Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Directing Groups For Rhodium-Catalyzed Decarbonylation, Bryan J. Forrest, Isabelle M. Klanseck, Jazmin E. Aguilar-Romero, Mary G. Kapitula

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Reactions involving carbon-carbon bond activation are of interest to develop methods of functionalizing molecules. Work in the Johnson Group utilizes rhodium-catalyzed decarbonylation to form new carbon-carbon bonds in pyridyl ketones, where the nitrogen on the pyridine ring acts as a directing group. Though this reaction is easily replicated and gives high yields, the need for a pyridine directing group limits the range of molecules that can be synthesized. To broaden the scope of this reaction, novel directing group compounds were synthesized through different routes and their efficacy in the decarbonylation reaction was explored.

Sexual Submission, Fantasy, & Docility: What If "Sexual Liberation" Is A Patriarchal Trap?, Kersten Dekker

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

The current feminist discourse surrounding female sexuality leaves a lot out of the equation. The reality is that the debate of female sexual choice often results in a dead end, and is far removed from actual women's lives. Drawing on feminist theories of fantasy, submission, sexual scripts, and pornography, I explore the ways in which indulgence in submission impacts women's docility in the real world. Through analysis of feminist literature, research, and various Internet forums, I identify three different theories of submission, and the plausibility of their isolation from oppressive consequences in the public sphere.

Hair Texture And Its Influence, Isabella Rodriguez

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Our hair texture plays an important role in our self-identity and esteem. The whiteness of beauty standards has controlled how women see their hair, whether or not it’s beautiful in its natural state. It is important to ask how hair texture influences self-identity and esteem. Answering this question, I analyze Nappily Ever After, focusing on the role that mother figures play in developing girls’ self-identity concerning their hair. I further situate this film by contextualizing it with children’s books on hair and self-esteem. Ultimately, I argue that mothers are the ones who shape their children’s relationship with their hair …

The Local Is Global: Voices Of Leaders In Coffee Justice, Megan Kamper

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

This interdisciplinary project on coffee and justice considered the impact of local choices in West Michigan on global producers of coffee from both a biology and humanities perspective. The humanities part of the project included a series of video interviews that captured the perspectives of local coffee leaders (roasters, coffee shop owners, and lead staff members) in West Michigan who have a passion for justice issues in the coffee industry. In these interviews conducted using oral history methodologies, leaders shared their understanding of justice as it relates to coffee production, processing, and consumption; methods of pursuing ethically-sourced coffee (including Fair …

Sickly Saints: Religion As A Source Of Hope Through The Stages Of Grief, Erin Matheny

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

With the objective of understanding why some people turn to religion–specifically Christianity–in the face of hardship, mortality, and grief, I examined the writings and wrestlings of three Spanish Catholic mystics of the 15th and 16th centuries: Saint Teresa of Ávila, Saint John of the Cross, and Sister Teresa of Cartagena. Using the model of psychiatrist Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, who proposed that most people follow a similar path through grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, the writings of the abovementioned mystics can be interpreted as their way of processing grief on the journey to acceptance. Through each stage of the model …

Determining The Step Count Accuracy Of Four Commercially Available Smart Watches, Jolie Labarge, Samuel Aylward

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

The purpose of this study was to determine the step counting accuracy of four commercial smart watches. Methods: Twelve adults (mean ± SD, 24.8 ± 8.4 years) completed this two-trial study. Trial 1(T1) occurred indoors and Trial 2 (T2) took place outdoors. During T1 participants were outfitted with four smart watches, two on each arm (Apple Watch Ultra, Coros Vertix 2, Garmin Fenix 6, Polar Grit X) and completed both a treadmill and activities of daily living (ADL) protocol. During T2 they completed a 3.2 kilometer trail run. During TW participants wore a chest harness outfitted with a GoPro camera …

Understanding The Role Of Serine 26 Phosphorylation Changes In Peroxidemediated Trafficking Of System XC- To The Cell Membrane, Katherine Lane

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Composed of xCT and 4F2HC, System x_c^- is involved in importing cystine and exporting glutamate from the cell. xCT is directly involved in cystine-glutamate transport, and 4F2hc is responsible for stabilizing and moving xCT onto the cell membrane. Previous studies found that phosphorylating serine 26 (S26) on xCT inhibits xCT activity by moving system x_c^- off the cell membrane into lysosomes to be degraded (Figure 1). A previous study by the Chase lab showed that treating COS7 cells with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) led to significantly higher amounts of xCT on the cell membrane. The objective of …

Investigating Auditory And Visual Seasonality In House Finches, Ashley Lauraine, Hannah Peterson, Jordan Winters

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Many birds receive both visual and auditory signals in mate selection, such as plumage color and song differences within conspecifics, which has implications for behavioral and communication processes. This processing of stimuli from different systems as a combined signal is also known as multimodal sensory processing. Sex hormone levels correlating with reproduction efforts vary seasonally in temperate animals, leading to changes in sensory processing as well. As the seasons progress, sex hormones (i.e. estrogen and testosterone) fluctuate, and an increase or decrease in these hormones has shown an impact on hearing in songbird species, however, less is known about the …

Effects Of Empathic Concern, Social Support, Health, And Burnout On Undergraduate Pre-Health And Nursing Students’ Stress, Caroline Davenport

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Stress among undergraduate students is an inevitable consequence of difficult studies, and this may especially be the case for pre-health and pre-nursing students. This research was aimed to determine whether the level, type, or combination of stressors affected pre-health and pre-nursing majors to greater degrees or in different ways. The data come from 531 undergraduate students who initially self-identified as pursuing either a pre-health or pre-nursing degree, and were surveyed once per year. The present data set includes Freshman through Junior years. The second and third wave asked students about their greatest stressors (open ended) and numerically rate the degree …

Mechanochemical Formation Of Polyacrylamide Nanocomposites: Impact Of Nanoparticle Surface Chemistry And Substrate Functionalization, Bryn Couturier, Lauren Buckley, Connor Bovia

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition, with treatments currently limited to symptom management and invasive surgical procedures. This project investigates the fundamental mechanisms for a potential treatment route that would allow soft material nanocomposites to form within the joint through mechanochemical reactions. To gain fundamental insight into the different chemical pathways for this to occur, this work compares a top-down vs bottom-up approach. The top-down method focuses on the influence of applied oscillatory mechanical stresses on bulk hydrogel polymerization. Polyacrylamide (PAM) is used as a well-studied control system. PAM-nanocomposites were achieved through co-polymerization, with gold nanoparticles with different capping ligands …

Modeling Dopaminergic Loss In The Zebrafish Olfactory System, Lexus Putt, Samantha Groenwold, Ted Lockett, Nathaniel Vorhees

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Zebrafish provide an ideal model to study neurodegenerative diseases and regenerative processes as they present neurogenesis and a high degree of neuroplasticity throughout their lifespan. It has been suggested that dopamine has an important role in regulating olfaction. We aimed to study the structural and functional effects of dopaminergic loss in the olfactory system. We injected 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) int the ventricular zone of adult zebrafish at the interphase between the olfactory bulbs and the telencephalon to target dopaminergic neurons in the olfactory bulb.Then, we assessed dopaminergic neural loss, markers of inflammation, morphological changes of olfactory axons, and synaptic connections. Olfactory …

Identity Development Among Pre-Health Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Anya Kapitula, Anna Tyshka

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Many sociology studies have been published regarding the experiences and development of medical school students, but there is a gap in research observing undergraduate students on pre-health professions tracks. Specifically, studies have been published noting a significant decrease in the empathy of medical school students during their third year, but no research has been conducted to identify development patterns of these students during their undergraduate years. This study aims to identify groups of undergraduate students on pre-health professions tracks based on typologies formed from longitudinal survey responses, and also to identify any significant transitions between these groups over time. Because …

Moral Foundations In Undergraduate Pre-Health Students, Grace Rellinger

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Moral Foundations Theory argues that there is an automatic nature to the decisions that we make. These can be of significant importance to healthcare professionals who make decisions impacting their patients' lives. Throughout their undergraduate years, students begin to solidify their identity and develop their morals in this formative time. This could be shaped by the pre-health professional track or more specifically what the student studies during this time. Political beliefs are also evolving during this stage and have a consistent relationship with moral foundations. There is also a tentative relationship between empathy and each foundation. Currently, research does not …

He Said, She Said: The Role Of Gender And Task-Oriented Communication, Bridget Hodgkin, Lauren Schiller

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Men and women are expected to communicate differently based on societal stereotypes. This has made it difficult for women to engage in task-oriented communication without receiving negative evaluations from others. The present study attempts to investigate how these expectations influence people's perceptions of messages delivered by both men and women in a collegiate setting. A mock text message within a group project hypothetical situation was sent by either a female or male. Participants only viewed one condition and were asked to rate the likability and competence of the sender based on their message. Results indicated that there were no significant …

Classifying Patient Handling Techniques To Reduce Risk Of Musculoskeletal Injury In Nursing Students, Giovanni Battaglia, Emanuel Sanchez

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Nurses suffer musculoskeletal injuries at a higher proportion than the general population due to physical strain and poor posture during patient-handling tasks; studies show that back injuries occur at a rate of 28.9 cases per 10,000 registered nurses. The purpose of this study is to apply multivariate time series classifiers (MTSCs) to classify six patient-handling tasks and the quality of subject posture (good, poor, or neutral) during these tasks. Manikins weighing 44 lbs, 66 lbs, and 110 lbs simulated patients. In this proof-of-concept study the XCM, ResNet, and MiniRocket MTSCs were trained with data collected from four non-nursing students using …

"Flirting Or Hurting?": Perceptions Of Flirtatious Textings' Appropriateness, Alana Policastro, Kate Gaynor, Anika Verbeek, Olivia Budzisz

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

With this century's rise of technology, new texting behaviors have not only been introduced, but have grown in their capacity for emotional intensity. This emotional intensity often translates into the forming of both platonic and romantic relationships online, as the online space acts as an easier "buffer space" for the relationships to begin. Understanding more about the perceptions of flirting behavior over text messaging is essential to develop more clear boundaries for romantic partners in an increasingly online world. This study addresses the link between relationship-status and perceived level of appropriateness of varying degrees of online flirtatious behavior. Using pre-written …

The Effect Of Different Timing Schedules On Learning In Individuals With And Without Adhd, Carmen Casper, Chloe Swanson, Ethan De Koker, Lauren Tocco, Emily Mccloskey, Isabelle Vanantwerpen

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Background. Learning involves encoding and retaining information. Previous studies have investigated different methods that lead to the greatest learning. Two common methods are massing—studying one topic during one time period and spacing—interleaving topics and studying across multiple sessions. Massing may facilitate encoding (Carvalho & Goldstone, 2014, 2015), whereas spacing is the best route to retention (Cepeda et al., 2008). However, which of these methods is best for individuals with symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is untested.

Approach. We tested individuals with and without ADHD symptoms. We also included a novel timing schedule called "clustering" that combines aspects of spacing …

Live From New York, It's Sexism Female Politicians Often Face, Riley Gruppen

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Saturday Night Live holds exceptional cultural significance as a media outlet. Analyzing sketches of presidential debates in 2008, 2016, and 2020, this article dives into its portrayals of female candidates, and how sexist representation of these politicians can shape voters' views on these candidates. I look at the sketches featuring Kamala Harris, Sarah Palin, and Hillary Clinton. By highlighting the sexism within our media, we can better understand the barrier it plays for female candidates.

How Adjusting Surface Electrode Voltages Affects Referred Sensation Quality, Jeffrey Quintanilla-Flores, Justin Egbuzie, Marianna Urdaneta

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Referred sensation is when electrical stimulation at one location activates a nerve that innervates a different location. Achieving referred sensation via surface electrical stimulation for the median nerve experimentally has been found to be difficult and time-consuming. Our long-term goal is to design an electrode array to be placed over the elbow crease and develop an algorithm to adjust the electrode voltages used for stimulation until a good referred sensation in the hand is achieved. Our goal for this project was to evaluate the sensation quality of different stimulation values in an electrode array.

Using an anatomically-based finite element model …

What’S My Social Distance? Measuring Individual Differences In Personal Space, Tasia Parsons, Tyler Kennedy, Erica Williams, Marella Piazza, Lauren Zago

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Personal space is a concept that was brought into public awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic, when safety precautions were put in place to inhibit natural tendencies to stand particular distances apart. Although a number of variables influence preferred distances (Hayduk, 1983), researchers have yet to evaluate the extent to which people naturally vary in their preferences. This study was designed to investigate preferred personal space during social interactions employing the social relations model (Kenny, 1994). This model proposes that social behavior is explained by three sources of variance: the actor (the tendency to act the same way to all people), …

The Downfall Of The Khedivate Of Egypt, Jacob Desenberg

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

For my research, I wanted to look into what led the British to be able to take over Egypt. To accomplish this in this paper, I wanted to make sure that I told fair stories from both sides. I also wanted to give enough context to this timeframe of Egyptian history being an unofficial Ottoman tributary state under the control of the British by 1882. Steps that I took to properly give respect to both sides were using primary sources from the British in Egypt and Arab historians who translated the words of Egyptians during the time. I found it …

Former Ncaa Diii College Athletes' Perceptions And Plans For Maintaining Post-Sport Exercise Behavior, Christian A. Clark, Samantha M. Vermeesch, Morgan A. Eckenrod

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

College athletes in the United States exhibit various declines in physical and mental health following retirement from sport. These declines in health are not well understood, however, one cause may be reduced exercise rates following retirement from regular sports training. It is unknown how former athletes' perceptions of health and fitness change after retirement and affect their exercise behavior post-sport. The purpose of this study was to understand former Division III (DIII) athletes' perceptions of health and fitness following college graduation and sports retirement and to explore what their future plans for exercise maintenance were. Recently graduated student-athletes from Hope …

Retrograde Degeneration Of The Olfactory Epithelium Following Neurotoxic Lesioning In Zebrafish, Sophia A. Farbarzhevich, Riley G. Checkley, Mackenzie T. Williams, Rachel J. Mast

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disease that deteriorates dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, is characterized by movement deficits, sleep disturbances, mental deficits, and hallucinations. About 95% of those with PD experience olfactory dysfunction or loss of the sense of smell. Prior research found evidence of retrograde degeneration in animal models of PD, which occurs when axons degenerate proximal to the neural injury itself, beginning in the axon terminals and proceeding to the cell body. Although dopaminergic retrograde degeneration has been observed in PD models, it is unknown if this contributes to some non-motor PD’s symptoms, such as olfactory loss. …

Expanding The Use Of Palladium-Catalyzed Beta-Aryl Elimination Reactions, Anna G. Tyshka, Tyler J. King, Lucas D. Day, Timothy R. Welsh

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions involving organic boronic acids are ubiquitous throughout organic synthesis. Despite the popularity of these methods, some boronic acids, such as those with 2-heteroaryl, 2-fluoroaryl, and cyclopropyl substituents, are incompatible, as these species decompose via protodeboronation prior to their incorporation into the desired reaction. To circumvent the protodeboronation process, the organometallic intermediates typically generated via catalyst transmetallation with a boronic acid can instead be generated via β-carbon elimination Efforts will focus on solving the so-called "2-pyridyl problem" and broadening the scope of known coupling partners in a Suzuki-like reaction, then systematically expand to include other palladium- and …

Examining The Use Of Two Novel Recovery Techniques On Reaction Time, Jack Hensley, Dustin Keltsch, Markus Roberts, Trevor Durfee, Nolan Gardner

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Box Breathing is a breathing technique in which a person inhales, holds, exhales, and holds, in four-second increments. It is believed to help improve an individual's focus. Purpose: This study was conducted to determine if Box Breathing would improve reaction time in lacrosse players after an exhaustive bout of exercise, compared to active recovery and passive recovery. Methods: Participants were familiarized with the components of the study, and then they returned on three separate days, approximately 2-10 days apart for three additional testing visits. Participants performed a 10-minute exhaustive bout of exercise on a cycle ergometer, then performed one of …

The Effect Of Foam Rolling With Vibration On Vertical Jump Performance In Division Iii Football Players, Madison Holloway, Elisa Melville, Jolie Labarge

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Vibrating foam rollers are a new percussive device that has become increasingly popular to perform myofascial release. Various studies have assessed these devices' effects on vertical jump performance in athletes. Prior research has reported that vibrating rollers (1) have no effect on performance, (2) improve performance to a similar degree as regular foam rollers, and (3) improve performance to a greater degree than regular foam rollers. The inconsistency of these results suggests that further investigation is warranted. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of vibrating and non-vibrating foam rolling on vertical jump performance in division …

Urinary Indicators Of Recovery Status In Collegiate Cross Country Runners, Madelynn Struck, Laura Taylor, Nile Devers, Erickson Kunzler

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Assessment of urinary biomarkers pre- and post-exercise has been used to monitor athletes' health status. This HSRB approved descriptive study measured 8 urinary biomarkers in 19 collegiate cross-country runners (M-10, F-9, age 20±1.0 years) throughout the first nine weeks of a fall cross-country season. Baseline values were measured prior to the start of the season and were repeated two and three days post-race. They were also measured pre-, immediately post-, and 1-day-post hard workout. All values were within normal, healthy physiological limits, however, there were some mean changes that occurred over the course of the season and within workouts. Significant …

Β-Decay Strength Function Of 99,100 Y, Nathaniel Jobson, A. Spyrou

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

The rapid neutron capture process (r process) is responsible for the formation of numerous nuclei in the universe. To obtain better models for heavier nuclei that are part of the r process, the decay paths of 99,100Y were analyzed. This work was done using the Summing NaI(Tl) detector at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The Iβ(E) and the Beta Gamow-Teller function (BGT) were extracted from the measured Total Absorption Spectroscopy (TAS), Sum of Segments (SEG), and Multiplicity spectrum. The Iβ(E) and the Beta Gamow-Teller function (BGT) were extracted from the measured spectra and then compared to the Quasi Random Phase …

Comparative Analysis Of British & American Schools, Max Ralston

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

This study was designed to discover how students in an immersive educational experience in Liverpool, UK, made sense of and learned from a comparative analysis of British and American schools. Our first goal was to determine education students' beliefs about American and British schooling at the beginning of the experience. The second goal was to collect data from various sources, including surveys, observations, journals, and recorded conversations during the two-week clinical experience. Students used their lived experiences in the schools to construct a comparative analysis Google chart. The third goal was to analyze students' understanding at the Liverpool experience’s conclusion. …

Escalating Conflict-Related Sexual And Gender Violence In The Ongoing Sudan Conflict, Agnes Poplawski

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review (CICLR) Blog

Since its independence from Great Britain and Egypt in the late 1950s, Sudan has been in a state of perpetual internal conflict. When Omar al-Bashir seized power and became Sudan’s president in 1989, the state had split into northern and southern Sudan, resulting in South Sudan’s secession. Sudan’s economy began to deteriorate, mass street protests erupted, and the military-civilian government was soon created and overthrown in 2021 when General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan took over. Since this time, the country had been run by a council of generals led by two military figures from opposing groups, bringing us to Sudan’s current …