Double Zero

This thesis follows the trajectory of my artistic practice over the past two years, which has led to the installation of my thesis exhibition titled, Double Zero. I hope to position the work among its art and cultural terms by exploring how I have expanded my research concerning Situationist and Marxist theory as well as developed a broader photographic studio practice driven by material experimentation, play, and an investigation into how we live and interact with commodities through media

An investigation of Kurosh\u27s theorem

The purpose of this project will be an exposition of the Kurosh Theorem and the necessary and suffcient condition that A must be algebraic and satisfy a P.I. to be locally finite

Characterisation of turbulence in an open channel flow and in a fountain with tomographic PIV.

This work aims to improve the understanding of the fundamental characteristics of environmental flows by interpreting the turbulence in a 3D measurement domain. This thesis primarily describes the Tomographic PIV technique and the results of three experimental investigations of environmental flows. Two experiments were conducted in an open channel flow, divided into four sequential, identical pools, by a combination of regular grids. The first set of TPIV measurements were in the water column, while the second set of measurements were made along the channel bottom. The instantaneous structures in the flow were visualised and the turbulent kinetic energy k, energy dissipation ε and vorticity ω were analysed; their decay along the streamwise direction was revealed. Ejections (Q2) and sweeps (Q4) were identified along the channel bottom. A major contribution that resulted from the investigation pertains to the vibration correction of the cameras. TPIV measurements were taken of a regime of turbulent, forced fountain flows. The fountains were created by injecting a salt-water solution through a circular opening into the bottom of a reservoir of a water-ethanol solution, with their refractive indices carefully matched. The evolution of the fountain in its initial stages was captured and described in a series of chronological measurement volumes. Measurements of the fully developed fountains captured the large scale structures and their characteristics were analysed by considering the topology of the invariants of the velocity gradient tensor. The TPIV system was designed and built in-house at the University of Sydney. The experimental investigations described in this work revealed some interesting features of the environmental flows. The applicability and versatility of TPIV for these flows were demonstrated. The measurements allowed for the quantification and visualisation of the turbulence in the flows and hence shed light on the physics behind them

Characterisation of turbulence in an open channel flow and in a fountain with tomographic PIV.

This work aims to improve the understanding of the fundamental characteristics of environmental flows by interpreting the turbulence in a 3D measurement domain. This thesis primarily describes the Tomographic PIV technique and the results of three experimental investigations of environmental flows. Two experiments were conducted in an open channel flow, divided into four sequential, identical pools, by a combination of regular grids. The first set of TPIV measurements were in the water column, while the second set of measurements were made along the channel bottom. The instantaneous structures in the flow were visualised and the turbulent kinetic energy k, energy dissipation ε and vorticity ω were analysed; their decay along the streamwise direction was revealed. Ejections (Q2) and sweeps (Q4) were identified along the channel bottom. A major contribution that resulted from the investigation pertains to the vibration correction of the cameras. TPIV measurements were taken of a regime of turbulent, forced fountain flows. The fountains were created by injecting a salt-water solution through a circular opening into the bottom of a reservoir of a water-ethanol solution, with their refractive indices carefully matched. The evolution of the fountain in its initial stages was captured and described in a series of chronological measurement volumes. Measurements of the fully developed fountains captured the large scale structures and their characteristics were analysed by considering the topology of the invariants of the velocity gradient tensor. The TPIV system was designed and built in-house at the University of Sydney. The experimental investigations described in this work revealed some interesting features of the environmental flows. The applicability and versatility of TPIV for these flows were demonstrated. The measurements allowed for the quantification and visualisation of the turbulence in the flows and hence shed light on the physics behind them

Presenting Issues, Severity of Problems and Treatment Outcomes of Asian College Students

The current study attempts to add to the limited body of literature on Asian American and Asian international students in counseling. Presenting issues, severity of problems, treatment outcome, and gender interactions of Asian American and Asian international college students were examined and compared to non-Asian college students. Data for this study were obtained from an existing database from an East Coast university counseling center. The overall sample consisted of 209 males and 297 females, all of whom were seeking treatment for the first time at the counseling center. The primary groups of interest were Asian American students (n = 66) and Asian international students (n = 44). At the time of the first session clients were asked to complete the Personal Information Form (PIF) and the Behavioral Health Questionairre-20 (BHQ-20). At every following session, the BHQ-20 was administered. It was hypothesized that Asian American and Asian international students would present with more academic, career, and somatic problems. They were also expected to report greater severity of problems at the beginning of treatment and less benefit of counseling after treatment. Lastly, it was believed that gender and ethnicity would interact, specifically that Asian males would report the greatest severity of problems and the least amount of benefit from counseling. Results indicated that Asian American and Asian international students did report more concern for academic and career problems, but did not report more somatic problems. With regard to severity of problems Asian American and Asian international clients reported greater severity and were more likely to seek treatment in a crisis/emergency basis. Lastly, at the end of treatment Asian international clients still had the greatest severity. When the difference of final and initial BHQ-20 scores, benefit from counseling ratings, and number of sessions were compared across the three groups no differences were found. Treatment implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed

Exploring Academic Goal Commitment and Grit in College Education: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of African American Male Graduates

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore how African American male graduates experience and understand academic goal commitment and grit regarding college education in a small Southeastern regional North Carolina district. Duckworth’s grit theory was the framework used to explore the learning problems students encounter based on the premise that everyone can use the constructs of passion, perseverance, sustained interest, and sustained effort toward achieving long-term goals. Data from 10 African American male graduates came from a questionnaire; one-on-one, open-ended interviews; and focus groups. The approach used for data analysis was reactive awareness toward bringing a range of meanings to life’s experiences or phenomena. Epoché, or bracketing, was used to block biases toward the essence of the graduates’ experiences with the phenomenon. Three Themes emerged from the data that include the belief Education Is Key, First-Generation College Graduates and Academic Support, all constructs of which the graduates within SERDC utilized toward their passion to persevere and achieve academic goal commitment and college success

Preliminary Study of the Morphology, Genesis and Classification of Some Soils Developed from Pierre Shale

Soil scientists have recognized that there are differences in crop adaptability and yields of crops and range grasses among the well-drained clay soils developed from Pierre shale in the Chestnut region of western South Dakota. It is difficult, however, to measure quantitative differences in soil characteristics among these soils which are unlike agronomically. As a result the Pierre soil series which includes well-drained clay soils developed from clay residuum over bedded shale is mapped over the entire area. The reason that these fine textured soils appear similar is that the dark olive-hued shale and shale residuum tends to mask out any striking color, structure and consistence differences in soils across the climatic continuum of their occurrence. The purpose of this study is to compare soil profiles taken from well-drained sites representing the climatic range of this continuum to see what soil differences, even though small, might be apparent to a field morphologist, and also to ascertain what differences can be detected in soil characteristics determined in the laboratory. Using these comparisons, Pierre soil series criteria will be examined to see if the present range of the series is too broad

Water Cycle

Natural Scienc

Predictors of Hepatitis C Testing Intention Among African American Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers (BBs) are responsible for three-quarters of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in the United States; however, HCV testing is distinctly underused by them. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of HCV testing and to evaluate predictors of HCV testing intention among African– American BBs. The study was guided by the Health Belief Model and theory of reasoned action frameworks. Of the 137 participants included in the study, 44.8% had at least a college education; 13.9% received prior to 1992 blood transfusion. Findings related to HCV testing showed that 32.1% of the participants intended to test for HCV within 6 months and 43.8% had received a previous HCV test. Significant predictors of HCV testing intention within 6 months included having a blood transfusion prior to 1992 [odds ratio (OR) = 8.25, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.02–33.61], perceptions of benefits (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.13–2.18), severity (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.17–1.65), and subjective norms (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.12–1.79). These predictors of HCV testing intention can be used to develop future HCV testing initiatives for African–American BBs