Minnesota State University, Mankato
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Pressing Matters: American Print Culture and the Development of Proto-Romanticism
Full text linkThis thesis explores the distinctive features of post-independence American print culture and their influence on the emergence of American Romanticism. Advancements in printing technology, the establishment of paper mills, and the proliferation of newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets created a dispersed and unrestricted print environment. This accessibility allowed for a dynamic exchange of ideas, disseminated revolutionary concepts, and cultivated a unique American ethos characterized by individualism and intellectual freedom. Key works such as Washington Irving\u27s The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. and Charles Brockden Brown\u27s Wieland and Edgar Huntly illustrate how early American Romanticism evolved to reflect the unique American experience. Themes of imagination, emotion, nature, and historical reflection are highlighted, showing how American writers adapted Romantic ideals to their distinct cultural and social context. The thesis argues that American Romanticism was shaped less by imported ideas and more by internal cultural developments, facilitated by distinct characteristics of American print culture
A Vision Transformer Based Assistive System for Dermatological Diagnosis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Full text linkSystemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a complex and often underdiagnosed autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs and presents with a wide range of symptoms-ranging from fatigue and joint pain to life-threatening organ damage. One of its most visible and diagnostically significant indicators is the Butterfly Malar Rash (BMR), a distinctive facial rash that often resembles other common dermatological conditions like rosacea, acne, eczema, and fifth disease. This overlap can lead to misdiagnosis or delayed detection, especially in busy clinical environments. To assist dermatologists in distinguishing BMR from similar facial rashes, this study explores the development of an AI-powered image classification tool using deep learning. We collected and curated a dataset of diverse facial images featuring BMR and other lookalike skin conditions. Several Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures, including DenseNet121, MobileNetV2, ResNet50, VGG16, and Xception, were first evaluated using transfer learning. While CNNs showed promising results, their performance was ultimately outpaced by Vision Transformer (ViT)-based models, particularly ViT-Small. When trained with CutMix augmentation, the ViT-Small model achieved a classification accuracy of 96%, outperforming all other tested models by approximately 10%. The goal of this work is not to replace medical expertise, but rather to provide dermatologists with a fast, consistent, and explainable tool to support early detection of BMR. This kind of assistive technology can be especially valuable in time-constrained settings or where rapid triage is required. Our findings highlight the potential of transformer-based models in medical image analysis and point toward a future where AI can augment clinical workflows, reduce diagnostic uncertainty, and ultimately improve patient outcomes in the context of SLE care
Understanding African American Male Adolescents\u27 Exposure to the Career Development Process Utilizing a Transcendental Phenomenological Approach
Full text linkThis phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of eight African American male adolescent students\u27 exposure to the career development process using transcendental and Afrocentric frameworks (Asante, 1980; 1998, 2003, 2007, 2020a; Cheatham, 1990; Moustakas, 1994). The findings revealed four themes: (a) students recall their first career aspirations from an early age, (b) the impact of family, community, and social media on students\u27 career decisions, (c) students are concerned with the lack of career development in school and the impact on their academic and career development, and (d) the value of giving back to the community motivated students\u27 career decisions. Implications for counseling African American adolescents and recommendations for research are also discussed
Plate 08: Crow Wing River Sheet 1
No full texthttps://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/maps-mn-river-surveys-volume1/1009/thumbnail.jp
Plate 45: St. Louis River Sheet 2
No full texthttps://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/maps-mn-river-surveys-volume1/1046/thumbnail.jp
Plate 11: Cannon River Sheet 1
No full texthttps://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/maps-mn-river-surveys-volume2/1010/thumbnail.jp
Plate 15: Cloquet River Sheet 1
No full texthttps://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/maps-mn-river-surveys-volume2/1014/thumbnail.jp
Plate 32: Little Fork River Sheet 1
No full texthttps://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/maps-mn-river-surveys-volume2/1030/thumbnail.jp
Plate 39: Otter Tail Lake Sheet 1
No full texthttps://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/maps-mn-river-surveys-volume2/1036/thumbnail.jp
Plate 43: Ottertail River Sheet 4
No full texthttps://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/maps-mn-river-surveys-volume2/1040/thumbnail.jp