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Cardinal Scholar is the University Libraries Institutional Repository for archival and scholarly research produced at Ball State University.
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Recent Submissions
Item Welcome to the Renaissance: the strength and racial uplift of Black women's literary and artistic voice from 1900 to present(2026-05)From emancipation to liberation, the Black woman’s voice has been portrayed through mediums that specifically highlight the trauma she has faced. Though she is resilient, decades of Black women’s literary voices demonstrate a common theme of strength through adversity. These stories, portrayed by the Black woman herself, created a trope of the Strong Black Woman (SBW). These narratives and allow readers to reflect on their biases and stigma of Blackness, while also reinforcing the prowess Black women have since their enslavement. While these narratives may have been found in periodicals like The Crisis, Black women have also created this narrative through powerful lyrics we hear on the radio today. Grammy award winning artist Beyoncé, has created music for the SBW, while positioning herself as an SBW. Such mediums often convey the message of racial uplift and female empowerment, but the stigma surrounding the strength of the Black woman has implications. These stories are necessary in empowering the uplift of Black women, but society has begun to rely heavily on their adversity. Drawing on short stories by Jessie Fauset, and the lyrical prowess of Beyoncé, this project seeks to examine the correlation between Black Literary Renaissance narratives and the omission of Black women’s American existence. As many scholars position the Black woman as lacking a space in the American social hierarchy, the voices of Black women refute this omission. Black women’s trauma, strength, and racial uplift are projected throughout periodical fiction of the 20th century to the lyrics we hear on the radio today. Black women have written and continue to write narratives that reflect a society that remains unchanging—until we can change the narrative.Item Rural-urban differences in exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in Michigan(2026-05)This paper fills a current gap in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) research for the State of Michigan by statistically analyzing (via SPSS) publicly available telephone survey data derived from ACE-related survey questions in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are potentially traumatic events occurring before age 18, including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. High exposure to ACE is associated with chronic health problems, effects on mental health, behavioral issues, and even developmental problems with the brain not maturing properly. Studies show that preventing ACE happens at the state and local community level; therefore, state-specific ACE findings are an important place to begin ACE prevention and healing. Research Questions Addressed in This Paper: Does living in a rural or urban part of Michigan, and identifying as male or female, affect Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores? Additionally, do income levels affect ACE scores for the study question above in Michigan?Item A pilot study of the interdependence of academic, social and structural satisfaction in international students' intention to continue studies(2026-05)This pilot study examines the relationships among academic, social, and structural satisfaction and their association with international students’ intention to continue their studies. Drawing from a holistic perspective, satisfaction is conceptualized as an interconnected experience rather than independent dimensions. Data was collected from 68 international undergraduate students using an online survey. The findings indicate that academic, social, and structural satisfaction were positively related to one another and intention to continue studies, with no significant gender differences.Item Nuclear translocation of Pus7 in Candida albicans(2026-05)Candida albicans, an opportunistic pathogen, can cause invasive infections among hospitalized patients and the immunocompromised. C. albicans antifungal drug resistance is increasing making it the 4th most isolated organism in blood stream infections. Pseudouridine is the most prevalent RNA modification. Pseudouridine Synthase 7 (Pus7), a pseudouridine synthase cleaves the C-N bond of uridine and makes the new C-C bond on the C5 forming pseudouridine which is thought to stabilize the structure and allow it to form biochemical structures distinct from uridine. The role of Pus7 has been characterized in pseudouridylation Candida species and Saccharomyces cerevisiae with previous studies finding hundreds of pseudouridine sites among its mRNAs in the latter. In S. cerevisiae we found that Pus7 can enter the nucleus during times of stress. It is unclear if Pus7 can nuclear translocate in C. albicans. We hypothesize that Pus7 will translocate in the nucleus of C. albicans. To test this hypothesis, we designed a Pus7-GFP in a plasmid with a NAT resistance gene as a selective marker. The Pus7-GFP tagged plasmid was digested to release the fragment containing the labeled protein and marker then transformed into C. albicans. The digestion of the plasmid was successful showing two bands when visualized on an agarose gel. Initial transformations into C. albicans were unsuccessful as we observed growth of both the positive and negative transformants on 2x NAT-YPD plates. Troubleshooting of the transformations into C. albicans is still in progress.Item Chronic myeloid leukemia: from molecular mechanisms to targeted treatment and clinical outcomes(2026-05)Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a type of blood cancer characterized by the uncontrolled production of myeloid cells, primarily driven by the BCR-ABL fusion gene formed from the Philadelphia chromosome translocation. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of CML, beginning with its underlying molecular mechanisms and progressing through its epidemiology, diagnosis, staging, prognosis, and treatment. The BCR-ABL protein plays a central role in disease development by continuously signaling cells to divide and avoid apoptosis, ultimately disrupting normal hematopoiesis. Advances in diagnostic methods, particularly molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction, have improved the ability to detect and monitor disease progression over time. The introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has significantly changed the clinical course of CML, allowing many patients to manage the disease as a chronic condition with improved survival and quality of life. Prognosis is closely linked to the phase of the disease at diagnosis and the depth of molecular response achieved during treatment. Ongoing research, including the development of next-generation targeted therapies and immunotherapy approaches, continues to expand treatment options and address challenges such as drug resistance. Overall, CML serves as a strong example of how advances in molecular medicine can lead to more precise and effective cancer treatments.
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