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Advancing Health Equity on Campus A Minority Health Promotion Quality Improvement Initiative
Get PDFAbstract Background: Minority students at predominantly white institutions face unique stressors due to their minority status, impacting their health. Initiatives promoting community engagement, diversity, equity, and inclusion can help reduce minority stress and foster health equity and success in higher education Method: This project employed a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework to enhance minority student involvement in sexual and mental health services both on campus and in the wider community. It involved forming partnerships between minority student organizations, faculty, and community partners to organize wellness events focusing on sexual and mental health during the fall semester of 2023. The events aimed to raise awareness about mental and sexual health risks and resources, strengthen support structures for minority student health, promote help-seeking behavior among students, and improve access to inclusive health resources both on and off campus. Student engagement was assessed through event attendance, and post-session surveys evaluated student learning. Results: In the sexual wellness event, (n=72) students, compared to (n=18) in the prior semester. Faculty attendance was (n=5) members, up from (n=3) in the previous semester, and there were (n=6) community health organizations present, compared to (n=4) before. For the mental health event, (n=54) students attended, compared to (n=16) previously. Faculty attendance increased from (n=3) to (n=4), and there were (n=5) community mental health organizations present compared to (n=2) before. Analysis of survey data revealed positive outcomes in terms of increased awareness of sexual health resources, intention to access services, and perceptions of inclusivity in educational content. Conclusions: Although survey responses were not representative of session attendance, particularly among black students, diverse student engagement in both events suggest that students were interested in the content, felt welcome and safe to attend, but were reluctant to complete a post-session survey. Nonetheless, the project demonstrates the potential of CBPR in fostering campus infrastructure for supporting minority students\u27 health and advancing health equity on campus. Keywords: CBPR research, diverse students, LGBTQ+ identity, health equity, inclusive wellness educatio
Exceedingly Unpersuasive - Discrimination, Transgender Students, And School Bathrooms
Get PDFIn 2015, the St. Johns County School District adopted a policy which prohibited transgender students from using the restroom matching their gender identity and required that they use either single stall restrooms or the multi-stall restroom corresponding to their gender listed on their birth certificate (their “biological” sex). Similar policies targeting transgender students had been implemented by school districts across the country; and like many of them, St. Johns’ policy was quickly challenged by a transgender student who asserted that the policy violated his civil rights. In late December 2022, a divided Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, issued its opinion in Adams ex rel. Kasper v. School Board of St. Johns County. Over the ringing dissents of four judges, the majority reversed both the district and appellate courts, which had ruled in favor of the student. Recasting the civil rights claims as an attempt to eliminate sex separated restrooms entirely, the en banc majority held that the school district’s restroom policy did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. Two years earlier, in Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reached the exact opposite conclusion regarding a similar policy of the Gloucester County School Board that required students to only use restrooms matching their “biological gender.” That policy, a divided panel of the court concluded, constituted sex discrimination and violated both the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX. The school board’s motion for rehearing en banc was denied, and in June 2021, the Supreme Court similarly rejected its petition for certiorari (with Justices Thomas and Alito dissenting). The two cases have extraordinarily similar fact patterns and worked their way through the courts at the same time. This Article is organized chronologically, in an effort to more effectively reflect the nearly identical fact patterns, timelines, and intersecting opinions of these cases. Part I provides the factual background of both cases. Part II summarizes the substantial preliminary litigation in Grimm; Part III examines the district court ruling in Adams; Part IV analyzes the summary judgment ruling in Grimm. Part V covers Adams’ first appellate ruling; Part VI discusses the Fourth Circuit’s ruling in Grimm three weeks later, and Part VII considers the aftermath of that decision. Parts VIII and IX explore the second panel ruling in Adams and the majority and dissenting en banc opinions, respectively. Part X considers the significant lessons from all these opinions and analyzes the relative strengths and weaknesses of the arguments for expanding or restricting the LGBTQ rights
The complex protein analysis of purified extracellular vesicles in the study of colorectal cancer
Get PDFProteomics, the study of complex protein mixtures in which liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is used to analyze peptide sequences, is commonly utilized to study the double membrane, cell-derived vesicles known as exosomes. Exosomes are double membrane, cell-derived vesicles that contain cell components such as DNA, lipids, and proteins. They function to transport proteins and cellular materials between cells and are involved in the progression and metastasis of cancer. The impact of these extracellular vesicles on cancer spread can be analyzed using proteomics, through the purification of the proteins isolated from the vesicles. The purpose of our research is to analyze protein contents of exosomes for the comparison of the effectiveness of new purification techniques. Using purified exosomes from cell culture media of colorectal cancer cells of the DiFi cell line, we analyzed the proteomic differences between samples with and without the addition of electrophoretic purification. This analysis served to investigate the effectiveness of electrophoresis in 300kD dialysis tubing to separate exosomes from other vesicles and nanoparticles in the cell culture media. The samples were analyzed by LC-MS analysis, and the proteins were identified using database searching through bioinformatics analysis. Identified proteins from samples collected before and after electrophoresis were compared to understand how this technique affects the purification and isolation of exosomes. This process of isolating exosomes can be useful in cancer research by understanding the exchange of information between cells, monitoring cancer progression and developing new drug delivery therapies
Assessing Synergy with Curcumin & 5-FU in Breast Cancer
Get PDFOne in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is the most common chemotherapy drug used to treat breast cancer. As an antimetabolite, 5-FU interferes with cancer cells\u27 ability to replicate DNA, ultimately targeting and killing these cells prior to division. However, 5-FU alone has limitations due to its high toxicity and propensity to induce multidrug resistance. To enhance its efficacy, 5-FU was combined with curcumin, a compound derived from turmeric that has shown potential in reducing cancer cell proliferation. A single-dose response curve, a Singer assay, and western blot analysis were employed to assess the effects of curcumin and 5-FU on breast cancer cells. These combined methods revealed the most effective drug concentration gradients against breast cancer cells. Together, 5-FU and curcumin significantly increased apoptosis in these cells, supporting their potential as a promising drug combination. These findings highlight a potential pathway toward a more effective breast cancer treatment strategy that may offer a promising new direction for future therapeutic development
Unconscious versus Assumed Perception: Social Perceptions of Facial Deformities
No full textFacial disfiguring features (FDF), such as scars, birthmarks, or craniofacial disorders, can significantly alter how individuals are perceived in a variety of social contexts, leading to stigmatization and negative biases (Boutsen et al., 2018; Prescosolido & Martin, 2015). Previous research indicates that facial disfigurements frequently elicit negative emotions and avoidance behaviors, perpetuating both implicit and explicit biases (Bradbury, 2012; Lawrence et al., 2007; Ryan et al., 2012). This study aims to investigate these biases using an Implicit Association Test (IAT) and a perception survey, focusing on social judgments related to health, trustworthiness, intelligence, and sociability. A sample of approximately 40 participants was recruited from introductory psychology courses. Participants completed an online IAT and perception survey, where the IAT assessed implicit biases by comparing reaction times between neutral (control) and manipulated images, depicting FDFs, while the perception survey assessed participants’ conscious perceptions of the same faces on a sliding scale. We hypothesize that images with facial disfigurements will be rated lower on perceptions of health, trustworthiness, intelligence, and sociability than neutral or control facial images. Additionally, we anticipate a positive correlation between IAT results and the perception survey, indicating that implicit biases align with explicit attitudes. This research contributes to the growing understanding of how implicit biases toward individuals with facial disfiguring features affect social perceptions, underscoring the need for increased awareness and improved intervention strategies to mitigate stigmatization
Decomposition Rates of Native (Indigo) vs Non-Native (Cosmos) Plants
Get PDFDecomposition is a crucial step in the cycling and recycling of nutrients in the natural world. As things die, detritivores such as bacteria, protists, and fungi break down the material into organic and inorganic matter, releasing nutrients into the soil to be used by living plants. This study aimed to determine the rate of decomposition of a native plant, Baptisia australis, (Blue False Indigo) compared to a non-native plant, Cosmossulphureus (Cosmos). Eight litterbags filled with Indigo and eight litterbags filled with Cosmos were left to decompose and the rate of decomposition was recorded over a period of eight weeks. Results indicated that the non-native species, Cosmos, decomposed at a faster rate than the native species, Indigo. Future research might seek to determine if a different native species would decompose at a different rate than Indigo, or if a different non-native species would decompose at a different rate than Cosmos
The Effects of Audio and Visual Stimuli on Working Memory
Get PDFThe rise in technology over recent years has led to a dramatic increase in distractions (Miller et al., 2020). Additionally, it has been well-established that visual and audio stimuli can make up the majority of these distractors on working memory. Working memory provides temporary storage and active manipulation of information that requires simultaneous processing (Baddeley, 1992). However, little research has experimentally tested to see if there is a significant difference between audio and visual stimuli on working memory. The purpose of the present study was to examine how an addition of audio or visual stimuli impacts performance on working memory tasks and to test whether there is a difference between the two stimuli added. Participants were asked to complete two computerized working memory tasks and were randomly assigned to experience audio, visual, or no distractions during the process. The expected results are that participants will have lower performance on working memory tasks after introducing stimuli and an addition of visual stimuli will significantly lower performance compared to an addition of audio stimuli. This study supports previous literature highlighting the impact that distractions, particularly visual distractions, can have on cognitive abilities. While eliminating distractions is not always possible, it is important to remember that maintaining an environment with minimal distractions is ideal for optimizing one’s performance
Lysosomal Storage Disorder: The Mechanism of Hurler Syndrome
Get PDFHurler Syndrome is a rare pediatric neurodegenerative disorder, in which patients experience a multitude of symptoms starting around age 3. These symptoms include skeletal abnormalities, cognitive impairment, stunted growth, heart disease, and many others. The life expectancy of a child diagnosed with Hurler Disease is around 10 to 20 years. Currently, there is no cure for Hurler Syndrome and most treatments are targeted at relieving symptoms. Hurler Syndrome is an inherited lysosomal storage disorder defined by an accumulation of mucopolysaccharides, dermatan sulfate (DS) and heparan sulfate (HS) in tissues. Hurler Syndrome is caused by a mutation in the IDUA gene located on chromosome 4. This mutation leads to the absence of the enzyme alpha-L-iduronidase, which is responsible for breaking down mucopolysaccharides. Previous research conducted on other lysosomal disorders by Sterling Lab revealed that lysosome size increased when cells were drugged with a decrease in lysosomal tubulation in diseased cells.
In this study we treated COS7 cells with ML-SI1 to observe lysosome and mitochondrial activity to model Hurler Disease. It was observed that lysosomal size increased when cells were in a diseased state, treated with 10 uM of ML-SI1. When examining mitochondrial size, it was observed that cells treated with ML-SI1 had a higher percentage of unhealthy mitochondria.
Research Question: How does ML-SI1 impact lysosomal and mitochondrial activity in COS7 cells?
Hypothesis: If ML-SI1 can effectively target motility, there should be a decrease in lysosome and mitochondrial activity.
Prediction: We expect to see an increase in lysosome size and a decrease in healthy appearing mitochondria when COS7 cells are treated with higher doses of ML-SI1
Analysis of the K-pop song Attention by NewJeans
Get PDFIn my Theory IV class, I was given the opportunity to explore music beyond the topics and units within the syllabus. Out of genuine curiosity, I chose to dive into one of my favorite songs: “Attention” by NewJeans. While K-pop has long been an innovative force in music, the fourth generation has taken the genre to new heights by pushing boundaries and exploring fresh, unexpected directions, further reshaping what is considered K-pop. Many artists, like Parannoul with their exploration of indie and alt-rock, aespa and LE SSERAFIM with their cyberpunk aesthetics and industrial pop/EDM sounds, and other rising acts, are also contributing to this landscape of innovation. However, NewJeans, with their debut single “Attention,” has crafted a distinct sound by drawing from and reinterpreting past Western genres to shape their own unique identity today. Their debut stands as a key example of how new possibilities in music are emerging within the fourth generation. For my SPARK presentation, I will take a deep dive into how “Attention” sets a unique tone that distinguishes it from other K-pop debuts. I’ll examine how the song draws from the past to create a sound that feels both familiar and refreshingly new
Parable
No full textParable is a biblically based, artful board game designed to foster wholesome conversation and entertainment. It is collaborative game built with a delayed risk and reward mechanic. Together, players must build 9 lasting churches, symbolizing the 9 that Paul would eventually write to, while using their unique strengths and weaknesses. The game is designed to promote wholesome conversation and delight in biblical stories retold, whether they invite gospel conversations or not. There is a need for biblical content that is not “preachy” or overdone, so the playing experience is centered around quality, artistry, and accuracy, rather than being branded as “Christian”. Every detail in the line work, brushstrokes, font selection, and narrative is a nod to a greater story