Digital Commons Network^™

Statistical Analysis Of Recent Trends In Nuclear Verdicts, Kelsey Chorath

Posters - 2024

By understanding and addressing the impact of nuclear verdicts, the insurance industry can strive for resilience and sustainable growth amidst a rapidly changing legal and economic environment. Social inflation describes how insurers’ claims costs are increasing above general economic inflation. Nuclear verdicts are a testament to rising costs that insurance companies must manage when running of their business. As the frequency and magnitude of nuclear verdicts continue to rise, the surge in massive settlements has prompted insurers to reassess risk management strategies, leading to increased premiums and a reevaluation of underwriting practices. Insurers are compelled to anticipate and mitigate the …

Objective.Gg: Uniting Scholastic Esports, Douglas Beirne

Posters - 2024

Objective.gg is a startup recruitment platform within the scholastic esports scene that seeks to unite esports prospects with collegiate esports programs in an effective manner. Objective.gg seeks to accomplish its mission by operating an online platform that allows prospects and collegiate coaches to create their own profiles and connect with one another, building a community in the process. This platform will begin with a free tier, but additional features will be offered through a subscription-based model with two additional pricing tiers to choose from. The online platform will be supported by free online and paid in-person tournaments for Objective.gg platform …

Atlas, James P . Clark

Posters - 2024

• Problem: Hard for new gym goers to know how to achieve their goals.
• Motivation: I had a hard time figuring out how to achieve the goals I wanted in the gym. A lot of it was just not knowing what to do or how to do it.
• Solution: I want to create an application that will display some basic information, such as maintenance calories and current weight. It will be able to assist with calculations that need to take place to achieve a certain fitness goal.

The Acute Effects Of High-Intensity Functional Training On Inhibitory Control, Julia Daniel, Katarina Carrizales, Amaryllis Rubalcaba, Katie White, Amanda Galindo

Posters - 2024

Based on findings from systematic reviews and metaanalyses, acute exercise (e.g., aerobic or resistance exercise) improves inhibitory control. However, a popular fitness trend, CrossFit®, has not been widely studied regarding its effect on inhibitory control. CrossFit® is a high-intensity functional training (HIFT) program that stresses the cardiorespiratory and muscular systems through complex, multi-joint movement patterns with minimal rests in-between sets. 1Wilke (2020) found that a 15-minute HIFT exercise bout improved working memory. However, the effect of HIFT on inhibitory control remains unclear. The purpose of the current study was to assess inhibitory control after a single bout of HIFT exercise

Rewilding The Danube Delta; How Rewilding Can Revitalize Ecosystems And Restore Biomes, Antonio Martinez

Posters - 2024

The Danube Delta and the surrounding area harbors a variety of ecosystems and biodiversity from Romania to Ukraine. The 580,000-hectare delta is particularly well known for its abundance of birdlife, with the presence of 312 important bird species, many of which use the Delta as an important stopover and breeding area such as the Dalmatian Pelican (UNESCO et al.,1998). Here, also lie some of Europe’s very few remaining grazed mosaic landscapes, the beautiful wetlands. The delta region includes extensive examples of unaltered rivers, lakes, reed beds, marshes, steppes, dunes, sandbars, coasts, lagoons, salt marshes and climax forests (Rewilding Europe n.d.).This …

Rewilding The ”Wild West”: Restoring Bison Populations In The American Prairie, Ana Christina Diaz

Posters - 2024

Historically, North America was home to a biodiverse and environmentally rich land, from beavers, mountain lions, numerous bird and insect species, and North America’s largest land mammal, the bison (Figure 1). The American bison (Bison bison), also referred to as buffalo, are a keystone species in their environments, meaning their absence can have detrimental effects on other species. Bison are environmental engineers that create a “mosaic of habitats” with their behaviors including wallowing, grazing, and defecating (American Prairie Foundation 2024). Bison once roamed from Canada to Mexico with a population estimated around 50 million but were tragically almost wiped to …

Tripodal Naphthalene Mono Imide Chemosensor For Detection Of Metal Ions, Joshua Do, Rosanna Jees

Posters - 2024

1,8-Naphthalimide is an excellent fluorophore (fluorescent compound) with long emission wavelength band (400-600 nm), a large stokes shift, insensitive to pH and synthetic versatility. Triazole functional group has been used as binding sites for various metal ions in particular Zn(II), Cu(II) and Fe(III) metal ions. Based on naphthalimide as fluorophore and triazole as binding site, a new tripodal chemosensors has been designed and synthesized by copper catalyzed Huisgen Azide Alkyne cycloaddition reaction (known as click reaction). Its photophysical properties with various metal ions were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy. Binding studies with various metal ions such as Zn(II), Cd(II) and Fe(III) …

Adhesive Force Of Minerals And Substrates, Cynthia Domergue

Posters - 2024

Traditional processing for the separation and concentration of minerals requires a large volume of water to process ores to produce metals and other mineral resources. Furthermore, most copper mines in the US are in the southwest, particularly Arizona and New Mexico, which both have arid climates (Fig. 1). Therefore, sustainable practices need to be developed to maintain the production of metals. Objectives:

• Examine the contact angle of mica and silica at varying surface treatment • Determine the average adhesive forces for each sample

• Compare the average adhesive forces for each sample based on the surface treatment and mineral …

Delivered Mobile App, Juni Ejere

Posters - 2024

This platform is a mail delivery notification system to assist school mailrooms, specifically the St. Mary’s University mailroom, in notifying users of the mailroom when packages have arrived, creating one location where all mail information can be found and overall improving the efficiency of the mailroom. Students and faculty at St. Mary’s University have access to a mail room to receive packages. This is very useful, especially for those who stay on campus or who want an external location to receive mail. Now that recipients receive an email when a package is delivered, the main concern of picking up a …

Exploring Neural Networks For Developing A Chess Learning Platform With Integrated Ai Agent, Lauren Escobedo

Posters - 2024

Chess is a highly strategic, complex, and long-form game that has been popular for many centuries. Due to the aforementioned complexities of this game, new players often have a hard time learning how to effectively and successfully play. With the recent developments in machine learning algorithms, new opportunities arise to create artificially intelligent tutors - not only for chess, but for all subjects. This project aims to develop a product which investigates the integration of an artificially intelligent “coach”, named Chesster, to train the player, which is trained on a neural network machine learning algorithm.

Characterization Of Transmission Gratings In Photorefractive Materials, Diego Figueroa, Austin Scott, Partha Banerjee

Posters - 2024

Measuring the transmitted and diffracted beam powers while writing and/or probing the grating with a writing or probe beam is a simple characterization method of transmission gratings. The transmission grating is written in a doped lithium niobate crystal using an argon laser beam of 514.5 nm wavelength. This transmission grating is probed using a helium-neon 632.6 nm laser beam at appropriate Bragg incidence. By scanning the probe beam across the grating, the transmission grating profile can be characterized. The two-beam coupling process is shown in Figure 1 and is due to the space charge field set up in a photorefractive …

Nookipedia, Shyann Francis

Posters - 2024

Animal Crossing involves managing around 9000 items within a gameplay environment. This abundance of items makes it difficult for players to effectively track progress and navigate through their possessions. The primary motivation of Nookipedia is to enhance overall gameplay experience by streamlining achievement management, thereby reducing unnecessary interactions with non-playable characters (NPCs) and enabling players to focus more on core game activities. By improving inventory organization and reducing clutter, the aim is to create a smoother and more immersive gaming experience for players.

Gold & Blue Law Edition, Spring 2024, St. Mary's University- San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue Law Edition

This is the Spring 2024 edition of Gold & Blue Law Edition which is St. Mary's University's official School of Law publication.

Magnetic Properties And Biological Relevance Of Scorpionate-Based Transition Metal Complexes, Laxmi Devkota

Dissertations (1934 -)

There are two major components to this research dissertation. The first component describes the synthesis and characterization of high-spin, first-row transition metal complexes supported by facially-coordinating “scorpionate” ligands. These studies have sought to uncover fundamental relationships between molecular structure and magnetic properties, with the ultimate aim of assisting in the design of single molecule magnets (SMMs). To this end, comprehensive series of four and five-coordinated M(II)-X complexes (M = Co, Fe, and Cu; and X = F, Cl, Br, and I) were prepared using hydrotris(pyrazol-1-yl)borate ligands (TpR,R’; where R and R’ indicate substituents at the 3- and 5-position of the …

Toward A Continuum For Jesuit Education Founded Upon Cura Personalis And Magis, Jose Miguel Jaramillo

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation examines the principles and purposes of Jesuit education, renowned for integrating academic excellence with spiritual and civic values, in search of decision-making criteria. While Jesuit schools followed the 1599 Ratio studiorum, they now adhere to guidelines set by the International Commission for the Apostolate of Jesuit Education (ICAJE). Despite ICAJE's comprehensive framework, a gap exists in providing explicit criteria for educational decision-making beyond calling to discern. Employing a thematic qualitative content analysis method, this research analyzes ICAJE’s documents through a hermeneutic lens, drawing upon foundational Jesuit educational sources and significant contemporary studies. Key findings suggest that these principles …

The Beauty Of A Good Appetite In A Social Media Age, Megan Heeder

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation provides a theological response to eating disorders, disordered eating, and body dissatisfaction, particularly in light of social media’s influence on women and girls. Theologically, eating disorders may be thought of as conditions produced by a debased version of beauty, a self-transcending rather than self-negating conception of kenosis, and a distorted pursuit of goodness or “misguided moralism” that results. Paying particular attention to the feminine thin ideal and its influence on Western beauty standards, this dissertation engages Hans Urs von Balthasar’s theological aesthetics and presentation of kenosis alongside virtue ethics to respond to society’s impoverished vision of beauty and …

Elucidating The Effect Of Surface Modifications On Nanomaterial Function, Nicholas Langer

Dissertations (1934 -)

Nanoparticles (NPs) are an exciting class of materials with unique properties that inspire their use in sensing, catalysis, optoelectronic devices, and more. NPs are frequently coated in organic molecules, termed ligands, to increase their stability, but ligands also influence NP catalytic activity and their interactions with neighboring molecules. To fully realize the potential of nanomaterials as key components in novel complex systems, a more nuanced understanding of the relationships between NPs, ligands, and their surrounding microenvironment is critical. After a brief review of the NP field in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 begins the investigation of structure-function relationships with a cross-class …

Mechanisms Of Neuromuscular Fatigability In Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis, Mitra Rouhani

Dissertations (1934 -)

Subjective fatigue and pain are commonly reported in people with MS (pwMS), as is neuromuscular fatigability. The dynamometry protocols used to measure neuromuscular fatigability in pwMS varied substantially in terms of components, leading to inconsistent findings regarding the extent of neuromuscular fatigability and its central and peripheral mechanisms in pwMS compared to non-MS controls. This dissertation aimed to compare neuromuscular fatigability and its underlying mechanisms following a sustained maximal to intermittent submaximal ankle dorsiflexion in pwMS, grouped by disease severity, and non-MS controls. Additionally, we aimed to determine the impact of physical activity, muscle oxidative capacity, and exercise-induced pain on …

Investigating The Dynamic Response Of Surrogate Energetic Systems With Variable Geometric Complexity, Rafee Mahbub

Dissertations (1934 -)

The goal of this research is to understand the dynamic behavior of functional meso-structures fabricated with a surrogate energetic material, sugar and binder, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in order to control the sensitivity of the system. The approach begins with investigating the dynamic response of PDMS and generating an Equation of State (EOS) model. Experiments were performed in a one-dimensional reverse plate impact configuration at velocities ranging from 29 m/s to 377 m/s. A linear shock velocity, particle velocity fit was applied to the Hugoniot data which resulted in a Hugoniot slope of 2.17 and Hugoniot intercept of 1112 m/s. The calibration …

Place In Luke-Acts: A Geocritical Reading Of Synagogue, House, And Temple, Daniel Mueller

Dissertations (1934 -)

The subject of this study is place in Luke-Acts. Unlike previous studies that examine single places, either large regions or individual types of places in the narrative, I approach place with both a particularized and an integrated vision. I study places that are small enough to participate in the narrative and then integrate them into a coherent narrative map. I examine place as it is written by Luke and as it is read by the reader. This study is guided by the relatively new method of geocriticism and, deriving from this, five working hypotheses about narrative place: 1) the author …

Situation Awareness Preparation And Prebriefing: Fostering The Cognitive Processes Of Thinking Like A Nurse In Simulation, Amanda Lynn Potter

Dissertations (1934 -)

Situation awareness (SA) is linked with actionable decision-making and clinical judgment in nursing practice. The cognitive processes used in developing SA, outlined in Endsley’s (1995) model, is the framework underpinning this study and are interwoven into the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (NCJMM). Cultivating these cognitive processes through prebriefing and simulation designed to intentionally develop SA, is a recommended practice currently seen in aviation and military training. There is a lack of vigorous research testing whether a specific intervention during clinical simulation can develop SA in nursing students. In addition, fostering SA in the …

Vol 69 #2, Melanie Argo

MPLA Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents: Liquid-Liquid Extraction Of Organic Water Pollutants, Abigail Louise Maletta

Masters Theses

Pollution is a topic of significant research within the scientific community. The massive demand for industrial processes to deliver the technology and resources we rely on has opened numerous avenues for pollutants to enter the environment, affecting air, water, soil, and the food chain. Oftentimes, these pathways are intertwined, and the interplay between water and air currents spreads pollution globally, creating a cascade of environmental impacts. Water, a vital resource for all forms of life, is particularly susceptible to industrial pollution. Among the most prevalent water pollutants are heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, and organic compounds, often released …

La Mosca- Spring 2024, Clay Cofre

La Mosca

Contributors: Leslie Lozada, Syed Faisal Mahmood, Zach Haber, Michael Sullivan, Joseph Ward, Robby Ker, Reginald BoClair, Clay Cofre, Sam Lohmann, Danielle Fontaine, Pedro Son of Pedro, Kristen Tabernilla, Phil Kostov, Jennifer Karp, Jasmine Rodriguez, Thalia Piseaux Ochoa, Benny Rios

Minimally Invasive Therapies In The Treatment Of Arthropathy, Steven Bateman

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

This literature review explores the efficacy of minimally invasive therapies that precede and delay surgical intervention in adult patients experiencing functional limitations and pain in major joints. The effectiveness of physical therapy and injections such as corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid, platelet-rich plasma, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) was evaluated. A comprehensive search of PubMed utilizing MeSH terms yielded 114 relevant studies, which were screened based on inclusion criteria of human studies published within the past five years. Keywords included mesenchymal stem cells, stem cells, mesenchymal, arthroplasty, and joints. Producing few results, inclusion criteria were later expanded to include studies within the …

Lifestyle Changes And Medication Vs. Medication Alone: Symptom Control Of Parkinson Disease, Rachel Duncan

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Parkinson disease is multifactorial and predominantly effects the geriatric population. The mainstay of treatment for patients diagnosed is currently symptomatic treatment with dopamine replacement. The goal of this literature review is to identify possible lifestyle modifications that can delay progression of the disease or help prolong OFF time of symptoms. Lifestyle modification predominantly considered during this review included diet and physical activity. Included in the study were MIND, Mediterranean, and DASH diets. Considering the role of medication in this disease levodopa, dopamine agonists, monoamine oxidase B inhibitors and the addition of ropinirole to levodopa and their efficacy in treating parkinsonian …

Efficacy Of Platelet Rich Plasma Injections To Combat Chronic Tendinopathies, Rachel Kisse

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

➢ Tendinopathy is a clinical syndrome marked by persistent localized pain and tendon thickening, stemming from repetitive overuse. It poses diagnostic and management challenges due to its chronic nature..

➢ This literature review was performed to inform clinicians about the properties, safety, and efficacy of PRP injections as an adjunctive therapy in chronic tendinopathies, specifically the epicondylar and Achilles tendons. A comprehensive review of 12 clinical trials, exploring the efficacy of PRP injections was performed. The primary focus of this review looked into the trends in efficacy, including pain reduction and activity improvement, using various functional assessment scales like the …

Mobilized Healthcare: The Future Of Accessible Medicine, Zachary Carlson

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

This paper discusses the impact that Mobile Integrated Healthcare teams can have in our health system. It is well known that there are communities that benefit from MIH teams such as rural or underserved areas; however, this paper discusses a variety of other demographics that may benefit from implementation of MIH teams. It will also evaluate how MIH teams alter patient Emergency Department (ED) visits, hospital admissions, facility spending, and patient outcomes. MIH is a form of preventative medicine that may be better optimized by healthcare facilities going forward, and this article helps to weigh the pros versus cons of …

Let’S Move! Benefits Of Exercise Compared To Ssris (Escitalopram) For The Management Of Depression: Research From 2020 And Beyond, Brianna Droessler-Aschliman

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Purpose: Determine the effectiveness of exercise as either monotherapy or in combination with SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) for the management of major depressive disorder.

• Studies gathered for this review came from the following databases: PubMed, SpringerLink, Academic Search Ultimate, Academic Search Complete, and CINAHL.

• Review of current research that was completed between the years 2020-2023 that consisted of either clinical trials, RCTs, or meta-analysis. • Upon completion of the literature review: exercise is equivocal to SSRIs as a treatment option. While this is a significant finding, the benefits of exercises are more consistent in those that …

Convolutional Spiking Neural Networks For Intent Detection Based On Anticipatory Brain Potentials Using Electroencephalogram, Nathan Lutes, V. Sriram Siddhardh Nadendla, K. Krishnamurthy

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) are receiving increased attention because they mimic synaptic connections in biological systems and produce spike trains, which can be approximated by binary values for computational efficiency. Recently, the addition of convolutional layers to combine the feature extraction power of convolutional networks with the computational efficiency of SNNs has been introduced. This paper studies the feasibility of using a convolutional spiking neural network (CSNN) to detect anticipatory slow cortical potentials (SCPs) related to braking intention in human participants using an electroencephalogram (EEG). Data was collected during an experiment wherein participants operated a remote-controlled vehicle on a testbed …