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Faculty Senate Bill Fsb-2016-04-18-01: University Curriculum Committee, Armstrong State University

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Faculty Senate Bill FSB-2016-04-18-01: University Curriculum Committee

Continuum Of A Declining Trend In Correct Self-Perception Of Body Weight Among American Adults, Amber Morgan

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background: Over the past few decades, the prevalence of obesity in the United States has steadily increased with the proportion of obese Americans projected to be about fifty percent in 2030. With more than half of adults being overweight or obese (OW/OB), an increasing number of adults failed to accurately perceive body weight, which may be a major barrier to weight loss strategies, thus, presenting a substantial challenge to prevention efforts. The objective of this study was to assess the dynamic trend of body weight related self-perception among American adults and provide recommendations for improving obesity prevention strategies.

Methods …

Being Critical: (In)Equity In Education For Students With Disabilities, Ellen Hotchkiss

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Theoretical framework: Critical pedagogy, disability studies & postmodernity. Disability studies is a burgeoning field in its nascency. Questions of identity and what is normal through the eyes of people that live in what society calls a disability, calls into question the deficit-medical model and what is worthwhile learning. It re-embraces the origins of disability rights in the civil rights movement. Only through focusing our outlook wider in a critical manner and a postmodern lens can educators build awareness, empowerment and enable equitable education for people with Dis/Abilities. Methodology: Literature review of the important theoretical frameworks, literature, and scholarship relating to …

Inhalable Exposure Levels Of Airborne Mold Spores In Rural Georgia Homes, Jacquelyn Lewis, Alli Mcinerney, Errol Spence, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Exposure to mold is known to cause allergic symptoms. Most molds produce highly allergenic proteins or glycoproteins that can cause hypersensitivity diseases in susceptible hosts. Between 10% and 60% of genetically susceptible persons develop immediate hypersensitivity to mold. The Institute of Medicine report on Damp Indoor Spaces and Health states that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that a causal relationship exists between the presence of mold and upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, hypersensitivity pneumonitis in susceptible persons, wheeze, and asthma symptoms in sensitized asthmatic persons. To our knowledge, no research has been conducted in rural Georgia to test the …

Detection Of Acinetobacter Baumanniiin Human Lice, Shamta Warang

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background: Pediculus humanus humanus and Pediculus humanus capitis are bloodsucking human ectoparasites. Human body lice have been long known to vector several human pathogens, including Rickettsia prowazekii, Bartonella quintana, and Borrelia recurrentis. In contrast, human head lice are not typically associated with carriage of any pathogens, despite sporadic findings of B. quintana and Acinetobacter baumannii in lice collected from homeless people and children in different parts of the world. The purpose of this project is to assess the prevalence of A. baumannii in human head lice collected from school children from Georgia, USA. Methodology and Data: DNA of A. baumannii …

Investigating The Role Of Itga6 In Tumor Development, Shauntell Luke

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Cancer research is a large topic in science, because over 14 million people are diagnosed worldwide, and of those, 8 million will die annually. Traditional therapies are the mainstays of treatment strategies, but a cure less invasive or with less side effects have not yet been identified. In order to develop a better cure, we need to understand the tumor and molecules present in its tissues. Integrins, cell surface proteins that aid in cell communication, have been found in the tumor tissues of several types of cancers, including prostate and neuroblastomas. Integrin alpha-6 (ITGA6), in particular, has been found to …

Developing Molecular Tools For Diagnosis Of Human Ehrlichiosis, Megan Mears

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background: Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii, E. muris and E. canis are known to cause febrile illnesses in humans and dogs. These pathogens are transmitted by ticks, and infection is established following invasion of the human or dog white blood cells. Ehrlichia chaffeensis infections of humans have a fatality rate up to 5%. Ehrlichia ewingii displays antigenic cross-reactivity with E. chaffeensis; however, laboratory case confirmation is difficult because E. ewingii is not cultivable so antigens and genetic data are hard to acquire. Our project will develop approaches and tools to characterize E. ewingii surface protein gene homologous to the major 120 …

Effects Of Serum Levels Of Vitamin A And Precursors On Colorectal Cancer Mortlaity, Chimuanya Okoli

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Objective: To examine the relationship between serum levels of Vitamin A and precursors on Colorectal cancer mortality. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 14,358 adults who participated in NHANES III. Data was collected via in home interviews and visits by participants to a mobile examination centre for blood sample collection. Characteristics such as family income, educational attainment, marital status, race and ethnicity, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, self reported health, type of resident, body size, cancer status at base line, vegetable consumption and fruit juice consumption were examined. Hazard ratio estimates for all-cause and cancer-related deaths among individuals with …

Effect Of Natural Products On Overall Microbial Activity In Household Items, Teyaijah Givens, Nosa Lloyd Nwaonumah, Brittany Loadholt, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Indoor contamination from microorganisms is an important health hazard issue (e.g., respiratory allergy, infections, and food contamination). Particularly, growth of molds and bacteria in damp environmental conditions could be hazardous for the occupants susceptible to microbial allergens. The growing awareness concerning the adverse effects of chlorine bleach and cleaning chemicals calls for field-testing new natural ingredients with functional properties against microorganisms. Essential oils possess a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity, which may be of great importance for controlling indoor microbial exposure. The objective of this study was to investigate how microbial growth in different surfaces of homes reacted to the …

Detection Of Wolbachia In Human Lice, Matthew Anderson

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background: Candidatus Riesia pediculicola is the primary endosymbiont of human lice which is important to the louse survival. However, bioinformatic analysis of the Riesia genome revealed that its vitamin B1 pathways are not complete in Riesia. These findings suggest that a secondary louse endosymbiont may be present and responsible for the missing functions. . Wolbachia, an obligate intracellular alpha proteobacteria, is a candidate for this role, similar to secondary symbionts in other arthropod hosts including those for tsetse flies, aphids and many other insects with deficient diets. The purpose of this study is to determine the infection rate of Wolbachia …

Intramolecular Cross-Linking Of Beta Subunits And Pegylation Of Bovine Stroma Free Hemoglobin For Use As A Hemoglobin Based Oxygen Carrier, Gil Salazar

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Purified Bovine Stroma-Free Hemoglobin's (BSFHb) two beta subunits where intramolecularly cross-linked (BXLHb) using bis(3,5-dibromosalicyl) fumarate (DBBF) and further modified with Polyethylene glycol (BPEGXLHb) for possible use as a Hemoglobin Based Oxygen Carrier (HBOC). Each stage of modification was characterized by size exclusion chromatography and fluorescence methods. We prepared several different molar ratios of DBBF and BSFHb to acquire the highest yield of BXLHb. Cross-linking of the beta subunits will stabilize the whole Hb tetramer from dissociation and prevent unwanted degradation of the HBOC. We prepared a sample modified with PEG (PEGylation) that had a molecular weight of 5kDa. PEGylation increases …

Inhibitory Effects Of Vinegar And Plant Essential Oils Against Airborne Molds Collected Near A Dairy Farm, Nosa Lloyd Nwaonumah, Tedd Gandy, Teyaijah Givens, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Mold growths are common in damp areas of a dairy farm and airborne mold spores and mold toxins could be hazardous for workers and animals. Mold growth often returns after remediation. The cleaning of molds in these situations by farm owners requires some mold cleaners such as bleach or other chemical solutions. However, researchers are now concerned about adverse side effects of these chemical solutions and their use in an organic farm is not desirable. Plant based products such as grape fruit seed extracts and tea tree oil have demonstrated promising effect against growth of mold pure cultures in our …

Microbial Activity And Airborne Culturable Microbial Concentrations In South Georgia Homes, Alli Mcinerney, Jacquelyn Lewis, Errol Spence, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Indoor microorganisms and microbial allergens can lead to harmful respiratory effects in the human body such as allergies, asthma, chronic bronchitis, infections, and even contamination of food stuffs. This study was conducted in order to test the indoor microbial pollutants in local Statesboro homes, and relate the findings to respiratory disease symptoms of occupants. Thus far, samples have been collected and data analyzed for 15 homes. This specific part of the study focuses on the amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in homes. ATP is a source of energy produced through glucose metabolism and the citric acid cycle. ATP levels can …

Effect Of Natural Products Against Growth Of Three Allergenic And Toxigenic Molds, Brittany Loadholt, Teyaijah Givens, Nosa Lloyd Nwaonumah, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Dampness and fungal exposures in buildings are widespread, with estimates ranging from 18% to 50% of buildings being affected. Of the 21.8 million people reported to have asthma in the USA, approximately 4.6 million cases are attributable to dampness and mold exposure in the home. Consequent national annual cost of asthma is about $3.5 billion. Several fungal genera from damp environments were reported to be associated with allergy and/or asthma and some species can release mycotoxins in the environment. Although there are several mold inhibitor or disinfectant solutions and sprays available in the market for cleaning and inhibiting mold growth, …

Secondary Data Analysis Based On Children Health Survey: On Factors Associated To Overall Dental Health Of Children In Usa, Kavita Gohil

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

The mouth is the portal of entry into the body, thus it is essential to attain and maintain oral health care. This process begins from the early period of life. Humans have two sets of teeth, and they start developing even before birth and development lasts till the age of around 25 years. Thus it is essential to take care of teeth during early stages of life, as they can affect overall well-being of the human. This paper describes how children's oral health is affected by external and internal factors and also risk factors which are associated with their oral …

Exploring Risk And Protective Factors For Alcohol And Tobacco Use Among Youth: An Innovative Approach, Moya L. Alfonso

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Most recent data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS; 2013) suggest that 41% of youth have ever tried cigarettes, and 66.2% have ever tried alcohol. Targeted public health interventions are desperately needed for this at risk population. The purpose of the secondary analysis study using YRBS data from 2011 was to use an innovative segmentation approach, chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) to identify unique segments at risk for and protected from tobacco and alcohol use to inform future public health efforts. The sample comprised 2,613 youth in middle school from racially diverse backgrounds. The segment most at risk for …

Airborne Bacterial Exposure At Workers' Breathing Height In An Organic Farm Of Rural Georgia, Tedd Gandy, Nabanita Mukherjee, Bushra Shah, Subhrajit K. Saha, Pratik Banerjee, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Organic farming has potentials to contribute substantially to future sustainable agricultural production by improving soil quality, pest control, and reduction of adverse environmental impacts in rural agricultural communities. On the other hand, application of natural farmyard manure may increase the microbial biomass in this environment and consequently microbial exposure levels among workers could be increased. To explore this possibility of excess exposure, particularly to airborne bacteria, we conducted air sampling at the vicinity of poultry and dairy sections of a large organic farm in a rural Georgia location. For air sampling, a Biostage viable cascade impactor was utilized, which comprises …

Microwave Assisted Synthesis Of Tri-Substituted Pyridazine Exploration, Austin Wright

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Pyridazines are nitrogen-containing compounds that have been found to show a number of pharmaceutical applications. They exhibit antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties to name a few. In particular: 3,4,6-triphenylpyridazine derivatives are known to possess anticancer properties. The purpose of this project is to synthesize tri-substituted pyridazine derivatives using microwave-assisted reactions, and to check its biological applications. Microwave synthesis will help shorten reaction times and produce high, efficient yields. Various catalysts, bases, reaction times, and temperatures will be explored to study the scope of the reactions.

Effects Of Rapid Ph And Salinity Change On The Physiology Of A Local Estuarine Fish Species, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Shauna Tietze

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Coastal Georgia offers a wide variety of unique aquatic environments, one of the most variable of these environments are salt marshes. Sapelo Island, Georgia, is a pristine environment that is home to many variable salt marshes. Throughout marshes, salinity ranges from freshwater to full strength sea water and acidity levels range from neutral (pH 7) to low pH (pH < 4.5). Fundulus heteroclitus (Atlantic killifish) is an example of an organism that has evolved coping strategies to withstand such a variable environment. Many laboratory studies have shown that F. heteroclitus exhibit a broad tolerance range of single stressors, however few have studied their ability to handle multiple stressors simultaneously. Our goal is to determine if exposure to low salinity and low pH combined is more stressful to F. heteroclitus than individual exposure to low salinity or low pH. To address this area of interest a laboratory experiment was designed. F. heteroclitus were captured from a site with neutral pH (6.8) and mid-range salinity (16 ppt) and held in the laboratory for one month at the same water conditions. The water conditions of the capture site represents similar conditions to where the fish were most commonly found on the island. Fish were then placed in tanks with four different water treatments; low salinity, low pH, low salinity and low pH combined, and a control and held at these conditions for one week. Six fish were sampled from each treatment group at 24 hours, 5 days, and 7 days post transfer. During sampling fish were euthanized, the gills were taken for gene expression analysis and the rest of the body was used for cortisol analysis. Changes in the mRNA expression levels of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator and Na /K -ATPase were compared between treatments using qRT-PCR analysis. These genes have been shown to play an important role in ion regulation in the gills by altering cell volume and ion movement in the sodium/potassium pump. Cortisol was also analyzed using an ELISA kit (Neogen) as a general stress response measure. I hypothesize that results from gene expression and cortisol analysis will show that F. heteroclitus challenged with low salinity and low pH combined experience a higher level of stress compared to fish challenged with only low salinity or low pH, exhibited by an increase in cortisol levels and increased expression of genes responsible for ion balance The information gained from this project will provide a better understanding of the stress this species exhibits due to rapid pH and salinity change. As well as, whether fish can rapidly adapt to changing conditions. Given the ubiquity of the common killifish and its importance in estuarine food webs, these data may provide insight into how we can manage and maintain diverse fish populations and support ecosystem functioning.

Ebola And Social Media, Kathryn C. Finch

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

We were interested in knowing the impact of social media during the 2014-2015 West Africa Ebola epidemic. The aim of this systematic review is to provide clinicians, public health practitioners and policy-makers with a comprehensive overview of the up-to-date literature on Ebola and social media. We critically appraised the quality and utility of these studies, and identified the gaps in our current understanding that invite further research efforts. In particular, we focused on the research questions and the methods of the studies: a) What were the research questions of a given study? b) What study design and research methods were …

Mathematical Models For Infectious Disease Transmission With Stochastic Simulation Of Measles Outbreaks, Valerie Welty

Honors College Theses

As they are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents worldwide, it is of extreme importance to control the spread of infectious diseases. Information gained from mathematical modeling of these events often proves quite useful in establishing policy decisions to accomplish this goal. Human behavior, however, is quite difficult to recreate when using equations with pre-determined results, such as deterministic differential equations often used with epidemic models. Because of this, the focus of the research was to create a simulation of an outbreak, specifically of measles, by using an imaginary population experiencing simulated stochastic events on a discrete …

Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Institute for Coastal Plain Science Awards Summer Graduate Student Research Assistantships
• Martha Abell, Ph.D., wins award from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA)

Social Studies With Presence: Technology Use In Kentucky Classrooms, Lesia Lennex, Andrew Perrin

Gulf South Summit on Service-Learning (Archived)

When reviewing literature for this research, it became clear that literature on the subject of technology in social studies classrooms falls into one of two main categories: how to use types of technology and teachers needing more training in technology use. This research centers on the data collected from a survey sent to Kentucky social studies teachers about their technology use in their classrooms. The initial plan for this research was to find any correlations between standardized test scores and technology use in the social studies. For this reason, surveys were intended only for 5^th, 8^th, …

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The Inkwell, Armstrong State University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University

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The Cosm Newsletter

COSM Newsletter

• Research Cooperative Membership Approved
• Bo Ginn National Fish Hatchery
• Faculty Highlights
• Professor Heralds Unsung Pioneer of Evolutionary Biology in LeConte Lecture
• Biology Students Recognized
• Special Thank You to Dr. Daniel Hagan and Miriam Hagan
• Mole Day & National Chemistry Week Celebration 2015
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• Chemistry Student Presents at Annual Biomedical Research Conference
• Dr. Anke Hildebrandt Talk
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• Dr. Maxim Durach's Nanotechnology Computational Group
• Dr. Xiaojun Wang Research in Phosphors
• Dr. Monique Aller Presents Interstellar Matter Research at the International Astronomical Union
• Physics Team …

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Honors Research Symposium Program Spring 2016, University Honors Program, Georgia Southern University

Honors College: News & Publications (2008-2020)

No abstract provided.