Alpha, Omega, and the Letters in Between: LGBTQI Conservative Christians Undoing Gender

Sociologists studying gender have debated West and Zimmerman’s premise that “doing gender is unavoidable,” seeking to ascertain whether people can “undo” or only “redo” gender. While sociologists have been correct to focus on the interactional accomplishment of gender, they have neglected one of Garfinkel’s key insights about interaction: that people hold each other accountable to particular narratives. Neglecting the narrative aspect of doing—and undoing—gender impedes our ability to recognize processes of social change. Based on a qualitative study, we show how the movement for LGBTQI acceptance within U.S. conservative Protestant churches works to make gender not “omnirelevant” by challenging conservative “complementarity” narratives that posit two complementary, opposite sexes as a commandment preceding the Ten Commandments in time and importance. We explore this movement’s ambivalent relationship with homonormativity, highlight three ways this movement resists projecting binary gender narratives into scripture, and examine how some in this movement see the pursuit of social justice as a Christian mandate. The efforts of LGBTQI conservative Christians exemplify how reshaping sex/gender/sexual narratives can create possibilities for undoing gender

Predicted Colors and Flux Densities of Protostars in the Herschel PACS and SPIRE Filters

Upcoming surveys with the Herschel Space Observatory will yield far-IR photometry of large samples of young stellar objects, which will require careful interpretation. We investigate the color and luminosity diagnostics based on Herschel broad-band filters to identify and discern the properties of low-mass protostars. We compute a grid of 2,016 protostars in various physical congurations, present the expected flux densities and flux density ratios for this grid of protostars, and compare Herschel observations of three protostars to the model results. These provide useful constraints on the range of colors and fluxes of protostar in the Herschel filters. We find that Herschel data alone is likely a useful diagnostic of the envelope properties of young starsComment: Part of HOPS KP papers to the Herschel special A&A issu

Probing 5f-state configurations in URu2Si2 with U L3-edge resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy

Resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy (RXES) was employed at the U L3 absorption edge and the La1 emission line to explore the 5f occupancy, nf, and the degree of 5f orbital delocalization in the hidden order compound URu2Si2. By comparing to suitable reference materials such as UF4, UCd11, and alpha-U, we conclude that the 5f orbital in URu2Si2 is at least partially delocalized with nf = 2.87 +/- 0.08, and does not change with temperature down to 10 K within the estimated error. These results place further constraints on theoretical explanations of the hidden order, especially those requiring a localized f2 ground state.Comment: 11 pages,7 figure

On the nature of the deeply embedded protostar OMC-2 FIR 4

We use mid-infrared to submillimeter data from the Spitzer, Herschel, and APEX telescopes to study the bright sub-mm source OMC-2 FIR 4. We find a point source at 8, 24, and 70 $\mu$m, and a compact, but extended source at 160, 350, and 870 $\mu$m. The peak of the emission from 8 to 70 $\mu$m, attributed to the protostar associated with FIR 4, is displaced relative to the peak of the extended emission; the latter represents the large molecular core the protostar is embedded within. We determine that the protostar has a bolometric luminosity of 37 Lsun, although including more extended emission surrounding the point source raises this value to 86 Lsun. Radiative transfer models of the protostellar system fit the observed SED well and yield a total luminosity of most likely less than 100 Lsun. Our models suggest that the bolometric luminosity of the protostar could be just 12-14 Lsun, while the luminosity of the colder (~ 20 K) extended core could be around 100 Lsun, with a mass of about 27 Msun. Our derived luminosities for the protostar OMC-2 FIR 4 are in direct contradiction with previous claims of a total luminosity of 1000 Lsun (Crimier et al 2009). Furthermore, we find evidence from far-infrared molecular spectra (Kama et al. 2013, Manoj et al. 2013) and 3.6 cm emission (Reipurth et al 1999) that FIR 4 drives an outflow. The final stellar mass the protostar will ultimately achieve is uncertain due to its association with the large reservoir of mass found in the cold core.Comment: Accpeted by ApJ, 17 pages, 11 figure

Possible Effects of Catfish Exploitation on Overwinter Body Condition of Double-Crested Cormorants

Concurrent with the rapid growth of the Mississippi catfish industry during the 1980’s, there was evidence of similar growth of double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) populations wintering in the delta region of Mississippi. Observational and food habits studies indicate that this expansive industry, incorporating more than 100,000 acres of ponds, provides an enormous food base for overwintering populations estimated in recent years to exceed 50,000 birds. As much as 75 percent of the diet in certain roosting areas of the Mississippi delta consisted of catfish, and according to bioenergetic models cormorants can exploit as much as 940 metric tons of catfish per winter. Despite these data, there has been little attempt to demonstrate whether exploitation of this food base has increased body condition and possibly survival of wintering cormorants that return primarily to the Great Lakes region to breed. To examine this possible effect, we analyzed monthly changes in body masses of wintering cormorants collected in the delta region of Mississippi and compared premigratory body masses and fat deposition of Mississippi cormorants with those from areas without extensive aquaculture production. With the exception of adult females, all sex and age groups of cormorants collected in the delta during the winters of 1989– 90 and 1990–91 increased (P \u3c 0.05) their body mass from November to April. Over all months, body masses of adult males and adult females were greater than that of subadults. Standardized by wing chord length, the premigratory body masses of Mississippi males and females differed (P \u3c 0.0004) from premigratory males and females collected from Alabama in areas remote from catfish production. Premigratory fat deposition appeared to be responsible for the body mass increases, and omental fat mass was highly correlated (R = 0.721, P \u3c 0.0001) with body mass and also differed (P = 0.0003) between Mississippi and Alabama birds. We hypothesize that the improved body condition of cormorants resulting from exploiting catfish has increased their survival and contributed to the population explosion of cormorants observed over the past decade. We suggest additional studies to substantiate our findings and to clarify the importance of southern aquaculture on improving body condition and survival of cormorants

Possible Effects of Catfish Exploitation on Overwinter Body Condition of Double-Crested Cormorants

Concurrent with the rapid growth of the Mississippi catfish industry during the 1980’s, there was evidence of similar growth of double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) populations wintering in the delta region of Mississippi. Observational and food habits studies indicate that this expansive industry, incorporating more than 100,000 acres of ponds, provides an enormous food base for overwintering populations estimated in recent years to exceed 50,000 birds. As much as 75 percent of the diet in certain roosting areas of the Mississippi delta consisted of catfish, and according to bioenergetic models cormorants can exploit as much as 940 metric tons of catfish per winter. Despite these data, there has been little attempt to demonstrate whether exploitation of this food base has increased body condition and possibly survival of wintering cormorants that return primarily to the Great Lakes region to breed. To examine this possible effect, we analyzed monthly changes in body masses of wintering cormorants collected in the delta region of Mississippi and compared premigratory body masses and fat deposition of Mississippi cormorants with those from areas without extensive aquaculture production. With the exception of adult females, all sex and age groups of cormorants collected in the delta during the winters of 1989– 90 and 1990–91 increased (P \u3c 0.05) their body mass from November to April. Over all months, body masses of adult males and adult females were greater than that of subadults. Standardized by wing chord length, the premigratory body masses of Mississippi males and females differed (P \u3c 0.0004) from premigratory males and females collected from Alabama in areas remote from catfish production. Premigratory fat deposition appeared to be responsible for the body mass increases, and omental fat mass was highly correlated (R = 0.721, P \u3c 0.0001) with body mass and also differed (P = 0.0003) between Mississippi and Alabama birds. We hypothesize that the improved body condition of cormorants resulting from exploiting catfish has increased their survival and contributed to the population explosion of cormorants observed over the past decade. We suggest additional studies to substantiate our findings and to clarify the importance of southern aquaculture on improving body condition and survival of cormorants

Road safety, alcohol consumption and visual function of motor bike riders in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria

Causes of road traffic accidents (RTA) in developing nations have been attributed in part, to poor vision due to excessive alcohol consumption. This cross-sectional study assessed the visual acuity of 230 male motor-bike riders in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria, and their potentials for alcohol abuse, using the cluster sampling technique.A semi-structured interviewer/self administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, road traffic accidents and alcohol use, while visual acuity was assessed with a Snellens chart. Results showed good right and left eye vision among 68.3% and 71.3% of the riders respectively, but visual impairment was observed among 25.2% (right) and 26.5% (left) of the riders, and the impairment was severe among 6.5% (right) and 2.2% (left) of them. Up to 69.57% had potential for alcohol abuse, while 5.22% and 25.22% had borderline or no potential for alcohol abuse respectively. About half of the respondents (118; 51.3%) have had a road traffic accident in the last one year and there was a statistically significant association between visual acuity and road traffic accidents (P = 0.000). Although majority of respondents had good visual acuity and a high potential for alcohol abuse, there involvement in road traffic accidents was low.Keywords: Poor vision, Visual acuity, Road traffic accident, Alcohol abus

Characterizing the Youngest Herschel-detected Protostars I. Envelope Structure Revealed by CARMA Dust Continuum Observations

We present CARMA 2.9 mm dust continuum emission observations of a sample of 14 Herschel-detected Class 0 protostars in the Orion A and B molecular clouds, drawn from the PACS Bright Red Sources (PBRS) sample (Stutz et al.). These objects are characterized by very red 24 \micron\ to 70 \micron\ colors and prominent submillimeter emission, suggesting that they are very young Class 0 protostars embedded in dense envelopes. We detect all of the PBRS in 2.9 mm continuum emission and emission from 4 protostars and 1 starless core in the fields toward the PBRS; we also report 1 new PBRS source. The ratio of 2.9 mm luminosity to bolometric luminosity is higher by a factor of $\sim$5 on average, compared to other well-studied protostars in the Perseus and Ophiuchus clouds. The 2.9 mm visibility amplitudes for 6 of the 14 PBRS are very flat as a function of uv-distance, with more than 50\% of the source emission arising from radii $<$ 1500 AU. These flat visibility amplitudes are most consistent with spherically symmetric envelope density profiles with $\rho$~$\propto$~R$^{-2.5}$. Alternatively, there could be a massive unresolved structure like a disk or a high-density inner envelope departing from a smooth power-law. The large amount of mass on scales $<$ 1500 AU (implying high average central densities) leads us to suggest that that the PBRS with flat visibility amplitude profiles are the youngest PBRS and may be undergoing a brief phase of high mass infall/accretion and are possibly among the youngest Class 0 protostars. The PBRS with more rapidly declining visibility amplitudes still have large envelope masses, but could be slightly more evolved.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 40 pages, 9 Figures, 4 Table