# gsrj: A Pathfinder

This is a computer-generated pathfinder created against the Distant Reader study called gsrj.

Each Distant Reader study carrel is composed of many individual items. Each item is bibliographically described with author, title, date, summary, and keyword values. Below is a list of the items' most signficant keywords as well as lists of the items themselves. Purpusing the content of this pathfinder provides the student, researcher, or scholar with one way to get their heads around the scope of the carrel. The keywords include:

> Georgetown; Col; Mice; Treatment; Junior; Cas; Covid-19; Scientific; Students; Brain; Stress; Gene; Population; Activity; Science; Gun; Majoring; Power; Change; Levels; Hesitancy; Food; Temperature; Programs; Decryption; Age; Present; Elds

Depending on how this pathfinder was created, many of the bibliographic sections will include elaborations on the meaning(s) of the given keywords. These elaborations were generated by feeding the items' summaries to a large langauge model and asking the model to address the question, "What is X?", where "X" is the keyword. The result will be a few sentences of elaboration. Be forewarned. The elaborations are often plausible, but they should not be take as truth. Instead, they should be taken as points for consideration.

## Georgetown

- About the Authors by none (2021) - Maria Victoria Dias Maria Victoria Dias is a sophomore from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, majoring in human science in the NHS and is on the pre- med track. Meet the Authors Bridgitte Isom Bridgitte Isom is a !rst-year student from Miami, FL studying human science in the School of Nursing and Health Studies. Keywords: georgetown; health; human; science
- About the Authors by none (2022) - James Bond James Bond is a senior in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, majoring in Science, Technology and International Affairs. Ariyand Aminpour Ariyand Aminpour is an Urban Health Security Research Fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Science and Security. Keywords: georgetown
- Best Practices for Health Literacy Education for English Language Learners by Shaw, Britney; Kuwahara, Lindsey; Gao, Amanda (2023) - Observed success in virtual health literacy education supports developing partnerships for future implementation of health literacy courses in rural, under- resourced, and/or immigrant communities by pre-health college students. Studying health literacy and engaging in experiential learning provides an important foundation for pre-health undergraduates to learn about how health can be influenced by one’s culture. Keywords: class; course; education; english; georgetown; health; health literacy; instructors; journal; language; learning; literacy; nutrition; students
- The Preventative and Healing Properties of Performing Arts in Female Genital Mutilation by Kardos, Alyssa (2021) - 55 Georgetown Scientific Research Journal https://doi.org/10.48091/BNKO5024 Governments must explicitly ban FGM in order to strengthen and legitimize the implementation of FGM interventions overall, which naturally includes performance-based interventions. Estimates from 2004 predict that around 90% of FGM cases include Type I, II, or IV, and about 10% include Type III16. Keywords: arts; community; countries; development; female; fgm; georgetown; girls; health; https://doi.org/10.48091/bnko5024; interventions; journal; mutilation; order; performance; practice; programs; research; scientific; study; theater; therapy; women; work; � �
- Loneliness & College Students: A Needs Assessment Regarding Georgetown Student Experiences in a Post-Virtual World by Lyons, Kelsey; Magsayo, Marcus; Maheshwari, Riya (2023) - HoyaWell was implemented in January 2021 because many Georgetown students did not have access to CAPS, as they were not located in the DC area.18 From the research, we determined that an app to address student loneliness (Nod), opportunities to engage with faculty, spaces of well-being on campus, and quality and accessible mental health resources are recommended to combat student loneliness. Keywords: campus; college; covid-19; georgetown; health; journal; loneliness; mental; pandemic; research; students; university
- Modes of Democratic Transition, Power Dynamics Between Opposition and Incumbents, and Mass Internet Access: A Literature Review by Huang, Ruoya (2025) - This literature review aims to synthesize major existing arguments on preexisting conditions of democratic transitions to understand how various power dynamics between the authorities and the opposition shaped by primary education, civil liberties, income, and access to the internet lead to different types of democratic transition and impact the stability of the new democratic regime. AAbbssttrraacctt This literature review explores the evolving landscape of democratic transitions in the 21st century within academia, with a particular focus on the influence of digital technology and access to information. Keywords: access; countries; democracy; democratization; georgetown; incumbents; internet; journal; opposition; power; regime; research; social; transition
- Coding Gender: Exploring the Presence of Gender Stereotypes within ChatGPT by Montgomery, Laura (2025) - Keywords: ChatGPT, Gender Bias, AI, Language Translation, Large Language Models (LLM) KKeeyy RReesseeaarrcchh QQuueessttiioonnss 1. For language translations, the author prompts ChatGPT to translate gender-ambiguous English sentences into five gendered languages (French, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, and Arabic), recording the frequency in which ChatGPT translates the ambiguous subject into its masculine or feminine spelling. Keywords: bias; chatgpt; doctor; feminine; french; frequency; gender; gendered; georgetown; journal; language; masculine; occupations; research; sentences; structure; study; translate; translations; ukrainian

## Col

- Acknowledgements by none (2021) - ‘22 Joy Chung, COL. ‘24 Alexandra Glezer, NHS ‘24 Sylvia Lorenzini, Post-Bac Alexander Missner, COL. ‘21 Faculty Reviewers Thomas Coate, PhD. | GU COL, Dept. of Biology, Neurobiology Ronald Davis, PhD. | GU COL, Dept. of Chemistry Jeffrey Huang, PhD. | GU COL, Dept. of Biology, Neurobiology Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss, PhD. | GUMC, Dept. of Neuroscience Manus Patten, PhD. | GU COL, Dept. of Biology, Environmental Biology Michael Parker, PhD. | GU COL, Assistant Dean Joan Riley, MS | GU NHS, Dept. of Human Science Special Thanks To the GSRJ’s Executive Board and Content Board for their contributions to the publication. Publication Team Layout Editor | Alanna Cronk, COL. ‘23 Cover Design | Layan Shahrour, NHS ‘23 Danya Adams, COL. Keywords: col
- Acknowledgements by Adams, Danya (2021) - ‘22 Joy Chung, COL. ‘24 Alexandra Glezer, NHS ‘24 Martin Shih, COL. ‘24 Faculty Reviewers Haiyan He, PhD. | GU COL, Dept. of Biology, Neurobiology Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss, PhD. | GUMC, Dept. of Neuroscience Jami Montgomery, PhD. | GU COL, Dept. of Computer Science Michael Parker, PhD. | GU COL, Assistant Dean Special Thanks To the GSRJ’s Executive Board and Content Board for their contributions to the publication. ‘21 Nesreen Shahrour, NHS ‘23 Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief | Danya Adams, COL. ‘21 Executive Editor | Nesreen Shahrour, NHS ‘23 Senior Editors Fadilah Farrin, NHS ‘24 Nicholas Kaliss, COL. ‘21 Grace Khaner, NHS ‘22 Kavya Shah, SFS ‘24 Alexander Missner, COL. ‘21 Junior Editors Alexandra Alkhayer, COL. ‘24 Lucas Biran, COL. ‘23 Rachel Cherelstein, COL. Keywords: col
- Acknowledgements by none (2022) - ‘22 Joy Chung, COL. ‘24 William DiGiovanni, COL. ‘25 Giselle Rasquinha, COL. ‘25 Alexandria Sorensen, COL. ‘25 Editor-in-Chief Emerita | Danya Adams, NIMH, COL. ‘21 Faculty Reviewers Ronald Davis, PhD. | GU COL., Dept. of Chemistry Manus Patten, PhD. | GU COL., Dept. of Biology, Environmental Biology Michael Parker, PhD. | GU COL., Assistant Dean Special Thanks To the GSR Journal’s Executive and Content Board for their contributions to the publication. Publication Team Publication Editor | Alanna Cronk, COL. ‘23 Cover Design | Layan Shahrour, NHS ‘23 Danya Adams, COL. ‘21 Lucas Biran, COL. ‘23 Nesreen Shahrour, NHS ‘23 Rithvik Veeramachaneni, COL. ‘25 Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief | Nesreen Shahrour, NHS ‘23 Executive Editor | Layan Shahrour, NHS ‘23 Senior Editors Lucas Biran, COL. ‘23 Jacqueline ( Jackie) Chen, COL. ‘25 Grace Khaner, NHS ‘22 Kavya Shah, SFS ‘24 Rithvik Veeramachaneni, COL. ‘25 Junior Editors Alexandra Alkhayer, COL. ‘24 Rachel Cherelstein, COL. Keywords: col
- Acknowledgements by Shahrour, Nesreen (2022) - Publication Team Publication Editor | Alanna Cronk, COL. ‘23 Cover Design | Layan Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Danya Adams, COL. ‘21 Ikram Muhammedsani, SOH ‘25 Nesreen Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief | Nesreen Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Executive Editor | Layan Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Senior Editors Lucas Biran, COL. ‘23 Doha Maaty, SOH ‘23 Fadilah Farrin, SOH ‘24 Kavya Shah, SFS ‘24 Jacqueline ( Jackie) Chen, COL. ‘25 Leah Chen, COL. ‘25 Alexandria Sorensen, COL. ‘25 Rithvik Veeramachaneni, COL. ‘25 Junior Editors Alexandra Alkhayer, COL. ‘24 Joy Chung, COL. ‘24 Varat Ransibrahmanakul, SOH ‘24 William DiGiovanni, COL. ‘25 Giselle Rasquinha, COL. ‘25 Philip Shraybman, COL. ‘25 Faculty Reviewers Ronald Davis, PhD. | GU COL., Dept. of Chemistry Haiyan He, PhD. | GU COL., Dept. of Biology, Neurobiology Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss, PhD. | GUMC, Dept. of Neuroscience Manus Patten, PhD. | GU COL., Dept. of Biology, Environmental Biology Michael Parker, PhD. | GU COL., Assistant Dean Special Thanks To the GSR Journal’s Executive and Content Board for their contributions to the publication. To Duke Vertices for their outside of institution peer-review. Keywords: col
- Acknowledgments by none (2023) - ‘23 Doha Maaty, SOH ‘23 Fadilah Farrin, SOH ‘24 Jacqueline ( Jackie) Chen, COL. ‘25 Leah Chen, COL. ‘25 Alexandria Sorensen, COL. ‘25 Junior Editors Alexandra Alkhayer, COL. ‘24 Joy Chung, COL. ‘24 Varat Ransibrahmanakul, SOH ‘24 William DiGiovanni, COL. ‘25 Giselle Rasquinha, COL. ‘25 Philip Shraybman, COL. ‘25 Anna Tsioulias, COL. ‘25 Faculty Reviewers Haiyan He, PhD. | GU COL., Dept. of Biology, Neurobiology Jeffrey Huang, PhD. | GU COL., Dept. of Biology, Neurobiology Michael Parker, PhD. | GU COL., Assistant Dean Special Thanks To the GSR Journal’s Executive and Content Board for their contributions to the publication. ‘25 ; Ikram Muhammedsani, SOH ‘25 Cover Design | Vyomika Gandhi, COL. ‘25 Nesreen Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Rithvik Veeramachaneni, COL ‘25 Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief | Nesreen Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Executive Editor | Rithvik Veeramachaneni, COL ‘25 Senior Editors Lucas Biran, COL. Keywords: col

## Mice

- The Interplay of Nicotine and Social Stress Mediate Dopaminergic Neuron Firing in the Ventral Tegmental Area - Nucleus Accumbens Pathway, Contributing to Stress and Depressive Mood Disorders. by Adams, Danya; Kaliss, Nicholas; Missner, Alexander; Valentine , Mary Meg (2021) - Graph b shows VTA DA neuron frequency and bursting activity in mice without the nAChR knockout, while graph c shows VTA DA neuronal activity GPS�NJDF�XJUI�UIF�LOPDLPVU�� 'JHVSFT�UBLFO�GSPN� .PSFM�FU�BM� ������� � � Additionally, knockout mice did not exhibit social aversion, contrasting the typical results of SD on wild type mice (Figure 2). While other pathways such as the prefrontal cortex have a larger effect on REM duration, NAc was still � TJHOJGJDBOU�JO�NPEVMBUJOH�BSPVTBM���� � � � 5IFTF� GJOEJOHT� BSF� JNQPSUBOU� CFDBVTF� UIFZimplicate VTA dopamine in mediating stress and sleep-like behaviors. Keywords: activity; brain; dopamine; effects; firing; ltp; mice; nac; neurons; nicotine; pathway; sleep; stress; vta; � uif; � �
- Cancer Models to Defeat Therapy Resistance in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by He, Britney (2021) - Additionally, GEM-SLN is effective on both PPCL-46 cultures and established commercially available cell lines, 50 Georgetown Scientific Research Journal indicating moderate effectiveness in addressing the heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer cells. Targeted CRISPR screening identifies PRMT5 as synthetic lethality combinatorial target with gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cells. Keywords: cancer; cancer cells; cancer research; cell; cultures; drug; et al; gem; gemcitabine; journal; mice; models; pancreatic; pdac; research; resistance; treatment; tumor
- Psilocybin, Depression, and Synaptogenesis: Insights into the Field’s Past, Present, and Future by Douglas, Anna; Staas, Daniel; Hampton, Anna; Burns, Kylie; Suter, Fenn (2023) - Chen, C. Z., Neumann, B., Förster, S., & Franklin, R. J. M. (2021). Zhdanava, M., Pilon, D., Ghelerter, I., Chow, W., Joshi, K., Lefebvre, P., & Sheehan, J. J. (2021). Keywords: bdnf; cortex; depression; hallucinogenic; ht2a; lsd; mice; psilocybin; receptor; research
- Intradermal Injection of Bleomycin Shows Preliminary Evidence of Dermal Fibrosis in a Mouse Model by Tharun Potluri; Cameron S. D'Orio; Lauren T. Moffatt; Jeffrey W. Shupp; Bonnie C. Carney (2024) - Intradermal Injection of Bleomycin Shows Preliminary Evidence of Dermal Fibrosis in a Mouse Model !arun Potluri, Cameron S. D'Orio, BS, Lauren T. Moatt, PhD, Jerey W. Shupp, MD, Bonnie C. Carney, PhD Volume Four Edition One Spring 2024 GEORGETOWN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH JOURNAL 20 ���� ������������� ������������������ � � ���� ��� ������������������������� ������������� ������ ����� ������� �������������� ��������� ��� � TThhaarruunn PPoottlluurrii11,,22,, CCaammeerroonn SS.. DD’’OOrriioo,, BBSS22,, LLaauurreenn TT.. This problem was the main issue we faced when attempting to 27 ���� ������������� ������������������ � � � replicate the previously proven model. Keywords: bleomycin; dermal; dose; dyschromia; fibrosis; group; hts; measurements; mice; skin; zone; � ffiigguurree; � �

## Treatment

- Evaluating the Efficacy of Targeted Inhibitor Therapeutics for Sonic Hedgehog Medulloblastoma: Significant Milestones and Current Limitations by Dias, Maria Victoria; Isom, Bridgitte; Poole, Katherine; Triplett, Sofia; Sadanandan, Nadia (2021) - Therefore, this review serves as an important resource because it 86 Georgetown Scientific Research Journal https://doi.org/10.48091/ATJH8708 presents a summary and evaluation of findings regarding the efficacy of SHH inhibitors, as well as potential future steps to eventually use these therapeutics in clinical practice. Overall, these clinical trials indicate that while both vismodegib and sonidegib show substantial promise as SHH inhibitors in MB, several limitations to their efficacy still need to be overcome. Keywords: efficacy; hedgehog; inhibitors; mutations; pathway; patients; research; shh; shh inhibitors; shh mb; shh pathway; treatment; tumor; vismodegib
- Refractory Epilepsy: Mechanisms of Pharmacoresistance by Le, Ariel; Makenzie Thomas; Brady Stallman; Kathryn Meadows; Vidya Bhargava (2021) - With P-gp overexpression identified as the lead cause of refractory epilepsy, the focus shifts towards improving the standard of care for refractory epilepsy patients through the proposed treatment method of P-gp inhibition. This review specifically considers Tariquidar (TQD) the most promising P-gp inhibitor for refractory epilepsy treatment. Keywords: aed; aeds; brain; drug; epilepsy; overexpression; refractory; tqd; treatment
- The Impact of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder on Academic Performance by Geiger, Shelby; Monaco, Francesca; Huang, Ruoxian; Bettendorf, Abigail (2023) - Henein et al. found that the proportion of assessments related to OCD increased in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in London.18 Similarly, Ji et al. found a positive association between university students’ fear of COVID-19 and their score on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, which rates the severity of OCD symptoms.19 The data obtained from Henein et al. suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic increased the likelihood of those with a predisposition for OCD to develop OCD, and that it raised the severity levels of those with subclinical OCD to clinical OCD.18 Data obtained by Heinin et al. suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased deterioration in the functioning of individuals with OCD, which may translate into the scholastic setting as impaired academic performance.18 In addition to the lifestyle changes that intensified OCD symptoms, quarantining required a change in OCD treatment because in-person therapy appointments were no longer possible. In addition, changes in OCD symptoms in response to the onset of COVID-19 should be considered. Keywords: impact; ocd; performance; research; severity; students; symptoms; treatment

## Junior

- About the Authors by Adams, Danya (2021) - In the future, she would love to attend medical school and expand her knowledge of neuroscience. After graduating, Cox hopes to apply to medical school while maintaining her involvement in neurobiology-based research. Keywords: junior; majoring
- Meet the Staff by Adams, Danya (2021) - Meet the Staff Danya Adams President, Editor-in-Chief Nesreen Shahrour Vice President, Executive Editor Mikail Husain Operations Director Layan Shahrour Communications & Creative Director Orion Gangopadhyay University Liaison 67 Meet the Staff Janis Park Events Coordinator Peter DiGiovanni Treasurer Alanna Cronk Publication Manager, Student Highlights Writer Fadilah Farrin Senior Editor Nicholas Kaliss Senior Editor 68 Meet the Staff Grace Khaner Senior Editor Sylvia Lorenzini Senior Editor Kavya Shah Senior Editor Alexander Missner Senior Editor Alexandra Alkhayer Junior Editor 69 Meet the Staff Lucas Biran Junior Editor Rachel Cherelstein Junior Editor Joy Chung Junior Editor Alexandra Glezer Junior Editor Martin Shih Junior Editor 70 Meet the Staff Dilan Gangopadhyay Faculty Highlights Writer Christina Zhu Faculty Highlights Writer Anndy Serrano-Marcillo Student Highlights Writer Trevor Hu Resources Analyst Cindy Munkhgerel Resources Analyst 71 Table of Contents Letter From the Editors An Investigation Into the Mathematics of DecryptionTechniques in RSA Encryption,With an Implementation in Python GPR40 and Postsynaptic NMDA Receptors: A Pair Against Epilepsy The Burn Behind the Bullet: Understanding Black Mothers’ Experiences After Losing a Child to Gun Violence in Washington,DC-Baltimore City Metropolitan Region Cancer Models to Defeat Therapy Resistance in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma About the Authors Meet the Staff Acknowledgements Keywords: editor; junior
- Meet the Staff by Shahrour, Nesreen (2022) - Meet the Staff Nesreen Shahrour President, Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Glezer Operations Director, Events Director Layan Shahrour Vice President, Executive Editor Nora Cheraghi Creative Director Orion Gangopadhyay University Liaison Ala Alshomali Communications Director 90 Meet the Staff Alexander Missner Medical School Liaison Danny Ha Events Coordinator Nouran Alim Events Coordinator Richa Kuklani Treasurer Aanika Chandhok Publication Assistant Alanna Cronk Publication Editor 91 Meet the Staff Ikram Muhammedsani Publication Assistant Doha Maaty Senior Editor Lucas Biran Senior Editor Fadilah Farrin Senior Editor Jacqueline Chen Senior Editor Kavya Shah Senior Editor 92 Meet the Staff Leah Chen Senior Editor Rithvik Veeramachaneni Senior Editor Alexandria Sorensen Senior Editor Alexandra Alkhayer Junior Editor Varat Ransibrahmanakul Junior Editor Joy Chung Junior Editor 93 Meet the Staff William DiGiovanni Junior Editor Philip Shraybman Junior Editor Giselle Rasquinha Junior Editor Anna Tsioulias Junior Editor Dilan Gangopadhyay Faculty Highlights Writer Christina Zhu Faculty Highlights Writer 94 Meet the Staff Maria Victoria Dias Student Highlights Writer Grace Kearns Resources Analyst Samantha Induni Student Highlights Writer Tessa Block Resources Analyst 95 Table of Contents Letter From the Editors Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in the United States: Addressing Reasons for Vaccine Hesitancy th An Analysis of the Effects of Frequency and Type of Physical Activity on Self-Esteem in Adolescent M Addressing American Obesity: A Policy Proposal The Select Agent Regulations: Structure and Stricture An Evaluation of the Human Impact of Climatic Factors in Cook County, Illinois An Evaluation of Food Insecurity in the D.C. Community About the Authors Meet the Staff Acknowledgements Keywords: editor; junior; staff
- Meet the Staff by none (2023) - Chen Senior Editor Doha Maaty Senior Editor 57 Meet the Staff Leah Chen Senior Editor Lucas Biran Senior Editor Alexandria Sorensen Senior Editor Philip Shraybman Senior Editor Meet the Staff Layan Shahrour President Nouran Alim Operations Director, Events Coordinator Alexandra Glezer Vice President Vyomika Gandhi Creative Director Anika Bansal Communications Director Nicole Saad Communications Director, Events Coordinator 55 Meet the Staff Alexander Missner Medical School Liaison Susan Huang Events Coordinator Alexis Wu Events Coordinator Richa Kuklani Treasurer Aanika Chandhok Publication Assistant Alanna Cronk Publication Manager 56 Meet the Staff Ikram Muhammedsani Publication Assistant Rithvik Veeramachaneni Executive Editor Nesreen Shahrour Editor-in-Chief Fadilah Farrin Senior Editor Jacqueline (Jackie) Keywords: editor; junior

## Cas

- CRISPR and COVID-19: Lessons Learned to Prepare for the Next Pathogen by Bond, James (2022) - CRISPR diagnostic tests offer certain advantages over gold standard RT-PCR tests, including accessibility, sample-to-answer reporting time, and convenience. COVID-19 has demonstrated that an outbreak anywhere is a threat everywhere, and the low-cost, portable, and easy-to-use characteristics of CRISPR diagnostic tests could be leveraged to rapidly contain pathogens. Keywords: cas; countermeasure; cov-2; covid-19; crispr; defender; disease; doi; editing; gene; health; pandemic; pathogen; report; research; sars; scientific; systems; testing; tests; use
- Acknowledgements by none (2023) - Publication Team Publication Editor I Ikram Muhammedsani, SOH ‘25 Cover Design I Alina Watson, CAS ‘26 Nesreen Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Fadilah Farrin, SOH ‘24 Katherine (Kate Bohigan, SOH ‘25 William DiGiovanni, CAS ‘25 Caroline Palermo, CAS ‘25 Rithvik Veeramachaneni, CAS ‘25 Aanika Chandhok, CAS ‘25 Pallavi Bommareddy, CAS ‘26 Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief | Nesreen Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Executive Editor | Rithvik Veeramachaneni, CAS ‘25 Senior Editors Lucas Biran, CAS ‘23 Doha Maaty, SOH ‘23 Fadilah Farrin, SOH ‘24 Jacqueline ( Jackie) Chen, SOH ‘25 Leah Chen, CAS ‘25 Alexandria Sorensen, CAS ‘25 Philip Shraybman, CAS ‘25 Anna Tsioulias, CAS ‘25 Junior Editors Joy Chung, CAS ‘24 Rahul Banerjee, CAS ‘25 Katherine (Kate) Bohigan, SOH ‘25 William DiGiovanni, CAS ‘25 Caroline Palermo, CAS ‘25 Pallavi Bommareddy, CAS ‘26 Cate Gramelspacher, CAS ‘26 Stephanie Park, CAS ‘26 Faculty Reviewers Haiyan He, PhD. I GU CAS, Dept. of Biology, Neurobiology Rebekah Evans, PhD. I GUMC, Dept. of Neuroscience Manus Patten, PhD. I GU CAS, Dept. of Biology, Environmental Biology Michael Parker, PhD. Keywords: cas
- Acknowledgements by Ikram Muhammedsani (2024) - ‘25 Katherine (Kate) Bohigan, SOH ‘25 Aanika Chandhok, CAS ‘25 Cecilio Sandoval Aguilar, CAS ‘26 Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief | Rithvik Veeramachaneni, CAS ‘25 Executive Editor | William (Will) DiGiovanni, CAS ‘25 and Katherine (Kate) Bohigan, SOH ‘25 Senior Editors Fadilah Farrin, SOH ‘24 Jacqueline ( Jackie) Chen, CAS ‘25 Leah Chen, CAS ‘25 Alexandria Sorensen, CAS ‘25 Philip Shraybman, CAS ‘25 Anna Tsioulias, CAS ‘25 Neha Gunda, SOH '26 Cate Gramelspacher, CAS '26 Zaynab Rashid, SOH '26 Junior Editors Joy Chung, CAS ‘24 Rahul Banerjee, CAS ‘25 Caroline Palermo, CAS ‘25 Pallavi Bommareddy, CAS ‘26 Stephanie Park, CAS ‘26 Sara Medina, SOH '27 Faculty Reviewers Ronald Davis, PhD. Acknowledgments Publication Team Publication Editor I Ikram Muhammedsani, SOH ‘25 Cover Design I Alina Watson, CAS ‘26 Nesreen Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Rithvik Veeramachaneni, CAS ‘25 William (Will) DiGiovanni, CAS. Keywords: cas; soh
- Acknowledgements by Saad, Nicole (2025) - ‘25 Katherine (Kate) Bohigan, SOH ‘25 Aanika Chandhok, CAS ‘25 Cecilio Sandoval Aguilar, CAS ‘26 Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief | Rithvik Veeramachaneni, CAS ‘25 and William (Will) DiGiovanni, CAS ‘25 Executive Editor | Katherine (Kate) Bohigan, SOH ‘25 Senior Editors Jacqueline ( Jackie) Chen, CAS ‘25 Leah Chen, CAS ‘25 Alexandria Sorensen, CAS ‘25 Philip Shraybman, CAS ‘25 Anna Tsioulias, CAS ‘25 Neha Gunda, SOH ‘26 Cate Gramelspacher, CAS ‘26 Zaynab Rashid, SOH ‘26 Zahra Izzi SOH ‘27 Anagha Konakanchi CAS ‘28 Shirley Zhang SOH ‘28 Junior Editors Rahul Banerjee, CAS ‘25 Caroline Palermo, CAS ‘25 Pallavi Bommareddy, CAS ‘26 Stephanie Park, CAS ‘26 Sara Medina, SOH ‘27 Copy Editors Zahra Izzi SOH ‘27 Anagha Konakanchi CAS ‘28 Shirley Zhang SOH ‘28 Faculty Reviewers Ronald Davis, PhD. Publication Team Publication Editor I Ikram Muhammedsani, SOH ‘25 Cover Design I Alina Watson, CAS ‘26 Nesreen Shahrour, SOH ‘23 Rithvik Veeramachaneni, CAS ‘25 William (Will) DiGiovanni, CAS. Keywords: cas; soh

## Covid-19

- Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in the United States: Addressing Reasons for Vaccine Hesitancy through Effective Communications & Reform by Miranda Wesley (2022) - To increase uptake among those who are still hesitant of COVID-19 vaccines, the American healthcare and education system must go through reform to ensure healthcare for all and address systemic racism. In addition, distrust in COVID-19 vaccines closely followed side effects as the top reason among the general employed U.S. population.22 One article also found that concerns about becoming infected from the vaccine and finding the virus to be less serious than public speculation differed between races as some of the main reasons for vaccine hesitancy.32 14 Georgetown Scientific Research Journal Table 4: Top reason for hesitancy by number and percentage of articles (N = 28)*. Keywords: adults; articles; covid-19; covid-19 vaccine; effects; health; hesitancy; journal; population; reasons; research; states; survey; u.s; vaccination; vaccine; vaccine hesitancy
- Policy Brief: Comparison and Recommendations for State COVID-19 Responses of New Mexico and Utah by Aminpour, Ariyand (2021) - The goals and priorities of each state’s governor contributed to the policies and severity of restrictions in each state.1, 2 Governor Grisham’s mask, mass gathering, and interstate quarantine policies are restrictions that she deems necessary in order to mitigate the spread and save lives.2 Governor Gary Herbert has valued economic recovery as opposed to virus mitigation, which is reflected in his lenient restrictions.2 In the immediate future, Governor Cox, Governor Herbert’s successor as of January, should enact the same mask, mass gathering, and interstate quarantine policies as New Mexico; both states should then reassess the list of states that people need to quarantine from, given that 21 states hit records for 7- day average of COVID-19 cases, as of October 11, in order to get transmission under control.3 Additionally, if COVID-19 transmission is slowed, mass gathering restrictions can be reassessed to allow for larger gatherings but should stay tightly restricted until that point. 3. Conclusions As shown, Governor Grisham’s mask, mass gathering, and interstate quarantine policies have contributed to the amount of COVID-19 cases in New Mexico being lower than that of Utah. Keywords: covid-19; governor; mexico; new; policies; policy; states; utah

## Scientific

- The Select Agent Regulations: Structure and Stricture by Kalra, Shreya; Parker , Michael (2022) - In this inventory, the RO must include the characteristics, source, date of acquisition, and vial quantity of select agents, as well as an explanation for any inventory discrepancies.7 Additionally, each laboratory must develop a safety plan in accordance with the CDC and NIH guidelines for work with recombinant DNA.7 To this end, laboratories must implement and Georgetown Scientific Research Journal document a site-specific security plan that addresses: inventory control procedures; education and experience criteria for those with access to agents; rules regarding cleaning, maintenance, and repair; provisions for training employees in security procedures; provisions for securing select agent areas; provisions for loss of means to enter to select agent areas (i.e.: keys, passwords, etc.); inspection of all packages that enter and exit the area; and protocol for select agent transfers between entities. However, while there does exist an evident need for effective regulations surrounding certain pathogens and toxins, the bureaucratic and inordinate nature of the existing regulations has created significant regulatory and financial burdens in conducting select agent research. Keywords: agents; collections; health; public; regulations; research; sars; scientific; security; time; transfer
- Letter From the Editors by Shahrour, Nesreen; Shahrour, Layan (2022) - In our fourth issue, we hope to continue this tradition of sharing cutting-edge scientific literature and promoting the diverse and unique voices of scientific research here at Georgetown University. On our behalf, please congratulate these passionate students, and revel in the marvels of scientific research. Keywords: scientific

## Students

- Letter From the Editors by Shahrour, Layan; Shahrour, Nesreen (2022) - This publication presents many fascinating and thought-provoking studies: CRISPR and COVID-19, climate change and fungi in salt marshes, energy security in Poland, and the wellbeing of college students serving in a resident assistant role. Students 5 wrote literature reviews and analyzed data in their never-ending pursuit to answer noble questions in their5 fields of interest. Keywords: research; students

## Brain

- GPR40 and Postsynaptic NMDA Receptors: A Pair Against Epilepsy by Mullangi, Vidya; Shah, Nikita ; Nam, Hyunwook ; Asch, Alexa; Cox, Lauren ; Mendoza, Clarisa (2021) - In summary, Yang et al. found that increased GPR40 expression resulted in decreased binding to the NMDA receptor subunit NR2B which resulted in neuroprotective effects. The GPR40 and NMDA receptor interactions studied by Yang et al. showed an 25 Georgetown Scientific Research Journal increase in GPR40 expression. Keywords: brain; epilepsy; expression; figure; gpr40; nr2b; receptor; research; seizures

## Stress

- The Burn Behind the Bullet: Understanding Black Mothers’ Experiences After Losing a Child to Gun Violence in Washington, DC-Baltimore City Metropolitan Region by Brown, Denzell (2021) - Introduction Throughout the United States of America, a disproportionate number of Black youths become homicide victims of gun violence annually, and every year Black mothers nationally have to deal with the psychological consequences of the death of their own child. Therefore, Black mothers face the multiplying effects of racism and sexism while simultaneously experiencing forms of complicated maternal grief that emerge from losing a child to gun violence. Keywords: b.m.c.g.v; child; coping; death; grief; growth; gun; gun violence; mothers; post; research; stress; study
- Association between IL-6 and Caregiving for People Living with Dementia (PLWD) and Potential Interventions by Modi, Kush (2024) - Association between IL-6 and Caregiving for People Living with Dementia (PLWD) and Potential Interventions Kush Modi GEORGETOWN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH JOURNAL Volume Four Edition One Spring 2024 6 ���� ������������� ������������������ � � ������ ����� �������� ��� ��� � ��������� ���� ������� ������ ����� ������� ��� ���� ���������� �� ������������� �� KKuusshh MMooddii11 1Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA Email: kmm488@georgetown.edu hhttttppss::////ddooii..oorrgg//1100..4488009911//kkvvjjkk33ee0066 This means that caregivers are not more likely to engage in negative repetitive thoughts than non-caregivers, despite their higher level of daily stress from caregiving. 11 ���� ������������� ������������������ � � It was found that negative repetitive thoughts were associated with higher levels of IL-6 both pre- and post-vaccination compared to neutral repetitive thoughts, but this was not a significant difference.19 With increasing levels of neutral repetitive thought, controls saw lower levels of IL-6 post-vaccine.19 However, with increasing levels of neutral repetitive thoughts, caregivers saw higher levels of IL-6 post- vaccine.19 Despite the higher frequency of neutral repetitive thoughts, the inflammatory response of caregivers due to chronic stress is more prolonged, leading to higher IL-6 levels. Keywords: caregivers; caregiving; dementia; il-6; il-6 levels; intervention; levels; pep; results; stress; studies; study; � �

## Gene

- Analysis of the Relationship between PARP1 and BRCA1 Suggests PARP1 Gene Has a Role in Breast Cancer by Modi, Kush; Joseph, Tony (2023) - Hence, PARP1 inhibitors have become essential in BRCA1-mutated breast cancers. UniProt database was used to investigate the mechanism by which PARP1 repairs the breaks in DNA strands and how PARP1 inhibitors can be used to inhibit this function of the PARP1 protein. Keywords: brca1; breast; cancer; cells; dna; gene; inhibitors; mutations; parp1; parp1 inhibitors; repair; research; tissues
- Determinants of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the United States: Differences in Risk Factor and Genetic Susceptibility by Race/Ethnicity by Rafique, Mehwish; Kristjansson, Ph.D., Dana (2021) - Exclusion Criteria The prevalence of HCC risk factors was determined using interview, physical exam, and/or laboratory NHANES data. In addition to known HCC risk factors, it is likely that access to preventive health education and early treatment may be a barrier to some racial and ethnic groups. Keywords: carcinoma; cirrhosis; disease; factors; fib; gene; hcc; hispanic; journal; liver; metabolic; non; population; risk; risk factors; study; � �

## Population

- Variation in body size introduces behavioural and adaptive constraints in morphologically similar Felidae species by Kamrava, Dilara; DeCandia, Alexandra; Williams, Emily (2025) - For example, fishing cats (P. viverrinus) that partially rely on estuary mangrove habitats were found to be threatened by heavy metal contamination.43 Similar dynamics were found in urban-dwelling bobcats (L. rufus), where exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides led to increased disease severity.44-46 As apex predators, felids are especially susceptible to bioaccumulation, which can be heightened for small felid species (e.g. P. bengalensis) that primarily prey on secondary consumers such as birds or fish. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the majority (71%) of large felid species are currently listed under a threatened category (i.e., Vulnerable or Endangered; Figure 6a). Keywords: body; body size; cats; conservation; felid; felid species; felidae; habitat; hunting; journal; midsize; pelage; population; prey; research; size; species

## Activity

- An Analysis of the Effects of Frequency and Type of Physical Activity on Self-Esteem in Adolescent Males by Romero, Isabella; Kaye, Avery; Poulin, Camille; Petersen, Mary Ellen (2022) - Consequently, my research group postulated that if male college students perform endurance exercise, rather than strength exercise, then they will have a higher level of self-esteem. The study was designed to ascertain whether performing endurance exercise at a high frequency contributes to a higher level of self- esteem in male college students than those who practice strength exercise at a low frequency. Keywords: activity; endurance; esteem; exercise; frequency; level; self; study; type

## Science

- About the Authors by none (2022) - About the Authors Shreya Kalra Shreya Kalra is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University on the pre-med track, with an intended major in Science, Technology, and International Affairs. Nicole Tepper Nicole Tepper is a junior in the school of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University, majoring in Healthcare Management and Policy. Keywords: health; school; science

## Gun

- Trends in Pro-Gun Control Tweets Surrounding a Mass Shooting Event Suggest Time-Dependent Changes in Public Response by Shytle, Elizabeth (2023) - Dates analyzed for mass shooting data. It was hypothesized that there would be more Tweets that opposed gun control 1-7 days before each mass shooting but fewer Tweets that opposed gun control 72 hours after each mass shooting. Keywords: control; data; days; gun; mass; shooting; tweets

## Majoring

- About the Authors by none (2023) - She is passionate about destigmatizing mental health and increasing mental health resources for young adults. She hopes to continue to study mental health and psychological disorders and intends to pursue a career in medicine. Keywords: health; majoring

## Power

- Energy Security in Poland: Where the Energy Sector Falls Short and Where It Can Go by Aminpour, Ariyand (2022) - Domestic Energy Ambitions Poland is currently trying to implement policies that increase energy security through domestic energy initiatives and transitions to cleaner energy sources.5 This can be seen in the federal government’s plans of Poland’s Energy Policy by 2030 (PEP2030), which has since been updated to PEP2040.6 PEP2040, officially released in 2020, plans to reduce coal reliance by cutting the fuel from 80% to 60% of the national power generation mix; this will then be followed by an ambitious decline to 22% by 2040.6 This reduction in coal reliance is fueled by planned investment in new energy sources such as nuclear energy. Since nuclear energy is currently not contributing to Poland’s energy or power generation mix, this would be a large step for Poland in achieving more energy security through diversification.3 Additionally, nuclear power development would contribute to the environmental sustainability aspect of energy security because nuclear power is notably cleaner than coal; a coal plant on average will put out 704 to 709kg of sulfur dioxide per Gigawatt hour (GWh), 717-721kg of nitrous oxides per GWh, and 150kg of dust per GWh.9 According to PEP2040A, a nuclear plant will emit zero air pollutants through the technology of Generation III and III+ reactors.7 Nuclear plants, however, create high, intermediate, and low-level radioactive waste that must be properly contained and managed through compaction.9 Radioactive waste is not a significant safety concern because Generation III and III+ reactors are regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and equipped with technology that allows them to run safely for approximately 60 years.8 Keywords: coal; country; energy; generation; nuclear; poland; power; security

## Change

- Impacts of Climate Change on Mycorrhizal Fungi in Salt Marsh Habitats by McIntosh, Cathilyn; Wimp, Gina (2022) - Understanding how climate change impacts soil communities will allow us to better predict the outcomes of worsening climate conditions and employ more effective conservation plans in these areas. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) symbionts are key organisms in salt marsh habitats and are known to influence the following processes and factors: plant zonation, plant resource competition, plant productivity, plant genetic diversity, soil C sequestration, soil C:N:P ratios, saprotrophic bacterial population and diversity, soil stability, and litter decomposition. Keywords: amf; change; decomposition; fungi; marsh; mycorrhizal; plant; rates; salt; soil
- An Evaluation of the Human Impact of Climatic Factors in Cook County, Illinois by Thiru, Shankar (2022) - However, what may not be immediately apparent are its local effects; the local manifestations of climate change in Cook County, Illinois are alarming. Another example of the inequities in who bears the burden of climate change can be seen in the Cook County confined disposal facility (CDF), which has been on the lakefront since 1984.11 The CDF is a holding facility for material dredged from the lake. Keywords: change; chicago; climate; cook; county; temperature

## Levels

- The Impacts on Well-being of Undergraduate College Students Serving in a Resident Assistant Role by Nemecek, Amanda; Crowell, Nancy; Riley, Joan (2022) - 6. Conclusions As student RAs are often at the frontlines of student support, universities must take measures to ensure the students in these RA roles are able to flourish. There were no significant correlations between number of previous years of student RA experience and well-being over the course of the semester (Wilks’ Lambda: 0.491). Keywords: correlation; journal; levels; ras; semester; student; support

## Hesitancy

- Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among Low-Income, Underserved Children in the Greater DC and Hackensack, NJ Metropolitan Areas by McLaughlin, Madelyn; Riley, Joan; Dash, Chiranjeev; Adams-Campbell, Lucile; Tercyak, Kenneth (2023) - This underscores the need for providers to make HPV vaccine recommendations a priority to improve the health and well-being of their communities. Why boys are not getting HPV vaccine and how to fix this. Keywords: barriers; children; health; hesitancy; hpv; knowledge; mistrust; parents; provider; vaccination; vaccine

## Food

- Addressing American Obesity: A policy proposal by Schwartz, A.B (2022) - An individual policy’s actions will never cause a complete shift in the obesity landscape, but in conjunction with educational and structural changes, adjusting food prices to reflect nutritional value is a necessary component for success. Franck, C., Grandi, S. M., & Eisenberg, M. J. (2013). Keywords: food; health; journal; obesity; tax
- An Evaluation of Food Insecurity in the D.C. Community by Ashat, Daniel; Tepper, Nicole; Pawlow, Caroline (2022) - 2. D.C. Specific Resources, Programs, and Policies available to address Food Insecurity & Public Health Concerns The Washington D.C. government has taken steps to increase food access among vulnerable populations. The process represented an individual effort towards increasing nutritional literacy, demonstrating how understanding food preparation is a core aspect of food access. Keywords: access; community; d.c; deserts; food; grocery; health; income; insecurity; journal; nutrition

## Temperature

- Biological and Physical Interactions at Local Ocean Scales: Coupled Systems by Victoria Boatwright; Fox-Kemper, Ph.D., Baylor (2021) - 9 Georgetown Scientific Research Journal https://doi.org/10.48091/DNPR7287 Overall, observational studies of global patterns in mixed layer depths show a broad correlation between surface temperature and mixed layer depth, as shown in Figure 2, although a comprehensive understanding of mechanisms shaping mixed layer depth is still under active research. Phytoplankton behavior affects ocean mixed layer dynamics through biological!physical feedback mechanisms. Keywords: depth; journal; layer; marine; ocean; physical; phytoplankton; regions; research; submesoscale; surface; temperature

## Programs

- Assessment of State-level Operational Policies and Programs for Selected Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the United States by Rice, Carrigan (2024) - Assessment of State-level Operational Policies and Programs for Selected Neglected Tropical Diseases in the United States Carrigan Rice, Margaret C. baker, Jenny Zhao, Stephanie McKay, Claire J. Standley GEORGETOWN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH JOURNAL Volume Four Edition One Spring 2024 31 ���� ������������� ������������������ � � ������������������������������������������������� �������������� ������� ��������� � ������������������������ ���� �������� � CCaarrrriiggaann RRiiccee11,, MMaarrggaarreett CC.. BBaakkeerr11,, JJeennnnyy ZZhhaaoo22,, SStteepphhaanniiee MMccKKaayy33,, CCllaaiirree JJ.. Ten of the 13 (76.9%) states surveyed reported virtual meetings and remote work environments due to COVID-19 prevention 39 ���� ������������� ������������������ � � � strategies. Keywords: cysticercosis �; disease �; health; helminths �; ntds; programs; rabies �; reporting; state; surveillance �; � cdc; � center; � chagas; � dengue; � ffiigguurree; � soil; � �

## Decryption

- An Investigation Into the Mathematics of Decryption Techniques in RSA Encryption, With an Implementation in Python by Sofia Flynn (2021) - In RSA, the types of semi-prime numbers utilized are typically around 600 digits long. Semi-prime numbers of such magnitudes take a huge amount of time to factor using current technologies. Keywords: decryption; iterations; key; message; number; program; value

## Age

- Letter From the Editor-in-Chief Emerita by Adams, Danya (2022) - These recent biological discoveries and technological innovations including vaccine technology, gene therapy, 3D brain mapping, and stem cell technology have been spearheaded by scientists across the world. 5 Join me in commending Georgetown University student researchers for driving discoveries in the research field 5 as we enter this 5new biological age. Keywords: age; research

## Present

- Letter From the Editors by Shahrour, Nesreen; Veeramachaneni, Rithvik (2023) - In this issue, we are excited to present novel work in fields of research that are both well-established and just budding. By celebrating the achievements of our peers and drawing inspiration from the far-reaching implications of our work, we can continue to power the hurtling pace of scientific progress that we bear witness to today. Keywords: present

## Elds

- Letter From the Editor by Rithvik Veeramachaeneni (2024) - In this issue, we present three pieces of student research that consider new angles on established ! Only by pursuing research in this style of combining methods and analytical techniques from dierent disciplines will we be able to challenge pre-existing paradigms and establish new principles for future work. Keywords: elds; research

## Epilogue

For more detail, about this study carrel, see the computed home page. For more detail about study carrels in general, see the read me file.

Created: 2025-12-22