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In this paper, I analyze the life and collection of Christina, Queen of Sweden (1626-1689), as a complex and shifting performance of gender, authority, and other aspects of identity. I argue that Christina’s education and life experiences actively informed her collecting preferences for certain types of mythological figures, which became an effective tool of her self-fashioning as a ruler who broke away from what she viewed as the confines and expectations of her gender. I will demonstrate how her strategies as an astute patron and collector of the arts were central to her subversive presentation as an almost androgynous self-exiled ruler in Rome, who could emulate both male and female virtues equally in order to transfer her former political power to new social and cultural capital. Christina’s collection, newly assembled in the Palazzo Riario in Rome, served this purpose by creating a controlled environment that enforced particular relationships between collector and spectator, spectator and collected objects, as well as among the objects themselves. This thesis weds the various theories of Queen Christina and her collection into a comprehensive theory of her larger project of self-fashioning, arguing that her collecting practices regarding both ancient and contemporary works followed a cohesive philosophy in her politics of collection and display, even while largely challenging the decorum of female patronage. Christina’s self-promoted identity as Minerva of the North forces the viewer to contemplate the items in the collection both on their own and in conversation with one another as part of a larger display. In the nudes of the Stanza dei Quadri on her second floor, as well as the antiquities featured on the ground floor, Christina used the relationship between images and sculptures to create an allegorical pantheon focused on her own self-control and authority. In understanding objects’ interactivity, it is possible to interpret Christina’s renovations to the Palazzo Riario and the display of her collection as a modern day Parnassus or Arcadia, which she used to establish her Roman home as a primary location of scholarship and creation. The contents and display of her collection extended her desired persona as a leader of wisdom and user of knowledge not easily bound by the constraints of either gender. The metaphorical space of Arcadia that she created strengthened her alignment with Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and warfare, and implicitly also with Apollo, who presided over Parnassus. In the case of Queen Christina, we have found that in addition to the personal prestige associated with obtaining valued items, the display of these items in a kind of curated space added value and meaning to the viewing experience. / Art History

The purposes of this study were: (1) to develop a systematic approach to fiscal data collection and (2) to analyze these data to determine the cost of selected trade and industrial education programs in Virginia. The four vocational-technical centers utilized in the study were selected according to: (1) geographic location and (2) years of operation. Centers chosen were urban and rural, representing three geographical regions of the State of Virginia. The objectives of this study were: (1) to set forth in general terms the components of cost analysis for selected trade and industrial education programs in Virginia, (2) to identify the cost of specific selected trade and industrial education programs in Virginia, (3) to present the methodology for a systematic approach for fiscal data collection in selected trade and industrial education programs in Virginia, and (4) to present cost data which may be utilized by administrators and local directors of vocational education in evaluating selected trade and industrial education programs. Limitations of the study were: (1) all data were based on actual expenditures for a one year period, (2) vocational-technical centers were selected which had been in operation for at least four years, (3) only regular trade and industrial education programs were utilized in this study, and (4) transportation of students and amortization of equipment were not included in this study. Expenditure items used in the study were determined by a panel of experts who agreed that the expenditures were attributable to vocational education costs. All expenditures utilized in this study were included in the list approved by the panel. The study required personal examination of records and reports maintained by: (1) vocational-technical centers, (2) local school agencies, and (3) the Division of Vocational Education, State Department of Education. Fiscal data were retrieved and analyzed by vocational-technical centers and by specific programs which permitted a per student cost to be attained. The study revealed that: (1) instructional salaries comprised the largest percentage of the total expenditures, (2) maintenance appeared to be very low in the percentage of total cost, (3) 68.4 percent of total costs was borne by the local school district and 31.6 percent was borne by the state, (4) the program with the largest percentage of total cost was Practical Nursing, (5) centers offering more programs experienced a lower per student cost than centers offering fewer programs, (6) there was a range of per student expenditure from $528.11 to $832.56, with an average per student cost of $692.27 for all four centers, and (7) the range of costs per student for all programs at all centers was from $296.55 to $1,096.03. Because of diverse accounting and expenditure methods found in local school districts the necessary forms for fiscal data collection and analyses were developed. The systematic approach and design was as follows: (1) determine which are bonafide costs, (2) condense the aforementioned classification list to fit the local accounting system, (3) collect data, (4) determine sources of funding, (5) prorate cost, (6) compute total cost for each expenditure classification, (7) compute total cost for each program area, (8) compute the unit costs, and (9) list student cost by programs. A self-contained packet for the systematic approach and analysis utilized in the study was developed and is included in Chapter 5 for use by local directors of vocational education. / Ed. D.

The integrated solar roof collector system can bring the house year-round energy saving benefit. In heating season, part of the space heating and preheating domestic hot water demand can be met by this integrated system. In the cooling season, cooling load reduction and preheating domestic hot water can be achieved by operating this system. The traditional solar thermal system is an add-on system rather than integrated, which increases the cost-benefit ratio. The current system is integrated with the roof structure. Except for the energy collecting benefit, it will reduce the material cost, labor cost and construction period. The objectives of this research is to estimate the energy performance of three collector configurations including space heating saving, and preheat hot water saving. This study also compares energy performance for the three collectors on two types of evaluated houses in Roanoke, Virginia. / Master of Science

Teaching good software development practices is difficult, both in theory and in practice. Time management and project organization are skills often left by the wayside by students too focused on the coding itself. Educational research has been invested in developing strategies to combat these bad habits. In order to provide better support for interventions discouraging bad development habits, more data about student development is needed. The purpose of this research is to design and implement software to collect data continuously as students work on programming projects and provide it in useful forms to instructors and researchers so that they may make headway in designing new curricula, assignments, and interventions that better help students to succeed. The DevEventTracker is a software system that interfaces with existing Web-CAT services to track student development data continuously, without any student effort. Development and compilation events are tracked within the Eclipse IDE through a plugin and sent to a Web-CAT server. Code snapshots corresponding to each event are also committed to a server-side repository. The system provides a dashboard as a set of instructor-visible web pages that display useful data in generated charts and tables. Data are presented in both class overview and individual student summaries. The system presented will enable future research in education and specifically in intervention development. Particularly, the system can be used to allow instructors to identify students who have a tendency to procrastinate and design more effective interventions. / Master of Science

This study addresses the limitations of existing autonomous vehicle datasets, particularly the need for greater specificity of weather conditions and road types. We utilized X-CAR to highlight the challenges of extreme weather and non-urban road conditions on autonomous driving systems. Our dataset comprises recordings under seven distinct weather and lighting conditions across four road types. Notably, our research focuses on differentiating between various lighting and weather conditions and road types, which often need improvement in many existing datasets. We used the X-CAR platform to collect 360-degree image information and LiDAR point clouds at 10Hz. Due to the constraints of time and resources, we used algorithmic prediction to generate ground truth data via the Co-DETR 2D prediction algorithm. We validated the accuracy of the Co-DETR algorithm through partial manual annotation. However, it is undeniable that in some extreme conditions, the algorithm-generated ground truth can lead to results deviating from expectations and real-world situations. Therefore, we conducted a scaled manual annotation and controlled experiments, ensuring the highest level of accuracy. After the manual annotation, we validated our initial conclusions and trained a model based on YOLOv8x, focusing on weak environmental conditions. The final model underwent multiple iterations and achieved satisfactory accuracy. The enhanced model demonstrated a significant increase in detection accuracy compared to the original YOLOv8x model. At the same time, our analysis identifies weather conditions that markedly reduce detection accuracy, providing focal points for future dataset enhancements. / Master of Science / This study explores the limitations of current autonomous vehicle datasets, particularly their lack of detail regarding weather conditions and road types. We used X-CAR to examine how extreme weather and light conditions affect autonomous driving systems. Our dataset includes recordings from seven different weather and lighting conditions across four types of roads. Due to time and resource constraints, we used an algorithm to predict ground truth data with the help of Co-DETR. While not all data was fully annotated, we manually labeled part of the data to create an actual ground truth. This allowed us to verify our previous findings and train a model based on YOLOv8x, focusing on challenging conditions. The improved model showed much higher accuracy in detecting objects than the original YOLOv8x model. This study highlights the significant impact of weather conditions on detection accuracy and suggests areas for future improvements in datasets.

A known method for the preservation of green foliage was adapted in order to preserve floral tissues, retaining the colour and texture, thereby providing a method suitable for the preservation of whole flowers. Initially, the effects of the existing foliage preservation process on floral tissues were studied and the resulting problems of limp sticky petals and colour loss were identified. Subsequently, with a knowledge of basic plant anatomy and of the properties of the main floral pigments, the anthocyanins, a series of experiments on petals and whole flowers were carried out in an attempt to rectify these problems and to incorporate the remedies into a method for preserving whole flowers. The problem of improving the texture and firmness of flower heads was tackled by investigating the effects of adding bulking or setting ingredients to the process fluid and establishing their optimum concentrations. In the case of flower colour, the addition of acid was required in order to maintain the bright anthocyanin colours and a range of acids was investigated. Furthermore, since it is known that in nature the anthocyanin pigments are stabilised by metal ions and copigments, the use of these agents in the preservation process was also considered. This empirical work was then validated by confirming the identity of the main pigments involved and by studying various aspects of the new preservation process. Factors examined included acid concentration, temperature, solvent composition and the addition of metal ions and copigments to solutions of petal extracts containing anthocyanin pigments. Physical changes resulting from processing, including process fluid content and the moisture absorption properties of processed petals were also measured. Finally, the application of a selection of coating materials was assessed in an attempt to increase the life span of the processed flowers by providing extra protection against environmental stresses.

This thesis is a follow-up to several bachelor and diploma theses which were dedicated to creating solved problems for Electronic Collection of Solved Problems in Electromagnetism. The first goal of this thesis was to make a short survey about electronic resources in electromagnetism, especially those which contain solved problems and provide open access to their contents. The second goal was to make a small collection of solved problems in this area which would be suitable for undergraduate students and which would fill in chapters with little amount of problems in the Electronic Collection. This Electronic Collection is openly accesible on the website of Department of Physics Education. Total of 30 solved problems have been made in this thesis, including hints, detailed solutions and suitable pictures. Methodical comments are also available for almost all problems.

Esta pesquisa aborda a Curadoria do Acervo Artístico-Cultural dos Palácios do Governo do Estado de São Paulo, responsável pela zeladoria de um acervo público intimamente ligado às estruturas administrativas do Estado de São Paulo, suas funções e atividades. Apresenta um histórico da formação e consolidação do Acervo Artístico-Cultural dos Palácios do Governo do Estado de São Paulo, relacionando-o aos diversos palácios já ocupados pelo Governo do Estado, e dos setores responsáveis por seu gerenciamento, a Curadoria do Acervo Artístico-Cultural dos Palácios do Governo, o seu Conselho de Orientação e o seu Conselho Consultivo. O processo curatorial desenvolvido ao longo do tempo, e aprimorado pela gestão atual, que teve início em 2007, é analisado, dando-se ênfase à metodologia utilizada para a elaboração, produção e montagem de exposições, seu principal procedimento de comunicação. A partir dos dados apresentados, visando estruturar mecanismos de proteção aos acervos de palácios de governo, formula a hipótese de implementar documentos para uma mais adequada gestão, o Plano Museológico e a Política de Gestão de Acervo. / This research addresses the Curatorship of the Artistic-Cultural Collection of the Governmental Palaces of the State of São Paulo, responsible for the safeguard of a public collection closely connected to the administrative structures of the State of São Paulo, its functions and activities. It presents the historical development of the formation and consolidation of the Artistic-Cultural Collection of the Governmental Palaces of the State of São Paulo, relating it to the several palaces once occupied by the State Government, and the departments responsible for its management, the Curatorship of the Artistic-Cultural Collection the Governmental Palaces, its Guidance Council and its Advisory Council. The curatorial process developed throughout the time, and improved by the current management, which began in 2007, is analyzed, emphasizing the methodology used for the elaboration, production and setting up of exhibitions, its main communication procedure. From the presented data, aiming to structure protection mechanisms for collections of governmental palaces, it formulates the hypothesis of implementing documents for better management, the Museological Plan and the Collection Management Policy.

Cette étude cible la reconstitution de la collection du marchand amateur Frédéric Spitzer, avec son milieu social, culturel, politique dans une perspective qui était européenne au XIXe siècle et qui est aujourd’hui devenue globalisée et participative. Vendue aux enchères en 1893, cette collection constitua un cas exemplaire parmi les collections de son époque, caractérisée par des liens très étroits entre collection, étude, nouvelle production d’objets d’art, communication et divulgation. Forcément abordé selon une perspective multidisciplinaire et transnationale et des sources documentaires largement inédites, la microstoria de Spitzer a été réécrite dans le sillage de la multiple identité, de ses nombreux déplacements dans le cadre européen et de ses relations avec les principaux représentants du milieu culturel européen. Sa collection et les objets d’arts qui la composaient ont été ici étudiés avec leur scénario d’origine, c’est-à-dire l’hôtel particulier où ils étaient installés et les rites sociaux et la vie privée dans les salons de réception se prolongeaient dans les salles du musée, en affichant référence à l’esprit de la Renaissance italienne dans une sorte de Gesamtkunstwerk. Un inventaire raisonné a été finalement rédigé à fin de reconstituer l’unité d’origine de la collection et d’accéder d’une manière objective et consciente aux possibles lectures et interprétations du projet unitaire à vocation encyclopédique et taxonomique conçu par Frédéric Spitzer, en devenant un possible support pour la valorisation du patrimoine culturel et de la mémoire collective actuelle. / This study focus on the reconstruction of the collection of the art dealer Frédéric Spitzer (1815-1890), by reconsidering the role of his collection within the 19th century European frame and its meaning in the present culture within contemporary cultural dynamics at a global scale. Auctioned in 1893, his collection was considered an exemplar model of his era, marked by strong links between collection, studies, new production of art, communication and disclosure items. Reconsidered according to a multidisciplinary and a transnational perspective and based on unpublished documents, the Spitzer’s microstoria has been rewritten in the wake of his multiple identity, his European travels and his relations with the key figures of the European cultural world. His collection and his art’s objects have been studied here within their original frame, being on display in Spitzer’s mansion in Paris where social rites and private life in the reception rooms were extended into the museum, showing reference to the spirit of the Italian Renaissance in a kind of Gesamtkunstwerk. A reasoned inventory was finally compiled in order to rebuild the lost unity of the museum according to the Spitzer’s encyclopedic and taxonomic spirit in order to contribure and understand its complexity as a research support tool and as a device of information for the cultural heritage and the present mémoire collective.