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Titian’S Venus Of Urbino: A Comprehensive Art Historical Study With An Interpretive Consideration, Mary Melissa Miller

Theses and Dissertations

There have been numerous scholarly interpretations of Titian’s Venus of Urbino since Giorgio Vasari first named the work upon seeing it in 1548. Even so, problems remain in Titian’s hermeneutics and semiology relevant to the artist’s personal circumstances that places the Venus of Urbino in a unique genre. Biographers and art historians since the 16th century have written about and admired this work. Additionally, scholars of the 20th century have painstakingly sought to understand the work’s layers of meaning, but still the Venus of Urbino remains an interpretive mystery. Firstly, my thesis will examine the timeline of references to Titian’s …

Yo, Mi Persona Y México, Jaime Trinidad

Theses and Dissertations

For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with understanding who I am. What makes me is something I try to make sense of through art. When I started working on this my graduation show, the idea behind it was to make a portrait of the Mexico I know, but when the pandemic hit, I found myself locked down at home, completely alone in a new country for the first time. This led me to question my existence and the belief systems I espoused and prompted me to try to understand myself better in the context of a …

Herbal Extracts As Neuroprotective Agents In An In-Vitro Model Of Aluminum Neurotoxicity, Nada Ezzelarab

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Aluminum toxicity due to environmental or industrial exposure, medical applications, or from cooking utensils is a serious medical problem. The current study aims to investigate three herbal extracts: pomegranate peel extract, Achillea fragrantissima extract, and papaya fruit extract to combat this neurotoxicity.

Methods: Chemical characterization of the three extracts were evaluated using HPLC MS while their neuroprotective activity was assayed using MTT assay on SHSY5Y cells and nitric oxide levels.

Results: Using HPLC-MS chromatography, we have identified twenty-one compounds in the hydro-alcoholic Achillea fragrantissima, seventeen were determined in the pomegranate peel, eleven were assessed in the Carica papaya …

Electrical Capacitance Measurements To Assess European Corn Borer Infestation In Maize, Mavrik D. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The European Corn Borer (ECB), Ostrinia nubilalis, is an agricultural pest which bores small holes in the rind of maize stalks and then proceeds to consume the pith. Because most of the damage to the stalk is internal, it is difficult to quantify the damage to an individual stalk without time-consuming, manual examination. This work explored the hypothesis that internal damage could be detected and quantified using non-destructive, electromagnetic measurements. Laboratory experiments and numerical simulation studies predicted changes in capacitance of stalks due to hollow core ECB damage. A guarded probe device to measure electrical impedance from 500 Hz to …

Pushing The Limits Of Sars-Cov-2 Survival: How Sars-Cov-2 Responds To Quaternary Ammonium Compounds And Wastewater, Benjamin Hawthorne Ogilvie

Theses and Dissertations

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the current global pandemic, COVID-19. Because this virus is novel, little is known about its sensitivity to disinfection. In this study, we performed suspension tests against SARS-CoV-2 using three commercially available quaternary ammonium compound (Quat) disinfectants and one laboratory-made 0.2% benzalkonium chloride solution. Three of the four formulations completely inactivated the virus within 15 seconds of contact, even in the presence of a soil load or when diluted in hard water. We conclude that Quats rapidly inactivate SARS-CoV-2, making them potentially useful for controlling SARS-CoV-2 spread in hospitals and the community. In addition to …

Crashcourse Literature: Public Humanities By Reception, Emma Luthi Price

Theses and Dissertations

CrashCourse Literature and other educational YouTube videos are essential mechanisms for connecting students and the general public to the humanities. Public humanities projects are in an intellectual tug-of-war between what academia and the diverse developing public want them to be, but that contention can and should be mediated using new media tools like CrashCourse Literature. CrashCourse Literature's emphasis on bringing the reader to the text and the text to the reader, echoes the goals of reception theory. Reception theory focuses on finding meaning in a literary text using the reader's horizon of expectations more than an a traditional, essentialist, "original' …

Evolution And Selection: From Suppression Of Metabolic Deficiencies To Bacteriophage Host Range And Resistance, Daniel Kurt Arens

Theses and Dissertations

The evolution and adaptation of microorganisms is so rapid it can be seen in the time frame of days. The root cause for their evolution comes from selective environmental pressures that see organisms with beneficial mutations survive otherwise deadly encounters or outperform members of its population who fail to adapt. This does not always result in strict improvement of the individual as in the case of antibiotic resistant bacteria who often display fitness tradeoffs to avoid death (see Reviews [1-3]). For example, when an ampicillin resistance gene (ampC) containing plasmid that is occasionally found in the wild was transformed into …

Feeling The Light: Sensory Substitution Devices In Research And Rehabilitation, Stephanie Nicole Hartling

Theses and Dissertations

The ecological approach to perception-action seeks to understand an individual’s control of goal-directed actions by focusing on the relationship or fit between animal and environment (Turvey, 2019). This fit determines what behaviors are possible for that animal – what Gibson (1979/2014) referred to as affordances. Affordances emerge from this fit between the animal and the environment; however, this fit is malleable such as with the addition of a tool. Tools can also modify a person’s ability to perceive affordances. Tools such as sensory substitution devices (SSDs) utilize one modality (such as touch) when another modality is unavailable or compromised (such …

The Slow Violence Of Eco-Apocalypse In The Poetry Of José Emilio Pacheco, Niels H. Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

Over the course of his fifty-year career, Mexican writer José Emilio Pacheco has almost habitually written poetry about environmental themes especially those related to pollution, extraction, deforestation, and other related themes of destruction. Simultaneously, his work has engaged with questions of temporality, namely the passing of time and the inherent violence of such questions. In this essay, I examine a selection of Pacheco's poetry from the 1970s to the early 2000s, demonstrating Pacheco's marrying of the two concepts: environmental degradation and time. This marriage results in a provocative synthesis of eco-apocalypse, a phenomenon that details a paradoxical end that never …

From Captive To Captor: Hannah Duston And The Indian Removal Act, Olivia Cronquist

Theses and Dissertations

In 1697 Massachusetts settler Hannah Duston was taken captive by a group of Abenaki Indians. Duston and her companions escaped captivity by using a tomahawk to kill ten of her captors. Within her captivity narrative, Duston inhabits the role of captor rather than captive, providing a literary framework for reading and understanding the process of Indian Removal in the nineteenth century. Like white captives in the early colonial period, Native Americans in the nineteenth century faced pressure to assimilate, forced marches through unfamiliar territory, and acts of shocking violence like the Wounded Knee Massacre. During this time period, the United …

Processing Nihilism: The Struggle For Valuative Supremacy In Javier Marí­As' Berta Isla, Kristen A. Brimhall

Theses and Dissertations

Nihilism is a popular and heavily studied topic which is prominently displayed in Javier Marí­as' novel Berta Isla. In this article, both Nietzschean and Heideggerian concepts of nihilism will be identified and analyzed within the context of Marí­­as's novel. Through textual analysis, the origin of nihilism will be explored as it relates to the will to power and valuative schema of the individual. It will be suggested that nihilism stems from valuative thinking induced by the herd-mentality of a community and that the fulfillment of such is the acceptance of absolute truth grounded in being and becoming.

Unseen, Unheard, Unknown: Uncovering Campus Environment Messaging For Students With Disabilities, Cassandra Maria Colfer

Theses and Dissertations

While there is research detailing the perceptions of the campus environment and their implications on student development, there is limited research that looks at the perceptions of students with disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand what the perceptions of students with disabilities were of Rowan University's campus environment. This study was completed through semi-structured interviews of students with disabilities which included questioning as well as photo elicitation. Following the collection data, a thematic analysis was conducted. In order to better understand the answer to this question, four themes were created out of a thematic analysis of …

Subsistence Practices At Nancy Patterson Village, Elizabeth C. M. Whisenhunt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to gain an insight into the macrobotanical subsistence practices of Nancy Patterson Village and see how those practices fit in with the practices of the general Mesa Verde region by analyzing the burnt macrobotanical remains found in processed flotation samples. Previous work done at Nancy Patterson Village showed a shift in the faunal subsistence practices to a greater reliance on domesticated turkey during the Pueblo III period. However, the macro botanical analysis showed a higher richness of wild plant taxa in the Pueblo III period when compared to Pueblo II. The change to a …

Effects Of Inhaled Combination Corticosteroid Drugs On Aerodynamic Measures Of Phonation And Visual-Perceptual Measures Of Vocal Fold And Arytenoid Tissue In Excised Rabbit Larynges, Christina Lynn Pang

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the effects of inhaled corticosteroid drugs (ICs) on the voice due to their frequent use in treating an increasing prevalence of asthma disorders. As part of a larger five-year study, the focus of this thesis is specifically on whether 8 weeks of in vivo exposure to ICs will cause changes in the sustained subglottal pressure, sustained airflow, and visual-perceptual ratings of edema and erythema in excised rabbit larynges. Researchers administered either ICs or a control nebulized isotonic saline solution to 22 rabbits in vivo, sacrificed them, and harvested their larynges for benchtop …

Phonation Threshold Pressure And Phonation Threshold Flow In Rabbits Treated With Inhaled Corticosteroids Versus Controls, Heidi Joan Robison

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is part of a larger series of studies being conducted by Kristine Tanner, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at Brigham Young University (BYU). The larger project is funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health. This thesis primarily investigated the effects of combination inhaled corticosteroids (ICs) on aerodynamic measures of the voice. In recent years, an increase in the localized laryngeal side effects from IC treatment, including dysphonia, have been reported. This study employed a between-groups experimental design, with two groups of rabbit larynges having …

Angels On My Shoulders: A Story Of Morals, Values, And The Catholic Religion, Lauren Dinuzzo

Theses and Dissertations

Attending Catholic school kindergarten through twelfth grade instilled in me beliefs and fears that guided every decision I made from childhood through young adulthood. I learned to pray--a lot. I learned about sinning and going straight to hell. I blamed myself when bad things happened, fearing that I was being punished for turning against God. It wasn’t until I was forced to come face to face with my religion did I see that Catholicism didn’t define me. Through loss and grief of a friend’s suicide to my own abortion, I began questioning what Catholic views I actually believed. Challenging my …

Spatial Resolution Of Quantitative Electroencephalography And Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging During Phoneme Discrimination Tasks: An Abbreviated Meta-Analysis, Emily Jean Jacobs

Theses and Dissertations

Phonological processing, the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of one's native language, is an essential linguistic skill. Deficits in this skill may lead to decreased social, educational, and financial success (Kraus & White-Schwoch, 2019). Additionally, phonological disorders have been shown to be highly variable and individualized (Bellon-Harn & Cradeur-Pampolina, 2016) and therefore difficult to treat effectively. A better understanding of the neural underpinnings of phonological processing, including the underlying skill of phonemic discrimination, could lead to the development of more individualized and effective intervention. Several studies, some using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) and others using functional magnetic resonance imaging …

How Word Characteristics Affect Language-Mediated Eye Movements In Preschoolers With Varying Language Ability, Shelby Nicole Slocum

Theses and Dissertations

Children with lower language abilities, including children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) are at risk for persistent reading difficulties. Previous studies have demonstrated that children with lower language abilities display eye movements different from their typically developing peers while hearing nouns in a naturalistic storybook reading context. This study examined how language ability and various lexical characteristics interact with 4- and 5-year- olds' eye movements during a naturalistic storybook reading task. We used eye-tracking technology to measure eye movements of 49 preschoolers with variable language skill. The children looked at storybook pictures on an eye tracking computer while they listened …

From Sea To Waterless Sea: Archipelagic Thought And Reorientation In When The Emperor Was Divine, Summer Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Julie Otsuka's novel When the Emperor Was Divine (2002) retells the trauma of the Japanese American imprisonment through the lens of fictional characters taken from their "white house on the wide street in Berkeley not far from the sea" to "the scorched white earth of the desert" (74, 23). The Topaz Internment Camp in Utah's Sevier Desert, where these characters were forcibly relocated, sits on the site of an ancient inland sea, Lake Bonneville, which submerged that barren desert ground some ten thousand years ago. The paleolake serves as a displaced but active character in Otsuka's novel that shapes the …

Bewitching The Blame: The Crucible's Legacy Of Appropriation And Sexual Shame In Popular Culture, Hope Kristine Morris

Theses and Dissertations

In The Crucible Arthur Miller uses tropes of female characters, Abigail and Tituba, to tell a story of male heroism. In the process, he dismisses and appropriates the true stories of women who suffered during the Salem witch trials for his own political and personal gain. In this thesis, I argue that Miller’s appropriation and sexualization of women continues into contemporary popular culture depictions of the Salem witch trials including the movie adaptation of The Crucible and the television shows Salem and American Horror Story: Coven. These depictions appropriate and sexualize women’s stories in order to fulfill the male gaze. …

Going For Gold: Point Of Care Bio-Diagnostics And Gold Nanoparticles Treating Disease, Trevor M. Godfrey

Theses and Dissertations

Correct diagnosis of disease is essential in the effort to save and improve lives. Point of care (POC) diagnostics are in-vitro tests that assist in patient diagnosis and can be used at the location of patient care. POC diagnostics are easy to use and provide near-instant readouts allowing medical providers and patients to make rapid decisions about treatment. Increased access to POC testing is especially beneficial to low-income and low resource areas that cannot afford expensive lab testing. The World Health Organization (WHO) has outlined at least 113 diseases for which POC diagnostics are needed. Because of this, developing effective, …

Improving Artistic Workflows For Fluid Simulation Through Adaptive And Editable Fluid Simulation Techniques, Sean A. Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

As the fidelity of computer generated imagery has increased, the need to digitally create convincing natural phenomena like fluids has become fundamental to the entertainment production industry. Because fluids are complex, the underlying physics must be computationally simulated. However, because a strictly physics-based approach is both computationally expensive and difficult to control, it does not lend itself well to the way artists and directors like to work. Directors require control to achieve their specific artistic vision. Furthermore, artistic workflows rely on quick iteration and the ability to apply changes late in the production process. In this dissertation we present novel …

Perceptions Of The Physically Disabled Influenced By Media Portrayals, Jessica Parcell

Theses and Dissertations

Using a quantitative coding method, the current study analyzed cinematic productions between the years 1989 and 2019 (N = 79) for presence of supercrip and victim stereotypes among portrayals of the physically disabled. A series of One-way ANOVA - Bonferonni and Bivariate Correlation tests were performed, and results indicated that while negative and supercrip stereotypes of the physically disabled have decreased over this 30-year period, simultaneously, very positive and victim stereotypes have risen. Results showed negative (F = 3.215, p = .046) portrayals decreased over time, but that simultaneously victim (F = 8.044, p = .001) and very positive (F …

Geoglows Hydroviewer: Open Software-As-A-Service For Localizing Global Hydrologic Forecasts Of The Group On Earth Observations Global Water Sustainability Initiative, Kyler Ralph Ashby

Theses and Dissertations

Earth observation data is increasingly ubiquitous, easily accessible, freely available, and generally usable due to improvements in software, data standards, network infrastructure, and national policies. As a result, greater opportunities arise for using these data in a wider field of application including decision support for local and regional environmental and water resources management efforts. In parts of the world where in situ data are less readily available, global Earth observation data used in such decision support tools can be a boon to underfunded government and private water management agencies. The United Nations Group on Earth Observations Global Water Sustainability initiative …

A Review Of Fitness Tracker Game Elements And A Novel Game Approach For The Design Space, Aatish Neupane

Theses and Dissertations

Physical activities like walking have proven health benefits. People are adopting fitness trackers to track physical activity, but they often stop using them after a relatively short time. Many apps and games exist in the app markets that use gamification to tackle this problem of motivation. In this thesis, we examined these existing gamified fitness tracker apps from app markets and looked at the usage of different game elements within these apps. We conducted a systematic review of existing fitness Tracker Apps from Google Play Store and Apple App Store and used a mixed-method approach to identify apps, categorize them …

Fuqia E Detajeve, Sara Ahmeti

Theses and Dissertations

Qëndrueshmëria është e rëndësishme për shumë arsye duke përfshirë edhe cilësinë e mjedisit ku jetojmë. Në mënyrë që të kemi komunitet të shëndetshëm, ne kemi nevojë për ajër të pastër, burime natyrore dhe një mjedis jotoksik. Moda e qëndrueshme është një lëvizje nxitëse për ndryshimin e sistemit të modës drejt integritetit më të madh ekologjik dhe drejtësisë sociale. Për ta bërë industrinë e veshjeve më të qëndrueshme, të gjithë aktorët duhet të përfshihen, nga disenjatorë te prodhuesit, kritikët dhe konsumatorët. Fjala ‘‘Bombus‘‘origjinën e ka nga latinishtja që do të thotë lulëzim. Bletët e mjaltit janë insekte shoqërore, që do të …

The Last Horseman: Albrecht Dürer’S Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, Megan L. Crosby

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes Albrecht Dürer’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse through comparisons with examples from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, as well as the artist’s own numerous representations of Death. These comparisons will show the way Dürer interpreted and changed the iconography of the Four Horsemen.

This New Colossus, Sean M. Ardor

Theses and Dissertations

This New Colossus was an original work of theater which I conceived, wrote, designed, directed, and performed four times over three consecutive evenings in mid-November 2019 at the Center for Performance Experiment in Columbia, South Carolina (A video recording of this performance is included in my thesis submission). This New Colossus tells the a story of an unnamed Grandfather and his Grandson struggling against a fictional communist government of the United States during its rise in the 1930's and its fall in the 1970's. The work was inspired by the lives of 20th century leftist revolutionaries, the poetry of Walt …

Brand New: How Visual Context Shapes Initial Response To Logos And Corporate Visual Identity Systems, Robert A. Wertz

Theses and Dissertations

When a new logo is released, it does not have an established meaning in the mind of the viewer. As logos have become more highly scrutinized by consumers and critics, it has become more important to understand consumers’ initial response to logos. While other studies have researched the impact of aesthetic choices on viewer reaction to logos, few researchers have attempted to understand the effect of the surrounding visual identity system when a new logo is introduced. This study combines a content analysis of the logo review website Brand New with the voting data from their polls to understand how …

Husserl And Merleau-Ponty: A Feminist Critique Of The Phenomenological Body, Jasmin M. Makhlouf

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the phenomenological notion of embodiment, to explain the objectification and coercion that women and their bodies experience on a daily basis. I build the philosophical foundation of this thesis on Husserlian and Merleau-Pontian phenomenology, as well as, their work’s receptions in feminist philosophy of the early 20th century, mainly Simone de Beauvoir, as well as, more contemporary thinkers like Luce Irigaray and Judith Butler. Moreover, the thesis argues for a return to the traditional phenomenological notion of embodiment while incorporating elements of sexuality and sexual difference.