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Benchmarking Computer Learning Characterization of NOvA Test Beam Particle Detections
No full textIn previous work, the NOvA collaboration has developed a Convolutional Visual Network (CVN) for the purpose of identifying the species of particles found by NOvA detectors; however, the network’s accuracy has yet to be tested on real detector data. Analysis of the CVN’s performance uses mass calculations and data cuts on other detector-measured variables to determine the species of particles found by the Test Beam detector and compares them to the predictions made by the CVN. Results suggest that the neural network is identifies particles more accurately than the data cuts. Using the output of the CVN to determine further cuts to the data led to an approximately 5-fold increase in agreement between the CVN and data cut methods. Future work should extend methods for finding CVN-determined data cuts for other particle types and investigate if this similarly improves the data cuts’ ability to identify those particles. Improved agreement would provide further evidence for the effectiveness of the CVN model for identifying particles and prove the effectiveness of machine learning in particle physics analysis.PhysicsBachelors of Science (BS
Archive of moored and shipboard observations of the San Francisco Bay Plume interaction with Point Reyes
No full textThese files contain information from moored and shipboard observations of the San Francisco Bay Plume interacting with Point Reyes, obtained in 2022 during the National Science Foundation project “River plume-cape interaction: Plume separation from the coastal wall, vorticity generation and freshwater retention”
Formats of files are NetCDF (Network Common Data Form). These have "nc" as a file extension and can be read using a variety of open source tools: see www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/docs/Shipboard and moored observations were conducted during Spring (Mar-Apr) 2022 in the Gulf of the Farallones, California, to study the interaction of the San Francisco Bay Plume with Pt. Reyes, a prominent cape. Two moorings were deployed, a “south mooring” and a “north mooring”, in the vicinity of Pt. Reyes, along the ~18m isobath. Both mooring contained a bottom mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, and conductivity-temperature probes (CTs) at 1 and 5 meters, and an additional CT at the south moooring at ~1 meter above the bottom. Shipboard transects using a Sea Science Acrobat, a towed platform equipped with a CTD, were conducted during the 13, 14 and 25 of March. All the metadata information necessary for the interpretation of the model outputs (dimensions, units, etc) is included inside the NetCDF files. The NetCDF files follow the CF conventions and can be opened with various software that are open source and freely available over the Internet.This work was sponsored by the National Science Foundation project “River plume-cape interaction: Plume separation from the coastal wall, vorticity generation and freshwater retention” (OCE award numbers 1948921, 1948675, 1948777)
Greening WTO: A Lost Cause or Potential Solution?
No full textTrade-related environmental measures are on the rise, leading to an increase in trade disputes concerning environmental issues. Yet, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has not been successful in providing a comprehensive trade agreement on environmental goods and services. Moreover, its once-praised dispute settlement system is in crisis. To remain a salient and relevant international trade regime, the WTO needs to redefine its role and adjust its tools to address the new challenges arising from climate change. In this paper, we examine the strengths and limitations of the WTO in addressing trade-related environmental measures. In particular, we analyse discussions at the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), negotiations involving the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) and Fisheries Subsidy Agreement (FSA), and previous trade disputes concerning environmental measures. We also assess the WTO’s cooperation with other international organizations. Based on our findings, we offer suggestions on how to reform the WTO to meet the needs of the climate change era
Joint Base Langley-Eustis Fort Eustis Shoreline Management Update and Coastal Resiliency Plan
No full textFort Eustis is an Army installation in Eastern Virginia on the James River. It is part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis and was established in 1918. Prior to the establishment of the installation, the area was an important site for Indigenous Tribes and early Colonists, and, as such, contains over 200 known archaeological sites. The installation covers approximately 8,000 acres on Mulberry Island and the adjacent uplands and includes 22 miles of tidal shoreline along the James River and several smaller tidal creeks. The shoreline is experiencing and is continuing to experience significant erosion that threatens vital installation infrastructure and archaeological sites. A shoreline management plan was developed for the installation by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s Shoreline Studies Program in 1997 to address the eroding shorelines using nature-based living shoreline systems to mitigate erosion and protect both infrastructure and archaeology. Since that time, some of the recommended protective structures have been implemented around the installation’s shoreline, but many areas remain unprotected, especially those areas exposed to the highest energy environments on the open James River, which contain a significant number of the area’s archaeological sites.
This project is supported by the Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program to update the original shoreline management plan to enhance existing protective structures and develop additional ones to create coastal habitat, protect vital infrastructure and archaeology, and enhance the overall coastal resiliency of Fort Eustis. Incorporating coastal threats like storm surge, flooding, and sea-level rise into their design, a total of 116 new protective structures are proposed for construction around the installation, as well as the enhancement and modification of many of the existing structures, resulting in an additional 57 structural recommendations at Harrison Road. With the implementation of this updated shoreline management plan, Fort Eustis and its infrastructure and archaeology will be better suited to withstand erosion and other coastal hazards for decades to come.Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Progra
Things Fall Apart: Understanding the Role of Ethnicity in State-Violent Non-State Actor Relations
No full textThis thesis examines why state-violent non-state actor (VNSA) relationships collapse, focusing on ethnic identity. Through case studies in Pakistan, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, it argues that ethnic dynamics are a key factor in the outcome of these relationships. Shared ethnicity, as with Pakistan’s Punjabi state and Lashkar-e-Taiba, sustains limited cooperation despite mistrust. Differing ethnicities—Pakistan’s Punjabis versus Pashtun Taliban, Sudan’s Shaygiyya, Ja’aliyyin, and Dangala versus Darfurian Arabs, or Kabila’s Katangans versus Rwanda’s Tutsis—fuel hostility when goals diverge. This thesis offers a new perspective on state-VNSA relations by aiming to understand the role of ethnicity. It urges policymakers to address ethnic divides as a means of preventing conflict.International RelationsBachelors of Arts (BA
Elliot Wolfson. Nocturnal Seeing: Hopelessness of Hope and Philosophical Gnosis in Susan Taubes, Gillian Rose, and Edith Wyschogrod. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2024. 392 pp.
Full text linkRED WINE, WHITE SOCIETY: How Viticulture and Modernity Shaped Argentina’s National Identity
No full textWine is frequently mentioned in the same breath as Argentina—this thesis explores why this is despite the relatively small economic influence of wine in Argentina. Much of the current understanding of viticulture’s role in development is focused on economic and environmental impact. In a resource-rich postcolonial sate, like Argentina, there is less economic reliance on wine; instead, wine takes on the role of signifier, supporting the construction of a white national identity. Essentially, this thesis looks at the terroir of Argentine national identity. Using the process tracing method to synthesize interviews with winemakers, fieldwork in Mendoza, and Argentine history, this thesis applies theories of consumption as identity, luxury goods, and development to understand the significance of wine in Argentina. The three central claims of this theory are: Modernization Theory is accepted domestically in Argentina, whiteness is equated to modernity, and that wine production and consumption can increase proximity to whiteness. Ultimately, this study finds that Argentine viticulture has two products: wine and proximity to whiteness.International RelationsBachelors of Arts (BA
Les Réalités Multiculturelles: A Comparison of Anti-Racism in Béziers & Montpellier, France
No full textThis thesis investigates how anti-racist activism operates within the contrasting local contexts of Béziers and Montpellier, two neighboring cities in southern France with opposite political and sociocultural climates. While Béziers is governed by a far-right mayor who espouses exclusionary and Islamophobic policies, Montpellier projects a progressive identity rooted in multiculturalism and institutional support for anti-racism. Through archival research, interviews, and analysis of public discourse and municipal policy, this study reveals that despite superficial assumptions about the presence of activism, anti-racist mobilization is strong in both cities. However, the visibility, tactics, and governmental collaboration of activist groups are shaped by local political ideologies and sociological conditions. By tracing the evolution of anti-racist discourse nationally and situating local movements within broader postcolonial and neoliberal phenomena, this thesis highlights how institutional frameworks either enable or constrain grassroots resistance. Ultimately, this comparative case study highlights the key role of local governance in shaping the efficacy and direction of anti-racist efforts in contemporary France.Modern Languages and LiteraturesBachelors of Arts (BA
A Hybrid Root-kit for Linux Operating System
No full textHacking has been around almost since the first computers were connected together. Every day many new vulnerabilities/exploits are released and many computers become compromised. This is good for an attacker because there is a constant stream of new vulnerabilities/exploits that can be leveraged to break into computers. However, with newly published exploits comes a newly released patch for those exploits (usually). This is the reason that attackers have developed „back-doors‟ commonly referred to as root-kits. A root-kit is a post-compromise tool that an attacker uses to maintain access and often collects information from users such as passwords, credit card information, social security numbers, and other sensitive information. The importance of a root-kit is that once the vulnerability which was used to exploit the system is patched, the attacker can still get back in through a „backdoor‟. The purpose of this paper was to explore the area of root-kits by taking the role of an attacker and actually developing a root-kit that targets the Linux 2.6 kernel. By doing this we were are able to gain a great amount of insight into the internal workings of the kernel as well as its shortcomings with regards to security by developing a Linux Kernel Module (LKM) key-logger. We also look into some common techniques used by root-kits for providing a backdoor to the attacker. Then we investigate some come and simple techniques that root-kits utilize for stealth (it is imperative that the users/administrators do not know the system is compromised). Finally, we look at a simple and elegant solution for infecting a compromised computer with the root-kit we developed
Flexibility in English Adjective Order and the Connection to Perceived Changeability
No full textAdjective order is well-established as strict, while the motivation for it is still contested. We hypothesize that there is flexibility in adjective order and a more comprehensive approach to explaining it. Two studies examined the order of a set of semantic adjective categories and the judged changeability over time of those categories (Shape, Material, Pattern, Temporariness), respectively. The first study used a Likert scale of goodness (1-7) to get data on “goodness” judgments for different adjective-category orders. We find that the differences between judgments were significant between all adjective categories except Shape and Pattern. This indicates some constrained, category-specific flexibility in adjective order since there was no significantly preferred order between Shape and Pattern. The second study used a Likert scale of changeability over time (1-7) to get judgments about how likely a trait is to change over time. We find that the Temporariness category was judged most likely to change, the Material category least likely, and the Shape and Pattern categories in the middle, but not significantly different from each other. The findings reflect that there is some constrained variation in adjective order (Shape and Pattern do not have a preferred order) and that adjective order restrictions are related to perceived changeability over time. A new theory is proposed to encompass previous findings within the field in addition to the novel findings of the present studies: adjective categories are scaled on a continuum of “inherentness” that encompasses subjectivity and changeability over time, which is reflected in preferred adjective order.LinguisticsBachelors of Science (BS