Little Paintings

Little Paintings is a document that describes the creation, influences and process of two films, Betty Creek and New Berlin . The films are personal responses to my experiences growing-up and living in the Southern United States. The Thesis illustrates the influences of painters such as Jimmie Lee Sudduth and Willie Jinks and how their raw painting methods inspire the development of my films using a tactile approach to filmmaking

Ignite Your Bliss: A Case Study on Cost Curves Analysis

Cost curves analysis is a challenging economics subject to teach. It requires the presentation of extensive cost tables, cost equations, and a set of cost curves, which students tend to find highly theoretical. In addition, the literature on real-world applications of cost curves analyses is limited, mainly because firms release their cost structures at current output levels rather than at potential output levels. Thus, there are few available pedagogical tools for economics instructors to use when facing the difficult task of linking the theory to the firm’s real-world cost analyses. This paper contributes to economics pedagogy by briefly proposing a case study on a yoga retreat business that serves as a valuable example of a cost curves analysis

Outer Retinal Structure in Best Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy

Importance Demonstrating the utility of adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) to assess outer retinal structure in Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD). Objective To characterize outer retinal structure in BVMD using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and AOSLO. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective, observational case series. Four symptomatic members of a family with BVMD with known BEST1 mutation were recruited at the Advanced Ocular Imaging Program research lab at the Medical College of Wisconsin Eye Institute, Milwaukee. Intervention Thickness of 2 outer retinal layers corresponding to photoreceptor inner and outer segments was measured using SD-OCT. Photoreceptor mosaic AOSLO images within and around visible lesions were obtained, and cone density was assessed in 2 subjects. Main Outcome and Measure Photoreceptor structure. Results Each subject was at a different stage of BVMD, with photoreceptor disruption evident by AOSLO at all stages. When comparing SD-OCT and AOSLO images from the same location, AOSLO images allowed for direct assessment of photoreceptor structure. A variable degree of retained photoreceptors was seen within all lesions. The photoreceptor mosaic immediately adjacent to visible lesions appeared contiguous and was of normal density. Fine hyperreflective structures were visualized by AOSLO, and their anatomical orientation and size were consistent with Henle fibers. Conclusions and Relevance The AOSLO findings indicate that substantial photoreceptor structure persists within active lesions, accounting for good visual acuity in these patients. Despite previous reports of diffuse photoreceptor outer segment abnormalities in BVMD, our data reveal normal photoreceptor structure in areas adjacent to clinical lesions. This study demonstrates the utility of AOSLO for understanding the spectrum of cellular changes that occur in inherited degenerations such as BVMD. Photoreceptors are often significantly affected at various stages of inherited degenerations, and these changes may not be readily apparent with current clinical imaging instrumentation

Three Artificial-Noise-Aided Secure Transmission Schemes in Wiretap Channels

We examine the secrecy performance of three artificial-noise-aided secure transmission schemes, namely, the partially-adaptive, fully-adaptive, and on-off schemes. To this end, we provide new analysis to facilitate the optimization of the fraction ϕ of the transmit power allocated to the useful signal and redundancy rate RE. Surprisingly, our examination indicates that the partially-adaptive scheme, in which only the codeword rate RB varies with the instantaneous channel gains, significantly outperforms the on-off scheme, in which both RB and RE vary. This performance gain can be characterized in terms of a higher average secrecy rate, subject to an upper bound on the secrecy outage probability. Furthermore, our results also demonstrate that the partially-adaptive scheme can achieve almost the same secrecy performance as the fully-adaptive scheme, which is of a much higher complexity, where ϕ, RB, and RE all vary with the instantaneous channel gains

Artificial Noise: Transmission Optimization in Multi-Input Single-Output Wiretap Channels

We analyze and optimize the secrecy performance of artificial noise (AN) in multi-input single-output wiretap channels with multiple antennas at the transmitter and a single antenna at the receiver and the eavesdropper. We consider two transmission schemes: 1) an on-off transmission scheme with a constant secrecy rate for all transmission periods, and 2) an adaptive transmission scheme with a varying secrecy rate during each transmission period. For the on-off transmission scheme, an easy-to-compute expression is derived for the hybrid outage probability, which allows us to evaluate the transmission outage probability and the secrecy outage probability. For the adaptive transmission scheme where transmission outage does not occur, we derive a closedform expression for the secrecy outage probability. Using these expressions, we determine the optimal power allocation between the information signal and the AN signal and also determine the optimal secrecy rate such that the effective secrecy throughput is maximized for both transmission schemes. We show that the maximum effective secrecy throughput requires more power to be allocated to the AN signal when the quality of the transmitterreceiver channel or the transmitter-eavesdropper channel improves. We also show that both transmission schemes achieve a higher maximum effective secrecy throughput while incurring a lower secrecy outage probability than existing schemes.ARC Discovery Projects Grant DP150103905

The Amazon Monopoly: Is Amazon’s Private Label Business the Tipping Point?

The purpose of this paper is to consider if Amazon’s increase in private label brands is the tipping point for transforming the e-commerce giant into a monopoly. To lay the foundation, we initially explore the culture, leadership, and business practices which are unique to Amazon that enabled the company to become one of the U.S.’s largest and fastest growing e-commerce websites. Introduced in 2009, Amazon’s private label business has further propelled Amazon’s growth while creating a competitive advantage for the company by offering high quality products to their customers at low cost options. In considering whether private label brands affect Amazon’s status as a monopoly, we first examine exactly what a monopoly is and if Amazon can be classified as one in its current state. We then take a deep dive into Amazon’s private label strategy, analyzing past performance to make educated assumptions about the future. Our research provided evidence indicating that Amazon’s actions are threatening the cooperative nature of its Marketplace by creating substantial barriers to entry and increasing Amazon’s market share. With this knowledge we make predictions about Amazon’s future and whether it will ever be seen as a monopoly under the economic, legal, and/or social definitions. While Amazon’s case is unprecedented, this paper sources leading economists, journalists, and other academic research to support our theory

RE 1265A C.J. Torno

Series 4.2, Box 30, Folder 329 Sale No. 339, File No. 1265a, C.J. Torno, Lexington, Texashttps://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/johnshary/1103/thumbnail.jp