Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Educational Attainment On Coronary Heart Disease Risk Among Black Individuals, Lyndzee Bensky

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Coronary heart disease disproportionately affects Black individuals and is caused by the buildup of fatty acids in the heart. Research has shown a correlation between educational attainment and the diagnosis of coronary heart disease in Black individuals. Higher levels of education—ranging from high school diplomas to college degrees—may enhance individuals' understanding of health issues and preventive measures related to this disease. This study aims to explore the relationship between educational attainment and coronary heart disease among Black individuals. Using a cross-sectional study design, the researchers will analyze data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey. The study will create an …

Investigation Children's Sensory Responses To Stressful Stimuli Using Eye Tracking Technology, Pearly Trivedi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have a challenging time navigating stressful situations. This can be connected to the differences in emotional regulation and sensory processing when compared to children who are neurotypical. Despite the research performed on ASD, there seems to be a gap in understanding how effectively children with ASD are able to reconnect with reality after experiencing an overstimulating environment. To bridge the gap, this study was performed to use advanced eye-tracking technology to gather objective data on key indicators such as facial expressions, pupil dilation, and eye movement patterns. By comparing the responses of …

Media Representation And Public Perception Of Supreme Court Decisions, Estrella G. Romero Barriola

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This research project explores how inadequate, or oversimplified media portrayals can distort public understanding of the United States Supreme Court’s (the Court) intricate decisions. Through a close examination of notable cases like Bush v. Gore and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in addition to other important rulings from the current 6-3 Court majority, the study investigates how partisan narratives and selective information shape public perception. It examines how media framing can obscure essential legal principles and foster misunderstandings about the judiciary’s function and neutrality. Furthermore, the project considers how the current Court, frequently viewed as favoring a particular ideological …

Seizure Vulnerability In A C. Elegans Obesity Model, Carina Pavlov, Jeremy Ignatius, Scarlet Jinhong Park Ph.D.

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, characterized by hyperglycemia due to defects in insulin secretion, affect millions of people and increasingly more. Epidemiological studies have shown that individuals with diabetes have a higher risk of developing epilepsy, a neurological disorder where recurrent seizures occur. Conversely, many antiepileptics affect glucose and lipid metabolism.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a model organism suited for studying metabolic and neurological disorders, due to its genetic tractability, short life cycle, and conserved signaling pathways. Although previous studies have developed and used genetic and diet-induced obesity models in C. elegans, none …

Spliceosomal Modulation Induces Immunogenicity Of Melanoma Cells And In Vivo Immune Response, Sadeeshkumar Velayutham, Shweta Shah, Tulsi Desai, Keiran S.M. Smalley Ph.D., Aveta Singh Ph.D., Jun Yong Choi Ph.D.

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer with high mortality rates, often driven by BRAF and NRAS mutations. While targeted therapies like Vemurafenib have improved outcomes in BRAF-mutant melanoma, resistance and adverse effects limit their long-term efficacy. There is an urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches to overcome these challenges. This study investigates the efficacy of novel anti-melanoma compounds, 2155-14 and 2155-18, targeting spliceosomal proteins, in a xenograft model derived from the A375 BRAF/NRAS double mutant cell line. Seven-week-old mice were implanted with A375 BRAF/NRAS mutant cells and treated with 2155-14 or 2155-18. Treatments were administered subcutaneously thrice weekly. Tumor growth …

Synergistic Anticancer Effects Of Jq-1 And Doxorubicin Via Myc Downregulation And Apoptosis Induction, Abby Morrill, Srika Saai Talanki, Sneha Subhash, Sabrin Safar, Maria Moreno Hollweg, Kyuree Chang, María Guillén-Méndez, Swara Chindahade

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Aggressive cancers are particularly challenging due to their rapid growth, ability to adapt, and resistance to single therapies. Combination therapies or a multipronged approach can increase tumor cell killing and limit the development of drug resistance. The potential of combining conventional chemotherapy with targeted therapies was investigated. To determine the best drug combinations, viability assays using an 8 x 8 dose response matrix format (checkerboard) with small-step serial dilutions of cytotoxic and targeted drugs was performed. The resulting viability data, as determined by MTS assay, was analyzed using the web application SynergyFinder. The results indicated that the combined drug treatment …

Uncovering Alzheimer's One Sense At A Time, Maya Totev, Marcus Marek Tortorella, Dylan Kurni

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting 55 million people worldwide and is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. Without effective interventions, diagnoses are expected to quadruple by 2050. One major barrier to treatment is the difficulty of detecting AD early, limiting the opportunity for timely intervention prior to the accumulation of significant, irreversible brain pathology. Therefore, developing specific, sensitive biomarkers is crucial for early diagnosis as it enables timely intervention and can potentially slow disease progression. Electronic-senses (E-senses) technology, which mimic human senses like olfaction and gustation, show promise in detecting changes in health …

Unraveling The Complexities Of Gulf War Illness: Insights From Symptom Clustering And Laboratory Analysis, Anushka Agrawal

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic condition impacting a subset of veterans who served during the Gulf War of 1990–1991. Exposure to extreme stress, endocrine-disrupting chemical agents, and mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) has been implicated in the development of persistent and overlapping symptoms. Understanding the associations between symptoms and laboratory findings is critical for developing more effective therapeutic strategies.

In this study, observational analysis was conducted on a cohort of GWI veterans to explore potential biomarkers and symptom patterns. The dataset included self-reported health surveys (SF36, MFI-100), laboratory panels (cortisol stress tests, cytokine profiles, CD cells, lymphocytes, monocytes, …

Write To Calm: How College Students Use Writing To Manage Stress And Anxiety, Tanvi Rudrangi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Writing has gained attention for its mental health benefits, particularly among high-stress populations, such as adolescents and young adults. College students, facing academic pressures, social challenges, and transitions to adulthood, are an ideal group for studying the potential therapeutic impact of this practice. This study explores how college students use writing as a tool to manage stress and anxiety. The different forms of writing therapy, a technique involving writing to process emotions and experiences, that are explored in this study include free-form journaling, expressive writing (e.g., letters, personal essays, etc.), creative writing (e.g., poetry, stories, etc.), and structured writing, which …

Reproductive Performances Of Bali Cattle Under Different Management Systems For Designing Their Breeding Strategies, Dwi Hariyono, Panjono Panjono, Dwi Priyadi, Adisti Rastosari, Eny Endrawati, Tety Hartatik

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Reproductive performance is an economically important trait in beef cattle breeding and improvement programs, as it directly influences overall productivity. Key performance indicators, such as age at puberty (AP), age at first mating (AFM), age at first calving (AFC), calving intervals (CI), days open (DO), number of services per conception (NSC), conception rate (CR), and gestation length (GL), can be used to assess reproductive performance. This review summarized findings from previous studies on the reproductive performance of Bali cattle under various management conditions in Indonesia. The literature indicated a range of reproductive performances in Bali cattle, with AP varying from …

Fostering Inclusive Learning: Exploring Trauma, Special Education, And The School Referral Process For Student Success, Angela Cheng

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the critical gaps in trauma-informed practices and culturally responsive strategies within the educational system, focusing on the disconnect between general and special education. Using Dis/ability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) as a theoretical framework, and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as conceptual frameworks, the research explores how trauma and race-based inequities shape student experiences and referral processes, particularly for special education services Annamma et al., 2013b, 2017; Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Maslow, 1987). Through qualitative interviews with general education teachers across California, the study uncovers the widespread unpreparedness among educators to address trauma and its implications …

Exercise Science Students Present At Annual Acsm Meeting, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Lindenwood Digest, April 2, 2025, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

The Lived Experiences Of Rural Nurses In The Post-Covid-19 Era, Amy Schultes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 60 million people, or one in five Americans, live in rural areas across the United States. Despite this, there is a lack of information about the experiences of critical access nurses working in rural hospitals that serve small towns and rural areas. The goal with this research was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of rural nurses in the post-COVID-19 era. Using hermeneutic phenomenology and rural nursing theory, the lived experiences of eight nurses working in critical access hospitals in Iowa were explored through semi-structured interviews. The qualitative data was analyzed using the hermeneutic circle for phenomenological …

General Characteristics Of Patients With Primary Biliary Cholangitis From Türkiye And Denmark, Cumali Efe, Ersin Batıbay, Tugrul Purnak

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Not Just A Health Kick: Time To Re-Evaluate The Role Of Smoothies In Glycaemic Response And Healthy Eating, Kathy M. Redfern, Thomas H. Walter, Gail A. Rees, Nathaniel J. Clark

School of Biomedical Sciences

In recent years, there has been a rise in popularity and subsequent consumption of both commercial and home-prepared smoothies due to the perceived health benefits of increasing fruit and vegetable intake in this way [1]. Under current public health guidance in the UK and Europe, smoothies are considered as fruit juices and should be limited to <150 ml/day and can only count towards one portion of fruit and vegetables. The current advice is largely based on the perceived ability of juiced fruits to increase the bioaccessibility of free sugars in the gut, resulting in faster uptake into the blood compared to whole foods and causing an elevated post prandial glycaemic response. However, there is a key difference between juiced fruits, such as orange juice, where the pulp of the fruit is removed, and smoothies, where the whole fruit is blended and consumed. The logic here is that by ingesting whole fruit, the digestive processes to break this down and release the equivalent free sugars is slower and results in a smaller glycaemic response. The issue is that recurrent elevated glycaemic response is a key risk factor for declining metabolic health, leading to conditions such as type 2 diabetes [2]. However, recent studies have suggested that consuming fruits in their blended form, such as smoothies, may not be detrimental for glycaemic control, and in some cases, may improve it by up to 57% [3, 4]. As adults in the UK do not currently eat enough fruit and vegetables, with only 33% of adults meeting the 5 a day recommendation [5], the potential for smoothies to increase fruit consumption whilst not adversely affecting metabolic health will require a change in public health advice.

Use Of An Evidence-Based Practice Model When Implementing An Evidence-Based Practice Change, Gretchen M. Roberts Msn, Rn, Ne-Bc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Implementing evidenced-based practice (EBP) changes at large healthcare organizations is often a lengthy and difficult process, and sustainability is even harder. Many organizations continue to implement changes in EBP without using a standard approach or an evidenced-base practice model. One large healthcare organization in the Midwest is implementing a Professional Development and Advancement Program (also known as clinical ladder) for the direct care nurses across the health system. This is a proposed project and the program will be implemented using the Iowa Model for evidence-based practice change as a framework for guiding the implementation. The implementation team will use the …

Faculty Authors 2025: College Of Arts And Sciences, Erin Sheffner

Faculty Authors and Sponsored Grant Recipients Reception Bibliographies

An annotated bibliography compiled by the University Library of the publications featured by the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty at the annual Faculty Authors and Creators Reception at Governors State University.

Illuminated Magazine - Spring 2025, School Of Graduate Studies, East Tennessee State University

Illuminated: Graduate Student Research Magazine

• 2: Editorial Staff
• 6: Betting on Appalachia: How Appalachian Identity Correlates to Gambling Disorder; Noah Anderson, Psychology, PhD
• 9: Where Are They Now? Featuring Maria Jose Araujo Dias
• 10: Inner Bonds: An Exploration of Emotions through Character Creation, Story, and Design; Cait Maltbie, Studio Art, MFA
• 13: Where Are They Now? Featuring Cynthia Milhorn
• 14: Characterizing the Polymicrobial Interactions of Alcaligenes faecalis; Aly Hargrave, Biology, MS
• 18: Grant Award Recipients
• 20: Discovering a Potentially Novel Bacteriocin from Klebsiella Bacteria; Jasmal Cruz Perez, Biology, MS
• 23: Where Are They Now? Featuring Julianne Hensley
• 24: Assessing How Different Training Programs Affect High-Intensity …

Connecting Through Activities: How Social Engagement Impacts Isolated Older Adults, Lekisha Wilde

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Executive Summary

Problem Description: Loneliness and social isolation are associated with higher rates of depression and contribute to a variety of mental and physical conditions. In socially isolated older adults, managing depression and chronic medical conditions can lead to negative outcomes that include poor quality of life, increased disability and morbidity leading to higher healthcare costs, and elevated mortality rates.

Setting: Project took place in a community behavioral health clinic in the Pacific Northwest.

Rationale: This project is guided by the Iowa Model. The model was tailored to assist in identifying the problem, gathering and evaluating relevant evidence from the …

Icipe Monthly Digest – Volume 1, Issue 4, April 2025, International Centre Of Insect Physiology And Ecology (Icipe)

icipe Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Doing More Good For Less: Salvaging Development Aid, Trey Dykeman

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

In stark contrast to its peak in the Marshall Plan era, professional sentiment towards international development aid has become increasingly pessimistic as its shortcomings have become apparent. Inter alia, leading thinkers charge development aid with enabling and sustaining economic dependency, governmental corruption, political power imbalances, and paternalism. Even so, there may be diamondlike programs in the development aid rough. Cash and voucher assistance (CVA) programs—a subset of development aid—have seen moderate success. In particular, as compared to other forms of aid, unconditional cash transfer programs (UCTs)—a specific type of CVA—appear economical and effective and avoid many of the above …

Effectively Advising Students Transitioning Majors, Layna Holk

Higher Education Student Work

Students often feel unprepared for the academic demands of their chosen majors and can experience a lack of sufficient support from advisory practices, in turn feeling overwhelmed in their academic journey (Cody, 2024). Guided by extrinsic and intrinsic motivations alongside their personal orientations, major changes can affect a student’s retention to a school or the higher education institution as a whole (Soria & Stebleton, 2013; Gillis & Ryberg, 2021). To address this challenge, I developed a training program for faculty advisors in Effectively Advising Students Transitioning (EAST) majors. In doing so, I will train faculty to appropriately navigate and effectively …

Proceedings Of The 103rd Annual Virginia Academy Of Science Meeting, 2025, Virginia Academy Of Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Proceedings (abstracts) of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 22, 2025, at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Closing The Wellness Gap: Distribution Of Health & Wellness Resources To Families Of High School Students During Summer Break, Danielle Harvey

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Closing the Wellness Gap

Background: During summer break, when schools are closed, students in K-12 schools lose critical resources to support their social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. This project addresses the critical gap in rural Southeastern Washington, where schools act as the primary support system by providing activities, food security, and wellness services.

Aim: Increase families’ awareness and confidence accessing resources to support students when schools are closed.

Methods: To identify key resources a Community Resource Gap Questionnaire was distributed to families. Eight weekly community resource guides were shared electronically with families based on the top priorities identified in the …

Issue 58, Anna Nelson

NoteBooth

Spring 2025

Research Day 2025 Program, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School Of Medicine

Research Day

No abstract provided.

Approved Courses 4-1-25, Angela Brock

Individual Course Committee (ICC)

No abstract provided.

Icc Agenda 4-1-25, Angela Brock

Individual Course Committee (ICC)

No abstract provided.

2025 Otterbein University Commencement Program, Otterbein University

Commencement Programs

Program for the 2025 Otterbein University Commencement Ceremonies.