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2011

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Autonomy And The Value Of Humanity Problems In Korsgaard's The Sources Of Normativity, Joseph Abboud Jan 2011

Autonomy And The Value Of Humanity Problems In Korsgaard's The Sources Of Normativity, Joseph Abboud

Theses & ETDs

Christine Korsgaard�s The Sources of Normativity attempts to defend two claims which are fundamentally incompatible: that all values and obligations arise from the autonomous resolutions of the reflective individual, and that the individual must value humanity in itself in order to have any values or reasons to act at all. Korsgaard�s need to move beyond Kant�s argument for the Categorical Imperative to her theory of practical identity shows that an individual�s conception of value is conditioned by her reflections on what makes her life worth living, rendering the construction of her system of values relative to the contingent contents of …

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The Gamma Rhythm An Electrophysiological Measure Of Neuronal Synchrony, Julian Countess Jan 2011

The Gamma Rhythm An Electrophysiological Measure Of Neuronal Synchrony, Julian Countess

Theses & ETDs

Recent brain research suggests widespread gamma wavelength neural activity (~40 Hz) has been strongly correlated with cognitive tasks pertaining to perceptual segmentation, mediating attention, sensory integration and object representation. Further evidence suggests that gamma-activity serves as a neurological substrate for facilitating awareness of objects in one�s surroundings. Musical experience demonstrably changes the brain connectivity and morphology in select regions related to auditory processes and sensorimotor representation, thus enhancing the comprehension and performance of music. The current study sought to test the impact of musical experience on evoked gamma band oscillations by comparing the relative strength between groups of musicians and …

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Cyanobacteria As A Biological Indicator For The Celery Fields Storm Water Mitigation Area In Sarasota, Anamica Bedi De Silva Jan 2011

Cyanobacteria As A Biological Indicator For The Celery Fields Storm Water Mitigation Area In Sarasota, Anamica Bedi De Silva

Theses & ETDs

Cyanobacteria are opportunistic phytoplankton that respond to changes in excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous. Their presence in ecosystems is particularly important due to their role as primary producers but also in their potential to accumulate to toxic levels. The relationship between limiting ammonia, nitrate and phosphate and the size of cyanobacteria populations was investigated in the Celery Fields Storm Water Mitigation Area in Sarasota, FL, USA. Water samples were collected weekly for eight weeks from each of the three ponds that make up the Celery Fields. Regression analysis from the study showed no relationship between nutrient concentration and …

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I Am Punk A Prototype Analysis Of Identity In The Punk Music Subculture, Noelle Neemeh Jan 2011

I Am Punk A Prototype Analysis Of Identity In The Punk Music Subculture, Noelle Neemeh

Theses & ETDs

The present research looked at group and individual identity in the punk music subculture through a prototype analysis and through various measures (identity fusion and organizational identification). In the first study, a list was compiled of features that individuals saw as a description of the punk subculture. In the second study, participants had to rate how central they felt each word on a compiled list was to their concept of punks and themselves, as well as how positively or negatively they viewed it. Participants then completed measures for group identification. The results of Studies 1 and 2 indicate that punk …

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Even More Fish On Prozac Influence Of The 5-Ht6 Receptor And Stress On Learning And Memory Behavoir In Goldfish (Carassis Auratus), Kevin Law Jan 2011

Even More Fish On Prozac Influence Of The 5-Ht6 Receptor And Stress On Learning And Memory Behavoir In Goldfish (Carassis Auratus), Kevin Law

Theses & ETDs

This experiment is a follow up to previous work investigating the conservation of stress mechanisms and serotonergic function in teleosts as compared to other chordates. The effects of manipulating elements of the serotonin system were tested on goldfish (Carassius auratus), which were subjected to the shuttle-box two-way avoidance paradigm.

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Predation By Octopus Vulgaris At Cayos Cochinos, Honduras An Analysis Of Prey Selection Using The Framework Of Optimal Foraging Theory, Caitlin Petro Jan 2011

Predation By Octopus Vulgaris At Cayos Cochinos, Honduras An Analysis Of Prey Selection Using The Framework Of Optimal Foraging Theory, Caitlin Petro

Theses & ETDs

Octopus vulgaris is a major predator of benthic organisms in the intertidal reef at Cayos Cochinos, Honduras. Because they are capable of capturing a variety of species using different foraging techniques, their predatory behaviors can have a significant impact on community trophic structures and population dynamics. Field work was conducted in the intertidal reef at Cayos Mejor as part of a pilot study aimed at characterizing the prey items that were returned to the dens of O. vulgaris. Major prey items were determined based on midden contents and the relative availabilities of prey species were approximated using randomized quadrats. Subsequent …

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"Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Who Is The Queerest Of Them All?" A Crip Perspective On Fairy Tale Intertextuality, Jody Francis Mailer Jan 2011

"Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Who Is The Queerest Of Them All?" A Crip Perspective On Fairy Tale Intertextuality, Jody Francis Mailer

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is a project that examines and pushes the limits of fairy tale intertextuality through a critical understanding of gender and disability. I use the term �intertextuality� as it was initially employed by poststructuralist theorists and critics, in their attempt to disrupt notions of stable meaning and objective interpretation. Adversely, the fairy tale tradition is notorious for perpetuating fixed meanings of gender ideology and its objective interpretation of what exactly constitutes a happily-ever-after. Perhaps stemming from its roots in the oral folk tradition of telling and re-telling, fairy tale intertextuality has the potential for re-imagining and re-contextualizing these norms. …

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Parents' Preference For Gender Stereotypes In Children's Books, Carla Abad Jan 2011

Parents' Preference For Gender Stereotypes In Children's Books, Carla Abad

Theses & ETDs

Previous research has demonstrated that gender stereotypes are prevalent in preschool children and that books have the potential to challenge them. Recently, gender neutral and gender atypical books have increased in numbers; however, it is unknown whether parents would choose such books for their children. The current study explored parents� preference for children�s books in regards to gender stereotypes. Participants included 53 parents (47 women, 6 men) who were asked to complete a survey. The survey assessed how likely the parents would be to want each of their children to read stories that were either gender stereotypical, gender atypical, or …

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Mycorrhizal Fungi And Rhizobial Bacteria Evolutionarily Divergent Organisms Utilizing Convergent Signaling Mechanisms, Ryan Tisdale Jan 2011

Mycorrhizal Fungi And Rhizobial Bacteria Evolutionarily Divergent Organisms Utilizing Convergent Signaling Mechanisms, Ryan Tisdale

Theses & ETDs

Rhizobial and mycorrhizal symbioses are both plant root associations that involve bidirectional nutrient exchange. These associations can confer selective advantages to their hosts and therefore have the potential to act in driving community ecology. Several mechanisms by which symbionts can drive successional patterns have been recently set forth. Depending on ecological conditions, these symbionts have the potential to drive plants towards coexistance or towards monodominance. Though the participants in these symbioses are taxonomically divided as prokaryotes and eukaryotes, similarities are seen in both interactions, most notably utilization of a common signaling pathway involved in allowing accommodation of both symbionts. Though …

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"You Can Still Be A Feminist, Be Proud Of Being A Woman, And Deal With The Gender Binary" Issues Of Sex And Gender At Indian Brook Camp, Flavia Grattery-Musinsky Jan 2011

"You Can Still Be A Feminist, Be Proud Of Being A Woman, And Deal With The Gender Binary" Issues Of Sex And Gender At Indian Brook Camp, Flavia Grattery-Musinsky

Theses & ETDs

Established in 1941 to provide girls the opportunity to engage in physical work and wilderness trips, Indian Brook is a single-sex summer camp in Southern Vermont. Though one must be female-bodied to attend or be employed at Indian Brook, one does not necessarily have to identify as a girl/woman; this relationship is emblematic of the unique, complex, and inevitably tenuous dynamic that is a product of the incorporation of queer pedagogy into a community organized upon seemingly conventional notions of sex and gender. Utilizing ethnographic methods over a two-month period in the summer of 2010, this study examines Indian Brook�s …

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Qualities Of Offline And Online Friendships Jealousy And Relationship Satisfaction, Catherine Zakoske Jan 2011

Qualities Of Offline And Online Friendships Jealousy And Relationship Satisfaction, Catherine Zakoske

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis, jealousy and relationship satisfaction in online and offline friendships were examined. I hypothesized that participants in online friendships would report higher jealousy than participants in offline relationships. I also hypothesized that participants in offline friendships would have higher relationship satisfaction than participants in online friendships. Participants were 81 people, 16 male and 65 female. Participants were randomly assigned to report on their online friendships or offline friendships. They then completed an online survey consisting of a relationship satisfaction measure and the Multidimensional Jealousy scale. The Multidimensional Jealousy scale consists of three subscales; cognitive jealousy, emotional jealousy, and …

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Wild Cats In Captivity On Improving Captive Enviroment With Regard To Biology And Behavoir, Leandra Irene Lyniuk Jan 2011

Wild Cats In Captivity On Improving Captive Enviroment With Regard To Biology And Behavoir, Leandra Irene Lyniuk

Theses & ETDs

Leopards (Panthera pardus) and lions (Panthera leo) are the wild feline species examined in this thesis and case study. They are considered charismatic megafauna and popular in captivity while some subspecies are critically endangered in the wild. A literature review revealed that these species may be more complex behaviourally than previously thought. The conclusion was made that optimal captive habitats need to cater to each species unique behavioural and biological needs in order for these species to thrive in captivity. Captive habitat is the last environment in which they are supported. A case study conducted at the Jacksonville Zoo and …

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Public Lies And Private Truths Images Of Dictatorial Power In La Fiesta Del Chivo And El Oto�O Del Chivo., Sarah Thompson Jan 2011

Public Lies And Private Truths Images Of Dictatorial Power In La Fiesta Del Chivo And El Oto�O Del Chivo., Sarah Thompson

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is concerned with how a community could allow and even participate in its own subjection by a brutal dictator. I examine the representations of dictatorial power in two Latin American novels: El oto�o del patriarca by Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez and La fiesta del chivo by Mario Vargas Llosa. I present an examination of the creation and dissemination of a public image that the dictator uses to affirm his power and to subject his people. I believe this to be the key mechanism that contributes to the public's belief that the dictator has either a right to rule, or …

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Sensitivity Analysis Of Biochemical Networks Computer Algebra Application To The Escherichia Coli Trypyophan Operon, Casey Henderson Jan 2011

Sensitivity Analysis Of Biochemical Networks Computer Algebra Application To The Escherichia Coli Trypyophan Operon, Casey Henderson

Theses & ETDs

Operons are collections of genetic elements including protein coding genes and regulatory binding sites. Operon dynamics can be described by a system of differential equations which define a set of relationships among variables and parameters. The collection of equations models regulation of gene expression in a cell. Mathematical techniques, such as sensitivity analysis, can be used to investigate possible regulatory mechanisms in these simulated biological networks. Sensitivity analysis explores how the network variables, in this case concentrations, respond to small changes in network parameter values, such as reaction rates. The Computer Algebra System Maple generates the sensitivity equations, which are …

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A Review Of Dispersant Use In Response To The British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Bryant Turffs Jan 2011

A Review Of Dispersant Use In Response To The British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Bryant Turffs

Theses & ETDs

The British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an unprecedented event due to the depth at which it occurred and the amount of oil discharged. Chemical dispersants, which break oil into droplets and facilitate diffusion into the water column, were applied to the oil spill to mitigate the damage caused to shoreline environments and surface dwelling organisms. Dispersants may also increase the rate at which oil is consumed by microbes. Due to the location of the oil discharge in the deep ocean, dispersants were also applied at the sea floor to enhance efficacy. The biological effects of chemically dispersed oil …

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The Self, Language Objects, And Psychedelic Perspectives, David Krane Jan 2011

The Self, Language Objects, And Psychedelic Perspectives, David Krane

Theses & ETDs

There is a stark contrast to be made between Daniel Dennett's conception of a self as a center of narrative gravity and a conception of a self that emerges from linguistic structures more deeply embedded in immediate experience. Daniel Dennett's model stands on a foundation of thought about stances of prediction toward various kinds of systems and carries assumptions laden in that thought too far into the most complex, mysterious and personal systems for their contradictions with direct experience to remain excused. After explaining Dennett's model, I will elaborate on specific problems with identifying as a center of narrative gravity, …

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Multiple Draft Machines An Investigation Of The Implications Of Dennett's Multiple Drafts Model Of Consciousness For Artificial Intelligence Research, Niklaus Julius Jan 2011

Multiple Draft Machines An Investigation Of The Implications Of Dennett's Multiple Drafts Model Of Consciousness For Artificial Intelligence Research, Niklaus Julius

Theses & ETDs

This thesis discusses Dennett's Multiple Drafts model of consciousness with regard to the implications for Artificial Intelligence research. The current state of AI research is discussed, and possible future questions are suggested. Possibilities for achieving an Artificial Consciousness are considered, and an attempt is made to precisely define consciousness as opposed to intelligence. Finally, the possibility of an Artificial Consciousness is established, and unanswered questions are aired for consideration.

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Sponge And Faunal Association Of The Brittle Star Ophiothrix Suensonii (Echinodermata) At Cayos Cochinos, Honduras And The Feeding Postures And General Behavior Of Mariametrid Feather Stars (Echinodermata) (In Vivo), Stephanie Sherman Jan 2011

Sponge And Faunal Association Of The Brittle Star Ophiothrix Suensonii (Echinodermata) At Cayos Cochinos, Honduras And The Feeding Postures And General Behavior Of Mariametrid Feather Stars (Echinodermata) (In Vivo), Stephanie Sherman

Theses & ETDs

Feather stars (Class: Crinoidea) and brittle stars (Class: Ophiuroidea) represent two classes of suspension-feeding echinoderms that are common to the reef environment. All crinoids are limited to suspension feeding, while ophiuroid brittle stars are capable of multiple feeding modes, including predation and deposit feeding. The crinoid filter is composed of an array of arms held in distinct postures that are dependent upon the species and ambient currents. Feeding postures in response to current flow and general behaviors were observed in laboratory conditions for the following Indo-Pacific mariametrid crinoids: Lamprometra palmata (M�ller, 1841), Lamprometra palamata (form brachypecha), Oxymetra sp. (Clark, 1909), …

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"Here I Am." A Call For Ethics In Hebrew Emmanual Levinas's Ethical/ Political Thought Through The Lens Of Hebraic Transcendence, Leila Shooshani Jan 2011

"Here I Am." A Call For Ethics In Hebrew Emmanual Levinas's Ethical/ Political Thought Through The Lens Of Hebraic Transcendence, Leila Shooshani

Theses & ETDs

This thesis undertakes an analysis of Levinas�s thought, as it specifically relates to his ethical/political formulations. I attempt to defend the idea that Levinas's first and last thoughts are political, that his ethics were inspired by a political reality, and will find their concretization in the political. I argue that the Holocaust, representing the dead end of political ontology, incited Levinas towards what he located as �otherwise than being.� He found what was otherwise to Western ontology in the �Hebrew,� whose texts teach an ethics that is based upon the being of the other. Levinas then uses the �Hebrew� ethic, …

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A "Queery" Of Sex And Gender, Elizabeth Lang Tracy Jan 2011

A "Queery" Of Sex And Gender, Elizabeth Lang Tracy

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores gender identity, and, more specifically, queer gender identity. The sculptural works exhibit our ideas of sex and gender and how they have been socially and culturally constructed. The installation created seeks to find a new view of queerness and body identity through challenging the binary gender paradigm and present-day stigmas that repress queer identity and feminism; and explores this sense of coming into the self and questioning the ordinary and normal through the sexual, queer, and avoided. The work attempts to produce an aesthetic that playfully raises discomfort in the viewer by utilizing phallic and vulval forms. …

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Bdippza Synthesis And Metal Complexes Of A New Monoanionic [N20] Heteroscorpionate Ligand, Benjamin Kriegel Jan 2011

Bdippza Synthesis And Metal Complexes Of A New Monoanionic [N20] Heteroscorpionate Ligand, Benjamin Kriegel

Theses & ETDs

The tridentate heteroscorpionate ligand bis-3,5-diisopropylpyrazol-1-ylacetate (bdippza) has been prepared via a simple three-step synthesis, and some zinc and magnesium complexes containing this ligand have been characterized via 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and FT-IR spectroscopy, and by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The bis-ligand complex Zn(bdippza)2 has been isolated from the reaction of bdippza and zinc triflate, and structurally characterized via single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The analogous magnesium complex, Mg(bdippza)2 has also been isolated. The carboxylate-bridged dimer [Zn(bdippza)Cl]2 has also been isolated from the reaction of bdippza and zinc chloride. The relevance of bdippza complexes to synthetic structural and functional modeling of the active …

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Bais In The Courtroom The Effects Of Attorney Attractiveness And Gender On Juror Decisions, Keytin Palmer Jan 2011

Bais In The Courtroom The Effects Of Attorney Attractiveness And Gender On Juror Decisions, Keytin Palmer

Theses & ETDs

An experiment was conducted to investigate how attorney physical attractiveness and gender can bias juror decisions in an automobile accident trial. Participants (15 male, 45 female) were presented with a picture of an unattractive or attractive male or female attorney before reading a trial summary and a transcript of the attorney�s closing statement. Participants then rated the attorney�s persuasiveness, credibility, likability, trustworthiness, and knowledgeability; reported how guilty they deemed the defendant; and suggested an amount of money to be awarded to the plaintiff for damages if a jury found in his favor. Results showed that female attorneys were rated as …

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Pre-Restoration Ecological Assessment Of Bowman Creek, An Urban Tributary Of The St. Joseph River In South Bend, Indiana, Sarah A. Mcmanus Jan 2011

Pre-Restoration Ecological Assessment Of Bowman Creek, An Urban Tributary Of The St. Joseph River In South Bend, Indiana, Sarah A. Mcmanus

Theses & ETDs

Bowman Creek is one of the most ecologically impaired tributaries of the St. Joseph River, a large river in the Lake Michigan drainage system. It has been rerouted underground through pipes and culverts for more than half of its downstream length. The City of South Bend is planning to restore portions of the stream to a more natural aboveground condition, with goals of improving hydrological, ecological, education and aesthetic values. In this study, I investigated the effects of culverts on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the stream ecosystem. Deployable dataloggers were used to characterize diel respiration curves. Water …

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Bioremediation Of Contaminated Effluent An Integrated Approach, Arielle Vicaria Jan 2011

Bioremediation Of Contaminated Effluent An Integrated Approach, Arielle Vicaria

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores the use of constructed wetlands to bioremediate effluent from municipal wastewater treatment. An effluent is wastewater, which is released into natural bodies of water from a wide variety of industrial and municipal sources. Polluted effluent that joins fresh water can disturb the self-regulating process of downstream ecosystems. Bioremediation, the use of living organisms such as fungi, plants and bacteria, to degrade environmental pollutants is a promising method for detoxifying aquatic environments. Constructed wetlands provide a practical and environmentally friendly means of treating contaminated wastewaters before release into the environment.

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"What Is This I Don't Even An Investigation Of Postmodern Fiction, Michael Marazzi Jan 2011

"What Is This I Don't Even An Investigation Of Postmodern Fiction, Michael Marazzi

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores the relationship between three American postmodernist texts: Thomas Pynchon�s The Crying of Lot 49, Don DeLillo�s White Noise, and Mark Danielewski�s House of Leaves. Using the theories of Ferdinand de Saussure and Brian McHale, I argue that each of these novels offers a different manifestation of the struggle to find �the real�, which can be understood as objective truth, meaning, or an existence external to physical reality. Furthermore, these novels progressively reflect an increasing concern with media and its ability to create, define, and manipulate diegetic relationships. I argue that these three works are milestones in a …

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Water Purification In The Global South, Meagan Patrick Jan 2011

Water Purification In The Global South, Meagan Patrick

Theses & ETDs

The past few decades have marked an international effort to provide improved water sources, and development projects have become increasingly interdisciplinary. After careful consideration of the problem, an appropriate framework through which to view the effectiveness of design and implementation is determined to be based on a synthesis of the natural sciences, theoretical anthropological critiques of development, and real world experiences. To test the feasibility of reproducing an manganese-oxide coated filter based on an Indian design, coated sand gathered from a Florida site is tested for its ability to remove zinc. The failure of the sand to maintain its structure …

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Mn-Doped (Cds)Zns Quantum Dots As Sensitizers For Sensitized Solar Cells, Kaitlin Lovering Jan 2011

Mn-Doped (Cds)Zns Quantum Dots As Sensitizers For Sensitized Solar Cells, Kaitlin Lovering

Theses & ETDs

The demand for energy is continually rising; however, current energy usage is not sustainable. Solar energy is a viable alternative to fossil fuels if technologies that can efficiently and effectively harvest and store solar energy are developed. Current technologies used to harvest solar energy are effective but not efficient and research to develop both effective and efficient methods is ongoing. In this thesis, a solar cell sensitized with manganese-doped (cadmium sulfide)zinc sulfide (core)shell quantum dots, (CdS)Mn:ZnS QDs, is constructed. The (CdS)Mn:ZnS QDs generate high energy electrons via two consecutive exciton energy transfers to the manganese atom. The high energy electron …

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Echoes And Echoes Of Eliot Exploring Influence In Postcolonial Writers Derek Walcott And Lorna Dee Cervantes, Melina Economos Jan 2011

Echoes And Echoes Of Eliot Exploring Influence In Postcolonial Writers Derek Walcott And Lorna Dee Cervantes, Melina Economos

Theses & ETDs

No abstract provided.

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Mathematical Modeling And Optimal Experimental Design In Systems Biology, Jonathan Statz Jan 2011

Mathematical Modeling And Optimal Experimental Design In Systems Biology, Jonathan Statz

Theses & ETDs

Mathematical modeling can sometimes be used to better understand how complex reaction networks behave in biological systems. However, a problem often encountered is the existence of multiple models developed from different interaction mechanisms that fit experimental data equally well. An optimal experiment such that these mechanisms can be discriminated is critical in order to determine the correct mechanism. Mathematical models can be used in designing these experiments that will invalidate the incorrect mechanisms and reduce the time and cost of using multiple, non-optimal experiments to achieve the same goal. In this study a discrimination method of initial condition optimization to …

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An Anthropology Of Remembering Queer Theory, Collaborative Archaeology, & The Apalachea Past, Lee Bloch Jan 2011

An Anthropology Of Remembering Queer Theory, Collaborative Archaeology, & The Apalachea Past, Lee Bloch

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines the potential of queering and decolonizing archaeology with a focus on the Apalachee past. The first chapter examines the Mississippian-era Lake Jackson site, outlining queer and Indigenist critiques of Southeastern archaeology. Based on collaborative research with a Muskogee community, I further an interpretation of the so-called �Birdman� or �Birdwoman� of the SECC as a gender-neutral anthropomorphic moth. The second chapter discusses 17th century Mission San Luis, using engendered and historical archaeological methods. I suggest that jewelry found discarded in a trash pit reflects the identity politics of an Apalachee woman and her Spanish lover, situating this interpretation …

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