Subverting the racist lens: Frederick Douglass, humanity and the power of the photographic Image

Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist, the civil rights advocate and the great rhetorician, has been the focus of much academic research. Only more recently is Douglass work on aesthetics beginning to receive its due, and even then its philosophical scope is rarely appreciated. Douglass’ aesthetic interest was notably not so much in art itself, but in understanding aesthetic presentation as an epistemological and psychological aspect of the human condition and thereby as a social and political tool. He was fascinated by the power of images, and took particular interest in the emerging technologies of photography. He often returned to the themes of art, pictures and aesthetic perception in his speeches. He saw himself, also after the end of slavery, as first and foremost a human rights advocate, and he suggests that his work and thoughts as a public intellectual always in some way related to this end. In this regard, his interest in the power of photographic images to impact the human soul was a lifelong concern. His reflections accordingly center on the psychological and political potentials of images and the relationship between art, culture, and human dignity. In this chapter we discuss Douglass views and practical use of photography and other forms of imagery, and tease out his view about their transformational potential particularly in respect to combating racist attitudes. We propose that his views and actions suggest that he intuitively if not explicitly anticipated many later philosophical, pragmatist and ecological insights regarding the generative habits of mind and affordance perception : I.e. that we perceive the world through our values and habitual ways of engaging with it and thus that our perception is active and creative, not passive and objective. Our understanding of the world is simultaneously shaped by and shaping our perceptions. Douglass saw that in a racist and bigoted society this means that change through facts and rational arguments will be hard. A distorted lens distorts - and accordingly re-produces and perceives its own distortion. His interest in aesthetics is intimately connected to this conundrum of knowledge and change, perception and action. To some extent precisely due to his understanding of how stereotypical categories and dominant relations work on our minds, he sees a radical transformational potential in certain art and imagery. We see in his work a profound understanding of the value-laden and action-oriented nature of perception and what we today call the perception of affordances (that is, what our environment permits/invites us to do). Douglass is particularly interested in the social environment and the social affordances of how we perceive other humans, and he thinks that photographs can impact on the human intellect in a transformative manner. In terms of the very process of aesthetic perception his views interestingly cohere and supplement a recent theory about the conditions and consequences of being an aesthetic beholder. The main idea being that artworks typically invite an asymmetric engagement where one can behold them without being the object of reciprocal attention. This might allow for a kind of vulnerability and openness that holds transformational potentials not typically available in more strategic and goal-directed modes of perception. As mentioned, Douglass main interest is in social change and specifically in combating racist social structures and negative stereotypes of black people. He is fascinated by the potential of photography in particular as a means of correcting fallacious stereotypes, as it allows a more direct and less distorted image of the individuality and multidimensionality of black people. We end with a discussion of how, given this interpretation of aesthetic perception, we can understand the specific imagery used by Douglass himself. How he tried to use aesthetic modes to subvert and change the racist habitus in the individual and collective mind of his society. We suggest that Frederick Douglass, the human rights activist, had a sophisticated philosophy of aesthetics, mind, epistemology and particularly of the transformative and political power of images. His works in many ways anticipate and sometimes go beyond later scholars in these and other fields such as psychology & critical theory. Overall, we propose that our world could benefit from revisiting Douglass’ art and thought

The Relationship Between Hispanics/Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women Cultural Beliefs, Risk Behaviors and Self-Disclosure

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among cultural/spiritual beliefs, risk behaviors, and disclosure among Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men and women (MSMW). Minority men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by HIV, in particular MSM who are Hispanic/Latino or African American. Limited research is available on the link between Hispanic/Latino MSMW, their cultural/spiritual beliefs, risk behavior, and disclosure about risk behaviors to friends and family. The data were obtained from the SJS Project, which used survey methods to gather data on participants from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Among the participants in this project, 354 indicated that Hispanic/Latino was their only race/ethnicity, 264 identified as gay (MSM), 23 identified as bisexual (MSMW) and 67 identified as some other sexuality, and thus were not included in the analysis. Chi-square analysis and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. Among the bisexual group, the results showed no relationship between the independent variable, cultural/spiritual beliefs, and the dependent variable, disclosure. Among the gay group, the results showed a moderate relationship on one item of the independent variable, cultural/spiritual belief, and one item of the dependent variable, self-disclosure. Thus there is a relationship between disclosing to friends, family and the neighborhood and feeling supported by family among the gay group. It is expected that these findings will inform public health practitioners who have an interest in creating and implementing HIV prevention programs geared toward the Hispanic/Latino members of the LGBT community and Hispanics/Latinos

Evaluating Existing and Proposing New Seismic Design Provisions for Rigid Wall - Flexible Diaphragm Buildings

Buildings with heavy concrete on masonry walls supported by flexible wood or steel deck roof diaphragms are ubiquitour across the United States and the rest of North America. The current seismic design approach is based on the equivalent lateral force (ELF) method whose underlying assumptions significantly differ from the actual dynamic response of these buildings. The seismic behavior of rigid wall-flexible rood diaphragm (RWFD) Buildings is dominated by the diaphragm\u27s response instead of the wall\u27 in-plane response. Furthermore, the diaphragm\u27s ductility and overstrength capacity is unique to its own construction. Yet the current design methodology employed by practitioners directly ties the diaphragm shears and overstrength to the characteristics of the seismic force0resisting system\u27s (SFRS) vertical elements. Past problems in these buildings have been the repeated failures of the walls\u27 anchorage to the diaphragm, and through a series of trial and error iterations, the current design provisions have evolved. current wall anchorage forces for RWFD buildings are believed to now be near maximum expected force levels with litter necessary reliance on connector ductility; however, solving the wall anchorage issue may result in new failures within the diaphragm itself. Using a dedicated numerical modeling framework coupled with a FEMA P-695 collapse capacity evaluation process, a research study was conducted t evaluate performance for a variety of RWFD archetypes conforming to ASCE/SEI 7-10, as well as redesigned archetypes conforming to a new design methodology. Furthermore, a review of the predicted wall anchorage forces in FWFD buildings was also compared with existing design provisions. A new RWFD design methodology is proposed providing a rational approach to improve performance in these unique buildings

Comparison between Core-collapse Supernova Nucleosynthesis and Meteoric Stardust Grains: Investigating Magnesium, Aluminium, and Chromium

Isotope variations of nucleosynthetic origin among solar system solid samples are well documented, yet the origin of these variations is still uncertain. The observed variability of 54Cr among materials formed in different regions of the protoplanetary disk has been attributed to variable amounts of presolar, chromium-rich oxide (chromite) grains, which exist within the meteoritic stardust inventory and most likely originated from some type of supernova explosion. To investigate if core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) could be the site of origin of these grains, we analyze yields of CCSN models of stars with initial masses 15, 20, and 25 M⊙, and solar metallicity. We present an extensive abundance data set of the Cr, Mg, and Al isotopes as a function of enclosed mass. We find cases in which the explosive C ashes produce a composition in good agreement with the observed 54Cr/52Cr and 53Cr/52Cr ratios as well as the 50Cr/52Cr ratios. Taking into account that the signal at atomic mass 50 could also originate from 50Ti, the ashes of explosive He burning also match the observed ratios. Addition of material from the He ashes (enriched in Al and Cr relative to Mg to simulate the make-up of chromite grains) to the solar system's composition may reproduce the observed correlation between Mg and Cr anomalies, while material from the C ashes does not present significant Mg anomalies together with Cr isotopic variations. In all cases, nonradiogenic, stable Mg isotope variations dominate over the variations expected from 26Al

Outer Membrane Vesicles of a Human Commensal Mediate Immune Regulation and Disease Protection

Commensal bacteria impact host health and immunity through various mechanisms, including the production of immunomodulatory molecules. Bacteroides fragilis produces a capsular polysaccharide (PSA), which induces regulatory T cells and mucosal tolerance. However, unlike pathogens, which employ secretion systems, the mechanisms by which commensal bacteria deliver molecules to the host remain unknown. We reveal that Bacteroides fragilis releases PSA in outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that induce immunomodulatory effects and prevent experimental colitis. Dendritic cells (DCs) sense OMV-associated PSA through TLR2, resulting in enhanced regulatory T cells and anti-inflammatory cytokine production. OMV-induced signaling in DCs requires growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible protein (Gadd45α). DCs treated with PSA-containing OMVs prevent experimental colitis, whereas Gadd45α^(−/−) DCs are unable to promote regulatory T cell responses or suppress proinflammatory cytokine production and host pathology. These findings demonstrate that OMV-mediated delivery of a commensal molecule prevents disease, uncovering a mechanism of interkingdom communication between the microbiota and mammals

Probabilistic state estimation in regimes of nonlinear error growth

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-286).State estimation, or data assimilation as it is often called, is a key component of numerical weather prediction (NWP). Nearly all implementable methods of state estimation suitable for NWP are forced to assume that errors remain in regimes of linear error growth and retain distributions of Gaussian uncertainty, yet nonlinear systems like the atmosphere can readily allow regimes of nonlinear error growth and, in turn, produce distributions of non- Gaussian uncertainty. State-of-the-art, ensemble-based methods of state estimation suitable for NWP are examined to gauge the consequences and relevance of violating the linear error growth assumption. For quite generic sources of non-Gaussian uncertainty, the methods are observed to fail, as they must, and the obtained analyses become probabilistically unreliable before becoming inaccurate. The mispositioning of coherent features is identified as a specific, geophysically relevant source of non-Gaussian uncertainty that can easily cause the state-of-the-art methods of state estimation to fail. However, an understanding of relevant phenomenology sometimes allows these same methods to remain successful owing to an available redefinition of the involved errors. The redefinition is phrased as an alternative error model. It is recognized and exploited that non-Gaussian additive Eulerian errors can come from Gaussian Lagrangian position errors. A two-step, augmented state vector approach is developed that is suitable for use with coherent features and that relies only on implementable methods of state estimation.(cont.) By combining the dual Eulerian and Lagrangian state information into one vector, an ensemble can approximate their covariance, thus allowing each component's uncertainty to be reduced. The first step of the two-step approach reduces the feature position errors in an effort to render the residual additive errors Gaussian, thereby allowing the second step of an implementable state estimation method to proceed successfully. Philosophically, the two-step approach uses physical knowledge of the problem (as phrased by the error model) to compensate for neglected important non-Gaussian uncertainty structure in the state estimation process. The proposed two-step approach successfully allows use of implementable methods of state estimation to obtain probabilistically reliable analyses in regimes of nonlinear error growth, something unavailable using current standards.by W. Gregory Lawson.Ph.D

A tiered approach to the marine genetic resource governance framework under the proposed UNCLOS agreement for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ)

Credit for icons Icons from ‘The Noun Prjoect’: Bell by Vectors Point, Carrot vege- tables by CHARIE Tristan, Computer by ArmOkay, Shake hand by Wing, Drug by adindar, Coral by Nook Fulloption, Label by AB Designs. Declaration of competing interest The ideas and content from this article formed the basis of the In- ternational Council of Environmental Law’s Information Paper of March 25, 2019 and August 30, 2019 that were written by the first two authors and distributed publicly to delegates for the third negotiating session of the proposed UNCLOS implementing agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national juris- diction. The Tiered Approach concept was also presented to the ‘One Ocean’ Symposium on August 24, 2019 in New York for feedback from delegates. Marcel Jaspars is founder of, shareholder of, and consultant for ‘GyreOx Ltd’ which uses marine and terrestrial enzymes for the rapid production of complex molecules to target protein-protein interactions involved in disease. CRediT authorship contribution statement Fran Humphries: Conceptualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. Hiroko Muraki Gottlieb: Conceptualiza- tion, Writing - review & editing. Sarah Laird: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. Rachel Wynberg: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. Charles Lawson: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. Michelle Rourke: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. Morten Walløe Tvedt: Writing - review & editing. Maria Julia Oliva: Writing - review & editing. Marcel Jaspars: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Formation and evolution of metallocene single-molecule circuits with direct gold-π links

Single-molecule circuits with group 8 metallocenes are formed without additional linker groups in scanning tunneling microscope-based break junction (STMBJ) measurements at cryogenic and room-temperature conditions with gold (Au) electrodes. We investigate the nature of this direct gold-π binding motif and its effect on molecular conductance and persistence characteristics during junction evolution. The measurement technique under cryogenic conditions tracks molecular plateaus through the full cycle of extension and compression. Analysis reveals that junction persistence when the metal electrodes are pushed together correlates with whether electrodes are locally sharp or blunt, suggesting distinct scenarios for metallocene junction formation and evolution. The top and bottom surfaces of the “barrel”-shaped metallocenes present the electron-rich π system of cyclopentadienyl rings, which interacts with the gold electrodes in two distinct ways. An undercoordinated gold atom on a sharp tip forms a donor–acceptor bond to a specific carbon atom in the ring. However, a small, flat patch on a dull tip can bind more strongly to the ring as a whole through van der Waals interactions. Density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations of model electrode structures provide an atomic-scale picture of these scenarios, demonstrating the role of these bonding motifs during junction evolution and showing that the conductance is relatively independent of tip atomic-scale structure. The nonspecific interaction of the cyclopentadienyl rings with the electrodes enables extended conductance plateaus, a mechanism distinct from that identified for the more commonly studied, rod-shaped organic molecular wires.FA9550-19-1-0224 - Department of Defense/AFOSRAccepted manuscrip