Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 191 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-139).

Like many other cities Memphis has been hit hard by the economic downturn, but unlike other cities there are several other factors which cause the existing conditions in Memphis to be even more devastating. Memphis is one of the largest majority minority cities in the country with high rates of unemployment and, extremely high rates of crime. Foreclosures have ravaged the housing stock, graduation rates are far below the state goal, there are huge disparities in income and HIV/AIDS is on the rise at alarming rates. In Memphis, these factors combine to exacerbate the existing desert of opportunity that reproduces patterns of desolation, segregation, and social and economic disparities. This report aims to investigate the socio-economic dynamics of those areas most affected by inequality in an effort to understand the correlation between various factors, identify trends within those areas and assess how the interaction of various components could have potentially detrimental effects on the overall community. / text

Map-making is viewed among many planners, geographers, and anthropologists as a necessary first step in achieving land claims for indigenous communities in Latin America. However, map-making has yet to result in a land claim for any indigenous group, but the effects of establishing boundaries and claiming territories that have been traditionally shared are contentious. Through a literature review and interviews with three practitioners, this paper will critically examine the role of participatory ethnomapping on indigenous communities in Latin America, specifically their efforts to demarcate territory, procure land claims, and use these land claims to plan for social and economic development. / text

Blood flow and its payload of molecular oxygen are two parameters of most physiological interest. Systemic tissue health is routinely gauged through measurements of vitals and oxygen saturation to estimate the state of these physiological parameters. We design, develop, and deploy optical imaging systems for examining perfusion and oxygenation at the local tissue level and apply these techniques for elucidating the normal and pathological processes associated with neurovascular disease. Specifically, we develop and validate the ability to use Multi-Exposure Speckle Imaging (MESI) to estimate microvascular flow dynamics in rodents over acute and chronic periods. Next, we pose significant optimizations to improve the efficacy of the widefield imaging technique for adoption by bench-side and clinical perfusion studies. We also introduce re-interpretations of the underlying physics to advance the theory that quantifies motion from the imaged speckle patterns. Finally, the technique is deployed for chronic monitoring of cortical flow dynamics before after focal ischemia of the motor cortex as part of a behavioral study in rodents. At the microscale, we develop and validate Two Photon Phosphorescence Lifetime Microscopy (2PLM) to examine dissolved oxygen concentration in microvasculature in three dimensions. We examine the technique’s ability for functional mapping of the rodent cortical microvascular network by quantifying the partial pressure of oxygen (pO₂) before and after occlusion of critical arterioles. Automation of acquisitions and processing for robust oxygen mapping within the micro-vascular network are developed and evaluated. The in vivo results are presented in light of those from studies utilizing more invasive mapping electrodes to provide independent corroboration of the observed neurovascular oxygen distributions. The technique is deployed for examining high resolution functional and structural remodeling after focal cerebral ischemia. / text

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published_or_final_version / abstract / Geography / Master / Master of Geographic Information System

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Geography and Geology / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Zoology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Στα πλαίσια της παρούσας πτυχιακής εργασίας πραγματοποιήθηκε εργασία υπαίθρου στην περιοχή Πόρτο Εννιά που ανήκει στο Δήμο Κερατέας και βρίσκεται στο Νοτιοανατολικό τμήμα του νομού Αττικής 7,3 χιλιόμετρα βορειότερα του Λαυρίου. Η περιοχή βρίσκεται στο βορειοανατολικό τμήμα της Λαυρεωτικής και αποτελεί τμήμα του Αττικοκυκλαδικού μεταμορφικού συμπλέγματος. Ο σκοπός της εργασίας υπαίθρου ήταν η γεωλογική χαρτογράφηση των πετρωμάτων της περιοχής μελέτης και η ανάλυση των δομικών στοιχείων των γεωλογικών σχηματισμών. Τα αποτελέσματα αυτής της χαρτογράφησης είναι η αποσαφήνιση των λιθολογικών τύπων, οι σχέσεις μεταξύ τους, τα είδη των επαφών και ο προσανατολισμός των τεκτονομεταμορφικών τεκτονικών στοιχείων/δομών με τη βοήθεια στερεοδιαγραμμάτων Schmidt. / --