Zoltán Gárdonyi is described as having exemplified “the continuation of the Liszt tradition” in his music; however, since for so much of his compositional life he was forbidden to publish by the Communist government in Hungary due to his connection to the Christian church, he has been largely forgotten. Shortly after the composer’s death in 1986, Gárdonyi’s son, Zsolt (b.1946) began publishing his father’s music in addition to his own. However, the elder Gárdonyi’s works are still not widely known outside Hungary and Germany. Gárdonyi’s ability to support and reflect text musically makes his songs excellent teaching tools and recital repertoire. A characteristic example of this may be found in his Fünf Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke. According to his son, Zoltán wrote these songs “in the German romantic tradition (e.g. Brahms) like a mirror for the romantic influenced lyrics.” Examination of the Rilke-Lieder, and of the poems which make up the cycle, demonstrates the composer’s ability to “mirror” text in both general tone and specific idea. Discussion of imagery, textures and sonorities, and elements of harmony, melody and rhythm as they relate to interpretation of the poetry, reveal the depth to which the poetry is embedded in the music of the songs. At times the piano becomes another “narrator” or even a character in the poems, expressing not only text but subtext as well. This document explores the illustration of the extensive imagery of Rilke’s texts in the music of Fünf Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, with the purpose of both introducing Gárdonyi’s song literature to American singers and voice teachers, and making the case for its inclusion in the canon of repertoire for the studio and the stage.

I obtained 182 session graphs from 10 client records from a university-based neurotherapy clinic and from a private practitioner. These graphs were used to examine the relationship of therapeutic crossover activity (defined as at least 3 minutes in duration and at least 1μv in amplitude) with and without predetermined amplitude thresholds of beta (15-20Hz) to client reports of imagery and to treatment outcomes. Crosstab analysis revealed that significantly more reports of imagery were observed in the therapeutic crossover with beta condition and that higher amplitudes of slower brainwave activity correlated with progression to deeper states of consciousness. Multi-level modeling revealed a significant interaction between therapeutic crossover activity, higher beta frequency amplitude, and reported salient imagery. Due to small sample size, significance testing was not deemed appropriate. However, observation in change of pre-post scores suggested that individuals who experienced more therapeutic crossover with sufficient beta amplitude conditions had greater improvements on post-test measures (BAI, BDI, BHS, PSQI and MMPI) than those with no or few crossovers. Higher amplitudes of slower brainwave activity correlated with progression to deeper states of consciousness, with delta amplitude positively correlating with transpersonal states. Reports of imagery and/or biographical memory are much more likely to occur during theta-alpha crossover activity characterized by 3 minutes or more in duration, one microvolt or more in amplitude, and 3.75μv amplitude or more of beta. This defined therapeutic crossover condition does appear to facilitate recall of imagery and memories during alpha-theta neurofeedback and was related to better treatment outcomes.

This thesis will explore the ways in which the effects and affects of horror can be enhanced though the technique of hypotyposis. In an experimental translation of Les Chants de Maldoror (1874) by the Comte de Lautréamont, I will endeavour to draw out the imagery already in the source text in order to make the target text more horrific to the reader. In some places, I will change the course of the plot itself in order to make the target text more terrifying to the reader. The focus of this thesis will be on horror as an experience of the grotesque, and on the ambivalent mental state that the grotesque compels in the reader as they wait for a resolution to a scene, or attempt to resolve irreconcilable aspects of a certain object or being. I will begin with a historical overview of the concepts “grotesque,” “horror” as a literary genre, and “body horror.” Then, I will examine the ambivalence inherent in Maldoror (1874), the suspension generated by its narrative style and its genre, as well as how this ambivalence is used to prolong the affects of horror. I will explain how they are used to increase the time during which the reader is suspended in ambivalence. I will then proceed to examine hypotyposis as it relates to the valency of poetic imagery and the “real-in-the-instant” as theorized by Barbara Folkart. I will then explain the experimentation implicit in my translation through the lens of Haroldo de Campos’ “transcreation.” After a thorough analysis of my translation as compared to another, by Guy Wernham (1965 [1943]), it will be seen that hypotyposis is an extremely useful tool that can be put to great use in evoking horror.

Whether an individual's state of mind can influence the body's immune system has been studied for several decades. Historical notions of a homeostatic, self-contained, and self-monitored system have been discarded. Studies have explored conditioning effects and cognitive behavioral methods to affect the immune response. This study is based on the assumption that relaxation imagery can be used as an endogenous means to produce specific physiological change in the immune function. Subjects were instructed to make a directional change in the absolute number of peripheral lymphocytes using relaxation imagery.

Agriculture faces many challenges related to the increasing food demands of a growing global population and the sustainable use of resources in a changing environment. To address them, we need reliable information sources, like exploiting hyperspectral satellite, airborne, and ground-based remote sensing data to observe phenological traits through a crops growth cycle and gather information to precisely diagnose when, why, and where a crop is suffering negative impacts. By combining hyperspectral capabilities with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), there is an increased capacity for providing time-critical monitoring and new insights into patterns of crop development. However, considerable effort is required to effectively utilize UAV-integrated hyperspectral systems in crop-modeling and crop-breeding tasks. Here, a UAV-based hyperspectral solution for mapping crop physiological parameters was explored within a machine learning framework. To do this, a range of complementary measurements were collected from a field-based phenotyping experiment, based on a diversity panel of wild tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium) that were grown under fresh and saline conditions. From the UAV data, positionally accurate reflectance retrievals were produced using a computationally robust automated georectification and mosaicking methodology. The resulting multitemporal UAV data were then employed to retrieve leaf-chlorophyll (Chl) dynamics via a machine learning framework. Several approaches were evaluated to identify the best-performing regression supervised methods. An investigation of two learning strategies (i.e., sequential and retraining) and the value of using spectral bands and vegetation indices (VIs) as prediction features was also performed. Finally, the utility of UAVbased hyperspectral phenotyping was demonstrated by detecting the effects of salt-stress on the different tomato accessions by estimating the salt-induced senescence index from the retrieved Chl dynamics, facilitating the identification of salt-tolerant candidates for future investigations. This research illustrates the potential of UAV-based hyperspectral imaging for plant phenotyping and precision agriculture. In particular, a) developing systematic imaging calibration and pre-processing workflows; b) exploring machine learning-driven tools for retrieving plant phenological dynamics; c) establishing a plant stress detection approach from hyperspectral-derived metrics; and d) providing new insights into using computer vision, big-data analytics, and modeling strategies to deal effectively with the complexity of the UAV-based hyperspectral data in mapping plant physiological indicators.

This study examines the effect of culture on imagery generation and ad attitudes. Although research suggests that concrete stimuli generate more images than abstract stimuli, our study shows that this finding is not universal across cultures. Chinese generate more imagery than Americans when encountering abstract stimuli because Chinese tend to think concretely. Moreover, Chinese and Americans have different attitudes toward different stimuli. While Chinese prefer concrete stimuli to abstract stimuli, Americans have the same attitudes toward concrete and abstract stimuli.

In this study, we attempted to separate the effects of culture and language on imagery generation. By asking subjects from China, Singapore and the US to read Chinese and/or English messages, we found that culture, as opposed to language of the message, drives Chinese people's imagery-generation capabilities. Indeed, people from mainland China generated more images than both Singaporean Chinese people and Americans, even when tested in English. This is because their dominant way of thinking is concrete. Bilingual Singaporean Chinese subjects generated the same number of images when exposed to English and Chinese stimuli because they are equally adept at abstract and concrete thinking. However, their imagery-generation ability could be manipulated by priming abstract or concrete thinking.

Precompetitive anxiety (PCA) is problematic for young gymnasts and may have an influence on a multitude of factors like self-confidence, perceived level of self-efficacy, and athlete's performance in a competition. The objective of this 2-part study was to discover how earlier competitive experience influences the young gymnasts' level of anxiety, perception of control, and self-efficacy. An additional goal was to explore the potential impact of Guided imagery (GI) and Autogenic training (AGT) in reducing precompetitive anxiety. In the first study, 80 USAG Junior Olympic female gymnasts between the ages of 7 and 16 (40 compulsory level and 40 optional level) participated. The purpose was to test differences in levels of PCA, locus of control, and self-efficacy among optional level and compulsory level gymnasts. An independent samples t test and a Mann-Whitney nonparametric test showed that optional level gymnasts had higher cognitive anxiety, lower confidence level, and higher internal locus of control compared with compulsory level gymnasts, with no significant mean difference in somatic anxiety and self-efficacy. For the second study, 30 participants were divided into 3 treatment groups: (a) AGT group, (b) GI group, and (c) control group. Results of repeated measure ANOVAs revealed that mean anxiety scores decreased over time for the autogenic group as compared to the control and guided imagery group. The internal LOC mean scores were lower for the autogenic group, compared to the other groups, but internal locus of control did increase over time for the autogenic group. The social significance of this study suggests that enhanced performance and enjoyment in sports may allow athletes to remain active in sports while teaching them life-long strategies to reduce anxiety and stress in their lives.

Bugelski and Sharlock (1952) credit McGeoch with saying that although the concept of mediation was an old one, it had generated more discussion than experimentation. Bugelski and Sharlock in commenting on McGeoch's statements had this to say, "The concept of mediation is of great potential value for the psychological analysis of learning, thinking, and insight." (Bugelski and Sharlock, 1952, p. 334) The views of Bugelski and Sharlock represent the current thinking in verbal learning circles relevant to the importance of mediation in symbolic forms of behavior. The experimental emphasis, at the present time, is upon the conditions underlying the process. With regard to the nature of mediation Jenkins has stated, The second task, I believe, is to press on in our experimental attack on the conditions of mediation: that is, we should attempt to discover how these implicit processes are acquired, how they are actuated, how they are inhibited, and in general, how they are employed by the subjects. (Jenkins, 1963, p. 212) One method by which the conditions of mediation may be discovered is to determine the relationship between this process and many other forms of intervening variables. In commenting on this latter point Mowrer has stated, "But no one, it seems, has addressed himself systematically to the question of the relation between intervening variables and mediators." (Mowrer, 1960, p. 68) These views of Jenkins and Mowrer on the direction experimentation should take in mediation suggest the need for the current study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the function of visual imagery, type of mediator and associative frequency in mediate association. The role of these factors was examined within an induced mediation paradigm of the form A- B, B-C, A-C.

Detecting changes in land cover through time using remotely sensed imagery is a powerful application that has seen increased use as imagery has become more widely available and inexpensive. Before a time series of remotely sensed imagery can be used for change detection, images must first be standardized for effects outside of real surface change. This thesis established a validation protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of an automated technique for normalizing temporally separate but spatially coincident imagery. Using the concept of pseudo-invariant features between master-slave image pairs, spatially coincident dark and bright points are identified from images and a regression equation is calculated to normalize slave images to a master. I used two sets of imagery to test the performance of the standardization process, a spatially coincident, but temporally variable time series, and spatially and temporally variable images. I tested the underlying statistical assumptions of this approach, and performed simple image subtraction to validate the reduction of master-slave differences using invariant locations. In addition I tested the possibility of reducing between-sensor differences by applying simple linear regression to comparable bands of MSS and TM sensors. Image subtraction showed decreases in master-slave differences as a result of the standardization process, and the process behaved appropriately when there should be no difference between master and slave images (adjacent, but temporally identical imagery). I also found that comparable bands between MSS and TM sensors are similar enough that linear regression may not significantly reduce between-sensor differences.