This thesis examines the hermeneutical strategies that Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) has employed in interpreting the Bible. As a new religious movement (NRM) with an outreach to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals MCC interprets the text in light of its membership. The interpretive strategies and methodologies employed are in keeping with other denominations in the Christian tradition. This provides a possible avenue by which MCC can be classified within the Christian tradition. The interpretation of the biblical text is given in light of the gay people who compose MCC's membership. Gays and lesbians have experienced social and religious stress. Their history, identity, and questions are brought with them as they approach the biblical text. MCC interprets the text to meet the pastoral needs of gay people. The paper examines how MCC has interpreted specific passages and texts of the Bible. It focuses on the "texts of terror," those texts which have been used to marginalize gays and lesbians. Additionally, it examines texts which highlight meaningful themes for gays and lesbians. In the end, it is perfectly queer that MCC has emerged as an interpretive community, with a specific hermeneutic. MCC has engaged in a similar process of biblical interpretation as other Christian denominations, making the Bible relevant and meaningful for its membership. The claim that MCC is a Christian denomination can be made by appealing to its interpretation of the biblical canon of Christianity.

Chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of several chemotherapy drugs used for the treatment of many common malignancies. CIPN is both under-assessed and underreported and few self-report tools exist that measure CIPN. Existing instruments do not evaluate all of the multi-dimensional characteristics of neuropathic symptoms; intensity, distress, timing, and characteristics. The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate a new self - report tool for CIPN, the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool (CIPNAT). Interviews with 15 patients with known CIPN guided development of the CIPNAT. The CIPNAT is a 69 item self-report tool which measures CIPN, including characteristics, intensity, distress, frequency, and interference with usual activities. Content validity was evaluated by a panel of experts and revisions were made to the CIPNAT based on those results. The CIPNAT was administered to 167 patients on chemotherapy at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and a two physician medical oncology practice in Tampa, Florida. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Neurotoxicity scale (FACT/GOG-Ntx), another self-report tool for CIPN was also administered. Correlations between the CIPNAT and the FACT/GOG-Ntx were evaluated. Differences between a group of 40 patients getting non-neurotoxic chemotherapy and a group of 127 patients getting neurotoxic chemotherapy were also examined. Test-retest reliability was evaluated by administering the CIPNAT a second time to a subgroup of 30 patients and correlating the results. Correlation with a measure of the same concept indicated that scores between the CIPNAT and the FACT-Ntx were strong (r =.73, p=.000, n=127).Differences between the two contrasting groups were significant (p = .000), supporting validity. High test-retest correlations (r =.921, p=.000) demonstrated reliability. Cronbach's alpha for the total CIPNAT (alpha=.945), the symptom experience scale (alpha =.927) and the interference scale (alpha=.897) demonstrated high internal consistency reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis of neuropathic symptoms indicated the presence of two underlying factors, sensory symptoms and motor symptoms. Confirmatory factor analysis of the interference scale also indicated two underlying factors, activities requiring manual dexterity and general activities. These results provide strong evidence of the validity and reliability of the CIPNAT.

Escalating abuse of elections was a hallmark of the collapse of the Republic that governed at Rome for nearly 500 years before it was swept away and replaced by emperors and Empire. The causes of the Republic's fall are well-explored, but electoral abuse was one of the agencies by which it was brought low - a "how" that helps explain the "why." The abuse of regular electoral form, practiced by all parties, inured the Romans to further and ever-widening abuse. In the end their elections - and the Republic - lost both meaning and independence. This is a controversial claim that falls within the modern debate over the significance of the late-Republican turmoil and just how "democratic" the system was at all. A review of the primary source accounts shows a pattern of abuse that clearly accelerated over the final century, until the turning-point of the 60s and 50s B.C., a morass of elections delayed, canceled, marred by violence, ruined by bribery or prearranged by bargain. We can categorize these abuses and examine their effect on societal attitudes and subsequent practice. After 50 B.C. control of the state passed to Caesar and then the second triumvirs, who used these precedents to do as they pleased. In the end Augustus "restored" the Republic by restoring its old forms - with an unspoken different meaning. It was no coincidence that Augustus paid showy respect to the Republican voting assemblies, the voting-places and the annual election rituals. The escalating abuse of elections inculcated in the Romans the idea that their constitution and the rule of law had no intrinsic value by themselves, but existed only as tools in the service of power and desired goals. With the rule of law battered into submission, the Republic all the more easily succumbed to the rule of men. The fall was brought about not by external armies or revolution, but by the Romans' own tacit agreement that their rules could be bent and broken as needed. For the Romans, at least, the argument that "the ends justify the means" proved to be the antithesis and the undoing of constitutional government.

Downtown Clearwater has grown to be disconnected from its surroundings due to an adjacent buffer area and the lack of a transit system to bring people into the city. The downtown core is also separated from its neighboring residential areas by an area of vacant land that holds in it the potential to become a gateway into the city. On a macro scale the city has grown to be separated from the Tampa Bay area due to the lack of a mass transit system. The goal of this project is to create a new "new urbanism" in which transit and natural ecology are introduced in order to link a city with its surrounding neighborhoods and with the rest of its context. The new development will provide the area with a centralized place of commerce and social interaction, while reducing the reliance on the automobile. Utilizing a light rail station and a central bus terminal, the transit oriented development or TOD will bring people into Clearwater's downtown core, bringing economic, social and environmental benefits to the area. Introduction of a natural ecosystem into the downtown fabric will attribute to the development's sustainability. The natural greenway will run through the urban fabric and also use the Pinellas Trail as an ecological corridor linking the different greenspaces of Pinellas County. New York City's High Line project provides a prime example of the introduction of a natural greenway into an urban core. The High Line brought a new life to an area that once served only the purpose of industry. Ian McHarg and Richard T. T. Forman provide examples and guidelines of how to bring the natural and built environments together as a cohesive whole. The design will look at Peter Calthorpe's ideas of transit-oriented development. Calthorpe's The Next American Metropolis will provide a set of guidelines for the design of the development. The project will create an opportunity for downtown Clearwater to be linked within its surrounding context. Transit oriented development has been proven successful throughout the country and Clearwater will benefit from its implementation.

As the semiconductor technology moves further into scaled down device structures, modern day complexities in the fabrication processes become more prevalent. This thesis focuses on the issues associated with mechaincal and adhesion failure in low dielectric constant (low-k) thin films. In this thesis the four point bend test and nanoscratch test method was used for evaluating adhesion of boro-phosphate-silicate glass (BPSG) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) low-k thin films to silicon subtrates. Nanoindation tests were also performed on the low-k films to evaluate material properties such as hardness and elastic modulus. The sample preparation and testing set up for the four point bend test and nanoscratch test were observed to be greatly disparate. Nanoscratch and nanoindentation sample preparation and sample testing were able to be carried out much quicker than in four point bending. It was observed that nanoscratch testing holds an immense potential for reducing the time needed to evaluate thin film adhesion then in FPB testing. Nanoindentation performed on the BPSG and TEOS dielectric thin films showed uniform mechinacal properties throughout the surface of the films. The adhesion energy for BPSG and TEOS using FPB testing ranged from 29.5390 J/m² - 3.0379 J/m². While the adhesion energy for BPSG and TEOS using nanoscratch testing ranged from 0.0012 J/m² - 0.0028 J/m². It was observed that the difference in adhesion energy for FPB and nanoscratch testing was due to differing failures modes.

There are many products, including hard drives, which require trace amounts, on the order of several mg, of lubricants for proper operation. The following study investigated the evaporation rates of pump oil and several alkanes, which have a wide range of applications, using a thermogravimetric machine. Both static and dynamic temperature tests were conducted. The rate of evaporation of the test specimen was determined as the percentage of mass loss per unit time. Using the Arrhenius Equation, the activation energy of the evaporation process, Ea, can be calculated as the slope of the best fit line for a plot of the ln(k) vs. 1/T (where k represents the rate of the evaporation). These values were shown to have good agreement with the enthalpy of vaporization calculated from the Clausius Clapeyron Equation and with the activation energy calculated using the Freeman and Carroll Method. The alkanes were compared using the rate of evaporation and the amount of activation energy required for evaporation as model systems. Further investigations were conducted to determine the relationship of surface area of the evaporating liquid and the rate of evaporation. It is suggested that the surface area is a function that depends on the activation, bonding, and interfacial energies of the liquid. However, the wetting angle, which aids in the description of the surface area, depends on the surface energy. Subsequent modeling was conducted in an attempt to predict the evaporation characteristics of other lubricants for the purpose of comparison.

Interstate highways are one of the most important components of the transportation infrastructure in America. Freeway ramps play an important role in the whole interstate transportation system. This paper researches the traffic flow characteristics of four typical exit ramps in USA, which are tapered one-lane exit, tapered two-lane exit, parallel one-lane exit and parallel two-lane exit. Computer simulation software, such as CORSIM and HCS are applied as the main tools in this research. ANOVA and Tukey are used for statistical purpose. It compares the maximum capacity, average running speed and the total lane change number of those four exit ramps. It is found that no matter in terms of traffic discharging rate or total lane charging number; the tapered two-lane exit has the best operational performance. Tapered one-lane exit ramp has the least capacity. Parallel one-lane exit and parallel two-lane exit have very limited traffic operational difference in terms of capacity and running speed. It is recommended that parallel two-lane exit ramp should not be designed along the freeway if the right of way along arterial road is enough. It is observed from the simulation data that the grade of freeway, truck percentage, restricted to the truck use of certain lane(s) and the location of exit sign have significant impact on the running speed and total lane change number. An uphill can decrease the running speed dramatically while more truck brings more lane change, causing safety concerns. It is found that when trucks are restricted to the right two most lane, there will be less lane change number comparing with trucks are not restricted. Location of exit sign operates well at the distance between 4000 ft to 5000 ft. does have a significant impact on the operational speed and total lane change number before, within or after functional area of an exit, based on the data analysis of simulation runs.

Sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions from the low latitudes indicate the tropics/subtropics warmed significantly before glacial-interglacial decreases in global ice volume, suggesting the importance of tropical and subtropical climate in driving glacial terminations. ODP Site 625, drilled at a water depth of 889 m near De Soto Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), provides continuous records of marine isotope stages (MIS) 1-6 sampled at a mean temporal resolution of 400 years. Age control is based on 8 AMS radiocarbon dates, marine isotope stratigraphy, and Foraminifera datum levels. Results from Globigerinoides ruber (white variety) Mg/Ca-SST indicate a rise of 4.4 °C from last glacial maximum to modern conditions and a 3.2 °C rise from the penultimate glaciation to the last interglaciation. However, model results suggest reduced thermohaline circulation (THC) causes salt and heat build-up in the Atlantic Warm Pool. Paired G. ruber Mg/Ca-SST and δ18O provide evidence of sub-millennial scale variability in GOM SST and SSS that is probably influenced by the strength of NADW production, as also observed in the Western Caribbean Sea. We test the idea that widespread abrupt climate change during the last glaciation caused by millennial scale fluctuations in the intensity of THC was modulated by Laurentide ice sheet (LIS) meltwater routed to the North Atlantic. To understand LIS melting dynamics and test the Meltwater Routing Hypothesis, we investigate the phasing of GOM SST and LIS freshwater events in relationship to high latitude climate. Estimated salinities from our multi-proxy approach suggest three freshwater events with a major freshwater influx from that occurred during Heinrich Event 2. This result confirms previous studies that suggested LIS summer melting during warmings in Antarctica. We also find a climate reversal during termination II from 130.4-128.4 ka. The initial rise in GOM SST at 132.1 ka of 2.9 °C is followed by a cold reversal of 1.5 °C at 130.4 ka for 2 ky and final increase to full interglacial warmth. The reversal in GOM SST is consonant with a pause in sea level rise and reduced NADW, suggesting a reduction in THC may have caused a global two-step deglaciation.

There is a thread of darkness that seems to run through much of the canon of U.S. authors. There are, at the heart of us all, the questions we ask ourselves about who we are and what we mean to ourselves and others and to the places where we have lived. I believe that most of the body of writings produced in this country attempt to answer these questions in some form. Allen Tate wrote The Fathers in 1932, nearly seventy years after the Civil War, or the War Between the States. Perhaps one of the most critical moments in the process of how we became modern Americans, this period of history still resonates within our understanding. Tate, who was a Virginian and a Southerner, sought to understand what the South was and what it meant to modern America. The South became Tate's literary construct, a construct that included the abyss he would have to search. My belief is that Tate's South is an abyss which contains the answers to our questions of identity. The Fathers deals with identity through family and social structures in a changing South. Many may not be familiar with the world of the Civil War South that Tate was examining. Tate shows that depths of blackness can be found in the institutions of humans as well as in the natural world.

The most important and most common channels on cell membrane are voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels. In so-called "excitable cells" like neurons and muscle cells, these channels open or close in response to changes in potential across the membrane in order to accomplish muscle contraction and transmit signals. By controlling the membrane potential, we observe extraordinary inactivation behaviors of the voltage-gated Na+ channels and the voltage-gated delayed rectifier K+ channels, which shows that electric stimulation pulses can temporarily close the Na+ and K+ channels, just as drugs, like tetrodotoxin (TTX) and tetraethylammonium (ETA), do. The Na/K pump is essential for living system and is expressed in virtually all cell membranes. The ionic transport conducted by Na/K pumps creates both an electrical and a chemical gradient across the plasma membrane, which are required for maintaining membrane potentials, cell volume, and secondary active transport of other solutes, etc. We use a pulsed, symmetric, oscillating membrane potential with a frequency close to the mean physiological turnover rate across the cell membrane to synchronize Na/K pump molecules. The pump molecules can work as a group, pumping at a synchronized pace after a long train of pulses. As a result, the pump functions can be significantly increased. After the pump molecules are synchronized, the applied electric-field frequency can gradually increase in order to resynchronize the molecules to a new, higher frequency. Modulating the pump molecules to a higher frequency leads to a significant increase of pump current. Synchronization and modulation of pump molecules can become a new method to study the function of Na/K pump molecules. This method has huge potential applications in clinic medical treatment. After single-fiber-level study, the final project is on organ level, the rat kidney, by using synchronization and modulation of Na/K pump molecules on the proximal tubule membrane. Because Na+ re-absorption is directly related to the function of the Na/K pump, the more active Na/K pumps are, the more Na+ ions can be absorbed, which results in an increased potential inside the renal proximal tubule. This project is the first step of synchronization and modulation applied on the level of an organ.