Digital Commons Network^™

Invisible Shipwrecks And Neurological Endangerment: The Trade-Off In Seeking Asylum - Reframing The Neurobiological Cost Of Forced Migration, Eisha Giran

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

Forced migration along the Spain–Morocco route represents one of the most visible humanitarian crises of the twenty-first century, yet its neurological dimensions remain insufficiently examined. This paper investigates how prolonged displacement and trauma reshape neural systems involved in stress regulation, memory, and emotional processing. It introduces the concept of neurological endangerment, defined as a condition of prolonged and inescapable threat exposure during forced migration in which stress-response systems remain chronically activated, opportunities for recovery are structurally constrained, and cumulative neurobiological risk persists beyond the period of immediate danger.

To address the gap between biological measurement and lived experience, this paper …

Informed Consent For Porcine Islet Xenotransplantation To Treat Type 1 Diabetes: A Scoping Review, Jennifer Kovalcik, Sheetal Mohanty, Mairead Clare Higgins, Daniel J. Hurst

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Purpose: The objective of this review is to systematically map and synthesize the existing literature regarding informed consent for porcine islet xenotransplantation for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes.

Methods: The search was conducted in May 2025 through the following databases: PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Broad search strings were used to combine the text words “islet” AND “xenotransplantation” AND “consent” or similar permutations and combinations. Peer-reviewed articles were included if they were published between January 1990 and May 2025 and written in English. The final search results were manually exported to a reference manager system (Zotero), and the PRISMA-ScR …

The Rowan University Wellness Village: An Innovative Community Advancing Health And Well-Being, Thomas Cavalieri Do, Brandi Dockett Ma, Matt Mclaughlin Bs

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

No abstract provided.

Case Report: Acute Encephalopathy Revealing Severe Babesiosis With Lyme Co-Infection, Czarina Gebrelle K. Soriano, James Espinosa, Alan Lucer

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Acute confusion in older adults is a common emergency department presentation with a broad differential diagnosis. Tick-borne illnesses can cause significant systemic disease and may present with nonspecific neurologic or constitutional symptoms, making early recognition challenging. Babesiosis is a tick-borne parasitic infection transmitted by Ixodes ticks and may occur concurrently with other infections such as Lyme disease, further complicating diagnosis. We present a case of a 67-year-old male who presented with acute confusion and was found to have concurrent babesiosis and Lyme disease. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for tick-borne co-infections in patients …

Anticipating Animal Ethics Concerns In Islet Xenotransplantation, Sheetal Mohanty, Daniel J. Hurst, Amy Glasofer

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) necessitates life-sustaining insulin therapy or, in select cases, islet allotransplantation, which is limited by donor scarcity. Islet xenotransplantation (XTx; genetically modified pig-to-human transplant) is one potential alternative. Patient perceptions about islet XTx are largely unexplored. This study examined patient support for XTx when T1D patients learned that 25-50 pigs may be needed to treat one adult. Patient viewpoints toward islet XTx suggest animal ethics concerns may extend to the magnitude of animals required to treat a single patient. As clinical trials advance, addressing these values and risk tolerances is essential for developing informed consent frameworks …

Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis In Down Syndrome: Implications For Gastrointestinal And Neurological Health, Ashlyn Mcclelland, Jennifer Lecomte, Wendy Aita, Andrea Iannuzzelli

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common autosomal aneuploidy and has strong associations with increased gastrointestinal, neurological, and immune disorders. Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota dysbiosis may play a prominent role in disorders of gut-brain interaction, including constipation and irritable bowel syndrome affecting over half of individuals with DS. This review examines how gut microbiota alterations can contribute to chronic systemic inflammation and neurological manifestations in DS. Included articles were published between 2014 and 2025 and evaluated microbiota composition, inflammatory markers, and gastrointestinal or neurological outcomes in human or animal models of DS.

Across seven studies, characteristic microbiome shifts …

Beyond Traditional Emergency Medicine Residency Match Interviews: Behavioral Questions As Stress Tests For Resident Selection A Theory-Driven Micro-Assessment Framework For Detecting High-Value Traits, Alan Lucerna, James Lee, Robin Lahr, James Espinosa

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: Traditional residency selection metrics incompletely capture behavioral traits essential for emergency medicine (EM) performance.

Objective: To propose a theory-driven framework using structured behavioral questions as stress tests to detect high-value traits.

Methods: Conceptual analysis of three standardized behavioral prompts assessing execution, systems thinking, and team orientation.

Results: Distinct response patterns align with observable domains associated with reliability, performance, and leadership.

Conclusion: Behavioral stress test questions offer a scalable, low-cost method to enhance residency selection processes.

Identification Of Genes Regulating The Gli Protein Tra-1 In ​Caenorhabditis Briggsae Through A Genetic Suppressor Screen​, Alexander Glenn Cabrera, Sanese Brown-White, Ronald Ellis

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

BACKGROUND:
Gli proteins are conserved transcription factors that regulate cell fate, proliferation, and patterning. In Caenorhabditis briggsae, the Gli protein TRA-1 functions as the terminal regulator of the sex-determination pathway to control sexual development. These nematodes lack Hedgehog signaling, so TRA-1 is regulated by other factors. The missense mutation tra-1(v48) disrupts TRA-1 activator function, resulting in complete feminization of XX animals, which would otherwise be hermaphrodites.

HYPOTHESIS:
Suppressor screens using tra-1(v48) mutants will identify novel cofactors required for TRA-1–mediated Gli activation and spermatogenesis.

METHODS:
Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis was performed on tra-1(v48) strains to induce random mutations. Dominant suppressors were …

A Comprehensive Review Of Photothermal Therapy: Tumor Responses, Safety, And Clinical Translation, Taniya Sood

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: Cancer affects 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women in the United States. Traditional treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery often lack selectivity, resulting in significant systemic side effects. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is an emerging modality that utilizes light-activated nanoparticles to generate localized heat, selectively destroying cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilizing PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (2009–2024). Inclusion criteria included randomized controlled, cohort, and controlled trials involving adults (18+) with a confirmed cancer diagnosis. Studies were required to evaluate PTT using gold nanomaterials …

Adolescent Opioid Use And Prefrontal Cortex Development - A Systematic Review, Jonathan Perumpail, Liam Kerrick, Shreya Kadi

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Adolescence represents a critical period of neurodevelopment characterized by ongoing maturation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a brain region essential for executive function, impulse control, and behavioral regulation. Exposure to opioids during this vulnerable window may disrupt neural development and lead to long-term consequences. This review synthesizes current preclinical and human evidence examining the effects of adolescent opioid exposure on PFC development. Across rodent models, opioid exposure is associated with impaired synaptogenesis, altered dopaminergic signaling, and dysregulation of the prefrontal-mesolimbic circuits involved in decision making. Human studies showed reduced functional connectivity and white matter changes in those with opioid use …

+Cd49a+Cd103+ Cytotoxic Tissue-Resident Natural Killer Cells Infiltrate And Control Solid Epithelial Tumor Growth In Mice, Nina B Horowitz, Jennifer A Foltz, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Human tissue-resident natural killer (NK) cells (trNK cells), broadly defined by markers of tissue residency, such as CD49a [

Early-Life Wnt4 Expressing Colon Stromal Cells Orchestrate Lifelong Mucosal Homeostasis Via Bmp-Driven Inkt Cell Imprinting, Xi Lin, Chloe Hyun-Jung Lee, Ting Zhang, Agne Antanaviciute, Thomas Hanley, Jonathan N Glickman, Nikhila S Bharadwaj, Vicki Rosen, Jenny E Gumperz, Matthew K Waldor, Alison Simmons, Thomas Gensollen, Richard S Blumberg

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The early-life intestinal microenvironment plays a pivotal role in shaping immune cell development. Here, we identify a colonic Wnt4-expressing stromal cell, enriched during early-life, that promotes iNKT cell proliferation via BMP-MAPK signaling. These stromal cells are spatially associated with iNKT cells and macrophages and exhibit high Bmp2 expression during the neonatal period. Depletion of BMP2 in Wnt4

Cross-Sectoral Collaborations And Funding And Coordination Mechanisms In One Health Zoonoses Management In Peru, Lisset Dumet Poma, Erin S. Kenzie, Julia Goodman, Veronika Merino, Vanessa Cruz, Ruth Atto, Percy Vilchez, Seth O’Neal

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

One Health (OH) is a comprehensive approach that recognizes the human-animal-environment interconnection to health and is applied to prevent and control zoonoses—diseases transmitted between animals and people. Using a multiple-method case study, we examined zoonoses networks, resource management mechanisms, and coordination strategies among policymakers and decision-makers of Peru’s human, agricultural, and environmental systems at national and sub-national levels. Social network analysis revealed collaborations between the human and agricultural systems, with limited connection with environmental systems. Only a few links were reported between national and sub-national government levels. Qualitative analysis identified structural barriers, including insufficient regulatory mechanisms for funding cross-sectoral activities. …

Neurodevelopmental Effects Associated With In Utero Exposure To Bpa, Maximilian A. Nilsen, Grace A. Carlucci, Cody V. Thompson, Berfin Gul

Student Work

No abstract provided.

Cd8+ T Cell Differentiation Into Nk-Like Effector Cells Drives Transplant Rejection, Dawei Zou, Stephanie G Yi, Yulin Dai, Luan Truong, Lillian W Gaber, Richard J Knight, Xiang Xiao, Rafik M Ghobrial, Xian C Li, Zhongming Zhao, Wenhao Chen, A Osama Gaber

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

T cells are central drivers of transplant rejection, yet the differentiation fates underlying this process remain unclear. Using single-cell transcriptomic profiling of human kidney allograft biopsies, we identified a predominant infiltrating CD8+ T cell subset exhibiting killer cell lectin-like receptor (KLR)+ NK-like features. Mechanistic studies in mice showed that the KLR+ subset emerged de novo post-transplantation and dominated the CD8+ T cell infiltrate in rejecting allografts. These NK-like CD8+ T cells expressed high levels of interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4), and Irf4 deletion disrupted their differentiation and induced transplant acceptance. Therapeutically, either costimulation blockade or mTOR inhibition substantially reduced the …

Comparison Of Ecg Features, Cardiac Biomarkers, And Clinical Outcomes In Three Waves Of Hospitalized Covid-19 Pneumonia Patients With Cardiovascular Events, Yuchen Han, Jahnavi Sunkara, Tshura S Ali, Harideep Samanapally, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Fnu Deepti, Emma C. Huang, Justin J. Huang, Maiying Kong, Jiapeng Huang

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a rapidly evolving virus that can severely impact the cardiovascular system. With new variants, it is important to characterize wave-specific (defined by dominant circulating variants) clinical changes.

Methods

A multi-center retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 community acquired pneumonia at eight adult acute-care hospitals in the city of Louisville, KY was conducted. Patients hospitalized with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) community acquired pneumonia who experienced a cardiovascular event between March 2020 and July 2022 were included in this analysis. Variant assignment was based on temporal prevalence rather than genomic confirmation, and …

Purine Metabolic Adaptation Protects The Endothelium From Disturbed Flow-Induced Dna Damage And Atherosclerosis, Qian Ma, Yongfeng Cai, Zhidan Zhang, Dingwei Zhao, Yuan Zhao, Peishan Xu, Tammy Lu, Wendy Zhang, Qiuhua Yang, Yaqi Zhou, Varadarajan Sudhahar, Tohru Fukai, Hanjoong Jo, Yiming Xu, Yuqing Huo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Despite effective lipid-lowering therapies, atherosclerosis continues to be a leading cause of death, with considerable residual cardiovascular risk. Atherosclerotic lesions develop preferentially at arterial regions exposed to disturbed flow (d-flow), which induces genomic stress, endothelial injury, and barrier dysfunction. Hemodynamic forces are known to reprogram endothelial metabolism, but the role of de novo purine synthesis (DNPS), which supplies nucleotides for genome maintenance and whose terminal steps are catalyzed by the bifunctional enzyme ATIC, remains undefined in atherosclerosis. By integrating bulk and single-cell multiomics with in vitro flow systems and in vivo models, we show that d-flow upregulates DNPS and ATIC …

Emerging Near-Infrared Targeted Imaging Pharmaceutics For Ovarian Cancer, Angel J. Phillip, Annu Karithara, Subhash Chauhan, Murali Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Accurate intraoperative identification of ovarian cancer is challenging, as standard techniques such as visual inspection, palpation, and histopathology often fail to detect microscopic disease. Residual tumor contributes to poor cytoreductive outcomes, high recurrence rates, and chemoresistance. Near-infrared (NIR) imaging using tumor-specific biomarkers has emerged as a promising approach to enhance intraoperative visualization and improve tumor margin delineation. Methods: A focused literature review was conducted using PubMed to identify preclinical and clinical studies evaluating NIR image-guided strategies in ovarian cancer. Studies involving tumor-targeted probes against folate receptor alpha, α3-integrin, mesothelin, and CA125 were included, with emphasis on probe design, delivery, …

Logistic Regression For Estimating Functional Effects With Spatial Transcriptomics, Michael Barkasi, Cody Nhan Pham, Demetrios Neophytou, Hysell V Oviedo

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Spatial transcriptomics (ST) unlocks potential for studying gene functions in processes that depend on orchestration of transcription across space. However, analysis tools for ST remain aimed at data exploration, with few resources for hypothesis testing. What's missing is a way to test whether a factor of interest affects functionally relevant parameters of a gene's spatial distribution. We present a tool to fill this gap, which we call a warped sigmoidal Poisson-process mixed-effects (WSP, pronounced "wisp") model. WSP models are the first ST tool allowing researchers to test critical questions without bespoke preprocessing pipelines for identifying key spatial parameters. By aligning …

Mitochondrial Etf Insufficiency Drives Neoplastic Growth By Selectively Optimizing Cancer Bioenergetics, David Papadopoli, Sergej Djuranovic, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mitochondrial electron transport flavoprotein (ETF) insufficiency causes metabolic diseases known as a multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD). In contrast to muscle, ETFDH is a non-essential gene in acute lymphoblastic leukemia NALM6 cells, and its expression is reduced across human cancers. In various human cancer cell lines and mouse models, ETF insufficiency caused by decreased ETFDH expression limits flexibility of OXPHOS fuel utilisation but paradoxically increases bioenergetics and accelerates neoplastic growth via activation of the mTORC1/BCL-6/4E-BP1 axis. Collectively, these findings reveal that while ETF insufficiency is rare and has detrimental effects in non-malignant tissues, it is common in neoplasia, where ETFDH …

Predator Or Prey: The Analysis Of Gender And Race On The Perception Of Black Men As Sexual Assault Victims, Jordyn Livingston, Dr. Florencia Cornet

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

Men sexual assault victims have gained more attention in recent years. Despite the growing sociological literature on violence against men, previous research provides little acknowledgment of Black men sexual assault victims. In this manuscript, I analyze emerging literature in the socio-medical sciences to explore how gender and race affects the perceptions of Black men as sexual assault victims. Specifically, I utilize intersectionality as a theoretical framework to synthesize literature on blackness and masculinity in sexual assault victims to conclude that there is an intersectional point that disadvantages Black males, portraying them as sexual predators. In so doing, I provide research …

Effect Of Ampk On Exercise-Induced Adipocyte Metabolism, Alec M. Giakas, Ran Hee Choi, Ho-Jin Koh

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

Regular physical activity is a recommended strategy to prevent obesity via increasing fatty acid metabolism. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been associated with the activation of lipolysis in adipose tissue. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that a single bout of exercise increases AMPK activity in adipocytes; however, the mechanism by which AMPK regulates exercise-induced adipocyte metabolism has yet to be determined. To examine the role of AMPK in exercise-induced adipocyte metabolism, we utilized fat-specific AMPK alpha 1 and alpha 2 knockout mice (FKO). Wild type (WT) and FKO mice were divided into sedentary (Sed) and exercise (EX) groups. After 6 …

Dominance Linearity And Steepness In Captive Western Lowland Gorillas, Nate Wichmann

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

Many animals live in social groups for a variety of reasons, whether it is for hunting strategies, predator avoidance, or enhanced resource acquisition. These groups often develop a social network and/or dominance hierarchy within the population, with certain individuals gaining advantages or disadvantages based upon one’s rank within a group. Dominance hierarchies can be assessed on the grounds of structure, and, more recently, steepness.  Structure can be assessed by determining and comparing the rank of each individual (quantified by David’s scores). These scores can then be plotted and analyzed to determine the steepness of the dominance hierarchy. A dominance hierarchy …

Learning Organic Chemistry Reactions As A Nursing Student, Anna Bell

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper delineates a clear way to learn the fundamentals of organic chemistry and biochemistry for students ranging from those preparing for careers in the health field to non-science majors. It looks in depth at the reactions relevant to the biochemical processes of the human body, such as the reactions involving alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters, amines, amides, and disulfides. The objective is to present the subject matter in such a way that peer students can clearly relate it to topics relevant to their particular fields of study. This can be done using mnemonic assists such as acronyms, or by using …

Replacing Sugar With Artificial Sweeteners: Is The Replacement Of Sugar With Artificial Sweeteners An Effective Strategy For Weight Loss?, Maragret Mccoy

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

In America today there is great concern about obesity. In an attempt to balance a busy daily life with a healthy diet, consumers are now relying on artificial sweeteners to help them make a small step to a better lifestyle. With this notion in mind, there is the question of whether these artificial sweeteners are healthy. This paper discusses the effects of artificial sweeteners on weight and caloric compensation, and considers some hypotheses regarding the reasons for weight gain.

A review of literature led to the conclusion that artificial sweeteners can be 100-13,000 times sweeter than sucrose and that sucrose …

Syrah: A Pipeline To Maximize Spatial Transcriptomics Data Output, Carolyn Brewster, Frederick G Mann, Blair Benham-Pyle, Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Spatial analysis of gene expression patterns has been a key technique for revealing the potential functions of genes. Traditionally, these analyses conducted using in-situ hybridizations and other labor-intensive protocols were constrained to examining only a few candidate genes per sample. However, the advent of spatial transcriptomic techniques like Slide-seqV2 has transformed this field, enabling massively parallel exploration of gene expression patterns within their tissue contexts by pairing spatial locations with RNA sequencing. Despite its potential, Slide-seqV2 datasets often produce fewer usable reads than expected. We have identified that a significant source of errors in the technology stems from the chemical …

Feeding The Future: Prenatal Dietary Effects On Offspring Neurodevelopment, Emma Whatley

Senior Honors Theses

This study examined the effects of prenatal Western (WD) and Mediterranean (MD) diets on offspring metabolic, cognitive, and neurobiological outcomes in a preclinical mouse model. Working and long-term memory performance, dendritic morphology, and gene expression were assessed using behavioural tests (CAL, YMRM, WM) and Golgi-Cox analyses. Behavioural effects were minimal, with female MD offspring showing improved memory performance under standard conditions. Metabolic findings showed effects on body weight and blood glucose. Dendritic morphology was largely unchanged; however, subtle, sex-specific differences were observed. Differential gene expression between MD and WD suggests a role for future environmental stressors. Prenatal diet affects molecular …

Ais26s: Ai In Biomedicine, Shiqian Shen

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This presentation explores the role of artificial intelligence in advancing biomedical research and clinical practice from the perspective of a physician-scientist. Dr. Shiqian Shen discusses current challenges in neuroscience and medicine, including limitations in human observation, data analysis, and decision-making across complex biological systems. The talk highlights how AI-driven approaches such as computer vision, neural signal processing, and large-scale data modeling can improve the understanding of disease mechanisms, enhance experimental workflows, and enable more precise, patient-centered care. Specific applications include automated classification of neural activity, behavioral analysis in animal models, and multimodal data integration. A key concept introduced is “shadow …

A Cross-Cultural Investigation Of Consumer Hoarding Behavior During Covid-19: Differences Between Sweden And The United States, Christy M. Cook, Pia A. Albinsson, James E. Stoddard

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study is a cross-cultural exploration of consumer hoarding behavior during Covid-19; specifically, a comparison between Sweden and the United States. This research analyzes whether Swedish and American consumer hoarding behavior factors of prosocial orientation, consumer resilience and consumer risk-taking propensity reflect identical relationships during less predictable environmental forces (i.e., Covid-19 or global pandemic). Results from Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) show that consumer prosocial orientation is negatively related to consumer hoarding and prosocial orientation is positively related to consumer resilience. In turn, both prosocial orientation and consumer resilience exhibit a positive relationship towards consumer hoarding. Consumer resilience is …

Nuclear Export As A Therapeutic Vulnerability In Zfta-Rela Ependymoma, Siri M Ippagunta, Amir Arabzade, Srinidhi Varadharajan, Erik Emanus, Amanda Bland, Alisha Kardian, Nicholas Laboe, Hua Sun, Tuyu Zheng, Amelia Hancock, Mark Zhai, Emma Caesar, Maxwell Park, Wilda Orisme, Melissa Johnson, Brittany Rodgers, Gregory H Turner, Jeffrey Steinberg, Burgess Freeman, Martine F Roussel, Anang Shelat, Richard Kriwacki, Thomas E Merchant, Benjamin Deneen, Michael D Taylor, Sameer Agnihotri, Shondra Pruett-Miller, Jacob A Steele, Anoop Murthy Kavirayani, David W Ellison, Arzu Onar-Thomas, Giles Robinson, Stephen C Mack, Kelsey C Bertrand

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Ependymoma (EPN) is the third most common pediatric brain tumor with no targeted therapies available to patients. In supratentorial ependymoma, the most frequent driver alteration is a gene fusion between ZFTA and RELA (denoted ZR), leads to constitutive localization of ZR in the nucleus. Because ZR is not currently druggable, we tested whether ZR expression leads to aberrant protein interactions that could represent therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Methods: Using CRISPR-Cas9 pooled screening, we identified many novel druggable ZR interacting proteins including XPO1, CARM1, SMARCA4, and CDK1. We focused on the nuclear export protein (XPO1), given the ability of most XPO1 inhibitors …