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Coronavirus Disability Survey: Assessing The Impact of COVID-19 on Young Adults with Disabilities
Get PDFThis paper seeks to inform individuals of the importance of digital inclusivity, diminish the digital divide, and accessibility to technological services of college students who experience a form of disability. The United States has conducted minimal research on the digital disability rhetoric, promoted minimal disability-inclusive measures to protect the rights and well-being of college students, and minimal assistance to mitigate Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacts to this population subgroup. This subject can have a big impact on individuals who suffer from disability stigma, low accessibility issues, and who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Furthermore, this subject will benefit college students who argue in the favor of digital inclusion to help improve online rhetoric and become better equipped with communication technologies. Using survey research, this paper explains the experiences and solutions provided by college students to help alleviate the serious implications resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic
Localization of Transgenes for Drosophila Models of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1
Get PDFMyotonic Dystrophy Type 1, DM1, is a multi-systemic disorder that results from expansion of CTG repeats in the DMPK gene in humans. Drosophila melanogaster has been established as a model organism for the study DM1, by the construct of multiple transgenic DM1 lines containing different numbers of CTG repeats (60, 250, and 480), expressed using the GAL4/UAS system. The precise chromosomal location of insertion of the transgenes has not been reported. We are using both classical genetic and molecular approaches to localize CTG-repeat transgene insertion in the genome. To narrow down location to a specific chromosome, genetic crosses using GAL4 drivers on different chromosomes are being used to drive expression of repeat expansions to assess phenotypic ratios of eye color traits, specific to the transgenes, and flight capability, which has been shown to be defective in DM1 flies. We expect to see different phenotypic ratios in the F2 progeny from crosses using drivers localized to different chromosomes. We will confirm our chromosome localization using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) of polytene chromosome preparations, using probes specific for the transgene insertion. Chromosome specific probes will be used to verify the chromosomal location. Since the FISH will allow us to narrow down the location of transgene insertion to a more specific region of the chromosome, we can target that specific region to more precisely determine the insertion site using PCR and sequencing. Preliminary results from the genetic analysis suggest that the (CTG)250 transgene is likely localized to chromosome 2 and that i(CTG)480 and (CTG)60 are not likely localized to the chromosomes 1 or 2. Knowing the location of the transgenes can allow for more practical mating schemes to study various aspects of myotonic dystrophy disease mechanisms, but can also provide crucial information for understanding the expression of the transgenes
Northanger Abbey: A Digital Companion
No full textAlthough there have been a couple of screen adaptations of the Northanger Abbey, the story seems to be largely ignored or forgotten in many discussions of Jane Austen’s brilliance. My individual study aims to partially remedy this lack of recognition by exploring the novel through my own digital portfolio. I have taken the story of Catherine Morland chapter by chapter and turned it into a digitally accessible experience. After researching the novel and its adaptations, I worked on building an accessible and digital companion site for readers to utilize while reading the text. This project has hopefully resulted in a product that gives Northanger Abbey the digital attention it deserves in this modern age, and with any luck, will broaden its audience to those that find themselves more interested in screens than pages
Analysis of Glyphosate in Pond Water by HPLC
Get PDFGlyphosate is the main ingredient in several herbicides such as Roundup, Agrisel, and Eraser. While glyphosate is typically not directly harmful to aquatic life, there is the potential for the compound to be indirectly harmful when it is present in runoff that enters aquatic ecosystems. A sample of water from a pond local to sod and agricultural farms was obtained to analyze the presence of glyphosate and make an assessment based on the concentration of glyphosate in the sample of the risk of toxicity to the aquatic life. A 1 mL glyphosate standard of concentration 1000 ug/mL was used to conduct an internal calibration method using a series of five calibration standards. A range of concentrations from 4.43 x 10-4 M to 4.73 x 10-3 M were used for the calibration standards. The samples were reacted with phenyl isothiocyanate and analyzed using HPLC with a C18 column in 50:50 H2O:Acetonitrile. A solution containing no glyphosate was used as a control. The data will be analyzed using the chromatogram produced by the HPLC and a concentration limit of detection and quantitation limit. It is expected that glyphosate will be present in the sample, however, it will likely be present in a very minimal amount
Genomic Similarity to Predict Infection in Bacillus Phages
Get PDFBacteriophages, also called phages, are viruses that only infect bacteria. Phages are used in phage therapy, which is a new treatment for bacterial infections and hopes to be the solution to antibiotic resistance. Each bacterium has a unique set of phages that can infect it and finding these phages can be difficult and tedious. The aim of this research was to grow phages on Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk) and do a host range study on an array of Bacillus species. I also analyzed and compared the phage genomes to find genes of interest and identify genes that could be responsible for infection of a certain bacterium or bacterial strains. Btk was chosen as the host because of its close relationship with B. anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax. It was found that the genomic similarity of the bacteria and phage and probability of a successful infection had a positive relationship. Many genes of interest were found and marked for further study to either determine function or homologs, but no genes were identified to be the possible gene responsible for infection of a certain bacterium or bacterial strains
Evaluating Differences in Mental Health Outcomes in the Transgender Community
Get PDFTransgender people experience disproportionate rates of discrimination and marginalization. These negative life experiences influence mental health, such that trans people often struggle with poor mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study, a transgender sample was examined to see whether these mental health outcomes were different between trans men and trans women. Based on the previous research done in this area, I hypothesized that trans women would report higher rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The sample was found through the paid platform Prolific, and was surveyed on these mental health outcomes using the standard measures: the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PCL-5 respectively. Three t tests were performed to examine the potential differences between trans men and trans women, all three of which had insignificant results. However, trans men had the higher average score on all three measures, which does not match the previous literature. While the results were not found to be significant, it just shows that more research is needed in this area to better examine how mental health outcomes can differ within the transgender community
Partnership In Preservation, The Creation of a Native American History and Culture Trail in King George County, VA
No full textStudents in the “Preservation in the Community” course at the University of Mary Washington partnered with King George County to create a recreational Native American History and Culture Trail. This trail was developed in collaboration with the Patawomeck and Rappahannock tribes to focus specifically on narratives that captured the historic and cultural importance of the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. Students wrote and designed seven signs to begin the trail — one introductory sign and six narratives portraying themes about Indigenous lifeways and identity in connection to the rivers. While the finished signs were the main goal of this project — emphasizing the importance of descendant-centered work in preservation marks the success of this endeavor. The nature and goals of this trail intend for it to be a continuous project that works towards a reorientation and retelling of Indigenous narratives; emphasizing the importance of working in collaboration with Native American communities
Performative Disability: The Objectification of Atypical Physiognomy in the Self-Portraits of Egon Schiele
Get PDFBy the early-twentieth century, developments in medicine and psychology tremendously influenced the visual arts. From the medical photography of the Salpêtrière to the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, the cultural attitudes and understandings of illnesses and treatments were available to artists whose work engaged with the medical community during this time. The oeuvre of Viennese Expressionist Egon Schiele demonstrates this influence by utilizing iconography related to disability. In order to construct his identity as an artist, Schiele turns to representations of atypical physiognomy that allow him to assert the identity of a ‘tortured artist’ and establish himself among the Viennese avant-garde. Through his use of atypical physiognomy, Schiele presents himself in an innovative and radical manner that rejects the conventional standards of beauty set forth by the academy. This paper will examine how this radical assertion of the self allows Schiele to adopt the persona of a ‘suffering artist’ and create an identity that both sets him apart from the standard and signals to the Viennese avant-garde that he is one of them. Through his objectification of disability, Schiele is able to self-fashion his artistic identity and signal his knowledge of Vienna as a repository for physical and mental difference that he can utilize for his own artistic gain
Making Russian Music: Uncovering Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Musical Ideas through His Letters
Get PDFPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is arguably Russia\u27s most famous composer. Although his music is widespread, his immediate impact on Russian music in the 19th century is often overlooked or unknown by audiences. This paper examines what compositional and musical ideas Tchaikovsky used in his pieces and how he expressed them through his letters. Because of the relationships he had with his correspondents, Tchaikovsky had the means to develop and learn his unique compositional style. The most significant correspondents were his patroness Nadezhda von Meck, his brother Modest, and fellow composer Mily Balakirev. They enabled him to express and develop his musical beliefs. By utilizing these beliefs in his compositions, Tchaikovsky redefined what Russian music sounded like. This paper looks at these beliefs, applies them to his pieces, and discusses how he wrote about his ideas in his letters. Then, it discusses how these beliefs were influential on Russian composers who emerged following his death
Dorothy Allison\u27s Gothic Poverty
Get PDFThis paper explores how the gothic spaces in Dorothy Allison’s novels are connected to her characters class. I analyze specific places in Bastard out of Carolina and Cavedweller and how these spaces are either redeemed or remain gothic throughout the novels, and how this connects to the characters economic status. In Bastard out of Carolina, where the characters begin and remain poor, places are either gothic from the beginning or are safe spaces that transform into gothic places over the course of the novel. Conversely, in Cavedweller, where the characters begin poor but become financially stable by the end of the novel, most buildings and spaces are initially gothic but redeem themselves over time so that they become safe for the characters. In both of her novels, Dorothy Allison underscores and complicates her main characters’ lower-class status and the isolation that comes with poverty by transforming areas often associated with relative safety, such as suburban neighborhoods, storefronts, and churches into gothic spaces of fear and anger