Syracuse University
Syracuse University Research Facility and Collaborative EnvironmentNot a member yet
20376 research outputs found
Sort by
DISTRIBUTED SOVEREIGNTY: LAW, COMMUNITY, AND AUTHORITY IN THE POLITICAL THEORIES OF AL-MĀWARDĪ, AL-JUWAYNĪ, AND AL-FĀRĀBĪ
No full textABSTRACT This dissertation examines the concept of sovereignty in classical Islamic political thought through a comparative analysis of three major thinkers—al-Māwardī (d. 450/1058), al-Juwaynī (d. 478/1085), and al-Fārābī (d. 339/950)—each representing a distinct epistemic tradition: jurisprudence (fiqh), speculative theology (kalām), and philosophy (falsafa). Employing a conceptual and textual methodology, the study reconstructs a theory of distributed sovereignty in Islamic thought, in which political authority is not centralized in a singular sovereign but dispersed across three interrelated domains: legitimate authority, lawgiving, and governance. Drawing on primary texts—including al-Aḥkām al-Sulṭāniyya, Tashīl al-Naẓar, Ghiyāth al-Umam, al-Madīna al-Fāḍila, al-Siyāsa al-Madanīyya, Kitāb al-Milla, and Iḥṣāʾ al-ʿUlūm—the dissertation analyzes how each thinker conceptualizes the relationship between divine law (Sharīʿa), the scholarly class (ʿulamāʾ), the political community (ummah), and rulership in the construction of normative political order. Al-Māwardī develops a constitutionalist model in which the imamate functions as a legally accountable trust (amāna) grounded in communal contract (ʿaqd) and constrained by moral and procedural norms derived from Sharīʿa. Al-Juwaynī advances a flexible and crisis-responsive political theology that emphasizes the epistemic authority of jurists and legitimizes non-ideal rulers under conditions of necessity, while maintaining the primacy of law. His theory introduces a graduated conception of sovereignty capable of functioning across states of exception. Al-Fārābī, by contrast, grounds political legitimacy in metaphysical and epistemological hierarchies, centering on the philosopher-prophet who receives and translates divine truths into symbolic and legal forms. Although ultimate authority begins with this ideal figure, it is sustained through a rational elite who interpret and preserve the law within a virtuous polity. Despite their methodological divergences, all three thinkers converge on a shared vision of sovereignty as constrained by divine law, mediated by epistemic authority, and legitimated through communal recognition. By recovering classical Islamic theories that emphasize distributed authority, community-based normativity, and legal accountability, the dissertation offers a framework for rethinking sovereignty within the Islamic tradition—one that resists both authoritarian centralization and liberal proceduralism. This study contributes to the fields of Islamic political thought, comparative political theory, and the conceptual history of sovereignty
Characterization of the Molecular Mechanisms of Noise Stress on Developmental Plasticity in Gryllus bimaculatus & Co-teaching and Peer-Led Team Learning in Undergraduate Introductory Biology Courses Toward Expanding Participation in STEM for All
No full textAs part of my training as a Discipline Based Education Researcher (DBER), I gained human subjects educational research experience as well as traditional biology research experience in the laboratory setting. This dissertation explores both my biology education research and traditional developmental biological research. The first and second projects focus on biology education research, examining how Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) and modifying introductory biology course instructional design can influence student outcomes in undergraduate Biology education. The third project examines how anthropogenic noise affects the developmental biology of the two-spotted field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus using a genetic approach. Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is an active learning model that has been shown to be beneficial for student learning. Using a longitudinal approach, this study focuses on understanding the trajectory of students over the course of five years to examine the potential long-term effects of PLTL. We assessed the relationship between PLTL participation and student outcomes like earning a C+ or better in introductory biology and graduation rates in any major and STEM specific majors. PLTL participation was associated with a higher likelihood of passing introductory biology with a grade of C+ or better with URM and first-gen status being associated with lower odds. When considering the percentage of students who achieved a C+ or better, both URM and non-URM students who participated in PLTL had significantly higher rates of earning a C+ or better. A performance gap was observed between URM and non-URM students in the non-PLTL groups. A similar relationship was observed in first-generation students, with students who participated in PLTL outperforming their non-PLTL peers with a similar gap in the non-PLTL group. Analysis disaggregated by sex showed that PLTL benefitted both male and female students in a similar manner. Students who completed a STEM degree showed similar trends with performance gains across URM status, sex, and first-generation status. These results suggest that PLTL participation continues to promote positive student outcomes and mitigate structural barriers for success in STEM. We also examined how instructional strategies may influence student learning trajectories. Introductory biology is often seen as a gateway course in which students tend to compartmentalize information for performing well on exams without considering the connection between foundational content and the content of more advanced courses. There also exists a discrepancy between what advanced course instructors expect foundational courses to cover, and student retention of that knowledge. We investigated whether a co-teaching model in the introductory biology course can bridge the divide between these contexts. We involved the instructor for the genetics course in the instruction of genetics content in the introductory classroom, and measured student performance using a course assessment by implementing 20 items that typically appear on exams in the genetics course into the introductory course’s exam. The implemented items directly aligned with the exam objectives of the introductory course. Following a nonequivalent control-group design, one year of introductory biology served as our control group which had the typical instruction with one instructor, with the genetics items implemented. Our treatment group was a population of students in the following year with the genetics instructor teaching the introductory content and genetics items implemented. We used an open-ended survey to measure students’ impression of the experience, opinions on diversity of instructors, and whether they thought including upper division course instructors in introductory biology instruction was a good idea. The results indicated that students who were taught by the genetics instructor improved at a greater rate than their peers in the control group. Students reported positive impressions of the experience, and several mentioned a need for increased diversity in instructor identities. Anthropogenic noise levels are increasing as humans continue to expand their usage of land and natural resources. Noise pollution has been recognized as a source of environmental stress with associations with detrimental health impacts on humans and other organisms. Invertebrates in particular use sound for many biologically relevant processes like mate selection, therefore, increased noise levels may work to impede those processes. We investigated the developmental and genetic impact that roadside noise exposure has on the cricket species Gryllus bimaculatus. Crickets were exposed to 24-hour playbacks of roadside noise or silence in our trials. We compared the developmental timings, body size, and expression profiles of adult crickets from the two experimental treatments. There was a significant decrease in the time to adulthood of crickets exposed to chronic noise stress. We hypothesized that the adult physiological differences were due to differential gene expression patterns as a result of the environmental stimulus of chronic noise. Male and female cricket brains and gonads were dissected and examined to identify any significant differences in gene expression under the experimental conditions. Female brains and male gonads were found to have the highest numbers of differentially expressed genes that included genes like heat shock factor, ryanodine receptors, among other genes involved in cell signaling pathways. GO term enrichment analysis revealed significant enrichment of pathways linked to stress response, energy metabolism, and protein interactions suggesting that noise stress may alter both cellular stress responses but also metabolic processes in a tissue and sex specific manner. Though this dissertation describes three distinct projects, they work together to contribute to our understanding of both biological systems and the systems through which biology is taught and learned by undergraduates
Cross-Pollination of Ideas: Exploring the Mental Health Implications of Academic Pressure in Dual Enrollment Programs for Students
No full textThe research examined the mental health implications due to the DE program’s academic pressure on students. The available literature demonstrates that the DE program is associated with a large number of students entering colleges, academic success in college, and self-confidence development. Nevertheless, the DE program exerts some pressure on the high school learners in terms of their mental health. Besides managing the high school curriculum, DE students are supposed to complete the relevant degree courses in the DE program. This leads to duplication of academic classes that strains the work-life balance, leading some students to encounter high levels of stress and anxiety. The existing evidence also found that the unequal access and outcome of the DE programs result in low confidence, high levels of anxiety, and poor resiliency. Furthermore, the institutional support gaps are detrimental to the mental state of DE students. Practice implications include training of qualified counselors to contribute significantly towards monitoring mental problems of learners and the application of culturally sensitive interventions. The varied DE modalities are beneficial in solving the problems by means of social integration, while providing support and integration of DE and career and technical education. The implication for future research is that longitudinal studies would be more helpful to grasp the long-term mental health consequences of the DE program. Qualitative exploration may provide first-hand experience, while equity-oriented research may be more reflective of the effect on the disadvantaged learners
National Survey of Military-Affiliated Entrepreneurs (NSMAE): Understanding Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Opportunities
No full textThis poster presents findings from the National Survey of Military-Affiliated Entrepreneurs (NSMAE), the largest ongoing study of veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs in the U.S. It explores how military experience shapes entrepreneurial pathways, and identifies key challenges such as access to capital, resource navigation, and post-service transition. The data informs research, policy, and program development to strengthen support for military-connected small business owners
Bench Strength: How Powerful Are Supreme Courts in Common Law Countries Really?
No full textThis thesis examines the extent of judicial power exercised by the top constitutional courts in common law countries, using judicial review as a proxy for this power. I analyze three apex constitutional courts—the supreme courts of the United States, India, and Canada—as they all engage in strong-form judicial review and have been referred to at different times by various scholars as “the most powerful court in the world.” To frame my analysis, I explore how these courts have evolved in power throughout their histories. I employ comparative historical analysis (CHA) and construct a typology that accounts for how these courts, initially weak institutions lacking the power of enforcement and financial resources, develop influence and legitimacy over time through comparative historical analysis (CHA) and a typology that reflects their evolution. I find that while these courts exert more influence and are more consequential as constitutional stakeholders than they were at their inception, they still face inherent weaknesses and engage in arbitrage with the other branches of government to accrue legitimacy and power. Thus, while strong-form courts appear stronger than at their inception, claims of juristocracy are not validated
Numerical Study on the Influence of Unbonded Reinforcement on Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Beams
No full textReinforced concrete (RC) beams are fundamental elements in structural systems owing to their cost-effectiveness and high load-bearing capacity. Nevertheless, various factors—such as changes in usage requirements, design deficiencies, structural modifications, and material degradation—may necessitate strengthening interventions. In particular, environmental effects (e.g., freeze-thaw cycles, chloride ingress, carbonation), cyclic loading, and fatigue can accelerate deterioration, compromising structural performance over time. To address these challenges and enhance the load-carrying capacity or extend service life, external strengthening techniques using materials such as carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and steel plate (SP) are widely adopted. Although externally strengthened, RC beams containing internal steel reinforcement that is partially unbonded from the surrounding concrete may still exhibit reduced flexural strength and durability, especially in critical regions subjected to repeated or excessive loading. This study investigates the effect of partially unbonded reinforcement on the structural performance of strengthened RC beams, with a particular focus on how reinforcement debonding—defined here as the partial loss of bond between internal steel bars and surrounding concrete—affects flexural response and failure characteristics in CFRP- and SP-strengthened beams. A finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed to simulate different degrees of reinforcement debonding and examine their influence on stress distribution, internal force transfer, and ultimate strength. The model was validated against experimental data from previous studies, showing strong agreement with test results. A total of 296 RC beams were analyzed using the validated FEA model to evaluate the effects of five key parameters on flexural behavior: reinforcement ratio (ρ), shear span-to-depth ratio (a_v/d), debonding degree (λ), type of strengthening material (CFRP/SP), and thickness of strengthening material (t_str). To investigate how these factors influence the flexural behavior of externally strengthened RC beams with unbonded reinforcement, an extensive parametric study was carried out. Based on the FEA results, two analytical models were proposed to predict the remaining flexural capacity of strengthened RC beams with unbonded reinforcement. To support model development, a new dimensionless parameter, Ψ, was introduced, representing the ratio between the equivalent plastic region length (L_0) and the neutral axis depth (c). Separate multivariable quadratic regression models were generated for each strengthening approach using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0.1. The resulting models for CFRP- and SP-strengthened beams demonstrated good alignment with the FEA results, confirming their effectiveness in estimating residual flexural performance. Owing to the complexity of these analytical models, their direct application in engineering practice is challenging. Therefore, simplified analytical models were developed to estimate the residual ultimate moment capacity of strengthened RC beams with unbonded reinforcement. Comparisons with FEA results confirmed the high accuracy of the simplified models in predicting the residual flexural capacity for both CFRP- and SP-strengthened beams. Insights gained from this work improve the understanding of how unbonded reinforcement affects the behavior of strengthened RC beams, with implications for enhancing strengthening, rehabilitation, and repair practices. The proposed models enhance the accuracy of residual flexural capacity predictions, supporting the development of effective strategies for structural assessment and design. Future research should focus on the experimental validation of simplified models and the exploration of alternative strengthening approaches to further mitigate the adverse effects of reinforcement debonding in strengthened RC beams
Sparse Recovery Using Scale and Signed Permutation Invariant Functions
No full textRecovering sparse signals from limited and noisy measurements is an important problem in modern data processing. Traditional methods, which often rely on convex relaxations such as the norm, struggle in scenarios with high coherence or large dynamic ranges. A major challenge in these settings is to develop a unified and computationally efficient framework that can accommodate a broad class of sparsity-promoting functions. In this dissertation, we overcome these challenges by introducing a general framework for all scale and signed permutation invariant functions. This dissertation has three main parts. In the first part, we introduce the -model for sparse recovery and analyze its properties using fractional programming techniques and Dinkelbach’s procedure, leading to efficient solution algorithms with convergence guarantees. In the second part, we develop a systematic procedure termed the WRD procedure to compute the proximity operators for any function that is scale and signed permutation invariant. This procedure decomposes the computation into three intuitive steps, thereby bridging theory and algorithmic design practice. In the third part, we integrate the derived proximity operators into state-of-the-art optimization frameworks, including Accelerated Proximal Gradient and the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers, and demonstrate their effectiveness in compressive sensing and image restoration through extensive numerical experiments
Three Essays on Education Finance and Policy: Public–Private Funding Dynamics and Grade 3 Retention Threat Effects
No full textThis dissertation examines how public–private funding dynamics and accountability policies shape the distribution of educational resources and student achievement in U.S. public schools. Across three empirical essays, I draw on two novel data sources: newly compiled election and nonprofit tax records for the first essay, and unique student- and teacher-level administrative data from Ohio for the second and third essays. Together, these studies identify causal relationships relevant to school finance equity and early-grade accountability policy. The first essay evaluates whether private contributions respond to changes in public school funding by leveraging close outcomes in tax and bond referenda across six U.S. states. Using a regression discontinuity design that accounts for repeated referenda and dynamic treatment effects, I find that districts that narrowly pass a referendum experience increases in public expenditures of 377 two years after passage. These effects are followed one-year later by declines in private contributions of 64 per pupil, indicating partial but meaningful crowd-out. Effects on private contributions are concentrated in small and high-income districts, suggesting that private giving is most responsive where the benefits of contributing are highest, and the costs are lowest. I also find modest evidence that increased public funds reduce the likelihood of continued nonprofit activity. This study provides the first large-scale causal evidence of crowd-out in K–12 education using direct measures of parent and community contributions to school-supporting nonprofits. The second and third essay examine Ohio’s third-grade retention policy to assess how the threat of retention—rather than retention itself—influence achievement and behavior among a broad set of students. The second essay uses a regression discontinuity designs to estimate differences in learning gains and behavior to find that students exposed to the threat of retention in Grade 3 experience larger learning gains than students who are not under retention threat. Gains in English Language Arts (ELA) are 0.106 SD and detected across years, student groups, and in schools with a limited capacity to target students facing the threat of retention. Gains in math achievement for students facing retention threat are also detected. Once aware of their status, students under retention threat are less likely to be absent from school or involved in a disciplinary incident, and they are more likely to be assigned to literacy interventions than students who have already met the promotion threshold. The third essay demonstrates that effects of retention threat persist to inform later-grade student achievement, behavior, and course-taking. This essay follows the same students through middle school to test whether early gains endure and use mediation analysis to trace the effects of retention threat over time. Achievement effects persist through Grade 8—0.107 SD in ELA and 0.075 SD in math—while attendance remains higher and disciplinary incidents lower. Estimates of the mechanisms reveal that students under threat are subsequently steered into more advanced math courses and taught by higher value-added teachers, pathways that explain a the sustained gains and suggest that early accountability shocks can alter later classroom sorting in productive ways. Modest improvements in later-grade classroom composition and observed participation in remedial coursework are too slight to account for the sustained gains, indicating that observed environmental changes and program participation are unlikely to explain the absence of fade-out
What Factors Influenced COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy? Evidence from Social Media
Get PDFVaccine hesitancy is one of the most significant threats to global public health efforts. Despite the rapid development and deployment of effective vaccines, resistance to vaccination has persisted in many communities, undermining collective immunity and prolonging health crises, including most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from over 50 million tweets (later rebranded as X) from 2020 to 2022 to investigate the patterns, justifications, and socioeconomic roots of vaccine hesitancy in the United States. The authors find that Twitter users in states with lower levels of education, higher poverty and unemployment rates, and stronger support for Trump in 2020 were significantly more likely to exhibit vaccine resistance