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Saving the World Through Sewing04/05/2018The name of the project being developed is called “Saving the World Through Sewing”. My group is developing this project to inspire others to recycle and use their old items to create something new. In fashion, there is a lot of fabric waste. We wish to use fabric from old clothing items to either weave or sew fabric together to make a new fabric for recycled furniture. This project will encourage creative thinking by showing my fellow college students that is possible to save the world though recycling. Students will hopefully be careful about purchasing goods from companies who choose to waste fabric and other goods that can be harmful to the earth and the creatures who live upon it. They will hopefully recycle old things and turn them into something new. “The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, in terms of carbon emissions, the amount of clothing already recycled each year is equivalent to taking one million cars off the road. But Americans still throw away 13 million tons of textiles — about 85 percent of their clothes — each year, accounting for 9 percent of total non-recycled waste.” (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-to-stop-13-million-tons-of-clot…) |
Role of Hemoglobin in the Nucleus of Neurons04/05/2018Expression of hemoglobin has been found to be expressed in neurons in both humans and rodents. In certain parts of the brain, specifically in the cortex, hippocampus, and substantia nigra, hemoglobin alpha and beta subunit mRNAs and proteins have been found. Both of the hemoglobin subunits, Hba and Hbb, are localized in the cytoplasm but only Hbb is found in the nucleus. Another study found that Hba immunoreactivity in mouse neurons from the cortical and hippocampal neurons in axons and dendrites but observed no Hba in the nucleus. We identified Hbb interacting proteins by performing co-immunoprecipitation and then liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results of the co-IP and LC-MS showed there is a relationship between Hbb and both mitochondrial and nuclear proteins including histones in both rat and human brain primary neurons. Combining the results of our research with previous studies show promising results that could reveal how the expression of hemoglobin and the localization of hemoglobin in the brain changes with different environment conditions. These findings are important to understand the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Parkinson’s disease because each disease has been linked to the misexpression or subcellular localization of neuronal hemoglobin. To better understand the consequences of altered hemoglobin I am studying hemoglobin subcellular localization and the effects of inflammation. |
Reducing Food and Housing Insecurity at Kent State04/05/2018Public Health students in the Public Health Interventions I class at Kent State University took the initiative to understand the issue of housing insecurity and hunger at and around Kent State. We were surprised at the extent of the problem, and decided to host an event at the campus student center to create awareness. We hoped to motivate action by passing out paper bags filled with information regarding hunger and a small snack. We took pictures to post on our various social media pages to spread the word, and came up with the hashtag fight fhi, or fight food and housing insecurity. The results of our initiative showed us that food insecurity is more common that we realized, and we can no longer stay quiet about this threat to public health. |
Re-Use-A-Bowl04/05/2018One of the biggest issues on college campuses are waste that is being put into landfills by students and faculty. This trash greatly damages our environment. As a solution, Re-use-a-bowl is a new, green way to get meals at Kent State University dining halls. Currently, students use cardboard takeout containers to get food. After finishing the food, students throw away containers in a trash can already full of other containers. Instead of using disposable cardboard boxes, students can use plastic containers and reuse them. The Re-use-a-bowl plastic containers are easily washable and will undoubtedly help the environment and the local Kent community. The Re-use-a-bowl containers will also greatly reduce trash at Kent State University and save thousands of dollars within the first year of switching. |
RACK1 regulates axon outgrowth and point contact formation through local translation in developing neurons04/05/2018During development, neurons must extend processes and make connections with their appropriate targets. This process is dependent on multiple molecular and cellular mechanisms, and if disrupted, neurodevelopmental disorders can result. We previously demonstrated that Receptor for activated C kinase (RACK1), a ribosomal scaffolding protein, regulates the adhesion and motility of developing neurons through its regulation of point contacts, adhesion points located in the tips of pathfinding axons. Furthemore, RACK1 regulates the local translation of β-actin mRNA, which is necessary for appropriate axon guidance. However, RACK1 has multiple signaling and ribosomal functions, and how the ribosomal binding function of RACK1 contributes to neural development is unknown, Thus, we specifically investigated the ribosomal binding function of RACK1 in point contact formation, axonal outgrowth, and local translation. We overexpressed RACK1-WT, RACK1-DE (a mutant form of RACK1 that cannot bind ribosomes) or a control construct in embryonic mouse cortical neurons. Immunocytochemistry was performed, followed by quantification of point contact formation, axon outgrowth, and local translation of β-actin. Overexpression of RACK1-DE inhibited BDNF-induced point contact formation, and also led to a significant decrease in axonal outgrowth. We are currently examining whether �-actin protein levels decrease following overexpression of RACK1-DE; this is expected because RACK1 mediates the local translation of �-actin. Together, these experiments show that local translation mediated by RACK1 regulates adhesion and axon outgrowth in the developing nervous system. We previously identified aberrant expression of RACK1 in Down syndrome, and thus these results have implications for the pathogenesis of this neurodevelopmental disorder. |
Queer and Black: How Black LGBT Students Navigate Life04/05/2018This study will explore how young queer black students conceptualize their blackness in relation to other aspects of their identity. We will conduct in-depth interviews with several university students between the ages of 18 and 24 who self-identify as Black and as members of the LGBTQ+ community. There is a lot of discrimination in the Black community towards Black people who identify as LGBTQ+; the high levels of religiosity present in Black culture (Sherkat, 2002) as well as the emphasis on preserving Black male masculinity in the face of dehumanizing and emasculating oppression (Kilanski, 2003; Riggs et. al. 2004) contributes to the homophobia. As a result, homophobia has remained prevalent in many Black spaces, a fact which alienates Black LGBTQ+ members. However, while many non-Black LGBTQ+ people can find safety and acceptance within the LGBTQ+ community, there is still an element of racism that exists within the LGBTQ+ community which still ostracizes Black members. Queer Black youths must then navigate these two communities which often oppose each other and the youths themselves. Through this study we hope to understand this process of navigation and how it affects their identity, experiences, and worldviews. |
Qualitative Analysis of College Men's Perceptions of Sex04/05/2018Objective: The goal of this study is to use qualitative analysis to explore college men’s understanding and perceptions of sexual activity. Background: College is understood to be a time for young adults to gain independence and explore new aspects and activities of life, including relationships and sexual activities. One problematic outcome of this exploration is sexual violence; 25% of college men perpetrate sexual violence of some type. To better understand the causes and experience of sexual violence, it is important to understand the way college men perceive sex and sexual activities. Subjects: The participants recruited were Kent State college men, n = 472. Methods: Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) was used to code college men’s responses to two questions: “How would you define sexual activity?” and “What does it mean to have sex?” Results: Nine major themes emerged: Methods, Language/Communications, Reasons for Sex, People Involved in Sex, Outcomes/Consequences, Experiential, Assumptions of Sex, Male-Centric View, and Imperatives. Each of these main themes contains multiple sub-themes. Discussion/ Conclusion: The emergence of multiple themes indicates the complexity of college men’s thinking regarding sexual activity. One of the major themes that emerged is male-centric thinking, which is characterized by responses placing emphasis only on the participants’s experience of sex and lacking prioritization of their partner’s sexual experience . This lack of prioritization could be a possible explanation for what attitudes lead to the behavior of sexual violence perpetrated by college men. |
Pyrite Morphology, Texture, and Trace Metals Across a Weathering Profile (from Parent Rock to Soil) of Ohio Coal Shales04/05/2018Acid mine drainage refers to the acidic outflow of water from a mining site caused by the weathering of pyrite, FeS2, which is present in coal. Oxidation of pyrite, within underground mine work and surface waste, releases sulfuric acid and metals, such as nickel, cobalt, arsenic, and lead into surface and subsurface waters. AMD negatively impacts water quality, wildlife, and human health. The aim of this study was to determine changes in pyrite particle size, morphology, texture, and composition during the weathering of the parent coal-shale rock. This was accomplished by collecting scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) element maps of pyrite in the following materials: (1) the parent coal-shale rock; (2) rock powder before and after simulated weathering; and (3) soils developing on historic mine waste. Shale samples were crushed to 63, 250, and 2000 µm and subjected to an artificial weathering process over several months to observe if particle size impacted the degree of weathering and its effect on mineral morphology. Soils were collected at various depths and prepared as thin sections. The commonest morphologies and textures seen were framboidal, octahedral, porous, oxidation rims, and replacement textures. Oxidation rim textures are most abundant in the soils. Iron and sulfur oxide concentrations observed over a range of particle sizes (1 µm to 2000 µm) and surface topographies (uniform to highly variable) indicate that oxidation increases as particle size decreases. Preliminary results suggest the release of AMD worsens as topography and particle surface area increase. |
Promoting Exercise by Exploring Expectations of and Desire for Physical and Mental Affective Benefits04/05/2018Prior research has demonstrated that inducing positive expectations of exercise (e.g., that exercise can make people feel better mentally or improve mood) can lead to greater self-reported exercise intentions and behavior. We expanded upon these findings by making a distinction between affect that is experienced mentally (e.g., feel better mentally) versus physically (e.g., bodies feel better) and affect high (e.g., energized) versus low (e.g., calm) in arousal. We examined whether messages that described different types of affective benefits led to greater intentions to exercise, compared to information about health benefits (the control conditions), and further hypothesized that affect experienced mentally versus physically would lead to higher intentions. Participants were 323 adults recruited online through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions in a 3 (expectation: positive affect low arousal vs. positive affect high arousal vs. health benefits) x 2 (type of benefit: mental vs. physical) design. Contrary to our hypotheses, we did not find any differences in intentions to exercise across groups. We did find that participants in the physical benefit conditions reported lower expected fatigue after exercising than the mental benefit conditions. The main effects and interactions on other outcomes of interest were nonsignificant. The null results may have occurred if our manipulation was not strong enough and participants were not sufficiently engaged due to the online nature of the study. It is also possible that these distinctions between affect do not actually influence intentions to exercise. |
Phase Separation in Necrotic Cells04/05/2018Necrotic cells are known to develop characteristic membrane blebs. We measured the protein concentration within necrotic blebs and found that it can be reduced by as much as twenty-fold compared to the main cell body (CB). These results raise two questions: 1. Why do proteins vacate the bleb? and 2. How can osmotic equilibrium be maintained between the bleb and CB? Our photobleaching and ultracentrifugation experiments indicate extensive protein aggregation. We hypothesize that protein aggregation within the CB shifts the chemical equilibrium and draws proteins out of the bleb; at the same time, aggregation reduces the effective molar concentration of protein in the CB, so that osmotic equilibrium between high-protein CB and low-protein necrotic blebs becomes possible. |