University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship RepositoryNot a member yet
123813 research outputs found
Sort by
Use of Inbred Strains for the Study of Individual Differences in Pain Related Phenotypes in the Mouse
No full textA wealth of genotypic and phenotypic information about inbred strains of laboratory mice is being collected and assembled in large databases. Sophisticated mining of this information can be useful in generation of hypotheses regarding the sources and nature of phenotypic variability, both environmental and genetic. As genotypic databases become complete, computational methods for identification of the genetic loci associated with complex polygenic traits may be possible. The common genetic origin of the inbred strains, and the genetic similarity of members of these strains make possible these approaches to the genetic study of pain and other complex phenotypes. In the first study, the relative role of laboratory environmental factors and genetic factors in pain related phenotypes are explored in a large data archive containing over 8000 observations of a single pain related phenotype. Classification and Regression Tree Analysis revealed that the experimenter was a more important factor than genotype and that other laboratory factors also influence studies of pain. Linear modeling allowed parametric estimation of some of the effects, and results of the CART analysis were confirmed in a balanced prospective experiment. In the second study, the possibility of detecting genetic loci contributing to trait variability through the use of databased genetic information and inbred strain phenotype studies is evaluated. Two algorithms are considered, and compared to results from more commonly employed experimental crosses. Statistical power issues and methods of controlling error-rates are evaluated for each method. The use of permutation analysis for the empirical derivation of significance thresholds may enhance the performance of inbred strain based mapping, potentially making this theoretically interesting method viable for use in practice.Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-25T20:45:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
license.txt: 4848 bytes, checksum: 96035ab3f5e1c23cc7138a224ce498bd (MD5)
3070274.pdf: 5523881 bytes, checksum: 0088d7b1fa13731ed6c7a8679d97abbe (MD5)
Previous issue date: 2002Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 83771
Lift date: Forever
Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsU of I Only112 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2002
Institutions, Property Rights, and Transaction Costs in the Hardrock Mining Industry, 1866-1996
No full textA large percentage of US mineral production comes from western lands that were once, or are now, in federal stewardship. Since 1872 the location system of the General Mining Law has defined the rules by which rights to these lands are transferred from public to private interests. The location system is a product of the informal and formal institutions that miners implemented during the great western metal rushes of the mid-19th century. The system allows miners to explore for minerals and to establish property rights on federal lands without prior government authorization. Opponents of the law argue that the private discretion afforded by self-initiation imposes high government costs of monitoring private activity, and that the current system lacks adequate environmental-protection provisions. Under the principal proposed alternative--discretionary leasing--the government would maintain discretion over mineral access. In this dissertation I address two general questions related to the General Mining Law. First, what are the implications of the law in the context of contemporary industrial conditions and land-management practices? Second, why is the law still in place, and how have the machinations of the law changed since its enactment? To answer these questions I develop and apply a framework that emphasizes the role of institutions, property rights, and transaction costs in federal land management. Part I develops this theoretical framework and applies it in the contemporary context. The analysis demonstrates how alternate institutional arrangements affect the level and distribution of costs across private and public interests, by comparing the contemporary costs of the location and lease systems. While Part I provides a snapshot of contemporary costs associated with the law, in Part II contains three chapters that empirically examine the dynamics of the law and shows how federal land interests--the mining industry, land administrators, lawmakers, environmental interests--have organized and reacted to the incentives and constraints imposed by the law since 1872. Data on claims conflicts shows that private contracting efforts and common-law changes facilitated industry's adaptation to these changes, and also shows how private and government transaction costs affect the value of titled and untitled mining claims. In the final chapter I focus on the causes and consequences of institutional change since 1872, and discuss the implementation of the Federal Land Policy Management Act in 1976, and the wilderness system beginning in 1964.Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-25T22:47:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
license.txt: 4848 bytes, checksum: 96035ab3f5e1c23cc7138a224ce498bd (MD5)
9737113.pdf: 8701353 bytes, checksum: 9da15f0bea3501e5c858d0e40615ecaa (MD5)
Previous issue date: 1997Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 86893
Lift date: Forever
Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsU of I Only159 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997
The I and the Me(dia): Social Hermeneutics, Media Audiences, and Cultural Theory
No full textThis dissertation examines the possible value of utilizing theories of the human subject derived from recent philosophical work to understand the practices of mass media audiences. The first half of the manuscript provides an analysis of the theoretical dimensions of this question, beginning with an analysis of the shortcomings of previous work on the relationship of subjects and symbolic fields. The dissertation then raises the possibility of using the hermeneutic theory of subjectivity, initially raised by George Herbert Mead and developed by a number of recent philosophers, as the basis for understanding practices of interpretation and self-formation by media audience members. In the final portion of the theoretical section of the dissertation, the suitability of this approach is examined in light of recent scholarship on the postmodern character of media culture and the use of ethnography as a research strategy is examined. In the second half of the manuscript, the author provides three empirical case studies of actual media audiences to illustrate the value of this new theoretical perspective. The first analyzes the cultural dynamics of a local underground cinema culture and examines the uniquely hybrid character of this social formation. The second study examines the community of fans which surrounds the widely popular rock band Kiss, illustrating the struggle for self-assertion within this culture. The final case study examines the Internet-based audience community surrounding the television program Futurama, one which an ironic self-relation is a critical feature. The dissertation concludes with a brief analysis of the way in which all three research sites illustrate varying modes of symbolic self-creation and self-reflection in the face an increasingly unstable cultural environment.Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-28T16:04:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
license.txt: 4848 bytes, checksum: 96035ab3f5e1c23cc7138a224ce498bd (MD5)
3023014.pdf: 20322412 bytes, checksum: e53f60f3b378f375b1ed52ba2503ab49 (MD5)
Previous issue date: 2001Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 88780
Lift date: Forever
Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsU of I Only306 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001
Change and stability: Agta kinship in a history of uncertainty
No full textThe Agta view their environment in terms of a social landscape and base their exploitation of resources on the availability and quality of social connections. With whom the Agta work is more important to them than whether they act as foragers, traders, paramilitary scouts, farmers, or wage laborers. They work as kinfolk. I use a formal theory of kinship (Lehman and Witz 1974, Witz and Lehman 1979, Lehman 1993) to illustrate how Agta society operates through kinship. This study demonstrates that social relations are not necessarily products of economic systems.Previous studies of the Agta have focused on their subsistence strategies and trading relationships with neighboring non-Agta farmers. This dissertation fills a gap in research on the Agta by providing a baseline study of their systems of kinship terminology, marriage, and descent. Agta kinship terminology is described and analysed by comparing a componential analysis with Lehman algebra and Primary Genealogical Space. The latter is shown to have more explanatory force than the former. Marriage among the Agta is discussed using a culturally universal definition of marriage that assumes one of its primary functions is to structure children into a web of kinship identities and roles. I argue that the Agta have cognatic descent phrased groups based on genealogical criteria tying people to residence areas (and their range of resources) and operational criteria that mobilizes active descent phrased group membership from potential membership. I reject the argument that descent is a cultural system limited to unilineal constructs.I show that many disagreements in kinship studies are the result of not keeping the subject (terminology, marriage, descent) analytically separate from its content (cultural behavior). As a result, I consider marriage a pan-human social system and show that descent is not simply a single mode of genealogical reckoning. My baseline study of Agta kinship provides the framework from which more detailed studies of the relationship between social structure and the environment may be conducted.Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-07T12:05:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
license.txt: 4922 bytes, checksum: 910b249b4beec47e7ab768910c8f966f (MD5)
9712289.pdf: 10575764 bytes, checksum: 4476056d2edca9dd4a728c3f622fe701 (MD5)
Previous issue date: 1996Item marked as restricted to the 'UIUC Users [automated]' Group (id=2) by Howard Ding ([email protected]) on 2011-05-07T14:36:36Z
Item is restricted indefinitely.Restriction data tranferred 2014-07-01T11:14:50-05:00
Original Data
Group with Access UIUC Users [automated]
Release Date: none
Reason: ETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionU of I Onl
Machine vision microscopy as an on-line sensor for bioprocesses
No full textA machine vision microscopy system (combination of video hardware and software and microscope for automated identification) was developed for classifying and counting microscopic objects in a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) fermentation. Image morphology properties consisting of area, perimeter, major length, minor length, number of holes, area of holes, and perimeter of holes were collected for vegetative cells, spores and protein crystals, and cells with included spores and crystals. Spatial resolution was 0.1333 m/pixel in the horizontal direction and 0.1667 m/pixel in the vertical direction.A distance classifier and a neural network classifier were evaluated for accuracy using a limited data set. The neural network classifier was selected, refined, and implemented into software to classify, count and identify objects on the vision system display. The classifier accurately identified 92.0 percent of vegetative cells and 91.0 percent of spores when compared to human classification. Vegetative cell counts were 97.3 percent accurate and spore counts were 77.9 percent accurate. Identification of cells with included spores/crystals was 16.7 percent accurate and count accuracy for this class was 27.8 percent. The system did not accurately identify cells with inclusions due to their imaging characteristics. However, the system classified spores and vegetative cells with enough precision for determination of changes in cell and spore population over time. Spore counts from the machine vision system were plotted over time and showed that the system could identify when spore population began to increase and when it reached a maximum.Object counts were performed in approximately 1.7 seconds for live images. The count results from five images were averaged together to get object counts. Averaging more images did not lower variability or change the mean count. The counts obtained from the machine vision microscopy system accurately followed trends in vegetative cell growth when compared to optical density measurements. The machine vision microscopy system predicted beginning and end of log growth within an hour of those predicted by optical density measurements.Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-07T12:25:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
license.txt: 4922 bytes, checksum: 910b249b4beec47e7ab768910c8f966f (MD5)
9236578.pdf: 3433451 bytes, checksum: 6184c0b0e44ae694edde09fcb152c276 (MD5)
Previous issue date: 1992Item marked as restricted to the 'UIUC Users [automated]' Group (id=2) by Howard Ding ([email protected]) on 2011-05-07T14:40:47Z
Item is restricted indefinitely.Restriction data tranferred 2014-07-01T11:17:33-05:00
Original Data
Group with Access UIUC Users [automated]
Release Date: none
Reason: ETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionU of I Onl
Aggregate loan quality assessment in the Farm Credit System
No full textChanges in loan quality affect loan pricing, credit policy, and the capital structure of the Farm Credit System (FCS). Improving the assessment and anticipation of changes in loan quality is a continual challenge. This research shows that loan quality assessment through aggregate credit scoring models that analyze farm sector financial information is a valuable addition to risk management in the FCS.Aggregate models of PCA and FLB loan quality were developed, using Ordinary Least Squares in a pooled cross section time series framework, through analysis of loan quality and farm sector financial information for the St. Louis Farm Credit District. Collateral values, change in farmland values, and government farm policy are significant factors in the PCA model. Liquidity, change in farmland values, and off-farm income are significant in the FLB model. The models explain much of the variation in loan quality over time and are robust to various validation tests. The estimation process was hampered by multicollinearity which must be guarded against in using aggregate financial data.The research further demonstrates, through a loan pricing model, how the aggregate loan quality models can enhance risk management in a forward planning process. Insights from the research also reveal that loan quality can change rapidly and cannot be accurately predicted in advance; no clear early warning indicators were found.The aggregate credit scoring model can be a useful analytical tool for evaluating a loan portfolio and can provide new insights into the broader lending environment of the Farm Credit System.Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-07T13:40:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
license.txt: 4922 bytes, checksum: 910b249b4beec47e7ab768910c8f966f (MD5)
9026287.pdf: 8176660 bytes, checksum: 758a124819ecf668b7b87c8cbe2f1796 (MD5)
Previous issue date: 1990Item marked as restricted to the 'UIUC Users [automated]' Group (id=2) by Howard Ding ([email protected]) on 2011-05-07T14:57:43Z
Item is restricted indefinitely.Restriction data tranferred 2014-07-01T11:27:05-05:00
Original Data
Group with Access UIUC Users [automated]
Release Date: none
Reason: ETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionU of I Onl
Information technology and the structure of the multinational enterprise
No full textThis study focuses on the impact of advanced information technologies on the organization of large firms. Advanced information technologies are technologies that use electronic media to support communication. These technologies are interesting to study, because they may improve communication and control flows within the organization, even more so, in the international context where cultural and geographical gaps must be bridged.First, a model is developed that draws on the literatures of transaction cost theory, information processing theory, and coordination theory. Firms pursuing a strategy of global coordination use administrative, integrative, and organizational control mechanisms to align goals and objectives of their geographically dispersed corporate entities. Information technology is understood as an additional coordination tool available to firms. Second, a taxonomy of information technology tools is generated that enables us to group specific technologies according to their capability to enhance information flows, to enhance the analytical capabilities of organizational units, or both. The postulated effects of using information technology for organizing firms vary depending on the type and location of the technological tools applied.A two-stage empirical study in the pharmaceutical industry identifies the relevant technological tools, as well as the competitive imperatives that call for tighter global integration of operations. During the first stage, interviews were conducted with financial directors and information systems managers at the headquarters and in selected European affiliates of 7 large U.S. based pharmaceutical companies. Subsequently questionnaires were mailed to the European subsidiaries of all U.S. based publicly listed pharmaceutical firms. Data were collected on the types of information technologies used by the affiliates, on their organizational configuration and structure, and on the use of other administrative and integrative coordination mechanisms.Under the strategic imperative to regionally coordinate dispersed subsidiary activities in Europe, this study finds that technologies enhancing information flows between units matter marginally as coordination tools. Software applications that are integrated across different company sites substitute for exhaustive corporate planning. Electronic reporting enhances the planning process. Integrated software applications also substitute for travel of managerial staff between corporate sites. No support was found for the notion that tighter coordination of dispersed and specialized corporate affiliates requires a higher level of information technology sophistication. Subsidiary autonomy is greater in subsidiaries that are sophisticated users of information technology.It is commonly claimed that information technology has become a pervasive component of society and business. The results of this study provide a clearer picture of the extent to which information technology has actually affected international business practice and organizational structure. Thus, this study merges the conceptual model of the role of information in organizations with an actual understanding of the technological realities in firms.Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-07T14:17:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
license.txt: 4922 bytes, checksum: 910b249b4beec47e7ab768910c8f966f (MD5)
9512522.pdf: 11541898 bytes, checksum: e5940f4991ec8be4b4019cb5e6336d8d (MD5)
Previous issue date: 1994Item marked as restricted to the 'UIUC Users [automated]' Group (id=2) by Howard Ding ([email protected]) on 2011-05-07T15:05:05Z
Item is restricted indefinitely.Restriction data tranferred 2014-07-01T11:31:09-05:00
Original Data
Group with Access UIUC Users [automated]
Release Date: none
Reason: ETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionU of I Onl
Experience, neuroanatomical plasticity and expression of the immediate early gene ZENK in the visual cortex of weanling rats
No full textThis investigation combines anatomical and molecular approaches to determine if expression of a specific regulatory transcription factor correlates with morphological plasticity, using a model of experience-dependent plasticity.An initial study (Chapter 2) demonstrated that exposing weanling rats to a complex environment (EC) rapidly altered dendritic fields of neurons in visual cortex relative to littermates housed in individual cages (IC). This paradigm was employed to assess the behavioral induction of ZENK, a transcription factor implicated in plasticity by its association with hippocampal long-term potentiation.Messenger RNA levels were quantified by in situ hybridization to determine if ZENK is: (1) behaviorally regulated (2) elevated in the visual cortex of rats actively exploring a complex environment (EC). To assess behavioral regulation, three groups were compared: EC; individually caged, but handled (HIC); and unhandled individually caged (IC) rats after short-term differential housing. Within the area of visual cortex where dendritic changes occur after short-term EC (Oc2), the three groups displayed significantly different levels of ZENK expression; EC HIC IC. In contrast, in a cortical region within which dendritic plasticity is undetectable (Fr2), no differences were observed in ZENK expression. Superficial cortical layers in Oc2, somatosensory and Fr1 were all significantly elevated in EC relative to controls, suggesting sensory afferent projections to cortex are an important component. Induction of ZENK in the striatum of EC rats suggests that plasticity of this structure may be part of the brain's response to environmental complexity.The anatomical distribution of ZENK mRNA was similar in all behavioral groups. A modular pattern of ZENK labeling in the cortex of all groups was observed and may implicate ZENK in cortical integration.ZENK elevation in EC visual cortex was observed at 4, 15 and 30 days of exposure. Hence, the process(es) ZENK mediates continue throughout the 30 day period. The time course of ZENK induction or the efficiency of translation could vary, however, in response to behavioral stimulation at these different ages.These results indicate that the transcription factor ZENK is sensitive to behavioral stimulation and may regulate the cellular support of, or preparation for, plasticity.Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-07T13:24:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
license.txt: 4922 bytes, checksum: 910b249b4beec47e7ab768910c8f966f (MD5)
9416447.pdf: 5830598 bytes, checksum: f25b1493db3e3eed1e13ef94263c785d (MD5)
Previous issue date: 1994Item marked as restricted to the 'UIUC Users [automated]' Group (id=2) by Howard Ding ([email protected]) on 2011-05-07T14:54:20Z
Item is restricted indefinitely.Restriction data tranferred 2014-07-01T11:25:14-05:00
Original Data
Group with Access UIUC Users [automated]
Release Date: none
Reason: ETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissionU of I Onl
Factors Associated With the Adoption of New Science Courses in New York State High Schools
No full textMade available in DSpace on 2014-12-08T21:26:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
7021079.pdf: 7527960 bytes, checksum: a27846ae16b4b6c2cde0dd7992325695 (MD5)
Previous issue date: 1970Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 59717
Lift date: Forever
Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsU of I Only154 p.Thesis (Educat.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1970
An Inquiry Into the Structure of Attitudes and Behavior: A Validation Study
No full textMade available in DSpace on 2014-12-08T23:01:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
6706684.pdf: 7683104 bytes, checksum: c7ab6fb838dd79a329f44469e541d505 (MD5)
Previous issue date: 1966Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 60163
Lift date: Forever
Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsU of I Only184 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1966