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Baby, It’s (Not as) Cold Outside: Applying the National Environmental Policy Act to Antarctic Research Stations [Article]
No full textArticleAntarctica is an environmentally critical and fragile region, yet human activities and climate change continue to harm the continent. Despite the environmental protections
mandated by the Antarctic Treaty, the operation of U.S. Antarctic research stations continues to present material harms to the region, and gaps in the Treaty’s legal framework
allow research station operations to escape full environmental oversight. The U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a procedural statute guiding federal agency decisions, can supplement these gaps in environmental protections, but its application to Antarctica is challenged by the presumption against extraterritoriality. Yet, strong precedent exists for NEPA’s extraterritorial application outside traditional U.S. jurisdiction. In one pivotal case, NEPA applied extraterritorially to waste management activity at a U.S. Antarctic research station, but this statutory application was confined to agency decision-making that occurred within the domestic United States. This precedent should be extended to warrant NEPA’s true extraterritorial application to Antarctic research station operations. Such extraterritorial application is justified by the United States’ significant legislative control in Antarctica, the absence of foreign policy conflicts, and the broader global implications of continued Antarctic degradation. Implementing NEPA at U.S. stations would enhance environmental oversight and reinforce global Antarctic conservation efforts.This material published in Arizona Journal of Environmental Law & Policy is made available by the James E. Rogers College of Law, the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library, and the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact the AJELP Editorial Board at https://ajelp.com/contact-us
A Study of Microwave Assisted Leaching of Copper Sulfide Minerals
No full textChalcopyrite is an abundant copper sulfide mineral that is highly refractive to leaching and is usually processed through pyrometallurgy. Given the environmental and economic burden of pyrometallurgy, the hydrometallurgical processing of chalcopyrite has attracted increasing interest. This study has been carried out to investigate the leachability of microwave pretreated chalcopyrite using a novel lixiviant, sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8), as an oxidant in pH=1 H2SO4 solutions. The microwave pretreatment of chalcopyrite was performed under atmospheric conditions at a power level of 900 watts for two minutes. Batch experiments were performed examining the effect of temperature, particle size, and oxidant concentration on the leaching kinetics of microwave pretreated chalcopyrite. Results indicate that temperature and microwave pretreatment drastically increase kinetics. Through optimization of leaching conditions, copper recoveries of up to 74% were observed in microwave pretreated samples compared to 37% in untreated samples. Analysis utilizing SEM/EDS (scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) revealed that microwave pretreatment results in surface and elemental morphologies that favor the dissolution of chalcopyrite, including thermally induced cracking and the regional concentrating of elements. However, consistent mineralogical changes were not observed. It was determined that copper leaching from microwave pretreated chalcopyrite followed surface reaction rate-limited kinetics, according to the shrinking-core model equation 1-(1-X)1/3. The apparent activation energy was found to be 38.77 kJ/mol.Release after 05/29/202
Association of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus With Maternal Outcomes and Risk Factors
No full textBackground: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is among the most common complications seen during pregnancy in the US as well as worldwide. The prevalence of both GDM and severe maternal morbidity (SMM) are on the rise in the US. GDM results in short-term complications and long-term consequences in both mother and offspring. The studies on the association between GDM and SMM are limited. The evidence on the association between maternal smoking and hypothyroidism and GDM is conflicting. Objectives: The research objectives were: 1) to evaluate the associations between GDM and specific SMM indicators, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), sepsis, shock, and non-transfusion SMM, and 2) to describe the risk of GDM among females with a history of smoking and hypothyroidism. Methods: This thesis study was a retrospective, multi-year, nationwide, cross-sectional study using Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)-National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data (2012 to 2020). The study population consisted of delivery hospitalizations among females aged 15-49, identified using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM codes. Continuous variables were compared using t-tests or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests after testing for normality. Categorical variables were compared using Pearson's Chi-square test. We used multivariable logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). These models were developed with hypothyroidism and smoking as the primary exposures and GDM as the outcome, while adjusting for relevant factors and covariates selected based on clinical significance and a review of the literature. Multivariable log-binomial models were used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) of specific SMM outcomes and their 95% CIs with GDM as the primary exposure and age, hypothyroidism, and smoking status covariates for the adjusted models. Results:
There were 34,121,910 delivery hospitalizations, out of which 3.5% had hypothyroidism and 8.64% were smokers. The proportion of GDM in delivery hospitalizations increased over the study period and was higher compared to those without hypothyroidism. Delivery hospitalization patients with hypothyroidism, compared to those without hypothyroidism, had a higher risk of GDM (adjusted OR (aOR), 1.31; 95% CI, 1.29-1.33; p<0.001). Smoking was poorly associated with GDM (aOR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-1.00; p<0.001). Of the 34,121,910 delivery admissions, 2,546,450 were delivery hospitalization patients with GDM. The prevalence of GDM increased in the study population. However, the prevalence of non-transfusion SMM and DIC decreased in patients with GDM over the study period. Patients with GDM had a slightly higher risk of any SMM (adjusted RR (aRR), 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02–1.08; p < 0.001) and ARDS (aRR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.00–1.18; p = 0.04) compared to patients without GDM. The risk of shock (aRR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.97; p = 0.01) and sepsis (aRR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.84–1.00; p = 0.05) were observed to be lower. GDM showed poor association with DIC (aRR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.93-1.04; p = 0.6). Conclusions: This large nationwide study showed a higher risk of GDM in delivery hospitalization patients with hypothyroidism compared with those without hypothyroidism. There was a poor association observed between the history of smoking or current smoker status and GDM among patients hospitalized for delivery. Early screening for GDM may be offered to pregnant women with hypothyroidism. ARDS, DIC, and any non-transfusion SMM proportions were higher in delivery hospitalization patients with GDM than those without GDM. GDM was modestly associated with any SMM and ARDS. There was a poor association between GDM and DIC, and a lower risk of shock among women with GDM. The association remained mild for sepsis in the GDM group. Early diagnosis and optimal management of GDM would help to prevent ARDS, DIC, sepsis, shock, and any SMM and effectively manage SMM, if any. The results of this thesis research are important from a clinical and a public health perspective. Further, focused studies are needed to strategize how to prevent and manage SMM complications among women with GDM and to understand the association between hypothyroidism and smoking during pregnancy with GDM.Release after 05/23/202
Development of Python-Based Software and ESP32-Based Remote Control for Handheld In Vivo Microscopes
No full textHandheld in vivo microscopy is a technique that enables imaging of cellular details of living tissues using a portable handheld device without the need for large, bench-based imaging systems. It offers a compact and portable solution for real-time imaging in a wide range of healthcare settings. Due to its high resolution, however, handheld in vivo microscopy is susceptible to motion artifacts. For example, users must hold the device steady while simultaneously controlling computer software to capture data or adjust the position of the objective lens. This divided attention often leads to small movements of the hand holding the device, which introduce motion artifacts that blur fine structural details and compromise the diagnostic quality of the images. In this thesis, an open-source, Python-based graphical user interface (GUI) and an ESP32-based remote control system are developed to enhance the stability and accessibility of handheld in vivo microscopy systems. The GUI has been developed to replace expensive and inflexible proprietary software like LabVIEW and provide intuitive controls for camera settings, live view configuration, and precise motor control while supporting offline operation. Additionally, the ESP32-based remote has been developed to enable single-user control of key functions, including motor movement, image capture, and axial scans, directly on the device, minimizing the need to interact with a computer during imaging. The effect of the remote on image stability was evaluated by imaging human skin both with and without the remote. A stack of multiple in vivo microscopy images was acquired while the objective lens was axially scanned through the tissue depth. The image stack was spatially registered for two consecutive image frames. The spatial registration showed that microscopy images captured with the remote required smaller shift corrections, averaging 0.96 µm per frame, compared to 1.33 µm per frame without the remote. This reduction in frame-to-frame displacement suggests that the remote-assisted scans exhibited improved stability, with significantly fewer motion artifacts in the registered image stacks. Additionally, the Python-based software was evaluated against the existing LabVIEW implementation in terms of usability and performance. The Python code successfully replicated all core functionalities of the LabVIEW interface while introducing additional features for improved control and flexibility. To validate performance, the framerate was tested by recording a 1 Hz signal. The software consistently captured data at the expected 30 frames per second (fps), confirming that it meets real-time acquisition requirements. The results demonstrate that integrating a remote has the potential to improve the usability and image quality of handheld microscopes. By addressing stability and accessibility, this work provides a practical solution that can accelerate the deployment of handheld in vivo microscopy tools in diverse healthcare settings.Release after 05/29/202
Efficient Algorithms for Bilevel Optimization Problems with Application in Machine Learning
No full textBilevel optimization is an important class of optimization problems where one optimization problem is nested within another. It has become a powerful framework in a variety of machine learning applications, including signal processing, meta-learning, hyperparameter optimization, reinforcement learning, and network architecture search. The first chapter provides an introduction and overview of existing bilevel optimization frameworks, specifically highlighting simple bilevel optimization and general bilevel optimization methods, along with related research and their applications. The second chapter shifts focus to asynchronous multi-agent consensus optimization with nonlinear constraints. By introducing an accelerated primal-dual algorithm that achieves an optimal convergence rate for suboptimality, infeasibility, and consensus violation, we demonstrate a robust and efficient scheme for distributed optimization problems under limited or sporadic communication. This discussion also illustrates how the considered multi-agent problem can be recast as a simple bilevel optimization task, showing that our proposed method applies in that scenario as well. Next, we address the complexity of general bilevel optimization. While several methods have emerged for the unconstrained case, fewer tackle constraints at either the upper or lower level—a gap our work fills. We provide a thorough theoretical treatment of these extended bilevel models and introduce advanced, principled algorithms that manage upper-level constraints more efficiently and effectively. Our novel single-loop projection-free method, which employs a nested approximation technique, not only reduces iteration complexity relative to prior approaches but also retains optimal convergence guarantees comparable to the best known methods for single-level convex problems. Finally, we extend the scope of our research and propose a control-theoretic approach to solving bilevel optimization problems. Our method combines a gradient flow mechanism for upper-level minimization with a safety filter for enforcing lower-level constraints. Through Lyapunov analysis, we prove convergence to a neighborhood of the global optimum. This continuous-time insight then informs the design of an efficient discrete-time, gradient-based algorithm for large-scale bilevel problems, pairing computational tractability with theoretical rigor. This approach provides a unifying perspective and a novel tool for solving a broad class of nonconvex–nonconvex bilevel optimization problems. Overall, we demonstrate that the algorithms proposed in this thesis achieve optimal or superior convergence rate guarantees compared to competitive methods for the problem classes considered. Their effectiveness and advantages are further validated through numerical experiments on a variety of real-world problems.Release after 05/09/202
Strain-Specific Insights Into the Different Diarrheal Manifestations of Campylobacter jejuni and the Role of Racrs in Pathogenesis
No full textCampylobacter jejuni is an undervalued globally important foodborne pathogen that remains severely understudied. It is considered to be the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, with acute infections leading to several post infectious ailments, along with long term effects on childhood development. The increasing prevalence worldwide and rise in antibiotic resistance, highlights the importance in understanding how this pathogen causes disease and how it can be prevented. In humans, C. jejuni infections lead to two different diarrheal presentations, a watery diarrhea or a bloody/inflammatory diarrhea. Yet in the past 40 years, there has been little to no research aimed at understanding these diarrheal manifestations and the underlying mechanisms behind what drives them. The production of disease is multifactorial and involves both host and bacterial factors that influence the patient outcome. C. jejuni pathogenicity and virulence factors such as invasiveness and toxin production are suggested to contribute to the production of disease in humans. Furthermore, bacterial regulatory systems allow bacteria to adapt to changing environmental conditions, by altering gene expression. This dissertation will address how bacterial pathogenicity, virulence and growth factors as well as the regulatory system RacRS all influence strains of C. jejuni associated with two different diarrheal manifestations in the neonatal piglet model. While the neonatal piglet model is not a direct reflection of disease presentation in humans, it is the only animal model that distinguishes between diarrhea manifestations caused by C. jejuni and has prominent similarities to humans both physiologically and anatomically. Chapter 1 highlights the global epidemiology of C. jejuni, detailing its prevalence across different geographical regions, transmission routes and the various environmental and host factors influencing infection rates. This chapter also provides an in-depth review of the pathogenesis of C. jejuni infections, from ingestion to its interactions with the host immune response and associated post infectious sequalae. Certain aspects of C. jejuni pathogenesis such as adhesion and the use of the flagellar secretion system have been extensively studied, but significant gaps remain in the understanding of how this pathogen coordinates disease progression in humans. Furthermore, this chapter reviews C. jejuni two component regulatory systems with specific emphasis on the RacRS system and its role in disease production in C. jejuni. Chapter 2 establishes the variations in pathogenicity and virulence factors among C. jejuni strains associated with watery and bloody/inflammatory diarrhea in the neonatal piglet model. By comparing the phenotypes of C. jejuni strains with known diarrheal manifestations, this chapter explores how toxin production, invasion, attachment, macrophage survivability, immune response and epithelial integrity all contribute to these distinct outcomes. These findings provide a clearer picture of strain-specific virulence and pathogenicity factors and how they play into disease production. Chapter 3 expands upon the observed pathogenicity and virulence differences between C. jejuni strains associated with watery and bloody/inflammatory diarrhea in the neonatal piglet model that mimics key aspects of human gastrointestinal infection. It explores how these strains respond at the body temperature of humans as well as the body temperature of poultry, the natural reservoir of C. jejuni, by examining their metabolic adaptations across both hosts. By investigating growth and carbon utilization patterns between these two groups of C. jejuni, potential bacterial lifestyle preferences are observed. The role of growth patterns and nutrient availability provides a more complete understanding of how C. jejuni may survive and adapt to the human gut. Chapter 4 integrates the findings in the previous chapters to establish a link between the RacRS regulatory system and the established diarrheal manifestations of C. jejuni strains in the neonatal piglet model. This chapter builds on the limited prior research on RacRS by examining how RacRS influences pathogenicity and virulence factors such as motility, attachment, invasion, toxin production, biofilm production and macrophage survivability. These findings suggest a distinct role for RacRS in the factors that help to establish early colonization and infection within human hosts.Release after 04/28/202
Precipitation Interactions with the Earth's Surface
No full textPrecipitation is a critical component of the Earth’s water cycle and energy budget. It can shape the environment via erosion and flooding as well as support life on Earth via access to fresh water for agriculture and drinking. However, precipitation is one of the most difficult atmospheric parameters to quantify and its relationships with the Earth’s surface require further study. The challenges in understanding precipitation’s relationship with the Earth’s surface vary depending on the region and environment where the precipitation is taking place. In polar environments, precipitation is sensitive to sea ice conditions and vice versa, while in continental environments, precipitation is sensitive to soil moisture and vice versa. In both polar and marine environments in situ observations of precipitation are limited due to the remote nature of the regions. In all environments, there are difficulties in measuring solid precipitation at the surface, as winds can more easily blow snow away from gauges and the liquid water content of snow varies depending on atmospheric conditions. Since precipitation can occur at such small temporal and spatial scales in all environments and over remote regions, it can be difficult to capture globally complete precipitation rates from in situ measurement or to parameterize them in climate models. This dissertation takes a holistic approach to addressing these challenges by investigating the impacts of precipitation in marine, polar, and continental environments. The first study (Marcovecchio et al. 2023), analyzed the relationship between precipitation and marine boundary layer clouds using measurements and retrievals from field campaigns the East North Atlantic and Southern Ocean. Both regions are in marine environments with relatively high frequency occurrences of low-level, liquid dominant MBL clouds, but are in different hemispheres with different weather patterns. A summary of the study is as follows: we compared the cloud and drizzle macrophysical and microphysical properties of single-layer, liquid dominant marine boundary layer clouds and associated drizzle from the two field campaigns. Using field campaign data allows us to address the lack of in situ precipitation measurements at a consistent temporal and spatial resolution in marine regions. The results have shown that the Southern Ocean campaign has a higher drizzle frequency rate and a lower specific humidity that leads to a higher drizzle base than that of ENA. By improving our process level understanding of drizzle in each location, we may help to address the difficulties in parameterizing precipitation at small temporal and spatial scales in models. This work was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres. While the first study (Marcovecchio et al., 2023) investigates process level understanding of precipitation within the marine boundary layer atmosphere, the second study (Marcovecchio et al., 2021) investigates the relationship between precipitation and sea ice melt onset in a polar environment in the East Siberian Sea and the Laptev Sea. Sea ice season melt onset timing can vary interannually by up to three weeks, but models are still unable to pinpoint the timing of melt onset accurately. In the study, the results have shown when changes in precipitation phase and intensity may be significantly different before and after the melt onset of sea ice. One important conclusion of this study was that precipitation contributes to the initiation of ice melt and precipitation might also initiate albedo feedback processes. Specifically, we compare four years with early melt onset to four years with late melt onset in the area of focus to better compare the different responses to melt onset timing. The area of focus was selected because the atmosphere is most sensitive to sea ice melt onset in this region. There is not yet a high-quality ground-truth Arctic precipitation data product, so a consistency check is performed between MERRA-2, ERA-Interim, and ERA5 reanalysis Arctic precipitation products and the GPM GPCP satellite- and ground-based observational product. We found that all three reanalyses would yield the same conclusions, but spotlight one reanalysis in the article based on how it represents seasonal trends. For early melt years, we found that surface sensible flux loss and precipitation are above average in the days before and after the first major melt event, which represents heat and moisture transport coming into the area of focus from the midlatitudes. However, surface sensible heat flux loss and precipitation are below average in the month leading up to the first major melt event during late melt years. Instead, melt onset in late melt years is associated with the atmosphere reaching average seasonal conditions, as they had been below average in the weeks leading up to the first major melt event. This work is published in the International Journal of Climatology. Since the first and second study focus on marine precipitation, in the third study we investigate the relationship between precipitation and the land surface. As mentioned previously, in continental environments, precipitation is sensitive to soil moisture and vice versa. Accurate soil moisture information is important because it can be used to predict flood events, soil strength, and streamflow. The third study uses the Noah-MP land surface model to investigate how uncertainties in precipitation and other meteorological forcings propagate through Noah-MP and impact soil moisture. This study analyzes soil moisture and surface turbulent fluxes (sensible heat and latent heat) Noah-MP outputs as well as precipitation and temperature from ERA5 (ECMWF Reanalysis Version 5), GDAS (Global Data Assimilation System), and US Air Force Weather Analysis (AFWA) meteorological forcing datasets. Soil moisture from Noah-MP is compared to in-situ measurements from the USCRN (U.S. Climate Reference Network) and Level 3 satellite observations from SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive). Model output of sensible heat (SH) and latent heat (LH) are compared to in-situ flux tower measurements at ARM Southern Great Plains. We found that ERA5 has the best statistical comparisons for precipitation, with a bias lower two orders of magnitude smaller than the other forcing datasets. This contributes to ERA5 having a statistically the best soil moisture with a slightly better correlation, RMSE, and ubRMSE than AFWA relative to in situ data. In investigating how precipitation forcing uncertainties propagate through the Noah-MP model, we help to address one of the difficulties in parameterizing precipitation in models. Overall, this dissertation takes a broad approach to improving our understanding of precipitation interaction with the Earth’s surface in three different environments: marine, polar, and continental. The first study (Marcovecchio et al., 2023) improves our understanding of microscale process-level knowledge of drizzle formation, which can help improve precipitation parameterizations in marine regions, and also uses field campaigns to address the sparsity of in situ measurements. The second study (Marcovecchio et al., 2021) compares precipitation data sources to address limited in situ observations in the polar environment and addresses relationships between sea ice and precipitation. Finally, the third study investigates the impacts of precipitation and meteorological forcings on soil moisture in a continental environment. It addresses the high variability of precipitation by seeing how its uncertainty propagates through land surface models and discusses how precipitation can impact soil moisture conditions at the land surface. The diverse focus areas of each study enable the exploration of precipitation over land, ocean surfaces (including sea ice), and within the marine boundary layer, enhancing our understanding of how precipitation interacts with the Earth's surface
Anesthetic Guidelines for Patients on Glucagon-Like Peptide Receptor Agonists
No full textPurpose. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to educate anesthesia providers on the current state of the literature for patients on Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1RAs). By presenting this information, providers will be better equipped to manage these patients and remain current on future research as it emerges. Background. GLP-1RAs, originally developed for Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM), are now also effective in treating obesity. While generally well tolerated, they can cause gastrointestinal (GI) issues, delayed gastric emptying (GE), and complications in anesthetic management, such as increased risk of pulmonary aspiration during surgery. Providers must understand their pharmacological profile, effects on perioperative care, and current preoperative management to mitigate risks. Methods. A comprehensive literature review was conducted and presented in a PowerPoint presentation with accompanying handouts and visuals for DMG anesthesia providers in January 2025. Following the presentation, attendees completed an anonymous post-pre survey to evaluate its effectiveness. The survey results were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results. Anesthesia providers' knowledge significantly improved in multiple areas, with p-values ranging from 0.002 to 0.048. Providers also showed increased readiness to implement updated protocols in clinical practice and stay current with future research on the topic. Conclusion. This project demonstrated that the intervention significantly improved anesthesia providers' knowledge and preparedness in managing patients on GLP-1RAs. The positive outcomes emphasize the need for ongoing education and standardized protocols to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes for this rapidly growing patient population
Focused Ultrasound-Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption for Targeted Drug Delivery and Therapeutic Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disease
No full textNeurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Parkinson’s Disease affected an estimated 7.7 million Americans in 2020 (Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, 2024) and has resulted in $392 billion in healthcare-related costs and lost wages (Understanding Parkinson's, 2024).A major obstacle for treatment of neurodegenerative disease is the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a layer of endothelial cells, astrocytes, and tight-junction proteins that prevent most therapeutic agents from crossing into the brain. Focused ultrasound (FUS + MB) with intravascular microbubbles (MB) has been introduced as a novel method of transiently opening the BBB for drug delivery and therapy in neurodegenerative disease. The gold-standard for confirmation of BBB opening after FUS + MB is T1-weighted MRI with gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) enhancement. While this method provides reliable and accurate localization of BBB opening within the brain, MRI does not have the spatial resolution to resolve local distribution or kinetics of solute delivery to the brain tissue. Currently, it is not established which vessels are opened via FUS + MB or the spatiotemporal distribution of solutes relative to the targeted cells. In this dissertation, in vivo 2-photon microscopy (2PM) was used in combination with MRI FUS + MB to better understand the effect of FUS + MB on tissue microvasculature and parenchymal kinematics. Results from such multimodality experiments are presented, where FUS + MB, MRI and 2PM are carried out in the brains of mice to investigate the effects of FUS + MB on microvasculature and the movement of molecules across the blood-brain barrier in healthy and disease-model mice
Novel Sulfur Polymer Material for Long Wave Infrared Applications
No full textLight is categorized by its wavelength. The category that is most widely studied is the one that humans can see: the visible spectrum. As a result, there are hundreds of materials used to make devices in the visible spectrum. Other categories, such as the long wave infrared regions, are less studied. There are only a handful of materials that work in this region, and they are expensive, heavy, and hard to source. As issues with tariffs arise in the global landscape, and as the need to send long wave sensors to space increases, there is a growing need for a low cost, readily fabricated infrared material. Elemental sulfur in nature exists as a ring of eight atoms; when heat is applied, the ring breaks into a chain. Since the sulfur atom is so large, its fundamental vibrational frequencies are low and therefore it cannot be optically excited at typical infrared (IR) wavelengths. Therefore, it is highly transparent in the infrared. These sulfur chains polymerize, and to stabilize them, an organic crosslinking molecule is added to the solution. To date, the ideal crosslinker identified is a norbornadiene dimer (NBD2). Increasing the amount of NBD2 increases the stability of the material, enabling it to be molded into lenses and used in photonics applications. However, the more dimer that is added, the worse the transparency is in the infrared. This thesis explores the tradeoffs between sulfur content, transparency and stability, and how to space qualify the polymer material for low size weight and power (SWAP) broadband sensor applications in payloads. My research follows the unique path of working with multiple departments at the University of Arizona as well as industry partners, all with the common goal of taking this new material and accelerating it into a production space. My goal is to take something from research and introduce it to the world in an application where it can be useful – and sulfur polymers are destined for space