19264 research outputs found
Sort by
The Impact of Warming Waters on Daphnia and the Implications for Freshwater Ecosystems
No full textiii, 15p.Temperature increases in freshwater due to climate change have created more stress on ecosystems. Heat stress is particularly detrimental to ectothermic organisms as they are very sensitive to environmental changes. Because of this, warming has the possibility of altering the dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. This review paper investigates the implications of warming waters on Daphnia, a genus of planktonic crustaceans found in freshwater reservoirs. Daphnia are keystone species within their habitats and therefore have immense influence within food their ecological communities. Because of this, studying Daphnia’s responses to warming waters can give insight into the impact that global warming will have on freshwater. This review analyses studies conducted within the past five years and focuses on the physiological responses, implications for changes in the food web, and finally, how Daphnia responds to multiple stressors like the influence of warming in addition to pollutants. The research indicates that warming temperatures cause physiological changes in multiple species of Daphnia that have consequences for the organism’s fitness levels, however, they also showed the ability to adapt. The food quality of Daphnia was also found to be impacted by warming waters which could potentially be problematic for nutrient transport to higher trophic levels. Finally, warming seems to amplify the impacts of pollutants in many cases, and Daphnia seem more susceptible to this interaction
Usage of Python in Differential Equations
No full text108 p.This paper is a chronological record of the transition from the usage of wxMaxima, a downloadable computer algebra system used in previous iterations of the course to assist students with the computation of differential equations, to Google Colaboratory, a more user-friendly website that uses python-based coding to achieve the same results as wxMaxima, for the Ordinary Differential Equations: Analytical Geometric, Symbolic and Numerical Methods course at Kalamazoo College. I will be referring to Google Colaboratory as “Colab” for simplicity’s sake. This change tackled some of the previous problems that wxMaxima encountered; unlike Maxima, Colab did not require the student to make any downloads and/or changes to their computer, Colab allowed a notebook-like format for all assignments easily accessible in a folder in the user’s Google Drive, Colab updates itself, guaranteeing that all students work on the latest version, and, most importantly, the interface is exactly the same in IOS and Windows. This paper will include the early planning stages for the course, the creation of content, the experience while providing educational content to students (this includes Teaching Assistant tutoring sessions as well as some tutorial videos), the feedback from the students, and areas of improvement to note of
Stimulus Identity Governs Ability to Weaken Augmented Aversions
No full text41 p.When cue (A) and cue (X) are simultaneously presented, they form a within-compound association with each other. Cues will exemplify a bidirectional relationship, such that separate presentations of either stimulus during post conditioning extinction will weaken this association. When one cue is paired with illness prior to the formation of the within-compound association during preconditioning, the asymmetry of this association will be skewed. Preconditioning cue (A) can augment or block learning to cue (X). In the case of taste and odor aversion learning, it has been found that the bidirectionality of this association results in taste being able to extinguish odor, but odor being unable to extinguish taste. The present study aims to identify the reason for this incongruency as either due to the intensity of the stimulus (i.e., strong vs weak) or the identity of the stimulus (i.e., taste vs smell). Rats were either given a low, medium, or high intensity aversion to the odor of almond and underwent extinction of the augmented taste of saccharin. It was hypothesized and supported that this discrepancy is due to stimulus identity, as evidenced by taste extinction being able to weaken odor aversions regardless of the intensity of the odor aversion. Implications of these results in regard to associative learning models are discussed
Lasers in Dentistry
No full textiv, 13p.Dental offices all around the world deal with unique cases ranging from restorative work to esthetic procedures, which are solely to enhance the patient’s confidence. Standard conventional methods in dentistry have lots of pushback from patients because they cause sensory issues and anxiety. As a result, there is an avoidance of dental care. Laser technology has emerged as a great tool to help reduce fear and sensory issues that are typically caused by conventional methods. Lasers have proven advantageous during crown lengthening procedures. Lasers are less invasive, have more predictable results, and have their own blood vessel-sealing abilities. Lasers have also been proven to be a great alternative during caries removal. Unlike mechanical handpieces, lasers do not produce a smear layer. Lasers can also etch the surface of teeth, which now allows researchers to question whether the need for acid etching is necessary. Lasers also have a bactericidal effect, which is caused by the evaporation of cellular water, which leads to a collapse in bacteria's cellular walls. This antibacterial effect makes the use of lasers a viable option for caries removal, particularly in high-risk dental caries patients. Patients often have great fear of the dentist due to pain perception. This pain can be caused by a variety of procedures and injections of local anesthetics. The use of lasers creates less vibration compared to handpieces and possibly damages nerve fibers and terminals, which decreases perceived pain for patients. This overall leads to greater comfort for the patients. Microleakage during dental restorations can create problems regarding secondary caries and the failure of tooth restoration. Controversial results have been found regarding whether laser irradiation of teeth results in less microleakage compared to traditional acid etching techniques, and this should be studied further. Lasers provide significant impacts in the dental field and are a great tool being utilized to maximize patient comfort and clinical results
Moral about as a Need Capable of Biasing Responsibility Intuitions Free Will and Determinism
No full text1 broadside. 36"W x 24"HI investigated the extent to which people have a psychological need for moral responsibility, as well as the extent to which this potential attachment may influence a person’s beliefs in free will and determinism. My hypotheses were that people would reveal an attachment to moral responsibility, and that this attachment would play a role in biasing people against a belief in determinism and in favor of a belief in free will. Participants consistently testified to the satisfaction that moral responsibility affords people through both the praiseworthiness and blameworthiness it rationalizes. Participants also gave compelling testimony to the effect that people’s attachment to moral responsibility seems like a leading contributor to the distortion that surrounds the process of making impassive judgments about free will and determinism.Kalamazoo College. Department of Psychology. VanLiere Symposium, 202
"The Enduring Alliance" : How NATO was Created Using History as a Tool for Policymakers
No full text62 p.History is an essential guide to understanding the present and shaping future events. Historical patterns emerge that can be used in determining the best course of action for policymakers in the present. Historians Richard Neustadt and Richard May, in their book Thinking in Time, presented a compelling methodology for how decision-makers can best use history in thinking about challenges they are confronting. Furthermore, whether they knew it or not "Washington decision-makers actually used history in their decisions, at least for advocacy or for comfort, whether they knew any or not." [need a citation here?] Other historians in a more modem context, like Niall Ferguson and Graham Allison-Allison recently authored a book titled Destined for War, which examined the possibility of the United States going to war with China based upon historical data. These two academics advocated for historians to act as advisors to presidents, using the field of applied history to take a current predicament and try to identify analogues in the past. This paper will use the concept of applied history to explain how policymakers, the public, and journalists in the post-World War II era, sought to understand and explain the concept of Western European unification. This era, sometimes labeled the "golden generation" for foreign policymaking, and its practitioners being labeled the "Wise Men," is a fundamental turning point in American foreign policy; the institutions constructed at this time remain the foundation upon which American foreign policy continues to be built. Nevertheless, this period was fraught with disagreement and improvisation. How did policymakers and politicians justify their decision to expand the United States' power through institutions like NATO? There were a plethora of methods; this paper will focus on the employment of historical argumentation, analogy, and myths, used to argue for and against U.S. engagement with the post-war security architecture in Europe
“Doing Good Things” : A Poetry Collection based on the Insights of Interview Subjects Working at the Kalamazoo Defender
No full textxviii, 33 p.When I began my Senior Independent Project in April of 2023, my plan was to crank out as many poems about the Kalamazoo Defender as I could. These poems would be formed from the experiences I had as an intern, as well as informal chit-chat between myself and members of the team from which I could glean quotes and concepts. I explained my plan to a close friend soon after I started my project. They asked “So, your SIP is about working in an office?” And in that moment I realized that my plan would need some revising. The impromptu restructuring of my project so early on was an exercise in creative problem solving, abstract research methodology, and, at times, tumultuous forced development of my own skills as a writer and researcher. The bulk of the sources for my poetry, being interviews conducted with staff members at the Kalamazoo Defender, was a constant work-in-process in terms of honing my skills as an interviewer. Taking excerpts from these conversations and converting them into prose and poetry which spoke to the talent of the personnel working at the Kalamazoo Defender was a learning process as well. Capturing the battle for universal human worth through the legal representation of the indigent population of Kalamazoo , as well as the many differing views on how to accomplish this mission, was one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as a writer. Meeting these challenges head-on, constantly discussing the work with my SIP advisor, and continual workshopping were all key in moving forward in the process. With all this being said, my experiences during my summer internship at the Kalamazoo Defender, the interview process with staff members, and actually crafting the body of my SIP, has been the most rewarding experience in my career as a writer. I am grateful to have worked with and interviewed all who were willing at the Kalamazoo Defender. My SIP is dedicated to the team and their continued efforts in bettering the City of Kalamazoo
Orthodontist Shadowing Experience
No full text1 Broadside. 48"W x 36"HThe objective of this shadowing experience was to gain an understanding of the day-to-day operations of an orthodontic practice, including patient-receptionist etiquette, the use of topsOrtho software, and the roles of different staff members. I was able to observe and participate in various tasks such as booking appointments, updating patient charts, and learning about specific instrumentation and treatment plans. I gained valuable insights into the various aspects of operating an orthodontic practice successfully and was inspired by the results of treatments and patient interactions.Kalamazoo College. Department of Biology. Diebold Symposium, 202
Sympathetic Nervous System Modulation by the Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla: Neurotrophic and Sex-Based Mechanisms of Baroreflex Control and Implications for Cardiovascular Health
No full text34p.The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) is a region of the hindbrain that mediates sympathetic nervous activity (SNA) and blood pressure (BP) via projections to the sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPGNs) of the sympathetic nervous system. The RVLM is tonically active and influences SNA to keep BP within a healthy range, increasing and decreasing BP in accordance with inputs originating from arterial baroreceptors—a process termed the arterial baroreflex. The RVLM is the integral output area of the arterial baroreflex circuitry in the central nervous system, and it integrates inputs from a variety of other hindbrain and hypothalamic structures that are also components of the baroreflex. The RVLM and the larger baroreflex have both been implicated in the pathology of neurogenic hypertension, as it is possible that an upward resetting of the arterial baroreflex could contribute to the higher basal BP levels seen in hypertensive patients. There is a wide variety of factors that influence RVLM structure and function; the focus of this review is on two of these factors which at first glance are seemingly unrelated, but based on experimental data may be complexly linked in the context of the RVLM. Studies show that both relative expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and sex-based differences (in part due to gonadal hormones) influence the RVLM and its outputs—and some data implicate that these two factors may be interrelated. The RVLM is a key point of study for in terms of sympathetic nervous system control of the cardiovascular system as well as hypertension
Ca(t)pital
No full text33 p.This paper follows the process I undertook in creating my Senior Integrated Project in Studio Art, entitled “Ca(t)pital.” Beginning from some large ideas surrounding psychoanalysis and economic theory, my work within this project honed in on the modern world’s impact on perception and identity. We are constantly inundated with advertisements on a daily basis that push us not only to desire and to consume, but most integral: to make a purchase. My pieces take the stream-lined, eye-catching, and linear formal elements used in advertising and combine them with loose and expressive painterly techniques in order to create a multidimensional surface. The tension generated by these opposing formal elements is a metaphor for the Dionysian vs. Apollonian dichotomy between the emotional nature of embodied-experience and the denotational forces structured by the language we use to describe those experiences. Simultaneously, my use of cats as subject matter is based on the dualism in their existence as both wild animals and domestic pets. During the production of the project I also wanted a cat. As such, the pieces are in conversation with desire and mass production