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2015

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The Effects Of Parameter Tuning On Machine Learning Performance In A Software Defect Prediction Context, Benjamin N. Province Jan 2015

The Effects Of Parameter Tuning On Machine Learning Performance In A Software Defect Prediction Context, Benjamin N. Province

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most machine learning techniques rely on a set of user-defined parameters. Changes in the values of these parameters can greatly affect the prediction performance of the learner. These parameters are typically either set to default values or tuned for best performance on a particular type of data. In this thesis, the parameter-space of four machine learners is explored in order to determine the efficacy of parameter tuning within the context of software defect prediction.;A distinction is made between the typical within-version learning scheme and forward learning, in which learners are trained on defect data from one software version and used …

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Impact Of Chronic Conditions On Treatment, Cancer-And Non-Cancer Outcomes Among Elderly Men With Incident Prostate Cancer, Amitkumar Dineshchandra Raval Jan 2015

Impact Of Chronic Conditions On Treatment, Cancer-And Non-Cancer Outcomes Among Elderly Men With Incident Prostate Cancer, Amitkumar Dineshchandra Raval

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Prostate Cancer is the most commonly observed non-skin cancer among the elderly men aged 65 years and older in the United States. Nearly one third of elderly men diagnosed with incident prostate cancer have pre-existing chronic conditions. Therefore, among elderly men with prostate cancer, management for cancer and chronic conditions should be optimized to improve healthcare outcomes. Previous literature majorly focused on the risk and management of cancer in the presence of number of conditions, although, it is known that more than 70% of chronic conditions among men diagnosed with prostate cancer were either cardio-metabolic, respiratory or mental health conditions. …

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The Relationship Between The Distributed Leadership Readiness Of West Virginia Principals And Their Perceptions Of Selected School-Based Committees, Patrick L. Riddle Ii Jan 2015

The Relationship Between The Distributed Leadership Readiness Of West Virginia Principals And Their Perceptions Of Selected School-Based Committees, Patrick L. Riddle Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the distributed leadership readiness of West Virginia principals and their perceptions of selected school-based committees which influence leadership in their schools. Six hundred seventy four West Virginia principals were invited to participate in this study by responding to an online survey that included the Distributed Leadership Readiness Scale (DLRS), demographic items, and items from the researcher developed School-Based Committee Influence Survey. There were 198 West Virginia principal respondents to the survey (29.3%). The results of this study showed that West Virginia principal respondents were ready for distributed leadership and …

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Quantitative Assessment Of The Discrimination Potential Of Class And Randomly Acquired Characteristics For Crime Scene Quality Shoeprints, Nicole Richetelli Jan 2015

Quantitative Assessment Of The Discrimination Potential Of Class And Randomly Acquired Characteristics For Crime Scene Quality Shoeprints, Nicole Richetelli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Footwear evidence has tremendous forensic value; it can focus a criminal investigation, link suspects to scenes, help reconstruct a series of events, or otherwise provide information vital to the successful resolution of a case. When considering the specific utility of a linkage, the strength of the connection between the source footwear and an impression left at the scene of a crime varies with the known rarity of the shoeprint itself, which is a function of the class characteristics, as well as the complexity, clarity, and quality of randomly acquired characteristics (RACs) available for analysis. To help elucidate the discrimination potential …

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What Shadows We Pursue: Death, Democracy, And Disunion In Antebellum America, Joseph M. Rizzo Jan 2015

What Shadows We Pursue: Death, Democracy, And Disunion In Antebellum America, Joseph M. Rizzo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines the ways Americans registered concerns about antebellum democratic political culture through their mourning of national leaders. A "eulogizing class" consisting of clergymen, politicians, lawyers, and educators was especially prominent in shaping how contemporaries remembered the dead. As a class, the eulogists were conflicted about democracy and partisanship, and conveyed their concerns through the potentially demagogic form of the eulogy---the practice of glorifying the "great man." Through an examination of eulogies, sermons, and newspaper editorials after the deaths of William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, John Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster, this dissertation reveals the …

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The Anti-Imperialist Empire: Soviet Nationality Policies Under Brezhnev, Jason A. Roberts Jan 2015

The Anti-Imperialist Empire: Soviet Nationality Policies Under Brezhnev, Jason A. Roberts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation argues that the Soviet Union functioned as an empire despite its decidedly anti-imperialist rhetoric. Beginning in the 1920s, Bolshevik policies transformed the former Russian Empire into a new type of empire that was based on Marxist-Leninist ideology. Moreover, the Bolshevik policy of korenizatsiia as well as Marxist-Leninist rhetoric promoted the development of a decolonization process among the non-Russian peoples of the USSR in the 1920s and 1930s. Although Stalin abandoned korenizatsiia in the 1930s in favor of greater emphasis on Russification, the decolonization process continued into the Brezhnev period of the 1960s and 1970s. This decolonization process quickly …

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Illustrating Appalachia: The Sketchbooks And Publications Of David Hunter Strother, 1833 To 1887, Alee Robins Jan 2015

Illustrating Appalachia: The Sketchbooks And Publications Of David Hunter Strother, 1833 To 1887, Alee Robins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the mid-nineteenth century, one of the most popular American magazine illustrators was David Hunter Strother, a native of Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Virginia). Using the pseudonym "Porte Crayon," Strother published semi-fictional accounts of his travels which he often illustrated as well as authored. The West Virginia & Regional History Center offers a digital collection of 730 of the artist's sketches and paintings. Additionally, the Walters Art Museum presents eight of Strother's sketches online. To provide a method for studying Strother's artworks, a database was created to show connections between the artist's works based on date, location, and thematic content. …

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Analysis And Optimization Of A Dual Free Piston, Spring Assisted, Linear Engine Generator, Matthew C. Robinson Jan 2015

Analysis And Optimization Of A Dual Free Piston, Spring Assisted, Linear Engine Generator, Matthew C. Robinson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The free piston linear engine (FPLE) generator has the potential to displace existing crankshaft driven engine technology because of its relative simplicity, higher efficiency, and increased power density. Continued interest in hybrid-electric vehicles for transportation and tightening emissions regulations has created a challenging market for conventional piston engines. Combined with rising market interest in localized power generation means there are exciting opportunities for innovative technologies that can satisfy both regulatory and commercial demands. Many groups around the world are currently working to advance the state of the FPLE, and recent success at West Virginia University will lead to a working …

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The Use Of Cultural Memory In Reinforcing Contemporary Russian Patriotism: A Case Study Of The Film "Stalingrad" (2013), Laura Roop Jan 2015

The Use Of Cultural Memory In Reinforcing Contemporary Russian Patriotism: A Case Study Of The Film "Stalingrad" (2013), Laura Roop

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

According to cultural memory theory, cultural tools such as texts and symbols transmit the knowledge of meaningful historical events to groups. These cultural tools reproduce history by cultivating narratives that are relevant in a given time, and thus reflect the ongoing concerns over memory. The purpose of communicating significant turning points in a nation's history is to create a system of values, a self-image and the continuity of a nation. Films are considered to be both textual and visual representations of cultural memory. Since memory and commemoration of the Second World War have gone through many changes, one has to …

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Performance And Stability Of Large Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using Phosphine Contaminated Hydrogen Fuel, Timothy B. A. Ross Jan 2015

Performance And Stability Of Large Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using Phosphine Contaminated Hydrogen Fuel, Timothy B. A. Ross

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this work was to investigate how fuel utilization and method of fuel delivery for a large planar fuel cell with co-flow configuration will affect the degradation rate and mechanism of phosphine poisoning of a solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Coal syngas, a potential fuel source for SOFCs, contains gas phase impurities such as PH3, which rapidly degrade Ni-based SOFC anodes. Researchers have shown significant reconstruction of Ni-anodes in button cell configurations with ~0.5 mV hr-1 degradation rates, but it is not evident that these rates will occur in actual stack applications. A singular planar stack repeat unit was …

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Against The Thalassocracy: Sacred Geography, Nationhood And Perennial Traditionalism In Alexander Dugin's Neo-Eurasianist Philosophy, Jonathan Rushbrook Jan 2015

Against The Thalassocracy: Sacred Geography, Nationhood And Perennial Traditionalism In Alexander Dugin's Neo-Eurasianist Philosophy, Jonathan Rushbrook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis discusses the ideological makeup of the Russian right wing philosopher Alexander Dugin's and his conceptualization of race and nation in his Neo-Eurasianist imperial project. Tracing Dugin's ideological influences from early Eurasianism, the European New Right and esoteric religious beliefs such as Perennial Traditionalism, the thesis then goes on to place Dugin's body of thought within a larger debate on defining fascism and whether Dugin can be considered a fascist. Ultimately this thesis contests some scholars' interpretations of Dugin's worldview as a fundamentally ethnocentric or even racist Russian nationalism. Rather, by examining Dugin's writings on nation through an ethno-symbolist …

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An Ideal Role, Twenty Years Too Soon: A Young Actor's Journey Through The Role Of Leonard In "Seminar", Nicholas Ryan Jan 2015

An Ideal Role, Twenty Years Too Soon: A Young Actor's Journey Through The Role Of Leonard In "Seminar", Nicholas Ryan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Through our production of Seminar, unique challenges were uncovered for an actor performing the role of Leonard. My goal is to examine some of the most difficult and interesting challenges that arose from an unrealistic casting of a realistic play. Issues discussed will be the age gap between Leonard and the students, and what contextually needs to be researched from the script. This examination also addresses the balance of comedy versus drama in regards to Leonard's character relationships with the students, and Leonard's place as a stock character in contemporary theater.

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Use Of Wireless, Ad-Hoc Networks For Proximity Warning And Collision Avoidance In Surface Mines, Venkata Raghava Siva Naga Shashank Sabniveesu Jan 2015

Use Of Wireless, Ad-Hoc Networks For Proximity Warning And Collision Avoidance In Surface Mines, Venkata Raghava Siva Naga Shashank Sabniveesu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the record of progress achieved in the United States with respect to reducing fatal and non-fatal injuries in surface mines, both the number and severity of these injuries remain unacceptable. A large fraction of these injuries in surface mines are caused by collisions involving large haulage equipment such as trucks, dozers, and front-end loaders. There are two main contributing factors for these collisions: (i) the massive size of these vehicles, which causes several blind spots surrounding the vehicle for the driver, and (ii) the sheer momentum of these vehicles, which makes it hard to maneuver these vehicles and often …

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Facilitating Dialogue Through Design To Create Positive Social Change In Rural Communities, Lauren B. Schiefelbein Jan 2015

Facilitating Dialogue Through Design To Create Positive Social Change In Rural Communities, Lauren B. Schiefelbein

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Social Design is a progressive field that continues to gain momentum across the nation and the world. Its value and validity is especially noteworthy when design is used as a vehicle to create positive change in today's society. Many rural communities lack the necessary infrastructures or resources to remain relevant in a 21st century world, and face unique sets of barriers to progress and creative problem-solving.;Effective communication, for example, is one area that design thinking can efficiently address, often generating collaborative solutions. Facilitating dialogue in the rural community requires special attention and planning. A carefully-tailored strategy of design interaction while …

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The Effect Of Direct Instruction On Spanish Language Acquisition In A Preschool Free-Play Environment: A Single-Case Design, Lucy Rose Scotti Jan 2015

The Effect Of Direct Instruction On Spanish Language Acquisition In A Preschool Free-Play Environment: A Single-Case Design, Lucy Rose Scotti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The predicted increase in Spanish speakers within the United States brings to light a new direction for preschool curricula. There are multiple, on-going arguments about the best time for children to learn a second language and what role critical periods for brain development play in second language acquisition. Although there are individual differences in development, the current study demonstrates that children can learn Spanish vocabulary words with an average of 30 minutes of instruction per week. Using a combination of direct instruction with developmentally appropriate practices, hands-on, and engaging activities, the teaching of Spanish vocabulary, themed and age appropriate for …

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Evaluating Changes In Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behaviors Associated With Hpv Following An Educational Intervention Among Women, Crystal Sheaves Jan 2015

Evaluating Changes In Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behaviors Associated With Hpv Following An Educational Intervention Among Women, Crystal Sheaves

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Prevalence of HPV is estimated to be 10-15% Americans. HPV is recognized as the causative agent in 99.7% of all cervical cancers. In 2006, a vaccine was released to prevent specific types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. Despite demonstrated vaccine safety and efficacy, vaccine rates are still low at less than 20% among women 18-26 years old. Vaccine uptake may be impacted by women's HPV knowledge and beliefs.;Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in women's knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors associated with HPV following an educational intervention study. Specifically, the study was designed to evaluate …

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Evaluating The Impacts Of Vaccination, Antiviral Treatment And School Closure On Influenza Epidemic, Xiaofei Shi Jan 2015

Evaluating The Impacts Of Vaccination, Antiviral Treatment And School Closure On Influenza Epidemic, Xiaofei Shi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Multi-objective simulation optimization was performed to synergistically investigate the cost and benefits of the most commonly-used strategies for H1N1 epidemic mitigation: vaccination, antiviral treatment, and school closure. By simultaneously considering the three intervention strategies, this study leads to findings that supplement those in the existing work, and provides additional insights regarding intervention decision making. Specifically, our investigation suggests that different vaccine prioritization strategies, the age-based versus ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommendation, be implemented depending on vaccine availability; individual school closure policies are favored over their global counterparts, at least when both vaccination and antiviral treatment are implemented with …

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Applying Patent-Eligible Subject Matter Restriction, Jonas Anderson Jan 2015

Applying Patent-Eligible Subject Matter Restriction, Jonas Anderson

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

The US Supreme Court's difficulty in promulgating a standard for patent-eligibility has not gone unnoticed in the academy. Hundreds of academic conferences, including this one, have been devoted to the topic. The goal of this Article is not to solve the seemingly intractable problem of patent-eligibility doctrine. The goal of this Article is rather more modest. Instead of normatively assessing patent-eligible subject matter doctrine, this Article seeks to identify which foundational theories of patent-eligible subject matter can most readily be applied by courts and the US Patent and Trademark Office via Section 101. In doing so, this Article categorizes the …

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Lower Greenmont Revitalization Featuring Deckers Creek, Anna Marie Withrow Jan 2015

Lower Greenmont Revitalization Featuring Deckers Creek, Anna Marie Withrow

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

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A Joint Location Inventory Model Under The Risk Of Supply Disruptions With Facility Fortifications, Ehsan Jafari Shirazi Jan 2015

A Joint Location Inventory Model Under The Risk Of Supply Disruptions With Facility Fortifications, Ehsan Jafari Shirazi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Inefficient facility location decisions result in extra cost throughout the lifetime of the facilities. Hence, facility location decisions are considered as critical and difficult decisions in today's highly competitive business environment. There are two relatively new areas of research in facility location modeling approaches that have recently received much attention. The first is the incorporation of short-term inventory decisions into long-term location decisions. It has been shown in the literature (e.g. Daskin et al. 2002 or Shen et al. 2003) that failing to account for inventory may result in fundamental changes in the location decisions and thus suboptimality. The second …

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Evaporative Techniques For Stormwater Runoff Alleviation, Allison M. Arnold Jan 2015

Evaporative Techniques For Stormwater Runoff Alleviation, Allison M. Arnold

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Current climate changes have led to a projected steady increase in rainfall over the next several decades, notably in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Even without this predicted increase the urbanization of many regions has altered local natural environments, which in the past stored, shed and evaporated this runoff water effectively, maintaining balance within the water table. These added rainfall forecasts, combined with America’s growing trend to develop and expand the urbanization of our natural earth, has resulted in a growing surplus of stormwater runoff water affecting these cities and their suburbs, leaving many sanitation departments unable to meet the heightened …

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Best Practices For Improving Flow And Care Of Pediatric Patients In The Emergency Department., Isabel Barata, Kathleen M. Brown, Laura Fitzmaurice, Elizabeth Stone Griffin, Sally K. Snow, American College Of Emergency Physicians Pediatric Emergency Medicine Committee, Emergency Nurses Association Pediatric Committee, Gregory P. Conners, American Academy Of Pediatrics Committee On Pediatric Emergency Medicine Jan 2015

Best Practices For Improving Flow And Care Of Pediatric Patients In The Emergency Department., Isabel Barata, Kathleen M. Brown, Laura Fitzmaurice, Elizabeth Stone Griffin, Sally K. Snow, American College Of Emergency Physicians Pediatric Emergency Medicine Committee, Emergency Nurses Association Pediatric Committee, Gregory P. Conners, American Academy Of Pediatrics Committee On Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

This report provides a summary of best practices for improving flow, reducing waiting times, and improving the quality of care of pediatric patients in the emergency department.

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Allied Health Science, Saint Mary's College Of California Jan 2015

Allied Health Science, Saint Mary's College Of California

Academic Catalog

No abstract provided.

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Three Essays On The Economics Of Agricultural And Energy Policy, Christopher Shultz Jan 2015

Three Essays On The Economics Of Agricultural And Energy Policy, Christopher Shultz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is a discussion on the dynamics of energy and agricultural policy in the United States. The landscape for policy creation, innovation, and the role of government is ever changing as a new energy mix emerges. This study contributes to the academic literature by providing three independent narratives on various aspects of the changing relationship. Each of the three studies provides a unique insight into a narrowly defined aspect of the economics and policy of energy and/or agriculture in the United States.;First, consideration is made into the process of policy creation. This is accomplished through a review and synthesis …

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Social Structure And Clearance Rates: The Effect Of Neighborhood Characteristics On Aggravated Assault Case Outcome, Brad Silberzahn Jan 2015

Social Structure And Clearance Rates: The Effect Of Neighborhood Characteristics On Aggravated Assault Case Outcome, Brad Silberzahn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The ability of police to make an arrest for a crime is one of the most visible aspects of the criminal justice system. As a result, it is no surprise that clearance rates are one of the most commonly used measures of police effectiveness. Previous studies of clearance rates focus heavily on the clearance of homicide cases, as many researchers examine the effect of individual level characteristics on case outcomes. Using Donald Black's theory of law, which places an emphasis on social space, i.e., vertical and horizontal distances between victims and offenders, this study examines the effect of neighborhood characteristics …

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Uneven Development And Peri-Urbanization In South Africa: Exploring Landscape Change In Polokwane, South Africa, Jennifer L. Smith Jan 2015

Uneven Development And Peri-Urbanization In South Africa: Exploring Landscape Change In Polokwane, South Africa, Jennifer L. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Changes in local landscapes of South Africa are tied to changing social and economic structures of the post-apartheid era. Though there have been significant shifts in land and labor laws, as well as economic policies, between the apartheid era and current times, significant inequalities between communities remain a defining characteristic of the post-apartheid landscape. This research contends that through a combination of social processes occurring between the local, national, and global scales, local landscape is produced unevenly as a manifestation of the coproduction of space. Using a structuralist approach, the research examines local change through the theoretical lenses of uneven …

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Cultivating Intelligent Consumption: The United States Food Administration And Food Control During World War I, James H. Smith Jan 2015

Cultivating Intelligent Consumption: The United States Food Administration And Food Control During World War I, James H. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines government food control in the United States during the First World War. More specifically, it looks at the food conservation program, and the associated propaganda, formulated by the United States Food Administration (USFA). The USFA was a wartime government agency headed by future president Herbert Hoover. I argue that the philosophy guiding the Food Administration's food control program was clearly influenced by a particular strain of progressivism that men like Hoover subscribed to. Using the input of experts in various fields such as nutrition, physiology, and advertising, the government was able to present a message to the …

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Word Play: Modernist Women And Performative Writing, Kathryn Ridinger Smorul Jan 2015

Word Play: Modernist Women And Performative Writing, Kathryn Ridinger Smorul

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In Word Play: Modernist Women and Performative Writing I read modernist literary texts informed by theories about theatre, performance, and art. Exploring lesser-known works of Djuna Barnes, Gwendolyn Bennett, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Mina Loy, I combine literary analysis and performance studies to discover how modernist texts "talk back" to performance theories.;Performance studies, of course, is an inter-discipline that includes anthropology, sociology, performing arts, and literary theory. Modernist authors, influenced as they often are by art, performance, and ritual, incorporate these interdisciplinary interests into a writing practice, specifically performative writing. Performative writing is not so much a matter of …

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Synchronization Of Coupled And Periodically Forced Chemical Oscillators, Razan Snari Jan 2015

Synchronization Of Coupled And Periodically Forced Chemical Oscillators, Razan Snari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Physiological rhythms are essential in all living organisms. Such rhythms are regulated through the interactions of many cells. Deviation of a biological system from its normal rhythms can lead to physiological maladies. The tremor and symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease are thought to emerge from abnormal synchrony of neuronal activity within the neural network of the brain. Deep brain stimulation is a therapeutic technique that can remove this pathological synchronization by the application of a periodic desynchronizing signal. Herein, we used the photosensitive Belousov--Zhabotinsky (BZ) chemical reaction to test the mechanism of deep brain stimulation. A collection of oscillators are …

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Christ In The Margins: Confronting Racism Through The (Written) Word In Post-Civil War America, Cara L. Snider Jan 2015

Christ In The Margins: Confronting Racism Through The (Written) Word In Post-Civil War America, Cara L. Snider

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines fictional texts of the late nineteenth century in order to recover the response of progressive Christian writers facing a growing tide of racial violence, injustice, and segregation in the postbellum decades. By investigating the works of Mark Twain, Charles Sheldon, Frances Harper, and Sutton Griggs, I argue that we gain access to a cadre of writers who sought to translate emerging strains of New Theology into practical means of race reform. They regarded their novels as sermons to the masses and saw writing as a sacred practice of communicating the Word to fellow believers; and their brand …

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