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Mental Health and Immigration Status : Examining the Psychological Struggles of Undocumented Latinx Youth and DACA Recipients
No full textiv, 15 p.This literature review examines the psychological, emotional, and social challenges that are significant factors that contribute to marginalization in society experienced by undocumented Latinx youth and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Highlighting the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and feelings of worthlessness among this population, driven by fear of deportation, discrimination, and limited opportunities. Although programs like DACA provide temporary relief by permitting individuals to legally live in the U.S. and work permits, they fail to address the long-term impacts of unauthorized legal status. This uncertainty causes mental health struggles and hinders social and economic mobility. Additionally, the obstacles to mental health care—including financial struggles, language barriers, and fear of deportation—result in unmet needs and worsen psychological distress. To address these barriers, mental health professionals should be taught to address the unique traumas faced by undocumented youth
Antimicrobial Peptides’ Effects on Select ESKAPE
No full textiv, 25 p.Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to be a global health concern projected to rise. Bacterial strains have acquired resistance to commonly prescribed small molecule antibiotics due to misuse, overprescription, and their innate ability to evolve quickly to survive. In this research, the antimicrobial peptide, Melittin and a peptide sequence from neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase (nNOS), were investigated for their potential to combat AMR in select ESKAPE pathogens [(E. faecalis (ATCC 29212), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 13883), Acinebacter baumannii (ATCC 19606)], and E. coli (ATCC 25922). Cell growth experiments conducted by measuring the optical density (OD) of cell culture samples allowed for the analysis of cell growth inhibition by the peptides. Melittin inhibited all ESKAPE pathogens studied as well as E. coli. The experimental nNOS peptide, inhibited the growth of K. pneumoniae (ATCC 13883), A. baumannii (ATCC 19606), and E. coli (ATCC 25922). This result shows that the nNOS peptide has antimicrobial properties and could be used as an alternative medicine for ESKAPE infections. E. faecalis (ATCC 29212) and S. aureus (ATCC 29213) showed resistance to all concentrations of the nNOS peptide; this suggests the nNOS peptide would not be a good option for treatment against ESKAPE infections. In this study the peptides inhibited growth for the K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, and E. coli strains tested
Adolescents’ Contraceptive Behaviors : The Effects of Knowledge and Contraceptive Self-Efficacy
No full textv, 37 p.Current research suggests that adolescents’ sexual risk behaviors are shaped by their levels of knowledge and self-efficacy about contraception. However, the direction and strength of influence that these factors have remain conflicted across the relevant literature. This study aimed to explore the interactions between contraceptive self-efficacy (CSE), self-perceived knowledge, and actual knowledge, as well as the interactions with condom use and motivations to engage in premarital sex. I used data from Wave II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to examine the extent of influence these variables have on adolescents. Results indicate that each type of knowledge was significantly associated with condom use after controlling for the other knowledge and control variables in the model. However, when all knowledge constructs were combined, it was revealed that contraceptive self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of condom use, such that higher levels were positively associated with condom use. Comparatively, self-perceived knowledge was the strongest predictor of motivations to engage in premarital sexual intercourse, as increased self-perceived knowledge demonstrated a positive correlation with motivations to have premarital sex. These findings contributed to the growing body of research on the influences of contraceptive behaviors. Future research should investigate if contraceptive knowledge and self-efficacy have a causal relationship to allow for a greater generalization of results
Optimizing Autoclave Protocols for Dentistry
No full textiii, 10 p.Infection control in dental settings is a critical component of public health, given the high risk of transmitting bloodborne pathogens through procedures and contact with blood and other bodily fluids. The effectiveness of sterilization protocols in decreasing the risk is crucial for safeguarding both patients and dental professionals. By examining recent research, the following evaluates the efficacy of these methods in deactivating pathogens such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C, and assessing the challenges associated with their implementation. The review highlights key findings on the performance of autoclave sterilization protocols, while also addressing the challenges faced by dental professionals including the cost and need for constant upkeep of the sterilization materials and machines. Emphasis is placed on the importance of supporting the best practices for infection control and the development of strict policies to maintain high standards of safety. While current sterilization protocols are effective in controlling blood borne pathogens, future research should focus on optimizing existing methods while also addressing the current challenges faced in dental settings to further reduce the risk of infection and improve patient safety
B2B Marketing Strategies and Initiatives in the Space Industry
No full textiii, 18 p.This Senior Integrated Project (SIP) is a reflection of my two-year marketing internship at ATLAS Space Operations and my larger journey at Kalamazoo College. My work and academic opportunities were made possible and amplified by the support, guidance, and love of many people
"A Feature of Her Establishment" : Finding Women in Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Kitchens in Michigan
No full text46 p.The years following World War II saw suburban expansion and a housing boom transform the United States. Mass-built houses enabled subdivisions to emerge around the country, prioritizing convenience and modem amenities over style and aesthetics. In another shift, most of the middle-class families making these moves did not have servants, with housewives instead expected to manage all cooking and cleaning duties. These household responsibilities confined women firmly in the kitchen of their homes, and this placement defined their positions in their families. By being bound to a closed off kitchen to perform her domestic labor, the housewife was cut off from her family and from guests. In this regard, Frank Lloyd Wright's use of open-concept kitchens in his midcentury Usonian homes presented the opportunity for the wife to be freed from her solitude. As the rapidly constructed cookie-cutter houses of the suburbs began popping up across the country, Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian homes provided middle-class families with a more original and individualized way of living. Prioritizing natural surroundings and open, flowing spaces, Usonian homes contrasted with the suburban standard. Their organic designs and open concepts enabled housewives to connect with the rest of the house as they worked in their kitchens, typically labeled a "work space" or "work room" on Wright's plans. While he designed these spaces with women in mind, in an attempt to lessen their seclusion and ease their labors with greater efficiency, this intention often did not function well in reality, for the women working in these kitchens often found themselves dealing with cramped, dark spaces that were created more for aesthetics than livable practicality. The term "Usonia" first appears in Wright's writings in 1925, in reference to the United States of North America. 1 Wright credited Samuel Butler with inventing the term, though no published evidence that he ever used the word exists. It is more likely that it originated with Scottish-born writer James Duff Law, who wrote in a 1903 letter: "We of the United States, in justice to Canadians and Mexicans, have no rights to use the title ' Americans' when referring to matters pertaining exclusively to ourselves" Wright himself used the word to describe his philosophy of creating affordable and practical homes for America's growing middle class. His "Usonia" would be a reformed American society where homes connect with nature and provide a simple and open space for families to reside in. While this Usonian society never manifested in full, the word became synonymous with Wright and a collection of about sixty middle-income family homes he designed, beginning in 1937 with the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House in Madison, Wisconsin. Typically "small, single-story dwellings without a garage or much storage," Usonians blended into their surrounding natural features, did not borrow from European architectural styles, and were "as thoughtfully designed as Wright's commissions for far wealthier clients."3 This study will examine a selection of Wright's Usonian homes in Michigan: Smith House in Bloomfield Hills (1949), the four Wright homes of Parkwyn Village in Kalamazoo (1948-1949), and the four Wright homes in The Acres in Galesburg (1949). This focus on Michigan comes from my own experiences as an intern for the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, which maintains Smith House, and my time as a student in Kalamazoo. These boundaries also provide a narrow scope to examine houses built on opposite sides of the same state in a span of three years while acknowledging the personal needs and experiences of each family, and how these shaped the homes
Radical Beyond Anabaptism: The Theology, Christology, and Ecclesiology of Pilgram Marpeck
No full text13 p.This paper contains an analysis of Anabaptist leader Pilgram Marpeck’s thought
Club Grub : Fostering Community and Cultural Awareness Through Cooking and Gardening at Woodward Elementary
No full textiv, 50 p.This project is an open and honest conversation surrounding the difficulties that come with consuming and shopping for food in a world that is inundated by choice. The average person living in the United States is presented with an incessant conflict of interests: can we prioritize the well-being of our environment, farmers, growers, pickers, and our bodily health all in one? There never seems to be an easy answer because collective spaces to harvest, cook, and or share stories related to food are incredibly hard to come by. However, at Woodward Elementary, on the Northside of Kalamazoo, Michigan, resides an afterschool program called Club Grub, where 2nd and 3rd grade students cook, garden, and take agricultural or food-based field trips within the local area. Club Grub provides a safe space for kids to work with mentors from the Kalamazoo Nature Center, undergrad students from Kalamazoo College, and various wonderful community members, to promote bodily and environmental health, while illuminating the rich cultural diversity in food. This program offers a glimpse into what a community-based support system surrounding food might look like within our schools and beyond. This is essential as we continually navigate our foodways, which should never be treated as an individualized fight, but instead as a collaborative process that heals our relationship with nature and builds a stronger bond among the masses
Design and Synthesis of 3rd Generation 5-Hydroxy-2-(3-phenylpropyl)chromone Derivatives as 5-HT2B Receptor Ligands
No full textix, 18p.Glutamate excitotoxicity is a common pathology of neurodegenerative diseases affecting the central nervous system that leads to neuronal death. Fortunately, 5-hydroxy-2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone (5-HPEC) has shown a reduction in glutamate excitotoxicity in rat cortical cells. Previous studies have observed that 5-hydroxy-2-(2-phenylpropyl)chromone (5-HPPC) in comparison to 5-HPEC is a promising antagonist to the serotonin receptor 2B (5-HT2B) as it has a 10-fold increase in binding affinity with a pKi= 6.6. Based on ligand docking studies, this study aimed to synthesize 5-HPPC derivatives that may improve the hydrogen bonding interactions between the substituents at C-4 and C-5 with serine-139 and threonine-140 and thus further improve the binding affinity for these compounds at the 5-HT2B receptor. To test this hypothesis, three novel analogs were synthesized and the C-4 substituent was varied. Specifically, the thione, hydroxylamine, and hydrazone functional groups were selected. Each analog could be obtained in 56.2%, 103% crude, and 56.4% yield respectively utilizing established chemistries. The NMR for the oxime was indicative that the synthesis was successful. However, the NMR for the hydrazone was less convincing, and other spectra needs to be collected
Experiential Internship SIP : Leadership in the United States Marine Corps
No full text16 p.My SIP serves as a way to analyze my experience with leadership courses at Kalamazoo College and my experience with commissioning as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Drawing on my time in the classroom and the rigors of leading other officer candidates at Marine Officer Commissioning School (OCS), I’ll reflect on what I’ve uncovered about leading individuals thus far. Looking forward to a future as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, the lessons I’ve learned in these experiences will prove invaluable to my future in a leadership position