This thesis document seeks to find a common thread between three of my plays; The Tides of Aberdeen, The Death of Beth, and Highway Play, written during my MFA program at The University of Texas at Austin. Each play deals with the theme of disappearance in a different way. The lens with which I will examine each play can be defined as “the presence of absence”. I define the presence of absence as having three necessary elements; a liminal space, a palpable void and an unseen tension. The essay also deals with the presence of absence in The Walls by Griselda Gambaro. By defining the presence of absence and how it works in each of my plays I hope to develop a rewriting strategy that incorporates structuring a plot. Also included in this thesis document are the three plays I examine in my thesis, The Tides of Aberdeen, The Death of Beth and Highway Play. / text

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This thesis is a description and analysis of work I produced at the University of New Orleans during my Graduate studies. My work centers on the theme of tension, human interaction, and the vulnerability and dominance of those interactions. I create paintings, drawings, and prints to articulate my theme of tension. These works of art are meant to describe the feeling of tension through my mark making.

Thesis advisor: Dorothy Jones / Background/Purpose: The growth of clinical research trials to improve patient outcomes has significantly affected nursing and the implementation of the nurse research coordinator role. The purpose of this study was to explore how the research nurse coordinator (RNC) perceives this role and associated responsibilities for patients enrolled in a clinical research study and associated problems and ethical tensions that emerge during the delivery of a clinical research protocol. The research questions were 1) How does the RNC perceive his or her role responsibility for patients enrolled in a clinical trial? 2) Does the nurse experience ethical tension during the implementation of the RNC role? Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was used to answer the questions. RNCs from a large Northeastern teaching hospital participated in 1:1 interviews with the investigator. Data were analyzed for this study according to the methods described in Lincoln and Guba (1985) for qualitative research and presented as themes. Results: Eleven RNC participated in the study. Data from the interviews were distilled into five final themes: 1) The RNC develops intentional and mutual relationships with patients and their families that fosters trust; 2) In coming to know the patient the RNC as a clinical expert is able to advocate for the unique needs of patients enrolled in clinical trials; 3) The RNC is respected by the team for his or her skills and as a result is able to practice autonomously; 4) In reflecting on past experiences, RNCs identify with medical science philosophy of cure as opposed to nursing’s one of caring/healing and; 5) In reflecting on some aspects of clinical trials, RNCs recognize ethical tensions and as such are able to influence protocol implementation and future studies. Knowledge gained from this study provides insights about the RNC role perception and highlighted multiple dimensions of care delivery faced by nurses who practice as an RNC. The study participants described practicing in the RNC role with clarity about the role and described practicing with autonomy and independence. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.

Oxygen tension and biomechanical signals are factors that regulate inflammatory mechanisms in chondrocytes. We examined whether low oxygen tension influenced the cells response to TNFα and dynamic compression. Chondrocyte/agarose constructs were treated with varying concentrations of TNFα (0.1 to 100 ng/ml) and cultured at 5% and 21% oxygen tension for 48 hours. In separate experiments, constructs were subjected to dynamic compression (15%) and treated with TNFα (10 ng/ml) and/or L-NIO (1 mM) at 5% and 21% oxygen tension using an ex-vivo bioreactor for 48 hours. Markers for catabolic activity (NO, PGE2) and tissue remodelling (GAG, MMPs) were quantified by biochemical assay. ADAMTS-5 and MMP-13 expression were examined by real-time qPCR. 2-way ANOVA and a post hoc Bonferroni-corrected t-test were used to analyse data. TNFα dose-dependently increased NO, PGE2 and MMP activity (all p < 0.001) and induced MMP-13 (p < 0.05) and ADAMTS-5 gene expression (p < 0.01) with values greater at 5% oxygen tension than 21%. The induction of catabolic mediators by TNFα was reduced by dynamic compression and/or L-NIO (all p < 0.001), with a greater inhibition observed at 5% than 21%. The stimulation of GAG synthesis by dynamic compression was greater at 21% than 5% oxygen tension and this response was reduced with TNFα or reversed with L-NIO. The present findings revealed that TNFα has dose-dependent catabolic activities and increased production of inflammatory mediators at low oxygen tension. Dynamic compression or the NOS inhibitor downregulated the inflammatory effects induced by TNFα, linking both types of stimuli to reparative activities. Future therapeutics should develop oxygen-sensitive antagonists which are directed to interfering with the TNFα induced pathways.

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We report on a new class of nonionic, photosensitive surfactants consisting of a polar di(ethylene oxide) head group attached to an alkyl spacer of between two and eight methylene groups, coupled through an ether linkage to an azobenzene moiety. Structural changes associated with the interconversion of the azobenzene group between its cis and trans forms as mediated by the wavelength of an irradiating light source cause changes in the surface tension and self-assembly properties. Differences in saturated surface tensions (surface tension at concentrations above the CMC) were as high as 14.4 mN/m under radiation of different wavelengths. The qualitative behavior of the surfactants changed as the spacer length changed, attributed to the different orientations adopted by the different surfactants depending on their isomerization states, as revealed by neutron reflection studies. The self-assembly of these photosensitive surfactants has been investigated by light scattering, small angle neutron scattering, and cryo-TEM under different illuminations. The significant change in the self-assembly in response to different illumination conditions was attributed to the sign change in Gaussian rigidity, which originated from the azobenzene photoisomerization. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)