3,416 research outputs found
Episode 35: Alexis Castellanos, Author of “Isla to Island”, and Her Panel Presentation during the Operación Pedro Pan Two-Day Event
No full textIn Part 1 of “Operación Pedro Pan: The Voices and Stories of Cuba’s Child Exodus—A Knights HistoryCast Mini-Series,” the Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Alexis Castellanos, an author, illustrator, graphic novelist, and a panelist at the esteemed, conspicuous, and powerful “Operación Pedro Pan: Honoring the Cultural, Historical Legacy of Cuba’s Child Exodus” Two-Day Program that Florida Humanities, UCF’s Department of English and Department of Modern Languages and Literatures sponsored (see https://cah.ucf.edu/pedro-pan/ for more details on sponsors and the program in general).
Sebastian structured this specific episode on Alexis Castellanos’ Isla to Island, a wordless graphic novel grounded by her personal family history and the history of Operación Pedro Pan (Operation Peter Pan). By analyzing such a historic event through the medium of fiction, Sebastian argued that this is one of the most unique Knights HistoryCast episodes of all time. Naturally, their conversation expanded to what she talked about during her panel presentation in Panel One, Day 1 of the event that featured “internationally renowned scholars that discussed the political, historical, and cultural legacy of Operación Pedro Pan (1960-1962).” (https://cah.ucf.edu/pedro-pan/)
To purchase Isla to Island (strongly recommend), check out: https://islatoisland.com/.
To find out more about Alexis and her professional work, check out her website at https://alexiscastellanos.com/https://stars.library.ucf.edu/knightshistorycast/1034/thumbnail.jp
"Cronica der Turckey" Sebastian Franck's Translation of the "Tractatus de Moribus, Condicionibus et Nequitia Turcorum" by Georgius de Hungaria
Get PDFThe Tractatus de moribus, condicionibus et nequitia Turcorum is one of the most important first-hand accounts of life in fifteenth-century Turkey known to modern scholarship. It is the work of a Christian former slave of the Turks, writing after his return to the West. Although the author does not name himself, he can be identified as a
Dominican priest, Georgius de Hungaria, who died in Rome in 1502. His Tractatus is conceived as a work of anti-Islamic polemic, yet it contains a surprisingly unbiased appraisal of Turkish customs.
First printed c.1480 when European apprehension in the face of Ottoman expansion was at its height, the Tractatus was reprinted in numerous editions, and was widely used as a
source by other authors. Luther edited the text in 1530, using the positive account of Turkish customs and religious observance as a weapon in his polemic against the Roman
Catholic Church: if heathens could perform such exemplary works, who could fail to doubt the efficacy of works as a means of salvation?
Sebastian Franck in his German translation of the Tractatus went further: replacing Georgius' commentary with his own, he used the text to attack institutional religion as a
whole and to promote his concept of a non-dogmatic, spiritual Church of individuals united with each other only through their union with God -a Church which was not closed to Moslems or members of any other creed. This translation or adaptation, the Cronica der Türckey, marks Franck's decisive break with the Lutheran cause and the beginning of his lonely path as a 'spiritual individualist'. Franck reworked his translation of the Tractatus for his major geographical work, the Weltbuch of 1534.
This thesis concerns itself primarily with Franck's Cronica, providing the first modern critical edition of this text, in a near-diplomatic transcription with an extensive glossary. The thesis also includes transcriptions of the Tractatus; of Türckei, an anonymous translation of the Tractatus, and of relevant additional material from Franck's Weltbuch. None of these texts has been published in full in a modern edition.
In the Introduction Franck's Cronica is compared in detail with the Tractatus, highlighting the changes that occur in translation; the character and the significance of these changes are then discussed. It is established that Franck, whilst being unwilling to reverse any of Georgius' value judgements on Islam and Turkish culture, is highly selective in his choice of material for translation, and frequently gives the text new nuances and adds his own
comment. The question of the Tractatus' influence on Franck's further development as a writer and thinker is also raised.
The investigation then turns to Franck's use of the Tractatus material in his Weltbuch. His eclecticism becomes apparent in this text, in which Georgius' account is juxtaposed - but not synthesised - with material from other sources, often of lesser veracity and greater anti-Islamic bias. Franck's distortion of the Tractatus material to suit his own line of argument is clearly discernible: from the unique phenomenon presented in the Tractatus the Turks
become one more example of the general human tendency to externalise and dogmatise faith.
In addition, the transmission of Cronica and Türckei is examined, and the relationship between these two translations is clarified: Franck certainly used Türckei in writing his Cronica, but is unlikely to be the author of the anonymous work
2. A Human Being to Be Remembered | The 2024 UCF VLP Podcast Series
No full textIn Episode Two, Andrew Carroll’s herculean efforts to seek and collect over 210,000 war letters—that span since the American Revolution—demonstrate how others are as seriously committed to preserving the legacies of the men and women who served and fought for their country. Andrew shares several letters from his impressive collection, allowing us to be as close as possible to the Veterans—engaging with their own words, thoughts, and emotions. Indeed, themes central to UCF VLP are often exemplified in the 210,000 war letters Andrew has preserved for over twenty-five years.
Andrew Carroll is an award-winning historian and author and is the founder and director of the Center for American War Letters at Chapman University. Andrew was the second keynote speaker invited to share his extraordinary work during the 2024 UCF VLP Institute.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia and featured Andrew Carroll.
Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2024 UCF VLP Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF History Department Podcast Network and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.https://stars.library.ucf.edu/knightshistorycast/1051/thumbnail.jp
Wang Tao’s Diary: excerpts Translated by Sebastian Eicher
No full textIn a little regarded episode from Wang Tao’s diaries, the author tells us about a two-week long journey from Shanghai to Hangzhou and to the West Lake. Wang Tao undertook this journey together with the missionary Griffith John, who at that time was trying to find ways to preach the gospel outside the treaty port of Shanghai. We know the rough outline of this journey from Griffith John’s writings, as it was the second half of a longer journey along the Grand Canal. But Wang Tao’s presence and his notes on it have so far been neglected. This is a loss, as the diary Wang Tao kept offers not only a personal and lively account of the journey, it also gives us some insight in the Chinese perception of the missionaries’ activities and a description of the Hangzhou era before the Taiping would ravage it only a bit more than a year later
Episode 31: Professor Paul W. Wehr Day at the Pioneer Days Pine Castle Historical Society History Tent Event
No full textThe Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Mr. Richard Lee Cronin, author, historian, and event coordinator of the Pine Castle Historical Society HISTORY TENT, at the Annual Pine Castle Pioneer Days Event.
This episode is dedicated to and is in honor of Professor Paul W. Wehr.
A Professor of History at UCF since the Department’s inception in 1969, Professor Wehr retired in 1995 after 25 years of teaching his passion for history—inspiring countless students and faculty. Professor Wehr devoted much of his time to documenting the history of Orange County, specifically Pine Castle. This naturally led to a close relationship with the Pine Castle Historical Society, which dedicated Day 1 of the 2-day event at Pioneer Days to Professor Wehr for the first time this year. Sebastian decided to pay tribute to one of UCF’s original history professors by going to the Pine Castle Pioneer Days HISTORY TENT event dedicated to him and produced a podcast on location with Mr. Richard Lee Cronin, who knew Professor Wehr personally.
Below are links to an Orlando Memory interview featuring Professor Wehr himself that Sebastian mentioned in the introduction of this podcast, the page to know more about his books and association with Pine Castle, and a UCF CAH article written about Professor Wehr shortly after his passing in 2021. https://orlandomemory.info/topics/oral-history-interview-with-dr-paul-w-wehr/ https://www.pinecastlehistory.org/publications-books-pamphlets/ https://news.cah.ucf.edu/news/remembering-paul-w-wehr/https://stars.library.ucf.edu/knightshistorycast/1030/thumbnail.jp
Cosmoscepsia Catholica, Das ist/ Allgemeiner Weltlauff/ und was sich denckwürdiges unnd newes in der gehelen gantzen Welt/ sowol in Geistlichen als Weltlichen Sachen verlauffen und zugetragen / Mit schönen Kupfferstücken gezieret/ und in Truck gegeben: Durch M. Sebastianum Prennern ...
No full textPhotosystem I as a light-sensitive material in solar cells
No full textWydział FizykiFotosystem I (PSI) jest kompleksem białkowo-barwnikowym występującym powszechnie w błonach tylakoidowych organizmów przeprowadzających fotosyntezę tlenową – roślin wyższych, glonów i sinic. Jego rolą jest transbłonowy transport elektronów, zachodzący dzięki zaabsorbowanej energii świetlnej. PSI z roślin wyższych i glonów składa się z rdzenia oraz dodatkowych, zewnętrznych układów antenowych (LHCI). Z kolei PSI z sinic nie zawiera zewnętrznych anten, jednak grupuje się w układy trimeryczne. Światło może być pochłaniane dzięki zawartym w strukturze PSI cząsteczkom chlorofilu. Około 90 z nich zlokalizowanych jest w rdzeniu i tworzy tak zwany rdzeniowy układ antenowy. Rolą barwników w układach antenowych jest absorbowanie światła i przekazywanie energii wzbudzenia do zlokalizowanego centralnie w strukturze tak zwanego centrum reakcji (CR). CR zawiera zespół przenośników elektronów, dzięki którym dochodzi do aktu przestrzennego rozdziału ładunków. Istotną cechą PSI jest wysoka sprawność kwantowa tego procesu, bliska jedności. Oznacza to, że niemal każdy zaabsorbowany foton inicjuje rozdział ładunku. Można zatem powiedzieć, że PSI jest wysoce wydajnym, naturalnym nanoprzetwornikiem opto-elektronicznym. Cecha ta w połączeniu z wysoką stabilnością kompleksu PSI poza naturalną błoną a także w relatywnie szerokim zakresie temperatur sprawia, że układ ten stał się interesującym kandydatem w różnego rodzaju zastosowaniach bio-fotowoltaicznych. Zaletą rozwiązań opartych na wykorzystaniu naturalnych układów fotosyntetycznych w rozmaitych konstrukcjach bio-hybrydowych jest łatwość ich pozyskiwania, niski koszt izolacji oraz brak toksyczności. Obecnie, wiele grup badawczych prowadzi eksperymenty związane z wytwarzaniem tego typu układów opartych na kompleksach PSI. Pojawia się jednak naturalne pytanie, na ile drastycznie odmienne od naturalnego środowisko, zdeponowanych na powierzchni nieorganicznej, częściowo wysuszonych i stłoczonych kompleksów PSI, moduluje ich własności. Zasadniczym celem pracy jest zbadanie własności spektralnych oraz dynamiki wzbudzenia elektronowego kompleksów PSI zdeponowanych na szkle pokrytym warstwą przewodzącą (FTO) i porównanie uzyskanych rezultatów z wynikami dla PSI w roztworze. Pierwsze etapy transferu energii i elektronu po wzbudzeniu zachodzą w pikosekundowej i subpikosekundowej skali czasu, dlatego do badania tych procesów wykorzystano techniki czasowo-rozdzielczej, ultraszybkiej spektroskopii laserowej, zarówno fluorescencyjnej jak i absorpcyjnej. Analogiczne jak w pomiarach spektroskopowych, zdeponowane na FTO układy PSI zbadane zostały również pod kątem odpowiedzi fotoprądowej. W ramach pracy podjęto próbę wyjaśnienia mechanizmu odpowiedzialnego za generowanie fotoprądu pod wpływem naświetlania. Pobocznym celem pracy było także stworzenie możliwie prostej i uniwersalnej procedury izolacji kompleksów PSI z 3 różnych rodzajów organizmów: roślin, glonów i sinic. Wyniki czasowo-rozdzielczych pomiarów fluorescencji sugerują, że dynamika wzbudzenia elektronowego w zdeponowanym PSI zachowuje swój dwufazowy charakter obserwowany dla PSI w roztworze. Zanik wzbudzenia (na skutek jego pułapkowania w CR) jest jednak przyspieszony [Szewczyk i wsp. 2017, Photosynthesis Research 132, 111-126]. Depozycja kompleksów PSI powoduje także pewną modyfikacją ich własności spektralnych, wynikającą z pojawienia się dodatkowych oddziaływań pomiędzy cząsteczkami chlorofili w warunkach stłoczenia. Eksperymenty mające na celu wyjaśnienie przyspieszenia zaniku wzbudzenia wykonano przy pomocy czasowo-rozdzielczej spektroskopii absorpcyjnej. Porównanie układów, w których kompleksy PSI deponowane były na podłożu przewodzącym i nieprzewodzącym, w wariancie suchym i w kontakcie z wodnym roztworem, sugerują, że sam fakt stłoczenia jest wystarczający do spowodowania wspomnianego efektu przyspieszenia zaniku wzbudzenia [Szewczyk i wsp. 2018, Photosynthesis Research 136, 171-181]. Pomiary fotoelektrochemiczne wskazują na aktywność fotokatalityczną kompleksów PSI po depozycji, która objawia się zdolnością do generowania fotoprądu pod wpływem naświetlania. Osiągnięte rezultaty potwierdzają przydatność zastosowania kompleksów PSI w układach bio-fotowoltaicznych, pomimo pewnych modyfikacji ich własności spektralnych i dynamicznych.Photosystem I (PSI) is a protein-pigment complex commonly occurring in thylakoid membranes of the organisms performing oxygenic type of photosynthesis: in higher plants, algae and cyanobacteria. The role of PSI is to carry out the light-driven transmembrane electron transfer. Algal and plant PSI complexes are assembled of the core and additional light harvesting complexes (LHCI). Cyanobacterial PSI complexes do not contain any additional antennas, but they exist in the form of trimers. The light can be absorbed through the chlorophyll molecules present in the PSI structure. About 90 of them is localized in the PSI core and form so called core antenna system. The excitation being an effect of the act of absorption is then transported through the antenna system to the reaction center (RC) located at the central part of the structure. RC consists of the system of the electron carriers which use the exaction energy to perform the spatial charge separation. The important feature of the PSI is high quantum efficiency of this process: near the unity. It means, that almost every absorbed photon initiates the charge separation. Therefore, PSI can be considered as a highly efficient, natural opto-electronic converter working in the nanoscale. This feature together with high structural stability of the PSI complex makes the PSI an interesting object for biophotovoltaics. The advantage of the constructions based on photosynthetic complexes is that they are abundant in nature, their isolation cost is low and also they are free of toxicity. Nowadays, many research groups conduct the experiments related to bio-hybrid structures based on PSI complexes. However, an important question arises: how does the new environment (drastically different from the natural one) of the deposited on non-organic surfaces, partially dried and aggregated PSI complexes affect their properties? The main goal of this thesis is an examination of the spectral characteristics and excitation dynamics of the PSI complexes deposited on glass covered with conductive layer (FTO), and comparison these results with those obtained for PSI in solution. The first steps of energy and electron transfer after excitation occurs in picosecond and sub-picosecond time scale. Therefore, in order to study these processes, the time-resolved ultrafast laser spectroscopy techniques were used, both fluorescence and absorption. The PSI complexes deposited onto FTO glass (similar to those used in the spectroscopic measurements) were also examined for the photovoltaic response. In addition, an attempt was made to explain the mechanism responsible for photocurrent generation. The secondary objective of the work was to create a simple and universal procedure for isolation of PSI complexes from three different types of organisms: plants, algae and cyanobacteria. Results obtained from the time-resolved measurements suggest, that excitation dynamics in deposited PSI preserves its bi-exponential character observed for PSI in solution. However, the excitation decay caused by trapping in RC is accelerated [Szewczyk et al. 2017, Photosynthesis Research 132, 111-126]. Deposition of the PSI complexes leads also to slight modification of their spectral properties, originating from additional interactions between chlorophyll molecules under the conditions of dense packing. In order to explain the origin of the acceleration of the excitation decay, the time-resolved transient absorption measurements were performed. Comparison of the experiments in which PSI complexes were deposited on conductive and non-conductive surfaces, and being either dried or in contact with aqueous solution suggests, that the dense packing is the reason of aforementioned acceleration [Szewczyk et al. 2018, Photosynthesis Research 136, 171-181]. The electrochemical measurements indicate, that PSI complexes sustain their photocatalytic activity, manifested by ability to generate photocurrent. The obtained results confirm usefulness of the PSI complexes in bio-photovoltaic constructions, despite of some spectral and dynamic modifications
Legalizing recreational marijuana: comparing ballot outcomes in four states
No full textMedical marijuana is now available in 23 states, and its growing acceptance has paved the way for the legalization of recreational marijuana. This article examines four recent campaigns to legalize recreational marijuana–two failures and two successes. Using data from newspaper sources, interviews with key players, and other sources, we examine the factors that influence whether a ballot initiative succeeds or fails. We identify similarities and differences between the four measures, the social forces shaping the debate, their claims and counterclaims, and a set of factors that appear to increase the odds that a recreational marijuana ballot measure will be successful.Peer reviewe
Legitimized fraud and the state-corporate criminology of food - a Spectrum-based theory
No full textThe role that food corporations have in determining our health and nutrition is concomitant with the power and influence that corporations exercise across all commercial sectors. These large, powerful, and often multinational entities – collectively referred to as Big Food – employ a robust array of strategies to advance the organizational interests associated with a seemingly paradoxical business model: securing the continuous and ever-growing consumption of food products increasingly associated with negative health outcomes. As this model proliferates globally, the implications of this contradiction warrant specific attention to the activities of Big Food corporations through a critical criminological framework. The pervasive and increasingly legitimized activity of Big Food relies on a legal, regulatory, and moral framework that allows for the relegation of all non-market oriented value systems to be secondary to a pro-corporatist ideological and moral superstructure. Whereas previous scholarship has contributed to an understanding of what occurs when profit-maximization values collide with – and then co-opt – public health and nutrition interests, the present study offers a spectrum-based theory to explain how various degrees of food fraud are systematically incentivized by the legal privileges of corporations and the hegemonic moral economy of neoliberal governance.Peer reviewe
Food fraud and the Partnership for a ‘Healthier’ America: a case study in state-corporate crime
No full textAt a moment of heightened public concern over food-related health issues, major corporations in the food industry have found their products and practices under scrutiny. Needing to be understood as socially responsible, these corporations have established partnerships with the state to construct a positive, proactive, and cooperative public image. One major public-private partnership that evolved from former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative—the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA)—serves as a case study in this paper, which analyzes the opportunity costs and social harms perpetuated by a public health campaign bound by the imperative to maximize profit. By using trusted state actors to deliver accurate but deceptive claims about food companies’ commitment to public health, this public-private partnership actively misleads the public and potentially exacerbates public health challenges, warranting a skeptical revision of how we understand corporate social responsibility and neoliberal governance on issues of health and nutrition. As a form of fraud, these attempts to mislead the public go beyond the actions of public sector individuals or members of corporate boards, but are structurally incentivized by the legal rights, regulatory privileges, and profit-related incentives central to the modern corporate form. While conventional criminological research tends to underemphasize state and corporate harms, we make use of a critical criminological perspective to analyze state-corporate partnerships in the space between food industry practices and public health policy.Peer reviewe
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