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Rwandan High School Students' Productive Ideas About How The Sun Affects Earth's Climate, Esther Mutesi

Honors Projects

This study examines how students at a Rwandan high school understand phenomena related to the fundamental physics of Earth's climate, with a specific emphasis on the effects of solar radiation and energy. We conducted ten interviews with students in high school science classes in Bugesera district, Rwanda. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and (when necessary) translated from Kinyarwanda to English. Transcripts were analyzed through the lens of the resources theoretical framework, a constructivist theory that models science learning as activating, connecting, and refining "seeds of science," or conceptual resources, that are already available in the minds of learners." Our study uncovers …

When The Fear Sinks In: The Politics Of Paranoia In The Wake Of Covid-19, Samantha G. Minear

Senior Theses

This project begins in January 2021 – a period henceforth known as ‘post-pandemic’ – following the release of the first COVID-19 vaccines in Europe (AstraZeneca) and the United States (Pfizer). While the pandemic is still ongoing as of December 2023, the release of vaccines heralded a new era more reminiscent of a time before March 2020: less (or no) mask mandates, a reduced emphasis on social distancing, and a positive shift in social opinion towards prophylactic vaccination. During my time as an American studying international politics, I have observed a positive correlation between time passed since January 2021 and the …

Wildlife Conservation In East Africa: The Politics Of Wildlife Conservation In Kenya And Tanzania: A Legacy Of Western Influence, Aidan J. Donahue

Senior Theses

This thesis examines the evolution of wildlife conservation policies in Kenya and Tanzania, underlying the profound impact of neocolonial and colonial influences. It advocates for reformed, decentralized conservation strategies that incorporate indigenous knowledge and participation. Analyzing the key works of Akama and Gissibl, the study highlights the legacy of Western conservation practices in contemporary East African conservation strategies. Case studies such as Save the Elephants and Ill Ngwesi illustrate the effectiveness of community-based conservation models. The thesis ultimately argues for a shift to local, community-based, and driven conservation efforts to benefit indigenous communities and sustainable wildlife conservation.

Dallas Couple's Gift Supports Stem Education, Bill Dabney

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – A major gift to the University of Mississippi from alumnus Waddell Mashburn and his wife, Sally, will support the teaching of chemistry in lab courses housed in the Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation.

The Effect Of Novel Microtubule Modulators On Experimental Lewy Body Disease, Anuj S. Jamenis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Lewy body disorders, α-synuclein aggregates are believed to destabilize the microtubular framework. However, microtubules are a challenging therapeutic target, as excessive rigidity or flexibility afforded by microtubule modulators may be neurotoxic. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate dual-acting microtubule- stabilizing/destabilizing agents in cellular and animal models of early-stage Lewy body disease.

In Aim 1 we tested the dual-acting tricylic pyrimido[4,5-b]indole analogs AG161-47 and AG161-41 in an in vitro preformed fibril induced model of Lewy body disease. We found that both compounds reduced preformed fibril-seeded α-synucleinopathy without toxicity in primary hippocampal cultures. AG161-47 subtly impacted microtubule …

Undergraduate Commencement Exercises Program, May 18, 2024

Bryant University Commencements

Bryant University Undergraduate Commencement Exercises Program, May 18, 2024.

Commencement Program: 2024 Morning Exercise, Governors State University

Commencement Documents and Videos

May 18th - 10:00 a.m. Degrees were conferred to graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business.

Brian Skibinski delivered the Student Address.

The Star-Spangled Banner was performed by Andrea Billups (vocals) and Cliff Dubose (Keyboard)

Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing was performed by Andrea Billups (vocals) and Cliff Dubose (Keyboard)

Commencement Program: 2024 Afternoon Exercise, Governors State University

Commencement Documents and Videos

May 18th - 4:00 p.m.

Degrees were conferred to graduates of the College of Education and Human Development and the College of Health and Human Services

Leslye Williams delivered the Student Address.

The Star-Spangled Banner was performed by Andrea Billups (vocals) and Cliff Dubose (Keyboard)

Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing was performed by Krystal Carter (vocals) and Cliff Dubose (Keyboard)

Ceremonia De Graduación - 2024, Governors State University

Commencement Documents and Videos

18 de mayo - 10:00 a.m.

Se entregaron títulos a egresados de la Facultad de Artes y Ciencias y de la Facultad de Negocios. Brian Skibinski pronunció el discurso estudiantil. The Star-Spangled Banner fue interpretada por Andrea Billups (voz) y Cliff Dubose (teclado) Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing fue interpretada por Andrea Billups (voz) y Cliff Dubose (teclado).

18 de mayo - 16:00 h.

Se otorgaron títulos a egresados de la Facultad de Educación y Desarrollo Humano y de la Facultad de Salud y Servicios Humanos Leslye Williams pronunció el discurso estudiantil. The Star-Spangled Banner fue interpretada por Andrea Billups …

6ppd-Q, Tires, And Salmon, Oh My: Policies And Remedies For Tribes In The Acute Mortality Of Coho Salmon In The Puget Sound Region., Meralina Morales

American Indian Law Journal

The pervasive reliance on automobiles within society exacerbates environmental degradation in low-income and communities of color, notably in Native and tribal communities. The leaching of Tread Wear Particles (TWP), including the detrimental 6PPD-quinone (“6PPD-q”), into waterways, significantly impacts aquatic ecosystems. This issue is especially impactful for endangered species, like the coho salmon, that hold profound cultural significance for indigenous tribes in the Pacific Northwest, for example, the Nez Perce Tribe believes that the fate of the salmon and people are linked.[1]

The scientific foundations of 6PPD-q's impact on salmon through bioaccumulation and biomagnification highlights its environmental justice implications. This …

Alumni Spotlight: Jane Johnson, Communications And Marketing

Campus News Archive

No abstract provided.

Common Single-Base Insertions In The Vntr Of The Carboxyl Ester Lipase (Cel) Gene Are Benign And Also Likely To Arise Somatically In The Exocrine Pancreas, Ranveig S Brekke, Anny Gravdal, Khadija El Jellas, Grace E Curry, Jianguo Lin, Steven J Wilhelm, Solrun J Steine, Eric Mas, Stefan Johansson, Mark E Lowe, Bente B Johansson, Xunjun Xiao, Karianne Fjeld, Anders Molven

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The CEL gene encodes carboxyl ester lipase, a pancreatic digestive enzyme. CEL is extremely polymorphic due to a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) located in the last exon. Single-base deletions within this VNTR cause the inherited disorder MODY8, whereas little is known about VNTR single-base insertions in pancreatic disease. We therefore mapped CEL insertion variants (CEL-INS) in 200 Norwegian patients with pancreatic neoplastic disorders. Twenty-eight samples (14.0%) carried CEL-INS alleles. Most common were insertions in repeat 9 (9.5%), which always associated with a VNTR length of 13 repeats. The combined INS allele frequency (0.078) was similar to that observed in …

Clinical And Genomic Features Of Patients With Renal Cell Carcinoma And Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease: Analysis Of A Multi-Institutional Database., Corbin J. Eule, Junxiao Hu, Dale Hedges, Alkesh Jani, Thomas Pshak, Brandon J. Manley, Alejandro Sanchez, Robert Dreicer, Zin W. Myint, Yousef Zakharia, Elaine T. Lam

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (ACKD) are at an increased risk of developing renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but molecular alterations in RCC specimens arising from ACKD and overall survival (OS) in affected patients are not well defined.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) Total Cancer Care

RESULTS: Of 296 patients with RCC, 61 met the criteria for ACKD. The most common somatic mutations in the overall cohort were in

CONCLUSIONS: Using the clinicogenomic ORIEN database, our study found lower rates of

Releases Of Hazardous Materials And Waste From Transportation Incidents In The Us: An Analysis To Increase Environmental Resiliency, Elizabeth Irene Tautges

Master's Projects and Capstones

Excessive amounts of hazardous materials and waste are released into the environment from transportation incidents. The United States federal government has regulations on the movement of hazardous material and waste during transportation, but preventing environmental releases is not a major priority. Multiple external factors influence the release of hazardous material and waste into the environment. Transportation incidents can be prevented by modifying the information collected in emergency reports, adjusting transportation patterns and conditions, and expressing negative environmental impacts, preparing responder efforts to communicate effectively. The components of previous hazardous materials and waste releases emphasize the needed improvements for increasing environmental …

Sugar Crash! How Ownership Of A Life-Critical Hormone Became A Rare Commodity, Rachel Woodard-Kelley

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

No abstract provided.

From Pixels To Plants: Remote Sensing Of California Invasive Plants, Kenneth Rangel

Master's Projects and Capstones

Invasive plants cause significant impacts to ecosystems, the economy, and human health. California has experienced significant plant invasions and is well suited to future invasion because of its Mediterranean climate and human disturbance. Eradication or control of invasive plant species requires a detailed understanding of their spatial distribution, which typically involves on the ground surveys that can be expensive or inconsistent. Remote sensing offers a potential alternative or supplement to in-person invasive plant mapping. This study performed a comparative analysis of 41 remote sensing studies that mapped the distribution of California invasive plants. I found that while high spectral resolution …

Assessing Threats And Protections For The Elusive Marbled Murrelet On Land And Sea, Alessandra Guadalue Navas

Master's Projects and Capstones

Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are a federally and state protected seabird in California, Oregon, and Washington. Marbled Murrelet populations have been unstable over the past few decades, primarily due to habitat loss. Logging, wildfires, and windthrow have either destroyed or fragmented coastal old-growth forests, which provide high- quality nesting habitat for Marbled Murrelets. Despite the various management strategies and protections for the species across its range, population trends indicate that Marbled Murrelet populations are declining in Washington, despite positive trends in California and Oregon. The goal of this research was to identify gaps in current conservation strategies through …

Early Intervention Within Orthodontics: The Sociological Aspects, Trenton Hammond

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Orthodontic treatment is one of the final phases of dental treatment. Its use is to provide aesthetics in some cases, yet the quality-of-life aspect that it can provide is greatly underestimated. Orthodontic care can provide proper function of teeth, improve facial structure, avoid tooth decay/loss, and improve gum health (AAO, 2024). Within this research the overarching goal is to understand the sociological aspects of families looking to start orthodontic care, what the reasons behind starting or not starting are, and providing information to the public about orthodontics that may be misunderstood or might push people away from searching for orthodontic …

Bioinformatic Analysis Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis G-12-005, Natalie Bianchi

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Infection, a ubiquitous biological phenomenon, involves the invasion and multiplication of pathogens within a host organism, instigating a complex interplay between the infectious agent and the host's immune defenses. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a bacterium that is naturally found in soil and water; however it also infects humans and can survive without detection by the host’s immune system (Chai et. al 2018). The profound impact of tuberculosis infection on history is reflected in its continued prevalence as a major global health threat. Despite advancements in healthcare, the persistence of tuberculosis infections continues to pose significant challenges worldwide. Mycobacterium tuberculosis G-12-005 gene …

A Functional Comparison Of Raw 264.7 Murine Macrophages Grown In Dmem And Rpmi 1640, Allison Bobst

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The RAW 264.7 murine macrophage is a prevalent cell line in mammalian cell culture and is commonly used for the study of inflammation The standard medium for its growth and maintenance is Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM), but in a portion of published work, RPMI 1640 is substituted. RPMI 1640 lacks the high level of glucose present in DMEM (4.5 g/L). The purpose of this work is to compare the function of RAW 264.7 cells grown and maintained in DMEM versus RPMI 1640. Both media are supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, sodium bicarbonate, and 100 IU Penicillin Streptomycin 100μg. …

Factors Impacting Aggression In Reticulitermes, Abigail Blair

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Termite aggression is a complex area of study with many factors of influence. We hypothesize that the environment, particularly levels, has an impact on termite aggression in Reticulitermes. Nest CO2

levels are higher for termites, which gives the basis for our experiments. We tested behavior in both ambient air and a higher CO2 environment. Soldier termites release alarm pheromones from frontal glands to trigger aggression responses in nestmates. We tested a combination of chemicals that should mimic alarm pheromones on a spinning nail to simulate a predator. Using EthoVision we calculated the speed, distance to the chemical, activity near the …

A Body Disinterred: Academic Grave Robbing And Its Consequences, Jordan Ottaviano

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This thesis examines the local case of Ella Jamerson, a victim of grave robbing for the purposes of anatomization, in order to display the paradigm shift in documentation which this incident brought to its community. Anatomization is the dissection of individuals in order to gain knowledge concerning the structures and functions of the human body. This practice, though responsible for advancements within the study of human medicine, maintains a heavy stigma of discomposure due to previously unethical methods through which bodies have historically been procured for dissection. The act of resurrection, or graverobbing for medical education was utilized to provide …

Investigation Of The Oral And Gut Microbiomes Of Llamas: 16s Microbiome Testing And Characterization Of An Isolated Microbe, Elizabeth Wenger

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The oral microbiome informs us about the living conditions of the animal. Understanding the oral microbiome allows handlers to understand the health implications to better protect themselves and care for the animals. Current literature on the oral microbiome in ruminants and alpacas is scant and does not represent llamas. In theory, the oral microbiome of a llama should be similar because they are often housed and cared for in a very similar manner. The gut and oral microbiome in humans have proven to have an overlap in bacterial communities. In theory, this is also true in animals that chew cud …

Society Says They Can’T: Vocal Independence In Students Matriculating From Primary To Secondary School, Victoria Rogers

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

There is a continual decline in the number of students who choose to continue on with vocal music following their time in Elementary School (Ruth & Müllensiefen, 2021). This paper explores the connection of the Social Learning Theory to this phenomenon and seeks to provide options for lessons teachers can incorporate into their classroom to combat these losses. A detailed search of the peer-reviewed literature resulted in several sources which discuss the importance of strengthening self-efficacy of the student and the factors which can lower it. As shown through the research, there is a strong correlation between factors which exist …

Bioinformatic Analysis Of Hypothetical Genes In Lactococcus Lactis Ssp. Il1403:, Jennifer Tangires

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) contains various microbial organisms involved in many processes of physiological homeostasis. Among these resident microbes are lactic acid bacteria (LAB). These bacteria, almost all of which belong to the order Lactobacillales, are able to produce lactic acid and play an important role in food preservation because they produce bacteriocins. Bacteriocins are antimicrobial proteins that are used to fight off related bacteria in their environment that are competing for the same resources. This study focuses on exploring a specific LAB strain, Lactococcus lactis ssp. IL1403 where 21.9% of its predicted genes have not yet been assigned …

Silent, Or Silenced: Repression Of The Middle Eastern Subaltern, Amanda Arodes

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This paper employs subaltern theory to examine the socio-political landscapes of Palestine and Syria within postcolonial discourse. Drawing from the works of scholars like Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Ranajit Guha, and Juan R. Cole, this study uncovers the silenced narratives and marginalized perspectives of the Palestinian and Syrian people. Through a critical analysis of historical, cultural, and political dimensions, the basis of this research explores how subaltern groups in Palestine and Syria navigate structures of power, resistance, and identity formation. The experiences of various subaltern groups, including refugees, women, and ethnic minorities whose voices often remain obscured within dominant discourses are …

Fluorescence-Based Techniques For The Identification Of Small Biomolecules, Charnette Frederic

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Understanding fluorescence-based methods for detecting small biomolecules is a crucial area of focus in research investigations. Our studies focused on the challenge in two parts: Non-intrinsic fluorescence and intrinsic fluorescence. For studies on Non-intrinsic fluorescence, Rifampicin (Rif), an antibiotic harnessed for treating diverse bacterial infections, including tuberculosis (TB), serves as a focal point. Leveraging the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) process, aptamers emerged from the nonspecific 40-mer Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) library to interact with its target, Rif. During each SELEX cycle, the recovered nucleotides underwent amplification via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) until the most selective aptamers were …

“Class And Consciousness”: An Application Of Marxist Theory And Posthumanism To Kazuo Ishiguro’S The Remains Of The Day, Never Let Me Go And Klara And The Sun, Renee Elizabeth Samuel

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Kazuo Ishiguro’s works are introspective explorations of how one’s prescribed role in society shapes one’s identity; this self-reflection is evident in three of his novels, The Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go, and Klara and the Sun. All three novels heavily rely on the point of view of a member of the subservient class, and this perspective provides insight into the unnamed hierarchies within society and the relationship, or lack thereof, between divided classes. Despite their similarities in structure, each novel explores class relationships in different ways. The Remains of the Day focuses on an individual living …

Evaluating The Impact Of Wildfires On Mixed Conifer Forest Regeneration And The Effectiveness Of Usfs Management Strategies On Restoring Ecosystem Services, Wyatt Farino

Master's Projects and Capstones

Wildfires are increasing in frequency, duration, and severity across Western North America. 20,438,720 acres (20.1%) of California has burned at least once since 2010. Projections suggest a statewide increase in burned area between 36% and 74% by 2085, with some forested areas in Northern California exceeding 100% in all modeled scenarios. Fire regimes have deviated far from their historical norm, significantly increasing the risk of type conversion from forest to other ecosystems. Californians rely on the myriad of ecosystem services produced by these forests to meet their basic needs. Access to these fundamental services will be severely reduced if appropriate …

The Potential Of Southeast Florida’S Coral Reef Tract To Enhance Climate Resilience Of Ecosystems And Communities, Michaella C. Sena

Master's Projects and Capstones

Increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have led to more heat being trapped in the atmosphere, raising our overall global temperature. The hottest recorded sea surface temperatures in Southeast Florida occurred in 2023 causing extreme coral bleaching and high mortality in part of the Florida Reef Tract (FRT). Coral reefs play a vital role in protecting coastal communities from storm surge and sea level rise, reducing wave energy by up to 97% across whole reefs. However, with increasing ocean acidity and thermal stress from climate change, coral ecosystems are struggling to maintain their structural complexity and overall health, much less provide …