Digital Commons Network^™

Preserving The Horizon: How Henry David Thoreau And William Morris’S Environmental Aesthetics Ward Off Ecoapocalypse, Esther Kw Mack

West Chester University Master’s Theses

To add to the current the current ecodiscourse, this thesis sets out to reimagine contemporary ecological discourse through the analysis of nineteenth century figures Henry David Thoreau and William Morris, two countercultural figures who dedicated their lives to protecting nature. Where Thoreau’s “Autumnal Tints” highlights autumn’s tide through a scientific narrative, Morris encapsulates the four seasons’ companionship in “Verses for Pictures,” as well as his infamous textile “Acanthus.” By synthesizing ecoadvocates’s life works from around the world and positioning them as interlocutors to Asian philosophy, art, and practice merge to evolve into a profound ecorehetoric accompanied by aesthetics. As the …

The Effects Of Prenatal Alcohol And Nicotine Exposure On Later-Life Drug-Seeking Behavior And Memory Performance, Zoe Campanella

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Alcohol and nicotine are the two most commonly consumed licit substances among pregnant individuals, and the potential consequences of prenatal exposure to each drug include a variety of neurological and behavioral alterations. These may include an increased likelihood of developing a substance use disorder (SUD) and/or cognitive impairments later in life. However, 30% of pregnant individuals who report consuming alcohol also report consuming nicotine, yet the potential consequences of combined prenatal exposure are not understood. Furthermore, 40% of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, meaning that drug exposure most commonly occurs during the first trimester. However, there is limited research …

Unveiling The Bacterial Communities Of Aphaenogaster: Taxonomic Composition, Developmental And Species Influences, And The Impact Of Climate Change, Lily Kelleher

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Ants are vital keystone species in many ecosystems because they provide ecosystem services such as: seed dispersal, soil bioturbation, and pest control. However, ant bacterial symbioses remain largely unstudied, but these interactions are crucial because microbes play a vital role in the ants’ overall health. Today, global climate change is impacting our biodiversity, and we can use information about how changing temperatures impact the symbiotic bacterial communities associated with ants to predict future impact. Aphaenogaster rudis and A. fulva remain understudied in terms of their bacterial community and are important North American species. For this study, ants from several colonies …

The Physiological Effects Of Anabolic Steroids On The Human Body, Aedan Kerr

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic derivatives of testosterone used both medically and illicitly for their muscle-building and performance-enhancing properties. While clinically prescribed for conditions like hypogonadism, osteoporosis, and muscle-wasting diseases, AAS are frequently abused by athletes and recreational lifters seeking rapid physical gains. AAS increase muscle protein synthesis via androgen receptor-mediated gene transcription, but they also predispose users to tendon ruptures and various organ functions. AAS abuse is strongly associated with a host of side effects including gynecomastia, male-pattern hair loss, infertility, hepatotoxicity, erythrocytosis, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypogonadism. Cardiovascular complications such as left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, and myocardial infarctions …

Towards Smart Farming: Image-Based Crop Health Assessment And Disease Diagnosis Using Deep Learning Techniques, Kristina Botova

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Accurate crop monitoring is essential for optimizing agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. This study presents a comprehensive deep learning framework for image crop type recognition, health status prediction, and disease detection using multiple Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models. The proposed approach uses open-source datasets consisting of five crop types (apple, corn, grape, potato, tomato), varying health conditions, and common diseases. By deploying specialized CNN architecture focused on each task, the system achieves a high accuracy of 99.25% in classifying crop types, identifying health status, and detecting specific diseases. Compared to a single CNN model, the use of the proposed …

Spectral Divergence Prioritizes Key Classes, Genes, And Pathways Shared Between Substance Use Disorders And Cardiovascular Disease., Everest Castaneda, Elissa J Chesler, Erich Baker

Faculty Research 2025

Introduction: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are heterogeneous diseases with overlapping biological mechanisms and often present with co-occurring disease, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Gene networks associated with SUDs also implicate additional biological pathways and may be used to stratify disease subtypes. Node and edge arrangements within gene networks impact comparisons between classes of disease, and connectivity metrics, such as those focused on degrees, betweenness, and centrality, do not yield sufficient discernment of disease network classification. Comparatively, the graph spectrum's use of comprehensive information facilitates hypothesis testing and inter-disease clustering by using a larger range of graph characteristics. By adding a …

Response Of Cultured Primary Gingival And Periodontal Ligament Cells To Angiotensin Ii And Il1Β Challenges., Thais Francini Garbieri, Thiago José Dionísio, Bella Luna Colombini-Ishikiriama, Rafaela Alves Da Silva, Vanessa Soares Lara, Sandra Helena Penha Oliveira, Maria Helena Fernandes, Andrew S Greene, Carlos Ferreira Santos

Faculty Research 2025

Angiotensin II (Ang II) releases inflammatory mediators from several cell types. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of Ang II to induce mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators in primary cultured fibroblast-like cells isolated from gingival and periodontal ligament tissues. A synergistic effect of co-treatment with Ang II and Interleukin-1β (IL1β) on the mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators was explored. Immunophenotyping of STRO-1, Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R), and Ang II type 2 receptor (AT2R) was performed using flow cytometry. Cell cultures were challenged with Ang II (1 µM) for 3, 6, and 24 h with …

Neurological, Metabolic And Inflammatory Phenotypes In A Mouse Model Of Echs1 Deficiency., Meghan M Eller, Aamir Zuberi, Xiaorong Fu, Alina P Montalbano, Felix Nitschke, Shawn C Burgess, Cathleen Lutz, Rachel M Bailey

Faculty Research 2025

ECHS1 deficiency (ECHS1D) is a rare and devastating neurometabolic disease that currently has no defined treatments. This disorder results from missense loss-of-function mutations in the ECHS1 gene that results in severe developmental delays, encephalopathy, hypotonia and early death. ECHS1 enzymatic activity is necessary for the beta-oxidation of fatty acids and the oxidation of branched-chain amino acids within the inner mitochondrial matrix. The pathogenesis of disease remains poorly understood. To expand our knowledge on disease mechanisms, we generated a novel mouse model of ECHS1D that possesses a disease-associated variant knocked-in (KI) the Echs1 allele and a knock-out (KO) of the other …

Harnessing The Human Gut Microbiota: An Emerging Frontier In Combatting Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria., Wenwen Ding, Yiwen Cheng, Xia Liu, Zhangcheng Zhu, Lingbin Wu, Jie Gao, Wenhui Lei, Yating Li, Xin Zhou, Jian Wu, Yongtao Gao, Zongxin Ling, Ruilai Jiang

Faculty Research 2025

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a major and escalating global health threat, undermining the effectiveness of current antibiotic and antimicrobial therapies. The rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria has led to increasingly difficult-to-treat infections, resulting in higher morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Tackling this crisis requires the development of novel antimicrobial agents, optimization of current therapeutic strategies, and global initiatives in infection surveillance and control. Recent studies highlight the crucial role of the human gut microbiota in defending against AMR pathogens. A balanced microbiota protects the body through mechanisms such as colonization resistance, positioning it as a key ally in the fight …

Marmosets As Model Systems For The Study Of Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias: Substantiation Of Physiological Tau 3r And 4r Isoform Expression And Phosphorylation., Hasi Huhe, Sarah M Shapley, Duc M Duong, Fang Wu, Seung-Kwon Ha, Sang-Ho Choi, Julia Kofler, Yongshan Mou, Thais Rafael Guimaraes, Amantha Thathiah, Caroline M Watson, Lauren K H Schaeffer, Gregory W. Carter, Nicholas T Seyfried, Afonso C Silva, Stacey J Sukoff Rizzo

Faculty Research 2025

INTRODUCTION: Marmosets spontaneously develop pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) including amyloid beta plaques. However, tau expression in the marmoset brain has been understudied.

METHODS: Isoforms of tau were examined by western blot, mass spectrometry, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS: 3R and 4R tau isoforms are expressed in marmoset brains at both the transcript and protein levels across ages. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that tau peptides in marmoset corresponded to the 3R and 4R peptides in human brain, with 3R predominating at birth and an ≈40%:60% 3R:4R ratios in adolescents and adults; tau was distributed widely in neurons, with localization …

Merritt-Putnam Symposium | Developmental And Epileptic Encephalopathies-Current Concepts And Novel Approaches., Rodney C Scott, Jenny Hsieh, Amy Mctague, J Matthew Mahoney, Catherine A Christian-Hinman

Faculty Research 2025

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are among the most severe and difficult to treat epilepsies. Two broad strategies for understanding the etiology and impacts of DEEs include genetic and complex adaptive systems approaches. This review, inspired by the 2024 Merritt-Putnam Symposium, describes current perspectives of DEE, identifies limitations of current views, and discusses potential novel ways forward. First, we discuss the rationale for a reevaluation of the role of seizures in the pathogenesis of cognitive and behavioral impairments in DEE. Second, we discuss newly emerging methods employing neural organoids to study brain development and DEE in vitro. Third, we present …

Comprehensive Single-Cell Aging Atlas Of Healthy Mammary Tissues Reveals Shared Epigenomic And Transcriptomic Signatures Of Aging And Cancer., Brittany Lynn Angarola, Siddhartha Sharma, Neerja Katiyar, Hyeon Gu Kang, Djamel Nehar-Belaid, Sunghee Park, Rachel Gott, Giray N Eryilmaz, Mark A Labarge, Karolina Palucka, Jeffrey Chuang, Ron Korstanje, Duygu Ucar, Olga Anczuków

Faculty Research 2025

Aging is the greatest risk factor for breast cancer; however, how age-related cellular and molecular events impact cancer initiation is unknown. In this study, we investigated how aging rewires transcriptomic and epigenomic programs of mouse mammary glands at single-cell resolution, yielding a comprehensive resource for aging and cancer biology. Aged epithelial cells exhibit epigenetic and transcriptional changes in metabolic, pro-inflammatory and cancer-associated genes. Aged stromal cells downregulate fibroblast marker genes and upregulate markers of senescence and cancer-associated fibroblasts. Among immune cells, distinct T cell subsets (Gzmk⁺, memory CD4⁺, γδ) and M2-like macrophages expand with age. …

Reproductive Experience Drives Changes In Behaviour And Physiology In Male California Mice, Peromyscus Californicus, Maria E. Colt, Priyanka Agarwal, David Kolb, Erica Glasper, Heidi Fisher

Faculty Research 2025

Paternal experience improves memory and reduces anxiety-like behaviour in males, but it is unclear whether these changes are due to mating, siring offspring or caregiving behaviour. Likewise, paternal males have larger testes, a measure of sperm production, but again, the effects of siring and caregiving experience are difficult to disentangle. We examined behavioural and physiological outcomes in three groups of male mice: (1) virgins, (2) males paired with sterile females (‘nonfathers’) and (3) experienced fathers (experiment 1). Compared to virgins and nonfathers, experienced fathers exhibited increased recognition memory (novel object recognition) and decreased anxiety-like behaviour (elevated plus maze). Virgin males, …

Cell-Based High-Content Approach For Sars-Cov-2 Neutralization Identifies Unique Monoclonal Antibodies And Pi3k Pathway Inhibitors., Carly R Cabel, Briana A Guzman, Elaheh Alizadeh, Shuaizhi Li, Cameron Holberg, Chonlarat Wichaidit, Darren A Cusanovich, Andrew L Paek, Gregory R J Thatcher, Koenraad Van Doorslaer, Rachel S Nargi, Rachel E Sutton, Naveenchandra Suryadevara, James E Crowe, Robert H Carnahan, Samuel K Campos, Curtis A Thorne

Faculty Research 2025

The sudden rise of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the delay in development of effective therapeutics for mitigation made evident a need for ways to screen compounds that can block infection and prevent further pathogenesis and spread. However, identifying effective drugs that are efficacious against viral infection and replication with minimal toxicity for the patient can be difficult. Monoclonal antibodies were shown to be effective, but as the SARS-CoV-2 mutated, these antibodies became ineffective. Small-molecule antivirals were identified using pseudovirus constructs to recapitulate infection in nonhuman cells, such as Vero E6 cells. However, the impact was limited due to poor translation …

The Cd123 Antibody-Drug Conjugate Pivekimab Sunirine Exerts Profound Activity In Preclinical Models Of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia., Ben Watts, Christopher M Smith, Kathryn Evans, Andrew J Gifford, Sara M A Mohamed, Stephen W Erickson, Eric J Earley, Steven Neuhauser, Timothy M Stearns, Vivek M. Philip, Jeffrey Chuang, Patrick A Zweidler-Mckay, Sribalaji Lakshmikanthan, Emily L Jocoy, Carol J Bult, Beverly A Teicher, Malcolm A Smith, Richard B Lock

Faculty Research 2025

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) combining monoclonal antibodies with cytotoxic payloads are a rapidly emerging class of immune‐based therapeutics with the potential to improve the treatment of cancer, including children with relapse/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). CD123, the α subunit of the interleukin‐3 receptor, is overexpressed in ALL and is a potential therapeutic target. Here, we show that pivekimab sunirine (PVEK), a recently developed ADC comprising the CD123‐targeting antibody, G4723A, and the cytotoxic payload, DGN549, was highly effective in vivo against a large panel of pediatric ALL patient‐derived xenograft (PDX) models (n = 39). PVEK administered once weekly for 3 weeks resulted …

Rapid Changes In Plasma Corticosterone And Medial Amygdala Transcriptome Profiles During Social Status Change Reveal Molecular Pathways Associated With A Major Life History Transition In Mouse Dominance Hierarchies., Tyler M Milewski, Won Lee, Rebecca L Young, Hans A Hofmann, James P Curley

Faculty Research 2025

Social hierarchies are a common form of social organization across species. Although hierarchies are largely stable across time, animals may socially ascend or descend within hierarchies depending on environmental and social challenges. Here, we develop a novel paradigm to study social ascent and descent within male CD-1 mouse social hierarchies. We show that mice of all social ranks rapidly establish new stable social hierarchies when placed in novel social groups with animals of equivalent social status. Seventy minutes following social hierarchy formation, males that were socially dominant prior to being placed into new social hierarchies exhibit higher increases in plasma …

Single-Cell And Bulk Transcriptional Profiling Of Mouse Ovaries Reveals Novel Genes And Pathways Associated With Dna Damage Response In Oocytes., Monique Mills, Chihiro Emori, Parveen Kumar, Zachary Boucher, Joshy George, Ewelina Bolcun-Filas

Faculty Research 2025

Immature oocytes enclosed in primordial follicles stored in female ovaries are under constant threat of DNA damage induced by endogenous and exogenous factors. Checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2) is a key mediator of the DNA damage response (DDR) in all cells. Genetic studies have shown that CHEK2 and its downstream targets, p53, and TAp63, regulate primordial follicle elimination in response to DNA damage. However, the mechanism leading to their demise is still poorly characterized. Single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing were used to determine the DDR in wild-type and Chek2-deficient ovaries. A low but oocyte-lethal dose of ionizing radiation induces ovarian DDR …

Wild Horse Overpopulation- Consequences And Environmental Effects, Tessa M. Eslick Ms.

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

When considering wild horse overpopulation, there are many different facets of the issue that need to be addressed. Wild horse overpopulation is a significant issue across the American West, particularly on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management( BLM). The largest populations are often found in Nevada, other states include California, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, and Arizona. Whether there are thousands of horses on many acres of land, or hundreds spread across smaller reservations or public lands, the effects of their overpopulation remain as imminent as ever. Overpopulation is causing ecological damage and strain on resources leading to concerns …

Preserving Memories, Building Relationships, Jamie H. Cochran

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Loneliness among adults aged 65 and older is a significant health concern linked to negative physical and mental outcomes, especially in rural communities. This DNP project implemented a 4-week scrapbooking intervention within a faith-based rural community in North Carolina to reduce feelings of loneliness. Guided by Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, participants engaged in collaborative arts activities designed to foster social connection and emotional expression. The potential results of this project are multifaceted, including improved social engagement, emotional well-being, and strengthened community bonds. The findings support integrating creative, relationship-centered strategies into community nursing practice to enhance well-being among older adults.

The Power Of Plate & Knowledge: Nutrition’S Role In Pcos Management For Asian American Women, Cassandra Curameng Diego Curameng

Nursing | Senior Theses

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic endocrine condition with symptoms that severely impair women's physical and reproductive health. However, individuals with PCOS, especially Asian American women, lack sufficient understanding of non-pharmacological symptom management options, such as dietary and lifestyle modifications. This research proposal explores whether culturally appropriate nutrition education can help manage PCOS symptoms and lessen the need for medical management. The literature critique focuses on addressing the knowledge gap regarding treatment management among women diagnosed with PCOS, health risks related to PCOS, ethnic differences, and nutrition. This proposal investigates the impact of a dietary education program tailored …

A Vascular Flora Of Ladd Canyon, Santa Ana Mountains, Orange And Riverside Counties, California, Daniel P. Donovan, Amanda E. Fisher

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The Santa Ana Mountains are a coastal range on the border of Orange and Riverside counties in southern California. Ladd Canyon, covering 18.2 km² in the Cleveland National Forest, is a botanical black hole relative to the rest of the Santa Ana Mountains because of limited access. It is dominated by chaparral and coastal sage scrub and includes significant knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) stands and riparian woodland. Features that make it an intriguing area to study include the only serpentine soil in the Santa Ana Mountains, large tracts of habitat that have no recorded fire history, steep …

Swosu Research And Scholarly Activity Fair 2025, Swosu Office Of Sponsored Programs

SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair Programs

On behalf of the members of the University Research and Scholarly Activity Committee (USRAC) and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) — welcome to the Thirty-Third SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair!

This year’s event features 99 poster presentations and 9 oral presentations, showcasing the work of over 170 student and faculty researchers, writers, presenters, artists, collaborators, and faculty sponsors. These presentations represent a wide array of scholarly and academic activity from across SWOSU’s academic community, including the Departments of Art, Communication, and Theatre; Allied Health Sciences; Biological Sciences; Business; Chemistry & …

The Complexities Of Consent To Personal Jurisdiction, Scott Dodson

Faculty Scholarship

Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co., decided in June 2023, held that consent remains a method of establishing personal jurisdiction independent of the “minimum contacts” test established by International Shoe Co. v. Washington. To many, the decision resolved ambiguity in personal jurisdiction doctrine and represented a straightforward way of establishing personal jurisdiction. But Mallory failed to consider the many complexities underlying consent. In this Article, I showcase those complexities and demonstrate that Mallory is just the tip of the iceberg: A host of questions, some fundamental to both consent theory and personal-jurisdiction doctrine, lurk beneath the surface. I argue that …

Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors: Allosteric Structural Modulation And New Treatments For Anxiety Disorders, Madaniah O. Zakari

Neurosciences

ABSTRACT Anxiety disorders are psychiatric ailments that affect people throughout the world. Several studies have revealed that the development of anxiety is affected by changes in glutamatergic neurotransmission. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) can be allosterically modified, offering a new strategy for developing specific therapeutic agents that affect the cell membrane. Allosteric modulators have many advantages over other therapeutic options. In the field of stress treatment modulation, they can maintain the properties of natural glutamatergic neurotransmission. This review describes the design of allosteric modulators and the advantages of this class of compounds over current stress drugs.

A Conceptual Replication Of An Implicit Test Of Grammatical Gender Effects On Inanimate Concepts, D. Mahajan, Frank H. Durgin

Psychology Faculty Works

It has been argued that the incidental and arbitrary use of gender markings for inanimate concepts in language may affect the conceptualization or semantics of those inanimate concepts. The present article sought to replicate the findings of a classic paper that made this argument. Konishi used the potency dimension of the semantic differential method as an implicit measure of perceived gender. He reported that words for inanimate concepts of masculine grammatical gender were rated as higher in potency than words for the same concepts that had feminine grammatical gender. Two preregistered replication studies are reported here. The first was a …

Modeling Deductive Inference: A Historico-Philosophical Introduction To First-Order Logic, David J. Buller

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

This book is a companion text for lectures on first-order logic and its elementary metatheory (used in Intermediate Logic at Northern Illinois University). It covers the basic concepts of set theory necessary for a mathematical development of first-order logic; develops a formal language of first-order logic; presents a classical Tarskian semantics for the language and the “semantic” conception of logical consequence; presents a Gentzenian proof system and the “syntactic” conception of logical consequence; develops a partial decision procedure for logical consequence in the language; demonstrates applications of the formal system to modeling deductive inference expressed in natural language; and extends …

The Silicon Valley No-Poach Conspiracy, Eric A. Posner, Ruth Zheng

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

The Silicon Valley no-poach conspiracy is the most important cartel no one has heard of. It is rarely discussed in the cartel literature and is lost to public memory. More than forty tech firms, including Apple and Google, agreed not to poach employees from one another over three decades, causing an estimated $3.1 billion in lost wages. The Justice Department discovered and broke apart the cartel in 2010, but did not punish the cartel members, who quickly settled with employees and never admitted guilt. However, the case foreshadowed, and perhaps helped spur, two major developments in antitrust law a decade …

“We Are Not Museum Animals Or Photography Trophies.” The Colonizing Gaze Of The Lens: Ethics In The Photographic Representation Of Indigenous Communities In Ecuador, Sebastian Arciniegas Perez

Student Work

Since its beginnings, photography has been presented as an objective recording tool; however, its history reveals that it has also been an instrument of power. (Sontag, 2003, p. 45) warned that photographing implies appropriating the other, an act that places the viewer in a position of dominance over the subject represented. In this sense, the lens not only captures an image: it constructs a gaze (Berger, 2008, p. 22) complements this idea by stating that the camera translates reality into a field of visual power where the observer exercises authority over the observed. When the photographed subject belongs to an …

Interview With A Goldfish, Galena Wurtzel

Student Work

No abstract provided.

Regional Variation And Correlation Of Big Five Personality Traits With Rates Of Insufficient Sleep And Diabetes In The United States, Isabella Chirakos, Brennan Schroeder

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Background: Diabetes and insufficient sleep are prevalent health concerns, and determining potential contributing factors could help decrease the incidence of these issues. This study aims to explore potential associations between insufficient sleep and diabetes mellitus, examining whether these negative health outcomes can be linked geographically and by personality traits. Results could help create more effective programs to combat diabetes and insufficient sleep.
Materials and Methods: The study utilized longitudinal health data and roadmaps from 2016 and 2023 for each state, categorizing the data into four regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. We incorporated personality data from the Synthetic Aperture Personality …