From the end of Reconstruction to the beginning of World War II, no other ecological change affected as great a part of the southern landscape as the loss of the longleaf pine from the southeastern coastal plain. This dissertation examines the causes and consequences of the species’ disappearance. In the span of just decades, lumber operations and naval stores producers descended upon longleaf pine woodlands with a voracious appetite that greatly contributed to the demise of the pine. However, as this dissertation argues, exploitation by the hands of the timber and turpentine industries was not the only agent that transformed the ecoregion. The development of American conservation and forestry, ironically, played a significant role in this process and contributed to the rise of a new southern forest, now stocked with another pine – the loblolly. By looking at the biologists, chemists, and foresters who studied the longleaf for the United States Department of Agriculture and various state agencies from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, this dissertation traces how forest sciences in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era shaped the modern ecology of the South. These sciences, too, were entangled in the social and political realities of Jim Crow. Researchers had to ensure that their measures conformed to a segregated society if conservation was to take root in southern woodlands. The conservation practices that federal and state agents put into place as forestry developed into an important and profitable science had profound impacts on not only the land but also those at the bottom of a racial caste system.

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<p>The role of realism in the depiction of animals in Greaco-Roman fable is investigated. The crow and the raven have been chosen as the prism through which the investigation is carried out. Fable will be shown to be a genre founded on a contextually realistic depiction of animals, and this may especially be seen in the corvid fables. Realism must, however, be understood contextually, as what constitutes a realistic depiction of crows and ravens in Graeco-Roman times is quite different than what one would encounter at present. As a result of which the crow and raven are marked by attributes ranging from cleverness, parenting ability, resistance to weather, vocal mimicry, longevity, and augural significance, amongst a host of other characteristics which sometimes coincide with modern views but often do not. Thus Graeco-Roman fables dealing with crows and ravens can be broadly divided into two categories: fables dealing in various ways with their intelligence, and fables dealing with their augural significance.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

The interaction of vortices passing near free and solid surfaces has been examined using direct numerical simulation (DNS). A computer code was developed which solves the unsteady, three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible flow. A critical element of the numerical scheme is the efficient solution of Poisson's equation. A state of the art solver based on multigrid techniques was developed which gives excellent convergence rates. The result is a tool capable of modeling complex three-dimensional flows in a variety of configurations. Three different flow fields have been examined in order to determine some of the complex interactions involved between a vortex and a surface. The first concerns the two-dimensional interaction between a boundary layer and a convecting vortex. The size and height above the wall of the vortex are the same order of magnitude as the boundary layer thickness. A strong primary vortex creates a secondary vortex which causes the rebound of the primary, a response observed in many previous studies. However, weaker vortices as well do not follow the inviscid trajectory despite the absence of a secondary vortex. Rather than creating vorticity at the wall, a weaker vortex mainly redistributes the vorticity of the boundary layer. The redistributed vorticity alters the path of the vortex in ways not seen for vortex/wall interactions. / Ph. D.

In this work we propose the apodization or windowing of the coupling coefficients of the unit cells conforming a coupled resonator device as a mean to reduce the level of secondary sidelobes in the case of SCISSOR configuration [7] or reducing the passband ripples in the case of CROW configuration [8]. This technique is regularly employed in the design of digital filters [18] and has been applied as well in the design of other photonic devices such as corrugated waveguide filters [9] and fiber Bragg gratings [19]. We also propose a novel technique for the apodization of coupled resonator structures by applying a longitudinal offset between resonators in order to modify the power coupling constant, which alleviates the technical requirements required for the production of these devices. We will demonstrate the design, fabrication and characterization of CROW structures employing the apodization through the aforementioned technique. / Doménech Gómez, JD. (2013). Apodized Coupled Resonator Optical Waveguides: Theory, design and characterization [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/32278

Public space in New Orleans became increasingly segregated following the 1896 U. S. Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. This trend applied to sites of recreation, as nearly all public parks in the city became segregated. African Americans turned, instead, to private parks. This work examines four private parks open to African Americans in order to understand the external forces that affected these spaces, leading to their success or closure, and their significance for black city residents. While scholars have argued public space in New Orleans was segregated during Jim Crow, little attention has been paid to African American parks as alternative spaces for black New Orleanians. Whites were able to control the location of the parks and the parks’ reliance on profit to survive resulted in short spans of existence for most. However, this thesis argues that these parks were crucial sites of identity and community formation and of resistance to segregation.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T19:31:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosemeire Oliveira Souza.pdf: 1162915 bytes, checksum: ad6c87907b19a5f68ec9f4cdced786c0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-12-16 / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo / The Brazilian indigenous history has currently been the subject of a series of discussions and reinterpretations over which researchers seek to take a fresh look at the Brazilian indigenous universe. The Brazilian Amazon is one of the main focuses of this debate, due to among other factors the population characteristics that have been raised through surveys that allow us to rethink the idea of savagery and barbarism imposed on indigenous populations in general. Using the available documentation reports, essays and manuscripts produced by Spanish officers who were in the area and lived in that region from the16th to the 18th centuries our goal is to contribute to the discussion by analyzing both the Omágua populations who lived in the Upper Amazon area and many formulations raised among European travelers who visited the region at that time. We will demonstrate the elements that are present in the construction of the Omágua category and all the implications present in its setting and population group. Thus, one of the main points of this research is to analyze the European presence in the Amazon and how much the invention of categories of viable indigenous peoples was fundamental to the colonial project / A história indígena brasileira atualmente tem sido objeto de uma série de discussões e reinterpretações sobre as quais se procura estabelecer um novo olhar. A Amazônia brasileira é um dos principais focos desse debate, devido, entre outros fatores, às características populacionais que vêm sendo levantadas através de pesquisas que nos permitem repensar a ideia de selvageria e barbárie impostas às populações indígenas de um modo geral. Utilizando a documentação disponível, relatos, crônicas e manuscritos, será enfatizado o discurso produzido por agentes espanhóis que estiveram e conviveram na região no período entre os séculos XVI e XVIII. Nosso objetivo é contribuir com a discussão, analisando as populações Omágua, que viveram no Alto Amazonas, e que tantas formulações suscitaram entre os viajantes europeus que estiveram na região no período citado. Assim, evidenciaremos os elementos presentes na construção da categoria Omágua e todas as implicações presentes na configuração dessa categoria como grupo populacional. Portanto, um dos principais pontos desta pesquisa será analisar a presença europeia na Amazônia e como foi fundamental a invenção de categorias de populações indígenas viáveis para o projeto colonial

Understanding the factors which determine the distributions of species is challenging. In response to recent anthropogenic climate change species’ ranges are already changing, adding to the complexity of describing their ecological boundaries. The threat posed to species by climate change cannot be understated, and our ability to understand the drivers and mechanisms which underlie species’ responses is critical to our strategies to conserve them. The Ethiopian Bush-crow’s Zavattariornis stresemanni distribution was recently described by an envelope of cooler, drier climate than the surrounding area. This finding raised an intriguing possibility; could this abundant, generalist and charismatic species be limited to a tiny corner of the world by its response to climatic variables alone? That the White-tailed Swallow Hirundo megaensis occurs in a near identical area only adds to this curiosity; how can two unrelated species be globally restricted to the same small area? I address the following questions. What are the effects of temperature on the distribution and local density of the Ethiopian Bush-crow and White-tailed Swallow? How is Bush-crow behaviour affected by temperature? What are the effects of temperature on the breeding success of the White-tailed Swallow? What are the consequences of climatic range-restriction for the conservation of the two species? I found that both species’ ranges are neatly described by distribution models, in which the most important variable was maximum temperature of the warmest month. Bush- crow local density declines as temperatures rise, and their foraging behaviour is negatively impacted by high temperatures, compared to two sympatric starling species. The White-tailed Swallow shows similar negative trends in abundance, and displays a reduction in breeding success as ambient temperatures increase during its breeding season. In both cases, wider-ranging sympatric species do not show the same negative responses to temperature. Both the Ethiopian Bush-crow and White-tailed Swallow are projected to lose a significant proportion of their range over the coming century, raising the level of conservation concern for the species.

Although extensive quantitative research has been conducted on Black American incarceration rates, to date, there has not been a study from an Afrocentric (Black American) perspective in the field of public policy. Using Dillard's conceptualization of Afrocentric theory, this study added to the field of public policy by examining how the stigmas associated with mass incarceration have reduced political and economic opportunities for Black Americans born 1965 - 1984. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to provide an Afrocentric voice by which the members of the Black American community are the center of the data collection on the stigmas associated with incarceration as a product of the new Jim Crow (mass incarceration) for those born between 1965 -1984 (the hip-hop generation where the music is the center of the culture) in the United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with selected informants based on their background work, experience, and cultural orientation within the Black American community; these data were analyzed via a summative content analysis, which revealed new perspectives on the stigmas associated with incarceration. The new perspective that was gained asked for the structure of the Black American church to be reexamined due to the rise in the mega-church, an improved culturally sensitive K-12 public educational system, and the overall reconnection and strengthening of the Black American family structure. These findings suggest that social change can only occur when researchers of color are allowed to provide their perspectives on issues that affect those they represent. Hence, the social change implications for this study ask that political leaders work directly with the hip-hop generation and the Black American community as a whole to make changes in legislation through political liberalism.

Blanche Armwood was a remarkable black woman activist, from Tampa, Florida, who devoted her life to improving the political, social, and economic status of blacks in the Jim Crow South. Local historians have kept Armwood's legacy alive by describing her achievements and by emphasizing her dedication to the African-American population during one of the most racist periods in American history. In their efforts to understand Armwood's career, scholars depend upon race as the primary category of analysis and focus mainly on the external forces that defined Armwood's world. They argue that she became resigned to her lot in life as a black woman, and consequently chose to accommodate rather than challenge the Southern racial system. This thesis offers an alternative interpretation of Armwood's activism. It argues that Blanche Armwood rejected the white supremacist ideology of the Jim Crow South and insisted on equal opportunity and political equality for all African-Americans. This study examines how social variables such as race, gender, and class intersected in her life, shaping her world view and leadership style. It explores how Armwood's experiences as a southern, middle-class, black woman affected her racial ideology. Armwood left behind a powerful legacy of resistance against the second-class status that white America imposed on blacks during the nadir in African-American history. She contested the white South's perception of African-American women. In a world that associated them with Mammy and Jezebel stereotypes, Armwood insisted that African-American women deserved the same respect that society accorded white women. Armwood fought for political equality, demanding that black women should have the right to vote and participate in the civic process as women and as African-Americans. In addition, she believed that the federal government had a responsibility to protect all its citizens and that every American was entitled to equal treatment before the law. Finally, Armwoodʹs racial uplift work revealed her faith in the cornerstone of the American creed, its promise of equal opportunity. She provided some blacks with the chance to move away from poverty and illiteracy to become respectable middle-class Americans.