Digital Commons Network^™

A Digital Surreal, Michael Garel-Martorana

Masters Theses

As architects, much of our work lives within our various computer softwares. Rendering within architectural practice allows us to fabricate highly calculated, realistic representations of our work- a method by which we place ourselves within a space, inhabit it, or make it familiar.

“A Digital Surreal” seeks to explore how rendering can be employed as a space for the production of narratives that instead challenge our perceptions of space. Drawing from artwork from the Surrealist movement, the project considers the characteristics of work by artists including Rene Magritte, Kay Sage, and Conroy Maddox, amongst others, along with contemporary architectural precedents, …

Astoria Houses: A Resilient Community, James Juscik

Masters Theses

As climate change leads to more intense and frequent storms throughout the northeast, architecture needs to adapt to be able to protect life and property. As we can see from Superstorm Sandy, and the more recent Hurricanes Ida, and Henri the current architecture and infrastructure is failing its purpose. Nowhere is this more true than in Astoria Queens.Among the New York City neighborhoods most impacted by climate change, Astoria has received little investment to make it more resilient. The Astoria Houses public housing complex becomes the perfect site to design a new mixed density, resilient neighborhood of the future.

Astoria …

With Water, Kt Mcleod

Masters Theses

Focusing on the coastal areas of Maine and the existing water conditions, this thesis proposes the integration of architecture to engage with and help facilitate a micro-climate while serving the surrounding natural environments.

Reference: A Field Guide For New Practices, Eric Mason

Masters Theses

The following work is an experimentation within architecture to promote a social ideology of reuse, where we must first re-frame and dismantle the traditional perceptions of building materials, in order for the discipline of architecture to utilize the practice of unbuilding.The thesis analyzes the suburban condition and its relationship to big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes. Through a re-imagining of this relationship the question of material longevity centers itself as the main design motive for the project and how a new understanding of this potential can be extruded through community engagement. This new depot which the work understands …

An Atlas Of Speculating Flooded Futures ; Water Keeps Rising, Victoria Barlay

Masters Theses

This thesis is a study of the histories; past, present, and future, concerning scenarios the landscape of Charleston South Carolina might take through the next 200 years. The focus of this visualization is on the sea level rise of the Atlantic ocean and the river deltas that feed into it. Charleston is a city in one of the earliest colonized American cities and thus carries a deep history of prosperity and suffering. A gateway for British colonization in the early colonies, Charleston was also a port for the sale of enslaved peoples. The many generations of people who call this …

The Tails Of Two Avian Schistosomes: Paired Exposure Study Demonstrates Trichobilharzia Stagnicolae Penetrates Human Skin More Readily Than A Novel Avian Schistosome From Planorbella, Nathaniel J. Anderson, Curtis L. Blankespoor, Randall J. Dejong

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

A novel schistosome from Planorbella snails currently known as avian schistosomatid sp. C (ASC) was recently described as being capable of causing the papules associated with swimmer’s itch. We conducted a paired study with 24 human volunteers, exposing each of their forearms to five drops of water containing cercariae of ASC or Trichobilharzia stagnicolae, and examined the skin for papules 1–3 days later. A mixed effects model showed that only the parasite species significantly affected the number of papules, while prior experimental exposure, swimming history, and swimmer’s itch experience did not. The total number of papules produced by the two …

Inequalities In (Trans)National Surrogacy: A Call For Examining Complex Lived Realities With An Empirical Lens, Heather Jacobson, Virginie Roze

SAGE Open Access Agreement Publications-Archive

Income disparity has become a mainstay of the international critique and public discourse on commercial surrogacy. Using existing empirical data, including our two respective field studies in India and the United States, we analyze surrogacy from a gender perspective and show how the visibility of gender disparities in a transnational context encourages assumptions at the local and national context. In doing so, we highlight the narrative of inequality, explore the complexity of surrogacy outside of a one-note narrative, and show how that narrative operates to overshadow the complex, lived experiences of those engaged in surrogacy.

Three Gorges Dam: Friend Or Foe Of Riverine Greenhouse Gases?, Jinren Ni, H Wang, Tao Ma, Rong Huang, Philippe Ciais, Z Li, Yao Yue, Jinfeng Chen, B Li, Y Wang, Maosheng Zheng, T Wang, Alistair G.L. Borthwick

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Dams are often regarded as greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters. However, our study indicated that the world's largest dam, the Three Gorges Dam (TGD), has caused significant drops in annual average emissions of CO2, CH4 and N2O over 4300 km along the Yangtze River, accompanied by remarkable reductions in the annual export of CO2 (79%), CH4 (50%) and N2O (9%) to the sea. Since the commencement of its operation in 2003, the TGD has altered the carbonate equilibrium in the reservoir area, enhanced methanogenesis in the upstream, and restrained methanogenesis and denitrification via modifying anoxic habitats through long-distance scouring in the …

Information And Communication Technology (Ict) Competence And Job Performance Of Librarians In Universities In Abia State., Emmanuel Kelechi Okehie Lieutenant, Genevive Chigekwu Nnadieto, Doris Chinyere Obiano Dr, Ndu Maria Ogonna

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study examined the relationship between ICT competence of librarians and their job performance in the libraries of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike and Abia State University, Uturu. Three research questions were answered and three hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted simple linear correlation design involving Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The population of the study was 136 librarians working in the libraries. The instrument used for data collection was rating scale titled librarians Information and Communication Technology Competency and Job Performance (LICTCJP). The research questions were answered using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC), while the …

What Is The State Of Children's Participation In Qualitative Research On Health Interventions?: A Scoping Study, Jean M Hunleth, Julie S Spray, Corey Meehan, Colleen Walsh Lang, Janet Njelesani

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Children are the focus of numerous health interventions throughout the world, yet the extent of children's meaningful participation in research that informs the adaptation, implementation, and evaluation of health interventions is not known. We examine the type, extent, and meaningfulness of children's participation in research in qualitative health intervention research.

METHOD: A scoping study was conducted of qualitative published research with children (ages 6-11 years) carried out as part of health intervention research. Following Arksey and O'Malley's scoping study methodology and aligned with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines on the reporting of scoping reviews, the authors searched, charted, collated, and summarized …

Tuberculosis: Illegal Immigrants And Deadly Spread, Abigail Foust

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It most commonly affects the lungs, but it can develop elsewhere in the body. Untreated, tuberculosis usually leads to death. If tuberculosis is treated but consumption of the proper medicine is terminated prematurely, the bacteria can mutate into multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). In the United States, the largest percentage of people with tuberculosis are foreign-born individuals. This is due to a number of factors, including cultural stigmas associated with tuberculosis and a hesitancy to get treatment. This is an especially prevalent issue in the case of illegal immigrants. First of all, …

Schizophrenia And Social Stigma: How Society Views Those With Mental Illness, Rebecca Littrel

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Mental Illness is one of the most stigmatized diseases in the media today. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia are more likely to have depression, more likely to commit suicide, and less likely to hold a job and be covered by insurance companies. How society views mental illness needs to change. Mental health professionals often feel stigmatized for their jobs as well.

Externalizing Behavior Predicts Differential Patterns Of Substance Use Among Adolescents By Race, Andrea Palacios

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Externalizing Behavior Predicts Differential Patterns of Substance Use among Adolescents by Race

Early substance use is associated with negative developmental outcomes and chronic disease. Adolescent externalizing behavior (e.g., rule-breaking, lying, aggression) is a consistent predictor of adolescent substance use. However, the association between externalizing behavior and different substances (e.g., alcohol, cannabis, nicotine) is unclear. It is important to clarify these relationships by race as previous research has demonstrated that substance use risk factors for Black youth differ from those for White youth, with whom much research has been conducted.

Non-Hispanic Black (n=16) and White (n = 20) adolescents ages 14-18 …

The Demise Of The Beef Industry, Natalie Powers

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a neurological disorder commonly found in cows. The hypothesis for the causation of BSE surrounds a protein known as the prion protein. For the most part, prion proteins are not harmful to cattle. Yet, when it mutates, the protein begins attacking the central nervous system. The protein causes the infected cattle to lose coordination and become violent. This is where it gets its nickname, mad cow disease. The research in this project explores the economic impact of mad cow disease. The reactions from consumers surrounding BSE started the downfall of the economy. It also almost …

Eating Disorders: Creating A New Standard, Bree Carlton

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Eating disorders are perhaps one of the most misunderstood diseases. Unlike other diseases, there has never been an epidemic of eating disorders. Rather, there has been an ebb and flow in the awareness surrounding them and the support for those that suffer. This research details eating disorders and the stereotypes regarding who falls victim to them, causes, the effect society has on eating disorders, and the effect disordered eating has on society. This study assessed the relationship sociocultural factors like culture, social media, and age have on eating disorders. Also assessed was the relationship between biological factors like gender and …

Synthesis Of Curcumin Derivatives: Increasing Compound Stability, Chloe Wilke

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Curcumin (C₂₁H₂₀O₆), the main active component in the spice Turmeric, has many recognized health benefits ranging from anti-inflammatory agents to the suppression of the proliferation of tumors. Curcumin has been used worldwide as an antiseptic and treatment for inflammatory conditions, arthritis, and sepsis. This water-insoluble molecule is unstable and degrades quickly upon entering the body. In order to preserve the beneficial structure of curcumin before it is broken down by the digestive system, carbohydrates are attached to alter the compound, increasing polarity and solubility. This topic was researched by analyzing multiple journal articles and …

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Challenges In Everyday Life, Chloe Wilke

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is one of the leading mental illnesses in the United States, affecting 6.8 million adults. Having a mental disorder can lead to stigmatization, isolation, and changes in interpersonal relations. The recent psychiatric approach to these types of diseases equates them to physical illnesses in both importance and concern. This project will examine articles and journals that include social context for mental illness along with current issues that are prevalent in society such as treatments and social stigmas. Discrediting, rejection, and ostracization based on bias and prejudices result in lower self-esteem, contributing to the severity or presence of …

Alzheimer's: The Invisible Second Victim, Emma Alberty

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive illness characterized by severe brain atrophy and accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles and neurotic plaques in the cerebral cortex. These symptoms lead to severe memory loss and confusion for the individual with AD, but this loss of memory also has a great effect on the family members caring for them. In the past the consequences of caring for someone with AD have been largely ignored and overshadowed by AD itself, however one should not ignore the drastic life changes the caregiver of an AD patient must make. Caregivers of AD patients must not only cope …

Respiratory Diseases: Results Of 9/11 Rescue And Recovery Effort, Isabel Schnittker

Undergraduate Research Symposium

After the Twin Towers collapsed on September 11, 2001, first responders assisted rescue and recovery efforts. While clearing debris and searching for survivors at Ground Zero, first responders inhaled particulate matter (PM). PM included pulverized cement, glass fibers, asbestos, and lead. Although first responders had respiratory protective equipment (RPE), the organizations that oversaw the rescue and recovery efforts emphasized neither the necessity of wearing respirators nor the threat of toxins in the air. As a result, many first responders developed respiratory diseases, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma. For instance, James Zadroga was …

Jesse James' Hideout Or Civil War Midden?, Steven Meyer, Tim Evers, Ben Ebert

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Whether the infamous outlaw Jesse James (1847-1882) ever lived in Iron County Missouri during his post-Civil War crime spree is a highly debated issue shrouded in legend and myth. A plot of land called “The Hideout” in Southern Iron County is a prime source for these legends to be tested. Archaeologists Benjamin Ebert, Steven Meyer, and Tim Evers will attempt to answer the question “Could Jesse James have stayed at the Hideout?” Iron County is steeped in rich history dating back to the Civil War, and other historic landmarks add credence to the legends
and help push tourism and preservation …

A New Life For Umsl’S African Instrument Collection, Brandon Elliott, Shane Devine, Kieth Stephens

Undergraduate Research Symposium

How should a collection of West African musical instruments - currently in the possession of an eliminated Anthropology department at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) - be properly conserved, repaired if needed, and should they be displayed, stored, or donated to another home? The collection, located in the entry foyer of 501 Clark Hall on the UMSL campus, consists of eleven West African drums, three stringed instruments, and one lamellophone. Our team seeks to answer this question to preserve the musical culture of the peoples associated with these instruments. It is important to protect these instruments from degradation or …

Tritons United: Against Gender-Based Violence Campus Programming, Mackenzie A. Chrun, Maggie M. Gross

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Tritons United Against Gender-based Violence is a programming grant funded by the Department of Justice office on Violence Against Women. This presentation will introduce the UMSL community to grant activities and the work I have supported throughout this semester as an undergraduate research assistant on the project. The project is led by a Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT) that includes key members both within and outside the UMSL campus and in the surrounding community from professionals in areas of victim services, prevention & education, law enforcement/safety, and student conduct. The overall goal of Tritons United is to reduce gender-based violence …

Leprosy: How It Defined A King, Paul Sanders

Undergraduate Research Symposium

This project is looking at King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and his successes despite contracting leprosy at an early age. There was a general mistrust in Europe against lepers because of what the majority of Christians thought leprosy was caused by. King Baldwin had many military and political victories while dealing with the physical effects of leprosy and the stigma surrounding it at the time.

Giving Of One’S Self: Perceptions, Experiences, And Motivations In United States Blood Donation, Allison Huene, Jamie Jones, Hayden Steingruby, Alexis Warnecke

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Through our research on blood donation, we hope to answer the following questions:

Why do people donate blood? Do they perceive it as an altruistic donation or gift?

Our methods include semiotic analysis, survey distributed online, semi-structured interviews, qualitative research over social media platforms, and participant observation done through donating blood ourselves. Through seeking to gain insight on blood donation as a type of standardized gift given in a market economy, as well as examining the way donors view themselves and their action of giving, we may be able to provide suggestions for how blood shortages could be alleviated, or …

Asthma In St. Louis: A Crisis Of Equity, Ashley Maempa

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Asthma is a common disease that causes airways to become inflamed and swell, which leads to difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, and asthma attacks. Asthma can be triggered by things such as dust, pollen, colds, pollutants, and household pests. In St. Louis, asthma is highly prevalent, with both cases and hospitalizations well above state and national averages. The asthma problem also reveals stark health disparities between St. Louis’s white and African American populations, with African American children comprising a disproportionate majority of asthma hospitalizations and emergency department visits. This project is concerned with investigating the underlying causes behind St. Louis’ asthma …

Malaria: Existence Perpetuated By A Counterfeit Drug Industry, Nicholas Black

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that has plagued society for thousands of years. Malaria is often overlooked from the perspective of wealthier industrialized countries due to prevention efforts largely eliminating malaria from these locations. However, overlooking malaria’s continued global relevance is misinformed to the fact that nearly half the global population lives in regions at risk of malarial transmission. According to the CDC and WHO, such a high number of people at risk has subsequently led to an estimated 241 million cases and over 627 thousand deaths in 2020 alone. The purpose for the present research is to examine the …

Gender Dysphoria: The Widespread "Social" Disease Of The 21st Century, Aria Spencer

Undergraduate Research Symposium

There has been a supposed increase in the cases of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) in the past 10 years. The term ‘ROGD’ is a non medical phrase that has been widely adopted by members of anti transgender groups. This harmful classification has been the baseline for many anti transgender youth legislature that have been introduced in Americans states as recently as February of 2022. Gender dysphoria has been discredited as a ‘social media’ disease, and the fear of having LBGTQ+ people in communities has caused the harm and mistreatment of both the transgender youth and adults in America. Gender …

Staph Infection: Hospitals Battle Against A Deadly Menace, Mckenzie Lamos

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Staph infection is caused by the staphylococcus bacteria, which is found on the skin or within the nose of even healthy individuals. This bacteria is usually harmless, but deadly infectious diseases may arise when it enters deep within the body. Staph infection is commonly treated with antibiotics, however the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain is resistant to antibiotics which further complicates treatment. This research provides insight on preventative measures to stop and slow the spread of staph infection in hospitals, along with what is being done to limit the number of MRSA infections. The CDC and NCBI both outline strategies …

The Effects Of Floral Attributes And Conspecifics On Bumble Bee Forager Memory, Lucas Lauter, Tiffany Dinh

Undergraduate Research Symposium

What do bees remember about flowers? These memories are important for both bees and flowers. The bees have better foraging success and gain more nectar and pollen from flowers when they remember the most rewarding flower types. More memorable flowers will be visited more frequently, resulting in more successful pollination for the plant. At the same time, bees can also learn about flowers from other bees and may remember this information differently. We are training and testing three floral cues and a single social cue to see how the different types of cues affect their learning and memory of rewarding …

The Role Of Omission In Self-Deception, Natalie Bishop

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Whether or not a self-deceiver has the intention of deceiving themselves is a highly debated topic. According to intentionalist theories, the individual does intend to deceive themselves; according to revisionist theories, they deceive themselves without the direct intention to do so. Kevin Lynch provides a non-intentionalist, revisionist account of self-deception which holds that self-deception is due to biased systematic processing. What this amounts to is that, according to Lynch, self-deception occurs because the self-deceiver intentionally seeks favorable evidence and critically scrutinizes unfavorable evidence while at the same time they unintentionally omit to scrutinize favorable evidence and seek unfavorable evidence, forming …