Points on my Curve to Find: A Journey around the Self to Find the World

My creative practice has undergone a chronological series of transformations that has entailed experiments in several modes of self-expression. This has included the writing of prose-text, lyrics, song-writing, musical performance as a vocalist, work in film-making and visual documentation and work as a visual artist. In a life that has so far spanned living for substantial periods in different countries and cultures, my creative practice has been strongly influenced by that international and inter-cultural existence. Whilst on the one hand, different cultures nevertheless manifest 'languages' of communality with each other (especially in non-verbal communication, global 'signs, signals' and 'symbols'), on the other hand, there are distinctive and specific cultural patterns (and arts outcomes) that serve to delineate differences between one culture and another. My research and practice has been equally divided between a study of both commonalities and 'difference'. Consequently, the two series of works that have been submitted move regularly between dealing with particular and specific focus on forms and ideas embodied in the art-works of several cultures (particularly the first series), and forms and ideas resulting from a kind of introspective and reflective condition of art-making. From the outset of my research, I was concerned with an 'arts/science' set of paradigms- a practice that engaged with and between scientific method and contemporary arts practice. At some point(s), my research took the form of film-maker, Flamenco student; tourist; overseas worker (Namibia), song-writer and lyricist, but none of these modes ultimately formed the nucleus of my outcomes. The visual works submitted are intended to reflect the inter-cultural and cross-disciplinary modality of my practice. But they are also, a 'chronicle' of 'a life'; in this particular case, my own. The written thesis fluxes between reflective study and analysis and a critical evaluation of the sources, influences and techniques embodied by all works in the two series. Naturally, there is always an element of 'travelogue' about both the practical work and the written documentation. But there is also an intentional discourse on and about sources of inspiration and the affect those sources have on form, content and technique in my work as a visual artist

Domestic Violence and Human Rights: Local Challenges to a Universal Framework

Over the past 15-20 years there has been a dramatic increase in transnational social movements including the movement to eradicate violence against women. This paper examines the development of the transnational women\u27s movement and the prioritizing of violence against women (VAW) as a universal women\u27s agenda using the United Nations (U.N.) human rights conferences as a focal point. As one form of VAW, domestic violence (DV) has been placed into the human rights context by many organizations globally. The implications and possible limitations of universalizing a framework for DV are explored using salient examples from various areas of the world. It is suggested that the framing of DV as a human rights violation is relevant to social work in light of social work\u27s role in the critical analysis of framing of social problems and the emergent movement in the United States for social work to become more internationally-focused

La creatividad y autoexpresión artísitica como herramientas de mejora de las habilidades sociales y autoestima en los niños y niñas

Este trabajo trata de todos los seres humanos como individuos creativos. A través de la creatividad propia y la participación artística cad a individuo puede mejorar y desarrollar las habilidades sociales y relaciones interpersonales, la autoestima y gestión de sus emociones, así como el entendimiento y conocimiento de otros individuos, otras culturas y de uno mismo, base indispensable para la creación de un ma rco de cultura de paz. A lo largo del trabajo se investigará cómo el arte y la creatividad son herramientas importantes en el desarrollo de la personalidad del individuo, pudiendo ser utilizada como forma de expresión de conflictos emocionales y supe ración de situaciones difíciles que el ser humano tenga que afrontar en las distintas etapas d e su vida, siendo la infancia nuestro ámbito de actuación

MIDS, a system for describing image content graphically for multimedia design

Thesis (M.S.V.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1989.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-87).by Sylvain Charles Morgaine.M.S.V.S

Development of satellite bloom detection products for coastal Oregon

Two bloom-detection products were developed for the Oregon coast that describe the relative percent change observed between successive pairs of 8-day chlorophyll-a (CHL) and fluorescence line-height (FLH) products obtained from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard the Aqua spacecraft (MODIS-Aqua). The CHL[subscript dev] and FLH[subscript dev] products, respectively, were optimized to detect bloom onset via satellite in a region typified by high-frequency biological variability at the time scale of days and persistent cloud cover. Daily CHL[subscript dev] and FLH[subscript dev] imagery highlights the geographic locations of greatest temporal change observed between weekly average CHL or FLH products over time, providing a way to track the onset and advection of algal blooms. "Bloom indices" based on CHL[subscript dev] and FLH[subscript dev] were developed as a temporal metric of regional-scale bloom events. Comparison of these indices to in situ mooring data collected off the central Oregon coast from summer 2009 through winter 2010 demonstrated successful detection of all upwelling-induced bloom events, plus a late-season harmful algal bloom associated with wind relaxation and warming surface waters. During summer and autumn of 2009, significant correlation was observed between blooms detected by the CHL[subscript dev] and FLH[subscript dev] indices and two in situ metrics of upwelling-favorable conditions: 1) temperature, with temporal lags of -1 (r=-0.41) and 0 days (r=-0.45), respectively, and wind stress, with temporal lags of +2 (r=-0.25 and -0.41, respectively). Consistent with the regional oceanography, winds were shown to be dominant drivers of observed blooms during the summer and autumn. Winter 2009 through spring 2010 yielded high-variability bloom indices, due to frequent, variable cloud coverage, and no significant correlation was observed between the indices and in situ data. Coupled with physical proxies collected via satellite or in situ, these products provide an excellent foundation for remote bloom detection in Oregon’s coastal waters and regions with similar biological and physical conditions

Above and Below : Oregon Coastal Phytoplankton Bloom Dynamics from Sea and Space

Phytoplankton are a sentinel class of organisms in the marine environment. Through their photosynthetic activity in sunlit waters worldwide, phytoplankton shape the health and productivity of marine ecosystems and impact the global climate. In this work a range of ocean sensing technologies (via ships, surf zone sampling, moorings, gliders, and satellites) are applied to investigate phytoplankton bloom dynamics from event to regional and climate scales along the Oregon coastal region, a productive eastern boundary upwelling regime. Chapters 2 and 3 investigate patterns in, and mechanisms behind, Oregon coastal harmful algal blooms (HABs). Chapter 2 presents the temporal and spatial occurrence of HAB events in this region and investigates ecological conditions associated with them. Elevated HAB activity was observed in 2009-2010 and coincided with anomalously warm ocean conditions, specifically a brief change in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) to a warm phase and a coincident El Nino event. Through these analyses, key parameters came to the forefront as informative to future monitoring efforts such as wind stress, a metric for when putative blooms may move on/off shore, particulate dissolved domoic acid in surface waters, and the abundance of Alexandrium spp. which appear to be strongly predictive of potential saxitoxin contamination of shellfish. Chapter 3 provides the first evidence of climatic regulation of domoic acid in shellfish over the past 20 years in the Northern California Current regime. The timing of elevated domoic acid and changes in plankton communities are found to be strongly related to warm phases of the PDO and the Oceanic Nino Index, an indicator of El Nino events. Based on these findings, a risk assessment model is developed to forecast bloom events. Chapter 4 explores patterns in the surface (horizontal) and depth (vertical) distribution of phytoplankton based on the universal autotrophic pigment chl-a. Results were considered with respect to season (upwelling or downwelling) and region (high chl-a nearshore to low chl-a offshore). Applications of glider-based primary productivity models to evaluating satellite-based estimates of ocean primary productivity are discussed. The research presented in this dissertation shows the power of long-term ocean observations from a variety of vantage points to describe the patterns and processes in the vast ocean that affect the tiniest of Earth's photosynthetic life

Urban Flourishing: BioSolar Effects on Urban Heat Island and Implications for Equity and Gentrification

Report completed by students enrolled in PA 8081: Planning and Public Affairs Capstone, taught by Professor Greg Lindsey in Spring 2021.This project was completed as part of a partnership between the Metropolitan Council and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). The goal of this project was to identify Biosolar systems’ impacts on the urban heat island and equity and green gentrification considerations to guide policymakers in the development of these systems. Metropolitan Council project lead Cameran J. Bailey collaborated with students in Professor Greg Lindsey’s course, PA 8081: Planning and Public Affairs Capstone, to conduct key informant interviews, perform spatial analyses on urban heat islands and gentrification within the Metropolitan Council’s jurisdiction, and to conduct an exploratory econometric analysis of gentrification as it relates to BioSolar elements within the Twin Cities area. A final student report, one-page summaries, and presentation are available. A videorecording of the students' final presentation is also available at https://vimeo.com/546094015.This project was supported by the Resilient Communities Project (RCP), a program at the University of Minnesota whose mission is to connect communities in Minnesota with U of MN faculty and students to advance community resilience through collaborative, course-based projects. RCP is a program of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA). More information at http://www.rcp.umn.edu

Digital Behavior Change Interventions for the Prevention and Management of Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Market Analysis

Background Advancements in technology offer new opportunities for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. Venture capital companies have been investing in digital diabetes companies that offer digital behavior change interventions (DBCIs). However, little is known about the scientific evidence underpinning such interventions or the degree to which these interventions leverage novel technology-driven automated developments such as conversational agents (CAs) or just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) approaches. Objective Our objectives were to identify the top-funded companies offering DBCIs for type 2 diabetes management and prevention, review the level of scientific evidence underpinning the DBCIs, identify which DBCIs are recognized as evidence-based programs by quality assurance authorities, and examine the degree to which these DBCIs include novel automated approaches such as CAs and JITAI mechanisms. Methods A systematic search was conducted using 2 venture capital databases (Crunchbase Pro and Pitchbook) to identify the top-funded companies offering interventions for type 2 diabetes prevention and management. Scientific publications relating to the identified DBCIs were identified via PubMed, Google Scholar, and the DBCIs’ websites, and data regarding intervention effectiveness were extracted. The Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program (DPRP) of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States was used to identify the recognition status. The DBCIs’ publications, websites, and mobile apps were reviewed with regard to the intervention characteristics. Results The 16 top-funded companies offering DBCIs for type 2 diabetes received a total funding of US $2.4 billion as of June 15, 2021. Only 4 out of the 50 identified publications associated with these DBCIs were fully powered randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Further, 1 of those 4 RCTs showed a significant difference in glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) outcomes between the intervention and control groups. However, all the studies reported HbA1c improvements ranging from 0.2% to 1.9% over the course of 12 months. In addition, 6 interventions were fully recognized by the DPRP to deliver evidence-based programs, and 2 interventions had a pending recognition status. Health professionals were included in the majority of DBCIs (13/16, 81%,), whereas only 10% (1/10) of accessible apps involved a CA as part of the intervention delivery. Self-reports represented most of the data sources (74/119, 62%) that could be used to tailor JITAIs. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the level of funding received by companies offering DBCIs for type 2 diabetes prevention and management does not coincide with the level of evidence on the intervention effectiveness. There is considerable variation in the level of evidence underpinning the different DBCIs and an overall need for more rigorous effectiveness trials and transparent reporting by quality assurance authorities. Currently, very few DBCIs use automated approaches such as CAs and JITAIs, limiting the scalability and reach of these solutions

Large-scale bloom of Akashiwo sanguinea in the Northern California current system in 2009

Significant seabird mortality on the Oregon (OR) and Washington (WA) coast in 2009 has been attributed to a massive bloom of the dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea (K. Hirasaka) G. Hansen & Ø. Moestrup. Initial, albeit limited, observations suggested this bloom began in WA and reached OR waters through southward transport. Here, we explore a combination of remote sensing products and an exceptional latitudinal dataset of plankton counts collected in the surfzone and offshore in OR and WA coastal waters. Records of satellite ocean color for this period support the new finding that blooms were concurrent in OR and WA waters, with no evidence for latitudinal propagation as had been previously suggested. Plankton analyses further indicate that there was a rapid and synchronized increase of A. sanguinea between late August and mid-September of 2009 along wide swaths of the OR and WA coasts. Bloom onset occurred during a prolonged quiescent and warm period in late August–early September, near the end of the March–October upwelling phase. An upwelling event in October likely contributed to foam production through vertical mixing of A. sanguinea rich waters. Bloom intensity peaked earlier and at higher levels in WA waters as compared to OR with cell concentrations exceeding 1.5 x 10⁶ cells L⁻¹ (WA) and ~350,000 cells L⁻¹ (OR). In OR samples, A. sanguinea cells comprised upwards of 90% of dinoflagellate cell counts and ~30% of total phytoplankton cells. At some locations, A. sanguinea persisted well into November–December of 2009, during which time satellite sea surface temperature records indicated anomalously warm surface waters (up to ~5°C greater than climatological means). Taken together, the data reveal a HAB event of a magnitude unprecedented in over a decade of observations. We hypothesize that these blooms originated from either a cryptic cyst bed and/or a pelagic seed bank of viable vegetative cells.Keywords: Upwelling, Seabird mortality, Cysts, Akashiwo sanguinea, HABS, Harmful algal blooms, Surf zone, DinoflagellatesKeywords: Upwelling, Seabird mortality, Cysts, Akashiwo sanguinea, HABS, Harmful algal blooms, Surf zone, Dinoflagellate

Phytoplankton composition from sPACE: Requirements, opportunities, and challenges

Ocean color satellites have provided a synoptic view of global phytoplankton for over 25 years through near surface measurements of the concentration of chlorophyll a. While remote sensing of ocean color has revolutionized our understanding of phytoplankton and their role in the oceanic and freshwater ecosystems, it is important to consider both total phytoplankton biomass and changes in phytoplankton community composition in order to fully understand the dynamics of the aquatic ecosystems. With the upcoming launch of NASA\u27s Plankton, Aerosol, Clouds, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, we will be entering into a new era of global hyperspectral data, and with it, increased capabilities to monitor phytoplankton diversity from space. In this paper, we analyze the needs of the user community, review existing approaches for detecting phytoplankton community composition in situ and from space, and highlight the benefits that the PACE mission will bring. Using this three-pronged approach, we highlight the challenges and gaps to be addressed by the community going forward, while offering a vision of what global phytoplankton community composition will look like through the “eyes” of PACE