The Brother Joseph W. Stander Symposium recognizes and celebrates academic excellence in undergraduate and graduate education. This annual event provides an opportunity for students from all disciplines to showcase their intellectual and artistic accomplishments. The Stander Symposium represents the Marianist tradition of education through community and is the principal campus-wide event in which faculty and students actualize our mission to be a "community of learners."
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The Self-healing of Distorted Bessel Beams
Marie Solange Tumusange
An optical beam is said to be self-healing when, distorted by an obstacle, the beam corrects itself upon propagation. A Bessel beam is known for its self-healing property. A Bessel beam is a non-diffracting light beam whose amplitude is described by a Bessel function. To demonstrate the self-healing of the Bessel beam, the beam is distorted and beam profiles are measured as the distorted beam propagates.
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The Stigma of Homelessness as an Identity - Homelessness as a Gendered Condition
Jamie Anne Vieson
The main goal of my thesis is to articulate the problem of homelessness. In order to do this, I examine philosopher Eva Kittay’s work on disability and equality. Throughout her work, Kittay uses the terms human interconnectedness, oppression and citizenship. These three terms serve as the major concepts I explore. Human interconnectedness highlights the links that humans share with one another as interdependent beings. Sharing these connections provides grounding for why care needs to be available for individuals and groups. Oppression is the term used to describe how certain individuals or groups in society are treated unequally or are rejected from society. I argue that individuals experiencing homelessness should be classified as a group because they do experience structural oppression in the form of marginalization. Finally, exploration of citizenship shows the importance of identities in society and how they allow or prevent equality. Rethinking citizenship combats oppression of the homeless. More emphasis needs to be put on these terms to articulate the problem of homelessness. Within each of these terms, I look more closely at notions of dependency, vulnerability, connection-based equality, self-perceptions, and moral responsibilities. These considerations use gender as a lens for an inclusive examination of homelessness. This lens reveals how women experiencing homelessness are particularly disadvantaged by stigmas.
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The Survival Rate of Listeria in Dairy Products Compared to Pathogenic E. coli
Megan Ashley Marasco
Listeria monocytogenes is a deadly human pathogen frequently found in dairy products. Its ability to grow and survive in the cold contributes to frequent contaminations despite the presence of food preservatives, such as propionate In my research, I first studied how effective propionate is against Listeria in dairy products, including three types of milk, 2%, fat free, and chocolate, all with and without propionate. Then I compared the survival of Listeria to survival of pathogenic E. coli in propionate-supplemented milk by monitoring the number of surviving bacteria 1, 2, and 3 days after storage in the refrigerator. I found that propionate is effective against Listeria only in 2% milk and is effective against E. coli only in fat free milk. Therefore, the efficacy of propionate depends on the types of dairy products as well as the types of foodborne pathogens. When one is developing food preservation methods, it is important to consider the different types of food and foodborne pathogens.
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The University of Dayton’s Current Amnesty Policy and its Ramifications for Students
Samantha Marie Achauer, Samantha Kaye Isidro, Maddie Ann Sauer
Although universities work to provide the best environment for student health and safety, ultimately it falls on the student to be responsible for alcohol consumption. Some universities have included an amnesty policy in an effort to prioritize the health of the students over the consequences of drinking. An amnesty policy typically states that students who seek medical assistance for themselves or for others will not be subjected to University disciplinary action for violation of alcohol policies. By removing the fear of punishment, students will be more likely to report alcohol-related incidents for themselves or other students. The University of Dayton (UD) has recently changed their amnesty policy to foster a more open dialogue between students and administration regarding alcohol. However, many UD students are unaware of these changes. After interviewing several UD students, it has been established that students knowledge of UD’s policies and practices surrounding alcohol and substance abuse are relatively unknown. UD’s website, resources, and transparency were compared with other universities, and we cross-compared this with rates of alcohol writes ups at the different universities. This project hopes to establish a better protocol to make students aware of the resources UD has available, as well as the main mechanism of action surrounding alcohol write-ups. In an effort to educate the campus further, we have created a document highlighting and simplifying the University's amnesty policy and the associated disciplinary and educational process for alcohol-related infractions.
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They Succeed: Exploring the Academic Success of Undergraduate Black Males at the University of Dayton
Breana Lynn Smith
The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to understand the experience of African American male identity and its relation to the academic success of African American male junior and senior students at the University of Dayton. Following the African American identity development models of Cross (1971) and Robinson and Howard-Hamilton (1994) as theoretical frameworks, I explore factors related to African American male students’ identities and how these subsequently influenced their academic achievement. The historical research about African American male students in higher education focuses on the deficits this population faces and ultimately feeds into the stereotypes that plague this group (Harper, 2009, as cited in Kim & Hargrove, 2013). Emerging research on the topic of African American male success within higher education has evolved within the last decade and has started to frame an achievement-based representation of Black male collegians. Data was collected utilizing individual, in-person interviews (n = 9) between the researcher and participants. Among my several findings, familial support, campus resources and support, and the desire to do better were top influences in these participants’ achievement of academic success. Common among my findings was extracurricular involvement; this trend appeared as a high influence for many of the participants. The influence of African American male identity on the ability and desire of these students to succeed academically emphasizes the need for support and resources for this population within higher education and prior.
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Trends In Private Fixed Investment:And the 2008 Recession
Bennett Alexander Zynn
In recent years a number of financial economists have been concerned about the lack of growth in capital investments by business firms. In this study I look at the intermediate and long term trends in private fixed investment (PFI) to determine if the severe recession in 2008 has altered business investment growth. Since PFI is divided into structures, equipment and intellectual property (e.g. computer software), it is important to evaluate these sub category trends as well. My research design is as follows; 1) I develop linear trend equations for the periods between time periods 1999-2007 and 2009-2017 to determine if the regression coefficients are significantly different. I test the hypothesis that the b coefficients for the 1999-2007 period are greater than the b coefficients for the 2009-2017 period, 2) I run linear regressions for the complete period of 1999-2017 and include a dummy variable Di and set it equal to one for the 4 quarters in 2008 to determine if there is a downward shift in the regression line due to the 2008 recession, 3) Finally, in the 2009-2017 period there is evidence of a pick-up in both gross domestic product and gross domestic income over the latter half of this period. To see if there is a structural shift upwards in the regression line, I add a second dummy variable, D2 and set it equal to one for the 12 quarters in 2015, 2016, and 2017. I test the hypothesis that an extremely low unemployment rate, steady employment growth and low interest rates have combined to cause an upward shift in private fixed investment in recent years.
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Trends in Retail Sales Pre and Post 2008 Recession
Luke Anthony Bir
One of the key indicators of the robustness of consumption spending in the U.S. economy is retail sales. In this study, I look at long term trends in retail sales, both pre and post the 2008 recession to determine if the sales trends have been materially altered after the 2008 recession. Using regression analysis, I develop time-trend regressions for two time periods 1999-2007 and 2009-2017. I test the hypothesis that the regression B-coefficient for the 1999-2007 period is larger than the B-coefficient for the 2009-2017 period, with the difference a proxy for the recession effect on retail spending. I also look at the e-commerce component of retail sales and carry out the following analysis: (1) I develop trend regressions for e-commerce sales pre and post 2008 recession and (2) I develop trend regressions for the ratio of the e-commerce sales to total retail sales pre and post 2008 recession. I expect the e-commerce B-coefficients to be larger after the 2008 recession.
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Two clone system to determine complex signaling between wild-type and Aβ42 expressing neurons in Alzheimer’s Disease.
Sean T Connelly, Garrett Michael Grissim, Sean Andrew Kelly, Ankita Sarkar
Alzheimer’s Disease (hereafter AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease causing death of millions of elderly people every year. One of the reasons for AD is abnormal cleavage of the Amyloid precursor protein (APP), which forms a 42 amino acid long hydrophobic polypeptide (hereafter Aβ42) which form aggregates leading to amyloid plaques. This Aβ42 forms plaque that leads to neuronal cell death. We are trying to understand the genetic underpinnings behind the onset of this deadly disease using Drosophila melanogaster eye as our model system. We have generated and optimized a two-clone system in our lab to understand the crosstalk between the plaque forming neurons and the adjacent wild type neurons. The onset of AD initiates with a few neurons which start producing amyloid plaques, which then triggers cell death. One of the questions is: Which neuronal population is affected? Our system utilizes the FLP/FRT mediated recombination to produce two types of neuronal cell population where strong GFP reporter marks the Aβ42 misexpressing neurons, and the neighboring wild-type neurons are marked by the absence of GFP. Our preliminary data suggests that the Aβ42 misexpressing neurons survive at the expense of the neighboring wild type cells. Thus, we believe that there are certain signals, which emanates from these Aβ42 plaque producing neurons towards the wild type neurons, which causes them to die. We have identified evolutionarily conserved Jun-N-Terminal Kinase (JNK) Signaling pathway as one of the genetic modifiers of Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration, which induces neuronal death. With the help of our two-clone system, we want to understand which neuronal cells (Aβ42 misexpressed vs wild type cells) and how, the JNK signaling triggers cell death. We will test reporters and antibodies against the members of JNK signaling pathway to address our hypothesis. Furthermore, identifying the genetic biomarkers of the Alzheimer’s disease with the help of our genetic tool can be utilized in finding therapeutic targets in the future.
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Understanding how the loss of Dronc function affects apoptosis
Karishma Sanjay Gangwani, Hannah Marie Scharf, Kirti Snigdha
Cancer is caused by mutations in cells that disrupt signals for growth and division. Apoptosis, a system of programmed cell death, is controlled by genes and impacts cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Dysregulation of apoptosis is a significant cause of cancer, as mutated tumor cells show uncontrolled growth and elude cell death. Because of this, it is crucial to study how the genes involved in cell growth and death pathways become dysregulated in a way that causes tumor creation, so that cancer biology can be better understood and possible therapeutic measures can be pursued. One pathway commonly dysregulated in human tumors, the Hippo pathway, was identified in Drosophila melanogaster and is conserved evolutionarily in humans. Former research in our lab has shown that the Hippo pathway interacts with initiator caspase Dronc, which is the first target gene to be negatively regulated by this pathway, in the regulation of apoptosis. We hypothesize that loss of Dronc function would enable unchecked cell proliferation. To assess this, we are using RNAi to interfere with Dronc expression. We will also use markers like cyclin A, B, and E to evaluate cell proliferation through immunostaining and confocal microscopy. Here we present our findings on the how the loss of Dronc affects cell proliferation.
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Understanding Surface and Ground Water Interaction, and Water Quality using Stable Isotopes and Major Ions
Caroline Johnstone
Stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen are conservative dual tracers and provide key information about movement of water in the hydrologic cycle. Surface and groundwater are important components in the water cycle that variably interact depending on geology, topography and rainfall seasonality. Understanding the degree of this interaction is critical to determine both the quality and quantity of water. Here, we use stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, and geochemical analysis of water to quantify the degree of interaction between surface and groundwater. This approach solely depends on the water chemistry and unique isotopic composition of seasonal rainfall, surface and groundwater. Water isotope data in the region is very limited to monthly precipitation isotope data in Coshocton, OH monitored by the Global Networks of Isotopes in Precipitation. To fully use this powerful tracing technique in hydrology, water resources and climate studies, establishing the seasonal variability of water isotopes in the surface and groundwater is a critical first step. Here we present a weekly water isotope data collected at four locations, Still Water River, Mad River and two locations at the Great Miami River. River and groundwater sample collection for isotopic and geochemical data analysis will continue the rest of the year to obtain seasonal isotope end members. However, our preliminary data collected for fall 2018 shows that the average isotopic composition of the rivers is 6.82‰ for δ 18 O and 43.24‰ for δD, and groundwater average 7.08‰ for δ 18 O and 44.46‰ for δD. Using this data, we employed an isotope mass balance to determine the degree of surface and groundwater interaction. Preliminary results suggest that the Miami River could contribute up to 90% recharge to the buried aquifer. The overall outcome of this research will help to quantify seasonal groundwater recharge and determine the fate of contaminants to the local aquifer.
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Understanding the effects of double activated carbon, desorption temperature and time, and possible ethanol decomposition during desorption on Solar Thermal Adsorption Refrigeration (STAR) system
Bipin Karki
The off-grid location and unreliable electricity supply to medical clinics in remote parts of India make it difficult to safely store vaccines and other medications using traditional refrigeration systems. The Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities of Service-learning (ETHOS) program at the University of Dayton, in collaboration with Solar Alternative and Associated Programmes (SAAP) of Patna India, are developing a novel refrigeration system which works on the principle of solar thermal adsorption. This refrigeration system does not require electricity for operation and uses safe, environmentally benign and locally available adsorption pair of ethanol-activated carbon. A bench-scale prototype was developed at the University of Dayton using ethanol-activated carbon as working pair which can generate evaporative temperatures between 2oC and 8oC. The existing horizontally oriented system can achieve targeted refrigeration temperatures (2-8oC) during the adsorption cycle and ethanol can be desorbed from the activated carbon during desorption. However, the horizontal geometry inhibited the return of liquid ethanol to the evaporation chamber. A new vertical oriented bench scale system was built to addresses the limitation of the original prototype. The effects of double activated carbon on evaporative cooling, heating temperature and time during desorption, and possible decomposition of ethanol during desorption was analyzed. The evaporator temperature -12.7oC achieved during the experiments indicates better adsorptive cooling with double activation technique of activated carbon. Experimental results suggested better desorption happens at elevated temperature (105 - 115oC) and most of the desorption happens in the first 2 hours of heating the activated carbon chamber. The pressure drops on ethanol side pressure gauge reading during desorption and analysis of mass spectroscopy of desorbed ethanol obtained from the chemist showed possible decomposition of ethanol preventing multiple cycle operation of the system.
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Understanding the Impact of Fuel Volatility and Viscosity on Gas Turbine Engine Ignition
Katherine Claire Opacich
In the current alternative jet fuel certification process, approximately $3-4 million and 20,000-100,000 gallons of fuel are used over a three to five year period to evaluate the behavior of new blends of fuel within engines. This extended process is not only costly but also carbon intensive. The National Jet Fuels Combustion Program’s (NJFCP) mission is to streamline the certification process of alternative jet fuels, which is controlled by a fuel’s operability limits for select ignition and lean blowout conditions. For ignition, the propensity of a fuel to ignite is limited by its ability to form a flammable mixture with air near a spark kernel. The fuel properties of viscosity and volatility largely govern this reaction because of their influence on the mean droplet size and vaporization rate, respectively. This research aims to achieve a thorough droplet modeling analysis and surrogate generation that imparts key information about whether viscosity or volatility is the fundamental factor in ignition performance. The proposed work will also supplement the NJFCP’s goal of assessing the behavior of alternative fuels within combustors with minimal engine testing. Success of this research will assist the NJFCP in their efforts to accelerate the alternative fuel certification process, promote the de-carbonization of aviation jet fuels, and produce next generation high performance fuels.
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Understanding the Intricacies of Obesity
Maddy Rae Dutton, Joseph Cole Emery, Dana Lynn Pflugradt, Collin Robert Rook
Health literacy refers to one’s understanding of healthcare information and the ability to make informed decisions when it comes to health benefits and risks. Obesity is a major health epidemic, so we analyzed and revised a health document from the Obesity Action Coalition website to enhance the understanding and readability of the document for the University of Dayton’s level two Intensive English Program (IEP) students. The original document required a college-age reading level. The IEP students read at a 3rd or 4th grade level, so this document was not appropriate for this audience. We visited with the IEP students to gather information about what they already knew about obesity, what they wanted to know more about, and if they had any questions pertaining to obesity. We were then able to create a new brochure for them, making sure to address the information that was of interest. During our field test with the IEP students, we presented our draft in order to receive comments and questions. After the field testing and running SMOG and Flesch-Kincaid readability tests on the original and drafted documents, the final brochure was created and the IEP students reading level was attained. The document our group created allowed the IEP students to better understand important information about obesity, which was lost in the original document. This revision process shows how important it is to assess the readability of health documents and to make them appropriate for a specific audience.
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Understanding the Link between Sugar Diet and Alzheimer’s Disease using Drosophila Eye Model
Jordan Clay Dubbs, Neha Gogia, Ankita Sarkar, Ian Joseph Tobal
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States (US), with no cure to date. It is caused by abnormal cleavage of amyloid precursor proteins (APP), generating amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) plaques that trigger neuronal cell death by unknown mechanism(s). Neuroinflammation (body’s response to repair, damage and defend against foreign agents) is another characteristic feature of this disease. According to US Department of Agriculture (2017), an average American consumes 94 g of sugar per day which is equivalent to amount of sugar in 2.4 cans of coke. The impact of this high amount of blood sugar can be very significant as breakdown of glucose in high-sugar diet damages the enzymes that regulate inflammation (in immune responses), resulting in mis-regulated neuroinflammation, strokes, and chemical imbalances, and thus may contribute towards AD. In our study, we want to elucidate the effect of both high and low sugar diet on Alzheimer’s. To test our hypothesis, we have used Drosophila melanogaster (a.k.a. fruit fly), (as genetic machinery is conserved from flies to humans) and developed a fly model of AD, where human Aβ42 peptides can be misexpressed in Drosophila eye using GAL4/UAS system. We placed flies expressing human Aβ42 in eyes (along with the controls) on regular, low, and high sugar diet and checked the phenotypes in eye imaginal discs, adult flies and collected final death count. Wingless and a soy protein, Lunasin (anti-inflammatory in nature) were also studied to understand their role in progression of AD. Our study shows, that a high-sugar diet displays a more aggressive progression of AD as compared to a normal diet or a low-sugar diet. This research has significant bearings in understanding the potential link between AD and diabetes, as both are very prominent diseases in today’s world.
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Understanding the Repopulation of Glioblastoma in Drosophila Model System
Leah Dawn Bullock
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common form of malignant brain tumors, accounting for about 52% of primary brain tumors. Patients diagnosed with GBM typically die within a few months after diagnosis. Standard treatment consists of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. GBM has an unfavorable diagnosis due to the high rates of tumor recurrence. The cause of the repopulation of the tumor after treatment is currently unknown; therefore, there is a need to study the repopulation of GBM in more detail. We have created a simple glioma model in Drosophila melanogaster to study the effects of treatment on tumor size and repopulation of the tumor. We have created the glioma model by suppressing Pten while overexpressing oncogene Ras in glial cells in order to induce a tumor. Flies with genotype UASPten RNAi;UASRasV12; Repo Gal4 UASGFP developed aggressive brain tumors and failed to survive to the adult stage. 1st instar larvae of this genotype were exposed to different dosages of X-ray radiation to study the radiation sensitivity of glioma larvae. We utilized 3.5 Gy of radiation to carry out further experiments. We found there is a significant reduction in tumor size in the larvae exposed to X-ray compared to the unexposed samples; however, there is still repopulation of the tumor after X-ray exposure. Through the use of immunohistochemistry, we found that there is significant reduction in Glial cells, neuroblasts, and neurons after X-ray exposure. We plan to further our study by looking into the effects of radiation on the ganglion mother cells and dying cells of the brain. Since the pathways in this study are conserved from flies to mammals, these findings can be utilized in other model systems and in humans. These findings have the potential to lead to possible treatments for glioblastoma tumors in humans.
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Understanding the Transition from Rural High School Student to Urban College Student
Hannah Danielle Zimmerman
The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to understand the transition from high school to college among first year, undergraduate students from rural communities at The Ohio State University. Through the conduct of interviews with 13 participants, I have been able to gauge how rural community high school graduates describe their transition into an urban university setting in one of Ohio’s largest cities. Research has shown that students in rural communities are in the lowest of proportions on college campuses, and often it is because they are not exposed to the resources available to prepare for post-secondary education. In this study, students from rural communities have expressed feeling unprepared for college upon graduating high school, and lack of preparedness has been demonstrated through minimal challenging class offerings, unmotivated high school teachers, and not being a part of a college conversation prior to enrolling at the university. My interpretation of the data suggests that some of our rural students may not be exposed to and prepared for post-secondary education, indicating missed opportunities towards maximizing leadership potential and growth within our agricultural communities.
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Unique Approaches to the Finite Difference Method
William Thomas Shovelton
The oldest and most useful technique to approximate the solution of differential equations is the finite difference method (FDM). This technique allows for derivatives to be replaced by the finite difference discrete approximation, hence we get a finite difference equation (FDE). As with all numerical solutions, this method is only an approximation and there will be errors due to rounding and discretization. Over the years, new approaches to the FDM have been derived to improve the stability of the numerical solutions. These unique approaches are referred to as nonstandard finite difference methods (NFDM). The focus of this project will be to determine the effectiveness of two different NFDM proposed for an autonomous dynamical system and a class of reaction-diffusion equations. Effectiveness will be based on the accuracy to the exact solution and stability.
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Unravelling novel calcium-signaling mechanisms implicated in the neurobiology of learning and memory
Aikaterini Britzolaki, Joey Edward Saurine
Calcium ions are potent regulators of cell fate, as they carry essential information from egg fertilization to cell death. Neuronal cells are no exception to this; calcium signals are critical for neuronal cell function and survival. Intrinsic calcium-cycling aberrations have a detrimental effect on neuronal cell fate, long-term potentiation , learning and memory. Subsequently, calcium signaling imbalances are associated with a wide range of debilitating neurolopsychiatric disorders whose pathophysiological mechanisms are elusive. Our group focuses on unravelling the regulatory mechanisms coupled to calcium handling in the central nervous system. Comprehensive studies have revealed that distribution of calcium in the cell is majorly regulated by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and hence the latter’s critical role in maintaining neuronal calcium homeostasis. We have recently identified a novel calcium-regulating protein expressed in the brain and we demonstrate for the first time, its implication in regulating learning and memory processes in the mouse brain. In the context of this presentation we will demonstrate overwhelming molecular and behavioral data to support the pivotal role of this novel calcium-regulating protein in the neurobiology of learning and memory.
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Unrecognized and Underwritten:The History of the Black Press
Jada Monique Woods
The black press was born out of a need and that need is still pertinent today. Before 1827, black people largely did not exist in the media. There were only two options for the black community stay silent and keep their marginalized voices to themselves or start voicing those opinions and advocating for rights by creating a newspaper. After 1827, black newspapers in the North developed into the main medium of expression and primary community service outlet for black people. The researcher examined the history of black media from the mid-1800s to 2017. Evidence from black newspapers and publications throughout history shows every success against oppression and inequality has come with a price for black press in the United States. In 2017, blacks have more opportunities because of those publishers whose goal was to elevate and educate blacks. Currently, blacks have improved the second-class citizen status in some respects, but clear inequalities still persist. Although mainstream news organizations have made efforts to represent blacks more, there are still large disparities. The black media is still essential for the well-being of the black community. The black press began as an outlet to acknowledge the black community and push for equality and this kind of activism is still needed today.
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Urban Gardening in a Participatory Community Action Research Project at Homeless Shelters: Enhancement of Wellness and Vocational Readiness for Shelter Residents
Katey M Gibbins
Homelessness is a ubiquitous community problem that exists at the local, national, and international levels. This Participatory Community Action Research Project represents a collaboration between Dr. Roger N. Reeb (Roesch Endowed Chair in the Social Sciences, Professor of Psychology, University of Dayton) and administrators at St. Vincent De Paul (Dayton, OH). This project, which began in August of 2013, implements Behavioral Activation sessions at local men’s and women’s homeless shelters and well over 1,500 shelter residents have participated in the Behavioral Activation project thus far. Behavioral Activation is based on operant conditioning, refers to a therapeutic strategy that attempts to increase overt prosocial behaviors that bring a person into contact with reinforcing environmental opportunities, and thereby enhances thoughts, mood, quality of life, and actualization of inherent potentialities. This project also utilizes service-learning pedagogy, with faculty, community partners, graduate students, and undergraduate students working together to implement Behavioral Activation sessions within the shelters. Quantitative findings, which have been presented at numerous conferences, indicate that shelter residents perceive individual Behavioral Activation sessions as meaningful, worthy of repeating, and enjoyable. Over time, quantitative findings also indicate that participants perceive the Behavioral Activation Project as contributing to their sense of hope, capability and motivation for education/work, purpose or meaning in life, wellbeing, quality of life, social/emotional support, and improved social climate. Qualitative data support these quantitative findings and also reveal important themes (e.g., importance of student-resident relationships in supporting psychosocial improvements). This proposed research involves the establishment of an urban garden within the context of this project. In addition to yielding produce to enhance nutrition for shelter residents, this research will examine pre-to-post improvements in wellbeing in shelter residents who participate in the farming initiative.
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Urban Gardening Initiative for the Enhancement of Wellness and Environmental Attitudes of Service-Learning Research Assistants: A Participatory Community Action Research Project within Local Homeless Shelters
Alicia Michelle Selvey
Homelessness is a complex and pervasive community problem that affects all levels of society. This collaborative Participatory Community Action Research Project between Dr. Roger N. Reeb (Roesch Endowed Chair in the Social Sciences, Professor of Psychology, University of Dayton) and administrators at St. Vincent de Paul (Dayton, Ohio) implements Behavioral Activation at local homeless shelters as a way to address this pervasive problem within our community. Behavioral Activation, a form of operant conditioning, refers to a therapeutic strategy that attempts to increase overt behaviors by bringing a person into contact with positive response-contingent reinforcement. This enhances positive thinking, mood, quality of life, and the pursuit of personal potential. The project, which began in August of 2013, is implemented at both the Men’s Shelter and Women’s Shelter and has recruited well over 1,500 residents and served countless more. The project utilizes service-learning pedagogy; community members, faculty, and graduate and undergraduate students contribute to the project in various ways. Based on quantitative findings, shelter residents perceive Behavioral Activation sessions as meaningful, worthy of repeating, and enjoyable. Furthermore, quantitative findings indicate that, as shelter residents participate in the project over time, they perceive Behavioral Activation as contributing to key psycho-social factors as follows: hope, capability and motivation for education or work, purpose or meaning in life, and social/emotional support. Additionally, the project has contributed to creating a healthier social climate within the shelter, as evident by qualitative analyses; the data has revealed important emergent themes (e.g., importance of student-resident relationships in supporting psycho-social improvements). This proposed research involves the establishment of an urban garden within the context of the Behavioral Activation project. In addition to enhancing nutrition for shelter residents, this research will examine pre-to- post semester outcomes (wellbeing, environmental attitudes and behavior) for service-learning students who implement the urban gardening initiative.
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U.S. Inflation Trends and the 2008 Recession
Alison M Berry, Carmen May DeRose
The U.S Federal Reserve Board uses long term inflation trends and projections to guide its policy decisions on controlling inflation. The objective of this study is to determine if the severe recession in 2008 altered the long term trend in inflation. Using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as well as the Personal Consumption Expenditure Index (PCE) for our measures of inflation, we first divide the overall period of analysis into two nine year periods, 1999-2007 and 2009-2017, with 2008 the inflection point. Using linear regression with time as the independent variable, we develop regression coefficients (B) for both nine year periods and test the hypothesis that the 1999-2007 B coefficient is larger than the 2009-2017 B coefficient. If the hypothesis is correct, the difference in the B coefficients can be considered a proxy for the 2008 recession effect on trend inflation. We also run another test where a linear regression is run for the complete period but a dummy variable, D1, is added to the equation line with D1=1 for the 12 months in 2008. We test for a negative coefficient attached to D1, which indicates a downward shift in the regression line and provides another measure of the effect of the 08 recession on the inflation trend. Finally we test for a Phillips Curve effect on inflation trend in the 2009-2017 period. With U.S. unemployment reaching a rate around 4% during the last third of the 2009-2017 period, we run another trend regression but add the dummy variable D2 for the months in 2015, 2016, and 2017, in order to test for an upward shift in the inflation regression line. A positive coefficient attached to D2 would suggest the presence of the Phillips Curve affect.
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Using and Implementing Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactors and Plug Flow Reactors to Study Reactions in Undergraduate Chemical Engineering
Alex R Paschal
Understanding the behavior of Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactors (CSTR) and Plug Flow Reactors (PFR) is vital to graduates of the University of Dayton’s Chemical Engineering Program. This primarily is due to the widespread usage of these reactor types in commercial settings; therefore, students should be exposed to ‘hands-on’ laboratory experiences with these type of reactors prior joining the Chemical Engineering workforce. Realizing that the Unit Operations Laboratory is a capstone class, and it lacked adequate education on such reactors, experiments were developed and performed on both types of reactors to establish empirical standards of reaction kinetics and rates that can be used to guide the education of future undergraduate chemical engineering students. Overall, the CSTR and PFR reactors were used to develop theoretical and empirical understandings of the reactor systems based on calibration of reactor system mechanics; non-reactive qualitative experiments; and bimolecular-reactive experiments. Specifically, the saponification reaction between Sodium Hydroxide and Ethyl Acetate producing Sodium Acetate and Ethyl Alcohol was the primary reaction analyzed in this work. As a quantitative result, models of the studied reaction in both types of reactors were developed and compared. In addition to this common experiment, reactions for future studies to be tested by undergraduate students using green solvents and reactants are suggested. Ultimately, this work will lay the foundation of chemical reactor analysis in the Unit Operations Laboratory at the University of Dayton.
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Using RNA-interference to Identify the Genetic Toolkit for a Fruit Fly Morphological Trait
Abbey Marie Groszkiewicz, Jesse Taylor Hughes
Metazoan animal morphological traits result from the combined inputs of hundreds or more genes that comprise gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Each GRN utilizes various genes from the genetic toolkit of transcription factor and signaling pathway genes to control complex patterns of gene expression. However, for few traits, if any, has the full repertoire of toolkit genes been characterized for its GRN. Thus, how traits are built by regulated gene expression remains poorly understood. For my thesis, I am investigating the genetic toolkit that makes a male-specific pigmentation for the fruit fly species Drosophila melanogaster. Using RNA-interference, I will reduce the expression of ~190 transcription factor and ~21 signaling pathway genes to find those necessary for this trait by surveying for deviant pigmentation phenotypes. The results will provide a greater understanding of how a GRN is able to direct the formation of a well formed trait.
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Using Strategic Business Process Architecture Models to Create a Process Architecture Reference for the Healthcare Industry
Baxter Rechtin
Strategic Business Process Architecture (SBPA) models identify the key elements and their relationships that can be used to document, design and improve operational processes across any process type or industry. The critical SBPA process architecture elements was previously combined with a traditional process map to develop a novel process architecture mapping tool enabling the capture of important elements needed to design streamlined processes. The goal of this research project is to apply the process architecture meta models and the process architecture mapping tool to the healthcare industry, and subsequently develop a standard healthcare process architecture reference model. The process architecture reference model can be used by healthcare organizations as a basis for process management, including to document, design and improve their processes to provide excellent patient care.
