European integration and democratic consolidation: Spain, Poland and Turkey in comparative perspective

The study explored when, under what conditions, and to what extent did European integration, particularly the European Union’s requirement for democratic conditionality, contribute to democratic consolidation in Spain, Poland, and Turkey? On the basis of a four-part definition, the dissertation examined the democratizing impact of European integration process on each of the following four components of consolidation: (i) holding of fair, free and competitive elections, (ii) protection of fundamental rights, including human and minority rights, (iii) high prospects of regime survival and civilian control of the military, and (iv) legitimacy, elite consensus, and stateness. To assess the relative significance of EU’s democratizing leverage, the thesis also examined domestic and non-EU international dynamics of democratic consolidation in the three countries. By employing two qualitative methods (case study and process-tracing), the study focused on three specific time frames: 1977–1986 for Spain, 1994–2004 for Poland, and 1999–present for Turkey. In addition to official documents, newspapers, and secondary sources, face-to-face interviews made with politicians, academics, experts, bureaucrats, and journalists in the three countries were utilized. The thesis generated several conclusions. First of all, the EU’s democratizing impact is not uniform across different components of democratic consolidation. Moreover, the EU’s democratizing leverage in Spain, Poland, and Turkey involved variations over time for three major reasons: (i) the changing nature of EU’s democratic conditionality over time (ii) varying levels of the EU’s credible commitment to the candidate country’s prospect for membership, and (iii) domestic dynamics in the candidate countries. Furthermore, the European integration process favors democratic consolidation but its magnitude is shaped by the candidate country’s prospect for EU membership and domestic factors in the candidate country. Finally, the study involves a major policy implication for the European Union: unless the EU provides a clear prospect for membership, its democratizing leverage will be limited in the candidate countries.

Magneto-Electric Nano-Particles for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation

This paper for the first time discusses a computational study of using magneto-electric (ME) nanoparticles to artificially stimulate the neural activity deep in the brain. The new technology provides a unique way to couple electric signals in the neural network to the magnetic dipoles in the nanoparticles with the purpose to enable a non-invasive approach. Simulations of the effect of ME nanoparticles for non-invasively stimulating the brain of a patient with Parkinson’s Disease to bring the pulsed sequences of the electric field to the levels comparable to those of healthy people show that the optimized values for the concentration of the 20-nm nanoparticles (with the magneto-electric (ME) coefficient of 100 V cm21 Oe21 in the aqueous solution) is 36106 particles/cc, and the frequency of the externally applied 300-Oe magnetic field is 80 Hz.

Nonlinear dynamics and chaos simulation system analysis for improved design

Small errors proved catastrophic. Our purpose to remark that a very small cause which escapes our notice determined a considerable effect that we cannot fail to see, and then we say that the effect is due to chance. Small differences in the initial conditions produce very great ones in the final phenomena. A small error in the former will produce an enormous error in the latter. When dealing with any kind of electrical device specification, it is important to note that there exists a pair of test conditions that define a test: the forcing function and the limit. Forcing functions define the external operating constraints placed upon the device tested. The actual test defines how well the device responds to these constraints. Forcing inputs to threshold for example, represents the most difficult testing because this put those inputs as close as possible to the actual switching critical points and guarantees that the device will meet the Input-Output specifications. ^ Prediction becomes impossible by classical analytical analysis bounded by Newton and Euclides. We have found that non linear dynamics characteristics is the natural state of being in all circuits and devices. Opportunities exist for effective error detection in a nonlinear dynamics and chaos environment. ^ Nowadays there are a set of linear limits established around every aspect of a digital or analog circuits out of which devices are consider bad after failing the test. Deterministic chaos circuit is a fact not a possibility as it has been revived by our Ph.D. research. In practice for linear standard informational methodologies, this chaotic data product is usually undesirable and we are educated to be interested in obtaining a more regular stream of output data. ^ This Ph.D. research explored the possibilities of taking the foundation of a very well known simulation and modeling methodology, introducing nonlinear dynamics and chaos precepts, to produce a new error detector instrument able to put together streams of data scattered in space and time. Therefore, mastering deterministic chaos and changing the bad reputation of chaotic data as a potential risk for practical system status determination. ^

Hydrological dynamics between a coastal aquifer and the adjacent estuarine system, Biscayne Bay, South Florida

Geochemical and geophysical approaches have been used to investigate the freshwater and saltwater dynamics in the coastal Biscayne Aquifer and Biscayne Bay. Stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, and concentrations of Sr2+ and Ca2+ were combined in two geochemical mixing models to provide estimates of the various freshwater inputs (precipitation, canal water, and groundwater) to Biscayne Bay and the coastal canal system in South Florida. Shallow geophysical electromagnetic and direct current resistivity surveys were used to image the geometry and stratification of the saltwater mixing zone in the near coastal (less than 1km inland) Biscayne Aquifer. The combined stable isotope and trace metal models suggest a ratio of canal input-precipitation-groundwater of 38%–52%–10% in the wet season and 37%–58%–5% in the dry season with an error of 25%, where most (20%) of the error was attributed to the isotope regression model, while the remaining 5% error was attributed to the Sr2+/Ca2+ mixing model. These models suggest rainfall is the dominate source of freshwater to Biscayne Bay. For a bay-wide water budget that includes saltwater and freshwater mixing, fresh groundwater accounts for less than 2% of the total input. A similar Sr 2+/Ca2+ tracer model indicates precipitation is the dominate source in 9 out of 10 canals that discharge into Biscayne Bay. The two-component mixing model converged for 100% of the freshwater canal samples in this study with 63% of the water contributed to the canals coming from precipitation and 37% from groundwater inputs ±4%. There was a seasonal shift from 63% precipitation input in the dry season to 55% precipitation input in the wet season. The three end-member mixing model converged for only 60% of the saline canal samples possibly due to non-conservative behavior of Sr2+ and Ca2+ in saline groundwater discharging into the canal system. Electromagnetic and Direct Current resistivity surveys were successful at locating and estimating the geometry and depth of the freshwater/saltwater interface in the Biscayne Aquifer at two near coastal sites. A saltwater interface that deepened as the survey moved inland was detected with a maximum interpreted depth to the interface of 15 meters, approximately 0.33 km inland from the shoreline. ^

Turkey and neo-Ottomanism: Domestic sources, dynamics and foreign policy

This study examined the relationship between the Turkish Islamic movements and the present government of the Justice and Development Party ( Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, AK Party). Since the AK Party came to power in 2002 it implemented unparalleled political reforms and pursued to improve Turkey’s relations with the EU. Opponents argued that because of the dominance of the secular military in Turkish politics, the AK Party is forced to secretly advance its Islamic agenda using the language and symbolism of democracy and human rights. This study argued that the ideas of the AK Party show similarities with the “Ottomanist” thought of the late Ottoman era. With special reference to the preservation of the Ottoman State, Ottomanism in an eclectic way was able to incorporate Islamic principles like freedom, justice and consultation into the political arena which was increasingly dominated by the secular European concepts. Literature on Islam and politics in Turkey, however, disregards the Ottoman roots of freedom and pluralism and tends to reduce the relationship between religion and state into exclusively confrontational struggles. This conceptualization of the political process relies on particular non-Turkish Muslim experiences which do not necessarily represent Islam’s venture in Turkey. Contrary to the prevailing scholarship, Islamic movements in Turkey, namely, Naqshbandi, National View and Nur, which are discussed in detail in this study, are not monolithic. They all uphold the same creedal tenets of Islam but they have sharp differences in terms of how they conceptualize the role of religious agency in politics. I argue that this diversity is a result of three distinct methodologies of Islamic religious life which are the Tariqah (Tarikat ), Shariah (Şeriat), and Haqiqah ( Hakikat). The differences between these three approaches represent a typological hierarchy in the formation of the Muslim/believer as an agent of Islamic identity. Through these different if not conflicting modes, the AK Party reconnected itself with Turkey’s Ottoman heritage in a post-Ottoman, secular setting and was able to develop an eclectic political identity of Neo-Ottomanism that is evident in the flexibility if not inconsistency of its domestic and foreign policy preferences.

Diel Patterns of Patch Reef Community Dynamics in a Caribbean Back-Reef System

Back-reef seascapes represent critical habitat for juvenile and adult fishes. Patch reef, seagrass, and mangrove habitats form a heterogeneous mosaic, often linked by species that use reefs as structure during the day and make foraging migrations into soft-bottom habitat at night. Artificial reefs are used to model natural patch reefs, however may not function equivalently as fish habitat. To study the relative value of natural and artificial patch reefs as fish habitat, these communities in the Sea of Abaco, Bahamas were compared using roving diver surveys and time-lapse photography. Diel turnover in fish abundance, recorded with time-lapse photography and illuminated by infrared light, was quantified across midday, dusk, and night periods to explore possible effects of reef type (artificial vs. natural) on these patterns. Diurnal communities on natural reefs exhibited greater fish abundance, species richness, and functional diversity compared to artificial reefs. Furthermore, both types of reef communities exhibited a significant shift across the diel period, characterized by a decline in total fish density at night, especially for grunts (Haemulidae). Cross-habitat foraging migrations by diurnal or nocturnal species, such as haemulids, are likely central drivers of this twilight turnover and can represent important energy and nutrient subsidies. Time-lapse surveys provided more consistent measures of reef fish assemblages for the smaller artificial reef habitats, yet underestimated abundance of certain taxa and species richness on larger patch habitats when compared to the roving diver surveys. Time-lapse photography complemented with infrared light represent a valuable non-invasive approach to studying behavior of focal species and their fine-scale temporal dynamics in shallow-reef communities.

Novel analytical methodologies for the monitoring of traditional and non-traditional pollutants in different environmental compartments of South Florida

Routine monitoring of environmental pollution demands simplicity and speed without sacrificing sensitivity or accuracy. The development and application of sensitive, fast and easy to implement analytical methodologies for detecting emerging and traditional water and airborne contaminants in South Florida is presented. A novel method was developed for quantification of the herbicide glyphosate based on lyophilization followed by derivatization and simultaneous detection by fluorescence and mass spectrometry. Samples were analyzed from water canals that will hydrate estuarine wetlands of Biscayne National Park, detecting inputs of glyphosate from both aquatic usage and agricultural runoff from farms. A second study describes a set of fast, automated LC-MS/MS protocols for the analysis of dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS) and 2-butoxyethanol, two components of Corexit®. Around 1.8 million gallons of those dispersant formulations were used in the response efforts for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010. The methods presented here allow the trace-level detection of these compounds in seawater, crude oil and commercial dispersants formulations. In addition, two methodologies were developed for the analysis of well-known pollutants, namely Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and airborne particulate matter (APM). PAHs are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and some are potent carcinogens. Traditional GC-MS analysis is labor-intensive and consumes large amounts of toxic solvents. My study provides an alternative automated SPE-LC-APPI-MS/MS analysis with minimal sample preparation and a lower solvent consumption. The system can inject, extract, clean, separate and detect 28 PAHs and 15 families of alkylated PAHs in 28 minutes. The methodology was tested with environmental samples from Miami. Airborne Particulate Matter is a mixture of particles of chemical and biological origin. Assessment of its elemental composition is critical for the protection of sensitive ecosystems and public health. The APM collected from Port Everglades between 2005 and 2010 was analyzed by ICP-MS after acid digestion of filters. The most abundant elements were Fe and Al, followed by Cu, V and Zn. Enrichment factors show that hazardous elements (Cd, Pb, As, Co, Ni and Cr) are introduced by anthropogenic activities. Data suggest that the major sources of APM were an electricity plant, road dust, industrial emissions and marine vessels.

Factors Affecting Current and Future Treeline Locations and Dynamics in the Peruvian Andes

The elevational distributions of tropical treelines are thought to be determined by temperature, and are predicted to shift upslope in response to global warming. In contrast to this hypothesis, global-scale studies have shown that only half of all studied treelines are shifting upslope. Understanding how treelines will respond to climate change has important implications for global biodiversity, especially in the tropics, because tropical treelines generally represent the upper-elevation distribution limit of the hyper-diverse cloudforest ecosystem. In Chapter 1, I introduce the idea that grasslands found above tropical treelines may represent a potential grass ceiling which forest species cannot cross or invade. I use an extensive literature review to outline potential mechanisms which may be acting to stabilize treeline and prevent forest expansion into high-elevation grasslands. In Chapters 2-4, I begin to explore these potential mechanisms through the use of observational and experimental methods. In Chapter 2, I show that there are significant numbers of seedlings occurring just outside of the treeline in the open grasslands and that seed rain is unlikely to limit seedling recruitment above treeline. I also show that microclimates outside of the closed-canopy cloudforest are highly variable and that mean temperatures are likely a poor explanation of tropical treeline elevations. In Chapter 3, I show that juvenile trees maintain freezing resistances similar to adults, but nighttime radiative cooling near the ground in the open grassland results in lower cold temperatures relative to the free atmosphere, exposing seedlings of some species growing above treeline to lethal frost events. In Chapter 4, I use a large-scale seedling transplant experiment to test the effects of mean temperature, absolute low temperature and shade on transplanted seedling survival. I find that increasing mean temperature negatively affects seedling survival of two treeline species while benefiting another. In addition, low temperature extremes and the presence of shade also appear to be important factors affecting seedling survival above tropical treelines. This work demonstrates that mean temperature is a poor predictor of tropical treelines and that temperature extremes, especially low temperatures, and non-climatic variables should be included in predictions of current and future tropical treeline dynamics.

Acoustic Manipulation and Alignment of Particles for Applications in Separation, Micro-Templating, and Device Fabrication

This dissertation studies the manipulation of particles using acoustic stimulation for applications in microfluidics and templating of devices. The term particle is used here to denote any solid, liquid or gaseous material that has properties, which are distinct from the fluid in which it is suspended. Manipulation means to take over the movements of the particles and to position them in specified locations. Using devices, microfabricated out of silicon, the behavior of particles under the acoustic stimulation was studied with the main purpose of aligning the particles at either low-pressure zones, known as the nodes or high-pressure zones, known as anti-nodes. By aligning particles at the nodes in a flow system, these particles can be focused at the center or walls of a microchannel in order to ultimately separate them. These separations are of high scientific importance, especially in the biomedical domain, since acoustopheresis provides a unique approach to separate based on density and compressibility, unparalleled by other techniques. The study of controlling and aligning the particles in various geometries and configurations was successfully achieved by controlling the acoustic waves. Apart from their use in flow systems, a stationary suspended-particle device was developed to provide controllable light transmittance based on acoustic stimuli. Using a glass compartment and a carbon-particle suspension in an organic solvent, the device responded to acoustic stimulation by aligning the particles. The alignment of light-absorbing carbon particles afforded an increase in visible light transmittance as high as 84.5%, and it was controlled by adjusting the frequency and amplitude of the acoustic wave. The device also demonstrated alignment memory rendering it energy-efficient. A similar device for suspended-particles in a monomer enabled the development of electrically conductive films. These films were based on networks of conductive particles. Elastomers doped with conductive metal particles were rendered surface conductive at particle loadings as low as 1% by weight using acoustic focusing. The resulting films were flexible and had transparencies exceeding 80% in the visible spectrum (400-800 nm) These films had electrical bulk conductivities exceeding 50 S/cm.

Turkey and Neo-Ottomanism: Domestic Sources, Dynamics and Foreign Policy

This study examined the relationship between the Turkish Islamic movements and the present government of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, AK Party). Since the AK Party came to power in 2002 it implemented unparalleled political reforms and pursued to improve Turkey’s relations with the EU. Opponents argued that because of the dominance of the secular military in Turkish politics, the AK Party is forced to secretly advance its Islamic agenda using the language and symbolism of democracy and human rights. This study argued that the ideas of the AK Party show similarities with the “Ottomanist” thought of the late Ottoman era. With special reference to the preservation of the Ottoman State, Ottomanism in an eclectic way was able to incorporate Islamic principles like freedom, justice and consultation into the political arena which was increasingly dominated by the secular European concepts. Literature on Islam and politics in Turkey, however, disregards the Ottoman roots of freedom and pluralism and tends to reduce the relationship between religion and state into exclusively confrontational struggles. This conceptualization of the political process relies on particular non-Turkish Muslim experiences which do not necessarily represent Islam’s venture in Turkey. Contrary to the prevailing scholarship, Islamic movements in Turkey, namely, Naqshbandi, National View and Nur, which are discussed in detail in this study, are not monolithic. They all uphold the same creedal tenets of Islam but they have sharp differences in terms of how they conceptualize the role of religious agency in politics. I argue that this diversity is a result of three distinct methodologies of Islamic religious life which are the Tariqah (Tarikat), Shariah (Şeriat), and Haqiqah (Hakikat). The differences between these three approaches represent a typological hierarchy in the formation of the Muslim/believer as an agent of Islamic identity. Through these different if not conflicting modes, the AK Party reconnected itself with Turkey’s Ottoman heritage in a post-Ottoman, secular setting and was able to develop an eclectic political identity of Neo-Ottomanism that is evident in the flexibility if not inconsistency of its domestic and foreign policy preferences.

Factors affecting current and future treeline locations and dynamics in the Peruvian Andes

The elevational distributions of tropical treelines are thought to be determined by temperature, and are predicted to shift upslope in response to global warming. In contrast to this hypothesis, global-scale studies have shown that only half of all studied treelines are shifting upslope. Understanding how treelines will respond to climate change has important implications for global biodiversity, especially in the tropics, because tropical treelines generally represent the upper-elevation distribution limit of the hyper-diverse cloudforest ecosystem. In Chapter 1, I introduce the idea that grasslands found above tropical treelines may represent a potential grass ceiling which forest species cannot cross or invade. I use an extensive literature review to outline potential mechanisms which may be acting to stabilize treeline and prevent forest expansion into high-elevation grasslands. In Chapters 2-4, I begin to explore these potential mechanisms through the use of observational and experimental methods. In Chapter 2, I show that there are significant numbers of seedlings occurring just outside of the treeline in the open grasslands and that seed rain is unlikely to limit seedling recruitment above treeline. I also show that microclimates outside of the closed-canopy cloudforest are highly variable and that mean temperatures are likely a poor explanation of tropical treeline elevations. In Chapter 3, I show that juvenile trees maintain freezing resistances similar to adults, but nighttime radiative cooling near the ground in the open grassland results in lower cold temperatures relative to the free atmosphere, exposing seedlings of some species growing above treeline to lethal frost events. In Chapter 4, I use a large-scale seedling transplant experiment to test the effects of mean temperature, absolute low temperature and shade on transplanted seedling survival. I find that increasing mean temperature negatively affects seedling survival of two treeline species while benefiting another. In addition, low temperature extremes and the presence of shade also appear to be important factors affecting seedling survival above tropical treelines. This work demonstrates that mean temperature is a poor predictor of tropical treelines and that temperature extremes, especially low temperatures, and non-climatic variables should be included in predictions of current and future tropical treeline dynamics.^

Novel Analytical Methodologies for the Monitoring of Traditional and Non-traditional Pollutants in different Environmental Compartments of South Florida

Routine monitoring of environmental pollution demands simplicity and speed without sacrificing sensitivity or accuracy. The development and application of sensitive, fast and easy to implement analytical methodologies for detecting emerging and traditional water and airborne contaminants in South Florida is presented. A novel method was developed for quantification of the herbicide glyphosate based on lyophilization followed by derivatization and simultaneous detection by fluorescence and mass spectrometry. Samples were analyzed from water canals that will hydrate estuarine wetlands of Biscayne National Park, detecting inputs of glyphosate from both aquatic usage and agricultural runoff from farms. A second study describes a set of fast, automated LC-MS/MS protocols for the analysis of dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS) and 2-butoxyethanol, two components of Corexit®. Around 1.8 million gallons of those dispersant formulations were used in the response efforts for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010. The methods presented here allow the trace-level detection of these compounds in seawater, crude oil and commercial dispersants formulations. In addition, two methodologies were developed for the analysis of well-known pollutants, namely Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and airborne particulate matter (APM). PAHs are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and some are potent carcinogens. Traditional GC-MS analysis is labor-intensive and consumes large amounts of toxic solvents. My study provides an alternative automated SPE-LC-APPI-MS/MS analysis with minimal sample preparation and a lower solvent consumption. The system can inject, extract, clean, separate and detect 28 PAHs and 15 families of alkylated PAHs in 28 minutes. The methodology was tested with environmental samples from Miami. Airborne Particulate Matter is a mixture of particles of chemical and biological origin. Assessment of its elemental composition is critical for the protection of sensitive ecosystems and public health. The APM collected from Port Everglades between 2005 and 2010 was analyzed by ICP-MS after acid digestion of filters. The most abundant elements were Fe and Al, followed by Cu, V and Zn. Enrichment factors show that hazardous elements (Cd, Pb, As, Co, Ni and Cr) are introduced by anthropogenic activities. Data suggest that the major sources of APM were an electricity plant, road dust, industrial emissions and marine vessels.