Economic advantages of a municipal motor truck terminal in Boston, Massachusetts

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston Universit

An Investigation into How Engagement with the Context and Processes of Collaborative Devising Affects the Praxis of the Playwright: A Practice-as-Research PhD

The central research inquiry of this dissertation is how the experience of working within a collaborative context, employing the processes of devising, affects a playwright. It springs from the presentiment that the processes of devising are significantly different than traditional playwriting methodologies and have the potential to offer short and long-term benefits to both playwright and collaborators. A central focus of the dissertation is the figure of the writer-deviser as a distinctive artist with a particular skillset developed from both devising praxis and standard playwright training (which traditionally does not emphasise collaborative theatre-making). This dissertation therefore examines the historical and contemporary context of the writer-deviser in order to provide a foundation for the presentation and exegesis of my practice-as-research: a play written via the devising process and another play written as a solo playwright. The Introduction to this dissertation serves the function of presenting the central research query and associated areas for exploration. It outlines my methodological approach, placing it within the context of the discourse on performance-related practice-as-research, whilst identifying a gap within this discourse of the treatment of the playwright. Chapter One presents an overview of devising in its historical and contemporary context. The chapter also functions to identify positive aspects of devising which may aid a playwright’s development, and, alternatively, pinpoint problematic issues associated with devising. Chapter Two provides an overview of pedagogical approaches to playwright development. Original research is presented via a playwrights’ survey on training and experiences of devising. Pedagogical approaches which may aid the writer-deviser are identified, and areas of weakness revealed. Chapter Three defines the concept of the writer-deviser, incorporating challenges to the dramatic/postdramatic and text/performance binaries. This is achieved through commentary on historical and contemporary examples of writers working in a collaborative context. Chapter Four further develops the figure of the writer-deviser through a case study of Bryony Lavery, providing a close analysis of two scripts created using devising methodology, and one written as a solo playwright. Chapter Five presents the exegesis of practice-as-research section of this dissertation, with reference to the devised play The 9.21 to Shrub Hill and the non-devised play Playground, which are presented in a section entitled ‘Playscripts’. An outline of the process of both productions is provided, linked closely to the discourse of the preceding chapters of this dissertation. Based on a comparison of the two processes, findings are revealed and suggestions for other writer-deviser practitioners and devising companies are presented in a Toolkit. The conclusion reflects on the argument of the dissertation and its realization within the playscripts, and highlights areas for further investigation

Superfluid Helium Orbital Resupply Coupling

The resupply of superfluid helium to satellites and other space-based experiment packages can increase the useful longevity of these devices far beyond their present life expectancies which are many times determined by the supply of helium coolant. The transfer of superfluid helium to spacecraft in space will require a reusable coupling that functions at 1.8 Kelvin with little heat leak and low pressure drop. Moog has designed the Helium Resupply Coupling to meet these operational requirements. Initially, the coupling manual mode operation will be demonstrated on orbit by an EVA crew member during the Space Shuttle borne Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer (SHOOT) experiment. The ultimate application will use robotic (automatic) coupling operation to which the present design readily adapts. The utilization of Moog's exclusive Rotary Shut-Off (RSO) technology in the development of the Superfluid Helium Resupply Coupling is described. The coupling not only performs the function of a flow control valve and disconnect but also provides adequate safety features for a shuttle launched man-rated payload. In addition, the coupling incorporates the necessary features to provide the high thermal isolation of the internal flow path from the external environment

Book Review: Drama, Performance, and Polity in Pre-Cromwellian Ireland

'In tracing the progress of society,' observed Joseph Cooper Walker in 1788, we discover the Drama amongst the first amusements of man. It is therefore very extraordinary that we cannot discover any vestiges of the Drama amongst the remains of the Irish Bard'. Walker's Historical Essay on the Irish Stage' stands at the beginning of Irish theatre history as a discipline, a distinction it shares with Robert Hitchcock's History of the Irish Stage. From the beginning, Cooper and Hitchcock define what would become one of Irish theatre's central puzzles: why was there no theatre in pre-conquest Gaelic culture

Teaching Writing for Performance Online: Creative Approaches to the Online Workshop

This paper builds on my on-going research into the playwright’s role within the collaborative devising process, which includes questioning traditional pedagogical approaches to writing for the stage. In addition, it references the practical experience of developing and teaching modules focused on the craft of playmaking for the online Theatre Studies BA at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance. Although there may appear to be a disconnection between encouraging playwrights to engage with collaborative theatre making and the mainly asynchronous nature of an online degree, where students often work in isolation, the core tenet of this ‘Perspectives’ piece is that all teaching of playwriting, regardless of whether it is online or not, needs to move beyond the traditional classroom/workshop approach. Whilst the pedagogical framework that sees students engage in text-based studies of scripts and books about writing cannot be entirely abandoned, students benefit from a more embodied approach, which reminds them that they are writing for a medium which communicates in a multi-faceted way and is negotiated in the moment, so that they gain a more holistic understanding of how a script might be interpreted in live performance. Drawing on both my practice as a playwright and dramaturg, and my work in online teaching, I argue that there is potential to treat the ‘Zoom room’ as workshop, where students can work together, improvise, and treat their screens as spaces for experimentation and performance. In addition, this more dynamic approach helps to prepare students for a rapidly evolving theatre ecology, which had embraced digital technology long before Covid-19 entered our lives

Mammalian skeletal muscle fibres promote non-muscle stem cells and non-stem cells to adopt myogenic characteristics

Skeletal muscle fibres are unique cells in large animals, often composed of thousands of post-mitotic nuclei. Following skeletal muscle damage, resident stem cells called satellite cells commit to myogenic differentiation and migrate to carry out repair. Satellite stem cells migrate on muscle fibres through amoeboid movement which relies on dynamic cell membrane extension and retraction (blebbing). It is not known whether blebbing is due to intrinsic properties of satellite cells or induced by features of the myofibre surface. Here we determined the influence of the muscle fibre matrix on two important features of muscle regeneration: the ability to migrate and to differentiate down a myogenic lineage. We show that the muscle fibre is able to induce amoeboid movement in non-muscle stem cells and non-stem cells. Secondly we show that prolonged co-culture on myofibres caused amniotic fluid stem cells and breast cancer cells to express MyoD, a key myogenic determinant. Finally we show that amniotic fluid stem cells co-cultured on myofibres are able to fuse and make myotubes that express Myosin Heavy Chain

Resistin expression and regulation in mouse pituitary

AbstractResistin, a new adipocytokine, is expressed in human, rat and mouse adipose tissue. Its putative role as a mediator of insulin resistance is controversial. We hypothesized that resistin, in common with leptin, has multiple roles in non-adipose tissues. Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) we show that the resistin gene (Retn) is expressed in mouse brain (hypothalamus and cortex) and pituitary gland. Immunohistochemistry revealed resistin protein in the arcuate nucleus and pituitary gland. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that Retn mRNA is developmentally regulated in the pituitary. Expression was lowest at birth, increased abruptly between postnatal days 14 and 25 (four-fold; P<0.001), and declined thereafter. This peak in pituitary Retn mRNA was unaffected by early weaning but was abolished by neonatal treatment with monosodium glutamate, suggesting that the basal hypothalamus regulates pituitary Retn. Although the role(s) of endogenous resistin in mouse brain and pituitary remains to be determined, it may be distinct from its controversial involvement in insulin resistance. Our data suggest that local resistin expression could have functional implications during prepubertal maturation of the hypothalamic–pituitary system