Digital Commons Network^™

Conservation Gap Analysis Of The Endemic Flora Of Nevada (U.S.A.)​, Jodi D. Dunn

ATU Scholars Symposium

Introduction. Nevada is the driest state in the U.S. and spans multiple desert and montane biomes, containing over 3,000 species of plants across its varied environmental gradients. Within this flora, 268 species occur as regional endemics, with narrowly restricted distributions contained either fully, mostly, or partly within Nevada’s political boundaries. Preliminary investigation led us to hypothesize that most of the distributions of these rarities occur outside of currently protected areas. Methods. A list of endemic species was derived from the mentor’s work treating all Nevadan plants. Occurrence records with geographic coordinates were extracted into Excel spreadsheets. For occurrences without specified …

Fish Community Assessment Of Goose Pond Natural Area, Macy Sparks

ATU Scholars Symposium

Natural areas play an integral role in the preservation and conservation of unique ecosystems (i.e., natural wetlands). However, many natural areas have never had a biological inventory of species utilizing these areas. Goose Pond Natural Area (Conway County and Pope County, Arkansas) is one of those natural areas lacking species occurrence data. We addressed this data gap by sampling fish species across multiple habitat types (shallow woody wetland, open grassy wetland, and stream). We employed multiple gear types (mesh umbrella minnow traps, seines, gill nets, mini-fyke nets, and backpack electrofishing) in hopes of increasing species detection. Sites within the natural …

Tech Twists And Turns: Unveiling New Privacy Paradoxes Of Technology For Later Adulthood Consumers, Anna Margulis, Lavy Khoushinsky, Olga Antsygina, Marat Bakpayev

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Non-Markovian Quantum State Diffusion For Electron Transfer In The Biological Complexes, Muhammad Waqas Haseeb

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

The emerging field of quantum biology explores whether non-trivial quantum effects such as entanglement, tunnelling, and environmentally induced memory can contribute meaningfully to biological function alongside classical mechanisms. While such effects have been explored in photosynthesis, enzyme catalysis, and olfaction, their potential relevance to virology remains largely unexplored. Viruses, which straddle the boundary between living and non-living matter, provide a particularly compelling testbed for this inquiry. This thesis investigates a quantum-dynamical paradigm for viral entry, proposing that the earliest stage of SARS-CoV-2 infection may involve vibrationally assisted electron transfer (VA-ET) between the viral Spike protein and the host cell's angiotensin-converting …

Using Environmental Dna To Locate Western Chicken Turtles In The Mississippi Delta Of Arkansas, Kai D. Scarangella

ATU Scholars Symposium

The Western Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia miaria; WCT) is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in all six states where it occurs and is assumed to be rare and declining across its range. WCT are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss because their preferred shallow, wetland habitats are often subject to agricultural conversion and urban expansion. The conservation of this species is further hindered by its cryptic nature and prolonged aestivation, which make WCT notoriously difficult to locate and capture. Environmental DNA (eDNA), which is the genetic material that organisms naturally shed into their environment, can be detected by …

Assessing The Development And Forms Of Continuous Evaluation Methods Employed In Interdisciplinary Science And Social Studies With Lumi Education, Hana Triana, Arifin Maksum, Nina Nurhasanah

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of interactive applications in primary education settings, focusing on continuous assessment practices and the overall performance of teaching Science and Social Studies. A descriptive-comparative research methodology was employed in this investigation. The participants comprised fifteen Grade 4 Cambridge students.The findings revealed that the content utilized for ongoing assessment through interactive applications encompassed information on Earth features, human interaction, and plant-based natural resources. A crucial aspect of evaluating fundamental learning competencies predominantly involved describing, identifying, listing, naming, relating, and explaining concepts within the domains of social studies and science. The interactive …

Colostrum Fatty Acid Composition And Its Association With Reproductive Traits In Sows Under Tropical Conditions, Dwi Sunu Datrianto, Kunaporn Homyog, Surasak Jittakhot, Padet Tummaruk

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Colostrum provides essential nutrients and immune factors that newborn piglets can absorb only within the first 24 h after birth. Fatty acids are essential for neonatal physiology, supporting thermoregulation, neurodevelopment, and immune function, and serving as a key energy source to reduce hypothermia and mortality in piglets. However, information on the fatty acid composition of sow colostrum under tropical conditions and its relationship with reproductive performance remains limited, warranting further investigation to improve piglet survival. This study evaluated the fatty acid profile of sow colostrum under tropical production conditions and examined its associations with reproductive traits. Colostrum samples were collected …

Reirradiation Treatment Effects In The Clinic (Retec) Proposal - Proof Of Concept Based On Spinal Cord Dose Tolerance For Reirradiation With Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy, Jimm Grimm, Anand Mahadevan, Olusola Obayomi-Davies, Scott G. Soltys, Arjun Sahgal, Kristin J. Redmond, Michael T. Milano, Wolfgang A. Tomé, Kenneth Brooks, Scott Dodd, John Austin Vargo, Gopal Subedi, Jinyu Xue, Bisher Ebid, Felix Ehret, Byung-Han Andrew Rhieu, Christoph Fürweger, Rachel Grimm, Alexander Muacevic, Vitali Moiseenko, Shalom Kalnicki, Mark Mclaughlin, Lawrence R. Kleinberg, John R. Adler, Iris C. Gibbs

College of Health Professions Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Since the inception of spinal radiosurgery decades ago, the factors influencing spinal cord recovery have remained unclear. Elucidating these factors would aid in reirradiation planning and delivery. We describe modeling reirradiation normal tissue complication probabilities (NTCP) from compiled published data, akin to the collaborative Quantitative Analysis of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic (QUANTEC) and High Dose per Fraction, Hypofractionated Treatment Effects in the Clinic (HyTEC) projects.

PURPOSE: Simple dose-time recovery factors for the spinal cord serve as a basis to propose the Reirradiation Treatment Effects in the Clinic (ReTEC) project. ReTEC aims to define human organ recovery factors …

Professional Practice Areas Of Occupational Therapy, Jaycie Theis

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Jaycie Theis- Professional Practice Areas of Occupational Therapy Occupational therapy (OT) is a dynamic healthcare profession focused on promoting independence, functional skills, and quality of life for individuals across the lifespan. This poster outlines the professional practice areas of occupational therapists, including hospitals, schools, home health, and long-term care facilities, highlighting the unique roles, responsibilities, and client populations in each setting. Core job tasks such as patient assessment, individualized treatment planning, therapeutic intervention, and caregiver education are emphasized, along with essential skills like communication, adaptability, and clinical reasoning. The poster also reviews common goals of OT, including improving physical, cognitive, …

Spectator 2026-04-09, Editors Of The Spectator

The Spectator

No abstract provided.

Β-Glucan Mitigates Valproic Acid-Induced Hepatorenal Toxicity In Rats, Maha Mohammad Almutairi, Hussein Mohammad Ali, Mohamed Abdelbakky, Ahmad Hamad Alhowail

Saudi Toxicology Journal

Valproic acid (VPA) is a common medication used to treat epilepsy, known for its broad-spectrum efficacy but also associated with hepatotoxicity and metabolic disturbances. β-glucan, a natural polysaccharide with hepatoprotective properties, may mitigate druginduced liver damage. The study sought to assess hepatorenal toxicity of VPA and investigate the potential protective and therapeutic effects of β-glucan. Forty male rats were randomly distributed into four groups. The treated group received VPA (500 mg/kg), β-glucan (50 mg/kg), or combinations for 14–21 days via intraperitoneal injection. Serum biochemical parameters (ALT, AST, ALP, urea, creatinine, lipids) were measured. Histopathological evaluation of hepatic tissue was performed. …

Utility Of Right Ventricular Mass Ratios In Recipients With Pulmonary Hypertension: A United Network For Organ-Sharing Database Analysis, Matthew P. Weber, Danial Ahmad, Howard J. Eisen, Eugene Storozynsky, René J. Alvarez, J. Eduardo Rame, Keshava Rajagopal, John W. Entwistle, Charles Hoopes, Vakhtang Tchantchaleishvili

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: There is a lack of data reviewing the role of predicted cardiac mass ratio (PCMR) in transplant recipients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). In particular, the right ventricular (RV) mass ratio (RVMR) is a component of PCMR not yet studied separately for this purpose. We aimed to review the relationship of PCMR and RVMR with PH in terms of post-transplant overall survival.

METHODS: The United Network for Organ-Sharing (UNOS) database was queried for primary heart transplant (HTx) patients from 2004 to 2023. Predicted RVMR was calculated for donors and recipients. A parsimonious multivariable model Cox model was formed for risk …

Evapecognition: An 18-Year Dataset Of Great Ape Cognition, Alejandro Sánchez-Amaro, Sonja J. Ebel Van Wijk, Carin Molenaar, Akzira Abuova, Lizbeth Mujica-Manrique, Sarah M. Leisterer-Peoples, Bret Beheim, Luke Maurits, Anna Albiach-Serrano, Matthias Allritz, Nazli Altınok, Federica Amici, Alice M.I. Auersperg, Filippo Aureli, Elisa Bandini, Jochen Barth, Leïla Benziad, Bettina E. Bläsing, Manuel Bohn, Marie Bourjade, Juliane Bräuer, Marie Hélène Broihanne, Sarah F. Brosnan, Nereida Bueno-Guerra, Thomas Bugnyar, David Buttelmann, Frances Buttelmann, Trix Cacchione, Malinda Carpenter, Fernando Colmenares

School of Psychology

The study of great ape cognition offers insights into the evolutionary origins of human intelligence, but is hindered by small sample sizes and restricted access to data. To address this, we present the EVApeCognition Dataset, a publicly available resource comprising 262 experimental datasets from 150 scientific publications from the Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Center (2004–2021) in Leipzig, Germany. Eighty-one apes participated in 150 studies, with a majority (N = 78) participating in more than one study. Publication of the dataset aims to make these unique datasets accessible for future meta-analyses and correlational analyses, helping us better understand how our great …

Community Religious Adherence Is A Poor Predictor Of Poverty Rates– Except In Utah And Idaho, Connor B. Biser

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Fourth Place Becoming BYU - BYU 150 category, Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference 2026

Previous research has shown variable correlations between religious adherence and socioeconomic standing at the family and individual scales. Utah and Idaho are predominantly LDS—a faith which emphasizes and enables education and self-sufficiency through educational and material resources made available to the membership. We assessed the correlation between poverty rates and religious adherence rates at the county-level and compared national trends to those present in Utah and Idaho. We found a weak positive correlation between poverty and religious adherence rates nationally, but a moderate negative …

A Comparative Analysis Of Professional Development Perceptions Among Baby Boomer, Generation X, Millennial And Generation Z Teachers, Lynsey R. Reynolds

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

ABSTRACT

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PERCEPTIONS AMONG BABY BOOMER, GENERATION X,

MILLENNIAL AND GENERATION Z TEACHERS

Lynsey Ratzlaff Reynolds

This quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional survey study examined differences in perceptions of professional development among Baby Boomer, Generation X, Millennial, and Generation Z secondary teachers employed in one northwest Arkansas school district. Using the researcher-developed Teacher Professional Development Perceptions Survey, data were collected from N = 145 certified secondary teachers in grades 6–12 during February 2026. Four research questions guided the study, each concerning a distinct construct: perceived relevance of professional development to instructional practice, perceived efficiency of professional development …

Identifying Major Sources Of Leptospira Interrogans In San Juan Bay And Río Grande De Loíza Estuaries Of Puerto Rico, Logan Mccullers, Dave Bachoon

Biology Theses

This study evaluated the presence of pathogenic Leptospira interrogans, potential carriers, and environmental factors influencing their occurrence in the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) and Río Grande de Loíza (RGDL) watersheds of Puerto Rico from 2024–2025. Detection of this pathogen from water samples was performed using the lipL32 PCR assay. The likely hosts of L. interrogans were determined using fecal source tracking (FST) assays for human (HF-183), canine (BacCan-UCD), equine (HoF597), and rat mitochondrial DNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (RatMt) markers. In 2024, 91 samples were collected (March: 50; June: 41), and in 2025, 124 samples were collected …

Cognitive Warfare And The Changing Character Of Engagement: A Neurostrategic Perspective, James Giordano

Strategic Insights

This commentary explains how cognitive warfare goes beyond traditional information and psychological operations. Instead of trying to change what people think, it focuses on how they think - such as shaping perception, judgment, and decision-making using advances in neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and data. Dr. Giordano argues that the human mind is becoming a key battleground in modern conflict. These approaches can affect individuals and societies by weakening decision-making, trust, and cohesion. As a result, conflict is increasingly defined by the ability to influence thinking and behavior, raising important strategic and ethical questions for future military operations.

Exploring Healthcare Career Pathways: Survey Findings From The Unmc High School Alliance Program, Jana L. Wardian Phd, Rachael Jaixen, Jaynie Bird, Heidi Kaschke

Innovations in Health Sciences Education Journal

The ongoing demand for a well-prepared and adequately staffed healthcare workforce in the United States highlights the value of effective educational pipeline programs. The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) High School Alliance (HSA) was created as an immersive, academic enrichment initiative to expose motivated high school students from a range of educational and socioeconomic backgrounds to health professions, with the long-term aim of strengthening the healthcare workforce in Nebraska. This article evaluates the design, curriculum, and measurable impact of the UNMC HSA over its 16-year history. Students participate daily throughout the school year, engaging in courses such as patient …

Finding Belonging In A Religious Dominant Society: Religion Among African Migrants In Türkiye, Garrett L. Wride, Stacey A. Shaw

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

As global migration increases each year, so does the need to understand the crossroads between inclusion, wellbeing, and religion. The experience of African migrants living in Türkiye presents itself as a unique case to study migrant wellbeing. Using quantitative and qualitative analysis, this study shows that African migrants in Türkiye belonging to the religious minority have lower scores of wellbeing and social support. Findings point to the need for policy makers and mental health practitioners to ensure migrants can access their religious communities.

Organizing To Engage: A Framework For Conflict Strategy, Paul Mason Carpenter

Dissertations

Conflict strategy can be exceedingly complex. While many of the basics are simple, even the simple can be highly complicated to execute. The Schlieffen Plan in World War I appeared straight forward, but execution was a great deal more complex. It failed and the result was years of trench warfare.  In addition, leaders entering conflict may not fully appreciate the full context, its effect, and the need for a long term result--a better state of peace.

Strategy and tactics may be challenging to transform as an engagement evolves. In addition, strategists must often commit to courses of action within very …

Hydrologic History Regulates Microbial Biofilm Diversity And Ecosystem Function, Allison R. Rober, Leah C. Reese, Shawn P. Brown, Katherine D. Mcmahon, Stilianos Louca, Jillian Cieslik, Evan Kane, Merritt R. Turetsky, Kevin H. Wyatt

Michigan Tech Publications

Aquatic biofilms are an understudied component of northern peatlands and are expected to play a more prominent role in ecosystem processes in areas where aquatic habitat is expanding. The goal of this study was to investigate how hydrologic history influences biofilm diversity and functional genes. This study was conducted in a long-term water table manipulation that simulates drought (lowered water table treatment) and flooding (raised water table treatment) conditions relative to a control treatment (no manipulation). We used a combination of metabarcoding and metagenomic approaches to (1) examine the diversity of eukaryotic algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria and fungi within the biofilm …

Navigating Help In Stem: How Seeking And Receiving Help Shapes Women’S Self Perceptions And Memory, Samantha A. Mckinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Prior research suggests that help-seeking is a social process shaped by interpersonal context, yet less is known about how help type and partner characteristics influence self-related outcomes in STEM settings. The present research examined how autonomy-oriented and dependency-oriented help, partner gender, and the alignment between requested and received help relate to women’s state self-esteem, STEM self-concept, affect, and recognition sensitivity. Across two studies, participants completed a STEM task and interacted with a simulated partner who provided help.

In Study 1 (N = 215), participants received the type of help they requested, allowing for an examination of how help type and …

Development And Application Of A Multiplex Bead-Based Platform For Quantifying Host-Pathogen Protein-Protein Interactions, Larah Gorayeb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Host-pathogen protein-protein interactions are the key drivers of infectious diseases, where events such as pathogen adhesion and signaling are directly associated with disease severity. One example of this is Malaria, in which the Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes adhere to endothelial receptors to avoid splenic clearance. This study investigated interactions between PfEMP1 CIDR1 field domains and host receptor CD36 using a multiplex platform to quantitatively determine binding affinities. Variants RP18 and RP27 exhibited strong affinity, suggesting a role in cytoadherence and disease severity. To evaluate broader applicability, the platform was expanded to the interaction between host protein SIVA1 and Helicobacter pylori …

Female Indentured Servants And The Law In The Colonial Chesapeake, Jennifer Daniel Corbitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Abstract In colonial Virginia and Maryland, indentured servants were the primary engine of the colony's economy. In theory, the temporary exchange of labor for passage and potential social mobility offered women and men a similar opportunity to rise above their original station. However, the historical research of the past few decades has revealed that women had a distinctly different experience with the law than men. This thesis will argue that colonial law defined a particular and punitive form of servitude for white indentured women, viewing them as reproductive liabilities rather than as purely in economic assets. While The author has …

Otolith Stable Isotopes And Maaori Archaeology: Marine Paleoclimate Data For Northern Aotearoa New Zealand, Reno Nims, Caitlin Smith, Matthew Campbell

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Marine paleoclimate records for the last 1,000 years are scarce in the southwest Pacific, limiting our understanding of complex environmental changes that may have affected Ma ori seascapes and fisheries. We seek to begin filling this knowledge gap by studying stable oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotopes in archaeological and modern otoliths from ta mure (Australasian snapper, Chrysophrys auratus), which provide information about water temperature, salinity, and fish diet and metabolism. Our results show that fourteenth and fifteenth century ta mure otoliths recorded environmental conditions that are comparable to twentieth century temperatures, with some evidence for anomalously warmer seas and/or …

The Use Of Radiofrequency In The Treatment Of Erectile Dysfunction, Sarah Ponce, Nikola Rakic, Beatriz Hernandez, Mohit Khera

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Utility Of Rnaseq In Prenatal Diagnostics: Expression Profiles Of Cultured Chorionic Villus And Amniotic Fluid Samples, Maria C Vladoiu, Sen Zhao, Roni Zemet, Christian M Parobek, Jefferson Cruz Sinson, Stacy Tankersley, Ignatia B Van Den Veyver, Pengfei Liu

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Objective: While RNAseq has enhanced variant interpretation in postnatal cases, its potential in the prenatal setting remains underexplored. This study investigates the utility of RNAseq in prenatal diagnostics by analyzing the expression profiles of cultured chorionic villus samples (cCVS) and amniotic fluid (cAF) samples.

Methods: We performed RNAseq on 25 prenatal samples (10 cCVS and 15 cAF) and compared their expression profiles with those of postnatal tissues-blood and skin fibroblasts.

Results: To evaluate the clinical relevance of gene expression in these samples, we curated a list of genes associated with fetal-onset genetic disorders (n = 375). Using this curated list …

Considerations For Cherenkov Radiation Imaging In External Beam Radiotherapy For Diverse Populations In A High Throughput Cancer Clinic, Diego A. Hernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cherenkov radiation imaging is a burgeoning field of optical imaging that has become a promising, non-invasive, technique that allows the visualization of radiation delivery during external beam radiotherapy. This form of imaging has opened the door to real-time and retrospective treatment verification and sparked a plethora of research aimed at improving the utility. This dissertation investigates possible clinical implementations and limitations of Cherenkov radiation imaging within a high-throughput cancer clinic serving a diverse patient population. The central motivation is the need to advance Cherenkov radiation imaging as a reliable tool for clinical use by improving its quantitative accuracy and applicability …

Trajectories Of Plasma And Csf Mtbr-Tau243 And Phosphorylated-Tau Species Across The Alzheimer's Disease Continuum, Lyduine E Collij, Gemma Salvadó, Kanta Horie, Nicolas R Barthélemy, Tobey J Betthauser, Olof Strandberg, Ruben Smith, Sebastian Palmqvist, Suzanne E Schindler, Rik Ossenkoppele, Shorena Janelidze, Niklas Mattsson-Carlgren, Randall J Bateman, Oskar Hansson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

To efficiently implement plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for staging and prognosis of Alzheimer disease (AD), we must understand their dynamics across disease progression. We analyzed participants from the Swedish BioFINDER-2 study with mass spectrometry measurements of plasma and CSF tau species, including eMTBR-tau243/MTBR-tau243 and phosphorylation occupancies (%p-tau). Disease duration was estimated using Aβ-PET and tau-PET with the SILA algorithm. Bootstrapped LOESS models showed that %p-tau217 changes earliest, increasing just before Aβ-PET positivity. Other p-tau species changed later, with smaller dynamic ranges and earlier ceiling effects. %p-tau205 and MTBR-tau243 changes aligned with tau-PET positivity onset, while MTBR-tau243-especially plasma eMTBR-tau243-tracked …

The Effectiveness Of Classical Guidance Service Program In Developing Empathy In Students, Siti Cahyati, Ananda Rachmaniar, Syariih Fitrah Rayaginansih

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Empathy is a crucial aspect in social professions such as counseling and psychotherapy, acting as a bridge in building an effective therapeutic relationship between counselors and clients. This study aims to test the effectiveness of classical guidance services in developing empathy in students of the Guidance and Counseling study program, Ma'soem University, class of 2023. The study used a quantitative method with a one-group pre-test post-test pre-experimental design, involving 42 students with a saturated sample technique. The instrument used was the Empathy Scale for Prospective Counselor (ESPC) based on Segal's theory (2018). The results of the analysis showed a significance …