Do You Fit the Alloy Mold? The Homogenization of Structure and Audience in the Television Adaptations of \u27Gossip Girl,\u27 \u27Pretty Little Liars,\u27 and \u27The Vampire Diaries\u27

This thesis explores the ways in which the television adaptations of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries become more homogenized during the adaptation process, thus contributing to an implied exclusivity from which Alloy, Inc.—the media and marketing company that owns these products—might benefit. This paper points out the ways in which the three products become structurally similar to one another during the adaptation process through the implementation of soap opera conventions. An exploration of consumption and class in each of the three works reveals an emphasis on class-based exclusivity in the adaptation process. Finally, a focus on portrayals of race within the source texts and their respective adaptations reveals the ways in which African American characters are presented as invisible, outsiders, or antagonists, thus creating products that become more exclusive on a race basis

Mapping poetry onto the visual arts : Carl Andre's Words

textAs innovative as his sculpture, Andre's visually oriented poetry, however, has yet to receive the same rigor of attention as his sculpture. His inventive use of poetic and visual form, which he described as poetry mapped onto the visual arts, provides a compelling example of the interrelationship of word and image, a practice, although often overlooked, that suffuses twentieth-century visual art and poetry. Whereas Andre produced approximately 1,500 poems over many decades, this project focuses on his Words installation, the largest permanently installed collection of Andre's poems in the world. In 1995, Andre gifted 465 pages of poetry to the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. Andre's experiments with genre, including lyrics, autobiographies, novels, odes, and operas, push literary convention to the edge of irreconcilability. Despite the array of genres, I argue that all of the disparate kinds of writing found in Words demonstrate Andre's poetic sensibility. Until recently the critical discussion of Andre's poems proceeded as a one-sided discourse, which advanced the notion that this large body of work was best suited to enhancing the understanding of Andre's sculptural practice. To redress the one-sidedness of the discourse requires approaching Andre not only as a sculptor who made poems, but also as a poet deeply engaged in the visual qualities of his poetics. Engaging the spirit of the "make it new" sensibility of modernist poetics, Andre developed his own practice by "mapping language on the conventions and usages of 20thcentury abstract art."¹ Andre's poetry operates in the space between art and language. In this space we find Andre's engagement with poetic history, particularly the innovations of Ezra Pound, his relationship to important poetic developments such as fragmentation and quotation, and his experimentation with poetry as a visual medium. An examination of Andre's poetic oeuvre, the publication and exhibition history of his poems, and the manner of critical attention given to the poems from the 1960s onward contextualizes Andre's practice of mapping poetry onto the visual arts, while also bridging the gap in discourse between the fields of art and poetry.Art Histor

Sleep-Wake Disturbances in Adolescents with Spina Bifida: Prevalence and Associations with Bio-Neuropsychosocial Functioning

Sleep is a critical component of healthy development during adolescence, and when disrupted, has been linked to difficulties with physical status, psychological health, family functioning, neuropsychological symptoms, and academic performance. The overarching goal of this project was to examine sleep-wake disturbances in association with bio-neuropsychosocial functioning in a vulnerable pediatric population of adolescents with spina bifida (SB). Specifically, this study aimed to 1) examine sleep-wake patterns in adolescents with SB using a multimodal sleep assessment, 2) identify daily temporal associations between sleep and pain as well as sleep and mood, and 3) identify the relationship between sleep-wake disturbances and bio-neuropsychosocial functioning in adolescents with SB. Sleep-wake patterns in adolescents ages 12 to 18 with SB (N = 37) were compared to a matched comparison group of typically developing (TD) peers (N = 37). A subjective and objective sleep assessment was conducted; ambulatory actigraphy recordings was completed over 10 days, and adolescents completed several sleep questionnaires (e.g., sleep quality, pre-sleep arousal) and a daily diary. In addition, adolescents and parents completed questionnaires to assess physical (pain, BMI), psychological (internalizing symptoms, health-related quality of life), family (conflict, cohesion), neuropsychological (attention, executive function), and academic functioning (school competence, grades). Study findings revealed that adolescents with SB experienced higher rates of sleep-wake disturbances compared to their typically developing peers. Results of actigraphy and questionnaire report data found that adolescents were particularly at-risk for reduced sleep quantity (i.e., lower total sleep time) and poor sleep quality (i.e., difficulties with bedtime settling and staying asleep). Adolescents with SB also experienced higher levels of daytime fatigue compared to their peers. Sleep-wake disturbances were associated with every domain of adolescent functioning within the bio-neuropsychosocial model. In particular, there were consistent data to support the connection between nighttime sleep disturbances and psychological maladjustment (i.e., internalizing, quality of life). To a lesser extent, nighttime sleep disturbances were linked to worse physical health (pain, BMI) and family functioning (family conflict). Furthermore, daytime sleepiness and/or fatigue, but not nighttime sleep disturbances, predicted worse neuropsychological and academic functioning, including inattention/hyperactivity, executive dysfunction, and lower school grades. Ongoing evaluation and treatment of sleep disturbances will be critical to optimize health and functioning in this vulnerable pediatric population

Consuming transgenic goats' milk containing the antimicrobial protein lysozyme helps resolve diarrhea in young pigs.

Childhood diarrhea is a significant problem in many developing countries and E. coli is a main causative agent of diarrhea in young children. Lysozyme is an antimicrobial protein highly expressed in human milk, but not ruminant milk, and is thought to help protect breastfeeding children against diarrheal diseases. We hypothesized that consumption of milk from transgenic goats which produce human lysozyme (hLZ-milk) in their milk would accelerate recovery from bacterial-induced diarrhea. Young pigs were used as a model for children and infected with enterotoxigenic E. coli. Once clinical signs of diarrhea developed, pigs were fed hLZ-milk or non-transgenic control goat milk three times a day for two days. Clinical observations and complete blood counts (CBC) were performed. Animals were euthanized and samples collected to assess differences in histology, cytokine expression and bacterial translocation into the mesenteric lymph node. Pigs consuming hLZ-milk recovered from clinical signs of infection faster than pigs consuming control milk, with significantly improved fecal consistency (p = 0.0190) and activity level (p = 0.0350). The CBC analysis showed circulating monocytes (p = 0.0413), neutrophils (p = 0.0219), and lymphocytes (p = 0.0222) returned faster to pre-infection proportions in hLZ-milk fed pigs, while control-fed pigs had significantly higher hematocrit (p = 0.027), indicating continuing dehydration. In the ileum, pigs fed hLZ-milk had significantly lower expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8 (p = 0.0271), longer intestinal villi (p<0.0001), deeper crypts (p = 0.0053), and a thinner lamina propria (p = 0.0004). These data demonstrate that consumption of hLZ-milk helped pigs recover from infection faster, making hLZ-milk an effective treatment of E. coli-induced diarrhea

India's nuclear power program : a study of India's unique approach to nuclear energy

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-57).India is in the middle of the biggest expansion of nuclear power in its history, adding 20 GWe in the next 14 years in the form of pressure water reactors and fast breeder reactors. At the same time, the United States is overturning decades of policy in order to resume the export of nuclear materials to India, opening up the possibility of private investors in the Indian nuclear industry for the first time. This is a period of progress and turmoil in India's nuclear power program. This thesis seeks to describe and analyze India's nuclear prospects and to qualitatively assess the system's strengths and weaknesses. Using the inception of the country's nuclear power program as a starting point, this thesis will trace India's nuclear lineage to the present. In the process, it will evaluate what makes the Indian program unique, and why it may not be ideal for India that the United States is finally renewing its offers of a cooperative nuclear alliance.by Caitlin Lenore Murray.S.B

Social-Environmental Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life in Youth with Spina Bifida

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a multidimensional construct including an individual\u27s physical and mental health and psychosocial well-being (De Civita et al., 2005), and the measurement of HRQOL has been recognized as a key marker of health outcomes in pediatric populations (Eiser & Jenney, 2007). Due to medical and technological advances, an increasing number of individuals with chronic illnesses are living longer. As such, research that investigates improvements in HRQOL in youth with chronic illnesses has become essential. Indeed, the number of studies examining HRQOL in pediatric populations has increased markedly; spina bifida (SB) is one among several chronic illnesses that has received increased attention with regard to HRQOL assessment in the past decade (see Sawin & Bellin, 2010 for a review). The experience of a chronic illness may have deleterious consequences on several aspects of a youth\u27s life. In particular, SB is a relatively common congenital birth defect associated with a multitude of physical and cognitive impairments (e.g., orthopedic abnormalities, urinary and bowel difficulties; Fletcher & Brei, 2010) as well as individual and contextual social-environmental difficulties (e.g., poor social competence, a stressful family environment; Alriksson-schmidt, Wallander, & Biasini, 2007). Due to the range of physical, cognitive, and social impairments associated with this condition, youth with SB may be at an increased risk of reduced HRQOL. Research on HRQOL for children and adolescents with SB has begun to identify demographic, illness-related, and social-environmental factors that are associated with HRQOL. Elucidating factors that influence HRQOL is an important step in informing the development of interventions to improve HRQOL in youth with SB. Thus far, extant research investigating HRQOL in youth with SB has tended to focus on non-modifiable demographic and illness-specific correlates, such as age, gender, and degree of mobility impairment. Studies examining modifiable social-environmental factors on youth\u27s HRQOL may be particularly important in informing future interventions for youth with SB. In addition, despite the importance of this work, current research has several methodological weaknesses, including the utilization of mixed samples, small sample sizes, single informants, and cross-sectional designs. The current study seeks to address these weaknesses and bridge critical gaps in the literature by testing a longitudinal, multi-method and multi-informant model of individual and contextual social-environmental predictors of HRQOL in youth with SB across two independent studies (see Figure 1). The following sections provide a general overview of historical and current conceptualizations, measurement issues related to quality of life as a construct, and an extensive review of studies that have investigated demographic, illness-specific, and social-environmental correlates of HRQOL in youth with SB. Methodological weaknesses and gaps in current literature are identified and a detailed description of the current study is provided

National level indicators for gender, poverty, food security, nutrition and health in Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) activities

At the global, regional and national levels, governments, donors, research institutions, non-government organizations and private companies are more strategically linking climate change and agriculture development activities, through initiatives such as the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA). In this context, it is necessary to have robust metrics and indicators for measuring progress towards CSA-related goals. This requires strategic selection of indicators to assess the type of impact (negative/positive) of adaptation and mitigation activities on specific societal groups (e.g. ethnic groups, women, youth, etc.) to ensure livelihoods are positively impacted by CSA interventions. Gender, poverty, food security, nutrition and health indicators have not been extensively used in CSA programming and planning to date. In this paper, we review a range of gender, poverty, food security, nutrition and health indicators relevant for national planning processes for CSA promotion and scale out. We focus on the CSA CPs developed by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in collaboration with the CGIAR research program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS). The CSA CPs are being developed as an instrument to open dialogues on the baseline situation, identifying opportunities, and challenges for CSA in various countries. The CPs are generated by the CGIAR CCAFS program with national partners, especially those involved in CSA related planning processes, to feed into analytical multi-stakeholder processes to prioritize CSA investment portfolios for scale-up and scale out. Using a ranking system based on data relevance, availability, and applicability to multiple national contexts, we identified a set of indicators that respond to the need for better integration of gender, poverty, food security, nutrition and health concerns when approaching CSA. Strengthened integration of poverty reduction, food security and gender equality indicators into CSA assessments, including the CPs, has been identified by CCAFS as a priority to strengthen the focus on resilience/adaptation efforts, specifically highlighting evidences of gender differences. It can also serve to highlight potential gaps in availability of and access to resources and capacities to adopt CSA practices and technologies among different societal groups (women, men, youth, ethnic groups). Rather than re-invent new indicators, it is important that, where possible, existing national-level indicators can be repurposed for tracking CSA impacts over time on poverty reduction, food security and gender equality outcomes