849 research outputs found
2023-2024 Catalog
The 2023-2024 Governors State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog is a comprehensive listing of current information regarding:Degree RequirementsCourse OfferingsUndergraduate and Graduate Rules and Regulation
Automated and foundational verification of low-level programs
Formal verification is a promising technique to ensure the reliability of low-level programs like operating systems and hypervisors, since it can show the absence of whole classes of bugs and prevent critical vulnerabilities. However, to realize the full potential of formal verification for real-world low-level programs one has to overcome several challenges, including: (1) dealing with the complexities of realistic models of real-world programming languages; (2) ensuring the trustworthiness of the verification, ideally by providing foundational proofs (i.e., proofs that can be checked by a general-purpose proof assistant); and (3) minimizing the manual effort required for verification by providing a high degree of automation. This dissertation presents multiple projects that advance formal verification along these three axes: RefinedC provides the first approach for verifying C code that combines foundational proofs with a high degree of automation via a novel refinement and ownership type system. Islaris shows how to scale verification of assembly code to realistic models of modern instruction set architectures-in particular, Armv8-A and RISC-V. DimSum develops a decentralized approach for reasoning about programs that consist of components written in multiple different languages (e.g., assembly and C), as is common for low-level programs. RefinedC and Islaris rest on Lithium, a novel proof engine for separation logic that combines automation with foundational proofs.Formale Verifikation ist eine vielversprechende Technik, um die Verlässlichkeit von grundlegenden Programmen wie Betriebssystemen sicherzustellen. Um das volle Potenzial formaler Verifikation zu realisieren, müssen jedoch mehrere Herausforderungen gemeistert werden: Erstens muss die Komplexität von realistischen Modellen von Programmiersprachen wie C oder Assembler gehandhabt werden. Zweitens muss die Vertrauenswürdigkeit der Verifikation sichergestellt werden, idealerweise durch maschinenüberprüfbare Beweise. Drittens muss die Verifikation automatisiert werden, um den manuellen Aufwand zu minimieren. Diese Dissertation präsentiert mehrere Projekte, die formale Verifikation entlang dieser Achsen weiterentwickeln: RefinedC ist der erste Ansatz für die Verifikation von C Code, der maschinenüberprüfbare Beweise mit einem hohen Grad an Automatisierung vereint. Islaris zeigt, wie die Verifikation von Assembler zu realistischen Modellen von modernen Befehlssatzarchitekturen wie Armv8-A oder RISC-V skaliert werden kann. DimSum entwickelt einen neuen Ansatz für die Verifizierung von Programmen, die aus Komponenten in mehreren Programmiersprachen bestehen (z.B., C und Assembler), wie es oft bei grundlegenden Programmen wie Betriebssystemen der Fall ist. RefinedC und Islaris basieren auf Lithium, eine neue Automatisierungstechnik für Separationslogik, die maschinenüberprüfbare Beweise und Automatisierung verbindet.This research was supported in part by a Google PhD Fellowship, in part by awards from Android Security's ASPIRE program and from Google Research, and in part by a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant for the project "RustBelt", funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (grant agreement no. 683289)
Parading through a Circular Area Development with Arts and Sciences
In recent years, there has been increased attention toward art-science collaborations. Such collaborations encompass a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from artistic projects informed by technology and scientific research and vice versa, to novel forms of inquiry and communication at the intersection of the arts and sciences, combining diverse forms of knowledge and imagination. While such collaborations are not necessarily new, their recent manifestations allow us to gain insights into how complex societal challenges might be approached through multi-actor and disciplinary partnershi
Role-Playing Reality: Queer Theory, New Materialisms, and Digital Role-Play
This thesis works to reconfigure who or what the situated agencies in digital role-play are to realise the more-than-human dimensions and embodiments of play. In doing so, it finds that all the collaborators in digital role-play [players, avatars, interfaces, networks, software, media content, art, performances, gestics, imaginings, alongside other games] disclose the emergent and latent relations and sensations that characterise play. In recognising all these elements as vital and active companions in role-play, this work addresses the question of what the realities of digital role-play are: where realities signify the actualities of what happens when human and nonhuman bodies entangle during play as well as the substances of reality – performance and affect, matter and meaning, space and time – all of which determine role-play. World of Warcraft (Blizzard 2004-) is taken as the primary example in this thesis, though the affordances of its role-players are irradiated alongside other games, art, literature, performances, and materials that likewise ‘play’ with fiction. Alongside these modalities, the Argent Archives, a massive collection of content posted by role-players who play World of Warcraft, evidences the lifeworlds of digital role-play. Since digital role-play is rarely studied, and the Argent Archives never so, this thesis explores foundational questions regarding the realities of play: what they comprise and how players actively create emergent gameworlds with their arts and acts. This thesis employs a methodology of promiscuity, that is, promiscuity as method in order to reckon with the entanglements of play. Inspired by the works of queer theorists and new materialists, which centre bodies, affects, and entanglements, a correspondingly promiscuous methodology follows the labyrinthine folds of encounter that define play while emphasising its intimate, sensual, troubling, and perverse aspects
Being Friendly is Difficult. Psycholinguistic Experiments on Agentivity in Copular Constructions
Agentivity in copular constructions such as Sophia is being friendly, compared to its non-agentive counterpart Sophia is friendly, is a phenomenon that has received some attention in the theoretical debate but has not been widely investigated in psycholinguistics. The implications of Sophia’s voluntary control over her deliberate actions, which arise in the former sentence, seem to stem from the interplay between the subject, the verb, and the adjective. Truthfully, there is not much more to the sentence itself. In comparison, Sophia is friendly can be interpreted both as a state and as an event. Neither the predicate nor the verb in isolation can explain how agentivity comes about. Furthermore, the restrictions on the utterance’s agent are vague and flexible. Two theoretical accounts explain the agentivity effect by means of either underspecification or coercion. According to the Underspecification Account, the copula is semantically undetermined and adapts to the requirements of its lexical context as they arise. The adjectival predicate dictates the availability of the agentive interpretation. The Coercion Account postulates that the copula is lexically stative. The state interpretation of the copula-predicate combination is constructed compositionally, but the agentive reading is the result of reinterpreting the utterance as an activity. Underspecification and coercion are reflected in differing ways during processing. The former is effortless, whereas the latter elicits an increase in processing effort and a decrease in naturalness or sensicality. In a series of offline and online experiments on German copular sentences, the predictions of the Underspecification Account and the Coercion Account are put to a test. The results point to the stative nature of the copula, in line with the Coercion Account’s hypothesis. The availability of an adjective’s agentive interpretations appears to hinge on the specific circumstances. However, some degree of uncertainty remains in relation to the subtle nature of agentive coercion effects
COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Acceptance in Ethnic Minority Individuals in the United Kingdom: a mixed-methods study using Protection Motivation Theory
Background: Uptake of the COVID-19 booster vaccine among ethnic minority individuals has been lower than in the general population. However, there is little research examining the psychosocial factors that contribute to COVID-19 booster vaccine hesitancy in this population.Aim: Our study aimed to determine which factors predicted COVID-19 vaccination intention in minority ethnic individuals in Middlesbrough, using Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, in addition to demographic variables.Method: We used a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected using an online survey. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews. 64 minority ethnic individuals (33 females, 31 males; mage = 31.06, SD = 8.36) completed the survey assessing PMT constructs, COVID-19conspiracy beliefs and demographic factors. 42.2% had received the booster vaccine, 57.6% had not. 16 survey respondents were interviewed online to gain further insight into factors affecting booster vaccineacceptance.Results: Multiple regression analysis showed that perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 was a significant predictor of booster vaccination intention, with higher perceived susceptibility being associated with higher intention to get the booster. Additionally, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs significantly predictedintention to get the booster vaccine, with higher conspiracy beliefs being associated with lower intention to get the booster dose. Thematic analysis of the interview data showed that barriers to COVID-19 booster vaccination included time constraints and a perceived lack of practical support in the event ofexperiencing side effects. Furthermore, there was a lack of confidence in the vaccine, with individuals seeing it as lacking sufficient research. Participants also spoke of medical mistrust due to historical events involving medical experimentation on minority ethnic individuals.Conclusion: PMT and conspiracy beliefs predict COVID-19 booster vaccination in minority ethnic individuals. To help increase vaccine uptake, community leaders need to be involved in addressing people’s concerns, misassumptions, and lack of confidence in COVID-19 vaccination
Gurus and Media: Sound, image, machine, text and the digital
Gurus and Media is the first book dedicated to media and mediation in domains of public guruship and devotion. Illuminating the mediatisation of guruship and the guru-isation of media, it bridges the gap between scholarship on gurus and the disciplines of media and visual culture studies. It investigates guru iconographies in and across various time periods and also the distinctive ways in which diverse gurus engage with and inhabit different forms of media: statuary, games, print publications, photographs, portraiture, films, machines, social media, bodies, words, graffiti, dolls, sound, verse, tombs and more.
The book’s interdisciplinary chapters advance, both conceptually and ethnographically, our understanding of the function of media in the dramatic production of guruship, and reflect on the corporate branding of gurus and on mediated guruship as a series of aesthetic traps for the captivation of devotees and others. They show how different media can further enliven the complex plurality of guruship, for instance in instantiating notions of ‘absent-present’ guruship and demonstrating the mutual mediation of gurus, caste and Hindutva.
Throughout, the book foregrounds contested visions of the guru in the development of devotional publics and pluriform guruship across time and space. Thinking through the guru’s many media entanglements in a single place, the book contributes new insights to the study of South Asian religions and to the study of mediation more broadly
Doing the heavy lifting: the experiences of working-class professional services and administrative staff in Russell Group universities
In recent years, UK higher education has pursued more inclusive practices, adopting widening participation metrics, removing historically problematic statues, reviewing research culture environments, and renaming university buildings (Chigudu, 2021; Heath et al, 2013). Research has sought to understand how people from different 'non-traditional' backgrounds experience these institutions (Reay, 2017b). At present, studies of social class focus on the experiences of working-class academics and working-class students (Crew, 2020; Crozier et al., 2019). Academic research has not yet addressed the experiences of working-class professional services and administrative staff, who form a critical part of the political economy of knowledge production. This study used an interpretative approach, combining narrative inquiry and semi-structured interview questions to elucidate the narratives of 13 working-class professional service staff working in Russell Group universities. This thesis makes contributions from conceptual, empirical, theoretical and practical perspectives. Conceptually, a working-class identity, for the participants in this study, is formed from a multitude of varying characteristics, rather than a traditional association with employment and labour. Participants refer to their working-class identity through family history, occupations, deprivation and taste. Empirically, participants felt supported by their immediate networks but often at the price of uncomfortable relationships with academics. Here, a lack of value was made visceral by toxic behaviour, substandard remuneration, poor career progression, isolation and not being listened to in meetings. Concerning theory, I find a ubiquity with the use of Bourdieu in working-class studies. Yet, there is a disparity between theory and participant identification and a dislocation between temporalities of space, time and experience that the theories of Bourdieu fail to account for. I find that there is a lamination of field which working-class participants carry through their lives. I question social mobility, a rhetoric accepted as the way disadvantaged people are accepted into elite institutions. This assimilation accepts that middle-class space is normative in juxtaposition with working-class attributes which are seen to be undesirable. Inclusion, not representation, should be the goal of all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) if they want to embed equity in their workforce. This study works at frontiers of research on social class, developing a space where the experiences of professional services staff might be fully integrated in the cultural fabric of universities. For too long these voices have been ignored and pushed to the margins, I hope this will be the first of many studies to address this injustice
Climate change in a mingling-state: sea level rise confronts social susceptibility and justice in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh
Shyamnagar Upazila, within the Southwestern part of Bangladesh encompassing the entire
Sundarbans, is located in the deltas of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Megna rivers in the Bay of
Bengal and is an area extremely vulnerable to climate change, with serious consequences at the
socioeconomic level. This doctoral research involved collecting data on physical, hydrological,
geographical aspects, land cover change, rainfall changing patterns, water and soil trace elements, and
tidal gauges. These data were complemented with the analysis of social and economic vulnerability
dimensions through qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups and observation). Qualitative data
collection techniques, including focus group discussions (FGDs), case studies, PRA (Participatory
rural appraisal) questionnaires, workshops, in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and
participant observation, was undertaken in the Shyamnagar Upazila from 2017 to 2019 (through
Skype + messenger + over telephone 2020 to 2022). A survey with a close ended questionnaire
was applied at the first stage in nine unions (series-based analysis), at the second stage in 12 unions
(risk, hazards, vulnerability and adaptation analysis) and at a third stage in 3 unions (safe drinking
water and health analysis) with a total of (320 +387 +1579) household samples (n = 2286). Sea level
rise has negative impacts on agriculture, riverbank erosion, and salinity, loss of natural ecosystems,
gender vulnerability, poverty, food security, fisheries, safe water resources, migration, and public
health factors that affect the development of SWCRB populations and cause climate injustices. This
thesis analyzed the implications of coastal risks and hazards to the vulnerability of the local
populations, while also addressing their perceptions of justice and adaptation strategies.A subida acelerada do nível médio do mar (SLR) é o impacto mais importante das alterações climáticas nas zonas costeiras do Bangladesh. Esta investigação de doutoramento centrou-se na região costeira do sudoeste do Bangladesh (SWCRB), que enfrenta um perigo iminente com a subida do nível do mar, com consequências diretas nas desigualdades sociais e na justiça climática. Com enfoque nos temas-chave dos ODS, esta compilação de artigos contribui para a implementação da Agenda 2030 das Nações Unidas, nomeadamente para os ODS1 – “Erradicar a pobreza”, ODS2 –“Erradicar a fome”, ODS3 – “Saúde de qualidade, ODS5 – “Igualdade de género”, ODS6 – “Água potável e saneamento”, ODS10 – “Redução das desigualdades”, ODS13 – “Ação climática” e ODS16 – “Paz, justiça e instituições eficazes”. Para analisar a vulnerabilidade induzida pela subida do nível do mar, esta investigação considerou a atual e futura modelização da subida do nível do mar. A metodologia utilizada é interdisciplinar e foi baseada numa abordagem de métodos mistos.
Esta investigação inclui quatro artigos publicados em revistas revistas revistas por pares, integrados no corpo da tese como capítulos de resultados (capítulos 4 a 7), tendo o autor submetido ainda durante o período do doutoramento dois outros artigos e dois capítulos de livros que foram aceites e que, por conseguinte, estão incluídos como material suplementar a esta tese (anexos).
O primeiro artigo (capítulo 4) centrou-se na modelação da subida do nível médio do mar
(NMM). As projeções locais do nível do mar indicam que o este pode aumentar em meio metro ou até
mais de um metro até ao final do século XXI. A região da Baía de Bengala revela taxas superiores às
médias globais, devido à fusão dos glaciares dos Himalaias. Contudo, devido à natureza não linear da
subida do NMM, é de esperar que as projeções sejam ultrapassadas, o que representa uma ameaça
para a vida de milhões de pessoas no Bangladesh. Além disso, as zonas costeiras do sudoeste do Bangladesh são altamente vulneráveis à intrusão de água salgada, sobretudo devido aos ciclones e à subida do NMM, especialmente a região de Shyamnagar Upazila, e espera-se que isto se agrave durante o próximo século devido às alterações climáticas. Por conseguinte, este estudo analisa a geoquímica da água salgada e compostos relacionados, a resposta à intrusão salina nos sistemas fluviais e as possíveis áreas afetadas pelos
eventos climáticos extremos nas condições actuais e em 2100. Esta análise mostrou que os níveis de
salinidade do solo e da água são já altamente inadequados para os padrões de fertilidade do solo e a
qualidade da água na região.
Além disso, analisaram-se os principais impactos das alterações climáticas na saúde pública,
começando pelo global e passando pelo local, estudando as comunidades costeiras na área de
influência das Sundarbans. Discutimos quais são os principais desafios enfrentados pelos diferentes
atores a nível local, incluindo o agravamento de certos riscos para a saúde da comunidade com os impactos das alterações climáticas. Os países em desenvolvimento estão a enfrentar grandes desafios em termos de mitigação e adaptação, no entanto são os que têm contribuído menos para as causas das alterações climáticas.
Verificou-se que a maioria dos inquiridos vive abaixo do limiar da pobreza, com níveis de desigualdade relativamente baixos baseados num coeficiente de Gini de 28,5 (capítulo 5). Algumas das questões mais graves que afetam a subsistência das populações locais são os ciclones e as inundações, bem como o aumento da salinidade do solo e da água doce. Os mais pobres estão muito mais expostos aos eventos extremos, têm reduzidos recursos económicos para prevenir e recuperar dos seus impactos, e as suas fontes diretas de rendimento, na sua maioria baseadas em recursos naturais, são também duramente afetadas.
Os resultados mostraram que o impacto das alterações climáticas difere entre homens e mulheres nas comunidades examinadas (capítulo 6). Entre os principais fatores que influenciam a vulnerabilidade da comunidade estão os níveis de escolaridade, as normas culturais locais. Ainda assim, estas mulheres têm potencial para participar em planos de conservação ambiental, para liderar movimentos sociais e ambientais, e para promover estratégias de gestão sustentável dos recursos naturais, uma vez que são consideradas como as guardiãs do conhecimento local. Finalmente, esta investigação propõe que, a fim de reduzir a vulnerabilidade feminina, as mulheres devem ser capacitadas e integradas em medidas de mitigação e planos de adaptação, tanto como partes interessadas como como agentes de mudança.
Ao analisar o impacto socioeconómico das alterações climáticas, esta investigação contribui para o debate sobre a justiça climática, que é uma problemática social, política e económica (capítulo 7). Os países industrializados que mais contribuíram para o problema através da emissão excessiva de gases com efeito de estufa (GEE) são os menos propensos a sofrer as consequências. Tanto a abordagem baseada nos direitos humanos como a abordagem baseada nas capacidades são aqui discutidas, mas concluímos que esta última é a mais adequada para compreender a realidade no Bangladesh. Esta área está a sofrer enormes mudanças devido aos efeitos devastadores das alterações climáticas e da subida do NMM. Com base em extensivos estudos locais, a tese conclui que as populações locais gostariam de estar mais envolvidas na conceção, planeamento e implementação de estratégias para reforçar a resiliência das suas comunidades. A população local destaca como as suas principais necessidades ter acesso a água doce a preços acessíveis, a segurança alimentar e as infraestruturas sustentáveis, tais como estradas, casas, escolas e unidades de saúde. Nestas áreas, muitas vezes as formas de assistência centram-se na ajuda de emergência após grandes catástrofes; contudo, isto não é suficiente. A intensidade da subida do nível do mar torna cada vez mais difícil a
reconstrução após a ocorrência de cada catástrofe.
Foram ainda efetuadas análises para avaliar o estado da água, da vegetação e do solo na região. O estudo analisa os dados pluviométricos recolhidos pelo BWDB entre 1968 e 2018, mostrando as mudanças no padrão de precipitação ao longo dos anos e a diminuição da produção agrícola no SWCRB e reforçando o diagnóstico de declínio das terras agrícolas durante o período 1989-2019. Como forma de diversificar as suas fontes de rendimento, alguns agricultores converteram as suas terras para a criação de camarão, o que aumenta ainda mais a salinidade do solo. Além disso, a Barragem Farakka afecta negativamente a população da SWCRB ao reduzir o fluxo do rio Ganges para o Bangladesh. As medidas adaptativas utilizadas pelos agricultores incluem a construção de aterros, a recolha das águas da chuva, a drenagem adequada para reduzir o alagamento, o controlo da expansão das explorações de camarão e a introdução de culturas de de alto rendimento mas que são mais tolerantes à salinidade, bem como o emprego de novas técnicas de irrigação. Além disso, as
técnicas agrícolas Sorjan e o cultivo flutuante, a pecuária e a agricultura apoiadas pela comunidade, são vistas pelos agricultores das zonas costeiras como uma forma de mitigar os impactos climáticos.
A análise de vulnerabilidade revela que a população local já implementou com sucesso oito
estratégias de adaptação baseadas na comunidade para reduzir a vulnerabilidade causada pela subida
do mar e pelas inundações. Tem sido testemunhado que as práticas de adaptação implementadas com
a participação direta das comunidades tem contribuído para a redução das vulnerabilidades e o reforço
da resiliência das populações locais. Após as catástrofes, a reabilitação dos aterros costeiros com o
envolvimento da comunidade local é uma resposta favorecida nos processos de adaptação estrutural,
bem como a reflorestação costeira e os abrigos polivalentes construídos pelo governo para os
furacões. Concluiu-se também que o governo deveria ter em consideração as propostas da comunidade local para ajudar no processo de adaptação.
Já há um vasto número de vítimas das alterações climáticas na SWCRB. Ao mesmo tempo,
estas regiões tornaram-se um campo de ensaio para estratégias de adaptação que são particularmente
adequadas para as comunidades de pequena escala. Considerando as contribuições empíricas de todos
os artigos incluídos nesta tese, pode argumentar-se que as estratégias de adaptação e resiliência, até à
data, não têm considerado plenamente indicadores sociais tais como pobreza, desigualdade de género, empoderamento ou desigualdades de rendimentos. A subida do nível do mar, agravada pelas alterações climáticas, tem impactos negativos na agricultura, na erosão das margens dos rios e no aumento da salinidade, levando à perda de ecossistemas naturais, a uma menor segurança alimentar das populações e a maiores fluxos de migração, contribuindo ainda para agravar problemas de saúde pública que afetam o desenvolvimento das populações da SWCRB e geram crescentes injustiças
- …