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Are You There is a manuscript of poems that focuses on the overflow of grief manifested through living loss in today’s Internet culture. The speaker threads various heartbreaks throughout, addressing lovers, friends, family, and those who are still alive but have abandoned them. As two shape-shifters, a speaker and a “you,” evolve over the course of the manuscript, a series of reinvented ars poeticas permeates the project, exploring technology, media, and figures within pop culture. Weaving themes of technology and artificial intelligence with loneliness and mental health, the collection tackles communication in all its duplicities, from fragmentation to defamiliarization, Kim Kardashian to Schrödinger, grief to joy. The manuscript title, Are You There, refers to the idle Netflix screen, when the viewer’s remote has been immobile for so long that the technology reaches out to awaken them.

Organisational ambidexterity has been shown to improve organisational outcomes by almost every measure. Unfortunately, becoming ambidextrous is notoriously difficult. This research leverages extensive privileged access to conduct a comparative analysis of established, multinational organisations and finds evidence that ambidexterity is not a singular capability, but rather a composite of multiple attributes within an organisation, which must not only be implemented, but also enabled through key organisational features. A new measure of ambidexterity is also proposed which improves relevancy in a practitioner context.

Pulmonary valve stenosis (PS) is the most common congenital heart defect in dogs. The condition is due to abnormal valve anatomy present at birth that leads to stenosis of the right ventricular outflow tract. The valve stenosis results in pressure overload of the right ventricle. If severe enough, the stenosis leads to right ventricular hypertrophy, arrhythmias, exercise intolerance, and right-sided heart failure. Severity of disease is typically determined based on velocity of blood flow across the lesion via echocardiography. The median survival time for dogs with severe PS is 4-5 years with medical management, while moderately affected cases have a variable prognosis. The prognosis for mild PS is generally good. The Bulldog, which is the fourth most popular breed according to AKC dog rankings, is a breed highly overrepresented in PS cases. Due to this breed predisposition PS is suspected to be inherited. Mildly affected dogs are frequently not diagnosed as traditional auscultation-based tests are insensitive in dogs with profound airway sounds and barrel-shaped chests such as the Bulldog. These subclinical cases make it incredibly difficult to successfully screen and remove affected individuals from the breeding program. Thus, hindering breeding efforts to reduce disease prevalence. Therefore, the development of a genetic screening test represents the most practical approach to identification and reduction of disease frequency in the breed. Additionally, severe and moderately affected PS cases are treated with traditional balloon valvuloplasty, which has good but variable success. The procedure has a significant cost, does not restore normal function, and there is considerable anesthetic risk for the brachycephalic breeds that are predisposed to PS. Additionally, some PS-affected dogs have concurrent coronary anomalies, which are expensive to identify and make balloon valvuloplasty contraindicated, further highlighting the need for genetic screening tests for this condition. There is limited information about the genetic cause of PS in humans with the majority of mutations involving the RAS-MAPK pathway. Although PS is commonly seen in puppies, no mutation to date has been identified, although literature suggests a possible recessive pattern of inheritance. Through the combined efforts of the clinical cardiology service at the University of California Davis, clinical cardiology service at Colorado State University, and the Translational Cardiac Genetics and Pharmacogenomics Laboratory in the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine we aim to elucidate the genetic mechanisms of PS in Bulldogs. The goal of this dissertation is to compile and contribute to what is currently known about the genetics of PS in humans and animals. A retrospective study in a large referral hospital population allowed determination of the prevalence of this disease in dogs and confirmed common breed predisposition. A pedigree analysis was performed in the most affected breed, the Bulldog, to elucidate a common mode of inheritance. A genome-wide association study was performed to refine a region of interest in the canine genome that is associated with PS. Whole genome sequencing followed by variant analysis allowed identification of mutations associated with the disease. The most plausible variants underwent validation in a large population of dogs using MassArray and those that continued to segregate were followed up with immunohistochemistry in cardiac tissue. Finally, the results of this project will contribute to the understanding of heart development and congenital heart disease in dogs overall, thus guiding novel prevention and therapeutic strategies for PS.

This thesis examines the literary careers of Christian Isobel Johnstone (1781-1857) and Catherine Gore (1798-1861), two successful and distinctive women writers marginalized in literary history. Existing research on Johnstone, best known as an Edinburgh editor, and Gore, a well-known silver fork author, has been separated by their different literary contexts. This thesis aims to uncover the literary connections and collaborations between the authors as they navigated their careers through the transitional period of the 1820s through 1840s. Examining their short stories, letters, and collaborative fiction, the thesis shows how their unusual plots, characters, and narrative concerns allowed Johnstone and Gore to attract a large readership while promoting surprisingly radical and proto-feminist agendas. Two short stories, Johnstone's 'The Experiences of Richard Taylor, Esq.' and Gore's 'The Maid of Honour', dismantle traditional gender norms, rearrange traditional heroic narratives, and imagine subtly new social identities for men and women. Original manuscript research examines the authors' letters to the editors Richard Bentley and William Tait and the publisher George Boyd. This correspondence displays Johnstone's and Gore's challenge to portray themselves as both professional writers and exemplars of feminine propriety. The final part of the thesis considers their work of collaborative fiction, 'Tales of the Cleikum Inn, St. Ronan's' (1837), and the lesser known professional relationship between Johnstone and Gore. The central argument developed in this thesis complicates familiar accounts of literary history by focusing on two marginalized women writers whose careers did not align neatly with the boundaries of the Romantic and Victorian periods, highlighting through their works some hidden connections between canonical and non-canonical writers, editors, and publishers.

To better understand the impact of type 2 diabetes, the relationship between ethnicity, specifically Mexican/Mexican American ethnicity, and the disease must be further investigated. This study specifically examined the cognitive impact of type 2 diabetes. Data from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study was used to compare the cognitive functioning of non-Hispanic White (n = 10,658) and White Mexican/Mexican American (n = 847) individuals, age 50+ years, with and without type 2 diabetes. Serial 7's and immediate and delayed recall—hypothesized to be more negatively affected by type 2 diabetes and Mexican American status—was compared controlling for age, education, and depression. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) indicated significant main effects for race/ethnicity (F(3,11496) = 11.15, p < .001) and diabetes status (F(3,11496) = 3.15, p < .024), with Mexican Americans and those with diabetes having worse cognitive performance. There were significant effects for all covariates. A step-wise multiple regression indicated that education, age, depression, race/ethnicity and diabetes status accounted for a combined 28.4% of variance in a cognitive performance composite. Implications for assessment and treatment are discussed.

Coral reefs are currently threatened by both natural and human-driven disturbances, and climate change scenarios suggest that the health of future reefs is uncertain. To better inform management and preservation of coral reef ecosystems, it is critical that we understand the mechanisms that support recovery of coral habitat after coral mortality events. Macroalgae can inhibit coral recovery by preventing recruitment and growth of corals after a disturbance, leading to a shift in the dominant benthic community from coral to macroalgae. These macroalgal habitats do not support the same diversity of fish and other species as healthy coral reefs, and are thus undesirable on large scales. This dissertation addresses some processes that are important in the establishment and persistence of these macroalgal phase shifts. Through an enhanced understanding of macroalgal persistence, we may be able to identify (and protect) key species and processes that are critical to promoting coral reef recovery.I used the macroalga Turbinaria ornata as a model species to examine the potential for herbivore-algal feedbacks that can promote persistent macroalgal phase shifts. This species is perennial and patches appear to persist inter-annually once established. In areas where macroalgae is present, Turbinaria largely dominates the benthic community. Results of observational studies of tagged Turbinaria patches suggest that Turbinaria populations exhibit positive population growth (both number of adult thalli and patch area increased over a 2 year period). Several factors including high turnover rates of thalli, year-round reproduction, and a buffer of immature individuals that may act as a “seed bank” following a disturbance may contribute to the expansion of this species in the lagoons of Moorea.In addition, I used field experiments to assess the potential for associational refuge to provide a mechanism for Turbinaria persistence in the lagoons of Moorea. Results from these experiments suggest that an associational refuge may facilitate persistence of Turbinaria, as predation on small vulnerable individuals (< 2 cm in length) is reduced when associated with larger, less palatable adults. However, the significance of this refuge depends on the local abundance of browsing herbivores that can consume macroalgae. An associational refuge that results in higher recruit survival in the presence of herbivory could represent a self-reinforcement mechanism that could facilitate the establishment and multi-generational persistence of Turbinaria patches on coral reefs.To determine the effects of herbivore pressure on the development and persistence of a macroalgal community, I examined the effects of herbivores on mature (dominated by the late stage macroalga Turbinaria ornata) and early stage (dominated by turf algae) algal communities. Results suggest that the effects of herbivores depend upon the initial conditions of the benthic community, and this may have implications for management practices for disturbed, degraded and healthy reefs. Herbivores, particularly browsing fish that can consume mature macroalgae, appear to be limited in their capacity to remove established macroalgae. These critical species appear to be present in low abundance in some habitats, and are targeted as part of a local fishery. In contrast, other herbivores (grazers that consume turf algae and immature macroalgae) appear to readily limit the development of macroalgal communities. I also found that herbivores differentially influence the richness of macroalgal communities depending on the initial macroalgal community. Specifically, an initial presence of the mature macroalga, Turbinaria ornata, enhanced richness of macroalgal assemblage even as herbivore pressure increased. At the same level of herbivore pressure, communities with Turbinaria present had greater richness than communities that initially were dominated by turf algae, even after two years. Results from this experiment provide some of the first empirical tests of hysteresis (path-dependency) in reef recovery, and reinforce the importance of different herbivore functional groups at different points along the recovery trajectory.Overall, this research highlights characteristics of macroalgae and interactions between macroalgal and herbivore communities that can drive persistent macroalgal phase shifts in coral reef ecosystems. This information may be used to develop sustainable management and conservation strategies to preserve these valuable ecosystems and the services that they provide for local communities.

Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic gas that has been found to be a rising cause of accidental deaths in high concentration. Currently there is no effective treatment for hydrogen sulfide poisoning. Paraquat is a widely used herbicide that is harmful when ingested and is especially concerning with its potential use in terrorist plots. Cobinamide, a vitamin B₁₂ precursor, has been proven to be an effective antidote for cyanide poisoning. Based on the chemical properties of cobinamide and of hydrogen sulfide and paraquat, we hypothesized that cobinamide could potentially reduce hydrogen sulfide- and paraquat-induced cellular toxicity. In this study, we tested that hypothesis by assessing whether cobinamide could rescue cells exposed to hydrogen sulfide and paraquat. Two cell lines, African Green Monkey Cercopithecus aethiops fibroblast-like kidney cells (COS7) and human foreskin fibroblast cells (HFF), were used in the experiments. After exposure to hydrogen sulfide or paraquat, with or without cobinamide, cells were counted at 24, 48, and 72 hour time points in order to obtain a growth curve and to calculate the number of cell doublings. Our results demonstrated that 1mM of hydrogen sulfide significantly inhibited cell growth and 400[um]M cobinamide treatment effectively reversed the inhibition in both cell lines. A 2mM cobinamide treatment was capable of preventing cell growth inhibition induced by 1.35mM paraquat in both COS7 and HFF cells. These results form the foundation for further studies to determine if cobinamide might be an effective treatment for hydrogen sulfide and paraquat poisoning

Collaborative studies between Quaternary scientists and archaeologists increasingly provide new and informative discussions about the nature and timing of cultural change and links with variation in the natural world (particularly climate). In the Eastern Mediterranean region, connecting the human past with palaeoclimate is an important research theme but the complex interactions between them are still poorly understood and past climate records have often been collected from regions distant from the human record. The thesis aims to derive a record of past climatic and environmental changes from lake sediment cores and synthesise this with archaeological data in order to reconstruct human-climate interactions at the regional scale. Annually laminated sediment data collected from Nar Gölϋ crater-lake and archaeological archives from the same region, Cappadocia (Turkey) allow problems of chronological uncertainty between records of the human past and palaeoclimatic archives, and spatially variable datasets to be addressed. New sediment cores collected from Nar Lake in 2010 cover the last ~14000 years based on varve counting and climate-stratigraphic correlation. The changing chemical composition of these sediments has been obtained using high-resolution Itrax XRF core scanning, mainly at 200μm resolution over 21.6m. Temporal differences in Ca and Sr are interpreted as a record of regional moisture levels, while Ti and Fe are elemental proxies that detail changes in catchment in-wash. These and other sedimentary data (e.g. total carbon analysis) document lake evolution from a predominately stable and moist early Holocene climate dominated by high authigenic Ca precipitation to a drier and less stable IV late Holocene dominated by increased authigenic Sr and Mg (and higher lake salinity levels). The most arid climatic conditions occurred during Bronze and early Iron Age times, but frequent and intense centennial-scale climatic shifts between wet and dry are also evidenced during the last 2600 years from Ca/Sr data. Peaks in Fe and Ti, along with Si, K and Rb indicate two distinct phases of increased sediment influx into Nar Lake, namely ~9200 to ~8000 yr. BP (ceramic Neolithic) and again – more importantly – during the last 2600 years (Iron Age and later). These appear to be related primarily to increased human impact on vegetation and soils in the lake-catchment, but volcanic activity and intense rainfall events and/or water deficits may also have played a role. To determine the degree to which climatic variability and cultural change are interlinked, the geochemical record from Nar Lake is correlated against long-term settlement histories which have been derived from systematic archaeological site survey and excavation data from Cappadocia. One of the key outcomes of the project is an examination of periods of climatic stability and instability which are identified by amplitudinal changes from the mean state using correlation of coefficient statistics on the Nar Lake geochemical record. This information about the predictability of climate has been coupled to data in settlement density and location within the resiliency model framework of Holling and Gunderson (2002). Together these data suggest that a series of four long-term adaptive cycles (Neolithic, Chalcolithic-Bronze Age, Iron Age-Classical, Byzantine-Ottoman) characterise the dynamic inter-play between people, climate and their environment. In each adaptive cycle, environmental change contributed (both positively and negatively) to community resilience, although at no point during the Holocene is climatic variability seen as the sole driver of societal change. There were times such as the post-Roman Dark Age (1300 to 1100 yr. B.P.) when increased climatic variability and environmental degradation may have heightened social vulnerability.

The interaction between cocoa polyphenols and sugars was investigated in the Caco-2 cell model. Previous investigations have suggested a link between sugar content of a food/meal and epicatechin bioavailability. To investigate this hypothesis further, the effect of sucrose, glucose and fructose on epicatechin absorption across the Caco-2 monolayer was studied, and is presented here. Apical to basolateral transport of epicatechin was enhanced by co-incubation with sucrose, but not glucose or fructose. It is proposed that sucrose-induced cell signalling stimulated activity of the sodium-dependent glucose transporter SGL T1, which lead to widening of tight junction pore size. Consequently paracellular permeability of epicatechin was enhanced. The presence of glucose or fructose, but not sucrose, reduced the total concentration of methylated epicatechin produced by Caco-2 cells. Decreased formation of methylated epicatechin is hypothesised to be a consequence of catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibition (COMT). COMT requires a magnesium cation cofactor, which is also required by some glycolytic enzymes. It is suggested that competition for the magnesium (11) cofactor leads to reduced epicatechin methylation. Flavanol-rich dark chocolate extract also reduced total methylation of epicatechin. It is proposed that flavanols with a degree of polymerisation greater than monomer compete with epicatechin for methylation.

The purposes of this study were to assess lifetime and recent exposure to potentially traumatic life events (PTE) among undergraduate and community college students, to assess the relation between event exposure and a broad range of outcomes (i.e., mental and physical health, life satisfaction, GPA) and to compare students who were exposed to a PTE to those who were not exposed, on changes in functioning on a broad range of outcomes (e.g., PTSD, distress, life satisfaction, world assumptions). Undergraduate students from a Midwestern university (n = 842) and a community college (n = 242) completed online measures of lifetime event exposure and outcomes at Time 1 (T1) and recent event exposure and outcomes at Time 2 (T2) two months later. PTEs assessed included events that did and did not meet the definition of a traumatic event (i.e., PTSD Criterion A1) in the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000) as well as directly (e.g., own life-threatening illness) and indirectly (e.g., others' illness) experienced events. Individuals who experienced an event between T1 and T2 and said that it had caused them considerable or extreme distress made up the PTE group (n = 153). The no PTE group (n = 198) consisted of individuals who either did not experience an event between T1 and T2 or experienced an event that caused them no distress. Students reported experiencing many lifetime and recent Criterion A1 and non-A1 events; community college students reported more events than did university students. Generally, individuals who reported more lifetime events also reported poorer outcomes (e.g., poorer health) at T1. The number of non-Criterion A1 and directly experienced events tended to be more strongly correlated with negative outcomes than were the number of Criterion A1 and indirectly experienced events reported at T1. Controlling for number of lifetime traumas and neuroticism, the PTE group reported significantly more change in mental and physical health symptoms and world assumptions than the no PTE group, and reported more reliable change in outcomes. Overall, however, the amount of change in the PTE group was small.

I am fascinated with the idea of action and reaction throughout the natural environment. I draw inspiration from natural forces that transform landscapes. For example the way a mountain slowly weathers over time, or the way water erodes a streambed creating a sense of construction and deconstruction. My pieces will be metaphorical landscapes. I will be creating these clay pieces by physically acting upon them for example by pushing, pulling, and tearing the material. The actions I create utilize the responsiveness of clay. My process is a physically direct dialogue with the material. The clay responds to my action with its own physical and visual reaction leaving certain elements of the work to chance. Some pieces will be very fragile and intimate while others will be solid and massive. Some sculptures will be free standing and others will be wall panels. This will create a diverse yet cohesive body of work, intended to suggest natural processes through a variety of changing landscapes.

Falling increases with age. Increasing falls incidence and associated injuries sustained by the growing older adult population contributes towards an increasing strain placed on local health services. Long-term exercise interventions have elicited signi cant reductions in falls incidence in community-dwelling older adults, and may be used in a preventative manner to reduce fall incidence in older adult populations. However, the e ectiveness of shorter interventions is less well-known. Study One of this thesis identi ed that an 18-week postural stability instruction (PSI) programme is e ective in reducing fall prevalence in frail older adults by 33%, and may improve health-related quality of life, con dence, and clinic-based strength and balance measures. However, gait performance and whole body lean mass remain unchanged. Study Two established that proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching does not cause acute de cits in strength or muscle activation in the plantar exors and is safe for use by healthy older adults as a exibility training component of PSI interventions. Study Three found chronic strength and exibility gains following completion of a 4-week PNF stretching intervention at the ankle in old and young adults, without any acute strength de cits. Chronic strength gains during higher velocity contractions were demonstrated in dorsi exion in the older group, while exibility gains demonstrated during knee exion suggests a training e ect on the soleus muscle. These ndings indicate that and 18-week PSI programme reduces falls risk and prevalence, and that PNF training at the ankle may be used safely and e ectively by healthy older adults to improve strength and exibility. Re nement of individual PSI components to ensure implementation of the most e ective and age-appropriate strength, balance and exibility training methods is warranted. Speci cally there is a need for research to examine changes in falls incidence and risk factors following completion of an 18-week PSI intervention that incorporates PNF stretching.

Part 1 Study 1: Effect of Sample Frequency and Filter Frequency on the Approximate Entropy Values for Isometric Force Records ApEn has been used to quantify signal complexity in isometric contractions and distinguish between patient groups. Sampling frequencies, ‘r’ values (a parameter needed in the ApEn algorithm which essentially accounts for the noise in the signal Pincus1991 and filters may affect signal characteristics reflected in an alteration in ApEn values and subsequent patterns of results. However there is little standardisation of such procedures for this measure. The purpose of the was to investigate the effect of the choices on ApEn values. While the ‘true’ ApEn value cannot be known the approach taken here was to start with the highest resolution signal and to identify the pattern of ApEn results across different percentages of maximum voluntary contraction and then assess the effect of the post-processing changes on this pattern. The results show the choice of sample rate and ‘r’ is critical in reliably determining changes in ApEn with effort level. It is suggested that ‘r’ used should be, if possible, a measured estimate of noise, sample rates should be as high as possible and filter cut-offs should not be lower than [40]Hz. Study 2: Effect of Bimodal Stimulus on Force Control of Elderly and Young Adults Research shows that older adults often exhibit reduced irregularity in force signal data during isometric contractions (e.g. Sosnoff2006). The purpose of this study was to examine magnitude of variability and structure of isometric force data using appropriate post-processing methods previously established in Study 1. Differences in structure of force output between old and young adults may be as a result of older adults having reduced visuomotor processing capabilities, therefore a second purpose was to assess this by providing three different types of stimuli: 1) audio 2) both audio and visual (bimodal) 3) visual. Young (18-25) and old (65-72) neurologically healthy adults produced isometric force contractions using abduction of the FDI at six force levels (5,10, 25, 40, 50 and 75% MVC) during each of the three conditions. There were no differences found in magnitudes of variability between the age groups nor was there any alteration in force output in the bimodal condition compared to the visual condition for either of the groups. The audio condition altered all indexes of force structure and variability significantly. ApEn values were significantly higher in younger adults at force levels > 25% MVC during all conditions indicating higher irregularity than older adults (mean across all conditions and force: old=0.15, SD 0.11 young=0.19, SD 0.13). These results support the postulation that reduced complexity occurs with ageing. As the force signal is more pattern like it may result in a reduced ability to alter force production when required leading to a lower level of functionality. Study 3:Decreased ApEn values in older adults are associated with increased time to achieve steady muscle force following a change in required force. It was hypothesised that lower ApEn values would be associated with a reduced ability to adapt to a required force change. ApEn of the force signal, functional reaction time, and time to reach a steady state at the new force target was measured. Two different types of stimulus were presented to participants as force targets, bimodal and visual. Young (18-25) and old (65-72) neurologically healthy adults produced isometric force contractions using abduction of the FDI at six force levels that either increased, or decreased at a random interval. Increasing force levels were 5 to 25%, 25 to 50% and 25 to 75% of MVC and decreasing force levels were 25 to 5%, 50 to 25% and 75 to 25% of MVC. Confirming our hypothesis, older adults exhibited longer times to reach steady state, even after removal of reaction time at force levels initiated above 5% MVC. Mean time to reach steady state (minus reaction time) was [2.83]s for young subjects and [3.23]s for old adults [t=2.14, p=0.03]. These results did not differ whether force target moved up or down. These results provide evidence to support the concept that reduced irregularity leads to decreased adaptability to task alterations. This knowledge may be beneficial when modelling ageing movement and force production or used as a pre-clinical tool for identifying those at risk of falls etc. Part 2 Study 4: The determination of Body Segment Inertial Parameters of young female club level athletes Body segment inertial parameters (BSIPs) must be determined to perform biomechanical analyses. Geometric BSIP models are cost effective, yet collecting the anthropometric data necessary is time consuming and time with athletes is often limited. Also, few anthropometric models have been validated for female athletes. The purpose of the study was to validate a geometric model for female club and college athletes. A total of 118 anthropometric measurements were taken from thirty female participants. The upper arms, forearms, hands, thighs, shank and feet were each modelled using four shapes per segment in the full model, and two shapes per segment in the reduced model. The trunk segment was modelled as a series of ten stadium solids in both models. Further refinements of the present model addressed the shoulder area reducing overlap of trunk and upper arm segments. The geometric model predicted segment volume and which was multiplied by cadaver derived density functions Clauser1969 to determine segment mass. The root mean square error between actual whole body volumes (WBV), determined using a hydrostatic weighing tank, and predicted WBV was 2.37%, 3.03% and 2.34% of WBV for the full, reduced and basic models respectively. The model predicted trunk mass with RMSE of just 3.49% of segment mass compared to DXA measured trunk mass. Pearsons correlation showed high correlation between the segment masses predicted by the full model and DXA measured mass [r values ranged from 0.727-0.893, p < 0.001] for the upper arms, forearms, thighs, shanks and feet. The full and reduced model showed high correlation for all segments [mean r=0.9100, p < 0.001] which confirms that reducing the number of anthropometric measurements taken from the limb segments (reducing required measures from 118 measures to 94) causes little difference in the predicted mass for limb segments. These results are of interest to sports biomechanists who are without access to direct imaging techniques, but who wish to compute subject specific BSIPs.