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Holy Cross Magazine, Vol. 52, No. 1, Winter 2018, College Of The Holy Cross

Holy Cross Magazine

Syllabus: Introduction to Neuroscience
with Alo Basu, associate professor of psychology
By Meredith Fidrocki

The 2017 Sanctae Crucis Awards
In September 2017, five alumni were awarded the highest non-degree accolade the College bestows on its graduates.

Ten Years in Montserrat
The first-year program extends the Holy Cross invitation to challenge on day one
By Christopher Amenta ’06

Finding Their Role in the World: How Holy Cross Alumni Approach Careers in Medicine
Four alumni examine the lasting influence of a Jesuit, liberal arts background on their path after graduation, through medical school and beyond.
By Dave Greenslit

How Do Holy Cross …

Fossil Fuel Subsidies In America, Jackson Cutsor

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Two of the most controversial topics in American politics today are climate change and the federal budget. Subsidies for energy generation fit into both categories.

Subsidies given to the energy industry artificially decrease the price of energy and electricity. Low energy prices help stimulate the market, however, the negative externalities like the social cost of carbon and political corruption are not taken into consideration.

Subsidies can come in many forms including: failure to impose external costs, tax breaks, and low interest loans. Even without imposing the social cost of carbon a removal of fossil fuel energy subsidies can have a …

Validation Of The Multilayered Gender Identity Questionnaires, Philip Eiseman

Dissertations

Gender identity shapes the ways transgender adults experience themselves and relate to the world around them. Although research and theory suggest that gender identity is a multidimensional construct, most measures of gender identity have viewed gender as primarily a unitary construct tied to the gender binary. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Multilayered Gender Identity Questionnaires (MGIQ), a set of measures of gender identity, in a sample of transgender adults. Qualitative data collected through focus groups with transgender adults (N = 7) helped refine and develop these measures. A series of analyses involving a …

Weighted Inequalities For Dyadic Operators Over Spaces Of Homogeneous Type, David Edward Weirich

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

A so-called space of homogeneous type is a set equipped with a quasi-metric and a doubling measure. We give a survey of results spanning the last few decades concerning the geometric properties of such spaces, culminating in the description of a system of dyadic cubes in this setting whose properties mirror the more familiar dyadic lattices in R^n . We then use these cubes to prove a result pertaining to weighted inequality theory over such spaces. We develop a general method for extending Bellman function type arguments from the real line to spaces of homogeneous type. Finally, we uses this …

Remote Sensing Of Forests Using Discrete Return Airborne Lidar, Hamid Hamraz, Marco A. Contreras

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Airborne discrete return light detection and ranging (LiDAR) point clouds covering forested areas can be processed to segment individual trees and retrieve their morphological attributes. Segmenting individual trees in natural deciduous forests, however, remained a challenge because of the complex and multi-layered canopy. In this chapter, we present (i) a robust segmentation method that avoids a priori assumptions about the canopy structure, (ii) a vertical canopy stratification procedure that improves segmentation of understory trees, (iii) an occlusion model for estimating the point density of each canopy stratum, and (iv) a distributed computing approach for efficient processing at the forest level. …

Personal Reflections / 12.20.17, José M. Torres

Personal Reflections

As 2017 comes to a close, I want to wish you and your loved ones happy holidays and a very happy New Year. For those who celebrated Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, happy belated holidays to you!

For this personal reflection, I want to take time to amplify our very important IMSA faculty. I have enjoyed the many one-on-one conversations with individual faculty members this fall. While I have not yet finished meeting with each one, I’m at number 42, my appreciation, esteem, and respect continues to increase for each of them. I have learned first-hand of their tireless efforts in teaching, …

Conflict, Constraint, And The Evolution Of The Multivariate Performance Phenotype, Ann M. Cespedes Phd

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Performance is key to survival. From day-to-day foraging events, to reproductive activities, to life-or-death crises, how well an organism performs these tasks can determine success or failure. Selection, therefore, both natural and sexual, act upon performance, and performance demands on individuals shape a population’s morphological and physiological trait distributions. While studies of morphological adaptations to ecological pressures implicitly center on the idea that responses to selection improve performance via changes in morphology, the relationships between morphology, performance, and fitness are not always well understood. In this dissertation, I investigate these relationships explicitly, as well as determine the effects that different …

Automated Species Classification Methods For Passive Acoustic Monitoring Of Beaked Whales, John Lebien

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center has collected passive acoustic monitoring data in the northern Gulf of Mexico since 2001. Recordings were made in 2007 near the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that provide a baseline for an extensive study of regional marine mammal populations in response to the disaster. Animal density estimates can be derived from detections of echolocation signals in the acoustic data. Beaked whales are of particular interest as they remain one of the least understood groups of marine mammals, and relatively few abundance estimates exist. Efficient methods for classifying detected echolocation transients are essential for mining long-term passive …

Exploring Science Identity: The Lived Experiences Of Underserved Students In A University Supplemental Science Program, Lynette D. Perrault

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Underserved students attending under-resourced schools experience limited opportunities to engage in advanced science. An exploration into the influence a supplemental science program has on underserved students’ acquisition of science knowledge and skills to increase their pursuit of science was conducted to help explain science identity formation in students. The proliferation of supplemental science programs have emerged as a result of limited exposure and resources in science for underserved students, thus prompting further investigation into the influence supplemental science programs have on underserved students interest and motivation in science, attainment of science knowledge and skills, and confidence in science to promote …

A Narrative Case Study Examining The Influences Of Peer-Led Team Learning On Student Critical Thinking Skill Acquisition And Deeper Process Content Knowledge In A Midsize Texas University Humanities And Social Sciences Program, Daniel E. Pratt

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will examine the efficacy of peer-led team learning (PLTL) in a humanities and social sciences program, at a midsize Texas university. It will be conducted exclusively within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), and the academic subjects to be evaluated include English, history, and philosophy. Its primary function is to disclose whether or not PLTL facilitates in student participants improvement in critical thinking skill acquisition and deeper process content knowledge. Of primary interest in this qualitative, narrative case study is deducing how breakout sessions – supplementary meetings led by student participants, in the absence of instructors, …

Um Black Faculty And Staff Organization Plays Santa's Helpers, Edwin B. Smith

University of Mississippi News

20th annual Books and Bears program provides toys for physical plant workers' children

Chaucer's Divided "I": Narrative Voice And Performance Dynamics In Late Fourteenth-Century English Literature, Isaac Mcduffie

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Throughout the twentieth century, various Chaucer scholars have worked to achieve the now-consensus opinion that Chaucer wrote his works expecting them to be both listened to within a group setting and read privately in an individual setting. These scholars have either assumed or expressly stated that the experience of listening to and reading Chaucer’s works would have been the same. This dissertation argues otherwise. I show that in the late fourteenth century, English vernacular was only starting to be understood as a written language, and this peculiar circumstance created tensions between both listening and reading modes of reception. Such tensions …

Line Start Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor For Multi Speed Application, Bikrant Poudel

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to design and develop LSPM motors capable of operating in two distant synchronous speeds with good starting torque and steady state characteristics for variety of industrial applications, in particular offshore and maritime applications. The proposed designs are based on variable pole numbers for the stator and the rotor. The stator winding consist of two independent windings with different pole numbers to switch the winding and change the operating pole count for low and high speed applications. For the motor to operate in these two distinct operating speeds, the rotor must be capable of creating two different magnetic …

Mathematical Formulation Of Fusion Energy Magnetohydrodynamics, Nikolaos I. Xiros

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1 presents the basic principles of Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion, and the approaches to achieve nuclear fusion on Earth. Furthermore, the basic components of the Tokamak, the reactor which will house the fusion reaction, are analyzed. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion on how the present thesis is related to the Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion. Chapter 2 introduces briefly the basic concepts of the Electromagnetic and Magnetohydrodynamic theories as well as MHD turbulence. Chapter 3 presents a first glance in OpenFOAM CFD library. Chapter 4 introduces the Orszag-Tang vortex flow, which is a benchmark test case for MHD numerical models. …

Parameter Estimation Technique For Models In Pss/E Using Real-Time Data And Automation, Malavika Vasudevan Menon

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to use automation to create appropriate models in PSS/E with the data from Hardware-in-Loop real-time simulations. With the increase in technology of power electronics, the use of High Voltage Direct Current Technology and Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System devices in the electrical power system have increased tremendously. Static Var Compensators are widely used and it is important to have accurate and reliable models for studies relating to power systems planning and interaction. An automation method is proposed to find the parameters of an SVC model in PSS/E with the data from the Hardware-in- loop …

Three-Dimensional Nanomaterials For Supercapacitor Applications: From Metal Oxides To Metal Phosphides, Zhi Zheng

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few years, energy storage devices have received tremendous interest due to the increasing demand for sustainable and renewable energy in modern society. Supercapacitors are considered as one of the most promising energy storage devices because of their high power density and long cycle life. However, low energy density remains as the main shortcoming for supercapacitors. The overall performance of supercapacitors is predominantly determined by the characteristics of the electrodes. Specifically, constructing nanostructured electrode material has been proven as an efficient way to improve the performance by providing large surface area and short ionic and electronic diffusion paths. …

Underwater Acoustic Signal Analysis Toolkit, Kirk Bienvenu Jr

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This project started early in the summer of 2016 when it became evident there was a need for an effective and efficient signal analysis toolkit for the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling (LADC-GEMM) Research Consortium. LADC-GEMM collected underwater acoustic data in the northern Gulf of Mexico during the summer of 2015 using Environmental Acoustic Recording Systems (EARS) buoys. Much of the visualization of data was handled through short scripts and executed through terminal commands, each time requiring the data to be loaded into memory and parameters to be fed through arguments. The vision was to develop …

The Horse's Ass: A Survey Of Comediology, William M. Fisk

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

What is comedy? Can someone learn to be funny? Are there rules or guidelines for the production of laughter, the universal language? This paper, which outlines an investigation of successful comedians and the production of a short film, determines to aggregate as many of the relevant prerequisites of inducing giggles as possible, especially as they relate to the audiovisual medium of cinema.

One-Way Coupled Hydroelastic Analysis Of Aluminum Wedge Under Slamming, Mallikarjun Kalluru

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The concept of using aluminum as the primary construction material for high speed ships and the hydroelastic behavior of the structure is widely gaining importance as a significant research topic in naval architecture. Aluminum is lighter than steel and hence can be predominantly used in high speed crafts which experiences significant slamming. This thesis work is focused on wedge shaped models. Free fall wedge impact is studied and a FORTRAN 90 computer program is developed to estimate the structural response of the wedge experiencing slamming by the use of matrix methods, finite element techniques and Newmark-Beta numerical time integration methods. …

An Application Of M-Matrices To Preserve Bounded Positive Solutions To The Evolution Equations Of Biofilm Models, Richard S. Landry Jr.

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we design a linear, two step implicit finite difference method to approximate the solutions of a biological system that describes the interaction between a microbial colony and a surrounding substrate. Three separate models are analyzed, all of which can be described as systems of partial differential equations (PDE)s with nonlinear diffusion and reaction, where the biological colony grows and decays based on the substrate bioavailability. The systems under investigation are all complex models describing the dynamics of biological films. In view of the difficulties to calculate analytical solutions of the models, we design here a numerical technique …

The Interaction Between Encapsulated Gd2o3 Particles And Polymeric Matrix: The Mechanism Of Fracture And X-Ray Attenuation Properties, Ly B. T. La, Christopher Leatherday, Peng Qin, Yee-Kwong Leong, Kevin Hayward, Bin Jiang, Lai-Chang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This work sheds light on the relationship between the quantities of synthesized core shell Gd₂O₃ added to epoxy matrix and the mechanical and X-ray attenuation properties of particulate epoxy composite. Then, an optimal geometric design of non-lead based X-ray protective material with light weight per volume unit is prepared. A plateau with 28–30 % increments in the value of fracture toughness (K_IC ) is observed with a specific addition of 0.08 – 0.1 volume fraction (φ_S) of Gd₂O₃ particles in pure epoxy. The same quantity of particles also optimally raises …

Uv-Visible Optical Absorbance Of Graphene Oxide Synthesized From Zinc-Carbon Battery Waste Via A Custom-Made Ultrasound Generator Based On Liquid Sonication Exfoliation Method, Rhyko Irawan Wisnuwijaya, Agus Purwanto, Wipsar Sunu Brams Dwandaru

Makara Journal of Science

The objectives of this study are i) to synthesize graphene oxide (GO) from the waste materials of zinc-carbon (ZnC) batteries via the liquid sonication exfoliation (LSE) method using tweeter piezoelectric probes as speakers, and ii) to study the optical absorbance of the GO produced using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer by varying the mass of the graphite materials obtained from ZnC battery waste. The graphite materials are obtained from the carbon rods of the ZnC batteries, which are ground into powder. The powder is then mixed with distilled water, with powder mass variations of 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 grams. The solutions …

Ten Um Freshmen Named 2017 Stamps Scholars, Edwin B. Smith

University of Mississippi News

Students exemplify best of scholarship, community service and leadership

Harmonics Elimination In Three Phase Cascade H-Bridge Multilevel Inverter Using Virtual Stage Pwm, Amro Quedan

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The multilevel inverters are one of the great solutions that are proposed to satisfy the demand for high-power application and the significant integration of renewable energy. The conversion process from DC to AC must be done at high efficiency to decrease the energy loss and to ensure the electric grid power quality. The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is the most important feature that indicates the efficiency of the conversion process. In this research, due to the advantages of the cascade H-bridge inverter over other topologies, it has been used with the virtual stage PWM technique to investigate two different methods …

The Analysis Of Asymmetric Micro Droplets, Benjamin Gaffney, Damena Agonafer

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

The primary object of the research activities in this semester is to investigate how to adapt the Popov’s evaporation model to droplets with asymmetric geometries. Besides, extensive work with Surface Evolver were performed to analyze the equilibrium geometries of droplets on different solid substrate. Progress has been significant in the development of skills in Surface Evolver, specifically in investigating droplets at the point of bursting. Progress has been less significant in the adaptation of Popov’s Model as there are many aspects of this that require in-depth analysis, but the progress made has been promising. Outcomes of this semester include a …

Metallic Glass Composites-Understanding Nucleation And Growth, Ryogo Suzuki, Juan Wang, Anupriya Agrawal Dr., Katharine M. Flores Dr.

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

No abstract provided.

Numerical And Experimental Study Of The Wetting Characteristics Of Water Droplets On Solid Substrates, Zichen Du, Damena Agonafer

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

In this study, the author first reviewed the background and the mechanism of a highly efficient cooling method—i.e., the thin film evaporative cooling, in which the heat removal performance is highly dependent on the wetting characteristics of the working fluid. Then, the author studied the wetting behavior of water on different solid substrate both numerically and experimentally. By minimizing the free energy, Surface Evolver was used to explore the profile of the static liquid meniscus and the corresponding contact angle of water droplets on plain solid substrate and pillar substrate with sharp edge. Besides, goniometer experiments were performed to study …

Fisher’S Exact Approach For Post Hoc Analysis Of A Chi-Squared Test, G Shan, S Gerstenberger

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

This research is motivated by one of our survey studies to assess the potential influence of introducing zebra mussels to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. One research question in this study is to investigate the association between the boating activity type and the awareness of zebra mussels. A chi-squared test is often used for testing independence between two factors with nominal levels. When the null hypothesis of independence between two factors is rejected, we are often left wondering where does the significance come from. Cell residuals, including standardized residuals and adjusted residuals, are traditionally used in testing for …

Virtual Reality As A Training Tool To Treat Physical Inactivity In Children, Adam W. Kiefer, David Pincus, Michael J. Richardson, Gregory D. Myer

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Lack of adequate physical activity in children is an epidemic that can result in obesity and other poor health outcomes across the lifespan. Physical activity interventions focused on motor skill competence continue to be developed, but some interventions, such as neuromuscular training (NMT), may be limited in how early they can be implemented due to dependence on the child’s level of cognitive and perceptual-motor development. Early implementation of motor-rich activities that support motor skill development in children is critical for the development of healthy levels of physical activity that carry through into adulthood. Virtual reality (VR) training may be beneficial …

Land-Atmosphere Interactions And Regional Climate In West Africa And South America, Amir Erfanian Javadian Entezar Yazd

Doctoral Dissertations

Land, atmosphere, and oceans interact with each other through energy, mass, and momentum exchanges. These interactions regulate climate variability and influence climate changes at the regional scale. One notable example of highly influential land-atmosphere-ocean interactions on regional climates is monsoonal systems that influence a substantial portion of the world’s population. In this dissertation, the present and future climates of West Africa (WA) and South America (SA), two important monsoon regions, were studied utilizing Regional and Global Climate Models (RCMs and GCMs), mathematical techniques and data mining tools, and observational data (in-situ, remote-sensing, and reanalysis). The objective is to advance our …