1,827 research outputs found
Cult: A Composite Novel
No full textCult (redacted)
The first component of the thesis is a composite novel called Cult which falls into two parts with seven narratives in each. Part 1 tracks the protagonist, Ellen, from her first involvement with the cult through to her eventually leaving it. Although fiction, the first half of the book answers the kinds of questions the author is asked when people discover that she was once a sannyasin (a follower of the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). While the experiences of meditation, group therapy and communal living are all faithfully rendered within the stories, the need for strong characters, narrative drive and a lightness of touch takes precedence.
Part 2 picks up Ellen’s story some twenty or so years later and explores what becomes of her in middle age. It also looks at other groups in society, such as academia, the law and the internet dating community which each have their own jargon, hierarchies, rituals and rules but are not considered to be cults.
The book examines the question raised in the Epigraph, ‘how do we be together when we feel so alone’ with a focus on relationships other than the familial and the romantic.
Collisions, Chasms and Connections: a Performative Exploration of the Composite Novel Form
The second part of the thesis is both a critical and creative response to three contemporary American books: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout; A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan; and Legend of a Suicide by David Vann. The critical element comprises a close reading of the three books; a chronological reconstruction of their overarching storylines; and a consideration of what their authors have said about writing the books. It concludes that, in the composite novel, the simultaneous presentation of multiple views and storylines operate much like a 3D image to give the impression of depth to the characters and situations rendered. The creative element of the essay is a playful and personal response to the texts
History of changes to absentee ballot eligibility in Connecticut / by Jennifer Proto (principal analyst), Jennifer Bernier (senior legislative librarian)
No full text1 online resource (3 pages)"December 17, 2020."Discusses changes since 1965 to state law codifying reasons for which electors may vote by absentee ballot in Connecticut, currently CGS § 9-135 (amended this year by PA 20-3, July special session
Sequence validation of candidates for selectively important genes in sunflower
No full textAnalyses aimed at identifying genes that have been targeted by past selection provide a powerful means for investigating the molecular basis of adaptive differentiation. In the case of crop plants, such studies have the potential to not only shed light on important evolutionary processes, but also to identify genes of agronomic interest. In this study, we test for evidence of positive selection at the DNA sequence level in a set of candidate genes previously identified in a genome-wide scan for genotypic evidence of selection during the evolution of cultivated sunflower. In the majority of cases, we were able to confirm the effects of selection in shaping diversity at these loci. Notably, the genes that were found to be under selection via our sequence-based analyses were devoid of variation in the cultivated sunflower gene pool. This result confirms a possible strategy for streamlining the search for adaptively-important loci process by pre-screening the derived population to identify the strongest candidates before sequencing them in the ancestral population
Spontaneous ATM gene reversion in A-T iPSC to produce an isogenic cell line
No full textA spontaneously reverted iPSC line was identified from an A-T subject with heterozygous ATM truncation mutations. The reverted iPSC line expressed ATM protein and was capable of radiation-induced phosphorylation of CHK2 and H2A.X. Genome-wide SNP analysis confirmed a match to source T-cells and also to a distinct, non-reverted iPSC line from the same subject. Rearranged T-cell receptor sequences predict that the iPSC culture originated as several independently reprogrammed cells that resolved into a single major clone, suggesting that gene correction likely occurred early in the reprogramming process. Gene expression analysis comparing ATM-/- iPSC lines to unrelated ATM+/- cells identifies a large number of differences but comparing only the isogenic pair of A-T iPSC lines reveals that the primary pathway affected by loss of ATM is a diminished expression of p53-related mRNAs. Gene reversion in culture, while likely a rare event, provided a novel, reverted cell line for studying ATM function.Peer reviewe
Food insecurity in Connecticut / by Jennifer Proto, principal analyst
No full text1 online resource (5 pages)"December 18, 2020.
Legal challenges to redistricting plans / by Jennifer Proto, principal analyst
No full text1 online resource (11 pages)"January 28, 2021."Summarizes court decisions concerning challenges to Connecticut redistricting plans. Updates a 2011 repor
Qualifying for Medicaid for Employees with Disabilities (MED-Connect) / by Jennifer Proto, principal analyst
No full text1 online resource (2 pages)"November 25, 2020."Discusses the eligibility criteria that an individual with a disability must meet to qualify for the MED-Connect progra
Legislative history of filling constitutional officer vacancies / by Jennifer Proto (principal analyst), Christine McCluskey (librarian)
No full text1 online resource (3 pages)"December 23, 2020."Discusses the legislative history of CGS § 9-213, which addresses how four of the state's constitutional officers (the attorney general, comptroller, secretary of the state (SOTS), and treasurer) are appointed if there is a vacanc
Verifying in-state businesses for the Supplier Diversity Program / by Jennifer Proto, principal analyst
No full text1 online resource (2 pages)"November 17, 2020."Discusses how a small business verifies that its principal place of business is maintained in Connecticut for purposes of eligibility for the state's Supplier Diversity Progra
A Comparative Analysis of the Equity Outcomes in Three Sugarcane–Ethanol Systems
No full textThis article identifies equity outcomes associated with three biofuel systems in Brazil, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. Acknowledging that winners and losers are socially and politically generated, the article identifies some of the factors behind the distribution of winners and losers along different stages of three sugarcane–ethanol supply chains. Analyzing the outcomes for equity within each case study reveals an uneven distribution that, we argue, is related to the procedure and structure of the given sugarcane–ethanol system, and the recognition of the impacts on different actors within those structures. Increasing equity in sugarcane–ethanol systems will require greater openness in decision-making processes, in order that multiple voices are taken into account in the promotion, production, and consumption of biofuels—particularly those of smaller and less powerful actors
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