Digital Commons Network^™

The Chess Puzzle Lock Screen, Ryan J. Hayes

Student Scholar Showcase

The Chess Puzzle Lock Screen

Many times each day, owners of cellphones use their phone’s lock screen in order to access their device. The goal of this project has been to take advantage of the action of unlocking one’s device by incorporating an element of self-help into the process. Every time a user who is interested in learning a new field attempts to access their device, that user is faced with a problem pertaining to a subject they are interested in learning more about. After many repetitions of this scenario, the user will have increased their understanding of this field. …

Virtual Reality: Google Cardboard And Unity, Emma Elliott

Student Scholar Showcase

Virtual Reality is currently the hottest way for people to play video games because it provides an immersive and interactive world to explore. It uses computer software to create sounds, realistic images, and other effects to simulate a virtual setting. The current craze started on the Oculus Rift headset and has incited other companies to make their own, but most are expensive or require another system to play. Instead of buying an expensive headset, anyone with a smartphone can play in Virtual Reality with Google’s cheap alternative, the Google Cardboard. The goal of this project is to complete a prototype …

Infrared Home Controller, Thomas D. White

Student Scholar Showcase

No abstract provided.

Coping Mechanisms Used By Female Slaves In Charleston During The Antebellum Era, Jennifer Seay

Student Scholar Showcase

Coping Mechanisms Used by Slaves in Charleston, South Carolina

In Charleston, South Carolina during the Antebellum Era slaves used coping mechanisms to survive the oppression and dehumanization of slavery. Slave implemented coping mechanisms such as religion and music into their daily lives which provided them with a source of hope and solace. Former slaves have stated in personal interviews and writings that reflecting on something other than their reality of bondage inspired them and created hope for a new future. The enslaved found hope through religion and accepted the biblical stories of Christianity as prophecy of the future. Music relayed …

Hail To The Chief: Official Presidential Portraits And The Imagery Of The Private Individual In The Public Office, Erin Sinski

Student Scholar Showcase

Much has been written about the presidency of the United States and the individuals that have inhabited its office. However, not much research has been dedicated to the presidential portraits that commemorate each president’s term served. Yet it is within the plane of a portrait that an artist has encapsulated the gargantuan nature of the public figure alongside the vulnerability of the private individual. Presidential portraits possess a psychological nature which creates a reciprocity between the viewer and the subject. Through all of this the presidential portrait has become a means for the American public to understand and recognize each …

Displays Of Power In English Tudor Painting (1485-1603), Laura Meisner

Student Scholar Showcase

English painting between 1485 and 1603 shaped and was shaped by a myriad of cultural influences. Art historians generally agree that because England did not produce much of its own art until the 18^th century, it had a relatively slight impact on the development of Western art. A cursory history lesson of this time frame likely omits English art apart from the appearance of Hans Holbein the Younger as court painter under Henry VIII and Nicholas Hilliard during Elizabeth I’s reign. However, a study of English paintings throughout the entire Tudor period reflects its importance not only to England’s …

Iso-Α-Acids Degradation In Beer, Emily Whittle

Student Scholar Showcase

Iso-a-acids are one of the key components that provide bitterness to beer. Understanding the stability of beer flavor over extended period is useful to the rapidly expanding craft beer industry and to the consumer. The lupulin glands of hops (Humulus Lupulus, L.) contain three a-acids: humulone, adhumulone, and cohumulone. The a-acids are converted to six iso-a-acids upon boiling, this is the main reason for boiling wort during the brewing process. The six iso-a-acids are cis­-isohumulone, trans-isohumulone, cis-isoadhumulone, trans-isoadhumulone, cis-isocohumulone, and trans-isocohumulone. We propose that the concentration of iso-a-acids in beer will decline over time …

C-Myc’S Role On Methylation Of The Gata-2 Gene In Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, Jonathan D. Hajduk

Student Scholar Showcase

Lung cancer accounts for more deaths per year than any other form of cancer, resulting in a total of 158,000 deaths per year in the U.S. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is diagnosed in greater than 224,000 Americans every year. Methylation and subsequent downregulation of certain genes has been directly linked to the uncontrolled growth of NSCLC cells. Natural killer (NK) cells are key innate immune cells responsible for apoptosis of cells with incorrect genetic code. It is believed that one component of uncontrolled NSCLC growth is due to the NK cells’ inability to detect errors within NSCLC cells. Perhaps …

Infringed: Appropriation Art And Intellectual Property, Benjamin A. Stern

Student Scholar Showcase

This thesis is an exploration of appropriation art specifically referencing policies regarding fair use and focusing on the legal, ethical, and social issues that are associated with appropriating another artist’s work. Though highly controversial, appropriation art has been seen in a wide array of media and has impacted various artistic movements. The accompanying artistic project to this thesis, titled Infringed, uses three historically important copyright infringement court cases to discuss the legality of transforming others work into new and original pieces. Each of the three court cases will be represented in a poster series that explores the concepts of …

Exploring Victim Precipitation In Internet Crimes Against Children, Bryce L. Coulter

Student Scholar Showcase

In the past decade, reports of online child sexual exploitation have significantly increased. The purpose of this study is to explore how Internet technology has influenced the family structure resulting in the increased vulnerability of juveniles. The Family Systems theory provides rationale as to how the nurturing relationship between juvenile and parent can be reversed. The conceptualized ‘role reversal’ is characterized by parents consistently seeking nurture from their child results in the neglecting of their own child’s development. A secondary data analysis of 356 online child sexual exploitation case files from 2007 to 2014 was utilized to explore victim precipitation …

Hollywed: Product Placements In American Wedding Films, Charlotte A. Galamb

Student Scholar Showcase

My study examines wedding fashion product placement in feature films from 1989 to 2017. My research will provide a brief history of product placement as well as address expert’s understanding of the effectiveness of product placement. A study on fashions surrounding the year the film’s gown reached box offices will ask if films have a demonstrable impact on the wedding fashion industry.

Spectrofluorometric Analysis Of Bisphenol-A In Drinking Water Bottles, Jeff Brochetti

Student Scholar Showcase

Spectrofluorometric Analysis of Bisphenol-A in Drinking Water Bottles

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is of environmental concern due to its ability to act as an endocrine disruptor in humans and many other animals. In the food industry, BPA is widely used in the production of plastic bottles and plastic liners in aluminum cans. Over time, trace amounts of BPA can leach from the container and into the contents inside. A new method of testing for trace amount of BPA involved the formation of an inclusion complex with ß-Cyclodextrin. With the formation of the inclusion complex, it becomes much easier to analyze low concentrations …

Foreign Aid Allocation And Impact In Latin America And The Caribbean (Lac): A Cross-Country Analysis Of Foreign Aid Impact On Gdp Per Capita And Life Expectancy., Ancito Etienne

Student Scholar Showcase

The research paper I will be presenting does an empirical study of the impact of foreign aid on life expectancy and GDP per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean using a panel dataset of 22 and 20 countries, respectively, dated from 1996 to 2014 to perform two distinctive regressions using the OLS method. In addition, an exploration of the impact of GDP per capita on life expectancy was conducted to determine whether there was a cause and effect phenomenon. The findings suggest that foreign aid does not seem to have a positive impact on either GDP per capita or …

"We Are Family": The Influences Of American Culture On The Representation Of Family In Modern American Drama, Deandre C. Short

Student Scholar Showcase

The dramatic works that subject usually deals with the family unit reflect a particular issue in American culture—politically or socially. American playwrights often use their work to challenge popular ideologies and values embedded into American society. Often modern American drama incorporates political, social, and cultural issues as a means to develop the relationship between the family unit. The familial relationship(s) in modern American drama are influenced by the political, social, and cultural environments in the United States.

Virginia Law Enforcement Retention, Brianna M. Egan Miss.

Student Scholar Showcase

When talking about retention, law enforcement agencies have been facing challenges with retaining their officers. Although problems associated with turnover effect all careers, there has been a significant rise in turnover rates within local law enforcement. Agencies invest a great deal of time, money, and other resources into training officers with the intentions of having them on their team for a while. This research aims to investigate different variables that may be related to officer retention within Sheriffs’ Offices. A cross-sectional survey was sent to all 123 Sheriffs’ Offices in the Commonwealth of Virginia for data collection. Although literature suggests …

Gender Inequality In Sport Illustrated Advertisements, Elizabeth Kelly

Student Scholar Showcase

As sports have increased over the years, so has the media coverage and representation of teams and athletes. Women’s athletics drastically grew after the establishment of Title IX in 1972. As the participation of females in sport grew, so did the coverage of them. This study analyzes athletes modeled in advertisements of Sports Illustrated from 2010 – 2016. With a total of 497 advertisements analyzed, the improvement of female representation was evident. The number of female athletes featured in media outlets has increased, yet is still not equal to male athletes. While female athletes are featured more than previous years, …

Air Pollution: An Emerging Concern On The Cardiovascular System, Lauren Martin, Husnia Akrami

Student Scholar Showcase

No abstract provided.

Difference Between Regular Season And Postseason Impacts Of Women’S Soccer, Elizabeth R. Oden, Debbie Bradney, Katie Breedwood, Tom G. Bowman

Student Scholar Showcase

Context: Subconcussive head impacts receive increased attention for brain health. It remains unknown if game type affects frequency or magnitude of head impacts. Objective: Examine relationship between magnitude and frequency of head impacts during regular and postseason soccer games. Setting: Collegiate soccer fields. Participants: 17 women’s soccer athletes (height=163.68±4.99 cm, age=19.88±1.05 years, mass=61.12±5.00 kg) participated in 19 regular and 9 postseason games during 2014 season. Main Outcome Measures: Game type. XPatch sensor (Seattle, WA) collected linear (g) and rotational (deg/sec2) accelerations, Incidence rates (IR) and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) determining frequency differences. Mann-Whitney U …

Scheduling, Heather Ann Paine 2481430

Student Scholar Showcase

Problem:

Self scheduling via paper sign-up sheets can lead to missed staffing needs for the Operating Room. Paper scheduling lacks the ability to run quick analysis of staffing needs as well as ensure each shift is staffed properly.

Evidence:

Electronic scheduling will improve scheduling efficiency, cost savings, as well as improve moral and staff engagement.

Strategy:

This project will use design and plan, do, study, and act to implement and evaluate project. This project is being conducted take place at Lynchburg General Hospital Operating Room with the current five members of the cardiothoracic team as a pilot, based on post …

Quantitative Evaluation Of Clinostomum Marginatum Distribution In The Fish Host (Perca Flavescens): Investigation Of The Impact On Functional Performance, Doiba Ki Eshofonie, Precious Freeman

Student Scholar Showcase

Doiba Eshofonie & Precious Freeman

Mentor: Takashi Maie

2017 Student Scholar Showcase

Quantitative evaluation of Clinostomum marginatum distribution in the fish host (Perca flavescens): Investigation of the impact on functional performance

Clinostomum marginatum is a trematode commonly found in freshwater fish. The adult C. marginatum stays in its definitive avian host’s mouth and throat. It releases eggs upon contact in water and the eggs hatch into a free-swimming miracidia, which infects an aquatic snail as the first intermediate host. The miracidia, then, develops into a cercaria and leaves the snail to find a fish as its second intermediate …

Embracing Diversity In Dialect: Incorporating Informal Language Into The Classroom, Stephanie R. Jackson

Student Scholar Showcase

Long-standing myths about language have often affected teacher instruction in the classroom. Particularly in minority communities, teachers have faced difficulties educating students whose dialect varies greatly from Standard American English (SAE). In linguistics, dialect is defined as a variety of language associated with a particular social group. Many of the difficulties faced in education have arisen from misconceptions that certain dialects of English, and by extension, certain social groups, are inferior to others. All languages have one dialect that is considered the ‘standard’ or the most prestigious, so that factor cannot be changed. However, the way in which non-standard dialects …

Elementary Cellular Automata In Application, Roger Doles Iii

Student Scholar Showcase

Elementary Cellular Automata is an innovative, modern field of mathematical study that involves the analysis of tessellating finite- state unit squares who's state is determined by adjoining cells. In this presentation we will introduce a method to model the spread of forest fires.

Music Of Nazi Propaganda: A Pedagogical Analysis Of Musical Applications For Influential Power, Renee M. Banks

Student Scholar Showcase

Although the Nazi party in Germany used music to promote their propaganda, the social impact of music’s ability to influence a society’s perceptions can be examined. With the intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to examine how the Nazi party used music as a tool to promote their propaganda. The particular problems of this study were to: (1) analyze how music can emotionally impact people in order to influence perceptions; (2) examine how timbre is used impact an audience emotionally; and (3) construct a lesson plan with the objective of exploring how music influences perceptions. …

Botox Onabotulinumtoxina: Meta-Analysis Of The Severity Of Off-Label Botox Use In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Erica A. Morris

Student Scholar Showcase

Abstract

The brand name Botox was first assigned to a batch of botulinum toxin serotype A by Stanley Fahn, internationally avowed Doctor of Medicine and member of the Psychopharmacology Advisory Committee for the Food and Drug Administration (Erbguth, 2009; Fahn, 2016). Botulinum toxin is classified as one of the most potent toxic substances in the world. Efficacy for the therapeutic use of botulinum toxin is based upon the premise that botulinum toxin remains in the peripheral nervous system and is incapable of breaching the Blood-Brain Barrier (Tenenbaum, 2016). Since receiving initial approval in 1989 botulinum toxin serotype A now also …

The Ease Of Iconicity, Azaria Brown

Student Scholar Showcase

To the untrained eye, sign language looks like an unconnected group of gestures, because it is a language that is separate from the spoken language that dominates its country of origin. Even with this in mind, there are several signs that may be universally understood by people who do not know that particular sign language. For example, though they are not completely the same, the signer touching their fingers to their mouth is similar to the act of eating food, and onlookers may determine that this sign means ‘eat’. Signed words can be related to their meanings through hand shape, …

A Game Of Monovariants On A Checkerboard, Linwood Reynolds

Student Scholar Showcase

Abstract: Assume there is a game that takes place on a 20x20 checkerboard in which each of the 400 squares are filled with either a penny, nickel, dime, or quarter. The coins are placed randomly onto the squares, and there are to be 100 of each of the coins on the board. To begin the game, 59 coins are removed at random. The goal of the game is to remove each remaining coin from the board according to the following rules: 1. A penny can only be removed if all 4 adjacent squares are empty. That is, a penny cannot …

Music Of The Protestant Reformation: A Pedagogical Analysis Of Hymns, Hattie H. Bays

Student Scholar Showcase

During the Protestant Reformation (1517-1600) reformers influenced music through the progression of Roman Catholic to Protestant principles. With the intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research is to investigate the music of the Protestant Reformation (1517-1600). Problems addressed in this research include: 1) to trace the origins of the Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican Church, 2) to discuss protestant reform as it relates to music, and 3) to identify reformation hymns included in the Disciples of Christ, Southern Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian hymnals.

The Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican church developed during the late Renaissance (sixteenth century) as …

Effects Of Awareness Of White Privilege And Perceived Efficacy On White Americans’ Attitudes, Mercedes B. Hamilton

Student Scholar Showcase

White privilege is something that most people do not often think about or realize exists. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of White privilege awareness (WPA) and perceived efficacy on attitudes toward African Americans. Participants will either be primed with a heightened WPA passage or a race irrelevant control passage and they will also be informed of the probability that their efforts might yield (high vs. low efficacy) before answering a series of questions. I expect to see that the participants in the heightened White privilege awareness condition will have less social distance and that this …

The Effects Of Studying Abroad On Second Language Acquisition, Laura Albert

Student Scholar Showcase

An increasing number of college students are participating in study abroad programs across the United States. The effectiveness of these study abroad trips on second language acquisition is an important topic for research. Previous studies have shown that there are differences for second language acquisition when it comes to the context of language learning (eg. classroom vs. abroad) as well as the duration of study abroad trips. The present study examined the effects of studying abroad versus formal classroom instruction on second language acquisition. In addition, the purpose of the study abroad trip was examined (e.g. learning Spanish, teaching ESL). …

It’S The End Of The World As We Know It: Idiocracy, Dystopias And Social Commentary Through Satire, Marc Manasse

Student Scholar Showcase

Idiocracy tells the story of Joe, an army test subject who is transported 500 years into the future to find a world that is populated with the dumbest people ever. For this study, Idiocracy was viewed multiple times over a year. After researching scholarly reviewed articles Idiocracy was analyzed, looking at both the genre and aesthetic of dystopian science fiction films. Then the dystopian society in Idiocracy was studied to see what kind of inferences can be made about society today. By critically analyzing Idiocracy and comparing it to other texts that fall into the genre of dystopic science fiction …