Maryland Shared Open Access Repository
MD-SOAR is a shared digital repository platform for twelve colleges and universities in Maryland. It is currently funded by the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium (usmai.org) and other participating partner institutions. MD-SOAR is jointly governed by all participating libraries, who have agreed to share policies and practices that are necessary and appropriate for the shared platform. Within this broad framework, each library provides customized repository services and collections that meet local institutional needs. Please follow the links below to learn more about each library's repository services and collections.
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Recent Submissions
Exploring Foliar Fungal Endophyte Communities as a Source of Weed Biological Control Agents
(2025-04-24) Fitz, Riley Larkin; Dr. Eric Kindahl; Hood College Biology; Biomedical and Environmental Science
Wavyleaf basketgrass (Oplismenus undulatifolius (Ard.) P. Beauv.) is an invasive perennial grass native to East Asia that is spreading in the Mid Atlantic United States. Basketgrass forms dense mats in forest understories that suppress the growth of desirable, native herbaceous species, homogenize soil microbiomes, and alter insect communities. The relatively recent introduction of this species provides an opportunity to study novel weed microbe associations formed during invasion. The aim of this research was to identify fungi inhabiting healthy basketgrass and assess their potential use as non traditional biological control agents. Previously, 317 foliar endophytic fungi were collected and identified to genus with DNA sequences. Radial growth rates of these fungi were recorded in culture as a measure of saprophytic fitness, and detached leaf assays were conducted to record a preliminary plant fungus interaction phenotype. A subset of phylogenetically dispersed endophytes was evaluated for the presence of phytotoxic secondary metabolites secreted into liquid growth medium. Isolates from Hancock, VA grew significantly faster than those from Edward’s Ferry, MD, and growth rates varied strongly by genus. Less common taxa outperformed “core” isolates in saprophytic fitness, while core isolates elicited the strongest plant interaction responses. Detached leaf assays confirmed significant necrosis and “stay green” effects, though high variability suggests protocol refinement is needed. These findings demonstrate that phylogenetic affiliation reliably predicts key biocontrol traits — saprophytic growth, phytotoxicity, and host interaction phenotypes — and highlight both certain clades and less‐abundant taxa as promising candidates for bioherbicide development.
The Impact of Mental Health Campaigns on Self-Identification with Mental Illness, Perceived Control over Problems, and Perceived Need for Professional Treatment
(2025-04) Svitak, Katelyn; Jessica McManus; Hood College Psychology and Counseling; Psychology
It has been speculated that increased mental health awareness, with a focus on mental wellbeing, is inadvertently contributing to the reported rise in mental health problems through the overinterpretation of minor distress as symptoms of mental illness. This study aimed at testing this hypothesis by examining the impact of a common mental health disorder (anxiety) campaign and a more severe disorder (schizophrenia) campaign on self-identification with mental illness. Additionally, this study examined the impact of self-identifying with mental illness on perceived control over problems and perceived need for professional treatment. As hypothesized, individuals exposed to the anxiety campaign reported higher self-identification with mental illness than individuals exposed to the schizophrenia campaign. Additionally, higher self-identification with mental illness was associated with lower perceived control over problems and higher perceived need for professional treatment. These findings increase current understanding on the impact of mental health campaigns and implications of self-identifying with mental illness.
Thiophene Hydrodesulfurization on High-Capacity Mesoporous Perovskite Oxide Catalysts
(2025-04-23) Núñez, Melissa; Ashish Chakradhar; Hood College Department of Chemistry and Physics; Hood College Departmental Honors
Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is an essential industrial process used to remove sulfur from hydrocarbons, such as crude oil, to mitigate the harmful environmental and health effects associated with sulfur emissions. The presence of sulfur compounds, particularly in transportation fuels, can poison catalysts used in refining processes and contribute to the formation of sulfur dioxide, a greenhouse gas. As stricter environmental regulations on sulfur content in fuels emerge, the need for efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable catalysts for HDS has become increasingly critical. Thiophene, a sulfur-containing compound found in petroleum, is often used as a model molecule to study HDS reactions. This study focuses on comparing the performance of perovskite oxide catalysts like LaCoO3, LaNiO3, and LaFeO3 with the widely used CoMo catalyst. The research explores the role of metal composition, catalyst structure, and reaction mechanisms in influencing the efficiency of sulfur removal. By evaluating these materials, this study aims to identify potential alternative or supplementary catalysts for HDS that can improve sulfur conversion rates, enhance catalyst stability, and meet environmental goals. The findings contribute to advancing HDS technology, with a focus on optimizing catalyst design for future applications in cleaner fuel production.
(Don’t) Eat Your Young: The Creation, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction of Communities, Development of Agency, and Modeling of Learning Behaviors in Folklore, Adaptations of Folklore, and Stories Inspired by Folklore
(2025-04) Frost, Phebe; Dr. Heather Mitchell-Buck; Dr. Trevor Dodman; Dr. Brooke Witherow; Hood College English and Communication Arts; English
Optimized Preparation of Segmentally Labeled RNAs for NMR Structure Determination
(Elsevier, 2025-03-05) Grossman, Brian D.; Beyene, Bethel G.; Tekle, Bersabel; Sakowicz, William; Ji, Xinjie; Camacho, Joshua Miguele; Vaishnav, Nandini; Ahmed, Amina; Bhandari, Naman; Desai, Kush; Hardy, Josiah; Hollman, Nele M.; Marchant, Jan; Summers, Michael F.
RNA structures are significantly underrepresented in public repositories (? 100-fold compared to proteins) despite their importance for mechanistic understanding and for development of structure prediction/validation tools. A substantial portion of deposited RNA structures have been determined by NMR (? 30%), but most comprise fewer than 60 nucleotides due to complications associated with NMR signal overlap. A promising approach for applying NMR to larger RNAs involves use of a mutated DNA polymerase (TGK) that can extend “primer” RNA strands generated independently by synthetic or enzymatic methods [Haslecker et al., Nat. Commun. 2023]. In attempts to employ this technology, we uncovered sequence- and enzyme-dependent complications for most constructs examined that prohibited preparation of homogeneous samples. By using TGK extension efficiency and NMR as guides, we identified non-templated run-on by wild-type T7-RNA polymerase (RNAPWT) as the primary source of product heterogeneity. Use of 2?-O-methylated DNA templates did not prevent RNAPWT run-on for most constructs examined. However, primer RNAs with appropriate 3?-end homogeneity were obtained in high yield using a recently described T7 RNAP mutant designed for improved immunogenic behavior. Minor spectral heterogeneity sometimes observed for 3? residues, caused by partial premature TGK termination, could be moved to sites downstream of the RNA region of interest by employing extended template DNAs that encode additional non-interacting 3? nucleotides. We additionally present an approach for large-scale synthesis of homogeneous template DNA required for TGK extension. With these modifications, segmentally labeled RNAs appropriate for high resolution structural studies are now routinely obtainable.