Portrait of Professor Breidenbaugh

People often do not see what is right in front of them; objects that are passed by everyday are often unnoticed. People are not necessarily unobservant, but are probably more absorbed with their own activities. One object that is hidden in plain sight on the Gettysburg College campus is the portrait of Professor Edward S. Breidenbaugh that hangs in the Science Center. The name Breidenbaugh is commonly known amongst the students at Gettysburg because of the building in his name, Breidenbaugh Hall. However, the history behind Breidenbaugh and his portrait is not as commonly known as the name, but is important in understanding his influence at Gettysburg College. [excerpt] Course Information: Course Title: HIST 300: Historical Method Academic Term: Fall 2006 Course Instructor: Dr. Michael J. Birkner \u2772 Hidden in Plain Sight is a collection of student papers on objects that are hidden in plain sight around the Gettysburg College campus. Topics range from the Glatfelter Hall gargoyles to the statue of Eisenhower and from historical markers to athletic accomplishments. You can download the paper in pdf format and click View Photo to see the image in greater detail.https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/hiddenpapers/1013/thumbnail.jp

Dwelling or duelling in possibilities: how (Ir)relevant are African feminisms?

In its four decades of rebirth, the world has debated (enough) the relevance of feminism, but there is, surprisingly, refreshingly emergent dimensions at the turn of the twenty-first century: feminisms from feminism flowing from Africa. The theories or models of Womanism, Stiwanism, Motherism, and Nego-feminism, with their underlying assumptions and values,were all born at various end times of the twentieth century with a common objective of seeking gender justice. This paper examines the crucial question of how relevant these models are to the global practice of woman as human. What propels their separateness, and why didn‘t they combine to make a more solid stance on the plight of the African woman? In fact, why can‘t they simply identify with the general feminism? Put differently, are they dwelling in the same terrain or are they separable and easily recognisable discourses duelling in possibilities for the woman in Africa in particular and the woman of the globe in general? More specifically, how (ir)relevant are African feminisms?In trying to answer these questions, the paper presents a critical review of the afore-mentioned theories of African feminisms with the goal of providing readers an understanding of what is new in each model, and what is similar or different between the various strands of African feminisms. The paper concludes with the author‘s analysis of the model that holds the best promise or possibilities for African feminism to achieve its seemingly elusive goal of gender equality

Lorentz Violation and Synchrotron Radiation

We consider the radiation emitted by an ultrarelativistic charged particle moving in a magnetic field, in the presence of an additional Lorentz-violating interaction. In contrast with prior work, we treat a form of Lorentz violation that is represented by a renormalizable operator. Neglecting the radiative reaction force, the particle's trajectory can be determined exactly. The resulting orbit is generally noncircular and does not lie in the place perpendicular to the magnetic field. We do not consider any Lorentz violation in the electromagnetic sector, so the radiation from the accelerated charge can be determined by standard means, and the radiation spectrum will exhibit a Lorentz-violating directional dependence. Using data on emission from the Crab nebula, we can set a bound on a particular combination of Lorentz-violating coefficients at the $6\times10^{-20}$ level.Comment: 14 page

Test of the isotropy of the speed of light using a continuously rotating optical resonator

We report on a test of Lorentz invariance performed by comparing the resonance frequencies of one stationary optical resonator and one continuously rotating on a precision air bearing turntable. Special attention is paid to the control of rotation induced systematic effects. Within the photon sector of the Standard Model Extension, we obtain improved limits on combinations of 8 parameters at a level of a few parts in $10^{-16}$. For the previously least well known parameter we find $\tilde \kappa_{e-}^{ZZ} =(-1.9 \pm 5.2)\times 10^{-15}$. Within the Robertson-Mansouri-Sexl test theory, our measurement restricts the isotropy violation parameter $\beta -\delta -\frac 12$ to $(-2.1\pm 1.9)\times 10^{-10}$, corresponding to an eightfold improvement with respect to previous non-rotating measurements.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Coefficient of Restitution as a Fluctuating Quantity

The coefficient of restitution of a spherical particle in contact with a flat plate is investigated as a function of the impact velocity. As an experimental observation we notice non-trivial (non-Gaussian) fluctuations of the measured values. For a fixed impact velocity, the probability density of the coefficient of restitution, $p(\epsilon)$, is formed by two exponential functions (one increasing, one decreasing) of different slope. This behavior may be explained by a certain roughness of the particle which leads to energy transfer between the linear and rotational degrees of freedom.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Does the credit channel work in Europe? A study based on the heterogeneity of investment behaviours from aggregated balance-sheet data

This article studies the impact of monetary policy on real economy in Europe through a particular transmission mechanism: the credit channel. The credit channel is based on the existence of information asymmetries in financial markets that change the agents financing conditions. According to the credit channel theory, investment elasticity to cash flow should increase following tight monetary periods, especially in small firms. We test this prediction of the credit channel by estimating a classical investment model (accelerator-profit) on a pseudo-panel database harmonised among European countries by the European Commission (BACH database). This data set includes firms balance sheet aggregated by industry and size in many European countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Portugal). Our results show that investment sensitivity to financing conditions is consistent with the credit channel theory and that this transmission channel of monetary chocks is a source of asymmetry in Europe between countries and between firms of different sizes.monetary policy - credit channel - financing conditions - accelerator-profit model - panel data