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Comparative Population Genetics of Astragalus lentiginosus and Its Toxic Fungal Endophyte
Get PDFAstragalus L. (Leguminosae, Fabaceae) is the most species-rich plant genus in the world, with roughly 3,000 species. These “locoweeds” cause grazing animals to suffer from chronic neurological wasting disease leading to an estimated loss of 100 million dollars annually. These conditions are the result of the toxin swainsonine, which is present in certain species of Astragalus. Swainsonine is not produced by the plant but is a secondary metabolite synthesized by mutualistic fungal endophytes. However, natural swainsonine levels are variable both across and within Astragalus species causing some questions about why some Astragalus varieties exhibit this mutualism and others do not
Conversae: The Sorbonne Cartulary and Jewish Converts of 13th Century Paris
No full textThis mentored research project supports medieval historian Dr. Stabler-Miller’s work on 13thcentury Paris, focusing on Jewish converts to Christianity, or conversae, who were not fully accepted as Christians. Using the Sorbonne cartulary—a record of property transactions from the early 1200s to 1300s—this project examines interfaith interactions before the expulsion of Jews from France. The cartulary documents King Louis IX’s policy of housing Jewish converts on the Left Bank, contributing to the development of the Sorbonne. These first-generation converts likely received royal pensions, reflecting broader Capetian conversion efforts. By analyzing printed and manuscript sources, this project contextualizes Jewish convert life, interfaith relationships, and the fluidity of Jewish existence. Digital tools such as ArcGIS and historical network analysis will visually map connections, illustrating the role of Jewish converts in the transformation of Paris’s Left Bank and the broader impact of Louis IX’s reign
Ecosystem Stability in the Late Cretaceous Preceding the Chicxulub Impact
No full textThe K-Pg mass extinction significantly altered the course of life on Earth— nearly 75% of all life went extinct. However, we still do not know the exact cause of this extinction event. There are two hypotheses: 1) the extinction was created solely by the Chicxulub meteor impact; 2) the global ecosystem was already in decline before the meteor. Here, we test these hypotheses using fossils from the Lance Creek Formation of Wyoming. We gathered data on taxonomic richness, abundance, evenness and compared our data to historically well-sampled sites. Continued testing on these two hypotheses will allow us to gather support for the exact cause of this critical chapter of life on Earth
Shared Responsibility in Medical Aid in Dying (MAID): An Exploration of the Ethical Implications of Patient, Physician, and Familial Roles
Get PDFContrary to common perceptions surrounding death, the act of dying is often a social process. This poster explores the ethical implications of decision-making in Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), specifically looking at the role that family members and loved ones play when a patient decides to undergo MAID processes. The following research questions will be explored in this poster: What impact does participation in MAID processes have on familial networks? What internal turmoil do family members experience in their active involvement in MAID, and what motivates them to overlook such turmoil and choose to help? What makes end-of-life processes go smoother for families, and what makes them more difficult? Utilizing a qualitative review of existing literature on MAID case studies - looking at places where MAID is legal - this poster proposes that when a patient decides to follow through with MAID, family members and caretakers are often forced to take on significant responsibilities, burdens, and hardships throughout the duration of this process. While fundamentally driven by love and compassion for the patient, family participation in MAID decision-making often causes emotional and moral distress - with some even left to worry about the legal repercussions of their actions. However, although family involvement and support in MAID processes are extremely common, a fundamental lack of research regarding this topic is abundantly clear. Thus, the poster will conclude with a call for more research to be conducted that explores family participation in MAID, with the hope that such research will help spur the passage of additional legislation and medical guidelines in order to support familial networks during this time
Immigration Law Insights: My Internship at Borjas Law Group LLC
Get PDFDuring my internship at Borjas Law Group Llc, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the fascinating field of immigration law. I learned to assist in preparing legal documents, researching cases, and communicating with clients about their immigration situations. Additionally, I worked on developing strategies to help clients obtain their developing practical skills and a deep understanding of immigration laws, as well as the importance of providing support to those seeking a new beginning in the United States
Nahua Wrap-skirt from Acatlán, Guerrero, Mexico
No full textThis piece discusses the techniques used to create an embroidered Nahua wrap-skirt, specifically from Acatlán, Guerrero, Mexico, and the function that is typically attributed to it. In addition to discussing the function and technique, this piece also discusses three main contextual points about the textile, including the role of gender, labor/ class/economy, and globalization. The goal of this piece is to provide researchers with a better understanding of not only the technical process behind creating this skirt, but also to provide an overview of different points that are relevant to the skirt\u27s function and its journey through both time, and space
Improving the Reproducibility of Deep Learning Software: An Initial Investigation through a Case Study Analysis
Get PDFThe field of deep learning has witnessed significant breakthroughs, spanning various applications, and fundamentally transforming current software capabilities. However, alongside these advancements, there have been increasing concerns about reproducing the results of these deep learning methods. This is significant because reproducibility is the foundation of reliability and validity in software development, particularly in the rapidly evolving domain of deep learning. The difficulty of reproducibility may arise due to several reasons, including having differences from the original execution environment, incompatible software libraries, proprietary data and source code, lack of transparency, and the stochastic nature in some software. A study conducted by the Nature journal reveals that more than 70% of researchers failed to reproduce other researchers experiments and over 50% failed to reproduce their own experiments. Irreproducibility of deep learning poses significant challenges for researchers and practitioners. To address these concerns, this paper presents a systematic approach at analyzing and improving the reproducibility of deep learning models by demonstrating these guidelines using a case study. We illustrate the patterns and anti-patterns involved with these guidelines for improving the reproducibility of deep learning models. These guidelines encompass establishing a methodology to replicate the original software environment, implementing end-to-end training and testing algorithms, disclosing architectural designs, and enhancing transparency in data processing and training pipelines. We also conduct a sensitivity analysis to understand the model performance across diverse conditions. By implementing these strategies, we aim to bridge the gap between research and practice, so that innovations in deep learning can be effectively reproduced and deployed within software
NOMA: The Non-Overlapping Magisteria
Get PDFThe conflict between science and religion has been a much debated topic within the religious and scientific communities. This conflict was somewhat settled when Stephen Jay Gould came out with the NOMA model, however, many critics of the model have said it’s too restricting and that science and religion do have overlapping areas, and these overlaps are important to understanding both science and religion. This article attempts to reconcile the idea that science and religion do have overlaps, and they are important to understanding the role that each plays both in the daily lives of humans, but also in the world as science continues to become a massive field and we learn more about the natural world around us
Examining the Current Utilization of Conceptual Data Modeling in Database Modeling Practices: Mixed Methods Research
Get PDFThe database system is essential to modern life and helps us in our day-to-day existence, even though it is invisible to us. The most optimal way to architect a new but efficient database is a modeling technique called conceptual data modeling. Despite this importance, research studies have suggested a divergence between actual practice and the ideal expectation from practitioners. Therefore, it was imperative to establish the ground truth in this context and explore the reasons behind the gap between practice and expectation. This mixed-method study used a survey and interviews to establish that only a small fraction of practitioners consistently use conceptual data modeling. Contrary to previous research, factors such as education, location, size of the industry, and experience of the practitioners were found to have negligible impact on the usage of conceptual data modeling. However, irrespective of these factors, even one course of database design or modeling at any level can have a significant positive impact on practitioners’ inclination toward the usage of conceptual data modeling. Also, a diverse set of experiences across multiple projects makes practitioners realize the importance of conceptual data modeling. It is also established that a lack of conceptual data modeling often leads to waste and expensive failure. This research study has profound implications for (a) the academic programs that teach database systems and (b) the corporate training programs that educate novice data modelers about best practices. As a recommendation, academic programs in database systems must put more emphasis and time on conceptual data modeling and not restrict themselves to technical implementation topics alone. Similarly, corporate training programs must xi realize that conceptual data modeling is essential for the project\u27s success and to reduce waste or failure. Hence, conceptual data modeling must be essential to corporate training programs for data modelers. Also, conceptual data modeling will remain highly relevant with changing paradigms like AGILE, and the arrival of innovative technologies like AI will make it an even more important part of a successful project
Transcleral Chemotherapeutic Delivery by Fibrin Sealant in the Treatment of Retinoblastoma
Get PDFRetinoblastoma is the most common intraocular cancer in children, accounting for roughly 9,000 new cases each year—claiming the lives of up to 70% of cases in certain regions of the world. While modern retinoblastoma treatments in developed countries have significantly reduced mortality rates, post-treatment consequences such as vision loss, off-site organ dysfunction, and secondary metastases remain unmet clinical needs. Past studies have confirmed transscleral delivery as an efficacious means to achieve high intraocular drug concentrations possibly superior to the standard systemic regimen of vincristine, etoposide, and carboplatin (VEC) for tumor suppression. This led to several studies exploring the use of biodegradable fibrin sealants as a localized depot delivery to promote drug retention at the scleral surface to forego the complications of systemic injections. To further evaluate this approach, the following research reports on the combinatorial effects of VEC in vitro, the effect of VEC admixture on fibrin sealant kinetics and structure, and the permeability rates of surrogate molecules through porcine scleral tissue in an experimental perfusion model. This research reports VEC as an effective polytherapy in human retinoblastoma cell lines Y79 and WERI inhibition, with Vincristine being a key inclusion for combinatorial efficacy. Structural deviations and coagulation mechanics conclude that fibrin polymerization is impeded by vincristine, but unaffected by incorporation of etoposide or carboplatin. Permeability rates for 6-Carboxyfluorescein and Rhodamine B were established following model validation