Abstracts

Abstract

Scholars of childhood and youth have drawn our attention to the diverse ways Black and LGBTQ young people experience marginalization across intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality. However, our understandings of how parental concerns affect access to resources for racial and gender minority young people deserve further attention. In my research with LGBTQ African Americans in Birmingham Alabama, I found that parents and Black communities often perceived “gayness” as an additional obstacle for young people already highly policed, educationally stereotyped, and economically disadvantaged. These findings are compelling in that they show how the hopes and aspirations of parents together with racial marginalization experienced by African Americans more broadly, can distance LGBTQ young people from support and resources. In this paper, I examine the coming out narratives of three individuals to show how parents and communities working to counteract racial marginalization may create spaces of resource scarcity for LGBTQ children and youth. Examining the meanings and politics of gender identity for Black parents and communities contributes key insights into how intersections of race and gender impact experiences of childhood and access to LGBTQ resources for Black LGBTQ young people and their communities.How did Ottoman influence lead to the emergence of entrepreneurship among elites in Transjordan during the late Ottoman period? During the late Ottoman period, Britain and the Ottomans practiced capitalism and influenced changes in Transjordan, such as introducing private land ownership through the Ottoman Land Code of 1858. During the late Ottoman period, there was an economic transition from subsistence farming to large, for-profit farms, privately owned by elites. My research is a case study tracking the arrival of capitalism in the Eastern Mediterranean, and Ottoman influence in opening space for entrepreneurship, focusing on Transjordan. To measure my dependent variable, entrepreneurship, I adapted Rostow's Stages of Economic Development to measure entrepreneur-friendly conditions. To track my independent variable, Ottoman influence, I created a scale to search for mentions of Ottoman government actions. I conducted a thematic analysis of two case studies from Raouf Sa'd Abujaber's book Pioneers Over Jordan. My hypothesis was that by prioritizing farming over nomadic living, the Ottoman government created conditions that allowed elites in Jordan to become entrepreneurs. My analysis supported and expanded on my hypothesis, demonstrating that government influence and traditional practices cooperated to produce economic change.Phillipe Descola revolutionized the field of anthropology with his classificatory ontology. Borrowing the name from the longstanding philosophic school, Descola's ontology revolves around the conception of being, however, its definition is refined to how a culture perceives its own being in comparison to nonhuman beings. Descola's four ontological categories are based on whether a culture believes it has a corporeal sameness or a cognitive sameness with nonhuman beings. The categories refer to whether a culture believes it has both types of sameness, neither, or only one or the other. The category representing western ontological beliefs, naturalism, maintains we have a corporeal sameness with other beings through Darwinian evolution, but not a cognitive sameness, as we believe we have different brains and therefore different cognition. However, from within this framework, an anomalous internet subculture exists, a community built on a shared feeling of being in some way animal. They call themselves therians and have existed online since 1993. This paper utilizes Descola's categorization to analyze therians because their unique connection to nonhuman beings is uncharacteristic of naturalist cultures. As such, my thesis question was simple: how and where do therians fit within Descola's ontological classifications?Historical markers are important because they create cultural narratives and memories to educate the public about achievements of historic people that embody ideal cultural values, to inspire modern people to aspire to such accomplishments and take pride in their history. This paper reports the results of a form of activist archaeology involved in conducting critical feminist intersectional research to promote social justice in representations of America's heritage on historical markers in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Existing historical markers are very predominantly for sites associated with white men, with far fewer sites associated with minorities or women. The dominance of white men is masked by only labelling nonwhites and women. The inclusion of some new information on existing historical markers, and some new markers, is proposed to educate the public about more of the important historical achievements of minorities and women. Materially inscribing the landscape with the important heritage of marginalized groups re-enfranchises them of their powerful pasts and identities that have been largely erased from mainstream history. Historical markers can educate the public about historic minorities and women who worked for social justice in the past, empowering marginalized groups who are working for social justice today.In this cognitive-anthropological report, I analyze the differing philosophical framework which constructed Eastern languages like Chinese compared to those used in Western intellectual history. Despite China's heavy involvement with the West in recent times, it is a fairly new era in Chinese history as many years of its existence were spent in isolation, separated from the world. Rulers came and went and China stayed alone, developing its ideas and perspective with sparse modica of ideological influence from what would become the West. As utilized in the literature and poetry of Classical China, Literary Chinese shows a fundamentally different understanding of the world seemingly free of the dualism pervading Western thought. Ideas taken for granted in the West such as subject and object do not seem to be separate entities in the macrocosm of Chinese philosophy. Therefore the ontology of the language sets up those speaking it as a necessary symptom of Nature, not as a violation of it. Through looking at its history and syntax, I apply the perceivably alien notions of Literary Chinese to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and study its implications for a more acute interpretation of its thoughtform and of those who intellectually utilized the language.Scutellaria barbata (SB) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating liver, lung and colorectal cancers. We previously showed that SB inhibited pre-cancer foci formation in the colon of AOM-induced mice. Other researchers demonstrated their effects in regulation of various apoptotic enzymes and pathways. Glioblastoma is an aggressive and lethal tumor of the brain with few treatment options. In this study, the effects of aqueous extract of SB on the induction and modulation of apoptosis in glioblastoma U87-MG cells were assessed using the green/red/blue fluorescent Apoptosis/Necrosis Detection Kit and the Human Apoptosis Antibody Array - Membrane (43 Targets) test by the Abcam cooperation. Our data demonstrated that 3-hours of 4 mg/mL SB treatment induced a statistically higher percentage of apoptosis in U87-MG cells than 1 mg/mL of SB (74.0±2.0% > 55.5±5.5%, p < 0.05); while both were significantly different from the negative control with no apoptotic cells. Slightly less induction of apoptosis was obtained from 6-hours of 1 mg/mL and 4 mg/mL SB treatment with more necrotic cells (50.0±5%, 4.0±1.0% < 59.5±7.5%, 5.0±3.0%), respectively. Modulation of various apoptosis markers such as up-regulation of Bax, Bad, Caspase 3, p53; and down-regulation of Bcl-2 was also observed. These results suggest that SB contains phytochemicals which induce apoptosis in glioblastoma U87-MG cells by modulating these apoptotic markers.Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is among the most prevalent causes of cerebrovascular and neurological damage worldwide. Premorbid conditions such as tobacco smoking (TS) may exacerbate post-TBI brain damage and impact recovery due to vascular endothelial dysfunction as a result of TS content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress (OS) stimuli targeting the blood-brain barrier (BBB) endothelium. Herein, we validated the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the exacerbation of TBI following chronic TS exposure by studying key pathological parameters leading to loss of BBB function and integrity. Experiments were conducted on TS-exposed mBMEC-P5 induced by a valid in vitro TBI model and in vivo study was performed on TS-exposed male C57BL/6J mice, age range 6–8 weeks, induced by weight drop TBI model. Immunofluorescence, western blotting, and RT-PCR analyses were applied to assess the expression of Nrf2 (critical antioxidant transcription factor) as well as tight junction proteins including, ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-5. Intracellular ROS generation and the levels of inflammatory markers including NF-kB, PECAM-1, VCAM-1, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-? were also evaluated. The results revealed that TS significantly promoted increased inflammation, OS, and loss of BBB integrity in TBI when compared to TS-Free samples. BBB impairment and pro-inflammatory vascular responses induced by chronic TS exposure are likely responsible for the substantial exacerbation of post-TBI neurovascular and neurological damage.Carboxypeptidases are enzymes that remove C-terminal amino acids from proteins. Carboxypeptidase O (CPO) is a GPI-anchored enzyme that is found in the small intestine with a primary function to cleave C-terminal acidic amino acids. In mammals, CPO is found lacking a prodomain, in contrast to other closely related enzymes that require this. Four copies of the CPO gene have been found in Xenopus tropicalis, the tropical clawed frog. We wished to investigate the functionality of these four genes, and therefore gain insight into the role of CPO and the events following gene duplication. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that the proteins encoded by these X. tropicalis genes contained an ER signal peptide, a prodomain (in contrast to mammalian CPO), and three of the four were predicted to have a GPI anchor. Only one of these proteins was predicted to retain substrate specificity for acidic C-terminal amino acids. Western blotting analysis indicated that three of these genes were translated into protein in HEK293T cells. Enzyme activity was not detectable. In conclusion, only one of the four CPO genes in X. tropicalis maintains similar properties as mammalian CPO, although the functions of all await further analysis.Genes have been shown to impact drug performance and therefore it is essential to study this connection and apply it to personalized medicine. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is a common form of genetic variation which can impact patient response to drugs. SNPs vary by only one base pair which can be difficult to detect. We are developing a method to identify SNPs in the HFE gene. Alleles of the HFE gene have been shown to predict patient response to Humira treatment for Crohn's disease. One method to identify SNPs is high-resolution melt curve analysis. Theoretically, the alleles should melt at different rates and become distinguishable. To independently determine the SNP genotype, Sanger sequencing was used. We are investigating the impact of DNA fragment length, genomic DNA concentration and other factors in SNP determination by melt curve analysis. It is our goal that this experiment will become a course-based research experience for students in biology. We have concluded that longer fragments of amplified DNA (greater than 160 bp) produce melt curves that are indistinguishable for different genotypes.Scutellaria barbata (SB), a Chinese herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine has been known to contain anti-cancer properties. SB has been investigated as a potential treatment for multiple types of cancer including colon cancer, glioblastoma, and ovarian cancer. Breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-157, 93A, and 93B are drug-resistant APC-mutants. In this study, the effectiveness of SB in apoptotic modulation of breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-157, 93A, and 93B was investigated. Assessments were performed using green/red/blue fluorescent Apoptosis/Necrosis Detection Kit and the Human Apoptosis Antibody Array - Membrane (43 Targets) test by the Abcam cooperation. Our data demonstrated that 1-hour treatment with 2 mg aqueous extract of SB induced a statistically significant percentage of apoptosis in MDA-MB- 157 (46.5 ± 7.5% > 16%± 1.0% , p 0%, p 0%, p Modulation of various apoptosis markers such as pro-apoptotic Bad, Bax, p53; and anti-apoptotic markers BcL-2, p21, and FasL also observed. These results suggest that SB contains phytochemicals that induce apoptosis in MDA-MB-157, 93A, and 93B by modulating these pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins.Characterized by a high energy manic phase and a low energy depressive phase, bipolar disorder affects more than 45 million people globally. Current pharmaceutical treatments, valproate (VPA) and lithium (Li), treat the manic phase of bipolar disorder in part by decreasing the inositol levels of the phosphatidylinositol (PI) signaling pathway according to the inositol depletion hypothesis. Support for this hypothesis is seen in the lower cortical inositol levels in patients in the depressive phase of bipolar disorder and suicide victims. Two genes, inositol monophosphatase 2 (IMPA2) and inositol-3phosphate synthase 1 (ISYNA1), involved in de novo inositol biosynthesis have been implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. We seek to understand how inositol levels and the expression of IMPA2 and ISYNA1 differ between individuals with bipolar disorder types 1 and 2 compared with neurotypical. In this study, differences in inositol and IMPA2 and ISYNA1 gene expression levels in lymphocytes derived from subjects with bipolar disorder types 1, 2, and neurotypical were measured fluorometrically and by RT-qPCR respectively. Preliminary results suggest differential IMPA2 and ISYNA1 gene expression associated with bipolar disorder as well as differential IMPA2 and ISYNA1 gene expression between bipolar types 1 and 2.Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) challenge the classic static conception of protein structure and function. Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins are IDPs that mediate water interactions in seeds. The interactions between a protein's amino acid sequence and its solvent drive its folding. LEA proteins have an unusual amino acid composition which we hypothesized might drive conformational change in response to salt concentration. To test whether individual amino acids differ in their solvent association as salt concentration changes, we calculated Half-Sphere Exposures (HSE) of each amino acid from NMR Protein Data Bank files and plotted them against solvent salt concentration. The HSE of all amino acids decreased as salt concentration increased (12 of them significantly), indicating an overall loosening of proteins in high salt concentrations. Prevalence of an amino acid in LEA proteins was not predictive of a greater tendency to change solvent exposure in response to salt. However, different segments of one LEA protein were comprised of amino acids with significantly different variances in salt-induced changes in HSE. Overall, our results suggest that uniformity in response to salt concentration may be important in LEA function and solvent salt concentration determines solvent exposure and hence protein structure.The SARS-CoV-2 virus was first detected in China in 2019 and spread across the world to cause the global pandemic known as COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA enveloped virus belonging to the Coronaviridae family. It is highly contagious and causes illness with symptoms ranging from mild fever and shortness of breath, to, in more serious cases, acute respiratory failure and death. SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in wastewater. The MDEGLE SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance pilot project organized multiple institutions across Michigan, from colleges to health departments, to detect the circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within specific communities more rapidly. Wastewater samples were collected from different locations, but for this work, we focused on college dormitories. The virus was first concentrated by precipitation with PEG and NaCl. The RNA was then extracted from the resuspended viral pellet using a QIAGEN Kit. Viral RNA was detected using digital droplet quantitative PCR, or ddPCR using primers and probes generated from viral RNA. We compared our results with those from clinical tests, where available, and found broad agreement between these two testing methods. Future directions could include adapting this protocol for early detection of other viruses and infectious diseases.Maintaining internal homeostasis is a priority of every organism throughout life. Unfavorable conditions such as nutrient deprivation, heat, toxins and hypoxic stress prompt the organism to adapt and reestablish homeostasis in order to survive. In this module, students will be using a roundworm C. elegans to detect environmental stressors. C. elegans is an excellent model organism for such an assay because responses to diverse threats are coordinated by a hub protein, DAF-16. DAF-16 is normally dispersed throughout cytoplasm of intestinal cells. However, following exposure to harmful conditions, DAF-16 moves to the nucleus. The DAF-16 expression is easily observable because the intestine is one of the major organs that runs along the entire length of the transparent body. To visualize DAF-16 response to potential stressors, students will use the DAF-16::GFP strain in which DAF-16 protein is tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP). Thus, any harmful condition that prompts the organism to respond will be easily detected using a fluorescent microscope. The proposed assay will allow students to test stressors of interest, but also learn how biologists use GFP to track movement of proteins in an organism. The main goal of this module is to engage first-year students in discovery-based scientific research, enhance their learning experience and empower them to pursue more research opportunities.Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora Thunb.) is a non-native invasive shrub broadly distributed throughout the greater Midwest. Like many invasive species, multiflora rose (MR) colonizes a variety of habitats where it competes with and replaces native species. The goal of this research was to compare the growth rate of MR with co-habiting native shrubs in a variety of habitats at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute. Photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, and leaf chlorophyll content was measured for MR and two co-habiting native shrubs across a wide range of light intensities in meadow, old and young forests, to describe how effectively MR can compete compared with native shrubs. Our data shows the advantages MR has over both high light intensities with Black Cherry and low light intensities with Virginia Creeper, as well as its lack of advantage at very low light levels overall. These results indicate land managers might prioritize surveillance of high value landscapes with little or no MR infestation and higher incident light while first mitigating areas with less light where mitigation effort is more likely to be successful. Between regular burns, pesticide, and encouraging growth of overstory plants to shade MR to keep light levels low, mitigation of MR is possible.Trees are under strong selection to optimize water transport and self-support, particularly in crowded settings. However, tradeoffs exist between optimizing water transport or self-support, because one tissue (xylem) is responsible for both functions. Trees, therefore, need to optimize these functions while maintaining safety margins. One facet of this optimization is the architecture characteristic of each tree species that results from rates of taper and branching, and mass-dependent angle(s) of branching. These traits are plastic to varying degrees among species and hence responsive to environmental circumstance (e.g., crowding, wind, drought). All published research regarding tree architecture has involved destruction of trees or their limbs, a cumbersome if accurate approach that eliminates longitudinal study of a tree or forest stand. We studied tree architecture in a quarter-hectare plot in the GVSU Ravines in which 178 trees were mapped and photographed. Correlation and principle components analyses were used to investigate: (1) Does species dominance in the plot correspond to tree architecture or to a combination of architectural and anatomical traits? (2) Does architecture for the most common species in the plot differ in a consistent manner in response to crowding and architecture of neighbors?The woody component of a tree is a standing vascular system that must maximize growth through efficient conduction of water while supporting its mass. These abilities are determined by a species' architecture (rate and angles of branching and rate of taper) and microanatomy. How a species' anatomy and architecture integrate to determine its ecological distribution is poorly understood. One reason for this is that tree architecture has been studied exclusively through computer modeling and destructive studies in which one or numerous trees are injured or felled. Destructive methods generate precise data, but alter or destroy trees, eliminating the opportunity for long-term study. Thus, non-destructive approaches are needed. Towards that end, our lab has been using digital photography to study tree architecture for the past year. Here, we report on a destructive test of the precision of measurements acquired from digital photographs. A 73 ft (22.3m) red maple tree was photographed and felled in early January 2021. Correlations between photo-acquired and destructively-acquired measurements will be explored. Additionally, the architecture of the tree will be used to assess shifts in the optimization of hydraulic transport, ability to support vertical mass, and ability to support divergent branches, from trunk base to apex.How a tree species' anatomy dictates its architecture (i.e., rate and angle of branching and rate of branch taper) is poorly understood. Much is known about individual wood and leaf traits, however, study of how they integrate to determine a species' innate architecture and hence its generalized ability to compete through growth and tolerate stress from wind and snow is in its infancy. We investigated correspondence between anatomical and biophysical traits (e.g., vessel tube diameter and Young's Modulus of Elasticity, respectively) and the architectures of twelve species of trees occurring in Kent County, Michigan, including eleven native and one invasive species. Architectural data were collected from scaled photographs and anatomical and biophysical data was acquired from literature. Results from principle components analysis and correlation reveal ranked-trait combinations that correspond with - and thus likely dictate - tree architecture and species-specific abilities to compete through growth and tolerate stresses imposed by wind and drought. This study also provides a foundation for investigating the ability of these species to plastically respond to local conditions of competition and biophysical stresses.Attrition within the Management Information Systems (MIS) degree program continues to rise, despite the abundance of jobs in technical fields and reported 12% annual growth in computer and information systems positions, faster than the average for all other occupations. Many students who intend to major in MIS do not graduate from the program. This research addresses influences on student decisions to pursue, persist or leave the MIS program of study. Previous studies suggest self-efficacy, organizational culture, and other causal factors contribute to the attrition of MIS students. However, a general framework to explain the problem thoroughly has not been identified. A significant gap exists in theoretical framework utilizing qualitative methods to identify the influences on students with intent to study MIS. This study focuses on College of Business students with intention to study MIS at a public midwestern university. Fisher et al.'s model was modified to reflect four influences on student interest and confidence in MIS: role models, curriculum, learning environment, and ongoing reinforcement. The findings of this research assist in the development of the program and future students to decrease attrition and increase the number of students who persist through to graduation from the program.Starting a business based on technology licensed from a university can be a rewarding experience, both for the entrepreneur and for the faculty member on whose research the startup is based. To be successful, however, the startup will need to navigate and traverse many obstacles including: forming a founding team, licensing the technology, raising money, perfecting the technology and choosing a path to market. Startups are not only great vehicles for “transferring” research to the public—supporting a key mission of the university—but they can also employ former students and may generate substantial wealth for the researchers and for the university. But like most things, success is much harder than it appears. Most research professors lack the business experience to lead their companies. Often an experienced business person is hired as the founding CEO with the professors and graduate students as co-founders. The author has been a founder of several companies based on technologies licensed from Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois. In this talk, he will provide a roadmap of the myriad issues and tasks one will need to manage to launch a business based on university research.We use a mathematical model based on a multiple linear regression to investigate the influence of different factors (Option Difference between Calls and Puts, Volatility Index, Interest Rate on Required Reserves, 10-Year Treasury Minus 2-Year Treasury Spread, ICE BofA Option- Adjusted Spreads [OASs], Gold Currency, and Trade Weighted United States Dollar Index) to explain the variance in the closing price of the SPX. In our regressions, we find statistically significant relationships linking our independent variables to the closing price of the SPX on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The forecast error evaluations of our models suggest that investors can accurately predict financial markets to a certain extent.Religion is known to provide a sense of purpose to adherents (Krause & Hayward, 2012: Robbins & Francis, 2000). Having such a sense of purpose may affect an individual's life in many ways. This paper explores whether having a sense of religious purpose may translate into an increased likelihood of attempting to start a business. Entering self-employment is risky, as the income earned may be uncertain and new ventures are subject to high failure rates (Hyytinen et al., 2015). However, religious people may view starting and operating their own business as part of their vocation or purpose (Rietveld et al., 2014; Silk, 2007). This sense of purpose may give them the initiative required to attempt to start a new business. However, the impact that religious purpose has on engagement in entrepreneurship may vary based on an individual's religious commitment and specific religious tradition, and thus these interactions are examined as well. In order to test the proposed hypotheses, data are used from wave 4 of the Baylor Religion Survey.The workforce is changing as new employees enter the labor pool. Over the next ten years, up to 61 million people in the U.S. born after 1995 (i.e, Gen Z) will enter the workforce. Gen Z have unique characteristics, and human resource managers (HRM) need to be prepared for possible new hiring and training approaches. One of the most important issues facing HRM is employee retention (RET). RET is defined as the intention of employees to stay employed. RET is critical for organizational success due to the costs associated with hiring and training new workers, the loss of business continuity when employees leave (i.e., turnover), and the loss of productivity when employees leave. One strategy to increase RET is employee engagement (EE), because employees who are engaged have high intention to stay with the organization. According to current estimates, only about one-third of U.S. employees are engaged, thus there may be opportunities for HR managers and organizational leaders to increase EE in their human talent. The purpose of this study is to address the following research question: “How does Gen Z define employee engagement?” This question is timely in today's highly competitive global business market, especially with a multi-generational workforce.Amid the shift of home becoming the office for many professionals, the likelihood of it continuing to serve as not only the epicenter for workspaces, but also for education, exercise, nourishment and technology-based socialization is heightened, as individuals search for balance in addressing personal safety measures and societal responsibility. According to an analysis by the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics, since 2005, the number of jobs with remote work has increased 115% (Abrams, 2019). It has also been discovered that those who work from home tend to work more, with an average of an additional four hours of work logged per week. This is often a result of over-compensation to c