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Spherically-symmetric solutions are relevant in many areas of cosmology, from perturbations in the early Universe to growth of large scale structures in the later eras. In this thesis, we first focus on a comparison between the tetrad-based method and the widely used Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) model for spherically-symmetric systems. We demonstrate that the tetrad-based method does not suffer from the gauge freedoms inherent to the LTB model, naturally accommodates non-zero pressure and has a more transparent physical interpretation. Next we apply the tetrad-based method to a generalised form of `Swiss cheese' model, which consists of an interior spherical region surrounded by a spherical shell of vacuum that is embedded in an exterior background universe, and verify the validity of Birkhoff's theorem at both the metric and tetrad level. Using this model, we reconsider critically the original theoretical arguments underlying the so-called $R_h = ct$ cosmological model, which has recently received considerable attention. These considerations in turn illustrate the interesting behaviour of a number of `horizons' in general cosmological models. We also consider the theoretical arguments presented by Melia for the `zero active mass' condition, which he claims is required by the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetime. We demonstrate that this claim is false and results from a flaw in the logic of Melia's argument. We then use the tetrad-based methodology for modelling a cosmic void, in particular for the void observed in the direction of Draco in the WISE-2MASS galaxy survey, and a corresponding cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature decrement in the Planck data in the same direction. We find that the present-day density and velocity profiles of the void are not well constrained by the existing data, so that void models produced from the tetrad based and LTB approaches can differ substantially while remaining broadly consistent with the observations. We next consider the effect of pressure on perturbations. We develop both an analytic and a numerical approach for solving the field equations for a fluid with a fixed equation of state. We find an exact analytic solution for linearised equations, which may be novel in form, and which can be used to select the appropriate growing modes that can be used as an initial condition for evolving clusters and voids. Applying this to radiation as an example, we find oscillatory behaviour which corresponds to the initial stages of what become baryon acoustic oscillations. We then develop a numerical method for solving the field equations, which we use to compare behaviour of radiation waves in the non-linear and linear regimes. We find that non-linear oscillations travel faster than linear waves, which is interestingly analogous to non-linear waves in ocean waves. We also examine perturbations of fluids with a negative equation of state parameter, $w$, and find that at certain scales and range of $w$, it can support the growth of structure. Finally, we consider the effect of pressure on photon propagation. We derive analytic expressions for pressure using a spherical top-hat density model, and use these to calculate the effect of pressure on the photon's path and energy. We find that the effect of pressure is negligible for fluids at cosmological densities and that it is valid to ignore it when propagating a photon.

This dissertation argues that: (1) deliberation (bouleusis) is distinguished from theoretical thought, in so far as the former is strictly about the particulars of a given situation, while the latter is about universal concepts; and that (2) deliberation is practical only in so far as it prescribes the best option for action, that is, it prescribes practical truth, but there is no element within the deliberative soul that can initiate an action directly. With these two points in mind, I will show in Chapter One that what lets us consistently cognize the moral ‘end’, the moral first principle, is a character or emotional disposition we acquire as a result of habituation (ethismos). Having explained how the conception of ends can be determined, I provide an argument for the first thesis mentioned above, and claim in Chapter Two that deliberation is not of the ends (ta telê), but is only of the means (ta pros to telos). My argument for the second thesis will lead me to claim in Chapter Three that prohairesis, the conclusion of deliberation, is not an action. I end my argument with an investigation showing that the interpretation of Aristotelian deliberation supported in this thesis secures its justification not only in those discussions that are directly related to the nature of deliberation, but also in the context of other important discussions in Aristotle’s ethics, namely, about the possibility of acrasia (in Chapter Four) and the definition of eudaimonia (in Chapter Five). My argument will provide a better treatment and solution, than existing attempts, of the puzzles surrounding the concepts of acrasia and eudaimonia in Aristotle’s ethics.

John Eliot (1604-1690) has been called ‘the apostle to the Indians’. This thesis looks at Eliot not from the perspective of modern Protestant ‘mission’ studies (the approach mainly adopted by previous research) but in the historical and theological context of 17th century puritanism. Drawing on recent research on migration to New England, the thesis argues that Eliot, like many other migrants, went to New England primarily in search of a safe haven to practise pure reformed Christianity, not to convert Indians. Eliot’s Indian ministry started from a fundamental concern for the conversion of the unconverted, which he derived from his experience of the puritan movement in England. Consequently, for Eliot, the notion of New England Indian ‘mission’ was essentially conversion-oriented, Wordcentred, and pastorally focussed, and (in common with the broader aims of New England churches) pursued a pure reformed Christianity. Eliot hoped to achieve this through the establishment of Praying Towns organised on a biblical model – where preaching, pastoral care and the practice of piety could lead to conversion – leading to the formation of Indian churches composed of ‘sincere converts’. The thesis starts with a critical historiographical reflection on how missiologists deploy the term ‘mission’, and proposes a perspectival shift for a better understanding of Eliot (Chapter 1). The groundwork for this new perspective is laid by looking at key themes in recent scholarship on puritanism, focusing on motives for the Great Migration, millenarian beliefs, and the desire for Indian conversion (Chapter 2). This chapter concludes that Indian conversion and millenarianism were not the main motives for Eliot’s migration to the New World, nor were his thoughts on the millennium an initial or lasting motive for Indian ministry. Next, the thesis investigates Eliot’s historical and theological context as a minister, through the ideas of puritan contemporaries in Old and New England, and presents a new perspective on Eliot by suggesting that conversion theology and pastoral theology were the most fundamental and lasting motives for his Indian ministry (Chapter 3). After the first three chapters, which relocate Eliot in his historical context, the last three chapters consider Eliot’s pastoral activities with the Indians. These have usually been understood as ‘mission’, without sufficient understanding of Eliot’s historical and theological context in the puritan movement and how he applied its ideas to Indian ministry. The thesis examines Eliot’s views on ‘Praying Towns’ as settlements for promoting civility and religion, and ‘Indian churches’ as congregations of true believers formed by covenant (Chapter 4). It investigates Eliot’s activities in the Indian communities, to apply puritan theology and ministerial practice to the Indians as his new parishioners (Chapter 5). Finally, the thesis offers a comparison of puritan and Indian conversion narratives, to try to recover Praying Indians’ own voices about conversion and faith (Chapter 6). This analysis finds both similarities and differences. The extent of the similarities does not necessarily mean (as some have alleged) that puritanism was unilaterally imposed on the Indians. The evidence equally well suggests a nuanced picture of Eliot’s engagement with the Indians from the perspective of 17th century puritanism and its conversion-oriented parish ministry.

Spherical surfaces for precision optical instruments have long been preferred over aspheric surfaces due to ease of manufacture. Aspheric surfaces have been far more difficult to manufacture despite known advantages in system performance, size, and weight. Lack of generic testing methods, and non-deterministic nature of optical polishing process are still the main hurdles to cost-effective aspheric surfaces. However, recent developments in testing and manufacturing techniques are gradually stimulating the use of aspherics. The thesis starts with a historical review of optical manufacturing methods. The main body of the thesis explores theoretical and experimental work towards efficient polishing of aspheric surfaces. Firstly, material removal experiments using a sub-diameter pitch tool under active control are described, investigating the relationship between the removal rate and mechanical polishing parameters. Secondly, the characteristics of spinning compliant tools for rapid aspheric production are investigated, and the feasibility of using the spinning compliant tool for efficient aspheric polishing is assessed. Thirdly, a numerical index representing the manufacturing difficulty for aspheric is reviewed and further developed. The thesis concludes with an overview of the prospects for the manufacture and use of aspherics in the future, together with the research required to make this a reality.

Background: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are expected to take a central role in the future delivery of primary care working as autonomous providers within multidisciplinary teams. However, given the challenging work environments that often exist in primary care, it is imperative to understand the impact of their autonomy and teamwork on workforce outcomes such as burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. While greater NP autonomy may lead to better workforce outcomes, effective teamwork can further improve these outcomes. However, few studies have examined the impact of NP autonomy and teamwork on NP workforce outcomes. Purpose: We sought to examine the extent to which NP autonomy, NP teamwork, and their interaction are associated with NP workforce outcomes in primary care practices. Methods: For our analyses, we used survey data obtained from 1,244 primary care NPs working for 1,109 practices in six states (Arizona, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, California, and Texas). Firstly, we conducted structural equation modeling (SEM) to estimate the associations between NP autonomy, measured by NP panel management, and NP workforce outcomes, with workload, measured by work hours, serving as a mediating variable. Secondly, we performed latent class analysis (LCA) to identify different primary care team compositions (an important determinant of teamwork) in which NPs work, using a survey item where NPs selected healthcare providers and staff they considered team members. We then assigned NPs to each distinct team composition based on their modal posterior probability and fit probit regression models to compare workforce outcomes among NPs in various team compositions. Lastly, we fit probit regression models to determine whether team composition identified in the previous step moderated the relationship between NP autonomy and workforce outcomes. Results: 1) In SEM, fully autonomous management led to more burnout than co-managing (B=0.089, bias-corrected 95% bootstrap confidence interval [0.028, 0.151]). Work hours partially (27%) mediated this relationship. There were no significant differences in job satisfaction or turnover intention depending on the degree of autonomy in NP panel management. 2) Based on the LCA model fit evaluation, we selected a five-class solution. Conditional probabilities indicated that NPs in teams with frequent and extensive contact with other providers and staff, along with sufficient ancillary support, reported better workforce outcomes compared to those in teams with minimal contact with other providers and staff and limited ancillary support. However, results from the fully adjusted probit regressions suggested that workforce outcomes did not significantly differ across different team compositions. Further investigation revealed that the NP work environment, as an individual covariate, most effectively mitigated the influence of team composition on NP workforce outcomes. 3) The results of moderation analyses indicated that NPs with greater autonomy in panel management were more likely to experience poorer workforce outcomes, such as increased burnout and turnover intention, when working in teams compared to practicing alone. Implications: NPs with greater autonomy in panel management tend to experience poorer workforce outcomes, and these outcomes worsen when they work in teams compared to practicing alone. Favorable work environments for NPs in specific team compositions can improve NP workforce outcomes. Specifically, for NPs with greater autonomy in panel management, optimal teamwork and additional support beyond the team may improve NP workforce outcomes and maximize the care provided by these NPs. Future research should incorporate patient characteristics and explore team processes across various primary care team compositions to gain deeper insights into the workforce outcomes for NPs with greater autonomy in primary care.

Lecture on Jenny Lind (1820-1887) and the history, importance, and evolution of vocal pedagogy.

Liederkreis, op. 39 / Schumann -- On this island : op. 11 / Benjamin Britten.

[Three unidentified pieces]

Dichterliebe / Schumann -- The face / Shin -- Amazing grace ; How great thou art

This thesis examines the effective use of graphic design to represent the history of Comfort Women and their human rights. In so doing, it provides a background of Comfort Women information and influence of design methods. It also reviews art production techniques such of collage, photocollage, photomontage as well as usage of texture, and motion graphics as visual language production strategies. This thesis covers eight studies: time-lapse, collage movement, formal metaphor, image setup, stop motion, typography, texture, and color language to produce approaches and content. The final produced works include process and analysis of three motion graphic projects and various printed posters to achieve objectives at hand.

This study was designed to examine the interpersonal communication process in the influencer-follower relationship on social media. Through the lens of social exchange theory (Homans, 1961), the persuasion of influencers was explained by the source credibility (Hovland, Janis, & Kelly, 1953) and attractiveness (McGuire, 1968; Mills & Aronson, 1965) models. The specific objectives of this study were: (a) to investigate whether influencer characteristics (i.e. expertise, homophily, physical attractiveness) positively affect followers’ trust in the influencer; (b) to investigate whether influencer characteristics (i.e. homophily, physical attractiveness, sociability) positively affect followers’ attachment to the influencer; (c) to investigate whether followers’ trust and attachment positively affect their loyalty to the influencer and loyalty to the product promoted by the influencer; and (d) to investigate whether followers’ loyalty to the influencer positively affects their loyalty to the product promoted by the influencer. The research setting of this study was fashion and beauty influencers on YouTube followed by Generation Z and Millennials. An online self-administered survey was conducted by 286 participants. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and serial mediation analysis were conducted for data analysis. Positive influence from source characteristics on relational trust and attachment was confirmed except the one from physical attractiveness to trust. Trust and attachment mediated the positive relationship between source characteristics and loyalty to the influencer. Attachment and loyalty to the influencer positively affected loyalty to the product promoted by the influencer. Implications and suggestions for future research were provided.

The brain is the center of cognitive function and also regulates the physiology of the body. Due to its importance, it requires special vascular structure which separates itself from the peripheral circulation to maintain its electrical physiology and protect from insult from circulation. The vasculature of the brain is lined with a single layer of endothelial cells which is sealed with adherent and tight junction molecules. The endothelial cell lining is further insulated with pericytes and astrocytic endfeet. Also endothelial cells express varieties of transporters which selectively allow the entrance of molecules into the brain. This physicochemical vascular entity is called the blood brain barrier. This structural barrier is, however, detrimental in the delivery of molecules to the brain. Many of drugs are dropped out from the pipelines because they cannot show the expected effect in the brain. To overcome this, many approaches were devised to increase the drug delivery to the brain, they were either invasive or ineffective. In previous study, we have shown that adenosine receptor signaling can increase the permeability of large molecules to the brain. Adenosine receptor is the G-protein coupled receptor which is involved in numerous physiological reactions. Activation of adenosine receptor showed potent and reversible increased permeability to the large molecules. In this dissertation, we aimed to reveal if activation of adenosine receptor signaling can increase the permeability in the human primary brain endothelial cell monolayer. Indeed we observed robust and reversible permeability increase in human brain endothelial cells. This was mediated by increased Rho-GTPase activity and following stress fiber formation which subsequently disrupted the tight and adherens junctional molecules. Activation of AR also increased the permeability to chemotherapeutics Gemcitabine. Also, we studied if adenosine receptor signaling can increase transcellular pathway which is mainly mediated by transporters highly expressed on the brain endothelial cells, especially P-glycoprotein. Indeed we observed that AR activation can increase the accumulation of the P-glycoprotein substrate in human primary brain endothelial cells by down regulating the expression and function of P-glycoprotein. Also, we could observe that it down-regulates the P-glycoprotein and thereby increase the accumulation of epirubicin, a P-glycoprotein substrate, in the brain of the mouse. Collectively, we showed that AR activation can increase the permeability paracellular permeability of the human primary brain endothelial cells and also down regulate the P-glycoprotein function and enhance the transcellular permeability. These dual mechanism of regulating the permeability of the blood brain barrier might be beneficial in drug delivery in the brain which will benefit millions of patients suffering from the neurodegenerative disease or brain cancers.

Two solo piano recitals and one lecture-recital were given in lieu of a written dissertation. Saturday, March 1, 2014, 8:00 p.m., Moore Music Building, Britton Recital Hall, University of Michigan. Lecture-Recital Title: “Two American Composers”. Program: Amy Beach Dreaming from 4 Sketches, opus 15; Amy Beach Ballade, opus 6; Charles Ives The Alcotts from Piano Sonata no. 2 “Concord, Mass., 1840-60”. Thursday, May 8, 2014, 5:00 p.m., Walgreen Drama Center, Stamps Auditorium, University of Michigan. Program: Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 30 in E Major, opus 109; Frederic Rzewski North American Ballads No. 4 Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues; Alexander Scriabin 24 Preludes, opus 11. Saturday, December 6, 2014, 3:00 pm., Walgreen Drama Center, Stamps Auditorium, University of Michigan. Program: Domenico Scarlatti Sonata in B minor, K. 27/L. 449 Sonata in B minor, K. 87/L. 33; Ludwig van Beethoven Six Bagatelles, opus 126; Alexander Scriabin 15 Preludes; Prelude for the Left hand opus 9 no.1, opus 13 no. 3, opus 15 no. 1, op 17 no. 3, opus 22, opus 37 no.1, opus 37 no.3, opus 74; Pyotr Ilycih Tchaikovsky Concert Suite from the ballet The Nutcracker arranged by Mikhail Pletnev.

As a multifunctional material, ZnO possesses remarkable and unique properties and has attracted much research interest for use in a variety of applications. Especially, it has been regarded as a leading material for flexible and transparent electronics, which is a promising emerging technology in electronics. This dissertation studies doping behavior of Ga in ZnO for transparent electrode applications and presents new approaches to ZnO nanostructures for next-generation flexible and transparent electronics. These approaches include developing techniques that enable multiple stacked ZnO nanoflowers and thermal treatment processes at high temperature. Transparent conductive oxides have been extensively studied for the use as a transparent electrode, which is one of the most fundamental and essential parts in transparent electronic devices. In this study, Ga-doped ZnO nanorods were grown on glass substrates, and the effects of Ga doping concentration on the physical properties of ZnO nanorods were investigated using various characterization tools. ZnO nanoflower is a highly preferred nanostructure for solar cells, sensors, and photodetectors due to its high surface area to volume ratio. To-date, ZnO nanoflowers have mostly been synthesized in the form of nanopowders without a substrate, and ZnO nanoflowers grown on substrates have only been single-stacks. Atmospheric pressure plasma jet treatment was used to increase the surface area to volume ratio of ZnO nanoflowers. The plasma treatment induced a significant increase in the height and density of the ZnO nanoflowers/nanorods because the plasma effectively increased the surface energy and roughness of the seed layers while barely affecting the crystal shape and phase of the ZnO nanoflowers/nanorods. Flexible and transparent mica substrates were used for the growth of vertically well-aligned ZnO nanorods. The adoption of mica as a substrate material permitted high temperature annealing processes, which improved the structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods with uniform surface coverage and excellent adhesion. A practical application for the synthesized ZnO nanorods is also presented in this dissertation. ZnO nanorod-based flexible and transparent dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and piezoelectric nanogenerators (NGs) were fabricated and the device performances were investigated. Although only two kinds of energy-harvesting devices (DSSCs and NGs) are presented as examples of applications in this dissertation, it is expected that this new approach will provide a breakthrough for overcoming the limited process temperature on plastic and cellulose nanopaper substrates because mica can be extensively used as a flexible and transparent substrate material for electronics, optoelectronics, energy/environmental, and biomedical applications where high temperature processes are required.

The sizes of modern digital libraries have grown beyond our capacity to comprehend manually. Thus we need new tools to help us in organizing and browsing large corpora of text that do not require manually examining each document. To this end, machine learning researchers have developed topic models, statistical learning algorithms for automatic comprehension of large collections of text. Topic models provide both global and local views of a corpus; they discover topics that run through the corpus and describe each document as a mixture of the discovered topics. In this dissertation, I consider the topic modeling of corpora whose documents are organized in a multi-level hierarchy. My interest in this subject arose from the need to analyze two sprawling, real-world corpora from the field of computer security. The first is a collection of job postings on a crowdsourcing site, where many advertisers seek cheap human labor for different forms of Web service abuse. I view this corpus as a three- layer tree in which an interior node represents a buyer, and children of the interior node represent the buyer's postings. The second corpus is a collection of threads from an underground Internet forum, where blackhat operatives discuss tactics for abusive forms of Internet marketing such as spamming and search engine optimization. The subforums and threads in this data set form a five- level deep hierarchy. Using these two data sets as test beds, I develop topic models that incorporate hierarchies in corpora. The models I consider can be viewed as special (finite-dimensional) instances of hierarchical Dirichlet processes (HDPs). For these models I show that there exists a simple variational approximation for probabilistic inference and demonstrate a parallel inference algorithm that can scale to corpora with deep hierarchies and large numbers of documents. On several hierarchical corpora, I show advantages of my topic models over other topic models that do not consider hierarchies. Also I compare my variational method to existing implementations of HDPs and find that my approach is faster than Gibbs sampling and able to learn more predictive models than existing variational methods

In this thesis we propose a new model-based reduction method to reduce the dimension of one set of predictors while maintaining another set of predictors and a response if the response is present. Based on the probabilistic PCA model (Tipping and Bishop 1999) and the PFC model (Cook 2007), we develop new models in the partial dimension reduction context: partial probabilistic PCA models, partial PFC models, and combining models. We estimate the parameters of interest for the partial sufficient reduction using the maximum likelihood method. Methods are also proposed for prediction in partial PFC models.

Social interaction is a powerful medium in education. In this report, I discuss how computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) helps K-12 students to enhance learning. I discussed why socio-constructivism in CSCL is a promising learning method. In addition I suggest that CSCL enhances students’ self-driven learning, motivation, and critical thinking. I also examine how CSCL can be successfully implemented in K-12 schools. In this context, the report identifies the challenges posed by technology implementation and changing teachers’ beliefs in introducing this innovation into schools, and how those challenges can be met. Finally, based on perspectives in support of CSCL, the paper does a critical analysis of the Korean e-learning project, which created a national online leaning network for K-12 students, called Cyber Home Learning System (CHLS), and suggests ways that CSCL may enhance this program.

At the end of each developmental stage, insects undergo dramatic changes to shed old cuticle, a process called ecdysis. Ecdysis triggering hormone (ETH) released from epitracheal gland Inka cells is a master controller of events during ecdysis through its direct action on the central nervous system (CNS). ETH receptor neurons in the CNS comprise a peptide signaling cascade that initiates and schedules physiological and behavioral changes during the ecdysis sequence. Among the physiological events regulated by ETH during ecdysis is tracheal inflation, which is the first visible change that occurs following release of ETH. I investigated the role of kinin neurons in the ecdysis sequence and found that impairment of ETH, kinin, or kinin receptor signaling elicits defects in tracheal inflation. Ablation of kinin neurons produced larvae exhibiting the buttoned-up phenotype and inability to remove residual fragments of old trachea during ecdysis These findings suggest that kinin signaling is involved in both tracheal inflation and ecdysis behavior. In order to analyze further the signaling cascade involving ETHR peptidergic ensembles in the ecdysis behavioral sequence, I investigated changes in pupal ecdysis behaviors of transgenic flies with targeted ablations of specific ETHR-A neurons. Varying degrees of behavioral defects were detected following ablation of ETHR neurons expressing eclosion hormone (EH), FMRFamide, kinin, crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP), myoinhibitory peptide (MIP), burs and bursicon. I determined that kinin neurons are critical regulators of pre-ecdysis and also discovered that bursicon neurons likely are involved in regulation of both ecdysis and post-ecdysis. To verify a previous sequential activation model for ecdysis regulation, I monitored calcium dynamics in two ETHR ensembles (kinin and bursicon) in the same animal elicited by ETH exposure. I found that kinin and bursicon neurons have distinct activation patterns and that they are activated sequentially. To explain the sequential activation of these ETHR ensembles, I tested a differential sensitivity model by analyzing changes in ecdysis scheduling following modification of ETH receptor density. Over-expression or suppression of ETH receptors in targeted neurons resulted in changes in onset timing during pupal ecdysis, supporting the hypothesis that differential sensitivity of ETHR ensembles to their sequential activation by ETH. In summary, my data demonstrates that differential sensitivity of ETHR peptidergic ensembles can explain how the master hormone ETH schedules changes in physiology and behavior during the ecdysis sequence.

The purpose of the study is to present a formal analysis of the musical style and performance issues of the original version, for four hands piano, of Gazebo Dances, composed by John Coriglaino (b. 1938), a major American contemporary composer. Corigliano and his compositions have been performed by many performers and scholars over the several years. Gazebo Dances for piano four hands was composed in 1972. Gazebo Dances consists of four movements and was dedicated to his close friends: a dancelike overture movement in a slightly rondo form which is dedicated to Rose Corigliano and Etta Feinberg, waltz movement in a combination of rondo and sonata-allegro form which is dedicated to John Ardoin, adagio movement in a miniature sonata form which is dedicated to Heida Hermanns, and a tarantella movement in a modified rondo form which is dedicated to Jack Romann and Christian Steiner.

Identifying opinion leaders for an opinion leadership intervention is critical in order to determine whether or not the diffusion of innovations succeeds; however, there have been few studies that provided a synthetic guideline for researchers to consult in identifying opinion leaders. Based on this necessity, the purpose of this dissertation was to provide a synthesis of the ways to identify opinion leaders by using methods of social network analysis. In particular, this study synthesized communication network data collection methods to identify opinion leaders by using social network analysis and demonstrated how social network data is practically collected in different social systems. Based on the purpose of the study and background knowledge about identifying opinion leaders by using social network analysis, this dissertation posed two prime research questions: “What are the characteristics of each opinion leadership data collection method used to identify opinion leaders?” and “How is a social network data constructed by using opinion leadership instruments in opinion leadership research?” Each prime question has three sub-questions. In terms of synthesizing characteristics of social network data collection methods, this dissertation categorized five methods–sociometric, informants’ rating, snowball, observation, and self-designating methods–through a literature review of opinion leadership studies. In addition, this dissertation presented two empirical studies to demonstrate the procedure of how social network data could be constructed as the second prime research question asked. The first empirical study was to identify opinion leaders within Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system and the other was to identify opinion leaders within fourteen Indian agricultural villages. Both studies were formative studies for purposive diffusion projects. Related to further methodological development of social network analysis to identify opinion leaders within a social system, some suggestions were offered.

The purpose of this dissertation is to study the effects of political sophistication on the use of partisan cues in the 2002 South Korean presidential election. Many scholars in recent years have argued that it does not matter so much that many voters are poorly informed about politics because they can use information shortcuts or heuristic cues to overcome the lack of information and still make a reasoned choice. Based on these studies, much of the political sophistication literature in political science assumes that the use of party cues in the voting booth is the hallmark of an unsophisticated voter. Although this idea is nice in theory, it is not supported by empirical evidence. Thus, I examine the relationship between political sophistication and the use of partisan cues in Korea. Simultaneously, this study tests whether the levels of political sophistication differ in regard to voter turnout and candidate choice. The results show that sophistication is positively related to identification with a political party. In other words, South Korean voters with high levels of sophistication are more likely to identify with a party than unsophisticated voters. Specifically, an individual’s political sophistication and ideology strongly affect the probability of identifying with a political party. My results also show that sophistication does, in fact, affect how people participate and vote in elections. The most important finding here is that there is a positive relationship between the level of political sophistication and use of partisan cues. That is, sophisticated Korean voters are more likely to rely on partisan cues. In the 2002 Korean presidential election, party identification as a heuristic did work for sophisticated voters, but not for unsophisticated ones.

High-throughput synthesis and primary screening techniques were utilized in the search for and optimization of new noble metal free autoactivation catalysts for the CO2 reforming of methane to syngas and new catalysts for the selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid, and the results were confirmed in conventional studies. In the study of the CO2 reforming of methane, Ni10Ce90Ox demonstrated a rapid start-up operation and high coking resistance as well as comparable activity relative to the commercial Ni/Al2O3 catalyst. Although a slow but continuous catalyst deactivation was recognized for Ni10Ce90Ox, it could be strongly reduced by doping with 15 mol% Zr or Al. The exceptional properties of Ni10Ce90Ox and the effect of Zr doping on the catalytic activity and stability were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and pulse experimentation.