This thesis deals with the cognitive process of cinematic character construal and explores the question of how narrative film viewers presumably understand characters and make impressions about them as a result of the interplay of different types of schema. Based on the cognitive concept of schema (Barlett [1932] 1995), Speech Act Theory (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1969) and cognitivist film theory (Bordwell,1985), a cognitive framework, which is inscribed within the cognitive stylistics theories and analytical frameworks, is proposed for character impression formation. The model posits that viewers understand characters in terms of the interactions between three planes of background knowledge: 1. Social knowledge (knowledge of real-life people, social roles, and interpersonal relations), 2. Narrative film knowledge (knowledge of film narrative, style and techniques), 3. Pragmalinguistic knowledge (knowledge of linguistic and pragmatic norms. The focus of the linguistic plane is on Speech Act Theory). This research argues that film draws on medium-specific, multimodal devices to tell the story and create characters. With regard to the multimodality of film discourse, this thesis suggests a toolkit for character creation and comprehension. The three planes of social, film and pragmalinguistic schemas and also the marked aspects of the suggested cinematic character creation toolkit are all applied to three art auteur films: The Piano Teacher (2001), Autumn Sonata (1987), and Ten (2001), whose comprehension is challenging for viewers Pragmalinguistic because of their deviations from the conventional norms of Hollywood cinema in terms of narrative, characterization, cinematic style and techniques. Methodologically, this analysis is informed by multimodal analysis (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1996), and multimodal transcription (Baldry and Thibault, 2006) in particular, which consider text as an ensemble of different communication modes all of which contribute to meaningmaking. Thus, this analysis presents a detailed account of viewers' plausible understanding trajectory, and an explanation of linguistic and visual/cinematic strategies to narrative (as the context in which characters are created and developed), and particularly character creation within the scope of the films mentioned above.

Fullerenes, the highly symmetric molecular carbon clusters, have been in the limelight of scientific research since their discovery by Kroto and coworkers [1]. The focus of experimental and theoretical studies has centered on C60 and, to a lesser extent, on C70. A few larger counterparts have also been characterized [2]. It is generally believed that the cage compounds with adjacent pentagons are unstable (the so-called 'isolated pentagon rule': IPR) [3]. The smallest possible fullerene which satisfies the IPR is C60. Fullerenes smaller than C60 will necessarily have pentagons fused side by side and hence they are predicted to be unstable. While violations of the isolated pentagon rule have been suggested [4], the inability to achieve macroscopic synthesis of smaller fullerenes seemed to be in accord with their predicted instability. In a dramatic development, Zettl and coworkers [5] reported the synthesis and purification of C36. Their achievement led to increased activity in elucidating the properties of C36, both experimentally and theoretically.

An experimental and theoretical investigation has been undertaken to study the trajectory and growth of thermal effluents having a range of discharge velocities and temperatures. The discharge of a turbulent effluent into a waterway was mathematically modeled as a submerged jet injection process by using an integral method which accounts for natural fluid mechanisms such as turbulence, entrainment, buoyancy, and heat transfer. The analytical results are supported by experimental data and demonstrate the usefulness of the theory for estimating the location and size of the effluent with respect to the discharge point. The capability of predicting jet flow properties, as well as two- and three-dimensional jet paths, was enhanced by obtaining the jet cross sectional area during the solution of the conservation equations (a number of previous studies assume a specific growth for the area). Realistic estimates of temperature in the effluent were acquired by accounting for heat losses in the jet flow due to forced convection and to entrainment of free-stream fluid into the jet. / Ph. D.

Many workers have attempted to determine neutron absorption cross sections and average resonance parameters with varying degrees of success. Values of the latter parameters for a given isotope often vary as much as a factor of two or three from one worker to another. This dissertation is an attempt to remove some of this uncertainty. Natural silver and the isotopes ¹⁰⁷Ag, ¹⁰⁹Ag, ¹¹⁵In, ¹²⁷I have been irradiated by the monoenergetic neutrons emitted at 90° to a proton beam striking a ⁷Li target. These samples were then counted for their β and γ activity and their absolute cross sections relative to the cross section of ¹²⁷I at 24 keV were calculated over the energy range of from 3 to 155 keV. These measured cross section versus energy curves were used to determine the γ-ray strength functions, (r_γ)/( D_o), the s-wave neutron strength functions, (r¹_n)/(D), and the p-wave neutron strength functions (r¹_n)/(D). Because of data limitations it has been assumed that the γ-ray strength function is the same for both s- and p-wave neutrons. The cross sections determined are in general good agreement with the values previously reported but differ somewhat in shape. This shape variance results in values for the average resonance parameters which are somewhat higher than values reported by other workers. / Ph. D.

Gross rainfall and throughfall were measured in an uneven-aged, mixed deciduous forest in western Virginia from August 6, 1972 to June 19, 1973. Storms were grouped according to leafy (growing) season and leafless (dormant) season for analysis of gross rainfall and throughfall. Average leafy season throughfall was 78.2 percent of gross rainfall, and leafless season throughfall was 81.86 percent. Regression of throughfall on gross rainfall explained approximately 99 percent of variation in throughfall. Variations in throughfall were also related to storm characteristics, irregularities of vegetative cover, and different concentrations of throughfall at single sampling positions. Coefficients of variation decreased with increasing amounts of gross rainfall. Throughfall amounts increased with decreasing canopy density over plots. However, an analysis of variance showed no significant differences of mean throughfall among plots. Throughfall caught in several gauges exceeded gross rainfall in 36 of 40 storms. This phenomenon was more pronounced in the leafy season. There was relatively little difference in throughfall between seasons. Soil moisture was determined on two dates. No correlation could be demonstrated between soil moisture distribution and throughfall under the forest canopy. The results, however, were inconclusive, owing to the small number of samples taken. / M.S.

In this dissertation an iterative procedure, due to Hartley [9], for obtaining the maximum likelihood estimators of the parameters from underlying discrete distributions is studied for the case of grouped random samples. It is shown that when the underlying distribution is Poisson the process always converges and does so regardless of the initial values taken for the unknown parameter. In showing this, a rather interesting property of the Poisson distribution was derived. If one defines a connected group of integers to be such that it contains all the integers between and including its end points, it is shown that the variance of the sub- distribution defined on this connected set is strictly less than the variance of the complete Poisson distribution. A Monte Carlo study was performed to indicate how increasing group sizes affected the variances of the maximum likelihood estimators. As a result of a problem encountered by the Office of Naval Research, combinations of distributions diff kb were introduced. The difference between such combinations and the classical mixtures of distributions is that a new distribution must be considered whenever the random variable in question increases by an integral multiple of a known integer constant, b. When all the data are present, the estimation problem is no more complicated than when estimating the individual parameters from the component distributions. However, it is pointed out that very frequently the observed samples are defective in the fact that none of the component frequencies are observed. Hence, horizontal grouping of the sample values occurs as opposed to the vertical grouping encountered previously in the one parameter Poisson case. An extension of the iterative procedure used to obtain the maximum likelihood estimator of the single parameter grouped Poisson distribution is made to obtain the estimators of the parameters in a horizontally grouped sample. As a practical example, the component distributions were all taken to be from the Poisson family. The estimators were obtained and their properties were studied. The regularity conditions which are sufficient to show that a consistent and asymptotically normally distributed solution to the likelihood equations exist are seen to be satisfied for such combinations of the Poisson distributions. Further, in the full data case, a set of jointly sufficient statistics is exhibited and since, in the presence of sufficient statistics, the solutions to the likelihood equations are unique, the estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal. It is seen that such combinations of distributions can be applied to problems in item demands. A justification of the Poisson distribution is given for such applications, but it is also pointed out that the Negative Binomial distribution might be applicable. It is also shown that such a probability model might have an application in testing the efficiency of an anti-ballistic missile system when under attack by missiles which carry multiple warheads. However, no data were available and hence the study of this application could be carried no further. / Ph. D.

This study was based on the assumption there would be no significant differences between the perceptions teachers and principals have of the principal's role in a differentiated staff. After extensive review of the literature, four major role tasks were identified as necessary for the principal to perform, if the concept was to be successfully implemented. A key component to success is the principal's ability and willingness to allow teachers and other personnel to become involved in the decision-making process. The principal should encourage the participation of staff and students in the development of school programs and policies, stress shared decision-making and emphasize administrative interaction with staff and students. / Ph. D.

The exact controllability problems for systems modeled by linear parabolic differential equations and the Burger's equations are considered. A condition on the exact controllability of linear parabolic equations is obtained using the optimal control approach. We also prove that the exact control is the limit of appropriate optimal controls. A numerical scheme of computing exact controls for linear parabolic equations is constructed based on this result. To obtain numerical approximation of the exact control for the Burger's equation, we first construct another numerical scheme of computing exact controls for linear parabolic equations by reducing the problem to a hypoelliptic equation problem. A numerical scheme for the exact zero control of the Burger's equation is then constructed, based on the simple iteration of the corresponding linearized problem. The efficiency of the computational methods are illustrated by a variety of numerical experiments. / Ph. D.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 139). / The particular subject of this thesis is Housing for the Elderly. The intention is to propose an architecture which springs from an alternative attitude towards housing the elderly ... an attitude which purports that multiplicity and exchange are the elements crucial to one's well-being; in contrast to the current paradigm within the world of planning for the elderly ... one of segregation, classification and singularity. With a little license, I call this a research and design thesis, as it has been difficult to define. As a 'research' paper, it entails the use of a particular method of selecting, understanding, and (finally) using a range of references in order to distill from them some underlying principles of form. Yet unlike a true research thesis, it is loosely structured and left open-ended ... intentionally so! The 'design' work provides the testing ground for the principles gleaned from those references. It also allows me the opportunity to exercise myself in synthesizing and arranging architecture. Yet as a design thesis, the work is only the start of an architecture process ... far from being complete. In essence, the thesis is an endeavour in knowing a little more about the 'dancing' between referencing and designing. / by Julia A. Campbell. / M.Arch.

The significant results of this research were: 1) A laboratory colony of H. bajulus was established and information on the N. A. biotype was collected. At this time it is too early to make any significant statements of comparison between European and N. A. biotypes. However, preliminary results indicate that the mean number of eggs per female, and the size and longevity of N. A. adults appear different than European beetles; 2) Outdoor survival studies of the larvae indicate that H. bajulus can live under natural conditions in Virginia's varied climatic regions. Over the course of two years 27 adults have been collected in such field conditions as fence posts, outhouses, screen windows, building exteriors, and free flying in open fields. This information, along with survival studies, strongly suggest the presence of natural populations; 3) The environment in which H bajulus larvae are located greatly affects its chances of survival. Larvae in attics can survive the fluctuating environmental condition, but growth and development are prolonged and potential structural damage minimal. Under these conditions H. bajulus larvae are more likely to undergo natural mortality over several years. In optimum (stable) conditions H. bajulus will increase their feeding and development. Under these conditions infestations that are left unchecked may lead to serious structural damage and reinfestations. / Master of Science