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WHERE HAVE WE BEEN AND WHERE ARE WE GOING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF POLICE IN UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS IN KOSOVO, SIERRA LEONE, AND TIMOR-LESTE
Get PDFUnited Nations (UN) Peacekeeping has been in use since 1948, and over the past 73 years significant amounts of research have been done on the topic. However, at this time, despite adaptation by the UN, there lacks a holistic view of the scholarship of peacekeeping. Scholars have repeatedly called for increased standardization and measurement in peacekeeping (Bajraktari et al., 2006; Call, 2008a; Copeland, 2012; Diehl & Druckman, 2015; Garb, 2014; Gorur, 2019; Martin-Brûlé, 2016; Peake & Marenin, 2008; Thakur, 2013), and while UN Peacekeeping has adjusted to worldwide changes, and even began implementing the Comprehensive Planning and Performance Assessment System (CPAS), a standardized system of evaluation for UN Peacekeeping missions, in 2018, there has not been, to date, a broad systematic review of the literature on UN Peacekeeping. This makes it hard to know the strength of this or other suggested evaluation systems. Additionally, most research is focused on disciplines outside of Criminal Justice and Criminology. As much of the UN Peacekeeping work is police-type work, utilizing a Criminal Justice and Criminology lens can provide new insights. A systematic review can address what is known about UN Peacekeeping now and fill this gap in the literature. This systematic review addresses three main questions. First, what is the state of the peer-reviewed scholarship on UN Police in UN Peacekeeping missions in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and Timor-Leste? Second, how are the UN Police in UN Peacekeeping missions Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and Timor-Leste studied? And third, how is research about UN Police in UN Peacekeeping missions in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and Timor-Leste associated with the Police Reform Indicators and Measurement Evaluation (PRIME) system. The findings of this dissertation will inform the strength of current and suggested evaluation measures and provide practical steps forward for both researchers, the UN, and the world
DESIGN, FABRICATION, AND CONTROL OF THE SPI-MOD CSR A SINGLE PNEMATIC INPUT MODULAR CONTINUUM SOFT ROBOT
Get PDFSoft robotics field is a new field of robotics research that focuses on developing and advancing the use of compliant materials in the development of robots. The inherent properties of these soft materials form the foundation for robots that can safely interact with humans in work environments and adapt to irregular conditions. This foundation has led to the rapid development of soft robot prototypes that range in all sizes and are used for medical devices, search and rescue, and more. The soft nature of the robot’s alternative actuation methods, as compared to heavy rigid motors, is a large focus of soft robotics research. One of the most commonly used actuation methods in the field of soft robotics is pneumatics. Pneumatic robots typically actuate by means of manipulating the shape and properties of soft components to control the direction and force exerted by the expansion of pressurized chambers. While this power system is accessible and capable, the means by which the fluidic pressure is delivered is often cumbersome and restrictive and limits the minimum size of soft robots. For example, common pressure delivery systems for soft robots require a tube for each individually controlled chamber in a robot’s design. Thus, as a soft robot’s design and movement become more complex, more individually controlled chambers are required and the volume for the pressure delivery system increases. This direct relationship of motion complexity to volume for power delivery determines the minimum size of a high degree of freedom robot. In response to this limitation, a nascent concentric-tubed spool valve (CTSV) was developed and integrated into the design of the single pneumatic input modular continuum soft robot (SPI-Mod CSR). The CTSV exploits the three-dimensional space between two concentric tubes to create a flexible adaptable valve system that requires minimal space to supply pneumatic power to multiple chambers in a soft robot with only a single pressure delivery tube. This design allows for a significant decrease in the size of modular continuum soft robots. The SPI-MOD CSR is a continuum soft robot that is fabricated with modular, two-chamber segments that can rotate about a single axis. These segments are attached to each other at a 90-degree offset such that every segment rotates about a different axis than their adjacent segments, providing a discreet approximation of snake-like motion. The central axis of the robot was designed with a channel running through it to serve as the outer tube of the CTSV and allowing for a flexible tube to be inserted. Holes in the pressure supply tube align with the inlets of the robot's chambers allowing for chambers to be selectively pressurized. With segments only one centimeter in length and two centimeters in diameter, the SPI-Mod CSR is one of the smallest modular soft robots to date and required the development of a specialized casting method. The Intermediary Sacrificial Mold Casting method for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) components presented here allows for the fabrication of the complex and relatively small segments of the SPI-Mod CSR. This fabrication method uses an intermediary sacrificial mold made from Field's metal in combination with the cost-effective high-resolution capabilities of a monochrome LCD 3D printer to bypass the cure inhibition of PDMS parts resulting from chemical compounds found in resin printed parts. The sacrificial nature of the intermediary molds allows for the fabrication of geometrically complex features and fragile components. Due to the single pressure tube nature of the CTSV in the SPI-Mod CSR, the discreet step Jacobian control method was developed to approximate the control found in Jacobian inverse kinematics-based control methods. With the discreet step Jacobian control method and a custom visual feedback system, multiple tests were performed driving the end effector to designated goal positions
CARBON NEUTRAL SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS GENERATION BY SOLID OXIDE ELECTROLYSIS OF STEAM AND CARBON DIOXIDE AN ECONOMIC AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
Get PDFPower-to-Gas (PtG), the conversion of renewable electricity into gaseous fuels for storage, represents a promising solution to reduce carbon emissions in global energy sectors when coupled with solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) technology. In the present work, an economic study was conducted comparing energy storage pathways to decarbonize the US power sector, followed by a complementary experimental study on pressurized co-electrolysis of steam and carbon dioxide to produce methane directly for improved SNG generation rates. The optimization model found that widespread installations of solar can reduce carbon emissions to 48% of present-day levels with a 1 $/MWh impact on energy prices if interconnection limitations are neglected. Key findings reveal that, in a fully decarbonized electric power sector, SNG is the most economically viable energy storage medium by utilizing existing NG pipelines and infrastructure for seasonal storage and distribution of energy. In comparison to Li-ion battery technology, this translates to savings of 28% to end use customers. SOEC experiments at 650ºC and 30 bar resulted in an electrolytic current density of 0.87 A/cm2 at a DC polarization of 1.2V under co-electrolysis conditions through the application of a novel steam delivery design. It was found that increasing the pressure from 10 bar to 30 bar at 650ºC resulted in an increase in methane measurements of over four times from 0.3% to 1.3%. Faradaic efficiencies ranged from 4% at 700ºC and 30 bar to 45% at 700ºC and 10 bar. The low faradaic efficiencies appear anomalous and, upon further study, may have been impacted by a significant leak in the silver sealant at the cathode
Walla Walla County Resource Guide - Washington
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Butte County Resource Guide - Idaho
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Thurston County Resource Guide - Washington
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Stevens County Resource Guide - Washington
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Camas County Resource Guide - Idaho
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Nez Perce County Resource Guide - Idaho
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INTEGRATIVE APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING AND IDENTIFYING LACTUCA SPECIES: PHYLOGENETICS, MORPHOLOGY, AND MACHINE LEARNING APPLICATIONS AT A GENEBANK LEVEL
Get PDFThe USDA National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) faces a significant challenge in accurately identifying and characterizing its vast collection of plant germplasm, with hundreds of accessions remaining unidentified due to time and resource constraints. For example, 65 accessions of lettuce (Lactuca) lack species designations, limiting their utility for research and breeding. This study aimed to address this issue by providing increased clarity on the taxonomy of the genus Lactuca. The research utilized hybrid-exome capture sequencing (Hyb-Seq) to create a robust phylogeny of 26 Lactuca species, compiled a thorough morphological examination of these species, and explored the potential of supervised machine learning to accurately identify species using Hyb-Seq data. The first study established a robust phylogeny of 26 Lactuca species, clarified crop breeding pools and proposed the name Maculospermae for the North American and Azorean lettuce species. The second study reviewed the history of the genus and its complex morphology, presenting a consolidated monograph and a dichotomous key for species identification. The third study tests the potential of a supervised machine learning model being utilized for high throughput species identification at a genebank level and provided a preliminary model for future work. This research offers new, more economical methods for species identification, enabling genebanks to enhance the accuracy of their characterization data for Lactuca accessions and improve the understanding of species interrelatedness within the genus