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Discovery of New Inorganic Metal Halide Scintillators for Homeland Security Applications
No full textDiscovery of new scintillation materials supports a number of applications related to public health and safety, like medical imaging and homeland security. Among several complementary homeland security technologies for radiation detection, high energy (0.5-9 MeV) X-ray radiography enables the high throughput and non-invasive screening of cargo entering the United States. Current systems primarily use CdWO4 [cadmium tungstate] inorganic scintillation crystals, as well as CsI:Tl [cesium iodide doped with thallium]. These scintillators have performance and practical limitations that encourage research for alternative detector materials.
Due to interesting structure-property relationships and advancements in photoconversion efficiency, halide perovskite and related compositional families have recently garnered significant attention for photovoltaics as well as radiation detection. However, many of these compounds have only been synthesized as nanocrystals or thin films, and they suffer from chemical and functional stability. In radiation detection applications, several inorganic metal halide perovskite and perovskite-derivative scintillators containing cesium and potassium have shown excellent light yield, greater than 50,000 photons per MeV, and energy resolution, less than 4 percent at 662 keV, which makes them well-suited for gamma ray spectroscopy applications. However, there are few reports on rubidium-based halide perovskite compounds and scintillators, in addition to effects of radiation damage.
The goals of this work were to discover new inorganic metal halide perovskite and perovskite-like scintillators and investigate their suitability for homeland security applications. The compositional space focused on rubidium-based scintillators in RbBX3, RbB2X5 and Rb4BX6 compositional families, where B2+ = Sr, Ca, Ba, Eu, Yb and X- = Cl, Br, I, as well as the cubic perovskite CsCaCl3(Eu, Tl) [cesium calcium chloride]. These new scintillator compositions were grown from the melt via the Vertical Bridgman method, and their physical and scintillation properties were tested. For the most promising scintillators, scale up of crystal growth was pursued (22 mm diameter) and the X-ray afterglow using a pulsed X-ray source was measured, as was the temperature stability of the light yield. Finally, the effects of radiation damage (10 Mrad with Co-60 and 9 MV X-rays) were investigated
Enhancing the Sport Spectatorship Market for Hearing-Impaired Audiences: Accessibility and Engagement Strategies
No full textThis paper examines the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to the in-person sport spectatorship experience of hearing-impaired individuals. The delivery of the core sport product, especially at the stadium, is not equally accessible to individuals with disabilities, particularly for audience with hearing impairments. While the ADA mandates accessibility in public accommodations, its implementation for communication access within sport venues remains inconsistent. Through a focused review of legal frameworks, venue practices, and emerging technologies, the paper identifies gaps in current accessibility efforts and outlines practical recommendations to enhance inclusivity. Key strategies include the use of AI-powered real-time captioning, availability of sign language interpreters, and staff training. These measures not only fulfill ADA requirements but also represent an opportunity to engage a growing and underrepresented market of sport consumers
Redefining the Intent of St. John’s at the Lateran – a Study of Site Significance and Political Strategy
No full textThe Art of Teaching Tongues
Get PDFThe poem describes the multifaceted role and experience of a language teacher through metaphors and imagery. The poem presents language instruction as both an art and a sacred duty, employing metaphors of a keeper of keys, shepherd, and smith to illustrate the teacher\u27s diverse responsibilities. Through four-line stanzas with consistent rhyme schemes, the work progresses from describing the technical aspects of language instruction to revealing its deeper purpose of fostering cross-cultural understanding. An instructor\u27s personal investment in teaching is portrayed through intimate first-person narration, while imagery of growth, construction, and transformation underscores the developmental nature of language acquisition. The poem is written to be the anthem of the language teacher
Bleu Pour Toujours (Blue Forever)
Get PDFSince this short story is written in French, the abstract below is available in both English and French.
Bleu pour toujours (« Blue Forever ») is a short story blending poetry and science fiction. In the near future, war, pollution, and human activity have devastated our world. The blue sky exists only in history books or old photographs. Amid this gray, monotonous despair, an unnamed, ageless, and genderless character escapes one evening and makes unsettling discoveries. Something is stirring. Upon waking, they find everyone has vanished, and the laws of the universe have been upended. In place of the sky now lies an ocean teeming with whales, a species thought to be extinct. Seeking meaning and soothed by the whales\u27 songs, the character begins to search for what has replaced the ocean, only to find themselves confronted with the vastness of the celestial expanse.
Bleu pour toujours est une nouvelle entre la poésie et la science-fiction. Dans un futur proche, la guerre, la pollution et l’activité humaine ont ravagé notre monde. Le ciel bleu n’existe plus que dans les livres d’histoires ou sur les vieilles photos. Au milieu de ce désespoir gris et monotone, un personnage sans nom, sans âge ni genre, s’échappe un soir et fait des découvertes troublantes. Quelque chose se prépare. À son réveil, tout le monde a disparu, et les règles de l’univers ont été bouleversées. À la place du ciel se trouve désormais l’océan peuplé de baleines, espèce pourtant disparue. En quête de sens, bercé par le chant des géants flottant au-dessus de sa tête, le personnage se met alors à chercher ce qui se trouve désormais à la place de l’océan, avant de se retrouver face à l’immensité céleste
View from the Top: University Administrators\u27 Perceptions of Crisis Preparedness and Response
Get PDFOver the past three decades, universities have faced significant changes in the types of crises they encounter, requiring a shift in how these crises are addressed. As the nature of these challenges evolves, universities must adapt their responses accordingly. Research focusing on the crisis management strategies of university administrators contributes significantly to the field of higher education literature. Instead of analyzing crises solely from an organizational standpoint, this approach prioritizes the perspectives of those directly involved in decision-making. However, despite the frequency of crises in educational environments, there has been limited research on how universities define, prepare for, and respond to these crises.
Crises, by their nature, have the potential to severely disrupt an institution, making it essential to understand how university administrators perceive and address these events. The main objective of this qualitative study was to explore institutional crises in higher education, focusing on how university administrators define, prepare for, and respond to them. The study gathered data through in-depth semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using Mitroff and Pearson\u27s six-phase paradigm of crisis management (1993).
The analysis revealed several key findings, notably the importance of agency among university administrators in making decisions and the role of collaboration within the campus community to ensure safety and well-being. These findings were organized into four key themes, supported by the conceptual framework. Administrators emphasized the necessity of comprehensive emergency management plans (CEMP), including table exercises and after-action reviews, to prepare for future crises effectively.
Based on these findings, the researcher utilized Mitroff and Pearson’s 6-phase Crisis Management Model (1993) to develop the HOPE Model for Institutional Crisis Management. This new model takes into account the human factors involved in a crisis and its impact on the university. It provides valuable, value-driven guidance for administrators to align their crisis preparedness and response strategies with the institution\u27s mission and values, ensuring a more holistic approach to crisis management
Which Engagement Partner Pays the Price for Misstatements?
Get PDFIn this study, I examine the reputational consequences for U.S. audit partners based on their role in a misstatement. I construct a sample of audit partners that are associated with a restatement announced between 2017-2021 and deem an audit partner to be “culpable” (“non-culpable”) if they audit (do not audit) the financial statements in the misstatement period. At the client level, I find some evidence of reputational consequences for culpable audit partners in the form of non-mandatory rotation away from the restating client, but not other clients, and this effect is primarily among Big 6 audit clients and persists for at least two years. In contrast, non-culpable audit partners suffer this direct reputational cost, but it materializes two years after the restatement announcement and at their non-restating clients. At the partner level, both culpable and non-culpable partners suffer overall negative portfolio consequences following a restatement. This effect is concentrated among Big 6 audit partners. Taken together, the findings of this study show that restatements have real economic consequences for the careers of audit partners and that these consequences vary with their role in the misstatement, and Big 6 status
A Comparison of Machine Learning Based Arc Detection For a Custom Low-Cost Multispectral Camera for UAV Applications
Get PDFUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have seen increasingly widespread use in recent years with advancing technology in a variety of fields, and present an option to improve the capability and accessibility of remote data collection. One area that may benefit from this capacity is the maintenance of electrical equipment, particularly in circumstances in which the equipment owned by electrical utilities covers wide areas, and more conventional sensor options may be expensive to implement at scale. However, the cost and accessibility of UAVs and their sensor payloads can also limit the use of this technology, and options for specific sensor capabilities may be limited to certain UAV platforms by weight, power usage, and compatibility. This dissertation will investigate an approach to implementing a custom, relatively low-cost camera system with accessible components, and compare the performance of machine learning based image classification to integrate the separate components for the example application of the detection of electrical arcing. Specifically, this research will examine a low-cost camera system composed of three industrial cameras, which collect light in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum: visual, ultraviolet, and infrared. Each of these wavelength bands contains information that could assist in the detection of an electrical arc, with light emitted from the arc in the visual and ultraviolet spectra, and infrared radiation from the arc increasing the radiant heat of nearby metal components which in turn emit infrared radiation. This dissertation will use this prototype camera system to generate a custom dataset of electrical arcing examples in varying ambient outdoor conditions, including bright sunlight and low light, and use this data to train separate and ensemble machine learning based image classification models. A comparison of different model parameters and ensemble approaches will be used to address the strengths and limitations of the cameras and the approach to arc detection. The goal of this research is to provide insights into the use of machine learning for custom low-cost sensor systems, what strengths it can demonstrate, and what potential weaknesses a developer or user of such a system may benefit from addressing
Host Genetics, the Rumen Microbiome, and Holobiont Effects Jointly Contribute to Feed Efficiency in Beef Cattle
No full textImproving efficiency of feed utilization in beef cattle increases profitability and sustainability of beef cattle operations. Many production-relevant traits are governed by complex interactions between physiological mechanisms and biological processes. While some feed efficiency measurements are moderately heritable, little genetic progress has been made towards improving animal energy utilization due to available technology and costliness related to measuring feed efficiency traits. Primary fermentation of feedstuffs occurs in the rumen, which is first compartment of the four-chambered gastrointestinal stomach. The rumen contains a diverse composition of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, fungi, and viruses that constitute the rumen microbiome and serve multifaceted roles in nutrient breakdown and utilization. Ruminal microorganisms contribute approximately 70% of required energy to the ruminant host via metabolic byproducts and have now been well-accepted to be under low-to-moderate host genetic control. The rumen microbiome and metabolome has been associated with many production-relevant traits, such as average daily gain, dry matter intake, and residual feed intake. Therefore, there is a complex relationship among host genetics, the rumen microbiome, and metabolome that drives variation in complex, polygenic traits. Including the effects of the microbiome and metabolome should improve phenotypic predictions, particularly for complex traits. Improving accuracy of phenotypic predictions will aid current strategies for genomic selection. These findings aim to identify the underlying biological mechanisms driving phenotypic variation in complex traits to improve sustainability of beef cattle operations