Building Walls of Light: The Development of Glass Block and Its Influence on American Architecture in the 1930s

Glass block, a widely used building material in American architecture during the 1930s, is made from two molded pieces of glass that have been annealed together and contain a hollow center. Glass block became a fixture in Streamline Moderne buildings, often comprising entire walls or dramatic curved corners, and also was used for planar, infill material in Modern buildings. The Owens-Illinois Glass Company was the first to begin mass production of glass block in the U.S. in 1932, and its competitor, Pittsburgh Corning Corporation, began large-scale production of glass blocks in 1938. The material was featured at the 1933-1934 Chicago Century of Progress International Exhibition, and later at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Glass block was a well-marketed product which boasted numerous qualities, including light transmissivity, multitude of patterns and styles, insulation properties, strength, and adaptability, to name a few. The thesis will discuss a history of glass block, how the material was used in buildings, and examine the influence of the material on architectural designs of the 1930s and later. The purpose of this work is to expand upon an under-researched building material, and how its history fits into, and impacted, the larger history of American architecture. A chronological timeline of glass block development and some of the most influential buildings and events related to the material will provide the framework for the thesis. In addition to this chronological framework, a discussion of important themes, ideas, and trends in glass block will supplement the history. Some important themes include: glass block’s ability to build walls of light; glass block as a symbol of progress and modernity; the two aesthetic paths of the glass block use in the 1930s; the illumination of glass block and its use as advertisement; and the material’s rise and fall in popularity

An introduction to the man-made landscape at the Cape from the 17th to the 19th centuries

Please note that pages 889,890:893 to 898 are missing.This thesis investigates the urban and rural landscapes created at the Cape from the 17th to the 19th centuries, by the examination of drawings filed with transfers in the Deeds Office and plans in the Surveyor-General's Office, and relating them to landowners by further genealogical and archival research. Attention is drawn to the importance of recording the different elements and the overlay of the materials of vertical structures (what could be called their vertical archaeology), by those working on old buildings. Such analyses as have been done during thirty years of practical involvement with restoration, recycling and conservation projects, have indicated that different mortars used before and after the 18th century, may be of assistance in the broad dating of Cape buildings. This finding served as a guide to the recognition of planned patterns of landscape elements. This research indicates that official Dutch policy set the precedent for ordered geometrical planning in the 17th century at the Cape and that this trend remained virtually unchanged to- the end of the 19th century, especially in the rural landscape. It is shown that townscapes and individual urban properties were influenced by styles and new plants introduced by the arrival of British settlers from 1806 onwards, but that these changes remained within the confines of geometrical lay-outs where these existed, to the end of the 19th century. With a few notable exceptions, a lack of water and wealth prevented the development of large private or official pleasure grounds. On the other hand official sanctioning and aid to botanical gardens from the 4th decade of the 19th century, first in Cape Town and then in towns throughout the colony, introduced new trees, crops, and interest in horticultural activities. But communication with the wider botanical world stimulated an interest in rare Cape plants, which lead to plant gathering on a scale so vast that many are now endangered species. Because of. the wide field covered, the research is regarded as an introduction to the subject, to be taken further by future researchers

A Tale of Two Risks: The Framing of HIV Transmission Risk in Health Brochures

Title from PDF of title page, viewed on June 12, 2015Thesis advisor: Michelle SmirnovaVitaIncludes bibliographic references (pages 73-80)Thesis (M.A.)--Department of Sociology. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2014The framing of a health issue such as HIV transmission risk may directly impact public opinion, which plays a significant role in the formation of health policies. Brochures are an important piece of HIV treatment and prevention efforts, so it is essential to understand how HIV transmission is discussed within these commonly used educational materials. This study evaluated the framing of HIV transmission risk in 31 HIV-related health brochures gathered from county health departments in the Greater Kansas City Area. The frame analysis revealed two primary frames used to construct the larger category of HIV transmission risk: risk behaviors and “risk” groups. Further analysis revealed that the frames compete with one another to explain how HIV is transmitted. While the risk behaviors frame identifies behaviors such as injection drug use (IDU), drugs and alcohol, and unprotected sex as the culprits of HIV transmission, the risk groups frame points to specific populations, namely women, heterosexuals, African Americans and teenagers and young adults. Moreover, the frames provide contending views of who is at risk for HIV. The risk behaviors frame presents anyone who engages in “risky” behaviors as at risk for HIV/AIDS, while the risk groups frame highlights the risk associated with being a member of a specific population. Interestingly, older adults and homosexual individuals are almost entirely excluded from the discussion of HIV transmission risk within the brochures. In addition to competing with one another to present at-risk groups, the frames overlap as an inconsistent presentation of risk-free activities within the risk behaviors frame perpetuates the misunderstanding that HIV can be transmitted via casual social contact, which has implications for groups identified as at-risk within the risk groups frame; the implications can be dire as a lack of understanding regarding how the disease is not transmitted has been directly linked to negative attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS (and presumably groups considered at-risk for HIV). The paper concludes with a further discussion detailing the implications of the framing of HIV transmission risk within the brochures.Introduction -- Review of literature -- Methodology -- Results/findings -- Conclusion -- Appendix A. Detailed listing of brochures -- Appendix B. Code book -- Appendix C. Spreadsheet: images of race/ethnicity by brochure numbe

More Alike Than Different: Student Perceptions of Academic Librarians by Genders and Subject Areas

This study explored differences in how undergraduate students of different genders and academic disciplines perceived academic librarians at a U.S. public university. No evidence indicated differences between students identifying as male or female, and few statistically significant differences were found among four Subject Areas (Arts, Humanities + Social Sciences, Business, Health + Education, and STEM). Our results have implications for local practice though they are not generalizable to other institutions. Despite a lack of significant findings, librarians should continue to explore ways to measure how students of different disciplines perceive academic libraries and/or librarians as valuable to their academic success

Determinants of Judicial Waiver Decisions for Violent Juvenile Offenders

The selection of jurisdiction for adjudicating juvenile crime today is one of the most controversial debates in crime control policy, reflecting differences in assumptions about the causes of crime and philosophies of jurisprudence and punishment. For adolescent offenders, especially violent youth whose behaviors may pose particular social danger, critics view the traditional goals of the juvenile court and the best interests of the child standard as being at odds with public concerns for retribution and incapacitation of criminals. The choice between jurisdictions is a choice between the nominally rehabilitative dispositions of the juvenile court and the explicitly punitive dispositions of the criminal courts. The choice reflects differences between sentencing policies that assign primary importance to the individual and those that accord greater significance to the seriousness of the offense committed and the goal of proportional punishment. Critics of the juvenile court\u27s rehabilitative policies suggest that the court\u27s sanctions for violent crimes are not only inappropriate and disproportionate for the seriousness of the crimes, but also ineffective in deterring subsequent crime. They contend that the criminal court, with its punitive sanctions, is the more appropriate forum for adjudicating violent crimes by juveniles whose offense and behavior patterns should mandate lengthy incarceration in secure facilities. The critics further argue that treatment programs for juvenile offenders are ineffective, thereby negating the purpose of the juvenile court. The seriousness of violent juvenile crimes suggests that these adolescents can be neither controlled nor rehabilitated in the juvenile justice system. In contrast, supporters of the juvenile court argue that violent juvenile crime is a transitory behavioral pattern, which is unlikely to escalate to more serious or persistent crime. They argue that adolescent offenders benefit from treatment services that pose only a minimal threat to public safety while avoiding the lasting stigmatization of criminal justice processing. Finally, many proponents of juvenile justice processing of violent delinquents do not accept the criticisms of rehabilitative programs, arguing instead that weak evaluation research or poor program quality mask the natural strengths of juvenile corrections

Autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease: A unique resource to study CSF biomarker changes in preclinical AD

Our understanding of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD) has been greatly influenced by investigation of rare families with autosomal dominant mutations that cause early onset AD. Mutations in the genes coding for Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), Presenilin 1 (PSEN-1) and Presenilin 2 (PSEN-2) cause over-production of the amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) leading to early deposition of Abeta in the brain, which in turn is hypothesized to initiate a cascade of processes resulting in neuronal death, cognitive decline and eventual dementia. Studies of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from individuals with the more common late-onset form of AD (LOAD) has revealed that low CSF Abeta42 and high CSF tau are associated with AD brain pathology. Herein we review the literature on CSF biomarkers in autosomal dominant AD (ADAD) which has contributed to a detailed road map of AD pathogenesis, especially during the preclinical period, prior to the appearance of any cognitive symptoms. Current drug trials are also taking advantage of the unique characteristics of ADAD and utilizing CSF biomarkers to accelerate development of effective therapies for AD

Moral Disengagement Among Serious Juvenile Offenders: A Longitudinal Study of the Relations between Morally Disengaged Attitudes and Offending

The present study investigates the relation between moral disengagement – one’s willingness to conditionally endorse transgressive behavior – and ongoing offending in a sample of adolescent male felony offenders (N=1,169). In addition, the study attempts to rule out callous-unemotional traits as a third variable responsible for observed associations between moral disengagement and offending. A bivariate latent change score analysis suggests that reduction in moral disengagement helps to speed decline in self-reported antisocial behavior, even after adjusting for the potential confound of callous-unemotional traits. Declines in moral disengagement are also associated with declining likelihood of offending, based on official records. Given that both moral disengagement and offending tend to decrease over time, these findings suggest that changing attitudes toward antisocial behavior contribute to desistance from offending among delinquent youth

Academic Librarian Perceptions of Academic Librarians: Building a Foundation of Shared Understanding

A survey concerning perceptions of academic librarians was conducted at a large, 4-year university with three populations: librarians, faculty, and undergraduate students. The high response rate and the use of an instrument based on previous studies offers the possibility of longitudinal comparison and the identification of relationships between groups within one environment. This article focuses specifically on academic librarian perceptions about what librarians know (expertise and skills), what librarians do (role and duties), and what librarians are like (motivations and affective behaviours). Twenty librarians employed in James Madison University Libraries responded to an online survey (62.5% response rate); four follow-up interviews and card sorts were conducted later to provide context to the data. Results have implications for libraries specifically in the areas of outreach, instruction, management, and collaboration. Differences in the responses of liaison and non-liaison groups are not generalizable to the population, but patterns were found that suggest future research in this area should include examination of differences related to the type of librarianship or focus on specific aspects of librarianship. Subsequent articles will situate these findings with those from surveys of faculty and undergraduate students and discuss implications for practice

Faculty Perceptions of Academic Librarians: Experts, Connectors, and Resource Stewards

A survey concerning perceptions of academic librarians was conducted at a large, 4-year university with three populations: librarians, faculty, and undergraduate students. This paper presents results from the faculty population, with comparison to the librarian sample. The major research questions address perceptions about what librarians know (expertise and skills), what librarians do (role and duties), and what librarians are like (motivations and affective characteristics). Results showed faculty perceptions to be more in-line overall with librarians’ perceptions of themselves than the literature might otherwise indicate, at least in domains where the faculty are actively engaged. Faculty also identified a role not explicitly mentioned on the survey: that of librarians as conduits between students and faculty. Gaps between librarian and faculty perceptions still exist relating to the extraordinary extent and diversity of librarian knowledge, skills, duties, and capacities, and with respect to the extent of librarians teaching. The study points to an ongoing need for marketing of library services and continued demonstration of library value