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Why Do Spanish Heritage Language Learners Learn Spanish? How Do Their Motivations Differ From Those of Non-Heritage Spanish Learners?
No full textIdaho State University is striving to be an emerging Hispanic-serving institution, with a Hispanic population in the 2024 academic year of 14% (Idaho State University Institutional Research, 2025). Many students at Idaho State University (ISU) take classes to learn Spanish. Some are heritage language learners and may have different reasons for studying their language from non-heritage learners. At ISU 10 Spanish courses are currently offered. In 2024 ISU offered the first ever Spanish course for heritage learners (ISU News, July 2024). However more courses may be needed to meet learner needs. Without a full understanding of learners’ different motivations it is difficult to know if the correct courses are available and if teaching methods are appropriate to all learners. Heritage language learners are more likely motivated by wanting to make or strengthen familial or cultural/community ties,whereas non-heritage language learners are more likely to be motivated by career opportunities.(Gardner and Lambert 1959; Carreira, 2004). Using Redd’s (2025) model of heritage and indigenous language learners’ second language learning motivations we compare motivations for heritage and non-heritage learners of Spanish at ISU to better understand why heritage language learners learn Spanish and how their motivations differ from those of non-heritage Spanish learners. We conducted surveys of 87 Spanish language learners at Idaho State University to categorize their motivations for learning Spanish. The data was coded and analyzed with thematic analysis of open-ended survey questions to determine students’ motivations. Based on our findings, we suggest offering expanded course options for heritage learners at ISU and strategies for marketing classes to attract heritage learners
Effect of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Printing Parameters on Corrosion Resistance of 316L Stainless Steel
No full textMetal additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have many advantages over conventional manufacturing techniques. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of 316L stainless steel (SS) is an AM technique of great interest because it uses material more efficiently and can create complex geometries. There are many printing parameters that influence the final 316L SS part properties. However, the impact of printing parameters on corrosion resistance is not well researched. This research investigated the corrosion resistance of AM 316L SS in comparison with a traditionally manufactured 316L SS. Samples were printed with two different laser focus settings and then were electrochemically tested. Open circuit potential (OCP) and cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) testing was conducted to determine corrosion behavior. After testing, the corroded surface was imaged using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to capture how the samples corroded. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine the metallurgical phases present within each 316L SS sample. Understanding the impact of how printing parameters effect the corrosion resistance of AM 316L SS will help with developing longer lasting parts
Rapid Loading of Liposomes for Drug-Delivery and Cancer Therapy
No full textLiposomes are the standard nanocarriers for drug-delivery platforms and are at the forefront of research in laboratory studies due to their excellent biocompatibility and easy functionalization. At present, preparation of loaded liposomes consumes a disproportionate amount of time to yield data– taking several days or weeks to prepare a single sample. Currently, the time-limiting steps consist of partitioning the drug into the interior of the vesicle from the environment or diffusion kinetics, and the purification/dialysis of the unincorporated drug. To mitigate these shortcomings, we propose a rapid loading and purification method to accomplish the preparation and characterization of an accelerated, single-day protocol for a liposome-based drug-delivery platform. Thus, we prepared liposomes by extrusion and employed a temperature jump for quick active loading of Doxorubicin and Acridine Orange. To expedite the purification process, we use fast ultracentrifugation in an airfuge. The liposomes were characterized using fluorescence microscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements, together with fluorescence spectrometry. Our results demonstrated that liposomes produced using the rapid, temperature-assisted loading method were comparable in quality and drug loading efficiency to those prepared using standard protocols. These findings support the viability of an accelerated, single-day liposome preparation for drug delivery applications
Optimal Polymer Packing with Ellipsoidal Modelling
No full textThe computational cost of molecular simulations can make the study of slow-relaxing polymer-based materials to be prohibitively long. In this work we consider representing collections of atoms with ellipsoidal simulation elements to simultaneously reduce the time complexity of simulations while providing accurate representations of molecular geometry. We develop software workflows for validating intermolecular interactions as a function of separation and orientation. We perform molecular dynamics simulations at constant temperature to investigate dense ellipsoid packings. We identify conditions that satisfy numerical stability for these equilibrium experiments. The highest packing fraction we observed was 0.426, which is consistent with prior work
Development of a Ferromagnetic Resonance Measurement System for Microwave-Magnetic Interaction Analysis
No full textFerromagnetic resonance (FMR) is a powerful technique for studying the interaction between microwaves and magnetic materials. Microscopic magnetic phenomena, such as FMR, enable the control and manipulation of magnetic materials through external fields. In this research, an FMR measurement system is being developed to analyze how external magnetic fields induce resonance in a material’s magnetic moments. By measuring the resonance frequency, we can determine the material’s ability to absorb specific microwave frequencies and power levels. The system is designed to be highly sensitive to different types of magnetic materials, their thicknesses, magnetic ordering, and chemical composition. These findings are essential for understanding magnetic material behavior in wireless applications, providing insights into their potential for advanced communication technologies
Sympathetic Innervation Increase in Male and Female Islet\u27s During Aging
No full textAging is associated with altered sympathetic nervous system activity, which can contribute to impaired function in various organs. Preliminary data from our lab have shown that the sympathetic innervation is affected at the level of the pancreatic islets, mini-organs that contain endocrine cells that release insulin and glucagon, key hormones in glucose metabolism. However, data from previous analyses were restricted to male mice. Here, our goal was to determine whether age-associated changes in sympathetic innervation also occur in females. We employed immunohistochemistry to detect tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and insulin in 200-μm-thick pancreatic slices collected from young, middle-aged, and old female mice. Following immunostaining, tissues were cleared, and images were acquired using confocal microscopy. Measuring 350-400 varicosities within the islet per age, we observed a progressive increase in the size of sympathetic varicosities from young to old ages. The increase showed statistical significance. This data shows changes when compared with males, where a significant increment in varicosities was observed in old age. Our next step is to evaluate whether the increase in sympathetic varicosity structures affects the regulation of hormone release during aging in both females and males
Analysis of IGF-1 Production by C2C12 Myoblasts During Engineered Muscle Formation
No full textSkeletal muscle formation is a complex process involving cell proliferation, organization, and differentiation. Muscle progenitor cells may secrete biochemical factors that mediate muscle differentiation. Our lab has been developing a three-dimensional (3D) tissue engineered model system to explore muscle tissue formation by murine C2C12 muscle progenitor cells (myoblasts) in vitro. This study aimed to characterize the myoblast secretome during different stages of muscle tissue formation and myogenic differentiation. Myoblasts were seeding into custom wells and formed 3D neo muscles. To quantify secreted factors, the culture medium was collected every two days for 14 days, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to evaluate IGF-1 as a key regulator of muscle growth. Preliminary results revealed that IGF-1 production by the myoblasts peaked around Day 7 and declined thereafter, which is consistent with their myogenesis. Elucidation of such regulatory processes will provide valuable information on muscle tissue formation to advance muscle tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Testing the Use of Zircon Chemistry to Infer Crustal Thickness in the Gangdese Arc, Southern Tibet
No full textThe Gangdese Arc spans the ~2000 km-long southern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and was formed between ~50 and 150 million years ago (Ma), when the Indian plate subducted beneath the Asian plate. Recent work (Tang et al., 2021; Geology) near Lhasa, Tibet, in the East-central part of the arc has used rare-earth element chemistry of zircon crystals in modern sediments to infer crustal thickness changes over time. They infer major pulses of magmatism at ~45-50 and ~65-90 Ma, and increases in crustal thickness between ~75-100 Ma and ~30-55 Ma. We tested Tang et al.’s interpretations by measuring zircon age and chemistry in sands collected near Lhasa and in an area ~1000 km to the west. All data show a major pulse of magmatism at ~45-50 Ma, but the older 75-100 Ma pulse is absent in the west. We find no consistent trends in zircon rare-earth element chemistry over time; rather (a) different magmatic centers have different zircon compositions, and (b) some zircon compositions correlate with Ti content, which is temperature-sensitive. Evidently, zircon chemistry depends on factors other than crustal thickness, including temperature
Hydrogel Synthesis with Chaotropic Crosslink Facilitators for Phosphorus Recycling in Wastewater Treatment Plants
No full textPhosphorus is a vital macronutrient for food production but mined phosphorus supplies may be depleted in the US within 50-100 years and excess phosphorus leeches into our water supplies and causes eutrophication, which is harmful to wildlife and human life. Phosphorus accumulating organisms can be encapsulated in polymer hydrogels to create a circular phosphorus supply, but there’s little data on the degradation and stability of these gels. Poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogels prepared with a sodium cation and varying anions (chloride, bicarbonate, and oxalate) chosen from the Hoffmeister series, were assessed for stability of these materials by submerging them in simulated groundwater at different pH values. Preliminary results suggest that sodium chloride was stabilizing, while sodium oxalate was destabilizing. Mass transfer of phosphate in these materials was also assessed. Assessing these materials was a large step forward in finding suitable biodegradable polymer hydrogels for phosphorus recycling in wastewater treatment plants
Spectral Differences of Three Ethyl Cellulose-Coated Vitamins
Get PDFWater-soluble vitamins C (ascorbic acid), B5 (pantothenic acid), and B9 (folic acid) are essential micronutrients commonly added to fortified foods to ensure adequate dietary intake. However, their sensitivity to heat, light, and moisture presents challenges for stability during food processing and storage. A solution to the sensitivity of vitamins is coating them in ethyl cellulose, a hydrophobic polymer that protects the vitamins against environmental factors that can degrade the vitamins before the product is consumed. For fortified foods, accurate quantification of vitamin content is necessary for compliance with FDA regulations and food labeling standards. Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, a rapid, non-destructive analytical technique, has been used to quantify vitamins in different matrices by detecting overtone and combination bands of molecular vibrations, particularly of bonds such as O–H, C–H, and N–H. This study investigated whether vitamins C, B5, and B9, when encapsulated in ethyl cellulose, could be qualitatively distinguished using NIR spectroscopy. Powdered samples of each vitamin, both pure and encapsulated, were analyzed. Distinct spectral features were observed for each vitamin, demonstrating that NIR spectroscopy can differentiate between them despite encapsulation. These findings support the potential of NIR spectroscopy as a tool for future quantitative analysis of vitamin content in complex food matrices