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Post-Harvest Safety Enhancement: Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens on Retail Fresh Green Onions
No full textEnvironmental contamination in agricultural environments is a major contributor to the presence of antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria in raw, plant-based foods, creating significant public health concerns (Geldreich et al, 1971). Common vectors of AR pathogens include soil, water, and manure-based fertilizers, which can contaminate both the surfaces and internal tissues of produce, complicating decontamination efforts. Green onions, widely consumed raw, and also frequently used in fermented foods like kimchi and usually consumed raw as well, have been implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks due to bacterial contamination. This study investigates the efficacy of a 0.2% electrolyzed water solution in reducing bacterial contamination on green onions.
We hypothesize that post-harvest treatment with electrolyzed water will significantly reduce the prevalence of AR bacteria on green onions compared to untreated controls. Store- bought green onions were treated with electrolyzed water under controlled laboratory conditions simulating typical post-harvest sanitation procedures. Following treatment, samples were plated on selective media to assess bacterial presence and abundance, both with and without sanitizer treatments. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were employed to further characterize representative bacterial colonies. The effectiveness of electrolyzed water was assessed based on microbial reduction, identifying its potential for minimizing contamination on fresh produce.
This study aims to provide valuable insights into effective sanitization strategies for reducing AR bacteria in raw produce, offering evidence to inform food safety protocols for both the food industry and consumers. Ultimately, these findings will contribute to mitigating public health risks associated with antibiotic-resistant pathogens in the food supply.A three-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Food Science and Technolog
FoldNest: Transforming the EV Frunk into a Functional Camping Space
Get PDFHuman Experience (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)Camping is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., and electric vehicles (EVs) bring exciting possibilities for enhancing the camping experience with their storage space and built-in power. However, most car tents on the market are designed for trunks and only serve as sleeping areas. Meanwhile, camping trailers, though offering full setups for cooking, sleeping, and relaxing, are heavy and cause range anxiety for EV users by significantly increasing energy consumption due to added weight and drag.
This project is being developed in professional partnership with Honda, focusing on innovative uses for the EV front trunk (frunk). By collaborating with Honda's design and engineering teams, FoldNest aims to deliver a solution that maximizes frunk functionality while aligning with the needs of modern EV users.
FoldNest is a lightweight, energy-efficient solution that transforms the EV frunk into a cozy "living room" space, complementing existing trunk "bedroom" setups. The design is simple and user-friendly. With app-controlled, auto-extending frames and terrain-responsive sensors, setting up FoldNest is simple. Illuminated frames double as adjustable lighting, an optional sliding TV screen adds an extra layer of comfort. By creating a sense of "home away from home," FoldNest makes camping with EVs more enjoyable, practical, and fun.American Honda Co. Inc.No embargoAcademic Major: Industrial Desig
Developing a Microfluidic Organ-on-a-Chip Model of the Blood Brain Barrier
Get PDFThe blood brain barrier (BBB) is essential to neural function as it prevents foreign molecules from entering the brain. While various in vitro and in vivo models attempt to replicate the BBB, most fall short in terms of isolated cell types and lack of microglia, a vital glial cell which alerts the system of toxins. Additionally, glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal brain disease with no viable treatment options. By successfully modeling the BBB and studying its immune response, one could gain a better understanding of how to utilize neuroinflammation to penetrate the BBB to deliver treatment to a GBM tumor. This study does so by developing an in vitro BBB organ-on-a-chip model comprised of human brain cells and a brain-mimetic hydrogel. This is done using a polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic device with astrocytes and microglia populating a bioengineered hydrogel containing a pericyte and endothelial cell-lined vascular lumen structure, which is then analyzed via immunostaining and permeability assessments. The model proved to replicate human BBB functions after numerous assessments, such as by showing low permeability to small molecules as well as appropriate cell-specific marker expression. The addition of GBM cells to the system showed that the function of the BBB responds to the tumor cell population. Further, integrating microglia into the BBB model also influenced its function and the cellular phenotypes within. As a whole, these results indicate the usefulness of this model as a tool to investigate disease progression of GBM and functionality of the BBB.Skardal Biofabrication LaboratoryUndergraduate Honors Committee (UHC) in the College of EngineeringNational Cancer InstituteGrant P30 CA016058No embargoAcademic Major: Biomedical Engineerin
Feasibility and Acceptability of Parenting Wisely Plus (PW+): A group-based parent training program for parents of youth in residential treatment
No full textBackground: Residential treatment (RT) is a highly intensive and costly psychiatric care setting for youth, yet 78% of youth struggle to sustain their treatment gains after discharge. Improving parental support is essential for enhancing long-term outcomes. One approach to enhancing support is through web-based parent training programs like Parenting Wisely (PW). PW was augmented with facilitated parent groups (PW+) to promote engagement, personalize strategies, and increase social support. This study aimed to pilot test PW+’s feasibility and acceptability.
Methods: We used a single-group pre-test post-test design. PW+ was a 5-week program consisting of weekly completion of two PW modules and participation in parent groups. Feasibility was assessed by tracking the frequency (discussion group attendance, PW logins), dose (module and practice exercise completion), and duration (time spent in PW and discussion groups). Acceptability referred to the perception that PW is agreeable or satisfactory to parents. Acceptability was assessed through a satisfaction survey, and focus groups were conducted to gain deeper insights.
Results: Parents attended 80% of parent groups, logged into PW 1-2 times weekly, completed 70% of PW modules, and practiced skills weekly. Parents spent 20 minutes per module and 75 minutes in parent groups. Over 80% of parents found PW+ effective in skill reinforcement (95%), parenting a child with behavioral issues (90%), connecting with other parents (100%), and feeling supported (80%). Focus groups highlighted four themes: accessible programming, presenting skills in a new way, parents need skill building, and building community.
Conclusions: PW+ demonstrated high feasibility and acceptability, as evidenced by strong attendance, program completion rates, and positive feedback. This study highlighted the crucial importance of increased parental support in reinforcing the effectiveness of RT. Future research will compare PW+ with a control group to assess its effectiveness in helping youth sustain treatment gains.Ohio State University Clinical and Translational Science Institute Community Engagement/Integrating Special Populations awardA five-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Nursin
To Give it All for the War: The Women of Marion, Ohio and the Second World War Homefront, 1941-1945
Get PDFMany historians that have researched the Second World War have concluded that Americans simply did not sacrifice anything when it came to home front activities. Through my internship research in the archives of the Marion Women’s Club and a deep dive into the online archives of The Marion Star newspaper, this thesis proposes a different conclusion. While they did not sacrifice nearly as much as women on the European home front of battlefields and physical destruction, it is undeniable that the women of Marion, Ohio, representative of many American women of this wartime era, did sacrifice parts of their lives. They sacrificed their comfort, their safety, and, ultimately, their accepted stable role of wife and mother. This traditional role crumbled around them in the face of their wartime obligations and social demands for their public support, and this transformation led to women’s sense of unease and opportunity. The stories of women’s volunteerism during the Second World War have largely been ignored by historians who focus mostly on women’s wartime efforts in factories. Relying on a general historiography of the Second World War home front, the history of American women’s changing roles in the twentieth century, and, finally, the experiences of Midwestern Americans during this pivotal moment in American history, this thesis explores a group of representative women of the American Midwest and honors their legacy and challenges as they supported the American home front.
The thesis is broken down into three sections. The first section is called the “Sacrifice of Comfort” and details how the women of Marion, with very little complaint, sacrificed their comfort through wartime rationing programs, and their participation in a range of community drives for war materials. The second session is called “Sacrifice of Safety.” While the women of Marion did not physically get hurt during their Homefront activities, threats of bombs and other war time violence hung over their head for the majority of the war. Also, women of German, Italian, and Japanese descent in the county felt constrained and unsafe as wartime propaganda painted them as villains to be feared. Finally, the last section is called “Sacrifice of Societal Role.” This section details how different wartime activities, such as women organizing and running the local Canteen supporting soldiers or the necessity of operating a day nursery for the city, broke down women’s intended social role and caused them both unease and opportunities that they continued their patriotic volunteerism into post-war America.No embargoAcademic Major: Histor
A DNP QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT TO GUIDE CANCER SURVIVORSHIP REFERALS FROM A BREAST SURGICAL ONCOLOGY CLINIC
Get PDFThe number of people diagnosed with cancer in the United States continues to rise. Cancer care is complex and multidisciplinary. It is crucial that cancer patients receive supportive care, which includes cancer surveillance, monitoring of disease and treatment-related side effects, prevention and detection of cancer and its treatment, management of cancer-related syndromes, coordination between specialists and primary care providers, and ongoing survivorship care. Patients benefit from cancer supportive care in numerous ways. The issue addressed by this project was that not all cancer patients are systematically referred for supportive care services. The aim of this project was to standardize the referral process to the cancer supportive care clinic from the breast surgical oncology clinics. By implementing a systematic referral process, an increase in the number of referrals to the cancer supportive care clinic was expected. To standardize the referral process, the change included establishing a universal timepoint for all patients to receive their referral, which was set for the first post-operative visit. Additionally, the process change involved an educational component where the provider explained the rationale for the referral's timing to the patient, as well as the significance of supportive care. The results indicated a 2.5% rise in the percentage of first post-operative visits that included a referral to the cancer supportive care clinic compared to rate of referrals before the project’s implementation. These findings underscore the need for further strategies to enhance the standardized referral process. This could involve collecting data on patients who complete supportive care visits versus those who do not, to identify potential barriers.No embarg
Diagnostic Performance of Pregnancy Associated Glycoproteins and Transrectal Ultrasonography During Early Pregnancy Detection
No full text2025 Denman Research Forum, 2nd Place in "Insects and Other Animals" category2024 College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences Research Forum, 3rd place in "Animal Sciences" categoryEarly detection of pregnancy in ewes is instrumental for providing adequate nutritional requirements as well as efficiency of production and provides producers the opportunity to adjust management practices. Pregnancy associated proteins (PAGs) are produced by binucleated trophoblast cells of the placenta and enter the maternal circulation, effectively serving as a biomarker for pregnancy establishment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of PAGs and transrectal ultrasonography (TRU) for pregnancy diagnosis at 20, 25, and 30 days after breeding. Dorset and Dorset cross ewes (n = 126) were synchronized using a short term CIDR protocol. On day -6 a CIDR was inserted and on day 0, each ewe received a dose of prostaglandin (PG) F2α and placed with fertile rams fitted with marking harnesses. Ewes were monitored twice daily for signs of breeding from day 0 to 4.5. Ewes were evaluated by TRU using an 8.3 MHz linear-array probe (Mylab Delta, Esoate) on days 20, 25, and 30 after breeding to determine the presence of a conceptus (embryo and associated membranes). In addition, blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture on day 20, 25, and 30 after breeding. Each sample was collected into an evacuated tube, centrifuged and stored at -20 ºC. Plasma samples were assayed for the presence of PAGs using two commercially available enzyme linked immunoassays (IDEXX Rapid Visual Pregnancy Detection and IDEXX Ruminant Pregnancy Test). True pregnancy status was determined by transabdominal ultrasonography at day 125 and lambing date. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using specificity, sensitivity, accuracy and Cohen’s Kappa. Data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. Sensitivity (97.8%), specificity (94.4% to 97.2%) and accuracy (98.4% to 98.8%) of TRU was high and did not differ (P > 0.05) between days 20, 25, and 30. Although sensitivity of the Rapid Visual Test (RVT) was high (92.2% to 94.4%) and not affected (P > 0.05) by examination day, both specificity (27.8% to 83.3%) and accuracy (73.8% to 91.3%) increased (P 0.05) among methods at day 30, TRU had greater (P < 0.05) specificity than both RVT and RPT at days 20 and 25. Lastly, accuracy of TRU was greater (P < 0.05) than that of RVT and RPT at all examination days. In conclusion, improved diagnostic performance of TRU makes it the preferred method when performing pregnancy diagnosis before 30 days in ewes. However, the use of PAGs for pregnancy diagnosis appears as a suitable method when diagnosis is performed at 30 days.USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Multi-State Hatch project 1023183 (OHO01496-MRF)IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, MaineA three-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Animal Science
Conditional Knockout of Slc35a2 Reveals Cell Autonomous Contributions to Seizures
No full textBrain-restricted, somatic variants in SLC35A2 have been identified in patients with medically refractory epilepsy, yet the underlying pathogenesis remains unknown. This project aims to characterize the deficits resulting from loss of Slc35a2 and investigate potential mechanisms contributing to epileptogenesis. To explore these aims, we generated a conditional knockout mouse model to assess the consequences of gene loss in vivo. Additionally, primary cortical cultures were derived from these mice to examine cell-autonomous effects and establish a tractable system for studying neuronal activity and glycosylation deficits. Here we show that Slc35a2 conditional knockout (cKO) mice exhibit reduced survival and developmental delay. These mice also show spontaneous seizure activity in vivo, indicating a strong seizure phenotype. Primary cortical neurons from Slc35a2 cKO males display aberrant network activity, suggesting a cell-autonomous contribution to epileptogenesis. Lectin staining of cultured neurons reveals glycosylation deficits, implicating glycosylation in maintaining neuronal activity. These findings provide critical insights into the mechanisms underlying Slc35a2-related epileptogenesis and highlight potential targets for therapeutic intervention in medically refractory epilepsy.A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Neuroscienc
Sharing Your Health Story
No full textPublic Health (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)Current tools and resources for people suffering from chronic conditions are clinical, complex, impersonal, and inexact. Specifically, tracking data for doctors and self management is reported as overwhelming, or too much work for people already overwhelmed by their condition/s. In my research, I wanted to understand the pain points of tracking health data for patients across demographics, including the guardians of people suffering from chronic conditions. After doing a media scan, sending out a survey, and interviewing people suffering from chronic conditions or caring for someone suffering from chronic conditions, I found that engaging patients in their own healthcare is difficult due to fatigue and lack of education. Additionally, tracking data is physical and emotional work. While self management is the most widely available resource for people with chronic illness, who represent nearly half the population, education on how to track data, what data to track, and what to do with that information is inaccessible and difficult to comprehend, especially when fatigued and in pain. With this in mind, I designed the visuals for an app and awareness brand to be used across demographics from any location. Chronical functions as a one stop shop for logging, storing, and sharing your health information; as well as providing opportunities for education, personal analysis, and community building. It is a warm and inviting application that walks users through the process of what information to track, and how to track it. The app is designed with the intention of offering compatibility with medical devices such as dexcoms, fitbits or apple watches, in order to streamline data sharing and simplify the tracking process. Additionally, users are intended to connect the app to common medical portals such as MyChart in order to store medical records, lab work and imaging without having to individually import the information. All information stored on Chronical is meant to be easily exported with the opportunity to add notes on your personal experiences and questions about them in order to be prepared and share your data with your medical team. Currently, Chronical is a prototype that would require coding and AI integration to be fully usable by the public.No embargoAcademic Major: Visual Communication Desig
Perspectives of Master Teachers: Mentorship and Best Practices
Get PDFThis research examines the perspectives of master teachers on meaningful mentorship and best practices. The focus is on high school band directors, middle school band directors, and general elementary music teachers. Mentorship is important in the field of Music Education and is responsible for the advancement and development of the field. In the field of music education, challenges are unique and required specialized skills to solve. Thus, the understanding of mentorship and how it influences teachers will aid in the improvement of music education and the support of future music educators. This research also examines how meaningful mentorship can drive practice in the classroom. The study focuses on band directors and elementary general music teachers currently practicing in the Central Ohio area. Teachers were contacted via email with an explanation of the study, what it hoped to achieve, and what participation would look like. Teachers who agreed to participate scheduled in person interviews at a location and time of their choosing. They answered questions on mentorship and practice that were designed to allow for a depth and breadth of response. Questions stemmed from mentors in life, current teaching practices, insights into mentorship, and reflections from teaching experience. Thematic analysis of the responses revealed that meaningful mentorship shapes educational philosophy, informs instructional practice, and is necessary at every stage of a teacher's career. This study highlights the lasting impact of mentorship and its role in fostering high-quality music education.No embargoAcademic Major: Music - Educatio