<p>The purpose of this essay is to explore how different means are used to create indeterminate meaning in Henry James’s novella<em> The Turn of the Screw</em>. It suggests that the indeterminacy creates gaps in the text which the reader is required to fill in during the reading process, and that this indeterminacy is achieved chiefly through the use of an unreliable narrator and of ambiguity in the way the narrator relates the events that take place. The reliability of the narrator is called into question by her personal qualities as well as by narrative factors. Personal qualities that undermine the narrator’s reliability are youth, inexperience, nervousness, excitability and vanity. Narrative factors that damage the narrator’s reliability concern the story as manuscript, the narrator’s role in the story she narrates, and her line of argumentation. The ambiguity in the way events are reported is produced by ambiguous words, dismissed propositions and omissions. The essay demonstrates how the unreliable narrator and the ambiguity combine to make the reader question the narrator’s account and supply his or her own interpretation of key elements in the story, that is, how they invite the reader to “co-author” the text.</p>

The paper presents an in-depth study of focus marking in Gùrùntùm, a West Chadic language spoken in Bauchi Province of Northern Nigeria. Focus in Gùrùntùm is marked morphologically by means of a focus marker a, which typically precedes the focus constituent. Even though the morphological focus-marking system of Gùrùntùm allows for a lot of fine-grained distinctions in information structure (IS) in principle, the language is not entirely free of focus ambiguities that arise as the result of conflicting IS- and syntactic requirements that govern the placement of focus markers. We show that morphological focus marking with a applies across different types of focus, such as newinformation, contrastive, selective and corrective focus, and that a does not have a second function as a perfectivity marker, as is assumed in the literature. In contrast, we show at the end of the paper that a can also function as a foregrounding device at the level of discourse structure.

<p>This dissertation consists of three essays on asymmetric correlations in financial markets. In the first essay, I have two main contributions. First, I show that dividend growth rates have symmetric correlations. Second, I show that asymmetric correlations are different than correlations being counter-cyclical. The correlation asymmetry I study in this dissertation should not be confused with correlations being counter-cyclical, i.e. being higher during recessions than during booms. I show that while counter-cyclical correlations can simply be explained by counter-cyclical aggregate market volatility, the correlation asymmetry with respect to joint upside and downside movements of returns are not just due to the heightened market volatility during those times. </p><p>In the second essay I present a model in order to explain the correlation asymmetry observed in the data. This is the first paper to offer an explanation for observed correlation asymmetry. I formalize the explanation using an equilibrium model. The model is useful to understand both the cross-section and time-series of correlation asymmetry. By the means of my model, we can answer questions about why some stocks have higher correlation asymmetry, and why the correlation asymmetry was higher during 1990s? In the model asset prices respond the realization of dividends and news about the future. However, price responses to news are asymmetric and this asymmetry is endogenous. Price responses are endogenously stronger conditional on bad news than conditional on good news. This asymmetry also generates the observed correlation asymmetry. The price responses are asymmetric due to the ambiguity about the news quality. Information about the quality of the signal is incomplete in the sense that the exact precision of the signal is unknown; it is only known to be in an interval, which makes the representative agent treat news as ambiguous. To model ambiguity aversion, I use Gilboa and Schmeidler (1989)'s max-min expected utility representation. The agent has a set of beliefs about the quality of signals, and the ambiguity-averse agent behaves as if she maximizes expected utility under a worst-case scenario. This incomplete information about the news quality, together with ambiguity-averse agents, generates an asymmetric response to news. Endogenous worst-case scenarios differ depending on the realization of news. When observing ``bad" news, the worst-case scenario is that the news is reliable and the prices of trees decrease strongly. On the other hand, when ``good news" is observed, under the worst-case scenario the news is evaluated as less reliable, and thus the price increases are mild. Therefore, price responses are stronger conditional on a negative signal and this asymmetry creates a higher correlation conditional on a negative signal than conditional on a positive signal. I also show that the results are robust to the smooth ambiguity aversion representation.</p><p>Motivated by the model, I uncover a new empirical regularity that is unknown in the literature. I show that correlation asymmetry is related to idiosyncratic volatility: the higher the idiosyncratic volatility, the higher the correlation asymmetry. This novel empirical finding is also useful to understand the time-series and cross-sectional variation in correlation asymmetry. Stocks with smaller market capitalizations have greater correlation asymmetry compared to stocks with higher market capitalization. However, an explanation for this finding has been lacking. According to the explanation offered in this paper, smaller size stocks have greater correlation asymmetry compared to bigger size stocks because small size stocks tend to have higher idiosyncratic volatilities compared to bigger size stocks. In the time-series, correlation asymmetry shows quite significant variation as well. The average correlation asymmetry is especially high for the 1990s and decreases significantly at the beginning of the 2000s. This pattern in times-series can also be explained in terms of the time-series behavior of idiosyncratic volatilities. Several papers including Brandt et al. (2010), document higher idiosyncratic volatilities during 1990s while the aggregate volatility stays fairly stable. Basically, the high idiosyncratic volatilities during the 1990s also caused greater correlation asymmetry. </p><p>In the third essay, I study the correlation of returns in government bond markets. Similar to the findings in equity markets, I show that there is some evidence for asymmetric correlations in government bond markets. First, I show that the maturity structure matters for correlation asymmetry in bonds markets: Unlike long-maturity bonds, shorter-maturity bonds tend to have asymmetric correlations. Second, I show that the correlation asymmetry observed in European bond markets disappears with the formation of a common currency area. Lastly, I study the correlation between equity and bond returns in different countries. For long-maturity bonds, correlations with the domestic equity returns are asymmetric for half of the countries in the sample, including the U.S. These findings show that results on asymmetric correlations from equity markets can generalize, at least to some extent, to other financial markets.</p> / Dissertation

Chopin’s Third Piano Sonata, Op. 58, is the largest solo work of his late period. Chopin’s successful combination of the Classical and the Romantic aesthetic, which is explored in Chapter 1, results in an effective balancing of structural integrity and emotional fulfillment. Every movement of Op. 58 possesses qualities of movements in a traditional sonata cycle; however, the tendency to blend structural elements, the expansion of thematic material, and the postponement of climaxes contribute to Chopin’s distinctive treatment of the sonata genre. The issue of late style in Chopin’s output has recently garnered considerable attention. Most writers focus on particular compositional techniques such as the blending of musical genres and the increasing importance of counterpoint and chromaticism. New expressive elements include manifestations of a dandified aesthetic as well as emotional lassitude. These discussions are primarily related to works in Chopin’s original genres, neglecting somewhat the Third Piano Sonata, Op. 58. The second chapter of this dissertation examines the elements of Chopin’s late style present in Op. 58, emphasizing the sonata’s first three movements. These aspects of late style include blurring of genres, complex use of chromaticism, intricacy of counterpoint, textural and thematic variety, dandified impertinence, emotional lassitude and polyvalence. The employment of late stylistic features within the sonata model results in formal ambiguities, which are particularly manifest in the first movement. Chapter 3 reconsiders the movement’s thematic boundaries and especially evaluates the juncture between development and recapitulation. In Chapter 4, the last movement’s indebtedness to Chopin’s balladic model is examined. The gradual intensification of the primary theme together with the presence of a characterizing theme and dancelike episode suggest a merging of Chopin’s balladic practice with rondo form to create an end-directed hybrid structure. This study not only encourages further research into the implications of Chopin’s late style for his larger forms but also increases the variety of interpretative choices available to performers through awareness of Chopin’s stylistic features. The final chapter suggests how insights into musical structure, style, and genre might inform performances of this sonata and how these possibilities relate to a selection of recorded performances.

Chopin’s Third Piano Sonata, Op. 58, is the largest solo work of his late period. Chopin’s successful combination of the Classical and the Romantic aesthetic, which is explored in Chapter 1, results in an effective balancing of structural integrity and emotional fulfillment. Every movement of Op. 58 possesses qualities of movements in a traditional sonata cycle; however, the tendency to blend structural elements, the expansion of thematic material, and the postponement of climaxes contribute to Chopin’s distinctive treatment of the sonata genre. The issue of late style in Chopin’s output has recently garnered considerable attention. Most writers focus on particular compositional techniques such as the blending of musical genres and the increasing importance of counterpoint and chromaticism. New expressive elements include manifestations of a dandified aesthetic as well as emotional lassitude. These discussions are primarily related to works in Chopin’s original genres, neglecting somewhat the Third Piano Sonata, Op. 58. The second chapter of this dissertation examines the elements of Chopin’s late style present in Op. 58, emphasizing the sonata’s first three movements. These aspects of late style include blurring of genres, complex use of chromaticism, intricacy of counterpoint, textural and thematic variety, dandified impertinence, emotional lassitude and polyvalence. The employment of late stylistic features within the sonata model results in formal ambiguities, which are particularly manifest in the first movement. Chapter 3 reconsiders the movement’s thematic boundaries and especially evaluates the juncture between development and recapitulation. In Chapter 4, the last movement’s indebtedness to Chopin’s balladic model is examined. The gradual intensification of the primary theme together with the presence of a characterizing theme and dancelike episode suggest a merging of Chopin’s balladic practice with rondo form to create an end-directed hybrid structure. This study not only encourages further research into the implications of Chopin’s late style for his larger forms but also increases the variety of interpretative choices available to performers through awareness of Chopin’s stylistic features. The final chapter suggests how insights into musical structure, style, and genre might inform performances of this sonata and how these possibilities relate to a selection of recorded performances.

I combine theory, experiments and econometrics to undertake the task of disentangling the subtleties and implications of the distinction between risk, uncertainty and ambiguity. One general conclusion is that the elements of this methodological trilogy are not equally advanced. For example, new experimental tools must be developed to adequately test the predictions of theory. My dissertation is an example of this dynamic between theoretical and applied economics.

The tradition of semantic externalism that follows Kripke (1972) and Putnam (1975) is built on the assumption that the folk have essentialist commitments about natural kinds. Externalists commonly take the body of empirical data concerning psychological essentialism as support for this claim. However, recent empirical findings (Malt, 1994; Kalish, 2002) call the psychological theory of essentialism into question. This thesis examines the relevance of these findings to both essentialism and semantic externalism. I argue that these findings suggest that these theories fail to reflect folk beliefs about natural kinds and folk natural kind term usage. This leads me to propose an alternative thesis-- the Ambiguity Thesis-- that is better able to accommodate the existing body of empirical data.

Consumer confusion, caused by product similarity, choice and/or information overload, and the presence of ambiguous information, can negatively affect consumersʼ decision making, and thereby also companiesʼ profitability. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate how the three variables (i.e. similarity, overload, ambiguity) of Walsh et al.ʼs (2007) consumer confusion proneness model affect consumersʼ decision postponement and brand loyalty, concerning low involvement products. A conceptual framework based on consumer behavior- and consumer confusion literature, was utilized to form six hypotheses predicting the causality between the different variables. After validating and adapting the scale to data gathered through a survey, regarding Swedish studentsʼ purchasing habits of laundry detergent, two standard multiple regressions revealed that one hypothesis was supported; overload confusion proneness decreases brand loyalty in a low involvement product category. All implications were then discussed from practitionersʼ and researchersʼ points of view, concluding with possible limitations and further research.

While a great deal of theoretical work affirms the importance of spirituality in hospice care, the manner in which organizational members communicate about spirituality in hospice organizations, and most other health care organizations, remains under-explored and under-theorized. The purpose of this dissertation is twofold. First, this dissertation seeks to understand how hospice members talk about spirituality with one another and with care recipients. Second, this dissertation explores the antecedents and consequences of hospice members' communication strategies. To explore these issues, an ethnographic study was conducted in two branches of a mid-sized hospice. Over 200 hours of participant observation and 42 interviews were completed. Results showed that organizational discourse about spirituality was strategically ambiguous in response to multiple internal and external demands. Strategically ambiguous communication was successful in allowing for a wide range of actions and interpretations; however, it was also problematic in that it served as a source of discomfort and disconnection for some organizational members. Further, results demonstrated that communication about spirituality in interactions between care providers and care recipients was influenced by both organizational discourse and personal understandings of spirituality. Organizational and professional discourse and personal understandings created dialectical tensions between leading and following in care provider-care recipient interactions. Further analysis demonstrated five different strategies for managing the leading-following dialectic. Finally, results suggested that organizational discourses affected the personal identity and outcomes experienced by hospice workers. The preferred organizational identity of the "Gracious Servant" required hospice workers to perform spiritual labor which increased the care providers' propensity to experience stress and burnout. In total, these results demonstrate the importance of examining spirituality from an ecological perspective that considers community, organizational, and interpersonal discourse about spirituality.

The following graduate report is an overview of my artistic endeavors spanning the past three years at the University of Texas at Austin. While at UT, I have concentrated on making paintings that focus on the relationship between abstraction, representation, and entropy. Using banal, often overlooked cultural objects as subject matter, I paint ambiguous scenes that teeter between disintegration and formation. Representations of banal detritus within an ambiguous natural space become a metaphor for memory, culture, and life and death alluding to unseen forces and, ultimately, a lack of control. Using a combination of random and deliberate decisions, I aim to create a commentary about the unpredictable yet conformist aspects of the world in which we participate. / text