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Wastewater surveillance has been a tool for public health officials throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities established pandemic response committees to facilitate safe learning for students, faculty, and staff. These committees met to analyze both wastewater and clinical data to propose mitigation strategies to limit the spread of COVID-19. This paper reviews the initial efforts of utilizing campus data inclusive of wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations, clinical case data from university response teams, and mitigation strategies from Grand Valley State University in West Michigan (population 21,648 students) and Oakland University in East Michigan (population 18,552 students) from November 2020 to April 2022. Wastewater positivity rates for both universities ranged from 32.8 to 46.8%. Peak viral signals for both universities directly corresponded to variant points of entry within the campus populations from 2021 to 2022. It was found that the organization of clinical case data and variability of wastewater testing data were large barriers for both universities to effectively understand disease dynamics within the university population. We review the initial efforts of onboarding wastewater surveillance and provide direction for structuring ongoing surveillance workflows and future epidemic response strategies based on those that led to reduced viral signals in campus wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HCS12 microcontroller and DRAGON12-Light Trainer boards are extensively utilized in microprocessor system design education. This paper details the rationale, approach, and outcomes from implementing the DRAGON12-Light Trainer board in teaching an upper-level undergraduate microprocessors course at Oakland University. The course's primary goal is for students to acquire the skills necessary to design both hardware and software for microprocessor-based systems, with applications across various industries. The paper assesses the effectiveness of employing the Motorola HCS12 microcontroller for its real-world relevance and integrates the Freescale CodeWarrior IDE v5.1 environment for software development. This research uniquely contributes by measuring the improvement in students' practical skills, specifically in hardware and software design using assembly and C programming, through hands-on lab assignments. It reports on the development of students' abilities to engage in microprocessor-based system design and critically evaluates the applied aspects of pedagogy by incorporating the DRAGON12-Light Trainer in lab exercises, such as those involving 'Measuring Human Reaction Time' and 'Servo motor interfacing.' Quantitative results, derived from student surveys and assessments, indicate significant improvements in students' programming competencies. The paper provides statistical results showcasing the increase in students' self-rated confidence levels in assembly and C language programming before and after course completion. Additionally, qualitative insights are discussed, reflecting students' experiences and the perceived applicability of the skills they acquired. These results underscore the pedagogical value of integrating practical training devices like the DRAGON12-Light Trainer board into microprocessors curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper presents a comprehensive study on the optimal planning and design of hybrid renewable energy systems for microgrid (MG) applications at Oakland University. The HOMER Pro platform analyzes the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of integrating renewable energy technologies. The research also focuses on the importance of addressing unmet load in the MG system design to ensure the university's electricity demand is always met. By optimizing the integration of various renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaic (PV), energy storage system (ESS), combined heat and power (CHP), and wind turbine energy (WT), the study aims to fulfill the energy requirements while reducing reliance on traditional grid sources and achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed MG configurations are designed to be scalable and flexible, accommodating future expansions, load demands changes, and technological advancements without costly modifications or disruptions. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of technical, economic, and environmental factors and addressing unmet load, this research contributes to advancing renewable energy integration within MG systems. It offers a complete guide for Oakland University and other institutions to effectively plan, design, and implement hybrid renewable energy solutions, fostering a greener and more resilient campus environment. The findings demonstrate the potential for cost-effective and sustainable energy solutions, providing valuable guidance for Oakland University's search for energy resilience and environmental surveillance, which has a total peak load of 9.958 MW. The HOMER simulation results indicate that utilizing all renewable resources, the estimated net present cost (NPC) is a minimum of USD 30 M, with a levelized energy cost (LCOE) of 0.00274 USD/kWh. In addition, the minimum desired load will be unmetered on some days in September. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and permanent disability worldwide. However, the current stroke treatment has a limited effect. Therefore, a new treatment is urgently needed. Stem cell therapy is a cutting-edge treatment for stroke patients. This study aimed to gain better understanding of global stem cell trends in stroke via a bibliometric analysis. Methods: We used the Web of Science Core Collection to search pertinent articles about stem cells in stroke published between 2004 and 2022. Analysis was conducted using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the R package "bibliometrix" to identify publication outputs, countries/regions, institutions, authors/co-cited authors, journals/co-cited journals, co-cited references, and keywords. Results: A total of 6,703 publications were included in the bibliometric analysis. The total number of citations significantly and rapidly increased between 2004 and 2022, with the most pronounced growth pattern observed in the period of 2008-2009. In terms of authoritarian countries, the USA had the most publications among the countries. As for institutions and authors, the most prolific institution was the University of South Florida, followed by Oakland University and then Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Chopp, M. and Borlongan, Cesario V, had the most output among the authors. Regarding the journals, Cell Transplantation had the highest publication, followed by Brain Research. As for references, "Mesenchymal stem cells as trophic mediators" was the most frequently cited (2,082), and the article entitled Neuronal replacement from endogenous precursors in the adult brain after stroke had the strongest burstiness (strength = 81.35). Emerging hot words in the past decade included "adhesion molecule," "mesenchymal stromal cell," "extracellular vesicle," "pluripotent stem cells," "signaling pathway," "plasticity," and "exosomes." Conclusion: Between 2004 and 2022, the terms "neurogenesis," "angiogenesis," "mesenchymal stem cells," "extracellular vesicle," "exosomes," "inflammation," and "oxidative stress" have emerged as the hot research areas for research on stem cells in stroke. Although stem cells exert a number of positive effects, the main mechanisms for mitigating the damage caused by stroke are still unknown. Clinical challenges may include complicating factors that can affect the efficacy of stem cell therapy, which are worth a deep exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With this mixed method study, we sought to gain a data supported understanding of graduate students' writing beliefs, practices, and help-seeking behaviors at Oakland University, a Midwestern public, doctoral-granting university with higher research activity (R2), and an assessment of how our writing center programming is perceived to address those needs. Although respondents indicated they felt supported by their supervisors, they rarely met with these advisors, found few venues in their departments for writing-specific support, and struggled to find time to write. In addition to this mismatch between their beliefs and the support available, we also found that graduate students who felt their needs went unmet by their respective departments and advisors were more likely to seek out assistance from the writing center and to attend writing center sponsored writing retreats, workshops, and consultations. Those who reported attending writing center graduate programming found that the resources, accountability, and writing support facilitated their success. Overall, this study sought to deepen our understanding of graduate students at our university so we might better serve them and to extend existing Writing Center Studies scholarship with empirical research that is replicable within or transferrable to other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stroke, including ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke, possesses complex pathological mechanisms such as neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and blood-brain barrier damage. Astrocyte functions have been reported during injury, neuroprotection and cell crosstalk. It plays a key role in exacerbating stroke injury, promoting neurological repair and enhancing neuroregeneration. Aim: This holistic bibliometric analysis aimed to provide a general overview of the recent advancement and the hotspots in the field of stroke and astrocyte from 2001 to 2021. Materials and methods: Publications between 2001 and 2021, related to stroke and astrocyte were retrieved from the Web of Science (WOS) and analyzed in Gephi and VOSviewer. Results: In total, 3789 documents were extracted from the WOS databases. The publications showed stable growth since 2001. The United States and China were the most prolific countries and University of California San Francisco and Oakland University were the most influential institutes. The top four most productive journals were Brain Research, Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, Glia and Journal of Neuroinflammation. Keywords frequency and co-occurrence analysis revealed that the topics related to "micro-RNA", "toll like receptor", "neuroinflammation", "autophagy" and "interleukin" were research frontiers. The field of stroke and astrocyte focused on several aspects, such as the role of astrocytes in the treatment of stroke, metabolic changes in astrocytes, the protective role of apoptosis in astrocytes after oxidative stress injury and neurovascular units. Conclusion: This comprehensive bibliometric study provides an updated perspective on the trend of research associated with stroke and astrocyte. It will benefit scientific community to identify the important issues, future directions and provide a novel understanding of stroke pathophysiology, hotspots and frontiers to facilitate future research direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a mathematical model of heat transfer behavior between the liquid inside vertical underground geothermal pipes and the surrounding ground for heating (in the winter) and cooling (in the summer) modes in a ground heat exchanger (GHE) that can optimize its output temperature. The GHE's output temperature reaches the appropriate value when the water velocity is lowered enough. Subsequently, the proposed model was applied to a case study of a 400-ton geothermal heat pump system (GHPS) at Oakland University, in both the heating and cooling modes, to assess its validity and improve the GHE's performance. The model was implemented in MATLAB using an ordinary differential equation (ODE) solver. Four different water velocities were used to demonstrate the significant effect of velocity on the loop exit temperature. Model predictive control (MPC) was designed to optimize the GHE's output temperature by controlling the water velocity, which could reduce the energy consumption used for heat and water circulating pumps. The results reveal that the acceptable range of the water velocity for Oakland University's GHE was between 0.35 and 0.45 m / s , which ensured that the heat pump system delivered the proper temperature to provide the Human Health Building (HHB) with a comfortable temperature regardless of the season. The suggested water velocity ranges in vertical single U-tube pipes with diameters of De 25 mm , De 32 mm , and De 40 mm are between 0.33 and 0.43 m / s , 0.35 to 0.45 m / s , and 0.38 to 0.48 m / s , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periods of academic transition are challenging and require medical students to adjust to new environments and expectations. Commonly cited areas of struggle include integrating into the interprofessional health care team, communication, organization and time management, and self-regulated learning. Consciously designing opportunities early in the preclinical curriculum to help students gradually build these competencies can be achieved within existing research training programs or projects. This perspective article reflects on how the medical student research training program at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine supports student growth in these areas beginning in the first year, so that students can directly apply these skills as they progress to the clinical years and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Students enter Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine's required research program, Embark, with variable levels of experience. Recognizing this, Embark allows for progression through the individual research project with flexibility. Since 2014, student self-directed curriculum personalization is promoted through a menu of online modules. Objective: This evaluation sought to understand student usage of the modules, identified strengths of the modules and preferred attributes of the modules. Gaining this evidence will provide information on how to best meet students' needs in a just-in-time format. Methods: A retrospective mixed methods analysis of the module library was conducted. The library was constructed using best practices as an educational tool. The retrospective evaluation included analysis of students' viewing patterns and answers to required course evaluations during the fall semesters of 2014 to 2017. Students' preference for modules was determined by viewing records and conjoint analysis. Results: Students' milestone preparation was not negatively impacted by relocation of curricular content from lecture to modules. Changes in module implementation within the course (2016) resulted in an increase of students viewing modules beyond only the minimum course requirements (71% (2016) from 10% (2014)). Data from both quantitative and qualitative evaluation questions show an increase in students' identifying the modules as a strength to individualize the course. The identified module strengths include content individualization, just-in-time access, while identified needs included a desire for additional modules. Students preferred modules that were animated, shorter in duration and curated from an external source. Conclusions: Online modules provide students with a rich set of resources allowing for individualized learning. Lessons learned in the implementation of the online modules may be transferable to many educational topics. When implementing similar technology projects, usage rates, learner feedback, and effect on appreciation of the content are important to frequently monitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an interview with Michael Chopp, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Physics at Oakland University, Michigan, US. Topics include pathophysiology of stroke, traumatic brain injury, vascular dementia, peripheral neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, and cancers; and role of hybrid multidisciplinary events in developing rehabilitation research and practice.

The article focuses on a partnership between an elementary teacher preparation program at the Oakland University in Michigan and STARBASE One, educational youth outreach program of the U.S. Dept. of Defense. It mentions that the partnership aims to strengthen STEM learning opportunities for elementary students and preservice teachers. It also mentions need for encouraging elementary preservice teachers and elementary students to view failure through a new lens.

Northwestern University has received the largest single gift in its history: $480 million from the Patrick and Shirley Ryan family. Considered the first of its kind at any historically Black [...]

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination decreases the risk for cervical cancer. However, the uptake of HPV vaccine remains low when compared with other recommended vaccines. This study evaluates the knowledge and attitudes towards HPV infection and vaccination, and the readiness for the uptake of HPV vaccine amongst female students attending Oakland University (OU) in Michigan, United States. This is a cross-sectional study targeting a randomized sample of a 1000 female OU students using an online questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software. A total of 192 female students, with the mean age of 24 years completed the survey. The majority of participants had previous sexual experience with occasional use of contraceptives (78.1%), were non-smokers (92.7%), and non-alcohol drinkers (54.2%). The participants had a mean knowledge score of 53.0% with a standard error of 2.3% translating to a moderately informed population. The majority agreed that HPV is life threatening (79%), the vaccine prevents cervical cancer (62%), and that side effects would not deter them from vaccination (63%). Although two thirds (67%) believed that, based on sexual practices in the United States, female college students in Michigan have a higher chance of contracting HPV, about 50% did not believe they themselves were at risk. Higher knowledge correlated with increased recommendation for the vaccine (correlation-factor 0.20, p = 0.005). Results suggested that the best predictor for improvement of vaccination was the awareness level and health education. This indicates a need for an educational intervention to raise awareness, increase HPV vaccine uptake, and decrease the incidence of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines two course redesigns undertaken to improve student support, learning, and retention in the basic writing program at Oakland University, a doctoral research university in southeast Michigan, where support for developmental writers has fluctuated dramatically between nurture and neglect over the past fifty years. However, current conditions-including the creation of a new department of writing and rhetoric and a university-wide commitment to student support and retention-have set the stage for dramatic revisions to the way our basic writing and supervised study courses are administered. Over the last five years, the writing and rhetoric department at Oakland has revised both of these courses to better align them with our first-year writing program's focus on rhetoric, research, revision, and reflection. These changes have formed the groundwork for a new curricular model that we believe will provide multiple layers of faculty and peer support for our most vulnerable students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]