A New Found Golgotha : Puritan Perspectives on Violence in Native American New England, 1630-1704

Seventeenth-century colonial America was an incredibly violent place. When English settlers came to the New World, hostilities occurred between them and Native American groups as they all sought to control land and resources. Puritans came out of what Susan Juster calls the apex of human savagery : specifically, religious wars that took the lives of thousands of English men and women. The New World was equally violent but Native Americans used violence for different purposes and in different ways. Both European and Native American strategies in violence were grounded in religion and shared similar characteristics. Dismemberments, flaying\u27s, scalping\u27s, and beheadings were common features on both English and Indian fronts. In this paper, I argue that English colonists who immigrated to New England in the seventeenth-century brought certain perceptions of violence, which were shaped by Puritan ideologies and beliefs, that were put to use in the New World on Native American bodies in order to secure dominance over them

Understanding Barriers and Opportunities for Adoption of Conservation Practices on Rented Farmland in the US

Agricultural conservation programs often focus on farm operators when promoting conservation practices. However, much of U.S. farmland is owned by landowners not directly involved in farm operations. Rental arrangements on these lands can dis-incentivize the adoption of conservation practices that could improve soil health, water quality, and land values. To date, agricultural conservation policy has largely ignored the role of non-operating landowners (NOLs) and rental arrangements. We help improve the evidence-base for policy by identifying barriers to adoption of conservation practices on rented farmlands. Analysis of forty interviews with NOLs, operators, farm managers and university extension personnel in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana revealed five categories of barriers: cash rent lease terms, rental market dynamics, information deficits/asymmetries, cognitive/interpersonal, and financial motivations. Some barriers, such as risk aversion and farm aesthetics were expressed by both NOLs and operators, while other barriers, such as status quo bias and annual renewal of leases were only expressed by NOLs and operators, respectively. To overcome barriers to conservation, interviewees recommended improving communication between NOLs and operators and modifying cash rent lease terms in order to build in flexibility for equitable sharing of risks and rewards. Agricultural conservation programs could readily apply these results—possibly working with intermediaries (e.g., farm managers, lawyers)—to offer communication and lease tools and assistance to NOLS and operators. Future research should evaluate the efficacy of these conservation interventions and how intermediaries affect the balance of power between NOLs and operators

NASA Exploration Mission 2 Mission Design

Exploration Mission 2 (EM-2) will be NASAs first manned flight on the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion Spacecraft. The mission has been changed from an SLS Block 1B configuration to Block 1. This change has necessitated a reexamination of the flight profile to determine what changes must be made in order to accommodate the reduced launch vehicle performance on the Block 1. Launch availability and orbital debris risk will be traded to find the best flight profile for both SLS and Orion

“Safer to plant corn and beans”? Navigating the challenges and opportunities of agricultural diversification in the U.S. Corn Belt

Agricultural diversification in the Midwestern Corn Belt has the potential to improve socioeconomic and environmental outcomes by buffering farmers from environmental and economic shocks and improving soil, water, and air quality. However, complex barriers related to agricultural markets, individual behavior, social norms, and government policy constrain diversification in this region. This study examines farmer perspectives regarding the challenges and opportunities for both corn and soybean production and agricultural diversification strategies. We analyze data from 20 focus groups with 100 participants conducted in Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa through a combined inductive and deductive approach, drawing upon interpretive grounded theory. Our results suggest that when identifying challenges and opportunities, participants center economics and market considerations, particularly income, productivity, and market access. These themes are emphasized both as benefits of the current corn-soybean system, as well as challenges for diversification. Additionally, logistical, resource and behavioral hurdles– including the comparative difficulty and time required to diversify, and constraints in accessing land, labor, and technical support– are emphasized by participants as key barriers to diversification. Agricultural policies shape these challenges, enhancing the comparative advantage and decreasing the risk of producing corn and soybeans as compared to diversified products. Meanwhile, alternative marketing arrangements, farmer networks, family relationships, and improved soil health are highlighted as important opportunities for diversification. We contextualize our findings within the theories of reasoned action and diffusion of innovation, and explore their implications for farmer engagement, markets, and agricultural policy, and the development of additional resources for business and technical support.This article is published as Traldi, R., Asprooth, L., M. Usher, E. et al. “Safer to plant corn and beans”? Navigating the challenges and opportunities of agricultural diversification in the U.S. Corn Belt. Agric Hum Values (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-024-10570-7. Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted

Enhancing the public impact of ethnography

This special issue concludes with pragmatic advice for ethnographers seeking to have an impact on public perceptions of health problems, and to influence public policy. We asked four people with different disciplinary perspectives – an academic anthropologist who launched a popular interest anthropology magazine, a journalist for an internationally cited newswire, a policy maker-cum-visual-ethnographer, and a health official in a national government agency – a single question: What is an immediate step that ethnographers of health might take to affect social change

Interoception and inflammation in psychiatric disorders

Despite a historical focus on neurally-mediated interoceptive signaling mechanisms, humoral (and even cellular) signals also play an important role in communicating bodily physiological state to the brain. These signaling pathways can perturb neuronal structure, chemistry and function leading to discrete changes in behavior. They are also increasingly implicated in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. The importance of these humoral signaling pathways is perhaps most powerfully illustrated in the context of infection and inflammation. Here we provide an overview of how immune activation of neural and humoral interoceptive mechanisms interact to mediate discrete changes in brain and behavior and highlight how activation of these pathways at specific points in neural development may predispose to psychiatric disorder. As our mechanistic understanding of these interoceptive pathways continues to emerge it is revealing novel therapeutic targets, potentially heralding an exciting new era of immunotherapies in psychiatry

Self-Efficacy and Physical Activity in College Students

The role of self-efficacy in physical activity has long been a subject of the researching community. Self-efficacy has been found to be one of the most significant contributing factors in predicting amounts of physical activity. This particular study examines the role of self-efficacy in physical activity of college students. The researchers used the Physical Exercise Self- Efficacy Scale in determining self-efficacy. The Physical Activity Recall was used to determine amounts of physical activity engaged in by the college students. It was expected that high levels of self-efficacy would predict high levels of physical activity. Self-efficacy has been found to significantly effect physical activity amounts in college students, with the majority of the students engaging in large amounts of physical activity also having high-perceived self-efficacy. This research could have implications for methods to motivate college students to engage in higher amounts of physical activity

Percieved Susceptibility and Severity of Chronic Illness in Physical Activity

A potential determinant of health behaviors among individuals is their perceived susceptibility and perceived severity of chronic illness. Little research has been done in the past focusing on individual perceptions of susceptibility and severity to the four most common chronic illnesses and how these perceptions may affect individual\u27s health behaviors. Given the lack of research in this area, one can speculate that individuals who rank themselves high on severity and susceptibility may engage in more physical activity. Or perhaps the converse, they engage in less physical activity because they feel they have no control over the chronic illness (e.g., cancer). To examine these speculations, over 85 participants were assessed on their perceived susceptibility to and severity of the four most common chronic illnesses on a ten point Likert Scale. Participants\u27 physical activity levels were assessed through the Physical Activity Recall, a semi-structured interview. The results of this research have implications for altering health behaviors