Digital Commons Network^™

Whitewashing V. Blackwashing: Structural Racism And Anti-Racist Praxis In Hollywood Cinema, Alyssa M. Smith

Senior Independent Study Theses

When a discussion about whitewashing arises, there are often claims that “blackwashing,” the practice of replacing a traditionally White character or role with a Black actor, is the same issue. Much is known about whitewashing and how damaging it is to represent People of Color in film with White actors, however, blackwashing is a recent term to describe what is more often called “colorblind casting.” This study aims to dissect how whitewashing and blackwashing differ, as well as discuss how blackwashing succumbs to the racist history of the Hollywood film industry despite its attempt at leading a brighter future for …

Now You See Me — Now You Don’T: An Investigation Of Hair Alterations Effects On Face Identification In Own- And Other-Race Faces, Maresa A. Tate

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

Two Sides Of The Same Coin: Vergil And Ovid's Clashing Portrayals Of Individual And Group Identity, Dante G. King

Senior Independent Study Theses

This independent study examines Vergil’s Aeneid and Ovid’s Heroides and Metamorphoses with regard to Aeneas and Turnus as analogues for Roman citizens and Italic provincials respectively. As this project is primarily concerned with textual investigation, philological analysis of Vergil and Ovid’s texts takes center stage and is supplemented by contemporary material evidence and secondary scholarship in foundation narratology, identity, and political theory. So, whereas Vergil characterizes Aeneas as a dominant hero destined to found a new home for his people, the proto-Roman Trojans, and Turnus as a rebellious but ultimately ineffectual Italic monarch, Ovid presents the former as a detestable …

The Application Of Machine Learning In Analyzing Organic Compounds From Nmr Spectral Data, Nicole Maia Powell

Senior Independent Study Theses

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is used in organic chemistry to identify unknown organic compounds. The data obtained from an NMR spectrometer are typically shown in the form of a spectrum, which is then analyzed by an analytical chemist. The action of analyzing a spectrum, especially one of a large and complex molecule, is a long and tedious process. In this project, Python is used to implement hierarchical clustering on NMR data obtained from an NMR spectrometer at the College of Wooster to explore its application in NMR analysis. MATLAB is used to build a decision tree from the same data, …

Helen Of Troy? A Reexamination Of Helen's Speech In The Iliad, Erin A. Robichaud

Senior Independent Study Theses

In most interpretations, Helen of Troy’s beauty makes her a vain, promiscuous, and dangerous woman. This is the Helen that patriarchal societies have written into existence and passed on to later generations, but it is not the Helen that appears in the Iliad. This thesis argues that Helen’s voice makes her a perceptive and powerful strategist. On different occasions, Helen adopts the speech patterns of various social groups represented in Homeric society in order to assume their identity. She builds a Trojan and a Greek persona as a means to protect herself from the trauma she experiences during the …

La Isla Silenciada: A Study On Puerto Rican Attitudes Towards The U.S. Federal Government’S Response To Hurricane Maria And Its Impact On Puerto Rico’S Status, Lizbeth Acevedo

Senior Independent Study Theses

Puerto Rico’s ongoing economic crisis and the inadequate emergency response to the devastation of Hurricane Maria are deeply tied to the island’s neo-colonial political arrangement with the United States. The two-principle alternative political arrangements—statehood and independence—are the subject of vigorous ongoing debate both on the U.S. mainland and the island. However, the results of periodic plebiscites on the island are often poor indicators of the island residents’ true preferences on the matter because they are often subject to politicization and abstention campaigns. Therefore, I use a survey with a representative sample of island residents conducted in the aftermath of Hurricane …

The Ghosts Of Grief: An Exploration Of Gothic Influence In 2010s Horror Cinema, Halen Gifford

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this project is to examine gothic influences in contemporary horror cinema of the 2010s. To fulfill this purpose, the study employs comparative film analysis methods to analyze The Babadook (2014), The Invitation (2015), and Crimson Peak (2015) in order to identify intertextual gothic references in the cinematography, mise en scène, and narratives of the films. Specifically, this project examines the haunted house trope in the horror genre as characterized by the presence of ghosts and the personification of the setting. Through this analysis, four common themes emerged: “Houses with Personality,” “Tragic Losses,” “Memories and Ghosts,” and “Isolation.” …

Political Identity Rules: Support Of Renewable Energy Jobs And Attitudes On Soil Conservation In Northeastern Ohio, Leah H. Jorn

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study was to look at the support of a proposed Act and renewable energy jobs as it paired with endorsement from elite Republicans. This was tested across political groups but mainly focuses on Republican responses. The hypothesis was that with elite endorsement Republican approval will increase for both the Act and renewable energy jobs. This study also focuses on attitudes of local farmers in Northeastern Ohio on soil conservation and how Republican values and identity politics affect this. This was studied through both a survey of approximately 450 people and through archival work. The results indicate …

"The Refugees Are Better Off Than We Are": Evaluating The Impact Of Syrian Refugees On Jordanian Labor Markets, Maggie Dougherty

Senior Independent Study Theses

This thesis analyses the labor market impacts associated with hosting Syrian refugees in Jordan through the Syrian conflict. We provide a critical analysis of the sentiment that ‘the refugees are better off than we are.’ This sentiment derives from the perception that the poor economic conditions are the fault of refugees, because they take jobs from native citizens, or because of the international humanitarian aid that refugees receive. We suggest that this perception is a ‘false narrative’ which does not accurately describe the many causes of economic hardships in Jordan, thereby misplacing blame on refugees. The article analyzes the structural …

“Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves”: Creating A Financial Literacy Workshop For College-Aged Women On The Relationship Among Spending, Saving, And Investing, Lesley Chinery

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study is to create a financial literacy workshop for college-aged women to increase understanding of the relationship among spending, saving, and investing. Utilizing relevant scholarship on gender and economics, the Elaboration Likelihood Model, and interviews with experts in economics and with facilitators of financial literacy workshops, I created a virtual workshop for college-aged women. This research found that successfully enabling both central and peripheral processing routes plays a significant role in attracting potential participants to workshops and in turn, cognitively engages them during workshops. Moreover, planners of workshops need to ensure consistent appealing messaging in communication …

Peace Be With You: An Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Interfaith Versus Single-Faith Peacebuilding Programming At Reducing Violence In Religious Conflict, Sydney Maureen Hanes

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study seeks to analyze the effectiveness of interfaith versus single-faith peacebuilding programming at reducing levels of violence in instances of violent religious conflict. After reviewing the literature, I used contact theory and constructivism to form my hypothesis that interfaith programming is more effective compared to single-faith programming at reducing violence. Using a mixed-methods approach, I conducted a most similar systems case study design to analyze the effectiveness of different forms of faith-based programming within the conflict in Northern Ireland. I also analyzed geographical data to test for relationships between the types of programming and conflict violence. Although there was …

Corporate Pressure Makes Regime Diamonds: An Analysis Of The Impact Of Multinational Corporations On International Environmental Regime Effectiveness, Katie Harvey

Senior Independent Study Theses

Despite the tendency for multinational corporations to overexploit natural resources and pollute the Earth, the immense power of capital in a globalizing world has presented a unique opportunity for corporations to become drivers for positive global environmental change. To make sense of this puzzle, this study asks how does an international environmental regime’s relationship to the economic marketplace impact its institutional and ecological effectiveness? Through a small-n case study, this project analyzes the historical context, market interactions, and regime outcomes of four distinct instances of global environmental governance: the stratospheric ozone regime, the climate change regime, the global oceanic regime, …

A Case Of Mistaken (Ethnic) Identity: Rethinking Civil War Duration, Ethnic Saliency, Terrorism, And The Real Factors Discouraging Resolution, Angie Bittar

Senior Independent Study Theses

The field of political violence has consistently emphasized understanding the way that civil wars end, with less emphasis placed on the circumstances which elicit extended civil war duration. This analysis shifts the focus of study on to the internal factors of civil war, following the question: What are the domestic factors of civil war that cause some wars to be more durable and resistant to resolution than others? Building off of several prominent theories within the field of political violence and the anthropological study of ethnic saliency, I hypothesize that civil wars that are characterized as identity based will be …

Visit Which Scotland? Political Events Illuminating Two Competing Visions Of Re-Emerging Scottish Identity Since The Late Twentieth-Century, Erin W. Delaney

Senior Independent Study Theses

Since the late twentieth century, Scotland has undergone a series of political changes. I argue that a consequence of these changes has been increased support for a separate national Scottish identity. By analyzing competing visions of this identity through the tourism industry and Gaelic revival, this IS shows the complexities of this move towards nationalism. While many scholars have analyzed the re-emergence of Scottish identity since 1707, the relationship between Gaelic revival efforts and the tourism industry have not been connected to show the complexities of this re-emerging Scottish identity. This IS draws on a vast array of interdisciplinary sources …

The Effects Of Media Coverage On Public Opinion: A Comparative Case Study Of Clinton And Trump's Impeachments By The House, Alexa N. Mellis

Senior Independent Study Theses

Impeachment is a rather rare phenomenon, and thus is widely understudied. Specifically, there is a lack of research regarding the ability of the news media to affect public opinion toward impeachment. However, there is reason to believe the media plays a significant role in shaping attitudes on impeachment: the media greatly influences the general public and because elected officials are focused on re-election, they are inclined to listen to the general public’s views regarding salient issues such as impeachment. This independent study aims to holistically understand the implications of the media influencing public opinion with regard to impeachment. I hypothesize …

'It's Time For One Of Us': A Feminist Rhetorical Analysis Of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's First Term In Congress, Sarah Ives Hopkins

Senior Independent Study Theses

Although the U.S. political sphere remains predominantly white and predominantly male, it has grown more diverse with each recent election cycle. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been one of those new voices in Congress, advocating for progressive policies such as the Green New Deal, the abolition of ICE, and universal healthcare. This study sought to better understand the rhetorical strategies Ocasio-Cortez utilized throughout her first term in Congress to challenge hegemonies. Through a feminist critique, I contend she utilized variations of reframing, generating new perspectives, enacting, and juxtaposing incongruities to maneuver issues mainly of sexism and classism. These strategies, in turn, …

The Great Outdoors, Indoors: An Evaluation Of Green Spaces And Housing Prices In Pittsburgh, Pa, Will Mccullough

Senior Independent Study Theses

Green spaces, or public parks, playgrounds, and athletic fields, are a community hub. Many studies have highlighted the benefits of green space on surrounding neighborhoods. However, comparatively little research has assessed the relationship between park proximity and housing sales price. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, city officials have shown a renewed interest in increasing park access and quality, although no economic literature has examined role of green space in the housing consumption decision in the city. I develop a theory of green space preference in a consumer maximization framework to hypothesize that home prices will increase with proximity to green space. I …

Breaking News: Sustainable Fashion Is In And Fast Fashion Is Out; Constructions Of Sustainable Consumption In Fast Fashion Advertising, Camryn Eve Rosenstein

Senior Independent Study Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the pivotal role advertising plays in fast fashion consumption and shaping young consumers ideas and values about the fashion industry, fast fashion, sustainable consumption, and sustainability. This study contributes to limited research into greenwashing and consumer perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable consumption. Moreover, this study highlights the increased relevance of the sustainable fashion movement in mainstream society. The researcher recruited 30 college students to participants in focus group sessions and individual interviews. An H&M advertisement and a video clip from a documentary, The True Cost, were shown to participants, so …

Market Structure And Quality Of Service: Investigating Oligopolies And The Quality Of Nursing Home Care In California During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tessa Ireton

Senior Independent Study Theses

Quality-of-service outcomes in nursing homes are of great social and human importance. However, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, consistently maintaining markets with high quality care has been a pervading issue in the American nursing home industry. Furthermore, the industry is strongly characterized by oligopolies, a market structure that literature indicates may be less compatible with quality service than competitive markets. With this paper, I aim to investigate the possible intersection of oligopolist market structures and the quality of nursing home care during the COVID-19 pandemic. I start by describing quality of care in nursing homes, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, …

Mapping Out Learning: How Aerobic Exercise, Sex And Alzheimer's Disease Impact Learning, Grace G. Bouker

Senior Independent Study Theses

Exercise has the power to ameliorate the outward symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) by rescuing hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. The goal of this research was to map out how exercise and sex impact behavioral learning in AD mouse models by looking outside of the traditional measurements in the Morris water maze (MWM), as they fail to describe the process of learning itself. I calculated heading error at maximum velocity, manually categorized search strategy in the MWM across trials, and determined flexibility in the probe trial for transgenic and wild-type mice who were exposed to exercise or control housing. Mice significantly …

Climate Change Impacts Go Beyond The Surface: Groundwater Recharge Rates And Aquifer Resources Across The Contiguous United States, Kendra R. Devereux

Senior Independent Study Theses

Groundwater is a primary source of potable water for millions and a major source for crop irrigation in the United States. Thus, it is vital to understand current and future rates of recharge to predict and manage groundwater availability. In this study, current groundwater recharge rates across the Contiguous US at 800m resolution are estimated by following methods presented by Reitz et al. (2017), and the reproducibility of the methods are assessed. A water budget approach is implemented where quick flow runoff and evapotranspiration rates are subtracted from precipitation rates. Precipitation was found to be the most reproducible water budget …

The Development Of A Procedure For The Pxrf Analysis Of Soil Cation Exchange Capacity In Collaboration With Colorado Farmers, Claire E. Wineman

Senior Independent Study Theses

Discrepancies between farmers’ and scientists’ knowledge systems and experiences have long prevented the success and mutual beneficiality of collaborative research efforts between these two groups. The development of agricultural technologies, such as portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) for the analysis of soil cation exchange capacity in the field, creates a promising overlap point for farmers and scientists to cooperatively study issues within their sociocultural context and with access to institutional resources. In this study, the generation of an in-field PXRF method in collaboration with Colorado farmers helps to provide a prospective model for scientists and farmers looking to use collaborative research …

Is There An Association Between Drug Use And Oral Health Conditions?, Martha Paisi, Robert Witton, Anastasios Plessas

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Analysis Of Conflict In African Immigrant And African American Marriages, Cornelius Ayodeji Osuntade

Dissertations

Problem

There has been a high level of marital conflict in immigrant families from patriarchal cultures. There are negative attitudes toward women that contribute to couple conflict. Coupled with this are issues relating to immigration challenges that confront marriage stability among immigrant couples in North America. In the same vein, African American couples experience conflicts that militate against the stability of their marriages. Most of these marital upheavals stem from historical antecedents relating to this ethnic group, as well as the societal dialectics confronting them. By and large, regarding couple conflict, a better understanding of the challenges facing African immigrant …

Stress Inoculation Training (Sit-Norcal), Part 2: A Pilot Study Among Explosive Ordnance Disposal Special Warfare Enablers, Sarah E Jackson, Matthew R Baity, Patrick R Thomas, Mark Walker, Madeleine Goodkind, Diane Swick, Douglas Barba, Daniel Jacobson, Eric Byrd, A Sarah Ivey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Despite being a well-supported strategy, Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) has not been fully incorporated in the advancement of human performance among most military personnel. The RAND Study recommendations for maximizing SIT's potential within high-risk/ high-intensity occupational groups were used in designing the Core Training protocol targeting psychological performance, SIT-NORCAL (Part 1).

Purpose: The current project (Part 2) sought to further develop the protocol as a health and human performance hybrid through quality improvement analysis of the content, process, and measurement elements for use in the human performance context.

Methods: Evidence-based/evidence-driven methodologies were used in collaborative design tailored to the …

Deep Learning For Automated Analysis Of Cellular And Extracellular Components Of The Foreign Body Response In Multiphoton Microscopy Images, Mattia Sarti, Maria Parlani, Luis Diaz-Gomez, Antonios G Mikos, Pietro Cerveri, Stefano Casarin, Eleonora Dondossola

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Foreign body response (FBR) is a major unresolved challenge that compromises medical implant integration and function by inflammation and fibrotic encapsulation. Mice implanted with polymeric scaffolds coupled to intravital non-linear multiphoton microscopy acquisition enable multiparametric, longitudinal investigation of the FBR evolution and interference strategies. However, follow-up analyses based on visual localization and manual segmentation are extremely time-consuming, subject to human error, and do not allow for automated parameter extraction. We developed an integrated computational pipeline based on an innovative and versatile variant of the U-Net neural network to segment and quantify cellular and extracellular structures of interest, which is …

Recent Advances Of Integrative Bio-Omics Technologies To Improve Type 1 Diabetes (T1d) Care, Nisha Karwal, Megan Rodrigues, David D. Williams, Ryan Mcdonough, Diana Ferro

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a complex autoimmune disease that currently cannot be cured, only managed. Optimal treatment the of T1D symptoms, requires a multidisciplinary care team, including endocrinologists, educators, primary care providers, health care specialists, genetic counselors, and data scientists. This review summarizes how an integrative approach to T1D drives innovation and quality improvements in health care. Specifically, we highlight how “-omics” technologies facilitate the understanding of different aspects of the disease, including prevention, pathogenesis, diagnostics, and treatment. Furthermore, we explore how biological data can be combined with personal and electronic health records to tailor medical interventions to the …

Tribal Opposition To Enbridge Line 5: Rights And Interests, John Minode’E Petoskey

Tribal Law Journal

This paper will examine the tribal interests at stake in the controversy surrounding Enbridge Oil Pipeline 5 (“Line 5”), and will explore why it is consistent with Michigan’s treaty obligations and public trust principles to remove the pipeline from the Straits of Mackinac. The Line runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac, the convergence of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and is nearly 70 years old. Should the pipeline burst, the resulting spill would irreparably harm fisheries in the Straits and impair tribal treaty rights to fish in the Great Lakes. Part I will provide a roadmap overview. Part II will …

Assessing How Understory Plant And Pollinator Interactions Are Affected By Differing Canopy Phenologies, Jack Everatt

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Advancements in springtime phenologies of plants and their pollinators have been widely observed within the northern hemisphere due to climate change. The observed advancements have led to concern over potential mismatching occurring between plant-pollinator interactions. The effect of forest canopies on understory phenological interactions has scarcely been investigated. We studied the effect of differing canopy closure parameters on understory phenological interactions within Plymbridge woods, Devon, UK, over a 6-month study period. The temporal overlap between canopy, understory flower and pollinators were investigated using Pianka overlap indices. Canopy phenology was modelled using NLSTIMEDIST package of R, giving three canopy parameters, canopy …

Why Become A Teacher? Exploring Motivations For Becoming Science And Mathematics Teachers In Australia, Chrystal Whiteford, Nick Kelly, Les Dawes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is an identified shortage of mathematics and science teachers across Australia and many of these teachers leave the profession within 3 to 5 years of graduating. This paper provides important insights on what motivates people to become science and mathematics teachers in Australia. Data drawn from two surveys, one investigating why students might become a teacher and the other examining why teachers joined the profession, are explored to provide unique insight into an area of need. Using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho, results suggest contribution to society and love of subject area to be among the top motivators for …