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Walk This Way: Effects Of Eyewitness Identification Factors And The Featural Justification Effect On Mock-Juror Decision-Making
Get PDFSurveillance cameras serve many purposes, including security, monitoring, and investigating crimes. The presence of surveillance cameras allows for a new form of witness: a non-eyewitness, where crimes are captured by surveillance cameras without a physical witness present (Pezdek & Lerer, 2023a). As such, police officers are acting as eyewitnesses by identifying the perpetrator from the surveillance evidence and testifying about their identification at trial (Rumschik et al., 2020). Previous studies have examined participants’ ability to accurately match previously viewed faces with faces on surveillance evidence, with results suggesting accuracy rates around chance (e.g., Bruce et al., 2001; White et al., 2016). Facial features and body type are common identification factors, but with the presence of video footage, new identification factors, such as gait, aid the identification process (Birch et al., 2013). When referencing these features in an identification, it can lead to the featural justification effect, which occurs when the witness provides a justification in their identification of the suspect. However, the featural justification effect has primarily been studied using static features. The current study investigated types of evidence (surveillance photo still vs. surveillance video), the featural justification effect (observable: nose, gait vs. unobservable), and type of non-eyewitness (police officer vs. layperson). Participants were exposed to one of ten conditions where they listened to an audio recording of a trial and responded to case outcome measures and questions assessing their perceptions of the identification both pre- and post-deliberation. It was predicted that jurors will perceive an identification from a surveillance video as more credible compared to a surveillance photo still. In contrast, photo stills were perceived as more credible compared to video evidence. Results revealed that deliberation led to a significant reduction in guilty verdicts. Additionally, jurors were less likely to find someone guilty if the identification was based on an unobservable justification, where no juries indicated a guilty verdict when provided with an unobservable justification. Implications highlight jurors’ perceptions of identifications from surveillance evidence and the impact of jury deliberation on individual-level decision-making
Methane Infusion Improved Oil Recovery In The Bakken Formation
No full textThis research establishes methane infusion improved oil recovery (MI IOR) as a technically viable and economically attractive early-stage intervention for unconventional reservoirs. Integrated multi-scale investigations included quantum molecular theory, nanoscale characterization, NMR experimentation, and field scale reservoir simulation. FEG-SEM analysis of core samples enabled development of a peer-reviewed pore size classification system informing MI operational design parameters. Integrated well logging quantified petrophysical properties across the Bakken stratigraphy. NMR relaxometry identified the lab-scale pore-level sweep efficiency of MI at 3,750 psi in Bakken core samples. Mobilization of hydrocarbons from Np1, Np2, and Np3 pores yielded recovery factors of 45-60%. Field-scale reservoir simulation of MI 1-Cycle and 4-Cycle revealed that volatile alkanes (C1-C4) and medium-to-heavy liquid fractions (C8-C36) achieved well lifetime production increases of 13.5-14.8%. Intermediate hydrocarbon fractions (C5-C7) showed dual-phase partitioning, with vapor-phase recovery increasing 16.4-20.5% and liquid-phase production rising 3.8-11.7%. These findings validate multi-contact miscibility and molecular diffusion as primary displacement drivers. Well lifetime gas utilization factors of 0.543 Mscf/STB (1-Cycle) and 1.337 Mscf/STB (4-Cycle) outperform industry metrics. The commercial economics of MI 1-Cycle is demonstrated by 4.64 in CAPEX per new barrel. MI IOR represents a capital-efficient pathway and a de-risked entry point for advancement to field pilot testing
Optimizing Virtual Reality User Experience With Balanced Integration Of Quality Attributes
No full textThis dissertation presents a real-time adaptive framework for mitigating cybersickness and enhancing user experience in virtual reality (VR) environments by dynamically adjusting key visual rendering parameters in response to users’ head movements. Conventional VR systems typically rely on fixed or manually configured settings that do not account for individual motion patterns or varying susceptibility to discomfort, leading to suboptimal usability and degraded immersion. In response, this work integrates software architecture tactics with data-driven machine learning models to proactively manage cybersickness while preserving rendering performance.
The proposed system employs a client–server architecture based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern. We conducted a within-subjects experiment using two conditions: a baseline VR application and an adaptive version with a dynamic module. Each experimental session used an Oculus Quest 2 headset. During these sessions, we recorded six-degree-of-freedom head-tracking data and processed it into kinematic features, including linear and angular velocity, acceleration, and jerk. We measured cybersickness with the Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire (VRSQ) and assessed cognitive workload with the SIM-TLX. We trained multiple regression models to predict VRSQ scores based on kinematic features and selected a Gradient Boosting Regressor for its strong predictive performance. This model, deployed on the server, generated cybersickness predictions every ten seconds. On the client, a rule-based adaptation module utilized these predictions to adjust the field of view (FoV) and the strength of fixed foveated rendering (FFR), aiming to reduce discomfort and manage GPU load.
The experimental results reinforce the system\u27s effectiveness. The adaptive framework resulted in lower cybersickness scores and a reduced subjective workload compared to the baseline condition. It incurs only a moderate decrease in average frame rate. Together, these findings empirically validate that real-time, prediction-driven FoV and FFR adjustments can balance usability and performance as first-class quality attributes in VR system design. The dissertation thus contributes: (i) a validated methodology for predicting cybersickness from consumer-grade head-tracking data; (ii) an interpretable, architecture-aligned adaptive module for real-time mitigation; and (iii) an evidence-based assessment of the trade-offs between usability and performance in immersive VR experiences
Evaluating Hail Spectrometer Data Quality And Uncertainty For Calculating Radar Reflectivity Factor
No full textReliable in situ measurements are essential for accurately forecasting and nowcasting hailstorms, as they provide insight into storm processes, improve predictions that protect public safety, and help assess potential damage to agriculture and infrastructure. This study evaluates the reliability of in situ hail measurements from the T-28 aircraft’s Hail Spectrometer and assesses their feasibility for radar reflectivity validation and parameterization. Data from 14 flights across five field campaigns were analyzed, focusing on comparisons between one-dimensional (1D) 1-Hz accumulated particle counts and two-dimensional (2D) particle images produced by the Hail Spectrometer. The 2D data were processed using the System for Optical Array Probe Data Analysis Version 2 (SODA2) to enable dataset-wide comparison with the 1D measurements. Consistent discrepancies were found between the 1D and 2D particle size distributions, with the 1D data showing larger maximum particle sizes and lower concentrations of small particles. Manual inspection indicated that the 1D sizing method overestimates particle sizes, potentially due to noise and coincidence effects. Reflectivity estimates derived from both datasets also showed substantial differences, with the 1D data producing significantly higher reflectivity values than both the 2D data and observed reflectivity. The findings highlight the importance of data quality assessment in historical hail measurements and offer new guidance for using this legacy dataset in radar validation and hail modeling efforts
Resistance Through Policy: Documenting LGBTQ+ Advocacy In Public Education
No full textThis research examines how educational policies related to LGBTQ+ students are constructed, interpreted, and implemented across federal, state, and district-levels. It asks whether institutional intent reflects authentic commitment to equity or functions as symbolic compliance in politically contested environments. Using Portland Public Schools (PPS) as a case study, the analysis situates the district within Oregon’s affirming policy landscape and the Trump administration’s restrictive federal mandates. PPS has adopted policies, such as Administrative Directive 4.30.061 AD (2023b) and the Gender Identity Support Guide (2023a), to support queer and gender-expansive students; however, it faces a federal investigation (U.S. Department of Education, 2025b, 2025c) for actions taken in compliance with state law. This tension highlights the contradictions districts must navigate when equity policies are simultaneously affirmed locally and attacked nationally. The study uses realist evaluation to analyze how policy functions across governance systems and identifies the conditions under which inclusion is supported or constrained. A conceptual framework informed by conscientization and multicultural curriculum reform shaped the analytic approach, and these foundations guided the development of the Qualifying Understanding, Equity, and Educational Resistance (QUEER) Framework, which serves as the study’s applied evaluative tool. Findings reveal that while equity frameworks exist within Portland Public Schools and the Oregon Department of Education, gaps remain in implementation, accountability, and structural consistency. Competing federal pressures further complicate district-level commitments, creating conditions where institutional intent is often expressed in policy language but not fully realized in practice. This research contributes to broader scholarship by distinguishing performative from substantive advocacy and by introducing the QUEER Framework as a method for assessing whether policies move beyond symbolic affirmation into measurable structures of protection and support
Culture-Dependent Characterization Of Microbial Succession And Persistence In The Integrated Lunar/Martian Analog Habitat (ILMAH)
No full textThis study examines culture-dependent microbial monitoring in a closed lunar/Martian analog habitat, focusing on viable community dynamics relevant to long-duration missions. A standardized sampling and cultivation pipeline was implemented in ILMAH to track microbial succession and persistence under realistic operational conditions. Surface samples were collected across eight habitat zones at five mission timepoints (Days 0, 5, 10, 15, 20) during a 21-day crewed mission. Samples were concentrated post-collection and plated on chromogenic film media to quantify total aerobic bacteria (AC-R), fungi (YM-R), E. coli (EC), and S. aureus (SA). Plates were imaged and enumerated digitally; representative colonies were isolated and identified via PacBio long-read sequencing to resolve strain-level diversity and spatial-temporal patterns of viable taxa within the habitat. This research addresses significant gaps in confined-habitat biosurveillance by pairing serial, site-resolved sampling with reproducible, viability-focused workflows. The approach evaluates how material type, moisture, and human activity shape viable loads and persistence, establishing a comparable baseline for culture-based monitoring in analogs. Findings from this study aim to contribute to unified, resource-efficient microbial surveillance strategies that support contamination control and risk assessment for future exploration missions to the moon and Mars, as well as here on Earth in low-biomass settings such as cleanrooms and clinical facilities
False Memory Susceptibility In Association With Attachment Theory: Effects On Memory Conformity
No full textFalse memory research has been an evident topic in various fields of psychological study. Research in this area has important implications in forensic contexts and clinical settings as false memories can result in an array of harmful consequences. To explain individual differences in susceptibility to endorsing false memories of the rare medical procedure known as the voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), the current study extended the findings of Herndon and colleagues (2014). It also examined predictor variables from attachment theory (such as attachment anxiety and avoidance), depressive symptomatology, compliance levels (e.g., use of confederates), and the impact of guided imagery (i.e., a false memory technique). Primarily analyses revealed that when participants were placed with confederates, 80% of participants endorsed unique details related to the suggested memory event. In the control condition, 71% of participants also endorsed details related to the suggested memory event. A binary logistic regression was conducted and found to be statistically significant, X2 (9, N=109) = 18.37, p= .003. Main effects of depressive symptomology (p = .022), group assignment (p\u3c .001), and interactions effects of attachment avoidance (p= .007) and group (p= .022) on our dependent variable (i.e., memory endorsement) were also found to be statistically significant. Predictor variables of level of compliance and attachment anxiety produced no statistically significant differences in our sample. Conclusions of this study suggest that individuals are highly susceptible to endorsing details about false memories. Therefore, preventing false memory endorsement must be of critical importance in various contexts of psychological research and treatment
Examining The Utility Of Haptic Feedback To Improve Pilot Situational Awareness & Performance: A Psychophysiological Approach
No full textPilot situational awareness (SA) has been deemed to be a critical component of flight efficacy, efficiency, and overall mission success. Studies have shown that several incidents and accidents have been the result of level-one SA errors, meaning that members of the flight crew have failed to accurately perceive the elements in their environments. As such, several strategies have been investigated to improve pilot SA. One potential avenue of research is the addition of haptics in to the flight deck. In some studies, the implementation of haptics have shown to improve piloting tasks, pilot safety, and aircraft control. The current study employed haptic cueing to improve pilot situational awareness in flight, indexed by several process and performance measures. The objectives were to specifically observe the effects of haptics on flight pattern adherence, instrument scanning behaviors, and pilot cognitive state. Data was collected from 43 participants completing six instrument flight patterns of varying complexity. The results of this study indicate that the use of targeted haptic feedback can aid pilot perception, performance, and thus situational awareness during simulated flight. Most importantly, however, was that the use of haptics did not negatively impact the visual-attentional allocation or cognitive load of the pilots
Beyond Artemis: A Framework For Strategic International Cooperation In Space Exploration And Security
No full textThe need for a more robust and formalized international cooperation framework has grown from the technological and political developments of both State and commercial actors in the space domain. Existing treaties, such as the Outer Space Treaty, have established norms for space activities, and recent agreements, like the Artemis Accords, have advanced additional innovative principles. Despite this progress, these agreements fall short of offering organizational structures for cooperation and methods for legal enforcement. Growing geopolitical competition has led to the formation of new models for China’s and Russia’s cooperation with other States in space, which include the International Lunar Research Station Collaboration Organization (ILRSCO) and Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO). Such developments have contributed to this study focusing on a similar system for more democratic and free States. This dissertation proposes the establishment of a Space Treaty Organization (STO), modeled on existing treaty-based intergovernmental organizations, to institutionalize and operationalize cooperation among like-minded spacefaring States.
This study evaluates existing treaty-based organizational and legal structures, such as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), European Space Agency (ESA), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the International Space Station Intergovernmental Agreement (ISS IGA), using classical liberal international relations theory, organizational theory, and the International Legal Process as theoretical foundations. Modern multilateral regime frameworks, such as the Artemis Accords and ILRSCO, are also analyzed using these concepts. Taking a qualitative methods approach, the research design includes coding and audit trails of legal and policy documents and interviews with a range of space policy experts, and analysis of treaty documents using the International Legal Process, which together identifies key legal and organizational characteristics for the creation of a STO.
The study found intriguing results from the analysis but was inconclusive in determining if a limited STO framework was the best model for a future multilateral treaty regime. Beyond these findings, the author recommends a STO framework that includes a binding legal structure and an organizational model that operationalizes cooperation in exploration and economic development, while allowing for security cooperation to be more informal, potentially derisking further militarization of the domain. The study suggests that future research be conducted to answer the original proposed hypothesis, and if the recommended framework would be effective or accepted among lawmakers and policymakers. The field of scholarship in space policy and international relations should continue to seek answers to determine how a well-designed STO could strengthen U.S. and allied interests, mitigate conflict, and provide a foundation for cooperative space development and security in a multipolar world
A Climatology Of Northern Plains Tornadoes With Regard To Radar Coverage
No full textTornadoes are among the costliest and deadliest severe weather events in the United States. Doppler weather radar is one of a meteorologist’s most useful tools for early detection of tornadoes. However, there are several notable areas across the Northern Plains (Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota) where the National Weather Service’s (NWS) radar coverage exceeds 10,000 feet above radar level, leaving an effective “radar gap” where tornado detection becomes increasingly challenging, if not impossible in some cases. Even within these radar gaps, the NWS is still responsible for issuing Tornado Warnings to fulfill their mission of protecting life and property. To better understand the scope of this problem, this M.S. Thesis examined the climatology of tornadoes across the Northern Plains. This project aimed to better understand the diurnal, monthly, seasonal, and yearly trends of tornadoes across the Northern Plains. Additionally, it examined the frequency of tornadoes occurring within radar gaps across the Northern Plains, in order to better identify where tornado warning decisions become more challenging. Finally, three hypothetical scenarios are considered, focusing on a combination of new radar sites and additional lower-level beam elevations which show some potential improvements to the existing NWS WSR-88D Doppler radar network across the Northern Plains and in surrounding states. Results indicate climatological trends of peak tornado reports across the Northern Plains in the late Spring to early Summer months, with the highest amounts of reports occurring during the mid-afternoon to late evening hours. Results also indicate that since the implementation of the NWS WSR-88D Doppler radar network, roughly 16% of reported tornadoes across the Northern Plains occurred within one of these “radar gap,” with results varying by state. Probability of Detection (POD) and False Alarm Rates (FAR) were also examined for NWS Tornado Warnings across the Northern Plains. While the regional POD has decreased since the radar network’s upgrade to dual-polarization in 2012/13, individual NWS offices show varying results. Finally, the three hypothetical scenarios indicate that the addition of a lower radar beam elevation scan and/or additional radar sites in critical areas would decrease the amount of tornado reports occurring within these “radar gaps.