Digital Commons Network^™

Du Undergraduate Showcase Abstracts: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Sophia Wismar, Henry Staats, Allison Metzler, Chloe Puckett, Rachel Levine, Christa Kilpatrick, Scott Wolf, Joe Walsh, Grace Doolittle, John Engebreston, Zoe Lopez, Christopher Aaby, Audrey Duff, Timothy Sisk, Katelyn Lamberton, Angela Narayan, Gilkah Argueta, Habiba Samir, Girena Tesfazghi, Genet Kenore, Sinit Tesfamariam, Effley Brooks, Abi Newell, Megan Doherty, Natalie Baer, Lexi Blood, Talya Riciputi, Jessica Jimenez, Devin Hernandez, Lynn Clark, Taj Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Allen Rutman, Mira Pronobis, Tess Carson, Anna Sher, Frankie Stroud, Tamra Pearson D'Estree, Alyssa Wilson, Emily Melnick, Jenalee Doom, Yihang Gao, Gwendolyn Geiger, Noah Gettle, Scott Nichols, Clare Ayoub, Cara Dienno, Sunny Walker, Zoe Hansen, Maya Wheeler, Addison Rice, Patrick Martin, Sanjana Acharya, Daniel Mcintosh, Amanda Mckellips, Calli Cain, Justin Blake, Peter Sokol-Hessner, Natalie Miller, Max Weisbuch, Sophia Dellota, John Macikas, Charlotte Snow, Mark Siemens, Zoe Lynch, Alex Huffman, Prachi Shah, Jason Roney, Halcyon Levi, Nicole Herzog, Andrea Koly, Daniel Linseman, Annie London, Xi Yang, Avery Zwisler, Jane Smith, Chaz Contag, Michael Kerwin, Lucy Rand, Grace Schroeder, Michelle Rozenman, Nissa Tapper, Guiming Zhang, Mateo Mazariego-Halpern, Keith Meyer, Julie Do, Dakota Park-Ozee, Travis Herink, Kara Neu, Jonathan Plomin, Eve-Odine Duchaufour, Debbie Gale Mitchell, Tennyson Anderson-Stricklin, Lily Treitz, Samantha Rosenberger, Sierra Griffith, Finley Joseph, Daniel Sampson, Emmy Davis, Skyler Kasnoff, Evon Lopez, Vivian Nguyen, Cassy Young, Franklin Sellner, Martin Tobon, Ila Graham, Zach Billings, Holden Hedit, Decatur Boland, Paul Kosempel, Cory Chandler, Jay Mahoney, Sam Dragan, Susan Dagget, Yarrow Ator, Heidi Vuletich, Owen Weber, Andrew Kloeppel, Petersen Gray, Mandi Schaeffer-Fry, Razleen Bassra, Bryanna Rodriguez, Christina Blue, Taubie Sanders, Rachel Epstein, Luke Milburn, Camryn Evans, Ezra Martinez, Mary Westwood, Gabri Notov, Robin Tinghitella, Lilou Cabrol, Eli Barbour, Juliet Mendik, Selma Myers, Zac Wise, Noah Fahlin, Michelle Knowles, Abigail Hopper, Michael Greenberger, Romi Laclair, Sarah Watamura, Sabrina Efroymson, Casey Barker, Sydney Seltzer, Bryn Yehle, Jennifer Hoffman, Sara Garcia, Ryuka Nagamine, Trevor Briggs, Remy Le Boeuf, Elena Krone, Eileen Farrell, Regan O'Rourke, Elena Roel, Greg Mortimer, Ali Ayoub, Stefani Langehennig, Caitlin Turk, Logan Scmid, Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, Karen Kim, Tatiana Peccedi, Courtney Cassidy, John Sebesta, Rhianna Lewis, Janice Bening-Lacek, Vivian Lawless, Mckenna Hanson, Jeffrey Amidon, Riya Joshi, Ram Ambre, Brady Worrell, Perrin Schneider, Ali Azadani, Brooke Agulnek, Lyndsie Salvagio, Elise Siemanowki, Yan Qin, Andre Allen, Melodie Nguyen, Megan Livengood, Abby Reams, Saffron Hartreeve, Bri Wylie, Sarah Brookman, Mariah Loiacono, Green Russo, Abhia Lodhi, Gabrielle Welsh, Nika Spehar, Shahked Levin, Evrim Baykal, Kimberly Chiew, Jocelyn Torres, Kailey Hicks, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Audrey Bellows, Akam Chahal, Madeline Tepper, Shannon Murphy, Alexa Fonseca, Deborah Han, Cassandra Perez, Oluwatoyin Alaba, Julia Roncoroni, Vy Nguyen, Nana Burn, Sarah Sasse, Rubin Tuder, Anthony Gerber, Nancy Lorenzon, Christine Vohwinkel, Camryn Gunter, Tristan Weber, Sam Rommel, Brian Michel, Muskan Fatima, Alannah Oleson, Kira Frey, Edward Garrido, Beckett Morris, Kerstin Haring, Drew Middleton, Abigail Walpert, Liam Dee, Gabby Ishaw, Cole Carnes, Maddie Weiser, Claire Fox, Valeriia Vlasenko, Kateri Mcrae, Riley Smith, Abigail Templin, Kushani Rajapaksha

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Abstracts from the DU Undergraduate Research Showcase.

2026 May 28 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of The Lived Experience Of Married Couples Impacted By Aphasia, Summer Ewell

Theses and Dissertations

People with aphasia and those closest to them experience changes in their lives and relationships due to aphasia. These changes may be particularly impactful for married couples. The aim of this study was to increase understanding of the dynamic and complex experiences of couples impacted by aphasia and to add personal perspectives to the creation of practical treatments and resources. Twenty-eight participants (14 married couples) participated in both individual and couples' semi-structured interviews, resulting in 42 total interviews for analysis. Participants answered open-ended questions about aphasia's influence on the couple's communication and relationship. Interviews were then transcribed orthographically and coded …

Movement, Residency, And Behavioral Plasticity Of Reef Manta Rays In The Samarai Islands Of Papua New Guinea, Anna Knochel, Joanna Harris, Shannon Murphy, Annie Murray, Guy M.W. Stevens, Mark Erdmann

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) is a highly mobile pelagic marine ray found throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, but investigation into their behavior and ecology within Papua New Guinea has not been previously undertaken. Furthermore, the home range, dispersal characteristics, and inter-seasonal fine-scale habitat use of this species is limited. To address these data gaps and investigate the vertical and horizontal habitat use of a previously unstudied population, SPLASH10-F-321A pop-off archival satellite tags were used to track ten adult individuals from 4–181 days between 2016–2018 across two distinct monsoonal periods in the Samarai Islands of …

The Effect Of Incidental Emotions On Self-Control: An Examination Using A Need-Based Choice Model, Shruti Koley

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that examines the effects of incidental emotions on choices in self-control dilemmas. The framework predicts that the effect of emotions depends on the hedonic and non-hedonic needs they activate and the extent to which emotional consumers expect the virtuous and gratifying options in the choice dilemma to facilitate these needs (i.e. their instrumentality toward the activated needs). The framework helps develop propositions for the self-control effects of six commonly experienced emotions: happiness, sadness, pride, guilt, anger and anxiety. Design/methodology/approach – The author uses a choice model to develop …

Modeling The Copying Accuracy Of Two-Dimensional Holographic Gratings In Photopolymer Media, Maged Shaban, Dana Mackey, Owen Kearney, Izabela Naydenova

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Volume holographic gratings are periodic refractive index structures widely used in sensing and photonic devices. This paper develops a modeling and computational framework for predicting the copying accuracy of two-dimensional gratings recorded in photopolymer materials using interference lithography. A previous mathematical model is generalized to describe material transport, polymer growth, and modulation of the refractive index during exposure, enabling, for the first time, a quantitative assessment of copying accuracy in holographic gratings. High-fidelity finite-element simulations were performed for different optical lattices produced by three-beam interference. The results show that the diffusion–polymerization ratio has a strong impact on pattern accuracy, modulation …

Forecasting Interborough Express Ridership Using Network-Based Station Typologies And Direct Demand Models, Fomba Kassoh

Student Theses

Forecasting ridership for new transit infrastructure is difficult in the absence of observed outcomes, particularly under domain shift between an existing system and a proposed corridor. This study develops a station-level direct demand modeling (DDM) framework to forecast average weekday ridership for the proposed Interborough Express (IBX) in New York City — a 14-mile circumferential rapid transit corridor connecting Brooklyn and Queens. The approach pairs unsupervised learning with supervised estimation in a common feature space defined by transit service, accessibility, and built-environment characteristics. K-means clustering identifies latent station typologies (node–place regimes), and IBX stations are projected into this topology to …

Ankle Dorsiflexion Is A Primary Influence On Single Limb Landing Stability Regardless Of Menstrual Cycle Chase, Olivia Matrulli

Honors Theses

Context: Hormonal fluctuations associated with the menstrual cycle contribute to modifications in joint laxity. Conflicting evidence supports increased ligamentous injury risk and altered postural control in response to these cyclic changes. Objective: To quantify changes in passive joint flexibility and dynamic postural control across the menses and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Design: Repeated measures. Setting: Research laboratory. Participants: Thirteen healthy females (20 [1] y, 1.62 [0.06] m, 67.42 [11.75] kg) with a regular menstrual cycle over the last twelve months volunteered. Interventions: Participants performed five static flexibility tests and three single-leg drop landings onto a force plate with …

Harry Robert Fox, Jr. Papers, 1956-1994, Harry Robert Fox Jr.

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Michael "Mike" Moore Young, 1930-1972, Michael M. Young

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

World Convention Of Churches Of Christ Records, 2008, World Convention Of Churches Of Christ

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

An Inquiry Into Inquiry: Examining The Foundations Of Dewey's Democratic Ideal, Nathaniel Deken

Dewey Studies

No abstract provided.

Environmental Ethics And The (Dis)Continuity Of Meaning In Experience And Nature, Harrison S. Jackson

Dewey Studies

No abstract provided.

Patron-Client Relationship Undermines Sustainable Fishery Governance: A Case Of Small-Scale Fishing Certification In Sulawesi, Indonesia, Desiree Simandjuntak

Forest and Society

One of the ways market-based fishery governance attempts to boost sustainable fishing is through economic incentive. Offered as an above-market price to producers, it is commonly practiced in seafood certification to encourage sustainable and equitable production. However, certification is mainly inaccessible to small-scale fishers who are typically tied to pre-existing patron-client relationship, particularly those from developing economies. This study analyzes the extent to which economic incentive can benefit small-scale fishers amidst the intricate power imbalance in producer community. Based on a ten-month ethnography study in Sulawesi, Indonesia, it finds that prevalent patronage impedes participating fishers' income as it is affected …

Backscattering By Particles Of Sizes <0.2 Μm In Seawater, Xiaodong Zhang, Yuanheng Xiong

Faculty Publications

We measured the angular scattering functions at 517 nm in different size fractions, including bulk and very small particles (VSP for diameters <0.2 μm), in a variety of waters ranging from coasts to open oceans and from surface to depths as deep as 3,000 m. The measurements revealed a strong covariation in backscattering between VSP and bulk particle populations. The fractional contribution by VSP decreases from 60% in clear oceanic water where bulk particle backscattering coefficient bbp is on the order of 0.001 m⁻¹ to <2% in turbid coastal water where bbp ∼0.1 m⁻¹. An empirical model is developed (r² = 0.89) to estimate bbp for VSP from the bulk bbp, which can now be routinely obtained from satellite observations.

Unbiased Niche Labeling Maps Immune-Excluded Niche In Bone Metastasis, Zhan Xu, Fengshuo Liu, Yunfeng Ding, Tianhong Pan, Yi-Hsuan Wu, Yujiao Han, Jun Liu, Igor L Bado, Weijie Zhang, Ling Wu, Yang Gao, Xiaoxin Hao, Liqun Yu, Xuan Li, David G Edwards, Hilda L Chan, Sergio Aguirre, Michael Warren Dieffenbach, Elina Chen, Siyue Wang, Yichao Shen, Dane Hoffman, Luis Becerra Dominguez, Charlotte Helena Rivas, Xiang Chen, Hai Wang, Yibin Kang, Zbigniew Gugala, Robert L Satcher, Xiang H-F Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Metastatic cancer cell fate is shaped by the local microenvironment niches. To unbiasedly define the cellular and molecular features of metastatic niches, we developed sortase A-based microenvironment niche tagging (SAMENT), which selectively labels cells encountered by cancer cells during metastasis. Applying SAMENT across multiple cancer models and target organs revealed shared niche features, including macrophage enrichment and T cell depletion, alongside marked organ-specific phenotype heterogeneity in niche macrophages. In bone, metastatic niches are enriched for macrophages expressing estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) with active ERα signaling. Conditional deletion of Esr1 in macrophages significantly impaired bone colonization by enabling T cell infiltration. …

The 1st International Workshop On Foundations And Architectures For The Agentic Web, Boualem Benatallah, Pradyumna Chari, Abul Ehtesham, Abderrahmane Maaradji, Luca Muscariello, Fatma Outay, Ramesh Raskar, Yacine Sam, Sabrina Senatore, Aditi Singh

All Works

The Agentic Web is emerging as billions of AI agents discover, communicate, and coordinate across the open Web, shifting from isolated models to Web-Inetgrated entities. This workshop explores the state of the art, open challenges, and emerging research directions in the foundations and architectures of the Agentic Web. It provides a forum for researchers and practitioners to examine interoperable architectures, protocols, and standards enabling AI agents to operate as first-class Web entities. Beyond technical interoperability, it also adresses economic and societal mechanisms including reputation, governance, accountability, and large-scale coordination.

The Disconnect Of Moral Accountability: Freedom, Equality, And The Limits Of Punishment, Celine Shiah Choi

Philosophy Senior Theses

This thesis examines the justificatory foundations of moral accountability as a social practice and the profound disconnect between our ordinary intuitions about justice, the moral attitudes we hold toward one another, and the governing institutional practices of punishment. Drawing on Stephen Darwall's second-person standpoint and P.F. Strawson's account of reactive attitudes, the paper argues that legitimate accountability presupposes two necessary conditions, freedom and equality, understood as the shared capacity of rational agents to recognize moral demands and stand in reciprocal normative relation with one another. Both conditions, however, prove deeply fragile in practice: legal institutions invoke the language of rational …

Unlocking The Colleague Next Door, Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Learning, Teaching, & Researching Optimization

The structural barriers that isolate faculty from one another—individualistic reward systems, professional identity protection, disciplinary silos, fragmented time—have been documented in detail elsewhere. This paper begins where that analysis ends. Its sole focus is solutions: what actually works, what you can do without waiting for your institution to change, and most importantly, what you can do today. It is organized in three movements: evidence-based institutional strategies, community-level structures any group of faculty can build, and a granular map of the smallest possible individual first steps—the ones that cost almost nothing and have an outsized probability of changing how you experience …

Research Note: The Problem Of Working Memory In Pragmatist Philosophical Research, Leonard J. Waks

Dewey Studies

No abstract provided.

Quantum And Structural Effects Captured Via A Statistical Method: The Sacm Applied To Hcn And Hnc Colliding With Co, F. Tonolo, Ernesto Quintas-Sánchez, A. Batista-Planas, Richard Dawes, F. Lique

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study spotlights the statistical adiabatic channel model as an efficient and accurate method for deriving low-temperature (de)-excitation rate coefficients for collisions induced by heavy projectiles. For such systems, fully quantum treatments become intractable, while quasi-classical methods fail at low temperature. Here, we demonstrate that the statistical adiabatic channel model overcomes these limitations by combining statistical sampling with an adiabatic channel representation. Its application to the HCN and HNC isomers colliding with CO yields rate coefficients in quantitative agreement with full quantum results benchmarked for the lowest total angular momentum. These systems are relevant for modeling cometary comae, where reliable …

Coleman V. Chen

All Decisions

The Civil Court found in the tenant's favor in an illegal lockout case where the tenant signed a lease but was never allowed to move in after refusing to pay an unlawfully demanded security deposit. The court affirmed that physical possession is not required to bring an illegal lockout proceeding: as soon as a lease is executed and delivered, the tenant acquires the right to possession as of the commencement of the term, even without physical possession.

Pregnancy Outcomes After In Utero Exposure To Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, Morgan Bou Zerdan, Bruna Kfoury, Eliane Aoun, Sarah Diane Hmaidan, Roni Nitecki Wilke, Jeffrey A How, Terri L Woodard, Pamela T Soliman, Laurie J Mckenzie

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed the management of cancers affecting reproductive-age patients, yet their impact on pregnancy outcomes remains incompletely understood. We describe two cases of maternal and fetal outcomes associated with ICI exposure during pregnancy and present a comprehensive literature review.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted at MD Anderson Cancer Center (1 January 2015 to 31 December 2024) to identify patients exposed to ICIs during pregnancy. Clinical data including cancer type, treatment timing, pregnancy course, and maternal and neonatal outcomes were collected. A narrative literature review was also performed using PubMed to identify reported cases …

Place-Based Education: A Rural Solution For Student Achievement, James A. Chamness

College of Education

Rural secondary students in the United States continue to demonstrate lower academic outcomes on standardized assessments compared to their non-rural peers, highlighting the need for contextually responsive instructional approaches. This concurrent mixed methods study examined the relationship between place-based education (PBE) and academic achievement among rural secondary students and explored rural teachers’ perceptions of PBE. Guided by social cognitive theory, the study investigated differences in ACT composite scores between students exposed to PBE and those receiving traditional instruction, as well as perceived challenges and opportunities associated with PBE implementation. Quantitative data included archived ACT scores, which were analyzed using descriptive …

Maryland Reproductive Freedom And The Full Personhood Of Pregnant People, Margaret E. Johnson

All Faculty Scholarship

Pregnant and birthing people are inappropriately criminalized. Such criminalization is for behavior during their pregnancy that would not otherwise be criminalized, including when there was no harm to the later born baby, and for birth outcomes like miscarriages and still births. Law supports criminalization in part because of the historic legal significance given to fetal “viability” as a demarcation between full personhood rights for pregnant people and the encroachment of fetal “personhood” on those rights. Focusing on Maryland’s new constitutional amendment for reproductive freedom, this essay examines how the new amendment offers promise in restoring the full personhood rights for …

An Ecological Survey Of Algal Species In The Sawyer River, Al-Muthanna Governorate, Iraq, Rasha.H. R. Al-Miawi, Hiafaa A.J. Al-Barakat, Alaa Jabar Mahmoud

Muthanna Medical Journal

Given the global changes in climate, especially the drought conditions Iraq has recently experienced, along with the severe water shortage, this study sought to develop both quantitative and qualitative methods and strategies for phytoplankton (excluding diatoms) as key indicators to protect ecosystems, boost their resilience, and promote sustainability. sites were chosen for the most prominent cities A number of samples were selected from three sites (Al-Dahara region, Al Jarukhi Bridge, Al-Ghanim area), located on the Al-Sawyer River, which is the most important branch of the Euphrates River in the Al-Muthanna Governorate in southern Iraq in 2024 the species that was …

The Importance Of Career And Retirement Services For Student Athletes, Vincent R. Giuliano

Masters Projects

There are hundreds of thousands of collegiate student-athletes competing in organized sports in the NCAA. Research shows the different resources that are available to them during their time competing, as well as how sports can open different opportunities for them during their competitive years. However, once this is over, an individual may realize they spent their time becoming an athlete and not enough time on their holistic well-being and professional development due to time constraints, identity engulfment, etc. While institutions do well in nurturing students during their competitive years, they lack in considering the retirement of these student-athletes. This project's …

Modulating Electronic Structure With Linearly Fused Pyrazine Units For High-Voltage And Stable Zinc-Organic Batteries Cathode, Min-Jian Zhao, Li-Bin Zhang, Jin-Tao Wang, Kun Ding, Hai-Mei Liu, Yong-Gang Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

High-voltage n-type organic cathode materials are critical for constructing zinc-organic batteries (ZOBs) with high energy density and long cycle life. However, the intrinsically unfavorable electronic structures and relatively high LUMO energy levels of most n-type materials often lead to sluggish kinetics, high solubility, and suboptimal discharge voltages (< 0.8 V). Here, we design a small molecule, quinoxalino[2’,3’:5,6]pyrazino[2,3-f][1,10]phenanthroline (DPQP), as a ZOB cathode by introducing locally electron-deficient motifs into the conjugated backbone of aromatic compounds. The linearly fused pyrazine units extending the pyrazine–benzene framework effectively optimize the electronic structure, thereby significantly enhancing the discharge voltage. Meanwhile, the expanded π-conjugated plane suppresses dissolution and accelerates charge-transfer kinetics. Benefiting from these features, the DPQP electrode exhibits an exceptional increase in average operating voltage from 0.61 V to 1.07 V (vs. Zn²⁺/Zn) at 0.1 A·g^–1, with an overpotential of only 140 mV. Notably, no discernible voltage decay occurs as the current density increases, indicating rapid and highly reversible redox kinetics. Furthermore, the DPQP cathode delivers outstanding cycling stability, maintaining over 2000 h of continuous operation at 0.1 A·g^{–1 …}

Bridging The Justice Gap: A Comparative Study Of Legal Aid Marketing In Canada, Australia, And The United States, Farah O. Haq

Student Theses and Dissertations

Access to justice remains a central challenge across legal systems, particularly for immigrants and refugees, Indigenous communities, and survivors of domestic violence. While legal aid organizations play a critical role in bridging this gap, their effectiveness increasingly depends on how clearly and compassionately they communicate legal information online to their target audience. This thesis conducts a comparative content analysis of nine nonprofit legal aid organizations in the United States, Canada, and Australia, three countries united by a common law tradition but divided by the communication barriers their communities face, examining 180 social media posts and nine websites through the lens …

The Price Of The Pitch: When Repetitive Stress Can Cause Anatomical Developmental Abnormalities, Oswald Ramos Tuarez

Advocate GME

CASE HISTORY: 17 yo right-handed softball player presented to training room after a shoulder subluxation during overhead throw at scrimmage. She reported continued popping sensation and pain with overhead throws that did not improve with rest. She was able to continue underhand pitching and hitting with minimal pain. Minimal pain at rest. Started physical therapy but continued pain and feeling of grinding with overhead activities. Denied previous trauma, numbness, tingling or upper extremity weakness.

PHYSICAL EXAM: A0x3. Neck: No tenderness to palpation on the cervical spine, FROM of cervical spine. Negative spurling's. Right shoulder: FROM, Pain at end ROM with …