Experiencing Grief through Nonhuman Lenses

My thesis project addresses instances of human grief and finds particular value in how nonhuman lenses offer humans the opportunity to experience grief. Through depictions of the human/nonhuman binary of both physical and mental transformation, and internal and external dialogue, I will write two publishable articles focusing on the force and function of depictions of grief in visual media. One paper, Capitalist Grief in Inside Out, will analyze the animated film Inside Out focusing on how and to what effect capitalism disrupts, alters, and shapes human experiences of grief.The second article, Experiencing Grief in Midnight Mass, presents nonhuman grief such as loss of land, loss of resources, and transformational loss. In using a nonhuman lens I contend that a post-humanist approach in stories of grief can produce alternative ways of experiencing grief. Both articles aim to push against, challenge, and alter perceptions of experiencing grief in hopes to provide nonhuman insights that may begin alternative conversations towards experiencing, understanding, and representing grief

Investigation of the length distributions of coding and noncoding sequences in relation to gene architecture, function, and expression

The last 20 years has seen the birth of bioinformatics, and is defined as the combination of mathematics, biology, and computational approaches. This discipline has led to the era of ontology, extensive databases including sequences, structures, expression profiles, and genomes and database cross-referencing, (Ouzounis, 2012). Before this discipline, scientists referenced atlas books, such as Margret Dayhoff’s protein sequence collection (Strasser, 2010) which required long hours of letter counting. Through the development of sequencing technology over the past forty years, a tremendous amount of genomic sequencing data has already been collected. With a surge of such data increasing, so does the challenges of data organisation, accessibility and interpretation, with interpretation being the most challenging (Ouzounis, 2012)

Electron-Ion Equilibrium and Shock Precursors in the Northeast Limb of the Cygnus Loop

We present an observational study using high-resolution echelle spectroscopy of collisionless shocks in the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. Measured Hα line profiles constrain pre-shock heating processes, shock speeds, and electron-ion equilibration (Te /Ti ). The shocks produce faint Hα emission line profiles, which are characterized by narrow and broad components. The narrow component is representative of the pre-shock conditions, while the broad component is produced after charge transfer between neutrals entering the shock and protons in the post-shock gas, thus reflecting the properties of the post-shock gas. We observe a diffuse Hα region extending about 25 ahead of the shock with line width ~29 km s–1, while the Hα profile of the shock itself consists of broader than expected narrow (36 km s–1) and broad (250 km s–1) components. The observed diffuse emission arises in a photoionization precursor heated to about 18,000 K by He I and He II emission from the shock, with additional narrow component broadening originating from a thin cosmic-ray precursor. Broad to narrow component intensity ratios of ~1.0 imply full electron-ion temperature equilibration Te Ti in the post-shock region. Broad component line widths indicate shock velocities of about 400 km s–1. Combining the shock velocities with proper motions suggests that the distance to the Cygnus Loop is ~890 pc, significantly greater than the generally accepted upper limit of 637 pc

Closing the compliance gap in marine protected areas with human behavioural sciences

Advocates, practitioners and policy-makers continue to use and advocate for marine protected areas (MPAs) to meet global ocean protection targets. Yet many of the worlds MPAs, and especially no-take MPAs, are plagued by poaching and ineffective governance. Using a global dataset on coral reefs as an example, we quantify the potential ecological gains of governing MPAs to increase compliance, which we call the ‘compliance gap’. Using ecological simulations based on model posteriors of joint Bayesian hierarchical models, we demonstrate how increased compliance in no-take MPAs could nearly double target fish biomass (91% increases in median fish biomass), and result in a 292% higher likelihood of encountering top predators. Achieving these gains and closing the compliance gap necessitates a substantial shift in approach and practice to go beyond optimizing enforcement, and towards governing for compliance. This will require engaging and integrating a broad suite of actors, principles, and practices across three key domains: (i)) harnessing social influence, (ii) integrating equity principles, and (iii) aligning incentives through market-based instruments. Empowering and shaping communication between actor groups (e.g., between fishers, practitioners, and policy-makers) using theoretically underpinned approaches from the behavioural sciences is one of the most essential, but often underserved aspects of governing MPAs. We therefore close by highlighting how this cross-cutting tool could be further integrated in governance to bolster high levels of compliance in MPAs

Deletion of the Ubiquitin Ligase CHIP Leads to the Accumulation, But Not the Aggregation, of Both Endogenous Phospho- and Caspase-3-Cleaved Tau Species

Accumulation of the microtubule-associated protein tau into neurofibrillary lesions is a pathological consequence of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Hereditary mutations in th

CMB-S4 Science Book, First Edition

This book lays out the scientific goals to be addressed by the next-generation ground-based cosmic microwave background experiment, CMB-S4, envisioned to consist of dedicated telescopes at the South Pole, the high Chilean Atacama plateau and possibly a northern hemisphere site, all equipped with new superconducting cameras. CMB-S4 will dramatically advance cosmological studies by crossing critical thresholds in the search for the B-mode polarization signature of primordial gravitational waves, in the determination of the number and masses of the neutrinos, in the search for evidence of new light relics, in constraining the nature of dark energy, and in testing general relativity on large scales

Psychiatric and medical comorbidities of eating disorders : findings from a rapid review of the literature

Background: Eating disorders (EDs) are potentially severe, complex, and life-threatening illnesses. The mortality rate of EDs is signifcantly elevated compared to other psychiatric conditions, primarily due to medical complications and suicide. The current rapid review aimed to summarise the literature and identify gaps in knowledge relating to any psychiatric and medical comorbidities of eating disorders. Methods: This paper forms part of a rapid review) series scoping the evidence base for the feld of EDs, conducted to inform the Australian National Eating Disorders Research and Translation Strategy 2021–2031, funded and released by the Australian Government. ScienceDirect, PubMed and Ovid/Medline were searched for English-language studies focused on the psychiatric and medical comorbidities of EDs, published between 2009 and 2021. High-level evidence such as meta-analyses, large population studies and Randomised Control Trials were prioritised. Results: A total of 202 studies were included in this review, with 58% pertaining to psychiatric comorbidities and 42% to medical comorbidities. For EDs in general, the most prevalent psychiatric comorbidities were anxiety (up to 62%), mood (up to 54%) and substance use and post-traumatic stress disorders (similar comorbidity rates up to 27%). The review also noted associations between specifc EDs and non-suicidal self-injury, personality disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders. EDs were complicated by medical comorbidities across the neuroendocrine, skeletal, nutritional, gastrointestinal, dental, and reproductive systems. Medical comorbidities can precede, occur alongside or emerge as a complication of the ED. Conclusions: This review provides a thorough overview of the comorbid psychiatric and medical conditions cooccurring with EDs. High psychiatric and medical comorbidity rates were observed in people with EDs, with comorbidities contributing to increased ED symptom severity, maintenance of some ED behaviours, and poorer functioning as well as treatment outcomes. Early identifcation and management of psychiatric and medical comorbidities in people with an ED may improve response to treatment and overall outcomes

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Mission Concept Study Final Report

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory, or HabEx, has been designed to be the Great Observatory of the 2030s. For the first time in human history, technologies have matured sufficiently to enable an affordable space-based telescope mission capable of discovering and characterizing Earthlike planets orbiting nearby bright sunlike stars in order to search for signs of habitability and biosignatures. Such a mission can also be equipped with instrumentation that will enable broad and exciting general astrophysics and planetary science not possible from current or planned facilities. HabEx is a space telescope with unique imaging and multi-object spectroscopic capabilities at wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet (UV) to near-IR. These capabilities allow for a broad suite of compelling science that cuts across the entire NASA astrophysics portfolio. HabEx has three primary science goals: (1) Seek out nearby worlds and explore their habitability; (2) Map out nearby planetary systems and understand the diversity of the worlds they contain; (3) Enable new explorations of astrophysical systems from our own solar system to external galaxies by extending our reach in the UV through near-IR. This Great Observatory science will be selected through a competed GO program, and will account for about 50% of the HabEx primary mission. The preferred HabEx architecture is a 4m, monolithic, off-axis telescope that is diffraction-limited at 0.4 microns and is in an L2 orbit. HabEx employs two starlight suppression systems: a coronagraph and a starshade, each with their own dedicated instrument

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Mission Concept Study Final Report

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory, or HabEx, has been designed to be the Great Observatory of the 2030s. For the first time in human history, technologies have matured sufficiently to enable an affordable space-based telescope mission capable of discovering and characterizing Earthlike planets orbiting nearby bright sunlike stars in order to search for signs of habitability and biosignatures. Such a mission can also be equipped with instrumentation that will enable broad and exciting general astrophysics and planetary science not possible from current or planned facilities. HabEx is a space telescope with unique imaging and multi-object spectroscopic capabilities at wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet (UV) to near-IR. These capabilities allow for a broad suite of compelling science that cuts across the entire NASA astrophysics portfolio. HabEx has three primary science goals: (1) Seek out nearby worlds and explore their habitability; (2) Map out nearby planetary systems and understand the diversity of the worlds they contain; (3) Enable new explorations of astrophysical systems from our own solar system to external galaxies by extending our reach in the UV through near-IR. This Great Observatory science will be selected through a competed GO program, and will account for about 50% of the HabEx primary mission. The preferred HabEx architecture is a 4m, monolithic, off-axis telescope that is diffraction-limited at 0.4 microns and is in an L2 orbit. HabEx employs two starlight suppression systems: a coronagraph and a starshade, each with their own dedicated instrument.Comment: Full report: 498 pages. Executive Summary: 14 pages. More information about HabEx can be found here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/habex