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Evaluating Sustainable and Cost-Efficient Alternative Processes for Dye Application and Adherence in the Fashion Apparel Industry
Get PDFThe fashion apparel industry relies on highly pollutant industrial processes that are a major contributor to environmental problems ranging from climate change to human health issues. Processes involved in applying textile dyes are some of the most toxic, energy consuming processes involved in the production of fashion textiles. This research aims to identify, evaluate, and compare various alternative methods of applying and adhering dyes to textiles that are less pollutant in nature, consume fewer natural resources, are cost-efficient for the industry, and are viable for reproduction and application on an industrial scale. Literature discussing and reviewing sustainable dye application methods will be analyzed to evaluate methods that fulfill the aforementioned criteria. It is evident in scientific findings that there are many promising alternative dyeing processes that are less pollutant and use fewer resources than traditional methods, while also being cost-efficient and viable for industrial use. My research will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches and will also evaluate ways in which the fashion industry can be incentivized to invest in the adoption of these new, economically and environmentally beneficial, technologies and processes. With proper motivation from scientific data, public demand, designer’s prioritization, and so on, a path can be realistically conceptualized along which the industry can proceed toward implementing these processes as it moves towards sustainability.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1047/thumbnail.jp
How the Transition to Working Remotely May Impact Maternity Leave Policy; Lessons from the Pandemic
Get PDFSince the beginning of the pandemic, American women, particularly working mothers, have been the disproportionate victims of the jobs lost in the United States economy. Conversely, a “fatherhood premium” has been seen since the start of the pandemic, and American fathers have been the most protected demographic from job loss. The trend toward job loss of female employees has been exacerbated by the pandemic but is largely consistent with existing trends. Before the pandemic, some fields such as STEM had been losing nearly half of their female employees after the birth of their first child. Related to these discrepancies is the fact that the United States is unique in the fact that it has very limited federally outlined maternal protections. While New York State has the strongest legal guidelines for new mothers, the state’s paid family leave policy still lacks many of the rights granted in other countries. New York State’s policy, despite being the strongest in the United States, does not meet the minimum recommendations for maternity leave policy by either the World Health Organization or the International Labor Organization. This qualitative study examines and compares the self-reported maternity leave experiences of working mothers in New York State before and after the beginning of the pandemic and the state’s transition into its new paid family leave policy.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1051/thumbnail.jp
Targeted Delivery of TLR-Agonists Using ADC Technology
Get PDFAntibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a method of targeted drug delivery that transport a payload to a desired cell type. By directly targeting the cell type of choice, off-target effects experienced by non-diseased cells can be mitigated. Currently, the majority of clinical-stage ADCs are directed to tumor cells and contain a cytotoxic payload. In contrast, this work focuses on the design and evaluation of ADCs that deliver Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)-7/8 agonists to B-cells. TLR-7/8 agonists activate an intracellular cytosolic receptor that leads to the activation of NFκB, which results in the production of proinflammatory cytokines. This forms a link between the innate and adaptive immune system by promoting T cell activity. We will present work that focuses on 3 aspects of these TLR-activating ADCs: 1) Evaluation of payload and linker-payload efficacy in B-cells; 2) Understanding ADC stability and catabolism; and 3) Evaluating the specificity and activity of the TLR-activating ADCs. Nine payloads were synthesized and evaluated and found to exhibit sub-µM potency: Resiquimod, E66, and E104. Of these three, E104 had the highest potency followed by Resiquimod. Each payload was evaluated using three different linkers: mc, mc_ValCit, and mc_ValCitPABC. Mc has been shown to be a non-cleavable linker via catabolism studies, while mc_ValCitPABC has been shown to be cleavable. Quanti-blue assays in Ramos Blue cells demonstrated that mc_E104 is the most potent linker-payload when attached to a B-cell targeting antibody. This non-cleavable ADC was significantly more potent than the corresponding cleavable (ValCitPABC) ADC. We will present catabolism and permeability data that may explain this unexpected finding.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1018/thumbnail.jp
The Role of “Love Goddesses” and What They Reveal About Women in Different Cultures
Get PDFMany cultures make fundamental claims about the nature of humanity through myths. In this review, we examine the stories surrounding what we term “love goddesses” around the world from roughly 1000 BC to 1000 AD. We analyze the themes present in each story, as well as the norms upheld about the essential nature and roles of women through these myths. Love goddesses are typically exemplars of a given culture’s ideal of femininity, with exceptions such as Xochipilli, who has a more difficult-to-define identity. We are looking at the contemporaneous cults that surround Rati, Aphrodite/Venus, Hathor, Freyja/Frigg, Oshun, Inanna/Ishtar, and Xochipilli in order to understand what role these love goddesses play in their respective mythologies. What are their similarities and differences? How do these goddesses reflect their respective contemporaneous society’s ideals of women? While these goddesses may have similar roles in sexuality and power, it is important to note that there is no shared origin between these goddesses and their relationship with love, nor is there a common type of link between these goddesses and their respective culture’s view of women.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1060/thumbnail.jp
Development and Evaluation of An Educational Video For High School Students On Vaping And Other Nicotine Products
Get PDFBackground: Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), especially vaping, have increased in use and resulted in severe lung injuries (EVALI). In 2020, there were nearly 3.6 million middle school and high school (HS) students who vape. More research is needed to identify effective teaching strategies for adolescents on ENDS. Our previous research found that high school students’ experiences with vaping were related to social and behavioral influences, a knowledge deficit, and media exposure. They suggested a video educational intervention. Purpose: To develop and evaluate the implementation of a vaping survey and educational video in a high school classroom setting and to further explore the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of high school students regarding nicotine products. Methods: For the educational video, we videotaped interviews with six college-aged vapers. They were asked seven open-ended questions that elicited dialogue regarding their experiences with ENDS products. A process evaluation was then conducted. Students from a rural high school in a health education completed our validated TABS survey, viewed the developed video, and then participated in a semi-structured focus group to evaluate the video and survey. An interview was conducted with their teacher. COVID-19 restrictions dictated the process take place through a virtual platform. Results: Feedback obtained from the students indicated that there was a knowledge deficit about ENDS ingredients; the survey was easy to complete and understand, and the video was an appropriate length with dramatic relief achieved. The teacher, with no prior education on these products, suggested the video be used as an introduction to ENDS education for students. We then developed a follow up demonstration module. Conclusion/Implications: This vaping video educational module aims to reduce the knowledge deficit and usage of ENDS in adolescents. Testing of the effectiveness of this recently developed intervention is pending in a local high school with 100-125 students.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1086/thumbnail.jp
Continuity and Change: Asylum Policy and Detainee Treatment During the Obama and Trump Administrations
Get PDFThis presentation investigates the similarities and differences between the asylum policies and the treatment of detainees who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border during the Obama administration versus during the Trump administration. This presentation asserts that while both Obama’s and Trump’s policies toward asylum seekers were very similar in being strict and harsh, Trump’s abrasive rhetoric and more extreme stances established distinct differences between the two administrations. In particular, this presentation explores conditions inside the detention facilities under each president, Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy in relation to Obama’s policies, Trump’s use of Title 42, and each president externalizing the U.S. border. Although Obama detained families and many unaccompanied minors upon crossing the border in temporary facilities, Trump took this a step further by separating children from their parents under his Zero-Tolerance policy for deterrence. In addition, using the justification of the COVID-19 pandemic health concerns, Trump nearly dismantled any semblance of due process for asylum seekers by evoking Title 42. Title 42 provides border authorities with unilateral authority to expel migrants who do not have prior permission to enter the country without offering asylum. Both presidents had the policy of the externalized U.S. border, the practice of making it harder for asylum seekers to reach U.S. soil in the first place. Reporters touring the detention facilities, news articles demonstrating public opinion, White House website archives, government documents, political speeches, first-hand accounts of the asylum system, and analytical scholarly articles provide important insight in piecing together the asylum records of the Obama and the Trump administrations. It is critical to understand the continuities and changes between the Obama and Trump administrations’ asylum policies and treatment of detainees to make better, more humane, and more informed policy decisions in the future regarding those seeking asylum.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1094/thumbnail.jp
The Role of Apparent Competition in Facilitating Ecological Release of a Range-expanding Insect
Get PDFDue to anthropogenic climate change, species are expanding their historical natural ranges. However, interacting species will not shift synchronously and range-expanding species are likely to lose interactions and pick up novel ones in their expanded range. If antagonistic interactions, such as with competitors or enemies are lost, range-expanding species may experience “ecological release” and have impacts in their expanded range. Of the parasitoid wasps that attack phytophagous insects, some are specialists and some are generalists attacking alternative hosts (competitors). Range-expanding species may lose enemies if their specialists fail to follow from their native range and if generalist enemies fail to switch from competitors in the expanded range (“release from apparent competition”). We study a poleward range-expansion of a phytophagous gall-forming insect Neuroterus saltatorius that expanded its range from mainland western North America to Vancouver Island, BC, where it is outbreaking on its plant Querucs garryana. N. saltatorius co-occurs with several other gall-formers on its host, including Andricus opertus, throughout its native and expanded range. Here, we ask if A. opertus acts as an apparent competitor (shares enemies) with N. saltatorius, and if apparent competition is weaker in the expanded range. These two host species were collected from 18 sites that span the range of Q. garryana. We reared parasitoid wasps from them and identified parasitoids to morphospecies using taxonomic keys. We identified 16 parasitoids from N. saltatorius and 39 from A. opertus. Of these, 13 species of parasitoids are shared between the two host species in all regions, and we will calculate the rate of shared overlap to see if there are fewer shared species in the expanded range. This result would suggest that release from apparent competition contributes to ecological release. Understanding how biotic interactions change under range expansions is important to predict species responses to climate change.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1095/thumbnail.jp
Experimental Group Differences in Children’s Bracing Ability
Get PDFScience education research investigates young children’s understanding of materials in technological settings linking the concept of matter to tangible properties such as weight or heaviness. Children’s comprehension of elements enables them to support and reinforce the structural stability of towers when presented with wobbly structures. Young children understand the relationships between the properties of materials, stability, and bracing during construction. Sixty-eight families (M child age = 5.5 years) were recruited at the entrance of the Skyline building construction exhibit at a children’s museum and were randomly assigned to two conditions. This consisted of the demonstration group (experimental group) and the non-demonstration group (the control group). Children were then tasked with strengthening a wobbly structure of a skyscraper or a bridge, first with their parents followed by the second task to be completed independently. We will analyze the effect of the cross-bracing demonstration on children\u27s building behavior in an engineering exhibit. We will discuss the ratio of functional to total pieces used, such as cross-braces or triangle pieces. We predict that children who received the cross-bracing demonstration will exhibit greater success at properly using functional pieces to create a stable structure compared to children in the control group.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1097/thumbnail.jp
The Relationship Between Components of the Vegetarian Diet and Perceived Stress and Mental Distress
Get PDFRecent evidence suggests that dietary patterns have an impact on mental health. However, little is known about how dietary patterns may impact the stress response. The purpose of this study was to investigate how components of a vegetarian diet relate to stress and mental distress. An anonymous survey was distributed primarily through social media targeting participants from diverse backgrounds. This study analyzed a total of 585 responses from adults 18 years old or older. Spearman’s rho correlation and principal component analysis were used to assess how dietary patterns and consumption of various foods and food groups relate to perceived stress and mental distress levels. The data was analyzed in SPSS version 25.0. Our results reveal a negative correlation between stress and whole grains (⍴= -0.103), dark green leafy vegetables (⍴= -0.154), and beans (⍴= -0.102). Mental distress was a negatively correlated with whole grains (⍴= -.147), nuts and flaxseed (⍴= -0.116), dark green leafy vegetables (⍴= -0.153), yogurt (⍴= -0.084), eggs (⍴= -0.108) and raw oats (⍴= -.101). These results indicate that multiple components of the vegetarian diet are inversely associated with stress, which explains the negative association with mental distress. Our results suggest that vegetarian items improve the stress response, which eventually improves mental health.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1101/thumbnail.jp
Uncovering How Partner Interchangeably Affects Mutualistic Outcomes In A Species Complex Of Seed-dispersing Ants
Get PDFGeneralized mutualisms involve guilds of partners exchanging services with reciprocal fitness benefits. Partners within guilds vary in traits, affecting the quality of services and partner fitness. Research aimed at uncovering how partner interchangeability affects mutualistic outcomes largely considers variation in partner species identity. Aphaenogaster ants are mutualists, dispersing seeds of 30-40% of understory plants in North American forests that are adapted to dispersal by ants (myrmecochores). This dispersal by ants is highly specialized and disruptions due to climate change could greatly affect forest understory communities. Impacts such as changes in temperature could result in shifting functional ranges of species causing increased interspecific competition. A. rudis and A. picea are known seed dispersers that are polyphyletic and have overlapping ranges and phenology. We aim to uncover if functional variation partitions between named species and among separated populations. We collected colonies of three populations of each named species. We then performed lab behavioral trials where we measured foraging activity, rates of dispersal, and preference of seeds of four myrmecochore species with differing phenology. Using Principal component analysis and linear and generalized linear models, we found that behavior differed between the named species. A. picea had more workers actively foraging, while A. rudis moved more seeds. A. picea and A. rudis preferred seeds of different plant species, with early-foraging A. picea preferring Anemone acutiloba, a myrmecochore species that dehisces seeds earlier than other species. There was also variation in behaviors among populations, with more variation within A. rudis than within A. picea. Our findings suggest significant functional differences in this ecologically important species complex are partitioned primarily among putative species, but also varies within species. Our research also has implications for how climate change might affect this important interaction, as previous work shows that putative species have different thermal tolerances and foraging times.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1107/thumbnail.jp