Maryland Shared Open Access Repository
MD-SOAR is a shared digital repository platform for twelve colleges and universities in Maryland. It is currently funded by the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium (usmai.org) and other participating partner institutions. MD-SOAR is jointly governed by all participating libraries, who have agreed to share policies and practices that are necessary and appropriate for the shared platform. Within this broad framework, each library provides customized repository services and collections that meet local institutional needs. Please follow the links below to learn more about each library's repository services and collections.
Browse
Communities and Collections | By Issue Date | Author | Titles | Subjects | TypeSubmit
Institutions in MD-SOAR
Select a community to browse its collections.
Recent Submissions
Magneto-optics in a van der Waals magnet tuned by self-hybridized polaritons
(Springer Nature, 2023-08) Dirnberger, Florian; Quan, Jiamin; Bushati, Rezlind; Diederich, Geoffrey M.; Florian, Matthias; Klein, Julian; Mosina, Kseniia; Sofer, Zdenek; Xu, Xiaodong; Kamra, Akashdeep; Garc�a-Vidal, Francisco J.; Al�, Andrea; Menon, Vinod M.
Controlling quantum materials with light is of fundamental and technological importance. By utilizing the strong coupling of light and matter in optical cavities1?3, recent studies were able to modify some of their most defining features4?6. Here we study the magneto-optical properties of a van der Waals magnet that supports strong coupling of photons and excitons even in the absence of external cavity mirrors. In this material?the layered magnetic semiconductor CrSBr?emergent light?matter hybrids called polaritons are shown to substantially increase the spectral bandwidth of correlations between the magnetic, electronic and optical properties, enabling largely tunable optical responses to applied magnetic fields and magnons. Our results highlight the importance of exciton?photon self-hybridization in van der Waals magnets and motivate novel directions for the manipulation of quantum material properties by strong light?matter coupling.
Unifying radiative transfer models in computer graphics and remote sensing, Part II: A differentiable, polarimetric forward model and validation
(Elsevier, 2024-01-03) Salesin, Katherine; Knobelspiesse, Kirk D.; Chowdhary, Jacek; Zhai, Peng-Wang; Jarosz, Wojciech
The constellation of Earth-observing satellites continuously collects measurements of scattered radiance, which must be transformed into geophysical parameters in order to answer fundamental scientific questions about the Earth. Retrieval of these parameters requires highly flexible, accurate, and fast forward and inverse radiative transfer models. Existing forward models used by the remote sensing community are typically accurate and fast, but sacrifice flexibility by assuming the atmosphere or ocean is composed of plane-parallel layers. Monte Carlo forward models can handle more complex scenarios such as 3D spatial heterogeneity, but are relatively slower. We propose looking to the computer graphics community for inspiration to improve the statistical efficiency of Monte Carlo forward models and explore new approaches to inverse models for remote sensing. In Part 2 of this work, we demonstrate that Monte Carlo forward models in computer graphics are capable of sufficient accuracy for remote sensing by extending Mitsuba 3, a forward and inverse modeling framework recently developed in the computer graphics community, to simulate simple atmosphere-ocean systems and show that our framework is capable of achieving error on par with codes currently used by the remote sensing community on benchmark results.
Unifying radiative transfer models in computer graphics and remote sensing, Part I: A survey
(Elsevier, 2023-12-02) Salesin, Katherine; Knobelspiesse, Kirk D.; Chowdhary, Jacek; Zhai, Peng-Wang; Jarosz, Wojciech
The constellation of Earth-observing satellites continuously collects measurements of scattered radiance, which must be transformed into geophysical parameters in order to answer fundamental scientific questions about the Earth. Retrieval of these parameters requires highly flexible, accurate, and fast forward and inverse radiative transfer models. Existing forward models used by the remote sensing community are typically accurate and fast, but sacrifice flexibility by assuming the atmosphere or ocean is composed of plane-parallel layers. Monte Carlo forward models can handle more complex scenarios such as 3D spatial heterogeneity, but are relatively slower. We propose looking to the computer graphics community for inspiration to improve the statistical efficiency of Monte Carlo forward models and explore new approaches to inverse models for remote sensing. In Part 1 of this work, we examine the evolution of radiative transfer models in computer graphics and highlight recent advancements that have the potential to push forward models in remote sensing beyond their current periphery of realism.
Ethical Challenges in Intercultural Citizenship Education with ?Difficult Topics? in the World Language Classroom and Beyond
(MDPI, 2025-02-24) Porto, Melina; Golubeva, Irina; Byram, Michael
The purpose of this article is to examine the ethical challenges that arise in the world language classroom and beyond from using intercultural citizenship pedagogy. Intercultural citizenship is, in general, seen as a recent and positive development in intercultural language education for helping students engage with topics of social significance in the classroom. However, there are ethical challenges involved, for instance, related to the political or sensitive nature of such topics. We define and illustrate some of these ethical concerns and their implications for education by drawing on an intercultural citizenship project about COVID-19 carried out in two higher education contexts in 2020. The analysis of this example shows that these ethical concerns are unavoidable but can be minimised with an action research perspective and a combination of pedagogies of intercultural citizenship, discomfort, and the arts. We conclude with a discussion of the transferability of the example and its consequences for any language and intercultural communication teaching which deals with controversial and sensitive matters.
Queering ?Common Sense?: Using Critical Discourse Analysis of LGBTQ Book Bans in Florida Public Schools to Unmask Heteronormativity
(University of Nebraska, 2025-02-18) Zito, Talia; Morse, Nicole
Historically, censorship of LGBTQ+ content in education has been rooted in socio-political efforts to marginalize non-heteronormative identities. However, even those who oppose censorship tend to frame their arguments around concepts like ?age-appropriateness? and ?protecting children.? Our Critical Discourse Analysis examines formal challenges to And Tango Makes Three in one Florida school district in 2022 to show how these concepts are deployed on both sides of the debate. The book, depicting a same-sex penguin couple raising a chick, faced objections under Florida?s HB 1557, a law designed to restrict discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Ultimately, the picture book was removed from the shelves despite proponents advocating for its educational value. Our analysis examines how both opponents and proponents of LGBTQ+ children?s literature rely on ?common sense? discourse and arguments about ?age appropriateness? to support their claims. We argue that such discursive moves, while seemingly neutral, perpetuate discriminatory ideologies and reinforce normative power structures. Given that both sides? appeals to common sense and age-appropriatness fail to challenge and often reinforce exclusionary beliefs, we argue that advocates should look beyond common sense and instead draw on queer theory as a resource in these struggles against censorship. Effective advocacy must confront how heteronormative assumptions are embedded in educational policies and practices. Queer theory offers a powerful framework to reimagine advocacy strategies, challenging the notion of political neutrality by exposing how what appears to be unbiased or ?common sense? is often deeply embedded in normative assumptions and power dynamics. By reframing the discourse, advocates can challenge and dismantle the underlying heteronormative ideologies. Embracing queer theoretical insights can lead to a more inclusive and equitable environment, where LGBTQ+ literature is celebrated for its role in promoting diversity, challenging normative constructs, and reimagining educational environments and social worlds.