Digital Commons Network^™

Substituent Effect Analysis On Halogen Bonding Interactions, Summer Hanson

Honors Theses

This study was used to determine the significance of substituents placed on aromatic molecules and how electron-donating groups (EDG) and electron-withdrawing groups (EWG) affect the strength of the halogen bond. Each study involved the same substituents, each differing in electron-withdrawing and electron-donating capability. Five different systems were created on computational software to evaluate the distance between the halogen bond donor and halogen bond acceptor. In two studies, the goal was to find the best electron-donor on the halogen bond acceptor (donor of electron density) while the halogen bond donor remained constant. For one study, the goal was to determine the …

The South Carolina Paleoindian Point Survey On The Occasion Of The Recording Of The 800th Point, Albert C. Goodyear, Christopher R. Moore, Joe Wilkinson, Joseph A. Lindler Jr

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Life Line Spring 2023, Otterbein Biology And Earth Science Department

Life Line - The Biology Department Newsletter

In this Issue:

Feathered Friends Living on Campus; The Hidden Mussels of the Olentangy River; Early Assurance Program Students Graduate from HCOM; Students Present at American Society for Microbiology Microbe 2022 Meeting; Environmental Science Upgrades Its Remote Monitoring Capabilities; Speed!; UK Students Visit Local Attractions; That's a Lottl Axolotls.

Mir125a As Molecular Target Of Vitamin D Mediated Inhibition Of Cd4+ T Cell Differentiation Into Th17 Cells In Mrl/Lpr Lupus-Prone Mice, Miranda Hilt

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

The dynamic function of vitamin D in an array of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms and its implication in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases has been the topic of much recent scholarship. Here I attempt to elucidate the molecular mechanism of vitamin D-mediated inhibition of the differentiation of CD4+ T cells into pro-inflammatory Th17 cells in MRL/lpr lupus prone mice by investigating how miR-125a expression is affected by dietary modulation of cholecalciferol (vitamin D₃). MRL/MpJ and MRL/lpr mice were split into three experimental groups and fed specially formulated diets that varied in their concentrations of vitamin D. …

The Camden Burial Project, Part I: Background And Preliminary Results, James B. Legg

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Increases Pseudarthrosis Rates In Anterior Cervical Discectomy And Fusions, Mark J. Lambrechts, Nicholas D. D'Antonio, Gregory R R. Toci, Brian A. Karamian, Josuhu Pezzulo, Dominic Farronato, Jose Canseco, Ian David Kaye, Barrett Woods, Jeffrey A. Rihn, Mark Kurd, Joseph K. Lee, Md, Alan S. Hilibrand, Christopher K. Kepler, Alexander R. Vaccaro, Gregory D. Schroeder

Rothman Institute Papers

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort.

PURPOSE: To determine (1) the effects of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in pseudarthrosis rates after anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) and (2) to identify patient-reported outcome measures in patients taking serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Recent literature suggests that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may inhibit fracture healing via downregulation of osteoblast differentiation. Spinal fusion supplementation with osteoblast-rich substances enhances spinal fusion, thus SSRIs may be detrimental.

METHODS: Patients with 1-year postoperative dynamic cervical spine radiographs following ACDF were grouped into serotonin reuptake inhibitor prescriptions (SSRI, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor [SNRI], or tricyclic antidepressant [TCA]) and …

Hika - Spring 2023

HIKA Literary Magazine

No abstract provided.

Integration Of Chinese Herbal Medicine Into Routine Care Was Related To Lower Risk Of Chronic Kidney Disease In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Nested Case–Control Study In Taiwan, Hou-Hsun Liao, Hsiao-Tien Chen, Hanoch Livneh, Ming-Chi Lu, Ning-Sheng Lai, Chia-Chou Yeh, Multiple Additional Authors

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are frequently used as the first-line agents for the symptomatic relief of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but it may insidiously provoke the onset of renal diseases, especially chronic kidney disease (CKD). While Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has become an increasingly popular adjunctive therapy among RA groups, there are currently no available data on the effect of CHM use towards risk of CKD. This study aimed to explore on a population-level whether CHM use decreases sequent CKD risk among them.

Methods

In this nested case–control study retrieved from the nationwide insurance database of Taiwan from 2000 to …

Ursinus Magazine, Spring 2023, Robyn E. Hannigan, Ed Moorhouse, Ben Seal, Steve Neumann, Christopher J. Tralie, Talia Argondezzi

Ursinus Magazine, 1995–Present

Best of our Bears • Ursinus scholars abroad • Investing in Ursinus • Celebrating student research • Berman timepiece hits century mark • Getting to know: Jesse Wun • Office space: Elle Potruch • A gateway to community: Your college in the 'ville • Diving deep with data: The conservation numbers game • Setting the scene • Commencement 2023 • Class notes • Marriages • Births • In memoriam • Burning question: Do chatbots like ChatGPT encourage students to cheat?

The Genomics Of Pesticide-Remediating Microbes Relevant To Agricultural Specialty Crops Grown On California’S Central Coast, Kieran Szelong

AES Theses

The overuse of pesticides in agricultural soils has been a long-discussed issue with implications for human health and optimal ecosystem functioning. These compounds may negatively affect non-target species and trophic webs that are otherwise harmless to crops. Various bacteria have been shown to have the capacity to metabolize pesticides, contributing to their remediation from the environment. In order to assess the community context for bacterial remediation of pesticides, we are characterizing soil bacteria communities that exist in agricultural-adjacent soils impacted by pesticide usage across Monterey County, CA.

We collected soil and water samples from fifteen sites exhibiting a range of …

Effects Of Habitat Management On Rodent Diversity, Abundance, And Virus Infection Dynamics, Nathaniel Mull, Amy Schexnayder, Abigail Stolt, Tarja Sironen, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

As anthropogenic factors continue to degrade natural areas, habitat management is needed to restore and maintain biodiversity. However, the impacts of different habitat management regimes on ecosystems have largely focused on vegetation analyses, with limited evaluation of downstream effects on wildlife. We compared the effects of grassland management regimes (prescribed burning, cutting/haying, or no active management) on rodent communities and the viruses they hosted. Rodents were trapped in 13 existing grassland sites in Northwest Arkansas, USA during 2020 and 2021. Rodent blood samples were screened for antibodies against three common rodent-borne virus groups: orthohantaviruses, arenaviruses, and orthopoxviruses. We captured 616 …

Transcriptome Profiling Of A Synergistic Volumetric Muscle Loss Repair Strategy, Kevin Roberts, John Taehwan Kim, Jacob Schluns, Grady Dunlap, Jamie Hestekin, Jeffery Wolchok

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Volumetric muscle loss overwhelms skeletal muscle’s ordinarily capable regenerative machinery, resulting in severe functional deficits that have defied clinical repair strategies. In this manuscript we pair the early in vivo functional response induced by differing volumetric muscle loss tissue engineering repair strategies that are broadly representative of those explored by the field (scaffold alone, cells alone, or scaffold + cells) to the transcriptomic response induced by each intervention. We demonstrate that an implant strategy comprising allogeneic decellularized skeletal muscle scaffolds seeded with autologous minced muscle cellular paste (scaffold + cells) mediates a pattern of increased expression for several genes known …

Blood On The Snow, Soot On The Carpet: Belief As Pedagogy In Terry Pratchett’S Hogfather, Michael A. Moir Jr.

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

In Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, children largely refuse to conform to the ideas that adults form about them as a class. While the adults of the Discworld seem to regard childhood as a time of innocence and wonder, the children who inhabit Pratchett’s universe show themselves to be violent, cynical, manipulative, and naturally skeptical of any phenomena which they cannot directly sense. As such, when the beloved seasonal figure of the Hogfather, a former Winter Solstice deity transformed over time into a gift-giving fat man with a taste for sherry and pork-pies, is assaulted by entities who want to make …

Development And Validation Of A Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method For The Determination Of Temozolomide In Mouse Brain Tissue, Raghavi Kakarla, Kimberly Yacoub, Rebecca L. Bearden, Aimin Zhou, Sanjib Mukherjee, Frank Y. Shan, Baochuan Guo

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Temozolomide is a Food and Drug Administration-approved anticancer drug that has poor drug delivery via oral or intravenous routes. A potential strategy to combat this problem is investigating alternative routes of administration, requiring quantitation of the drug in the brain tissues by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. However, current methods used to extract the drug from brain tissues resulted in poor recovery and substantial matrix effects. Herein, we reported a new two-step extraction method that involves the use of Proteinase K to lyse tumor tissues to efficiently release the drug, followed by ethanol protein precipitation. The extracts were then separated on a …

Implementing A Teamstepps® Approach With An Interdisciplinary Team To Increase Successful Post-Surgical Discharge Efficiencies, Ann Marie Moynihan Msn, Aprn, Nea-Bc, Onc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Communication breakdowns contribute to discharge delays in the acute care settings. TeamSTEPPS® is and evidence-based program that seeks to optimize patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork.

Objectives: The primary aim of this Quality Improvement (QI) project was to increase by 5% the number of patients discharged by noon. The secondary aims of this project were to improve the interdisciplinary team's communication and to improve workforce efficiencies and use of staff time.

Methods: A pre and post intervention design was used to collect and analyse the rate of successful discharges by noon, in addition to evaluating the interdisciplinary team’s …

Dog Days: Does Interaction With A Therapy Dog Improve The Well-Being In A High School Classroom?, Carley E. Downing

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine influences of interaction with a trained facility therapy dog on a sample of high school students. Much of the existing literature on animal assisted therapy interaction engages with populations of younger children, college-aged adults, the elderly. This small sample (n=8) of adolescents provides insight into a population that despite benefiting from the interventions, is not widely studied. Emotional regulation and grit inventories were used to compare scores before and after direct interactions with the therapy dog. Emotional regulation scores improved following direct exposure to the therapy dog over a one-week period, …

A Conceptual Analysis And Variable Identification Study Of First-Language Attrition, Neil Edward Cantrall

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Children who grow up hearing and speaking one language and then begin learning another often experience first-language (L1) attrition. Existing research presents different theories regarding the process and the contributing factors of L1 attrition. However, the theories and factors are often dispersed throughout the literature with little coherent presentation. This makes it difficult for researchers and some practitioners to model L1 attrition with other variables properly. This study merged conceptual and content analysis through literature reviews to identify the relevant and essential variables that play a role in L1 attrition. I reviewed 54 textual sources which presented information or studies …

Charlotte's Web, April 14-15, 2023, Theatre Arts Discipline

Theatre Programs

University of Minnesota Morris children's theatre production of Charlotte's Web, based on the book by E.B. White, adapted by Joseph Robinette, directed by Siobhan Bremer.

Synopsis: Charlotte's Web is a classic children's novel about a pig named Wilbur who is saved from slaughter by a wise spider named Charlotte. Charlotte spins messages in her web praising Wilbur, convincing the farmer he is special. Through friendship and sacrifice, Charlotte saves Wilbur before passing away, leaving behind a legacy of love.

Sharksrx Newsletter Spring 2023, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Sharks Rx

No abstract provided.

Socio-Economic Considerations Of Living Modified Organisms And Impacts On Trade: Evolution Of Environmental Disputes At The World Trade Organization, Leonardo Munhoz

Dissertations & Theses

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the most important international treaty concerning the conservation of biodiversity and the Cartagena Protocol is a specific instrument to regulate biosafety measures for Living Modified Organisms ("LMOs"). In this Protocol, apart from mandatory environmental and health risk assessments, the Parties can also voluntarily adopt socio and economic considerations ("SECs") arising from LMOs, as stated in article 26.

However, the definition of SECs is still under negotiation, therefore it does not currently have a definite concept and meaning. Also, the last Conference of the Parties proposed to expand SECs by adding extra cultural, traditional, …

Investigating The Effects Of Sex And Carvedilol On Ischemia Preconditioning Protective Effect, Casey Jc Miller

Honors Thesis

Many studies have been done on ischemic preconditioning and its protective effects using the murine model with overwhelmingly consistent and promising results. However, many clinical trials have failed to demonstrate the protective effects of ischemic preconditioning. The causes of the inconsistency are unknown. The effect of sex on ischemic preconditioning protection is largely unclear, which may be a contributing factor. Additionally, in clinical trials, the recruited patients were most likely taking some medications. This project aimed to test the differences in sex on preconditioning protection and the effect of a common β-blocker medication, Carvedilol, on preconditioning protection. Tourniquet-induced unilateral hindlimb …

The Migrant Communities Of South Sioux City, Graciela Deanda

Honors Thesis

The Migrant Communities of South Sioux City is a photographic series that showcases the individual stories, intimate spaces, older generation insights and hopes for their future lives. Stories are a great way to connect with, inspire, and influence humans. Personal storytelling—the kind that reveals who we are and what we care about— are the most potent and effective ways to connect with the world around us. This project seeks out the stories of migrant workers living in the same region but from different countries. In this series, I ask questions to hear everyone’s stories and allows others to hear and …

Bioengineering More Functional Enzymes One Amino Acid At A Time, Nikhil Kalita, Anupreet Kaur, Michael Massiah

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of The Sec’S Environmental Disclosure Proposal And Its Effect On Businesses, Auditors, And Shareholders, Sarah Gloria

Gabelli School of Business Honors Thesis Collection

This thesis examines the challenges and implications of the proposed SEC rule requiring firms to report their greenhouse gas emissions across all supply chain levels, a response to increasing stakeholder demands for transparency in environmental impact. The rule, which aligns with the TCFD framework, aims to enhance transparency, comparability, and consistency in emission reporting but has faced significant criticism, particularly regarding the practicality of its implementation. Through a conceptual report and cost-benefit analysis, this research assesses the rule's feasibility, highlighting the substantial costs involved in data collection and reporting, especially for Scope 3 emissions, which are difficult and costly to …

The Financial Repercussions Of A Sexual Harassment Allegation, Yajunaida Torrealba

Gabelli School of Business Honors Thesis Collection

The popularization of the #MeToo movement in 2018 has brought the widespread issue of sexual assault to the forefront of the minds of the public. As accusations of sexual assault are released against high-level executives at some of the world's largest companies, one can wonder if the public condemnation of these actions is extended to investors and their decisions. This paper aims to discover if companies sustain a financial loss when accusation against an executive at a company is made public. The observed company was compared to a comparable company of a similar industry and observed for any changes in …

Property And The Right To Enter, Bethany R. Berger

Washington and Lee Law Review

On June 23, 2021, the Supreme Court decided Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, holding that laws that authorize entry to land are takings without regard to duration, impact, or the public interest. The decision runs roughshod over precedent, but it does something more. It undermines the important place of rights to enter in preserving the virtues of property itself. This Article examines rights to enter as a matter of theory, tradition, and constitutional law, arguing that the law has always recognized their essential role. Throughout history, moreover, expansions of legal exclusion have often reflected unjust domination antithetical to property norms. …

The Free Exercise Of Copyright Behind Bars, Viva R. Moffat

Washington and Lee Law Review

People in prison produce vast amounts of creative and expressive work—from paintings and sculptures to essays, novels, music, and NFTs—but they are rarely described as artists and their work is often not described as “art.” Prisoners also do not regularly take advantage of copyright law, the primary form of protection for creative works. They should.

Copyright provides a strong set of rights that combines strains of free expression values with elements of property rights. Copyright confers dignitary and expressive benefits and, for some creators, financial rewards. As such, copyright can be a tool to help prisoners improve their lives, both …

Litigation To Protect The Marine Environment: Parallels And Synergies With Climate Litigation, Randall S. Abate, Nadine Nadow, Hayley-Bo Dorrian-Bak

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

The world’s oceans are in crisis. Climate change impacts, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, fisheries collapse, impacts to marine mammals, and vessel-based pollution are among the many threats the marine environment faces today. Fish biomass is predicted to drop by 3% to 25% by the end of the century due to climate change. Worse still, the amount of plastic in the world’s aquatic ecosystems is on track to hit 23 to 37 million tons per year by 2040.

[...]

This Article reviews recent successes and obstacles in using litigation as a tool to address these concerns across several contexts in the …

It Takes Two: Cites, Illegal Wildlife Trade, And Importing Country Accountability, Erica Lyman

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

This Article proposes that the CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora] compliance mechanism is fit-for-purpose in its design but its application is biased against source countries and ignores consumer countries both as drivers of illegal wildlife trade and as noncompliant actors. Bringing a justice-based sensibility to the application of the CITES compliance process requires a whole-of-supply-chain analysis and, drawing on the core relational foundations of the treaty, an international perspective, to identity the root causes of non-compliance that allow illegal trade to fester. Ultimately, the compliance mechanism must gel with the machinery and …

Mining And The Protection Of Aboriginal Heritage In South Australia, Alex Wawryk

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

In 2020, the multinational mining company Rio Tinto destroyed 46,000-year-old Aboriginal rock paintings in Juukan Gorge, Western Australia, to national and international outrage. The incident led to an explosion of concern in Australia regarding the adequacy of domestic laws that aim to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage from the impacts of resource exploitation. This Article explains and critically analyzes the legislative and regulatory framework for the protection of Aboriginal heritage in relation to mining in South Australia. It demonstrates the complexity of the legal and regulatory regime, identifies a number of significant flaws in the key act designed to protect Aboriginal …