A laser head for simultaneous optical pumping of several dye lasers

Device accomplishes simultaneous optical pumping using single flashlamp and electrical driver. Dye lasers require relatively low energy to operate (low-threshold pumping requirement) and provide simple method for producing simultaneous independent laser output at number of different wavelengths

Church Hill Activities & Tutoring

Problem Statement: Church Hill Activities and Tutoring ( CHAT ), a non-profit organization which invests in the lives of Richmond’s most at-risk children by establishing strong connections through one-on one tutoring, mentorship, and enrichment activities , is facing difficulty in managing consistent communication with parents and volunteers. Each of these audiences requires different channels and information, and currently, sending paper to the home through students has become the primary channel for communicating with parents. The reliability of this practice is limited but continues because parents’ contact information, such as phone number or email, changes frequently. Rationale: Since CHAT is facing difficulties in communicating with parents and volunteers, we as a team are creating a mobile solution to share important and timely information with parents and volunteers. Users will receive notifications and regular updates to schedules and announcements. Users will also be able to update their contact information directly through the app so that the CHAT staff does not have difficulties reaching them. Approach: We divided the application in to three groups, students, parents and volunteers. Student page will contain the announcements or schedule relating to student events, parent’s page will contain the announcements, an option to change/update their contact information, and an option to submit questions/suggestions to CHAT, and finally the volunteer’s page will contain the same thing as the parent’s page except it will have its own announcements. Interim Results and Conclusions: For this semester, we are tackling an android application, and so far we have designed a layout for the app. We have also designed a SQL database to store student’s, parent’s and volunteer’s information. Anticipated Results and Conclusions: By the end of the next semester, we will have completed both the Android and IOS application, and hope to have it available for download for android and IOS users.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1018/thumbnail.jp

Laser head for simultaneous optical pumping of several dye lasers

The invention is a laser head for simultaneous pumping several dye lasers with a single flash lamp. The laser head includes primarily a multi-elliptical cylinder cavity with a single flash lamp placed along the common focal axis of the cavity and with capillary tube dye cells placed along each of the other focal axes of the cavity. The inside surface of the cavity is polished. Hence, the single flash lamp supplies the energy to the several dye cells

An Examination of the Role of Attractiveness and Self-Esteem in Jury Decision Making

This study looks at how the facial attractiveness of defendants in the judicial system can influence the decisions of the jury. Past research has shown that there are many benefits to being viewed as a more attractive person. One thing that is not as clear is how the traits and personalities of the individual jurors might interact with how they convict and sentence these defendants. Using a survey which includes two faces with different levels of attractiveness as well as scales to measure self-esteem, Social Dominance Orientation, and Global Belief in a Just World, this study was designed to determine if differences in personal attributes of the jurors have any influence or interactions on the decisions they make when also taking into account the facial attractiveness of the defendant. The results indicated that females were more likely to be influenced by attractiveness of the defendant. There was also a marginally significant interaction found between self-esteem and attraction when looking at sentencing. These results show that lower levels of self-esteem are related to participants giving longer sentences. This study also shows that participants scoring higher in Social Dominance Orientation were more likely to give a guilty verdict. Though this study had its limitations, it shows how factors like attractiveness of defendant and personality traits of the juror can influence outcomes in jury trials. The implications that a study like this could have could prove very beneficial in the future when looking at how to bring more objectivity into the courts.The Ohio State University- Mansfield Campus, undergraduate research grantNo embarg

Zone Refining of Raw Materials for Metal Halide Scintillator Crystal Growth

In recent years, scintillators have been researched for homeland security applications where properties such as high light output and low energy resolution are required for efficient gamma ray spectroscopy. Several promising scintillators, including SrI2 [Strontium Iodide], CsSrI3 [Cesium Strontium Iodide], and KSr2I5 [Potassium Strontium Iodide] are activated with EuI2 [Europium Iodide]. The quality of EuI2 raw material is generally poor and inconsistent as-received from the manufacturer. Material purity is known to affect its scintillation performance, and so purification processes have been investigated to improve the performance of Eu-doped [Europium-doped] scintillators. In this work, zone refining is explored as a method to purify EuI2 while ICP-MS [Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy], DSC [Differential Scanning Calorimetry], and scintillation performance are used to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. It is seen that zone refining results in effective purification of the material at the center of the charge, as expected. Comparison of the light output and energy resolution of the as-received EuI2 with that of EuI2 from each of the refining batches indicates that refining EuI2 greatly improves the performance of the material. Based on experience gained during this investigation, a miniature zone refining furnace was designed and constructed to enhance future refining efforts

Fields and Consumer Groups: The Layered and Overlapping Roles of Culture

The first essay investigates Bourdieu’s conceptualization of fields and its use in the marketing literature. It suggests that fields do not exist in isolation, but rather work together in a number of different possible configurations. Fields are reconceptualized as dominated, overlapped, unrelated, contrasted, and co-constituted, rather than completely distinct and opens a new theoretical space for interpretive researchers in marketing. The second essay is a descriptive ethnography of a local fab lab. The essay describes in rich detail the ways in which new skills are developed in a shared work environment, and contextualizes the findings using practice theory as a lens. The essay serves to highlight the co-productive nature of the workshop as well. The final essay merges the theory development from essay one and the context and data collection of essay two to create new insights into the nature of layered fields. The essay demonstrates meaningful connections between disparate cultural fields using the cultural context of computer construction. In doing so, the essay demonstrates the real-world effects of overlapping and layered fields, and how the social structure plays out within the space of personal computer builders. Depending on how the field is configured, the layered fields allow for transfer of capitals, a better understanding of liminality, and important insights into the social structure and institutional nature of the field

First Impressions and the Reference Encounter: The Influence of Affect and Clothing on Librarian Approachability

Whether or not a librarian appears approachable in public service environments is critical to providing excellent service, conveying a welcoming space, and encouraging library users to engage with one of the key intellectual venues on our campuses. This study used an image-rating method to assess the influence of affect and attire on patron impressions of librarian approachability. Findings suggest that librarian behaviors do matter, with specific treatments resulting in increased or decreased perceptions of approachability. These findings not only support common sense assessments that an attentive and welcoming environment is essential to encouraging patrons to engage with librarians; they also provide information on specific behaviors that affect approachability, allowing librarians to distinguish between a range of presentation styles that can be readily employed in public service

Prevalence and Differences of Sport Concussion Symptoms and Severity among Male and Female University Student Athletes

The prevalence of sport concussions continues to increase among university student athletes in the United States. Earlier methods of prevention, such as the Halo and modified football and hockey helmets, have not resulted in significantly fewer sport concussions. Further, even less is known about the differences between male and female university student athletes’ concussion symptoms and severity. PURPOSE: To measure sport concussion prevalence among university student athletes and compare the severity of self-reported symptoms among university male and female student athletes. METHODS: In the Fall of 2021, a modified version of the SCAT5 (Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, 5th Edition) was emailed to 335 male and female NCAA Division III and varsity club student athletes at a rural, liberal arts university. Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine the prevalence of sport concussions and symptom severity. RESULTS: Fifty-one participants (M age=19.74 years) representing 10 university sports, some being dual sport athletes (N=5), including 16 males (baseball N=5, basketball N=4, cross country N= 2, golf N=1, soccer N=4, track and field N=2) and 35 females (basketball N=4, cross country N=2, golf N=2, soccer N=6, softball N=11, track and field N=2, volleyball N=4, wrestling N=3) responded. Fifty-one percent of participants reported being concussed and suffered from headaches, “pressure in head”, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision, balance problems, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, feeling “in a fog”, difficulty concentrating, difficulty remembering, fatigue, confusion, drowsiness, trouble falling asleep, irritability, sadness, and nervous or anxious. Female student athletes reported considerably higher severity scores for headaches, “pressure in head” and feeling “in a fog”. Male student athletes reported higher severity scores for blurred vision, light sensitivity and difficulty remembering, though statistically significant differences were not obtained. CONCLUSION: Participants represented a variety of sports (impact and non-impact), and most reported suffering from a past concussion. Future studies should analyze the differences among different sports, various levels, and positions. Trainers, coaches, and players should be educated on symptoms and the progressions that may arise