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Diversity and Habitat Use of Bats in Modified Suburban Landscapes
No full textBats occupy critical ecological niches and perform important ecosystem services like controlling insect populations. However, humans have altered bat habitat substantially, resulting in the reduction of bat populations. The goals of this research are to assess bat diversity and habitat use across different levels of suburban habitat modification. To accomplish this, we deployed passive acoustic recorders at twelve locations with varying human impact in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. In accordance with The North American Bat Monitoring Program’s standards, acoustic analysis software was used to identify bat species. Manual identification methods from The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative were used to verify these results. Insectivorous bats were present at every recording site. Seven species were identified, and diversity was largely similar across sites. Four common species were active at most sites including two rare species in our region. These findings underscore the ability for some bats to persist across a suburban habitat mosaic, highlights the need to support habitat for rare species, and call for continued monitoring to inform adaptive management strategies and ensure long-term sustainability
Myth Rewrites: Do We Need A Reboot?
Full text linkAs myth rewrites have permeated popular culture in recent years, the alterations made to their narratives have shifted the original meanings of the ancient texts. They have sought to provide a modernized retelling for readers of a new age to enjoy while simultaneously attempting to hold a mirror to a society that has remained patriarchal and redeems the narrative. By analyzing the three iterations of Medusa’s origins, as well as The Odyssey and it’s newest musical adaptation, “EPIC: The Musical,” myth rewrites are proven to not only be beneficial to introducing new audiences to ancient mythology, but also finds its value in redefining the mythological canon to criticize hegemonic masculinity
Site-Directed Mutagenesis of G4DFsc
No full textG4DFsc is a de novo protein designed to mimic the metal-binding active sites of natural non-heme diiron enzymes. Through site-directed mutagenesis, specific amino acids can be targeted to affect conformational changes in the active site. In this study, H77D or H77E mutations were made in the E44H-G4DFsc plasmid to create an active site in which the histidine amino acids are trans to one another. Analysis of the mutated protein can further characterize the structure-function relationship of the protein’s hydrolase capabilities. The H77D and H77E mutagenesis was successful. Both proteins were produced and purified, which allowed for characterization of their biophysical properties. Future studies will include analysis of their DNA cleavage activity
Investigating DnaJB Chaperone Protein Interactions in Parkinson\u27s Disease
No full textNeurodegenerative diseases affect millions of people worldwide and result from damage to neuronal cells in the brain essential for cognition, coordination, mobility, and strength. Prominent examples include ALS, Alzheimer\u27s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson\u27s Disease, whose precise origins remain unknown. However, they are associated with the accumulation of specific proteins in neurons: TDP-43 and FUS, amyloid beta peptide, polyQ, and alpha synuclein aggregates, respectively. Recent findings highlight DnaJB, a class of proteins with significant disaggregation capabilities, as a promising avenue for therapy. With 66 diverse J-protein isoforms, identifying which DnaJB variants effectively bind and interact with disease-associated proteins remains a critical pursuit. This study aims to elucidate these interactions using the Yeast Two Hybrid method, which could direct the design of targeted chaperone-based treatments that combat neurodegenerative diseases more effectively
Decade-Long Deals: The Forces Driving MLB’s Lengthening Contracts
Full text linkThis study investigates the economic and institutional factors that influence lengthening contracts in Major League Baseball. Using a dataset of 652 free agent position players that signed for two years or longer from 1991 to 2025, this paper explores how factors such as age, relative player performance, collective bargaining agreements, and risk management strategies affect contract length. Results from the regression model show that younger players that are higher performing are more likely to receive long-term deals. Additionally, those that are extended a qualifying offer also typically sign for longer term deals as suggested by the regression results. A separate shirking regression in the paper found no strong evidence that players participate in shirking behaviors in the form of decreased performance after signing a deal. This suggests that teams do not have to heavily consider shirking when offering these contracts. The results for a split regression for short- and long-term contracts indicated that the 2022 CBA has contributed to increased contract length for top of the market free agents. These results show how union agreements can potentially shape contract structures in professional sports. The study could be built upon with the incorporation of emerging data on player health and emerging projection models to better understand perceived risk for clubs in future contract negotiations
Classic Philosophers on Modern Issues: The Ethics of Germline Editing
Full text linkThe prospect of using CRISPR-Cas-9 technology to edit human embryos in a process called germline editing has the potential to irreparably change the world as we know it. Many pose the question: if you could save your child from having a disease, would you? But I argue that is not the only—or even, real—question we should be asking. Instead, I ask you, should we be changing humanity as we know it in ways that elude even our foremost scientists? Should we decide what disabilities make people not worth being people? Should we introduce a technology knowing full well that it will likely lead to eugenics and genocide? Should we make available techniques which will only serve to widen the inequality gap? If we allow CRISPR to be used for germline editing, all of these hypothetical questions will no longer be ‘what ifs,’ they will be reality
Ribosome Stalling Increases Sup35 Prion Conversion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
No full textProteins are one of the four main macromolecules essential to life. They are responsible for a diverse array of processes, including cellular signaling, cell structure, and catalytic activity. These functions are directly related to the protein’s specific structure. Consequently, the misfolding of a protein, which can be due to a variety of factors, can lead to an alteration in the function of that protein. Misfolded proteins can also associate together to form aggregates, which can become toxic to cells. In prions and prion-like proteins, the misfolding of one protein can propagate to another protein, increasing aggregation, which can lead to cellular death and result in neurodegenerative diseases in mammals. One factor that is linked to increased misfolding is stalling of the ribosome, the cellular machinery responsible for the construction of proteins, during synthesis. In the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae, stalling is a natural process that may allow for misfolding to occur in a way that benefits yeast in times of stress. By integrating amino acids sequences known to stall ribosomes into a gene construct including the sequence of the known yeast prion Sup35, the mechanism and frequency at which ribosome stalling influences prion conversion can be investigated. We here demonstrate that ribosome stalling increases the frequency of Sup35 prion conversion when ribosomes are paused using known stalling sequences
Untitled Book Stack
No full textThis book stack was created by a first-year student at Ursinus College participating in a Common Intellectual Experience event. After a group Stacks on Stacks activity in Fall 2024, students were invited to submit their own individual creations in Spring 2025.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/cie_stacks/1040/thumbnail.jp
Untitled Book Stack
No full textThis book stack was created by a first-year student at Ursinus College participating in a Common Intellectual Experience event. After a group Stacks on Stacks activity in Fall 2024, students were invited to submit their own individual creations in Spring 2025.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/cie_stacks/1042/thumbnail.jp
The Passionate Life
No full textThis book stack was created by a first-year student at Ursinus College participating in a Common Intellectual Experience event. After a group Stacks on Stacks activity in Fall 2024, students were invited to submit their own individual creations in Spring 2025.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/cie_stacks/1052/thumbnail.jp