Senior Recital - Beth Foley

Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Educationhttps://digitalcommons.usu.edu/music_programs/1103/thumbnail.jp

Bleeding diathesis due to vitamin K deficiency in an infant with cystic fibrosis

AbstractWith the wide implementation of newborn screening for Cystic Fibrosis, infants are being diagnosed in the presymptomatic phase of the disease. Nutritional deficiencies (hypoalbuminemia) and fat soluble vitamins A, D and E deficiencies, due to pancreatic insufficiency and malabsorption, have been reported in the past at the time of diagnosis.1,2 Rarely, infants with CF present with severe bleeding disorder, secondary to vitamin K deficiency, in the first months of life.3 To our knowledge, this is the first case report illustrating bleeding diathesis in a one month old infant with CF. He was diagnosed by newborn screening and presented with a gastrointestinal bleeding due to vitamin K deficient coagulopathy

Engineering Fictions Handbox (Postcards) 2013

The Engineering Fictions Handbox 2013 is a small grey box containing an A5 booklet and 12 postcards. The EF Handbox offers readers a brief introduction to the concept behind the Engineering Fictions writing workshops, in the form of a FLUXUS style assemblage of text and image. The booklet provides a glossary of terms and writing constraints that emerged during the first year of Engineering Fictions in 2013, in the context of the telecommunications research centre CTVR, Dublin, Ireland. The postcards provide readers with an index of each of the Engineering Fictions workshops that took place in 2013. Engineering Fictions is a writing workshop created and hosted by Jessica Foley

Factorial Mendelian randomization: using genetic variants to assess interactions.

BACKGROUND: Factorial Mendelian randomization is the use of genetic variants to answer questions about interactions. Although the approach has been used in applied investigations, little methodological advice is available on how to design or perform a factorial Mendelian randomization analysis. Previous analyses have employed a 2 × 2 approach, using dichotomized genetic scores to divide the population into four subgroups as in a factorial randomized trial. METHODS: We describe two distinct contexts for factorial Mendelian randomization: investigating interactions between risk factors, and investigating interactions between pharmacological interventions on risk factors. We propose two-stage least squares methods using all available genetic variants and their interactions as instrumental variables, and using continuous genetic scores as instrumental variables rather than dichotomized scores. We illustrate our methods using data from UK Biobank to investigate the interaction between body mass index and alcohol consumption on systolic blood pressure. RESULTS: Simulated and real data show that efficiency is maximized using the full set of interactions between genetic variants as instruments. In the applied example, between 4- and 10-fold improvement in efficiency is demonstrated over the 2 × 2 approach. Analyses using continuous genetic scores are more efficient than those using dichotomized scores. Efficiency is improved by finding genetic variants that divide the population at a natural break in the distribution of the risk factor, or else divide the population into more equal-sized groups. CONCLUSIONS: Previous factorial Mendelian randomization analyses may have been underpowered. Efficiency can be improved by using all genetic variants and their interactions as instrumental variables, rather than the 2 × 2 approach

Effects of Ankle Taping on Postural Stability

Ankle taping is a common practice used to support the ankle joint after injury when engaging in activities. Balance is a crucial component of athletic performance that relies on input from the vestibular, somatosensory, and visual systems. Proprioception plays a role in the somatosensory portion of balance and postural control. Ankle taping, which is used to improve performance, may alter a person\u27s proprioception, balance, and postural control. The purpose of this study is to determine if ankle taping has an effect on postural control in an individual free of chronic or acute ankle dysfunction. Thirty-two subjects were tested on a balance assessment device in two different tests; the step quick-tum and the single leg stance. These tests were completed with the ankle taped and also without any tape, with the untaped ankle acting as a control. This study showed a significant increase in postural sway with ankle taping during unilateral stance with eyes closed. This study did reveal that there is less postural sway without ankle tape; however, further research is warranted to determine the full negative effects of ankle taping on postural sway with eyes closed. Based on the results, the physical therapist can address the potential for decreased postural control while using ankle taping following an ankle sprain or instability problem

Diets of gray (Halichoerus grypus) and harp (Pagophilus groenlandicus) seals in Newfoundland waters using hard-part and molecular analyses

I examined the diet of gray (Halichoerus grypus) and harp (Pagophilus groenlandicus) seals using: hard-part analysis (HPA; subdivided into stomach and intestine) and a multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. Through these methods, I looked at harp and gray seal diet in Newfoundland waters, investigated otolith passage rates within the digestive tract, and developed a multiplex PCR technique to compare with HPA to further investigate biases associated with diet reconstruction based on HPA. Both techniques provided evidence for retention of large prey and faster passage of smaller pray. I conclude that otoliths of different sizes and thicknesses are affected by digestion differently; I suggest that HPA should be conducted using samples from both the stomach and intestine, and that it should be used in conjunction with other methods of diet analysis like PCR as this may give a better idea of the diet, and prey sizes consumed

USING AN INDIVIDUAL BASED MODEL TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE REPRODUCTIVE PHENOLOGY OF EELGRASS (ZOSTERA MARINA L.) ALONG A LATITUDINAL GRADIENT

I explored the effects of climate change on the reproductive biology of the clonal marine angiosperm Zostera marina L. (eelgrass) using an individual-based model. The model captures whole plant ontogeny, morphology, and ecophysiology from seed to reproductive adult to simulate the plasticity of eelgrass in response to environmental variables. Using a latitudinal gradient as a proxy for climate change, virtual seeding experiments were performed in three locations along the East coast of the United States. I simulated the impacts of increased temperatures on Z. marina’s biomass, reproductive phenology, and life history. Warmer temperatures resulted in a modeled decrease of Z. marina’s total biomass, as well as altered reproductive timing and strategy. These results have implications for long term predictions of Z. marina persistence in its traditional biogeographic range, and indicate adaptation via shifts in phenology and reproductive strategy may interact to dampen some negative consequences of increased temperatures

The importance of understanding Indigenous employment in the Indigenous business sector

Indigenous employment has been the subject of numerous policies in Australia, with governments aiming to increase the workforce participation rate amongst Indigenous people in recent years. Indigenous-owned businesses, formally defined as businesses that are at least 50% Indigenous-owned, have been demonstrated in previous research to maintain substantially higher levels of proportional Indigenous employment than non-Indigenous businesses. This suggests that Indigenous-owned businesses maintain work environments that are more supportive of and conducive to Indigenous employment, meriting the influence of Indigenous-owned businesses' workplace practices in future Indigenous employment policy design. Using administrative data from two Indigenous business registries (Black Business Finder and Supply Nation), this paper provides an updated empirical analysis of the Indigenous business sector. This paper demonstrates that Indigenous-owned businesses of all sizes, industries, locations and profit statuses consistently average proportional Indigenous employment rates higher than the Indigenous proportional population. Of all the people employed in Supply Nation-listed businesses, over 35% are Indigenous. The potential impact of the Indigenous Procurement Policy is illustrated by differentials in the size of businesses and their capacity to employ Indigenous staff. This paper provides analysis of the Indigenous business sector that can inform future policy direction for both Indigenous employment and Indigenous business policies. © 2023 The Authors. Australian Journal of Social Issues published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Social Policy Association

Interfaith Dialogue: The Art of Listening

The political climate and discourse during the 2016 presidential campaign was divisive and unwelcoming of refugees, immigrants, Muslims, and other religious minorities. This toxic atmosphere was reflected on college and university campuses throughout the country. At Westfield State University, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim students were the targets of verbal attacks, prejudice, and disrespect. The Muslim students, in particular, were afraid to walk around campus and attend their classes. The Interfaith Chaplains Council, along with the Interfaith Advisory Council comprised of faculty, staff, and students, met to discuss the current concerns of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim students, and collaborated to create a listening event based on the World Café model. This article addresses listening as a contemplative practice for building just communities and shares the process that went into the creation of the “Interfaith Dialogue: The Art of Listening” event, as well as participants’ responses to the event