Inventing a French Tyrant: Crisis, Propaganda, and the Origins of Fénelon's Ideal King

In the final decades of the seventeenth century, many voices across Europe vehemently criticized Louis XIV, the most well-known coming from the pen of François Fénelon from within Versailles itself. There were, however, many other critics of varied backgrounds who participated in this common discourse of opposition. From the 1660s to the 1690s the authors of these pamphlets developed a stock of critiques of Louis XIV that eventually coalesced into a negative depiction of his entire style of government. His manner of ruling was rejected as monstrous and tyrannical. Fénelon's ideal king, a benevolent patriarch that he presents as an alternative to Louis XIV, was constructed in opposition to the image of Louis XIV developed and disseminated by these international authors. In this paper I show how all of these authors engaged in a process of borrowing, recopying, and repackaging to create a common critical discourse that had wide distribution, an extensive, transnational audience, and lasting impact for the development of changing ideals of sovereignty.Master of Art

Honest Germans and Perfidious French: National Ideas in Pamphlet Propaganda during the Wars of Louis XIV

The prevailing scholarly consensus holds that national ideas are exclusively modern phenomena which had no role in a pre-modern age of dynastic monarchy. And yet, during the Wars of Louis XIV (1667-1714), French and German political pamphleteers regularly mobilized national rhetoric to persuade audiences, mobilize military support, and justify the political decisions taken by their monarchs. These wars were undeniably dynastic conflicts in the midst of an age of absolute monarchy, but in repeated clashes between France and the Holy Roman Empire pamphleteers regularly clothed their political arguments in rhetoric of Germanness and Frenchness. This rhetoric combined the dynastic and national, treating both Louis XIV and the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, as national leaders and exemplars; collapsing distinctions between the political boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire and the national-cultural boundaries of Germany; and posited lasting ideas of intrinsic Germanness and Frenchness that imbued one’s culture, territory, personality, and duty. This dissertation eschews teleological definitions of the exclusive modernity of national ideas to instead analyze this rhetoric in its own context. In doing so it reveals that national ideas were both common and politically significant in pre-modern Europe, where they fundamentally shaped the public discourse around five decades of war. This dissertation, therefore, argues for a more expansive understanding of the national. Rather than treating the “nation” as a singular entity with a singular definition, it should be viewed as a set of evolving ideas, capable of vastly different uses in different contexts. This approach bridges the previously irreconcilable divide between scholars arguing over a modern or a pre-modern “invention” of the nation by acknowledging that national ideas have a much longer history of importance and change. This realization is crucial to open the space for a full appreciation of the diversity of both pre-modern and modern national ideas, as well as to prepare us for the ways that national thinking will continue to transform in the future.Doctor of Philosoph

There's no place like real-space:elucidating size-dependent atomic structure of nanomaterials using pair distribution function analysis

The development of new functional materials builds on an understanding of the intricate relationship between material structure and properties, and structural characterization is a crucial part of materials chemistry. However, elucidating the atomic structure of nanomaterials remains a challenge using conventional diffraction techniques due to the lack of long-range atomic order. Over the past decade, Pair Distribution Function (PDF) analysis of X-ray or neutron total scattering data has become a mature and well-established method capable of giving insight into the atomic structure in nanomaterials. Here, we review the use of PDF analysis and modelling in characterization of a range of different nanomaterials that exhibit unique atomic structure compared to the corresponding bulk materials. A brief introduction to PDF analysis and modelling is given, followed by examples of how essential structural information can be extracted from PDFs using both model-free and advanced modelling methods. We put an emphasis on how the intuitive nature of the PDF can be used for understanding important structural motifs, and on the diversity of applications of PDF analysis to nanostructure problems

Molecular mechanisms underpinning aggregation in acidiphilium sp. C61 isolated from iron-rich pelagic aggregates

: Iron‐rich pelagic aggregates (iron snow) are hot spots for microbial interactions. Using iron snow isolates, we previously demonstrated that the iron‐oxidizer Acidithrix sp. C25 triggers Acidiphilium sp. C61 aggregation by producing the infochemical 2‐phenethylamine (PEA). Here, we showed slightly enhanced aggregate formation in the presence of PEA on different Acidiphilium spp. but not other iron‐snow microorganisms, including Acidocella sp. C78 and Ferrovum sp. PN‐J47. Next, we sequenced the Acidiphilium sp. C61 genome to reconstruct its metabolic potential. Pangenome analyses of Acidiphilium spp. genomes revealed the core genome contained 65 gene clusters associated with aggregation, including autoaggregation, motility, and biofilm formation. Screening the Acidiphilium sp. C61 genome revealed the presence of autotransporter, flagellar, and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production genes. RNA‐seq analyses of Acidiphilium sp. C61 incubations (+/− 10 μM PEA) indicated genes involved in energy production, respiration, and genetic processing were the most upregulated differentially expressed genes in the presence of PEA. Additionally, genes involved in flagellar basal body synthesis were highly upregulated, whereas the expression pattern of biofilm formation‐related genes was inconclusive. Our data shows aggregation is a common trait among Acidiphilium spp. and PEA stimulates the central cellular metabolism, potentially advantageous in aggregates rapidly falling through the water column

Gleasondale Village Revitalization Plan

In 2005, the Town of Stow received a Priority Development Fund Grant made available by MassHousing. The funds were used to develop zoning bylaws with the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission for a draft Mixed-Use Overlay District in town (Stow Lower Village 2011, 4). At that time, two of Stow’s villages, Gleasondale and the Lower Village, seemed like ideal candidates for the project. After focusing its initial efforts on the Lower Village, the Town is preparing to turn next to Gleasondale, in the southern edge of town. A classic mill village on the Assabet River, Gleasontdale is home to Stow’s contribution to the American Industrial Revolution. The purpose of this project is to create a revitalization plan for Gleasondale that will capitalize on the village’s remarkable characteristics. Today, Gleasondale is home to a variety of uses, including agriculture, outdoor recreation, housing, and light industry. At the center of the village are two mill buildings, which have housed Gleasondale’s industrial operations for generations. Throughout the spring of 2013, a team of graduate students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has assessed the social and economic potential of the village and the town. As part of the Economic Development Practicum, the team was tasked with identifying key issues and developing recommendations for revitalization and preservation in accordance with Stow’s values. The project team has gathered information from a number of sources: Documents and Reports, Town Officials, Industry Professionals, and Local Stakeholders. Documents from municipal, regional, and state agencies were reviewed alongside reports from civic groups and non-profit organizations. Town officials were consulted for insights pertaining to the town and village, and the feasibility of potential recommendations. The team contacted industry professionals for in-depth guidance on larger-scale issues, in order to place particulars in their appropriate context. Local stakeholders were interviewed, as well, to gather the perspective of tenants and property owners at the Gleasondale Mill site. Following initial meetings with planning officials in Stow, the team drafted a project scope. The project was completed in three phases: inventory, assessment, and implementation. This report presents the output of each of these phases. The inventory examines the physical, social, cultural, legal, and commercial elements in the project area. The assessment identifies the major issues pertaining to the redevelopment potential of the site, gathered from the inventory. Guided by the assessment, the implementation presents the team’s recommendations, and strategies for realizing them. The report concludes with a vision for Gleasondale

Exploring how family carers of a person with dementia manage pre-death grief: A mixed methods study

Objectives: Many family carers of a person with dementia experience pre-death grief. We aimed to identify strategies that help carers manage pre-death grief. We hypothesised that emotion and problem focussed styles would be associated with lower, and dysfunctional coping with higher grief intensity. Methods: Mixed methods observational study using structured and semi-structured interviews with 150 family carers of people with dementia living at home or in a care home. Most participants were female (77%), caring for a parent (48%) or partner/spouse (47%) with mild (25%), moderate (43%) or severe (32%) dementia. They completed the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory Short Form and the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief-COPE) questionnaire. We asked carers to identify strategies used for managing grief. We recorded field notes for 150 interviews and audio-recorded additional interviews with a sub-sample of 16 participants. Results: Correlations indicated that emotion-oriented coping was associated with lower grief (R = −0.341), and dysfunctional coping with higher grief (R = 0.435), with a small association with problem-focused strategies (R = −0.109), partly supporting our hypothesis. Our qualitative themes broadly match the three Brief-COPE styles. Unhelpful strategies of denial and avoidance align with dysfunctional coping strategies. Psychological strategies (including acceptance and humour) and seeking support were consistent with emotion-focused strategies, but we did not identify a theme relating to problem-focused strategies. Conclusion: Most carers identified multiple strategies for processing grief. Carers could readily identify supports and services that they found helpful for managing pre-death grief, yet current services appear under-resourced to meet growing demand. (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03332979)

Practical and emotional preparation for death: A mixed methods study investigating experiences of family carers of people with dementia

BACKGROUND: When family carers are more prepared for the end of the life of a person they care for, they report improved bereavement outcomes. Few studies have explored how carers prepare for the death of a person with dementia. We aimed to explore how carers for people with all stages of dementia experience preparing for end of life care and death. METHODS: This was a mixed methods cross-sectional study. Family carers of people with dementia (n = 150) completed a structured interview with validated scales, alongside questions about death preparedness and advance decisions. A sub-sample (n = 16) completed qualitative interviews exploring their experiences of planning for end of life. We fitted logistic regression models to explore associations with preparedness, and thematically analysed qualitative data. RESULTS: We addressed practical and emotional preparation separately for 143 participants. Fifty seven percent of participants were very practically prepared for death, while only 29% were very emotionally prepared. Male carers were more likely than female carers to report being very emotionally and practically prepared. Higher engagement with healthcare professionals was associated with feeling very practically prepared; although we found that formal discussions of end of life care issues with healthcare professionals did not impact carers’ feelings of preparation. Higher levels of dementia severity and carer depression were associated with feeling very emotionally prepared. Three qualitative themes related to practical and emotional preparation were identified: (1) ambiguity and uncertainty; (2) support from the system; and (3) how death is perceived by the carer. CONCLUSIONS: While most carers felt practically prepared for death, emotional preparation was much lower. Further research is needed to understand how engagement with healthcare professionals or other forms of social or emotional support could help carers, particularly female carers, to emotionally prepare for their relative’s death

Practical and emotional preparation for death: A mixed methods study investigating experiences of family carers of people with dementia

BACKGROUND: When family carers are more prepared for the end of the life of a person they care for, they report improved bereavement outcomes. Few studies have explored how carers prepare for the death of a person with dementia. We aimed to explore how carers for people with all stages of dementia experience preparing for end of life care and death. METHODS: This was a mixed methods cross-sectional study. Family carers of people with dementia (n = 150) completed a structured interview with validated scales, alongside questions about death preparedness and advance decisions. A sub-sample (n = 16) completed qualitative interviews exploring their experiences of planning for end of life. We fitted logistic regression models to explore associations with preparedness, and thematically analysed qualitative data. RESULTS: We addressed practical and emotional preparation separately for 143 participants. Fifty seven percent of participants were very practically prepared for death, while only 29% were very emotionally prepared. Male carers were more likely than female carers to report being very emotionally and practically prepared. Higher engagement with healthcare professionals was associated with feeling very practically prepared; although we found that formal discussions of end of life care issues with healthcare professionals did not impact carers' feelings of preparation. Higher levels of dementia severity and carer depression were associated with feeling very emotionally prepared. Three qualitative themes related to practical and emotional preparation were identified: (1) ambiguity and uncertainty; (2) support from the system; and (3) how death is perceived by the carer. CONCLUSIONS: While most carers felt practically prepared for death, emotional preparation was much lower. Further research is needed to understand how engagement with healthcare professionals or other forms of social or emotional support could help carers, particularly female carers, to emotionally prepare for their relative's death