Digital Commons Network^™

Cardiometabolic Diseases And Immune-Responsive Metabolic Enzymes: Roles Of Lipoxygenases (5, 12, 15), Cyclooxygenases (1, 2), And Cytochrome P450, Shayla Pham

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) encompass interrelated disorders involving cardiovascular dysfunction and metabolic dysregulation. Lipoxygenase (5-, 12/15-LOX), cyclooxygenase (COX-1/2), and cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes regulate fatty acid metabolism and inflammatory signaling, significantly contributing to CMD pathogenesis. This review synthesizes recent evidence on LOX, COX, and CYP450 pathway crosstalk and evaluates their therapeutic and biomarker relevance in clinical cardiometabolic disease. A comprehensive PubMed literature search identified studies examining LOX, COX, and CYP450 enzymes inflammatory and metabolic pathways linked to CMD. Inclusion criteria were limited to human and animal studies published from 2010 to 2025, focusing on cardiac function, enzyme activity, or clinical outcome. …

Resistance Is Futile: Using Star Trek Fanfiction To Reimagine Milton's Paradise Lost, Ezra J. Steffen

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

“Resistance Is Futile: Using Star Trek Fanfiction to Reimagine Milton’s Paradise Lost” is a panel that discusses my reimagination of Milton’s epic for Dr. Emily Jones’ Selected British Authors class. There, I drew parallels between characters in P.L. and characters in Star Trek: The Original Series. Using a Gnostic lens, I reframed temptation as a positive and necessary action. I painted Sarek, Spock’s dad, as an imperfect god who stood in the way of Spock’s growth. Spock, acting as a hybrid of Adam and Eve, gets tempted to stray from his father by Leonard “Bones” McCoy. In my published fanfiction, …

Beyond Self-Defense: A Critical Analysis Of The Biden Administration’S Application Of ‘Just War’ Theory In The Israel-Hamas War, Thomas Elias

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Abstract

The Israel-Hamas war has ignited critical questions regarding the justification for violence, particularly the right to self-defense. Harm to Palestinian noncombatants and the conflict’s prolonged duration has contributed to critiques and doubts about Israel’s military operations and the Biden administration’s substantial military aid post-October 7th. The war’s extensive destruction and dehumanization creates a stark tension with the Biden administration’s invocation of just war theory. This paper critically analyzes the Biden administration’s use of just war theory in supporting the Israel-Hamas war, investigating how Christian theological ethics on just war and self-defense have been utilized and misapplied since October 2023. …

Electroceuticals In Neuromodulation: Mechanisms, Clinical Applications, And Future Directions, Albashir Tahir, Nura Bello

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Electroceuticals have emerged as an innovative therapeutic approach that employs targeted electrical stimulation to modulate neural circuits and restore physiological balance. Unlike conventional pharmacological treatments, which act through systemic biochemical pathways, electroceuticals enable precise spatial and temporal control of neural activity. The rapid proliferation of electroceutical devices across clinical and investigational settings, combined with accelerating advances in artificial intelligence, closed-loop engineering, and bioelectronic interface design, has generated an urgent need for rigorous, critically appraised synthesis to guide evidence-based clinical adoption and inform future research priorities. This review addresses the rapidly expanding field of bioelectronic medicine by providing a critical synthesis …

Creating Dynamic Protagonists: An Examination Of Character Development Within Book To Film Adaptations, Matthew Chisholm

Masters Theses

The following thesis proposal seeks to provide the process, reasoning, and vision for my thesis project, “Between the Tracks”. This project both begins and ends with character. What began as an experiment into character creation, has become both a critical analysis of character development techniques, and a creative work where I use the findings from this analysis to create a character-driven screenplay.

First, my artist’s statement will begin by describing my vision and inspiration for this project. I will then delve into my writing process in regards to both the critical paper and the creative piece of the project. I …

The Book Of Old, Sarah Booth

Masters Theses

This thesis explores how fantasy and fantasy-related screenplays externalize the conflict between characters' desires (external goals) and their needs (internal transformation) through surreal imagery, symbolic worlds, and narrative design. While traditional screenwriting mainly emphasizes the difference between what a character wants and what they need, fantasy uniquely makes this tension visible by turning psychological struggles into physical settings, creatures, and story challenges. Through close analysis of Spirited Away (2001), Pan's Labyrinth (2010, and Black Swan (2006), this thesis argues that fantasy cinema not only portrays character transformation but also renders it materially and visually, translating the abstract tension between desire …

The Truths Beneath The Story: Internal Conflict, Catharsis, And Psychological Allegory As The Catalyst For Transformation In Screenwriting, Heather Bixler

Masters Theses

The Tour is a psychological coming-of-age screenplay that constructs meaning through the interaction of the main character's internal contradictions, resulting in an emotionally and structurally driven transformation. The screenplay is an original feature-length screenplay that follows Claudia, a 17-year-old girl who finds herself in the Unknown World. There she meets The Heartmaker and discovers her heart is missing. She journeys to Pineville, a town that mirrors her life back home, where her late father is still alive, and the townspeople reflect hidden truths of those she loves. The Tour is a coming-of-age psychological drama with allegorical dimensions. The script explores …

Shattered Glass: Finding Anna In The Brokenness, Tracy A. Scoville

Masters Theses

This thesis began years ago when I started a novel about a woman that suffered with a mental illness. The story grew into part of a novel. Within the artist’s statement, I present a view of mental illness that I filter through my own experiences. I examine Anna’s struggles with how she thinks, acts and processes stress through a lens of bipolar II disorder. The critical paper examines the importance of dialogue and the need for it to fit the individual characters. The story of Anna, with the use of good dialogue, comes to life in the creative manuscript Shattered …

Constructing Authority: Narrative Craft And The Making Of Meaning In Creative Nonfiction, Lindsay Erin Hickman

Masters Theses

What is this world without stories? Without truth and the sharing of knowledge for those that come after us? As a Christian, I see the Bible as the most influential narrative in my life and imagination. The Bible is filled with facts, lists and information we can verify, but that does not make it any less creative. How can one read the Bible and not see God’s creativity not only in creation, but in every word? Psalms 139: 13-15 states, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I …

Is Genuine Redemption Possible Through A Counterfeit Christ?, Tams M. Mullins

Masters Theses

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), commonly referred to as Mormons, consider themselves Christians without equivocation. Evangelical Christianity has, however, challenged this claim since the inception of the Latter-day Saints. The Latter-day Saints purport to be Christian in doctrine and practice and claim a Christian identity centered around their acceptance of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. While the Latter-day Saints ascribe to a high Christology, confess Jesus as Lord, and regard Him as their Redeemer, the Jesus of the Latter-day Saints’ literature bears little resemblance to the Jesus of evangelical Christianity. …

Assessment And Evidence Practices In Cybersecurity Education: A Systematic Review (2015–2025), James K. Mayberry

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study presents a PRISMA-based systematic review of 412 cybersecurity education intervention studies, coding assessment methods, evidence types, claimed outcomes, use of established assessment instruments, and artifact availability. Despite frequent claims of skill development and workforce preparation, 45.4% of studies reported no identifiable assessment. Knowledge tests appeared in 11.4% of studies, while performance assessments appeared in 10.2%. From 2015 to 2025, assessment practices remained dominated by post-only designs or no assessment, with no statistically detectable increase in pre/post-capable designs. Use of established assessment instruments was rare, with 94.2% of assessed studies using ad hoc measures or not identifying an established …

Gestational Exposure To Bisphenols And Perceived Stress Predict Dna Methylation Changes In Mothers And Newborn Infants, Samantha C. Lauby, Ariel Bellatin, Mariah L. Deserisy, Julianne C. Botelho, Antonia M. Calafat, Beatrice Beebe, Julie B. Herbstman, Amy E. Margolis, Frances A. Champagne

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Bisphenols, including bisphenol A (BPA) and “BPA-free” substitute chemicals (e.g., bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol F (BPF)), are often used in the manufacture of water bottles, food storage containers, lining of tin cans, and thermal paper. Gestational exposure to bisphenols has been associated with poor neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes in children that are often sex specific. Moreover, there is often a co-occurrence of chemical exposures and chronic stress, such that individuals living in the context of economic disadvantage and associated chronic stress often bear the burden of elevated chemical exposures. Changes in DNA methylation (DNAm) in response to environmental exposures …

Association Between Resource Availability And Wellbeing Of Autism Patients In Ghana, Kwabena Aduse-Poku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that presents significant challenges for children and families in Ghana, where resources remain limited. Grounded in the social ecological model, this quantitative cross-sectional study examined the associations between autism management programs and wellbeing, defined briefly as independent functioning in daily life and learning of autism patients enrolled in selected institutions in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana. Data were collected from N=122 autism patients using structured questionnaires that were completed by caregivers and program staff. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess relationships between program type, regional location, and years of enrollment and …

Desegregation Of The Ranks: How The United States Military Was The First Professional Organization To Integrate All Ethnic Groups, Matthew Lee Spiller

Masters Theses

A nation’s military has often been at the forefront of social progression. The Spartans, a military society, granted women a voice in government and a degree of autonomy over their own lives, while the Athenians—the founders of democracy—considered women second-class citizens with no control over their own affairs. The United States military is no different, striving to ensure fair and equal treatment of all ethnicities within the armed forces. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which desegregated the United States military—six years before the desegregation of public schools in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). This …

A Danish Romantic Organ Voice: The Music Of J.P.E. Hartmann And The Marcussen & Søn Organ, Benjamin T. Tischner

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the organ works of J.P.E Hartmann (1805-1900), an organist and composer who was at the center of the Romantic movement in Denmark. Hartmann, along with contemporaries Niels W. Gade and A.P. Berggreen, helped establish a musical style unique to Denmark during the Romantic era. This thesis analyzes this Danish musical style as it pertains to Hartmann’s compositions, defining what it means for this music to be uniquely Danish. In this regard, Hartmann’s organ works can be distinguished from other corners of the Romantic organ repertoire, especially the organ music being composed in Germany around the same time. …

High School Educational Leaders’ Perceptions On College And Career Readiness Programs, Sabrina Cosey-Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study is that despite the widespread availability of college and career readiness (CCR) programs in high schools, these programs are inconsistently designed, implemented, and aligned at the school level. Grounded in Conley’s CCR framework, the purpose of this study was to explore high school educational leaders’ perceptions on the design, implementation, and alignment of CCR programs within their schools. For this basic qualitative design, data were collected through semistructured interviews with 15 educational leaders including administrators, counselors, and department heads. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis with the following …

Breaking The Box: How Pandora's Box Activates And Reinforces Gender Ideologies Through Linguistic Adherence To Archetypal Hegemonic Masculinity, Hannah Pitkofsky

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Mythology, such as Pandora’s Box, provides a strong ideological framework for how our society views certain issues, including femininity and female potential. However, the images presented in these stories are often artificially crafted with implicit biases that allegorize femininity within a pre-established masculine and patriarchal framework, whose core concepts remain persistent in contemporary culture. In this paper, I dissect contemporary English translations of the original Pandora myth by analyzing language patterns and examining their cultural and linguistic implications. Furthermore, I investigate the authorial rationale behind these lexical frameworks through the lens of contemporary hegemonic masculinity. I argue that the current …

Maine Democratic Primary Voters Want Jackson As Senate Nominee, In Close Race With Collins In General 7/21/2026, Unh Survey Center

All UNH Survey Center Polls

Over half of recent Democratic primary voters prefer Troy Jackson as the Democratic nominee for Senate. Most Democratic primary voters believe Graham Platner's withdrawal from the race was the right decision. Jackson and incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins are statistically tied in a November election matchup. Collins earns high marks from Mainers on bringing federal dollars to the state during her tenure in office but receives lower ratings on her votes on key legislation, Cabinet nominees, and Supreme Court justices. In Maine's election for governor, Democratic nominee Hannah Pingree holds a double-digit lead over Republican Bobby Charles. Amid questions about …

Loss Of Atp-Dependent Citrate Lyase Drives Left Ventricular Dysfunction By Metabolic Remodeling, Shijie Liu, Seth T Gammon, Lin Tan, Yaqi Gao, Kyoungmin Kim, Mahmoud H Elbatreek, Adrian Arrieta, Ian K Williamson, Rebecca L Salazar, Janet Pham, Angela Davidian, Radhika Khanna Neicheril, Benjamin D Gould, Heidi Vitrac, Alia Sadiq, An Q Dinh, Evan C Lien, Francisca N De Luna Vitorino, Joanna M Gongora, Sara A Martinez, Melanie T Odenkirk, Anna K Boatman, Jessie R Chappel, Lawrence S C Czer, Evan P Kransdorf, David J Lefer, Blake M Hanson, Benjamin A Garcia, Erin M Baker, Matthew G Vander Heiden, Philip L Lorenzi, Heinrich Taegtmeyer, David Piwnica-Worms, James F Martin, Anja Karlstaedt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Metabolic adaptation and maladaptation are hallmarks of the failing heart and may be a target for therapeutic interventions. For example, sustained glucose oxidation during cardiac stress is associated with increased activity and abundance of ACL (ATP-dependent citrate lyase, Acly), which produces acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) from citrate and CoA and supports de novo lipid synthesis. However, our understanding of how ACL supports cardiac metabolic adaptation and its potential to modulate disease pathophysiology has not yet been investigated.

Methods: We used human heart tissue samples from healthy donors and patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Next, we used CRISPR (clustered, regularly interspaced …

Molecular Mechanism Leading To Human Coronary Atherosclerosis Assessed By Proteomic Analysis And Rna Sequences, Sarah J Parker, Chunhong Mao, David L Caudell, Austin Lyle Seals, Yizhi Wang, Thomas D Green, Joseph M Mcclung, Joshua T Maxwell, Jacolby T Roddey, Kiarash Shakeriastani, Chiung-Ting Wu, Yingzhou Lu, Do-Kyun Kim, Justyna Fert-Bober, Dongping Du, Archana Bhat, Niveda Sundararaman, Matthew Ayres, Rakhi Pandey, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Genesio M Karere, Dana Troxclair, Fannie Jackson, Gordon L Love, Richard Vander Heide, James Hixson, Jennifer E Van Eyk, Yue Wang, David Herrington

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and aims: Atherosclerosis results from cellular and extracellular changes in the arterial wall, preceded by molecular shifts that initiate disease and drive tissue conversion, yet these changes are not yet fully described. More data are needed concerning these early changes in the coronary artery molecular landscape that signify the initiation of atherosclerosis and the subsequent tissue pheno-conversion to atherosclerotic plaque. This report summarizes results from a large biorepository of human coronary artery tissue, applying state-of-the-art omics technology, advanced data analytic methods, and an arterial organoid model system to predict molecular dynamics and identify potential regulatory mechanisms that could interrupt …

The Role Of School Climate In Predicting Student Achievement: A Predictive, Correlational Study, Chesney Alexandria Rutherford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, predictive, correlational study was to determine if school climate foresees student achievement through a predictive correlational design. This study is important because of the examination of how changes in school climate can affect students both academically and psychologically. The convenience sample for this study consisted of a total of 240 participants from 2 different schools in both urban and rural areas of Eastern Tennessee. The participants consisted of 120 sophomores per school enrolled in English II. The setting was the English II classrooms within both schools. The Education School Climate Survey developed by the …

Songwriting Learning Experiences In Music Education: A Bifurcated Study, Thomas Amoriello Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Historically, the field of music education has been grounded in the band, chorus, and orchestra model, with an abundance of professional development opportunities for educators. Despite the eventual expansion to introduce alternatives, including the Orff approach, guitar ensembles, mariachi, and the ukulele; further exploration of songwriting learning experiences is warranted due to a lack of professional development opportunities for music educators. Traditionally, songwriting is learned or taught piecemeal; thus, the need for music educators to possess additional skills is paramount. This qualitative narrative study will examine the perspectives of music educators who participate in interviews about teaching songwriting or their …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Former Teachers Transitioning Into Instructional Design And Technology: A Phenomenological Study, Denise Lynne Spencer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of former teachers who have transitioned into instructional design and technology (ID&T) roles within noneducational organizations. The theory guiding this study was Malcolm Knowles’ adult learning theory, as it provided a theoretical framework for former educators to successfully transition their skills from teaching children to designing effective training for adults, particularly within noneducational organizations. The central research question asked, What are the unique challenges former teachers face when transitioning to ID&T when working for noneducational organizations? Data were collected through three data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews, …

Where Containment Was Born: Greece And The First Battlefield Of The Cold War, Christos Vourtsas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the origins, implementation, and consequences of United States intervention in Greece during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949), situating the conflict within the broader development of early Cold War strategy. It argues that American involvement in Greece represented the first fully realized application of containment policy and established precedents that shaped subsequent United States foreign interventions throughout the Cold War. The study begins by tracing the political and military fragmentation of Greece during the Axis occupation (1941-1944) and the subsequent breakdown of political reconciliation following the Varkiza Agreement in 1945. It demonstrates how the resurgence of political violence …

Examining The Impact Of School Resource Officer Training: A Survey Of North Carolina Officers In Schools, Jennifer M. Osborn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Recent increases in violence in schools have led to greater attention on the training and effectiveness of School Resource Officers (SROs). This study analyzes the effects of SRO training programs in North Carolina educational institutions, concentrating on two principal law enforcement agencies: the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office and the Fayetteville Police Department. This research uses surveys and qualitative analysis to examine how SRO training relates to school safety and the development of positive relationships with students.

SRO training protocols and their efficacy in enhancing school safety and cultivating positive student relationships. The study examines four primary research questions concerning the …

Vermont Divided On Scott's Job Performance As Vt Dems Undecided On Candidate To Face Him 7/21/2026, Unh Survey Center

All UNH Survey Center Polls

Vermont Governor Phil Scott’s job approval ratings have declined in recent months, but he still leads his two potential Democratic challengers in the November election. A majority of likely Democratic primary voters are undecided about which Democratic candidate for governor they prefer, with progressives and socialists slightly favoring Amanda Janoo and moderates and liberals slightly favoring Aly Richards. Former Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray continues to lead the Democratic field to take on incumbent Republican John Rodgers. Gray and two other Democratic candidates lead Rodgers in prospective general election matchups. Gerald Malloy has built a clear lead over fellow Republican Mark …

A Charcoal Analysis At The Jupiter Inlet 2 (8pb35) Site In Jupiter, Florida, Christopher Rubido

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This project utilizes five sediment core samples from the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse archaeological (8PB35) site in northern Palm Beach County, Florida (four core samples derived from areas where cultural material has been found and one core from a nonanthropogenic area). These sediment core samples were analyzed using a variation of a tested charcoal analysis methodology often used with lake and peat bog cores, but in this case, the cores come from an upland coastal environment. The findings of this project have shown efficacy of the modified methodology for locating charcoal peaks in habitation zones found in core strata and as …

Intra-Individual Cognitive Variability As A Predictor Of Mild Cognitive Impairment In Older Adults: Longitudinal Patterns, Clinical Classification, And Sex Differences, Joshua Conniff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Some older adults score differently on the same cognitive test from one visit to the next, and that inconsistency has been proposed as an early warning sign of decline. This dissertation tested whether within-person variability actually tells us anything useful about who has, or will develop, mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A total of 334 older adults completed quarterly neuropsychological testing over three years as part of a larger longitudinal study. Visit-to-visit variability was measured as the mean absolute successive difference on the MoCA, the MMSE, and a battery of memory, executive, language, and visuospatial tasks, and MCI was classified from …

Understanding The Experience Of Separation On The Substance-Exposed Mother-Infant Dyad, Tamara Lee Depascale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Maternal-infant separation following birth is a profoundly distressing experience that may have significant emotional, relational, and health implications for mothers with substance use disorders (SUD). Guided by Caring Science and Swanson’s Theory of Caring, the purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the dimensions of the health challenge associated with maternal-infant separation among mothers with SUD following birth and the approaches mothers used to navigate and respond to that experience. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with mothers who had experienced separation from their infants following birth and analyzed using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Findings revealed …

Leadership Role In The Formation Of Leadership Qualities, Culture Of Business Communication, And Emotional Intelligence Of Future Higher Education Professionals, Larysa Hren, Arseniy Khaziyev, Kostiantyn Kachailo, Ivan Kirsanov, Mykola Chebotarev

Higher Learning Research Communications

Introduction/Aims: The study was conducted among 2nd- and 3rd-year undergraduate students and 1st-year master’s students majoring in three specialties: psychology, social security, and medicine. The research examined the influence of leadership qualities on professional training, emotion management, and business communication skills of students in higher education institutions. It explored how these competencies collectively enhance adaptability and preparedness for professional activities in fields such as psychology, social work, and medicine, addressing gaps in educational methodologies.

Methods: We employed a comprehensive, four-stage methodology with content analysis as the primary data collection method. The study involved 63 participants from the National …