Digital Commons Network^™

Away Rotation Participation And Ophthalmology Match Outcomes, Jeremy N. Shapiro, William J. Benjamin, Nicholas R. Lenze, Angela P. Mihalic, Anjali R. Shah, Ariane D. Kaplan

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Recent surveys suggest that a majority of students applying to the ophthalmology residency match participate in rotations that are not at their home institution (away rotations). There is limited information on the relationship between completion of away rotations, residency interview offers and match success rates.

Purpose: To evaluate relationships between away rotation participation and ophthalmology residency interview offers and match success rates.

Methods: The Texas Seeking Transparency in Application to Residency (Texas STAR) database compiles responses to the Texas STAR survey, an opt-in, anonymous survey offered to all graduating US MD/DO students to collect data on …

The Association Of Having Physician Parents With Medical Students’ Intention To Pursue Ophthalmology: An Aamc Analysis, Shamila Ladak, Anam Akhlaq, Rahel M. Imru, Laura K. Green, Ambar Faridi, Grace Sun,, Fasika A. Woreta

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Having a physician parent may influence a medical students’ career choices. However, limited data exists regarding the relationship between having a physician parent and medical students’ intention to pursue ophthalmology, which remains a highly competitive specialty.

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of physician parents among U.S. medical students intending to pursue ophthalmology and identify associated demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using deidentified data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) administered between 2016 and 2022. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine associations …

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Research Productivity Among Matched Ophthalmic Plastic And Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Applicants, Andre Galenchik-Chan, Thomas Ren, Kelli Jablon, Aleksandra Krajewski

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery (OPRS) is one of the most competitive ophthalmology subspecialities, and scholarly productivity has been regarded as an important criterion for fellowship matching.

Purpose: To calculate changes in research productivity among matched OPRS fellowship candidates amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We identified U.S. OPRS fellows who started training from 2020 through 2022 via publicly available fellowship rosters. For each, we extracted gender, training institution, and publication records from PubMed and ResearchGate. We considered peer-reviewed publications before fellowship status. Linear regression analyses were performed to determine correlations between productivity and post-fellowship publication output. …

Development Of The U.S. Academic Ophthalmology Faculty Database (Us-Aofd): A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Analysis, Brenton T. Bicknell, Josephine M. Rudd Zhong Manis, Haley Chishom, Yejin Heo, Lance Dzubinski, Alvina Liang, Taylor L. Aaserud, Shayan Massoumi, Thanushri Srikantha, John Stoffer, Emily Mccourt, Sruthi Arepalli, Beeran Meghpara, Ayan Chatterjee, Basil K. Williams, Janice Law, Steven E. Brooks, Robert Tauscher

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Academic ophthalmology plays a critical role in advancing eye care and training the next generation of ophthalmologists. However, comprehensive data on the U.S. academic ophthalmology workforce remains limited. Existing databases focus on individual subspecialties or specific demographics, without capturing a national, integrated perspective.

Purpose: To develop and analyze the U.S. Academic Ophthalmology Faculty Database (US-AOFD), a comprehensive, national resource that characterizes the demographic composition, academic ranks, leadership roles, and research productivity of ophthalmology faculty at Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)–accredited programs in the United States.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study compiled data for 4,028 …

Screening For Food Insecurity In An Outpatient Ophthalmology Clinic: A Health Equity- Quality Improvement Fellowship Project, Christine Coward, Tricia Jacobson, Mahadevan Subramanian, Sharon Ojo, Theresa Green, Neil Seligman, Jan Schriefer

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Various social determinants of health have been implicated in ophthalmic diseases, with food insecurity being particular important, given the link between food and conditions such as diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy. Although quality improvement initiatives that address food insecurity screening exist, data extending to the ophthalmic clinical setting is limited.

Purpose: We implemented a health equity quality improvement fellowship project to improve screening for food insecurity in an urban ophthalmology outpatient clinic that sees adults and children.

Methods: Several initiatives were implemented in an attempt to reach a goal of 80% of patients screened for food insecurity. …

Impact Of An Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program (Okap) Pre-Test: A Pilot Study At Two Institutions, Lindsey S. Fields, Jee Young Moon, Saras Ramanathan, Matthew S. Wieder, Jamie B. Rosenberg

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: A formal assessment of knowledge prior to the Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program (OKAP) may help ophthalmology residents identify areas of weakness and organize their study plans.

Purpose: To assess the utility of an OKAP pre-test as a means of helping students prepare for the OKAP.

Methods: A 91-question OKAP pre-test was formulated from the American Academy of Ophthalmology self-assessment study bank and administered in January to 28 residents at two academic institutions. Residents were given the results of their January test scores with a breakdown by subtest before the OKAP. Overall and subtest scores from the …

Editorial Affiliation And Subconscious Bias In High-Impact Ophthalmology Journals, Iden Amiri, Gitanjali M. Fleischman, David Fleischman

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Editorial leadership plays a critical role in shaping the scientific literature. Transitions in editors-in-chief (EICs) may introduce subconscious biases, particularly favoring their home institutions, potentially influencing publication patterns.

Purpose: To evaluate whether editorial transitions are associated with increased institutional publication representation in major ophthalmology journals and to assess the potential for subconscious or reciprocal editorial bias.

Methods: A retrospective bibliometric analysis of four high-impact ophthalmology journals, JAMA Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology (AJO), and British Journal of Ophthalmology (BJO), was conducted over a 15-year period (2010-2024). Institutional affiliation data were extracted …

Impact Of Letter Writers On Ophthalmology Residency Match Success, Simran Ohri, Iden Amiri, Daniel E Rubinstein, Alice Yang Zhang

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Ophthalmology residency applications have surged in recent years, and with USMLE Step 1 now evaluated on a pass/fail basis, program directors increasingly rely on subjective metrics. Letters of recommendation (LOR) offer valuable insight into applicants’ interpersonal skills and are among the most important selection factors. This study investigates how characteristics of LOR writers influence residency match outcomes.

Purpose: To examine how the characteristics of LOR writers affect success in the ophthalmology residency match.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of San Francisco (SF) Match application data for United States allopathic seniors from 2023 and 2024. Reapplicants, international medical graduates, …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Dry Lab Cataract Simulation For Medical Students, Ashley Choi, Andrew Chen, Miel Sundararajan, Karine D. Bojikian, Anthony Chung, Shu Feng

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Cataract surgery is a major component of ophthalmologic surgical training. However, medical students often lack early exposure to intraocular surgery, limiting their ability to assess their interest in the field.

Purpose: To evaluate the educational impact of a cataract surgery dry lab workshop for medical students using the Kitaro Anterior Segment Dry Lab Kit.

Methods: The workshop included a faculty-led presentation on eye anatomy, cataract formation, and cataract surgery, followed by hands-on practice. Pre- and post-workshop questionnaires were conducted to evaluate students’ knowledge in cataract surgery, interest in ophthalmology, interest in microsurgery, and evaluation of the …

Surgical Outcomes Of Resident-Performed Baerveldt-350 Implantation, Christopher Phung, Robin Ji, Nikita Mokhashi, Mary Qiu

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Academic institutions must balance resident training with patient safety. Studies have demonstrated that residents can perform trabeculectomies with no increased risk to patients, but there is limited data for other glaucoma surgeries.

Purpose: To describe the surgical outcomes of resident-performed Baerveldt-350 implantations at a single institution.

Methods: Eyes undergoing Baerveldt-350 implantation at the University of Chicago Medicine between 30 August and 1 November 2023 with an ophthalmology resident as primary surgeon were included. Patients with neovascular glaucoma and/or prior aqueous shunt implantation were excluded. Retrospective chart review was performed from the preoperative visit to postoperative month …

The Use And Perceptions Of Virtual Reality Simulator Training For Ophthalmological Surgical Education, Geoffrey Nguyen, Mackenzie T. Pham, Paul C. Kang

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: The expansion of virtual reality (VR) headsets, haptic technology, and virtual education has provided educational innovators with a high-fidelity alternative to traditional surgical training.

Purpose: To characterize the utilization and perspectives regarding the use of virtual reality simulator training in U.S.-based ophthalmic residency programs for surgical education.

Methods: An anonymous online questionnaire hosted by Qualtrics (Silver Lake, Seattle, WA) was emailed to ophthalmology faculty through the Association of University Professors Ophthalmology (AUPO) listservs. They were asked if virtual reality simulators were used in their program. Participants who answered “yes” were asked questions regarding the specific virtual …

Exploring Gender Bias In Ophthalmology Clerkship Evaluations: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Student And Evaluator Interactions, Anagh Kulkarni, Jullia A. Rosdahl

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Although the proportion of female medical trainees has grown in recent years, disparities related to sex and gender persist, especially among students and physicians in surgical specialties. With clinical evaluations increasingly influencing residency selection, understanding potential gender bias is essential to fostering equity in ophthalmology training.

Purpose: To investigate potential gender bias in ophthalmology clerkship evaluations by examining both quantitative scores and narrative feedback for second- and fourth-year medical students, with attention to the influence of student and evaluator gender.

Methods: This was a retrospective mixed-methods study analyzing 643 ophthalmology clerkship evaluations from the Duke University …

Ergonomics And Injury Prevention Education In Canadian Ophthalmology Residency Programs: A Survey Of Program Directors, Hargun Kaur, Changseok Lee, Jim S. Xie, R. Rishi Gupta, Rookaya Mather

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are common among ophthalmologists. WMSDs are particularly associated with microscope use, awkward surgical postures, and nonergonomic equipment design. Symptoms can begin early in residency and may negatively affect trainees’ long-term musculoskeletal health, surgical performance, and career longevity.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of all 15 Canadian ophthalmology residency program directors (PDs) was conducted, with follow-up emails sent at 2- and 3-week intervals. The questionnaire was designed to elicit information on program characteristics, existing ergonomics education, instructional methods, barriers to implementation, and perspectives on future curriculum development.

Results: Twelve of 15 program directors (80%) …

Optimism And Its Association With Psychological Stress Among A Sample Of Graduate Students At King Abdulaziz University, Shahad Fawzi Abdulgadoos, Lama Wasel Aloufi, Eradah Omar Hamad, Iman Aly Almohammadi

University of Bisha Journal for Educational Sciences

This study aimed to examine the level of optimism and psychological stress among graduate students at King Abdulaziz University (N = 152), and to measure the relationship between these two variables. It also seeks to investigate differences in the mean scores of optimism and psychological stress based on demographic variables (gender, specialization, and academic level). The researchers employed the descriptive correlational approach, utilizing the short version of the Personal and Self-Efficiency Optimism (Gavrilov-Jerković et al., 2014), and the Perceived Psychological Stress Scale (Cohen et al.,1983) translated by Al-Rubkhi (2016). The results showed that participants reported a high level of optimism …

The Level Of Use Of Artificial Intelligence Applications In Teaching Mathematics From The Perspective Of Mathematics Teachers And The Challenges They Face, Yahya Hijab Alhazmi

University of Bisha Journal for Educational Sciences

The research aimed to identify the extent to which secondary school mathematics teachers utilize artificial intelligence applications in teaching, and to identify the challenges they may face. Using a descriptive survey methodology and data collected from an electronic questionnaire developed by the researcher (and after verifying its validity and reliability), the questionnaire was administered to a sample of 363 male and female teachers in secondary schools affiliated with the Jazan Education Department. The research found a moderate level of AI use among teachers and identified key challenges affecting both teachers and students. No significant differences related to gender or experience …

School Principals Attitudes Toward Using Generative Artificial Intelligence In Public Education And Being Ready To Implement It, Saad Theeb Ali Alaklabi

University of Bisha Journal for Educational Sciences

This study aimed to investigate school directors’ attitudes towards implementing generative artificial intelligence (AI) and to measure their level of readiness for its application. The study employed a descriptive survey methodology and was applied to a comprehensive sample comprising all study population members of school directors in Bisha Governorate, with 110 directors responding. The study relied on a questionnaire as the primary data collection instrument. Results revealed that directors’ attitudes towards implementing generative AI were at a moderate level, while their application readiness also scored moderately. In contrast, results showed very high agreement regarding the advantages of using generative AI, …

The Impact Of Differentiated Instruction Strategy In Life Skills And Family Education On The Development Of Twenty-First Century Skills Among Sixth-Grade Primary Students, Tahani Khalid Al-Jubair

University of Bisha Journal for Educational Sciences

This study aimed to identify the effect of using the differentiated instruction strategy in the Life Skills and Family Education course on developing 21st-century skills among first-grade intermediate female students. The researcher adopted a quasi-experimental design. The study sample consisted of (50) first-grade intermediate students from Fatimah Al-Zahra Intermediate School, affiliated with the Eastern Province Education Office in the city of Dammam, during the academic year 1446 AH. The sample was equally divided into two groups: an experimental group (25 students) and a control group (25 students). To achieve the study objectives, a 21st-century skills questionnaire was developed, along with …

Disgust Sensitivity And Orderliness, Ari Rad

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This literature review serves as a map for understanding the relation between disgust sensitivity and trait orderliness, with a focus on a cybernetic framework to conceptualize the emotion of disgust as an evolutionary system. It adopts a systematic approach that begins with the evolutionary foundations and basic definitions of disgust as an emotion, trait orderliness, and, lastly, the process by which these traits could be pathologized. The pathologization is explained within the hypothesized cybernetic system (the Cybernetic Disgust-Orderliness Hypothesis) with the goal of demonstrating the interdependency of trait orderliness and the emotion of disgust. The body of research regarding the …

Impact Of One Nucleotide On Organ Enumeration And Phyllotaxy In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Hazel R. Frans, Tara Phelps-Durr

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Arabidopsis thaliana is a model organism used by scientists to study plant genetics, development, and physiology. CRISPR-Cas9 is a biotechnology tool adapted from a bacterial defense mechanism to precisely edit DNA using a guide mRNA and a Cas9 protein. This project aims to create CRISPR-CAS9 mutations in the APETALA3 (AP3) gene of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. AP3 is a class B gene critical to the petal and stamen development of Arabidopsis flowers. The AP3 protein contains a MADS domain, which binds directly to DNA and may be responsible for the expression of the CaRG-box genes. AP3 works in conjunction …

Bringing Worlds Together: How Social Studies Teachers Make Content Meaningful, Harley A. Payne

Honors College Theses

Secondary educators in social studies classes face the challenge of maintaining the attention of dozens of students during instruction, often on content that seems irrelevant or unimportant. Educators must find ways to emphasize that the content their students are disinterested in is useful and crucial for their development into adults. Research suggests that bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world improves classroom engagement (Cooper, 2014; Tagliaferro, 2012). Students who are engaged and exert more effort in class derive academic benefits, such as placement in advanced pathways and increased test scores (Carbonaro, 2005). Civics education and the inclusion …

Social Media’S Impact On Body Image Perception, Rachel Murino

Honors Theses

This study aims to analyze the relationship between social media use and body image perception, specifically focusing on universal and culturally unique factors. Survey data was collected from participants ages 18-47. By analyzing ethnic differences, this study seeks to identify how culture can shape beauty standards and if social media use and pressure play a role in reinforcing these ideals. The findings were expected to reveal a relationship between perceived social media pressure and negative body image perception, along with cultural trends. Results indicated a significant relationship between social media pressure and body image perception, along with a significant interaction …

Sex-Specific Differences In Lung Mitochondrial Function And Injury In Rats Exposed To Hyperoxia, Taheri Pardis, Abraham G. Taye, Devanshi D. Dave, Elizabeth R. Jacobs, Guru Prasad Sharma, Anne V. Clough, Ranjan K. Dash, Said H. Audi

Mathematical and Statistical Science Faculty Research and Publications

Hyperoxia is both an essential therapy and a contributor to lung injury in acute respiratory distress syndrome. We hypothesized that adult female rats are relatively protected from hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (HALI) compared with males and that this protection is associated with sex-dependent differences in lung mitochondrial bioenergetics and H₂O₂ production. Adult rats were exposed to room air (normoxia) or hyperoxia (>95% O₂) for up to 60 h. Lung injury was assessed by pleural effusion, lung wet weight, pulmonary vascular filtration coefficient (K_f), histologic injury scores, and cleaved caspase-3 (CC3) staining. …

The Effect Of Low And High-Carbohydrate Diets On Memory Performance In College Students, Samia Baugh, Zoe Zajko, Jamie Analuisa, Ivanna Jacome

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the brain and play an important role in processes related to memory performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a low-carbohydrate diet compared to a high-carbohydrate diet on memory performance in college students aged 18–22 years. For the purposes of this study, a low-carbohydrate diet is defined as a diet providing fewer than 130 grams of carbohydrates per day, while a high-carbohydrate diet provides approximately 325 grams of carbohydrates. This population is particularly important to study because college students experience high academic demands that require strong memory …

Physical Space And Democratic Citizenship: Third Place Usage And Civic Engagement Among Undergraduates, Justin L. Fintel

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis examines the relationship between third place usage and civic engagement levels among undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Drawing on urban planning and political science literature, I hypothesize that students who more frequently use and interact with campus third places—which are informal communal spaces that foster community, such as coffee shops, libraries, and student unions—demonstrate higher levels of civic engagement. Using survey data from thirty-eight undergraduates and ordinary least squares regression analysis, I find strong support for my hypothesis. Third place usage significantly predicts civic engagement (β = 0.609, p < 0.001) statistically, and this relationship remains robust even after controlling for family socialization and socioeconomic status. The findings suggest that physical spaces on college campuses play an independent role in promoting democratic citizenship beyond students' pre-existing characteristics. These results have important implications for university and urban planning, while highlighting the value of investing in communal campus spaces as mechanisms for promoting civic participation.

Regulation Of Gene Expression By Small Upstream Open Reading Frames In Escherichia Coli, Andrea R. Vansledright

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Indirect Carbonation Of Fbc Ash For Sustainable Production Of Caco3 And Reactive Pozzolanic Residues, Suhawn Ju, Heejung Jun, Seongho Han, Minseok Kim, Soohyun Song, Mingi Cho, Sukhoon Pyo, Jinyoung Yoon

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigates the potential of indirect carbonation for CO₂ sequestration and high-purity CaCO₃ production using fluidized bed combustion (FBC) fly ash (FFA) and bottom ash (FBA). XRF and XRD analyses revealed high reactive CaO contents derived from lime, portlandite, and anhydrite. Calcium extraction using 1- mol NH₄Cl achieved markedly higher efficiency than deionized (DI) water, yielding up to 17,586 mg/L of Ca²⁺ and producing 10.2 wt.% and 8.4 wt.% CaCO₃ from FFA and FBA, respectively, with CO₂ capture capacities of 45.0 and 36.8 kg per ton of ash. The precipitated CaCO₃ exhibited …

Design Of An Adaptive Sliding Mode For Satellite Attitude Control Based On Barrier Function, Osamah A. Aldoori, Mohammed Y. Hassan, Abbas H. Issa

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

Sliding mode control (SMC) has demonstrated significant success in controlling nonlinear systems, particularly those subject to disturbances and uncertainties. However, due to the negative effect of the Chattering phenomenon, it has become necessary to employ an Adaptive Sliding Mode Controller (ASMC) capable of handling time-varying disturbances. This work presents a two-phase Barrier Function (BF) based Adaptive Sliding Mode Controller (BFASMC). This controller is designed to achieve robust stability and performance of nonlinear systems without prior knowledge of disturbance bounds, and applied to satellite Attitude control. The first phase is a constant gain adaptation to ensure rapid convergence, while, the second …

Morphology, Phylogeny And Distribution Of Scaeurgus (Cephalopoda: Octopoda) In Southeast Pacific Seamounts, Sergio A. Carrasco, Christian M. Ibáñez, Andrea I. Varela, Jan M. Tapia-Guerra, Erin E. Easton, Javier Sellanes

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Octopuses of the genus Scaeurgus inhabit upper bathyal benthic habitats and are composed of five recognized species. In this study, we conducted morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses of two individuals of Scaeurgus and provided additional field observations of the genus in seamounts of the Nazca and Salas y Gómez ridges (southeast Pacific Ocean) over the last six years. Specifically, two specimens of Scaeurgus were collected at 234 m depth in 2019 during the EPIC oceanographic cruise onboard the R/V Mirai (JAMSTEC, Japan), and five other specimens were video recorded at depths between 210 and 340 m during three oceanographic expeditions …

Untangling Impacts Of Socioeconomic Position, Chronic Disease, And Low-Level Pm2.5 Exposure On Mortality Among Native American Medicare Beneficiaries, Judy Wendt Hess, Wenyaw Chan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with increased mortality at concentrations below current regulatory standards. Studies of low-level exposure often rely on large administrative cohorts whose geographic and demographic composition may influence observed associations. In a prior analysis, we observed an association between long-term PM2.5 and all-cause mortality among Native American Medicare beneficiaries living in zip codes within the lowest decile of PM2.5 exposure. The present study, a case-control analysis of 1,713,399 low-PM2.5-exposed beneficiaries enrolled in traditional Medicare during 2015-2016, evaluated whether this association could be explained by geographic context, socioeconomic position (SEP), or baseline health status. We used …

Intelligent Mobile Application For Alzheimer's Detection And Patient's Life Management, Dilena Majid Bajalan, Muayad Sadik Croock

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

The defining feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a gradual decline in symptoms over several years. This decline reduces the effectiveness of daily routines and leads to memory loss. Among the challenges posed by memory loss are difficulties in remembering names, faces, locations, and other important details. This study introduces an intelligent mobile application designed to assist in managing a patient's daily life, with an emphasis on routine activities and monitoring episodes of memory loss. Additionally, the application aims to detect Alzheimer's disease (AD) using a proposed deep learning model. The suggested Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) deep learning model is …