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  Design of an Electro-pneumatic Control System for Soft Robotic Applications in Medicine and Industry

  John Wischmeyer

  The University of Dayton DIMLab (Design of Innovative Machines) is working in the area of soft robot design. In prior work, the DIMLab has investigated predictive CAD modeling of the PneuNet actuator, proposed by the Whitesides Research Group of Harvard University. PneuNet actuators are mainly used in soft robotic grippers capable of moving fragile or asymmetrical objects. The DIMLab has years of work invested in the design and production of soft pneumatic actuators, but has lacked an ability to test printed models at specific pressure increments. The basis of all soft robotic applications lies in having the ability to accurately control the pressure coming from the air supply. Digital pressure regulators exist but are costly and designed for much higher pressure applications. Furthermore, current pressure regulators are only applicable to industry as they must be connected to an external air supply confined to the work environment, which is less desirable for mobile applications. Another challenge is cataloging the relationship between the amount of supplied air pressure and the corresponding deflection of the soft robot. As of now, researchers have used a mechanical pressure regulator and have measured the displacement of soft robots by hand, which introduces significant human error in the recording of test data. This is a very time consuming process and must be repeated for every model that is to be tested. Rather, the developed system incorporates computer-based vision sensing to track the orientation of the soft robot, and allows user-interaction via a Graphical User Interface (GUI). This honors thesis proposes a working prototype which will serve as the foundation for all of the DIMLab’s soft robot testing now and in the future. In addition, research will continue in the development of PneuNet-like actuators, including their design, simulation, and printing.

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  Desserts Around the World

  Caroline Duarte and Clare Loesch

  Part of a course project on intercultural communication, which can be expressed and studied in myriad ways. The students of CMM 316.01 investigated various forms of cultural expression by comparing and contrasting the ways a particular form is used by multiple cultural groups. Specifically, each group researched and presented about the ways food, music, festivals, rituals, dance, clothing, and other artifacts communicate cultural identity in at least two different cultures.

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  Detecting Violation of Helmet Rule for Motorcyclists

  Kunal Agrawal

  Motorcycles are one of the most popular modes of transportation, particularly in developing countries such as India, and Vietnam. Due to lesser protection compared to cars and other standard vehicles, motorcycle riders are exposed to a greater risk of crashes. Therefore, wearing helmets for motorcycle riders is mandatory as per traffic rules and automatic detection of motorcyclists without helmets is one of the critical tasks to enforce strict regulatory traffic safety measures. Due to the increase in the number of vehicles on roads, the number of injuries or accidents has also increased. According to a study, approximately 21.5% of motorcycle riders had been wearing helmets at the time of the accident. This has also made a huge impact on city development planning. Due to not wearing a helmet, there’s an exponential increase in the fatality rate during an accident. It has been observed that these fatality rates are higher during the daytime and the dark. To decrease the risk of fatal injuries, we are developing a model that will detect whether a motorcyclist wears a helmet or not. We will be using the traffic data from Vietnam from daytime and nighttime. The trained model using this data will be used further for the city planning simulator.

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  Determine the releasing probability of laser-induced nanoparticles from a soft substrate

  Xuesong Gao

  This letter presents a study of laser-induced nanoparticle release from a soft substrate in air under different conditions. A continuous wave (CW) laser heats a nanoparticle and causes a rapid thermal expansion of the substrate, which gives the nanoparticle an upward momentum that releases it from the substrate. The deformation of PMMA substrate, the releasing probability of different nanoparticles under different laser intensities are studied. The effect of the surface charges of the nanoparticles and the surface properties of the substrates on the nanoparticle release is also investigated. Finally, the nanoshells’ shape will be damaged during the transfer when the laser intensity is high. Compare to the laser induced forward transfer (LIFT), a low-cost CW laser is used in this study. Due to the simplicity of this technology and the wide availability of commercial nanoparticles, this nanoparticle release technology may find applications in nanoparticle characterization and nanomanufacturing.

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  Determining Relationships Between Bat Activity and Woody Vegetation in Natural and Constructed Wetlands on the Daniel Boone National Forest

  Katie Holmes

  Wetlands provide habitat and critical ecosystem services for a wide range of organisms, including bats. However, much about bats and wetlands is still unknown. This study examined bat activity in Myotis and non-Myotis bat species and woody vegetation in both natural and constructed upland-embedded wetlands on the Daniel Boone National Forest. To test this relationship, we surveyed bat activity and woody vegetative structure at three wetland pairs (three natural and three constructed wetlands) during two data collection periods. We used SM3 bat acoustic detectors and identified bat calls using Kaleidoscope Pro software. The data relationships between basal area, woody vegetation density and dominance, and Myotis and Non-Myotis species activity were analyzed using R studio. The results show Non-Myotis species were more active at constructed wetland sites, and their activity decreased in wetlands with higher tree density and greater basal area. Myotis species were more active at natural wetland sites, and while their activity increased as basal area increased, activity was relatively consistent across tree densities. These findings suggest natural wetlands may provide important habitat for Myotis species, which is useful information for improving management practices as bat populations continue to decline due to white-nose syndrome.

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  Determining the effects of propionate and low temperatures on L. monocytogenes survival and pathogenesis

  Elizabeth Herr

  Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen with the capability of causing severe illness in individuals who consume contaminated foods. Many foods have been found to harbor the bacterium, but dairy products, produce, and other prepackaged foods are particularly susceptible. These foods and others are commonly stored in cold temperatures to limit most bacterial growth. However, previous research has shown that L. monocytogenes has unique adaptations that promote its growth in low temperatures. To counter the negative effects of cold temperatures, L. monocytogenes alters its membrane composition to maintain its integrity. Alterations to the cell membrane of L. monocytogenes are also an effect of propionate, a common food additive and short chain fatty acid found in the human intestinal tract. In past research, propionate has been proven to reduce L. monocytogenes growth and pathogenesis by decreasing membrane fluidity. However, the effects of both cold and propionate on L. monocytogenes pathogenesis are not known. To address this knowledge gap, my research investigates and analyzes how cold temperature and propionate affect the ability of L. monocytogenes to infect and grow within eukaryotic cells. I have found that propionate has no significant influence on the optical density of L. monocytogenes cultures grown between 4°C and 10°C in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions measured over four days. To further examine the effects of cold temperatures and propionate on L. monocytogenes, I will use cell culture-based infection models to measure L. monocytogenes pathogenesis and cell-cell spread in macrophage, fibroblast, and intestinal epithelial cells.

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  Determining the Effects of Propionate on Listeria monocytogenes Susceptibility to Lysozyme

  Jeanne Paula Sering

  Listeria monocytogenes is a harmful pathogen transmitted through contaminated food. Listeriosis, the infection associated with L. monocytogenes, is rare but potentially fatal, with a twenty to thirty percent mortality rate. For that reason, the lack of safe strategies to prevent infections can be detrimental. Current infection preventative strategies rely on stringent food surveillance and recalls, but we want to determine alternative tactics to further protect the public from L. monocytogenes. More specifically, we want to identify environmental factors that can compromise the ability of L. monocytogenes to cause infections before the pathogen reaches the intestines. For example, propionate is generally recognized as safe by the FDA and is used as an additive in various food products. Our lab has previously demonstrated that propionate exposure in L. monocytogenes can lead to changes in growth and pathogenesis. To determine how propionate exposure affects L. monocytogenes survival and fitness in the gastrointestinal tract, my thesis project therefore studies the effects of propionate on L. monocytogenes resistance to the lysozyme found in our saliva. If propionate enhances L. monocytogenes lysozyme resistance, the use of propionate in food products might contribute to L. monocytogenes survival during transmission between food and our gastrointestinal tract. However, if propionate decreases L. monocytogenes resistance to lysozyme, it could be beneficial to use propionate as an efficient infection preventative strategy. To better understand the functions of propionate in L. monocytogenes lysozyme resistance, I performed a literature review in the following areas: the importance of oral health, antimicrobial mechanisms in the oral cavity, lysozyme, and Listeria monocytogenes.

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  Determining the Role of Propionate and SigB on Benzalkonium Chloride Resistance in Listeria monocytogenes

  Emma Schaefer

  Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a deadly food borne pathogen that causes listeriosis infection in humans with a high mortality rate from meningitis or sepsis. L. monocytogenes can form biofilms in food processing environments and becomes resistant to antimicrobial agents such as benzalkonium chloride (BC) and other quaternary ammonium chlorides (QACs). BC is used for cleaning and disinfection of food processing areas and is known to disrupt cell membranes of L. monocytogenes, causing cytosol leakage and the degradation of proteins and nucleic acids. Previous research shows that QAC resistance is associated with the upregulation of certain efflux pump genes (mdrL, brcABC, qacH, and emrE). Moreover, biofilm formation can also contribute to QAC resistance and subsequent persistence of L. monocytogenes in the environment. In addition, propionate is a commonly used food additive for flavoring and spoilage prevention that can potentially regulate L. monocytogenes biofilm formation. Biofilm formation and the expression of efflux pumps can both be regulated by the stress response sigma factor SigB in L. monocytogenes. However, it is not clear whether propionate affects this regulatory pathway. Therefore, my Honors Thesis research aims to investigate whether propionate can be used to increase L. monocytogenes susceptibility to BC and to determine the role of transcription factors, such as SigB, in conferring BC resistance. Results indicate that BC decreases planktonic growth in the presence of propionate in aerobic conditions, but not anaerobic conditions. Additionally, the growth of the ΔsigB mutant is significantly reduced by BC under anaerobic but not aerobic conditions. These results highlight that SigB as well as the presence or absence of oxygen all play critical roles in regulating L. monocytogenes susceptibility to BC. Therefore, environmental conditions and genetic composition of L. monocytogenes can both contribute to the efficacy of our antimicrobial efforts in the food processing industry.

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  Determining the role of propionate in macrophage M1 and M2 activation

  Hannah Derespiris

  Macrophages are one of the many essential cells of the innate immune system that help to protect the body from dangerous pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause infections, especially in the elderly, immunocompromised, and pregnant women. The antimicrobial activities of macrophages that are utilized to respond to pathogens such as L. monocytogenes include phagocytosis, inflammatory responses, and the production of antimicrobial compounds such as nitric oxide. These activities need to be regulated carefully to avoid causing unintentional damages. Typically, macrophages exist in a naive, nonactivated state, or can be activated classically (M1) and alternatively (M2) by different cytokines. Furthermore, propionate, a major gut metabolite, can also influence macrophage activities. To better understand how propionate affects macrophage antimicrobial activities, I investigated how the morphology of macrophages at various activation states are altered by propionate treatment. Using cell culture-based assays, I observed that propionate elongates nonactivated, M1, and M2 activated macrophages, indicating that propionate may modulate a macrophages response to infection. Additional experiments were performed to assess how propionate treatment of nonactivated and activated macrophages impacts infection with L. monocytogenes, glucose consumption, and cell motility. The findings from this research will help to identify ways in which propionate can enhance macrophage ability to respond and fight dangerous pathogens such as L. monocytogenes.

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  Determining the role of ZFP36L1 in reducing norovirus replication and norovirus-induced damage in the cells

  Paige Howland, Luis Martin, Madison Richardson, Tooba Shafeeque Ahmed Momin, Abiageal Newell

  Norovirus is a positive sense, non-enveloped virus. This virus is one of the most common causes of acute viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) in humans. Norovirus is resistant to commonly used disinfectants such as 70% ethanol and currently, we do not have any vaccine against this virus. In the current study, we explored the role of ZFP36L1, a CCCH-type zinc figure protein (ZFP) in suppressing norovirus replication using murine norovirus as a model. ZFP36L1 was overexpressed or knockdown in RAW 264.7 cells. Wild type, ZFP36L1 overexpressed or ZFP36L1 knockdown RAW 264.7 cells were infected with murine norovirus. Virus titer in those cells were measured at 24 hours post-infection (p.i.). Our results show that ZFP36L1 knockdown significantly enhanced the virus titer as well as the cytopathic effect in the cells. ZFP36L1 overexpression reduced the cytopathic effect in the cells as compared to the wild-type and ZFP36L1 knockdown cells. ZFP36L1 overexpression is showing trends in reducing the virus titer which needs to be confirmed for statistical significance with a going study.

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  Development of synthetic DNAs to inhibit the TolC protein in the fight against antibiotic resistance

  Alison Gossman

  Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a major threat to our public health system. Multidrug resistant bacterial infections are often acquired in a clinical setting and treatment options are often limited. Due to the ability of bacteria to reproduce very quickly and adapt to a wide variety of environments, bacterial cell evolution seems to be outpacing our ability to discover new antibiotics. While there are many ways for bacterial cells to resist the killing effects of our antibiotics, one mechanism that can lead to a multidrug resistance characteristic is the overexpression of efflux pump proteins. These integral proteins in the bacterial cell membrane, composed of AcrA, AcrB, and TolC, can export antibiotics before they can exert their killing effects on the bacterial cell. The goal of this research is to address this issue by targeting the efflux pumps with novel single-stranded DNA-based inhibitors. Similar to a cork in a bottle, single-stranded DNA molecules that can bind to the TolC component of the efflux pump could block efflux, thus resensitizing the bacterial cell to antibiotics. Here, we use a process called SELEX to select for specific sequences of single-stranded DNA from a randomized single-stranded DNA library that have a high affinity for binding to E. coli TolC. This approach could be applied to clinically-important multidrug resistant bacterial strains, which we hope will improve many antibacterial treatment options.

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  Does Low Socioeconomic Status have an Effect on Crime Rates?

  Daria Harris, Alexandra Murray

  Our project is going to address the increasing Incarceration rates in the United States since the 1970s. Incarceration can be defined as the state of being confined. Incarceration typically refers to those confined to prisons, however jail confinement is a form of incarceration as well. Nearly 2.2 million persons are incarcerated nationwide in the U.S, with almost half of these offenders serving time for non-violent drug crimes. (Hayes, 2020). This is important because mass incarceration is one of the biggest issues in the criminal justice system. Since incarceration rates in the U.S are the highest in the world, it is important to discuss what factors and contributors lead to the increase of incarcerated persons. The purpose of this research was to have a national representation of incarcerated persons. The population intended for this study includes incarcerated persons in both State and Federal facilities. The results of this dataset contain variables ranging from inherent factors such as race, age, and gender to extrinsic factors such as drug usage, childhood experiences and family background. The key variables from this dataset we plan on using to support our information is the age of the inmates, employment at time of arrest, their criminal record and illegal drug/alcohol abuse at time of arrest. Analyzing the relationship with each of these variables would allow us to determine risk factors and intervention methods that could prevent them.

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  Does Race Affect the Usage of Solitary Confinement as Punishment Within Prisons?

  Bradlee Elders, Christopher Miller

  The criminal justice system has faced much scrutiny in recent years due to the prejudice that police are letting, consciously or unconsciously, influence the way that they conduct their duties. Does this subjection to racism and prejudice stop with policing or does it go even further to the correctional side of the criminal justice system? The current study looks a little deeper and asks the question “Does race affect the usage of solitary confinement as punishment within prisons?”. A few prior studies have been conducted with the hope of answering this question and have found that there are racial disparities in the use of solitary confinement as punishment, however, most results were insignificant enough to make a sound conclusion. By analyzing data provided by the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities in 2004, composed of self-reported responses from 18,185 incarcerated individuals, the current study found evidence of disparities within the use of solitary confinement in prisons, however, not due to race as the results were not significant enough. The current study, however, has found that there are significant disparities in the use of solitary confinement as punishment in prisons when the mental health of the incarcerated individual is taken into consideration.

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  Does ‘The Daily Show’ Put You in the Know? Comparing the Political Engagement of Late-Night Audiences and Cable News Audiences

  Kathleen Dawson, Zoe Hill

  Previous research has assessed variables and their implications on political communication. Our research project intends to look for differences in participants' political involvement based on their viewing of late night talk/comedy shows. We are interested in finding if there are significant differences between those who watch late night shows to learn political information and those who watch cable news to learn political information. Specifically, we are interested in whether the medium of political information impacts political involvement and voting patterns. Some of the variables examined throughout the literature and the study include political party, what is learned from late night television shows, what is learned from cable news, discussion of politics with others, voting patterns, and political involvement with campaigns. Medium Theory is guiding the research study as it conveys the difference in meanings of the message conveyed with regard to the different channels used to communicate it. Based on the previous research, we’ve curated research questions that focus on a variety of influences on political communication. Our research question is: how does political information learned from late night talk shows impact political involvement compared to political information learned from cable news?

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  Does Your Faith Heal You? Spirituality and Physical/Mental Healing across Communities of Various Faith Traditions

  Dustin Teders, Jacob Szafranski, Maria Graziano, Lauren Doorley

  This project is a literature review on the correlation between spirituality and physical/mental healing across communities of various faith traditions. Our findings evaluate trends demonstrated among various religious communities, including Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, Native American culture, impacted by physical and mental impairment.

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  Drosophila Glioblastoma Model to Study Signaling Pathways

  Jibriel Saqibuddin; additional authors: Arushi Rai, B.N. Rohith, Amit Singh, Madhuri Kango-Singh

  AbstractObjective: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive and malignant brain tumor that has limited treatment options. The amplification of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-VIII (EGFR-VIII) and activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (P13K) pathway are common genetic alterations observed in GBM patients. Our objective is to model GBM in Drosophila melanogaster and study the signaling pathways that promote GBM growth and inhibit cell death. Specifically, we aim to investigate the roles of MAPK, Hippo, and WNT signaling pathways in regulating GBM growth, and Cactus expression which regulates the JNK pathway.Method: Our project involves genetic crosses that produce larvae with GBM, followed by brain dissections and immunohistochemistry to study changes in signaling pathways that promote GBM growth. Specifically, we are studying the early time points to understand the roles of signaling pathways like MAPK, Hippo, and WNT in promoting GBM growth and/or inhibiting cell death. By comparing our GBM models to experimental controls, we aim to generate initial data for designing further genetic experiments to identify specific signaling interactions that affect cell death and proliferation. We will be using two fly lines, Line 1: UAS P13K92E;+;RepoGFP/TM3B;Sb, and Line 2: W*UASEGFR * *λtop/TM6C for our studies. A genetic cross between these lines is expected to generate larvae that show glioma overgrowth due to coactivation of PI3K and EGFR in the glia.Significance: The proposed research has significant implications for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying GBM growth. Using Drosophila as a model system allows for efficient genetic manipulation and provides a cost-effective way to study complex biological processes. Additionally, the results of this study will contribute to our understanding of GBM and have the potential to inform the development of more effective treatments for this devastating disease.

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  Duplicate Image Detection using Machine Learning

  Karthi Balasundaram

  In today's digital age, the amount of data being generated and shared on a daily basis is growing at an unprecedented rate. With this growth comes the challenge of managing this vast amount of data effectively. That being said, there are approximately fifteen billion images shared on social media per day. The same image may exist in multiple locations in different formats, sizes, and with slight variations, making it difficult for end-users to filter and detect duplicate images. This duplication can lead to unnecessary storage costs, reduced data quality, and decreased productivity as users waste time searching for the right image.Detecting duplicate images is a crucial task in various fields and there is a growing need to automate this process. The primary objective of this project is to create a system that can identify duplicate images by comparing two images, even if they have slight differences in color, size, or format. To achieve the goal, we developed a system that detects and flags duplicates. The system utilizes various techniques such as visual similarity, image hashing, computer vision and Machine Learning techniques. The system is integrated into a web application that enables users to upload images and detects duplicates. The system also highlights the differences between the images. Overall, the development of a duplicate image detection web application can offer significant benefits to organizations with extensive image collections. By automating the process of identifying duplicate images, it can save time, reduce costs, and enhance the overall data quality.

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  Dying and Rising in Wonder: Epistemic Vulnerability and Closure in Pope Francis and His Critics

  Colin McGuigan

  In October 2019, traditionalist Catholics vandalized several indigenous folk statues that had been used ceremonially to commence the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region in Rome. The vandalism marked the symbolic zenith of opposition to the Amazon synod and Pope Francis’s vision of a synodal church; a church that listens. This essay argues the opposition had roots in a colonialist theological paradigm. It compares the words and deeds of anti-synod bishops, journalists, and activists to the theological project of sixteenth-century missionary to Peru, José de Acosta. According to Duke cultural anthropology and romance studies professor Walter Mignolo and Yale theologian Willie James Jennings, Acosta articulated a Eurocentric view of indigenous knowledge and practices as valueless, superstitious, and sinful. Acosta theologically joined Christian mission to colonialism’s forcible reordering of native lives, land, and culture according to Old World ideals. Drawing from Jennings’s decolonial theological reading of Acosta and Scottish-American philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre’s work on epistemic crises and traditions of inquiry, this essay argues Acosta’s imposition on native worlds arose from a defensive eschewal of epistemic vulnerability facing the New World’s radical challenge to Old World understandings. This essay describes Acosta’s refusal as a refusal of wonder, and it argues that the synod critics in 2019, fearful of change, repeated that refusal precisely. Colonialism’s Eurocentric, defensive epistemic closure has stymied the Catholic intellectual tradition’s capacity for wonder and change. This essay proposes Pope Francis’s openness to wonder as a source to move the Catholic intellectual tradition beyond Acosta’s epistemic sclerosis. Francis’s wonder, the essay argues, finds deep roots in his intellectual and spiritual formation as a Jesuit seminarian and priest. The distinctive sources of Francis’s wonder give his thinking a determinate, yet always expectant character; ever ready to die to old understandings and rise again to more intimate encounter with reality.

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  Dynamic Analysis Framework for Classifying Malicious Web Pages

  Allen Varghese

  The increasing use of web-based applications has led to agrowing need for robust and secure systems that can ensure the privacy and security of sensitive information. Unfortunately, the functions and APIs used by these applications are often complex and prone to exploitation, making it difficult to detect and prevent malicious activity. To address these challenges, we propose a deep learning-based approach that detects malicious behaviors at run time.The proposed approach leverages APIs and function call at runtime to detect malicious behaviors. More specifically, we trained a deep learning model on the data extracted from 1 million web apps. The use of deep learning to monitor these functions is a novel approach that has the potential to provide real-time protection against malicious activities.Implementing the proposed solution involves writing a JavaScript script that modifies the monitored functions. The script assigns each function to a new custom function that logs its usage and calls the original function. The custom functions use the apply method to preserve the context of the original function. The information collected from logging the functions is then used to train the machine learning model. The expected outcome of this thesis is to deliver a functional implementation of the proposed framework that can effectively detect malicious activities, while also generating useful usage insights for JavaScript APIs.

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  Eating Disorders in Schools: Risk Factors, Performance and Teacher Influence

  Ava Franke

  Disordered eating and the impacts of these behaviors are experienced in every environment for adolescents. School environments and teachers are two factors in how students experience disordered eating, body-based mistreatment, and support. Strong student-teacher relationships are associated with better adolescent mental health and academic performance. This project looks at how teachers prevent weight based victimization, identify unhealthy eating behaviors, and make their classroom feel safe and inclusive to students.

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  ECE 420 Internet of Things Final Project

  Alejandro Ruiz, Abdulkareem A A A F M Alfaraj, Andrew Boerger, Luke Hobbs, Ignacio Abrams-Santiago, Peter Baggio, Maximillian Toscani

  This project is about internet of things, which is mainly about programming a circuit and presenting it of how it will work. Mainly, the presentation will include the codes that have been used and how it is functioning with my project.

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  ECO 435: Cooperative Games

  Richious Carton, Matthew Griffin, Hannah Hudepohl, Vincent Catanese, Donnell Keyes, Daniel Yousif, Noah Burneka, Madeline McEldowney, Jacob Lann, Kristen Knight, Sawyer Rothermel, John Lally, Kiernan Zawaski, Cameron Beachler, John Deeley, Austin Baker, Kyle Hauptner, Mary Cabaluna, Chloe Klawon, Erik Mattias Eliasson, Brandon Cheng

  The underlying theme--from class--is that humans have thrived (thus far) because we have learned to cooperate to complete. In the most important 'public game' of all-preventing the worst trajectories of climate change--it is incumbent upon us to cooperate. In these workshops, students--previously 'unaligned'--will work together to stave off disaster (inundation of island due to rising sea levels, increasing desertification, a pandemic). The key is that the games are cooperative, requiring the group to collaborate, and they are not zero sum (with winners and losers). Instead the games are 'positive sum' or 'negative sum': either everybody wins or everybody loses.

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  Effect of Race and Eyewitness Testimonies on Attorney Plea Bargaining Recommendations

  John McCabe, Emily Cowen

  Previous research has analyzed the effect that race has on plea bargaining decisions. Studies have shown discrepancies in plea recommendations between white and black defenders. There is a gap in the literature regarding the overlap of race, plea recommendations, and attorney experience. The current study analyzes differences between prosecutors and defense attorneys when recommending plea bargains involving cross race and same race eyewitness testimonies using data collected by Kathy Pezdek. The variables evaluated are race, plea recommendations, and attorney factors such as years of experience and type of attorney.

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  Effects of Atmospheric Turbulence on OAM Beams and Potential Applications in Free-Space Optical Communication

  Hao Lun Wu

  Free-space optical (FSO) communication, which makes use of a modulated laser beam to achieve data transmission, has gained lots of interest for a long time due to its ability to have secure transmission and potential high data rates. Interest has increased in using beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) for FSO communication, due to their (theoretically) infinite amount of orthogonal modes and potential high resistance to atmospheric turbulence. In this experimental study, Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams are used as OAM beams and different orders are generated using a spatial light modulator (SLM). A wave optics simulation method is used to generate phase screens containing simulated atmospheric turbulence, which in turn are used on two SLMs to generate atmospheric turbulence in our experimental setup. In this study, different orders of OAM beams are propagated through atmospheric turbulence, ranging in strength from weak to strong. The distorted beam is recorded using a CCD camera and the images are processed to determine their spot size, divergence, intensity and on-axis scintillation. The effect of the strength of atmospheric turbulence on different orders of LG beam is analyzed using these beam parameters.

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  Effects of Chronic Pharmacological Modulation of SERCA in Learning and Memory Processes in Mice

  Ben Klocke, Carter Moore

  Calcium ions (Ca2+) in the brain play a vital role in prominent neurobiological functions, including neural communication, growth, long-term potentiation, and cell death. As a result, the regulation of Ca2+ levels in neurons is carefully managed, and Ca2+ dysregulation has been linked to various neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Schizophrenia. Herein, we sought to investigate how chronic pharmacological activation of an integral endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-handling effector may affect learning and memory in the Morris Water Maze test in C57BL/6J mice of both sexes. In the context of the current honors thesis, we have gained insights into the relationship between intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and learning and memory processes. Our efforts are currently targeted towards extending our findings in additional animal models of learning and memory.