Poverty, Peacemaking and the Sacred: A Girardian Reading of the Early Franciscan Movement

ABSTRACT This thesis is a structured dialogue between the theological and social concerns of the early Franciscan movement and the insights of the contemporary cultural theorist, René Girard. Acknowledging from the outset different historical contexts, different methodologies and different core commitments the thesis, nevertheless, indicates a fertile range of shared perspectives amounting to a new reading of the early Franciscan movement. This dialogue has a twofold purpose: to interpret the spiritual and social novelty of the early Franciscan movement from a new perspective, outside the hitherto dominant categories of medieval scholasticism, or indeed, the categories of mystical and ascetical theology, medieval hagiography and later, romanticism. A mimetic reading of the early Franciscan movement is helpful in transcending the limits of traditional interpretations, particularly the culturally dominant romantic interpretation. This thesis indicates how romantic and neo-romantic interpretations of Francis of Assisi and the early friars continue to obscure, more than they explain, both the founder and the movement. Secondly this thesis grounds Girard’s mimetic theory in an historical moment within a concrete social and political reality. Mimetic theory, frequently criticized as an abstraction, at least with respect to any positive political expression, is here theoretically clothed in the garb of the early Franciscan friars. A social and political grounding of mimetic theory benefits Girard’s theory even as his theory breathes new life into the narrative of early Franciscanism. A Girardian reading of the early Franciscan movement is by no means definitive in its scope. In the style of Girard it serves, rather, to draw together into new perspectives elements of an old story. In doing so it offers an established tradition of Catholic ecclesial life a voice on contemporary questions of desire, peace-making, violence and belonging

Pediatric sleep difficulties after moderate–severe traumatic brain injury

The objective of this study is to systematically investigate sleep following moderate–severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). School-aged children with moderate–severe TBI identified via hospital records were invited to participate, along with a school-age sibling. Subjective reports and objective actigraphy correlates of sleep were recorded: Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), Sleep Self-Report questionnaire (SSR), and 5-night actigraphy. TBI participants (n = 15) and their siblings (n = 15) participated. Significantly more sleep problems were parent-reported (CSHQ: p = 0.003; d = 1.57), self-reported (SSR: p = 0.003; d = 1.40), and actigraph-recorded in the TBI group (sleep efficiency: p = 0.003; d = 1.23; sleep latency: p = 0.018; d = 0.94). There was no evidence of circadian rhythm disorders, and daytime napping was not prevalent. Moderate–severe pediatric TBI was associated with sleep inefficiency in the form of sleep onset and maintenance problems. This preliminary study indicates that clinicians should be aware of sleep difficulties following pediatric TBI, and their potential associations with cognitive and behavioral problems in a group already at educational and psychosocial risk

Intussusception secondary to retroflexion of a proximal jejunal diverticulum, leading to Type 3 vagal indigestion with severe hypochloraemia in an adult Simmental bull (Bos taurus)

Intussusception is a rare but well described cause of intestinal obstruction in several species, including cattle, and is often associated with enteritis, intestinal parasitism or intestinal neoplasia. Clinical signs are non-specific and include anorexia with reduced faecal output.This report describes a four-year-old Simmental bull that presented with anorexia and reduced faecal output, along with severe ruminal bloat and a large, dilated intestinal loop palpated rectally. Serum biochemistry identified severe hypochloraemia, consistent with proximal intestinal obstruction and a poor prognosis. Although supportive and symptomatic treatment was provided, the bull died before a definitive diagnosis could be made.Post-mortem examination identified a segmental intestinal intussusception, within the proximal jejunum, which had resulted in intestinal obstruction. The primary cause of this intussusception was a retroflexed intestinal diverticulum, which formed the intussusceptum.<br/

Ultra-narrow (sub-MHz) linewidth emission from discrete mode laser diodes

A class of laser which exhibits ultra-narrow sub MHz linewidth emission necessary for numerous applications in optical communications and sensors is described. The spectral performance of commercial discrete mode (DM) and distributed feedback (DFB) lasers is compared. The devices used in this work are asymmetrically coated ridge waveguide Fabry Perot lasers which incorporated etched slot features and emitting around lambda = 1.55 mum. The active region of the devices consisted of a strained compensated InAlGaAs MQW structure

Discrete mode lasers for applications in access networks

Fast development of the modern telecommunication networks such as fiber-to-the-home or radio-over-fiber systems require an inexpensive yet reliable optical transmitter for electro-optic conversion. Such devices should be able to generate stable, single moded optical signals suitable for athermal operation. Discrete Mode Lasers (DMLs) are able to fulfill all the above-mentioned requirements with the added benefit of low sensitivity to optical feedback. DMLs are essentially Fabry-Perot lasers in which the refractive index is modified by introducing perturbations along very small sections of the laser cavity. These modifications result in a single mode laser output with a very narrow linewidth (order of 400 kHz). In this paper, we demonstrate how a DML can outperform the commonly used/commercially available DFB lasers in terms of linewidth, sensitivity to optical feedback and transmission performance in the presence of feedback

The Power of Renewable Energy: A Comprehensive Analysis of Renewable Portfolio Standards and Their Strengths

The 2018 IPCC report is a sobering reality that the anthropogenic climate change will have vast effects on our world, the science is clear that emissions emitted by humans are responsible for the current climate crisis. In order to mitigate further damage governments must create policy that addresses human emissions which are leading to climate change. As the U.S. federal government moves away from climate mitigation policy, including abandoning the Paris Agreement, the role of state-level policy tools such as the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) take on increasing importance. RPS are the regulations, which require utilities to increase the percentage of energy they sell from renewable sources by a specified amount and date. They have been adopted in varying forms by about 35 states. For example, New York requires 50 percent of all electricity sold in 2050 to come from solar. Many states have created these standards to 1) diversify their energy resources, 2) promote domestic energy production and 3) encourage economic development. Roughly half of the growth in U.S. renewable energy generation since 2000 can be attributed to state renewable energy requirements. My analysis shows just how critical state energy laws are today, particularly as the Trump administration alters national energy policy. Regardless of the mechanisms used to promote and enact the use of renewable energies my analyses strongly suggest that the state governments are where the action is and will driving the future of our electric grid. This thesis investigates key factors that have allowed states to implement an RPS and identifies factors that have hindered states from implementing an RPS, describes ways in which states that don’t currently can find way to implement one in the future. We discuss the impact RPS’s have on renewable generation in states finding that 1) Political ideology has a direct impact on whether or not a state has adopted an RPS and the strength of that RPS 2) Resource Availability and Fiscal Health of a state do not have a direct correlation to the strength of a states RPS. An RPS is a useful policy mechanism that encourages development of renewable energy. In general, states with RPS policies have seen an increase in the amount of electricity generated from eligible renewable resources. If states aim to improve upon their RPS they can follow the metric that we have laid out. Making the RPSs mandatory, increasing the percentage (over 25%), not including non-renewables, and making the standard state-wide states