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This century has brought about incredible advancements in technology and academia, changing the workforce and the future leaders that will drive it: students. However, the integration of digital literacy and digital tools in many United States K\u201412 schools is often overlooked. Through "Exploring the Digital World," students, parents, and teachers can follow the creatures of this story-driven program as they learn the importance of digital literacy in the 21st century.
ContributorsRaiton, Joseph Michael (Author) / Fehler, Michelle (Thesis director) / Heywood, William (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Reproductive hormones are recognized for their diverse functions beyond reproduction itself, including a vital role in brain organization, structure, and function throughout the lifespan. From puberty to reproductive senescence, the female is characterized by inherent responsiveness to hormonal cyclicity. For most women, a natural transition to menopause occurs in midlife, wherein the endogenous hormonal milieu undergoes significant changes and marks the end of the reproductive life stage. Although most women experience natural menopause, many women will undergo gynecological surgery during their lifetime, which can lead to an abrupt surgical menopause. It is of critical importance to better understand how endogenous and exogenous reproductive hormone exposures across the lifespan influence cognitive and brain aging, as women are at a greater risk for developing a variety of diseases after menopause, including dementia. Using rodent models, this dissertation explores how the etiology of reproductive senescence, that is, whether it is transitional or surgical, influences the female phenotype to result in divergent cognitive outcomes dependent upon a variety of factors, with an emphasis on age at the time of intervention playing a key role in brain outcomes. Furthermore, the impact of exogenous hormone therapy on cognition is evaluated in the context of surgical menopause. A novel rat model of hysterectomy is also presented, with results demonstrating for the first time that the nonpregnant uterus, which is typically considered to be a quiescent organ, may play a unique, direct role in modulating cognitive outcomes. Neurobiological mechanisms associated with reproductive hormones and aging are assessed to better recognize neural correlates underlying the observed behavior changes. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to elucidate novel factors contributing to cognitive aging outcomes in females. Collectively, the data presented herein indicate that the age at the onset of reproductive senescence has significant implications for learning and memory outcomes, and that variations in gynecological surgery can have unique, long-lasting effects on the brain and cognition. Translationally, this series of experiments moves the field forward toward the goal of improving the health and quality of life for women throughout the lifespan.
ContributorsKoebele, Stephanie Victoria (Author) / Bimonte-Nelson, Heather A. (Thesis advisor) / Conrad, Cheryl D. (Committee member) / DeNardo, Dale F (Committee member) / Newbern, Jason M (Committee member) / Reiman, Eric M (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Conflict Minerals are mined resources that cause countless human rights violations in their pursuit. The “3Ts and G” (tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold) are some of the most lucrative sources of income for armed militant groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), linking them to the deadliest global conflicts. A study from the Enough Project found that armed groups made an estimated $185 million from conflict minerals in 2008. A mortality study by the International Rescue Committee looking at conflict-related deaths between August 1998 and April 2007 estimated that more than 5.4 million people died as a result of armed conflict in Congo. Conflict minerals are used in everyday consumer electronics, automobiles, manufacturing equipment, electronics, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and jewelry. Consumers need to continue to support Conflict Free regulations and policy such as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. President Donald Trump threatened to remove the Dodd-Frank act which would reverse one of the only pieces of legislature which forces supply chains to be transparent and ethical. Colonialism is the practice by which a powerful country directly controls less powerful countries and uses their resources to increase its own power and wealth; conflict minerals and human rights violations that subsequently occur are a modern variation of colonialism. I think that consumers would respond with disdain if they were aware that items they purchase and use everyday are #conflicted. I designed a book, campaign, book, and physical exhibit to communicate information about conflict minerals to an audience.
ContributorsRamey, Cecilia Inocentia (Author) / Alfred, Sanft (Thesis director) / Eric, Montgomery (Committee member) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05