Millennial changes in North American wildfire and soil activity over the last glacial cycle

Climate changes in the North Atlantic region during the last glacial cycle were dominated by the slow waxing and waning of the North American ice sheet as well as by intermittent, millennial-scale Dansgaard–Oeschger climate oscillations. However, prior to the last deglaciation, the responses of North American vegetation and biomass burning to these climate variations are uncertain. Ammonium in Greenland ice cores, a product from North American soil emissions and biomass burning events, can help to fill this gap. Here we use continuous, high-resolution measurements of ammonium concentrations between 110,000 to 10,000 years ago from the Greenland NGRIP and GRIP ice cores to reconstruct North American wildfire activity and soil ammonium emissions. We find that on orbital timescales soil emissions increased under warmer climate conditions when vegetation expanded northwards into previously ice-covered areas. For millennial-scale interstadial warm periods during Marine Isotope Stage 3, the fire recurrence rate increased in parallel to the rapid warmings, whereas soil emissions rose more slowly, reflecting slow ice shrinkage and delayed ecosystem changes. We conclude that sudden warming events had little impact on soil ammonium emissions and ammonium transport to Greenland, but did result in a substantial increase in the frequency of North American wildfires.

Reactions of African immigrants living in Houston, Texas, to the American media and legislation regarding female circumcision

Female circumcision was almost unheard of in the United States a few years ago. The recent influx of African immigrants has increased media attention to the subject, leading to laws criminalizing female circumcision. This study examines the reactions of African immigrants living in Houston, Texas, to media portrayal and legislation regarding female circumcision in an attempt to understand the effectiveness of U.S. laws, and media messages in deterring the practice. ^ Through literature reviews the study looks at how female circumcision is portrayed in the Houston Chronicle, and gives detailed discussion of laws regarding it. Attitudes, beliefs, experiences and reactions of African immigrants towards the practice and American's perceptions of female circumcision is examined via a series of case studies. ^ Data show that media and laws portray female circumcision negatively and make little attempt to understand the cultural practice, generating outrage among Africans who would like to see changes in the practice. ^

Freedom Fries or Friendship Fries? : Franco-American Stereotypes and Meta-Stereotypes

This study explores Franco-American relations by examining Franco-American stereotypes. When American participants made ratings of what they think the French think of Americans, the results showed that Americans think the French see Americans in a very negative light. Yet, when the French participants rated what they think Americans think of the French, the result was fairly neutral. Both the French and Americans were found to be over-estimating how negatively they are actually viewed by the other group. If Americans think the French view them negatively and vice versa, these beliefs can permeate interpersonal interactions and can have a potentially negative effect. The results suggest that stereotypes play an important role in intergroup interactions and these findings have important implications for Franco-American relations.

A comparison of health behaviors of African -American male and female illicit drug users: Implications for community health practice

Prevalence of drug use, HIV, syphilis, and other STDs is particularly high in African-American populations. Although some studies have documented protective changes in health behaviors relevant to these outcomes, other research indicates that risky health behaviors are still widespread. Moreover, little is known about how African-American men and women have differed in their responses to calls to adopt protective behaviors. The study reported in this dissertation investigates gender differences in health risk behavior in a sample of 482 African American chronic, frequent injection drug and crack cocaine users residing in Houston, Texas. It uses baseline and 9 month follow-up data collected on this sample. Four major research questions are addressed. These questions are: Research question 1. What was the overall pattern of reduction in drug use for subjects in the sample? In particular, did subjects who reported a recent (30 day) reduction in drug use and needle sharing risk at baseline also report a reduction at follow-up? Research question 2. Is gender significantly associated with the overall pattern of risk reduction in drug injection observed in the two waves of the study? Research question 3. Is gender significantly associated with the overall pattern of reduction in the number of sexual partners observed in the two waves of the study? Research question 4. Is gender significantly associated with the overall pattern of increase in the use of barrier contraceptives in the two waves of the study? ^

Graveyards to Glamour : Development of Sexualized Angel Imagery in American Art and Advertising

Images of female angels in American art and advertisements have been sexualized in the late twentieth and early twenty-­‐first centuries. Companies such as Victoria’s Secret have appropriated the image of female angels, which first appeared at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and clothed them in lingerie in order to sell a product. This Masters Research Paper explores the evolution of female angelic imagery in the United States in order to understand how and when the image of angels began to be sexualized and used in advertising. Angels in art have been studied extensively; however, there has been no work done which examines how the angels in art and advertising have been sexualized. Nor has any work been done to map the evolution of female angelic imagery in American art. This Masters Research Paper will fill that gap in scholarship.

Historic Ingalik settlements along the Yukon, Innoko, and Anvik Rivers, Alaska / James W. VanStone, Curator, North American Archaeology and Ethnology, Field Museum of Natural History.

v.72(1979)

The Bruce Collection of Eskimo material culture from Port Clarence, Alaska / James W. VanStone, Curator, North American Archaeology and Ethnology, Field Museum of Natural History.

v.67(1976)

Changing kinship systems: a study in the acculturation of the Creeks, Cherokee, and Choctaw / by Alexander Spoehr, Curator, Oceanic Ethnology. Formerly Curator, North American Ethnology and Archaeology.

v.33:no.4(1947)

An early archaeological example of tattooing from northwestern Alaska / James W. VanStone, Curator, North American Archaeology and Ethnology, Field Museum of Natural History, and Charles V. Lucier, Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game.

v.66:no.1(1974)

The Florida Seminole camp / by Alexander Spoehr, Curator, North American Ethnology and Archaeology.

v.33:no.3(1944)

E. W. Nelson's notes on the Indians of the Yukon and Innoko Rivers, Alaska / edited, with an introd. by James W. VanStone, Curator, North American Archaeology and Ethnology, Field Museum of Natural History.

v.70(1978)

Camp, clan, and kin among the Cow Creek Seminole of Florida / by Alexander Spoehr, Assistant Curator, American Ethnology and Archaeology.

v.33:no.1(1941)