Digital Commons Network^™

Quantum Algorithms For Discrete And Combinatorial Optimization, Gloria Oppong

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

This study explores quantum computing for combinatorial optimization, focusing on the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). Using Qiskit, the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) is implemented on simulators and quantum hardware, and compared with classical optimization using Gurobi. TSP instances are encoded as Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problems derived from the Miller–Tucker–Zemlin formulation, with quadratic penalties enforcing degree and subtour constraints. Results indicate that QAOA consistently generates feasible tours, but classical branch-and-bound methods achieve better solution quality and runtime. On Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices, performance degrades with problem size due to sensitivity to parameter tuning, penalty scaling, and hardware …

Community Resilience And Response To Salinity Gradients In Streams Flowing Into Biscayne Bay, Florida, Sebastian M. Jimenez, Francesca Leasi

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

Contemporary shifts in global and local salinity dynamics are caused by various factors, including altered global hydrological cycles, poor water management practices, and salt pollution. For my Honor’s Thesis, I explored the effects that salinity has on communities of meiofauna in coastal streams. Meiofauna are small (45-1000 μm) aquatic invertebrates (microinvertebrates). They are taxonomically diverse and vital to the health and function of all aquatic ecosystems and their food webs. I hypothesized that more sensitive taxa will only be found within a narrow range of salinity, while others will tolerate and be found across a greater range. I quantified meiofauna …

Digitization And Curation Of The Fungal Collections At The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga, Seth N. Ledbetter, Ana Currie, J. Hill Craddock

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

The Natural History Museum of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UCHT:F) houses approximately 4,400 fungal specimens, including a recently donated collection from Austin Peay State University. We are establishing standardized protocols for ongoing curatorial practice at UCHT:F. Digitization workflow adheres directly to iDigBio and Symbiota best practices following standardized Darwin Core data capture, imaging of specimen packets and labels, taxonomic updating, georeferencing, and online publication of records in MyCoPortal, the Mycology Collections data Portal. Targeted sampling in under sampled Tennessee counties is driven by analysis of MyCoPortal data. Voucher specimens associated with prior UTC undergraduate research, including mycological surveys …

Multi-Objective Strategies For Controlling Chinese Privet: Balancing Ecological Impact And Operational Efficiency, Maheshi Galahitiyawe Walawwe, Lakmali Weerasena, Jin Wang

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

Effective control of invasive species requires strategies that are both ecologically sound and resource-efficient. Building on our previous modeling efforts, we present an extended framework for the spatiotemporal management of Chinese privet (Ligustrum spp.), emphasizing ongoing and future management strategies. The approach combines discrete-time invasion modeling with optimization-based planning to evaluate adaptive interventions across heterogeneous landscapes, incorporating seed- and root-mediated dispersal, treatment thresholds, and spatial prioritization. In this presentation, we will discuss extensions to the original framework, including multi-period planning scenarios, integration of real-time monitoring data, and projections of long-term ecological outcomes under various management strategies. By highlighting ongoing research …

Non-Reciprocal Osmotic Rectifier Operating At The Landauer Limit For Water Desalination, Donevin Frownfelter

Defensive Publications Series

A non-reciprocal osmotic rectifier for water desalination operating at the Landauer Limit (W ≥ k_B T ln 2) is disclosed. The system replaces conventional pressure-driven reverse osmosis with Lorentz-force ion separation using 256 REBCO superconducting gates arranged in a breathing double-torus topology around a fused silica microfluidic spine.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20012002

https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0009-0008-7546-6952

Water channels are machined with aperiodic widths scaling by the golden ratio f(n) = 1.618mm · φⁿ to eliminate resonant turbulence. A nanoporous graphene-vortex membrane (σ_g = 178) with matching aperiodic porosity provides mass separation without Euclidean distortion. Unidirectional flow is enforced by orthogonal fluid gates that reflect any reverse …

Mobile Municipal Organic Waste Refinery & Pelletization System, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

This system is a modular municipal organic waste processing platform that converts bagged wet food waste into stabilized fertilizer pellets using a staged mechanical and thermal process:

1. Mechanical shredding

2. Screw-press dewatering

3. Exhaust-driven thermal stabilization (mobile)

4. Controlled belt drying (fixed plant)

5. Nutrient reintroduction loop

6. Ring-die pelletization

The system is designed to minimize landfill diversion load, reduce biological decomposition during transport, and produce standardized fertilizer pellets using lignin-based binding without chemical additives.

Zenbrain: A Neuroscience-Inspired 7-Layer Memory Architecture For Autonomous Ai Systems (V7), Alexander Bering

Defensive Publications Series

ZenBrain is an open-source memory architecture for autonomous AI systems implementing seven distinct memory layers inspired by cognitive neuroscience: working, short-term, episodic, long-term, procedural, core, and predictive memory. A unified MemoryCoordinator integrates fifteen validated neuroscience mechanisms — nine foundational algorithms (vmPFC-coupled FSRS spaced repetition with prediction-error gating, two-factor synaptic Hebbian dynamics for knowledge graphs, simulation-selection sleep consolidation modeling hippocampal replay, Bayesian confidence propagation, compositional context embeddings, spectral knowledge-graph health monitoring, context-adaptive information-bottleneck budgeting, dual-process chain-of-thought consolidation, and iMAD selective debate) and six Predictive Memory Architecture (PMA) components: NeuromodulatorEngine (dopamine/norepinephrine/serotonin/acetylcholine tonic levels with phasic prediction-error bursts and opponent-process dynamics), ReconsolidationEngine (memory …

Gci #301 — Ariadne Heart-Shield (V5.3), Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure presents a passive vascular interface device designed to condition hemodynamic and biochemical boundary conditions at vascular anastomoses. The system utilizes controlled multi-helical flow guidance, compliance-matched materials, and anti-fouling nitric oxide-active surfaces to reduce disturbed flow, leukocyte adhesion probability, and thrombotic activation at the graft junction.

The device does not prevent immune recognition but instead modifies the local microenvironment to reduce the physical and biochemical conditions required for inflammatory amplification. A full preclinical validation pathway is defined, including computational modeling, benchtop testing, ex vivo validation, and large-animal studies.

Integrated Zero-Heat Neural Interface (Izhni): Trl-4 Multiphysics Thermal–Fluidic–Mechanical Architecture For Low-Power Neural Interface Heat Management, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

The Integrated Zero-Heat Neural Interface (IZHNI) is a conceptual TRL-4 engineering architecture defining a coupled thermal–fluidic–mechanical system designed to manage localized electronic heat loads (~250 mW) in extreme spatial constraint environments relevant to neural interface technologies.

This disclosure does not describe a medical device or implantable system, but rather a simulation-ready and benchtop-testable thermal management framework intended for independent validation in non-biological environments.

The system integrates three coupled subsystems: (1) anisotropic thermal biasing layers that preferentially direct heat flow, (2) parallel microfluidic heat extraction channels operating in a low-Reynolds chaotic advection regime, and (3) a mechanically compliant substrate designed to …

Gci‑V3.1: Multimodal Acoustofluidic Platform For Deformability‑Based Particle Sorting And Focused Mechanical Neutralization, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

GCI‑v3.1 introduces a modular, multimodal acoustofluidic platform designed to investigate how rigid and elastic micro‑ and nano‑scale structures respond to controlled mechanical forces. The system integrates four independently testable physics modules—(1) inertial–Dean flow deformability sorting, (2) surface‑acoustic‑wave (SAW) boundary‑layer conditioning, (3) cavitation‑driven differential damage probability, and (4) adaptive harmonic energy localization—into a unified materials‑interaction research scaffold. Each module is validated through simulation‑ready parameters, dimensionless transport metrics, and fabrication‑ready microfluidic and acoustic hardware specifications.

The platform exploits measurable contrasts in Young’s modulus, acoustic impedance, inertial lift, and phonon‑coupling behavior to mechanically differentiate rigid particles from elastic ones without …

Comparison Of Ecg Features, Cardiac Biomarkers, And Clinical Outcomes In Three Waves Of Hospitalized Covid-19 Pneumonia Patients With Cardiovascular Events, Yuchen Han, Jahnavi Sunkara, Tshura S Ali, Harideep Samanapally, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Fnu Deepti, Emma C. Huang, Justin J. Huang, Maiying Kong, Jiapeng Huang

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a rapidly evolving virus that can severely impact the cardiovascular system. With new variants, it is important to characterize wave-specific (defined by dominant circulating variants) clinical changes.

Methods

A multi-center retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 community acquired pneumonia at eight adult acute-care hospitals in the city of Louisville, KY was conducted. Patients hospitalized with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) community acquired pneumonia who experienced a cardiovascular event between March 2020 and July 2022 were included in this analysis. Variant assignment was based on temporal prevalence rather than genomic confirmation, and …

Herbularyo (Folk Healer): An Herbal Medicine Card Game, Maryjane T. Magsino, Inah Marie Q. Rivera, Armando M. Guidote, Genejane M. Adarlo

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Herbularyo, a card game teaching about herbal plants (HPs), was created and evaluated as a viable educational card game based on Tuomisto and Aksela’s criteria. A quasi-experiment was performed on 81 Grade 8 students from a private high school and 50 Grade 11 from a public high school. Independent t-test revealed that the control group (CG) and experimental group (EG) (p=0.386), and EG1 (played ≤5) and EG2 (played >5) (p=0.681) are not comparable with each other. Paired t-test showed EG performed better (p=0.001) than CG (p=0.901) whereas ANCOVA showed that playing Herbularyo improved students’ information retention (p=0.006). EG1 and EG2 …

Staff Education Intervention To Improve Staff Knowledge And Competency In Supporting Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Self-Management, Dorothy Chudi-Agbaku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Taking Off The Mask: Development Of A Role Method For Late-Diagnosed Neurodivergent Women, Maria Moutzalias

Expressive Therapies Theses

Neurodivergent women are frequently underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or late diagnosed due to gender differences and the prevalence of masking. Masking is the unintentional or intentional suppression of neurodiverse traits to present more neurotypical. Consequences of long-term masking can include increased risk of anxiety, depression, and burnout. This study explores the potential of drama therapy as a modality to support unmasking and increasing self-esteem in neurodivergent adult women. Drawing on existing literature on neurodiversity, masking, and drama therapy, a two staged role-based intervention was developed and implemented within a six weeklong psychotherapy group for five late diagnosed neurodivergent women. All participants were …

Creating Safety In Trauma-Informed Care, Grace Alzamora

Expressive Therapies Theses

This study investigated the implementation of narrative art therapy directives focused on identity development and support for adults who have experienced childhood trauma. Narrative therapy was applied to further examine the ways operating from a strength-based perspective benefits clients. Existing research supports the application of the narrative art approach with various populations as a way to validate the client’s lived experiences, strengthen personal identity, and improve the perspective of the situation. A series of art therapy directives were implemented at a partial hospitalization program for mental health and substance use. The participants were between the ages of 19-65 years old …

May 5, 2026 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Hearing And Vision Impairment And Cognitive Function In Later Life: A Scoping Review Of Psychosocial Mechanisms, Lea Guelde

Honors Capstones

Introduction: Sensory impairment is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in later life and has been consistently associated with poorer cognitive outcomes. While prior research has documented associations between sensory loss and global cognitive decline, less attention has been paid to the psychosocial mechanisms that may explain this relationship. Understanding these pathways is essential for identifying modifiable intervention targets. This scoping review mapped and synthesized the existing literature on associations between hearing and vision impairment and cognitive function in adults aged 60 years and older, with a specific focus on psychosocial mechanisms linking sensory function and cognition in later …

Barriers To Palliative Care Access In Rural South Dakota: A Policy And System-Level Analysis, Harshavardhan Kadarkaraisamy

Honors Thesis

Palliative care improves the quality of life for people living with serious illness. It helps by addressing symptoms, improving communication, and providing mental, physical, and spiritual support. However, in South Dakota access to palliative care is limited in rural areas. These challenges include geographic isolation, workforce shortages, healthcare infrastructure, reimbursement, and misunderstandings about palliative care. This thesis examines the key policy barriers that limit access to palliative care in rural South Dakota. This work involves engaging with South Dakota-specific literature, rural health research, policy sources, community education, telehealth expansion, and policy reform. By focusing on the rural context of South …

Cd40 Specific Dna Aptamers As Vaccine Adjuvants, Adil Sabr Al-Ogaili, Tieshan Jiang, Christine Nguyen Vuong, Rohana Liyanage, Jackson Oliver Lay Jr, Thallapuranam Krishnaswamy Suresh Kumar, Luc Berghman, Young Min Kwon

Patents Granted

The present invention provides immunostimulatory nucleic acids that have an affinity to a specific target protein. The present invention also provides templates and methods for making and using the immunostimulatory nucleic acids. Further, methods for linking the immunostimulatory nucleic acids to antigens and using the resulting complexes to enhance an immune response are provided.

Falling Star Program: A Visual Cue Intervention To Reduce Falls In Long-Term Care, Maggie Shanahan

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Falls among older adults in skilled nursing and long-term care settings remain a leading cause of injury, functional decline, and increased healthcare utilization, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality in this population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2022). The primary purpose of this project aimed to implement and evaluate a structured visual cue–based fall prevention intervention to reduce fall rates among high-risk residents in a long-term care facility in Northwest Indiana. The project included 23 participants aged 65 years and older who were identified as high risk for falls. Using …

Pest Risk Modelling For Climate-Smart Vegetable Production In East Africa, Marc Marin Agbodjan, Komi Mensah Agboka, John Odindi, Elfatih Abdel-Rahman, Onisimo Mutanga, Frank Chidawanyika, Chrysantus Tanga, Daniel Munyao Mutyambai, Sevgan Subramanian, Bonoukpoè Mawuko Sokame

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Agricultural productivity in East Africa is increasingly threatened by climate-sensitive insect pests. This study investigates the occurrence of key vegetable pests: Brevicoryne brassicae, Plutella xylostella, Maruca vitrata, and Liriomyza mik. A comparative species distribution modelling evaluated pest risk projections under climate change. Four variable selection strategies were tested: case 1 (correlation and variance inflation factor [VIF] filtering across all predictors), case 2 (correlation and VIF filtering of bioclimatic variables merged with other predictors), case 3 (filtering based on environmental values at species occurrence point to approximate realized niches), and case 4 (dimensionality reduction using principal component analysis). These strategies were …

Variation In Prevalence Of Participation Limitation, Injury Location, And Training Habits Between Young And Master Runners: A Cross-Sectional Study, Rachel Berns, Jo Armour Smith, Natalia Sánchez, Samantha N. Jeffcoat, Susan Sigward, Andrew Hooyman, Shawn Farrokhi

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Background/Objectives

Running is a popular form of physical activity, but its growing participation has been accompanied by high rates of injury that may limit ongoing engagement, particularly in older runners. This study explored differences in running participation limitation, injury location, and training characteristics between young (18–34 years) and master (>35 years) runners.

Methods

A total of 207 runners (105 young, 102 master) completed an online survey assessing demographics, training habits, and injury-related participation limitations using the updated Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire.

Results

Master runners reported higher rates of injury-related participation limitation than young runners (51% …

Executive Committee - Minutes, 05/05/2026, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Cystic Fibrosis Mental Health And Wellness Questionnaire - Factors And Properties Of A Comprehensive Cf-Specific Self-Report Measure, C. Virginia O'Hayer, Patrick J. Smith, Max J. Genecov, Christopher F. Drescher, Heather Bruschwein, Chelsi N. Nurse, Katherine Lawliss, Darcy C. Esiason, Gunnar H. Esiason

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Existing mental health self-report measures have been criticized for over-simplification, lack of CF-specific focus, susceptibility to measurement reactivity bias, and conflation of symptoms of anxiety and/or depression with CF-related symptoms and/or treatment side effects. The CF Mental Health and Wellness Questionnaire (CFMHWQ) is a 25-item measure assessing CF-specific mental health burden symptoms.

METHODS: To examine common underlying factors contributing to scores on the CFMHWQ, principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted of all 25 items. We conducted cross-validation of CFMHWQ principal components, examining unadjusted correlations between each principal component, demographic characteristics (age and biological sex), negative affect (mean rank global …

Descriptive Analysis: Effects Of Insufficient Sleep Among College Students Ages 18-22, Divine Ighalo

Honors Theses

Background: Not getting enough sleep is common among college students and is often linked to habits such as screen time, caffeine intake, stress, and irregular routines. This study examined how these lifestyle factors are associated with insufficient sleep among college students ages 18-22 and how poor sleep affects their overall wellbeing. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design and collected data through an anonymous 25 question online Qualtrics questionnaire. This was completed by 150 participants. The survey was designed to be completed in about 5-7 minutes. It included a mix of multiplechoice questions, frequency-based responses and select all that …

Host Genetic Variation And Environmental Stress Shape Microbiome Assembly And Host–Microbe–Pathogen Dynamics In Drosophila, Nitin Bansal

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Host-associated microbiomes play central roles in host physiology, development, and susceptibility to disease, yet their composition and stability vary widely across genetic, environmental, and ecological contexts. Understanding the factors that shape microbiome structure remains a key challenge in host–microbe biology. This thesis examines how host genetic background and environmental perturbations independently influence gut microbiome composition in Drosophila, and uses mechanistic modeling to explore how microbial dynamics can affect pathogen invasion outcomes.

In Chapter 1, I investigate how mito-nuclear genetic variation influences gut microbiome structure across developmental stages and generations. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, I show that microbiome composition differs between …

Interparental Relationship Quality Reduces Parental Stress And Subsequent Family Dysfunction Across Pregnancy And Early Childhood, Rachel Clara-Beth Beck

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

In this multiple paper dissertation, I found that a higher quality interparental relationship, characterized by more emotional intimacy, support, responsiveness and better conflict management skills, plays a key role in reducing stress and its subsequent impact on family dynamics. Aims and hypotheses were tested using longitudinal data collected from mixed-sex couples during the pregnancy-postpartum transition and into early childhood. In study #1, higher quality interparental support during pregnancy was associated with lower postpartum stress which, in turn, predicted fewer parent–infant bonding impairments. In study #2, a mutually responsive orientation in the couple relationship during pregnancy interacted with intrapersonal regulatory resources …

Raman Spectroscopy With Machine-Learning Classification For The Prediction Of Stereotactic Radiotherapy Induced Treatment Toxicity In High-Risk Localised Prostate Cancer, Jade F. Monaghan, Daniel Cullen, Dinesh K.R. Medipally, Rahul Suresh, Kelly M. Redmond, Ciaran Fairmichael, Suneil Jain, Aidan D. Meade, Fiona M. Lyng

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Radiotherapy can lead to late-onset toxicity, to varying extents between individuals due to differences in radiosensitivity. Predicting which patients are most at risk is key to augmenting the therapeutic window. However, the underlying biological mechanisms remain poorly understood, and current experimental methods often lack clinical applicability. This study employs Raman spectroscopy to analyse biochemical profiles in peripheral lymphocytes and plasma, aiming to monitor radiotherapeutic response and predict intrinsic radiosensitivity in high-risk localised prostate cancer patients treated with stereotactic radiotherapy. Partial-least squares discriminant analysis classification of Raman spectra at baseline (n = 20) from post-hormone therapy (n = 19), mid-treatment (pre-4 …

Ultrasound Neuromodulation Reveals Distinct Roles Of The Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex And Anterior Insula In Learning, Nomiki Koutsoumpari, Johannes Algermissen, Siti Yaakub, Hanneke E. M. Den Ouden, Nadège Bault, Elsa Fouragnan

School of Psychology

Pavlovian biases reflect how evolutionarily hard-wired tendencies—automatic approach toward reward cues and withdrawal from threat cues—can interfere with flexible, goal-directed action. Such biases arise through three mechanisms: (a) anticipated rewards energize action while anticipated punishments suppress it (response bias), (b) agents learn differently from actions than from inactions (learning bias), and (c) reward/punishment cues themselves drive repetitive behavior, independent of outcomes (perseveration bias). The neural origin of these biases is unclear. Past evidence suggests dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula (aIns) as part of a “reset network” that rapidly responds to salient information and might contribute to these …

The Meaning Of Physical Activity In The Context Of Health Sciences: A Concept Analysis, Martín G. Farinola

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Physical activity has been defined in numerous ways. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a concept analysis of the existing physical activity definitions in the health sciences literature to evaluate its conceptual precision and assess the need for a revised or novel concept better suited for this domain. The concept analysis was accomplished using tools derived from philosophical semantics. The analysis identified six definitions that explicitly state what physical activity is with sufficient clarity to allow for conceptual examination. The findings indicated that these definitions frequently merge the concept of physical activity with its contextual attributes. To address these semantic …