Oscar Bait: Exploring Links Between an Academy Awards Institutional Persona and Perceptions of Oscar-Worthiness

The Academy Awards – or ‘the Oscars’ – and their large-scale television production have historically occupied a unique position as a taste-making apparatus and gatekeeper of prestige stardom. In evaluating ‘the best’ of the (American-centric) filmmaking field, they wield cultural influence over such cinema practices as consumption and evaluation, filmmaking aesthetics and narratives, and the discursive activity of Hollywood’s industrial agents and engaged audiences. This research recontextualises the Oscars’ complex legacy into a new media ecosystem, one in which their established value is undercut by declining broadcast viewership, the changing values and demands of a global film culture, and influential discourses aiming to progress popular culture beyond its problematic histories. In this new paradigm of film production and consumption, I ask what the Oscars mean in a contemporary filmmaking landscape, and the value or influence that established stereotypes of Oscar-worthiness – the colloquial ‘Oscar Bait’ – continue to hold over the awards. I first argue for the Oscars’ position of power within filmmaking production cycles. Using a Bourdieusian framework of ‘taste-making’ and ‘capital’, the Oscars are identified as a site upon which industrial agents negotiate the demands of the cultural terrain. Beyond a theoretical setting, however, the Oscars also occupy the position of an agent – itself vying for prestigious attention in a tumultuous media landscape. As such, I also conceptualise ‘Oscar’ as a mediated industrial persona. To investigate Oscar’s contemporary meaning and its position as a persona, I conducted a textual analysis on a three-year sample (2019-2021) of cultural texts that, combined, contribute to the Oscar persona. This included the televised awards ceremony of each year and their associated paratexts, the core film texts of each year’s competition, and the broader discursive activities of film awards culture. From this methodology I extracted three key thematic contests that courted significant attention, thus speaking to a perceived ‘meaning’ of what the Oscars are for. Firstly, representation within filmmaking endures as an unsettled concept, whereby Oscar constantly must reassess its own values of inclusivity, diversity, and merit. Secondly, Oscar serves as a vital organ of Hollywood’s celebrity mythmaking, whereby individual celebrity narratives are enacted and negotiated for the sake of symbolic capital. Finally, Oscar continues to assert particular ideals, aesthetics, morals, and individuals as the best of the filmmaking field, simultaneously recreating and drawing from such power to present itself as a quality television product. Through these analytical threads, my research impacts current conceptions of cultural prestige and mythmaking within film, interpreting the Oscars as a mediated phenomenon for its power implications and as an institutional persona navigating the demands of its public.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 202

An Evaluation of the Risk Identification Checklist from the Manual Handling Code of Practice

Manual Handling Regulations and a Code of Practice which were introduced in South Australia in January 1991, are aimed at reducing the frequency and severity of manual handling injuries sustained at work. The Code of Practice is a practical guide for employers to follow in order to comply with the Regulations, and consists of three phases: risk identification, risk assessment and risk control. The risk identification procedure involves three stages: a review of the manual handling injury statistics to determine manual handling injuries which have occurred at the workplace, consultation with employees to determine their perceptions of manual handling hazards at the workplace, and the evaluation of manual handling hazards (identified in the two preceding processes) using a Risk Identification Checklist. The Checklist is comprised of 18 questions about manual handling risk factors and is designed so that the higher the score is for a task the higher is its priority for risk assessment and control. This thesis examined the validity of the Risk Identification Checklist as a predictor of the risk of manual handling injuries by applying it to tasks performed by firefighters employed at the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (SAMFS). The study involved the following distinct stages: first, a review of the SAMFS injury statistics was undertaken to identify the tasks giving rise to manual handling injuries, and to categorise them according to their frequency and severity. Secondly, a manual handling questionnaire, based on the National Skills Audit of firefighter duties, was designed and administered to a representative sample of 125 SAMFS firefighters. From this, the manual handling tasks were graded according to the risk of injury as perceived by the firefighters. Thirdly, a video was produced of 23 manual handling firefighter tasks. The tasks selected for the film included tasks of a range of injury frequency and severity according to SAMFS injury statistics and of a range of hazard ratings according to the firefighters. Fourthly, the 23 manual handling tasks were shown and subsequently scored by a panel of 15 occupational health professionals using the Risk Identification Checklist. Panel members were blinded to the injury frequency, severity and firefighter hazard ranking of the tasks viewed on the video. Checklist scores for each of the tasks were obtained from each of the 15 panel members. Finally, performance of the Checklist was examined in the following ways. Intra-rater reliability was assessed by comparing the ratings of the same panellist on two separate viewings of the video. Inter-rater agreement of Checklist scores was assessed by examining the range of Checklist scores given by each of the panel members for each individual task. Subsequently, comparisons of Checklist scores were made with both the SAMFS manual handling injury statistics and the SAMFS firefighter perceptions of manual handling hazards. Results showed there was high intra-rater reliability between test/re-test gross scores (Spearman correlation coefficients ranged from 0.83 to 0.88), that is, the three panel members were consistent in their hazard ranking in separate viewings of the tasks. However although the panel members had a highly correlated rank order of the tasks, the manner in which two panellists arrived at the total score was inconsistent between viewings, that is, the 18 individual questions in the Checklist were answered differently. The inter-rater agreement of the 15 panellists was low as shown by a wide range of Checklist scores for each task. The Friedman non-parametric analysis of variance showed no significant agreement between the panel members' scores (p<0.001). There was low correlation between Checklist scores and injury frequency for the panellists as a group (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.17) and for the individual panellists (Spearman correlation coefficients ranged from -0.04 to 0.38). The majority of the panel did differentiate the tasks on the basis of severity, but the difference in the medians given to the "severe" and the "non-severe" tasks was not statistically significant for any member of the panel. The correlation of the firefighters' risk perception of the manual handling tasks and injury statistics was low both for injury frequency and for injury severity (Spearman correlation coefficients 0. 3 5 and 0 .19, respectively). · There was high correlation between the firefighters' perception of hazards and the manual handling Checklist scores (Spearman correlation coefficient 0. 76). The performance of the Risk Identification Checklist from the Manual Handling Code of Practice has been assessed and has been shown to perform poorly at the SAMFS. It is concluded that neither the use of the Risk Identification Checklist nor employees perceptions of risk as proposed in the Manual Handling Code of Practice are valid predictors of manual handling injuries. It is proposed that priorities for manual \ handling risk assessment and control should be determined from analysis of injury statistics, if the frequency and severity of manual handling injuries are to be reduced.Thesis (MPubHlth) -- University of Adelaide, School of Public Health, 199

Acute effects of single and multiple level thoracic manipulations on chronic mechanical neck pain: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Thoracic spine manipulation has become a popular alternative to local cervical manipulative therapy for mechanical neck pain. This study investigated the acute effects of single-level and multiple-level thoracic manipulations on chronic mechanical neck pain (CMNP). Methods: Forty-eight patients with CMNP were randomly allocated to single-level thoracic manipulation (STM) at T6–T7 or multiple-level thoracic manipulation (MTM), or to a control group (prone lying). Cervical range of motion (CROM), visual analog scale (VAS), and the Thai version of the Neck Disability Index (NDI-TH) scores were measured at baseline, and at 24-hour and at 1-week follow-up. Results: At 24-hour and 1-week follow-up, neck disability and pain levels were significantly (P<0.05) improved in the STM and MTM groups compared with the control group. CROM in flexion and left lateral flexion were increased significantly (P<0.05) in the STM group when compared with the control group at 1-week follow-up. The CROM in right rotation was increased significantly after MTM compared to the control group (P<0.05) at 24-hour follow-up. There were no statistically significant differences in neck disability, pain level at rest, and CROM between the STM and MTM groups. Conclusion: These results suggest that both single-level and multiple-level thoracic manipulation improve neck disability, pain levels, and CROM at 24-hour and 1-week follow-up in patients with CMNP.Rungthip Puntumetakul, Thavatchai Suvarnnato, Phurichaya Werasirirat, Sureeporn Uthaikhup, Junichiro Yamauchi, Rose Boucau

Prevalence and risk factor analysis of lower extremity abnormal alignment characteristics among rice farmers

BACKGROUND: Rice farming activities involve prolonged manual work and human-machine interaction. Prolonged farming risk-exposure may result in lower limb malalignment. This malalignment may increase the risk of lower extremity injury and physical disabilities. However, the prevalence and factors associated with lower extremity malalignment have not yet been reported. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of lower extremity malalignment among rice farmers. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 249 rice farmers. Lower extremity alignment assessment included: pelvic tilt angle, limb length equality, femoral torsion, quadriceps (Q) angle, tibiofemoral angle, genu recurvatum, rearfoot angle, and medial longitudinal arch angle. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze participant characteristics and prevalence of lower extremity malalignment. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors. RESULTS: The highest prevalence of lower extremity malalignment was foot pronation (36.14%), followed by the abnormal Q angle (34.94%), tibiofemoral angle (31.73%), pelvic tilt angle (30.52%), femoral antetorsion (28.11%), limb length inequality (22.49%), tibial torsion (21.29%), and genu recurvatum (11.24%). In females, the risk factors were abnormal Q angle, tibiofemoral angle, and genu recurvatum. Being overweight was a risk factor for abnormal pelvic tilt angle, Q angle, and tibiofemoral angle. Age was a risk factor for limb length inequality. Years of farming were a major risk factor for abnormal Q angle, tibiofemoral angle, and foot malalignment. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of lower extremity malalignment was reported in this study. Female sex, being overweight, and years of farming were major risk factors for lower extremity malalignment. Lower extremity screening should assist in the identification of foot and knee malalignment in rice farmers. This may then lead to early prevention of musculoskeletal disorders arising from such malalignment.Usa Karukunchit, Rungthip Puntumetakul, Manida Swangnetr, Rose Boucau

An orthotopic xenograft model of human nonseminomatous germ cell tumour

We have established the first example of an orthotopic xenograft model of human nonseminomatous germ cell tumour (NSGCT). This reproducible model exhibits many clinically relevant features including metastases to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes and lungs, making it an ideal tool for research into the development and progression of testicular germ cell tumours. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Extracellular Matrix Aggregates from Differentiating Embryoid Bodies as a Scaffold to Support ESC Proliferation and Differentiation

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have emerged as potential cell sources for tissue engineering and regeneration owing to its virtually unlimited replicative capacity and the potential to differentiate into a variety of cell types. Current differentiation strategies primarily involve various growth factor/inducer/repressor concoctions with less emphasis on the substrate. Developing biomaterials to promote stem cell proliferation and differentiation could aid in the realization of this goal. Extracellular matrix (ECM) components are important physiological regulators, and can provide cues to direct ESC expansion and differentiation. ECM undergoes constant remodeling with surrounding cells to accommodate specific developmental event. In this study, using ESC derived aggregates called embryoid bodies (EB) as a model, we characterized the biological nature of ECM in EB after exposure to different treatments: spontaneously differentiated and retinoic acid treated (denoted as SPT and RA, respectively). Next, we extracted this treatment-specific ECM by detergent decellularization methods (Triton X-100, DOC and SDS are compared). The resulting EB ECM scaffolds were seeded with undifferentiated ESCs using a novel cell seeding strategy, and the behavior of ESCs was studied. Our results showed that the optimized protocol efficiently removes cells while retaining crucial ECM and biochemical components. Decellularized ECM from SPT EB gave rise to a more favorable microenvironment for promoting ESC attachment, proliferation, and early differentiation, compared to native EB and decellularized ECM from RA EB. These findings suggest that various treatment conditions allow the formulation of unique ESC-ECM derived scaffolds to enhance ESC bioactivities, including proliferation and differentiation for tissue regeneration applications. © 2013 Goh et al

The effects of thoracic manipulation versus mobilization for chronic neck pain: a randomized controlled trial pilot study

[Purpose] To investigate effects of thoracic manipulation versus mobilization on chronic neck pain. [Methods] Thirty-nine chronic neck pain subjects were randomly assigned to single level thoracic manipulation, single level thoracic mobilization, or a control group. The cervical range of motion (CROM) and pain ratings (using a visual analog scale: VAS) were measured before, immediately after and at a 24-hour follow-up. [Results] Thoracic manipulation significantly decreased VAS pain ratings and increased CROM in all directions in immediate and 24-hour follow-ups. The thoracic mobilization group significantly increased in CROM in most directions at immediate follow-up and right and left rotational directions at the 24-hour follow-up. Comparisons between groups revealed the CROM for the manipulation group to increase significantly more than for control subjects in most directions at immediate follow-up and flexion, left lateral flexion and left rotation at the 24-hour follow-up. The CROM for the thoracic mobilization group significantly increased in comparison to the control group in flexion at immediate follow-up and in flexion and left rotation at the 24-hour follow-up. [Conclusion] The study demonstrated reductions in VAS pain ratings and increases in CROM at immediate and 24-hour follow-ups from both single level thoracic spine manipulation and thoracic mobilization in chronic neck pain.Thavatchai Suvarnnato, Rungthip Puntumetakul, David Kaber, Rose Boucaut, Yodchai Boonphakob, Preeda Arayawichanon, Uraiwan Chatchawa

Human kallikrein gene 13 (KLK13) expression by quantitative RT–PCR: an independent indicator of favourable prognosis in breast cancer

Kallikreins are a group of serine proteases with diverse physiological functions. KLK13 (previously known as KLK-L4) is a novel kallikrein gene located on chromosome 19q13.4 and shares a high degree of homology with other kallikrein family members. Many kallikrein genes were found to be differentially expressed in various malignancies, and their regulation is controlled by steroid hormones in prostate and breast cancer cell lines. We studied the expression of KLK13 by quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction in 173 patients with epithelial breast carcinoma. An optimal cutoff point equal to the 40th percentile was defined, based on the ability of KLK13 to predict disease-free survival. KLK13 values were then associated with other established prognostic factors and with disease-free survival and overall survival. Higher positivity for KLK13 expression was found in older, oestrogen receptor positive patients. In univariate analysis, KLK13 expression is a significant predictor of improved disease-free survival and overall survival (P<0.001 and P=0.009, respectively). Cox multivariate analysis indicated that KLK13 was an independent prognostic variable in the subgroups of patients with Grade I–II tumours and in patients who were oestrogen receptor and progesterone receptor positive, and node positive. Hazard ratios derived from Cox analysis, related to disease-free survival and overall survival were 0.22 (P=0.001) and 0.24 (P=0.008), respectively, for the Grade I–II group; 0.36 (P=0.008) and 0.44 (P=0.038), respectively, for the node positive group and 0.36 (P=0.008) and 0.18 (P=0.008), respectively, for the oestrogen receptor positive group. The adjusted hazard ratio for progesterone receptor positive patients for disease-free survival was 0.25 (P=0.012). For patients in the node positive and oestrogen receptor positive subgroup (n=51) the adjusted hazard ratio was 0.25 (P=0.006) and for the node positive and progesterone receptor positive subgroup (n=46) the hazard ratio was 0.24 (P=0.008). Taken together, these data suggest that higher KLK13 expression in these subgroups of breast cancer patients is associated with an approximately 55 to 80% reduction in the risk of relapse or death. We conclude that KLK13 expression, as assessed by quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction, is an independent favourable prognostic marker for breast carcinoma

‘Oscar’: An Institutional and Contested Persona Reading of the Academy Awards

This article applies a persona studies approach to the case study of the Academy Awards. Key literature is used to situate an ‘Oscar’ persona within existing conceptualisations from the discipline. Oscar represents a composite persona that encapsulates an event, its broadcast, an Academy of individuals, and a larger discursive industry. It is a non-human persona that is coloured by distinctly human elements; it is collectively constructed on a massive scale, the process of which inviting constant contestation. Drawing from these theorisations I conduct a textual analysis to reach a persona reading of Oscar. As collective authors of the persona, members of the Academy, associated performers, and discursive contributors employ three distinct and consistent persona strategies: the Functional, the Spiritual, and the Ironic. Oscar’s taste-making function is enabled by extravagant staging and tempered by expressions of philanthropy yet performed with ironic self-effacement. The cumulative effect of these three performances allows Oscar manoeuvrability across the requirements of the different cultural contexts of each year. As well as providing a unique prism for understanding the Oscars as an institution, this work demarcates different levels of collective persona construction, challenging notions of central authority in production and performance, and accounting for the ongoing constructive work of publics