Plant By-Products As A Valuble Source Of Natural Antiglycemic Compounds: Economic Aspects And Alternative Raw Material Sources, Tatjana Đorđević, Jelena Vujetić, Isidora Dickov, Diandra Pintać Šarac

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Plant by-products, often considered as waste in various agricultural and food processing industries, have emerged as a valuable source of natural antidiabetic or antihyperglycemic compounds. These compounds, derived from plant materials that would otherwise be discarded, have the potential to mitigate the global burden of diabetes and offer sustainable solutions for glycemic control. Prominent groups of natural antidiabetic compounds found in plant by-products are polyphenols, as well as bioactive proteins and peptides. In addition, agro-industrial residues such as wheat bran, oat husks, and fruit peels are excellent sources of carbohydrates that can be incorporated into functional foods to help manage …

Emerging Antifungal Strategies Against Candida Albicans Using Metal–Organic Frameworks And Novel Therapeutics: Opportunities And Challenges, Amanpreet Singh, Sandeep Kumar, Sehrabpreet Singh, Jeewanjot Singh

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen responsible for infections ranging from superficial mucosal disease to life-threatening systemic candidiasis, particularly in immunocompromised hosts. Its pathogenicity is enhanced by morphological plasticity, biofilm formation, and immune evasion, contributing to antifungal resistance. Limitations of existing antifungals have driven interest in emerging therapeutics. This review highlights strategies including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), host-directed therapies (HDTs), CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, and phytochemicals. MOFs offer high drug-loading capacity, controlled release, and enhanced penetration into biofilms, showing promise against drug-resistant strains. Selected phytochemicals demonstrate inhibitory effects on virulence traits such as hyphal formation and enzyme secretion. CRISPR-Cas9 …

Ora‑C3 (2026 Reinforced Edition) Oncology Resonant Micro‑Lattice Research Engine, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

Abstract — 2026 Reinforced Edition

ORA‑C3 is a non‑clinical, open‑hardware oncology research engine designed to accelerate mRNA‑payload stability studies, micro‑environmental flow mapping, and resonance‑assisted cellular‑analog modeling. The 2026 Reinforced Edition integrates a gyroid micro‑lattice chamber, multi‑band ultrasound drivers, vortex‑microbubble conditioning, Arachne‑Chip‑2.0 telemetry, and CUDRE‑linked biological‑model correlation ports.

ORA‑C3 provides a builder‑ready, open‑hardware, non‑clinical platform for cancer‑research labs seeking repeatable, tunable, multi‑physics testbeds for mRNA oncology research acceleration.

Ai Adoption And Organizational Resilience In Turbulent Environments: The Mediating Role Of Employee Digital Literacy And The Moderating Role Of Innovation-Supportive Climate In The Iraqi Hospitality Sector, Hasan Mutashar Gbouri

Arab Economic and Business Journal

This study examines whether adopting artificial intelligence (AI) strengthens organizational resilience when the operating environment is hostile, and identifies the internal conditions an organization must satisfy before an AI investment translates into resilience. Two mechanisms anchor the argument: employee digital literacy, which carries the effect, and an innovation-supportive climate, which conditions it. We surveyed 400 employees across three premium hotels in Baghdad, Iraq, sampled by operational level, and tested the model with structural equation modeling in AMOS 26.0. The results show that AI adoption alone yields only a modest direct gain in resilience. Slightly more than half of its total …

A Dual- Task Hierarchical Graph Attention Network For Protein-Protein Interaction Sites Prediction, Oras A. Hussein, Eman S. Al-Shamery

Journal of Intelligent Informatics, Networking, and Cybersecurity

In computational structural biology, it is still very hard to accurately find protein-protein interaction (PPI) sites and estimate how strong the interaction would be. In this research, we provide an innovative two-stage deep learning framework that combines residue-level graph representation learning with protein-level regression to achieve a thorough modeling of protein interactions. Protein structures first encoded as residue graphs, with nodes that stand for amino acids and edges that show how close they are to each other in space. To find binding residues, a deep residual Graph Attention Network v2 (GATv2) uses multi-head attention, residual connections, and Jumping Knowledge aggregation …

Oxybenzone In Sunscreen: Examining Human Health Implications, Madelyn Landsteiner

Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the current evidence regarding the human health effects associated with exposure to oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) containing sunscreen in individuals using sunscreen products. This review examined outcomes, including systemic absorption, endocrine function, and reproductive health, while considering established benefits of sunscreen for skin cancer prevention.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using peer-reviewed publications identified through PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Valparaiso University library database. Selected studies included systematic reviews, meta-analyses, pharmacokinetic studies, observational studies, and toxicological research. Literature evaluating systemic absorption, endocrine disruption, reproductive health effects, biomonitoring data, and regulatory safety …

The Therapeutic Effects Of Bee Venom And Its Implication For Future Practice, Anna Speckhard

Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

Objective: Bee venom acupuncture (BVA) has been used in Asia for its anti-inflammatory effects for hundreds of years, and recently it has proposed anti-cancer effects. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects of bee venom to determine its use in future medical practice.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using the databases PubMed and Google Scholar with search terms including bee venom therapy, BVA, pain, cancer, and melittin. Inclusion criteria were studies investigating bee venom in the context of pain or cancer. Exclusion criteria were studies with no evaluation of bee venom and endpoints …

“Beyond Weight Loss: Evaluating The Anti-Inflammatory Potential Of Glp-1 Receptor Agonists In Hidradenitis Suppurativa”, Lindsey Roos

Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

Objective: The purpose of this narrative literature review was to evaluate the role of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) as adjunctive therapy in adults with moderate-to-severe Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The clinical question explored whether GLP-1 RAs improve disease severity, flare frequency, quality of life, and metabolic outcomes in patients with obesity or metabolic dysfunction.

Methods: A literature review was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed Central, Christopher Center Library, NIH resources, Research Rabbit, and JAMA Dermatology. Studies published from 2019 to 2025 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria included adults with clinically confirmed moderate-to-severe HS (Hurley stage II–III), measurable baseline disease severity, …

Navigating Topical & Biologic Therapies In Pediatric Patients With Lamellar Ichthyosis, Eileen E. Uthuppan

Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

Objective:

The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of topical retinoid and biological therapies for pediatric patients with Lamellar Ichthyosis. These therapies were compared with standard keratolytic and emollient treatments in improving scaling severity, dryness, pain, pruritus, quality of life, while minimizing infection rates and adverse effects.

Methods:

A narrative literature review was completed using PubMed, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and Research Rabbit Al. Studies in English, within five years, were included if they evaluated pediatric patients with autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis and had full-text availability. Studies involving adults, non-hereditary ichthyosis, or patients with comorbidities …

Thermodynamic Studies To Determine The Impact Of Cooa Heme On Its Structure And Function, Micah C. Israel, Robert Clark

Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

This project builds upon the Clark research team's goal of understanding how the transcription factor CooA (carbon monoxide oxidation activator) activates its DNA-binding function upon changes at its heme domain (i.e., an iron porphyrin complex) when bound to carbon monoxide (CO). This research has broader implications, as analogous gas-sensing proteins are potential drug targets. Previous work showed that replacing heme with a different metalloporphyrin activated DNA-binding even without carbon monoxide. However, it is poorly understood how these changes at the heme domain activate DNA-binding, which takes place remotely. This study will investigate  how the heme group affects CooA's structure by …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Thompson Mistmaiden (Romanzoffia Thompsonii), Nora Dunkirk, Gabriel Campbell, Sue Vrilakas

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Thompson mistmaiden (Romanzoffia thompsonii) using NatureServe methodology, 2026.

Neural-Immune-Cardiovascular Axis: From Mechanistic Crosstalk To Therapeutic Targets In Cardiovascular Disease, Junkang Cheng, Shuang Gao, Haowei Zhang, Wei Gao, Zeyuan Mei, Xiaoling Liu, Jocelyn Gao, Chenghu Guo, Guipeng An

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

The neural-immune-cardiovascular axis represents an emerging and highly integrated physiological and pathophysiological concept, describing a complex bidirectional communication network between the nervous, immune, and vascular systems. This review systematically examines the pivotal role of this axis in maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis and in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. We first provide an overview of the fundamental signaling pathways between the components of this axis. Subsequently, we delve into the specific crosstalk mechanisms within the axis in the context of major cardiovascular conditions, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and heart failure. A central focus is placed on critically evaluating the potential therapeutic targets and …

Efficacy Of Curcumin As An Ayurvedic Adjunct To Standard Therapy In Patients With Mild To Moderate Ulcerative Colitis, Varsha S. George

Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

Objective:

To evaluate the current evidence regarding curcumin as an adjunctive therapy for adults with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis(UC) and determine whether using it with standard medical therapy improves clinical remission, clinical response/symptom control, and endoscopic remission compared  with standard therapy alone

Methods:

A narrative literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar to identify randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta analyses published between 2014 and 2026 evaluating adjunctive curcumin for UC. Studies of adults with mild-moderate UC receiving adjunctive curcumin were included. Pediatric populations, severe UC, and studies lacking clinical or endoscopic outcomes were excluded.. Five …

A Professional Development Course On Data-Driven Dynamical Systems At A Primarily Undergraduate Institution - Part B: Professional Development Framework And Institutional Implementation, Alessandro M. Selvitella, Jeffrey R. Anderson

CODEE Journal

This paper presents the professional-development and institutional-implementation component of a three-paper program on introducing data-driven dynamical systems into undergraduate ordinary differential equations instruction at a primarily undergraduate institution. The companion paper \cite{SelvitellaAnderson2026} develops the mathematical and computational content, including regression, regularization, Dynamic Mode Decomposition, Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics, and a Van der Pol oscillator activity. The present paper asks a complementary implementation question: what departmental structures, graduate teaching assistant roles, professional-development activities, and course-support pathways are needed for such materials to become teachable within local undergraduate settings?

We describe a three-phase professional-development model for graduate teaching assistants in the …

Arrythmias In Autoimmune Diseases: Immune-Mediated Mechanisms And Management, Kamala P. Tamirisa, Jorge A. Irizarry-Caro, Ian Curnutt, Devika Adusumilli, Mia Jose, Meenakshi Jolly, Estelle Torbey, Annabelle S. Volgman

Student Publications

Autoimmune diseases substantially increase the risk of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death through shared immune-mediated mechanisms. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, autoantibodies, and progressive myocardial fibrosis disrupt ion channel function, impair conduction, and create re-entrant substrates. Across systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and systemic sclerosis (SSc), these pathways manifest as atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias, conduction disease, and heightened arrhythmic mortality. Anti Ro/SSA antibodies, in particular, contribute to QT prolongation and atrioventricular (AV) block, while cytokines such as TNF α, IL 1β, and IL 6 remodel electrophysiological properties and promote fibrosis. Advanced cardiac imaging, especially cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), …

A Review Of Bast Fibres And Their Composites: Part 5 ~ Sustainability, Luke Branca, Badr Moutik, John Summerscales

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology for the evaluation of the (relative) potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle. It is standardised under the ISO14040 and ISO14044 series. When conducted rigorously, LCA provides a quantitative framework for comparing environmental impact and can challenge or substantiate common assumptions regarding environmental performance of the system. However, it is essential that any reported results are read in combination with the defined goal and scope, as the choice of the system boundary and/or the allocation of burdens and other methodological choices can influence the outcome presented. This review will …

The Aging Muscle Phenotype Of C57bl/6j Wild-Type Mice, Gaurav Shingote

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Aging causes a slow and progressive loss of muscle fiber number and size. Sarcopenia is termed as an age-related loss of muscle mass and function. Here, we characterized the aging skeletal muscle phenotype of C57Bl/6J wildtype mice. 30 weeks old (young) and 2 years old (aged) C57Bl/6J wildtype male mice were utilized in this study. The body weight and hind leg muscle weight were recorded during collection. The hind leg muscle Tibialis anterior (TA) was OCT embedded, cut at the mid- belly region, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain as per our previously published protocol. The 20X images …

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

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

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

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

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

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

Annotation Of The Immunity Cassette In Ay Cluster Phage Lebruni, Kelis Brown, Mehalia Hoyte, Ella King, Bianca Kulcsar, Zayda Perez

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Bacteriophages typically follow either a lytic or lysogenic life cycle, yet the genetic mechanisms controlling the decision in Arthrobacter phages remain poorly understood. In the well-studied phage Lambda, various proteins are found to regulate the control between lysogeny and lysis. Inspired by this model, this research project investigates whether LeBruni contains immunity genes and a defined immunity cassette. LeBruni genes were annotated and analyzed using bioinformatics tools such as NCBI Blast, HHPred, PhageDB, and Phamerator to predict functions of the gene products. The immunity cassette in LeBruni determined to span genes 39 – 54, with gene 39 encoding a tyrosine …

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

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

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

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

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

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

Reproductive Equity: A Comparative Chemical Analysis Of Emerging Male Contraception Technology, Grace Kim, Esmaralda Pilar-Lopez

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Female oral contraceptives, although abundant in access and successful as contraceptives, pose significant risks to women’s health. Biosocial factors that discourage male contraceptive drugs include harmful hormonal changes and inconsistent efficacy. This research employs comparative analysis of three current methods on potential male contraceptive options, focusing on steroid chemistry, functional group modification, and bioavailability. Emerging male contraceptive drugs of interest include the non-hormonal retinoic acid (vitamin A) receptor to antagonize sperm production, blocking the sperm-specific 〖Ca〗^(+2)  ion channel, and a reversible “Chemical Plug” that limits sperm movement at the vas deferens. Through comparison, this research will use six references to …

How Has Western Biomedical Framing Of Type 2 Diabetes Shaped Prevention And Treatment In South Asian Populations?, Amrita Nayak, Sreehitha Sajja

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

This paper examines how Western biomedical framing of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has shaped prevention and treatment strategies in South Asian populations, often with limited effectiveness. The dominant Western model emphasizes individual responsibility, standardized dietary guidelines, and generalized treatment protocols. While these approaches have proven useful in broader populations, they frequently fail to address the distinct biological, cultural, and structural realities that influence T2D risk among South Asians. A key limitation lies in the underrecognition of earlier metabolic risk. South Asian individuals tend to develop T2D at younger ages and lower body mass index (BMI) levels compared to European populations, …

It's In Your Dna: A Comprehensive Overview Of Forensic Genetic Genealogy And The Future Of Profiling Methods And Legal Implications, Selah A. Thompson

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) is a relatively modern and transformative technique within the field of forensics that allows for precise scientific identification of suspects or victims through DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) analysis, primarily consisting of analyses of Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) found within samples of DNA. While FGG is quite new within the field, the applications for accurate, scientific-based analysis of crime scenes can help make an unsolvable case something that can be resolved, including some of the most famous cold cases of the past century. Current FGG technology provides incredibly valuable investigative leads, but current …

Determination Of The Degree Of Channeling Present Between Separate Catalytic Domains In Rat Peptidyl-Glycine Alpha-Amidating Monooxygenase, Chloe E. Jones, Tyler Holets, David J. Merkler

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Rat Peptidyl-Gly Alpha-Amidating Monooxygenase, or PAM, is the ortholog of the enzyme in humans solely responsible for amidating bioactive peptides to enable full biological function. The enzyme is composed of two catalytic domains held together by a flexible linker. The first domain is the copper-containing peptidylglycine α-hydroxylating monooxygenase, or PHM, which α-hydroxylates the peptidyl-glycine substrates. The second domain is the zinc-containing peptidyl-α- hydroxyglycine α-amidating lyase, or PAL, which produces glyoxylate and the amidated peptide final product. In part due to the flexible linker between the domains, the mechanism of substrate transfer between PHM and PAL is poorly characterized. Channeling, or …

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

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

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

Optimization Of Antibiotic Selection Conditions In Human T-Cell Lines To Study Mechanisms Of Resistance To Bi-Specific Antibody Therapy In Multiple Myeloma, Raphael Gabra

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Multiple myeloma is a malignancy of plasma cells for which emerging therapies increasingly target B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA). Many experimental approaches used to investigate therapeutic resistance rely on genetically modified cell populations that must be maintained through antibiotic selection to ensure stable expression of introduced constructs. However, antibiotic sensitivity varies across cell lines and drug types, and improper dosing can compromise experimental reproducibility by allowing unmodified cells to persist or inducing excessive cytotoxic stress. This study aimed to define efficient and practical selection conditions for two commonly used antibiotics, G418 and puromycin, in Jurkat and TALL-104 human T-cell lines. Cells …

Localization And Function Of Tgsfa2 During Tachyzoite Division In Toxoplasma Gondii, Tom Goro

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite infecting 30% of the global population. During host cell invasion, new parasites are formed through a budding process that partitions nuclei and organelles into daughters through a specialized form of division is known as endodyogeny. It involves closed mitosis, a single round of DNA replication, and coordinated organelle assembly within the mother cell. In cell division, centrosomes duplicate and serve as a central point for the reorganization of cytoskeletal structures known as microtubule organizing centers (MTOC). In typical eukaryotic cell division, centrosomes duplicate and migrate to opposite poles forming bipolar mitotic spindles required …

Cyclobenzaprine: Psychiatric Side Effects In Patients With Mood Disorders, Shelby R. Mcgrew, Michael Pestova-Habera

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Cyclobenzaprine, also known under the brand name Flexeril, is one of the most widely prescribed skeletal muscle relaxants globally. While treatment is typically limited to post-injury pain relief, long-term use has increased due to evidence of pain reduction in patients with chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia and temporomandibular joint disorder. Recently, cyclobenzaprine was found to be contraindicated for patients with bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. This is thought to result from its structural similarity to amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant. As a result, some patients utilizing cyclobenzaprine for pain management may experience acute manic episodes following administration. This study reviews …