Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Photography – Collection and restoration'
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1
Halsban, Megan. "Stereographs as Scholarly Resources in American Academic Libraries and Special Collections." Thesis, School of Information and Library Science, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1901/543.
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This paper examines stereographic images as scholarly resources, and begins with a brief history of the stereograph. A discussion and review of the literature related to the stereograph as well as the preservation of photographic objects follows the introduction. In addition to the literature review, collections of stereographs at four repositories were evaluated for usability: The Keystone-Mast Archive at the University of California, Riverside; The Eliot Elisofon Archive at the Smithsonian Institution; the George Eastman House; the Library of Congress. The paper ends with suggestions for future work with the stereograph, in order to facilitate access and use by researchers.
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Cleveland, Larissa. "Collector : collection/possession/persona /." Online version of thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1850/6186.
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Schrader, Julie Ann. "The Morgan collection of Southwest pottery website : research and photography : a project /." Click here to view virtual exhibition, 2005. http://www.holmes.anthropology.museum/southwestpottery/index.html.
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Rosenthal, Elizabeth A. "Advances in art restoration involving computers and nanotechnology." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2007. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/1044.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf.edu/Systems/DigitalInitiatives/DigitalCollections/InternetDistributionConsentAgreementForm.pdf You may also contact the project coordinator, Kerri Bottorff, at kerri.bottorff@ucf.edu for more information.Bachelors
Arts and Humanities
History
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Wang, Han-Chih. "The Profane and Profound: American Road Photography from 1930 to the Present." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2017. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/468625.
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Art HistoryPh.D.
This dissertation historicizes the enduring marriage between photography and the American road trip. In considering and proposing the road as a photographic genre with its tradition and transformation, I investigate the ways in which road photography makes artistic statements about the road as a visual form, while providing a range of commentary about American culture over time, such as frontiersmanship and wanderlust, issues and themes of the automobile, highway, and roadside culture, concepts of human intervention in the environment, and reflections of the ordinary and sublime, among others. Based on chronological order, this dissertation focuses on the photographic books or series that depict and engage the American road. The first two chapters focus on road photographs in the 1930s and 1950s, Walker Evans’s American Photographs, 1938; Dorothea Lange’s An American Exodus: A Record of Human Erosion, 1939; and Robert Frank’s The Americans, 1958/1959. Evans dedicated himself to depicting automobile landscapes and the roadside. Lange concentrated on documenting migrants on the highway traveling westward to California. By examining Frank’s photographs and comparing them with photographs by Evans and Lange, the formal and contextual connections and differences between the photographs in these two decades, the 1930s and the 1950s, become evident. Further analysis of the many automobile and highway images from The Americans manifests Frank’s commentary on postwar America during his cross-country road trip—the drive-in theater, jukebox, highway fatality, segregation, and social inequality. Chapter 3 analyzes Ed Ruscha’s photographic series related to driving and the roadside, including Twentysix Gasoline Stations, 1962 and Royal Road Test, 1967. The chapter also looks at Lee Friedlander’s photographs taken on the road into the mid-1970s. Although both were indebted to the earlier tradition of Evans and Frank, Ruscha and Friedlander took different directions, representing two sets of artistic values and photographic approaches. Ruscha manifested the Pop art and Conceptualist affinity, while Friedlander exemplified the snapshot yet sophisticated formalist style. Chapter 4 reexamines road photographs of the 1970s and 1980s with emphasis on two road trip series by Stephen Shore. The first, American Surfaces, 1972 demonstrates an affinity of Pop art and Frank’s snapshot. Shore’s Uncommon Places, 1982, regenerates the formalist and analytical view exemplified by Evans with a large 8-by-10 camera. Shore’s work not only illustrates the emergence of color photography in the art world but also reconsiders the transformation of the American landscape, particularly evidenced in the seminal exhibition titled New Topographics: A Man-Altered Landscape, 1975. I also compare Shore’s work with the ones by his contemporaries, such as Robert Adams, William Eggleston, and Joel Sternfeld, to demonstrate how their images share common ground but translate nuanced agendas respectively. By reintroducing both Evans’s and Frank’s legacies in his work, Shore more consciously engaged with this photographic road trip tradition. Chapter 5 investigates a selection of photographic series from 1990 to the present to revisit the ways in which the symbolism of the road evolves, as well as how artists represent the driving and roadscapes. These are evident in such works as Catherine Opie’s Freeway Series, 1994–1995; Andrew Bush’s Vector Portraits, 1989–1997; Martha Rosler’s The Rights of Passage, 1995; and Amy Stein’s Stranded, 2010. Furthermore, since the late 1990s, Friedlander developed a series titled America by Car, 2010, incorporating the driving vision taken from the inside seat of a car. His idiosyncratic inclusion of the side-view mirror, reflections, and self-presence is a consistent theme throughout his career, embodying a multilayered sense of time and place: the past, present, and future, as well as the inside space and outside world of a car. Works by artists listed above exemplify that road photography is a complex and ongoing interaction of observation, imagination, and intention. Photographers continue to re-enact and reformulate the photographic tradition of the American road trip.
Temple University--Theses
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Stead, Sarah. "PLACE, SPACE, AND FORM CAPTURED THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHIC MEDITATION." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2010. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4193.
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Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, the photographic series Architectural Zen attempts to beautify banal and pragmatic architecture through limiting and preexisting artificial light conditions. The selective illumination of artificial light eliminates the non-essential details and enhances the pure forms and saturated color presented by the camera lens. This encourages the photographer and the viewer to enter a state of meditation. The resulting process is similar to a Zen approach to image making. The ancient Zen artist s compositions are strengthened by a meditation on form and subsequent elimination of the non-essential elements of the subject. Through embracing this Zen mentality and mindfulness,aspects of Eastern aesthetic and balance also appear through the work. The warm glow of artificial lights, long recessed shadows, and surreal colors contribute to the feeling of rest, contemplation, isolation, and solitude. Although the work in Architectural Zen is not directly about Buddhist doctrines, the process of creating the art parallels the ideas and practices of Zen Buddhism and meditation, finding the Buddha nature of typically unappealing architectural forms during a different time of day.M.F.A.
Department of Art
Arts and Humanities
Studio Art and the Computer MFA
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Samuel, Kegan. "Gradient based MRF learning for image restoration and segmentation." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5480.
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The undirected graphical model or Markov Random Field (MRF) is one of the more popular models used in computer vision and is the type of model with which this work is concerned. Models based on these methods have proven to be particularly useful in low-level vision systems and have led to state-of-the-art results for MRF-based systems. The research presented will describe a new discriminative training algorithm and its implementation. The MRF model will be trained by optimizing its parameters so that the minimum energy solution of the model is as similar as possible to the ground-truth. While previous work has relied on time-consuming iterative approximations or stochastic approximations, this work will demonstrate how implicit differentiation can be used to analytically differentiate the overall training loss with respect to the MRF parameters. This framework leads to an efficient, flexible learning algorithm that can be applied to a number of different models. The effectiveness of the proposed learning method will then be demonstrated by learning the parameters of two related models applied to the task of denoising images. The experimental results will demonstrate that the proposed learning algorithm is comparable and, at times, better than previous training methods applied to the same tasks. A new segmentation model will also be introduced and trained using the proposed learning method. The proposed segmentation model is based on an energy minimization framework that is novel in how it incorporates priors on the size of the segments in a way that is straightforward to implement. While other methods, such as normalized cuts, tend to produce segmentations of similar sizes, this method is able to overcome that problem and produce more realistic segmentations.Ph.D.
Doctorate
Computer Science
Engineering and Computer Science
Computer Science
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Barnett, Katie. "Fathering the future : masculine survival and paternal restoration in 1990s Hollywood." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2013. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/4488/.
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The 1990s in the United States saw a particular cultural anxiety manifested in the crisis of masculinity, in which American men were perceived to be suffering from a loss of power and diminished authority. As President Clinton heralded a final push towards the millennium and the creation of a better, brighter future for the nation, concerns emerged over the ability of straight, white, middle-class men to access this same future. In this pre-millennial period, fatherhood is presented as the solution to this state of masculine crisis. Hollywood in particular invests in this notion of masculine crisis and the need for rehabilitation through fatherhood, indulging in one of the key tenets of Lee Edelman’s theory of reproductive futurism: that of the future being realised through an investment in the child. This thesis examines a number of Hollywood films produced between 1989 and 2001, with the aim of demonstrating how fatherhood is persistently constructed as the key to masculine survival during a period of considerable anxiety over the future.
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Walton, Elizabeth. "TRUTHS, REALITIES AND THE EASILY TRANSMITTED IMAGE." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2007. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/3922.
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By the documenting and examining things that are often overlooked in everyday life, I try to find the beauty of these objects, of people, their lives and their homes. I am interested in the current technology and the influence of the easily transmitted image. What is the truth and reality of the images shared by the current youth culture because of the use of camera phones, digital image takers, and the constant image transmissions through online social networking venues such as My Space and FaceBook? The current digital image is no longer a precious object as it was in the past. The easy accessibility of technology and the growing popularity of an affordable camera have made these images a common object, easily replaced. It is my interest or concern with this technology that led me to my final body of work, images of this youth culture.M.F.A.
Department of Art
Arts and Humanities
Studio Art and the Computer MFA
10
Fullerton, Jeanay. "VISUAL STAMP." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2010. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4017.
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I create images in a painterly manner illustrating a visual dialog, which suggests simultaneous moments, yet are actually a separated collision of moments and time. I have stretched these ideas from a slowed manipulation of time, to a calculated capture of segmented moments. My work undermines the importance of the decisive moment theory. This theory was the catalyst for my new series, VISUAL STAMP. "The decisive moment, it is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression." - Henri Cartier-Bresson I am conveying space and time on a single plane in a similar way to how we perceive, process, and retain information visually. The discarded moments in our perception are what I am interested in capturing. We do not view life in a frozen millisecond. Contemporary modes of perception involve the sensorial experience of viewing thousands of movements in small bursts of time that are often left behind, and forgotten. By layering images I am illustrating gaps from one moment to the next. My interest in using the insignificant event to create an aesthetic has become a personal visual stamp. This series embraces the discarded aspects of our visual interpretation of the objects and places we see in everyday life.M.F.A.
Department of Art
Arts and Humanities
Studio Art and the Computer MFA
11
Kosel, Krisann Joie. "SITE PREPARATION METHODS FOR RESTORATION OF NON-NATIVE PASTURELANDS TO NATIVE UPLAND HABITAT." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2005. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/3489.
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The flatwoods ecosystem of Florida has been heavily depleted over time but remains one of the most important systems to many threatened and endangered species. Areas that have been converted into non-native pastures may be restored to provide not only this invaluable ecosystem but also restore connectivity of the surrounding ecosystems. The pasture areas on The Disney Wilderness Preserve in central Florida were surveyed, and a conceptual plan for restoration was written in 1996. That same year a pilot study was developed to assess five methods for removing non-native pasture grasses. The treatments studied were single herbicide, single disc, multiple herbicide, multiple disc, and single herbicide with two disc treatments. All plots were monitored once a year for three years along non-permanent transects. Percent cover was estimated for seven variables and a species list was developed for each plot. The triple herbicide treatment had the best overall success in removal of non-natives and establishment of native species characteristic of flatwoods communities. This treatment also had the highest species richness. The results of this study were used to develop the long term restoration plan for the remaining pasture areas of the preserve. This information may also be useful to restore pastures that connect other important ecosystems being purchased and protected throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States.M.S.
Department of Biology
Arts and Sciences
Biology
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Barber, Andrea. "RESTORATION OF INTERTIDAL OYSTER REEFS AFFECTED BY INTENSE RECREATIONAL BOATING ACTIVITY IN MOSQUITO LAGOON, FLORIDA." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2007. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4337.
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In recent years, intertidal reefs of Crassostrea virginica (eastern oyster) along central Florida's east coast have suffered extensive losses due to wakes from recreational boats. These wakes have caused extensive shell movement and sediment resuspension which results in large piles of disarticulated shells along the seaward edges of reefs. Dead margins extend up to one meter above mean high water. The creation and enforcement of "no wake" zones in the area are unlikely. Thus, there is an urgent need for an alternative restoration strategy before these oyster reefs decline any further. The goal of this project was to develop a scientifically-based restoration technique that minimized wake damage from recreational vessels on intertidal reefs in Canaveral National Seashore. To accomplish this, I tested a range of restoration measures to identify a design that best increased: 1) oyster recruitment, 2) three-dimensional structure of the intertidal reefs, and 3) biodiversity and abundances of sessile and motile species associated with reefs. As a starting substrate in all treatments, I used restoration mats, which were created by affixing 36 drilled oyster shells to 0.4 x 0.4 m pieces of black mesh (Vexar). Five mats were deployed on the fore-reef, midreef, and backreef areas of each reef. In my experiment, I manipulated two habitat conditions: 1) leveling of existing dead margins to bring the top of the dead margin below mean high water to facilitate settling of larvae, and 2) deploying artificial seagrass seaward of the mats to act as a wake buffer. All combinations of these variables and all appropriate controls were replicated on six oyster reefs each, for a total of thirty reefs. Reefs that were leveled were significantly reduced in height and this difference was maintained throughout the 1 year study. Unleveled reefs actually increased in mean height over the 12 months. Tracking loose shells covering our restoration mats over time likewise documented that shell movement was minimal on control reefs lacking dead margins and significantly greater on reefs with dead margins. Midreef areas on reefs with dead margins were almost completely buried by loose shells. Quarterly monitoring of the number of spat settling on all restoration mats allowed for comparisons between treatments and locations on oyster reefs. After determining that overall water flow on the fore reef areas of all treatments was similar, I tested the null hypothesis that all treatments had similar recruitment of oyster larvae. My first alternative hypothesis was that artificial seagrass would increase oyster recruitment if the grass was a successful wake buffer and minimized sediment resuspension known to be lethal to newly settled oyster or prevented disarticulated oyster shell from moving and reforming mounds. My second alternative hypothesis was that the leveling of the dead margins would increase the total reef surface area available to larval oyster recruitment and thus lead to an increase in the number of recruits and eventually 3-dimensional reef structures (when oysters grow in close proximity and affix themselves together). Statistical analyses showed the artificial seagrass did not decrease the negative impacts caused by recreational boat wakes. Hence, it is not a recommended method for reef restoration. Recruitment of oysters significantly increased over time and significantly differed on various regions of the reefs. Recruitment was always highest on the fore-reef regions and lowest on back-reef regions. Although overall recruitment did not differ among treatments, it was significantly lower on midreef regions of the impacted reefs. This suggests that the leveling of the oyster reefs would increase the surface area available for future oyster recruitment. To look at biodiversity, I tested the hypothesis that all treatments would have similar biodiversity on a month by month basis. Alternatively, biodiversity should always be greatest on leveled reef with artificial seagrass due to increased 3-dimensional structure nearby and longer submersion times. To enumerate biodiversity, two lift nets were placed on each reef, one contained a restoration mat and the other contained only mesh (control). In most months, the four experimental treatments were similar according to the biodiversity measures analyzed. However, biodiversity was always higher in lift nets with restoration mats when compared to lift nets with mesh only. This result again suggests that the mats as designed are important restoration tools. Overall, my results show that placing seagrass in front of oyster reefs may not help to better restoration efforts. However, leveling dead margins on reefs and using the restoration mats is beneficial to oyster reef habitat restoration efforts. As a result of my research, restoration mats, in combination with leveling dead margins, are currently being used in a large-scale, community-based oyster reef restoration project within Canaveral National Seashore boundaries.M.S.
Department of Biology
Sciences
Biology MS
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Garvis, Stephanie. "Quantifying the impacts of oyster reef restoration on oyster coverage, wave attenuation and seagrass fragment retention in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5220.
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The goal of this project was to determine the effects of oyster reef restoration on oyster coverage, wave height dissipation and seagrass recruitment. First, to assess the current versus historical coverage of natural, dead and restored oyster reefs within Mosquito Lagoon, aerial photographs from 2009, provided by Saint Johns River Water Management District, were digitized using ArcGIS software. Live reefs, restored reefs and dead reefs were screen digitized using a reef 'signature' in order to estimate the area of each type of reef. The 2009 maps were used as a guide to digitizing the historical aerial photographs (1943, 1951, 1967, 1971, 1984, 1995, 2006). Dead reefs increased both in number and aerial extent during the study period (1943 – 2009), with 2009 having over 10 acres of dead reef coverage. Dead reefs were more likely to be found along major boating channels. Several dead reefs exhibited migration into the mangrove islands located landward of the 1943 footprint, with some dead reefs completely washing up into the shoreline. Restoration of dead reefs added 0.5 acres of live oysters to the Mosquito Lagoon area as of January 2009. Second, I examined how different oyster reef types (natural reef, restored reef, dead reef) reduced wave height. To determine wave height attenuation on each reef type, experiments were conducted in a 9 meter long wave tank using sensors that measured changes in wave height. For each reef type, replicate reefs were created in the wave tank. Shoreline sediment without oysters was used as a control. Using the wave generator, wave heights similar to Mosquito Lagoon boat wakes were created. Restored reefs reduced the incoming wave height by 25% compared to sediment without oysters. Lastly, I examined the potential link between oyster reef restoration and recruitment of seagrass fragments. Monthly surveys were performed to quantify the number of seagrass fragments encountering the three oyster reef types: dead reefs, natural reefs and restored reefs. The quantity of seagrass fragments was found to be similar on the three different reef types, but did show a significant trend of seasonality, which corresponds with the growing season of Halodule wrightii. Next, I tested retention of experimentally manipulated seagrass fragments on five natural and five restored reefs. Restored reefs retained seagrass fragments for significantly longer than natural reefs. I also measured seagrass fragment entanglement on each reef type inside the wave tank. I found that seagrass fragments were significantly more likely to become entangled and retained on restored reefs compared to dead and natural reefs. Overall, these metrics are important for determining the success of long-term oyster restoration project in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida. This project has found that oyster restoration is increasing the area of oyster habitat as well as providing important ecosystem services.M.S.
Masters
Biology
Sciences
Biology
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Van, Camp April. "MEMORIES AND MILESTONES: THE BRIGHTON SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA AND THE DIGITIZATION OF CULTURE." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2008. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/3415.
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This dissertation project discusses individual photographs of the Brighton Seminole Tribe of Florida from the early 1900s to the current period, each organized by way of their institutional significance, not their place in chronological history. Following Jean Mohr and John Berger's model in Another Way of Telling, I create a narrative for the pictures with a discussion of historical information, current data from interviews, Tribal members' stories, and my own personal story as it is tethered to the tribe. The research addresses the following questions: Can photography offer a technological means to communicate culture in a vital, organic way? Can photos communicate culture as identity and not something merely to identify with? Can this cultural identification include me, an outsider, and is it possible that a colonialist viewpoint is actually beneficial to the tribe? John Berger, Roland Barthes, and Gregory Ulmer's theories allow opportunity for new perspectives, and even would-be answers at times. Admittedly, there is no frame large enough to hold all of the truth, but these theorists' works push the frame's boundaries to look at the pictures from other perspectives, other as both different and from the outside. These critics offer light and air, posing questions such as, what assumptions help a viewer transcend the normally limited perspective of a superficial observer? What possible contributions might an outsider bring to the interpretation?Ph.D.
Department of English
Arts and Humanities
Texts and Technology PhD
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balas, simona. "SERIES OF DISINTEGRATED MEMORIES." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2007. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/3461.
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Being absent from things or places for a period of time, we try to connect by revisiting our memories. There is always a vivid remembrance of certain objects or surroundings, but when we try to connect them, the truth in our mind deviates from the reality. The disintegration of the memories and the morphing of our imagination create a different reality in our minds that we begin to believe, considering that the truth becomes almost completely abstracted and obscured as time passes.M.F.A.
Department of Art
Arts and Humanities
Studio Art and the Computer MFA
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Kulbaba, Brian. "WITHOUT A CAMERA." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2008. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4046.
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The method for creating my art is a matter of experimental process, manipulation of photographic elements, and time spent. I am a photographer in a digital age that does not use a camera. My moment of creativity occurs without the snap of a shutter, but relies on my understanding and control of the chemical components of photography. My work deconstructs the notion of duplication commonly found in photography. The procedure can be repeated but the results are variable. The process of creating my work often results in a multitude of prints, but the pieces that I select as art capture a number of instinctive characteristics which convey an emotion or message to me. When I present my photographs I offer the viewer an experience--an opportunity to see the work through my mind's eye as it makes sense to me. It is within this open dialogue that the work is complete: part process, part intuitive participation.M.F.A.
Department of Art
Arts and Humanities
Studio Art and the Computer MFA
17
Kozlovski, Nikolai. "TEXT-IMAGE RESTORATION AND TEXT ALIGNMENT FOR MULTI-ENGINE OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION SYSTEMS." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2006. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/3607.
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Previous research showed that combining three different optical character recognition (OCR) engines (ExperVision® OCR, Scansoft OCR, and Abbyy® OCR) results using voting algorithms will get higher accuracy rate than each of the engines individually. While a voting algorithm has been realized, several aspects to automate and improve the accuracy rate needed further research. This thesis will focus on morphological image preprocessing and morphological text restoration that goes to OCR engines. This method is similar to the one used in restoration partial finger prints. Series of morphological dilating and eroding filters of various mask shapes and sizes were applied to text of different font sizes and types with various noises added. These images were then processed by the OCR engines, and based on these results successful combinations of text, noise, and filters were chosen. The thesis will also deal with the problem of text alignment. Each OCR engine has its own way of dealing with noise and corrupted characters; as a result, the output texts of OCR engines have different lengths and number of words. This in turn, makes it impossible to use spaces a delimiter as a method to separate the words for processing by the voting part of the system. Text aligning determines, using various techniques, what is an extra word, what is supposed to be two or more words instead of one, which words are missing in one document compared to the other, etc. Alignment algorithm is made up of a series of shifts in the two texts to determine which parts are similar and which are not. Since errors made by OCR engines are due to visual misrecognition, in addition to simple character comparison (equal or not), a technique was developed that allows comparison of characters based on how they look.M.S.E.E.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
18
Ebner, Bonnie. "MANY TELLING MOMENTS:THE ESSENCE OF FRAGMENTED IMAGE CULTURE." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2008. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/3376.
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My purpose in entering the UCF MFA program was to further explore and develop my passion for photography. During my time in the program, I developed my methodology--from having the traditional photography paradigm ingrained in my mind (and wanting to fit into it) to accepting and valuing my own unique process. I construct installations using diverse imagery and non-traditional presentation. In my installations, one may witness a reflection of the contemporary pace of image perception--fragmented, complex, abundant, and disordered. Together, images and their arrangements are used to create a unified piece that satisfies a new system within apparent disorder. The resulting installations summon the sensation of thinking and processing information in a new way, allowing for re-contextualization of fragmented imagery. Technology has pushed photography to evolve. Previously held traditional notions of photography as art (e.g., "single telling moment" photographs and similar subject matter) are now being confronted by a vernacular of "many telling moments". The current state of the art world is in flux, and is greatly influenced by the faster pace set by technology; I coin our new vernacular Image Culture.M.F.A.
Department of Art
Arts and Humanities
Studio Art and the Computer MFA
19
Weber, Kaylin Haverstock. "The studio and collection of the 'American Raphael', Benjamin West, P.R.A. (1738-1820)." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2013. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4307/.
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When the history painter Benjamin West (1738-1820) died in March 1820, he left behind a remarkable monument to his life and work in his residence at 14 Newman Street, in London’s fashionable West End. Here, he had created an elaborate ‘palace’ of art, dedicated to history painting and to himself – his artistic genius, his artistic heroes, and his unique transatlantic identity. This impressive establishment was nearly fifty years in the making and part of an elaborate strategy to develop an artistic reputation as the pre-eminent history painter of his generation. While his studio has been considered by scholars as a place of pilgrimage for dozens of American students, its physicality and contents have never been thoroughly explored. Using a variety of evidence, including bank records, contemporary descriptions, and visual material, this thesis reconstructs much of this important space and collection to reveal how it was shaped and utilised by West. It combines a documentation of the spaces and objects with an analysis of their use and meaning in terms of the painter’s engagement with art theory, pedagogy, practice, collecting, display, and legacy. West, who was History Painter to George III, inhabited 14 Newman Street from 1774 to 1820, a period of dramatic expansion and cultural ambition in the London art world. Indeed, this thesis argues that 14 Newman Street and its impressive contents were more than just a history painter’s ‘palace’ of art but a place symbolic of the ideals and ambitions of British art. Following an introduction that more fully defines the aims and scope of this thesis, four chapters explore the significance of West’s house, his collections, and their display in this context. Chapter one provides an overview of his home and studio, and considers how it was designed with West’s various audiences in mind. The scope and character of his impressive collection is examined in the second chapter with a particular focus on a selection of Old and New World objects that represent particular areas of strength within the corpus of the collection. Chapter three examines the collection as a public and private artistic resource for West and his students as well as a statement of his commitment to the grand tradition. In chapter four, West’s self-promotion and exhibition strategies at Newman Street are addressed, highlighted by his exhibition of The Death of Lord Nelson in 1806. Developed in the dynamic context of the establishment of the Royal Academy, the proliferation of public exhibitions, and ongoing debates about national art, West’s collection and studio at 14 Newman Street exemplified the aspirations of British art.
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Bartlett, Jason Todd. "The Politics of Community Development: A History of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2014. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/297453.
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HistoryPh.D.
This dissertation explores the nearly fifty-year history of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (BSRC), the nation's first federally funded community development corporation (CDC). The BSRC's creation stemmed from the bottom-up initiatives of African American women in the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council (CBCC), a federation of more than one hundred community groups aided by city planners at Pratt Institute. Their seminal efforts at rehabilitating Bedford-Stuyvesant marked a transition in the Civil Rights-Black Power Movement's confrontation of discriminatory practices, municipal neglect, and the pathologies of poverty and urban decay. These efforts attracted the attention and commitment of Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Jacob K. Javits, who recruited business and philanthropic leaders to the cause and secured the initial funding to launch Restoration in December 1966. Together these partners in renewal forged a public-private partnership at a time when black and white Americans were moving farther apart. Together they articulated a new definition of community in which the combination of mutual responsibility and the strength of the American business system provided the means to turn poor neighborhoods into engines of renewal. They created an intermediary level of American governance that was more responsive to the needs of local people and placed new resources at the disposal of community leaders. The BSRC was the innovative product of a "creative federalism" that coordinated the power of the federal government, philanthropies, labor unions, universities, and the private enterprise system. This comprehensive organizational history investigates the full spectrum of the BSRC's comprehensive physical, economic, social, and cultural redevelopment agenda. Building on the concept that the 'process is the product' Restoration's successes and failures demonstrate how capacity was built in one of the nation's most challenged communities. After a decade of impressive accomplishments, Restoration was forced to retreat and reevaluate its mission as successive conservative presidential administrations withdrew the federal support that once largely sustained the corporation. The 1980s served as a crucible in which Restoration reinvented itself in order to survive. The new structure underscored the importance of communal ties, profitable sustainability, and nimble leadership that could move from "the streets to the suites." As it emerged from the challenges of the 1980s, Restoration was no longer the movement's North Star, but rather another point of light in a competitive constellation of more than 4,500 CDCs. In 2014, Restoration continues to balance the weight of its historic mission to provide comprehensive community development in a neighborhood that is undergoing rapid change. While poverty remains a fact of life for many of the area's minority residents, gentrification brings new challenges and opportunities to create a collaborative community that steps beyond the boundaries of race and class to build a better Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Temple University--Theses
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Manis, Jennifer. "Assessing the Effectiveness of Living Shoreline Restoration and Quantifying Wave Attenuation in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5664.
Full textAbstract:
Coastal counties make up only 17% of the land area in the continental United States, yet 53% of the nation's population resides in these locations. With sea level rise, erosion, and human disturbances all effecting coastal areas, researchers are working to find strategies to protect and stabilize current and future shorelines. In order to maintain shoreline stability while maintaining intertidal habitat, multipurpose living shorelines have been developed to mimic natural shoreline assemblages while preventing erosion. This project determined the effectiveness of a living shoreline stabilization containing Crassostrea virginica (eastern oyster) and Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) in the field and through controlled wave tank experiments. First, fringing oyster reefs constructed of stabilized oyster shell and smooth cordgrass plugs were placed along three eroding shoreline areas (shell middens) within Canaveral National Seashore (CANA), New Smyrna Beach, FL. For each shell midden site, four treatments (bare shoreline control, oyster shell only, S. alterniflora only, and oyster shell + S. alterniflora) were tested in replicate 3.5 x 3.5 meter areas in the lower and middle intertidal zones. Each treatment was replicated five times at each site; erosion stakes within each replicate allowed measurement of changes in sedimentation. After one year in the field, the living shoreline treatments that contained oyster shells (oyster shell only and oyster shell + S. alterniflora) vertically accreted on average 4.9 cm of sediment at two of the sites, and an average of 2.9 cm of sediment at the third, while the controls lost an average of 0.5 cm of sediment. S. alterniflora did not significantly contribute to the accretion at any site due to seagrass wrack covering and killing plants within one month of deployment. Next, the reduction in wave energy caused by these living shoreline stabilization techniques relative to bare sediment (control) was quantified. The energy reduction immediately after deployment, and the change in energy reduction when S. alterniflora had been allowed to grow for one year, and the stabilized shell was able to recruit oysters for one year was tested. Laboratory experiments were conducted in a nine-meter long wave tank using capacitance wave gauges to ultimately measure changes in wave height before and after treatments. Wave energy was calculated for each newly deployed and one-year old shoreline stabilization treatment. Boat wake characteristics from CANA shorelines were measured in the field and used as inputs to drive the physical modeling. Likewise, in the wave tank, the topography adjacent to the shell midden sites was measured and replicated. Oyster shell plus S. alterniflora attenuated significantly more wave energy than either the shells or plants alone. Also, one-year old treatments attenuated significantly more energy than the newly deployed treatments. The combination of one-year old S. alterniflora plus live oysters reduced 67% of the wave energy. With the information gathered from both the field and wave experiments, CANA chose to utilize living shorelines to stabilize three shell middens within the park. Oyster shell, marsh grass and two types of mangroves (Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia germinans) were deployed on the intertidal zones of the eroding middens. Significant accretion occurred at all middens. Two sites (Castle Windy and Garver Island) vertically accreted an average 2.3 cm of sediment after nine months, and six months respectively, and the other site (Hong Kong) received on average 1.6 cm of sediment after six months. All control areas (no stabilization) experienced sediment loss, with erosion up to 5.01 cm at Hong Kong. Plant survival was low (< 20%) at Castle Windy and Garver Island, while Hong Kong had moderate survival (48-65%). Of the surviving marsh grass and mangroves on the three sites, almost all (> 85%) had documented growth in the form of increased height or the production on new shoots. Landowners facing shoreline erosion issues, including park managers at CANA, can use this information in the future to create effective shoreline stabilization protocols. Even though the techniques will vary from location to location, the overall goal of wave attenuation while maintaining shoreline habitat remains. As the research associated with the effectiveness of living shorelines increases, we hope to see more landowners and land managers utilize this form of soft stabilization to armor shorelines.M.S.
Masters
Biology
Sciences
Biology
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Wunderly, Martin A. "Defining Zostera marina (Eelgrass) Restoration Sites in Virginia's Coastal Bays with Aerial Images and Bathymetric Mapping." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1261160088.
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Brendecke, William Walter. "THE EFFECT OF COLLECTION AND ESTABLISHMENT SEASON, PLANTING ORIENTATION AND ATTACHED CULMS ON THE SURVIVAL AND GROWTH OF ARUNDINARIA GIGANTEA (WALT.) MUHL. (GIANT CANE) RHIZOME PROPAGULES." OpenSIUC, 2008. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/462.
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Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl. (giant cane) is a native North American bamboo. The mass assemblages of giant cane stems (culms) can form monotypic stands called "canebrakes" with historic distribution encompassing floodplains of the southeastern United States. Canebrake ecosystems have served as an important habitat for a variety of mammalian, avian, and reptilian species due in part by the protective nature the dense culms provide. Also, giant cane also can serve as an effective riparian zone buffer for the protection of water quality. Land conversion and altered disturbance regimes have reduced cane to 2% of historical accounts. Consistently, there is great interest in restoring canebrake ecosystems. However, canebrake restoration efforts face difficulties such as infrequent seeding and low viability, limited availability of seedlings or rhizome planting stock, and inefficient establishment and management techniques. To address these problems, two studies were designed to further develop giant cane propagation thereby aiding management efforts intended in restoring canebrake ecosystems. Study 1 (greenhouse) objective was to compare the survivability and growth responses of bare rhizomes and rhizomes with attached and trimmed culms with different planting orientation. Study design was a randomized complete block with approximately 20 rhizomes of each propagule type (bare rhizomes, rhizomes with culms trimmed to 3cm and rhizomes with culms trimmed to 20cm) planted in two orientations (buried flat or angled and partially exposed) in each of 4 benches (N=239). Propagule type and planting orientation were determined randomly. After six months, propagule survival was 86% and was independent of orientation (chi square 1df = 1.56, p=0.212) and propagule type (chi square 2df =3.88, p=3.88). There was an interaction between planting orientation and propagule type for the number of new rhizomes and culms, above ground biomass, but not for newly formed rhizome diameter or cumulative culm and rhizome length. Rhizome propagules with attached trimmed culms produced, on average, one more rhizome and were 71 cm longer than newly formed rhizomes from the bare rhizome propagules. Planting orientation had no effect on any measured character of long culmed propagules, burying the short-culmed or bare rhizomes tended to reduce growth responses. However, among exposed propagules, growth responses tended to be similar. Study 2 (field-scale) objective was to determine if genotype (3 collection sources) and collection season/ planting season (C/P) (fall/fall, fall/spring, spring/spring) affect survival and growth of giant cane. Study design was a randomized complete block design with between 12 and 20 bare rhizomes per each of 3 collection sources (subplots) planted in each of 3 rows (collection season/ planting season main plots) blocked 6 times across 2 sites (N=2086). Location of collection sources within subplots and C/P within plots were randomly chosen. Rhizomes were planted in rows using a tree planter. Mean survival of cane plants after one growing season was similar at each site with a mean of 11.1%. Survival was dependent on collection source and C/P seasons. Survival ranged from a high of 38.3% for the spring/spring planted Upper Cache River source to 0.4% for two of the other 9 treatment combinations. Collecting and planting rhizomes in the spring for two of the three collection sources produced the highest percent survival compared to stock collected in the fall then planted or stored until spring. These results suggest the importance of collection source, collection season, planting season, propagule morphology and orientation on the survival and new growth of giant cane in southern Illinois.
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Tiwari, Ekta. "ASSESSMENT OF CANINE BLADDER FUNCTION RESTORATION USING BEHAVIORAL MONITORING AND IN-VIVO ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2019. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/590674.
Full textAbstract:
Electrical and Computer EngineeringPh.D.
Spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders can disturb the regulation of normal bladder function including continence and micturition. Developing new neuronal pathways by surgically rerouting nerves is a potential approach for restoring bladder function. Our laboratory successfully rerouted somatic nerves to the anterior vesical branch of the pelvic nerve to reinnervate the bladder muscle in canines. Electrical stimulation of these transferred nerves induced detrusor pressure and bladder emptying and we confirmed regrowth of these rerouted nerves using retrograde neurotracing methods. In these studies, reinnervation was proved at 1st and 3rd months after decentralization. We believe that our aim of developing an approach to surgically reinnervate the bladder after long-term decentralization is critical to the success of the reinnervation surgery due to the possibility that patients would delay having a surgery until they try other non-surgical approaches or therapies. We also demonstrated the reinnervation of urethral and anal sphincters by femoral to pudendal nerve transfer after sacral ventral root transection to restore continence. However, these studies did not demonstrate the reinnervation of bladder, urethra and anal sphincter, all in same animal that would be helpful to human patients with lower motor neuron lesioned bladders to restore both continence and emptying. Therefore, prior to applying these surgical procedures to human patients, further investigation is required to prove the effectiveness of nerve transfer strategies in this canine model using multiple experimental techniques. This dissertation is a part of a larger project in canines examining whether surgical rerouting of obturator to pelvic nerve and sciatic to pudendal nerve allows restoration of bladder, urethral and anal sphincter functions, including continence (storage) and emptying (voiding and defecation) functions, in lower motor neuron lesioned bladders. In this study, it was aimed to explore bladder and urethral reinnervation using behavioral observation and in-vivo electrophysiological techniques. In order to completely prove that the reinnervation surgeries are responsible for restoration of bladder and urethral functions, it was first necessary to demonstrate the absence of these functions in animals with long term decentralized bladders and to determine whether the same animals were able to recover functions after reinnervation. In specific aim 1, we addressed this goal by tracking squat-and-void behaviors at monthly intervals after decentralization and reinnervation, using home cage video recordings and evaluation of bladder sensation and emptying after bladder filling. Immediately prior to euthanasia, reinnervation was also explored by electrical stimulation of transferred nerves to evaluate motor function. Retrograde neuronal tracing was also performed to explore sensory reinnervation. Results showed evidence of functional restoration of bladder and urethral function in reinnervated animals based on behavior observation and electrical stimulation of transferred nerves. Also, regrowth of neuronal cells in the new neuronal pathways was observed that were developed by the nerve transfer surgeries. This study also aimed to establish an electroneurogram recording method (part of in-vivo electrophysiological experiments) to explore afferent (sensory) neuronal activity in transferred nerves induced by bladder filling. However, the extraction of neuronal activity from the peripheral nerves is a challenging task. Several factors including noise, interference from surrounding muscle activities and the electronic components can affect these microvolts level recordings. Choice of recording electrode in configuration with the whole recording setup also plays a significant role while performing these low amplitude signal recordings. In specific aim 2, we addressed this issue by refining electroneurogram recording techniques to obtain high strength signal during multifiber recording. We first developed custom electrodes, suitable for varying nerve diameters and available implantation sites, were tested for functionality. Then, we performed multiple testing using these electrodes with different amplifiers to calibrate noise in saline. Testing results helped to establish the recording setup suitable for in-vivo experimental environment. Later, these refined techniques were applied to record afferent (sensory) activity of sciatic nerves and afferent (sensory) and efferent (motor) activity of hypogastric nerves in rats. Based on the recording results, it was aimed to employ similar techniques in order to record nerve activity in the canine model. Prior to applying these refined techniques to explore sensory reinnervation from new neuronal pathways after nerve transfer surgeries, in specific aim 3, we aimed to assess the hypogastric nerve activity in normal intact and acutely lumbosacral decentralized bladders using these refined techniques. The effects of electrical stimulation of hypogastric nerves or lumbar roots on detrusor pressure were determined, as were effects of isoflurane versus propofol anesthetics on hypogastric nerve stimulation evoked pressure. Hypogastric nerve activity was recorded using custom-made bipolar cuff electrodes during bladder filling. To confirm or refute that any increase in electroneurogram during bladder filling is due to afferent activity from the end organ, the hypogastric nerve was transected between the recording electrode and the spinal cord and the effects of bladder filling on afferent but not efferent activity were recorded. Results showed that electrical stimulation of hypogastric nerves evoked low amplitude detrusor pressures that did not differ between the two anesthetics. Upper lumbar (L2) ventral root stimulation evoked detrusor pressures were suppressed, yet not eliminated after transection of hypogastric nerves and all spinal roots below L5. Afferent and efferent hypogastric nerve activity did not change with bladder filling in neuronally intact bladders but decreased in decentralized bladders. No change in afferent activity were observed during bladder filling in normal intact and decentralized bladders. Overall findings in this research indicate that the new neuronal pathways created by nerve transfer can restore bladder sensation and emptying function in lower motor neuron-lesioned canines. A more complete decentralized bladder model needs to include transection of both the lumbosacral spinal roots innervating the bladder and the hypogastric nerves prior to performing nerve transfer surgeries. The refined electroneurogram recording methods may be suitable for evaluating the effectiveness of nerve transfer surgeries by monitoring the sensory activities of the transferred nerve.
Temple University--Theses
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Alverio, Gustavo. "DISCUSSION ON EFFECTIVE RESTORATION OF ORAL SPEECH USING VOICE CONVERSION TECHNIQUES BASED ON GAUSSIAN MIXTURE MODELING." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2007. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/2909.
Full textAbstract:
Today's world consists of many ways to communicate information. One of the most effective ways to communicate is through the use of speech. Unfortunately many lose the ability to converse. This in turn leads to a large negative psychological impact. In addition, skills such as lecturing and singing must now be restored via other methods. The usage of text-to-speech synthesis has been a popular resolution of restoring the capability to use oral speech. Text to speech synthesizers convert text into speech. Although text to speech systems are useful, they only allow for few default voice selections that do not represent that of the user. In order to achieve total restoration, voice conversion must be introduced. Voice conversion is a method that adjusts a source voice to sound like a target voice. Voice conversion consists of a training and converting process. The training process is conducted by composing a speech corpus to be spoken by both source and target voice. The speech corpus should encompass a variety of speech sounds. Once training is finished, the conversion function is employed to transform the source voice into the target voice. Effectively, voice conversion allows for a speaker to sound like any other person. Therefore, voice conversion can be applied to alter the voice output of a text to speech system to produce the target voice. The thesis investigates how one approach, specifically the usage of voice conversion using Gaussian mixture modeling, can be applied to alter the voice output of a text to speech synthesis system. Researchers found that acceptable results can be obtained from using these methods. Although voice conversion and text to speech synthesis are effective in restoring voice, a sample of the speaker before voice loss must be used during the training process. Therefore it is vital that voice samples are made to combat voice loss.M.S.E.E.
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Engineering and Computer Science
Electrical Engineering MSEE
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Long, Tonya Michele. "An assessment of sea turtle nesting behavior in relation to hurricane- and restoration-induced beach morphodynamics." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2010. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4527.
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Coastal habitats are highly dynamic and vulnerable to landscape-level disturbances such as storms and restoration projects. Along the east coast of Florida these areas are particularly valuable as they provide significant nesting habitat for two sea turtle species, the threatened loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas). This coast was heavily impacted by three major hurricanes in 2004 and in some areas by large restoration projects in 2005. Recent remote sensing methods allow for broad evaluation of the shoreline and thus the ability to assess sea turtle nesting habitat at a landscape scale. I collected nesting data for southern Brevard County, Florida from 1989-2005 and for Canaveral National Seashore, Florida from 1995-2005. I used LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and IfSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) remote sensing to map sea turtle nesting habitat in both areas following the 2004 hurricanes and any subsequent restoration. Canaveral National Seashore underwent no restoration while southern Brevard County received extensive restoration. Topographic variables (e.g., total sand volume, width, and slope) derived from the remote sensing data were compared across three time periods (pre-hurricane, post-hurricane, and recovery period) and I compared nesting success data from 2004 to 2005. I built regression models for 2004 and 2005 to determine which topographic features influenced loggerhead and green turtle nesting the most. Green turtle nesting success declined from 2004 to 2005 only in highly restored areas while loggerhead nesting sucess declined throughout. Hurricanes caused a reduction in most of the topographic variables and restoration predominantly impacted aspects of the beach profile (e.g. slope and width).; Loggerheads responded to profile characteristics (e.g. upper and lower beach slopes) though green turtles showed no consistent response to topography. The results indicate that both loggerheads and green turtles are sensitive to beach restoration, although loggerhead nesting is more influenced by beach morphology and green turtle nesting may be influenced more by other dune features such as vegetation cover.ID: 028916930; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (M.S.)--University of Central Florida, 2010.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-72).
M.S.
Masters
Department of Biology
Sciences
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Suriano, April Rose. "Distinct Subpopulations in Biofilms of Streptococcus mutans and their Response to Sugar Starvation and Restoration." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2012. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/187730.
Full textAbstract:
Microbiology and ImmunologyPh.D.
Streptococcus mutans is a secondary colonizer of the dental plaque biofilm and is the primary causative agent of dental caries. Sugar metabolism is central to S. mutans growth and survival. S. mutans produces lactic acid as an end product of sugar metabolism, which results in dissolution of the tooth enamel, leading to dental cavities. Sucrose metabolism also results in the formation of extracellular dextrans that are a key component of the extracellular matrix that encases the bacteria in the biofilm. The availability of sugars is dependent on diet, on competition with other bacteria and on the location of the bacteria within the dental plaque. I hypothesize there are distinct subpopulations of S. mutans within biofilms that respond differently to environmental conditions. I have identified several genetic markers that are helping us identify and characterize some of these subpopulations, and how they react to starvation and to the restoration of nutrients in single species biofilms of S. mutans. Two of the loci that were identified as markers via microarray analysis are rpsT and pdh. rpsT encodes a small ribosomal protein which is strongly expressed during exponential growth, when the cells are producing high levels of ribosomes. The other marker, pdh, is a four-gene operon encoding the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex; pdh is upregulated in late stationary phase. Our laboratory has recently shown that expression of the pdh operon is important for long-term survival in stationary phase, where a subpopulation (~0.5%) is dividing, forms long chains and expresses pdh. In the current studies, rpsT and pdh promoters driving expression of gfp were used to identify the exponential phase subpopulation (rpsT) and a subpopulation capable of surviving in late stationary phase (pdh). In addition, I developed an unstable variant of GFP by fusing a proteolytic tag sequence to the C-terminus of GFP (encoded by ugfp). When the rpsT promoter was inserted upstream, uGFP was produced and subsequently degraded within about 1.5 hours of translation. This behavior allowed us to distinguish exponentially growing cells, as the signal diminishes once the cells entered stationary phase. In biofilms that had been starved for 10 days, there was no expression of PrpsTugfp. I observed that when sucrose was added to these biofilms, some bacteria within the biofilm microcolonies underwent fast exponential-like growth indicated by expression of PrpsT-ugfp. Within 24 hours of the sucrose addition, most growth had ceased and fluorescence had decreased. Using a Ppdh-gfp construct in bacteria in 10-day starved biofilms, fluorescence was observed in long chains of cells within the biofilms indicating slow growth. I hypothesized that the pdh-expressing cells were capable of responding to sucrose restoration and would be one of the principal subpopulations to do so. However, when sucrose was added, these fluorescing chains did not exhibit any growth, while other non-fluorescing bacteria within the biofilm clearly responded to the sucrose by growing. This was unexpected since inactivating the pdh operon leads to drastically reduced survival. It is concluded that pdh plays a role in long term survival, but pdhexpressers do not appear to respond to sugar restoration. This led me to hypothesize that the pdh-expressing population is interacting with other populations of cells in some capacity, enabling them to survive. To determine if this was the case, we performed a mixed culture experiment with wild-type S. mutans and the pdh null mutant. I observed that when these two strains were grown in co-culture, the pdh null mutant survived at low levels, for over 30 days, while this mutant by itself typically did not survive past ten days. This result indicates that the wild-type strain was able to interact with the mutant, leading to increased survival. In biofilms, it seems possible that the pdh-expressing cells secrete a substance or directly interact with other cells, somehow promoting their survival in the starved biofilm. The fluorescent constructs appear to mark distinct populations of cells that respond in different ways to sugar availability, suggesting that S. mutans forms a mixed population of cells able to grow in the presence of sugar or survive prolonged sugar starvation. These studies demonstrate that indeed subpopulations of cells do exist within biofilms, and their interactions may be more complex than previously thought.
Temple University--Theses
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Ren, Qiangguo. "A Novel Market-based Multi-agent System for Power Balance and Restoration in Power Networks." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2018. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/506931.
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Electrical and Computer EngineeringPh.D.
Power networks are one of the most complex systems in the field of electrical and computer engineering. In power networks, power supply-demand balancing can be achieved in a static or a dynamic model. In a static model, the power network cannot be easily adapted to intentional or unintentional network topology changes because the network design is predetermined, whereas in a dynamic model, the power network can be dynamically constructed and reconfigured at run-time, which leads to a more nimble, flexible, and stable system. In this dissertation, a novel Market-based Multi-agent System (MMS) is proposed to solve supply-demand balancing and power restoration problems in a dynamic model. The power network is modeled as a market environment consisting of Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) agents representing three characters: 1) consumer, 2) supplier, and 3) middleman. The BDI agents are able to negotiate power supply and demand of the power network, with consumers exploring the market and exchanging power information with neighboring middlemen and suppliers. So long as all consumers and suppliers establish supply-demand relationships represented in tree data structures, a qualified minimal access structure is found as the lower bound of the system reliability. When contingencies occur, the agents can quickly respond and restore loads guided by the relationships using minimum computational resource. Based on case studies and simulation results, the proposed approach delivers more effective performance of contingencies response and better computation time efficiency as the scale of the power network expands. The proposed MMS shows promises for solving various real-world power supply-demand and restoration problems, and serves as a solid foundation for future power networks refinement and improvement.
Temple University--Theses
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Lommen, Candice M. "How does the use of digital photography affect student observation skills and data collection during outdoor field studies?" Montana State University, 2012. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2012/lommen/LommenC0812.pdf.
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The purpose of this project was to determine if adding digital photography as a tool for collecting data during outdoor field study would increase student engagement and also improve the quality of the data students brought back to the classroom. Too often my students would come in from the field with data that focused on surface or irrelevant features. They were unable to use their data to make connections to the ecology concepts we were learning in the classroom. During the non-treatment phase of the study, students recorded all of their data through drawings and written observations. While at their plots, students inventoried the vegetation present and also took specific measurements such as tree circumference, canopy cover and invasive plant cover. Before taking the cameras out to the field, students practiced with the macro settings to take close up pictures of vegetation brought into the classroom. During the treatment phase, students took digital cameras out to their new plots to inventory and measure plants. Student engagement data was measured using a self-assessment questionnaire, outside observer behavior checklist and teacher field journal. Although interest and engagement were high for most students during the entire study, students who were not initially engaged in the field study activities reported higher engagement levels when cameras were used. The outside observer and teacher journal data supported this finding. The quality of student data was measured using both the student self-assessment questionnaire and drawing or photo rubrics. Rubric scores increased when students used photographs, rather than drawings, to write observations. Students felt they had more to write about when looking at their pictures as compared to their drawings. Interestingly, students reported they wrote less while at their plots when they had the camera, relying on their pictures to tell the story of their plot. Using photos only slightly increased students' ability to positively identify their plants. Pictures lacked those complex features that would enable students to easily work their way through a basic key. To increase the complexity of observations, additional content knowledge about plant structure and ecology is needed.
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Suazo, Alexis. "RESPONSES OF SMALL RODENTS TO RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES OF FLORIDA SCRUB AT CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FLORID." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2007. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4335.
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Proper habitat management is essential for the survival and reproduction of species, especially those listed under state or federal laws as endangered, threatened or of special concern, and those with small local populations. Land managers use a combination of mechanical cutting and prescribed burning to manage and restore degraded scrub habitat in east central Florida. This approach improves habitat for the endangered Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), but little is known about its effects on other taxa, especially the threatened southeastern beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris). This single species approach may not be beneficial to other taxa, and mechanical cutting and prescribed burning may have detrimental effects on P. p. niveiventris. To evaluate the effects of land management techniques on P. p. niveiventris, I live trapped populations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station near Titusville, Florida during 2004-2005. I evaluated the relative abundance and related demographic parameters of small mammal populations trapped in compartments under different land management treatments, and investigated the relationship between Florida scrub-jay breeding groups using these compartments and abundance of southeastern beach mice. My results suggest that P. p. niveiventris responded positively to prescribed burning, while the cotton mouse (P. gossypinus) responded positively to the mechanical cutting. Reproduction and body mass of southeastern beach mice were similar across land management compartments. Abundance of Florida scrub-jay breeding groups and southeastern beach mice were positively correlated suggesting that both listed species benefited from the same land management activities. A mosaic of burned and cut patches should be maintained to support small mammal diversity. In addition, adaptive management should be used at CCAFS to understand how small mammals, particularly the southeastern beach mouse, respond to land management activities.M.S.
Department of Biology
Sciences
Biology
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Switala-Elmhurst, Katherine. "Life Cycle Assessment of Residential Windows: Analyzing the Environmental Impact of Window Restoration versus Window Replacement." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2014. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/275743.
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Civil EngineeringPh.D.
New windows are rated based on their energy performance during the use phase. This rating neglects the overall environmental impact caused by raw material extraction, manufacturing, maintenance and disposal. Due to the number of residential window replacements occurring today in the United States, there is a growing need to quantify the sustainability of window preservation as an alternative to window replacement. This study assessed the environmental impact of historic wood window restoration versus window replacement for the entire "cradle to grave" life cycle of the window assembly. This study focused on a typical, mid-twentieth century housing development in the Northeast United States using four window configurations as follows: 1. Restored original wood window with a new exterior aluminum storm window; 2. PVC replacement window; 3. Aluminum-clad wood replacement window; 4. Wood replacement window. The dissertation assessed the life cycle of window configurations using GaBi Software. The life cycle inventories were analyzed using the TRACI 2.1 impact method which translated the environmental consequences of the life cycle assessment processes into quantifiable environmental impacts. The dissertation also considered window thermal performance and life cycle costs. When considering life cycle environmental impacts, thermal performance, energy savings and material costs, the results indicated that wood window restoration was the best option when compared to replacement windows considered in this study; however, the results indicated that building service life and window service life assumptions could impact results. Thermal performance testing of windows revealed that window restoration techniques undertaken in this study improved the window's overall thermal performance. The testing also indicated that the effects of air infiltration had minimal influence on the performance of the restored window assembly when compared to a high performance replacement window. The results of the energy model exhibited only a small annual energy savings between the restored window assembly and a high performance replacement window. The payback cost analysis revealed that, while there was an immediate financial benefit of window replacement with the PVC option, window replacement frequency and overall life cycle environmental impacts would favor the restored window option.
Temple University--Theses
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Daniels, Aisha J. "The What If Collection." VCU Scholars Compass, 2019. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5865.
Full textAbstract:
The What If Collection is a visual narrative that confronts white supremacy, the social, economic, and political ideology used to subjugate black civilization via colonial rule and enslavement in history and via structural racism today. Many white people have been socialized into a racial illiteracy that fosters white supremacy. This racial illiteracy fails to realize and understand the destructive effects of Western dominance on the rest of the world, particularly on past and present Africa and her diaspora. In response, utilizing discursive design, the collection constructs a counter-story that depicts a shift in the power structure in which the white oppressor is placed in the historical experience of the black oppressed. Moving forward from the past, a contemporary society is visualized where black people are the dominant force.
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Wall, Lisa Michele. "RECRUITMENT AND RESTORATION OF THE OYSTER CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA IN AREAS WITH INTENSE BOATING ACTIVITY IN MOSQUITO LAGOON, FLORIDA." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2004. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4499.
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Productivity, diversity and survival of estuaries are threatened by explosive coastal population growth and associated recreational activities. One major area of recreational growth has been the number of small pleasure craft motoring in shallow waters at high speeds. On the east coast of Central Florida in the Indian River Lagoon system, intense boating activity occurs year-round and intertidal reefs of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica with dead margins (piles of disarticulated shells) on their seaward edges are commonly found adjacent to major boating channels. The cause(s) of the dead margins is unclear. However, the disarticulated shells may be reducing reef sustainability if these surfaces are unavailable for larvae. Recruitment trials were run on eight reefs (4 with dead margins, 4 without) in three 8-week trials in 2001/2002. Significant differences were found for location on reef and season. For survival of recruits, significant differences were found for reef type, location on reef, and season. Sediment loads, percent silt/clay, and relative water motion were all found to be significantly higher on impacted reefs. Spring months were found to be the optimal time for larval recruitment to increase larval set and survival and to also decrease the effects of sedimentation and water motion. Based on these results, experimental restoration began May 2003 to develop an ecologically and economically feasible restoration protocol for this intertidal region. Four different densities of shells (0, 16, 25, 36) were attached to vexar mesh mats (45 X 45 cm) displaying shells perpendicular to the substrate. 360 mats were randomly deployed at one of six identified optimum recruitment locations. Recruitment increased through June and was significantly higher on mats with 36 shells. This was followed by a large, expected decline in recruitment and survival in July/August, due to competition, predation and/or extreme high temperatures. Total live oysters on the restoration mats significantly increased during October 2003 through February 2003. These newly-created oyster reefs are moveable and provide optimal substrate and larval set to be transported post-recruitment to areas resource managers have slated for restoration to aid in reef sustainability. To determine the potential negative effects of flow and sediment levels on oyster larval settlement, which may be associated with an increase in boating actitivity, laboratory experiments were conducted. Eighteen trials, with competent oyster larvae, nine in flowing-water and nine in still-water were run at three sediment levels: no sediment, low sediment, and high sediment loads. Larval settlement was significantly higher in the still-water trials and both high and low sediment loads significantly reduced larval settlement.M.S.
Department of Biology
Arts and Sciences
Biology
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Hays, Allison Whitney. "Determining the impacts of beach restoration on loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting patterns and reproductive success along Florida's Atlantic coast." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5295.
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Artificial beach nourishment, the most common method to mitigate coastal erosion in the United States, is also considered the most ecologically friendly alternative for shoreline stabilization. However, this habitat alteration has the potential to impact nesting marine turtles and developing hatchlings. The first objective of this study was to determine how nourishing beaches with two different design templates affects loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting success, the ratio of nests to the total number of nests and non-nesting emergences, and reproductive success, the ratio of hatched and emerged hatchlings to the total number of eggs deposited. Two types of restoration designs exist along the southern Brevard County, FL coastline, which supports some of the highest density loggerhead and green turtle nesting worldwide. Since 2005, approximately 35 kilometers of beach have undergone 1) full-scale restoration (typically called nourishment), where sand was added above and below the mean high tide line (2005, 2010) or 2) dune restoration, where sand was placed on the dune (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009). To quantify the effects of these restoration types, we used a Before-After-Control-Impact-Paired Series (BACIPS) model, which tests for significance between the difference in nesting success rates at the impact (engineered) and control sites (natural beach) before and after restoration ([delta]). For loggerheads, there was a significant difference in [delta] after dune restoration during the years of construction (2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009; p<0.001) and one year post-construction (2007; p<0.05 and 2010; p<0.001). After full-scale restoration, there was a significant difference in [delta] during the years of construction (2005 and 2010; p <0.001) and one year post-construction (2006; p<0.001). For green turtles, there was a significant difference in [delta] after dune restoration during two of the four years of construction (2006; p<0.05 and 2008; p<0.01) and one of the two one-year post-construction years (2010; p<0.05). After full-scale restoration, the significant difference in [delta] lasted every season (2005-2010; p<0.001). There were no significant differences in [delta] for loggerhead or green turtle reproductive success rates after either type of restoration. The second objective was to use the different restoration designs to study what beach characteristics function as loggerhead nesting cues to explain why altering the beach decreases nesting success rates. We examined beach elevation and slope, sand moisture content, sand grain size, beach width, and distance traveled. Logistic regression model selection found all variables were important (R2=0.75). Further examination of trends, with each crawl divided into quarters, found beach slope served as a nesting cue. In all study sites except one, when turtles false crawled, the beach flattened out in the final quarter of the crawl. Conversely, in nesting emergences, the final quarter rose at a steeper slope than the previous quarter. Additionally, model selection found variables important in nest site selection were also important in hatching (R2=0.44) and emergence (R2=0.45) success. These results offer new insight into how and why marine turtle nesting patterns change after artificial nourishment, providing information necessary to nourish beaches in a more “turtle-friendly” manner.ID: 031001543; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Adviser: John Weishampel.; Co-adviser: Llewellyn Ehrhart.; Title from PDF title page (viewed August 22, 2013).; Thesis (M.S.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 84-90).
M.S.
Masters
Biology
Sciences
Biology
35
Roberts, Sean Anthony. "A GENE THERAPY APPROACH TO THE INHIBITION OF HIV-1 REPLICATION BY RESTORATION OF INNATE ANTIVIRAL DEFENSE PATHWAYS." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2010. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/99935.
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Microbiology and ImmunologyPh.D.
Since it emerged as an infectious agent in 1981, the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is continually disseminated and remain fatal to the majority of those infected. Strategies including highly active retroviral therapies (HAART) with nucleoside analogues and protease inhibitors have shown limited success in therapy due to the virus' ability to evolve rapidly at every replication cycle as a consequence of it's highly error prone reverse transcriptase, generating resistant retroviral strains and in addition to latent HIV-1 reservoirs. Thirty years of research efforts to find a cure or to generate a vaccine has been met with failure. It is, therefore, of necessity to broaden our paradigm of therapy for the treatment and eventual cure of HIV-1 infection. In this study, I look beyond the current anti-retroviral strategies and instead rely on the mammalian host immune system to inhibit HIV-1 replication through molecular genetic manipulation. Here, we approach the inhibition of HIV-1 replication by up-regulation of the innate antiviral pathway that is natural to mammalian cells. HIV-1 derived self-inactivating lentiviral (SIN) vectors were designed and constructed to deliver the antiviral payloads of two antiviral enzymes, p68 kinase (PKR) and 2'-5' oligoadenlyate synthetase (2-5OAS), to target cell, SupT1 lymphoblastoid cells and CD4+ T lymphocytes under the control of a constitutive cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. These data here demonstrates a significant inhibition of HIV-1 replication in cells transduced with the anti HIV-1 transgenes PKR and 2-5OAS as determined by HIV-1 induced syncytia formation and HIV-1 p24 antigen capture assay. Furthermore, here demonstrated is an increase up-regulation of PKR and 2-5OAS 96 hr post cell transduction in all the clones when compared to pHIV empty vector control. These results demonstrate that the over-expression of PKR and 2-5OAS can inhibit HIV-1 replication and also confirm the involvement of PKR and 2-5OAS in the IFN-associated antiviral pathway against HIV-1 infection.
Temple University--Theses
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Iepson, Sarah M. "Postmortem Relationships: Death and the Child in Antebellum American Visual Culture." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2013. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/236801.
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Art HistoryPh.D.
Since Roland Barthes published Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography in 1982, the prevailing theory about photography has revolved around its primary role as a manifestation of transience, death, and mortality. Whether one promotes the philosophy that the photographic image steals away the soul and promotes death, or that it simply captures images of those that have died or will die, the photograph has been commonly interpreted as a visual reminder of the finality of human life. At no time does such an interpretation appear to be more tangibly true than during the mid-nineteenth century when the photograph was commonly used to preserve the actual visage of death in post- mortem portraiture. Here, death is not suggested or implied, but is vividly present. However, the theoretical emphasis that Barthes placed on death has limited our understanding of such images by eliding other meanings historically associated with them. As an addendum to Barthes, I propose that post-mortem images - particularly those of children - represent a more complex relationship between life and death as it pertained to nineteenth-century American culture. Moreover, I believe that it is important to consider post-mortem photography in tandem with painted mourning portraiture, and to contemplate both within a larger visual and cultural context in order to gain a more holistic understanding of these images in antebellum America. My dissertation will re-situate post-mortem representations of children within the material and religious culture of antebellum America, amid evolving historical beliefs about the life of children, the concept of childhood, and ideas about child-rearing, not just postmodern theoretical notions of death. My particular focus on children responds to the poignancy of childhood death in antebellum America and the way in which these images particularly embody the belief in continued existence through the afterlife. By placing such images within the wider context of nineteenth-century culture, I will demonstrate that life existed in death for antebellum Americans through the physical or material presence of the photograph along with Christian spiritual associations regarding the soul and the afterlife. In other words, belief in an ongoing relationship between material and immaterial "bodies" was exteriorized in the painted or photographic representation of the physical corpse, enabling antebellum Americans to interpret the image as both the icon and physical residue of the soul. I will demonstrate that the materiality of the post- mortem image allowed antebellum Americans to preserve that sense of life within death. While the material presence of the image acted as a reflection of "being," spiritual beliefs in a heavenly afterlife permitted nineteenth-century viewers to meditate on the perpetuation, rather than the impermanence, of existence. While this complex historical dimension of post-mortem imagery - a dimension largely ignored by Barthes - provides the central focus of my dissertation, I will also analyze how these images were produced, commissioned, displayed, viewed, touched, cherished, and otherwise utilized in antebellum American culture.
Temple University--Theses
37
Hughes, Brian. "Characterizing the Immobile Region of the Hyporheic Zone through the use of Hydrologic and Geophysical Techniques at Crabby Creek, PA, USA." Master's thesis, Temple University Libraries, 2011. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/142867.
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GeologyM.S.
At Crabby Creek, an urbanized watershed in northeast Chester County, Pennsylvania, an NaCl tracer test was conducted in 2010 to assess changes in hyporheic flow from a 2009 tracer test around the same stream restoration J-Hook. This project compares the 2009 and 2010 tracer test breakthrough curves and geophysical time-lapse resistivity surveys. This project also compares elevation cross sections and tile probing from 2009 and 2010, both measured upstream and downstream from the J-Hook. To confirm areas of lingering tracer seen in the time-lapse resistivity profiles, sediment cores using the freeze core method were taken to measure pore water for tracer. This project also measured diurnal temperature flux through the streambed at several locations along the sample site to model vertical water and heat flux. The breakthrough graphs constructed from the conductivity of the well water samples shows similar hyporheic flow characteristics from 2009 to 2010. The time-lapse resistivity profiles show an area of lingering tracer upstream from the J-Hook in 2010 that is similar in shape and location to an area upstream from the J-Hook in the 2009 profiles. However, an area of lingering tracer downstream from the J-Hook present in 2009 as a round feature on the profile is now a thin linear feature. The freeze cores show tracer present in the pore water after the end of the tracer injection in the stream sediment, confirming areas of lingering tracer seen in the time-lapse resistivity profiles. The grain size analysis of the freeze cores and the comparison to the 2009 cores taken at Crabby Creek show similar grain size distribution upstream from the J-Hook. Downstream from the J-Hook the grain size analysis shows a redistribution of sediment. Upstream from the J-Hook the tile probe shows both shallower and deeper bedrock, a redistribution of sediment but no net erosion. Downstream from the restoration structure, however, the tile probe data show a sediment loss of 20 cm. Elevation cross section surveys from 2009 and 2010 confirm what the tile probing found, a loss of sediment downstream but not upstream from the J-Hook. Temperature modeling of heat flux through the sediment shows that the diurnal temperature distribution can be accounted for without vertical flux. Thus, the immobile regions upstream and downstream from the J-Hook seem to be related to sediment distribution rather than hydrologic gradient differences. The significance of this study shows the need to use multiple techniques to characterize the immobile zone as a part of hyporheic flow. The immobile zone is an important area of chemical reactions in the streambed. At Crabby Creek the central J-Hook inhibits net erosion patterns upstream from the structure, allowing for the continued presence of an immobile zone. Downstream from the central J-Hook the erosion of the streambed sediment led to a decrease in size and location of the immobile zone. The disturbance of sediment around restoration structures influences the development of a healthy hyporheic flow and needs to be studied for future restoration of impaired streams and riparian corridors.
Temple University--Theses
38
Grablow, Katherine. "RECOVERY AND RESTORATION OF THE SEAGRASS HALODULE WRIGHTII AFTER BOAT PROPELLER SCAR DAMAGE IN A POLE-TROLL ZONE IN MOSQUITO LAG." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2008. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4294.
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This study combined documentation of four boat propeller scar types in Halodule wrightii seagrass beds in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida with manipulative field experiments to document scar recovery times with and without restoration. Scar types ranged from the most severe scar type (Type 1) with trench formation which had no roots or shoots in the trench, to the least severe (Type 4) scars that had no depth, intact roots and shoots shorter than the surrounding canopy. For 110 measured existing scars, the frequency of each scar type was 56% for Type 1, 10% for Type 2, 7% for Type 3, and 27% for Type 4. In the first manipulative experiment, experimental scars were created to document the natural recovery time of H. wrightii for each scar severity within one year. Type 4 scars recovered to the control shoot density at 2 months, while Types 1, 2, and 3 scars did not fully recover in one year. Mean estimated recovery for H. wrightii is expected in 25 months for Type 1, and 19 months for Types 2 and 3. For the second manipulative experiment, three restoration methods were tested on the Type 1 scars over a 1 year period. Restoration methods included: (1) planting H. wrightii in the scar trench, (2) filling the trench with sand, and (3) filling with sand plus planting H. wrightii. There was complete mortality of all transplants at 2 months and only 25% of scars retained fill sand after 1 year. With dense adjacent seagrass beds, natural recovery was more successful than any of my restoration attempts. Thus, I suggest that managers should concentrate on preventing seagrass destruction rather than restoration.M.S.
Department of Biology
Sciences
Biology MS
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Lyon, Casey. "DEMOGRAPHIC CONSEQUENCES OF MANAGING FOR FLORIDA SCRUB-JAYS (APHELOCOMA COERULESCENS) ON AN ISOLATED PRESERVE." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2007. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/2805.
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Many species naturally occupy discrete habitat patches within a mosaic of habitats that vary in quality. The Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is endemic to Florida scrub, a habitat that is naturally patchy and greatly reduced in area over recent decades owing to development and urbanization. Because of this habitat loss, future management of Florida scrub-jays will focus on smaller, fragmented tracts of land. My study examines such a tract, Lyonia Preserve, southwest Volusia County, FL. This preserve was unoccupied by scrub-jays prior to habitat restoration. The preserve is now frequently managed exclusively for scrub-jays as a habitat island surrounded by development. Management of the preserve includes roller chopping, root raking, timbering, and "oak stripping" where islands of oak patches are left intact while the rest of the area is roller chopped. I investigate what, if any, demographic consequences may be associated with the habitat management and the spatial setting of the preserve. I used population data collected in this area since 1992 to examine population growth and responses to habitat restoration within the preserve and habitat destruction outside the preserve. I mapped territories and measured survival and recruitment of scrub-jays, and dispersal into and out of the study area, for two and a half years. Since restoration, the population has shown logistic growth, with the area supporting higher than average densities of scrub-jay family groups. Observed density of the population and territory size varied between study years. Breeder survival values were positively related to territory size and significantly lower during periods of highest observed density. However, recruitment (yearling production) showed no relationship to territory size. Dispersal to isolated habitat patches was observed; likewise, several failed dispersal events were noted. No immigration into the study area was observed; however these data may be underrepresented since not all scrub-jays in and outside of the preserve were banded, and data collection was limited during the initial colonization period. High densities inside the preserve may therefore be both a result of frequent habitat management in the form of mechanical treatment as well as crowding of individuals due to outside habitat destruction. The results indicate that carrying capacity of habitat for scrub-jays may be raised by frequent, mechanical management; however, if the area is isolated, management may result in high densities and negative demographic consequences, e.g., reduced breeder survival. Negative effects of management may be avoided by subjecting smaller areas to mechanical treatment with increased time between treatments. Land managed for Florida scrub-jays should be contiguous or connected with other scrub habitats so that surplus birds from the managed areas have a refuge and do not contribute to increased densities. Regulatory officials should use caution when allowing for "take" of scrub-jay habitat as the effects may extend beyond the local habitat being destroyed.M.S.
Department of Biology
Sciences
Biology MS
40
Collier, Shannon. "Constructing a Memory House: Preserving the Past through Personal Relics." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2005. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/750.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucfB.F.A
Bachelors
Arts and Sciences
Art
41
Balfour, Martha. "Abiotic Differences Between Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Nests in Natural Beach and Engineered Dunes: Effects on Hatching Success." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2010. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/2439.
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Habitat loss is among the biggest threats to conservation worldwide, so habitat restoration plays an increasing role in endangered species management. This is especially true for species with high site fidelity, such as nesting marine turtles. Sand replenishment is commonly used to restore coastal beaches after severe erosion events, and may affect marine turtles and other species that live or reproduce in that habitat. I investigated how abiotic characteristics of sand used in a dune restoration project at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, affected reproduction of the federally-endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Sand structure and composition can affect egg development and hatching success by altering nest conditions, with nests in fine-grain or very coarse sand suffering decreased hatching success. I determined that calcium carbonate content (27.0% ± 1.4 SE vs. 15.1% ± 3.8 SE), moisture content (3.29% ± 0.26 SE vs. 4.59% ± 0.25 SE), and grain size (427.53 μm ± 14.1 SE vs. 274.66 μm ± 29.1 SE) differed significantly between natural and restored dunes. Hatching success of green turtles (44.7% ± 6.2 SE vs. 65.8% ± 5.3 SE) was significantly lower on restored dunes compared to natural dunes with an estimated loss of 22,646 hatched eggs. Hatching success also decreased as the nesting season progressed. These results demonstrate the importance of regulating fill material used in beach restoration projects; substrate characteristics are easily evaluated and can significantly influence marine turtle hatching success.M.S.
Department of Biology
Sciences
Biology MS
42
Michaelis, Jessica. "The Restorative Effects of Color and Environment Type on Cognitive Functioning." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5828.
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Although individuals have limited directed attention capabilities, it has been shown that exposure to natural environments elicit cognitive restoration (i.e. Berman, 2008). It has also been shown that individuals prefer blue and green colors because they are relaxing and prompt happy feelings (Guilford & Smith, 1959; Mahnke, 1996; Wexner, 1954). The question however, is what aspects of nature elicit these effects: is it the natural colors, the environmental setting, or both? The present experiment will examine the effects of color (Blue, Green, Black and White, & Natural) and environmental setting (Urban, Foliage, & Aquatic) on measures of attention, short term memory, and mood. Additionally, this study was designed to replicate the findings of Berman et.al 2008, all while rigorously controlling for the pictorial content of its manipulation. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, no specific hypotheses were made. However, the goal of this research was to “tease apart” the effects of color and environment on the restoration of cognitive abilities. One hundred and nineteen non-color blind individuals completed pre and post tests for the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y-1), Backwards Digit Span, and the Attention Network Task and viewed one of the twelve color/environmental setting picture sets between the pre and posttests. Results of the 2x3x4 Mixed ANOVAs do not support past research which suggests that natural environments are restorative in nature.M.S.
Masters
Psychology
Sciences
Modeling and Simulation
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Midberry, Jennifer. "Visual Frames of War Photojournalism, Empathy, Compassion, and Information Seeking." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2016. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/377417.
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Media & CommunicationPh.D.
Although it has long been assumed that pictures depicting the human suffering of war evoke empathy and compassion, which leads to social action, there is little empirical evidence of that claim. This study aimed to fill the gap in visual communication theory about the effects of war photojournalism on media consumers' emotional and behavioral responses. This mixed methods design included a between-subjects experimental design tested whether photos (from conflicts in Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo) with a human-cost-of-war visual frame had significantly different effects on participants' levels of empathy, compassion, personal distress, other-oriented distress, and information seeking than pictures with a militarism visual frame. A second study used series of focus group discussions, to investigate how media consumers make meaning out of images of conflict. The findings expand our understanding about the way audiences react to conflict photos, and they have implications for how photo editors might present audiences with images of war that will engage audiences.
Temple University--Theses
44
Bellettiere, Giovanna Marie. "AMERICAN FEMINISM: THE CAMERA WORK OF ALICE AUSTEN, ALFRED STIEGLITZ, AND BERENICE ABBOTT." Master's thesis, Temple University Libraries, 2019. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/578947.
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Art HistoryM.A.
This thesis explores the work of photographers: Alice Austen, Alfred Stieglitz, and Berenice Abbott in relation to the American landscape of New York from approximately 1880 through 1940. Although the artwork of Georgia O’Keeffe is not addressed specifically, her role as an artist communicating her modern self image through Stieglitz’s photography is one area of focus in the second chapter. Previous scholarship has drawn parallels between women artists and photographers solely in terms related to their gender identity. In contrast, my project identifies a common theoretical thread that links the work of these artists: namely, that photography allowed professional women of this time to react and rise above the constrictions of gender expectations, and moreover, how their own attitudes based in feminist sensibility enabled them to fashion and broadcast bold, liberated self-images. Inspired by the radical transformations of women’s social roles in the United States, each artist produced photographs that represented the evolving role of women in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Using visual analysis and historical context associated with the “New Woman” movement, I argue that each artist discussed in this thesis not only challenges the domestic sphere conventionally assigned to women photographers, but also makes new strides by engaging in work that allows for them to autonomously travel within their own territories or new expansive locations. This thesis gives fresh insight as to how photography provided novel opportunities for elevating women’s place in society, as well as in the artistic realm. Overall, photography was an important tool for each artist as these three women act as agents of change by demonstrating a control of womanhood while the role of a female was beginning to become less constrained by the domestic and social norms of society.
Temple University--Theses
45
Joseph, Caberbe. "DEEP WITHIN." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2009. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/2794.
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As a contemporary photographer, I focus most on light and color to bring out the uniqueness of my images. Photography is about lighting and I manipulate lights to raise questions in my viewers. Manipulating light is my way of being curious about how it may change mood physically and emotionally. Inspired by classical paintings, I have developed a body of photographs that can be admired by anyone. Although the main focus of my work is light and color, this body of work is also intended to empower those with little confidence in themselves and those who have been rejected, abused, or mistrusted.M.F.A.
Department of Art
Arts and Humanities
Studio Art and the Computer MFA
46
O'Malley, Jennifer. "Life Support: Sustaining a Personal Aesthetic." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2005. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/785.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucfBachelors
Arts and Sciences
Fine Art
47
Brock, Kelly. "EFFECTS OF A SHORE PROTECTION PROJECT ON LOGGERHEAD AND GREEN TURTLE NESTING ACTIVITY AND REPRODUCTION IN BREVARD COUNTY, FLORID." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2005. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/2946.
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Marine turtle reproductive success is strongly correlated with the stability and quality of the nesting environment. Because females show fidelity to key nesting beaches, the management and physical characteristics of these beaches directly affect future generations of marine turtles and may be essential for the recovery of these threatened and endangered species. The impacts of beach restoration on loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and on green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were investigated. Previous studies concerning beach nourishment projects have focused on loggerhead turtles. I compared data between nourished and non-nourished areas and between loggerhead and green turtles. I found, at one season post-nourishment, negative effects on nesting success and no significant effect on reproductive success for both loggerheads and established the same relationships with green turtles. Physical attributes of the fill sand, which did not facilitate acute scarp formation or severe compaction, did not physically impede turtles in their attempts to nest. Instead, the decrease in nesting success was attributed to an absence of abiotic and or biotic factors that cue nesting behavior. The increase in loggerhead nesting success rates during the second season post-nourishment was attributed to the equilibration process of the seaward crest of the berm. After the beach was restored, both species of turtles placed nests significantly farther from the water in the nourished area than in the non-nourished area. Green turtles nested on or near the dune and loggerheads nested on the seaward crest of the berm. The tendency of loggerheads to nest closer to the water resulted in more loggerhead than green turtle nests being "washed out" by erosion during the equilibration process. There was a significant increase in hatching success only for loggerheads when wash outs were excluded, thus illustrating the importance of nest placement and the detrimental effects of the equilibration process to the reproductive success of loggerheads. A decrease in reproductive output occurred during the first season post-nourishment. The reduction in the estimated total number of hatchlings produced (reproductive output) was a consequence of decreased nesting success lowering nest numbers. This reduction demonstrates that, regardless of similar reproductive success rates, marine turtles incurred net losses during the first season following nourishment. These results further reveal the impacts of decreased nesting success and the importance of minimizing excessive non-nesting emergences associated with beach nourishment.M.S.
Department of Biology
Arts and Sciences
Biology
48
Bowles, Laurian Rebekah. "WIDENING THE LENS: EMBODIMENTS OF GENDER, WORK AND MIGRATION WITH MARKET WOMEN IN GHANA." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2011. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/114250.
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AnthropologyPh.D.
Women have legendary roles as traders who financially dominate the sale of various market goods in West Africa. Head porters are young women from Ghana's rural northern region who work as human transporters in the various markets in urban areas throughout the country. Kayayei (female head porters) who work at these famed markets are the focus of this dissertation. The north of Ghana is the agricultural breadbasket of the country, with strong Islamic influences that thrive in dispersed, mostly rural ethnic enclaves. This contrasts sharply with the service manufacturing and trade economies that mark Christian influenced southern Ghana. As young women migrants arrive in Accra, this dissertation focuses on narratives of head porters as they confront the multi-ethnic, hierarchical social climates of the city, particularly Accra's largest shopping venue, Makola Market. This dissertation uses theories in phenomenology, informed by feminist anthropology, to consider the political economy of Ghana in order to examine how head porter's lives are grounded with the development history and the spread of capitalism in the nation-state. Throughout this dissertation, attention is given to the widespread informalization of the economy in the nation-state and the role of head porters in these processes. Using a methodology of collaborative photography with kayayei, this dissertation examines the politics of visibility and analyzes the kinds of skills these women develop in order to survive and negotiate the socio-economic hierarchies of urban space. By situating the theoretical and methodological concerns of this research within the social realities of rural-urban migrants, this dissertation explores migration as a sensibility that acts upon various social terrains at markets in Accra, Ghana.
Temple University--Theses
49
Comparetto, Heather. "The Bed as Object and Metaphor." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5170.
Full textAbstract:
This series of work explores the nature of the bed as object and metaphor. The bed is an object where an action, such as thinking and laying awake takes place. In a metaphorical sense, the bed in my work represents moods and emotions that are psychologically tied to the bed. In this body of work I explore the relationship between the person and the bed. The bed represents not only an intimate space, but also a hiding place of retreat and self-imposed alienation. This series pulls from personal experience, influences such as Alison Brady and Sophie Callie, and select films that focus on the problems, issues, and decisions of the human condition. In my work I bring together formal qualities and conceptual content to create juxtaposition between beauty and mood. I am interested in visual poetry and formalism in photographs. Throughout all the photographic work I have created, I focus on using existing light and composing an image intuitively.ID: 031001562; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Title from PDF title page (viewed August 26, 2013).; Thesis (M.F.A.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 32).
M.F.A.
Masters
Visual Arts and Design
Arts and Humanities
Emerging Media; Studio Art and the Computer
50
Nienass, Sherri. "The Fabricated Shopping Experience: An Impersonal Impression on Consumerism." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5356.
Full textAbstract:
I have a compulsion to document my surroundings. I do this in all forms possible; through a picture text-message, a point-and-shoot camera, or through a high end camera. Like most women in contemporary society, I feel an expectation to be gorgeous. While I do not feel this pressure directly from my boyfriend or close friends, I am constantly surrounded by advertisements for beauty products enforcing the importance of being attractive. My current occupation as a cosmetic counter makeup artist relies on convincing women to enhance their appearance. I am fascinated by how easily I can persuade clients to purchase unnecessary products. My art is both a celebration and commentary on the beauty industry and contemporary consumerism. My approach to this series is varied and complex. The individuals photographed are unaware of their participation in the creation of my work. I do not intend to exploit the subjects or places that I photograph, rather my work comes from a very natural understanding of this environment based on several years working in a major department store. I attempt to attach multiple emotions of — empathy, humor, and sometimes sympathy — to the moments I capture. My work is not fabricated or recreated, — it is documentary. I am aware of the times I live in, and the people that inhabit these times and places. Once documented, the captured moments in time can be reflected on from a multitude of perspectives at a later place and time. Because I also contribute to the general shopping and grooming experience, the details of these images come from a trained eye and attentive approach. I have chosen to write this thesis in an auto-biographical narrative because I play many roles. I am the retail specialist, the artist, the photographer, and the consumer.ID: 031001429; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Adviser: Carla Poindexter.; Title from PDF title page (viewed June 24, 2013).; Thesis (M.F.A.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-54).
M.F.A.
Masters
Visual Arts and Design
Arts and Humanities
Emerging Media; Studio Art and the Computer