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The Display of Egyptian and Egyptianizing Antiquities in the Vatican Museums: the Papacy and the Public Perception of Classical Antiquity
Full text linkThis thesis examines the Popes\u27 influence on the public\u27s understanding of Ancient Egypt through their display of Egyptian and Egyptianizing antiquities in the Vatican Museums, the Pope\u27s public art collections in the Vatican. The Vatican Museums exhibit not only Egyptian and Egyptianizing antiquities but also internationally famous Greco-Roman antiquities (such as the Laocoon and Belvedere Torso), the Sistine Chapel and all of its paintings, and Ancient Near Eastern artifacts. Since the Vatican Museums, the Pope\u27s public art collections in the Vatican, receive over six million visitors per year, the Pope\u27s ability to affect how the general population views the Classical past rivals that of the British Museum and the Louvre. In fact, extended reflections on papal statuary appear in significant works of Anglo-American literature, and photographs of these works of art have been both sold popularly and used in education, including at DePauw University. Thus, to understand the modern public\u27s perception of Ancient Egypt and Classical Antiquity more generally, it is crucial to analyze the Vatican Museums\u27 role in constructing this perception
The Truth of the American Immigration System: Family Separation
Full text linkThis paper will begin with the first chapter by detailing the foundation of policies the American government built up in order to create the immigration system. The policies centralized around being acts of exclusion in an attempt to keep those the government deemed good enough out. There will be details on the last major immigration reform law and explanations as to what factors and events have played into creating the American Immigration system today. The second chapter will delve deeper into more modern immigration policies by focusing on recent presidential administrations that have attempted and failed to make a productive impact on the American immigration system. Starting with an explanation of the multiple forms family separation can and has taken shape through actions of these administrations. The chapter will highlight the Obama, Trump and Biden administration and discuss each of the administration\u27s policy issues and how they have contributed to the separation and deportation of families. This section will also point out the clear inability of the American government to function properly and pass a comprehensive immigration reform. The final chapter will discuss how the act of family separation is severely unethical and has caused severe harm to human beings. Overall this paper will demonstrate that the American government has continued to fall back on family separation and detentions as a solution for their failure to assess the immigration crisis and create meaningful and effective immigration policies
“Inward” globalization: A look at ethnic education in Vietnam
Full text linkGlobalizing education, while continuously fueling transformative changes to the Vietnamese education system, is predominantly associated with an ‘outward’ expansion toward economically developed nations, instead of an ‘inward’ assessment of educational diversity and equality. How has Vietnam integrated the unique cultural and historical heritages of its 54 ethnic communities into the national educational goals? Across three decades, the established guiding principles, objectives, and solutions increasingly endorsed both national contribution and cultural preservation of ethnic minority students. However, this emerging philosophy tended to be deficit-focused, mainly using ethnic minority groups’ cultural uniqueness to make mainstream teaching materials more appropriate, implicitly assuming that ethnic minority education should be assimilated into the mainstream socio-economic and cultural mode. This paper reimagines these policies’ reflection of the understanding of (il)literacy, ethnicity, solidarity, and identity development in education, which help facilitate intercultural dialogue through and in education, especially with the dearth of research on multiethnic education in Vietnam.https://scholarship.depauw.edu/srfposters/1160/thumbnail.jp
Metabolic Adaptation of Soil Microbial Communities to Metal Contamination: Assessment of Cadmium Stress
Full text linkAnthropogenic contamination of soil with heavy metals such as Cadmium (Cd2+) alters the metabolic activities and structure of soil microbial communities and has profound impacts on the soil ecosystem. In this study, we examined the effects of Cd2+ exposure on soil microbial communities by amending soil solutions with different concentrations of Cadmium nitrate tetrahydrate Cd(NO3)2 ● 4H2O (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.5 mM). 150 µL of the Cd2+ amended and control soil solutions were added to BIOLOG 96-well ecoplates and incubated (26 ±1oC) over a 7-day period for metabolic analysis of 31 selected carbon substrates. Average well-color development (AWCD) of the BIOLOG ecoplates showed a significant difference between the metabolic rates of Cd2+ amended soil communities, indicating alterations in the soil microbial community structure. There was a significant decrease in AWCD in the 2.5 mM Cd2+ sample when compared to lower concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mM) and the control samples. Furthermore, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the samples showed 73.2% variation along the PC1 separating communities on Cd2+ exposure basis; however, PC2 (9.4% variation) revealed distinct clusters of communities based on the responses of the bacterial communities to Cd2+ stress, with the community in 2.5 mM exposure significantly different to communities exposed to lower concentrations. Control samples exhibited unique metabolic profiles utilizing carbohydrates, α-Cyclodextrin, Glycyl-L Glutamic Acid, and Phenylethylamine while Cd-exposed communities showed differential responses, for instance, communities exposed to lower Cd2+ concentrations disproportionately utilized polymer and D-mannitol. Bacteria amended with 2.5 mM Cd2+ guild utilization included 36.30% carbohydrates compared to the control utilizing 31.21% carbohydrates. The 2.5 mM Cd2+ bacteria also utilized 22.52% polymers compared to 10.94% polymers for control. For all concentrations amines & amides were utilized the least in a range of 4.01% to 6.95%. In conclusion, our findings showed that soil microbial communities pre-exposed to varying Cd2+ stress manifested different metabolic profiles and utilization rates of carbon substrates. Moreover, AWCD data indicated that Cd2+ addition inhibited the metabolic activity of soil microbial communities. This study underscores the need to identify Cd-resistant species that might play significant roles in metal remediation. Therefore, metagenomics analysis is needed to evaluate bacterial species and functional diversity that are selected for in the Cd2+ amended or polluted soils.https://scholarship.depauw.edu/srfposters/1165/thumbnail.jp
Art as Propaganda
No full textUnknown Artist President Mao\u27s thinking shall always shine (Cultural Revolution Propaganda Poster), 1973 Offset Lithograph Purchased by DePauw University DePauw Art Collection 2013.1.30https://scholarship.depauw.edu/peeler_exhibit/1211/thumbnail.jp
To Idleness, an Ode in Dear Yusef : essays, letters, and poems, for and about one Mr. Komunyakaa
No full textAnthology of new work from famous and new writers honoring the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning African American poet Yusef Komunyakaa -- Provided by publisher
MealWise
No full textThe days of spending hours to put together a nutritional meal plan that includes all of one’s dietary preferences, budget goals, and calorie goals are over. MealWise is software that solves the old way of meal planning. MealWise is a web application dedicated to personalized meal planning and nutrition management. The application has a simple interface so the user can enter in their meal plan preferences smoothly. MealWise uses an AI model to generate a 7-day meal plan that is based on the user’s individual preferences; it will also provide recipes and the estimated cost for each of the meals. The user can also store their generated meal plans so they can reuse them in the future. Designed by a student athlete, MealWise helps the developer get through the summers away from school where he cooks for himself. It also allows him to work with his personalized budget and still cook tasty and healthy meals
DePauw Cyber Defense
No full textDePauw Cyber Defense is an educational game designed to teach cybersecurity concepts and spread awareness in a fun and engaging manner. Through a text-based adventure format, players are challenged to navigate through various scenarios where their knowledge of cybersecurity is put to the test. Players answer questions and make strategic decisions -- actively contributing to securing the campus against a cyber threat posed by a malicious actor. DePauw Cyber Defense enhances players\u27 understanding of security concepts and helps to foster a deeper appreciation for the importance of cybersecurity within the university
CanAI
No full textWhen developing their first gameplay algorithms, most Computer Science students focus on games like Connect4, Nim, chess, or checkers that are either solved or transparent games. That is, they have a limited number of final end-states (like Connect4 or Nim), and/or all potential moves are visible to all players (like in chess or checkers). Such games are ideal for simple artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms as such programs can consider a larger suite of potential moves and their consequences than human players. In other words, the more information that can be supplied to the AI algorithm, the better the computer will be able to perform. This project aims to develop an AI algorithm to play the card game of canasta, where players compete to find sets of cards with identical ranks. In other words, players attempt to build sets of 7 cards with the same rank (e.g., 7 kings) while keeping un-played cards in their hands. Because of the size of the deck (two 52-card decks plus jokers) and the hidden nature of the game, standard AI algorithms (e.g., minimax) fail to capture the complexity of canasta, suggesting that a more nuanced algorithm is necessary. Expanding upon the basic foundations of gameplay algorithms, CanAI uses logic and probability to make educated decisions about the best moves in any stage of a canasta game. It considers information such as current played sets, previously discarded cards, known cards in each player’s hand, etc. as well the likelihood of specific cards being drawn from the deck (based on what cards have already been played), and it assimilates that information with knowledge from an experienced canasta player to determine the move that gives CanAI the best chance for victory
BetterSub
No full textInaccurate subtitles due to poor audio quality can lead to misunderstandings and hinder accessibility for viewers, particularly those who are deaf, or hard of hearing. BetterSub addresses these challenges by enhancing subtitle accuracy through the integration of traditional audio transcription and lip-reading technology. By analyzing both audio inputs and visual cues from lip movements with computer vision techniques, BetterSub provides more coherent and reliable subtitles, making content more accessible to more diverse audiences. This project not only demonstrates the practical application of machine learning and computer vision techniques but also has the potential to significantly improve accessibility for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, as well as enhance the viewing experience for all users in various scenarios