“Any Lady Can Now Learn to Cut Perfect Fitting Dresses”: The Role of Pattern Drafting Systems in the Production of Women’s Dress, 1880–1900

This research conveys findings from my MA thesis research focused on pattern drafting systems for women’s garments developed between 1880 and 1900. The study builds on the seminal work of Claudia Kidwell, who divided these systems into three categories: proportional, hybrid, and direct measure. To date, the study of this textile technology and how it positioned women and sewing in both domestic and professional spheres has received little scholarly attention, but pattern drafting technology transformed the possibilities for pattern creation and proportionate measurements, especially for home sewers. It also aided in the paper pattern and ready-made clothing industries. This research, therefore, contributes to the discussion of textile technologies, such as the sewing machine and paper pattern industries, through examination of an understudied technology. The goal of this research is to understand how pattern drafting systems, and the skills required to use them, were adapted to the ever-changing style of women’s clothing. It considers data collected from three methods typical of material culture studies and historiography: artifact analysis, content/visual analysis, and historical reproduction. Through this research more information come to light about the broader group of people potentially using these systems including dressmakers (professional and self-taught), home sewers and domestic servants. There was also a definite cost of knowledge associated with the different systems whether that be in relation to the quality or price for instruction. These systems were adapted over time to account for the changing styles and the needs of the users which can be seen through the increased and clarified instructions and markings printed directly on the systems and changes between different iterations of the same systems. Advisor: Mary Alice Cast

Beyond dialogue : different literary and artistic strategies to represent the unspeakable in three francophone plays : Wajdi Mouawad's Incendies, Groupov's Rwanda 94, and Milo Rau's Hate Radio /

The concept of representation is an ancient one, and as such it has acquired multiple meanings throughout time. However, when the representation in question is that of an "unspeakable" event, such as war and genocide, it must contend with the difficulty posed by the inadequacy of language to communicate the full extent of the event and consider special controversies surrounding its representation. Although some individuals purport that fiction is necessary to communicate the situation which surpasses comprehension, others express ethical concerns that artistic forms risk trivialization of the events. Further, the act of speaking for others through representation raises significant concerns regarding the possibility of misrepresentation since the proxy imposes his/her own view while speaking for the silent constituency. This study focuses upon three plays of Francophone theater whose efforts to represent the unspeakable extend beyond dialogue: Wajdi Mouawad's Incendies, Groupov's Rwanda 94, and Milo Rau's Hate Radio. While scholarly work on the chosen plays may occasionally highlight the communicative difficulties faced therein, none of them place their focus solely upon the unspeakable as this study does. The analysis demonstrates that Mouawad, Groupov, and Rau attempt to overcome unspeakability and manage the difficulty and controversies inherent in representation of the unspeakable by the use of poetic and symbolic representation, the combination of total spectacle, heterogeneous dramaturgy, and political drama, and hyperrealism, respectively.Dr. Rangira Béa Gallimore, Dissertation Supervisor.|Includes vita.Includes bibliographical references (pages 230-245)

Evidence of a Mira-like tail and bow shock about the semi-regular variable V CVn from four decades of polarization measurements

Polarization is a powerful tool for understanding stellar atmospheres and circumstellar environments. Mira and semi-regular variable stars have been observed for decades and some are known to be polarimetrically variable, however, the semi-regular variable V Canes Venatici displays an unusually large, unexplained amount of polarization. We present ten years of optical polarization observations obtained with the HPOL instrument, supplemented by published observations spanning a total interval of about forty years for V CVn. We find that V CVn shows large polarization variations ranging from 1 - 6%. We also find that for the past forty years the position angle measured for V CVn has been virtually constant suggesting a long-term, stable, asymmetric structure about the star. We suggest that this asymmetry is caused by the presence of a stellar wind bow shock and tail, consistent with the star's large space velocity.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in A&

Putative axonal input and output pathways of the circadian clock system in the brain of the insect Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera)

The lateral clock neurons (LN s) arborize in the accessory medulla ( aMe) and the dorsal midbrain. In hemimetabolous insects, this latter region appears highly developed and has been extensively studied in the insect Rhodnius prolixus within which it is called the principle protocerebral arborization area (PPA). This study investigated the importance of the PPA in the Rhodnius brain clock system. Double label immunohistochemistry and laser scanning confocal microscopy allowed observation of close associations between neurons stained with antibodies against four neurochemicals and the LNs. Neuronal projections more densely innervated the PPA than the aMe. All neurochemicals were produced and released with a daily rhythm, implying clock control, likely via PPA axons. Taken together, these results suggest that the PPA is important in the integration of timing information in the Rhodnius brain clock system, perhaps as important as the aMe, containing many potential pathways for input to and output from the system

An Offer They Can’t Refuse: Teaching Persuasive Writing Through a Settlement Offer Email Assignment

(Excerpt)Do you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar? Our first-year legal writing students had to confront this question as part of a new assignment we introduced in the spring of 2014 that required them to write an email settlement offer to opposing counsel. This assignment fit easily into our trial and appellate brief assignments, allowed students to learn about persuasive writing in a new format, and helped students experience a bit of the creativity of law practice. At Miami Law, we follow a fairly traditional model for a two-semester legal writing curriculum. In the fall, students learn objective writing, including office memoranda and client letters. In the spring, they turn to persuasive writing, including trial court motions and appellate briefs. We also include a correspondence component to both semesters, but we have struggled with exactly how to structure that component in the spring. Because students learned to write a client letter in the fall, a repeat of that assignment was not sufficiently challenging for many students. We experimented with assigning a discovery meet-and-confer letter but found it was conceptually beyond our first-year students’ level of understanding. But last year, we landed on the Goldilocks “just right” level of difficulty for our spring semester correspondence assignment. We asked students to write an email proposing a settlement to opposing counsel in a civil litigation matter. The results were far better than we had hoped: students were highly engaged and interested in the assignment, they practiced a related but different type of persuasive writing, and they thought creatively in ways we never expected

Evaluating the Outcomes of a Health Career Summer Academy for Underserved Youth

Purpose: The Health Career Summer Academy (HCSA) is a one-week program that introduces students from underserved populations to various health careers and areas of study in health sciences. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this week-long summer academy increased characteristics of positive youth development, promoted transferrable skills, and increased interest in college and/or health sciences careers. Methods: In 2017 and 2018, seventy-three participants (mean age = 13.6) from the greater Philadelphia area completed anonymous online surveys on the first day and final day of HCSA programs at West Chester University, Arcadia University, and Rosemont College. Surveys included the Positive Youth Development Very Short Form (PYD-VSF; Geldhof et al., 2013) and parts of the Life Skills Transfer Survey (LSTS; Weiss et al., 2014). Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha assessment confirmed the factor structure for the PYD-VSF (confidence, competence, character, caring, and connection), and the subscales of the LSTS (making healthy choices, appreciating diversity, getting help from others, and helping others). Statistically significant improvements (p ≤ .05) were demonstrated in the areas of making healthy choices, appreciating diversity, getting help from others, helping others, and caring. Discussion: These results suggest that the benefits of summer enrichment programs may extend beyond academics. This program positively influenced students’ behaviors related to making healthy choices, appreciating diversity, getting help from others, helping others, and caring. Summer academy programs also function as an effective tool for youth to explore potential academic and career pathways