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The Song Bird
Get PDF“The Song Bird” is a creatively driven sanctuary of renewal and restoration that utilizes the power of music to benefit freed women of human trafficking. Based in Franklinton, OH, The Songbird is designed to assist women that have already graduated from programs like Sanctuary Night and Out of Darkness and provide them with a place of community and personalized resources that focus on the creation and expression of music to reflect, process, and heal. The main goals of this project are to instill a sense of belonging, establish security through the art of creating, and provide space to foster growth and renewal. The programming of this design places an emphasis on the importance of private versus public space to create a stronger sense of security and allow these women to personalize how they approach their healing journeys. Elements like biophilia, rhythm, and contrast stimulate the art of creating within the women while fostering the nurturing character of nature. The research behind this project capitalizes on the healing properties of music on a cognitive and emotional level. With this in mind, “The Song Bird” sets out to create a program that consists of “trauma-informed spaces to best address the needs of the users.” This program ranges from individual reflection pods to open community studios.
At the “Song Bird,” women experience freedom. Through expressing themselves in a tangible, honest way, they are enveloped in the transformative power of music.No embargoAcademic Major: Interior Desig
Invasive Species Removal, Habitat Remediation, and Monitoring of the Sawmill Wetlands
No full textCourse Code: ENR 4900.01An increasing abundance of invasive species has degraded the Sawmill Wetlands ecosystem and has led to declining biodiversity. The removal of invasive honeysuckles and the outplanting of native shrubs support a healthier vernal pool habitat. Monitoring the presence of macroinvertebrates and amphibians, which serve as bioindicators of water quality, provides a better understanding of the ecosystem’s health and sets a benchmark to use in the future to compare how it changes over time.The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental ScienceAcademic Major: Natural Resource ManagementAcademic Major: Environmental Scienc
Assessing Concussion Risk in High School Girls' Lacrosse: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study on Ohio's Readiness for a Headgear Mandate
Get PDFAlso published as: Recker, R., Myers, A., Desai, N., Caccese, J., Boucher, L., Onate, J., & Yang, J. (2024). Headgear use in girls' lacrosse—stakeholders not ready for change. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1363007This study contains both a qualitative study, which aimed to identify the need for and barriers to the implementation of mandated headgear in girls’ lacrosse in Ohio, and a quantitative study, which examined headgear use and concussions in high school girls’ lacrosse in Ohio. The purpose of both studies is to act as a guide for the state of Ohio and provide necessary data, should they implement a mandatory headgear policy in the future. For the qualitative study, we conducted six focus groups, three with concussion experts and three with stakeholders (players, coaches, parents, and officials). A focus group guide was developed to explore study participants’ perceptions and opinions on concussions in girls’ lacrosse, headgear use, and policy development related to headgear or a headgear mandate. While concussion experts and stakeholders understood the potential consequences of concussions, they did not perceive them as a problem in girls’ lacrosse. However, stakeholders expressed that the myriads of arguments discussed opposing mandated headgear use including increased aggressive play and/or targeting, concerns over changes in the game, and cost strongly outweighed the benefits. For the quantitative study, high school athletic trainers (ATs) completed a baseline as well as weekly surveys, collecting data on the concussions and if the injured athlete was wearing headgear at time of injury. There were 1 JV (0.2%) and 6 varsity (1.3%) athletes who voluntarily wore headgear (i.e., they were not goalies who are required to wear headgear). There were 31 reported concussions (injury proportion = 3.8%, 95% CI = 2.5-5.2%); 7 (22.5%) of which the athlete wore headgear at the time of injury. Of these 7, 6 were goalies at the time of injury and 1 was a defense player who voluntarily wore headgear. Therefore, the proportion for athletes voluntarily wearing headgear was 14.3% (95% CI = 0-40%). The proportion of concussions was higher in the athletes that voluntarily wore headgear.The Ohio State University Chronic Brain Injury ProgramNo embargoAcademic Major: Neuroscienc
Apogee Place
No full textThis thesis addresses heavy topics of mental health and well-being with a more lighthearted approach by encouraging people to travel and stay amongst some of the most special natural environments in the United States. The goal was to create a welcoming personality for this brand, and the research that I conducted helped me to design thoughtfully in knowing that nature truly does relieve levels of stress and provides the perfect environment to practice mindfulness. Due to the Pandemic in 2020, there was pent-up demand to get out and explore the world, leading to a surge in travel bookings these past few years. Many people shifted priorities as they reassessed their lifestyles with increased emphasis on experiences, relationships, and personal fulfillment, driving them to travel. In addition, there has been a growing demand for hotels catering to travelers’ desires to connect with nature. Apogee Place is a personalized hospitality experience that prioritizes travelers’ mental health & mindfulness and encourages them to explore nature and its benefits.No embargoAcademic Major: Visual Communication Desig
Assessing the impact of COVID-19 infection on the choroid plexus and frontal lobe at the single-nucleus level
Get PDFFive years after the COVID-19 pandemic’s onset in 2020, patients and healthcare systems worldwide continue to experience lingering impacts. One such impact is the detrimental effect of COVID-19 infection on neurological functioning. Recent research has suggested that although SARS-CoV-2 does not demonstrate neurotropism, peripheral SARS-CoV-2 infection may cause widespread neuroinflammation that drives neurological complications, such as ischemic stroke and chronic brain fog. It is unknown, however, which inflammatory signaling pathways are responsible for these outcomes, and specific CNS cell types impacted by peripheral SARS-CoV-2 infection have not yet been identified. Here, we integrate snRNA-Seq data from the choroid plexus and frontal lobe regions of post-mortem brain tissue from 12 severe COVID-19 patients and 18 control patients. By examining cell types in the CNS that are perturbed in COVID-19 patients, we provide evidence demonstrating that brain barrier cells, such as endothelial, epithelial, and ependymal cells, become inflamed in response to peripheral SARS-CoV-2 infection. Specifically, we use UCell scoring to identify significant TGF-β, IL6-JAK-STAT3, and IFN-γ inflammatory signatures in these cell populations in COVID-19 patients. Additionally, we use CellChat intercellular communication network analysis to infer significant intercellular interactions in COVID-19 infection, such as the propagation of IL16 and PTN inflammatory signals from brain barrier cells to neurons, glial cells, and immune-related populations in the brain parenchyma. We also utilize differential gene expression analysis to determine that glial cells in severe COVID-19 patients are characterized by pro-inflammatory gene expression profiles, and we identify differentially expressed genes, such as FTH1 in astrocytes, that may serve as potential therapeutic targets or as diagnostic biomarkers for COVID-19-related neurological complications. Finally, we use CellOracle GRN inference and network analysis to identify differences in GRN structures between cell clusters in COVID-19 patients and control individuals, and we observe decreased eigenvector centrality scores in COVID-19 GRNs for transcription factors NFE2, EGR1, and KLF2, which are crucial for inhibiting viral replication and maintaining the blood-brain barrier. Together, our results suggest that regulation of these genes and signaling pathways may constitute new therapeutic opportunities for COVID-19-related neurological complications and other neurological conditions that are characterized by increased neuroinflammation.No embargoAcademic Major: Neuroscienc
The Effect of Spironolactone on Cox7a1 Localization and Cytochrome c Oxidase Activity
No full textDuchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked disorder caused by a lack of the dystrophin protein. Without the dystrophin protein, skeletal muscle damage outpaces regeneration, resulting in inflammation and fibrosis. Eventually, damage in the striated muscle tissue accumulates until respiratory or cardiac failure occurs. Cardiomyopathy leading to heart failure is now the leading cause of death in patients with DMD. To test potential therapeutic approaches for DMD cardiomyopathy, the Fiona/dko mouse model was developed. This model uses a human utrophin transgene (“Fiona”) selectively expressed in skeletal muscle to minimize skeletal muscle damage in dystrophin/utrophin deficient (dko) mice, allowing cardiomyopathy disease progression into heart failure. Upon treatment with spironolactone, an MRA, RNA sequencing data reveals changes in gene expression, including the COX7A1 gene. As Fiona mice progress into cardiomyopathy, investigating the role of COX7A1 during disease progression will help specify the effect of spironolactone on DMD and indicate its usefulness as an alternative to other standard treatments. Mice were treated with either prednisone, spironolactone, or vehicle for 2 weeks, and an immunofluorescence stain was then conducted to visualize the effects. Following the immunofluorescent stains, histological assays were performed to investigate how cytochrome c oxidase activity changes as cardiomyopathy progresses. Two other assay methods were also tested to evaluate their potential to identify cytochrome c oxidase activity: an NBTx assay and a COX/SDH assay. These alternative methods were used to determine if more specific staining could be achieved to better visualize the difference in activity levels. While the immunofluorescent stains and histological assays have been conducted, they still need to be analyzed to determine the significance of the results. Initial data indicates that the methods used may be too non-specific to show differences in Fiona hearts compared to controls. Data indicates that spironolactone may be an interesting research target due to changes in gene expression, but more specific methods are needed to determine the effect that these changes have. Additionally, data shows changes in other genes besides COX7A1, which offer other exciting research targets.Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP)A five-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Histor
An Exploration of the Low-Speed Aerodynamic Characteristics of Forward-Swept Wings
Get PDFThe testing and development of the forward-swept wing (FSW) design ended in the early 1990s with the last flight of the Grumman X-29. The plane was a joint venture between NASA and the U.S. Air Force to explore the unique aerodynamic benefits of FSWs including delayed stall, enhanced maneuverability at extreme angles of attack, and reduced drag in the transonic regime. The program was ultimately abandoned due to the inherent instabilities that came with FSWs, as well as the high cost and structural challenges. This study revisits the aerodynamic potential of FSWs by leveraging modern computational tools and validates the results with experimental data from a low-speed wind tunnel. A fuselage with removable wings was utilized to enable comparisons between FSWs and other high-performance wing configurations such as delta, double delta, ogive, and diamond. The airframe has a unique platform including a FSW with a NACA 64-006 airfoil. A model was developed in SolidWorks and analyzed using ANSYS Fluent to gather more accurate estimates. Experimental testing was conducted in the Battelle Subsonic Wind Tunnel at the Aerospace Research Center, an open-circuit facility with a 3’×5’ test section. Testing was performed at an airflow velocity of 60 ft/s, and aerodynamic forces were measured using a six-component internal force balance. This captured lift, drag and moments generated at different angles of attack. This data was used to understand the stability of the plane. The experimental data served as a baseline for validating computational results. The simulation done in ANSYS provided pressure contour maps, streamlines, and more accurate performance metrics, offering deeper insights into the aerodynamic behavior of the FSW. Computational results were successfully validated against experimental data, and the pressure contour maps developed during this study provide a foundation for future research into the structural design of the wing box. Future efforts will focus on leveraging new materials and advanced fabrication techniques to address the primary structural challenges inherent to FSWs.Undergraduate Honors Committee at The Ohio State UniversityNo embargoAcademic Major: Aerospace Engineerin
"Narrating the Unnarratable": The Portrayal of Trauma and its Effects in Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life
Get PDFCentered around a group of New York-based friends, Hanya Yanagihara’s 2015 novel A Little Life is a complex tale of intimacy, abuse and the persistence of trauma. As the novel focuses in on its eventual protagonist, Jude St. Francis, it begins to glide between descriptions of Jude’s life in the present and meticulous recounts of the horrific abuse he endured as a child. Yanagihara’s depiction of trauma and pain is intricate and extensive in detail, and the unrelenting nature of her work has afforded the novel a controversial reputation among critics. Given Yanagihara’s goal of demonstrating the pervasiveness and irreparability of trauma on its victims, a study of the novel’s features which considers these intentions can aid in a better understanding and determination of A Little Life’s merit. Analysis reveals how attributes like the novel’s narrative structure, match to trauma theory and profoundly formidable characterization contribute to extensive praise for Yanagihara’s work. Each of these features advance her message regarding trauma’s invasive nature and are heavily cited by fans and critics alike to showcase her literary genius. However, a deeper examination displays how Yanagihara’s unfounded critique of talk therapy, sensationalist tendencies and highly graphic descriptions ultimately harm the novel. These features make up the bulk of criticism of A Little Life and account for its controversial reception despite its positive qualities. While I argue the novel may still be worth reading to select audiences which are able to handle its extremism, it’s evident that the beauty and tenderness in A Little Life are ultimately overshadowed both by its commentary on psychology and graphic sensationalism.No embargoAcademic Major: EnglishAcademic Major: Psycholog
Computational Study of Cannabinoid Receptors CB1 and CB2
Get PDFMarijuana has been used both recreationally and therapeutically, including to alleviate symptoms of cancer. The plant produces several interesting compounds, including the psychoactive D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the structurally similar cannabidiol (CBD) which have also been chemically extracted from the plant and administered in pure form. THC and CBD interact with receptors within the cannabinoid system, the major ones being cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2). Both are seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). This report used the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancers (COSMIC) to map and analyze mutations arising in CB1 and CB2. Identified were several hotspot mutations in both CB1 and CB2. In silico 3-D structure protein analysis reveals that these hotspots cluster on the intracellular regions of the cannabinoid receptors and certain residues may be likely to destabilize the interaction with the G-alpha protein. Our analysis identifies two CB1 residues (R336 and M337) that are most likely to interact with G-alpha. Docking analysis reveals that hotspot substitution mutations at these two positions may affect G-alpha binding. Hotspot mutations in CB2 were not predicted to be as potentially destabilizing as those identified for CB1. Our data suggest that CB1 and CB2 mutations acquired during cancer development may impact the therapeutic effectiveness of cannabinoids. An additional study composed of molecular cross docking between CB1, CB2, and glucagon-like peptide type 1-receptor (GLP-1R) ligands was conducted. Like CB1 and CB2, GLP-1R is a GPCR. Due to the structural similarity and recent rise in cannabis use as well as GLP-1R targeted weight loss drugs, this study aimed to identify potential linkage between the systems. Results indicated that danuglipron, a small GLP-1R agonist, had a higher binding affinity for CB1 and CB2 when compared to cannabinoid ligands.No embargoAcademic Major: Biolog
The Sweet Taste Receptor TAS1R2 Regulates Myocyte Fusion in C2C12 Muscle Cells
Get PDFSweet Taste Receptors (STRs) are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) formed by the obligate heterodimerization of TAS1R2 and TAS1R3. STRs have historically been associated with sensing sugars in the tongue, as well as metabolic regulation in the gut and pancreas. However, recent research has shown that STRs are present across the body in organs such as the brain, heart, and skeletal muscle. Herein, I will focus on the presence of STRs in skeletal muscle to further investigate previous findings that TAS1R2 deletion increases muscle mass and fitness in mice. Using Crispr-Cas9 gene editing, the TAS1R2 gene was deleted from a C2C12 muscle cell line (cKO). Following a standard differentiation protocol, cKO cultures showed minimal signs of differentiation. However, when differentiated in the presence of insulin, cKO cultures formed a novel phenotype containing myofibers 3x the thickness of cWT counterparts. Under q-PCR analysis, there was a consistent upregulation of key myogenic progenitors Pax7 and MyoD in cKO cells, alongside significant downregulation of myogenic transcription factors Klf2 and Klf4 which are necessary for mediating fusion. These findings suggest a potential regulation of the ERK5-Klf2/4 signaling axis by TAS1R2. These results corroborate the previous findings in the mouse model, indicating that deletion of STR signaling enhances myofiber size and muscle mass under physiological conditions. This is of strong clinical relevance to the loss of muscle mass that is symptomatic of both obesity and aging. Furthermore, STRs are a promising treatment pathway since GPCRs are well proven therapeutic targets.No embargoAcademic Major: Chemistr