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Uncovering the Social Reintegration of Former Child Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Get PDFThis dissertation explores reintegration programs for former child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), emphasizing the roles of social identity, social capital, and children's rights to participation and agency as useful components of successful social reintegration. Using a narrative approach, the research delves into the experiences of former child soldiers, insights from community leaders, and contributions from national and international NGOs to reveal the multifaceted challenges of reintegration. While existing Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs in the DRC have made strides in disarmament and economic support, they often neglect necessary social dimensions such as stigma reduction, communal acceptance, and relational healing. This study centers on integrating cultural practices, including traditional cleansing rituals and community reconciliation ceremonies, into reintegration strategies. It underscores the importance of addressing family dynamics and fostering gender-sensitive approaches to support female child soldiers who face compounded stigma and marginalization. The research further advocates for community-led reconciliation processes, systemic governance reforms, and economic empowerment initiatives to create sustainable pathways for reintegration. Building on existing scholarship, this work offers a multidimensional framework tailored to the DRC’s unique sociocultural and political context. It bridges the gap between theory and practice, presenting actionable recommendations for improving DDR programs. By advancing a comprehensive and culturally responsive approach, this dissertation contributes to post-conflict recovery efforts, ensuring that reintegration programs holistically address the economic, social, and emotional needs of former child soldiers. This research not only critiques existing models but provides a forward-looking vision for achieving sustainable reintegration and societal healing in conflict-affected regions
Helping Developer Work with Design Decisions
Get PDFWhen writing code, developers make design decisions by choosing between alternatives. Design decisions are the foundation of software, outlining the functional and non-functional attributes of the software. Developers constantly work with design decisions when they identify or choose alternatives, document or reason about design decisions, or hypothesize a design decision and test it against the code. Subsequent work with code requires reasoning about these design decisions, ensuring their code is consistent, and answering rationale questions about why they were made. To understand design decisions, developers traditionally use design documentation. Traditional approaches to documentation rely on developers to write down design decisions and update them as the code evolves. Unfortunately, documentation is often incomplete, outdated, and untrustworthy, pushing developers to learn design decisions directly from code. Moreover, learning decisions from code is challenging as developers may become disoriented and confused, and have difficulty understanding the design rationale. To address these problems, I introduced an innovative approach to documentation called `active documentation,' which makes design decisions explicit, making them checkable against the code and providing instant feedback on any divergences between the code and the documentation. This approach helps developers understand design decisions through detailed explanations and code examples that demonstrate how to follow a design decision. Based on this concept, I developed and evaluated a tool named ActiveDocumentation, which is shown to expedite and enhance the ability of developers to work with unfamiliar codebases. To simplify the creation and upkeep of active documentation, new methods are essential for generating and modifying checkable design decisions. Therefore, I proposed two new methods: snippet-based authoring and semi-natural language authoring, which allow the authoring of checkable decisions in simple and expressive formats. I incorporated these approaches into a new tool named RulePad, whose evaluation indicates it enables developers to author design rules more quickly and with greater precision. Additionally, to assist developers in finding undocumented design rules within a codebase, I developed and evaluated a tool called DesignRuleMiner. This tool leverages frequent itemset mining techniques to identify potential design rules. The evaluation of DesignRuleMiner shows its effectiveness in supporting developers to comprehend the design rules of an unfamiliar codebase more rapidly
CONSEQUENCES OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA USE ON INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS IN YOUTH WITH HIV
No full textIn 2022, nearly one-third of the approximately 32,000 newly diagnosed HIV infections in the United States occurred among youth aged 18 to 25 years. Despite effective viral suppression through combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), youth with HIV still face heightened risks of developing non-AIDS related comorbidities due to chronic inflammation stemming from persistent immune activation. Exploring the potential of marijuana (cannabis) as an immunomodulatory agent has gained attention as a strategy to alleviate chronic inflammation. However, despite a significant portion of youth with HIV using recreational marijuana, its effects on their overall health remain poorly understood.Our study aimed to investigate how recreational marijuana affects inflammatory pathways in youth with HIV. We conducted genome-wide peripheral blood cell transcriptome profiling to examine the effects of recreational marijuana, both alone and in combination with tobacco, in virally suppressed youth with HIV compared to youth without HIV, who used no substance. Additionally, we utilized in-silico cellular deconvolution with machine learning algorithm to analyze immune cell-specific genes and pathways. We found that youth with HIV displayed unique transcriptome bioprofile influenced by viral suppression and substance use. When compared to youth without HIV, marijuana use alone normalized the expression of inflammation-related genes and pathways, indicating an anti-inflammatory effect. However, when marijuana was used with tobacco, it resulted in a distinct pro-inflammatory profile. Our findings provide valuable insights into the practical use of recreational marijuana among youth with HIV. With the increasing legalization of both recreational and medical marijuana across multiple states, our study offers crucial evidence-based assessments of the effects of marijuana on people with HIV, particularly regarding its impact on inflammatory pathways
WHERE THE BLACK PEOPLE AT: AN EXAMINATION OF THE REPRESENTATION OF BLACK SCHOLARSHIP IN COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC
Get PDFThis study explores the relationship between academic journals, the researchers who submit to them, and what is published. My central question examines if the representation of Black research in the top composition journal is sufficiently published to effectively contribute to the epistemological processes of the field. This exploration includes a historical revisionist review of the professionalization of composition that attempts to include the influences of African American composition/rhetoric scholars, an article review of the top journal in writing studies, College Composition and Communication, and utilizes survey and interview methods, to reveal the intricacies in the relationship between scholars, editors, and academic journals. While conversations regarding race are not new to the field, it is evident, still, the impact that race has on its development. Specifically, how race impacts the voices of minoritized scholars in the field. I argue that scholarship on the experience of Black people is not adequately represented in the College Composition and Communication journal. Similarly, the contributions of Black scholars have not been sufficiently included or acknowledged in the historical context of the development of the composition field which contributes to inequitable learning experiences for Black students and other of color who may not seem themselves in the field as well. Additionally, just as we research the relationship between students and their writing processes and how it influences their abilities to learn, we also should question and research scholars and the relationship between their writing responsibilities, namely submitting to academic journals, and how those interactions influence and impacts their growth and development as emerging researchers
EXAMINING THE ALIGNMENT OF VIRGINIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DIVISIONS’ CONCUSSION POLICIES WITH STATE LAW AND GUIDELINES
Get PDFConcussions present a public health concern for school-aged children, prompting states to enact laws addressing their risk and management. Consequently, schools nationwide have established policies based on these laws. In 2010, the state of Virginia established the Code of Virginia outlining the proper policies and procedures related to concussions in student-athletes. In doing so, the state tasked the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) to develop the Guidelines for Policies on Concussions in Students to inform public school division concussion policies. The VBOE releases updated guidelines following each amendment to state law. However, the Virginia Code and VBOE guidelines are an unfunded mandate with no accountability mechanism in effect making it unknown if existing Virginia public school division concussion policies are aligned with current state law and guidelines. Therefore, the aims of this dissertation are twofold: first, to examine the alignment of Virginia public school division concussion policies with the 12 core components of Virginia law and the best practice elements for facilitating successful return-to-learn for students included in the state guidelines. Secondly, it seeks to evaluate the strength of language used in these policies, discerning whether they provide actionable guidance to stakeholders, thereby facilitating actionable implementation strategies. This dissertation draws upon the socio-ecological framework as its conceptual underpinning, complemented by insights from an integrative review conducted by Fetta et al., which identified barriers hindering the support for a student's successful return-to-learn following a concussion. A quantitative content analysis of publicly accessible concussion policy documents from Virginia's public-school divisions (95%; n=124) indicated complete alignment (100%; n=124) with the core component mandating immediate removal from sports activities upon suspicion of a concussion. Furthermore, most policies (99%; n=123) demonstrated alignment with a minimum of 8 out of the 12 core components. However, notable gaps were identified, particularly in areas emphasized by the state guidelines, such as coach education (41%; n=51), implementation of preventive measures (36%; n=44), strategies for safe return to sports (17%; n=21), and the requirement for return-to-learn support for all students (15%; n=19). Overall, policies demonstrated high scores for the strength of language across most core components. However, there is notable opportunity for improvement to effectively support stakeholder implementation in the core components associated with return-to-learn. Notably, few (19%; n=23) policies incorporated content from the state guidelines while most (85%; n=105) policies closely resembled a model policy from the Virginia School Board Association (VSBA).This dissertation is the first to examine Virginia public school division concussion policies’ alignment to state law and guidelines, as well as the strength of language for actionable guidance. While findings suggest overall alignment with most core components of state law, there is a need for better integration of state guidelines into these policies. This enhancement is essential to promote the implementation of coach education and preventive measures, and the support for all students as they return-to-learn, prioritizing the well-being and safety of all students. Moreover, further investigation is necessary to identify strategies for enhancing policy efficiencies to better support school stakeholders. This study's comprehensive review of nearly all publicly available concussion policy documents from Virginia school divisions stands as a notable strength. However, it's essential to recognize that policy examination alone may not fully capture all factors influencing policy implementation, such as resource allocation and operational practices. Thus, further research is warranted to investigate these factors. Despite these limitations, this dissertation offers valuable insights into the quality and efficacy of concussion policies within Virginia's public-school divisions. The findings serve to pinpoint areas requiring improvement and can inform future policy development endeavors. Moreover, the insights gained from this research could prove beneficial to other states contending with similar challenges
Digitizing Responsibility: Emerging Technologies and Power in Environmental and Informational Governance
Get PDFThis dissertation examines the role of information and communication technology (ICT)in environmental governance. I sought to examine whether ICT influences power dynamics in environmental governance, how it does so, and how to evaluate the role it may play in transformative change to address environmental problems. I evaluated these questions through the lens of a pragmatic perspective, influenced by the fields of Critical Theory Studies and Science and Technology Studies. Data was gathered using a modified snowball sampling approach. Three different tools were assessed: the Veridium blockchain based carbon market, the AI tool Forest Foresight, and the forest data analytics platform Global Forest Watch. Information and communication technology may influence power dynamics in environmental governance by causing resource dependencies, increasing the number of stakeholders in governance, and creating unexpected vulnerabilities. Transformative governance scholars should begin to consider how to evaluate ICT as part of the goal of generating transformative change to address global environmental crises
GEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS INFLUENCING STREAM WATER CHEMISTRY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
No full textStream water chemistry depends on natural geological and anthropogenic factors in watersheds. Major anion concentrations were evaluated seasonally in 20 Northern Virginia Streams to determine the degree of changes in water chemistry by comparing anion concentrations with watershed size, land use, soil mineralogy, soil pore water, upstream water, porosity, and population density, this study investigates how roadway salt application affects high chloride concentrations in Northern Virginia urban streams. The findings will help us understand the geochemical process of salt application in the US during the winter. This study also analyzed the concentration of chloride and sulfate anions in soil pore water and surface water, as well as the relationships between these anions in five watersheds in Northern Virginia. This study, in addition, analyzed chloride and sulfate anions in soil pore water and surface water and the concentration of chloride and sulfate relationships between soil pore water and surface water in five watersheds in Northern Virginia. The study discovered chloride and sulfate in twenty watersheds, with chloride detected at higher volumes in watersheds like Difficult Run, Lake Burke, and Marumsco Creek. The study detected sulfates at a negligible concentration, which influenced water bodies and aquatic life. The result also unveils variations in chloride concentrations in seven watersheds from 2019 to 2020. Summer and fall had low-to-medium levels in Difficult Run and South Four Mile Run. However, there was a significant increase in Winter due to salt application on roads in Northern Virginia, as well as snow and ice deicing. Lastly, the study also establishes chloride and sulfate anions in urban watersheds. The study reveals that Chloride ions are more concentrated than sulfate ions in all five selected watersheds, with Backlick Run and Difficult Run having significant chloride concentrations. Accotink Creek, Aquia Creek, and Bull Run have lower concentrations, while Blacklick Run and Difficult Run have similar concentrations
Distributed Infrastructure-Free Searching and Tracking: System Design and Localization Techniques
Get PDFFor an effective and scalable approach to searching and tracking targets in unknown environments, coordination among a team of robotic agents is crucial. This dissertation addresses the search and track problem in an infrastructure-free environment, devoid of GPS or tracking beacons, and operating under fully onboard sensing and processing constraints. These constraints enhance the system's scalability. To address these challenges, we first propose a fully distributed solution for an ad-hoc network of agents to cooperatively search for and monitor targets in an unknown, infrastructure-free environment. This solution integrates a distributed pheromone-based coverage control strategy with a distributed target selection mechanism. Second, to facilitate communication and coordination among agents, we introduce Reloki, an infrastructure-free UWB-based relative localization system. Reloki enables ranging and Angle of Arrival (AoA) based relative localization in 3D, thereby allowing the mobile robots to work together effectively
Ground-based Light Curve Follow-up Validation observations of TESS object of interest TOI 5585.01
Get PDF“The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission is instrumental in discovering and characterizing exoplanets orbiting nearby stars. This study focuses on the follow-up observations of the exoplanet candidate TOI 5585.01, characterized by a radius of 8.05828 Earth radii and an orbital period of 1.8434549 days. Using data collected on March 14, 2024, from the GMU observatory telescope, this paper aims to determine whether a predicted transit of TOI 5585.01 occurs within the expected ingress and egress times. Observations included 35 science images and calibration data, analyzed through AstroImageJ and utilizing Alnitak for plate-solving. The results indicated that no reference stars passed the NEB check, and the majority of detected light was from TOI 5585.01. While the data showed fluctuations in the light curve and a potential depth of 8.61 ppt, the observations were inconclusive due to early data cutoff and limited coverage. Consequently, the study could not confirm a definitive transit event. Further observations are recommended to gather additional data and enhance the analysis, as current findings do not provide conclusive evidence of the transit.
Ground-based Light Curve Follow-up Validation observations of TESS object of interest TOI 3669.01
Get PDF“The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission gathers data for thousands of possible exoplanets and their host stars. This process happens by utilizing the transit photometry method, where any exoplanet candidates are marked as Objects of Interest and will be further analyzed using ground-based observation. This paper presents the ground-based observation and results of candidate exoplanet TOI (TESS Object of Interest) 3669.01, which revolves around the star TOI 3669. This study aims to further analyze if TOI 3669.01 is in fact an exoplanet. The raw telescope data was collected from the GMU Observatory. These images were taken, then reduced and plate solved using AstroImageJ and Alnitak Python code. AstroImageJ was utilized again to conduct multi-aperture photometry to generate a light curve to be further analyzed. Lastly, we conducted a NEB analysis on TOI 3669.01, which presented us with inconclusive results. Due to this reason and the transit not occurring during the expected times, we could not confirm the planetary nature of TOI 3669.01, and further research is needed to conclude its existence. However, we have evidence from previous research that could support the possible planetary nature of our target.