79297 research outputs found
Sort by
The Tropical Silk Road: The Future of China in South America ed. by Paul Amar et al. (review)
No full textUNDERSTANDING AND QUANTIFYING CARBON EXPORT TO COASTAL OCEANS THROUGH DELTAIC SYSTEMS
No full textThe ocean is the second largest carbon reservoir on Earth and a significant carbon sink to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. However, ocean carbon sink is expected to decrease in the future with continuing seawater acidification, more stable ocean stratification, and intensified extreme weather events. Estuaries, the connection between land and the coast, undergo complex carbon reforming and pose the greatest uncertainty in global carbon budgets. Coupled physical-biogeochemical models over the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) were configured using biogeochemical boundary conditions from a global climate model (GCM), preserving the long-term climate variability and the conservation of carbon pools in the regional model (RM). Subsequently, a nested domain over the Barataria Basin was built to quantify the carbon export in the eroding estuary. Intensive model-data comparison confirmed that the RM could reliably simulate the ocean carbon system in the GoM, and added values (AVs) were achieved both at the GCM scale and the RM scale. Model results reveal that the GoM water has been experiencing a ~ 0.0016 yr-1 decrease in surface pH over the past two decades, accompanied by a ~ 1.66 µatm yr-1 increase in sea surface pCO2. The river-dominated northern GoM (NGoM) is a substantial carbon sink, and the open GoM is a carbon source during summer and a carbon sink for the rest of the year. Based on the sensitivity test for higher river discharge scenarios, the NGoM was predicted to become a stronger ocean CO2 sink in the future. Stronger fluvial influence will increase the ecosystem resilience after hurricanes’ impact but reduce its resistance at the same time. The model estimated that Barataria Basin exports approximately 52.5 ×106 kg yr-1 dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and 9.68 ×106 kg yr-1 total organic carbon (TOC) to the coastal water. The biggest carbon loss term of the Barataria Basin was in the form of CO2 outgassing in quantity of 98.8×106 kg yr-1
Using digital/virtual escape rooms to measure team performance and cohesion of isolated multicultural teams
No full textMulticultural teams are difficult to study when they are put in a long-term physically isolated environment, necessitating alternatives for research. This study determines the validity and reliability of a virtual escape room that promoted a simulated, isolated environment according to 93% of the participants tested. The study tested 17 multicultural teams completing two levels of a publicly available desktop game on virtual escape rooms. A questionnaire measured perceived team performance, perceived cohesion, and cohesion. An overall performance score was found by combining total time to completion, number of hints used, and peers’ ratings. Correlation coefficients were all \u3e0.2927 (p \u3c 0.038) and suggest that the escape room game is valid and reliable for performance and cohesion assessment. These findings allow isolated multicultural teams to be researched in an easily accessible setting, which can ultimately optimize their success before they enter isolated environments
Fundamental Insights into Copper-Epoxy Interfaces for High-Frequency Chip-to-Chip Interconnects
No full textFuture processes and materials are needed to enable multichip packages with chip-to-chip (C2C) data rates of 50 GB/s or higher. This presents a fundamental challenge because of the skin effect, which exacerbates signal transmission losses at high frequencies. Our results indicate that smooth copper interconnects with relatively thin cuprous oxides (Cu2O, CuI) and amine-functional silane adhesion promoters improve interfacial adhesion with epoxy dielectrics by nearly an order of magnitude. For the first time, we present X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy evidence of Cu(I)-O-Si bond formation at silane-treated interfaces. Thus, relatively smooth interconnects can benefit from reduced skin losses while maintaining their mechanical integrity and reliability. Failure mechanisms of Cu interconnects with cuprous and cupric oxide (CuO, CuII) are explored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). These results indicate that both cupric oxides and relatively thick cuprous oxide interfaces lead to relatively weaker interfaces compared with thin cuprous oxides with adhesion promoters
Multiparticle Quantum Plasmonics: Fundamentals and Applications
Get PDFQuantum plasmonics explores the interaction between light and collective charge oscillations at metal-dielectric interfaces, enabling strong light confinement and enhanced quantum effects at the nanoscale. While traditional quantum optics has primarily focused on single-photon systems, an intermediate regime exists between classical and single-photon optics - multiparticle (or multiphoton) quantum optics. In this regime, classical light sources, when analyzed through techniques such as photon-number-resolving (PNR) detection and projective measurement, can reveal nontrivial quantum correlations. This thesis investigates how multiparticle quantum plasmonics harnesses these correlations to control quantum statistical properties, enhance coherence, and enable novel applications in quantum technologies.
In this thesis, we begin by establishing the theoretical foundation of multiparticle quantum plasmonics, introducing key concepts such as photon-plasmon interactions, coherence theory, and statistical fluctuations. The first study demonstrates that multiparticle scattering can modify quantum statistics in plasmonic systems, providing a new degree of control over fluctuations traditionally assumed to be preserved. The second study explores the nonclassical near-field dynamics of surface plasmons, revealing how quantum coherence arises from bosonic and fermionic contributions within isolated subsystems. The third study focuses on quantum plasmonic sensing, where a conditional detection scheme enhances the signal-to-noise ratio of weak plasmonic signals, enabling improved phase estimation for metrological applications. In the final study, we extend the multiparticle approach to quantum imaging using natural light. By isolating multiphoton correlations from thermal light fields with PNR detection and a single-pixel imaging protocol, we demonstrate enhanced image contrast even under noisy conditions. This result shows that nonclassical features can be accessed in classical light through careful subsystem projection, expanding the scope of multiparticle techniques beyond plasmonic systems.
Together, these studies highlight the fundamental role of multiparticle interactions in controlling and applying quantum statistical properties. By bridging fundamental investigations and practical implementations, this thesis contributes to the advancement of quantum plasmonics and demonstrates how multiphoton methods can drive progress in quantum imaging, sensing, and information processing
An Investigation of the Factors Influencing Specialty Crop Production in the State of Louisiana and the Southern Region of the United States of America
No full textSpecialty crop production output in Louisiana is typically lower than row crop production output, a phenomenon that is also observed in other states within the Southern Region. This study seeks to investigate factors that can influence specialty crop production in Louisiana as well as the Southern Region of the United States by surveying farmers that are interested in farming or are currently farming. Variables of interest include perceived intention, knowledge, and levels of support to grow specialty crops. Findings from the specialty crop production survey administered in 2024, showed that farmers within these states were demographically similar in terms of age, gender, race or ethnicity, and farm ownership. Differences were observed between Louisiana and Southern Region farmers concerning perception of government support as well as perception of current or future laws governing specialty crop production. An adjusted R2 value of 0.11 was calculated indicating that approximately 11% of the variability in intention to grow specialty crops was predicted by the age of the respondent, with younger respondents indicating more intention to grow specialty crops. Research implications include more extension-based training particularly aimed at young farmers. Additionally, a focus on small-scale operations that sell via roadside stands and farmers’ markets would be beneficial as qualifying for loans, insurance coverage, or government subsidies is typically more difficult for these types of operations. Further research is proposed to elucidate other factors that can influence specialty crop production in Louisiana and the Southern Region of the United States as well as beyond
TARTANS: WEAVING A WARPED HISTORY WITH MYTHS, HERITAGE AND A WHOLE LOT OF HEATHER.
Get PDFScotland has many tartans throughout the whole of the country. Each has a different meaning and is used for different clans and purposes. Tartans are the plaids that are seen throughout the Highlands and the patterns and colors have a wide range depending on where and when the tartan was created. The purpose of this research is to investigate the history of the tartans and how they interact with our current culture. I also built two outfits to show how tartan is still being used. One a more traditional outfit and the other more avant garde. Tartans have a long history that is still being utilized today; this is a topic that ranges from the ancient world all the way to modernity. There is such a wide breath of tartans that I am interested in how these tartans show the identity of the individuals that wear these patterns. Tartans are still in the cultural zeitgeist today with media like Outlander, and Braveheart. Both of those have had tartans that were created for the purpose of that media. I investigated how tartans interact with the world of costuming and the identity of the individual. I also have plans to design and build an outfit utilizing a tartan
Beats, Rhymes, and Resistance: Africanness as a Decolonial Framework in Conscious Hip-Hop
No full textThis dissertation examines the representations of Africanness in conscious hip-hop as a multidimensional framework for decolonizing Black beingness and fostering transnational solidarity among African-descended peoples. By analyzing how conscious hip-hop artists engage with Africanness through lyrical and visual means, this study positions Africanness as not merely a historical or cultural reference but as an active and evolving strategy for liberation. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) methodology, this research explores song lyrics, visual aesthetics such as album artwork, and the public imagery of artists. Drawing on Pan-Africanism, Afrocentricity, and decolonial theory, this study frames Africanness as a critical lens through which conscious hip-hop artists challenge Eurocentric constructs and reimagine Black existence in emancipatory terms. It includes songs of both well-documented artists frequently cited in academic literature for engaging with Africa in their music and less-cited artists, thereby illustrating the extensive presence of Africanness in conscious hip-hop. This dissertation identifies Africanness as both a symbolic and practical tool for subverting colonial frameworks, deeply rooted in Pan-African and Afrocentric ideals. It also critically examines the challenges associated with conscious hip-hop’s deployment of Africanness as a decolonial project. Ultimately, the study challenges us to shift our focus from viewing the African-American community primarily as victims of systemic oppression to focusing on the frameworks this community uses to assert agency in the continued struggle for freedom
ANCESTRAL TIES: ETHNOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES ON BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL LEGAL FRAMEWORKS IN PERU AND THE UNITED STATES
No full textHuman remains have always been a culturally sensitive discovery when recovered from archaeological excavations. Reaching from the dark history of grave robbing to the tumultuous legal and ethical landscape of bioarchaeology today, researchers have had to navigate an array of opinions to determine proper research practices over time. No explicit international standards exist to outline the suggested treatment of ancient human remains outside of specific academic fields. A broad series of expectations for bioarchaeologists and museum curators has been summarized, but due to the unique nature of archaeological sites there is no required ethical or legal standard that can be promoted and/or enforced worldwide. The lack of specification has led to a degree of expected variation in the treatment of human remains between different countries. This thesis addresses this issue by comparing the legal and archaeological perspectives between Peru and the United States through an analysis of related legislation in conjunction with relevant ethnographic interviews. These variations in treatment are also exemplified through a study of a Peruvian human remains repatriation case performed at Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Museum of Natural Science. The drastic difference in the perception and understandings of human remains and their subsequent treatment between these two countries in part relies on the involvement of stakeholder and descendant communities advocating for the legal and archaeological personhood of the ancient individuals over time. Theoretical concepts such as postmortem agency are used as a lens to understand the effects that the memory of dead ancestors can have on modern social and legal situations. Results from my research suggest that varied colonial histories have contributed to the distinctive treatment of human remains by erasing the agency of ancient ancestors at different times in both Peru and the United States