Decadence and Murder in Oscar Wilde's Literature

This thesis investigates decadence – moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury and its opposition to most Victorian ideals – and highlights murder as the possible and often-following consequence of this phenomenon specifically in the literature of Oscar Wilde, a certified decadent aesthete whose legacy remains valuable today. The role of various decadent elements such as hatred of the world, alienation, prioritization of decadent concepts such as beauty, pleasure, art, aesthetics, and love, as well as the resulting immorality is introduced with the help of the original decadent novel, Huysmans’ Against Nature, and the influence of such matters on the decadent individual as well as their collective potential to lead to murder is furthermore discussed. In the first two chapters, Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Salomé instantiate extreme overindulgence in decadence and immorally-charged decadent pleasures which eventually and unsurprisingly result in the protagonists bringing death to other characters as well as themselves in addition to bringing ruination to their souls and consequently, their afterlives. In the third and last chapter, two alternatives destinations of decadence are presented. The protagonists of “The Portrait of Mr W.H.” and “The Nightingale and the Rose” prematurely abandon their decadence and settle instead for the despised life of a commonplace Victorian man. In “The Happy Prince”, “The Selfish Giant”, and “The Canterville Ghost”, however, Wilde puts forward an opportunity for the decadent to quite literally get the best of both worlds – to nevertheless indulge in their enchantment of choice (which happens to be ideal love) in this life, and to receive hopes of salvation and the continuation of their fulfilling pleasures in the subsequent one

Radiation Study of the Organic Photovoltaic Cell P3HT:PCBM

The need for inexpensive, dependable, radiation hard solar cells for use in space applications has led to attention being focused on organic semiconductor based solar cells. Such cells are lightweight, flexible and are potentially useful in conformal coverage applications. While these solar cells are less efficient (presently \u3c 12%) than traditional silicon or III-V semiconductor based solar cells, the reduced efficiency is compensated for by their lower weight. This leads to a higher specific power and hence a lower load for launch. Furthermore, their flexibility is a particularly positive attribute since this renders them less vulnerable to vibration damage during the launch process. It must also be added that since one envisages solution processing deposition of the organic cells on very large area sheets (roll by roll technology) one can then also imagine a scenario in which a chosen panel area can be simply tailored from a large roll, thereby speeding up the process of solar panel production. Before this somewhat futuristic approach to low power solar panel production can become a reality for space applications, a full evaluation/understanding of their behavior in a radiation environment is necessary. In this work, a detailed study has been performed on the archetypal organic photovoltaic P3HT:PCBM. The interest of the applicability of organic photo-cells for use in space based solar panels is derived from the recognition that unusual\u27 conditions exist which are not generally addressed by the organic photo-cell community. The defense presentation will cover the findings of pre-irradiation, irradiation, and post-irradiation characteristics; determination of the physical mechanisms resulting in the dominant photo-carrier loss mechanism, and a detailed investigation of the radiation effects. Transient photo-voltage (TPV) measurements were utilized to evaluate carrier relaxation times in P3HT:PCBM based photo-cells over a wide range of open circuit voltages. Satisfactory agreement is found with data obtained by low frequency impedance measurements. This data set offers valuable insight into the loss mechanism to help material scientists develop new material that has better power conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the results are promising for the development OPV technology for space based applications. We find that the experimental data is inconsistent with the theoretical behavior expected based on the generally accepted Langevin recombination model. In particular, the Langevin coefficient is three orders of magnitude smaller than the theoretical one and appears to be dependent on the carrier density. For the low light levels, the relaxation time variation is determined by the RC time constant behavior of the photodiode.\u2

Analysis of RNA binding proteins using stable cell lines

PhD ThesisOver 94% of human genes are alternatively spliced. Alternative splicing regulation is necessary for some developmental pathways. Many proteins including RNA binding proteins such as STAR family, hnRNPs, SR and SR-like proteins are involved in alternative splicing regulation. Some members of these proteins also have important roles in gene expression, transcription, signal transduction, RNA metabolism, cell cycle regulation and cancer. Although these proteins are known to be involved in alternative splicing control of specific targets, mechanisms of many of their actions and protein interaction partners are unknown. The aim of present study was the identification and characterization of protein interaction partners of some of these proteins including: STAR family (T-STAR, Sam68), hnRNP proteins (hnRNP G, hnRNP G-T) and SR-like proteins (Tra2β). The cDNAs of T-STAR, wild type Sam68 and P439R mutant Sam68 were cloned into a FLAG epitope encoding vector. The next step was generation of stable cell lines expressing these FLAG tagged proteins. To induce protein expression, stable cell lines were treated with tetracycline. The wild type Sam68-FLAG tagged protein was nuclear, while the P439R mutant Sam68-FLAG had cytoplasmic localization. Using immunoprecipitation and mass spectroscopy, both FLAG tagged proteins and co-purified proteins were purified and identified. RHA (RNA helicase A) was detected as an interacting partner for T-STAR, wild type and P439R mutant Sam68. Also, CCAR1 (cell division cycle and apoptosis regulator 1) was detected as a further partner for wild type and mutant Sam68. In addition, stable cell lines expressing FLAG tagged hnRNP G, hnRNP G-T and Tra2β were generated. These proteins and their candidate protein partners were pulled down and detected using immunoprecipitation and mass spectroscopy. Some of these detected proteins such as hnRNP C, hnRNP CL1 and RNA binding motif protein, X-Linked-Like 1 were common interacting candidates for both hnRNP G and hnRNP G-T. In addition to confirmation the roles of hnRNP G and hnRNP G-T in reduction of cell growth, the over-expression of hnRNP G-T led to remarkable cell morphological changes and alternative splicing of some target genes. In conclusion, in this project new interacting protein partners for T-STAR, Sam68, hnRNP G, hnRNP G-T were detected which their roles need to be tested within the cell

On (Semi)Topological BCC-algebras

In this paper, we introduce the notion of (semi)topological BCC-algebras and derive here conditions that imply a BCC-algebra to be a (semi)topological BCC-algebra. We prove that for each cardinal number α there is at least a (semi)topological BCC-algebra of order α: Also we study separation axioms on (semi)topological BCC-algebras and show that for any infinite cardinal number α there is a Hausdorff (semi)topological BCC-algebra of order α with nontrivial topology

Probiotics: A Comprehensive Review of Their Classification, Mode of Action and Role in Human Nutrition

Probiotics are live microorganisms that live in gastrointestinal (GI) tract and are beneficial for their hosts and prevent certain diseases. In this chapter, after a complete introduction to probiotics, definition, mechanism of action, and their classification, currently used organisms will be discussed in detail. Moreover, different kinds of nutritional synthetic products of probiotics along with their safety and drug interaction will be noticed. This chapter mentions all clinical trial studies that have been done to evaluate probiotic efficacy with a focus on gastrointestinal diseases

Comparison of learning approaches in successful and unsuccessful students in Arak University of Medical Sciences, 2010

Background: The ability of students to utilize learning approaches is one of the most important and key factors in their academic achievement. This study aimed to determine and compare the learning approaches between two groups of students of Arak University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This is cross-sectional analytic study conducted in Arak University of Medical Sciences in 2010. Participants in this study included 110 students with Grade Point Average above 17 (as successful) and 123 students with GPA below 14 (as unsuccessful) that were selected through census. All participants completed the demographic information questionnaire and the two-part questionnaire of study process (to determine deep and surface learning). Data was analyzed by SPSS software using independent t test. Results Deep learning approach in students' academic success compared to unsuccessful students was significantly higher (01/0p =).Surface learning approach of students' academic compared to unsuccessful students is significantly lower (01/0p =). The significant correlation was seen among interest in the field of education, precision and focus in class and average of study hours in 24 hours and GPA of diploma study with academic achievement. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that there was statistically significant difference between successful and unsuccessful students in terms of the processes that they use in regarding and learning. Students and teachers have to know more about learning approached in order to train learners with complex thinking and problem-solving ability

Integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Process Mining for Design Authoring Processes

Building Information Modelling (BIM) corresponds to the generation and management of the digital representation for building products by wrapping building elements and their information in a unique source file. Open BIM, relying on platform-independent standards, such as IFC (Industry Foundation Classes), is supposed to increase the interoperability in the BIM environment. BIM, as a shared work platform in AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) industry, can be upgraded to act as an Enterprise Resource Management (ERM) system and support data mining for the management of design and construction processes. ERM systems rely on transaction data, also known as “event logs”. eXtensibile Event Stream (XES) is an XML (Extensible Markup Language) schema aiming to provide a format for supporting the interchange of event logs. XES-based Event logs commonly include some semantics (called extensions) regarding events. This work aims to enable BIM to act as an ERM system. To realize this goal, four research objectives were defined and achieved. First, an ‘IFC archiver algorithm’ was developed to take snapshots, on a regular basis, from different stages of building modeling process (performed in Autodesk Revit), throughout the design phase from start to the end. Second, an ‘IFC logger algorithm’ was created to consecutively compare archived IFC files, detect design activities and save them in the CSV format event log. Then, XESame module is used to map the CSV format event log to the appropriate data format for Process Mining (i.e., XES format event logs). The activities were categorized in five classes: Addition, Removal, Rotation, Relocation of elements (e.g., a wall), and changes in their properties (e.g., the size, type or family of an element). Five attributes for each activity were stored in the database. Those included: Element ID, Designer, Element Name (Name of the Activity), Start and End time of each activity. Third, Process Mining techniques were used to detect the as-happened processes. Last but not least, Process Mining helped to derive different types of design process information (analytics) such as social networks of actors, bottlenecks of processes and process deviations. Two case studies were performed to validate and verify the research methodology. Around 300 and 30,000 events were captured respectively, during the design phase of our first and second case studies. Then, the activity log was fed to a Process Mining tool to mine the as-happened design processes. Two levels of process maps were discovered: As-happened level 2 and “level 3” BIM maps. As-happened maps were derived and represented in Petri net and process tree formats. Moreover, different types of animations of the as-happened design processes were derived for level 2 and “level 3” BIM maps from replaying the event logs on top of the captured processes. Those animations showed project paths, activities queue lengths and service times. In a nutshell, the study successfully applied Process Mining on the foundation of BIM (as an ERM system) and accordingly made discovery, monitoring and optimizing BIM processes possible. The present study aims to assist BIM and project managers by enabling BIM as a management tool for design processes. These processes are important, because the design phase is at the early stage of every construction project

Comparison of learning approaches in successful and unsuccessful students in Arak University of Medical Sciences, 2010

Background: The ability of students to utilize learning approaches is one of the most important and key factors in their academic achievement. This study aimed to determine and compare the learning approaches between two groups of students of Arak University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This is cross-sectional analytic study conducted in Arak University of Medical Sciences in 2010. Participants in this study included 110 students with Grade Point Average above 17 (as successful) and 123 students with GPA below 14 (as unsuccessful) that were selected through census. All participants completed the demographic information questionnaire and the two-part questionnaire of study process (to determine deep and surface learning). Data was analyzed by SPSS software using independent t test. Results Deep learning approach in students' academic success compared to unsuccessful students was significantly higher (01/0p =).Surface learning approach of students' academic compared to unsuccessful students is significantly lower (01/0p =). The significant correlation was seen among interest in the field of education, precision and focus in class and average of study hours in 24 hours and GPA of diploma study with academic achievement. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that there was statistically significant difference between successful and unsuccessful students in terms of the processes that they use in regarding and learning. Students and teachers have to know more about learning approached in order to train learners with complex thinking and problem-solving ability