Reservoir dogs and the noir male : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Media Studies at Massey University

This thesis presents a study of the noir male - the protagonist from the body of films known as film noir The purpose of the study is to show that a composite of the noir male character can be found constructed in Quentin Tarantino's 1992 directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs. This is achieved through a comparative study of film noir theory, especially as it relates to the noir male character, and Reservoir Dogs and it's characters. There are three parts. First is the establishment of the theoretical approach of neoformalism, predominantly as defined by Kristin Thompson in her 1988 text, Breaking the Glass Armor: Neoformalist Film Analysis. The second part is an examination of the theory of film noir, in order to draw a clear picture of what constitutes the characteristics of the noir male and his supporting environment. This includes the origins of film noir and the noir male; visual style; the urban setting; chronology of noir, common themes; the femme fatale; the noir protagonist himself; and neo noir It is a premise of the thesis that the nature of the noir male is encapsulated in, and reflected by, the common components of film noir films. This premise is supported in the discussion. The third part is a reading of Reservoir Dogs, with a focus on the characters and their interaction with the film, and each other. This includes discussion of the social influences which mark the environment of noir, the popular culture influence; the way Reservoir Dogs and noir challenge the spectator; discussion of the chronological structure of Reservoir Dogs, the relationship of transgression, which characterizes the noir male's interaction with the femme fatale role; the urban setting, and the theme and mood of film noir Drawing together these parts it is possible to conclude that the characters of Reservoir Dogs, supported by the environment and relationships created in the film, form a composite representation of the noir male

Renal Hyperfiltration and the Development of Microalbuminuria in Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine prospectively whether renal hyperfiltration is associated with the development of microalbuminuria in patients with type 1 diabetes, after taking into account known risk factors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study group comprised 426 participants with normoalbuminuria from the First Joslin Kidney Study, followed for 15 years. Glomerular filtration rate was estimated by serum cystatin C, and hyperfiltration was defined as exceeding the 97.5th percentile of the sex-specific distribution of a similarly aged, nondiabetic population (134 and 149 ml/min per 1.73 m2 for men and women, respectively). The outcome was time to microalbuminuria development (multiple albumin excretion rate >30 μg/min). Hazard ratios (HRs) for microalbuminuria were calculated at 5, 10, and 15 years. RESULTS: Renal hyperfiltration was present in 24% of the study group and did not increase the risk of developing microalbuminuria. The unadjusted HR for microalbuminuria comparing those with and without hyperfiltration at baseline was 0.8 (95% CI 0.4–1.7) during the first 5 years, 1.0 (0.6–1.7) during the first 10 years, and 0.8 (0.5–1.4) during 15 years of follow-up. The model adjusted for baseline known risk factors including A1C, age at diagnosis of diabetes, diabetes duration, and cigarette smoking resulted in similar HRs. In addition, incorporating changes in hyperfiltration status during follow-up had minimal impact on the HRs for microalbuminuria. CONCLUSION;S Renal hyperfiltration does not have an impact on the development of microalbuminuria in type 1 diabetes during 5, 10, or 15 years of follow-up.National Institutes of Health Grant (DK 041526

The Effects of Age, Gender, and 4-H Involvement on Life Skill Development

The study reported here examined the effects of age, gender, and 4-H involvement in clubs on life skill development of youth ages eight to 18 over a 12-month period. Regression analyses found age, gender, and 4-H involvement significantly influenced life skill development. Results found that females have higher levels of competencies in life skills at the start of the program and were more likely to change in these areas during the year than their male counterparts. This suggests changes in program designs may be needed to better engage, retain, and affect males in life skill development

Supersymmetry, quark confinement and the harmonic oscillator

We study some quantum systems described by noncanonical commutation relations formally expressed as [q,p]=ihbar(I + chi H), where H is the associated (harmonic oscillator-like) Hamiltonian of the system, and chi is a Hermitian (constant) operator, i.e. [H,chi]=0 . In passing, we also consider a simple (chi=0 canonical) model, in the framework of a relativistic Klein-Gordon-like wave equation.Comment: To be published in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical (2007

Ashfall Tephra in the Ogallala Group of the Great Plains: Characteristics and Significance

The Miocene Ogallala Group blankets the Great Plains east of the Rocky Mountains. This sheet of largely fluvial deposits, lying downwind of major silicic volcanic fields to the west, was ideally located to receive and preserve tephra from these fields. This investigation brings modern methods of tephrochronlogy to bear on the age and identity of Ogallala tephra. Results indicate that ~40 separate tephra layers, ranging in age from ~16.5–5.0 Ma, in the Ogallala. Most tephra came from Yellowstone hotspot sources. The relative frequency of hotspot tephra in the Ogallala matches that in more proximal regions to the west with peak intensities in the intervals ~16.5−15 Ma nd ~13.0−8.5 Ma. About 30 of the Ogallala tephra are correlated with tephra of known age the the Basin and Range to the west. Using the ages of correlative tephra to the west insight into the age of the Ogallala, the correlation of Ogallala tephra from region to region in the Great Plains, and sedimentation rates within the Ogallala. In the Ogallala sedimentation rates vary. The rates are lowest (3–9 m/Ma) in the Cap Rock Mbr. of the Ash Hollow Fm. along the Niobrara River and in undifferentiated Ogallala strata and in the undifferentiated Ogalala Gp. in NW Kansas. Rates of 40–80 m/Ma characterize the Valentine Fm. beneath the Cap Rock Mbr. Finally, one tephra, the 11.37 Ma Cougar Point Tuff XI, is recognized at 6 localies. This key horizon provides the first detailed structure contours within the Ogallala. These contours show a sharply increasing slope of the Ogallala west of 101° W that reflects the post–6 Ma tilt along the western edge of the Ogallala. East of 101º W the gradients mirror the gradients of the major rivers (1.3 to 1.6 m/km.). West of 101º W gradients increase and reach a maximun of 4.6 m/km at the crest of the Gangplank

Ashfall Tephra in the Ogallala Group of the Great Plains: Characteristics and Significance

The Miocene Ogallala Group blankets the Great Plains east of the Rocky Mountains. This sheet of largely fluvial deposits, lying downwind of major silicic volcanic fields to the west, was ideally located to receive and preserve tephra from these fields. This investigation brings modern methods of tephrochronlogy to bear on the age and identity of Ogallala tephra. Results indicate that ~40 separate tephra layers, ranging in age from ~16.5–5.0 Ma, in the Ogallala. Most tephra came from Yellowstone hotspot sources. The relative frequency of hotspot tephra in the Ogallala matches that in more proximal regions to the west with peak intensities in the intervals ~16.5−15 Ma nd ~13.0−8.5 Ma. About 30 of the Ogallala tephra are correlated with tephra of known age the the Basin and Range to the west. Using the ages of correlative tephra to the west insight into the age of the Ogallala, the correlation of Ogallala tephra from region to region in the Great Plains, and sedimentation rates within the Ogallala. In the Ogallala sedimentation rates vary. The rates are lowest (3–9 m/Ma) in the Cap Rock Mbr. of the Ash Hollow Fm. along the Niobrara River and in undifferentiated Ogallala strata and in the undifferentiated Ogalala Gp. in NW Kansas. Rates of 40–80 m/Ma characterize the Valentine Fm. beneath the Cap Rock Mbr. Finally, one tephra, the 11.37 Ma Cougar Point Tuff XI, is recognized at 6 localies. This key horizon provides the first detailed structure contours within the Ogallala. These contours show a sharply increasing slope of the Ogallala west of 101° W that reflects the post–6 Ma tilt along the western edge of the Ogallala. East of 101º W the gradients mirror the gradients of the major rivers (1.3 to 1.6 m/km.). West of 101º W gradients increase and reach a maximun of 4.6 m/km at the crest of the Gangplank

Dynamic transcription programs during ES cell differentiation towards mesoderm in serum versus serum-freeBMP4 culture

Expression profiling of embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation in the presence of serum has been performed previously. It remains unclear if transcriptional activation is dependent on complext growth factor mixtures in serum or whether this process is intrinsic to ES cells once the stem cell program has been inactivated. The aims of this study were to determine the transcriptional programs associated with the stem cell state and to characterize mesoderm differentiation between serum and serum-free culture

Renal Hyperfiltration and the Development of Microalbuminuria in Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE - The purpose of this study was to examine prospectively whether renal hyperfiltration is associated with the development of microalbuminuria in patients with type 1 diabetes, after taking into account known risk factors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - The study group comprised 426 participants with normoalbuminuria from the First Joslin Kidney Study, followed for 15 years. Glomerular filtration rate was estimated by serum cystatin C, and hyperfiltration was defined as exceeding the 97.5th percentile of the sex-specific distribution of a similarly aged, nondiabetic population (134 and 149 ml/min per 1.73 m2 for men and women, respectively). The outcome was time to microalbuminuria development (multiple albumin excretion rate >30 μg/min). Hazard ratios (HRs) for microalbuminuria were calculated at 5, 10, and 15 years. RESULTS - Renal hyperfiltration was present in 24% of the study group and did not increase the risk of developing microalbuminuria. The unadjusted HR for microalbuminuria comparing those with and without hyperfiltration at baseline was 0.8 (95% CI 0.4–1.7) during the first 5 years, 1.0 (0.6–1.7) during the first 10 years, and 0.8 (0.5–1.4) during 15 years of follow-up. The model adjusted for baseline known risk factors including A1C, age at diagnosis of diabetes, diabetes duration, and cigarette smoking resulted in similar HRs. In addition, incorporating changes in hyperfiltration status during follow-up had minimal impact on the HRs for microalbuminuria. CONCLUSIONS - Renal hyperfiltration does not have an impact on the development of microalbuminuria in type 1 diabetes during 5, 10, or 15 years of follow-up