Digital Commons Network^™

Anticipated Intergroup Anxiety & Misattribution Of Arousal, Nazia Khan

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The current research attempted to link misattribution of arousal with intergroup anxiety. Specifically, we linked the presence of (i.e., or lack thereof) of sound– a clear misattribute participants can blame their intergroup anxiety on– to anticipating intergroup contact by manipulating the randomly assigned interaction partner and misattribution of arousal sound condition participants were in. Participants viewed a confederate’s name and picture on a screen and anticipated an interaction. Participants’ intercultural interaction comfort was measured as well as their anxiety levels and Stroop task performance. A two-way ANOVA revealed that there was not a statistically significant interaction between the effects of …

Uncovering The Lifeworlds Of College Students Who Are Food Insecure: An Interpretive Phenomenological Inquiry, Amber L. Kolesar

Dissertations

Food insecurity (FI) is a concern for many college students, and contributes to significant physical, mental, and academic stressors. Experts have described the need for qualitative research. A better understanding of the experience of FI among college students may help to inform future research and interventions to support students on their educational journey. This study sought to interpret the lived experience of FI, with specific focus on the sociocultural context in which students experience FI, and its' contributing factors. Incorporating the philosophical perspective of Merleau-Ponty, the researcher utilized interpretive phenomenological analysis to uncover the life-worlds of food-insecure college students.

The Quest For A Sensitive And Accurate Flash Radiation Model: Whole Abdominal Irradiation And Real Time Dosimetry, Noah J G Daniel

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the US, and more than 50% of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy (RT), often in combination with surgery, chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy. However, the fundamental limit on radiotherapy treatment efficacy is normal tissue tolerance. One potential way to overcome this limitation is through ultra-high dose rate radiation (FLASH RT). Compared to conventional radiotherapy (CONV RT), FLASH RT has been shown to be just as damaging to cancerous tissue but far more sparing of healthy tissue.

However, clinical translation of FLASH research has been obstructed by the failure of many labs to …

The Scarlet - Volume Cii, No. 9 (March 22, 2024), Scarlet Staff

The Scarlet (Student Newspaper) (2011-present)

The March 22, 2024 edition of The Scarlet (est. 1939), Clark University's student-run newspaper. The Scarlet is intellectually and editorially independent of the University.

Ascophyllum Nodosum Swe Enhances Root Anatomy, But Not Pod Activity In Both A Salt-Tolerant And Salt-Sensitive Soybean (Glycine Max) Variety Exposed To Salt Stress, Elena Hoang, Paul Stephenson

Faculty Publications

There is growing evidence that seaweed extracts (SWE) may be a solution for mitigating the negative effects of salt stress on crop yield and quality, as they introduce bioactive ingredients able to regulate the expression of growth-inducing and stress-responsive genes. We demonstrate that SWE slightly ameliorated the negative physical growth effects of salt stress, especially in the root anatomy of the salt-sensitive (Clark) variety. The SWE did not stimulate or enhance peroxidase (POD) activity in either the salt-sensitive (Clark) or salt-tolerant variety (Manokin). However, a complete assessment of other antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, APX) involved in the ROS detoxification process …

The Influence Of Tile Flow On The Transport-Fate Of Nitrate In The Vadose Zone Of A Saturated Riparian Buffer: A Case Study At The T3 Site In Mclean County, Central Illinois, Benedicta Karl Akrofi

Theses and Dissertations

The Midwest states have highly fertile soils representing one of the world's most intense agricultural production areas. The agricultural lands in the Midwest, including Illinois, are drained using tiles to improve the soil conditions for high productivity. However, the discharge of the tile waters directly into streams short-circuits the soil’s role in nutrient cycling (plant uptake, denitrification, microbial immobilization) and contributes to elevated nitrate as nitrogen (NO3--N) concentrations in surface waters, causing algae blooms which impairs surface waters and degrade water quality. Most NO3--N exports from tile-drained watersheds in the Midwest occur from January to June, corresponding to periods of …

My Name Is Pamela Jean: Impacting The Culture Of Life Through Storytelling, Debra D. Watkins

Masters Theses

The research completed for this study provides the opportunity to compare and contrast the views of pro-life and pro-choice storytellers who seek to impact the culture of life relating to abortion and abortion rights through the genres of movies and screenwriting. The Critical Essay section explores the debate on abortion and the sanctity of life as viewed through the literary framework of feminism and opposing worldviews. The Craft Element is an original screenplay submitted to enhance the understanding of how movies can impact moviegoers regarding abortion and the sanctity of life. The screenplay seeks to provide a strong pro-life message …

Ex-Vivo Hippocampus Segmentation Using Diffusion-Weighted Mri, Haoteng Tang, Siyuan Dai, Eric M. Zou, Guodong Liu, Ryan Ahearn, Ryan Krafty, Michel Modo, Liang Zhan

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The hippocampus is a crucial brain structure involved in memory formation, spatial navigation, emotional regulation, and learning. An accurate MRI image segmentation of the human hippocampus plays an important role in multiple neuro-imaging research and clinical practice, such as diagnosing neurological diseases and guiding surgical interventions. While most hippocampus segmentation studies focus on using T1-weighted or T2-weighted MRI scans, we explore the use of diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI), which offers unique insights into the microstructural properties of the hippocampus. Particularly, we utilize various anisotropy measures derived from diffusion MRI (dMRI), including fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity, for …

Aphid-Ant Relationships: The Role Of Cuticular Hydrocarbons And Different Chemical Stimuli In Triggeringmutualistic Behavior, Amged El-Harairy, Ahmed El-Harairy, Alaa Mahfouz

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

In ant-aphid interactions, various aphid species offer honeydew to the ant partner and increase their density by ant attendance, whilst others never attend ant species, in which case ants tend to treat them as prey. In this regard, ants should have the ability to distinguish myrmecophile aphid species from non-mutualistic species, so that mutualistic aphids will be accepted as partners rather than prey. Although ant-aphid interactions are now the focus of chemical ecology studies, the role of the different chemical stimuli in determining mutualistic interactions has not been completely clarified. Therefore, we have investigated the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of four …

Embedding Information Literacy Practices In An Upper Division Chemistry Lab Class At A University In The United States Of America, Christopher Randles, Matilynn Lamm, Katy A. Miller

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This poster discusses the implementation of information literacy into an upper division inorganic chemistry lab and the strategies employed to develop students’ information literacy in the laboratory course.

Effects Of Dysbiosis And Gut-Derived Hydrogen Sulfide On Cognitive Performance, Kimberly Barnhart, Haley Prather, Stephanie Nitschke, Kayla Julio, Nicolas Shaff, Alexander Birg, Henry Lin, Sephira Ryman, Andrei Vakhtin

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

The goal of this project was to examine the effects of gut dysbiosis and gut-derived hydrogen sulfide on cognitive performance in humans. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is known to produce neurotoxic effects in relatively large amounts, yet it is produced by the body in tiny concentrations and has important roles. Here, we examined how moderate levels of H2S produced by gut bacteria may affect cognition.

FUNDING:

This project was supported by the NIGMS Grant P20GM109089 and NINDS Grant R01NS129407

Traumatic Brain Injury And Psychopathic Traits In Justice-Involved Adult Males, Michaela M. Milillo, Tessa Cappelle, Gerard J.B Clarke, Craig S. Neumann, J Michael Maurer, Nathaniel Anderson, Carla L. Harenski, David Arciniegas, Jean Decety, Michael Koenigs, Kent A. Kiehl

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

This is an original study that investigates correlates of traumatic brain injury (TBI; i.e., severity, total number of TBIs, age at first TBI) and psychopathic traits (i.e., antisocial or interpersonal qualities) in justice-involved adult males who were incarcerated at the time of their participation. Our results show higher levels of psychopathic traits in individuals with TBI versus those without, which suggests a greater need to target TBI in the treatment of justice-involved populations.

FUNDING This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01MH109329 R01DA026964, R01DA026505, R01MH071896, R01DA020870, R01MH070539; PI: Kent A. Kiehl, Ph.D.).

Pediatric Postoperative Stroke Recognition, Thomas Ferrer, Juliet Velhagen R Valhagen, Tim Peterson, Codruta Soneru

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Introduction

The recognition and diagnosis of pediatric strokes (PS) or cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) is a well known challenge.¹ In postoperative environments, additional factors such as sedation, regional anesthesia, and postoperative limitations exacerbate the difficulty.² This overview of PS etiology and clinical characteristics includes postoperative guidelines and identifies current literature gaps.

Discussion

As in adults, PS can be ischemic: Arterial Ischemic Stroke (AIS) and Cerebral Sinovenous Thrombosis (CSVT); or hemorrhagic (HS): intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The presentation of these varies substantially both from each other and their adult counterparts. Younger children and infants may have unexpected presentations such as …

Gut Microbiome Underpinnings Of Anxiety And Depression In Long Covid-19, Haley E. Prather, Kimberly Barnhart, Stephanie Nitschke, Kayla Julio, Nicholas Shaff, Aleksandr Birg, Henry C. Lin, Sephira G. Ryman, Andrei A. Vakhtin

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Non-expert summary:

COVID-19 has been identified as having a negative effect on the psychological well-being of those affected. The purpose of this investigation is to elucidate the prevalence of depression and anxiety in long COVID-19, as well as explore whether gut-based processes underlie such psychiatric consequences of COVID-19. By investigating the connection between the gut and anxiety as well as depression in long COVID-19, we can better understand and treat this debilitating condition.

Funding: NIGMS Grant P20GM109089 and NINDS Grant R01NS129407

An Exploration Of The Role Of Culture In Social Media Advertising And Consumer Purchase Decision In The Saudi Arabia Fashion Market: A Qualitative Study, Lamis Aldawish, Dulekha Kasturiratne, Jonathan Lean, Christopher Phillips, Jinghan Wang

Plymouth Business School

No abstract provided.

Neuron Specific Gene Family Members Nsg1 & Nsg2 Differentially Affect Long-Term Potentiation, Learning And Memory, Antonio D. Serrano Rodriguez, Amber Zimmerman, Sandy Wilson, David Linsebardt, Jonathan Brigman, Jason Weick

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Non-Expert Summary:

The neuron-specific gene family (NSG1-3) plays crucial roles in regulating the movement and processing of key proteins within neurons, particularly those involved in Alzheimer's disease and synaptic strength regulation. While NSG1 is known for its importance in proper synaptic function, NSG2's role is less understood. Surprisingly, deleting NSG2 selectively enhanced learning and memory, contrary to predictions. Electrophysiology experiments revealed NSG1 and NSG2 have opposite effects on synaptic plasticity, shedding light on their distinct molecular mechanisms.

Funding:

5R01NS116051-04

Black Male Initiatives’ Effect On Black Male Persistence And Graduation, Eric Devon Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Job-Search Experiences Of Ghanaian Immigrants In New York City, Samuel Obeng

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Strategies For Financial Stability Of Nonprofit Organizations’ Supplemental Education Programs In Rural Tennessee, Latia D. Watson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Data Preparation And Model Complexity On The Natural Language Classification Of Chinese News Headlines, Torrey J. Wagner, Dennis Guhl, Brent T. Langhals

Faculty Publications

Given the emergence of China as a political and economic power in the 21st century, there is increased interest in analyzing Chinese news articles to better understand developing trends in China. Because of the volume of the material, automating the categorization of Chinese-language news articles by headline text or titles can be an effective way to sort the articles into categories for efficient review. A 383,000-headline dataset labeled with 15 categories from the Toutiao website was evaluated via natural language processing to predict topic categories. The influence of six data preparation variations on the predictive accuracy of four algorithms was …

Examining Active News Avoidance Across Countries: A Multilevel Moderation Analysis Of News Interests, News Trust, And Press Freedom, Gabriel Miao Li, Fan Liang, Qinfeng Zhu

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Previous studies have identified various individual factors explaining news avoidance, but the understanding of how these factors function within the broader political information environment is limited. This study, leveraging a large-scale cross-national survey, reveals that the relationships between individual news interests, news trust, and news avoidance differ across countries with varying levels of press freedom. In nations where the press is strong and free, personal preferences minimally influence individuals’ active avoidance of hard news. News avoidance is not solely a product of individual-level attributes. Rather, the impact of these individual factors is significantly shaped by the overarching political information environment.

Recreational Use Of Protected Areas: Spatiotemporal Insights From The Wikiloc Mobile App, Jorge Costa, Alberto Gomes, Martin Stokes, Miguel Saraiva

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Managing the rising number of visitors to protected areas (PAs) without compromising their environmental goals is a critical challenge that requires a complete understanding of how and when visitors use these spaces. Georeferenced data from fitness-tracking apps can provide detailed information about the visitor’s spatiotemporal behaviour inside PAs, but its potential is still underexplored. This study uses georeferenced data, from Wikiloc, to analyse the visitors’ spatiotemporal behaviour in Alvão Natural Park, Portugal. Our findings show that: 52% of the visitors’ use is concentrated around the Fisgas de Ermelo Waterfall; photos’ hotspots coincide with the waterfalls and viewpoints facing them; 2% …

A Global Meta-Analysis Of Ecological Effects From Offshore Marine Artificial Structures, Anaëlle J. Lemasson, Paul J. Somerfield, Michaela Schratzberger, Murray S.A. Thompson, Louise B. Firth, Elena Couce, C. Louise Mcneill, Joana Nunes, Christine Pascoe, Stephen C.L. Watson, Antony M. Knights

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Marine artificial structures (MAS), including oil and gas installations (O&G) and offshore wind farms (OWFs), have a finite operational period. Selecting the most suitable decommissioning options when reaching end-of-life remains a challenge, in part because their effects are still largely undetermined. Whether decommissioned structures could act (sensu ‘function’) as artificial reefs (ARs) and provide desired ecological benefits is of particular interest. Here we use a meta-analysis approach of 531 effect sizes from 109 articles to assess the ecological effects of MAS, comparing O&G and OWFs to shipwrecks and ARs, with a view to inform their decommissioning. This synthesis demonstrates that …

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Slim Winnings For Tubby Taft: Utah And The Presidential Election Of 1912, Natalie Larsen

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Traveling on a special passenger train from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, Utah governor William Spry waxed uncharacteristically eloquent with the reporters who hounded him for his insights on the 1914 congressional elections. Sent by the roundly Republican newspaper the Los Angeles Times, the reporters were looking to see how the dust had settled after the humiliating Republican losses two years earlier in 1912. Democrat Woodrow Wilson won a resounding victory that year, while Theodore Roosevelc's Progressive Parry won eighry-eight electoral votes, and the incumbent president William Howard Taft limped away with a meager eight electoral votes. Considering …

Angles And Angels: Political Unity And Spiritual Identity In Anglo-Saxon England, Susannah Morrison

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The development of nationalism in Europe is a contested process, and most historians conclude that nationalist sentiments did not arise in the shattered remnants of the Western Roman Empire until the twelfth century. However, a national consciousness developed in England long before this date. Although it was a fundamentally abstract concept, largely limited to the intellectual domain of the highly educated elite, English national identity in the Anglo-Saxon period was a vibrant and powerful cultural force. Memorably articulated by the Venerable Bede in the eighth century, this proto-national sentiment identified the Angles-the Germanic tribes who had invaded and occupied Britain …

Non-Chinese In Chinese History The Enduring Influence Of "Foreign Barbarians" In Ancient China, Caleb Darger

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The modern concept of Chinese Nationality is a rather recent construct. During China's early Republican (1912-27) and Nationalist (1928-49) periods, leaders like Sun Yat-sen and Yuan Shikai embraced the idea of Zhonghua minzu, translated as "Chinese nation" or "Chinese races." The inclusive term helped unify the Han Chinese people and four other major non-Han ethnic groups that comprised most of the Chinese population: The Man (Manchus), the Meng (Mongolians), the Hui (Uighurs and groups of Muslims in northwestern China), and the Zang (Tibetans). The term was later expanded in 1978 after the death of Mao Zedong to include fifty-one …

Limitations Of The Index In Philip Ll's Spain, Courtney Cook

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

On 19 December 1592, Philip II of Spain composed a letter to Diego de Orellana de Chaves, a royal governor of Spain's northern coast. At war with England and France, Philip's concern in this instance was neither strategy nor war logistics, but rather books. Orellana de Chaves notified Philip previously in two letters chat Spanish privateers had captured a French ship carrying books. The king expressed concern chat the books be turned over to the proper authorities, the Inquisition, reminding his governor chat not all books contain proper messages for Spanish readers. Eager to maintain the religious purity of his …

"Always Leading Out In That Which Is Great And Good": Mormon Women's Perspective Of Women's Rights Fifty Years After Suffrage, Ashley Anderson Webb

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

On a cold Thursday in eartly February 1920, newly enfranchised women from across che nation huddled together in Chicago for a seven-day-long Golden Jubilee. The anticipated passage of the Nineteenth Amendment lay only three scares' ratification and half a year away. That same Thursday, women in Utah looked back half a century co 12 February 1870, when che Utah Territory granted its women the right co vote. While reflecting on their own history, Utah's women also case their eyes outward, joining their sisters throughout the US who looked forward co the future of nationwide suffrage. Many prominent female leaders of …

"No Nation More Tenacious Of Its Past" National Historical Memory In Lnterwar Scotland, 1920-1934, Susannah Morrison

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Looking back over the last claendar year at the end of 1929, one Glasgow newspaper concluded, "Certainly no year within the memory of any living Scot has witnessed so much heart-searching. Never before has there been so much airing of the question: what is wrong with Scotland?" The question might as well have been posed about the entire decade of the 1920s. Scotland emerged from the Great War essentially demoralized, with a devastated industrial sector, an influx of Irish immigration, and a flood of mass Scottish emigration to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Facing this onslaught of postwar domestic problems, …