Veterans with a spinal cord injury (SCI) engage in a complex and, often times, difficult dialogue within and through interactions in American society. That is, American society holds dear certain traditional values (ideals, beliefs, and customs) that promote the steady functioning and fabric of society. Through the process of enculturation and acculturation, likely, the majority of American citizens have already internalized many of these values. These values are cultural constructs of American society that can certainly influence and shape the myriad ways in which individual identity is formed. By identifying these value sets and analyzing the ways in which SCI veterans interact within society, I hope to achieve three goals; (1)discover the ways in which SCI veterans create and negotiate a unique sense of identity in American society, (2) illustrate the overall implications from this study to the general SCI population in America, and (3) provide a set of recommendations for healthcare providers for the purposes of creating and engaging in meaningful dialogues with SCI patients as well as aiding in more successful and sustainable health interventions.

This work looks at the artistic production of the Porfiriato (1876-1910) with particular attention to the representation of prehispanic cultures and their incorporation into an official historiography. Whilst highlighting the growing popularity of prehispanic and conquest themes, during the last two decades of the nineteenth century, the research centres on the study of what may be described as a 'neo-prehispanic' genre in order to explore issues of identity and nationalism in the arts. The use of academic styles for the artistic interpretation of prehispanic material coincides with an already growing concern to redefine prehispanic cultures as 'classical' civilisations. The neo-prehispanic as a style may therefore be understood as a reappropriation of the past via western canons and art schools, and the construction of a neo-prehispanic imagery as a means of 'cleansing' the barbaric. The analysis concentrates on the function of neo-prehispanic representations by looking at the reception of these images in relation to the aesthetic ideas operating at the time, and their production within the institutional framework of the Academy of San Cartos. It also looks at State-funded projects in order to highlight the cultural politics of the Porfiriato which sought to celebrate the cultural legacies of prehispanic Mexico. The study will hence seek to explore the particularities of a national style, the function of art in the Porfiriato, and the relationship between artistic production and the construction of a national identity. All of this will be looked at in relation to history painting, monuments and architecture. The main objectives of the research aim to be both practical (a catalogue of material 'Appendix B'), and interpretative. The correct cataloguing and identification of this material together with an analysis of their function within the context of Porfirian society will provide invaluable material for more research, and will constitute the original contribution of my PhD.

This essay is a study of the film and novelization of the story of King Kong from the 1930’s. The aims of this paper are to analyze ways in which the character Kong represents the stereotypical image of the black male that existed in American society in 1930 by applying theories of masculinity and ethnicity and how they combined make Kong a representation of an Other. In order to study the construction of Kong as an Other an analysis of the film and a close reading of selected passages of the novelization were made in combination with the theories. Masculinity and ethnicity are studied in terms of how they create Kong’s otherness, casting him as a metaphor of a black male.          The conclusion is that the construction of Kong’s ethnicity and masculinity makes him a metaphor of the stereotype of the black male that existed in the American society of the 1930s, i.e. an Other. The conclusion is based on how the contrast is portrayed between Kong and the main characters, the fact that he is a god of the black natives of his island, and how the novelization literally describes Kong as black (and the only black character) in the fictional representation of the hegemonic white city New York.

Thesis (M.A.)--Northern Kentucky University, 2007. / Made available through ProQuest. Publication number: AAT 1442589. ProQuest document ID: 1313920541. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-61)

Notre thèse peut être résumée en une phrase qui apparaît dans le roman de Stephen King The Shining : « Cet endroit inhumain transforme les humains en monstres ». En effet, les romans de Stephen King montrent une vision pessimiste et sinistre de la société américaine contemporaine et une identité éclatée de l’individu. À travers une analyse des figures de l’horreur, telles que les doubles, les monstres et les zombies, nous avons exposé les forces conflictuelles intérieures et extérieures inhérentes à l’individu. Ces forces, qui conditionnent ce dernier, conduisent à l’effacement de son identité et le forcent à adopter une nouvelle identité superficielle qui à son tour mène à son anéantissement et à sa destruction. Ainsi, notre étude a permis de démontrer que l’auteur utilise le fantastique, surtout à travers les figures de l’horreur, pour refléter la condition de l’être humain dans sa société dans les années soixante-dix et quatre-vingt. Il dépeint une société qui réifie l’individu en le privant de son libre arbitre et en le soumettant à des normes préétablies. À travers notre démarche méthodologique à la fois thématique et structuraliste, nous avons pu explorer la construction de l’identité personnelle et sociale, analyser tout ce qui affecte son développement, et finalement découvrir ce qui mène à son éclatement. La quête et la construction identitaire sont donc centrales à notre étude, car elles nous donnent une image de la relation de l’individu américain avec lui-même et avec son milieu social. Et c’est à travers le rôle des figures de l’horreur et de la figure de la mort que notre étude prend forme. / Our dissertation can be summarized in one sentence that is recurrent in Stephen King’s The Shining: “This inhuman place makes human monsters.” Indeed, Stephen King’s novels reflect the reality of the American individual and American society at its worst: a fragmented identity and a grim image of society. The study of the figures of horror, such as the double, monsters and zombies, show the conflicting forces inherent in the individual. Those forces lead to the obliteration of identity, to the adoption of a new shallow one, and finally to the annihilation and downfall of the individual. In our study, we show that the use of the fantastic, as portrayed mainly through the horrific figures, reflects the condition of the American individual in his society in the 70s and the 80s – it is a society that objectifies the individual by depraving him of freedom and subjecting him to pre-determined standards. By submitting the novels to thematic and structuralist approaches, we analyze the shaping of the individual and collective identity, the influences on its development and the causes of its bursting. The question of identity is central to our study as it is a way to explore the relation of the individual to himself and to his environment. We have endeavoured to show that by using the figures of horror and death.

This study examined training evaluation practices in U.S. nonprofit sector organizations. It offered a framework for evaluating employee training in the nonprofit sector and suggested solutions to overcome the barriers to evaluation. A mail survey was sent to 879 individuals who were members of, or had expressed an interest in, the American Society for Training and Development. The membership list consisted of individuals who indicated association/nonprofit or interfaith as an area of interest. Data from the survey show that training in the nonprofit sector is evaluated primarily at Level 1 (reaction) and Level 2 (learning). It also shows decreasing use from Level 3 (application) through Level 5 (ROI). Reaction questionnaires are the primary method for collecting Level 1 data. Facilitator assessment and self-assessment were listed as the primary method for evaluating Level 2. A significant mean rank difference was found between Level 2 (learning) and the existence of an evaluation policy. Spearman rho correlation revealed a statistically significant relationship between Level 4 (results) and the reasons training programs are offered. The Kruskal-Wallis H test revealed a statistically significant mean rank difference between "academic preparation" of managers with Level 3 evaluation. The Mann-Whitney U test was used post hoc and revealed that master's degree had a higher mean rank compared to bachelor's degree and doctorate. The Mann-Whitney U test revealed that there were statistically significant mean rank differences on Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 5 evaluation use with the barriers "little perceived value to the organization," "lack of training or experience using this form of evaluation," and "not required by the organization." Research findings are consistent with previous research conducted in the public sector, business and industry, healthcare, and finance. Nonprofit sector organizations evaluate primarily at Level 1 and Level 2. The existence of a written policy increases the use of Level 2 evaluation. Training evaluation is also an important part of the training process in nonprofit organizations. Selecting programs to evaluate at Level 5 is reserved for courses which are linked to organizational outcomes and have the interest of top management.

The role of national cinema in shaping, reflecting and contesting a complex national identity that is the site of conflict and struggle is the central interest of this study of contemporary Peruvian cinema, 1988-2004. This project examines the relationship between cinema, state and identity in Peru, with a specific focus on the representation of the political violence between the state and Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) that began in 1980. It looks in particular at portrayals of important events, characters and consequences of the bloody conflict that for a time threatened to destabilize the nation entirely. It considers these representations in the context of a time of great change for Peruvian society and of transition for Peruvian national cinema, and addresses the relationship between developments in film policy and the formation of Peruvian national identity in cinema. As such, it draws on debates about the nature and function of national cinemas, as well as on discussions between artists, cultural theorists and sociologists about the evolution of peruanidad since the declaration of independence from Spain in the early nineteenth century. Once the main elements of the cinematic and social crises have been explored and established in Chapters Two and Three, the remainder of the project consists of three sets of chronologically ordered analyses of individual films that somehow defied the national cinema crisis, and that provoked debate on both the conflict itself, and on broader questions pertaining to the relationship between national identity and violence. The conclusion considers these films as an interlinked body of cinematic works that share similar themes and concerns. It summarises the issues they tackle, the ideological and formal approaches they take to those issues, the potential social and cultural impact, and their contribution to the crystallization of a Peruvian national identity at the start of the twenty-first century.

Dust particles in the atmosphere are a key cause of nuisance, health and other environmental problems. The mining sector is a major source of airborne particulate matter caused by operations like terrain clearing, drilling, blasting, tipping and loading and the passage of vehicles on unpaved roads. The nuisance effect of airborne dust can be measured by using dust buckets and/or directional dust deposition gauges. Dust buckets are used to determine vertical dust deposition rates and directional dust deposition gauges are used to determine the direction of the sources. Traditionally the measurement of the vertical flux of dust, or dust deposition has been used as to indicate the nuisance caused by coarse suspended particulate matter. Several countries have produced standards for permissible dust deposition rates. Although alternative deposition measurement methods have been proposed, ASTM D1739 has remained the method most often used in the South African mining and industrial sectors to measure dust deposition. In addition, a number of non-standard directional dust deposition gauges have been used. SANS 1929:2005 (South African National Standards, 2005) prescribes the use of ASTM D1739:98 for measuring dust deposition. However, for historical reasons the previous version, ASTM D1739:70 (re-approved as ASTM D1739:82) is still widely used and in the recently promulgated South African Dust Management regulations the use of this version is prescribed. In order to determine the difference in the results obtained by the two versions, ASTM D1739:82 and ASTM D1739:98 were used to measure dust deposition levels arising from a coal mining operation in the Mpumalanga Province and a gold mining operation in North-West Province. In order to determine whether a correlation exists between vertical dust flux (dust deposition) and horizontal dust flux, standard directional horizontal dust flux gauges according to BS 1747 part 5 were also set up at both sites. The measurement of dust deposition using three dust deposition gauges (i.e. ASTM D1739:82, ASTM D1739:98 and BS 1747 part 5, directional dust deposition gauges) was undertaken monthly over a period of fourteen (14) months at the two sites. The findings of the study indicate that the dust deposition rates for an opencast coal mine are generally higher than the dust deposition rates for an underground gold mine. ASTM D1739:98 was shown to be a more efficient dust deposition collection method than ASTM D1739:82, with the ratio between the mean values slightly more than 2. The addition of water to the dust bucket does not make a statistically significant difference to retention of dust in the bucket. There is a weak correlation between results for the vertical dust gauges and horizontal dust flux. It is recommended that the South African mining sector continue dust deposition monitoring and reporting using the more recent version of ASTM D1739, as high deposition levels may indicate a potential health impact from PM10 thoracic dust. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Notre thèse intitulée L'altérité et la vulnérabilité dans les romans de Nella Larsen est consacrée aux concepts d'altérité, de vulnérabilité et d'appartenance dans Quicksand and Passing. Ce travail s'articule autour de la question de l'identité des femmes noires et métisses. Puisque nous nous sommes proposé de considérer la place de Nella Larsen en tant que femme et auteur dans le contexte de l’émancipation des femmes Afro-Américaines en partant de sa place dans la Harlem Renaissance, une partie de notre étude examinera les tenants et les aboutissants de ce mouvement identitaire et culturel. Nous tenterons de cerner la spécificité de la voix de Larsen dans ce mouvement ainsi que son apport à la fois au niveau de l’imaginaire littéraire et des stratégies narratives que l’auteure utilise dans ces œuvres pour définir ce qui les caractérise. Nous nous sommes par ailleurs proposé de dégager ce qui fait la voix distinctive des réalisations de Nella Larsen en examinant son traitement du concept de passing, à la fois « passer » et « passer pour ». Cela a permis de situer les romans de Nella Larsen dans leur contexte et de montrer l'altérité et la marginalisation que les Afro-Américains ont traversées pendant la Renaissance de Harlem. En effet, Larsen démontre que même si les années 1920 étaient censées être une ère d'émancipation pour les personnes de couleur, elles souffraient encore de nombreuses discriminations. Analyser les concepts de race, de dépassement et de vulnérabilité dans les fictions de Nella Larsen a permis de prouver que même si l'altérité des protagonistes est confrontée à de nombreuses difficultés qui semblent l’éradiquer ; elle ne disparaît jamais et reste présente dans chaque personnage. Aussi, La soumission des romans à une approche pluridisciplinaire a permis d'examiner les causes et les conséquences de l'altérité dans les œuvres de fiction et d'analyser le concept sous toutes ses formes, qu'il soit racial ou sexuel. Cette thèse a également montré que les romans de Larsen vont à l'encontre du système totalitaire qui a de très mauvais effets sur « l’autre ». En effet, au lieu d'éliminer l'altérité, ce système l'accentue encore plus et « l’autre » se sent plus rejeté et marginalisé que jamais. / Otherness and Vulnerability in Nella Larsen’s Novels is devoted to the study of the concepts of alterity, vulnerability and belonging in Quicksand and Passing. Revolving around the questions of identity for black and mixed-race women, the study starts with a historical perspective of "otherness" in Nella Larsen’s novels while considering the marginalization that African-Americans went through during the Harlem Renaissance. Indeed, Larsen demonstrates that even if the 1920s were supposed to be an era of emancipation for colored people, they still suffered from many discriminations. Analyzing the concepts of race, passing, and vulnerability in Nella Larsen’s fictions leads us to prove that even if the protagonists’ otherness is confronted to many hardships that seem to eradicate it, it never fades away and remains present in each character. Submitting the novels to a multi-disciplinary approach has enabled us to examine the causes and consequences of otherness in the works of fiction and to analyze the concept under several forms. This thesis eventually shows that Larsen’s novels go counter the principle of totalitarianism as a system, be it social, political or linguistic in which "otherness" stands as the only possible way to establish one's identity.

The primary focus of this thesis is the New York fiction by the prolific American writer Edith Wharton. The particular works discussed in this thesis are The House of Mirth, The Custom of the Country, and The Age of Innocence, completed by the collection of four novellas, Old New York, and also a selection of Wharton's short stories set in the city of New York. The main argument of the thesis could be encapsulated to say that Wharton's fiction lacks the individuality of the characters, and the main focus of the texts is on society and how society affects the archetypes of the characters created solely for the purposes of this thesis. It is divided into three intersecting chapters, the first topical chapter concentrating on New York as such and how the Gilded Age influenced the Big Apple. Moreover, Wharton and her own relationship with the city is discussed in this chapter as well, pointing at the fact that she was intimately familiar with the custom and the manners of the upper society of New York, which she later implemented in her fiction. Also, the description of naturalism and determinism are provided as those seem to be the genres most utilized by the author. The next chapter revolves around the notion of archetypes as Claude Lévi-Strauss introduced in his "The Structural Study of Myth," which...