Open Source GIS: From QGIS to Python

This workshop will guide attendees through open source GIS workflows using QGIS's approachable user interface and demonstrate how to replicate those processes programmatically in Python for enhanced reproducibility and efficiency. GIS beginners can expect a well rounded introduction to geospatial data and software, while seasoned users will benefit from techniques for automating their workflows with Python.UT Librarie

No-reference image and video quality assessment for user-generated media

User-generated content (UGC) constitutes a significant portion of global internet traffic, with billions of videos and images shared daily on social media and streaming platforms. Despite its ubiquity, UGC often suffers from diverse and complex perceptual quality issues due to distortions introduced during capture, processing, and sharing. Addressing these challenges is critical for improving user experience, enabling better content optimization, and providing tools for inclusive content creation. This dissertation focuses on three critical problems in no-reference (NR) perceptual quality assessment for UGC: video quality prediction, image quality enhancement for visually impaired users, and the quality assessment of text embedded in multimedia content. First, we tackle the challenging and unsolved problem of NR video quality assessment (VQA) for UGC. Traditional VQA models struggle to generalize to the diverse and “in-the-wild” nature of UGC. To address this gap, we developed the largest subjective video quality dataset to date, containing 38,811 real-world distorted videos, 116,433 space-time localized video patches, and 5.5 million human perceptual quality annotations. Using this dataset, we proposed two novel NR-VQA models: (a) Pathc-VQ (PVQ), a region-based architecture that captures local-to-global quality relationships, achieving state-of-the-art performance on three benchmark UGC datasets, and (b) PVQ Mapper, the first space-time video quality mapping tool that visualizes and localizes perceptual distortions. These models advance the state of the art in VQA, offering robust predictions and actionable insights into the quality of real-world UGC videos. Second, we address the unique challenges faced by visually impaired users in capturing high-quality images. This demographic often produces content exhibiting severe distortions, including blur, noise, and poor exposure, which pose significant barriers to quality assessment and actionable feedback. To address these issues, we created the LIVE-Meta VI-UGC Database, the largest dataset of its kind, comprising 40,000 distorted images, 40,000 patches, and 2.7 million human perceptual quality and distortion labels. Leveraging this dataset, we developed a blind image quality predictor that models local-to-global spatial relationships, achieving state-of-the-art prediction accuracy on VI-UGC data. Furthermore, we designed a prototype feedback system based on a multi-task learning framework, empowering visually impaired users with actionable insights to improve their photography and confidently share higher-quality content on social media. Third, we investigate the underexplored problem of assessing the quality and legibility of text embedded in UGC, particularly in short-form videos. The quality of embedded text significantly affects user comprehension and the overall perception of multimedia content, as well as applications like visual search and recognition. To advance this domain, we created two novel datasets: the LIVE-COCO Text Legibility Database, featuring 74,440 text patches with subjective legibility annotations, and the LIVE-YouTube Text-in-Video Quality Database, containing approximately 19,000 subjective quality ratings on 405 videos and 641 text patches. Using these datasets, we developed models capable of predicting both text quality and legibility. We further introduced a multi-task model that simultaneously predicts overall video quality and local text quality, addressing the interplay between text legibility and multimedia quality in UGC. Overall, this dissertation presents a comprehensive approach to improving the perceptual quality of UGC through the development of advanced datasets, innovative quality prediction models, and user-centric tools. By addressing the diverse challenges of video, image, and text quality in UGC, this work provides solutions that enhance user experience, optimize content, and support accessibility. The outcomes of this dissertation are expected to benefit applications such as quality monitoring, content creation tools, accessibility enhancements, and user guidance, ultimately improving the global experience of social media and streaming platforms.Electrical and Computer Engineerin

The lettuce monster : a history of state violence, carceral geography and industrial agriculture in the Salinas Valley

This dissertation is a descriptive account of state violence in the Salinas Valley, a rural agricultural area on California’s Central Coast, from the 1930s to the 2010s. Chapter 1 recounts the 1934 Filipino lettuce strike and the 1936 Dust Bowl migrant strike to track how valley law enforcement departments expanded in man- and fire-power, and instituted surveillance tactics that were advanced for their time. It also examines how agribusiness leaders funded and directed strike suppression activities, and facilitated law enforcement’s acquisition of tear gas and long-range guns. These events contributed to making Salinas Valley law enforcement one of the most armed and organized forces in the nation by the end of the 1930s. Chapter 2 highlights valley law enforcement’s partnerships with federal and military agencies during World War II, as well as agribusiness’s use of Bracero and Prisoner of War labor. This chapter argues that the Salinas Valley developed a carceral geography that enabled high levels of agricultural production during the war. Chapter 3 follows the transformation of the carceral geography to include field and factory worksites, as undocumented immigrants were housed in labor camps resembling prison camps and were surveilled by growers’ private security guards, regional Border Patrol agents, and United Farm Workers strikers. Undocumented immigrants constituted a marginalized workforce that was exploited and faced dangerous work and living conditions into the 1980s. Formerly incarcerated people also form part of this workforce, and are subject to hyper-surveillance inside agricultural packing factories, and in public spaces subject to city ordinances and state probation laws. Chapter 4 examines Salinas Valley law enforcement’s increased militarization post-9/11, which was facilitated by the expansion of the Department of Defense’s 1033 Program and state and federal funding. A culture of impunity in the valley enabled law enforcement to engage in a series of unethical policing practices and financial scams, ultimately escalating to a spate of police shootings from 2014 to 2019. This dissertation ends considering how current pandemic-related measures affect policing and surveillance in the valley.American Studie

A comparative analysis of cost and schedule performance in public and private construction projects

This research investigates the cost and schedule performance differences between construction projects from public and private organizations, emphasizing the significance of effective management for successful project execution. Utilizing data from the Construction Industry Institute (CII), the study analyzes 481 projects from both sectors through statistical methods and benchmarking techniques. The analysis did not find statistically significant differences in the overall cost and schedule performance between public and private projects in the dataset, with an average cost factor of 0.99 for both and average schedule factors of 1.08 for public projects and 1.06 for private projects. However, a few specific subsets of projects did show statistically significant differences. For instance, projects with budgets over 100 million dollars and modernization projects with budgets under 50 million dollars demonstrated that private projects outperformed public projects, showing better performance and greater consistency in term of cost performance. Thus, the study's findings indicate that while both public and private sectors generally manage costs effectively, schedule management poses a more significant challenge across the board. Public projects, in particular, show higher variability in scheduling, often leading to delays.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin

An observational study on fathers’ self-disclosure and vulnerability in conversations with their adolescent children

Self-disclosure and vulnerability are two constructs that play an important role in relational intimacy. To date, almost no research investigates if or how fathers engage in self-disclosure or express vulnerability with their adolescent children. This study addresses this gap by providing a qualitative, thematic account of paternal self-disclosure and vulnerability obtained through observations of fathers engaging in conversations with their adolescent children. Results from this study suggest that, in certain contexts, fathers do self-disclose and express vulnerability with their adolescent children. Additionally, results from this study provide four distinct dimensions of self-disclosure that can be used for further research investigating individuals’ self-disclosure tendencies. Finally, several themes engorged from the data that demonstrate possible methods fathers can use to engage in self-disclosure and vulnerability with their adolescent children.Educational Psycholog

Overview and opportunities : transit planning in the Atlanta region

The Atlanta region is currently and historically dynamic. Recent population trends show increased population growth, with which opportunities and challenges arise. With the pressure of added passengers and ever-present change, the transit system has, if anything, grown in importance. While there are a multitude of entities, three main organizations plan the transit system and associated programs for the region: the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (ATL), and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The following report identifies six major plans and programs conducted by these organizations and elaborates on key components of each. After reviewing these plans, their strengths and limitations were synthesized and two actionable opportunities to enhance transit equity and efficiency in the region were identified. The findings of the paper are two addressable opportunities: (1) Enhance usefulness of available data through synthesized mapping and emerging GIS-based transit accessibility analysis methodologies. (2) Create coordinated documents and partnerships between Atlanta-region transit plans and programs to enhance the effectiveness of system.Community and Regional Plannin

Friend or Foe? An Analysis of A.I. in the Energy Sector

The Texas Orato

Humor, music, and the mental world: the creation of‬‭ Laughter in the Deep‬ ‭

Humor serves as both an artistic tool and a mechanism for navigating complex emotional landscapes. Laughter in the Deep is a multimedia performance project that explores the intersection of humor, music, and mental states through a combination of pantomime, audiovisual counterpoint, and conceptual metaphor. The piece consists of three sections— “Snow, My Dearest Friend,” “Word of Mouth,” and “Albert Run”—each employing humor to highlight psychological tension and human vulnerability. The theoretical foundation for this work draws from Tom Schneller’s concepts of audiovisual parallelism and counterpoint, which articulate how the alignment or dissonance between sound and image can create comedic or dramatic effects. Conceptual Metaphor Theory further informs the compositional approach by mapping abstract emotional experiences onto concrete musical and theatrical elements. In “Snow, My Dearest Friend,” shifts between serene winter melodies and exaggerated physical reactions create an interplay between comfort and absurdity, using humor to reflect inner dissonance. “Word of Mouth” transforms the mundane discomfort of a dentist visit into an exaggerated sonic spectacle, where familiar dental sounds morph into industrial machinery, heightening the absurdity through metaphor and sound design. “Albert Run” explores humor in sound alone, as a ChatGPT-generated voice narrates an overwhelming mental struggle in an emotionally detached tone, juxtaposed against chaotic environmental sounds to amplify the contrast between narration and lived experience. The creative process behind Laughter in the Deep emerged organically, with theoretical frameworks applied retrospectively to analyze the intuitive use of humor, music, and multimedia elements. The work extends prior explorations of non-verbal drama, digital interaction, and musical humor, expanding on influences from comedic musicians and theatrical traditions. By integrating AI-generated narration, pantomime, and digital media, the piece not only engages with contemporary performance practices but also raises questions about the role of humor in processing anxiety, identity, and digital communication. Ultimately, Laughter in the Deep demonstrates how humor, when embedded within musical and theatrical structures, becomes a means of artistic and psychological exploration, transforming discomfort into a shared, cathartic experience.Musi

Reactor core from phosphate ore

This thesis addresses the processes necessary to extract uranium from phosphate ore and convert it to reactor fuel which can be used in a 1,000 MWe PWR. This includes uranium extraction from phosphate ore, conversion, enrichment, deconversion, and fuel fabrication. Uranium demand has increased over the past four years which will likely influence whether phosphoric acid production companies restart uranium extraction activities. Environmental and political drivers will also almost certainly have a significant influence on this market, in addition to economic drivers. This thesis provides a summary of historic solvent extraction systems (D2EHPA-TOPO, OPPA, OPAP) and mentions a few newer systems with higher distribution ratios (e.g. BDEHCNP) that will likely be candidates for future processes. Ion exchange also shows significant promise as a possible replacement technology. An evaluation of capital and operating costs indicates that in 2024 solvent extraction would have a total cost of [dollar sign]59-[dollar sign]83/lb U3O8 and ion exchange would cost [dollar sign]46-[dollar sign]76/ lb U3O8. Environmental and health effects are also addressed along with national security and proliferation concerns.Mechanical Engineerin

Large language models are capable of offering cognitive reappraisal, if guided

Large language models (LLMs) have offered new opportunities for emotional support, and recent work has shown that they can produce empathic responses to people in distress. However, long-term mental well-being requires emotional self-regulation, where a one-time empathic response falls short. This work takes a first step by engaging with cognitive reappraisals, a strategy from psychology practitioners that uses language to targetedly change negative appraisals that an individual makes of the situation; such appraisals is known to sit at the root of human emotional experience. We hypothesize that psychologically grounded principles could enable such advanced psychology capabilities in LLMs, and design RESORT which consists of a series of reappraisal constitutions across multiple dimensions that can be used as LLM instructions. We conduct a first-of-its-kind expert evaluation (by clinical psychologists with M.S. or Ph.D. degrees) of an LLM's zero-shot ability to generate cognitive reappraisal responses to medium-length social media messages asking for support. This fine-grained evaluation showed that even LLMs at the 7B scale guided by RESORT are capable of generating empathic responses that can help users reappraise their situations.Linguistic