19468 research outputs found
Sort by
Shades of Green: Fragmentation in Contemporary Sustainable Design
No full textOriginating in the 1960’s and 1970’s and blossoming in the last two decades, the field of sustainable design grew out of a need to afford future generations ample social, environmental, and economic ability to shape their built environments in an increasingly developing and globalizing world. Sustainable design projects run a wide gamut, from creating energy efficient buildings, to configuring ecologically appropriate landscapes, and harnessing the geographical and social assets of a region. The field’s broad scope is further complicated by sociopolitical and cultural assumptions that design firms and clients make about the locality of projects, be it the so-called ‘Global North and South’ divide or idealized notions of urbanity and rurality. These assumptions—together with less subjective site characteristics such as climate and resource availability—play an important role in determining the management style (small local teams versus large multinational teams) and materials (locally versus globally sourced) of a given project. This study aims to assess four distinctive sub-practices of contemporary sustainable design practices that developed in response to growing professional fragmentation and deepening sociopolitical and cultural assumptions of a neoliberal market culture. Specifically, it explores sustainable design projects that respectively prioritize: (1) Quantitative Environmental Performance, (2) Qualitative Environmental Performance, (3) Cross-Cultural Adaptability of Design, and (4) Scalability of Design. Using select case studies, this study both contextualizes each practice and brings them into dialogue with one another. In doing so, it reveals how lessons learned in one context can be put to use in others and calls for better integration of disparate knowledge that has emerged within sustainable design in the past two decades.Art and Art HistoryBachelors of Arts (BA
Re-evaluating Egalitarian Design in Contemporary Danish Society
No full textThis study examines the discourses and practices of egalitarian architecture in contemporary Denmark. Denmark’s long standing comprehensive welfare system promotes, for all citizens, equal access to education, healthcare, and public services, and other opportunities. Similarly, its own brand of socially progressive, egalitarian architecture encourages spatial designs intended for use by all people regardless of social disparities. Drawing on a range of sources from government documents to architectural magazines to design projects themselves, this study defines the historical development of this discourse going back to Modernist and Functionalist movements in the 1930s. By revealing the cultural and demographic assumptions on which socially responsive design projects are based, it reevaluates egalitarian architectural discourse. The projects examined in this study suggest the design field is evolving to include growing groups like the aging generation more effectively than the immigrant population. Ultimately, the study argues that the challenges Danish design practitioners and policymakers face in addressing the needs of their increasingly multicultural population stem from a residual cultural inclination that favors sameness and equality over the recognition of differences.Art and Art HistoryBachelors of Arts (BA
GIS Data: 2024 City of Virginia Beach, Virginia - Shoreline Inventory, Coastal Natural Buffers, & Marsh Migration Corridors
No full textGeodatabase: Virginia Beach_ShlInventory_NatBuffers_MarshCorridors_2024
Feature classes.
VirginiaBeach_BankHeightSlope_2024 - a polyline feature class containing bank height category and slope for segments of the upland shoreline.
VirginiaBeach_RecreationalStructures_2024 - a polygon feature class with locations of docks, community docks, dilapidated docks, private and public boat ramps, jetties, marinas ( 50 slips), and wharves.
VirginiaBeach_ErosionControlStructures_2024_Line (Shoreline Protection Structures & Living Shoreline Treatments) - a line feature class delineating hardened shoreline structures that are used for erosion control (i.e., revetment, sill, bulkhead, breakwaters, groins, unconventional, oyster structures, and dilapidated bulkhead), as well as living shoreline treatments (breakwater with beach nourishment, marsh with sill, marsh with oyster structures [oyster bags, manufactured, natural materials), constructed oyster reef and coir logs).
VirginiaBeach_ErosionControlStructures_2024_Polygon (Shoreline Protection Structures & Living Shoreline Treatments) - a polygon feature class delineating hardened shoreline structures that are used for erosion control (i.e., revetment, sill, bulkhead, breakwaters, groins, unconventional, oyster structures, and dilapidated bulkhead), as well as living shoreline treatments (breakwater with beach nourishment, marsh with sill, marsh with oyster structures [oyster bags, manufactured, natural materials), constructed oyster reef and coir logs).
VirginiaBeach_BeachesAndDunes_2024 - a polygon feature class that delineates the location of beaches and dunes.
VirginiaBeach_TMI_2024 - a polygon feature class that shows the location, size, and community type of tidal marshes. In 2023, the tidal marsh inventory update began in conjunction with the shoreline inventory update. Marsh boundaries (updated marsh extent and distribution) were identified and mapped remotely using high-resolution color imagery from the Virginia Base Map Program (VBMP). Plant community types and other historical data from the previous inventory were maintained for marshes that intersected the same geographic location. New marshes were initially classified as having an "undetermined" plant community type. This classification was only updated if high-resolution aerial imagery or drone-based photography provided conclusive evidence of the specific plant communities present.
VirginiaBeach_MarshMigrationCorridors_2ft_2024 &
VirginiaBeach_MarshMigrationCorridors_4ft_2024- Polygons that show the potential area of the current upland expected to become marsh under 2ft and 4ft sea level rise scenario. This layer is the result of combining the outputs from four existing marsh migration models into marsh migration corridor envelopes.
The metadata file is embedded in the geodatabase and defines attribute accuracy, data development, and any use restrictions that pertain to data.
Disclaimer: The Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) provides these data with the understanding that they are not guaranteed to be correct or complete, and conclusions drawn from the data set are the sole responsibility of the user. Every attempt has been made to ensure that these data and the documentation are reliable and accurate. CCRM, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program assume no liability for any damages caused by inaccuracies in the data or documentation; and make no warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or utility of this information, nor does the fact of distribution constitute a warranty.The 2024 Shoreline Inventory, Coastal Natural Buffers, and Migration Corridors layers for the City of Virginia Beach were generated using on- screen, digitizing techniques in ArcGIS® Pro v. 3.x while viewing conditions observed in Bing high-resolution oblique imagery, Google Earth, and 2021 imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP). A geodatabase was developed named Virginia Beach_ShlInventory_NatBuffers_MarshCorridors_2024 containing the following eight features classes displaying bank conditions, shoreline features, natural buffers, and marsh migration corridors: VirginiaBeach_BankHeightSlope_2024, VirginiaBeach_RecreationalStructures_2024, VirginiaBeach_ErosionControlStructures_2024_Line, VirginiaBeach_ErosionControlStructures_2024_Polygon, VirginiaBeach_BeachesAndDunes_2024, VirginiaBeach_TMI_2024, VirginiaBeach_MarshMigrationCorridors_2ft_2024 and VirginiaBeach_MarshMigrationCorridors_4ft_2024.This project was funded in part by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management
Program at the Department of Environmental Quality through Grant #
NA23NOS4190255 of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic
and Atmospheric AdministrationVirginia Institute of Marine Scienc
“Where I Feel Most Accepted”: Creating Queer-Affirming Fraternity Environments and Experiences
No full textThis study focuses on what makes undergraduate fraternity chapters affirming for openly queer members. Although studies have been published on the demographics and experiences of non-heterosexual fraternity men, there needs to be more clarity regarding what makes chapter experiences welcoming and supportive for this population of members. Through qualitative grounded theory methodology with 10 study participants from Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) Fraternity, this research found that diverse membership, leadership, and supportive interpersonal relationships contribute to an affirming chapter environment. The findings and recommendations share what fraternity undergraduate chapters can do to create and foster a queer-affirming environment
Program Analysis For Software Engineers And Students
No full textSoftware inefficiencies are inevitable in computer systems. At the code level, software packages have become increasingly complex, they are comprised of a large amount of source code, sophisticated control and data flow, and growing levels of abstraction. This complexity often introduces inefficiencies across software stacks, leading to performance degradation. At the resource level, the evolution of hardware outpaces the performance optimization of software, leading to resource wastage and energy dissipation in emerging architecture. To better understand program behaviors, software developers take advantage of performance profiling tools. Existing profiling techniques, whether fine-grained profilers or coarse-grained profilers focus on identifying hotspots, which is the code region that consumes plenty of resources during program execution. Although hotspot analysis is effective, it hardly diagnoses whether a resource is being used in a productive manner of a program. Thus, developers need to make extra effort to decide if a hotspot needs to be optimized. For this reason, to better perform program optimizations, we need tools that investigate resource wastage rather than resource usage. In this dissertation, we perform program inefficiency detection from different perspectives. First, we study the inefficiency in compiler optimizations. We propose CIDetector, a fine-grained profiler, to detect compiler-introduced and compiler-missed inefficiencies. Through our analysis, we select 12 representative programs from different domains to form a dataset CIBench. We perform the first study on compiler-related inefficiencies in fully optimized binary codes, it offers valuable insights for scientific programmers, compiler writers, and tool developers. Moreover, we study the interaction (between Python code and native libraries) inefficiency for Python applications, and extract two inefficiency patterns that are common in interaction inefficiencies. Based on these patterns, we categorize the interaction inefficiencies by their root causes. We propose PieProf, a lightweight profiler, to pinpoint interaction inefficiencies in Python applications. The principle of PieProf is to measure the inefficiencies in the native execution and associate inefficiencies with high-level Python code to provide a holistic view. Guided by PieProf, we optimize 17 real-world applications, yielding speedups up to 6.3 times on application level. In the meantime, we notice the same program inefficiency patterns occur in students' codes. As instructors, we realized that the importance of code performance education to students can never be exaggerated. By exploring the pedagogical method and developing educational tools, we hope to understand and address the challenges that students have during programming. We report our experience of integrating VS Code into an introductory-level Python programming course, together with comprehensive guidance, it significantly balances the teaching resources and shortens the students' learning curves. Additionally, we propose ProTracker, an end-to-end solution to estimate the progress of programming assignments with machine learning techniques. ProTracker employs static analysis to extract features from assignment samples from previous semesters, and applied a two-level cross-validation method for tuning and selecting the proper machine-learning model. It runs as a VS Code extension and performs real-time programming progress estimation for students.Computer ScienceDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.
Vamona Navelcar and the Carnation Revolution: The blossoming of change betwixt continents
No full textExcerpt from publication: "This year marks the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution. It was on vinte e cinco de Abril, Portuguese for that fateful date of April 25, 1974, that the dictatorial Estado Novo or New State regime (1933-1974) came to an end in a largely peaceful overthrow led by members of the army..."Englis
Quando os lugares importam: provincializando o "global"
No full textNa primeira edição do livro “Rethinking dance history: a reader” (Repensando a história da dança: uma leitura), Alexandra Carter discutiu a necessidade de novas histórias na história da dança. Em particular, ela destacou a importância de ir além das narrativas lineares com pontos finais claros no tempo presente. “Nossas histórias podem acomodar atividades que não parecem contribuir de nenhuma maneira óbvia para o 'desenvolvimento' da forma de arte, mas, em seu tempo, foram uma parte vital dela”. (Carter, 2004, p. 13) Como historiadores da dança, a crítica de Carter nos ajuda a reconhecer que escrever sobre a história da dança é importante, mesmo quando não valida os gostos e ideias artísticas de hoje. Isso sugere que as investigações podem ser ainda mais urgentes, uma vez que pode nos ajudar a superar os preconceitos de nosso próprio tempo.Modern Languages & Literature
Causes of changing parallel plasma velocity in the Large Plasma Device
No full textChanges in the parallel velocity of plasma, or its flow speed parallel to a mag- netic field, can suppress drift-wave turbulence, a phenomenon that reduces the ef- ficiency of plasma fusion reactors and that may heat the sun’s corona. This thesis compares changes in parallel plasma velocity to the spatial gradient of plasma pres- sure along the magnetic field at the Large Plasma Device (LAPD). The force balance equation in the plasma-only magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model predicts that par- allel plasma acceleration is directly proportional to the parallel pressure gradient. Experiments were conducted to test the force balance equation in plasmas at LAPD. Langmuir and Mach probes were placed at various parallel locations in the plasma to measure changes in pressure and parallel velocity as the plasma flows. The par- allel plasma acceleration was consistently lower than predicted based on the parallel pressure gradient, with zero or negative acceleration despite steep parallel pressure gradients. The significantly lowered parallel acceleration indicated that non-plasma forces such as neutral gas drag or neutral pressure gradients may oppose parallel plasma motion. In addition, the plasma pressure and density decreased more steeply than expected along the magnetic field, which further implicates non-plasma forces, potentially suppresses drift-wave turbulence, and makes the technique of interferom- etry probe calibration inaccurate under certain conditions at LAPD.PhysicsBachelors of Science (BS
Modeling the Neutral Densities of SPARC Using a Python Version of KN1D
No full textCurrently, neutral recycling is a crucial contributor to fueling the plasma within tokamaks. However, Commonwealth Fusion System’s SPARC Tokamak is expected to be more opaque to neutrals. Thus, we anticipate that the role of neutral recycling in fueling will decrease. Since SPARC is predicted to have a groundbreaking fusion power gain ratio of Q ≈ 10, we must have a concrete understanding of the opacity and whether or not alternative fueling practices must be included. To develop said understanding, we produced neutral density profiles via KN1DPy, a 1D kinetic neutral transport code for atomic and molecular hydrogen in an ionizing plasma. KN1DPy is a one-to-one recode of the IDL program KN1D, originally developed in the early 2000s. We translated KN1D from IDL to Python to increase accessibility and allow for better coupling with other modern programs. We verified KN1DPy using Alcator C-Mod data and comparing the Python and the IDL outputs. Using simulated profiles for electron density (ne), ion temperature (Ti), and electron temperature (Te), we can run KN1DPy and produce simulated neutral density profiles for SPARC. These results can then be compared to the expectation from the empirical equation for opacity, which states that most neutrals will ionize before crossing the separatrix. Results consistent with these expectations will mean that neutral recycling plays a weaker role in fueling the plasma core.PhysicsBachelors of Science (BS
Validation of Kinetic Transport Code for Improved Modeling of Neutral Densities in Tokamaks
No full textNon-ionized neutral particles play a key role in the function of fusion reactors, in particular with regards to tokamak fueling and performance; however, in the future, higher plasma densities could potentially limit their ability to enter the system before ionizing, negatively impacting the reactors’ overall efficacy. For this reason, it is important to have reliable methods of predicting neutral behavior within tokamaks. This thesis has seen the translation of one such tool, KN1D, from its original programming language into Python. The newly-written code, KN1DPy, has been tested against outputs from the original to verify the accuracy of its models. The results from these trials have shown that, while KN1DPy is able capture some of the large-scale trends that are to be expected from neutral densities, specific predictions are not yet possible as further verification is necessary relating to ionization rates and boundary pressure conditions. An additional goal of this project has been updating the reaction rate coefficients used within KN1DPy to take advantage of the online ADAS database. Testing the code using these ADAS rates against the originals has shown good agreement between results, with less than 2.2% difference in output neutral densities. This successful integration indicates that the included ADAS rates are indeed a viable replacement for the old, hard-coded values used originally.PhysicsBachelors of Science (BS