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STATISTICAL MODELING OF SOLAR FLARE OCCURRENCES AND THEIR ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS
No full textSolar flares are impulsive releases of energy that tend to occur in active regions located in the solar corona, occurring as a results of the reconnection of the sun’s magnetic field lines. The number of solar flares occurring in the corona is strongly correlated with the phase of the solar cycle. It is common practice to describe the distribution of the number of flares occurring in a given year or over a solar cycle with a Poisson distribution. We find that the observed distributions are overdispersed relative to that expected from Poisson, and thus conclude that a Poisson generative model is not appropriate to fit to flare data aggregated in this manner. We propose that only those flares that occur within a given active region should be modeled as a Poisson process, finding that this is only the case for about 50% of them. The accumulation of flares from several concurrent active regions explains the observed properties of the flare counts. This result also has an impact on the process of analyzing the distribution of flare energies, which are known to be distributed as power-laws. The scaling parameter α of power-laws that characterize flare energy distribu- tions are usually estimated using maximum likelihood methods or linear regression in log-log space. However, flare detection efficiency decreases with flare energy, and power-law estimates become biased if the turnover in the distribution is not properly accounted for. We have devised a flexible probability-discounted power-law model built on the assumption of a Poisson process for flare occurrences. The model can describe the lower energy shape of this distribution, as well as the power-law shape at higher flare energies, and we apply it to solar flare data compiled in the GOES database over Cycles 23 and 24. We fit the model to aggregated, cycle, yearly, and active region total energy distri- butions. We report that the power-law indexes α for aggregate and cycle total energy distributions range from 1.88 to 2.01. For yearly fitted values, we observe no definitive trend in the power-law index, but do observe considerable variation throughout each year
THE THEORY OF OB GYN PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN EXPERIENCES IN RELATION TO GENDER
No full textThis thesis seeks to provide background on the history of obstetrics and gynecology and analyze patient-provider relationships in care and the practice of OB GYN. In particular, how gender relates to care in a field dedicated to women’s contemporary health. In efforts to analyze these concepts as well as how and why gender plays such a highly gendered and sexualized role relating to this subspecialty of medicine, I utilize various methods and sources: historical scholarship, empirical studies and reviews, and articles addressing OB GYN. My research concludes that most female OB GYN patients do indicate physician preference. Though this theme is recurrent, gender preference was majorly indicated only when asked and given the opportunity to decide between physicians on the basis of gender. Though most OB GYN patients did prove to be more partial to female providers on the basis of comfortability, patients overall were most concerned with provider skills and other traits. This is relevant to not only patient satisfaction and wellness, but provider concerns regarding practice. Though gender is a recurring, sexualized theme in OB GYN care and practice, the concept of gender loses relevance when compared with other provider traits and skills such as competency, bedside manners, and more
PATIO POLLINATORS: TEACHING WILDLIFE GARDENING AND APPRECIATION THROUGH A VIDEO GAME
No full textPollinator populations are in decline globally. Pollinator gardens, even small ones, play a vital role in supporting urban pollinator populations. The beneficial effects of pollinator gardens are increased when the gardens are planted with native species. However, figuring out which species are native to a given area and which ones are best for pollinators takes time and energy that may deter many from starting a garden. Given the teaching power of games, I have created a video game that teaches its players to establish and care for a pollinator garden with flora native to the Sarasota area. The purpose of the game is to encourage pollinator gardening at an individual scale on the New College campus
TEXTURES, LYRICS, AND SONIC ENVIRONMENTS: HOW DIY MUSIC INFLUENCES YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS
No full textIn this thesis, I explore the creative process of producing music through focusing on lyricism, melodic composition, and DIY recording. I write, perform, and record a five song EP and each chapter discusses the process of each song\u27s creation: I describe and meditate on how it was written and recorded, as well as the challenges and influences that went into each step. I also discuss songwriting topics such as how the meaning of language is understood when paired with melody, how sonic worlds can coincide with and heighten lyrical intent, and how certain environments can affect my creative process. Examining these aspects, I reflect on the creative processes that went into creating each song. Although the finished tracks are satisfying and welcomed accomplishments, the thesis is not meant to have created perfect music, master compositions, or utterly pristine recordings. Instead, I primarily intend to explore the nuance of creation
PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE PHASE: A TWO-PART STUDY ON DEVELOPING A METHOD OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE PHASE DETERMINATION AND ASSESSMENT OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE IMPACTS ON BRAIN ACTIVATION
No full textThe menstrual cycle, and associated variations in hormone status, are a powerful moderator of both behavioral and physiological variables. However, current methods of determining menstrual cycle phase in research are largely unreliable and often cumbersome to put to use in a study. This two-part study examined two bio-markers of menstrual cycle phase for the application in research. Study 1 assessed the viability of salivary ferning - a crystal pattern formed in dried saliva that is linked to ovarian hormone status -- in identifying menstrual cycle phase. The two sampling types used in this study demonstrated that although salivary ferning patterns conform to expected estradiol levels per each cycle phase, daily variation in ferning quantification makes single-day cycle phase deduction from a saliva sample unreliable. Study 2 assessed neural biomarkers of menstrual cycle status. To do this, functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to record brain activation during a series of executive functioning tasks at three points throughout the menstrual cycle. This study found vast interpersonal variation in patterns of activation in each of the given tasks. Both of these studies highlight the importance of analyzing biological variables in response to menstrual cycle phase on a within-subject level, crucial for validity and practical utility of menstrual cycle research. Although the sample group may show predicted patterns in either ferning or BOLD response dependent of menstrual cycle phase, this conclusion is only valuable if it can be applied within a single subject when working to determine cycle phase in a research setting
INDIGENOUS AESTHETICS AND POST-REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALISM: DEFINING MEXICANIDAD THROUGH THE POPULAR ARTS AND THE BEST-MAUGARD METHOD
No full textAfter the Mexican Revolution ended in 1920, President Álvaro Obregón (1920-1924) enacted a national reconstruction plan that aimed to establish a unified national identity through visual culture. The plan foregrounded efforts toward the cultural inclusion and integration of Mexico’s substantial yet marginalized indigenous population. Through a variety of government-sponsored events, initiatives, and educational programs related to the visual arts, Obregón sought to unify the nation by promoting indigenous culture as integral to Mexican identity. In this thesis, I examine the key ways in which Obregón’s administration was involved in popularizing indigenous aesthetics and integrating them into modern Mexican culture, while highlighting the influence of Mexico’s colonial history, the concept of mestizaje, and the European Primitivism movement in these efforts. My first chapter examines the official valorization of the popular arts in the context of the 1921 Exhibition of Popular Arts during Mexico’s Centennial Celebration. My second chapter examines the Best Maugard method of drawing, a methodology for teaching art implemented into the federal public school system. Throughout my thesis, I emphasize how cultural unification led to the self-primitivization of Mexican culture in a context in which power imbalances encouraged the appropriation of indigenous aesthetics, the homogenization of distinct indigenous cultures, and the endorsement of essentialist views of indigenous peoples to appeal to modernist trends
INVENTED TANZANIA: THE COLD WAR INFLUENCES ON NYERERE’S UJAMAA POLICIES
No full textThis thesis argues that Tanzania’s socialist policies in the 1960s were heavily influenced by foreign sources, in contrast to what President Nyerere tried to brand as a homegrown form of socialism that harkened back to a pre-colonial era before the nation-state of Tanzania ever existed. It examines how foreign aid affected the villagization scheme and the cultural programs President Nyerere enacted to turn Tanzania into a developed state. It also analyzes how the creation of a cultural identity for the new state of Tanzania also affected Nyerere’s choices of foreign aid. This paper also argues that by admiring the Chinese model of development, Tanzania went in a radical direction that alienated US and British foreign aid, which then pushed him closer to China and resulted in a disaster that Tanzania then had to abandon. One goal of this thesis is to highlight the role China played in Africa in the 1960s and how postcolonial nations shaped their identities after independence
MODELING ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TWO SPECIES OF PARASITOID WASPS
No full textThe competitive exclusion principle is a commonly accepted notion within ecology; it asserts that two species with identical niches can not coexist indefinitely over ecologi- cal time. The Lotka-Volterra model of competition explores this notion by predicting the outcome of competitive events between two species. Using data on two species of parasitoid wasps, Nasonia vitripennis and Melittobia digitata, this model was ap- plied to determine the outcome of interspecific competition. The analysis found the population growth of M. digitata was possibly negatively impacted by the presence of N. vitripennis. Comparatively, the results indicated N. vitripennis was likely to be either not affected by M. digitata or aided by the presence of M. digitata, possibly due to the intraspecific competition between individuals of N. vitripennis having a larger effect than the interspecific competition from M. digitata
Preventing Collapse through a Synthesis of Nietzschean and Confucian Philosophy
No full textNo abstract provided
FILIAL TIES: A STORY OF FADED MEMORIES
No full textFilial Ties is a series of acrylic paintings that narrate individual stories for a member of my family using colors and symbols within modern mandala designs. As many mandalas leave their meanings up for interpretation, these paintings attempt to let the viewer discover their own story or dive deeper into what they see. In addition to the paintings there is a final collage of photos that serve both as inspiration for each of the pieces as well as grounding the moments. Filial Ties traverses through the tough reality and side effects of divorce on children by using the meditative practice of mandalas to reminisce and remember moments that have been lost. Much of the inspiration behind these pieces stems from artists Gene Davis, Eamon Ore-Girón, and Kristin Farr as well as studying contemporary mandalas, the importance of symbolism and color and the rich history of both traditional mandalas and Tibetan sand mandalas