Cultural Distortion: The Dedication of the Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson Monument at Manassas National Battlefield Park

The Stonewall Jackson monument on Henry Hill at the Manassas National Battlefield Park stands as a testament to the propensity of Americans to manipulate history in order to fit current circumstances. The monument reflects not the views and ideologies of the veterans of the Civil War, but rather the hopes and fears of those who spent the prime years of their lives immersed in the Great Depression. Those of the latter generation searched in vain for heroes among the corrupted businessmen on Wall Street who ran the economic affairs of the country, and who, in the eyes of the public, plunged the nation into insurmountable debt. Historian Lawrence Levine observed that fear served as a motivator for 1930s Americans as they struggled to feed their children during the Great Depression. One reflection of this overwhelming fear appeared in President Franklin Roosevelt\u27s 1933 inaugural address as he insisted “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” In order to cope with this stress, Americans turned to a plethora of heroes as guiding lights for the dark days of the Great Depression. Some turned to gangster heroes like Bonnie and Clyde who undermined the financial and legal systems by lashing out against the institutions. Others devoured the serialized adventures of Superman, a new kind of hero created by the sons of Jewish immigrants in 1938. Still others turned to literature that reminisced about other crises in American history, namely Margaret Mitchell?s Gone with the Wind, a bestseller in 1938. It was in this cultural setting that the Virginia State Legislature conceived and financed the idea for a Stonewall Jackson monument

Exploring the adaptive capacity of emergency management using agent based modelling

This project aimed to explore the suitability of Agent Based Modelling and Simulation (ABMS) technology in assisting planners and policy makers to better understand complex situations with multiple interacting aspects. The technology supports exploration of the impact of different factors on potential outcomes of a scenario, thus building understanding to inform decision making. To concretise this exploration a specific simulation tool was developed to explore response capacity around flash flooding in an inner Melbourne suburb, with a focus on sandbag depots as an option to be considered.The three types of activities delivered by this project to achieve its objectives were the development of an agent-based simulation, data collection to inform the development of the simulation and communication and engagement activities to progress the work. Climate change is an area full of uncertainties, and yet sectors such as Emergency Management and many others need to develop plans and policy responses regarding adaptation to these uncertain futures. Agent Based Modelling and Simulation is a technology which supports modelling of a complex situation from the bottom up, by modelling the behaviours of individual agents (often representing humans) in various scenarios. By running simulations with different configurations it is possible to explore and analyse a very broad range of potential options, providing a detailed understanding of potential risks and outcomes, given particular alternatives. This project explored the suitability of this technology for use in assessing and developing the capacity of the emergency response sector, as it adapts to climate change. A simulation system was developed to explore a particular issue regarding protection of property in a suburb prone to flash flooding. In particular the option of providing sandbag depots was explored. Simulations indicated that sandbag depots provided by CoPP or VicSES were at this time not a viable option. The simulation tool was deemed to be very useful for demonstrating this to community members as well as to decision makers. An interactive game was also developed to assist in raising awareness of community members about how to sandbag their property using on-site sandbags. The technology was deemed to be of great potential benefit to the sector and areas for further work inorder to realise this benefit were identified. In addition to developing awareness of useful technology, this project also demonstrated the critical importance of interdisciplinary team work, and close engagement with stakeholders and end users, if valuable technology uptake is to be realised. &nbsp

Lottia Gigantea Size and Density Differences in Rocky Intertidal Communities near Monterey Bay, California

Owl limpets (Lottia gigantea) are ecologically important grazers that live on exposed rocky intertidal shores of the west coast of North America. In recent years Lottia gigantea have been impacted by human access via visitation and harvesting. Owl limpet size and density have been correlated with human access in Southern California, where higher access leads to reduced size and density. Human visitation may have different effects on owl limpets in central California, where space may not be a limiting factor in owl limpet populations. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between humans and their potential impact on owl limpet populations at four sites between Point Lobos, California and southern Monterey Bay, California. Site-level differences of accessibility were used to infer how owl limpet density and size distribution have been affected by human access. A mixed effects model was used to analyze owl limpet size data while a negative binomial general linear model was used to analyze owl limpet density data. Contrary to previously published findings, this study found owl limpets were larger and less dense in high access sites and smaller and more dense at low access sites. There was also more open rock and lower species diversity at high access sites. Owl limpets are important ecosystem engineers modifying rocky intertidal habitat, which is an important and rare habitat within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). Therefore, understanding owl limpet dynamics and human access in MBNMS may assist management and conservation of rocky intertidal habitats

Native American Mascots: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Students’ Acceptability Perceptions of Native Mascots Versus Theoretical Use of Other Ethnic Groups’ Iconology by Sports Teams

United States’ sports teams have made use of the faces, cultures and traditions of the indigenous people of our country for many years. Despite the perception that many Native Americans feel this practice is racist and/or insulting, it continues. This study helps further analyze perceptions that lead to the acceptability by the public of continued use of Native American iconology by sports teams for their logos, names, nicknames and mascots. Students report that the use of such iconology is a compliment to Native Americans, whereas it is an insult to other ethnic groups when represented in the same manner

METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR MARKER ALTERATIONS DURING CRITICAL TRAINING IN WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS

Introduction: Wildland firefighters (WLFFs) are confronted with numerous physical and mental stressors. Pre-fire season includes an intense 2-week critical training (CT) period; a preparatory phase of multiple activities that can result in injury, illness, and rhabdomyolysis. The purpose of this study was to identify physiologic changes in metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative stress biomarkers during 2 weeks of CT in WLFFs. Methods: Eighteen male (29.4 ± 1.1 yr, 182.1 ± 1.6 cm) and three female (26.7 2.6 yr, 169.5 4.2 cm) participants were recruited from a Type I interagency hotshot crew and monitored over their 2-week CT. Fitness was assessed via BLM Fitness Challenge (push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, 1.5-mile run). Subjects were asked to fast and abstain from caffeine prior to blood draws collected on days 1, 4, 8, and 11. Plasma was analyzed for changes in the metabolic profile, C-reactive protein (CRP) and oxidative stress markers 8-isoprostane (8ISO), 3-nitrotyrosine (3NT), lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH), and protein carbonyls (PC). A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze CRP, 8ISO, 3NT, LOOH, and PC. Paired samples t-tests were used to compare metabolic biomarkers. Data presented as mean ± SEM. Results: As a result of the high physical demands occurring during CT, an observed alteration in total cholesterol (172.6 ± 11.4 to 153.9 ± 8.1 mg·dL-1, p=0.011), hemoglobin A1c (5.2 ± 0.1 to 5.1 ± 0.1 %, p=0.003), and estimated plasma volume (53.8 ± 0.7 to 59.3 ± 1.5 %, p=0.007) from day 1 to 11 occurred. No alteration to CRP (p=0.32) or PC (p=0.73) was observed during this time. A main effect for time was observed in 8ISO (p\u3c0.001), 3NT (p=0.033), and LOOH (p=0.001). Push-up score was significantly correlated with TC (r=0.65, p=0.022) and 8ISO (r=0.66, p=0.028). Conclusions: These data suggest the exertion required of WLFFs during CT results in positive alterations to the metabolic profile. The changes in oxidative damage markers is suggestive of an acute stress on the body during CT. The fitness data suggests that WLFF adapt quickly to the physical stresses of CT, with fitness potentially offering protection to metabolic alterations

The Right to Strike and the "Deadweight" of the Common Law

The hostility of the common law in respect of collective action by workers in the form of strikes is notorious. To provide workers with a right to strike, legislative intervention is necessary. In New Zealand and Australia, legislative enactment of the right to strike has taken the form of the "immunity approach" whereby strike action which meets the prerequisites for protection under the relevant statute receives immunity from common law action, while that which does not remains subject to potential liability at common law.This article analyses the adoption of the immunity approach in Australia under the relevant federal industrial relations statutes that have operated since 1993. Commencing with discussion of the hostility of the common law to collective action and the principle of legality, a presumption of statutory interpretation that presumes Parliament would not have abrogated common law rights without an express intention to do so, this article examines how the scope of protected industrial action in Australia has been consistently narrowed through hostile judicial interpretation. Such interpretation has been grounded in an approach which narrows the extent that common law rights are restricted by the statute and construes the statutory enactment of a right to strike as conferring a "privilege" on those industrial actors who remain "worthy" enough to access it.Considering the progressively negative impact on the right to strike of this approach, the argument in this article echoes calls made by Gordon Anderson in 1987 to reject the continued role of the common law in the regulation of industrial action. It is argued that the law of strikes in Australia should be codified. Such an approach should assist in downplaying judicial tendencies to interpret the right to strike as a privilege rather than as a necessary component of a functioning system of voluntary collective bargaining

Age and Seasonal Change in the Chronobiology of a Spider with an Exceptionally Long-Period Circadian Clock

This study examines locomotor activity in samples of Frontinella pyramitela collected over its active season (April-October) to investigate whether seasonality and/or age may help explain the exceptional variability typically found in spider clock systems. Despite its noteworthy variability (%CV= 7.7), we have found that Frontinella has a mean free-running period of 28.4±2.18 hours that does not significantly vary over time. There is no correlation between day length and free-running period, indicating that varying length of FRP is not a function of photoperiod length. In LD 12:12 h, the window of activity is significantly smaller in April, gradually widening as the season continues, which may be evident of a shift in foraging strategy. Frontinella’s clock appears to mature before its entrainment mechanisms are fully developed, and towards the end of its season, there is strong evidence of circadian misalignment which may be a product of physiological age

The Mental Health Effects of Assisted Reproductive Technology

In this research project, I explored how mental health and undergoing ART are intertwined. Through a literature review, published researched about mental health and its relation to ART was reviewed to find key information regarding the mental health effects of ART. Following the literature review, interviews were conducted with seven women to gain a better understanding of their lived experiences undergoing ART treatments. The purpose of this study was to learn more about the lived experiences of women who go through fertility treatments and how the journey through infertility and trying to conceive a child influences their mental health