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This thesis examines occurrences of hypermasculinity in examples from the genre of comic book fiction, utilizing textual evidence to suggest the current collection has re-iterated the more negative hypermasculine components of their source material: comic books. In doing so, the thesis compares the present novels with the creative element of the PhD submission – This Is It – a novel which serves as a critique of the prevalence of hypermasculinity in heroic figures within comic book fiction. By analyzing the sociological reasons behind hypermasculinity, and its subsequent effects, this thesis aims to make apparent the danger inherent with the continued association of hypermasculinity and hero figures in a new medium such as comic book fiction. It will also argue that the development of such a form divergent from comic books allows scope for a deconstruction of the hypermasculine comic book hero.

This is the beginning of a historical novel set in 1960’s Little Rock, Arkansas. The main character, Elsie Robinson, is forced to come home from her life in New York because of the sudden death of her father. She stays to look after her mother. She then meets Freddie, a white man, who somehow feels completely comfortable in her black community. In a time when everything seems to be falling apart, Freddie is a beam of light. If only their relationship weren’t illegal.

A contemporary novel spanning thirteen years in the lives of an Indiana family. A boy enters abusive relationships with men in the belief he does not deserve love, a woman abandons her only son because of her alcoholism, a gay father learns to navigate the line between his personal life and that of being a parent. A story in which a family learns to grow, to mature, to forgive their past mistakes and exorcise the demons that haunt them.

Friction, binding and notching are the factors that contribute to resistance to sliding during orthodontic tooth movement. However, most attempts at reducing resistance aim only to reduce the archwire/ligature friction. In this study, a novel bracket with a unique design aimed to reduce all three components of resistance to sliding. Four types of brackets (passive and active self-ligating, traditionally ligated and the novel bracket, (n=5, each) were tested at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8ᵒ of tip on a 0.019 x 0.025”archwire. The resistance to sliding values were recorded. At 0ᵒ, the passive self-ligating and novel bracket showed reduced resistance when compared to the traditionally ligated bracket (P< 0.05). At the other angles of tip, no differences were observed among the brackets. These data suggest that the novel bracket could potentially decrease the resistance to sliding during orthodontic treatment and further studies are indicated to test the improved bracket design.

Paenibacillus velaei, sp. nov. is a soil bacterium capable of producing an unusually large amount of exopolysaccharide (EPS). The EPS contains glucose, mannose, galactose and fucose in a molar ratio of 4:2:1:1. The molecular weight of the EPS is higher than 2x106. The viscosity of 1% EPS is 1300 cP when measured at a shear rate of 1 sec-1. Physiological parameters for optimal production of the EPS were studied and it was found that 1.4 g dry weight per 1 l of medium was produced when the bacteria were grown at 30EC and the pH adjusted at 7± 0.2 in a medium containing glucose as the carbon source. Growing the bacteria on different carbon sources did not alter the quantity or the composition of the EPS produced. No toxicity effects were observed in mice or rats when EPS was administered in amounts ranging from 20 to 200 mg per kg body weight. The data obtained from physical, chemical and biological properties suggest that the EPS may be employed in several industrial and environmental applications. It is an excellent emulsifier, it holds 100 times its own weight in water, it is not toxic, and it can be used to remove mercury, cadmium and lead from aqueous solutions.