SOURCE/Graduate Symposium 2022 (Final Program and Zoom Recording Links)

Candida albicans (C. albicans) is one of the most common human fungal pathogens, causing life threatening systemic infections in critically ill and immunocompromised patients. In the gut, fluid secretion participates in the body defense by flushing microorganisms and by maintaining the surface mucus hydrated. It is still unknown whether C. albicans decreases the host defense mechanism prior to invading intestinal cells. Previous work in the lab has demonstrated that the basolateral Na⁺ -K⁺ -2Cl ^– cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) plays a key role in the regulation of fluid secretion, and internalization of NKCC1 represents a potent pathway to blunt fluid secretion. We hypothesize that C. albicans, before invading intestinal cells, decreases fluid secretion by causing NKCC1 internalization. To test our hypothesis, we utilized Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells stably expressing eGFP-NKCC1. MDCK were cultured on coverslips in 6 well plate. On the day of the experiment, MDCK were exposed to 50,000 C. albicans, for 15, 30 min,1 and 2 h hours. MDCK were also exposed to 100 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 15 min as a positive control for NKCC1 internalization. Coverslips were fixed in 1% paraformaldehyde for 30 min and mounted for fluorescence microscopy. Fluorescent images were acquired using an inverted IX83 Olympus microscope equipped with a CCD camera. Exposing MDCK cells to C. albicans for 15 and 30 min did not result in NKCC1 internalization as compared to 100 nM PMA. Conversely, after 1- and 2-hours exposure to C. albicans, NKCC1 internalization was observed in some cells. Our preliminary experiments suggest that C. albicans induces NKCC1 internalization and may represent one mechanism by which C. albicans lower the intestinal defense mechanism. Gaining a better understanding of how C. albicans invades the mucosal barrier will greatly help developing new strategies for fighting candidiasis.

 

 

C. albicans is a commensal fungus which under certain environmental cues shifts morphology from spores to filamentous and becomes invasive within the human body. During sepsis, blood estrogen (E2) becomes elevated. E2 is also known to promote tissue growth, thus we hypothesize that E2 may influence C. albicans growth. In the present work, we investigated the effect of estrogen on C. albicans colony sizes grown on yeast extract peptone dextrose (YEPD). Using bright field microscopy, images of five colonies in each condition were captured on day one and pictures of the same colonies were captured on day two. The diameter of each colony was computed using ImageJ and the surface area was calculated using Excel. On day one, one-way ANOVA shows no difference (P=0.09) in colony size for the 4 conditions tested (control 0.19±0.09 mm², 0.1 nM E2 0.20±0.08, fetal bovine serum (FBS) 0.23±0.11, FBS+ E2 0.24±0.12). On the second day, the size of each colony significantly increased compared to day one (P<0.001, paired t-test) for each individual condition (i.e., control day 1 versus control day 2). Comparing colony size increase (surface area on day 2- surface area day1) a significant difference among the 4 conditions P<0.001, one-way ANOVA. Dunnett post hoc test shows no significant difference between control 2.41±0.29 mm² vs E2 2.46±0.35 (P=0.8) but a significant difference between control 2.41±0.29 versus FBS 2.69±0.27 (P<0.001) and control 2.41±0.29 vs FBS+ E2 2.71±0.35 (P<0.001). In conclusion, our results show that FBS significantly increased colony growth in YEPD, but E2 had no significant effect on colony growth.

@font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:””; margin:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”,serif; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:”Calibri”,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}

 

C. albicans is one of the commensal fungi living in the human intestinal tract in a harmless spore form. In its filamentous form, C. albicans becomes invasive and penetrates the human body, which can cause serious health issues. In vitro factors such as change in temperature or pH are known to induce morphology shift in C. albicans. Interestingly, microgravity has been reported to decrease the human immunity and increase gene virulence expression in C. albicans. During sepsis, high levels of estrogen are reported and the risk of candidiasis also increases. Within present work, we tested the effect of microgravity and estrogen on the shift of morphology (spore to filamentous). C. albicans were grown in minimum media for 3 days in presence or absence of 0.1 nM estrogen. In addition, two other groups of C. albicans were subjected to microgravity for 3 days, using a clinostat, in presence or in absence of estrogen. For each condition, 5 random pictures were taken and scored 1 for the presence and 0 for absence of filament. Experiments were conducted in duplicate. Our results show that subjecting C. albicans to microgravity significantly increase the number of filaments compared to control (9.59±2.77 versus 1.68±1.93, P<0.001, unpaired t-test), whereas estrogen did not significantly affect the number of filaments compared to control (2.66±1.61 versus 1.68±1.93, p=0.6, unpaired t-test). Finally, there was no significant effect of estrogen found on the number of filament when C. albicans was exposed to microgravity plus estrogen versus microgravity alone (8.0±2.76 versus 9.59±2.77). In conclusion, we have found that simulated microgravity dramatically increases the number of filaments, and estrogen at 0.1 nM has no effect on the number of filaments in our experimental conditions.

 

Climate change impacts the environment of the Midwestern United States, leading to an unpredictability in rainfall. The precipitation pattern now common to the Midwest region is extremely wet springs and dry summers. This irregularity of precipitation may cause issues with plant growth. In this experiment, we research the effect irregular watering has on the growth of 100 different Arabidopsis thaliana recombinant inbred lines (RIL). They were obtained from the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center at the Ohio State University and were bred from a cross of Ler (Landsberg erecta) x Col (Columbia). The phenotypes that we will measure are time to sprout, time to flower, time to seed, survival, stomata density, seed size, and leaf size. An analysis of variance will be used to calculate the variance and heritability of the phenotypes. We will also calculate genetic correlations among the traits and perform a quantitative trait locus analysis to look for areas of the genome that affect the traits. The data will help identify genes and gene regions with an effect on plant fitness in the Midwestern environment impacted by climate change.

 

Forensic entomology uses insects to help estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI) based on blow fly colonization. The PMI provides an estimate of the time between death and discovery and is of extreme relevance due to its large role in forensic investigations. Nine fetal pigs were thawed from frozen 24 hours before the start of the experiment. Six fetal pigs were covered with plastic bags: three with thin plastic bags (average bag weight of 5.43 g) and three with thick plastic bags (average bag weight of 11.9 g). The remaining three pigs served as the control group. These pigs were placed outside, monitored for 6 days, and checked three times daily to look for the presence of blow fly eggs, adults, and maggots. Third instar maggots were collected for later observance. ANOVA tests were conducted to look for differences in the timing of blow fly oviposition between treatments. There was no significant difference found for any of the life stages in either trial. P-values ranged from 0.22 -1. The maggots were identified to species to look for differences in species composition between treatments. Lucilia coeruleiviridis was the dominant species found. Sarcophagidae flies were found only on bagged pigs. Sarcophagidae larvae have been found very rarely in this field site over the past decade, so this is an interesting finding. Scavenging of the pigs was a problem and future research should aim to reduce the effects of vertebrate scavenging.

 

Commonly called the Mexican prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana is a stress-resistant member of the Papaveraceae family of plants that has been used in traditional medicine for centuries by indigenous communities in Mexico and Western parts of the United States. This plant has been exploited to treat a wide variety of ailments, with reported antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, as well as cytotoxic effects against some human cancer cell lines. Due to its various therapeutic uses and its abundance of secondary metabolites, A. mexicana has great potential as a drug discovery candidate. Herein, the cytotoxic activities of different parts (seeds, leaves, inner vs. outer roots) of the plant from methanol or hexane extracts are preliminarily characterized against cells of seven unique organisms. When comparing 1 mg of each sample normalized to background solvent alone, A. mexicana methanol outer root and leaf extracts possessed the strongest antimicrobial activity, with greatest effects against the Gram-positive bacteria tested, and less activity against the Gram-negative bacteria and fungi tested. Additionally, the outer root methanol and seed hexane extracts displayed pronounced inhibitory effects against human colon cancer cells. Quantification of c-MYC (oncogene) and APC (tumor suppressor) mRNA levels help elucidate how the A. mexicana root methanol extract may be affecting colon cancer cells. After ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and subsequent nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of the root and leaf methanol fractions, two main antibacterial compounds, chelerythrine and berberine, have been identified. The roots were found to possess both phytocompounds, while the leaf lacked chelerythrine.

 

According to recent studies, the International Space Station has been colonized by numerous bacteria and fungi, including several opportunistic pathogens that have been found to possess antimicrobial resistance. Despite this identified need, there has been a stark decrease in antimicrobial drug development in recent years, which has brought the isolation of novel antimicrobial agents to the forefront of modern healthcare. The increase of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, in addition to several scientific reports highlighting how space travel may place astronauts at a heightened risk of infection, has been a driving motivation to discover novel antimicrobial agents. Therefore, the research herein is focused on testing bacterial and fungal pathogens that have been isolated from the International Space Station against methanolic extracts from medicinal plants, such as Curcuma longa, Curcuma aerogunosia, and Ziginber officinale. Methanol extracts from bulbs vs. roots of C. longa, C. aerogunosia, and Z. officinale were separated and tested for antimicrobial activities with several specific extracts showing strong inhibitory effects against multiple bacterial and fungal lines. Further work is currently being conducted to identify the specific compounds responsible for this activity, as well as to better understand the potential mechanism of antimicrobial action. These data highlight the importance of plants as an invaluable pharmaceutical resource at a time when antimicrobial drug discovery has plateaued.

 

Correct functioning of the nervous system critically depends on the formation of the precise neuronal network. In mammals with binocular vision, axons of the retinal ganglion cells from the right and left eyes project to different domains of the lateral geniculate nucleus in the thalamus (Retinogeniculate projection). The eye-specific visual projection provides the anatomical basis for disparity-based stereopsis (perception of depth). However, the molecular mechanism that regulated the eye-specific visual projection is not well understood. Nell2 (neural epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like-like 2) is an extracellular glycoprotein that is predominantly expressed in the nervous system. Our lab has previously shown that Nell2 acts as an inhibitory axon guidance molecule in the establishment of the eye-specific retinogeniculate projection. The current wor aims to identify and functionally characterize the receptor molecule that transduces Nell2-mediated signaling in retinal ganglion cells. By using immunohistochemistry, we found that the receptor tyrosine kinase Ros1, which is known to bind to Nell2, is expressed in developing chick retinal ganglion cells, suggesting that Ros1 may act as a receptor for Nell2 in the visual projection, We are currently generating gene known-down constructs for Ros1, which will be used in in vitro and in vivo axon guidance assays. We expect that this project will elucidate the function of Nell2-Ros1 interaction in establishment of the eye-specific retinogeniculate projection.

 

Plastic pollution has been increasing around the world with a variety of impacts affecting both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Birds around the globe have been shown to be affected by plastic pollution, especially when they use said plastic as nesting material. Some detrimental effects include nestling and adult entanglement and ingestion. Change in the thermal properties of their nest structure has also been observed. This study is a continuation of previous research conducted in Spring 2021 which indicated that plastic was being used as nesting material by several species of birds in this region. This year, we examined if the proportion of plastic in robin (Turdus migratorius) nests differed between three locations: box store parking lots, campus, and local parks. Post-breeding season robin nests (n=44) were collected between October 2021 and February 2022. The nests were then washed and filtered to remove as much mud as possible. The remaining nest material was dissected, separating human-made material from natural nest material. Common types of plastic found include bags, netting, string, and zip ties. The total weight of plastic, paper, metal and natural material was recorded. Overall, 89% of the nests contained plastic. Nests were composed of as much as 25% plastic by weight of the non-mud material. Results indicated that robins use significantly more plastic in box store settings compared to campus and park environments (ANOVA stat test). Future research is required to understand the comprehensive impacts plastic has on robin nest quality and breeding success.

 

The creation of novel antimicrobial agents is currently at the forefront of modern healthcare due to the stark decrease in antimicrobial drug development in recent years and due to the increasing rise of microorganisms that are resistant to more than one type of antimicrobial treatment, which are predicted by 2050 to cause 10 million deaths/year. In addition to being a terrestrial cause for concern, antimicrobial resistant microbes pose a large threat to the health of individuals during space travel. According to recent studies, numerous bacteria and fungi, including several opportunistic pathogens, have colonized the International Space Station, and many of these strains have been found to possess antimicrobial resistance. Additionally, several scientific reports have highlighted how space travel may alter an astronaut’s immune system, placing them at a heightened risk of infection. Therefore, the research herein is focused on testing bacterial and fungal pathogens that have been isolated from the International Space Station against methanolic extracts from various medicinal plants, such as Argemone mexicana. From previous work by our group, several antibacterial compounds have been isolated from the roots and leaves of A. mexicana, including berberine, chelerythrine and sanguinarine. Ten berberine and three chelerythrine variants of these original phytocompounds have now been synthesized and tested for altered antimicrobial activities. Interestingly, several of these variant compounds show increased antibacterial effects against gram-positive bacteria, yet reduced toxicity against the eukaryotic fungal cell lines tested. Work is currently being conducted to better understand the altered mechanism of action of these promising variant compounds.

 

Covid-19 and the pandemic has changed the workforce and work environment in many ways, and the question becomes how Covid-19 affected workforce job security in the United States. We analyze a Covid-19 employment survey conducted by the American Life Panel that yielded 1,111 respondents. This survey focused on topics such as coronavirus, mental health, disruption of routine, financial well-being, childcare, and employment. We discuss our analysis and findings on job security during Covid-19 in the United States.

 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been massive delays in the global supply chain due to material and labor shortages. While these issues were boosted during the pandemic, it does lead to the question of could this have been avoided based on supply chain information pre-pandemic? Our research examines the on time delivery of goods of a sporting goods company to see if there are any correlations between the type of product, shipping method, regional location, and delivery status. Analyzing supply chain data allows corporations to better understand how their shipping methods are affecting their customer base which can lead to potentially higher levels of profit.

 

In this study we employ descriptive and predictive analytics tools to understand success of movies. We analyze two datasets that contain information about movies. The goal of this analysis is to uncover what make movies most valuable. We employ two separate datasets for this study and we will share our findings of the possible factors associated with movie success.

 

Abandoned cars cause potential safety threats, traffic congestion, and frustration for residents in local areas. In lieu of trying to figure out how to better handle this issue we chose to study the data on 311 Service Records from the City of Chicago to understand the distribution of abandoned cars over time and across communities. We discuss our findings in this study.

 

Major League Baseball (MLB) is big business with pre-pandemic revenues exceeding $10 billion. The impact of fan attendance on revenues was evidenced during COVID when revenues dropped below $4 billion. The objective of this research was to explore factors that influence MLB attendance. More specifically, this research looked at what teams were doing on the field and how performance in certain categories influenced fan attendance. A regression analysis, followed by backwards selection, was conducted to develop the simplest model that could be used to explain overall attendance. Various team statistics were evaluated during the model building process. Contrary to popular belief, the number of home runs was not significant in predicting fan attendance. Team data between the years 2015-2019 was used due to irregular attendance caused by the pandemic. The results from this research may be used by league owners to increase revenues but more importantly to increase fan satisfaction. Future research should explore other factors that contribute to fan attendance with the goal of building a model that may be used for predictive purposes.

 

Major League Baseball (MLB) is a 10 billion-dollar industry with billions of dollars going to players each year. The best players receive the most money. There is a preconceived notion that more money translates to more wins and therefore more championships. However, there have been an increasing number of individuals who believe that all 30 teams have a chance to win their respective games regardless of the amount of money spent on players. The objective of this research was to explore the relationship between team payroll and team wins. Independent t-test and regression analyses were conducted using data for the 1995-2019 time period. The results herein show that teams with the top 10 highest payrolls had a better chance of winning the world series than teams with the lowest payrolls. This finding supports the claim that payroll is a predictor of success but the causal factors are yet to be explored; a topic for future research. The focus of this research was professional baseball. Future research may also be extended to explore the implications of compensating college athletes.

 

Bacterial and fungal infections occur when microorganisms invade the tissue and, if left untreated, can affect the whole body. Pathogenic bacterial and fungal infections are some of the leading causes of death in the population at large. Due to the ever-growing prevalence of drug-resistant “superbugs” and the lack of new antimicrobial drugs, there is a need to explore new and alternative pathways for fighting these diseases. Through a collaborative project, we have explored separation of key components of the extracts of the Argemone mexicana plant to isolate antimicrobial agents found within this plant. We have already identified three key molecules which give this plant anti-microbial properties against gram-positive bacteria. Guided by the structures of these plant-derived molecules, our current work is now focused on designing and synthesizing new variants of these bioactive molecules in the hopes of discovering new, more potent, drugs. Thus far, several of our synthetic variants have shown promising activity over the original phytochemicals isolated from the plant.

 

Since 1859, when Valparaiso University became an institution, we have strongly been a research-based university. For the past 163 years, Valparaiso University has strived in higher education with the balance and opportunity for each student to conduct research. As many departments have faculty members that have a handful of students conduct research, the question is how can students start their own research projects? The future is with Valparaiso University Research Society where the organization strives to engage students of all STEM areas, as well as the arts, to collaborate on research projects as well as create their own with fellow students and faculty members of various departments.

 

In the implantable cardiac defibrillator battery, lithium ions and electrons displace silver ions from vanadium oxides as silver metal. Prior research has shown that the resulting atomically dispersed silver metal lowers the electrical resistance to sufficiently low values as to not require carbon additives in electrodes. This talk will discuss a systematic study of silver molybdate electrodes which mimic this mechanism in aqueous zinc electrolyte. Both powder x-ray diffraction and high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging were utilized to characterize electrodes before and after reduction. The trends which enable aqueous zinc ion batteries to perform well with predicted future materials that do not require carbon additives will be discussed.

 

Plastic pollution is a growing issue and has been found increasingly in our water systems. Given the massive, global extent of this pollution, it is important to understand the chemical reactivity of these plastics in water. Plastics fragment and weather over time, often turning into micro- and nanoplastics. Microplastics (MP) are plastic pieces smaller than 5 mm, and are a significant part of the plastic pollution in surface waters. The separate classification of nanoplastics (NP) was more recently adopted for plastic particles smaller than a micrometer. Nanoplastics display different properties and interactions. In our research, we discovered that microplastics, which do not mix with water, can be converted to nanoplastics upon the addition of certain chemical additives and vigorous mixing. These nanoparticles disperse evenly in water, similar to other colloidal solutions. The presence and size of the NP were studied using Raman spectroscopy, darkfield and lightfield microscopy and particle size analysis. We show that nanoplastics can be readily formed from a number of different plastics including common plastics, such as polyethylene (PE) milk jugs, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottles, and polycarbonate (PC) safety glasses. This formation of nanoplastics is concerning, as it suggests they are more abundant and bio-available in natural environments than currently estimated. This could be a valuable step in chemically recycling plastic materials.

 

The long-term goal of this project is to more efficiently synthesize an unnatural fluorescent amino acid, 3-[7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl]-L-alanine, diazole for short. This fluorescent amino acid can be incorporated into a transparent protein, thus creating a “glow-in-the-dark” protein. A biocatalysis pathway is being explored to synthesize this diazole amino acid. Specifically, we used the enzyme glutathione S-transferase from the cyanobacterium T. elongatus to catalyze the key nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction. The gene for a His-tagged variant of this enzyme was inserted into a plasmid which was used to transform E. coli. Following protein expression, the cells were lysed and the enzyme was isolated using a nickel chelate column. Enzyme kinetics are monitored using LC-MS.

 

Microplastic (MP) pollution is ubiquitous in environments across the globe, since plastics are known to fragment into smaller pieces over time. Microplastics are contaminants of emerging concern and the full extent of their effects is unknown. In some areas, microplastics heavily contaminate surface waters and are susceptible to chemical weathering, which alters their properties. These pollutants have the potential to enter the trophic levels and disrupt biological systems, as well as serve as a vector for other environmental contaminants through adsorption. The increase in the input of MP pollution into the environment requires technical remediation strategies, as there is no natural mechanism for remediation of these pollutants. In Hammond, Indiana, the company that manufactures polyethylene (PE) portable toilets has released PE waste into the adjacent wetland. The current methods of remediation for the wetland involve using oil booms to contain the pollution. In this study, water and sediment samples were collected from the freshwater marsh and its adjoining lake that are contaminated with the PE shavings. Laboratory analyses of the samples indicate a pollution load of over 1000 MP per sample. Laboratory experiments were also conducted to investigate a potential means for plastic remediation using an agglomeration technique. The results of using different polymers, particle sizes, and chemical additives will be presented. This pollution incident exhibits the critical need for effective remediation strategies, as well as regulations that will protect the world’s surface waters.

 

In industrial regions, such as those in Northwestern Indiana, raw input, waste, and other products of industry are moved to and from their manufacturing locations, and can affect, and be detected in, local ecosystems. One method of qualifying the presence of any potentially hazardous industrial byproducts is by sampling the dust which accumulates along roads, called Road Dust Sediments (RDS), and chemically analysing these samples for numerous properties. Road dust, which is a mixture of organic and inorganic compounds, can be used as an indicator for what pollutants are present in a particular area. Through an analysis of samples collected from across the country, we were able to identify various properties of the sediment samples, such as pH, metal presence, organic compound composition, and solubility in water to determine the overall makeup of the samples. Methods used for analysis of RDS samples included liquid chromatography (LC), infrared spectroscopy (IR), pH determination, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and visual analysis using a microscope. Overall, the results seemed to indicate a higher level of pollutants in areas closer to industry compared to areas more removed from industry.

 

Plastic maintains its presence throughout our daily lives due to its convenience, durability, and usability across industries, despite its significant negative impact on the environment and human health. Prior to our study, the plastic waste problem at Valparaiso University was widely unknown. This study aimed to analyze the waste stream in the Center for the Sciences (CFS), as well as complement a campus-wide waste audit focused on plastic content and composition. This was executed through a one-week waste audit of the CFS in conjunction with several lab analyses. Unknown plastic items were identified using Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), and further analyses were conducted using a Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GCMS) method to identify any additives present. After analysis, it was evident that the most common types of plastics were single use plastics. It was determined that the present practices of recycling on campus are inefficient and unsustainable, and that several common plastic types were frequently mishandled or contaminated with food. Campus-wide education and additional signage should be a priority in improving the plastic waste problem, with a focus on limiting single-use plastics and understanding their external costs.

 

The goal of this research is to develop an inexpensive synthesis of the polyglutamated derivative of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5MeTHF), commonly known as vitamin B-9. Specifically, the enzyme folyl polyglutamate synthase (FPGS) will be used to catalyze the addition of multiple glutamate residues to the commercially available 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5MeTHF). A His-tagged variant of the FPGS enzyme from the thermophile b. Licheniformis that was previously added to a plasmid and was expressed in E. coli. The enzyme was purified using a nickel chelate column and then characterized using electrophoresis and liquid chromatography – mass spectroscopy (LC-MS). The LC-MS results confirmed that the addition of glutamate residues to 5MeTHF was successful.

 

The goal of this research project is to develop an inexpensive method to detoxify the chlorite ion (ClO₂^–), a major pollutant from many industrial processes. It is found in both contaminated soil and in contaminated groundwater. Recently, scientists have found many species of bacteria that express an enzyme called chlorite dismutase, which breaks down the chlorite ion into O₂ gas and Cl^– ions, neither of which are toxic. Our approach is to clone the gene for a His-tagged variant of the chlorite dismutase enzyme from the bacterium Nitrospira defluvii (chosen because the bacterium was hardy in a wide array of environmental conditions and temperatures) onto a plasmid. This plasmid will be optimized for E. Coli expression using Genscript services and will be used to transform E. Coli. After transforming E. Coli with this plasmid, chlorite dismutase will be expressed, the cells will be lysed, and the chlorite dismutase enzyme will be purified using a nickel chelate column. The amount of enzyme recovered will be determined using a Bradford essay, and the enzyme will be characterized using electrophoresis and a suitable enzyme assay. This research will provide more information about the chlorite dismutase enzyme that will hopefully allow industries to manage their waste better and potentially improve the treatment of water and soil.

 

CooA is a protein found in Rhodospirillum rubrum (Rr) and Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans (Ch) and is both a carbon monoxide (CO) sensor and transcription factor. When CO binds to a CooA iron group (called heme), the CooA protein undergoes a shape change that enables it to bind to DNA. The broader goal of this research is to obtain a mechanistic understanding of how the CooA heme iron, along with amino acids that are attached to that iron, enable CooA to act as a CO-specific sensor. In this project, experiments that vary both the identity of the gas and the chemicals used to reduce the iron have been performed for both Rr and Ch CooA to study how differences between the amino acids bonded to iron in these two proteins affect gas sensing. Using UV-Visible spectroscopy to study the CooA iron bonding environment and fluorescence spectroscopy to study CooA DNA bonding, preliminary data suggest that the order in which heme iron, reducing agent, and CO are added to CooA is significant to the effectiveness of DNA binding. Additionally, reaction kinetics appear to play a crucial role in the binding of gases, DNA, and amino acid side chains to the protein. Current investigations to quantify the impact of the order of chemical addition and reaction kinetics are ongoing. Ultimately, results from these studies may contribute to the development of future therapeutics for iron proteins related to CooA that are found in the human body.

Keywords: CooA, heme protein, CO sensor, DNA binding, transcription factor

 

Widespread adoption of renewable solar energy is currently limited by a lack of long term storage commodities. As a preferred option, solar fuels satisfy flexible requirements including transportability, high energy density, and in the case of hydrogen, clean combustion. Here we will outline a method of producing hydrogen using an iron oxide-based system, which was selected due to its non-toxicity and relative abundance. Though, this system has to overcome four challenges: first, the iron oxide hematite must decompose in a solar furnace, producing oxygen and magnetite; second, the magnetite must be dissolved into a solution; third, hydrogen gas must be produced at lower energies than conventional water splitting; fourth, the used iron oxide must be recovered to perpetuate the cycle. Until recently this system was unable to overcome the fourth challenge of isolating the iron oxide. Etidronic acid has shown promise in completing the system in a manner that fulfills all four requirements.

 

Japanese tradition has modeled how humans and nature can coexist in harmony through concepts such as satoyama (the belief in human societies existing on the edges of nature) and Shintoism (the belief in kami or spirits of the natural realm). However, these ideas are traditional as they primarily feature agricultural, low-tech societies that would not be feasible in today’s industrial age. In watching the anime film Princess Mononoke, I believe that the film suggests a new version of this traditional coexistence that is applicable to the modern age through three landscape types as defined by scholars Mumcu and Yilmz. The three landscapes are named responsible, wilderness, and apocalyptic. The film features a protagonist who comes from the town of Emishi (responsible landscape) who becomes entangled in a conflict between the human society of Iron Town (apocalyptic) and the natural world of the forest (wilderness). The ending features the destruction of both societies which then promise to rebuild them in a better way. While the new society is never depicted, I believe that the solution is a modern-day responsible landscape, an adaptation of the responsible landscape described by Mumcu and Yilmz. This new responsible landscape, relying in part on traditional conceptions, would consist of an attitude adjustment on the part of humans to see themselves as equitable to and interconnected with nature. It would also include a reliance on cleaner energy forms, preservation of natural landscapes, and environmental legislation.

 

When autonomous weapons systems become operationally superior to alternatives (such as human soldiers), they will be deployed in international warfare. Moral and ethical considerations have not prevented the development and use of new technologies in war historically. The dangers posed by autonomous weapons systems (AWS) are unlikely to deter emboldened illiberal regimes and offer noteworthy military advantages, barring the moral implications of their use. Significant military benefits offered by such weapons virtually require all states to secure investment and development in these platforms. However, AWS represent consequential challenges to conventional ethical frameworks that establish accountability and ensure discriminatory conduct during warfare. AWS are controlled by necessarily opaque software inhibiting our understanding of the system’s capacity to discriminate between civilian, friend, and enemy. Epistemologically, we lack reliable, scientific evidence regarding the accuracy of machine perception, while humans do not understand the statistical learning models of second-generation AI to trust in their autonomous decision-making in the unstructured contemporary combat environment. Artificial intelligence cannot stand trial for war crimes, nor do we have the capacity to assign blame within the chain of command due to accountability gaps. These serious ethical concerns merit deliberation. Thus, it would be prudent to develop novel frameworks to update considerations of jus en bello to account for the possibly destabilizing effects of AWS that exclude humans from decision-making processes. These frameworks would chiefly incorporate a method through which AWS could be proven to be capable of discrimination and an oversight structure for aportioning blame if a lapse occurs.

 

NFTs have complex direct and indirect consequences on the modern economy, making the average, rational individual’s use of them prone to higher risk. Just as professional, educational, and social institutions progressed through the COVID-19 pandemic using technological tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, the world’s economy has also become more intertwined with technology than ever before. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), through Web 3.0, have played a major part in this intermingling of public markets and technology. On a surface level, NFTs can seem like a trend or Ponzi scheme put forth by the young “influencers” of social media. Additionally, the deeper technical and social implications make NFTs a more complex option than traditional investments, potentially putting the average individual at a disadvantage in a modern market full of new financial sharks. So, what are the direct and indirect effects of NFTs on individual investors in the modern economy? While many see the economy as strictly related to stocks, the modern economy is broad, in which individuals make decisions based on financial, social, and ethical implications. NFTs play into these factors, resulting in effects such as pricing changes based on social trends in addition to news in the press, in the way that traditional stocks are impacted. This fluctuation and instability can result in an unwillingness for lenders to grant loans based on holdings in NFTs or cryptocurrencies. That volatility calls the intrinsic worth of an NFT into question. Despite these issues, digital capital like NFTs and cryptocurrency do provide opportunities to invest with a low barrier to entry. Concerns of environmental ethics are diminishing as crypto is fully mined and companies become carbon neutral. This multitude of factors and issues results in a market situation that is incredibly difficult to predict. Here, we conclude that while NFTs pose considerable risks to investors, the opportunities and new possibilities suggested by a growing cryptocurrency market suggest that cryptocurrency is not just a fad or a bubble: it’s here to stay, and will have lasting impact on markets.

 

Statistically, vaccines have been proven to be immensely effective in preventing the growth and spread of disease. However, despite numerous longitudinal studies, expert opinions, and overwhelmingly positive impacts on global health, a certain portion of the population remains skeptical of the benefits of vaccination. This phenomenon has only been highlighted by the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and the development of the Covid-19 vaccine. Whether these individuals are skeptical of the production methods of the vaccine, or unintended side effects, the spread of misinformation has tarnished the reputation of a great scientific advancement. This hesitance to be vaccinated primarily stems from a general lack of understanding, compounded by the influence of social media and fake news. Many individuals have begun to misconstrue the intentions and the effects of vaccination on the populous. With vaccines being produced faster than ever, and with such a tumultuous modern day medical environment, the health of many depends on the general populations’ trust in the vaccines. While exploring why vaccine mistrust persists, this project will also attempt to explain why it is imperative we place our trust in vaccination programs for the safety of all.

 

Since the introduction of social media and the prevalence of devices that can connect to the internet, people are spending more and more time on their devices and increasing amounts of time on social media. Increased social media, which can develop into a social media addiction, have been linked to weaker bonds in relationships, be they romantic or platonic, lowered self esteem, and poorer academic performance. However the shift of communication from face to face interactions to online interactions have caused certain groups of people to benefit from easy access to social media platforms, namely the feeling of connectedness to people and family members that live farther away. Because of increased social media usage, certain relationships have also become stronger and also increasingly strained due to the echo chamber effect. People hear what they want to hear which then causes them to seek out others who think and act like them. Algorithms used by many social media platforms also reinforce this effect by showing similar content that creates a never ending supply of like-minded content that can further damage relationships and can increase the feeling of isolation.

 

 

Before the start of the pandemic, wearing masks to curb the transmission of diseases was a niche societal norm specific to certain east asian countries such as China, Japan and Korea. It was also used as a method to protect people from bad air quality. With the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific and societal view on wearing masks reached a global scale such that wearing a mask is synonymous with caring for the health and safety of one’s community. Several factors have played a role in this paradigm shift in the use of masks including the media, politics and scientific evidence. While it is a medical necessity, it has become a societal responsibility causing there to be disagreements on its usefulness, its effects on the environment and for some a question of whether it took away people’s freedoms. In this study, the question of how and why masks have become a social responsibility as well as whether it will maintain its role even after the pandemic ends will be explored. We look at masks from a scientific but also philosophical lens in order to determine the juncture at which they meet. Wearing a mask has become the norm, but the underlying basis as to why this is goes much deeper than meets the eye. Community, politics, empathy, and science all play a role in how we perceive the use of masks in the COVID-19 pandemic; this project asks not why this is, but how.

 

The Valpo Transit Bus is a transportation option at Valparaiso University where students can request the bus at 23 different locations on campus ranging from the Gellersen Engineering and Mathematics building at the east end of campus to Wesemann Hall at the far west. This is a handy transportation option when it comes to traveling long distances on campus or when the weather is not ideal. This study examined the average time a student has to wait for the bus categorized by location and time of day. Data was collected by requesting the transit bus on the app and then timing how long it takes to arrive at that location once the request was made. This information will be used to inform student expectations on probable waiting times. Interviews with bus drivers were also performed to add additional information about the operational parameters of the service.

 

To develop an origin-destination model of campus pedestrians, this study utilized Bluetooth receiver systems to record the location and time that students passed receiver locations. This data was then analyzed to create a model of origin-destination links on campus. Data for this study was collected during the Fall 2021 semester and enhances previous data collected in the spring semester, using the same receiver locations. Comparisons of student travel behavior between the two semesters were able to be made. Peak traffic times, specific entrance volumes at buildings, and identification of the highest traffic routes were determined.

 

To improve campus safety for students, crosswalks on Valparaiso University’s campus were selected for observation to highlight how pedestrians (primarily students) and vehicles interact. Various crosswalks on campus were observed, including the crosswalks by Beacon Hall, the Harre Union, and the Duesenberg Welcome Center. These observations evaluated the safety of campus and determined if more safety precautions were needed. This study used video footage to observe these interactions. By evaluating the footage, researchers were able to determine if there needs to be more education on pedestrian safety and/or more safety precautions in place at campus crosswalks.

 

To improve pedestrian safety at selected problematic intersections, the City of Chicago tested two devices to highlight the presence of pedestrians in the urban landscape: hardened center lines and curb line bump-outs. The City selected five intersections along the State Street corridor to implement these safety measures. The measures make drivers more conscious of pedestrians at intersections by widening vehicle turns which increases the visibility of pedestrian crossing and waiting areas. The bump-outs also provide pedestrian refuge areas and shorten the street crossing times. This study used video footage of the intersections to measure the effectiveness of the new measures. By evaluating the footage, researchers were able to determine the turning radii of vehicles and the drivers’ yielding behavior to pedestrians. This data was then compared to values taken before the installation. After evaluating both sets of data, the researchers found drivers made more cautious and controlled turns, ensuring safer interactions with pedestrians.

 

When roundabouts are implemented, they are usually replacing some form of all-way stop intersection control that is already in use. This study compares two types of intersections: all-way stops and roundabouts. More specifically, it looks at previous research completed comparing these intersection types. Ten different previous research projects were looked at in this study to create this synthesis. Results that were compared include both operational parameters such as efficiency and delay, as well as safety.

 

Parking lots provide an essential function for businesses and academic institutions.. Efficient, convenient access to buildings on the Valparaiso University campus is vital for commuters, residents, and faculty/staff. A parking study was conducted on the Valparaiso University campus in the fall of 2022 to review parking lots with the highest parking occupancy to evaluate if they provide enough capacity by day of the week and time of day. A total of nine parking lots were surveyed taking into consideration different parking space classifications (resident, commuter, faculty/staff). The lots studied were those with the highest traffic flow throughout the semesters. Data collection for this study was partially provided by the CE 457 Traffic Engineering class. The data was compiled,organized and graphed according to the day, time, and parking space classification. After analysis, an updated parking lot study proposal was sent to the Transportation and Parking office of Valparaiso University.

 

My work in explores ways to humanize the statistics surrounding sexual assault. I wanted to find a way to create a profound understanding of the consequences and realities tied to sexual abuse by displaying work that resonates with viewers in a personal way. To achieve this, I photographed survivors who then superimposed hand-written messages atop their portraits. These messages include their stories, the battles they’ve faced, their resilience, and more. By encouraging viewers to spend time reading and making connections with each survivor’s story, I hope to induce empathy and raise awareness.

 

Do you struggle with negative body image? Welcome to the club. Publicly we may insist that others are beautiful and worthy of love and praise, but privately we stand in the mirror examining and scrutinizing ourselves. We put self love on hold, only obtainable through the loss of extra weight or the clearing of a breakout. This project was born out of the shame and hate I have held for my own body and the challenge to find beauty in something I thought was so ugly and unworthy. “Before the Fall” is a 21 minute video loop projection which displays kaleidoscopic imagery of a body, my body, projected onto the ceiling. “Before the Fall” is best viewed by laying on the floor to look up and is meant to encourage a state of relaxation

 

 

My project seeks to explore the nature of storytelling, survival, and symbolism through the lens of the winged. I illustrate this through the language of oracle cards by using birds and arthropods as subjects to express these more nuanced themes and ideas. While there are a variety of symbols hinted at within each card, the uniting factor is how they function together, a manner of telling a story through otherwise independent, unique drawings. Also touched on in this project is the manner in which an observer might experience art, as seeing art with one’s eyes is far different from the feeling of paper in your hands. While exploring my artwork, I encourage the viewer to notice how the images depict the animals interacting with each other and their environment in tandem with how the cards interact as a visualization of a journey’s path.

 

The relationship that artwork has with a viewer is one that allows the door of questioning the viewer’s perception, artwork’s being and purpose, to be opened, especially when considering the process of how it came to be – in this case, through technology. This series of oil paintings were created using digitally manipulated versions of photography. Technology plays an important role because it has created an entirely different realm of art-making and manipulation. These works include a multi-layered, multi-dimensional processes, in which information is being simplified, transferred, manipulated, and recreated. There is loss and change, from the ‘original’ scene, taking an image of it, recreating it by hand with oil paint, through my perception as the artist, via some form of digital screen.

This cycle of analyzing this process is what makes this work meta— self-aware, self-parodying, and/or self-referential. The reference and representation of technology via paintings it is one form of being meta. So then, why not simply print the photograph that the painting is referencing? The work’s existence is based on the several pre-existing layers of transformation through technology, through my perception, then to the viewer’s perception. The purpose of questioning the work’s ‘original’ state and origin itself – the reproduction of something technologically-based by hand – would be nearly or completely absent. Without those layers, it would not have the chance to break the fourth wall, starting that conversation with the viewer.

 

You must leave a dying Earth, and have no other choice but to take refuge on an alien planet that welcomes you but feels…unfamiliar. With nowhere else to go, how will you settle in this mysterious, cryptic place? What will you find? You have taken your first steps into the city of Halidon, the capital of Mohiri E62, and the natives of this world would like to know you.

“Welcome to Halidon, Mohiri E62” is a visual installation which combines my interests and love for design, animation and storytelling to introduce the viewers to this extraterrestrial world. Viewers will be exposed to advertisements, a news broadcast and a city view in a waiting room-like space as they learn about the world’s advances and issues. Focusing on sci-fi elements, utopian/dystopian tensions and the feeling of familiarity vs. unfamiliarity, this installation aims to give viewers visual glimpses of an unknown planet and its people.

Giving the audience the role of refugees in a world that is “foreign” to them was done for the sake of building this “refugee experience” within a sci-fi setting. I want feelings of hesitance and discomfort to mix with the illusion of a “new beginning” and “endless opportunity” in a way that provides the audience with a premise but allows them to make their own judgment. It is up to the viewers to take in the visual information as they explore the sides to this alien world where everything and nothing is certain.

 

Mythology is a uniquely human trait. Humans across the planet, separated by time and space, all have an innate desire to explain the world around them. We weave tales explaining the origins of the world around us, or the exploits of heroes and villains. Humans share these stories with one another, and pass them down from generation to generation. My project “Beasts of the Bygone” seeks to continue this human tradition, through the monsters that we create. This takes form as a series of digital illustrations alongside informational plaques. These paintings are of mythological, religious, and legendary creatures selected from a range of diverse cultures across the planet. From the Japanese religion of Shint?, to the Native American tribes of the Great Lakes, there’s many stories and myths that are fascinating and deserve to be shared. My artistic interpretation on these creatures also seeks to be respectful and accurate to their origins. Myths also serve as an important pillar of culture, and I do not wish to misrepresent them. I want to share the love of learning about these myths and cultures to the viewer with my artwork, and for the project to be both engaging and educational. Looking through the wide range of myths and monsters humans create, we can see how diverse the human experience is, yet simultaneously how much we share.

 

Imagine a place where people only perceive you as the best version of you: “perfect” appearance and “perfect” life. On social media it’s easy to create that perfect digital mask. Change your looks by editing or filtering photos to make your life appear faultless. But, it’s also easy to forget that other users can do the exact same thing and even easier to compare ourselves to these seemingly ideal faces and lives. My project is a commentary on the authenticity of people on social media by using a collection of illustrations, fake advertisements, and edited photos posted on Instagram. I created a devilish character to “run an instagram account/fake company” called “Stay Average Inc.” to persuade people to fall into the trap of changing their appearance with the goal of looking “better” or “more attractive” on apps like facebook and instagram. I wanted to personify the devil in your head that tells you every post and every selfie on social media is real, and convince you to stay like the average social media user: posting edited selfies and hiding every part of you that you don’t like.

 

Not a Woman, but a God is an art thesis project focused heavily on the understanding of one’s connection to spirituality through art ritual. These pieces revolve around an exploration of the metaphysical and how one connects to the universe on a much deeper level through inspiration and artistic expression. Specifically, it uses astrological and pagan ideologies to gain a greater understanding of how art can fuel someone’s personal journey, legacy, and rebirth, even after their physical body has died. Through the mediums of painting, poetry, and tattooing, this installation seeks to present the audience with a chance to detach from their everyday self and enter a world of spiritual awakening.

 

When a person is born, the possibilities of who they become as they get older are endless. There is no way to know if any other potential self is ‘better’ than the current one, but in the way that the grass is always greener on the other side, there might always be a lingering doubt that maybe, if things had been different throughout childhood, that the adult self would be better off. Grief is generally thought of as the process a person goes through in mourning the death of another. In Mourning What Could Have Been, I instead chose to explore the stages of grief as a process of reconciling with what might have been possible if circumstances in my life had been different. I present these five stages of grief illustrated as a physical journey that can be visually understood in a series of five intaglio prints. I created these pieces as a therapeutic outlet and I hope that anyone who feels similarly about circumstances in their own lives might find comfort in them as well.

 

I have never started a poem whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering.
-Robert Frost

I chose this quote because this was a theme throughout the process of this book. My project, What a Terrible Thing a Dream Can Be, is a poetry book written and illustrated with photography by me. It’s an insight to the emotions that one feels and goes through during a changing period in their life. This creation is a collaboration between the two artistic parts of myself, I hope by combining the mediums they strengthen each other and create a cohesive whole. Throughout the process not only did I create pictures to match the poems, but the poems were changed to match the photos. Even when I thought something was completed it was still changing, like life. With this project I hope to connect with readers whether they have experienced the topics in the book or not. I want others to feel less alone in their experiences while also making the emotions more understandable to those who haven’t experienced the feelings in this book.

 

Throughout history, music has been used to uplift the soul, create thoughts, and start discussions. Music’s ability to capture and express emotion is what my project aims to explore. Both the pieces I present have a similar concept in mind. The idea of how music makes me feel in times of happiness or anger. The idea that I introduce is of me vs me, which is seen in my digital pieces. This notion in my euphoric piece describes how I feel compelled to feelings of happiness when they present themselves but for anger, it’s not as clear, as it is a more complex emotion that has multiple levels. I’m drawn to face my rage and try to make sense of why I am feeling the way I am. I’ve drawn most of my influence from visual artist named Joseph Cornell and his work in assemblage. He used objects to create a visually stimulating art piece, that combined the movements of surrealism and assemblage to create a small space with lots of meaning. His use of space elevated the object it was housed in, the boxes that were otherwise only used for storage were transformed into something completely new. In conclusion, the boxes use a visualization of the feelings I experience when listening to music. The duality between anger and happiness is presented using self-portraiture and different textures. I’d like to end by saying thank you to source.

 

At Valparaiso University, the Markiewicz Solar Research Facility is a place of opportunity for undergraduate students to gain research experience working with solar energy engineering. The facility is currently managed by a few faculty on campus who have found difficulty in keeping up connections between the solar furnace and students. The SERF team has been looking for ways to streamline the process of notifying people on what is currently happening at the facility and any upcoming events. In response to this issue, a webpage was developed to better allow for a connection between students, faculty, and the solar facility. The webpage is a source of personal relations which can act as a catalyst to draw in the attention of new students on campus and inform them on what the research facility is about and sign up for important dates. Moreover, the webpage is a form of social media which can be utilized by the facility managers to send out mass emails to their interested population and inform them on ongoing/upcoming events. The software has been developed in HTML/CSS for the user interfaces which utilize PHP and Javascript for functional purposes and database management.

 

This project builds out the computer infrastructure of the COMPS project, turning it from purely a research tool to a facility that could have practical application. COMPS (Computer-Mediated Problem Solving) studies collaborative learning through problem solving dialogues. The web-hosted typed-chat collaboration tool has special features for student collaborations with involvement of teaching assistants.
This project adds a web application to support deploying COMPS exercises in college classes. Instructors can register their classes and upload class rosters. They can upload problems for the students to work on, assign students to collaboration groups, and manage lab times. The web application has been built as a three-tier architecture which consists of web front end, back-end application, and database. The front end has been built on the Angular framework and backend has been built on the Java Spring Boot framework. We have used Postgres DB as a database for this application.This App/Site will be accessible to both students and professors. We have deployed it in the cloud during development and also on VU servers. Using freely available software running on industry-standard platforms, the application should be cost-effective, scalable, and easy to use.

 

Title: Residential Life Guest Business Process Support

Abstract:

The Residential Life department at Valparaiso University requires students in dormitories to register overnight guests online. Currently, this is done through Google Forms and using email to notify roommates and residential life staff, which is then manually reviewed. Guided by the Residential Life Director, a specialized website that can automate and help reduce the length of this process was developed. Students can log in to the site to register a guest through the website’s form. Senior and student staff can access a part of the site to see the registered guests in their respective buildings under their oversight. The website sends email notifications to roommates when applicable after a form is successfully submitted. It is created with HTML/CSS for the interface and uses basic Javascript and PHP for functionality and its database.

Orcid Ids:

Mackenzie: 0000-0002-4711-8108

JJ: 0000-0003-4816-3442

 

The Campanile Time Server was created as a way to create a high-reliability, accurate time source for the James S. Markiewicz Solar Energy Research Facility at Valparaiso University. Prior methods were not consistent or reliable enough for research use and for proper function of the facility. This project seeks to fix that by designing a software suite that leverages existing time information in a form compatible with the operational considerations of the facility. This software utilizes Go and Python, in files that connect to produce informative outputs on a display. These languages were chosen for their superior library support in web and GPIO interfacing. The project requirements necessitated a suitably robust case containing multiple Raspberry Pis that can interface with the software suite and provide failover redundancy. The group chose Raspberry Pis due to the global supply chain limiting hardware options. Additionally, other products did not have the variety of hardware accessories. The software components include a conversion script from clock time to solar time, scripts to parse data from the hardware devices, and a basic website to display time in the facility. The program files were complemented with unit test files to ensure valid results and continuous integration using Jenkins. The project proceeded with an Agile Development Method, as the team met regularly with their customer to discuss progress and receive feedback.

 

The COMPS project aims to provide a computer-assisted tool for problem-solving discourse and collaborative idea learning. COMPS studies students working together on class problems via typed-chat or discussion board postings. Among the research goals are computer algorithms that inspect the student typed dialogue in order to help study and assess the conversations.

This project works with logs of students debating topics in a class on educational technology. Each debate consists of roughly a hundred individual postings, from 15 to 20 students in the class. In formal debates, students are assigned to one side. In their postings, they must adopt a particular argumentative role: an initial argument for or against the proposition, a rebuttal, an explanation, or providing further evidence. Formal debate assignments not only engage students with the class topic, they also reinforce critical thinking skills.

This project builds machine-learning classifiers that read the students’ posts and identify or measure aspects of debating and thinking skills. The algorithms try to identify the side of the debate the student is on and the argumentative role of the post. Current work includes trying to measure engagement, by trying to predict how many follow-on responses that a debate post attracts. The models are written in Python. Kappa statistics measure agreement between the machine predictions and the data collected. Preliminary classification accuracy on these tasks is significantly better than chance. They are not good enough to reliably assess individual students, but can give the professor/researcher an average assessment of the conversation.

 

 

In order to obtain a driver’s license in the state of Indiana, a learner must submit a documented record of driving practice sessions totalling at least 50 hours total driving time. The state BMV provides the “Log of Supervised Driving Practice,” a PDF document that a learner can use to keep track of drives on paper. This process is streamlined through the development of an iPhone application. A driver can use the application to keep track of progress towards the required number of practice hours, and export a copy of the State of Indiana document, filled in with all logged trips, ready to print and sign. Additionally, the user can view and edit data about each drive, as well as add and delete trips manually. The application also supports multiple users on the same device, with each user having his or her own separate driving log. The development process involved an iterative, agile software development method, and modern iOS development tools and frameworks – the Swift programming language along with SwiftUI, a declarative framework for building user interfaces.

 

Valparaiso University’s Computer Science department needed a better way to schedule and visualize courses. A web application serving this request will be built using a web framework connected to a database backend to store critical class information. This web application will be called F.A.R SKED (Fred.Allura.Rene SKED). This acronym represents that one can schedule “F.A.R” into the future, and “SKED” is an abbreviation for “scheduler”. The application will include views where courses can be defined, semesters visualized, classes scheduled, and supporting data managed. To achieve scheduling that prevents calendar conflicts, the MySQL database organizes semester, professor, building, room, department, and course information. As a design decision, our calendar page filters by the aforementioned fields to provide visualization of scheduling availability, and a dynamic way to plan classes in those openings. A problem with achieving our goals was pairing extensive backend logic with this simple-to-use application.

 

This project tasked us with creating a high-usability web application for the Valparaiso University Department of Geology and its geological specimens collection. The application is made using HTML/CSS, PHP, and SQL to hold and show mineral specimen data collected by the professors within the Geology Department. The purpose of this application is to allow students and professors to easily store and access data on the rocks and minerals that they collect. The students can input a unique code or keyword into a search bar within the application, or scan a unique QR code to search specimens of minerals within the collection. Once queried, the application displays the mineral’s name, date of collection, who it was collected by, the region the mineral was found, a description of the mineral, as well as photos of the specimen.

 

The question I intend to answer through my research is about scientific literacy in the classroom, more specifically my question is can students make their own scientific-based conclusions to socio-scientific issues in the unit of ecology. The plan that I intend to implement will be to create a mini-unit that is centered around the introductory ideas of ecology. More specifically the students will be applying introductory ideas of ecology to the Indiana Dunes National Park. They will at the end of the unit be given a project that is introduced by looking into a case where a child fell into a sand sinkhole in the dunes, they will have to use their knowledge of secession and the environment to come up with a plan on how the National Parks system should prevent this from happening again. The data that will be collected from this is the student’s project itself. This will be analyzed using thematic analysis. This type of analysis is used to look for themes within qualitative research.

 

The central idea of my research was to prove that science education was beneficial to a student’s overall education. This was an important problem for me to investigate because as a passionate STEM minor, I feel science education is under-taught at K-12 schools. Before my research began, I hypothesized that the inclusion of science lessons would increase classroom engagement. Inquiry based teaching, rather than lecture-style teaching stimulates student discussion, manipulation, and investigation. Due to the active, hands-on nature of science, I sought to research whether the inquiry of science education would increase engagement levels. In my recent three week practicum experience, I was placed in a kindergarten classroom in Michigan City. This high-need community provided the perfect opportunity for me to plan and give three hands-on science lessons to my students. I video recorded myself and the students during each of my lessons so I could track and timestamp the engagement levels of each student. To compare my results to a control, I also planned to record the science lessons from my Cooperating Teacher in the kindergarten classroom in Michigan City. The overall results showed that hands-on science showed a much higher engagement level than lecture-style lessons.

 

What behavior intervention plans best help/support varied kindergarten misbehavior? In my research, I follow a kindergarten student with varied misbehavior(s) and disruptions throughout a normal general education school day. The significance of my problem involves developing better behavior for said students to prepare them as they enter 1st grade, and will not receive the additional support that they do now. In my research, I developed a self-monitoring behavior plan on a worksheet/handout for my students where they rank their behavior through different parts of the day. The parts of the day include: unpacking/morning work, reading, recess, math, lunch, specials, and end of the day. The student and myself rank each part of the day through a smiley face, a straight face, or a sad face. Myself and the student verbally discuss the behavior during each part of the day after the lesson(s) conclude as well and the student colors in the agreed upon behavior. Additional notes can be added to parts of the day as well. The worksheet/handout is copied and one stays at school and goes home at the end of the day and must be signed by their guardian and returned to school the following day. My overall hypothesis is “Student(s) who evaluate their own behaviors will allow for more positive and correct behaviors to become more common and negative behaviors to be much less frequent.”

 

Studies support that field-based partnerships with universities can benefit pre-service and in-service teachers (Yuan 2016). It can increase support for the pre-service teacher while educating the cooperating teacher on best practices for mentorship in the classroom. To bridge the gap amongst universities and in-service teachers, Valparaiso University developed a networked PLC with two northwestern Indiana school districts: one urban and one rural. The Professional Learning Community consisted of 21 practicing teachers that were brought to campus monthly for meetings that provided professional development and support for their classrooms. Written surveys were sent to the in-service teachers regarding their experiences in the PLC and how it affected the mentorship of their respective pre-service teacher. Oral interviews were conducted with pre-service teachers at the conclusion of their time in the field. The results were compared to previous pre-service teachers whose cooperating teachers were not in a networked PLC. The data was then coded and analyzed. Major findings will be shared at the symposium.

 

Elementary age students are sent home with multiple pieces of homework every day. Not only this, they also receive a numerous amount of handouts in class that they are expected to keep track of. Add all of those loose papers to a stack of books, notebooks, and other school supplies, and you have a mess on your hands for a large amount of students. This mess can lead to missing homework assignments, extra instruction time spent looking for things, and even damaged items. I propose that if teachers put more of a push for students to keep their desk space organized, this will lead to the students being able to pick up those organizational skills. This will then result in the students misplacing less assignments, therefore being more engaged during instruction time.

 

A social worker is dedicated to helping others. The means of help can look different depending on the setting. One of the more common roles of a social worker is that of a counselor. As a counselor, one must “assess and evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities” and use said assessment and evaluation to provide resources and advice to help with any difficulties occurring. Biopsychosocialspiritual Assessment, BPSSA, is an approach to aid in the understanding of a client. This assessment tool focuses on an individual’s biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects that influence their lives. This allows a social worker to properly evaluate a client’s treatment needs, assist in planning and implementing goals, and evaluate client progress.

During this assessment, I would meet with a client, or peer, and learn how these different elements affect their life. This assessment occurs over many weeks as I would meet with the individual once a week to discuss background information and what is occurring in their lives. Some aspects of this individual’s life that I would examine would be various functionings: physical, cognitive, emotional, psychological, cultural, and interpersonal capabilities. These aspects would allow me to properly assess how the individual is functioning day-to-day. During the beginning of this assessment, I created an action plan that would allow the client to have a distinct goal. We use elements like an outcome rating scale and session rating scale to ensure this assessment is a feedback-informed treatment, or collaborative approach.

 

For years, vocabulary comprehension has been a struggle in k-12 school settings. When it comes to vocabulary in the classroom, students memorize key terms for a short period of time and do not store the meaning in their long term memory. However, this negatively impacts student performance throughout a given chapter. Data for this project will be collected and analyzed at Valparaiso Middle School. Students will go through a treatment process and take an initial vocabulary quiz to show which words students have the most trouble with. This data will be collected and recorded for future use. From there, instruction can be modified to focus on specific key terms and meanings. Throughout the duration of the chapter, students will complete exercises, including the use of technology, to help improve their overall skills and comprehension. Integrating technology into vocabulary teaching and comprehension has proven to have a positive influence, especially on middle school students. With this, students will have time to practice key terms with their peers and use vocabulary words in their assignments. At the end, students will take a final vocabulary quiz to examine if the use and meaning of key terms improved and they were able to comprehend vocabulary words.

 

For my action to research class, I have conducted research on student behavior in my student teaching classroom. To do this, I asked the question “how do morning meetings guided by social emotional questions rather than casual talking questions affect student behavior?”. To answer this question, I observed four students during whole group instruction, small group instruction, and through daily activities and kept track of their behavior with a behavior chart where I took notes about each student and their behavior throughout each day.

 

As a nation, educators are starting to see the effects of school closures during the covid pandemic. According to researchers ar Stanford Graduate School “second and third graders were most affected,” (University & Spector, 2021) Reading fundamentals early in education is imperative to success in learning content as students move into higher grades. Students start acquiring skillls and strategies for reading comprehension in 2nd and 3rd grade. Students who are not successful with reading comprehension will suffer academically and possibly even socially. In the year 2021, Stanford Graduate School said, “reading fluency in second and third grade is now approximately 30 percent behind what would be expected ina typical year,” (University & Spector, 2021) When reaing fluency is down, reading comprehension is affected.

I have been doing my spring practicum in a third-grade classroom and decided to do action research on reading comprehension. I have chosen to research how to improve reading comprehensionscors due to the importance of knowing what the students read when they reach fourth grade and further. I have found several articles that stated that teaching students the skills to generate questions about the material they have read can help improve their comprehension of material. “Question generation is an important- comprehension-fostering and self regulating cognitive strategy” (Rosenshine et al., 1996)

This research presentation will focus on action research conducted in a third-grade classroom regarding the use of questioning to help with comprehending non-fiction texts. It will include data analysis done from tests scores before and after the action was put into place.

 

The simulation of Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata (QCA) has historically been a very difficult task because of the limited hardware resources that exist to verify our solutions. With that, the general approach to QCA simulation has typically been to account for the entire system Hamiltonian, or to do various approximations of the system that allow for faster simulation and increase the simulation capacity to be able to handle much larger circuits. In our work, we have used two approximations, ignoring the kinetic energy component of the Hamiltonian to determine the ground state exclusively from the potential energy curve and ignoring the strong and weak atomic forces that should be irrelevant to this problem at the distances we are dealing with. With these approximations in mind, we were able to develop a model for how QCA cells interact in all space and have developed multiple unique algorithmic approaches to solving QCA systems that are able to utilize this new model to accurately and efficiently determine the ground state for a QCA circuit.

 

Our team is exploring open-source tools for Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) design, used in the design of computer chips. In the past, the majority of tools for chip design have been proprietary. We are exploring using open-source tools for both analog and digital VLSI design. By furthering our understanding of these tools, we aim to make VLSI design accessible to a broader market of people, in order to aid in education by removing the barriers to learning about integrated circuit design. This will allow for not just theoretical education but also practical experience in the chip design field for undergraduate students.

 

SatNOGS is an open-source project which contains a database consisting of many satellites and observers, allowing ground station owners to manually schedule communications between it and overhead satellites, enabling the satellite owner to acquire data from the satellite. As it stands, the SatNOGS schedule relies entirely on observers manually scheduling satellites that are predicted to pass over the ground station. The project was tasked with providing the framework towards a more automated solution for the SatNOGS community, working alongside both the team at Valparaiso University and the SatNOGS developers. The proposed solution is a framework that will allow the individual owners of the satellites and the ground stations to make compromises allowing greater flexibility in the priorities of scheduling a job. This turns the current scheduling system into a more versatile and automated auction-style system defined by the user that removes the need for end-users to manually schedule individual overhead satellite communications.

 

Costa Rica, famous for its conservation efforts, has recovered a massive amount of forest cover in recent decades. However, remaining problems like urbanization threaten many animals’ habitats that depend on forests and tree cover. MacArthur and Wilson put forth the Theory of Island Biogeography, which established the likelihood of species survival based on proximity to the mainland and island size. Using their ideas, a slightly altered theory allows urban environments to replace water and form artificial islands that can roughly follow principles of island biogeography. Species identification observations and a population estimation curve were used to estimate how many species of birds live in INBio Park, a forest patch developed by the National Institute of Biodiversity. 27 distinct bird species were observed, three of which are considered partially forest dependent. 20 to 30 yet unobserved species were estimated to abide in the park based on the rate of decreasing daily new species observed. This indicates that INBio is not large or isolated enough from the city for true forest-dependent species, but it is sufficiently large or partially forest-dependent species not otherwise found in a city. While MacArthur and Wilson’s Island Biogeography relates mostly to real islands separated by water, the urban environment is a significant enough barrier for some bird species, and the biogeography theory is relevant. This could be explored further by examining common vs unique species between specific forest patches of various proximities and sizes, and further classification of artificial urban forests with regards to various forest dependencies.

 

The Warn-on-Forecast system is an experimental system of computer models that is being developed to improve forecasts, warnings, and decision support for high impact thunderstorm events. It is designed to give accurate predictions of thunderstorm hazards, such as hail, wind, flash flooding, and tornadoes. The goal of this project was to look at the effectiveness of the Warn-on-Forecast system in predicting these hazards in the Carolinas, and to identify elements that could improve ease of use for weather forecasters. Storm reports were gathered for the days that the Carolinas were in the forecast area for the system during 2020-2021. These reports were compared to the different parameters in the system to see how well the Warn-on-Forecast system was able to predict identified hazards. Findings reveal the Warn-on-Forecast system did a reasonable job at predicting hail and flash flooding; however, it underestimated the potential for wind.

 

Elevated mixed layers (EML) are a thermodynamic profile most commonly observed in the Midwest that have been associated with high-impact weather such as hail, tornadoes, and elevated surface temperatures and dew points. An EML forms when a surface-based mixed layer at high terrain is advected over moist air at lower elevation. No comprehensive study of EMLs and their associated high-impact weather has been done across the United States, except for a few regional case studies. Thus, this presentation examines a thirty year (1991-2020) climatology of EMLs at one station in each of nine climate regions across the CONUS in order to determine the best layer to look at to find EMLs.

The monthly distribution of EMLs were found to be different at each station, but generally peaked in the spring and were at a minimum in the late summer. The greatest frequency of EMLs were found east of the Rocky Mountains. However, the vertical distribution of where the EMLs lie in the atmosphere was not always within the typically considered 700-500mb layer. Thus, EMLs were examined in five different 200-mb deep layers (900-700mb, 850-650mb, 800-600mb, 750-550mb, 700-500mb). It was found that the number of 700-500mb EMLs were consistently the most frequent. However, there were a substantial number of EMLs in other layers that would not have been captured by just looking between 700 and 500 mb.

 

Abstract

Understanding the relationship between posture and functional movement is indistinct whether one’s posture limits their functional mobility or if it is vice versa. The purpose of this study was to determine a relationship between functional movement screen and posture. Eleven division one male skill football players completed a postural analysis and functional movement screen. Skill positions in football include wide receivers, quarterbacks, defensive backs, running backs, linebackers, and tight end. Each participant was photographed in the anterior view, posterior view, and lateral view. They then completed the seven movements of the FMS. Analyses were done to identify a correlation between the two variables. A low correlation (r=0.24 posterior/FMS, r=0.075 lateral/FMS) was found showing little to no correlation between posture and FMS. Results of this study indicate there is a no significant relationship between functional movement and posture. The FMS is a strong indicator of how well one can perform the screening, there may be better assessments that can identify individual deficiencies in joint range of motion.

 

The purpose of the creative work is to support the sport administration program advisor and faculty member in an effort to develop a (new to Valpo) Esports undergraduate academic program proposal that will be reviewed by the Provost’s Council and the General Education Committee prior to being approved for implementation. A global rise in interest in the topic of Esports supports our research, to date, that the University would widely benefit from offering an undergraduate (if not also, a graduate) academic program that is dedicated to the topic. With Valparaiso University’s addition of a successful Esports competitive team in the fall of 2019, Dr. Rolling and I see great potential in an influx of interested students for the academic program(s).

The creative work will begin with intense market research (both qualitative and quantitative in nature) to establish solid background information to include in the program proposal. The work will address the process in writing a successful proposal that includes, but is not limited to, a description of similar programs, a detailed description of the proposed program, and a business plan that dotes on market strategy, financial analyses, and detail about the program implementation.

The creative work will conclude with releasing the proposal to the Provost’s Council and the General Education Committee to review and determine if the academic program is worth implementing at Valparaiso University.

 

Many collegiate athletes experience a wide range of shoulder injuries that can be the result of weakness in muscle activity in the shoulder joint. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of pre-exercise manual therapy treatment on infraspinatus activation during external rotation. One collegiate athlete (22 yrs) with a history of a shoulder injury participated in this case study. The participant performed a maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) by externally rotating against an immovable storage closet at maximal strength. Following MVIC, the participant completed three repetitions of external rotation prior to manual therapy by lying on their side with the elbow secured against the hip. External rotation was then performed while holding a five-pound dumbbell. Following screening by a manual therapist, the participant completed three more repetitions of external rotation. Surface electromyography and software were utilized to assess infraspinatus activation during external rotation. Root mean square values were normalized to the MVIC for infraspinatus activity in each trial. A match paired t-test compared infraspinatus activation with and without treatment. No significant difference was found in external rotation before and after treatment. This data suggests manual therapy may not be an effective treatment to increase strength and stability in the shoulder to protect or recover from injury.

 

Abstract

Upper limb loss (ULL) can contribute to total body imbalance and instability. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of ULL on vastus lateralis and vastus medialis muscle activation. Six division I cross country runners (F=3, M=3; 19.8 yrs.) volunteered to participate in this study. Each participant completed three trials of a maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the left and right vastus lateralis and vastus medialis. Surface electromyography recorded muscle activation while performing an isometric leg extension. Participants then completed three trials of walking, jogging, and running 20 m under three different simulated ULL conditions (no arms bound, one arm bound, and both arms bound). Muscle activation was analyzed using the Delsys EMGWorks software. The root mean square of each MVIC was calculated and the greatest MVIC across all scores was used for normalization. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA test determined no statistically significant differences in muscle activation between conditions. These results demonstrate no impact of ULL on vastus medialis and vastus lateralis activation. Further research should be done examining the impact of ULL on sedentary individuals.

 

Abstract

COM of mass (COM) is responsible for linear and angular movement of the human body, and individuals that experience upper limb loss (ULL) can encounter a disruption in COM during human locomotion; causing inefficient movement. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in COM during three different modes of locomotion (walking, jogging, and running) under three different conditions (both arms free, one arm bound, and both arms bound). Six division one cross country athletes volunteered for the study (M=3, F=3, average age=19+, SD=3.5) and performed two trials of 20 m of all three modes of locomotion on an indoor track under three different conditions. Data was collected for COM via motion capture system. The researchers found that individuals with simulated ULL experienced a shift in COM. The COM shifts to assist in balancing the participant throughout the different conditions. Researchers found that by understanding changes in COM, health care practitioners and coaches who work with athletes that obtain disabilities could better apply necessary rehabilitation practices.

Key words: Center of Mass (COM), upper limb loss (ULL)

 

 

Upper limb loss (ULL) can inhibit numerous factors in daily life causing a disruption of equilibrium, which may impact biomechanical movements including overall balance, range of motion (ROM), stability, mobility, and ultimately stride length. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of simulated ULL on stride length while running in division 1 cross country athletes. Six participants volunteered for the study (M=3, F=3, Ages=18-21, M=177.9cm, 69.50kg; F=166.4cm, 62.68kg, respectively). Pre-screening procedures inquired about previous injuries and health status of each participant. Motion capture sensors were placed on the feet, knees, thighs, stomach, wrists, hands, biceps, and head of each participant, and Ace bandages were used as the method of binding arms. Each participant completed 2 trials of 20 meters of walking, jogging, and running on an indoor track under 3 different conditions (free arms, one arm bound, and both arms bound) for a total of 18 trials. Stride length was analyzed via motion capture system. A paired samples t-test compared means between the three conditions for each form of locomotion. When comparing running with free arms to both arms bound, results suggested a significant difference in stride length (p=0.006) as well as greater ROM, balance, stability, and mobility (p=0.014), rejecting the null hypothesis. Additionally, researchers found ULL may cause a decrease in proper running mechanics and a shorter stride length in running gait. Further research should be conducted to determine if simulated ULL accurately assesses effects of non-simulated ULL and its correlation on lower body mechanics.

 

Approximately 41,000 people in the US suffer from upper limb loss (ULL), which can offset balance and impact lower body activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of simulated ULL on muscle activation of the gastrocnemius during walking, jogging, and running. Six subjects (3 males, 3 females, 19.8+1.2 yrs, 172.1+10.2 cm, 66.09+13.2 kg) volunteered to participate in three forms of locomotion (walking, jogging, running) under three conditions (no arms bound, one arm bound, both arms bound). Muscle activation of the left and right lateral and medial gastrocnemius was measured via surface electromyography (sEMG). A repeated-measures ANOVA identified a significant difference when participants were running while both arms were bound (p = 0.01). No significant difference was detected between walking and jogging with one arm or both arms bound (p > 0.05). These results suggest that ULL increases muscle activation in the gastrocnemius while running. This shows that the gastrocnemius is a likely contributor to the balance and stability in ULL patients. This study could further the knowledge of future physical therapists in regards to lower limb muscle activation and their contribution to balance and stability in ULL patients.

 

Recovery during and after performance is crucial in helping elite athletes achieve peak performance. Multiple methods of recovery between repeated bouts of exercise have been examined in athletes, but few have been found to be beneficial. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of spinal posture on cardiovascular recovery after high intensity interval training (HIIT). Twelve division I female soccer players (19.8±0.75yrs; 22.9±1.98kg*m^-2) were randomly assigned to three recovery groups: hands on head (HH), hands on knees (HK), and seated upright control (CON). Participants completed four trials of running on a treadmill at 90-95% of their age predicted heart rate maximum for four minutes. Each running interval was followed by three minutes of recovery with participants positioned in their assigned spinal posture. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and respiratory rate (RR) were measured at rest and at the beginning and end of each recovery period. Two sample t-tests were performed to identify significant differences in HR, SBP, and RR between the three groups. The results showed no significant differences in HR and RR between groups (p>0.05). The change in SBP during recovery was significantly greater in the CON group compared to the HK group (40.5mmHg vs. 31.6mmHg, respectively; p<0.05). These results indicate that seated upright posture may have a greater impact on cardiovascular recovery after HIIT compared to HH or HK postures. Further research should investigate the impact of spinal posture on cardiovascular recovery after HIIT.

 

Upper limb loss (ULL) can have detrimental effects on whole-body range of motion (ROM). ULL, in one or both arms, reduces arm swing, subsequently affecting gait, balance, and ROM. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact ULL has on ROM in the lower limbs, specifically the ankle. Six division 1 cross country athletes (3 male, 3 female) volunteered for this study. Each participant underwent two trials of three different forms of locomotion (walking, jogging, running) for 20 m under three different conditions (no arms bound, one arm bound, both arms bound). Each participant was fitted with motion capture technology to assess joint angles during movement. A repeated measures ANOVA compared ROM in the lower limbs for each condition during the three forms of locomotion. Results indicated that ROM in the lower limbs was greater when no arms were bound compared to simulated ULL. The ROM in the bound arm trials had a smaller angle than the no arms bound. A two-way ANOVA test was performed to compare the joint angles of the ankle under each condition. The p-value for the forms of locomotion was 0.15 and 0.15 for the three arm conditions. This supports the null hypothesis that ULL does not impact ROM of the ankle joint. Further research should examine the study with different methods to imitate ULL and with a larger subject group and different populations.

 

Lattice paths can be used to model scheduling and routing problems, and, therefore, identifying maximum sets of distinct paths is of general interest. We extend the work previously done by Gillman et al. to determine the order of a maximum set of k-distinct lattice paths. In particular, we disprove a conjecture by Gillman that a greedy algorithm would give the maximum order and also refine an upper bound given by Brewer et al. We illustrate that brute force is an inefficient method to determine the maximum order, as it has time complexity O(n^k). There does not appear to be an algorithm to efficiently identify maximum sets in general cases, and given this, we instead consider the limits as various parameters go to infinity while others are fixed. Further, we prove results for some conjectured cases.

 

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 generated a significant amount of illness and infection for many individuals worldwide. The pandemic also produced many opposing opinions on how to handle the spread of the virus. While some advocated for strict lockdowns, others criticized this method for its potentially severe consequences and proposed a more relaxed approach. My research project involves a NetLogo model that simulates the transmission of COVID-19 to provide insight into optimal strategies at effectively controlling a virus outbreak. I examine the rate of infection based on movement patterns, health status, vaccination status, and mask-wearing status. Using my results, I aim to determine beneficial methods at controlling the spread of a virus, while avoiding a lockdown. My model shows that the infection rate is highly dependent on the way individuals move in their environment. In other words, the transmission of a virus is not only connected to whether people leave their homes, but where they travel. In addition, people who are healthy, fully vaccinated, and wearers of effective masks can help slow the spread of a virus. Incorporating these strategies will lead to a safer environment for everyone.

 

Hydrogen is a fuel that can be used to produce electricity in fuel cells or cleanly burned for heat. Many electrochemical processes to produce hydrogen and other fuels could benefit from high temperatures and high pressures. This poster demonstrates how a high pressure and temperature setup was created to answer questions regarding the solar thermal decoupled electrolysis process to create hydrogen. Research has shown that at higher temperatures, the kinetics are more rapid which leads to a higher current density. Another advantage of producing hydrogen at higher pressure is that it does not need to later be pumped mechanically up to pipeline pressures for distribution. Testing at temperatures up to 200°C and pressure up to 10 bar (will be increased in the future) is possible by housing electrochemical cells in a stainless steel pressure vessel. Temperature is regulated through a PID controller and surface-mounted silicone heaters and pressure is controlled via mass flow controllers and a back pressure regulator. In this poster, the results of experiments conducted to validate that the test station functions are presented. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry of the ferri-ferrocyanide couple are shown and compared with measurements from the literature. Temperature and pressure data are also presented to show that the system can maintain temperature and pressure over long durations.

 

 

In this study, I look at the impact a Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) has on the performance of a solar furnace. A CPC is a secondary reflector that can increase the intensity (heat flux) of the concentrated sunlight delivered by our concentrated solar furnace here at Valpo. Increasing the heat flux in the solar furnace makes it possible to reach higher temperatures and higher efficiencies in the reactor. I developed Monte Carlo Ray Tracing (MCRT) simulation to estimate how different factors affect what sort of an impact the CPC could have on the performance of a concentrated solar furnace. I present how the geometry of the CPC impacts the intensity of concentrated sunlight leaving this secondary reflector.

 

In engineering design, it is commonplace to modify design parameters such that a set of properties or attributes are optimized for a particular application. This optimization process can be successfully performed using optimization techniques built on machine learning such as sequential multi-objective Bayesian optimization (S-MOBO). S-MOBO takes in existing sets of design parameters and their corresponding solutions and recommends design parameters that are most likely to produce a solution on the Pareto front, the set of non-dominated solutions. Though S-MOBO is a powerful technique, only one iteration of the design can be built at a time. In design problems that can be parallelized, batch multi-objective Bayesian optimization (B-MOBO) can be used instead to accelerate the optimization process by recommending multiple sets of design parameters whose solutions are expected to exist along the Pareto front. Though this process increases overall computation time, the real-time computation is reduced. In this work, we develop a new B-MOBO method as well as a Python framework to support any MOBO method. The new B-MOBO method is developed using a gaussian process model surrogate to inform the new acquisition function. The new B-MOBO method will more efficiently recommend batch samples which target the Pareto front, reducing overall real-time computation.

 

To transition to sustainable energy sources, it is necessary to develop energy storage technologies. In the Solar Energy Research Facility, we study chemical processes that store energy from concentrated sunlight. We utilize a process which transforms water into hydrogen. The process is driven by heat from concentrated sunlight and uses cyclic reduction and oxidation of cobalt oxide to remove oxygen from the water. The cobalt oxide allows us to store energy during the reduction step and releases it to produce hydrogen in the oxidation step. While the reduction step of the cycle may ultimately be carried out in a solar reactor, we created a benchtop apparatus to study the reduction and oxidation processes. We can perform the same reduction step as we would in the solar furnace, but it’s weather independent and we are free to run longer experiments. We created it by machining and ordering custom components, printing custom 3D parts, wiring the apparatus and calibrating its components. To evaluate the process in the benchtop apparatus, we will pack cobalt oxide powder into a tube creating a packed bed. Using mass flow controllers to control the flow of gasses through the packed bed, we cycle cobalt oxide between reduce CoO and oxidized Co₃O₄ states by changing the temperature inside a heated electric furnace. We present results of experiments used to verify control of the gas delivery elements of the apparatus, including the mass flow controllers, solenoid valves, and flow measurement system.

 

My research discusses Thelonious Monk’s (1917-82) and Miles Davis’s (1926-91) famous performance of Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight” (1944), one of the most frequently recorded jazz standards composed by a Jazz musician. This research investigates a performance at Newport on 7/17/1955. This iconic performance initiated a comeback for Davis and the recording made that night shows Monk at his finest in terms of pianistic creativity and musicianship. To this day, however, this performance is “shrouded in myth” (Kelley, 2010). The primary objective of this research is to analyze “Round Midnight” and determine what made this piece an opportune choice for these two players at this particular time; and the secondary objective is to “de-mythologize” this performance — on the basis of the recording — by analyzing features of balance, musical chemistry, timbre, and instrumental effects. How did Davis’s hazy sound contribute to the record’s afterlife? How did Monk’s effect-full pianism and skill add to the success of this performance? By pinpointing these aspects, this research throws light on what immortalized this performance of “Round Midnight”, thereby concretizing its reception history.

 

By 1940, the time Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) emigrated to America, Hindemith was at the height of his creative powers, having established in the 1930s “a well-regulated and standardized compositional technique, thanks to the purest possible operation of the principles of the ‘two-voice framework’, ‘harmonic fluctuation’ and ‘progression in 2nds’”, elements which Hindemith scholar G. Schubert has noted as essential markers of this decade. But there was one more element that differentiated Hindemith’s 1930s style: “an individual formal structure” for each piece, often inspired by timbre. Specifically, Hindemith’s sonatas are “tailored […] snugly to the character of the solo instrument […] [like] portraits of the instruments themselves, the music being generated by the unique qualities of each individual timbre.” Building on, and expanding, the research of Paul Davis Morton (1995), Erik Mahon (2000), and William C Rabun (2016), this research paper investigates Hindemith’s Trumpet Sonata in light of G. Schubert’s above-named stylistic elements and tests their validity in this 1939 composition, thereby throwing new light on a little-discussed piece in Hindemith’s oeuvre.

 

My research is about Benjamin Britten’s “The Holy Sonnets of John Donne” (1945). This piece was composed after Britten’s American exile. On his return he visited a recently liberated concentration camp, Bergen-Belsen, which inspired this dark and somber setting. James Gilchrist (2912) writes that Donne’s poetry — which “deals with the struggle to make sense of human sexuality and fallibility in a world dominated by inhuman doctrine and hierarchy” — resonated deeply with Britten. While the work has enjoyed a rich reception history, certain questions still remain only partially answered, for example, whether Britten’s expression of dignity, grandeur and the “elegiac” quality in “Death be not proud” have any autobiographical layers, given that this seemingly victorious soundscape conflicts with and challenges the topic of darkness of the cycle and of the poem’s title. This research focuses on “Death be not proud” — set over a ground bass theme of five measures — and investigates how the use of a passacaglia, one of Britten’s favorite musical forms, and an aesthetic that “defies death” (Graham Johnson, 2017) all come together, revealing a nuanced confrontation with the horrors of WWII concentration camps and with his own darkness.

 

 

Abstract

My research investigates Iwan Knorr’s Symphonische Phantasie Op.12 (1897, published 1899). Though hardly known today, the work was well received in its own right, garnering positive reviews in 1897 (Signale fuer die Musikalische Welt Vol. 55 No. 52 [9 November 1897], 318). Knorr, though composing his symphonic fantasy in 1899, felt little affinity with the arising innovations of musical modernism. His symphonic fantasy, instead, takes sonata form as a guiding principle with which it stands in a close dialogue and from which it departs in order to account for the “fantasy” elements.
Knorr was a member of a conservative musical circle, which helps explain his formal and stylistic choices. Since 1883 he had been on the faculty of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt, the same institution where Clara Schumann taught 1878-92. In 1908, he became director of the school.
Because Symphonic Fantasy Op. 12 was composed with this institutional background, it makes sense to investigate the work from a lens that takes into account the retrospective stylistic orientation of the Clara Schumann – Brahms circle. By shedding light on Knorr’s Symphonic Fantasy Op. 12 and its conservative bend and negotiation between the sonata- and fantasy principles, an entirely unknown composition comes to light.

 

Diether de la Motte (1992) has noted in “Sehnsucht” that Hensel “places a perceived ‘beginning’ before the first notes of the piece”. La Motte’s observation points to a popular Romantic compositional tool: in medias res, which creates the impression of the listener “joining” an ongoing musical process. My research is about how Hensel’s Sehnsucht (1830) works with this compositional tool. By contextualizing the in medias res in light of her circle — which included also Robert Schumann — and by comparing how the device is used in Hensel’s “Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß?”, “Sehnsucht” emerges as a particularly expressive example. In addition, the pervasive gender inequality that she and others had to endure, allows for a nuanced reading of what it means to begin a narrative “in the middle” (in medias), without preamble, which can be understood also as a metaphor for “joining” the compositional discourse as a woman and Lied composer. Hensel’s “Sehnsucht” offers, if not the luxury of a “beginning” or preamble, the center piece — the most important part of a work — notwithstanding the immense societal pressures she had to endure. The “longing” (Sehnsucht) and the impatience and drive to express, is exactly what lets her start the song in medias res, with a perceived, but skipped, beginning. My research draws on Marian Wilson Kimber (2002), R. Larry Todd (2010), Françoise Tillard (1996), and Jack Werner (1947). Fanny Mendelssohn’s piece “Sehnsucht” gives us a better understanding of the gender inequalities and compromises in music that took place during that time period, even within families.

 

Charles Koechlin’s The Seven Stars’ Symphony (1933), an homage to movie stars from the 1930s, is a beautiful piece, full of nuanced-energy from the height of neo-classicism in the early twentieth century. A pioneer for modernity in France, this work adds to the repertoire of the surrounding cultural setting. Within this time frame, writings by Brian Hart and Christopher Moore hold deep insight on this modern work. In context, my research explores Koechlin’s use of orchestra and his orchestration considering the cultural influence of Modern era France. By analyzing and assessing the methods in which Koechlin uses instrument sections, individually or in tandem with each other, we can better understand Koechlin’s approach to orchestrating. The Seven Stars’ Symphony deserves to be better understood by scholars and researchers and will serve future research on the music of Charles Koechlin.

 

My focus in this research is to inquire into the second movement — of which elements originate from 1854, that is, earlier than the other movements — with the question in mind which aspects of the piece point to Brahms’s 1854 thought- and sound world. In 1854 Brahms was closely connected with Joachim, Clara Schumann, and Robert Schumann. Brahms witnessed Schumanns suicide attempt; moved closer to Clara Schumann, and had deep interaction with Joseph Joachim’s compositions. This research paper explores movement 2 for possible traces that point to the year of 1854. Although we cannot be certain in our assumptions regarding which aspects originate in 1854 — given that no exact documentation survives — this inquiry can still result in useful information, such as what the year of 1854 means in Brahms’s musical language. Other than reflecting on Brahms’s 1854 circle, this paper will also investigate movement 2 for possible similarities to other Brahmsian works from 1854.

 

My scholarly-performative research on J. S. Bach’s Grave in A minor synthesizes two main popular threads related to inquiring interpretations. The first being an interpretation that relies on harmonic analysis influences, and the second being a more recent thread where traditional ways of understanding and interpreting works — adhering to concepts of Werktreue in performance — should be questioned.

I will draw from various sources, readings, and interpretations which will create an interdisciplinary aspect to my research. Much of my work will additionally lean on artistic research–being day to day recordings of my practice, thoughts, and musical interpretations. Assessment of validity of different performances and performance preparation will be done through a comparative recording and recital project. To question the first interpretation, I will be using historical and analytical methods in an effort to contextualize historically and analyze from a harmonic perspective Bach’s solo movement for violin. I will be particularly drawing attention to creating a harmonic analysis that is performable, resulting in an interpretation similar to that of a Schenker graph, which supplies a wholesome bi-picture view on my interpretation (rather than a too fragmented approach which loses sight of main harmonic events). Dissemination of this first element of research will be presented in my recording. To question my second interpretation, I will examine traditional approach where the interpretation follows analysis. This questioning standpoint is well represented in the literature of recent times, particularly in the areas of performance studies (and more specifically, performance-based research, also known as Artistic Research). By engaging this questioning approach in my methodology, there will be several components: a) a live performance of b); surveys with listeners manifesting their impressions of my performance; day-to-day journaling about the evolution of my questioning interpretation; inquiry into whether or how my harmonic analysis influenced my performance of the piece in the “questioning” interpretation; etc.

In my approach to this research, work by Daniel Leech-Wilkenson, Anna Scott, Joel Lester, and others will be analyzed and incorporated into the research process. It is vital that past and present writings are analyzed and incorporated side by side harmonic/tonal analysis and the artistic research as challenging performance and performance practice is the chief goal if this research. Additionally, historical analysis of Bach’s intentions and influence may aid in additional emphasis on creativity, beauty, and simplicity in western classical music.

My thesis will be a developing thesis that incorporates scholarly research, literature, and will take into account the process of my project. I believe that more emphasis needs to be placed on the second style of performance and performance practice because it brings the power of the music back to the performer and the people receiving it. By doing this, one would use what the composer has given as a groundwork for creative exploration instead of a rigid instructional manual. The most essential thing in music needs to be beauty and intention, not perfection and demanding productivity. I believe that my research will demonstrate that this way of thinking also inspires better mental health in musicians and performances and prioritizes intention and simplicity in music over competition.

 

Gustav Holst said about his seven-movement orchestral suite The Planets: “…whether it’s good or bad, it grew in my mind slowly – like a baby in a woman’s womb … For two years I had the intention of composing that cycle, and during those two years it seemed of itself more and more definitely to be taking form.” This rhetoric fits squarely with the 19th-century English and German musical context where “psychological” “mood pictures” in the form of orchestral works were popular. For example, both Holst’s teachers Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924), and Stanford’s colleague, Joseph Joachim (1831-1907), composed orchestral works and discussed them using “psychological” terminology. Similar to Holst, Joseph Joachim often wrote about musical compositions maturing in his psyche like organisms, thereby taking in the composer’s experiences and moods until they are immersed in subjective material. What does Holst mean by likening his composition to “a series of mood pictures” (Short, 1990)? Based on Holly Watkins (2011); Michael Short (1990); Richard Greene (1995) and Katharina Uhde (2014), in this research I investigate Holst’s “mood pictures” in the context of Holst’s letters and discussions; I compare this data to other 19th-century compositions with a “psychological” subtext that Holst would have, or could have, known through his teacher Charles Villers Stanford. By establishing connections between Holst’s music and its “psychological” contents and comparing these with examples by Stanford and Joachim, Holst’s “mood pictures” emerge within a wider tradition of “psychological” composition, which allows pinpointing and concretizing certain motivic, harmonic and formal features as particularly rich in “psychological” associations.

 

This paper examines Brahms’ utility as a musical transition between every budding musical era that came after him, using contexts and foundations collected, built, and developed by Lodges (2019), Avins and Eisinger (1997), Bozarth (1990), Frisch (1990, 1984), MacDonald (1990), and Geiringer (1963). It explores his personal life and critical appeal to illuminate how his passions and unique position in time enabled him—like Beethoven whom he aimed to succeed—to push the musical tools at his disposal in such a way as to carve a new trunk in musical history. It details how Brahms used his third symphony both to musically describe his loss of, and preface his restitution with, Joseph Joachim. This symphony serves as his own theme, a sort of therapeutic conversation with and response to the people in his various circles—the first of its kind.

Analyzed through its visually stimulating warm-and-dark/cold-and-light motific form, unique use of instruments, and harmonic developments, this masterwork creates a somewhat immersive and timeless appeal, held with extremely high regard by critics at its premiere, and by musicians of all backgrounds today. However, by taking an account of letters written and received by Brahms, and his history, and combining these with an emotion-charged musical analysis, we discover how this single piece propelled the art form into a future wherein aural expression could be used to share endlessly varied and simultaneous levels of individualistic and pluralistic thematic meanings, discover inward and outward musical connections, and evoke visceral emotional-expression and ambiguous interpretation.

 

Forman’s film Amadeus (1984) was criticized for its “crude” portrayal of Mozart as a “bumpkin with a hideous, high-pitched whinny-giggle” (Townsend, 1986). This presentation argues that, though Forman’s portrayal of Mozart may have been exaggerated, it contributed to popular appeal because it overlapped with Mozart’s widely discussed “emotional swings” (Keefe, 2015). His iconic giggle resonated with viewers because of how this personality side is contrasted with his dark and somber personality traits. In fact, literature from the 1940s often remarked on these extremes, using two lines from Goethe’s Egmont (1788) : “Himmelhoch jauchzend, zu Tode betrübt” (heavenly joy, deadly sorrow).

I investigate these extreme mood swings in light of their links to the film’s musical selections, heard in a diegetic or non-diegetic way. One scene from Amadeus depicting Mozart’s optimism is the premier of Le Nozze Di Figaro (1786) through Antonio Salieri’s interpretation of “Ah Tutti Contenti” (Amadeus, 1:48:20-1:49:35). Dramatic shifts in behavior are displayed in the Don Giovanni scene (Amadeus, 1:55:24-2:01:03) and where Salieri helps Mozart compose “Confutatis Maledictis” from the Requiem Mass (Amadeus, 2:37:06-2:43:25). By throwing light on Mozart’s persona — and the musical excerpts linked with it — my hope is that viewers will view Amadeus with a more in-depth understanding and sense of awareness that Mozart’s mesmerizing musical mood swings are the reason why Forman’s Mozart portrayal is so convincing.

 

My research revolves around Czech composer Bohuslav Martin?’s (1890-1959) cantata The Field Mass H. 279 (1939) (based on various biblical and poetry by Ji?í Mucha). Using the musico-literary concept and existing theories of elegy, this research discusses Martin?’s choice of a dark and somber orchestration and timbre, a tonally-centered but post-tonally infused use of harmonic color, as well as military topical associations to argue that Martin?’s The Field Mass represents a poignant tribute to those Czech Military Volunteers who put their lives on the line in WW1. Using the concept of Elegy, I aim to unpack the various musical, compositional, poetic, and aesthetic techniques that were employed by Martinu as a composer and Mucha as a librettist in order to better understand the grim nature of war through a poetic perspective of those who were on the front lines of battle, far from home. I want to accomplish this by exploring the relationship between the biblical text and Mucha’s poetry and the unique way in which Martinu paints these texts in a musical way that captures the grim sentiment of such a dark moment in human history. This research takes musicological works by Martin? scholars such as James F. Rybka and Jan Lede? as well as scholarship on Ji?í Mucha as a starting point and brings them together with music-analytical inquiry on the concept of elegy. By doing this research, the piece emerges in a new light particularly with regard to its humanity and creates a beautiful musical tribute to the soldiers who gave their lives for the greater cause of freedom and love of country.

 

Niccolo Paganini’s 24 Caprices (1817) have exerted a great influence on subsequent composers and performers, including Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt. Caprice No. 24 not only provided technical improvement on the violin by highlighting new techniques, but it also contributed to technical improvement and excellence on the saxophone, as visible in arrangements for saxophone in recent decades, including Raaf Hekkema’s arrangement (2010). This research is three-pronged: I investigate the piece itself on the basis of Dana Gooley (2013), Jonathan Kregor (2013), and Maiko Kawabata (2013); I investigate existing arrangements of Caprice No. 24 including Raaf Hekkema’s, explicating their processes and choices; and I make my own arrangement, motivating and highlighting my process and what I consider brings out the most important performative and musical-stylistic elements of the original. My research includes excerpt demonstrations of my own arrangement of Caprice No. 24.

 

The United States healthcare system has gradually made a transition from fee for service care to value based care. In 2015 the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) was created to help the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) create a number of quality incentive based programs for providers to help transition to rewarding for quality, instead of quantity, outcomes. These programs promote better care for individuals and better health for populations all at a lower cost. Quality-based payments are measured based on different preventative screenings and testing that a patient has completed with their provider. The more preventative screenings that are completed, the more incentive dollars the provider or practice generates, thus decreasing the overall cost of care. The purpose of this evidence-based project was to increase the number of wellness visits for Medicare Advantage members at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) to increase preventative care for patients and quality-based payments for providers. The denominator included patients who were on a Medicare Advantage Plan assigned to the FQHC (N = 1,599) that were due for an annual Medicare wellness visit for 2022. Patients who didn’t have a wellness visit in 2021 were first contacted to schedule and complete theirs with their primary care provider. Next, patients who had completed their wellness visit 12 months prior were contacted to come in to complete their wellness visit. The number of completed Medicare Wellness Visits for Q1 2022 were compared to Q1 2021. 263 Medicare Wellness Visits were completed Q1 2022, versus the 109 completed in Q1 2021. This demonstrates a 141% overall increase in schedules and completed Medicare Advantage Wellness Visits. With the increased number of wellness visits completed, there were also an increase in completed clinical quality metrics screenings too. Of patients that had completed a Wellness Visit in Q1 2022, 56.3% had completed a Breast Cancer Screening, 64.5% had completed a Colorectal Cancer Screening, and 51% had completed a Hepatitis C Screening. These findings will be used for future projects that can help increase quality of care and better patient outcomes.

Keywords: preventative screening, value-based care, wellness, Medicare, outcomes

 

The incidence of depression in college students is increasing at an alarming rate. Unidentified and untreated depression can lead to significant difficulties adjusting to college life. The goal of this research project is to develop an instrument to identify depression in college freshmen. The development of this instrument is still in the working phase. Qualitative data, collected through interviews with students who experienced depression as college freshmen, provided the basis for the initial draft of items for the instrument. These items reflect the unique experience of depression as experienced by college freshmen. The initial draft of items was reviewed during four focus groups composed of current university students for clarity. These items were revised based upon the valuable feedback received from the focus groups. We are currently recruiting individuals who experienced depression during their freshman year in college to review the instrument draft during one-to-one interviews with the lead investigator. The goal of these interviews is to ensure the items on the instrument are representative of their experience with depression during this time of transition. We plan to continue our work next fall and hope to begin initial screening of freshmen students within the next year.

 

In 2021, approximately 1 in 9 high school students reported that they had used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days (CDC, 2022). This use of electronic cigarettes combined with the lack of knowledge and understanding of this addiction has resulted in a vaping epidemic in the U.S. The goal of the Catch My Breath program is to increase the knowledge in youth aged 10 to 18 about the dangers of electronic cigarettes. The aim of this study is to assess the beliefs and knowledge about electronic cigarettes within the target audience (5th-12th graders). In the initial study of the Catch My Breath program, 380 students (153 fifth graders and 106 eighth graders) and 121 high school students from Porter County participated in the study. An educational intervention was implemented to reduce youths’ inclination to vape. Pre- and post-surveys were used to measure current beliefs and knowledge on vaping. Following the initial survey, the youth were educated on the basics of vaping and the dangers of vaping via four fifty-minute educational classes. Since the program started in January 2022, 80 of the 121 high school participants have successfully completed the program. Initial results of the program have been proven to be an effective educational intervention as there was a significant increase in knowledge of vaping by 46.9% of the responsive participants. Education on the dangers of e-cigarettes should be provided to all school aged children and adolescents.

 

The college-aged demographic is at risk for adverse effects from using electronic vaping devices (Kenne et al., 2017). Youth e-cigarette rates were 20.9% in 2018 (Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, 2021), and 11.8% in 2021 (ACHA). The objective was to analyze the use of electronic vaping devices by college students, following the Anti-Vaping Ongoing Interventions Dissemination (AVOID) program. Using the Transtheoretical Model, decisions to change vaping behavior were assessed to determine the effects of the AVOID program (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997). 900 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university were invited to participate through SurveyMonkey®. Data were collected and analyzed to further understand relationships and opinions about the use of electronic vaping devices. This survey was sent out after initiating the AVOID intervention which involved interacting in the campus community regarding the dangers of vaping. The AVOID intervention included eight-campus strategies including social media, posters, and ads on campus TVs. Of the 464 students who responded (51.6%), 15.84% said they had vaped in the last 30 days. While 65.27% stated that the educational programs had no effect regarding their vaping habits, 21.76% indicated they had learned something from the AVOID program, and 54.11% decided to quit within the next month. 86.68% would encourage a family member or friend to quit vaping. Progress was made with the AVOID program. A majority of respondents noticed an AVOID educational tool and have plans to change behavior. The team plans to further disseminate education regarding harms of vaping.

 

Background Information
In the past four years, there has been an increase in the number of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) by 30% and adolescents make up more than half of these new cases each year (CDC, 2019). In the U.S alone, 1 in 5 teens have STDs and condoms are 98% effective in preventing them.
Purpose
The purpose of the intervention is to increase contraception use, decrease the number of cases of STDs, and increase knowledge (via increased scores on post-test assessments) about condom use in the target population of adolescents 18 years or older who are currently attending college and are sexually active.
Theoretical Foundation and Plan
This educational intervention is based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) and is in comparison to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to determine the effectiveness of HBM on condom preparatory behavior.
Each student will be given at-home modules to take at their convenience and the modules will examine each of the constructs of both of these theories. The participants will take a pre and post-assessment to determine the effectiveness of each of the interventions.
Recommendation and Conclusion
Based on the results of the study, HBM is most effective when explaining behavior constructs and impacting mediators for behavior change. These results can be used in the future to create future programs for condom use and other adolescent risk behaviors that involve behavior change among this target population.

 

The neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) is a measurement of charge separation within the neutron. Insight into the nEDM could give light to some of physics’ unanswered questions, like why there appears to be more matter than antimatter in the universe. The nEDM experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is designed to search for the nEDM at the level of 3 x 10^-28 e-cm, nearly one hundred times lower than the present limit. The experiment calls for an electric field of 75 kV/cm in a large volume of liquid helium at 0.4K. To develop this capability, the Half Scale High Voltage system (HSHV) and the Small Scale High Voltage system (SSHV) are currently being tested at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The HSHV uses a custom high voltage (HV) chain to deliver up to 200kV to a 40 liter liquid helium central volume. To qualify the performance of HV chain, multiple tests were conducted in a Room Temperature High Voltage system (RTHV) under vacuum. After testing in the RTHV, the HV system was moved to the HSHV for cryogenic testing. Additionally, the SSHV is being prepared for liquid helium testing that will complement that of the HSHV. Details on the voltage chain assembly, recent work on the SSHV, and tests inside the RTHV and HSHV will be presented.

 

More than two hundred molecular species have been found in the interstellar medium (ISM). Study of their interaction with dust grains carries paramount significance in our understanding of the formation of larger molecules found in the ISM and the astrochemical evolution of the ISM. The goals of this study are to understand how a selected group of small molecules and radicals interact with icy dust grains in the interstellar medium (ISM) and to test the accuracy of our computational methods by comparing our results to previously published results. All the calculations were conducted using density functional theory (DFT) as implemented in the VASP program. We first constructed the structures of these molecules using the Chemcraft program by specifying the bond lengths and angles. Once the structures were optimized using VASP, we employed Chemcraft again to place the molecules near the optimized ice surface using previously published distances and positions relative to the ice surface as a guide. We then optimized the combined molecule-ice systems using VASP to find the most stable structures and the corresponding binding energies. Lastly, we assessed the accuracy of our results by comparing them with available experimental evidence and previously published computational binding energies. Our work is the first step in a larger project that is studying the formation of larger molecules in the ISM.

 

Protoplanetary-nebula (PPNe) are stars in the stage of stellar evolution that falls between the asymptotic giant branch and planetary nebula (PNe) stages. Most PPNe display cyclical variations in their brightness due to pulsations. In an earlier study of 12 carbon-rich PPNe, periods were found for all of the objects, ranging from 38 to 153 days (Hrivnak et al. 2010, ApJ 709, 1042). In this present study, we have analyzed newer and more precise data for 6 of these objects. Observations were obtained at the Valparaiso University Observatory (2008 to 2018) in the V and r filters. In addition, we have used observations from the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernova (ASAS-SN; 2016 to 2021) first in the V and then in the g filter. While these later cover shorter intervals of time, they have much denser coverage. These datasets separately and in combinations were analyzed using PERIOD04. Primary and secondary periods were found for each object. The results of the primary periods are generally similar to those of the earlier study. We also investigated possible period changes. This research is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (1413660).

 

In his The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1, Foucault demonstrates that since the 18^th century, there has been an overwhelming increase in discourses surrounding sex, developing into the conceptualization and categorization of “sexuality” and the resulting imperative to speak about it to find and know its essential “truth.” The coming out imperative constitutes one such deployment of sexuality. Coming out has been conceptualized as a way of forming and realizing one’s queer identity and announcing it with pride to the world. However, under Foucault’s theoretical framework, we see that coming out falls within a vast power network that ultimately constructs an essentialized, fixed identity through which to surveil, organize, manage, and control queer and non-queer subjects. Given this understanding of coming out, the growing pervasiveness of coming out narratives in media about queer people becomes much more troubling. In fact, mainstream televisual media, as a method of power, contributes greatly to the normalization of queer coming out narratives and thus the construction of queer identity. Through the analysis of coming out narratives and queer representation in the superhero genre—DC television show Supergirl and Marvel film Eternals—I reveal these narratives’ problematic construction of an essentialized queer identity, compulsive confession, and the fashioning of queer neoliberal subjecthood. Additionally, I demonstrate the power dynamics at play in these constructions (using Foucault’s theoretical framework) and develop a conceptualization of a more fluid, resistant depiction of queer existence in media.

 

Infants are incredible language learners. One way we think infants are able to learn language is through statistical learning (SL) where infants track the regularities in the speech stream in both adjacent (Saffran et al., 1998) and non-adjacent dependencies (NAD) (Gomez, 2002). Infants’ SL abilities are related to their vocabulary development (Graf Estes et al., 2011). Handedness is related to language abilities in adults (Knecht et al., 2000) and vocabulary development in infants (Nelon et al., 2014). This relationship between handedness and language is thought to be driven by lateralization, where handedness is a proxy for lateralization. The current study will investigate the relationship between handedness and SL in infants’ vocabulary development.

Participants will be Infants (N=60) at 15-months-old. Infants’ handedness will be tested with the baby handedness test (Fagard et al., 2020), which is used to assess lateralization. Infants’ SL will be tested using the head-turn preference procedure with the SL language from Gomez (2002) testing NADs. Infants’ vocabulary will be measured with the McArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventories.

It is predicted that lateralized infants will have better scores on the SL test. A t-test will then be used to determine if there was a significant difference in statistical learning scores for lateralized versus non-lateralized infants. Multiple regression will be used to determine how lateralization and SL predict infants’ vocabulary. This study will extend and help elucidate some of the mechanisms that may play a role in language development.

 

Infants learn the language in their environment, but less is known about learning from multiple speakers. Multiple speakers can be both difficult (Jusczyk et al.,1992) and beneficial for infants (Rost et al., 2009). Multiple speakers, but not single speakers, help monolingual infants to generalize word-referent mappings to a new voice (Thompson, in prep). Yet, monolingual and bilingual babies may show different language learning abilities (Byers-Heinlein et al., 2009). The proposed study investigates if bilingual infants display similar advantages in learning from multiple speakers.

Participants will be 19-month-old bilingual infants (N=30 per condition). During training infants are taught 4 word-object pairings. Infants in multiple speaker condition will hear recordings from 8 different women labeling the object while the infants in the single speaker condition will hear recordings from a speaker. Infants must generalize the mappings as they will hear a new voice at test.

A t-test will be used to compare infants’ performance in the conditions and see if their performance differs from chance. It’s predicted that bilingual infants will learn in both speaker conditions due to being exposed to the various languages at home and thus are more likely to encounter speaker variability. The results have the ability to develop a deeper understanding of language development in bilingual infants and how their trajectories may be similar or different to monolingual infants.

 

Research demonstrates the importance of enrichment in learning a new task. The effect of enrichment type has not been as thoroughly examined. The purpose of the current study was to observe behavioral and statistical differences between enrichment types. Specifically, rats were trained to perform an operant learning task after experiencing one of three treatments: environmental enrichment, social enrichment, and control. Findings demonstrate variability in performance in learning the bar press response. Behavioral observations were notated along each step of the learning process, displaying differences not shown in numerical data. Taken together, these data revealed that enrichment had an impact on rates of and resistance to extinction.

 

The role of masturbation frequency and pornography use on sexual response during partnered sex has been controversial, the result of mixed and inconsistent findings. However, studies investigating this relationship have often suffered from methodological shortcomings. We investigated the role of masturbation frequency and pornography use on both the occurrence and severity of delayed/inhibited ejaculation (DE), an increasingly common sexual problem among men. We did so in a large (non-clinical) multinational sample (N = 2332) within a multivariate context that relied on multiple (and, when possible, standardized) assessments of sexual dysfunctions while controlling for possible confounding variables. Results indicated a weak, inconsistent, and sometimes absent association between the frequency of pornography use and DE symptomology and/or severity. In contrast, both poorer erectile functioning and anxiety/depression represented consistent and strong predictors of DE and, to a lesser extent, DE severity. Other factors including relationship satisfaction, sexual interest, and masturbation frequency were significantly though moderately-to-weakly associated with DE. In conclusion, associations (or sometimes lack thereof) between masturbation frequency, pornography use, and delayed ejaculation are more clearly understood when analyzed in a multivariate context that controls for possible confounding effect

 

The current study investigated the relationships among masturbation frequency, pornography use, and erectile functioning and dysfunction in 3586 men within a multivariate context that assessed sexual dysfunctions. Results indicated that frequency of pornography use was unrelated to either erectile functioning or erectile dysfunction (ED) severity in samples that included ED men with and without various sexual comorbidities or in a subset of men 30 years or younger. In contrast, variables long known to affect erectile response emerged as the most consistent and salient predictors of erectile functioning and/or ED severity, including age, anxiety/depression, chronic medical conditions known to affect erectile functioning, low sexual interest, and low relationship satisfaction. Masturbation frequency was only weakly and inconsistently related to erectile functioning. Regarding sexual and relationship satisfaction, poorer erectile functioning, lower sexual interest, anxiety/depression, and higher frequency of masturbation were associated with lower sexual and lower overall relationship satisfaction. Frequency of pornography use did not predict either sexual or relationship satisfaction. Findings of this study reiterate the relevance of long-known risk factors for understanding diminished erectile functioning while concomitantly indicating that masturbation frequency and pornography use show weak or no association with erectile functioning during partnered sex. We do not dismiss the idea that heavy reliance on pornography use coupled with high frequency of masturbation may represent a risk factor for diminished sexual performance during partnered sex and/or relationship satisfaction in subsets of particularly vulnerable men.

 

In the mid-300s, many Christians fled a corrupt political system to practice their faith in supportive groups. The monastic communities established by Pachomius in 323 CE and St. Basil in 529 CE emphasized building faith in a community of believers. Both Pachomius and St. Basil laid out Rules for the community structure that promoted unity and cooperation among group members. However, in practice, the early communities turned to an organized hierarchy of spiritual leaders to facilitate daily activities and uphold their values. Although it seems contrary to the Christian ideal of equality in koinonia, research suggests that social hierarchy can provide strong moral orientation for groups with shared values. Using vertical and horizontal hierarchy models, I compare how the early Christian communities of Pachomius and Basil used hierarchical structures to standardize practice and promote a focus on individual growth and development. While Pachomius and Basil lay out specific practices in their rules, The Regla Magistri or Rule of the Master, an anonymous monastic guide written around the sixth century, further supports the use of social hierarchy through general guidelines rooted in scripture passages. By combining both the implementation of hierarchy in the communities of Pachomius and Basil with the general reasoning in the Rule of the Master, it is clear that social hierarchy was a well-accepted and promoted facet of early Christian monasticism and was used to strengthen the faith of members and organize the community.

 

 

The criteria for premature ejaculation (PE) have generally been limited to the diagnosis of heterosexual men engaging in penile-vaginal intercourse and therefore the applicability of PE diagnostic criteria to gay men and to activities beyond penile-vaginal intercourse has yet to be explored in depth. Our aim is to compare the prevalence of PE in gay and straight men and to assess whether PE-related diagnostic measures (ejaculatory control, ejaculation latency [EL], and bother/distress) can be applied with confidence to gay men or to men engaging in sexual activities other than penile-vaginal intercourse. Gay and straight participants (n = 3878) were recruited to take an online survey assessing sexual orientation, sexual function/dysfunction (including specific PE-related measures), sexual relationship satisfaction, and various other sexual behaviors during partnered sex or masturbation. A slightly lower PE prevalence among gay men became undetectable when other predictors of prevalence were included in a multivariate analysis (aOR = 0.87 [95% CI: 0.60-1.22]). Gay men with PE reported longer typical ELs (z U = -3.35, P < .001) and lower distress (z U = 3.68, P < .001) relative to straight men, but longer ELs and lower distress were also associated with anal sex. Irrespective of sexual orientation, gay and straight men with PE reported shorter ELs, lower satisfaction, and greater bother/distress than functional counterparts. While PE-related diagnostic criteria (ejaculatory control, EL, and bother/distress) are applicable to gay men, accommodation for longer ELs and lower bother/distress in gay men should be considered.

 

Children are excellent word learners, but how they figure out the names for things is debated. Through cross-situational word learning (CSWL) infants are able to learn word-object pairings by tracking label and object co-occurrences (Yu et al., 2011). Lexical processing (LP), the ability to process speech, is related to other types of statistical learning (Lany et at., 2018), vocabulary development (Fernald et al., 2006), and learning word-object mappings (Lany, 2018). Given that LP is related to various aspects of language development, the current study investigates if there is a similar relationship between LP and CSWL.

Participants will include two- to five-year-olds (N=75). LP will be tested using the visual word paradigm (Law et al., 2016). On each trial children see 4 objects on a screen and are asked to look at one of them. Children’s accuracy is used to measure their LP. CSWL will be measured for interleaved and massed items in which children must track co-occurrence information to learn the word-object mappings, similar to that used by Vlach & Johnson (2013). Children’s CSWL is assessed as their accuracy of looking at the correct referent over a distractor. The relation between children’s LP and CSWL will be assessed with regression. We predict that infants who are better at LP will be better able to learn the word-object pairings in the CSWL task. The implications of these results will aid our understanding of the mechanisms that support word learning.

 

 

The NCAA made over $800 million in television and marketing rights during the 2019 March Madness playoffs. Individual schools also benefit from the national exposure. The objective of this research was to explore the factors that determine whether or not a team will make it to March Madness. A variety of factors including team revenue, budget, coaching information, and traditional points scored and points against were examined to find those that were relevant. Data was collected from Sports-Reference, consisting of over 350 college teams over a time period of five years (seasons ranging from 2015-2020). Future research should focus on factors not included in the research herein.

 

German author Uwe Timm wrote his book Am Beispiel Meines Bruders in the aftermath of World War II, during which time he struggled to come to terms with the fact that his older brother—fondly remembered by relatives as being a brave, honorable, and well-behaved child—was one of the many SS soldiers who contributed to the horrors of the holocaust. Timm relays loving childhood memories of his brother and juxtaposes them with shocking accounts of violence and racism typically associated with the time period. A close reading of the text reveals the link between these seemingly contradictory realities: Prussian values. The traditional values of bravery, honor, and obedience that Timm’s brother exhibited in his early childhood later developed into the same characteristics which enabled the holocaust to occur. In my research paper, I identify parallel examples of Prussian virtues, as laid out by Timm in Am Beispiel Meines Bruders, and relate them to the grander philosophical tradition of deontological and collective ethics, as represented by the influential thinkers Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. In doing so, I seek to expose Timm’s critique of traditional Prussian values, and ultimately establish a complex cultural setting that facilitated the collective attitudes and actions of the Third Reich.

 

Amor intempestivo (Untimely Love) is a profound autobiographical narrative where Rafael Reig candidly reflects on his experiences and errors through cathartic writing. The process of recalling memories is a difficult act of self-reflection, since we relive tragedy and suffering reentering these spaces. However, I argue the broader significance of the novel is that reflecting on past memories and self-criticizing failures allows us to understand the meaning of these experiences and then improve by learning from mistakes. The narrator’s reflections on his lost relationships, his parents’ death, and his professional challenges as a writer lead him to recognize his weaknesses. Although he experiences cognitive dissonance in conceptualizing the meaning of these lived events and his guilt, grief, and pain, sincere contemplation allows him to gain insight and grow. Psychologically, when we remember traumatic experiences in this past-present mental space, we synchronously are passively observing and actively evaluating, to detect our flaws and redeem ourselves through personal change. Our memory is a narrative without end: There is a continuous, simultaneous cycle between remembering the past and writing the anticipated future, as we are living presently. There is a concurrent affective interplay between past, present, and future emotions, which influences the encoding, storage, and retrieval of memories. Being intentional with entering difficult mental spaces allows us to understand the developing effects of our memories on our identity and behavior, which is essential to learn and improve. Through constant honest reflection, it is possible to discover meaning in our experiences and avoid repeating errors.

 

Rafael Reig lives a life that many might glamorize- he travels the world, engages in whirlwind love affairs, and drinks whiskey neat yearning for experiences to collect in order to write his magnum opus. However, in his novel Amor intempestivo (Impetuous Love), he writes a self-proclaimed “confessional” where he dives deep into his experiences with self-doubt and addiction. He began drinking at the age of sixteen and described it as “love at first sight,” foreshadowing his unhealthy understanding of human value and personal relationships. He knew from a young age that he was born to write but conceptualized and ingrained an idealized definition of what it means to be a successful writer and confesses the depth of his imposter syndrome. He reveals his insecurities throughout the novel and impulsively engages in sexual relationships and manipulates them as a control tactic to establish a feeling of power in his personal life. When the women he meets start to become attached, he rejects them with little to no remorse. He rejects his parents’ displays of affection with the same fervor. Research on addiction reveals that those struggling with substance abuse often carry feelings of low inhibitions and undergo a rejection of their surrounding support system. This struggle for control and a sense of value leads to the constant devaluing of his relationships and in turn continues to fuel the search for something that will make him feel whole.