22689 research outputs found
Sort by
China Studies Review, Issue no. 11 (2025)
No full textChina Studies Review is a publication of the SAIS China Global Research Center, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). SAIS China offers multidisciplinary graduate courses on US-China relations, China’s foreign policy, domestic politics, leadership, environment, economic development, and Taiwan and cross-strait relations. Students also complete courses related to the wider Asia-Pacific region across the school’s more than 20 additional areas of study, taught by leading scholars and practitioners in their field. Contents: China and Russia in the Arctic: Marriage of Convenience or Strategic Symbiosis? / Caroline Carrothers -- China's Urbanization and the World : a Weibo Text Discourse Analysis / Yinge Hu -- Understanding China's Cyber Operations / Eric Omorogieva -- Abortion : Navigating Cultural, Social, and Economic Pressures / Chloe Ross Bohn -- China, Hong Kong and the Law of Existence / Sangeeta Chakravorty -- Shifting Tides : Empirical Insights into the Evolving Patterns of Chinese FDI in Africa / Yucheng Wu, Ke Chen -- Negotiating with Limits : the Feasibility of U.S. Demands Within China's Strategic and Political Boundaries / Kristina Honour -- Mainland-Hong Kong Identity Conflict and its Implications or US-China Relations / Yunqiu Zhang
Oral history of K.K.
No full text“K.K.” is a member of the graduating class of 2025. In this interview, she shares her experience moving from Punjab, India as a child and growing up in Dundalk, Maryland. She describes her high school experience in Baltimore County attending both a magnet high school with a focus in allied health and her district zoned high school for other classes, and her early interest in science and medicine. K.K. shares her academic experience as a molecular and cellular biology and public health double major and her internships on the Hopkins medical campus, including research at the National Familial Pancreas Tumors Registry. K.K. also describes how specific courses and mentors in both STEM and the humanities influenced her time at Hopkins and shaped her perspective on public health
In Praise of Decline: A Transvaluation of Eco-Values
Full text linkA central strand of Euro-American political thought idealizes durability, permanence, and even immortality. Contemporary environmental political theory, despite its critical stance, often mirrors this focus, emphasizing sustainability, conservation, and preservation. Associating decline with loss, failure, oblivion, and existential despair, scholars tend to see only its tragic aspects—disease, destruction, and moral degeneration—concluding that decay is an inherently harmful and undesirable process.
However, the persistence of plastic waste and “forever chemicals” exposes the dangers of arrested decay. Their harmful “immortality” disrupts typical cycles of life and death, revealing that durability can be dangerous. Existing environmental political theory, oriented as it is around the problems of scarcity and depletion, and the aims of sustainability and preservation, is not yet adequate to the urgent tasks of analyzing problems of plenitude or understanding the harms that follow when we hold off decay and decline. What is needed now is a critical theory able to identify the conditions within which sustaining and conserving are and are not laudable goals.
In Praise of Decline: A Transvaluation of Eco-Values develops such a theory, reframing decline as a necessary political and ecological process. By challenging the uncritical valorization of durability, it highlights how decay can foster renewal, transformation, and ecological flourishing. The first chapter critiques the harmful persistence of modern materials, such as plastics, which refuse to decay, disrupting natural cycles. The second chapter examines waste as a form of colonial durability, arguing that the persistence of garbage enacts spatial and temporal appropriation, perpetuating the violence of colonialism through the lingering material presence of waste. Moving from the problems of a lack of decline to the possibilities within falling apart, the second half of the dissertation looks to decline’s creative and productive work. The third chapter, grounded in an exegesis of architectural sites, explores the creative potential of deterioration, demonstrating how decay contributes to world-building. The final chapter synthesizes these discussions through an analysis of artworks and the concept of “compost politics,” as fundamental to fostering multispecies care, ecological renewal, and political transformation in the Anthropocene. By reinterpreting decline as integral to ecological and social transformation, the dissertation expands the scope of environmental political theory while contributing to the environmental humanities
THE ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS: RURAL TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES WITH STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH
Full text linkIn recent years, adolescent mental health has been declining, which has become evident in schools. However, the impact of this student mental health crisis on teachers is not well-studied, particularly in rural schools. This convergent parallel mixed-methods study examined teachers' experiences in a rural Midwest high school with their students’ mental health and how those experiences have impacted them. Through interviews and surveys, teachers (n=13) shared their experiences with student mental health, perceived barriers to supporting their students’ mental health, self-efficacy for supporting student mental health, and how that self-efficacy is related to their work-related stress. Both data strands showed a high prevalence of anxiety, ADHD-related symptoms, depression, and family stress within the school. Additionally, teachers acknowledged three primary barriers to their efforts to support student mental health: lack of adequate training on student mental health, factors related to rurality, and uncooperative parents. Teachers also showed a middle-of-the-road self-efficacy for supporting student mental health, with high confidence only in their ability to identify struggling students. However, they did not feel the skills they lacked were an issue, as they felt that a teacher’s role in students’ mental health should be limited. Finally, a high positive correlation was seen between teacher self-efficacy for supporting student mental health and two factors of stress: burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Using these insights, policies and practices can be shaped to create more support for students and teachers to combat this mental health crisis while reducing the stressful impact of these efforts on teachers
There and Back Again: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Perspectives on Generalized Symmetries
Full text linkQuantum field theory is a wild and ferocious beast in the field of physics. However, it also has proven time and time again to be one of our best ways to probe the universe in which we live. One tool that has helped tame this ferocity is symmetry. In this dissertation, we will explore many facets of (generalized) symmetries in quantum field theory, including examples from string theory as well as the mathematical structure that symmetries form.
This dissertation can be sorted into four main parts. In the first, we present and study a family of strongly coupled 4d \cN=2 SCFTs, dual to a new family of M-theory solutions. We use various wrapped M-branes to find field-theoretic quantities of the 4d theories, including the holographic central charge and operator scaling dimensions.
In the second part, we further analyze the generalized symmetries of different holographic field theories. We will see how brane configurations yield topological symmetry generators, and moreover how tachyon condensation in string theory gives rise to non-invertible symmetries. This includes both discrete and continuous symmetries alike, and concerns families of constructions dual to 4d \cN=1 and 3d \cN=2 theories.
In the third part, we discuss the fate of symmetry operators in gravitational theories. We first argue that a symmetry operator insertion in a theory requires a regulator, understood as the thickness for the operator. The topological nature is recovered as this thickness is taken to zero. We then argue that in the presence of gravity, the regulator cannot be taken to zero and hence the operators cannot be made topological. Thus, there is a natural and universal obstruction to the presence of symmetry operators when a theory is coupled to gravity.
In the fourth and final part, we turn to the mathematical structure of generalized symmetry operators. We show that, from purely physical arguments, the symmetry operators of a -dimensional quantum field theory naturally satisfy a proposed definition for a fusion -category. We focus particularly on Karoubi completeness, and study how higher condensation operators factorize into gauging interfaces
ASSESSING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON L2 SELF-EFFICACY AND MOTIVATION
No full textGrounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, this convergent mixed‑methods study examined how competency‑based education (CBE) practices shape Chinese high‑school students’ L2 English self‑efficacy and motivation at a high school in Southeast China. Four research questions guided the inquiry, regarding (1) the effect of CBE exposure on L2 English self‑efficacy, (2) the influence of Western cultural identification on motivation, (3) the fidelity of CBE implementation in the school’s English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes, and (4) the alignment of CBE teaching strategies with motivation research. Sixty‑five Grade 10–12 students completed a merged questionnaire that combined Wang’s (2004) English self‑efficacy scale, the American Institutes for Research’s CBE360 student experiences survey, and items measuring cultural internalization. Six English teachers completed the CBE360 teacher practices survey, and 232 time‑stamped events were captured during five non‑participatory classroom observations. Independent‑samples t‑tests and Pearson correlations revealed that students reporting higher CBE exposure demonstrated significantly greater L2 self‑efficacy (d = 0.65; r = .52, p < .001). Identification with Western cultural elements showed only a weak association with autonomous motivation (r = .26) and no significant relationship with attitudes toward English or confidence in use. Triangulation of student, teacher, and observational data exposed sizeable perception-practice gaps: Learning targets and mastery‑based pacing were rated as common yet observed in fewer than 3% of classroom moments. A review of the literature confirmed that core CBE strategies, when implemented well, are empirically linked to improvements in key motivational constructs, but uneven implementation dilutes their potential impact. Recommendations include targeted professional learning, policy realignment, and more systematic monitoring to help bridge the practice-perception gap in order to more fully realize CBE’s learning and motivational benefits
The Evolution of the Homewood and JHMI Police: Changes in Johns Hopkins Law Enforcement from the Late 1960s to the Early 1980s
Full text linkIn the 1960s and 1970s, policing on American college campuses underwent a major transformation. From anti-Vietnam War protests to demonstrations by growing Black student populations, many universities experienced unprecedented levels of student activism and revolt. Around the same time, growing concerns about crime and drug use in American cities, and about protests and uprisings by urban Black populations, prompted the beginning of the twin crime and drug wars. Alarmed by high-profile crises of student protest on campuses across the country, and perceiving the cities around their campuses to be in a state of deterioration, many university administrators saw the need to bolster their campus police forces. This paper is an examination of this period of campus police transformation as it played out at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). On the Homewood campus of JHU, the campus police force was transformed between the late 1960s and early 1980s from a small, semi-professional group of “watchmen” into a modern, professional police force of deputized members of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD). At the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (JHMI) campus in East Baltimore, policing was also greatly expanded into the surrounding area. Notably, JHU did not during this time follow a nationwide trend towards the establishment of private campus police departments. Plans for a private police department, controlled by the University and dedicated to its service, would only be announced by the administration in 2018. Nevertheless, campus policing at JHU underwent a major transformation in this time period, shaped by changes to the student body, an expanding campus footprint, new political pressures, problems with student drug use, and, above all, growing fears of crime on and around Johns Hopkins campuses. As shown from contemporaneous editions of the University’s student newspaper, the Johns Hopkins News-Letter, this process was not seamless or without student resistance. Nevertheless, the police force was greatly transformed and, by the early 1980s, student opinion on the police had changed dramatically as well
STRESS FRACTURES: INVESTIGATING THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN INJURY, PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING AND BEHAVIORAL RISKS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENT-ATHLETES
No full textCollege student-athletes face unique challenges, balancing demanding athletic obligations with academic responsibilities. Previous research has examined mental health outcomes in this population, however data on the impact of orthopedic injury on psychological distress, loneliness and suicidal behaviors remains limited. This work addresses this gap by examining the relationship between injury and mental health outcomes, while also accounting for factors that might impact respondents’ experiences and behaviors.
This study is a secondary cross-sectional analysis of data from the National College Health Assessment III (NCHA III) survey (Fall 2019 – Spring 2023) with varsity student-athletes aged 18-25 as the study population. This study aimed to do the following:
• Aims 1 and 2: Examine the relationship between orthopedic injuries, psychosocial well-being (loneliness and psychological distress) and suicidal behaviors in female (aim 1) and male (aim 2) student-athletes, as well explore whether minority racial or queer-spectrum identities have a moderating effect on these relationships
• Aim 3: Examine the relationship between orthopedic injuries and alcohol misuse across the full sample of student-athletes.
Fixed-effects logistic regression models were used to estimate associations while controlling for key demographic covariates, including race/ethnicity, academic year, and sexual orientation.
Findings indicate that female student-athletes who sustained an orthopedic injury in the past 12 months had significantly higher odds of reporting loneliness and serious psychological distress compared to their non-injured counterparts. However, similar associations were not found in male athletes. Both female and male athletes had higher odds of engaging in suicidal behavior in the setting of injury. When added as interaction term neither race nor sexual identity moderated the relationships between injury and the outcomes of interest, except in two instances: 1) Among female student-athletes, the association between injury and suicidal behaviors was weaker among female student athletes with Black racial identity compared to their White counterparts (OR = 0.47, p = .007). 2) Among injured male student-athletes, Asian identity appeared to strengthen the association between injury and suicidal behavior compared to their White counterparts (OR = 3.33, p = .009). However, moderation effect findings should be interpreted cautiously as statistical power was limited by small sample sizes in both analyses. Finally, in the analysis of Aim 3, injury was associated with an increased odds of alcohol misuse (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.09–1.33, p = .002).
These results highlight the critical need for injury-focused mental health interventions tailored to the needs of student-athletes. By broadening the understanding of the intersection between physical injury, mental health, and substance use, this dissertation contributes to the growing body of research aimed at developing targeted prevention and intervention strategies that enhance the safety and emotional well-being of collegiate athletes
Building a bridge between physics and statistical learning: a data-driven study of the state controls on catchment functions
No full textUnderstanding hydrologic transport is fundamental to elucidating the coupled dynamics of climate, biogeochemistry, and geomorphology that regulate water quantity and quality across landscapes. However, a major challenge arises from the inherent disconnection between the scales at which observations are made and the scales at which hydrologic processes operate. Observations at the catchment outlet, for instance, integrate complex processes spanning soil pores to hillslopes, leading to significant information loss when attempting to infer internal catchment dynamics.
Traditional physics-based models, while insightful at small scales, often falter at the catchment scale due to data limitations and potential misrepresentation of dominant processes. Conversely, purely data-driven models, despite excelling in predictive performance, frequently lack physical constraints, hindering their ability to offer mechanistic understanding. Thus, there is a critical need for modeling approaches that bridge the gap between physics-based and data-driven methods.
This dissertation aims to develop data-driven, physically descriptive tools for understanding hydrologic transport at the catchment scale, using tracer time series as primary observations. By imposing physical constraints and leveraging assumptions about representative lower-dimensional structures within catchment systems, the proposed approaches seek to retain critical process information while addressing the challenges of scale-induced information loss. The work is organized into three chapters: (1) a statistical decomposition of stream chemistry into end-members using a constrained mixing model; (2) the development of a stochastic Bayesian dynamical framework to describe state-dependent transport behaviors; and (3) the temporal downscaling of precipitation isotope observations to construct a high-resolution dataset for the extensively-monitored Pond Branch watershed. Collectively, these efforts aim to enhance our ability to infer internal catchment functions from external observations and to advance the understanding of hydrologic transport processes
DESIGN, SYNTHESIS AND ANALYSIS OF ORGANIC DIELECTRICS AND ADDITIVES IN ELECTRONIC DEVICES FOR CHARGE STORAGE AND DIELECTRIC STRENGTH
No full textOrganic electronic materials have emerged as promising platforms owing to their intrinsic advantages, including mechanical flexibility, cost-effectiveness, optical transparency, and chemical tunability. Their implementation in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and polymer capacitors has driven significant progress in flexible electronics, sensing, and bioelectronic applications. Nonetheless, limitations in the fundamental understanding of charge transport mechanisms and the influence of structural and electronic disorder continue to constrain device performance, necessitating further investigation into structure–property–function relationships.
In this work, a block copolymer, polystyrene-block-polyanthrylaminomethylstyrene (PS-b-PAAS), was synthesized via RAFT polymerization and post-functionalization. When blended with 2-aminoanthracene (2AA), the system formed co-aggregates, as confirmed by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed modified excited-state lifetimes. OFETs employing these blends exhibited enhanced charge carrier densities and pronounced threshold voltage shifts, indicative of improved charge storage behavior.
To investigate monomer–polymer interactions, 2,5-bis(3-dodecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (BTTT) was incorporated into poly(2,5-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PBTTT), resulting in altered morphology, dielectric properties, and storage performance. Enhanced drain currents and voltage endurance were observed, supporting a proposed “half-order” charge storage mechanism.
Furthermore, N,N′-dialkyl naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic diimide (NTCDI), EDOT-bithiophene (EDOT-bT), and polystyrene-block-poly(N-vinylphthalimide) (PS-b-PNVPI) were synthesized to explore block copolymer–small molecule interactions. PS-b-PNVPI effectively modulated crystallization behavior and improved dielectric response, affording capacitors and OFETs with elevated capacitance, charge density, and storage efficiency. These findings provide new design strategies for advanced organic electronic systems