Hollins University

Abstract Western perceptions of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran tend to be dominated by considerations of the many belligerent statements from Iranian leaders. Such a picture ignores Iran’s foreign policy toward the Islamic nations of Central Asia. Iran’s leaders, while basing some of their foreign policy on their self-identification as the vanguard of a global revolutionary movement, pursue a more pragmatic course with the nations of Central Asia. Issues of trade, finance, resources, and other non-ideological national interests have dominated the Islamic Republic of Iran’s relations with Central Asia.

ABSTRACT In this paper, I argue that Emmanuel Levinas’s Totality and Infinity gives us a picture of the construction of the ethical subject that requires the appropriation of a domicile so that certain conditions could be met that would allow openness to the advent of the ethical Other. The problem is that it simultaneously posits a realm of beings outside of ethics that are open to appropriation (things) without allowing for the possibility that these things that we would draw from the elemental to give to the Other might themselves also be ethical Others. To deal with this, I propose an alternative model for dwelling where its function occurs, not by means of an appropriation, but by a loss of the monolithic and dangerous character of the elemental through a familiarization with it where the site of dwelling would be moved from an appropriated space to embodiment.

The Science of Demons: Early Modern Authors Facing Witchcraft and the Devil. Jan Machielsen, ed. Routledge Studies in the History of Witchcraft, Demonology and Magic. Abingdon: Routledge, 2020. xx + 324 pp. $160. - Volume 78 Issue 2

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are transmembrane protein complexes that are vital to the generation and propagation of action potentials in nerve and muscle fibers. The canonical VGSC is generally conceived as a heterotrimeric complex formed by 2 classes of membrane-spanning subunit: an α-subunit (pore forming) and 2 β-subunits (non–pore forming). NaV1.5 is the main sodium channel α-subunit of mammalian ventricle, with lower amounts of other α-subunits, including NaV1.6, being present. There are 4 β-subunits (β1–β4) encoded by 4 genes (SCN1B–SCN4B), each of which is expressed in cardiac tissues. Recent studies suggest that in addition to assignments in channel gating and trafficking, products of Scn1b may have novel roles in conduction of action potential in the heart and intracellular signaling. This includes evidence that the β-subunit extracellular amino-terminal domain facilitates adhesive interactions in intercalated discs and that its carboxyl-terminal region is a substrate for a regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) signaling pathway, with a carboxyl-terminal peptide generated by β1 RIP trafficked to the nucleus and altering transcription of various genes, including NaV1.5. In addition to β1, the Scn1b gene encodes for an alternative splice variant, β1B, which contains an identical extracellular adhesion domain to β1 but has a unique carboxyl-terminus. Although β1B is generally understood to be a secreted variant, evidence indicates that when co-expressed with NaV1.5, it is maintained at the cell membrane, suggesting potential unique roles for this understudied protein. In this review, we focus on what is known of the 2 β-subunit variants encoded by Scn1b in heart, with particular focus on recent findings and the questions raised by this new information. We also explore data that indicate β1 and β1B may be attractive targets for novel antiarrhythmic therapeutics.

Standing dead trees (snags) are recognized for their influence on methane (CH4) cycling in coastal wetlands, yet the biogeochemical processes that control the magnitude and direction of fluxes across the snag-atmosphere interface are not fully elucidated. Herein, we analyzed microbial communities and fluxes at one height from ten snags in a ghost forest wetland. Snag-atmosphere CH4 fluxes were highly variable (− 0.11–0.51 mg CH4 m−2 h−1). CH4 production was measured in three out of ten snags; whereas, CH4 consumption was measured in two out of ten snags. Potential CH4 production and oxidation in one core from each snag was assayed in vitro. A single core produced CH4 under anoxic and oxic conditions, at measured rates of 0.7 and 0.6 ng CH4 g−1 h−1, respectively. Four cores oxidized CH4 under oxic conditions, with an average rate of − 1.13 ± 0.31 ng CH4 g−1 h−1. Illumina sequencing of the V3/V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed diverse microbial communities and indicated oxidative decomposition of deadwood. Methanogens were present in 20% of the snags, with a mean relative abundance of < 0.0001%. Methanotrophs were identified in all snags, with a mean relative abundance of 2% and represented the sole CH4-cycling communities in 80% of the snags. These data indicate potential for microbial attenuation of CH4 emissions across the snag-atmosphere interface in ghost forests. A better understanding of the environmental drivers of snag-associated microbial communities is necessary to forecast the response of CH4 cycling in coastal ghost forest wetlands to a shifting coastal landscape.

Antiracism in school counseling calls for an active stance in addressing racism in K–12 schools while building homeplace to affirm and protect students. As such, this qualitative study focuses on how Black school counselors understand and reclaim Black joy and resistance as a part of homeplace, a place where students’ humanity is affirmed and honored. This study revealed three themes: (a) We’ve Done Been Knowing, (b) It’s One and the Same, and (c) When Two or More Are Gathered. Findings are foundational toward building a firm understanding of Black joy and resistance while recognizing the educative power of Black school counselors.

In this study, we explore parent and teacher perceptions of school readiness (SR) among 4-year-olds learning English as a second language (ESL) and native English-speaking 4-year-olds and compare these perceptions to child scores. Child assessments focused on letter and numeral knowledge. These data were collected from 387 children (52% boys), including 28% ESL children. Adult perspectives were collected from 141 parents (who rated one child each) and from 30 teachers (who rated 380 children). Findings indicated (a) children’s letter and numeral knowledge did not significantly vary by ESL status; (b) teachers, but not parents, rated ESL children significantly lower on literacy knowledge compared to non-ESL children; (c) teacher and, to a lesser extent, parent perceptions of children’s literacy and numeracy knowledge were positively associated with children’s scores; and (d) teacher perception of numeracy was significantly more aligned with children’s numeral knowledge compared to parent perception. Discussion of these findings is included.