Browse the 2018 Conference Presentations Collections
Cannabinoid Mediated Inhibition of Ovarian Cancer Cell Proliferation is Mediated via Oxidative stress04/27/2018I hypothesized that the cytotoxic effects of cannabinoids will be mediated via cannabinoid (CB) receptors and cannabinoids will increase the cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). SKOV3 cell viability was determined in the presence of WST-1 reagent. Mitochondrial morphology and membrane potential (Δψm) were observed with Mitotracker Green FM and tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM). ROS were visualized with 5-(and 6)-chloromethyl-2’,7’-dichlorohydrofluorescein diacetate (CM-H2DCFDA) and dihydroethidium (DHE). The plasma membrane of the cells became permeable to Nuclear Green Dead dye. ROS was also increased in the cannabinoid-treated cells but the cytotoxic effects were not reverse by either CB1 (Rimonabant) or CB2 (AM630) receptor antagonist. Although the antioxidant α-tocopherol (vitamin E) was able to prevent the induction of cytotoxicity, water-soluble Trolox and ascorbic acid were unable to do so. |
Benjamin Franklin: ambassador for independence04/27/2018Benjamin Franklin has long been viewed as multi-faced; his credits to history include writer, inventor, politician, scientist and philosopher. However, his talent as an American diplomat, particularly in France, has not received much appeal in historiographic circles. Historiography has focused on Franklin's achievements at home and his work on behalf of the United States in Great Britain. The importance of his duties as Minister to France were vital to American Independence, and merits admiration as well. This paper examines Benjamin Franklin's indispensable role in securing this alliance. The paper provides convincing evidence, through primary materials, that Benjamin Franklin was the necessary American commissioner. Without his assistance, French aid to America's struggling war effort would not have been forthcoming, thus independence would not have occurred. The importance of this paper suggests that American history would have taken a very different course if Franklin had not been a diplomat working for American interests in Paris. This study includes supporting evidence that America's military victory over the British depended on French intervention, and that the revolution undertaken in the United States would serve as inspiration for the French to pursue their own revolution less than a decade later. This paper strives to contribute to the historiography of American diplomatic history through the examination of Benjamin Franklin's role as an ambassador to France during the Revolutionary War, and to further his contribution as seen in the historiographic discipline. |
Art Restitution after World War I: Historical, Legal, and Ethical Approaches for Museum Professionals04/27/2018World War I is one of the most researched topics in history, with repercussions still impacting the international museum community. The Nazis looted an estimated one-third of Europe's art. Because of this, works of art ended up scattered across Europe and the U.S., both in public museum collections and hidden in private collections. Internationally, restitution efforts began again in the 1990s, arising from the field of Holocaust Era Art Restitution. Since then, museums have been at the center of legal battles, conferences, and national declarations. This study will explain the historical context, and then use a case study of a recent dispute over Holocaust-looted art in a museum as an example. The goal is to create a framework for museum professionals who strive to practice high ethical standards regarding the restitution of works looted in connection with the events of World War I. |
An Underground History: London’s Forty Elephants04/27/2018Often, women in organized crime are seen as inferior to men because of a preconceived notion that surrounded women of the early twentieth-century. Comparing the women in the various classes to the women of the Forty Elephants, along with the gangs of men shows a pattern of crime that has easily earned itself a place in history in its own right. Women or the goals of women were different than the men. By defining what organized crime in England was, what types of women turned to organized crime, and discovering their motivations to turning to crime rather than being involved in a more traditional role it will help add to the historiography as proof that women and men were playing in the same underground world, but with slightly different motivations. The Forty Elephants had their own system of committing crime and it was one that is well worth examining. |
An Application of Critical Theory to Twenty One Pilots04/27/2018Critical theory is not limited to analyzing literature and texts. It can be used to provide meaning to many aspects in our culture, including music. Twenty One Pilots wrote a song titled "Ode to Sleep" that provides room for interpretation as it is vague and does not make sense on its own. However, I will apply some terms from psychoanalytical theory defined by Lois Tyson to explain what is going on in the song psychologically and how that is a representation of the songwriter drawing meaning from his own song. I will also apply terms from Tyson's reader response theory to illustrate how vaguer parts of the song can be explained through the listener's own interpretation. By combining these two theories of interpretation to the song, an overall message behind it will be accessed. This analysis exemplifies a dual responsibility between the artist and the audience. A complete meaning is not solely drawn from the artist, but from those observing the art as well. |
An Analysis of Fried Green Tomatoes through Critical Race Theory04/27/2018What message does Fried Green Tomatoes send about race relations and African American representation? I am using the structure of Critical Race Theory to analyze the characters of the novel, their relationships, motivations and actions, and relate it to the history of African American representation in American literature. My purpose is to reveal where Flagg has successfully broken away from reductive portrayals and what problems still remain. Characters will be compared and contrasted with stereotypes such as the Mammy and Uncle Tom. Of special note is the unerring supportiveness of the black characters, namely Big George, Sipsey, and Onzell, toward the white Threadgoodes and whether it plays into the "Magical Negro" stock character type. |