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Methodology For Environmental Toxicology: Assessing Feeding And Rearing Strategies In Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Nigricans) Larvae, Amber Hitchins, Hannah Mcneese, Deise Cruz, Andrew Todd, Maria Sepúlveda, Tyler Hoskins

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an anthropogenic group of chemicals known for their persistence in the environment and their potential to bioaccumulate. PFAS can bioaccumulate in largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans), yet the effects of exposure on bass larvae are unknown. While largemouth bass are commonly raised for aquaculture, techniques for rearing bass which enable controlled experiments at known densities, a necessity for toxicity studies, are poorly understood. Furthermore, the live prey typically used in existing approaches are not suitable for PFAS studies due to high background concentrations. The objective of this project was to assess different venues …

Open Field Two-Texture Preference Testing Is Not Associated With The Neuropathic Pain-Like Phenotype That Occurs Following Mouse Cervical Contusion Spinal Cord Injury, David A. Jaffe, Megan A. Lyttle, Angelo C. Lepore

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Development of neuropathic pain (NP) is one of the major complications associated with spinal cord injury (SCI). While well-established methods such as von Frey mechanical and facial grimace testing are often used to assess SCI-induced NP-like behaviors in animal models, these assays have significant limitations, including experimenter bias and long periods of active testing and analysis. To address these challenges, we aimed to develop a novel open field 2-texture preference test (TTPT) to assess NP-like behaviors following unilateral C5 hemicontusion SCI in mice. To do so, we modified the open field apparatus by introducing both a rough and a smooth …

A Novel, Metal-Based Approach To Identify Residences With Lead Service Lines, Danielle Land, Grant D. Brown, David M. Cwiertny, Marc A. Edwards, Mona Hanna, Drew E. Latta, Michelle M. Scherer

Michigan Tech Publications

There is an urgent need for rapid, cost-effective approaches to identify residences with lead service lines (LSLs). We evaluated whether analyzing water for corrosion-related metals could accurately identify residences with LSLs without relying on potentially inaccurate property records. We applied principal component analysis logistic regression (PCA-LR) and classification tree models using 28 analytes per bottle (including Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe, Al, and others) measured in 216 water samples collected in Flint, Michigan, in August 2015. The PCA-LR model achieved 87% accuracy (AUROC = 0.93) with 81% sensitivity and 90% specificity, while the classification tree model achieved 80% accuracy (AUROC = …

July 30, 2025 Blazer Weekly, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Blazer Weekly (student newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

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Exploring Open Pedagogy Principles: A Qualitative Study Of Undergraduate Experiences, Staci Gilpin, Stephanie Rollag Yoon, Virginia Clinton-Lisell

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Open pedagogy, characterisedby students creating or co-creating artefacts that others may use, offers transformative opportunities for students to move beyond passive learning into active content creation. This qualitative study examines the experiences of 25 undergraduate students who engage with open pedagogy principles, including creation-centred learning, collaboration, audience engagement, and the integration of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Creative Commons (CC) licensing. Using surveys and interviews, we identified three key themes: the importance of real audiences, authentic connections over prescribed collaborations, and rethinking the role of Creative Commons. Findings suggest that open pedagogy enhances student engagement and provides meaningful, real-world applications …

Meta-Learning Coordinated Eye–Hand Dynamics, Chengkuan Zhao

Theses

The analysis of fine-grained behavioral time-series, such as eye-hand coordination, offers a powerful lens for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Traditional assessments often miss subtle dynamic patterns that are critical for characterizing individual differences. This thesis investigates the temporal dynamics of coordinated eye and hand behavior in adolescents with and without ASD during a structured ”maze painting” tablet task. The goal is not to propose a new predictive model, but to use a state-of-the-art meta-learning framework based on latent Neural Ordinary Differential Equations (Neural ODEs) as a ”computational microscope” to explore how these behavioral dynamics vary within …

Solishum Shields V. Township Of East Lampeter

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Lorenzo Budet V. Rutgers Business School

2025 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Steven Woodson, Jr. V. Jodi Sheesley

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Ctnna3 Deficiency Promotes Heart Regeneration By Enhancing Cardiomyocyte Proliferation In Neonatal Mice, Sha Zou, Wuhou Dai, Wufan Tao, Jifen Li, Zeyi Cheng, Hongyan Wang

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Background: Heart regeneration requires renewal of lost cardiomyocytes. However, the mammalian heart loses its proliferative capacity soon after birth, and the molecular signaling underlying the loss of cardiac proliferation postnatally is not fully understood.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the role of Catenin alpha 3 (Ctnna3), coding for alpha T catenin (αT-catenin) protein in regulating cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration during the neonatal period.

Methods: Here we report that ablation of Ctnna3 and highly expressed in hearts, accelerated heart regeneration following heart apex resection in neonatal mice.

Results: Our results show that Ctnna3 deficiency enhances cardiomyocyte proliferation …

2021-04-13 Executive Council Minutes, Susie Salazar

Executive Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

“Falling Short Of Our Humanity”: Shame And Queer Catholic Families, M.T. Davila

Religious & Theological Studies Faculty Publications

Queer Catholic Families (QCF) negotiate a complicated landscape of belonging and exclusion in the church that they love. In this dynamic, shame figures as a theological and moral qualifier of their experience when observed through the lens of the Catholic Church's teaching on sexuality and gender. Understanding how shame is experienced in these families, how it deepens a rift between families and the community, and how families find ways to nourish and preserve their links to the Church, ought to be a primary ethical and pastoral task of the Church.

In Vitro Α-Glucosidase Enzyme Inhibition Activity Test Of Water Extract From Sintok (Cinnamomum Sintoc Blume) Bark, Astrella Amanda Putri Saksono, Inana Ratu Soripada Simanjuntak, Mariana Wahjudi, Marisca Evalina Gondokesumo

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Diabetes mellitus is a condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels beyond the normal limits. One therapeutic approach for managing diabetes mellitus involves inhibiting the α-glucosidase enzyme, which plays a role in glucose absorption in the body. However, the use of oral antidiabetic drugs from the α-glucosidase inhibitor class often causes gastrointestinal side effects. Therefore, exploring natural materials as alternative treatments is a promising option. In Indonesia, one plant with potential as an alternative treatment is sintok (Cinnamomum sintoc Blume), a member of the Cinnamomum genus, which is widely utilized in traditional medicine for chronic diseases such as …

Authentication Of Kaffir Lime Leaf Oil (Citrus Hystrix D.C.) In Products Using Ftir Combined With Chemometrics, Jeffry Jeffry, Any Guntarti, Nina Salamah

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Indonesia is rich in aromatic plants, producing approximately 40 types of essential oils used in various industries, including health and aromatherapy. Essential oils have significant potential but face high rates of adulteration. This study aimed to identify kaffir lime leaf oil (Citrus hystrix D.C.), to determine the essential oil profile, and to detect adulteration in commercial oil products. The methods used involved steam distillation and characterization tests of kaffir lime leaf essential oil, including yield percentage and organoleptic, density, refractive index, and solubility in alcohol. An essential oil content test and adulteration detection using FTIR combined with chemometrics were …

Gastroprotective Potential Of Medicinal Plant From Central Kalimantan: Sungkai Leaves (Peronema Canescens Jack)-Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction In Rats Induced With Absolute Ethanol, Dilasari Savitri, Elsa Trinovita, Ratna Widayati, Septi Handayani, Sintha Nugrahini

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Peptic ulcer disease is a gastrointestinal disorder associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Enhancing the quality of life of patients with peptic ulcers often involves integrating conventional treatments with complementary alternative therapies. One such alternative therapy is herbal remedies, which local communities have long recognized. Sungkai leaves (Peronema canescens Jack) contain various bioactive components, including flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, steroids, and phenolic compounds. This study aimed to assess the gastroprotective properties of sungkai leaf extract (Peronema canescens Jack) by analyzing the average size of gastric lesions in male Wistar rats exposed to absolute ethanol. The research used a …

Implications Of Palliative Care Education Amongst Critical Care Nurses And Applicable Screening Criteria For Consultation, Paiten Rask

DNP Projects

Background:
Palliative care is underutilized and/or consulted too late in the patient stay to provide optimal benefits to patients and families. There is a gap in nursing knowledge and confidence surrounding the topic of palliative care and the ability to advocate for specialty involvement for patients.

Objectives:
This project's purpose is to educate registered nurses in critical care about palliative care and introduce the idea of an objective palliative care screening tool. The project involved implementation of pre and post-test analysis of knowledge and confidence following a presentation of educational content. The content also included mock patient scenarios that require …

The Implementation Of Culturally Responsive Curricula: A Moral Obligation, Kira I. Vasquez

Masters Projects

Culturally responsive education has long been accepted as critical to supporting students’ academic, social and emotional success at school–particularly for those from historically marginalized communities. Under the current presidential administration, however, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have come under attack, and many educators avoid their professional and moral obligation to implement culturally responsive curriculum for fear of political and professional repercussions. Grounded in Gloria Ladson-Billing’s theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and Gholdy Muhammad’s framework of Culturally and Historically Responsive Education (CHRE), this project aims to reaffirm the value of culturally responsive teaching and learning. Chapter One outlines the problem, …

Implementing A Standardized Education Program To Enhance Nurses' Utilization Of Virtual Nurse Support, Emma Steck

DNP Projects

The rapid expansion of telehealth and virtual nursing support necessitates the development of standardized education programs to optimize the utilization of virtual support systems. This quality improvement project aimed to address the problem of inconsistent and outdated orientation methods for hospital nurses working with virtual registered nurse (ViRN) support staff at a large Midwest hospital. The project engaged over 800 nursing staff across more than 30 inpatient care units, with a focused pilot conducted on three intervention units. The intervention involved the development of an online learning module designed to standardize training and improve utilization of ViRN support. Utilizing the …

Learning From Conditional Data Distributions, Jizhou Huang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Traditional machine learning paradigms often rely on a single global model trained on an entire dataset, aiming for broad generalization across all instances. However, in many real-world applications, the underlying data distribution is heterogeneous, and meaningful predictions often require models that focus on specific subpopulations rather than treating the data as a whole. This motivates the study of learning from conditional distributions, a framework where predictive models are designed to capture the structure and properties of restricted subsets of the data, leading to improved accuracy, fairness, and interpretability. This dissertation explores three key subproblems that exemplify different aspects of learning …

A Qualitative Case Study Exploring The Decision-Making Criteria Of Policymakers In The State Of Michigan To Reinstate A Universal Helmet Law, Eberley Nicole Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Policymakers are elected to create, amend, or repeal legislation that impacts public welfare; however, little is known about the specific criteria used when making public health and safety decisions, particularly regarding motorcycle helmet laws. In 2012, Michigan repealed its universal helmet law (UHL) after 35 years, replacing it with a partial helmet law specifying requirements for helmetless riding. Despite an increase in unhelmeted fatalities, the UHL has not been reinstated, raising questions about the legislative decision-making process. Prior research has found that factors such as budgeting, statistical data, interest groups, education, income, political stability, and public opinion may guide these …

Shared Themes Among Teachers And Students On The Impact Of Teacher Well-Being On Student Wellbeing And Academic Success, Brian Duncan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers have experienced increasing burnout and high attrition rates, alongside a parallel decline in student well-being and academic success. Prior research has linked teacher well-being to student outcomes; however, little is known about whether teachers and students perceive this relationship similarly. This phenomenological qualitative study explored the shared perceptions of teacher well-being’s impact on student well-being and academic success among 10 high school teachers and 10 students from public schools in the southwestern United States. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Bowlby’s secure base theory, the study employed semistructured interviews and Saldana’s two-cycle coding to identify themes across both …

New Kid On The Block: An Evaluation Of Web-Scale Discovery Services, Anita Winger, Blair Booker

Publications

Web-scale discovery systems emerged in 2007 as a new product in library search and retrieval. Libraries have different platforms to choose from and do so based on how well they integrate with the existing Integrated Library System. Each platform offers features, such as relevancy ranking systems, citation trails, and link resolvers, to enhance the search experience and manage electronic resources effectively.

Effects Of Liver Surgery On Drug Transporters In The Liver And Remote Organs, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Alterations in drug transporters in acute liver failure and chronic liver diseases, such as cirrhosis, have been reviewed before. However, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews on how liver surgery, including transplantation and partial hepatectomy, affects drug transporters. Because ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury is a hallmark of liver transplantation and most other surgical procedures of the liver, this review focuses on the effects of IR injury, in addition to liver resection, on the expression and function of transporters in the liver and remote organs. Most of the reported studies in this area are carried out in animal models of liver …

The Problem With Consumer Affordability Of Prescription Medications In The United States, Valerie E. Bell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Consumer affordability of prescription drugs is an ongoing problem in the United States. This study was undertaken to research the financial, physical, and economic effects of drug prices on consumers and the methods used by consumers to address such effects. Rational choice and power and politics theories were used to explain the decisions consumers make when they could not afford their medications and the role policies and politics play in drug pricing. The research questions concerned the relationship between consumers’ perceptions of drug pricing and their ability to purchase medications. The quantitative nonexperimental study involved the administration of a survey …

Postpartum Experiences Of Arab Women And The Educational Role Of The Mother, Diana Ikki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women in the Arab world traditionally observe a 40-day postpartum rest period, during which they rest, follow specific rituals, and learn to care for their newborn under the guidance and care of a family matriarch, typically their mother. Despite the prevalence of this practice, there is limited empirical research exploring the educational role of Arab mothers during their daughters' postpartum period; this qualitative study addressed this gap. Foundational to this study’s theoretical framework was Ramona Mercer’s theory of maternal role attainment. The study addressed two research questions: how Arab women describe their postpartum experiences and the educational role their mothers …

Dosimetric Comparisons Of 6mv, 6fff, 10mv, And 10fff On Vmat Planning In Patients With Endometrial Cancer, Madisin M. Depas

Masters Projects

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the dosimetric and efficiency impacts of different photon beam energies—6MV, 6 flattening filter free (FFF), 10MV, and 10FFF—on volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for endometrial cancer, with attention to target coverage, organ at risk (OAR) sparing, and treatment efficiency.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 25 patients with post-hysterectomy endometrial cancer. Each patient received four VMAT plans with varying energies. Planning metrics assessed included planning target volume (PTV) dose maximum (Dmax), conformity index (CI), heterogeneity index (HI), OAR doses (bladder, bowel, rectum), and total monitor units (MU). Correlations were drawn …

Analyzing National War Propaganda Through Comparison Of Diverse Case Studies, Ike Sugitani

Dissertations and Theses

In the build-up to war, national governments utilize propaganda to gather public support for the war effort. In some instances, propaganda campaigns are conducted but war does not occur. This begs the question as to why war follows propaganda campaigns in some cases, but not in others. I argue that propaganda efforts that lead to war can be generally characterized through three major strategies based on a patriotic participatory social structure, a claim to moral authority, and the blending of individual concepts of the state, government and nation. In this study, I analyze the major historical case studies of the …

Social Justice & Advocacy In Human Services, Cailyn F. Green, Bernadet Dejonge, Nikki Golden, Kim Brayton, Carrie Steinman, Shannon Raybold

Milne Open Textbooks

Read this book online at: https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/social-justice-in-human-services/

Social Justice & Advocacy in Human Services delves into the complex realm of social justice, offering a deep dive into historical roots and theories to practical applications in the field. This text covers fundamental concepts, including power, privilege, and oppression, and explores critical issues like racism, gender, sexuality, poverty, religion, and disability in the context of the United States. The last section of the book hones in on the field of human services, discussing power, privilege, and bias in this context, and lastly exploring equitable distribution, human rights, and the systems and entry points …

Nitrous Oxide Deaths Spike By More Than 500%, Study Finds, Clara Turnage

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – Nitrous oxide deaths in the United States spiked by more than 500% between 2010 and 2023, a new study indicates.