Digital Commons Network^™

Consumptive And Energetic Responses Of Fishes Under Pressure Of Climate Change, Nathan Thomas Hermann

Doctoral Dissertations

Marine organisms are confronted with warming waters due to climate change requiring species to exhibit responses to persist. For many fish, these responses have included range shifts to cooler waters, but are species-specific which may create further disruption through trophic mismatches. To identify potential mismatches and estimate their implications for the quality of consumption within major predators, analyses of predator stomach contents were integrated with reviews of organismal energetics and physiological parameter values. The energy density of prey that is consumed dictates the consequences of consumption, so having data expands general understanding of diet. To that end, published records (n …

Double Segregated Districts And The Persistence Of The Education Debt: A Study In Three Research Essays – Desegregation, The Education Debt, And Brown To Brownsville: A Case Study., Shantel Palacio

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the persistence of double segregation—the racial and socioeconomic isolation of students—in New York City public schools. Using a three-article, mixed-methods design grounded in Gloria Ladson-Billings’ education debt framework, it explores how legal precedent, school-level demographics, and community perspectives interact to sustain unequal educational opportunity.The first article provides a legal-historical analysis tracing desegregation efforts from Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) to IntegrateNYC v. State of New York (2024). Using the IRAC method, it examines how federal courts shifted from enforcing desegregation to limiting race-conscious remedies, leading advocates to pursue equity through state-based legal strategies. The article highlights the increasing …

Dynamic Defense Strategies For Field Programmable Gate Array (Fpga) Security, Sandeep Sunkavilli

Doctoral Dissertations

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) have gained popularity and usage in recent years, and they have been widely used in mission-critical applications. Due to its popularity, the security of FPGA has become a big concern. Most existing research on FPGA security focuses on hardware Trojans, side-channel attacks, and reverse engineering. The existing FPGA countermeasures against the attacks above are typically limited to the FPGA systems implemented in the old FPGA utilization model. An increase in cloud-based FPGA providers, third-party accelerator suppliers, and open-source FPGAdesign tools has changed the FPGA utilization model, which requires new security measures for modern FPGAs. This …

Investigation Of Elastin-Like Polymer Surfaces By Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy In Redox Mediated And Non-Redox Mediated Electrolytes, Stanley Grant Feeney

Doctoral Dissertations

As the biomedical engineering industry grows, so does the need for on-line, continuous monitoring of specific biomolecules in industrial bioreactors. Elastin-like polymers, a thermoresponsive, protein-based macromolecule that mimics the behavior of the naturally occurring elastin protein, may hold the answer in the form of their stimuli-responsive conformation change. Surface-bound ELPs still require characterization, especially under conditions relevant to on-line sensing in bioreactors. The protocol for fabricating ELP-modified electrodes needs to be fine-tuned for reproducibility, with careful consideration for physisorption. Additionally, bioreactors require carefully controlled environments, without the presence of exogenous reagents. Therefore, the stimuli-responsive behavior of ELPs will need to …

Age Distribution Of Minors Portrayed In Image-Based Sexual Abuse And Child Sexual Abuse Material, Samantha Jean Sutton

Doctoral Dissertations

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) poses a significant threat, especially in the current technological age. A better understanding of victim characteristics is needed to direct investigation and prevention efforts properly. However, determining the age distribution of children in CSAM has been difficult due to numerous factors, including differing laws governing CSAM, the priority placed on investigating younger victims, and the difficulty of determining from images alone the age of young people. This meta-analysis sought to understand the proportion of image abuse victims who are under the age of 13 compared to those who are 13 years or older and whether …

Probing Neutron Star Interiors: Insights Into Asymmetric Dark Matter, Dark Energy, And The Cold Dense Matter Equation Of State, Nathan Rutherford

Doctoral Dissertations

The combination of derived neutron star mass-radius measurements from NASA's Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) mission, constraints from chiral effective field theory (chiEFT), and mass-tidal deformability constraints from gravitational waves has led to significant improvements in the understanding of the cold dense matter equation of state (EoS) of neutron stars. Interestingly, asymmetric dark matter (ADM) and dark energy may also be present within neutron star interiors, potentially impacting their global properties. Taking these effects into account, neutron star measurements can not only offer new insights into the dense matter EoS, but also serve as a hunting ground for dark …

Design And Synthesis Of Single Atom Catalysts For Solar Fuel Generation, Allison Harper St. John

Doctoral Dissertations

Solar fuel generation from photocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction is a growing area of interest to mitigate global energy and climate crises. Graphitic carbon nitride (C3N4) is a light-absorbing semiconductor with a promising outlook for solar fuels, gaining popularity in recent years due to its low cost and appropriate band positions for many environmentally relevant reactions. The addition of atomically dispersed single atom catalysts (SACs) to semiconducting materials is a viable strategy for creating active sites to improve photocatalytic performance of the semiconductors studied. Designing C3N4 materials as a support for SACs with well-defined binding motifs and sufficiently high concentrations …

The Role Of The Gut Microbiota In Opioid Use Disorder, Izabella Jannae Sall

Doctoral Dissertations

Opioids are highly effective analgesics for acute and chronic pain management but carry dangerous side effects that limit their utility and increase the risk of opioid use disorder (OUD). Yet not all individuals prescribed opioids develop an OUD, presenting a conundrum: why are so some individuals develop an OUD and others do not? While genetics, social environment, and behavior contribute to risk, they fail to explain why some individuals transition from prescribed use to an OUD. My doctoral research investigates an increasingly likely culprit that is also a promising therapeutic target: the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota is essential for …

Responding To Range Expansion: Assessing Insect Communities, Tree Decline Symptoms, And Tree Mortality Risk As The Southern Pine Beetle Moves North, Caroline Rachel Kanaskie

Doctoral Dissertations

Climate change is shifting species distributions. In New England, warmer winters allow southern species to survive further north. The northward range expansion of the tree-killing southern pine beetle is the focus of this dissertation. Outbreaks of this beetle cause both ecological and economic damage, which threaten the globally rare pine barrens ecosystem. I used an interdisciplinary approach to study this insect: 1) I synthesized literature on the beetle’s natural enemies; 2) I used a suite of chemical attractants to investigate the insect community attracted to the beetle’s pheromones and assessed the diversity and abundance of its potential predators; 3) I …

Molecular Simulation Studies Of Peptide Transport Across The Mitochondrial Membrane, Son Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations

Molecular transport across membranes is an important biophysical process. Designing molecules capable of crossing cell membranes and targeting specific organelle is becoming necessary in treating many diseases and disorders. In recent decades, cell-penetrating peptides have been studied and utilized to deliver a variety of cargoes. My dissertation work focuses on studying the molecular details of the peptide translocation process across a cell membrane. Specifically, I investigated the dynamics of mitochondrial-targeting peptides and their mechanisms of translocation across the mitomembrane. I conducted molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of model mitochondrial-targeting peptides with distinct physical and chemical properties such as sequence lengths, functional …

The Castle Is Still Here, And Yes, It's Still Scary: Reconstructing The Gothic Through Contemporary Short Story, Alyssa Kilroy

Undergraduate Theses

Since Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto published in 1764, the literary Gothic has grown and spread to include a multitude of subgenres in a variety of formats. Gothic literature has served as both a product and a showcase of its contextual influences, providing a deeper look at humanity's deepest flaws, fears, and passions that shape our societies. While the Gothic's historically fluid identity allows Frankenstein to exist in a literary realm alongside Wuthering Heights, something consistent in its core continues to appeal to modern audiences and remains relevant in contemporary literature and other media. This project offers a …

Scoping Literature Review: The Role Of Leptin In Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) And Associated Obesity, Diana B. Riestra, Andrea Iannuzzelli

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Overweight and obesity (OW/OB) are significant concerns among individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), yet the underlying causes remain unclear. Emerging evidence points to metabolic and hormonal factors—particularly leptin, a hormone involved in appetite regulation—as potential contributors. This scoping review examined five key studies from 2003 to 2024 that investigated the relationship between leptin and ASD in overweight populations. Across studies, individuals with ASD consistently exhibited elevated leptin levels compared to controls. While some findings also noted changes in other adipokines, such as lower resistin or progranulin, leptin was the most consistently dysregulated. These patterns suggest systemic alterations in energy …

Case Report: Alpha Gal Syndrome, Eric Haljasmaa, David Parkes, Wayne Tamaska

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

We report a case of a 40-year-old male who presented with sensation of throat closing and shortness of breath while at work at a meat processing facility. The differential diagnosis of shortness of breath is throat closing includes, but is not limited to, allergic reactions to antibiotics in meat, allergy to food additives, Symptom triggers are useful in identifying causes and a good supporting history and exposures can help with diagnosis. In this case, the patient had a known diagnosis of Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) which is a tick-bite associated, possibly life-threatening immunoglobin E-mediated (IgE) hypersensitivity to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal). The patient …

A Case Report Of Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma Presenting With Diabetes Insipidus, Lan Ngo, Adam Kandil

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is characterized by decreased secretion or action of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), resulting in polyuria, polydipsia, and potential electrolyte disturbances. Severe hypernatremia secondary to uncontrolled DI can manifest with neurologic symptoms including seizure-like activity. This case report discusses a case of central DI arising from damage to the pituitary gland as the first presentation of a brain tumor, in the context of a 56-year-old patient who presented with seizure-like activity and sensory changes.

Case Report: Ruptured Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Jenna Rapone

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

A ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a life-threatening vascular emergency with high mortality rates. We report a case of a 79-year-old male with no reported past medical history but a significant lifelong smoking history who presented to the emergency department with generalized weakness, lower abdominal pain, hypotension, tachycardia, and a reported syncopal episode. Emergency medical services (EMS) found the patient at home during a welfare check, appearing pale and weak. Upon movement from his bed to a stretcher, he experienced a syncopal episode, became tachycardic, and was transiently hypoxic. Initial laboratory studies revealed a hemoglobin of 13 g/dL, hematocrit …

Unusual Path: Gallstone Ileus With Pneumobilia And Jejunal Obstruction, Kristine Rubi, Kelly Schuitema, Russell Mordecai, James Espinosa, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

We present a case of a 48-year-old female with two-day history of diffuse abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. She was diagnosed with small bowel obstruction due to gallstone ileus. Diagnosis is usually challenging due to its nonspecific presentation, but computed tomography reveals the classic findings of Rigler’s triad -- pneumobilia, bowel obstruction, and an ectopic gallstone. The patient underwent laparoscopy with enterolithotomy with subsequent resolution of symptoms. Prompt diagnosis through imaging and timely surgical intervention is critical for in preventing complications and improving patient outcomes.

Anabolic Steroid Induced Cardiomyopathy, Oluwatomi Alade

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Anabolic steroids including testosterone are commonly used as performance-enhancing agents. Its use is predominantly seen in young and middle-aged males. Endogenous testosterone is necessary for cardiac health; however, synthetic anabolic steroids are more potent and associated with adverse effects. These adverse effects include cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease. The cardiomyopathy, however, can be reversible with discontinuation of the anabolic steroids. This case describes a middle-aged male who had new onset cardiomyopathy and ultimately went into cardiogenic shock secondary to anabolic steroid use.

Case: Pituitary Mass In A Pediatric Patient, Alyssa Baldini, Carla Calvo

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

We report a case of a 16-year-old female presented to the pediatric emergency department for intermittent visual disturbance and was diagnosed with a pituitary mass resulting in episodic complete bilateral vision loss. Pediatric neurologic complaints can be challenging for a number of reasons. It is important as much as possible to obtain a detailed history from the patient and parent, conduct a relevant chart review, and identify if there have been any recent medication changes. Seeking expert consultation may also be helpful in establishing a diagnosis.

Out Of The Blue: A Case Of Acute Limb Ischemia In A Healthy Young Woman, Julian Coz, Melanie Angelo

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Acute limb ischemia (ALI) is a critical condition caused by arterial occlusion, often due to thrombotic or embolic events in atherosclerotic vessels. Early diagnosis and intervention are essential to prevent limb loss and complications. While typically seen in patients with known vascular risk factors, ALI can also affect individuals without them.

We present a case of a 49-year-old female with sudden-onset left foot pain and paresthesia, highlighting the importance of recognizing ALI in seemingly healthy patients. Despite the absence of typical risk factors, imaging revealed significant atherosclerosis and arterial occlusion, leading to the diagnosis of ALI. This case emphasizes the …

Case Report: Spontaneous Aortic Dissection In A 63-Year Old Male Presenting As Left Abdominal, Flank And Back Pain, Dean Austin Esma

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition in which the inner walls of the aorta tears, compromising its ability to supply blood to organs. The classic presentation involves sudden, severe, “tearing” chest pain, but subtle presentations are often overlooked as symptoms of another condition, leading to missed diagnoses. This report presents a case of spontaneous aortic dissection who presented with sudden onset of left upper abdominal pain, left flank and upper back pain while brushing his teeth.

Case Report: Recurrent Miller Fisher Syndrome, Devin Hoover, Andrew Vasta, James Espinosa, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

We report the case of a 47-year-old male who presented with numbness and difficulty speaking and was diagnosed with Miller Fisher Syndrome, a variant Guillain-Barré Syndrome. The differential diagnosis for numbness and speech difficulty is broad and includes brain stem stroke, Wernicke encephalopathy, botulism, myasthenia gravis, among others. Although Miller Fisher Syndrome is rare, certain factors such as the of tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists may predispose a patient to the disease and its recurrence. As discovery of new tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists continues it will likely result in more presentations of Guillain-Barré Syndrome and its variants to the emergency department.

Miller Fisher Variant Of Guillain- Barré Syndrome, Peter Killian, Kishan B. Patel

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

We present a case of a man in his 50s who was evaluated in the emergency department for right facial droop, myalgias, and right lower extremity weakness. The patient required multiple interdisciplinary specialists for treatment and diagnosis of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). The differential for weakness and facial droop is primarily aimed at ruling out an irreversible neurological cause while investigating a potential infectious etiology. Multiple variants of GBS exist and clinical presentations can vary, including the Miller Fisher Variant. This variant features a unique presentation, affecting the corticobulbar tract, evident with the ptosis commonly seen following a gastrointestinal infection.

Case Report: Herba Epimedium (Horny Goat Weed) Toxicity With Severe Muscle Spasms And Elevated Creatine Kinase And Creatinine, Tucker A. Ledo, Dhara Patel, Wayne Tamaska, James Espinosa, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Here we present the case of a 33-year-old male who presented to the emergency department (ED) with a complaint of severe muscle spasms of a ten-hour duration. He noted that he took a supplement which he purchased over the internet called Epimedium, also known as Horny Goat Weed, for the purpose of improving his mood and sense of energy and reducing his sense of anxiety. He noted that he started this supplement one month prior to ED presentation, coincident with the first episodes of muscle cramps. In the ED, he had elevations of his CK and creatinine and required hospital …

Case Report: Dysphagia In Inclusion Body Myositis Leading To Respiratory And Gastrointestinal Complications, Veroneka Mikhail, James Espinosa, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Inclusion body Myositis (IBM) stands as a rare and complex neuromuscular disorder (NMD) characterized by progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. Among its cardinal symptoms are dysphagia and respiratory distress, which are the most common cause of death in this disease. While the differential diagnosis of respiratory distress is vast and includes aspiration, pneumonia, acute coronary syndrome, emphysema, and congestive heart failure, a clinician should recognize that respiratory distress can also be secondary to dysphagia in NMDs like IBM and can quickly become life threating. Here we present the case of a 68-year-old female with a history of IBM who presented …

Case Report: Dissecting Retroperitoneal Abscess With Gas Formation, David F. Koziel Jr.

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Presenting as a case to the emergency department was a 53-year-old male with a complaint of diffuse abdominal pain and focal right flank pain at site of recent percutaneous abscess drain site performed exactly one month prior. This followed hospitalization in the preceding year for complicated multifocal intra-abdominal infections requiring surgical interventions including exploratory laparotomy and surgical debridement for intra-abdominal abscess and scrotal abscess formation. Despite prior aggressive management and extensive coverage with broad-spectrum antibiotics, this patient was found to have fulminant recurrance of infection in the right retroperitoneal space with an expanding abscess dissecting through the retroperitoneal structures into …

The Meaning Of Lawful Self-Defense: State Criminal Law And The Scope Of The Second Amendment, Shira Feldman, Tess Fardon

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

In Keeping With Heller, Kevin Schascheck

Buffalo Law Review

Evaluating the constitutionality of modern firearm regulations under the Second Amendment requires recourse to historical evidence under Bruen v. New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. Generally, the government bears the burden to demonstrate that modern firearm regulations are consistent with the nation’s historical traditions. But the Supreme Court’s earlier opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller stated that certain categories of firearm restrictions are longstanding and thus presumptively lawful. And yet, litigants are inviting courts to reject this presumption, arguing that presumptively lawful regulations should be subject to the same historical test as presumptively unlawful regulations.

Courts should reject …

Teacher Mindset: Improving Academic Outcomes For Students With Disabilities, Tracy A. Edwards

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This mixed-methods Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) explores the discrepancy between general and special education student performance on measures of growth and achievement in English Language Arts and Math in a small, suburban school district in Southwest Connecticut. Research supports that the growth rate for students with disabilities often decreases as they get older, leaving special education students with fewer opportunities to close the achievement gap over time. This study illustrates the importance of addressing teachers’ mindsets, perceptions, and collective efficacy to close the achievement and growth gap. Fifteen special education teachers and related service providers participated in a …

Using Function-Based Thinking To Support Adaptive Student Behavior For Elementary Students, Hilary R. Baude

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This study investigated the factors influencing educators’ difficulty managing students’ maladaptive behavior in a suburban Pre-K-5 school. Research demonstrates that educators’ ability to manage student behaviors directly impacts students’ social, emotional, academic, and behavioral outcomes. This study examined the impact of an 8-week Function-Based Thinking (FBT) intervention on Pre-K-5 general educators’ ability to identify and implement function-based supports to promote adaptive behaviors for general education students in the classroom setting. The researcher conducted a convergent mixed-methods study with six general educators and merged quantitative data measuring FBT knowledge, beliefs about behavior, and students’ behavioral trends with qualitative findings from exit …

Using Community Circles To Build A Sense Of Belonging In Kindergarten, Andrea J. D’Aiuto

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice explored how implementing daily community circles in kindergarten classrooms equipped teachers with strategies to support dysregulated students. The participants for this study consisted of three kindergarten teachers. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design, the practitioner investigated the impact of delivering five Professional Learning Series (PLS) sessions and implementing community circles on students' behaviors and sense of belonging. The practitioner merged quantitative data comprising pre- and post-survey results from the Community Circles Teacher Survey and prosocial and antisocial frequency student behavior data with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews to answer the proposed research questions. …