Fallgirls

Fallgirls provides an analysis of the abuses that took place at Abu Ghraib in terms of social theory, gender and power, based on first-hand participant-observations of the courts-martials of Lynndie England and Sabrina Harman. This book examines the trials themselves, including interactions with soldiers and defense teams, documents pertaining to the courts-martials, US government reports and photographs from Abu Ghraib, in order to challenge the view that the abuses were carried out at the hands of a few rogue soldiers. With a keen focus on gender and sexuality as prominent aspects of the abuses themselves, as well as the ways in which they were portrayed and tried, Fallgirls engages with modern feminist thought and contemporary social theory in order to analyse the manner in which the abuses were framed, whilst also exploring the various lived realities of Abu Ghraib by both prisoners and soldiers alike

Permutation

Caldwell, Ryan, M.F.A, Spring 2020 Ceramics Abstract: Chairperson: Trey Hill Permutation, is an exploitation of utilitarian pottery and domesticity within the gallery setting through the use of handmade tables and cabinetry. The gallery is transformed into a more comfortable environment and exhibits a casual essence. This paper explores the thoughts, interpretations, influences, reflections, and definitions of his most recent work created for his Masters of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition. Caldwell presents his work as an ongoing continuum of conceptual research and physical exploration of form and surface

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationBy enabling neuroprosthetic technologies, neural microelectrodes can greatly improve diagnostic and treatment options for millions of individuals living with limb loss, paralysis, and sensory and autonomic neural disorders. However, clinical use of these devices is restricted by the limited functional lifetimes of implanted electrodes, which are commonly less than a few years. One cause is the evolution of damage to dielectric encapsulation that insulates microelectrodes from the physiological environment. Fluid penetration and exposure to an aggressive immunological response over time may weaken encapsulating films and cause electrical shunting. This reduces electrode impedance, diverts electrical signal away from target tissue, and causes multi-channel crosstalk. To date, no neural microelectrode encapsulating material or design approach has reliably resolved this issue. We employ the parylene C-encapsulated Utah Electrode Array (UEA), a silicon-micromachined neural interface FDA-cleared for human use, to execute three aims that address this challenge through investigations of new materials, electrode designs, and testing methods. We first evaluate a novel bilayer encapsulating film comprised of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 and parylene C, testing this film using UEAs and devices with UEA-relevant topography. Contrasting with previous work employing simplified planar structures, the incorporation of neural electrode features on test structures revealed failure modes pointing to the dissolution of Al2O3 over time. Our results emphasize the need for dielectric coatings resistant to water degradation as well as test methods that take electrode features into account. In our second aim, we show through finite element modeling and aggressive in vitro testing that use of degenerately doped silicon as a conductive neural electrode material can mitigate the consequences of encapsulation damage, owing to the high electrochemical impedance of silicon. Our final aim compares oxidative in vitro aging to long-term in vivo material damages and finds clear evidence that such in vitro testbeds may help predict certain in vivo damage modes. By pairing this testing with absorption and emission spectroscopic characterization modalities, we identify contributors to material damage and future design solutions. Our results will inform future material and testing choices, to improve the resilience of neural electrode dielectric encapsulation and enhance the longevity of neuroprostheses

Aircraft Analysis Using the Layered and Extensible Aircraft Performance System (LEAPS)

The Layered and Extensible Aircraft Performance System (LEAPS) is a new air- craft analysis tool being developed by members of the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) and the Vehicle Analysis Branch (VAB) at NASA Langley Research Center. LEAPS will enable the analysis of advanced aircraft concepts and architec- tures that include electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems. The development of LEAPS is motivated by the analysis gaps found in traditional aircraft analysis tools such as the Flight Optimization System (FLOPS). FLOPS has been the tool of choice of the ASAB for over 30 years and has proven to be a reliable analysis tool for conventional aircraft. However, FLOPS is not suitable to analyze the cur- rent unconventional vehicles that are of interest to industry, government agencies, and academia. In contrast, LEAPS is being developed with a flexible architecture that leverages new analysis methodologies that will enable the analysis of unconven- tional aircraft. This paper presents the first complete working version of LEAPS by showing the analysi at include fuel-based and hybrid-electric conceptual aircraft

Fallgirls

Fallgirls provides an analysis of the abuses that took place at Abu Ghraib in terms of social theory, gender and power, based on first-hand participant-observations of the courts-martials of Lynndie England and Sabrina Harman. This book examines the trials themselves, including interactions with soldiers and defense teams, documents pertaining to the courts-martials, US government reports and photographs from Abu Ghraib, in order to challenge the view that the abuses were carried out at the hands of a few rogue soldiers. With a keen focus on gender and sexuality as prominent aspects of the abuses themselves, as well as the ways in which they were portrayed and tried, Fallgirls engages with modern feminist thought and contemporary social theory in order to analyse the manner in which the abuses were framed, whilst also exploring the various lived realities of Abu Ghraib by both prisoners and soldiers alike

Ten Ways States Can Combat Ocean Acidification (and Why They Should)

The ocean is becoming more acidic worldwide as a result of increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (“CO2”) and other pollutants. This fundamental change is likely to have substantial ecological and economic consequences globally. In this Article, we provide a toolbox for understanding and addressing the drivers of ocean acidification. We begin with an overview of the relevant science, highlighting known causes of chemical change in the coastal ocean. Because of the difficulties associated with controlling diffuse atmospheric pollutants such as CO2, we then focus on controlling smaller-scale agents of acidification, discussing ten legal and policy tools that state government agencies can use to mitigate the problem. This bottom-up approach does not solve the global CO2 problem, but instead offers a more immediate means of addressing the challenges of a rapidly changing ocean. States have ample legal authority to address many of the causes of ocean acidification; what remains is to implement that authority to safeguard our iconic coastal resources. Republished with permission from 37 Harv. Envtl. L. Rev. 57 (2013)

Gender and the homoerotic logic of torture at Abu Ghraib

The focus of this dissertation is a social and cultural theoretical analysis of the empirical data regarding the prison abuse that occurred at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq by American forces. I provide the following: an examination of the photographs of abuse that were leaked to the press in the fall of 2003; an analysis of both Lynndie England’s and Sabrina Harman’s courts-martial (two of the “rotten apples”); a discussion of the body associated with punishment and torture, and also as marked in ways of identification; and an assessment of additional representations regarding prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. Throughout this analysis, I use gender as a lens to understand Abu Ghraib and the subsequent courts-martial. It is important to note that I gained access to and was intimately involved as a graduate researcher for Dr. Stjepan G. Mestrovic, an expert for the defense, and experienced the events of the trials themselves, first-hand and during closed counsel and open session. The empirical data provided is drawn primarily from first-hand qualitative research that involved participant-observation of two trials, interaction with soldiers and officers, and analysis of both documents pertaining to the trial as well as the photographs of abuse themselves, among other things. I incorporate cultural studies, feminist and sociological theory (modern and postmodern), and feminist philosophy so as to provide a theoretical analysis of the abuse at Abu Ghraib and the subsequent courts-martial focused on gender and sexuality. The result of this dissertation is a social and cultural theoretical analysis of the empirical data regarding the prison abuse that occurred at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq by American forces, where women, gender, and sexuality are shown to be important criteria for examination. Specifically, the results of this project highlight areas that current analyses of the abuse at Abu Ghraib have left out: how women fit into American military politics, how gender functions as power within the military, how gender is socially constructed in the military in terms of heterosexuality, and how both gender and sexuality are used as weapons by the American military. This kind of examination is useful in future policy considerations for the military and for detainee treatment, where analyses of women, gender, sexuality, and power have been so far neglected in any serious way, and even by sociologists Phillip Zimbardo and the application of his Stanford Prison Study to the events of Abu Ghraib

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Medical School Musculoskeletal Curriculum at an Academic Medical Center

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are common medical problems encountered by physicians and affected 126.6 million Americans in 2012. Musculoskeletal education has inadequate in United States medical schools. Objective: To determine the musculoskeletal competency of third year medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional 25-question nationally validated musculoskeletal competency exam was given to the third year medical students. A survey was given to second and third year medical students to assess students’ level of interest in musculoskeletal medicine and their feedback regarding the curriculum. Results: The mean score of the competency exam was 69.0%. There was 48/107 (44.9%) students’ who reached the minimum passing score of 70%. Free-response feedback from both classes featured themes of more hands-on learning, a longer clinical block, and more small-group learning sessions. Conclusions: Third year medical students scored relatively well on the exam. Student feedback suggests the 2-week musculoskeletal block is useful and relevant to their future careers

An Overview of the Layered and Extensible Aircraft Performance System (LEAPS) Development

The Layered and Extensible Aircraft Performance System (LEAPS) is a new sizing and synthesis tool being developed within the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) at NASA Langley Research Center. It is a modular, multidisciplinary, multi- fidelity sizing and synthesis tool for modeling advanced aircraft concepts and architectures such as electric/hybrid-electric propulsion, unconventional propulsion airframe integration, and non-traditional mission trajectories. The development of LEAPS is motivated by the lack of existing tools that meet the needs of ASAB. The Flight Optimization System (FLOPS) has been the primary sizing and synthesis tool of ASAB for three decades. However, FLOPS has a number of limitations that make it dicult to use for unconventional aircraft designs. Three high-level goals have been adopted to guide the LEAPS development pro- cess. LEAPS is being developed in Python with an architecture built to enable a exible and extensible analysis capability using the concept of an aircraft object that combines data and analysis models. Five challenge problems for LEAPS have been identi ed to measure progress: analysis of a conventional tube-and-wing aircraft using legacy methods, coupled aeroelastic analysis for weight estimation of a conventional tube-and-wing aircraft, analysis of an advanced hybrid-electric concept, analysis of the X-57 Maxwell distributed electric propulsion aircraft, and optimization of the trajectory of a supersonic vehicle to minimize sonic boom. LEAPS will be a publicly available capability of exceptional quality with modularity and extensibility that makes it a robust tool for design and analysis of current and future unconventional aircraft concepts