Copyright (c) 2013 University of Miami All rights reserved. http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu Recent documents in Scholarly Repository en-us Fri, 24 May 2013 01:36:15 PDT 3600 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1024 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1024 Thu, 23 May 2013 09:01:03 PDT I hypothesize that U.S. citizens’ support for the counterterrorism policy of their government is, in the main, determined and explained by the various ways in which they have come to understand terrorism, security, and the history of U.S. engagement abroad. I test the hypotheses by way of an ordered probit model. The empirical findings lend support to the hypotheses.

]]> Aleksandar Jankovski http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/clas_publications/3 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/clas_publications/3 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:20:09 PDT This book advances the concept of “triangular relationships” by analyzing benefits and conflicts within US-Mexico-China relations as Chinas´ influence increases. The contributors examine this phenomenon from economic, political, and social perspectives. China´s deepening impact in the Americas suggests that triangular relation-ships, such as those examined in this volume, will necessarily weigh more heavily into other fields of research in the future.

]]> Enrique Dussel Peters et al. http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1023 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1023 Wed, 22 May 2013 07:19:28 PDT This qualitative study examined the perceptions of ten immigrant families in regard to the education of their children with disabilities. The purposes were to: (a) explore the role of culturally- based concepts of disability and special education in these families’ involvement in the education of the children with disabilities; (b) determine what factors motivate or hinder families in their collaborations with school personnel and other stakeholders; and (c) document families’ experiences with service providers in, and related to the special education system. The participants were ten immigrant mothers from eight different countries: Angola, Antigua, Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Korea, Jamaica, and Haiti. The mothers’ responses reflected a range of perspectives on having a child with a disability, working with services providers, navigating the special education system, and integrating conflicting cultural perspectives. During the initial phase (i.e., September – November), qualitative interviews were conducted with all ten families focusing mainly on their understandings of the construct of disability and special education, their perspectives on the special education process, and their overall experiences of having a child with a disability. Demographic information was collected, including education level and socio-economic status. In the second phase (i.e., November – January), qualitative interviews were conducted with nine of the ten families focusing specifically on documentation (i.e., IEP, school report, psychological evaluations) and any other forms of communication between families and school personnel. Grounded theory techniques were used to conduct an inductive analysis of the interview data. Results indicated that, although cultural beliefs about disability were an important part of parents’ knowledge base, these beliefs did not play a significant role in the families’ involvement in their children’s education; rather, the experience of responding to their children’s difficulties tended to reshape their views of the construct of disability. Other results also indicated that families’ main concerns were the red tape within the special education process and the lack of humanity in service providers’ attempts to collaborate with them.

]]> Tracy McLeod http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1022 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1022 Wed, 22 May 2013 07:05:01 PDT Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2) dissolves in the ocean, decreasing the calcium carbonate saturation state (Ωaragonite) and creating conditions unfavorable for calcification (G) in reef-building corals. Understanding the effects of ocean acidification on coral reefs requires a robust description of the relationship between Ω and calcification (Ω-G) at both the reef scale and at the organismal scale. To evaluate the Ω-G relationship on the reef, we conducted repeat surveys across 200 km of the Florida Reef Tract over a 2 year period. Results showed that net community calcification switches from positive in the summer to negative in the winter, indicating net dissolution and revealing that the reef tract is currently straddling the tipping point between reef growth and loss. To evaluate the Ω-G relationship at the organismal scale, we grew Acropora cervicornis under six CO2 levels, 2-3 times more than typically achieved in laboratory settings. The associated Ω stretched from current levels to highly undersaturated seawater, creating a robust test of linearity of the Ω-G relationship. Our results show that the Ω-G relationship is linear and maintained even in highly undersaturated seawater. The effect of pCO2 on calcification was also strongly mediated by heterotrophy, which significantly alleviated the effect of ocean acidification at all pCO2 levels. The obligate symbiont, Symbiodinium microadriaticum, also showed a significant response to increasing pCO2 and declined in density in both corals in the laboratory (A. cervicornis), and in corals at natural CO2 vents in the South Pacific (Acropora millepora and Pocillopora damicornis). This dissertation demonstrates that while heterotrophy can offset a significant portion of the negative effects of ocean acidification, coral calcification still declines in direct proportion to reductions in Ω. At the community level, evidence is presented that calcification on the Florida Reef Tract exists near the threshold for net carbonate accretion. Thus, while corals can utilize heterotrophic sources of nutrients to alleviate the effects of ocean acidification, it is unlikely to translate into net reef growth in the natural environment, where net annual dissolution is already occurring.

]]> Nancy Muehllehner http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1021 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1021 Fri, 17 May 2013 13:40:21 PDT Pore-forming proteins such as the membrane attack complex (MAC) of the complement system and Perforin of cytotoxic lymphocytes are potent host defense effectors employed by the immune system. These proteins share a structurally conserved domain, MACPF that is responsible for ring formation and membrane insertion of these toxic molecules. The objective of the current study was to identify the function of a third MACPF-containing pore-former of the immune system, Macrophage expressed gene 1 (Mpeg1). Mpeg1 encodes a highly conserved, membrane-bound protein which we have designated Perforin-2 (P-2). P-2 is induced upon monocyte maturation, is constitutively expressed by macrophages and upregulated by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Evidence is presented herein that macrophages employ P-2 to mediate intracellular killing of bacteria. Gene silencing was performed using P-2-specific siRNA which led to uncontrolled Salmonella typhimurium growth. To further characterize the protein, a P-2 fusion protein with a fluorescent tag was transfected into macrophages and analyzed for localization and function. P-2 in macrophages resides in the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi network and recycling endosomes where it would be available for trafficking to phagocytosed microbes. Combined inhibition of the established bactericidal mechanisms, reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide, with P-2 resulted in bacterial survival equal to that of P-2 inhibition alone suggesting that oxidative pathways of toxicity are downstream of P-2 action. Finally, site-directed mutagenesis of a conserved tyrosine in the cytoplasmic domain of P-2 rendered the protein non-functional in killing against Mycobacterium smegmatis suggesting that phosphorylation of this residue is important for activation of P-2. Therefore, P-2 represents a novel, highly conserved cytotoxic effector molecule expressed by macrophages with important implications for the control of microbial infection and host defense.

]]> Lesley R. de Armas http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/422 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/422 Fri, 17 May 2013 13:40:04 PDT The Carambar scientific cruise along western Great Bahama Bank (GBB) and north of Little Bahama Bank has documented the abundance and rich diversity of cold-water coral mounds in the Florida-Bahamas region. During the cruise, two cores were taken in the area where Correa et al. (2012a) identified the largest mound (the Matterhorn) at GBB site 3 west of Bimini. By analyzing the cores, the nature of the cold-water coral mounds and their surrounding area are studied in great detail in terms of composition, internal structure and diagenesis. Both cores from the flank and base of the 110 m-tall Matterhorn mound prove the un-cemented nature of the mound situated in a high-energy environment. The first core (CARKS 15) from the Matterhorn can be divided into five sedimentary units based on the lithology and the different geophysical and geochemical properties. The succession is dominantly a coral floatstone with variable amounts of corals in a matrix of changing composition and grain size. The matrix of the coral floatstone is mainly composed of pteropods, planktonic and benthic foraminifera, with admixed coral fragments, sponge spiculae, mollusks, and echinoids. Tomogram (CT) scans reveal that the highest amount of coral, 49.1%, is in the interval where corals float within a fine-grained matrix. The cold-water corals grew during both glacial and interglacial times, but living conditions might be slightly better during higher sea levels. The decrease of aragonite and the coeval increase of lithification and low-Magnesium calcite document early diagenetic alterations within the mound. The most prominent diagenetic alterations observed in thin section are dissolution of coral fragments and neomorphism that characterized an early diagenesis in marine to marine burial environment. A second, 3.26 m long core (CARKS 16) that was taken in the sediments adjacent to the mound consists of a coarse-grained skeletal grainstone to rudstone. The skeletal components are predominantly pteropods, benthic and planktonic foraminifera. Portions of the core display inclined bedding and large-scale cross-bedding indicating the sedimentary record of the high-energy bi-directional tidal current regime in the Straits of Florida. In addition, both of the cores have been tied to a high-resolution geophysical dataset collected with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) providing information about morphology and facies distribution of the area around the Matterhorn.

]]> Rani Evelyn Sianipar http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1020 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1020 Wed, 15 May 2013 10:06:51 PDT Cathode ray tube (CRT) glass, when disposed, is considered a hazardous material due to its lead toxicity. Currently available disposal methods for this material are being phased out due to their adverse environmental impacts. A study of the durability, material mechanical properties, and the potential for adverse environmental impact of the use of hazardous waste materials as a component in portland cement concrete is presented. This dissertation uses CRT glass as a test bed material to promote sustainable construction materials and hazardous waste recycling. An important goal of this dissertation is to fill an existing knowledge gap between the research methodology applied to assessing concrete durability and methods of evaluating environmentally detrimental leachates such as lead that is found in CRT waste materials. CRT glass was used to substitute up to 30% of the fine-aggregate component of a typical South Florida non-structural concrete mixture. An organic biopolymer admixture solution of guar gum and boric acid was used in the concrete mixture to bind and encapsulate the lead ions to the cementitious matrix. Additionally, modifications to accelerated aging, diffusion, and durability tests were developed and combined to innovatively simulate the service life of CRT-concrete and to evaluate the effects that concrete deterioration (i.e. micro-crack formation from alkali-silica reaction expansions, micro-structure changes due to accelerated aging, and surface spalling from freeze-thaw testing) have on contaminant leaching. The biopolymer solution was shown to be effective by encapsulating lead leachate to concentrations that are below US government-regulated drinking water limits. Additionally, the compressive strength of CRT-concrete was comparable to the control mixture. The results of the modified deterioration and leaching tests show that microcracks, surface spalling, and loss of modulus of elasticity had an adverse impact on the durability and strength of the composite material. A relationship between alkali-silica reaction expansions and the gradient in contaminant leaching could not be observed due to the rapid rate of saturation of the leachate solution with the constituent of concern. The results from combined accelerated aging and diffusion tests revealed that lead leaching behavior for specimens that were exposed to an elevated temperature and a neutral pH environment deviate slightly from the behavior typically found in purely diffusion controlled specimens. However, Crank’s numerical solution to Fick’s 2nd Law of Diffusion was still able to conservatively predict the contaminant release. Finally, the combined freeze-thaw/diffusion tests showed that surface deterioration of CRT-concrete results in a statistically significant increase in lead leaching. Overall, the use of CRT glass as a component of concrete was shown not to be detrimental to the structural and durability performance when compared to control mixtures. Furthermore, a framework was developed to guide researchers, regulatory agencies and environmental engineers through a number of structural, environmental, and management-related issues that need to be addressed during each phase of the life cycle of a concrete material that contains recycled waste aggregates. A maximum use of 10% CRT glass is recommended to meet the durability (alkali-silica reactions) and environmental requirements. Lastly, the observed relationship between the combined durability and leaching tests demonstrates the importance of encouraging researchers and regulatory agencies to consider durability as a contributing factor in the assessment of a material containing hazardous wastes for possible adverse environmental impact.

]]> Diego F. Romero http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1019 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1019 Wed, 15 May 2013 09:55:39 PDT Profound changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the vicinity of tumor cells occur as the tumor establishes its own microenvironment. Among these changes, elevated deposition of hyaluronic acid (HA), as well as abnormal expression and activity of the HA-family of molecules HAS1, HAS2, HAS3, HYAL-1, CD44, RHAMM are observed in a variety of tumors (Simpson and Lokeshwar 2008). In this study we evaluated whether the members of the HA-family of molecules, either alone or in combination with one another, are accurate diagnostic and prognostic markers for patients with bladder cancer (BCa). Additionally, we investigated whether HYAL-4 expression, a novel mammalian chondroitinase, is predictive of tumor outcome. Moreover, this study analyzed potential underlying molecular mechanisms through which HYAL-4 expression may be a modulator of tumor growth and progression. Using RT-qPCR, we found that the mRNA transcript levels of all 3 HA-synthases, HYAL-1, CD44v, and RHAMM were elevated by 4-16 fold in bladder cancer tissues, in comparison with normal bladder tissue (p<0.001). Furthermore, the expression of HAS1 and HYAL-1 were predictive of metastasis, while HYAL-1 expression was also predictive of disease-specific mortality. Subsequently, in exfoliated urothelial cells, the transcript levels of all three HA synthases and HYAL-1 were significantly elevated in specimens from BCa patients, while the combination HAS2-HYAL-1 was a sensitive biomarker, detecting BCa with 85.4% sensitivity, 79.5% specificity, and 81.7% accuracy. Using commercially available qPCR tissue array plates, we found that HYAL-4 transcript levels are elevated in a number of tumors including bladder, kidney, stomach and breast. Furthermore, we successfully cloned and isolated HYAL-4, identifying in the process 2 novel and unpublished alternative splicing variants for this gene, namely HYAL-4 V1, and HYAL-4 V2. Interestingly, when analyzing the gene expression levels of these HYAL-4 isoforms in BCa tissue and exfoliated urothelial cells, we found that the levels of HYAL-4 V1 were elevated by 26-fold in bladder tissue and 2 to 6-fold in exfoliated cells from BCa patients. As a biomarker, HYAL-4 V1 showed 90% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity to detect BCa in bladder tissue specimens. However, in exfoliated urothelial cells, HYAL-4 V1 displayed excellent sensitivity (81.8%), but inadequate specificity (60%). Additionally, we successfully generated stable over-expression transfectants using 2 BCa cell lines (253J-Lung and T24) and a normal urothelial cell line (UROsta). Using antibodies specific for chondroitin sulfate 4 and chondroitin sulfate 6, we showed by immunoblotting that both HYAL-4 wt and V1 appear to have chondroitinase activity in 253J-Lung cells; HYAL-4 V1 showed chondroitinase activity in all cell lines tested. Analysis of versican expression, a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan overexpressed in a number of solid tumors, suggested that HYAL-4 V1 may be a regulator of versican degradation and activity, possibly through hydrolysis of its chondroitin sulfate chains. Our cell proliferation studies indicate that HYAL-4 wt appears to have inhibitory effect, while HYAL-4 V1 promoted a slight increase in the proliferation of 253J-Lung and UROsta cells. Lastly, HYAL-4 V1 expression conferred increased chemoresistance to gemcitabine in both T24 and 253J-Lung cell lines, suggesting that it may be a potential novel therapeutic target for tumors refractory to certain chemotherapy agents.

]]> Diogo O. Escudero http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1018 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1018 Wed, 15 May 2013 09:54:52 PDT The purpose of this essay is to explore and examine the value of Philip Heseltine’s art song and to provide a contextual analysis for performance related to symptoms of mental illness. Currently, Heseltine’s repertoire is not considered a primary source for songs in English. This essay also provides insight as to reasons why Heseltine’s repertoire is less widely performed (or considered) than others. Heseltine’s art songs are discussed, along with characteristics relevant to Heseltine’s compositional style. Additional discussion includes dissection of Heseltine’s personality and behavior, illustrated in personal correspondence and other biographical materials. A comparison is made between the symptoms of mental illness Heseltine may have experienced and his compositional style. Furthermore, pertinent facts of the relation of creativity and genius are presented. Discussing and comparing Heseltine’s body of vocal solo song with his erratic personality, behaviors, and unorthodox methods of thought will provide musicians and musicologists with a greater understanding of who Philip Heseltine was. It is this understanding that will affect the study and performance of his music.

]]> Judy O. Marchman http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/421 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/421 Wed, 15 May 2013 07:40:12 PDT A multi-method, multi-source, contextual approach was used to measure peer social competence early in the preschool year and was examined in relation to academic readiness for an ethnically and linguistically diverse sample of children from low-income families (N=204, across 34 classrooms). Measurement models, within a structural equation modeling framework, combined an observational assessment and teacher report measure of children’s engagement with peers in the classroom. Two dimensions of peer social competence were identified, consisting of prosocial engagement with peers and difficulties engaging with peers. Prosocial engagement was positively associated (B=0.16 to 0.24, p< 0.05) with all academic readiness domains and difficulties engaging with peers was negatively associated (B = -0.28 to -0.32, p< 0.01) with alphabet knowledge and mathematics. This relationship was consistent across child sex. Once fall academic skills, and child demographic covariates were included in the model, peer social competence was not significantly associated with children’s spring academic readiness scores. Implications for future research and practice are discussed as they relate to ethnically and linguistically diverse preschool children from low-income backgrounds.

]]> Tracy Carter http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/420 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/420 Fri, 10 May 2013 13:25:55 PDT An exponentially growing world population has put human innovation and ingenuity to the test. Over the past few decades, our ability to develop technology for the purpose of adjusting to an increasing demand for natural resources has shown our capacity for growth and adaptation. However, how much growth can be sustained to solve problems related to food security? Aquaculture has become a viable option to combat food scarcity issues. Aquaculture that takes place offshore is a relatively new field of study that warrants further investigation. As research continues to evaluate environmental effects from offshore aquaculture, it must be tied with social considerations that come with food production and security. It is also important to note that aquaculture developments should be scrutinized on a case-by-case basis because projects vary considerably in terms of inputs, business plans, management, and can range from intensive to extensive systems. This study addresses some of the major legal frameworks offshore aquaculture practitioners must comply with if such developments were to occur within marine protected waters, specifically those of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. The main goal of the sanctuary is to promote the conservation of the humpback whales. Uncertainty regarding effects on certain marine mammals has yet to be fully investigated. Thus, further studies are needed to assess the compatibility of offshore aquaculture with biological conservation. This policy analysis is also accompanied with a spatial analysis to better understand relevant statutes and agency jurisdictions.

]]> Collin M. Crecco http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1017 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1017 Fri, 10 May 2013 08:54:02 PDT Pressure data recorded by long-term subseafloor observatories (CORKs) are a useful tool for understanding the state of the crustal hydrologic system. In Middle Valley, a sedimented rift at the northern end of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, thickly sedimented basaltic crust hosts an array of hydrologic regimes that have been monitored continuously by two CORKs since 1996. This dissertation analyzes both recent trends in borehole and seafloor pressures, as well as several older datasets, in concert with local seismicity, physical properties of the crust, and hydrothermal circulation in an effort to understand the region’s ongoing dynamic eruptive cycle and hydrogeologic connectivity.

]]> Katherine E. Inderbitzen http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1016 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1016 Fri, 10 May 2013 08:51:00 PDT This dissertation encompasses several studies relating to the theory of weak potential scattering of scalar and electromagnetic random, wide-sense statistically stationary fields from various types of deterministic or random linear media. The proposed theory is largely based on the first Born approximation for potential scattering and on the angular spectrum representation of fields. The main focus of the scalar counterpart of the theory is made on calculation of the second-order statistics of scattered light fields in cases when the scattering medium consists of several types of discrete particles with deterministic or random potentials. It is shown that the knowledge of the correlation properties for the particles of the same and different types, described with the newly introduced pair-scattering matrix, is crucial for determining the spectral and coherence states of the scattered radiation. The approach based on the pair-scattering matrix is then used for solving an inverse problem of determining the location of an “alien” particle within the scattering collection of “normal” particles, from several measurements of the spectral density of scattered light. Weak scalar scattering of light from a particulate medium in the presence of optical turbulence existing between the scattering centers is then approached using the combination of the Born’s theory for treating the light interaction with discrete particles and the Rytov’s theory for light propagation in extended turbulent medium. It is demonstrated how the statistics of scattered radiation depend on scattering potentials of particles and the power spectra of the refractive index fluctuations of turbulence. This theory is of utmost importance for applications involving atmospheric and oceanic light transmission. The second part of the dissertation includes the theoretical procedure developed for predicting the second-order statistics of the electromagnetic random fields, such as polarization and linear momentum, scattered from static media. The spatial distribution of these properties of scattered fields is shown to be substantially dependent on the correlation and polarization properties of incident fields and on the statistics of the refractive index distribution within the scatterers. Further, an example is considered which illustrates the usefulness of the electromagnetic scattering theory of random fields in the case when the scattering medium is a thin bio-tissue layer with the prescribed power spectrum of the refractive index fluctuations. The polarization state of the scattered light is shown to be influenced by correlation and polarization states of the illumination as well as by the particle size distribution of the tissue slice.

]]> Zhisong Tong http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1015 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1015 Fri, 10 May 2013 06:39:37 PDT A jazz performer’s guide to selected genres of Venezuelan folk music was edited, providing a repertoire as well as performance guidelines. Selection of genres and repertoire was guided by a combination of suggestions from an expert panel and a review of related literature. Featured genres were gaita, joropo and Venezuelan merengue. The information provided in lead sheets and performance guidelines was based primarily on the transcription and analysis of selected repertoire. To avoid using copyrighted material, contrafact melodies were composed on the harmonic sequences of selected compositions, based on stylistic elements observed in the transcription process. Performance guidelines were directed to piano, bass and drum instrumentalists, and they are intended for musicians who have a basic understanding of jazz harmony, but are not familiar with traditional Venezuelan genres. A bibliography with books, articles and recordings is provided. Appendices include the full transcriptions of musical examples as well as information on the work of the expert panel.

]]> Pablo A. Gil http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1014 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1014 Fri, 10 May 2013 06:36:08 PDT There appear to be few, if any books or resources that provide practical technical approaches for the jazz singer/pianist. Also, non-instrumentalist singers rarely display the fluid facility that jazz instrumentalists or singers who play instruments do. Similarly, pianists may have a tendency to play continually without pause or breath. To address these performance challenges, the author has created exercises intended to increase the fluidity, musicianship, facility and improvisational skills of the jazz singer/pianist. The exercises will vary in range to include singing and playing single melodic lines together, singing and playing in harmony between the voice and piano, and playing rhythmic patterns while singing a melodic line. Melodic and harmonic themes discussed include the fundamentals of jazz tonality, such as major, minor (all forms) dominants and diminished and altered scales. The exercises also include a chapter on practice techniques, philosophical considerations and techniques to create ones own style. Since there appears to be a shortage of resources related to coordinated hand/vocal exercises for the singer/pianist, this thesis can serve as a resource for the self-accompanied singer or the pianist who also sings. Vocalists in particular can benefit from singing along in unison with the right hand of the piano as a means to facilitate with intonation and pitch accuracy. Whereas many jazz educators stress the importance of this particular practice, few, if any, have specifically defined exactly how and what to play. The exercises included within can facilitate singers’ understanding of the deeper harmonic language of jazz by learning to sing more than major scales, blues notes and minor scales, and other common melodic schemes. For pianists, practicing structured vocal/keyboard exercises that acknowledge vocal limitations (smaller rang, shorter phrases) can be a useful tool for creating more focused, melodic solos. Exercises presented are also designed for student singers seeking to work on their musicianship, piano and improvisational skills. Ultimately, joint-instrument exercises can also assist the vocalist with intonation and improvisation when singing away from the piano. This pedagogical approach also draws from the brass tradition by creating exercises that borrow from the doodle tonguing technique as a means to sharper jazz articulation in improvisation. Strategies towards enhancing the musicianship of the jazz/singer pianist through playing and singing melodic lines together are discussed. Topics such as the benefits of improvisation that combines voice and piano, maximizing practice time, and the internalization of bebop heads as a means towards guiding both hand technique, articulation, and vocal fluency are also included. Vocal technique for creating more horn-like articulations , borrowed from Bob McChesney’s doodle tongue technique is featured. Vocalists who are also fluent instrumentalists and are committed jazz educators are discussed for insight into their teaching methodologies. Finally, due to her virtuosity, developed from her intimate exposure to bebop, a brief discussion of vocalist Ella Fitzgerald is included, followed by the Bibliography, a Discography, and Digital Sources.

]]> Kathleen L. Hollingsworth http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1013 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1013 Thu, 09 May 2013 13:44:32 PDT Renowned German symphonist Karl Amadeus Hartmann composed his Concertino for Trumpet with Seven Solo Instruments (Concertino für Trompete mit sieben Soloinstrumenten) early in his compositional career. After its premiere in 1933, the Concertino was lost. It was rediscovered in 2001. The purpose of this essay is to encourage performance of Hartmann’s trumpet concertino and to give an overview of its structure and history. This essay also includes a pedagogical overview of the work.

]]> Leslie Scarpino http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1012 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1012 Thu, 09 May 2013 13:33:18 PDT This study examines the compositional styles of six jazz orchestra and jazz band writers who wrote for vocalists. Each arranger used techniques in order to create the perfect accompaniment for a specific singer’s voice. Furthermore, the arrangers have captured a mood, enhanced the emotion, and illustrated the message of the lyric in their own unique ways. The six arrangers whose writing has been analyzed in this study are: John Clayton, Marty Paich, Gordon Goodwin, Johnny Mandel, Jorge Calandrelli, and Vince Mendoza. In uncovering each writer’s techniques, the author intended to gain knowledge to further his own skills in writing large jazz ensemble pieces for jazz vocalists. The culmination of these skills were realized in the author’s arrangements, which explore various techniques of successfully framing the vocal line. Additionally, it is the hope of the author that this project may serve as a reference for other jazz composers who write for vocalists.

]]> Jeremy S. Fox http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1011 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1011 Thu, 09 May 2013 13:26:34 PDT In the United States, approximately 12.5 million children are obese and at subsequent risk for persistent, worsening obesity into adulthood and numerous negative health consequences. Childhood obesity rates are highest among racial/ethnic minority children, a worrisome problem given the association with the substantial number of poor health outcomes. Meanwhile, more than 16 million American children are impacted by food insecurity, a public health issue presumed to be the opposite of obesity. Food insecurity also disproportionately impacts racial/ethnic minority children. As a nutrition-related disorder, food insecurity confers significant risks to child health and well-being, one of which, paradoxically may be obesity. Some studies have shown childhood obesity to be among the consequences of food insecurity, however other studies have had contradictory results and clarity in the relationship remains elusive. Assessing two chief components of food security separately, dietary quality and dietary quantity, is one possible way to illuminate obesity risk more clearly than the traditional measurement approach of grouping nutritional quality and quantity together. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between food insecurity and childhood obesity by investigating food quality as a mechanism through which the relationship may exist. A secondary data analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2008 cycle was conducted employing SEM methodology to compare two models of food insecurity for goodness-of-fit: (1) a combined 5-item food insecurity factor model, and (2) a 3-item food insecurity by quality factor model. Measurement invariance tests were conducted with the model of best fit to assess how the model relationship may differ by race/ethnicity and sex. The model using the three quality-related food insecurity items and BMI z-score achieved goodness of fit, however food quality did not predict BMI z-score. In the test of equivalence between minorities and non-minorities, the model fit the data, but food insecurity was not a predictor of BMI z-score and measurement invariance could not be established. Nevertheless, the factor loadings on the quality-related food insecurity items were stronger among minorities compared to non-minorities, indicating a statistically significant difference in response patterns. Measurement invariance between boys and girls also could not be established. While the results of this study did not support the approach undertaken, food quality remains a factor of interest in the relationship between food insecurity and childhood obesity given that the proposed model fit the data, and diminished food quality is associated with both food insecurity and obesity. Nurses are uniquely positioned to address the problems of food insecurity and childhood obesity through clinical, educational, political advocacy, and research-related work. The results of this study provide both a rationale and a springboard for future study.

]]> Elizabeth G. Lipman Diaz http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1010 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/1010 Thu, 09 May 2013 13:17:56 PDT Focusing on a selection of Nigerian video films— Living in Bondage (1992), Osuofia in London (2003), Saworoide (1999), Arugba (2010), Sitanda (2006), and Slave Warrior (2006)—and informed by in-depth interviews with four producer-directors, this dissertation establishes a model for combining industry contextualization with close shot by shot critical textual analysis in order to study products of Nollywood as individual films or works of art rather than solely as part of a phenomenon. After identifying an “arm’s length approach” in scholarship about Nollywood, a trend which identifies the video film revolution’s importance but does not incorporate close analysis of the films themselves, an “excess-exhortation” model is theorized, combining Larkin’s aesthetics of outrage with Adesokan’s aesthetics of exhortation, a union demonstrating the developing pattern of the creation of excess being mitigated with an exhortatory or didactic sequence which serves to then re-emphasize cultural or religious beliefs. In addition to conceptualizing this excess-exhortation model as a prototypical pattern exemplified by the landmark Living in Bondage, the employment of reflexive techniques, narrative structure, cinematography, editing, and sound in Osuofia in London, Saworoide, Arugba, and Sitanda will be focused on as an instrument of meaning creation in a manner seldom associated with Nigerian video films. Furthermore, Saworoide and Arugba are contextualized as important and sophisticated films by Tunde Kelani which demonstrate the producer-director’s artistry as an extension of his Yoruba culture. Finally, Slave Warrior is analyzed and situated as a Nigerian Diaspora film which combines realist and anti-realist aesthetics and challenges spatio-temporal conventions.

]]> Michael J. Laramee http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/419 http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/419 Thu, 09 May 2013 13:12:21 PDT Patients with diseases that lead to the loss of the cells of their outer retina, such as AMD and retinitis pigmentosa, suffer from an irreversible loss of vision. Since the body has no mechanism to restore the structure or function of these cells, could photoreceptors be transplanted to restore function? Several groups have attempted transplantations, but were faced with the challenges of low retention and inefficient delivery. Also, a limitation of photoreceptor research is their poor survival in culture due to their dependence on RPE. We purpose that a two-layered biodegradable polymer scaffold that serves as support and a permeable barrier between photoreceptors and RPE could provide support and enhance photoreceptor integration at the target site. This type of system will increase the survival of the photoreceptors by nurturing their dependence on RPE. Also, this scaffold will increase the efficiency of cell delivery by increasing the availability of the photoreceptors and therefore their chances of integration at the desired site. An electrospun scaffold was chosen for this application because a permeable scaffold can support cell retention, act as a barrier, while also allowing the two cell types to interact. This novel co-delivery was possible because we electrospun polylactic acid fibers on top of living RPE cells and seeded photoreceptors on top of the fibers. We used scanning electron microscopy, a Live/Dead cell assay, and immunohistochemistry to prove our hypothesis that it is possible to electrospin PLA scaffolds with consistent fiber diameters on top of living RPE cells, the cells are able to recover and display the same viability as control samples, and the scaffolds provide the support necessary for the seeded photoreceptors to remain separated and above the RPE layer.

]]> Kristina R. Russano