Digital Commons Network^™

Comparison Of Lithium Disilicate And Zirconia As Restorative Materials, Navneet Akur Kainth, Ola Al Fakhri, Nishit Sachde

Excellence Day

Objectives: To compare lithium discilicate and monolithic zirconia as a restorative material. Background: Zirconia and Lithium disilicate have been widely utilized in dental restorations for both partial and full coverage procedures, employing monolithic and layered methods. The aim of this literature review was to assess these materials and compare them based on various criteria, such as tooth preparation, bonding techniques, optical and mechanical properties, clinical performance, biocompatibility, marginal fit and adaptation. Additionally, this review also compared the clinical outcomes of these materials in different types of restorations including full and partial coverage restorations, implants, fixed partial dentures, and endocrowns. Methods: …

Coordinating Robots Sharing Vision Cues To Understand Scenes With Extended Waltz Reasoning, Ben Mathew, Akram Alghanmi, Marius Silaghi

Florida Conference on Recent Advances in Robotics

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Bacterial Diversity In South Georgia Water Sources Using Bacterial Isolation And Maldi Tof-Based Identification, Teighlor Livingston, Andrew Metry, Sammy Elmor, Steven Li, Hunter Medley, Alleluia Nishimwe, Nishi Patel, Gary Sellers, Daniel Torres, Girija Regmi, Allen Kalantari, Hemant K. Naikare, Nikita Mirajkar

Research Day

Background

Water bodies support diverse life but are vulnerable to microbial contamination, endangering human, animal, and plant health, especially in rural areas with limited clean water access. Regular water sample surveillance is vital to protect public health and prevent adverse effects. In addition to monitoring current filtration processes, this study surveys rural South Georgia's water sources to establish a baseline microbial profile for future comparative analysis.

Methods

Biweekly water sampling occurred from November 2023 to January 2024 in rural South Georgia, covering diverse sites such as lakes, ponds, filtered water fountains, and a city water treatment facility. Samples were collected …

Histological And Immunohistochemical Observations Of The Hippocampus In Clinically Established Neurodegenerative Disorders Linked To Cause Of Death, Joshua Owolabi, Jacquelyn Gerhart, Rasheed Agboola, Steven Morency, Brian J. Balin Phd

Research Day

Introduction: Neurodegeneration remains a very important subject of neuroscience research. While experimental studies have modeled conditions and attempted to provide insights, special opportunities exist in situations where clinically established conditions in the actual human brain can be investigated for the neurological, glial and molecular changes that characterize brain changes that produce pathological and neuronal aberrations that are manifested in these conditions. This study considers hippocampi in brains that have suffered clinically established neurodegeneration leading to death.

Methods: Twelve hippocampus samples [N=12] were obtained from 6 brains with clinically established cause of death being neurodegenerative disorders. In each case, whole hippocampi …

Comparison Of Metformin And Repaglinide Monotherapy In The Management Of Newly Diagnosed Diabetes Mellitus Type 2; A Prospective Study, Nouman Rahim, Ahad Munir, Qavi Ur Rehman, Hassan Ali Durrani, Abdul Wahab, Ahmed Khalid, Fahad Muneer, Sumbal Irshad, Tayyab Mumtaz Khan, Jehanzeb Akram

Research Day

Background

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DMT2), which is characterized by the raised blood sugar level due to insulin resistance in body cells, has now become global epidemic.

Objective

This study was aimed to compare the efficacy of metformin and repaglinide monotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed DMT2.

Methods

This randomized comparative prospective study was performed in a tertiary care hospital of Lahore. 108 Patients’ enrollment was made via simple random sampling technique and a developed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were divided into metformin and repaglinide groups via lottery method. Self-designed proforma was applied for data collection. Data analysis was …

Incomplete Horizontal Fissure In The Right Lung: A Cadaveric Case Study, Amaan S. Ismail, Zain M. Ismail, Alwin A. Khoja, Shifa S. Sohani, Shiv Dhiman

Research Day

Introduction:

Broad spectrum analysis of variations amongst lung fissure anatomy in the field of pulmonary medicine is of vital importance for designing surgical blueprints and performing diagnostic studies. Normal lung fissure anatomy works to define the lobes of the lung, but variations such as azygos fissures, superior and inferior accessory fissures, and left horizontal fissures are relatively common and can crucially influence interpretations of imaging studies and surgeries of the thoracic cavity. The present case study exhaustively examines an incomplete horizontal fissure in the right lung recognized during cadaveric dissection and its potential to alter the practice of clinical pulmonary …

Uncommon Anatomical Variation Of The Sciatic Nerve: A Case Study From Cadaveric Dissection, Amaan S. Ismail, Shifa S. Sohani, Jason A. Kalathia, Erin R. Anderson, Anthony G. Pelache, Khusbu P. Patel, Shiv Dhiman

Research Day

Introduction

The sciatic nerve is essential for motor and sensory functions of the lower extremities. This substantial nerve emerges from nerve roots L4 to S3 and has been documented to have numerous variations. These variations can bear significant clinical relevance in which it can affect therapeutic, diagnostic, and surgical approaches. This study will focus on a distinctive variation that was observed during cadaveric dissection in which the sciatic nerve bifurcated into the tibial and common fibular nerve more cephalad than which is usually documented.

Objective

The objective of this study is to document and analyze an anatomical variation of the …

Healthcare-Associated Infection Differences Within Hospital Referral Regions In Georgia, Pathya Kunthy, Randall L. Sisam

Research Day

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are preventable health outcomes that occur during or because of a health-related intervention such as hospital stay, surgery, or device-associated interventions. HAI is the fifth leading cause of death in acute-care hospitals in the US. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides publicly available data including HAI for healthcare consumers to compare hospitals. Previous researchers have criticized the use of HAI data for hospital comparisons for consumers and reporting mandate placed on hospitals. Given the scarcity of data reported by hospitals, the objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of HAI data …

Flexible Strain Gauge Sensors As Real-Time Stretch Receptors For Use In Biomimetic Bpa Muscle Applications, Rochelle Jubert

Student Research Symposium

This work presents a novel approach to real-time length sensing for biomimetic Braided Pneumatic Actuators (BPAs) as artificial muscles in soft robotics applications. The use of artificial muscles enables the development of more interesting robotic designs that no longer depend on single rotation joints controlled by motors. Developing robots with these capabilities, however, produces more complexities in control and sensing. Joint encoders, the mainstay of robotic feedback, can no longer be used, so new methods of sensing are needed to get feedback on muscle behavior to implement intelligent controls. To address this need, flexible strain gauge sensors from Portland company, …

Extreme Precipitation Climatology Of The Contiguous U.S., Amy M. Johnson

Student Research Symposium

Extreme precipitation can cause flooding, landslides, loss of life and assets. Across the Contiguous United States (CONUS), concurrent to global warming, many communities have experienced increases in the amount of rain falling during the most extreme precipitation events and climate models project further increases for most of the CONUS. There is a need to comprehensively study the extreme precipitation climatology across the CONUS to understand what is within the observed range of extreme precipitation and the weather that drives it. Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications 2 (MERRA-2) atmospheric reanalysis data for the period of 1980-2023 is used …

Sex Toys In The City- The Sex Toy Market Vs. Profit, Culture And Education, Abigail M. Jobe

Student Research Symposium

Since the development of sex stores, the product appeal has been directed toward cisgender men and excluded other groups, creating an experience exclusive to the male gaze. With this, products sold at early sex stores often did not appeal to the female population and excluded queer and gender non-conforming individuals altogether. These original sex stores objectified the female body and many of these traditional stores still exist now. However, in the 1970s, feminists began to create sex stores directed toward women and they in turn became hubs for information as opposed to just sex stores where women could shop comfortably …

Effects Of Language Status, Community Advice, And Parent Beliefs On Heritage Language Maintenance In The U.S.: A Scoping Review, Isabelle Trujillo, Jasmine Loeung, Carolyn Quam

Student Research Symposium

This scoping review of qualitative research examines effects of language status, community advice to parents, and parents' beliefs on heritage language maintenance within a U.S. context. The review was guided by three research questions: 1. What is the nature of the relationship between a heritage language’s (HL) status in society and language maintenance across generations? 2. How does information parents receive from community members (e.g., health professionals, teachers, friends/family) influence their beliefs about the HL? 3. How do parents’ beliefs about the impact of a HL on academic/career success influence HL transmission? Thirty-four articles met inclusion criteria. Three themes were …

Performance-Based Risk Assessment For Large-Scale Transportation Networks, Anteneh Deriba, David Y. Yang

Student Research Symposium

Efficiently assessing the risk of asset failure due to deterioration or extreme events is crucial for transportation asset management. Traditional methods often lack effectiveness in directly evaluating system performance-based risks, facing challenges like the exponential increase in system states and the emergence of low-probability high-consequence events ("grey swan" events). To address these, this paper introduces a novel performance-based risk assessment approach for large-scale transportation networks, inspired by the Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo (TMCMC) method. This method transforms the risk assessment problem into a high-dimensional posterior distribution, with system risk acting as the normalization factor (evidence). It also provides risk-based …

A Case Report Of A Fused Pelvic Kidney In An 85-Year Old Male Caucasian: Analysis And Discussions On Diagnosis And Implications, Rajay Dockery, Ruhdeep K. Randhawa, Alize K. Berrios, Alice A. Koschella, Ebony Isagba, Ericka Westbrook, Joshua Owolabi

Research Day

Introduction: Typically during fetal development, the kidneys begin developing in the pelvic region and then ascend up into the abdomen. When this developmental process fails, the kidney may remain in the pelvis, in line or below the aortic bifurcation, forming a pelvic kidney. Pelvic kidneys are most commonly found to be malrotated, in an orientation where the hilum faces anteriorly instead of medially.

Methods: This is a case presentation of a pelvic kidney as observed in an 85-year old Caucasian male as well as a literature review on diagnosis and implications on renal health and life. Morphological analysis of the …

Management Of Twin-To-Twin Transfusion Syndrome In A Rural Hospital Setting: A Case Report, Sadie Daugereaux, Allison Tresner, Daniel York

Research Day

Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) affects 5-15% of all identical twins, which accounts for approximately 6,000 babies a year. TTTS occurs in monochorionic twins (two fetuses sharing one placenta) when an abnormal vascular connection is formed between the two fetuses. This connection then causes one twin to have an excess of amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios). At the same time, the other is deficient (oligohydramnios or anhydramnios), potentially leading to signs of hypovolemia in the donor and hypervolemia in the recipient. If not identified and managed, TTS has an overall mortality rate between 50 and 90%, depending on the severity of the case. …

Navigating Obstetric Cholestasis: A Comprehensive Case Study On Diagnosis, Management, And Maternal-Fetal Outcomes, Carol Medina, Mailyn Cruz, Fredrick Merdian, Allison Tresner

Research Day

Introduction:

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a rare but potentially serious condition characterized by impaired bile flow, leading to elevated levels of bile acids in maternal serum. This case study highlights the importance of recognizing and managing ICP due to its associated risks, including adverse maternal and fetal outcomes.

Case presentation:

We present the case of a 25-year-old gravida-2 para-0 woman who presented with diffuse itching over her entire body in the third trimester of pregnancy. Laboratory investigations revealed significantly elevated bile acids, confirming the diagnosis of ICP. Prompt initiation of management, including pharmacological therapy and close monitoring, resulted …

Impact Of Usmle Examinations And Pass/Fail Level 1/Step 1 On Osteopathic Medical Students’ 2024 Residency Match Cycle, Samuel P. Prahlow, Darshan Patel, Herve P. Ineza, Derek T. George, Madison B. Kreitz, Anthony Sciuva, Kristie Petree

Research Day

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Exam (COMLEX) are a series of board exams required for medical licensing in the United States for Doctors of Medicine (MD) and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students, respectively. Historically, DO students have faced a unique disadvantage compared to their MD counterparts in that specific residency programs require DOs to provide USMLE board examination scores in addition to COMLEX board examination scores. The 2022 National Resident matching Program (NRMP) Program Director (PD) Survey showed that PDs had a higher value in USMLE scores for DOs compared to COMLEX: …

Examining Student Perceptions Surrounding Omt: An Investigation Of Factors Influencing Desire To Both Learn And Utilize Omt, Kristie Petree, Clayton King, Sadie Daugereaux

Research Day

Introduction:

Medical students’ perceptions of their medical education experience, as well as their views of their ideal future clinical practice settings, are constantly changing. Evidence has long supported that student experiences in the classroom and during clinical rotations have a direct impact on students’ beliefs. This evidence applies not only to their own medical knowledge and skill level but to their views of other physicians and medical specialties as well.

The goal of this study was to determine how the perceptions of students regarding OMM changed as they progressed through their first and second years of osteopathic medical school and …

Impact Of The Full Moon On Psychiatric Admissions And Consultations In The Emergency Department: A Retrospective Analysis, Jeanine Garcia, Philipa A. Wang, Richard Tricardo, Rizwana Ashraf

Research Day

Introduction:

This retrospective study explores how the full moon and various lunar phases correlate to the frequency of emergency department (ED) psychiatric consultations and admissions. The idea that lunar cycles may influence human behavior has long been a subject of fascination and folklore. However, empirical evidence in the context of psychiatric presentations in the ED remains limited. There are some contradictory research studies on how the full moon impacts human health and behavior. Various studies suggest a connection between lunar phases and neurological, reproductive, endocrine, immunological, cardiovascular, and inflammatory diseases, while other studies show no correlation between lunar phases and …

Variations In Lung Morphology And Their Clinical Correlations - A Cadaveric Study, Saron H. Araya, Zain M. Ismail, Amaan S. Ismail, Shiv Dhiman

Research Day

Introduction

Elucidating the relationship between lung morphology and clinical outcomes may enhance our ability to understand and manage pulmonary diseases. While variations in lung anatomy, like fissure completeness, presence of a lingula, and lung impressions, are well documented; the impact on clinical relevance, specifically within regions like South Georgia has yet to be explored. The goal of this study is to examine the anatomical variations among cadavers and discover how patient outcomes are correlated within a geographically focused context.

Objective

The goal of this research is to use a comprehensive and methodological approach to investigate and analyze the impact of …

Rural And Urban Differences In Eye Care Among Persons With Diabetes Enrolled In Original Medicare - Georgia, 2019, Pathya Kunthy, Grace M. Perry, Lauren Ball

Research Day

No abstract provided.

Improving Tattle-Tale K-Deniability, Nicholas G.E. Morales

Student Research Symposium

Ensuring privacy for databases is an ongoing struggle. While the majority of work has focused on using access control lists to protect sensitive data these methods are vulnerable to inference attacks. A set of algorithms, referred to as Tattle-Tale, was developed that could protect sensitive data from being inferred however its runtime performance wasn’t suitable for production code. This set of algorithms contained two main subsets, Full Deniability and K-Deniability. My research focused on improving the runtime or utility of the K-Deniability algorithms. I investigated the runtime of the K-Deniability algorithms to identify what was slowing the process down. Aside …

Evaluation Of Us Immigration Policies For Technology Professionals, Angel Contreras Cruz

Student Research Symposium

The U.S. Immigration System is complex for technology professionals seeking to relocate to the United States for employment or education. The United States relies on its employment-based immigration to attract and select the best talent to fill the shortage of skilled jobs. Technology professionals, a stream of highly skilled immigrants, tend to contribute and be more beneficial to the U.S. economy, which is one of the principles of U.S. immigration policies. Although U.S. immigration policies are constantly updating, policymakers, experts, and scholars suggest that the United States needs significant immigration reform to solve current issues, such as improving technological capabilities …

Mindspace: A Multi-Media Art Exhibition On C-Ptsd Awareness, Emma Wallace

Student Research Symposium

"Mindspace" is an autobiographical art exhibition aimed at raising awareness about Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) through a multi-sensory experience. The exhibition combines sculpture, lights, sound, and video projection to immerse viewers in the intricate emotional landscape of C-PTSD. Through a series of sculptural installations and carefully curated lighting and audio, visitors are invited to explore the internal world of an artist affected by C-PTSD and learn how it differs from PTSD and other types of mental health issues.

“Mindspace" incorporates specially composed soundscapes that offer an intimate look into the artist’s thoughts and memories, which range from spoken word …

Integration Of Agent Models And Meta Reinforcement Learning (Meta-Rl) Algorithms For Car Racing Experiment, Vidyavarshini Holenarasipur Jayashankar

Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Achieving optimal performance in 2D racing games presents unique challenges, requiring adaptive strategies and advanced learning algorithms. This research explores the integration of sophisticated agent models with Meta Reinforcement Learning (Meta-RL) techniques, specifically Model-Agnostic Meta-Learning (MAML) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), to enhance decision-making and adaptability within these simulated environments. We hypothesize that this innovative approach will lead to marked improvements in game performance and learning efficiency.

Methods: In our experimental setup, we applied MAML for its rapid adaptation capabilities and PPO for optimizing the agents' policy decisions within a 2D racing game simulator. The objective was …

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Hydrogen Production Via Various Pv-Assisted Electrochemical Water Splitting Techniques, Achyuth Ravilla, Ilke Celik

Student Research Symposium

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photovoltaic-electrochemical (PV-EC) water-splitting technologies have emerged as cost-effective options for large-scale green hydrogen production in industrial applications. Solar to hydrogen (STH) efficiencies of these technologies have reached up to 20% and several pathways have been explored to drive down the cost of hydrogen using these technologies to less than $2/kg. However, the environmental impact assessment of these technologies for industry-scale deployment has not been explored in previous studies. This study assesses the environmental impacts of PEC and PV-EC technologies by conducting a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment. The functional unit considered for this assessment is 1 kg of …

A Novel Caching Algorithm For Efficient Fine-Grained Access Control In Database Management Systems, Anadi Shakya

Student Research Symposium

Fine-grained access Control (FGAC) in DBMS is vital for restricting user access to authorized data and enhancing security. FGAC policies govern how users are granted access to specific resources based on detailed criteria, ensuring security and privacy measures. Traditional methods struggle with scaling policies to thousands, causing delays in query responses. This paper introduces a novel caching algorithm designed to address this challenge by accelerating query processing and ensuring compliance with FGAC policies. In our approach, we create a circular hashmap and employ different replacement techniques to efficiently manage the cache, prioritizing entries that are visited more frequently. To evaluate …

Youtube Video Essays As Critical Remixed Scholarship, Michelle L. Arendt

Student Research Symposium

YouTube videos have contributed primary and supplementary instructional materials to traditional classrooms since the 2010s (Sylvia & Moody, 2022). These internet-native materials are more successful than their traditional counterparts due to their recontextualization which melds dissemination with the semiotic landscape of web 2.0 culture.

Preferential treatment towards long-form, research-based content has facilitated the development of the YouTube video essay format: a grassroots practice that unapologetically embeds identity, pop culture, and humor with rigorous scholarly praxis and remediation of major elements of academic discourse (Davis, 2022). Videos of this type regularly reach “audiences which may rival or dwarf the enrollment of …

Beavers Beyond Boundaries: Perceptions Of Beaver-Related Restoration, Matthew V. Guziejka

Student Research Symposium

The study "Beavers Beyond Boundaries: Perceptions of Beaver-Related Restoration" conducted by Matt Guziejka and Heejun Chang from the WISE Lab, Department of Geography at Portland State University, delves into the social, cultural, and environmental dimensions of Beaver-Related Restoration (BRR) within the urban setting of the Tualatin River watershed. Utilizing a voluntary survey with 187 participants across three urban watershed sites, the research aimed to analyze community perceptions concerning beavers and their impact on the environment, particularly in relation to their proximity to watercourses. Findings indicate that proximity significantly affects attitudes towards beavers, with those living closer to watercourses demonstrating more …

Beyond Craigslist Personal Ads: Contemporary Usage Of The Label T4t, Madi Lou Alexander

Student Research Symposium

Trans for trans relationships (t4t) are a special type of connection specific to transgender individuals, whether in the process of [re]affirming one’s gender identity and/or finding and building community. Originating from Craigslist personal ads, t4t indicates a trans person seeking out another trans person. What are these t4t relationships like for the trans people involved in them? With this research, I hope to evaluate and define the range of what t4t relationships are, hypothesize how t4t relations foster a sense of connection for the transgender individuals in said relationships, and explain why community amongst those who identify as transgender is …