This thesis is an exercise in ideas of two realms, theoretical and practical, and an effort to mix the two to create architecture. The theoretical thesis is exemplified in the pairings of photos seen on the bottom of each page, taken from Second View: The Rephotographic Survey Project. As the reader examines the pairs of photos changes over time can be seen in each. Typically the greatest changes are manifestations of man's existence. I have treated this as a point of departure for the technical thesis of Permanence and Temporality. Man's temporal existence creates permanent reminders in the permanent structure of the earth. This thesis explores the nature of permanence and temporality in materials and uses them to express the classic dichotomy of service and served. As a practical thesis the project focuses on providing better urban living through natural light, natural ventilation, and the provisions for community and interaction with nature. A modification of Le Corbusier's Unite d'Habitation was explored by narrowing the building to bring natural light further into the unit while widening the unit to get natural light and ventilation even to the service spaces. / Master of Architecture

This study builds on the National Capital Planning Commission's (NCPC) 50 year Master Plan for Washington D.C. It focuses on several of the NCPC's five key goals; to build on the legacy of the historic L'Enfant and McMillan plans, unify the city, with the Capitol as its center, use new buildings to stimulate economic development, and integrate the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers to the city's public life. This site and project has a historical tradition. A pedestrian bridge was proposed to connect SouthWest D.C. to Haines Point with a new aquarium, which was eventually located in Baltimore, anchoring the Haines Point side. This proposal was never realized. Integral to this project is the development of the masterplan for SouthWest D.C. It proposes reinforcing the existing city grid, while developing small plazas along the water's edge. A major plaza is located at the intersection of the bridge and the city. It is the masterplan and orientation of the bridge that make it a viable development of the NCPC's masterplan. The project proposes an inhabitable bridge continuing the grid of Washington across the channel. Commercial shops and offices juxtapose views north to the city's skyline. Housing units float ontop of the bridge creating a vibrant daily cycle of activity. Public walkways and plazas provide vistas, places to gather, meet and reflect. It is the combination of functions that make the bridge a viable attraction. Finally, the intersection of public and private space on the bridge creates vibrant city life. This bridge contributes to the rich texture of Washington. / Master of Architecture

Yes / In this paper we explored three areas: decision making and information seeking, the relationship between information seeking and uncertainty, and the role of expertise in influencing information use. This was undertaken in the context of a qualitative study into decision making in the initial stages of emergency response to major incidents. The research took an interpretive approach in which activity theory is used as an analytical framework. The research provides further evidence that the context of the activity and individual differences influence the choice of decision mode and associated information behavior. We also established that information is often not used to resolve uncertainty in decision making and indeed information is often sought and used after the decision is made to justify the decision. Finally, we point to the significance of both expertise and confidence in understanding information behavior. The contribution of the research to existing theoretical frameworks is discussed and a modified version of Wilson's problem-solving model is proposed.

No / The available literature suggest that the research on radio frequency identification (RFID)-related issues is largely concentrated on technical, organizational and implementation aspects, and comparatively lesser attention has been invested in understanding the use aspect of such library management systems. The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding into the factors that influence the use of RFID systems in the library context by empirically testing the relevant constructs from the extended technology acceptance model (TAM). A questionnaire-based survey approach was employed for collecting the relevant data from 197 respondents. The respondents were the active users of a RFID-based library system. Findings from this study suggested that perceived usefulness and system quality positively influence the user attitude, and user attitude and system quality significantly influence the use of the RFID services. The paper concludes with outlining the salient points, limitations, and future research directions. The paper evaluates the role of a set of innovation attributes on the acceptance of RFID integrated systems in libraries. Owing to the scant literature availability in empirical investigations on adoption of RFID systems in libraries, the findings from this paper add value to the existing literature in this field, and also to the literature on the TAM model, with the empirical findings being of use to the aspirant libraries looking toward integrating RFID enabled systems.

Stormwater retention ponds, constructed primarily for services such as flood control, are abundant in urban landscapes and documented hotspots of aquatic biodiversity. A previous study completed in our lab measured benthic community structure in several stormwater retention ponds in North Central Texas along an urban gradient. Results showed that larval chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) were the dominant macroinvertebrates in all of the ponds. It was also determined that differences in pond conditions associated with urban development could only be determined when chironomids were identified to the genus-level. However, collection and identification of chironomid larvae is often time-consuming. The objective of this current study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Chironomidae pupal exuviae technique (CPET) to detect changes in water quality in the same series of urban ponds in North Central Texas over one year. Based on results, CPET is an effective method of analyzing chironomid community response to environmental changes associated with anthropogenic impact. A total of 16,635 pupal exuviae were collected during this study representing 80 chironomid taxa, which included 40 genera across three subfamilies. The chironomid communities differed between ponds in proportion to the intensity of the urban development within their watersheds. Additionally, CPET provided the emergence phenology of a highly diverse chironomid assemblage. Results indicated that urban ponds in North Central Texas can provide refuge for biodiversity in a semi-arid region. As urbanization is projected to increase globally, it is critical to monitor how rapid urban expansion affects biodiversity and freshwater ecosystem conditions.

No description available.

Aim. The aim of this study was to synthesize and characterize novel analogues of [DACH-Pt-DMC] by using different stereoisomers of DACH; and to investigate any differences in in vitro activity of these complexes in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), colorectal carcinoma (CRC) cell lines and acquired cisplatin or oxaliplatin resistant sub-lines, and to compare that of oxaliplatin and other established Pt-based anticancer agents. Mechanistic roles of DACH-Pt- and DMC components of the TCM-Pt complexes on affecting HCT 116 human CRC cell line were investigated by flow cytometry, COMET assay and cDNA microarray analysis. / Background. Demethylcantharidin (DMC), a modified component of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), integrated with a platinum (Pt) moiety created a series of TCM-Pt complexes [Pt(C8H8O 5)(NH2R)2] 1-5 which demonstrated superior antitumor activity and circumvention of cisplatin resistance in vitro. Compound 5, derived from the 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH) ligand (where R=trans-C6H10) had the most potent antitumor activity and closest structural resemblance to oxaliplatin (R,R-DACH-Pt complex) which is the first Pt-based anticancer drug to demonstrate convincing clinical activity against colorectal cancer and has a mechanism of action and resistance that is clearly different from that of cisplatin and carboplatin. / Conclusion. This study is the first to examine the mechanism of anticancer activity of new complexes that integrate DMC with different isomers of DACH. It has shown that both DACH-Pt- and DMC components contribute significantly to the compounds' potent anticancer activity, but likely with different mechanisms of action. The DACH-Pt- component appears to dictate the cell cycle distribution, whereas the DMC component appears to enhance cytotoxicity by inducing more DNA damage in HCT 116 colorectal cancer cells. / Methods. DMC was reacted with appropriate DACH-Pt-(NO3) 2 intermediates, which were prepared from treatment of K2PtCl 4 with stereoisomeric DACH (RR-, SS- & cis-), followed by reaction with silver nitrate. Proton NMR, high-resolution MS, polarimetry and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy were used to characterize their chemical structures and optical activities. In vitro antitumor activity (IC50 of 72hr drug exposure time) were assessed by a standard MTT assay. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry was determined at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 48 and 72 h after drug treatment (cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin, DMC, compound 1 or trans-DACH-Pt-DMC analogues) at IC50 and 5 x IC50 concentrations with three to four replicates. Comet assay was performed with a fluorescent microscope and used to examine DNA damage after drug treatments (50muM of cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin, DMC, compound 1 or R,R-DACH-Pt-DMC) for 3hr. cDNA microarray was performed on Affymetrix Human Genome U133A Set and used to analyze gene expression profiles in HCT 116 exposed to trans-(+/-)-DACH-Pt-DMC or oxaliplatin at their IC50 for 72hr. / Results. The in vitro results showed that the trans-analogues were consistently the most potent amongst all the compounds tested in both HCC and CRC cell lines: the trans-(+)(1R,2R)-DACH-Pt-DMC complex, in particular, was the most effective stereoisomer. All of the stereoisomeric DACH-Pt-DMC complexes and oxaliplatin were apparently able to circumvent cisplatin resistance in Huh-7 and SK-Hep1 sub-lines, but cross resistant with oxaliplatin in HCT 116 oxaliplatin resistant sub-line. Flow cytometric analysis revealed the novel trans-DACH-Pt-DMC analogues and oxaliplatin behaved similarly: that is, the compounds at 5 x IC50 concentrations all caused a significant decrease in the S-phase population within 18h and at the same time induced G2/M arrest, and without obvious sub-G 1 phase accumulation, but distinct from that of cisplatin, carboplatin or DMC. Comet assay showed that trans-(+)-(1R,2 R)-DACH-Pt-DMC caused the most significant DNA damage at an equivalent molar concentration. Microarray analysis suggested that the mechanistic role of the DMC ligand can induce the cell cycle to accelerate from the G 1 to S-phase and cause M-phase arrest. / Yu Chun Wing. / "July 2006." / Advisers: Yee-ping Ho; Chik Fun Steve Au-Yeung. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-03, Section: B, page: 1586. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-232). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Africa, 1994.

This study propagates a move away from the dominant practices of psychodrama with its emphasis on catharsis and insight as the main components of a therapeutic experience. It proposes a systemic orientation to psychodrama where protagonists may encounter the circularity of the systems in which they are embedded and through this process encounter new meaning. Case studies are presented which exemplify an evolutionary process of creating what the author refers to as "ecosystemic psychodrama". This ecosystemic psychodrama is based on second-order cybernetics and what is aimed for is that as a therapy it should present something of the balance between the aesthetic and pragmatic views of therapy that Keeney (1983a) describes as complementary. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

No description available.