Detroit\u27s Theaters: A Study of Significance and Reuse

Detroit is frequently a case study for contemporary urban and economic issues. A specific component of Detroit\u27s built fabric that requires preservation attention in light of the city\u27s struggles is the undervalued theater district. Several of the theaters in the central district of Detroit are now threatened by demolition after years of neglect. The history and significance of the theaters, as well as careful consideration of the range of acceptable preservation treatment options, stand to inform a preservation plan for these and other cities\u27 theaters. One of the options is the reuse of the theaters. While the large scale of these theaters provides a generous canvas for reuse, the present deteriorated state and socio-economic context of the city presents numerous challenges. This thesis explores the significance of Detroit theaters while prioritizing and developing a range of appropriate preservation treatment options for currently abandoned theaters. An examination of the history of past and current conditions of theaters throughout the city is provided through a comprehensive survey and locator map. Assessments accompany those theaters within the historic theater districts. Additional consideration was given to the National Theater, as a representative of abandoned theaters in Detroit. This thesis concludes with preservation recommendations for this theater and a tool to aid in preservation planning in Detroit and other communities

Quantifying the skewed distribution of activity in virtual communities within a longitudinal study

Virtual Communities (ViCs) are subject of interest for quite some time now [Hagel and Armstrong, 1997, Garton, et al., 1997, Rheingold, 1993]. Recently, ViCs in the form of Social Network Services like MySpace or StudiVz received a lot of attention. Though, fairly little is known about the temporal evolution of virtual communities and the changes in the communication activity of its users. The research described here is an explorative study examining the communication activity of members of two virtual communities on a longitudinal basis. For that purpose, a graph theoretical model by Pennock et al. [2002] is used which unites “Random Network Theory” and “Scale-free Networks”. This model allows the operationalization of the empirical distribution functions of the communication activity in ViCs with only one free parameter. That parameter – the mixing factor α – represents the ratio between the antagonists heterogeneity and homogeneity. The nonlinear curve fitting of the empirical distribution functions shows a predominance of preferential over uniform binding in both communities. Participants prefer to communicate with community members having already a lot of communication partners, while members with low activity are less attractive. This phenomenon is less strong in the smaller ViC B. The members of ViC B have almost twice as many connections as those of ViC A. ViC B represent a tighter network which might lead to the more homogeneous distribution of its activity. In both communities the mixing factor α and therefore the level of heterogeneity shows quite stable over time

Entwicklung und Verbesserung von Methoden zur Charakterisierung disseminierter Tumorzellen bei soliden Tumoren

Obwohl verschiedenste Therapiekonzepte mittlerweile zum Einsatz kommen, konnte die Mortalität von Patienten mit soliden Tumoren in den letzten Jahren nicht signifikant gesenkt werden. Ursache hierfür ist wahrscheinlich eine sehr frühzeitige Tumorzelldisseminierung. Weiteres könnte die beschränkte Wirkung antiproliferativer Chemotherapien könnte dafür mitverantwortlich sein, da diese auf die Mehrzahl disseminierter Tumorzellen keine Wirkung besitzen. Der routinemäßige Nachweis disseminierter Tumorzellen erfolgt zur Zeit durch Immuncytochemie mit einem Panzytokeratin-Antikörper und anschließender APAAP-Färbung (Goldstandard-methode). Diese Methode weist jedoch eine geringe Sensitivität des Tumorzellnachweises auf und erlaubt keine multiple Charakterisierung von isolierten disseminierten Tumorzellen auf verschiedene Tumormarker. Eine für die Routinediagnostik essentielle Standardisierung ist mit dieser Goldstandardmethode ebenfalls nicht gewährleistet. Deshalb war es Ziel dieser Arbeit, verschiedene Methoden zum Nachweis und zur näheren Charakterisierung von disseminierten Tumorzellen neu oder weiter zu entwickeln, die eine höhere Sensitivität aufweisen und für die Routineanwendung geeignet sind

Relational and Attributive Activity in Virtual Communities

Although Virtual Communities (ViCs) have been considered as an important e-commerce instrument, little is known about their evolution and the changes in the communication activity of its users. A frequent finding is that a small number of the participants is responsible for the majority of messages and, in contrast, a large portion of the users only write one or a few message(s). This discrepancy deserves more attention. In this paper, the heterogeneity of the communication activity is examined longitudinally on the basis of the graph-theoretical models "Random Network Theory" and "Scale-free Networks". The fusion of these two models allows operationalization of the heterogeneity of the relational as well as the attributive communication activity in ViCs. The adjustment of the empirical distribution functions of the examined ViCs to this model shows a predominance of preferential over uniform binding. This "rich get richer phenomenon" proves temporally stable and leads to the emergence of heterogeneity of the member's activities. We conclude that instead of stimulating all participants, it appears to be more promising to address the lead users as a main target. Their attachments to other users may be utilized in a positive and amplifying way in order increase a community's communication activity

Entwicklung und Verbesserung von Methoden zur Charakterisierung disseminierter Tumorzellen bei soliden Tumoren

Obwohl verschiedenste Therapiekonzepte mittlerweile zum Einsatz kommen, konnte die Mortalität von Patienten mit soliden Tumoren in den letzten Jahren nicht signifikant gesenkt werden. Ursache hierfür ist wahrscheinlich eine sehr frühzeitige Tumorzelldisseminierung. Weiteres könnte die beschränkte Wirkung antiproliferativer Chemotherapien könnte dafür mitverantwortlich sein, da diese auf die Mehrzahl disseminierter Tumorzellen keine Wirkung besitzen. Der routinemäßige Nachweis disseminierter Tumorzellen erfolgt zur Zeit durch Immuncytochemie mit einem Panzytokeratin-Antikörper und anschließender APAAP-Färbung (Goldstandard-methode). Diese Methode weist jedoch eine geringe Sensitivität des Tumorzellnachweises auf und erlaubt keine multiple Charakterisierung von isolierten disseminierten Tumorzellen auf verschiedene Tumormarker. Eine für die Routinediagnostik essentielle Standardisierung ist mit dieser Goldstandardmethode ebenfalls nicht gewährleistet. Deshalb war es Ziel dieser Arbeit, verschiedene Methoden zum Nachweis und zur näheren Charakterisierung von disseminierten Tumorzellen neu oder weiter zu entwickeln, die eine höhere Sensitivität aufweisen und für die Routineanwendung geeignet sind

“...como uma vara oblíqua no rio”: sobre a propedêutica do falar de Deus no Ensino Religioso

A autora examina uma série de relevantes questões relacionadas com o falar de Deus no Ensino Religioso. Destaque recebem as características da linguagem sobre Deus e a precisão e ambigüidade nas referências ao mesmo e ao sagrado. No final apresenta, através de quatro teses, as perspectivas didáticas mais marcantes do falar de Deus na atualidade.La autora examina una serie de cuestiones relevantes relacionadas con el hablar de Dios en la Enseñanza Religiosa. Mención reciben las características del lenguaje sobre Dios, así como la precisión y ambigüedad en las referencias al mismo y a lo sagrado. Finalizando presenta, a través de cuatro tesis, las perspectivas didácticas más significativas del hablar de Dios en la actualidad.The author examines a series of relevant issues related to talking about God in the subject of Religious Education. The characteristics of the language about God and the precision and ambiguity in the references made of God and the sacred are highlighted. At the end, through four theses, the author presents the most impactive didactic perspectives used when talking about God in the current reality

Properties of large scale ultra-high temperature ceramic matrix composites made by filament winding and spark plasma sintering

In this paper, for the first time, we report the manufacturing and characterization of large UHTCMCs discs, made of a ZrB2/SiC matrix reinforced with PyC-coated PAN-based carbon fibres. This work was the result of a long term collaboration between different institutions and shows how it is possible to scale-up the production process of UHTCMCs for the fabrication of large components. 150 mm large discs were produced by filament winding and consolidated by spark plasma sintering and specimens were machined to test a large set of material properties at room and elevated temperature (up to 1800 °C). The extensive characterization revealed a new material with mechanical behaviour similar to CMCs, but with intrinsic higher thermal stability. Furthermore, the scale-up demonstrated in this work increases the appeal of UHTCMCs in sectors such as aerospace, where severe operating conditions limit the application of conventional materials