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Playing George et al. in Nickel and Dimed
Get PDFThis website explores Oscar León\u27s experience playing George and Others in Nickel and Dimed, UMW Theatre\u27s first main stage production after COVID-19. This project documents the analysis made for seven characters. It includes research on their backgrounds based on the script of the play, the book it was based on, and actor decisions. The second half of this project is composed of daily journal entries. These document the work done throughout the rehearsal process, with aims to exhibit character work and growth through the documentation of rehearsal notes and production goals
HSP90 and Triglyceride Levels in Partially Migratory Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) Populations
Get PDFThe Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) is a partial migrant species, which means that some individuals migrate between breeding and nonbreeding grounds, while others remain in one location throughout the year. Eastern Virginia contains both permanent residents and overwintering migrants which breed in Canada\u27s James Bay region. The metabolic demands of migration predict physiological differences between migrants and more sedentary residents, but they have been little studied in Canada Goose. Understanding such differences may help predict the resiliency of migratory birds to rapid climate change. We compared triglyceride and HSP90 (heat shock protein) in liver tissue extracted from resident and migrant goose carcasses donated by licensed hunters. HSP90 is an oxidative stress indicator, while triglycerides indicate differences in energetic status based on differences in activity and diet. Our prediction was that HSP90 and triglyceride levels would differ between resident and migrant Canada Goose samples, with high HSP90 associated with migratory and physiological stress and high triglyceride levels associated with a more sedentary activity level. Most of the resident geese were collected in September, and migrant geese were collected in January. Body length measurements were also used to assign individuals to migrant and resident categories. Neither triglyceride nor HSP90 levels significantly differed between residents and migrant geese. They also did not differ between sexes. However, HSP90 levels marginally differed by location in Virginia, perhaps relating to differences in land use and resources available to geese. We plan to increase HSP90 sample sizes and additionally measure HSP70 and enzymes associated with triglyceride metabolism
The Passion For Eating Well
No full textThe Dr. Yum Project, founded by Dr. Nimali Fernando, is a non-profit organization committed to facilitating healthy eating for families. The idea was seeded when, working at pediatric clinics, Dr. Fernando witnessed the alarming rise of childhood obesity and observed children experiencing health issues linked to poor dietary habits. In pursuit of the Dr. Yum Project’s mission, numerous initiatives have been undertaken, with one of the most significant being the development of the Preschool Food Adventure curriculum. In recent years, this curriculum has achieved considerable success and has been actively promoted to various schools. Dr. Fernando holds an optimistic outlook, believing that a strategic plan has the potential to expand the reach of the Dr. Yum Project, particularly with regard to the Preschool Food Adventure curriculum. She is curious about what such a plan may look like
Save the Dragon
Get PDFSave the Dragon is a 54 page Fantasy Novella that follows a young girl named Willow and her three friends on a quest to save a dragon. The story begins when Willow learns that a dragon has been discovered deep in the Septur mountains, despite dragons having been assumed extinct for thousands of years. To calm the panic, the King announces a competition to slay the dragon, but something doesn’t sit right with Willow. She believes that this dragon may not be violent or deserving of a death sentence, but antagonizing it may even create the danger they are scared of. This is one of the main themes of the story, to approach a problem with compassion rather than fear. With the help of her friends Lira, Teddy, and Ramsey, Willow sets out on a journey to stop the competition and save the dragon
The Potential of Polysemy in Video Games: A Case Study of Elden Ring
Get PDFResearchers have defined polysemy as a concept used to describe a word that can carry multiple different meanings depending on the context in which it is being used. This concept has also been applied to media in the way that film producers employ it within trailers and teasers, letting viewers interpret what is to come, in order to drive excitement and anticipation. In this paper, I explore the potential for polysemy within video games by taking a look into the 2022 game of the year, Elden Ring because it employs several different endings, leaving people with different interpretations of its story. I conducted my research via an online survey gathering participants by convenience sampling. Research findings suggest that polysemy is a concept that not only changes the scope of video games, but drastically improves the quality of a game. Future game developers should look to implement polysemy within future video game titles
Apoptosis Induction in Jurkat T-Lymphocytes by Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)
Get PDFApoptosis, commonly known as programmed cell death, constantly occurs in humans. As a cancer cell increases in acidity, apoptosis is induced. In healthy cells, proton pump proteins allow for H+ ions to permeate cellular membranes, regulating pH. However, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as omeprazole, prevent proton movement. In previous studies, omeprazole induced cell death in Jurkat T lymphocytes; however, there was no confirmation of whether the cells died through apoptosis, or through necrosis, where the cell bursts. By using Annexin-V staining, the effects of omeprazole, dexlansoprazole, and esomeprazole on apoptosis induction can be measured. Cell death was observed by staining cells with propidium iodide (PI) dye and Annexin V-FITC proteins. In order to measure the extent of cell viability, cytosolic esterase activity was measured by staining cells with calcein-acetoxymethyl (AM) dye. Jurkat cells were exposed to PPIs omeprazole, dexlansoprazole, and esomeprazole for six hours and monitored for 30 hours to measure viability. Doxorubicin, a known chemotherapeutic, was also used as a positive control when testing apoptosis induction and viability. When imaged using fluorescent microscopy, any cell that was apoptotic fluoresced green and necrotic cells fluoresced red. With calcein-AM, if cells fluoresced, they were deemed viable, while nonfluorescent cells were deemed necrotic. At the 30-hour mark, dexlansoprazole showed the least viability, followed by doxorubicin, esomeprazole, and omeprazole, in comparison to the negative control. The low viability with dexlansoprazole indicated the need for a toxicity study using the same PPIs and exposure methods, to determine the optimal drug concentration
“Any Means Necessary to Refuse Erasure by Algorithm:” Lillian-Yvonne Bertram’s Travesty Generator
No full textLillian-Yvonne Bertram\u27s 2019 book of poetry is titled Travesty Generator in reference to Hugh Kenner and Joseph O\u27Rourke\u27s Pascal program to “fabricate pseudo-text” by producing text such that each n-length string of characters in the output occurs at the same frequency as in the source text. Whereas for Kenner and O\u27Rourke, labeling their work a “travesty” is a hyperbolic tease or a literary burlesque, for Bertram, the travesty is the political reality of racism in America. For each of the works Travesty Generator, Bertram uses the generators of computer poetry to critique, resist, and replace narratives of oppression and to make explicit and specific what is elsewhere algorithmically insidious and ambivalent
An Idea to Explore: Augmented Reality and LEGO ® Brick Modeling in the Biochemistry and Cell Biology Classroom‐two Tactile Ways to Teach Biomolecular Structure - Function
No full textWe present here two accessible ways for enhanced understanding of complex biological structures and their function in undergraduate Biology and Biochemistry classrooms. These methods can be applied for in-class instruction as well as for remote lessons, as they are cheap, easily available and easy to implement. LEGO® bricks and MERGE CUBE based augmented reality can be applied to make three-dimensional representation for any structure available on PDB. We envisage these techniques to be useful for students when visualizing simple stereochemical problems or complex pathway interactions
World Regional Geography
No full textWorld Regional Geography by Finlayson provides a concise and accessible introduction to the major concepts in Geography through an exploration of the world’s regions. This innovative textbook, which has been downloaded over 15,000 times in more than 30 countries, approaches geography as experts understand the discipline, focusing on connections between places and an in-depth understanding of core themes. This thematic approach provides students with an introduction to thinking geographically and an in-depth understanding of the geography of our world.https://scholar.umw.edu/geography_books/1000/thumbnail.jp
Optimization of Adsorption of Methylene Blue Dye on Activated Charcoal
Get PDFMethylene blue and crystal violet are cationic dyes of high intensity that are commonly discharged in wastewater. The colored compounds in this environment inhibit sunlight penetration in waterways, resulting in the destruction of aquatic ecosystems. Activated carbon offers an attractive option for the efficient removal of dyes from wastewater due its excellent adsorption ability, highly porous structure, and large thermal/chemical stability. This study was conducted in order to investigate the adsorption of methylene blue dye from aqueous solution by various types of activated charcoal using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The effects of temperature and adsorbent quantity were studied to optimize the efficiency of the adsorption process. Crystal violet was an alternate dye used for comparison. Results revealed that a powered activated charcoal with mesh size \u3c80 yielded the greatest adsorption as evidenced by the lowest spectroscopic absorbance. Higher temperature (25 °C vs 35 °C) also yielded greater adsorption. Varying the amount of activated charcoal had minimal effect on the adsorption process. The adsorption process was modeled with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. An L-shape curve resulted from the Langmuir model, indicating there were fewer open sites for the methylene blue to fill as the adsorption study progressed. The SEM images of the charcoal samples confirmed the charcoal’s porous structure and supported the adsorption of MB. The Freundlich adsorption isotherm was not applicable with the chosen amounts of adsorbent. In a future study, the concentration of methylene blue can be varied in order to remain within the linear range that the Freundlich isotherm can model