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The Lumberjack, April 15, 2026

Cal Poly Humboldt's Student Newspaper

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.

The Role Of Pten Subcellular Localization In Neuronal Development And Autism Spectrum Disorder, Nicole Desmet

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are genetically heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions that nevertheless converge on altered neuronal connectivity and circuit function. A central unresolved problem in the field is how diverse genetic perturbations, acting at different biological levels and developmental stages, give rise to shared neurodevelopmental outcomes. This dissertation addresses this problem by examining how gene function, subcellular signaling, and developmental context interact to shape neuronal morphology and circuit-relevant phenotypes.

Cell-autonomous mechanisms regulating neuronal morphology are examined through the ASD risk gene Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) in developing dentate gyrus granule neurons. Selective biasing of PTEN to defined intracellular compartments in …

Black Essential Workers Experiences With Long-Term Covid-19 Symptoms, Jeremiah Cedric Campbell

Doctorate in Kinesiology

The purpose of this dissertation study was to understand the perceived effects of long-term COVID-19 on Black essential workers at the height of the pandemic and overall impact on mental health. The researcher interviewed 19 Black essential workers from Texas, across economic sectors (e.g., healthcare, sanitation), and who experienced long COVID symptoms. Findings centered across four themes: asking for help during the pandemic, COVID symptoms, being Black, and mental health. Using a theoretical approach incorporating critical race theory and social determinants of mental health, findings revealed the ways systemic racism affected these Black essential workers. This research can inform culturally …

2026-04-15 Carlyn Ferrari Is All In On Prince, Plants And Prioritizing Black Art, Milan Damjanac

The Spectator Online

No abstract provided.

Understanding Contest Skill To Reduce The Welfare Costs Of Aggression, Lucy Oldham, Gareth Arnott, Mark Briffa, Agnieszka Futro, Jo Donbavand, Alena Kadlecova, Ali Alameer, Manzar Malik, Mhairi Jack, Iona Smith, Mark Brims, Claire Anderson, Simon P. Turner

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Skill is the ability to do a challenging behaviour well. We examined how contest skill influences contest success, costs and whether skilful behaviour enhances welfare. We measured skill across three domains: accuracy, appropriateness (selecting suitable agonistic tactics when the optimal choice varies) and efficiency, alongside vigour, sex and body weight. Skill was weakly correlated across domains. Winners were heavier relative to their opponent, displayed greater vigour and were more skilful at blocking, but other skill measures did not predict contest win/loss outcome. Appropriate blocking by winners reduced the number of lesions received by reducing exposure to attacks, suggesting it can …

A Scoping Review Of The Objective Structured Assessment Of Technical Surgical Skills (Osats), David J. O'Regan, Christopher Caddy, Retnagowri Rajandram, Paul Barach

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) offers an objective tool for assessing bowel anastomosis on a benchtop. It was developed in 1997 to set appropriate standards and expectations for the surgical trainee. OSATS have become the gold standard of assessment across many disciplines. A global Likert rating scale, including respect for tissues, instrument handling, economy of movement, and flow of the operation predominates the literature. This has led to many questioning OSATS objectivity, claiming the process to be time-consuming, subjective, demanding human resources, and requiring extensive training of the trainer. We believe OSATS scoring has omitted the 22-point …

Geology Education For Grades 3–12, Natalie J. Carroll, Theodore Leuenberger

Purdue University Press Books

Geology Education for Grades 3–12 guides and encourages youth to learn about the geological processes occurring all around them. Level 1 introduces basic terms and concepts, and is intended for youth in grades 3–5. Activities focus on understanding important topics such as the rock cycle, rock textures, and crystal formation. Designed for students in grades 6–8, Level 2 offers readers more concrete examples of advanced geological concepts, including fossilization, mineral formation, and rock classification. The exercises in Level 3, which is geared toward grades 9–12, includes additional information on the Earth’s varied landscapes, a variety of geological events, and the …

Understanding The Alternative Normative Concepts, Dewitt W. Spiller

Theses

Matti Eklund's challenge to normative realism in Choosing Normative Concepts (2017) turns on the possibility of "alternative normative concepts"—concepts that play the same normative role as ours but have different extensions. Eklund argues that the ardent realist cannot express what he calls “the further question” about which concepts to use without either trivializing the answer or changing the subject. I argue that this challenge rests on an unstated assumption about how normative concepts are differentiated. I call this the Fragility Assumption. What I seek to show is that this assumption is not obligatory; there are live views of normative concepts …

Beyond The Evidence: The Cervical Collar As Cultural Artefact, Tim Nutbeam

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Cervical collar application remains prevalent in trauma care despite the absence of evidence of neurological benefit from spinal immobilisation. Clinical behaviour in this area has proven resistant to change, and the persistence of the collar requires explanation beyond the evidential debate alone. The fear of cervical injury has origins that predate clinical practice. Neurobiological preparedness theory suggests that threat associations linked to survival-relevant stimuli are more rapidly acquired and more durably maintained than other learned fears; the cervical region is a plausible candidate for this form of prepared response. This disposition has been reinforced by centuries of cultural practice: …

Ellagic Acid Reduces Inulin's Adverse Effects: A Combined Approach To Enhance Therapeutic Potential In Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis, Tharani Senavirathna, Shafaei, Ricky Lareu, Lois Balmer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This mouse study investigates the efficacy of ellagic acid (EA), a potent antioxidant in fruits and nuts, and inulin, a prebiotic known for gut microbiota benefits, in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A Western-style diet (WD) was used to induce NASH in C57BL/6J male mice for 16 weeks. Mice then received EA (100 mg/kg/day, oral gavage, 5 days/week) and/or 5% inulin (w/w in diet) for 12 weeks while continuing WD. Inulin increased energy intake and trended toward higher body weight and fasting glucose. EA reduced liver weights and restored the liver-to-body weight ratio. EA and inulin combined significantly reduced steatosis and hepatocyte …

Saltfish And Seedcake: Examining Fantasy Through Food Studies, Isabella Martins-Simonsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although mundane and often overlooked in reality, in fantasy, food, like all other things, is entirely symbolic. Therefore, considering food closely when analyzing a fantasy text offers unique insights into the world being developed, the characters within that world, and the author’s own understanding of both the real and “secondary” world. In this paper, I consider the foods of Earthsea, Narnia, and Middle Earth to offer various perspectives on the worldbuilding and examine the implications of different foods in these well-known settings. For example, the tea served in Narnia creates a fantasy world that is more normal than the strange …

Sex-Specific Autosomal Susceptibility Loci In Systemic Sclerosis: A Genome-Wide Association Study, Inmaculada Rodriguez-Martin, Martin Kerick, Carlos Rangel-Peláez, Carlos Rosa-Baez, Gonzalo Borrego-Yaniz, Lourdes Ortiz-Fernández, Alfredo Guillen-Del-Castillo, Carmen P Simeón-Aznar, José Luis Callejas, Oliver Distler, Susanna M Proudman, Mandana Nikpour, Nicolas Hunzelmann, Jeska K De Vries-Bouwstra, Ariane L Herrick, Yannick Allanore, Marta E Alarcón-Riquelme, Lorenzo Beretta, Shervin Assassi, Christopher P Denton, Maureen D Mayes, Javier Martin, Marialbert Acosta-Herrera

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Systemic sclerosis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease with marked sex differences in prevalence and severity. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have advanced the understanding of systemic sclerosis genetics, sex-aware approaches remain scarce. We aimed to address this gap by examining autosomal sex-specific genetic factors in systemic sclerosis.

Methods: Based on a chromosomal definition of sex, we conducted a sex-stratified autosomal meta-analysis of GWAS in systemic sclerosis. We retrieved patient-level and control data from a previous GWAS for systemic sclerosis and newly recruited participants from an international multicentre collaboration (data cutoff June 1, 2024). Adult patients (aged ≥18 years) were …

Single-Nucleus Brain Transcriptomics Reveals Microglia Dysfunction In Multiple System Atrophy, Rasmus Rydbirk, Frederik Nørby Friis Sørensen, Jonas Folke, Henriette Haukedal, Andrea Asenjo Martinez, Irene Lisa Vargas, Simone Mcgarry, Oline Chantell Hollmann, Camila Gherardelli, Sofia Sepulveda, Adam T Szafran, Michael A Mancini, Sanne Simone Kaalund, Tomasz Brudek, Lisette Salvesen, Sara Bech, Justyna Okarmus, Peter Kharchenko, Morten Meyer, Claudio Soto, Kristine Freude, Abhisek Mukherjee, Susana Aznar, Konstantin Khodosevich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare, age-related neurodegenerative disease that shares clinical and pathological features with Parkinson's disease (PD) but presents a more devastating disease course. To elucidate the distinct cellular pathophysiology, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on postmortem striatal brain tissue from 7 MSA and 12 PD patients, and 10 non-neurological cases. Here, we show significant compositional differences in astroglia and microglia subtypes, while oligodendroglia and neurons are comparable. PD brains show abundant microglia expressing MHC class II HLA haplotypes, indicative of a proinflammatory state, alongside more homeostatic astrocytes. In contrast, MSA lack activated microglia but has more …

Dietary Manipulations Of The Undernourished Infant Microbiome, Cyrus Zhou

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Today, undernutrition affects approximately 150 million children worldwide. During the first two years of life, the healthy gut microbial community undergoes a series of predictable developmental transitions. These transitions are delayed in undernourished children resulting in microbiota “immaturity.” In a foundational study, immature gut microbial communities from undernourished children and normally developing communities from chronologically age-matched healthy children living in the same area were transplanted into groups of germ-free mice consuming the same diet – one representative of what consumed by the study population. Compared mice with a mature gut microbiome, mice with an immature gut microbiome had impaired weight …

Rethinking Consumer Data And Behavior, Nicole J. Olynk Widmar, Michael L. Smith, Erin Robinson

Purdue University Press Books

Today’s food and agricultural consumers are driven by more than just price—they are influenced by trust, values, and perceptions that are often difficult to measure. Rethinking Consumer Data and Behavior explores what truly shapes consumer choices and how businesses can respond effectively.

This book utilizes research on loyalty, risk, sustainability, and ethical considerations, revealing how these factors influence purchasing decisions in ways traditional data often misses. It examines consumers’ willingness to pay for local and organic products, the impact of food labeling and safety messaging, and the surprising role of sensory cues such as appearance and taste. The book also …

Discovering The World Of Honey Bees And Beekeeping, Natalie J. Carroll, Greg Hunt, Krispn Given

Purdue University Press Books

You don’t have to be a scientist or a lifelong beekeeper to fall in love with the world of honey bees. Discovering the World of Honey Bees and Beekeeping is designed to take anyone, regardless of their experience, on a rewarding adventure by first exploring the fascinating biology and behavior of these insects. This book is designed to help readers see the environment from a bee’s perspective, revealing the vital role pollinators play in our food systems and local ecosystems. Whether you are a student, a backyard gardener, or a nature lover, this guide provides a clear, step-by-step roadmap for …

Evaluating Sand Characteristics And Their Influence On Sea Turtle Nest Incubation Conditions, Thomas Naylor

Honors Theses

The embryonic development of sea turtles is strongly influenced by the environmental factors experienced during incubation within the nest. These environmental factors can influence hatchling sex ratios, body condition, and their success emerging from nests. Adult female sea turtles lay nests across a range of sites throughout the nesting season, resulting in each nest encountering unique abiotic conditions. This study aims to identify how variation in sand characteristics, such as grain size proportions, permeability, and color, influences nest temperature and subsequent hatchling outcomes of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) and Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) from …

Death And The Uncanny: Freud, Grief, And The Horror Of Inevitability In Ari Aster’S Hereditary And Midsommar, Courtney Michelle Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how Ari Aster’s Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019) create ongoing discomfort among viewers through their shared focus on death and the tensions between fate and freewill.

Using Freud’s concept of the uncanny as a lens, this thesis argues that these films are disturbing because they introduce familiar horrors in a newly unsetting way, forcing audience members to confront deep rooted fears of grief, loss, and the lack of control.

By repeatedly forcing his audience and characters to confront death and the illusion of agency, Aster successfully creates the prolonged anxiety and dread felt by many viewers of …

Inflammation- And Resolution-Programmed Myeloid Circuits Govern Therapeutic Resistance In Epithelial And Mesenchymal Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Liqun Yu, Charlotte Rivas, Fengshuo Liu, Yichao Shen, Ling Wu, Zhan Xu, Yunfeng Ding, Xiaoxin Hao, Weijie Zhang, Hilda L Chan, Jun Liu, Bo Wei, Yang Gao, Luis Becerra-Dominguez, Yi-Hsuan Wu, Siyue Wang, Tobie D Lee, Xuan Li, Xiang Chen, David G Edwards, Xiang H-F Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Single-cell analysis of human triple-negative breast cancer revealed heterogeneous macrophage populations with opposing phenotypes - proinflammatory and proresolution of inflammation. Paradoxically, both subsets accumulated in therapy-refractory residual tumors but showed inverse correlations across patients, suggesting mutually exclusive resistance mechanisms. Inflammatory macrophages localized preferentially to epithelial-like tumors, whereas proresolution macrophages were enriched in mesenchymal-like tumors. Mouse models faithfully recapitulated these patterns. After chemoimmunotherapy, mesenchymal-like tumors expanded proresolution macrophages through phagocytosis/efferocytosis, ω-3 fatty acid uptake, and resolvin production. Macrophage-secreted C1q emerged as a principal antagonist of T cell function by targeting mitochondria and inducing metabolic dysfunction. By contrast, epithelial-like tumors accumulated inflammatory …

A Digital Diabetes Prevention Program For Hispanic Adolescents (Fit24+): Protocol For A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial, Erica G Soltero, Marbelly Partida, Sandra Mihail, Lizette Villanueva, Callie Lopez, Salma M Musaad, Teresia M O'Connor, Maria J Redondo, Matthew Buman, Debbe Thompson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Hispanic youth are disproportionately impacted by obesity and subsequent type 2 diabetes (T2D) yet remain underrepresented in diabetes prevention research. Digital health interventions hold promise for increasing the accessibility to and engagement in disease prevention programming, particularly among high-risk populations. However, there is a significant gap in the literature regarding digital T2D prevention programs for adolescents or Hispanic youth.

Objective: The objective of this article is to describe the protocol for examining the feasibility of a 12-week digital diabetes prevention program among Hispanic adolescents with obesity.

Methods: Participants (N=40; aged 12-16 years) will be randomized (1:1) to a 12-week …

Dda Annual Report 2024, Tennessee. Commission On Aging & Disability.

Department of Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Dda Annual Report 2025, Tennessee. Commission On Aging & Disability.

Department of Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Youth Crime Data Snapshot 2023, Tennessee. Commission On Children And Youth.

Data Snapshots

No abstract provided.

Finality Is Not The Last Word, Bidish Sarma

Akron Law Review

Finality has long been upheld as a powerful governmental interest in the context of criminal adjudications. However, its nearly mythic status in our law belies its ongoing utility. Rather than fulfilling its historical goals of preserving resources and focusing incarcerated individuals on the task of rehabilitation, finality today undermines focus, facilitating mass incarceration and perpetual punishment. We are not required to accept finality as the last word; instead, we can and should interrogate its value in light of the system we have built.

This Essay briefly traces the historical development of finality in American jurisprudence. It then outlines the subsequent …

American Mercy: The Case For Clemency, Mark Osler

Akron Law Review

After months of controversial and norm-busting clemency grants by both the Biden and second Trump administrations, many are calling for the presidential pardon power to be curtailed or eliminated. The complaints are understandable, but the death of clemency- in one fell swoop, or by a thousand cuts—would be a tragedy. Such a suggestion embodies the mistake we make so often in criminal law: imposing permanent solutions to short-term problems. Clemency’s role in national reconciliation, the mitigation of harsh laws, and in holding out hope for redemption to those convicted is too dear to lose. The answer to current harms lies …

B Cells Enable Autoreactive T Cells To Avoid Suppression., Matthew Funsten, Renee De Pooter, Vineeth Varanasi, Michael Burrows, Katharine Block, Andrey Kuznetsov, David V. Serreze, Haochu Huang, Alexander Chervonsky

Faculty Research 2026

Clinical trials and experimental observations have shown that B cells are essential for development of T cell-mediated organ-specific autoimmunity, although their exact contribution is not clear. As antigen presentation by B cells is focused on antigens cognate to their antigen receptors, we reasoned that B cells would facilitate activation of T effector cells (Teff) with the same antigen specificity but would poorly activate regulatory T cells (Treg) due to insufficient presence of antigen-specific Tregs among polyclonal/multispecific Tregs at the early stages of pathogenesis. At the same time, activation of Teff by autoantigens presented by dendritic cells (DC) would be sensitive …

Democratizing National Water Model Streamflow Forecasts Through Cross-Platform Mobile Application Development, Jerson J. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

The National Water Model (NWM) provides operational streamflow forecasts for 2.7 million stream reaches across the continental United States, yet technical barriers prevent widespread public access to this hydrological infrastructure. This paper presents RIVR (River Information Visualization and Risk), a cross-platform mobile application that transforms National Water Model forecasts into an accessible interface for non-technical users. Built with Flutter, the application deploys to iOS and Android from a single codebase and integrates NOAA forecast APIs, CIROH return-period thresholds, and interactive vector-tile mapping. Performance evaluation across six metrics: application size, startup time, memory consumption, rendering frame rates, API response times, and …

Tremor Modulation: A Systematic Review Of Resetting By Single-Pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ​, Handan Uzunçakmak Uyanik, Çağri Mesut Temuçi̇n

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Tremor arises from mechanical, reflex, or central oscillatory mechanisms. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can transiently perturb ongoing tremor and enables the quantitative assessment of phase resetting, offering circuit-level insight into tremor types. Although numerous studies have applied TMS-induced resetting, the findings have not been systematically reviewed. This study systematically reviews human studies evaluating TMS-induced tremor resetting across tremor types.

Materials and methods: A systematic search of PubMed and Google Scholar identified human studies using TMS to perturb tremor or rhythmic movement. Search terms included “tremor resetting,” “resetting of tremor,” “tremor phase shift,” “tremor phase reset,” “transcranial magnetic stimulation,” and …

Effects Of Colchicine On Sah-Induced Vascular Damage In An Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Model ​, Emi̇ne Demi̇r, Cumaali̇ Demi̇rtaş, Cansu Sönmez, Eray Meti̇n Güler, Sarper Kocaoğlu, Hakan Beyaztaş, Eyüp Çeti̇n

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a severe cerebrovascular condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. Inflammation and oxidative stress play critical roles in its pathophysiology, especially in the development of secondary vascular damage. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of colchicine on vascular integrity and biochemical markers following SAH in an experimental rat model.

Materials and methods: Eighteen female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: Control (no SAH), SAH (induced without treatment), and SAH + colchicine (received intraperitoneal colchicine at a dose of 1 mg/kg). SAH was induced by injecting autologous blood into the cisterna …

Sun-Macerated Hypericum Perforatum Oleates In Fixed Oils: Analytical Characterization And Comparative Wound-Healing Activity, Ci̇han Çapar, Esra Akkol, Ayli̇n Yaba, Ayhan Parmaksiz, Engi̇n Sümer, Erdem Yeşi̇lada

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Hypericum perforatum L. oleates prepared in fixed oils have long been used for wound management due to their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and tissue-regenerative properties. The bioactivity of these oleates is mainly attributed to hypericin, hyperforin, and pseudohypericin. This study aimed to comparatively evaluate the wound-healing potential of H. perforatum oleates prepared in different fixed oils, including Olea europaea L. (olive), Sesamum indicum L. (sesame), Helianthus annuus L. (sunflower), and Nigella sativa L. (black seed).Materials and methodsFixed oils were characterized by GC–MS, while oleuropein in olive oil and thymoquinone in black seed oil were quantified by HPLC, and sesamin and sesamol …