University of Northern Colorado AmeriCorps K2H Civic Futures

▪ The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) K2H Civic Futures program is an ongoing collaboration between the Office of Academic Community Engagement (ACE), AmeriCorps K2H Civic Futures (K2H) and Campus Compact of the Mountain West (CCMW). ▪ The program focuses on civic learning and engagement opportunities and skill development for students ranging from kindergarten through higher education (K2H). ▪ UNC Office of Academic Engagement is one of 12 partnerships within the state of Colorado in addition to numerous higher education institution collaborations across the United States. ▪ K2H Civic Futures is a federally funded AmeriCorps program through the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), administered by CCMW. ▪ Primary Goals of AmeriCorps K2H Civic Futures: 1) To create stronger partnership pipelines for civic learning and engagement between K-12 schools/districts and higher education institutions, and 2) provide direct civic learning and engagement youth within our K2H Public Achievement designated sites ▪ The Office of Academic Engagement with AmeriCorps K2H Civic Futures is collaborating with the Greeley-Evans School District 6 (D6) and the University Schools system. Our PA project begins Spring 2020

Composition I

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Vocal warm-up practices and perceptions in vocalists: a pilot survey

Vocal warm-up exercises are believed to contribute to the prevention of vocal fold injury in professional voice users. Professional singers and students of singing consider a regular vocal warm-up regimen essential. There is conflicting information in the vocal pedagogy literature about the most effective and widely used vocal warm-up exercises and the optimal frequency and duration of vocal warm-up sessions. The goal of this current study was to investigate the characteristics of vocal warm-up regimens in the singing community using a survey. One hundred seventeen participants completed the survey. Participants included voice students from undergraduate, masters, and doctoral music programs and professional singers. All participants reported using vocal warm-up prior to singing. Vocal cool-down was used following singing in 22.2% of the participants. The majority of participants (78.6%) used warm-up sessions of 5-20 minutes in duration. Despite using vocal warm-up, 25.6% of participants reported experiencing voice problems. The investigation of gender and education on frequency and duration of vocal warm-up sessions revealed that females warmed up significantly more frequently than males. There was no significant difference in duration of warm-up sessions between males and females. However, females tended to employ longer warm-up sessions than males. Education of the participants did not appear to have any significant effect on the vocal warm-up practices. The most commonly used singing warm-up exercises were ascending/descending 5-note scales, ascending/descending octave scales, legato arpeggios, and glissandi. Findings suggested a belief among singers that warming up improves voice quality and assists in prevention of vocal injury. Future studies are planned to investigate the effect of voice classification and singing styles on vocal warm-up practices

Synthesis, Stabilization, and Modification of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Biological Applications

Nanoparticles have become very useful as delivery systems in biomedicine. The nanoparticles can be layered with different compounds to produce a vessel for transport of biological materials. Specifically, gold nanoparticles layered with a reducing agent, lysozyme, and polyelectrolytes can be synthesized to transport lysozyme into a cell. However, zinc oxide nanoparticles are cheaper, biocompatible nanoparticles that can be used for the same process. Here in, zinc oxide nanoparticle conjugates were synthesized, modified, and analyzed to be used as a biological material delivery system. The zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using zinc chloride and sodium hydroxide. The particles were then layered using the layer-by-layer technique of adding each compound to the nanoparticle solution dropwise. Each deposition was bound by the interaction of the opposite charges of the compounds being added. The layers used were mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA), poly(ethylenimine) (PEI), polystryrene sulfonate (PSS), and RNA or lysozyme ordered specifically to have a high affinity for binding each layer. With each deposition added to the system, the following instruments were used to characterize the particles: Dynamic Light Scattering Spectroscopy (DLS) and Scanning Electrons Microscopy (SEM) for particle sizing, Electrophoretic Mobility (ELS) for zeta potential and surface charge, and UV-Vis spectrophotometer and FTIR spectroscopy for optical properties. Furthermore, after the layering process was completed, the biological material encapsulated was tested to assure its effectiveness once transported into the cell. This was completed using an enzymatic assay for lysozyme and an ethidium bromide assay for RNA. After characterization was completed, all three nanoparticle conjugates were concluded to be successfully synthesized

Primary breast lymphoma

AbstractWe report a case of primary breast lymphoma in a 75-year-old woman who noticed a lump in her right breast after trauma. Mammographic, ultrasonographic, and pathologic correlations are provided. The typical appearance of primary breast lymphoma on mammography is a solitary, uncalcified, circumscribed, or indistinctly marginated mass with adjacent lymphadenopathy. On ultrasound, primary breast lymphoma is usually hypoechoic with circumscribed or microlobulated margins demonstrating increased vascularity. The differential diagnosis for a mass with this appearance is discussed in detail and includes hematoma, abscess, primary breast lymphoma, invasive ductal carcinoma, phyllodes tumor, and metastatic disease

Rules, Roles, and Practices: Exploring School Social Worker Preparation for Practice

At present, there is significant variability in the United States in regards to pre-service education and licensing requirements for school social workers. Studies have suggested that this variability impacts practice and may limit perceptions of the profession. The state of New Mexico requires a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in order to practice as a school social worker but does not require any school-specific coursework, fieldwork, or training. This mixed-methods study describes findings from a survey of 84 school social workers in New Mexico which assessed perceptions of their preparation for practice. Quantitative survey items suggested that participants felt generally unprepared for practice when they began, although school-based fieldwork and supervision by a school social worker positively impacted perceived preparation. Open-ended survey responses outlined specific challenges practitioners faced as they entered the field, described training or experiences they felt could have mediated these challenges, and presented pathways for professional growth taken by school social workers once they were in the field. Findings suggest that lack of school-specific training in the pre-service and early-career phases of practice presented concerns for practitioners and should be an area of focused attention for social work educators, researchers, and policy makers