Seasonal Occurrence of the White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in Waters off the Florida West Coast, with Notes on its Life History

The white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, is considered rare in the Gulf of Mexico; however, recent longline captures coupled with historical landings information suggest that the species occurs seasonally (winter-spring) within this region. We examined a total of seven adult and juvenile white sharks (185-472 em total length) captured in waters off the west coast of Florida. Commercial longline fisheries were monitored for white sharks during all months (1981-94), but this species was captured only from January to April. All white sharks were captured in continental shelf waters from 37 to 222 km off the west coast of Florida when sea surface temperatures ranged from 18.7° to 21.6°C. Depths at capture locations ranged from 20 to 164 m. Fishing gear typically used in Gulf of Mexico offshore fisheries may not be effective at capturing this species, and the apparent rarity of white sharks in this area may be, in part, a function of gear bias

“The Reputation of the Queen and Public Opinion: The Case of Isabeau of Bavaria”

This essay takes issue with a still common tendency to read contemporary criticisms of powerful women as straightforward evidence of their “unpopularity,” using as a cast study Isabeau of Bavaria (1371-1435), who was generally imagined to have suffered the scorn of her contemporaries. In part one of the essay we argue that the two sources that scholars have relied upon prove not that public opinion turned against Isabeau in 1405-1406, but only that her political enemy Jean of Burgundy was planting negative propaganda about her in hopes of damaging her reputation during those years. In part two we consider whether it is possible to speak at all of a queen’s reputation among the public during the early modern period. In part three we draw upon Claude Gauvard’s work on public opinion in early fifteenth-century France to suggest that when one gathers all the evidence, the image of Isabeau that emerges most consistently across different groups that might be seen to constitute the public is nothing like the negative one commonly assumed, but is that of a loving mother protecting her son, the heir to the throne

HIV/AIDS: An Ohio Community Assessment

Author Institution: Department of Medical Technology and Department of Social Work, Bowling Green State UniversityTo identify unmet education and prevention needs in a medium-sized Midwestern metropolitan community seven target populations were surveyed to determine AIDS/HIV knowledge levels, risk behaviors, and sources of information/services. Target groups included community youth, school youth, HIV-positive persons, women, gay/bisexual individuals, racial/ethnic groups, persons incarcerated and/or on probation with the criminal justice system, and substance users. Persons in the different target groups were surveyed using a standardized, self-administered survey instrument containing questions on demographics; HIV-related risk behavior; knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HIV; and questions tailored for the various target groups. Responses were voluntary and anonymous. Data were analyzed based on frequency distribution and correlation. Findings suggested that knowledge about HIV and AIDS was relatively high among all groups; while the knowledge levels appeared to be high, respondents reported continued high risk behavior. Abstinence and condom use to reduce risk of HIV exposure were recognized as effective; yet neither abstinence nor condom use was reported as common practice by the respondents, even the HIV-positive respondents. Since it appears that education is failing to effect change, a new approach to bring HIV/AIDS risk reduction to a more personal level must be examined and implemented

On the Intentionality of Cultural Products: Representations of Black History As Psychological Affordances

A cultural-psychological analysis emphasizes the intentionality of everyday worlds: the idea that material products not only bear psychological traces of culturally constituted beliefs and desires, but also subsequently afford and promote culturally consistent understandings and actions. We applied this conceptual framework of mutual constitution in a research project using quantitative and qualitative approaches to understand the dynamic resonance between sociocultural variance in Black History Month (BHM) representations and the reproduction of racial inequality in the U.S. In studies 1 and 2, we considered whether mainstream BHM artifacts reflect the preferences and understandings of White Americans (i.e., psychological constitution of cultural worlds). Consistent with the psychological constitution hypothesis, White American participants reported more positive affect, better recognition, and greater liking for BHM representations from the schools where White Americans were the majority than BHM representations from the schools where Black students and other students of color were the majority. Moreover, as an indication of the identity relevance of BHM representations, White identification was more positively associated with judgments of positive affect and preference in response to BHM representations from White schools than BHM representations from the schools where Black students were in the majority. In studies 3 and 4, we considered whether BHM representations from different settings differentially afford support or opposition to anti-racism policies (i.e., cultural constitution of psychological experience). In support of the cultural constitution hypothesis, BHM representations typical of schools where Black students were in the majority were more effective at promoting support for anti-racism policies compared to BHM representations typical of predominately White schools and a control condition. This effect was mediated by the effect of (different) BHM representations on perception of racism. Together, these studies suggest that representations of Black History constitute cultural affordances that, depending on their source, can promote (or impede) perception of racism and anti-racism efforts. This research contributes to an emerging body of work examining the bidirectional, psychological importance of cultural products. We discuss implications for theorizing collective manifestations of mind

Obligation or Desire: Variation in Motivation for Compliance With COVID-19 Public Health Guidance

Why do people comply with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health guidance? This study considers cultural-psychological foundations of variation in beliefs about motivations for such compliance. Specifically, we focused on beliefs about two sources of prosocial motivation: desire to protect others and obligation to society. Across two studies, we observed that the relative emphasis on the desire to protect others (vs. the obligation to the community) as an explanation for compliance was greater in the United States settings associated with cultural ecologies of abstracted independence than in Chinese settings associated with cultural ecologies of embedded interdependence. We observed these patterns for explanations of psychological experience of both others (Study 1) and self (Study 2), and for compliance with mandates for both social distancing and face masks (Study 2). Discussion of results considers both practical implications for motivating compliance with public health guidance and theoretical implications for denaturalizing prevailing accounts of prosocial motivation

Blockchain for good?

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The blockchain innovation appears to represent viable catalysts for achieving global sustainable development targets. Projects and initiatives seeking to extend the reach of distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) seem mostly intended for the benefit of for-profit businesses, governments, and consumers. DLT projects devised for the public good could aim, in theory, to fulfill the United Nation’s current sustainable development goals. Blockchain technology is being applied in ways that could transform this ambition for good into a practical reality

Theological Diploma Service 5-19-23

The Theological Diploma Service for 2023 at Concordia Seminary St. Louis, Missouri on May 19, 2023

Exploring the legacies of filmed patient narratives:the interpretation and appropriation of patient films by Health Care staff

We trace the legacies of filmed patient narratives that were edited and screened to encourage engagement with a participatory quality improvement project in an acute hospital setting in England. Using Gabriel’s theory of “narrative contract,” we examine the initial success of the films in establishing common grounds for participatory project and later, and more varied, interpretations of the films. Over time, the films were interpreted by staff as either useful sources of learning by critical reflection, dubious (invalid or unreliable) representations of patient experience, or as “closed” items available as auditable evidence of completed quality improvement work. We find these interpretations of the films to be shaped by the effect of social distance, the differential outcomes of project work, and changing organizational agendas. We consider the wider conditions of patient narrative as a form of quality improvement knowledge with immediate potency and fragile or fluid legitimacy over time