Digital Commons Network^™

Relationships Between Social Identity And Engagement In Personal Action To Reduce Human Impacts On Wildlife, Alyssa Hayes

University Research Symposium Posters and Abstracts

Some visitors to nature centers and wildlife rehabilitation facilities express unscientific ideas about how to accomplish wildlife protection. Despite attempts to develop mechanistic knowledge about how wildlife rehabilitation occurs through brochures and internet materials, unscientific ideas about how wildlife rehabilitation should occur continues to persist. This is problematic because everyday citizens hold much power in their personal actions or inactions for preventing the need for wildlife rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to investigate how social identity factors, such as political ideology and science identity, are related to engagement in personal actions that would prevent the need for wildlife …

Characterizing The Interaction Between P38kb And Ref(2)P In Protein Homeostasis, Teni Shosanya

University Research Symposium Posters and Abstracts

As organisms age they accumulate misfolded and damaged protein that can lead to protein aggregation, which can be toxic and lead to a diseased state and eventual death of the cell. We have recently found that the p38 MAP Kinase (p38Kb) plays a major role in regulating protein aggregation in Drosophila melanogaster through its interaction with the Chaperone Assisted Selective Autophagy (CASA) complex. The CASA complex is a pathway that helps with the degradation of the misfolded and damaged proteins to prevent protein aggregation. The chaperone proteins in the complex refolds the proteins. The proteins that cannot be refolded are …

University Students' Trust In Scientists And The Cdc When Evaluating Information About The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tae'lor Allen, Kendy Reyes-Cruz

University Research Symposium Posters and Abstracts

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, which likely emerged through a spillover from a viral reservoir bat population in China in late 2019. Since that time, COVID-19 has caused more than 5.22 million deaths worldwide. The SARS-Cov-2 causes respiratory illness and is especially serious for those with chronic illness, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Despite evidence that masking, vaccination, and social distancing prevent illness, such measures are controversial among some ideologies. We embarked on this study to better understand how college/university students evaluate scientific information related to the pandemic in this contentious context. College/university students are …

2022 University Research Symposium Program Book, The Graduate School

University Research Symposium Programs

Program book for the 2022 University Research Symposium.

Single Parents Effect On Children, Danielle Harker

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

There are a ton of different family structures and one of those structures include single parent families. Single parents are parents who take care of their children on their own without the help of a significant other. A single parent can be a mom or a dad. At times it can be hard to tell how a child is affected due to how their parent became a single parent or how their family structure is. Therefore, the question my research project will be asking is how are children who have single parents emotionally and socially affected? Depending on the family …

The Color Of Justice, Alexis Hoag

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Economic Values Of Potential Regulation Changes For The Southern Flounder Fishery In Louisiana, David R. Smith, Stephen R. Midway, Rex H. Caffey, Jerrod M. Penn

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development And Structural Organization Of Mexico’S Mangrove Monitoring System (Smmm) As A Foundation For Conservation And Restoration Initiatives: A Hierarchical Approach, María Teresa Rodríguez-Zúñiga, Carlos Troche-Souza, María Isabel Cruz-López, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy

Faculty Publications

Mangroves provide ecosystem services worth billions of dollars worldwide. Although countries with extensive mangrove areas implemented management and conservation programs since the 1980s, the global area is still decreasing. To recuperate this lost area, both restoration and rehabilitation (R/R) projects have been implemented but with limited success, especially at spatial scales needed to restore functional properties. Monitoring mangroves at different spatial scales in the long term (decades) is critical to detect potential threats and select cost-effective management criteria and performance measures to improve R/R program success. Here, we analyze the origin, development, implementation, and outcomes of a country-level mangrove monitoring …

The Microbial Nitrogen Cycling, Bacterial Community Composition, And Functional Potential In A Natural Grassland Are Stable From Breaking Dormancy To Being Dormant Again, Bikram Kumar Das, Satoshi Ishii, Linto Antony, Alexander Smart, Joy Scaria, Volker Brozel

Native Plant Focused Publications

The quantity of grass-root exudates varies by season, suggesting temporal shifts in soil microbial community composition and activity across a growing season. We hypothesized that bacterial community and nitrogen cycle-associated prokaryotic gene expressions shift across three phases of the growing season. To test this hypothesis, we quantified gene and transcript copy number of nitrogen fixation (nifH), ammonia oxidation (amoA, hao, nxrB), denitrification (narG, napA, nirK, nirS, norB, nosZ), dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (nrfA), and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (hzs, hdh) using the pre-optimized Nitrogen Cycle Evaluation (NiCE) chip. Bacterial community composition was characterized using V₃-V₄ of the …

Exploring Commons Governance, Nonprofit Commons Governance, And Convening Leadership In Nonprofit Organizations To Solve Complex Societal And Global Issues: A Qualitative Study, Patricia A. Clary

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Nonprofit organizations that operate independently without knowledge of effective governance principles and convening leadership through collective-action collaboration have less shared resources and philanthropic value to fulfill their organization’s mission. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic accentuated awareness of the need for nonprofit organizations and voluntary action associations to collaborate, leading to increased shared resources and philanthropic value through governance and convening leadership. The purpose of this study was to examine four design principles of commons governance (Ostrom, 1990), five nonprofit commons governance principles and assumptions (Lohmann, 1992), and five convening leadership dimensions (Clary, 2021) to understand how governance and convening leadership contribute …

The Mechanistic Basis For The Toxicity Difference Between Juvenile Rats And Mice Following Exposure To The Agricultural Insecticide Chlorpyrifos, Katelyn Sette

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Culture And Firms, Zhihui Gu, Hao Liang, Hanyu Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We study how societal culture shapes business activities and corporate behavior by leveraging data on the locations of Confucian schools in Ancient China. The number of historic Confucian schools surrounding a current firm’s location proxies for the firm’s exposure to Confucianism, the dominant culture in China over the last two thou- sand years, and is immune to the subjectivity and selection problems of most culture measures. We find systematic differences in corporate behavior across regions based on their varying exposure to Confucianism. Listed companies more exposed Confucianism make greater social contributions, provide greater employee protection, and have higher entertainment expenses, …

Regulatory Aspects Of Mild Cognitive Impairment: Toward A Harmonized Perspective, Peter J. Whitehouse

Faculty Scholarship

The development of the concept of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its practical application have been intimately tied to attempts to produce therapeutic agents. Understanding the regulatory environment and determining the way in which it can be influenced are critical to the development of drugs and their eventual approval. In this article, we review some of the current challenges surrounding the concept of MCI relevant to drug development, summarize activities in various regions of the world, and conclude with some suggested next steps and an alternative framing for approving drugs for MCI and related conditions.

Skin Cancer Biopsy And Detection Rates With Total Body Skin Examination: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Analysis., Alexander Sherban, Shayan Waseh, Audra Hugo, Michael Bui, Constantine Daskalakis, Elizabeth Jones

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

Research Letter

“I’M Certainly No Language Police”: Language, Race, And Identity Negotiation Among White K-8 Teachers, Luca Poxon , '22

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Drawing on concepts from critical race theory and critical whiteness studies, scholarship on raciolinguistics and racial identity, and methods from grounded theory and discourse analysis, this thesis explores the following research questions: 1) How do White teachers of students of color understand language, race, and their own role as raced people teaching language? 2) How do they act on these understandings? Interviews with five White K-8 educators show how particular combinations of understandings of race, language, and self produce raciolinguistic and pedagogical tensions; these include knowing that the concept of “academic language” is racialized and power-laden while also believing that …

An Examination Of Medical Resident Practices Regarding Patient Communication About Infant Safe Sleep Practices, Summer Samir Chahin

Dissertations

Infant mortality is a significant public health concern in the United States, particularly because of the large racial disparities in death rates. In particular, Black infants die at a rate twice that of white infants (Center for Disease Control, 2016). Sleep-related deaths are one of the most preventable causes of infant mortality. In Kalamazoo, Black and multi-racial infants account for the majority (3 out of 4) of sleep-related deaths (Sleep-Related Infant Deaths in Kalamazoo County Fact Sheet, 2017). To reduce sleep-related deaths, the American Academy of Pediatrics published recommendations for safe sleep practices (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016).

Unfortunately, caregivers …

Experimental Insights Into The Origin Of Microcrystalline Calcites, Mohammed Hashim

Dissertations

A significant proportion of modern marine calcium carbonate sediments is dominated by metastable aragonite and high Mg calcite that either dissolves or stabilizes to low-Mg-calcite (calcite) or dolomite during diagenesis. Sediment dissolution and stabilization have implications for the CaCO3 budget in the ocean and carbon burial rates. Yet, the diagenetic conditions that promote each process and their relative importance are poorly understood. Further, stabilization most commonly produces calcite microcrystals that exhibit various textures and host micropores. Despite their ubiquity in the rock record, the controls on microcrystal textures remain unclear. Here, laboratory experiments were used to investigate aragonite-to-calcite stabilization as …

Water Storage Analysis And Design Portfolio For Nocaima, Colombia, Philip Bortz, Lola Martin Uribe, Claudia Newell, Gisselle Paz-Ortiz

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

In partnership with Santa Clara University Frugal Innovation Hub and the Institución Universitaria of Politécnico Grancolombiano, the project aims to provide a single household, self-managed, water storage solution for residents of rural Nocaima, Colombia. Currently, the impacts of climate change and the lack of a sufficient community water system threaten the water security of rural Nocaima and the livelihoods of its residents. Proposed are two rainwater collection and storage systems, one including slow sand filtration and tank storage system, and the other a retention pond that will not be filtered. Components of the solutions include collection, storage, and filtration systems, …

Supetai Well Water Purification, Claire Russon, Geovanni Usher, Nicole Valdivia

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

The rural Kenyan community of Oldonya Rasha had depended on water from a distant spring of unknown quality from which there have been reports of typhoid. A non-governmental organization, Sabore’s Well, built the centrally-located Supetai Well with the intention of solving the lack of accessible potable water, but due to high fluoride levels in the groundwater, this water source is unsafe. The team designed a water treatment system to be integrated into the existing well infrastructure that removes fluoride and pathogens to meet Kenyan and World Health Organization (WHO) water quality standards. The design includes dosage of alum and soda …

Risks And Outcomes Associated With Pleural Space Infections After Lung Transplantation, Jane Simanovski, Hassan Nemeh, Lisa Allenspach, L. L. Mei, Lisa Stagner, Julio Pinto Corrales, Kaitlin Olexsey, Domingo J. Franco-Palacios, George Alangaden

Surgery Meeting Abstracts

Purpose: Pleural space infections (PSI) are a serious complication after lung transplantation (LT) however there is limited data on the associated risk factors and outcomes of PSI. We examined: 1) risk factors associated with PSI after LT; 2) effect of PSI on LT outcomes.

Methods: This is a retrospective single center cohort study of 74 consecutive LT recipients (1/2018- 6/2020). Patients were divided into infected and non-infected groups, where PSI were defined as post-LT pleural effusions with pathogen(s) isolated from pleural fluid. Data were collected and compared between two groups with two-sample t-test or Fisher-exact. Multivariable logit model was performed …

Gold & Blue, Spring 2022, St. Mary's University- San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue

This is the Spring 2022 edition of Gold & Blue which is St. Mary's University's official school publication.

Discovering The Role Of Repeat Sequences In Regulation Of The Phaz Gene In Streptomyces Sp. Sfb5a, Harrison Senter, Stephen Baron

Honors Projects

Streptomyces sp. SFB5A is an actinomycete (filamentous bacterium) that degrades PHB using an extracellular PHB depolymerase. PHB depolymerase synthesis is induced by growth on PHB and repressed by glucose (or other preferred carbon sources)², which suggests that there is transcriptional regulation of its corresponding gene, phaZ. Binding sites are suspected to be the repeat sequences found in the phaZ gene. There are 3 different sets of primers that can be made in order to emphasize specific functional repeats while disrupting the functionality of others. The goal of the project is to transform Streptomyces sp. 5A with constructs …

Developing An Electroporation Method For Transforming Streptomyces Nymphaeiformis, Heather Knott, Stephen Baron

Honors Projects

Streptomyces species are notoriously difficult to transform. Streptomyces nymphaeiformis is no different, so a method of electroporation was used to attempt to transform the cells. Multiple growth stages were used in order to alter the degree of development of the cell wall. The procedure did not kill the cells, but the cells were not transformed. Due to the lack of transformation with S. nymphaeiformis, transformation was attempted on two other Streptomyces strains, S. lividans and S. coelicolor. Neither was successfully transformed to thiostrepton (tsr) resistance, nor did they grow on a plate lacking thiostrepton. One possibility for the …

Psychosocial Outcomes Of Orthopedic Injuries: An Analysis Of The Relationship Between The Athlete And The Athletic Trainer, Hannah Barnett

Honors Projects

An analysis on the impact of the level of social support from athletic trainers on the outcomes of orthopedic injuries in athletes. The foundational model for this research is Wiese-Bjornstal’s Integrated Model (1998). This model examines the effect of athletes’ emotional responses on their recovery. Social support from the athletic trainer can help mediate negative emotional responses and encourage positive emotional responses, which is why social support is crucial to recovery. Athletes with higher levels of perceived social support from their athletic trainers had more success with rehabilitation. This report consists of a review of the existing literature on psychosocial …

Ecological Stressors Impact Soil Biodiversity, Kaleb Frierson, John Carlile

Transformations: Presentation Slides

Soil biodiversity serves ecologically important roles like nutrient cycling and is used as an indicator of community disturbance. North American forests host a multitude of ecological stressors, including invasive plants, earth worms, and deer abundance. While relationships between deer and invasive species, as well as relationships between macroinvertebrates and worms have been heavily investigated, the effects of invasive plant species like Pale Swallowwort on soil biodiversity are unknown. To test our hypothesis that Pale Swallowwort affects soil biodiversity, we collected leaf litter from three state parks throughout Central New York at sites with and without the invasive plant. Samples were …

Kenyon Alumni Magazine - Spring 2022

Kenyon College Alumni Bulletin

No abstract provided.

Each Member Of Gardner-Webb’S Delegation To National Alpha Chi Convention Is A Winner, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

At the Alpha Chi National Convention and centennial celebration, delegates from Gardner-Webb University made their own history. Held recently in Austin, Texas, all five students from GWU were recognized with an award and a monetary prize. Moreover, two students from GWU—Caleb Etchison and Allyson Butts—won the top two national awards. The other three winners, Grace Burgin, Kimberly Cole and Michelle Lominac, won second place in the Collaborative Research Competition.

Contextualizing Menopause In The Law, Bridget J. Crawford, Emily Gold Waldman, Naomi R. Cahn

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

“It is horrendous, but then it’s magnificent,” says one character about menopause in an episode of the 2019 Netflix comedy Fleabag. Her younger interlocutor is incredulous at this proclamation. That younger character, and even the audience, may be somewhat taken aback by this frank discussion. After all, menopause is not a subject that is commonly discussed, let alone praised. Whether among friends, acquaintances, or colleagues (fictional or not), silence about menopause is more likely the norm. This is true in the law, too. The law mostly ignores menopause.

The law’s silence about menopause is linked to a broader cultural silence …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 01 - April 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Svetlana Micic, Saleh Adnan, Janette Pratt, Jean Galloway, Adam H. Sparks, Jeff Russell

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 01 - April 2022 contents:

• What to expect from mollusc pests after a hot dry summer
• Meet our new team member – Dr Saleh Adnan
• Canola blackleg risk forecasts
• Have you checked out the new Grains Farm Biosecurity website?

Notch-Induced Mdsc Recruitment After Ohsv Virotherapy In Cns Cancer Models Modulates Antitumor Immunotherapy, Yoshihiro Otani, Ji Young Yoo, Cole T Lewis, Samantha Chao, Jessica Swanner, Toshihiko Shimizu, Jin Muk Kang, Sara A Murphy, Kimberly Rivera-Caraballo, Bangxing Hong, Joseph C Glorioso, Hiroshi Nakashima, Sean E Lawler, Yeshavanth Banasavadi-Siddegowda, John D Heiss, Yuanqing Yan, Guangsheng Pei, Michael A Caligiuri, Zhongming Zhao, E Antonio Chiocca, Jianhua Yu, Balveen Kaur

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 (oHSV) infection of brain tumors activates NOTCH, however the consequences of NOTCH on oHSV-induced immunotherapy is largely unknown. Here we evaluated the impact of NOTCH blockade on virus-induced immunotherapy.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), TCGA data analysis, flow cytometry, Luminex- and ELISA-based assays, brain tumor animal models, and serum analysis of patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) treated with oHSV was used to evaluate the effect of NOTCH signaling on virus-induced immunotherapy.

RESULTS: TCGA data analysis of patients with grade IV glioma and oHSV treatment of experimental brain tumors in mice showed that NOTCH signaling significantly …