Digital Commons Network^™

Effective Weight Cutting And Post Weigh-In Recovery Strategies In Professional Mma, Avanie Balram, Soleil Ramos, Victoria Potvin

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), currently in its 32^nd year, is highly responsible for the exponential growth and international interest in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). MMA includes groups of contact activities. MMA athletes can kick, throw, punch, elbow, or grapple with their opponent. To gain a perceived advantage, MMA athletes undergo weight cuts/longitudinal weight descents (LDW), to compete in lower weight classes. The weight cut frequently occurs during the “Fight Camp” phase, which may last from 8-12 weeks. The week before a match is termed “Fight Week,” which consists of rapid weight loss (RWL) and acute water loss (AWL) …

Hybrid Introgression Has Resulted In Bleeding Shiners Exhibiting Striped Shiner Mitogenomes In Certain Missouri Ozark Streams, Carson Arnold, Shila Koju, David D. Duvernell

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Combined With Biosolids And Biochar Sustained Phytostabilization And Enhanced Soil Properties Of Mine Tailings, Emma Kettler, Mariam K. Al-Lami, Joel Gerard Burken

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Cytokinesis & Dbf2, Katharine Gray, Katie Shannon

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Carrier Analysis Of Alc Lipid Nanoparticles With Lung Cancer Drug, Noah Sparks, Lei Xu, Hu Yang

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Discovering Localization Of Fun19 Orf In Yeast, Megan Percy, Galayna Baur, Katie Shannon

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Nanomorphology As Quantified Via The K‑Index On The Drug Delivery Properties Of Isocyanate-Derived Aerogels, Stephen Y. Owusu, A. B. M. Shaheen Ud Doulah, Vaibhav A. Edlabadkar, Kamden J. George, Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Long Noncoding Rna Malat1 In Mitochondrial Modulation Induced By Ketosis In Human Cardiomyocytes, Meghana Divi, Eera Mehrotra, Colin Pulickathadam, Sathvi Gandra

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Heart failure, a major cause of mortality, is increasingly viewed as a metabolic disorder involving mitochondrial dysfunction. Ketone body treatments have shown promise in enhancing mitochondrial function and improving heart failure outcomes. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are RNA molecules longer than 200 nucleotides that do not code for proteins, play critical roles in regulating gene expression and mitochondrial activity. Despite the known modulation of lncRNAs during heart failure, their specific functions under ketotic conditions remain poorly understood. Based on our preliminary findings, this study aims to explore the impact of ketosis on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), particularly MALAT1, and …

A Computational Analysis Of The Monocation And Dication Porphyrins Stability, Dani Sheil, Andersen Cheong

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A computational analysis was used to study the changes on octaethyl (OEP) and tetraphenyl (TPP) substituted porphyrins when the solvents and acids were changed. The analysis used density functional theory to simulate the effects on the porphyrins’ basicity under different conditions at the B3LYP/6- 31g(d) level of theory and incorporated the solvent using the polarizable continuum model. The calculation accounted for different acid interactions (HCl, HF, acetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, chloroacetic acid, toluene)) with the porphyrins in the gas phase and in a variety of solvents (heptane, dichloromethane, and acetonitrile). The freebase, monocation, and dication phases of both porphyrins were …

Coconut Oil As A Renewable Source For Carbon Dot Nanoparticles: Synthesis And Characterization, Amaan Khan, Aryan Rathi, Srika Saai Talanki, Pierce Canavan, Tasfia Tazri Howlader, Maria Guillén-Méndez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Carbon dots (C-dots) are zero-dimensional, carbon-based fluorescent nanoparticles that have gained significant attention due to their exceptional optical, chemical, and physical properties, along with their biocompatibility, cost-effectiveness, and facile synthesis. These characteristics make C-dots versatile for applications in biomedical fields, food packaging, anti-counterfeiting, and semiconductors. Despite the exploration of natural products for C-dot synthesis, using oils to synthesize C-dots remains underexplored. In this study, we synthesized C-dots using coconut oil, a lauric acid-rich renewable resource, through a bottom-up approach. A mixture of coconut oil, citric acid, and ethylenediamine was treated at 180°C for 12 hours, followed by purification via centrifugation …

Determining The Optimal Multiplicity Of Infection (Moi) And Lysis Time Of Gordonia Rubripertincta Bacteriophage, Bianca A. Gonzalez, Jose C. Padron, Dani Sheil

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Antibiotic resistance represents a significant global health crisis, especially within hospitals, creating a necessity for the search for alternative therapeutic agents to combat drug-resistant pathogens. One alternative treatment is phages specifically targeting G. rubripertincta, a gram-positive, aerobic actinomycete bacterium which has shown intrinsic resistance to some antibiotics. Furthermore, G. rubripertincta can cause endocarditis and CNS infections in immunocompromised individuals. Several phages such as Alyssamiracle, Fribs8, Genamy16, and NovaSharks, have been discovered that successfully target G. rubripertincta. The goal of this research is to determine the optimal lysis time and multiplicity of infection (MOI) of these phages. The phages …

Examining The Impact Of Health Insurance On Covid-19 Outcomes: A Comparative Analysis Of England And The United States Of America, Dibya Mullapudi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries were put under tremendous strain due to the sudden increase in patients requiring immediate hospital care. The pandemic exposed latent issues within these healthcare systems that were only exacerbated under the pressure of COVID-19. Insurance remains a major factor in determining the quality and availability of healthcare services. This study will examine the distinct insurance systems of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) and analyze how they impacted COVID-19 patients’ healthcare outcomes. The US has a mixed insurance system composed of various public and private systems with around two-thirds of the …

Exploring The Psychological Impact Of In-Vitro Fertilization, Japji G. Madan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) affects both men and women differently, impacting their physical and emotional health throughout the process. Understanding these dynamics is essential to offer support to couples navigating the complex journey of assisted reproduction. This paper delves into the multifaceted stages of IVF, addressing the psychological and emotional challenges faced by individuals undergoing this invasive treatment. With the increasing prevalence of IVF as a common fertility treatment, this review emphasizes the importance of considering both the short-term and long-term psychological implications for couples.

Health As A Global Priority: Challenges, Innovations, And Cross-Cultural Insights From Bangladesh To The United States, Afia Mushfika

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A thorough cross-cultural analysis of the traditional Eastern healthcare system in Bangladesh and the modern Western healthcare system in the United States reveals various distinctions. Recognizing these differences enables a better understanding and application of effective public health delivery and paves the way for improving healthcare on a global scale, including not only impoverished developing countries but established industrialized ones as well. Health equity and cultural competence could be advanced globally due to the comparison and analysis of the traditional healthcare system of Bangladesh with the modern healthcare system of the United States. Prior research independently depicts the nuances of …

Heavy Metal Distribution In Volcanic Hawaiian Sediment From Five Million Years Ago To Present, Lauren Nonnenmacher

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The increase in heavy metal contamination in the marine and terrestrial environments of the Pacific basin has raised concerns, as studies continue to display evidence of heavy metal bioaccumulation and chronic toxicity. Volcanism is a major source of the distribution of heavy metals through rock formation and weathering. The main Hawaiian Islands (State of Hawaii) were formed by hot spot activity in the central northern Pacific Ocean, where upwelling of a magmatic plume containing heavy metals solidified into an archipelago of volcanic islands over a five-million-year period. The combination of natural and anthropogenic metal(loid) sources generates the critical need to …

Protecting Citrus Through Patents: Legal And Economic Implications Of Uf/Ifas Biotechnological Advances, Laeila Scott

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Citrus greening, or Huanglongbing (HLB), threatens the survival of Florida’s citrus industry, driving innovation in disease-resistant crops through biotechnology. This research examines how intellectual property (IP) law shapes these advancements, focusing on the direct industry impact of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Through analyzing patent strategies, licensing models, and governance structures, this study explores the balance between proprietary protections and public access. Additionally, it considers broader ethical and economic implications, including the challenges of patent enforcement and the impact on citrus growers. This research situates UF/IFAS’s biotechnological innovations within the larger legal and economic …

Modeling Isocitrate Dehydrogenase 2 Mutations In Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Exploring How The Drug Ag-221 Inhibits 2-Hydroxyglutarate Production And Restores Blood Cell Differentiation, Bhumika Balani, Jay Matta, Brianna Bourke, Nitya Punjal, Melissa Dore Ph.D.

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Mutations in the Isocitrate Dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) enzyme have been linked to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). IDH2, involved in the citric acid cycle, normally converts isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate (α-KG), using NADP+ to produce NADPH. Mutations like R140Q and R172K lead IDH2 to convert αKG into the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), hindering blood cell differentiation and resulting in AML.

The drug AG-221 targets mutant IDH2 at an allosteric site, stabilizing the enzyme in an inactive form and preventing 2HG formation, thus alleviating AML symptoms. Most patients, however, require additional chemotherapy and often complete bone marrow transplants. A 3-D printed model based on …

Nutritional Challenges In Children With Down Syndrome And The Use Of Early Interventions, Avisha Thota

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Children with Down syndrome (DS) face distinct nutritional challenges that significantly impact their growth, health, and overall quality of life. These challenges include a high prevalence of obesity, gastrointestinal issues, increased risk of oral motor difficulties, and eating disorders such as pica and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Contributing conditions include unique low muscle tone, reduced physical activity, and metabolic differences, further compounded by environmental influences such as parental feeding practices and limited access to specialized care. The purpose of this experiment is to explore the nutritional challenges and eating disorders faced by children with DS and examine how early …

Unraveling The Elasmobranch: A Look At Shark Oral Microbiomes In South Florida, Adam Sadik, Adhvika Saravanan, Amanda Finnefrock, Melody Kim

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The intricate relationship between host organisms and their associated microbial communities, known as the microbiome, has garnered increasing attention across various biological disciplines. Sharks, as apex predators in marine ecosystems, are important to study and understand. Previous studies have shown shark gills and oral cavities are abundant in various types of commensal and pathogenic bacteria, many of which are resistant to antibiotics. Previous research on Florida blacktip sharks suggest 43% of all bacteria samples from the sharks were resistant to at least one antibiotic. Using microbial culturing techniques and Next Generation 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing, our objective is to …

Last Glacial Maximum Paleoenvironmental Proxies For The White River Badlands, Sd, Corinne Renshaw, John Nichols, Kaitlyn Perez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Paleoclimate research on Central North American droughts can help reconstruct regional climate effects that leave America’s agricultural areas vulnerable to future droughts. The past climate of the White River Badlands (WRB), located in the northwestern Great Plains, is poorly understood, due to the lack of traditional paleoclimate proxies in the area. However, with geochemical analyses of fossils preserved within mesa material there, we constrained the age of sediment deposition in this region and characterized climatic forces associated with last glacial drought and subsequent (dust) deposition. Geochemical proxies from gastropod fossil shells show that drought-driven dust deposition occurred at the Last …

Investigating Efficacy Of Nanomedicine For Novel Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics, Emma Hickey, Jeremy Ignatius, Annu Joji

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an endogenous incretin hormone primarily produced in the gut and brainstem. GLP-1 helps regulate glucose levels and appetite control, but recent evidence suggests that it may play a critical role in neurodegenerative diseases. GLP-1 receptors, part of the G-protein-coupled receptor family, activate intracellular metabolic and neurological signal cascades mainly via activation, or agonism. GLP-1 agonists, a drug class which includes Ozempic, were initially developed to manage type 2 diabetes, but recent studies have demonstrated neuroprotective properties for GLP-1 agonists in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (PD) models, thereby broadening their potential therapeutic applications. While early clinical trials …

Bakke, Lochner, And Law School: The Nobility Clause Versus A Republican Form Of Medicine, James E. Lobsenz

Maine Law Review

Alan Bakke, an unsuccessful medical school applicant, filed suit challenging the constitutionality of the minority admissions program administered by the Medical School of the University of California at Davis. The practice of reserving sixteen special places for minority students out of a total of 100 positions in the entering class, Bakke contended, constituted a denial of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution. Bakke's suit afforded the justices of both the California Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court a unique opportunity to examine the substantive nature of the "equality" …

Women Reclaiming Identity In A Dehumanizing Healthcare System, Neelima Tyagi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This examination of two-twentieth century pathographies explores the transformative role of narrative in reclaiming identity within a dehumanizing healthcare system, with a focus on women’s experiences. By analyzing Cortney Davis’s essay, “Becoming Flora: When the Written Narrative Is Our Own,” and Amy Haddad’s poem, “What If They Said?” the comparative review underscores how women’s narratives of illness illuminate the challenges of navigating the roles of caregiver and patient. Davis recounts her personal journey as a caregiver crossing the fragile boundary into patienthood, emphasizing shared vulnerability and empathy as a means of redefining identity. Conversely, Haddad uses vivid metaphors to portray …

Stalking The Forests And Swimming In The Oceans: Trophic Flexibility In Alaskan Coastal Grey Wolves, Mckenna Smith, Miranda Brohman, Gretchen Roffler, Dimitrios G. Giarikos Ph.D.

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Coastal grey wolves of Southeast Alaska (Canis lupus ligoni) are opportunistic apex predators endemic to their environments. Large terrestrial vertebrates such as deer and marine organisms such as salmon dominate their diet. Large terrestrial vertebrates such as deer and marine organisms such as salmon dominate their diet. In recent years, wolves from Gustavus have moved back and forth between the mainland coastal environment and Pleasant Island, a small island 10 kilometers offshore. Wolves initially foraged on the island deer but more recently, a group of wolves has remained full-time on the island to forage on a marine diet …

Sexual Dimorphism In Physiological, Metabolic, And Hypothalamic Alteration In The Tg-Swdi Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Yingying Zhu, Ariana Hernandez, Victoria Pulido-Correa, Chana Vogel, Natalia Noto, Julianna Bonetti

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting 55 million people worldwide. Cognitive disruptions, linked to pathology in the hippocampus and cortical areas, are frequently observed in individuals with late manifestation of AD; however, non-cognitive dysfunctions, which contribute to poor quality of life and survival, are often overlooked. The hypothalamus plays a role in regulating homeostatic functions such as hunger, thirst, sleep, and blood pressure. The coordinated activity of hypothalamic nuclei regulates energy balance and hormonal functions, which are crucial for maintaining metabolic homeostasis and neuroendocrine processes. Dysregulation of these processes has been shown to directly correlate with amyloid-β and …

Climactic Transition And Loess Transport In The White River Badlands, South Dakota, John Nichols, Victor Pomales Pinto, Iyanla Reid, Lillie Suthers

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The Great Plains is one of the most important agricultural regions in the world. However, the semiarid climate makes the region vulnerable to drought and climate change. Safeguarding this critical resource will depend on forecasting the timing and magnitude of climatic transitions and drought events. This study investigates dust deposition during the climate transition from the last glacial period into the modern interglacial period (Late Pleistocene to Holocene) in the White River Badlands (WRB), South Dakota. Preliminary radiocarbon evidence indicates significant dust deposition began around 25,000 years ago (25 ka), coinciding with the coldest time during the last glacial period …

Investigating The Therapeutic Potential Of Mdm2 And Dnmts Inhibition In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Nathan Tinu, Samhitha Vangala

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths, underscoring the need for more effective therapeutic strategies. This study explores the impact of MDM2 and DNMTs inhibition on key regulatory pathways in the HCC827 lung cancer cells, specifically focusing on epigenetic modification and cell cycle regulation. We investigated the effects of RG-7388 (MDM2 inhibitor) and CM-272 (G9a/DNMTs inhibitor) on MRNAs and miRNAs gene expressions that were suspected to be modulating the above-mentioned processes. Our qRT-PCR results showed significant downregulation of epigenetic modifiers (DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3b) and cell cycle arrest genes (CDC25A, CDC25C) in both RG-7388 and CM-272 treated …

9 To 5 And Glucose High: The Connections Between Work And Pre-Diabetes, Nemo Thomas, Rosselyn Perez, Joshua K. Dumond

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The topic of this systematic review is to determine if there is an association between parental occupation and the prevalence of pre-diabetes in children (defined as a person under eighteen years of age). Globally, it is estimated that 537 million people between the ages of 20-79 live with diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the blood glucose levels are higher than normal. There are two types of diabetes. Type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease caused by genetic predispositions and cannot be successfully mitigated through primary interventions. In contrast, type 2 diabetes can be prevented through primary interventions. …

A Man In The Woods: Individual Differences In Women's Distress Response To Unknown Men, Tamara Bogdanova, Brianna Muñoz, Ned Vaitkevicius

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between distress and perceived danger in modern humans since previous research has shown that threats have various effects on an individual’s thoughts and behaviors. We hypothesized that women would report greater changes in distress after reading a story in which they are confronted with an unknown man compared to after reading a story in which they interact with a friend. Additionally, we hypothesized that women’s change in distress would be moderated by individual difference variables such as mate value. Using an experimental vignette methodology, data provide preliminary support for both …

Adoptive Transfer Of B10 Cells Promotes Resolution Of Periodontal Inflammation, Jayant Ari

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Regulatory B cells (Bregs) play a crucial role in reducing the inflammation of periodontitis. It has been shown that specialized pro-resolving mediator (SPM) synthesis and production mediate the resolution of periodontitis inflammation and alleviate bone resorption. Bregs has been reported alleviate the inflammation in periodontitis, but little is known about their function in SPM production. The present study aims to investigate whether IL-10 expressing regulatory B cells (B10) can inhibit periodontitis progression by promoting the production of SPMs. Experimental periodontitis models were established in mice by ligation combined with periodontal pathogen P. gingivalis bacteria inoculation for 14 days, and B10 …