Ante-orientalism : French encounters with the Chinese from the mid-17th century to the Opium Wars

Britt, Kara Beth University of California, Santa Barbara 2001 해외박사

The Effectiveness of North Cardina community colleges in responding to selected workplace training needs of business and industry

Wilms, Lynda Britt North Carolina State University 1993 국내박사

Passing for Black: A cultural hegemonic perspective on the signification of contemporary images of Black women in mainstream magazine advertisements to African-American female consumers

Britt, Marilyn Skinner Michigan State University 2003 해외박사(DDOD)

Hegemony theory explains that one mechanism through which advertising influences a subculture is by its ability to shape or redefine that subculture. It does so by creating new or more palatable representations of important features of the subculture in promoting products and services to mainstream audiences. One possible example of hegemony in American culture is the evolution of the portrayal of the African-American female in advertising. The derogatory stereotypic images used in the early part of the 20<super>th</super> century (e.g., dark complexioned, sexless characters such as Aunt Jemima) have given way to more contemporary images of blackness, which commonly depict African-American females as sensual beings with light skin and long, straight hair. As a result, the standard of what is considered an “attractive” African-American female, according to mainstream advertisements, is Eurocentric-looking models who are merely “passing” for Black. This study explored the question of whether the images used to portray African-American females in mainstream magazine advertising today reflect how these women perceive themselves. The study used qualitative methodology, employing two sets of focus groups to collect data. Initially, focus groups were used to explore the perceptions of African-American models held by middle-class African-American females aged 24 and older. Participants' responses were analyzed using the CATPAC program. These responses were then used to develop a battery of facial features, using a cultural palette, which was intentionally loaded with “cultural meanings and nuances of meanings” that are relevant to contemporary African-American females. Participants in the focus groups were then instructed to create two facial portrayals: one that represented the type of Black woman they see most often in mainstream magazine advertisements, and one that represented themselves. Semantic differential scaling was used to evaluate the completed facial composites created by participants. The study found that contemporary images used to portray Black women in mainstream advertisements are not representative of how middle-class African-American women see themselves. This finding indicates that these individuals did perceive a ‘hegemonic effect’ of magazine advertising, although it may be much more subtle than that produced by the stereotypical imagery of the past. One other finding was that, based upon the significant differences between participants' perceptions of themselves and that of African-American models, ‘leaky hegemony’ may partially explain their ability to form counter-hegemonic meanings that reflect their own sense of what is attractive.

The importance of nucleoprotein filament dynamics to Escherichia coli RecA function

Britt, Rachel The University of Wisconsin - Madison 2010 해외박사(DDOD)

The RecA protein of Escherichia coli is essential to genome maintenance. RecA catalyzes recombination between homologous strands of DNA and stimulates expression of other DNA repair genes in response to DNA damage. All RecA activities are carried out by extended oligomeric filaments of RecA bound to DNA. RecA filaments are assembled in two discreet phases: a slow nucleation phase and a rapid extension phase. Once RecA filaments are assembled, filament disassembly requires ATP hydrolysis by the RecA monomers in the filament. Because RecA is only active in filament form, understanding the processes of RecA filament assembly and disassembly is essential to understanding RecA function in general. Certain mutations in the RecA protein affect RecA filament dynamics. The RecA E38K/DeltaC17 mutant protein exhibits a pH-dependent uncoupling of RecA-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis and filament disassembly. RecA E38K/DeltaC17 can pair homologous strands of DNA, but cannot resolve the branched intermediates of homologous pairing to products at pH values that are non-permissive for RecA filament disassembly. The strong correlation between RecA filament disassembly and DNA strand exchange shows that two processes are linked and that RecA filament disassembly may be required for DNA strand exchange. How ATP hydrolysis is coupled to RecA-mediated DNA strand exchange has long been a question in the RecA field. If RecA filament disassembly is necessary for DNA strand exchange, it may be the process that couples ATP hydrolysis to exchange. The RecA K72R mutant protein can bind but not hydrolyze ATP. When mixed with other RecA variants, RecA K72R causes a drop in the rate of ATP hydrolysis and has been used to study disassembly of hydrolysis-proficient RecA protein filaments. RecA K72R cannot form filaments on DNA due to defects in the nucleation and the extension phases of filament assembly. The filament assembly defects can be partially overcome in the presence of excess wild type RecA protein. Together, the two RecA proteins form shortened, persistent filaments on DNA that are indicative of an oligomeric RecA species being required for both phases of RecA filament formation.

A Political Aesthetic of Commemoration

Britt, Lucy ProQuest Dissertations & Theses The University of 2021 해외박사(DDOD)

Lancaster renaissance: Urban revitalization, heritage tourism, and community archaeology

Britt, Kelly M Columbia University 2009 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation focuses on the fine lines separating and connecting archaeology, heritage tourism, and economic redevelopment. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, many small American historic cities have found themselves in a de-industrialized state with the local economy in flux. Looking to replace the old industrial economy with a 'new economy', some of these cities have turned to heritage tourism, both to stimulate their economy, and to establish a new "historical identity" for presentation to residents and visitors. This project looks at how these new heritage tourism destinations are formed, and what they create in the process. The analysis focuses on the role of one of the heritage professionals, namely the archaeologist, and how memory, ritual and the representation of past people, events, and moments can influence the making of the an historic site and its impact on community identity within a preservation project. The analysis focuses on one specific case study, the Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site and Interpretive Center located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At this location, a project to construct a new hotel and convention center became the catalyst for salvage archaeology and for the creation of a new heritage tourist initiative. Initially the hotel and convention center was intended purely to encourage economic development within the city, but the site became a forum for debate over preservation politics, community contention, and the search for community identity. With this research, I examine how the desire for heritage reflects people's desire to learn about their own identities. The search for identity in the present can sometimes become a means of escaping to the past for a more nostalgic view of history, through the making and use of myths and rituals. My research also examines the extent to which heritage professionals can mediate the social action that the historic site produces while under investigation, in order to foster a truly community-based project.

The Role of Cyclooxygenase-2 in Newborn Hyperoxic Lung Injury

Britt, Rodney D., Jr The Ohio State University 2012 해외박사(DDOD)

Development of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) adversely affects patient populations in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. Patients with RDS require ventilation and oxygen therapy to maintain adequate tissue oxygenation. Preterm infants who develop RDS are at risk of developing the chronic lung disease, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Lung ventilation and exposure to supraphysiological concentrations of oxygen contribute to the risk of developing BPD. Preterm infants with BPD have reduced alveolar and vascular development. Survivors of BPD have diminished lung function and are at risk of developing additional lung diseases such as asthma. Dysregulation of the inflammatory response is a significant contributing factor to BPD. Previous studies showed that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and leukocyte infiltration are increased in the lung during newborn hyperoxic exposure in mice. To determine the role of COX-2 in newborn hyperoxic lung injury, newborn pups were injected with aspirin (non-selective COX -2 inhibitor) and celecoxib (selective COX-2 inhibitor) during exposure to hyperoxia. We tested the hypothesis that COX-2 inhibition would (1) reduce macrophage infiltration and chemokine expression, (2) improve lung alveolarization, and (3) improve lung function in newborn mice exposed to hyperoxia. Our data suggest that COX-2 has a pro-inflammatory role in macrophage infiltration but is not involved in lung alveolarization during hyperoxic lung injury. Understanding the role of COX-2 in the developing lung during hyperoxic exposure may lead to therapeutic strategies to improve clinical outcomes and prevent development of BPD. The role of nonciliated airway epithelial cells, or Clara cells, during inflammation remains poorly understood. Studies have suggested that Clara cells are critical for regeneration of the airway epithelium and produce mediators which regulate inflammation. Through immuohistochemical analysis, we have found that Clara cells express COX-2. Mouse transformed Clara cells (MTCC) were utilized as an <italic>in vitro</italic> model to assess Clara cell responses to pro-inflammatory stimuli. We tested the hypothesis that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) would increase COX-2 and chemokine expression in MTCC. Our data show that LPS stimulation increases COX-2 and chemokine mRNA and protein expression, while increasing prostanoid levels. LPS also stimulates phosphorylation of mitogen activating protein kinases: p38, JNK, and ERK. Our data suggest that Clara cells may produce prostaglandins and chemotactic factors during inflammation. We speculate that Clara cells produce mediators to modulate leukocyte infiltration and the progression of inflammation during the pathogenesis of acute lung injury. Further characterization of Clara cell function may help identify therapeutic strategies to enhance regeneration of the airway epithelium in patients with chronic inflammatory lung diseases.

Actuated acoustic instruments: Relationships and mind-sets with "Fill Up Jar" and "Ctenophora" (original music compositions)

Britt, Neil Cameron Princeton University 2014 해외박사(DDOD)

Researchers in the burgeoning field of actuated acoustic instruments seek to endow musical instruments with new capabilities through the use of electromagnetic and electromechanical technologies. These added technologies inevitably alter the relationships of performers, composers and audiences to the affected instruments. This document explores those various relationships and some of the effects changes to those relationships have. The first chapter examines unaltered acoustic musical instruments through the lens of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to establish a framework for looking at musical instruments generally. Instruments are considered as interfaces for music making, with inputs and outputs that engage performers in various ways. Audiences' relationships with instruments are considered here as well, particularly in terms of how the audience's understanding of the performer/instrument relationship contributes to an embodied musical understanding. With that framework in place, Chapter 2 looks at specific musical works in which an intervening mechanism or technology alters an instrument's behavior in some way. The piano serves as a case study of these issues with canonical works by Cowell and Cage illustrating two distinct ways the performer/instrument relationship may be altered. The chapter also examines two actuated piano systems, works written for them, and how design choices give insight into how the systems' designers and composers imagine their systems being used. The third chapter begins with a brief discussion of actuated acoustic instruments generally. Following is an in-depth examination of an electromagnetically actuated vibraphone, the EMvibe. Technical aspects of the EMvibe are discussed with special attention paid to the ways in which technical decisions are informed by the acoustic and mechanical properties of the vibraphone. Questions about interfacing are considered as well: How are the new capabilities accessed? How might those capabilities be used musically? How do the interface choices affect musical possibilities and vice versa?. Finally, taking a 30,000-foot view of the field, the concluding chapter considers why composers and instrument designers might be interested in altering instruments at all. What do they gain by deliberately disrupting or upsetting their relationship to a previously familiar instrument?. The compositions "Fill Up Jar" and "Ctenophora" complete this dissertation.

Ontogenetic changes in the visual ecology of Northeast Pacific marine fishes

Britt, Lyle Lynn University of Washington 2009 해외박사(DDOD)

The aquatic environment varies in chromatic composition and absolute intensity making it a very dynamic milieu for organisms performing essential visual tasks. Fishes are impressive in their visual adaptations to exploit the photic environment in which they reside. These adaptations are typically driven to match the properties of the photic environment in which a species resides and to the visual tasks performed. But what about the case where different life stages occupy different habitats and perform different visual tasks or behaviors? Research has shown that ontogenetic changes in spectral sensitivity occur, allowing some fish to retune their visual system during development. However, the mechanism fish use and the possible adaptive advantages of shifting visual sensitivity are poorly understood. In this dissertation, microspectrophotometry (MSP) was used to examine the visual pigments of the larvae, juveniles, and adult life stages of 82 species of Northeast Pacific marine fishes for the presence of ontogenetic shifts in spectral sensitivity. Eighty-two percent of the species underwent a shift in spectral sensitivity at the end of the larval period. These shifts were mostly the result of ultraviolet- or violet-sensitivity photoreceptors being replaced by blue-sensitive photoreceptors. Directed studies on the lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) revealed that the shift from violet- to blue-sensitivity occurs rapidly, within 48 hours, and coincides with the onset of transformation to the juvenile form. The shift also appears to be due to changes in opsin expression opposed to chromophore exchange. Examinations of the developmental stage, diet, spectral distribution of the environment, and changes in the visual system revealed saltatory correlations between all but the spectral distribution of the photic environment inhabited and the visual system changes of lingcod. Additionally, tests of the first-feeding success of lingcod larvae relative to light intensity and wavelength revealed that the visual system was more sensitive to violet light than longer wavelengths. This suggests that short-wavelength sensitivity during the larval stage may serve to not only extend the spectral range of the visual system and improve detection of dim-light signals.

The lived experience of African American women transitioning from a rural substance abuse treatment program to inner city living

Britt, Alice Ball The Catholic University of America 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

Substance use is a major concern in the United States and has proliferated to alarming numbers (Medscape, 2001). According to the 2002 results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 22 million Americans (9.4% of the total population), age 12 or older, suffered from substance use disorders due to alcohol, illicit drugs, or both (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2003). Women, however, are seriously affected by substance use disorders, and African American women are disproportionately affected (Wingo, 2001). A primary goal of substance abuse treatment is transitioning the individual to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and community (NIDA, 2000). A void exists on issues related to African American women and their lived experiences during recovery, particularly those African American women transitioning from rural substance abuse treatment programs to inner-city living. Fifteen participants were interviewed for this phenomenological study investigating the lived experience of African American women transitioning from a rural substance abuse treatment program to inner-city living. The philosophical perspectives of Martin Heidegger were used to provide a conceptual orientation. Data were analyzed using the seven steps of Coliazzi's (1978) method of phenomenological inquiry. Findings of this study revealed an overarching theme of "God As The Way To Recovery." Four sub-themes also emerged: (a) nature's healing, (b) hope, (c) caring, and (d) resolve to be abstinent. Conclusions for this study support the inclusion of spiritual interventions to provide effective treatment for female African American substance abusers. Caring, although an old concept, requires a fresh view to provide effective programming for women substance abusers. Interventions that enhance self-will, such as the use of self-efficacy measures could support the substance abuser to persist at tasks and goals in order to successfully achieve them.