This thesis explores the potential of new substrates for ancient DNA studies and addresses novel questions that can now be asked. It also highlights an additional use of ancient DNA extracted from a traditional source.

We consider the prediction algorithm and performance evaluation for prognostics and health management (PHM) problems, especially the prediction of remaining useful life (RUL) for the milling machine cutter and lithium ‐ ion battery. We modeled battery as a voltage source and internal resisters. By analyzing voltage change trend during discharge, we made the prediction of battery remain discharge time in one discharge cycle. By analyzing internal resistance change trend during multiple cycles, we were able to predict the battery remaining useful time during its life time. We showed that the battery rest profile is correlated with the RUL. Numerical results using the realistic battery aging data from NASA prognostics data repository yielded satisfactory performance for battery prognosis as measured by certain performance metrics. We built a battery test platform and simulated more usage pattern and verified the prediction algorithm. Prognostic performance metrics were used to compare different algorithms.

The faunal remains from five sites in the Makgabeng plateau, Limpopo Province were examined. Many of these shelters contain rock paintings of sheep and the occupations span the later Holocene, which is the period during which livestock and ceramics would have been introduced to this area. Was there a gradual change to herding in the Makgabeng or was a herding way of life introduced abruptly, along with new material culture indicative of the arrival of immigrants? Or did livestock herding in fact come much later, with the Iron Age? Examination of the faunal remains will allow us to see if there were any changes in the hunting strategies of the occupants through time. Initially, it was hoped that livestock remains would be found among the faunal sample that could shed light on the question of how, when and by whom livestock was brought into this area. Some of the sites in the Makgabeng can be described as dispersal phase sites while others are seen as aggregation phase site. Two of the sites are situated in one drainage basin while two other ones are in another drainage basin. It is possible that we are looking at two different groups of people in two different areas of the Makgabeng. Of these groups, one or the other may have had more access to livestock. But the faunal remains do not shed conclusive evidence on any herder occupation at any of the sites examined.

In this dissertation the complex problems surrounding the origins and subsequent development of the Etruscan temple are investigated. Emphasis is placed on the temples located in the area of Etruria proper (i.e., the land bounded by the rivers Arno and Tiber to the north, east and south and by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west). Those temples located outside this region but situated in a city inhabited primarily by a population that was ethnically Etruscan (e.g., Marzabotto) are also emphasized. / The first three chapters form a survey of the twelve Etruscan temples that are well enough preserved to be analyzed and theoretically reconstructed. In order to more easily understand the development of this building type, the temples in the survey are presented in chronological order. Chapter One includes the temples of the Archaic period, Chapter Two includes temples of the Classical period, and Chapter Three included those of the Hellenistic period. With each temple a history of the excavations, a general description of the sanctuary, a detailed account of the structural remains and a theoretical reconstruction are provided. / Chapter Four deals with the origins of the Etruscan temple. In this section it is demonstrated that, rather than the Etruscan temple appearing as the result of a slow evolution based on Etruscan domestic architecture (as has been previously argued), the temple emerged suddenly in a highly developed form based principally on foreign architectural concepts as well as indigenous building traditions. Greek influence is recognized in the form of the peripteral and distyle in-antis plans. In addition, the relationship between the temples in Etruria and the Etrusco-Latin Capitoline Temple in Rome is considered. / Chapter Five concerns the development of the Etruscan temple. Although the primary evidence of the actual structural remains is mainly used to trace this development, secondary evidence, such as ancient literary sources, votive models and tombs, are employed as well. It is shown that the Etruscans basically used two different designs when constructing temples. It is also demonstrated that throughout the development remarkably consistent patterns emerged. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-10, Section: A, page: 3093. / Major Professor: Nancy de Grummond. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

The identification of victims involved in mass fatality incidents, as well as the identification of unknown individuals in criminal cases has become an increasingly important issue nowadays. Sex assessment represents a key point in forensic evaluations due to its significance in providing biological identity. Even though the availability of documented skeletal remains to forensic practitioners is a common practice in many countries, in Turkey, contemporary documented skeletal remains are not available for this purpose. For this reason, studies have been focused on living populations. Previous research has shown that modern technologies such as CT scanning present very promising potential in establishing new standards for contemporary populations. Therefore, the main aim of this project was to examine the application of the measurements taken from 3D CT images of the femur in order to assess sex, and to contribute to the establishment of discriminant function equations for the Turkish population for forensic applications. The accuracy and reproducibility of imaging methods in the assessment of the measurements taken from femora are essential when estimating sex. This research also concentrated on determining the accuracy and repeatability of CT measurements, using the femur. Prior to primary data collection, a preliminary study was performed in an effort to test the reliability of the femur measurements. The results of reliability analysis indicated no significant difference between the three observations of each measurement. Thus, the methodology employed in the current study appears reliable and reproducible. In addition, a validation study was conducted to determine the linear measurement accuracy of the 3D volume rendering models derived from a medical CT scanner and the influence of different reconstruction parameters. The differences between measurements obtained from dry bones and their 3D volume rendered models were also evaluated. The results from this study indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between measurements taken from different reconstruction parameters and measurements obtained from CT images and drybones. Using the CT data, volume-rendering function (VR), 3D Curved Multiplanar reconstruction (MPR), and Scout View on OsiriX were employed in order to compare the accuracy and reliability of each rendering method and to determine which technique is optimal for linear measurements. Overall, the measurements taken from the 3D Volume Rendering images had the highest intra-observer reliability when compared to the other two rendering methods. This research study produced data and interpretations that will inform on and improve population specific standards of sex assessment from three-dimensional postcranial osteometric landmarks. Additionally, this research is believed to provide value for a developing discipline of forensic anthropology, and integrate within the existing systems of criminal investigation and disaster victim identification practices in Turkey. A Turkish sample population, consisting of 300 adult hospital patients was examined via the interpretation of CT reconstructed images using the OsiriX software. The 3D reconstructions were then created using the volume-rendering function in OsiriX (v.5.6.). Following the 3D reconstruction, an image of each femur was segmented from the surrounding bones to ensure the correct usage of landmarks as accurately as possible. Thirteen measurements were acquired using a 3D viewer after being located and marked on each CT reconstructed femora. These thirteen anthropometric parameters were measured and analysed by basic descriptive statistics and discriminant analysis methods using the SPSS 21.0 software package. The intra-observer variation was assessed by obtaining the intraclass correlation coefficient in order to evaluate the accuracy of the linear measurements taken. Asymmetry was also tested. The results indicated that an accuracy of 92.3% was acquired from a combination of six of the measurements, and the Femur Vertical Diameter of Neck (FVDN) measurement was found to be the most dimorphic with 88.0% accuracy.

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<p>This dissertation examines the history of Jews in Iraq from 1951 to 1973 and their associations in diaspora thereafter. Iraqi Jews trace their community back 2500 years to the Babylonian exile and Jews played prominent roles in modern Iraqi politics, society, and culture until 1950-1951, when most Iraqi Jews left following a period of anti-Jewish hostility. The history of the remaining Jewish community after 1951 is an important case study of Jews in the Middle East (sometimes referred to as Sephardi or Mizrahi Jews) during a period when many such communities faced violence and displacement amidst the Arab-Israeli conflict. Their history also provides unique insights into changes in Iraq’s political culture under the various revolutionary regimes that followed the 1958 revolution. This dissertation shows that Jews in Iraq after 1951 successfully re-established a communal and social presence until the Israeli victory in the Six Day War of June 1967 prompted renewed anti-Jewish hostility. However, this dissertation argues that it was the Ba’th Party coup in July 1968 that led to the depopulation of the remaining Jewish community as the party manipulated anti-Israeli sentiment in its effort to consolidate power in Iraq, unleashing a deadly campaign of terror on innocent Jews.</p>

In the United States, 41% of small retail businesses fail to succeed for longer than 5 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies small retail business owners used to remain sustainable for more than 5 years. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was Schumpeter's innovation theory. The sample size of this research included 4 successful retail business owners located in the southeastern region of the United States who have successfully started and managed their business activities for more than 5 years. Data were collected using semistructured face-to-face interviews with successful owners of small retail businesses and reviews of the organizations' internal documents. Data were coded, categorized, and labeled using coding techniques, and then validated using member checking. Data analysis processes included a thematic analysis method to identify emerging themes. The results of data analysis revealed 3 significant themes: passion and determination for doing business, market development and customer satisfaction, and business model innovation. The results indicated that the use of innovation theory enabled small retail business owners to develop innovative strategies to sustain the business for more than 5 years. The results also showed that innovation increases sales and profits for the longer term. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to create new jobs, enhance tax revenues and growth for governments, and improve social environments from revenue generated by employment.

Many older couples face the dilemma of one of them developing an illness that results in their ability to cope with everyday living activities. The well spouse may struggle for many years with an increasing workload, both physical and mental. Ultimately, there may come a time, when nursing home placement becomes necessary. The aim of this research was to find out what the experience was like for the wife, with a husband who is ill and faces placement in a nursing home, and to determine whether nurses could do more to help them to cope with this difficult situation. Following ethics approval, nine wives were interviewed over a period of two years. Each of the experience was unique, but there were some common problems that many of the wives mentioned. Loneliness was considered by most of the wives as being extremely upsetting, even when they were living with other people, for example their children. The absence of their partner and long term confident was noticed particularly in the evening when, in the past, they had sat down together and watched television. Other reactions included guilt, grief, depression and a change in the husband/wife relationship. Many of the wives seemed to accept the situation, realising that they could no longer cope with their husband at home, they were also healthier than they had been when their husband was at home. This research has highlighted some important points when a wife finds herself in the situation of having to place her husband in a nursing home, although nurses are unable to assist with many of the effects on the wife of the placement, it is helpful to know that the friendliness of the staff, the care of the patient and the cleanliness and homeliness of the nursing home are helpful at this time / Master of Nursing (Hons)

Forensic anthropologists and archaeologists have been increasingly engaged, at police request, in investigations to locate and recover buried human remains ( Rodriguez and Bass, 1985 ; France et al., 1992 ; Owsley, 1995 ; Hunter et al., 1996 ). Current search methods are derived from archaeology, geology, botany, geography and taphonomy. However, there is limited testing of search techniques, particularly over graves containing human bodies, and few studies that have examined the appearance of gravesites over several years. In the absence of such studies in Australia, eight shallow burials ( six animal graves, two human graves ) and one calibration pit were established in South Australia to provide information about the physical properties of graves and the effectiveness of burial site location techniques. The findings provide descriptive information about the surface appearance of graves over six years, the chemical elements remaining in the upper levels of grave soil and the practical implications of using geophysical instruments to search for buried human remains in typical forensic cases in South Australian landscapes. Key surface indicators identified included ongoing faunal scavenging, soil surface differences, absence of moss, absence of vegetation in dry periods, the slow return of ground debris, and the formation of depressions. These were not all associated with the presence of a body but could be related to disturbance of the ground surface. There was a relationship between surface indicators and seasonal conditions and the position of the gravesites in relation to surrounding landscape features, in particular, trees. Higher levels of certain soil elements at the upper surface layer at the gravesites were identifiable after several years of burial ; in particular, calcium and magnesium were identifiable at the human body and kangaroo gravesites. Ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity and electromagnetic induction were used to survey the gravesites. Ground penetrating radar provided the most significant results in terms of anomalies compared to the surrounds. However, use of these instruments highlighted the potential of overlooking gravesites due to lack of definitive survey data, the impact of seasonal conditions and the problems associated with using the instruments in some burial areas. Comparison of these findings is made with other international studies. Electrical resistivity surveying was successfully used to locate a 150 year old burial. A national survey on body location techniques used by police investigators in a seven year period was conducted, demonstrating a limited reported success in and use of search techniques other than ground search, implying a need to develop more reliable techniques for clandestine grave location. The results provide previously unavailable information about the surface appearance of gravesites, detectable elements in grave soil and the use of geophysical survey instruments for this purpose in South Australia. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Medical Sciences, Discipline of Anatomical Sciences, 2006.