Implementation of Digitally Scanned Polarization-OFDR using a Coherent Transceiver

These are the slides from a presentation given at Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) on 03/31/2025.We present a novel measurement technique for P-OFDR with a digitally created linear chirp in the transmitter and vector complex optical field detection to measure the Stokes parameters along the fiber

Well-posedness of a higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation on the interval

These are the slides from a presentation given at the The Thirteenth International Conference on Nonlinear Evolution Equations and Wave Phenomena: Computation and Theory held in Athens, Georgia on April 14, 2025.The higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger (HNLS) equation is a more accurate alternative to the standard NLS equation when studying wave pulses in the femtosecond regime. It arises in a variety of applications ranging from optics to water waves to plasmas to Bose-Einstein condensates. In this talk, we consider the initial-boundary value problem for HNLS on a finite interval in the case of a power nonlinearity. We establish the local well-posedness of this problem in the sense of Hadamard (existence and uniqueness of the solution as well as its continuous dependence on the data) for initial data in the Sobolev space $H^s$ on a finite interval and boundary data in suitable Sobolev spaces determined by the regularity of the initial data and the HNLS equation. The proof relies on a combination of estimates for the linear problem and nonlinear estimates, which vary depending on whether $s > 1/2$ or $0 ≤ s < 1/2$. The linear estimates are established by using the explicit solution formula obtained via the unified transform method of Fokas. This is a joint work with Dionyssis Mantzavinos and Türker Özsarı

Unlocking Magic School AI: Powerful Tools for Educators

This is Season 1 - Episode 2 of the AI Advocates podcast series created by the FLITE Stem Center in the Achievement and Assessment Institute at the University of Kansas. The purpose of AI Advocates is to provide podcasts dedicated to helping educators integrate artificial intelligence into their classrooms to save time, enhance learning, and provide more equitable educational opportunities. Hosted by Dr. Lisa Dieker and Dr. Maggie Mosher from the Achievement & Assessment Institute at the University of Kansas, these podcasts offer tips, tools, and strategies for teachers looking to incorporate AI into their teaching practices safely and effectively.In this episode of AI Advocates, Dr. Lisa Dieker and Dr. Maggie Mosher explore Magic School AI, one of the most powerful AI tools for educators. They discuss its high privacy rating, its ability to separate tools for teachers and students, and its many features, from joke and song generators to real-world learning connections and IEP goal-writing assistance. Lisa and Maggie also emphasize the importance of using AI responsibly, testing tools before introducing them to students, and ensuring that educators remain the decision-makers. Tune in to hear their favorite Magic School AI tools and how they can enhance both teaching and learning! Magic School AI Link: https://www.magicschool.ai

The Hottest Ticket in the City! A Look at the Dew Drop Inn

This poster was presented at National Council on Public History on 03/27/2025.The Dew Drop Inn in New Orleans, LA, offers an impressive case study in economic resilience and social justice through community engagement and historical preservation. Established in 1939, the Dew Drop became a cornerstone of Black culture and Queer performance during the Jim Crow era. As one of the few Black-owned hotels in New Orleans, it was a vibrant hub for top entertainers and a crucial gathering place for the community. It embodied the resilience and spirit of Black New Orleanians cultivating a sound that would later become known as Rhythm and Blues. Previously known as “the South’s swankiest spot”, in the 50’s and 60’s the place was known for hosting top acts like Ray Charles, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and more. During its original opening it served as a barbershop, nightclub, restaurant, and hotel in addition it was also featured in the notorious Green Book. Today it is the only Black owned museum-hotel in Louisiana—showcasing a unique model of integrating historical preservation with contemporary community needs. The Dew Drop Inn Hotel epitomizes the intersection of Black history, community activism, and innovative museum practices. This case study illustrates how historical preservation and community engagement can create dynamic experiences that honor the past while addressing contemporary needs. This research underscores the importance of preserving spaces where minority communities connect with their history and influence their present, paving the way for a more inclusive and vibrant future in historical spaces

Course-Based Research Assignment: Literature Review and Theoretical Expectations (POLS 469)

This assignment was the product of a Research-Intensive Course Grant through KU’s Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships. These grants provide financial support and advising for instructors who want to incorporate larger research and creative projects into their classes. Each file is made available in both an editable format (docx or pptx) and pdf format.This assignment was created for POLS 469, an upper-level political science course focusing on authoritarian propaganda. The mini-assignment serves as a critical component of a larger course project where students develop an original research report investigating the production, dissemination, or effects of authoritarian propaganda. Students are given multiple approaches to their final project: they can examine specific propaganda sources (news outlets, TV shows, social media accounts), analyze propaganda's impact on public opinion or behavior, or pursue other approved topics. This mini-assignment specifically focuses on developing the literature review and theoretical framework portions of the research paper. The primary objective of the assignment was to provide students with an understanding of different approaches to specifying social science theories and research contributions. For the assignment, students need to identify several relevant academic studies, identify their key insights and the larger debate they are a part of, and determine a possible gap in the literature that their paper might address. Building on this preliminary literature analysis, students should identify the variation of interest and the specific social and political variables they might examine and develop concrete testable expectations about the relationship between these variables

Dopamine Transporter Inhibitors Alter Zinc-Mediated Dopamine Reuptake

This poster was presented at Pittconn 2025 on 03.03.2025.Zinc, the second most abundant transition metal ion in the human brain, plays a crucial role in various physiological processes, including the modulation of neurotransmission. The use of caged zinc compounds photoactivated to allow application of zinc ions into the brain with small spatial and temporal resolutions has revealed that photo-released zinc ions resulted in decreased dopamine reuptake. It was necessary to conduct research to further investigate the interaction of photo-released zinc with dopamine transporters and different dopamine receptors. For this, we studied the dopamine release and reuptake kinetics in zebrafish whole brains using fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) at carbon fiber microelectrodes in the presence of different pharmacological agents such as GBR 12909 and nomifensine which are dopamine reuptake inhibitors and SB 277011A, a D3 receptor antagonist. Once the brain was harvested, it was placed in a perfusion chamber receiving a continuous flow of oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid containing each of the drug to maintain viability. The brain was then perfused with a xanthone-based photocage, and at the time of data collection, light was supplied from a mercury light source, gated through a shutter under computer control and synchronized with the FSCV measurements. Electrical stimulation for dopamine release was consisted of 15 pulses at 60 Hz and a current of 350 A. The results indicated that zinc has synergistic interaction with nomifensine for dopamine transporter binding and different binding sites compared to that of GBR12909. Our results provide a foundation to explore the role of zinc in different pathway-specific modulations during neurotransmission. These findings will help to expand the current knowledge on the role Zn2+ in dopamine release and reuptake, thereby unraveling new therapeutic pathways to treat neurodegenerative diseases associated with Zn imbalance

Reducing Physical Tension in the Beginning String Orchestra

These are the slides from a presentation given at Kansas Music Educators' Association In-Service Workshop on 02/28/2025.Reducing physical tension in the beginning string orchestra is essential to creating a healthy young musician. This session will focus on the two aspects of a musician's tension: the mental and physical

Hidden Hands: US Dependence on Indigenous Power in the Nineteenth-Century American Southwest

This is the paper from a presentation given at the Nordic Association of American Studies held in University of Turku, Finland on 06/04/2025.In the 1860s, the US Army relied heavily on its alliance with the Akimel O’odham in Arizona to realize its aspirations of defeating slavery in the South and wresting control of the West from Indigenous peoples. During this critical time, O’odham partnership aided the meager army force in establishing a Southwest military network while advancing the Tribe’s efforts to protect its homeland, people, resources, and autonomy from non-Native and Intertribal threats. Union-O’odham cooperation crushed Confederate dreams of a coast-to-coast empire, weakened the alliance’s Indigenous enemies, such as the Apache, and ultimately shaped the Southwest for conquest

Evaluation of the Thermal Resilience of Residential Buildings with PCM Enhanced Envelope Under Different Climate Zone

These are the slides from a presentation given at 2025 ASHRAE winter meeting on 02/10/2025.The increasing frequency of heat wave events has significantly impacted residential buildings and the health of their occupants. Utilizing thermal storage to mitigate overheating presents a promising solution. To investigate this, we comprehensively assess the energy and thermal resilience performance of residential buildings with phase change material (PCM)-enhanced building envelopes in normal weather conditions and during heat wave events across different climate zones. The results show that integrating PCM-enhanced building envelopes can achieve 2.1-36.5% of energy saving for different climate zones. It can also significantly improve the thermal resilience in terms of the KPIs of indoor overheating degree (IOD), ambient warmness degree (AWD) and overheating escalation factor (OEF) during heat wave events with or without power outages for most of the climate zones. Further enhancement of thermal resilience during heat wave events with power outages has been achieved by combining natural ventilation at night with the PCM-enhanced building envelopes

Textured Epoxy-Coated Hooked Bars

These are the slides from a presentation given at ACI Concrete Convention on 03/30/2025.The ACI Building Code and AASHTO Bridge Specifications require the development lengths of epoxy-coated hooked bars to be 20 percent longer than for uncoated bars. A new textured epoxy coating produced by Sherwin-Williams provides corrosion protection along with improved bond strength and damage tolerance. Tests have demonstrated that the bond strength of straight textured epoxy-coated reinforcement (TECR) satisfying ASTM A1124 is equivalent to the bond strength of uncoated bars. Tests are now underway to compare the anchorage strengths of textured epoxy-coated and uncoated hooked bars that may permit the use of a coating factor of 1.0 for both within the ACI Building Code and the AASHTO Bridge Specifications. This study examines the bond strength of TECR using beam-end specimens, as required by ASTM A1124, and the anchorage strength of hooked TECR using simulated beam-column joint specimens. To date, 12 beam-end specimens - six pairs of TECR and uncoated bar specimens - were tested in accordance with ASTM A944 and A1124, and one pair of simulated beam column joint specimens containing TECR and uncoated No. 11 bars, embedded at 22 in. with a concrete compressive strength of 5000 psi, was tested. Figures 1 and 2 show the test setups for the beam-end specimens and the simulated beam column joint specimens, respectively. The TECR exhibited a bond strength equal to 100.3 percent of that of uncoated reinforcement from the same heat of steel in the beam-end test. Similarly, the TECR exhibited an anchorage strength equal to 107.3 percent of that of uncoated reinforcement in the simulated beam column specimen test. Additional tests are planned and will be reported