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Brick Walls, Tina Chapman Dacosta

Theses

This paper will outline the scriptwriter's experience and creation process for writing the feature film script Brick. A summary of the preparation, writing process, advisor meetings, research, committee feedback, and writing challenges will be shared along with the screened script reading's audience responses. The thesis proposal, story elements, representative photos and the Brick Walls script are included.

Brick Walls chronicles the life of my father Elza "Buddy" Cannaday (1922 - 2006) from ages 8 to 32, between the years 1930 to 1954 in the cities of Mechanicsburg, Springfield, Urbana, and Cleveland, Ohio. Young Buddy is the son of Hazel Lee …

Linking The Green And Brown Worlds: The Prevalence And Effect Of Multichannel Feeding In Food Webs, Elizabeth M. Wolkovich, Stefano Allesina, Kathryn L. Cottingham, John C. Moore, Stuart A. Sandin, Claire De Mazancourt

Dartmouth Scholarship

Recent advances in food‐web ecology highlight that most real food webs (1) represent an interplay between producer‐ and detritus‐based webs and (2) are governed by consumers which are rampant omnivores; feeding on varied prey across trophic levels and resource channels. A possible avenue to unify these advances comes from models demonstrating that predators feeding on distinctly different channels may stabilize food webs. Empirical studies suggest many consumers engage in such behavior by feeding on prey items from both living‐autotroph (green) and detritus‐based (brown) webs, what we term “multichannel feeding,” yet we know little about how common such feeding is across …

The Urgency Of Ecocriticism And European Scholarship, Simon C. Estok

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "The Urgency of Ecocriticism and European Scholarship" Simon C. Estok argues that there continues to be unduly disproportionate attention within ecocriticism on US-based scholarship and proportionally less on ecocriticism from other parts of the world. Estok focuses on European ecocritical work written in English and published by Rodopi in recent years and argues that this work attests both to the urgency and resolve of European ecocritics. Estok looks at some of the primary contributions of twelve books published within the past ten years by Rodopi in order to show the importance of bending our ecocritical ears, to …

Ecocriticism And Persian And Greek Myths About The Origin Of Fire, Massih Zekavat

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Ecocriticism and Persian and Greek Myths about the Origin of Fire" Massih Zekavat argues that some contemporary ecological biases are rooted in ancient thought. Further, Zekavat argues that the study of mythology is relevant to the understanding of culture and ecology thus assisting ecocriticism. The investigation of man/woman, culture/nature, and human/nature binary oppositions conveys that Greek and Persian myths are mostly anthropocentric and androcentric. Zekavat postulates that one way to revise contemporary ecological conceptions is to study myths to shed light on the mind and context of their creators and believers, their representation of natural phenomena, and …

If Rumors Were Horses, Katina Strauch

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

The Ant, The University Press, And The Librarian, Patrick H. Alexander

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Situating A Badiouian Anthropocene In Hagiwara's Postnatural Poetry, Dean A. Brink

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Situating a Badiouian Anthropocene in Hagiwara's Postnatural Poetry" Dean A. Brink discusses the ecological dimension of the poetry of one of the founding voices in modern Japanese poetry, Sakutarō Hagiwara (1886-1942). Brink argues that Hagiwara developed a poetics characterized by engagements with nonhuman organisms and actants to situate the materiality of these actants in ways that diffuse the binary of "language" and "nature" and present a postnatural relationality that Bruno Latour describes. Drawing on the recent work of Alain Badiou, Brink explores materialist alternatives to representationalism—including the Lacanian triangle of the imaginary real and symbolic—by emphasizing human-nonhuman …

Ecological Knowledge In Community Theater, Paul Brown

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Ecological Knowledge in Community Theater" Paul Brown presents a practitioner's perspective on plays which celebrate and enhance community resilience while addressing complex environmental problems. Community plays can highlight environmental injustices and assist communities to find a voice. The article explores these functions by examining how nature moves center-stage in community plays, and the role of community arts, alongside scientific research, in developing and communicating shared understanding of environmental problems and their solutions. In his study Brown compares knowledge-making processes for science and community theater and explores the values expressed in eco-theater and the processes of producing and …

Exploring The Role Of Ospreys In Education, Rebecca Cushing, Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Recent research in childhood education has demonstrated that experiences in nature are important in shaping early environmental consciousness (Hinds and Sparks 2008, Hussar and Horvath 2011, Cheng and Monroe 2012) and ultimately the expression of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors during adulthood (Wells and Lekies 2006, Chawla and Cushing 2007, Collado et al. 2013). Increasingly, those experiences happen via written and electronic media (e.g., textbooks, computer screens) or in very anthropogenic environments (e.g., in parks and zoos) and less through direct contact with nature, a concept Louv (2005) referred to as ‘‘nature deficit disorder.’’ Even in schools where environmental education is …

Indigenous Taiwan As Location Of Native American And Indigenous Studies, Hsinya Huang

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Indigenous Taiwan as Location of Native American and Indigenous Studies" Hsinya Huang uses Taiwan as a specific intellectual crossroads to examine, both pedagogically and theoretically, transnational/trans-Pacific flows, as well as transnational indigenous formations which take shape across national/international/local American Studies in this key moment of heightened U.S./Taiwan interaction in the Asia-Pacific security zone. Huang argues that Taiwanese scholarship has helped reorient understandings of environment and ecocriticism and that it has provided significant impulses, especially in the fields of Native American and comparative indigenous studies. Moreover, Taiwan has contributed both in its own positioning and in its academic …

Ecocriticism And Gender/Sexuality Studies: A Book Review Article On New Work By Azzarello And Gaard, Estok, And Oppermann, Keitaro Morita

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Introduction To New Work In Ecocriticism, Simon C. Estok, Murali Sivaramakrishnan

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Rediscovering Local Environmentalism In Taiwan, Peter I-Min Huang

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Rediscovering Local Environmentalism in Taiwan" Peter I-min Huang challenges the domination of "the global" and the marginalization of "the local." Huang argues that by the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century globalism seemed to have toppled localism in ecocriticism debates. Ecocritics embraced enthusiastically such concepts as Ursula K. Heise's "eco-cosmopolitanism" and the arguments associated with it that spoke for global forms of environmental thinking and practice. Yet, arguments for "the local" persist in part because of Heise's constructive criticisms of it. Focusing on local environmental movements in Taiwan, Huang identifies and discusses scholarly work …

Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge Development And Belief Change Within A Technology-Enhanced Mathematics Course, Vecihi Zambak

All Dissertations

With the adoption of Common Core State Standards, mathematics teachers have been expected to emphasize conceptual understanding as much as procedural and computational fluency in their teaching. Development of a sound mathematical content knowledge during their teacher education could enable mathematics teachers to meet this expectation. The infusion of technology into the domain of mathematics education has also modified the nature of mathematical content knowledge. Regarding the expectations and changes in the nature of mathematical content knowledge, in this dissertation, I examined the influence of Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) on pre-service middle grade mathematics teachers' Specialized Content Knowledge (SCK); how their …

Gps-Miv: The General Purpose System For Multi-Display Interactive Visualization, Irving A. Gonzalez Garza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The new age of information has created opportunities for inventions like the internet. These inventions allow us access to tremendous quantities of data. But, with the increase in information there is need to make sense of such vast quantities of information by manipulating that information to reveal hidden patterns to aid in making sense of it. Data visualization systems provide the tools to reveal patterns and filter information, aiding the processes of insight and decision making. The purpose of this thesis is to develop and test a data visualization system, The General Purpose System for Multi-display Interactive Visualization (GPS-MIV). GPS-MIV …

Study Of Creative Processes That Lead To Successful Visually Narrative Art Products, Denissa U. Kiehl

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The success of an artist’s work depends upon a few key factors. No matter which field of study you pursue as an individual it is important to examine and understand previously collected knowledge and works developed within that field. Once an artist has learned from the successful “Old” methods and examples of artworks he or she may then combine the “Old” with some of his or her “New” methods and ideas. When it comes to visual narrative art there is a large variety of visual art and other creations to learn from. Factors related to decision making will change with …

Simulated Microgravity Induces Epigenetic Changes, Nkem Osarume Azu B.S

Theses (Pre-2016)

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism involved in gene expression regulation. Astronauts are constantly being exposed to different stress factors, which include radiation, microgravity and confinement. These environmental stressors are understood to increase bone loss, decrease muscle mass and reduce immune function. Our objective is to investigate the hypothesis that modeled microgravity induces gene expression through epigenetic changes. Abnormal epigenetic events have been reported in human diseases like cancers and immunological disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether modeled microgravity induces these epigenetic changes by examining the expression of the proteins known to regulate gene expression specifically …

Television Program Preferences Among Nigerian Residents In Houston Texas., Akeem Abimbola

Theses (Pre-2016)

The primary purpose of this study was three fold: to examine television program preferences of Nigerians living in Houston, Texas; to examine their perceptions towards the violence and sex appearing in American TV programs; and also to determine whether there are cultural differences impacting these Nigerians attitudes towards such programs. A total of 200 Nigerians adults living in Houston, Texas, participated in this survey using the convenience sampling technique. Roughly 56 percent of the participants were . females and 44 percent were males. Nearly half of the participants were lbo, 49 percent were Yoruba, and the rest were Hausa. The …

Stereological Studies Of The Effects Of Sodium Benzoate Or Ascorbic Acid On Rats’ Cerebellum, Ali Noorafshan, Mahboobeh Erfanizadeh, Saied Karbalay-Doust

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the cerebellar structure in sodium benzoate (NaB) or ascorbic acid (AA) treated rats. METHODS: This experimental study was conducted between May and September 2013 in the Laboratory Animal Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. The rats received distilled either water, NaB (200mg/kg/day), AA (100mg/kg/day), or NaB+AA. The hemispheres were removed after 28 days and underwent quantitative study. RESULTS: The total volume of the cerebellar hemisphere, its cortex, intracerebellar nuclei; the total number of the Purkinje, Bergman, granule, neurons, and glial cells of the molecular layer; and neurons and glial cells of the intracerebellar nuclei …

Determination Of Copper Species In Atmospheric Waters, Joe Palmer

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The total copper concentration was determined in rainwater and roof runoff collected in Plymouth, UK between Sept-Oct 2013. The concentration was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and found to be 2.19 ± 0.456 and 3.18 ± 0.506 μg L-1 for rainwater and roof runoff, respectively. These were found to coincide with other published rainwater Cu concentrations. The method itself showed poor accuracy, with a 77.6% recovery for Cu. A method for the determination of Cu(I) by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry using bathocuproine was also evaluated. A series of Cu(I)Br calibration standards between concentrations of 0.05 and 0.5 mM were used …

"You Are What You Eat": How Diet Can Influence The Gut Microbiota Of Marine Invertebrates, Malin Tietjen

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Microorganisms are omnipresent in every ecosystem on earth and the majority of identified species belong to the domains Bacteria and Archaea of which bacteria are considered to represent the greatest diversity (Staley et al., 2007). Microbes are organised in complex and diverse communities depending on the environmental conditions, and they commonly live closely associated with eukaryotic hosts. The body surfaces of nearly all higher organisms are populated by diverse microbial communities and this microbiota is understood to have large impacts on the hosts’ biology (Ley et al., 2008). The greater part of the microbiota consists of microorganisms that are beneficial …

Opinion: Overfishing And The Replacement Of Demersal Finfish By Shellfish: An Example From The English Channel, Carlotta Molfese, Doug Beare, Jason M. Hall-Spencer

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The worldwide depletion and collapse of major fish stocks through intensive industrial fishing has raised many concerns about the sustainability of current fishing practices and the effectiveness of existing management measures (Christensen et al., 2003; Baum and Worm, 2009; O’Leary et al., 2011). Long-term data series such as fishery statistics have been analysed extensively in recent decades to assess changes in fish populations and ecological communities (Pauly et al., 2001; Pinnegar et al. 2002; Pauly and Chuenpagdee, 2003). Since Pauly et al.’s (1998) pioneering work, the phenomenon of “Fishing Down Marine Food Webs” has been investigated worldwide. The trend for …

Acclimatization Of Anemonia Viridis (Forskäl 1775) By Thermal Preconditioning: Potential Role Of Catalase, Sanket Chiplunkar

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The phenomenon of cnidarian bleaching has attracted much attention in the literature, as the frequency of coral bleaching events and mass mortality have increased over the last few decades, driving the degradation of coral reefs and loss of coral cover worldwide. This has also led to increased interest in exploring the underlying physiological and biochemical mechanisms of acclimatization of reef building corals and other symbiotic cnidarians to thermal stress. Thermal history and/or previous exposure to thermal stress have been linked with the thermal acclimatization of scleractinian corals in many studies. In this study, it was demonstrated that short term thermal …

Mystical Experience As Predictor Of Domains Of Religious And Spiritual Self Identification: Empirical And Theoretical Considerations, Sara E. Hall-Mckane

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The concept of spirituality has emerged as a major focal point in both the theoretical and empirical study of religion. Whether the emergence of spirituality is a dimension of religion or a separate and distinct construct has been the subject of much debate among scholars. The philosophical arguments proposed on either side have underscored the need for further research into just what spirituality is and is not. An ongoing transition from a more religious to a more spiritual self identification is evident at least in the United States (Roof & Greer, 1993, 1999; Pargament, 1999). Using the data collected from …

Kin And Social Network Structure In Two Populations Of Octodon Degus, Garrett Davis

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A growing body of evidence showing that individuals of some species live in non-kin groups suggests kin selection is not required in all species for sociality to evolve. Here I investigate two populations of Octodon degus, a South American rodent which has been shown to form kin and non-kin groups. I quantified genetic relatedness within social groups in two populations as well as social network parameters (association, strength, and clustering coefficient) in order to determine if these aspects of sociality were driven by kinship. I analyzed social network parameters relative to ecological conditions at burrow systems used by individuals to …

Numerical Simulation Of Human Breathing And Particle Transport Through A Ct-Based Pulmonary Airway Geometry, Richard R. Gruetzemacher Iii

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Chronic respiratory illness afflicts more than a billion people worldwide. In recent years computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been established as a paramount tool for studying treatments of respiratory illnesses. This work investigates physiologically appropriate, lobar-specific boundary conditions for numerical simulation of steady and unsteady flow through a computed tomography (CT) based pulmonary airway geometry. Particle transport is modeled in steady and unsteady flow. Analysis is conducted on flow phenomena and particle transport in both steady and inspiratory flow.

Brawn: The First Four Chapters, Brian Beise

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The question of genre may be unimportant when writing or reading fiction, but the marketplace continues to draw those dividing lines. Moreover, there are tropes and techniques to be learned from each discrete genre of fiction. The creative portion of this thesis consists of the first four chapters of Brian Beise’s novel, Brawn. The introductory essay discusses the divisions of literary and genre fiction, and describes how borrowing elements from various genres informed the writing of Brawn.

Right To The Tent City: The Struggle Over Urban Space In Fresno, California, Jessie Speer

Theses - ALL

Through interviews, archival research, and fieldwork conducted in Fresno, California, this research explores how and why officials spatially control homeless communities, and how homeless people have resisted these controls. Drawing from the theories of Henri Lefebvre, I argue that encampments in Fresno enabled homeless people to assert their right to the city, and challenged the production of urban capitalist space by defying the norms of profit, surveillance, and homogeneity. Part One of the thesis focuses on the relationship between city's effort to destroy the encampments and its need to attract investment; Part Two focuses on the assignment of homeless individuals …

British Brass Band Contest Pieces: A Study In Transcriptions For The American Wind Band Repertoire, Jonathan James Helmick

Dissertations

This study tests the underlying beliefs and values motivating research and repertoire development as related to the American wind band. It seeks to examine the belief that a sizeable body of quality, original repertoire is the barometer for measuring the success of the American wind band movement. Preliminary research finds an overwhelming emphasis placed on quality original repertoire as the measure of validation for the American wind band. An absence of research on transcriptions and their relationship to the American wind band is evidenced. The utility of the study is related to the value judgment surrounding the musical integrity of …

The Effects Of Language Complexity On Natural And Emotion Concept Formation In Early Language Learners, Stephanie Eileen Jett

Dissertations

The present study investigated the role of language complexity in natural and emotion concept formation ability in young children (two- to five-year-olds). Language complexity was measured by selections from the Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Childhood Development II, and concept formation was assessed at three levels of abstraction. The natural concepts were presented as two alternative discriminations on a touch-screen computer, as follows: subordinate level (lions versus tigers), basic level (cats versus dogs), and superordinate level (animals versus nonanimals). The following emotion categories were discriminated: subordinate level (anger versus sadness), basic level (positive [happiness and positive surprise] versus negative [anger …