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Ohio Wesleyan Bacillus Collection Student Research
Full text linkThis semester students in BIOL 328 Bacterial Physiology lab worked in teams on a laboratory project that they devised, developed, and conducted. Each group met weekly with Dr. Tuhela-Reuning and Maddy Russell during the first third of the semester to develop a research project that involved the Bacillus culture collection at OWU. The Bacillus collection contains over 3000 isolates of Bacillus obtained from wild songbirds in Ohio, Arizona, and Washington, and many of these isolates degrade feathers. Student projects involved quantification of bird feather degradation by several Bacillus isolates, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of biofilms and feather, possible correlation of biofilm production with speed of feather degradation, ability of Bacillus isolates to produce antibiotics effective against Gram positive and negative bacteria, and the ability to transform Bacillus isolates with pigment-producing plasmids. Students experienced the actual research process by troubleshooting problems, coordinating their lab work schedules, analyzing complex results, and working as a team. The final results of the projects will be presented by each team in oral and written formats
Impact of COVID-19 on Occupational Therapy Service Delivery in Public Schools
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic had a major effect across the US, but the impact on the school system was a major focus within the media. Due to federal legislation, public schools are required to provide accommodations to children with disabilities in order to make them successful in schools. There is a lack of research on the effect COVID-19 had on related services which these students are provided. To bring more understanding to this aspect of the public school system, this study investigated the impact COVID-19 had on the delivery of occupational therapy services provided to children with disabilities in Ohio public schools from the 2019-2020 to the 2021-2022 school years. This study had thirteen occupational therapists participate, with eleven included in the data analysis. Interviews were conducted using the semi-structured interview format. These interviews were recorded and then transcribed. After the transcription was completed, the interviews were analyzed for word frequency. The most frequent words said were parents and school. The word parent was said 246 times within the eleven interviews and the word school was said 316 times. Based on the frequency of all the words chosen for analysis, four themes emerged. These four themes were: home life, service delivery, social and/or emotional mindset, and school performance. As discussed in these interviews, the occupational therapists felt COVID-19 resulted in better understanding of the home life of the children they work with, an increase in the amount of evaluation referrals, and IEP and evaluation team meetings moving online. The main limitation for this study was the small sample size because it limited the overall breadth of the study. Further long term research should be conducted in order to determine the effect the increase evaluation referrals has had on the special education system
The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Regulates Anxiety-Like Behavior in Mice
No full textIndividuals suffering from mood and anxiety disorders often show significant disturbances in sleep and circadian rhythms. Animal studies indicate that circadian rhythm disruption can cause increased depressive- and anxiety-like behavior, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. One potential mechanism to explain how circadian rhythms are contributing to mood and anxiety disorders is through dysregulation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, known as the “central pacemaker.” To investigate the role of the SCN in regulating depressive- and anxiety-like behavior in mice, we chronically manipulated the neural activity of the SCN using two optogenetic stimulation paradigms. As expected, chronic stimulation of the SCN late in the active phase (circadian time 21, CT21) resulted in a shortened period and dampened amplitude of homecage activity rhythms. We also repeatedly stimulated the SCN at unpredictable times during the active phase of mice when SCN firing rates are normally low. This resulted in dampened, fragmented, and unstable homecage activity rhythms. In both chronic SCN optogenetic stimulation paradigms, dampened homecage activity rhythms (decreased amplitude) were directly correlated with increased measures of anxiety-like behavior. In contrast, we only observed a correlation between behavioral despair and homecage activity amplitude in mice stimulated at CT21. Surprisingly, the change in period of homecage activity rhythms was not directly associated with anxiety- or depressive-like behavior. Finally, to determine if anxiety-like behavior is affected during a single SCN stimulation session, we acutely stimulated the SCN in the active phase (zeitgeber time 14-16, ZT14-16) during behavioral testing. Unexpectedly this also resulted in increased anxiety-like behavior. Taken together, these results indicate that SCN-mediated dampening of rhythms is directly correlated with increased anxiety-like behavior. This work is an important step in understanding how specific SCN neural activity disruptions affect depressive- and anxiety-related behavior
“First Amendment Rights and Expression: News and Views From Students on Information and Social Media in Schools.” In \u3cem\u3eAt the Schoolhouse Gate: Stakeholder Perceptions of First Amendment Rights and Responsibilities in U.S. Public Schools\u3c/em\u3e
No full textThe objective of this edited volume is to shed light upon K-12 perspectives of various school stakeholders in the current unique context of increasing political polarization and heightened teacher and student activism
Can you make this house a home? Are Black spaces enough to foster a sense of belonging at Ohio Wesleyan University?
Full text linkIn her seminal book, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”, Beverly Tatum explores among other issues, what it feels to be black and a minority in a society that sees Blacks. To quote Dubois, “as a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one\u27s souls by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” (Dubois, p.38). The purpose of this research is to investigate and explore the degree to which the House of Black Culture (HBC) serves as a space of belonging for BIPOC students at Ohio Wesleyan. In 1970, when the House of Black culture (HBC) was created, it was one of a handful of residential spaces that were solely for Black students. Now it remains the only Black residential space on Ohio Weslyan‘s campus. As cited above W.E.B Dubois is credited with the development of the term “double consciousness.” The term appeared in his acclaimed book, The Souls of Black Folk. Consistent with this theme, The House of Black Culture similarly provides a space where Black students feel safe and welcomed. The house allows Black students to free themselves from the “gaze” of White people and foster a sense of belonging at predominantly White institutions (PWI). Our research will document the lived experience of Black alumni using oral history traditions and interviews. It is our goal that this research sets foundations for any further research conducted on campus, illuminates the contributions and stories of Black students, makes HBC more visible, and tell the story of HBC through Black students
Brahma and the Problem of Popularity
Full text linkBrahma, the creator god, theoretically occupies a major position in Hinduism but, in practice, receives virtually no bhakti-style devotional worship. The study examines potential causes of Brahma’s lack of popular worship through analysis of existing scholarship, and through in-depth interviews with eight Hindus. These subjects were asked to give their own explanations and evaluate scholarly theories on Brahma’s unpopularity in devotional worship. Among scholarly theories, Km. Rajani Mishra\u27s states that after creation, Brahma has nothing to offer humanity, and argues that Brahma’s character was not compelling enough to retain followers. Alternatively, Greg Bailey suggests that Brahma’s role as creator ties him to pravṛttidharma, a worldly mindset that prevents him from granting salvation. The subject interviews indicate that Brahma is well respected, and the primary cause of his unpopularity remains unclear. Some saw him as subservient to other gods and thus undeserving of worship. Others stated, like Mishra, that Brahma has nothing to offer Hindus after creation. Bailey’s theory of pravṛttidharma was controversial, with some arguing that bhakti deities are based on tradition and not considerations of pravṛttidharma. Most subjects agreed that Brahma once possessed more followers. Some argued Brahma was subject to slander and his appealing characteristics were absorbed by other gods. Others speculated a historical disaster may have caused the cult’s deterioration. Still others argued that Brahma never had a widespread following. When combined with existing scholarship, the interviews suggest that unknown historical factors, along with Brahma’s position in mythology, resulted in his cult’s decline, but indicate that Brahma still enjoys considerable respect among most Hindus
Beautiful Dreamer. In \u3cem\u3eScreams from the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous\u3c/em\u3e
No full textScreams From the Dark is a chilling anthology featuring 29 all-original tales of monsters from bestselling and award-winning authors, edited by Ellen Datlow, one of the top editors in horror. From werewolves and vampires, to demons and aliens, the monster is one of the most recognizable figures in horror. But what makes something, or someone, monstrous? In Screams From the Dark, award-winning and up-and-coming authors like Stephen Graham Jones, Richard Kadrey, Cassandra Khaw, and Gemma Files attempt to answer this question. These stories run the gamut from traditional to modern, from mainstream to literary, from familiar monsters to the unknown and unimaginable. This bone-chilling collection has something to please--and spook--everyone, so lock your doors, turn off your lights, and try not to scream. Contributors include: Ian Rogers, Fran Wilde, Gemma Files, Daryl Gregory, Priya Sharma, Brian Hodge, Joyce Carol Oates, Indrapramit Das, Siobhan Carroll, Richard Kadrey, Norman Partridge, Garry Kilworth, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Chikodili Emelumadu, Glen Hirshberg, A. C. Wise, Stephen Graham Jones, Kaaron Warren, Livia Llewellyn, Carole Johnstone, Margo Lanagan, Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Evenson, Nathan Ballingrud, Cassandra Khaw, Laird Barron, Kristi DeMeester, Jeffrey Ford, and John Langan-- Provided by publishe
Subversive Representations in Tirso’s \u3cem\u3eAmazonas en las Indias\u3c/em\u3e
No full textThis article analyzes how the characters of the Amazons in Tirso de Molina’s Amazonas en las Indias (1635) recall the categorized distinction between the European ‘civilized’ man and the perceived ‘uncivilized’ Amerindian woman. It argues that the perceivable rudimentary façade usually ascribed to America and Amerindians contrasts with the sophisticated portrayal of Tirso’s characters and breaks discursive conventions in order to question the validity of these representations and conventional ideas about the American continent
Lake Salinization Drives Consistent Losses of Zooplankton Abundance and Diversity Across Coordinated Mesocosm Experiments.
No full textHuman-induced salinization increasingly threatens inland waters; yet we know little about the multifaceted response of lake communities to salt contamination. By conducting a coordinated mesocosm experiment of lake salinization across 16 sites in North America and Europe, we quantified the response of zooplankton abundance and (taxonomic and functional) community structure to a broad gradient of environmentally relevant chloride concentrations, ranging from 4 to ca. 1400 mg Cl− L−1. We found that crustaceans were distinctly more sensitive to elevated chloride than rotifers; yet, rotifers did not show compensatory abundance increases in response to crustacean declines. For crustaceans, our among-site comparisons indicate: (1) highly consistent decreases in abundance and taxon richness with salinity; (2) widespread chloride sensitivity across major taxonomic groups (Cladocera, Cyclopoida, and Calanoida); and (3) weaker loss of functional than taxonomic diversity. Overall, our study demonstrates that aggregate properties of zooplankton communities can be adversely affected at chloride concentrations relevant to anthropogenic salinization in lakes
“Challenging Deficit Thinking in Our Schools: It Starts During Educator Preparation.” In \u3cem\u3eHandbook of Research on Challenging Deficit Thinking for Exceptional Education Improvement\u3c/em\u3e
No full textThis book dissects the systems, processes, and practices that have led to the dehumanizing and traumatic experience of students with exceptionalities, as well as explicit practices, policy suggestions, and other strategies to mitigate current harm and eliminate it in the future -- Provided by publishe