Goddess of France, 1745-1764: Madame de Pompadour and the Rococo Traditions of 18th-Century French Portraiture

The reign of Louis XV of France was spectacular in its advancement of the Late Rococo period due to the patronage of Madame de Pompadour, his head mistress from 1745-1764. Her upbringing as an educated woman in court would influence trends of Late Rococo that she would use to embellish her own public image. I seek to identify and explain the different elements of her court portraits and mythological portraits as a way to examine her roles as patron and mistress. Six portraits, three from each category of court and mythological, will be used as specific examples and to provide visual connections

East Versus West: The National Gallery of Art’s Relationship to Modern Art and Architecture

The National Gallery of Art is a modern piece of art itself throughout its split galleries; the West Building (the original) and the East Building (the addition). This study seeks to identify the importance of the East Building in relation to modern architecture and modern and contemporary art through three main means: materials, its fit into Washington, D.C.’s research field, and how it is possibly the first instance of the “Guggenheim Effect.” By examining the materiality and spatial atmosphere of the East Building, I discuss the influences for I.M. Pei’s extraordinarily contemporary design. Then, how the East Building has evolved the styling of the architecture of art museums after it like the Guggenheim family of museums

ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSING USING FUNCTIONALIZED 3D PRINTABLE MATERIALS FOR POINT-OF-CARE APPLICATIONS

With the impact of Parkinson’s disease (PD) effecting more than 10 million people globally, a push for accessible on-site monitoring has been established. Point-of-care (POC) monitoring focuses on the use of miniature, low-cost, reproducible, and selective sensors. Within this dissertation a focus on 3D printing and electrochemical techniques has generated several novel sensors for detecting PD related analytes. The use of 3D printing provides a low-cost, rapid, customizable, and compatible approach to fabricating functionalized active electrodes and selective membranes. With the combination of both active and passive electrochemical techniques, these functionalized 3D printed materials can be incorporated or used as sensors for the detection and monitoring of pharmaceuticals, blood electrolytes, and neurotransmitters associated with PD.In chapter 2 the introduction and optimization of alkaline assisted electrochemical activation (AAEA) is discussed for 3D printed carbon electrodes (3DpCEs). The AAEA 3DpCEs were compared to a nonactivated and alkaline immersed 3DpCEs. Through this comparison a clear increase in current response and reversibility was determined for AAEA 3DpCEs through cyclic voltammetry characterization. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was also completed where AAEA 3DpCEs produced a lower charge transfer resistance compared to both nonactivation and alkaline immersed 3DpCEs. A demonstration of AAEA 3DpCE sensor was also completed for dopamine, a common neurotransmitter associated with PD. For 3DpCEs a specialized modification process is possible with AAEA for improved detection of important PD biomarkers. In chapter 3 further investigation of the AAEA protocol resulted in a selective and sensitive sensor for simultaneous detection of PD related analytes. Through this research the detection of uric acid (UA), an emerging biomarker associated with PD pathology, and levodopa (L-Dopa), a common pharmaceutical used for PD treatment, was completed using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Furthermore, L-Dopa was also detected in human sweat using a portable potentiostat and miniaturized electrochemical cell. With the combination of AAEA and 3DpCEs a low-cost approach for integration into noninvasive wearable devices is discussed. In chapter 4 an introduction of the first 3D printed ion-selective electrode (ISE) is described. The exploration of translating conventional fabrication methods for ISEs that use polyvinyl chloride (PVC) support material to 3D printed polymers was completed. Herein, the study of a model ion, tetrabutylammonium (TBA), was completed for both solid and liquid contact configurations of 3D printed ISEs and compared to PVC-based ISEs. A comprehensive study was performed to analyze the compatibility of 3D printed polymer resin and the main ISE components, ion exchanging salt and plasticizer. In comparison to PVC-based, 3D printed ISEs achieved a better reproducibility, linear range, conditioning time, and cost efficiency. This new approach for ISE fabrication provides a rapid, low-cost, and customizable way to create new sensors for POC detection of other important PD related analytes. In chapter 5 the first apomorphine (APO, a pharmaceutical used to treat PD) ISE was introduced using this novel 3D printed ISE fabrication method. Herein, the optimization of an ionophore doped 3D printed ion-selective membrane (ISM) was completed for the selective detection of APO in blood plasma. The introduction of a new ionophore, calix[6]arene, for APO was studied. This 3D printed APO ISE used a novel solid contact configuration with a 3D printed housing and carbon mesh-paste transducer. With 3D printed ISEs able to detect analytes selectively in biological fluids the possibility to incorporate these sensors into POC devices may be achieved. In chapter 6 a 3D printed ISE for the detection of calcium (an important biomarker associated with the progression of PD) in whole blood was evaluated. The optimized calcium ISE was selective in the presence of potential interferents and produced high stability. After characterization of the 3D printed ISE, the sensor was then translated to a paper-based configuration for the detection of calcium in bovine whole blood. After confirming the validity of the 3D printed sensor in a paper-based configuration, the sensor was then translated into a POC paper-based device for on-site analysis. Along with the device other future focuses include the study of using 3DpCEs as ion-to-electron transducers for customizable solid contact ISE configurations, the fabrication and optimization of an enzymatic ISE for the indirect detection of urea, and the fabrication of a 3D printed reference electrode for POC applications

Middle School Teacher Perceptions of Effective Professional Development Practices: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions middle school educators shared regarding the effectiveness and relevancy of their professional development trainings. Professional development opportunities serve as a method for learning and growth to educators and assist them in adapting to educational changes throughout their careers. Effective and relevant development practices have been shown to increase the value educators assign to the experience as well as increase the likelihood educators will bring their newfound knowledge into their classrooms. This study utilized personal one-on-one interviews and reflective journaling with 12 participants from the Pacific Northwest. Nine of the participants joined in a focus group setting for additional questioning. The overall themes produced by this research study were that educators view professional development opportunities as necessary, educators want effective learning methods during trainings, and middle school educators need targeted training pertaining to their specific population of students. While participants discussed both positive and negative aspects of their current trainings, agreement was made that professional development practices still have much room for improvement to be considered both effective and relevant to their current teaching positions and practices

The role of Wnt/planar cell polarity signaling in mouse facial branchiomotor neuron migration

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on May 21, 2012).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Dissertation advisor: Dr. Anand ChandrasekharVita."July 2011"Neuronal migration is essential for the formation of distinct neural layers and functional neural networks in the developing central nervous system. As a model, we study the caudal migration of facial branchiomotor neurons (FBMNs) from rhombomere 4 (r4) to r6 within the developing mouse hindbrain. Since Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling components had been implicated in zebrafish FBMN migration, we tested whether they also were required in mice. FBMNs failed to migrate caudally in Vangl2 (Looptail) mutants, Vangl2 knockout embryos, and Ptk7 mutants, indicating a specific role for Vangl2 and Wnt/PCP signaling in FBMN migration. However, FBMNs migrated normally in Dishevelled 1/2 double mutants and in zebrafish embryos with disrupted dishevelled signaling. These results suggest strongly that the caudal migration of FBMNs is controlled by multiple components of the Wnt/PCP pathway, yet may not require the central signaling molecule Dishevelled. Interestingly, in Celsr1 (Crash) mutants, many FBMNs migrated rostrally instead of caudally, indicating a specific role for Celsr1 in the directionality of FBMN migration. To better understand how Celsr1 functions, we inactivated Celsr1 in specific hindbrain tissues and found that it functions within the ventricular zone of rhombomeres 3 through 5 to regulate FBMN directionality. Using anterograde labeling with lipophilic dyes, we also found that the starting positions of individual FBMNs within r4 correlated with the direction of migration in Celsr1Crsh/+ mutants. Together, these results indicate that Celsr1 is required in the ventricular zone of multiple rhombomeres to regulate the direction of FBMN migration, and provides insight as to how only a subset of FBMNs is affected in Celsr1 mutants.Includes bibliographical reference

Textual games, intertextual readings: ludic dimensions in story and style in the works of Jean-Philippe Toussaint

Author of nine texts published by Editions de Minuit, Belgian writer Jean-Philippe Toussaint emerged onto the literary scene with his first novel in 1985. From the beginning, humor has been one of his trademarks, slapstick and crude at times, darker, more subversive, and subtler at others. While scholars all recognize the presence of humor in his works, none have really concentrated solely on this author's novels with the depth that they demand in terms of why they make us smile and even laugh. Hence, this is precisely what this dissertation accomplishes. The focus revolves around all of the playful aspects of Toussaint's texts in order to show how the author, as he has stated himself, privileges style over story. In the 1980's and 1990's, his works were often characterized as minimalist, and it is rather from this perspective that so many studies have been published. However, as his writing has evolved over the years, this description no longer seems to be valid in relation especially to his most recent works. Thorough examinations of semantic and syntactic fields have been initiated in this study in order to link the author's ludic sensibilities to his style, despite the fact that the content of the texts often contains much humor. Furthermore, the notion of intertextuality as a ludic device as well as incongruities in both text and context are also explored in detail. Toussaint alludes to numerous authors' works, from Pascal, Flaubert, Gide, and Proust, to Apollinaire, Beckett, Nabokov, and Kawabata among others. Although the stories themselves are often humorous on the surface, the vast pleasure of this author's texts resides in the writing itself, the narrative style and the dialogue between his and other texts, details sometimes so subtle that they are easily overlooked

African American English as a Predictor of Ethnic and Ethnolinguistic Identity in Adolescence

This study’s purposes were to provide support for the Social identity theory of African American English (Vietze & Glasco, 2022) and the meanings African American English (AAE) speakers assign to their dialect. The study was primarily based on Tajfel’s (1979) social identity theory that proposes individuals derive a sense of self from group membership. The qualitative analyses examined ethnic and language group memberships. Ethnic identity development (Phinney, 1992), and ethnolinguistic identity theories (Giles and Johnson, 1987) guided narrative and content analyses of Kiese Laymon’s memoir, Heavy: An American Memoir (Laymon, 2018). The sample included 21 African American English conversations (N=84) and 26 narrative passages (N= 191) from Kiese’s adolescence. The researcher used directed content analyses to determine if the African American English conversations contained any dimensions of Phinney’s (1992) ethnic identity development framework or Giles and Johnson’s (1987) ethnolinguistic identity theory. The researcher used narrative analysis to explore Kiese’s narrative meaning making (McClean, 2005) of African American English. The content analyses indicated there was a relationship between African American English use and ethnic identity. The content analyses also indicated there was a relationship between African American English and ethnolinguistic identity. The narrative analysis confirmed that Kiese interpreted African American English interactions as centrifugal to his own and a general Black identity. The exploratory thematic analysis demonstrated three novel contributions: AAE speakers spontaneously create AAE expressions, AAE speaker’s diglossia poses communication challenges, and AAE speakers may prefer to use dialect to convey distress. Recommendations for future research are discussed

Importance and Impact of Diabetes Education on People with Diabetes

This paper aims to explain the significance and importance of why it is essential to offer patients with diabetes standardized education regarding their diabetes

Interaction of Charged 3D Soliton with Coulomb Center

The Einstein - de Broglie particle-soliton concept is applied to simulate stationary states of an electron in a hydrogen atom. According to this concept, the electron is described by the localized regular solutions to some nonlinear equations. In the framework of Synge model for interacting scalar and electromagnetic fields a system of integral equations has been obtained, which describes the interaction between charged 3D soliton and Coulomb center. The asymptotic expressions for physical fields, describing soliton moving around the fixed Coulomb center, have been obtained with the help of integral equations. It is shown that the electron-soliton center travels along some stationary orbit around the Coulomb center. The electromagnetic radiation is absent as the Poynting vector has non-wave asymptote $O(r^{-3})$ after averaging over angles, i.e. the existence of spherical surface corresponding to null Poynting vector stream, has been proved. Vector lines for Poynting vector are constructed in asymptotical area.Comment: LaTeX ,12 page