We know conferences can be exciting but also overwhelming at times. To support your well-being, a Quiet Room will be available throughout the day. This space is designed for quiet reflection, meditation, or simply taking a break.
Wild bird feeding is one of the few instances in which humans are able to connect with nature, especially as bird biodiversity continues declining and urban human populations keep increasing. There is currently limited scientific literature regarding the safety of commercial wild bird feed. Consequently, the potential risks associated with pesticide residues remain unknown. As a result, this study aims to perform a pesticide multiresidue analysis on commercially sold bird feed. Commercial bird seeds were bought from stores around Ithaca, New York. A total of N=68 bags from 23 products of bird seed were purchased. The seed types consisted of bird feed mixes(n=13), black oil sunflower seeds(n=14), and sunflower chips & hearts(n=15). Small samples from each bag were obtained for pesticide analysis. Our study revealed that some wild bird feed has residues from one or more of the 95 pesticides studied in the Cornell Chemical Ecology Core Facility. Our preliminary analysis detected fungicides and insecticides across the samples, with the synergist piperonyl butoxide appearing in most. Our result showcases that commercial birdfeed can contain residues that may be harmful to wild birds.
Limited English proficiency (LEP) and immigrant status may reduce access to and understanding of cancer information, contributing to health communication disparities. This study examined the associations between English proficiency, immigrant status, and cancer information seeking and comprehension among U.S. adults. Specifically, we assessed whether LEP and immigrant status were associated with lower confidence in obtaining cancer information and greater difficulty understanding it. We conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of data from the 2018 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5, Cycle 2), a nationally representative survey of 3,504 U.S. adults. Weighted descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses, including chi-square tests, independent-samples t tests, and one-way analyses of variance, were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. U.S.-born adults and those who reported speaking English very well had greater confidence in obtaining cancer information. In contrast, lower English proficiency was associated with greater difficulty understanding cancer information. These findings underscore the need for culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions to improve equitable access to cancer information.
Obesity is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation and extensive remodeling of adipose tissue, including changes to the extracellular matrix (ECM) that promote fibrosis, restrict adipocyte plasticity, and contribute to metabolic dysfunction. However, the structural changes in adipose ECM during diet-induced obesity remain incompletely understood.
This study investigated obesity-induced alterations in adipose ECM architecture using a diet-induced obesity mouse model. Male and female C57BL/6 mice were fed either a control chow diet or a high-fat diet to generate lean and obese cohorts. Epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) was collected and analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to visualize three-dimensional ECM organization.
SEM images were quantitatively analyzed for collagen fiber density, network organization, pore size, tissue porosity, collagen bundle thickness, alignment, and adipocyte organization. Compared with chow-fed controls, obese mice exhibited increased ECM deposition, denser and more disorganized collagen networks, reduced pore size, and decreased tissue porosity, consistent with fibrotic remodeling and the development of a stiffer ECM that may impair adipose tissue expansion.
These findings demonstrate that diet-induced obesity profoundly alters adipose ECM architecture, providing insight into the mechanisms of adipose fibrosis and identifying potential ECM-directed therapeutic targets to improve metabolic health and insulin sensitivity.
In the present study, weinvestigated the role of Black psychological empowerment (BPE) and liberation in fostering sociopolitical development among Black youth impacted by community violence. This study developed a measure of BPE based on Black youths’ reports of empowerment, racial identity, and sociopolitical leadership, informed by a literature review. Data were derived from the Youth Voices program evaluation as part of the Healthy Communities for Youth study (Lozada et al., 2025). The Youth Voices program included 115 Black youth, ages 14–18, in 9th–12th grade from communities affected by community violence. A convergent triangulation mixed-methods design was utilized to establish a multidimensional measure of BPE, examine whether BPE predicts critical consciousness and sociopolitical development, and examine youths’ narratives. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in four factors: Awareness and Motivation for Community Engagement (α = .85), Collective Action Beliefs (α = .84), Positive Racial Identity (α = .82), and Positive Self-Esteem/Self-Concept (α = .82). Regression analyses indicated that Collective Action Beliefs negatively predicted critical action (β = -.31, SE = 0.11, p = .005). Positive racial identity did not predict perceived inequality (β = -.05, SE = 0.20, p = .818). These findings suggest that certain dimensions of BPE relate to sociopolitical development.
Generation Z's luxury consumption is increasingly shaped by digital environments where social media influencers construct aspirational, identity-driven, and moral narratives surrounding luxury goods. This study investigates how influencer‑driven luxury messaging shapes Gen Z’s identity construction and emotional vulnerability, arguing that luxury goods now function as socio‑emotional resources rather than merely economic commodities. Guided by Consumer Behavior Theory, Parasocial Relationship Theory, and Critical Discourse Theory, the study examines how influencers use parasocial intimacy, comparison culture, and moralized branding to position luxury as attainable, meaningful, and central to belonging and self-expression. Using a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, the study first conducts a qualitative synthesis to identify key mechanisms underlying influencer-driven luxury consumption, including identity construction, luxury normalization, moral self-expression, parasocial trust, comparison culture, and social vulnerability. These qualitative insights will directly inform the development of a quantitative survey measuring how these constructs interact to shape Gen Z’s luxury motivations and emotional responses. The resulting conceptual framework positions luxury consumption as a socio‑emotional process embedded within digital influencer culture. This research contributes to emerging scholarship on Gen Z consumer behavior by clarifying the psychological mechanisms underlying influencer-mediated luxury consumption and identifying implications for ethical marketing, influencer accountability, and young consumers' emotional well-being.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) are two neurodegenerative diseases, among others, characterized by protein aggregation, specifically TDP-43 aggregation. Primarily, TDP-43 is localized in the nucleus, but research suggests that individuals with ALS and FTD show nuclear depletion and cytoplasmic aggregation of TDP-43 as well as sleep defects. In vitro experiments indicate the formation of stress granules (SGs), which are molecules that form when the cell is under stress and which are marked by G3BP1 in human cells. However, the mechanistic role and cellular implications of stress granule formation with respect to sleep deprivation and TDP-43 aggregation have not been fully explored in vivo. Here we use p62, ATG8a, TDP-43, and tubulin to investigate lysosomal activity in the presence of stress granules using Drosophila and iPSCs from human neuronal cells. In Drosophila, we found that TDP-43 overexpression induces sleep loss, and when the formation of stress granules is inhibited by the G3BP1 homolog Raspurin, sleep loss occurs even earlier. In human cells, we observed that stress granules inhibit lysosomal activity, which then inhibits the breakdown of TDP-43 in the cytoplasm.
This study explores the prevalence of moral injury among Alaskan clinicians through the lens of moral stress and moral distress. Alaskan clinicians face challenges to their professional resilience stemming from conflicts between duties and values, as well as structural constraints that limit their ability to care for patients. Moral stress and distress lead to psychological distress, poor patient outcomes, and increased burnout risk. This study seeks to answer whether: (1) Newer Alaska clinicians face greater moral stress than experienced clinicians; (2) Rural Alaska clinicians experience higher rates of moral stress than urban clinicians; and (3) Addressing ethical challenges from structural impediments in Alaska's healthcare system can lead to greater professional satisfaction and resilience. The research will be conducted in three stages: a literature review and semi-structured qualitative interviews (n=12-20 physicians) involving behavior-choice questions guided by Icek Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior. Third stage: Results will be coded using thematic analysis to identify the ethical challenges clinicians face and factors that would improve resilience. This first-of-its-kind study will map the phenomenon in Alaska and offer insights into professional resilience among Alaska clinicians. Findings will inform the development of resources and lay the groundwork for broader research among clinicians.
C. elegans are small, transparent nematode worms and are widely used as model organisms in biological research. Their utility stems from their simplicity and well-characterized biology. Most of the population are hermaphrodites, possessing both male and female reproductive organs, which facilitates self-fertilization. (males only make up about 0.2–0.5% in the wild) This reproductive capability, combined with a fixed number of cells, a fully sequenced genome, and a short life cycle, makes C. elegans ideal for studying gene function and development. In addition C. elegans possess the evolutionarily conserved Argonaute/PIWI proteins that interact with small RNAs such as piRNAs. These piRNAs play a critical role in reproductive stability, and their absence results in sterility since Piwi will be marked for degradation when a piRNA is not attached to it. This research aims to elucidate the mechanisms behind piRNA-related sterility and to explore methods of maintaining a stable Piwi Argonaute in their absence. Additionally, the study focuses on the role of lysine residues, which are known to be important for Piwi function, and their role in creating a stable Piwi Argonaute even when piRNAs are absent. In addition to testing the piRNA abundance in strains where different mutations are influencing their transcription.
This study analyzes the argument of artificial turf versus natural grass used in the NFL, addressing the rationale for the former. With a focus on Sport Administration, the research was composed of quantitative metrics and qualitative interpretation to bridge statistics with subjectivity. Data was collected from websites surrounding the NFL using secondary research then comparatively scrutinized. This framework addressed connections between the field materials, player and management dynamics, and marketability ambitions. Findings convey grass is better for athletes, establishing a campaign for its ubiquity at the professional level. Contrarily, results acknowledge turf’s benefits that warrant its use over grass, mandating further agricultural innovation for the latter to be predominant in the NFL. These outcomes provide support for grass to be standardized across sport leagues, challenging previous beliefs of turf’s capabilities in relation to grass. Overall, this study contributes to the advancement of player health and safety optimization across sports and offers practical implications for sport managers – including but not limited to commissioners, athletic trainers, coaches, and athletic directors. The findings highlight the importance of prioritizing players over profit, while also highlighting areas for future research, particularly in legal issues in sports and activity.
Incubation of Craving is cue induced craving that gets stroner overtime during abstinence. There are 2 types of abstinance : forced abstince and social based voluntary abstinance. In forced Abstinance rats are kept in their homecage, and incubation of craving increases with forced abstinence. For social based voluntary abstinence resident rats and partner rats press levers to socially interact, when compared with forced abstinence incubation of craving increases. In previous studies the Resident is the one to initiate social interaction while the partener is just there, but for our experiment the partner is the one to initiate social interaction we did this because we had a question "Is the Resident choices (social interaction or Drug) dependent on the partner's behavior. For our approach we had 5 days of mutuals social interaction, 14 days of self drug (heroin) administration, 1 test day of incubation, 14 days of voulntary abstinence, and 1 test day of incubation.
Attendees may decide to leave before or after and will be responsible for getting back to the hotel. There will be one bus for those needed accomodations.
