The changing imagery of the big bad wolf

[Abstract] The current work is part of the author’s ecosemiotic analysis of Norwegian/Scandinavian wolf management in the period 1855-2010. In Norway, as in several other countries, wolf management is controversial. For some on the countryside it has come to symbolize the ignorant hostility (and imperialistic tendencies) of the urban elites. There is a wide gap between perceptions on the conservation side and in the antagonistic camp, and the proper role of folklore — which is considered by wolf ecologists as unscientific — has never been agreed upon. Field observations confirm that the political and cultural strife has little basis in actual wolf ecology — sheep, for instance, which play a marginal role in Scandinavian wolf diet, are currently major players in popular imagery (and, ironically, management policies) only. As symbols have grown and developed, cultural representations of wolves appear, at least in part, to have decoupled from ecological reality. In what ways have our conceptions of wolves changed from the extermination campaigns of the 19th century to the conservation efforts of our generation? To what extent have wolves, in modern times as well as earlier, symbolized human traits, religious ideas etc., and to what extent have they represented actual phenomena of nature? By offering a series of examples of animal representations involving wolves — in fiction and popular culture, in myths and in legends — I will inquire into these questions, aiming at approving our understanding of how human cultures has co-evolved not only with wolves, but further with a rich human imagery of these creatures, the infamous ancestors of man’s bes

Uexkülli fenomenoloogia ja omailma üleminekud: Norra hundipopulatsiooni majandamise ökosemiootiline analüüs

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.Käesoleva väitekirja peamiseks ülesandeks on anda oma panus omailma mõistete ja mudelite arendamisse (omailmateooriasse Uexkülli-järgses traditsioonis) ning kirjeldada semiootilisi mehhanisme, mis Skandinaavias huntide ja lammaste populatsioonide reguleerimisel esinevad, pöörates põhitähelepanu loomade märgilistele suhetele inimesega. Norra huntide majandamise juhtumianalüüsi kasutatakse töös, testimaks väitekirjas arendatud teoreetiliste mõistete ja mudelite rakendamist. Väitekiri koosneb seitsmest avaldatud artiklist. Kolmes artiklis analüüsitakse Uexkülli mõistestikku ning arendatakse seda edasi, lähtudes diakroonilisest fenomenoloogiast; kaks artiklit on pühendatud inimökoloogia globaalsetele aspektidele ning kaks tegelevad detailsemalt tänapäevase Norra hundiökoloogia ökosemiootilise analüüsiga. Väitekirja keskseks mõisteks on omailma üleminek, mis on uexküllilik mõiste keskkonnamuutuse kohta. Uexküllilik fenomenoloogia erineb enamikust fenomenoloogia suundadest selle poolest, et see pole teadvusekeskne ning ei asu fenomenide tegelikkuse küsimuses neutraalsele positsioonile. Omailma üleminek — ehk keskkonnamuutus sellisena, nagu see avaldub subjektiivsel ja kogemuslikul tasandil — erineb füsikokeemilisest keskkonnamuutuse mõistest, olles laiema mõistena kasutatav ühtaegu bioloogias (nii arengu- kui evolutsioonilises bioloogias) ja kultuuriteadustes. Töös kirjeldatakse inimese omailma kolmetist mudelit (rakendatavana koos fenomeniväljadega ning üldistades nii, et seda saaks rakendada loomadele üldiselt). Doktoritöös järeldatakse, et hundikaitse väljavaateid määravad oluliselt hundi sümbolilisusest tulenevad negatiivsed aspektid, mis Norra kontekstis peegeldavad põllumajanduslikke arenguid.The main task of this dissertation is to contribute to the development of Umwelt concepts and models – Umwelt theory in the tradition after Jakob von Uexküll – and to attempt to describe the semiotic mechanisms that regulate the wolf and sheep populations in Scandinavia, especially through their interaction with the human species. The case study on Norwegian wolf management is used as a test case for the application of theoretical concepts and models developed in the thesis. The thesis includes seven published papers. While three of them provide analysis of Uexküll's conceptual apparatus and develop it in terms of a diachronic phenomenological approach, two are devoted to mapping of global aspects of human ecology and two to ecosemiotic analysis of current Norwegian wolf ecology. The core concept of this work is Umwelt transition, which represents an Uexküllian notion of environmental change. Uexküllian phenomenology differs from most established phenomenologies by not being consciousness-centred, and by not adopting neutrality with regard to the reality status of phenomena. Umwelt transition – environmental change as manifested at the subjective, experiential level – differs from the mainstream, physio-chemical notion of environmental change in that it is a wider notion applicable in biology (both developmental and evolutionary) and cultural studies alike. A tripartite model of the human Umwelt (applicable in combination with phenomenal fields – and generalised so as to apply to animals in general) is sketched. The thesis eventually establishes that future wolf symbolicity in its negative aspects – in the Norwegian context mirroring agricultural developments – will determine the prospects of wolf conservation

Glass

This project is a full walking simulator video game and includes a demonstration of a variety of game design and development skills, including pre-development documentation, narration, game design audio, graphics, post-processing, UI elements and animation. Additionally, the project promotes the author’s ability in creative writing, and involves mental health subject matter with a focus on trauma processing, hypnosis, and survivor’s guilt

Glass: A Student Game Design

This project is a full walking simulator video game and includes a demonstration of a variety of game design and development skills, including pre-development documentation, narration, game design audio, graphics, post-processing, UI elements and animation. Additionally, the project promotes the author’s ability in creative writing, and involves mental health subject matter with a focus on trauma processing, hypnosis, and survivor’s guilt

Regional Air Quality Concerns in the West: Acid Deposition and Ozone

22 pages. Contains 3 pages of references

Assessing the Temporality of Adverse Effects of Vaccines in the NICU

Introduction: Premature infants have an increased risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases and experience worse outcomes. Evidence supports keeping them on a regular vaccination schedule, but it is often delayed, partly because preterm infants have an increased incidence of cardiorespiratory events compared to term infants. The aim of our study was to determine if immunizations in the NICU contribute to an increased number of adverse events. Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center, observational study with the target population infants born at less than 32 weeks gestation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital who received the two-month vaccination series in the NICU. The primary outcome was the number of cardiorespiratory events (apnea, bradycardia, and desaturations) in the 72 hours before and after immunization. Main predictors were history of NEC, BPD, and IVH. Data was retrieved from Epic and analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) with Poisson link to compare incidence between pre- and post-immunization. Results: 37 neonates met inclusion criteria. Incidence rate ratio (IRR) between pre-and post-immunization was 2.1 for desaturation (95% CI: 1.21-3.63; p = 0.008), 3.5 for bradycardia (95% CI: 0.97-12.58; p = 0.05), and 1.33 for apnea (95% CI: 0.26-6.94; p = 0.732). Conclusion: The results support links between immunization and increased risk of desaturation and bradycardia but did not provide significant evidence to support a link with increased risk of apnea. This indicates that neonates who experience frequent cardiorespiratory events should be closely monitored or have two-month immunizations delayed. Next steps include studying other centers to increase sample size

Renovation Markup Factors for Public and Private Campus Construction

Construction estimates are an important part of the construction industry. Both owners and contractors require accurate estimates. Owners of both public and private institutional campuses require accurate estimates to plan resources and efficiently allocate funds. Contractors require accurate estimates to win projects and generate profits. Markup is a factor that estimators apply to certain items, systems, or to the total cost of a bid to cover overhead, profit, and other indirect costs. To understand why contractors markup prices, a two-part questionnaire was established to first explore the price difference on renovation projects and then explore the factors that affect construction markup. A comparison was sought between two location, one a public institutional campus and the other a private institutional campus. This research identifies the benefits of how this pricing and the established factors can help owners, contractors, and consultants alike. Similarly, the research looks at the barriers of the study and how the study can be improved and implemented by others. The results found in this research established two new factors and ranked 19 factors that affect markup. The top five factors established from this research affecting markup on the public institutional campus is: profitability, risk, subcontractor market conditions, market conditions, and need for work. The top five factors established from this research affecting markup on the private institutional campus is: profitability, market conditions, need for work, contractor markup, and complexity of project

5-Amino-2,4,6-triiodo­isophthalic acid monohydrate

The title compound, C8H4I3NO4·H2O, shows an extensive hydrogen-bond network; in the crystal structure, mol­ecules are linked by O—H⋯O, N—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds involving all possible donors and also the water mol­ecule

Fair trade in South Africa : an assessment of fair trade in the South African wine sector.

Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.This study explores fair trade in the South African wine sector. It was motivated by different opinions with regard to fair trade products and the international trading system, as well as personal interest in how to improve the lives of the workers in the South, especially women. Although more fair trade would not improve the lives of all the poor people in countries in the South, it can be a beginning of ending this major problem as well as making the international trading system more equal. Although this study was limited by time and length, it gives the reader an insight in how production of fair trade wine in South Africa is different than other non-fair trade production