Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from PDF file main screen (viewed on Oct. 2, 2009). "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta." Includes bibliographical references.

Inaug.-diss.--Zürich. / Curriculum vitae. Bibliography: p. 6-8.

The overall goal of this project is to examine the community within the Texas Renaissance Festival of Plantersville, Texas and how the social arrangements and identities created in and manipulated by this community go beyond standard existing social conditions in modern society. I intend to investigate the use of performance as a tool for the negotiation of festival space and community building. Performance is not simply a product of the culture born here in the festival space. Instead, it is an agent of that culture in that it marks the boundary between the real and unreal, the festival and the everyday. Why are individuals drawn to the festival lifestyle? How does the structure of this community go beyond the surface sense of solidarity found in many other performance groups? What role does performance play in the cohesion of the festival community? I will explore these questions by looking at aspects of gender roles, language play, and the multivocality of performance through ethnographic study and applying concepts such as space negotiation, counter-publics, and ideas of performance, ritual and play to the nature of the renaissance festival community.

The primary aim of the study is to make a contribution to the discipline of myth theory, or mythology, within the academic field of enquiry of media studies. To this end, the first part of the study comprises a literature review of relevant myth theory, during which the quantitative disparity on myth theory, between myth literature describing dominant myth and that dealing with counter myth, is highlighted. In order to address the comparatively smaller amount of theory concerned with counter myth, the study proceeds to theorise the semiotic technical functions of counter myth, the socio-political functions of counter myth and examines the social values and dangers of counter myth in society. Furthermore, counter myth is considered with regard to media framing, the relationship between counter myth and political myth is addressed, and the characteristics and criteria of counter myth are outlined. In keeping with the main purpose of the study, which is to provide a new contribution to myth theory, the theoretical problematics of the definition and classification of both myth and counter myth is confronted, and mechanisms for contending with these theoretical difficulties are suggested. A theoretical framework for the analysis of myth and counter myth on film is developed, which is based on the theorisation of counter myth performed in the literature study. In the second part of the study this theoretical framework is applied to a sample of purposefully selected post apartheid South African history films as a case study. The primary purpose of this case study is to serve as a demonstration of how the theoretical framework for the analysis of myth and counter myth can be put to use in the critical analysis of media texts, in this study applied to film (as a mediated text). The secondary purpose of the case study is to examine a selection of post apartheid South African counter myths, which explicitly work to remythologise the collective social identity construction of the white South African, in the post 1994 socio-political environment. In this way, the study demonstrates how myth and counter myth may facilitate identity (re)construction during and after a period of societal upheaval or transformation. / Communication Science / (D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication Science))

Class of 2012 Abstract / Specific Aims: The objective of this study is to evaluate consumers’ knowledge about over the counter (OTC) products containing acetaminophen (APAP).   Methods: Doctor of pharmacy student researchers set up a booth at consenting community pharmacies and invited consumers to participate in a 10-15 minute knowledge assessment. The booth contained a table displaying several OTC medication bottles/packages. Adult participants: a) answered baseline questions verbally about their APAP knowledge and associated risks; b) identified OTC products at the booth that contain APAP; and c) calculated and demonstrated dosing of APAP. The researchers asked follow-up questions and assessed the accuracy of the dosing. Participants received APAP educational brochures upon completion.      Main Results: Eighty percent of subjects reported not knowing what the abbreviation “APAP” means, and almost half of those who said that they knew what it means were incorrect. Very few participants were able to correctly identify the products containing APAP even with the product packaging information, with the percentage of incorrect responses as to whether a product contains APAP or not varying from 4.9% to 31.6%. More than 40% of the pediatric doses were incorrectly dosed for both of the pediatric formulations, even with the majority of subjects being parents. Conclusions: Consumers are not able to identify which over-the-counter products contain APAP even with the product packaging before them, and they do not know what the abbreviation “APAP” means. Better packaging and product ingredient information should be developed, and the abbreviation “APAP” should be avoided. Pediatric APAP products should be re-evaluated regarding safety and dosing.

Class of 2014 Abstract / Specific Aims: To assess the prevalence of mothers asking pharmacists for pediatric dosing and mothers’ knowledge of pediatric OTC use. Subjects: Mothers with ≥ one child under 6 years old in a local mothers’ support group in Tucson. Methods: Questionnaires were sent out weekly for a month by the group’s listserv and social media website to determine the prevalence of mothers that ask pharmacists questions and assess their knowledge of OTC medications and what medical sources they use. Data on ages, ages of children, number of children, race/ethnicity, pharmacy visited, education, insurance coverage, and children’s chronic diseases were collected. Main Results: Twenty-six people responded. About 46% of the participants were 30 - 34 years old. Forty-six percent of mothers had 2 children; 42% had 1 child. About 54% of mothers have asked a pharmacist for pediatric OTC dosing. The reasons mothers gave for not asking pharmacists dosing information were that they hadn’t needed to ask (25%), they asked a doctor (16%), they used an online resource (8%), and they didn’t think about asking (8%). Three questions assessed OTC knowledge; 50% of participants got all questions correct, 38.5% got two questions correct, and 11.5% got one question correct. There wasn’t a difference in OTC knowledge and whether they asked a pharmacist questions (p=0.373). Conclusion: More than half of mothers asked pharmacists dosing information, but this percentage could still be higher. Fifty percent got all three questions right, 38.5% got two questions correct, and 11.5% of mothers got only 1 question correct.

Class of 2011 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to create, implement, and evaluate an interactive educational program for older adults on the safe use of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. METHODS: This was a prospective, interventional study in which all subjects received a 40-minute session covering 12 OTC topics tailored to older adults and delivered by pharmacy students. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants from five independent senior living communities in Arizona. Following the program, participants completed a questionnaire to address the helpfulness and share their intentions of behavior change. RESULTS: Of 88 older adults who attended the program, 64 met the inclusion criteria and voluntarily completed the anonymous survey. 91.8% of the participants indicated the intervention was either “very helpful” or “moderately helpful”. Upon score conversion, the average score for helpfulness among men and women were 2.35 and 2.37, respectively (p=0.922). 95.2% of the participants agreed they have better understanding about OTCs, and 98.3% reported they would recommend this program to a friend. The majority of the subjects stated they will make changes to the way they use OTCs (79.3%), talk with their pharmacist before purchasing OTCs (86.8%), and discuss OTC use with their providers (88.3%). The three most beneficial topics identified included vitamins/minerals, reading a drug label, and sleep medications. CONCLUSION: An interactive educational program on the safe use of OTC medications, tailored to older adults and delivered by pharmacy students, was helpful and generated positive intentions regarding behavior change in OTC use among participants.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / An autonomously guided rocket-powered delivery vehicle has been under development at the Naval Postgraduate School. Designed to eventually counter UAV swarm attacks, the vehicle made advances toward reaching a target in the sky. These advances reduced the time needed to launch, modify, and relaunch the rocket, while adding capabilities such as data transfer along the vehicle axis and the rapid download of flight data. Improving the vehicle included reconfiguring the guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) strategy. Advancements included the design, implementation, and evaluation of electronic servo control, actuating fins, and the mechanical coupling design. The forward compartment in the vehicle’s nose cone was structurally modified for the GNC equipment and to support electronics under high-g launch conditions. Modifications included innovative designs for managing heat transfer requirements. Using off-the-shelf subsystem components kept the advancements fiscally mindful. After implementing the design features, two final test launches were performed: one demonstrated a control spin rate of 8.5 rad/sec; the other showed the vehicle’s ability to execute pitch maneuvers on a single axis. The test results can be used to improve the GNC software and servo control parameters. Continued development will allow the system to become a viable option for countering UAV swarms. / Ensign, United States Navy

The use of a counter-balance weight system of a Smith machine affects measures of bench press throw performance. Twenty-four men performed bench press throws at 30% of their one-repetition maximum under four different conditions: 1) counter-balance and rebound movement (RC), 2) no counter-balance and rebound movement (RNC), 3) counter-balance and concentric only movement (CC), and 4) no counter-balance and concentric only movement (CNC). Peak power, force, and concentric and eccentric velocities were measured using a linear accelerometer; and peak ground reaction force (GRF) was measured using a forceplate. Peak measures for concentric and eccentric velocities showed that NCB> CB and RBT > CBT. Peak GRF measures showed CB > NCB and RBT > CBT. The lower performance measures for CB were likely due to an increase in the net external load when the barbell accelerates faster than the gravitational constant causing the counter-balance weight becomes ineffective.