GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus is a vector of several pathogens, including Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia massiliae, and Ehrlichia canis. This study genotyped ticks infesting dogs in Bulloch County kennels and tested them for tick-borne pathogens.
104 ticks were collected from 11 dogs and identified morphologically as R. sanguineus. Tick DNAs were extracted and their 12S rRNA mitochondrial genes were amplified and sequenced to determine their genotypes. Bioinformatic analyses were performed using BLAST and MEGA. The tick DNAs were tested for DNA of Rickettsia and Ehrlichia.
Two tick genotypes were identified among 22 ticks sequenced - 21 (95.5%) ticks had temperate lineage genotype, and one tick had tropical lineage genotype (4.5%).
Eight of 104 (7.7%) ticks were PCR-positive for Ehrlichia and 22 (21.2%) for Rickettsia.
Our results indicate multiple introductions of dog ticks into Bulloch County have occurred and both Rickettsia and Ehrlichia are found in these ticks.

Carbon fiber plates (CFPs) are widely used to enhance performance by optimizing shoe bending stiffness. Incorporating a CFP in the shoe significantly reduces peak plantar pressures in the forefoot and midfoot areas likely to be injured during running. This study examined the effects of CFPs placed in the midsole and as inserts on overground pressure distribution during running. Five healthy college students ran in three shoe conditions (CFP shoes, CFP inserts, and No-plate shoes) at two speeds on a pressure measuring mat to measure peak pressure at the Heel, Arch, and Forefoot areas. A 2-way ANOVA with repeated measures (α = .05) was used to analyze the data. Heel pressure was highest in CFP shoes and lowest in no-plate condition. CFP shoes had lower arch pressure, while CFP inserts showed the least forefoot pressure. These results suggest that CFP placement influences overground pressure, potentially reducing injury risks during running.

The integrity of concrete structures is crucial for public safety and long-term infrastructure. Nondestructive testing (NDT) methods, like ground-penetrating radar (GPR), are commonly used for inspection but face challenges in analyzing complex radargram data. To improve this, we propose ConcreteNet, a convolutional neural network designed for GPR radargram classification. Based on the "Network in Network" architecture with AlexNet as the base model, ConcreteNet detects structural defects more effectively. It trains on radargram data from the Georgia Southern Engineering Research Building and validates using GPR data from the Georgia Department of Transportation. Additionally, creating a publicly accessible GPR radargram dataset helps researchers train deformity detection models. Benchmarking this dataset against advanced classification and object detection networks further enhances GPR-based deformity detection in concrete.

Organophosphorus, such as inositol phosphate (IP), may serve as a source of orthophosphate (OP) in freshwater. The contribution from recalcitrant organic-P to the OP pool has been overlooked due to the lack of tools capable of accurately measuring OP production from organic-P. However, in the absence of OP, specialized enzymes are produced by competent aquatic microorganisms to get OP from organic-P forms. This study aimed to quantify OP production from phytic acid, a surrogate for recalcitrant organic-P, to assess the contribution of recalcitrant P forms to the total OP pool that fuels algal blooms in freshwaters. A fluorescence probe serving as a substrate analog for phytic acid was used to measure the enzymatic activity required for IP mineralization to quantify OP production from IP accurately. Though IP mineralization rates were relatively low, results highlighted the importance of considering recalcitrant organic-P as a viable source for OP.

Gallows humor is a coping mechanism used by healthcare professionals to manage stress and emotional burden. Understanding its role in nursing education can help educators and students navigate the complexities of the profession. This study examined its significance through a literature review and a survey of nursing students and educators. The literature review included 15 peer-reviewed articles from databases like GALILEO, CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus, highlighting both its benefits and ethical concerns. Findings suggest gallows humor is commonly used for stress management and is generally viewed as beneficial for learning and emotional resilience. However, concerns were raised about its potential to contribute to desensitization and unprofessional behavior. While some participants found it appropriate in specific contexts, others emphasized the need for clear guidelines to ensure its ethical use in nursing education. This study highlights the dual nature of gallows humor as both a coping strategy and an ethical challenge. While it can support stress relief and camaraderie, its use must be guided by professional standards. Educators should facilitate discussions on its appropriate application. Future research should explore its long-term impact on nursing practice and strategies for responsible integration into nursing education.

Lane-keeping is critical for SAE Level 3+ autonomous vehicles, requiring accurate lane perception. Most recently approved Level 3 production vehicles include lidar, likely to enhance active safety by providing direct distance measurements—an advantage over Level 2 camera-based methods that rely on statistical inference. This study compares a state-of-the-art machine learning method with our model-driven approach using lidar, focusing on lane marking perception accuracy.

Credit risk prediction remains both a challenging and high-interest problem due to the inherently unbalanced nature of financial datasets and the continuous drive for higher predictive precision. In this work, I build upon previous advancements in credit risk modeling and introduce an ensemble-based Artificial Neural Network (ANN) architecture designed to enhance classification performance. By leveraging a selective ensemble of decision networks, this approach not only improves prediction accuracy but also mitigates the challenges posed by imbalanced data distributions. While the primary focus is on credit risk prediction, my analysis demonstrates that the proposed model can be effectively applied for both dimensionality reduction and classification of unbalanced datasets more broadly. The results reinforce the potential of ensemble deep learning strategies in financial risk assessment, offering a scalable and precise solution for real-world credit risk evaluation.

Lower extremity injury screening is a common tool in soccer due to the changes of direction,
jumping, landing, and cutting maneuvers players must exhibit. Talocrural dorsiflexion range of
motion (DFROM), vertical jump (VJ) and unilateral hop tests are used to assess ankle and knee
injury risk. Further, DFROM asymmetries may present a higher risk than reduced DFROM
alone. It is unknown how DFROM asymmetries affect these tests. Thus, the purpose of this study
was to examine the relationship between DFROM and hop and VJ performance, and to examine
the differences between those with and without DFROM asymmetries. The current results
suggest a positive relationship between DFROM and hop and jump performance, but no
differences in those with asymmetries. This suggests that DFROM may be important for these
tests but a battery for injury screening in soccer should include other assessments to account for
potential asymmetry compensation in the lower extremity.

Celiac disease (CD) and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) are two disease states related to the consumption of gluten. This study aims to compare the existing literature on each disease’s pathophysiology, incidence, diagnosis, current treatment, and treatment outcomes. The search engines Galileo, Pubmed, and the National Library of Medicine were used to gather data for this study. CD is characterized by chronic inflammation of the small intestinal mucosa and several other gastrointestinal manifestations. (Rodrigo, 2006). Its incidence is increasing worldwide, with the highest rates in Europe and North America (Gujral et al, 2012). Meanwhile, NCGS is poorly defined and difficult to diagnose due to a lack of serological and histological biomarkers (Barbaro et al, 2020). Its incidence is estimated between 0.5-13% in the general population (Barbaro et al, 2015). The only known treatment for both diseases is a lifelong avoidance of gluten (Raymond et al, 2006).

This paper explores the topic of the separation of church and state from a historical perspective. It traces the evolution of this principle in American politics, starting with its early foundations. The analysis highlights how religious influences have shaped political discourse over time. Additionally, the paper examines the role of religion in contemporary politics, particularly in the context of the 2024 presidential election. It considers how religious beliefs and practices influence political platforms, candidate support, and voting patterns. The study also explores how the media portrays religious issues that are often central to political debate. Ultimately, the paper aims to shed light on the complex relationship between religion, politics, and the media in shaping electoral outcomes.