Unspeakable terrain : visualising ontological terror in performance

This paper presented at the 2010 ADSA Conference held at the Australian National University draws upon my practice based research submitted for a Master of Animateuring (Cross Modal Performance) at the faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts- Melbourne University. Aviary which premiered at the Living Museum of the West in 2006 (a visual space-specific performance during which only one word was uttered) was used as an exemplar of my practice revealing how ontological terror can only be artistically represented through carefully chosen veils, two of which can be made explicit through an analysis of the aesthetic conventions of the liminal uncanny and the traumatic sublime. <br /

Urge urinary incontinence and the brain factor

Aims To evaluate cognitive processing in elderly women with urge incontinence as compared to continent cohorts by measuring performance on neuropsychological tests of working memory, attention and inhibition. To measure speed of information processing, intensity of bladder filling sensation, and urine volume at a first desire (FDV) and strong desire to void (SDV), and level of attentional demands. Methods Test measures included Operation and Reading Span, Wisconsin Card‐Sorting, Stroop Color Reading, Map Planning, and Maze Speed tests. A Likert scale measured bladder filling sensation intensity at FDV and SDV. An Attentional Demands Survey measured perceived attentional demands. Results Women with urge incontinence had a mean severity index of 4.71 ± 2.7 with 84% demonstrating urge incontinence and 16% with mixed urge/stress incontinence. They experienced a FDV and a SDV to void at a lower bladder filling intensity with significantly smaller volumes of urine in the bladder compared to controls. Incontinent women also perceived significantly higher attentional demands but were not significantly different than controls on tests of executive function. Conclusions While observations from neuroimaging provide evidence of differences between women with urge incontinence and controls in regional brain activity, efforts need to be made to decipher how these differences in metabolic activity relate to the fluid operations that create thoughts, decisions, and behavior. Neurourol. Urodynam. 32: 441–448, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98783/1/22357_ftp.pd

A study of adipogenic development in the skin dermis

With the rise of obesity, the process of fat development, adipogenesis, is increasingly important to understand. In particular, several studies have indicated differences in the developmental origins and properties of different adipose depots. This thesis is concerned with adipogenesis in the recently identified adipose tissue depot in the lower dermis of the skin, divided from the underlying subcutaneous fat by the panniculus carnosus muscle layer in rodents. The study was aimed at developing new experimental tools, and providing new insights into the timing of adipose tissue development in this depot in mice. Experiments also explored the process of mitotic clonal expansion, and miRNAs in adipogenesis. Essential to the study of adipogenesis in developing skin is the establishment of model systems that reflect events in vivo and that are capable of being manipulated experimentally. Two models: a substrate organ culture system and a 3D cell aggregate spherical model were developed and refined. These were then used for investigation into the timing of adipogenesis in the lower dermis. Staining of C/EBPα transcription factor and lipids in spherical cell culture revealed that cells between the ages of E14.5 and E18.5 were committed to undergo adipogenesis. This early timing of events was further suggested by collagen IV staining of mouse back skin showing distinct differences in expression between the upper and lower dermis at E14.5. The first stage of adipogenesis in vitro, mitotic clonal expansion, was also explored. Experiments showed important differences between the uniform sequence of events of adipogenesis in vitro and the range of scenarios in 3D systems suggesting clonal expansion might not be necessary. Finally, a preliminary study on the role of miRNAs in skin adipogenesis was conducted using qPCR. This yielded some interesting initial trends which can be further investigated in future studies

Advanced Math Curriculum - ACT Prep and Pre-College Algebra

The purpose of this thesis was to create a non-traditional Advanced Mathematics course paired with Math XL® for School (MXL) for senior-level students with low ACT Math scores. The Advanced Math course was created with the purpose of helping students increase their ACT Math scores and preparing them for first-year college math, College Algebra. The course was taught at a private high school in Louisiana for the 2014-2015 school year and is attached to this thesis as an appendix. Upon completion of this course, the participating students achieved an average increase of 3.1 points in their ACT Math scores. After a review of the ACT score data for the graduating class of 2014 in Louisiana, it is clear that a course of this design is a necessity for college readiness. This thesis discusses the aforementioned ACT data and the statistics on the number of students who enroll in and complete remedial college courses. Additionally, the thesis discusses the creation of the Advanced Math course and its resources, a description of the course, and a brief description of a few other ACT preparation programs. The appendix of this thesis includes Binder #1, which contains the blank resources for notes, test reviews, and chapter tests that students use throughout the school year. This binder also contains a tentative calendar for the year and a description of each chapter and section. Binder #2 contains the teacher edition of Binder #1 and is not included in the appendix. Binder #3 and Binder #4 contain the MXL assignments for the ACT Prep fall semester and the Pre-College Algebra spring semester. Like Binder #2, these binders are not included in the appendix but are available upon request

Organisational forgetting:The food safety risk associated with unintentional knowledge loss

Background: Organisational forgetting is associated with unintentional knowledge loss that makes both food businesses and consumers vulnerable to a food safety incident. It is essential that food businesses have strategies and processes in place to minimise unintentional knowledge loss to ensure that essential knowledge is retained, maintained and stays valid. Scope and approach: The aim of this paper is to consider the risk associated with unintentional food safety knowledge loss at individual, organisational and inter-organisational levels. The research approach employed was to undertake a review of existing literature to frame the conceptual research. Screening of both academic and grey literature demonstrated a distinct knowledge gap i.e., there is limited previous research considering the concept of unintentional knowledge loss and its impact on food safety. Case study examples explore the academic theory in more depth. Key findings and conclusions: Three aspects of organisational forgetting are considered in the context of food safety: organisational amnesia, organisational memory decay, and supply chain déjà-vu. The first two aspects operate at the organisational level and the third at the supply chain level. To overcome the risk of unintentional loss, organisational and interorganisational knowledge needs to be effectively mapped and a knowledge retention policy needs to be developed, implemented and maintained that addresses all types of organisational and interorganisational knowledge, but especially food safety knowledge

Out of the ruins - Australian sites, inspirited landscapes and the social sacred

The PhD reveals the Australian landscape as inspirited with all that has been, and replete with beings and becomings. The research demonstrates how site-specific creative practice can open our awareness to the materiality of history and in doing so, reawaken the sacred in relation to the deep ecological mesh, the human-non-human community to which we all belong

The spectre of grief...visualising ontological terror in performance

This thesis argues that ontological terror is a burgeoning condition ingrained within our collective human psyche which can only be artistically represented through carefully chosen veils, two of which can be made explicit through an analysis of the aesthetic conventions of the liminal uncanny and the traumatic sublime. Artistic depiction of terror is realisable only through the reflections that are cast from it, the sum of which, make up these veils. The experience of terror is intimately aligned with the threat inherent within an experience of trauma or grief and the visual performance outcome of the Masters research Aviary, produced at the Living Museum of the West in 2006 is best understood as a representation of the mournful and desolate reflections that shimmered off a central moment of unspeakable terror.<br /

The role of women in United Kingdom farm businesses

The global empowerment of women has been, and remains to be, a continuing issue, especially within the workplace. The agribusiness industry is no exception, where continuation of gender bias and stereotypes positions women as under-represented. This qualitative study examines the self-identified roles of women in United Kingdom (UK) farm businesses through interviewing individual participants in the sector (n=8). The literature highlights four roles: which form a theoretical framework to structure the interviews. Findings show five emergent self-identification of role characterisations. Thus, while externally identified roles consider women’s status and contribution in a siloed job role structure, the multiplicity of roles that women undertake are much more nuanced and contiguous. The research contribution is an understanding of the variance and multiplicity of tasks undertaken which indicate the extensive work and contributory efforts that women instinctively provide to the farming business and the farm household structure. Findings contribute by establishing a new conceptualisation of the contributions of women to farm businesses informing rural policymakers, to consider the roles of women at farm household level rather than simply focussing on the gender characteristics of the principal farmer

Smart Systems:The Role of Advanced Technologies in Improving Business Quality, Performance and Supply Chain Integration

Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and Smart Systems (SS) have become an important focus for industry, especially in the manufacturing and retail sectors. The aim of this paper is to analyse the importance of SS and their re-lated technologies towards improving business performance. Through an initial systematic review of sixty-one papers, the authors identify six key determinants that lead to the effective application of SS in business systems namely; application of effective managerial skills, supply chain integration, financial analysis, business performance, strategic/operational capabilities and, technologies. The work then goes on to develop an industry case study that informs thinking on the capabilities of smart technologies in collaborative working environments and then onto the development of a practice focused framework for future research. This study identifies that the implementation of SS within organisations not only improves business performance but their supply chains too through the effective integration of business activities and systems and, through the degree to which communication and decision-making is being facilitated between humans and devices. This leads to the improvement of quality, speed of information and, information sharing. The study also finds that there is a lack of systems standards that currently govern IoT/SS integration and data security within businesses