The Pope\u27s Rhinoceros and Quantum Mechanics

In this project, I unravel various mathematical milestones and relate them to the human experience. I show and explain the solution to the Tautochrone, a popular variation on the Brachistochrone, which details a major battle between Leibniz and Newton for the title of inventor of Calculus. One way to solve the Tautochrone is using Laplace Transforms; in this project I expound on common functions that get transformed and how those can be used to solve the Tautochrone. I then connect the solution of the Tautochrone to clock making. From this understanding of clocks, I examine mankind’s understanding of time and discuss the Longitude Problem and time unification. Finally, I venture into modern physics where our understanding of time and physics is again shifted. Overall, I bridge the gap between Classical Mechanics & Quantum Mechanics and our understanding of time

Does the allocation of power between the federal and state governments and among the branches of the federal government contribute to the preservation of individual liberty and the functioning of our government? [Essay]

An Essay in response to the Question: Does the allocation of power between the federal and state governments and among the branches of the federal government contribute to the preservation of individual liberty and the functioning of our government

The Impact of Energy on Projects

It’s no surprise that success in project-based organizations is driven by how well project teams perform. The quality of performance depends not only on the demands of the project but on the team makeup and dynamics. In fact, those human factors can have a much greater impact on results than the challenges of complexity and scope. Collaboration, communication, leadership, and effective knowledge sharing are vital to success, and the “spirit” of teams matters at least as much as their technical skill

The Role of Female Sexual-Self Schema in Reactions to Non-Explicit Sexual Advertising Imagery

We explore females’ reactions to a non-explicit, but still sexually themed, advertisement. Specifically, we consider the role of female sexual self-schema (SSS) in the identification of the level of sex present in such an advertisement, and then resultant effects on attitudes and purchase intent. We find that while SSS has no effect on the perceived level of sex present, it does influence resultant dependent variables, particularly for low-SSS females. Informed by our study and extant literature, we also offer areas for further SSS-based advertising research, particularly regarding issues of females’ perceptions of advertisement and brand fit with sexual themes

Vanishing Viscosity Limit With Inflow & Outflow With Nonzero Tangential Component

We establish convergence as the viscosity vanishes of solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations to a solution of the Euler equations for inflow, outflow boundary conditions. We extend the approach of Temam and Wang 2002, allowing the tangential component on outflow to be nonzero

Prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi, the Etiologic Agent of Chagas Disease, Infection in Texas Skunks (Mammalia: Mephitidae)

Background: Chagas disease is one of the world\u27s most neglected tropical diseases, infecting over six million people across the Americas. The hemoparasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent for the disease, circulating in domestic, peridomestic, and sylvatic transmission cycles that are maintained by triatomine vectors and a diversity of wild and synanthropic hosts. Public health and wildlife management interventions targeting the interruption of T. cruzi transmission rely on an understanding of the dynamics driving the ecology of this zoonotic pathogen. One wildlife host that purportedly plays a role in the transmission of Chagas disease within the southern United States is the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), although infection prevalence in this species is poorly understood. Materials and Methods: To this end, we conducted a PCR-based surveillance of T. cruzi in 235 wild skunks, representing 4 species, across 76 counties and 10 ecoregions in Texas, United States, along with an evaluation of risk factors associated with the infection. Results: We recovered an overall T. cruzi prevalence of 17.9% for all mephitid taxa aggregated, ranging between 6.7% for plains spotted skunks (Spilogale putorius interrupta) and 42.9% for western spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis). We report the first cases of T. cruzi infection in plains spotted and American hog-nosed skunks (Conepatus leuconotus), of important note for conservation medicine since populations of both species are declining within Texas. Although not statistically significant, we also detected trends for juveniles to exhibit greater infection risk than adults and for differential sex biases in T. cruzi prevalence between taxa, which align with variations in species-specific seasonal activity patterns. No geographic or taxonomic risk factors were identified. Conclusion: Our study contributed key data for population viability analyses and epidemiologic models in addition to providing a baseline for future T. cruzi surveillance among skunks and other wildlife species

Assessing the Operationalization of Cultural Theory through Surveys Investigating the Social Aspects of Climate Change Policy Making

Cultural theory (CT) provides a framework for understanding how social dimensions shape cultural bias and social relations of individuals, including values, view of the natural world, policy preferences, and risk perceptions. The five resulting cultural solidarities are each associated with a “myth of nature”—a concept of nature that aligns with the worldview of each solidarity. When applied to the problem of climate protection policy making, the relationships and beliefs outlined by CT can shed light on how members of the different cultural solidarities perceive their relationship to climate change and associated risk. This can be used to deduce what climate change management policies may be preferred or opposed by each group. The aim of this paper is to provide a review of how CT has been used in surveys of the social aspects of climate change policy making, to assess the construct validity of these studies, and to identify ways for climate change protection policies to leverage the views of each of the cultural solidarities to develop clumsy solutions: policies that incorporate strengths from each of the cultural solidarities’ perspectives. Surveys that include measures of at least fatalism, hierarchism, individualism, and egalitarianism and their associated myths of nature as well as measures of climate change risk perceptions and policy preferences have the highest translation and predictive validity. These studies will be useful in helping environmental managers find clumsy solutions and develop resilient policy according to C.S. Holling’s adaptive cycle

Mountain lions (Puma concolor) and their current management: Texas residents’ knowledge and attitudes

Texas hosts approximately seven percent of the United States of America’s mountain lion (Puma concolor) population, although this estimate might be high due to their non-game status and lack of regulation. In August 2022, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) rejected a petition to change state mountain lion policy and established a stakeholder working group to evaluate potential management strategies. Here, we synthesised survey data collected from 740 Texas residents on their knowledge and attitudes about mountain lions and their regional management that is immediately relevant to the ongoing decisions being made by the Mountain Lion Working Group, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, the state-wide mountain lion management plan working group and TPWD more generally. Overall, Texans correctly reported that mountain lions are rare in Texas, but misreported that they are protected. Generally, participants were positive about mountain lions and supported their management. Hunters and livestock producers expressed more positive attitudes for mountain lions and their management than did non-hunters and people who did not own livestock. In contrast to previous research on support for carnivore conservation, we did not detect any differences in responses between rural and urban residents. Together, these data suggest that the traditional constituents of TPWD (i.e. hunters and livestock owners) are supportive of policies that have been proposed for inclusion in a state management plan for the species, such as mandatory reporting of any mountain lion killed for any purpose. Our results highlight the importance of TPWD’s prioritisation of public outreach and education targeting a greater diversity of Texans to: 1) mitigate the perceptions of risks and/or costs associated with mountain lions; 2) increase public knowledge about mountain lions and their management and 3) foster greater trust in natural resource governance to prevent disengagement by the public

Can Ambient Scent Enhance the Nightlife Experience?

Ever since smoking was prohibited in restaurants, bars, and clubs, undesirable smells that were previously masked by cigarette smoke became noticeable. This opens up opportunities to improve the dance club environment by introducing pleasant ambient scents that mask the unwanted odors and to allow competing clubs to differentiate themselves. A field study was conducted at three dance clubs using a 3 × 3 Latin square design with pre- and post-measurements of no-scent control conditions. The three scents tested were orange, seawater, and peppermint. These scents were shown to enhance dancing activity and to improve the evaluation of the evening, the evaluation of the music, and the mood of the visitors over no added scent. However, no significant differences were found between the three scents