Digital Commons Network^™

Medicaid Expansion And Breast Cancer Outcomes: Evidence From Staggered Adoption Under The Affordable Care Act, Parisa Khademhaghighian

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

In recent years, policymakers have increasingly looked to Medicaid coverage expansions as a tool to improve population health. For instance, Medicaid expansions implemented as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have been linked to decreases in mortality, improvements in self-reported health, and higher rates of health insurance coverage. However, less is known about how these expansions affect cancer incidence and mortality rates. In this paper, I estimate the effects of ACA Medicaid expansion on breast cancer incidence and mortality among nonelderly women ages 40–65.

Using state-years as the unit of observation, I construct a balanced panel of the 50 …

An Examination Of Resilience And Food And Alcohol Disturbance: How Black & White Women Measure Up, Jaye I. Brayboy, Alicia M. Moulder, Audrey L. Bell, Melissa N. Manning, Cathy L. Lau-Barraco

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) combines dieting behaviors and alcohol use for alcohol enhancement (AE-FAD) or calorie compensation (CC-FAD). Though unclear whether racial differences exist in FAD engagement, research suggests strong ethnic identity protects Black Americans from FAD while strengthening risk in White Americans. Resilience (i.e., the ability to recover from adversity) is positively associated with body image amongst Black women; however, resilience has not been examined in relation to FAD. This study evaluated whether associations between resilience and FAD differed by race amongst college women, hypothesizing that resilience would be negatively associated with AE-FAD and CC-FAD for Black and …

Examining The Relationship Between A Positive Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis And Referring Symptoms Of The Pregnant Patient, Christina Emerson, Beth Tremblay

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

PROBLEM: Many healthcare providers do not routinely screen pregnant individuals for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), contributing to its underdiagnosis and potentially leading to various pregnancy-related health issues. Currently used OSA screening tools, such as the Berlin Questionnaire, STOP-BANG Questionnaire, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale, often demonstrate poor predictive value in pregnant women due to the dynamic physiological changes of pregnancy and the differing presentation of OSA in this population.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationships between a positive OSA diagnosis, patient characteristics, and the symptoms among pregnant patients referred for sleep studies.

EBP QUESTIONS: 1) Is there a relationship between certain referring …

Predicting Trauma Admission In Anticoagulated Geriatric Patients Presenting With A Ground Level Fall, Y-Nhi H. Bui Ms, Trevor Glad Bmus, Dylan Jack Bs, Michael Martyak

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Our study undertook a rigorous investigation into an expanding trauma patient population, tackling some of the significant challenges with this patient population in trauma triage. Our research has not only addressed key questions, but has also paved the way for future inquiries by offering innovative perspectives. This presentation is particularly important given the current advancements and interests in geriatric trauma. We hope that our findings will influence ongoing projects and spark collaborations among diverse research communities.

Effects Of Alk2 Deficiency On T Cell Fate And Regulatory T Cell Populations, Jalyn Reeves, Afia Salsabil Alam

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are central to immune tolerance, and their lineage stability is established during thymic development and maintained in the periphery through tightly regulated signaling networks. Members of the BMP receptor family have been implicated in T-cell differentiation, yet the specific role of the type I receptor ALK2 in shaping cell fate and sustaining the regulatory program remains unclear. To examine how ALK2 contributes to T-cell development, we generated ALK2-knockout murine chimeras and analyzed lymphoid populations from the thymus, spleen, and peripheral tissues. Thymocytes and lymphocytes were isolated and stained with antibody panels to identify developmental subsets and …

Heterotopic Pancreas Masquerading As Barrett’S Esophagus, Suravi Khanal, Shama Bhandari, Anish Paudel

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Second Annual Academic Pathway Symposium Poster Session

Journal of Maine Medical Center

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Experiences Of Dually-Involved Youth, Benjamin T. Wilkerson, April Terry

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Research surrounding dually-involved youth (justice system and child welfare) and their connection to crime has increased exponentially in recent years. Contemporary research indicates that the experiences of dual system-involved youth represent a complex phenomenon. Certain characteristics can moderate the likelihood of delinquency and offending for youth concurrently involved in both systems. Notably, however, these correlations may not be as direct or significant as prior research has illustrated. The purpose of this poster is to expose a general snapshot of the research on this possible connection. This poster presents the evolution of research on this subject, discusses casual risk factors, and …

The Minutes Of The Marshall University Staff Council Meeting, March 2026, Marshall University Staff Council

Staff Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Rethinking How The United States And Mexico Share The Colorado River, Eric Kuhn, Anne Castle, Carlos De La Parra, John Fleck, Jack Schmidt, Kathryn Sorensen, Katherine Tara

The Traveling Wilburys of the Colorado River

Since 1945, the United States and Mexico have managed common interests on their two largest shared rivers systems, the Colorado and the Rio Bravo/Rio Grande, under the terms of the 1944 international treaty that was designed from the beginning with tools to adapt to changing hydrologic and societal conditions. A recent emergency agreement on the Rio Bravo/Rio Grande illustrates what is possible, and with old river management rules on the Colorado both within the United States and between the United States and Mexico about to expire, we are at a moment of opportunity for meaningful change. The core problem on …

Interview With Orca Award Winner David Hage, Unl Chemistry; Drug-Protein Interactions, Mark Griep, David Hage

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Prof. David Hage was awarded the ORCA in 2018. He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and earned a bachelor’s in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse. Next, he earned a doctorate from Iowa State University and did postdoctoral work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In 1989, he joined UNL as an assistant professor of chemistry and quickly rose through the ranks. He has won many awards and, for the past 13 years, has been the James Hewet University Professor of Chemistry. Allow me to share some remarkable facts about Dave before we get into …

Self-Reported Longest-Held Occupation Type In Relation To Epilepsy In Late Life: A Pooled Cohort Analysis Of Incidence And Prevalence, Daniel Guerrero Gutierrez, Sofia Pelagalli Maia, Hyunmi Choi, Jose Gutierrez, Natalie Bello, Mary L. Biggs, Emily M. Briceño, James F. Burke, Lisandro D. Colantonio, Mitchell S.V. Elkind, Annette L. Fitzpatrick, Christopher Gonzalez, Alden L. Gross, Lei Huang, Emily L. Johnson, W. Craig Johnson, Cheng-Shiun Leu, Deborah A. Levine, Minghua Liu, W.T. Longstreth Jr., Richard P. Mayeux, Sylwia Misiewicz, Dolly Reyes-Dumeyer, Tatjana Rundek, Danurys Sanchez, Steven J. Shea, Tian Wang, Carolyn W. Shu, Evan L. Thacker

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Epilepsy in late life is influenced by biological, behavioral, social and environmental factors

Lifetime occupation type may capture socioeconomic, environmental, and long-term physical exposures relevant to brain health (e.g., manual labor, stress levels, neurotoxic exposures) that could influence neurological aging

Rapid Kitchen Compost As A Growing Media, Rebecca Kerr, Shannon V. Nelson, Bryan G. Hopkins

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

ReencleTM composters decompose most food waste within 24 hours (~90% reduction).

Compost can be an excellent source of nutrients for plants and improve soil structure and water retention.

Objective: Determine the effectiveness of kitchen compost as a soil amendment for growing lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), and Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

Iron Nutrition In Hydroponically Grown Quinoa, Ezra A. Larsen, Daniel L. Lamb, Shannon V. Nelson, Geneva M. Bell, Bryan G. Hopkins

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

• Iron (Fe) deficiency is a global health challenge
• Fe is an essential plant nutrient and limiting factor for many food crops
• Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), a nutrient dense pseudocereal, is of growing importance for food security
• Quinoa is often grown in alkaline soil, where Fe is particularly limiting
• An improved understanding of how Fe affects quinoa growth could improve yields and help increase dietary iron intake

Investigating The Mechanisms Of Yersinia Ruckeri Inhibition By A New Strain Of Pseudomonas Fjordensis, Kyler Linton, David Erickson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Pacific freshwater fish are less likely than Atlantic freshwater fish to exhibit Enteric Redmouth Disease (ERM), or Yersiniosis as caused by Yersinia ruckeri. Based on the hypothesis that these fish may harbor commensal bacteria that inhibit Y. ruckeri growth, I isolated many kinds of commensal bacteria from fish intestines collected from Alaska and local streams. In previous studies, I have isolated novel bacteria capable of expressing inhibitory activity against Y. ruckeri via co-culture experiments. One of these bacteria is a strain of Pseudomonas fjordensis. Through genome-wide mutagenesis techniques, a possible gene has been unveiled that may be contributing to this …

Interactive Effects Of Salinity And Glyphosate On Wetland Soil Microbial Communities, Ryan Mortensen, Madison Brown, Rachel Wood

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Wetland soil microbes play an important role in maintaining ecosystem health by cycling nutrients, breaking down organic matter, and maintaining water quality. Herbicide exposure has been shown to alter the genetic composition and functional potential of soil microbial communities, including shifts in microbial nutrient cycling processes [1].

Two of the most prominent environmental stressors in Utah’s wetlands are excessive salinity and herbicide exposure. Increased salinity can change how herbicides move and persist in water, which may influence their ecological effects [2]. While each stressor has been studied independently, little is known about their combined effects on soil microbial community structure …

Genetic And Morphological Comparison Between Introduced And Native Populations Of Aspidocelis Neomexicanus, Sadie Hale, Jordan Kirk, Arianna Moore, Perry Van Wagoner, Vicente Fernández Lara, Angelina Romero, Dallin Matthews, Álvaro Osuna Jiménez, Reagan Mckee, Randy Klabacka

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

The introduction of non-native species to novel ecosystems can have negative impacts on the environment, economy, and human health.

Understanding the processes driving patterns in dispersion, establishment, and expansion of introduced species can illuminate strategies to reduce the occurrence of introduction and mitigate its effects.

The New Mexico Whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicanus) is a parthenogenetic (asexually-reproducing) species of lizard in the family Teiidae.

Enhancing Metabolic Fitness Of Car T-Cells By Removing Cd6, Nate Neyman, Alka Guar, Annie Joy-Larson, Collin Mickelson, Scott Weber

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Honorable Mention - Poster Design

CAR T-cell therapy is a highly effective cancer treatment involving engineering the patient’s T-cells to recognize and kill cancerous cells. This therapy has shown great success for blood cancers but has faced many challenges against solid tumors.

Surrounding tumor cells there is a lack of essential nutrients (oxygen, glucose) for T-cells to metabolize efficiency. Additionally, there is a buildup of excess waste products that directly impair T-cell function (1). To overcome these obstacles, scientists are working on developing longer lasting T-cells with improved metabolism to improve efficacy against cancer cells.

Victimization Pathways Among Homeless Youth: How Trauma, Survival Strategies, And System Failures Intersect, Makynna S. Deland

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Homeless youth often carry deep layers of trauma, and those experiences shape how they cope and survive. Many of the behaviors we see are responses to early harm, leaving young people more vulnerable to exploitation and further system involvement. Without safety, support, or stable adults, they face heightened risks of violence, property victimization, and survival sex.

The Indiana Statesman, March 26, 2026, Indiana State University

Student Newspaper

How Sexual Assault Awareness Month Became a National Observance; School of Music hosts food drive

March 26, 2026, Caa

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Rubber Dams In Sustainable Water Resource Management: A Comprehensive Review Of Applications, Benefits, And Future Directions, Layth Abdulameer, Khabeer Al-Awad, Nazira Dzhumagulova, Ahmed N. Al-Dujaili, Nurbol Tileuberdi

Warith Scientific Journal of Engineering and Technology

Water scarcity and flooding are serious universal problems, which are aggravated by population growth, urbanization, and climate change, and which today impact over 2 billion people with a loss of economic value of about 100 billion dollars in 2020 alone. As inflatable hydraulic constructions constructed using reinforced materials, rubber dams have become an effective technology in controlling water flow and storage within rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. The analysis demonstrates that the proportion of the current literature in the analysis is that 76% of the literature is general design and that only 24% consider any case study, with a large percentage …

Dyadic Internalized Stigma, Resilience, And Psychological Distress Among People With Hiv And Their Family Members: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model Analysis, Fanghui Shi, Xueying Yang, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Cheuk Chi Tam Ph.D., M.S., M.A., Shuaifeng Liu, Yuejiao Zhou, Xiaoming Li Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Despite robust evidence showing the mediation role of psychological resilience in the impacts of HIV-related stigma on psychological distress, most studies were conducted from an intrapersonal perspective. Limited studies have examined the dyadic effects of HIV-related stigma and resilience on psychological distress for people with HIV (PWH) and their family members. This study aimed to explore the actor-partner effect and the mediation role of resilience in the relationship between internalized stigma and psychological distress among PWH and family members dyads. Between October 2023 and December 2023, a total of 800 PWH-family member dyads were recruited from two urban cities and …

A Livelihood Intervention Improved Nutritional, Mental Health And Sexual Health Outcomes Among Hiv-Affected Adolescents In Western Kenya: Results From The Shamba Maisha Randomised Controlled Trial, Sheri D. Weiser, Lila Aziz Sheira, Pauline Wekesa, Jennifer Monroe Zakaras, Edward A. Frongillo Jr. Ph.D., Elly Weke, Jason M. Nagata, Amy A. Conroy, Marguerita Lightfoot, Torsten B. Neilands, Lisa M. Butler, Elizabeth A. Bukusi, Craig R. Cohen, Maricianah Atieno Onono

Faculty Publications

Introduction Interventions that address household-level factors, including food insecurity (FI) and poverty, may reduce HIV risk and improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW).

Methods This cluster randomised controlled trial in Kenya assessed AGYW living in households of adults enrolled in Shamba Maisha (SM). SM was a multisectoral agricultural livelihood intervention designed to improve HIV health. At the trial end, we used linear and logistic regressions to compare differences between the intervention and control arms in FI, and mental health among AGYW-caregiver pairs and SRH outcomes among the AGYW, accounting for clusters with robust …

Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Christine A. Mccaulay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice capstone project presents the development and evaluation of a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the assessment and management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in adults. The project addresses the ongoing challenge of diabetes-related complications and hospitalizations, highlighting the critical role of personalized patient education and the integration of smartphone technology for home monitoring. Central to this initiative was the question of whether an expert panel would endorse an evidence-based guideline for diabetes monitoring using innovative technology, as evaluated by the AGREE II tool. A robust review of the literature supported the guideline’s development, with high-quality …

Reducing Social Isolation In Elderly Hospice Patients Through Structured Social Interventions, Ashley Babayan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project was conducted as a quality improvement organizational change initiative aimed at reducing social isolation among elderly hospice patients through structured social interventions. Social isolation is a significant psychosocial concern in hospice populations and is associated with increased emotional distress, depression, and decreased quality of life. Despite hospice care’s holistic philosophy, structured and standardized social engagement interventions are inconsistently implemented across settings, creating a gap in practice. The practice-focused question guiding this project was: In elderly hospice patients experiencing social isolation, how do structured social interventions (regular visits, group activities, and emotional support systems), compared to standard hospice …

Belowground Drivers Of White Oak (Quercus Alba L.) Artificial Regeneration: Nursery Soil Fungal Communities And Expanded Genomic Resources For U.S. Phytophthora Cinnamomi, Amira Noui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

White oak (Quercus alba L.) reforestation relies on nursery-grown seedlings, yet the microbial processes influencing seedling quality and disease risk remain poorly understood. Integrating nursery fungal community ecology with pathogen genomics is essential to evaluate belowground dynamics relevant to artificial regeneration. Using ITS2 metabarcoding of 145 soil samples from a commercial Tennessee nursery, I compared fungal communities across one-year-old fumigated (1-0), two-year-old fumigated (2-0), and two-year-old unfumigated (2-0) nursery beds. Fungal richness and community composition differed among beds. Seedling age was associated with increased ectomycorrhizal abundance and higher relative abundances of putative plant pathogens, while fumigation reduced fungal richness and …

Plastic Deformation Of The Pediatric Forearm: Recognition, Radiographic Measurement, And Management., Caitlin Wetzel, Matthew Rohl, Taylor Manes, Allen Kadado

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

Pediatric forearm bowing fractures, also known as plastic deformation fractures, are a clinically important but often underdiagnosed injury pattern. These fractures usually occur from longitudinal compressive forces such as falls on an outstretched hand, causing plastic deformation that exceeds the elastic limit of pediatric bone. Patients often present with nonspecific symptoms like pain, swelling, and limited pronation-supination, and these injuries can be subtle on radiographs. Using standardized measurement methods, such as the percentage of radial bowing relative to total bone length, can improve diagnosis; values over approximately 10% of radial length are considered suggestive of pathological bowing. Missing or delaying …

Oh, The Places Women In Law Will Go

Special Events

Celebrating 50 years of women at Campbell Law

Strategic Planning Time Horizons And Hospital Performance Outcomes, David Meyer

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Background: Despite widespread adoption of strategic planning in healthcare, empirical evidence linking strategic planning time horizons to hospital financial and quality performance outcomes remains limited. Healthcare executives invest substantial resources in strategic planning processes, yet lack evidence-based guidance on whether longer or shorter planning horizons yield enhanced financial and quality-related results.

Methods: This study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design combining executive survey data with archival performance data. A REDCap survey was administered to 22 hospital CEOs, CFOs, and other C-suite executives between January and February 2026. Survey responses were matched to publicly available financial and quality performance data from …