Digital Commons Network^™

Mushroom Composition Across An Elevational Gradient During The 2024 Wet Season In Mazumbai Forest Reserve, Tanzania, Christopher Brady

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mushrooms are key bioindicators that contribute greatly to ecological health, and their diversity is indicative of a healthy ecosystem. However, even with the vital role they play in ecological health, there are few studies which measure the diversity of mushrooms in Mazumbai Forest Reserve (MFR), Tanzania, Africa, and none which focus on diversity along the elevational gradient within the reserve (1300-1900m). This study measures the diversity and equitability of mushrooms growing in six elevational zones within MFR during the rainy season of 2024. A species checklist of mushrooms growing in MFR during the 2024 rainy season was created, tracking the …

Prison Labor: The Ethical And Economic Implications Of Rethinking The Thirteenth Amendment And Fair Labor Standards Act, Peter Holland

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Prisoners have historically been paid extremely low wages, if any, for the jobs they perform while incarcerated. The Thirteenth Amendment, which made slavery illegal except as a punishment for crime, has often been used to validate this practice. This paper will argue that denying prisoners minimum wage is a misapplication of both the Thirteenth Amendment and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Additionally, the paper claims that paying prisoners minimum wage would have many positive economic consequences.

Thinking Outside The Membrane: Investigating The Structure Of The Influenza A M2 Ectodomain, Kyra Roepke , '24

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Influenza A leads to annual epidemics that result in three-to-five million cases of severe illness each year and occasional devastating pandemics. Some current prevention and treatment methods target the M2 membrane protein on the surface of the virus. However, viral mutability and drug resistance require the targeting of more conserved parts of the protein.

The goal of this thesis was to investigate the secondary structure and dynamics of the M2 ectodomain (M2e), which is highly conserved across influenza viruses and across evolutionary time. The structure of M2e has previously been challenging to study because of its flexibility. In this study, …

Topological Spaces Of Embodied Becoming: Queens, Queerness And (Infra)Structural Subterfuge In Singapore, Orlando Woods

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This paper considers the political potential that emerges when theorizations of the body-as-infrastructure are brought into conversation with theorizations of topological space. It argues that the infrastructural body provides an interface through which structural norms can be destabilized, and the interrelationships between the state, society, and self can be reimagined. These ideas are illustrated through an empirical exploration of drag queens in Singapore. Singapore is a socially conservative Asian city-state in which heteronormative values are passed down by the state, reproduced through the family, and then used to structure societal under- standings of gender and sexuality. By interpreting Singapore’s hegemonic …

The Real Wrongs Of Icwa, James G. Dwyer

Faculty Publications

Haaland v. Brackeen rejected federalism-based challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) but signaled receptivity to future challenges based on individual rights. The adult-focused rights claims presented in Haaland, however, miss the mark of what is truly problematic about ICWA. This Article presents an in-depth, children’s-rights based critique of the Act, explaining how it violates a fundamental right against state exertion of power over central aspects of persons’ private lives to their detriment for illicit purposes. In fact, the Act’s defenders are complicit in the same sort of government violence that motivated ICWA’s enactment—erasing aspects of children’s heritage …

Impact Of Temperature On The Bionomics And Geographical Range Margins Of The Two-Spotted Field Cricket Gryllus Bimaculatus In The World: Implications For Its Mass Farming, Henlay J.O. Magara, Chrysantus M. Tanga, Brian L. Fisher, Abdelmutalab G.A. Azrag, Saliou Niassy, James P. Egonyu, Sylvain Hugel, Nana Roos, Monica A. Ayieko, Subramanian Sevgan, Sunday Ekesi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Gryllus bimaculatus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is widely considered an excellent nutrient source for food and feed. Despite its economic importance, there is limited information on the impact of temperature on the bionomics of this cricket to guide its effective and sustainable mass production in its geographical range. The biological parameters of G. bimaculatus were investigated at eight different temperatures ranging from 20–40∘C. The Insect Life-Cycle Modelling (ILCYM) program was used to fit linear and non-linear functions to the data to describe the influence of temperature on life history parameters and its farmability under the current and projected climate for 2050. Our …

Patient Access To Health Device Data: Toward A Legal Framework, Charles Duan, Christopher J. Morten

Faculty Scholarship

New health care devices, including at-home diagnostic devices, are generating and aggregating data on patients’ health at a staggering pace. Yet much of that data is inaccessible because it is held in data siloes, most often cloud services controlled by device manufacturers. This proprietary siloing of patient data is problematic from ethical, economic, scientific, and broad public policy perspectives. This chapter frames these concerns and begins to sketch a regulatory framework for patient access to health care device data. As with other consumer data, breaking down siloes and securing patients’ access to their device data safeguards patients’ ownership interests, promotes …

A Pilot Intervention For Adolescent Adoptees: The Interoception Curriculum, Francie X. Bailey

Capstone Projects

This pilot study sought to evaluate the efficacy of Mahler’s (2019) Interoception Curriculum on increasing emotional regulation and interoceptive awareness among adolescent adoptees. A pre - posttest design was employed to assess changes in emotional regulation and interoceptive awareness following a condensed, 10 - week version of the curriculum. Six participants, and their respective parent, completed pretest and posttest assessments following the completion of the weekly intervention. Results demonstrated minimal improvements in both parent and adolescent perceived emotional regulation competency but significant improvement in adolescents’ ability to notice and attend to their bodily sensations, listen to their body cues, and …

The Development Of An 8-Week Neurodiversity-Affirming Caregiver Co-Regulation Coaching Program., Carissa Heestand

Capstone Projects

The realm of pediatric care is witnessing the rapid emergence of two innovative practices centered on nurturing safety within a child's nervous system. This program development endeavors to synergize these practices to optimize occupational balance within the familial unit. The first pioneering approach involves Neurodiversity (ND) affirming care, which is seamlessly integrated into therapy sessions. Here, therapists honor and embrace the diverse nature of each child's brain, while acknowledging and celebrating their unique abilities. The second innovative practice involves caregiver coaching sessions, with a primary focus on educating caregivers about co-regulation techniques. Previous research has highlighted the efficacy of such …

Combating Social Isolation Among Older Adults Through Intergenerational Relationships With Children; Facilitating Meaningful Connection During Intergenerational Interactions By Improving Sensory Environment And Increasing Engagement During Group Activities, Lillian John

Capstone Projects

The following capstone project focused on the enhancement of meaningful engagement among all participants of an intergenerational care center. The interventions implemented within the intergenerational program were put in place to facilitate communication, improve behavioral regulation, modify sensory environment, create the just right challenge for group activities, and increase independence to promote meaningful engagement and social connection. The implementation of the interventions was completed through on-site education to the employees, the creation of various educational binders to support the participants individually, and adjustments to the environment and group activities. This capstones projects’ primary goal was to improve the efficacy of …

The Effects Of Customized Art-Based Interventions On The Quality Of Life Of Older Adults With Early-Stage Dementia, Kalei Hubert-Mclennan

Capstone Projects

Occupational therapy (OT) was founded during the Arts and Crafts and Moral Treatment Movement to assist veterans in acclimating to their communities after discharge. While arts and crafts were initially a large part of OT, after the paradigm shift to the medical model in the 1960s, art was replaced by technology and removed from the OT curriculum and ACOTE standards. As OT continued to grow as a profession, art shifted from being part of the psychodynamic approach to being utilized to gather information and foster relationships. While art is an activity that can span across ages, there is a lack …

Holistic Education To Empower And Enhance Women's Health Throughout Pregnancy, Birth, And The Postpartum Period, Hannah Wilson

Capstone Projects

Making informed healthcare decisions on behalf of oneself for optimal outcomes first begins with comprehending basic health education about one’s own body, typical bodily functioning and bodily processes and ends with empowered decision making. Health literacy is the ability of an individual to understand and apply basic healthcare information to their personal healthcare decision making and is integral for any and all healthcare providers to comprehend when educating patients in practice. Occupational therapists (OTs) are healthcare professionals that work with any demographic of people to improve satisfaction with performance of everyday living activities and quality of life. OTs’ scope of …

Impact Of Trauma On Development: Creating Training Materials For Effective Trauma Evaluations, Jessica M. Englerth

Capstone Projects

This 14-week capstone project had an education focus under ACOTE standards. This project was completed at Western Michigan University’s Resiliency Center which is part of the Unified Clinics. The focus of this capstone project was to educate new and current staff and students on the administration of trauma evaluations in pediatric and adolescent populations as well as the impact of trauma on development. The purpose of this project was to develop training materials detailing how to administer different assessments that may be used in a trauma assessment including the PDMS-3, the Occupational Regulation Questionnaire, the QNST-3, the BAYLEY-III, the Sensory …

Expanding Menstrual Health And Hygiene Management At Western Michigan University, Kaitlyn R. Brady

Capstone Projects

Menstrual health and hygiene are vital yet often overlooked components of women’s well-being with implications for academic success, physical health, and social equity. This capstone project, conducted with Western Michigan University’s Broncos. Period program, aimed to address the critical issue of period poverty and inadequate menstrual hygiene management on campus. Through comprehensive needs assessments, key gaps and opportunities were identified. Objectives were created based on results from the needs assessments and implemented to secure grant funding for menstrual products, establish formal partnerships, and develop educational materials. As a result of the objectives, the project secured funding to restock partner locations, …

Synthesis, Characterization And Bioactivity Evaluation For Some Metal Ions Complexes With New Ligand Derived From 2-Hydroxy-1- Napthaldehyed, Andy Mohammed Abd-Alaziz, Abbas Ali Salih Al-Hamdani, Waleed Ali Mahmmoud, Zinah Hazim Abdulraheem

Baghdad Science Journal

The newly synthesized Schiff base ligand (E)-2-((2-phenylhydrazono)methyl)naphthalen-1-ol (phenyl hydrazine derivative), is allowed to react with each of the next mineral ion: Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+andCd2+successfully resulting to obtain new metal complexes with different geometric shape. The formation of Schiff base complexes and also the origin Schiff base is indicated using LC-Mass that manifest the obtained molar mass, FT-IR proved the occurrence of coordination through N of azobenzene and O of OH by observing the shifting in azomethines band and appearing of M-N and N-O bands. Moreover, we can also detect by such apparatus, the presence of aquatic water molecule inside the …

Peristaltic Transport Of Non-Newtonian Fluid Under Effects Of Magnetic Force And Heat Transfer In A Symmetric Channel Through A Porous Medium, Amaal Mohi Nassief, Ahmed M. Abdulhadi

Baghdad Science Journal

In this paper, the effect of magnetic force and nonlinear thermal radiation for peristaltic transport of hybrid bio-nanofluid with the porous medium in a symmetric channel is discussed. The Adomain decomposition technique is utilized for explaining expressions for axial velocity, stream function, temperature, Nusselt number, pressure gradient, magnetic pressure, and magnetic force. The finding shows that gold nanoparticles have an elevation velocity compared with copper nanoparticles, based fluids, and hybrid nanofluids. The magnetic force contours increase when the wave amplitude increases. The temperature and heat transfer rate have been examined clearly. It has been observed that rising thermal radiation increases …

Final Report Of The Phase Ii Next/Cns-Gct-4 Trial: Gempox Followed By Marrow-Ablative Chemotherapy For Recurrent Intracranial Germ Cell Tumors, Margaret Shatara, Megan Blue, Joseph Stanek, Yin A Liu, Daniel M Prevedello, Pierre Giglio, Vinay K Puduvalli, Sharon L Gardner, Jeffrey C Allen, Kenneth K Wong, Marvin D Nelson, Floyd H Gilles, Roberta H Adams, Jasmine Pauly, Katrina O'Halloran, Ashley S Margol, Girish Dhall, Jonathan L Finlay

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Patients with relapsed intracranial germinoma can achieve durable remission with standard chemotherapy regimens and/or reirradiation; however, innovative therapies are required for patients with relapsed and/or refractory intracranial nongerminomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCTs) due to their poor prognosis. Improved outcomes have been reported using reinduction chemotherapy to achieve minimal residual disease, followed by marrow-ablative chemotherapy (HDCx) with autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell rescue (AuHPCR). We conducted a phase II trial evaluating the response and toxicity of a 3-drug combination developed for recurrent intracranial germ cell tumors consisting of gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and oxaliplatin (GemPOx).

Methods: A total of 9 patients with confirmed …

The Tudor-Knot Domain Of Kat5 Regulates Nucleosomal Substrate Acetylation, Fan Xuan, Hongwen Xuan, Mengying Huang, Wei He, Han Xu, Xiaobing Shi, Hong Wen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The lysine acetyltransferase KAT5 is a pivotal enzyme responsible for catalyzing histone H4 acetylation in cells. In addition to its indispensable HAT domain, KAT5 also encompasses a conserved Tudor-knot domain at its N-terminus. However, the function of this domain remains elusive, with conflicting findings regarding its role as a histone reader. In our study, we have employed a CRISPR tiling array approach and unveiled the Tudor-knot motif as an essential domain for cell survival. The Tudor-knot domain does not bind to histone tails and is not required for KAT5's chromatin occupancy. However, its absence leads to a global reduction in …

Pyridoxine Challenge Reflects Pediatric Hypophosphatasia Severity And Thereby Examines Tissue-Nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase's Role In Vitamin B6 Metabolism, Michael P Whyte, Fan Zhang, Karen E Mack, Deborah Wenkert, Gary S Gottesman, Karen L Ericson, Jeffrey T Cole, Stephen P Coburn

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is detected in most human tissues. However, ALP activity is routinely assayed using high concentrations of artificial colorimetric substrates in phosphate-free laboratory buffers at lethal pH. Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is the inborn-error-of-metabolism caused by loss-of-function mutation(s) of the ALPL gene that encodes the ALP isoenzyme expressed in bone, liver, kidney, and elsewhere and is therefore designated "tissue-nonspecific" ALP (TNSALP). Consequently, HPP harbors clues concerning the biological function of this phosphohydrolase that is anchored onto the surface of cells. The biochemical signature of HPP features low serum ALP activity (hypophosphatasemia) together with elevated plasma levels of three natural substrates …

The Legislations And Regulations Of Social Media- A Study Of 2 Countries – United States, Canada, Laura Mircea

Research Papers

In today’s society, social media is widely popular to use for many different reasons such as communicating, marketing, networking etc. However, with social media rapidly expanding and the usage growing exponentially, it can become dangerous. Some of these dangers include privacy exposure, invasion of privacy, cyberbullying, harassment, exploitation etc. One of the bigger challenges faced is protecting children and minors on social media, and preventing false news and rumors from circling. While some countries have stricter social media laws and rules implemented by the government, other countries rely on the social media platforms themselves to regulate and protect users from …

Toward Electrical Impedance Sensing Surgical Drill For Tissue Boundary Detection, Harshavardhan Devaraj

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Dental implantation is an increasingly common procedure used to treat missing teeth. However, surgical drilling to place the implant poses a high risk of injury to critical anatomy, such as inferior alveolar nerve injury or maxillary sinus perforation. A real-time surgical feedback system sensing proximity of these critical anatomy could reduce injury risks. This dissertation investigates the development of such a system that incorporates an electrical impedance sensor into the tip of a surgical drill.

A simulation framework based on finite element method (FEM) was developed to optimize the sensor as it approached a high impedance boundary. The accuracy of …

Methods, Analyses, And Applications Of Multilayer Temporal Link Prediction In Networks, Xie He

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Many applications stem from the possibility of accurately predicting links in various types of networks. In this thesis, we present methods, analyses, and applications for static, temporal, and multilayer networks. The first part of this thesis demonstrates how static network features serve as efficient and accurate predictors for link prediction in temporal networks. It includes an ensemble learning method we developed and presents experimental results on 90 synthetic stochastic block models and 19 real-world datasets. The second part closely follows, showcasing 20 different sampling methods and their effects on nine different link prediction algorithms for 250 real-world networks across 6 …

Targeting Cholinergic Signaling In Glioblastoma, Sumyuktha Vijay Anand

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Primitive stem cell-like populations that are prone to malignant transformation reside in the brain throughout adulthood. My lab’s reports and many others have characterized subsets of glioma cells reminiscent of adult stem-like cells implicating them rational candidates for cell-targeted therapies. Emerging evidence suggests that the neurotransmitter microenvironment influences these stem-like cells during glioma progression providing an inroad to study neuromodulators in glioma. Some glioma stemlike cells share characteristics with adult tissue oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Primitive cells of the oligodendroglial lineage express muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), and their “stemness” is maintained by the acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmitter. Here, I conduct transcriptomic, electrophysiological, …

Formation Of New Cohesive Linkages And Regulation Of Cohesion Rejuvenation During Meiotic Prophase In Drosophila Oocytes, Muhammad Abdul Haseeb

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

During meiosis, faithful segregation of chromosomes requires maintenance of sister chromatid cohesion from premeiotic S phase until its stepwise dissolution at anaphase I and anaphase II. Research in humans and model organisms indicates that premature loss of meiotic cohesion is a major determinant of age-induced aneuploidy in human oocytes, a phenomenon known as the maternal age effect. Because cohesin turnover after S phase has not been detected in mice oocytes, the prevailing model for mammalian oocytes is that cohesion cannot be replenished after its initial establishment in S phase. However, previous research from the Bickel lab suggested that a cohesion …

Exploring The Association Between Weight Loss-Inducing Medications And Multiple Sclerosis: Insights From The Fda Adverse Event Reporting System Database, Afsaneh Shirani, Anne H Cross, Olaf Stuve

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated that early childhood and adolescent obesity are risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility. Obesity is thought to share inflammatory components with MS through overproduction of pro-inflammatory adipokines (e.g., leptin) and reduction of anti-inflammatory adipokines (e.g, adiponectin). Recently, drug repurposing (i.e. identifying new indications for existing drugs) has garnered significant attention. The US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database serves not only as a resource for mining adverse drug reactions and safety signals but also for identifying inverse associations and potential medication repurposing opportunities.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the association …

Brain High-Throughput Multi-Omics Data Reveal Molecular Heterogeneity In Alzheimer's Disease, Abdallah M. Eteleeb, Brenna C. Novotny, Carolina Soriano Tarraga, Christopher Sohn, Eliza Dhungel, Logan Brase, Aasritha Nallapu, Jared Buss, Fabiana Farias, Kristy Bergmann, Joseph Bradley, Joanne Norton, Jen Gentsch, Fengxian Wang, Albert A. Davis, John C. Morris, Celeste M. Karch, Richard J. Perrin, Bruno A. Benitez, Oscar Harari

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Unbiased data-driven omic approaches are revealing the molecular heterogeneity of Alzheimer disease. Here, we used machine learning approaches to integrate high-throughput transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic profiles with clinical and neuropathological data from multiple human AD cohorts. We discovered 4 unique multimodal molecular profiles, one of them showing signs of poor cognitive function, a faster pace of disease progression, shorter survival with the disease, severe neurodegeneration and astrogliosis, and reduced levels of metabolomic profiles. We found this molecular profile to be present in multiple affected cortical regions associated with higher Braak tau scores and significant dysregulation of synapse-related genes, endocytosis, …

Neurosteroids And Their Potential As A Safer Class Of General Anesthetics, Hiroki Tateiwa, Alex S Evers

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Neurosteroids (NS) are a class of steroids that are synthesized within the central nervous system (CNS). Various NS can either enhance or inhibit CNS excitability and they play important biological roles in brain development, brain function and as mediators of mood. One class of NS, 3α-hydroxy-pregnane steroids such as allopregnanolone (AlloP) or pregnanolone (Preg), inhibits neuronal excitability; these endogenous NS and their analogues have been therapeutically applied as anti-depressants, anti-epileptics and general anesthetics. While NS have many favorable properties as anesthetics (e.g. rapid onset, rapid recovery, minimal cardiorespiratory depression, neuroprotection), they are not currently in clinical use, largely due to …

Automated Model Building And Protein Identification In Cryo-Em Maps, Kiarash Jamali, Lukas Käll, Rui Zhang, Alan Brown, Dari Kimanius, Sjors H W Scheres

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Interpreting electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) maps with atomic models requires high levels of expertise and labour-intensive manual intervention in three-dimensional computer graphics programs

A Targeted Proteomics Method For Quantifying Plasma Apolipoprotein Kinetics In Individual Mice Using Stable Isotope Labeling, Baohai Shao, Masami Shimizu-Albergine, Farah Kramer, Jenny E Kanter, Jay W Heinecke, Tomas Vaisar, Bettina Mittendorfer, Bruce W Patterson, Karin E Bornfeldt

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Altered apolipoprotein kinetics play a critical role in promoting dyslipidemia and atherogenesis. Human apolipoprotein kinetics have been extensively evaluated, but similar studies in mice are hampered by the lack of robust methods suitable for the small amounts of blood that can be collected at sequential time points from individual mice. We describe a targeted liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneously quantifying the stable isotope enrichment of several apolipoproteins represented by multiple peptides in serial blood samples (15 μl each) obtained after retro-orbital injection of

Connecting Urban Elementary Students To Watershed Health Through Aquatic Macroinvertebrates, Evangeline Holley

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Bodies of water play many important roles in the lives of everyone, but climate change and other human interference continue to threaten their health. In order to support the health of our watersheds for years to come, it is important that we find ways to help students develop environmental stewardship of their local watersheds. This capstone project answers the question: How can educators help urban elementary students become more connected to supporting the health of their local watersheds through the use of aquatic macroinvertebrates? Through research into this topic, it is concluded that place-based environmental education that allows students to …