Digital Commons Network^™

From Typologies To Portraits: Catherine Opie's Photographic Manipulations Of Physiognomic Imagery, Jennifer T. Bridges

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis proposes that California contemporary photographer Catherine Opie's Being and Having series (1991) and her Portrait series (1993-1996) parody the constraining binary gender discourse and stereotypes that emanate from it. In her art Opie uses familiar codes and identity discourses associated with traditional portrait photography and typological photographs to promote a postmodern and fluid model of gender identity. Her manipulation of photographic technique and subject matter validates cultural stereotypes of gender at the same time that it destabilizes them. Opie also simultaneously highlights fallacies such as the presumed objectivity and evidential force that is associated with the discourse of …

The Association Between Eating Habits And Hypertension Among African American Women Compared To Other Women, Anike N. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Hypertension is a major public health concern for African American women. Many studies have shown a greater prevalence of hypertension, as well as physical inactivity, excess weight, and diabetes, in African Americans. Objective: To determine if differences in eating patterns, as measured by Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores, between African American women and other women in the United States are associated with hypertension. Methods: Data were extracted from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANESIII). The sample included 31,189,534 women aged 45 years or greater after survey weights were applied. The majority was White (86.1 %); minority …

Posthumous, Michael K. Lease

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reviews the background, influences, and evolution of three works that form Posthumous, an exhibit by the thesis candidate. The thesis begins with a series of vignettes that relate a number of personal experiences involving death, and photography, which have influenced the conceptual development of the work. Chapters devoted to each piece follow the vignettes. These chapters refer to the various influences that have led to the development of the following works: Obit to Self: April 10, 2005, Posthumous, and Jay. These influences range from the movie Hotel Rwanda, to handbills for punk-rock shows. The thesis ends with a …

Help-Seeking For Depression In Rural Women: A Community Portrait, Vicky Mitchell Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted with fourteen participants who lived in a rural Virginia community. The focus of the study was exploration of the nature of the experience of depression and of help-seeking for depression in one rural woman and in her community social network. The need for exploration of the community social network was influenced by the DeFacto Services Model of Rural Mental Health, which emphasized the influence of community factors in making decisions to seek mental health care. Findings of the study included the following themes, which related to the nature of depression: 1) linkage of experiential depression to …

Interobserver Reliability In The Diagnosis Of Pulpal And Periradicular Disease, Todd Peter Mellin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was evaluate the interobserver reliability of endodontists in the diagnosis the presence or absence of pulpal and/or periradicular disease. The study used 47 patients presenting to the VCU School of Dentistry for screening appointments as a test population under the rules and regulations of the VCU IRB. The patients were examined separately by two endodontists, using a thorough patient history, clinical exam, and radiographs. The answer to the question was then answered, does the patient have pulpal and/or periradicular disease, and compared. The data was analyzed using Kappa and the standard error was determined to …

Complementary And Alternative Medicine And Diet Change In Southern Rural Residents Enrolled In A Cancer Prevention Intervention Trial, Amanda Kracen

Theses and Dissertations

Using data from The Rural Physician Cancer Prevention Project, a dietary intervention trial, this cross-sectional, longitudinal study explored predictors of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in a Southern, rural population (N = 375). Participants' dietary knowledge, stage of change, and dietary behavior were examined at baseline and 1 and 12 months after the intervention. More than half the participants (mean age = 48 years; 60% female; 60% Caucasian) reported using CAM. Logistic regression indicated that age, education, ethnicity and trust in physician affect the likelihood of CAM use. Hierarchical multiple regressions suggested that CAM use was associated with healthier …

We Believe In Nothing, Sarah Bednarek

Theses and Dissertations

A discussion of the important aspects informing my work, including, ideology, and feminism among other issues.

Assessing The Effects Of Momentary Priming On Memory Retention During An Interference Task, Paul Cameron Schutte

Theses and Dissertations

A memory aid, that used brief (33ms) presentations of previously learned information (target words), was assessed on its ability to reinforce memory for target words while the subject was performing an interference task. The interference task required subjects to learn new words and thus interfered with their memory of the target words. The brief presentation (momentary memory priming) was hypothesized to refresh the subjects' memory of the target words. 143 subjects, in a within subject design, were given a 33ms presentation of the target memory words during the interference task in a treatment condition and a blank 33ms presentation in …

Defending Defense: Circular Arguments About Artmaking, Ryan Mulligan

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a critical look at video and performance arts intrinsic relationship to culture. Investigations of storytelling, personal mythology, fear, and image saturation. Think-pieces on the nature of art in an entertainment society. Juggling a brief overview of various works and their relation to over arching themes of game theory, dark humor, and fascination with media. An in depth look at the process of the thesis show, "Defense is the Best Defense." Multiple takes on the thesis exhibit counterbalance the need for contemporary art to include description. This paper is a detailed look at the process of Ryan Mulligan's …

The Unwantables: An Exploration Of Visual Narrative, Marius I. Valdes

Theses and Dissertations

The Unwantables is a creative project that has evolved from my lifelong interest in and relationship with visual stories. To me the most compelling aspect of visual storytelling is "imagination". The author possesses the ability to create new worlds, interesting characters, and situations that can have the potential to communicate about any topic. My project explores visual narrative as a communication tool to explain the role of imagination in my life.

An Exploration Of Impediments To Attachment In A Juvenile Offender Population: Comparisons Between Juvenile Sex Offenders, Juvenile Violent Offenders And Juvenile Non-Sex, Non-Violent Offenders, Sharon Kay Funari

Theses and Dissertations

This current study addresses potential impediments to attachment that may differentiate between incarcerated juveniles who have committed sexual crimes and incarcerated juveniles who have not committed such offenses. The exploration of such potential barriers to attachment has been organized around Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model. Subjects were 2948 incarcerated male adolescents adjudicated to the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice and were divided based solely upon adjudicating offense: Juvenile non-violent, non-sexual offenders (JNVNSO, n=1149), Juvenile violent, non-sexual offenders (JVNSO, n=1433) and Juvenile sexual offenders (JSO, n=366). Results indicated that JSOs differed from JNVNSOs and JVNSOs in their histories of sexual abuse as well …

Material And Acoustic Properties Of Swimbladders Of Tilapia And Channel Catfish, Mohammed Ali Nawaz

Theses and Dissertations

Acoustically, teleost swimbladders have been considered resonant underwater bubbles. Contrary results indicating that bladders are tuned less sharply than such a bubble have been explained by damping of surrounding fish tissue. Recent findings in toadfish and weakfish, however, suggest that the bladder is a highly damped structure and that the frequency of the fish sounds is deternlined as a forced response to sonic muscle movement rather than by resonance of the bladder. In this study I examined acoustics and material properties of swimbladders in Tilapia (an auditory generalist) and the channel catfish (an auditory specialist). The swimbladder was struck with …

Building Hypertext In The Elementary School Art Classroom: An Integrated Approach To Learning And Curriculum, Talitha Church

Theses and Dissertations

In response to the many demands and pressures faced by both students and teachers in public schools, the art teacher in this action research study searched for ways to change her teaching practices to facilitate active inquiry. She utilized Thinking Maps®, a specialized form of graphic organizers, and Inspiration®, a hypertext linking program to promote interdisciplinary teaching and learning. The goals of the study were to increase student engagement, improve learning, and promote higher order thinking in elementary school art classes. The target group was comprised of the third grade students at Saunders Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. Each …

Long Walk In Flight School, William H. May Iv

Theses and Dissertations

Long Walk in Flight School is a document intended to complement a body of artwork that includes photographs, giclee prints, animation, and a twenty two page book of images. The main focus of the text is to discuss two types of exchange; my energy with tools in exchange for an object or event, which is then exchanged in the imagination of the audience for something else, a hybrid thing. These exchanges are part of the performance or presentation of the work. Beginning with a brief description of intent at the start of graduate school, it traces my development as an …

Paragon/Paragone: Raphael's Portrait Of Baldassare Castiglione (1514-16) In The Context Of Il Cortegiano, Margaret Ann Southwick

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that Raphael's portrait, Baldassare Castiglione, is three portraits in one: 1) a "speaking likeness" of the subject, 2) a portrait of the "perfect" courtier, and 3) a "shadow" portrait of the Court of Urbino in the early sixteenth century. The formal analysis of the painting is presented in the context of the paragone of word and image expounded by its subject in his masterpiece, Il Cortegiano. Both author and artist demonstrate the concepts of sprezzatura (an artful artlessness) and grazia (graceful elegance) in the creation of their portraits, as well as avoidance of affetazione (affectation). It is …

Zapatismo And Autonomous Social Movements: Reading The Communiqés Politically, Jordan Camp

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study examines the Ejército Zapatista Liberación Nacional (EZLN) and Zapatista base communities contributions to an autonomous “revolutionary” theory and practice. The focus of this thesis is the evolution of Zapatismo as elaborated in the Zapatistas’ communiqués following the EZLN’s deceleration of war against the Mexican government on January 1, 1994, the same day that the North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico went into effect. This thesis investigates the Zapatistas’ communiqués as part of an effort to more fully engage their strategies of self-representation and articulation of a collective subject in which any number …

Public Plaintiffs And Private Facts: Should The "Public Figure" Doctrine Be Transplanted Into Privacy Law?, Susan M. Gilles

Nebraska Law Review

When libel law conflicts with the First Amendment, the United States Supreme Court has held that the measure of protection received by the press depends primarily on whether the plaintiff is a public or private person. This article questions whether this “public figure doctrine” is, or should become, part of the constitutional test applied to tort actions for invasion of privacy. This inquiry is made more urgent by the willingness of at least two members of the current Supreme Court, in Bartnicki v. Vopper, to incorporate the public figure doctrine into constitutional privacy law. Part II of this article …

"Ain't No Glory In Pain": How The 1994 Republican Revolution And The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act Contributed To The Collapse Of The United States Capital Markets, André Douglas Pond Cummings

Nebraska Law Review

I. Introduction . . . . . 980

A. Deregulation and Reform Hysteria . . . . . 984

B. Market Collapse . . . . . 989

II. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act . . . . . 1004

A. How the PSLRA Amended Securities Fraud Pleading Requirements . . . . . 1007

1. The “Super Heightened” Pleading Standard . . . . . 1009

2. Super Heightened Pleading Standard Unnecessary . . . . . 1015

B. How the PSLRA Amended the Federal Securities Laws . . . . . 1018

C. Securities Litigation Uniform Standards …

Toward Coherence In Civil Conspiracy Law: A Proposal To Abolish The Agent's Immunity Rule, Martin Pritikin

Nebraska Law Review

I. Introduction . . . . . 2

II. The Nature of Civil Conspiracy . . . . . 6

A. Civil Conspiracy Distinguished from Criminal Conspiracy . . . . . 6

B. The "Non-Tort" of Civil Conspiracy . . . . . 9

C. The Reason for the Non-Tort Character of Civil Conspiracy . . . . . 10

D. Consequences of the Non-Tort Character of Civil Conspiracy: The Underlying Duty Requirement . . . . . 12

1. Criticism of the Underlying Duty Requirement . . . . . 12

2. A Possible Defense of the Underlying …

The Social, Professional, And Legal Framework For The Problem Of Pain Management In Emergency Medicine, Sandra H. Johnson

All Faculty Scholarship

Although supported by both ethical and pragmatic imperatives, pain treatment faces significant barriers, particularly in the setting of emergency medicine. This article argues that pain management is integral to good patient care and specifically, good emergency care. In order to achieve effective emergency pain management, it is crucial to understand the "root causes" of pain neglect in emergency medicine - i.e. to understand why emergency physicians behave as they do in pain treatment.

This article begins by addressing the neglect of pain in emergency medicine and the dearth of empirical research regarding the causes of this neglect. After considering barriers …

A Pasport To Service Quality, Lynn A. Brock

The Christian Librarian

Part 1 of this article discussed the current service quality environment in which academic libraries find themselves operating, and the challenge for staff performance assessment as an integral element of maintaining and improving effective service quality levels. As referenced in Part 1, Millson-Martula and Menon in a 1999 article in College and Research Libraries suggest that "no effort to enhance customer satisfaction will succeed unless students and faculty are convinced that library staff, as service providers, care about the quality of service they provide and the manner in which they do it. However, library staff will not demonstrate a high …

Free, Full-Text, Scholarly Journals On The Web, John Jaeger

The Christian Librarian

In the November, 2000 issue of College & Research Libraries, Michael Fesmire and Elizabeth Young had a fascinating article entitled, "Free Scholarly Electronic Journals: What Access Do College and University Libraries Provide?" In the article, they discussed the rapid growth of these free, academic, peer-reviewed journals on the Internet that covered all different subject areas. Through careful effort, the authors had located over 200 scholarly, full-text, peer reviewed journals, many of which were indexed in major services such as ERIC, Medline, MathSciNet, INSPEC, and C henucal Abstracts. They also noted, though, that most college and university libraries were not making …

An Analysis Of Fragmented Land-Use *Policy And Land-Use Change: The Case Study Of Metropolitan Pittsburgh, Richard J. Hoch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research examines the relationship between remotely sensed land-use changes and particular land-use policies within metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1992 to 2002. During the 1990's the Pittsburgh region experienced a tremendous expansion of residential and urban land-use change while simultaneously experiencing a population decline. Within the metropolitan Pittsburgh area there are 525 local and independent municipal governments with the legislative right to enact or not to enact land-use planning policies enabled by the Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Code. This fragmentation creates uneven intra-urban development patterns at the urban scale. This research demonstrates that certain land-use changes that occurred during the study …

Analysis Of Aging Effects And Effectiveness Of Dewatering Treatment Methods On Acid Mine Drainage Sludge, Phanindra Kumar V. Kunderu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is produced when sulfide minerals in overburden are subjected to oxygen and water, and generally contains low pH, high acidity and high dissolved metal concentrations. Typically, active treatment of AMD involves the addition of a neutralizing reagent to raise the pH and precipitate the metals as their respective insoluble metal hydroxides. As a by-product of the active treatment of AMD, a large amount of sludge is generated. A site, established in Monongalia County, WV for the active treatment of AMD using ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, generated sludge consisting mainly of water with a total solids concentration …

Three Essays On Immigration And Outsourcing, Arsen V. Melkumian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation includes essays on legal and illegal immigrations and outsourcing. Chapter 1 introduces the paths that economics has blazed into in the areas of legal and illegal immigration and outsourcing. The first essay, in Chapter 2, presents a Cournot duopoly model of a domestic unionized firm and a foreign firm, where the domestic firm has an option to shift all of its production abroad. An increase in the bargaining power of an employment oriented union will increase domestic output and utility of the union.;The second essay, in Chapter 3, examines illegal immigration in the U.S. from Mexico using annual …

Mass Spectrometry Of Metallothionein Adducts As Candidate Biomarkers Of Styrene Oxide And 1-Phenylpropylene Oxide, Sandra G. Tarr

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Metallothioneins (MT) are cysteine-rich intracellular proteins that sequester epoxides, such as the genotoxic styrene metabolite, styrene oxide (SO). Covalent adduct formation by the ring-opening of SO and its homologue, 1-phenylpropylene oxide (trans), with MT forms stable complexes that potentially may serve as biomarkers for epoxide exposure. MT was reacted with SO and trans-phenylpropylene oxide (PPO) separately in water. Mass spectra of adducts were obtained using electrospray ionization with positive-ion detection in an ion trap mass spectrometer. MS/MS analysis established the covalent nature of the complexation. Further experiments were conducted to determine the site of adduct formation. Molecular modeling was used …

Objectivity And The Embedded Reporter: An Examination Of A Reporter's Ability To Remain Objective While Embedded With Military Troops, Tamara Zaleski Turse

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This thesis examines the program of embedding journalists into military units during the Second Gulf War to determine if journalists can provide an objective view of the war to the public back home. To fully understand the scope of embedding, this work first reviews the relationship between the media and the military by tracing the evolution of the American war correspondent starting with the U.S. Civil War through to the Second Gulf War. As public opinion is often formed, at least in part, by news reports, whether print or broadcast, this thesis surveyed the public to see if they felt …

Auditing Recipients Of Federal Awards : Practical Guidance For Applying Omb Circular A-133 (With Cd-Rom Practice Aids Included), Venita M. Wood, Maryann Kasica

Guides, Handbooks and Manuals

No abstract provided.

Better Beginnings: A Western Australian State Library Initiated Family Literacy Project, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Mary Rohl, Grace Oakley, Jessica Elderfield

Research outputs pre 2011

Better Beginnings is an early intervention family literacy program that has been developed by the Public Library Services Directorate, at the State Library of Western Australia. Its stated purpose is to provide positive language and literacy influences for children in their first three years of life. The program is thought to be the first of its kind in Australia and has recently been taken up by another Australian Territory State. A fully evaluated pilot of Better Beginnings commenced in January 2004 in Gosnells, Mandurah, Midland, Carnarvon, Halls Creek and Kalgoorlie and in September was extended to include Armadale, Rockingham, Bayswater, …

Paediatric Palliative And Supportive Care: Caring For Life: The Needs Of Children And Families In Western Australia, Leanne Monterosso, Linda Kristjanson, Marianne Phillips, Sue Rowell

Research outputs pre 2011

Palliative care is the relief of symptoms, regardless of their impact on the underlying disease process. The philosophical underpinning of current international paediatric palliative and supportive care models is that palliative and supportive care should be offered to all children with life threatening or chronic illnesses/disabilities with complex care needs. This approach allows the integration of cure-directed treatment and palliative care. allowing children to benefit from both philosophies of care. In Australia, there is increasing recognition of the need for the development of appropriate paediatric palliative care services, especially in Western Australia where supportive care services for children with life-limiting …