This Inglorious War: The Second Seminole War, the Ad Hoc Origins of American Imperialism, and the Silence of Slavery

Daniel Scallet, The Second Seminole War, the Ad Hoc Origins of American Imperialism, and the Silence of Slavery, Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis, December 2011 My dissertation examines the national context of the Second Seminole War and argues that it was begun at the behest of Deep South slaveholders and represented a vital national shift toward violent expansionism. However, due to tacit agreements among public officials to refrain from debating the influence of slavery on federal policy, the fundamental arguments of the war - why it was undertaken, how it was to be fought, why it had to be won - occurred wholly outside of public view, if they occurred at all. As a result, the nation abandoned older Jeffersonian ideals of national expansion predicated upon ideological conversion and instead embraced violent conquest, without a real debate, let alone a fight. This project has two main focuses. In the first, I examine how disparate people in Florida, including generals, volunteers, soldiers, Seminoles, and Black Seminoles, viewed the war and, through the use of diaries, letters, personal narratives, and professional reports, demonstrate the centrality of competing conceptions of slavery and race relations to the everyday struggles of the conflict. Several times, American generals proposed peace treaties that would allow the Seminoles to remain in southern Florida. In each case, vociferous opposition from both southern slaveholders determined to eradicate autonomous nonwhite enclaves on their frontiers and national politicians who characterized agreement with Indians on any grounds as inimical to national honor, left every treaty stillborn. This slaveholder influence on the war effort was largely invisible to the rest of the country. In this work\u27s second focus, I detail the war\u27s national context, utilizing newspaper accounts, Congressional debates, and published manuscripts, to examine how a refusal among politicians of both parties to question the place of slavery in national politics dramatically stunted the breadth of what is commonly called Jacksonian democracy. As Democrats increasingly articulated ambitions over the rest of the continent - John Quincy Adams disgustedly condemned their agenda as promulgating a culture of conquest - mainstream Whigs remained largely silent over this radical alteration of American foreign policy, though only a few years before, they had steadfastly opposed Andrew Jackson\u27s Indian Removal Act. Only isolated groups of antislavery activists led by Joshua Giddings, David Lee Child, and Harriet Martineau, themselves especially attuned to the rhythms of domination and subjugation, had the foresight to perceive the course of their nation: indeed the course of empire) and oppose the Second Seminole War for what it truly was. In 1835, in their failure to grapple with the war\u27s radical underpinnings, elite Americans from every region of the country freely adopted, without contestation, the priorities of the Slave Power: the colonization of native populations and the annihilation of their political forms. Their silence normalized violent expansionism in national culture and politics and laid the foundation for the future adoption of legal structures that typify imperial states. In ways contemporary Americans could not have known but might have prevented, the Second Seminole War made possible the United States global acquisition of colonies for over a century. This dissertation offers a new context for not only understanding the Jacksonian period, but also American imperialism, whose history can now be appreciated as fully intertwined with the political history of slavery, and largely unchallenged at its birth

The Regulation of Multiple Employer Trusts: Past, Present & Future

It can be persuasively argued that the recognized abuses in ERISA pension plans are no more severe than those appearing in welfare plans, and that welfare abuses have a significant adverse effect on millions of employees. Nevertheless, application of ERISA in this area has been hampered by several difficult issues, most of which are traceable to a lack of congressional precision in designing enforcement mechanisms specific to welfare plans, and more importantly, to inadequate coordination of state and federal responsibility in this area. This Article examines this problem by discussing the congressional, judicial and regulatory experience with one type of entity operating in the field of employee welfare benefit plans-the multiple employer trust (MET). Broadly defined, a MET is an arrangement through which groups of employers with small numbers of employees are brought together so that they may obtain medical coverage for the composite group as a whole at more favorable rates. This Article attempts to introduce a coherent, balanced, and, above all, comprehensive perspective on this issue. Part One examines both the economic importance of the MET as it relates to the private health care system in this country, and the general dimensions of the regulators\u27 enforcement difficulties. Part Two traces the legal enforcement controversy on both the state and federal levels. One issue which has received little or no notice by commentators and state regulators-the difficulties of the Department of Labor (DOL) in asserting jurisdiction in this area-is examined at length. Part Three speculates about the future roles of the DOL and state insurance regulators concerning the exercise of jurisdiction over METs. This includes a discussion of the fundamental differences in approach of state and federal law. It concludes with a theoretical framework for coordinating these two legal systems, and offers some practical suggestions for improving coordination between state and federal regulators

Behavior of bored piles of small diameter in collapsible and lateritic soil in the region of Campinas/SP

Orientador: Miriam Gonçalves MiguelDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e UrbanismoResumo: Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar o comportamento de estacas escavadas de pequeno diâmetro, submetidas a carregamentos axiais de compressão através de provas de carga estática realizadas no Campo Experimental de Mecânica dos Solos e Fundações 2 da Unicamp. O CEMSF2 apresenta um perfil geológico cuja primeira camada é constituída de argila siltosa, coluvionar, laterítica e colapsível. Pretendeu-se avaliar as capacidades de carga e os recalques dessas estacas nas condições: a) sem pré-inundação e sem melhoria de ponta; b) sem pré-inundação e com melhoria de 1 ponta, com o lançamento de um volume de 18 litros de brita 1 no fundo da estaca antes da concretagem; c) com pré-inundação e sem melhoria de ponta e d) com préinundação e com melhoria de ponta. Todas as estacas foram submetidas a dois carregamentos (ensaios e reensaios), sob uma mesma condição acima descrita. Foram instalados tensiômetros convencionais para a leitura das sucções matriciais do solo durante a realização das provas de carga. Através das curvas carga versus recalque foram definidas as capacidades de carga e as resistências ao atrito lateral e de ponta, por meio de métodos de interpretação dessas curvas com o solo sem inundação e préinundado por 48horas, considerando as reduções dos valores da sucção matricial do solo, devido às duas condições de umidade. A capacidade de carga das estacas nos ensaios foi menor do que nos reensaios, para as estacas sem pré-inundação, devido ao aumento da resistência de ponta nos reensaios. Nas provas de carga com préinundação, em geral, não houve aumento de resistência de ponta dos ensaios para os reensa ios. A resistência ao atrito lateral foi maior que a resistência de ponta em todas as provas de carga. O lançamento de brita 1 não trouxe melhorias na capacidade de carga. Reduções consideráveis na capacidade de carga foram observadas em função da pré-inundação do solo, sendo essas reduções mais expressivas para as estacas com melhoria de pontaAbstract: This paper aims to study the behavior of bored piles of small diameters, subjected to axial compression loads by static load tests carried out at the Field of Experimental Soil Mechanics and Foundation 2 at Unicamp. The CEMSF2 has a geological profile whose first layer is composed of silty clay, with coluvionar, lateritic, and collapsible features.This study intended to evaluate the load capacities and the settlements of these foundations in such conditions: a) without any pre- wetting nor improvement in the tip; b) without any pre-wetting but with a tip improvement, placing a volume of 18 liters of stones 1 in the base of the pile before concreting c) with pre- wetting but without tip improvement and d) with pre-wetting and tip improvement. All these piles were subjected to two loading (tests and retests), under the same test condition described above. Conventional tensiometers were installed to read the matric suctions of the soil during the performance of the load tests. Throughout the load versus settlement curves the load capacities and the strength to lateral friction and tip were defined using methods of interpretation of these curves with the soil without any pre-wetting and 48-hour-pre wetting, considering the reductions of the values of the soil matric suction due to two moisture conditions. The load capacity of piles in the tests was smaller than the one in the retests for the piles without any pre-flooding, due to the increase of the tip strength in the retests. In the load tests with pre-flooding, in general, there was not any increase of strength in the tip of the tests for the retests. The strength to the lateral friction was greater than the tip strength in all loading tests. The placing stones 1did not result any improvement to the bearing capacity. Considerable reductions in bearing capacity were observed because of the pre-wetting soil, such reductions are more significant for the piles with improved tipMestradoGeotecniaMestre em Engenharia Civi

THC alters alters morphology of neurons in medial prefrontal cortex, orbital prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens and alters the ability of later experience to promote structural plasticity

Psychoactive drugs have the ability to alter the morphology of neuronal dendrites and spines and to influence later experience‐dependent structural plasticity. If rats are given repeated injections of psychomotor stimulants (amphetamine, cocaine, nicotine) prior to being placed in complex environments, the drug experience interferes with the ability of the environment to increase dendritic arborization and spine density. Repeated exposure to Delta 9‐Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) changes the morphology of dendrites in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). To determine if drugs other than psychomotor stimulants will also interfere with later experience‐dependent structural plasticity we gave Long‐Evans rats THC (0.5 mg/kg) or saline for 11 days before placing them in complex environments or standard laboratory caging for 90 days. Brains were subsequently processed for Golgi‐Cox staining and analysis of dendritic morphology and spine density mPFC, orbital frontal cortex (OFC), and NAcc. THC altered both dendritic arborization and spine density in all three regions, and, like psychomotor stimulants, THC influenced the effect of later experience in complex environments to shape the structure of neurons in these three regions. We conclude that THC may therefore contribute to persistent behavioral and cognitive deficits associated with prolonged use of the drug.Both repeated exposure to Delta 9‐THC and housing in complex environments changes the morphology of dendrites in mPFC, OFC, and NAcc. Prior exposure to THC influenced the effect of later experience in complex environments to shape the structure of neurons in these three regions.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141383/1/syn22020.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141383/2/syn22020_am.pd

Defining and modeling known adverse outcome pathways: Domoic acid and neuronal signaling as a case study

An adverse outcome pathway (AOP) is a sequence of key events from a molecular-level initiating event and an ensuing cascade of steps to an adverse outcome with population-level significance. To implement a predictive strategy for ecotoxicology, the multiscale nature of an AOP requires computational models to link salient processes (e.g., in chemical uptake, toxicokinetics, toxicodynamics, and population dynamics). A case study with domoic acid was used to demonstrate strategies and enable generic recommendations for developing computational models in an effort to move toward a toxicity testing paradigm focused on toxicity pathway perturbations applicable to ecological risk assessment. Domoic acid, an algal toxin with adverse effects on both wildlife and humans, is a potent agonist for kainate receptors (ionotropic glutamate receptors whose activation leads to the influx of Na + and Ca 2+ ). Increased Ca 2+ concentrations result in neuronal excitotoxicity and cell death, primarily in the hippocampus, which produces seizures, impairs learning and memory, and alters behavior in some species. Altered neuronal Ca 2+ is a key process in domoic acid toxicity, which can be evaluated in vitro. Furthermore, results of these assays would be amenable to mechanistic modeling for identifying domoic acid concentrations and Ca 2+ perturbations that are normal, adaptive, or clearly toxic. In vitro assays with outputs amenable to measurement in exposed populations can link in vitro to in vivo conditions, and toxicokinetic information will aid in linking in vitro results to the individual organism. Development of an AOP required an iterative process with three important outcomes: a critically reviewed, stressor-specific AOP; identification of key processes suitable for evaluation with in vitro assays; and strategies for model development. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011;30:9–21. © 2010 SETACPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78481/1/373_ftp.pd

Novel variants in the SOX11 gene:clinical description of seven new patients

Pathogenic SOX11 variants have been associated with intellectual developmental disorder with microcephaly, and with or without ocular malformations or hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) (IDDMOH, OMIM # 615866). In this article, we report seven new patients with de novo SOX11 variants. Five of the variants are missense, one nonsense, and one whole-gene deletion, most of them are novel variants. The main clinical features included neurodevelopmental delay (7/7) and intellectual disability (5/7), autism/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (5/7), microcephaly (4/7), short stature (4/7), hypotonia (4/7), and clinodactyly of the 5th fingers (5/7). HH was confirmed in two female patients with primary amenorrhea, nonvisualized/prepubertal size of the uterus, and nonvisualized ovaries. Two of the male patients presented with micropenis, two had cryptorchidism, and one had decreased testicular size, which are suggestive findings of HH. This article contributes to the clinical characterization of patients with SOX11 variants and supports the role of this gene in HH.</p

Domoic Acid Toxicologic Pathology: A Review

Domoic acid was identified as the toxin responsible for an outbreak of human poisoning that occurred in Canada in 1987 following consumption of contaminated blue mussels [Mytilus edulis]. The poisoning was characterized by a constellation of clinical symptoms and signs. Among the most prominent features described was memory impairment which led to the name Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning [ASP]. Domoic acid is produced by certain marine organisms, such as the red alga Chondria armata and planktonic diatom of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia. Since 1987, monitoring programs have been successful in preventing other human incidents of ASP. However, there are documented cases of domoic acid intoxication in wild animals and outbreaks of coastal water contamination in many regions world-wide. Hence domoic acid continues to pose a global risk to the health and safety of humans and wildlife. Several mechanisms have been implicated as mediators for the effects of domoic acid. Of particular importance is the role played by glutamate receptors as mediators of excitatory neurotransmission and the demonstration of a wide distribution of these receptors outside the central nervous system, prompting the attention to other tissues as potential target sites. The aim of this document is to provide a comprehensive review of ASP, DOM induced pathology including ultrastructural changes associated to subchronic oral exposure, and discussion of key proposed mechanisms of cell/tissue injury involved in DOM induced brain pathology and considerations relevant to food safety and human health

From Toxins Targeting Ligand Gated Ion Channels to Therapeutic Molecules

Ligand-gated ion channels (LGIC) play a central role in inter-cellular communication. This key function has two consequences: (i) these receptor channels are major targets for drug discovery because of their potential involvement in numerous human brain diseases; (ii) they are often found to be the target of plant and animal toxins. Together this makes toxin/receptor interactions important to drug discovery projects. Therefore, toxins acting on LGIC are presented and their current/potential therapeutic uses highlighted