16144 research outputs found
Sort by
News from Hope College, Volume 54.3: Spring, 2023
Get PDFhttps://digitalcommons.hope.edu/news_from_hope_college/1262/thumbnail.jp
The Anchor: May 2023
Get PDFThe Anchor began in 1887 and was first issued weekly in 1914. Covering national and campus news alike, Hope College’s student-run newspaper has grown over the years to encompass over two-dozen editors, reporters, and staff. For much of The Anchor\u27s history, the latest issue was distributed across campus each Wednesday throughout the academic school year (with few exceptions). In recent years The Anchor moved to monthly print issues and a more frequently updated website. The Anchor is now published in print twice per academic semester. Occasionally, the volume and/or issue numbering is irregular
Degeneration and Neurogenesis Following an Excitotoxic Focal Lesion to the Olfactory Bulb of Zebrafish
Get PDFNeurogenesis is the process of new neuron generation in the brain. Zebrafish have 16 different neurogenic sites, which allows for effective damage and lesion repair because of the ability to constitutively regenerate neurons. In zebrafish, the olfactory bulbs — part of the olfactory system – are highly regenerative and neurogenic. Our lab established a model of excitotoxic lesion (that targets glutamatergic neurons), and determined that the olfactory bulbs are structurally and functionally recovered. However, the processes of neurogenesis in the olfactory bulb following direct injury has not been studied. In this work, we use the same neurodegenerative model using an excitotoxic lesion to the right olfactory bulb of the zebrafish brain in order to investigate the neurogenic mechanisms occurring in the olfactory bulbs during its recovery. We generated a unilateral focal excitotoxic lesion by injecting quinolinic acid (QA) to the right olfactory bulb while the left bulb was not lesioned as an internal control. We assessed recovery of the olfactory bulb at 1 and 21 days post-lesion. In order to analyze recovery and regeneration, we used immunohistochemistry to tag newly generated cells following the lesion. Our results showed that lesioning the olfactory bulb reveals new cells being generated in the ventricular zone in the adjacent telencephalon, which is a highly active neurogenic niche, after 1 day post-lesion. After 21 days post-lesion, our results showed that the new cells have begun migrating away from the ventricular zone and towards the damaged olfactory bulb, which contributes to the restoration of the right olfactory bulb back to its non-lesioned form. These preliminary findings are the first to suggest cells performing neuronal regeneration following an excitotoxic lesion in the olfactory bulbs and ventricular zone of zebrafish brains
Religion’s Impact in Foreign Policy
Get PDFThis research paper analyzes religion\u27s involvement in foreign policy concerning the time period that the United States was involved in the Cold War. Previous contributions to the research of foreign policy show that religion does have a profound impact, and now can be applied to theories surrounding the Cold War. I theorize that Cold War foreign policy was strongly influenced by Christian rhetoric and practices. I will compare the current ways of quantifying the involvement of religion in foreign policies with decisions made by the United States\u27 foreign policy leaders during the Red Scare. Decision makers\u27, like congressmen and President Truman, rhetoric depicts intertwinement of religion and politics. Additionally, I will observe the influence of Christian social justice reformers like A. J. Muste, and the application of what constitutes a just war
Development of a Novel Method for Identifying Antibiotic Producing Microbes From the Soil
Get PDFMulti-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria are strains of bacteria that are resistant to multiple types of antibiotics and pose a serious public health threat. Our research group has developed a novel way to rapidly screen soil bacteria isolates for antimicrobial chemical production in a clear and reproducible manner. We examined the effects of certain variables on our method including: 1) agar type on antimicrobial diffusion, 2) agar depth on antimicrobial diffusion, 3) age of the soil isolate on the amount of antimicrobial produced, and 4) soil isolate placement on the inhibition of bacterial growth. Our combined results led to the creation of a novel bilayer plate combining two stacked agar layers of different agar types and the use of a novel cross inoculation technique to screen soil isolates for the production of antimicrobial substances. This new method, which we call The Isola-Slayton Method, was used in the identification of several soil isolates that produced substances which inhibited multiple ESKAPE bacterial species (a set of bacterial pathogens that often cause MDR healthcare-associated infections). This new method may provide a quick and effective way to test microbial isolates in the pursuit of new antibiotics
Black History Month: Honoring Experience from Past and Present
Get PDFA poster advertising a focus exhibition of artwork selected by Hope College\u27s Black Student Union (BSU) in celebration of Black History Month. The exhibition was held from January 14-February 26, 2022.https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/kam_poster/1052/thumbnail.jp
News from Hope College, Volume 53.3: Spring, 2022
Get PDFhttps://digitalcommons.hope.edu/news_from_hope_college/1259/thumbnail.jp
Shank\u27s Mare Tokaido: Misadventures Along the Eastern Sea Road
Get PDFThis is one of the two posters created for the exhibition Shank\u27s Mare Tokaido: Misadventures Along the Eastern Sea Road held January 14-May 21, 2022.https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/kam_poster/1053/thumbnail.jp
Machine Learning Applications using SciKit-Learn and TensorFlow
Get PDFMachine learning (ML) is a powerful tool with vast applications in pattern-recognition and identification tasks. Our goal was to explore different applications of machine learning and develop a working understanding of the processes required for the effective application of ML models to problem-solving. Using SciKit-Learn for traditional ML models and TensorFlow for neural networks, existing techniques were explored for two major categories of ML tasks: Regression and Classification modeling. This knowledge was then applied in a biomedical engineering pilot research study (in collaboration with Dr. Brooke Odle, Engineering) analyzing manual patient-handling tasks using data from inertial measuring units (IMUs) and force plates. These tasks are linked to low-back pain and injury in caregivers. The use of IMUs in biomedical engineering enables flexible and mobile data collection both within and outside the laboratory. However, the force plates which are used for measuring the ground reaction forces (GRFs) are not as amenable to being transported for data collection outside the lab. Thus, our proof-of-concept study aims to develop and validate an artificial neural network (ANN) that estimates the ground reaction forces resulting from tasks performed by participants which simulate those that might be performed by a caregiver performing patient-handling tasks. Using data obtained from two subjects, a neural network was constructed and optimized. This model achieved a score of 0.9263 (92.63%), indicating that GRFs can be reasonably estimated with the use of an ANN. Future work would include expanding the study to involve more participants and include a wider variety of tasks, thereby improving the capacity of the ANN to generalize to fit more scenarios
Social Support and Change in Empathy in Undergraduate Pre-Health Students
Get PDFMany medical education studies show that medical students often lose empathy throughout their time in medical school, but thus far we do not know whether these trends have their roots in earlier educational experiences. This research begins to fill this gap, exploring whether indications of these changes in empathy start in undergraduate programs. This is important because patients who feel more empathy from their doctors tend to listen to and trust their doctors more. If we can better understand what factors lead to a loss of empathy we can adjust programs to help negate this effect. Our data comes from a longitudinal cohort study of all incoming Hope students indicating a pre-health interest and nursing students. This data includes a total of 530 students with freshman year response rates ranging from 71% - 84% for the three cohorts. The survey included measures for empathy scale, social support, burnout, humility, boredom proneness, and other factors. We used SPSS to analyze the data. We found social support to be one of the biggest variables impacting change in empathy, reinforcing how important having support is to students in their early college experience