837 research outputs found
On Nietzsche’s genealogical mode of inquiry
No full textThe subject of this thesis is Friedrich Nietzsche’s methodology, the genealogical mode of inquiry, which came to fruition in On the Genealogy of Morals. The precise nature of the genealogy, as a mode of inquiry, is a site of contest amongst scholars, with the central debates pivoting around four questions which arise upon considering the methodology: (1) what is the critical import of Nietzsche’s genealogical mode of inquiry? (2) What form of critique does it take? (3) To whom does Nietzsche address his reflections? And (4) what role, if any, does history play in Nietzsche’s genealogical narratives? Accordingly, this thesis seeks to offer and to defend answers to the central questions that are generated by the consideration of Nietzsche’s methodology.In order to get a foothold into these debates and to provide the boundary within which these disagreements occur the first chapter has as its object of inquiry an examination and evaluation of Nietzsche scholars’ responses to these issues. In chapter two I defend my interpretation against these rival views, and contend that the genealogy takes the form of an immanent critique, and that it is intended, at least, to reach all of Nietzsche’s contemporaries.The adage “genealogy is history correctly practiced” is treated in the remaining three chapters, in which I attempt to morph what appears to be at present an uninformative formulation into an informative one by arguing that for Nietzsche historiography is best seen as a form of artistry. And, this I submit, serves to shed light upon the genealogical mode of inquiry, and to shape the boundary by which the equation of genealogy as methodology with history becomes instructive
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Direct and indirect effects of native and invasive plants on mosquito ecology
No full textContainer-breeding mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), including the vectors of human and wildlife pathogens, interact with terrestrial plants throughout their life cycles. Inputs of leaf detritus into the aquatic habitat provide an energy base for developing larvae, and plants mediate the distribution of adult mosquitoes by influencing microclimate conditions, supplying sugar-feeding sources, and altering communities of wildlife blood-meal hosts. This dissertation examines direct and indirect effects of understory shrubs, including species both native and invasive to North America, on the ecology of Culex pipiens, an important vector of West Nile virus in the northeastern and midwestern United States. Laboratory and field bioassays demonstrated that leaf detritus from different plant species in the aquatic environment alter two key components of mosquito production (i.e., oviposition site selection and adult emergence) via the abundance and composition of bacterial flora that form on different leaf species as they decompose. In particular, an invasive plant (Lonicera maackii, Amur honeysuckle) yielded high oviposition and adult emergence rates, while in contrast, a native plant (Rubus allegheniensis, common blackberry) was identified to function as an ecological trap for Cx. pipiens, attracting gravid females to oviposit and yet deleterious to larvae yielding low emergence rates. Subsequent laboratory bioassays in which first instar larvae were exposed to mixtures of leaves from different plant species revealed that while leaf resource diversity generally yields an increase in Cx. pipiens adult emergence rates, addition of high-quality resources is not sufficient to offset the deleterious effect of R. allegheniensis leaves. I then explored two integrated vector management applications of these findings. First, a field experiment demonstrated the feasibility of exploiting a naturally-occurring ecological trap (R. allegheniensis leaves) and an artificial ecological trap (L. maackii leaves mixed with Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis larvicide) for attract-and-kill mosquito control in storm water catch basins, in which gravid females are lured to oviposit in a low-quality environment. This result provides experimental proof of concept for a novel integrated vector management tool that may enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of existing mosquito abatement strategies with minimal non-target effects and reduced potential to select for insecticide resistance. A second field experiment showed that removal of L. maackii decreases abundance of adult Culex spp. mosquitoes in forest fragments within a residential neighborhood. The mechanisms underlying this reduction in mosquito abundance most likely include effects of L. maackii removal on microclimate conditions and the availability of avian blood-meal hosts. Collectively, these studies reveal multiple ecological pathways by which terrestrial plants interact with, and alter the abundance, distribution, and life history characteristics of mosquitoes, and suggest landscape modification strategies that may be used to manage an important disease vector species in residential ecosystems.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2018-05-01The student, Allison Gardner, accepted the attached license on 2016-04-15 at 15:02.The student, Allison Gardner, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2016-04-15 at 15:06.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2016-04-20 at 10:19.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #9240 on 2016-07-07 at 13:49:21Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-07T20:27:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3
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Previous issue date: 2016-04-20Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 93113
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Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 93113
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Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Only Restriction Lifted for Item 93113 on 2018-07-08T09:15:27Z
Beyond Lesson Studies and Design Experiments: Using theoretical tools in practice and finding out how they work
No full textThis paper aims to illustrate how fruitful insights into the link between school teaching practice and student learning outcomes can be theoretically grounded by the variation theory from the field of phenomenography; and from this framework demonstrate how a 'pedagogy of awareness' can be implemented in the classroom. In this study, five teachers and 162 students at Primary Four level of school education in Hong Kong participated and the practice of the 'learning study' was adopted. By comparing the results of pre- and posttests, a significant gain was observed in the students learning outcomes.
Perceptions of Primary Care Among Breast Cancer Survivors: The Effects of Weight Status
No full textBackground: Obese breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are impacted by diminished quality of life (QOL), multiple comorbid conditions, and poor disease outcomes. Despite national guidelines recommending a healthy weight to improve QOL and outcomes posttreatment, support and education are not routinely provided to BCSs in primary care. To fill this gap, we assessed
perceptions of primary care received among BCSs by weight status.
Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were administered to early-stage BCSs (N ¼ 188) from 2 New Jersey cancer centers between May 2012 and July 2013. Sociodemographics, medical history, functional health status, perceived satisfaction with one’s primary care provider (PCP), and PCP involvement in follow-up care were assessed.
Results: In total, 82% of overweight BCSs and 30% of obese BCSs reported not being told by their doctor that they were overweight or obese, despite these conditions being highly prevalent (35% and 35%, respectively). Obese BCSs were more likely than healthy weight BCSs to be African American, have a higher comorbidity score, poorer functional health, and greater satisfaction with their PCPs.
Conclusion: The PCP–patient encounter may represent an opportunity for PCPs to correct misperceptions and promote weight reduction efforts among BCSs, thus improving QOL and disease outcomes.Peer reviewe
The feasibility of sodar wind profile measurements from an oceanographic buoy
No full textThesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2006.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 75).This thesis explores the feasibility of making wind speed profile measurements from an oceanographic buoy using a Doppler sodar. In the fall of 2005, we deployed a Scintec SFAS sodar on an ASIS buoy. Roughly one week of buoy motion data and one day of sodar observations were collected. Data from both this deployment, and the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory, were used in conjunction with models to predict sodar performance. Results are compared for an ASIS and a 3-meter discus buoy. We also predict the yearly average probability of sodar data availability in the presence of buoy motion. We show that buoy tilting in response to wave forcing is the main factor affecting sodar performance. Our results strongly suggest that ASIS is a suitable platform for sodar measurements at sea.by Allison M. Berg.S.M
Statistical techniques for text classification based on word recurrence intervals
No full text© World Scientific Publishing CompanyWe present a method for characterizing text based on a statistical analysis of word recurrence interval. This method can be used for extracting keywords from text, and also for comparing texts by an unknown author against a set of known authors. We also use these methods to comment on the controversial question of who wrote the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament.M. J. Berryman, A. Allison and D. Abbot
South African responses to Open Access publishing: a survey of the research community
No full textOpen access publishing offers wide benefits to the scholarly community and may also afford relief to financially embattled academic libraries. The progress of the open access model rests upon the acceptance and validation of open access journals and open archives or institutional repositories by the academic mainstream, particularly by publishing researchers. To what extent are the key actors in the South African research system aware of the advantages of open access? This article reports on the findings of a recent survey undertaken to assess the current awareness, concerns and depth of support for open access amongst local researchers, research managers and policy makers in South Africa. The study focuses on issues of quality, article or author charges and the established academic reward system. It concludes that within the prevailing framework, there is little prospect that academics would choose to publish within open access
journals. Recommendations for advocacy by the library community are proposed
Immigrants' perceptions of quality of life in three second- or third-tier Canadian cities
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