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1997

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Predicting Readiness On The Florida Entry-Level-Placement Test From A Set Of High School Academic Variables, Joseph Martin Forman Jan 1997

Predicting Readiness On The Florida Entry-Level-Placement Test From A Set Of High School Academic Variables, Joseph Martin Forman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

This study explored the predictive accuracy of three, two-group linear discriminant function equations. The grouping or criterion variables employed were scores from the three sections (math, reading, and writing) of the Computerized Placement Test (CPT). The predictor variables used were gathered from the academic history for each case. These variables ranged from the GPA in grade eight, through the normal-curve-equivalent test scores in both math and reading from the Grade Ten Assessment Test (GTAT), and included several actual GPAs achieved in science and math courses at all three levels of difficulty in high school (Appendix A). The data set was …

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Presence And Progression Of "Saudade" In The Poetry Of Rosalia De Castro, Ruth Waltrip Mccollum Jan 1997

Presence And Progression Of "Saudade" In The Poetry Of Rosalia De Castro, Ruth Waltrip Mccollum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Saudade, a sentiment similar to but stronger than the English word "melancholy," has been a subject of much interest on the Iberian peninsula for centuries, especially among Galician-Portuguese writers. Rosalia de Castro, a nineteenth-century poet and author from Galicia, is recognized as one of Spain's most talented writers, partly because of her ability to express the various phases of a sentiment which is so difficult to understand. In her poetry Castro skillfully describes the feelings of the Galician people and, in doing so, bares the depth of her own saudade. The loss of love and departure from one's homeland are …

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Prayer And The Well-Being Of The Older Adult, Sandra Lee Clark Ragl Jan 1997

Prayer And The Well-Being Of The Older Adult, Sandra Lee Clark Ragl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Using a purposive sample of older adults, a qualitative descriptive study was conducted to illuminate the influence of prayer on their well-being. Content analysis was the method used to discern this relationship. Through the analysis of eight stories two themes on the "notion" of prayer and a primary theme on the influence of prayer on the well-being of the older adult emerged. The themes of prayer that emerged were: prayer was a conversation with God and an intimate relationship with God that fostered trust and belief. The primary theme was that a relationship with God through prayer fosters a sense …

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Recurring Vocabularies: Narrating Voices In "Anne John", "Jasmine", And "Middle Passage", Donna J. Schlosser Jan 1997

Recurring Vocabularies: Narrating Voices In "Anne John", "Jasmine", And "Middle Passage", Donna J. Schlosser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

This thesis examines the first-person narrator's development of an autonomous identity, which is characterized by the individual's self-interest on the one hand and social engagement on the other, in the following novels: Jamaica Kincaid, Annie John (1983), Bharati Mukherjee, Jasmine (1989), and Charles Johnson, Middle Passage (1990). Examination focuses on autobiographical moments in which language discloses identity development as each narrator employs a unique vocabulary and rhetorical strategies to build and maintain autonomous identity, establish social relationships, and infuse life with personal and collective meaning. Recurrent vocabularies and rhetoric produce narrative voices of distinction as well as of similarity in …

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Production Of Meaning In A Gendered Environment: A Communication Study Of Nurses In Management, Lisa A. Summerlot Jan 1997

Production Of Meaning In A Gendered Environment: A Communication Study Of Nurses In Management, Lisa A. Summerlot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

This study explores the ways in which female nurses in management negotiate their roles within the male dominated institutions of medicine and administration. Our culture provides to this highly gendered profession a dominant construction of unambiguous identities for both management and nursing. The principles of semiology and feminist media criticism are used to show that negotiation with dominant messages takes place in lived reality in ways that are very similar to the negotiation in which consumers of media texts engage. Nine interview transcripts of nurses in management positions were analyzed for evidence of negotiated decodings of dominant meanings. The analysis …

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Religious Synthesis And Change In The New World: Syncretism, Revitalization And Conversion, Stephen Lennox Jr Selka Jan 1997

Religious Synthesis And Change In The New World: Syncretism, Revitalization And Conversion, Stephen Lennox Jr Selka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Cases of syncretism from the New World and other areas, with a concentration on Latin America and the Caribbean, are reviewed in order to investigate the hypothesis that structural and symbolic homologies between interacting religions are preconditions for religious syncretism. In addition, definitions and models of, as well as frameworks for, syncretism are discussed in light of the ethnographic evidence. Syncretism is also discussed with respect to both revitalization movements and the recent rise of conversion to Protestantism in Latin America and the Caribbean. The discussion of syncretism and other kinds of religious change is related to various theoretical perspectives, …

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Relationship Between Body Art And Adolescent Self Esteem, Nancy Koppel Kuniansky Jan 1997

Relationship Between Body Art And Adolescent Self Esteem, Nancy Koppel Kuniansky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Adolescents are experimenting with body art such as tattoos and body piercing, despite documented medical risks. Nurses are in a key position to formulate appropriate educational and counseling strategies to minimize the complications associated with these practices. Low self esteem has been linked to poor health behaviors and harmful life style choices in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine how self esteem differed between adolescents engaging in body art and those who do not. A non experimental, descriptive research design utilizing the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory was used to evaluate self esteem in a group of 53 …

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Relationship Between Well-Being And Social Interaction With Friends, Family, And Spouses In Older Adults, Laura Rae Green Jan 1997

Relationship Between Well-Being And Social Interaction With Friends, Family, And Spouses In Older Adults, Laura Rae Green

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

The purpose of the present study was to explore several questions about the relationship between well-being and social interaction in a sample of older adults. The primary question involved the relationship between three components of well-being--life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect--and quality and quantity of social interaction. It was found that social interaction variables correlated differently with affective and cognitive components of well-being, with quality of social interaction being associated with higher life satisfaction, and social quantity of interaction being associated with higher positive affect. These relationships were stronger for interactions with friends than for interactions with family members. …

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Relationship Between Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation And School Climate As Evidenced By Selected Critical Incidents, Kathleen Ann Davenport Jan 1997

Relationship Between Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation And School Climate As Evidenced By Selected Critical Incidents, Kathleen Ann Davenport

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

This research study investigated the relationship between a conflict resolution/peer mediation program and school climate as evidenced by selected critical disciplinary incidents and climate surveys. Variables investigated were survey participants' status: faculty or student. The subjects of this study were 225 students and 129 faculty members of Port St. Lucie High School in St. Lucie County, Florida. The critical incidents were compared between Port St. Lucie High School which implemented the program and another comprehensive high school in St. Lucie County. The findings showed two major results: (a) although there was some increase in positive perception about school climate after …

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Self-Care Agency In Adults With Diabetes Mellitus, Marybeth Eleanor Thompson Jan 1997

Self-Care Agency In Adults With Diabetes Mellitus, Marybeth Eleanor Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic illness which provides numerous and varied self-care challenges to those individuals seeking to avoid or delay complications. The purpose of this study is to determine the self-care agency, as defined by Orem, of sample of 100 adults diagnosed with non-insulin dependant diabetes mellitus. Self-care agency was measured by the Self-As-Carer Inventory, a 40-item questionnaire, and a descriptive, cross-sectional design was utilized to structure the study.

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Relationship Between Vocal Pitch-Matching And Learning Disabilities, John Marshall Mozingo Jan 1997

Relationship Between Vocal Pitch-Matching And Learning Disabilities, John Marshall Mozingo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Pitch-matching tests were conducted with learning disabled (LD) and non-learning disabled (NLD) third through fifth graders to examine whether a significant difference between pitch-matching abilities exists. Subjects were given a two part pitch-matching test using a tape recorded vocal model. The vocal model was a 12 year-old boy with unchanged voice singing the test examples on the neutral syllable "loo." Subjects were instructed to echo the vocal model and were given a single point for each correctly sung pitch. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in the pitch-matching skills of the learning disabled and the non-learning disabled students.

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Simplex Optimization Of Aluminum Analysis By Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, David Karl Creelman Jan 1997

Simplex Optimization Of Aluminum Analysis By Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, David Karl Creelman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

A novel simplex method was applied for the systematic selection of optimal concentrations of two matrix modifiers, nitric acid and magnesium nitrate, for aluminum analysis in aqueous samples using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Independent optimizations of sensitivity were performed over several practical concentration ranges for each matrix modifier and optimum concentrations were chosen by comparison of data obtained for the resulting simplexes. The results indicate a strong interdependency between magnesium and nitric acid in the achievement of conditions for optimum sensitivity. Using the optimized conditions, detection limits of less than 7 parts per billion of aluminum were achieved, with relative …

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Scattering Of Sound From A Fluid-Loaded Cylindrical Shell With A Finite Length Mass Inhomogeneity, Thierry Alain Lefevre Jan 1997

Scattering Of Sound From A Fluid-Loaded Cylindrical Shell With A Finite Length Mass Inhomogeneity, Thierry Alain Lefevre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

The problem investigated in this thesis is that of an infinite, fluid-loaded, elastic cylindrical shell with an inhomogeneity of finite length excited by an acoustic plane wave. Seven inhomogeneities are considered to examine the parameters that influence the scattering. A full numerical approach and an iterative approach are developed to solve the shell and acoustic equations of motion expressed in the wavenumber domain. The response Green's function in the spatial domain is obtained using the hybrid analytical numerical technique, while the far-field scattered pressure is obtained by applying the Stationary Phase approximation. An analytical approach for the special case of …

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Self-Calibration Of Parallel-Link Mechanisms, Lixin. Liu Jan 1997

Self-Calibration Of Parallel-Link Mechanisms, Lixin. Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Self-calibration is a desirable feature for an intelligent machine such as a robot that must function outside of controlled laboratory conditions. This is because it is inevitable that variations in the kinematic model arise from imperfections in the manufacturing process and changes of environment conditions. Self-calibration has the potential of (a) removing the dependence on external pose sensing, (b) producing high accuracy measurement data over the entire workspace of the system with an extremely fast measurement rate, (c) being automated and completely non invasive, (d) facilitating on-line accuracy compensation, and (e) being cost effective. This dissertation concentrates on the study …

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Senescent And Early Diagenetic Changes In Chlorophyll, Jie Li Jan 1997

Senescent And Early Diagenetic Changes In Chlorophyll, Jie Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Aged unispecific cultures and environmental samples have been analyzed using HPLC-PDA in order to reveal chlorophyll-a degradation processes. Unispecific aging studies showed that alteration of chlorophyll occurred during senescence, and revealed that chlorophyll-a breakdown differs amongst various groups (i.e. species specificity). Sediment trap and sediment studies reveal that a variety of precursor chlorophyll-a derivatives are present, and that senescence and geochemistry, per se, overlap strongly. Many of the reactions in the Treibs' scheme occur before and during deposition. Intracellular senescence and diagenetic pathways have been examined in this work. Comparison of aged unispecific cultures and environmental samples strongly suggests major …

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Active-Vision-Based Method For Autonomous Navigation, Erkut Erhan Ergen Jan 1997

Active-Vision-Based Method For Autonomous Navigation, Erkut Erhan Ergen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

This research explores the existing active-vision-based algorithms employed in today's autonomous navigation systems. Some of the popular range finding algorithms are introduced and presented with examples. In light of the existing methods, an active-vision-based method, which extracts visual cues from a sequence of 2D images, is proposed for autonomous navigation. The proposed algorithm merges the method titled 'Visual Threat Cues (VTCs) for Autonomous Navigation' developed by Kundur (1), with the structured-light-based methods. By combining these methods, a more practical and a simpler method for indoors autonomous navigation tasks is developed. A textured-pattern, which is projected onto the object surface by …

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Achievement Orientation: Origins, Influences, And Outcomes, Wendy Colleen Chambers Jan 1997

Achievement Orientation: Origins, Influences, And Outcomes, Wendy Colleen Chambers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Adolescent orientation toward achievement is hypothesized to be composed of motivation, school achievement, and family values. Previous studies suggest that ability and effort, internal and external orientations, and the intellectual and cultural environment of the family were found to affect adolescent orientation toward achievement. A study was conducted to further explore these proposed components of achievement and reveal the origins, influences, and outcomes of achievement orientation. African-American, Anglo-American, and Hispanic-American sixth grade students were administered multiple questionnaires that addressed different aspects of achievement orientation. After focus groups identified any biased and confusing items, factor analyses were conducted on the instruments. …

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Adolescent Trauma: Motor Vehicle Crashes While Under The Influence, Nora Beatrice Davis Jan 1997

Adolescent Trauma: Motor Vehicle Crashes While Under The Influence, Nora Beatrice Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the outcome of adolescent trauma victims with positive toxicology screening who were involved in motor vehicle crashes. This was a retrospective study conducted at an urban Level I trauma center. A sample of 134 subjects with positive toxicology screen, ages 15 to 25, for the period January 1993 to December 1996, were included in the study. Outcome, sex, age, injury severity score, length of stay, and hospital cost were analyzed by multiple regression. A significant relationship between sex, age, injury severity, length of stay, and hospital cost was established (p …

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A Comparison Of Elderly Migration Streams In The United States: 1970 And 1990, Christopher J. Schiavone Jan 1997

A Comparison Of Elderly Migration Streams In The United States: 1970 And 1990, Christopher J. Schiavone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Over the past century, the elderly have been a growing proportion of the total population in the United States. Due to this, geographers have given increasing amount of attention to the study of the elderly. One of the areas where geography has made substantial contributions is in examining the concentration and spatial distribution. Two processes effect the spatial distribution: aging in place and migration. Historically, the origin and destination streams of interstate migrants have been highly concentrated; however, the destinations are now becoming more diffuse.

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A Comparison Of Interpersonal Communication Style And Relationship Satisfaction Of Academic And Student Affairs Administrators In Two-Year Colleges, Patricia Jean Anderson Jan 1997

A Comparison Of Interpersonal Communication Style And Relationship Satisfaction Of Academic And Student Affairs Administrators In Two-Year Colleges, Patricia Jean Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

The purpose of this dissertation was to compare the communication style of academic and student affairs administrators and to determine whether these administrators were satisfied with their mutual relationship. The study was conducted among 109 chief academic and student affairs administrators in two year colleges from five states who took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the researcher's Relationship Satisfaction Survey. Oneway analysis of variance and the Selection Ratio Type Table were used to compare responses by groups of academic or student affairs administrators on MBTI scales of sensing or intuition and thinking or feeling. Oneway analysis of variance was …

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All The Kaiser's Men: German Volunteers And The Great War, 1914-1918, Michael Brian Petersen Jan 1997

All The Kaiser's Men: German Volunteers And The Great War, 1914-1918, Michael Brian Petersen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Since its end, scholars and historians have viewed World War I primarily in terms of its impact upon the military and diplomatic spheres of European life and have also made attempts to determine responsibility for starting the war. What has been largely ignored is the plight of those who did the fighting--especially German volunteer soldiers. These young men enlisted in the war effort because of a concrete set of assumptions that were later radicalized during the war experience, which was characterized by seemingly endless labor and episodic periods of extreme violence. This transformation of beliefs had a profound impact upon …

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Analysis Of The Utility Of A Normalized Difference Vegetation Index For Inventorying Urban Greenspace, Thomas J. Dobbs Jan 1997

Analysis Of The Utility Of A Normalized Difference Vegetation Index For Inventorying Urban Greenspace, Thomas J. Dobbs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Satellite derived vegetative data of urban areas is normally classified into several classes of trees, fields, grass and bare soil using unsupervised and supervised classification methods. Normalized Difference Vegetation Indexes (NDVI) have traditionally been applied to agricultural satellite images to assess the health and maturity of commercial crops. When a NDVI is used to examine urban vegetation, many discrete data values are generated which can be differentiated into meaningful vegetation classes.

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Application Of Fuzzy Logic For The Solution Of Inverse Kinematics And Hierarchical Controls Of Robotic Manipulators, David William Howard Jan 1997

Application Of Fuzzy Logic For The Solution Of Inverse Kinematics And Hierarchical Controls Of Robotic Manipulators, David William Howard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

In this thesis work, hierarchical control techniques will be used for controlling a robotic manipulator. The hierarchical control will be implemented with fuzzy logic to improve the robustness and reduce the run time computational requirements. Hierarchical control will consist on solving the inverse kinematic equations using fuzzy logic to direct each individual joint. A commercial Micro-robot with three degrees of freedom will be used to evaluate this methodology. A decentralized fuzzy controller will be used for each joint, with a Fuzzy Associative Memories (FAM) performing the inverse kinematic mapping in a supervisory mode. The FAM determines the inverse kinematic mapping …

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Adolescent Relationships And Their Contributions To Social And Academic Competence, Vonda Dionne Jones-Hudson Jan 1997

Adolescent Relationships And Their Contributions To Social And Academic Competence, Vonda Dionne Jones-Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

School success is associated with parent- and peer-relationships. To study the connection between these alliances and school success, 30 African-American and 30 European-American 6th graders were given the Relationship Closeness Inventory, Network of Relationships Inventory, Self-Perception Profile, Revised Class Play, and Youth Self-Report. A parent and best friend also completed surveys. Results show parent and peer support relates to the social competence of youth. Father support is associated with female aggressive-disruptive behavior, and best friend support is associated with sensitive-isolated behavior in boys. African-American parents do more social events with their children than European-American parents do with their children. European-Americans …

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Automatic Design Of Nonlinear Controllers With Optimal Global Performance Using Best Estimate-Directed Search And Continued Propagation Cell Mapping, Charbel George Rizk Jan 1997

Automatic Design Of Nonlinear Controllers With Optimal Global Performance Using Best Estimate-Directed Search And Continued Propagation Cell Mapping, Charbel George Rizk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

The problem at hand is developing a controller design methodology that is generally applicable to autonomous systems with fairly accurate models. The controller design process has two parts: synthesis and analysis. Over the years, many synthesis and analysis methods have been proposed. An optimal method for all applications has not yet been found. Recent advances in computer technology have made computational methods more attractive and practical. The proposed method is an iterative computational method that automatically generates non-linear controllers with specified global performance. This dissertation describes this method which consists of using an analysis tool, continued propagation cell mapping (CPCM), …

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Applications Of Evolutionary Algorithms In Mechanical Engineering, Kevin M. Nelson Jan 1997

Applications Of Evolutionary Algorithms In Mechanical Engineering, Kevin M. Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Many complex engineering designs have conflicting requirements that must be compromised to effect a successful product. Traditionally, the engineering approach breaks up the complex problem into smaller sub-components in known areas of study. Tradeoffs occur between the conflicting requirements and a sub-optimal design results. A new computational approach based on the evolutionary processes observed in nature is explored in this dissertation. Evolutionary algorithms provide methods to solve complex engineering problems by optimizing the entire system, rather than sub-components of the system. Three standard forms of evolutionary algorithms have been developed: evolutionary programming, genetic algorithms and evolution strategies. Mathematical and algorithmic …

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Biosynthetic Production Of Marine-Derived Anti-Tumor Ecteinascidins And The Aquaculture Of The Marine Tunicate Ecteinascidia Turbinata, Joann Mary Krenisky Jan 1997

Biosynthetic Production Of Marine-Derived Anti-Tumor Ecteinascidins And The Aquaculture Of The Marine Tunicate Ecteinascidia Turbinata, Joann Mary Krenisky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

A family of tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids, the ecteinascidins, are a group of biologically active secondary metabolites produced by the marine tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata. Ecteinascidins have shown in vivo anti-tumor activity against P388 lymphoma, B16 melanoma, M5076 ovarian sarcoma, Lewis lung carcinoma, and LX-1 human lung and MX-1 human mammary carcinoma xenografts in laboratory mice. Because ecteinascidins are produced in low yields, 1x10^-4%, supply for clinical development is a significant problem. The ultimate goal of this study is to develop an enzyme-based synthesis of the ecteinascidins. In this regard, the biosynthesis of these alkaloids has been investigated. Optimal conditions for in vitro …

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An Evaluation Of Post-Classification Comparison For Historical Land Information Systems, Richard Scott Roberts Jan 1997

An Evaluation Of Post-Classification Comparison For Historical Land Information Systems, Richard Scott Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

The population of southeast Florida has grown considerably since the 1940's. Managing this population growth has challenged urban planners and growth managers. Prior to 1970, geographers and cartographers struggled with mapping this area as the landscape underwent rapid transformation to accommodate millions of new residents. With the launch of the Landsat satellite series in 1972, digital satellite images of southeast Florida have been acquired every 18 days to provide geographers and cartographers with a new tool for monitoring land use change. This thesis examines the utility of using this new tool combined with historical aerial photographs to document land use …

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Beyond Belles: Confederate Women In Hospital Work, Teri Ann Finder Jan 1997

Beyond Belles: Confederate Women In Hospital Work, Teri Ann Finder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

Southern women during the American Civil War performed a vital function by producing supplies for the Confederate hospitals and assisting with the treatment of the wounded. Most women did not challenge the male dominated social structure of the South. They worked within ladies aid societies to establish and supply Confederate hospitals. A small group of women challenged the existing myth of southern womanhood by becoming official matrons of the Confederate Medical Department. These women accepted a position that required self confidence, stamina, self sacrifice and skill. Black women and Catholic nuns also made significant contributions to the treatment of the …

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Biosynthetic Studies Of The Bryostatins, Anticancer Agents From The Marine Bryozoan Bugu/A Neritina, Joseph Lawry Jan 1997

Biosynthetic Studies Of The Bryostatins, Anticancer Agents From The Marine Bryozoan Bugu/A Neritina, Joseph Lawry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999

The bryostatins are a family of macrolide lactones isolated from the marine bryozoan Bugu/a neritina. Since its detection in 1968, bryostatin 1 has demonstrated remarkable anticancer, immunopotentiating, biomodulatory and radioprotective effects which result mainly from its ability to activate protein kinase C, a family of isozymes involved in cellular signal transduction. It is currently being tested in several phase I and phase II clinical trials as a potential anticancer drug for leukemia, melanoma and nephrotoma. A series of experiments was undertaken to elucidate the biosynthetic origins of bryostatin, using a fortified crude cell-free enzyme preparation and radiolabelled precursors. A regional …

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