Showing 121 - 130 of 583 Items
Caring like a state: The elaboration of a care ideology in Peru and Sri Lanka in the 20th century
Date: 2015-05-01
Creator: Katharine Herman
Access: Open access
- This project compares the interaction between the government and the population in both Peru and Sri Lanka through the 20th century, focusing on the provision of care (services, benefits, and recognition as provided by the governing apparatus) as a locus for their most meaningful interaction. The provision of care can be seen as a form of communication established in certain practices, symbols, and discourses. Moreover, the provision of care works to reorient the subject population into a more beneficial relationship with the state–notably one of increased dependence and trust. Through the elaboration of what care is and how it functions, a care ideology is established creating a terrain through which the politics of the governed and the governing alike can be legitimized. Care ideology can then be considered a further articulation of the state idea, creating a dialogue about how governance can or should be affected within a certain context. These case studies then illustrate the terrain over which both of these governing bodies work. In Sri Lanka, the governing apparatus provides a means for citizens to live a symbolically meaningful life through paddy farming. In Peru, the governing apparatus provides access to the state through civil infrastructure like roads and education. Through care, material goods become invested with meaning and the state idea becomes materialized. Care is a then substantial project undertaken by the state to ensure its own reproduction and further widen the possibilities for the state project to be effected through its own citizens.
The Photocatalytic Degradation of Ibuprofen and Atenolol Using Bismuth Oxychloride and Titanium Dioxide
Date: 2021-01-01
Creator: Kamyron Anthony Speller
Access: Open access
- Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are contaminating natural bodies of water and are problematic for aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Generally, PPCPs are introduced to water systems due to incomplete removal by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). As such, it is vital to find ways to remediate these problematic contaminants before they are discharged into the environment. In this study, two photocatalysts¾titanium dioxide (TiO2) and bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl)¾were compared to determine their relative efficiencies (degradation rates) and dominant degradation mechanism (hydroxyl radical production or direct oxidation) with the goal of photocatalytically degrading two pharmaceuticals, atenolol and ibuprofen, using UV (254 nm) light. While TiO2 has been used extensively for photocatalytic degradation, BiOCl is a newer photocatalyst. The two pharmaceuticals selected for study represent two large classes of drugs (aryloxypropanolamine and propionic acid derivatives, respectively) that have been detected in the influent into and effluent from wastewater treatment plants and in the environment. When irradiated at 254 nm, BiOCl degrades ibuprofen with a rate constant 15 times greater than TiO2. On the other hand, TiO2 degrades atenolol with a rate constant 2.2 times greater than BiOCl. LCMS analysis of photodegradation products reveals different products produced by the two photocatalysts, providing evidence for the dominance of different degradation mechanisms for the two photocatalysts. In summary, this work suggests that BiOCl, potentially used in combination with TiO2, holds potential for degrading PPCPs in natural bodies of water.
Critical Phenomena in the Gravitational Collapse of Electromagnetic Dipole and Quadrupole Waves
Date: 2021-01-01
Creator: Maria F. Perez Mendoza
Access: Open access
- We report on critical phenomena in the gravitational collapse of electromagnetic waves. Generalizing earlier results that focused on dipole electromagnetic waves, we here compare with quadrupole waves in axisymmetry. We perform numerical simulations of dipole and quadrupole wave initial data, fine-tuning both sets of data to the onset of black hole formation in order to study the critical solution and related critical phenomena. We observe that different multipole moments have different symmetries, indicating that the critical solution for electromagnetic waves cannot be unique, at least not globally. This is confirmed in our numerical simulations: while dipole data lead to a single center of collapse, at the center of symmetry, quadrupole data feature two separate centers of collapse on the symmetry axis, above and below the center of symmetry -- reminiscent of similar findings reported for critical collapse of vacuum gravitational waves. While the critical solution for neither the dipole nor the quadrupole data is exactly self-similar, we find that their approximate echoing periods appear to differ, as do the critical exponents. We discuss whether the centers of collapse found for dipole and quadrupole data might all have the same properties, which would suggest a ``local uniqueness" of the critical solution. Instead, we provide some evidence -- including the differing echoing periods and critical exponents -- suggesting that the critical solutions are distinct even locally. We speculate on the implications of our findings for critical phenomena in the collapse of vacuum gravitational waves, which share with electromagnetic waves the absence of a spherically symmetric critical solution.
Accretion Onto a Black Hole at the Center of a Neutron Star: Nuclear Equations of State
Date: 2022-01-01
Creator: Sophia Christina Schnauck
Access: Open access
- A recent re-examination of Bondi accretion (see Richards, Baumgarte and Shapiro (2021)) revealed that, for stiff equations of state (EOSs), steady-state accretion can only occur for accretion rates exceeding a certain minimum. To date, this result has been explored only for gamma-law equations of state. Instead, we consider accretion onto a small black hole residing at the center of a neutron star governed by a more realistic nuclear EOS. We generalize the relativistic Bondi solution for such EOSs, approximated by piecewise polytropes, and thereby obtain analytical expressions for the accretion rates which were reflected in our numerical simulations. After taking several different piecewise EOSs at different neutron star densities into account, the accretion rates of the different EOSs were only slightly larger than the previously observed minimum. In other words there appears to be evidence for a nearly universal accretion rate that depends only on the black hole mass. However, we also observed that for certain densities the fluid profiles of several EOSs exhibited superluminal sound speeds outside the horizon of the black hole, suggesting that the EOSs are not appropriate at these densities.
Evaluating Dam Relicensing and River Herring Habitat Restoration from a Broad, Multi-Ecosystem Perspective
Date: 2022-01-01
Creator: Matthew L. Thomas
Access: Open access
- This study investigates the potential benefits of using a broad, multi-ecosystem analysis in the licensing and relicensing of hydropower facilities. Specifically, it considers the impact of river herring restoration on coastal food webs and cod and other groundfish populations in the Gulf of Maine. The past two decades of research on fisheries management, ecosystem connectivity, and the connection between river herring and groundfish in the Gulf of Maine have resulted in a better understanding of the ways in which human activities, such as dam building, influence ecological processes. The paper analyzes two case studies of six Maine dams currently engaged in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) hydroelectric dam relicensing process. The analysis illustrates the shortcomings of the Federal Power Act’s provisions that address the balancing of ecological and power generation concerns. Following the case studies, a series of policy recommendations are presented to encourage a more transparent and predictable relicensing process that adequately values both ecological and power generation goals. Changes are suggested for both the FERC process itself and the process by which state and federal resource agencies may provide comments regarding how a proposed dam licensing or relicensing affects natural resources under their jurisdiction. The proposed policy recommendations will increase the resilience of natural systems as they adapt to climate impacts.
The Soviet and American Wars in Afghanistan: Applying Clausewitzian Concepts to Modern Military Failure
Date: 2020-01-01
Creator: Artur Kalandarov
Access: Open access
- This paper evaluates the validity of three concepts from Carl von Clausewitz’s On War as they relate to contemporary military conflict. Utilizing the Soviet and American Wars in Afghanistan as case studies, the paper also offers a model for comparative conflict analysis by expanding upon Clausewitz’s culminating point concept. It argues that – despite limitations to Clausewitz’s theory of war – his concepts of culminating points in military operations, mass and concentration, and changing war aims provide useful insights into counterinsurgency military failures. Chapter One identifies the Soviet and American culminating points. Concluding that the concept of a culminating point is not applicable to the means and objectives of insurgents, it expands upon Clausewitzian theory by presenting an effectual substitute: the Counterinsurgent Acceptance Point. This is the author’s idea, and it is defined as the moment at which the counterinsurgents first publicly call for negotiations with the enemy. As the first public acknowledgment that the insurgents have denied the counterinsurgents a strictly military resolution to the conflict, it marks a crucial shift in the political framework of the war and is a fitting antithesis to the culminating point. Chapters Two and Three show how an inadequate troop presence and unclear war aims harmed Soviet and American efforts in Afghanistan. The development of insurgencies in both wars are studied to pinpoint when both country’s leaderships failed to adopt a Clausewitzian view of war, despite calls to do so by General Colin Powell in 2001 and Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov in 1979.
Tradition et Nouveauté: Une étude du baccalauréat et de la réforme Blanquer
Date: 2020-01-01
Creator: Fiona Carey
Access: Open access
- The baccalauréat exam has played a significant role in the lives of French high schoolers for more than two centuries. Not only does the exam determine a student’s eligibility for university, it is a long-standing national tradition and an important aspect of French identity. The baccalauréat consists of a core curriculum and a choice of specialties, all of which prepare students for the exams that they will take in their last two years of high school. In 2018, Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer announced a reform to the baccalauréat that would drastically alter the content and structure of the exam. Blanquer’s reform offers students a wider variety of specialties and in doing so hopes to eliminate the supposed hierarchies which have historically valued sciences over other subject matters. This reform revolutionizes the system while simultaneously remaining deeply rooted in tradition. While Blanquer’s reform introduces changes to the core curriculum and an entirely new list of specialties, it preserves other aspects of the French education system, particularly the mandatory study of philosophy. This thesis examines the contrasting novelty and tradition of Blanquer’s baccalauréat. In order to understand the intent and implications of his reform, this thesis studies a series of historic reforms, provides a detailed explanation of Blanquer’s changes, and finally discusses a selection of anonymous survey responses concerning its potential impacts. In discussing these survey responses, I highlight three main themes: (1) hierarchies and freedom of choice, (2) collectivity and individuality, and (3) the role of nationalism in the baccalauréat.
Computational Investigation of the Ground States and Luminescent Excited States of Ruthenium(II) and Platinum(II) Photoactive Complexes: Insights into the Design of New Ruthenium(II)-Based Molecular Photocatalysts and Enhanced Understanding of Metal-Metal Bonded Exciplexes Access to this record is restricted to members of the Bowdoin community. Log in here to view.
Date: 2020-01-01
Creator: Thomas Regan
Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community
Analysis of adhesion mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana This record is embargoed.
- Embargo End Date: 2025-05-14
Date: 2020-01-01
Creator: Bridgid Elizabeth Greed
Access: Embargoed
“Unstuck in Time and Space”: Time Travels in Teen Cinema Access to this record is restricted to members of the Bowdoin community. Log in here to view.
Date: 2021-01-01
Creator: Hallowell Lyne
Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community