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2024-2025 Lindenwood University Honors Convocation, Lindenwood University

Honors Convocation Programs

2024-2025 Lindenwood University Honors Convocation

Noncoincidence In The Brothers Karamazov, Stewart Justman

Global Humanities and Religions Faculty Publications

The intricate plot of The Brothers Karamazov turns upon conjunctions of events which, on inspection, turn out not to be coincidental. Only by probing the often-subtle connections between events can we appreciate the implications of actions and failures to act in this astonishing work. The Brothers Karamazov tells not of a mysterious power called Coincidence that orders human affairs, but of the responsibilities of human agents, and its wonder lies not only in philosophical excurses like the Grand Inquisitor episode, which seem to transcend its pages, but in the complexity of its own construction.

The Present And Future Of Ai: Ethical Issues And Research Opportunities, Ankita Srivastava, Marco Marabelli, Danielle Blanch-Hartigan, Jeffrey Moriarty, Evan Carey

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Healthcare is currently a fast-changing industry with AI and generative AI (GenAI) playing a prominent role in the transformation of clinical as well as managerial practices. Clinical practices involve AI to diagnose diseases and develop new drugs and compounds, while managerial practices concern AI-supporting processes such as billing patients and insurance companies, handling electronic medical records, and supporting remote connections with patients, increasingly using virtual and augmented reality. Yet, all these opportunities offered by AI come with challenges involving potential ethical issues, such as discrimination, bias, lack of accessibility, and privacy issues. In March 2024, we organized a panel with …

Comparison Of Caregiver-Reported Dietary Intake Methods In Zellweger Spectrum Disorder, Mousumi Bose, Nancy L. Von Thun, Adrian L. Kerrihard, Melisa L. Lopez, Chelsea I. Donlon, Alyssa K. Smolen, Nicole P. Fontes

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

Background/Objectives: Zellweger spectrum disorder (ZSD), a rare genetic disease characterized by defects in peroxisome biogenesis, results in dysfunction of all organ systems, including feeding difficulties, gastrointestinal bleeding, and reduced overall growth. Despite this nutritional impact, no published studies have assessed dietary intake in ZSD. The purpose of this study was to determine nutrient intake in individuals with ZSD or a related peroxisomal disorder using two methods of dietary assessment as provided by family caregivers. Methods: Family caregivers participated in multiple 24 h dietary recall interviews and completed 3-day food records for their child with ZSD or a related single-enzyme peroxisomal …

An Exploratory Case Study Of A Community Food Pantry In Northwest Louisiana, Abigail Clair Henington

Master's Theses

Many individuals are struggling with food insecurity in Louisiana; according to the Louisiana Food Bank Association's website, Feeding Louisiana’s 2023 impact report, an estimated 683,100 people in Louisiana experience food insecurity. In northwest Louisiana, 30% of the population lives below the poverty line, with an average income of $34,485 per household. Common Ground is a nonprofit community outreach program in Northwest Louisiana, specifically Shreveport. The program has been in operation for over 20 years and strives to provide a place free of judgment and a place of common ground for those in the Cedar Grove community. Each week, they have …

If You Were A Sesame Street Character, Which One Would You Be? Natural Language Processing And Personality With Big Bird And Friends, Joseph Uran Meyer

Doctoral Dissertations

This paper examined and compared several natural language processing and machine learning techniques in predicting self-reported Big Five personality traits from text responses. The models were validated on the open-source 2019 SIOP Machine Learning Competition dataset (N = 1,689). The techniques evaluated included bag-of-words, Empath dictionary, LSTM networks, fine-tuning Transformer models, and stacked generalization. Results indicated that the present study’s models had lower error in four of the five constructs analyzed. Limitations of the study include use of an MTurk sample and small sample size. Future research should explore similar techniques on larger applicant samples. Practical implications and contributions to …

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report - Avenal High School, Ryan D. Deaver

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This report includes documentation that Avenal High School meets the quality criteria required for High School Agriculture Education Programs. The documents are used for reviewing a school as well as applying for grant funding through the Agriculture Incentive Grant. There are supporting documents provided to show proof of things that are being done as well as areas that may need improvement.

The Virtual Wunderkammer: Integrating Neuroinclusive Design And Ai-Augmented Technologies For Immersive Museum Experiences, Piper Hutson, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

The Virtual Wunderkammer represents an innovative paradigm in museum exhibition design, integrating neuroinclusive principles with artificial intelligence (AI)-augmented technologies to foster immersive and cognitively accessible visitor experiences. Historically, the Wunderkammer, or "cabinet of curiosities," served as a precursor to modern museums, offering eclectic collections that stimulated intellectual curiosity and sensory engagement. The contemporary reimagining of this concept utilizes emerging technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), haptic feedback, and olfactory-enhanced digital environments to create personalized, adaptive museum experiences. This study explores the critical intersection of neuroaesthetics, cognitive science, and AI-driven interactivity in digital exhibitions, emphasizing their potential to …

Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics For Free-Surface Flows And Time Series Forecasting Approach For Computational Fluid Dynamics, Huali Ye

Doctoral Dissertations

With the increase in computing power, numerical simulation has become an essential approach to solving problems in engineering and science. Numerical simulations provide a platform for theoretical validation and facilitate novel discovery. Even though extensive mesh-based numerical methods are utilized, significant limitations exist, particularly in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Because of the grid distortion, issues related to large deformations, moving interfaces, and free surfaces may lead to considerable computational errors, constraining their efficacy in numerous applications. As a mesh-free method, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) was introduced in 1977 and has been widely applied in many fields such as astrophysics and …

Wofford Today Spring 2025, Wofford College. Office Of Marketing And Communications

Wofford Today

No abstract provided.

A Review Of The Ripple Effect Of Parental Incarceration: Suggestions For System Improvement From Neonatal Development Through Adolescence, Karen Thew, April Terry

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

Parental incarceration has the potential to drastically affect the social, behavioral, and physical lives of children. Such negative impacts include prenatal and chronic health conditions, behavioral and mental health issues, developmental delays, juvenile and criminal legal system involvement, and overall declines in well-being. These damaging outcomes occur for babies delivered during their mothers’ incarceration with negative lingering effects seen throughout the lifespan. Due to the stigmatization of incarceration, these children may experience bullying, engage in isolating behaviors, and struggle within the school, which may lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. While prevention and intervention services directed at these youth could not …

Developing A Southern Ocean Marine Ecosystem Model Ensemble To Assess Climate Risks And Uncertainties, Kieran Murphy, Denisse Fierro-Arcos, Tyler Rohr, David Green, Camilla Novaglio, Katherine Baker, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Tyler D. Eddy, Cheryl S. Harrison, Simeon L. Hill, Patrick Eskuche-Keith, Camila Cataldo-Mendez, Colleen M. Petrik, Matthew Pinkerton, Paul Spence, Ilaria Stollberg, Roshni C. Subramaniam, Rowan Trebilco, Vivitskaia Tulloch, Juliano Palacios-Abrantes, Sophie Bestley, Daniele Bianchi, Philip Boyd, Pearse J. Buchanan, Andrea Bryndum-Buchholz, Marta Coll, Stuart Corney, Samik Datta, Jason D. Everett, Romain Forestier, Elizabeth A. Fulton, Vianney Guibourd De Luzinais, Ryan Heneghan

Faculty Publications

Climate change could irreversibly modify Southern Ocean ecosystems. Marine ecosystem model (MEM) ensembles can assist policy making by projecting future changes and allowing the evaluation and assessment of alternative management approaches. However, projected changes in total consumer biomass from the Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Model Intercomparison Project (FishMIP) global MEM ensemble highlight an uncertain future for the Southern Ocean, indicating the need for a region-specific ensemble. A large source of model uncertainty originates from the Earth system models used to force FishMIP models, particularly future changes to lower trophic level biomass and sea-ice coverage. To build confidence in regional MEMs …

Global And Regional Marine Ecosystem Models Reveal Key Uncertainties In Climate Change Projections, Tyler D. Eddy, Ryan F. Heneghan, Andrea Bryndum-Buchholz, Elizabeth A. Fulton, Cheryl S. Harrison, Derek P. Tittensor, Heike K. Lotze, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Camilla Novaglio, Daniele Bianchi, Matthias Büchner, Catherine Bulman, William W.L. Cheung, Villy Christensen, Marta Coll, Jason D. Everett, Denisse Fierro-Arcos, Eric D. Galbraith, Didier Gascuel, Jerome Guiet, Steve Mackinson, Olivier Maury, Susa Niiranen, Ricardo Oliveros-Ramos, Juliano Palacios-Abrantes, Chiara Piroddi, Hubert Du Pontavice, Jonathan Reum, Anthony J. Richardson, Jacob Schewe, Lynne Shannon, Yunne Jai Shin, Jeroen Steenbeek

Faculty Publications

Climate change is affecting ocean temperature, acidity, currents, and primary production, causing shifts in species distributions, marine ecosystems, and ultimately fisheries. Earth system models simulate climate change impacts on physical and biogeochemical properties of future oceans under varying emissions scenarios. Coupling these simulations with an ensemble of global marine ecosystem models has indicated broad decreases of fish biomass with warming. However, regional details of these impacts remain much more uncertain. Here, we employ CMIP5 and CMIP6 climate change impact projections using two Earth system models coupled with four regional and nine global marine ecosystem models in 10 ocean regions to …

The Banner - V. 160, No. 2 - (March 2025), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

No abstract provided.

Differences In Reading College Readiness By The Language Status Of Texas High School Students: A Statewide, Multiyear Analysis, Lidia Garza Calderón, John R. Slate, Tershundrea Branch, Clare A. Resilla

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The extend to which differences were present for Emergent Bilingual students and non-Emergent Bilingual students in their performance on the Texas state-mandated English I End-of-Course exam for the 2018-2019, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 school years was examined. Specifically addressed was the extent to which Emergent Bilingual students and non-Emergent Bilingual students differed in their performance on three Grade Level performance standards: Approaches Grade Level standard, Meets Grade Level standard, and Masters Grade Level standard in the pre-pandemic year and the first and second-post-pandemic years. Non-Emergent Bilingual students had statistically significantly better English I End-of-Course exam performance than Emergent Bilingual students in …

Algebra I End-Of-Course Exam Differences By The At-Risk Status Of Texas Hispanic Students: A Multiyear Statewide Investigation, Daniel Craft, John R. Slate

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Examined in this investigation was a comparison of the Algebra I End-of-Course exam performance between Hispanic students who were at-risk and Hispanic students who were not at-risk in the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years. Inferential statistical procedures yielded statistically significant differences in all three school years between these two groups of Hispanic students. In all three school years, higher percentages of Hispanic students who were at-risk did not meet the three grade level standards (i.e., Approaches Grade Level, Meets Grade Level, and Masters Grade Level) than Hispanic students who were not at-risk. Moreover, Hispanic students who were at-risk correctly …

Neurocognitive Gains Among Ugandan Children With Sickle Cell Anemia On Hydroxyurea: 18-Month Trial Interim Results, Shubaya Kasule Naggayi, Dennis Kalibbala, Vincent Mboizi, John M. Ssenkusu, Zhezhen Jin, Caterina Rosano, Deogratias Munube, Bill Wambaka, Ruth Namazzi, Robert Opoka

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) frequently develop progressive neurocognitive impairment. We aimed to determine effects of hydroxyurea therapy on neurocognitive function in Ugandan children with SCA by comparing levels at enrollment to a planned 18-month interim assessment. Ugandan children (N=264) ages 3-9 years were enrolled from a SCA clinic and treated in a 30-month singlearm open-label trial with escalation to maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Primary outcome was the effects of hydroxyurea on cognition, attention and executive function, along with transcranial doppler ultrasound (TCD) blood flow velocity. Sibling controls (N=110) without SCA underwent neurocognitive testing in parallel to establish age-normalized …

Tolle Lege Works Published In 2025, Mcquade Library

Bibliographies

Bibliography of Tolle Lege works published by members of the Merrimack College Community in 2025. Works include journal articles, newspaper articles, books and book chapters or sections, reports, book reviews, conference papers, web articles, and published interviews.

Coe Annual Technical Review 2024, Jianshun Zhang

SyracuseCoE

No abstract provided.

Photo-Enhanced Output In Memdiode Devices Based On Hybrid Materials Open Access, Jacob Lee, Prabir Patra, Judy Fan

Physics Faculty Research

The discovery of photo-enhanced outputs in the fabricated memdiodes based on metal halide-embedded polymeric hybrid composites has meaningful and practical implications. The two-terminal devices exhibit typical rectifying characteristics, similar to a standard pn junction diode, with unusual photo-enhanced charge transportation and hysteresis behaviors. The MDs consist of an active layer of blended organic–inorganic hybrid material [a mixture of CuCl2 and polyethylene glycol (PEG)] deposited on a layer of pure polymer (polymethyl methacrylate) and, in turn, on a rigid substrate (ITO glass or Si wafer). It is found that the photoinduced current increases hundreds of times in magnitude on the ITO …

Cracking The Façade: Analyzing Ohio's "Don't Say Gay" Legislation As Disguised Discrimination Under The First And Fourteenth Amendments, Sydni L. Porter

Journal of Law and Health

The Ohio State Legislature is among the growing nationwide trend in attacking LGBTQ+ rights. Chief among these is Ohio House Bill 8, which claims to limit the types of content children encounter in schools. While the drafters cite this noble intent, the bill's actual impact further harms queer students and teachers, who already bear heavier mental health burdens due to such legislation and its societal implications. This type of legislation recently originated in Florida, where it was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2022 and garnered national media attention. As Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a near-identical bill …

Cryptosporidium Virus Integration Into The Host Cells, Alyssa Genaro

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Cryptosporidiosis is a disease that affects a large amount of people and having a high mortality rate for those that are immunocompromised such as the elderly and infants. The disease is linked to a parasite called Cryptosporidium parvum, which is mostly known to infect cattle and other mammals such as mice and humans. The parasite contains a double stranded RNA virus, the Cryspovirus (CSpV1) that has a non-enveloped icosahedral capsid, with a T=2* icosahedral symmetry. Little is known is known about the contribution of CSpV1 to the disease; In this study we show that infection of an immunocompromised mouse model …

Exogenous Nicotinamide Protects Mycobacterium Bovis Bcg From Gsh-Induced Reductive Stress By Enhancing Nad+ Synthesis, Tamia Cline

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

No abstract provided.

Can Targeting The Fgf23-Αklotho Signaling System Delay Phosphate-Driven Organ Damage?, Mohammed S. Razzaque, Moosa Mohammadi

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction: Inexorable high serum phosphate levels in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients deteriorate the functionality of the musculoskeletal, renal, and cardiovascular systems, thereby contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. Higher phosphate balance has also been correlated with increased mortality rates in individuals with normal renal function, independent of other comorbidities. Clinical and epidemiological studies of CKD patients and healthy subjects, alongside evidence of accelerated aging in murine models induced by excessive phosphate loading, indicate that phosphate toxicity is a driver of premature aging and age-related organ damage.

Area covered: This article briefly discusses the causes and consequences of phosphate toxicity …

Prioritization Of Research On Drought Assessment In A Changing Climate, Joel Lisonbee, Britt Parker, Erica Fleischman, Trent W. Ford, Kyle R. Bocinsky, Gretel Follingstad, Abby Frazier, Zachary H. Hoylman, Amy R. Hudson, John W. Nielsen-Gammon, Natalie A. Umphlett, Elliot Wickham, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Royce Fontenot, Brian Fuchs, John Hammond, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Mike Hobbins, Andrew Hoell, Jacob Jones, Erin Lane, Zachary Leasor, Yongqiang Liu, Jason A. Otkin, Dennis Todey, Roger Pulwarty

Geography

Drought is a period of abnormally dry weather that leads to hydrological imbalance. Drought assessments determine the characteristics, severity, and impacts of a drought. Climate change adds conceptual and quantitative challenges to traditional drought assessments. This paper highlights the challenges of assessing drought in a climate made non-stationary by human activities or natural variability. To address these challenges, we then identify 10 key research priorities for advancing drought science and improving assessments in a changing climate. The priorities focus on improving drought indicators to account for non-stationarity, evaluating drought impacts and their trends, addressing regional differences in non-stationarity, determining the …

Overview Of Porous Magnesium-Based Scaffolds: Development, Properties And Biomedical Applications, Amir Motaharinia, Jaroslaw Drelich, Safian Sharif, Ahmad Fauzi Ismail, Farid Naeimi, Alexandra G. Glover, Mahshid Ebrahiminejad, Hamid Reza Bakhsheshi-Rad

Michigan Tech Publications

Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys are revolutionizing the field of interventional surgeries in the medical industry. Their high biocompatibility, biodegradability, and a similar elastic modulus to natural bone make porous Mg-based structures potential candidates for orthopedic implants and tissue engineering scaffolding. However, fabricating and machining porous Mg-based structures is challenging due to their complexity and difficulties in achieving uniform or gradient porosity. This review aims to thoroughly explore various fabrication procedures used to create metallic scaffolds, with a specific focus on those made from Mg-based alloys. Both traditional manufacturing techniques, including the directional solidification of metal-gas eutectic technique, pattern casting, …

Abnormal Urine Drug Screens In Pregnancy- Opportunity For Laboratory Stewardship, Anil K Chokkalla, Sahil Malik, Ridwan Ibrahim, Sridevi Devaraj

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Clinical testing for drugs of abuse typically involves initial screening followed by confirmatory testing. Due to limited evidence-based guidelines, the healthcare provider makes the decision to confirm abnormal screens based on the clinical context. This two-step approach proved to be inadequate in scenarios like maternal substance abuse and subsequent fetal/ newborn exposure. The goal of this study is to assess and improve the confirmatory testing rate of abnormal screens among pregnant patients at our women's center.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted to assess the confirmation rates among positively screened pregnant patients, and a lab stewardship initiative was …

Science Under Siege: Protecting Scientific Progress In Turbulent Times, James Briscoe, Craig E Franklin, Daniel A Gorelick, E Elizabeth Patton, Michael Way

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Phase 3 Validation Of Paam For Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk Stratification In Cirrhosis, Naoto Fujiwara, Camden Lopez, Tracey L Marsh, Indu Raman, Cesia A Marquez, Subhojit Paul, Sumit K Mishra, Naoto Kubota, Courtney Katz, Hiroaki Kanzaki, Michael Gonzalez, Lisa Quirk, Sneha Deodhar, Pratibha Selvakumar, Prithvi Raj, Neehar D Parikh, Lewis R Roberts, Myron E Schwartz, Mindie H Nguyen, Alex S Befeler, Stephanie Page-Lester, Sudhir Srivastava, Ziding Feng, K Rajender Reddy, Saira Khaderi, Sumeet K Asrani, Fasiha Kanwal, Hashem B El-Serag, Jorge A Marrero, Amit G Singal, Yujin Hoshida

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background & aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk stratification is an urgent unmet need for cost-effective HCC screening and early detection in patients with cirrhosis to improve poor HCC prognosis.

Methods: Molecular (prognostic liver secretome signature with α-fetoprotein) and clinical (aMAP [age, male sex, albumin-bilirubin, and platelets] score) variable-based scores were integrated into PAaM (prognostic liver secretome signature with α-fetoprotein plus age, male sex, albumin-bilirubin, and platelets), which was subsequently validated in 2 phase 3 biomarker validation studies: the statewide Texas HCC Consortium and nationwide HCC Early Detection Strategy prospective cohorts, following the prospective specimen collection, retrospective blinded evaluation design. The …

Unveiling Vaginal Fibrosis: A Novel Murine Model Using Bleomycin And Epithelial Disruption, Jennifer M Mccracken, Gisele A Calderon, Felipe Rivas, Dorothea Erxleben, Taylor Moseley, Lishore A Kumar, Daniel E Kennedy, Swathi Balaji, Adam Hall, Julie C E Hakim

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Vaginal fibrosis induced by cancer therapy continues to take a physical and psychoemotional burden. To advance the efforts to generate a reproducible and cost-effective animal model, we tested the effect of repeated bleomycin instillations with mucosal layer disruption on induction of vaginal fibrosis. Tissue samples collected at various time points were analyzed for fibrosis-related gene expression changes and collagen content. Low (1.5 U/kg) and high-dose (2.5 U/kg) bleomycin instillations alone did not induce fibrosis, but when high-dose bleomycin was combined with epithelial disruption, increased profibrotic gene expression and trichrome staining were observed. To evaluate spatial and temporal changes in the …