Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Texas, May, 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

General Nathan F. Twining distinguished himself in leading the American Fifteenth Air Force during the last full year of World War II in the European Theatre. Drawing on the leadership qualities he had already shown in combat in the Pacific Theatre, he was the only USAAF leader who commanded three separate air forces during World War II. His command of the Fifteenth Air Force gave him his biggest, longest lasting, and most challenging experience of the war, which would be the foundation for the reputation that eventually would win him appointment to the nation's highest military post as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Cold War.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Includes abstract. Vita. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-05, Section: A, page: 1593. Adviser: Heinrich Taube. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 251-258) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

The effect of deformation on microstructural changes in metals and alloys is the subject of considerable practical interest. The ultimate goal is to control, improve and optimize the microstructure and texture of the finished products produced by metal forming operations. The development in the subject field is remarkable but a more in-depth study could lead us to the better understanding of the phenomena.   In the present work microstructural evolution during the plastic deformation of as-cast pure metals and alloys is studied. An experimental method was developed to study the material behavior under the hot compression testing. This method was applied on the as-cast structure of copper, bearing steel, Incoloy 825 and β brass at different temperatures and strain rates. The temperature of the samples was measured during and after the deformation process. The microstructure of the samples was examined by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microstructural evolution during deformation process was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The samples were subsequently subjected to electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) to investigate the effect of the deformation on the microsegregation of Mo, Cr, Si, and Mn.   It was observed that the temperature of the samples deformed at strain rates of 5 and 10 s-1 increases abruptly after the deformation stops. However, compression test at the lower strain rates of 1 and 0.5 s-1 revealed that a constant temperature was maintained in the early stage of deformation, followed by an increase until the maximum temperature was obtained. This temperature behavior can be explained by the microstructural evolution during the deformation process. Micrograph analysis revealed the formation of deformation bands (DBs) in highly strained regions. The DBs are highly effective sites for recrystallization. The interdendritic regions are suitable sites for the formation of DBs due to the high internal energy in these regions. EMPA indicated a tendency towards uphill diffusion of Mo in the DBs with increasing strain. The effect of strain on the dissolution of carbides in the band structure of bearing steel was investigated by measuring the volume fraction of carbides inside the band structure at different strain levels. The results indicate that carbide dissolution is influenced by strain.    The microstructural evolution inside the DBs was studied as a function of several properties: temperature, internal energy, and microsegregation. Compression of β brass revealed that twinning is the most prominent feature in the microstructure. EBSD analysis and energy calculations demonstrated that the twinning is not due to a martensitic process but rather the order/disorder transition during the deformation process. The effect of heat treatment at Tc (650°C) prior to deformation on the microstructure of β brass was also investigated, which revealed a relationship between twin formation and the anti-phase domain boundaries / <p>QC 20131104</p>

Based on the premise ‘what we measure affects what we do’, this work seeks to address the following key question: What are the characteristics of the knowledge produced by the Rule of Law Index, WGI Rule of Law Indicator, Doing Business Indicators and the Global Competitiveness Index about the rule of law and business regulation respectively, and to what extent can this knowledge be used to assess and compare legal systems? My objective is to address the gap between, on the one hand, policy and scientific approaches to indicators and, on the other hand, legal scholarly approaches. The former tend to be specialized, mathematical and outcome-oriented, focusing on how to produce appropriate measures of social –and legal- phenomena. The latter assume an external point of view and are often verbal and critical. They focus generally on the genealogy, shortcomings and governance aspects of a particular set of indicators. This work provides new insights through a fourfold analysis: (i) an analysis of the context in which transnational legal indicators emerge, (ii) an analysis of their process of commensuration of legal phenomena, (iii) an analysis of their analytical value in jurisprudence and comparative legal studies, and (iv) an analysis of their normative effects on national legal systems. / Doctorat en Sciences juridiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This thesis is an investigation of the complex processes and relationships between the physical human performer and the technologically manufactured cyber-human counterpart. I acted as both researcher and the physical human performer, deeply engaged in the moment-to-moment creation of events unfolding within a shared virtual reality environment. As the primary instigator and activator of the cyber-human partner, I maintained a balance between the live and technological performance elements, prioritizing the production of content and meaning. By way of using practice as research, this thesis argues that in considering interactions between cyber-human and human performers, it is crucial to move beyond discussions of technology when considering interactions between cyber-humans and human performers to an analysis of emotional content, the powers of poetic imagery, the trust that is developed through sensory perception and the evocation of complex relationships. A theoretical model is constructed to describe the relationship between a cyber-human and a human performer in the five works created specifically for this thesis, which is not substantially different from that between human performers. Technological exploration allows for the observation and analysis of various relationships, furthering an expanded understanding of ‘movement as content’ beyond the electronic connection. Each of the works created for this research used new and innovative technologies, including virtual reality, multiple interactive systems, six generations of wearable computers, motion capture technology, high-end digital lighting projectors, various projection screens, smart electronically charged fabrics, multiple sensory sensitive devices and intelligent sensory charged alternative performance spaces. They were most often collaboratively created in order to augment all aspects of the performance and create the sense of community found in digital live dance performances/events. These works are identified as one continuous line of energy and discovery, each representing a slight variation on the premise that a working, caring, visceral and poetic content occurs beyond the technological tools. Consequently, a shift in the physical human’s psyche overwhelms the act of performance. Scholarship and reflection on the works have been integral to my creative process throughout. The goals of this thesis, the works created and the resulting methodologies are to investigate performance to heighten the multiple ways we experience and interact with the world. This maximizes connection and results in a highly interactive, improvisational, dynamic, non-linear, immediate, accessible, agential, reciprocal, emotional, visceral and transformative experience without boundaries between the virtual and physical for physical humans, cyborgs and cyber-humans alike.