Digital Commons Network^™

Sustaining Autonomous Communities In The Modern United States (The United Communities Of America), Lucas Hester

Senior Theses

America has become industrialized and characterized by social anxiety and overconsumption. The inability to be sustainable has led the once plentiful and flourishing nation into an ongoing sustainability crisis. Even if there is a deep connection between them, this essay focuses on social sustainability rather than ecological. It argues for an intentional community-based framework to keep American life sustainable. Pollution, civil unrest, and intense social anxiety create unfulfilling life conditions for many American citizens. Using examples from modern American intentional communities, I will explain the need for self-directing, close-knit communities. Flourishing community members, as it will be considered from sociological …

Bhagat Inspired The Term 'Parth'd It' As Synonym For Problem-Solving, Haley Herfurth

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Aging, Inflammation, And Gut Microbiota In Mice, Jody Demeo

Honors Projects

Inflammation and gut microbiota are two areas of study that can be linked to aging in the body. As a person ages, systemic inflammation tends to increase, and changes in microbiota in the gastrointestinal system occur as well.

Ocean Convergence And The Dispersion Of Flotsam, Eric A. D'Asaro, Andrey Y. Scherbina, Jody M. Klymak, Jeroen Molemaker, Guillaume Novelli, Cedric M. Guigand, Angelique C. Haza, Brian K. Haus, Edward H. Ryan, Gregg A. Jacobs, Helga S. Huntley, Nathan J. M. Laxague, Shuyi Chen, Falko Judt, James C. Mcwilliams, Roy Barkan, A. D. Kirwan Jr., Andrew C. Poje, Tamay M. Özgökmen

Publications and Research

Floating oil, plastics, and marine organisms are continually redistributed by ocean surface currents. Prediction of their resulting distribution on the surface is a fundamental, long-standing, and practically important problem. The dominant paradigm is dispersion within the dynamical context of a nondivergent flow: objects initially close together will on average spread apart but the area of surface patches of material does not change. Although this paradigm is likely valid at mesoscales, larger than 100 km in horizontal scale, recent theoretical studies of submesoscales (less than ∼10 km) predict strong surface convergences and downwelling associated with horizontal density fronts and cyclonic vortices. …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, December 11, 2017, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC December Report
• Council on Teacher Education (CTE) Annual Report
• Scholarship Advisory Board Annual Report
• Policy 405.11.4 External Peer Reviews (first reading)

Host Microbiome Regulation Of Hyperthermia Mediated By 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Mdma, Molly), Emily Ridge

Honors Projects

Hyperthermia is one of the most acute and life-threatening consequences of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use. The hyperthermia induced by MDMA involves a complex interaction between heat generation and loss of heat dissipation. Recent studies have demonstrated a role for gut microbiome in the regulation of body weight and temperature. Here, we investigated the potential role of the gut microbiome in MDMA-mediated hyperthermia. For fourteen days prior to treatment with MDMA (20 mg/kg, sc) male, Sprague-Dawley rats were provided regular drinking water or drinking water laced with the non-absorbable antibiotics, bacitracin (0.5 mg/mL), neomycin (2mg/mL), and vancomycin (0.2mg/mL). Antibiotic (ABX) treatment reduced …

Beyond No Fracking: An Anthropological Study Of Individuals Pursuing Sustainable Lifestyles In Eastern Kentucky, Meg Carter

Honors Theses

This study combines research and oral histories that were conducted with eight individuals in Kentucky who are pursuing sustainable lifestyles through practicing methods such as homesteading, living off-the-grid, permaculture, and natural farming techniques. The paper provides a brief history of homesteading and details how the homesteading of today differs from off-the-grid living. It also provides some of the history of Eastern Kentucky and gives insights into the history of homesteading and sustenance farming in the area. The unrehearsed oral history interviews share information that includes, but is not limited to, interviewees’ reasons for why and how they began their transition …

Chevron, And Beyond The Infinite: The Judicial And Legislative Challenges To The Administrative State, Shane Labarge

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

Structural And Functional Insights Into The Role Of Bamd And Bame Within The Β-Barrel Assembly Machinery In Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, Aleksandra E. Sikora, Igor H. Wierzbicki, Ryszard A. Zielke, Rachael F. Ryner, Konstantin V. Korotkov, Susan K. Buchanan, Nicholas Noinaj

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) is a conserved multicomponent protein complex responsible for the biogenesis of β-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs) in Gram-negative bacteria. Given its role in the production of OMPs for survival and pathogenesis, BAM represents an attractive target for the development of therapeutic interventions, including drugs and vaccines against multidrug-resistant bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The first structure of BamA, the central component of BAM, was from N. gonorrhoeae, the etiological agent of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea. To aid in pharmaceutical targeting of BAM, we expanded our studies to BamD and BamE within …

The Analytical Methods Used To Detect Fluoride In Dental Pharmaceuticals, Amber Aboona

Honors College Theses

My thesis, “The Analytical Methods Used to Detect Fluoride in Dental Pharmaceuticals” discusses the various analytical chemistry methods which are incorporated in the field of dentistry in order to detect fluoride in pharmaceuticals such as toothpaste and mouthwash. The oral cavity is exposed to various forms of bacteria, many of which enter through the consumption of foods and drinks that contain sugar and starch. The side effects of fluoride have been a controversial component of oral healthcare, however, many benefits have been discussed. Water fluoridation has been one of many significant methods of incorporating fluoride into the oral cavity, enhancing …

Homogenization Techniques For Population Dynamics In Strongly Heterogeneous Landscapes, Brian P. Yurk, Christina A. Cobbold

Faculty Publications

An important problem in spatial ecology is to understand how population-scale patterns emerge from individual-level birth, death, and movement processes. These processes, which depend on local landscape characteristics, vary spatially and may exhibit sharp transitions through behavioural responses to habitat edges, leading to discontinuous population densities. Such systems can be modelled using reaction–diffusion equations with interface conditions that capture local behaviour at patch boundaries. In this work we develop a novel homogenization technique to approximate the large-scale dynamics of the system. We illustrate our approach, which also generalizes to multiple species, with an example of logistic growth within a periodic …

Sea Star Wasting Disease In Asterias Forbesi Along The Atlantic Coast Of North America, Caitlin Bucci, Madison Francoeur, Jillon Mcgreal, Roxanna Smolowitz, Vanesa Zazueta-Novoa, Gary M. Wessel, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

As keystone species, sea stars serve to maintain biodiversity and species distribution through trophic level interactions in marine ecosystems. Recently, Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) has caused widespread mass mortality in several sea star species from the Pacific Coast of the United States of America (USA) and Asterias forbesi on the Atlantic Coast. A densovirus, named Sea Star associated Densovirus (SSaDV), has been associated with the wasting disease in Pacific Coast sea stars, and limited samples of A. forbesi. The goal of this research is to examine the pathogenesis of SSWD in A. forbesi on the Atlantic …

2017-December-11-Commencement Security Protocols, University Marketing And Communications, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.

The Bg News December 11, 2017, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. December 11, 2017. Volume 97-Issue 34.

Saving The Planet Begins With Saving The Coral Reefs, Marla Maconochie

Honors Projects

This honors project uses a children’s book format to aid in explaining the importance of saving the coral reefs. This book will be informing the younger generations about important, yet complicated issues at hand in a way that they can understand and relate to. The book explains how coral reefs are important for oxygen production, biodiversity, research opportunities, protection of coastal environments and for the economy. The children’s book explains how human activities and natural stressors can impact coral survivorship. The book explains how overfishing allows for excessive algal growth that smothers corals and tackles how coral bleaching occurs and …

Genetic Epidemiology Of Neural Tube Defects, Philip J Lupo, A J Agopian, Heidi Castillo, Jonathan Castillo, Gerald H Clayton, Nienke P Dosa, Betsy Hopson, David B Joseph, Brandon G Rocque, William O Walker, John S Wiener, Laura E Mitchell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

It has been estimated that 60-70% of neural tube defects (NTDs) have a genetic component, but few causative genes have been identified. The lack of information on genes associated with non-syndromic NTDs in humans is especially notable as the "genomic revolution" has led to new tools (e.g., genome-wide genotyping arrays, next-generation sequencing) that are helping to elucidate the full spectrum of genetic variation (from common to rare) contributing to complex traits, including structural birth defects. However, the application of modern genomic approaches to the study of NTDs has lagged behind that of some other common structural birth defects. This may …

Week Of December 11, 2017, New York Medical College

InTouch

• SOM Launches Bench-to-Bedside Seminar Series
• Student Services Announces New Positions

A Comparison Of The Social-Adaptive Perspective And Functionalist Perspective On Guilt And Shame, Heidi L. Dempsey

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Within the field of guilt and shame two competing perspectives have been advanced. The first, the social-adaptive perspective, proposes that guilt is an inherently adaptive emotion and shame is an inherently maladaptive emotion. Thus, those interested in moral character development and psychopathology should work to increase an individual’s guilt-proneness and decrease an individual’s shame-proneness. The functionalist perspective, in contrast, argues that both guilt and shame can serve a person adaptively or maladaptively—depending on the situational appropriateness, duration, intensity, and so forth. This paper reviews the research conducted supporting both positions; critiques some issues with the most widely used guilt- and …

Lanthorn, Vol. 52, No. 31, December 11, 2017, Grand Valley State University

Volume 52, July 10, 2017 - April 23, 2018

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

On Location, K Parker

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Kayla Parker’s film On Location poses questions of radicalism both in terms of audio visual aesthetics and of filmmaking methodology in addition to more overtly political issues of environmental degradation, human and non-human relations and marginalised femininities. Acknowledging that her method of filmmaking is ‘predicated on there being no conscious aim either before or during the making process’, Parker reverse engineers an experimental approach to landscape filmmaking that synthesises phenomenology, écriture feminine, structural materialism and critical geography. The result is a beautiful depiction of the countryside hollow way visited by the British avant-garde filmmaker and performance artist, Annabel Nicolson, forty …

Safety First: Fostering The Neurological Experience Of Safety In Dance/Movement Therapy Sessions For Survivors Of Sexual Trauma, Chelsea Joy Davis

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this clinical case study was to explore and describe how a neurological experience of safety was fostered for survivors of sexual trauma in dance/movement therapy sessions at a community-based rape-crisis counseling center. This study focused on how the theories of trauma-informed therapy and dance/movement therapy were applied to clinical practice with survivors of sexual trauma in order to shift them out of trauma-related responses. Reflections on this process were captured via structured and narrative journaling, which was then synthesized by highlighting and interpreting common themes that emerged. Findings indicated that externalizing trauma-related responses using symbolic imagery and …

Expression And Role Of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone 2 And Its Receptor In Mammals, Amy Desaulniers, Rebecca A. Cederberg, Clay A. Lents, Brett R. White

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1 (GnRH1) and its receptor (GnRHR1) drive mammalian reproduction via regulation of the gonadotropins. Yet, a second form of GnRH (GnRH2) and its receptor (GnRHR2) also exist in mammals. GnRH2 has been completely conserved throughout 500 million years of evolution, signifying high selection pressure and a critical biological role. However, the GnRH2 gene is absent (e.g., rat) or inactivated (e.g., cow and sheep) in some species but retained in others (e.g., human, horse, and pig). Likewise, many species (e.g., human, chimpanzee, cow, and sheep) retain the GnRHR2 gene but lack the appropriate coding sequence to produce a full-length …

The Effects Of Equine Assisted Learning On Emotional Intelligence Competencies And Leadership Skills, Jade E. Rauen

Honors Theses

The Effects of Equine Assisted Learning on

Emotional Intelligence Competencies and Leadership Skills

Jade Rauen

Dr. Kelly L. Leigers, PhD, OTR/L, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Since the development and understanding of the term emotional intelligence (EI), researchers and businessmen alike have strived to find a way to improve EI competencies. Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) is a branch of Equine Therapy that uses the horse to facilitate change in humans. In recent years, EAL has been applied to the field of leadership development. Can a horse intrinsically instill competencies that effect leadership skills in humans? There is limited literature …

Bi-Axial Tissue Stretching Machine: Mems 411 Senior Design Project, Wending Zhu, Martin Valkov, Jordan Patterson

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

This report contains information on the development of a device to strain polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel samples. The device was made with the purpose of gathering data on the creation of anisotropy in brain tissue-like materials, such as PVA, by repeatedly subjecting materials to strain in low temperatures.

Water Lenses For Low-Cost Concentrator Photovoltaics, Christophe Foyer, Adam Rangwala, Deep Nana

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The goal of this project was to study the economic feasibility of using water lenses to provide low-cost Concentrator PhotoVoltaic (CPV) arrays as an alternative to using conventional optics. We employed numerical analysis of the lens using Finite Element Analysis and ray tracing to conceive a light focusing apparatus with the goal of learning more about the advantages and limitations of such designs.

Bomber Boy, Biying Xu

Theses

Bomber Boy is a 2D animation thesis with a length of three minutes and 44 seconds. It is a story about finding a better way to control temper to avoid causing harm to others. It happens in a world that people blow up when they are angry. All the people in this world have a fuse on their head. While the main character, Thorn, has a very short fuse. He blows up quickly because of it. He blows up several times in school, which makes other students afraid of him. He hates himself and runs into an illusion that he …

Landscape Of Change: An Ecocritical View Of Willa Cather’S My Antonia, Melissa Taitano

Agora

No abstract provided.

The Social Nature In John Stuart Mill’S Utilitarianism, Helena Snopek

Agora

No abstract provided.

On Earth As It Is In Heaven: Politics And Theology In Paradise Lost, Alanna Macdonald

Agora

No abstract provided.

Dialogues On Ethical Vegetarianism, Michael Huemer

Between the Species

Two philosophy students, M and V, discuss the ethics of meat consumption. Standard arguments on both sides are reviewed, with emphasis on the argument that meat-consumption is wrong because it supports extreme cruelty. M and V also address such questions as how conflicting intuitions ought to be weighed, whether meat-eating is comparable to participating in a holocaust, why ethical arguments often fail to change our behavior even when they change our beliefs, and how an ethical vegetarian morally ought to interact with non-vegetarians.