VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Human Rights and Dignity: In between Morality and Culture

This study explored how adolescents (aged 13 to 17) and young adults (aged 18 to 25) reason about the concepts of human rights and human dignity in the abstract, how they judge and justify different types of human rights violations in real-life contexts, and what systems of satisfaction of justice they endorse. Two countries were compared: Turkey and Bosnia, both secular, liberal democracies, but also the only European countries with a Muslim majority population, and both divided by conflict. Based on the data from 98 in-depth clinical interviews with randomly selected participants, 44 in each country, four dimensions of comparison were analyzed:/n1) differences between reasoning in the abstract versus reasoning about specific contexts;/n2) differences in reasoning related to age;/n3) differences in reasoning related to country;/n4) differences in reasoning about different types of rights violations./nParticipants were first asked straightforward questions about their conceptualization of human rights, and the principles thereof, as well as the relationship of rights to human dignity. Next, they were asked to provide judgment and the underlying reasoning about four real-life situations of human rights violations, including, torture prisoners suspected of terrorism; discrimination of women who wear a headscarf; the unprotected labour of undocumented workers; and the segregation of the Roma ethnic minorities./nQualitative coding categorized the participant's justification responses into three cognitive domains of reasoning: the moral, the social-conventional and the personal. Quantitative analysis in R included fitting multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for within-subject design, in combination with linear regression analysis and Chi-squared analyses where necessary. The analysis measured the likelihood of positive, negative or indecisive judgment, as well as the likelihood of domain-based justifications. Fixed effects were age, country, and the type of human rights violation. The findings showed that reasoning about human rights was predominantly within the moral domain, and that reasoning within specific contexts involved a different and more multifaceted process to reasoning in the abstract. Age-related differences were situation-specific, indicating that the development of moral reasoning can be impacted by one's experiences of the social environment. Country related differences in judgments and justification were due to different prioritization of concerns in different countries. The participants defined dignity mostly as a moral concept and were more likely to connect it to human rights when they reasoned within contexts rather than in the abstract. Judgments about restorative or retributive punishment were different and related to age, country and type of violation. These findings show how reasoning about rights, dignity and satisfaction of justice are impacted by age, culture and the type of rights violation.

Advisor: Turiel, Elliot
Towards Precision Standard Model Calculations

For many years the consistency of the Standard Model(SM) of particle physics has been unflinching. The structure and content of the Standard Model has remained whole in the face of shockingly many experimental tests. Predicting the existence of new particles and yielding incredibly accurate calculations of fundamental measurements have been the hallmark of the Standard Model. Currently, experimentalists are testing several Standard Model quantities to such precision that 5th order terms are needed in theoretical calculations to match this precision. Never-the-less, the predictions of the Standard Model have kept pace with experiment and have yet to be contradicted./n/nUnfortunately, this incredible stretch of experimental validation comes at a cost. Several very large problems still are without solutions and finding them in the particle content of the Standard Model alone is unlikely. The huge range of scales seen in nature, a dark matter candidate, and the cosmic baryon asymmetry still loom as major flaws in the Standard Model. In this manuscript we aim to increase the accuracy of several Standard Model predictions to push the experimental limits of the Standard Model. We start with a brief introduction to the Standard Model and its sector we will be mainly concerned with, namely QCD. In Chapter 2, we will consider the Standard Model as an effective field theory for a new physics model that resides at a mass scale much higher than the electro-weak scale. By interpreting the SM as an effective theory it allows us to extend the Standard Model Lagrangian with new, higher-dimensional operators that depend on the scale of new physics. We then calculate the next-to-leading order corrections to these operators in QCD and combine these calculations with parton showers via the \texttt{POWHEG} method. In the final section of Chapter 2 we present a discussion of the bounds on the scale of new physics that can be drawn from comparing our results to Large-Hadron-Collider(LHC) searches. In the third chapter of this manuscript, we will briefly introduce the importance of W+charm events at the LHC followed by a discussion of NLO QCD calculations and heavy meson fragmentation resummation. Next, we give a general method for combining a fixed order, massive calculation with a massless calculation with large logarithms resummed. Numerical results of resummation and an implementation of the afore mention method are discussed followed by future outlook.

Advisor: Bauer, Christian
Nomura, Yasunori
What were they thinking?: The Impact of Mental State Explanations on Legal Decisions

People have an intuitive sense of what makes a good explanation for behavior. Confronted with a particular action, most people believe they could provide explanations that would be mitigating, that would be good explanations for the behavior. The law also has expectations about the impact of explanations. The American legal system explicitly classifies certain explanations as defenses that if believed should reduce punishment or excuse the behavior entirely. Across three studies, this dissertation finds that the reality of people’s behavior in response to an explanation often proves more complicated than laypeople or the law expect. Specifically, this dissertation considers the often unexpected ways that mental state explanations impact legal decisions./nChapter 2 finds that ignorance of vital facts is not always a mitigating explanation. Across three experiments, we find that ignorance was a mitigating explanation for one class of crime, but not another, a cognitive distinction that mirrors a legal classification. This result runs counter to both intuitive expectation and scholarly argument that ignorance of the fact that makes an action illegal would always be a mitigating explanation. We also find statistical support for what may drive this distinction at a cognitive level, perhaps explaining how the crimes were classified by the legal system. We found that ignorance was a less mitigating explanation for crimes that appeared to have been set in an arbitrary manner, in that the line of illegality could have been drawn differently. Chapter 3 replicated the main findings of Chapter 2 in a non-legal setting, again finding that ignorance is a less mitigating explanation for some violations than others. In four experiments, we find that ignorance is a less mitigating explanation for violations of school rules that appear to have been set in an arbitrary manner. This study allowed us to manipulate arbitrariness experimentally, supporting our argument that it is an actor’s belief about the arbitrariness of the rule, not whether it has actually be set in an arbitrary manner, that determines whether mental state explanations will be mitigating. Chapter 4 approaches mental state explanations differently, asking how people evaluate these explanations and whether these evaluation strategies impact legal outcomes. We find that which mental state explanation a defendant offers does change how that explanation is evaluated, and that evaluation strategies do impact legal decisions. Thus, this dissertation proposes that the relationship between mental state explanations and legal outcomes is consequential but complicated.

Advisor: Lombrozo, Tania
Electronic Structure and the Effects of Spin-Orbit Coupling and Orbital Character in Low-Dimensional Semiconducting Materials with Electronic Device Applications

Interest in low-dimensional (<= 2-dimensional) semiconducting materials is ever growing as electronic device sizes shrink and new physics continues to emerge at such a microscopic scale. Heterostructures allow for a set of physical building blocks made from low-dimensional materials that can be used to tailor devices to obtain precise and unique electronic interactions and device characteristics. Over time as this field has grown, certain research materials that for a time were overlooked in favor of other materials have come into renewed interest as a result of their unique properties that were previously deemed not as useful or were simply left undetected. One such example of this is the family of thin film transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), whose unique monolayer and thin film photoluminescence, band gap transition, and spin-orbit-coupling-induced physics has recently been studied intensely as a result of their unique spintronics and valleytronics applications. Another example is C60 which has an extremely unique low-dimensional buckyball molecular structure. It too can take on a crystalline thin film form to be used in heterostructures and electronic devices, but experimental evidence of long-range electronic order in thin film C60 has been lacking until now./nThis dissertation presents angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies of multiple TMD and C60 compounds with supporting theory calculations to investigate the electronic stucture of these materials. Specific attention is given to the effects of spin-orbit coupling and orbital character. The relationship between the electronic properties of bulk and thin film TMDs is elaborated in detail with a focus on the valence band splitting at the K point. The first observation of a dispersive thin film C60 band structure is discussed as well as the unique photoemission traits of the C60 band manifolds. Study of the electronic properties of these low-dimensional TMD and C60 materials provides important considerations for current and future cutting-edge electronic device applications.

Advisor: Lanzara, Alessandra
Decision Support for Multi-Benefit Urban Water Infrastructure

Urban water systems in the United States are poised for massive change. Water infrastructure built in the 20th century has promoted public health and has protected ecosystems from pollution. However, much of this infrastructure is now coming to the end of its design life, and requires substantial investments to keep it functional. Our water systems also face new challenges from shifting precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and contaminants of emerging concern, among others. Modernizing our nation’s aging water infrastructure is imperative – and to meet 21st century challenges, we must do better than simply repairing it./nThe next generation of urban water infrastructure can also provide other societal benefits like resource recovery from sewage, increased wildlife habitat, and improved resilience to climate change effects in addition to water supply and wastewater treatment. Yet there still is little guidance for how water managers can include broader societal goals for multi-benefit infrastructure into what have historically been singular fields of engineered water supply and wastewater treatment. Without a better understanding of how public policy ties in to water infrastructure goals, improvements may only be made in moments of crisis, and the opportunity to create multi-benefit water systems will be lost./nThis dissertation seeks to support decision-makers in designing and implementing more equitable, holistic, and environmentally-sound urban water infrastructure. Chapter I assesses historical precedents for recycling sewage into drinking water in California to contextualize current concerns and challenges. Water recycling has had a rich and varied history in California; currently, potable water reuse is on the rise. Chapter II develops a legitimacy framework for potable water reuse in California, which facilitates decision-making about technologies that fit into the unique social, political, and cultural contexts of a particular locale. Chapter III provides a popular science look at the practice of potable water reuse, which is unfamiliar to many people and has faced stark public opposition in some areas. Chapter IV focuses on stakeholder perspectives to identify goals and strategies for multi-benefit wastewater treatment, as well as analyzes barriers to achieving these goals. Chapter V employs a quantitative multi-criteria decision analysis paired with stakeholder analysis and scenario planning to evaluate potential nutrient management options for the San Francisco Bay Area in uncertain future conditions.

Advisor: Sedlak, David
Advancing the plant fossil record across the Permo-Triassic boundary with a focus on phytoliths

The end-Permian mass extinction (~252 Ma ago) drastically altered ecosystems worldwide, not just in the oceans, but also on land. The effects were so profound that it was not until 4-5 million years into the Triassic that the ecosystem of what was then the eastern part of equatorial Pangea, showed signs of recovery. The flora responsible for this recovery appears to have invaded European habitats after their Early Triassic origination elsewhere. Hitherto, no direct evidence exists of where the refugional source areas of the immigrants could have been located. Here, we suggest that North America could be a potential source area for European Triassic conifers. This body of work aims to advance the plant fossil record across the Permo-Triassic boundary in this geographical region./nThe first part of chapter one focusses on our current understanding of the potential causes of the end-Permian biotic crisis. While there may be a singular cause that set off a cascade of events, the intricate nature of the Earth’s system makes it difficult to identify the specific drivers behind the ecosystem collapse. It appears that many factors have contributed to some degree to the biotic crisis. The second part of this chapter is focused on the effects the biotic crisis had on life on land, particularly on plants and the data that we have available to study these extinction patterns. Analysis of the data that is currently available through various online databases, suggests that the information is insufficient to adequately study extinction patterns./nThe second chapter is a literature review of the role of silica in plants. Silica is absorbed by plant roots in the form of monosilicic acid, which originates from the dissolution of crystalline silicate and weathering of biogenic silicates in the soil. Silica absorption, once thought to be a passive process, has been shown to be driven by active transport mechanisms. Depending on where the silica is deposited in the plant, the crystalized shape—the phytolith—may adopt a shape unique to that plant cell or tissue. However, before it crystalizes, the silica plays an important role in the plant’s defense mechanisms. Once crystalized, the opaline silica continues to beneficial; it not only reduces biotic and abiotic stress, it also appears to provide structural benefits./nChapter three examines the Permian and Triassic phytolith record and its potential to support (bio)stratigraphic investigations. In Caprock Canyons State Park and Palo Duro State Park in Texas, the Permian-Triassic boundary is well-preserved and the stratigraphy has been resolved in detail. The phytolith assemblages recovered from the Permian and Triassic strata appear to have limited potential for regional biostratigraphy. However, these phytoliths do form the first evidence of plant life at the western portion of the supercontinent Pangea, a region previously believed to be entirely barren.

Advisor: Looy, Cindy V
From an Executive Body into a Global Leviathan? An Evolutionary and Taxonomical Study of the Security Council

Classical international law has as its foundation State consent. Based on an examination of the evolution, powers of, and limits to the Security Council, the instant paper challenges this view. It begins by outlining the development of the Security Council from its inception at Dumbarton Oaks to its present form (i.e., an entity exercising executive, legislative, and judicial functions). Then, it considers the question of legality. That is, are there any endogenous (i.e., Charter based) or exogenous (i.e., international law based) limits to the powers of the Security Council? Contrary to the orthodox view on the subject, it is contended that a proper application of the law of treaties renders it clear that the Security Council, when acting in its Chapter VII capacity, is unconstrained by law—even ius cogens norms. Further support for this argument is found on the fact that no tribunal—not even the International Court of Justice—may quash, erga omnes, Security Council’s acts. The resulting portrait depicts the Security Council as a Hobbesian Leviathan—an entity holding amorphous powers, unconstrained by law, and unaccountable for its actions. Its sole telos is the maintenance of international peace and security, and it holds the power to do whatever it deems it necessary to accomplish this desideratum. The closing question, then, is what is the Security Council? Surely, it is not—nor claims to be—a State. It also does not fit the international organizations model. All international organizations—even the mighty European Union—abide by the principle of consent. That is, they exercise their powers to the extent that their member States allow it. In contrast, lies the Security Council, which is capable of binding members and non-members, State and non-State actors. Here the paper departs, once again, from convention. It argues that given these unique characteristics, the Security Council should be considered not as an organ of the United Nations but as an autonomous actor related to, but distinct from, the Organization. Lacking any other taxonomical alternatives, and based on the writings of Jean Bodin, it contends that the Security Council should be classified as a sui generis entity holding sovereign powers over matters of international peace and security. A sine qua non for this argument is a reconceptualization of sovereignty from territorial to areal. The latter being characterized by two entities (i.e., States and the Security Council) holding concurrent absolute and perpetual powers over discrete spheres. It follows from the foregoing that no longer are international obligations based solely on States’ consent as the Security Council may override it; our understanding of international law should be revised to account for this finding.

Advisor: Linos, Katerina
Gas Adsorption in Flexible Metal–Organic Frameworks

The work presented herein describes the synthesis and investigation of structurally flexible metal–organic frameworks for gas adsorption applications. These highly crystalline, porous solids are promising materials for the storage and separation of gases such as CH4, CO2, and H2. Furthermore, metal–organic frameworks are amenable to straightforward synthetic modification, due to their modular nature, and thus provide fertile ground for structure-property relationship studies./nChapter 1 begins with a description of gas adsorption in porous materials, including activated carbons and zeolites. Metal–organic frameworks are introduced as an emerging alternative class of adsorbents, and their synthesis and hallmark structural features are discussed. Chapter 1 then provides an overview of flexible metal–organic frameworks in the literature and discusses their structural features and mechanisms of flexibility. Finally, the flexible metal–organic framework Co(bdp) is described, along with its record-setting CH4 storage properties, to set the stage for the research presented herein./nChapter 2 reports the synthesis of a library of Co(bdp) derivatives with varying functionalizations of the bdp2- ligand, resulting in synthetic control over CH4 pressure at which Co(bdp) undergoes a phase change. Notably, fluorination of bdp2- disrupts π– π interactions that stabilize the collapsed phase of Co(bdp), while methylation of bdp2- strengthens these interactions, thus lowering or raising the phase change pressure, respectively. The structure-property relationship between ligand functionalization and CH4-induced phase change pressure is supported by in situ powder X-ray diffraction experiments./nChapter 3 reports the effect of the identity of the adsorbate molecule on this phase change pressure (using CO2, CH4, N2, and H2) and the highly effective separation of CO2 and CH4 in Co(bdp). The mechanism of this selectivity is investigated with in situ powder X-ray diffraction studies, which reveal that Co(bdp) expands to CO2-templated phases even in the presence of CO2/CH4 mixtures. Multicomponent equilbrium adsorptions measurements, supplemented by dynamic breakthrough experiments, probe the limits of the remarkable CO2/CH4 selectivity shown by Co(bdp)./nChapter 4 describes the discovery of novel synthetic routes to the organic molecule 4,4’-bipyrazole, via the previously unknown homocoupling of pyrazoleboronic esters. This molecule is then used to synthesize the metal–organic framework Co(bpz), which is shown to be structurally flexible. CO2 adsorption and N2 adsorption are shown to induced structural phase changes in this framework, in contrast to H2 adsorption, which does not trigger a phase change, and this adsorbate-dependent phase change behavior can potentially be leveraged to accomplish gas separations in Co(bpz).

Advisor: Long, Jeffrey R.