"Stellar Prominences" on OB stars to explain wind-line variability

Many O and B stars show unexplained cyclical variability in their winds, i.e. modulation of absorption features on the rotational timescale, but not strictly periodic over longer timescales. For these stars no dipolar magnetic fields have been detected, with upper limits below 300 G. Similar cyclical variability is also found in many optical lines, which are formed at the base of the wind. We propose that these cyclical variations are caused by the presence of multiple, transient, short-lived, corotating magnetic loops, which we call "stellar prominences". We present a simplified model representing these prominences to explain the cyclical optical wind-line variability in the O supergiant lambda Cephei. Other supporting evidence for such prominences comes from the recent discovery of photometric variability in a comparable O star, which was explained by the presence of multiple transient bright spots, presumably of magnetic origin as well.Comment: Contributed paper IAUS 302, Biarritz, August 2013, 4 pages, 3 figure

On the polarimetric variability of bright O-type stars

Polarimetric data associated with multi-parameter observational campaigns of selected bright O-type stars and their variable winds, are analysed in relation to the outcomes of the UV and optical spectroscopic studies. For the stars ξ Per and λ Cep, individual measurement uncertainties are Δρ~±0.0002 with nightly mean uncertainties of Δρ~±0.00007. Although variability is apparent on a night-to-night basis, with differences in δρ~0.0002, no correlations are found between these and the periodic behaviours associated with the stellar Si IV and H α lines. Similar polarimetric variability is seen in the data for the standard star ø Cas used as a reference in this observing campaign. It is suggested that all of these low level fluctuations are not intrinsic to the stars but are engendered by structured instrumental polarization in the diffraction pattern and depolarization effects in combination with inconsistent target acquisition and with variable seeing conditions in the Earth's atmosphere. Reassessment of older data for λ Cep from Hayes (1978) also supports this thesis

The Life and Work of Paul Otto Manz as Church Musician within the Context of American Lutheranism in the Twentieth Century

The goal of this thesis is to examine historically the life and work of Paul Manz within the context of American Lutheranism in the twentieth century. Special attention will be given to Manz\u27s emergence from a childhood within the structures and piety of the German Lutheran community in industrial America. The impact made on his professional development by the broadening influences of education, music and European study will be assessed. This study will especially seek to understand apparent changes in Manz\u27s ecclesiastical vision, the effects of denominational conflict, and the growing spirit of ecumenism which Manz has demonstrated over the years. Dr. Manz\u27s professional roles within the scope of Lutheranism in America, as well as many aspects of his personal life, will be examined. Transitions in Manzs ecclesiastical affiliations will also be traced to determine to what extent they reflect transitions in his personal theological convictions

Framing Issues in Education: From a Domestic and International Perspective

The importance of education creates a need to better frame education issues for the public and policymakers. This thesis builds on framing theory to examine whether framing educational issues domestically or internationally affects support for increased educational spending. It tests straightforward hypotheses about one-sided frame exposure in a survey experiment conducted via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. The findings have implications for approaches that may be effective for generating support for education funding in the U.S.. By determining the best frame to use to motivate educational support, policymakers can better tailor their strategies and platforms in the media and communication with the public

Development of a Pulse Shape Analysis for the CONUS Experiment

The CONUS experiment, using four 1 kg-sized point-contact high-purity germanium detectors (HPGe), aims to detect coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) in the fully coherent regime. It is located close to the reactor core of the nuclear power plant in Brokdorf, Germany. For the success of the experiment excellent background suppression is crucial. A new opportunity for further background reduction is the analysis of the pulse shape of each event. Depending on whether the incoming particle interacts in the fully depleted bulk region or in an outer layer of the Ge diode, the resulting pulse shapes are different. In this thesis, a technique will be presented to discriminate the different low energy interactions based on a rise time fit of their pulses. It will be shown that the rise time fit analysis can be used down to energies of ∼ 200 eV and that an additional background reduction of about 25 % in the region of interest for CEνNS is achievable. For this purpose, a new method will be presented to calculate the efficiencies of a pulse shape cut, including systematic uncertainties. The universality of the rise time fit is shown by demonstrating the feasibility of discriminating multi-site events at high energies

Eco-Narratology and Contemporary American Fiction

In this dissertation, I analyze contemporary American novels via ecocritical and narratological reading strategies to highlight how novelists approach environmental crises through various narrative strategies. The novels I analyze allow me to provide several instances where contemporary American novelists explore environmental crisis with narrative. I argue that the formal, structural choices contemporary American novelists make depend on the environmental problems they portray. Furthermore, I argue that each novel uses, to one degree or another, realist aesthetics—but makes a marked departure from realism to address environmental concerns. These novels show us how we got to where we are environmentally, but they also suggest through innovative narrative strategies how we might become more aware of our own conventions. I use narratology as a method of inquiry because the conventions of thinking are embedded in the conventions of storytelling and attending closely to the conventions of storytelling can thus open up new ways of thinking about our roles in environmental crisis. I draw on several traditions of scholars trying to rethink cultural products’ relationship to the environment and those who explore the conventions of narrative

Prenatal Determinants of Early Behavioral and Cognitive Development: The Generation R Study

Child development is fascinating in its complexity and for more than 120 years psychologists have applied scientific methods to its examination, but the concept of child development did not receive much attention from philosophers during classical antiquity and the Middle Ages (Oerter & Montada, 2002). Based on his analysis of art work the historian Philippe Ariès (1962) assumed that the concept of childhood did not exist in the medieval period and concluded that children were considered as little adults. In the medieval period, most young people were apprentices, became workers in the fields and normally entered the adult world very early in life (Ariès, 1962). Very important for the emergence of the concept of child development were two opposing philosophical views of human nature from the 17th and 18th century (De- Hart, Sroufe, & Cooper, 2004). On the one hand, the English empiricist John Locke (1632-1704) argued that at birth the mind of a child is tabula rasa, “a totally blank slate to be written on by life’s experience” (DeHart et al., 2004). This blank slate view suggests that differences among children can be explained in terms of differences in their environments (Boyd & Bee, 2009). On the other hand, Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) claimed that all human beings possess innate goodness and seek out experiences that help them grow (Boyd & Bee, 2009). According to Rousseau, child development unfolds naturally in positive ways as long as society allows it to do so (Boyd & Bee, 2009). To this day, these two opposing views of human nature are still reflected in the so-called nature-nurture debate addressing of how heredity and environment influence development