UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
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Item Exploring Multiraciality, Power, Privilege, and Oppression: A study on how multiracial students navigate their relationship(s) to socio-political power structures in higher education(2023) Williams-Yee, Abigail; Espino Lira, Michelle; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)There is limited research on the experiences of Multiracial college students (Matsumura, 2017). Current Multiracial narratives within higher education focus primarily on personal identity exploration. Far fewer study how Multiracial students maneuver through socio-political power structures. The literature has also not considered how other Multiracial people might influence how Multiracial students come to understand their position(s) within these systems. This study examined Multiracial students’ connection(s) to socio-political power structures within the United States by asking the following question: How do Multiracial college students, who interact with other Multiracial people, navigate their relationship(s) to power, privilege, and oppression? The findings from this study indicated that Multiracial students are navigating their relationships to power, privilege, and oppression within an anti-Blackness, anti-Multiraciality white supremacy paradigm by developing an understanding of the monoracially dominant paradigm they inhabit, coming to understand the roles that are placed on them as Multiracial people within this paradigm, and rejecting notions that constrict their ability to live as a Multiracial person. The findings suggested that Multiracial students are navigating this landscape by finding and/or creating community, maintaining friendships with Multiracial peers, and developing confidence in creating a core way of being.Item POWER AND STATUS IN JUDGING AND PUNISHING IMMORALITY(2018) Ho, Hsiang-Yuan; Lucas, Jeffrey W.; Sociology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research offers a framework that explains how observers respond to moral violations when considering the amount of power and status held by violators. It follows the group processes literature on the characteristics of power and status. A proposed theory describes that prior to witnessing moral violations, observers develop moral expectations about potential violators on the basis of the levels of power and status attributed to the violators. When the moral violations occur, the moral expectations about the violators, as well as the resources available to the violators, in turn, affect the judgment and punishment decisions of the observers toward the violators. An online vignette study and a laboratory experiment test my predictions based on the proposed theory by varying the relative levels of perceived power and status between evaluation targets (i.e., violators) and evaluators (i.e., observers). Vignettes used in Study 1 described that observers had lower, equal, or higher power/status compared to violators in hypothetical scenarios. In Study 2, observers were assigned with either lower or higher power/status relative to violators in a group interaction setting in which the observers experienced differential risks of retaliation from the violators. Both studies assessed expectations of observers about the moral character of potential violators before exposing the observers to details of a moral violation committed by the designated violators. Punishment decisions of observers examined in Study 1 were attitudinal measures while those in Study 2 were based on behavioral reactions. Results indicate that prior to the immoral incident, observers developed lower moral expectations about violators with greater power and higher moral expectations about violators holding greater status. However, these expectations did not always translate into moral judgment and punishment. While viewing the violation as immoral regardless of power/status held by the violators, depending on the context, observers might or might not penalize the violators differentially across the power/status spectra. Fears of retaliation from violators who utilized resources attached to varied power and status positions did not affect how observers punished the violators. Therefore, results of the studies suggest a resilient power and status hierarchy despite the disruption of moral norms.Item Stuck in a state of power imbalance? Unpacking the answers on why, when, and how followers challenge the state of power-dependence with their leaders(2017) Wee, Elijah Xun Ming; Liao, Hui; Business and Management: Management & Organization; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Power imbalance exists in most leader-follower dyads. Because of their advantageous organizational positions, leaders generally have more power over their followers. The dominant perspective suggests that the follower is “stuck” in this state of power imbalance and is resigned to its negative consequences. However, research also suggests that power can shift from one party to another in today’s workplace. This perspective advocates for a dynamic view of power among individuals in the workplace. Unfortunately, this phenomenon of power in the leader-follower dyad has not been examined in greater detail, specifically in terms of when and how the less powerful party, the follower, may influence the power balance with the leader. With the goal to reconcile the conflicting narrative on the nature of power, my dissertation comprises of three interrelated essays to examine this dynamic perspective of power in the leader-follower dyad. In Essay 1, I answer the theoretical question of why the follower is motivated to change the state of power imbalance in the dyad by proposing a dependency-risk appraisal model. I then address when and how the follower resolves the tension between follower’s self-protection and connectedness concerns. In addition, I develop a typology of coping strategies, labeled as balancing operations, for the follower to influence the power dynamics. In Essay 2, I test the effects of balancing operations on interpersonal dynamics using a three-wave panel field design. Specifically, I highlight how certain types of balancing operations will empower the follower to break the spiral of abusive behaviors over time and encourage the leader’s effort to seek reconciliation. In Essay 3, I answer when the success of coalition formation is enhanced. Through two high-involvement laboratory studies, I explain why follower’s political skill is a critical personal attribute that enhances the efficacy of balancing operations.Item Thermal Tracking and Estimation for Microprocessors(2016) Zhang, Yufu; Srivastava, Ankur; Electrical Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Due to increasing integration density and operating frequency of today's high performance processors, the temperature of a typical chip can easily exceed 100 degrees Celsius. However, the runtime thermal state of a chip is very hard to predict and manage due to the random nature in computing workloads, as well as the process, voltage and ambient temperature variability (together called PVT variability). The uneven nature (both in time and space) of the heat dissipation of the chip could lead to severe reliability issues and error-prone chip behavior (e.g. timing errors). Many dynamic power/thermal management techniques have been proposed to address this issue such as dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS), clock gating and etc. However, most of such techniques require accurate knowledge of the runtime thermal state of the chip to make efficient and effective control decisions. In this work we address the problem of tracking and managing the temperature of microprocessors which include the following sub-problems: (1) how to design an efficient sensor-based thermal tracking system on a given design that could provide accurate real-time temperature feedback; (2) what statistical techniques could be used to estimate the full-chip thermal profile based on very limited (and possibly noise-corrupted) sensor observations; (3) how do we adapt to changes in the underlying system's behavior, since such changes could impact the accuracy of our thermal estimation. The thermal tracking methodology proposed in this work is enabled by on-chip sensors which are already implemented in many modern processors. We first investigate the underlying relationship between heat distribution and power consumption, then we introduce an accurate thermal model for the chip system. Based on this model, we characterize the temperature correlation that exists among different chip modules and explore statistical approaches (such as those based on Kalman filter) that could utilize such correlation to estimate the accurate chip-level thermal profiles in real time. Such estimation is performed based on limited sensor information because sensors are usually resource constrained and noise-corrupted. We also took a further step to extend the standard Kalman filter approach to account for (1) nonlinear effects such as leakage-temperature interdependency and (2) varying statistical characteristics in the underlying system model. The proposed thermal tracking infrastructure and estimation algorithms could consistently generate accurate thermal estimates even when the system is switching among workloads that have very distinct characteristics. Through experiments, our approaches have demonstrated promising results with much higher accuracy compared to existing approaches. Such results can be used to ensure thermal reliability and improve the effectiveness of dynamic thermal management techniques.Item SYSTEM MODELING AND MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT FOR STANDALONE THERMOELECTRIC POWER GENERATORS(2014) Huang, Dale Hsien-Yi; Yang, Bao; Mechanical Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation addresses the need to develop a scalable and standalone power generator for personal, commercial, and military transportation and communication systems. The standalone thermoelectric power generator (TPG) converts heat to electrical power in a unique way that does not draw on conventional power sources like batteries. A TPG is comprised of four main components: a heat source, thermoelectric modules, a heat sink, and thermal insulation. For system modeling and materials development purposes, the dissertation invented the first pyrophoric heated standalone TPG, solid-state renewable heat source, and two-component nanocomposite thermoelectric power generation material. In this work, the first pyrophoric heated standalone thermoelectric power generator was designed, fabricated, and tested. The bases of the system were four porous silicon carbide combustors for the exothermic reaction of pyrophoric iron powder with oxygen. These combustors provided a heat source of 2,800 to 5,600 W to the heat sinks (through TE modules) at conditions suitable for a standalone, pyrophoric iron fueled TE power generator. The system integrated with 16 commercial bismuth telluride thermoelectric modules to produce 140 to 280 W of electrical power with a TE power conversion efficiency of ~5%. This demonstration represents an order-of-magnitude improvement in portable electrical power from thermoelectrics and hydrocarbon fuel, and a notable increase in the conversion efficiency compared with other published works. To optimize the TE heat-to-power conversion performance of the TPG, numerical simulations were performed with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using FLUENT. The temperature dependent material properties of bismuth telluride, effects of air flow rate (6 – 14 m/s) at 300 K, and effects of thermoelectric element thickness (4 – 8 mm) on temperature gradient generated across the module are investigated under constant power input (7.5 W). The obtained results reveal that all geometric parameters have important effect on the thermal performance of thermoelectric power generation module. The optimized single TE element thickness is 7 mm for electrical power generation of 0.47 W at temperature difference of 138 K. The TE heat-to-power conversion efficiency is 6.3%. The first solid-state renewable heat source (without the use of hydrocarbons) were created with porous silicon carbide combustors coated with pyrophoric 1-3 micron-sized iron particles mixture. The thermal behavior and ignition characteristics of iron particles and mixtures were investigated. The mixture include activate carbon and sodium chloride, in which iron is the main ingredient used as fuel. The final mixture composition is determined to consist of iron powder, activate carbon, and sodium chloride with a weight ratio of approximately 5/1/1. The mixture generated two-peak DSC curves featured higher ignition temperatures of 431.53°C and 554.85°C with a higher heat generation of 9366 J/g than single iron particles. The enhancement of figure-of-merit ZT or efficiency of thermoelectric materials is dependent on reducing the thermal conductivity. This dissertation synthesized and characterized the advanced two-component Si-Ge nanocomposites with a focus on lowering the thermal conductivity. The ball-milled two-component Si-Ge material demonstrated 50% reduction in thermal conductivity than the single component material used in the radioisotope thermoelectric generators and 10% reduction than the p-type SiGe alloy.Item To Dictate the Peace: Power, Strategy, and Success in Military Occupations(2014) Marcum, Anthony Scott; Huth, Paul K; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The dissertation addresses the following question: why do some states win a war only to lose the occupation whereas other states can successfully impose their preferred outcome via the control of foreign territory? For example, compare the United States' failure in Iraq (2003-2008) to the Allied Powers' success in France (1815-1818). To explain this variation, I develop and test a principal-agent model in which I incorporate the occupied elite's costs of compliance and the occupier's strategies of control. As agents, the occupied elites expect to incur significant domestic and international costs if they consent to the occupier's demands, and thus have strong incentives to not comply. The occupying state can overcome this hostility through a costly exercise of power to shape the choices and manipulate the incentives of elites to influence their decision-making. Occupying states that engage in dictating as a strategy of control are compelling the elites to make a costly choice. By constraining the choice set to compliance or non-compliance with its terms, the occupying power can effectively separate strongly adverse elites from moderately or weakly adverse ones, and thereby gain a commitment to its objectives. Although previous work on occupations recognizes the difficulties in achieving success, the costs of compliance to the elite and the occupiers' strategy of control are largely overlooked in previous scholarship. To evaluate the theoretical argument, I employ two research methods in the project. First, I built an original dataset to test the effects of the costs of compliance and the strategies of control on the outcomes of 137 military occupations that result from interstate wars between 1815 and 2003. The statistical analyses are paired with two plausibility probes: the Chilean Occupation of Peru (1881-1883) and the Soviet Occupation of North Korea (1945-1948). Second, I examine in-depth the American Occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1952. The case study investigates how the costs of compliance - across regime change, economic stabilization, and rearmament - generated resistance among Japanese politicians, and how the Americans exercised their power to dictate that the former comply with the latter's costly terms during the course of the occupation.Item The Empowerment Paradox: Hope and Helplessness in a Tanzanian Community-Based Cultural Tourism Initiative(2014) Stevens, Melissa Aileene; Chambers, Erve; Anthropology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Community-based tourism (CBT) has been conceived by its supporters as a pro-poor community development and empowerment strategy. One such initiative is the Longido Cultural Tourism Enterprise, which was established by a Dutch NGO to promote socio-economic development in a Maasai community in northern Tanzania. The enterprise has created opportunities for local participants to build economic and social capital, especially women who do not have many options to earn or control income outside of tourism. However, the promises of tourism are limited by the "tourism gatekeepers" who control access to tourists and the opportunities that they represent. This research explores the paradox of empowerment by investigating the ways that tourism engagement encourages both independence and dependence in Longido, and how conflicting ideas concerning definitions of CBT and its goals affect the residents whose livelihoods have come to depend on tourism. Ethnographic research was conducted in Longido over a period of nine months, and involved participant observation, semi-structured interviews with key informants and Longido residents, a tourist questionnaire, and comparative site visits to other cultural tourism enterprises in Tanzania. This research found that the potential that the Longido enterprise has for transforming relationships of power, particularly between women and men, is limited by the very nature of the community-based tourism (CBT) model employed to achieve this goal. CBT enterprises such as the one in Longido cannot achieve transformative change that leads to the self-determination of its participants when the tourism industry necessitates continued dependence on foreign markets and intermediaries and local people lack market access and knowledge. Attempting to accomplish both development and business goals when they are in direct conflict with one another has led to a failure to fully achieve either. This dissertation concludes that if the Longido enterprise has transformative development as its goal, the CBT model might be the wrong tool. Most significantly, the approach taken in developing and conducting tourism in Longido must consider the diverse priorities and motivations of participants, as well as the touristic relationships of power which limit the agency of local participants in achieving the realization of their own goals in tourism engagement.Item A BOOK READING WORKSHOP IN A TRANSITIONAL HOME: PARENTAL EXPERIENCES, SELF-EFFICACY, AND PRACTICES WHEN TAUGHT CODES OF THE CULTURE OF POWER(2013) Crassas, Maria Elliker; Afflerbach, Peter P; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In this case study, I explored parents' experiences, self-efficacy, and practices in supporting their children as readers. These factors were explored while parents who were homeless attended a book-reading workshop in a transitional home, in which the primary focus was mainstream book-reading practices, which I refer to as "codes." To examine parental experiences, self-efficacy, and practices, I collected data over a ten week period of time, through interviews, observations of workshop sessions, focus groups, unscheduled meetings, and a post-workshop survey. Participants included five parents and their nine children. For additional data, I also interviewed and held a focus group for staff members who worked closely with the participating families after the workshop had concluded. In examining parental experiences, I found that relationships and interactions, including those with the workshop implementer/researcher, other parents, and children were crucial in contributing to a positive experience. Additionally, parents and children were enthusiastic during the workshop about reading and about new vocabulary. However, parents also encountered many challenges in supporting their children as readers, which contributed negatively to experiences. In regard to parental self-efficacy, parents demonstrated their self-efficacy through reporting their own or their children's reading skills, their comfort level in reading with their children, their current practices, and their knowledge of supportive practices. Parents also strengthened their self-efficacy through positive feedback from their children, each other, and the researcher/implementer. Negative factors toward self-efficacy included a perceived lack of reading skills and a lack of time and energy. In regard to practices, parents already valued mainstream reading "codes" and were open to learning more about mainstream practices. Social, school-related, and economic factors were also found to influence parental experiences, self-efficacy, and practices. Context was found to greatly influence power dynamics as well as self-efficacy. Implications for practice and research include a continued focus on building relationships between parents and educators, a continued focus on self-efficacy and agency, a focus on the role of siblings, and a need to continue programs that instruct mainstream "codes," while also highlighting and building on parents' current supportive practices.Item Alienation and Power: Prison Workers in Prison(2013) McGuinn, Stephen Crandall; Wellford, Charles F; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The US incarcerates close to one percent of the adult population. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) detains over 200,000 men and women. In order to manage this substantial prisoner population, the Bureau of Prisons employs close to 40,000 individuals. Using multilevel modeling and drawing on data from the yearly Prison Social Climate Survey administered by the BOP, this study poses three questions: (1) How do prison workers perceive institutional power derivation? (2) Do power adoptions impact prison worker perception of effectiveness in inmate management? (3) Does alienation harden prison workers and reduce their ability to effectively manage inmate populations? Results indicate that prisons largely promote formal and constructive power adoptions and these power adoptions improve prisoner management. In addition, alienation harms effective prisoner management and hardens prison workers. Discussion includes implications for theory, policy, and practice.Item "You've Really Got a Hold on Me": The Power and Emotion in Women's Correspondence in Fifteenth-Century Italy(2012) McLean, Nicole Lynn; Bianchini, Janna; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis examines the lives of Alessandra Strozzi and Lucrezia de'Medici of Florence. The fifteenth-century in Italy saw women's power declining, and patrician women used letter writing to enter the public sphere and exert power. This study analyzes socially constructed emotional themes in women's correspondence which is in concert with scholars like Barbara Rosenwein in that it seeks to instead situate emotions in specific historical contexts. For Alessandra, we see how she successfully employs the emotions of guilt and shame to manipulate her sons into behaving properly, as these emotions were closely connected to Italian culture. Second, in the patronage letters written to Lucrezia by potential clients, we see the use of motherly emotions by clients in hopes that Lucrezia will essentially fill a mother's role, helping them with their hardships. Even though client's letters represent a "fictive" mother/child relationship, they are a testament to Lucrezia's power as a mother.