Nuclear Structure of High Spin States

Benetti, Caleb Benjamin The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

Microscopic nuclear shell model calculations have been advancing in capability over the last 40 years. Florida State University’s experimental nuclear structure group has participated in this advancement with the introduction of the FSU interaction in 2019. To provide new data and test out the theoretical predictions of the FSU interaction the excited, high spin structure of two nuclei are studied. The first, 37Ar, was studied using high resolution gamma spectroscopy following fusion evaporation compound reaction. This data was from an experiment at Argonne National Lab in 2017 with GRETINA (Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking In-beam Nuclear Array). Results presented herein show excellent agreement with nuclear states calculated with the FSU interaction. Several gamma transitions and levels not published before the start of the analysis are pointed out along with the next member of the yrast band.The second nucleus, 29Si, was studied using a direct reaction, 27Al(α, d)29Si. Of particular interest for this dissertation the (α, d) reaction was first studied by a group at Berkeley lab, who showed it selectively populates particular states [1]. Importantly the most strongly populated state by (α, d) is also the yrast fully aligned state of particular interest for comparison to the FSU interaction. Deuteron spectra of 27Al(α, d)29Si is presented up to the deuteron separation energy. Results of spectroscopic factor calculations are presented for deuteron cluster formation. A candidate peak for the fully aligned state is found at 13.7 MeV.Results from the study of both nuclei are presented in comparison to the FSU interaction. Agreement is found between FSU interaction and both nuclei for states along and near the yrast band. The fully aligned state in 29Si shows slight disagreement with the FSU interaction in absolute value, but on a relative basis the agreement is consistent with previous results from other nuclei lower in excitation energy, like 37Ar.

Reimagining 'Bodywork' in the Wake: A Collection of Black Queer, Transgender, and Nonbinary Body Autonomy Oral Testimonies

Rochon, Monica A The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

Black queer, transgender, and nonbinary (BQTN) people are among the most vulnerable populations in the United States due to structural racialized and gender discrimination (Clifton, 2021). In the United States, civil and human rights protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, and intersex (LGBTQAI+) people have historically been politically and culturally contested within sport and physical culture studies. As a bodyworker and insider to the queer and trans community, I am choosing to use oral history interviews to explore the liberatory bodywork spaces created by and for BQTN bodyworkers in the Southeastern United States. Liberatory bodywork is an expression of various modalities of physical and/or energetic techniques working with the human body for individual and collective transformation and freedom praxis. Liberatory bodywork recognizes the ongoing anti-Black violence and colonialism on our physical beings. Through liberatory bodywork, physical activity, and embodied movement is practiced and taught with an explicit recognition and reverence for the land, participants lived experiences, and personal and collective commitments to freedom. Moreover, liberatory bodywork invites scholars and community members into integrative approaches to understanding human and non-human relations as emancipatory sites and interventions into the ongoing harm of structural oppression. Though gender identity is not documented in the U.S. Census, the estimated population size of transgender individuals has been collected through national population surveys and has significantly increased over the last decade (Meerwijk & Sevellius, 2017). In 2016, the Williams Institute estimated that 1.4 million adults identify as transgender, and more recently in 2021, more than 1.2 million LGBTQ adults identify as nonbinary. Yet, in June 2021, the United States introduced (over thirty states to date) record-breaking anti-transgender legislation, focused specifically on eliminating sport participation and gender-affirming healthcare for transgender and nonbinary people (Mosier, 2022). In response to the state's discriminatory measures, individuals and groups at the local, state-wide, and national levels have organized in the fight for transgender rights, affirming healthcare, and sports participation. Federal and state anti-transgender sport and healthcare legislative policies are predicated on the structural erasure of transgender people resulting from Western colonial constructs such as gender, race, and sexual orientation hierarchies (Carrington & McDonald 2009; Travers, 2008; White et al. 1995). These value systems permeate institutional practices that reproduce regulatory policies regarding sex, gender identity, and expression by categorizing their cultural acceptability exclusively on a binary basis (Travers, 2008). Further, such laws and regulations become an impetus for further material conditions and symbolic violence that decrease and severely restrict access to basic resources such as housing, healthcare, employment, education, sport, and recreation, to name some (Johnson et al., 2020). The deliberate practice of systemic oppression compounds historical and generational traumas endangering the livelihood and well-being of BQTN people. Such corporealized harm is somaticized and lives inside of physical material bodies, contributing to the shortening of BQTN people's lives. The immense amount of stress caused by the struggle to simply survive is a great barrier to health and vitality. Consequently, BQTN communities need resources that contribute to both understanding and addressing the oppressive conditions that restrain access to embodied healing resources, which can alleviate individual and collective harm. Accordingly, this dissertation explores the ways that BQTN bodyworkers in the Southeastern United States navigate sport and physical cultural spaces, in turn, by generating ontological spaces of liberatory bodywork and resisting normative (and oppressive) practices of bodywork. Throughout this process, I draw from the Sankofa tradition, politically engaged sport sociology, and physical cultural studies (PCS) literature. My research study is important because BQTN people have been strategically and systemically disembodied by governmental policies, public discourse, everyday practices, and incomprehensible violence. Further, the dominant hegemonic culture in institutionalized sporting spaces compounds this harm. Consequently, this dissertation confronts racialized and gendered discrimination that leads to the erasure of BQTN people. Despite the social reproduction of power relations that erase BQTN people, we still exist and in particular claim our existence within sport and physical culture. These liberatory and life-affirming bodywork communities do exist and play an important part in BQTN's struggles for body autonomy and self-determination.

Three Essays on Business-State Relations in Authoritarian Regimes

Hess, Katelyn The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation contains three essays that aim to better understand the topic of business-state relations in authoritarian regimes. To do this, I use various causal inference techniques and utilize Russia as my geographic focus. Below is an overview of each of the three essays.The first chapter examines whether some judges are more willing to rule in favor of the state than others during business disputes. While previous researchers have studied the court system in authoritarian regimes, very few have examined the factors that shape judges' decision-making, especially in the commercial realm. In this regard, I argue that public sector (e.g., the court bureaucracy, prosecutor's office, investigative services, or other government agencies) judges are more likely to rule in favor of the regime because they may have similar preferences to the autocrat or they may have career incentives because of their lack of employment options outside of the state. To test this hypothesis, I use original data from the Russian commercial courts on the career paths of judges and a sample of more than 200,000 court cases from the last decade. For my causal identification strategy, I exploit the random assignment of cases to judges, ensuring that there are no significant differences in case characteristics that could potentially impact judges’ decisions. Ultimately, I found that public-sector judges are no more likely than private-sector judges to issue favorable rulings toward the state.The second chapter examines whether corruption scandals impact the value of politically connected firms. While extensive literature examines whether and how political connections affect firm value, no studies have examined whether corruption scandals influence this. To answer this question, I take advantage of the release of a widely viewed Russian documentary film about an alleged corruption scheme involving former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the anti-corruption protests that followed in March 2017. To estimate the impacts of these events, I use data on political connections to Medvedev and daily stock returns from the Moscow Stock Exchange. For my research design, I use an event study to gauge how investors reacted to these events. In addition, I use synthetic controls to control for any confounding factors. In the end, I found that investors did not respond to either the video or the protests.Finally, the third chapter explores whether economic sanctions impact the value of firms. While some scholars have examined how sanctions influence macroeconomic outcomes, such as trade or FDI, few have explored firm-level effects. To this end, I contend that investors would respond negatively to economic sanctions because they could cause firms to lose benefits, such as foreign direct investment, access to financing, and various goods and services. To test this hypothesis, I take advantage of the sanctions imposed on multiple Russian business people and their firms for malign activity in April 2018. To estimate the relationship between sanctions and firm value, I utilize data on different firm-level covariates and daily returns from the Moscow Exchange. For my identification strategy, I use an event study to gauge how investors react to the sanctions. In addition, I use synthetic controls to control for any confounding events. Ultimately, I found that investors did not respond to the announcement about the imposition of sanctions against Russian firms or their leadership.

A Mixed Methods Approach to Investigating Music Teacher Retention and Attrition in Alternative Schools

Sisson, Christina Joy The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the qualifications, preservice experiences, and factors that influence teacher retention and attrition; and identify the needs of music teachers working in alternative schools to understand the factors that lead to music teacher retention and attrition in these schools. As this was the first study to examine music teachers in alternative schools, an attempt was made to understand who these music teachers were, recognize the factors related to their retention, and understand why specific factors were essential to the participants while others were considered unimportant. A sequential-explanatory mixed methods design was used to identify those factors that lead to music teacher attrition before exploring these ideas deeper with five specific cases. The Four Capital Theory of Teacher Retention served as the foundation for this study. It organizes the factors related to teacher retention and attrition and investigates these themes through the lens of preexisting theories: (1) human capital, (2) social capital, (3) structural capital, and (4) positive psychological capital. Strand 1 was descriptive, and examined the qualifications, preservice experiences, and factors that influence teacher retention and attrition. Results from strand 1 indicated that all teachers in the study chose to teach in their schools, nearly one-third of participants had no training in working with students with exceptionalities, and social factors are of most importance for retention. The qualitative strand 2 followed, shedding light on the lived experiences of teachers who worked in alternative schools in Florida. Here, each teacher expressed their thoughts regarding each of the factors and how they were impacted by them. Teachers also discussed desired training opportunities. Finally, strand 3 integrated information gathered during the qualitative phase of the study with data from interviews in an effort to understand how these teachers determined those factors of most importance. .

Student Perceptions of the Criminal Justice System: Does Criminal Justice-Related Curriculum Make a Difference?

Turner, Katie M. The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

This qualitative and exploratory study identified gaps in research pertaining to adolescent student perceptions of the criminal justice system (CJS) and determining the influence criminal justice-related curriculum may/may not have on those perceptions. IRB permissions were obtained prior to any research being conducted. All participants provided signed student assent and parental consent forms prior to data collection. Data was gathered from two participant groups (9 freshmen and 9 seniors) enrolled in a criminal justice magnet program in Central Florida. Each student participated in a one-on-one interview with the researcher. They were asked to gauge their level of trust in the criminal justice system and to identify which factor influenced their views the most (personal experiences, experiences shared by friends & family, news and social media, or school curriculum). Seniors were also asked to reflect on their time in the magnet program and describe if/how the program influenced their views of the CJS.All students in the freshmen participant group said they had high levels of trust in the CJS. Only six out of the nine seniors felt the same. Three seniors, all self-identified as an ethnic minority, stated they only trusted the CJS “somewhat.” Overall, most students stated the most influential factors in forming perceptions of the CJS were experiences shared by friends and family members. All senior participants stated they enjoyed their time in the program and felt they could apply what they learned to future career goals. Understanding that adolescents rely heavily on the perceptions of friends and family when considering the criminal justice system should motivate stakeholders to create and revitalize programs that promote positive experiences and strengthen community bonds between CJS agencies and these young citizens.

A Demographic Study of Composers Studied in the Graduate Choral Literature Curriculum

Webb, Dante Sentrell The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the race, gender, and historical periods of composers included in syllabi for graduate choral literature courses in the southern region of the United States. The participants (N = 11) in this study were collegiate choral conductors teaching graduate choral literature courses at public/private colleges and universities. After analyzing the syllabi collected from the participants, the researcher extracted composers information from each syllabi including race, gender, and historical periods into a data collection sheet created by the researcher. The results indicated that White male composers from the Modern era are most frequently studied in graduate choral literature courses. The results also indicated that composers of color and women composers are significantly underrepresented in graduate choral literature curricula in the South. These findings suggest that a reform may be needed in graduate choral literature curricula to ensure more composers of color and women composers' history and compositions are studied in graduate choral literature courses. .

Preservice Teachers' Perceptions and Readiness Entering Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms

Beauford, Shane Nicole The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

This study addresses preservice teachers' understanding of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) and their readiness to teach in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) classrooms. This study analyzed preservice teachers' understanding of CRP and the challenges or barriers that implementation may present. Also, the research examined preservice teachers' readiness to enter the teaching field.The nation's growing diversity requires that educators address their biases and have confidence in delivering instruction to meet the needs of today's culturally and linguistically diverse student population. The achievement gap between Black and Brown students of color and White students has been well documented, and it is essential to close the gap that is only growing post-pandemic.With the intense racial climate of late, the implications for addressing culturally responsive pedagogy have never been more important as its essence is being attacked and "banned" across the nation. This study looks to further the conversation on the readiness of educators to teach in our nation's and specifically the state of Florida's CLD schools with cultural responsiveness at the core and determine what more teacher education programs may need to do to address this need.

The Flute Methodology of Alberto Almarza

Donnell, Samantha Jamie The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

This treatise explores the flute methodology of Alberto Almarza, the Associate Professor of Flute at Carnegie Mellon University. This project provides his biography, philosophy of music and teaching, approach to practice, flute fundamentals, musicianship and artistry. The foundation of this project consisted of thirty-two transcribed flute lessons and two interviews with Almarza.This methodology takes a psychological, research-based approach to teaching, using anatomical descriptions in his explanations that equip students with the history behind the rules in the musical styles, as well as concrete tips to further develop their musicianship skills. Furthermore, he creates clear rules called "Guiding Principles" that extrapolate to all forms of music. This methodology develops students' critical thinking skills, self-awareness, and provides them with a logical and efficient way of approaching music and practice. This is the first document that organizes this invaluable methodology; it serves as a guide in the flute community, specifically for flute students, pedagogues, and musicians at the advanced and professional levels. This resource is anticipated to be used as the foundation for a future practice book for flutists.

Teacher Perceptions of Beginner-Level Piano Technique and Injury Prevention

Archer, Stephanie The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

Many studies have been conducted examining musicians' injuries and their prevention; however, most of this research focuses on the advanced pianist. Pedagogues and researchers agree that the early stages of piano study are crucial for developing proper habits regarding piano technique, and many believe that poor piano technique can be a factor in playing-related injury. An examination of piano teachers' perceptions and practices regarding beginner-level technique and injury prevention is necessary in order to further investigate and understand the causes and solutions to this medical phenomenon.The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate current perspectives and perceptions of pre-college piano teachers regarding teaching technique to the beginner-level student and the relationship those perspectives have with injury prevention. Several factors were examined including the extent these teachers' strategies reflected existing research concerning injury prevention and technique. Influences such as method books or prior education were also assessed to determine the root source of pedagogical choices. The researcher created a questionnaire that was distributed to pre-college piano teachers from across the United States. A total of 216 participants responded to the survey. The respondents answered questions regarding (I) demographic information; (II) teaching technique perspectives and practices; (III) method book information; and (IV) teaching injury prevention perspectives and practices. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected.Results suggested that many teachers do believe the relationship between beginner-level technique instruction and injury prevention exists; however, the emphasis each participant places on certain techniques varies across demographic groups. When teachers were divided into groups according to their preferred method books, the order in which they introduced technical skills to students varied. Emphasis on various skills also differed when participants were organized into groups according to their personal experiences with playing-related musculoskeletal disorders. Other demographic groups such as the primary age group taught seemed to have little bearing on the responses. According to a pair of Pearson Correlation Coefficients, weak positive relationships were found to exist between the participants' awareness of injury prevention and their education level and between their awareness and their amount of teaching experience. A series of open-ended questions allowed for the participating teachers to describe their teaching philosophies and strategies in their own words. Many commented positively on the importance of teaching technique while others detailed tactics they used in teaching students. Some described strategies they used at various stages of learning. A few respondents even reported having no specific philosophies regarding the subject matter. These responses were also compared to existing research literature concerning piano technique. Many mentioned strategies that have been shown to benefit students in the injury prevention area include slow practice, warming up, and teaching students to avoid tension in their playing apparatus. While some stated that they often delay serious technical study until later in the student's playing career, many comments were made about prioritizing technique in order to prevent playing issues which many researchers have concluded as best practice for piano teachers. The prevalence of body awareness and technique methodology training was also surveyed. A majority (54.41%) of participants reported they had received some sort of training although that education varied from attending a local music teachers workshop to being certified in popular methods such as Alexander Technique or the Taubman Approach. Those who indicated more specific and detailed training often provided meticulous responses concerning their teaching philosophies. The researcher recommends for all beginner-level piano teachers to prioritize healthy piano technique with their students including using the parents of young students as a helpful resource to aid in the child's development. Teachers who feel inadequately prepared to aid students in this area should seek further education through workshops, books, conferences, and other opportunities to better equip themselves for teaching. This study provides the basis for more research to be conducted on beginner-level piano technique in order to assist in the prevention of future injuries and to promote healthy and fulfilling piano playing.

Improving the Precision of Type Ia Supernova Cosmology

Lu, Jing The Florida State University ProQuest Dissertation 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) mark the beginning and the end of stellar evolution. They are one of the most powerful cosmological probes in our universe thanks to their high intrinsic luminosities and standardizable properties. In the 1990s, the observation of SNe Ia led to the discovery of the accelerating cosmic expansion that was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2011. Despite decades of advancements, the exact details of progenitor systems (i.e. what exploded), explosion mechanisms (i.e., how they exploded), and evolution effect (i.e., are the nearby population the same as those in the early universe?) are still not fully understood yet. With more advanced observation surveys forthcoming in the near future, such as those on board the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, the systematic uncertainties of SNe Ia observations will continue to dominate the error budget of their distance measurements. This dissertation is motivated to improve the precision of SN Ia cosmology by understanding the physics and diversity and SNe Ia, as well as improving the astronomical tools needed for cosmological purposes.Photometric and spectroscopic observational studies of the first homogenous sample of the peculiar 03fg-like SNe Ia obtained by the Carnegie Supernovae Project (CSP) are conducted to investigate the physics of SNe Ia. 03fg-like events are usually more luminous than the normal SNe Ia and exhibit peculiar light-curve shapes in the redder filters, such as the weak or missing secondary maxima and the delayed peak time in iY JH bands. Spectroscopically, 03fg-like SN Ia show peculiar features in both optical and near-infrared (NIR) regions, such as the stronger C, slower Si, and the lack of the H-band break. One of the most extreme objects within this subgroup, ASASSN-15hy, is used for the case study of an envelope model that could potentially explain all 03fg-like SNe Ia. It is found that a core degenerate scenario, an explosion of a degenerate white dwarf core inside a nondegenerate envelope, with a transition from deflagration to detonation can explain the observed peculiar properties. In the case of ASASSN-15hy, the low metallicity of the progenitor is a key aspect of the model explanation. In fact, a low-metallicity host environment is a shared preference among these 03fg-like SNe Ia. Such host environment is more common in the early universe, which brings up the concern that 03fg-like SNe Ia may be a problem for high-redshift SN Ia cosmology due to detection bias and potential evolution preference. Therefore, more detailed observational and theoretical studies of these events are strongly recommended. Another main focus of this dissertation is on the development of a new NIR spectral template of SNe Ia that captures the feature variations that are correlated with the light-curve shapes. Compared to optical observations, NIR observations of SN Ia are less sensitive to dust and have more uniform peak luminosities, which are beneficial for cosmological purposes. A spectral template is usually needed to fit the light curves of SNe Ia accurately in order to estimate the distance. However, the NIR part of the existing spectral templates lacks an accurate description of the intrinsic spectral variations. Using the largest and most homogeneous collection of NIR spectra of SNe Ia to date collected by CSP-II, we are able to explore the NIR spectral diversity of SNe Ia and build a new NIR spectra template. Principal component analysis and Gaussian process regression are used for the template construction, which reduces data dimensionality and models the parameter dependence, respectively. Using the new template reduces the systematic uncertainties in K-corrections by ∼90% compared to those from the Hsiao template. Furthermore, this template can serve as the baseline spectral energy distribution for various light-curve fitters and can identify peculiar spectral features that might point to compelling physics. The NIR spectra data and template presented in this work will substantially improve future SN Ia cosmological experiments, for both nearby and distant samples.