Elementary Italian II

Italian II aims at increasing the student\u27s ability to use basic forms of oral communication in Italian through constant use of the everyday idiom. Carefully graded practice in reading and writing supplement the conversational aspects of the course. We will cover the second half of Italian Espresso 1 that is, chapter 7 through chapter 11, and the accompanying chapters in the workbook. We also will work on vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, oral comprehension, conversation, spelling and writing. Speaking, oral comprehension, and conversation will beemphasized

Titian’s Bacchus and His Two Loves

Titian\u27s Bacchus and Ariadne represents not only Bacchus\u27 attraction to Ariadne, as has long been recognized, but also his infatuation with a boy-satyr, Ampelos, who struts at the centre of the composition. The little satyr\u27s identity, recognized in the seventeenth century, but overlooked by modern scholars, is confirmed by newly revealed pentimenti. Titian was probably the first to embed this homoerotic love story in a painting depicting the Bacchus and Ariadne myth. The textual impetus for Titian\u27s inclusion of the Ampelos myth was Nonnos\u27 Dionysiaca. Guided by Nonnos\u27 text, Titian alludes not only to Bacchus\u27 love for Ampelos, but to the boy\u27s transformation into a grapevine. His metamorphosis prompted Bacchus\u27 discovery of wine, which precipitated his identity as the god of wine, hence his prominent position in the painting. Titian\u27s portrayal of Bacchus\u27 overwhelming ardour for the negligently dressed Ariadne, along with his former dalliance with the engaging, rosy-cheeked boy-satyr Ampelos, was never meant to represent celestial or marital love as has been claimed. Such an ennobling interpretation is disproved through an analysis of contemporary descriptions of the picture and its ancient literary sources

Approaches For Identifying And Characterizing Microplastics In Biosolids Using Density Separation And µFTIR Spectroscopy

Wastewater biosolids are a direct source of microplastics to the terrestrial environment because they are often applied in agricultural settings to increase field and soil nutrients. At present, the research community is struggling to standardized analytical methods for addressing this emerging environmental concern. This research aims to address this lack of standardization by developing a protocol to extract, count, and identify the types of microplastics in biosolids collected from two wastewater treatment locations in a large urban city. Our approach utilizes a density separation and a Fenton digestion as main components to collect microplastics and to allow their analysis with µFTIR spectroscopy. Data analysis was achieved using an iterative comparison and cross-validation of two separate spectral libraries – a commercial library available with the instrumentation and Open Specy, an online and open-source library used more frequently in support of microplastic researc

À la poursuite de Céline à New York

Louis-Ferdinand Céline n’a cessé de multiplier les allers-retours entre Paris et New York, jusqu’à la veille de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Le voyage commence dès 1925. Sa première expérience avec la Société des Nations (ancêtre de l’ONU), en tant que “responsable des échanges de médecins spécialistes”, prouve également son bon niveau en anglais. C\u27est sous l\u27égide de l’organisation internationale que le Docteur Louis Destouches se voit confier la direction d\u27une délégation de médecins sud-américains, qui l\u27amène à traverser toute l\u27Amérique de Nord. Ce périple de quatre mois le conduit de Cuba à la Louisiane, de New York à Montréal, esquissant déjà la trajectoire de l’odyssée célinienne. Après la publication de son roman phare, Voyage au bout de la nuit (1932), l\u27auteur revient à trois reprises sur le continent nord-américain. Une destination qui va étrangement se resserrer autour de New York, à partir de 1937. Sous la couverture officielle d’un écrivain talentueux, notre étude permet de mieux comprendre quelles furent ses intentions réelles. Au fil du temps, ses voyages promotionnels vont se muer en voyages politiques, où partout sur son passage se croisent les chefs de fil de mouvements nationalistes. Cet itinéraire met en lumière l’ambition et la sincérité de son engagement dans l’idéologie du IIIème Reich. Notre enquête explore les convictions profondes de l’écrivain, qui vont le conduire à organiser une partie de la propagande nazie à l’échelle internationale, notamment à travers la publication et la diffusion de pamphlets à partir de 1937. Louis-Ferdinand Céline continued to travel back and forth between Paris and New York until the eve of the Second World War. The journey began in 1925. His first experience with the League of Nations (the forerunner of the UN), as “responsible for the exchange of specialist doctors”, also proved his good level of English. It was under the aegis of the international organization that Doctor Louis Destouches was entrusted with the leadership of a delegation of South American doctors, which led him to cross the whole of North America. This four-month journey took him from Cuba to Louisiana, from New York to Montreal, already outlining the trajectory of Céline’s odyssey. After the publication of his flagship novel, Journey to the End of the Night (1932), the author returned to the North American continent three times. A destination that would strangely narrow around New York, from 1937. Under the official cover of a talented writer, our study allows us to better understand what his real intentions were. Over time, his promotional trips would turn into political trips, where everywhere he went, the leaders of nationalist movements would cross paths. This itinerary highlights the ambition and sincerity of his commitment to the ideology of the Third Reich. Our investigation explores the writer\u27s deep convictions, which would lead him to organize part of the Nazi propaganda on an international scale, notably through the publication and distribution of pamphlets from 1937

Activism within the Music and Recorded Sound Archive

This thesis explores the integration of applied ethnomusicology within the recorded sound archive of the New York Public Library. The process of repatriating recorded sound through community engagement lead to the development and eventual reparative work of outdated subject headings and other descriptive language within the archive. This thesis also explores how cultural preservation of similar non-physical fields such as naming conventions within linguistics and the development of gastronationalism combats globalization and ultimately colonization

Race and Ethnicity

Race and Ethnicity while often used inter-changeably, are two distinct construct. The Lecture explores the differences as well as the inter-relatedness of these constructs, as well as how different ethnic groups are received by society, with a focus on here in the United States

Vertex-Based Analysis of Cerebral Blood Flow and Fractional Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations (CBF-fALFF) Coupling in Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury During the First Year Post-Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to involve damage in the neurovascular unit. TBI may disrupt the brain’s neurovascular coupling–the relationship between cerebral blood flow and neural activity–that can lead to cognitive and functional impairments. This study attempted to non-invasively investigate neurovascular coupling in patients with moderate to severe TBI (msTBI) during the first year post-injury using a combined metric of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), a proxy for spontaneous neural activity. Using arterial spin labeling (ASL) and functional MRI sequences, CBF and fALFF were measured in 29 msTBI patients 3-, 6- and 12-months post-injury for within-group longitudinal comparisons. Thirty-four demographically matched healthy controls were assessed once for between-group comparisons. A vertex-based preprocessing pipeline was used to map spatial patterns of CBF-fALFF coupling across the cortical surface. Across-vertex global coupling was estimated by association (measured by regression or correlation coefficients) between CBF and fALFF values across the whole hemisphere. In addition, vertex-wise regional coupling values were calculated using locally weighted regression between fALFF and CBF. The coupling calculated on a global level revealed significant group differences between controls and TBI patients, indicating potential neurovascular coupling dysfunction in chronic msTBI patients. At 6 months post-injury, the duration of post-traumatic amnesia was significantly correlated with global coupling values based on regression coefficients. In contrast, after correcting for multiple comparisons, the vertex-wise regional group comparison showed no significant differences in CBF-fALFF coupling between msTBI patients and controls. Neither globally nor locally defined coupling metrics showed significant longitudinal changes or relationships with neuropsychological variables within the patient group. Potential explanations underlying the absence of longitudinal differences and the dissociation between the global and local coupling findings were discussed

Finding Peer-Reviewed Research

This is a short assignment that teaches studens about the role of peer-review as well as how to find and identify peer-reviewed research

Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy for Studying Photocatalytic Processes at Nanoscale

Semiconducting materials play a crucial role in photocatalytic systems that harness solar energy, providing promising pathways toward sustainable energy solutions. Despite their promise, the search for semiconductors combining high efficiency, stability, and cost-effectiveness remains challenging. Local variations in semiconductor-liquid interfaces significantly influence the kinetics of photocatalytic reactions, while surface heterogeneities—stemming from native defects or catalytic modifications—further complicate structure-function analyses. Understanding these complexities requires advanced tools like scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), as they can directly reveal local variations in behavior and provide valuable insights into how the different structural motifs influence light absorption, carrier recombination, or reaction kinetics. Combining SECM with nanoelectrodes enables high-resolution imaging at the nanoscale, allowing in situ direct probing of active sites, a significant advantage distinguishing it from other characterization tools. This thesis focuses on developing and applying high-resolution photo-SECM techniques to investigate overall water splitting (OWS) and other catalytic processes at the nanoscale, providing direct visualization and quantification of hydrogen and oxygen generation. The combination of high spatial resolution, quantitative measurements, and in situ capabilities positions photo-SECM as an indispensable tool for the future development of photocatalytic systems. Chapter 1 introduces the foundational principles of SECM, emphasizing its versatility in probing electrochemical processes. Key advancements in nanoelectrode fabrication and technical challenges of nanoscale SECM are discussed. Chapter 2 presents advancements in photo-SECM instrumentation, particularly a through-tip illumination approach coupled with a contactless optical system. This method allows localized illumination of a microscopic portion of the sample surface, with the tip simultaneously serving as a nanoelectrode for electrochemical measurements. An improved experimental setup was introduced to eliminate mechanical interactions between the optical fiber and the piezo-positioned tip. This innovation significantly enhances mechanical stability and allows high-resolution, artifact-free imaging and reliable nanoscale photoelectrochemical analysis, paving the way for more precise investigations of photoelectrochemical processes. Chapter 3 presents the first direct observation of OWS at individual Al-doped SrTiO3 photocatalyst microparticles, achieved using high-resolution photo-SECM. This work confirms stoichiometric H2/O2 evolution on unbiased particles under illumination. Photoelectrochemical experiments on a single microparticle attached to a microelectrode tip further revealed particle-to-particle heterogeneity in activity and underscored the importance of single-particle studies to avoid masking individual contributions in bulk measurements. Chapter 4 explores single phosphorus-doped BiVO4 microcrystals, revealing significant kinetic heterogeneity across the crystal surface, consistent with facet-dependent charge separation, where the {010} facet preferentially accumulates electrons, and the {110} facet favors holes. This study demonstrates photo-SECM\u27s ability to probe sub-facet photocatalytic processes. Chapter 5 introduces a theoretical framework for SECM measurements of electrocatalytic reaction rates involving kinetically controlled tip currents. The developed theory addresses challenges inherent to inner-sphere electron-transfer processes at nanometer-sized electrodes, enabling accurate quantification of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) rates. Chapter 6 investigates voltage-driven molecular catalysis and photoelectrocatalysis, demonstrating how the electrostatic potential drop across the double layer drives electron transfer between molecular catalysts immobilized directly on the electrode surface and dissolved reactants in a solution, enabling uphill reactions like water oxidation. This PhD research contributes to the advancement of SECM as a powerful tool for studying photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes at the nanoscale. Facilitating the illumination of a microscopic portion of the semiconductor while simultaneously quantitatively measuring the local fluxes of reaction products with high spatial resolution allowed a thorough investigation of the fundamental processes that govern photocatalysis. The methodologies developed in this research bridge fundamental science and practical applications, offering insights into the rational design of catalysts for energy conversion