The Dark Side of the Band of Brothers: Explaining Unit Participation in War Crimes

On July 25, 1950, an American infantry unit killed a large number of refugees near the South Korean village of No Gun Ri. On December 12, 1948, a British patrol killed twenty-five civilians near the Malayan village of Batang Kali. On March 16, 1993, members of the Canadian Airborne Regiment beat a Somali teenager to death. While each of these events is horrific, they also represent only one side of the story; many units in these conflicts, facing similar threats, did not kill civilians. This variation raises a critical question: why do some units participate in war crimes while others do not? To answer this question, I tested three explanations: socialization in the laws of war, civilian influence, and unit subcultures. First, I examined the military\u27s training and enforcement of the laws of war to test whether socialization could explain this variation. Second, I analyzed the influence of civilian leaders. If they exaggerate the importance of a conflict or dehumanize the enemy, units may be more likely to participate in war crimes. Third, I examined the role of unit subcultures. Units may develop beliefs that challenge organizational norms and encourage participation in war crimes. I tested these arguments in case studies of the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, and the Canadian peacekeeping mission in Somalia. Each conflict provides variation in outcomes: some military units complied with the laws of war and others did not. Based on extensive archival research, I reached three conclusions. First, while the American, British and Canadian militaries as institutions inadequately trained soldiers in the laws of war, junior leaders could compensate and insure compliance with international law. Second, I found that civilian signaling had little effect. In these cases, soldiers did not trust the statements of civilian leaders. Third, my research revealed that countercultural subcultures may increase the likelihood that units will participate in war crimes. These countercultural subcultures seem to have the greatest effect when junior leaders support them or when junior leaders cannot control the unit. In this case, junior leaders efforts to impose control fuel the in-group-out-group dynamic that strengthens the subculture

Computing Accurate Age and Distance Factors in Cosmology

As the universe expands astronomical observables such as brightness and angular size on the sky change in ways that differ from our simple Cartesian expectation. We show how observed quantities depend on the expansion of space and demonstrate how to calculate such quantities using the Friedmann equations. The general solution to the Friedmann equations requires a numerical solution which is easily coded in any computing language (including EXCEL). We use these numerical calculations in four student projects that help to build their understanding of high-redshift phenomena and cosmology. Instructions for these projects are available as supplementary materials

Intravaginal prostaglandin F2α for the treatment of metritis and pyometra in the bitch

The purpose of this study was to determine whether intravaginal prostaglandin F2α(PGF2α) would be effective for the treatment of metritis or pyometra in the bitch. Seventeen bitches with metritis or pyometra were treated with PGF2α. Prostaglandin F2α(150 (g/kg body weight) was administered once or twice daily by infusing 0.3 ml per 10 kg body wt into the vaginal lumen. Bitches were also treated with amoxicillin (15 mg/kg body wt/48 h) and/or gentamicin (4 mg/kg body wt/day) administered as intramuscular (i.m.) injections. Fifteen bitches were treated successfully with intravaginally administered PGF2αfor 3 to 12 days and with intramuscularly administered antibiotics for 4 to 12 days. Success of treatment was judged by cessation of vaginal discharge, the absence of fluid in the uterus as determined by ultrasonography, and the overall health status of the animal. As two bitches with pyometra showed clinical deterioration in spite of medical treatment, ovariohysterectomy was performed after the first and the second treatment, respectively. No side effects (salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea, hyperpnoea, ataxia, urination, anxiety, pupillary dilatation followed by contraction) were observed after PGF2αtreatment. The disease did not recur during the subsequent oestrous cycles within 12 months after the initial treatment. The results demonstrate that intravaginal administration of PGF2αwas effective in 13 dogs (86.6%) with metritis or pyometra, and caused no side effects. Although the study was based on a relatively small number of cases, it is concluded that prostaglandin F2αcan be a useful means of treating bitches with metritis or pyometra. However, in severe cases of pyometra ovariohysterectomy is needed

Report of Faculty and Academic Affairs Staff Responses to IEJ FFPP Survey on Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In November 2021, the Joint Faculty Senate (JFS) Committees on Inclusion, Equity, and Justice (IEJ) and Family Friendly Policies and Practices (FFPP) administered a survey to assess faculty and Academic Affairs staff members’ experiences during the pandemic and to inform future recommendations for policy responses to crisis that are both family friendly and advance inclusion, equity, and justice for faculty and staff. IEJ and FFPP worked to collect a large sample of respondents. The Joint Faculty Assembly (JFA) Chair and Vice Chair sent the survey to the Official Announcements - CSB/SJU Faculty list three times. The survey was also sent to the AcademicAffairs@CSB/SJU.edu list. The survey was posted on the Teams for all librarians and shared twice in the Buzz. Members of the IEJ and FFPP shared it with Academics Affairs staff and asked them to share it with their colleagues. 143 people responded to the survey–41 staff and 102 faculty. This sample includes 41% of tenure/tenure track faculty, 10.5% of term/adjunct faculty, 41% of Academic Affairs administrative staff and 27% of Academic Affairs support staff. The survey results reflect the perspectives of respondents who chose to complete the survey

Comparison of clay tile, sterilized rock, and natural substrate diatom communities in a small stream in Southeastern Michigan, USA

Periphytic diatom communities on clay tile and sterilized rock substrates were compared with those on natural substrates. Clay tiles yielded diatom communities with the least variability between replicate samples, and the greatest similarity to the natural substrate assemblage. The advantages of utilizing introduced substrate communities and problems encountered with their simulation of the natural substrate community are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42910/1/10750_2004_Article_BF00006564.pd