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Much Love, BJP: Examining Gender and War through Interactive Fiction
Get PDFThe intersection of gender and war is often examined under two different banners, that of the victim of war and that of the soldier. This project looks at an underrepresented third party: the war correspondent. Inspired by the life of Marie Colvin, an award-winning war correspondent killed in the siege of Homs, Syria in 2012, “Much Love” is an interactive story relating the life of fictional war correspondent Bany Polzin. Among the themes examined are motherhood, friendship, and rape as a war crime
The Roots of Greatness: What Does the Relationship between Henry and Hal Reveal about Henry V’s Rule?
No full textOne of Shakespeare’s most commendable qualities as a playwright is the ability to create dynamic characters. These characters appear in their full nuanced glory through their relationships with other characters in the plays. This research focuses on the relationship between Henry IV and his son Hal throughout the Lancastrian Tetralogy — Shakespeare’s four history plays commencing with The Tragedy of Richard II and closing with Henry V. The purpose of this paper is to use this relationship to shed light on Hal’s character after he begins to rule as Henry V. In this research, similarities between the Henry IV and Hal are explored through categories such as the similarities in the two characters’ language and Hal’s mimicking of Henry IV’s rule. Whether through implicit or explicit words and actions, Henry IV influences his son, molding him to be the next King of England. This research also examines the important differences between Henry IV and Hal and describes how these key differences make Hal a stronger ruler. Henry IV’s misunderstanding of Hal’s political tactics and Hal’s willingness to go further than his father in his political trickery are both examples of differences that cause chasms between the two characters while also illustrating the complexities of Hal
The Politicization of Japanese Immigration Exclusion in Early- Twentieth Century Oregon
No full textAnti-Japanese hysteria was growing in the early twentieth century America. This poster specifically examines how anti-Japanese sentiment grew in Oregon compared to other states, like California. The government and people of Oregon were originally more tolerant of Japanese immigration while California always had a stronger, wholly nativist response to the issue. As time progressed, Oregon as a whole became nativist. I examine this progression using a variety of sources including a government commissioned report of the Japanese situation in the state, and speeches from two governors who served from 1919 to 1927. The report and the speeches of the first governor, Ben Olcott, show how Oregon attempted to remain neutral on the issue. When Walter Pierce challenged Olcott for re-election in 1922, he made the restriction of Japanese immigration a central issue in his campaign. As governor, Pierce encouraged anti-Japanese immigration restriction, and his term produced considerable legislature against the Japanese. The shift from a neutral governor to a nativist governor shows how the hysteria grew in states, eventually reaching its height with the Johnson-Reid Act. This act singled out Asian immigrants and banned the entry of aliens
The Many Voices of Guenevere: Polyphony in “The Defence of Guenevere”
No full textIn his poem “The Defence of Guenevere,” William Morris takes one of the most contentious characters in all Arthuriana and allows her to speak for herself. Guenevere, about to be burned at the stake for her adultery, argues her case before her accusers. The result is a layered, interesting monologue, in which Guenevere employs a range of different and disparate voices in order to confuse, accuse, and appeal to her listeners. Mikhail Bakhtin, in his work on literary theory, calls this ability to take on different voices “polyphony”. In my project, therefore, I explore the connections between Guenevere’s monologue and Bakhtin’s idea of polyphony, as well as the connections between the personas Guenevere assumes (of storyteller, lady, and knight) and the theories of deconstruction, new historicism, and feminism. By examining these links, it becomes clear that the Guenevere in this piece has transcended the role expected of her. She acts through the non-action of speech. She is focalised by the narrator and yet subverts that focalisation for her own cause. She stands accused and yet accuses. By multiplying her one voice into many, Guenevere shows herself to be complex and therefore human
Comparison of Water Lines and Water Troughs: Effects on Gut Microbiology and Water contamination
No full textControversy has developed over the last few years as to whether or not water nipple lines or water troughs are more appropriate for Pekin ducks in grow-out commercial barns. We hypothesized that duck caecal samples and water samples from barns utilizing a water trough delivery system would contain a larger diversity of bacterial, and potentially more harmful bacteria. We also hypothesized that duck health, as reflected by caecal composition, would be significantly different in water trough conditions compared to water lines. Ducks were divided into 4 pens per barn (n = 1000 ducks/pen), with each barn containing a different water delivery system. Water samples were taken every three days and duck caecal samples were collected on days 5, 21, and 33. It was found that ducks in water line conditions did not have significantly different caecal compositions from ducks in water trough conditions, and water sample compositions did not significantly affect ducks in either treatment. Water samples from each delivery system were significantly different from one another throughout the grow-out time period. The amount of bacterial diversity in water trough conditions was much higher than in water line conditions. Water troughs also contained an increased number of possibly pathogenic bacteria that may be harmful to both humans and ducks.
Designing Improved Light Responsive Actuators through Mechanical Testing and Materials Development
No full textStimulus-responsive actuators allow for intelligent activation of systems, but often suffer from physical limitations like low mechanical work output. The objective of this study was to enhance the behavior of photoresponsive polymer strips through material and mechanical design. These materials were modeled in an arch geometry to study their ability to perform work through a “snapthrough” motion which is activated in practice via a blue-green laser. Continuation and bifurcation software and commercial finite element analysis software were used to identify ideal aspect ratios for use in simulating this snapthrough phenomenon. In addition, a test fixture was designed to measure blocking stress of irradiated samples of near infrared (NIR) responsive materials. Future work will consist of characterizing the absorbance and photostrains of this material based on its percentage of infrared active cross-linker
Effect of Pet Therapy on Patient’s Anxiety in the Pediatric Emergency Department
No full textPet therapy has been proven to decrease stress in the adult patient population, but little research has been done in the pediatric population. Study of pet therapy as an intervention for anxiety in pediatric patients in the emergency department (ED) is being done in a Michigan hospital. An additional study is being conducted to determine whether or not pet ownership impacts the effectiveness of the intervention of pet therapy for anxiety. The purpose of this proposed study is to determine what outside variables might have an impact on effectiveness of pet therapy, specifically if the patient has a pet at home. Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory is the conceptual framework of the study. This theory states that elements of the environment directly affect health and care of the patient. The data collection method is an anxiety-rating tool and a patient characteristic sheet, developed by the researchers. Patients and caregivers will fill out the anxiety rating and the student nurses will collect the patient characteristic data verbally. Results will be calculated in p values with significance of less than .05 using SPSS software revealing the correlation between the state of pet ownership and the effectiveness of pet therapy intervention as evidenced by the decrease in anxiety rating between the pre and post rating of the patient and caregiver. Data will be collected from one Michigan hospital with a projected sample size of 72 participants. These participants are the patients and caregivers in for routine care to the ED. Results and conclusions of this study are not yet known. Anticipated limitations of the study are selfreporting anxiety ratings, convenience sampling and the tool lacking reliability and validity. Implications of this nursing research are revealing the underlying variables in the effectiveness of pet therapy and being able to use the results to best care for pediatric patients with anxiety
Effect of Pet Therapy on Patients’ Anxiety in the Pediatric Emergency Department
No full textPet therapy is a healthcare intervention in which an animal is an integral part of the treatment process. Despite the numerous studies documenting the benefits of pet therapy, there is limited research examining the effects of pet therapy in the pediatric population and the pediatric emergency department (PED). According to Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Nursing Theory, a patient’s healthcare experience and recovery can be positively impacted by manipulation of a stressful environment. A pet therapy intervention may therefore decrease the stressful environment of a PED. The purpose of this pre- and post-test quasiexperimental study is to describe the impact of pet therapy (dogs) in a PED. Research questions that will be addressed include: 1) Is there a reduction in pediatric patients’ anxiety ratings after a pet therapy intervention, as perceived by the patients and by their parents/caregivers and 2) Is there a difference in preand post-anxiety ratings in patients who receive pet therapy when compared with patients who do not receive pet therapy? The anxiety level of pediatric patients, ages 5-18 years, will be examined before and after pet therapy visits (using both patient and caregiver responses) using an anxiety scale developed for the study. Data will be collected from a large children’s hospital in Michigan with an anticipated sample size of 72 patients (36 receiving pet therapy and 36 who are not). The student researcher will collect data during January 2015 with analysis, interpretation, and conclusions by February 2015. After data collection, independent and paired t-tests will be used to analyze data using SPSS statistical software. Results and conclusions are pending. Anticipated limitations include lack of randomization, a self-report anxiety instrument, use of an anxiety scale with unknown reliability and validity, and potential subject bias due to the short time period between the pre- and post-data collections. Potential implications for nursing include increased understanding of pet therapy as an effective intervention to reduce anxiety in children in the PED, which could improve their overall health during their hospital stay. Future research is needed with larger sample sizes in a variety of PEDs to further explore pet therapy as an effective intervention
Two Dimensional Intermodulation Distortion Scanning of Superconducting Filter Resonators
No full textSuperconductor nonlinearity, manifest through non-Ohmic conductivity, is not fully understood. In the past global methods, or a weighted average of an entire sample, have been used. But in order to fully understand where the nonlinearity comes from, one must use local methods or measurements that look at a specific point in the sample. Ohm’s law for the sample becomes V=IR(I) because the resistance of the sample is dependent on the current. One local method consists of raster scanning samples with a magnetic loop probe. A problem encountered in doing this was that the probe resolution was too inadequate to image details across the width of a transmission line. This limitation was addressed in this work by reducing the size of the dipole loop on the magnetic loop probe. Using the electromagnetic field solver Sonnet, two dimensional current simulations of superconducting microwave filters composed of Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8/LaAlO3 or of YBa2Cu3O7/LaAlO3 reveal microwave current which is bunched up at the corners and sides of the sample. Two dimensional images of third order intermodulation distortion made with the magnetic probe at the same corners and edges reveal elevated distortion in the same places. Using the magnetic probe, third order intermodulation was seen to come from the same corners and edges where the current is bunched
Quantitative Characterization of Methanol Oxidation Catalysis on Dealloyed NiCu Films
No full textThe topic of catalytic nanoporous materials has seen a surge of interest in the past decade. With Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), the surface area, topography, and composition of these nanostructures can be characterized. The accessibility of these instruments has generated interest involving the interactive effects of surface topography and catalytic activity of binary alloys. The research conducted involved electrodepositing, dealloying, and characterizing various nickel-copper binary alloys on a Au substrate for methanol oxidation applications. By dealloying copper out of a NiCu alloy using Controlled Potential Electrolysis (CPE), a highsurface area nanoporous material was fabricated. The composition and capacitance of the NiCu alloys (before and after the dealloying step) were characterized via SEM/EDS, and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) respectively. Utilizing Chronoamperometry (CA), the oxidation of methanol was analyzed before and after dealloying to determine whether porosity enhanced the catalytic efficiency