River Revive

Introduction: The health of our waters is one of the most significant factors in the health of our planet, and ultimately, the health of our bodies. Keeping our waters clean directly correlates to keeping ourselves healthy. The problem is that so many people hold the belief that their actions don’t truly make a difference, or that they cannot make a meaningful impact as an individual. This is simply not true, and the health of our ecosystems is directly impacted by this mindset. Where there’s a problem, there is an opportunity to create a solution. In this instance, the opportunity is to create a fun way to inspire individuals to get involved and help them to realize that they can make a difference. In comes River Revive, an Columbus-based organization and online platform designed to inspire young adults to engage in environmental conservation and connect them with the resources to take action in their local community. Methods: In terms of primary research, I sent out a survey in order to get a feel for people’s thoughts and habits in relation to environmental efforts. For secondary, I reviewed some literature on the topic and did a media scan and competitive comparison. From there, I developed my designs based on my insights, putting emphasis on aspects such as environmental importance and sense of community. Results: My final media for River Revive took the form of a website, social media page, and material applications all branded within the identity that I created for the organization. Conclusion: River Revive creates a way to engage the people of Columbus in doing something good for our city, and encourages them to continue helping the environment in other ways.No embargoAcademic Major: Visual Communication Desig

Exploring the Role of Depression in Emotional Prosody Recognition Deficits

Research suggests that those with depression may have difficulty in recognizing the emotions of others. These studies have examined this relationship using only facial expressions as stimuli to convey emotion. The current study examines how individuals with depression symptoms are able to recognize emotions by the prosody of speech. It was expected that the relationship would align with past research. Participants first completed a task in which they had to identify the emotions they heard in prerecorded, semantically neutral sentences. The emotions used included joy, sadness, anger, surprise, and neutral. Next, participants completed the PHQ-9, a tool used to assess depression symptoms. To assess the strength and direction of the linear relationship between PHQ-9 score and accuracy on the emotion identification task, a Pearson correlation analysis was conducted. Consistent with past studies, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between depression symptoms and accuracy on the prosody task. Participants who scored higher on the PHQ-9 had lower accuracy on the emotion identification task. This result suggests that depressed individuals exhibit a similar emotion recognition deficit for speech prosody as for facial expressions. However, these findings only reflect the existence of a general deficit in prosodic emotion recognition. Further research should explore potential impacts of this deficit, as well as the interaction between prosody and facial expressions.No embargoAcademic Major: Psycholog

Artelier

Introduction: Using the concept of humanistic art therapy to design a comprehensive toolkit for self-guided and therapeutic art activities. It is meant for adolescents age 11-19. Its purpose is to provide adolescents with a structured yet flexible space to explore cultural identity through creative, mindful activities. The toolkit will help adolescents bridge cultural gaps, foster self-acceptance, and alleviate stress or anxiety related to identity confusion. Methods: I used both primary and secondary research methods such as interviews, media scans, literature reviews, user personas, and user journey maps. These methods helped shape the design and content of the toolkit. It also offers a glimpse into how different personas might engage with the product. Results/Current status: This art therapy toolkit is designed to give adolescents a creative space to explore their cultural identity while supporting their emotional well-being. With a focus on creativity and mindfulness, it helps young people navigate identity challenges, build self-acceptance, and manage stress. Through research and thoughtful design, the toolkit combines fun, therapeutic activities in a way that feels empathetic and approachable. As it stands, the toolkit is a helpful resource, but there’s always room to grow, whether its by expanding to other age groups or tailoring it to different cultural contexts. It’s a tool that can continue to support personal growth and self-expression for many people. Conclusions: After creating a brand identity that feels educational, light-hearted, relaxing, and empathetic, the following design solutions were implemented: physical toolkit packaging, toolkit contents and materials, brand explanation video, 2 fully developed webpages for a website, and promotional merchandise. The toolkit contains an introduction pamphlet, reflection journal, instructional guide and art supplies.No embargoAcademic Major: Visual Communication Desig

Ensnared in the Thorns of Psychiatry: Experiences of a Black girl in an American Psychiatric Ward—An Autoethnography

Since the corrosive inception of the United States, Black Americans have been duplicitously subjected to carceral violence; carceral institutions act as epicenters of state surveillance, isolation, violence, control, and labor. The assertion that American psychiatric wards are carceral may appear to be disillusioned, however the evidence of their carcerality lies within the very architectural designs of these institutions. Both the design and control systems of American psychiatric wards are akin to those of America’s notoriously abusive prisons. Psychiatric institutions have historically been used to intimidate, subjugate and oppress Black American communities. Psychiatric institutionalization acts as a method of mass incarceration to disappear populations. Due to harmful and institutionalized ideologies such as carceral sanism, ableism, racism, and sexism, the abusive experiences of institutionalized Black patients are frequently unheard or silenced and thereby unaddressed. This paper employs autoethnography to analyze, examine, articulate, and derive meaning from my experience, as a young Black woman, in an American psychiatric ward. Furthermore, this paper strives to bring visibility to a largely silenced issue, psychiatric violence, that is undergirded by a tenacious web of oppression.No embargoAcademic Major: Medical AnthropologyAcademic Major: Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studie

Peripartum opioid exposure impaired maternal behavior, increased inflammatory gene expression, and reduced perineuronal nets in the maternal brain network

7% of pregnant people use opioids. Peripartum opioid use can cause preterm labor, preeclampsia, or pregnancy loss, and opioid withdrawal syndrome in infants. Opioid users are recommended to use medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), commonly buprenorphine, rather than abstaining, to avoid withdrawal and relapse. Little research has explored the impact opioids and MOUD have on the highly-plastic maternal brain. Opioids have well-established effects on immune signaling in the brain, and we have established that neuroimmune alterations contribute to maternal behavior. Opioids may thus influence the maternal brain by shifting neuroimmune function. We used a rodent model to test how chronic peripartum opioid or MOUD impacted maternal behavior and neuroinflammatory markers. We also examined perineuronal nets (PNNs), extracellular matrix proteins that regulate neuroplasticity. PNNs fluctuate in the maternal brain, and their expression is known to be impacted by opioid exposure and immune activity. PNN fluctuation can be regulated by the action of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are proteases that can break down ECM components. Female rats were treated with vehicle (VEH), buprenorphine (BUP; 0.3mg/kg/day), or oxycodone (OXY; 10mg/kg/day) prior to pregnancy, throughout pregnancy, and in the postpartum period. We found that opioid mothers displayed deficits in maternal behavior in a pup retrieval task. PNNs were labeled via immunofluorescence across maternal brain regions including: prelimbic prefrontal cortex (plPFC), infralimbic prefrontal cortex (ilPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), motor cortex (mCTX), dorsal hippocampus (dHPC), amygdala (AMY), and periaqueductal gray (PAG). PNNs decreased in plPFC, ilPFC, OFC, CA2 subregion of dHPC, and PAG in opioid-treated mothers compared to VEH, but no differences were observed in AMY, mCTX, or CA3 and DG subregions of dHPC. Immunerelated transcripts that modulate PNNs, including IL33, MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1, and TLR2, were analyzed via qPCR. In the PFC, MMP2 increased in BUP mothers compared to VEH. In the PAG, TLR2 decreased in BUP mothers compared to VEH. No changes were detected in the AMY. These novel peripartum opioid-induced changes PNN expression and immune signaling in the PFC and PAG could contribute to changes in neural plasticity and behavioral deficits associated with peripartum opioid use, which we will examine in future work.Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP)No embargoAcademic Major: Neuroscienc

Scrap Theory: Reproductive Injustice in the Black Feminist Imagination

Introduction: Black maternal dispossession in the age of Black Lives Matter -- The fictional archive of disappearance -- Margaret Walker, Jubilee, and the fight for Black feminist historicity in Alexander v. Haley -- The corporal archive of separation in contemporary Black women's cultural production -- Refused memorials and the Black feminist archival praxis of Samaria Rice -- Conclusion: The Black maternal superbody -- Epilogue: The infinitude of Black motherhood.Item embargoed for three year

Using Anti-Xa Levels to Provide Efficient Care in Patients Post-Bariatric Procedure: A Quality Improvement Project

Background: Post-bariatric procedure patients are at risk for complications, such as venous thromboembolisms (VTEs). To mitigate this risk, enoxaparin, an anticoagulant is given to patients directly following their surgical procedure. Despite the widespread practice, there is currently a lack of standardization on enoxaparin dosing and the timing of obtaining Anti-factor Xa assay (anti-Xa) to ensure proper dosing. Objective: The purpose of this pilot project was to standardize post-procedure protocol based on best practice evidence for enoxaparin dosing and optimal timing for checking anti-Xa levels in post-bariatric surgery patients. Setting: Community hospital, public practice Methods: Forty milligrams of enoxaparin was given post-procedure and patients began a regimen of two doses daily twelve hours apart. Anti-Xa levels were checked 3 to 5 hours after administering the second dose. Anti-Xa levels, post- procedure complications and length of stay were evaluated over a six-week timeframe. Results: A total of 22 patients were included in the project. The average anti-Xa level for this sample was 0.23, which is considered therapeutic. There were two post-op complications, which consisted of a splenic laceration and gastrointestinal bleed. Length of hospital stay went from 1.8 to 1.7 days. Three patient’s enoxaparin regimens were able to be adjusted due to their anti-Xa level not being therapeutic, which resulted in no post-op complications. Conclusions: This project’s intervention decreased length of hospital stay. By checking lab levels sooner, enoxaparin regimens can be adjusted to prevent complications. Additional data should be gathered to understand the effect on post-op complications and bleeding events.A five-year embargo was granted for this item

Developing Digital Resources for Place-Based Learning in Grades 6-8: A Columbus City Schools Partnership

Course Code: ENR 4900.01This project is part of a multi-group pilot partnership with Columbus City Schools to introduce place-based, outdoor learning activities to aid in instruction of grades 6-8 natural science learning standards. The overarching goal of the Urban Eco-Explorers program is to foster positive, educational experiences for kids regardless of where they live in the city. This report specifically addresses the work done to create teacher-facing resources, or the tools needed to administer the activities. This report showcases the creation of site-specific school maps for each activity and the development of a website created in collaboration with the Eco-Explorers curriculum groups to showcase their activities and lesson plans.Academic Major: Natural Resource ManagementAcademic Major: Environmental ScienceAcademic Major: Environmental Policy and Decision Makin

Identifying Escaped Members of Young Open Clusters

Identifying escaped members of open clusters provides insight into how stars join the field, but this task is challenging because escaped members are vastly outnumbered by field stars. I investigated the effect of including signs of youth in membership probability calculations to determine whether this information could identify escaped members. I focused on two young clusters: α Persei, a high proper motion cluster, and IC 4665, a low proper motion cluster. Using Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise, I calculated membership probabilities including only proper motion and distance information, then repeated the calculation including color and magnitude information. In α Persei, I investigated how membership probability correlated with Hα emission with data from a 2023 survey conducted at MDM and calculated updated membership probabilities. Adding color and magnitude information promoted many low-mass stars to membership in IC 4665, but fewer stars were promoted in α Persei because PD and PDCM membership probabilities were correlated in α Persei. 85% of likely α Persei members had Hα emission, so assuming 25% of field stars are Hα emitters, adding this information raises membership probabilities. This shows adding signs of youth can identify escaped members of these clusters.No embargoAcademic Major: Astronomy and AstrophysicsAcademic Major: Physic

First Measurement of Anisotropy with Stellar Intensity Interferometry and Associated Improvements to the VERITAS-SII Analysis

This thesis presents an angular measurement of gamma Cassiopeiae using stellar intensity interferometry (SII) at VERITAS, the first successful measurement of the oblateness and orientation of a star with this technique. Gamma Cas is a rapidly rotating Be type star, spinning near its breakup velocity. Because of its extreme rotation speed, it has an oblate shape and a decretion disk of emitted material near its equator. We measure a major/minor axis ratio of 1.28 +/- 0.04, position angle 116 +/- 4 degrees, and minor axis angular diameter of 0.43 +/- 0.02 mas with a simple analytic uniform ellipse fit. By comparing the data with more complex stellar models, we measure an equatorial diameter of 0.605 (+0.041/-0.034) mas, rotational velocity 98.9 +/- 0.6% of breakup, and position angle 115 +/- 2 degrees. These agree well with expectations. This thesis also describes the general VERITAS-SII analysis with detailed improvements to measure gamma Cas, studies for understanding the random correlated background of the correlation function and its implications for SII measurements, and future plans for SII.No embargoAcademic Major: PhysicsAcademic Major: Astronomy and Astrophysic