University of North Georgia
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ver since I was young, I yearned to know how objects worked, how they moved, how they interacted. Growing up with the rise of technology sparked a curiosity of the innovative. From watching “How It’s Made” to tearing items apart just to build them back again, in- terlocking and interchangeable pieces have always been prominent in my life. When studying anatomy in drawing classes for college, I struggled to understand the movement and parts of human body until I compared it to a machine. This comparison sparked interest in a concept called transhumanism, a movement that shows humans advancing their way of living with the emerging technical landscape.
This fascination led to the idea of a future human race that not only interacted with machines to enhance efficiency as products but incorpo- rated them into their physical bodies as well. My piece is a small glimpse into how this future society lives. Knowing I wanted to showcase these refined humans, I decided to do so in the form of advertisements since I am pursuing a career in advertising. I pushed this concept of evolved human-living with the product I created for my ads, Petrolia. My piece showcased here is one of five total advertisements. I mimicked the look of many high-end modern lotion and moisturizer ads to convey the nature of how the product is used by these hybrids. The name is derived from the word “petroleum” to reveal its true form oil.
It only makes sense that I would be drawn to a digital medium. From the moment I made my first brush stroke in Adobe Photoshop two years ago, I was taken with the idea of technology aiding my artistic endeavors. It was then that I introduced these themes of transhumanism more prominently in my work. I have formulated a process of photo ma- nipulation and digital illustration that allows me to portray these cyborgs in a believable way. Formally, the juxtaposition of the organic and soft human body against the geometric and rigid nature of machinery serves as an ironic commentary on the robotic nature of man.
The goal of my work is to create conversation. There are critics who say technology is dehumanizing the way we interact with each other; however, I believe communication is just evolving and adapting the same way that the human race always has. I want my audience to walk away from my work thinking more deeply about the world we live in and where we are going in the future.
Contributor Bio
Jada Weaver received her B.S. in Art Marketing from the University of North Georgia at Dahlonega in 2017 with a concentration in Graphic Design and Digital Illustration. Her work is a commentary on dehumanization, trans-humanism, and our struggle with technology and industry. Her work often features cyborgs, androids, and imagery that depicts enhanced human performance through machinery. Working digitally helps Weaver convey these themes as she continues to grow as an artist and in her profes- sional career as a graphic designer.
Faculty mentor Craig Wilson
Abstract: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are a family of enzymes that confer re- sistance to a number of antibiotics, including those containing a beta lactam ring. ESBLs exhibit antibiotic resistance by destroying the antibiotic’s structure and may be encoded by bacterial plasmids that can easily be transferred between bacteria from the family Enterobacteriaceae. Organisms that produce ESBLs pose both threats and challenges in the administration of appro- priate therapeutic agents to treat infections. Water environments such as streams can help the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can originate from a variety of sources, including food processing, waste water treatment plants, and urban runoff. We are studying the isolation and identification of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae from water samples obtained from a water treatment plant and its receiving stream in north Georgia. In this paper, we carried out enumeration of ESBL-producing bacteria from water samples obtained immediately upstream and downstream from the water treatment plant. ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae were observed from both pre-treated water obtained from the water treatment plant and from upstream (240/ 100 ml) and downstream (240/ 100 ml) water samples, including ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia. Our results indicate that ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae are present in all water sources sampled. This suggests that the waste water treatment plant is not the source of these microorganisms. Further studies are needed to determine the originating source.
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ntibiotics were one of the miracles of the 20th century and were used for treating several different common infections that were fatal without treatment. Repeated exposure to antibiotics can select for bacteria-containing genes that code for antibiotic inactivating enzymes. Although some bacteria naturally possess the genes for anti- biotic resistance, other bacteria can acquire resistance via the uptake of DNA from the environment or by random DNA mutations (Lorenz and Wackernagel, 1994; Paterson and Bonomo, 2005). Therefore, common infections are now becoming harder to treat due to the frequency of oc- currence of multi-drug resistant bacteria. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than two million people in the United States become infected with antibiotic resistant microbes each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017).Enterobacteriaceae, such as Escherichia coli, are part of the natural
intestinal microbiota of humans. They can also cause common infec- tions such as GI tract distress. Most of these infections are easily treated with beta-lactam antibiotics (Damoa-Siakwan, 2005). However, some of these pathogens have gained antibiotic resistance due to acquisition of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) (Zhang et al., 2015). ESBLs are enzymes that have the ability to hydrolyze the structure of beta-lactam antibiotics, breaking open the ring and thereby inactivat- ing the antibiotic (Medeiros, 1997). ESBLs are primarily produced by