Changing planets and climates in select fantastic literature

This thesis is concerned with literature’s engagement with the environment, specifically ecosystems and climate change. Literature of the fantastic, works that break from the tradition of mimetic literature and the limits of realism, are the focus of this thesis, which argues, alongside ecocriticism, that literature must be part of the interdisciplinary drive towards greater ecological awareness. Speculative literature adds fantastic elements or draws on scientific extrapolations into the future, and offers a platform to engage with the science of environmental issues alongside philosophical engagements with the relationship between humans and the more-than-human world around them. This thesis draws on ecocriticism to examine the role of reading and criticism in constructing more ecologically sustainable societies. From this position, it asks how fantasy can be used to convey these themes. As a result, this thesis is interested in definitions of fantasy, drawing on science fiction and fantasy to examine Kathryn Hume’s framework of the fantastic impulse. Placing fantastic texts on two axes, Hume examines the ways texts support or subvert the reader’s expectations, and encourage or discourage reflection on their extratextual worlds. This thesis contends that, texts that encourage engagement are most transformative, but that the spectrum of engagement and disengagement challenges authors to navigate between didacticism and emotive imagery. To show this, this thesis examines four series of novels drawing on the fantastic impulse. Frank Herbert’s Dune Chronicles, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy and Science in the Capital, and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. The first two are on opposite ends of both of Hume’s axes, and imagine the challenges of constructing Earth-like ecosystems on other planets, asking questions about the sustainability of such a project as well as the possibilities of transforming society. The latter two engage with rapid climate change, Robinson’s looking at contemporary climate change and Martin’s engaging with historical climate change. They interrogate the impact of the climate on human and more- than-human life, and reveal the tension between comforting didactic revisions of human- environment interactions and framework-disturbing alternate ways of relating to the environment. This tension is where the fantastic is powerful, allowing alternate visions to pierce sceptical readers’ defences

Thermal Stratification in Liquid Metal Pools Under Cold Transients

Experimental results are presented for understanding the thermal stratification or mixing in a low Prandtl number, Pr, pool due to the injection of a colder (higher density) jet at the bottom of the pool. In liquid metals (Pr\u3c\u3c1), the higher volumetric thermal expansion enhances buoyant forces, aiding in thermal stratification while the low Pr extends the thermal boundary layer. Rayleigh backscattering with swept wavelength interferometry is used to generate the high fidelity distributed temperature data. The high spatial and temporal resolution of the sensors are required to capture the temperature gradient and fluctuations of temperature allowing more complete understanding of thermal stratification front behavior. These fluctuations are characterized by their proximity to the critical flux Richardson number, where the ratio of buoyant dissipation to shear production of turbulent kinetic energy are equal (Ri_f = 1). This characterization provides insight into thermal stresses and fatigue in the adjacent solid structures of liquid metal pools but insufficient to characterize the behavior in terms of global parameters. This is attributed to the liquid metals diverging from Reynolds analogy even at moderate Reynolds number flows, i.e. turbulent Prandtl number Pr_t \u3e1

Applications in Landscape Ecology: A Simple Rule-Based Simulation Approach to Modeling Windthrow Disturbance in Forests of the Western Cascades in Oregon

The study of how biotic and abiotic processes function and interact within the biosphere is fundamental to the field of ecology. In particular, the field of landscape ecology focuses on the relationship between patterns and process at the landscape level. Windthrow is an important, though unfortunately under-studied agent of disturbance in the temperate coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. Along with wildfire, windthrow is a dominant force in shaping the structure of the region\u27s forested landscapes, resulting in visible vegetation patterns at the landscape level. The present study involved the development of a windthrow simulation model for the Bull Run Basin in the Western Cascades of Oregon. The purpose of this model was to develop a simple rule-based representation of the process of windthrow, such that a greater understanding of wind throw can be obtained through observation of predicted wind throw in relation to variable landscape conditions. The model approximated levels and spatial distribution of wind throw observed for several periods in the landscape, demonstrating that a simple rule-based model can capture the general trends of a highly complex process. Further studies could use this methodology to develop similar rule-based models for other ecological processes, perhaps linking several models together to observe emergent behavior at the landscape level

Stratification and Mixing in the Hot Plena of Liquid Metal-Cooled Reactors

Understanding or modeling the role of stratification and mixing in the plena or containments of nuclear reactors is of prime significance to their safety analysis. Particularly, in case of liquid metal-cooled reactors, thermal stratification in the hot pools under off-normal transients is one of the least understood problems that have multi-physics effects on thermo- mechanics and reactor physics. This is primarily due to lack of high fidelity experimental data for validating CFD or system scale models, which are essential for improved understanding. A scaled liquid metal thermal-hydraulic facility with a scaled hot plenum has been developed at Kansas State University to study different transients. Experimental results obtained from Rayleigh Backscattering based Swept Wavelength Interferometry and Acoustic Backscattering instrumentation deployed in the liquid metal loop will be presented in this talk. Critical parametric estimates such as critical Rayleigh number and turbulent Prandtl number are identified from the experimental studies to classify the molecular, transitional and energetic regimes of mixing extent. CFD codes using direct numerical simulations (DNS) or large eddy simulations (LES) have potential to be able to capture the physics of stratification or mixing with accuracy. However, it is well known that these approaches are computationally intensive and can not be used for sensitivity studies for design or safety analysis. On the other hand, system scale codes model the large enclosures such as containments or plena with the help of perfect mixing or1D coarse grained scalar transport. This talk will present the transient scenarios and demonstrate the performance of different models against experimental data

Gross Anatomy for Physical Therapy course

The study of anatomy supported with human dissection is foundational to training of health science professionals. For a student, cadaver dissection offers an active learning experience. For the training of physical therapists, we created a manual that efficiently instructs the dissection of the whole body over the course of 30 laboratory periods. In the spirit of academic collegiality, this letter provides health science educators a direct download link (https://hdl.handle.net/11299/218174) to the dissection manual hosted by the University of Minnesota (USA) Digital Conservancy. No registration is required, the download is free, and the PDF file of the dissection manual can be reproduced or adapted for any educational use. &nbsp

Controlling disease outbreaks in wildlife using limited culling: modelling classical swine fever incursions in wild pigs in Australia

Disease modelling is one approach for providing new insights into wildlife disease epidemiology. This paper describes a spatio-temporal, stochastic, susceptible- exposed-infected-recovered process model that simulates the potential spread of classical swine fever through a documented, large and free living wild pig population following a simulated incursion. The study area (300 000 km2) was in northern Australia. Published data on wild pig ecology from Australia, and international Classical Swine Fever data was used to parameterise the model. Sensitivity analyses revealed that herd density (best estimate 1-3 pigs km-2), daily herd movement distances (best estimate approximately 1 km), probability of infection transmission between herds (best estimate 0.75) and disease related herd mortality (best estimate 42%) were highly influential on epidemic size but that extraordinary movements of pigs and the yearly home range size of a pig herd were not. CSF generally established (98% of simulations) following a single point introduction. CSF spread at approximately 9 km2 per day with low incidence rates (< 2 herds per day) in an epidemic wave along contiguous habitat for several years, before dying out (when the epidemic arrived at the end of a contiguous sub-population or at a low density wild pig area). The low incidence rate indicates that surveillance for wildlife disease epidemics caused by short lived infections will be most efficient when surveillance is based on detection and investigation of clinical events, although this may not always be practical. Epidemics could be contained and eradicated with culling (aerial shooting) or vaccination when these were adequately implemented. It was apparent that the spatial structure, ecology and behaviour of wild populations must be accounted for during disease management in wildlife. An important finding was that it may only be necessary to cull or vaccinate relatively small proportions of a population to successfully contain and eradicate some wildlife disease epidemics

Truncation of Plasmodium berghei merozoite surface protein 8 does not affect in vivo blood-stage development

Merozoite surface protein 8 (MSP8) has shown promise as a vaccine candidate in the Plasmodium yoelii rodent malaria model and has a proposed role in merozoite invasion of erythrocytes. However, the temporal expression and localisation of MSP8 are unusual for a merozoite antigen. Moreover, in Plasmodium falciparum the MSP8 gene could be disrupted with no apparent effect on in vitro growth. To address the in vivo function of full-length MSP8, we truncated MSP8 in the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei. Pb&Delta;MSP8 disruptant parasites displayed a normal blood-stage growth rate but no increase in reticulocyte preference, a phenomenon observed in P. yoelii MSP8 vaccinated mice. Expression levels of erythrocyte surface antigens were similar in P. berghei wild-type and Pb&Delta;MSP8-infected erythrocytes, suggesting that a parasitophorous vacuole function for MSP8 does not involve global trafficking of such antigens. These data demonstrate that a full-length membrane-associated form of PbMSP8 is not essential for blood-stage growth.<br /

Trials within trials? Researcher, funder and ethical perspectives on the practicality and acceptability of nesting trials of recruitment methods in existing primary care trials.

BACKGROUND: Trials frequently encounter difficulties in recruitment, but evidence on effective recruitment methods in primary care is sparse. A robust test of recruitment methods involves comparing alternative methods using a randomized trial, 'nested' in an ongoing 'host' trial. There are potential scientific, logistical and ethical obstacles to such studies. METHODS: Telephone interviews were undertaken with four groups of stakeholders (funders, principal investigators, trial managers and ethics committee chairs) to explore their views on the practicality and acceptability of undertaking nested trials of recruitment methods. These semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically. RESULTS: Twenty people were interviewed. Respondents were familiar with recruitment difficulties in primary care and recognised the case for 'nested' studies to build an evidence base on effective recruitment strategies. However, enthusiasm for this global aim was tempered by the challenges of implementation. Challenges for host studies included increasing complexity and management burden; compatibility between the host and nested study; and the impact of the nested study on trial design and relationships with collaborators. For nested recruitment studies, there were concerns that host study investigators might have strong preferences, limiting the nested study investigators' control over their research, and also concerns about sample size which might limit statistical power. Nested studies needed to be compatible with the main trial and should be planned from the outset. Good communication and adequate resources were seen as important. CONCLUSIONS: Although research on recruitment was welcomed in principle, the issue of which study had control of key decisions emerged as critical. To address this concern, it appeared important to align the interests of both host and nested studies and to reduce the burden of hosting a recruitment trial. These findings should prove useful in devising a programme of research involving nested studies of recruitment interventions.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are