How are the two superpowers of the world using Twitter as a platform for gathering global support for their policies when tweeting about an ongoing international conflict? That is the question that is answered in this thesis through a small-N case study. A mixed-method content analysis, based on security branding and generic framing, was applied to the data to determine how security branding is used by the actors to acquire social power. The findings suggest that China is using the situation to throw mud at, and question the morality of, the US and its behavior in international relations. The US is tweeting on a broader spectrum of topics. These topics include how the US and its allies and partners have supported Ukraine and taken action to weaken Russia. Another vital topic found is that the US uses Twitter to display its disagreement with the actions taken by Russia and Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.

This paper focuses on the use of English epicene pronouns in discourse which most individuals are exposed to on an everyday basis. Gender-based linguistic reforms have been implemented since the beginning of the 1970s, to achieve a more non-sexist language. In the present study Corpus linguistics has been applied to investigate the use of personal pronoun he and the personal pronoun singular they in relationship with these linguistic reforms. The present study uses data from both written and spoken English between the 1930s and 2019. The data is collected from corpora COHA and COCA to diachronically study patterns of the use of generic he and singular they when used as anaphoric reference to an antecedent of unknown gender. To narrow the searches in corpora, indefinite compound pronouns are used in collocation with the epicene pronouns as linguistic features. Systematic sampling and mapping of the data lay the ground for the analysis that determines if patterns in the language can be related to the gender-based linguistic reforms. The evidence from the data collected for the present study shows that there are changes in use of male biased pronouns before and after the gender-based linguistic reforms. From the data conducted for the present study the evidence shows trends in the figures that the neutralization strategy can be related to the changes, to some extent. The diachronic development is discussed in connection with reforms, guidelines and previous conducted studies in more detail and suggestion on further studies are presented.

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[pt] O objetivo desse trabalho é entender o comportamento das direções principais de uma superfície perto de um ponto umbílico isolado. Trataremos inicialmente dos pontos umbílicos de Darboux. Nesse caso temos, essencialmente, três comportamentos distintos das linhas de curvatura. Também falaremos sobre pontos umbílicos isolados em superfícies com curvatura média constante. Nesse contexto, temos infinitas possibilidades para o comportamento das linhas de curvatura. / [en] The objective of this work is to understand the behavior of principal directions of a surface near an isolated umbilical point. Initially, we will deal with a Darbouxian Umbilical Point. In this case, we essentially have three distinct behaviors of curvature lines.We also discuss isolated umbilical points in surfaces with constant mean curvature. In this context, we have infinite possibilities for the behavior of curvature lines.

<p>The defining equations of Rees algebras provide a natural pathway to study these rings. However, information regarding these equations is often elusive and enigmatic. In this dissertation we study Rees algebras of particular classes of ideals and modules over hypersurface rings. We extend known results regarding Rees algebras of ideals and modules to this setting and explore the properties of these rings.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The majority of this thesis is spent studying Rees algebras of ideals in hypersurface rings, beginning with perfect ideals of grade two. After introducing certain constructions, we arrive in a setting similar to the one encountered by Boswell and Mukundan in [3]. We establish a similarity between Rees algebras of ideals with linear presentation in hypersurface rings and Rees algebras of ideals with <em>almost</em> linear presentation in polynomial rings. Hence we adapt the methods developed by Boswell and Mukundan in [3] to our setting and follow a path parallel to theirs. We introduce a recursive algorithm of <em>modified Jacobian dual iterations</em> which produces a minimal generating set for the defining ideal of the Rees algebra.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Once success has been achieved for perfect ideals of grade two, we consider perfect Gorenstein ideals of grade three in hypersurface rings and their Rees algebras. We follow a path similar to the one taken for the previous class of ideals. A recursive algorithm of <em>gcd-iterations</em> is introduced and it is shown that this method produces a minimal generating set of the defining ideal of the Rees algebra. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Lastly, we extend our techniques regarding Rees algebras of ideals to Rees algebras of modules. Using <em>generic Bourbaki ideals</em> we study Rees algebras of modules with projective dimension one over hypersurface rings. For such a module $E$, we show that there exists a generic Bourbaki ideal $I$, with respect to $E$, which is perfect of grade two in a hypersurface ring. We then adapt the techniques used by Costantini in [9] to our setting in order to relate the defining ideal of $\mathcal{R}(E)$ to the defining ideal of $\mathcal{R}(I)$, which is known from the earlier work mentioned above.</p> <p><br></p> <p>In all three situations above, once the defining equations have been determined, we investigate certain properties of the Rees algebra. The depth, Cohen-Macaulayness, relation type, and Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity of these rings are explored.</p>

With the advent of distributed energy resources (DERs), electric vehicles, and demand-response programs, grid operators are in dire need of new monitoring and design tools that help improve efficiency, reliability, and stability of modern power networks. To this end, the work in this thesis explores a generalized modeling and analysis framework for two pertinent tasks: i) learning loads via grid probing, and; ii) optimizing power grid topologies for stability. Distribution grids currently lack comprehensive real-time metering. Nevertheless, grid operators require precise knowledge of loads and renewable generation to accomplish any feeder optimization task. At the same time, new grid technologies, such as solar panels and energy storage units are interfaced via inverters with advanced sensing and actuation capabilities. In this context, we first put forth the idea of engaging power electronics to probe an electric grid and record its voltage response at actuated and metered buses to infer non-metered loads. Probing can be accomplished by commanding inverters to momentarily perturb their power injections. Multiple probing actions can be induced within a few tens of seconds. Load inference via grid probing is formulated as an implicit nonlinear system identification task, which is shown to be topologically observable under certain conditions. The analysis holds for single- and multi-phase grids, radial or meshed, and applies to phasor or magnitude-only voltage data. Using probing to learn non-constant-power loads is also analyzed as a special case. Once a probing setup is deemed topologically observable, a methodology for designing probing injections abiding by inverter and network constraints to improve load estimates is provided. The probing task under noisy phasor and non-phasor data is tackled using a semidefinite-program relaxation. As a second contribution, we also study the effect of topology on the linear time-invariant dynamics of power networks. For a variety of stability metrics, a unified framework based on the H2-norm of the system is presented. The proposed framework assesses the robustness of power grids to small disturbances and is used to study the optimal placement of new lines on existing networks as well as the design of radial topologies for new networks. / Doctor of Philosophy / Increased penetration of distributed energy resources such as solar panels, wind farms, and energy storage systems is forcing utilities to rethink how they design and operate their power networks. To ensure efficient and reliable operation of distribution networks and to perform any grid-wide optimization or dispatch tasks, the system operator needs to precisely know the net load (energy output) of every customer. However, due to the sheer extent of distribution networks (millions of customers) and low investment interest in the past, distribution grids have limited metering infrastructure. Nevertheless, data from grid sensors comprised of voltage and load measurements are readily available from a subset of customers at high temporal resolution. In addition, the smart inverters found in solar panels, energy storage units, and electric vehicles can be controlled within microseconds. The work in this thesis explores how the proliferation of grid sensors together with the controllability of smart inverters can be leveraged for inferring the non-metered loads i.e., energy output of customers that are not equipped with smart inverters/sensors. In addition to the load learning task, this thesis also presents a modeling and analysis framework to study the optimal design of topologies (how customers are electrically inter-connected) for improving stability of our power networks.

Diabetes mellitus is presently recognized as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, affecting over 20 million people. Diabetes is a condition characterized by high blood glucose due to an insulin deficiency or resistance. Type I, which comprises 5-10% of all cases, results from the destruction of pancreatic beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. The current treatment for type I diabetes is insulin administration through injection or pump. Purification, production, and storage of this insulin proves to be quite costly. By producing biologically functional insulin with oral delivery capabilities through chloroplast genetic engineering, many of these costs could be cut back. In addition, the possibility of providing the C-peptide currently lacking in commercially available insulin becomes available. The Daniell lab inserted cholera toxin B-subunit (CTB) fused proinsulin, containing three furin cleavage sites, (CTB-pins Fx3) into the tobacco chloroplasts of Petit Havana via particle gun bombardment. The insertion of three furin cleavage sites along with fusion to CTB will enable the insulin to sustain function when orally administered. Transgenic plants from the second generation were then analyzed and tested for quantification of the CTB-pins Fx3 gene. Tobacco leaves of varying ages were compared to determine expression levels. The resulting data is pertinent for future production of both orally deliverable insulin and more cost effective injectable insulin.