Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of History, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 38-39).

This master's thesis deals with demonstration of various approaches to probabilistic inference in Bayesian networks. Basics of probability theory, introduction to Bayesian networks, methods for Bayesian inference and applications of Bayesian networks are described in theoretical part. Inference techniques are explained and complemented by their algorithm. Techniques are also illustrated on example. Practical part contains implementation description, experiments with demonstration applications and conclusion of the results.

<p>This project examines the events from 1866 to 1871 in Korea between the United States and Joseon, with a specific focus on the 1866 <i>General Sherman</i> Incident and the United States Expedition to Korea in 1871. The project also examines the present memory of those events in the United States and North and South Korea. This project shows that contemporary American reactions to the events in Korea from 1866 to 1871 were numerous and ambivalent in what the American role should be in Korea. In the present, American memory of 1866 to 1871 has largely been monopolized by the American military, with the greater American collective memory largely forgetting this period. </p> <p>In the Koreas, collective memory of the five-year crisis (1866 to 1871) is divided along ideological lines. In North Korea, the victories that Korea achieved against the United States are used as stories to reinforce the North Korean line on the United States, as well as reinforcing the legitimacy of the Kim family. In South Korea, the narrative focuses on the corruption of Joseon and the Daewongun and the triumph of a “modernizing” Korean state against anti-western hardliners, and is more diverse in how the narrative is told, ranging from newspapers to K-Dramas, leading to a more complicated collective memory in the South. </p> <p>This Thesis shows that understanding the impact that the first state-to-state encounters had on the American-Korean relationship not only at the time but also in the present, is key to analyzing the complicated history of the Korean-American relationship writ large.</p>

Nyckeln i att utveckla ett bra flerspelar-spel ligger i spelets möjlighet till samarbete. Det är därför viktigt att veta hur olika spelsätt skiljer sig åt ur ett samarbetsperspektiv. Tidigare forskning har endast studerat samarbete för en given spelstil, till exempel spelare som möter andra spelare eller spelare som möter datorstyrda spelare, och har inte gjort någon direkt jämförelse mellan dessa. Bristen kring detta område har inspirerat till den aktuella undersökningen, som ämnat att undersöka eventuella skillnader på samarbete i spelet World of Warcraft. Det har utförts ett antal experiment, där deltagare fått möjligheten att spela World of Warcraft i slumpmässiga grupper. Dessa experiment har observerats för att analysera olika utslag som uppstått i samarbetet gentemot bestämda bedömningskriterier. Undersökningen har visat på stora skillnader i samarbete och har även visat vikten av social kompetens när det kommer till att interagera med sina medspelare. / The key to developing a good multiplayer game lies in the possibilities for cooperation. Therefore it is important to know how different playstyles differ from a collaborative perspective. Previous research has only studied cooperation within a given playstyle, such as player versus player or player versus environment and has not made a direct comparison between different playstyles. The lack of information about this topic is the inspiration for this study, which examines the difference in collaboration between the aforementioned playstyles in the game World of Warcraft. A number of experiments were carried out in which randomized groups of participants played the game World of Warcraft. The results of these experiments have been analyzed according to specific criteria and show large differences in cooperation as well as the importance of players’ social skills when interacting with other members of a team.

Le réalisme pictural peut être conçu, par-delà la pensée ontologique dualiste, comme expérience perceptive cognitive du spectateur d’avoir l’impression de voir le « réel » dans une configuration imagée picturale. Cette impression de réel n’est pas illusoire, mais subjectivement factuelle, sans être nécessairement consciente. Elle pourrait résulter de la facilité perceptive ou de la fluidité opérationnelle du processus perceptif cognitif. Lorsque l’activité perceptive cognitive opérante dans l’expérience du réalisme pictural est régulée par la valence hédonique immanente à cette fluidité opérationnelle sous-jacente à l’impression de réel, cette expérience « subjective » peut être également « esthétique » pour cette autosuffisance fonctionnelle de la « conduite cognitive » du spectateur. Cependant, l’expérience du réalisme pictural comporte une dimension anthropo-transculutrelle, comme on peut le constater notamment dans les récits littéraires des spectateurs coréens du 18e siècle qui illustrent leurs expériences visuelles des peintures occidentales « illusionnistes » réalisées par des missionnaires jésuites à Pékin. La culture est néanmoins opérante dans l’expérience « esthétique » du réalisme pictural. Son effet est double. D’une part, la culture fonctionne comme une des variables de la fonction complexe de l’apprentissage perceptif qui pourrait modifier la dynamique du processus perceptif cognitif ainsi que l’attention perceptive visuelle. D’autre part, elle pourrait opérer un effet dans la valence hédonique globale en participant à la modélisation de l’« affect idéal » distingué de l’« affect effectif ». / The pictorial realism can be conceived, beyond ontological dualistic thought, as beholder’s perceptual cognitive experience to have the impression of seeing the “real” in a picture. This impression or feeling of real is not illusory, but subjectively factual, without being necessarily conscious. It may result from perceptual easiness or from perceptual cognitive processing fluency. When the perceptual cognitive activity working in the pictorial realism experience is regulated by hedonic valence immanent in this processing fluency that underlies the impression of real, this subjective experience can also be “aesthetic” by functional self-sufficiency of beholder’s “cognitive conduct”. However, the experience of pictorial realism contains an anthropo-transcultural dimension, as we can observe especially in the stories written by 18th century Korean beholders, which illustrate their visual experiences of the western “illusionist” paintings produced by jesuit missionary painters in Beijing. Nevertheless, the culture comes into play in the “esthetic experience” of pictorial realism. Its effect is double. On the one hand, the culture acts as one of the variables of the complexe function of perceptual learning which could make difference in the perceptual cognitive processing dynamics and in the visual or perceptual attention. On the other hand, the culture might influence the global state of hedonic valence by participating in the modeling of “ideal affect” distinguished from “actual affect”.

This study analyzes the experience of alienation from family and culture as portrayed in the personal narratives of francophone women. The authors appearing in this study are Assia Djebar and Marie Cardinal, from Algeria, Mariama Bâ and Ken Bugul, from Senegal, Marguerite Duras and Kim Lefèvre, from Vietnam, Calixthe Beyala, from Cameroon, Gabrielle Roy, from Canada, and Maryse Condé, from Guadeloupe. Alienation is deconstructed into the domains of blood, money, land, religion, education and history. The authors’ experiences of alienation in each domain are classified according to severity and cultural normativity. The study seeks to determine the manner in which alienation manifests in each domain, and to identify factors which aid or hinder recovery. Alienation in the domain of blood occurs as a result of warfare, illness, racism, ancestral trauma, and the rites of passage of menarche, loss of virginity, and menopause. Money-related alienation is linked to endemic classism, often caused by colonial influence. The authors experienced varying degrees of economic vulnerability to men, depending upon cultural and familial norms. Colonialism, warfare and environmental depending upon cultural and familial norms. Colonialism, warfare and environmental degradation all contribute to alienation in the domain of land. Women were found to be more susceptible to alienation in the domain of religion due to patriarchal religious constructs. In the domain of education, it was found that some alienation is inevitable for all students. Despite its inherent drawbacks, education provides tools for empowerment which are crucial for overcoming alienation. Alienation in the domain of history was found to hinder recovery due to infiltration of past trauma into the present, while empowerment in this domain fosters optimism and future-oriented thinking. Each domain offers opportunities for empowerment, and it is necessary to work within the domains to create a safe haven for recovery. Eight of the nine authors experienced at least a partial recovery from alienation. This was accomplished via cathartic release of negative emotions. Catharsis is achieved by shedding tears, talking, or writing about the negative experiences. The personal narrative was found to be especially helpful in promoting healing both for the author and the reading audience. / Classics and World Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (French)

It has not been easy for me to talk about myself or describe my feelings or thoughts. Coming from Japan, a collective society, we typically are not raised to do so. Throughout the MFA program at UCF, I have shared my feelings and thoughts through my work. It is important to discuss and inform others of our cultural similarities and differences so that we may gain a better understanding of each other. This process has helped me grow not only on an artistic level, but also on a personal level. My journey towards integration has led me to a meaningful studio practice, which has allowed my work to bridge the gap between Western and Eastern artistic sensibilities. At the beginning of the MFA program, my mother sent many boxes of origami from Japan. As I started incorporating my mother’s origami into my work, I found myself identifying with the origami butterfly. My realization is that the person I am now is not the person I was when I began this journey. My wish for you, the reader, is to go along with me as I tell you the story of my transformation.