Master of Arts / Department of History / Heather L. McCrea / This thesis highlights the consequences of the 1980 US boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow from the perspective of the Olympic boxers. Beginning with a review of scholarly work on the Olympics and their surrounding politics, I outline how the White House, under President Jimmy Carter, manipulated the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) into supporting a boycott. I conclude that the political actions of the Carter Administration affected an entire nation's participation in an Olympic event. Exploring the socio-political circumstances surrounding the 1980 US Olympic boycott, my study seeks to answer three questions: First, what political tactics did the Carter Administration use to implement a boycott designed to pressure Russia to withdraw troops from Afghanistan? Manipulation of the USOC and threats to cut funding pushed compliance with Carter's agenda. As a result, the Carter administration’s actions included using US boxer Muhammad Ali as a pawn in an effort to persuade athletes to support a boycott. Few athletes felt comfortable speaking out against such high-level political strategies. Historically, the US denounced any nation's attempt to use the Olympic Games to make a political statement; this was exemplified in the US’s decision to send black and Jewish athletes to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, despite the obvious dangers these athletes faced in the midst of the Nazi regime. As noted in the German press, allowing “wooly-haired niggers with protruding lips” to compete with Aryans was a disgrace. Second, what was the real reason Carter sought a boycott? The Carter Administration saw participation in the Moscow Games as “…signify[ing] an attitude of indifference toward the continuing occupation of Afghanistan by Soviet troops.” One possible explanation of the boycott, then, was to raise awareness about human rights atrocities within the Soviet Union and beyond during the Moscow Games. Perhaps the boycott was Carter’s desperate last effort to revive his presidential reputation after several instances of critical failure as President of the United States, including the Iranian-US hostage outrage (1979), the failed US hostage rescue attempt (1980), and economic inflation so extreme it contributed to a dramatic downward spiral in Carter’s re-election poll numbers. Third, what was the real impact of the 1980 Olympic boycott? How did athletes and coaches become victims of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the US government? For many of the prospective medalists, a boycott permanently slammed shut the only open window of opportunity and robbed them of potential fame and financial gain. My work shows that the 1980 boycott not only strained international relations, but also significantly altered the lives of the athletes, coaches, and teams beyond the 1980 Olympics.

L’objectif de ces travaux est de prédire la stabilité dynamique d’un moteur d’avion de type turbofan, lors de contacts légers entre l’extrémité des aubes et le carter en regard. Une voix d’amélioration des performances des turboréacteurs d’avion consiste, en effet, à réduire les jeux entre les extrémités des aubes en rotation et le carter. Réduction qui s’accompagne d’une augmentation des possibilités de contact entre ces parties tournantes et fixes pouvant conduire à des phénomènes vibratoires instables. La démarche proposée s’appuie sur un modèle hybride qui introduit de manière simplifiée une roue aubagée et un carter flexible à un modèle de ligne d’arbres. Une formulation dite 3D du contact a également été implémentée, elle intègre la cinématique des différents organes du modèle et introduit de manière précise la géométrie locale de la zone de contact. Le comportement du modèle lors de contacts aubes-carter est alors étudié en distinguant les analyses menées en supposant un contact permanent et celles autorisant l’intermittence des contacts. Les résultats obtenus mettent en évidence l’importance des couplages introduits dans l’apparition des phénomènes instables et la pertinence de la formulation 3D dans la prédiction de la stabilité du système. / This work aims to predict the dynamic stability of a turbofan engine submitted to light contacts between blade tips and casing. Reducing the clearance between the rotating blades and the casing improves indeed the performances of turbomachines ; however, it also increases the possible contacts between rotating and stationary parts, which can cause unstable dynamic behavior. The approach is based on a hybrid model which introduces a simplified bladed wheel and a flexible casing to a rotor-shaft model. A 3D contact formulation has also been implemented ; it considers the model kinematic and introduces the local geometry of the contact area. The model behavior with blade-to-casing contacts is analyzed through two approaches : the first one assumes permanent contacts while the other one allows contact intermittence. The results highlight the importance of couplings in the outbreak of unstable phenomena and the relevance of the 3D contact formulation in predicting the stability of the system.

This dissertation sets out to describe a set of financial instruments whose cash flows are driven by the movements in some underlying population's mortality rates. For example, a longevity bond where the coupons are determined with reference to the proportion of the initial population that are alive at the coupon date. Other examples include mortality swaps and mortality swaptions which are analogous to interest rate swaps and interest rate swaptions. It also aims to show there are risks associated with mortality and that these mortality driven instruments can be used to manage some of these risks. These instruments should also enable portfolios that replicate mortality driven cash ows to be constructed. This would in turn allow the market consistent valuation of these cash flows. To construct a pricing framework for these mortality based instruments a stochastic mortality model is needed. In this dissertation the stochastic mortality model used was the Lee-Carter model. The Lee-Carter model in essence models mortality rates per age by calendar year or cohort year using Time Series techniques. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Mathematics and Applied Mathematics / unrestricted

Intricate Maneuvers is a series of musical works that were composed using movement as a model for compositional processes and forms. This essay presents in-depth analyses of three works from the series; Fidget, Sway: The Mildest Form of Falling, and Swerve for Chamber Ensemble. The analysis of each work highlights correlations between the musical characteristics of that work and the temporal, spatial, contextual, and psychological implications of the motion after which it was modeled. The third chapter also demonstrates the ways in which the creation of Sway was influenced by materials and processes taken from Ruth Crawford's String Quartet 1931. In order to investigate the question of how life experiences can function as models for compositional processes, the essay examines precedents for the compositional modeling of extra-musical ideas and images in the works of Bed?ich Smetana, Elliott Carter and Roger Reynolds. It also discusses approaches to modeling movement in music created for dance. Throughout the Intricate Maneuvers series, movement is modeled not merely to create an association between a musical work and a particular movement pattern, but rather to infuse the compositions with the dynamism that defines a particular kinetic experience.

Title: Somatotype Comparison in Short Distance and Long Distance Triathlon Objectives: The goal is to determine the somatotype of triathletes competing in half ironman distance triathlons with triathletes competing in short distance triathlons. Methods: The Heath and Carter method was used for measuring the anthropometric parameters. The gained data were used in specific equations to calculate each of the three somatotype compoments. The anthropometric measurements involved participants of the Czechman Tour races. Results: By gaining appropriate anthropometric data, the average somatotype of triathletes competing in half distance events (2,1 - 4,4 - 2,9) falls into the category of ectomorphic mesomorph, whereas the somatotype of competitors in short distance events (2,1 - 4,4 - 2,9) falls into the category of mesomorphic ectomorphs. Keywords: somatotype, triathlon, body type, the Heath and Carter method

Carter Mansion is a well-known historic site in Tennessee. It is estimated to have been built in the 1770s and is believed to be the oldest frame house, a house with a wooden skeleton for the base, in the state. This house was built by John and Landon Carter, father, and son respectively, who were well known influential leaders of the Watauga Settlement in the late 18th century. Prior to their arrival, the area was home to Native Americans. The aim of this research was to perform a geophysical survey of a previously unresearched area of the site, providing guidance for future development of the property. A ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey was conducted with a GSSI SIR4000 with 400 MHz antennas. Previous research was able to identify both historic and prehistoric graves in other areas of the property. This project extends this knowledge and aims to determine if there are graves associated with the headstones of the Carters on the eastern margin of the property, thus enriching the history and prehistory of the site without disturbing the grounds.

No description available.

Merry-Go-Round is a realistic adolescent novella that looks at true problems young adults can face. The protagonist, Amy, is ten-year-old girl who meets a boy, Ben, of the same age at the hotel where her mother works. Amy and Ben become fast friends. Amy's mother is involved in an abusive relationship and Ben's mother is dying of cancer. Through the relationship formed between the children, they learn how to survive by sharing their difficulties and working them out. The realistic, troublesome situations faced by the main characters of Merry-Go-Round will help readers graduate smoothly on the next level of reading.

This study examines how the administrations of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan responded to the widespread human rights abuses committed by the Argentine military during the country's Dirty War between 1977 and 1982. The objective is to gain a broader understanding of the policies pursued by both administrations. Under Carter, who brought human rights to the forefront of American foreign policy, Argentina was heavily targeted and sanctioned with the anticipation that such measures would enhance the human rights status in Argentina. Ultimately, such policies resulted in open hostility in bilateral relations, culminating in Argentina's refusal to support Carter's proposed grain embargo on the Soviet Union in 1980. Reagan moved to restore relations until Argentina's invasion of the Falklands in April, 1982. The works of many authors were consulted in conjunction with newspapers, journal articles, government proceedings and declassified documents obtained from the National Security Archives.

The Lowry Method of Protein Assay is an effective alternative to point count or culture methods to determine the relative abundance of microorganisms in geologic samples. Results of this project show that the outcome of the Lowry assay is not affected by the constituents of a sandstone reservoir and that a relationship exists between microbes and clay minerals. Core samples were taken from the Carter sandstone at the North Blowhorn Creek Unit in Lamar County, Alabama. Samples were chosen based on mineralogic heterogeneity. The samples were placed in an anaerobic glove bag and given nutrients to induce the growth of in situ microorganisms. Samples were then assayed. Results of the protein assays show that the Lowry Method of Protein Assay is effective in determining protein concentrations in geologic samples with varying mineralogies. The assays also indicated that samples with abundant clay minerals show the greatest amount of microbial growth.