Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Early Life Karenia Brevis Exposure On Bottlenose Dolphin Calves In Sarasota Bay, Florida, Elizabeth Fry

Theses & ETDs

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) have increased in frequency, intensity and geographic distribution in the past several decades. Florida is an epicenter for an HAB, commonly referred to as red tide, caused by the algal dinoflagellate Karenia brevis, which produces the neurotoxin brevetoxin. Acute exposure to brevetoxin causes respiratory distress and has been associated with large scale marine mammal mortalities and fish kills. However, potential chronic effects of exposure, including via maternal transfer, have not been well characterized. Fetal and juvenile mammals may be particularly susceptible to the neurobiological effects of excitotoxins due to their developmental stage. Many resident coastal bottlenose …

Rhetorical Models Of Conspiracy Theories How Two Political Commentary Youtubers Build Narrative Authority, Riley Bucklin

Theses & ETDs

The purpose of this study is to explore the rhetoric that independent political commentators on YouTube used to develop conspiracy theories in the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder. On September 10th, 2025, Charlie Kirk — a prominent conservative political commentator and activist — was assassinated at a Turning Point USA event on Utah Valley University campus. Following the shooting, various conspiracy theories developed online as the narrative from the federal investigation was still developing. This study is necessitated by the rapid pace at which digital subcultures have displaced traditional media outlets and reshaped what is considered trustworthy reporting. To …

Inbreeding Effects On Fitness-Related Traits: Evidence From Two Populations Of The Least Killifish (Heterandria Formosa), Abigail Hansen

Theses & ETDs

Inbreeding, the mating of closely related individuals, can affect the fitness and overall health of natural populations by reducing genetic diversity and exposing deleterious recessive alleles. To better understand the effects of inbreeding, a controlled lab experiment was conducted using the Least Killifish species, Heterandria Formosa. Many species have evolved behavioral and demographic mechanisms to avoid inbreeding; however, these mechanisms can be constrained in small or structured populations. This species was purposely chosen for this experiment as the fish appear in two diverse populations; a population with high density from the Wacissa River (WR) located in South-Central Jefferson county, Florida …

Sunless, Gabriel Olah

Theses & ETDs

My thesis is simple. It is a novella which I have been working on in one form or another for the better part of a year and a half. Over my lengthy times working on this work, it has changed shape drastically, just as any proper story should. Characters were added and dropped, locations were visited and left behind, ideas and plotlines developed or removed, all eventually being boiled down into this current version. This is a version I hold no belief in being perfect, for perfect is the enemy of done, but I am of the belief that it …

Unveiling Factors Influencing Extract Yield From Milled Rice In Brewing, Matthew Aitkens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) presents a locally sourced, climate-resistant starch source for the brewing industry. As barley faces increased uncertainty due to rising temperatures, Arkansas-grown rice offers a more stable and cost-effective alternative starch source. However, the use of milled adjunct rice by brewers has remained limited, largely due to knowledge gaps about cultivar-specific properties relative to brewing. Chapter 1 provides an overview of rice as a brewing adjunct, reviewing the physiochemical properties important to brewing success. These properties include kernel size, kernel breakage, amylose content, and gelatinization temperature. Mashing strategies for multiple different brewing layouts are overviewed, showing practical …

Global Perspectives On Cns Drug Innovation: Achievements, Barriers, And Priorities For The Next Decade, Hiroyuk Uchida, Gabriella Gobbi, Joseph Zohar, Allan Young, Dan Rujescu, Ming-Chyi Huang, Suresh Sundram, Lukoye Atwoli, Jana Vukovic, Kazutaka Ikeda

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background Over the past decade, neuropsychopharmacology has shifted from stagnation to momentum, with first-in-class mechanisms and biomarker-enabled trials spanning psychiatry and neurology.

Methods We narratively synthesized advances from 2013 to 2026 across central nervous system (CNS) discovery and development, including pivotal trials, regulatory actions, digital/real-world evidence, genetics, artificial intelligence (AI), and implementation/global-access themes that are endorsed by international societies.

Results Therapeutic gains include rapid-acting drugs for treatment-resistant depression (intranasal esketamine); psychedelic-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder and depression; neuroactive steroid γ-aminobutyric acid-A receptor positive allosteric modulators (brexanolone, zuranolone) for postpartum depression; non-dopaminergic muscarinic agonists (xanomeline–trospium) for schizophrenia; orexin receptor antagonists …

Revised - The Role Of Gad67/65 In The Therapeutic Effects Of Ketamine And Fluoxetine In Fear-Conditioned Mice, Alex G. Ottimer

All NMU Master's Theses

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder and the most common disorder following exposure to a traumatic event. The most commonly used drugs in PTSD treatment are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), though only about 50% of patients respond to this treatment. Previous work in our lab demonstrated the combination of chronic fluoxetine (FLX) and acute ketamine treatment decreased fear response in a contextual fear paradigm in male C57/BL mice. In rodents, fear conditioning (FC) is commonly used in the literature to induce behaviors related to PTSD. The mammalian central fear memory circuit involves a dynamic interplay between …

Beyond The Cycle: How Menstruation Influences Gender Identity And Well-Being In Binary And Non-Binary Adults, Rin Nguyen

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Approximately 1.8 billion people worldwide menstruate, including transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people, yet their experiences remain underrepresented in research. Given that menstruation can affect gender alignment and psychological well-being, understanding its impact on TGD people is critical. Gender congruence, or alignment between one’s gender identity and expression, is a key factor influencing well-being, with research linking it to reduced depression and anxiety. Furthermore, emerging research on gender euphoria, the joy experienced when gender congruence is experienced, suggests it may serve as a protective factor for mental health and well-being. Gender euphoria has been associated with reduced psychological distress and increased …

Ultrasonic Cavity Preparation With Cvd Diamond Tips: A Scanning Electron Microscopy Study Of Dentin Surface Morphology And Smear Layer Formation, Mauricio Schneider, Jefferson David Melo De Matos, Mário Alexandre Coelho Sinhoreti, Diego Telomaro Peiter, José Eduardo Bastian, Daher Antonio Queiroz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Minimally invasive dentistry has driven the development of alternative cavity preparation techniques aimed at preserving tooth structure and improving biological outcomes. Ultrasonic systems associated with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond tips have emerged as a potential alternative to conventional rotary instruments; however, evidence regarding their effects on dentin surface morphology and smear layer characteristics under SEM remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the morphological characteristics of dentin surfaces after cavity preparation using ultrasonic and conventional rotary techniques.

Materials and methods: Twenty extracted human teeth were sectioned longitudinally to obtain standardized specimens. Samples were assigned to ultrasonic preparation using …

Recruitment Of Chrysaora Chesapeakei On Floating Docks Versus Bulkhead Surfaces: Which Axis Is Foulset?, Alyssa Lamberto

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Blooms of Chrysaora chesapeakei (bay nettles) have increased sharply in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, reducing both ecological integrity and economic value. Because population expansion is driven primarily by the benthic polyp stage, where individuals attach to hard substrates and reproduce asexually, effective management must target the surfaces where polyps settle and clone themselves. The rapid growth of artificial infrastructure, particularly vinyl docks and bulkheads, has expanded available habitat for polyp recruitment. Scrubbing these structures has been shown to reduce ephyrae production, but it remains unclear whether both docks and bulkheads warrant equal management attention. This study compared recruitment on horizontal …

Dean's Research Newsletter, May 2026, Neil W. Schluger

SOM Dean's Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Nonprofit Youth Sports Governance Structures As Contexts For Positive Youth Development: How Usa Swimming's Local Swimming Committee Boards Provide The "Big Three" Of Positive Youth Development Settings, Emily B. Swett

All Dissertations

This study examines positive youth development (PYD) within youth sports governance, specifically USA Swimming's Local Swimming Committee (LSC) boards of directors, a context largely overlooked in PYD research, which typically focuses on on-field experiences.

Using the "Big Three" PYD framework (positive youth-adult relationships, life skill-building opportunities, and youth leadership and contribution), the study employed an explanatory mixed methods design. A quantitative survey was distributed to LSC athlete and non-athlete board members, followed by semi-structured interviews.

Survey data from 27 athletes and 157 non-athletes revealed strong levels of all "Big Three" components across both groups. Statistical analyses found no significant differences …

Versatile Exoskeleton Control Paradigms For Agile Human Locomotion: Task-Agnostic And Stability-Augmented Assistance, Miao Yu

All Dissertations

Lower-limb exoskeletons have shown great potential for assisting human locomotion, but designing controllers that provide assistance across diverse locomotor tasks and under external perturbations remains a major challenge. Many existing controllers for steady-state walking rely on pre-defined reference trajectories, which constrain voluntary human motion and limit adaptability across tasks. Moreover, they usually assume stable walking, while their performance under unstable conditions remains largely unexplored. In addition, existing gait stability augmentation controllers are often reactive rather than proactive to unstable conditions. In this dissertation, we propose control frameworks that preserve voluntary human motion while addressing two major challenges: providing task-agnostic assistance …

Individual Recognition: Do Horned Passalus, Odontotaenius Disjunctus, Display Individual Discrimination Of Familiar And Unfamiliar Conspecifics Through Changes In Their Behavior?, Sabrina Galloza

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The horned passalus, Odontotaenius disjunctus, are subsocial beetles that inhabit and defend decaying wood where they create galleries to live, mate, breed and provide brood care. The species is well known for their stridulations, making up to 14 different sounds, having one of the greatest repertoire of sounds for any known arthropod. Typically living in family units, it has been found that several families can inhabit the same log, therefore, the horned passalus can come into contact with both kin and non-kin. It is currently unknown whether the horned passalus can distinguish between nestmates and non-nestmates. Additionally, it is unknown …

Antimicrobial Activity Of Sulbactam-Durlobactam Against Acinetobacter Baumannii-Calcoaceticus Complex Strains Causing Non-Respiratory And Non-Bloodstream Infections From The United States (2023–2025), Erik Munson

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Acinetobacter baumannii most often causes pneumonia in critically ill patients. However, A. baumannii is also an important cause of a broader range of infections, including skin/wound and urinary tract infections. This study aims to evaluate the in vitro activity of sulbactam-durlobactam and comparator antibiotics, including meropenem and cefiderocol against A. baumannii-calcoaceticus complex isolates from non-respiratory and non-bloodstream sources. Samples included 285 A. baumannii-calcoaceticus complex isolates enriched for carbapenem resistance collected across 17 states in the United States (January 2023–May 2025). Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were conducted by manual broth microdilution and interpreted according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and …

Accessing The Quality And Accessibility Of Healthcare In Volusia County Florida, Angel Methax

Theses & ETDs

Though policies and markets are ever changing in healthcare around the world, the health sector in each country seems to face the same challenges when it comes to accessibility and equality for healthcare. This paper investigates availability, quality and health literacy as challenges to healthcare access in Volusia County as an equitable resource. Through online research preliminary work and creation of a study design for the future to create an understanding of the healthcare work in Volusia County. A deeper understanding of the accessibility and quality of healthcare in Volusia County will allow providers to create a more tailored plan …

The Florida Highwaymen: Race And Entrepreneurial Art In Jim Crow Florida, Brecken Fair

Theses & ETDs

This paper introduces the Florida Highwaymen, a collective of African American landscape painters who emerged in mid-twentieth century Florida. Previously, the Florida Highwaymen have been viewed primarily as commercial artists producing decorative art for profit. By examining their artistic techniques, cultural context, and the socio-economic challenges they faced, this paper argues that the Highwaymen’s work represents a form of entrepreneurship and artistic innovation. Their paintings not only document the unique landscapes of Florida but their achievements reflect issues of mobility, entrepreneurship, and resilience within the African American community during the Jim Crow Era Florida. This paper also recognizes the talent …

The Evaluation Of Immune Dysregulation Detection In Individuals With Psychiatric Conditions, Alyssa Kiel

Theses & ETDs

32 studies were evaluated in determining detection of immune dysregulation, derived from monocyte, T-cell, B-cell, and protein panels, and identifying trends in disorder-specific biomarker data for different psychiatric conditions including, ASD, schizophrenia, MDD, bipolar disorder, GAD, OCD, ADHD, and C-PTSD. The studies selected reporting significant immune abnormalities from biomarker data, with observed findings of immune dysregulation in psychiatric populations frequently coincided with the prevalence of comorbid physical issues, such as metabolic imbalances, cardiovascular conditions, and gastrointestinal issues. These observations highlight the intersection of altered biomarker variation and comorbid disease outcomes present in individuals (including their sex) with psychiatric conditions compared …

Speciespy: Species Identification Mobile App, Ivy Bowers

Theses & ETDs

With the surge in popularity of handheld devices over the last few decades, technology-driven citizen science projects have become more accessible than ever before. This application has been created on the basis of supporting biodiversity monitoring through citizen science in Sarasota, FL. The development of the mobile app— Speciespy— utilized React Native [13], Expo [14], and Firebase [15] as a Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS), enabling users to identify organisms, share geotagged observations, and interact with the local community by liking and commenting on others’ posts. Automatic species identifications are made with a dual-API pipeline leveraging Pl@ntNet (pronounced “Plant Net”) [10] and Animal …

It Lurks Within: An Rpg Exploring Uncanny Familiarity & Facing The Truths We Hide Within Ourselves, Lance Galleher

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis, I will discuss the creation of a 2D psychological horror role-playing game demo made using the Godot engine. I draw inspiration from games such as Slay the Princess, Look Outside, and DREDGE. I also take influence from artists such as Zdzisław Beksiński and H. R. Giger, as well as literary works including House of Leaves and A Short Stay in Hell. I also use the concept of uncanny familiarity in my artwork and storytelling to explore themes of existentialism and identity, especially in the context of grappling with one's perceived place in our world. Through this, the …

Diagnosed By Assumptions: A Critical Analysis Of Bias Against Black People In Clinical Assessment And Treatment, Natalia Knox

Theses & ETDs

Racial bias and discrimination established the healthcare system. Although the system exists to help all who are sick, there are many instances in which people are treated unfairly. The consequences of bias in healthcare are not merely theoretical—they are measurable, persistent, and, in many cases, life-threatening. This study investigates perceptions of fairness, experiences during treatment, and attitudes toward racial bias in healthcare among adults in the United States. 250 participants were recruited through the online research platform Prolific who completed an anonymous Qualtrics survey addressing these biases. Chi-square tests of independence were conducted to examine associations between demographic variables and …

Manufacturing Global Citizens: An Analysis Of Unesco’S Social Emotional Learning Network Topology, Gabriel Ruiz

Theses & ETDs

This thesis project aims to determine whether or not UNESCO’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) network, structured in terms of its global and regional topology, is positioned to facilitate the diffusion of SEL frameworks and practices. In recent history, a new, competing paradigm of global citizenship, facilitated through UNESCO’s SEL frameworks, has made waves within the international society. UNESCO’s goal is to transform the ontologies of billions of people through education, by utilizing its extensive, global networks. As a result, UNESCO’s global, regional and national partnerships and networks provide the structure, and a varied enough approach to impacting educational policy and …

Beyond Skrmetti: A Constitutional Case For Gender-Affirming Care, Mateo-Luis A. Planas, Evan Gerstmann

Honors Thesis

In 2025, roughly 2.1 million adults in America identify as transgender, making up around 1% of the country’s total population. Despite this, the transgender identity has become a focus of political debates and made its way onto the U.S. Supreme Court’s docket in U.S. v. Skrmetti. The issue is not whether transgender people exist, but rather, how they ought to exist legally: if and when one can access medical care to pursue a gender transition. While many American doctors agree that these treatments are life-saving, since 2021, a slew of legislation has limited access for adults 18-21 (AMA, 2021). This …

Music & Emotion: Matching Neurobiological Proxies To Affect Components Induced By Music Modality, William Lopez

Theses & ETDs

The United States struggles with high rates of mental health conditions and their misdiagnosis. Both major diagnostic manuals used in mental health rely solely on behavioral and self-reported measures for their diagnostic criteria. Differential diagnosis could be supported by implementing non-invasive neurophysiological and neuroendocrinological measures. Regarding the treatment aspect of healthcare, music therapists can be equipped with additional tools by understanding how individual manipulations of musical components directly influence emotion. Many music studies examine the general effects of music or conduct correlation analyses of songs that share musical components, rather than employing a controlled paradigm in which near-identical pieces are …

College Of Natural Sciences Spring Newsletter, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

[Page 1] Dean's Message
[Page] 2 Awards & Recognitions // Student Spotlights
[Page] 3 Zhang Named to Landsat Science Team // The Power of Teaching
[Page] 4 “Science as Art” Competition Welcomes High School Artists
[Page] 5 Testing for “Forever Chemicals” in Surface Water // New Faculty Spotlight
[Page] 6 Ambassador Initiated Outreach
[Page] 7 57th Annual Geography Convention
[Page] 8 Twice the Impact on On Call with the Prairie Doc
[Page] 9 Making Staple Foods Healthier // Halaweish & Cole-Dai Retire
[Page] 10 Drone Day 2026
[Page] 11 Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Day (SRSCAD)
[Page] 12 Ceremony …

Dairy And Food Science Student Newsletter, May 1, 2026, Department Of Dairy And Food Science

Dairy and Food Science Student Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Exploring Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Frozen Produce Purchases Among U.S. Households, Joslyn Russell

Honors Capstone Projects

Frozen fruits and vegetables are convenient, cost-effective, healthful options that could help consumers meet national nutritional recommendations. However, there is a dearth of data regarding household sociodemographic factors associated with frozen food purchases. My two-fold honors capstone project involved conducting a secondary analysis of nationally representative data obtained from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Surveys to explore the sociodemographic factors associated with the likelihood of purchasing frozen fruits, frozen vegetables, and frozen meals. An exploratory analysis was also conducted with additional variables such as United States region, household area population size, and number of hours worked …

How Presentation Shapes Multisensory Category Learning, Hooman Main Amiri

Master's Theses and Capstones

Category learning allows people to group complex sensory input into categories, helping them generalize knowledge from familiar exemplars to novel stimuli. In everyday life, categories are often learned from more than one sense, yet most prior work on category learning has focused on learning in a single sensory modality. Here, we asked whether the way category information is presented across modalities, simultaneously or separately, shapes multisensory category learning in adults. In Experiment 1, participants learned the categories with either simultaneous or separate presentation of auditory and visual information and then completed a test phase to assess not only whether they …

Designing Innovative Science Learning Activities: The Virtual Reality “Charge Playground” And Interdisciplinary Curriculum For Lightning Instrumentation Design, Gus Otto Eberlein

Master's Theses and Capstones

As the population of students learning introductory physics continues to grow and diversify, it becomes necessary to incorporate an equally diverse array of learning materials in these courses to suit the new dynamic of the physics classroom. In this thesis, I present my work designing, developing, evaluating, and refining instructional tools for science educators. First, I present the “Charge Playground,” an immersive Virtual Reality application for the Meta Quest VR headset. The Charge Playground abstractly visualizes the electric field, potential, and force generated by a configuration of electric charges in a novel, interactive way. I describe the motivation behind incorporating …

Mapping The Human Dimension: Spatially Informed Soundscape Management In Saguaro National Park, Anna S. Frisbie

Master's Theses and Capstones

As outdoor recreation surges in popularity, human-made sound reaches even the most protected places. In the United States, the National Park Service is mandated to preserve natural soundscapes, which are a key ecosystem service. Yet many aspects of soundscape management remain underexplored, including the integration of visitor perspectives into strategies to minimize human-made sound in national parks. In 2025, the non-profit organization Leave No Trace and the National Park Service Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division collaboratively outlined new Soundscape Guidelines, urging visitors to minimize their impact on natural soundscapes. Previous research suggests that educational signage can reduce human-made sound …