Sleepy Summers

My name is Rachel Carter. At the time of this writing, I am a senior majoring in English and Writing at Olivet Nazarene University. For me, poetry is a breath of fresh air for me when I have nothing else to do. That’s sort of what these poems are about--having nothing to do in the summer, especially in 2020 during the pandemic. Home is in Ingleside, Illinois and after awhile, things stay the same there and I like static environments but I’m learning that I want to grow and change and I don’t think I had realized that yet when I was writing these poems. I found comfort in my Wisconsin vacations with my grandparents and I was afraid of leaving for college a year later. So I wrote about what I wanted to do whether I felt good or bad that day. I wrote about what scared me and what excited me and what I was thankful for and what I was nostalgic about—like the houses I used to live in, especially the one my family calls the old Butterfield house. But that summer was sleepy and when you’re sleepy you drift and dream. So these poems are mostly me day dreaming, over-romanticizing or allowing intrusive thoughts to haunt my mind

The Space Explorer

An anthology of short stories, poems, prose, and imitations. These writings explore the idea of space, but not in the “final frontier” connotation. The concept of space presented is that of personal and mental; writings that emerge from revealing internal thoughts and feelings. In addition, The Space Explorer builds upon individual aspects to contemplate more general topics. Such writings will include: imitations of Italo Calvino’s Invisibile Cities; a short story about a man so desperate to keep his farm from bankruptcy he decides to traffic drugs; short glimpses of thoughts in the form of haiku; and many more

Illusory correlation and perceived criminality.

Illusory correlation is the false perception that a relationship exists between two variables. Previous studies have shown that people sometimes perceive a relationship between minority-group members and negative characteristics, when in fact, there is no informational basis for this perception. The current study investigates whether people readily perceive a relationship between criminality and minority groups, as is sometimes seen in society. Participants learned about the behaviors of members of two groups, arbitrarily labeled S and T. The ratio of positive:negative behaviors was the same for both groups (2:1). However, participants were shown fewer statements about Group T, making it a minority group (relative to Group S). Participants were then asked to rate the members of each group on positive and negative characteristics. Participants also rated how likely group members were to commit several different criminal offenses. Results showed that participants formed an illusory correlation between the minority group members and negativity. Specifically, participants rated the minority group as less positive and more negative than the majority group. Supporting the hypothesis, participants rated minority group members as more likely to commit criminal offenses than majority group members. This finding furthers our understanding of the origins of stigma about minorities and criminality

Submarine Channel Evolution Linked to Rising Salt Dome, Mississippi Canyon, Gulf of Mexico

By examining halokinetics and channel evolution in a deep-water system, we investigate how submarine channel morphology is affected by changing seascape linked to diapirism. The study area is located in Mississippi Canyon, Gulf of Mexico (GOM), situated directly off the continental slope in a prominent salt dome region. Interactions of salt domes with submarine channels in the GOM are poorly documented. Utilizing 3D seismic data and seismic geomorphology techniques, a long-lived Plio-Pleistocene submarine channel system has been investigated to develop a relationship between variable phases of salt movement and plan-form morphology of preserved channels. We suggest that halokinetics acts as a driver for topographic-channel evolution in the study area. We show how submarine channel morphology can be directly controlled by halokinetics, where salt movement can act as a structural control on both location and morphology of meandering channel complexes. Channels are able to move towards an equilibrium state only when holokinetics decreases

AGAINST THE GRAIN: SAUDI ARABIA AND ISRAEL'S WARMING RELATIONS

Saudi Arabia and Israel have never had formal diplomatic relations. The Arab-Israeli issue of Palestinian self-determination, above all else, has kept these two Middle East states apart and at times in adversarial tension. However, the 21st century has witnessed thawing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, despite the continued unpopularity of Israel within Saudi society. Scholars have largely isolated one or two of the primary drivers that promote or inhibit Saudi's desire to cooperate with Israel—mutual concern with Iran, Saudi reform initiatives, and U.S. influence—without analyzing how the factors work in tandem to promote or inhibit cooperation as a whole. This thesis examines how those drivers interact to provide a more holistic understanding of why Saudi Arabia would cooperate with Israel, and the implications of those drivers on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. This thesis concludes that in the present configuration, the drivers of Saudi's cooperation initiatives with Israel collectively have not stimulated a viable path to normalization of relations that circumvents the barrier of Palestinian self-determination. This thesis also concludes that this barrier is predominantly the result of Saudi Arab tradition and not borne out of religion. Saudi Arabia and Israel will continue to cooperate towards mutually beneficial opportunities short of normalization for as long as the strategic context of their relationship endures.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

MHC-I genotype drives early immune selection of oncogenic mutations.

MHC-I exposes the intracellular contents to immune cells for surveillance of cellular health. Due to high genomic variation, individuals' immune systems differ in their ability to expose and eliminate cancer-causing mutations. These personalized immune blind spots create specific oncogenic mutation predispositions within patients and influence their prevalence across populations