Digital Commons Network^™

Calculating The Abundance Of Primordial Black Holes, Babel Barm, Cole Owen Bucholtz

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This project aims to understand the formation of primordial black holes (PBHs) in the early universe. PBHs are hypothetical black holes formed shortly after the Big Bang. They are fascinating because they might explain mysterious cosmic phenomena like dark matter or the origin of supermassive black holes. To estimate how many PBHs could have formed, we will use two different mathematical models: the Press-Schechter formalism and the theory of peaks. Comparing these methods will help us test the reliability of current theories and guide future astronomical observations.

Interference Colors To Thickness: Measuring Thin-Film Dynamics With A Camera And Arduino, Babel Barm, James Knott

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

In this project, we studied how the thickness of a soap film can be measured using the colors created by thin-film interference. When light shines on a soap film, some light reflects off the front surface and some off the back surface. These light waves combine and create colorful patterns that depend on the film’s thickness. By observing these patterns, we can learn how the thickness of the film changes over time.

We used two methods to collect data: a camera to capture the colors of the film and a phototransistor connected to an Arduino to measure the intensity of …

Modeling The Influence Of Environmental Factors On Invasive P. Clarkii Catch Per Unit Effort In An Urban River System, Penelope Reynolds, Reuben Keller, Rachel Anelise Rogers

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Procambarus clarkii is an invasive crayfish species that has recently become established in the North Shore Channel of the Chicago River. The Keller Lab has been intensively trapping P. clarkii in the NSC and collecting data for the past eight years with the goal of reducing population growth and species spread. My research will use our collection of data and analyze it against multiple different environmental variables to explore the potential relationships between P. clarkii catch-per-unit-effort and environmental conditions. These relationships could provide insight on future trapping methods to maximize our invasive species removal efforts.

Alpha And Beta Particle Motion Ray Tracing In A Cloud Chamber, Faiza Nadeem, Florence Pan, Ryan Madera

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This project investigates particle motion within a cloud chamber using a thoriated electrode and Helmholtz coil to artificially “create” alpha and beta particles, respectively, within the chamber. To quantify the motion of these particles, we monitor the chamber’s internal conditions using an Arduino micro-controller and trace the particles’ paths of motion using a video analysis software called Fiji. The value of this research comes from the experimental process itself because it necessitates the use of programming skills, a comprehensive understanding of complex physical principles, and an intensive data collection process by undergraduate students.

Construction Of A Geiger-Müller Counter, Katie Siobhan Bennett, Benjamin Allen Murdoch

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Our investigation describes the construction of a Geiger-Müller Counter from an Arduino Uno kit. With the use of some resistors, a breadboard, DC powersource and a Geiger tube, and other miscellaneous supplies, we were able to not only physically build the circuitry for the Geiger-Müller Counter, but we were also able to program it to produce sounds, lights, and a display screen to show the count rate of the sources used. This investigation allowed for a comparison between our system and an industrial-grade counter, as well as demonstrated the simplicity of creating expensive equipment with accessible and affordable materials.

Can A Different Research Poster Format Increase Attendee Engagement? A Case Report., Elizabeth M. Ardolino, Kelli Nielsen, Mike Morrison, Jane E. Sullivan

Journal of Innovation in Health Sciences Education

Introduction: Poster sessions are a widely used method of knowledge dissemination at professional conferences, yet their effectiveness in promoting engagement and knowledge transfer is uncertain. Traditional poster formats often follow a dense, text-heavy structure that may contribute to cognitive overload. Billboard-style posters, grounded in Cognitive Load Theory, offer an alternative design intended to enhance clarity and engagement.

Methods: This case report describes a three-year implementation (2022–2024) of billboard-style posters at the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Annual Conference. Attendees were invited to complete a brief survey after viewing either traditional or billboard-style posters. The survey assessed engagement (time spent reading …

Innovative Framework And Checklist For Enhancing Interprofessional Education: A Literature Review Of Program Design, Delivery, And Outcome Measurement, Stacy Castronova, Lori Rainchuso

Journal of Innovation in Health Sciences Education

Introduction: This dual-focused study aimed (1) to conduct a comprehensive literature review of interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives across health disciplines to examine collaboration patterns, delivery methods, validated assessment tools, and outcome measures and (2) to develop an evidence-informed framework and checklist, based on the findings and identified gaps, to improve the standardization and reporting of IPE programs.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across three professional databases, targeting peer-reviewed publications from 2012 to 2024. Inclusion criteria prioritized studies that provided detailed descriptions of IPE intervention delivery, utilized validated measurement tools, and demonstrated participant engagement to ensure the selection …

Neurons Of Bias: Power-Mediated Compliance And Mitigation In Large Language Models, Anubhav Gupta, Otavio Rosa, Mahammed Kamruzzaman, Gene Kim

Bellini College REU Symposium (BCREUS)

Introduction & Problem Statement

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly deployed in sociotechnical systems involving power, authority, and compliance, raising important questions about fairness, consistency, and reliability across diverse user populations. As these systems are integrated into hiring tools, customer service systems, assistive technologies, and decision-support pipelines, they are expected to operate consistently regardless of the identity they are prompted to adopt. However, when demographic attributes are introduced into prompts, model behavior may shift even when identity does not change the underlying task.

In power-mediated settings, such variation is especially important because differences in compliance, refusal, or loophole-seeking behavior may …

Misty: An Llm-Driven Recipe Recommender Robot, Alina Pineda, Stuti Goyal, Jingjing Li, Zhao Han

Bellini College REU Symposium (BCREUS)

Introduction & Problem Statement

Meal planning requires balancing nutritional needs, available ingredients, and user preferences, which can be time-consuming and cognitively demanding. While mobile recipe applications provide personalized recommendations, they lack interactive and socially engaging communication. In contrast, social robots such as Misty enable expressive interaction through speech, gestures, and emotional cues, but typically rely on rigid, pre-programmed behaviors and lack domain-specific knowledge for tasks such as recipe recommendation.

This gap highlights the need for a system that combines the strengths of both technologies. Recipe recommendation is inherently multimodal, requiring both social interaction for engagement and visual presentation for detailed …

An Evaluation Of Biologically-Inspired Slam Models Against Traditional Models, Colby Mullins, Asadbek Nematov, Ross Volenec, Chance Hamilton, Alfredo Weitzenfeld

Bellini College REU Symposium (BCREUS)

This research presents a comparative analysis of biologically-inspired SLAM models (RatSLAM [2], SeqSLAM [3]) versus traditional feature-based geometric SLAM (ORB-SLAM3 [1]) to establish a standardized framework for evaluating accuracy, robustness, and computational efficiency under varying environmental conditions. To ensure an equitable baseline, models are subjected to a unified testing pipeline across real-world datasets (Oxford RobotCar clear and overcast sequences) and controlled Webots simulations (day/night and seasonal centerlines) using timestamp-aligned 480p monocular PNG images. Within this pipeline, pose estimations are standardized to the TUM trajectory format, and spatial alignment and scale correction are applied via the evo evaluation library [4] to …

Risa: Robotic Interface For Sit-To-Stand Assistance, Hieu Tran, Rinat Mynnakhmetov, Ricardo Frumento Sr, Yu Sun

Bellini College REU Symposium (BCREUS)

Mobility limitations in older adults are expected to become increasingly prevalent, along with the larger proportion of the world’s elderly population over the next decades [1]. Among these problems is the difficulty many elderly individuals face when transitioning from a seated to a standing pose. Loss of lower-body strength and balance makes this daily activity near impossible without assistance. To address this motor impairment, solutions were developed. For example, the Elderly Bodily Assistance Robot (E-BAR) provides body-weight support using handles, pulleys, and frames [2]. While these systems demonstrate the feasibility of robotic assistance, they present key limitations. Firstly, mechanical designs …

Hacksee: Security Platform For All, Jamie Giarratana, Mohamed Eltonamly, Ben Gipalo, Robert Karam

Bellini College REU Symposium (BCREUS)

HaCKSEE intends to provide an online hardware security training platform to educators at a reduced cost. By centralizing physical experiment hardware to a provisioning service and implementing timesharing via a dynamic queue system and custom hardware, we can dramatically reduce costs while retaining a familiar workflow. HaCKSEE allows students to flash custom firmware and experiments to experiment boards and return outputs (e.g. power-consumption data) to be displayed in the development environment.

HaCKSEE offers a new approach that enables educators and trainees to get started without the high barrier-to-entry costs associated with traditional hardware security training.

How Nutrition And Physical Activity Shape Your Well-Being, Stacy Phillips

EFNEP

This publication will explore the link among nutrition, physical activity, physical health, and mental health and how it impacts whole-body well-being. Understanding how multiple aspects of a person's lifestyle can affect an individual's overall well-being is essential to providing better education on how to make better choices to improve their well-being.

Address A Real Need In Special Needs, Andrew Jockers Dds, Ms, Veronica Ann Parnell Dmd, Matthew R. Cooke Dmd

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Board Of Dentistry Notes September 13, 2019, Ursula Klostermyer Dds, Phd

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Having Fun Yet? How Dentistry Keeps Up Happy, Healthy, Al J. Stenger Dds

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Va Dent J October, November And December 2019

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Board Of Dentistry Notes December 13, 2019, Ursula Klostermyer Dds, Phd

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Extreame Pullin' Member Spotlight Featuring Dr Dustin Reynolds

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Pirates, Richard F. Roadcap Dds

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Va Dent J January, February And March 2020

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Malignant Habits: An Addiction With Potentially Fatal Consequences, Marvin E. Pizer Dds, Ms, Ma, Ficd, Kenneth E. Danty

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

A Survey On Knowledge-Enhanced Healthcare Question Answering Systems, Junnan Su, Pu Han, Jianxiang Wei

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This paper aims to review the research progress and applications of knowledge enhancement techniques in healthcare question answering systems, in response to the limitations of traditional systems in knowledge representation and reasoning, as well as challenges faced by current large language model-based systems, such as insufficient domain knowledge, privacy concerns, and hallucination. The review provides a systematic reference for improving the precision and knowledge reliability of such systems. [Process/method] Focusing on knowledge enhancement strategies, this paper firstly outlines their fundamental concepts and overall framework. The strategies are then categorized into explicit and implicit types, with an analysis of their …

Progress, Characteristics And Prospects Of Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration At Home And Abroad:Research Based On Literature Published In The Past Five Years, Yueliang Zeng, Ying Yu, Ruirui Gao

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Interdisciplinary research collaboration is an important way to promote knowledge innovation and solve complex social problems in the new era. Reviewing the research progress of interdisciplinary research collaboration at home and abroad in the past five years can help grasp the research frontiers in this field and provide direction for future research. [Method/process] This paper adopts a systematic review method, selecting literature closely related to the theme of interdisciplinary research collaboration from inWeb of Science and CNKI from 2020 to 2024, condensing the research topic, analyzing the main research viewpoints, and summarizing the changing characteristics, then proposing future research …

Research On Academic Journal Evaluation Based On Factor Dimensionality Reduction, Data Weighting, And Journal Characteristics Orientation, Liping Yu, Jing Zhang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] The characteristics of academic journals have important value, and current evaluation systems lack assesment for this dimension. [Method/process] This paper proposes a variable weight method for factor reduction data, firstly uses factor analysis combined with manual classification to determine the characteristics of the journal, and uses Sigmoid function to standardize the public factors to determine the characteristic journals, and then uses the variable weight function to modify the original data for the characteristic indicators of the characteristic journals based on the data of forestry journals in CNKI. Three representative methods including linear weighted aggregation, weighted TOPSIS, and factor analysis, …

A Meta-Analysis Of Corporate Innovation Intention And Its Driving Mechanisms, Yaping Hu, Xuerong Shen, Yi Zheng

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Stimulating corporate innovation intention is a pivotal issue for promoting innovation. However, the academic discourse on its key drivers presents significantly divergent and even contradictory conclusions, leading to theoretical ambiguity and practical guidance challenges. This study aims to systematically and quantitatively integrate empirical research in this field to clarify the true effects of core driving factors and their operational boundaries. [Method/process] Adopting a meta-analysis approach, this study systematically retrieves and screens literature, ultimately analyzes 29 empirical studies and examine four potential moderating variables which include location, data type, industry, and culture. [Result/conclusion] The study finds that government support, internal …

Research On Knowledge Service For Emergency Supplies Supply Under The Framework Of Cognition, Architecture And Operation, Xun Jiang, Mingwei Tang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] To address the challenges in matching supply-demand information within the emergency material supply domain, this study constructs a knowledge service framework from three dimensions cognition, architecture, and operation to enhance the agility of emergency response and the resilience of supply chains. [Method/process] A cognition-centered knowledge service framework is proposed for the emergency material supply field, encompassing five dimensions: scenario, approach, structure, perspective, and model. Subsequently, a system architecture is developed focusing on three aspects: emergency data integration, knowledge-driven supply, and emergency scenario perception. The operationalization of the proposed knowledge service is explored in terms of its logic, mechanisms, and …

Research On Smart Intelligence Service System Of National Defense Science And Technology In Complex Information Environment, Yang Yang, Keping Wang, Huawei Sun

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] National defense science and technology intelligence serves as a powerful guarantee for promoting national defense science and techndogy innovation and development. Exploring optimization paths for defense science and technology intelligence service systems holds practical significance in developing new quality combat capabilities and safeguarding national security and stability. [Method/process] Through literature review and summarization, this study clarifies the impact of complex information environments on intelligent defense science and technology intelligence services, as well as the core tasks of intelligent intelligence services. Based on activity theory, the study deconstructs system elements and employs systems engineering principles to construct an intelligent defense …

Research On The Expansion Effect Of Interdisciplinary Knowledge Integration On The Discipline Knowledge System:Taking Domestic Library And Information Science As An Example, Lin Jiang, Cheng Chen

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Under the context of New Liberal Arts construction, the resolution of many major scientific and technological issues requires transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries. By identifying and integrating interdisciplinary knowledge, it becomes possible to grasp the direction of disciplinary development and predict emerging innovative trends. [Method/process] This study takes the full-text information of articles from six academic journals in China's library and information science (LIS) from 2017 to 2021 as its research object. Drawing on the kinetic energy theory from physics, it constructs a kinetic energy model for interdisciplinary knowledge integration from the dual dimensions of quoting scholars driving force and …

Research On Text Translation Model Based On Large Language Model And Knowledge Enhancement Framework, Chuanming Yu, Haoxuan Li

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This paper aims to improve the translation quality of large language models and effectively alleviate the translation illusion problem, thereby enhancing cross-linguistic information retrieval capabilities. [Method/process] A translation generation method based on a knowledge enhancement framework is proposed. This framework optimizes the translation process from multiple dimensions, such as style, focus, and cultural adaptability, by combining external knowledge provided by the translation context building module and the knowledge base building and retrieval module, and then utilizing the guidance of the text attention module. [Result/conclusion] Experimental results show that the proposed method effectively enhances model performance. Specifically, on the WikiLingua, …