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Conquer And Prevail Issue 176 November 21 2024, Wofford College. Office Of Marketing And Communications

Conquer and Prevail Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Micro And Nano Plastics: Contaminants In Beverages And Prevention Strategies, Chang Ma, Karna Ramachandraiah, Guihun Jiang

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

The widespread use of plastics in beverage packaging has led to the accumulation of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in beverages, which poses significant environmental and health hazards. This review explores the sources, entry pathways, and risk factors for MPs and NPs in beverages, emphasizing their toxicological profiles and harmful effects on human health and the environment. Methods for detecting MPs and NPs in beverages are discussed, highlighting the need for standardized testing protocols. Furthermore, future solution strategies, challenges, and preventive measures for mitigating MP and NP contamination in beverages are proposed, including advanced filtration systems, the development of alternative …

Queering The Relationship Between Research, Researcher And Research Participant: Procedural Ethics, Relational Ethics, And Inverted Hierarchies, Val Meneau

The Qualitative Report

Ethics committees (ECs) typically base their decisions on established assumptions about the impact of the research process, the researcher and the participant on each other, which my doctoral research project failed to meet. This paper discusses the challenging clash between my experiences as a queer scholar doing fieldwork and the expectations of my EC. I argue that queer feminist ethnography complicates the established assumptions concerning the impact of the research process, researcher, and participant on each other. In doing so, I argue that we need models of this relationship that allow us to capture its complexity, for example in the …

Population Increases Of The Threatened American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus Americanus) Linked To Large-Scale Collaborations In A Working Lands Ecoregion, Caleb P. Roberts, Alison K. Ludwig, Dillon T. Fogarty, Erica F. Stuber, Daniel R. Uden, Thomas L. Walker Jr, Dirac Twidwell

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Woody plant encroachment and row-crop agricultural land conversion are existential threats to species that rely on grassland ecosystems. The American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) is a threatened species whose largest remnant populations are predominantly located in grassland ecoregions comprised of privately-owned ranching lands. Here, we seek to determine functional scaling patterns and population trends of the American Burying Beetle in the face of conservation threats and grassland restoration. We used 13 years (2007–2019) of American Burying Beetle abundance data collected from permanent sampling locations across the Loess Canyons ecoregion (Nebraska, USA), where a network of ranchers have been …

Γ -Aapeptides Targeting Amyloid-Β Pathway And Neural Repair For Alzheimer’S Disease Treatment, Ning Shen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and progressive neuronal degeneration. Despite extensive research, no treatments have been able to effectively halt or reverse the progression of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of two novel γ-AApeptides, HW-C9 and 125-6b, in AD treatment, assessing both their individual and combined effects. HW-C9 was designed to inhibit Aβ aggregation, while 125-6b was developed to promote neuronal growth and repair. Initially, the therapeutic effects of HW-C9 and 125-6b were assessed both in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that HW-C9 …

Acoustic Energy For Use In Mass Spectrometry, Ashton N. Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Analyzing lipid assemblies, including synthetically produced liposomes and naturally produced extracellular vesicles (EVs), is challenging due to their size, diverse composition, and tendency to aggregate. EVs contain a complex variety of lipids, proteins, and other metabolites. EVs composition can provide us insight into what is happening inside the body and a subcellular level and have potential for noninvasive biomarkers. Liposomes are vesicles that form with a simple phospholipid bilayer membrane and play important roles in drug delivery systems. The use of mass spectrometry (MS) allows for broad analysis of lipids from different classes but their release from the higher order …

Safeguarding Ecological Knowledge From The Effects Of Climate Change: An Archival Approach, Daena Jean Carrillo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Creating resources that facilitate the preservation of community-based archives and ecological knowledge in the Louisiana coastal region is integral to its survival amongst the effects of climate change. Research and records created and stored within the Louisiana coastal region have a higher predisposition to the drastic and pervasive effects of climate change and natural disasters. Modern archivists can insert themselves into the work of climate change action through their advocacy of safeguarding collections that have been created by communities and individuals through raw scientific and observational data and unpublished research. Just as archivists continue to frame their professional work around …

Characterizing West Florida Shelf Reef Fish Communities Using A Scientific Echosounder, Edmund A. Hughes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The advancement and application of non-invasive fisheries survey technologies, such as the scientific echosounder, have significantly enhanced our understanding of fish populations and their habitats, more recently in regions where traditional sampling methods are limited, such as complex reef habitats. This research, conducted as part of the Continental Shelf Characterization, Assessment, and Mapping Project (C-SCAMP) on the West Florida Shelf, leverages acoustic and visual technologies to investigate the distribution of fish densities, fish target strength and length relationships, and the relationship between seafloor topography and fish biomass distribution.

The first study compared reef fish densities estimated from near-concurrent acoustic (Simrad …

Why Is Fish Welfare Still So Neglected?, Caroline M. Maia

Animal Sentience

Oldfield & Bonano (O&B) address an important problem in the field of fish welfare, one that calls for greater attention from scientists and practitioners. O&B show that fish welfare, particularly at the psychological level, is under-investigated. They focus mainly on zoos and aquaria, but their concerns extend also to other domains, including fish farming. Fish are sentient animals; priority should be given to their welfare in all environments where they are under human care.

Isolation And Characterization Of Lignin From Oil Palm Shells Using A Precipitation Method With Sulfuric Acid And Polyaluminum Chloride As Coagulant, Eny Kusrini, Ria Yolanda Arundina, Anwar Usman, Resti Marlina, Bambang Subiyanto, Volkan Degirmenci, Nofrijon Sofyan, Yudan Whulanza

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Lignin has useful and significant properties such as stiffness, resistance to UV radiation, antioxidant, antimicrobial, high thermal stability, and high carbon content. Due to these properties, lignin can be used for several applications including wood adhesive, carbon-based material, and can be developed as a functional material composite. Isolation and utilization of lignin from lignocellulosic biomass offers significant opportunities in various now and future industrial applications mainly for development advanced materials. In this study, isolation and characterization of lignin from oil palm shells (OPS) was conducted. Lignin was isolated from OPS using the precipitation method with sulfuric acid and coagulation using …

Pedagogy: Teaching Practices Of American Colonial Educators In The Philippines, Isabel Pefianco Martin

Kritika Kultura

Filipino historian and essayist Renato Constantino wrote: “With American education, the Filipinos were not only learning a new language; they were not only forgetting their own language; they were starting to become a new type of American.” What specific strategies did the American colonizers use to create this new type of American? How did they use the public schools to produce their cultural clones? The answer may be found in the language and literature teaching practices of American colonial educators in the Philippines. This paper argues that the Anglo American canon of literature imposed on the Filipinos would not have …

Best Practice Toolkit For Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screenings In At-Risk Adults, Zoe Windfelder

Student Scholarly Projects

Adult individuals at risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) do not have a direct, accessible best-practice toolkit to follow for screening measures. Research showed that at least three guidelines (i.e., American Cancer Society [ACS], American College of Gastroenterology [ACG], and U.S. Preventive Services Task Forces [USPSTF]) are used interchangeably daily by interprofessional staff for individuals with average to high-risk variables. The project was guided by the following PICOT question: For interprofessional staff supporting the at-risk adult population for colorectal cancer (P), how does the development of a best practice for coordination of care toolkit (I) compared to no structured program strategy …

Cabotegravir Maintains Protective Efficacy In The Setting Of Bacterial Stis: A Secondary Analysis Of Hptn 083, Meredith E. Clement, Brett Hanscom, Daniel Haines, Jose A. Bazan, Nuntisa Chotirosniramit, Ryan Kofron, Sharon Mannheimer, Kenneth H. Mayer, Mayara Secco Torres Silva, Lydia Soto-Torres, Alex R. Rinehart, James F. Rooney, A Jennings, K Gomez-Feliciano, Marybeth Mccauley, Beatriz Grinsztejn, Raphael J. Landovitz, Et Al.

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been shown to facilitate HIV transmission and acquisition. HPTN 083, a global clinical trial, demonstrated superiority of long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) versus daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) for HIV prevention among transgender women and cisgender men who have sex with men. This analysis assessed whether CAB-LA maintained protective efficacy when bacterial STIs (syphilis, rectal/urethral gonorrhea and chlamydia) were present. METHODS: STI events per 100 person-years (PY) were calculated, including by subgroups (age, race/ethnicity, gender, education, treatment arm, drug use, alcohol use, region/country, condom usage, partner number, marital status, baseline STI). Association between baseline factors …

Evaluating How Malaria Transmission Season, Residency, And Travel History Modify The Association Between Vector Control Method Use And P. Falciparum Infection In Accra, Ghana., Anna Beltrame

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background. Urbanization and population movements increase urban malaria risk, necessitating adjustments to traditional control strategies. Data on vector control methods in urban African settings and their association with malaria risk remain limited.

Objectives. To evaluate the association between vector control methods and Plasmodium falciparum infection in Accra, Ghana, and how this association varies by malaria transmission season, residency, and travel history.

Methods. This observation study utilized data from two cross-sectional household surveys conducted in March-April and June-July 2024 as part of the MUSE study. Participants were household members over six months old who gave consent, randomly selected from 13 health …

A Retrospective Analysis Of Thrombosis And Covid-19 Mortality In Rural Midwestern Population, John Dunton, Kaitlin Bierman-Macke, Taylor Little, Nicholas Zuk, Nova Beyersdorfer, Scott Goade, Kerry Johnson, Greg Stahl, Robert Arnce

Student Publications

Background

COVID-19 disease has caused a major global impact on health and mortality. This infection may predispose patients to thrombotic disease, caused by excessive inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, platelet activation, and stasis. In this study, we compared mortality rates in patients admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19, who also had the additional diagnosis of thrombosis with those who did not have thrombosis as an additional diagnosis.

Methods

This retrospective observational study compared mortality rates in patients admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19, with and without thrombosis, as well as those patients admitted to the hospital …

Evaluating The Safety Of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors And Combination Therapies In The Management Of Brain Metastases: A Comprehensive Review, Vivek Mishra, Tulika Ranjan, Arun Maharaj, Manmeet Ahluwalia

All Publications

No abstract provided.

Space: An Open-Source, Single-Cell Analysis Of Cell Painting Data, Fabio Stossi, Pankaj K Singh, Michela Marini, Kazem Safari, Adam T Szafran, Alejandra Rivera Tostado, Christopher D Candler, Maureen G Mancini, Elina A Mosa, Michael J Bolt, Demetrio Labate, Michael A Mancini

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Phenotypic profiling by high throughput microscopy, including Cell Painting, has become a leading tool for screening large sets of perturbations in cellular models. To efficiently analyze this big data, available open-source software requires computational resources usually not available to most laboratories. In addition, the cell-to-cell variation of responses within a population, while collected and analyzed, is usually averaged and unused. We introduce SPACe (Swift Phenotypic Analysis of Cells), an open-source platform for analysis of single-cell image-based morphological profiles produced by Cell Painting. We highlight several advantages of SPACe, including processing speed, accuracy in mechanism of action recognition, reproducibility across biological …

Greenspace Variation And Its Effect On Telomere Length In The American Robin Dna, Valentina Rodriguez-Munoz, Elise Mittlestat, Mikus Abolins-Abols

The Cardinal Edge

Green spaces is a crucial component of our environment, and a contributor to relieving stress in human and wildlife health. Stress is one of the causing factors for a shorter lifespan in humans and other animals by directly accelerating the shortening length of the telomeres in our DNA. In this study we investigated to what extent urban vegetation explain telomere length in the American Robins Turdus migratorius living in the Louisville area. Specifically, we predicted that lower amount of vegetation will be associated with shorter telomeres. We caught the birds using mist nets, we collected blood samples, extracted DNA, and …

The Impact Of Air Pollution On The Cardiovascular System In American Robins: No2 Levels' And Ultrafine Particulate Levels' Correlation To The Ratio Of Immature To Mature Erythrocytes, Lauren A. Stine, Mikus Abolins-Abols

The Cardinal Edge

Abstract

Humans and animals, especially in an urban environment, are constantly ingesting air pollution. Since the industrial lifestyle is preferred or simply mandatory for many, the exact impacts of concentrated air pollution ingestion, especially on the cardiovascular system, needs to be unambiguous. It has already been seen that high levels of exposure to air pollution are correlated with increased rates of anemia in humans (Honda et al., 2017), (Morales-Ancajima et al., 2019), (Elbarbary et al., 2020), (Mehta et al., 2021). Further data indicates that air pollution ingestion may even directly cause some detrimental pro-inflammatory and oxidant-inducing effects on the cardiovascular …

Effects Of Sex, Cadmium, And High-Fat Diet On Accumulation Of Essential Metals In Mouse Kidneys., Justin Y. Xu, Adam Gaweda, Michelle Barati, Micheal Merchant, Jun Cai, Lu Cai, Madhavi J. Rane

The Cardinal Edge

Effects of cadmium and obesity on accumulation of essential metals in mouse kidney were evaluated. Starting in utero and continuing until 24 weeks postweaning, male/female mice were exposed to cadmium (0, 0.5, or 5 ppm) and were fed on Normal Diet (ND)/High-Fat Diet (HFD) post weaning. ICP-MS analysis was performed to evaluate cadmium and essential metals absorbed in the kidneys of aforementioned mice. Metals data obtained was analyzed using MANOVA with multiple comparisons (Bonferroni correction with p

Old Vs. New: An Experiment On The Efficacy Of Complexity-Focused Reproductive Biology Lectures For Undergraduate Biology Students, Ive N. Muse, Shraddha Patel, Linda Fuselier

The Cardinal Edge

Old vs. New: An Experiment on the Efficacy of Complexity-focused Reproductive Biology Lectures for Undergraduate Biology Students

Muse, Ive N.; Patel, Shraddha; Fuselier, Linda

Abstract

Undergraduate reproductive biology courses are traditionally taught in a reductive manner, prioritizing a binary understanding of sex which oversimplifies reproductive behaviors and reproductive system development across diverse taxa. Although this binary approach to lessons on reproduction is intended to benefit students in learning foundational human reproductive concepts, it does not teach the most recent research in reproductive biology, which identifies reproductive variation as the norm. The current study designed and implemented a lesson on reproductive …

Using Rangewide Distribution Maps To Understand Tick Species Occurrence In Louisville, Ky, Ilham H. Al Amayreh, Mallory Harmel, Rachel Pigg

The Cardinal Edge

Ticks, though intriguing, come with inherent risks due to the diseases they carry, such as Lyme disease, or the allergies they cause, such as Alpha Gal syndrome. Understanding the distribution of ticks and the diseases they harbor is vital for effective prevention strategies. Among the most prevalent tick species in Louisville, KY are the Lonestar tick (Amblyomma americanum) and the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis); however, the Lonestar tick is much more prevalent than any other tick species. We expanded our study to the continental scale to investigate why Lonestar ticks were so abundant in Louisville. We downloaded research-grade citizen science …

A Scaly Science: Using Citizen Science To Predict Where Snakes Are Found In Louisville, Sarah E. Bridges, Mallory Harmel, Rachel Pigg

The Cardinal Edge

Researching snakes in Jefferson County, Kentucky is important to help wildlife managers conserve snake species while also mitigating human-wildlife conflict. Using citizen science data, we can determine where snakes have been seen in the past, and then use that data to predict venomous and nonvenomous presence throughout the county and how their mode of transportation impacts snake presence. We compiled research-grade citizen science data from two websites: iDigBio and iNaturalist. Each species was then classified by their mode of transportation (terrestrial, aquatic, fossorial) and as either venomous or nonvenomous. We created a preliminary species distribution model using BioClim data to …

North American Sucker Fish Diets In The Face Of Ecological Challenges (Catostomidae), Anesa Hozdic, Matthew Kolmann

The Cardinal Edge

Basic biological information, like fecundity, age at maturity, habitat occupation and range size, are critically important for conserving species under threat. However, funding for this sort of research is limited, especially for aquatic vertebrates like fishes, which have restricted ranges and are under threat from changes in land-use and watershed alteration. The suckers (Family Catostomidae) are freshwater fishes native to North America (and one species from China). Most species are presumed to be detritivorous, that is, feed on decaying plant and animal matter; however, the diet diversity of this family has never been analyzed at an evolutionary scale. Suckers are …

Investigating Factors Influencing Science Student Retention, Hayley Benson, Morgan Balabanoff

The Cardinal Edge

Retention in and across STEM degrees has been a significant problem across institutions. By the time students have reached their third year, the University of Louisville has lost over 50% of the students who entered as first-year students.

The main objective of this study is to investigate variables such as sense of belonging, student’s mindset, and science identity and their relationship with retention in STEM degrees. While many studies have identified gaps among student groups across these variables, few studies have generated solutions to address these gaps. Further, the proposed solutions are often from the viewpoint of researchers and upper …

The Anti-Diabetic Drug Metformin Disrupts Feeding And Sleeping Behaviors In Drosophila Melanogaster, Lucas Fitzgerald

The Cardinal Edge

Dimethylbiguanide, also known as metformin, is the single most prescribed oral treatment for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, or type 2 diabetes, in western countries. The primary mechanism of action that metformin acts through is the activation of AMP kinase, an important regulator of energy homeostasis. While the anti-diabetic effects of metformin are well documented, its effects on feeding and sleeping behaviors are not well characterized. Using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, the mean daily quantity of food consumed was measured and compared between groups treated with several dosages of metformin. Feeding interactions such as meal frequency and length were …

Cumin Seed Extracts Can Affect The Expression Of P53 In Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Krista A. Wheeler, Jared L. Scott, David Schultz

The Cardinal Edge

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death amoung women after heart disease. One of the deadliest types of breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), is resistant to many chemotherapy drugs. Chemotherapeutics that can inhibit TNBC growth are needed to combat this form of cancer. Historically, natural compounds found in plants have been studied for their effectiveness at limiting cancer cell growth while also reducing negative side effects due to lower toxicity to healthy cells. Many chemotherapeutics have serious side effects that can result in reduced treatment compliance, often leading to the recurrence of more aggressive and recalcitrant …

Restoring History: Evaluating The Rehydration Potential Of Fish Specimens From A Forgotten Ichthyology Collection, Joseph Donohue, Matthew Kolmann, Emmy Delekta

The Cardinal Edge

Natural history collections are invaluable resources that document the record of Earth’s biodiversity. Such collections house physical specimens that can often be used in research and education (e.g., teaching tools for classes and public outreach events). The William Clay Ichthyology Collection at the University of Louisville contains thousands of fish specimens collected over the past century from locations in and around Kentucky, North America, Central and South America, and even Lake Malawi in Africa. Despite the incredible assortment of specimens present, this collection fell into disarray as departmental interests shifted over the last twenty-five years. This led to the desiccation …

Assessing The Bioactivity Of Salvia Phytochemicals Against Breast Cancers, Allison C. Portaro, Jared L. Scott, David J. Schultz

The Cardinal Edge

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers diagnosed in adults, with 2.3 million new cases worldwide in 2020. Plants have been used in traditional medicine and are a potential source of pharmaceuticals. One example is the large Lamiaceae (mint) family. The Salvia genus, commonly known as the sages, is the largest genus in Lamiaceae with almost 900 known species. Different species of salvia are found in parts of the US, and some have a history in traditional medicine to treat cancers and other ailments. Preliminary research on three salvia species (S. lyrata, S. lyrata var. Purple …

How Medical Students Address Mental Health During Standardized Patient Interactions, Bhoomi S. Shah, Laura Weingartner, Emily J. Noonan

The Cardinal Edge

How Medical Students Address Mental Health during Standardized Patient Interactions

Bhoomi Shah B.S. Candidate; Emily J Noonan, PhD, MA; Laura A. Weingartner, PhD, MS

BACKGROUND:

As mental health needs are increasingly recognized around the world, it has become an increasingly important topic within medical education to ensure that medical professionals are well-prepared to address these concerns and provide adequate mental health care to patients. Our research examines the language that medical students used to assess and address mental health concerns during clinical skills training.

METHODS:

We observed standardized patient interactions with 85 medical students from the University of Louisville School …