Digital Commons Network^™

Publisher Profile: Springer

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Atg Interviews Alison Mudditt, Tom Gilson, Katina Strauch

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

If Rumors Were Horses, Katina Strauch

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Mutual Advocacy: Developing Shared Outreach Programs With Institutional Partners, Heather J. Stecklein, M. Nathalie Wheaton

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Op Ed -- The Death Of The Bookless Library, S. David Mash Ph.D.

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Issues In Vendor/Library Relations -- Fotb Tallahassee, Bob Nardini

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Atg Interviews Springer, Tom Gilson, Katina Strauch

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

The Challenge Of Transcultural Competence: Background Reading Of Target Culture Current Events Articles, Norbert Hedderich

Global Business Languages

At the lower and intermediate-levels of language instruction, students do not have sufficient language proficiency to inform themselves about current events in the target language. Knowledge of current events is an important part of cultural competence and should not be absent from instruction because of linguistic restrictions. This article proposes to remedy this problem, by creating out-of-class reading assignments of current events articles from US and international English language news sources. The article provides practical information on selection criteria for articles, suggests news sources, and gives examples of assignments.

From The Reference Desk, Tom Gilson

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Inanimate Speech From Lovecraft To Žižek, Apple Z. Igrek

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Inanimate Speech from Lovecraft to Žižek" Apple Z. Igrek explores an influential line of reasoning associated with our contemporary loss of the Real. The argument describes how the contingencies and nuances of social life have been reduced to an operational, friction-free, and homogeneous realm of signs. Slavoj Žižek contends that our inherently traumatic relationship with the Other is being foreclosed and replaced by an omnipresent technological screen of virtual communication. The danger of this shift, identified as the "digital break," is that it facilitates an extraordinary form of divine violence which strikes back at the social system …

I Hear The Train A Comin' -- Train Live With Anne Kenney And Kevin Guthrie, Greg Tananbaum

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews -- Monographic Musings, Debbie Vaughn

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Fernández And Cinematic Propaganda In The U.S. And Mexico, Renae L. Mitchell

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Fernández and Cinematic Propaganda in the U.S. and Mexico" Renae L. Mitchell discusses the competing ideologies on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. As one of the foremost filmmakers of the Mexican Golden Age of cinema, Emilio Fernández established what would is recognized as "Mexicanness" by means of Indigenous characters in his films, most apparent in the film María Candelaria. RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures, as the principal purveyor of US-American propagandist cinema, led Hollywood into the cinematic market of Mexico revealing its intentions by means of the RKO film The Falcon in Mexico. Fernández sought to …

Comparative Literature In Chinese And An Interview With Yue, Hui Zhang, Daiyun Yue

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In their article "Comparative Literature in Chinese and an Interview with Daiyun Yue" Hui Zhang and Daiyun Yue present a review of the discipline of comparative literature based on an interview with Yue (2010). Because Yue's work with comparative literature is intertwined with her personal journey, the interview sheds light on other Chinese scholars and their work who would not be known audiences outside China. The interview also touches on the academic and political reasons why the joint dualisms of "ancient/modern" and "Chinese/foreign" continue to be major structuring principles of the discipline in China, as well as how the development …

The Tartu School And Catalan Scholarship: A Book Review Article Of New Work In Reception And Communication Studie, Christopher Larkosh

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Academic Discourse And Literacy Narratives As "Equipment For Living", Kris Rutten

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Academic Discourse and Narratives of Literacy as 'Equipment for Living'" Kris Rutten discusses practices of academic discourse and argues that students entering higher education have to become part of a specific community of institutional discourse. Rutten claims that narratives of and about literacy — narratives that revolve around issues dealing with language and the acquisition of literacy — "dramatize" the tension of moving from one discourse community to another. By charting situations of "type," fictional literacy narratives can be used by students as "equipment for living" in order to reflect on confrontations and difficulties they experience in …

Nuevas Narrativas: Translation Of Family History, Migel A. Delgado

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Family histories are hard to pass on when the native language of one's culture is no longer passed on to the next generation. Growing up between two cultures has created a void that is considerably complex. Nuevas Narrativas: Translation of Family History represents the dynamics involved with deciphering my grandfather's migration story. This investigation within family narratives illustrates the dynamics within reception, translation, and transcription of traditional narratives.

In this installation, I engage the reception of my grandfather's migration story as a way of addressing how foreign languages and historical narratives create displacement through time. The context for this work …

The Metroburb: American Values In Facebook Culture, Heather Marie Carlson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Using critical discourse analysis, fantasy themes were extracted from user profiles and postings to examine American values found in Facebook culture.

Core values found on Facebook worked to create not only socially recognizable identities enacted and communicated through the participants, but also a particular culture to which participants both reflected and contributed in Facebook. Themes and values extracted from findings indicate that Facebook users should be casual, technologically-aware, social, respectful and fair to others, “good little copers,” financially savvy while at the same time valuing higher education, a healthy lifestyle, family and travel.

Because Facebook is an interestingly fluid cultural …

Being Outside Learning About Science Is Amazing: A Mixed Methods Study, Michelle L. Weibel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to examine teachers' environmental attitudes and concerns about an outdoor educational field trip. Converging both quantitative data (Environmental Attitudes Scale and teacher demographics) and qualitative data (Open-Ended Statements of Concern and interviews) facilitated interpretation. Research has shown that adults' attitudes toward the environment strongly influence children's attitudes regarding the environment. Science teachers' attitudes toward nature and attitudes toward children's field experiences influence the number and types of field trips teachers take. Measuring teacher attitudes is a way to assess teacher beliefs.

The one day outdoor field trip had significant outcomes for …

Factors Which Influence The Use Of Active Learning Strategies By Nursing Faculty, Deborah Lowell Shindell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nursing education is facing a crisis. Anachronistic teaching methods are no longer keeping up with the needs of new graduates entering practice. Despite a body of knowledge which supports the use of active learning in higher education, nursing faculty continue to rely on lecture as their primary pedagogical approach. Previous study of the use of research products in clinical nursing practice identified systematic factors such as characteristics of the communication of research findings and characteristics of the organization form the greatest barrier to use. This study discovers if these same barriers face nursing educators.

Using Roger‟s Theory of Diffusion of …

Students With Reading Disabilities Participating In Literature Discussions: A Case Study, Elysha Patino O’Brien

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative case study addressed a lack of research concerning literature discussions for students with learning disabilities in reading. Fourth and fifth grade students with reading disabilities participated in twice-weekly literature discussions, 30- to-60 minutes each, for 12 weeks. The students attended a Title I school and most were Hispanic males. Together, they read and discussed five postmodern picturebooks. The purpose of the study was to understand (a) reader responses to the illustrations, text, and postmodern features of the books, and (b) the individual reader’s response habits. Situated within a sociocultural frame, the theories guiding this study pertained to language …

Bridging The Chasm: Emerging Model Of Leadership In Intercollegiate Athletics Governance, John C. Chandler Iii

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examined how the executive leadership model influenced the leadership and governance of intercollegiate athletics. The focus centered on understanding the role of Athletic Directors who concurrently serve as institutional Vice Presidents using the Social Constructivist framework. Qualitative analysis was utilized to achieve the kind of examination necessary to uncover the rich and in-depth perspectives of the participants. At the time of the study, there were 119 institutions housing NCAA Division IA athletic departments. Of the 119 distinct athletic departments, there were 17 athletic departments that employed an athletic director that had been appointed to the post of university …

The Impact Of World War Ii On Women's Fashion In The United States And Britain, Meghann Mason

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

World War II (hereafter referred to as WWII) is a fascinating era in fashion, society, and politics. The fashion of the era was truly representative of the events happening in the world in a most visible way. This era made indelible marks on future designers and the science of fashion as the world knows it. Fashion and costume design were influenced and changed due to the many limitations presented and imposed by WWII. WWII represents a great marker of change socially, technologically, economically, and politically. While it affected the entire world, the main focus of this thesis will explore the …

Cultivating Readiness For Professional Learning Community Through Learning Teams In A Restructuring High School, Cassandra H. Hyacinthe

Education Doctoral

The traditional organizational structure of large comprehensive high schools: departmental divisions, teacher isolation, fragmented subcultures, student alienation, and competing group interests have undermined student and adult learning and have thwarted attempts at school reform. Professional learning communities (PLCs) are a promising strategy for advancing student achievement and school reform. Schools with strong PLCs foster a collaborative culture, focus on learning, promote shared responsibility, and pursue results-oriented goals and assessments to ensure student academic gains. The study investigated the use of learning teams as a preliminary strategy for PLC and to inform school-wide PLC implementation in a restructuring high school. Wenger’s …

Testing Whether Mrp4 (A Camp Efflux Pump) And The Beta 2 Andrenergic Receptor (An Upstream Regulator Of Camp Signaling Pathways, Praveen Kumar Potukuchi

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Background and Aim: MRP4/ABCC4 is an ABC transporter that can efflux the second-messenger, cAMP, from cells. MRP4 has a PDZ interacting motif at its carboxy terminal end through which it binds to scaffolding proteins NHERF1 and PDZK1. Previous studies have shown that PDZK1 serves as a scaffold physically coupling MRP4 with the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). This protein complex functionally couples cAMP regulation of CFTR function with MRP4 cAMP transporter activity [Li, C., et al., Spatiotemporal coupling of cAMP transporter to CFTR chloride channel function in the gut epithelia. Cell, 2007. 131(5): p. 940-51]. We hypothesized that the …

Compound 49b: A Novel Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Agonist In The Treatment Of Diabetic Retinopathy, Kimberly Williams-Guy

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working Americans. While there are therapeutic regimens for the disease, more effective methods are needed. We have previously shown that a non-specific beta-adrenergic receptor agonist, isoproterenol, was effective in preventing functional and morphological changes associated with diabetic retinopathy in the rat. Isoproterenol also produced left ventricle remodeling suggesting it entered the systemic circulation. We therefore synthesized various novel beta-adrenergic receptor compounds and screened these compounds in vitro for their ability to reduce markers of inflammation and apoptosis. Of the various compounds tested, Compound 49b was able to reduce both inflammation and …

Preservation Without Restoration: The Case For Ruins, Sydney Schoof

Historic Preservation Theses

The ruins are often an overlooked topic in historic preservation. The typical method of treatment is either full restoration or demolition. However, some ruins have gained significance in their own right and this thesis explores appropriate treatment and recognition for these structures. Ruins typically represent a historical trend toward downsizing that would not be otherwise visible and are therefore eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under criterion A, though criterion C may also be applicable as the aesthetics of ruins are often much admired and become the primary reason for local and even national interest in …

¡Adelante Hermanas De La Raza! Josefina Silva De Cintrón, Artes Y Letras, And Puerto Rican Women’S Feminismo In The 1930s, Patricia A. Schechter

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article tells the story of Josefina Silva de Cintrón, (1884-1988), Puerto Rican journalist, feminist and arts impresario. Silva de Cintrón moved from San Juan to New York City in 1927. She published the Spanish language journal Artes y Letras from 1933 to 1939, and it circulated in 8 countries throughout the Americas. Artes y Letras was a publication that significantly enabled Spanish-speaking women’s activism in New York City. In its pages, women tested their ideas about feminismo. Their feminismo was Pan American in orientation and anti-racist in purpose, energized by the rhetoric of la raza. This article …

Secular Trend Of Infant Mortality Rate During Wars And Sanctions In Western Iraq., Zaid R. Al-Ani, Sahar J. Al-Hiali, Hussain H. Al-Farraji

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To study the infant mortality rate (IMR) trend during wars and sanction periods in Western Iraq. METHODS: Data collected from the birth and death certificates of Haditha Health Vital Statistics Center, Haditha city (80,000 population), Western Iraq, included name, age, gender, residence, and infant9s place and date of births and deaths, in 5 different sanction and war stages of the country from 1987 to 2010, in a study period from July to December, 2010. The IMRs were analyzed and compared between these stages and with other studies. RESULTS: The IMR of last 2 years of the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988) …

Examining The Relationships Between Acculturation Orientations, Perceived And Actual Norms, And Drinking Behaviors Of Short-Term American Sojourners In Foreign Environments, Eric R. Pedersen, Rick A. Cruz, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer

Heads Up!

As little research has examined factors influencing increased and heavy drinking behavior among American sojourners abroad, this study was designed to examine how acculturation orientations (i.e., separation versus assimilation), host country per capita drinking rates, and perceptions about the drinking behavior among other sojourners and natives in the host country predicted alcohol risk abroad. A sample of 216 American college students completing study abroad programs completed a pre-abroad questionnaire to document their pre-abroad drinking levels, followed by a post-return questionnaire to assess drinking while abroad, acculturation orientations and perceived norms of drinking behavior within the foreign environment. A dichotomous variable …