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2013

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Constructing The Rod Bipolar Cell Signalplex Using Animal Models Of Retinal Dysfunction., Thomas Andrew Ray 1986- Dec 2013

Constructing The Rod Bipolar Cell Signalplex Using Animal Models Of Retinal Dysfunction., Thomas Andrew Ray 1986-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glutamate mediated neurotransmission from the rod photoreceptors to rod bipolar cells is critical for vision under low light levels. Disruption of this pathway results in the blinding disorder Congenital Stationary Night Blindness (CSNB), which is hallmarked by the inability to see under dim light. Mouse models of CSNB have been critical to identifying proteins required for glutamate signaling and understanding the mechanism of signaling. Currently, our understanding of rod bipolar signaling is incompletely understood because not all of the protein components of the signalplex have been identified. It was known that the glutamate receptor mGluR6 is coupled to the TRPM1 …

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Systematic Parameter Analysis For Selective Laser Melting (Slm) Of Silver-Based Materials., Harald Rieper Dec 2013

Systematic Parameter Analysis For Selective Laser Melting (Slm) Of Silver-Based Materials., Harald Rieper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a growing technology for the additive manufacturing of parts and structures. Based on a powder layer technique, a laser locally melts the powder and forms new structures. [1] In this approach, silver-based alloy powders will be used. The processing of this kind of material is considered difficult compared to other powder materials such as mild steels or tool steels. Silver powder is a highly reflecting material and has excellent thermal conductivity. Both properties make it difficult to process using Selective Laser Melting. Due to its high price, industries use silver parts as economically as possible …

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The Impact Of Kindergarten Teachers' Theoretical Orientation To Reading On Curricular Planning And Classroom Practice In Literacy., Jacquelyn J. Singleton Dec 2013

The Impact Of Kindergarten Teachers' Theoretical Orientation To Reading On Curricular Planning And Classroom Practice In Literacy., Jacquelyn J. Singleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using case-study analysis, this dissertation is a qualitative examination of kindergarten teachers’ beliefs, theoretical orientation toward reading, and outside pressures and their impact upon the educators’ classroom practice for literacy instruction. Selected for the study based upon their scores on DeFord’s Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (1985), eight teachers participated in two in-depth interviews and two separate 30-minute classroom observations for which they provided lesson plans. They also completed the Reading Interest-A-Lyzer (Reis, 2005). The results were coded with a coding scheme developed around the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile and Vygotsky’s Activity Theory—the theoretical framework for the current study. …

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Fighting For Success : The Use Of Resources By Ngos In The Anti-Human Trafficking Social Movement., Lisa Stapleton 1978- Dec 2013

Fighting For Success : The Use Of Resources By Ngos In The Anti-Human Trafficking Social Movement., Lisa Stapleton 1978-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an archival document analysis that will illustrate the importance of effective use of resources on the overall success of an anti-human trafficking organization. While there are multiple studies on resource mobilization and movements in general, little work has emerged regarding successful mobilization strategies in the anti-human trafficking movement. With my research, I pay particular attention to two groups and consider how their interactions with various resources influence their success. Comparing a more successful organization to a less successful organization provides the best assessment of a social movement and the process by which it meets its objectives. Results …

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A Multiple Objective Optimization Approach To The Decommissioning And Dismantling Of A Nuclear Power Plant., Sven Sudholt 1974- Dec 2013

A Multiple Objective Optimization Approach To The Decommissioning And Dismantling Of A Nuclear Power Plant., Sven Sudholt 1974-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The complexity, relevance and critical nature of the decommissioning of nuclear power plants (NPP) are of great significance in today's society. Following the catastrophe in Fukushima a shift in the general public's perception of NPP took place throughout the world and in Europe in particular. In this dissertation interdisciplinary methods will be discussed to identify solutions which take into account the technological complexity and organizational issues involved in the dismantling and decommissioning process of NPP. Operations research, lean management, simultaneous engineering, cost analysis, multiple-objective optimization, project management, software tools are powerful concepts and methodologies when undertaking the dismantling and decommissioning …

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Seeking Bob Thompson : Dialogue/Object., Slade Stumbo 1971- Dec 2013

Seeking Bob Thompson : Dialogue/Object., Slade Stumbo 1971-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the research, development, and implementation of the exhibition Seeking Bob Thompson. The exhibition portion of this curatorial project was completed in the fall of 2012 using work in the Hite Art Institute collection as well as works borrowed from commercial galleries, art centers, and private collections throughout the United States. Intended to re-expose and reveal the well-known but little exhibited in his hometown, Louisville artist, Bob Thompson, the project focused on delineating reoccurring themes in Thompson's oeuvre that were pertinent to his own process of establishing and defining his artistic identity with particular attention to his appropriations …

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Territoriality And Landscape Of Aggression., Piyumika Sureshni Suriyampola Dec 2013

Territoriality And Landscape Of Aggression., Piyumika Sureshni Suriyampola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral adjustments in response to the presence of landmarks can exert strong effects on population dynamics of territorial species as well as the evolution of behavior and social systems. Hence, an understanding of the role of landmarks in animal contests provides a link between behavioral decision-making and population dynamics, which has been viewed as a major goal in ecology. This dissertation investigates the effects of landmarks on territory defense, focusing on how landmarks affect differences in sex roles, the landscape of aggression and fundamental territory properties. To investigate these ideas, I used three different cichlid fish species as model systems. …

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A Semi-Empirical Hamiltonian For Boron, Phosphorus And Compounds Containing Boron, Phosphorus And Silicon., Paul S. Tandy Dec 2013

A Semi-Empirical Hamiltonian For Boron, Phosphorus And Compounds Containing Boron, Phosphorus And Silicon., Paul S. Tandy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this work, a 25 parameter semi-empirical Hamiltonian for boron and phosphorus is developed. The Hamiltonian contains both environment-dependent terms and electron-correlation terms with the on-site charge calculated self-consistently. One of the goals of this work is to obtain the parameterized Hamiltonian for boron and phosphorus by fitting the properties of small boron and phosphorus clusters and the bulk phases, as obtained by our method, to ab-initio calculations. The general structure of this Hamiltonian and all phenomenological functions contained within have been successful in predicting the properties of intermediate silicon clusters as well as extended structures of silicon with great …

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Discursive Affordances : Police, Transfer, And The Performance Of Identity., Robert John Terry Dec 2013

Discursive Affordances : Police, Transfer, And The Performance Of Identity., Robert John Terry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an analysis of how the performance of identity affects the possibilities for the transfer of writing strategies. It begins with a literature review of the existing research on transfer within the field of composition and posits that an undertheorized understanding of identity may be leading to misunderstandings related to the transfer of knowledge. It then provides a framework for understanding the performance of identity developed through James Paul Gee's Discourse theory and provides a framework for understanding and identifying Discourse conflicts related to the performance of identity. After providing an overview of the research site, the Administrative …

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A Cost Model For Managing Producer And Consumer Risk In Availability Demonstration Testing., Randall L. Walker Dec 2013

A Cost Model For Managing Producer And Consumer Risk In Availability Demonstration Testing., Randall L. Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evaluation and demonstration of system performance against specified requirements is an essential element of risk reduction during the design, development, and production phases of a product lifecycle. Typical demonstration testing focuses on reliability and maintainability without consideration for availability. A practical reason considers the fact that demonstration testing for availability cannot be performed until very late in the product lifecycle when production representative units become available and system integration is completed. At this point, the requirement to field the system often takes priority over demonstration of availability performance. Without proper validation testing, the system can be fielded with reduced mission …

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Microwave-Assisted Synthesized Sapo-56 As A Catalyst In The Conversion Of Co2 To Cyclic Carbonates., Zhenzhen Xie 1988- Dec 2013

Microwave-Assisted Synthesized Sapo-56 As A Catalyst In The Conversion Of Co2 To Cyclic Carbonates., Zhenzhen Xie 1988-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effective utilization of CO2 as a renewable raw material for the production of useful chemicals is an area of great interest. In particular, the catalytic conversion of CO2 into cyclic carbonates, which are useful chemical intermediates employed for the production of plastics and organic solvents, represents an attractive route for the efficient use of carbon dioxide. Microporous crystals, including zeolites and metal organic frameworks (MOFs), and mesoporous ordered oxides possess many desirable properties, which make them appealing for cycloaddition reactions. In general, these porous materials display chemical and thermal stability, moderate to high CO2 uptakes, an open porous structure …

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A Microreactor Approach For Chemoselective Capture And Analysis Of Carbonyl Compounds In Air And Exhaled Breath., Mingxiao Li Dec 2013

A Microreactor Approach For Chemoselective Capture And Analysis Of Carbonyl Compounds In Air And Exhaled Breath., Mingxiao Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at trace level (parts per billion volume (ppbv) to parts per trillion (pptv)) has become an important research area because of demanding applications in homeland security, environmental monitoring, and noninvasive diagnosis of diseases. The analysis of trace VOCs challenges existing analytical instruments because their concentrations are beyond current instrument limits of detection. In this dissertation, we have investigated an innovative microreactor that is suitable for quantitative analysis of volatile carbonyl compounds in ambient air as well as in human exhaled breath. The approach is based on microreactor chips fabricated from four inch silicon wafers. …

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The Supreme Court, The Establishment Clause, And The First Amendment., William Lorigan 1976- Dec 2013

The Supreme Court, The Establishment Clause, And The First Amendment., William Lorigan 1976-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the faiths of select Founding Fathers, the religious context of their time, and six Supreme Court decisions concerning religion, to highlight the inconsistencies found within the Supreme Court's jurisprudence covering cases concerning religion. Through an examination of the religious practices of the Founding Fathers, it became evident that their views on religion, and how religion should be observed, were as diverse as they were. An examination of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence concerning religion reflects a very confusing and inconsistent application of the First Amendment, including the Court's inability to formulate a test that can be consistently applied …

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Using The Virtual World Of Second Life To Teach Cultural Competence For Health Science Professional Students., Ashley Mack 1986- Dec 2013

Using The Virtual World Of Second Life To Teach Cultural Competence For Health Science Professional Students., Ashley Mack 1986-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study provides preliminary evidence that the use of technology, particularly the virtual world of Second Life™, can break down barriers by enhancing student interest in and satisfaction with the content. Methods: A pre-conference survey was administered to students attending the University of Louisville Cultural Competency Workshop series; six questions examined students' attitudes toward the LGBT community. Two health care scenarios were presented to students attending the LGBT sessions, either the traditional workshop setting, or a virtual Second Life™ session. A post-session survey was administered to students in the LGBT breakout sessions. Results: Using Second Life™ to present the …

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Predictors Of Hiv Risk Behaviors Among Older Adults : A Multilevel Analysis., Laneshia Rae' Mccord Dec 2013

Predictors Of Hiv Risk Behaviors Among Older Adults : A Multilevel Analysis., Laneshia Rae' Mccord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past thirty years, HIV has become a worldwide epidemic. Given the surge in the rate of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV, this sheds light as a new worry for sexually active older adults, raising questions about risk behaviors among this group. The issues facing older adults are three-fold in that they are 1) not identifying themselves as being at risk; 2) not identifying risk behaviors; and 3) are not largely being identified in the public realm as participating in risk behaviors. For these reasons, understanding both environmental and individual factors and their unique influences on HIV risk behaviors …

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Navigating The Field : An Examination Of Rhetorical Spaces In The Journal Of Sex Research., Deanna Mcgaughey-Summers Dec 2013

Navigating The Field : An Examination Of Rhetorical Spaces In The Journal Of Sex Research., Deanna Mcgaughey-Summers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I adopt a praxical theory of rhetorical space to identify and examine how members of The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality draw on or invoke rhetorical spatiality in their research published in the Journal of Sex Research. My specific research questions were: (1) What types of rhetorical spaces do sexologists create? and, (2) What rhetorical strategies do sexologists use to create rhetorical spaces? The dissertation is divided into five chapters that present different investigations of the production of rhetorical space in The Journal of Sex Research. Chapter One introduces the theoretical and methodological foundation for …

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Community Level Impacts Of Microstegium Vimineum On Arthropod Community Structure And Foodweb Dynamics In A Temperate Deciduous Forest., Judith L. Metcalf Dec 2013

Community Level Impacts Of Microstegium Vimineum On Arthropod Community Structure And Foodweb Dynamics In A Temperate Deciduous Forest., Judith L. Metcalf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasion by non-native primary producers are generally expected to lead to a decline in native species richness, however in some cases, these invasions can actually lead to an increase in diversity and abundance of certain groups of organisms. Arthropods are extremely sensitive to changes in the plant community, particularly herbivores, and the response of these primary consumers can influence predator populations. Microstegium vimineum is an invasive C4 grass that has developed strong populations in the understory of temperate deciduous forests along the east coast of the U.S. This work evaluates the influence that this invader may have on insect and …

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Success On Their Own Terms : Youths' Perspectives On What It Means To Be Successful In Foster Care., Justin Miller Dec 2013

Success On Their Own Terms : Youths' Perspectives On What It Means To Be Successful In Foster Care., Justin Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Foster care is a fundamental component of the child welfare system. Traditionally, foster care has been viewed as the primary mechanism for caring for children placed outside of their home, and is considered one of the central intervention strategies for child welfare practitioners. Foster care services are regularly recommended for children who are abused and neglected. In 2011, there were an estimated 401,000 youths in foster care and approximately 646,000 youth were served by the foster care system. Yet, despite the importance of foster care to child welfare, social work literature in general, and child welfare literature specifically, is devoid …

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Repair Of The Airway Epithelium After Chlorine-Induced Injury., Sadiatu Musah Dec 2013

Repair Of The Airway Epithelium After Chlorine-Induced Injury., Sadiatu Musah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chlorine is a widely used toxic chemical that is considered a chemical threat agent. Chlorine inhalation injures airway epithelium, and efficient epithelial repair is necessary to restore normal lung structure and function. Regeneration of injured tissues typically proceeds through the proliferation and differentiation of stem or progenitor cells. Knowledge of underlying mechanisms that regulate these processes during airway epithelial repair is lacking. This dissertation characterizes respiratory epithelial repair after chlorine injury to investigate potential signaling pathways that could be manipulated to regulate stem/progenitor cells in airway repair. Repair of the pseudostratified tracheal epithelium after chlorine-induced injury was characterized in C57BL/6 …

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Piezoelectric Bedload Impact Sensor (Pbis) For Particle Size Distribution., Jeong Won Park 1977- Dec 2013

Piezoelectric Bedload Impact Sensor (Pbis) For Particle Size Distribution., Jeong Won Park 1977-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A multi-channel Piezoelectric Bedload Impact Sensor (PBIS) is developed to estimate mass and particle-size distribution of bedload in low to moderate slope natural streams. The PBIS’s stand-alone design with a sufficiently large data memory facilitates continuous long-term monitoring for low-scale bedload measurements. The design concept of PBIS is based on a hypothesis that particle collision energy on the PBIS plate increases with hydraulic energy and particle size. Thus, particle size can be differentiated by the number of impulses registered in four different threshold channels. The feasibility of PBIS was evaluated by developing a calibration model based on laboratory flume experiments. …

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Geometric Modeling Of Non-Rigid 3d Shapes : Theory And Application To Object Recognition., Mostafa Abdelrahman Dec 2013

Geometric Modeling Of Non-Rigid 3d Shapes : Theory And Application To Object Recognition., Mostafa Abdelrahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the major goals of computer vision is the development of flexible and efficient methods for shape representation. This is true, especially for non-rigid 3D shapes where a great variety of shapes are produced as a result of deformations of a non-rigid object. Modeling these non-rigid shapes is a very challenging problem. Being able to analyze the properties of such shapes and describe their behavior is the key issue in research. Also, considering photometric features can play an important role in many shape analysis applications, such as shape matching and correspondence because it contains rich information about the visual …

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Charge Collection And Surface Recombination Effects In Organic Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells., Buddika Ka. Abeyweera 1980- Dec 2013

Charge Collection And Surface Recombination Effects In Organic Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells., Buddika Ka. Abeyweera 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Charge transfer and charge extraction mechanisms are two prevalent issues in the growing field of organic solar cells. Due to their complexity in nature, new methods need to be involved in addressing the fundamental properties associated with organic polymer solar cells. This dissertation has focused on developing a new method to estimate the charge collection lengths and surface recombination lengths of organic polymer solar cells. Photocurrent spectra have been analyzed systematically to observe the dependence on thickness of the active material. A red shift of the peak of the normalized photocurrent with respect to the device thickness has been further …

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Sistahs With Voices : Influences That Affected The College Choice Of High-Achieving African American Women Who Chose To Attend A Predominantly White Institution Instead Of An Historically Black College Or University., Angela Denise Duncan Dec 2013

Sistahs With Voices : Influences That Affected The College Choice Of High-Achieving African American Women Who Chose To Attend A Predominantly White Institution Instead Of An Historically Black College Or University., Angela Denise Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite a long struggle to gain access, African Americans have always highly valued education. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) were established specifically to educate this group, but the integration of predominately White institutions (PWI) in the 1960s led to decreased HBCU enrollments and, thus, challenges to their continued relevance. The numerous options for higher education add to the complexities of college choice, especially for students who have various intersecting identities to consider (e.g., African American women). The purpose of this study was to discover what influenced eight high-achieving African American women who chose to attend a PWI instead of …

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The Sea Empress's Garden., Brandon Dyer 1980- Dec 2013

The Sea Empress's Garden., Brandon Dyer 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The thesis project is projected to be a grand storybook of handmade intaglio prints in a large format. I have created an original fable telling the story of a flawed hero who must face his fears in order to not only save his love and her empire from an evil warlock but to save himself. Through these hand painted prints, the story of The Sea Empress’s Garden is told and the choices these characters must make and experience the consequences. The work is motivated by the inspiration I draw from German Expressionism, illuminated manuscripts, popular culture, and literature both modern …

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Deconstructing Saccades : Identifying The Components Of Saccades That Produce Saccade-Induced Retrieval Enhancement., James Matthew Edlin Dec 2013

Deconstructing Saccades : Identifying The Components Of Saccades That Produce Saccade-Induced Retrieval Enhancement., James Matthew Edlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multiple studies have found that performing repetitive saccades for 30 s improves subsequent memory retrieval. Although the effect is well established, the mechanism by which saccades affect retrieval is currently unknown. Saccade-induced retrieval enhancement (SIRE) has been hypothesized to be a product of increasing: interaction between the hemispheres, interaction within the hemispheres, or attentional control. It is currently unknown which components of the saccade activity are necessary to produce SIRE. The saccade activity in previous SIRE research is similar to an orienting activity that produces predictive saccades. Predictive saccades begin as exogenous orienting to a rhythmically alternating target. After a …

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Developing Advanced Mathematical Models For Detecting Abnormalities In 2d/3d Medical Structures., Ahmed Abd-Elrahman Elnakib Dec 2013

Developing Advanced Mathematical Models For Detecting Abnormalities In 2d/3d Medical Structures., Ahmed Abd-Elrahman Elnakib

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Detecting abnormalities in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) medical structures is among the most interesting and challenging research areas in the medical imaging field. Obtaining the desired accurate automated quantification of abnormalities in medical structures is still very challenging. This is due to a large and constantly growing number of different objects of interest and associated abnormalities, large variations of their appearances and shapes in images, different medical imaging modalities, and associated changes of signal homogeneity and noise for each object. The main objective of this dissertation is to address these problems and to provide proper mathematical models and techniques …

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Effect Of Slope And Paver Characteristics On Performance Of Permeable Pavement Gi., Amirhossein Ehsaei 1986- Dec 2013

Effect Of Slope And Paver Characteristics On Performance Of Permeable Pavement Gi., Amirhossein Ehsaei 1986-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an experimental study based on the findings of two Green Infrastructure (GI) stormwater control measures (SCMs) in Louisville, KY, which focused on the effects of the physical environment on the performance of GI. The GI installed in Louisville are suffering from extensive and rapid surface clogging and in order to optimize current and future GI, an understanding of the factors affecting the performance of the system is required. The study used the current literature to determine the surrounding factors and those of the permeable surface that had not been investigated enough, and used several configurations of GI …

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A Non-Invasive Method For Measuring Blood Flow Rate In Superficial Veins From A Single Thermal Image., Heba E. Farag Dec 2013

A Non-Invasive Method For Measuring Blood Flow Rate In Superficial Veins From A Single Thermal Image., Heba E. Farag

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computer vision is a field that includes methods for processing, analyzing, acquiring and understanding images to produce numerical or symbolic information to develop methodologies and solutions for many problems in many fields. Here the concept of computer vision is being used for understanding certain human physiology and behaviors using thermal imaging alone or in conjunction with other imaging modalities. The applications of this work span a wide range of studies in human-machine interfacing vis-à-vis feedback controls that can be used to remotely determine whether a patient is in need of medical assistance or to help integrate young children with learning …

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Site 15sp202 And The Mississippian Presence At The Falls Of The Ohio River., William Travis Fisher 1983- Dec 2013

Site 15sp202 And The Mississippian Presence At The Falls Of The Ohio River., William Travis Fisher 1983-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following paper is an analysis of the decorated ceramics associated with site 15SP202, a Mississippi Period site in Spencer County, Kentucky. The ceramics were then used to determine whether the site had been classified correctly by its original investigator, due to the ambiguity often associated with assigning temporal and cultural affiliation to late prehistoric sites in the Falls of the Ohio River region. After the initial analysis, the author compared and contrasted 15SP202 with other known and more fully excavated Mississippian sites in the region, in an attempt to integrate the site in question into a wider regional context. …

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Southern Honor, Confederate Warfare : Southern Antebellum Cultural Values In Confederate Military Operations, 1861-1865., Matthew D. Goldberg Dec 2013

Southern Honor, Confederate Warfare : Southern Antebellum Cultural Values In Confederate Military Operations, 1861-1865., Matthew D. Goldberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the role antebellum southern cultural paradigms played in Confederate military operations during the American Civil War. The prewar honor culture of the white southern male elite was intensely focused on chivalric values of courage, masculinity, piety, pride, contempt for cowardice, and loyalty. When war broke out between the United States and Confederacy, the southern elite moved from their prewar position as economic, political, and social leaders to military commanders. The violent and militaristic culture that characterized the prewar southern elite guided their actions as the military leadership of the Confederacy. Using the written record of the Confederate …

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