Assessing Response Diversity Of Spawning Conditions For Native Trout Among Streams To Interannual Changes In Snowpack, Autumn Kaye Zierenberg

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Stream habitat suitability for fish is controlled by physical, chemical and biological conditions impacted by interannual changes in climate. Intermittent streams are particularly sensitive to climatic variation and have long been overlooked as potential spawning habitats for fish and other riverine species. Spawning suitability in stream habitats is strongly influenced by connectivity to perennial habitats, the duration of surface flows and water temperatures, each of which are driven by annual snowpack and discharge conditions. Here, we examine how the spawning habitat suitability in different tributaries within a single river basin respond to changes in annual snowpack conditions. Specifically, we examined …

Bundled For The Beyond: Material Analysis Of A Canine Mummy Bundle For Contextualizing And Conserving Legacy Objects, Sascha Anna-Rose Baldauf

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Legacy collections¹ and objects with little context are often untapped opportunities for both museums and museum studies students. The purpose of this study is to display how students can utilize object research to engage in experiential learning and develop their skillset in scientific methodologies and disseminating findings, while also offering museums the opportunity to develop relationships with research facilities and benefit from student research findings. This study demonstrates the utility of student research by investigating an Egyptian canid mummy bundle, dating to the Late Period² or early Ptolemaic Period³, received by the Museum of Anthropology at …

Metabolic Dysfunction Caused By Dietary Oxylipins And The Environmental Toxicant Pfos, Jazmine Alexis Eccles-Miller

All Dissertations

Disruption of fat metabolism is a hallmark of metabolic disease. A liver enzyme, Cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) is an anti-obesity enzyme that produced several omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid metabolites that could contribute to metabolic diseases such as fatty liver disease. Two of these metabolites, 9-HODE and 9-HOTrE, may be associated with fatty liver. Mice were exposed to 9-HODE and 9-HOTrE to investigate whether they contribute to fatty liver disease under fasting conditions. A transgenic mice model expressing the human enzyme CYP2B6 was also fasted to determine if CYP2B6 leads to increased fatty liver under fasting conditions compared to a …

Exploring Halogen Bonding Interactions In Cocrystals And Deep Eutectic Solvents, Madhushi Bandara

All Dissertations

Halogen bonding is a noncovalent intermolecular interaction analogous to hydrogen bonding that occurs between an electrophile and a nucleophile. This is often observed in compounds containing heavy halogens such as iodine and bromine. When these halogens are covalently bonded to another atom or molecule, preferably to an electron-withdrawing moiety, an electrophilic region called a sigma hole is created on the halogen atom on the extension of the covalent bond.

The first study of this dissertation presents a comprehensive characterization of eight newly synthesized triiodide salts using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis (DSC and TGA), and Raman spectroscopy. …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Chemically Recyclable Polypropylene-Based Covalent Adaptable Networks, Andrii Tiiara

All Dissertations

Polyolefins (POs) are inexpensive engineering materials with excellent physical and mechanical properties, accounting for nearly 60% of all thermoplastics. However, large-scale recycling remains limited, with only ~15% undergoing mechanical recovery. This dissertation addresses this challenge by fragmenting and functionalizing polypropylene (PP) chains to generate macromonomers and employing them, along with industrial reactive PP macromonomers, to synthesize, depolymerize, and repolymerize chemically recyclable polypropylene-based polyolefins (CR-POs). These CR-POs incorporate ester linkages that form covalent adaptable networks (CANs), maintaining a gel fraction of ~70% while remaining melt-reprocessable via extrusion and compression molding.

First, the fragmentation of PP is investigated by microwave irradiation. Microwave …

Exploring Glycosomes As Therapeutic Targets For Trypanosoma Brucei, Sabrina Sutton Pizarro

All Dissertations

Trypanosoma brucei is a protozoan parasite which causes human African trypanosomiasis and the livestock wasting disease, nagana. These parasites have highly specialized peroxisomes, called glycosomes, which house a variety of essential metabolic pathways, including glycolysis. Glycolysis is the sole means of energy production in the infective life stage of T. brucei making glycosomes and the glycolytic pathway promising targets for therapeutic strategies. In this work, we have studied the glycosome as a therapeutic target from multiple perspectives. The first portion of this work addresses drug trafficking. The efficacy of small-molecule inhibitors of glycosomal enzymes is restricted by the rate of …

Purifying Circular Rna Therapeutics, Karen Guillen-Cuevas

All Dissertations

Circular RNA (circRNA) has emerged as a promising therapeutic modality due to its enhanced stability and resistance to exonuclease degradation compared with linear mRNA. However, its stability and functionality depend strongly on achieving high purity, and current methods such as size-exclusion chromatography suffer from peak overlap, low yields, and poor scalability. This dissertation addresses these limitations by developing ultrafiltration-based strategies to purify circRNA directly from in vitro transcription (IVT) and self-splicing (circularization) reactions. First, the feasibility of ultrafiltration was demonstrated using polyethersulfone membranes, where sieving coefficients and critical flux values of circRNA, precursor RNA, and nicked RNA were measured to …

Examining The Roles Of Embodiment And Theory Of Mind In Shaping User Perceptions Of Llm-Driven Conversational Agents, Elizabeth A. Schlesener

All Dissertations

Large Language Models (LLMs) have advanced conversational agents, enabling natural, human-like interactions in domains such as education, programming, and workplace collaboration. Yet, user distrust persists over privacy, accuracy, and bias. As developers work to mitigate these issues and human-AI collaboration expands, reinforcing trust in LLM-driven systems is essential. To address this problem, this dissertation explores the role of anthropomorphic form in LLM-driven conversational agents and its impact on user perception.

According to the familiarity thesis, humans attribute human-like characteristics to nonhuman entities — a process known as anthropomorphism — to better comprehend unfamiliar phenomena, based on the assumption that they …

The Life Significance Of Summer Outdoor Program Employment During Emerging Adulthood, Austin M. Souto

All Dissertations

Seasonal employment in outdoor programs—encompassing camps, guiding services, and similar organizations—plays a vital role in delivering structured outdoor experiences, yet little research has explored its enduring effects on staff over the course of their lives. This dissertation examined the long-term significance and influence of seasonal outdoor work during emerging adulthood. Guided by Significant Life Experience and Life Course Theory, an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was used. In the qualitative phase, interviews revealed that seasonal work influenced life trajectories by contributing to identity formation, career discovery, ways of relating to others, and the navigation of trade-offs. Seven mechanisms—opportunities for growth, connection …

Surface Reaction And Transportation Of Radium-226 In Marine Systems, Jiusi Wang

All Dissertations

Historical uses of radium (Ra)-containing self-luminous paint, such as on gauges and dials in naval ships, have led to the potential for such paint, and thus Ra, to be released into the marine environment. Radium-226 (²²⁶Ra) behavior in marine systems is not fully described in the literature, presenting a knowledge gap in the process of evaluating potential ecological impact of Ra in marine systems. This study explores various mechanisms contributing to Ra environmental transport in marine systems on a laboratory scale, including leaching, sorption, and diffusion. ²²⁶Ra leaching from watch hand dials containing radioactive luminous paint is …

Legitimacy, Learning, And Launch: Exploring Relationships, Community, And Connection In An Undergraduate Research Experience, Randi J. Sims

All Dissertations

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) are critically important methods for integrating undergraduate students into legitimate scientific practices. While widely celebrated for producing positive outcomes such as increased self-efficacy, research skills, and STEM retention, less is known about the processes through which undergraduate mentees become integrated members of their research groups and the broader scientific community. This dissertation presents findings from both a systematic literature review and a quantitative ethnographic study of a biological sciences URE at a southeastern R1 predominantly white institution (PWI). Grounded in communities of practice and legitimate peripheral participation frameworks, this study explores how undergraduate researchers build relationships, …

The Influence Of Tert-Butylhydroquinone (Tbhq) On Acod1/Irg1-Driven Inflammatory Pathways, Alyssa M. Whisel

All Dissertations

The demand for processed foods has led to increased use of synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs), notably tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), to inhibit lipid oxidation and prolong shelf life. While TBHQ is deemed safe at regulated levels, concerns arise from studies indicating potential adverse effects such as oxidative stress, genotoxicity, and impaired immune function. To investigate TBHQ's immunomodulatory effects, RAW 264.7 murine macrophages were pre-treated with TBHQ and subsequently stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C, PIC) to simulate bacterial or viral challenges. Results demonstrated that TBHQ at high non-cytotoxic doses reduced nitric oxide and IL-10 production while promoting phagocytosis and …

Atomic-Scale Engineering Of Dilute Pd–Cu Alloys For Selective Electrocatalytic Cox Reduction, Zehua Jin

All Dissertations

The excessive release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere has become a major cause of global warming and ocean acidification, threatening the sustainability of human life on Earth. To address this challenge, scientists are exploring ways to convert CO2 into useful fuels and chemicals instead of simply capturing and storing it. One promising approach is electrocatalysis, which uses electricity—potentially from renewable sources—to drive chemical reactions that transform CO2 under mild, environmentally friendly conditions.

This research aims to understand how the arrangement of atoms in metallic catalysts affects the conversion of CO2 and carbon monoxide (CO) into valuable products such …

Unraveling Nucleation Mechanisms In Membrane Distillation: A Molecular Dynamics And Enhanced Sampling Approach, Nazanin Abbasi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Membrane distillation offers a promising route for desalination but remains limited by salt scaling, where mineral crystals nucleate and grow in concentrated brines. To inform strategies that mitigate scaling, this thesis investigates homogeneous nucleation in supersaturated aqueous NaCl solutions using molecular dynamics and enhanced sampling techniques. Several collective variables (CVs) are tested to capture the early stages of ion aggregation and crystal formation, including ion–ion coordination number, dehydration, and bond orientational order parameters Q₄ and Q₆. Enhanced sampling techniques, such as metadynamics and umbrella sampling, are employed to overcome the high free energy barriers associated with the formation of critical …

Novel Radical Chemistry Of Electron-Rich Double Bonds, Claire Allyson Beard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work delves into the reactivity of nucleophilic N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) and their ability to form electron-rich alkene intermediates, which can undergo various chemical transformations depending on the nature of the electrophile. Initial reports by Hahn disclosed the NHC promoted radical nature of electron-rich N,N’-benzyltetraazafulvalenes, which led to 2,2’- biimidazoles. We found that N-aryl substituted pyridinium salts also underwent rapid a similar NHC promoted dimerization when exposed to a base, producing 2,2’-bipyridyls. This is likely due to the adept radical nature of the bipyridinylidene intermediate for C-Naryl bond scission. We have also uncovered an unprecedented C-N bond scission of Breslow-like …

Effect Of Peracetic Acid Dip Frequency On The Quality And Functional Properties Of Non-Marinated And Marinated Broiler Tenderloins, Joaquin Jose Esquivel Vergara

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The poultry industry continues to balance the need for effective antimicrobial interventions with the preservation of meat quality. Among the most widely used antimicrobial agents, peracetic acid (PAA) has proven effective for reducing foodborne pathogens in poultry products. However, excessive or repeated exposure to PAA can influence meat functionality by altering protein structure, color, and water-holding capacity. Therefore, the broad objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of PAA dip frequency and post-treatment marination timing on the physicochemical and functional quality of broiler tenderloins (Pectoralis minor), in order to provide processing insights that optimize both microbial safety and …

Hormonal Control Of Seawater Acclimation In The Intestine Of The Atlantic Killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus), Karma Je Hine

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Atlantic killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus) is a teleost found in brackish water estuaries, which are subject to large fluctuations in salinity, that handles osmotic stress by triggering compensatory actions across their osmoregulatory organs. As the external salinity increases, the killifish intestine exhibits a high degree of phenotypic plasticity, as the protein composition of the gut epithelium can be modified to absorb desalinated water (H2O) from ingested seawater (SW). Three osmoregulatory hormones, prolactin (P), growth hormone (GH), and cortisol (F), have been observed to be crucial for these transitions to occur in many species of teleosts, including killifish. This research sought …

“No Man Is An Island:” A Critical Discourses Analysis Of Newspaper Reporting On The Marshallese Community In Northwest Arkansas, Johana Vazquez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to examine local newspaper coverage of the Marshallese community in Northwest Arkansas from 1998 to 2017 and analyze discourses that could be attributed to linguistic bias, stereotypes, and Pacific transnationalism. This analysis examines how marginalized immigrants are portrayed in local news coverage using a critical discourse analysis (CDA). The study analyzes the labels and metaphors used in the coverage of Marshallese immigration, adapts the Stereotype Content Model for a discourse analysis, and compares the experiences of Marshallese in the area with larger scholarly work on Pacific transnationalism. The researcher analyzed 11 published pieces from …

Next-Generation Salmonella Inactivated Vaccine Platforms And Phytobiotic-Modulated Immune Responses In Poultry, Santiago Uribe Diaz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Here, a comprehensive understanding of immune responses triggered by either a multimeric CD40 receptor-agonistic DNA aptamer-based or mannosylated chitosan-based Salmonella Enteritidis inactivated vaccine platforms, along with phytobiotic supplementation as an immune modulatory strategy in response to Salmonella lipopolysaccharides, is presented. This dissertation supports the development of next-generation Salmonella vaccine platforms that simultaneously stimulate both protective cell-mediated and humoral immune responses, while indicating the potential immunomodulatory effects of phytobiotics supplementation to reduce the immunological impact of Salmonella lipopolysaccharides in chickens. The first chapter describes that both vaccine platforms administered in broiler chickens initiated local inflammatory responses, recruiting heterophils and macrophages from …

Emotion Regulation Flexibility And Well-Being In College Athletes In Aesthetic Sports, Kaitlyn D. Chamberlain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined emotion regulation flexibility and well-being (including psychological well-being, physical well-being, perceived sport performance and worth of sport participation) in athletes in aesthetic sports. This population experiences high environmental demands and constraints and thus low control over their environment. Collegiate athletes within aesthetic sports and female athletes experience specific social factors and demands that threaten their well-being, compared to those experienced by male athletes and athletes within non-aesthetic sports. Consistent with the transactional theory of stress and coping, individuals with less power to regulate their environment will require greater ability to regulate themselves in accordance with their changing …

Agricultural Practices’ Impact On Soil Health Indicators In Mid-South U.S. Crop Production Systems, Katherine Suzanne French

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soil health and regenerative agriculture are concepts gaining popularity across global agriculture systems. The effect of sustainable farming practices such as nutrient management, cover crops, adoption of no-tillage, and residue retention on crop yield, as well as environmental resilience, is increasingly being studied. This research aimed to evaluate the impacts of (i) cover cropping and nutrient management, and of (ii) soil sampling depth and timing on indicators of soil health in various mid-southern irrigated row crop systems. Soil health indicators like soil organic matter (SOM), carbon dioxide respiration (CDR), beta-glucosidase enzyme activity (BG), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), and the soil …

Golden Eagle Predation Of Greater Sage-Grouse On Diamond Mountain Plateau, Victoria E. Thorpe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Predation and the perceived risk of predation can have major impacts on prey populations. Golden Eagles are considered one of the main predators of adult greater sage-grouse. Sage-grouse populations have been declining for decades throughout the West and wildlife managers are concerned about the impacts of golden eagles on sage-grouse. We investigated the nonconsumptive effects of golden eagles on sage-grouse by conducting observational surveys for golden eagles, sage-grouse, and other predators at sage-grouse lek sites near Vernal, Utah during the sage-grouse breeding season from 2022–2024. Additionally, we examined the prevalence of sage-grouse in golden eagle diet using DNA metabarcoding of …

Reliability Analysis Of In-Person And Virtual Goniometric Measurements For Select Shoulder And Forearm Motions, Autumn Whitson, Tracy Cook, Lisa Middleton, Casey E. Humphrey, Aaron D. Sciascia

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background Previous research on upper extremity range of motion has compared in-person to virtual measures for sagittal plane motions (flexion/extension) showing good-excellent reliability. Since upper extremity evaluation includes motion in all planes, it is important to assess whether transverse plane motion (rotation, supination, pronation) can be reliably measured during a virtual assessment. Purpose To evaluate the reliability (test/re-test inter-rater and intra-rater) of goniometric measurements of shoulder internal rotation and forearm pronation/supination obtained in-person and virtually. Study Design Observational cohort, Reliability study Methods Subjects 18-60 years of age with no upper extremity injuries were recruited for range of motion (ROM) testing …

Strategic Enhancement Of Biofuel Production Using Bacillus Subtilis As A Model Organism: A Dual Approach Of Gene Essentiality Mapping And Optimization, Angela A. Zebede

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With rising global demand for renewable energy, enhancing microbial platforms for biofuel production is vital. This study engineered Bacillus subtilis to improve resilience to solvent stress by targeting membrane lipid biosynthesis pathways essential for integrity. Growth curve analysis (OD₆₀₀) showed that phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) knockout strains grew significantly slower than wild type (168), indicating the importance of these lipids under stress. Laurdan fluorescence spectroscopy was used to assess membrane properties. Generalized polarization (GP) analysis revealed a concentration-dependent reduction in membrane order upon 1%–2% 1-butanol exposure. GP values declined progressively from control to 2% treatment, reflecting increased membrane fluidity …

An Income Subsystem As A Discrete Stochastic Leslie System: A Simulation-Based Approach, Fahd Nii Okantah Cobblah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis formulates the household-income engine of an integrated population sim- ulator as a Discrete Stochastic Leslie System (DSLS). The nonnegative state vector nt ∈ Rk + aggregates income, savings, debt, employment, and transfers. (Here, the subscript + denotes the positive cone, i.e., vectors with nonnegative components). Annual evolution is linear in state, stochastic in coefficients: nt+1 = Ttnt + εt, with Tt : Rk + → Rk + cone-preserving. Exogenous macro drivers (inflation, employment, tax, salary inflation, mortgage) are forecast via ARIMA; forecasts multiply entries of Tt, preserving linearity in expectation while introducing realistic temporal correlation. The discrete-event implemented …

Emergence Of Inflammatory Fibroblasts With Aging In Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome Associated Pulmonary Fibrosis, Brandon J.H. Banaschewski, Sylvia N. Michki, Sneha Sitaraman, Ruby Pan, Joanna Y. Wang, Dominique Stewart, Mary Kate Goldy, Susan M. Lin, Edward Cantu, Jeremy B. Katzen, Maria C. Basil, Amir M. Emtiazjoo, Jamie L. Todd, Jason J. Gokey, Jonathan A. Kropski, David B. Frank, Jarod A. Zepp, Lisa R. Young

Surgery Faculty Publications

The longitudinal cellular interactions that drive pulmonary fibrosis are not well understood. To investigate the disease underpinnings associated with fibrosis onset and progression, we generated a scRNA-seq atlas of lungs from young and aged mouse models of multiple subtypes of Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS), a collection of rare autosomal recessive diseases associated with albinism, platelet dysfunction, and pulmonary fibrosis. We have identified an age-dependent increase in SAA3⁺ inflammatory lung fibroblasts in HPS mice, including in double-mutant HPS1-2 mice which develop spontaneous fibrosis. HPS1 fibroblasts show increased expression of IL-1R1, whereas alveolar type II epithelial cells from HPS2 mice induce the …

Genomic, Transcriptomic, And Immunogenomic Landscape Of Over 1300 Sarcomas Of Diverse Histology Subtypes, Alex Soupir, Oscar E. Ospina, Oliver Hampton, Michelle Churchman, Michael Radmacher, Dale Hedges, David Mckean, Phaedra Agius, Saman Zeeshan, Nathan D. Seligson, Raphael Pollock, David Liebner, James L. Chen, Gabriel Tinoco, Bodour Salhia, Martin Mccarter, Breelyn A. Wilky, Benjamin J. Miller, Michael J. Cavnar, John S. Groundland, Bryan P. Schneider, Gregory Riedlinger, Stephen B. Edge, Christopher A. Moskaluk, Kenneth Cardona, Abdul Rafeh Naqash, Ricardo J. Gonzalez, John E. Mullinax

Surgery Faculty Publications

Given their rarity and diversity, a fundamental understanding of the genomic underpinnings for many sarcoma subtypes is still lacking. To better define the molecular landscape of this group of diseases, we perform matched whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing on a cohort of 1340 sarcoma tumor specimens. We identify recurrent somatic mutations and observe an increased mutational burden in metastatic vs. primary samples (p < 0.001). We observe frequent copy number alterations including whole genome doubling, with this feature being more common in metastatic tumors (p = 0.026). Estimation of immune cell abundances followed by hierarchical clustering identifies five immune subtypes ranging from low to high and we observe inferior overall survival in immune deplete clusters compared to immune enriched (p < 0.01). Interestingly, GIST predominantly form a distinct “immune intermediate” cluster that is marked by a specific enrichment for NK cells (FDR < 0.01).

Mir-181a-5p Mediates The Effects Of Bmp4 On Intestinal Cell Proliferation And Differentiation, Chang Li, Yuning Zhou, Zhijie Yin, Yinping Jiang, Jinpeng Liu, Heidi L. Weiss, Qingding Wang, B. Mark Evers

Surgery Faculty Publications

The intestinal mucosa undergoes a dynamic process of continual proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Delineating the mechanisms involved in intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) differentiation is crucial to our understanding of not only normal gut adaptation but also aberrant intestinal growth. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling is a pivotal regulator of intestinal proliferation and differentiation. However, the molecular underpinnings of the BMP pathway in this context are not entirely known. Here, we show a key role for the BMP4/microRNA (miR)-181/glycolysis signaling pathway in the maintenance of intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. Treatment with BMP4 increased the expression of enterocyte markers and …

Prevalence And Biological Impact Of Clinically Relevant Gene Fusions In Head And Neck Cancers, Emily L. Hoskins, Raven Vella, Julie W. Reeser, Michele R. Wing, Eric Samorodnitsky, Altan Turkoglu, Leah Stein, Elizabeth Breuning, Zachary A. Risch, Wilnelly M. Hernandez-Sanchez, Lianbo Yu, Michelle Churchman, Nancy Single, Jad Chahoud, Antonio Jimeno, Michael J. Cavnar, Matthew Reilley, Courtney Scaife, Kenneth G. Nepple, Minh Phan, Bryan Schneider, Stephen Edge, Bodour Salhia, Aliza Leiser, Trisha M. Wise-Draper, Michael K. Wendt, Sameek Roychowdhury

Surgery Faculty Publications

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the seventh most common cancer worldwide. Currently-approved systemic therapies include chemotherapy, anti-EGFR antibodies, and PD-1 immunotherapy, with few genomic-based targeted therapies. Gene fusions involving cancer-driving kinase genes such as FGFR, NTRK, and ALK are clinically targetable in other solid tumors; however, there is limited knowledge about their prevalence in HNC. Here, we describe the genomic landscape and the biological impact of oncogenic fusions in a combined dataset of over 13,000 HNC tumors (excluding salivary gland tumors). We identified 66 cases (2.8%) harboring oncogenic fusions, including previously-reported FGFR3 fusions (n = 19) and gain-of-function EGFR …

Epidemiological Patterns And Variability In Acute Brain Injury: A Multicenter Registry Analysis In South Korea's Neurocritical Care Units, Heewon Jeong, So Hee Park, Yoon-Hee Choo, Dong-Wan Kang, Yong Soo Kim, Bosco Seong Kyu Yang, Huimahn Alex Choi, Sung-Min Cho, Eun Jin Ha, Jiwoong Oh, Han-Gil Jeong

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Background: Specialized neurocritical care (NCC) improves outcomes in acute brain injury (ABI), but significant variability exists in practices across and hospitals within South Korea's developing national NCC system. This study aims to assess clinical variability among patients with ABI across six tertiary NCC units (NCCUs) in South Korea and evaluate center-specific effects on clinical outcomes.

Methods: A multicenter registry of patients with ABI admitted to NCCUs between April 2023 and April 2024 was analyzed. A descriptive analysis was conducted to evaluate demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics across centers. Variability across centers was quantified using the average standardized mean difference (SMD) …