Digital Commons Network^™

Seabirds As Ecosystem Engineers: Providing Arthropod Habitat On Oceanic Islands., Kanon Mizukoshi, Kazuto Kawakami, Takashi Kamijo

Marine Ornithology

Seabirds play several important ecological roles on oceanic islands through their high-density breeding. Their ecosystem functions—such as nutrient cycling through excretion or terrestrial vegetation disturbance through trampling—are well known; however, little is known of their roles as ecosystem engineers. Nests and burrows can be densely concentrated in seabird colonies, by which seabirds can affect adjacent terrestrial ecosystems, especially affecting arthropods that use these structures as food or habitats. However, studies investigating the species composition of arthropods that inhabit seabird nests are limited. To characterize the arthropod faunas in seabird nests, this study surveyed and analyzed 90 nests of three seabird …

Comparing Counts Made From Drone-Based And Boat-Based Photography For Surveying Thick-Billed Murre Uria Lomvia Cliff Colonies., Ewan Macdonnell, Sarah E. Gutowsky, Kyle H. Elliott

Marine Ornithology

Surveys of cliff-nesting seabirds from sea level or ground level often miss individuals hidden by topography, leading to underestimates of abundance. Thick-billed Murres Uria lomvia are especially challenging to survey accurately due to their dense nesting on vertical cliff ledges in remote northern regions. In Canada, updated colony surveys are needed, as currently used population estimates, done from boats, are outdated. Drones offer better vantage points and may reduce availability bias (i.e., the proportion of birds present but not visible), but direct comparisons with boat-based counts are essential. We compared murre counts from drone- and boat-based photographs of six vertical …

Unfamiliar Plumage Aberration Observed On A Razorbill Alca Torda At Machias Seal Island., Daniel Oliker, Antony W. Diamond, Heather L. Major

Marine Ornithology

Aberrant plumage variation in seabirds can be caused by both heritable genetic mutations and non-heritable somatic mutations due to environmental stressors. In Razorbills Alca torda, aberrant colouration has been documented four times: three as cases of melanism and one seemingly of leucism, both heritable mutations. Here, we describe the observation and subsequent capture of a Razorbill with an unfamiliar plumage phenotype we hypothesize to be caused by a somatic mutation. To our knowledge, this is the first reported instance of a somatic mutation affecting the plumage of a Razorbill in the primary literature.

Contents, Marine Ornithology

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Wavelet-Based Multiscale Analysis Of Cave Co₂ Concentration In Response To Short-Term High-Intensity Tourism Activities: Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity And Lag Characteristics, Mingda Cao, Wenwen Song, Yan Zhang, Jie Zhang, Zhiqiang Yao

International Journal of Speleology

High-intensity tourism activities can cause a significant increase in cave air CO₂ concentration, thereby affecting the cave micro-environment and secondary carbonate deposition. During the 2023 National Day Golden Week, high-frequency continuous monitoring of cave air CO₂ partial pressure (PCO_2(A)) and visitor numbers was conducted in Dawang Cave, Anhui Province. Wavelet transform and cross-correlation analyses were used to reveal the multi-scale response characteristics of CO₂ concentration to tourism activities. The results show that: (1) PCO_2(A) exhibited clear diurnal variations (higher during the day, lower at night) and decreased spatially with enhanced ventilation, controlled jointly by …

Full Issue 20.1

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Genocide By Algorithm In Gaza: Artificial Intelligence, Countervailing Responsibility, And The Corruption Of Public Discourse, Branislav Radeljić

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

The accelerating militarization of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the ethics, politics, and governance of warfare. This article interrogates how AI-driven targeting systems function as epistemic infrastructures that classify, legitimize, and execute violence, using Israel’s conduct in Gaza as a paradigmatic case. Building on interdisciplinary debates in security studies, critical technology studies, and international law, the paper advances the concept of "genocide by algorithm"—a mode of technologically mediated extermination in which opaque computational systems automate and rationalize mass violence. The study argues that these systems collapse distinctions between military and civilian targets, and between intentional and accidental harm, thereby eroding …

Genocidal Occupation And The Occupier’S Dilemma: From Lemkin’S Axis Rule To 21st Century Palestine, Martin Shaw

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Following Israel’s campaign in Gaza after October 7, 2023, which was widely recognized as a genocide, the “ceasefire” of late 2025 introduced the prospect of a new occupation of the territory by the USA and Israel, leading to its redevelopment by them rather than the restoration of the pre-2023 Palestinian society. Together with the parallel accentuation of Palestinian dispossession under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, this development calls for a theorization of the relationship between occupation and genocide. Yet, although the concept of genocide was introduced by Raphael Lemkin in his analysis of the German occupations of European countries, …

Arts & Literature: Living On The Margins, Bashir Cassimally

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Living on the Margins follows the parallel journey of a mountain gorilla and a Batwa youth in Rwanda against the backdrop of displacement and genocide. The story explores the marginalization of a human community and the bond between people, animals, and land.

German Involvement In The European Space Agency, Amanda M. Chesney, Abbigail Geiger

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

As our technological advancements expand, so does our knowledge of the universe beyond Earth. And as technology becomes increasingly more accessible, more countries are becoming involved in space exploration and research. Germany, in particular, is a global leader in technological innovation and engineering—does this still apply to the field of space in particular? How much of recent innovation in space research has Germany been involved in? To answer this question, this study examined Germany’s contributions to the European Space Agency’s efforts in space research and exploration. Information was sourced from the European Space Agency’s recent projects. The study observed these …

Evaluation Of Combined Targeted Therapies In High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Using Colony-Forming Assays, Hannah B. Taylor

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer (HGSOC) remains the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Although most patients achieve complete responses to frontline surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy, approximately 85% recur. These patients are incurable. Targeted therapies are emerging; however, they are often insufficient as monotherapy and may have overlapping toxicities in combination. Our preliminary data identified the combination of simurosertib (CDC7 inhibitor; CDC7i) and lunresertib (PKMYT1 inhibitor; PKMYT1i) as a promising strategy in recurrent HGSOC. Our findings also suggest that sequential administration may be beneficial compared to concomitant therapy. This study aims to evaluate and optimize sequential versus concomitant CDC7i-PKMYT1i treatment using colony-forming assays. …

Efficacy Of Monoclonal Antibody Treatment On Lowering Infectious Disease Burden In U.S. Elderly Patients, Lyndsey M. White, Daniel Johnson, A'Niya Jackson, Laiba Majid

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Older adults in the United States experience a high burden of infectious diseases due to age related immune decline, reduced vaccine responsiveness, and increased comorbidities. Monoclonal antibody therapies are an important strategy for lowering this burden because they provide immediate and highly specific immune protection. This review evaluates the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies in reducing infectious disease severity in elderly populations and examines how neutrophils and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps interact with antibody based treatments. Throughout the review, these therapies have been shown to be successful against multiple infectious diseases, and clinical findings suggest that hospitalized elderly or …

Leveraging Computer Vision-Based Hand Tracking In Smartphone Xr Exposure Scenarios To Enable Controller-Free Interaction, Alex C. Lim, Trang Nguyen

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Extended reality (XR) has emerged as an effective and convenient solution for broadening accessibility to exposure therapy. Smartphone-based XR, though cost-effective, is often constrained by limited interactivity, engendering a passive experience that can compromise the user-immersion and treatment efficacy. To address this limitation, this study presents a novel computer vision–based hand-tracking approach using Google MediaPipe, integrated within a stereoscopic smartphone-based XR system to enable real-time, controller-free interaction in a dog-fetch scenario. Hand landmark coordinates derived from MediaPipe are algorithmically adjusted based on changes in inter-knuckle distances during anterior/posterior movement to approximate depth, at which point interactive spheres are overlayed to …

Accelerating Protein Engineering: Using Computer Modeling To Identify Beneficial Interleukin-23 (Il-23) Mutations, Andrew S. Chadwell

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Interleukin-23 (IL-23) regulates inflammation, yet its overproduction, driven by genetics or overactive immune triggers, can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases like psoriasis. IL-23 consists of two subunits; an exclusive subunit, p19, and a second subunit, p40, that is shared with Interleukin-12. Driving selectivity of p19-p40 interactions promotes a shift in cytokine formation between IL-23 and IL-12. By integrating computational biology, protein engineering, and structural data from the RCSB Protein Data Bank (entry 4RGW), the research addressed structural challenges like unresolved regions in experimental structures and the difficulty of predicting beneficial mutations. Structural modeling using ColabFold, a prediction tool based on …

Sustainable City Design And Policy Impacts: Mental, Health, Productivity, And Quality Of Life, Sawyer B. Bowman

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

As corporations grow larger and consolidate more assets, both human and material, the importance of sustainability in workplace efforts has never been greater. Firms have excised impact over their communities and those employed by said firms, making decisions regarding green operations, triple bottom line considerations, and other sustainable business practices highly needed for the continued operation of firms. As these practices are costly both in the monetary and temporal sense of reality, many firms tend to place sustainability lower on the list of importance as compared to concepts such as productivity or profitability. Based on surveys and interviews with firms …

How The Erosion Of The German Drinking Culture Impacts Social Cohesion And The Economic Progression, Tran B. Duong, Monica Hennawy

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

German drinking culture has begun to wane within the past decade. While this may be viewed as a public health success, it has multifaceted impacts. The lifestyle adjustment threatens the third space which has historically fostered social interaction, making their erosion significant not merely economically but also culturally. Substance use also has a multifaceted impact on mental health, whereas in regulation social drinking can promote bonding. This leads to the need for appropriate policy in alcohol consumption which should help the public draw a balance in sustainable drinking practices. Alternatively, Germany’s third places also serve as a significant source of …

Strategies To Improve Car-T Efficacy: Preconditioning, Gene Knockouts, And Enhancing Infiltration, Safa A. Khan, Salvina Alexander, Duy Anh Khuc, Tumaris Jarkinova, Fatema-Zahra Vhora, Neha Kunka, Rebecca Detweiler

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is a powerful form of immunotherapy that has shown success in treating blood cancers. CAR-T cells often face challenges that limit their overall effectiveness; hence, researchers are focusing on strategies that improve how well CAR-T cells survive, grow, and target cancer cells. This review was conducted to analyze how CAR-T cells are constructed, highlight the major barriers that limit CAR-T’s efficacy, and determine how to improve it through preconditioning, gene knockouts, and enhanced infiltration. Literature was found through the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The following key search terms and synonyms were …

Comparative Analysis Of Car-T Cell Therapy Across Cancer Subtypes: Influence Of Antigen Binding Properties On Efficacy And Safety, Isabella Ware, Nadia Rohani, Kai Peñalosa, Samia Khan, Selena Berhie, Sreehitha Sajja

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

CAR-T cell therapy is a personalized immunotherapy that genetically engineers a patient’s own immune T-cells in a lab to recognize and attack specific cancer cells. CAR-T cell therapy has shown remarkable success in hematologic malignancies, where antigen expression is highly uniform. The research question that was addressed is “To what extent does antigen heterogeneity and downregulation in solid tumors reduce CAR-T cell cytotoxicity compared with the more uniform antigen expression seen in hematologic malignancies?” CAR-T cell cytotoxicity is measurably reduced in solid tumors due to the tumor’s capacity to alter antigen expression and downregulate CAR proteins whereas hematologic malignancies exhibit …

Exploring Stem Faculty Perceptions On The Barriers Of Community Engaged Learning, Chandni M. Rattansingh

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Calls to transform STEM education increasingly emphasize student-centered practices that move beyond passive lectures toward meaningful learning, preparing the future STEM workforce for complex, science-driven challenges. Community Engaged Learning (CEL) represents one such approach. While prior CEL research has largely focused on student outcomes, STEM faculty perceptions, especially regarding motivations, benefits, and barriers, remain understudied, despite faculty being central to CEL design and sustainability. This study investigates STEM faculty perceptions of the barriers to implementing CEL. We conducted 5 focus groups, each varying from 3-6 participants, intentionally separating adopters and non-adopters. Participants were STEM faculty from research-intensive universities holding the …

The Effect Of Distraction On Emotion-Based Communication Behaviors, Twisha Nadella

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

As technology becomes increasingly integrated in daily activities, there are growing concerns for the effects of multi-tasking within the workplace. It is important to consider how communication efficiency may be impacted by dual-task situations. Therefore, understanding the potential outcomes that distraction may have on language production is valuable in determining optimal working conditions for effective use of emotional communication. This dual-task study was designed to understand the effects of distraction on emotion-based communication behavior. A driving task was utilized as the means of distraction in this experiment, while the concurrent negotiation task was analyzed to understand how emotional language was …

Park Architects: The Ocmulgee Mounds As A Unesco Sacred Natural Site, Ashley M. Swan, Layla Moss, Norah Mcelroy, Harley Jude Gilson, Lane Mellott

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

The Ocmulgee Mounds in Macon, Georgia, were built around 900 BCE, representing indigenous land ties and cultural architecture in North America. Turning the Ocmulgee Mound site into a UNESCO Sacred Natural Site will ensure the site's protection, its cultural significance, educational opportunities, historical importance, and environmental resources. This research project will examine the cultural, historical, and environmental importance of the Ocmulgee Mounds and evaluate its eligibility for becoming a UNESCO Sacred Natural Site. The research findings show that the Ocmulgee Mounds site meets the required expectations for becoming a UNESCO Sacred Natural Site. Ocmulgee Mounds is a site that must …

The (P)Ppgpp Conundrum: Bacterial Gamblers And Bet-Hedgers Cash Out On Antibiotic Resistance, Jacob M. Hard, Oscar Colin-Castruita

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health threat, contributing to an estimated 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR in 2019. A key regulator of bacteria’s stringent stress response is the alarmone phosphorylated guanosines (p)ppGpp which shuts down most cell processes preserving survival. Firstly, bacteria exposed to DNA-damaging antibiotics undergo SOS (Save Our Soul) response promoting the formation of a “gambler” sub-population. Recent work suggests that (p)ppGpp binding to RNA polymerase influences SOS signaling in these gambler cells which initiate error-prone DNA repair to promote mutations to evolve and survive DNA damaging stress. Secondly, upon exposure to lethal doses …

How Do Grandiose And Vulnerable Narcissism Differ In Their Expression Of Physical Aggression Within Intimate Partner Violence, Ryan Dumrauf, Kianna Romero, Adam Ghonimy, Vincent Yang

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) involves the feeling of self-importance and apathy, divided into grandiose and vulnerable subtypes. Grandiose narcissism is characterized by dominance and confidence, while vulnerable narcissism reflects insecurity and sensitivity. However, patterns across these subtypes concerning physical aggression have minimal research. Thus, the study aims to identify differences between these subtypes with respect to physical aggression in intimate relationships. A comprehensive literature review was performed through reliable, academic engines with the following keywords: intimate partner violence, narcissism subtypes, physical aggression, and IPV narcissism, which yielded seventy-seven articles. These sources were screened for criteria constituting intimate partner violence, with …

Effects Of Modified T-Cells On Treatment Response Of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Landon Lam, Ana Luiza Macedo, Jayla Comes, Addison Morris, Madison Hansen, Leyli Hasanli, Tanish Guin

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is a prevalent childhood malignancy; although survival for standard cases is high (85%), prognosis for relapsed or refractory disease remains poor, with survival rates at 50%. Innovations in immunotherapy, including Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, address these relapse rates. CAR-T therapy harvests and modifies T-cells from the patient to target and eliminate cancer cells. This review evaluates the clinical impact of modified T-cells on treatment response, analyzes the management of associated toxicities, and identifies biological barriers to sustained remission in pediatric populations. The review was conducted using databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar …

Engineering Synthetic Promoters And Gene Circuits For Tumor-Specific Dreadd- Mglur2 Expression Across Age Groups, Sara J. Bariq, Theresa Anil, Harsith Kollipara, Luis Zayas, Devanshi Krishna Gollamudi

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Synthetic promoters and chemogenetics offer emerging strategies to control cancer cell signaling. Prior work examined tumor-specific promoters and glutamatergic signaling in cancer, yet evidence remains limited on restricting DREADD-engineered GPCRs to tumor cells using multi-gene circuits, particularly across age groups. This review evaluates synthetic promoter–gene circuit designs enabling tumor-restricted expression of DREADD-modified mGluR2 and assesses age-related effects on performance. A comprehensive review of 54 peer-reviewed articles was conducted, investigating factors such as relations between age and changes in gene expression, epigenetic promoter alterations within cancer therapies, and mGluR2 function and implications for therapeutic applications in cancer therapies and immunotherapy. Articles …

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (Car) T-Cell Therapy For B-Cell Malignancies: A Systematic Review, Bhavya Gudaru, Emma Wudel, Caitlyn Campbell, Ayanna Mukendi, Gabriella Torres

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T-cell), combination CAR-T-cell strategies, and conventional chemotherapy demonstrate distinct relapse patterns and toxicity profiles in B-cell malignancies. CAR T-cell therapies achieve strong remission rates and toxicities. This review compares relapse outcomes and treatment-related toxicities across those varied approaches to B-cell malignancies, asking how toxicity profiles differ among these modalities, including immune-mediated side effects. A systematic search in PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and EBSCO was carried out to contrast results of CAR T-cell therapy regarding outcomes, rates of relapse and re-emergence, and toxicities relative to cancer therapies. A total of 88 …

Occupational Copd: Emerging Risks And Preventive Strategies In High-Risk Work Environments, Stacy N. Rodriguez, Matthew Lim, Oluwabusayo Michael-Asalu, Anish Punukollu

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease marked by persistent airflow limitation, intensified by occupational exposure to dust, chemicals, fumes, and airborne hazards. Healthcare workers and first responders operate in complex environments that may contribute to COPD development. This review evaluates occupational risk factors and prevention strategies relevant to high-risk workers. A PubMed search using the terms “COPD” and “occupational” identified 130 articles, of which 40 peer-reviewed studies were selected following relevance-based screening. The literature showed that long-term exposure to gases, fumes, vapors, and dust significantly increases COPD risk and is associated with chronic respiratory symptoms, reduced …

Improving Cancer Diagnosis And Patient Outcomes With Deep Learning Models, Mariana Arriz-Jorquiera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer care depends on timely and reliable decisions, from detection and diagnosis to treatment planning and patient monitoring. These decisions are often made under uncertainty because medical images and healthcare data may be noisy, incomplete, or difficult to interpret. In breast cancer imaging, ultrasound is widely used because it is safe, accessible, and complementary to other imaging modalities. However, variations in image quality, acquisition conditions, and noise can obscure lesion boundaries and texture, affecting human interpretation and artificial intelligence reliability. This dissertation develops deep learning, image-analysis, and optimization methods to improve healthcare decisions under imperfect information. Its primary focus is …

Engineering Fsh-Cer T Cells To Enhance Response To Epithelial Ovarian Cancer, Nolan J. Beatty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ovarian cancer remains a significant cause of cancer-related mortality, with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) being the most common subtype. Despite advances in treatment, the 5-year survival rate for late-stage EOC remains low due to factors such as tumor heterogeneity and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). This study investigates the therapeutic potential of chimeric endocrine receptor (CER) T cells engineered to express follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in a syngeneic mouse model of EOC expressing follicle stimulating hormone receptor (ID8-FSHR). We compared two different co-stimulatory domains—CD28ζ and 4-1BBζ—in FSH-CER T cells and found that FSH-CD28ζ CER T cells exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity, proliferation, …

From Shortage To Strategy: Optimizing Scarce Resource Allocation In Healthcare, Daniela Duran Cantarino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The allocation of scarce medical resources presents one of the most consequential challenges in health care, requiring decisions that balance equity and efficiency under pervasive uncertainty. This dissertation develops optimization-based frameworks for two critical domains, organ transplantation and emergency medical services, and demonstrates how operations research methods can improve upon current practice along both dimensions simultaneously.

In the domain of deceased-donor kidney allocation, two complementary frameworks are proposed. The first is a bi-objective stochastic optimization model that jointly maximizes post-transplant survival (efficiency) and prioritizes candidates with the highest pre-transplant mortality risk (equity), subject to regional chance constraints on graft failure …