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The purpose of this study is to apply Kenneth Burke's dramatistic method' of analysis to Tennessee Williams' play The Night of the Iguana.

The following poems are meditations which deal with the experience of sleep—or, more accurately, a sort of fear of sleep, sleep disorder(s), and control, or a lack thereof.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in both developed and developing countries. Blood pressure normally decreases at night and a number of studies have indicated that a reduced nocturnal decline in blood pressure (BP) increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. Nocturnal decreases in BP are attenuated in subjects of African as compared to European descent, but the mechanisms of this effect require clarity. In the present study I attempted to identify potentially modifiable factors that contribute toward nocturnal decreases in BP in a random sample of 171 nuclear families comprising 438 black South Africans living in Soweto. Prior studies have suggested that adiposity and salt intake may determine nocturnal decreases in BP. Adiposity and salt intake were considered to be potentially important factors to consider in the present study as 67% of the group studied were either overweight or obese and in 291 subjects that had complete 24-hour urine collections (used to assess salt intake) and BP measurements, Na+ and K+ intake was noted to be considerably higher and lower respectively than the recommended daily allowance in the majority of people. Moreover, a lack of relationship between either hypertension awareness and treatment and Na+ and K+ intake suggested that current recommendations for a reduced Na+ intake and increased K+ intake in hypertensives do not translate into clinical practice in this community. In order to assess whether adiposity or salt intake are associated with nocturnal decreases in BP in this community, ambulatory BP monitoring was performed using Spacelabs model 90207 oscillometric monitors. Of the 438 subjects recruited, 314 had ambulatory BP measurements that met pre-specified quality criteria (more than 20 hours of recordings and more than 10 and 5 readings for the computation of daytime and nighttime means respectively). To identify whether adiposity or salt intake are associated with a reduced nocturnal decline in BP, non-linear regression analysis was employed with indices of adiposity and urinary Na+ and K+ excretion rates and urine Na+: K+ ratios included in the regression model with adjustments for potential confounders. Neither body mass index, skin-fold thickness, waist circumference, waist-to hip ratio, urinary Na+ and K+ excretion rates, nor urine Na+: K+ ratios were associated with nocturnal decreases in systolic and diastolic BP. Indices of adiposity were however associated with 24 hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic BP. Unexpectedly, female gender was associated with an attenuated nocturnal decrease in BP. In conclusion, in the first random, community-based sample with large sample sizes conducted with ambulatory BP monitoring in Africa, I found that neither adiposity nor salt intake are associated with a reduced nocturnal decline in BP. The lack of association between either salt intake or adiposity and nocturnal decreases in BP was despite a high prevalence of excessive adiposity in the community, as well as clear evidence that current recommendations for a reduced Na+ intake and increased K+ intake do not translate into clinical practice in this community. Thus, based on this study, the question arises as to whether primordial prevention programs targeting excess adiposity or inappropriate salt intake are likely to modify nocturnal decreases in BP, in urban, developing communities of African ancestry in South Africa. However, unexpectedly I noted that females were more likely to have an attenuated nocturnal decrease in BP. Thus further work is required to explain this finding.

For my thesis I plan on exploring the concepts and reasons that I make my art. I will talk about how I explore the night as my subject and the emotional response I hope to evoke with my work, and my influences and inspirations while exploring this topic. I will talk about how I try to show how in the modern world we try to take that darkness and drive it back with artificial lights intending to duplicate the world of daylight, but instead we create stages of normalcy in between the depths of the night allowing the individual imaginations of the viewer to dream into the darkness bringing their own experiences and emotions to the images and making an interactive viewing experience. By trying to recreate the mental state where our minds revert to the most primal instincts of fight or flight in the face of the unknown, despite our knowledge of what exists in the daylight, I try to reach a more primal work of art that goes beyond my early influences of the western Romantic art and show how these instincts still deeply affect us in our modern world.

A standardized color code is used to aid the driver in the prompt recognition of highway signs. At night, these signs are illuminated by various light sources including the headlights and other fixed light sources. These light sources may distort the appearance of the colors of the signs at night. The first objective of this study was to provide information about human capabilities with respect to the recognition of different colors under daytime and nighttime lighting. The second objective was to examine the effect of changing the specifications for highway colors from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) standards to the American National Standards (ANSI) safety color specifications. A laboratory experiment was conducted in which subjects named the perceived colors of retroreflective signs viewed under daytime and nighttime lighting. Forty subjects from four different age groups representing the driving population participated in the study. Three color samples (red, orange, and yellow) in three different grades (engineering grade, high intensity grade, and diamond grade), and two different color specifications (FHWA and ANSI) were used. Four different fixed light sources (clear mercury, coated mercury, coated metal halide, and high pressure sodium) were used for illuminating the signs. For the nighttime condition, two headlights were used (metal halide and tungsten halogen). Daytime lighting was simulated using a fluorescent D-65 light source. Response times as well as correct responses for naming the colors were collected for each subject. Significant differences were found for nighttime versus daytime viewing of the signing materials. In general, for nighttime viewing, red and orange colors were identified faster than yellow color samples. In most cases, FHWA colors were identified significantly more accurately and faster than the ANSI colors. The coated metal halide headlight performed better than the other fixed light sources. There was no significant difference found between the tungsten halogen and the metal halide headlights. / Graduation date: 1991

In Kaikoura, New Zealand dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) are economically and ecologically important. However, more information on key habitat requirements is needed to develop an effective management plan for them. I use systematic shore-based observations and tour operator gathered boat-based observations and review night-time foraging observations to explore dusky dolphin occurrence and movement patterns. I discuss possible influence of prey on these patterns. From January to December 2006, I conducted crepuscular observations from three clifftop stations. With these geospatial data I examined occurrence, mean speed, and linearity over seasonal, diel, and tidal temporal scales. From October 1995 to November 2006 tour guides recorded GPS locations for over 5,000 dusky dolphin groups, allowing me to examine seasonal occurrence patterns. For both datasets I quantified occurrence patterns relative to depth, distance from the Kaikoura Canyon, and distance from shore. I reviewed the three studies conducted on dusky night foraging behavior in Kaikoura. I explore the effects of seasonal and lunar-scale changes in night-time light levels on dusky dolphin foraging behavior. Duskies exhibited seasonal and diel, but not tidal occurrence and movement patterns. Dolphins were found farther offshore, in deeper water, and travelling faster in winter and approaching sunset. The areas of highest sightings density were associated with the Kaikoura Canyon, and shifted almost entirely into the canyon in winter and approaching sunset. Dolphins made sharper turns during summer. Dolphins were, on average, closer to the Kaikoura Canyon than to shore. Seasonal occurrence patterns described by tour operator data agreed with those described by geospatial data collected by shorebased observers. Duskies exhibited flexible foraging behavior and appeared to use both seasonal and lunar phase specific tactics. Night-time light levels appeared to influence dusky foraging behavior, possibly through changes in prey behavior. Prey availability and behavior patterns appeared to influence dusky occurrence and movement patterns. The dolphins' affinity for the Kaikoura Canyon may reflect a strategy to maximize access to prey.

This thesis documents the linear mixed model developed for vehicle speed along two-lane two-way rural horizontal curves in the outside lane. Speed data at each curve was collected at four points along the curve including the midpoint of the curve for a minimum of 48 hours during weekdays. Vehicle speed was analyzed separately for day and night conditions. The horizontal curves were categorized into different groups using different methods using side friction demand, radius and pavement edgeline marking retroreflectivity. In the speed prediction model, radius, superelevation at the midpoint of the curve, deflection angle, posted speed limit and pavement edgeline marking retroreflectivity were used to predict the vehicle speed at the midpoint of the horizontal curve. The regression analysis indicates that all of these variables are statistically significant in predicting the vehicle speed at the midpoint of horizontal curves with a 95 percent confidence interval. The linear model determined that the vehicle speed has a positive relation with the radius of the curve, superelevation and posted speed limit but has a negative relation with the deflection angle and pavement edgeline marking retroreflectivity. Curves were categorized based on side friction demand or radius and retroreflectivity of pavement edgeline marking. ANOVA was used to compare the day and night time speed. The comparisons reveal that vehicle speed at the horizontal curves decreases as the side friction demand value of the curves increases. Another finding of this research was that even though the posted speed limit is incorporated into the calculation of side friction demand, it may be necessary to analyze the impact of posted speed limit on vehicle speed for both daytime and nighttime. Previous literature determined that drivers may drive at an unsafe speed during nighttime at high levels of retroreflectivity. The results of this study could not confirm this statement as data from this study suggests that for curves with pavement edgeline marking retroreflectivity greater than 90 mcd/m2/lx, the effects of retroreflectivity on speed was determined to be minimal. This is based on the finding that the daytime and nighttime speeda were basically the same as the daytime and nighttime speed difference was both statistically and practically insignificant.

I examined genetic variation for two populations of Black-crowned Night Herons using a 467 base pair region of the mitochondrial DNA. One population inhabits an environment highly impacted by industrial waste, heavy metals, and urbanization; while the other, a reference population, comes from a contaminant-free area. I observed a total of 10 haplotypes, three of which the two populations share. One individual from the contaminated site was ostensibly heteroplasmic. I found no evidence of significant genetic differentiation between the two populations. Coalescent simulation results provided evidence that both populations have undergone or are currently undergoing population expansion. The results of the biological marker I developed showed a high diversity for the ND-6 gene, making it a useful biomarker of population effects.

In recent years, HVAC systems of commercial buildings imposed heavy load on power demand, especially during summertime on-peak periods. The HVAC power consumption of commercial buildings usually accounts for 40% of total which indicated huge potential for energy-savings if proper operation strategies can be implemented. In this research, three different operational strategies were studied in an attempt to conserve energy, namely: the Night Purge, Free Cooling,and Pre-cooling. They were simulated , under the local weather conditions, and then validated with full-scale experiments.The experimental results indicated that significant load-shifting effect can be experienced, which also warranted good engineering application potentials when coupled with other HVAC energy-savings operation strategies.