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Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is the branch of fundamental particle physics that studies the strong interaction, which is responsible for binding quarks and gluons into the familiar protons and neutrons that compose almost all ordinary matter. One of the most exciting predictions of this theory is the existence of a new state of matter, known as the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). At extreme temperatures and densities, protons and neutrons dissolve into their constituent quarks and gluons, forming a soup-like plasma of deconfined partons. This QGP is thought to have existed in the early universe, thus studying its formation and properties can help answer questions about the evolution of the universe and the nature of the strong force. However, recreating the extreme conditions of the early universe can be achieved by smashing together heavy nuclei at very high energies. This can only be done at the world’s most powerful particle accelerators. Unfortunately, QGP produced in these collisions only lasts for around 10⁻²³ seconds, making it impossible to study the plasma directly. Instead, there are a few key experimental observables that are associated with the characteristics of this plasma which can be studied. One such signature of QGP formation is known as strangeness enhancement, where the production of strange quarks within the QGP is enhanced relative to the standard up and down quarks that compose protons and neutrons. Previously believed to be unique to heavy-ion collisions, recent measurements have indicated that this enhancement is also present in high multiplicity proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (p–Pb) systems as well. These measurements hint at the formation of a QGP in these smaller collision systems, calling into question the prediction that the formation of this plasma is only possible in heavy-ion collisions. While statistical and phenomenological models are capable of describing this enhancement in these smaller collision systems, the microscopic origins of strangeness enhancement are not well understood. Jets, which are streams of hadrons produced by an initial hard scattering of the partons within the colliding nuclei, can be used to illuminate the underlying processes that produce these strange particles. By measuring the angular correlation between a high-momentum trigger hadron (as a proxy for a jet axis) and a lower momentum strange hadron, it is possible to differentiate the strangeness-producing mechanisms between hard (jet-like) and soft (underlying event) processes. This angular correlation technique can be used to study the production of strangeness as a function of multiplicity in these regimes, giving insight into the origins of the observed enhancement. This thesis presents the first results utilizing azimuthal angular correlations to measure the production of Λ baryons—which are composed of an up, a down, and a strange quark (uds)—in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The correlation measurements are used to extract the Λ jet-like and underlying event yields, as well as obtain the widths of the jets to provide more context for the observed jet production. These results are studied as a function of the Λ momentum and collision multiplicity, which are used to quantify the enhancement of strange quark production in these different kinematic regimes. Comparisons with theoretical predictions are also made to provide a framework for interpreting the results of this thesis. Moreover, these yield measurements are compared with published measurements of the ϕ(1020) meson (ss̄), which utilized similar techniques, to investigate the differences between open (|S| > 1) and hidden (|S| = 0) strangeness production. These strange measurements provide new insight into the production of strangeness in smaller collision systems, thus further constraining the microscopic origins of strangeness enhancement.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), since 2000, there has been a significant increase in active shooter events throughout the United States. The assailants frequently chose targets or establishments with the highest mortality rates, such as schools/universities, businesses, government agencies, houses of worship, and healthcare facilities. Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate (ALICE) is part of Navigate360’s collection of active assailant preparedness solutions, which teaches civilians how to protect themselves during Violent Critical Incidents (VCIs). The problem addressed in this study was the lack of available research regarding the effectiveness of courses, such as ALICE’s Active Shooter Response training, on participants’ perception of self-efficacy and the successful utilization of the principles during an actual VCI. This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to understand the influence of ALICE-trained participants’ self-efficacy in surviving an active shooter incident. The theories guiding this study were Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (SET) (1977) and Social Cognitive Theory (1986). SET posited that one’s self-confidence was the motivator for future performance. In the context of this research, if ALICE-trained individuals believed that they could successfully endure, their perseverance contributed to their ability to survive. Data collection incorporated interviewing survivors of active assailant incidents that previously attended the ALICE training. This research provided empirical data on the efficacy of ALICE principles in changing attendees' mindsets and how this change affected survival outcomes.

The strong nuclear force that is responsible for binding together protons and neutrons within atomic nuclei - and responsible for forming the nucleons themselves - can be explained by a quantum field theory known as Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). At extreme temperatures and pressures, QCD predicts the formation of a new state of nuclear matter called the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). The behavior of QCD interactions under these extreme conditions can be studied in the laboratory by colliding together ultra-relativistic heavy-ions, where the energy density is expected to reach well above the critical transition temperature for QGP formation. Heavy-ion collisions have been studied for decades at multiple different particle accelerator facilities, including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). At the LHC, the primary experiment focused on studying these heavy-ion collisions is known as A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE). ALICE is designed to study high multiplicity heavy-ion collisions, as well as proton-proton and proton-ion collisions that can be used as baseline measurements. Among the expected signatures of QGP formation is an increase in the production of strange quarks within the medium, a phenomenon known as strangeness enhancement. Strangeness enhancement can be studied by measuring the production ratio of strange particles to non-strange particles. While first predicted, and later observed, to be present in heavy-ion collisions, more recent measurements have observed an onset of strangeness enhancement occurring in smaller systems, such as p-Pb collisions. The enhancement seen in heavy-ion collisions can be fairly well described using a statistical hadron production model, where the temperature is high enough that the strange quark is in full equilibrium with the two other light flavor quarks. However, the microscopic behavior underlying this enhancement in smaller systems is still not completely understood. Further differentiation of strange particle production is needed to pinpoint the partonic interactions, particularly in the soft-scattering sector, responsible for strangeness enhancement. In this analysis, angular correlations between a high momentum hadron and a φ(1020) meson (comprised of a strange quark-antiquark pair) are measured within p-Pb collisions with ALICE at the LHC. With the high momentum trigger hadron acting as a proxy for a high energy jet of particles, and the φ(1020) meson acting as a strangeness probe, these correlations can be used to separate out the production of φ(1020) mesons within jets (closely aligned to the direction of the trigger) from production in the non-jet underlying event (uncorrelated with the direction of the trigger). These differential yield measurements are a way to separate out hard-scattering production (more jet-like) from soft-scattering production (more medium-like). The φ(1020) correlations can be directly compared with inclusive dihadron correlations to calculate the strange to non-strange production ratio (i.e φ/h). With this technique, strangeness production within jets and the underlying events are measured as a function of multiplicity and are compared between a lower and higher momentum region. These different production regimes show a clear ordering, with φ/h production in the underlying event significantly higher than in jets for all multiplicities. The evolution of the per-trigger yields within the near-side (jet) and away-side (modified jet) as a function of multiplicity are studied separately, and differences in behavior suggest a change to the away-side production at lower momentum. This technique for measuring yield ratios is then discussed as a way to further constrain the origin of strangeness enhancement in small systems.

Jets correlated with isolated photons are a promising channel to study jet quenching in heavy-ion collisions, as photons do not participate in the strong interaction and therefore constrain the Q^2 of the initial hard scattering. We present isolated photon-jet correlations measured in Pb–Pb collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 5.02 TeV by the ALICE collaboration. We study correlations of isolated photons with 28 < pT < 40 GeV/c with charged-particle jets with pT > 10 GeV/c reconstructed with the anti-kT algorithm and report the azimuthal correlation and pT asymmetry. The correlations probe the lowest jet pT range ever measured at LHC energies, and larger modifications due to the QGP are expected in the lower pT regime. We see no trend in the away-side yield with centrality, but do see a change in the distribution of the pT asymmetry consistent with increasing jet energy loss in more central collisions.

This document explores the art songs for lyric soprano and piano of contemporary composer William Vollinger (b. 1945). Vollinger’s penchant for storytelling inspires his song compositions and the myriad of different stories he relays. In the majority of Vollinger’s art songs for voice and piano, he features the real-life stories of ordinary people and interweaves moral messages. Moreover, all song texts analyzed appear in prose rather than metered poetry, follow the linear narrative structure of short stories, and originate from a variety of unconventional sources. Freytag’s Pyramid, a diagram created to analyze dramatic structures, serves as a useful model for discussing the intersection of music and texts in Vollinger’s art songs based on its applicability to a variety of linear narrative forms and thematic content. By building on the familiar foundation of story narratives, such analysis can function as a relatable tool to help performers better understand Vollinger’s music and illuminate the song texts so they can make informed, interpretative choices. This document merges an interest in Vollinger as a composer and the stories he retells with a structural analysis of the song texts based on Freytag’s Pyramid which informs a discussion of his musical settings. I begin with a biography of Vollinger followed by information on the general style of his art songs for voice and piano. I then outline my methodology for analysis of “Benalisa,” “Alice,” “Ruth,” “Daddy Verne,” and the song cycle, Acts of Kindness. According to each song’s text, I highlight salient musical features present in the melody, harmony, and accompaniment that elucidate the texts and are informed by my delineated structural divisions based on Freytag’s model. Advisors: Anthony Bushard and Kathleen Butler

An integral part of the upgrade to the Inner Tracking System (ITS) of the ALICE detector is to support increased readout rates of the charged particles resulting due to increased interaction rate of 50kHz in Pb-Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). A major task of the ITS readout system is to compress the data and store it in the mass storage system for later analysis. The first step of data compression involves cluster finding on the pixel data received from ALPIDE sensors followed by Huffman compression. In this Thesis, we evaluate the resource requirements for implementing cluster finding on the Arria 10 FPGAs which are an integral part of the ITS readout system, in an attempt to reduce the computing nodes needed on the First Level Processors (FLPs) and also to speed up the processing. We present a hardware implementation of a single pass Connected Component Labeling algorithm. A special linked list based merger table that ensures a constant worst case latency for chained label mergers independent of their length is proposed. For retrieving the shapeIDs, pixels are segregated into clusters on-the-fly without the need to store labeled pixels in memory. Verilog code implementing this design has been written, a testbench for functional verification has been developed, and the design has been synthesized.

In this thesis, we present lambda baryon femtoscopy measured by the ALICE collaboration in √sNN = 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collision. Correlation functions are shown in three centrality ranges for lambda-antilambda and two for the combined lambda-lambda ⊕ antilambda-antilambda results. Femtoscopy is capable of measuring the femtometer-scale spatial and temporal aspects of particle collisions by looking at relative momentum correlations among pairs of particles. In addition, femtoscopy can extract information about the final state interactions of the strong nuclear forces that occur between those particles. The femtoscopic radii and scattering parameters (scattering length and effective range of interaction) of lambda-lambda ⊕ antilambda-antilambda and lambda-antilambda are presented.Following recent measurements of proton-antilambda and antiproton-antiproton, we have expanded the standard femtoscopic fitting process to account for the correlated effects of particles that decay into lambdas. We have estimated the λ parameters that describe the relative contribution of each residual correlation. Residual correlation effects are included in the fitting process by estimating their correlation strength and then smearing the relative momentum of their contribution according to the kinematics of their decay.

This dissertation presents a measurement of the yield and cross section of electrons from heavy flavor decays at central rapidity in proton-lead collisions measured by the ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) detector at the Large Hadron Collider. This analysis extends the transverse momentum reach of an earlier measurement in ALICE and the comparison is shown. The cross section of single electrons in proton-lead collisions is compared to the value expected in the absence of nuclear modification from proton-proton collisions. The cross section is well described by the perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics and no statistically significant alteration due to hot nuclear matter effects is observed. The results are also compared to other measurements of heavy flavor and collision systems.

Femtoscopy is an experimental method used to study the spatio-temporal characteristics of the particle-emitting "sources'' of ultra-relativistic particle collisions. This method allows us to measure the size, shape, and lifetime of the kinetic freeze-out region of the particles created in the collisions as they are emitted from the expanding system. Studying these source regions allows us to investigate the dynamics of the system as it evolves from the hot, dense state of matter known as the Quark-Gluon Plasma into a dilute, free-streaming hadronic gas. The analysis of the extracted femtoscopic radii and their dependences on event centrality, momentum, and particle species can help put constaints on unknown quantities used in theoretical models such as time-scales and particle-particle scattering parameters. The femtoscopic tool is the two-particle relative momentum correlation function, which connects the final-state momentum distributions measured by the detector to the space-time distributions of particle emission, which are on the order of 10-15 m, or femtometers, and cannot be directly measured. These correlations are sensitive to the quantum statistics of identical particles as well as the strong and/or Coulomb interactions between particles.Neutral kaon femtoscopy acts as an excellent complement to similar analyses of other particle species. Kaon analyses are generally able to reach higher values of transverse momentum (KT) and transverse mass (MT = √(KT2+m2)) than the more commonly studied pion analyses. The comparison of kaon radii with those of pions and protons allows us to check for universal MT-scaling, which is predicted by some hydrodynamic models. The study of neutral kaons also acts as a convenient consistency check for the charged kaon analysis, as both analyses are expected to produce similar results while employing significantly different analysis methods, e.g. directly measured tracks vs. decay vertex reconstruction and Coulomb-dominated vs. strong-dominated final-state interactions.This thesis will present K0SK0S femtoscopic correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV at the LHC with ALICE. This analysis will be the first centrality- and KT-differential study of K0SK0S correlations in heavy-ion collisions, presenting femtoscopic results for three centrality bins and four KT bins. This thesis will present results for both one-dimensional and three-dimensional femtoscopic analyses, the latter being the first of its kind for the K0SK0S system.

Learning the syntax, semantics, and concepts behind software engineering can be a challenging task for many individuals. This paper examines the Alice 3 software, a three-dimensional visual environment for teaching programming concepts, to determine if it is an effective tool for improving student achievement, raising self-efficacy, and engaging students. This study compares the similarities and differences between a Fundamentals of Programming course with and without Alice integrated into the curriculum. Both the treatment and control Groups are using the same Java materials, assignments, and exams. The treatment group also completes Alice activities for each programming concept throughout the course; as well as two Alice assignments.

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The Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) at CERN has been designed to study matter at extreme conditions of temperature and pressure, with the long term goal of observing deconfined matter (free quarks and gluons), study its properties and learn more details about the phase diagram of nuclear matter. The ALICE experiment provides excellent particle tracking capabilities in high multiplicity proton-proton and heavy ion collisions, allowing to carry out detailed research of nuclear matter. This dissertation presents the study of the space time structure of the particle emission region, also known as femtoscopy, in proton-proton collisions at 0.9, 2.76 and 7.0 TeV. The emission region can be characterized by taking advantage of the Bose-Einstein effect for identical particles, which causes an enhancement of produced identical pairs at low relative momentum. The geometry of the emission region is related to the relative momentum distribution of all pairs by the Fourier transform of the source function, therefore the measurement of the final relative momentum distribution allows to extract the initial space-time characteristics. Results show that there is a clear dependence of the femtoscopic radii on event multiplicity as wellas transverse momentum, a signature of the transition of nuclear matter into its fundamental components and also of strong interaction among these.The present work also considers a physics motivated parametrization of non-femtoscopic correlations to characterize the background signal. It is shown that at these high energies and multiplicities this parametrization does not work as it does for lower energies. A special chapter containing the detailed study of possible signatures of black hole formation is also presented.

This thesis was to me, more than anything else, a pursuit of fascinations. I began with an obsession with stairs: exploring different types, the symbology associated with them, and why I was so adamant about making every fire stair beautiful. This led me to a program and a site - a theater on the corner of Swann St. and 14th St. in northwest Washington D.C.; a building necessitating stairs, in an area of the city that was full of artists and theaters, but which lacked a movie theater. I was compelled to design a magical building, a movie theater of building elements as characters. My professors urged me to choose an opening night movie as inspiration for the design; I was instantly enamored with the idea of designing around Alice and her Adventures in Wonderland. To me, the characters, puns, and riddles in the book were perfect to imagine as the columns, walls, and stairs of my building. This allusion eventually morphed the building into two theaters, an above ground movie theater and a below ground performance theater. As I worked, I had two very important (and related) revelations. First, that a theater is very similar, both in function and layout, to a church. The layout of the building, therefore, I designed like that of a church or a temple. I constantly explored opposing worlds; the above ground dreamworld vs. the below ground reality, the inner sacred world vs. the outer public realm. The essence (the spirit, or soul) of the building is Alice. Second, I feel the most spiritual when I am designing. I realized over time that it was equally important to me to learn how to make my drawings feel as it was to design the building itself. My thesis became art IS religion.

With studies of heavy ion and pp physics already under way at the LHC, it is necessary to consider how hadron rescattering will effect the observed results from experiments such as ALICE, ATLAS and CMS. Through the use of a simple, relativistic kinematics based hadron rescattering model, this dissertation shows that the hadron rescattering phase can obscure some signals for radial flow in pp collisions at LHC energies.This dissertation presents an in depth description of the hardware based alignment monitoring system developed for the ALICE Inner Tracking System. It details the development of the ITSAMS, which uses geometric optics and a CMOS array to measure micron scale motion between two points. By monitoring three strategic points on the ITS in relation to the TPC endplate, the ITSAMS can determine translational shifts between the two detectors to a resolution of 9.4 µm in the transverse plane and 78 um along the longitudinal axis. The ITSAMS can measure rotational shifts to 10 urad or better about all three axes.After a brief discussion of the ALICE experiment and the theory and practice of two-particle intensity interferometry, this dissertation details a simple hadron rescattering computer model developed by Dr. T. J. Humanic. The process of porting the model to the C++ computer language is presented here, along with the improvements made. The model has been updated with a new space-time distribution scheme that is more appropriate for pp collision studies.The model is then compared with final-state PYTHIA generated Monte-Carlo data. It is shown that the hadron rescattering model accurately reproduces pseudorapidity distributions for pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 0.9, 7, 10, and 14 TeV. Moreover, except for a slight overprediction of kaons and a slight underprediction of protons, the rescattering model accurately reproduces PYTHIA pT spectra.This dissertation then endeavours compare results to the HBT radii present in the ALICE collaboration's analysis of several hundred thousand pp collisions. It is shown that after tuning the model, there is very good agreement between the rescattering model and ALICE data in terms of multiplicity dependence of 1D HBT radii. There is also considerable agreement between the two on the kT dependence of 1D HBT radii, although the model does tend to slightly overpredict radius sizes at larger kT values.Finally, this dissertation makes predictions for 1D and 3D identical pion, kaon, and proton correlation functions from pp collisions using the rescattering model for sqrt(s) = 0.9, 7, 10, and 14 TeV. These correlation functions are binned by multiplicity and kT, both separately and together, and by mT. Fits to these correlation functions indicate that any kT signal of radial flow in pp collisions would be largely obscured by rescattering in the post hadronization phase. However, they also indicate that mT scaling would still provide a clear indication for radial flow without obfuscation from hadron rescattering.

Munro's fiction contains these two elements at odds, in tension with one another, but they are, for her characters, part of the same process of reckoning with the world. Munro's protagonists, once inside the deep cave, find the familiar linoleum--and the cave itself becomes more mysterious because of this paradoxical discovery. Meanwhile, Munro herself seems to go through a similar process in the act of writing. Her likening of art to a pattern of approach and recognition is applicable to her work, and perhaps, to the work of many writers. Writers go into secret places, hoping to come out with something that can be recognized by, and shared with, others. Within Munro's work, a more specific pattern of approach and recognition occurs. Her characters approach the unknown, the other, hoping to find it comprehensible, make it recognizable, in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. The word "approach" suggests both an active, physical movement towards something outside the self and the mental equivalent of that kind of movement (e.g. I'm trying to "approach "Alice Munro's work.) It also suggests beginnings, and a basically linear movement, a movement towards something. "Recognition" implies a re-thinking; the outcome of the approach is that the "other" is no longer completely separate from the self; it can be fit into a scheme of thought and is given familiar qualities. In Munro's work, of course, the self-aware protagonist realizes that the recognition is something limited, not a complete understanding; in fact, it may be something created by the self as a way of comfort, a hedge against what is essentially unknowable.

Contemporary African urbanization is a process by which people move into towns and acquire new material and non-material cultural elements including occupation. The urbanization process in Africa is described. A literature review and the goal of the study are given. A brief history of the Xhosa, especially in their contact with white settlers from Europe is also given. An account of the Homeland policy, as devised by successive white governments is presented. Alice is one of the towns in the 'Ciskei Republic' originally founded by whites for whites, which has recently undergone rapid transformation and urbanization, resulting in the movement of Africans into the town, while whites move out to settle in the rest of South Africa. The Alice community is divided into the 'have' and the 'have not' groups. The elite's main concern is money, financial security and the acquisition of material goods, paying little or no attention to the plight of their less fortunate countrymen. In terms of their alienation from their own people, they have become the white man's best ally, as was intended by the architects of the homeland policy. It is apparent from this study that the black elite are taking over the economic role of the former white inhabitants and unconsciously adopting the attitudes previously held by whites. The dissertation attempts to account for changes taking place in Alice, as these serve as a window to those interested in the urbanization process. Because Alice is predominantly educational, clerical and commercial rather than industrial, this study focuses on a salaried group comprising administrators, senior educators, hospital matrons, senior police and the military. The study therefore fills a gap in anthropological literature on urbanization and social change in Africa. It is one of the first studies of the process in South Africa by an insider, a concept which is defined in the dissertation. The research was done through interviews, questionnaires, observation, and personal involvement in certain ceremonies. Cultural characteristics as practised by Xhosa society in general and their retention by the elites are analysed.

In this thesis, I will argue that the characters and groups in Walker's The Color Purple and The Temple of My Familiar, who practice holistic survival, remain or become whole, which is the key to living a meaningful life. For Walker, holistic survival entails embracing the fragments of our past, present, and future experiences. The past is made up of knowing about our personal experiences and remembering our heritage. The present is made up of healing the past by taking responsibility for the pain we have caused and valuing fellow life, and the future is made by using the past and present to create hope. It is not enough to merely survive, to continue breathing;rather, in order to survive whole, we must also successfully paste together the fragments that make up our past, present, and future. However, the consequences of neglecting any fragment can cause us to become lost. We can either collect and come to terms with our many fragments in order to become whole, or our experiences will remain scattered, leaving us fragmented beings.