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Membrane Protein Energy Functions for De Novo Design of Transmembrane β-Barrels
No full textvii, 24 p.As the field of proteomics rapidly, the ability to accurately model and design membrane proteins lags. Modeling and designing membrane proteins is notoriously more difficult than modeling and designing soluble proteins because of the heterogenous membrane environment, which is difficult to model computationally and to replicate experimentally.1 The ability to accurately design membrane proteins de novo – without homologies to naturally occurring proteins – is important to elucidate processes that govern membrane protein expression, folding, and insertion in vivo and to increase the utility of membrane proteins in novel therapeutics and biotechnologies. This research focused on the de novo design of transmembrane β-barrels (TMBs) using the macromolecular modeling and design Rosetta software suite.2 This project sought to answer the following questions: (1) Are current methods for TMB design successful? and (2) What design principles and methods are necessary for accurate TMB design? In order to address these questions, two recently developed methods, the Vorobieva design methods and the franklin2019 energy function, were utilized to design 8-strand and 12-strand TMBs.3,4 These methods are both physics based, developed using physical characteristics and knowledge of native membrane proteins and the membrane protein environment. However, the two methods differ in the fact that franklin2019 was developed to fit previously determined experimental data while the Vorobieva design methods were developed through an iterative hypothesis-design-test process.3,4 Our data indicate that the design methods tested in this study, which are state of- the-art physics-based methods, are not yet successful or generalizable for accurate and efficient TMB design. However, we verified several principles that are necessary for successful computational design of TMBs, including the importance of suboptimal β-turns and the importance of β-sheet propensity reduction. This study brings to the forefront the possibility that physics-based models, functions, and methods may not be the most efficient way to model and design membrane proteins and highlights the need to investigate novel artificial intelligence-based methods for membrane protein design
The Ideological Functions of Historical Cinema : Spartacus, 300, and American Identity
No full text38 p.Cinematic storytelling is meant to be consumed as entertainment, making it inaccurate at times. Although not focusing on staying accurate, films show the consequences of not adhering to history correctly. Films show the gap between what actually happened and how it is reinterpreted. This gap tells us about underlying agendas and motives. Not a single design within a film is “carried out by anything else but a human hand and mind. There is purpose behind all of these actions and should be analyzed as such.”90 These films are created with goals in mind, and these goals are often informed by its current context. With Spartacus being made during the Cold War, commentary on freedom of expression, equality, and other similar values is to be expected. With 300 being produced in a time of hostile perceptions of the Middle East due to the War on Terror, notions of nationalism and racialized sentiments begin to surface. This makes a case for increased scrutiny towards historical films and a call for taking apart these types of media to look for underlying agendas from people trying to influence the public. History is a great tool for teaching people about a wide variety of topics and themes, but it is also quite dangerous if taken at face value alone
Rocket Jump : A 2D infinite jumper for personal exploration of game development
No full textiv, 24 p.Gaming is quickly becoming one of the most popular hobbies in the world. In 2022 a study found that over 3 billion people play some form of video games regularly (“Gamer Demographics”). That number will likely only grow as access to computers continues to rise globally. As a hobby, gaming is incredibly versatile. You can play alone or with friends, casually or competitively. You can play on a PC, a console, or your smartphone. Because of this variety, there is a niche for almost every type of game you can imagine. Games range between highly complex, visually stunning games in 3D, to simple mobile games in 2D that a college student could throw together. The niche I intend to occupy with Rocket Jump is a casual, almost thoughtless time-passer for people to play on their phones or personal computers. I personally have a great fondness for games that require just enough thought power to keep me focused, but avoid any sort of mental strain or physical precision. These types of games are quite common on mobile devices. Throughout my childhood, various games like these would explode in popularity at my school. Notable examples include Subway Surfers, Flappy Bird, Angry Birds, Candy Crush, and, my personal favorite, Doodle Jump. These games are simple enough that a child could pick them up and understand how to play them within a few minutes, yet entertaining enough that you could waste an hour or two playing them during a boring car ride or a break between classes. Over the summer I created a game heavily inspired by Doodle Jump, but with my personal spin on the graphics and gameplay tweaked to be compatible with a keyboard as well as a touch screen. This paper will explore my experience creating this game from concepts to scripting to 1 implementation. I will take you through each step of the design process while sharing my experience working as a solo video game developer
The role of a Specimen Accessioner in response to Sars-Cov-2
No full text8 p.The author reflects on the experience of working in a covid lab during the pandemic as a POC student in the STEM field
My Experience Shadowing Dr. Larry Bauss and How it Changed My Perceptions of the Medical Field
No full text1 Broadside. 48"W x 36"HI spent the winter of 2022 shadowing Dr. Larry Bauss, an
anesthesiologist at the Surgery Center of Kalamazoo. Over
the course of four months, I observed several surgeries
spanning multiple different specialties, including,
orthopedics, podiatry, ear, nose, and throat plastic surgery,
ophthalmologists, and the pain clinic.
My primary day-to-day focus was to observe, learn, and ask
questions. However, I was frequently asked to complete
various tasks to assist the array of doctors, nurses, CNAs,
PCAs, and PAs and the patients as well.Kalamazoo College. Department of Biology. Diebold Symposium, 202
Envisioning a Better Education for Our Kids : An Exploration of the Summer Camp Experience
No full textix, 41 p.This SIP brings to light the importance of education outside of traditional Western academia, through the use of summer camps. Since 2016, I have worked as a camp counselor at a camp in Northern Michigan called Camp Al-Gon-Quian (AGQ). This camp sees around 2,000 come through every summer for anytime from 3 days to 3 months. AGQ works to provide a well-balanced experience that will support and encourage each and every camper to step out of their comfort zone to try new experiences and make new friends. While working here, I have come to realize how important this experience is to kids, they have the opportunity to make choices removed from their parents, learn to live in a shared space, as well as learning how to make decisions that benefit the entire community rather than just themself. By providing this opportunity, we teach kids at a young age the importance of learning outside of Western academia, and how much more there is that is just as important to learn. I work in this SIP to educate people who are not aware of why summer camps are important and essential to a child's development, as well as how we can make them more sustainable and accessible to a wider variety of kids. Throughout this paper, I base my methodologies on the works of Indigenous people and the work that they have been doing for thousands of years. I talk about what it looks like to decolonize our idea of education and what it means to productively learn, as well as how we can better understand the Earth that we are so lucky to be living on. It should also be made clear that in no way am I trying to claim Indigenous knowledge as my own, but rather grapple with the knowledge shared by Indigenous peoples as the groundwork for my paper
Lux Esto (2022, Spring)
No full text36 p.Letter from the President -- K News -- Campaign Update -- Brewing a Dream / by Andy Brown -- Looking Back -- Diving Deep Into Friendship / by Zinta Aistars -- Life with K: A Safe Return to Gatherings -- Lights, Camera, Access! / by Andy Brown -- ZooBits -- In Memory
An Exploration into the Dental Field
No full textiv, 28 p.This summer, I had the privilege of shadowing four dentists over the course of three months at two dental offices. I spent a total of one hundred and six hours, on average five hours a day, three to four days a week. The most common procedures I witnessed at both offices were fillings, core and crown prep, root canals, bridge placements, impressions for dentures, wisdom teeth, Invisalign checkups, basic extractions, and normal examinations. In this report I will review the anatomy of the tooth as well as the names and functions of all. I will also describe the ways in which a root canal and a filling procedure can be performed. Future advances in technology and procedures for the profession will be discussed as well. Key Words: Dental, Tooth, Anatomy, Root Canals, Fillings, Advance
Faculty Committee List, 2022-2023
No full textIncludes standing and ad hoc faculty committees and their members
Trail based vegetation surveys of invasive plant species on Riparian Wetland adjacent to the Paw Paw River, Southwest Michigan
No full text1 Broadside. 48"W x 36"HRiparian areas play an important role in our increasingly modernized
world, as they provide shelter to many native plants and animals and
create a buffer zone between nature and civilization. Changes in
rainfalls and droughts with climate change have already altered
irrigation patterns, and since riparian areas are nutrient dense, have
plenty of water supply, as well as open areas they become highly
vulnerable to the invasion of non-native plant species, potentially
altering the ecosystem from the bottom up. The purpose of this
study was to look at the effects of nonnative plant species and
human disturbance on the diversity of native plant species and
asses if there was a significant effect on them.Kalamazoo College. Department of Biology. Diebold Symposium, 202