Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Starter Cultures On The Metabolite Profile, Antioxidant Activities, And Anti-Aging Properties Of Tapuy Lees, Edward Kevin B. Bragais, Paul Mark B. Medina

Biology Faculty Publications

The Philippine rice wine (tapuy) and tapuy lees making process utilizes bubod, the traditional starter culture. The bubod contains variable number and species of microorganisms and influences the physical and chemical properties of tapuy and tapuy lees, resulting in inconsistent quality products. Hence, improvement and standardization of local starter culture are significant. Here, we examined the effects of well-defined starter cultures (Rhizopus oryzae (RO), Mucor indicus (MI), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC)) and bubod on the metabolite profile, antioxidant, and anti-aging activities of tapuy lees. Our results showed the presence of polyphenols (102.36 ± 2.84 to 173.92 …

Development And Pilot Of A Microgreens Project To Integrate Food Security In Grade 8 Science Using Systems Thinking, Iris Mae L. Caidic, C. K. Gonzales

Biology Faculty Publications

Among other countries, the Philippines faces the issue of food security, which must be addressed through education. However, the lack of coherence in teaching science content hinders Filipino junior high school students’ holistic understanding that science lessons are interconnected to food security. This study explores how systems thinking can be utilized to integrate food security into science topics. The pilot of the developed module on a microgreens project was implemented using systems thinking tools to tackle lessons on biodiversity, ecosystems, and the human digestive system within the context of food security. Data from end-of-scaffold check-ins, individual scaffold assessments, group performance …

Assessment Of Validity And Reliability Of Survey Tool For Good Aquaculture Practices Of Philippine Shellfish Farmers, Crisanto M. Lopez, A. Rustia, E. Barrios, D. Tanay

Biology Faculty Publications

Food safety farm-to-fork model compliance to good aquaculture practices (GAqP) of Filipino shellfish farmers placed a special consideration in the validation and reliability of the developed survey tool that consisted of 11 sections of GAqP provisions based on Philippine National Standards 207:2017 and CXS 52-2003 standards. Validation [content validity index (CVI) and impact factor (IF)] and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) included pre-testing (item difficulty and discrimination index) (n = 7 shellfish farmers; n = 7 technical personnel on fisheries), validation (n = 30 shellfish farmers and five experts), and pilot testing (n = 30 shellfish farmers) to measure the reliability. Pre-testing …

The Use Of Synthesized Stabilized Nanoparticles Of Selenium As A Feed Additive In Shrimp Litopenaeus Vannamei Diets: Performance, Antibacterial Activity, Gut Microbiota And Immune-Related Genes Expression, Janice A. Ragaza, F. Mustafa, S. Hassan, O. Ashary

Biology Faculty Publications

The shrimp aquaculture industry faces challenges that hinder production, including pathogens and infections from bacteria-causing diseases. The present study aimed to examine the impact of dietary synthesized chitosan stabilized selenium nanoparticles (CSSeNPs) on the growth performance of gut microbiota and immuneassociated genes for shrimp L. vannamei aquaculture. The experiments were accomplished for 12 weeks in triplicate fiberglass circular tanks (200 L). A 300 shrimp post-larvae (PL) weighing an average of 0.14 ± 0.001 g was utilized. Four experimental groups were assigned to 12 tanks. Each tank contained 25 PL. Each group fed with one of the following diets: control (C), …

Evaluation Of A Customer Development Simulator Using Large Language Model-Based Multi-Agent System And Synthetic Respondents, Lois Abigail To, Zachary Matthew C. Alabastro, Joseph Benjamin R. Ilagan

Quantitative Methods and Information Technology Faculty Publications

Customer development (CD) is a Lean Startup (LS) methodology for startups to validate their business hypotheses and refine their business model based on customer feedback. This paper proposes designing a large language model-based multi-agent system (LLM MAS) to enhance the customer development process by simulating customer feedback. Using LLMs’ natural language understanding (NLU) and synthetic multi-agent capabilities, startups can conduct faster validation while obtaining preliminary insights that may help refine their business model before engaging with the real market. The study presents a model in which the LLM MAS simulates customer discovery interactions between a startup founder and potential customers, …

Transformative Experience Design: Exploring The Supply-Side Perspective In The Theme Park Context, Juliana Rodrigues Vieira Tkatch

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study investigates how hedonic tourism activities can facilitate personal transformation, particularly in the context of mass tourism. Focusing on theme parks, which draw millions of visitors annually, the research explores the design elements that can foster visitor transformation. The study aims to uncover the design elements embedded in the creation of these activities and the effects they intend to foster in visitors, answering the research question: How do theme park design practices contribute to transformative tourism experiences? This question is significant given the limited empirical work connecting experience design and transformative tourism from the supplier perspective. Using a qualitative …

A Time-Domain Boundary Integral Equation For Moving Acoustic Sources In Uniform Flow And Its Solution By An Advanced Time Propagation Approach, Fang Q. Hu, Douglas M. Nark

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

This paper presents a time-domain boundary integral equation (TDBIE) formulation for predicting acoustic scattering from moving sources in a uniform mean flow. This work is motivated by the increasing need for accurate aeroacoustic modeling of modern aircraft configurations, including VTOL and eVTOL systems with rotating components. A key challenge in time-domain scattering simulations with moving sources is the determination of retarded time for a given observer time, which involves solving an implicit equation at each time step. This can be computationally costly, particularly for numerical solution of the TDBIE where every surface element on the scattering body acts as an …

Covariate Selection For Rna-Seq Differential Expression Analysis With Hidden Factor Adjustment, Farzana Noorzahan, Hyeongseon Jeon, Yet Nguyen

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

In RNA-seq data analysis, a primary objective is the identification of differentially expressed genes, which are genes that exhibit varying expression levels across different conditions of interest. It is widely known that hidden factors, such as batch effects, can substantially influence the differential expression analysis. Furthermore, apart from the primary factor of interest and unforeseen artifacts, an RNA-seq experiment typically contains multiple measured covariates, some of which may significantly affect gene expression levels, while others may not. Existing methods either address the covariate selection or the unknown artifacts separately. In this study, we investigate two integrated strategies, FSR_sva and SVAall_FSR, …

Motor Unit Control Of Maximal Grip Force Among Older Adults: Reliability, Weakness, And Interventions, Jonathan P. Beausejour

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Recent evidence suggests that grip strength is a critical biomarker of brain, muscle, and metabolic aging. To date, neuromuscular properties related to individual motor unit size and firing rates have not been explored in the context of grip strength assessments in the older adult population. Given the strong correlation between grip strength and all-cause mortality, understanding motor unit characteristics during maximal grip tests will provide novel perspectives and implications regarding healthy aging. The purpose of this dissertation project was to develop an analytical framework to reliably characterize motor unit strategies employed during maximal grip strength tests, and compare these characteristics …

Multilevel Network Governance For United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: The Role Of European Subnational Entities In Urban Resilience, Hasan Isgandar

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation investigates the role of subnational actors in European Union (EU) multilevel governance networks focused on reducing urban poverty and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Focusing on the SDG #1 (No Poverty), SDG #11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG #17 (Partnerships for the Goals) it examines the participation and impact of subnational actors in two case studies: Naples, Italy and Krakow, Poland. Using Social Network Analysis (SNA), the research investigates the configuration and performance of the networks created within the framework of the URBinclusion projects, which are part of the URBACT and Urban Innovative Actions …

Health Behavior In A Culture-Driven Society: Using Mixed Methods Research To Examine Medical Pluralism In Zimbabwe, Stephen Mhere

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation examined the role of cultural influences on health-seeking behaviors and healthcare choices among Zimbabweans, focusing on medical pluralism – where individuals simultaneously access traditional, faith-based, and allopathic medical systems. It applied the PEN-3 Cultural Model to examine Cultural Identity, Relationships and Expectations, and Cultural Empowerment. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, data were collected via a Shona-language survey on WhatsApp. Multiple choice, closed-ended, and open-ended survey questions were texted to participants, and they responded by text or audio messages. Response data were collected from 137 study participants. Multinomial logistic regression was used for quantitative data analysis, while deductive …

Teacher Retention And The Disabilities-To-Prison Pipeline, Angela P. Mccloud-Bond

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

There is an overrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Similar to the commonly known School-to-Prison Pipeline, Christoper Mallet has coined the term the Disabilities-to-Prison Pipeline to refer to this growing problem. Research has not yet determined how individual variables at the school or district levels lead to the expansion of the Disabilities-to-Prison Pipeline. Mallot (2021) presented three possible hypotheses to explain the expansion of this phenomenon: the differential treatment hypothesis, the school failure hypothesis, and the susceptibility hypothesis. There is a significant gap in the literature that focuses specifically on the differential treatment of …

Eating Disorder Patient Experiences With Best Practices During Psychiatric Treatment: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Study, Pamela L. Dow

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Eating disorders are among the deadliest mental health disorders and represent a significant financial burden to the U.S. healthcare system. However, little is known about eating disorder patients' experiences during psychiatric treatment. Informed by the Picker Principles of Person-Centered Care and recommendations from the American Psychiatric Association, this study explored eating disorder patient experiences with best practices during psychiatric treatment. First, 10 patients were interviewed about their treatment experiences with a psychiatrist. Themes were analyzed using iterative categorization in Dedoose and informed a quantitative survey to examine patient experiences with their psychiatrist performing best practices during eating disorder treatment. The …

Examining The Impact African American Male Teachers Have On The Math Scores Of Underserved Students, Demetrice Thomas

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study contributed to a growing body of evidence emphasizing that teacher identity profoundly influences not only how students learn but also how they perceive themselves and their potential. As Gershenson (2022) noted, “Black teachers provide benefits to all students, fostering higher achievement and stronger aspirations,” highlighting the essential role of diverse educators in shaping student success. Consistent academic gains observed among students taught by African American male teachers reinforce the urgent need for educational systems to prioritize equity not only in student outcomes but also in diversifying the teaching workforce. Despite African American male teachers comprising less than 2% …

Fluidity In Structure: Balancing Form And Freedom, Tyler Stevens

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In our postmodern society, there is a natural urge to want to decentralize the metanarratives that make up the standards and structures of defined aesthetics within the theatre landscape. This urge poses a potential threat to the authenticity of the dramatic context, encouraging performers to create narratives outside of the text. This led me to investigate how theatre artists can strike a balance between creative exploration and authenticity of context, of form and freedom. In seeking a way to engage with the effects of postmodernism in the theatre, I follow Hans-Theis Lehmann’s Postdramatic Theatre to a dead end and must …

Not Just Playing Pretend: Story Drama As Queer And Humanist Praxis, Julia Veiga

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

While conventional story time typically involves passive listening and enforced stillness, Story Drama transforms the storytelling experience into a participatory process where children use their voices, bodies, and imaginations to shape the narrative collaboratively. Indeed, Story Drama, combined with queer and humanist learning theory, fosters an inclusive, student-centered environment where youth practice critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-realization. Using the techniques of Story Drama transforms storytelling into a tool for cultivating socially engaged, independent learners, encouraging critical thinking and activism by nurturing empathy, community awareness, and creative agency from an early age.

This thesis explores the reimagining of traditional storytelling practices …

High-Efficiency Micro-Display Light Engines, Yizhou Qian

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Augmented reality displays, which integrate digital information with environmental backgrounds, are emerging in our daily lives. To ensure readability under outdoor environments with intense ambient light, AR displays must achieve high luminance levels suitable for human visual perception. However, severe light leakage in waveguide couplers and significant losses during exit pupil expansion limit the overall system efficiency to approximately 4%, requiring the light engine to reach luminance levels over one million nits. In addition, to match visual acuity while keeping a compact light engine size (< 1cc), full-color pixel pitch must be below 4 µm. This dissertation is devoted to addressing the possibility of existing light engines to meet these demanding requirements.

In Chapter 2, we comprehensively analyze the power consumption of existing commercial light engines …

Molecular Basis For The Disaggregase Activity Of Protein Disulfide Isomerase, Antonio Mele

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is an essential, multifunctional, and promiscuous protein with a modular abb’xa’c domain arrangement. Conformational flexibility and the independent, yet coordinated, functionality of PDI domains facilitate protein folding, redox regulation, and the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Previous investigations have shown that PDI can inhibit amyloid β peptide aggregation, associated with Alzheimer's disease, and is required for cholera toxin disassembly, the rate-limiting step in Vibrio cholerae pathogenesis. However, the precise mechanistic details underlying these interactions remain to be elucidated. Using molecular and biophysical approaches, this study has begun to establish substrate-induced unfolding, or conditional disorder, of PDI as …

Designing Immersive Educational Experiences: An Exploration Of Animal Attractions And Exhibits To Create A National Park Themed Experience, Sarah G. Merrill

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis analyzes the disconnect between immersive environmental storytelling and conservation education at animal attractions. How can designers create immersive educational experiences that engage audiences? Can environmental narrative practices be applied in a new way to develop effective conservation and wildlife education? A literature review assists in defining immersion, discovering the evolution of Modern Zoo design as an immersive experience, and evaluating conversation education in animal facilities. When combined with educational techniques, immersive habitat design improves guest engagement and informal conservation learning outcomes in zoos and animal-related experiences. Using Scott Lukas’ theming and immersion modes, three attractions are analyzed as …

Exploring The Role Of Geofencing, Geolocation, And Audio Descriptions In Enhancing Mobility And Inclusion For Individuals With Blindness And Visual Impairments In Museums And Indoor Spaces, Javier Enrique Molinares

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation explores the challenges individuals with blindness and visual impairments face in navigating cultural spaces, explicitly focusing on museums, and emphasizes the importance of inclusion. The study explores how conventional accessibility solutions can accidentally establish obstacles which restrict autonomy and diminish chances for meaningful participation. Accessibility challenges were identified through qualitative observations at the Gateway Museum, located within the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida. Additionally, interviews and a participatory co-design methodology involving five participants with blindness and visual impairments were conducted. These methods led to the development of a mobility application that combines geolocation technology, …

Visual Experience Enhancement In Augmented Reality Waveguide Displays, Yuqiang Ding

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In the dynamic arena of display technology, augmented reality (AR) displays represent a pivotal advancement, seamlessly bridging the digital and physical worlds. This dissertation mainly examines waveguide-based AR display technologies—which enable slim form factors and large eyebox via exit pupil expansion—yet still face persistent challenges: low ambient contrast ratio (ACR), poor color performance and slow simulation design cycles. To address these issues, this dissertation introduces novel liquid crystal photonic devices and system-level optical solutions—together with accelerated simulation methods for design—to enhance user experience and system performance. First, the dissertation examines one of the major efficiency bottlenecks arises from multiple interactions …

Netflix And The Platformization Of Film And Television Content Discovery, Jacob Boccio

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation investigates the Netflix streaming platform to better understand the platformization of film and television cultural production and content discovery. Building on platform studies and scholarship on platformization, this work contributes to the growing body of literature that critically examines the implications of digital platforms in reshaping cultural and creative industries. Using this framework, the dissertation explores how the evolution of content discovery mechanisms on Netflix affects the cultural production of the film and television industries. Chapter 1 frames Netflix as a platform within the platformization framework. Chapter 2 examines Netflix employees, who serve as gatekeepers by curating and …

Bent Never Broken: A Study Of Multidimensional Perfectionism Through Animation, Sabrina R. Dias

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Bent Never Broken is a 3D animated short film about a martial artist that strives to gain his mother’s love through perfection. The film focuses on maladaptive multidimensional perfectionism and how it affects parent-child relationships. Bent Never Broken utilizes stylized rendering and animation to maintain maturity and appeal. It has a mature storyline with an ending that enforces the idea that perfection does not equate to love, and that it is okay to walk away from maladjusted parent-child relationships.

Catching Light Finding Encouragement Through Art And The Role Of Women In Impressionism, Vlada Evtushenko

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Catching Light is a two-dimensional (2D) animated film about the importance of human connection through the tale of an artist rediscovering their passion for painting through the support of a fellow artist. Catching Light is told through the lens of the period in art history when the artists, who eventually came to be known as 'Impressionists', broke free from the traditions of the Academy. The story highlights how the Art Academy restricted and discriminated against people based on social class and gender, and its disrespect towards the craft of paintmaking. By setting this story in the late 19th century, Catching …

Ghosts Moving From The Margins: Comparing Representations Of Migrants In Contemporary Italian Media, Madeline Grohowski

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis examines how two different cultural mediums produced by a prominent Italian director and a popular Italian musical artist engage with themes of immigration and diaspora and their impacts on Italian national identity. The works that I have selected represent a mix of well-known and emergent figures in Italian cultural life and its related discourses around immigration and identity from the last 20 years of Italian history. Focusing on director Emanuele Crialese’s film Terraferma (2011) and rapper and singer Ghali’s songs “Mamma” (2017) and “Bayna” (2022), I analyze how each work frames migration as a metaphorical haunting that engages …

Just Breathe: Demystifying Breath In Theatre Performance And Pedagogy, Gabriella Headley

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Breathing is an involuntary reflex that happens every day, usually without any extra effort or consideration. Often as actors we are instructed to “just breathe” in a scene, but what does that really mean when breathing is something that is already done subconsciously? Since beginning graduate training, I have realized how imperative breath is in our work as performers, and how it is the cornerstone of everything: the voice, the body, the text, and how it acts as the connecting force between the performers and the audience. How can actors, educators, and directors expand their vocabulary and use breath as …

Roleing In & Out Of Character, Dominique E. Marshall

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis explores different methods for an actor to safely get in and out of character. There is a myriad of methodologies for actors to get into their roles, but not much public information on how actors should get out of character. My research navigates how to release a role, or ‘de-roleing,’ along with what actors need in preparation for taking on a role, or ‘pre-roleing.’ The risks of not having an efficient pre-roleing and de-roleing method are emphasized. Using a combination of ideas brought on by Augusto Boal, Susana Bloch, Suzanne Dieckman, and others, I explore methods to de-role …

“Let The Little Lady Have It!”: Carrie And Ella Rossetter And The Role Of Corporate Women In Early Twentieth Century Business History, Angela R. Mchugh

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis examines the entrepreneurial journeys of Carrie and Ella Rossetter, two pioneering women who navigated the male-dominated business landscape of early 20th century Florida. Their experiences challenge the prevailing narrative that women were largely excluded from corporate roles prior to World War II. The Rossetter sisters, through their respective ventures in the oil and insurance industries, illustrate the complexities faced by women entrepreneurs during this era, including societal expectations, gender norms, and limited access to capital. Despite operating within a framework that favored traditional feminine roles, Carrie and Ella found ways to assert their business acumen and establish successful …

Screen Time On Stage: The Effect Of Internet And The Smartphone On The Actor, Nathan A. Olmeda

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis examines the potential link between an actor’s cell phone use and their work in the rehearsal process. Using Paula Thomson and S. Victoria Jaque’s Creativity and the Performing Artist and Nichola Carr’s The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing To Our Brains, I analyze the neural networks of the brain that are engaged in acting and their functions to develop a greater understanding of their association to behaviors and emotional responses that may impact the actor in the rehearsal/performance space. Furthermore, I investigate the emergence of smartphone use within the cultural zeitgeist and its effect on the …

The Coffee Corner Project: Creating Rehearsal Community Through The Café Space, Jacob Romeo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The ensemble is the heart of any rehearsal process, and a sense of community as an ensemble is enriched more in the moments between rehearsing than in the rehearsal room itself. Approaching the ensemble from this perspective, this thesis examines how this connection can be strengthened or deepened by observing the history of the coffee shop social space. I implemented this lens of community into the rehearsal process by constructing a pared-down cafe space adjacent to the rehearsal room that elevated coffee beyond its “grab and go” forms into an enriching sensory experience where the cast and creative team were …