Digital Commons Network^™

Biological Bodies: Defining Sex In The Modern Era, Bethany G. Belton

Biology Summer Fellows

Biological sex is largely accepted at face value, unquestioned by scientists or the public. It is so ingrained into our culture that it has been used to do everything from cornering the children’s toy market to justifying the exclusion of women in STEM fields . After all, who would question what we can clearly see? Boys have penises, testes, seminiferous tubules, testosterone, and rampant body hair while girls have vaginas, clitorises, ovaries, uteruses, estrogen, fallopian tubes, and breasts– plain and simple. But, what about the times when it isn’t plain and simple? What about the times when babies are born …

Fact-Finding Survey Of Defecation Behavior In Young Japanese Adults, Megumi Katayama, Yoko Aso, Aki Ibe, Osamu Katayama, Hiroko Matsuzawa

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The postures that individuals adopt when independently performing defecation behavior, and behaviors that have been devised to facilitate defecation remain unclear. The purpose of this survey was to clarify the state of defecation behavior and coping behavior for constipation in young adults.

Quantum Physics And Relativity In Lovecraft's Fiction, Garrison Mccammon

English and Creative Writing Summer Fellows

The early twentieth century brought about some of the best and most influential horror or weird tales ever written in the English speaking world. The most impressive and most lauded author of the group composed of such figures as Algernon Blackwood, M. R. James, Arthur Machen, Clark A. Smith, and Robert E. Howard was H. P. Lovecraft. Posthumously declared the literary successor to Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraft’s fiction and tales of terror have cast such a huge shadow that every significant author in weird writing since his passing has claimed him as a literary heir. Lovecraft’s works were a landmark …

The Association Of Kangaroo Mother Care, Energy Conservation, Procedural Pain, And Bonding In Preterm Neonates, Dorothy Evadne Forde, Danilo Boskovic, Eileen K. Fry-Bowers, Danilyn Mag-Akat Angeles, Douglas D. Deming, Raylene Phillips

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: To examine the association of kangaroo mother care (KMC) on energy utilization and procedural pain as evidenced by altered biochemical markers of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) degradation, (hypoxanthine (Hx), xanthine (Xa), and uric acid (UA) and oxidative stress (allantoin).

Background: Premature infants admitted to the NICU are at a high risk of suffering the consequences of early maternal separation due to their physiological and metabolic immaturity. Bonding processes of mother and infant may also be at risk from early maternal separation. Consequently, infants become vulnerable to a myriad of internal and external events that increase energy loss. Three …

Checklist Of Helminths Of Bats From Mexico And Central America, F. Agustín Jiménez, Juan M. Caspeta-Mandujano, Said B. Ramírez-Chávez, Silvia E. Ramírez-Díaz, Marissa G. Juárez-Urbina, Jorge L. Peralta-Rodríguez, José A. Guerrero

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Based on original data obtained from fieldwork conducted from January 2008 to December 2015 and from previous records from published accounts, an updated checklist of helminth parasites of bats from Mexico and Central America is presented. The checklist has been organized in four ways, first as a helminth-host list in the state of Morelos, second as a helminth-host list with taxonomic and geographic distributional information, third as a bat-helminth list with references, and last, as a summary of the host-helminth association. A total of 105 records and 67 helminth taxa (26 trematodes, 4 cestodes, and 37 nematodes [33 adult and …

Girl Crush: Liminal Identities And Lesbian Love In Children's Cartoons, Madison Bradley

Media and Communication Studies Summer Fellows

A textual analysis of the cartoon Steven Universe, this project takes a semiotic approach to explore anti-essentialist messages of gender identity. I argue that within the mainstream media, the cartoon expresses prosocial messages about gender by representing nonbinary characters and gender fluid themes. Using children’s media studies, queer studies, and reception studies, I investigate how the show portrays liminal identities. In particular, I focus on how lesbian existence and gender fluidity are simultaneously normalized and othered through the text’s visuals and dialogue. Critically analyzing the ways in which the media represents queerness as ‘too adult,’ this study reveals that children’s …

Integrin Α6Β4 Upregulates Amphiregulin And Epiregulin Through Base Excision Repair-Mediated Dna Demethylation And Promotes Genome-Wide Dna Hypomethylation, Brittany L. Carpenter, Jinpeng Liu, Lei Qi, Chi Wang, Kathleen L. O'Connor

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Aberrant DNA methylation patterns are a common theme across all cancer types. Specific DNA demethylation of regulatory sequences can result in upregulation of genes that are critical for tumor development and progression. Integrin α6β4 is highly expressed in pancreatic carcinoma and contributes to cancer progression, in part, through the specific DNA demethylation and upregulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands amphiregulin (AREG) and epiregulin (EREG). Whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) revealed that integrin α6β4 signaling promotes an overall hypomethylated state and site specific DNA demethylation of enhancer elements within the proximal promoters of AREG and EREG. Additionally, we find …

Epigenetic Marker Identification And Assessment Of Methods On Cell Type Compositions At The Epigenome-Scale, Akhilesh Kaushal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in genes which are caused by chemical compounds derived from natural and man-made sources. DNA methylation an epigenetic phenomenon, is most vulnerable to environmental factors during embryogenesis, which is a period of rapid cell division and epigenetic remodeling. Given the recent increase in the incidence of childhood diseases, it is crucial to understand the role of environmental factor through epigenetic study in causing adverse health effects. This dissertation revolves around three major hypotheses. In hypothesis one we evaluated the association between in utero arsenic exposure and genome-wide DNA methylation in cord blood from …

Life Skills Program For Improving Adolescent Mental Health In The Aftermath Mount Merapi Eruption, Yogyakarta-Indonesia, Fransiska Kaligis, Noorhana Sw, Hervita Diatri, Suryo Dharmono

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

The ability of adolescents to cope with stressful life events has notbeen well developed. Facing stressfulsituations might trigger them to engage in many dangerous and self-destructivebehaviors. Life skills program in improving mental health of adolescents has been proven in many countries, as it has in Indonesia. In post-disaster situation, there is rarelyany community program which focuses on adolescent mental health. Life skillsprogram is a psychological intervention to teach adolescents to improve theirskill to cope with stress, develop self-esteem, deal with peer pressure, thinkcritically, communicate appropriately and act assertively. Teachers and localhealth professionals who have already been trained about life skills …

A Letter From Dean Phil Bailey, Phil Bailey

Symposium

Dean Phil Bailey of the College of Science and Mathematics at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo discusses the tremendous impact the recent donation from Bill and Linda Frost will have on the university's "Learn by Doing" opportunities.

Radiation Exposure During Space Travel: Using Radioisotopes For A Comparative Study Of Human Feces And Urine As Integrated Shield Components, Noah L. Falck

Symposium

Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere deflect and absorb the majority of harmful radiation traversing Space; however, once outside Low Earth Orbit (LEO), payloads are exposed to Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) and Solar Particle Events (SPEs). While humans possess capabilities that hardware does not, we are uniquely vulnerable to radiation. Detrimental effects range from nausea and dizziness brought by intense, short term doses to increased cancer risk and impaired cognitive function associated with chronic exposure. This paper aims to explore the use of human waste (feces and urine) as radiation shields in a comparative study of urine v. water and hydrated v. …

Socioeconomic Status, Air Quality And Geographic Variation In Emergency Room Visits For Acute Bronchitis On The California Central Coast, Sean Lang-Brown, Heather W. Starnes, Gary B. Hughes

Symposium

IMPORTANCE: Analysis of geospatial variation in acute bronchitis due to socioeconomic and environmental factors can allow the efficient delivery of resources to populations most at risk.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine if small scale variation in socioeconomic factors and emergency room (ER) visits for acute bronchitis are associated in small cities or rural communities. We also modeled the effects of air quality on daily rates of ER visits for acute bronchitis in the context of socioeconomic factors to investigate modifying relationships.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We examined ER visits for acute bronchitis in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties …

Editor's Note, Jenna Vacca

Symposium

A note from the Editor-In-Chief

Symposium Volume 4, Issue 1, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Symposium

Collection of research projects conducted by students of the College of Science and Mathematics at California Polytechnic State University

The Ghost In The Machine: A Defense Of The Possibility Of Artificial Intelligence, Matthew Carlson

Episteme

The Chinese Room argument shows that the Turing test functions only by syntax, thereby revealing that the notion of meaning is not properly accounted for by the test. Thus, Searle is convincing in his refutation of the Turing test for strong artificial intelligence. Yet, while the mind is not like a program running on certain hardware, the brain is. But thinking, Searle’s real interest, is not simply running the appropriate program! Therefore, rather than providing a solution to the Mind-Body problem, Searle’s conclusion about AI begs the question about what causes semantics. Searle’s logic goes awry somewhere, and, for this …

Epidemiological Importance Of Neglected Malaria Vector Behaviors And Evaluating Novel Tools For Controlling Residual Malaria Transmission In Africa ---- Individual-Based Modeling Study, Lin Zhu

Open Access Dissertations

Malaria elimination remain a worldwide public health challenge. Residual malaria transmission has been consistently reported even in areas with adequate coverage of the two World Health Organization (WHO) recommended vector control interventions of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS). Sugar-feeding and resting are two neglected yet crucial behaviors in malaria vector biology, and the corresponding environmental resources can play a huge role on the vector biology, and consequently on malaria transmission. However, there are few research on these two behaviors. The wide use of the indoor vector control tools has increased insecticide resistance in malaria vectors and …

2016-2017 Cetl Annual Report, Cetl

CETL Reports

The Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning description of events, attendance at events, teaching workshops

Government Spending Vis-À-Vis Business Enterprise Investments On Research And Development, Michelle Mae Olvido

CNU Journal of Higher Education

This paper investigated the association of government spending and business enterprise investment to research and development. Exploratory data analysis was done on R&D expenditures on gross expenditures on Research and Development (GERD). Ratios of business enterprise investment over government spending revealed that Agriculture, Humanities and Social Sciences are usually governmentally funded; Engineering and Technology, and Medicine and Health Sciences are business-enterprise driven, and Natural Sciences is financed by both. It was also found out that business enterprises tend to support R&D sectors in high and middle-income countries, while government expenditure is more evident in low-income countries. Among the sectors, only …

Career Corner: Labcorp Seeks Technician Customer Service Support Representative In Dublin, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Career Corner: Quidel Seeks Cell Culture Manufacturing Associate In Athens Location, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Multiparametric Immune Profiling In Hpv- Oral Squamous Cell Cancer., Zipei Feng, Daniel Bethmann, Matthias Kappler, Carmen Ballesteros-Merino, Alexander Eckert, R Bryan Bell, Allen Cheng, Tuan Bui, Rom Leidner, Walter Urba, Kent Johnson, Clifford Hoyt, Carlo Bifulco, Juergen Bukur, Claudia Wickenhauser, Barbara Seliger, Bernard A Fox

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Evaluation of T lymphocyte frequency provides prognostic information for patients with oral squamous cell cancer (OSCC). However, the effect of simultaneously evaluating T cell frequency and assessing suppressive elements and defects in antigen-processing machinery (APM) has not been clarified. Simultaneous characterization of CD3+, CD8+, FoxP3+, CD163+, and PD-L1+ cells using multispectral imaging was performed on sections from 119 patients with HPV- OSCC. Expression of β2-microglobulin, MHC class I heavy chain, and large multifunctional peptidase 10 was quantified, and all data were correlated with patient outcome. We found that, consistent with previous reports, high numbers of CD8+ T cells at the …

Long-Term Ecological Research Guides Ecological Restoration And Recovery In Sandy Areas Of Northern China, Li Xinrong, Zhang Zhishan, Liu Yubing, Wang Xinping, Liu Lichao, Chen Guoxiong

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In more than 60 years since the foundation of Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station (SDRES) of Chinese Academy of Sciences, SDRES has been committing itself to serving the national needs, and made important progresses in the realms of sand hazards control, the reconstruction and restoration of desert ecosystems, eco-hydrology of sandy lands, and drought stress physiology and ecology. SDRES had been awarded the State Science and Technology Advancement Prize for two times (one for the top-class prize, and one for the second-class prize), and won the Best Practice Prize in Combating Desertification by United Nations Development Program. SDRES was …

Pediatric And Adult Dilated Cardiomyopathy Represent Distinct Pathological Entities, Meghna D. Patel, Jayaram Mohan, Caralin Schneider, Geetika Bajpai, Enkhsaikhan Purevjav, Charles E. Canter, Jeffrey Towbin, Andrea Bredemeyer, Kory J. Lavine

Open Access Publications

Pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common indication for heart transplantation in children. Despite similar genetic etiologies, medications routinely used in adult heart failure patients do not improve outcomes in the pediatric population. The mechanistic basis for these observations is unknown. We hypothesized that pediatric and adult DCM comprise distinct pathological entities, in that children do not undergo adverse remodeling, the target of adult heart failure therapies. To test this hypothesis, we examined LV specimens obtained from pediatric and adult donor controls and DCM patients. Consistent with the established pathophysiology of adult heart failure, adults with DCM displayed marked …

A Population-Specific Reference Panel Empowers Genetic Studies Of Anabaptist Populations., Liping Hou, Rachel L Kember, Jared C Roach, Jeffrey R O'Connell, David W Craig, Maja Bucan, William K Scott, Margaret Pericak-Vance, Jonathan L Haines, Michael H Crawford, Alan R Shuldiner, Francis J Mcmahon

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Genotype imputation is a powerful strategy for achieving the large sample sizes required for identification of variants underlying complex phenotypes, but imputation of rare variants remains problematic. Genetically isolated populations offer one solution, however population-specific reference panels are needed to assure optimal imputation accuracy and allele frequency estimation. Here we report the Anabaptist Genome Reference Panel (AGRP), the first whole-genome catalogue of variants and phased haplotypes in people of Amish and Mennonite ancestry. Based on high-depth whole-genome sequence (WGS) from 265 individuals, the AGRP contains >12 M high-confidence single nucleotide variants and short indels, of which ~12.5% are novel. These …

Localization Of Phonons In Mass-Disordered Alloys: A Typical Medium Dynamical Cluster Approach, Wasim Raja Mondal, N. S. Vidhyadhiraja, T. Berlijn, Juana Moreno, M. Jarrell

Faculty Publications

The effect of disorder on lattice vibrational modes has been a topic of interest for several decades. In this work, we employ a Green's function based approach, namely, the dynamical cluster approximation (DCA), to investigate phonons in mass-disordered systems. Detailed benchmarks with previous exact calculations are used to validate the method in a wide parameter space. An extension of the method, namely, the typical medium DCA (TMDCA), is used to study Anderson localization of phonons in three dimensions. We show that, for binary isotopic disorder, lighter impurities induce localized modes beyond the bandwidth of the host system, while heavier impurities …

Peruvian, Spanish, And American Nursing Faculty Attitudes To Caring For People Living With Hiv/Aids, Juan M. Leyva-Moral, Patrick Albert Palmieri, David Morina-Soler, Sandra Kay Cesario, Maria Feijoo-Cid, Patricia Noemi Piscoya-Angeles, Nataly Julissa Membrillo-Pillpe, Joan Elaine Edwards

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: Nurses acquire knowledge from biological, psychological and social sciences, with a special emphasis in the human sciences resulting in the ontological conception of caring. At the same time, nurses have their own personal beliefs, attitudes, and experiences which can impact their perceptions about patients as well as the way they care for them. Importantly, some perceptions about patients result in negative caring behaviors that produce stigmatization, solace, and hopelessness among others. If these perceptions are identified early, preventive and transformative interventions can be implemented to improve patient care and quality of life. The literature provides evidence that fears and …

Single-Species And Multiple-Species Connectivity Models For Large Mammals On The Navajo Nation, Erica Fleishman, Jesse Anderson, Brett G. Dickson

Western North American Naturalist

Estimation of connectivity for multiple species could increase the efficiency of resource management and elucidate trade-offs among maintenance of connectivity for different taxa. We identified potential areas of high connectivity for 5 species of mammals on the Navajo Nation and adjacent lands in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, USA: mountain lion (Puma concolor), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni), American black bear (Ursus americanus), and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). These species were identified by the Navajo Nation as relevant to the benefit of their present and future …

Soft Robotic Snake With Variable Stiffness Actuation, J Sheard, R Draper, M Troughton, Mf Stoelen

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017. In this paper, we present a prototype of a 3D printed snake-like robot for search and rescue applications, inspired by biological snake anatomy and locomotion. Unlike traditional robotics, this design takes advantage of soft materials to create a robot that is resilient to shock impacts, such as from falling debris or unsound flooring, and that can very its stiffness. The robot uses a flexible spine to connect multiple sections, allowing controlled actuation while providing a sturdy structure. Variable stiffness actuation is implemented through the use of elastic materials to act as tendons for the …

Cyclophyllidea Van Beneden In Braun, 1900, Jean Mariaux, Vasyl V. Tkach, Gergana P. Vasileva, Andrea Waeschenbach, Ian Beveridge, Yana D. Dimitrova, Voitto Haukisalmi, Stephen E. Greiman, D. Timothy J. Littlewood, Arseny A. Makarikov, Anna J. Phillips, Tantely Razafiarisolo, Vincent Widmer, Boyko B. Georgiev

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of Fear Ecology: A Fruit Fly (Drosophila Melanogaster) Perspective, Itachi Mills

Theses

Several mechanisms underlie how evolutionary lineages respond to predation pressures or predation risk. Further mechanisms link evolutionary predation responses to how animals forage, or find mates. However, gaps remain in our understanding about how predation and foraging interact in an evolutionary context.

In my first chapter, I elaborate on how predation and foraging relate in to one another in ecological, evolutionary and behavioral contexts. I start out with an overview of fear ecology. Then, I outline how trade-offs influence the evolution of morphological, chemical and behavioral responses to predation. I further elaborate on how these trade-offs influence reproduction. Finally, I …