Wirewalker vertical profilers have become a common tool for oceanographic research, but the energy required by onboard sensors sets up a maximum horizon for deployment before ongoing recovery and re-deployment becomes impractical and expensive. Given that the Wirewalker mechanically harnesses energy from ocean surface waves to drive propulsion, a natural next step for the Wirewalker system is using ocean wave energy to power the onboard sensors. This paper documents the design process for a 3-wheel power take-off system that merges the submersible motor-generator (Livewire), designed by Dr. Michael Goldin and Prof. Drew Lucas, within a Wirewalker frame. The as-tested “omega-configuration” power take-off relies on the grip of a single wheel on the mooring wire to both cam in one direction (allowing profiling mechanically driven by the surface waves, as in the present generation Wirewalker, and also efficiently generating power. Basic profiling dynamics and experimental results inspired a design that pushes the generator wheel between two sheaves, while allowing it to hinge up and down to passively increase grip on the wire as the power available in any particular wave cycle increases. Tests in the Scripps pool generated a peak power of 1 Watt, with a time average 0.1 Watts. However, this result was likely related to slipping and frictional losses, which also was observed to inhibit 1-way camming motion. Future iterations of the 3-wheel power take-off should wrap the wire further around the wheel, investigate wheel surfaces with a higher coefficient of friction, and reduce internal friction losses with better constrained sheaves.  

What is the political impact of prison privatization? Does prison privatization introduce a new political interest group into the criminal justice sphere? Do private prison firms have an incentive to push for increased incarceration and do they have the power to succeed? How similar, or different, are the political goals and strategies of private prison firms from other groups interested in the operation of prisons, such as corrections officer unions?

I argue that the structure of firms sets them apart from other interest groups. The benefits of growth flow to all shareholders in a firm, and all shareholders have a stake in the increasing profitability of the firm they own. This aligns the concerns of shareholders and reduces conflict. In contrast, other groups often have constituents and stakeholders with conflicting interests. Labor unions, another politically influential type of interest group, have a fraught relationship with growth. If a labor union grows in size, many of the benefits flow not to the incumbent union members, but rather to new union members. I argue that this distinction between firms and labor unions should manifest in different political strategies where firms are more likely to adopt pro- active political strategies aimed at increasing market share and profit, whereas labor unions will adopt defensive political strategies aimed at safeguarding the position of their current members. This implies that private prison firms have much more to gain from increased incarceration than do corrections officer unions. I compare the political activities of private prison firms and corrections officer unions and show that private prison firms do appear to value increased incarceration more than corrections officer unions. Drawing on a time series cross-sectional model, I show that privatization appears to drive increased incarceration in states within the United States. These results are robust to a variety of model specifications. These results are not driven by political shifts, crime rates, or cost savings.

This dissertation also describes the results of a series of interviews with state legislators and lobbyists. Across states, these subject matter experts believe private prison firms are more politically proactive, more politically sophisticated, and more supportive of increased incarceration than are corrections officer unions.

Introduction: Wound botulism is a rare and potentially fatal infectious disease, often seen in patients who abuse injection drugs. It classically presents with dysfunction of bilateral cranial nerves followed by proximal and distal motor weakness, which can progress to respiratory failure.

Case Report: We report a case of a 31-year-old female who presented to the emergency department for the fifth time with an eight-day history of isolated dysphagia without any other neurologic symptoms. She reported a history of injection drug abuse via “skin popping,” was admitted to the hospital, and ultimately diagnosed with wound botulism.

Conclusion: This case exemplifies the diagnostic pitfalls of rare diseases such as wound botulism and provides insight regarding the diagnosis and treatment of this entity. This case also highlights the unique medical and social challenges emergency physicians face while trying to reliably evaluate patients who abuse controlled substances.

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