Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-333).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1966. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1966. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: l. 51.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2005. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (July 11, 2006) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Mtenga, Primus V., Florida State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 19, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 101 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Seismic design criteria have been heavily improved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after the Northridge CA earthquake in 1994. Most of the damage observed was caused by brittle failure of moment frame connections. This failure was induced by the formation of the plastic hinge at undesirable locations in the beam and the column near the connection. Using welded flange plate (WFP) connections will force the formation of the plastic hinge away from the face of the column while preventing the brittle failure of the moment connection. FEMA-350 design criteria recommendations for WFP connections suggest that the plastic hinge will form away from the face of the column directly under the cover plate. The purpose of this research is to prove that the plastic hinge will form away from the face of the column, at a distance of approximately half the depth of the beam away from the cover plate. The further away the plastic hinge is from the face of the column the higher the connection demands. Therefore, underestimating the location of the plastic hinge could lead to under designed connections. The modeling and analysis of WFP connections was performed using finite element analysis software. A total of eight models with half beam half column configuration were considered in this study. Each selected section of beam and column was first designed, modeled and analyzed using WFP connections design recommendations from FEMA-350, with calculations modifications to account for the proposed plastic hinge location. Results were computed and comparisons were made in terms of plastic hinge location from the cover plates. Strength obtained for each model using finite element analysis software was also compared with hand calculations. This research also proves that increasing the thickness of the cover plates will generate an increase in the connection capacity and strength.

This was a single-case study which evaluated the effects of PEAK-T on two children with Autism. A total of 6 programs were trained between the two participants using a Multiple Baseline Design across skills. This evaluation was conducted using the subtest materials provided in the PEAK-T modules and through full assessments. The assessments were used to identify the appropriate skill level of each participant and they were used to evaluate whether the skills were maintained. The participants had no prior exposure to any of the PEAK-T programs as demonstrated by the participants baseline scores. The results of the study showed that programming of multiple exemplars resulted in acquisition of novel skills in both participants and that the skills were maintained. Both Participants demonstrated mastery of their programs and a total of 4 programs between two participants were added to the participants repertoire.

A critical function of the human visual system is to parse objects from the larger context of the environment, allowing for the identification of, and potential interaction with, those objects. The use of contextual information allows us to rapidly locate, identify, and interact with objects that appear in the environment. Contextual information can help specify an object's location within the environment (allocentric encoding) or with respect to the observer (egocentric encoding). Understanding how contextual information influences perceptual organization, and the neural systems that process a complex scene, is critical in understanding how contextual information assists in parsing local information from background. In the real world, relying on context is typically beneficial, as most objects occur in circumscribed environments. However, there are circumstances in which context can harm performance. In the case of visual illusions, relying on the context can bias observers' perceptions and cause significant motor errors. Studying the illusory conditions under which perceptual/motor functions are "fooled", or breakdown, can provide valuable information about how the brain computes allocentric and egocentric frames of reference. The following studies examine how attentional (Chapters II & III) manipulations of visuospatial context affect components of observers' egocentric reference frames (e.g., perceived vertical or subjective midline) and how neural manipulations (Chapter IV) can modulate observers' reliance on contextual information. In Chapter II, the role of attentional control settings on contextual processing is examined. Chapter III addresses the question of how visuospatial shifts of attention interact with an egocentric frame of reference. Finally, Chapter IV examines the functional role of superior parietal cortex in the processing of egocentric contextual information.

This study revisits the media coverage of Côte d’Ivoire’s 2010-2011 electoral crisis as a case study of the political, economic, and contextual stressors that impact journalists writing in francophone Africa in times of conflict. This dissertation demonstrates how the three key political parties in Côte d’Ivoire’s electoral crisis, France, Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara, all had a deep economic incentives in this civil war, and were using both hidden and public tactics to manipulate media coverage in their own interests. I explore these tactics in two locations: how the news is framed in the local and foreign news coverage of the crisis, using a textual analysis of 210 news articles; and how politicians monkey-wrenched journalists and news outlets to secretly impact news coverage, drawing on 31 interviews with Ivorian and foreign journalists. Under the umbrella of international communication, I explore how the influence of France continues to assert immense editorial control over the media infrastructure of Côte d’Ivoire. I draw on postcolonial theory, political economic theory, frame studies in social movement theory and in media literature to locate the theoretical underpinnings of this research. A political economic framework helps explain this monkey-wrenching of journalists by inspecting who exerts control over journalistic coverage. This dissertation is a critical, qualitative case study that employs a textual analysis of 210 newspaper articles and interviews with 24 journalists to explore the central questions of media imperialism and framing in Côte d’Ivoire and Françafrique. I drew articles from the local newspapers: Fraternité Matin, Notre Voie, Le Temps, Le Nouveau Courrier and Le Patriote from 2010 and 2011. From the international press, I pulled articles from Agence France-Presse, Jeune Afrique, Le Monde, Reuters and Associated Press from 2010 to 2017. Little research has been done in the English-speaking world on the media in francophone West Africa. This study helps introduce the complications of media in Françafrique- where France earns enormous profits from African economies- to the English-speaking world.