The relation of christianity and liberal democracy in America

"The relation of Christianity and liberal democracy is generally assumed to be harmonious in the United States, especially when compared to many European nations where the relation seems hostile or indifferent. Indeed, most Americans think that an essential harmony between religion and democracy is a long-standing tradition that can be traced back to the American founding fathers in the eighteenth century. European observers, such as Alexis de Tocqueville, also noticed that Christianity and liberal democracy were mutually supportive in America, in contrast to France, where the two had settled into a relation of mutual hostility."(...

Coping with Negative Feedback in the Health Domain: Are Race Differences in Coping Related to Weight Disparities among Blacks and Whites?

While overweight and obesity are problems for many adults, there are significant racial disparities, such that Blacks suffer higher rates than Whites. A number of health conditions that are linked to overweight and obesity, including diabetes and hypertension are also more prevalent among Blacks than among Whites (Glover, Greenlund, Ayla, & Croft, 2005; Pleis & Lethbridge-Çejku, 2007). With the knowledge that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has suggested that there are psychological components to obesity, this research aims to investigate psychological components that may contribute to the weight/health disparity between Blacks and Whites. Other research has demonstrated that Blacks perceive race-related prejudice and discrimination in the health domain (Blocker et al., 2006; LaVeist, Nickerson, & Bowie, 2000; Lillie-Blanton, Brodie, Rowland, Altman, & McIntosh, 2000). Yet, it is unknown how they cope with racism in this domain, and whether the voluntary strategies of discounting, disengagement, and devaluing (Major & O\u27Brien, 2005) have unintended consequence that contribute to weight disparity between Blacks and Whites. This study was designed as a conceptual replication of Major, Spencer, Schmader, Wolfe, & Crocker (1998, study 1). The design included giving participants false feedback on an ostensible assessment of their risk for developing excess visceral fat. The primary goal was to examine whether the coping strategies mentioned above, which are commonly used among Black students in an academic domain, would be used by Black adults upon receiving negative feedback in the health domain. The sample included 79 Black and White adults recruited from the City of Syracuse, ages 18-44. While the majority of these participants had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of \u3c .30, the cut-off for obesity, error resulted in the inclusion of eight obese participants. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicate that Black participants did not report greater use of these coping strategies when confronted with feedback that they were at increased risk of developing excess visceral fat (compared to Whites in this same feedback condition and Blacks and Whites in the control condition). Instead, race did not seem to affect devaluing or disengagement, and negative feedback resulted in less, not more, discounting among Blacks than Whites who also received negative feedback. Although, the finding from one study cannot act as conclusive evidence, results of this study suggest that differences in self-reported use of these three coping strategies does not suggest an explanation for the weight disparity. However, differences in reported beliefs regarding health-promoting behaviors offer insight into how future research projects can examine potential mediation between race and negative health outcomes

Understanding the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) on alloying anodes: development of a methodology for SEI sample preparation and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization and studies of the SEI on electrodeposited thin film intermetallic anodes for Li-ion batteries

Includes bibliographical references.2020 Summer.The solid electrolyte interface (SEI) is an important component of Li-ion rechargeable batteries that forms due to the potential stability limits of the organic electrolyte falling within the large operating potential window of the battery. It plays a crucial role in battery performance by passivating the electrode surface; it also affects the safety, Li-ion consumption/inventory, and Li-ion transport rates of the battery. Despite decades of study, there is still much that is unknown about the SEI, especially how to intentionally modify the composition and properties of the SEI in order to obtain better performance as measured by metrics that include reversible capacity and cycle lifetime. The gaps in understanding of the SEI are even more pronounced for alloying anode materials, and the mechanical and chemical instability of electrode surfaces and the SEI formed from conventional secondary battery electrolytes is one of the bottlenecks in the development of next generation battery technologies. The first chapter of this dissertation is an overview of studies from the past two decades concerning the SEI formed on metallic alloying anodes, examining SEI formation, the evolution of the SEI over long term cycling, and improvements to the SEI through the use of additives and novel electrolytes. Compared to the body of literature on the SEI on other anode materials such as graphite, Li metal, and silicon, there has been relatively little published about the SEI on metallic alloying anodes such as tin, antimony, and intermetallics, especially considering the scope of these types of anode materials. However, a comparison of the existing literature concerning the SEI on alloying anodes reveals interesting similarities and difference between the SEI formation and evolution on metallic alloying anodes and highlights some critical gaps in knowledge for the field. The second chapter concerns the development of a methodology to study the SEI formed on alloying anodes, and in particular binder- and additive-free thin film electrodes. The formation, composition, and properties of the SEI are dependent on a number of experimental variables, which makes it difficult understand the factors that affect SEI performance and limits progress towards the goal of more controlled or intentional SEI formation for better battery performance. One of the first steps towards this goal is to be able to make and characterize SEI samples in a reproducible manner. This chapter outlines some of the important considerations for SEI sample preparation that are not widely discussed in the battery community in addition to some of the important considerations for using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to characterize the SEI. The third and fourth chapters are about using the methodology described in Chapter 2 to characterize the SEI formed on intermetallic thin film anodes. The third chapter examines the role that vinylene carbonate, a conventional SEI-improving electrolyte additive, plays in passivating the surface and extending the cycle lifetime of Cu2Sb electrodes. The fourth chapter is concerned with understanding what role the SEI plays in the cycle performance of pure phase SnSb thin film electrodes. Studying changes in the SEI on SnSb over different stages of cycling can help elucidate whether the SEI plays a role in the capacity retention and long cycle lifetime of SnSb and whether it ultimately contributes to the failure of the electrode

Static Water Level Data from Well Drilling Logs in Proximity to a Proposed Quarry Site, Clark County, Ohio

The static water level of a well is the distance from ground level down to the water within the well during a stabilized period of no downhole activity. A local mining company has purchased approximately four hundred acres of land in Mad River Township, just north of Yellow Springs, Ohio. The primary purpose of this project was to determine the accuracy of the groundwater data used by the mining company\u27s consultant when they produced a regional groundwater map. Water well driller\u27s logs that indicated static groundwater levels were the source of much of the information used in creating the regional groundwater map in the consultant\u27s report. The state of Ohio also has a series of groundwater maps that were derived from some of the same driller\u27s logs. In this current study that lasted approximately half a year, static groundwater level measurements were taken at ten different wells in the area where the planned Phase II quarrying activity is to take place. Eleven different measurement events occurred over the half-year period. The measurements were made with an electric water level meter. The data was processed with Surfer software in order to determine the gradient and direction-of-flow of groundwater in the study area. A polynomial regression was run on the data to give the groundwater-surface a planar attitude for the area of study. The gradient was calculated to be 0.073% ft/ft with a west-northwest direction of flow. Previous data collected in 2018 from some of the same wells were examined in Surfer and it showed a gradient of 1.370% with a west-northwest flow direction. The process of comparing the new Surfer-derived maps which reflect accurate measurements, to the state of Ohio\u27s and the consultant\u27s groundwater maps is being done, but preliminarily it can be stated that there are definite inaccuracies with the state\u27s and the consultant’s maps. Site-specific comparisons of the consultant\u27s static water levels with the levels determined from this current study are being made

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN RETROSPECTIVE REPORTS OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, AND RESTING BRAIN CONNECTIVITY IN MIDLIFE ADULTS

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) confer risk for negative mental and physical health outcomes across the life course. ACEs may confer this risk by affecting the functional connectivity of corticolimbic brain circuits implicated in threat processing, emotion regulation, contextual memory, and peripheral physiological regulation. Critically, the biological pathways that link ACEs to the brain are not well understood. The present study addresses this knowledge gap by considering mediators of systemic inflammation, in particular the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin(IL)-6, which may be increased following ACEs and may also influence corticolimbic brain circuits. In accordance with prior theoretical accounts, it was hypothesized that circulating IL-6 would statistically link retrospective reports of ACEs to corticolimbic connectivity in adulthood. Participants were 303 healthy midlife adults who retrospectively reported ACEs, underwent a blood draw to assess circulating IL-6, and underwent resting-state fMRI. Hierarchical linear regression analyses controlling for age, sex, race, BMI, and participant motion tested whether retrospectively reported ACEs predicts circulating IL-6 and resting corticolimbic connectivity, as well as whether circulating IL-6 predicts resting corticolimbic connectivity. Ancillary analyses tested whether corticolimbic connectivity associated with subclinical depressive symptoms, as well as whether ACEs moderated any brain-inflammation associations. Retrospective reports of physical abuse associated with IL-6 (β(SE) = 0.14(0.05), p = 0.009), but not with corticolimbic connectivity (p = 0.165). IL-6 associated negatively with connectivity in a corticolimbic circuit comprising the amygdala, hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (β(SE) = -0.17(0.06) p = 0.006). Subclinical depressive symptoms were unrelated to corticolimbic connectivity (p > 0.75) and ACEs did not moderate any brain-inflammation associations (p > 0.29). These findings agree with studies linking ACEs to systemic inflammation and systemic inflammation to adult functional connectivity, yet they diverge from those linking ACEs and adult functional connectivity. Collectively, these results do not fully support theoretical accounts linking ACEs to adult corticolimbic connectivity via systemic inflammation

Parsing Heterogeneity in the Brain Connectivity of Depressed and Healthy Adults During Positive Mood

There is well-known heterogeneity in affective mechanisms in depression that may extend to positive affect. We used data-driven parsing of neural connectivity to reveal subgroups present across depressed and healthy individuals during positive processing, informing targets for mechanistic intervention

Quercetin and Allopurinol Ameliorate Kidney Injury in STZ-Treated Rats with Regulation of Renal NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Lipid Accumulation

Hyperuricemia, hyperlipidemia and inflammation are associated with diabetic nephropathy. The NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation is recently recognized in the development of kidney injury. Urate and lipid are considered as danger signals in the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Although dietary flavonoid quercetin and allopurinol alleviate hyperuricemia, dyslipidmia and inflammation, their nephroprotective effects are currently unknown. In this study, we used streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic nephropathy model with hyperuricemia and dyslipidemia in rats, and found over-expression of renal inflammasome components NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein and Caspase-1, resulting in elevation of IL-1β and IL-18, with subsequently deteriorated renal injury. These findings demonstrated the possible association between renal NLRP3 inflammasome activation and lipid accumulation to superimpose causes of nephrotoxicity in STZ-treated rats. The treatment of quercetin and allopurinol regulated renal urate transport-related proteins to reduce hyperuricemia, and lipid metabolism-related genes to alleviate kidney lipid accumulation in STZ-treated rats. Furthermore, quercetin and allopurinol were found to suppress renal NLRP3 inflammasome activation, at least partly, via their anti-hyperuricemic and anti-dyslipidemic effects, resulting in the amelioration of STZ-induced the superimposed nephrotoxicity in rats. These results may provide a basis for the prevention of diabetes-associated nephrotoxicity with urate-lowering agents such as quercetin and allopurinol