Stander Symposium Projects

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  The effects of propionate and oxygen on the intracellular growth of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes

  Elizabeth A Abrams, Kristine T Perez

  Listeria monocytogenes causes foodborne illnesses in immunocompromised individuals by colonizing the human intestine and disseminating to peripheral organs by crossing the intestinal barrier. During infections, Listeria adapts to the intestinal environment, which is low in oxygen but rich in fermentation acids. However, it is unclear how these acids influence Listeria pathogenesis under anaerobic conditions. In this study, we investigated the effects of anaerobic exposure to propionate, a major fermentation acid, on Listeria. To test the effect of propionate, we used a macrophage cell line as our model host cells and monitored the intracellular growth of Listeria after exposure to different levels of propionate under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Results showed that while anaerobically grown Listeria was compromised during late stages of intracellular growth compared to aerobically grown bacteria, supplementation of propionate at 15mM did not significantly impact intracellular growth. Survival and escape from the acidifying phagosomes is critical during Listeria intracellular growth. To test the effects of propionate on Listeria survival in acidic conditions, we conducted survival assays with aerobically and anaerobically grown Listeria after 1 hour exposure to pH 4, 5, 6, or 7 buffers. Our data showed that Listeria was not able to survive in the pH 4 buffer. For anaerobically grown Listeria, survival at pH 5 was significantly reduced compared to survival at pH 6 and 7. Propionate supplementations did not cause a significant change in survival. Together, our data suggest that anaerobic exposure, not propionate at 15mM, played an important role in Listeria pathogenesis. We plan to continue our investigations with higher concentrations of propionate. Ultimately, our research will help elucidate the behavior of Listeria during the intestinal phase of infections.

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  The Implementation of Two-Way Immersion Programs

  Kara Marie Jankowski

  As society becomes more global, educators are searching for models of education that provide students with the ability to be competitive in the global marketplace. Bilingual education offers students the opportunity to learn two languages while maintaining student achievement in other content areas. One option of bilingual education is called two-way immersion (TWI) programs. TWI classrooms are comprised of students who are native speakers of two different languages. Together, these students communicate in both languages, while receiving instruction in both languages as well. These programs have been shown to be effective in teaching two languages without lowering student achievement. Bilingual education also takes advantage of children’s natural ability to acquire language. Being exposed to language at a young age is much easier than learning another language after the age of ten. TWI programs in elementary schools provide the language learning supports needed to become bilingual without detriment to other areas of content learning. Now, the question that remains is the feasibility of implementing these programs in the United States. Societal attitudes, budget concerns and the availability of qualified teachers could pose to be challenges for TWI programs to expand. By examining these possible challenges through qualitative research, the researcher compiles evidence indicating whether or not TWI programs can be implemented practically. With this understanding, policy makers and educators can decide to implement and fund more TWI programs in the United States.

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  The Importance of Corn in Medical Developments

  Emily E Currier, Marie F Harla, Amanda M Schleper

  The corn plant that we have today is very different than the corn plant that existed when people first started farming it 10,000 years ago, but it has been a major food source all throughout history and still is today. Besides being a food source it has played a major part in the making of large amounts of penicillin for medicine. Finally, corn is a genetically modified food, and now it is possible to make a more pest resilient and successful corn plant due to these changes in DNA. This presentation will be focused on the history of the corn plant and how it has evolved along with its nutritional content, using corn to make penicillin, and the effects of genetically modifying corn. Corn has been evolving ever since farmers first started farming and domesticating it 10,000 years ago. It started as wild grass called teosinte. This was the common ancestor for the corn plant we have today, and the two plants are very similar genetically, but have distinct differences. As the ears of corn have developed, their nutritional content has also changed. Since ancient times, corn has played a key role in medicinal treatments. Ancient peoples used corn to treat headaches and bruises, and they also used it as a diuretic. Through the ages the uses of corn medicinally have evolved. While it is no longer used as a treatment for bruises and headaches, corn silk is still used as a diuretic. In the 1940s it was discovered that corn steep liquor was a prime medium in which to make penicillin. This has greatly influenced the mode and amount of penicillin production today.

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  The Layered Look: A Deeper Look into the Relationship of Clothing and Body Schema

  Michael J Tymoski

  Clothing is essential in most cultures: it displays personal style, occludes body parts from view, and provides protection from the elements. In a previous study we determined that clothing alters affordance judgments, or one’s perceived ability to act. To broaden our knowledge of the influence of clothing on affordance judgments, we are conducting three additional experiments in which participants make affordance judgments about their ability to complete motor tasks while wearing multiple layers of clothing. The first experiment employs the method of limits, whereby the experimenter raises or lower a bar until the participant indicates that the bar is reachable or no longer reachable; this is repeated in several trials while the participant is wearing from 1 to 5 additional layers of clothing. In a second study, participants make affordance judgments regarding the passability of their arms through variously-sized apertures while wearing layers of clothing. A third study employs the mirror illusion to examine the relative contributions of visual and touch information to the body schema and affordance judgments. In this study, the right clothed arm is placed out of sight behind a mirror while the unclothed left arm and its reflection are visible in a mirror, giving the illusion that the actions and accoutrement of the right arm are those of the left arm. Participants will make affordance judgments about the passability of their clothed arm through an aperture while wearing varying layers of clothing on their right (and hidden) arm. We predict that clothing will influence perceived affordance judgments even though it has little impact on actual action capabilities. Together, these studies will provide insights as to how visual and tactile information about clothing influence the perception of the body and subsequent judgments about one’s capability to act in the environment.

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  The Power of Prayer: Impact of Spiritual Practice and Access to Spiritual Resources on Resident Assistants’ Experience of Burnout

  Fiona Corner

  This qualitative study was designed to identify a correlation between the increased spiritual practice of resident assistants and decreased experiences of burnout. The challenges of burnout affect the daily lives of resident assistants as well as the experiences of the residents they serve. The literature argues that the pressures of serving as a resident assistant has a significant impact on how students perform in their role as well as the experience for the resident served. The twenty-four lifestyle often places high and emotionally exhausting demands on students and can lead to burnout. Spiritual practice allows for self-reflection and space for resident assistants to take a break from the demanding expectations. Findings provide a summary of the experience of burnout for resident assistants at the University of Dayton as well as their spiritual practices and access to spiritual resources. Recommendations are also made to preemptively decrease the experience of burnout for future cohorts of resident assistants through the following of spiritual practice.

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  The Relationship Between the Wingtip Vortex, the Free Shear Layer and Aerodynamic Efficiency

  Sidaard Gunasekaran

  The interaction between the free shear layer, the wingtip vortex and the aerodynamic efficiency was quantified based on previous experimental Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) results of the wingtip vortex and the free shear layer. These preliminary results showed signs of interaction between the free shear layer and the wingtip vortex. This analysis was extended to more completely understand the interaction of the free shear layer in the wingtip vortex evolution process and the correlation of this interaction to the aerodynamic efficiency of the wing. The streamwise, cross-stream and spanwise plane oriented PIV of the wingtip vortex showed clear signs of free shear layer interaction with the wingtip vortex at lower angles of attack. This interaction was reflected in the normalized azimuthal velocity profile of the wingtip vortex as well. The composite of velocity profiles from multiple different planes showed a transfer of momentum from the free shear layer to the wingtip vortex in the vicinity of the maximum (L/D) lift condition. This result was correlated with the variation of the parasite and the induced drag of the wing.

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  The Role of M1BP in Eye Development of Drosophila Melanogaster

  Ankita Sarkar, Evan J Wypasek

  Many genes in the Drosophila melanogaster have Pol II paused at the promoter proximal region, because the binding of either the GAGA factor or the Motif 1 binding protein (M1BP). M1BP is highly conserved across the species and encodes a 55kDa protein containing five C2H2 zinc-fingers domains. Drosophila eye development is regulated by a battery of highly conserved genes. Based on high throughput studies, it has been suggested that M1BP may regulate gene expression during Drosophila eye development, but its exact role is unknown. Our aim is to study the role of M1BP during eye development. We found that absence of M1BP function in dorsal and ventral eye margins results in the suppression of eye fate and the suppression of the gene from the complete eye gives us a head loss phenotype

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  The SophoMORE You Know: Socialization and Peer Influences on Masculine Expression

  Max D Sullivan

  During the collegiate years, some men engage in high-risk behaviors and adopt detrimental attitudes, which can be dangerous to not only their own personal development, but also the development of their peers. There is a strong correlation between these behaviors and attitudes, and the ideals of masculine hegemony (Wagner, 2015). In addition, college men are more likely to be the perpetrators of most forms of violence and commit violations of campus policies when compared to their female counterparts (Edwards & Jones, 2009). College men interviewed in the study identified external expectations influencing them to act tough and demonstrate other traits of hyper masculine hegemony. It can be argued that some of these men may gain their masculine related beliefs, values, and behaviors from each other, demonstrating the power of socialization (Harris & Struve, 2009). The experiences of these men illustrate that they want to learn how to be a man, but do not necessarily have a safe space and/or lack the support to craft their definition masculinity. Therefore, many college men are not receiving this support and types of support have not fully been explored. This quantitative study gathered data from over 60 college sophomore men to better understand their perceptions and expression of masculinity. The data is then utilized to provide professionals with recommendations for practice.

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  The Use of a Molecular Probe to Investigate the Details of PriA Helicase Function

  Luke F. Bugada

  During DNA replication in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, the replication machinery (replisome) invariably encounters structural DNA damage, an event that can result in disbanding of the replisome and the creation of a collapsed replication fork. In order for DNA replication to continue, the replisome must be reloaded onto the DNA strand, a process that often begins with unwinding of double-stranded (duplex) DNA by the primosome protein PriA. Little is known about the mechanism through which PriA unwinds DNA and begins replisome recruitment. We seek to shed new light on this mechanism through the use of a PriA inhibitor, compound 0207. In our study, we attempt to determine the method of inhibition, the three-dimensional structure of the PriA•0207 complex, and the 0207 binding site through steady-state kinetics experiments, x-ray crystallography experiments, and mutagenesis assays. Data from the steady-state kinetics titrations show that compound 0207 acts through a mixed mode of inhibition and binds to the PriA•ATP, PriA•DNA, and PriA•ATP•DNA complexes with equal affinities. PriA crystals are being grown in the presence of compound 0207 in an attempt to solve the three-dimensional structure of the PriA•0207 complex using x-ray crystallography. Finally, mutagenesis assays are being used to search for the 0207 binding site on the surface of PriA. A docking simulation based on steric and electrostatic interactions was used to identify possible 0207 binding sites. Single alanine substitutions of PriA were generated, each with an alteration designed to inhibit the binding of compound 0207. The combined results of these experiments will provide a more complete understanding of the interactions between PriA and compound 0207, which will contribute to the overall goal of understanding the detailed mechanisms through which PriA catalyzes duplex DNA unwinding to initiate replication restart.

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  The Walking Dead: Don’t Run, Use Math!

  David J Fink, Theodore J Stitzel

  To study the effect of a zombie outbreak, our team used several differential equations and techniques learned in class to predict the population of humans and zombies during a zombie outbreak. It is important to be able to study the population of both humans and zombie to understand the odds of getting infected and to predict how long the outbreak will last for. This information could then be given to the Center of Disease Control for proper defensive measures to ensure the survival of humans. If there is an outbreak, it is best to be prepared.

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  Towards Induction of Lens Regeneration

  Abijeet S Mehta

  The lens, by changing shape, functions to change the focal distance of the eye so that it can focus on objects at various distances, thus allowing a sharp real image of the object of interest to be formed on the retina. Common disease of the lens include cataracts, which cause opacity, or cloudiness, in the lens. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40 and is the principal cause of blindness in the world. Today, cataracts affect more than 22 million Americans age 40 and older. And as the U.S. population ages, it is projected to affect ~39 million people in the USA in 2030 (NEI statistics www.nei.nih.gov/eyedata/cataract#3, cited 2/9/15). So studying lens regeneration becomes important. Notophthalmus viridescens (newts) is a salamander which has marvelous capability to regenerate it’s organs, like heart, brain, lungs, limbs, tail, spinal cord, and lens. Lens regeneration in newts occurs by transdifferentiation, a switch of cell fate, where a fully differentiated somatic tissue reprograms and becomes a different one. And it always occurs exclusively from the dorsal aspect of the iris pigment epithelium (IPE), and never from the ventral part. The fact that the same type of cells-differentiated from same stem cell lineage-and belonging to the same tissue, has different regenerative capabilities is intriguing. Previously our lab using transcriptome analysis quantitatively compared gene expression between the dorsal and ventral samples. Very interesting patterns were obtained. Tbx5 was found over-expressed in the dorsal (>32 times) and Vax2 was over-expressed in the ventral iris (>32 times). Tbx5 and Vax2 are transcriptional factors known to be dorsal axis and ventral axis determinants during eye embryogenesis respectively. Objective of my research is to investigate the role of tbx-5, and vax-2 in lens induction.

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  Tree Community Phylogenetic Diversity Varies with Topography in an Old-growth Appalachian Forest

  Julia I Chapman

  As biodiversity becomes increasingly threatened by human activities, the need to broaden our understanding of factors that regulate the diversity of ecological communities also becomes more urgent. Diversity has traditionally been quantified with indices based on taxonomic species identities, which grant equal importance to all species and ignore variation in their physical characteristics and biological processes, which may be differentially important to ecosystem function. This problem has been countered with the development of phylogenetic diversity metrics based on the principle that closely related species tend to be more similar in morphology and physiology than distantly related species and thus occupy similar ecological niches. Tests for phylogenetic clustering and overdispersion provide clues about whether community assembly is driven by environmental filtering or competitive interactions. We used sampling data collected across 80 plots in an old-growth Appalachian forest (1979 and 2010) to analyze phylogenetic diversity among midstory (2.5–25 cm diameter at breast height) and overstory (>25 cm dbh) trees to further understand the role of local topographic variation in structuring communities. Midstory and overstory phylogenetic diversity was not significantly related to aspect (all r2 ≤ 0.02, P > 0.11) or slope steepness (all r2 ≤ -0.013, P > 0.36) in either year. We found that the within-plot species assemblages tended to be more phylogenetically clustered at higher elevations (all r2 ≤ 0.34, P < 0.001) in both years, and that this relationship was stronger among overstory trees. This suggests that tree communities at higher elevations experience an environmental filtering effect, resulting in phylogenetic clustering where mature communities contain closely related species with similar adaptations for surviving in xeric conditions. Lower elevation communities contain species that are on average more distantly related and likely represent a more diverse array of functional traits that help to minimize competitive interactions.

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  Typology, Tabernacle, and Tradition: A History of Interpretation of Hebrews 9:11-14

  Samuel A Mullins

  The texts of the Bible have been used and interpreted in various ways across different time periods and different cultures, and there is much to be gained by studying these changes. Changing attitudes about and uses of Scripture tell us something about other changes taking place in society. They reflect new ideas about religion, knowledge, and authority. Most of all, they demonstrate the techniques used by pastors, theologians, and other authors to make texts written long ago relevant to contemporary problems. The purpose of my study is to use Hebrews 9:11-14 to look at the ways in which the interpretation of Scripture and the uses of Scripture change across time and geographic locations. By analyzing the text itself in its first century context, as well as documents citing this passage from the Early Church, the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and the present day, I am able study both the ways that the interpretation of this particular passage has changed, and how methods of biblical interpretation themselves have changed.

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  Usability and AARP LinkedIn Guidebook

  Carson C Chatterton, Thomas Joseph Harr, Kyle Thomas Janowicz, Maura Taaffe

  Each of the following six groups is writing an AARP guidebook on a different type of software, doing a usability test, and proposing a new Beta version of their guidebook. Each group will present their process on a Poster.

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  Usability for AARP Instagram Guidebook

  Madeline Marie Connaughton, Hannah M Nash, Nicole A Weigand

  Each of the following six groups is writing an AARP guidebook on a different type of software, doing a usability test, and proposing a new Beta version of their guidebook. Each group will present their process on a Poster.

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  Usability for AARP Twitter Guidebook

  John H Beaudoin, Cameron William Clapp, Steven B Fitzpatrick

  Each of the following six groups is writing an AARP guidebook on a different type of software, doing a usability test, and proposing a new Beta version of their guidebook. Each group will present their process on a Poster.

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  Usability for the AARP Facebook User Guide,

  Luke F Bugada, Michelle Jude Difalco, Robert J Olson, Michael J Sebastian

  Each of the following six groups is writing an AARP guidebook on a different type of software, doing a usability test, and proposing a new Beta version of their guidebook. Each group will present their process on a Poster.

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  Wage Costs and Inflation Trends: An Empirical Analysis 2001-2015

  Alison M. Berry, Carmen M. Derose

  Rising wage costs have often been used as a leading indication of inflation in national economies. In the US since the 2008 recession wage costs growth has, to say the least, been erratic with no discernible upward trend. In 2015, however, wage cost growth showed some signs of picking up steam suggesting that overall spending in the economy will likely pick up. In this study we examine trends in the employee cost index (ECI) from 2001 to 2015, the long term trend period, and 2009 to 2015, an intermediate term period after the 2008 recession. Linear trend equations are developed year over year by quarter, sequentially across quarters, and yearly (based in four quarter averages). The following findings will be discussed: (1) long term growth rates in wage costs on a quarter by quarter basis are declining. (2) Since the 2008 recession the growth trend is positive. (3) Over the last three years, on a sequential quarterly basis, the ECI growth rate has picked up significantly.

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  White Identity Salience and the Effect on Campus Climate

  Hannah K Williamson

  Since the election of President Obama, many have argued that the issue of racism and equality has been resolved and the United States had moved to a “post-racial” society (Vega, 2014). In recent years, racial tensions have been rising as seen by the shootings of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, protests in Ferguson, and national social media campaigns such as #blacklivesmatter. Given these and many other events, Higher Education and college campuses provide a space to confront and discuss race and racial identity. This study focused on White identity awareness at a predominantly White, religiously-affiliated, private university in the Midwest and any effects on the campus climate as a result of identity awareness. Eight participants were interviewed with interviews transcribed and evaluated to develop a thematic understanding of the students’ perception of their White identity and a connection to the campus climate. Findings discuss the variety and similarities of experiences and identity development of the eight students and the potential affect it has on the campus. Finally, recommendations are presented to support further racial development of White students and institutional educational programs to enhance a more racially aware campus climate.

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  X-Corner Detection for Camera Calibration Using Saddle Points

  Abdulrahman Saleh Alturki

  This paper discusses a corner detection algorithm for camera calibration. Calibration is a necessary step in many computer vision and image processing applications. Robust corner detection for an image of a checkerboard is required to determine intrinsic and extrinsic parameters. In this paper, an algorithm for fully automatic and robust X-corner detection is presented. Checkerboard corner points are automatically found in each image without user interaction or any prior information regarding the number of rows or columns. The approach represents each X-corner with a quadratic fitting function. Using the fact that the X-corners are saddle points, the coefficients in the fitting function are used to identify each corner location. The automation of this process greatly simplifies calibration. Our method is robust against noise and different camera orientations. Experimental analysis shows the accuracy of our method using actual images acquired at different camera locations and orientations.

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  Zombie Mathpocolypse

  James P Gallagher, Claire T Shannon

  Do you watch zombie movies? Have you ever wondered what will be the climax? Now you can use mathematics to figure out who will win. In this work we consider a mathematical model for zombie infection from the literature. The model consists of three ordinary differential equations for three classes Susceptible, Zombie and Removed. We will solve the model using numerical techniques such as the Euler's method and the Runge-Kutta methods.

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  A Covariance Analysis of Consumer Healthcare Expenditures and Healthcare Sector Price Movements

  Courtney E. Cady, David A. Christian

  In recent years, an increasing portion of consumer expenditures on services is allocated to healthcare. The aging of the U.S. population, the Affordable Healthcare Act, and the rising per unit costs of hospital trips all have influenced this trend. In this study, we test the hypothesis that healthcare sector prices covary directly with consumer expenditures on healthcare services. Using regression analysis, we regress 5 Healthcare sector ETF's on Healthcare consumption expenditures. The ETF's are: (1) Healthcare Sector ETF (XLV), (2) Healthcare Equipment ETF (XHE), (3) Biotech ETF (XBI), (4) Pharmaceuticals ETF (XHP), and (5) Healthcare Services ETF (XHS). Quarterly data are used in the analysis and the time period is from 2004 - 2014. We expect b>0, t-statistics>2, and R2 is significantly different from zero.

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  Adaptation of Fast Converging Optimal Techniques to Path Planning of Hyper-Redundant Manipulators

  Hariharan Ananthanarayanan

  A multi-pass distributed localized search technique to solve the problem of path planning of hyper-redundant manipulators for the shortest path in real-time in the presence of obstacles is proposed. The problem is approached from a control perspective as a shortest path Optimal control problem, where the configuration space is searched for path points that optimize a cost function. This method addresses the ‘’Curse of Dimensionality” of exhaustive search techniques via the multi-pass distributed local search and local minima of Greedy approach via a backtracking technique. Further, theoretical proof shows that the proposed technique converges to an optimal (if only one exists) or a suboptimal (if many exist) solution. The algorithm is implemented on a 9-DOF manipulator arm for various paths.

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  Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization Applied to Aircraft Control

  Ouboti Djaneye-Boundjou

  For the longitudinal dynamics of a fixed wing aircraft with rigid frame, a Proportional-Integral (PI) controller for controlling the forward velocity of the aircraft and a gain-scheduled Proportional-Integral-Differential (PID) like controller, with the forward velocity used as the scheduling variable, for controlling the flight path angle of the aircraft are designed. For a set of working PI gains, previously found through an experienced-based design, derivation and tuning of PID gains for a select number of forward velocities is computationally achieved through the use of a stable Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. Several performance measures, normalized so as to suppress differences in scale, are aggregated into the designed cost function.

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  A Fundamental Approach To Portfolio Weighting For Consumer Staples Stocks

  David Jack Beebe

  A number of studies conducted by students in the Davis Center for Portfolio Management suggest that the fundamental characteristics of stocks can be successfully used to generate portfolio alpha. In this study, several key valuation measures are used to develop portfolio weights for a concentrated portfolio of Consumer Staples stocks. They are, Price to Book, Price to Earnings, Price to Sales, and Price to Cash Flow. In addition, expected earnings growth one year ahead is also included in the weighting process. Two weighting strategies are used: (1) higher price to's get higher weights and (2) higher inverted weighted price to's get higher weights. The 10 stock portfolio performance is then compared to the performance of the DOW, The S&P 500, and the Consumer Staples SPDR ETF on a quarterly and yearly bases for 2014.