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Ethnic Studies Review Jan 2008

Ethnic Studies Review

Ethnic Studies Review

No abstract provided.


"A Shplit Ticket, Half Irish, Half Chinay": Representations Of Mixed-Race And Hybridity In The Turn-Of-The-Century Theater, Gregory T. Carter Jan 2008

"A Shplit Ticket, Half Irish, Half Chinay": Representations Of Mixed-Race And Hybridity In The Turn-Of-The-Century Theater, Gregory T. Carter

Ethnic Studies Review

Charles Townsend's 1889 adaptation of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin features white actors playing light- and dark-skinned African-American characters, changing degrees of make-up as the script, stage business, or number of available players demands. Thomas Denison's stage directions to his 1895 play, Patsy O'Wang, an Irish Farce with a Chinese Mix-Up, stipulates that the alternation of the half -Chinese, half-Irish cook between his two ethnic personas is "key to this capital farce," and that a comedie use of the Chinese dialect is central to this. The Geezer (c. 1896), Joseph Herbert's spoof of the popular musical, The Geisha, features …


The Influence Of Differently Framed Information On Decision Making In The Public Budgeting Process: Does Budget Reform Mean A Damn?, Robert Dennis Malarkey Jan 2008

The Influence Of Differently Framed Information On Decision Making In The Public Budgeting Process: Does Budget Reform Mean A Damn?, Robert Dennis Malarkey

Theses and Dissertations

Public budgeting has become a central artifact of American government – the principal means for establishing and implementing policy. Modern public budgeting was introduced in the early Twentieth Century as an adaptation of objects of revenue and expenditure budgeting used in commercial businesses. Since then - over a hundred years - a series of budget reform movements have sought to overcome a major drawback to this model: the lack of a direct link between revenues and expenditures and any measure of the quality or quantity of public benefits derived from budget allocations. While a number of major budget reforms have …


Sing Together! Choral Singing As A Supplementary Training Method For Actors, Daniel C. Dennis Jan 2008

Sing Together! Choral Singing As A Supplementary Training Method For Actors, Daniel C. Dennis

Theses and Dissertations

Voice and speech training for the actor has traditionally defined itself as distinct from the vocal training of the musical theatre or opera singer. The separation in philosophy and practice by trainers of actors and singers reflects the resultant capabilities and proclivities of our performers. Those performers generally sing or act, and if asked, will sometimes do both, but may damage their voices in the process. This study aims to explore and reveal how actors may develop a greater sense of courage and trust, have easy access to breath, find freedom in their bodies and voices, become better listeners and …


Early Intervention, Research And Therapy Center For Children With Autism, Nicole Marie Caccavo Jan 2008

Early Intervention, Research And Therapy Center For Children With Autism, Nicole Marie Caccavo

Theses and Dissertations

This book documents a design study and creative project undertaken toward the fulfillment of a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Environments at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. This book documents a year long accumulation of study and research done toward the development of an early intervention, therapy and research center for children with autism. This creative project demonstrates how an environment can be a catalyst for social interaction, way finding, therapy, and intervention. The goal was to design a space that would be multi-functional and also benefit the surrounding community. This design study will explain how colors …


Des Perdues: The Precariousness Of Loss, Alissa Grace Davis Jan 2008

Des Perdues: The Precariousness Of Loss, Alissa Grace Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The majority of losses that take place in a day are not large, or sad, they are built almost entirely on behaviors and systems that have nothing to do with loss. Most of these, I discovered, are the result of deliberate carelessness. The word loss is as difficult to define as truth, but its variation is what makes it so interesting and evocative. It is not, and never has been, a definition of loss that I seek: it is not enough to simply say I lost this person or that place, we must consider what is left and what can …


The Possibilities Of Sort Of, Jesse Robinson Jan 2008

The Possibilities Of Sort Of, Jesse Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Simultaneity and conflict are incessant qualities one is confronted with when looking at things. Shifting from familiar to foreign, from present to implied. There seems to be a tendency, if not necessity to embrace this multiplicity. Using the film theory construct of extra-diegetic and relative qualifier 'sort of' to investigate Pulp Fiction, Bose Wave CD player, Sunset Boulevard, American Apparel, and The Uncanny.


Faith-Based Organizations And Legislative Advocacy: A Qualitative Inquiry, M. Lori Thomas Jan 2008

Faith-Based Organizations And Legislative Advocacy: A Qualitative Inquiry, M. Lori Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Since the early 1990s, religion and matters of faith and spirituality have become a focal point in numerous arenas beyond the individual and traditionally sacred. With President George W. Bush's White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives of 2001, the Charitable Choice provision of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act that preceded it in 1996, and the myriad of legal challenges that followed, matters of religion have become paramount in political discourse regarding social welfare. The viability of faith-based social service provision and the organizations providing the direct services have been the focus of speculation, debate, and …


Bounded Surface, Emilie Sayward Brown Jan 2008

Bounded Surface, Emilie Sayward Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between surface, perception, and structure has occupied my graduate studies. Locating, transforming, and transcending the surface requires play with perceptive abilities not only of vision, but of touch, hearing, and the other senses as well. How do the interactions of sense with the qualities of a surface determine our perception of the world? What role does the extension of the senses play in one's ability to perceive surface and structure? Using sense information gleaned from surfaces, the tectonics of our world are made visible. Might this relationship be played backwards as well? Composed structures produce surfaces upon which …


The Aww, Jessica Danielle Langley Jan 2008

The Aww, Jessica Danielle Langley

Theses and Dissertations

Jessica Langley's work examines animals and nature through various media and form, including watercolor and oil painting, digitally manipulated photography, both large and small scale drawing, and various combinations of each. The work has explored narrative and emotional aspects to more mystical and ecological interpretations. The current body of work settles into banal and familiar interactions with animals, or more specifically the house cat and its accoutrements. Each element of the body of work engages specific concepts that developed out of the American landscape tradition and assimilates the banal subjects into a formal framework. The subjects are monumentalized and romanticized …


Self-Appraisals, Perfectionism, And Academics In College Undergraduates, David Edward Canter Jan 2008

Self-Appraisals, Perfectionism, And Academics In College Undergraduates, David Edward Canter

Theses and Dissertations

The influences on perfectionism and procrastination of race, gender, cognitive-affective and academic self-appraisals, and academic performance expectations were studied. The sample consisted of 155 Introductory Psychology students (57 African Americans, 41 Asian Americans, and 57 European Americans; 51.6% women) with a mean age of 19.4 years (SD = 3.6). Data were collected during the final week of the Fall 2007 semester. Consistent with previous research indicating that men are more likely to procrastinate than women, men were over-represented in this sample. Self-esteem, measured with the Rosenberg (1965) Self-Esteem Scale, was conceptualized as having two components: self-liking and self-competence (Tafarodi & …


In The Theater Of Subjectivity, Violetta Litvak Jan 2008

In The Theater Of Subjectivity, Violetta Litvak

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis tracks the formal and conceptual development of my work during the two years of graduate study at the VCU Photography and Film Department. It describes the influence of photography on my evolution as an artist and contextualizes my desire to expand the practice beyond the traditional limitations of the medium. It recounts my experimentations with assemblage, video and installation and their contribution to my understanding of spatial and temporal dimensions in the formal construction of my work.In part, the thesis is also a statement of my convictions about art making. It discusses theimportance of perception and subjective experience, …


A Science & Mathematics Magnet School At Maymont, Sarah Shamus Nakfoor Jan 2008

A Science & Mathematics Magnet School At Maymont, Sarah Shamus Nakfoor

Theses and Dissertations

I am interested in the idea that schools should be designed to offer individualized learning."A Science & Mathematics Magnet School at Maymont" explores a type of school that is becoming more familiar and accessible. By allowing students who have an interest in excelling in school and preparing for their future careers to come together and meet one another and experience aneducation that might not otherwise be available can be beneficial in many ways. In most cases, because of the funding required for such specialized schools, class sizes are reduced to meet budgets and the schools are opened to the community …


Examining Student Engagement And Its Influence In A Social Contextual Model Of Adolescent Health Behavior Change, Ian Joseph Wallace Jan 2008

Examining Student Engagement And Its Influence In A Social Contextual Model Of Adolescent Health Behavior Change, Ian Joseph Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

Current theoretical models of health behavior change frequently serve as the theoretical backdrop to adolescent health promotion programs. Yet, despite that each main theory was developed with adults and for adults, appropriate and necessary changes for adolescents are often neglected. The unique values, priorities, and abilities of adolescents are important and therefore necessary to consider during health promotion efforts. The present study explored student engagement, a unique adolescent need that has been shown to facilitate achievement in academic environments. Evidence from the psychological and educational literatures suggests that engagement may uniquely influence the process of health behavior change for adolescents. …


Bollywood Broads: Reconstructing The Femme Fatale In Popular Indian Film, Erin Zimmerman Moss Jan 2008

Bollywood Broads: Reconstructing The Femme Fatale In Popular Indian Film, Erin Zimmerman Moss

Theses and Dissertations

Mumbai is currently one of the most prolific and lucrative film centers in the world. Its production of the "Bollywood" popular film has attracted billions in audience members outside the nation of India, many of whom do not belong to Indian culture in the Diaspora. The significance of this influence draws from the cross-cultural borrowings increasingly present in Bollywood cinema. The advent of Western investment in the production center has coincided with the diversification of the standard Bollywood film from "masala" musical to more genre specific action, horror and even romantic comedy musical. Within this genre expansion, a nod to …


Role Of Vegf-C In Proliferation And Migration In A Cancer Model, Emily Marie Benke Jan 2008

Role Of Vegf-C In Proliferation And Migration In A Cancer Model, Emily Marie Benke

Theses and Dissertations

Head and neck cancer ranks high among the most common cancers world wide. In addition, there is a high recurrence rate, as well as a high prevalence of loco-regional tumor spread. Among many factors contributing to metastasis is vascular endothelial cell growth factor C. VEGF-C is primarily an inducer of new lymph vessel formation, typically during embryogenesis; however, some advanced cancers show a significant increase in VEGF-C expression, suggesting a role in metastasis. In the current study, the effects of VEGF-C expression were tested in HN12 cells, which are highly metastatic and known to express high levels of the chemokine …


Bananas In The Mist: Directing Amazing Adventures Of The Marvelous Monkey King, Diego Villada Jan 2008

Bananas In The Mist: Directing Amazing Adventures Of The Marvelous Monkey King, Diego Villada

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details -in personal narrative form- the process by which the author directed a production of Elizabeth Wong's Amazing Adventures of the Marvelous Monkey King at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in Miami, Florida. The following text explains elements of pre-production, presents relevant research associated with the play, describes the production process in detail, and states conclusions drawn by the author about the experience. The work challenged both the ensemble and the director to seek new avenues of expression and theatricality different from those traditionally explored in their respective educational settings.


Rhythm, Grid And Collage: Building A Design Business Incubator, Robert David Smith Jan 2008

Rhythm, Grid And Collage: Building A Design Business Incubator, Robert David Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The idea of rhythm as applied to interior space is the basis for this thesis. The site is an old warehouse with a structure that contains a repetitive rhythm in the form of a columnar grid and a corresponding fenestration pattern, yet the building also has an atypical wedge shape. The program is a design business incubator, a place where design business startups, recent graduates of Virginia design programs, can begin their design careers and find their rhythm in a cooperative and supportive environment, a collage of design businesses, if you will. Rhythm is essential in our lives, from the …


Jules, Emily Oye Jan 2008

Jules, Emily Oye

Theses and Dissertations

The short play Jules is a response to August Strindberg's Miss Julie and Patrick Marber's After Miss Julie. Jules is the story of a wealthy young woman celebrating her Sweet 16 birthday at a lavish "Juicy Couture" theme party in Orange County, California. At the party, her best friend tries to disuade her from falling for a young Mexican immigrant who is catering the party. Jules explores the tensions between rich and poor, the attitude of the privilaged towards the working class, the consequences of relationships, and the attitude that characterizes our "girls gone wild" era.


The Effect Of Cell Type On The Efficacy Of Cmv Antiviral Drugs, Benjamin Meza Jan 2008

The Effect Of Cell Type On The Efficacy Of Cmv Antiviral Drugs, Benjamin Meza

Theses and Dissertations

Until recently, all in vitro drug susceptibility assays of cytomegalovirus (CMV) were performed in clinically irrelevant fibroblast cells. This study sought to test if drug susceptibility was affected by cell type. MRC-5 embryonic lung fibroblasts and ARPE-19 retinal pigmented epithelial cells were infected with BADrUL131-Y4 epithelial/fibroblast tropic virus under serial concentrations of ganciclovir (GCV) or maribavir (MBV). Virus was quantified using plaque reduction, GFP fluorescence, and yield reduction. Both drugs performed less efficiently in ARPE-19 cells. A cell type effect was observed for both plaque reduction and yield reduction assays with implications for the treatment of CMV retinitis as well …


Fibronectin-Dependent Activation Of Camk-Ii Promotes Focal Adhesion Turnover By Inducing Tyrosine Dephosphorylation Of Fak And Paxillin, Charles Easley Iv Jan 2008

Fibronectin-Dependent Activation Of Camk-Ii Promotes Focal Adhesion Turnover By Inducing Tyrosine Dephosphorylation Of Fak And Paxillin, Charles Easley Iv

Theses and Dissertations

Transient elevations in Ca2+ have previously been shown to promote focal adhesion disassembly and cell motility. Yet the targets of these Ca2+ transients have not been fully examined. In this study, we demonstrate that CaMK-II, a Ca2+/calmodulin dependent protein kinase, is activated in response to β1 integrin engagement with fibronectin to influence fibroblast adhesion and motility. We also show that CaMK-II is dynamically localized to the cell surface using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence microscopy (TIRFm) and that inhibition of CaMK-II with two mechanistically distinct, membrane permeant inhibitors accelerates spreading on fibronectin, enlarges paxillin-containing focal adhesions and …


Evaluation Of An Early Discharge Policy For Infants With Apnea Of Prematurity, Cheryl N. Bodamer Jan 2008

Evaluation Of An Early Discharge Policy For Infants With Apnea Of Prematurity, Cheryl N. Bodamer

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the safety and cost effectiveness of an institutional policy on discharge of preterm infants with Apnea of Prematurity (AOP) from the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center Newborn Intensive Care Unit (VCUNC NICU) with caffeine therapy and a cardiorespiratory monitor. This practice policy was developed over a decade ago as a cost containment measure in neonatal care and continues to be implemented today despite the lack of a formal evaluation. The secondary objective was to examine through a review of the literature the psychosocial impact of premature birth on the family and the potential effect on the infant's …


The Psychosocial Influence Of Dental Esthetics In Adolescents As Judged By Peers, Scott Thomas Henson Jan 2008

The Psychosocial Influence Of Dental Esthetics In Adolescents As Judged By Peers, Scott Thomas Henson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if dental esthetics affects the perception of adolescents regarding their peer's social aptitude in specific areas such as athletics, popularity, leadership, and academics. Ten patient photographs (4 males, 6 females) from a private orthodontic practice in Richmond, VA were selected for inclusion in this study. The frontal smiling photographs were digitally modified with insertion of either an ideal smile (straight) or a non-ideal smile (crooked) to create an image identical to the original except for an altered dental complex. Laypersons rated the straight and crooked patient photographs for athletic performance, socialization skills …


Characterization Of Microorganisms Of Interest To Homeland Security And Public Health Utilizing Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Robert A. Everley Jan 2008

Characterization Of Microorganisms Of Interest To Homeland Security And Public Health Utilizing Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Robert A. Everley

Theses and Dissertations

Liquid chromatography/quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC/QTOF MS) utilizing electrospray ionization was employed to monitor protein expression in Escherichia coli and Shigella organisms. Automated charge state deconvolution, spectral subtraction and spectral mirroring were used to reveal subtle differences in the LC/MS data. Reproducible intact protein biomarkers were discovered based on their unique mass, retention time and relative intensity. These markers were implemented to differentiate closely related strain types, (e.g. two distinct isolates of E. coli O157:H7) and to correctly identify unknown pathogens. Notable, was the distinction of multiple serotypes of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli which cannot be distinguished by clinical …


Amendment (2008 Fall) Jan 2008

Amendment (2008 Fall)

Amendment, 2004-

Amendment is a VCU student-produced progressive literature and art journal that provides a platform for students to promote equality, tolerance, and social progression through artistic expression.


Designing Search: Effective Search Interfaces For Academic Library Websites, Susan Teague Rector, Jimmy Ghaphery Jan 2008

Designing Search: Effective Search Interfaces For Academic Library Websites, Susan Teague Rector, Jimmy Ghaphery

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Academic libraries customize, support and provide access to myriad information systems, each with complex graphical user interfaces (GUIs). The number of possible information entry points on an academic library Web site is both daunting to the end user and consistently challenging to library Web site designers. Faced with the challenges inherent in designing online search interfaces and the ever-growing amount of resources available online, VCU Libraries sought to explore how to build effective search interfaces that, at the same time, support a wide variety of computer users and provide comprehensive access to assorted collections of electronic resources. Over a 9 …


Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 85, No. 2, 2008) Jan 2008

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 85, No. 2, 2008)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.


Magnetic Nanoparticles Based On Iron: Synthesis, Characterization, Design, And Application, Michael David Shultz Jan 2008

Magnetic Nanoparticles Based On Iron: Synthesis, Characterization, Design, And Application, Michael David Shultz

Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic nanoparticles are of great interest for a wide range of applications. This work has focused on three primary forms of iron based nanoparticles and combinations thereof: α-iron, iron oxide, and iron carbide or cementite. The synthesis of several core-shell particles including cementite-iron oxide, α-iron-cementite, and α-iron-iron oxide was accomplished through reverse micelle routes and high temperature decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl in various media. Structural analysis to confirm the structures was performed using extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) techniques. A rapid characterization technique was developed utilizing a correlation between Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and EXAFS to determine the full …


School Division Leaders Keen On In-School Mathematics Experts, D. Blount, J. Singleton Jan 2008

School Division Leaders Keen On In-School Mathematics Experts, D. Blount, J. Singleton

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.


Regulation Of Platelet-Activating Factor Acetylhydrolase By Oxidized Phospholipids And Proinflammatory Cytokines, Muralikrishna Mukkamala Jan 2008

Regulation Of Platelet-Activating Factor Acetylhydrolase By Oxidized Phospholipids And Proinflammatory Cytokines, Muralikrishna Mukkamala

Theses and Dissertations

Platelet-Activating Factor Acetylhydrolase (PAFAH) is a monocyte-derived phospholipase A2 that catalyzes the hydrolysis of platelet-activating factor (PAF) and has been implicated in atherosclerosis. Although PAF and other proinflammatory stimuli are postulated to induce the enzyme, mechanisms controlling PAFAH expression are largely unknown at present. We have shown that PAFAH induction in monocytes is increased in response to oxidized phospholipids. The PAFAH 5' flanking region has at least 10 putative Stat elements, and IL-6 has been shown to be downstream from the prostaglandin receptor, EP2, which has been shown to bind oxidized phospholipids, prompting the hypothesis that Stat proteins might regulate …