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Learning with Mrs. Phelps
No full textThis senior project detailed my rehearsal process and character work I completed for UMW Theatre’s production of Matilda: the Musical written by Dennis Kelly with music and lyrics by Tim Menchin, which played from November 2-19. As an actor, I documented my experiences in rehearsal leading up to the show and I recorded my work with Hagen’s nine questions to familiarize myself with the character. I completed personal research on the world of Matilda and the controversies of Dahl’s writing in addition to other character research. Additionally, I documented my experience during each performance, culminating in a final reflection after our final bow
Malate Dehydrogenase in Parasitic Protozoans: Roles in Metabolism and Potential Therapeutic Applications
No full textThe role of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) in the metabolism of various medically significant protozoan parasites is reviewed. MDH is an NADH-dependent oxidoreductase that catalyzes interconversion between oxaloacetate and malate, provides metabolic intermediates for both catabolic and anabolic pathways, and can contribute to NAD+/NADH balance in multiple cellular compartments. MDH is present in nearly all organisms; isoforms of MDH from apicomplexans (Plasmodium falciparum, Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium spp.), trypanosomatids (Trypanosoma brucei, T. cruzi) and anaerobic protozoans (Trichomonas vaginalis, Giardia duodenalis) are presented here. Many parasitic species have complex life cycles and depend on the environment of their hosts for carbon sources and other nutrients. Metabolic plasticity is crucial to parasite transition between host environments; thus, the regulation of metabolic processes is an important area to explore for therapeutic intervention. Common themes in protozoan parasite metabolism include emphasis on glycolytic catabolism, substrate-level phosphorylation, non-traditional uses of common pathways like tricarboxylic acid cycle and adapted or reduced mitochondria-like organelles. We describe the roles of MDH isoforms in these pathways, discuss unusual structural or functional features of these isoforms relevant to activity or drug targeting, and review current studies exploring the therapeutic potential of MDH and related genes. These studies show that MDH activity has important roles in many metabolic pathways, and thus in the metabolic transitions of protozoan parasites needed for success as pathogens
Ch. 9: Translating Genre and Gender for Madrid Audiences: The Case of María Rosa de Gálvez
No full textThis chapter appears in the book, Gender and Cultural Mediation in the Long Eighteenth Century: Women across Borders. Edited by Monica Bolufer, Laura Guinot-Ferri, and Carolina Blutrach.
Chapter abstract: This essay highlights the importance of translation for eighteenth-century women writers, giving special focus to the life and work of María Rosa Gálvez (1768–1806), the most successful Spanish woman writer of her day and a member of a family with important positions in the Bourbon administration in both Spain and colonial America. We will consider Gálvez’s comments on translation, theatre, and lyric, as well as the international texts that she adapted, translated, or imitated to understand better her attempts to make a place for herself in literary history. A focus on two translations—Catalina o la bella labradora (1801) and the opera Bion (1804)—along with one original sentimental drama—El egoísta (1804) will reveal the importance of genre and gender in the aesthetic and thematic choices that Gálvez made in her translations, adaptations, and original texts. Ultimately, we will go beyond the dichotomy of previous approaches to Gálvez’s work, seeing her translated and original work as separate and unequal endeavours, to see how her choices of genre and emphasis on gender run throughout her career.https://scholar.umw.edu/modernlanguages_books/1007/thumbnail.jp
Image Repair Strategies and Theories and the Lost Apology in Crisis Communication
Get PDFThis research paper examines different image repair strategies and theories, and how well three different real-life examples of recent responses to crisis utilized strategies that are discussed. The literature review covers specific image repair strategies and theories, and then there is the analysis of specific cases where public figures went through a crisis and responded in an effort to clear their names. The findings summarize why each case was not successful, and why people with large followings need to know key image repair strategies that can help save one’s reputation
Unveiling the Threat- AI and Deepfakes\u27 Impact on Women
Get PDFThis paper delves into the implications of deepfake technology, particularly its harmful impact on women. Deepfakes, hyper-realistic videos generated through AI algorithms, blur the lines between reality and fiction, posing significant challenges in discerning truth from manipulation. As deepfake technology and tools become increasingly accessible, they have been used with malicious intent, disproportionately impacting women. Through a qualitative analysis of existing literature, this study uncovers and identifies current themes highlighting the exacerbation of gender inequalities and the objectification of women facilitated by deepfakes. Common themes found include control over women, cyber abuse and harassment, image-based sexual abuse, psychological distress, and damaged reputation. From the dissemination of non-consensual pornography to the reinforcement of unrealistic beauty standards, deepfake technology perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes and undermines the safety of digital spaces for women. Despite these challenges, it is important to raise awareness, advocate for legal reforms, and promote digital literacy to end the harm women face and create a safer environment for women
From Never Enough to Nothing at All: An Investigation of Political Commentary in Euripides\u27 Medea
Get PDFWhen studying the plays of Euripides, scholars have often focused on the playwright’s social commentary while paying less attention to the relationship between the plays’ plots and the political environment in Greece at the time of their production. Furthermore, although many of Euripides’ plays have been identified as referencing contemporary political events, scholars have made no such assertions regarding the Medea. Through an examination of Euripides’ Medea and Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, this study seeks to address this gap in scholarship by taking into account the political context at the time which it was written and first produced. In support of this, it also investigates the plausibility of Euripides having access to current political information proposed to be referenced in the Medea as well as the potential for an audience to understand a secondary meaning encoded within the characters and plot. The paper proposes that Euripides either selected or invented specific plot points to increase the degree to which Jason paralleled Athens and Medea paralleled the weaker members of the Delian League with the effect that audiences would be reminded of recent geo-political events. This allowed Euripides to instruct his audience on the potential dangers of adopting a foreign policy standpoint that called for conquering as much territory as possible by offering a mythical example of how one man’s greed led to his ultimate destruction
Simulating Information and Communication Applications in Employee Interaction Network Models
Get PDFInformation and communication technology (ICT) use has been identified throughout its development and evolution with the Internet boom as a net positive tool for most employees and organizations in the working world. Only recently have studies regarding employees’ well-being begun to come to the forefront of research regarding these rapidly evolving technologies, however these are important issues to discuss in the context of work-life boundary management, emotional exhaustion, overwhelming stress levels, and moral disengagement among other employee well-being dimensions. To explore how employees’ well being might be influenced by ICT use, this study conducted a quantitative survey and analyzed a coupling of agent-based models to investigate employee stress levels, work-life boundaries, job satisfaction, and emotional and mental health. The survey concluded that most of these dimensions of well-being were responded to in a circumstantial nature based on the respondent’s individual case with the exception of ICT use exhibiting a positive correlation with job satisfaction. The simulations of both organizational structure and an employee cohort exacerbated structural truths about graph generation algorithms and emphasized the need for individual consideration of each employees’ circumstance and preferences in regards to their perceived well-being
Truth anti-smoking campaign: Messaging characteristics and the use of fear
Get PDFtruth® (“truth”) is an anti-smoking campaign that was created to fight against the tobacco industry by showcasing the various health, social, and economic effects of smoking so that young people can make healthy and educated decisions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the campaign’s rhetorical messaging through a qualitative content analysis across all their social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube). Specifically, this study identifies common themes, characteristics, and fear appeal elements used in truth’s messaging. Results of this study indicate that truth’s social media posts adhere to many of the themes and characteristics that were identified in prior research on their television advertisements. The fear appeal elements of threat and efficacy, as defined by the extended parallel processing model, were also identified multiple times. Many of these messaging strategies have been adapted to the changing interests of adolescents to address the lesser-understood facts about vaping
The Dependent Nature of Enlightenment and Capitalism: Discourse on How Civilization Needs Capitalism to Curb the Effects of Enlightenment
Get PDFThis paper examines the interplay between the intellectual movements of enlightenment, the economic system of capitalism, and the manifestation of violent racist ideologies like antisemitism and anti-black racism. The core argument is that while the enlightenment ideals of reason, universality, and human dominance over nature inherently set the stage for categorizing and objectifying groups seen as deviating from the desired uniformity, the emergence of extreme racist violence like the Holocaust requires the additional factors of a failing capitalist economy and the rise of totalitarian governments. In the modern American context, racist thought persists in the more covert form of color-blindness. A rhetorical denial of racial categories that performatively pushes back against enlightenment. This aligns with Sartre\u27s critique of how democratic society rationalizes racism through abstract ideals disconnected from lived experience. Ultimately, the security and productive roles provided by a well-functioning capitalist economy are vital for containing the violent manifestations of racist ideologies that theories of enlightenment perpetuate
Testing of Indazole Inhibitors of KasA, a Vital Enzyme of M. tuberculosis
Get PDFTuberculosis is a disease that affects the lungs caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Although drug treatment options exist, increased rates of antibiotic resistant strains have become more prevalent in recent years, driving a need for new treatment approaches. KasA, a β-ketoacyl synthase, has been found to synthesize parts of the cell wall and been identified as an attractive drug target. Previous medicinal chemistry research has been completed to synthesize six effective competitive inhibitors of KasA that would potentially block the enzyme from binding the substrate, preventing elongation of the backbone and creation of the mycolic fatty acids that form the mycobacterial cell wall, ultimately killing the bacterium. With the sulfonamide and amine derivatives fully synthesized, theses were tested by means of the microdilution broth panel method using 96-well and 24-well titration plates, as well as through SPOTi assays to determine their effectiveness as potential drug candidates. Due to M. tuberculosis being highly contagious and infectious upon contact, the surrogate model Mycobacterium aurum (M. aurum) was used since it has the same target enzyme as in M. tuberculosis. Based on the high strength of the ligand-receptor binding energy values obtained from AutoDock Tools, a molecular binding simulation software, it was concluded that the six derivatives were suitable candidates for growth inhibition. Despite complications with the microdilution broth panel with the 96-well and 24-well titration plates, there is partial evidence through the SPOTi assay to support that the N-1-methyl-6-indazolyl benzene sulfonamide derivative potentially reduces mycobacterial growth on the plates containing M. aurum