The Legacy and Limits of Vatican II in an Age of Crisis

Packed with new insights from some of today’s most highly regarded voices on the Second Vatican Council, The Legacy and Limits of Vatican II in an Age of Crisis enacts the living tradition of the church by proposing a richer history to be told sixty years from its celebration, and a broader theology to inspire our work today. Vatican II did not anticipate our contemporary challenges, nor do its documents provide specific guidelines or step-by-step instructions for addressing them. But that does not make the council irrelevant. As a touchstone of the church’s magisterial tradition, the Second Vatican Council remains foundational for the life and mission of the Catholic Church today. However, like any monument of the tradition, the council requires ongoing investigation, critical analysis, and constant reconsideration from a diversity of contemporary perspectives if it is going to contribute to the living tradition of the church. Through historical and theological lenses, the contributors aim to rediscover forgotten voices and overlooked moments of Vatican II that may have something even more important to say today. Each chapter promises to surprise, enlighten, inspire, and teach in fresh and unexpected ways. The contributors offer readers striking insights on the council’s teaching related to the sexual abuse crisis, antiracism, politics, the Synod on Synodality, and much more. By reexamining the teaching of Vatican II from the perspective of our present ecclesial crisis, readers will have a better understanding of how its legacy and limits affect the ongoing reform of the church in a much-changed theological, ecclesial, and social landscape

Functional trait responses of invasive Ludwigia species tocontrasting hydrological conditions

Premise: Hydrological regime influences wetland plant species distribution andperformance. Global warming and extreme weather events are magnifying floodingpatterns, and understanding how invasive taxa respond across life stages (establish-ment vs. established phase) is important for predicting and managing their coloni-zation and spread. Our objective was to measure flood trait responses at contrastinglife stages in closely related congeners (Ludwigia peploides, diploid; L. hexapetala,decaploid; Onagraceae) differing in their invasiveness in the field. Methods: In the field, we assessed phenological responses to seasonal hydrological changes,and in mesocosms, we assessed flood stress responses of establishing shoot fragments underdeep‐flooded, shallow‐flooded, and gradual drawdown hydrological treatments. Results: Counter to expectations, establishing L. peploides expressed more flood tolerancetraits in mesocosms than L. hexapetala. For example, L. peploides had greater total leaf areaand aerenchyma production than L. hexapetala, supporting its growth under flooding,whereas L. hexapetala expressed more flood escape traits (higher shoot elongation rates,trend for longer shoot internode length). Although L. hexapetala expressed some traitsassociated with drought tolerance, these trends were not significant. In the field, longer‐established plants had a reversed pattern for flood escape versus tolerance traits. Ludwigiapeploides rapidly shifted to sexual reproduction as soils began to dry, whereas L. hexaetalaflowered regardless of soil moisture availability. Conclusions: These contrasting patterns of flood tolerance versus escape traitsdemonstrate that invasive Ludwigia congeners have differing strategies to counterphysiological stress induced by flooding and emphasize the importance of life stage inresponse to environmental variatio

Ludwigia hydrology study

Premise: Hydrological regime influences wetland plant species distribution and performance.Global warming and extreme weather events are magnifying flooding patterns, and understanding how invasive taxa respond across life stages (establishment vs. established phase) is important for predicting and managing their colonization and spread. Our objective was to measure flood trait responses at contrasting life stages in closely related congeners (Ludwigia peploides, diploid; L. hexapetala, decaploid; Onagraceae) differing in their invasiveness in the field. Methods: In the field, we assessed phenological responses to seasonal hydrological changes, and in mesocosms, we assessed flood stress responses of establishing shoot fragments under deep-flooded, shallow-flooded, and gradual drawdown hydrological treatments. Key Results: Counter to expectations, establishing L. peploides expressed more flood tolerance traits in mesocosms than L. hexapetala. For example, L. peploides had greater total leaf area and aerenchyma production than L. hexapetala, supporting its growth under flooding, whereas, L. hexapetala expressed more flood escape traits (higher shoot elongation rates, trend for longer shoot internode length). Although L. hexapetala expressed some traits associated with drought tolerance, these trends were not significant. In the field, longer-established plants indicated a reversed pattern for flood escape versus tolerance traits. Ludwigia. peploides rapidly shifted to sexual reproduction as soils began to dry, whereas L. hexaetala flowered regardless of soil moisture availability. Conclusions: These contrasting patterns of flood tolerance versus escape traits demonstrate that invasive Ludwigia congeners have differing strategies to counter physiological stress induced by flooding and emphasize the importance of life stage in response to environmental variation

From Guns to Mental Health and Accountability: Decoding Media Narratives and Audience Reactions in Public Mass Shootings

Public mass shootings pose a critical safety challenge in the U.S. This study investigates how media framing relates to public online engagement, focusing on gun regulation, mental health, and individual and political accountability across five major TV networks: ABC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and NBC. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research analyzes 678 news reports and 7605 audience comments. Findings reveal significant differences in audience engagement based on framing, and in key variables show audiences taking opposite positions to their news network’s narratives. ABC, CNN, and NBC’s thematic framing, highlighting systemic failures, elicits more balanced responses, whereas Fox News and MSNBC’s episodic framing, emphasizing individual or political accountability, correlates with polarized reactions. This research extends media framing theories by showing how episodic framing reduces support for systemic reforms, emphasizing personal responsibility. The study offers crucial insights for scholars, policymakers, and journalists on media’s role in shaping public discourse on gun violence

Climate and gypsum parent material shape biocrust communities and moss ecology in the Chihuahuan and Mojave Deserts

Biological soil crust communities (biocrusts) establishing on gypsum soils have been well-documented for their prolific appearance and rich diversity of lichens and bryophytes. However, studies characterizing gypsum biocrusts have occurred primarily outside of the U.S., most of which lack comparisons to other soil types. We conducted intensive field surveys to evaluate the ground cover and frequency of biocrust functional groups and moss species on gypsum and non-gypsum soils in the U.S. regions with the most extensive gypsum outcrops, the northern Chihuahuan and eastern Mojave Deserts. Study sites were stratified by geomorphology and paired, so that every gypsum site was matched with a non-gypsum site in the same region. We employed canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to relate the observed differences in biocrust abundance and composition across soil types to distinct environmental variables. Additionally, we assessed species richness of biocrust mosses on gypsum versus non-gypsum soils, as well as in the Chihuahuan versus Mojave Deserts. Our results indicate that differences in biocrust communities on gypsum and non-gypsum soils are predominantly due to gypsum’s profuse dark algal (mostly cyanobacteria-formed) rather than lichen and moss biocrusts in these two hot desert biomes. Biocrust functional groups did not exhibit distinct associations with environmental variables. However, moss species appear to be strongly influenced by environmental variables and exhibited differential preferences for substrate parent material. Moss species richness was greater on gypsum soils and, surprisingly, in the hottest and driest North American Desert, the Mojave. Differences in species richness across deserts were strongly correlated to mean annual and seasonal temperatures, as well as mean winter precipitation. Overall, our data suggest that environmental and climate conditions all play important roles in the ecology of biocrusts, specifically moss diversity and distribution, in the northern Chihuahuan and eastern Mojave Deserts of the U.S. More importantly, we emphasize that gypsum soils of the U.S. are unique refugia for moss-forming biocrusts

Where’d You Go, Ohio: Progressive Ohio Ballot Initiative Passage in a Republican Aligned State

We investigate the effects of cosmopolitan and traditional county features on the opposition to three successful liberal state-wide initiatives on abortion and recreational marijuana using county-level data. Cosmopolitan/traditional variables include urban/rural living patterns, college graduates, average income and religiosity while control variables include turnout, poverty, race, region, and union support. We observe the results of these three elections to see the relationship between vote shares and factors such as income, education, rural/urban, and religiosity, controlling for other factors. Utilizing OLS and GAM regression models, our results provide support for our hypothesis that there is a relationship between cosmopolitanism and votes for the progressive stance and traditionalism and votes for the conservative stance. Cosmopolitanism and traditionalism are also related to party divergence, as expressed in variation between county votes for Donald Trump in 2020 and support for Ohio’s ballot initiatives in 2023. The regression also supports our expectation that the coalitions for the progressive stance in all three of Ohio’s 2023 votes in question are distinct groups. Our results suggest that while progressive issues can be successful at the ballot box, the coalitions and circumstances required for victory are difficult to come by in partisan elections