Emigration to Liberia from the Chattahoochee Valley of Georgia and Alabama, 1853-1903

Between 1853 and 1903, approximately five hundred African-Americans left the Chattahoochee Valley of Georgia and Alabama to start new lives in the West African republic of Liberia. Most of the emigrants came from Columbus, Georgia, and Eufaula, Alabama, and departed for Liberia during the uncertainty of the post-Civil War years of 1867 and 1868. Most sought safety and escape from a still intact white supremacist society. The ready availability of land in Liberia also promised greater opportunities for prosperity there than in the South. Black nationalism and evangelical zeal motivated others. Liberia would be their “own†country and afford an opportunity to spread Christianity throughout Africa. The emigrant group was largely made up of families and included many children; consequently, the group was of a young average age. Most were farmers, but a significant number of tradesmen and clergymen also emigrated. All faced many hardships in Liberia, and some returned to the United States. However, most stayed, and a small number prospered. Thus, although the Chattahoochee Valley emigration to Liberia was a disappointment to many, some resourceful few found what they had sought: escape and safety from a white supremacist society, and their own land in their own country. Although historical sources on this regional migration are limited, the American Colonization Society (ACS), the primary sponsor of the Liberian emigration movement, recorded demographic data on the Chattahoochee Valley emigrants. Some emigrant correspondence was preserved in the journal of the ACS and in local newspapers of the period. From these sources, the history of this movement, the motivations and characteristics of the emigrant group, and the experience of the emigrants in Liberia can be developed

De Anima, DNA: A Modified Stump/Aquinas Hylomorphic Model, the Soul and the Identity of Human Persons, Resurrected

In contemporary metaphysics, there are two popular options for personal numerical identity (NID) over time: substance dualism and materialism. According to recent arguments by some Christian philosophers, both options conflict with the Christian doctrine of the bodily resurrection. Substance dualism trivializes the physical body for NID (when it has some kind of role in the bodily resurrection), and also is seen to conflict with modern neuroscience. But NID and mind cannot be continued solely by the material body, as versions of the Replacement Argument (from Richard Swinburne and Alvin Plantinga) show. There are good aspects to both options, especially with regard to the bodily resurrection. Is there a way to reconcile them? In this thesis I have two motivating big questions: 1) Can the conflict between Christian substance dualists and materialists be resolved by the hylomorphic Aristotelian model of human personhood proposed by Eleonore Stump, based on her interpretation of Thomas Aquinas (the Stump/Aquinas model)? 2) Does the Stump/Aquinas model overcome metaphysical challenges against numerical identity and the bodily resurrection? I argue that the Stump/Aquinas model accommodates the conflict between Christian dualists and materialists by identifying human persons with both the physical body and the immaterial mind as a single-substance composite. If we think of the disembodied state as a `data backup\u27 and couple the medieval solutions with contemporary terminology, then the Stump/Aquinas model overcomes most of the metaphysical challenges it faces. But, the model ultimately requires a modification to answer the second big question. DNA (as genome or immaterial information) is the configured configurer and part of Aquinas\u27s original concept of the soul as the Aristotelian form of the body. In light of its explanatory power and compatibility with Aquinas\u27 thought, I argue the Stump/Aquinas model, modified with DNA, is a strong contender for a robust philosophical-theological anthropology

Formula SAE: Final Design Report

In 2016, Trinity University Motorsports (TUMS) and a senior design team started Trinity’s path to compete in Formula SAE. Since then, preparing the car for competition has been the objective of the project. The work that was done before this year’s team took over included the design and fabrication of the frame, selection and mounting of the engine, and some progress on each of the following: steering, suspension, wheels and tires. This year, the team was tasked with delivering a fully functional car with the hopes of being able to compete in the June, 2020 FSAE California Competition. To meet this goal, the major work items remaining were the design and implementation of the following subsystems: cockpit, ECU, and powertrain. In addition to those tasks, this year’s team had to improve and complete the steering, suspension, wheels, and braking. Finally, all of these subsystems needed to be integrated together to achieve a driveable car. This year, significant progress was made toward completing the car. Unfortunately, work came to a halt in March with the announcement that Trinity University was closing down due to COVID-19. Since the closure of campus, our project requirements have changed from delivering a functional car to delivering documentation that will allow next year’s team to compete in next summer’s competition. This new goal required the current team to write four manuals to be provided for the next team as appendices to this report. The manuals are as follows: Test Plan Manual, which outlines what tests the next team should perform and provides an overview of why and how to perform them; Test Results and Analysis Manual, which gives detailed instructions regarding the test setup and execution, as well as the collection and analysis of data; Assembly Manual, which provides step-by-step instructions on how to finish the remaining assembly tasks for the car; Competition Manual, which is a brief summary of our advice and recommendations for how to prepare for the competition. The work that this year’s team was able to complete brought us very close to obtaining a functional car. This year, the team successfully redesigned and implemented the rear suspension so as not to get in the way of the axle. Alignment bars were then installed to keep the rear tires oriented straight ahead. The team planned and assembled the brake lines such that all that is left is to mount the calipers onto the rotors and fill the brake fluid reservoirs. The steering system was redone in order to satisfy FSAE guidelines, which state that the top of the steering wheel must be below the top of the front hoop of the frame. This required a new steering column mount be designed and fabricated as well as moving the rack and pinion mounts further toward the front of the car. A metal seat pan was designed and fabricated which also acts as a firewall, and a temporary seat was fashioned out of foam. The pedal assembly was mounted to the floor of the car, and the brake pedal was connected to the brake lines while the accelerator pedal was connected to the throttle cable. Intake and exhaust systems were designed, fabricated, and implemented successfully onto the car. A speedometer was made using an arduino and a magnetic tachometer sensor. Finally, the team assembled most of the powertrain as well as the ECU and wiring harness. There is still some work remaining for the next team. These future tasks include installing a seat, optimizing the cockpit and dashboard, finishing the ECU/powertrain integration, mounting the brake calipers to the rotors and connecting them to the brake lines, and extensive testing and driver training

Physiological Responses to Acute Cycling With Blood Flow Restriction

Aerobic exercise with blood flow restriction (BFR) can improve muscular function and aerobic capacity. However, the extent to which cuff pressure influences acute physiological responses to aerobic exercise with BFR is not well documented. We compared blood flow, tissue oxygenation, and neuromuscular responses to acute cycling with and without BFR. Ten participants completed four intermittent cycling (6 × 2 min) conditions: low-load cycling (LL), low-load cycling with BFR at 60% of limb occlusion pressure (BFR60), low-load cycling with BFR at 80% of limb occlusion pressure (BFR80), and high-load cycling (HL). Tissue oxygenation, cardiorespiratory, metabolic, and perceptual responses were assessed during cycling and blood flow was measured during recovery periods. Pre- to post-exercise changes in knee extensor function were also assessed. BFR60 and BFR80 reduced blood flow (~33 and ~ 50%, respectively) and tissue saturation index (~5 and ~15%, respectively) when compared to LL (all  \u3c 0.05). BFR60 resulted in lower VO, heart rate, ventilation, and perceived exertion compared to HL (all  \u3c 0.05), whereas BFR80 resulted in similar heart rates and exertion to HL (both  \u3e 0.05). BFR60 and BFR80 elicited greater pain compared to LL and HL (all  \u3c 0.05). After exercise, knee extensor torque decreased by ~18 and 40% for BFR60 and BFR80, respectively (both  \u3c 0.05), and was compromised mostly through peripheral mechanisms. Cycling with BFR increased metabolic stress, decreased blood flow, and impaired neuromuscular function. However, only BFR60 did so without causing very severe pain (\u3e8 on pain intensity scale). Cycling with BFR at moderate pressure may serve as a potential alternative to traditional high-intensity aerobic exercise