http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/ucrhonors/rss Recent eScholarship items from University Honors Fri, 15 May 2026 08:53:42 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/45z9f5nm Annotated Bibliographies of Hugh Falconer and Henry Hayden's Works on the Geological and Paleontological History of the Indian Subcontinent https://escholarship.org/uc/item/45z9f5nm Fri, 12 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Steele, Amy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9jd3s9km “If you truly wish to understand the present... you must begin in the past” (Mr. Hunham, The Holdovers). As an institute for higher learning, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) has been a strong proponent of this idea ever since it formally opened its doors in 1954 during the early years of the Cold War, a time when many feared that the actions of both past and present would render our future uninhabitable. Despite this bleak outlook, UCR began operation just the same and has continued ever since. However, one might expect that they were well prepared should the feared red dawn ever encroach on the horizon. It was common for the time to put protocols into place in the event of an imminent nuclear strike, specifically geared towards methods of survival which all begin and end with shelter. That could mean the basement in a house, bottom floor of an office building, or a state-of-the-art bomb shelter built specifically to house all immediate students and faculty. If the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9jd3s9km Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Crochet, Anthony https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9z73996d Nitrile functional groups (CN) are prevalent in pharmaceuticals, bioactive compounds, and materials. However, conventional methods for incorporating nitrile groups often require toxic cyanide sources. In response to this, alternative cyanide sources have been developed, although many alternatives form toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN) during workup or in situ. Herein we report a novel method for cyanation utilizing benzonitriles as non-toxic cyanide donors enabled by nickel (Ni) catalysis for the formation of new C-CN bonds. This work describes the activation of cyclopropyl ketones which undergo tandem ring-opening cyanation to yield δ-Keto Nitriles. Optimization of this reaction is achieved through fine tuning the reaction conditions, including substrate variations and screening of ligands to maximize yield and selectivity. Additional research is required to gain mechanistic insights, which will be pursued through kinetic studies and synthesis of key reaction intermediates. Improved... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9z73996d Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Loper, Madison D https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9tx4k074 Introduction: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is historically underdiagnosed in Black populations, in part due to symptom misattribution and diagnostic frameworks centered around White patient presentations. This disparity can lead to delayed diagnoses, mismanagement of symptoms, and poorer health outcomes in racially marginalized groups. Methods: This study investigates racial disparities in the diagnosis of CF using the TriNetX clinical informatics platform, with a focus on examining symptom differences, comorbid disease patterns, and treatment administration between Black and White patients. Our analysis compares CF symptoms across racial groups but also evaluates how co-occurring conditions and medication use differ between populations, offering a broader perspective on how systemic biases affect disease recognition and management.Using the TriNetX platform, we built two cohorts: Black patients with CF and White patients with CF, matched by age and sex where possible. We extracted and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9tx4k074 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Khan, Manahil https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9tt963mz In the digital era, the role of CEOs extends beyond the boardroom into the area of social media, where leadership authenticity and trust are shaped by online self-presentation. This study explores how personal and professional content shared on platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn influences public perceptions of CEOs' authenticity and trustworthiness. Using the Authentic Leadership Theory (ALT) and the Multidimensional Trust Model (MDMT) as analytical frameworks, the study evaluates five prominent CEOs through participant surveys based on real social media posts. The survey was conducted with 100 participants who evaluated five high-profile CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Kempczinski, Jim Farley, Albert Bourla, and David Solomon, based on their real Instagram and LinkedIn posts. Each CEO’s content was balanced with personal and professional pictures, and participants rated them across seven theoretical traits. Results reveal that David Solomon was perceived as the most authentic... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9tt963mz Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Valencia, Alondra https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9rg853r9 Despite the implementation of programs like the No Child Left Behind Act, it is evident that students are still struggling to keep up with school through literacy rates and carry a noticeable disinterestedness towards their school work. I propose that the curriculum is unrelatable for students and is therefore a deterrent to completing schoolwork. This project investigates student reception of the texts assigned to them. By focusing on what books are assigned to a specific grade level in their English course, I came to my ultimate research question. Do the texts assigned to 11th graders in southern California accurately reflect their audiences? To find the answer to this question I performed a close reading of each text myself and conducted a literature review that focused on student reactions to books and why. I found that students actually did find the books relatable to an extent but credited this to lesson plans and what are meant to be universal themes. Ultimately, I concluded... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9rg853r9 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Mancilla, Kayla I https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9qd0383v Within the Chinese American community, the art of embroidery is often valued as a way of forging one’s connections with Chinese history and culture. As a form of traditional textile craftsmanship, the knowledge of embroidery is often passed down through generations within a family. How does the act of creating a work of embroidery–which is, afterall, simply a piece of cloth–instigate the process of constructing one’s lineage and cultural identity? This project investigates the various aspects of embroidery–its technique, materiality, and design–in order to understand how the embroiderer’s choices in the process of embroidering dictates and shapes the meaning of the resulting work. The Chinese American embroiderer often chooses the type of stitch, material of the fabric, and the pattern to create an artwork with the specific intentions of portraying and constructing one’s own cultural identity. In this project, I demonstrated the power of embroidery and captured its cultural significance... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9qd0383v Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Du, Justine https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9nn1j8gw 71% of healthcare providers prioritize patient engagement, merely 29% of patients rate their providers highly in this regard, highlighting a significant gap in the patient-physician connection (CWD Healthcare). To bridge this divide and improve healthcare outcomes, it is imperative to address education around the patient-physician connection through medical education. Medical institutions should emphasize the importance of addressing region-specific inequities and diverse patient needs with compassion and perspective (Curricula for Empathy and Compassion Training in Medical Education). These skills would be taught through interactive learning modules and applied in real-world opportunities. For this project, modules will be based on the regional disparities of the Inland Empire, such as food insecurity, air pollution, and mental health (Prevention Institute). To explore medical student and patient satisfaction, gathering feedback through surveys is crucial to analyzing the need... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9nn1j8gw Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Sonekar, Shruti https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9j25p8ng Many studies have shown that people have greater memory capacity for images that are meaningful to us. For instance, car experts have greater memory for cars compared to non-experts, and the same is true for expert radiologists. Investigating memory in experts who examine medical images has been particularly useful for better understanding the structure and capacity of memory from a theoretical standpoint, and identifying the cognitive mechanisms that guide a successful search for an abnormality. Many errors in medical imaging are perceptual, and investigating memory and other cognitive processes in experts may help shed light on why these errors occur. Research in understanding memory in medical experts has been largely limited to radiologists analyzing medical images within their domain of expertise. Medical physicists are experts who are a critical part of evaluating medical images, and the cognitive mechanisms that support their work is largely unknown. The focus of this study... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9j25p8ng Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Rahman, Zubair https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9df7d43p This capstone explores beautyism, lookism, and discrimination based on your physical appearance and attractiveness. It shapes and changes your identity, social treatment, and interactions with institutions. It extracts information from historical, scientific, and cultural perspectives. The evolution of beauty standards traces back from ancient civilizations to modern media and focuses on its three main aspects: height, weight, and facial attractiveness. It analyzes current research, media, and legal frameworks, and the capstone project shows how beauty bias affects mental health, professional opportunities, and social inclusion. The capstone also provides information on how beautyism interacts with race, gender identity, and socioeconomic status, which compound on each other, causing widespread impact of inequality. Despite this widespread impact, much of beautyism is still unknown and remains largely unchallenged by our existing laws and social norms. This capstone tackles how... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9df7d43p Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Cifuentes, Brayan B https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9ck9g2cj This research paper explores the intersection of higher education, reentry, and criminal justice reform through a close examination of Project RISE (Raising Scholars), an initiative at Santa Ana College that supports formerly incarcerated students. Drawing from personal narratives, institutional data, and scholarly literature, the paper argues that access to education is a transformative and essential tool for reducing recidivism, challenging systemic inequality, and promoting personal and societal healing. The study situates Project RISE within broader trends in restorative justice and reentry support, highlighting how the program provides emotional, academic, and vocational resources while fostering a culture of dignity and belonging. It also critically examines the punitive roots of the U.S. prison system and how educational institutions can serve as sites of redemption and reintegration. By elevating the voices of justice-impacted individuals and emphasizing the ripple effects... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9ck9g2cj Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Fernandez, Melani https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9c1760tr This study investigates the self-perceived factors that influence stress levels felt by bioengineering students as they progress through their education at an R1, minority serving institution. Anonymous surveys of 218 bioengineering students were conducted across six different cohorts. Fifth and sixth year students were omitted from this study due to their low sample size. Collected data regarding participant AP course history, hourly commitment to academic studies, stress levels within their major, and potential factors that contribute to their stress was analyzed via statistical testing to identify trends correlating specific factors with stress. Analysis of the data indicates that student stress levels generally increase each year, climaxing in their third year, followed by a notable decrease in the final year. Furthermore, bioengineering students reported feeling less prepared and less confident in their abilities to succeed as they advance through their major each year, until... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9c1760tr Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Lian, Ashton C https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9529f2c9 The accounting profession is undergoing substantial disruption, characterized by declining student enrollment, workforce shortages, and persistent diversity challenges. Central to this issue is the 150-hour rule, a licensure requirement that goes beyond a traditional four-year degree by requiring 150 college credit hours, often, but not always, necessitating an additional year of coursework. This paper examines how the rule has influenced accounting education, shaped the pipeline of Certified Public Accountant (CPA) candidates, and contributed to systemic barriers, particularly for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students. Through a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates quantitative data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics with a review of scholarly literature, policy documents, and industry reports. It compares employment and wage trends in accounting to other business professions and evaluates how emerging career alternatives are drawing students... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9529f2c9 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Lofton, Noel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9478n4vs PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are one of three main classes of recently discovered small non-coding RNAs, alongside microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs. PiRNAs are transcribed from transposable elements and piRNA clusters. They play an important role in silencing these elements in germline and stem cells to maintain genomic stability, regulate gene expression, and support male germ cell development. Dysregulation of piRNAs has been linked to diseases such as cancer and male infertility. Despite their importance, piRNA biosynthesis remains poorly understood, especially the regulatory factors crafting their biogenesis. To study piRNA biosynthesis, we will use the C.Elegans model, since piRNAs are best characterized in C.Elegans and Drosophila, and many of their functions and genetic makeup is similar to that of humans. To learn about piRNA biosynthesis, it is essential to learn about CMTR-1 and CMTR-2, cap-methyltransferases involved in RNA capping process which will contribute... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9478n4vs Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Hoang, Tony https://escholarship.org/uc/item/93d381b0 Beginning with a base population of outbred Hsd:ICR strain mice in 1993, four replicate High Runner (HR) lines have been bred for high voluntary wheel-running activity in the Garland lab, while four non-selected Control (C) lines have also been maintained. The selection criterion is the number of wheel revolutions recorded on the fifth and sixth day of a six-day test when mice are young adults. After reaching selection limits at generations 17-27 (depending on sex and line), the High Runner lines run approximately three times as many revolutions/day as their Control counterparts. The High Runner lines have evolved various adaptations conducive for high physical activity, such as increased maximum aerobic activity. High Runner lines also exhibit differences in behavior, such as heightened predatory aggression against crickets and building smaller thermoregulatory nests. In this study, we test the hypothesis that High Runner mice have other differences in behavior that might represent... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/93d381b0 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Qian, Aubrey https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9127r4wm The COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2023) triggered an unprecedented global health and economic crisis. Governments worldwide implemented various levels of quarantine and lockdown measures to prevent the virus’s spread. To understand how different policies might influence their economy, this study makes a comparative analysis of China and the United States. By using regression analysis and spatial autocorrelation diagnostics, we assess the relationship between the strictness of quarantine policy and two economic indicators (unemployment rate and housing price index). The findings show marked differences between the two nations. For the U.S., we found that dummy variable states, workplace closing, international control, and eight other quarantine measures were significant predictors of the unemployment rate of the U.S.. However, only two policy variables were significant in China’s case, potentially reflecting the impact of centralized enforcement in mitigating the economic disruptions.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9127r4wm Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Ma, Xiaohui https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8w33w7ss The question of economic development has been the subject of extensive academic scrutiny. In this study, we contribute to the literature by examining development through the lens of the fourth industrial revolution, focusing on two key areas. First, we analyze the potential impact AI may have on developing countries in terms of productivity. Second, we investigate whether information and communication technologies (ICTs) and emerging technologies, particularly AI, will benefit or harm developing economies in terms of income inequality. Our research follows a theoretical and conceptual approach, drawing from established theoretical frameworks and previous studies. We systematically examine existing literature and relevant data to identify patterns and extract meaningful conclusions. Our findings on the first question are mixed; while AI adoption presents opportunities for developing countries, it also raises concerns about potential negative effects on their terms of trade. AI... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8w33w7ss Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Avalos, Marco A https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8tr489g0 En México, como en la mayor parte de Latinoamérica, el género televisivo de las telenovelas ha capturado a millones de espectadores, convirtiéndose en un producto emblemático de la región. Si bien este género se caracteriza por sus historias melodramáticas que abarcan temas que van desde amores imposibles, conflictos familiares, clases sociales y sus finales felices épicos, algo característico son sus despiadadas villanas. Estos personajes son generalmente vistos con aversión retratados como egoístas, superficiales, altamente sexualizadas y como contrincantes para la protagonista del, obviamente, magnante protagonista masculino. A pesar de su mala reputación, las villanas han ganado una reciente popularidad en las redes sociales, donde son reinventadas como símbolos de resistencia a las normas tradicionales del cuerpo femenino. Apegada al concepto moderno de baddie que se viraliza hoy en día, esta nueva reputación permite la representación de un cuerpo de empoderamiento femenino... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8tr489g0 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Anguiano Pimentel, Silvia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8sr4t78q Epilepsy is the spectrum disorder characterizing seizures that otherwise do not have other plausible medical explanations. Approximately 50 million people worldwide are affected by epilepsy. My capstone research project performs integrative evidence-based genomics analyses, utilizing large-scale gene expression data to analyze differential gene expression in epilepsy and identify a consistent gene expression profile for epilepsy. The aim of the project is to improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms and pathology of epilepsy. In addition, my project’s findings would contribute to the development of genetic tests that could expedite the diagnosis of epilepsy. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8sr4t78q Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Nagam, Vishruth M https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qz718fx This paper examines how California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) impacts student achievement. The LCFF is a funding formula that identifies additional needs attached to being an English Learner (EL) or Socio-Economically Disadvantaged (SED) and offers additional funding to districts who meet a high threshold of needs. This varies from previous methods of funding that focus on the Average Daily Attendance (ADA). In this paper I analyze how the funding associated with these thresholds impact student achievement. Using California standardized tests and A-G graduation requirements, the analysis shows that the expected relationship between students levels of achievement and district needs: high need hinders performance. Overall, the LCFF does not show a statistically significant effect on student achievement, with the exception of Black Students and SED students. Black students in high need districts exhibited a -1.846 and -1.691 in English and Math percentages of proficiency,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qz718fx Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Ramirez, Adam https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qp2425t Genetic Mosaicism is a condition where cells in an organism are genetically unique. Generally studied from a biological point of view, we explore the action of transposons and retrotransposons using techniques from mathematical linguistics and physics. We construct a Mosaicism “grammar” ? using transposons and retrotransposons to create production rules, and then apply tools from mathematical linguistics to gain insight into the language ?(?). Finally, we use Levenstein’s distance function as a Lagrangian to analyze differentiation pathways. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qp2425t Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Stoltz, Harry https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8q48638m In the past decade, exercise levels have declined leading to an increased risk of health associated complications, decreased exercise motivation and capacity to move. Early-life exercise, (engaging in physical exercise in early childhood) has been suggested to increase motivation in later life due to changes to the musculoskeletal system that increase ease of exercising. This study examines the morphological effects of early-life exercise on the musculoskeletal system, particularly the muscle-tendon unit. We hypothesize that a body that has been exposed to higher levels of endurance exercise during growth will have morphological features that promote endurance running in later life such as a reduced muscle mass, reduced muscle fiber length, increased tendon length and reduced tendon width. Laboratory mice were raised with different opportunities to exercise during early life. A control group had no exercise wheel access, a low exercise group had access to a unloaded exercise wheel,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8q48638m Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Zeledon, Kaydence A https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8p0006v4 The LGBTQIA+ community is celebrated in many ways during Pride month, observed in June, and companies have not hesitated to use this celebration to their advantage. ‘Rainbow-washing’ in commercials and marketing starting near the end of May and continuing through June has been a tactic used by companies to commercialize the community, leading to various responses from the public. Depending on the public’s perception of the company’s support for the LGBTQIA+ community, the public responds more positively or negatively to the company’s campaign. This study analyzes public opinion on Pride marketing from three companies, Converse, Skittles, and Converse, on two popular social media platforms, YouTube and TikTok. The number and content of the comments were recorded and sorted based on thematic content analysis and a 5-point Likert Scale to gauge how the public responds to different levels of involvement from the LGBTQIA+ community in the campaign. The number of followers and likes... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8p0006v4 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Ganeshan, Uma https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8nn45429 Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a suite of methods used to replenish groundwater supply. Aquifer replenishment uses a range of water sources such as surface water, treated wastewater, and stormwater. In the critically overdrafted basins of Pajaro Valley, farm owners are using a unique MAR method, DSC-MAR, which allows for on-farm infiltration of untreated stormwater. Small infiltration basins (~4 acre) are installed on the farmland and surrounding stormwater is funneled into the basin. However, untreated stormwater in agriculturally-dense regions like Pajaro Valley can have high concentrations of pollutants including nitrates. To perform in situ remediation of stormwater nitrate, carbon-rich media such as almond shells and wood mulch have been added to the aquifer basins to induce denitrification, a naturally occurring soil microbial process that reduces nitrate to nitrogen gas, which is impacted by carbon availability and quality. However, the impacts of wet-dry cycling during... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8nn45429 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Smock, Dylan C https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8m52q72q As someone with a sibling who suffers from bipolar disorder (BD), I know how difficult it is for someone struggling with the symptoms of the illness or watching someone close to you suffer from BD. The symptoms of BD include emotional dysregulation: extreme highs, known as mania, and extreme lows of depression. Also, such dysregulation is challenging for those who live with someone with BD, as it is hard to understand or empathize with that person. The symptoms of BD make it difficult for the people coping with them to collaborate with others because the symptoms often make them uncooperative, engender volatile mood swings, paranoia, or ideas of grandiosity that make them seem pretentious, violent, or unwilling to trust anyone enough to ask for help as a result of their paranoia. While my sister tries hard to regulate and stabilize her emotions, she never quite manages to succeed. Although my sister may never feel understood, and perhaps she will never be entirely understood by... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8m52q72q Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Butler, April D https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8jq396kr Food insecurity, the lack of consistent access to nutritious food, is a critical issue affecting nearly 23% of all undergraduate students. While prior research has demonstrated the negative effects of food insecurity on academic performance and well-being, our study extends this work by examining both students’ well-being as well as task performance to test its direct impact on cognitive processes. Additionally, we investigate whether reframing the issue as "Food Access Inequity" can make salient the structural causes of food insecurity and increase students’ willingness to take action. In Study 1, a survey of undergraduates revealed that students who experience food insecurity reported significantly higher stress, lower sense of belonging, and reduced self-efficacy than those who do not, replicating the effects of previous work demonstrating the psychological toll of food insecurity. However, we did not find that experiencing food insecurity significantly impacted task performance,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8jq396kr Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Almeida, Rahul R https://escholarship.org/uc/item/88v7q1fg Keep Moving Forward is a heartfelt personal account of a college student navigating the complexities of caregiving, life, and loss. It details the journey leading up to the passing of his father from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease. This is intended to be a work of creative fiction, a mix of a how-to guide mashed with an abbreviated memoir. The author defies clear categorization of the nature of his book. Keep Moving Forward is a blend of a bildungsroman of a young man from his high school years to his graduation, a firsthand how-to, and a memoir that offers a realistic perspective on grief and living. He aims for a conversational tone, intending the book to sound more like just having conversations with a friend. Given the author’s age, he hopes to speak to children and teenagers encountering similar struggles with family death and adults with established identities. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/88v7q1fg Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Sakomizu, Garrett M https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82n7g2gn Speaking up during doctor's appointments can be challenging for many people, especially for marginalized populations like the African American, Black, and Caribbean (ABC) population. However, it is a vital skill that could influence how patients make health decisions. According to a 2022 report by the California Healthcare Foundation, more than one in four Black Californians avoid care due to concerns of being treated unfairly.1 This leads to many Black patients refraining from asking questions, in fear that they will be judged or treated poorly. This highlights a significant issue, since patients' inability to advocate for themselves may result in poorer health outcomes and prolonged recovery time. Although there are websites that provide general tips on self-advocacy, an interactive resource is still lacking. To fill this gap, this project aims to put together a workbook that can assist Black patients in navigating patient-physician interactions. By incorporating principles... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82n7g2gn Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Thwe, Yimon https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8256n8fv This project consists of using two types of single-cell datasets that are scanned from a developing mouse brain: Single-cell high-throughput chromatin conformation (scHi-C) and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). The goal of this project is to integrate the scHi-C data and scRNA-seq data by recreating the machine learning algorithm scGAD (single-cell Gene Associating Domain) from scratch and analyzing the accuracy of the recreated algorithm. We chose to recreate the scGAD algorithm from scratch in order to confirm that the research papers backing this algorithm are correct so that more research can be done into making new integration algorithms. I will explain step-by-step how we were able to accurately recreate the scGAD algorithm while also explaining the conceptual reasoning behind the decisions made at each step. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8256n8fv Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Blackwell, Jake D https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7p17f14t Individuals with disabilities in the Inland Empire face significant barriers to healthcare access, even despite the legal policies in place aimed at promoting equitable medical services. The Inland Empire of Southern California, encompassing Riverside and San Bernardino counties, has a population exceeding 4.6 million. According to recent data from the California Health Interview Survey, as of 2016, approximately 29.2% of adults in Riverside County reported having a disability (UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 2016). This systematic review examines both the experiences of disabled individuals and the structural barriers that impact healthcare access and covers both established health centers and clinics within the Inland Empire to provide a comprehensive analysis of accessibility challenges and patient experiences. A systematic search of the literature and case studies was conducted, and 12 studies published from 2000 onward were selected for the review. Articles were selected... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7p17f14t Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Mirmotalebisohi, Dina https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7kw1t07s U.S. school shootings have become a concerning epidemic, showcasing a significant increase in the number of deaths and occurrences over the years. 2024 was recorded as the second highest year of school shootings in the U.S. with a total of 331 incidents and 267 victims, following behind 2023, which was the highest recorded year of school shootings with 349 incidents and 249 victims. School shooting case studies, such as the Columbine High School Massacre, have traced the collective motivation of perpetrators to being bullied, having problems with socialization, difficulty navigating their environments, and showcasing homicidal thoughts with unmonitored access to firearms. With 26 out of 50 states not requiring permits to carry both open and concealed guns, this allows anyone access to firearms and can prove to be deadly within individuals prone to violence ideation as a potential solution to their conflicts. Although schools nationwide have amplified their security and counseling... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7kw1t07s Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Palacios-Padilla, Angel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7bs608s0 Magnesium Oxide nanoparticles are known to have bactericidal properties against many strains of bacteria that are commonly present in nosocomial infections such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (Staph epi). While other heavy metal compounds like silver oxide have shown bactericidal properties towards P. Aeruginosa, these compounds are unable to metabolize within the human body. However, magnesium is a light metal that can fully metabolize in the human body, making it an ideal treatment option rather than heavy metal alternatives. While we have various medications for treating micro organisms, biofilms pose a more challenging task. Biofilms form whenever bacteria adheres to a surface using extracellular polymeric substances. These substances act like glue and hold the bacteria on the surface and cause other bacteria to attach as well. This can be for several reasons mainly to avoid threats that would kill individual cells but not a biofilm. This can... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7bs608s0 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Johnson, Ryan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/78s35037 Human pose estimation tools are designed to automatically detect facial and body key points and can be used to track humans in the environment. Typically, these are applied on adult data, and their application with young humans, such as infants, has not been adequately explored. These tools could be proven very useful in applications and research with infant populations that focus on movement assessment and diagnosis. The goal of this work was to examine the validity of a pose estimation tool, OpenPose, to track infant arm movement during reaching. A dataset involving videos from 36 infants (7 neurodivergent infants) who are less than 12 months old was used. The total number of reaching actions analyzed was 435. The wrist joint of each infant was manually tracked to obtain the 2D coordinates of its position throughout the reaching action. OpenPose was run in the same reaching segments to obtain the coordinates of the same keypoint. The ability of OpenPose to accurately track wrist... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/78s35037 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Barahona, Melanie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/76j3v3m2 Dyspnea is the subjective sensation of breathing discomfort. This symptom is commonly experienced in hospitalized patients, including those receiving mechanical ventilation. In severe cases, dyspnea has been linked to increased mortality in patients with chronic lung disease as well as poorer clinical outcomes in ICU patients. This outcome may be driven by dyspnea-induced anxiety caused, in part, by a higher work of breathing and carbon dioxide-induced air-hunger. While prior work has provided a detailed understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying dyspnea, we know little about the drivers of individual variation in how this symptom manifests. Sociodemographic factors may play a role in the psychological mechanisms underlying the sensation of dyspnea, similar to previously reported links between demographic factors and the experience of subjective pain. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate if sociodemographic factors contributed to self-reported dyspnea... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/76j3v3m2 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Agaibi, Miriam M https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71x5w2tb Mental health is a significant issue across public schools in the United States, especially after the recent COVID-19 pandemic. While federal legislation mandating school preparedness for mental health does not exist, federal stimulus funding provided schools with more opportunity to improve support. The funding utilized by the California Department of Education (CDE) was supplied by three laws signed in 2020: the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP). The focus of this study is the 2020 Mental Health Initiative established by the Highland County Office of Education (HCOE). By analyzing documents from three education systems (HCOE, Scotts Unified School District, and Tartan Unified School District) in a pre- and post-pandemic comparison, clearer perceptions of the mental health legislation and mental health programming patterns in schools within... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71x5w2tb Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Lopez, Jaylynn I https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7027q7jz For many low and middle-income countries, remittance payments are a vital contributor to their economy. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led to swift action by countries to limit travel and migration, with the hope of protecting their population from the virus. As expected, the initial damage was swift for low and middle-income countries that have a large dependence on remittances for their economy. Due to travel restrictions and industry shutdowns, the remittance market plummeted, with the World Bank predicting a 20% reduction in remittance volume for the entirety of 2020 ( (World Bank, 2020). Unexpectedly, as the overall world economy continued to crash during the second half of 2020, remittances made a major rebound. One of the reasons remittances were able to rebound was due to policy put in place by host countries across the globe (Vlaicu, 2023). This paper aims to analyze the factors that affected remittances over the pandemic in 5 countries: the United States,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7027q7jz Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Hammes, Cole https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wq7g5hw This research explores the complex interplay between gender inequality and colorism, examining their intergenerational effects on individuals, with a particular focus on the more detrimental consequences for women in Latin America. The study delves into historical roots, motivating factors, and current manifestations of these intersecting forces, providing valuable insights into the oppressive dynamics shaping people’s experiences in the region. Employing an in depth analysis approach inspired by previous research methodologies, the project unravels the layers of this multifaceted issue, aiming to offer a nuanced understanding of pervasive challenges faced by those individuals in Latin America. The study also illuminates the intersections of gender and color, elucidating how these factors influence women's social standing and opportunities. The project contributes to an evolving discourse on gender and color intersections, urging for a more inclusive approach to comprehending... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wq7g5hw Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Azanon, Anna https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6th2f5xb Teaching Social Emotional Learning Skills through Fairy Tale-Based Mini Plays https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6th2f5xb Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Dahl, Natalie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6nn6t083 This paper explores the governance of intellectual property (IP) at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), with a focus on how institutional policies and contracts shape faculty researchers' rights, innovation, and academic freedom. Grounded in an analysis of national legislation—most notably the Bayh-Dole Act—and scholarly literature, this study examines how universities assert ownership over faculty-generated innovations and how these policies influence collaboration, commercialization, and scholarly publication. Drawing on key readings, including works by Gans et al. (2017) and Shane (2002), the paper highlights tensions between institutional interests and individual researcher autonomy. It also evaluates the role of the Office of Technology Partnerships and the Office of Research in IP governance at UCR, addressing both benefits and limitations of current IP practices. By critically assessing faculty perspectives and policy structures, the paper offers recommendations... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6nn6t083 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Dahlmeier, Shawn S https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6k01g3rq Nation of Sorrow' is a polyphonic YA fantasy novel that follows the perspectives of five young adults, ranging from sixteen to nineteen years old. Through diverse characters, readers will be able to see everyday young adults' struggles with the exploration of minor themes, such as domestic violence, poverty, exploration of identity and sexuality, and the injustice of social hierarchies. However, the major theme explored is grief, specifically the wide range of responses of teenagers to the loss of a loved one. The first grief experience and the aftermath are shown through the fantasy element because the story is set in a world where, for some, there is no grief as the spirits of past loved ones remain and live ordinary lives among the living. Five families were chosen by the four Elemental Gods and the God of Death to receive abilities. The next inheritors of powers are from the youngest generation, and the main character is Dean Romero, the Chosen of Death, but when his brother... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6k01g3rq Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Lopez Contreras, Natalie C https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hp2r4gq This project examines the core components and underlying structures of the dual vocational training systems in Spain and Germany. In both contexts, the term dual system refers to a model that combines in-company training with classroom-based education, typically provided by vocational schools. The project first outlines the organizational structure of the Spanish system, paying special attention to the variation across autonomous communities and the challenges of coordinating stakeholders at different levels. It then presents a comparative analysis of the German model, which is often cited as a reference point due to its close alignment with labor market needs and contribution to the country's economic resilience. Rather than focusing solely on outcomes, the analysis emphasizes institutional and structural determinants—such as governance arrangements, regulatory frameworks, and the role of employer associations—that shape how the dual systems function. Key comparison areas include... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hp2r4gq Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Steih, Elyana M https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hh6722f Exposure to airborne fungal allergens has been increasingly recognized as a potential environmental factor influencing neuroimmune function. We use the airborne fungal allergen, Alternaria alternata, to examine how such exposure to the allergen affects microglial morphology and population within the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) of the brainstem, a critical region involved in autonomic respiratory regulation. To simulate he environment of the fungal allergen polluted air, mice were exposed to the ultrafine aerosolized non-infectious particulates of A. alternata in chambers for one week. After the mice were exposed, whole brains were collected and the NTS regions of the brainstem were cryosectioned 5 micrometers. To identify the presence of microglia and their processes, the brainstem slices used ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule-1 (Iba-1) labeling. There were three methods of microglial activity analysis: single-cell tracing, long-axis measurement, and population quantification.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hh6722f Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Bharadwaj, Nikhil K https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6g34b4wc Organic chemistry is a well-known gateway course among those interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers, known for its high level of difficulty and low passing rates. Therefore, it often becomes a barrier to STEM degree completion. Learning assistants are often used in classrooms to assist student learning. LAs are undergraduate students, near-peer educators, who have recently taken the course performed well in the class, and demonstrated an interest to work in the classroom. Learning assistants may have multiple impacts on the learning experience, one such impact being that they may promote an increased sense of community and belonging. An increased sense of belonging may be especially important for historically underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, as well as first-generation college students. The idea being that students will see those like them and have gone through a similar path and demonstrated that success is very possible.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6g34b4wc Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Jones, Adam F https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6c4401wq Emotion expression and regulation between children and parents is a highly researched topic within the field of psychology. The topic is important to study, as a greater understanding provides valuable insight into the developmental processes of divulging feelings. This literature review examines the different factors that may contribute to emotion sharing, including home environment, emotion regulation strategies, reactions to expressed emotion, and attachment style. The goal of this paper is to outline the complex nature of parent–child dynamics, identifying many possible explanations for parent–child dyadic emotion behavior. I review prior research to answer the primary research question: What is known about emotion expression and regulation in parent–child dyadic conversation contexts? The reviewed set of studies emphasizes the importance of a child’s upbringing and early life experience, parenting behavior, and the closeness of a parent and their child. Research also acknowledges... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6c4401wq Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Constantino, Tabitha https://escholarship.org/uc/item/69v320n1 Pediatric anoxic brain injury and pediatric stroke are both significant causes of mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental disabilities in children. Pediatric anoxic brain injury is damage to the brain that is caused by a complete lack of oxygen, whereas pediatric stroke is damage to the brain that is caused by blood flow to a part of the brain being blocked or a blood vessel in the brain rupturing. Comparing the outcomes would help healthcare providers in selecting treatment strategies, however, there are currently very few studies comparing pediatric anoxic brain injury and pediatric stroke. In this retrospective observational cohort study, we utilize the clinical data in TriNetX, an electronic health record (EHR) database, to compare the severity and outcomes of these two conditions. We hypothesize that infants with anoxic brain damage will exhibit higher rates of comorbidities compared to those with non-traumatic stroke. Additionally, we will examine the differences in treatments... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/69v320n1 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Zhu, Christina M https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6972g6cp Battered repeatedly by the most profound ethical scandals in the institution’s history, the public became increasingly aware and troubled by the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has never had a binding and enforceable code of ethical conduct. In response to these accusations of bribery and Unethical behavior by the Supreme Court Justices, the United States Supreme Court released a statement of the court on November 13th, 2023, as to the ethical norms to which justices should aspire. This statement unleashed a new controversy over whether it constituted a code of conduct and what, if anything, more was needed to buttress the Court’s fraying legitimacy. This is important because, since the birth of this nation, the Supreme Court has not had an enforceable code of conduct, and thus, the Supreme Court has essentially been unrestricted when it comes to ethical guidelines, unlike every other judge in the country, justifying an in-depth analysis. The Supreme Court of the United States,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6972g6cp Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 OShea, Robert S https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65j9k5s8 Infection of implanted medical devices is a major clinical complication that affects millions of people worldwide and costs 5-10 billion dollars per year to treat. Most infections involve biofilms that are resistant to antibiotics, as they often cannot penetrate biofilm formations. Therefore, new biomaterials are needed to reduce or eliminate microbial adhesion and infections of medical devices. When looking for biomaterial nanoparticles, along with their antimicrobial properties, we also have to consider their toxicity. Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (nMgO) have antimicrobial activity and can be metabolized and fully reabsorbed in the body. nMgO has been shown to kill both planktonic bacteria and disturb nascent biofilm. We hypothesize that the action mechanisms of nMgO against planktonic bacteria can be integrated into medical devices to evoke antimicrobial responses without harming host cells. Previously, the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was determined for Escherichia... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65j9k5s8 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Sanli, Nil https://escholarship.org/uc/item/63s9z6ff This creative project consists of the writing of a screenplay and the pre-production for a narrative short film. The story follows Tawan, a human pilot, and Robot05, a humanoid robot, as they return to Earth from a mission to find habitable planets and living forms. However, they drift into an uncharted region of space, where Tawan is drawn to a mysterious planet, and she gives it the name Acintey-a9 108b. As she explores, time begins to blur-memories and alternate realities surface, revealing aspects of her past that she and her relationship with the family had never fully understood. Meanwhile, Robot05's mission is to ensure Tawan returns home safely and insists she must leave, as their mission is already complete. This project blends science fiction with cultural identity, incorporating Buddhist philosophy and reflecting on the historical portrayal of Asians in futuristic narratives. The film’s world draws inspiration from the Tripitaka, a collection of Buddhist scriptures,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/63s9z6ff Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tupsamphan, Nakanlaya https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6247d099 Ritual is a universal feature of human studies and acts as a “window” into the cultural dynamics through which people “make and remake their worlds.” It is a “patterned, repetitive, and symbolic enactment of a cultural belief or value” with its primary purpose as transformation. The disciplined practices for developing individual dispositions in meditation have led many people to compare meditation to ritual, however distinct from the explicit world of ritual itself. Meditation is ritualized through rites and practices that focus on individual spirituality: repetitive, communal chanting and periodic reading of religious texts. In Buddhist tradition, meditation rituals, specifically that of chanting and reading religious texts, are an embodied and socially constructed technique of self-cultivation. My Capstone project undertook ethnographic fieldwork on these rituals of meditation in the Sōka Gakkai International (SGI) center in Riverside, California. I conducted the research through... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6247d099 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Parekh, Sakshee H https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5wt802dh Cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) is an enzyme that forms part of the CDK8 kinase module (CKM), in conjunction with proteins Med 13, Med 12, and CycC. The module regulates RNA polymerase II transcription through kinase-dependent and kinase-independent functions. CDK8 can be overexpressed via a pivotal oncogene, CDK8, in colon cancer and is amplified or dysfunctional in breast, prostate, blood, and cervical cancers. Inhibiting CDK8 in cancer cells has shown comparable anti-growth effects to cells with CDK8 knocked out of their genome. Thus, CDK8 inhibitors in anticancer drug development show promise, but the inhibitors in clinical trials lack specificity for CDK8. This challenge stems from the 91.8% structural similarity between CDK8 and CDK19, a cancer-preventing kinase that regulates blood cell growth. This presents a formidable hurdle in achieving selective inhibition while ensuring metabolic stability and therapeutic potency. To overcome this obstacle, an ensemble of CKM conformations... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5wt802dh Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Hernandez, Ernest R https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vc3r49q This project examines the effect that social capital, mainly economic connectedness (EC), has on the economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the purposes of this study, the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic had on unemployment levels across the United States was examined separately by ZIP code and county. Using a difference-in-differences framework, this project analyzes how economic connectedness is correlated with changes in unemployment at the ZIP code level. A second regression model builds on the previous by adding COVID-19 case rates at the county level. Results from the difference-in-differences analysis suggest that high EC ZIP codes show slight increases in unemployment as a result of COVID in the post period. However, the next regression model, directly incorporating COVID cases in the analysis, provided an interaction coefficient between case rates and EC. The outcome shows that areas of high EC were able to mitigate the effect that COVID exposure had on unemployment... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vc3r49q Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Christopher https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5v25t09v “Rhythm” is a term associated with the worlds of music and dance that is defined as an essential series of movements or sounds, which result in an overall consistent design or flow. This design can range from something as complex as a classical piece of music, to something as small as a human heartbeat. The rhythm to which we set our everyday lives is greatly influenced by our emotions, as our emotions are constantly influenced by the rhythms we are exposed to every day. It is important that we as a collective not only understand how rhythmic movement relates to emotional intelligence, but also how emotional intelligence techniques, such as dance or the arts, are necessary for building leadership skills, assisting in intrapersonal/interpersonal communication, and improving cognitive function through mood re-calibration. Through exploring different dance styles such as Hula, West African, and Hip-Hop, we attempt to highlight the importance of rhythmic movement by also conceptualizing... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5v25t09v Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Lopez, Andrew L https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mf6s76h Should lawyers feel guilty for failing to successfully represent their clients? Philosopher Bernard Williams was the first to introduce the idea of “agent regret,” later expanded to agent regret without fault, an emotion often confused with guilt. Agent regret is the idea that when an agent is involved in an event without directly intending the outcome, they nonetheless feel a sense of distress as if they intended the outcome. While these feelings may seem similar, there must be a distinction between feelings of guilt and feelings of distress. Julie Tannenbaum will later come in and expand on the ideas introduced by Williams to add a third response: disappointment in oneself, an emotion that is to be felt in cases of the failure of fulfilling an obligation. In the case of the legal field, we see lawyers often feel guilty when they fail their clients whereas feelings of distress may often be more appropriate. This project will investigate the appropriate emotions to be felt by... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mf6s76h Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Olandj, Shadie S https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54k2f05r This collection tells the stories of struggles that many people go through but rarely talk about. It gives voice to experiences often dismissed, ignored, or buried under shame. Drawing from my own journey and my background in psychology, these interconnected short stories explore mental health, trauma, and healing with depth and care. Through everyday moments, the collection reveals how anxiety, depression, PTSD, and emotional isolation manifest in ways we may not even recognize. These things may appear in ourselves and even in those closest to us. More than just storytelling, this project is about breaking the silence. It challenges the stigma surrounding mental health and fosters open conversations rooted in empathy and understanding. By holding space for emotions and experiences too often overlooked, Fragments of Being Human seeks to offer validation, connection, and a sense of belonging. Above all, it encourages people to talk about their struggles without fear or shame, reminding... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54k2f05r Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Johnson, Kayla I https://escholarship.org/uc/item/51j6g3d1 Baldur’s Gate III is a computer roleplaying game based on the massively influential table-top role playing game Dungeons and Dragons. Table-top roleplaying games, or TTRPGs, differentiate themselves from other forms of narratives by embracing emergent narrative through collaboration, where multiple players contribute to a collective story through their actions, akin to improv. Baldur’s Gate III attempts an authentic translation of the table-top system by faithfully adapting the hallmark mechanics of the game, such as turn based combat and the use of polyhedral die, as well as attempting to craft an emergent narrative that allows a large degree of player agency through creative problem solving, expansive dialogue, and a world that responds organically to choices. Emergent narrative in digital games is currently understood as a kind of audience participation, where player choices lead narrative down prescription branches. Agency, in games, by this definition, is seen as the ability... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/51j6g3d1 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Jennings, Connor E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/50d2743w This project addresses the critical need for financial literacy and investment empowerment within the Latino community, where systemic barriers, cultural hesitations, and limited access to tailored financial tools have historically hindered wealth-building and retirement planning. By developing a user-friendly investment strategy tool, this initiative aims to simplify complex financial concepts, provide actionable insights, and encourage informed investment decisions. The tool is designed to overcome common barriers such as mistrust of financial institutions, lack of Spanish-language resources, and immediate financial pressures, which often intimidate Latinos from participating in long-term investment activities. Through an intuitive interface, the platform guides users in entering their financial goals, risk tolerance, and capital, while the back end leverages real-time financial data and portfolio optimization techniques to generate personalized investment recommendations. These... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/50d2743w Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Quesada, Julian A https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zw7b2m9 This project investigates how large language models (LLMs) can enhance professional roles, particularly in project management, a field often burdened by time-intensive tasks such as planning, documentation, and interpersonal coordination. Leveraging OpenAI’s GPT technology, including its GPT Store and API, we aimed to develop chatbots capable of assisting project managers in streamlining their workflows. The initial phase involved creating a prototype for the GPT Store, using the PMBOK Guide, Fundamentals of Project Management by Joseph Heagney, and the HBR Guide to Project Management as core knowledge resources. The prototype was trained with written instructions on project management tasks and demonstrated promising capabilities, such as generating work breakdown structures, Gantt charts, and critical path diagrams. In the current phase, the project focuses on enhancing user interaction by developing an interface utilizing OpenAI’s API, which successfully generates text responses... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zw7b2m9 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Santana, Lance L https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4s94m150 ‘CONVERSATIONS’ is the title of my novella that I created for my UCR Honors capstone. The novella features five different chapters and one epilogue which spans across seventy-seven pages. Throughout these five chapters and epilogue the reader follows the journey of two main characters; Paul and Mick. The novella is written in a third-person omnipresent perspective. This third-person omnipresent narrative structure allows for perspective shifts between characters' thoughts, their speech, and the environment around them. Although Paul and Mick are the two protagonists they aren’t the only characters whose thoughts and pasts are explored throughout the novella. The first five chapters take place throughout the course of the same night. The perspectives switch between Paul and Mick before the two protagonists finally share a conversation in the final chapter. Paul and Mick cross paths during a difficult time in their lives. They have each lost their wives recently and they are both... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4s94m150 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Oliver, Matthew C https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4h44r2q0 Luxury has driven the development of human civilization, but its definition and motivation have greatly evolved over time, as patterns in global consumerism have changed. I researched the change in the definition and usage of the word “luxury” over time to understand how the concept came to be today, focusing on the start of luxury in France and the current luxury fashion industry. Throughout time, it was used as a differentiating factor, but expressed in different ways from colorful shells to designer handbags. Additionally, I have studied the motivators of luxury to grasp why consumers are willing to spend millions of dollars every year on nonessential goods and discovered that consumers are driven by social status, personal desire, and brand status. With the definition and motivators of luxury, it is then important to understand how modern day companies are marketing luxury to consumers to further convince them of the need for high end goods. To do so, I have conducted a case... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4h44r2q0 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Ikeya, Emma S https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4h0270rf Opinion leaders (OLs) are all around us and affect our everyday decisions and opinions, whether it's how to spend our money, what organizations to support, or simply our opinions on topics. Previous research investigates the persuasiveness of messages and what aspects predict information acceptance. Instead of exclusively focusing on the message, this research examines how potential OL’s interactions with their audiences’ implicit theories affect OL acceptance. Specifically, we examined if the Implicit Theory of Leadership Emotions (ITLEs) cheerful prototype affects OL acceptance and how message content can moderate that relationship. ITLEs refers to an individual's preconceived ideas or expectation of the emotions leaders express. We hypothesized that when a potential OL is perceived to match the participant’s ITLEs cheerful prototype, participants accept the OL’s influence. College students were asked to complete baseline assessments including one measuring ITLEs. They were... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4h0270rf Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Young, Mady https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4g94p0k2 In molecular biology, recombinant DNA is routinely used for studying gene functions. Several techniques have been developed to generate recombinant DNA, most of which typically combine an insert and a plasmid. Traditional molecular cloning utilizes highly specific sequences such as restriction sites and recombination signals, which limit its practical application to very few situations. Ligation Independent Cloning was developed as a next generation method for generating recombinant DNA and has proven to be much more practical compared to traditional methods. However, even this method has its limitations when it comes to large kilobase pair fragments and where on a plasmid an insert can be placed. In this project, I aim to develop a highly efficient, all-sequences-compatible, inexpensive and convenient method for recombinant DNA generation. This method will use a Polymerase Chain Reaction amplified flanking sequence on the insert, which compliments the flanking sequence found... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4g94p0k2 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Arain, Ahmad H https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fr861kx In the midst of a climate crisis, people are calling for more transparency and sustainability from the clothing industry. Some smaller clothing companies are taking the lead by innovating sustainable practices. However, there is no established report or database that provides information on these practices. This paper provides valuable insights into sustainable practices used by small clothing companies. It documents the process, results, and analysis of surveying small, sustainable clothing businesses across the world. Data analysis covers production practices, labour initiatives and the factors that they believe make them uniquely sustainable. It highlights the practices that these small businesses focus on most, the extent to which differences among them are based on geographical location, and the potential for generalizing successful sustainable practices to larger, multinational clothing manufacturers. This research and proposed changes have the possibility of inspiring change... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fr861kx Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Srinivasan, Harini A https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4ff7t4c6 The unemployment rate gap between different races in the United States has been extensively studied. Unequal treatment not only harms individuals but also society as a whole. Unequal hiring leads to a loss of talent and negatively impacts the economy. This paper seeks to look into one potential reason behind the gap. Using U.S. Census and Bureau of Economic Analysis data, I investigated the extent to which social capital, an individual’s social network, in conjunction with an understanding of racial homophily, is correlated with unemployment rates. I found little evidence of a strong correlation in the data between those two variables and the unemployment rate. However, the results suggest that White Americans and Native Americans may benefit from increased representation in the overall population. On the other hand, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Americans identifying with another race may suffer higher unemployment rates as their representation increases.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4ff7t4c6 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Zhuang, Frank https://escholarship.org/uc/item/49s0n7m3 The medicalization of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in the United States has been a significant phenomenon that has greatly impacted the country’s education system for both ADHD youth and educators. Due in part to the advocacy group CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) in the late 1980s, the use of stimulant medication in the US is significantly greater than in any other country in the world, and is prevalent among children who display symptoms of ADHD – primarily hyperactivity. With its widespread popularization from the 1990s to the early 2000s, the medicalization process came under harsh scrutiny, having been interpreted by some scholars as medicating to achieve conformity. This research paper will first present the history of the ADHD diagnosis and its evolution in the United States up until the 1990s. Then, using primary and secondary sources such as documentaries and related research, this paper will explore the role... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/49s0n7m3 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Jeries, Roseanne https://escholarship.org/uc/item/48s015p4 In Riverside and San Bernardino County, underserved populations (low-income communities, homeless individuals, elderly population, disenfranchised individuals, etc.) exhibit barriers to accessible healthcare services, including medication provision. According to the 2022-2023 U.S. Census Bureau, 9.32% of Riverside County’s population is uninsured, while the remaining have limited coverage. While medication expenses are a barrier to medication adherence, the impact of receiving medications for free as opposed to being affordable through services like health insurance or discount cards remains undiscovered. The UCR student-run clinics attend to the necessities of underserved patients by providing free healthcare examinations, medications, supplies, etc. I hypothesize that underserved patients benefit from UCR student-run clinics as they can access essential medicines for free. I volunteered at four UCR-affiliated clinics: Riverside Free Clinic, Coachella Valley Free Clinic, and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/48s015p4 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Chhokar, Kulpreet K https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3wg313k5 Before You Fall is a 10-minute long short film about a sister and the death of her younger brother, inspired by one of the stories from the book Mecca, written by Susan Straight. The plot follows the aftermath of Mary and her family when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her younger brother Edward at the hands of a police officer after a school basketball game. She has to face the positive and negative consequences of the community. Facing the pressure of public’s opinions and discrimination of the event, Mary has to defend her family’s reputation and overcome the pain of her loss. Will melancholy stop Mary from living her life and moving forward? This short film is a University Honors Capstone Project directed and written by Daniela Cruz featuring a UCR undergraduate student-led crew. The impact of the authorities' abuse of power and lack of accountability reflect the patterns of violence and civil rights violations that affect minorities and the lives of those who are indirectly... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3wg313k5 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Cruz Velasquez, Daniela https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tv07672 India's religious landscape occupies a singular place in shaping public opinion, especially in instances of national crisis. This capstone report is a study of how powerful Hindu spiritual gurus influenced public faith in India's healthcare system amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Since nearly 80 percent of India's population is Hindu, religious leaders such as Baba Ramdev played a considerable role in affecting public behavior and attitudes. The paper studies how gurus such as Baba Ramdev's messages, most of which have been disseminated by mass media and social platforms, aligned or conflicted with the guidelines issued by the Indian Medical Association and other interested parties. Applying qualitative media analysis and theoretical concepts such as Amanda Lucia's "contemporary guru field," the research evaluates to what extent religious authority and a political leader reinforced or undermined public health compliance. The findings suggest that despite the empirical worth of medical... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tv07672 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Srivastava, Amrisha https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qp27645 As Generative AI tools like ChatGPT become increasingly integrated into higher education, it raises questions about the factors influencing student adoption and the role of decision-making traits in this engagement. This study investigates whether individual decision-making traits—specifically risk preference, time preference, and loss aversion—predict students’ use of AI for academic purposes. Drawing on survey data from more than 200 undergraduate students at a large public university in California, the study employs correlation and regression analyses, along with Bayesian Truth Serum (BTS) scoring, to evaluate both behavioral predictors and response honesty. The results suggest that decision-making traits do not significantly predict AI usage. Instead, social and motivational factors, including peer influence, self-confidence with AI tools, and self-motivation to learn AI emerged as the most robust predictors of both actual and intended AI use. Instructor policies outlining... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qp27645 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Han, Win Thant Tin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mx6q8sf Within the historical and sociopolitical context of the United States, past education theorists have examined what public education, ideology, and pedagogy represent. In this qualitative study, I conduct a critical discourse analysis of the current California public high school history-social studies curriculum framework, examine its development process through a critical analysis approach with a sociopolitical lens, and identify key themes in the language and narratives within the framework. This project utilizes Paulo Freire's theory of Conscientização (Critical Consciousness) that a critically engaged education best prepares students for self-growth, critical awareness, and a sense of agency. The research examines whether the framework provides a critically engaged curriculum that promotes critical thinking and social consciousness to students. This study argues how the curriculum enables teachers to present knowledge using the “problem-posing” method, which promotes critical... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mx6q8sf Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Rochin, Alexandra https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3kx072qd Introduction: This study explores the impact of caregiver chronic illness burden on childhood psychosocial dysfunction (CPD) and presents lessons from implementing a family-centered, strengths-based intervention. Validated questionnaires identified associations between caregiver disease burden, stress, and CPD, leading to the adaptation of the Parent-Child Care (PC-Care) model for affected families. This work in progress shares lessons learned from implementing the intervention. Methods: Caregivers of children aged 6-12 with high scores on relevant assessments were invited to a 4-week intervention with monthly check-ins. Sessions involved standardized check-ins, completing a Weekly Assessments of Child Behavior-Positive (WACB-P) test, and teaching parenting skills from the PC-Care Curriculum (Figure 1). Sessions were recorded for thematic analysis. Lessons Learned: Out of 33 respondents, 15 were eligible, and 7 enrolled. Preliminary qualitative data led to three lessons learned:... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3kx072qd Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Pelayo, Gianna L https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3k0563cp This project explores the intersection of philosophy, political theory, and art to examine the moral dilemmas that have shaped human society. Ladders is an illustrated collection of poetry that reinterprets foundational ideas from ancient and modern political philosophers, spanning from pre-Christian thinkers to contemporary theorists. By analyzing key works—including The Republic by Plato, Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, and Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill—the project uncovers philosophical perspectives on fear, beauty, rights, wealth, and knowledge. Over twelve months, extensive research and artistic expression were combined to transform these abstract theories into accessible visual narratives, fostering deeper engagement with complex philosophical concepts. This project challenges prevailing norms by merging art with philosophy, offering an innovative approach to ethical reflection. Through poetic reinterpretation and evocative illustrations, Ladders encourages readers to critically... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3k0563cp Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Salinas, Angie E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36w2q0mp The Latinx Health Paradox, an epidemiological finding, states that Latinx people despite having lower income, education and power, live longer than their non-Latino counterparts. With this in mind it is essential to ask how the paradox shapes the lives of the Latinx community through its influence on various stakeholders such as policymakers. The Latinx Health Paradox as traditionally defined prioritizes quantity of years lived over quality of years lived. The paradox creates the illusion that the Latinx community is thriving in terms of their health, but it is important to acknowledge the difference between life expectancy and quality of life. I will challenge this interpretation of the Latinx Health Paradox through a survey experiment and review of scholarly work on the paradox. Through this methodology I will test my hypothesis that the current view of the Latinx Health Paradox negatively influences policymaking and perceptions of the Latinx community’s overall health. Furthermore,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36w2q0mp Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Manus, Emily K https://escholarship.org/uc/item/33h1414g Migraine is a headache disorder that causes mild to severe throbbing pain in the unilateral side of the head, either going left or right. Increasing levels of anxiety and stress could be associated with this headache disorder. These migraine psychiatric comorbidities are commonly investigated in universities as universities are academically demanding and time-consuming, and students are under constant pressure. Achieving academic demands and performing well in universities are critical for students. Migraines can cause functional disability, which can hinder and limit one's psychological and physical well-being. Functional disability can interfere with many aspects of students' academic performance. A literature review is conducted to investigate the correlation between migraines and mental health, their prevalence among university students, in addition to examining migraine symptoms, and how migraines affect students' educational performance. We predict that there will be a significant... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/33h1414g Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Hussain, Ain Z https://escholarship.org/uc/item/32v758kx In this capstone project, I analyze the impacts of US immigration laws between the late-1800s and mid-1900s through close readings of the policies and legal exceptions impacting Asian immigrants. These policies include the Page Act, the War Brides Act, Alien Land Laws, and the Immigration and Nationality Acts. Specifically, my capstone focuses on how these federal laws impacted the racialized exotification and sexual objectification of Asian women, who are considered outsiders to the US. Additionally, this capstone explores contemporary cases of violence against Asian women as evidence of this long history. In this project, I argue that this history of immigration policies and legal exceptions is relevant to the present-day because it reflects the deeply rooted perception of Asian women as racialized, hypersexualized, and exotified “others” who are desirable as sexualized objects, yet excluded from proper US citizenry. As a case study, I will discuss the 2021 Atlanta shooting,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/32v758kx Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tang, Angelina https://escholarship.org/uc/item/32b4909n The role of an insect's microbiome in insect-plant interactions is a dynamic area of research, yet significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the impact of nutritional endosymbionts in these complex relationships. Psyllids are sap-feeding insects that host nutritional symbionts in specialized insect cells called bacteriocytes. The obligate bacterial symbiont, Carsonella, synthesizes essential amino acids that are necessary for insect survival. To investigate how host plant diet affects psyllid gene regulation in bacteriocytes, Bactericera cockerelli nymphs were reared on pepper or tomato. Bacteriocytes were dissected in 5th instar nymphs, and total RNA was extracted and sequenced. Gene expression analysis revealed only a small subset of differentially regulated genes between diets, primarily linked to starvation responses and cytoskeleton-associated functions. To better understand the phenotypic effects of host plant diet on psyllid fitness and bacteriocytes, fitness trials were... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/32b4909n Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Reddy, Sophia S https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3053s0k0 Climate-related psychological distress is a growing concern, particularly for communities facing environmental inequality. While much of emerging research on climate-related psychological distress focuses on adults, little is known about how these challenges impact children, especially those in high-risk areas. This study examined the mental health impacts of living near warehouse-dense areas in the Inland Empire, a region with significant air pollution and industrial activity. The goal was to understand whether children who live in these areas experience higher levels of climate anxiety and climate worry compared to those in less industrialized areas. In a sample of 116 Latine youth residing in the Inland Empire, participants completed a set of questionnaires measuring their awareness of nearby warehouses, aspects of climate anxiety (e.g., behavioral engagement, cognitive-emotional impairment, functional impairment, experiences of climate change, overall climate anxiety), and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3053s0k0 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Zelaya, Alexa R https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2z79520z Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections affect over a billion people globally, particularly in regions with poor sanitation. Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb), a murine model for human hookworm, causes acute lung injury during larval migration through pulmonary tissue, triggering a type 2 (Th2) immune response essential for parasite clearance and tissue repair. However, this inflammation must be tightly regulated to avoid fibrosis and ensure proper remodeling. Macrophages are critical in this process, yet the mechanisms by which they mediate lung repair remain unclear. One candidate is Resistin-like molecule alpha (RELMα), a secreted protein from alternatively activated macrophages. RELMα is known to limit inflammation and promote remodeling, but its macrophage-specific role in lung repair during helminth infection is poorly defined. While global knockouts suggest a protective role, they fail to pinpoint responsible cell types. This project uses a Cre-loxP conditional knockout... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2z79520z Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Chiang, Victor https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2xw4k5vt Immigrants in the United States experience significant barriers when accessing prenatal healthcare, regardless of documentation status. This review investigates the effectiveness of prenatal healthcare services for immigrant women in the United States from 2015 to 2025, focusing on identifying systemic gaps in state and federal-level policies that further healthcare inequities. I conducted a critical analysis of existing peer-reviewed studies and scholarly articles in three databases: PubMed, Web of Sciences, and ProQuest. The analysis revealed consistent concerns with health insurance policies for immigrants and highlighted ongoing challenges in prenatal healthcare outcomes among immigrant women. Commonly identified barriers to prenatal health care included cost of services, language and difficulties understanding medical terminology, and fears related to immigration enforcement. These findings align with broader themes on immigrant health disparities, such as the immigrant healthy... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2xw4k5vt Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Janapati, Spandana https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sp9d5h2 With rising levels of anxiety among college students, understanding its effect on cognition and decision-making is crucial. Anxiety, a state of uneasiness often triggered by high-stress situations, may influence major life choices, such as whether students choose to enter the workforce or attend graduate school. This study examines both correlational and causal effects of anxiety on future planning. In the correlational study (n = 204), anxiety was measured using the GAD-7 and BAI scales. In the experimental study (n = 249), anxiety was induced by asking participants in the experimental condition to solve up to 10 Raven’s Progressive Matrices within three minutes, and the task was described as an “intelligence test.” This was designed to elicit anxiety through uncontrollability and negative self-evaluation. The control group completed the same task with unlimited time, and the task was described as a “fun matching exercise.” Participants self-reported emotional and physiological... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sp9d5h2 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Salloum, Marah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2df184qp Our society is shaped by diverse political forces— forces that act at the level at which government actions, court decisions, and media influence are deeply interconnected. Media, especially social media, increasingly orchestrates public policy. Using Jürgen Habermas’s 2023 book, A New Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere and Deliberative Politics, as the basis of my analysis, this essay critically examines how civic thought and participation has changed over the past two centuries. In his habilitation thesis and 1962 book, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, Habermas had revisited the events of the eighteenth century to document fundamental changes that had led to the evolution of a new, fundamentally transformed public sphere which could support deliberative democracy. Habermas's intention was to look back at developments that began in Immanuel Kant’s time to chart a course for representative democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany in the wake... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2df184qp Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Wang, Michelle https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2394g14f Ephemeral was born as a hybrid performance that erases the boundaries between film and theater to demonstrate UCR’s film and theater majors that theater and film are not in competition, but in conversation, which might inspire future productions at UCR and establish a form of expression that has not been widely explored within the school. Defined as something that lasts for a short period of time, Ephemeral is a film/live performance purposely shaped to give the false illusion of an imminent ending. However, this story with two different endings is meant to repeat and invite the audience to witness how their decisions have consequences within it. The structure of the scripts draws inspiration from Fefu and Her Friends by María Irene Fornés, and the story itself is highly influenced by the philosophical depth of Hermann Hesse’s Demian, the psychological insights of Carl Jung in his book The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, and the spiritual cosmology of the ancient Muisca... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2394g14f Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Munoz Arambulo, Valentina https://escholarship.org/uc/item/20g7100c To feel deeply is an act of defiance in an era that prioritizes detachment and irony. This collection of Romantic era-inspired poetry insists on the value of emotional surrender, wonder, and the sublime. Rooted in John Keats’ concept of negative capability, the poetry within this work does not seek resolution but revels in the uncertainty of human experience. Nature emerges as a haven from digital alienation, while the lyrical voicing lingers in states of awe, dissolution, and longing. The creative process in this project was initially guided by a conscious rejection of rigidity, favoring an organic form and the use of sensory-driven language. These poems embrace fluidity, resist prescriptive meaning, and extend an invitation to the reader to experience moments of raw feeling. They do not attempt to replicate the greatness of Romanticism, but rather continue its unfinished conversation, one in which beauty is neither ornamental nor passive but something to be inhabited and lived... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/20g7100c Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Blaine-Johnson, Ever K https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1zp811v3 Understanding the stability and evolution of personality disorders, particularly narcissism, remains a critical challenge in psychology [1]. Traditional longitudinal approaches often focus on linear changes and rank-order stability, potentially overlooking nuanced patterns and oscillatory behavior [1, 2]. In this study, we adopt a dynamical systems approach to model the temporal evolution of narcissistic traits and other personality dimensions, capturing both linear and cyclic dynamics that static models might miss. Using eigenvalue analysis and numerical integration techniques [3, 5], we examine how traits such as superiority and exploitative tendencies exhibit growth trends, while others, like exhibitionism, demonstrate oscillatory or decreasing behavior. Our results contrast with previous meta-analytic findings [1], which reported that most personality disorder criteria decrease over time, with some stability in antisocial and obsessive-compulsive traits. Additionally, Grijalva... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1zp811v3 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Murray, Bill https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1xk553zz Patients with type two diabetes commonly use the medication metformin to regulate blood sugar. Despite its wide use because of its ability to control blood sugar, the biochemistry of how it works in the body is still unknown, therefore leads people to discontinue the medication (Alibrahim 2023). Dr. Genereux’s DNAJB8 assay utilizes the heat shock protein in the HSP 40 family, DNAJB8 to target proteins that experience a change in structure and bind that can then be analyzed. Using Dr. Genereux’s DNAJB8 assay to isolate proteins affected by metformin, we can develop a deeper understanding of the cellular biochemical process in reducing blood sugar in the immortalized human embryonic cells, HEK293T cells. The goal of using this assay is to understand the proteins that are targeted by metformin as they will tell us what pathways are used and can broaden our understanding of the chemical. Currently, our next steps are to take the samples to mass spectrometry to be analyzed. Understanding... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1xk553zz Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Bharadwaj, Anisha https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1x98h298 The hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses (HVR, HCVR, respectively) are the reflex increases in breathing in response to decreases in arterial oxygen or increases in arterial carbon dioxide partial pressures. These reflexes are highly variable both within individuals because of pathologies or environmental exposures, as well as across populations. However, the mechanisms underlying individual variation in these responses are still under investigation. Despite decades of research examining the effects of sex hormones progesterone and estrogen on ventilatory chemoreflexes, there remains no strong consensus and data are conflicting. Some studies have reported differences in the HVR in menstruating women compared to men and postmenopausal women, but few studies investigate this link further, and data within menstruating non-pregnant women are less conclusive. Understanding hormonal effects on ventilation could illuminate differences in risk factors and responses to control... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1x98h298 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Shomar, Taleen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1x73k17q One thoroughly researched yet unexplained phenomenon is that women live longer than men on average. However, a 2023 study by Shawn Bauldry defined years lived free of serious physical or mental disability as “disability-free years.” While Bauldry’s research focused on comparisons between race and ethnic groups, his results also highlighted that women live longer than men despite experiencing more years with a disability. Curiously, Bauldry’s paper did not explore the potential factors explaining why women are more likely to develop a disability earlier in life than men. Therefore, this paper will conduct an integrative review on the factors contributing to this health disparity. By identifying and synthesizing current literature, this review aims to better understand how debilitating conditions are shaped by biological structures and gender inequities. Existing literature was collected on the biological and psychosocial factors of the three most common disabilities in women: low... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1x73k17q Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Sarashina, Emily K https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1h72h04m December 7, 1944. This was the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, causing a chain reaction that would affect the lives of all Japanese/ Japanese Americans. That course of action was the beginning of the United States’ involvement in World War II, along with the wrongful imprisonment of Japanese/Japanese Americans. Before the bombing, Japanese citizens migrated from Japan to the United States for a better life. They were in search of their “American Dream,” and some achieved it before disaster. Some Japanese/ Japanese Americans built their businesses, whether it was a small shop or farming. They also had families. Not just any regular pure Japanese family, but a mixed-race family. At that time, multiracial marriages were looked down upon, but some people didn’t listen to the social norm because they believed in being with the person they loved. Everything was going well for the Japanese/ Japanese Americans at the time, except for racial and discrimination from here to there by some... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1h72h04m Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Honbo, Mina https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1gs1w523 Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray depicts an affluent young man with a striking appearance developing into a socialite within a changing Victorian society. Dorian interacts with two distinct men who each encourage him to experience life in different ways: a humble artist, Basil Hallward, and a poisonously charming socialite, Henry Wotton. He is ultimately left with a moral choice of either living humbly or using his appearance to exploit all that life has to offer. Thus, the novel explores the connection between identity and morality in a historical moment when gender and sexuality were being reconstructed and strictly redefined, according to Michel Foucault. Thus, Gray’s choice raises the question: to what extent does the malleability of gender influence morality? I argue that while in Victorian society gender is seen as informing morality, Gray allows his morality to dictate his gender. That is, while Gray believes that he can freely express himself without moral consequence,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1gs1w523 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Sourakli, Nour https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1fp0z4tg In the evolving landscape of chemistry education, the role of 3D molecular models are a valuable tool in student learning. As spatial reasoning is a crucial skill in mastering molecular structures, identifying the most effective learning tools is essential for improving student outcomes. The proposed research investigates student interaction with physical and digital models, aiming to determine which modality has greater potential to improve spatial molecular learning and comprehension. This study investigates an under-explored area of research, seeking to understand how these different tools can influence spatial comprehension and understanding of chemical structures. Building upon previous research that analyzed the efficacy of digital versus physical models, this proposed study aims to deepen our understanding by incorporating eye-tracking technology. Eye-tracking technology offers a novel way to assess cognitive engagement, providing quantifiable data on how participants interact... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1fp0z4tg Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Malhotra, Akhil https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1bf0m2j2 The present study examined the effect of social media parasocial contact on reducing stigmatization against individuals with mental disorders. 357 college students completed a survey measuring their experience of engaging in parasocial contact on social media and their response to a vignette character with bipolar disorder, including perceived dangerousness, relatability, and social distance. Regression analysis revealed that having more positive parasocial contact experiences decreased perceived dangerousness of the vignette character and increased relatability, decreasing social distance as a result. The finding highlights the effectiveness of parasocial contact in influencing people’s perceptions and suggests further research on psychological relationships social media platforms can create. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1bf0m2j2 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Funaki, Karin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/15p4r889 In Spring 2023, I participated in the UC Riverside Political Science Department Internship Program, an program that connected political science students to internship host sites; I was assigned to KVCR News, a National Public Radio (NPR) local station and broadcasts to the Inland Empire. Since then, I have created radio features that spotlight local people, events, and topics of interest. Audio storytelling is an art of its own and I have learned how to eloquently and concisely tell a story that resonates with listeners. I have taken this experience further, teaching this craft to others with my R’Course “Local Public Radio Storytelling with 91.9 KVCR News,” taught in Winter 2025 and Spring 2025. In my class, utilizing the skills I teach them, students create radio features that will be aired on KVCR’s FM channel 91.9 and published on kvcrnews.org as part of the Student Stories series. My time with KVCR and public radio, as a broadcaster and as a teacher, culminates in an audio... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/15p4r889 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Wang, Allison W https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1586x3j8 The northern house mosquito, Culex pipiens, is the most widespread mosquito species in the United States and is a dangerous disease vector. Understanding C. pipiens reproduction allows for the development of novel mosquito population control strategies. Previous studies have demonstrated that calcium is necessary for C. pipiens sperm motility following entry through a T-type voltage channel and activation by an endogenous protease. T-type channels are low-voltage-activated channels that open in response to small membrane depolarizations, acting as key transducers of calcium to initiate motility. I investigated the cellular and temporal effects of T-type voltage channels on motility after activation under five experimental conditions, including treatment with a hyperpolarized solution and ionomycin. Hyperpolarization refers to changes in the cell that result in a more negative membrane potential. Ionomycin, a calcium ionophore, binds to calcium and facilitates its transfer across... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1586x3j8 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Doeve, Aly https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1436471c Adaptation occurs when traits that confer greater fitness are selected for in response to an environment. The purpose of this study is to analyze traits in dune and non-dune sunflowers that may be locally adapted. Dune sunflowers may possess traits that improve survival in nutrient-poor environments where seeds are buried as sand moves. Meanwhile, non-dune sunflowers possess traits for nutrient-dense, competitive environments. We examined traits such as leaf and branch number through time, specific leaf area, plant height over time, pollen diameter, and flower style length. Leaf and branch numbers over time influence the sunlight captured for plant growth. Plants in harsh environments may need to quickly advance out of weaker seedling life stages, making growth rate important. Specific Leaf Area (SLA) concerns water retention and light absorbance, necessary traits for dry environments. Greater pollen size and short style length affect reproductive success and compatibility. We... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1436471c Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Barrows, Sophia R https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1370s27m This study investigates the effects of smoke exposure on the behavior and lung health of wild-caught Anna’s hummingbirds. Twelve birds were placed in individual insect cages with a syringe of 30 mL of nectar solution. Half the birds, the smoke group, were placed inside an environmental chamber and exposed to cold wood smoke of 1,419 µg/m3 concentration for 4 hours. The remaining six birds, the control group, were placed in a separate environmental chamber without smoke. At the end of the exposure, half of each group was euthanized immediately to study short-term effects on the lungs, including acute inflammation, immune cell infiltration, and carbon deposition. The other half were euthanized two weeks later to study long-term effects on the lungs, such as fibrosis and structural damage. A necropsy was performed on all the birds. Their lungs were processed for immunohistochemistry and analyzed after Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining. Observational results showed no differences... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1370s27m Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Loaisiga, Isabelle R https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12q84705 A growing volume of research has been dedicated to the study of the causes and‬‭ consequences of homelessness, yet there exists a gap in the literature in regards to the role of the‬‭ broader experiences of housing insecurity and the role timing of such experiences plays on key‬‭ life outcomes. Previous research highlights the relationship between educational attainment,‬‭ incarceration, and housing insecurity, yet few address how the age of first housing insecurity‬‭ affects these outcomes. This paper seeks to evaluate (1) whether housing insecurity during youth‬‭ impacts the likelihood of high school completion by age 25 and incarceration outcomes, and (2)‬‭ conditional on experiencing housing insecurity as a youth, whether the age at housing insecurity‬‭ matters for educational attainment and incarceration outcomes. Using data from the National‬‭ Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), we conduct logistic regression analyses to‬‭ understand the role of housing insecurity... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12q84705 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Strausman, Rachel L https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12q5w66q Beautyism is the treatment of people by their perceived beauty or ugliness, favoring those perceived as beautiful and rejecting those perceived as ugly. The perception of beauty has been critical in all known society. Attractiveness is perceived in all genders and substantially affects how individuals view themselves. This literature review examines how Beautyism is impacting several areas of human behavior. There has been research on adults treated differently for their perceived beauty or ugliness in the hiring process. There is also research on how Beautyism can affect education, relationships, social media, and many more by decreasing self-esteem and increasing psychological & emotional trauma. To address these concerns, this paper has compiled sources to address how Beautyism comes into play in a literature review paper. Findings show how Beautyism is negatively impacting the world by decreasing opportunities for people seen as unattractive by the outside world. This... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12q5w66q Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Ravishankar, Ranjana https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1004v08b Svana is a two-act play that centers on Svana, a young woman navigating personal growth and self-discovery. The script is within a fantasy world of two divided kingdoms. Within the two divided kingdoms, Svana finds the location named Far, used throughout literally and symbolically. The play itself explores themes of change and womanhood within a world of fantasy. The plot involves her having escaped her home kingdom. Svana must learn to adapt to a new life in the neighboring kingdom. Throughout the play, inner and interpersonal conflicts are represented as a tale of coming of age. The play aims to not only entertain the audience but also resonate with the audience and leave a lasting impression. Immersing them in magic and transformation, connecting to Svana’s inner self. While also more importantly helping people relate to the story in a way that is thematically related to real-life experiences, such as change in many ways. I hope the script itself is enjoyable for the audience... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1004v08b Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Hawley, Sage G https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0zn84351 Corneal endothelial (CEn) dysfunction is a major cause of vision loss, and current treatments like corneal transplantation are limited by donor shortages and the risk of rejection. Neural crest cells (NCCs), multipotent embryonic cells that give rise to CEn, are a promising intermediate for regenerative therapies, though the molecular mechanisms driving their differentiation remain unclear. This study investigates the expression of RhoB, a small GTPase known to regulate cytoskeletal dynamics and early NCC behavior, in chick embryos. Using in situ hybridization, we detected RhoB expression in the primitive streak at HH4, the neural folds at HH7, which are consistent with the current studies, and throughout the eye at E7, suggesting a sustained role beyond early NCC migration. While cryosectioning of E7 tissue was not completed, these results highlight a potential role for RhoB in later stages of ocular development, including CEn differentiation. Further studies using protein localization... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0zn84351 Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Kuong, Crystal Y https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wv494zk Escherichia coli cells can use up to 40% of their energy for making ribosomes (Bubunenko et al., 2006). Ribosomes are important for converting the genetic information encoded in mRNA to protein. As a result, ribosomes can directly play a critical role in the cell’s response to environmental changes via proteins. The ribosome is a complicated machine made up of many components of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and additional proteins that join to form an active, mature 70S ribosome. The ultimate formation of mature 70S requires the help of factors, known maturation factors, such as RimM. Previous research has shown that Cryogenic Electron Microscopy (CryoEM) structures of ribosomes isolated from E. coli cells missing RimM are distinct from the wildtype that contains RimM (G. Demo, Personal Communication)(See Appendix A Figure 1). The removal of maturation factors such as RimM may have implications in forming the mature 70S ribosome. If the mature 70S ribosome is not formed or does not function... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wv494zk Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Mageswaran, Lithikhaa https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wf382hg As Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives face increasing scrutiny, it is important to understand how these factors affect team dynamics and performance. This study examines how DEI, both individually and collectively, influences subjective team performance. We hypothesize that these factors affect experiences of inclusion and perceptions of equity, which in turn impact team functioning and performance. Guided by the Input-Process-Output (IPO) framework and Social Identity Theory, DEI was examined as a process where ethnic diversity served as the input, shaping team members’ social identities and influencing experiences of inclusion and perceptions of equity, which then impacted team outcomes. The analysis involved multivariate regression, ANOVA, and Structural Equation Path Analysis Modeling, clustered by team. Results revealed that teams with medium diversity reported higher subjective performance compared to teams with low or high diversity. Inclusion was a strong... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wf382hg Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Amador, Jennifer