Digital Commons Network^™

Defects And Deformation In Passive And Active Structural Glasses, Julia Ann Giannini

Dissertations - ALL

Glasses and disordered granular media represent a class of materials that are quite familiar to us, from the glass in windows and phone screens, to piles of fruits, grains, and sand. Further, living and active systems such as cellular tissues, collections of robots, and even human crowds behave as disordered solids when they are gathered at high enough densities. Despite their ubiquity, there are still many behaviors of these amorphous systems that lack a full understanding. Contrasting crystalline solids, the thermodynamic, vibrational, energetic, and mechanical properties of glasses are not well-characterized by solid state theory. In the case of active …

Homomeric Tight Junction Strand Assembly Of Claudin Proteins, Patrick Matthew Marsch

Dissertations - ALL

Tight junctions, a form of cell junction, are utilized throughout the animal kingdom in one way or another. Tasked with facilitating a critical blockade between toxins and vital tissues while also allowing small crucial molecules to pass, the tight junction provides an important line of defense against disease. To build this barrier, various proteins with self-assemble within a cell membrane to then zipper with another cell membrane. The strand-like architecture and size & charge selective pore channels created within the barrier are chiefly governed by the claudin family of proteins. Without claudins present, the tight junction cannot form, and toxic …

African Hydroclimate In The Quaternary: Diatom Paleoecology And Geochronology, Laura Caitlin Streib

Dissertations - ALL

Eastern Africa is identified as the single most important region for early human evolution and development, and in this region today, communities are especially vulnerable to climatic stress. To understand the relationship between our ancestors and their environment and to protect vulnerable populations, we need to understand the climatic system in eastern Africa, including the history of past changes and the mechanisms that controlled them. The most frequently discussed mechanisms are local insolation and high latitude forcing, by way of glacial-interglacial cycles, changes to global circulation, or high latitude insolation. Though sometimes proposed to work in tandem, these mechanisms are …

Reverse Genetics Of Murine Rotavirus: A Comparative Analysis Of The Wild-Type And Cell-Culture-Adapted Murine Rotavirus Vp4 In Replication And Virulence In Neonatal Mice, Takahiro Kawagishi, Liliana Sánchez-Tacuba, Ningguo Feng, Harry B Greenberg, Siyuan Ding

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Small-animal models and reverse genetics systems are powerful tools for investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying viral replication, virulence, and interaction with the host immune response in vivo. Rotavirus (RV) causes acute gastroenteritis in many young animals and infants worldwide. Murine RV replicates efficiently in the intestines of inoculated suckling pups, causing diarrhea, and spreads efficiently to uninoculated littermates. Because RVs derived from human and other non-mouse animal species do not replicate efficiently in mice, murine RVs are uniquely useful in probing the viral and host determinants of efficient replication and pathogenesis in a species-matched mouse model. Previously, we established an …

Internship In Biological Sciences: Lab Assistant At Twin Cities Dermatopathology, Emma Ryks, Brittany Nairn

Science Symposium

From June to December last year, I served as a Laboratory Assistant at Twin Cities Dermatopathology—an associate of Sonic Healthcare, USA. In this role, I worked under Xiao Xie (TCD’s lab Supervisor) maintaining the lab space. Tasks included managing the intake of slides, quality checking, labeling, staining, and coverslipping the slides, organizing them for pathological assessment, updating the patient records, and storing the slides after processing. This role required much diligence and communicativeness as I became the “reference person” to which the histologists, doctors, accessioners, and data records personnel could come with issues or questions that I could resolve or …

Human Gross Anatomy Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Grace Ginter, Jackie Towner

Science Symposium

Over the summer I worked for Bethel University’s Physician Assistant program helping out as a class and laboratory teaching assistant for their human gross anatomy and cadaver lab. My main jobs included basic upkeep and sanitation of the lab and running the class laboratory period. Daily I guided students in their dissection procedures and techniques. Additionally, I helped convey important anatomical knowledge that worked to bridge the gap between lecture material and real-life experience. Outside of lab time myself with the assistance of the other teaching assistants were responsible for the creation and set up of weekly laboratory quizzes and …

A Flavorful Adventure: Interning At Old Dutch Foods, Ashton Olson, Jonathan Ibisch, Jeff Port

Science Symposium

This is an internship in which I worked at Old Dutch Foods for a summer working as a lab technician. I performed many daily tasks as well as larger projects for just my boss as a form of "research" and data analytics. I learned many things about lab etiquette and analysis, professionalism, as well as workplace communication.

Internship At Emergency Physician Professional Association (Eppa), Bryan Tran, Brittany Nairn

Science Symposium

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to start working at EPPA’s scribe program. EPPA is an organization that emphasizes the importance of exposure to the healthcare environment along with developing relationships with different medical professionals. The main aspect of my job was aiding the provider in recording a patient visit with their medical records, physical exams, labs, imaging, patient outcomes, and overall purpose in coming into the emergency room. This job has helped me gain more knowledge about how our healthcare system works and allows me to connect with different providers and scribes. Furthermore, I have gained experience working …

Navigating And Caring For Mental Health In A Group Home Setting, Constance Azonwu, Brian Hyatt

Science Symposium

During my Nursing Assistant internship, I transitioned from classroom learning to real-world caregiving. Guided by an instructor, I further developed practical skills. At Immaculate Homes Care, I faced challenging and new situations, and as a provider, I administered medications and interacted with residents regularly. This experience reinforced the importance of empathy, documentation, and patient care. It also prepared me for my career and boosted my confidence in making decisions.

Internship With Eppa, Masha Kasperovich, Joy Doan

Science Symposium

EPPA is an organization run by practicing physicians in emergency medicine. On staff with them, there are over 300 professional medical providers, including MD’s, DO’s, PA’s, and NP’s who staff the emergency rooms in partnered hospitals around Minnesota, specifically in the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, and rural Minnesota. Something that is special about EPPA is that the leadership and staff are all incredibly kind and have the desire to get to know you and help you along your journey. EPPA not only employs medical providers, but they also have a very special opportunity for college aged students in the pre-health …

Eppa Scribe Program, Renee Virtue, Sara Wyse

Science Symposium

Over the course of Fall semester, I started scribing with EPPA to gain experience working in the medical field with doctors and PAs. Working with a variety of different medical professionals allowed me to see the differences and similarities between working as a nurse, PA, or doctor. I learned how important it is to have an approachable bedside manner and to be willing to listen to your patients, time management, and balancing priorities of school and work. In addition, I got to witness a variety of medical procedures and developed a broader medical vocabulary. Overall, the internship helped deepen my …

Estimation Of Anagram Solving Abilities For Peers And Self, Amia Hall, Joel Frederickson

Science Symposium

Participants predicted personal and peer anagram solving abilities after either solving an anagram or being prompted with an anagram’s answers. Then, participants in the latter group solved an anagram as the former group had. We hypothesized there would be a greater mean difference in prediction of performance and actual performance among participants who made predictions after being provided anagram answers than after solving an anagram. Additionally, we hypothesized that participants would overestimate personal and peer abilities.

Anti-Immigrant Sentiment: The Role Of Perceived Locus Of Control And Sex, Ian Young, Ron Enos

Science Symposium

This study explored the extent to which anti-immigrant sentiment can be predicted based on the variables of gender and perceived locus of control. In order to obtain a more representative sample, three countries (United States, Brazil, and Taiwan) were chosen for this study from the 2017-2020 World Values Survey (WVS) due to their varied geographical and racial and ethnic composition. Due to the important implications of anti-immigrant sentiment, this study sought to expand previous research, which has generally neglected to consider how locus of control and gender both may be significantly related to hostile attitudes toward immigrants. Results of a …

Quality Sleep & Well-Being, Cayla Paumen, Joel Frederickson

Science Symposium

Despite being a vital function, sleep is not usually given priority, particularly among college students. University students may suffer from sleep deprivation because it affects their ability to concentrate, remember things, control their emotions, and handle stress. Stress levels and the quality of one's sleep are inversely correlated. The great majority of research papers, if not all of them, on wellness interventions and sleep quality concentrate on the direct effects of stress reduction strategies on sleep quantity. The primary goal of the study is to determine whether undergraduate university participants who received quality sleep education, which emphasized teaching sleep hygiene …

University Of Minnesota Morris 2024 Commencement, Communications And Marketing

UMM Commencement

The University of Minnesota Morris's sixty-first commencement, Saturday, May 11, 2024, 1:30 PM.

Closing The Gap: Methodological Consideration In Predicting Suitable Habitat For Ouachita Fanshell (Cyprogenia Sp Cf Aberti) With Documentation Of Mussel Communities In Small Tributaries In The Ouachita River Watershed, Seth Drake

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled taxonomic groups in the world, consequently, much effort is being expended to document the distribution of many mussel species. One tool that can aid in characterizing mussel distributions are species distribution models (SDM). I conducted two studies pertaining to freshwater mussel distributions: (1) utilize Maximum Entropy (MAXENT) modeling to predict potential areas of suitable habitat for the threatened Ouachita Fanshell (Cyprogenia sp cf aberti), and (2) survey small tributaries of the Ouachita River watershed to fill a portion of the information gap surrounding mussel communities in under-surveyed streams. Through changing …

Evaluating Student Success On The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination At A Midwest University, Stacey Mckinney

Ed.D. Capstone Reports

The purpose of the study is to determine if preparatory measures, including the HESI exit examination and an on-campus board review course, helped increase first time pass rates on the NBDHE at a Midwest University. I compared national pass rates and school pass rates and observed school pass rates have been consistently below the national average for seven years. I utilized four cohorts of graduating students. One group was not provided with any preparatory measures, two groups were provided with the HESI examination only, and one group was provided with the HESI examination and an on-campus board review.

Student’s HESI …

Federal Government: Assessing The Impact Of Lithium Mineral Resource Extraction On Indigenous Communities In The State Of Nevada, Zachary Johnigan

Student Research

The research topic for this project is lithium mining which holds significance to indigenous populations in the State of Nevada and mineral extraction companies seeking to mine there. My research objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the direct impacts that lithium mining has had on indigenous communities, throughout history and today. Overall, the purpose of the project is to expound upon the implications of lithium mining on indigenous communities in response to the recent higher demand for the critical mineral in the United States. If it can be understood exactly how lithium mining has affected Nevada’s indigenous population, …

Precipitation Seasonality Amplifies As Earth Warms, Xiaoyu Wang, Ming Luo, Fengfei Song, Sijia Wu, Yongqin David Chen, Wei Zhang

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Precipitation exhibits a pronounced seasonal cycle, of which the phase and amplitude are closely associated with water resource management. While previous studies suggested an emerged delaying phase in the past decades, whether the amplified amplitude has emerged is controversial. Using multiple observational data sets and climate simulations, here we show that the amplification of precipitation annual cycle has emerged in most global land areas since the 1980s, especially in the tropics. These amplifications are mainly driven by anthropogenic emissions, and will be further intensified by 17.6% in the future (2081–2100) under high emission scenario (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, SSP585), and limited …

Mindful Instincts: Exploring Differences In Intuition Amongst Men And Women, Adam Bornstein

Honors Projects in Psychology

Intuition, or the ability to quickly interpret a situation and make a decision without the use of the conscious mind, is a phenomenon that has gained a lot of popularity amongst psychologists over the last couple of decades. The phenomenon, which has been a part of human life since neanderthal days, gained a lot of popularity in the early 20th century, thanks to the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Studies have shown differences in levels of intuition amongst various groups. The most profound differences observed have been those between men’s and women’s levels of intuition. This paper dives …

Comparison Of Various Theoretical Measures Of Aromaticity Within Monosubstituted Benzene, Caleb K. Swain, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The effects of monosubstitution on the aromaticity of benzene are assessed using a number of different quantitative schemes. The ability of the mobile π-electrons to respond to an external magnetic field is evaluated using several variants of the NICS scheme which calculate the shielding of points along the axis perpendicular to the molecule. Another class of measures is related to the drive toward the uniformity of C-C bond lengths and strengths. Several energetic quantities are devised to approximate an aromatic stabilization energy and the tendency of the molecule to maintain planarity. There is a lack of consistency in that the …

Ecotoxicity Evaluation Using The Avoidance Response Of The Oribatid Mite Oppia Nitens (Acari: Oribatida) In Bioplastics, Microplastics, And Contaminated Superfund Field Sites, Philips Akinwole, Nina Shaffer '25, Catarina Zabot Pansini '26, Kaija Carr '25, Kenneth L. Brown, Olugbenga J. Owojori

Biology Faculty publications

Bioplastics are considered sustainable alternatives to conventional microplastics which are recognized as a threat to terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about the potential ecotoxicological effects of bioplastics on soil fauna and ecosystems. The present study assessed the toxicity of microplastics [Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene (PE)] and bioplastics [Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Sodium polyacrylate (NaPa) on a key soil fauna Oppia nitens, a soil oribatid mite, and investigated the ecological relevance of O. nitens avoidance response as a valuable tool for the risk assessment of contaminated soils such as the Superfund sites. Findings showed that the mites’ net response indicated avoidance …

The Tissue-Specific Role Of Smn-1 In C. Elegans, Lindsey Philips

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease that results from mutations in the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN-1) gene. Although SMN is a ubiquitously expressed protein that acts as an RNA-binding protein (RBP), SMA is characterized by the selective degeneration of motor neurons of the lower spinal cord. Despite a clear understanding of the genetic causes underlying SMA, the mechanisms associated with low SMN levels to disease pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we investigate the role SMN-1 has in different tissues to begin understanding possible mechanisms. This project has three aims that has guided our experiments. The first aim is …

Unveiling The Nexus Of Cellular Quality Control: Exploring The Interplay Between Ribosome-Associated Protein Quality Control And Mitochondrial Quality Control Pathways, Foozhan Tahmasebinia

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

In eukaryotic cells, the intricate interplay between cellular quality control mechanisms is crucial for maintaining homeostasis and safeguarding the integrity of vital processes, spanning from macromolecule synthesis to the renewal of entire cellular organelles.

Disruption of these networks can lead to severe diseases such as metabolic disorders, underscoring the interconnected nature and feedback control mechanisms inherent in biological systems, including cellular quality control systems. This interconnectedness extends to the intricate communication between organelles, enabling coordinated functioning and adaptation to changing cellular conditions, particularly in response to stressors.

While the exact mechanisms governing these communications within cellular quality control systems remain …

Screen For Beneficial Genetic And Chemical Modifiers In Drosophila Models Of Als And Traumatic Brain Injury, Will Bonderer

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The underlying molecular processes of aberrant protein expression in neurodegeneration are intricate and multifaceted, with ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) emerging as a promising avenue of exploration. Ribosome-associated quality control is integral to cellular function. Its evolutionarily conserved pathway encompasses a network of mechanisms designed to ensure the fidelity of protein synthesis, folding, and degradation within the cells of all eukaryotes. The ribosome, central to protein synthesis, plays a pivotal role in this quality control network, and its malfunction can lead to the accumulation of misfolded or aberrant proteins. In the context of neurodegenerative disorders, this dysfunction can have dire consequences. …

Moral Agency In Flux: Rohingya Refugees Envisioning And Establishing A “Good Life” In Dallas, Texas, Nusaiba Chowdhury

Anthropology Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic project explores how refugee-serving staff and Rohingya refugees navigate the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which focuses on refugees achieving self-sufficiency as its main metric of success. The goal of this research is to understand how refugee-serving staff perceive self-sufficiency, which is seen as synonymous with achieving a “good life,” and how Rohingya refugees envision and establish a “good life” in Dallas, Texas. This study is oriented around the historical and current experiences of securitization faced by Rohingya refugees, their experiences in the United States, the neoliberal design of the USRAP, the issues that refugee-serving staff have …

2024 Commencement Program - Spring, Morehead State University. Registrar's Office.

Morehead State Commencement Programs

2024 Spring Commencement program for Morehead State University.

Variability In Large Mammal Activity Patterns When Visiting Water In New Mexico, Juan E. Camacho

Biology ETDs

Studying activity patterns of animals can provide vital information about how different species react to environmental changes, yet camera trap studies typically neglect the temporal aspect of the data. Using a 10-year camera trap dataset on Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM, we explored daily activity patterns when visiting water of five large mammal species. The species of study were mule deer, pronghorn, elk, oryx, and coyote. All species showed significant variability in activity patterns from site to site across the refuge. Within a site, differences in activity across years and seasons were less pronounced. Mule deer and coyote showed very …

Fifty-Eighth Commencement (Undergraduate), Sacred Heart University

Commencement Programs

Program for undergraduate ceremonies, May 11, 2024.

A Genetic Screen To Identify Cell-Specific Inhibitors Of Microexon Splicing In The Unc-13 Transcript In C. Elegans, Saad Ali

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Microexons, which are unusually short (<31 nucleotides) exons, have recently emerged as highly conserved features of genes expressed in the nervous system. Generally, microexons have been thought to be included (spliced in) in neuronal cells and skipped (spliced out) in non-neuronal cells. However, in our lab, we have discovered that certain microexons are included in certain neuronal cells but skipped in other neuronal cells, which reveals more complexity to microexon regulation. Therefore, I performed a forward mutagenesis screen that takes advantage of a bicolor splicing reporter in the unc-13 gene expressed in olfactory neurons to discover regulatory effects by which microexons can be skipped in specific neuron types.