People who write books are invariably asked how they do it, by people who read them, in a similar way, for example, to how pilots might be asked ‘How do you fly a plane?’ by passengers who couldn’t imagine steering several tonnes of metal through the sky at 30,000 feet. Although there is a consistent, if complicated, logic to the flying of planes, I’m not sure there is a definitive one with regards to writing books. Creative processes, in whatever genre, are by their own nature constantly evolving and redefining their own boundaries. I decided to remain acutely aware of the creative processes involved with writing the novel for my PhD, ‘I Dream of Magda’. I also made note of external inspirations and practical considerations I encountered along the way. This resulting exegesis is an attempt to explore the genesis and creative evolution of my novel. Specifically, it will address the various challenges and benefits involved in writing the novel to a predetermined form, which, in this case, was the musical form ‘sonata’, adapted for literary expression. In the end, it may not be any more helpful in addressing a general question on how to write a book, but it should go a long way to explaining how the initial idea for this book, in particular, took off and eventually flew at 70,000 words. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Humanaities, 2009

No description available.

The purpose of this interdisciplinary study was to answer the question, "What is the meaning of the transformative dream for people who do not experience resolution of their problem immediately upon awakening?". Existential-phenomenology from the perspective of a story was used to describe the meaning of the experience for ten individuals, nine women and one man, whose ages ranged from 23 to 48. From transcripts of the interviews, ten individual accounts of the experience were constructed. These accounts included a construction of the structure of each dream story and its relationship to the person’s description of the experience. Significant statements of the experience were also extracted from the transcripts and formulated into twenty common themes which were then woven into a common story. Each person checked and validated the transcript, individual account, common themes, and common story for any omissions or distortions. The study also included responses to a questionnaire given to psychology students, asking them if they had ever had a dream which revealed a solution to a problem. Out of 305 students, 103 (34%) had experienced one of these dreams. Forty-three (42%) knew the answer immediately, 58 (56%) found the answer later, and two were not sure. These results suggest that the prevalence of dreams which reveal solutions to problems could be much higher than expected. The findings support the general contention that these dreams are preceded by a desire for resolution and a search for answers. The dreams were vivid and emotional with the dreamer alert and actively participating in the drama. People experienced a felt sense of change without understanding the meaning of the dream. The dreams were complete stories with a beginning, middle, and end. The findings demonstrate that viewing these dreams within the context of people's lives is essential in order to understand the meaning of the experience. The description is a beginning and can become the basis for future research on dreams which resolve problems.

Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- The Institute for Clinical Social Work, 2000. / A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Institute of Clinical Social Work in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Konstanz, Univ., Magisterarbeit, 2003.

The recently identified DREAM complex assembles when Rb-like protein (p130, p107) recruits E2F4, DP (dimerization partner) and MuvB (multivulval complex B (Lin9, Lin37, Lin52, Lin54, and RbBp4)) during G0 and quiescence to repress cell cycle-dependent genes. DREAM assembly requires phosphorylation of the MuvB subunit Lin52 mediated by Dyrk1a, a kinase that has been linked to Down syndrome and neurodegenerative diseases. Our lab previously demonstrated an essential role for the Rb-like pocket proteins in the regulation of neural precursor population and that E2F4 is also involved in the regulation of the expression of the pluripotent gene Sox2. Here, we performed in utero electroporation experiments to overexpress the DREAM complex components and assess their roles during neurogenesis. Our results showed that the overexpression of DREAM components (Lin52 and p130) and Dyrk1a promotes commitment to differentiation at the expense of self-renewal. We also showed that Dyrk1a requires p130 or p107 to regulate neurogenesis. Furthermore, using harmine treatment which is an inhibitor of Dyrk1a the kinase that induces DREAM assembly, our results revealed that DREAM regulates the expression of self-renewal markers affecting the cell fate decision. Performing ChIP experiments, we detected a binding enrichment of the DREAM components on the promoters of not only classical cell cycle genes but on the self-renewal genes like Sox2 and EZH2. Taken together, our study confirmed that DREAM complex plays an important role in the cell fate determination during the regulation of neurogenesis through the control of the self-renewal genes.

The study addresses certain paradoxes evident in the theory and practice of dream interpretation. These relate to the considerable value afforded to dreams in psychoanalytic thinking, compared with (1) the surprising dearth of literature, research, and training on dream interpretation in clinical practice, (2) the difficulties voiced by clinicians regarding dream interpretation, and (3) the diversity of keys employed by different schools to unlock the ‘truth’ of dreams. The intention of the study is to examine these paradoxes in order to develop a model fordream interpretation which falls within the ambit of psychodynamic psychotherapy. It is argued that there have been few insights over the century to match the seminal work of Freud (1900/1976), except perhaps the work of Carl Jung. As a result of the 1914 rift between these two, Jung’s insights have been largely ignored in mainstream psychoanalytic thinking and the focus on dreams has given way to other areas of development, such as, unconscious thinking, symbol formation, and interpretation in a general sense. These, it is argued, have contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of dreams and their interpretation. Thus a model would need to consider both Freud and Jung’s work, and later salient developments. It would also need to be informed by local, contemporary practice. The method used in this thesis is one of breaking down the process of dream interpretation into component parts, in order to examine useful contributions from different sources and to compare work with dreams to work with other material. The literature review examines the major theoretical contributions in relation to four elements of dreams interpretation: the nature and function of dreams, methods of dream interpretation, the meaning of dreams, and the goals of dream interpretation. A model which accommodates diverse theories without resorting to eclecticism is then proposed. Dream interpretation is further examined in the light of a multiphase clinical study, designed to provide different perspectives on the topic. The study yielded findingscompatible with the literature reviewed, as well as certain problems in relation to the proposed model. These included shortcomings of the elements used in the literature review, particularly the sequence of these elements, and caveats about affording dreams a special focus in the consulting room. Thus a second configuration was posited, namely the idea of viewing dream-work as a triangular situation, comprising the dream, the dreamer, and the dream interpreter. The final model which is the outcome of the study provides two interrelated methods of addressing dream interpretation which accommodate the theory/practice dichotomy. In the first, the elements of dreams and their interpretation are considered sequentially. This method provides a framework for considering theoretical contributions on dreams, as well as issues of technique, without recourse to the introduction of theory in the consulting room. In the second, dream interpretation is regarded as a triangular situation, comprising the interchange between therapist and patient in relation to the patient’s dream-life. This structure accommodates the alliance which is discernible in practice and draws on Segal’s (1957/1986) notion that the process of symbol formation is a triangular situation. The value of regarding ‘dream-work’ in the consulting room as a triangular situation is threefold: (1) it is akin to symbol formation in terms of the meaning reached; (2) dreams cannot be accurately interpreted in isolation from the contributions of both therapist and patient; and (3) it provides ‘dream-work’ in practice with its own structure, highlighting a perspective that dreams are an element of clinical practice, rather than a focus, a subtext within the broader framework of psychodynamic psychotherapy.

The purpose of this interdisciplinary study was to answer the question, "What is the meaning of the transformative dream for people who do not experience resolution of their problem immediately upon awakening?". Existential-phenomenology from the perspective of a story was used to describe the meaning of the experience for ten individuals, nine women and one man, whose ages ranged from 23 to 48. From transcripts of the interviews, ten individual accounts of the experience were constructed. These accounts included a construction of the structure of each dream story and its relationship to the person’s description of the experience. Significant statements of the experience were also extracted from the transcripts and formulated into twenty common themes which were then woven into a common story. Each person checked and validated the transcript, individual account, common themes, and common story for any omissions or distortions. The study also included responses to a questionnaire given to psychology students, asking them if they had ever had a dream which revealed a solution to a problem. Out of 305 students, 103 (34%) had experienced one of these dreams. Forty-three (42%) knew the answer immediately, 58 (56%) found the answer later, and two were not sure. These results suggest that the prevalence of dreams which reveal solutions to problems could be much higher than expected. The findings support the general contention that these dreams are preceded by a desire for resolution and a search for answers. The dreams were vivid and emotional with the dreamer alert and actively participating in the drama. People experienced a felt sense of change without understanding the meaning of the dream. The dreams were complete stories with a beginning, middle, and end. The findings demonstrate that viewing these dreams within the context of people's lives is essential in order to understand the meaning of the experience. The description is a beginning and can become the basis for future research on dreams which resolve problems. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

(1) The field of synthetic biology is rapidly growing, empowered by advancements in Molecular Biology. To express genes of interest, scientists exploit plasmids engineered for bacterial or mammalian expression. Existing plasmids carry superfluous DNA that decreases transformation and transfection efficiencies. Here, we present a novel set of mammalian expression vectors with different selection markers and tunable expression levels. Despite being substantially smaller than traditional vectors, these minimized plasmids display similar levels of gene expression.This set of novel mammalian expression vectors should be useful for a broad range of modern applications. (2) DREAM is a mammalian calcium-dependent repressor of gene expression, which binds to a downstream DNA sequence, called DRE. The DREAM/DRE system offers a unique way of linking gene expression to calcium influx (44), but the utility of this system has not been assessed in bacteria. Here we develop a simple bacterial cell growth assay, where cell growth is prevented by the expression of SacB. This cell growth assay is then exploited to assess the utility of the DREAM/DRE system in bacteria. Unexpectedly, the DRE sequence by itself represses the expression of SacB, which can then be de-repressed by the co-expression of DREAM. Should this recovery of SacB expression maintain calcium-dependence, the DREAM/DRE system could be exploited in future directed strategies to evolve calcium-permeable ion channels.

The houses we grow up in are significant because they are our place to dream, contemplate, and imagine. There are many places in our childhood home to dream but there is often a favorite spot. The window that led to a light well in my grandparents' house was one of mine. This project is an exploration into dream space and the characteristics of that space. I explore the dream space through drawings, collages and models. The result of this investigation is a series of row houses located in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. / Master of Architecture