Oral Presentations: One

Suicide has been a recurring theme throughout the course of history; whether these themes are in literature, psychology, or theatre, it is a prevalent idea that stands in our modern era. In theatre, especially musicals, there seems to be this glorification and romanticization of suicide as some great final act. Now, with this elevation of suicidal ideology, it can lead to mental health reform and new approaches. By focusing on the tools and abilities rather than the power of suicide, we can create a positive space for theatre goers and patients alike. In his Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS), Thomas Joiner (2005) seeks to explore and mitigate three intersecting postulates as to why individuals, across a diverse array of backgrounds, experience suicidality. In brief, he expresses the interaction between a perception of burdensomeness, a lack of belonging, and individual experiences of trauma that make one more capable of acting as a result of their suicidality. At the root of his theory, Joiner argues that, as an inherently social species, the feeling of communal support and belonging is essential not just to the will to survive, but to the desire to grow. In conjunction with the IPTS, this research seeks to analyze modern theater in the context of suicidal ideation and behavior. In application of a critical lens, characters Javert from Les Misérables, Kim from Miss Saigon, Diana from Next to Normal, and Lydia from Beetlejuice can be explored in their critical role in understanding suicidality from a holistic perspective. Indeed, coherent with the theory, each of these characters represents an individual manifestation of perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and acquired capability. Additionally, Jill Dolan’s manifestation of “mirror as a reflection of a future society” will lay bare these characters’ places within IPTS. Through Dolan, we can explore not just how suicidality appears in theatrical contexts, but how it can be prevented in modern society. In the end, by examining this recurring idea of suicidality in theatre, we can create a dialogue that leaves the audience with one crucial thought: How can we truly capture and develop this zeitgeist field to be more open to all? The crux of theatrics should not be an end like suicide, but rather a tool to move forward, heal, and recreate a space for all individuals.

Our project seeks to explore and illuminate the resilience, humanity, and lived experiences of individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia through the central research question: How do the objects owned by an individual living with Alzheimer’s or dementia represent a shift in their identity, capture the moment they exist in now, and how does this shift in identity present in the relationship(s) that an individual has with their caregiver(s)?

Our overarching project is composed of three distinct yet interconnected components:

Photo Series: The photography series will feature over thirty images that powerfully highlight both the challenges and the resilience of individuals living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as the often-unseen emotional labor of their caregivers. Each photo will be accompanied by handwritten reflections — personal narratives created by the individual's caregivers, adding a deeply personal and human dimension to the visual work.

Short Documentary Film: The video component will take a more scientific and research-driven approach to understanding Alzheimer’s and dementia. Through interviews with leading researchers from the Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Research Center at Utah State University, we will explore the latest discoveries and medical insights into these conditions. To humanize and contextualize the science, the documentary will also follow the personal story of one individual who has taken care of someone living with dementia, offering an intimate look into their daily challenges and experiences.

Installation: Our goal is to create an immersive, community-centered installation that fosters open dialogue about Alzheimer’s and dementia, not only regarding the lived experiences, but also the fears, hopes, and possibilities for new ways of coping. To support this vision, we will move away from the traditional gallery format by designing a space within the gallery that feels like a home: warm, inviting, and familiar. Within this environment, visitors will be encouraged to sit, reflect, watch the documentary, and engage with the photo series at their own pace.

This project is a deeply interdisciplinary, community-engaged collaboration. It brings together art, science, and storytelling to explore the lived realities of individuals affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia, while fostering awareness and empathy through creative expression. By amplifying the voices of those living with dementia and their caregivers, who are often unseen and unheard, this work aims to open space for reflection, dialogue, and greater understanding. Additionally, it supports and highlights the important work being done at the USU Center for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research and the work of our mentor, Dr. Fazilat Soukhakian, helping to connect academic research with public audiences through visual storytelling.

Since the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, dance has been both a cultural expression and a reflection of faith among its members. This paper traces the historical evolution of Latter-day Saint dance practices from the early 19th century to the present, demonstrating how changing Church standards and global trends have interacted to shape the Saints’ relationship with dance. In the early years under Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, dance was encouraged as a wholesome outlet for joy, celebration, and community building—an activity that balanced spiritual devotion with physical expression. Pioneer journals and contemporary accounts reveal that dancing provided relief from hardship and fostered unity during the Saints’ westward migration.

As the Church grew and the moral climate of the broader world shifted, leaders implemented specific guidelines to preserve dignity and virtue in dance. Brigham Young’s caution against round dancing and the 1923 dance standards reflected concerns over increasing sensuality in popular music and movement. Later, the 1965 and 1990 editions of For the Strength of Youth mirrored societal change—from the countercultural movements of the 1960s to the rise of media and the internet—by reaffirming principles of modesty, appropriate posture, and spiritual awareness. The 2022 edition marked a notable shift toward personal accountability, inviting members to evaluate their choices by gospel principles rather than prescriptive rules.

Throughout this progression, dance has remained a unifying and joyful expression of Latter-day Saint life. From pioneer campfires to modern performances at Brigham Young University’s World of Dance, dance continues to celebrate community, creativity, and discipleship. Despite evolving cultural contexts, its core purposes—celebration, socialization, entertainment, and spiritual uplift—have endured. Ultimately, this study concludes that while the Church’s approach to dance has adapted to societal change, its foundational intent has remained constant: to integrate body, mind, and spirit in ways that glorify God and strengthen the bonds of Zion.

In this presentation, I intend to show that while heavy metal and punk have both struggled with issues of reactionary cooptation and infiltration, their subcultural norms have meant different situations and thus differing responses to these moments of attempted or successful reactionary infiltration. Punk music and regional subcultures struggled with co-opt attempts from white power and skinhead movements, but white power and neonazi bands largely only found audiences within their respective reactionary movements. By contrast, black metal's reactionary issues start at the beginning of the genre, with neonazi ideology being represented by some of the largest voices in the scene. These differences provide insight into the cultures of the specific genre subcultures and how reactionary movements function. At times, reactionaries benefit from using popular music, including heavy metal and punk, to advance their sociopolitical goals. This paper presentation will additionally compare and contrast the responses to these attempts at cooptation, identifying acts of resistance and general discontent towards infiltration attempts.

Datura (Solanaceae) is a genus of potent hallucinogenic plants with diverse cultural use. Most of the cultural use of these plants have been as entheogens, giving the users unique hallucinogenic visions. Datura contains tropane alkaloids which are responsible for a variety of adverse side effects, including these psychoactive experiences, but can result in death with improper use. We predict that Datura species having high variation in tropane alkaloid composition will feature a corresponding increase in strict cultural use and taboo. To determine this, quantitative mass spectrometry and photospectrometry will be applied to compare scopolamine and atropine concentrations within separate organs of six different species of Datura. We expect to see a relationship between cultures using plants with high alkaloid variation having more strict taboos compared to more lax attitudes of using these plants in cultures with low levels of alkaloid variation. These results may demonstrate how cultural taboos may protect a society from potential harms during the use of plants in important cultural roles.

Major depressive disorder (MDD), or clinical depression, is a neuropsychiatric condition defined by states of depressed mood and other negative symptoms. MDD is influenced by complex genetic and environmental factors, which create variability in patient symptoms and outcomes. Patients diagnosed with MDD have higher risks of suicide, yet the biological mechanisms differentiating MDD patients with and without suicidal ideation remain unclear. This study aims to determine if gene expression of the different cell types in the brain will show distinct differences between MDD patients with suicidality and those without.

In this study, we profile 28 human prefrontal cortex (PFC) samples, using single-nucleus RNA-seq via the 10x platform. This results in over 190,000 cellular transcriptomic profiles, evenly divided between healthy control, MDD-no suicide, MDD-suicide, and suicide (no MDD diagnosis) conditions.

Our study has identified differentially expressed genes on both suicide and MDD axes across multiple cell types in the brain. Gene expression analysis identified consistent downregulation of IEGs and HSPs, particularly in inhibitory interneurons, confirmed by gene ontology analysis identifying decreased enrichment in protein stability terms, particularly in interneurons. In glia, we identified upregulation of inflammatory response and altered chromatin accessibility overlapping SNPs in the PER1 gene. Suicide-dependent alterations in interneurons include upregulation of NT and decreased BMP signaling, upregulated IEG activity, and downregulated KLF and SP transcription factor enrichment in interneurons. We also identified alterations in angiogenesis and downregulation of inflammatory responses in MDD-suicide patients relative to MDD-no suicide patients. Overall, a largely independent complex alteration of protein function is apparent on both MDD and suicide axes.

Lower Central America contains some of the highest freshwater fish diversity on the planet. Yet, species by species, we still know remarkably little about factors that have created this diversity and the threats that could put it at risk. The chiral livebearer (Xenophallus umbratilis) exemplifies these deficits. This freshwater livebearing fish species primarily occupies habitats along the fringe of large volcanoes in the central cordillera of Costa Rica. Previous work suggests that current populations have been isolated by repeated marine incursions beginning around 5 mya. Genetic data point to four putative clades that could be considered evolutionarily distinct. Unfortunately, beyond this we know little about adaptive evolution of demographically relevant traits among these clades, making it difficult to determine the conservation status of this species overall. Moreover, a recent IUCN assessment of this species was limited to only a portion of its geographic range and lacked population level information from many locations where it occurs. To address these gaps, here we describe the life history of this species, taken from 23 collections made across its geographic range from locations where this fish is locally abundant. This allowed us to determine if life history traits differ among populations coincident with known population structure. Despite long periods of isolation among clades, we found only modest evidence for divergence in life history phenotypes, and was limited to just two of the four clades. These data suggest that life history traits are mostly conserved among populations and could be used to inform future conservation planning.

Traits in an organism are shaped by interactions among its genome, its resident microbiota, and its diet. Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model for studying these interactions because both diet and microbial communities can be easily manipulated and their effects measured at the population level. Although diet strongly affects life-history traits, relatively little work has examined how naturally occurring diets, rather than standardized laboratory diets, influence the fly’s microbiome and phenotype. Natural diets matter because each substrate supports distinct microbial communities with the potential to alter host development and physiology.

To investigate how diet-driven microbial variation affects host traits, we reared D. melanogaster on twenty different naturally sourced diets and measured three key outcomes: development time, starvation resistance, and dry body weight. By comparing flies raised on diverse ecological substrates, this study aims to identify whether natural dietary variation produces measurable differences in these life-history traits and to clarify how diet and microbes jointly shape host biology.

Gooseberries (genus Ribes) are hyperdiverse in western North America, with 23 species occuring in or west of the Rocky Mountains. However, many of the species boundaries in this group remain poorly resolved. Accurate species delineation is necessary for effective conservation, making it critical to address these taxonomic uncertainties. This challenge is exemplified by the 'desert gooseberries' (Ribes series Microphylla), a group of visually similar taxa that are often confused for one another.

Taxonomists have traditionally used the trait of flower length to distinguish among these species; however, recent observations called this diagnostic trait into question. This study aimed to investigate the strength of these current identification techniques and develop new ones if needed. Extensive field collections were made of the target species and supplemented by loaned herbarium specimens. Morphological data was obtained from visual inspection and was tied to the geographic data of each specimen. Furthermore, nanopore sequencing was employed to generate DNA barcodes of the variable plastid markers matK, ITS-2, and ycf1-b region for a subset of the specimens, which was subsequently used to generate a phylogeny to further test these species boundaries.

Analysis revealed substantial overlap in the observed flower lengths of each putative species, indicating that current identification methods based solely on this trait are unreliable. Nonetheless, an integrative approach combining morphological, phenological, and geographic data consistently differentiated these taxa. Furthermore, our phylogenetic tree generated using our 3 combined barcodes shows a similar pattern to the morphological results in that there is significant overlap between desert gooseberries and the lineages in which they are resolved. Furthermore, there are numerous incongruencies between the morphological definition of the desert gooseberries and the phylogeny generated. Non yellow-flowered desert gooseberries are resolved in a clade sister to the yellow-flowered taxa, alongside the ‘true gooseberries’, and many gooseberries morphologically dissimilar to the yellow desert gooseberries are resolved nested deeply within them. These findings imply a relatively recent divergence for the desert gooseberries, and an evolutionary history where morphology does not tell the whole story. Our findings offer a more robust framework for delimiting desert gooseberry species, contributing to the recognition of a more defined taxonomy and supporting better-informed conservation efforts.

Individual animals can learn by observing or interacting with others through either vertical transmission from parent to offspring, horizontal transmission between individuals of the same generation, or oblique transmission between adults and unrelated individuals. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are known to develop novel foraging strategies unique to their specific habitats that are often transmitted through social learning, such as crater feeding in the Bahamas and strand feeding in South Carolina. Recently, novel shipside feeding was documented in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina where individual dolphins capture fish against the sides of anchored commercial shipping vessels. As observations of this behavior increase, it remains unclear how this behavior is learned and spreads throughout the population. To investigate, we conducted three five-day, boat-based dolphin surveys at five shipping terminals in the harbor during March 2024, March 2025, and August 2025. Our research vessel traveled along docked container ships within each terminal to video record and photograph shipside feeding events, identify dolphins present, and collect data on weather conditions. The dorsal fin photographs were later analyzed using a modified version of Darwin4, which outlined each fin, identified significant markings, and compared the outlined fin against a database to identify individual matches. We identified fifteen unique individuals performing shipside feeding behavior. Of these 15 individuals, three repeatedly performed shipside feeding within one week. We also documented juveniles performing the behavior in the presence of adults, suggesting juveniles may be learning the behavior from adults. Many individuals that perform shipside feeding are repeatedly sighted during population surveys (>5 times), which suggests that vertical transmission may be an important way in which novel behaviors can spread quickly within a social group.

Lactose can be hydrolyzed into Glucose and Galactose by β- galactosidase (lactase). Enzymatic reactions catalyzed by different lactase enzymes occur at different rates. Enzyme suppliers have their own expression of enzyme activity which makes it difficult to compare the kinetics of lactose hydrolysis. Therefore, there is a need to have a standardized protocol for determining enzyme activity. In this study we decided to use Lactase Activity Units (LAU) as a measure to compare enzyme activity. The LAU unit is defined as the amount of enzyme required to catalyze the conversion of 1 micromole of lactose into galactose in 1 minute. The lactase enzyme studied for this experiment is a commercial preparation derived from Kluyveromyces lactis (K. lactis) and Kluyveromyces fragilis (K. fragilis). Once LAU has been established for lactase enzyme, the degree of hydrolysis is assessed to ensure the enzyme has completed the conversion of Lactose into its products. The proposed method will allow for a more accurate dosage of lactase, minimizing waste of expensive lactase enzymes at an industrial scale and also accurately determining the kinetics of lactose hydrolysis.

The experimental setup involved a 5.2% lactose substrate in a PME (PPB-Mg-ethylenediaminetetraacetate) buffer at pH 6.6. The hydrolysis process was carried out at 30℃ for 10 minutes, followed by inactivation of the enzyme by heating mixture at 90°C for 1 minute. Samples were then frozen with liquid nitrogen and placed in a freezer until analysis for lactose and galactose content was done with the Megazyme Rapid assay lactose galactose kit (Megazyme, Ireland) and the spectrophotometer (Spectronic 200, Thermo Scientific, USA). The highest LAU was observed at an enzyme concentration of 0.4%. LAU decreased as the enzyme concentration increased, due to a lower substrate-to-enzyme ratio that limited the formation of enzyme-substrate complexes, leaving excess enzyme unused. After the LAU was determined, the Degree of Hydrolysis (DH) of lactose was investigated over a range of enzyme concentrations (0.4–8.0%). DH increased from 56% to 100% over 10 min as enzyme concentration increased from 0.4% to 2.0%. However, an enzyme concentration of >2.0% had no effect on DH. At a lower enzyme-to-substrate ratio, extent of hydrolysis was lower as compared to the higher enzyme-to-substrate. It is important to note that based upon time available for the enzymatic reaction, the quantity of enzyme should be optimized.

Background: Hospital emergency department visits in 2022 were over 155 million and have been increasing since 2000. In one study, 21% of all ED encounters ended in death. In 2006, emergency nurses’ perceptions of the largest obstacles and most helpful behaviors in end-of-life (EOL) care was published. The purpose of this study was to determine the most common current obstacles in EOL care and to evaluate whether meaningful changes have occurred since the data were first gathered.

Methods
A quantitative-qualitative mixed methods design was used. Mailed surveys using a 73item questionnaire were sent to a geographically dispersed national random sample of 1500 members of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). Descriptive statistics were calculated for the 56 Likert-type items and demographic items.

Results
Usable data were received from 279 subjects. Mean item scores ranged from 1.96 to 3.84. Nurses having too high workloads and having to deal with angry family members were the two largest current obstacles.

Sixteen of 31 obstacles have remained in the top 15 over time. Through use of an independent t-test, three obstacles mean scores significantly increased (became bigger obstacles) while five obstacles mean scores significantly decreased from 2006 to 2025.

Discussion
ED nurses often experience both burnout from heavy workloads and violent and aggressive patient behaviors. One in four ED nurses have experienced physical violence more than 20 times in three years. ED nurses desire more quality EOL education, find physicians who “over-predict” patient survival to be an obstacle to EOL care, and recognize the difficulty of knowing the patient’s prognosis before the family is informed.

While little has changed in the top 16 obstacles over time, smaller-rated obstacles that have decreased in size include nurses being more comfortable caring for dying patients, nurses believing that their opinions about patient care are valued, and nurses Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation who support more family members in the emergency rooms during resuscitations. Nurses also report more consideration in rejecting providing painful treatments to dying patients and find that physicians are more likely to allow patients to die from the disease process than in the past.

Conclusion
There has been little progress in addressing the largest EOL obstacle issues in EDs. High workloads and dealing with angry family members have remained the two largest obstacles for over 20 years. These findings have critical implications for practice and policy.

For centuries, military strategy texts such as The Art of War have influenced business thinking, yet most applications remain superficial, limited to metaphors such as “defending market share” or “attacking the competition.” This research moves beyond those analogies to examine the shared strategic logic that connects historical military campaigns with modern business tactics. It argues that the same principles that shaped victory or defeat on the battlefield continue to determine how firms gain or lose competitive advantage.

Current scholarship lacks detailed, case-based comparisons between military strategy and modern business strategy. This study fills that gap by pairing military and corporate cases with clear surface similarities. It then examines primary historical and business sources to determine whether the leaders in each case confronted comparable problems, made similar strategic choices, and achieved related outcomes. The goal is to identify the strategic logic guiding decisions in both contexts.

Initial findings indicate that strategic reasoning in war and business frequently aligns. For instance, the German advance through France in 1940 depended on speed, surprise, and coordinated logistics to overwhelm a larger opponent. Ryanair used the same principles during its rapid expansion in 1997, shocking incumbents by opening new routes with low costs and tight operational efficiency. Likewise, Napoleon’s leadership failures during the invasion of Russia closely parallel those that contributed to WeWork’s collapse in 2023. In both cases, overextension, mismanagement, and strategic inflexibility led to devastating losses. Similar patterns have been identified across four other military and business case pairings.

By demonstrating that military and business strategy draw from the same underlying logic, this research shows that historical military campaigns can serve as practical models for modern strategic decision-making. Business leaders do not need to rely solely on contemporary corporate examples when developing new strategies. They can expand their strategic toolkit by studying the patterns, successes, and failures of past military leaders who faced similar challenges. Overall, this research enables business practitioners to more effectively identify ways of gaining competitive advantage.

Within the Emmy nominated show, ”Arcane”, their government is depicted as a ‘Counsel’ who decides everything within that society. Whether it be law or just simple things like trading or trade routes. With this, I plan on going into the harm this causes their “City of Progress”— Piltover. The city has become divided, being split by the river and bridge between. This division can be clearly seen within our own government and society with a strong divide between the rich and poor. Shown with things like recent cuts to beneficial plans and systems like SNAP benefits. In the show the government is biased against its poverty stricken under-city and the people who live in it, similar to how there is a bias against the impecunious citizens of our own country and our people as a whole. This separation and neglect from the upper city and counsel is what allows it to be flooded with a drug called “Shimmer”. This is similar to neglectful government systems in the real world, where drug lords are able to take advantage in order to take control. Things like smuggling and theft are things also shown in the show that reflect issues that arise from a corrupt or indifferent government.

The actions the counsel takes, like creating a shutdown on the bridge that connects the cities, all create a hostile environment and an unfavorable opinion. This can all tie into how we live and interact as both a species and a society. If we can use and evaluate the bad choices made by the government of Piltover, we can apply this to our everyday life and to the actions we make as a society. Through this, we can also take a look at how the public views and reacts to the choices made by their government. We can alter our choices and views towards our own government, and in turn we can understand how even small choices can affect the mass population.

Literature like this can help to give an insight into how governmental beings and population interact with each other. Along with the harm that is created when poor decisions are made. Looking through these lenses can help us create a better future for ourselves and our neighbors.

How do corporate proxy statements communicate risk through their language, and can these disclosures be quantified to reveal patterns in governance transparency? This study investigates whether linguistic tone, complexity, and novelty in SEC DEF 14A filings the definitive proxy statements sent to shareholders reflect shifts in corporate risk communication and regulatory attention. The purpose is to create a transparent, reproducible framework that converts unstructured narrative text into analyzable data for accounting and information systems research. Using a Python-only workflow, we retrieved and processed more than 128,000 DEF 14A filings from 2005–2025 (partial). Each filing was parsed into canonical sections such as Executive Compensation, Board Governance, and Shareholder Proposals. Three complementary linguistic measures were then applied: (1) Readability via the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) to assess linguistic complexity; (2) Sentiment using FinBERT, a finance-domain transformer that classifies positive, negative, and neutral tone; and (3) Novelty using MiniLM sentence embeddings to measure year-over-year semantic change. Section-level results were aggregated with a length-weighted operator to produce a composite Risk Index that increases when filings are simultaneously more complex, more negative, and more novel. Statistical validation linked higher Risk Index values to modestly lower short-window market returns, suggesting investors interpret linguistic risk as economic risk. Results reveal that proxy-statement narratives have become steadily more complex and risk-aware over the past two decades, especially in Audit Committee and Pay Ratio Disclosure sections. The reproducible dataset and methodology demonstrate how unstructured regulatory text can become structured, verifiable evidence in accounting information systems. This work supports both scholarly inquiry and classroom instruction by showing how large-scale text analytics extend the AIS research agenda from numerical data to linguistic behavior. The project reframes the DEF 14A filing from a compliance document into an empirical window on corporate accountability illustrating how data science enhances transparency in financial reporting and governance.

U.S. healthcare organizations spend over $300 billion annually on administrative functions such as coding, billing, and documentation—cost drivers that contribute to inefficiency, claim denials, and staff burnout. Manual ICD/CPT coding remains particularly burdensome, while rule-based automation fails to interpret the unstructured clinical text that dominates medical documentation. This research synthesizes 20 years of empirical and industry evidence (2006–2025) to evaluate how natural language processing (NLP) and AI-assisted coding improve administrative efficiency, accuracy, and revenue cycle performance compared with manual and robotic process automation (RPA) workflows.

Findings across 10 core studies show that AI-assisted systems achieve coding accuracies between 87% and 99% and F1-scores up to 0.869—matching or surpassing human coders in nine of ten trials. Quantitative efficiency gains include average time savings of 75 seconds per record, a 46% reduction in coding time for lengthy notes, and processing speeds as fast as 0.1 seconds per operative note. Financially, AI implementations have reduced staffing needs (e.g., 34 coders reduced to 7 verifiers) and improved billing precision, first-pass yield, and claim acceptance rates, implying downstream revenue-cycle gains. Broader literature on administrative AI reports cost savings between 39.8% and 79.6% and workload reductions up to tenfold in document-heavy tasks such as claims processing, documentation, and abstract review.

However, challenges persist: integration with legacy EHRs, incomplete or biased training data, limited code coverage, and the need for human oversight constrain generalizability. Most studies lack explicit ROI data or standardized financial reporting, highlighting a research gap in quantifying economic outcomes.

This study contributes a structured framework to assess AI’s role as a “force multiplier” in healthcare administration—shifting coders and billers from manual entry to auditing and quality assurance. By analyzing implementation factors such as integration depth, oversight models, and coder trust, it identifies key levers for sustainable ROI and workforce transformation. Ultimately, AI-assisted medical coding represents not a replacement for human expertise but an accelerant toward more efficient, accurate, and financially resilient healthcare systems.

Accurate respiratory monitoring is essential for understanding performance, fatigue, and metabolic demands during endurance sports. However, traditional tools such as metabolic carts are bulky, expensive, and impractical outside laboratory settings. This project aims to determine whether a portable, low-cost system can provide real-time respiratory insights suitable for athletic training and future metabolic assessment.

We are developing an integrated platform consisting of:
(1) a 3D-printed passive airflow mask,
(2) an embedded sensing and processing module, and
(3) a mobile application for real-time visualization.

The mask is designed in Fusion 360 to support natural airflow while routing inhaled and exhaled air through internal channels connected to a differential pressure sensor. Its dual-layer structure incorporates modular chambers for oxygen, carbon-dioxide, and airflow sensors, as well as power management and a microcontroller. This modular design supports future expansion toward full Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER) measurement in the field.

The embedded module uses an ESP32-based system to measure airflow and extract key respiratory metrics, including respiration rate, tidal-volume estimates, peak inspiratory and expiratory flow, and minute ventilation. These data are transmitted via Bluetooth Low Energy to a custom mobile app that displays live waveforms, numerical summaries, and session logs.

Our first prototype, built on a modified CPAP mask with a bolt-mounted sensor chamber, demonstrated that the AeroSense system can reliably perform real-time respiratory monitoring. Oxygen data streamed stably over Bluetooth, and calibrated airflow measurements clearly captured inhalation–exhalation cycles. The ESP32 processed and transmitted signals with low latency, and mechanical testing confirmed good facial sealing and proper airflow routing. The mobile app provided smooth visualization, calibration support, and data logging. Together, these results verify that the full AeroSense hardware–software pipeline functions cohesively and is ready for further refinement.

Full system evaluation will involve controlled athlete testing with structured breathing tasks and exercise sessions, using laboratory-grade measurements for validation. AeroSense outputs—including oxygen concentration, carbon-dioxide concentration, respiration rate, airflow waveform shape, and tidal-volume estimates—will be compared with metabolic cart measurements to assess accuracy and consistency. These biometrics will help quantify system performance and establish the foundation for accurate, wearable RER assessment.

This work aims to deliver a reliable, field-deployable respiratory monitoring platform that integrates lightweight hardware, embedded processing, and seamless mobile visualization—advancing toward a fully wearable RER monitoring system for real-world athletic coaching.

Sustainable materials have gained attention as a part of a shift to a circular economy. Mycelium-based materials (MBMs) show potential as a sustainable replacement for some conventional, waste-generating materials. However, the difference in methodological practice and theoretical understanding between engineering and biological disciplines inhibits faster development and adoption of these materials. This review highlights how integrating cross-disciplinary insights can clarify the link between growth mechanisms and mechanical performance in MBMs, demonstrating how a complete conceptual understanding can inform experimental design. The biological nature of mycelium-based materials necessitates control of environmental factors during growth to ensure reproducible results. For example, sterile techniques must be practiced to minimize contamination by foreign microorganisms. Additionally, the sensitivity of MBMs to small environmental variations can complicate experimental reproducibility and the isolation of specific outcomes. Despite these challenges, the biological system offers opportunities to leverage underlying mechanisms to enhance material properties for engineering design. Integrating experimental methods with current understanding of biological mechanisms serves to identify key factors to control and explore in the production of MBMs. Additionally, testing procedures must be adapted to account for the inherent nonhomogeneity of the material. This review examines MBM characterization techniques across several disciplines to discuss the limitations of monodisciplinary analysis and identify opportunities for more comprehensive research. Cross-disciplinary understanding and methodological adaptation are essential to advancing MBMs as viable alternatives for conventional materials. Integrating cross-disciplinary research enables a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms governing mycelial growth in MBMs, facilitating faster advancement of this sustainable material than would be possible through a single disciplinary approach.

The ionic conductivity of polycrystalline ceramics is an important property when designing solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), where a higher conductivity improves SOFC performance. Grain boundaries (GBs) tend to have lower ionic conductivity than a ceramic’s bulk material, often by several orders of magnitude; however, different GBs have different conductivity values. Ionic conductivity is derived from impedance data measured through Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Conventional (macroscopic) EIS measurements can only calculate an effective impedance from all the GBs and are therefore insufficient for determining the conductivity of a specific GB.

In contrast, Microcontact EIS (or micro EIS) can determine the impedance of a single GB. In micro EIS, probes are placed on a pair of small, electrically conductive contact sites located to either side of the GB under examination. However, it is more difficult to characterize conductivity with micro EIS because as contact size decreases, the impedance increases; this causes electrical signals to decrease and be overcome by noise. Conductivity can be increased by elevating sample temperature and using larger contacts, but contacts must remain small enough so that they are not intersected by GBs. A deeper understanding of how the parameters of sample temperature and contact size affect conductivity would make this technique more accessible to researchers trying to study conductivity in individual GBs.

We investigate the threshold for conductivity above which micro EIS measurements have a sufficient signal to noise ratio and reliably yield data comparable to that obtained using macroscopic EIS. To do this, we perform micro EIS on monocrystalline cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) using a range of contact sizes and temperatures. By using a monocrystalline sample, we measure only the bulk impedance of 8YSZ. By looking at just the bulk impedance, we can ignore the variable effects of different GBs on the overall impedance, and compare conductivity values gathered in this way to values gathered through macroscopic EIS.

We anticipate that these results will serve as a guide for determining experimental parameters in micro EIS. Researchers that know the approximate conductivity of the material they study can find ranges for contact size and temperature that are (a) compatible with their experimental and sample setup, and (b) above the conductivity threshold for accurate measurements. Making this technique more accessible to the scientific community will lead to better understanding of GB ionic conductivity, which in turn will enable design of high-performance SOFCs.

Lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries offer high energy density, low cost, and abundant raw materials, making them promising for next-generation energy storage. However, Li-S batteries are not widespread due to capacity fading during use, a challenge primarily attributed to the polysulfide shuttling effect. Polysulfides are lithium-sulfur chains within the electrolyte of the form, Li2Sn, where n varies from 2 to 8. During battery operation, dissolved polysulfides in the electrolyte and repeatedly form and break down by a combination of chemical reactions in the bulk and redox reactions at electrode interfaces. Unchecked, these redox reactions deplete charge in the battery and accelerate battery chemical degradation, reducing battery life. The goal of this research is to improve understanding of the chemical processes contributing to electrolyte degradation in Li-S batteries through in situ monitoring of polysulfide formation, reactions, and transport.

To study the formation of polysulfides in electrolyte we used Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) spectroscopy. FTIR, a technique that measures the absorption of infrared light by the chemical bonds present in a solution, enables quantitative tracking of polysulfide species, as it tracks how bonds are changing over time. This experiment aimed to monitor polysulfide formation and determine the mechanism and rate of polysulfide formation. Solutions were prepared using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent with added lithium sulfide (Li2S) and sulfur (S8) to create polysulfides within the solution. These solutions were then mixed for several days and tested on the ATR at set time intervals.

Data analytics were applied to analyze the time-dependent FTIR-ATR spectra. Using previously established reference spectra, changes in absorption peaks were compared to chemical shifts associated individual polysulfide chain lengths. Through the time varied test, we noticed a shift in the spectra that showed polysulfide chain lengths were initially forming with long sulfur chains (Li2S8) and progressively moving to shorter chain lengths as the solution mixed and was allowed to reach equilibrium. Tracking the rate of formation of individual polysulfide species was also used to determine rates of formation. Through quantitative, time-dependent measurements of polysulfide formation this study contributes to the development of predictive models for Li-S battery function. Overall, this work supports the advancement of LiS batteries, enabling more stable, efficient energy storage systems.

Efficient management is essential for large venues where real-time visitor data is often unavailable. This lack of information leads to many issues that reduce visitor satisfaction and operational efficiency. Existing crowd management solutions fall short, as they provide limited insight into visitor movement patterns. To address these issues, our team is developing an RFID-based tracking system that enables real-time visitor location monitoring. Our system aims to provide venues with data-driven insights to improve visitors’ experiences and optimize resource allocation.

This system uses low-cost RFID wristbands, which interact with strategically placed sensors. As visitors pass by, their locations are updated in a database, allowing venue operators to identify high-traffic areas and visitor movement patterns, manage staffing effectively, give current wait times, and provide recommendations to visitors based on trends. The historical data collected can also be used to refine future resource planning and layout.

We are developing a small-scale prototype using open-source hardware, including a development board, RFID reader, and antenna, allowing for flexible testing and adjustments. Our initial tests focus on determining read ranges, sensor angles, data accuracy to ensure reliable tracking, and effective data analysis with the proposed software. Further development will include housing durability to protect components from environmental factors, critical for outdoor and high-traffic applications. Data will be stored in a SQL database, processed by a Flask-based backend, and displayed as a heat map. This user-friendly interface will enable real-time feedback on crowd distribution and wait times, helping operators and visitors make informed decisions.

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Microplastic contamination is an emerging concern with potential health and ecological implications. Due to their minuscule size and mobility, microplastics have been found in even the most remote and protected locations. Despite their limited contact with surface elements, subterranean environments are exposed to plastics from surface water, air and human visitation. Even though they are protected environments, human visitation is expected to increase plastic pollution and may pose a threat to caves, as microplastics entering cave systems can be trapped and preserved in the rock formations. The Timpanogos cave system is a National Monument managed by the United States National Park Service. The cave system is composed of three caves linked by artificial tunnels and hosts multiple ranger-guided tours each day from May through October. In this study, microplastic pollution was quantified in subterranean water samples to determine whether microplastics are infiltrating these caves and identify the mechanisms behind their movement. The research project focuses on atmospheric sampling and seasonal sampling of the lakes to offer distinct perspectives on how microplastics enter the lakes via water or air.

Fourier Scatter Imaging (FSI) has proven to be an innovative tool for measuring particle size. This research incorporates Fourier optics into a scatter imaging system with the addition of an off-axis pathway in a Fourier Scatter Microscope. The system uses 0.55 numerical aperture (NA) long working distance objectives that provide angular resolution over +/- 33.4° in the forward direction and 90° +/- 33.4° in the off-axis direction. This setup enables simultaneous capture of axial and off-axis scatter signals using a shared camera, significantly enhancing the angular scattering measurement capabilities. The system is calibrated using a diffraction grating, which provides a well-defined angular reference for analyzing scatter functions. This proof-of-principle system demonstrates the potential for improvements in scattering image resolution. Future iterations will incorporate long working distance objectives with larger NAs (up to 0.90), expanding angular measurements across a range of 218° (from -64° through 154°). The increased angular coverage is expected to enhance the system's ability to measure scatter changes in human cells by incorporating flow cytometry into the system.

As Brigham Young University’s board is composed of general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, all humanitarian efforts by those at BYU are inseparably connected to the Church. When coordinating efforts between two organizations like this, it is impossible to achieve true synergy if they do not deeply understand the motivations and history of the other. Thus, it is crucial to have a clear grasp on the Church's history regarding caring for those in need. This literature review condenses and adds onto previous summaries of the Church’s humanitarian aid by incorporating the first instructions about caring for the poor and needy as recorded in ancient scripture, as well as by adding on an overview of the last 30 years of the Church’s history and programs.

In this review it is found that throughout the history of the world, God has always instructed His people to care for those in need. However, what this looked like has changed over the years. For example, in the early 1830’s it took the form of the United Order, then tithing and self-sufficiency, and finally in 1936 the official establishment of the Welfare Plan of the Church. The world began to take notice of the Church's efforts to care for others after WWII when the Church was able to send large amounts of supplies to their suffering Saints in Europe. However, despite years of collaboration with different aid entities like the Red Cross, it wasn't until the famine in Ethiopia in 1985 that the Church began to have a humanitarian aid program. Finally, in 1996 LDS Charities was officially established as the humanitarian aid arm of the Church and since then has expanded to have relief efforts in many different areas, the latest being its Global Women and Children's Initiative. Now, with its worldwide reach, those who have never heard the Church's name may still be blessed by its efforts.

In our research we have made an effort to state only the facts, backed by citations, but have kept it simple and clear enough to be easily digestible. Our research provides a general understanding of how the efforts of the Church to care for those in need have evolved to be where they are now.

Religious disaffiliation is one of the fastest-growing social trends in the United States, especially among younger generations (Kramer, Hackett, & Beveridge, 2022). Within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), missionary service is a highly emphasized practice designed to strengthen faith and promote lifelong religious commitment, yet many returned missionaries later disengage from or leave the Church. This paradox raises important sociological questions about whether intensive religious service may, in some cases, act as a catalyst for disaffiliation. While research has explored the high demands of LDS life (Allen & Wang, 2014) and the impact of missionary service (Thomas & Thomas, 1990), little research has directly examined the connection between missionary service and subsequent departure from the LDS Church. This study utilizes a grounded theory approach with qualitative methods, conducting interviews with 20 to 40 individuals, or until saturation is achieved, of varying genders, ages, and backgrounds who have served full-time missions for the LDS Church and have since disaffiliated. By examining the lived experiences of returned missionaries who disaffiliate, this study aims to identify themes in how they narrate their service, assess the role missionary work plays in shaping faith transitions, and contribute to sociological understandings of religious disaffiliation, religious commitment, institutional authority, and obedience. Preliminary findings suggest that full-time missionary service itself is not the primary cause of individuals’ dissatisfaction but rather one contributing factor. Participants consistently identified the main reason for their disaffiliation as a discrepancy between their personal identity and the teachings of the Church, a conflict that often became apparent during or after missionary service and ultimately led them to disaffiliate. This research has the potential to provide valuable insights into the processes that shape religious disaffiliation and to deepen our understanding of faith transitions following intensive missionary service.

Personal beliefs about God shape how people perceive life experiences. In early life, children often develop religious beliefs with parents, which facilitate social connections. Belief in God is one of the most common beliefs and a relationship with God may develop when people consistently exercise their belief through actions such as prayer or meditation. (Beck & McDonald, 2004). Attachment to God (ATG) is characterized by anxiety, when people are preoccupied with their relationship or especially reliant on God; or avoidance, when people view God as distant or controlling and may feel uncomfortable being emotional with, or dependent on God (Granqvist et al., 2012). Attributes of ATG parallel the attachment infants form with their primary caregivers (Bowlby et al., 1992; Bowlby, 1979) along dimensions of anxiety and avoidance (Fraley et al., 2000; Rowatt & Kirkpatrick, 2002). Attachment security depends on whether or not people received consistent and warm caregiving in childhood (Fraley et al., 2013), which facilitates social relationships throughout the lifespan (Bowlby, 1979). However, when emotional and physical needs are not consistently met in early life, people may form an insecure attachment, characterized by anxiety and avoidance—especially when they experience abuse, neglect, and loss (Bowlby, 1969). Abuse, neglect, separation, and loss in childhood are classified as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). High scores on ACEs are associated with greater attachment insecurity in adulthood (Murphy et al., 2014). People who have multiple ACEs are also more likely to seek a relationship with God when in distress and may be more likely to have an insecure adult attachment (Thomson et al., 2025). However, there is little research examining associations between ACES, attachment to God, and adult parental attachment. We hypothesize that higher ACEs will predict greater attachment anxiety or avoidance toward God, which in turn will predict greater adult parental attachment insecurity. Participants (n = 351) completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale (Felitti, 1998), the Attachment to God Inventory (Beck & McDonald, 2004), and the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-RS; Fraley, 2011) scales. Regression analyses indicated ACEs and ATG are significant predictors of attachment avoidance with mother and father, and ACES significantly predict attachment anxiety with mothers and fathers.

From 2011 to 2013, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was thrown into the national spotlight. With Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and the Book of Mormon Musical being performed on Broadway, mentions of the church skyrocketed, with them even launching the “I’m a Mormon” campaign. Taking this amplified presence into mind, the research question formed was how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was represented in the media by major newspapers from 2011 to 2013.

The research was conducted by analyzing articles written by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Saint Louis Post-Dispatch. This consisted of using a 1 to 5 point scale to determine whether an article portrayed the church in a negative or positive light respectively. Two graders independently scored articles to ensure accuracy. If scores differed, a discussion between graders would ensue to discuss an appropriate score.

Overall, the church was viewed as slightly negative with the majority of articles only briefly mentioning the church. Romney’s presidential campaign brought a great deal of awareness to the church’s practices but often had casted it as an outlier to Evangelicals, Protestants, and Catholics. Part of these reasons included ties between Romney’s family history and polygamy in the church. This slightly negative portrayal was especially evident during the end of Romney’s political campaign but were far less prevalent when he was not running. However, articles involving The Book of Mormon musical, despite the musical itself making light of the church, focused primarily on the success the musical had and resultantly gave a positive outlook of the church.

The time period from when the Nazi Party took over Germany to the end of the war in the European theater has left a shadow of infamy and warning. As I researched I found an overarching development of dehumanization that occurred in Nazi Germany, leaving questions about how far a population would go when the enemy is no longer human. This paper will trace the events that took place in Nazi Germany, especially what led to the outcast of the subgroups chosen, as Hitler took power leading to what would become known as the “Final Solution” which left in its wake a common trait of the “victimizer establishing dominance and control over victims by making them weak and helpless. Those individuals who are weak and helpless are more easily killed” (Gabel, 2021). The Nazis did this through tactics such as the legalization of violence, propaganda, state-sponsored partisan youth education programs, acts of mass violence such as Kristallnacht and the Night of Long Knives, and the erasure of culture through book burning and arson of synagogues (USHMM). The laws passed at the Nuremberg Rally lawfully ruled Jewish people and other minority groups to be stripped of citizenship contributing to perceptions of being sub-human. The combination of these factors justified the rationale of dehumanization that led to millions of people to find themselves in concentration camps, families erased, and for some, the only proof of their existence being their shoes they were stripped of at the gates. The saga of Nazi Germany, though officially over, never left those affected; the dehumanization leaves a harrowing shadow of influence over those groups but also a warning of how easily a person can fall into group think even if the goal is the complete erasure of ethnicities and cultures.

Relationships are essential to well-being, yet relationships involving a person diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are often destabilized by the relational and emotional dysregulation associated with the disorder. BPD is characterized by a pervasive instability in affect, self-image, and interpersonal functioning. People diagnosed with BPD have intense, rapidly shifting emotional states, chronic feelings of emptiness, and an unstable sense of self which affect social interactions. Relational instability in BPD is compounded by impulsive behaviors, including recurrent self-harm and suicidal gestures, contributing to a volatile relationship. The link between BPD and relational difficulty stems from formative experiences in childhood. Attachment, rooted in early caregiving experiences, provides a template for expectations and behaviors in close relationships. When caregivers are simultaneously a source of comfort and fear, disorganized attachment develops. Inconsistent or invalidating experiences with caregivers, promotes a core-approach-avoidance pattern. This often leads to substantial difficulties when BPD features—especially fear of abandonment—interfere with a partner’s perceived availability. This conflict is marked by an intense desire for closeness (holding on) coupled with an intense fear of rejection and abandonment (pushing away). The resulting emotional turmoil translates into partners being alternately idealized and then suddenly criticized or distanced (devaluation), causing confusion and emotional exhaustion. Chronic cycles of idealization, devaluation, and dissolution of romantic partnerships are characteristic of BPD and disorganized attachment. This study synthesizes the literature on BPD and adult romantic attachment, examining how the characteristic push and pull dynamic of BPD is a direct manifestation of early life experiences and disorganized attachment. The current review evaluates the literature on parenting and adverse childhood experiences, attachment styles, dimensions of attachment, romantic relationship experiences, and BPD. It is hypothesized that harsh parenting, Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale, disorganized attachment, attachment anxiety, and avoidance will be associated with relationship experiences and symptoms of BPD. Participants will complete the Behavioral Affecting Rating Scale to assess parenting, the Relationship Questionnaire to assess attachment style, the Relationship Structures questionnaire to assess attachment anxiety and avoidance, the Relationship States Scales to assess thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in relationships, and the Borderline Symptom List. Data will be analyzed using Pearson’s correlations and multiple regression, and the results will be presented. This study will extend the literature on BPD and disorganized attachment by simultaneously evaluating the relative contributions of parenting, ACES, and romantic relationship experiences to attachment and BPD.

After over 50 years of applying the laws established during The War on Drugs, the United States is no closer to solving the nation’s drug problems. Addiction and drug crime rates have reached an all time high in the last decade as a result of the ongoing Opioid Crisis. Racial inequality continues to highlight the weaknesses in drug law enforcement. Meanwhile, mass incarceration commandeers an unjustifiably large portion of the Justice System’s precious resources. Mandatory minimums, or sentencing guidelines requiring a baseline prison sentence for possessing and selling a certain drug, are no closer to reducing these societal harms than at their inception in 1971. This paper traces the origins of mandatory minimum sentencing from Prohibition to the present day and explores the ongoing shortcomings of these laws. The final question then becomes: “How can drug laws be more equitable and efficient?” With the addition of international perspectives with similar drug problems, the avenue of selective legalization and expansion of social welfare may provide the answer.

Noise pollution has become a growing concern in urban areas because of its impact on health, comfort, and daily life. Recent studies have shown that noise in urban environments strongly correlates with irritability and startle responses among pedestrians (Montes González et al., 2023). While traffic related noise may not always reach hazardous levels, research suggests that much like secondhand smoke, excessive ambient noise is not just an annoyance but a serious public health concern. It can lead to hearing loss, disrupt sleep, interfere with communication, and contribute to cardiovascular disease through stress responses in the autonomic and neuroendocrine systems (Fink, 2019). Sound exposure on the UVU Pedestrian Bridge could be affecting users in various ways, from impact on hearing to increased stress levels. Limited research has examined how much additional noise users experience due to the use of headphones/earbuds. In addition, the noise interferes with bicycle bells to alert pedestrians to cyclists moving around them. This project aims to understand the noise impact based on what users do while crossing the bridge and their awareness of the sound levels.

This research examines pedestrians' awareness, perceptions, and reactions to noise while crossing the UVU pedestrian bridge. To explore how awareness and behaviors influence overall walking experience, we designed an anonymous survey that includes questions on noise awareness and reactions, bridge usage patterns, and demographic information. Data collection is currently in progress; so far, 342 responses have been gathered, and we expect to complete data collection by December. Once finalized, ANOVA will be used to compare differences among groups, and multiple regression will examine relationships between noise awareness, behavioral responses, and demographic variables. This study will examine whether pedestrians who report higher awareness of sound also display different behavioral responses, such as wearing headphones or earbuds, walking at a faster pace, or choosing to avoid the bridge during peak traffic hours. Our research aligns with the Utah Pedestrian Safety Action Plan of 2020, in which they emphasize creating safe and comfortable spaces for individuals of all ages and abilities. By analyzing perception and behavior, this research aims to contribute to future design, safety, and educational improvements that will enhance pedestrian comfort and reduce the impact of noise in daily walking environments.