{"title":"Symmetry Equivalents of the Weak Value Measurement Pointer Hamiltonian","authors":"Allen Parks","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v96i2.1100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v96i2.1100","url":null,"abstract":"Quantum mechanical weak values and their measurement have been a focus of theoretical, experimental, and applied research for more than two decades. The concept of PT symmetry was also introduced into quantum mechanics during this time. This paper defines the notion of a weak value measurement pointer Hamiltonian and establishes equivalences between its Dirac symmetries, its PT symmetries, its eigenvalues, and the associated weak value. The affect of these symmetries upon measurement pointer observables is also identified.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"8 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141266951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"West Virginia Human Whole-Body Donors in Undergraduate Biology Education at Radford University","authors":"Laura Gruss, Matthew Close, Sara O'Brien","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.1023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.1023","url":null,"abstract":"The use of human whole-body donors is the gold standard in anatomy education, and dissection is a standard pedagogical tool in gross anatomy courses in medical schools, physical therapy schools, and other health science graduate and professional training programs. However, undergraduate students studying anatomy and physiology rarely have the opportunity to work with real human tissues. The Biology Department at Radford University in Southwest Virginia is noteworthy for using whole-body donors from the West Virginia University Human Gifts Registry in all of its undergraduate anatomy and physiology courses. Radford University also uses whole-body donors in non-Biology courses and in student research projects. This report details the educational uses and impacts of WV whole-body donors at Radford University over the past seven years.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"114 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141272185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David V. Rasicci, Obadah Tolaymat, Robert J. Bolyard, Christopher A. Dunmore, Jake T. Neumann, M. Zdilla, H. Wayne Lambert
{"title":"Geographical Impact of Human Gift Registries in West Virginia: A Model for Centralized Resources in Human Anatomy Education","authors":"David V. Rasicci, Obadah Tolaymat, Robert J. Bolyard, Christopher A. Dunmore, Jake T. Neumann, M. Zdilla, H. Wayne Lambert","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.1024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.1024","url":null,"abstract":"The West Virginia State Anatomical Board oversees three Human Gift Registries (HGRs), which allocate human whole body donations to support the educational, outreach, and research missions of our universities. These HGRs primarily function to meet the demand for anatomy education at the institutions that house them. Two of these HGRs, however, demonstrate a unique centralized model, in which approximately half of the donors are reallocated to other institutions to support their missions, and thus, have an impact far greater than in West Virginia (WV) alone. In this perspective, the number of donations received at WV HGRs over the past seven years are reported by institution, as well as the geographical distribution of our donors over the past five years. We also discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human anatomy education. This model of centralized HGRs in WV may be of interest to other State Anatomical Boards, as well as the families of past and prospective donors in WV. The state of WV remains committed to dissection-based human anatomy education, and we are forever grateful to our donors who make this experience possible.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"25 5‐6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139796590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David V. Rasicci, Obadah Tolaymat, Robert J. Bolyard, Christopher A. Dunmore, Jake T. Neumann, M. Zdilla, H. Wayne Lambert
{"title":"Geographical Impact of Human Gift Registries in West Virginia: A Model for Centralized Resources in Human Anatomy Education","authors":"David V. Rasicci, Obadah Tolaymat, Robert J. Bolyard, Christopher A. Dunmore, Jake T. Neumann, M. Zdilla, H. Wayne Lambert","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.1024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.1024","url":null,"abstract":"The West Virginia State Anatomical Board oversees three Human Gift Registries (HGRs), which allocate human whole body donations to support the educational, outreach, and research missions of our universities. These HGRs primarily function to meet the demand for anatomy education at the institutions that house them. Two of these HGRs, however, demonstrate a unique centralized model, in which approximately half of the donors are reallocated to other institutions to support their missions, and thus, have an impact far greater than in West Virginia (WV) alone. In this perspective, the number of donations received at WV HGRs over the past seven years are reported by institution, as well as the geographical distribution of our donors over the past five years. We also discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human anatomy education. This model of centralized HGRs in WV may be of interest to other State Anatomical Boards, as well as the families of past and prospective donors in WV. The state of WV remains committed to dissection-based human anatomy education, and we are forever grateful to our donors who make this experience possible.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"23 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139856395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of Teaching Nutritional Biochemistry Concepts Using Pop Culture: Why Zombies Crave Brains","authors":"Kristy Henson, G. Popovich","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.944","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.944","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, the allure of zombie culture has found its way into innovative teaching of biology and medical courses. In this current example, we employ zombie imagery and context to facilitate an understanding of applied nutritional biochemistry. This novel approach is compared to teaching identical material using traditional examples and context. Specifically, we investigated the impact on short-term and long-term learning by incorporating zombie lore into the delivery of a lecture on the inflammatory cascade as it relates to essential fatty acids. We hypothesized that given the popularity of zombies and dystopian/apocalyptic environments, intertwining nutritional concepts with these dramatic scenarios would enhance interest and attention, hence improving learning. Two presentations were offered in basic nutrition (synchronous) or introductory anatomy and physiology (asynchronous). This audience was selected to ensure minimal baseline knowledge on the topic of essential fatty acids. Half of the students received a non-zombie lecture while half received the same information as it relates to zombies. Learning was assessed using a five-question survey. Testing was conducted before, immediately following, and 4 weeks after the lecture. The mean score increase pre- versus post-test in both groups was dramatic but not significantly different between groups (zombie vs non-zombie and synchronous vs asynchronous). Results were as follows: the pre-test average for both groups was 42.37%; the immediate post-test average was 85.96%. At 4 weeks, the average performance dropped to 70.30%. On average, students indicated a mild interest in zombies. In this instance, teaching with pop culture did not significantly impact short-term or long-term retention.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"29 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139149732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Right Ectopic Pelvic Kidney and Bilateral Vascular Aberrations a Female Donor: A Case Report","authors":"H. S. Kieffer, Samuel Zercher, Silas Buckwalter","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.1026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.1026","url":null,"abstract":"During an abdominopelvic cavity dissection in an undergraduate gross anatomy course, a right ectopic pelvic kidney was identified in the lesser pelvis and was concomitant with bilateral vascular aberrations. The right kidney was located anterior to the sacrum and medial to the right common iliac artery bifurcation with aberrant vasculature. The left kidney was located near the traditional T12-L3 level; however, multiple aberrant arteries supplied this kidney as well. Such renal anatomy anomalies have immediate implications in anatomy and embryology education, medical imaging, abdominopelvic surgical approaches, and the field of nephrology regarding renal form, function, and pathophysiology.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"278 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139152645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Scoping Review of Wearables in Monitoring Opioid, Tobacco, and Alcohol Abuse: A Potential Intervention for West Virginia","authors":"Oyekunle Shopeju, Avishek Choudhury","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v95i3.1025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v95i3.1025","url":null,"abstract":"Wearable technology is a useful tool to tackle the problem of substance abuse among populations by tracking and monitoring addictions and offering diagnosis by proxy. This review seeks to understand the role of wearable technology in managing addiction, with particular focus on opioid, alcohol, and tobacco abuse. We adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines and conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science (WoS), and IEEE Explore databases. English-language peer-reviewed articles published between 2013 and 2022 that examined the use of wearable devices for addiction management were included. The review acknowledged 25 relevant studies from various countries, primarily the United States. A majority of the studies examined alcohol addiction, with Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor (SCRAM) being the most commonly used technology. Our findings highlight the positive impact of wearables such as Q sensor™ Affectiva, Spire Health Tag, and Empatica E4 sensors on monitoring and managing opioid addiction, including their potential in addressing the opioid crisis in the United States. Moreover, the data underscored the importance of wearable technology in studying smoking patterns, with devices like (Automated Smoking Perception and Recording) ASPIRE and (Personal Automatic Cigarette Tracker) PACT 2.0 showing high agreement with other indicators of smoking characteristics. Despite the progress made, the review identifies a need for more research into wearables for opioid addiction.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"274 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139152725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rebecca K. McGrail, Donglin Huang, Dorothy Vesper, Louis McDonald
{"title":"Evaluation of sample collection containers for selenium quantification","authors":"Rebecca K. McGrail, Donglin Huang, Dorothy Vesper, Louis McDonald","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v95i3.1019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v95i3.1019","url":null,"abstract":"Naturally occurring concentrations of selenium (Se) are very low: 0.02 µg L-1 in freshwater and 0.01-2 mg kg-1 in soil. Mining operations must discharge water in accordance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s established maximum contaminant level and may be required to discharge at even lower limits set by the state. For accurate analysis, sample collection containers and labware must be carefully chosen to prevent changes in composition through interactions between sample and container. Our objective was to assess four materials (glass, silanized glass, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polypropylene) for use in Se quantification. Varying Se stock solutions (0, 10, 25, and 50 µg L-1) were prepared in 0.1 M sodium chloride, delivered to each container, and equilibrated for 6, 12, 24, or 48 hours. Selenium was lost to all containers with the least loss occurring in the silanized-treated glass (1-12% across all concentrations). Silanized glassware is recommended for Se quantification as it improved sample integrity.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"31 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139148205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Priscilla Richmond, Jiaya Zhu, Taylor Kennedy, Chloe L. Sindledecker, Kristie Kiefer, Andrea Haney, Julia Matzenbacher dos Santos
{"title":"The effect of fat distribution and nutritional behavior on balance and equilibrium of acrobatics and tumbling athletes","authors":"Priscilla Richmond, Jiaya Zhu, Taylor Kennedy, Chloe L. Sindledecker, Kristie Kiefer, Andrea Haney, Julia Matzenbacher dos Santos","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.943","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v95i1.943","url":null,"abstract":"Acrobatics and Tumbling (A&T) is an emerging sport in the United States; balance and equilibrium are critical components of performance in this sport. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify if body composition, fat distribution, and nutritional behavior affect the balance and vertical jump of A&T athletes. Body mass index (BMI), whole body percentage of fat and skeletal muscle, and fat distribution of top and base A&T athletes from Fairmont State University were assessed using an impedance device (In Body 570). Nutritional behavior was assessed by a 3-day food log. Balance was measured by the time of holding a handstand in seconds. BMI, whole body, and truncal fat percentage were higher in base athletes when compared to tops (p˂0.05). When associating balance with the variables, skeletal muscle mass was positively associated with balance (r=0.49, p˂0.05), and the percentage of fat and fat accumulation in the lower limbs were negatively associated (r=-0.47 and -0.48, respectively p˂0.05). When the association was tested within the position, the percentage of skeletal muscle mass and fat was only associated with balance in top athletes. Thus, training strategies to increment skeletal muscle mass and decrease body fat should be the focus to improve the balance of top A&T athletes.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135395884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Robert L. Harsh, Allison C Beverlin, Jessica S. Kellison, L. Robertson
{"title":"Viable airborne fungi identified in a small town, public building in West Virginia","authors":"Robert L. Harsh, Allison C Beverlin, Jessica S. Kellison, L. Robertson","doi":"10.55632/pwvas.v95i3.1021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v95i3.1021","url":null,"abstract":"We spend about 90% of our time indoors. The air we breathe contains fungi and other microbes. Airborne fungal communities have been studied in air quality investigations of complaint buildings in response to occupant health issues, water damage, or visible mold growth; however, few studies of the airborne fungal community in non-complaint buildings have been conducted. Moreover, almost all studies of indoor airborne fungal communities are conducted in large cities in urban locations. This study describes a baseline survey of the viable airborne fungi found inside a public building in a small rural town. Fungi were captured passively using an open plate method and isolates were identified to putative taxa through sequence of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. We sampled in two different years (2020 and 2022) and sampled the outside airborne fungal community in 2022. Eighteen fungal taxa were isolated from indoor air; five of these taxa were identified only in 2020, eight taxa were only identified in 2022, and five taxa were identified in both years. Cladosporium was the most commonly isolated genus from indoor air. We isolated 17 different fungal taxa in 2022; nine were only captured indoors, four were only captured outside, and four were captured both indoors and outside. This study provides a baseline survey of fungal taxa found inside a public building in a rural location, the variability between years, and the impact of outside air.","PeriodicalId":92280,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science","volume":"299 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79680824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}