79297 research outputs found
Sort by
Pedagogical Escapism and Western Performativity: A Psycho-Aesthetic Critique of Belly-Dance Adaption Symbolics
No full textThis paper addresses positionality misreading in Western pedagogical adaptions of belly dancing. Raqs Sharqi, known in the West as belly dancing, is a predominantly West Asian and North African discipline and performance art with multimodal varieties, globally taught and practiced while crossing sport, narratology, and story-telling boundaries. As a unique performance activity, it portrays a dynamic entertainment space to connect one’s multiple identities. I argue that Raqs Sharqi, not only as an aesthetic-educational art form but also, perhaps unwittingly, reiterated as an Orientalist communication trope in belly dancing, has forged East-West performativity models. However, the historical education-literature for Western women and modern adaptions of Raqs Sharqi are socio-culturally disconnected. In want of aesthetic meaning-making for contemporary cultural identity elaborations, Western pedagogical and adaption processes overlook elemental aspects including cultural perspectives, the process of cognitive development, individual authenticity, and group politics of belonging and autonomy.
Challenging Eurocentric and English-speaking narratives about Middle Eastern identities, Raqs Sharqi, in its intersectional positionality, is the loci of continued West Asian and North African identity heterogeneities. The narrative fluidity afforded to this historical and religious conceptualization, I contend, is somewhat lost in conceptions of Western dance homogeneity in entertainment. Reasons are multidimensional, illustrative of patriarchal histories of women’s education, Western literary and art erotic-exotic rhetoric traps, and the influence of contemporary media and digitalization. Drawing on philosophical foregrounding, Dialogical Self Theory (DST), and symbolic interactionism, this study elucidates the progress of escapism and performativity enforced by positionality misreadings in Raqs Sharqi. In so doing, I expand on the colonial continuity of dance pedagogy, delineating the socio-positionalities of pedagogic framing and empowerment double standards
Modulating Electron Transfer Properties Through Confinement in Metal Organic Cages
No full textMetal-organic cages (or MOCs) are three-dimensional molecules comprised of metal nodes linked by organic ligands. While there are many types of MOCs, all possess an inner cavity allowing for confinement of guest molecules within. Confinement allows for many applications of these materials in areas including gas adsorption, separations, pollutant sequestration, biomedical applications, guest stabilization and more. Confinement within MOCs is understood to be driven by two main factors: electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic effects. Because MOCs come in many flavors, a host MOC can be chosen to best suit a target guest. This dissertation describes two main projects to observe the effects of confinement on redox-active materials. In the first project, cationic zirconium-based MOCs are synthesized and used to confine transition-metal EDTA complexes in DMSO. The effects of confinement are observed by cyclic voltammetry, where kinetic parameters are determined for the guest both within and outside MOC pores. Further, differences in host-guest interactions across different MOC structures are catalogued, and oxygen-sensitive [FeIIEDTA]2- has been stabilized to oxidation in the presence of zirconium-based MOCs. This work provides a foundation for research into the stabilization of electrocatalysts within supramolecular systems in the future by showing several effects that confinement within MOCs can have on the redox activity of guests. In the second project, an anionic aluminum-based MOC is used to encapsulate a series of manganese-based organometallic complexes structurally similar to established electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction. These complexes have been primarily studied in organic solvents but are also water-soluble. Additionally, similar complexes are known to react with one another after being electrochemically reduced, which can alter catalytic stability, activity, and selectivity. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and cyclic voltammetry are used to monitor interaction of the MOC host and guest manganese complexes. This work aids in understanding how electrocatalytic materials for CO2 reduction behave in aqueous environments, as well as the effects of interaction with MOCs on their redox activity and stabilit
Studying The Low-Lying Structure of 9B via The 10B(3He,a)9B Reaction
Get PDFThe unstable nature of 9B makes it a challenging isotope to study. The first-excited state of 9B has been particularly difficult to characterize. Since the first experimental observation of this state in 1955, many experimental and theoretical nuclear structure studies have sought to classify it, but with large discrepancies in the energy and width values from these results, the properties of the state remain inconclusive.
An experiment using the 10B(3He,α)9B reaction was performed at the John D. Fox Superconducting Linear Accelerator Laboratory at Florida State University in an effort to populate and characterize this elusive state in 9B. A 7.5-MeV 3He beam was incident on an enriched 10B target at the entrance of the Super-Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph (SE-SPS). The SE-SPS focal plane detector has particle identification capabilities that were used to isolate the reaction of interest. This experiment utilized the large solid-angle coverage of the Silicon Array for Branching Ratio Experiments (SABRE) at backward laboratory angles in order to detect multiple decay particles from 9B in coincidence with the alphas from the (3He,α) reaction detected at the focal plane of the SE-SPS. These features, as well as the digital electronics used for data acquisition, set this experiment apart from previous 10B(3He,α)9B studies by providing gated 9B spectra with high-resolution peaks and low-background statistics. Data was also taken on a LiF target to utilize the well-studied 7Li(3He,α)6Li reaction and 6Li low-lying structure for calibration. The decay particles from 6Li and 9B are detected in SABRE and the Invariant Mass Method is used to reconstruct the original, unstable states. These reconstructed spectra are then characterized with multi-breakup Monte Carlo simulations. The 10B(3He,α)9B experiment, 7Li(3He,α)6Li calibrations, analysis methods and results will be presented in this work
Rheological Characterization and Printability of Sodium Alginate–Gelatin Hydrogel for 3D Cultures and Bioprinting
Get PDFThe development of biocompatible hydrogels for 3D bioprinting is essential for creating functional tissue models and advancing preclinical drug testing. This study investigates the formulation, printability, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility of a novel Alg-Gel hydrogel blend (alginate and gelatin) for use in extrusion-based 3D bioprinting. A range of hydrogel compositions were evaluated for their rheological behavior, including shear-thinning properties, storage modulus, and compressive modulus, which are crucial for maintaining structural integrity during printing and supporting cell viability. The printability assessment of the 7% alginate–8% gelatin hydrogel demonstrated that the 27T tapered needle achieved the highest normalized Printability Index (POInormalized = 1), offering the narrowest strand width (0.56 ± 0.02 mm) and the highest printing accuracy (97.2%) at the lowest printing pressure (30 psi). In contrast, the 30R needle, with the smallest inner diameter (0.152 mm) and highest printing pressure (80 psi), resulted in the widest strand width (0.70 ± 0.01 mm) and the lowest accuracy (88.8%), resulting in a POInormalized of 0.274. The 30T and 27R needles demonstrated moderate performance, with POInormalized values of 0.758 and 0.558, respectively. The optimized 7% alginate and 8% gelatin blend demonstrated favorable printability, mechanical strength, and cell compatibility with MDA-MB-213 breast cancer cells, exhibiting high cell proliferation rates and minimal cytotoxicity over a 2-week culture period. This formulation offers a balanced approach, providing sufficient viscosity for precision printing while minimizing shear stress to preserve cell health. This work lays the groundwork for future advancements in bioprinted cancer models, contributing to the development of more effective tools for drug screening and personalized medicine
Abolishing The Cage: An Intellectual History of the Modern Prison Abolition Movement in the United States
No full textThis thesis examines the intellectual history of modern prison abolitionism by tracing its development and evaluating the work of prominent primogenitors of the movement. Though primary source documents drive the analysis in several chapters, this thesis is largely an interrogation of secondary sources. This is due mainly to this project’s emphasis on analyzing prison abolition discourse and its evolution, rather than historical events and causation per se. Therefore, recent contributions made by activists and scholars are as important to the conversation as are events from the near and distant past. This investigation reveals that 1976 was the pivotal moment for the movement, when disparate parts of proto abolitionism coalesced into a unified program.
Throughout this work, carceral institutions like jails and prisons are cast as tools of social control meant to prop up hegemony, with subjects like race, class, and gender highlighted to evidence these claims. However, these subjects cannot be divorced from each other and are often contingent upon one another. To separate gender from the conversation on race, for instance, would be to center whiteness in feminism. Therefore, this intersectionality has necessitated a more collective, community-oriented approach to dismantling the prison industrial complex from abolitionists, leading them to adopt both intersectionality and transformative justice as an analytical framework and model of justice respectively.
Though these points have, to an extent, already been made in recent scholarship surrounding the prison abolition movement, this project problematizes these narratives by utilizing a different methodological and analytical approach to the study of the topic. As such, it not only challenges the traditional timeline for the modern prison abolition movement but also provides a chronological (and historiographical) rendering of the ideas and themes that preceded it. This is in sharp contrast to the work of previous scholars who have instead treated this history thematically. By providing readers with a new and perhaps more accessible lens through which to view prison abolition and its inception, this project seeks to deepen understanding about the movement and to locate its current goals within a broader intellectual tradition
Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Within the Built Environment
No full textBuilt environment vocations are known to be resistant to innovation and change due to numerous industry characteristics that challenge the ability of companies and professionals to do anything but maintain the status quo and engage in a business existential struggle. The industry is marked by pollution, high costs, high risk, unsafe conditions, and poor project management. The insurance industry has a notable interest in the built environment and its proper functioning, as does the judicial system given the professional liability standards to which some sector vocations must adhere to.
All of this could be greatly improved via the transference and application of known mathematical means and methods derived from the field of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. This research presents evidence to reveal that there does exist a gap in MCDA adoption within the built environment. It further attempts to understand the relationship between various entity characteristics and specific MCDA use. It leverages modern data sets and tools, such as internet search engine data and academic databases metadata analysis tools to greatly increase sample sizes and so augment direct industry data collection efforts to enhance the clarity of precisely which MCDA are most used within the built environment, which might benefit from additional toolmaking and/or sector intervention.
Math programs such as JMP Statistical Analysis and MATLAB are leveraged within this research to conduct statistical analysis and identify a prospective use case for a specific MCDA, fuzzy logic, within a built environment context. Patterns are detected both along fields of study and traditional academic guidelines but also clusters of MCDA uses involving specific tools, such as GIS and drone mounted data collection devices such as LIDAR and novel ways to integrate BIM with MCDA techniques to help industry professionals know what tools may be of aid in this venture
Numerical simulation for subsidence control in CO2 storage and methane hydrate extraction
No full textGas hydrates are increasingly viewed as a promising alternative to traditional fossil fuels. However, their extraction process poses risks to structural integrity, potentially causing significant subsidence. In this study, we developed a Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) model to analyze the impact of gas hydrate extraction on seabed subsidence. Our investigation focused on the influence of bottom hole flowing pressure, initial hydrate concentration, gas saturation, permeability, porosity, and rock thermal conductivity on subsidence during gas hydrate extraction via depressurization. The results show that seabed subsidence is affected by various factors such as bottom hole flowing pressure, initial hydrate concentration, gas saturation, permeability, porosity, and rock thermal conductivity. It was noted that significant subsidence is associated with low initial hydrate concentration, high permeability, porosity, low gas saturation, low rock thermal conductivity, and a notable pressure drop of 79.31%. To address this issue, we propose a seabed subsidence mitigation strategy involving CO2 injection. This approach not only safeguards offshore infrastructure and coastal communities but also helps reduce CO2 emissions, aligning with global climate change mitigation efforts. In our model, CO2 injection occurs in the subsurface reservoir at the interface between the free water zone and hydrate-bearing formations. The CO2 hydrates formation process releases heat, which dissociates methane hydrates, allowing the methane to be replaced by CO2 molecules and move towards the production well. Our analysis reveals that increasing injection temperature and rate significantly reduces subsidence. Additionally, the range of investigated injection pressures, which included pressures equal to and more than double the initial reservoir pressure, showed inconsequential impacts on seabed subsidence. The effectiveness of subsidence reduction is significantly enhanced by injecting a CO2/N2 mixture compared to pure CO2 injection. The most substantial reduction in subsidence occurred when a mixture of CO2 and N2 in a 50/50 vol/vol ratio was injected at a high rate. These findings offer crucial insights for optimizing the efficiency and control of gas hydrate extraction methods. They emphasize the importance of employing balanced injection strategies to minimize environmental risks and ensure sustainable energy extraction
Corporatized Oikonomia: An Ethnography of a Coal Company\u27s Complaints Office
No full textThis article develops the concept of corporatized oikonomia, a form of modern corporate governance aimed at securing consent and managing risks. It focuses on a case study of Glencore\u27s Cerrejón coal-mining operations in La Guajira, Colombia, and in particular its complaints office, a key element of its risk management. Through ethnographic investigation the article demonstrates how this grievance mechanism, often praised by international institutions, may serve less as a tool for solving immediate issues and more as a mechanism for surveillance and control and perpetuating ongoing bureaucratic processes. Contributing to political ecology and anthropological studies of corporate social responsibility, the research explores how corporate governance shapes political subjectivity among the local population, who are frequently left waiting for attention.
The study reveals the complex interplay between corporate enclaving practices and socio-political trusteeship, supported by a corporate security apparatus. It argues that the friction between these forces creates a deeply ambivalent form of political subjectivity. The article emphasizes the company’s balancing act between acting as a trustee and avoiding the role of a surrogate state, highlighting the nuanced dilemmas faced by both the corporation and local communities. By examining household rule and subjectivity in “domesticated” communities, it sheds light on extractive enclaves as complex, interconnected entities. The article concludes by emphasizing how ongoing negotiations in these messy interactions shape subject formation and influence both corporate practices and community engagement.
SPANISH:
Oikonomia corporativizada: una etnografía de la oficina de quejas de una empresa de carbón
Este artículo desarrolla el concepto de oikonomia corporativizada, una forma de gobernanza corporativa moderno que apunta a asegurar el consentimiento social y gestionar los riesgos empresariales. Se centra en un estudio de caso de las operaciones de extracción de carbón de Glencore en Cerrejón, La Guajira, Colombia, y en particular su oficina de quejas, un elemento clave de su gestión de riesgos. A través de una investigación etnográfica, el artículo demuestra cómo este mecanismo de quejas, aplaudido por instituciones internacionales, no solo es una herramienta para resolver problemas inmediatos, sino, funciona más como un mecanismo de vigilancia y control y perpetuación de procesos burocráticos en curso. Contribuyendo a la ecología política y los estudios antropológicos de la responsabilidad social empresarial, la investigación explora cómo la gobernanza corporativa moldea la subjetividad política entre la población local, cada vez más esperando atención.
El estudio revela la compleja interacción entre las prácticas de enclavamiento corporativo y el patronato sociopolítico, apoyada por un aparato de seguridad corporativa. Sostiene que la fricción entre estas fuerzas crea una subjetividad política profundamente ambivalente. El artículo destaca el equilibrio que debe mantener la empresa entre actuar como socialmente responsable y evitar sustituir el papel de Estado, destacando los dilemas matizados que enfrentan tanto la corporación como las comunidades locales. Al examinar la ‘gobernanza doméstica’ (Owen 2015) y la subjetividad en las comunidades “domesticadas”, arroja luz sobre los enclaves extractivos como entidades complejas e interconectadas. El artículo concluye enfatizando cómo las negociaciones en curso en estas interacciones confusas dan forma a la formación de sujetos e influyen tanto en las prácticas corporativas como en la participación comunitaria