Graduate Student Research Day 2007

Congratulations on a great Research Day!  Thanks to all who participated with talks and posters, and thanks to all who stopped by to support graduate student research.  Also, we'd like to congratulate the following people for winning "Best Presentation" awards:

1. Hella Douglas
2. Teresa Linares Scott
3. Virginie Dupont

Abstracts:

Name: Hella Douglas

Department: Graduate Nursing

Advisor: Dr. Marcia Ring

E-mail: Hella.Douglas@vtmednet.org

Title: Registered nurses and senior baccalaureate nursing students, determining the accuracy of symptom detection of delirium, dementia and depression using the Triple D Assessment Tool.

Abstract:

Delirium is a neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by a disturbance of consciousness with a reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention. This change in cognition occurs over a short period of time and tends to fluctuate over the course of the day. Delirium occurs in 14% to 56% of elderly medical inpatients and is a common sign of serious illness, especially in the elderly, and is considered a medical emergency. The consequences of delirium include lengthened hospital stays which can cost institutions an average of $30,000 per patient, longer rehabilitation time, increased need for home care, and an increased risk of mortality. Delirium is under recognized or misidentified by the medical treatment team in more than two thirds of the cases; it is often confused with dementia and depression.

Name: Teresa Linares Scott, Ph.D.

Department: Psychiatry

Advisor: Sarah H. Heil, Ph.D.

E-mail: Teresa.Scott@uvm.edu

Title: Pharmacological and behavioral treatment of opioid-dependent pregnant women

Abstract:

In a 2005 survey, 3.9% of pregnant women endorsed illicit drug use in past month (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2005). Of those, 27% reported use of heroin or the non-medical use of pain relievers (e.g. Oxycodone).  This translates into more than 57,000 heroin- or other opiate-exposed pregnancies each year.

Name: Virginie Dupont

Department: School of Engineering

Advisor: Dr Frederic Sansoz

E-mail:  vdupont@uvm.edu

Title: Properties of Metallic Nanomaterials

Abstract: 

"Creating Connections" 

Thursday, March 29th, 2007
TIME: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Given Lobby

Name: Amanda Getsinger

Department: Geology

Advisor: Dr. Tracy Rushmer

E-mail address: agetsing@uvm.edu

Title:  Squishing rocks to determine Earth’s earliest crust

Abstract:

Tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorites (TTGs) are one of the most common suite of rocks from Earth’s earliest crust, but the tectonic setting and the physical process through which they form is still undetermined.  In addition, these suites provide important constrains on the role of the mantle wedge in crust development and the thermal regimes present in both early Earth and post-Archean subduction zones.  I am examining the processes by which TTGs can be generated by using rock samples collected from New Zealand.  This setting is important because of provides a natural example of an island arc with exposures of mafic crust that are potential sources of TTG suite magmatism.  I am testing this possibility through experiments designed to reproduce the local changes in bulk composition that are predicted to occur in response to TTG melt segregation, which happens along a steep geothermal gradient through melt migration along grain boundaries and contemporaneous matrix compaction.  To accomplish this I am performing piston-cylinder experiments on a metabasalt with conditions and compositions based on model parameters. Preliminary results suggest that I can change the geochemistry of the model system significantly by introducing a low-degree partial melt into a metabasalt source material.  The resulting melt compositions in these experiments raises the possibility that if dynamic melt segregation and equilibrium processes are active in lower crust during arc growth, they may modify melt compositions and could help explain the wide range of Mg#s observed in TTGs.  This is an area that deserves further investigation to ascertain whether or not large batholiths of TTG rocks can be developed in this way.  I will contribute to this investigation by determining the differences between direct partial melting of a basalt underplate (Price, 2005) and new bulk compositions by quantifying the melt percentages generated in my experiments and determining the composition of both the matrix and melt compositions.  I can compare these results with natural TTG arc samples from New Zealand.

Name:  Christopher Barry Massa

Department:  Biomedical Engineering

Advisor:  Jason H.T. Bates, Ph.D., D.Sc.

E-mail: Cmassa@uvm.edu

Title:  Identifying Mechanical Properties Governing Lung Recruitment/Derecruitment Phenomena During Artificial Ventilation in Mice: A Simulation Study.

Abstract:

Mechanical ventilation is the mainstay for respiratory support in the Intensive Care Unit. The need for positive-pressure ventilation is correlated with longer duration of ICU therapy and increases in morbidity and mortality.  Furthermore, mechanical ventilation can injure the lung through a combination of alveolar collapse, hyperinflation, and cyclic opening (recruitment) and closing (derecruitment) of regions of the lung parenchyma.  We have developed a computational model of recruitment and derecruitment that replicates the time course of experiments performed on artificially ventilated mice in health and following induced acute lung injury.  The model is implemented in the MATLAB programming environment and simulates the mechanical interactions between the ventilator and respiratory system.  The lung is modeled as a parallel network of flow pathways with identical resistive and elastic elements. Each flow pathway is characterized by a unique critical pressure, an opening velocity and a closing velocity, each picked from appropriate probability distribution functions.  Pressure applied to the lung acts to open or close each lung unit at a rate that depends on the difference between the applied pressure and critical pressure for that unit.  Preliminary simulations demonstrate that this model is capable of simulating changes in lung compliance following deep inspirations that resemble those observed experimentally in mice.  Future work will focus on matching model behavior to specific experimental data sets in order to determine how the distributions of critical pressures and opening and closing velocities change with the onset of acute lung injury. This will allow us to develop optimized lung recruitment strategies that maximize lung recruitment while minimizing the injurious stresses applied to the lung parenchyma.

Name: Erin Roche

Department: Community Development and Applied Economics

Advisor:  Undecided

E-mail address: eroche1@uvm.edu

Title: Impact of U.S. Food Policy on Local Food Production and Consumption Patterns

Abstract:

Supply of and demand for local food products is on the rise, primarily due to the efforts of local communities. While many communities and organizations are attempting to influence new state and local regulation of local food products, they often neglect the impacts of macro food policies, those policies that are national or global in reach, on food produced and consumed in a local community.

An analysis of existing federal and global policies was conducted in Fall 2006 to determine which macro food policies affect local Vermont producers and consumers, and the impact these policies have on the sale of local food products. Broad policies such as the U.S. Farm Bill, Freedom to Farm Act, and relevant portions of NAFTA and WTO agreements were evaluated as to their goals, policy tools utilized, policies actors involved and unintended consequences, to determine their impact on local Vermont food producers.

Often local producers and consumers believe these macro policies are beyond their scope of influence, although there are more opportunities to affect these policies than previously thought. Consumers and producers alike should be cautious, however, in the regulations they seek, as even those regulations which are intended to protect or support local food production may have unintended consequences which may be detrimental to the very goals they seek to achieve. 

Name:  Anna Euser

Department: Anatomy and Neurobiology

Advisor: Dr. Marilyn J. Cipolla

E-mail: Anna.Euser@uvm.edu

Title: Magnesium sulfate decreases blood-brain barrier permeability in response to acute hypertension in late pregnant rats

Abstract:

Eclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy known to cause cerebral edema.  Magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) is widely used for prevention of eclampsia, despite an unclear mechanism of action.  Because MgSO₄ has been shown to be protective of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in other settings, we hypothesized that MgSO₄ may treat eclampsia similarly by limiting edema formation.  The goal of this study was to determine the effect of MgSO₄ treatment on BBB permeability during pregnancy following acute hypertension.  Three groups of animals were studied: pregnant rats, pregnant rats treated with MgSO₄, and sham controls.  Permeability in different brain regions was determined by central infusion of two dyes, Evan’s blue (EB) and sodium fluorescein (NaFl) followed by an acute increase in blood pressure.  The clearance of the dyes into the brain was determined by fluorescence spectrophotometry.  At normal pressure, permeability to NaFl was significantly greater than EB in all groups, demonstrating size selectivity of the BBB (p<0.05). Acute hypertension caused a significant increase in EB permeability in all regions vs. sham control; however, there was no significant increase in NaFl permeability. There was considerable regional differences in EB permeability; the posterior region had the greatest increase in permeability (660%) followed by the anterior region (365%) and brainstem (170%), p<0.05 vs. sham. Treatment with MgSO₄ attenuated BBB permeability to EB after acute hypertension by 36% in the posterior region and by 60% in the anterior region. There was no effect of treatment on BBB permeability in the brainstem.  These data demonstrate that acute hypertension causes increased BBB permeability in pregnant animals that was greatest in the posterior cerebrum, a region that is particularly susceptible to edema formation during eclampsia.  Treatment with MgSO₄ prior to acute hypertension partially attenuated BBB permeability, suggesting this may be one mechanism by which MgSO₄ prevents eclamptic seizures. 

Name: Hella Douglas

Department: Graduate Nursing

Advisor: Dr. Marcia Ring

E-mail: Hella.Douglas@vtmednet.org

Title: Registered nurses and senior baccalaureate nursing students, determining the accuracy of symptom detection of delirium, dementia and depression using the Triple D Assessment Tool.

Abstract:

Delirium is a neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by a disturbance of consciousness with a reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention. This change in cognition occurs over a short period of time and tends to fluctuate over the course of the day. Delirium occurs in 14% to 56% of elderly medical inpatients and is a common sign of serious illness, especially in the elderly, and is considered a medical emergency. The consequences of delirium include lengthened hospital stays which can cost institutions an average of $30,000 per patient, longer rehabilitation time, increased need for home care, and an increased risk of mortality. Delirium is under recognized or misidentified by the medical treatment team in more than two thirds of the cases; it is often confused with dementia and depression.

The purpose of this research is to evaluate how accurately 100 registered nurses and senior nursing students correctly identify the symptoms of delirium, dementia, and depression when presented with signs and symptoms on the Triple D Assessment Tool Questionnaire. The hypothesis for this study is that RNs and senior nursing students cannot differentiate between the primary symptoms of delirium, dementia, and depression. Descriptive analyses will be conducted on STATA software. Means and frequencies will be reported for the primary variables and the demographic characteristics of the participants will be described. Using univariate analysis, differences in ability to differentiate dementia, depression, and delirium by nurses and senior nursing students will be determined. Regression analyses will then be used to identify factors associated with knowledge level and to account for potential confounding factors that may explain any differences detected.   The ultimate goal is to identify knowledge deficits that could be addressed through education and/or nursing interventions which could ultimately improve the nursing care of patients with delirium.

Name: Jens T. Stevens                                                           

Department: Plant Biology     

Advisor: 

E-mail: Jens.stevens@uvm.edu

Title: Fire effects on the invasive species Schinus terebinthifolius in South Florida pine savannas

Abstract:

Fire and other disturbances play an important role in facilitating or impeding the spread of exotic invasive plant species.  In particular, fire may kill invasive species before they can establish in a native habitat, or it may promote the survival and spread of fire-promoting or fire-resistant species.  If fire-tolerant or fire-resistant species establish in a fire-prone ecosystem, they may alter disturbance patterns and promote recruitment of additional invasives.  In this study, I show evidence that the woody shrub Brazilian pepper, Schinus terebinthifolius, may be one such invasive species, susceptible to fire damage but not completely eliminated by it.  Schinus is currently invading the fire-prone South Florida pinelands in Everglades National Park (ENP).  I sampled several Schinus populations on Long Pine Key, ENP, with different histories and frequencies of prescribed burns.  I censused these populations for demographic data and mortality rates.  Using maximum likelihood and information theoretic criteria, I show a reduction in biomass and increase in mortality among burned Schinus individuals, but also a potential for resprouting as a fire-resistance mechanism.  This initial data will be extended for another 12 months through another fire cycle in order to parameterize a model of long term shifts in community composition as a function of fire frequency and continued Schinus invasion.  The data from this study will be useful for land managers attempting to control Schinus invasion with prescribed burning.

Name: Ken Bagstad

Department: Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources

Advisor: Austin Troy

E-mail: kbagstad@uvm.edu

Title: Socioeconomic well-being in the Northern Forest: Estimates of the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) for northern Vermont 

(Co-author: Marta Ceroni, UVM Department of Plant Biology)

Abstract:

The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) provides a monetized estimate of society’s well-being based on economic, social, and environmental criteria.  The GPI provides more accurate estimates of well-being than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or other conventional economic indicators, making GPI better suited to public policy debates about sustainability and quality of life.  GPI studies have been completed for over two dozen countries and sub-national political units.  This study reports the first multi-county time-series analysis for GPI in a U.S. rural region, the six Northern Forest counties of Vermont.  We compare these results to an earlier study of relatively urban Chittenden County, Vermont, providing an urban-rural GPI comparison.  Rural Vermont counties generally have lower per capita GPI than urban Chittenden County, owing largely to lower income and personal consumption levels.  Rural areas generally have lower absolute levels of pollution and land loss, but these costs may be higher on a per capita basis due to low population levels.  Rural areas may also have greater social capital than their urban counterparts, but local data availability on social metrics was typically poor.  For these six Vermont counties, GPI has generally risen from 1950 to 2000, in contrast to the stable or declining GPI observed by others in United States since the 1970s.  This shows that well-being as measured by GPI is still improving in Vermont.  Finally, we discuss implications for measuring GPI at the local level, as well as recommendations to improve methodology and data collection, consistency, and quality.

Name: Mariya V. Power

Department: Nutrition and Food Sciences

Advisor: Robert S. Tyzbir

E-mail: mvpower@uvm.edu

Title: Changes in body size and diet composition in college females over the past 15 years.

Abstract:

Studies exist reporting the increase in obesity among female college students. Aims of this study were: determine if BMI changed in female college students over 15 years and identify dietary patterns that affect this change. 1001 college females in an elective course in nutrition participated in this study from 1992-2006. Height and weight were measured and BMI calculated. Total daily energy intake (TDEI) and percent of macronutrients were determined from a self reported, 3-day dietary analysis. Data expressed as mean ± sem were analyzed using MINITAB. There was a progressive increase in BMI (p = 0.05) and in TDEI ( p<0.05) in females from 1992 – 2006. This increase in TDEI adds up to 120 Kcal, which raised the average from 1845 Kcal in 1992 to 1965 Kcal in 2006. Intake of dietary protein increased 0.138% ± 0.037 (p < 0.01) and dietary fat increased 0.761% ± 0.071 (p < 0.01) while dietary carbohydrate decreased 0.924% ± 0.083 (p < 0.01) per year of study. The increase in dietary protein and fat in concert with the decrease in dietary carbohydrate may be responsible for the increase in TDEI and BMI seen in these women from 1992 – 2006. The surprising change in diet composition suggests a new meaning for the term “balanced diet” in college age females in the 21st century.

Name:   Michael Previs

Department:  Cell and Molecular Biology

Advisor:   Jim O. Vigoreaux and Dwight E. Matthews

E-mail:   mprevis@uvm.edu

Title:   Relating Structure to Function:  Absolute Quantitation of Troponin I Phosphorylation in Transitional States of Heart Failure.

Abstract:

Heart failure is a disease that is characterized by decreased cardiac output.  Despite this disease being the leading cause of human morbidity and mortality, approximately 5 million Americans currently live with heart failure, 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, 27.8 billion health care dollars are spent on its treatment, and the pathophysiology is poorly understood.

The transition into heart failure is often the result of a cascade of events marked by myocardial hypertrophy, chamber dilation, and contractile dysfunction.  Patients with valvular heart disease are often identified by cardiac auscultation during one of these transitional states. The availability of myocardial tissue during these states enables the investigation of pathophysiological changes prior to end stage myocardial failure.  The depressed contractile performance observed during each of these states of failure is attributed to a decrease in calcium cycling and/or sarcomere function.  Evidence suggests that modifications in various myofibrillar proteins are associated with these functional consequences.

Protein phosphorylation is thought to be a key modification involved with various functional consequences and this mechanism is supported by elevated levels of angiotensin and norepinephrine, protein kinase A and protein kinase C activators.  Specifically, phosphorylation of troponin I (TnI) located in the thin filament is thought to be a key regulatory mechanism associated with contractile performance. In vitro studies have shown that treatment of TnI with protein kinases induce site specific phosphorylation and dramatically effect the myosin crossbridge cycle. In an attempt elucidate the role of TnI phosphorylation in vivo, we will quantify the phosphorylation stoichiometry of TnI isolated from heart biopsies during various transitional states of failure and relate these changes to functional performance.

Although protein phosphorylation is routinely addressed in proteomic studies by mass spectrometry, the determination of absolute phosphorylation stoichiometry at a given site remains elusive. To quantify the absolute phosphorylation stoichiometry of TnI we have developed a method that utilizes liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and the incorporation of the stable isotope 2H into the c-terminus of peptides. This method takes advantage of the peptide stoichiometry within each sample and indirectly calculates the degree of phosphorylation at each particular site. To demonstrate the feasibility of this method, we have quantified site specific phosphorylation stoichiometry after phosphorylation with PKA and PKC. We are currently in the process of applying this method to the investigation of phosphorylation in vivo.

Name: Richard Steggerda

Department: Department of Education

Advisor: Richard Johnson, III

E-mail: rsteggerda@yahoo.com

Title: Creating Laboratories of Democracy in American Public Schools

Abstract:

Theoretical Argument for the establishment of a First Amendment School: The five freedoms protected by the First Amendment are an on-going promise that may never be realized by American citizens to its full extent. American democracy is defined by a diverse and complex society that increases the parameters of its diverseness and complexities each decade. Our complexities are worth protecting and nurturing. They identify us as Americans.  The cornerstone of this protection and identity is the First Amendment.  The surveys cited in this study point to the American citizen’s ignorance of the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment. The challenge, to expunge this ignorance through education, should be the responsibility of the American public school system. The challenge to address this problem rests with our schools. What has not worked in the classroom in the past must be eradicated and replaced by a First Amendment School philosophy and the curricula that stems from this initiative wherein the rights and responsibilities that support the First Amendment are learned and modeled.

The purpose of this study is to look at model First Amendment Schools (FAS) in New England, namely the Hudson High School in Hudson, MA, The Monadnock Community school (MC2) in Surry, NH, and The Stevens School in Peacham, VT in order to define "First Amendment School". A first-hand look at Hudson High School's Community Council in session (a democratic governance body that has replaced the more traditional "top-down" management style) the school curriculum and mission statement that help define theirs as a First Amendment School will help me formulate a recommendation that our school Mt. Abraham Union High School in Bristol, VT become a First Amendment School next year using "bench-mark engineering," that is taking the best qualities of those First Amendment Schools studied, to create our own FAS.

Name: Riva Rondorf

Department: Community Development and Applied Economics

Advisor: Dr. Robert Parsons

E-mail:   Riva.Rondorf@uvm.edu

Title: Using ‘nearest-neighbor analysis’ to explore organic dairy profitability in Vermont

Abstract:

While the dairy industry in the United States has experienced significant changes in the past two decades, traditional dairy states like Vermont have been losing their market share at an increasing rate. Although there may not be any simple solution, the emergence of the organic dairy industry has provided what some are calling a lifeline to Vermont dairy farmers. Organic dairy has expanded quickly in Vermont in the past several years but there is little collected data on the profitability of this new industry. This study is motivated by the potential of organic dairy and the great need for information.

The available data collected from New England states suggest that the profitability of organic dairy farms is highly determined by management and business decision and switching to organic operation itself does not guarantee a profit.  However, the effectiveness of management and business decisions are hard to define and difficult to measure. Studies suggest that business functions such as adoption of innovation and decision-making are strongly tied to networks and spatial diffusion.  Is there a relationship between an organic dairy farm’s neighbors and its profitability?  This study will begin to explore this question with nearest-neighbor statistical analysis.

This presentation will focus on the profitability of twenty-six organic dairy farms in Vermont.  In-depth personal surveys of these volunteer farms collected detailed financial information.  An overview of this data will be augmented by average nearest-neighbor values for each farm.  The presentation will close with a discussion of how these values might inform a better understanding of the variables that impact organic dairy farm profits in Vermont.

Name: R. Andrew Burtt

Department:  Plant and Soil Science

Advisor:  Dr. Mark C Starrett

E-mail:  rburtt@uvm.edu

Title:  Vascular Weed Control in Container Production using Select Non-chemical Top-dress Treatments

Abstract:

Vascular weeds are a major problem in nursery container production, leading to expensive hand weeding and the application of chemical herbicides for their removal.  Weeds compete with the crop being produced for water, nutrients and light, resulting in stunted crops, increased inputs for production and potential loss in profits.  Six non-chemical top-dress treatments were tested for their suppressive and preventative qualities against four different weed species common to container nursery production.  Twenty seeds each of Cardamine hirsuta, Epilobium ciliatum, Sagina procumbens and Senecio vulgaris were sown in Classic 200 containers filled with a conventional potting mix, top-dress treatments were applied either before or after weed seeds were sown, and then fertilized with a time-release fertilizer.  These treatments consist of buckwheat hulls, cocoa shells, coir fiber discs, geotextile discs, pine bark mulch, rice hulls, or controls which lack any top-dress treatment.  The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse where a diurnal temperature flux was imposed and supplemental HID lighting was used to promote a long-day environment.  The objective of this study was to replicate common weed pressures typical in a production nursery and determine which top-dress treatments are most successful in preventing and/or suppressing the establishment of these weed seedlings.  Effectiveness of treatments was assessed by determining the survival of weed seedlings at 30 days following sowing, with three replications performed over time.  Results indicate that buckwheat and rice hulls have the greatest effect in controlling weed growth in containers for the species C. hirsuta, E. ciliatum, and S. procumbens.

Name: Teresa Linares Scott, Ph.D.

Department: Psychiatry

Advisor: Sarah H. Heil, Ph.D.

E-mail: Teresa.Scott@uvm.edu

Title: Pharmacological and behavioral treatment of opioid-dependent pregnant women

Abstract:

In a 2005 survey, 3.9% of pregnant women endorsed illicit drug use in past month (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2005). Of those, 27% reported use of heroin or the non-medical use of pain relievers (e.g. Oxycodone).  This translates into more than 57,000 heroin- or other opiate-exposed pregnancies each year.

The recommended pharmacological treatment for opioid-dependent pregnant women is methadone. Methadone in the context of comprehensive care is associated with more prenatal care, increased fetal growth and less neonatal morbidity and mortality than continued opioid abuse (Finnegan & Kaltenbach, 1992).  More recently, the use of buprenorphine as an alternative pharmacotherapy has been investigated for use during pregnancy. Initial results generally suggest that treatment with buprenorphine provides the same benefits to the mother as methadone, but because buprenorphine may be associated with a less severe withdrawal in infants than that observed with methadone, it may be more advantageous for infants than methadone. The University of Vermont (UVM) is one site in a multi-site, double-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) that systematically evaluates the impact of buprenorphine versus methadone on neonatal outcome, with a particular focus on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). During the course of the study, women are maintained on either methadone or buprenorphine and receive comprehensive care including behavioral treatment that consists of voucher incentives for abstinence of illicit drugs, attending counseling, and other study related activities. To date, we have randomized 14 women and 7 babies have been born. Thus far, the combination of behavioral and pharmacological treatment is effective: 98% of all urine samples are negative for illicit drugs and 92% of all counseling sessions have been completed. The baby outcomes have also been promising thus far, with only 1 baby needing treatment for NAS. While the medications remain blinded, after the study is completed we will have the opportunity to compare the two groups based on medication group and determine if indeed buprenorphine is a more optimal medication for pregnant opioid-dependent women.

Name: Thomas J. Connelly

Department: English

Advsior: Todd McGowan

E-mail: tjconnel@uvm.edu

Title: The Desire To Know Death: Abbas Kiarostami's "Taste of Cherry"

Abstract:

One can claim that cinema is appealing because we are allowed access to something we normally do not have privy to in our lives.  We root for the underdog because in our everyday existence we yearn for our own social justice.  We enjoy watching the perfect romance unfold on the screen.  Yet, we know in real life is that love is not perfect.  And sometimes we even envision ourselves going the other way and finding ourselves on the side of evil?many Hitchcock films proves this to be.  In "Psycho," after Norman Bates murders Marion Crane in the famous shower sequence, the spectator suddenly roots for Bates, hoping he will evade the law.  How did this transformation happen?  How did we end up on the side of evil?

In Jacques Lacan?s understanding of the Real, symbolic and imaginary, to be accepted into culture (the big Other), one must renounce jouissance (complete enjoyment).  Lacan argued that once a subject renounces enjoyment, he/she desires to return to the realm of jouissance?a notion he calls objet petit a?the object cause of desire.  The paradox is that complete enjoyment never existed to start, which creates the barred or antagonistic subject.  My claim is that cinema allows the spectator access to the object cause of desire.

My thesis argues that Abbas Kiarostami?s "Taste of Cherry" exemplifies Lacan?s notion of objet petit a.  In "Taste of Cherry," pertinent exposition is truncated from the spectator, which I have called the ?missing scene?: the mystery of why Mr. Badii, the protagonist, wants to commit suicide.  Since Kiarostami provides no access to the missing scene, the spectator?s desire is directed towards death; i.e. the desire to know death. Not unlike the spectator who suddenly roots for Norman Bates, the enjoyment of "Taste of Cherry" poses the uncomfortable but alluring questions: Will Mr. Badii commit the act of suicide? And what will his suicide look like?

Name: Virginie Dupont

Department: School of Engineering

Advisor: Dr Frederic Sansoz

E-mail:  vdupont@uvm.edu

Title: Properties of Metallic Nanomaterials

Abstract: 

Nanotechnologies are slowly becoming part of our everyday life, even though we do not always know it. The mechanisms which trigger the anti blocking breaks on our cars are actually MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System). Soon, nanotechnologies will be implanted in the human body, will be in every computer, will be used as thermal protections on supersonic aircrafts or will give us the properties of the fuel with which they are being mixed. Researchers work hard to make these projects reality in the near future. My research is focused on the study of the properties of materials for nanotechnology such as nanocrystalline metals, which are metals with a very small grain size: 10 nm, i.e. around 40,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. I use atomistic simulations to model the indentation of a nanocrystalline film made of aluminum. Nanocrystalline metals are much stronger than normal metals. What makes them so strong is the size of their grain. Under certain conditions, this size can change as grains coalesce. I am investigating the mechanisms which lead to grain growth in those nanocrystalline metals. It is already well known that grain growth can be a temperature activated process, but what interests me is grain growth with no temperature. In simulations, it is easy to be at absolute zero, and thus remove the temperature parameter from the equations. We obtained grain growth in a nanocrystalline aluminum thin film, but it seems like this process does not occur so easily. I will show during my talk that the particular structures formed by the atoms in the grain boundary have an important role in the movement of the grain boundaries which lead to grain growth.