Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions Of Asian American Representation In Entertainment Media, Lydia Susan Owens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The rise of Asian American representation in entertainment media has brought new questions to the current perceptions of Asian Americans in American culture. Where whitewashing of roles or stereotypes of the Model Minority were once portrayed frequently in the past, there are now more diverse stories being shown. When representational images are being shown in entertainment media, there is need for a media literacy lens to critically analyze these images. With this rise in Asian American representation, what are current perceptions of Asian Americans in American culture and American entertainment media? What are current levels of media literacy? This study …

“I Don't Really Look Very Asian”: Transracially And Transnationally Adopted Asian Youth In Rural Appalachia, Sandra L. Rodeheaver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Transracially adopted Asian children in rural Appalachia find themselves adopted into places where there is little or no racial and ethnic diversity. In this context, it may be difficult to transgress the model minority stereotype and systemic racism in schools and the community. There are particular issues and concerns related to racial identity for TRAAs that may make the task of becoming fully integrated members of the community challenging. Building on the literature on transracial and transnational adoption, this study aims to better understand the lives and perspectives of two transracially adopted Asian (TRAA) girls living in rural Appalachia and …

The Hunt With John Walsh: True Crime Storytelling, Amanda R. Keeler

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

In her analysis of The Hunt with John Walsh, Amanda Keeler explores the public service function of true crime television programs that feature unsolved or unresolved cases. Trough an investigation of visual style and narrative elements, Keeler examines the multiple intentions of television programs that seek to entertain audiences and simultaneously help solve crimes.

Nitrogen Fertilization Decouples Roots And Microbes In Temperate Forests: Impacts On Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling, Joseph E. Carrara

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since the start of the industrial revolution the burning of fossil fuels has resulted in enhanced nitrogen (N) inputs into temperate forests through atmospheric deposition. As N is the limiting nutrient for tree growth across most forests, these inputs have generally enhanced above-ground biomass accumulation. However, the impacts of added N on soil carbon storage (C) are less straightforward. While the mean N response across studies is an enhancement of soil C, these results are variable with some studies reporting net C losses. The classic paradigm posits that N enhances soil C through negative effects on fungal decomposers. However, some …

Representations Of Africa In Us Media: A Semiotic Analysis Of Ebola: The Doctor’S Story And Body Team 12, Olubusola Akinpelu

Masters Theses

The Western media has often been criticized for biased coverage of happenings in and around Africa. The 2014 Ebola outbreak created a lot of media attention for West Africa, and by extension, the entire continent. This study examined to what extent postcolonial discourses were infused in two films from the HBO Trilogy: Ebola: The Doctor’s Story (2015) and Body Team 12 (2015). To analyze these texts, I took a semiotic approach by identifying, describing and interpreting the signs in both films, to discuss the postcolonial discourses in three broad themes. Ebola: The Doctor’s Story (2015) was analyzed in the …

Adjustment To Life In America: Black African Graduate Level Students, Denver Daniels

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to examine what challenges Black African graduate students face when adjusting to life in the United States. A secondary concern was to examine what coping strategies were used during the transition. A qualitative approach was used to interview the participants and through coding, develop themes related to their time as graduate students.

This study concluded that there were a number of issues that Black African graduate students face. The students reported that they experienced homesickness, culture shock, and discrimination during their time at school. Specific themes also emerged as to how they coped with …

Comics-Based Literary Trails: The Case Of Tintin And The Saint-Nazaire Landmarks, Simon Bréus

Plymouth Business School Theses

This thesis aims to assess whether Hall et al.’s Circuit of Culture theory and pattern are applicable to a cultural object such as a literary trail based on a comic book. The case under study is a literary trail inspired by the comic book character of Tintin in the city of Saint-Nazaire, France. It uses the prescribed holistic approach while relying on interviews and hard data collected from local sources to the trail as material for analysis. Two main interviews were conducted with the founder of the trail and president of the association Les 7 Soleils, which helped provide an …

Nanofiber Scaffolds As 3d Culture Platforms, Stephanie Bule

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Cell culture has become the basis for understanding the fundamental mechanisms of cell, tissue and organ function. Although major advancements in uncovering the underlying processes and mechanisms of normal and diseased cell biology have been made by using two-dimensional (2D) cell culture, there is a recent shift in moving towards three-dimensional (3D) culture platforms. The motivation is to better recapitulate the microenvironment of cells in vivo to obtain results that are more indicative to actual cellular processes. In this study, electrospun nano-fibrous scaffolds made of polycaprolactone were used as a 3D culture tool to investigate difference in cell behavior and …

Relationship Between Parental Involvement And 4th-5th Grade Students’ Academic Motivation, Charla Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The achievement gap between African American and White students has been well documented. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether parental involvement in academics predicted academic motivation of fourth- and fifth-grade African American students in the Southwest United States. Social development theory provided the framework for the study. Survey data were collected from 43 students and 43 parents using the Parental Involvement Scale and the Children’s Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. A t test, linear regression, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. Findings indicated no significant difference between how parents and students perceived parental involvement …

Comparison Of Work-Related Values And Leadership Preferences Of Mexican Immigrants And Caucasians, Alonso Raul Duarte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globalization has made it easier for people to migrate, thus increasing diversity within organizations. One problem with this migration is that 1st and 2nd generation immigrants may prefer different leadership styles than those of the mainstream culture. The purpose of this survey-based quantitative comparative study was to investigate the effects of acculturation on the work-related cultural values and leadership style preferences of Mexican immigrants living in the United States. The research question that guided this study focused on the differences in work-related cultural values and preferred leadership styles between 2 generations of Mexican immigrants, Mexicans, and U.S.-born Caucasians. Two hundred …

Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies That Engage Employees And Increase Productivity., Alvin Sidney Moton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractLow employee engagement can negatively impact productivity for small fast-food restaurants in the United States. Small fast-food restaurant managers who do not engage employees experience decreased employee productivity. Grounded in Hofstede's cross-cultural dimensions theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies managers of small fast-food restaurants managers use to improve employee engagement. Participants were four small fast-food restaurants manager within the southern region of the United States who used cross-cultural strategies to successfully engage employees. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and internal company documents and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: (a) …

Methods Of A Narrative Inquirist: Storying The Endured Teacher Identity, Taylor A. Norman

Middle Grades & Secondary Education: Faculty Publications

While I was a young English language arts teacher, my teacher identity matured in a nurturing environment cultivated by my veteran colleagues. Finding that this is not the common narrative told by beginning teachers (Alsup, 2019, 2006; Danielewicz, 2001), I wondered what impact sharing the stories of my veteran colleagues could have on young teachers. The purpose of this paper is to explain why narrative inquiry fit the parameters of this particular inquiry, what methods were utilized and how the project was constructed. Like Spector-Mersel (2011), I intend to describe my use of narrative inquiry to expand its conceptual and …

Earth Mothers, Soy Boys, And Cool Dudes: Practicing Law While Protecting The Environment, Elizabeth J. Hubertz

Scholarship@WashULaw

As a public-interest environmental lawyer, this author explores gender in the legal profession. Specifically, gender in environmental law. Through a recognition of the gendered dimensions of environmental law, this Article explores the nature-culture binary, the relationship of meat to masculinity, and perceptions of the risks and threats of climate change.

Occurrence Of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes On Enset (Ensete Ventricosum) In Ethiopia With Focus On Pratylenchus Goodeyi As A Key Species Of The Crop, Selamawit A. Kidane, Beira H. Meressa, Solveig Haukeland, Trine Hvoslef-Eide, Christer Magnusson, Marjolein Couvreur, Wim Bert, Danny L. Coyne

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Summary - Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is an important starch staple crop, cultivated primarily in south and southwestern Ethiopia. Enset is the main crop of a sustainable indigenous African system that ensures food security in a country that is food deficient. Related to the banana family, enset is similarly affected by plant-parasitic nematodes. Plant-parasitic nematodes impose a huge constraint on agriculture. The distribution, population density and incidence of plant-parasitic nematodes of enset was determined during August 2018. A total of 308 fields were sampled from major enset-growing zones of Ethiopia. Eleven plant-parasitic nematode taxa were identified, with Pratylenchus (lesion nematode) being …

Mineral Fertilizer Use In Land-Scarce Conditions: Case Of Rwanda, Josaphat Rusisiro Mugabo, Eric Tollens, Jonas Nwankwo Chianu, Bernard Vanlauwe

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This study was undertaken to investigate the use of mineral fertilizer by smallholder farmers in order to understand the set of factors influencing the decisions of smallholder farmers to use fertilizers in land-scarce conditions. Using descriptive analysis and the Cragg's double-hurdle model, the study identified and analyzed factors that determine smallholder farmer adoption of mineral fertilizers and those that affect the intensity of household mineral fertilizer use. From factors that only influence the decision of smallholder farmers to use mineral fertilizers, distance to fertilizer market and livestock affects it negatively; while farmer association membership, landholding per capita, access to extension …

The Transnational Construction Of National Music (Kugak): Musicking In The Korean Diaspora, 1903-1945, Heeyoung Choi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the preservation and adaptation of Korean-ness through musical performances in the Korean peninsula and in Hawai‘i during the early twentieth century, when Korea was a Japanese colony. Hawai‘i deserves special attention because the first and largest Korean diasporic communities in America were established in Hawai‘i during this period. More importantly, cultural environments in early twentieth-century Hawai‘i and Korea were similar in that both featured diverse music cultures of different ethnic origins and new cultural infrastructures under the influence of imperialism. This study investigates the reactions of existing Korean performing arts to the influx of foreign culture affecting …

Harsh Parenting And Familism: Examining The Influence Of Cultural Schemata On Parental Reactions To Child Transgressions, America Lizbeth Davila

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Milner’s (1993, 2000) Social Information Processing (SIP) model of child physical abuse proposes that pre-existing schemata (e.g., belief structures, scripts) influence how parents process information during parent-child interactions, which in turn influences parental responses (e.g., corporal punishment). The purpose of the present study was to examine attitudinal familism (beliefs about unity and commitment/duty towards family) as a pre-existing schema that influences parents’ interpretations, attributions, affective, and behavioral responses to child transgressions. Parents (N = 106) were asked to read vignettes describing child transgressions and report their anticipated cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses. In addition, parents reported on their perceived social …

“The Cause, It Just Comes First”: Tori Amos And Third-Wave Feminism, Amanda S. Roberts

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is a textual analysis of Tori Amos as a feminist artist. Because Amos has had a successful and enduring career, she presents a unique opportunity to explore the ways third-wave feminism has influenced popular culture and vice-versa. This dissertation utilizes both a feminist and cultural studies lens to understand Amos, her work, and her fan community as texts. Through a chronological study of Amos’s catalog, I will demonstrate how Amos’s works have adapted to the demands and interests of third-wave feminism, moving from emotional non-narrative, to active political engagement with some mis-steps, and finally to an understanding of …

Terministic Screening And Conspiracy Theory In Political Communication: A Critical Analysis Of Trump’S Rhetorical Ties To Fair And Alex Jones Through “Invasion” Immigration Discourse, Emily A. Wiedeman

Masters Theses

This study focuses on the political and social communicative implications that result from mirrored anti-LatinX immigration discourses from three different political entities: President Donald Trump, special-interest hate group the Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR), and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Through a critical communication lens, the author presents and discusses the influence of presidential communication, and its ability to contribute to and bolster xenophobic political undertones, creating a communicative environment that functions to empower and embolden proponents of racially based discrimination. Further, this study discusses the power presidential communication has to legitimize, normalize, and amplify the racist and xenophobic anti-LatinX discourses …

Effects Of Exposure To World Folk Music On Preference For Unfamiliar Music In Elementary General Music, Jessica Doty

Masters Theses

The purpose of this action research study was to discover whether students' experience with folk music from other countries influenced their preference for other unfamiliar music genres. Third grade students were assigned to one of two groups. Students in Group A participated in four weeks of lessons centering on folk music from Ghana, Japan, Israel, and Mexico. Students in Group B participated in four weeks of lessons centering solely on American folk music. Students in both groups answered questions on a listening survey which gauged their preference for unfamiliar pieces of music. The listening survey was given to students before …

Russ391: Russian Culture And Civilization Through Film - A Peer Review Of Teaching Portfolio, Olha Tytarenko

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The Benchmark Portfolio traces the process of revamping my survey course RUSS391 “Russian Culture and Civilization Through Film” taught for the second time in Spring 2020. In addition to The primary goal of the course was to acquaint students with major developments in the cultural and political life of twentieth and twenty-first-century Russia examined through the prism of cinema. In addition to main course objectives, my teaching goal was to engage students in the subject, incite their intellectual curiosity, and create a productive learning experience conducive to the development of critical thinking. In this course portfolio, I discuss my teaching …

An Exploration Of Indigenous Spiritual Microaggressions, Cerynn Dawn Desjarlais

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive exploratory research is amongst the first to investigate Spiritual Microaggressions experienced by Indigenous Peoples across North America. Microaggressions can further be conceptualized and categorized as microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations. Participants who self-identify as Indigenous individuals ages 18 and over, from North America, who work in or are educated in the mental health field engaged in 60-90-minute interviews to explore the spiritual microaggressions incurred upon them. A total of 8 participants who identify as mental health professionals and graduate students in the mental health field were interviewed as an intensity sample. Participants discussed the implications of Indigenous Spiritual Microaggressions …

Introduction Project 400: Our Lived Experience, Ronnie A. Dunn

Cultural Encounters, Conflicts, and Resolutions

No abstract provided.

Hydrogen Peroxide Mediates Artemisinin-Derived C-16 Carba-Dimer-Induced Toxicity Of Human Cancer Cells, Amanda Kalen, Brett Wagner, Ehab Sarsour, Maneesh G. Kumar, Jessica L. Reedy, Garry R. Buettner, Nabin C. Barua, Prabhat Goswami

Faculty and Staff Publications

This study used a nitroaliphatic chemistry approach to synthesize a novel artemisinin-derived carba-dimer (AG-1) and determined its anti-proliferative effects in human normal and cancer cells. AG-1 treatments selectively inhibit proliferation of cancer cells compared to normal human fibroblasts. Compared to artemisinin, AG-1 is more toxic to human breast, prostate, head-neck, pancreas and skin cancer cells; 50% inhibition (IC50) 123 µM in AG-1 vs. 290 µM in artemisinin-treated breast cancer cells. AG-1 treatment decreased (~ 5 folds) cyclin D1 protein expression that correlated with an increase in the percentage of cells in the G1-phase, suggesting a G1 delay. AG-1-induced toxicity was …

Professionalizing Emergency Medical Services (Ems): Still At The Crossroads, B. Jeanine Newton-Riner

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this work, I examine the failure of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to professionalize over the course of its existence as an occupation. I consider how popular culture has contributed to a conflicted identity between what the public sees and how EMS providers view themselves. I believe that EMS has been restrained from professionalization due to oppression by physicians in a manner consistent with how two other allied health professions, pharmacy, and physical therapy, once were. I explore the professionalization of these two occupations to identify similarities and differences that may provide insight into next steps needed by EMS providers …

Abnormalities In The Akt-Mtor Signaling Pathway In The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex In Schizophrenia, Radhika Chadha

All ETDs from UAB

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a complex and heterogeneous mental illness in which myriad changes across multiple neurotransmitter systems (dopamine, serotonin, GABA, glutamate, and others) have been reported. Numerous regulatory mechanisms have been explored in SZ research and rather than being a disorder of one specific neurotransmitter pathway, SZ may instead be a disturbance of intracellular signaling processes that underlie the regulation of these systems. The AKT-mTOR signaling cascade plays an important role in core cellular processes of cell growth, metabolism and survival and is one such potential candidate. Abnormalities in AKT expression and activity have been consistently implicated in SZ pathophysiology …

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of The Cognitive And Mental Health Repercussions Of Childhood Adversity In Adulthood, Sara Grace Comella

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The majority of individuals in the United States experience at least one type of traumatic during childhood (“Understanding Child Trauma”, 2017). Individuals with childhood adversity have an increased incidence of depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse during adulthood (Rehan et al., 2017). However, the consequences of early adversity are not limited to mental health and extend to areas of cognitive functioning (e.g., working memory). The present research study addresses the long-term consequences of childhood adversity on psychological and cognitive functioning. Data collection took place online from February 2019 - April 2019 in Iceland and the United States. The survey assessed outcomes …

Economic Sanctions & Political Unrest: Cuba And Iran, Bailey Nicole Sellers

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study observes the relationship between economic sanctions and civil unrest. Through a comparative lens, this paper assesses two case studies: Iran and Cuba and attempts to explain why Iran experiences high frequencies of protests in comparison to Cuba.

Webometric Analysis Of Icssr Sponsored Research Institutions In India, Ashok Pal Dr., Sanjoy Kar, Sovan Sardar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the websites of social science research institutions in India; especially Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) sponsored institutions and ranked them accordingly. Using various online SEO tools websites of these institutes have been analysed. Gujarat Institute of Development Research holds the numero uno status on the basis of Simple Web Impact Factor (0.6736) and Internal-link Web Impact Factor (0.6551). Institute for Studies in Industrial Development holds the rank one position on the basis of External-link Web Impact Factor of 0.0404. Centre for Policy Research with 53 Domain Authority score and …

Universal Norm Psychology Leads To Societal Diversity In Prosocial Behaviour And Development, Bailey R. House, Patricia Kanngiesser, H. Clark Barrett, Tanya Broesch, Senay Cebioglu, Alyssa N. Crittenden, Alejandro Erut, Sheina Lew-Levy, Carla Sebastian-Enesco, Andrew Marcus Smith, Süheyla Yilmaz, Joan B. Silk

School of Psychology

Recent studies have proposed that social norms play a key role in motivating human cooperation and in explaining the unique scale and cultural diversity of our prosociality. However, there have been few studies that directly link social norms to the form, development and variation in prosocial behaviour across societies. In a cross-cultural study of eight diverse societies, we provide evidence that (1) the prosocial behaviour of adults is predicted by what other members of their society judge to be the correct social norm, (2) the responsiveness of children to novel social norms develops similarly across societies and (3) societally variable …