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Navigating Horseweed’s Impact : Glyphosate Resistance, Dispersal Mechanisms, and the Future of Weed Management
No full textiii, 12 p.Horseweed (Conyza canadensis) has re-emerged in recent years as a persistent weed in many Midwestern agricultural fields, primarily due to a combination of biological traits and human reliance on glyphosate. The biological traits include evolved traits like the diYerent forms of glyphosate resistance, and ancestral traits like seed dispersal techniques and diYerent growth types. This literature review investigates some of the critical factors that influenced horseweeds’ encroachment back into agricultural fields and how the factors may interact with each other. This review touches on how anthropogenic intervention and biological characteristics may have influenced the development of glyphosate-resistant strains of horseweed and how this has in turn facilitated horseweed's push to dominance, particularly in glyphosate-dependent farming systems. Additionally, it examines the plant’s highly eYective seed dispersal mechanisms, including small seeds that can travel longdistances via aerial transport and high seed production rates, which could exacerbate the spread of glyphosate resistance. The review also considers the role of environmental factors, such as changing climate conditions, in influencing horseweed’s persistence and adaptability. Key findings underscore the possible interplay between herbicide resistance, dispersal strategies, and environmental changes driving horseweed's infiltration into agricultural fields. The review calls for integrated management strategies that address both ancestral and evolved traits to mitigate horseweed infestations and suggests areas for future research to better understand and manage this weed species
Feeling at Home : Food, Identity, and the Sense of Belonging Across Borders
No full text62 p.This study examines the interplay of identity, family experiences, and transnational belonging, using an autoethnographic approach. Rooted in personal narratives, conversations with relatives, and reflections on visits to Belize, the research explores how familial relationships, cultural heritage, and historical narratives shape a sense of self. Through direct experiences, such as creating new memories in Belize and learning family history from relatives and museums, the study highlights how identity is continuously negotiated across geographic and cultural spaces. Reflective analysis and engagement with existing literature reveal key themes of resilience, transnationalism, and the fluid negotiation of belonging. The findings illustrate the profound impact of family dynamics, cultural storytelling, and place-based memory on identity formation, particularly for individuals navigating multiple roots and spaces. This research contributes to the growing body of work on autoethnography by emphasizing the importance of personal narratives and lived experiences in understanding complex processes of identity and belonging
Biofilm Formation of Bacterial Pathogens
No full text19 p.Biofilms are structured communities of bacteria covered in a self-produced extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) (Lord, 2014). A significant factor in biofilms is the persistence and resilience of bacterial pathogens. These biofilms enable bacteria to survive in hostile environments, resist antibiotics, and evade immune responses (Nadar et al., 2022). Due to these factors, biofilms are posing alarming challenges in clinical and industrial settings. This literature review explores the multi-step process of biofilm formation in bacterial pathogens, focusing on key regulatory mechanisms such as quorum sensing and cyclic-di-GMP signaling. The roles of extracellular components, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular DNA (eDNA), in biofilm stability will be explored throughout this review. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that are used in bacterial adhesion, the influence of regulatory proteins like BdcA on biofilm dispersal, and the significance of extracellular polymeric substance in protecting bacteria from antibiotics will be the key topics emphasized. Additionally, this review recognizes emerging therapeutic strategies aimed at disrupting biofilm formation, such as EPS synthesis inhibitors, quorum sensing inhibitors, etc. The complexity of biofilm regulation and the need for novel approaches to combat bacterial infections associated with biofilm formation are key future directions for developing effective strategies. Further research into biofilm-targeted therapies holds promise for improving treatment outcomes in bacterial infections
“Catholics on Display” : Analyzing Presentations of Anti-Catholic Rhetoric in Fort Wayne’s Diocesan Museum
No full textvii, 78 p.Museums are an element of our society that function to educate and expose us to humanity’s different forms of material culture. Whether this is in the form of art, scientific advancements, history, or religious traditions, the function by and large remains the same: to provide some kind of mental growth or takeaway to its audience. However, we must reflect on these takeaways to inspect the potential biases in the information we are being exposed to. In the case of Fort Wayne’s Diocesan Museum, the information presented has, unsurprisingly, a noticeable Catholic lens, as well as an emphasis on America’s historically anti-Catholic biases. In this paper, I will be utilizing visual displays alongside their textual descriptions to analyze the assertions made by the Diocesan Museum about what it means to be Catholic in America, under the lens of anti-Catholic rhetoric. To expand upon this, I provide historical context developed through thorough research on the narratives presented by the museum’s educational materials and compare the two histories to one another. What the museum chooses to omit or include within their telling of Catholic experiences in early America, as well as 19th and 20th century America, greatly informs visitors’ understanding of their perspective, and can shed light on the ways in which Catholics view their place in society based on the religion’s legacy of evoking outrage and discomfort
Grazing in Midwestern Prairies
No full textii, 12 p.The majority of Midwestern prairie ecosystems, which contribute substantially to the global carbon sink, have been converted into agricultural sites or degraded otherwise. The American Bison, which once managed these ecosystems through grazing in tight herds, no longer graze the same ranges, further contributing to this degradation. Grazing as a means of land management and ecological restoration has been extensively studied in the Western United States, with benefits including carbon sequestration, crop yield increases, plant species turnover, and increases in biodiversity. There are still discrepancies within current literature on the best methodology to graze for ecological restoration, as well as a lack of literature on prescribed grazing within the Midwest. Further research directions are recommended within this review to resolve these discrepancies. Drawing from a range of primary and secondary literature, this review discusses how prescribed rotational sheep grazing could be successfully used to rehabilitate Midwestern Prairie habitats by emulating the behavior of the American Bison and should be further researched as well as future research direction recommendations
The Beginning of Arthur and Merlin
No full textxiii, 34 p.The author explains the origin and literary inspiration for an original story of Arthur and Merlin for young readers
Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorobenzyl Peptoids
No full textvi, 21 p.Harmful levels of per- and poly- fluoro alkyl substances (PFAS) are an escalating concern in bodies of water in southwest Michigan. PFAS represent a large family of organic compounds with a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. The strong carbon-fluorine bonds make them highly resistant to degradation resulting in bioaccumulation. Current filtration methods, such as ion exchange resins, granulated activated carbon (GAC), and reverse osmosis, are expensive, and fail to completely remove or detect PFAS. Peptoids with fluorinated benzyl groups are a potential avenue for an effective and economically conscious method for PFAS removal or detection. The fluorine substituted benzyl group is used to target PFAS via F-F attractions and promote -stacking for folding into nanosheets. In this study, monofluoro peptoids were synthesized to investigate the effect of carbon-fluorine bonds on their folding behavior. Additionally, the impact of the hydrophilic group placement and variety on trimer structures was analyzed to optimize their behavior in water. A key objective is to refine the synthesis of pentafluorobenzylamine as a lower cost precursor for peptoid synthesis, in efforts for a scalable peptoid-based solution for PFAS removal
Areas of Uncertainty in Current Telestroke Procedures
No full textiii, 11 p.With the stroke rate increasing in the last decade, and stroke being the 5th leading cause of death in the United States, it is clear strategies for dealing with strokes need adaptation. Reducing the duration of untreated stroke is a critical strategy for minimizing cognitive damage. A decrease in door-to-treatment time and quick assessment of patients is a constant and ceaseless goal for improving stroke patient outcomes. Telestroke is a subdivision of telemedicine that aims to aid in this goal by offering rapid access to online neurologists. Current guidelines and research for telestroke services are unclear on the most effective implementations to maximize patient outcomes and reduce treatment times for stroke patients. This analysis encourages the research of various telestroke services and the numerous variables contributing to telestroke care in hospitals to ameliorate current telestroke systems and provide more rigid outlines for improved telestroke processes
Excel and Investment : A Summer of Growth
No full textii, 13 p.This past summer, I had the opportunity to complete two valuable online courses through Coursera, each leading to certifications that strengthened my expertise across different fields. The first was a 20-hour course titled Work Smarter with Microsoft Excel by Microsoft, focused on the fundamentals of Excel. Through this course, I gained essential tools in data analysis, modeling, and efficient spreadsheet management. The second was a set of five courses totaling 40 hours of rigorous training, culminating in an Investment Management specialization done by the University of Geneve. This program taught me how to strategize portfolios, analyze risk, and ultimately manage wealth. While these two classes were different, each provided skills that enhance my personal brand and broaden my professional capabilities
A Philosophical Meditation on the Power of Self Determination in Facing Mortality
No full textvii, 46 p.Mortality is something that comes into everybody’s mind and the anxiety it causes can strain life away from the living. The awareness of my eventual death has been something that has haunted me all my life, and that, unsurprisingly, has taken up much of my energy. It is not until recent years that I have attempted to understand this fear, instead of running from it. This essay, and a series of five paintings, presents my personal journey of coming to terms with my mortality. This project presents philosophical inquiries into the ideas of human freedom as they relate to the contemplation of human death and death acceptance. These inquires come from the philosophies of George Hegel and Sören Kierkegaard’s and display the manner in which, as free agents, humans have the ability of self-determination as it relates to answering the question, what happens after death? This project examines the ways in which I have adopted this mentality into my own life and how it has taken me away from death anxiety and towards acceptance through the understanding that there are no universal truths in answering the question, what happens after death, other than the ones we determine for ourselves. This project is extremely personal, and the artistic aspect of it works to give the viewer a visual window into my chaotic mind and the ways in which it has come to process this topic. While the writing is extensive, the paintings serve as the main aspect of this project and tell the true story of my journey of existential contemplation that has brought me to this point