal anxieties, teaching us, in turn, to transgress the most important boundaries in our own society
Decreasing precipitation due to climate change, and its effects on native fern species
Get PDFFerns play an important role in the Pacific Northwest forest understory. Their height is determined by a variety of factors including light availability, soil moisture content, and soil quality. Climate change will play a significant role in all of these factors. In this study, I used experimental treatments to simulate different precipitation scenarios (monthly rainfall in June in the years 1990, 2021 and 2050) and explore how the decreasing trends in precipitation due to climate change in the Pacific Northwest will affect native fern growth. Thirty-six ferns were divided evenly into three treatments that simulated June rainfall amounts in 1990, 2021, and 2050 with growth measured weekly. Results indicate that decreasing precipitation is correlated with reduced growth and, likely, long-term survival
LMDA Newsletter, September 2021
Get PDFContents include: Welcome Back!; Radiating Change: Building the Future of LMDA // Fall Fundraiser; #LMDA2022 Update; Region Facebook Groups.https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdanewsletter/1053/thumbnail.jp
LMDA New and Noteworthy, March 2021
Get PDFContents include: Engagements beyond the numbers: Thoughts from a Dramaturg a year-ish into the pandemic; International Dramaturgy Lab Check In; LMDA Announces Grants and Awards Recipients; Renew Your Membership Today!; LMDA Conference 2021; Region Facebook Groups.https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdanewsletter/1057/thumbnail.jp