Best Selling Books by Adam Christopher

A collection of rad tattoos by third generation tattooer and painter Adam France.

The Tang dynasty (618-907 CE), ruling at a time when the rest of Eurasia seemed to be having tremendous political and social difficulties, stands out as a period of prosperity, expansion, cultural growth, cosmopolitanism and political unity. This dissertation focuses on the port-city of Guangzhou, located on the southeastern coast of China, which was the acknowledged prime destination for maritime trade for most of the Tang dynasty. The specific historical question of this work investigates the influence of international maritime trade on the growth and expansion of Guangzhou during the Tang dynasty. The main assertion of this study is that, during the period of the Tang dynasty, Guangzhou not only grew in urban form due to the flourishing economy, but also became a multivalent symbol---representing both the culture of the imperial center and also the local characteristics of its frontier location. Ultimately, this period in Guangzhou''s history would create a space for the creation of a separate Cantonese identity within the larger narrative of a Han Chinese identity. This dissertation contributes to the historical discourse on the importance of cities in pre-modern Chinese history, frontiers in Chinese history, identity formation, cross-cultural trade in pre-modern times, and the maritime connections between East and Southeast Asia.

This dissertation is presented in three parts. In the first part, using a combination of simultaneous RNA and protein detection, high-resolution confocal microscopy, and image segmentation, I show that it is possible to resolve and count the number of mRNA transcripts for a given gene within single-cells of fixed Drosophila embryos. I used these methods to study the stochastic nature of transcription at the endogenous locus of the Hox gene Sex combs reduced, and I uncovered evidence for transcriptional bursting as well as divergent modes of transcription. This was the first time such analyses had been carried out in an intact metazoan organism. In the second part, I present evidence that despite the presence of several well conserved putative binding sites in the 3''UTR of the Hox gene Antennapedia, the microRNA miR-iab-4-5p does not appear to play a large role in the regulation of Antennapedia protein levels during embryogenesis, and at most has very subtle effects. This is important, because despite the fact that Drosophila Hox genes and Hox-cluster encoded microRNAs are very strongly predicted to interact in silico, most investigations of these interactions have uncovered only very subtle (if any) effects on protein levels. This suggests that our ability to predict miRNA target sites in silico is very lacking, or that, in general, microRNAs play very subtle roles during development. In the third part, I investigate the function of the homolog of the Grainy head transcription factor in the fungus Neurospora crassa. In all animal model organisms in which they have been studied, Grainy head transcription factors play a conserved role in epidermal barrier formation and healing. I therefore thought it would be interesting to investigate the function of this transcription factor in fungi, organisms which lack an epidermis. Using microarray and phenotypic analyses I uncovered evidence that the Grainy head homolog in Neurospora plays a role in cell-wall formation, defense, and virulence. This points to an interesting connection between transcriptional control of physical-barrier formation in animals, and physical-barrier formation, defense, and virulence in fungi.

Since the dawn of electronic communication, controversy and debate has constantly surrounded the question: what is the appropriate role of electronic media in society? This dissertation takes a rhetorical approach in exploring the context and controversy surrounding our newest form of electronic communication, the internet. I argue that the internet represents a medium that is facilitating a cultural re-articulation of well-worn myths commonly associated with new technologies. I establish this claim through the exploration of two case studies. In my first case study I address the debate surrounding the 2011 Stop Online Piracy Act and its connection to the myth of the romantic genius. The second case study examines the Federal Trade Commission''s 2015 Net Neutrality Order and its relationship with the myth of democratic access. Within each of these case studies I utilize elements of historical criticism, mythic criticism, and the narrative paradigm to explore the divide between our cultural understanding regarding the myths of commodification and participation. Finally, I place both case studies in conversation with one another and discuss the implications of our evolving articulations of media and American society. I conclude that the internet represents a still evolving technology which comes closer than any medium before it to achieving the lofty goals of democratic participation ascribed to it.

Keywords: low velocity impact damage, optical sensors, composites, FBG, Bragg grating, structural health monitoring.

The IV-VI semiconductors, and specifically the lead-salts (PbS, PbSe, and PbTe), are a natural choice for nanocrystal science. In nanocrystals, because of their narrow band gap, small effective masses, and large dielectric constants, they offer a unique combination of both strong confinement and strong dielectric contrast with their environment. Studying how these two effects modify optical and electrical properties of nanocrystals will be the topic of this dissertation. We begin with a summary of the synthesis of high-quality PbS and PbSe nanocrystals. Special care is taken to explain the chemical procedures in detail to an audience not expected to have significant prior chemistry knowledge. The synthesized nanocrystals have bright and tunable emission that spans the edge of the visible to the near-IR spectrum (700-1800 nm), and they are capped with organic ligands making them easily adaptable to different substrates or hosts . This combination of high optical quality and flexible device engineering make them extremely desirable for application. Moving beyond single-material nanocrystals, we next explore nanocrystal heterostructures, specifically materials with a spherical core of one semiconductor and a shell of another. Core-shell structures are commonly used in nanocrystals as a method to separate the core material, where the electrons and holes are expected to stay, from interfering effects at the surface. This typically results in improvements in stability and fluorescence quantum efficiency. To that end, we develop a model to explain how confinement plays out across abrupt changes in material, focusing on the optical and electrical properties of recently synthesized PbSe/PbS core-shell quantum dots. We show that for typical sizes of these nanocrystals, a novel type of nanocrystal heterostructure is created, where electrons and holes extend uniformly across the abrupt material boundary, and the shell does not act as a protecting layer. For very large sizes not yet achievable, we expect that the electron and hole will separate in different layers, with potentially measurable effects. Comparisons are made to optical and electrical measurements on these structures, showing good agreement. Next, we explore how shape can impact nanocrystal properties, on top of their intrinsic size or material dependence. By looking at cylindrically shaped nanocrystals, called "nanorods," with aspect ratios 10, we explore how having a slightly extended dimension can impact nanocrystal properties. A model is developed to explain their electronic structure, with surprising results. Foremost is that along the extended dimension, electrons and holes are strongly electrically bound, not with each other directly, but with their image charges in the outer host dielectric material. Nevertheless, the energy spectra of the excitons remains nearly hostindependent, with the effects of this strong binding instead seen in a redistribution of transition oscillator strength. To test the model, we develop a novel synthesis of high quality PbSe nanorods, and find good agreement with measured absorption spectra. Finally, we present a study on the transfer of charge into and out of a nanocrystal. By modeling the charge transfer process within a modified Marcus Theory, we isolate the relevant parameters that can be used to control the rate of transfer. Primary among these are the values of the quantum dot energy levels, and the electrostatic charging energy of the acceptor. We vary the former by changing the quantum dot size, and the latter by varying the host dielectric constant. To test the model, we chemically bind a small molecular acceptor molecule to the surface of PbS nanocrystals and use transient fluorescence to measure the rate of charge transfer. Both the dependence of the rate on quantum dot size and host dielectric constant show good agreement with the model.

InyGa1-yAs alloys are critical in commercial applications such as high speed transistors, light emitting diodes, solid state lasers, photovoltaics, and photo-detectors. However, the range of compositions used in these applications is often limited to the range of InyGa1-yAs compositions which are lattice matched to elementary or binary semiconductor substrates. Additionally, the integration of InyGa1-yAs based devices on silicon substrates has been limited by complicated processing procedures. In order to resolve these issues we developed two compositionally graded buffer systems to integrate InyGa1-yAs devices on InP and Si substrates. The development of InyGa1-yAs devices on Si substrates also used the direct growth of Ge on Si offcut substrates. InAsxP1-x compositionally graded buffers were investigated for the growth of InyGa1-yAs compositions with lattice constants greater than InP. We report the effects of strain gradient, growth temperature, and strain initiation sequence (gradual or abrupt strain introduction) on threading dislocation density, surface roughness, epi-layer relaxation, and tilt. We find that gradual introduction of strain causes increased dislocation densities (u003e106 cm-2) and tilt of the epi-layer (u003e 0.10°). A method of abrupt strain initiation is proposed which can result in dislocation densities as low as 1.0x105 cm-2 for films graded from the InP lattice constant to InAs0.15P0.85. A model for a two-energy level dislocation nucleation system is proposed based on our results. We demonstrate a method for the growth of InyGa1-yAs devices on Si substrates in a single process run. Two epitaxial layers were used to change the lattice constant from the Si substrate to the InyGa1-yAs lattice constant. The first layer was a Ge layer grown directly on Si. To reduce the threading dislocation density to

A Member of the Food Chain?: Quantifying Primary Productivity from Nazi Germany to the International Biological Program, 1929-1989, tells the story of primary productivity, one of the fundamental measurements of the ecological and earth sciences today. Primary productivity is used in biology to refer to the aggregate photosynthetic production of the plant life of a particular region. Thanks to the rule of thermodynamics, most scientists have regarded the ability of plants to produce carbohydrates using carbon dioxide, water, and solar energy as foundational to all life throughout the twentieth century. Yet the history of the theory and methods used to quantify primary productivity is more complex than the straightforward and seemingly apolitical nature of the idea might initially suggest. This dissertation charts the genesis of this quantified measure from laboratory plant physiology, through agricultural science in National Socialist Germany, to postwar Global Ecology in the US.

The catalytic (C) subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) can be regulated by co- and post-translational modifications. The C-subunit is co-translationally N-myristylated. N-myristylation is catalyzed by the enzyme N-myristyl transferase (NMT), and it is the incorporation of the 14 carbon, saturated fatty acid, myristic acid, onto the N-terminal glycine residue of a target protein. In PKA, N-myristylation enhances the thermal stability of the protein and increases membrane binding in RII but not RI holoenzyme complexes. In these studies, the myristylated C-subunit was crystallized in different states including bound to a substrate peptide alone as well as to a substrate peptide and an ATP analogue. Furthermore, time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy and MD simulations were performed to analyze the effects of N-myristylation on C-subunit dynamics. These studies showed that N-myristylation stabilizes the N-terminus and myristate pocket of PKA and exhibits effects on dynamics throughout the enzyme including at the active site. Myristylation may, therefore, provide allosteric regulation of PKA. The reaction mechanism of PKA is also well-characterized. ADP-release is the rate-limiting step in PKA reaction turnover, and ADP-release is governed by magnesium concentration. PKA binds two magnesium ions termed Mg1 and Mg2 with the numbering based on the order in which the ions were thought to bind. However, recent studies suggest that the magnesium ions may bind in reverse order, and the mode of magnesium and ADP-release following phosphoryl transfer is unresolved. In these studies, the C-subunit was crystallized displaying partial and complete phosphoryl transfer of AMP-PNP onto a substrate peptide. These structures showed that Mg1 is released following complete phosphoryl transfer, and therefore, Mg1 release may be an important step preceding ADP release. Also, the C-subunit of PKA was crystallized in an apo state and bound to ADP. The ADP bound structure showed that ADP binds to the C-subunit with one magnesium ion, and this ion corresponds to Mg2 verifying the results from the partial and complete phosphoryl transfer structures. Furthermore, the ADP bound structure adopts a novel conformation that may represent the possible motions associated with ADP release including opening of the Gly-rich loop and C-tail away from the active site.

Over the centuries, in our nation''s times of need, a supernatural force appears to battle back the enemies of the United States: The Shield. Today, the country -- the whole world -- is on the edge of chaos. The middle class is dying as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Global warming''s effects on the environment are drastic and dramatic, with superstorms and deadly droughts a common occurrence. The government increases its grip on the lives of ordinary people, controlling information and curtailing freedoms and privacy. For some, the government itself has become an enemy of the people, and revolution is on the minds of Americans all across the country. The Shield returns--but what happens when she''s not sure who the enemy is? A modern action and conspiracy thriller by bestselling novelists Adam Christopher and Chuck Wendig featuring the dynamic artwork of David Williams, The Shield: Daughter Of The Revolution gives readers a topical, relevant and jarring new take on the classic hero. The Shield, Vol. 1: Daughter Of The Revolution collects the first story arc of the ongoing The Shield comic book series. The stories, characters, and incidents in the publication are entirely fictional. Many of these stories are also products of another time, and may be found to be dated or objectionable in some cases by today''s standards. The stories are represented in the publication without alteration for the purposes of historical reference and research only, and were added to your library at the discretion of your local or institution administrator. Any questions or concerns about the content contained herein should be addressed to them.

Abstract: Previous experimental work has shown the efficacy of vortex generator jets as a means for control of external flow, particularly in the case of separated flow and high-angle-of-attack stall for an airfoil. Effective control of the flow separation requires a model for the relevant fluid dynamics that accurately captures the physics involved, including the interaction between the actuators and the system, while simultaneously being simple enough to run in real time.

Using this methodology, I examine the Skira, a Classical Athenian festival of midsummer, employing it as a test case for the claims above. This results in a number of innovations over previous scholarship of the Skira. First, using a careful diachronic accounting of sources, I am able to show that the Skira existed in distinct phases and exhibited marked changes in purpose. Examining the oldest sources, it is clear that the Skira was a women-exclusive festival until 350BCE. At that point, Lycurgus, the Athenian politician, added a new procession to the Skira as part of his attempt to return Athens to its former greatness . This new focus, picturing the Skira as a masculine, patriotic festival, became the dominant way to discuss the festival for the following five hundred years. Second, examining sources synchronically, I am able to show that the earlier women''s festival was devoted primarily to Athena, not Demeter as is sometimes claimed. As part of that examination it is necessary also to demonstrate the multiplicity of ways in which Athena impacted the lives of Athenian woman and to complicate an essentialist view of divinities. In a synchronic look at the post-Lycurgan sources, I am able to show how Lycurgus employed the mythology of Euripides'' "Erechtheus" to create a new Skira, blending the traditional concerns of Athenian women expressed in the earlier Skira (family, the protection of children, fertility) with a new stress on autochthony and the veneration of ancestors.

Mute swans ( Cygnus olor ), an exotic species of waterfowl, have been found to negatively impact native waterbirds and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) communities in the Chesapeake Bay and lower Great Lakes. Mute swans were first recorded in Illinois in 1971 and their population is small, but growing. In 2008-09, I studied mute swans in central Illinois to investigate whether they negatively impacted waterbirds through aggressive actions and SAV through over-grazing. I also estimated mute swan territory size to estimate potential habitat exclusion and population growth potential. Mute swan territory size averaged 7.0 ha, allowing the current population of approximately 60 breeding pairs to increase to over 125 pairs. I did not find that mute swans reduced above-ground SAV, although I did find that below-ground biomass was reduced where mute swans fed freely. Mute swan aggression was most frequent in early spring and decreasing throughout the breeding season. Most waterbirds were found just as close or closer to mute swans as to control points, although gadwall ( Anas strepera ) were found farther away perhaps suggesting either avoidance or exclusion. As mute swans become more abundant in Illinois, further monitoring is necessary to prevent significant negative impacts to wetlands and waterbirds.

Celebrate the lasting impact of Return of the Jedi with this exciting reimagining of the timeless Star Wars film featuring new perspectives from forty contributors. On May 25, 1983, Star Wars cemented its legacy as the greatest movie franchise of all time with the release of Return of the Jedi. In honor of its fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers re-create an iconic scene from Return of the Jedi through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists.

In practice, it provided courts with a means to enact the mandates from the Visigothic Code and to foster stability. The result was a flexible synthesis of law, liturgy, and sacred space that was in many cases capable of harnessing spiritual and community pressure in legal proceedings.

The purpose of this dissertation was to produce knowledge on the academic performance and recovery success of students enrolled in a Recovery High School. The study site was Hope Academy, located in Indianapolis, IN, and at the time of this publication, one of just five schools in the U.S. accredited by the Association of Recovery Schools. Students enrolled between Fall 2010 and Spring 2017 were evaluated using academic test scores (NWEA-MAP), a measure of recovery success (GAIN-SS), as well as key informant interviews with 13 students and five staff members. It was concluded that recovery school students displayed similar levels of academic growth when compared to a nationallyrepresentative matched Virtual Comparison Group, t-stat = +0.849 (p=0.397). This finding provides evidence that even after experiencing a relapse, recovery school students were capable of achieving similar levels of academic growth as their peers not in recovery from substance use disorders. Interview participants provided more context to the quantitative findings with first-hand accounts of the impact the recovery school had on students.