Digital Commons Network^™

Chronic Wasting Disease: Crossing The Species Barrier Into Human Populations, Stephanie Barrett, Shruti Venkatesh, Robert Johnson

Research Days Posters 2023

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a prion disease causing degeneration of the centralnervous system within various species of deer, elk, moose and caribou, collectively known as cervids. CWD originated in Colorado in the 1960s and has spread to 29 states, four Canadian provinces, three Scandinavian countries and South Korea. Prions are excreted through bodily fluids, waste, and decomposing carcasses that remain inthe environment, posing a potential threat to other species. A significant number of people are directly exposed to CWD prions through handling and consumption of contaminated cervid carcasses and using cervid brains for tanning. Similar exposure, through incorporation of …

How Does Capitalism Desensitize Us To The Suffering Of Others?, Jaden Archer

Research Days Posters 2023

While football (soccer) is widely known for its captivating atmospheres and immense camaraderie, one must not be blinded to the sinister behavior of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) [International Federation of Association Football] in recent times, especially amid the sought-after World Cup, hosted in Qatar, involving massive projects made possible through irresistible sums of money. Capitalism operates as a double-edged sword being that it is more than capable of bringing about growth and prosperity while simultaneously producing social conflict and human degradation, which is often disregarded by the former. The power-hungry Gulf-state has prioritized enticing profits over the …

The Animal-Agriculture Industry And Its Environmental Impact, Teddy D'Angelo

Research Days Posters 2023

The animal-agriculture industry is one of the highest greenhouse gas-emitting industries, rivaling other industries such as oil and gas. For example, the top five dairy and meat companies in the United States produce more greenhouse gas emissions than Exxon Mobil. Despite the negative impacts that the industry has on the environment, there is limited regulation as companies lobby governments to exclude them from climate legislation and allow them to continue their practices. Furthermore, the industry ensures that the public does not know the true impact it has on the destruction of the environment and pushes the idea that eating meat …

The Fossils Of Binghamton University, Albert Tan

Research Days Posters 2023

During the Devonian Period (419 to 358 Mya), most of the North American continent including New York State would have been covered by a warm, shallow sea where marine life flourished. Binghamton's paleontological/geological past is relatively unknown to those outside of the environmental science or geology sphere. This project seeks to display our fascinating past, encourage others to explore the field of geology and environmental science and provide insight on fossil hunting as a hobby. Within the boundaries of Binghamton University: The Nature Preserve, Fuller Hollow Creek, Stair Park, and Nuthatch Hollow contain fossils of marine organisms, tree debris and …

The Influence Of Colored Light On Mexican Jumping Bean Larva (Laspeyresia Saltitans) Activity, Amber Tuske, Faith Summers, Andrés Rojo, Annie Wong, Cassandra Puglisi

Research Days Posters 2023

The Mexican jumping bean larva, Laspeyresia saltitans, is a moth larva that lives in the seeds of a fern, Sebastiana pavoniana, found throughout deserts in Mexico. Mexican jumping bean larvae are known to jump to avoid the intense heat and sunlight of their environment, but little is known about the specific cues that induce this behavior. We analyzed how different wavelengths of light affected the activity of the jumping bean larvae through exposure to red, green, purple and white light. Larval movement from their original position was measured, and we determined the greatest displacement occurred under red light, and the …

For Your Eyes Only: Do Visual System Differences Between Predators And Conspecifics Influence Perception Of Lizard Body Coloration?, Andrés Rojo

Research Days Posters 2023

Because predator and prey each see the world in different ways – with different color perceptions and visual acuities – whether colorful traits of animals arise as a result of camouflage or social signaling is not always readily apparent. Water anoles (Anolis aquaticus) are Central American lizards that use visual signals in conspecific interactions. We compared lizard and avian visual models to examine lizard conspicuousness to conspecifics and predators. Using the image processing software ImageJ and the plug-in micaToolbox, visual system models of lizard predators and conspecifics were applied to photos of A. aquaticus and their substrates obtained from a …

The Effect Of Fast Food Consumption On Development Of Mental Disorders, Emily Hanlon, Logan Hou, Victoria Hilbert, Elliott Ifraimov

Research Days Posters 2023

Increasing evidence suggests a relationship between fast food consumption and the progression of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. The study conducted aimed to identify whether or not there is an association between these two factors. An anonymous online survey was administered through Google forms. The survey included basic demographic questions regarding diet and mood. Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to analyze data in SPSS version 25.0. Our results suggest that there is an association between increased consumption of fast food and the prevalence of mental disorders. Practicing healthier eating habits along with limiting fast food consumption may prevent …

Comparison Of Human Rights Laws Concerning Torture, Access To Medical Care, And Freedom Of Movement To First-Hand Guantanamo Memoirs, Emma Deoliveira

Research Days Posters 2023

The U.S. government made use of a CIA black site at Guantanamo Bay detention facility to torture suspected terrorists into providing intelligence following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In spite of their knowledge against its use, the U.S. government authorized the use of these “enhanced interrogation techniques” despite their being in clear violation of the Torture Statute and the Detainee Treatment Act as well as a number of international frameworks including the UDHR, the ICCPR, and the CAT. Detainees rights were also infringed upon by lack of adequate medical care during detention and inhibition of movement following release. …

Effects Of Sudden Removal Of High Social Enrichment Upon Monoamine Levels In Cortical And Subcortical Structures Of The Rat Brain, Rachel Lichtenstein, Spencer Feehan, Hailey Robson

Research Days Posters 2023

The goal of this study was to evaluate a novel stress-induced animal model in both male (n=28) and female (n=28) Sprague-Dawley rats. Stress was induced during adolescence by exposing the rats to standard social enrichment following a period of high* social enrichment (*frequent handling and playdates with 12 same sex non-cagemates). High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used to evaluate monoamine levels in post-mortem tissue from cortical structures (prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex) and from subcortical structures (amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, lateral thalamus, medial thalamus, dorsal striatum, ventral striatum). Overall, results showed that monoamine levels were lower in …

Implementing Nature's Rights In Colombia: The Arato And Amazon Experiences, Camila Bustos, Whitney Richardson

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Nature's rights approaches are being developed as an alternative legal means to enable justice for nature and, oftentimes, humans, too. This study examines Colombia's two seminal court-ordered nature's rights approaches which recognize ecosystems-the Atrato River Basin (2016) and the Colombian Amazon (2018)-as a legal subject with rights to protection, maintenance, conservation, and restoration. Developed as remedies for human rights violations, both cases offer opportunities to explore variations in nature's rights approaches and the relationship between efforts to enable justice for humans and nature. We build on existing scholarly engagement with the cases by contributing a detailed archival study on their …

Transcriptomic Responses Of Females To Consumption Of Nuptial Food Gifts As A Potential Mediator Of Sexual Conflict In Decorated Crickets, Bert Foquet, James Rapkin, Manmohan D. Sharma, Ben M. Sadd, Scott K. Sakaluk, John Hunt

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Nuptial food gift provisioning by males to females at mating is a strategy in many insects that is thought to be shaped by sexual conflict or sexual selection, as it affords males access to a female's physiology. While males often attempt to use these gifts to influence female behaviour to their own advantage, females can evolve counter mechanisms. In decorated crickets, the male's nuptial gift comprises part of the spermatophore, the spermatophylax, the feeding on which deters the female from prematurely terminating sperm transfer. However, ingested compounds in the spermatophylax and attachment of the sperm-containing ampulla could further influence female …

Evaluating Non-Point Source Microplastic Pollution And Its Impact On Biota In The Huron River, Morgan H. Chaudry

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), like microplastics and pharmaceuticals, are a growing threat to aquatic ecosystems across the globe. Microplastics can be transported into waterways through a myriad of sources, including point sources such as wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and nonpoint sources, such as runoff. Microplastics can act as vectors for other CECs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), into biota. The goal of this study was to evaluate 1) the importance of non-point sources of microplastic pollution to the Huron River, 2) if aquatic filter feeders ingest microplastics, and 3) how the interaction of microplastics and pharmaceuticals affect filter …

A Bibliometric Analysis Of Biomedical Research Productivity In Africa South Of Sahara 2010- 2022, Jackline Kiwelu, Peter Gatiti, Alice Akiteng Okure

Libraries

The purpose of this study was to analyze biomedical research productivity in Africa South of Sahara indexed in Scopus. Using a retrospective bibliometric analysis with Scopus databases, data covering 2010-2022 from 41 South of Sahara countries was retrieved and analysed using H-Index, webometrics and impact factor. The results show that the biomedical research output by Africa South of Sahara was 2,207 documents, almost half (1,087) from South Africa alone followed by Nigeria (282), Kenya (236) and Uganda (193). The least was Somalia, one (01) document. Overall, the University of Cape Town in South Africa had the highest publications (269) as …

เศรษฐกิจพอเพียงกรอบคิดการพัฒนาชุมชนชาติพันธุ์ของรัฐไทย : ศึกษาความเปลี่ยนแปลง วิถีชีวิต กิจกรรมทางเศรษฐกิจ บริบททางสังคมและชุมชนของชนเผ่าในบริเวณศูนย์พัฒนาโครงการหลวงหนองหอย จังหวัดเชียงใหม่, วสันต์ ปวนปันวงศ์

Journal of Social Sciences

บทความวิจัยฉบับนี้สะท้อนให้เห็นความซับซ้อนด้านอุดมการณ์ของรัฐผ่านวาทกรรมการพัฒนาพื้นที่ห่างไกล พื้นที่ชายขอบ และกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ ว่าท้ายสุดแล้วประเด็นเรื่องการนำปรัชญาเศรษฐกิจพอเพียงมาเป็นแนวทางพัฒนานั้นมีความเป็นไปได้มากเพียงใดและความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างโครงการหลวงหนองหอยกับชุมชนชาติพันธุ์มีทิศทางการพัฒนาและการตอบสนองอย่างไร จึงนำไปสู่วัตุประสงค์กล่าวคือ เพื่อศึกษาความเปลี่ยนแปลง วิถีชีวิต กิจกรรมทางเศรษฐกิจ บริบททางสังคมและชุมชนของชนเผ่าในบริเวณศูนย์พัฒนาโครงการหลวงหนองหอย จังหวัดเชียงใหม่บนกรอบคิดการพัฒนาชุมชนชาติพันธุ์ของรัฐไทยภายใต้แนวทางเศรษฐกิจพอเพียง การศึกษาดังกล่าวเลือกนำเสนอข้อมูลที่ได้จากการวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพซึ่งมีกลุ่มผู้ให้ข้อมูลทั้งภาครัฐและภาคประชาชนที่เกี่ยวข้อง ข้อค้นพบในงานวิจัย คือ หน่วยงานภาครัฐและนโยบายรัฐส่วนกลางก่อให้เกิดความเปลี่ยนแปลงทางด้านสังคม วัฒนธรรม วิถีชีวิต และระบบเศรษฐกิจ อย่างมากต่อชาติพันธุ์ซึ่งความเปลี่ยนแปลงที่เกิดขึ้นไม่ได้เป็นลักษณะของการคุกคามและบังคับแต่เป็น “การเกื้อหนุนกัน” ซึ่งกันและกันระหว่างโครงการหลวงในฐานะหน่วยงานของรัฐในการนำนโยบายจากรัฐเข้าสู่พื้นที่ชายขอบที่ห่างไกลอำนาจรัฐผ่านวาทกรรมการพัฒนา

Prodromal Glutamatergic Modulation With Riluzole Impacts Glucose Homeostasis And Spatial Cognition In Alzheimer's Disease Mice., Caleigh A Findley, Samuel A Mcfadden, Makayla F Cox, Lindsey N Sime, Mackenzie R Peck, Kathleen Quinn, Andrzej Bartke, Kevin N Hascup, Erin R Hascup

Articles

BACKGROUND: Prior research supports a strong link between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and metabolic dysfunction that involves a multi-directional interaction between glucose, glutamatergic homeostasis, and amyloid pathology. Elevated soluble amyloid-β (Aβ) is an early biomarker for AD-associated cognitive decline that contributes to concurrent glutamatergic and metabolic dyshomeostasis in humans and male transgenic AD mice. Yet, it remains unclear how primary time-sensitive targeting of hippocampal glutamatergic activity may impact glucose regulation in an amyloidogenic mouse model. Previous studies have illustrated increased glucose uptake and metabolism using a neuroprotective glutamate modulator (riluzole), supporting the link between glucose and glutamatergic homeostasis.

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized …

The Effects Of Body Weight, Feed Intake, And Weather On Total And Liquid Water Intake In Growing Beef Cattle, Madison Rae Kovarna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research conducted in the 1950s to determine water requirements utilized cattle that vary greatly from the animals being raised today. Additionally, most of the previous research has been conducted on animals being fed for slaughter, rather than bulls or reproductive females. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of weather variables, dry matter intake (DMI), and body weight (BW) on total daily water intake (TDWI) and liquid daily water intake (LDWI) in growing beef bulls and heifers. Two contemporary groups of Angus and Simmental x Angus bulls and heifers over a two-year period were utilized in this …

A Wolf In Sheep’S Clothing: Prop 22 And The Exploitation Of Californian Workers, Erica Oconnell

University of the Pacific Law Review

No abstract provided.

Nonjudicial Punishment, Frank Rosenblatt

Journal Articles

In the civilian world, the dispensation of punishment is reserved for judicial tribunals. Not so in the military justice systems of the United States and other nations. There, nonlawyer military leaders administer so-called “nonjudicial punishment” to address minor offenses in the ranks. Nonjudicial punishment, despite a long and sometimes bloody history, has survived efforts to modernize military justice. In fact, it has flourished: today it is the predominant form of military justice in the United States, outnumbering courts-martial nearly twenty to one. This Article analyzes the features and purposes of this unique punishment regime. The Article argues that nonjudicial punishment …

Miniscule And Might Predators: A Cautionary Tale Of The Power Of Mosquitoes In California And The Greater United States, Benjamin Willett

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis investigates how the growth of mosquito populations within the United States, and California specifically, poses unique threats both to public health and socio- political conditions. Mosquito species that are native to the country, Anopheles punctipennis (An. Punctipennis) and Anopheles freeborni (An. freeborni) exist in a uniquely threatening position, bolstered by the introduction of invasive species (Ae. aegypti) and Aedes albopictus (Ae. albopictus). A focus on tracing introductions of invasive species and the resulting spread of zoonotic diseases such as yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya are valuable indicators of how the insects are influenced by human actions. This relationship …

Effects Of Indonesian Cuisine On The Dutch Kitchen And Culture Post World War Ii, Anton Syril Van Schaik

Pitzer Senior Theses

As a colony of the Netherlands, the Dutch East Indies (upon independence named Indonesia) was a prodigious source of economic revenue -- first due to the spice trade and then coffee -- for the Netherlands from around 1610 to 1949. But, despite the long history of Dutch colonization in Southeast Asia, Indonesian cuisine failed to make a large impact on Dutch culture and cuisine until the 1940s. Before World War II, despite the Netherlands primarily deriving its revenue from global trade, both economically, and especially culturally, all areas, except for the economically engaged, Western cities, were extremely insulated. However, due …

La Puerta Park, Graeme F. Logan

Pitzer Senior Theses

The thesis at hand analyzed ecological corridors, biophilic design, and native planting as individual design entities, and eventually combined them through the creation of a comprehensive park proposal called La Puerta Park. The park was located in the urban matrix of Claremont, CA on a 10-acre parcel of land. The land was recently purchased by Trumark Housing, and a housing development plan was put forth. This project creates a superior alternative to the high levels of impervious surfaces, loss of biodiversity, and lack of community that would ensue after the housing plan implementation. The design process was fluid, as each …

Decolonial Foodurisms: From Plantations To Agricultural Spaces Of Intersectional Healing, Dominic Arzadon

Pitzer Senior Theses

Considering the complex colonial histories and relationalities associated with agricultural food production, a reimagined future beyond the violent legacy of plantations is presented. Exploring land as the site for intersectional healing to take place, the symbiotic relationship between humans and food production is increasingly becoming a reality—a theoretical framework I propose called decolonial foodurisms (pronounced food-yoor-isms). Combining “food” and “futurism” to emphasize that our collective futures are predicated on food security and food justice for all and especially for marginalized and racialized communities with ancestral ties to agricultural violence, decolonial foodurisms aims to capture how intersectional healing can come into …

Can Host Traits And Environmental Conditions Predict Helminth Fecundity And Length?, Finley Melnikoff

Pitzer Senior Theses

Helminths are some of the most common parasites in the world, infecting anything from humans to plants to mice. These parasites can play a massive role in determining a host's fitness and ultimately can have consequences on their body condition, reproductive ability, and infection transmission potential. Many factors influence the potential burden helminths have on their hosts–from host traits to environmental conditions–yet helminth fecundity and length have been studied very little in relation to these factors. Helminth fecundity–or how many eggs each female worm has in its ovaries–determines the transmission of the parasite, and helminth length is correlated with fecundity, …

Machines With Heart: Utilizing An Sts Framework To Analyze Implementation And Design Of Social Eldercare Robots In Germany And Japan, Lucy Conover

Pitzer Senior Theses

Robots are everywhere from car factories to cafes, but many people may not realize robots are quite popular in assisted living residencies for older adults. Social eldercare robots (SER) provide care to older adults without relying on human labor, offering a lucrative promise of technological efficiency during global labor crises. However, their adaptation into care settings is not this simple. Human trust in robots is rooted in nuanced social, cultural, and historical factors, making SER a highly interpretively flexible technology. This thesis analyzes social eldercare robot implementation in two countries, Germany and Japan, using a "Science, Technology and Society" (STS) …

Modulation Of Tlr4/Nf- Modulation Of Tlr4/Nf-Κb, Nrf2/Ho-1 And Pi3k/Akt Signaling By Cilostazol Mitigates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Septic Acute Kidney Injury, Ahmed F. Mohamed, Helmy M. Sayed, Hala F. Zaki, Marwa Safar

Pharmacy

Aim: Cilostazol was investigated as a protective agent against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-associated acute kidney damage in mice. Methods: Cilostazol (50 mg/kg/day; p.o.) administered for 7 consecutive days before a single LPS dose (2 mg/kg; i.p.). Results: Cilostazol hampered serum creatinine, cystatin C, and renal kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinaseassociated lipocalin; repressed toll-like receptor 4 and MyD88 transcription, as well as nuclear factor-kappa B p65, interleukin-1b, and malondialdehyde content; and boosted Nrf2 mRNA expression, hemeoxygenase-1 activity, and reduced glutathione content. This was synchronous with an upregulation of p-phosphoinositide 3-kinase and p-Akt expressions. Conclusion: Collectively, cilostazol prevented LPS renal injury, which might …

Major Biochemical Constituents Of Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha) Extract: A Review Of Chemical Analysis, Ekram Hany Mohamed, Mahmoud Tareq Abdelwahed,, Maha A. Hegazy

Pharmacy

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a very popular medicinal herb originated mainly in India and found in the Middle East and parts of Africa. Ashwagandha has gained recognition as the most revered plant in Ayurvedic medicine. Studies indicated that it is used as anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, adaptogen, memory enhancer, and possess an effect on neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, it was revealed that the plant exerts antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, aphrodisiac, and cardiovascular protection activities. Due to the biological and nutritional importance of nutraceuticals, particularly ashwagandha, and as part of the ongoing research of the natural products and its bioactive phytochemicals, this review aims …

Nanoghosts For Therapeutic Applications, Ekram Hany Mohamed, Abdel-Mottaleb, Mohamed S. S. Attia

Pharmacy

This chapter illustrates the significance of nanotechnology and new therapeutic formulations based on nanoparticles to improve the efficacy of cargos intended for treating various diseases and disorders. Various strategies were explored to stabilize and equip these therapeutic nanoformulations with the capability to escape the human immune system and enhance the targeted delivery of the cargos to diseased tissues for different biomedical applications including therapeutic, theranostic, imaging, and sensing purposes. Synthetic and natural approaches were widely investigated and it was found that the natural approach employing membranes from different types of human cells to camouflage the nanoparticles or cargos via coating …

Water Protectors & Land Defenders: Recentering Indigenous Reciprocity With The Living World, Taylor Thue

Schultz-Werth Award Papers

Mni Wiconi. Water is life. These are the words that fueled protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation beginning in 2016. The construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) underneath Mni Sose, or the Missouri River, poses a direct threat to Standing Rock’s primary drinking source (Weston, para. 2). Recognizing that the federal and Tribal court systems would likely ignore their pleas, the people of Standing Rock joined together with members of their sister Tribes among the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires), or Great Sioux Nation, to protect the drinking water from potential destruction. The …

Analyzing The Effects Of Winter-Patch Grazing And Wildfire On Insect Order Hymenoptera In The Northern Great Plains, Kaitlin Schieuer

Schultz-Werth Award Papers

Pollinators are declining globally, threatening global crop production and the biological integrity of many ecosystems. Hymenoptera (the order containing ants, bees, and wasps) is one of the most important insect orders for pollination of a variety of plants, including many crops, and is important as biocontrol for crop pests, and other herbivorous insects. Land management practices affect plant community composition, which influences vegetation-dependent insects, and consequently affects their ecosystem services. Fire and grazing are common practices on working landscapes in the Great Plains. However, how these management techniques impact insect diversity, particularly Hymenopterans, in a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem, is poorly …

Impacts Of Eastern Redcedar Juniperus Virginiana L. On Avian Communities In Eastern South Dakota, Jay Holm

Schultz-Werth Award Papers

Eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) is the most rapidly spreading woody species in the Northern Great Plains due to fire suppression, planting in windbreaks, and overgrazing. Its encroachment has converted already fragmented and/or degraded grassland into woodland, and there is concern that it may negatively impact grassland-obligate/dependent avian species. In this study, I evaluated avian community composition between ERC-encroached and non-encroached grasslands in eastern South Dakota. Six sites each of encroached grassland and non-encroached grassland were selected. Bird surveys were conducted by performing point counts placed equidistantly along a transect for two years. Presence and abundance of each species …