Running Barefoot

I have been required by the registrar to submit an artist statement, and to be honest I do not know what I am supposed to say. If I am expected to explain a deep profound message about my music, I have none. And if I should to discuss the pieces in my concert, I would rather leave it up to the audience to figure out what the pieces mean to them. Now I am only on the cusp of my musical exploration. I have just this year glimpsed the vast world of music and begun to understand its endlessness. While I may not have an “artist statement”, I can talk about my understanding of music. I do believe the way that each person comes to understand music is unique to each individual. The process of realization is different for everyone, and I am proud of the process that I have gone through during my time at Bard. I began playing the upright bass in the very end of my Sophomore year. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Unlike the guitar, which I played when I came to college, the bass is a humble instrument. It is often not in the spotlight, but stands its ground in the back of the bandstand, holding down the groove without an expectation of acknowledgement. The bass itself is physically demanding to play, and it asks a lot from its player. Each note from the bass carries a heavy message, and it can tell volumes while speaking very simply. I have grown to truly cherish the instrument and I only hope I can keep playing it for my entire life. In the process of putting on my two senior concerts, I have developed tremendously as a performer, but I have even more so developed as a composer. I viewed my concert in the Fall of 2011 as a test run for exploring composition. Many of the pieces I wrote were simply studies of different ideas regarding harmony and rhythm. I have taken composition classes with Erica Lindsay and George Tsontakis. What is amusing to me is that while taking their courses I thought all the information was all going over my head, but now I realize how much has actually stuck with me. Writing all the pieces for my second concert was much easier than writing for my first concert. I have become comfortable and familiar with the writing process and more confident in my ability to create a captivating piece of music. I have to thank Erica in particular for guiding me and helping tremendously both as a musician and as a person. I could not have done it without her. I would also like to take a moment to thank John Esposito, without him, I most likely would not have become a music major, which is something I would have regretted for my entire life. He has given me the foundation and material to pursue music on my own terms, and I am very grateful to have had him as my advisor and teacher. I would also like to thank all of my peers, I believe they taught me the more than anyone else. They have taught me different possibilities for approaching music. They have taught me how to make a composition great, and shown me the pitfalls that can make a composition not so great. Most importantly they have given me the opportunity to play music. I would like to close by turning your attention to that phrase, ‘play music’. With all the musicians I have encountered in my life, from young to old, they still approach music with glee and excitement; it keeps them young. They all still ‘play’ when they are creating music; it is their joy. I pray that music never becomes my ‘work’. Thank you for taking to the time to read this artist’s statement Sincerely, Benjamin Mar

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF 2,6-DIISOPROPYLPHENOXY TETRAPYRAZINOPORPHYRAZINES AS POTENTIAL MOLECULAR QUBITS

This thesis reports the synthesis of metal-free and metal-containing phthalocyanine derivatives using methods typical for that class of functional dyes. A mixture of the target compounds prepared here, one paramagnetic and one diamagnetic tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine, will be tested for their potential use in spintronics – the application of spin-active species in molecular electronics. Phthalocyanines and their derivatives are well-known for their ease of preparation and tunability; they have been utilized as sensitizers for photodynamic therapy of cancer and solar cells, as well as in catalysis and chemical sensing. Tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine complexes are compared with the parent phthalocyanine as their chemistry is similar but electronically are distinct. All compounds synthesized were investigated spectroscopically (UV-Vis, magnetic circular dichroism), electrochemically, and computationally; all methods showed the expected results typical of tetrapyrazinoporphyrazines. The paramagnetic vanadyl complex was confirmed by EPR spectroscopy and elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The green-colored macrocycles are substituted on their periphery by 2,6-diisopropylphenoxy groups; this creates a large nanoporous crystal stabilized by hydrophobic interactions that is useful for spintronic investigations. Under certain solvent conditions, a red linear trimeric product was isolated, and its optical properties and partial characterization is reported as well

Understanding The Relationship Between Moral Reasoning And Liberalism-Conservatism

This thesis aims to clarify the nature of the relationship between moral reasoning, as per the neo-Kohlbergian DIT approach of Rest and his colleagues, and liberalism-conservatism. Moral reasoning and liberalism-conservatism are consistently found to be related but the resultant interpretation that liberals are more moral-cognitively advanced than conservatives has been challenged by Emler and his colleagues who argue that the DIT is liberally biased. Subsequent research on this issue has produced a methodological quagmire that this thesis aims to proceed beyond. The specific aim of this thesis is to test several different (or competing) hypotheses purporting to explain the relationship between Kohlbergian moral reasoning and liberalism-conservatism. These are (1) that liberals are more morally advanced than conservatives; (2) that "advanced moral reasoning" is merely social presentation; (3) that moral reasoning is separately constrained by moral development and conservatism; (4) that moral development and liberalism represent distinct paths to postconventional reasoning preference; (5) that moral reasoning differences between liberals and conservatives are broader than usually thought; (6) that the political content of moral issues affects moral reasoning differences between liberals and conservatives; and (7) that moral reasoning instruments have exaggerated moral reasoning differences between liberals and conservatives. Study 1 found that a non-ipsative, indirect moral reasoning measure was correlated with liberalism-conservatism thus disconfirming hypotheses 2 and 7. Additionally, hypothesis 5 was not supported by several DIT findings. Opposing hypotheses 2 and 6, Study 2 found that a conservative version of the DIT was correlated with liberalism-conservatism although a potential methodological issue arose. Study 3 developed an objective measure of moral comprehension, broader in scope than previous moral comprehension measures, which demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. Employing this measure, Study 4 found that moral comprehension and liberalism were weakly correlated and that they independently predicted moral reasoning, although their interaction did not. Together, these findings provide some support to hypotheses 1 and 4 but not hypotheses 3 and 6. Overall these findings reveal that liberals appear more moral-cognitively advanced than conservatives but, compared to conservatives, liberals appear to indicate preference for advanced moral reasoning earlier in their moral-cognitive development. This latter mechanism appears stronger and suggests that, although DIT scores are still somewhat reflective of moral-cognitive development, the DIT's estimate of liberals' moral-cognitive development is elevated. Future research can continue to explore these hypotheses (e.g., via longitudinal and/or "faking" studies) and, in so doing, further clarify the relationship between Kohlbergian moral reasoning and liberalism-conservatism

Essays on Charitable Organizations and Public Policy

The dissertation analyzes public policies of subsidization and regulation in three contexts. Chapter 1 develops a dynamic bunching empirical design and uses it to estimate the compliance cost that IRS reporting requirements impose on public charities. Chapter 2 estimates the effects of tax and enforcement provisions of the Tax Reform Act of 1969 on charitable foundations and their donors. Chapter 3 estimates the impact of Pell Grant aid on student attainment and borrowing

Emergency care practitioners’ views on the use of ultrasound in pre-hospital acute care settings

Background: Ultrasound may assist in the detection of life-threatening conditions and evolving pathologies. South African emergency care practitioners (ECPs) working in pre-hospital contexts have historically not used ultrasound to diagnose and treat patients. However, recently published clinical practice guidelines from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) suggest that ultrasound be considered as an adjunct in the provision of pre-hospital emergency care. Our study investigated ECPs’ views and perceptions of introducing ultrasound to their scope of practice. Method: A qualitative prospective approach was followed, using semi-structured interviews with a purposefully selected sample of practising ECPs to investigate and describe their views and perceptions of the use of ultrasound in local pre-hospital emergency care contexts. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were critically read before being manually coded to identify core themes and categories. Results: ECPs recognise the potential value of ultrasound for a subset of patients within specific pre-hospital contexts. Concerns around the introduction of ultrasound as a diagnostic adjunct included the potential to create delays in treatment and transportation. Implementation challenges included cost implications and the need for additional education and training. Conclusion: ECPs practising in South African pre-hospital acute care contexts support the use of ultrasound, provided they are adequately trained, and its use does not lead to delays in treatment and arrival at receiving facilities. Additional training on the use of ultrasound may be necessary for ECPs. Further research is required to explore the benefits of ultrasound concerning patient-specific outcomes and the associated costs in resource-constrained pre-hospital emergency care settings

Dynamic Bunching Estimation with Panel Data

Abstract An increasingly common technique for studying behavioral elasticities uses bunching estimation of the excess mass in a distribution around a price or policy threshold. This paper shows how serial dependence of the choice variable and extensive-margin responses may bias these estimates. It then proposes new bunching designs that take greater advantage of panel data to avoid these biases and estimate new parameters. Standard methods over-reject in simulations using household income data and over-estimate bunching in an application with charities. Designs exploiting panel data provide unbiased bunching estimates, improved heterogeneity analysis, and the ability to estimate extensive-margin responses and long-run effects

Dynamic Bunching Estimation with Panel Data

Abstract An increasingly common technique for studying behavioral elasticities uses bunching estimation of the excess mass in a distribution around a price or policy threshold. This paper shows how serial dependence of the choice variable and extensive-margin responses may bias these estimates. It then proposes new bunching designs that take greater advantage of panel data to avoid these biases and estimate new parameters. Standard methods over-reject in simulations using household income data and over-estimate bunching in an application with charities. Designs exploiting panel data provide unbiased bunching estimates, improved heterogeneity analysis, and the ability to estimate extensive-margin responses and long-run effects