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Compatibility Between Text Mining And Qualitative Research In The Perspectives Of Grounded Theory, Content Analysis, And Reliability, Chong Ho Yu, Angel Jannasch-Pennell, Samuel Digangi May 2011

Compatibility Between Text Mining And Qualitative Research In The Perspectives Of Grounded Theory, Content Analysis, And Reliability, Chong Ho Yu, Angel Jannasch-Pennell, Samuel Digangi

The Qualitative Report

The objective of this article is to illustrate that text mining and qualitative research are epistemologically compatible. First, like many qualitative research approaches, such as grounded theory, text mining encourages open-mindedness and discourages preconceptions. Contrary to the popular belief that text mining is a linear and fully automated procedure, the text miner might add, delete, and revise the initial categories in an iterative fashion. Second, text mining is similar to content analysis, which also aims to extract common themes and threads by counting words. Although both of them utilize computer algorithms, text mining is characterized by its capability of processing …

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"Every Word Is True": Stories Of Our Experiences In A Qualitative Research Course, Janet C. Richards May 2011

"Every Word Is True": Stories Of Our Experiences In A Qualitative Research Course, Janet C. Richards

The Qualitative Report

There is a sparse body of literature about students' and instructors' experiences in graduate qualitative courses. In this study, 11 doctoral students and one instructor employed a narrative framework to uncover our perceived truths about our experiences as we interacted, studied, pondered, and journeyed through a qualitative research methods course. Data were my chronologically ordered notes documenting my thinking and perceptions about my students and me and the doctoral students' chronologically ordered e-mail stories to their peers and to me. The inquiry illuminated the doctoral students' growth as researchers and highlighted the power of shared stories. Our narratives captured our …

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Nudibranch Predators Of Octocorallia, Eric Brown Apr 2011

Nudibranch Predators Of Octocorallia, Eric Brown

HCNSO Student Capstones

Nudibranchs are soft-bodied marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs which lack a shell and mantle cavity. The basic body plan is bilaterally symmetrical with an expanded notum, but in regards to other physical characteristics they exhibit a wide range of forms. Compared to other molluscs, evolutionarily the head and body became flattened and streamlined and tentacles have been lost or shifted to different areas of the body. Nudibranchs are found in many variations of size and color; despite the fact that these animals in general are noted for flamboyant colors and prominent external anatomical structures, many species rely upon a more cryptic …

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A New Species Of Leucothoid Amphipod, Anamixis Bananarama, Sp. N., From Shallow Coral Reefs In French Polynesia (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Leucothoidae), James Darwin Thomas, Traudl Krapp-Shickel Apr 2011

A New Species Of Leucothoid Amphipod, Anamixis Bananarama, Sp. N., From Shallow Coral Reefs In French Polynesia (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Leucothoidae), James Darwin Thomas, Traudl Krapp-Shickel

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Both leucomorph and anamorph developmental stages of Anamixis bananarama sp. n., are illustrated and described from shallow back reef environments of Moorea, French Polynesia. Distinguished by vestigial fi rst gnathopods that persist in post-transformational adult males, this is the second species in the genus to exhibit this unusual character. In other features such as coxae and second gnathopods A. bananarama sp. n. resembles other Pacific Plate endemics of Anamixis known from the region. Specific host association is not documented but suspected to be small calcareous asconoid sponges associated with coral rubble.

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Eight Criticisms Not To Make About Group Selection, Omar Tonsi Eldakar, David Sloan Wilson Apr 2011

Eight Criticisms Not To Make About Group Selection, Omar Tonsi Eldakar, David Sloan Wilson

Biology Faculty Articles

Group selection, which was once widely rejected as a significant evolutionary force, is now accepted by all who seriously study the subject. There is still widespread confusion about group selection, however, not only among students and the general public, but among professional evolutionists who do not directly study the subject. We list eight criticisms that are frequently invoked against group selection, which can be permanently laid to rest based upon current knowledge. Experts will always find something to critique about group selection, as for any important subject, but these eight criticisms are not among them. Laying them to rest will …

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Transcriptome Analysis Of Lagenidium Giganteum, Jennifer L. Grant Apr 2011

Transcriptome Analysis Of Lagenidium Giganteum, Jennifer L. Grant

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Mosquitoes are carriers of numerous diseases for instance, malaria and west-Nile virus. Lagenidium giganteum is a parasitic organism during larval stage that infects and kills mosquitoes. In time, this could be proven to be useful in bioengineering to create an environmentally safe insecticide. Molecular research was performed in order to determine the imperative genes in Lagenidium giganteum that hinder the development in mosquito larvae. A culture of Lagenidium giganteum was used to extract RNA and initiate a transcriptome analysis. Large scale sequencing led to the annotation of 20,000 transcripts. PCR amplification was performed using a Qiagen PCR kit in order …

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A Regression Study Of The Relation Between Rocks And Fish Assemblages, Kaitlyn Brucker Apr 2011

A Regression Study Of The Relation Between Rocks And Fish Assemblages, Kaitlyn Brucker

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The objective of this study is to see if the amount of rock in a given transect is related to the fish that inhabited the area. A regression analysis is conducted to find the relation between the two variables, rocks and fish. Besides finding the model, the analysis includes the confidence interval for the coefficient s, residual plots, predicted intervals of the number of fish for selected values of the amount of the rock, and identifying outliers and influential points by looking at various statistics, such as RESIDUAL, STUDENTIZED RESIDUALS, COVRATIO, and DFFITS.

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Adhesion Of Transferrin To Tisifilcon A Contact Lenses, Darshan Solanki, Stephanie Brinon Apr 2011

Adhesion Of Transferrin To Tisifilcon A Contact Lenses, Darshan Solanki, Stephanie Brinon

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Tear proteins are known to deposit differently on contact lenses of different materials, causing lens wearer comfort to be compromised. We examined the adhesion of transferrin to contact lenses made of tisifilcon A, a rigid gas-permeable silicone hydrogel (FDA Group III). Lenses were incubated 2.0 mg/ml solutions of human holo-transferrin for 1, 2, 3, and 4 days, and protein adhesion was determined by bicinchoninic acid assay. Transferrin adhesion increased from day 0 to day 3 and then dropped after days 4 and 5. This pattern resembled transferrin adhesion to lenses made of polymacon (FDA Group I), alphafilcon (FDA Group …

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Myh16 Masticatory Gene Mutation Correlates With The Evolution Of Human Morphological Cranial Capacity, Renee Michelle Potens Apr 2011

Myh16 Masticatory Gene Mutation Correlates With The Evolution Of Human Morphological Cranial Capacity, Renee Michelle Potens

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In the late Miocene, Homo sapiens encephalization accelerated simultaneously with an anatomic craniofacial transformation, associated with a shift towards a gracilization pattern of diet. Hansell H. Stedman has discovered a deleterious masticatory gene mutation responsible for jaw muscle development that is found in all modern human populations. This gene is functionally conserved in all non-human primates such as chimpanzees and extinct Hominidae species such as Australopithecus and Paranthropus, and is only found in its mutated, non-functional state in humans. The myosin heavy chain (MYH16) inactivation occurred after the divergence of the phylogenic lineages leading to humans and …

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Mobile Operating Systems, Adenji Baker, Enrique Lifshitz Apr 2011

Mobile Operating Systems, Adenji Baker, Enrique Lifshitz

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Over the last decade, there has been a proliferation on mobile computers. Last year, more than 67 million smart phones were sold in the United States. Not all mobile computers are the same; these devices, have different hardware and operating systems. Each different mobile device and operating system has unique features and is targeted to a distinct demographic. For example, Blackberry devices are marketed as the business smartphone, on the other hand, the numerous amount of applications available for the iPhone make this device a favorite among the average youth.

Mobile operating systems are often compared by its features and …

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The Influence Of Emotional Stimuli On Attention Sharing In A Dual Modality Erp Paradigm: Effects Of Varying Interstimulus Intervals, Amanda Lynch Apr 2011

The Influence Of Emotional Stimuli On Attention Sharing In A Dual Modality Erp Paradigm: Effects Of Varying Interstimulus Intervals, Amanda Lynch

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A large and growing body of evidence demonstrates that attention is preferentially allocated to stimuli with emotional content. Emotionally negative stimuli serve as a mechanism of biological preparedness to enhance attention. In agreement with this idea, previous studies looking at the influence of emotional pictures on tone processing showed that the ERP measures of cognition was reduced when participants were exposed to an emotional picture with intermittent auditory startle probes We hypothesized that if an auditory oddball (attention capturing) stimulus was placed in the same perceptual time frame as a preceding emotional picture, the auditory stimulus would then share attention …

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Improvement Of Trauma Symptoms In A Male Dual-Diagnosis Outpatient Treatment, Brittney Tamayo Apr 2011

Improvement Of Trauma Symptoms In A Male Dual-Diagnosis Outpatient Treatment, Brittney Tamayo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Traditionally, treatment aimed at helping those with both trauma related symptoms and substance abuse issues has first addressed the substance-related issues and then, after the client obtains abstinence, provided treatment to address the trauma-related issues. A more recent trend, the ‘traumaddiction’ model, suggests that psychological trauma and substance abuse can and should be treated concurrently. Support for this simultaneous treatment model has largely been limited to research in residential treatment settings. The current study set out to determine whether the integration of therapy for both trauma and substance abuse can be effective in an outpatient treatment setting as well. Specifically, …

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Electrophysiological And Neuropsychological Correlates Of Emotion Regulation, Anita Singh Apr 2011

Electrophysiological And Neuropsychological Correlates Of Emotion Regulation, Anita Singh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Avoidance or escape from emotionally negative events is associated with poor psychological health outcomes. Importantly, humans can influence how emotions are experienced or expressed through emotion regulation (ER) strategies. ER strategies have been shown to alter the expression of emotions in individual with differing levels of experiential avoidance (as indexed by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, or AAQ). Here, we are comparing a control group of participants who do not show emotional avoidance with a group of participants who score high on emotional avoidance. To that end, we are assessing neurophysiological and behavioral responses to emotional vs. non emotional pictures …

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Complete Protection And Glycosylation Of Hydroxylysine, Lindsey Nowland, Stephanie Cirillo Apr 2011

Complete Protection And Glycosylation Of Hydroxylysine, Lindsey Nowland, Stephanie Cirillo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

One of the most common types of cardiovascular disease is the coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis. Adiponectin, a protein hormone, has been shown to play a role in preventing the development of atherosclerosis. Modification of this compound could help to produce more beneficial effects. One of the amino acids in adiponectin, Hydroxylysine (HYL), can often undergo posttranslational modifications, such as glycosylation.

The aim of the intended research is to protect specific functional groups of the amino acid to make it suitable for peptide synthesis. Total synthetic route will entail a differential protection of the amino acid, and addition of specific sugar …

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Change And Stop-Signal Paradigms With Hands And Feet, Terrence Singh Apr 2011

Change And Stop-Signal Paradigms With Hands And Feet, Terrence Singh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Hands and feet are useful in most sports but they are even more important when driving. The present study aims to find the time it takes to stop or switch a hand or foot movement. Researchers have noted that it takes longer to stop a hand than it does an eye, but little if any research has been done on foot movement. We are currently collecting data in the stop-signal paradigm in which subjects are to strike one of two keys when they see the corresponding visual stimulus unless an auditory signal is presented. Data are also being collected on …

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Total Synthesis Of Functionalized Acenes, Sose Tokatlian Apr 2011

Total Synthesis Of Functionalized Acenes, Sose Tokatlian

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This research project is focused on the total synthesis of three different acene dinitriles. With the understanding that syntheses of such acenes are affected by chemoselectivity, it is imperative that proper protocol be followed in order to produce the desired acenes in a favorable and useful yield. By means of Wittig reactions, condensation and reduction reactions the final product will be formed. Acene-2,3- dicarbaldehyde is utilized as a starting compound undergoing a Witting reaction and a consecutive Aldol reaction to produce a second ring with diester functionalities. Following reduction to a dialdehyde a modified Wittig reaction and consecutive Aldol reaction …

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The Influence Of Emotional Regulation On Response Inhibition, Alexandra Srour Apr 2011

The Influence Of Emotional Regulation On Response Inhibition, Alexandra Srour

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The relationship between emotional regulation and response inhibition is examined. The presentation of highly arousing emotional pictures interferes with ongoing cognitive processes such as one’s ability to inhibit an unwanted response. In study 1, we measured emotional regulation and response inhibition independently. Results indicated that low emotional regulators exhibited faster reaction times. However, we did not find a correlation between emotional regulation and response inhibition. In study 2, we will examine the collective influences of emotional regulation and response inhibition. Participants will be trained to either up-regulate or down-regulate their emotional reactivity to highly-arousing negative stimuli. We predict that participants …

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Kazal Serine Protease Inhibitors And Their Role In Prototheca Wickerhamii Pathogenicity, Norberto Mancera Apr 2011

Kazal Serine Protease Inhibitors And Their Role In Prototheca Wickerhamii Pathogenicity, Norberto Mancera

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Several genes are known to be involved in pathogenic processes. Among these, Kazal serine protease inhibitors (InterPro IPR002350) have been shown to be recurrently used by pathogenic eukaryotes. Kazal serine protease inhibitors are involved in the pathogenicity of Plasmodium falciparum by providing protection to parasitic proteins from the host’s defenses. Although Kazal protease inhibitors have been associated with the pathogenicity of several eukaryotic microbes, it is unclear if they are involved in Prototheca wickerhamii infection. Prototheca wickerhamii is an achlorophyllic green alga known to cause infections in humans. Olecranon bursitis, cutaneous, and bilateral choroiditis are three types of clinical infections …

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Isolating And Characterizing Natural Products From Fruits And Vegetables By Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy, Andrew Lister Apr 2011

Isolating And Characterizing Natural Products From Fruits And Vegetables By Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy, Andrew Lister

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Natural products of fruits and vegetables play important roles in human health. Due to their benefits, researchers have tried to identify specific natural compounds within a single fruit or vegetable. These are technically demanding experiments because of the complex sample matrix and the need for a sensitive chemical analysis technique. This research project presents optimized protocols for the organic extraction and separation of multiple natural products of fruits and vegetables. The compounds were analyzed, and characterized by using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and cross referenced with journal articles that have previously reported these products.

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Exploring The Phylogeny Of Helicosporidium Using The Cyst Gene, Vanessa Anaya Apr 2011

Exploring The Phylogeny Of Helicosporidium Using The Cyst Gene, Vanessa Anaya

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Helicosporidium is a unique pathogen that can infect the larvae of mosquitoes. Phylogenetic analyses show promise of establishing a relationship between Helicosporidium and other species. Observation of species from the Aunexochlorella and Prototheca genera will provide an exact taxonomic classification and assist with identifying the closest relative to the genus Helicosporidium. Since it has been shown that the Helicosporidium shows effects on the larvae of mosquitos, this can be a potential organism of interest in the use as an alternative to common chemical insecticides. The confirmation of the relationship was found by performing sequencing of the ribosomal DNA of …

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Event Related Potentials As A Measure Of Neural Inhibition Resulting From Bilingualism, Alicia Harnisch, Daniela Padron Apr 2011

Event Related Potentials As A Measure Of Neural Inhibition Resulting From Bilingualism, Alicia Harnisch, Daniela Padron

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Research suggests that there is a link between bilingualism and neural inhibition. Findings reveal that bilinguals more efficiently and effectively switch between cognitive tasks and ignore irrelevant aspects of a stimulus than monolinguals. According to the Inhibitory Control model of bilingualism, a mechanism is in place which allows bilinguals to suppress one language while using the other. This mechanism also mediates non-linguistic inhibition, which allows bilinguals to outperform monolinguals on these tasks. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies comparing monolinguals and bilinguals on non-language tasks suggest that these two groups utilize different frontal lobe areas when performing non-language cognitive tasks. The …

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Effects Of Daxx And Il-8 Gene Expression On Tumor Growth, Sakthi Murugan, Ryan Smith Apr 2011

Effects Of Daxx And Il-8 Gene Expression On Tumor Growth, Sakthi Murugan, Ryan Smith

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is an important factor that regulates tumor cell growth and angiogenesis. Tumor angiogenesis results in the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tumor cells, enabling further growth. Various genes in the genetic sequence contribute differently, and affect this process by either promoting or inhibiting further angiogenesis. Among these genes are DAXX and IL-8. DAXX gene, which encodes Death Domain Associated protein, can enhance FAS mediated apoptosis, by activating the Jun N-Terminal Kinase (JNK). MDM2 is an oncogenic protein, that is believed to ubiquinate DAXX and reduce its level when it is overly expressed; HAUSP …

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Artscience: A Study Of The Human Arterial And Venous Systems, Nergess Taheri Apr 2011

Artscience: A Study Of The Human Arterial And Venous Systems, Nergess Taheri

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Artscience is a blending of both aesthetic and scientific methods. This project combines both in a way that neither can be distinguished from the other. This is a study of the human arterial and venous systems. These systems were artistically represented as linoleum block prints. Two models were produced, one for the arterial system and the other for the venous system. The process used to make the models is called printmaking. Printmaking was one of the first forms of mass illustration with each print being considered an original. In this study two linoleum blocks were carved into the desired anatomical …

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Analyzing Hotel Room Cleanliness On A Microscopic Level, Ahmad Khalid, Kodi Stevens Apr 2011

Analyzing Hotel Room Cleanliness On A Microscopic Level, Ahmad Khalid, Kodi Stevens

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The cost of a hotel room is usually correlated to the quality of the hotel room and the quality of services provided during one’s stay; e.g. the cleanliness of the room and the thoroughness of the cleaning staff. The cleaner a hotel is the more desirable it is. The goal of this experiment was to analyze hotel cleanliness at the microscopic level to determine if pathogenic micro-organisms were present. Samples were taken from telephones, toilet seats, remotes, toilet flushers, bath tubs and doorknobs from five different hotels and grown at room temperature on nutrient agar plates, counted and then isolated. …

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An Effective Pedagogical Approach To Understanding Qualitative And Quantitative Organic Chemistry By Using A Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer, Sagir Patel Apr 2011

An Effective Pedagogical Approach To Understanding Qualitative And Quantitative Organic Chemistry By Using A Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer, Sagir Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

One main objective of organic chemistry courses is to show students how much of a desired organic product is synthesized in the reaction mixture. Here, we report how a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) instrument can be applied to a set of common organic chemistry experiments for identifying the main product, any minor product(s) and quantifying the product yield. GC-MS is a powerful analytical instrumentation tool capable of detecting, identifying and quantifying many volatile organic compounds. The GC-MS technique is routinely used in chemistry research and manufacturing laboratories. Despite its wide application in organic chemistry and ease of use, many colleges …

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The Impact Of Speed Reading On The Generation Of Inferences, Anil Sawh Apr 2011

The Impact Of Speed Reading On The Generation Of Inferences, Anil Sawh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This experiment explores the effect that speed-reading has on the inferences made while reading texts. More specifically it will compare comprehension and inferences made between participants that read at a normal rate and participants that have been trained to read at a faster rate than normal. Speed-reading courses promise the ability to learn how to take in larger amounts of text and information than normal reading. However, most research has shown that while these courses increase reading speed, comprehension and retention of the material suffers a significant drop (Just, Carpenter, & Masson, 1986). Very little research has examined the effects …

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The Effects Of Categorization On Memory, Logan Armstrong Apr 2011

The Effects Of Categorization On Memory, Logan Armstrong

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of categorization on our ability to remember events and objects. This is an important question because little research has tested the notion that the ability to categorize helps produce better memory. Morris & Baker-Ward (2007) studied a similar question when they examined whether having the vocabulary to describe an experience affected the ability to remember that experience. Specifically, they tested whether infants who had learned their colors prior to participating in an experiment involving different colored bubbles would recall the experiment better than those who learned the colors after the …

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Renovatio, Amrish Ramnarine Apr 2011

Renovatio, Amrish Ramnarine

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“Renovatio” is a short film about a couple of individuals who engage one another due to eerie occurrences in their vicinity. As each character bonds with the other, they begin to share emotions and choose sides. In this web of deception, secrets are revealed that confound even the most rational characters, ultimately concluding with their “rebirth.” The film is directed by Amrish Ramnarine. Other crew members and actors include Ximena Raquel Alvarez, Monica Lynne Herrera, Calista Siobhan Ming.

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Carpentier’S Version Of Time: Back To The Ending, Genevieve Macaisa Apr 2011

Carpentier’S Version Of Time: Back To The Ending, Genevieve Macaisa

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In Alejo Carpentier’s short story “Journey Back to the Source,” he used a nonlinear narrative and manipulated temporal elements to challenge the traditional view of the passage of time. Through his experimentation, he developed a new form of the narrative timeline. Carpentier’s work demonstrates that time can move in reverse, from the end to the beginning, while still moving forward. The theories of Sergei Eisenstein and Henri Bergson influenced Carpentier’s experiment and reveal the magnitude of his pushing of the boundaries. For instance, Carpentier employs a narrative strategy like Eisenstein’s cinematic montage to stitch together a timeline. Bergson’s theories of …

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More Than Just A Memory, Sebastian Acosta-Nijamkin Apr 2011

More Than Just A Memory, Sebastian Acosta-Nijamkin

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“More than just a memory” is a film about love and friendship. Ethan is confronted with a tough decision: whether to tell the girl he loves how he really feels, or whether to accept the fact that she loves someone else and that Ethan will only be a friend in her eyes. Throughout the film, Ethan is driving in a car, and flashbacks of the night where he chose to be just a friend keep entering his mind. That night he made a choice -- a choice that would change his life forever. The film is directed by Sebastian Acosta-Nijamkin.

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