This paper uses data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) to examine the relationship between six dimensions of nutritional status and household resources paying special attention to the distinction between longer-run resources and short-run fluctuations in resources. Between 1996 and 1998, Russia experienced a dramatic decline in economic activity which was followed by an equally dramatic rise between 1998 and 2000. We exploit this fact in combination with the panel nature of RLMS to measure the effect of changes in household resources on nutritional status. Nutritional status appears to be very resilient to variation in household resources. Gross energy intake, adult body mass index (BMI), and child stature all change very little as expenditure deviates from its long-run average. In contrast, we find a positive, significant and substantively large effect of longer-run resources on energy intake, two indicators of diet quality, adult body mass index (BMI), and child stature. It appears that individuals and households are able to weather large economic crises at least in terms of maintaining body mass and energy intake.

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This thesis includes four essays about my theory of death and failed relationships.

Murphy, Ann: Dancing on the Rim of Dreams: A Variety Show Starring Five California Dance Pioneers in Five Acts with Prelude, Sagas, Historical Asides and Finale

California entered the national bloodstream in the early days of the Gold Rush and quickly became a mythic place ripe for dreamers, religionists, bigamists, outlaws, failures, utopianists, entrepreneurs, ex-slaves and poets. Tales of the West had been flying East for years, but when word of gold spread in 1849, the stories became a siren call and the settlers heeded it in ever-growing numbers. But for women, the promise of California was far more than the lure of mining enough gold for a down payment on a plot of land. For the bold who went West, California promised an unfettered world and electrifying antidote to the physical servitude of women in the East. Movement both en route and in California became a liberator that not only fed women's suffrage but led to the creation of an indigenous art form developed and nurtured by women: modern dance. By looking at five dance pioneers, Dancing on the Rim of Dreams explores California's role in the evolution of an original American art form.

. This creative non-fiction work is based on conversations I have had with my mother about her experience as a member of the Women's Army Corps during World War II.

Marine species face several challenges as a result of human activities including direct effects on populations (e.g. overharvesting) and indirect impacts on individuals (e.g. physiological responses to ocean warming and acidification). Ameliorating these impacts requires successful regulation at both the population and physiological levels. One group of critically threatened organisms are the so called “giant clams” (genus Tridacna) of tropical coral reefs. Like corals, giant clams possess calcifying larvae and host symbiotic microalgae and are therefore susceptible to environmentally-driven failure of biomineralization and symbiotic disruption. In addition, giant clams are economically important fisheries species which have been severely overexploited throughout much of their range. While marine reserves have been established to replenish dwindling giant clam stocks, their efficacy in promoting population recovery remains unknown. Similarly, little is known regarding the magnitude of climate-change associated physiological effects on giant clams. This stems, in part, from a lack of knowledge regarding the response of early life-history stages to warming and acidification and because the molecular mechanisms regulating acid-base homeostasis and symbiont photosynthesis in giant clams remain poorly characterized. I addressed these knowledge gaps in populations of the small giant clam, Tridacna maxima, from across a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) on Mo’orea, French Polynesia. I employed a combined physiological and ecological approach to (1) investigate mechanistic processes underlying acid-base regulation within giant clams, specifically in relation to maintenance of host-symbiont homeostasis, (2) measure the effects of increased temperature and elevated pCO2 on giant clam fertilization success, and (3) assess the efficacy of a recently established Marine Protected Area Network in promoting conservation and recovery of this species in an exploitative environment.

I demonstrate that giant clams regulate symbiont photosynthesis through the activity of an ion-transport protein, vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (VHA), which is strongly localized in close proximity to symbiotic algae. I further show that clam VHA actively promotes algal photosynthesis, increasing rates of O2 production and holobiont metabolic rate, and likely represents a convergent exaptation for carbon concentration shared by reef-building corals. This process has implications for climate-related responses and may offset the negative impacts of future ocean acidification in these species. I also present the first data demonstrating giant clam early life-history responses to climate change drivers and show that syngamy in giant clams is extremely sensitive to environmental warming. Finally, I demonstrate the significant, positive, effect of MPA establishment in permitting recovery of overharvested giant clam populations. T. maxima populations have increased approximately 3-fold in Mo’orea’s protected sites relative to non-protected controls and this rate of recovery is significantly higher than the global average for marine reserves. Taken together, these results suggest that effective regulation at both the population and physiological level may permit the recovery and persistence of giant clams in the face of anthropogenic challenges.