Depression and expression: life begins on the other side of despair

This paper has two parts. In Part I, it consists of a letter written by the subject of the ‘case study’ that forms the basis of Part II. Part I demonstrates how the writer Aliki Pavlou discovered that, in attempting to help a friend face uncomfortable truths in relation to his perception of his mother, she inadvertently was able to voice her own dilemma in relation to her mother that hitherto had been elusive.
This paper forms a part of a larger project being researched by Aliki Pavlou, Justin Clemens and me. The study, to be entitled, "In the Heart of Hell: Depression and its Expression," is one that contends that Literature expresses the ineffable nature of depression in its symbolic mode; that, indeed, literary texts reveal in their concealment. The work therefore argues that ‘depression’ is expressible.
Part II of this paper analyses the response of a depressive to Jean-Paul Sartre’s novel Nausea (1964). Beginning with a brief discussion of the role of the ‘mother’ as psychologically pivotal in some depressives’ struggle towards well-being, this section analyses a reading of Nausea by a depressive. The objective of this study was to ascertain the extent to which the condition of nausea, as represented in Sartre’s novel, expresses the experience of depression.

Cultural orienteering: a map for Anthony Browne`s into the forest

Bullen and Parsons identify Anthony Browne's picture book Into the Forest as a re-gendered retelling of 'Little Red Riding Hood' that expresses recent assumptions about childhood, risk and the resources children need to survive in today's world. In Browne's version, the forest is the terrain in which a young male protagonist imaginatively explores his anxiety about his father's unexplained absence.

Uncontrolled face recognition by individual stable neural network

There usually exist diverse variations in face images taken under uncontrolled conditions. Most previous work on face recognition focuses on particular variations and usually assume the absence of others. Such work is called controlled face recognition. Instead of the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy adopted by controlled face recognition, this paper presents one of the first attempts directly aiming at uncontrolled face recognition. The solution is based on Individual Stable Neural Network (ISNN) proposed in this paper. ISNN can map a face image into the so-called Individual Stable Space (ISS), the feature space that only expresses personal characteristics, which is the only useful information for recognition. There are no restrictions for the face images fed into ISNN. Moreover, unlike many other robust face recognition methods, ISNN does not require any extra information (such as view angle) other than the personal identities during training. These advantages of ISNN make it a very practical approach for uncontrolled face recognition. In the experiments, ISNN is tested on two large face databases with vast variations and achieves the best performance compared with several popular face recognition techniques.

Endogenous production of endo-β-1,4-glucanase by decapod crustaceans

The potential ability to produce cellulase enzymes endogenously was examined in decapods crustaceans including the herbivorous gecarcinid land crabs Gecarcoidea natalis and Discoplax hirtipes, the amphibious freshwater crab Austrothelphusa transversa, the terrestrial hermit crab, Coenobita variabilis the parastacid crayfish Euastacus, and the crayfish Cherax destructor. The midgut gland of both G. natalis and D. hirtipes contained substantial total cellulase activities and activities of the cellulase enzymes endo-β-1,4-glucanase and β-glucosidase. With the exception of total cellulase and β-glucosidase from D. hirtipes, the enzyme activities within the midgut gland were higher than those within the digestive juice. Hence, the enzyme activities appear to reside predominantly within midgut gland, providing indirect evidence for endogenous synthesis of cellulase enzymes by this tissue. A 900 bp cDNA fragment encoding a portion of the endo-β-1,4-glucanase amino acid sequence was amplified by RT-PCR using RNA isolated from the midgut gland of C. destructor, Euastacus, A. transversa and C. variabilis. This provided direct evidence for the endogenous production of endo-β-1,4-glucanase. The 900 bp fragment was also amplified from genomic DNA isolated from the skeletal muscle of G. natalis and D. hirtipes, clearly indicating that the gene encoding endo-β-1,4-glucanase is also present in these two species. As this group of evolutionary diverse crustacean species possesses and expresses the endo-β-1,4-glucanase gene it is likely that decapod crustaceans generally produce cellulases endogenously and are able to digest cellulose.

Ian's story : the complex interaction of ethnicity, class and masculinities

In this paper, a narrative is used to convey the complex connectedness that exists between class, ethnicity and masculinity. The story is of Ian, a successful academic who describes himself as Eurasian, and traces his development through parts of his childhood and into his professional career, using what Gough (1994) describes as a 'realistic fiction'. Relevant literature on masculinities and ethnicity is considered. There is some evidence to suggest that Ian has developed a fluid version of masculinity as a result of his Asian-Australian upbringing, and that he expresses different masculinities according to the social settings in which he finds himself. The paper concludes, just as Ian's story does, that masculinity interacts with class and ethnicity. This accords with Connell's (1995) caution that it is dangerous to think that there is a colored masculinity or a working class masculinity, and that the milieux of class and race need to be considered as well.

Drawing and the subjectivity of the 'other'

Scenes of the Aboriginal family sitting around a table in the film The Fringe Dwellers present the boy quietly drawing, while other members of the family are engaged in discussion. The boy is less visible, more passive and contemplative, and his subjectivity is suggested rather than explored in the film. He repeats the same activity and the same inward concentration. My hypothesis is that the boy's subjectivity and agency are projected elsewhere, towards an imaginary field beyond the film's structure and beyond the social reality of the film's outside. What is the aboriginal boy drawing? In one scene, is a glimpse of his 'projection', he draws a house. The boy is mesmerised and pre-occupied by his drawing. We have seen the mystery of this preoccupation in images of heroic modernist architects (Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Oscar Niemeyer come to mind) presenting a connection between the hand of the architect and his sketch as an essential gift in the making of a 'master architect'. Through this visual association, the 'Aboriginal boy drawing' is associated with the field of 'a universal human subject' and the essay investigates how his practice might participate in new subjective positions across disciplines. Through his inscriptions, the Aboriginal boy expresses more than a wish: he articulates and inhabits another dwelling, an imaginary dwelling of a subjectivity and 'identity' beyond the black and white divide. The boy, however, is not a 'master', making his drawing a subversive and risky practice.

Towards a renewable adaptive recyclable and environmental architecture

Research in pursuit of an effective response to the demands for a sustainable architecture has lead towards the conception of a Renewable, Adaptive, Recyclable and Environmental (R.A.R.E.) building typology. The term R.A.R.E. expresses issues that have assumed central importance in the current architectural debate. This paper establishes the principles of the typology, drawing on the contents and pedagogical methods applied in a building technology academic course, at fourth year level. The R.A.R.E methodology is presented to and explored by students in the search for a definition of an innovative architecture, which is both progressive and sustainable. The unit is structured into eight subjects: Sustainable Site & Climate Analysis; Flexible & Adaptive Structural Systems; Renewable & Environmental Building Materials; Modular Building Systems; Innovative Building Envelope Systems; Renewable & Non-conventional Energy Systems; Innovative Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Systems; Water Collection & Storage Systems. Through a holistic and integrated approach, the unit presents a comprehensive overview of these ‘Sustainable Building Categories’, so that the students can produce a guide towards the design requirements of a Renewable, Adaptive, Recyclable and Environmental (R.A.R.E.) Architecture.

A roadmap to Renewable Adaptive Recyclable Environmental (R.A.R.E.) architecture

R.A.R.E. stands for Renewable Adaptive Recyclable Environmental Architecture; the acronym expresses a demand that is becoming increasingly important today in the eyes of designers and clients. The paper draws on the contents and the pedagogical methods applied in a Building Technology Unit (SRT 450) – at forth year level – at the School of Architecture and Building, Deakin University, Australia. The unit is basically structured upon eight subjects derived as relevant to the research and development for a R.A.R.E. Architecture: Sustainable Site & Climate Analysis; Flexible & Adaptive Structural Systems; Renewable Adaptive & Environmental Building Materials; Modular Building Systems; Innovative Building Envelope Systems; Renewable or Non-conventional Energy Systems; Innovative Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning; Water Storage & Systems. The overall objective of the unit is to present a comprehensive overview of all these Sustainable Building Categories (SBCs) so that the students can produce a guide towards the design of a R.A.R.E. Architecture. The push towards a holistic and integrated approach will contribute to the definition of an innovative architecture, which is both progressive and sustainable.

Intense exercise up-regulates Na+, K+ -ATPase isoform mRNA, but not protein expression in human skeletal muscle

Characterization of expression of, and consequently also the acute exercise effects on, Na+,K+-ATPase isoforms in human skeletal muscle remains incomplete and was therefore investigated. Fifteen healthy subjects (eight males, seven females) performed fatiguing, knee extensor exercise at 40% of their maximal work output per contraction. A vastus lateralis muscle biopsy was taken at rest, fatigue and 3 and 24 h postexercise, and analysed for Na+,K+-ATPase 1, 2, 3, ß1, ß2 and ß3 mRNA and crude homogenate protein expression, using Real-Time RT-PCR and immunoblotting, respectively. Each individual expressed gene transcripts and protein bands for each Na+,K+-ATPase isoform. Each isoform was also expressed in a primary human skeletal muscle cell culture. Intense exercise (352 ± 69 s; mean ±S.E.M.) immediately increased 3 and ß2 mRNA by 2.4- and 1.7-fold, respectively (P < 0.05), whilst 1 and 2 mRNA were increased by 2.5- and 3.5-fold at 24 h and 3 h postexercise, respectively (P < 0.05). No significant change occurred for ß1 and ß3 mRNA, reflecting variable time-dependent responses. When the average postexercise value was contrasted to rest, mRNA increased for 1, 2, 3, ß1, ß2 and ß3 isoforms, by 1.4-, 2.2-, 1.4-, 1.1-, 1.0- and 1.0-fold, respectively (P < 0.05). However, exercise did not alter the protein abundance of the 1–3 and ß1–ß3 isoforms. Thus, human skeletal muscle expresses each of the Na+,K+-ATPase 1, 2, 3, ß1, ß2 and ß3 isoforms, evidenced at both transcription and protein levels. Whilst brief exercise increased Na+,K+-ATPase isoform mRNA expression, there was no effect on isoform protein expression, suggesting that the exercise challenge was insufficient for muscle Na+,K+-ATPase up-regulation.

Individual stable space : an approach to face recognition under uncontrolled conditions

There usually exist many kinds of variations in face images taken under uncontrolled conditions, such as changes of pose, illumination, expression, etc. Most previous works on face recognition (FR) focus on particular variations and usually assume the absence of others. Instead of such a ldquodivide and conquerrdquo strategy, this paper attempts to directly address face recognition under uncontrolled conditions. The key is the individual stable space (ISS), which only expresses personal characteristics. A neural network named ISNN is proposed to map a raw face image into the ISS. After that, three ISS-based algorithms are designed for FR under uncontrolled conditions. There are no restrictions for the images fed into these algorithms. Moreover, unlike many other FR techniques, they do not require any extra training information, such as the view angle. These advantages make them practical to implement under uncontrolled conditions. The proposed algorithms are tested on three large face databases with vast variations and achieve superior performance compared with other 12 existing FR techniques.

Performing masculinity and leadership : male academics' work practices and identities

In this thesis, a folio comprising a major dissertation and three elective tasks, issues including masculinity(ies), identities, leadership and academics’ work practices are considered against a backdrop of change in the higher education sector. Narrative research methods are applied throughout the folio. The first elective, a discussion and commentary arising from an interview with an experienced practitioner in gender education, amounts to a feasibility study for the dissertation, whereas the second elective experiments with the use of computer mediated communication as a means of interviewing a small number of male academics about their inclusive teaching practices. Primarily curiosity-driven research, the conclusion is drawn that computer mediated communication, if used at all, ought provide a complementary, not primary means of data collection. The third elective conveys the life story of an Asian-Australian academic who expresses different masculinities according to the social settings in which he finds himself. The conclusion is made that there is neither a single colored masculinity nor a single working class masculinity. The milieux of race and class need to be considered together. The research described in the major dissertation was undertaken with a group of eleven male academics from a number of rural and metropolitan universities – men who were thought by their colleagues and peers to practice collaborative approaches to leadership. Whereas the majority of the men practised what could be described as transformational approaches to leadership, a small number exploited the process of collaboration mainly for their own protection. Very few of the men engaged in discourses of gender. One of the principal conclusions reached in the paper is that there are ramifications for future leadership training that universities offer so that it becomes more relevant and socially inclusive. Another main conclusion relates to the intimidation reported by some of the men in the study, and that there are implications for universities in the way they protect their employees from such incidents. A third significant conclusion is that there is some way to go before gender is integrated into the discourse of male academics. Until this can occur, limited opportunities exist for alliances to be formed between most male academics and feminist academics for the advancement of socially just workplaces.

Presbyterian ethos and environment in the novels of John Buchan : a religious and historical study

The aim of this thesis is to establish, from a historical and religious perspective, that the Presbyterian ethos and environment in which John Buchan was reared was the predominating influence in the writing of his novels. Presbyterianism was not the only influence on Buchan that determined the character of his stories. Buchan was by temperament a romantic, and this had considerable influence on his literature. His novels are romances, peopled by romantic figures who pursue romantic adventures. There are the signs of Buchan's romantic nature in the contents of the novels: creative imagination, sensitivity to nature, and expectations of the intrusion of other worlds, with destiny-determining events to follow. But Buchan had also an acquired classicism. His studies at Glasgow and Oxford Universities brought him in touch with a whole range of the master-pieces of classical literature, especially the works of Plato and Virgil. This discipline gave him clarity and conciseness in style, and balanced the romantic element in him, keeping his work within the bounds of reason. At the heart of Buchan's life and work, however, was his deeply religious nature and this, while influenced by romanticism and classicism, was the dominant force behind his work. Buchan did not accept in its entirety the Presbyterian doctrine conveyed to him by his father and his Church. He was moderate by temperament and shrank from excesses in religious matters, and, being a romantic, he shied away from any fixed creeds. He did embrace the fundamentals of Christianity, however, which he learned from his father and his Church, even if he did put aside the Rev. John's orthodox Calvinism. The basic Christianity which underlies all Buchan's novels has the stamp of Presbyterianism upon it, and that stamp is evident in his characters and their adventures. The expression of Christianity which Buchan embraced was the Christian Platonism of seventeenth century theologians, who taught and preached at Cambridge University, They gave prominence to the place of reason and conscience in man's search for God, They believed that reason and conscience were the ‘candle of the Lord’ which was existed every one. It was their conviction that, if that light was followed, it would lead men and women to God. They were against superstition and fanaticism in religion, against all forms of persecution for religious beliefs, and insisted that God could only be known by renouncing evil and setting oneself to live according to God’s will. This teaching Buchan received, but the stamp of his Presbyterianism was not obliterated. The basic doctrines which arose from his father's Presbyterianism and are to be found in Buchan's novels are as follows: a. the fear (or awe) of God, as life's basic religious attitude; b. the Providence of God as the ultimate determinative force in the outcome of events; c. the reality, malignity and universality of evil which must be forcefully and constantly resisted; d. the dignity of human beings in bearing God's image; e. the conviction that life has meaning and that its ultimate goal, therefore, is a spiritual one - as opposed to the accumulation of wealth, the achieving of recognition from society, and the gaining access to power; f. the necessity of challenge in life for growth and fulfilment, and the importance of fortitude in successfully meeting such challenge; g. the belief that, in the purpose of God, the weak confound the strong. These emphases of Presbyterianism are to be found in all Buchan's novels, to a greater or lesser degree. All his characters are serious people, with a moral purpose in life. Like the pilgrims of the Bible, they seek a country: true fulfilment. This quest becomes more spiritual and more dearly defined as Buchan grows in age and maturity. The progress is to be traced from his early novels, where fulfilment is sought in honour and self-approving competence, as advocated by classicism; to the novels of his middle years, where fulfilment is sought in adventures suggested by romanticism. In his final novel Sick Heart River. Buchan appears to have moved somewhat from his earlier classicism and his romanticism as the road to fulfilment. In this novel, Buchan expresses what, for him, is ultimate fulfilment: a conversion to God that produces self-sacrificing love for others. The terminally-ill Edward Leithen sets out on a romantic adventure that will enable him to die with dignity, and so, in classic style, justify his existence. He has a belief in God, but in a God who is almighty, distant and largely irrelevant to Leithen's life. In the frozen North of Canada, where he expects to find his meagre beliefs in God's absolute power confirmed by the icy majesty of mountain and plain, he finds instead God's mercy and it melts his heart. In a Christ-like way, he brings life to others through his death, believing that, through death, he will find life. There is sufficient evidence to give plausibility to the view that Buchan is describing in Leithen his own pilgrimage. If so, it means that Buchan found his way back to the fundamental experience of the Christian life, conversion, so strongly emphasised in his orthodox Presbyterianism home and Church. However, Buchan reaches this conclusion in a Christian Platonist way, through the natural world, rather than through the more orthodox pathway of Scripture.

Exploratory surgery of the female psyche

The thesis explores the visual narrative concerning a journey of empowerment for women. To enable the journey to advance the inquiry is directed into two areas. The first area is female gender, which is argued to be socially constructed and implicit in the marginalisation of women in western society. The second area is ‘feminine authority’, which is gained by developing an understanding and acceptance of the characteristics which have historically been considered as belonging to the feminine. Granting these characteristics agency would recognise their authority and assist in the elevation of the female to a position of equality in western society. Beginning from a feminist position, the research supported the belief that the female is marginalised in western society. It also confirmed the notion that empowerment and authority can be attained by women if they actively pursue the following; • Explore their own psychology beyond the existing socially constructed gender roles. • Develop an understanding of their feminine self by applying Jung's theories on individuation and archetypes. • Expose the underlying patriarchal influence in western epistemology and science by challenging existing deeply held cultural and scientific beliefs and by actively contributing as feminists to the areas of epistemology and science. Archetypal myths of the ‘feminine’ have developed from an androcentric position. They enforce and perpetuate gender imbalance which contributes to the disenfranchisement of women in western society, ‘Individuation’ is a process in which a person explores aspects of themselves to bring forth parts of their unconscious into their conscious mind in an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of themselves. As a consequence the consciousness develops closer links with archetypal memories which assists the exploration. The ‘true feminine’ is the feminine not restricted or defined by the dominant androcentric view. Knowledge of the feminine empowers women to address the marginalisation of the female in western society and assists in the process of gaining female authority. This enquiry also investigated the four stages of female psychological development with regard to patriarchal influences. Of particular importance is the second stage of psychological development where the female identifies with historically perceived inferior characteristics of the female. This is when she rejects her connections with the primacy of female power and her deep connections with nature which were inherited from archaic times. It is at this stage that she absorbs the myths associated with western patriarchal society which effectively disempower her. Western epistemology, with its emphasis on ‘objective’ investigation and empiricism contributes to the support for and promotion of ‘inferior’ female gender. This type of investigation is brought into question when areas of research into primates and human evolutionary theory is shown to develop from an androcentric view. Western knowledge has associations with power and justice and power is commonly associated with dominance. Regard for ‘truth’ and ‘absolute’ can be viewed as key elements in the support for knowledge and its associations with power. Knowledge has historically maintained suppression of individual experience which promotes a universalised account. This suppression of beliefs other than the dominant authority maintains the existing dominant social structure. Foucault's view of the genderised or inscribed body alerts us to areas where dominance, resistance and power play a part in maximising masculine power and control. Gender becomes an instrument of power within the existing patriarchal structure. Gender, knowledge and power are identified as areas obstructing female empowerment. Part 3 of this exegesis examines the imagery which embodies the visual narrative. Particularly, the harlequin image, its historical background and connections with ancient mythology including reference to Jungian psychology. The harlequin image is developed sequentially in the earlier black and white drawings on paper. These drawings contained a female figure which was often placed in juxtaposition with a Venus or goddess image, reference was also made to ‘eve’ and the ‘siren’. These elements provided the framework which enabled the harlequin image to emerge and evolve. The narrative developed with an understanding of the ‘feminine’ aspects of the psyche which resulted in the harlequin acquiring the elevated authority of a goddess. The Harlequin evolved from my need for symbolic representation of the female psyche. It represents contradiction and dualism. It is a composition of opposites, reflects masculine and feminine traits, the dark and light of the conscious and unconscious mind, it houses both comic and sinister elements, is a trickster and menace. The costume, colours and patterns are expressive elements conducive to fragmentation and layering within the composition of the paintings. Jung examined the harlequin in Picasso's paintings. He concluded that as Picasso drew on his inner experiences the harlequin became important as a symbol; it was a pictorial representation from the unconscious psyche. It travelled freely from the conscious to the unconscious and represented the masculine and feminine, chthonian and apollonian. The final painting in the series, a triptych, completes the narrative and stands alone as a salutatory work. It unites the series by combining existing compositional devices and technique while making reference to imagery from previous works, ‘The Three Graces Victorious’, expresses the authority of the feminine. It completes a victorious stage of a journey where the harlequin is empowered by archaic memories and knowledge of the psyche. The feminine is hailed, elevated and venerated. Other elements which assist in expressing the visual narrative are; colour, technique and influence. Colour is explored and its use as an emotive devise in expressionism. Paul Klee's writing on the use of colour and it's symbolic meaning and Julia Kristeva's investigation on colour from a psychoanalytic and semiotic view are also discussed. To indicate influences and connections within my oeuvre, reference is also made to the following: Jasper Johns' for his use of imagery in his ‘Four Seasons’ series with it's reference to a journey of maturation and Louise Bourgeois' work which deals with issues of gender, memories and past journeys. Although ‘The Three Graces Victorious’; the concluding painting for the investigation is celebratory and represents a finality to the thesis, it points to further areas that impede feminine development and need future examination. Reference is made to a continuation of the exploratory journey by plotting the Harlequin/Goddesses future directions. Although the Harlequin/Goddess is empowered with newly acquired authority, her future journey does not need to be bound by mathematics or limited by rationality. She does not require power to dominate or gender structures to subjugate, but requires limitless boundaries and contexts. The Harlequin/Goddess's future journey is not fixed.

Sociology of cancer in men and women : sexuality, identity and body changes

Prostate and breast cancers are a common group of gender specific diseases that affect men and women respectively. This study explores the impact of the cancer and the social processes involved in re-establishing the self in the aftermath of cancer. The study's premise is that the self is an embodied social agent and that the body is the medium where illness is expresses and experienced by the embodied self.