Digital Commons Network^™

Mechanism Of Dna Replication Fork Breakage And Parp1 Hyperactivation During Replication Catastrophe, Pedro Ortega, Elodie Bournique, Junyi Li, Ambrocio Sanchez, Gisselle Santiago, Brooke R Harris, Josefine Striepen, John Maciejowski, Abby M Green, Rémi Buisson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) inhibition triggers a surge in origin firing, resulting in increased levels of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) that rapidly deplete all available RPA. This leaves ssDNA unprotected and susceptible to breakage, a phenomenon known as replication catastrophe. However, the mechanism by which unprotected ssDNA breaks remains unclear. Here, we reveal that APOBEC3B is the key enzyme targeting unprotected ssDNA at replication forks, initiating a reaction cascade that induces fork collapse and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) hyperactivation. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that uracils generated by APOBEC3B at replication forks are removed by UNG2, resulting in abasic sites that are …

Equity In Wellness Program Participation: Bridging The Ses Gap, Brandy Whitford

Student Publications and Presentations

Thriving workplaces start with thriving employees’ yet many wellness programs fail to reach those who need them most. Workplace wellness programs strive to improve employees’ physical, mental, and financial well-being (Kaplan et al., 2021). Unfortunately, socioeconomic disparities limit employee participation in employers' wellness programs (Pitesa & Pillutla, 2019). Low socioeconomic status (SES) employees struggle with financial constraints, time limitations, and cultural mismatches that hinder participation (Gifford & Zongrone, 2020). The research on equity in wellness program participation reveals how SES plays a role in workplace wellness engagement and outlines equity-promoting strategies. Research demonstrates that financial incentives, paid wellness time, and …

The Aesthetic Revolution In 20th-Century Classical Music And Its Perceptual Effects On Listeners: A Cognitive-Historical Perspective, Derek Lund

Student Publications and Presentations

Few musics rouse as much disdain and confusion as certain styles of Western classical music that arose in the middle of the 20th century. Derided as meaningless and ugly by some, and lauded as complex and liberatory by others, I aim in this paper to elucidate the effects of such music on the mind and why it is so controversial. I discuss the historical functions of music in enhancing social cohesion and facilitating affective offloading using perceptual models developed in the cognitive sciences. This is followed by a description of the 20th century revolution in musical aesthetics and the differences …

Looks Like Gibberish To Me: An Analysis Of Dyslexia, Its Musical Counterpart And The Education System, Chase Hogan

Student Publications and Presentations

Music has been considered by many, especially those within the field, to be its own language. It follows that if people who struggle with written language-based skills have dyslexia and those who struggle with numeric-based skills have dyscalculia (mathematic dyslexia), there should be a musical variant. And if so, what would it look like and how could it be combated within music education? The term “dysmusia” or “musical dyslexia” was first used by Dr. Neil Gordon, a pediatric neurologist, in 2000 to better categorize the issue. Numerous studies and works of literature have discussed the ways in which music stimulates …

Encanto’S ‘Colombian’ Soundtrack: A Diffuse Charm Unveiled Through Analysis, Manuela Wanumen Jiménez

Student Publications and Presentations

In the imagination of non-Latin, or even Latin foreigners, Colombia is mostly stereotyped as a country of drug trafficking, dealers, and violence. Although it is a social and politically transversal problem that has violently affected the country for decades, national and international TV shows such as Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal (Colombia, 2012) or Narcos (United States, 2015– 2017) have posed narco-cultura as an ideal; they have glorified the power and enrichment of drug production, turning it into a desired lifestyle. However, in 2020, Disney announced that its next animated movie, Encanto, would be set in Colombia, thus presenting …

Impact Of Crowdstrike Outage On Delta Airlines, Mahiba Nasir

Student Publications and Presentations

CrowdStrike outage in July 2024 had negatively affected the operations of the airline industry; however, Delta Airlines' heavy reliance on third parties, which is also highlighted as a threat in their SWOT analysis, caused them to struggle to resume their operations (Delta Air Lines INC, 2023). To conduct my research on the financial fallout of Delta due to the outage, I looked at the existing financial reports of Q3 and compared it to Q2. I noticed they did not meet their expectations as their revenue declined by 2% from the previous quarter. The cause of this loss was proved by …

The Repercussions Of Recent Airline Accidents & Incidents On The Boeing Company, Tianna Commock

Student Publications and Presentations

The Boeing Company, United States-based and the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer, serves commercial jetliners, as well as defense, space, and security systems companies. However, in recent years, the company has faced scrutiny regarding its safety culture, stemming from numerous crashes involving their Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. This research will analyze crashes like the fatal Lion Air Flight 610, which crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 189 passengers and crew on October 29, 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which crashed near Ejere, Ethiopia, killing all 157 on board on March 10, 2019. The legal actions of …

Together, We Can Stop Bullying, Kayla Friedlander

Student Publications and Presentations

Bullying is a serious issue that affects students in schools across the world. Bullying can lead to children fearing for their safety, having low self-esteem, and decreasing academic performance, which ends up affecting the educational environment and creates a hostile environment to learn. Research shows that Bullying has a lasting effect on children's mental health and that one out of every ten students who drop out of school does so because of repeated incidents of Bullying. Overall, Bullying remains a significant issue in schools as it affects students' mental health and safety. As a future educator, I want to end …

Hooked On Sweetness: Testing Light Attraction In Planaria With Alternative Sweeteners, Logan-Marie Torry, Destiny Perez, Cassandra S. Korte

Student Publications and Presentations

Artificial sweeteners are a common additive to the human diet, with products like Splenda and Equal marketed as healthier alternatives to traditional sugars. These sweeteners that have been examined for their rewarding and withdrawal effects in planarian flatworms. Planaria are photophobic organisms that typically swim away from light. Previous research suggests that planaria can learn through conditioning when exposed to Splenda, Equal, and sucrose in both light and dark environments. This experiment differs as it seeks to test whether planaria can be conditioned to swim toward the light when exposed to alternative sweeteners such as Stevia and a Stevia-Splenda blend. …

Psychological Challenges And Coping Mechanisms In The Military-To-Civilian Transition, Matt Hartford

Student Publications and Presentations

The transition from military to civilian life is a complex process that presents unique psychological challenges for veterans. This research explores the psychological struggles veterans face during this transition, focusing on issues such as the loss of military identity and purpose, adjustment to civilian norms, and mental health challenges including PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, it examines how pre-existing conditions and combat experiences may exacerbate these difficulties. The study also investigates coping strategies—both personal (e.g., mindfulness, exercise, journaling) and professional (e.g., therapy, vocational training, mentorship)—and assesses their effectiveness.

Furthermore, the research evaluates the role of social support systems, including family, …

The Ethics Of Bypassing Unos Allocation Rules To Save A Patient, Kayrha Augustus

Student Publications and Presentations

Every ten minutes, someone is added to the organ transplantation waiting list, but not everyone has an equal chance of receiving a life-saving organ. This presentation explores whether a surgeon should break the rules of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to save a patient who has been unfairly placed lower on the list due to systemic biases. This presentation shows that the organ allocation system that should be fair has very evident flaws. In cases like Mickey Mantle, where celebrities have received transplants quickly, concerns about favoritism were raised. Additionally, the use of race-based calculations that overestimated kidney …

Gender Bias Within Ai Imaging, Drew Quattrocchi

Student Publications and Presentations

This study investigates AI-created gender bias in AI-created images through content analysis, contrasting the way gender is depicted in professions in leading AI image-creation tools such as Chat smith, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion. Employing a quantitative research method, this study contrasts AI-created images of gender-stereotypical careers for both male and female. Non-gendered careers will be used as well to identify patterns of stereotyping and bias. The area of emphasis lies in individual subjects within the images and scrutinizing visual elements such as clothing, accessories, background, face expressions, and gendered roles assigned to each. Particular emphasis is focused to …

Molecular Mechanism Establishing The Off Pathway In Vision, Florentina Soto, Chin-I Lin, Andrew Jo, Ssu-Yu Chou, Ellen G Harding, Philip A Ruzycki, Gail K Seabold, Ronald S Petralia, Daniel Kerschensteiner

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Parallel ON and OFF (positive- and negative-contrast) pathways fundamental to vision arise at the complex synapse of cone photoreceptors. Cone pedicles form spatially segregated functionally opposite connections with ON and OFF bipolar cells. Here, we discover that mammalian cones express LRFN2, a cell-adhesion molecule, which localizes to the pedicle base. LRFN2 stabilizes basal contacts between cone pedicles and OFF bipolar cell dendrites to guide pathway-specific partner choices, encompassing multiple cell types. In addition, LRFN2 trans-synaptically organizes glutamate receptor clusters, determining the contrast preferences of the OFF pathway. ON and OFF pathways converge in the inner retina to regulate bipolar cell …

After-School Program For Teens With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Hayden E. Davis

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Introduction: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 36 children have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (CDC, 2023) with 31% of children with ASD having an Intellectual Disability (ID) (Autism Speaks, 2023), and 1 in every 700 babies are born with Down Syndrome (CDC, 2023b). According to the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (Shattuck et al, 2011) nearly 40% of individuals with ASD after exiting high school were not receiving any services, such as occupational therapy, case management, medical assessments, etc. The purpose of this capstone is to implement an after-school program for teens with Intellectual and Developmental …

Exploring How The Affordable Housing Market In Charleston County, South Carolina Impacts The Retention And Recruitment Of Healthcare Workers, Roger Aaron Williams

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the impact of the affordable housing market in Charleston County, South Carolina, on the retention and recruitment of healthcare workers. The study addresses the critical shortage of affordable housing and its implications for healthcare institutions, focusing on support staff such as medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, and other essential roles. Through a comprehensive survey of healthcare workers, the research identifies the extent of housing challenges, including financial strain, long commutes, and job dissatisfaction. The findings highlight the significant correlation between housing affordability and workforce stability, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted housing solutions. The dissertation reviews current …

Using Mathematical Modeling To Study The Dynamics Of Legionnaires’ Disease And Consider Management Options, Mark Z. Wang, Christina J. Edholm, Lihong Zhao

Faculty Articles

Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a largely understudied and underreported pneumonic environmentally transmitted disease caused by the bacteria \textit{Legionella}. It primarily occurs in places with poorly maintained artificial sources of water. There is currently a lack of mathematical models on the dynamics of LD. In this paper, we formulate a novel ordinary differential equation-based susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered (SEIR) model for LD. One issue with LD is the difficulty in its detection, as the majority of countries around the world lack the proper surveillance and diagnosis methods. Thus, there is not much publicly available data or literature on LD. We use parameter estimation for …

Senior Recital: April 18, 2025, Lauren Cancio, Lu Witzig

School of Music Programs

Kemp Recital Hall

April 18, 2025

Friday Evening

6:00 p.m.

Designing A Human-Centered Public Relations System For Layoffs At Organizations Across Financial And Professional Services, Kateryna Kzhemanovska

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Public relations professionals support businesses across financial and professional services sectors with several initiatives, including reduction of workforce. Given the current macroeconomic situation, as of April 2025, many companies are laying off employees, and doing so in a non-user-centric way. This study will examine existing literature on the topics of corporate communications, reduction of the workforce, reputation management, human-centered interaction design, and project management, and explore the opportunity and relevance of applying human-centered methods to the reduction of workforce processes.

Agile And Lean Integration Effects In Financial Services Organizations, Ananya Sharma

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

The financial services industry, predominantly in large investment banks, faces mounting pressure to improve operational efficiency, simplify communication channel, and meet rigorous regulatory requirements in a constantly changing market environment. This research assesses the incorporation of Agile and Lean practices within the financial services sector, particularly concentrating on their effect on front-office functions, such as sales and investment banking, and control operations like risk and compliance. The study investigates how Agile and Lean processes foster innovation, decrease inefficiencies, and promote partnership between front-office teams and control functions. By examining case studies from leading organizations such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, …

The George-Anne Inkwell Edition, Georgia Southern University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

Balancergnn: Balancer Graph Neural Network For Imbalanced Datasets, Mallika Boyapati

Dissertations

Addressing imbalanced datasets is challenging due to machine learning models' inclination to learn the majority class. Graph construction plays a major role in determining how Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) perform on imbalanced datasets. In this research, we introduce the BalancerGNN framework to tackle highly imbalanced datasets, demonstrating its effectiveness in fraud detection as one of the case studies. This framework is designed to work for any binary node classification dataset with significant class imbalances. This research addresses the following questions: i) How effective are feature engineering techniques in the case of imbalanced datasets? ii) How do graph representation learning and …

The Effectiveness Of A Race-Based Stress Reduction Intervention On Improving Stress-Related Symptoms And Inflammation In African American Women At Risk For Cardiometabolic Disease: Protocol For Recruitment And Intervention For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Karen L. Saban, Cara Joyce, Alexandria Nyembwe, Linda Janusek, Dina Tell, Paula De La Pena, Darnell Motley, Lamise Shawahin, Laura Prescott, Stephanie Potts-Thompson, Jacquelyn Y. Taylor

Biostatistics Collaborative Core: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background: In recent years, the prevalence of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) in African American women has risen; the risk also increases with age, in comparison to men. Evidence demonstrates that stressful life events, including experiences of racism and perceived discrimination, contribute substantially to inflammatory diseases, such as CMD. Despite this evidence, few evidence-based interventions are available to assist individuals from minoritized communities in coping with the chronic stress related to their racial or ethnic identity.

Objective: Our proposed randomized controlled trial will test a novel, race-based intervention tailored to African American women, called Resilience, Stress, and Ethnicity (RiSE).

Methods: In this …

Ole Miss Junior Named Truman Scholar, Clara Turnage

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – Yasmine Ware walked into Chancellor Glenn Boyce's office thinking she would speak with a prospective donor. Instead, she walked out as the University of Mississippi's 20th Harry S. Truman Scholar.

Kenyon Collegiate - April 18, 2025

Kenyon Collegiate

No abstract provided.

Minutes (4-18-2025), Associated Students, Incorporated

Associated Students, Incorporated records

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of Factors Impacting Child Welfare Professional Burnout: A Moderated Mediation Analysis, Jeffrey L. Nitz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Child welfare professionals (CWPs) have challenging and stressful jobs that routinely expose them to the traumatic narratives of children and other individuals. As a result of this, and when added to the reality that CWPs have a significantly higher average of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) compared to the general population, the prevalence of secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout and high turnover rates is substantial. This non-experimental quantitative survey study of 212 direct service CWPs from both public and private agencies sought to examine the relationship of ACE scores to burnout, and whether secondary traumatic stress plays a mediating role in …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Exploring The Perception Of Self-Efficacy Amongst Colorado High School English Teachers Incorporating Classroom Technology Use, Barbara Miguelgorry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of self-efficacy of high school English teachers in Colorado as they experienced a phenomenon of rapidly increased use of classroom technology. High school English teachers’ perceptions were generally defined as how effective they felt in their teaching practices and pedagogical approaches as they incorporated increased use of classroom technology, including their perceptions of the use of classroom technology’s influence on their confidence and self-esteem in the classroom. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy (1977). The central research question for this study was: How has …

Factors Associated With Clinician Confidence With Gender Identity Issues In Children, Elizabeth D. Hickman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explored mental health clinicians’ experience and self-confidence in their ability to identify and treat children with gender dysphoria. Gender issues are highly prevalent in the United States with an estimated 1.9 million individuals (about twice the population of South Dakota) considering themselves in the LGBT community. The American Psychological Association estimated that there were currently 106,500 licensed psychologists in the United States in a 2014 census. The United States Census population clock has the number of citizens to nearly 335 million people. Meaning that for every psychologist there are 3,146 potential clients. This is an overwhelming ratio of …

Assessing The Elements Of Worship From The Experience Of Seventh-Day Adventist Believers Participating In Local Multi-Generational Churches Located On The Campus Of An Educational Institution, Daniel Biaggi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation assesses the elements of worship from the experience of Seventh-day Adventist believers participating in local multi-generational churches located on the campus of an educational institution. The research aims to understand which elements of corporate worship are meaningful and practiced by participants of diverse ages and what makes these elements significant in their opinion. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data to examine how church participants prioritize different elements of worship and whether these preferences vary by age group and campus context. This survey also sought to identify specific worship elements that might be perceived …

Perinatal Mental Health Literacy Of Healthcare Providers: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Using An Ecological Systems Theory, Ashley N. Barksdale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study explored the perinatal mental health literacy of healthcare providers in the United States. Guided by ecological systems theory, the study employed the Mental Health and Well-Being Ecological Model and the Perinatal Mental Health Theory of Change to examine factors influencing perinatal mental health stigma and healthcare utilization. The central research question was, “What was the experience of healthcare providers who provided medical care for mothers with perinatal mental health illnesses?” Three guiding questions were developed to investigate systemic, relational, and educational factors shaping providers' knowledge and practices. Using exploratory-descriptive qualitative methods, ten participants across the United States …