Our American Artists. IV. William M. Chase

A biographical sketch of Indiana-born United States painter William M. Chase, with illustrations

On the Mathematical Modeling of an Antenna in the 5G RF2 Range

The purpose of this research is to study the mathematical modeling of an antenna in the frequency range of 26-52 GHz (the 5G RF2 Band) to be tested in an Over-The-Air (OTA) chamber and explore modification of the model to investigate radiation pattern output. This work is motivated by a project given to our independent study course by our industry partner OCELOTT. By literature review, we found that one of the important factors of antenna design is the path loss model. In this project, we experiment with how different environments generate different path loss models and present some examples of the environments and corresponding antennas. We also seek to make recommendations on the antennas to use based on a particular environment to minimize the path loss. We examine different types of antennas and their geometry, as well as creating simulations for the path loss to see how the signal would be affected

Russia in movement: Civil society and the state in Putin's Russia.

The weakness of civil society in post-Soviet Russia has been widely discussed and is generally attributed to combinations of historical and cultural factors and authoritarian repression. This thesis adopts a conceptualization of civil society, drawn in part from social movement theory, which emphasizes the nature of interaction between citizens and the state. A series of three case studies traces the genesis and development of civic organizations and protest movements in Russia, involving human, housing and property rights, in order to discern how Russian citizens perceive their relationship with the state and form (or do not form) strategies for collective action. In the first case, the NGO Public Verdict finds success in defending individual citizens from law enforcement abuses but is incapable of affecting systemic change. In the second case, local protests over housing-related issues evolve into sustained movements but are unable to coalesce in the face of a state that prefers ad hoc policymaking. And lastly, spontaneous protests over proposed limits on the import of used cars from Japan grow into one of Russia's only sustained grass-roots social movements, capable of forcing the state into concessions and gaining a seat at the policy table. These studies are analyzed in the context of the political economy of Russia during the presidency of Vladimir Putin, during which the elite consolidated authoritarian rule while disengaging from the public and public policymaking. The difficulties Russians face in mobilizing, then, are seen as stemming from the privatization of power and the highly individualized nature of state-society relations. But when the state departs from its disengagement and acts in a way that allows Russian citizens to generate and maintain a perception of themselves as an aggrieved group, the latter prove capable of mounting and sustaining an organized response in defense of their rights and interests

An Analysis of Equity in Service Provided by the SNAP-Ed Program: A Comparison of Dietary Outcomes among African American and White Participants in Louisiana

Structural racism has contributed to increased poverty, food insecurity, and obesity rates among African Americans relative to Whites. Nutrition education programs should therefore consider how well they serve this population. The objective of this investigation was to assess whether African American and White Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) participants in Louisiana had comparable dietary behavior outcomes by conducting secondary data analysis of previous program evaluations from 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 among African American and White SNAP-Ed participants (n = 434). Variables measured included pre- to post-intervention changes in dietary behaviors (e.g., self-reported consumption frequency of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, sugar-sweetened beverages, and juice). Statistical analyses included t-tests stratified by race and Pearson’s chi-square test for categories of change in dietary behaviors. In categorical analyses, Whites had increased consumption, and African Americans had decreased consumption of whole grain pasta following SNAP-Ed participation. Among those who did not change consumption patterns following SNAP-Ed participation, African Americans were more likely to consume fruit juice and juice-flavored sugary drinks at a rate above median consumption compared to White participants. Future research should identify how program participation is followed by different dietary behavior outcomes in different races and explore how SNAP-Ed could specifically address barriers to equity

The Case of Ty Jackson: An Interactive Module on LGBT Health Employing Introspective Techniques and Video-Based Case Discussion

Introduction: The Institute of Medicine's 2011 report on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health and the legalization of same-sex marriage are just two of the numerous milestones that have hastened medical schools' efforts to prepare trainees to address the needs of LGBT community members. Early awareness of sexual diversity through self- and peer introspection and video-based education can help trainees build a foundation towards providing affirming care to LGBT patients. Methods: The Kern model was used to develop, implement, and evaluate an interactive multimodal workshop to provide first-year medical students with a formative introduction to LGBT health. Learning objectives focused on comprehending the spectrum of human sexuality, health issues for LGBT patients, and better practices for promoting affirming care. The module consisted of a PowerPoint presentation, sexuality survey, videos of provider-patient encounters, and community-based resources. Results: The workshop was implemented among 178 first-year medical students in September 2018, with 93% completing the pre-/postworkshop evaluations. Comparison of evaluations showed an increase in confidence in addressing each of the three learning objectives. Over 85% rated the PowerPoint and videos as very good or excellent. Discussion: This workshop was effective in helping first-year medical students appreciate the spectrum of sexual diversity, health issues facing LGBT individuals, and better practices to promote affirming care. The real-time sexuality survey helped trainees appreciate sexual diversity through self-reflection and near-peer sharing. The videos and accompanying discussion provided real-life encounters, along with common pitfalls in and pearls for communicating with LGBT patients

Improved Fast Randomized Iteration Approach to Full Configuration Interaction

We present three modifications to our recently introduced fast randomized iteration method for full configuration interaction (FCI-FRI) and investigate their effects on the method's performance for Ne, H$_2$O, and N$_2$. The initiator approximation, originally developed for full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo, significantly reduces statistical error in FCI-FRI when few samples are used in compression operations, enabling its application to larger chemical systems. The semi-stochastic extension, which involves exactly preserving a fixed subset of elements in each compression, improves statistical efficiency in some cases but reduces it in others. We also developed a new approach to sampling excitations that yields consistent improvements in statistical efficiency and reductions in computational cost. We discuss possible strategies based on our findings for improving the performance of stochastic quantum chemistry methods more generally.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

Approximating matrix eigenvalues by subspace iteration with repeated random sparsification

Traditional numerical methods for calculating matrix eigenvalues are prohibitively expensive for high-dimensional problems. Iterative random sparsification methods allow for the estimation of a single dominant eigenvalue at reduced cost by leveraging repeated random sampling and averaging. We present a general approach to extending such methods for the estimation of multiple eigenvalues and demonstrate its performance for several benchmark problems in quantum chemistry.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figure

A simulation model of river ice cover thermodynamics

A model of ice cover thermodynamics was used to simulate ice growth and decay along the international section of the St. Lawrence River for winter 1980-1981. This winter was chosen because of the exceptionally cold weather in December and January, and because of the abnormally warm air temperatures during the second half of February. At the air-ice interface, the model computes the surface energy transfer components and a resulting equilibrium surface temperature. At the lower boundary, an empirical algorith simulates the turbulent transfer of heat from the water. Within the ice, and implicit numerical solution to the general heat diffusion equation is used, permitting stable solutions for a variety of time intervals and node distances within the model. The model was used to simulate ice growth and decay at five sites characterized by their flow velocity, the date of ice-cover formation, and the water temperature regime. The model adequately represented growth rates at all five sites, but produced decay rates slower than those observed. Simulated breakup was 1-7 days later than observed, presumably because mechanical weakening of the ice was not taken into consideration. During the growth period, the model is far more sensitive to the values assigned to ice properties than it is to the error range in the meteorological variables. During the breakup period, the most sensitive boundary variable is water temperature.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/25721/1/0000278.pd