The media is one of the strongest influences on how society views the criminal justice system and all actors therein. This is especially true for offenders of violent crime. Notably, women who kill are rare. However, when women do murder someone, the media tends to over expose them and portray them in different ways. The current study is intended to examine how the media portrays women murderers. In particular, this research is focused on how fictional and true crime programs portray female killers. Do they portray them in a positive or negative light? Do they portray them realistically? Are true crime shows more realistic than fictional crime shows? Each of these questions was explored and it was found that true crime programs, even though not wholly realistic, do portray women much more realistically than fictional shows. It is important to study these portrayals in order to understand how women killers are portrayed, how society views and interprets these particular criminals, and what are the steps necessary in order to prevent and change the way media process this crime.

The purpose of this research is to implement and analyze the true lean transformation in a manufacturing start-up organization. Often, lean transformations are observed in developed manufacturing organizations having sophisticated production lines and numerous employees, where lean tools are utilized to reduce waste while increasing profit. However, this type of transformation is narrowly focused on quantifiable process results and falls short of the ultimate goal, establishing a true lean culture within the organization. As a result, it is recommended that true lean principles, philosophies, culture, operations environment and tools be applied at the very beginning stages of an organization, or during the start-up phase to embed true lean thinking and application in the entirety of the organization. In this analysis, a case study is performed on a team embarking on a start-up manufacturing enterprise. The team is trained on true lean and all the four aspects of true lean are applied for successfully implementing true lean in the start-up. In addition, a true lean implementation approach was generated and applied using PDCA (plan, do, check and act) model. The results of this case study are presented in this work.

It is my overall aim in this work to defend the view that knowledge is no more valuable than true belief or empirically adequate belief, and thus is not the primary epistemic good. I engage predominately with Jonathan Kvanvig‟s work for an assessment of the value of knowledge. In turn, I assess the arguments for the value of knowledge for their ability to support the view that knowledge is uniquely valuable. First I will consider an argument which relies on a purported connection between knowledge and proper action. It will then be suggested that arguments tying knowledge to our proper action are not adequate to justify this standard view of the value of knowledge. Furthermore, I will assess an argument that appeals to the value of truth to explain the superior value of knowledge. From this it will be concluded that truth is also less valuable than typically thought, consequently resulting in an overvaluation of knowledge. Lastly, I will investigate the possibility that knowledge has its value because of its stability and resistance to irrationality. Again, I will argue that this is insufficient justification of the standard view about the value of knowledge by offering counterexamples to both the stability of knowledge and knowledge‟s resistance to irrationality. After this I will discuss the implications of my analysis on the value of knowledge.

What does it mean to be authentic? Is authenticity an attribute of the individual, or do certain environmental factors facilitate or inhibit the enactment of the authentic self? This research proposes that authentic behavior is the subjective perception that one is behaving in a way that is in accordance with his or her core being. As such, sense of authenticity is considered an important component of the self. I present a theoretical model of the relationship between authenticity and the need for social approval. I analyze the reports of 194 survey respondents and interview data from 21 interviews. These quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest that individuals engage in authentic and inauthentic behavior for a variety of reasons. Specifically, three different behavioral motivations have been identified: (1) behavior motivated by pursuit of the greater social good or for purposes of social cohesion, (2) behavior motivated by pursuit of instrumental gains, and (3) behavior motivated by an internal standard of integrity. Demographic variables and psychological variables were also found to be important determinants of authentic behavior. Blacks reported lower need for social approval than whites, and subsequently higher reports of authentic behavior. Self-esteem emerged in the analyses as a powerful predictor of authentic behavior. In tandem, these results suggest that it may not be one's level of social power that determines his or her ability to behave in ways deemed authentic, but rather one's sense of freedom and confidence in oneself. / Dissertation

The objective of this study was to determine effects of supplementing coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon; CBG) hay with Strophostyles helvula (98 g kg-1 crude protein (CP), 476 g kg-1 neutral detergent fiber (NDF)), S. leiosperma (117 g kg-1 CP, 497 g kg-1 NDF), or cottonseed meal (506 g kg-1 CP, 352 g kg-1 NDF; CSM) upon intake of CBG hay (127 g kg-1 CP, 691 g kg-1 NDF) and apparent digestibility of dietary organic matter (OM), NDF, and true digestibility of CP. Six Boer-Spanish goats (46.22 +- 3.99 Kg) were fed CBG plus S. helvula, S. leiosperma, or CSM at 0.34 and 0.68% of BW in a 6*6 Latin square with 3*2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The CBG was fed ad libitum, and the legumes/CSM were fed in two equal daily feedings during a 7-d adjustment period and 7-d collection period in metabolism crates. Feces were collected every 24-h, and CBG, legumes/CSM, and fecal samples were analyzed for OM, NDF, and CP. There were no supplement type*amount interactions (P > 0.05). Supplement type did not affect OM digestibility (P = 0.21), but OM digestibility increased 6.4% (P = 0.05) at the 0.68% versus 0.34% level of supplementation with the legumes or CSM. Supplementation with CSM and S. leiosperma improved NDF digestibility 7% versus supplementation with S. helvula (P = 0.02); and as supplement amount increased NDF digestibility by 5.5% (P = 0.02). The diet supplemented with CSM had the greatest CP digestibility, and S. helvula CP was 6% less digestible than S. leiosperma (P = 0.02). As supplement amount increased, CP digestibility increased 7% (P = 0.01). Intake of DM, OM, and NDF of CBG was unaffected (P = 0.56) by supplementation with CSM, S. helvula, and S. leiosperma, but total diet NDF intake of diets supplemented with CSM and S. helvula was 10.5% less than diet supplemented with S. leiosperma (P = 0.01). Considering digestibility and intake, CSM and S. leiosperma were the best supplements fed in this experiment. Strophostyles leiosperma is recommended as use for diet supplementation for goats when CBG hay basal diet is fed.

It is common to test many hypotheses simultaneously in the application of statistics. The probability of making a false discovery grows with the number of statistical tests performed. When all the null hypotheses are true, and the test statistics are indepen- dent and continuous, the error rates from the family wise error rate (FWER)- and the false discovery rate (FDR)-controlling procedures are equal to the nominal level. When some of the null hypotheses are not true, both procedures are conservative. In the first part of this study, we review the background of the problem and propose methods to estimate the number of true null hypotheses. The estimates can be used in FWER- and FDR-controlling procedures with a consequent increase in power. We conduct simulation studies and apply the estimation methods to data sets with bio- logical or clinical significance. In the second part of the study, we propose a mixture model approach for the analysis of ChIP-chip high density oligonucleotide array data to study the interac- tions between proteins and DNA. If we could identify the specific locations where proteins interact with DNA, we could increase our understanding of many important cellular events. Most experiments to date are performed in culture on cell lines, bac- teria, or yeast, and future experiments will include those in developing tissues, organs, or cancer biopsies, and they are critical in understanding the function of genes and proteins. Here we investigate the ChIP-chip data structure and use a beta-mixture model to help identify the binding sites. To determine the appropriate number of components in the mixture model, we suggest the Anderson-Darling testing. Our study indicates that it is a reasonable means of choosing the number of components in a beta-mixture model. The mixture model procedure has broad applications in biology and is illustrated with several data sets from bioinformatics experiments.

The following report documents the inspiration, themes, preparation, and challenges faced in writing the feature length screenplay Horse Latitudes. This is the story of a young woman who works as a spam writer for an advertising agency. In hopes of moving up in the company, Cairo begins working undercover for her boss, writing erotica blog entries for his personal website. She begins using the people closest to her for material, thus betraying her own morals. As she descends deeper into debt to her boss, she becomes physically ill until she can no longer survive in the world she has created. This is a story based on the author’s own experiences of working for a spam company and being committed to a hospital. This report also includes supplemental planning documents used in the final draft. / text

I denna studie har jag undersökt hur historiebruket i form av reproduktion av kulturarv ser ut i populärkulturen, närmare bestämt HBOs populära tv-serie True Blood och kopplar samman detta med hur vi ser på det föränderliga förflutna och därmed utvecklar vårt historiemedvetande. Uppsatsen står på tre ben och vilar på perspektiv där det första behandlar att man genom att se på reproduktionen av kulturarv kan finna samtidens idéer kring vad som är viktigt (meningsbärande), hur populärkulturen imiterar och återanvänder myter och därför kan anses vara en historisk källa värd att fokusera på samt historia som identitetskapande. Det teoretiska ramverket består av Judith Butlers teorier kring den heterosexuella matrisen och performativitet samt Gayle S Rubins teorier om sexualitet som någonting historiskt konstruerat. Uppsatsen ämnar öka kunskapen om betydelsen av hur historia som kulturarv i form av historiebruk förmedlas via populärkultur, närmare bestämt i tv-serien True Blood och hur detta hör ihop med hur vi uppfattar det föränderliga förflutna. Undersökningen tar fasta på hur stor del av rollfigurernas beteende i tv-serien True Blood som härstammar från deras historiska bakgrund och hur detta spelar in i utformandet av deras personligheter som tolkas ur ett genusperspektiv. Metoden har varit en karaktärsanalys. För att kunna undersöka mitt syfte har jag några frågor som hjälper mig i mitt sökande. Dessa är: • Vilket samband finns mellan bruket av historia, det kulturarv som förmedlas i populärkultur och den form av historiemedvetande som mobiliseras via tv-serien True Blood? Dessa frågor operationaliseras genom att se: • Huruvida en koppling mellan kulturarvet som förmedlas och karaktärernas identiteter i tv- serien True Blood hör ihop med deras rollbeteende. Mina resultat visar att den historia som brukas i tv-serien värderas utifrån karaktärernas rollbeteende. I serien används historien för att i samtiden skapa genus som passar in i den heterosexuella matrisen där serien får stå som perfomativitet i detta genusgörande. Sexualiteten och begäret som visas är moraliserande genom historiebruket och heteronormativt och stämmer in på Rubins teori om viss sexualitet som godkänd. Ett historiemedvetande kring hur vi blir bättre och bättre (Framsteg) samt att en viss typ av mänsklig essens alltid finns hos människor som naturlig visas upp.

Three studies were conducted. In the first study, 12 Yorkshire barrows (initial BW of 23.2 ± 2.0 kg) were allotted to 2 dietary treatments with 6 replications per treatment using a completely randomized design to determine apparent Ca and P digestibility (AD), true digestibility (TD) and endogenous output (EO) in a corn/SBM-based diet. All pigs were placed in individual feeder pens that allowed for easy collection of individual feces. The AD of Ca and P were 28.4% and 23.9%, respectively. Their TD of 42% and 40% for Ca and P respectively were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the corresponding AD. EO was 0.8g for Ca and 1.3g for P per kg of dry matter intake (DMI). In the second study, the optimal dietary ratio of true digestible Ca and P was determined in terms of its effect on growing pig performance, excretion of Ca and P in feces and urine in a corn/SBM-based diet using a randomized complete block design. Thirty six growing barrows (initial BW: 24.2 ± 1.9 kg) were allotted to 6 dietary treatments with 6 replications per block. Six corn/SBM-based diets with very similar nutrient contents were formulated but differed in their dietary ratio of Ca to P. The balances of Ca and P and their true digestibility/retention were calculated for each diet. Animal performance and true retention of both Ca and P was optimal (P < 0.05) with diet 2 with a true digestible Ca to P ratio of 0.82: 1 compared to other experimental diets. The third study was conducted with a similar protocol to that used in experiment 1 involving 12 barrows (initial BW: 23.9 ± 1.1 kg) to determine Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se and Zn TD values for the growing pig. Se and Zn AD of 73.9% and 9.5% significantly (P < 0.05) underestimated their TD of 82.1% and 15%, respectively. Se and Zn EO were 0.00004mg and 0.01 mg/kg of DMI, respectively. The TD and EO for Mg, Cu, Fe and Mn could not be estimated because of their negative AD.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 41-52).