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Faith and Freedom: The Role of Religion in the Bishops\u27 Wars
No full textDespite their overall importance to British history, the Bishops’ Wars (1639-1640) remain relatively obscure conflicts. They are more often studied and recognized in larger narratives, such as the English Civil War or the Covenanting movement in Scotland. Regardless, these wars perhaps deserve more attention in themselves to recognize their significance in their own time. While most historians and commentators on this war have noted the many political aspects and undertones of this conflict, which there are many, this thesis will examine the religious aspects and undertones and attempt to argue that religion that had the largest role in the start, propagation, and justification of these conflicts. Additionally, this thesis will also show how religion played different roles for different groups and factions during these conflicts
19Ne Excited States in Explosive Nucleosynthesis
Full text linkClassical novae and Type I X-ray bursts are stellar explosions that occur in binary systems, where nuclear reactions involving 19Ne play a crucial role in nucleosynthesis. In novae, the destruction of 18F via the 18F(p,alpha)15O reaction significantly affects the amount of 18F remaining in the ejecta, directly influencing the detectability of predicted 511-keV gamma rays. However, discrepancies between observed and predicted 18F abundances highlight uncertainties in the reaction rates, primarily due to unknown properties of resonances in the compound nucleus 19Ne. In Type I X-ray bursts, the 15O(alpha,gamma)19Ne reaction is instrumental to the breakout of the hot CNO cycle and has been predicted to have considerable impact on energy generation and recurrence times of these phenomena.
To investigate the properties of 19Ne, an indirect experimental approach has been employed utilizing the Super Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph and its associate detector systems at Florida State University to measure the spin-parities, alpha branching ratios, and proton branching ratios of excited states in 19Ne with the 19F(3He,t)19Ne reaction. Significant results include the identification of six near- and sub-proton threshold s-wave resonances which are predicted to have the most impact on the 18F(p,alpha)15O reaction rate. The included S-factor and reaction rate calculations using the 19Ne properties determined in this work show that our findings have significant impact on the reaction rate
Cannabis use across the menstrual cycle: The impact of negative affect and cannabis use motives
No full textWomen experience greater state negative affect (NA) and physical symptoms during the premenstrual and menstrual phases of the menstrual cycle. Although women use more cannabis during the premenstrual and menstrual phases, no known studies have tested whether this is due to the synergistic effects of heightened NA and using cannabis to cope with increased NA or physical symptoms. This study tested whether state NA interacts with cannabis motives to predict more frequent cannabis use during these phases. Normally cycling women who endorsed past-month cannabis use (N = 40) retrospectively reported NA, cannabis use, and motives for 65 days. Cannabis use was more frequent during the premenstrual (but not menstrual) phase, and cannabis use to manage physical pain/discomfort (physical motives) was greater in the menstrual (but not premenstrual) phase. There were significant interactions between phase, state NA (depression and anger, in separate models), and coping and physical motives. Among women with higher state depression, coping motives were associated with more frequent cannabis use in the ovulatory phase whereas among women with lower state depression, coping motives were associated with more frequent cannabis use in the premenstrual phase. Among women with lower (but not higher) state anger, coping motives were associated with greater cannabis use frequency in the premenstrual phase. Among women with higher state NA, physical motives were associated with more frequent cannabis use in the menstrual (but not premenstrual) phase. Findings support that state NA interacts with motives during high-risk phases and is differentially related to more frequent cannabis use, which has important clinical implications
FGF21 acts in the brain to drive macronutrient-specific changes in behavioral motivation and brain reward signaling
Full text linkObjective: Dietary protein restriction induces adaptive changes in food preference, increasing protein consumption over carbohydrates or fat. We investigated whether motivation and reward signaling underpin these preferences. Methods and Results: In an operant task, protein-restricted male mice responded more for liquid protein rewards, but not carbohydrate, fat, or sweet rewards compared to non-restricted mice. When the number of responses required to access protein reward varied, protein-restricted mice exhibited higher operant responses at moderate to high response requirements. The protein restriction-induced increase in operant responding for protein was absent in Fgf21-KO mice and mice with neuron-specific deletion of the FGF21 co-receptor beta-Klotho (KlbCam2ka). Fiber photometry recording of VTA dopamine neurons revealed that oral delivery of maltodextrin triggered a larger dopamine neuron activation than casein in control diet-fed mice, while casein triggered a larger activation in low-protein diet-fed mice. This restriction-induced shift in nutrient-specific VTA dopamine signaling was lost in Fgf21-KO mice. Conclusion: These data suggest that the increased FGF21 during protein restriction acts in the brain to induce a protein-specific appetite by specifically enhancing the reward value of protein-containing foods and the motivation to consume them
Impacts of Extreme Weather Conditions on Coastal Fisheries Near Bayou Teche, Louisiana From 2019–2023
Full text linkThe region of Southcentral Louisiana, particularly around Bayou Teche, thrives on its commercial and recreational fisheries. These fisheries are occasionally subject to events like extreme weather that cause sudden and unexpected losses (NOAA Fisheries, 2024a). Between 2019 and 2023, a series of extreme weather events impacted southcentral Louisiana near Bayou Teche. This series of extreme events includes Hurricane Barry (2019), Hurricane Laura (2020), Hurricane Delta (2020), Hurricane Zeta (2020), Hurricane Ida (2021), and a United States Drought Monitor (USDM) D4 drought (2023). This study analyzes the impacts of the extreme weather series on coastal fish observed species richness (SR) in the Vermilion/Teche Basin. Previous research does not address the impact of the 2019–2023 extreme weather series on fisheries in the Vermilion/Teche Basin. A climatological assessment of the extreme conditions is provided as they relate to Louisiana’s general climatology, along with a local fishery assessment. Climatological assessment results show that Hurricanes Laura and Ida were the tropical cyclones (TC)s with the strongest intensity (64 and 66.9 ms⁻¹, respectively), and Hurricane Barry was the TC that produced the third most precipitation in the Vermilion/Teche watershed (908.8 km³) out of tropical cyclones TCs from 1980 to 2023. Additionally, in 2023, the Vermilion/Teche watershed received the third-lowest precipitation from 1951 to 2023. Hydrologically, conditions at the FIMP sampling times were little affected after the TCs; however, all sites had a sustained salinity increase in 2023 well above the 75th percentile. The fisheries assessment was conducted with a before-after-control-impact (BACI) model that analyzed the fish SR before and after each extreme weather event at 7 sites. A separate BACI analysis combined the Bay Sites, the sites located north of Marsh Island, and the Gulf Sites, the sites directly interacting with the Gulf of Mexico, into groups. The Fishery assessment results show SR decreased at the Bay and Gulf Sites after Hurricane Barry (p=0.03). SR increased at the Gulf Sites after Hurricane Laura (p=0.02), and SR decreased at the Gulf Sites after Hurricane Ida (p=0.05). Site 1’s individual SR increased during the 2023 drought (p=0.04), and the collective Bay Sites experienced an SR decrease after the 2023 drought (p=0.01). Hurricane Barry likely changed SR at the Bay and Gulf Sites because its track directly passed over the Vermilion/Teche Basin. The more powerful storms changed SR at the Gulf Sites, and the Bay Sites were more vulnerable to drought
When Is the Still-Face Not the Still-Face: Mothers\u27 Behavior in the Face-to-Face Still-Face Procedure and Its Relationship to Infant Arousal
No full textThe Face-to-Face Still-Face (FF-SF) procedure has been a popular paradigm to understand infant behavior. The current study examines the validity of mothers\u27 behavior during the Still-Face phase of the FF-SF, especially the quality of her neutral face and its impact on infant arousal (N = 358 ethnically-diverse mother–infant dyads, Mean infant age = 223 days, SD = 27 days). Results showed that more than half of the mothers in the sample breached one or more Still-Face phase instructions; however, mothers\u27 breaches of the Still-Face instructions were unrelated to infant arousal (Skin Conductance Responses) during the FF-SF. Additionally, facial analysis revealed that along with a neutral quality to the Still-Face, mothers also displayed significant levels of facial emotion during the Still-Face phase. Higher levels of scared and/or sad expressions during the Still-Face were associated with higher infant arousal during the Still-Face phase. The current study helps us to understand the real-life implementation of the Still-Face during the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm. Results indicate that mothers show considerable non-compliance with Still-Face phase instructions, and the infant arousal levels are associated with emotional expressions contaminating the quality of mothers\u27 neutral faces
Speechless: An Examination of Louisiana\u27s Public Library Censorship Rhetoric
No full textThe rhetorical culture war over censorship in Louisiana’s public libraries in 2023 can be traced back to years of political turmoil, COVID fatigue, and the need for a dominant group to maintain power by enforcing staunchly conservative religious values and ideologies in one of America’s most trusted institutions. Through the creation of moral panic and the introduction of pornography in public libraries disguised as literary fiction and non-fiction texts, what started as a matter of parental rights has now transformed into an issue of restricted literature and banned books. As citizen critics, those whom Eberly (2000) described as individuals who gather to discuss literary texts, determine the next steps amidst the democratic debates that have now become the focus of monthly library board of control meetings, a public and counterpublic have emerged. One counterpublic insists that pornography should be removed, while another argues that pornography does not exist among the stacks of books; one group seeks to undermine the legitimacy of another minority group through these persuasive tactics.
The following dissertation outlines a study that examined the censorship culture war occurring within three Louisiana parish libraries: Lafayette Parish, Livingston Parish, and St. Tammany Parish. Through a rhetorical analysis, I uncovered how both the public and counterpublic successfully used rhetorical methods to demonstrate how LGBTQ+-focused social movements in libraries have impacted the LGBTQ+ community by fostering an understanding that libraries serve as informal educational spaces where “a majority of the world’s [readers] who find themselves subjected to various tactics of dehumanization, objectification, and thingification” (Snaza et al. p. xix, 2017) come to learn about and understand themselves
Connections
No full textA definitive shift in American social interaction has been taking place far longer than most realize. It is easy to point the finger at the prevalence of technology and social media, this has been a trend that has been going on since the mid to late twentieth century. Stemming from changes in design, the breakdown of scheduled social outlets, and shifts in technology have led to what some writers and sociologists are calling “The Anti-Social Century.”
Working through a making practice to promote the building of connections through social interaction, three different types of spaces were targeted for the exploration of how handmade functional and utilitarian ceramics can influence interaction and movement through those spaces. Moving from the larger corporate space of buffet style dining to the more intimate and highly curated space of a potluck dinner party to a specifically chosen table for two and finally onto the chosen isolation of a single serving in the form of a cup. Each situation has a language of movement and objects that serve the space and facilitate and guide the interaction of individuals
Deceptive illusory cues can influence orthogonally directed manual length estimations
Full text linkWe examined participants’ abilities to manually estimate one of two perpendicular line segment lengths using curved point-to-point movements. Configurations involved symmetrical, unsymmetrical, and no bisection in upright and rotated orientation alterations to vertical-horizontal (V-H) illusions, where people often perceive longer vertical than horizontal segments for equal segment lengths. Participants used two orthogonally directed movements for length estimations: positively proportional (POS) – where greater fingertip displacement involved longer length estimation between configuration intersection start position and fingertip end, and negatively proportional (NEG) – where greater fingertip displacement from the screen edge start position toward configuration intersection involved a shorter length estimation between configuration intersection and fingertip end. Length estimations followed most standard perceptual aspects of the V-H illusion for POS estimations, yet differed between upright and rotated orientations for the symmetrical configuration. NEG estimations revealed no illusory influences. Use of allocentric programming likely accompanied POS estimations to explain V-H illusory influences on perceptuomotor control
ATRAPADO EN LIMBO: FRONTERAS, ANTHROPOLOGISTS, AND TRANSLATION IN CONTEXTS OF THE MISSING AND UNIDENTIFIED AT THE MÉXICO-US BORDER
Full text linkThe Missing Migrants Project reports that in the past 11 years, 11,138 missing migrants have been recorded in the Americas, with 6,512 of those migrants situated at the México-United States (US) border (Migration Within the Americas, n.d.). The crisis of missing and unidentified migrants at the México-US border is a topic of great discussion in the field of anthropology, and specifically in discourses of humanitarian forensic anthropological work. This research addresses the crisis at the border, expanding on the scholarship of family agency and language barriers between Spanish-speaking communities and medicolegal actors by investigating the role of anthropologists in networks of communication at the border. By conceptualizing anthropology as a culture and fronteras (border, frontier, limit) as barriers to communication, this research attempts to combine theories of communication and care to frame interviews with anthropologists working on the border. The goals of this research are to understand the networks of communication present in the medicolegal system at the border, the roles anthropologists occupy in these networks, and how communication as care is employed. The construction of pathways for information flow is complex and requires consideration of all involved stakeholders, the real and various barriers to communication, and the ways anthropological expertise can be used to navigate these pathways. Analysis of the interviews conducted, and observations made in this study suggest that extensive fronteras to communication exist, including language barriers, inequitable access to funding to ensure migrant representation in databases, a need for more time and resources for each step of the investigatory process, intentional miscommunication, and inconsistent data-sharing practices due to decentralization of data and/or unshared centralized data. Anthropologists working with migrant communities navigate such fronteras utilizing their expertise and training, forming strategic and holistic relationships, and practicing intentional acts of care. This thesis concludes that theories of communication networks and care offer an avenue for analysis and the formation of effective, sustainable tools for clear and accessible communication across fronteras