True Essence: The Value and Importance of Good Literature

Graduate Textual or Investigativ

Intelligent tutoring systems for systems engineering methodologies

The general goal is to provide the technology required to build systems that can provide intelligent tutoring in IDEF (Integrated Computer Aided Manufacturing Definition Method) modeling. The following subject areas are covered: intelligent tutoring systems for systems analysis methodologies; IDEF tutor architecture and components; developing cognitive skills for IDEF modeling; experimental software; and PC based prototype

Originality, Decorum, and Fantastic Sight in Dostoevsky\u27s \u3ci\u3eThe Idiot\u3c/i\u3e

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “fantastic realism” penetrates reality’s surface to reveal what he refers to as the “moral center” of reality and, in the process, transfigures readers. In Dostoevsky’s The Idiot, the novel’s main protagonist, Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin, embodies this fantastic realism. This process provides Myshkin with a “fantastic sight” that allows him to see past the immorality of the manners—or “feigned decorum”—of Russian society as represented in the novel. In so doing, Myshkin serves his peers as a “Nouwenian minister,” classifying him as a “wounded healer” archetype as presented in Henri J. M. Nouwen’s The Wounded Healer. This thesis also draws from the writings of Robin Feuer Miller, Harriet Murav, Jessica Hooten Wilson, Liza Knapp, and Marshall Gregory in an effort to demonstrate that Myshkin, as a “Nouwenian minister,” also serves as a positive, Christ-like role model for readers. Readers, as they participate in Myshkin’s ministry through the act of reading the novel, are transfigured, discovering how they can serve as Nouwenian ministers to others

Production and Biocompatibility of Spider Silk Proteins in Goat Milk

Due to its strength, flexibility, and biocompatibility, spider silk is a highly appealing material for applications in the medical field. Unfortunately, natural spider silk is difficult to obtain in large quantities because spiders are territorial and cannibalistic, making them impractical to farm. Synthetic spider silk proteins produced by transgenic hosts such as bacteria and goats have made it possible to obtain the quantities of spider silk needed to study it more fully and to investigate its potential uses. The spider silk proteins produced in our laboratory do not have an optimal purification method to remove all of the non-biocompatible contaminants and have not previously been tested for their biocompatibility. The first focus of this dissertation was to create goat cells that can be used to create new goats. These new goats will produce proteins that can be purified more efficiently and more completely. The second focus of this dissertation was to perform biocompatibility tests on goat-derived spider silk proteins. Prior to performing any biocompatibility tests, a method was established for removing endotoxins – an impurity that causes an immune response in the body – from the proteins. This work has shed light on areas for improvement in the silk protein purification process and laid groundwork for the production of new goat-derived proteins. These steps will help make it possible for synthetic spider silk to progress further toward becoming a viable biomaterial

Thoracic and lumbar vertebral bone mineral density changes in a natural occuring dog model of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis

Ankylosing spinal disorders can be associated with alterations in vertebral bone mineral density (BMD). There is however controversy about vertebral BMD in patients wuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). DISH in Boxer dogs has been considered a natural occurring disease model for DISH in people. The purpose of this study was to compare vertebral BMD between Boxers with and without DISH. Fifty-nine Boxers with (n=30) or without (n=29) DISH that underwent computed tomography were included. Vertebral BMD was calculated for each thoracic and lumbar vertebra by using an earlier reported and validated protocol. For each vertebral body, a region of interest was drawn on the axial computed tomographic images at three separate locations: immediately inferior to the superior end plate, in the middle of the vertebral body, and superior to the inferior end plate. Values from the three axial slices were averaged to give a mean Hounsfield Unit value for each vertebral body. Univariate statistical analysis was performed to identify factors to be included in a multivariate model. The multivariate model including all dogs demonstrated that vertebral DISH status (Coefficient 24.63; 95% CI 16.07 to 33.19; p < 0.001), lumbar vertebrae (Coefficient -17.25; 95% CI -23.42 to -11.09; p < 0.01), and to a lesser extent higher age (Coefficient -0.56; 95% CI -1.07 to -0.05; p = 0.03) were significant predictors for vertebral BMD. When the multivariate model was repeated using only dogs with DISH, vertebral DISH status (Coefficient 20.67; 95% CI, 10.98 to 30.37; p < 0.001) and lumbar anatomical region (Coefficient -38.24; 95% CI, -47.75 to -28.73; p < 0.001) were again predictors for vertebral BMD but age was not. The results of this study indicate that DISH can be associated with decreased vertebral BMD. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the clinical importance and pathophysiology of this finding

Assessing The Internal Control Structure For Income Tax Account Balances And Their Related Disclosures

We provide practical considerations to guide auditors in performing a preliminary assessment of the design of the auditee’s control structure related to income tax account balances and their related disclosures which should contribute to more reliable financial reporting. While our process is specifically designed for use in performing an integrated audit under PCAOB Auditing Standard No. 5 (PCAOB, 2007), the internal control objectives and related control activities we present are also useful in performing other types of audits or limited engagements