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Understanding Daily Habits affect on mood: A Semester-Long Wellness Analysis
No full textThis research aims to track and assess lifestyle and personal health behaviors over a semester in order to gain a better understanding of how daily routines impact overall well-being. Ten variables are being monitored, including weight, caffeine intake, sleep duration, napping, exercise frequency, homework hours, Instagram screen time, vitamin use, practicing miles, and mood evaluations on a 5-point scale. I intend to identify trends and relationships between these factors through consistent data collection throughout the semester, such as the effects of sleep and caffeine on mood, motivation, and productivity.
As a student-athlete and health science major, this initiative gives me the opportunity to apply my academic knowledge surrounding human performance and health to be able to actively apply it to practical settings. I hope to discover important patterns that shape the relationship between mental and physical health, daily routines, training load, and recovery. In conclusion, the goal of this study is to guide me in becoming more self-aware of my actions along with determining what helps me achieve peak performance and make better decisions in the future as I tackle the everyday challenges of being a social student athlete
Animals in Entertainment: Ethical Considerations, Industry Regulations, Incidents, and the Future of Animal Performers
No full textSome of our favorite films, theatre productions, and live performances involve animals. A Dog\u27s Purpose, Annie, Barnum and Bailey circus; the list is endless. But have you ever wondered, How do they train them? and Is this benefiting or harming the animals? Animals in entertainment have a long history dating back to ancient civilizations. Research done by World Animal Protection found that three out of four tourist animal attractions involve some form of animal abuse, and up to 550,000 animals around the world suffer due to these cruel attractions for human amusement. This does not imply that all animals used in entertainment are being unethically cared for; however, the fact that incidents still occur today is a concern. Theater and film have long used animals to captivate audiences. Seeing an animal exhibit an unnatural behavior creates a spectacle. An example is Toto from The Wizard of Oz (1939) pulling open the curtain to reveal the wizard. While animal cruelty has become less frequent in these two entertainment forms, incidents still occur. Other entertainment forms that have a history of cruelty are circuses, which are notorious for the unethical treatment of animals. In contrast, a positive example is the conservation presentations at zoos, which allow people to learn more about animals by observing their natural behaviors. This thesis explores and examines various forms of entertainment, including theatre, cinema, circuses, live performances, parks, and zoos. We examine ethical considerations, practices, past incidents, and regulations established by organizations such as the American Humane Society to advocate for the ethical treatment of animals. While these animal performers have the spotlight on stage, the focus needs to shift offstage so that one can ask, Is it worth continuing to use animals in entertainment, or should alternatives be considered
Black on Black Sounds: Music, Migration, and the ‘NU-K Blak’ Identity Formation in Early 21st Century Britain
No full textExamining literature on the under researched areas of Afrobeats and African migration to Britain, this article identifies significant internal shifts in the ethnic diversity of Black Britain —i.e., from Caribbean (predominantly Jamaican) to West African (Nigerian, Ghanaian) (ONS 2011). Interpreting literature and applying to the British context, it highlights how Afrobeats reshapes Blackness in Britain, particularly the incorporation of desirable Africanness through Afrobeats music. It argues that demographic and musical shifts in Britain result in a renegotiation of the Caribbean and US dominant 20th century Black Britishness — ‘UK Blak’ identity (as identified by Bradley 2013, Gilroy 1993 & Palmer 2011). It proposes a new 21st century ‘NU-K Blak’ identity that incorporates West African culture and aesthetics. The article contextualises and builds upon limited research on Afrobeats, Black British youth and their musical identities and elucidates the significance of migration, London and West African values to Afrobeats’ commercial success
Detecting Burned Vegetation Areas by Merging Spectral and Texture Features in a ResNet Deep Learning Architecture
No full textTimely and accurate detection of burned areas is crucial for assessing fire damage and contributing to ecosystem recovery efforts. In this study, we propose a framework for detecting fire-affected vegetation anomalies on the basis of a ResNet deep learning (DL) algorithm by merging spectral and textural features (ResNet-IST) and the vegetation abnormal spectral texture index (VASTI). To train the ResNet-IST, a vegetation anomaly dataset was constructed on high-resolution 30 m fire-affected remote sensing images selected from the Global Fire Atlas (GFA) to extract the spectral and textural features. We tested the model to detect fire-affected vegetation in ten study areas across four continents. The experimental results demonstrated that the ResNet-IST outperformed the VASTI by approximately 3% in terms of anomaly detection accuracy and achieved a 5–15% improvement in the detection of the normalized burn ratio (NBR). Furthermore, the accuracy of the VASTI was significantly greater than that of NBR for burn detection, indicating that the merging of spectral and textural features provides complementary advantages, leading to stronger classification performance than the use of SFs alone. Our results suggest that deep learning outperforms traditional mathematical models in burned vegetation anomaly detection tasks. Nevertheless, the scope and applicability of this study are somewhat limited, which also provides directions for future research
Accelerated Molecular Aging in Neighborhood Poverty: A Racial/Ethnic Comparison
No full textIn the US, racial/ethnic health disparities are undeniable and partially stem from residing in low SES neighborhoods. Associations between neighborhood SES and health may have some underlying molecular mechanisms reflected in the epigenome. Yet, neighborhood characteristics are not always experienced the same way for all residents, and questions remain regarding whether those most exposed to low SES neighborhoods build greater resilience to, or embody greater harmful and cumulative outcomes from, such neighborhoods. The present study tested the hypothesis that greater neighborhood poverty would relate to accelerated epigenetic aging on the Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge, and GrimAge clocks, and that these associations would differ in strength by race/ethnicity. A national sample of 3,790 older non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic participants from the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study and census tract poverty rates from the 2012-2016 American Community Survey were used to test these questions. Results of weighted linear regressions suggested that living in higher poverty neighborhoods was associated with accelerated PhenoAge and GrimAge (not Hannum or Horvath), adjusting for age, sex, and educational. After further considering smoking status, however, only the association with GrimAge remained. Investigating interactions with race/ethnicity suggested that poverty was more strongly associated with accelerated GrimAge among non-Hispanic White participants, but this racial/ethnic difference was completely reduced after considering smoking. These results further support the need for economic investment in low SES neighborhoods and encourage more research to determine the social and physical resources needed in such neighborhoods to attenuate accelerated epigenetic aging
How Ideological Background Affects Consumption of and Attitudes Toward Pornography Amongst Women
No full textPornography is a notoriously male dominated field in consumption terms and as such, research regarding women’s consumption of pornography is limited and often contains focus on men’s consumption of pornography. The research conducted by Roslyn Addy and Dr. Desiree Crevecoeur-MacPhail intends to bring women in the pornography sphere as consumers rather than onlookers or subjects of pornography affected by male pornography users. Little is known about women’s actual thoughts, feelings, and use of pornography which limits the market of pornography that targets women and limits real conversations about pornography between women. The researchers have found that ideology does predict pornography use. All women have an individualized ideology about pornography as a political topic that influences the way they use pornography, expect partners to use pornography, and expect other women to use pornography. Three types of ideological categories about pornography from Hald’s (2014) handbook of sexuality and psychology, cluster the way that individual intends to or expects others to engage in pornography into aligning groups. By researching women’s ideologies and porn consumption habits the researchers can identify which ideologies have certain use of pornography patterns to open the conversation to more pleasurable and consumable pornography designed for women. This research also intends to contribute to a sex positive rhetoric in research as the majority of the research referenced is about problematic use and frames pornography use as a bad habit in line with only one of the theoretical pornography ideologies
Molecular Insights Into Antibiofilm Inhibitors of \u3cem\u3eStreptococcus mutans\u3c/em\u3e Glucosyltransferases Through in Silico Approaches
Get PDFStreptococcus mutans, a primary cariogenic bacterium, plays a central role in dental caries, one of the most widespread chronic diseases globally. Glucosyltransferases (GTFs) are key virulence factors in this process, as they synthesize extracellular polysaccharides that contribute to biofilm formation and pathogenicity. Targeting GTFs has emerged as a promising strategy for preventing dental caries, with previous studies demonstrating its potential efficacy. This study builds on our prior work by providing detailed molecular insights into the binding modes of previously identified GTF inhibitors. Using computational tools, including density functional theory, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations, we examined the binding interactions and structural stability of selected inhibitors. All investigated candidates demonstrated superior binding behavior compared to the reference ligand, acarbose, as indicated by multiple structural parameters. Structural dynamics analysis revealed significant stability in the binding interactions of Complex III and V, with average deviations of 2.06 ± 0.38 and 2.07 ± 0.30 Å, respectively. Similarly, a trend in structural compactness was observed, with gyration values of 32.98 ± 0.23 and 33.01 ± 0.24 Å, respectively. Principal component analysis indicated that the constructed pattern approaches zero with the achievement of a global energy minimum, particularly for Complex III and V. Furthermore, MM/PBSA free energy calculations identified Compound V as the most favorable binder, with a binding free energy of −24.20 kcal/mol. Our findings provide valuable molecular-level insights into the inhibitory mechanisms of GTF-targeting compounds, strengthening their potential as anti-cariogenic agents. By elucidating key binding interactions, this study contributes to the ongoing search for improved scaffolds that may hinder biofilm-mediated infections and advance therapeutic strategies against dental caries
3rd Place Contest Entry: Clement Hurd and the Artistic Integrity of Illustrated Children\u27s Books
Get PDFThis is Cassandra Chan\u27 submission for the 2025 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won third place. It contains their essay on using library resources, their bibliography, and a sample of their research project on the work of illustrator Clement Hurd.
Cassandra is a fourth-year student at Chapman University, majoring in Art History. Their faculty mentor is Dr. Justin Walsh
2nd Place Research Paper: Aquí y Ahora: The Role of US Spanish-Language TV News in Financial Vulnerability
No full textIn today’s world, the news we watch often does more than inform us; it shapes our perceptions of security and the future. In this paper, I examine the extent to which an individual’s consumption of particular Spanish-speaking TV news channels contribute to their sense of financial vulnerability. Using an original data set of responses to the questions in the 2020 American National Election Studies (ANES), I find a moderately strong relationship between the television news channel Aquí y Ahora, and the degree to which they are worried about their financial situation. While it is true that various factors such as employment status, household size, and marital status contribute to this financial worry, a person’s choice of television station can be an indicator of an increased sense of financial insecurity. This suggests that watching Aquí y Ahora, especially for immigrants and first-generation Americans, may influence financial distress, leading to a tense relationship with personal finances, economic uncertainty, and low financial confidence. Therefore, it is highly important to recognize media biases within Spanish-speaking television networks to address the urgent need to inform the immigrant and first-generation Hispanic population about how news may influence their opinions. Ultimately, this highlights how critical it is to be cognizant of communication rhetoric in Spanish-speaking television networks to accurately inform the Hispanic population while setting them up for upward financial mobility