Thesis advisor: Bernard O'Brien / This study investigated factors which influenced stable, primary love relationships among twelve lesbian couples who had been together at least fifteen years and had not reared children together. Each participant was interviewed separately in a retrospective, semi-structured interview that assessed the impact of selected factors over the course of the relationship. Each factor was examined to determine its influence in the beginning phase of the relationship (the first 5 years), in the middle phase (5-10 years into the relationship), and most recently (beyond 10 years into the relationship). Interpersonal dynamics as well as the influences of culture, religion, values, finances, and social supports were explored to determine their impact on relationship stability. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 1994. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental Psychology, and Research Methods.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Geographical Information Sciences and Remote Sensing) Johannesburg, 2017 / Soil organic carbon is considered as the most determining indicator of soil fertility. The purpose of this research was to predict the soil organic carbon in the Mokhotlong region, eastern of Lesotho using in situ spectral measurements and random forest regression. Soil reflectance spectra were acquired by a portable field spectrometer. The performance of random forest regression was assessed by comparing it with one of the most popular models in spectroscopy, partial least square regression. Laboratory spectroscopy measurements of the soil samples were analysed for assessing the accuracy of in situ spectroscopy based-models. The effect of the Savitzky−Golay first derivative in improving partial least square regression and random forest regression in both spectral data was also assessed. The results indicated that the random forest regression could accurately predict the soil organic carbon contents on an independent dataset using in situ spectroscopy data (RPD = 3.77, Rp2= 0.88, RMSEP = 0.64%). The overall best predictive model was achieved with the derivative laboratory spectral data using random forest with the optimum number of key wavelengths (RPD = 3.77, Rp2= 0.88, RMSEP = 0.64%). In contrast, partial least square regression was likely to overfit the calibration dataset. Important wavelengths to predict soil organic contents were localised around the visible range (400-700 nm). An implication of this research is that soil organic carbon can accurately be estimated using derivative in situ spectroscopy measurements and random forest regression with key wavelengths. / MT 2017

"It has often been stated by many writers from their own personal observations, but without experimental evidence, that if pupils and teachers work in harmony with a mutual feeling of understanding and cooperation, a friendly atmosphere will result which is conducive to effective learning. On the other hand, teachers who are aloof and unfriendly and who irritate and antagonize their pupils destroy interests and incentives for learning, and promote, instead, resentment, unwholesome attitudes, and personality disorders. It is the purpose of this paper to support or refute such statements"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "May, 1945." / "Submitted to the Graduate Committee of the Florida State College for Women in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Christine B. Scarborough, Instructor in Psychology. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 29-33).

This novel is a work of fiction that explores the relationships between three women in the remote mountain village of Gildone in Southern Italy. It begins in 1956 after the protagonist, Liliana Farinacci, discovers she is pregnant. Her husband, Domenico, leaves Italy for Venezuela to find work. Before marrying Domenico, Liliana's former boyfriend, Raphael, confesses his love for her and leaves to better himself in Venezuela. Abandoned and alone Liliana escapes her sorrows at the family bakery that she runs. The novel follows Liliana, the birth of her daughter, Francesca, and the birth of her granddaughter Anna. Liliana copes with all the gossip in the small town. She also learns that the one secret her mother kept from her might have made a difference in her life's choices and happiness. / by Gloria Panzera. / Preliminary p. vii numbered as "1". / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

The strategic importance of FMCG SME's supply chains makes it paramount that their performances are measured. Performance measurement in the context of on-time delivery is of high importance to SME's. SME's compete with large companies within the FMCG sector, as such gaining a competitive advantage is an extremely difficult task for these small and medium companies. There is an everincreasing interest toward the field of supply chain management and much attention has been deemed towards the importance of information sharing in gaining competitive advantage for SMEs. The integration of the chain both internally and externally through information sharing ( visibility) can lead to increase supply chain performance such as on-time delivery, therefore increasing competitive advantage for the SME's. The study aim to develop a conceptual framework and a model to evaluate the impact of visibility tools usage in FMCG SME's. This research highlights some visibility tools such as ERP systems, Sage software that influences the level of information shared among the parties within the SME supply chain. This research examined the potential of information technology based tools and visibility factors and aims to provide factors that may influence the sharing of information between suppliers and customers along the supply chain, thus meeting on time delivery schedules. This research employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches, with regression and correlation tests also conducted. Two questionnaires were administered, one at the case study company, the other at 100 SME's across London, 63 valid questionnaires were received and analyzed using SPSS software (manufactured by IBM, version 20). The findings of this research revealed that having shared values among SME's influenced the level of information that is shared and thus the level of visibility achieved within the supply chain. Further, it was revealed that large companies are able to utilize more in depth IT based systems, while small and medium sized companies had a tendency to utilize informal means for their visibility tools. In addition, the analysis of the research model indicated that supplier lead time and supplier chain reliability greatly influenced the ICT infrastructure of a FMCG SME. The model analysis also indicated that the delivery lead time influenced on-time delivery. In addition supply chain responsiveness was found to explain 30.9% of the variances found in supply chain visibility.

The use of visual cues by insect herbivores is likely to be an important component of plant-herbivore interactions in the wild, yet has until recently received little attention from researchers. In the last decade, however, interest in this topic has intensified following Hamilton & Brown's (2001) autumn colouration hypothesis, which proposes that the intensity of colouration of trees at autumn time is a signal of their defensive commitment to potential herbivores. This idea remains controversial and to date robust empirical data linking colouration with chemical defence and herbivory have been lacking. This thesis begins with a meta-analysis, in which I synthesize and analyse previously published data to determine the evidence for the use of host plant colouration by herbivores. I then move to explore the relationship between chemical defences and colouration in a classic plant-herbivore system: the wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea) and its herbivores the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) and the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae). Both species have colour vision, and I use spectral sensitivity data to model the colour of the host ‘through the eyes' of the herbivores. First, I present data from a field study of wild cabbage populations showing significant relationships between herbivory, plant colouration and levels of glucosinolates defensive compounds. These results suggest that plant colouration could be used by herbivores to gain information about plant chemical defence. I then show colouration has a fixed genetic component in a common garden experiment; a necessary requirement for evolution of a colour signal. I explore the use of colouration in host choice by herbivores in more detail in a series of behavioural experiments. I show that cabbage aphids do not use leaf brightness as a cue when selecting among plants, but they do respond to different leaf colours. I also show that cabbage white butterflies do not choose hosts based on particular colour cues, even though this colouration potentially provides important information about host defence levels, which are shown to impact upon offspring fitness. Together, these results provide a clear demonstration of a link between plant chemistry and colouration in the wild cabbage system. However, the data presented in this thesis indicate that the use of colouration as a guide to host defence is limited, and I conclude by discussing possible reasons why this might be the case.

THE ROOM YOU JUST LEFT is a poetry collection written from the perspective of a female speaker as she navigates relationships, culture, and identity via the lens of the Cuban-American experience. The collection is divided into three sections: Paleotempestology, Machete, and Saturn Returning. The first illustrates the often turbulent nature of romantic relationships, the second highlights the speaker’s culture, and the third is a singular long poem offering both insights and questions about what it means to arrive at the age of twenty-seven. The collection is composed of free verse, prose, experimental, and formal poetry, and includes code-switching to illuminate the speaker’s family dynamic and dueling dualities within herself. Many poems revolve around mortality, and more specifically, the speaker’s relationship with her father and his descent into old age, as well as an imagined mythology for her mother’s family while detailing their struggles as exiles. Another major theme is romantic relationships, heartbreak, and traversing the modern dating world. Other themes explored include childhood, memory, and the body, utilizing narrative as well as surrealistic techniques. It draws influence from the intense Latina-feminist pulse of Sandra Cisneros, the revelatory sexuality of Sharon Olds, the imaginative whimsy of Kiki Petrosino, and the dark wit of Frank O’Hara.

The present study investigates the role of personality as an antecedent factor to jealousy experience and expression utilizing Guerrero and Andersen's (1998) Componential Model of Jealousy Experience and Expression. Whereas personality constructs have been commonly examined as correlates or concomitants of jealousy there has been relatively little empirical work examining the role of personality in the context of this model, which highlights the distinction between jealousy experience and expression. The present study addresses this issue by examining the relation between the components of the model and well-established measures of adult attachment, the Five-Factor Model of personality, and specific maladaptive personality traits in two samples. The first sample is composed of 400 undergraduate students and the second sample is composed of 184 married community residents who have reported experiencing jealousy in their romantic relationships. Additional analyses evaluate the relation between jealousy experience and expression as well as the relation between relationship satisfaction and jealousy. While adult attachment dimensions tend to be the strongest predictors of the elements of jealousy experience and expression, other personality variables exhibited important and meaningful relations as well. The majority of these other personality variables tended to contain elements of negative emotionality at their core. The present study also provided replication of several relations between elements of the componential model of jealousy.