Design and performance of kinetic inductance detectors for cosmic microwave background polarimetry

This thesis presents the development of kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) for cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimetry. Increasingly precise measurements of the CMB have led to much of our understanding of the observable universe; future measurements of the CMB will require the development of new detectors as progressively fainter signals are targeted. In particular, a measurement of the primordial B-mode polarization signal, which would offer strong evidence of inflation, will require at least a 50 times increase in detector count. KIDs are an attractive detector option for next-generation CMB experiments due to their low-noise and high-multiplexing factor. In this thesis, I present KIDs optimized for ground-based CMB observations, which are sensitive to a 150 GHz spectral band where the CMB spectrum peaks. This research demonstrates the first systematic studies of lumped-element KIDs (LEKIDs) optimized for CMB surveys and shows the readiness of the detectors for on-sky observations. First, I present the design and performance of horn-coupled LEKIDs, which are sensitive to a single polarization. I show that KIDs can meet the stringent noise and sensitivity requirements necessary for a competitive CMB detector. Second, I present a novel method for reducing crosstalk between LEKIDs, which is important for controlling instrument systematics. Third, I present the design and performance of dual-polarization LEKIDs, which are sensitive to orthogonal polarizations within a single spectral band and double the number of detectors per array, increasing the sensitivity. Finally, I present the initial analysis of millimeter-wave observations of a nearby galaxy cluster, Abell 2443, taken with the LEKID-based NIKA2 instrument on the IRAM 30 m telescope. This is part of ongoing research to make high-resolution measurements of the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect, seen as a distortion in the CMB spectrum

Waiting as Remedy: The Architecture of Emergent Care

While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides insured care to a much larger group of Americans, it has the potential to reduce the quality of care provided to patients, particularly in emergency departments. This research will argue for a reimagining of the emergency department in which there is a definitive split between the architectural implications of spaces where technical care is administered for biological needs (the emergency room) and spaces where primary and implied care can satisfy the psychological desires of inappropriate patients (the waiting room) in order to better serve appropriate patients

An Analysis of the Evolution of Theory and Management in the Trustees of Reservations

The history of historic preservation in the United States is still being written and debated, and several seminal events have been identified as the cathartic moment in which the United States awoke to take stock of and appreciate its collective natural and historic treasure. However, there is little consensus as to which event is most representative of when the preservation movement gained a foothold in America, and became a conscious field of study and activism. Some experts trace the first empowered moments of preservation to the work of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association of the Union, who successfully purchased and stewarded Washington\u27s home following the refusal of the state and national governments to purchase the property. Other scholars point to the protest over the demolition of New York\u27s Penn Station in 1963 as the moment when the public became involved in preservation and its perception of development and progress in America began to shift. Finally, some cite the importance of the federal government\u27s involvement, whether it be through the creation of the National Park Service in 1916 or the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

In Defense of a Little Judiciary: A Textual and Constitutional Foundation for Chevron

This Article hopes to help fill that “important gap in the administrative law literature.” And it proceeds in three parts. Part II offers a brief history of the Chevron doctrine and its discontents. It traces the doctrine’s origin and scope and ends by articulating the textualist and originalist critique of Chevron described above. Part III grapples with that criticism and offers a textualist and originalist defense of Chevron. Section III.A describes the textual footing for Chevron in the APA and argues that Chevron—if not commanded by the APA—does not upset the role it envisions for courts. Section III.B describes the approach of founding-era courts to administrative deference and suggests that they establish a proto- Chevron consensus. Part IV is more ambitious—it articulates a separation-of-powers basis for administrative deference. Section IV.A explains that courts in the early Republic recognized the President’s Article II authority to exercise policymaking discretion conferred by law. And exercises of that discretion were generally held unreviewable by courts. Section IV.B argues that the original public meaning of Article II supports Chevron, drawing on early-American and pre-founding English political theory. Make no mistake: I come to praise Chevron, not to bury i

Personality characteristics of UK Association Football referees

Personality has often been associated with job performance and satisfaction, particularly with regard to resilience and coping with pressure. However, the links between personality type and sports officiating performance is sparsely researched. Sports officials, notably soccer referees, come under intense public and media scrutiny for their performance, and ‘burnout’ is at a high level. Therefore, understanding how personality may influence job performance in this high-pressure role could influence the support and training of referees. The aim of this study was to explore possible relationships between individual differences and performance level in English Association Football (soccer) referees. Using an independent groups design, 185 soccer referees currently performing at 3 levels (Professional, Intermediate, and Amateur) completed measures of mental toughness, locus of control, assertiveness, and social comparison. For every scale, Professional referees scored significantly higher than the other groups, while Intermediates did not differ from Amateurs. This suggests that referees at the highest level possess critical personality characteristics the others lack. The causal direction of this relationship is uncertain, but implications for training and support of officials with regard to increasing resilience and reducing burnout are noted

A flume experiment on the effect of constriction shape on the formation of forced pools

A series of 18 flume runs were conducted in a 6-m long, 0.5-m wide recirculating flume with a bed gradient of 0.8% to determine the influence of obstruction shape on the formation and characteristics of forced pools. Six different-shaped obstructions were added to the flume with the maximum width of the obstruction held constant at 20 cm, which equaled a 40% constriction of flow. The obstruction shapes used included a square, a rectangle, a right triangle with the hypotenuse-facing upstream, a right triangle with the hypotenuse-facing downstream, a combination of a square and triangle with the hypotenuse-facing upstream, and a rectangle and semi-circle shape. Three flume runs were conducted with each obstruction shape. A profile of the flume bed was taken after each experiment and a grid measurement of bed elevations for the last run were conducted to create topographic maps of the flume bed to compare pool-riffle morphologies. ANOVA results indicate pool depth, pool location, and the distance between the pool center and the riffle crest all vary with the obstruction shape. Obstructions with a more blunt upstream face created deeper pools, more total scour and longer pool-riffle sequence lengths than pools formed by obstructions with a more gradual narrowing of flow. The increased volume of scour associated with obstructions that rapidly narrow flow also creates larger volume riffles that cover a greater extent of the channel bed