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Comparing Non-Invasive Survey Methods For Southern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys Volans) At The Western Edge Of Their Range, Jay E. Winfield, Jeremy A. White

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) is a threatened species in Nebraska that occurs along the Missouri River in the southeastern corner of the state. Recently, a population was discovered in the city of Lincoln, but it is unknown whether this population represents a natural range expansion from the Missouri River population or whether it is isolated and results from a human-assisted movement. A survey of southern flying squirrels in Nebraska is needed, but surveys of this elusive species are challenging. This study investigated and compared two noninvasive survey techniques for rapid detection of flying squirrels: acoustic detectors …

Co-Opting Modernity: The Semantic Retooling Of Faith At The 1893 World’S Parliament Of Religions, Erik P. Palmer

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago served as a high-stakes arena where the boundaries of religious legitimacy were redrawn through the intentional adoption of social science vocabulary. Staged within the Neo-Classical architecture of the White City of the World’s Columbian Exposition, the event was more than a civil gathering; it functioned as a “Museum of Faiths” where religious traditions were curated, categorized, and evaluated against the perceived benchmarks of Western civilization. The physical environment of the Fair, a monument to industrial triumph, was built to display things that worked. The organizers demanded that religions demonstrate they were useful …

Advanced Manufacturing And Materials Of A Bio-Mimetic Hoof For Space Robotics Applications, Benjamin Heckel

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Planetary surfaces often feature steep, uneven, and unpredictable terrain conditions that resemble some of the most challenging natural environments on Earth. In these terrestrial settings, certain animals have evolved to navigate complex landscapes with remarkable agility. One example is the mountain goat, an animal whose hooves have evolved for stable and precise movement across rocky, inclined surfaces. This biological adaptation provides a useful model for improving robotic mobility in planetary exploration. This study draws inspiration from that natural adaptation to develop a bio-mimetic robotic hoof designed to enhance traction, durability, and adaptability for extraterrestrial exploration. By replicating the mechanical properties …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Human-Ai Interaction Through Animated Shapes, Kavya Dipen Shah, Angel Hinojosa, Caroline Deck

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

As technology becomes more advanced, it is important to understand how people perceive the intentions and abilities of machines. This project, conducted in the InTeRACT Lab, explores how we attribute humanlike qualities to different types of agents, ranging from animals to robots. The study analyzes data from an experiment where participants watched animations of moving triangles. Although the videos were identical, participants were told the shapes represented either humans, robots, dogs, or inanimate objects. While previous math-based data showed that these labels changed how people felt, those structured scales didn't allow for a natural, unbiased explanation of what people actually …

Social Attributions Of Moving Shapes: Comparing Qualitative Analyses Of Humans Vs. Ai, Angel Hinojosa

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

As technology becomes more intelligent, the relationship between humans and machines is rapidly shifting. Whether a machine is perceived as a capable partner or a source of wariness often depends on the intentions and abilities, we attribute to it. My research in the InTeRACT Lab seeks to empirically assess these perceptions by comparing how we view different nonhuman agents, ranging from animals to robots.   This study analyzes qualitative data from a task where participants viewed animations of moving triangles. While the videos remained the same, participants were told the shapes represented either humans, robots, dogs, or inanimate shapes. Previous quantitative …

Phaëthon System, Brady Roudabush, Lauren Gallo, Emelia Thompson, Jacob Woods

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Phaëthon System is the project name for the Search and Rescue Drone Initiative. This initiative will improve the current search and rescue drone industry by introducing new techniques to get through dense forest canopies and other places where an overhead view is not useful. The Phaëthon System uses a swarm of drones that can penetrate under the tree canopy to map and search with the utmost efficiency and safety for rescuers. A command drone is launched to survey the overall search area, and set up a communications and data link. The next component is then released, which is a swarm …

From Sunscreen To Seafood: Tracing The Ecological And Human Health Risks Of Oxybenzone Contamination In Local Fish, Alyssa Brasko

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) is a widely used ultraviolet (UV) filter in sunscreens, offering protection against harmful radiation but raising significant environmental concerns due to its persistence and toxicity in aquatic ecosystems. This ongoing study aims to investigate the bioaccumulation and ecological impact of oxybenzone in fish species along Florida’s Space Coast, contributing to a broader understanding of its environmental fate and potential human exposure through seafood consumption. The research will employ advanced analytical techniques, including Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), to quantify oxybenzone levels in locally sourced fish. Fish samples will be obtained from the non-profit organization …

Accelerating Search And Rescue Response: A Simulation Study On The Dynamic Efficiency Of Flocking-Enabled Drone Swarms, Sophia Beckwith, Carys Del Prete

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project explores how imitations observed in animal group behavior, specifically flocking in birds, can be applied to the functionality of autonomous drone systems to aid in search and rescue efforts. The goal is to demonstrate how incorporating code based on the Boids, Vicsck and predictive control linear algebraic mathematical models for drone flight controls and the collective behaviors of flocks will increase the efficiency of drone maneuvers, allowing them to reorganize and fill gaps when one is removed. A MATLAB-based simulation was developed to model the behaviors using research conducted on the symmetric and synchronized behaviors observed from flocks …

Numerical Investigation Of The Nonlinear Simple Pendulum And The Dependence Of Oscillation Period On Initial Angle, Kelly Wold, Aidan Hart, Patrick Gilliam

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Numerical Investigation of the Nonlinear Simple Pendulum and the Dependence of Oscillation Period on Initial Angle examines how the oscillation period of a simple pendulum varies with initial angular displacement and evaluates the accuracy of numerical methods in capturing this behavior. In classical treatments, the small-angle approximation simplifies the governing differential equation and predicts a constant period independent of amplitude; however, this assumption breaks down for larger angles, where the system exhibits nonlinear dynamics. The objective of this project is to model the full nonlinear equation of motion and quantify how the period depends on initial conditions. To achieve this, …

Book Review: Cold War On Five Continents, Sviatoslav Kozlov

History in the Making

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Technology On The Chinese Queer Community, Samantha Collasco

History in the Making

This project’s aim is to analyze the various ways in which the internet has influenced the Chinese LGBTQ+ community. The Chinese government has created an immense censorship over the community and any accompanying terms, therefore leading to their discrimination and marginalization within Chinese society. How has queer representation changed in China since the decriminalization of homosexuality? How has the internet affected the public perception of the LGBTQ+ community? What role does censorship play in the shaping of public perception of queer identities? How has westernization and globalization affected the attitudes towards queer identities? This work engages with the existing scholarship …

The Shorthorn: August 1, 1984

The Shorthorn Newspaper Collection: 1980s

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Effects Of Novel Treatments For Pain Management Using Combinatorial Methods, Rohit Rajeev Nambiar

Theses and Dissertations

Pain, despite being an uncomfortable feeling to experience, is a necessary protective mechanism for the body1. Understanding that pain results from several different mechanisms within the body is important to discovering the optimal way to treat and manage a person’s pain. Modern medicine has seen numerous advancements in treating or managing acute and chronic pain, particularly with opioid drugs. However, these treatments come with potential side effects, including opioid use disorder (OUD) and fatal overdose. Finding new treatment methods, or improving existing methods, is crucial for patients with pain. This thesis explores two projects looking to develop safer analgesia using …

Experience Of Using Rho Kinase Inhibitor Eye Drops In Corneal Edema At Tertiary Care Hospital In Thailand, Pakornkit Phrueksaudomchai, Aekchanok Watcharapanjamart, Ploypak Thanakroekkiat

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the experience of using Rho kinase inhibitor eye drops in corneal edema.

Setting/Venue: Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand

Methods: This retrospective longitudinal cohort study included patients with corneal edema treated with topical ripasudil. Clinical data were collected from medical records, including diagnosis, demographic characteristics, dosage regimen, and outcomes such as visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), endothelial cell count (EEC), coefficient of variation (CV), and percentage of hexagonal cells (%Hexa). Patients were followed across multiple visits (Visit 0-5). Subgroup analyses were performed according to underlying etiologies.

Results: 46 eyes of 46 …

Melatonin In Pediatric Critical Care: From Physiology To Bedside Roles, Chanapai Chaiyakulsil

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

Melatonin is an endogenous indoleamine synthesized by the pineal gland. Though melatonin is best known for its chronobiologic effects, regulating the circadian rhythm and sleep, it might play a wider role in critical illness. It has been proposed for use as an analgesic and sedative, an antihypertensive, an anti-inflammatory, and for the prevention of delirium. Melatonin use in children has increased dramatically over the years, but the evidence on its use in critically ill children remains limited. This review article aimed to describe the basic physiology and biology of melatonin, including its production and functions, dosing, and side effects, …

Grieving And Attentiveness: Perception As Flourishing In Ocean Vuong And Mary Oliver, Madison Smith

Papers

The paper argues that poets Ocean Vuong and Mary Oliver treat grief as something formative to one's life and character rather than purely destructive; through their suffering, the subject has the opportunity to cultivate a sense of attentiveness that transforms perceptions of the self, others, history, and the natural world.

This project was an output for The Belmont Formation Scholars Cohort for Character Research and Writing, which received generous support funding from The Kern Family Foundation.

I gratefully acknowledge peer review feedback on this project, and I am accountable for writing of this product without generative AI and in alignment …

Mystical Revelation And Knowledge Of God: Reclaiming Spirituality In Theology Through The Mystics, Elizabeth A. Merski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the scholastic era, the pursuit of God has occurred preeminently through reason, leading to an imbalanced theology of God that persists to the present day in the form of intellect-centered theology. As a resolution, this work proposes that the mobilization of private, mystical revelation as a source of legitimized theological knowledge of God has the potential to close the existent epistemological gap between reason/belief and theology/spirituality, demonstrating the integral unity between authentic knowledge of God and the receiver’s personal acceptance of God in faith. After examining the required methodological components for the discipline of theology and identifying criteria for …

Analyzing The Transition From Writing Center Tutor To Graduate Student Instructor, Luci Mackenzie Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

Writing center tutoring is almost universally considered to be beneficial preparation for graduate student instructors (GSIs) of writing, so much so that many programs require writing center experience as part of their GSI training. Despite various similarities between the roles of tutor and teacher, the precise ways in which writing center experience influences GSIs as teachers remain unclear. This IRB-approved, mixed-methods study builds on previous empirical scholarship on transfer between tutoring and teaching to determine how new GSIs with previous writing center experience integrate practices, knowledge, and dispositions developed in the writing center. My findings echo those of previous studies …

Malt1 Protease Inhibition Restrains Glioblastoma Progression By Reversing Tumor-Associated Macrophage-Dependent Immunosuppression In Mice, Juliana Hofstätter Azambuja, Saigopalakrishna Yerneni, Lisa Maurer, Hannah Crentsil, Gabriela Debom, Linda Klei, Mei Smyers, Chaim Sneiderman, Kristina Schwab, Rajesh Acharya, Aivi Nguyen, Josie Emery, John Little, Jeffrey Meridew, Yijen Lin Wu, Prasanna Ekambaram, Dong Hu, Pete Gough, John Bertin, Ari Melnick, Gary Kohanbash, Riyue Bao, Peter Lucas, Linda Mcallister-Lucas

College of Life Sciences Faculty Papers

MALT1 protease is an intracellular signaling molecule that promotes tumor progression via cancer cell-intrinsic and cancer cell-extrinsic mechanisms. MALT1 has been mostly studied in lymphocytes, and little is known about its role in tumor-associated macrophages. We show that MALT1 is expressed in glioblastoma (GBM)-associated macrophages. Mechanistically, GBM tumor cells induce a MALT1-NF-κB signaling axis in macrophages, leading to enhanced macrophage migration and polarization toward an immunosuppressive ('M2-like') phenotype. Inactivation of MALT1 protease promotes transcriptional reprogramming that reduces migration and restores a macrophage anti-tumor 'M1-like' phenotype. Preclinical in vivo analysis shows that MALT1 inhibitor treatment results in immuno-reactivity of GBM-associated macrophages …

Cross-Reactivity Of 15 Jev Antigen-Directed Rabbit Antisera With Three Clinically Important Jev Serogroup Members: Wnv, Mvev, And Slev, Sang-Im Yun, Young-Min Lee

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), the prototype member of the JEV serogroup within the genus Orthoflavivirus (family Flaviviridae), is closely related to West Nile virus (WNV), Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV), and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV). To characterize antigenic cross-reactivity within this group, we evaluated 15 region-specific rabbit antisera, previously generated against nearly the entire JEV protein-coding region, by immunoblotting whole-cell lysates from BHK-21 cells infected with WNV, MVEV, or SLEV, with JEV included as a reference. Six antisera (α-E^N-term, α-NS2B, α-NS3^N-term, α-NS3^C-term, α-NS5^N-term, and α-NS5^C-term) robustly recognized homologous …

Understanding The Long-Term Patterns Of Change Of A Tidal Marsh In Mission Bay, San Diego, California, Carrie A. Shuster, Theresa Sinicrope Talley Ph.D., Drew Talley Ph.D., Zhi-Yong Yin Ph.D., Kellie Uyeda Ph.D.

Theses

Coastal marshes are among California’s most productive ecosystems and the most impacted, having been extensively modified by dredging, filling, and urban development. This thesis investigates over a century of change for a marsh in Northern Mission Bay, San Diego, California using ecological and spatial analyses.

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the environmental history and current land use of the Northern Mission Bay marsh, tracing changes from pre-contact Indigenous stewardship through colonial and modern urban development. It also introduces a restoration plant palette derived from historical and contemporary species occurrences, ecological functions, and documented cultural uses. By integrating ethnobotanical knowledge …

Cigarette Smoke Induces Fasn-Dependent Fatty Acid Metabolic Rewiring To Drive Bladder Cancer Progression, Chandra Sekhar Amara, Danthasinghe Waduge Badrajee Piyarathna, Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, Yuen San Chan, Karthik Reddy Kami Reddy, Chandra Shekar R Ambati, Mohammed Khurshidul Hassan, Pratik Shriwas, Tanmay Gandhi, Antrix Jain, Tanja Gangnus, Pooja Popli, Roshan Borkar, Sung Wook Kang, Silvia L Summers, Vasanta Putluri, Sandra L Grimm, Sharan Venkatesh, Ningxin Song, Erin H Seeley, Jenna Hedlich-Dwyer, Shu-Hsia Chen, Nupam P Mahajan, Abhinav K Jain, Lacey Elizabeth Dobrolecki, Gabrielle A Wells, Hugo Villanueva, Jenny Li, Xuefeng Liu, Roni J Bollag, Anna Malovannaya, Sung Yun Jung, Hyun-Sung Lee, Irfan A Asangani, Martha K Terris, Chad J Creighton, Leomar Y Ballester, Balasubramanyam Karanam, Suyu Liu, Minjae Lee, Rajeeva R Raju, M Minhaj Siddiqui, Livia S Eberlin, Ramakrishna Kommagani, Arun Sreekumar, Jianjun Gao, Nicolas L Young, H Courtney Hodges, Cristian Coarfa, Natalie R Gassman, Seth P Lerner, Yair Lotan, Nagireddy Putluri

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Cigarette smoke promotes bladder tumor growth by enhancing cancer cell survival and proliferation through smoke mediated carcinogens. FASN, a key enzyme in fatty acid synthesis, is dysregulated in many cancers and correlates with aggressive phenotypes. In this study, we demonstrate elevated fatty acid levels and FASN specifically in smokers with bladder cancer. Elevated FASN under smoke exposure imparted epigenetic alterations, particularly histone acetylation, impacts DNA repair and DNA-binding transcription factors which regulate metabolic pathways. Under cigarette smoke, bladder cancer cells undergo a metabolic shift, utilizing glutamine as a major carbon source through reductive carboxylation to fuel fatty acid biosynthesis via …

Translational Reading Frame Predicts The Pathogenicity Of C-Terminal Frameshift Deletions In Mecp2, Jacky Guy, Elena Hein, Beatrice Alexander-Howden, Timur Von Bock Und Polach, Tricia Mathieson, Benjamin P Kleinstiver, Huda Y Zoghbi, Adrian Bird

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Mutations in the MECP2 gene cause the severe neurological disorder Rett syndrome. A cluster of frameshift-causing C-terminal deletions (CTDs) removes ~100 amino acids and accounts for approximately 10% of RTT-causing mutations. Their pathogenicity is unexpected because this C-terminal domain is dispensable in mice. Analysis of pathogenic and benign human MECP2 variants reveals that some individuals with apparently typical CTDs do not develop Rett syndrome, confirming that C-terminal truncations are not intrinsically pathogenic. Using human sequence data and mouse models we show that pathogenicity results from a marked reduction in MeCP2 levels and depends on the presence of a proline proline …

Vitamin D As A Candidate Host Susceptibility Factor In Sugar-Driven Oral Dysbiosis, Moldir Turaliyeva, Nuraly S. Akimbekov, Ilya Digel, Adil Y. Yerezhepov, Mohammed Razzaque

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) represent a modifiable dietary factor that promotes oral dysbiosis by supplying fermentable sugars and generating low-pH conditions that favor acidogenic and acid-tolerant biofilms. Vitamin D plays a biologically significant role in oral host defense through regulation of the epithelial barrier, induction of antimicrobial peptides, immune modulation, inflammatory control, and mineral metabolism. However, the extent to which vitamin D modifies the SSB -oral microbiome -disease pathway in humans remains unclear.

Methods: This narrative-conceptual review employed structured evidence mapping. Relevant literature was identified through PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection, with additional sources obtained via citation …

First Insular Record And Dna Barcoding Of Euscorpius Vailatii Tropea & Fet, 2015 From Trizonia Island (Fokida, Greece), Konstantinos Kalaentzis, Francesco Frigioni, Alexios Panagiotopoulos, Elias Tzoras, Styliani Minoudi, Alexandros Triantafyllidis

Euscorpius

Euscorpius vailatii Tropea & Fet, 2015 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), originally described from Aitoloakarnania and Fokida (Greece), is herein reported from Trizonia Island in the Gulf of Corinth, representing the first insular record for the species. The examined specimens are consistent with the diagnostic morphology of E. vailatii. The first molecular data for the species are provided, based on both mainland and insular populations. Comparative analyses further highlight the distinctiveness of E. vailatii from geographically close congeners, while phylogenetic results indicate a sister-taxon relationship with E. erymanthius, supporting a Quaternary biogeographic history shaped by the evolution of the Gulf of …

Effects Of Microalgae Supplementation On Broiler Meat Quality, Antioxidant Status, And Fatty Acid Profile, Ebrar Filizoğlu, Özlem Karadağoğlu

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

This study aimed to evaluate the dose-dependent effects of dietary supplementation with Schizochytrium limacinum, a microalga rich in omega-3 fatty acids and bioactive compounds, on the fatty acid composition and antioxidant status of broiler breast meat, as well as its potential effects on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. In a 42-day feeding trial, 192 day-old Ross-308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to four dietary treatment groups (48 chicks per group): a control group fed the basal diet without S. limacinum supplementation (0 g/kg), and three treatment groups fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.25, 0.5, and 1 …

Enabling Asl Digital Communication Under Poor Internet Access, Swann Thantsin

Student Theses

Video conferencing degrades asymmetrically. When bandwidth falls, a hearing caller loses picture quality and keeps the conversation; a deaf and hard of hearing signer, whose language is carried entirely in the visual modality, loses the conversation. This thesis asks whether signed video reduced to the rates at which commercial platforms fail can be reconstructed at the receiver well enough to keep signing legible. A twostage reduction pipeline crops to the signer and transmits the face and hands at higher fidelity than their surroundings, achieving a reduction of approximately 99%; reconstruction uses a recurrent bottleneck mixer architecture, trained both conventionally and …

Information Resources Utilization, Organisational Culture And Motivation As Determinants Of Quality Service Delivery Of Researchers In Nigerian Institute For Trypanosomiasis Research, Kaduna State, Nigeria., Alegbeleye Gabriel Olubunmi, Ibrahim Awodi, Yemisi Tomilola Babalola

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated the combined influence of information resources utilization, organizational culture, and motivation on quality service delivery in the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research (NITR), Kaduna State. The population comprised 206 researchers across the six research departments of NITR, and a total enumeration technique was employed to include all the researchers. Using a structured questionnaire, 172 valid responses were obtained representing an 83.5% response rate. Data were analyzed using descriptive and multiple regression statistics. Anchored on Uses and Gratification Theory of Information behavior, the Denison Organizational Culture Model, and Self-Determination Theory, the findings revealed that the independent variables jointly …

Bibliometric Analysis Of The Top 100 Most Cited Publications From Saudi Arabia Reveals The Predominance Of Medical Fields, Mahmoud Kandeel, Abdulla Al-Taher

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To explore the citation impact, journals, international collaborations, trends of research topics and gain more visibility for the Saudi contribution to the global scientific landscape. Methods: This bibliometric study analyzes the top 100 cited publications affiliated with Saudi Arabia in Scopus, from inception to January 2026. The extracted bibliometric indicators include total citation metrics, sources, collaboration maps, and co-occurrence networks of keywords and collaborations. Results: The results indicate a strong predominance for medicine and health sciences as the subjects of the most prolific and significant number of citations. A substantial proportion of the most cited papers originates from major …

The Role Of Chimeric Antigen Receptor Regulatory T Cells In Promoting Immune Tolerance In Solid Organ Transplantation: Mechanisms And Therapeutic Potential, Maher S. Alwethaynani

Saudi Medical Journal

Solid organ transplantation (SOT) is a life-saving procedure for patients with end-stage organ failure; however, lifelong immunosuppressant use is needed to prevent allograft rejection. These drugs increase the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, liver, kidney, and lung cancers, and heighten susceptibility to oncogenic viruses, including hepatitis B and Epstein-Barr virus. The usage of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) regulatory T (Treg) cells is a promising approach to induce transplant tolerance while minimizing dependence on immunosuppressants. The CAR Tregs offer the potential to enhance graft survival and quality of life by reducing immunosuppressant-related morbidity and mortality. Despite remarkable progress in transplantation tolerance, challenges …