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Articles 31 - 60 of 208
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Filtered To Essentials--Matisse's Conversion Of Medieval Stained Glass, Mary Alison Reilly
Filtered To Essentials--Matisse's Conversion Of Medieval Stained Glass, Mary Alison Reilly
Open Access Theses
This thesis studies the relationship between the works of French artist Henri Matisse and the medium of stained glass, with emphasis on the formal properties of his oeuvre that define his ten executed stained glass pieces. Current scholarship treats Matisse's stained glass works as an expansion of his cutouts, or, alternatively, as conventional religious decoration. This paper proposes to interpret the artist's stained glass works as secular pieces that epitomize his artistic preferences, with primary focus on both his stylistic elements and the characteristics of the stained glass form, demonstrating the visual congruencies between that signature style and the medium. …
Performance Mapping Of A Thrust Augmenting Ejector In Transition For Short Take-Off And Vertical Landing Aircraft, Francisco Martinez
Performance Mapping Of A Thrust Augmenting Ejector In Transition For Short Take-Off And Vertical Landing Aircraft, Francisco Martinez
Open Access Theses
Previous research has shown the potential for a thrust augmenting ejector to be used as an alternative to the swivel nozzle for short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircrafts. Previous designs for integrating a thrust augmenting ejector failed to make the transition from hovering to wing-borne flight and back to hovering or were not fully tested. Therefore, the two main objectives of this research are: (1) to obtain a numerical solution for the performance of a thrust augmenting ejector in transition and (2) to verify if an ejector with enough thrust could be integrated into the wing and enable the …
Benefit Finding In Women With Breast Cancer: Assessment And Relations With Cortisol, Lisa M. Gudenkauf
Benefit Finding In Women With Breast Cancer: Assessment And Relations With Cortisol, Lisa M. Gudenkauf
Open Access Theses
Despite the stress associated with the diagnosis of breast cancer, many women are able to find benefits in the experience. Recent work has characterized benefit finding (BF) as a multidimensional construct with perceived benefits found in a variety of distinct domains, including family relations and world view, among others (Weaver, Llabre, Lechner, Penedo, & Antoni, 2008). However, factor analysis results from the Benefit Finding Scale (BFS; Antoni et al., 2001; Tomich & Helgeson, 2004) have been mixed, demonstrating the need for further examination of the question. Increased BF after psychological intervention has predicted improvements in physical health-related measures in breast …
Effects Of Glucose Levels On Glucose Consumption And Viability Of Chondrocytes And Intervertebral Disc Cells, Garrett R. Waggoner
Effects Of Glucose Levels On Glucose Consumption And Viability Of Chondrocytes And Intervertebral Disc Cells, Garrett R. Waggoner
Open Access Theses
Lower back pain (LBP) and cartilage-related diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) have a tremendous financial impact on the world today. It is well-understood that the provision of glucose to these avascular regions of the body plays a large role in the sustenance of health and the prevention of pathogenic processes. In order to undertake innovative approaches to allow for glucose-involved cell therapeutics and to enhance a wide range of stem cell therapies, we need to better understand avascular cell metabolism. In this study, annulus fibrosus (AF), nucleus pulposus (NP), and cartilage cells were placed in agarose gel constructs and incubated …
Parental Perception Of Music Therapy For Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jillian E. Mehler
Parental Perception Of Music Therapy For Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jillian E. Mehler
Open Access Theses
The purpose of this study was to examine retrospective and current parental perceptions of music therapy (MT) for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study also investigated the differences between parents’ retrospective and current perceptions, as well as the variables that predict current parental perceptions and changes in parental perceptions. Participants (N=50) were parents of children diagnosed with ASD under the age of seven years old, who had received or were receiving MT services. Participants completed an online survey, “Parental Perception of Music Therapy for Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders.” Results revealed that parents’ retrospective perceptions of …
An Experimental Investigation Of The Relationship Between Hoarding And Stress, Ashley M. Shaw
An Experimental Investigation Of The Relationship Between Hoarding And Stress, Ashley M. Shaw
Open Access Theses
Hoarding is an impairing disorder characterized by difficulties with discarding one’s belongings and often excessive acquisition, which lead to extreme clutter. Of the hypothesized risk and maintenance factors for hoarding, stress has emerged as an important risk construct. Traumatic and stressful life events have been associated with greater hoarding symptoms and possibly the onset of symptoms; yet, past research is marked by methodological limitations. Using experimental methodology and multi-method assessments, the current study investigated the direct effect of a stress manipulation on subsequent hoarding behaviors; the associations of biological and subjective stress response with hoarding behaviors, symptoms, and cognitions; and …
The Design And Implementation Of Metrics To Assess A Marine Science Environmental Education Program, Chelsea A. Werner
The Design And Implementation Of Metrics To Assess A Marine Science Environmental Education Program, Chelsea A. Werner
Open Access Theses
Environmental education, particularly marine science education, is an emerging discipline. Evaluations of existing programs are necessary and best practices must continue to be developed. Students from Miami Science Museum’s Upward Bound Math and Science program participated in a new series of environmentally focused activities called the Eco-Ambassadors program. This program consisted of seven activities, including kayaking, habitat restoration, and a film workshop. An assessment of the Eco-Ambassadors program, consisting of a pre-survey and a post-survey, was conducted for this study in order to determine the success of the program. The surveys assessed student’s experiences, interests, knowledge, and attitudes. No statistically …
Dark Façades: Gender And The Films Of Stanley Kubrick, David Eric Browning
Dark Façades: Gender And The Films Of Stanley Kubrick, David Eric Browning
Open Access Theses
The work of iconic film director Stanley Kubrick is generally studied in terms of visual style and its reliance on male protagonists. Looking past the traditional focal points, one is able to examine the truly fascinating female protagonists that inhabit these dark worlds. By uncovering three distinct types of women included in the filmography of Stanley Kubrick: the instigator, the victim, and the empowered, I have reasoned that the director evolved alongside these female characters as his career advanced. Focusing on the instigating nature of the women in his early films, I have showcased how these individuals held powerful grips …
A Policy Analysis Of Open Ocean Aquaculture In The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Collin Crecco
A Policy Analysis Of Open Ocean Aquaculture In The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Collin Crecco
Open Access Theses
An exponentially growing world population has put human innovation and ingenuity to the test. Over the past few decades, our ability to develop technology for the purpose of adjusting to an increasing demand for natural resources has shown our capacity for growth and adaptation. However, how much growth can be sustained to solve problems related to food security? Aquaculture has become a viable option to combat food scarcity issues. Aquaculture that takes place offshore is a relatively new field of study that warrants further investigation. As research continues to evaluate environmental effects from offshore aquaculture, it must be tied with …
Nonprofit Organization Adopts Internet-Based Communications For Relationship Cultivation—Case Study Of A Charity Bike Ride Event, Yi Ji
Open Access Theses
The purpose of this case study is to provide knowledge of how various stakeholders respond to online communications, including both information contents and distribution tools, of a fundraising event. While organizing a charity bike ride fundraising event, Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida utilized the Internet as a primary public relations tool to cultivate relationships with cyclists, volunteers and sponsors. By adopting qualitative content analysis and one-on-one interviews, this study offers important implications on how the best practice of public relations can be integrated in a fundraising event to cultivate relations via the Internet with key stakeholders. The results …
A Scaffold Model Of The Outer Retina, Kristina R. Russano
A Scaffold Model Of The Outer Retina, Kristina R. Russano
Open Access Theses
Patients with diseases that lead to the loss of the cells of their outer retina, such as AMD and retinitis pigmentosa, suffer from an irreversible loss of vision. Since the body has no mechanism to restore the structure or function of these cells, could photoreceptors be transplanted to restore function? Several groups have attempted transplantations, but were faced with the challenges of low retention and inefficient delivery. Also, a limitation of photoreceptor research is their poor survival in culture due to their dependence on RPE. We purpose that a two-layered biodegradable polymer scaffold that serves as support and a permeable …
Microblogging Use By The Chinese Government, Jiangmeng Liu
Microblogging Use By The Chinese Government, Jiangmeng Liu
Open Access Theses
The current study aimed to examine how the Chinese government agencies adopted Sina Weibo, a popular microblogging platform used by majority of the Internet users in China. Through a content analysis of 270 tweets from 27 governmental accounts, this study tried to understand what the government agencies tweet about, how they tweet, and what citizens think about these tweets. The differences among accounts at the federal-, state-, and local-level were revealed, in terms of basic status, utilizing of multimedia tools, desired content types and comments received. The federal-level agencies were seldom utilizing Sina Weibo, in spite they usually launched earlier, …
An Improved Approach For Essential Tremor Spirography Processing By Integrating Frequency Domain Information And Spatial Domain Information, Keying Xu
Open Access Theses
Spirography is a standard neurological test that has been commonly used for essential tremor diagnosis and its severity assessment for years. However, current spirography analysis is handled by Fourier Transformation (FT) on acquired data only. Frequency spectrum information through FT, such as frequency distributions, magnitudes of selected frequencies, has been the only information reported in other studies. This thesis provides a brief introduction of Essential Tremor and the application of spirography. In order to validate the algorithms developed in this study, we have created algorithmic simulations for smooth spirals and spirals with tremor oscillation. The developed simulation approach is the …
Examining Transparency In Crisis Management, Tessa Buon Viso
Examining Transparency In Crisis Management, Tessa Buon Viso
Open Access Theses
Considered a benefit to the building of reputation by Public Relations professionals, transparency is increasingly viewed as an intangible asset for corporations to assimilate into their business. This thesis divides transparency into two separate categories, informal and formal transparency, and examines the role both play in creating and solving crises. Case studies were performed on two companies that experienced crises in the past year due to perceived informal transparency, Chick-fil-A and Papa John’s. Case studies included a brief background of each company, an explanation of the crisis, examples of formal and informal transparency statements made by each company, information as …
Developing Recent Mortality As An Ecosystem Indicator To Enhance Coral Monitoring: A Case Study For Southeast Florida Reefs, Nathan P. Formel
Developing Recent Mortality As An Ecosystem Indicator To Enhance Coral Monitoring: A Case Study For Southeast Florida Reefs, Nathan P. Formel
Open Access Theses
This study developed percent recent mortality to be used as a community-wide indicator of coral reef stress response. Ecosystem indicators are tools used to simplify the monitoring of processes on coral reefs, such as stress response, as well as simplify the communication of these results to the public. Percent recent mortality is a metric used in some of southeast Florida’s long-term reef monitoring projects and shows great promise as an ecological indicator of coral stress response and, inversely, coral health. To develop percent recent mortality for use as an ecological indicator on south Florida reefs, the metric was evaluated using …
Sea Turtle Protection In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific: A Strategy To Reduce Incidental Take And Promote Conservation, Brittany Bartlett
Sea Turtle Protection In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific: A Strategy To Reduce Incidental Take And Promote Conservation, Brittany Bartlett
Open Access Theses
Five species of sea turtle inhabit the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape. Based on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, all five of these populations are threatened with extinction. Bycatch, the incidental take of non-target species in fisheries, is the leading cause of sea turtle decline within the region. To address this issue in the region, methods were used to analyze policy and management in attempts to better determine those gaps, which hinder sea turtle protection. Geographic Information Systems, specifically, ArcGIS, was used determine areas of primary importance to sea turtles. The Inter American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) provided …
Spiritual Coping In People With Hiv: Relationship With Medication Adherence, Safer Sexual Practices, And Substance Use, Sarah M. Henry
Spiritual Coping In People With Hiv: Relationship With Medication Adherence, Safer Sexual Practices, And Substance Use, Sarah M. Henry
Open Access Theses
Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether spiritual coping (SC) was related to health behaviors, specifically medication adherence, safer sex practices, and substance use as well as depression levels in an HIV+ population over a two year period. In addition, the present study examined whether spiritual coping predicted changes in medication adherence and depression levels over time. Methods: This longitudinal study assessed 177 HIV+ and diverse men and women in the midrange of illness as indicated by a CD4 number between 150 and 500 and no previous AIDS-defining symptom. Spiritual coping data and safer sex data …
Educational Institutions, Reed Music, And Barry Cockcroft: Cultural Production Of The Concert Saxophone Community In Melbourne, Australia, Nessyah Adelaide Buder
Educational Institutions, Reed Music, And Barry Cockcroft: Cultural Production Of The Concert Saxophone Community In Melbourne, Australia, Nessyah Adelaide Buder
Open Access Theses
This thesis explores the specific constellations of shared habits, thoughts, and educational practices that connect the saxophone community in Melbourne, Australia. Thomas Turino’s explanation of the formation of cultural cohorts, combined with Benedict Anderson’s concept of imagined communities and Bruno Nettl’s research on educational institutions from Heartland Excursions provide relevant theoretical background for this paper. The Melbourne saxophone community consists of music educators, students, composers, and performers who have lived in Melbourne for a significant portion of their musical studies. The three main educational institutions that impact the Melbourne saxophone community are the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB), the Victorian …
Gaps In Noise: Effects On Early Auditory Transient And Steady-State Response, Khalid Alhussaini
Gaps In Noise: Effects On Early Auditory Transient And Steady-State Response, Khalid Alhussaini
Open Access Theses
Psychophysical detection of silent gaps embedded in ongoing steady sounds is commonly used to measure temporal resolution in hearing tests. Long latency auditory responses to such gaps in a noise signal are routinely investigated as electrophysiological measures of temporal resolution. This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of early transient responses (Auditory Brainstem and Middle Latency) as well as Auditory Steady State Responses to such stimuli. Young subjects were monaurally stimulated by three different duration (12ms, 9ms, 6ms) of silence gaps in a white noise. All stimuli in this study were presented with 40 Hz stimulation rate in isochronic …
This Harvest / A Wild (B)Looming, Jen Mehan
This Harvest / A Wild (B)Looming, Jen Mehan
Open Access Theses
The following creative manuscript is a swirl of themes, language, intimacies, and violations. Through use of paced, intimate layers, the manuscript explores themes of the lovers, the you, gender (and its oppression), violence and its tenderness, the wilderness and its wild, heritage and legacies, and the (d)evolution of self. Despite the themes, the poems offer a playfulness with form, enjambments and prose blocks, sounds, syntax, lists, parentheticals and juxtapositions. There is hunger here, and it swirls.
A Novel Algorithm For Creating Useful Hip Joint Center Location Estimates From Gait Motion, James Soutelle
A Novel Algorithm For Creating Useful Hip Joint Center Location Estimates From Gait Motion, James Soutelle
Open Access Theses
This document contains the results of an experiment conducted in the Biomechanics Research Laboratory at the University of Miami. A novel two sided hip joint center location algorithm was created and tested. The Vicon motion capture system located in the Biomechanics lab assisted in the testing of the algorithm. Both hip joint centers were successfully located during multiple gait trials. The hip location results were compared to the conventional predictive hip joint center techniques. A validation trial was also conducted. More validation testing is need to confirm the applicability of this hip joint center location technique.
Exploring Executive Control As An Underlying Mechanism Of Emotion Regulation And Stress Response, Meghan E. Quinn
Exploring Executive Control As An Underlying Mechanism Of Emotion Regulation And Stress Response, Meghan E. Quinn
Open Access Theses
Previous research has demonstrated a link among stress response, emotion regulation, and executive control, such that greater executive control is associated with ability to use emotion regulation strategies that may promote adaptive responding to stressors. However, evidence of this relation is correlational and it is therefore not clear whether the ability to adaptively respond to stressors is caused by executive control abilities. Recent research has found that changing cognitive biases through training results in changes in emotion regulation ability. Additional research indicates that executive control may also be trained in a similar manner. The current study employed a training design …
The Spatial Injustice Of Crisis-Driven Neoliberal Urban Restructuring In Detroit, Daniel Clement
The Spatial Injustice Of Crisis-Driven Neoliberal Urban Restructuring In Detroit, Daniel Clement
Open Access Theses
Struggling to provide basic services due to a dwindling tax base and confronted with significant pockets of vacant land, Detroit has proposed a radical urban restructuring. The Detroit Future City framework aims to reappropriate large swaths of land in order to concentrate people and services in select locations throughout the city. Characterizing this plan as typical of the contemporary trends of neoliberal urban governance, this research examines the basis for and proposed results of this crisis-driven urban restructuring. Using comparative statistics of populations within proposed future land uses, this research suggests that the most severe spatial injustices will be leveled …
Dive Industry Use Patterns And Economic Dependency On Apra Harbor's Coral Reefs, Kathryn E. Sellers
Dive Industry Use Patterns And Economic Dependency On Apra Harbor's Coral Reefs, Kathryn E. Sellers
Open Access Theses
The island Territory of Guam is about to experience a large U.S. military buildup. This buildup will set Guam as host of the largest U.S. military presence in all of Asia, with correspondingly advanced Naval base facilities. Part of Naval Base Guam capacity improvements will include significant dredging in Apra Harbor, home to the island’s only deep-water lagoon. This lagoonal area is not only host to a United Stated Naval base, but is also host to Guam’s commercial port and a highly attractive area for many recreational tourism activities. As a preparatory step before dredging activities occur, the island’s dive …
Discrete Trajectories Of Coparenting Over The Transition To Parenthood, Larisa N. Cicila
Discrete Trajectories Of Coparenting Over The Transition To Parenthood, Larisa N. Cicila
Open Access Theses
This study endeavors to examine whether discrete trajectories of self-report coparenting exist over the transition to parenthood; if findings support discrete trajectories, pre-birth predictors of class membership will be investigated, as well as whether class membership predicts outcomes at 2 years postpartum. As part of a larger study, ninety couples pregnant with their first child completed self-report measures of coparenting at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months postpartum. Models utilizing Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) and Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA) were explored. Results indicated significant evidence for the existence of discrete trajectories; a three-class LCGA that divided the …
Regulated Emissions From A High Efficiency Spark-Ignition With Maximum Engine Power At Or Below 19 Kw, Travis Jamal Mackey
Regulated Emissions From A High Efficiency Spark-Ignition With Maximum Engine Power At Or Below 19 Kw, Travis Jamal Mackey
Open Access Theses
Previous research has developed a set of high efficiency generator engines converted from a stock automobile engine. These all employed different variations of squish and swirl along with running at a high compression ratio in their design. The stock engine was a 1.6L four cylinder engine fueled by propane and configured for lean operation. These modifications produced a 36.8% reduction in EPA cycle fuel consumption. The objective of this research was to determine whether this high efficiency engine could meet stringent regulated emissions standards set by the EPA. By varying spark advance and air-fuel ratio, an engine was created to …
Cultural Differences In Movie Promotions On Social Network Sites: Evidence From China And The United States, Chen Liu
Open Access Theses
Two movies, The Hunger Games and Titanic 3D, received great box office success in the U.S. and China separately, owing to their promotion activities in respective SNSs. Considering these two countries belong to two different cultures, high/low-context cultures and reflect different cultural values, individualism/collectivism, the researcher proposed four hypotheses to test if cultural factors play an important role in SNS use including information seeking and giving behavior, imagery and text use, and the employment of emotional expressiveness. Textual analysis was used to study users posts in Twitter and Sina Weibo, corporate wall posts in Facebook and Renren. Results confirmed that …
Religiosity, Spirituality, And The Metabolic Syndrome Among U.S. Hispanics/Latinos In The Sociocultural Ancillary Study Of The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos (Hchs/Sol), Carrie E. Brintz
Open Access Theses
Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. experience a disproportionate amount of socioeconomic adversities and culturally specific stressors. In addition, they have higher rates of obesity and diabetes than other ethnic groups and may have higher rates of the metabolic syndrome. Religiosity and Spirituality (R/S) are integral parts of Hispanic culture, and have been shown to be protective of various health outcomes such as all-cause mortality and CVD in the general population. Health outcomes and possible protective factors such as R/S have not been well studied in Hispanics. The proposed study examined the relationship between multiple dimensions of R/S and the metabolic syndrome …
Differential Relationships Of Internal And External Networking Behaviors With Turnover, Caitlin M. Porter
Differential Relationships Of Internal And External Networking Behaviors With Turnover, Caitlin M. Porter
Open Access Theses
Although networking behaviors are proven to be beneficial for career success, less is known about how networking influences organizational outcomes such as turnover. Using a professional and an academic sample of "stayers" and "leavers", the present study addresses how two types of networking behaviors, networking focused either internal or external to the organization, differentially influence the voluntary turnover process. Data gathered from "stayers" suggested that internal networking behaviors were positively associated with perceived desirability of movement (i.e., job satisfaction), whereas external networking behaviors were associated with perceived (i.e., perceived employment opportunity) and actual (i.e., job offers) ease of movement. For …
Enhanced Diagnostic Accuracy Of Mammograms On A Mobile Device, Sharanya Padmanabhan
Enhanced Diagnostic Accuracy Of Mammograms On A Mobile Device, Sharanya Padmanabhan
Open Access Theses
With the death of a woman every 13 minutes in the US, and one every minute worldwide, due to breast cancer, the need for early detection cannot be overstated. Mammography is a boon for both early detection and screening of breast tumors. It is an imaging system that uses low dose (9mrem) x-rays for examining the breasts, by the electrons reflected from the tissues (thermoelectric effect). However, there are 20% false positives and 10% false negatives in current practice. Hence, there is a critical need for enhancing the accuracy of these mammograms. Towards this, this thesis was aimed at enhancing …