Digital Commons Network^™

Blend It Like Beckett: Samuel Beckett And Experimental Contemporary Creative Writing, Sam Nicole Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Samuel Beckett penned novels, short stories, poetry, stage plays, radio plays, and scripts—and he did each in a way that blended genre, challenged the norms of creative writing, and surprised audiences around the globe. His experimental approach to creative writing included the use of absurdism, genre-hybridization, and ergodicism, which led to Beckett fundamentally changing the approach to creative writing. His aesthetics have trickled down through the years and can be seen in contemporary works, including Aimee Bender’s short story collection The Girl in the Flammable Skirt and Mark Z. Danielewski’s novel House of Leaves[1]. By examining these works …

Placing Notes In The Virtual “Western Wall”: Online Memorial Culture In Chinese Social Media, Xiaoyu Zhang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Each society has a unique way of understanding death and coping with mourning. The increasing online mourners in China gradually generated a collective reference to the Weibo account that belongs to the dead, the “Western Wall.” This project searches for answers to two questions: 1) What characterizes Chinese online memorial practice? And how do these practices compare with those in the Western countries? 2) What aspects of Chinese culture and social conditions can explain Chinese online memorial practices? By combining corpus analysis with thematic analysis on 1,606 comments left on the last tweet of two accounts of deceased Weibo users, …

Data Visualization: Emily Cordonnier (Iteration 2), Emily Cordonnier

COVID-19 Graphic Design: Data Visualization and Information Design

This data visualization project draws from Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec’s book Dear Data: A Friendship in 52 Weeks of Postcards. After thorough research and note-taking from given and discovered resources, students were asked to respond to the novel coronavirus and the outbreak of its affiliated illness, COVID-19. As designers, students were given the responsibility to deliver information about the current culture while also acting as a participant to history — a primary” source. The object was to document history while also allowing for moments of positivity in the midst of such anxiety and uncertainty.

Students gathered data about every …

Gen Z Perspectives On Climate Change And The Future: Having The Courage To Imagine And Fight For A Better World, Isabelle Graj

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I conducted 6 interviews with Gen Z students to investigate how they think climate change will impact their future and how they frame the issue in general. I communicate my findings and analysis with visual context through a zine, which is a form of alternative media created in the 1930s. Today, zines provide a creative approach to exchange ideas and explain contemporary culture (Gisonny and Freedman, 2006, 26). My zine is not meant to be utterly educational but rather it is meant to convey the emotion, confusion, and chaos associated with my findings. The interviews collectively created an image of …

Non-State Actors’ Covid-19 Response In Nepal, Jenna Mae Biedscheid

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research explores the ways in which non-state actors have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal and the needs present in the months before drastic increases in cases began on May 11th. In doing so, it describes how social and political inequality within Nepal has caused people experiencing the most need to be left out of early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic relief effort. This research includes a literature review which situates Nepal amidst the global pandemic as well as interviews with non-state actors currently responding in Nepal. It finds that migrant workers, daily wage earners, Dalits, Janajati/Adivasi peoples, …

The Contemporary Porn Debate - Perceptions Of Sexual Health Of Porn Actors, The 2013 Hiv Crisis, And Recognizing The Complexities Of The Porn Industry, Nasreen C. Gooya

Student Publications

Between August 2012 and January 2013, four adult film performers based in California tested positive for HIV which triggered a moratorium on production, and led the state of California to mandate condom usage in the industry under the Safer Sex in the Adult Industry Act – otherwise referred to as Measure B. The goal of this research is to explore how the discourse surrounding health in the adult film industry, specifically sexual health in relation to the adult film performers during this event, is reflective of contemporary anti-pornography sentiments. These sentiments and biases ultimately lead to regulations of the industry …

Environmental Injustice's Impact On Asthma Disparities In Nyc, Tayler J. Rodriquez

Student Publications

Understanding the social determinants of health is essential when looking at low-income minorities in urban cities. Social determinants of health are conditions in the environment in which people are born, which affects a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes. Amongst other determinants, adequate housing can have a significant influence on population health outcomes such as asthma. Zoning inequality negatively and disproportionately impacts the health and the overall quality of life of low-income minorities; zoning is correlated to environmental injustice fueling adverse health effects and health disparities among low-income minority populations. Without the opportunity to receive adequate and affordable housing, …

The Write Stuff - Spring 2020 (Vol. 17, No. 2), Research Medical Library

Write Stuff 2020

• How to discuss your study's limitations effectively
• Reference letters vs. letters of support for NIH grant applications: What's the difference?
• NCI Bottom Line blog offers insight into grant funding and budgets
• Dissertations, Text Recycling, and Self-Plagiarism
• NIH Increases the use of Notices of Special Interest
• Tips for using Track Changes in Microsoft Word

Covid 19 In U.S. Migrant Detention Centers: The Call For Freedom In The Face Of A Global Pandemic, Salma Rojas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research paper investigates the responses of the U.S. immigration detention system to the COVID 19 pandemic and determines the capacity of the detention centers to keep detained individuals alive and healthy. As I analyze their capacities, I look to past detention center outbreaks, updated public health resources, reports on ICE facility conditions and the testimonies of migrant people who were detained during the COVID 19 crisis. The urgency of the COVID 19 pandemic is why I dedicate part of my paper to what needs to be done to prevent the situation from worsening. In drawing from these various sources, …

Finding A “True Morocco:” How Tourists Change Moroccan Economies, Infrastructure And Cultures, Emily Federico

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The overall purpose of this study was to research the effects of adventure tourism on rural towns and villages, notably their financial cultural and physical aspects. Issues such as the commodification of lived experiences in a post-colonial context will be examined. The study was conducted via interviews from hotel workers and guides in major tourist cities (Fes, Rabat and Merzouga). I found that most international tourists hailed from Western countries; thus, English or French were the primary languages used in the tourism business. Also, significant modes of craftsmanship that faced a cultural extinction, such as folk music, rugs, and pottery, …

Infectious Nationalism: Pericles And Public Health Crises, Jason M. Schlude

Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Transregional Southeast Asia: Perspectives From An Outlier, Caroline S.; Hau

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

The Philippines is commonly understood to occupy an anomalous position in Southeast Asian area studies. This essay explores the logic, politics, and logistics of the inclusion and exclusion of the Philippines in or from Southeast Asian studies. Perspectives on and from the Philippines can help rethink and refine concepts of “region” by emphasizing, rather than glossing over, the transregional connections and histories that link the Philippines and its localities to its neighbors, to various regions, and to the world. Area studies need not be hobbled by an intellectual parochialism that cordons off analysis at any given local, national, regional, and …

Data (Mis) Visualization And Its Impact On Academic Advancement And Public Understanding, Nicole R. Webber, Margarita Shawcross, Dale Edwards, Rob Reinsvold, Jingying Crystal Zhen

Society for the Academic Study of Social Imagery

In this panel, representatives from UNC address questions regarding the implications that various forms of data and information visualization have on the pedagogy, research, culture, and public face of their respective academic fields.

Chair: Nicole Webber, Assistant Professor of University Libraries and Business & Communication Liaison Librarian

Panelists:

Dale Edwards, Program Coordinator and Professor of Journalism & Media Studies

Rob Reinsvold, Professor of Biological Sciences and Coordinator of Secondary Ed. Program

Maggie Shawcross, Assistant Professor of University Libraries and Health Sciences Liaison Librarian

Crystal Jingyning Zhen, Graduate Student, Digital Media (UNC) and Computer Graphics (Shandong Normal University)

Characterization Of Proteus Species Inhibition Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa’S Quorum Sensing Molecule Pyocyanin, Grayson Wright

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The identification of antimicrobial compounds that inhibit multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria continues to be a significant area of research to combat the public health threat posed by MDRs. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, MDR bacterium found within both the environment and healthcare settings. Our laboratory has observed another Gram-negative bacterium, Proteus species, exerts an interesting polymicrobial interaction with Pseudomonas aeruginosa by potentially compromising the quorum sensing (QS) factor, pyocyanin, of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Production of pyocyanin by Pseudomonas is the main method the bacterium uses for communication and coordination of virulence. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of Proteus mirabilis and …

Early Marriage In Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study Exploring The Associated Factors, Ashis Talukder, Muhammad M. Hasan, Shaharior R. Razu, Zobayer Hossain

Journal of International Women's Studies

This cross-sectional study intends to explore the factors associated with the prevalence of early marriage among female teenagers in Bangladesh. Data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS, 2014) were used to meet the study objective. Two binary logistic models were run to estimate the factors that influence early marriage. In Model-I, the covariates were considered in a bivariate setup, and unadjusted odds ratios (UOR) were obtained from Model-II, where all the covariates were taken into account to get the adjusted odds ratio. Results show that the level of education for both females and their partners, religiosity, possession of …

The Cresset (Vol. Lxxxiii, No. 3, Lent), Valparaiso University

The Cresset (archived issues)

No abstract provided.

Sick Buildings, Poor Design And Public Heath, Dalia Shebl Said, Yasmin Shebl Said

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

There is no doubt that there is a close relationship between health problems and housing conditions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates in developing countries those 2 million early and unexpected deaths, with close to half occurring among children less than 5 years old die from indoor air pollution and bad housing. Housing is an important determinant of health, and substandard housing is a major public health issue. Designing and bad orientation of housing are found to have significant effects on poor respiratory health especially in children, and increase an infectious disease thereby putting them at higher risk …

A Cuticular Romance, Anne F. Liu

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

Oakwood, English Department

Oakwood

No abstract provided.

Faith Integration Essay: Biblical And Theological Studies, Victor I. Ezigbo

Faith Learning Integration Papers

This essay discusses two major themes, "Faith, Theology, and Guiding Principles for Theological Reflection" and "Christian Gospel and the Public Sphere".

The introduction begins as follows, "The term ‘faith’ is notoriously slippery. Theologians as well as Christians who do not have any formal theological education use the term ‘faith’ sometimes in competing ways. For example, some use ‘faith’ as a shield for protecting themselves from people who ask questions about God’s existence and actions in the world. For such people, faith opposes reason. They see ‘faith’ as “an antithesis of reason” and also construe “reason as an intellectual virus that …

Full Issue-- Volume 3 Issue 1, 2020, Issue 1 Volume 3

Pursue: Undergraduate Research Journal

PURSUE: Undergraduate Research Journal

Volume 3 Issue 1, 2020

Article 1 - Harvesting Electrical Energy Produced by Electrogenic Bacteria in Microbial Fuel Cells

Article 2 – The Effects of Fertilizer Rate on the Growth of Egyptian Spinach in a Greenhouse

Article 3 – Exploring the Association Between Nutrition and Mental Health in Adolescence: A Systematic Literature Review

Article 4— Biological Pathways Associated with Wild and Domestic Animals

Color-Changing Device To Improve Adherence To Foley Catheter Replacement Protocols And Reduce Urinary Tract Infection Frequency, Alexander Straus, Ms, Kurt Hill, Bryn Cross, Jason M. Fields, Md

Phase 1

Background: Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are a major source of patient morbidity and mortality in healthcare settings and have a significant financial impact on the healthcare system. Many hospitals have clinical protocols in place to continually reassess the necessity of indwelling foley catheters and remove them if their use is no longer warranted. However, it is still common for indwelling foley catheters to be overlooked and remain in place, even after meeting criteria for removal. A design project was conducted that sought to improve adherence to clinical protocols, and reduce frequency of CAUTIs, by creating a color-changing device …

Fine, Elaine - Covid-19 Journal, Elaine Fine

Personal Journals

COVID Diary submitted by Charleston/Coles County, IL resident and musician, Elaine Fine

Ua19/16/2 Athletic Media Relations Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

General WKU athletic press releases for 2020.

Permeable Viewpoints And Parasitic Influence In Bbc And Netflix's Dracula, Laure Blanchemain Faucon

Journal of Dracula Studies

No abstract provided.

Editors’ Introduction: Radical Philosophy And Politics Amid The Climate Crisis And The Coronavirus Pandemic, Harry Van Der Linden, Reed M. Kurtz

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Editors’ Introduction: Radical Philosophy and Politics Amid the Climate Crisis and the Coronavirus Pandemic for Radical Philosophy Review.

Pestilence And Poverty: The Great Influenza Pandemic And Underdevelopment In The New South, 1918-1919, Andrew Kishuni

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examines the "Spanish" influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 in the U.S. South, using case-studies of Jacksonville, Savannah, New Orleans, and Nashville to sculpt a "Southern flu" more identical to the Global South and the developing world than the rest of the U.S. I examine poverty and political and economic paralysis in the years between the end of Reconstruction and 1918, and the poor results of political indifference on public health and disease control. I also analyze the social and institutional racism against persons of color that defined high infectious disease mortality in Southern cities.

I argue that Southerners faced …

Immunotherapy: Therapy Vs. Enhancement, Mariah Daly

Honors Program Theses

The battle against cancer is a long-standing struggle that has resulted in new information and the development of novel medical technologies. Current research aims to figure out a way to reprogram cells and bodily mechanisms to eliminate those cells that are cancerous without destroying healthy cells in the process. Methods which use the body’s own mechanisms, such as immunotherapy, have shown and continue to show potential for specifically targeting cancer cells. Adoptive T cell therapy is one form of immunotherapy that has gained significant attention and focus in the field. Therapies improve conditions up to the normal state of being, …

Color-Changing Device To Improve Adherence To Foley Catheter Replacement Protocols And Reduce Urinary Tract Infection Frequency, Kurt Hill, Alexander Straus, Ms, Bryn Cross, Jason M. Fields, Md

Phase 1

Background: Foley catheter-associated UTI’s (CAUTI’s) represent a driving cause of cystitis, bacteremia and sepsis in the hospital setting. Accordingly, the CDC has identified prolonged indwelling time as the foremost risk factor for CAUTI’s. However, the fundamental design of the Foley has remained unchanged for over eighty years. Hospital-specific protocols do currently exist for the removal of infection-prone catheters; however, in practice it remains commonplace for catheters to be ignored, increasing the risk of life-threatening infection. Our design process addressed this by creating a color-changing alarm device that would alert providers when a catheter has been left in beyond protocol, is …

Reckoning With The Mortally Inevitable, Daniel C. Peterson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Every human enterprise — even the best, including science and scholarship — is marred by human weakness, by our inescapable biases, incapacities, limitations, preconceptions, and sometimes, yes, sins. It is a legacy of the Fall. With this in mind, we should approach even the greatest scientific, cultural, and academic achievements with both grateful appreciation and humility. J. B. Phillips’s rendition of Paul’s words at 1 Corinthians 13:12 captures the thought nicely: “At present we are men looking at puzzling reflections in a mirror. The time will come when we shall see reality whole and face to face! At present all …