State taxation has become particularly regressive in recent decades. Across the country, states have increasingly begun to rely on sales and consumption taxes to fund significant portions of their expenditures. Given that these taxes disproportionately hurt lower classes that spend a larger portion of their income on consumable goods and services, these trends widen wealth gaps. By replacing and reducing progressive income taxes with these regressive forms of taxation, levels of inequality have risen. This paper examines the impact of such state and local taxes on the levels of income inequality within each state. Through empirical analysis, it identifies a substantial and positive correlation between the regressivity of state tax codes, as measured by the relative tax burdens on different income brackets, and the levels of inequality, as quantified by the income share of the top 1%. In this study, I examine the relationship between state tax policies and income inequality in the United States. By analyzing the tax structures of different states, I identify a significant correlation between regressive taxes, that disproportionately burden the less wealthy, and increased income inequality. Using quantitative data from 2013 to 2019, I show that states that rely more on taxes that burden working class families, like sales and excise taxes, witness larger portions of wealth concentration within the top 1%. These findings suggest that tax policy at the state level significantly shapes wealth distribution and highlight the need for reforms to reduce inequality at the state level.

If someone were to ask what the Caribbean is like, they would most likely speak of the beautiful beaches and tourist destinations. It’s a common misconception that the Caribbean is only paradise, and due to fewer networks available in the area to produce reports on climate change, it becomes an overlooked issue. Jamaica, a small island nation in the Caribbean, is no exception. Small Island Nations are some of the most vulnerable communities to climate change in the world—they tend to lack resources, a strong population, and have a reliance on imports along with a dependence on ocean resources which are being directly affected by climate change. While Jamaica only contributes an extremely small portion of the world’s carbon emissions, they are left to deal with repercussions of many states’ industrial economies, like the United States and China, who have caused irreversible damage to the environment. It is hard for Small Island Nations like Jamaica to not feel hopeless in the face of climate change—they are dealing with a problem they did not cause, with resources they do not have. But, Jamaica may be able to fend for themselves in creating their own sustainable nation. As a vulnerable country, it is crucial that Jamaica takes the necessary precautions in the next few years to prevent any detrimental weather events that could severely destroy their nation. Building on previous research related to climate action and climate change in Jamaica, this paper presents the voices of Jamaican youth and their experience with climate change.

A zero-day exploit is a cyberattack that uses unknown or unaddressed security flaws in computer software, hardware, or firmware. Zero-day vulnerabilities pose very significant threats to cyber security. While traditional methods have been effective, they are lacking in many aspects due to rapidly evolving cyber threats. Hence, this paper examines artificial intelligence techniques, including machine learning and their application in enhancing cyber security against zero-day vulnerabilities. The research delves into supervised and unsupervised models and algorithms like Naive Bayes. The findings suggest that effective solutions such as artificial intelligence-driven approaches are crucial in the face of rapidly evolving cyber threats.

The gendered prescriptions that permeate fairy tales can shape societal structures and perspectives. However, just as literature plays a role in reinforcing societal constructs, it can be used to challenge and subvert them. This paper looks at the form of space in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë (1848) as a subversion of “Blue-Beard” by Charles Perrault (1697) and its relation to understanding gender as biology, discourse, and construct.

Beliefs are the inherent, underlying nature of our identity, motives, and actions. One of the most significant and developed forms of belief is religion. This paper outlines the development of beliefs and provides evidence on how religion and spirituality impact the brain. Through neurotheological studies like the one done with Carmelite nuns in 2006, researchers can uncover what the brain looks like during religious/spiritual experiences. Results show that religious experiences increase activation in various regions such as the IPL, MPFC, ACC, and more. Studies have also shown that many of the results related to religion on the brain align with studies done to decipher the difference between a mentally healthy patient and a mentally unhealthy patient. One such example is that there is a similar increase in the PDR and the EEG when comparing results from a neurotheological study and brain imaging depicting positive and negative mental health. This relationship is proved through statistics revealing how religion has been known to significantly decrease the rate of depression in an individual and decrease the rate of suicide in a community. The findings suggest that integrating religious and spiritual dimensions into mental health treatment can enhance therapeutic outcomes. Ultimately, this exploration affirms beliefs’ profound role in shaping our identities and promoting psychological resilience.

This paper provides a detailed review of maglev (magnetic levitation) trains, explaining the technology and underlying principles behind it. It also covers the history of this evolving mode of transport. Moreover, it addresses and analyzes the advantages and challenges of maglev trains compared to the traditional rail system: technical, infrastructural, and economic factors have been taken into consideration. Further, it explores the potential improvements to the technology to make it more efficient and cost-effective. The paper will focus slightly more on the Japanese maglev trains as they are the most developed. This paper aims to become a one-place resource for readers to gain knowledge about maglev trains. The author was motivated by the fact that this field, despite being so heavily researched, has a lack of research papers or articles published for readers and inquirers to easily learn about the whole concept; the majority of papers found were published in the early 2000s. Therefore, this paper also intends to include the latest advancements. It is an overview, written after going through multiple past research papers, websites, informative videos and videos of interviews from reliable and credible sources.