Digital Commons Network^™

Testing For A Smad Requirement In Wnt Signaling In Drosphila Embryos, Samantha Giannantonio, Laurel Raftery Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Cells communicate by producing molecular signals that activate a signal-specific pathway to elicit a response in neighboring cells. Signaling pathways share similar elements that include the signal and receptor, and intracellular components to relay the signal and effect a change in gene expression. Two signaling pathways, the Wnt pathway and the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) pathway, which contribute to the establishment of body plans for all multicellular animals, have been thought to be independent of one another. However, recent evidence suggests that the Wnt and BMP pathways share a signal transducer that has a necessary function in both pathways. This …

Development Of Novel Synthetic Methods Of Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1(Lsd1) Inhibitors As Anti-Cancer Reagents, Citlally Lopez, Lilian Huynh, Jun Yong Kang Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Cancer is the malignant growth and division of abnormal cells. The proliferation of cancerous cells is harmful to the human body since it interferes with many biological processes. Lysine-specific demethylase 1(LSD1) protein levels are expressed at high levels in many types of cancers such as teratocarcinoma, embryonic carcinoma, and embryonic stem cells. Gene expression in cancerous cells can be repressed by lysine-methylation on histones which ensures the maintenance of a tightly organized histone. Targeting LSD1 protein levels can significantly impair the growth of cancer due to the methylated histones being unable to participate in gene expression. Lysine-specific demethylase 1(LSD1) inhibitors …

Evolutionary Analysis Of Nlr Genes In Metrosideros Through Comparative Genomics, Sarem Khilji, Elizabeth Stacy Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Plants rely heavily on innate immunity toward pathogens due to the fact that many of them do not contain specialized adaptive immune system cells. In order to mount proper immune responses, plants must come up with several broad defense mechanisms. One such mechanism in these plants, nucleotide-binding domain & leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins, are key players when it comes to intracellular immune-related functions. While the biological functions and protein structure of NLR genes are similar across species, variation in NLR gene numbers and sequences among closely related plant taxa can play a key role in diversification and the evolution of …

High Precision In-Situ Raman Spectroscopy On A Novel Room-Temperature Superconductor, Carbonaceous Sulfur Hydride, Under Pressure And Cryogenic Temperatures, Faraz Mostafaeipour, Keith V. Lawler Ph.D., Ashkan Salamat Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Superconductivity is an incredible quantum phenomenon that historically only occurred at low temperatures. Recently, room-temperature superconductivity was discovered and will have various benefits and advantages in application, such as revolutionizing the energy grid, making medical imaging more accessible, and solving problems in related sciences. We have experimentally investigated carbonaceous sulfur hydride (CSH), a novel room-temperature superconductor, at varying cryogenic temperatures and pressures through high precision Raman spectroscopy. The current understanding of the material lacks information about the chemical structure and stoichiometry. Investigating the temperature and pressure space of its Raman spectra will give insight on important details about its structure, …

Carnivore Use Of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Willaine Mae Kahano, Sean A. Neiswenter Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are one of the most well-known carnivorous species on the planet. Despite our familiarity with them, their effects on native fauna in protected areas is still unclear; however, many studies warn that dogs are a potential threat to wildlife. To understand the relationships between domestic dogs and native species, we conducted a preliminary carnivore survey at the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (TUSK) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Camera traps were placed in 14 different locations for an average of 28 trap nights. They were affixed to approximately 50 cm above the ground and were adjusted …

Synthesis Of Novel Fluorescent Molecular Probes For The Diagnosis Of Alzheimer’S Disease, David King, Pradip Bhowmik Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a pervasive form of dementia that accounts for 60% to 70% of progressive cognitive impairment within the elderly population.1 This neurodegenerative disease manifests itself through a progressive decline in motor function, memory, and cognition.2 AD is closely associated with the accumulation of amyloid- β (Aβ) proteins that form insoluble plaques.2 The formation of Aβ is a hallmark of AD and can serve as a means for diagnosis. Our objective is to synthesize potential candidates for a practical and safe means to detecting AD in its early stages. We synthesized the target fluorescent probes by Knoevenagel condensation …

Predicting Variant Pathogenicity With Machine Learning, Zachary Fitzhugh, Martin R. Schiller Ph.D., Fatma Nasoz

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

There are roughly 22,000 protein-coding genes in the human body, many of which play important roles in biological functions. The proteins fold in 3D space, and this is most often necessary for function. A genetic variant can disrupt the secondary structure of a protein (one aspect of structure) or eliminate a site important in protein-protein interaction or post-translational modification. The loss of function or deregulation can result in disease. Thus, there is great biomedical interest in identifying disease-causing single-nucleotide variants.

We hypothesize that we can accurately predict variant pathogenicity. We used machine learning to predict the pathogenicity of a set …

Isolation Of Salt Tolerant Bacteria And Investigation Of Perchlorate Biodegradation At High Salinity Conditions, Aymen Shafique, Yasaman Saedi, Jacimaria Batista Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Perchlorate (ClO4-), known as a highly soluble oxidizer contaminant, has been detected in soil and groundwater throughout the United States for the last two decades. Biological reduction has been seen as a promising technology through which perchlorate reducing bacteria (PRB) occurring naturally in most environments utilize ClO4- as an electron acceptor. However, biological reduction of perchlorate is influenced by high salinity levels because the PRBs’ activity is hindered at salinities over 1%. The goal of this study is to investigate the impact of salinity (NaCl: 0-6.5%) on perchlorate biological reduction. Actual soil samples from the contaminated site containing PRBs were …

Comparison Of Biochar Attained From Various Feedstocks For The Adsorption Of Arsenic In Water, Fabianny Anez, Suraj Pochampally, Christina Obra, Jaeyun Moon, Erica J. Marti

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Water is a fundamental human right, yet in many developing countries, it is a luxury. Water shortages and polluted water have become routine for millions of Venezuelans in the last two decades due to a failing economy and infrastructure mismanagement. According to the World Health Organization, arsenic (As) is a worldwide pollutant. Though it occurs naturally, As is toxic and may cause chronic poisoning with prolonged exposure. An estimated 4.5 million individuals in Latin America are chronically exposed to high levels of As (>50 𝜇g/L), some up to 2000 𝜇g/L. Biochar, a carbon-based material, effectively adsorbs and sequesters pollutants. …

Exploring The Geometric And Electronic Properties Of Palladium Doped Silicon Clusters, Madison Winkeler, Ciara N. Richardson

Scholars Week

Transition metal-doped silicon clusters have unique properties and have been studied as building blocks for nanomaterials and microelectronics. Here, the structure and properties of candidate palladium doped silicon clusters (SinPd2: n=1-17) were determined using global optimization techniques on a high performance computing cluster at the San Diego Supercomputing Center. Then geometric structures were further optimized utilizing the B3LYP method with 6-311+G(d) basis sets for silicon and lanl2dz pseudopotential for palladium, followed by the larger DSDPBEP86 method with 6-311+G(2d) basis sets for silicon and SDD pseudopotential for palladium, as implemented in the Gaussian 16 program package. The energetics for each cluster …

Mapping Fetch And Diel Movements Of Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix Within Kentucky Lake And Lake Barkley With Gis, Levi Umland

Scholars Week

Title: Mapping Silver Carp movements, relative exposure, and fetch within inland reservoirs using Geographic Information Systems.

Author: Levi G Umland

Invasive species across our country have continued to threaten our native species, compete for habitat via interspecific competition, and have caused economic impacts. Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), commonly referred to as Asian Carp, have remained in the invasive species spotlight throughout the southern and mid-western states as they have continued to spread. Silver Carp have successfully spread through our rivers and reservoirs, but little is known about Silver Carp movement rates/behavior within reservoirs due to their lower abundance within …

A Gud Toolbox: Implementation Of Giving-Up Densities With Mammals, Brandon Preston, Jordan Tandy, Kundil Patel, Karissa Coffield

Scholars Week

Giving-up densities are the density of food remaining within an artificial foraging patch over a specified time and are an indicator of how an organism perceives its environment. The GUD method is particularly useful to study the foraging behavior of an organism relative to predation risk and interactions with other environmental variables (e.g., cover, conspecifics, and food quantity and quality) to address larger ecological and evolutionary questions. The GUD methodology is commonly used with the mammalian taxonomic group due to their general size, detectability, and abundance in comparison to other taxa. However, development of protocols that maximize the potential for …

American Letters: Mencken, Editorial Board

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Anthropocentric Tautologies: The Ape Who Mistook His Jabbering For A Self, George Conesa

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Humans (Really) Are Animals: Picture-Book Reading Influences 5-Year-Old Urban Children’S Construal Of The Relation Between Humans And Non-Human Animals, Sandra Waxman, Patricia Herrmann, Jennifer Woodring, Douglas Medin

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

What is the relation between humans and non-human animals? From a biological perspective, we view humans as one species among many, but in the fables and films we create for children, we often offer an anthropocentric perspective, imbuing non-human animals with human-like characteristics. What are the consequences of these distinctly different perspectives on children’s reasoning about the natural world? Some have argued that children universally begin with an anthropocentric perspective and that acquiring a biological perspective requires a basic conceptual change (Carey, 1985). But recent work reveals that this anthropocentric perspective, evidenced in urban 5-year-olds, is not evident in 3-year-olds …

Depaul Digest

DePaul Magazine

Marquee - Silver Linings: Theatre student José Dominguez Magdaleno anticipates a leading role for arts activism empowered by challenging times; Memoranda - The Finish Line Fund and DePaul's Alumni Awards; Milestones; Memories - Games Students Play: Improv DePaul; Master Class - Cultivating Emotional Intelligence in Diffi cult Times

Anthropocentrism: More Than Just A Misunderstood Problem, Helen Kopnina, Haydn Washington, Bron Taylor, John Piccolo

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Anthropocentrism, in its original connotation in environmental ethics, is the belief that value is human-centered and that all other beings are means to human ends. Environmentally-concerned authors have argued that anthropocentrism is ethically wrong and at the root of ecological crises. Some environmental ethicists argue, however, that critics of anthropocentrism are misguided or even misanthropic. They contend: first that criticism of anthropocentrism can be counterproductive and misleading by failing to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate human interests. Second, that humans differ greatly in their environmental impacts, and consequently, addressing human inequalities should be a precondition for environmental protection. Third, since …

Lanthorn, Vol. 56, No. 13, November 15, 2021, Grand Valley State University

Volume 56, August 2, 2021 - April 18, 2022

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Indonesian Efl Students’ Difficulties In Recognizing English Letters, Toni Indrayadi, Daflizar Daflizar, Yoki Irawan, Helty Helty

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the difficulties of Indonesian undergraduate students in recognizing English letters at one public Islamic higher education institution in Jambi Province, Indonesia as the basis for designing pronunciation teaching strategies for English lecturers. Using a qualitative methodology that attempts to investigate and understand human issues in a particular group (Harrison et al., 2017), 4 participants were interviewed. through semi-structured interview questions. The interviews were analyzed and compared along four dimensions of EFL English pronunciation mastery factors: motivation, attitude, first language pronunciation interference, and phonetic ability. The findings of this study provide evidence …

Metal Pollutant Pathways In Cohesive Coastal Catchments: Influence Of Flocculation And Biopolymers On Partitioning And Flux, R. J. Schindler, S. D.W. Comber, A. J. Manning

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Bipolar I And Bipolar Ii Subtypes In Older Age: Results From The Global Aging And Geriatric Experiments In Bipolar Disorder (Gage-Bd) Project, Farren Briggs, Martha Sajatovic, Kaylee Sarna, Joy Yala

Faculty Scholarship

Objectives: The distinction between bipolar I disorder (BD-I) and bipolar II disorder (BD-II) has been a topic of long-lasting debate. This study examined differences between BD-I and BD-II in a large, global sample of OABD, focusing on general functioning, cognition and somatic burden as these domains are often affected in OABD. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted with data from the Global Aging and Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder (GAGE-BD) database. The sample included 963 participants aged ≥50 years (714 BD-I, 249 BD-II). Sociodemographic and clinical factors were compared between BD subtypes including adjustment for study cohort. Multivariable analyses were conducted …

Resource Allocation And Phenotypic Plasticity Of Simultaneous Hermaphroditic Turtle Barnacles (Chelonibia Testudinaria), Kevin C. Cash

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

This research addresses the knowledge gap of phenotypic plasticity in a commonly found and important species of epizoic barnacle, Chelonibia testudinaria. Limited research has been published regarding how phenotypic expression is mediated the spatial distribution of barnacles on a mobile host. To investigate this potential relationship, barnacles were collected from the backs of turtles along the beaches of Fort Lauderdale Florida. These barnacles were assessed for various phenotypic traits as well as their corresponding spatial distribution on the turtle carapace. Barnacles were safely removed from the carapace using a chisel before their preservation in ethanol. Barnacles were then numbered …

How Heritable Traits Of Parental Care Influence Brood Sex Ratio In The Carolina Wren (Thryothorus Ludovicianus), Ashley Juanita Atkins Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Rearing conditions have sex-specific effects on offspring which can influence the unequal production of sons and daughters according to environmental conditions. Particularly in species in which males a re larger and more expensive to produce. In such species, high-quality mothers are expected to over-repoduce sons. Such conditions arise in the Carolina wren, a species in which sexual size dimorphism manifests prior to independence and maternal fitness is influenced by environmental conditions, thereby favoring the unequal production of sons and daughters. However, high-quality daughters can have greater reproductive value than sons. Therefore, high-quality mothers might over-rpoduce daughters because daughters will inherit …

Improving Search Engine Performance Through Dynamic Caching, C Gutierrez-Soto, Ma Palomino, E Roa, P Galdames

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Lignin, Sugar, And Furan Production Of Industrial Hemp Biomass Via An Integrated Process, Jikai Zhao, Jason Griffin, Kraig Roozeboom, Juhee Lee, Donghai Wang

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Traditional pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is often accompanied by washing and disposal of wastewater, which leads to overuse of water and loss of by-products. The objectives of this study were to validate the potential of an acid-base integrated process for simultaneous sugars, furans, and lignin production without washing and wastewater discarding. The difference in conversion performance among different biomass resources was also demonstrated. Parallel acetic acid (HOAc, pH = 2.25) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH, pH = 13.46) pretreatments followed by solid and liquid integration were applied to four genotypes of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) biomass that were harvested …

Local And Systemic Cytokine, Chemokine, And Fgf Profile In Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis (Bco)-Affected Broilers, Alison Ramser, Elizabeth Greene, Robert Wideman, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Complex disease states, like bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), not only result in physiological symptoms, such as lameness, but also a complex systemic reaction involving immune and growth factor responses. For the modern broiler (meat-type) chickens, BCO is an animal welfare, production, and economic concern involving bacterial infection, inflammation, and bone attrition with a poorly defined etiology. It is, therefore, critical to define the key inflammatory and bone-related factors involved in BCO. In this study, the local bone and systemic blood profile of inflammatory modulators, cytokines, and chemokines was elucidated along with inflammasome and key FGF genes. BCO-affected bone showed …

Chimes: November 15, 2021, Calvin University

Chimes

We're committed to uncertainty' by Harm Venhuizen

As crime rates soar, Calvin graduate continues Haiti mission by Michaela Giovannelli

Gone phishing: CIT launches internal phishing campaign by Jocelyn Nunez-Colon

Students work to return revival event to campus by Abigail Ham

Calvin alum takes environmental vision to UN climate conference by Tim Lin

Dance Guild celebrates 50th anniversary, survives COVID and cuts by Isaiah Tenhuisen

High schools with Calvin ties win soccer state titles by Jamison Van Andel

Planting sequoias: Calvin's trees provide clues to the past, hope for the future by Sarah Gibes

Library And Information Science Scholarly Journals Publishing Simulation: A Study, Priyanka Sinha, Subaveerapandiyan A

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The author's productivity is assessed based on publications, which requires a lot of motivation and time. Manuscripts get through several steps before being accepted and published. The purpose of this paper is to understand the time gap between acceptance to the publication of manuscripts in reputed journals of Library and Information Science.

This paper is useful to contemporary researchers for knowing the journal publication duration. In this paper, we discussed the refereed and index journals in the field of library and information science. For this study, we collected the data from six LIS journals which were published from the 2020 …

Conflict, Extremism, Resilience And Peace In South Asia; Can Covid-19 Provide A Bridge For Peace And Rapprochement?, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Arun Mitra, Afsah Salman, Fawad Akbari, Suraya Dalil, Fyezah Jehan, Mushtaque Chowdhury, Saroj Jayasinghe, Purnima Menon, Samiran Nundy

Institute for Global Health and Development

Abstract, issue, and pagination are not provided by the author/publisher

Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Perawat Yang Terkena Penyakit Akibat Kerja Berdasarkan Peraturan Perundang-Undangan Yang Berlaku Di Indonesia, Siti Non Dwi Zulaeha

"Dharmasisya” Jurnal Program Magister Hukum FHUI

Occupational safety and health are the most important part of providing protection for workers. With the rapid development of technology raises the potential to threaten occupational safety and health. One example is the Hospital industry. At present the Hospital has been supported by sophisticated and modern tools to support the health services provided to patients. Hospital is a health service industry / workplace that has a high risk to the safety and health of hospital human resources such as patients, visitors, and the hospital environment. In this case the hospital human resources, one of them is Nurse. Nurses are health …