This thesis is a study of certain linguistic aspects of the Jingfa and the Jing (known also as Shiliu jing), two manuscripts discovered in a Han dynasty tomb at Mawangdui, China, in 1973. The manuscripts have been the object of intense study since their discovery. After a review of the major publications and an account of their contribution to the field of ancient Chinese thought, this thesis examines the rhetorical strategies and the vocabulary used in the two texts, in order to offer a description of the linguistic differences between the manuscripts. Various grammatical and argumentative patterns are analyzed: the use of sentence connectives, inference, implication, narrative procedures. The two texts show considerable discrepancy, attributable to their independent origin, an issue still debated among the experts. The perception of the manuscripts as belonging to different cultural milieux is confirmed by an analysis of the vocabulary, and in particular of the technical terms.

With the increase of the number of radios and antennas on today’s systems, the risk of co-site interference is very high. Intermodulation product and antenna coupling are two common sources of interference. The thesis investigates some features of a radio system, like antenna types, receiver parameters, intermodulation products and isolation, and suggests how this knowledge can be used to minimize the risk of co-site interference. The goal is to maximize the isolation between the antennas, by good frequency planning, the use of filters and taking great care in antenna placement. A first version of an analysis software was developed where transmitters and receivers can be paired and evaluated. An intermodulation product calculator was also implemented, to easily find which products are an issue and where they originate. The goal of the software is to be simple to use and easy to adapt to different setups and situations. It should also be easy to upgrade with new features.

In recent years, on-site analysis has garnered increased interest from the scientific community. The development of smaller, more sophisticated analytical instruments, and the establishment of new environmental regulations have encouraged the application of new methodologies for field analysis. Prominent advantages of on-site analysis include elimination of error sources due to sample transportation and matrix modification, considerable reduction in analysis time, and more accurate and precise analytical results. Several techniques suitable for on-site analysis, which integrate sampling and sample preparation in one step, have demonstrated high versatility and throughput in field applications. This research was focused on the application and evaluation of three microextraction techniques: solid phase microextraction (SPME), needle trap devices (NTD) and membrane extraction with sorbent interface (MESI), which were then coupled with various portable instruments for on-site analysis of different systems. Additionally, the conducted project involved the development of an approach using ion mobility spectrometry detection (IMS) coupled with a miniaturized gas chromatograph (GC) as a powerful system for field analysis. This proposed GC-IMS exhibited satisfactory performance in terms of retention time (inter-day variation < 3%) and response stability (intra and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) < 10 %). Moreover, when coupled with NTD, it showed limits of detection comparable to those provided by conventional benchtop instruments. Other portable GC instruments employed in this project included flame ionization and mass spectrometry detection. Three different sample systems were investigated using SPME and NTD together with these portable instruments: emissions of a pine branch, breath samples, and indoor pollutants in a polymer synthesis laboratory. Consequently, the feasibility of using SPME and NTD for determination of free and total concentrations was investigated. Finally, MESI was successfully coupled with the newly proposed GC-IMS system, and its functionality was evaluated by analyzing acetone in breath samples.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1992. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-125). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (B.S.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2007. / Also available online. Includes bibliographical references.

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1999. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Univ., Magisterarbeit--München, 2001. / Literaturverz. S. 167 - 172.

Thesis (M.S.)--Washington State University. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 355-408). Available also in an electronic version.