MTV’s The Hills: A Leading American Docusoap

<p>This thesis explores the relatively uncharted academic territory of the American docusoap, and case studies The Hills as a pertinent example of this burgeoning television genre. Docusoap is a ‘mixed-genre’ that enhances factual material with the story-telling techniques of fictional drama. Whilst many academics have studied the origins of British docusoap and have registered the influence upon it of ‘public service’ objectives in programming, less attention has been paid to the emergence of the docusoap in the commercially-driven American television context. It is in this context that the docusoap has entailed a more overt blending of the attributes of ‘documentary’ and ‘soap opera’ for purely entertainment purposes. Testifying to the need to reconcile risk with conservatism in a commercially-driven schedule context, the generic mix within The Hills draws from the genres of soap opera and ‘reality’ TV, both of which bring the advantages and assurances of a well-demonstrated audience popularity. Having recently completed its sixth and final season, The Hills exemplifies current developments within the American docusoap form. This docusoap details the lives of a group of attractive, affluent young people in their early twenties who work and socialise within the entertainment and fashion industries of Los Angeles. Significantly, The Hills maintains the voyeuristic allure of a ‘reality’ TV premise and enhances this by adapting the melodramatic aesthetics and distinctive narrative strategies of soap opera to a degree that is more overt than other docusoaps, aside, of course, from that which characterised its forerunner, Laguna Beach. This thesis undertakes a close examination of the generic and institutional positioning of The Hills in four distinct chapters. Chapter One examines the generic position of docusoap as a ‘mixed-genre’ and the institutional role The Hills performs for the youth-oriented MTV network. Chapter Two analyses the specific fictional narrative techniques The Hills uses to enhance its documented footage whilst Chapter Three addresses the controversies that have emerged due to this docusoap’s blending of the fictional and the factual. Finally, Chapter Four details how the docusoap’s ability to appeal to lucrative young viewers positions The Hills as a powerful promotional tool for MTV’s consumerist messages.</p>

MTV’s The Hills: A Leading American Docusoap

<p>This thesis explores the relatively uncharted academic territory of the American docusoap, and case studies The Hills as a pertinent example of this burgeoning television genre. Docusoap is a ‘mixed-genre’ that enhances factual material with the story-telling techniques of fictional drama. Whilst many academics have studied the origins of British docusoap and have registered the influence upon it of ‘public service’ objectives in programming, less attention has been paid to the emergence of the docusoap in the commercially-driven American television context. It is in this context that the docusoap has entailed a more overt blending of the attributes of ‘documentary’ and ‘soap opera’ for purely entertainment purposes. Testifying to the need to reconcile risk with conservatism in a commercially-driven schedule context, the generic mix within The Hills draws from the genres of soap opera and ‘reality’ TV, both of which bring the advantages and assurances of a well-demonstrated audience popularity. Having recently completed its sixth and final season, The Hills exemplifies current developments within the American docusoap form. This docusoap details the lives of a group of attractive, affluent young people in their early twenties who work and socialise within the entertainment and fashion industries of Los Angeles. Significantly, The Hills maintains the voyeuristic allure of a ‘reality’ TV premise and enhances this by adapting the melodramatic aesthetics and distinctive narrative strategies of soap opera to a degree that is more overt than other docusoaps, aside, of course, from that which characterised its forerunner, Laguna Beach. This thesis undertakes a close examination of the generic and institutional positioning of The Hills in four distinct chapters. Chapter One examines the generic position of docusoap as a ‘mixed-genre’ and the institutional role The Hills performs for the youth-oriented MTV network. Chapter Two analyses the specific fictional narrative techniques The Hills uses to enhance its documented footage whilst Chapter Three addresses the controversies that have emerged due to this docusoap’s blending of the fictional and the factual. Finally, Chapter Four details how the docusoap’s ability to appeal to lucrative young viewers positions The Hills as a powerful promotional tool for MTV’s consumerist messages.</p>

Placolecis kashmirensis sp. nov. (Lichenized Ascomycota, Catillariaceae) from Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan

Placolecis kashmirensis sp. nov. is described from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. It is characterized by a yellowish-brown thallus, hyaline, broadly ellipsoid ascospores, a relatively taller hymenium and pear-shaped pycnidia. The generic position is confirmed by a phylogenetic analysis based on nrITS sequences. Description, a phylogenetic tree, and identification key for all the known Placolecis species are provided.

Taxonomy of Podoscirtinae (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Part 13: new taxa of the subtribe Podoscirtina from Africa

The subtribe Podoscirtina of the tribe Podoscirtini is briefly discussed; it contains 11 Madagascan genera as well as 2–6 African genera, one of which is also known from Madagascar. A subgenus of the genus Kilimagryllus Sjöstedt, 1909 is here considered as a separate genus Brevitrella Gorochov, 2004, stat. nov., with two species: B. madagascarica (Gorochov, 2004), comb. nov., and B. africana (Walker, 1869), comb. nov. The following new taxa of this subtribe are described from Africa: Malawitrella sotshivkoi gen. et sp. nov. and Kilimagryllus bilobulatus sp. nov. from Malawi, K. bilobulatus limpopo subsp. nov., Parametrypa pubescens sp. nov., P. longispinosa sp. nov. and P. dentata sp. nov. from the Republic of South Africa. The new data on other African species of Podoscirtina are given: in particular, Parametrypa spiculata Saussure, 1878 is restored from synonymy with P. fortipes (Walker, 1869) as a subspecies of the latter species (P. fortipes spiculata, stat. nov.); P. viettei Chopard, 1958 is transferred to the predominantly American tribe Paroecanthini, but its generic position remains unclear.

Review of some Perinereis Kinberg, 1865 (Annelida: Nereididae) species of Group 2 sensu Hutchings, Reid & Wilson, 1991 from the Eastern and South-eastern Asian seas

The present study reviews Perinereis Group 2 species from the Eastern and South-eastern Asian seas based on morphological analysis of the types, non-types and original descriptions, and the use of molecular evidence (COI and 16S rDNA) from newly collected material. These species are characterized by having two bar-shaped paragnaths on pharyngeal area VI, which are often deemed conical when small and pointed, triggering misidentifications as to Neanthes species. New terminology and definition for this particular type of bars are proposed, and the generic position of some resembling Neanthes species is also re-assessed. Five species are transferred to Perinereis: Perinereis babuzai comb. nov., P. belawanensis comb. nov., P. kinmenensis comb. nov., P. shigungensis comb. nov. and P. vitabunda comb. nov. ‘Perinereis aibuhitensis’ species group is newly proposed by encompassing species having proximal dorsal ligule similar throughout the body, dorsal cirri short, and blades of heterogomph falcigers straight with long terminal tooth forming a distinct tendon. Perinereis belawanensis comb. nov., P. linea and P. vitabunda comb. nov. are redescribed. Perinereis linea is regarded as a senior synonym of Nereis (Neanthes) orientalis and Perinereis vancaurica tetradentata based on type material, whereas its exotic status in the Mediterranean Sea is questioned. An identification key to all currently valid species within Perinereis Group 2 is also provided.

Gerricola queenslandensis n. g., n. sp., a new monorchiid trematode from the eastern Australian coast and its life cycle partially elucidated

Of over 250 species of Monorchiidae Odhner, 1911, just four are known from gerreid fishes. Here, we report adult specimens of a new species infecting Gerres oyena (Forsskål) and Gerres subfasciatus Cuvier from off Heron Island and North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. The species is morphologically most similar to the concept of Lasiotocus Looss, 1907, which currently comprises eight species, in the possession of an unspined genital atrium, bipartite terminal organ, round oral sucker and unlobed ovary. However, phylogenetic analyses of the 28S ribosomal DNA gene region shows the species to be distantly related to the two sequenced species of Lasiotocus – Lasiotocus mulli (Stossich, 1883) Odhner, 1911 and Lasiotocus trachinoti Overstreet & Brown, 1970 – and that it clearly requires a distinct genus; thus, we propose Gerricola queenslandensis n. g., n. sp. Morphologically, G. queenslandensis n. g., n. sp. differs significantly from L. mulli and L. trachinoti only in the possession of distinctly longer caeca, which terminate in the post-testicular region, and in the absence of a distinct gap in the terminal organ spines. The remaining species of Lasiotocus possess caeca that also terminate in the post-testicular region, which might warrant their transfer to Gerricola n. g. However, doubt about their monophyly due to a combination of significant morphological variation, a lack of information on some features and infection of a wide range of hosts, lead us to retain these taxa as species of Lasiotocus until molecular sequence data are available to better inform their phylogenetic and taxonomic positions. Sporocysts and cercariae of G. queenslandensis n. g., n. sp. were found in a lucinid bivalve, Codakia paytenorum (Iredale), from Heron Island. Sexual adult and intramolluscan stages were genetically matched with the ITS2 ribosomal DNA and cox1 mitochondrial DNA regions. This is the second record of the Lucinidae as a first intermediate host for the Monorchiidae. Additionally, we report sporocysts and cercariae of another monorchiid infection in a tellinid bivalve, Jactellina clathrata (Deshayes), from Heron Island. Molecular sequence data for this species do not match any sequenced species and phylogenetic analyses do not suggest any generic position.

Generalist, specialist and generic positions experienced by occupational therapists in Norwegian municipalities

Purpose Reforms in the health-care system may impact how health-care professionals perceive and enact their roles. This study aims to examine the way in which occupational therapists experience and describe their roles in municipalities after the implementation of a health reform (the Coordination Act) in Norway. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study was designed within the perspectives of social constructivism. Data was collected through focus group interviews with 10 community-working occupational therapists. A thematic framework analysis was used to examine the participants’ experiences. Findings The following four themes emerged: external factors that framed and shaped the occupational therapists’ roles in municipalities; the strengths and dilemmas of the generalist; the problematic generic position and the strengths; and dilemmas of the specialist. Originality/value The study suggests that occupational therapy practitioners should identify new opportunities and adapt to health reform changes. They also need to renegotiate their roles as the health reforms require more specialized competences. Greater emphasis must be placed on the core knowledge and competences of occupational therapists to strengthen their professional identity in the municipalities.

Revisiting the generic position and acoustic diagnosis of Odontophrynus salvatori (Anura: Odontophrynidae)

Herein we evaluate the phylogenetic position, and revisit the generic allocation of Odontophrynus salvatori, which has for long been considered controversial because it exhibits intermediate morphological features between Odontophrynus and Proceratophrys. By assessing a fragment of the 16S mitochondrial gene from topotypical specimens, we confirm that O. salvatori is a member of the genus Proceratophrys and sister to P. moratoi, also forming a clade with P. concavitympanum and P. ararype. Therefore, we formally transfer O. salvatori to the genus Proceratophrys [Proceratophrys salvatori (Caramaschi 1996) comb. nov.]. Additionally, the calls of Proceratophrys salvatori and P. moratoi, formally compared for the first time, are shown to exhibit similar structures: they both emit single multi-pulsed notes that differ mainly in pulse repetition rate and dominant frequency. Finally, we summarise occurrence records for P. salvatori and P. moratoi and provide a new record of P. moratoi in Mato Grosso State, extending its distribution about 490 km to the north-west.

The Bitter Medicine of History

This chapter investigates how Seneca the Elder negotiates the generic position of declamation in his Controversiae and Suasoriae. It argues that his practice shows a perception of close generic affinity between declamation and poetry, and focuses on his attempt to force his readers into a closer engagement with historiography. In the course of critiquing declamations, Seneca not infrequently offers as extra-declamatory comparanda examples from poetry, and especially from epic. He appears to take for granted his audience’s acceptance of the models of poetic description and poetic pathos. History, by contrast, does not appear as a parallel genre in the Controversiae and is cited only in the divisio of the sixth suasoria, on whether Cicero should ask Antony to spare him. Seneca expects his audience to be distressed by the introduction of historiographical texts, but insists on an extensive engagement with historical treatments as non alienum to the subject. This juxtaposition of attitudes suggests awareness on the part of Seneca’s audience of a generic identity centred on fictionality (a crucial distinction from traditional oratory). By centring his discussion on this exemplum, moreover, Seneca uses the most temporally proximate subject, Cicero’s death, to make the strongest possible argument for the potential benefit of history to the future development of the declamatory genre.