Digital Commons Network^™

Determining The Life Cycles Of Gordonia Rubripertincta Phages, Joshua Yue, Aron Balazs, Jenny Cristina Gallardo Arauz, Akshaj Gandra, Yuktha Milukuri, Suhani Ketan Pothiwala

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Antibiotic resistance continues to rise globally, increasingly limiting the effectiveness of conventional antimicrobial treatments and prompting the exploration of alternative therapies. Bacteriophages are viruses that can specifically infect and kill bacteria, and have emerged as a promising solution, particularly for infections resistant to antibiotics. This study is part of the Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program, which aims to isolate, characterize, and catalog bacteriophages for research and potential therapeutic use. We focused on bacteriophages infecting Gordonia rubripertincta, an actinobacterium with growing clinical relevance as an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised patients and catheter related infections. …

Evaluting Practical Limitations Of Signal Detection Theory In Clinical Behavioral Research, Xinlei Zhang, Prarthana Harikrishnan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Deficits in inhibitory control - the ability to suppress automatic, impulsive responses - has been widely considered as a potential biomarker for mental health disorders. Signal Detection Theory (SDT) has provided a systematic measurement method for inhibitory control in clinical behavioral assessment. To evaluate the feasibility of inhibitory control as a biomarker, researchers have used meta-analysis to examine its effect size (Hedge's g) in differentiating between individuals with mental health disorders and healthy controls. Values of g>0.8 indicate that inhibitory control may serve as a clinically useful biomarker for distinguishing patients from healthy individuals, whereas g<0.8 suggests limited clinical utility. However, our study found that a limitation of SDT - its lack of reliability when participants show perfect performance - would lead to distorted and misleading results when evaluating the efficacy of inhibitory control as a biomarker. In our computational simulation, we found that when applying SDT to a clinically useful biomarker (for example, true effect size g = …

Sexual Dimorphism In Physiological, Metabolic, And Hypothalamic Alterations In The Tg-Swdi Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Yingying Zhu, Ariana Hernandez, Natalia Noto, Victoria Pulido-Correa, Chana Vogel, Julianna Bonetti

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting 55 million people worldwide. Cognitive disruptions, linked to pathology in the hippocampus and cortical areas, are frequently observed in individuals with late manifestation of AD; however, non-cognitive dysfunctions, which contribute to poor quality of life and survival, are often overlooked. The hypothalamus plays a role in regulating homeostatic functions such as hunger, thirst, sleep, and blood pressure. The coordinated activity of hypothalamic regions such as the paraventricular nucleus, arcuate nucleus, ventromedial nucleus, dorsomedial nucleus, and lateral hypothalamus are crucial in maintaining metabolic homeostasis and neuroendocrine processes. Dysregulation of these processes has been …

Discovery And Genome Annotation Of Tuti And Charminar: Two Newly Discovered Gordonia Rubripertincta Bacteriophages, Tracey Alexis, Melissa Bassily, Jayden Courtney, Tamanna Dipen Shah, Javier Estepa, Malak Gadelkarim, Wayne Jean-Baptiste, Elias Leyes, Anushka Malay, Mackenzie Nezat, Mahisvi Vemulapalli

Undergraduate Student Symposium

As the most abundant organisms, bacteria are both beneficial and harmful, highlighting the significance of regulating their growth. Bacteriophages (phages) are ubiquitous viruses that require a host bacterial organism for replication, making them an essential component of the microbial ecosystem and used as tools for killing bacteria. Since their discovery in 1915, phages have been used in real-world applications including alternatives to antibiotics, diagnostic agents, pest control in agriculture, wastewater treatment, and bioremediation. Since bacteriophages remain mostly undiscovered, continued isolation and genetic characterization of novel phages are essential for advancing scientific knowledge and potential applications. Through Nova Southeastern University's SEA-PHAGES …

Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Exacerbates Cognitive Deficits In A Mouse Model Of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy, Lauren Rosenberg, Victoria Pullido-Correa, Ariana Hernandez, Chana Vogel, Bianca Echeverria, Iliana Uribe

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects around 69 million people each year, with mild TBIs (mTBIs) making up the majority of cases. These injuries, often sustained during contact sports, military service, or incidents of domestic violence, typically involve brief or no loss of consciousness and few immediate symptoms. However, repeated occurrences significantly elevate the risk for long-term complications, including dementia. While repetitive in mTBI is strongly linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), the relationship with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), characterized by the accumulation of amyloid peptides in the cerebral vasculature, remains understudied. Given that CAA significantly contributes …

Addressing Burnout In Medical Education: A Meta-Analysis Of Florida Medical School, Riddhi Banjeree

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Burnout and mental health issues in medical students in the United States have become increasingly prominent -- posing challenges for student well-being, patient care, and the future of the physician workforce. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a loss of personal accomplishment. These traits can develop early in med school, perpetuate throughout their training years, and are reinforced by demanding academic workloads, competitive exams, and emotionally taxing clinical experiences. The purpose of this project is to examine mental health, counseling, and wellness resources offered across eight medical schools in Florida - U Miami, UCF, UF, USF, FAU, FIU, …

Virtual Reefscapes: Modeling Fish Abundance On Artificial And Natural Reefs In Broward County, Jesse Caruana Snachkus

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This project involved constructing a VR simulation of fish abundance on artificial and natural reefs in Broward County. Two environments, SS Tracey, and a section of the Florida Reef Tract, were created to highlight ecological differences between artificial and natural reef habitats. All environments and species models were designed in Blender, a 3D modeling software, and each fish species was animated to showcase naturalistic behavior. The completed assets were then assembled in VR using the Open Brush application. This project integrates art, technology, and ecology to make marine environments more accessible and engaging for a wide audience. A combination of …

Gathering College Students' Interests In Bone Health By Promoting Vitamin K2 Consumption, Nida Haider

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The human skeleton requires constant sources of nutrients (calcium, vitamin D3, vitamin K) for bone remodeling, maintaining bone mass, and bone density. While there is existing evidence regarding the benefits of calcium and vitamin D3 on bone health, there have been recent studies of the effects of vitamin K derivatives (vitamins K1 and K2) on bone maintenance. The growing popularity of the new over-the-counter supplement named "Vitamin D3 + K2" has initiated our interest in a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of the vitamin K derivatives' roles in bone health regulation. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that naturally exists …

Investigating The Structural And Functional Roles Of Transcriptionally Active Rice Transposons, Eimaan Admad

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Transposable elements (TEs) are crucial contributors to genome dynamics, evolution, gene structure, and regulation of gene expression. Once considered "junk DNA," TEs are now recognized for their significant roles in genome function and organization. TEs are epigenetically regulated through chromatin modifications, genomic imprinting, and the production of small RNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which in turn can influence gene expression. Despite a wealth of data from sequencing projects advancing TE research, their large size—often exceeding the read lengths of many sequencing platforms—has limited comprehensive analysis. Moreover, the high copy number and sequence similarity (often >80%) within TE families can …

Environmental Exposure And Neighborhood Change: A Longitudinal Study Of Little Haiti, Miami, Joshua Dumond

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Urban development trends in coastal cities are increasingly impacted by environmental characteristics like elevation. As individuals and businesses residing near the coast move inland to escape rising sea levels, climate-resilient communities may begin to experience increased housing market trends and real estate investment. This longitudinal, retrospective study investigates how elevation influences the housing market in higher-ground communities, with a focus on the Little Haiti neighborhood in Miami, Florida, while also describing changes in demographic characteristics over time. Census tracts within Little Haiti were used as the unit of analysis for this study while using the U.S. Geological Survey Data to …

Evaluating Item Discrimination And Gender-Based Differential Item Functioning In Safe Sex Behavior Questionnaire (Ssbq), Prarthana Harikrishnan, Xinlei Zhang, Hannah Scheffer

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Risky sexual behavior can increase rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), posing a danger to the health of young adults. The Safe Sex Behavior Questionnaire (SSBQ; Dilorio et al., 1992) is a widely used measure to assess risky sexual behaviors among young adults. However, few studies have evaluated the psychometric properties of the SSBQ, such as how well the survey items discriminate between individuals who engage in safer versus riskier sexual behaviors (discrimination), and whether the items function equivalently for men versus women (differential item functioning). In the current study, we applied psychometric modeling to a dataset of 1,094 young …

Ketone Bodies As Regulators Of Cardiac Energy Metabolism And Cardiovascular Signaling, Eera Mehrota, Anika Singh, Meghana Divi, Cynthia Chamoun, Samiksha Chemukula

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The heart has a high and continuous energy demand and depends on metabolic flexibility to maintain function under both physiological and pathological conditions. Ketone bodies, particularly β-hydroxybutyrate, have emerged as important alternative fuels for the myocardium and as biologically active signaling molecules. This review examines how ketone bodies support cardiac energy metabolism and regulate vascular and myocardial biology through intracellular signaling pathways. A narrative synthesis of peer-reviewed literature was conducted, focusing on ketone utilization in healthy and diseased hearts, metabolic remodeling in heart failure, and the non-energetic signaling roles of ketone bodies in cardiovascular tissues. Evidence indicates that ketone bodies …

Synthesis Of Copper-Phenanthroline Complexes: A Solvothermal-Compatible Approach For The Exploration Of Metal Complexes, Yunping Zhoujin, Michael Anim Safo, Navindra Keerthisinghe, Mark D. Smith, Sophya Garashchuk, Hans Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

Inorganic–organic hybrid materials have been widely investigated for their applications in catalysis, optics, magnetism, and biomedicine. Copper halide complexes are of particular interest due to their structural diversity and physicochemical properties. Conventional crystal growth approaches, such as slow evaporation and hydro(solvo)thermal synthesis, typically require extended reaction times and often favor thermodynamically stable phases. In this study, we prepared ten copper-phenanthroline halide (X = Cl, Br, and I) complexes using both traditional hydrothermal reactions and microwave-assisted hydrothermal methods and obtained [CuI(C₁₂H₈N₂)₂][I₃], [C₁₂H₉N₂][CuI₂]·(H_{2 …}

An Eschatological Investigation Of Fatherlessness Through A Christological Lens: Exploring Identity, Hope, And Restoration In A Fatherless Generation, Derrick Marshall

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

This dissertation analyses the relationship between fatherlessness across generations and selected indicators of cultural development and social stability in contemporary society. It also evaluates how a local church context may function as a site of intervention to address the relational, emotional, and spiritual consequences associated with father absence. The study is conducted within LIFEchurch in El Paso, Texas, and is situated within theological reflections on sonship, identity, and restoration. The research employed a multi-method descriptive design and utilized a single Qualtrics survey instrument comprising both structured quantitative items and open-ended qualitative questions. Participants were adults affiliated with the LIFEchurch community. …

Deep Learning Frameworks For Biological Data Integration And Generation, Alexa Beachum

Statistical Science Theses and Dissertations

Data integration represents a key area of research for analyzing the rapidly growing volume of high-dimensional biological data across sources, stages, and modalities. To model and understand these complex, often non-linear relationships, deep learning has become an increasingly powerful tool. Here, we present two novel deep learning frameworks that address distinct but complementary integration challenges. The first framework aligns single-cell omics data across temporal stages, and the second bridges imaging and omics modalities to generate patient-level molecular profiles.

In Chapter 1, we briefly summarize existing approaches---both statistical and deep learning-based---for single-cell omics data integration and discuss their limitations for handling …

The Sentience Of The Horse And The Philosophy Of Natural Horsemanship: Implications For Hrd Leadership, Rob E. Carpenter

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper advances a biologically grounded philosophy of leadership through the lens of Natural Horsemanship. It reframes leadership as an embodied, sentient process rather than a purely cognitive or behavioral construct. Drawing from neuroscience, affective biology, sociology, and human resource development (HRD), it proposes that the horse–human relationship provides a living model for relational intelligence. The horse’s exquisite attunement to human emotion— mediated through limbic regulation and bio-behavioral synchrony—reveals that influence arises not from authority but from coherence. Leadership, like horsemanship, is a reciprocal act of co-regulation in which trust, safety, and communication are revealed through physiology before language. By …

Unl Emeriti And Retirees Association Newsletter, Spring 2019

UNL Emeriti and Retirees Association: Newsletters and Other Materials

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association Newsletter, Spring 2019

Water Current, Volume 58, No. 1, Spring 2026

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Roadmap On Artificial Intelligence-Augmented Additive Manufacturing, Ali Zolfagharian, Liuchao Jin, Qi Ge, Wei-Hsin Liao, Andrés Díaz Lantada, Francisco Franco Martínez, Tianyu Zhang, Tao Liu, Charlie C.L. Wang, Mohammad Hossein Mosallanejad, Reza Ghanavati, Abdollah Saboori, Alejandro De Blas De Miguel, William Solórzano-Requejo, Yi Cai, Xiangyang Dong, Huangyi Qu, Najmeh Samadiani, Guangyan Huang, Austin Downey, Yanzhou Fu, Lang Yuan

Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence-augmented additive manufacturing (AI2AM) represents a transformative frontier in digital fabrication, where artificial intelligence (AI) is embedded not as a peripheral tool, but as a central framework driving intelligent, adaptive, and autonomous additive manufacturing (AM) systems. The objective of this Roadmap is to present a comprehensive vision of the state-of-the-art developments in AI2AM while charting the future trajectory of this rapidly emerging field. As AM applications continue to expand across diverse sectors, conventional design and control strategies face growing limitations in scalability, quality assurance, and material complexity. AI uses tools like computer vision, generative design, and large language models …

Roundtable: Issue 5, Brody Rohrich, Jonathan Blessing, Kysten Keever, Mona Kuylee, Makenna Maples-Janisch, Gavin Mitzel, Victoria Voss

Roundtable: Journal of the UND Honors Program

No abstract provided.

Child Custody Presumptions: From Fault And Gender To Equal Time, Thomas James

Georgia State University Law Review

For most of history, judges have applied fault- and sex-based presumptions to decide the kinds of custody arrangements that are in children’s best interests. Now that those have been eliminated, courts have no clear guidance for deciding the custody of children other than a vague directive to do what is “best.” Legislatures have enacted non-exclusive lists of suggested factors to consider, but these statutes are frequently as vaguely worded as the “best interest” directive. Because precatory words inserted into statutes with the intention of guiding a judge’s discretion are not binding, they do not provide a basis for appellate review. …

Reconsidering Life Without Parole: How Sb 672 Reshapes Extreme Sentencing For Youth Offenders, Karina Cardenas

University of the Pacific Law Review

No abstract provided.

Comparative Effectiveness Of Radiofrequency Or Microwave Ablation And Chemotherapy For The Treatment Of Large (>5 Cm) Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumors, Artem Boyev, Nirav Thosani, Putao Cen, Jennifer M Bailey-Lundberg, Julie Rowe, Curtis J Wray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and objectives

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) >5 cm is problematic, as patients are often outside transplantation criteria, and cirrhosis compromises curative resection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate survival following treatment with ablation compared to chemotherapy in large HCC.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) Participant User File from 2004 to 2017. Patients with HCC >5 cm in diameter treated with ablation versus chemotherapy alone were compared. Inverse probability-weighted propensity scores were used to model treatment assignments in the Cox proportional hazards model.

Results

A total of 14,783 HCC …

Look What You Made Me Do: Common-Sense Inferences About Independent Decision-Makers In Standing Law, Eli Bartz

Missouri Law Review

On a rainy evening in 2009, John Coomer was sitting behind the visitor’s dugout at Kauffman Stadium. Between innings, Coomer looked at the scoreboard, and the Kansas City Royals’ mascot Sluggerrr threw a hot dog into the stands, hitting Coomer in the eye and detaching his retina. Coomer sued the Royals for negligence, but the jury found in the Royals’ favor. The Missouri Supreme Court overturned the jury verdict, holding that, while spectators assume the risks of balls and bats flying into the stands, they do not assume the risk of flying hot dogs. The ruling sparked controversy, with one …

Gendered Words And Patent Grant Rates: A Textual Analysis, Deborah Gerhardt, Miriam Marcowitz-Bitton, W. Michael Schuster, Avshalom Elmalech, Omri Suissa, Moshe Mash

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

Text is a vehicle to convey information that reflects the writer’s linguistic style and communication patterns. By studying these attributes, we can discover latent insights about the author and their underlying message. This article uses such an approach to better understand patent applications and their inventors.

While prior research focuses on patent metadata (i.e., filing year or gendered inventor names), we employ machine learning and natural language processing to extract hidden information from the words in patent applications. Through these methods, we find that inventor gender can often be identified from textual attributes—even without knowing the inventor’s name. This ability …

A Comparative Analysis Of State Legislation Prohibiting Gender-Affirming Care For Missouri Minors: A Policy Review, Hayley Lange, Benjamin Grin, Kaitlyn Crosby

Missouri Policy Journal

The Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act is a law enacted in August 2023 that banned gender-affirming medical care for individuals under 18 in Missouri. It states that any medical provider who provides medical gender-affirming care to a minor will have their professional medical license revoked. The purpose of this policy review is to evaluate and compare the content of the Missouri SAFE Act with similar legislation enacted in other states to provide an evaluative model.        

This policy assessment used a modified assessment tool that was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The assessment included a …

Fear, Parties, And The 2024 General Election: A Review Of Exit Poll Information From Missouri Voters, Jacob H. Tengelsen, Bronson P. Herrera

Missouri Policy Journal

Increased emotions mark current elections. Particularly, election-related anxiety has risen over the years, causing health and social concerns. Despite studying the risks of election-related fear, researchers have yet to delve into the existing partisan contrasts. We hypothesize that there will be a partisan difference in levels of fear in the 2024 election. We rely on exit poll data collected by the Northwest Center of Policy and Civic Engagement. We find more increased levels of fear among Democrats about the election of Donald Trump than we do among Republicans about the prospect of a Kamala Harris presidency. We reflect on the …

Traditional Masculine Ideology And Transphobia: An Examination Of A Predictive Relationship, Nikola Jensen

Psychology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

This paper examines the role of traditional masculine ideology in the continued prevalence of transphobia.  Drawing on established research, it follows the development of traditional masculinity in critical social and emotional aspects of men’s lives and explores the predictive relationship between endorsement of traditional masculinity and transphobic attitudes.  It emphasizes solution-based psychological research in addressing and challenging this belief system, particularly gender-transformative programs for boys and young men, where supportive role models and healthy representations of masculinity are presented. Overall, it investigates both the consequences of traditional masculinity, including harmful expectations for men themselves and transphobia, as well as mitigation …

The Halmos Pulse, Spring 2026, Dahlilah Bernstein

The Halmos Pulse

No abstract provided.

Human Biology Group Project, Wroud Saleh

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.