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Confessionalized Optics: The Society of Jesus and Early Modern Optics
Get PDFThis dissertation explores the investigation and explanation of optics among prominent members of the Society of Jesus during the early modern period. In doing so it aims to explain why it was that optics became one of the more important scientific subjects among the members of the Order. In addition to this it aims to explain how it was that their identity as members of the Order shaped their explanation of optics at a time when there was no agreed upon meaning of optics. As argued, this interaction between Jesuit identity and optical theory may best be understood as an act of confessionalization. The benefit of this categorization is that it allows for a complex analysis of optics among the Society of Jesus which avoids any essential identification of the relationship between science and religion. This dissertation, then, not only addresses why optics among the Jesuits should be understood as confessionalized, but also how the category of confessionalization may provide a path through the complex dynamics of early modern science and religion
Public policies and social outcomes in Brazil
Get PDFThis work brings three studies that evaluate public policies in Brazil. First, I study a recent infrastructure improvement program in São Paulo City, to estimate the causal impact of improved public lighting on nighttime crime. Secondly, I estimate the impact of immigrant influxes on local labor markets, taking advantage of a natural experiment generated by a massive wave of forced migration of Venezuelans to Roraima, a state in northern Brazil, from 2016 onward. Finally, I provide arguments to answer how new technology-based companies such as Uber impact traffic-related outcomes such as traffic deaths and accidents with fatalities
Connecting pedagogy, technology, and content in virtual early childhood
Get PDFConnecting pedagogical practices with content by using the various technological devices has consistently been a challenge for teachers (Chai et al., 2013; Koehler & Mishra, 2009; Mecoli, 2013). But what happens when the platform changes from brick-and-mortar to virtual? The COVID-19 Pandemic forced teachers across the globe to leave in-person learning and go virtual (Garcia & Weiss, 2020; United Nations, 2020). Considering this rapid shift in instructional presentation, early childhood education (ECE) teachers were left with many challenges. This collection of three manuscripts uses the voice of brick-and-mortar ECE teachers who pivoted to virtual instruction at a moment’s notice. Through using the technological pedagogical and content knowledge framework (TPACK; Koehler et al., 2013; Mishra & Koehler, 2009) and National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC, 2020) developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) guidelines, insight is gained in the first manuscript qualitatively about what challenges ECE virtual teachers faced while implementing pedagogy, technology, and content knowledge with young students. Manuscript I also asks if the strategies used by ECE teachers are considered DAP? The second manuscript used a mixed methods to answer quantitatively how ECE virtual teachers implemented TPACK and qualitatively how did ECE virtual teachers assess student learning? The final manuscript shares directly from a PreK teacher and a 1st grade teacher, who collectively have 29 years of teaching experience and hold master’s degrees, their strategies used while teaching virtually and align these strategies with NAEYC’s DAP guidelines (2020)
Republic on the Red River: Documenting Choctaw Political Transformation from Removal to Reconstruction
No full textThe Trail of Tears left a stain upon American history, as a betrayal of the republic’s founding principles: but out of the removal, a political transformation was underway in the Choctaw Nation. Under the leadership of men such as Mushulatubbee, Greenwood LeFlore, George W. Harkins, and Peter Pitchlynn, the Choctaw Nation progressed from its previous pre-removal tribal society into a post-removal democratic state. Operating as a republic under Western-proscribed understanding of law and government, the Choctaw maintained their distinct understanding of culture and the world, and knew their place in it depended on adaptation. The adoption of many Western ideas – Christianity, Western education, a bicameral legislature, a singular chief executive, and a written constitution – was both a demonstration to the United States of the Choctaws’ ability to survive colonization and a declaration of the Choctaws’ sovereignty from American power. The Choctaw emulated many colonized societies of the past – taking on the perceived benefits offered by the outside power while shunning that which they believed was detrimental to their interests, never losing sight of who they were. By analyzing sources left behind from those men who shaped tribal politics, as well as modern understandings of tribal politics by both Choctaw and non-Native scholars, this piece is meant to demonstrate the political transformation of the Choctaw state did not cost the nation its identity, but preserved it against all odds in an environment created to by a hostile power to facilitate their national destruction
Constructors' Decision-Support Framework for NZEB Projects
Get PDFEfficient construction project management is crucial to project success. As the construction industry changes, constructors find themselves confronted by new issues and must undertake roles that have not traditionally been part of their responsibility. This change in roles requires their traditional responsibilities to be supplemented with non-engineering knowledge and skills to meet today's professional demands. While many studies have examined competency for effective project management, few have done so in the context of NetZero Energy Building (NZEB) construction. Achieving NZEB is a complex process. The decisions made in the early stages of a project impacts its outcomes most in meeting NetZero energy (NZE) goals, which requires knowledge sharing of NZEB constructors in a collaborative work environment. So, the decision-making process and the delivery of the completed project should be integrated, and crucial for NZEBs in achieving the NZE goals. Another important aspect for NZEB projects is the successful integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Building Performance Simulation (BPS) tools, which aid the constructors in selecting optimal solutions from a set of available alternatives. Therefore, this study primarily aimed to determine the critical knowledge areas and skills that are necessary to respond to NZEB construction challenges. Through a survey and follow up interviews with NZEB constructors, this study identified the knowledge and skills base for constructors to be competitive and to effectively execute NZEB projects.
Results from this study revealed that the most important challenges were workers’ unawareness of the correct methods and procedures, reluctance to change from traditional practices, and lack of the technical skill regarding Green/NZEB technologies. The most important knowledge areas were communication management, schedule management and planning, and cost management. The most important skills required to mitigate the challenges were teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills. In addition, this study summarized attitudes of the participants regarding the relative importance of the various mechanisms for professional development. The contribution of on the job site experience was rated higher than that of formal industry training provided by employers. The contribution of academic education to the competency of NZEB constructors was rated lower than that of industry training. For BIM implementation, industry’s resistance to change from traditional working practices, inadequate in-depth expertise and know-how to operate sustainability related analysis software program, and high initial investment in staff training costs were the top challenges. Accuracy, intelligence, and usability were the important features for BPS tools.
This study is expected to be beneficial for the constructors’ decision making in NZEB project context. Construction educators are also expected to benefit from this study in developing their academic curriculum with a goal to meet the industry need
The integration of hotel interactive lighting systems to support users' visual comfort and activity needs
Get PDFThis study explores the standards of interactive lighting systems in the hospitality industry, specifically those spaces found in hotels, to enhance the experience for customers. Case study analysis was selected as the research methodology to evaluate the lighting quality and capabilities of three commercial hotels in New Orleans as they may inform new hotel interactive lighting capabilities. The study considers three aspects: first, the lighting source, second, the lighting control system, and third, the lighting system structure. Lighting sources are evaluated as they pertain to universal design characteristics. The study focuses on principles 2 and 4 of the seven universal design principles. Principle 2, Flexibility in Use, considers whether the light can be adjusted according to the different needs of users. Principle 4, Perceptible Information, evaluates whether the lighting system can provide sufficient lighting required to support the activities within the space such as route guidance and legibility of important information (Connell et al., 1997). Lighting control is evaluated from the aspect of the user interface considering minimal switching to more state-of-the-art technology to control the lighting quality within a given space. In the lighting structure, the lighting system gradually removes the traditional lighting line based on the single point structure into a wireless chip based on the systematic regional module structure, reducing the difficulty of adjustment, and overall enhancing the efficiency of lighting control. This paper suggests a design standard for interactive lighting systems in hotels based on human behavior patterns and perception levels
Isolation, characterization, and application of Microbacterium paraoxydans bacteriophages in a milk model
Get PDFMesovortex-Induced Tornadoes: A Case Study of the 13 April 2018 Northwest Louisiana Quasi-Linear Convective System
Get PDFMesoscale-gamma circulations occurring along the leading edge of Quasi-Linear Convective Systems (QLCS), and their propensity to produce tornadoes and straight-line wind damage has long been noted in literature. Furthermore, this association and the discovery of related features has been reinforced by recent numerical modeling studies of QLCS tornadoes. However, observational data sets of processes sustaining these vortices, genesis mechanisms, specific details of their evolution, and observational confirmation of these modeled features has been elusive.
Just after midnight on 14 April 2018, a tornadic QLCS moved across northwest Louisiana, producing numerous reports of tornadoes. One notable mesovortex-associated tornado caused EF-1 damage along its 22.5 mile path in Shreveport and Bossier City, LA. A second QLCS mesovortex would later produce a brief EF-0 tornado near Sarepta, LA. Both University of Oklahoma C-band, Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching Radars (OU SMART-R) were operating in the area at the time the tornadoes occurred as part of the ongoing VORTEX-SE field campaign, allowing for the unique opportunity to investigate QLCS mesovortex intensification and tornadogenesis processes. The resulting datasets from SMART-R1 and SMART-R2 allowed for the construction of an observational domain with dual-Doppler coverage having 2-3 minute temporal resolution.
Analysis of the dual-Doppler dataset allows for a detailed interrogation of vertical structure and mesovortex processes, particularly at low-levels within the storm. Results from these analyses suggest that tornadogenesis occurs in a two-part process. First, momentum surges associated with both the system rear inflow jet (RIJ) and convective downdrafts enhance rear-to-front flow within the developing bow-echo line pattern. Convergence in the region of a developing mesovortex is enhanced by these surges, forcing subsequent low-level updraft formation. This updraft stretches vertical vorticity, increasing rotation considerably. Next, the increasing vorticity at low levels induces an occlusion downdraft, which tilts vortex-region horizontal vorticity into the vertical and allows for further updraft-supported vertical vorticity stretching. These two processes working in conjunction with one another increase the intensity of the mesovortex, eventually leading to tornadogenesis. Mesovortex strength is maintained via a combination of streamwise and crosswise horizontal vorticity tilting within the vortex region
Low-complexity methods to mitigate the impact of environmental variables on low-cost UAS-based atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements
Get PDFThis article assesses the individual and joint impact of pressure, temperature, and relative humidity on the accuracy of atmospheric CO2 measurements collected by unmanned aerial systems (UASs) using low-cost commercial non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors. We build upon previous experimental results in the literature and present a new dataset with increased gradients for each environmental variable to match the abrupt changes found in UAS-based atmospheric vertical profiles. As a key contribution, we present a low-complexity correction procedure to mitigate the impact of these variables and reduce errors in this type of atmospheric CO2 measurement. Our findings support the use of low-cost NDIR sensors for UAS-based atmospheric CO2 measurements as a complementary in situ tool for many scientific applications.The authors would like to recognize the efforts of David L. Grimsley, the manager of the Oklahoma Mesonet Calibration Laboratory, for his technical support during the Mesonet chamber experiments. The authors would like thank Jamey D. Jacob from the Unmanned Systems Research Institute at the Oklahoma State University for providing the LI-COR LI-820 reference gas analyzer used in the Mesonet chamber experiments. The authors also thank RMSA for the thorough grammatical revisions. This study was supported in part by the Vice President for Research and Partnerships (VPRP) of the University of Oklahoma (OU). Publication was supported by the University of Oklahoma Libraries.YesThis paper was edited by Frank Hase and reviewed by two anonymous referees
Industrial Byproducts as a Treatment for Bioretention Underdrain Effluent: A Benchtop Proof of Concept
Get PDFAround the world, stormwater is a frequent and growing source of contamination for waterbodies. Common sources of pollution include heavy metals such as, but not limited to aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn). Nutrients such as phosphorus (P) also pose a large risk to waterbodies. Neonicotinoid pesticides are the most commonly used pesticide in the United States and are of growing concern to waterbodies, aquatic life, and non-aquatic life. Low impact development (LID) structures such as bioretention have been effective in the management of stormwater pollutants for decades. More recently, areas for improvement in bioretention have been identified and a need for additional water quality improvements has been recognized. Industrial byproducts have been suggested as an augmentation to bioretention design as a way to provide low-cost water quality improvement while giving an otherwise disposed byproduct a second and sustainable use. This study focused on using fly ash (a coal burning byproduct), steel slag (a steel smelting byproduct), and biochar (wood waste heated with little to no oxygen) in treating a complex synthetic stormwater. This proof of concept benchtop study looked at influent and effluent concentrations in flowthrough column studies for a suite of metals, phosphorus, and three selected neonicotinoids to identify which media yielded the best removal potential for the various contaminants. Columns were set up in two orientations, one vertical with constant flow and full saturation and another horizontal which included a bioretention simulation with head-driven flow which flowed into a treatment column filled with the experimental media. Results showed that aggregated fly ash and steel slag yielded a noticeably higher pH, likely from the dissolution of different -oxide species into solution. This dissolution also contributed to a noticeable increase in specific conductivity. These trends were observed for biochar as well but at noticeably lower magnitudes. In vertical columns, the small-sized fraction of steel slag proved to be the best to remove most contaminants from solution. Some exceptions existed where either the large-sized fraction of aggregated fly ash was more effective, or results were mixed. Removal is generally understood to be via sorption, however further studies would be required to confirm the mode of removal. Major cations such as Ca+2, Na+, Mg+2, and K+ were generally leached from the media with aggregated fly ash and steel slag as the most common culprits due to their high composition of these elements. Because biochar posed a lesser leaching risk and showed comparable contaminant removal to aggregated fly ash, vertical column experiments suggest biochar as the next best treatment media behind small steel slag. Horizontal column experiments had the additional condition of results being compared to the removal rates of a bioretention simulation control column. Where the control failed to treat all three neonicotinoids, P, As+5, and Na+, the experimental columns containing the media of study proved to be effective treatments. Small steel slag again showed to be the best medium to remove As+5, and P where biochar proved to yet again prevent meaningful major cation leaching and was a sink for Na and all three neonicotinoids. Depending on the contaminant of concern being treated, either biochar or small steel slag would be the standout options for bioretention effluent treatment. Further studies are recommended to confirm the mechanism by which contaminants are removed, the stability of the removed contaminants to stay out of solution, and the environmental safety of deploying these media into the real world. Modeling is also recommended to help guide future studies by predicting the state and species of contaminants in solution and their likelihood to sorb to the experimental media or precipitate as a result of treatment