This study explores women’s experiences with infertility in Christian faith communities. Drawing from nine one-on-one interviews, the author argues that the presence of particular religious ideologies, social interactions, and rituals within faith communities contributed to the stigmatization and marginalization of study participants. Employing Muted Group Theory, the author uncovers the communicative strategies infertile women employ to resist these oppressive practices. A qualitative analysis of participants’ narratives presents two principal categories, containing a total of four findings relating to the harmful beliefs and practices of these women’s faith communities. The author argues that the veneration of motherhood and children suggests that infertile women inherently lack purpose and value and that the failure of Christian faith communities to provide safe environments for women without children exacerbates their isolation and grief. Action steps for Christian faith communities are recommended.

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The research covered in this thesis encompasses a consideration of 3D television requirements and a survey of stereoscopic and autostereoscopic methods. This confirms that although there is a lot of activity in this area, very little of this work could be considered suitable for television. The principle of operation, design of the components of the optical system and evaluation of two EU-funded (MUTED & HELIUM3D projects) glasses-free (autostereoscopic) displays is described. Four iterations of the display were built in MUTED, with the results of the first used in designing the second, third and fourth versions. The first three versions of the display use two-49 element arrays, one for the left eye and one for the right. A pattern of spots is projected onto the back of the arrays and these are converted into a series of collimated beams that form exit pupils after passing through the LCD. An exit pupil is a region in the viewing field where either a left or a right image is seen across the complete area of the screen; the positions of these are controlled by a multi-user head tracker. A laser projector was used in the first two versions and, although this projector operated on holographic principles in order to obtain the spot pattern required to produce the exit pupils, it should be noted that images seen by the viewers are not produced holographically so the overall display cannot be described as holographic. In the third version, the laser projector is replaced with a conventional LCOS projector to address the stability and brightness issues discovered in the second version. In 2009, true 120Hz displays became available; this led to the development of a fourth version of the MUTED display that uses 120Hz projector and LCD to overcome the problems of projector instability, produces full-resolution images and simplifies the display hardware. HELIUM3D: A multi-user autostereoscopic display based on laser scanning is also described in this thesis. This display also operates by providing head-tracked exit pupils. It incorporates a red, green and blue (RGB) laser illumination source that illuminates a light engine. Light directions are controlled by a spatial light modulator and are directed to the users’ eyes via a front screen assembly incorporating a novel Gabor superlens. In this work is described that covered the development of demonstrators that showed the principle of temporal multiplexing and a version of the final display that had limited functionality; the reason for this was the delivery of components required for a display with full functionality.

The purpose of this feminist critical discourse analysis was to uncover whether or not, and how, muteness of female-preferential voice occurs within written organizational computer-mediated communication. Qualitative textual analysis was used to analyze 18 discussion forums from three voluntary professional associations representing highly male-populated (mechanical engineering), gender neutral (training and development), and highly female-populated (nursing) industries. Discussion posting participants were categorized for using male-preferential (MP), female-preferential (FP), or neutral (N) language. MP and FP interactions were then analyzed for themes of muting and muteness. Seven major findings within three analytic categories emerged from this study. First, with regards to preferential language use by industry site, all three sites’ participants used FP language more than MP language. In fact, 158 of the 246 total participants were categorized as FP language users and 17 of the 18 forums were initiated by a FP participant. Additionally, although overall, modals and hedges were the most prevalent FP language characteristics and opinions were the most prevalent MP language characteristic, this differed across industry site. Implications for scaling preferential language dimensions along a continuum from highly feminine to highly masculine are discussed. Second, regarding strategies of maintaining male dominance (muting), it was found that MP language dimensions were used more often by MP participants when interacting with FP participants. Themes of muting strategies such as overstating one’s knowledge base were found in MP language. FP participants, on the other hand, cloak their opinions in subordinating language; thus understating their knowledge. This context allows MP language users to trivialize FP language users’ postings. Additionally, the use of masculine pronouns was equal to the use of feminine pronouns despite the majority of FP participants; and FP participants were overwhelmingly more likely to use masculine pronouns that MP participants were likely to use feminine pronouns. Finally, with regards to strategies of FP communication during interactions with MP language users (muteness), FP participants engaged mostly in respectful communication as a strategy to communicate. The communication strategy used least was confrontation. An emergent strategy of communication was the increased use of metaphors by FP participants when interacting with MP participants.

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On May 18, 2018, a shooter entered Santa Fe High School, killing eight students and two teachers. Using ethnographic methods, this research examines the role of faith, rituals, language, and symbols in the trauma-affected community during the response, recovery, and resiliency efforts as perceived by the Santa Fe community and those impacted by the tragedy. Qualitative data collected from 100 individuals ages of 17-84 illustrated how historical trauma, community culture, and faith-based organizations impact community resiliency and how illusions of a homogenous view of the community left many feeling shocked, divided, forgotten or muted.

The goal of this essay is to look at the poems “The Weary Blues” and “JAZZTETMUTED” (hereafter to be referred to as “JAZZTET”) by Langston Hughes andexamine their relationships to both the blues and jazz structurally, lyrically, andthematically. I examine the relationship of blues and jazz to the African-Americancommunity of Harlem, New York in the 1920’s and the 1950’s when the poems wererespectively published. Integral to any understanding of what Hughes sought toaccomplish by associating his poetry so closely with these music styles are the contexts,socially and politically, in which they are produced, particularly with respect to theAfrican-American experience.I will examine Hughes’ understanding of not only the sound of the two stylesof music but of what the music represents in the context of African-American historyand how he combines these to effectively communicate blues and jazz to the page. / <p>A</p>

Abstract  Bachelor´s thesis, Enterprising and Business Development, Linnaeus University School of Business and Economics, 2EB01E, VT 2017  Authors: Malin Borg and Emma Hattenhauer Tutor: Dan Halvarsson  Title: ”Is doing good ever good enough?” - a study of Swedish consumers’ perception and attitude towards companies using green marketing. Background: More now than ever are people interested in how they themselves affect the environment and how the companies work green. By implementing a “green marketing” strategy, companies use their environmental work as a marketing tool with different agendas. Some authors claim that this strategy is used in order to find new markets and new consumers while some say that it is a way for companies to encourage further green work to their market shares. Not all green work is however shown to the public, in some cases it is done in the dark in order to lower the external pressure of possible scrutiny, a strategy also called lean or muted greening. Theory explains that in contrast to this muted strategy consumers perceive transparency within a company and its green work highly important, as well as how a green marketing campaign is presented with words and terminology. It is of great important to consider what the consumers demand from a company in order for them to fully succeed with their green marketing campaign and build trust between the company and the consumer.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to create understanding of Swedish consumers’ perception and attitude towards companies that are using a green marketing strategy. Method: This study uses a deductive approach with a qualitative nature, where words and explanations are of interest and is carried out through eight individual semi-structured interviews with respondents all living in Sweden found through a convenience sampling method. With a used hermeneutic approach the respondents subjective opinions has lead the research in the direction it has taken and further pre-understandings has been created. Conclusion: Through this study it has been found that the main-key to a successful green marketing campaign among Swedish consumers is trust. Without trust towards a company Swedish consumers explain themselves as not believing in green marketing done by a company. Social media is a communication channel that, among Swedish consumers is not perceived credible and should therefore not be used when doing a green marketing campaign. The concept of lean or muted greening is something that 6/8 respondents considered positive while 2/8 felt the opposite, however all considered transparency as a highly important factor in order to not miss trust a company and believing that, if something is hard to find maybe it is not done as presented. Language and terminology are two closely related and much important aspects that need to be clear and easily understood, however not excluding important aspects but rather give further explanations about concepts that might be considered complicated.

The aim of the theoretical part of this Master´s thesis is to make a research of possible ways in repairing PCC pavements without anchoring transverse joints. The pratical part is focused on the design of PCC pavements segmentations in experimental sections and evaluation measurement by testing muted impact.