169 research outputs found
How Africa made modernism: African art and twentieth-century literature
No full textThis dissertation brings art history together with literary studies to show that African art has been an engine of—and not simply a passive inspiration for—modernist and contemporary literature. Although the relationship between African art and modernism has long been remarked, conventional histories often describe African craft as an inanimate source for the lively innovations of early twentieth-century Europeans. In the late twentieth century, this story continues: post-Independence African writing is often characterized as a belated inheritor of colonial modernism. This dissertation corrects both of these tendencies by expanding the debate across space, time, and media. It begins by considering the responses of British modernists Roger Fry and D.H. Lawrence to African art’s global circulation with that of their West African contemporary, J.E. Casely Hayford. The second chapter turns to the work of Alain Locke, Langston Hughes, and Léopold Sédar Senghor to argue for the importance of an African-influenced sculptural aesthetic in both the African-American and francophone African worlds. The third chapter examines the work of Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka to show that their engagements with African art challenge received ideas about a modernist-postcolonial divide in literature. This dissertation’s fourth chapter pairs two contemporary writers: the experimental, postmodern South African author Zoë Wicomb and the realist Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Both authors share investment in the artisanal that extends to a general concern with materiality—in particular the materiality of books, and writing itself—that recasts the conventional understanding of Wicomb as paradigmatically postmodern and of Adichie as paradigmatically realist. It is the concept of creativity—of making—that ultimately emerges as the unifying idea from both the artistic and literary works that this dissertation examines. This dissertation shows that African artists, in direct and indirect ways, helped to create modernism across several continents.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Mark Jared Digiacom
Improving design coordination in computer supported environments in SMEs : implementation of a tool for capturing and analysing collaboration between actors
No full textTo remain competitive in a context of multi-partner projects companies are increasingly
concerned with the coordination of design projects. Information systems such as PLM or
CSCW are implemented to support the coordination of product information flows. Project
managers are nevertheless finding it increasingly difficult to manage projects effectively.
The impact of collaboration aspects on the design process is especially difficult for them to
evaluate. Indeed, failing to integrate collaboration aspects into coordination can account for
a great deal of design mistakes and finding a solution could lead to improved design
coordination.
The main obj ective of this researchi s then to help project managersi mprove coordination
in design processes through a detailed analysis of collaboration between actors. A model of
coordination and an associated model of collaboration have been devised together with a
tool ("CoCa") to be used by researchers, consultants or project managers in the analysis of
collaboration. This analysis can lead to the understanding of collaboration aspects and
identification of the problems caused.
Consequently, guidelines can be defined to prevent the re-emergence of the identified
design problems in new projects. These guidelines are recommendations to introduce
collaborative aspects, flexibility in the design process and elements for decision making
when defining future design situations. Finally, a study of a specific application
implementing PLM tools demonstrates that they are not able to manage firstly design
projects and human resources whilst taking into account collaborative aspects or, secondly,
the necessary synchronisation between human design activities and document workflow
tasks. It is thus evident that these two factors are needed in PLM tools in order to apply the
proposed model of coordination.
An industrial partnership with an SME led to the study of its information system, an
experiment with the CoCa tool, practical design process improvements, and implementation
of a PLM prototype
Montessori Goes to Seminary: Establishing a Framework for Redemptive Formation in Theological Higher Education
No full textThis study addresses current trends in theological higher education by proposing a potentially viable mechanism for institutional reform, namely the Montessori method. Although Maria Montessori is widely known as an early childhood educator, this study suggests that her approach aligns quite well with the telos of theological education, the formation of man. Based on Montessori’s educational approach, this study proposes the following conceptual framework: Theological higher education that encourages redemptive formation prioritizes the student’s liberty by intentionally preparing the environment beautifully, age-appropriately, for independence, for spiritual enrichment, and to replicate practical life.
Chapter 1 overviews current trends in theological higher education and suggests that Montessori’s educational approach may provide the means for institutional reform. Chapter 2 analyzes Montessori’s primary source writings to present the core of her educational model and why it can be adapted to adult education. Chapter 3 formally proposes the conceptual framework for theological higher education that encourages redemptive formation. Chapter 4 assesses the proposed framework from Scripture, based on a historic, orthodox Christian perspective. Chapter 5 concludes by considering the advantages and disadvantages of this proposed framework
Anchoring and probability weighting in option prices
No full textCumulative prospect theory argues that the human decision-making process tends to improperly weight unlikely events. Another behavioral phenomenon, anchoring bias, is the failure to update beliefs away from established anchor points. In this study, we find evidence that equity option market investors both anchor to prices and incorporate a probability weighting function similar to that proposed by cumulative prospect theory. The biases result in inefficient prices for put options when firms have relatively high or relatively low implied volatilities. This has implications for the cost of hedging long portfolios and long individual equity positions.Journal ArticleJEL Classification: G1, G1
Can navigational assistance improve search experience? A user study
No full textProviding navigational aids to assist users in finding information in hypertext systems has been an ongoing research problem for well over a decade. Despite this, the incorporation of navigational aids into Web search tools has been slow. While search engines have become very efficient in producing high quality rankings, support for the navigational process is still far from satisfactory. To deal with this shortcoming of search tools, we have developed a site specific search and navigation engine that incorporates several recommended navigational aids into its novel user interface, based on the concept of a user trail. Herein, we report on a usability study whose aim was to ascertain whether adding semi-automated navigational aids to a search tool improves users' experience when "surfing" the Web. The results we obtained from the study revealed that users of the navigation engine performed better in solving the question set posed than users of a conventional search engine. Moreover, users of the navigation engine provided more accurate answers in less time and with less clicks. Our results indicate that adding navigational aids to search tools will enhance Web usability and take us a step further towards resolving the problem of "getting lost in hyperspace"
A SYSTEM OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO COMPUTERS USING NOVEL FREQUENCY SHIFT KEYING TECHNIQUES
No full textFrequency shift keying (FSK) is an old but powerful form of modulation that powered much of the early modems of the 1960’s, and the author felt inspired to make his own version of audio binary FSK modulation. He researched the general history and legacy of the Bell 103, a modem using FSK that defined telecommunication for the next few decades. Using research of the most common English characters of recent emails to determine which English characters should have the shortest bit length, a novel character encoding standard was created using variable bit rate. In addition, he has created a modulation and demodulation project in Python using this new encoding standard, with the addition of a mark and rest tone to apply the variable bit rate encoding to increase the throughput of transmitted data, and to eliminate noise that could interfere
Transitions and transformations
No full textA literary anthology 2018Volume 7, Manifest West Series, Western Press Books What changes, alters, undergoes renewal or metamorphosis in the West? The space shared and sparred-over in urban Oregon versus remote Colorado casts doubt on the concept of a true continuity to the west. Where and when do those frontiers, borders, or alterations in course occur? Each watershed and microclimate is a slight shift from the next, each city center and community hall a locus of both change and tradition, and the emotional landscapes can be as dramatic or serene as those on the map. Language can do some of the work of capturing that flux: tracking transition and transformation to get at the heart of a life lived. The poems, short stories, and creative nonfiction essays collected here raise as many questions as they answer about that often fraught, always exciting liminal space between the proverbial here and there, the now and now again. Manifest West is Western Press Books' literary anthology series. The press, affiliated with Western State Colorado University, produces one anthology annually and focuses on Western regional writing.Ars poetica; Springs without rains / Jessica McDermott -- Like the sun over primeval Earth / Jared Smith -- Cardiolesque (Phoenix, 2015); the cloud of unknowing / Cynthia Hogue -- Blue windows / Rick Kempa -- Gunnison Gorge / Tim Weed -- Mother, anthropologist; Disclosure: / Kierstin Bridger -- Hushed voices / Rick Kempa -- YUAN: the origin of a family name / Yuan Changming -- Shopping for light / David Lavar Coy -- Baseline / Caitlin Horrocks -- Like a living thing / Lisa Levine -- Saving Brownie / Tim Donovan -- No. 6; No. 13 / Mark Haunschild -- Midwestern Abecedarian / Andrea England -- December apples / Susan Brown Weitzman -- Main Street revitalization / Scott Siegel -- Ponderosa / Eric Aldrich
Developmental trajectories of marital happiness in continuously married individuals: a group-based modeling approach
No full textMost contemporary studies of change in marital quality over time have used growth curve modeling to describe continuously declining mean curves. However, there is some evidence that different trajectories of marital quality exist for different sub-populations. Group-based trajectory modeling provides the opportunity to conduct an empirical investigation of the variance in marital quality trajectories. We applied this method to analyze data from continuously married individuals from the Marital Instability over the Life Course Study (N = 706). Instead of a single continuously declining trajectory of marital happiness, we found 5 distinct trajectories. Nearly two thirds of participants reported high and stable levels of happiness over time, and the other one third showed either a pattern of continuous low happiness, low happiness that subsequently declined, or a curvilinear pattern of high happiness, decline, and recovery. Marital problems, time spent in shared activities, and (to a lesser degree) economic hardship were able to distinguish trajectory group membership. Our results suggest that marital happiness may have multiple distinct trajectories across reasonably diverse populations. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed
Opportunities for Growth: Capitalization of Current Trends Relating to the Commercial Construction Industry
No full textabstract: Executive Casework, Inc. is a custom commercial mill working company based in San Jose, CA. Although the company originally only focused on cabinets, it has expanded to include custom reception desks and solid surface countertops to meet demand. The company founded by David and Mark Brown has humble beginnings, originally located in Mark’s garage. Over the last two decades, the company has seen astronomical growth buoyed up by the fast increase in commercial real estate in Silicon Valley.
However, the company is currently facing considerable uncertainty like many others in the industry. These resulting overhead costs, when paired with future uncertainty of demand created by geopolitical trends, work from home, and Covid-19, create a notable problem for Executive Casework, Inc. As such, this thesis will focus on strategic steps Executive Casework, Inc. can make to capitalize on current macrocosmic trends, as well as trends within their own industry. More specifically, it will be a strategic analysis identifying the key external forces driving the fluctuating revenues in the commercial custom mill working industry, followed by an analysis of these external forces (magnitude and longevity). We will end with a framework for capitalizing on these trends by organizationally and physically placing a company like our exemplar company, Executive Casework, in the best position to realize maximum profitability. (abstract
Beet borderland: Hispanic workers, the sugar beet, and the making of a northern Colorado landscape
No full textDepartment Head: Ruth M. Alexander.2002 Summer.Includes bibliographical references (pages 100-106).At the turn of the nineteenth century, the arrival of the sugar beet industry wrought change in northern Colorado. The sugar beet was a totally new plant-it was unlike corn, wheat, alfalfa and other crops that local farmers were familiar with. The biological characteristics of the beet required a particular style of intensive labor, indeed shaping the daily life of laborers. Hispanic migrants to Fort Collins worked and lived under the influence of the sugar beet, but they were not passive participants in the story; they effectively transplanted some of their cultural traditions and left their own imprint in the landscape. Two years after the turn of the twentieth century, the Fort Collins landscape still bears the mark of the sugar beet. Yet even as landscape tells history, history must help explain landscape. Adobe houses still stand in some old neighborhoods, suggesting that Hispanic inhabitants once played a part in the early chronicles of Fort Collins. This thesis endeavors to flesh out that story-to explain the origins of Hispanic beet workers; how the beet changed their lifestyle, bodies, and public identity; and in what ways they modified their environment
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