American Members Research Articles

The Unlikely Alliance of Mormonism and Christian Nationalism

ABSTRACT American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are typically seen as politically conservative and proponents of Christian natioanalism. However, this has not always been the case. This essay provides a historical overview of how the Mormon tradition evolved from being dissenters from America’s patriotic imagination to some of its most adamant promotors. I also highlight the paradoxes at the heart of the current cultural alliance between devout Latter-day Saints and evangelical activists.

Listening to Rural Community Experts: Making a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment Transformative for Inclusive Postsecondary CTE

This Delphi study identified postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) needs and differences by race in rural areas. Seventeen rural community experts in education, business, and community leadership participated across three rounds. Round 1 involved interviews to compile perspectives about future careers and training. Round 2 used Likert-scale surveys to rate the perceived likelihood of careers and the value of training; consensus was evaluated. Round 3 conducted member checking. Results showed alignment between community-identified labor needs and workforce data. However, Native American members faced distinct qualifying barriers for training programs. Recommendations are that Comprehensive Local Needs Assessments (CLNAs) intentionally include marginalized groups and consider historical and present-day inequities certain students face to better meet the workforce training needs of the entire community. The Delphi method revealed nuanced perspectives and the need for more culturally responsive practice in rural areas.

How Crises Shape Interest in Elected Officials of Color: Social Media Activity, Race and Responsiveness to Members of Congress on Twitter

ABSTRACT This study aims to understand public reactions to statements about racial discrimination made by elected officials of color on Twitter. We argue that statements about race made by elected officials of color will be overlooked in most political contexts. However, during events when race is made a salient issue, the public will look to elected officials of the afflicted group for guidance and, through this, the public will be more likely to interact with these leaders on Twitter. In this way, periods of crises create a window of opportunity when statements against racism made by elected officials of color receive greater public attention. To assess this hypothesis, we use the case study of Asian American members of Congress and their discussion of anti-Asian racism on Twitter. We examine the pattern of Twitter interactions to their posts in 2021. We find that Asian American members of Congress receive more social media attention (likes and retweets) relative to other members of Congress when condemning anti-Asian violence, but only in the immediate wake of the March 2021 mass shooting of Asian Americans in Atlanta, Georgia. This study offers important new insight into when elected officials of color can draw public attention to the communities that they descriptively represent.

Who Trusts Russia? Members of Parliament (MPs') Support for Putin's Government and Multilateralism

This article examines the ambivalent stance of Latin American governments towards Russia's actions in Ukraine. Using Proyecto Élites Parlamentarias de la Universidad de Salamanca (PELA‐USAL) data, it explores ideological self‐placement, Putin's approval and alliance preferences among Latin American Members of Parliament, highlighting the influence of anti‐imperialism and multilateralism on their international alignments and support for Russia.

North American pitseed goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri) is a genetic resource to improve Andean quinoa (C. quinoa)

Pitseed goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri) is a free-living North American member of an allotetraploid complex that includes the Andean pseudocereal quinoa (C. quinoa). Like quinoa, pitseed goosefoot was domesticated, possibly independently, in eastern North America (subsp. jonesianum) and Mesoamerica (subsp. nuttaliae). To test the utility of C. berlandieri as a resource for quinoa breeding, we produced the whole-genome DNA sequence of PI 433,231, a huauzontle from Puebla, México. The 1.295 Gb genome was assembled into 18 pseudomolecules and annotated using RNAseq data from multiple tissues. Alignment with the v.2.0 genome of Chilean-origin C. quinoa cv. ‘QQ74’ revealed several inversions and a 4A-6B reciprocal translocation. Despite these rearrangements, some quinoa x pitseed goosefoot crosses produce highly fertile hybrids with faithful recombination, as evidenced by a high-density SNP linkage map constructed from a Bolivian quinoa ‘Real-1’ × BYU 937 (Texas coastal pitseed goosefoot) F2 population. Recombination in that cross was comparable to a ‘Real-1’ × BYU 1101 (Argentine C. hircinum) F2 population. Furthermore, SNP-based phylogenetic and population structure analyses of 90 accessions supported the hypothesis of multiple independent domestications and descent from a common 4 × ancestor, with a likely North American Center of Origin.

Redbay (Persea borbonia L. Spreng) Seedling and Sapling Growth and Recruitment Near Trees with and without Putative Resistance to Laurel Wilt Disease

Laurel wilt, a fungal disease (Harringtonia lauricola T.C. Harr., Fraedrich and Aghayeva) spread by the Asian redbay ambrosia beetle [Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)], presents an imminent threat to North American members of the Lauraceae family, having caused extensive mortality in several species, especially redbay (Persea borbonia L. Spreng). Varying levels of disease resistance have been recorded in redbay under controlled conditions. To investigate if previously monitored putatively resistant field redbays have influenced the regeneration and survival of conspecifics within the surrounding 0.08 ha, a survey was conducted in 2018-19 and compared to similar data collected years prior (2008-09, 2013) along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, United States. Plots were originally established at six disease-infested study sites around large redbay (>7.5-cm diameter at breast height (1.37 m) (DBH)) that had survived the initial laurel wilt disease epidemic that began in approximately 2007. In 2018-19, a subset of 61 plots within 16 m of the original “survivor” redbay were recorded and compared to previous surveys. Among the original redbay selected for resistance, 22 of 61 (36%) survivors across all sites were alive in 2018 with survival rates varying from 0 to 70% between survey periods (average mortality 3.6%/year). Trees that died in years since 2008-09 had their plots reclassified as susceptible or “suscepts”. Changes in mean quadratic diameter at 1.37 m of redbay plots near survivors were significantly greater than those near suscepts, and in 2018-19, the average diameter of redbay near survivors was 7.62 cm vs. 4.90 cm for suscepts. The diameter distribution of dead and live redbay in the whole population showed a decrease in live individuals surviving past 8 cm DBH in 2018–2019, but 20 of 22 survivor candidate trees were larger than 8 cm DBH. Regeneration was occurring both clonally and sexually and tended to be greater near suscepts, but midstory resprouts per hectare and understory seedlings interacted significantly with the site and the latter differed between sites. These findings indicate that redbay is regenerating in these ecosystems, and disease resistance may allow for increased average tree size for some individuals, but an upper size threshold of around 8 cm DBH may still exist for much of the population. In addition, the importance of site variables in regeneration was apparent, making either local genetic or environmental effects an important topic for future research. Continuing to monitor these survivors while locating new candidates for disease screenings and breeding, preventing the introductions of new strains of H. lauricola, shedding light on the nature of resistance and its heritability, and initiating outplanting trials with resistant germplasm are instrumental steps in bringing redbay back to prominence in its historical range.

Научная политика СССР в 1950-е–начале 1980-х годов в исследованиях советских и американских ученых

In the 1950s the leadership of the USSR began to realize the country’s technological lag behind the advanced Western countries. In this regard, the Soviet Union began to transform its scientific policy. The search for optimal mechanisms for the organization of science continued until the end of the Soviet period. Scientists and historians of science, being direct participants in these events, assessed the ongoing transformation. This assessment has not always been objective. Nowadays, thanks to new computer technologies, researchers have access to the documents of American specialists who studied the main mechanisms of our country’s scientific policy at the state level in the 1970s-1980s. The purpose of the paper is to compare the conclusions of Soviet and American specialists who studied the scientific policy of the USSR in the 1970s-1980s, and to identify assessments of the main mechanisms for the implementation of scientific policy in the USSR. The main sources of the work were reports by American members of the working group on the study of scientific policy, which had not been used before in Russian historiography. After conducting a comparative analysis of the works, the author comes to the conclusion that Soviet scientific policy developed in the general global mainstream. Some of the science management mechanisms developed in the USSR were innovative. Others did not work at all in the absence of competition and a rigid command system.

Distant glances: American members of the Gioeni Academy in the nineteenth century

The events that bind fourteen partners of the nineteenth century to the Gioeni Academy of Catania are described. In the United States and Europe the scientific and political literature is very rich in information on the personalities aggregated to the Gioeni Academy, from the beginning of its foundation until the end of the 19th century. Unfortunately, their scientific contribution to the cultural life of the Academy was almost nil, limited to exchanges of letters and literature references only, with the exception of the presence of the mathematician B. Peirce, of the geodesist C.A. Schott and of the astronomer J.C. Watson on site (direct meetings with local members of the Gioeni Academy in the astronomical observation stations) during the occasion of the total solar eclipse of December 22nd, 1870, observed in Sicily by American and European scientific expeditions.

“I Just Learn a Single Phrase:” Language Acquisition and Cultural Fusion in Professional Baseball

This paper seeks to understand how Americans in the professional baseball community communicate with Spanish-speaking players. To further uncover how English-speaking players interact with their Spanish-speaking counterparts, 22 interviews were conducted with American members of the baseball community. Through the purview of cultural fusion theory, this article seeks to understand how English and Spanish-speaking baseball players accommodate each other. More specifically, the researchers interviewed ten current MiLB players, three former players, four current coaches who also played professionally, four team and league personnel, and one athletic trainer. It was concluded that baseball is a language that everyone can use to communicate through and players must be comfortable to immerse themselves in Spanish to learn and to be willing to fail. Interviewees also claim that language learning improves team chemistry which can impact wins and losses.

The development and diversity of religious cognition and behavior: Protocol for Wave 1 data collection with children and parents by the Developing Belief Network.

The Developing Belief Network is a consortium of researchers studying human development in diverse social-cultural settings, with a focus on the interplay between general cognitive development and culturally specific processes of socialization and cultural transmission in early and middle childhood. The current manuscript describes the study protocol for the network's first wave of data collection, which aims to explore the development and diversity of religious cognition and behavior. This work is guided by three key research questions: (1) How do children represent and reason about religious and supernatural agents? (2) How do children represent and reason about religion as an aspect of social identity? (3) How are religious and supernatural beliefs transmitted within and between generations? The protocol is designed to address these questions via a set of nine tasks for children between the ages of 4 and 10 years, a comprehensive survey completed by their parents/caregivers, and a task designed to elicit conversations between children and caregivers. This study is being conducted in 39 distinct cultural-religious groups (to date), spanning 17 countries and 13 languages. In this manuscript, we provide detailed descriptions of all elements of this study protocol, give a brief overview of the ways in which this protocol has been adapted for use in diverse religious communities, and present the final, English-language study materials for 6 of the 39 cultural-religious groups who are currently being recruited for this study: Protestant Americans, Catholic Americans, American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, and religiously unaffiliated Americans.

Three new species in Russula subsection Xerampelinae supported by genealogical and phenotypic coherence

ABSTRACT Xerampelinae is a subsection composed of species of ectomycorrhizal fungi belonging to the hyperdiverse and cosmopolitan genus Russula (Russulales). Species of Xerampelinae are recognized by their fishy or shrimp odor, browning context, and a green reaction to iron sulfate. However, species delimitation has traditionally relied on morphology and analysis of limited molecular data. Prior taxonomic work in Xerampelinae has led to the description of as many as 59 taxa in Europe and 19 in North America. Here we provide the first multilocus phylogeny of European and North American members based on two nrDNA loci and two protein-coding genes. The resulting phylogeny supports the recognition of 17 species-rank Xerampelinae clades; however, higher species richness (~23) is suggested by a more inclusive nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS barcode) analysis. Phylogenetic and morphological analyses support three new species with restricted geographic distributions: R. lapponica, R. neopascua, and R. olympiana. We confirm that the European species R. subrubens is present in North America and the North American species R. serissima (previously known as R. favrei) is present in Europe. Most other Xerampelinae appear restricted to either North America or Eurasia, which indicates a high degree of regional endemism; this includes R. xerampelina, a name widely applied to North American taxa, but a species restricted to Eurasia.

International Humanitarian Award: Garth Neufeld.

This award recognizes extraordinary humanitarian service and activism by a psychologist or a team of psychologists, including professional and/or volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations. "As president of Shared Space for All (SSFA), a nonprofit organization that educates and mentors impoverished youth in a village in the province of Isaan, Thailand, Mr. Garth Neufeld has successfully and strategically led the organization. SSFA promotes safer futures for youth in a context where poverty limits education and promotes migration to cities where a lack of skills translates into vulnerability to recruitment into sex work and trafficking. Over 200 at-risk school-aged children have received a range of services through SSFA, including supervised care before and after school, social services such as transportation, and full scholarships for higher education. The organization is exemplary in partnering with the local community and privileging the wisdom of those it serves. Mr. Neufeld has assembled a board of Thai and American members, mobilizing local commitment and engagement, harnessing the power of volunteers both local and overseas, underscoring contextually and culturally appropriate approaches, and balancing when to lead from the front or from behind. Mr. Neufeld is a tenured professor of psychology at Cascadia College, managing an active academic career and commitment to SSFA. He is a leader in Division 2, where he is highly regarded by his colleagues and has received multiple awards for teaching. Mr. Neufeld's vision through SSFA has been described as transformative, creating change by investing in the next generation to build human capital. Mr. Neufeld stands as a shining example of how psychologists can bring their skills and passion to organize and mobilize partnerships that can make a lasting difference in a vulnerable community. For these reasons, American Psychological Association's (APA's) Committee for Global Psychology is honored to present this award to Garth Neufeld." (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

New Lizard Specimens from the Campanian Wapiti Formation of Alberta, Canada

Reported lizard material from the Wapiti Formation (central-western Alberta, Canada) is limited to fragmentary remains of Kleskunsaurus grandeprairiensis and Socognathus unicuspis, a partial dentary attributed to Chamops cf. C. segnis, and a vertebra reportedly comparable to those of the much larger lizard Palaeosaniwa canadensis. P. canadensis is a Late Cretaceous North American member of Monstersauria, a Mesozoic and Cenozoic anguimorph group represented today by five species of Heloderma. Here, we document new squamate material from the DC Bonebed locality (Wapiti Unit 3; Campanian), including a right frontal identified as cf. P. canadensis and a taxonomically indeterminate squamate astragalocalcaneum. A partial skeleton from the Two Medicine Formation of Montana provisionally attributed to P. canadensis has a frontal resembling the corresponding element from the DC Bonebed in overall shape, in having narrowly separated facets for the prefrontal and postorbitofrontal, and in bearing osteoderms similar to the DC specimen’s in ornamentation and configuration. The Two Medicine and DC specimens differ from a roughly contemporaneous frontal from southern Alberta referred to the monstersaur Labrodioctes montanensis. The DC specimen confirms the presence of monstersaurian squamates in the Wapiti Formation, representing the northernmost record of any definitive Late Cretaceous monstersaur to date.

From eco‐theology to eco‐skepticism: How American Latter‐day Saint environmental perspectives changed over time, and how they may change again

AbstractModern American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐day Saints (aka LDS or Mormons) are among the most environmentally skeptical American groups, but it has not always been this way. The church has an exceptionally robust eco‐theology. In the 19th century, it espoused a strong “ethic of stewardship.” The review focuses on the story of how and why this shift from eco‐theology to eco‐skepticism occurred, shedding light on how theology, wider culture, and other forces can influence value creation, and how these changing values can transform the environmental attitudes and behaviors of an entire people. LDS eco‐theology shares some principles in common with some other Christian faiths, but also includes a number of unique or unusual beliefs and egalitarian/agrarian practices. In the early church (19th century), eco‐theology contributed to a value system which prioritized creation care. However, early LDS community land practices did not necessarily live up to these ideals and the local environment suffered serious consequences. Then, with an influx of external influences, including a growing population of non‐LDS frontiersmen, Latter‐day Saint values shifted away from creation care and egalitarianism and toward individualism and capitalism. Church leaders stopped regularly preaching about the earth's value, instead focusing on individual salvation. Environmental action antipathy and climate skepticism became the norm. This volte‐face demonstrates both how theology can influence values and actions, and the inverse.This article is categorized under: The Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Sociology/Anthropology of Climate Knowledge Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Perceptions of Climate Change

Correlations among chromosome numbers, nuclear DNA contents and climatic variables of South American Cactaceae in a phylogenetic context

Abstract Cactaceae are American members of arid and semi-arid regions and are also present in tropical forests and temperate climates. The taxonomy is complex owing to large morphological variability, and polyploidy is a significant mechanism in cactus speciation associated with geographical and environmental range expansions. In South America, Cactaceae have a wide distributional range and provide an informative model in which to examine the correlation between ploidy levels and genome sizes with geographical and bioclimatic variables. We tested whether ploidy levels and DNA contents are related to elevation and the 19 WorldClim variables, and we mapped chromosome numbers and amounts of DNA on a molecular phylogeny to interpret their evolution. We performed Pearson correlation tests between the response variables and each climatic variable and used a multivariate analysis to assess the pattern of variation among variables and chromosome numbers. Our data suggest that polyploidy had independent origins within each subfamily. Chromosome numbers were related to variables associated with temperature, whereas DNA contents were related mostly to precipitation. A negative correlation was observed between the amount of DNA in one chromosome set and the increase in the ploidy level. Based on the results, the small genome can be considered ecologically important as an adaptation to higher temperatures and droughts.

Platinum Jubilee of the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation

The IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation celebrated seventy years since its inception in 2022. This history concentrates on the last forty years of publication as the first thirty years is covered in an earlier article. The issues faced by each of the past eleven Editors-in-Chief since 1982 are outlined. In the first twenty years of this period, the main issue was the limited number of publishable pages which was determined by Society finances. The last twenty years have seen an exponential increase in submissions and the number of TAP pages published. The major reason for this increase has been the wireless revolution which began in the late 1990s. Other changes have been the editorial board has evolved from one or two non-North American members to today where it is now fully international and gender diverse.

Current Practices in Anticoagulation Management for Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Image-guided Breast Procedures.

Given variability in how practices manage patients on antithrombotic medications, we undertook this study to understand the current practice of antithrombotic management for patients undergoing percutaneous breast and axillary procedures. A 20-item survey with multiple-choice and write-in options was emailed to 2094 active North American members of the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) in March 2021. Data were collected anonymously and analyzed quantitatively, with free-text responses categorized by themes. Three-hundred twenty-six of 2094 members (15.6%) completed the survey. Eighty-seven percent (274/313) reported having a policy for managing antithrombotic medications. Fifty-nine percent (185/312) reported routinely withholding medications before biopsy, more commonly in the Northeast and South (P = 0.08). Withholding of medications did not vary by lesion location (182/308, 59%, breast vs 181/308, 58.7%, axillary; P = 0.81). Respondents were statistically more likely to withhold medications if using a vacuum-assisted device for all classes of antithrombotic medications (P < 0.001). Up to 50.2% (100/199) on warfarin and 33.6% (66/196) on direct oral anticoagulants had medications withheld more stringently than guidelines suggest. Based on a survey of SBI members, breast imaging practices vary widely in antithrombotic management for image-guided breast and axillary procedures. Of the 60% who withhold antithrombotic medications, a minority comply with recommended withhold guidelines, placing at least some patients at potential risk for thrombotic events. Breast imaging radiologists should weigh the risks and benefits of withholding these medications, and if they elect to withhold should closely follow evidence-based guidelines to minimize the risks of this practice.

Phylogenetic position of the South American freshwater Rhipidocotyle santaensis (Digenea:Bucephalidae) based on partial 28S rDNA.

The family Bucephalidae is comprised of nine subfamilies, the most important being Bucephalinae with eight genera. Among these, the genus Rhipidocotyle has been found in marine and freshwater environments all over the world. Previous studies of Rhipidocotyle santanaensis have dealt with its morphology or host's ecology. Here, we provide a phylogenetic analysis based on two 28S rDNA sequences from R. santanaensis parasitizing the freshwater fish Acestrorhynchus pantaneiro from the Ibera Lagoon (Corrientes Province, Argentina). The 28S rDNA tree showed that it clustered together with Rhipidocotyle species from Middle and North America, suggesting a common history. Bucephalinae appears to have undergone four evolutionary processes: first, the diversification within the same host family; second, more than one successful infection of the same host family in different geographic regions; third, "jumping" between host families; and, finally, successful invasion of the freshwater environment (occurring in at least four different events in the subfamily). We hypothesize that R. santanaensis entered the freshwater environment by a "jumping" event from some unknown marine host family when a seawater ingression took place in South America during the Late Quaternary. This is the first sequenced Bucephalinae species from South America. Further sequencing will help shed light on the evolutionary relationships between South American members of this group from marine and, especially, freshwater environments.

Revision of the South American stiletto fly genera Entesia Oldroyd and Melanothereva Malloch, with the description of a new genus (Therevidae: Agapophytinae)

The South American members of the stiletto fly subfamily Agapophytinae (Diptera: Therevidae) occur in the South American Transition Zone, predominantly in Chile and southwestern Argentina. The four agapophytine genera described from this region are Entesia Oldroyd, 1968; Melanothereva Malloch 1932; Pachyrrhiza Philippi, 1865; and more recently, Sigalopella Irwin &amp; Winterton, 2020. Here we revise Melanothereva and Entesia and describe the new monotypic genus Pachylopella. Keys to South American Agapophytinae genera and species of Melanothereva and Entesia are provided. &#x0D;

Do the Palaearctic subgenera of Podistra Motschulsky, 1839 really occur in North America: description of P. ( Pidostria ), subgen. nov. (Coleoptera: Cantharidae)

A new subgenus, Pidostria subgen. nov., is described in Podistra Motschulsky, 1839 for a North American member of the genus, all the remaining subgenera thus become confined to the Palaearctic region. The new taxon is retained in Podistra due to the structure of its aedeagus, despite the differences in such morphological characters, as elytral vestiture, shape of ultimate palpomeres and protarsal claw dent. Pseudoabsidia Wittmer, 1969, syn. nov. is proposed as a new synonym of Podistra. Podistra (Absidia) pentheri Ganglbauer, 1922 is transferred to Pakabsidia Wittmer, 1972 as Pakabsidia pentheri (Ganglbauer, 1922), comb. nov. Podistra longicornis Wittmer, 1978 is transferred to Cantharis Linnaeus, 1758 as Cantharis longicornis (Wittmer, 1978), comb. nov. Podistra (Pseudoabsidia) sanbernardensis (Fender, 1972) and Cantharis (Cyrtomoptila) sierrae (McKey-Fender, 1950) are transferred to Podistra incertae sedis. Provided are a key to the subgenera, a list of species of Podistra and a map of their distribution worldwide.