Stander Symposium Projects

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  Experiences of Indian Graduate Students at a Mid-Western Catholic Private Institution

  Rajalakshmi Ananthraja

  The aim of this research was to analyze the experiences of Indian graduate at a Mid-Western Catholic private institution. An online survey was conducted among 210 Indian graduate students. Twelve individual interviews were conducted for deeper study. From the analysis of individual interviews, four common elements were extracted that reflected students experience. Valuable findings are presented for the faculty, staff and higher administrative officials of academic units, Enrollment Management, Center for International programs, Counseling Center and Career Service staff.

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  Externalizing Symptoms as a Risk for Unintentional Injuries in Children

  Sally M. Askar

  The objective of this study is to understand the influence of externalizing symptoms (e.g., hyperactivity, oppositionality) on unintentional home injuries in children. Childhood unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in children under 18 years of age (Krug, Sharma, & Lozano, 2010). Past research has shown that the presence of certain behavioral disorders may impact the risk of childhood injury (Pastor & Reuben, 2006). These disorders include Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). The psychiatric symptoms of these disorders comprise of externalizing symptoms such as aggression, hyperactivity, and oppositionality (inadequate cooperation or compliance by the child; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The literature about the effects of externalizing problems on unintentional injury risk has been equivocal (Schwebel, Hodgens, & Sterling, 2006; Davidson et al., 1992). Further, research identifying the specific externalizing symptoms that could increase the risk for unintentional home injuries in children is lacking. This proposed study will test the hypothesis that children with externalizing symptoms are more likely to be at risk for pediatric home injuries than children who do not exhibit such symptoms. This study will use data collected from 90 families who participated in a larger faculty-led study on sibling supervision (Safety Involving Brothers and Sisters; Brown Kirschman & Dodds, in progress), which will be coded and analyzed to examine the current research questions. The identification of child attributions that may increase risk of home injury is an important first step in targeting prevention efforts. Furthermore, because unintentional injury has been seen as a public health problem, these findings will be beneficial for programs that promote injury prevention by identifying the certain mechanisms that can cause children to be at a greater risk for unintentional injury (Schwebel et al., 2007).

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  Extremum Seeking Control Observer Design for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Linear Time-Invariant Systems

  Abdulhakim A. Daluom

  In this proposal a control strategy, we try to address the problem of output (performance) function for an observer of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) linear time-invariant system by applying the Extremum Seeking Control (ESC) approach. By this control approach, we drive the performance function to its maximum or minimum value. The construction of a seeking algorithm is used to drive the system states to the desired set-points that maximize or minimize the value of an objective (performance) function. Also, Lyapunov's stability theorem and the perturbation theory including the averaging method is used in the design of the extremum seeking controller structure to check the stability of the system.

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  Firm Characteristics, Concentrated Portfolio Strategies and Industrial Sector Price Movements in 2014

  Matthew Peter Fazio, Kenneth Christopher Scudder

  This study is part of a series of studies in the Davis Center for Portfolio Management focused on portfolio weighting. It also considers the alpha generating capabilities of a concentrated portfolio of stocks using relative valuation and momentum stock weighting strategies. The top 10 holdings of the SPDR sector ETF XLI are used as the concentrated portfolio of stocks. Various price-to measures such as price to earnings and price to book are used to develop the weights for each stock in the concentrated portfolio. One year ahead expected earnings growth for each of the 10 stocks provides the basis for the earnings momentum weight component. Assuming the portfolio starts with a funding level of $5,000,000, a performance comparison is made with XLI, the DOW, and the S&P 500 for the year 2014 to determine if the concentrated portfolio generates alpha.

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  Food and Beverage Trends in Sports and Entertainment

  Danielle Denise Kloke

  Food and beverage service is a significant revenue driver for sport and entertainment venues and recently, it has become a critical opportunity to add value and elevate consumer experiences, particularly in premium seating areas. Professional teams are signing contracts with food and beverage vendors for large guaranteed sums, like the 2012 contacts between the San Francisco 49ers and Centerplate where the 49ers receive 55% of concessions sales, a minimum of $6.8 million (San Francisco Business Times, 2012). Interviews were conducted with industry professionals to gain a better understanding of the current state of food and beverage service and trends for the industry, including pricing, ordering procedures, and serving sizes, as well as what changes the industry is looking to add or embrace in the next five years. Trends revealed through the research feature the rise of food and beverage packages to streamline ordering procedures, order customization to enhance the atmosphere, and the use of technology to enrich food ordering and product marketing experiences. Professionals will gain a stronger understanding of how other venues balance cost, consumer preferences, and corporate needs to meet expectations and what is expected for the future.

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  Hate Crime Laws: What Are They and Who Do They Protect?

  Maya Victoria Pedersen

  Tremendous disagreement and confusion regarding hate crime laws and the groups protected by them persist. We investigated perceptions of what constitutes a hate crime and whether these standards are applied consistently. Participants read and responded to brief scenarios describing offenses committed by majority or minority group members against others (majority or minority group members). Although support for the exploratory hypotheses was not found, interesting patterns emerged with respect to gender differences.

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  Image Restoration Under Low Illumination

  Wu Cheng

  Image taken under low illumination suffers severe distortion as the photon counts received by the camera sensor is too low. By investigating the statistic properties of photon count, we can inverse such distortion and restore the scene even in the dark night.

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  Influence of Behavioral Finance on Decision Making in the Business World

  Zixi Li

  Behavioral Finance, as the potential implications of psychological factors, has subtly affected investor behaviors in financial markets. In this project, I would like to discuss different types of behavioral finance, analyze the reasons and connotations behind each type of behavioral finance, and illustrate the influences and consequences with regard to the investor behaviors in the real business world. In addition, I would like to talk about the methods on how to avoid and overcome the behavioral finance in both theoretical and psychological aspects.

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  Integrating Institutional Mission into Faculty Work

  Edel M. Jesse, Cody L. McMillen

  The integration of a faith-based university’s mission into the curriculum and the requirements that this identity imposes upon faculty members’ scholarship are often at odds with the concept of academic freedom (VanZanten, 2011). This common dilemma is an authentic and significant part of Catholic higher education. To balance a conceptual understanding of faith integration with practical tools for academic professionals looking for resources, the University of Dayton’s Commitment to Community (C2C) document provides a community approach to education (University of Dayton, n.d.). This document could be a valued resource to assist faculty in applying mission-based values into their teaching, research, and service. The principles and habits articulated in the C2C document—community is essential for learning and that community members should practice servant leadership—can assist in highlighting the university’s mission if applied to faculty work. To support faculty in integrating the institutional mission into their work, the presenters will share the philosophical assumptions behind the C2C document, highlighting the Catholic and Marianist mission that informs the principles contained in the document. Then, using literature on faculty work and integration of institutional mission, the presenters will highlight ways in which faculty can use the values of a Catholic and Marianist education to inform their work. Finally, some practical suggestions will be provided for faculty members to integrate and apply the C2C principles into their teaching, research, and service. References: University of Dayton (n.d.). Commitment to community: Catholic and Marianist learning and living. Retrieved from https://www.udayton.edu/studev/_resources/files/commitment_to_community.pdf; VanZanten, S. (2011). Joining the mission: A guide for (mainly) new college faculty. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.B. Eerdmans.

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  Intention Based Upper-limb Exoskeleton

  Manoj-Kumar Sharma

  Exoskeletons, a wearable robot that intelligently augments the physical power of a human being. These robots are used in military and similar applications, but the challenge remains that how to make the human-machine interaction safe and sound. The idea behind the 'intention based approach' is that an array of compliant force sensors will continuously monitor the movement of the limb and then map the filtered data to drive the respective actuator which in turn helps in doing the same 'movement' with augmented power and better stability. Additionally a 9 DoF IMU, continuously map the end effector's spatial position as an additional feedback utilizing the Inertial Reference Unit's (IRU) algorithm.

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  Investigation of protein-protein interactions involving Deinococcus radiodurans PriA, DnaB and SSB.

  Christopher S. Morrow

  Deinococcus Radiodurans is a species of bacteria that has sparked a lot of interest since its discovery due to its incredible resistance to ionizing radiation. When exposed to ionizing radiation the genome of D. radiodurans will sustain several hundred double stranded breaks. D. radiodurans demonstrates the ability to repair its genome and restart replication after sustaining this, typically lethal, damage. This project examined the mechanism of replication restart in D. radiodurans by investigating primosome protein PriA interacting with DnaB and SSB. Many different types of gel electrophoresis were employed to investigate potential protein complex formations between D. radiodurans PriA and DnaB. Through agarose gel electrophoresis an interaction between D. radiodurans PriA and DnaB was identified. Results in this work indicate that although D. radiodurans PriA does not characteristically and functionally appear normal, it could still behave as we would classically expect in replication restart.

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  Is Free Cash Flow a Priced in Factor in Explaining the Performance of the Dow 30 Stocks? A Study in Portfolio Weighting, 2007-2013.

  Sean Michael Fitzmartin

  Most financial analysts agree that free cash flow is an important indicator of a firm's financial health and its ability to sustain upward growth in earnings. In this study, I evaluate its effectiveness as a priced in factor in the cross section of returns. Focusing on the DOW Jones 30 stocks over the period 2007-2013, I develop portfolio weights for each DOW Jones stock based on free cash flow per share or price to free cash flow per share. Two weighting models are used: (1) higher weights are given to higher levels of cash flow per share, and (2) higher weights are given to the inverse of price to cash flow per share. The performance of the free cash flow per share weighting models are then compared to the price weighted DOW Jones on an annual basis for the highly volatile market period of 2007-2013. If free cash flow is a priced in factor, I would expect the free cash flow weighting models to consistently generate excess returns over the benchmark DOW.

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  Is It Worth It?: Experiences and Demands of Non-Scholarship Student-Athletes at a Division I Institution

  Joseph R. Vallee

  Student-athletes are some of the most stigmatized individuals at Division I institutions. A great deal of research focuses on the challenges and opportunities of scholarship student-athletes, but a look into the lives of non-scholarship student-athletes is not present in current literature. Through qualitative, semi-structured interviews with student-athletes who do not receive an athletic scholarship, a greater picture of the non-scholarship Division I student-athlete experience was gained. These student-athletes face greater pressure as financial aid is largely tied to maintaining higher grades and the demands of athletic participation are very high. Findings showed that though students feel supported, the rigorous demands of being a full-time student and athlete can be an inhibitor to full engagement on campus. Implications and recommendations of this study provide the need for more research on this sub-population and ideas of collaboration to allow for full involvement of these student-athletes at their institution.

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  Joint Design and Analysis of Leakage in Movable Extrusion Dies.

  Suresh Kumar Kanathala

  This project presents an analysis of various joint types used in variable geometry dies that enable the extrusion of plastic parts with a varying cross section. Extrusion accounts for 40% of all manufactured plastic parts because it is a relatively low-cost and high-production-rate process. Conventional polymer extrusion technology, however, is limited to fixed dies that produce continuous plastic products of constant cross section defined by the die exit profile. A shape changing die allows the cross section of the extruded part to change over its length, thereby introducing the capacity to manufacture plastic faster and with lower tooling costs than injection molding. To allow movement within the die components, various joint designs have been developed. Clearance between the mating parts are required to properly function. These clearances create leakage paths for the plastic melt to escape the die and potentially degrade the quality of the plastic part. Computational fluid dynamics models have been constructed and used to assess the effect of the clearance size on the leakage through the joints. The goal of this analysis is to optimize the geometry of the joints.

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  Macro Economic Activity and Sector Price Movements: A Closer Look at PMI Data

  David A. Christian, Matt G. Putbrese

  The purchasing managers' index (PMI) is considered a leading indicator of U.S. manufacturing activity as well as overall economic activity. Financial markets respond quickly to above or below trend movements in PMI. In this study I develop regression models that specify the relationship between PMI and each of the 10 SPDR ETFs. I test the hypothesis that b>0 i.e. that SPDR ETF prices covary directly with changes in the PMI index. Using log linear models, I also test the hypothesis that the response coefficients are relatively elastic i.e. b>1. I use monthly data to construct the models. The overall time period analyzed is 2004-2014.Two subperiods are also evaluated (1) 2004-2008 and (2) 2009-2014.

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  Manipulation of the Wnt Signaling Pathway and Analysis of Gene Expression in Axolotls

  Jessica L. Beebe

  After injury humans produce scar tissue as part of the wound healing process. This process does not generate new tissue, but prevent the remaining tissue from further damage. Without the ability to create new tissue, humans are limited in their capacity to regain lost function after severe injury. However, axolotls have the ability to regenerate a variety of organs within the first two weeks of hatching, allowing for complete recovery of tissue function. Specifically lens regeneration is studied due to the dynamic changes that occur in the surrounding iris tissue following lens removal. Dorsal and ventral iris cells proliferate and eventually regenerate the missing lens. Since axolotls are not able to regenerate the lens succeeding two weeks from hatching, this is the control group representing non-regenerating tissue. These axolotls contain the same genes which allows for specific manipulation of iris tissues and examination of the different outcomes in hope of revealing the cause of regeneration. The goal of the current project is to study tissue regeneration at the molecular level, by influencing target genes through drug treatments within a specific biological pathway, in order to gain further insight about the mechanism of regeneration. When the mechanism of tissue regeneration is entirely understood, this research could be used to provide treatment in humans with severe tissue damage.

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  Mentoring Essentials: Assisting Junior Faculty with Career Development

  Michael B. Kondritz

  As junior faculty progress within their careers an opportunity presents itself to provide this group with assistance in order to master the necessary components of teaching, research, and service expected within the profession. A key stakeholder within this support system may be senior faculty and the role they can play in fostering the career development of junior faculty.Junior faculty who are successfully mentored experience a wide variety of benefits that may provide a springboard to reaching both personal and professional goals and objectives. “Among these outcomes are an individual’s job satisfaction, research productivity, teaching effectiveness, socialization to the profession, salary level, and career advancement” (Bland, Taylor, Shollen, Weber-Main, and Mulcahy, 2009, p. 13). This project will examine mentoring and faculty literature in order to define the concept of mentoring, benefits, challenges, and various models to assist senior and junior faculty in working together in a collaborative effort to benefit both parties.From this literature, the presenter will provide a recommended plan to assist departments and/or institutions in implementing a formalized mentoring program to help junior faculty. This formalized mentoring program will also help in lowering the level of frustration for junior faculty and create a stronger learning community.

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  Modeling the relationship between non durable consumer expenditures and stock market prices: An empirical analysis for the period 2004-2014

  Alexander Ian Middleton, Dylan Louis Schack

  BEA consumer expenditure data is divided into three components:(1) durable, (2) non durable, and (3)service expenditures. In this study we examine the relationship between non durable consumer expenditures and consumer discretionary and consumer staples sector price movements. Rational expectations theory suggests that increasing demand for non durable goods increases the sales and earnings of the firms operating in both of the above sectors. In turn, this results in rising sector prices. Using linear and log linear regression we test the hypothesis that the regression coefficients are positive and statistically significant. Quarterly data is used in the study with the time period under analysis, 2004-2014.

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  Morphometric Skull Analysis Using Jointed Chains of Rigid Bodies

  Bingjue Li

  Morphometrics seeks to quantify shapes for the purposes of comparison. This work investigates two morphometric problems by applying the theory of shape-changing rigid-body mechanisms. The first problem is the analysis of a head growth in children. The second problem is the spatiotemporal evolution of the longitudinal human skull shape. These problems are specified with a set of curves that represent the cranium shapes as they change over time, in the child’s head as it grows and in the skull as it evolves. Using the rigid-body shape-changing mechanism design methodology, a chain of rigid links connected by revolute and prismatic joints is generated to approximate the set of curves. The advantage of approaching morphometrics in this way is that a modest number of physical parameters describes the changes between the curves.

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  Mostly True: An Exploration of My Family History

  Jessica Lindsey Urban

  Family histories are tricky things, especially when the people in the stories don't necessarily want to talk about their pasts. My family immigrated to the US in the early 1800's, many to escape the anti-Semitism that was rampant in their countries. Through a series of personal interviews, family stories passed down from generation to generation, and my own imagination to fill in the gaps, I have compiled a series of short stories about my family and their lives in America from their arrival here in the 1800's to the present day. Although each family has a different story to tell, the stories of love, loss, and faith unite all of us, no matter our backgrounds.

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  Multi-segment foot biomechanics with varying foot orthotic postings

  Hilary F. Feskanin

  Foot orthotic devices are often used to treat overuse injuries, over- or under- pronation of the foot, knee pain, and other foot disorders. Clinical documentation shows the effectiveness of foot orthoses but there is little understanding of the mechanisms behind these outcomes. Existing studies of foot orthoses focus on rearfoot biomechanics, yet these devices are aimed at changing whole-foot mechanics. Additional research on the mechanical effects of orthoses is often suggested.The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of different foot orthotic devices on foot mechanics. In order to assess the effects foot orthoses have on the midfoot, we placed reflective markers on the participant’s lower limbs and right foot and recorded the leg mechanics as the participant walked across a 75 ft walkway.We expected directional movement patterns based on the location and type of orthotic posting or lift. It is possible that a better understanding of the effects of orthotic devices can lead to more effective treatments for patients with foot disorders.

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  Multistage Flash Desalination with an Integrated Solar System

  Mishal Barki Alsehli

  Desalination is considered to be a promising solution to overcome the problems of water shortage especially for countries that have dry weather conditions with less rainfall around the year. Thermal processes have the highest capacity among all other desalination processes but it consumes significant amount of fossil fuel which severely affects the environment in diverse aspects. On that end, the importance of using renewable energy source such as solar desalination has increased in the present time. In solar desalination, the energy can be transferred in the form of either thermal energy as used in thermal storage technologies or electrical energy used in photovoltaics (PV) technologies. This research presents a novel design scheme of the solar multistage flash-thermal storage tank (MSF-TST) system. In the designed Solar MSF-TST, the brine heater is eliminated and stages are connected to thermal storage tanks. Storage tanks system is capable of running a desalination plant for all day at full load. The system is consisted of two tanks where the sea water is heated and stored. On one day, one tank is filled up with sea water and heated by solar collectors (i.e. charging/storage mode) while the other tank provides the desalination stages with hot brine water stored from the previous day (i.e. discharging/feeding mode). On the following days, alternative processes continues. In this research, a mathematical model is developed to predict the Top Brine Temperature (TBT) of MSF-TST under variation of operating parameters in different transient conditions. The MSF-TST system with 20 stages is modeled to produce 250 ton per hour of purified water with expected TBT 90-110 ͦ C. The expected saving of fuel consumption is estimated to be eighty percent when compared with the conventional Multistage Flash Desalination.

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  Muscle Activity With the Use of a Compact Elliptical Trainer

  Mary Alexandra Willard

  Neurological disorders such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis are a leading cause of long-term disability. As a result, individuals with neurological disorders often have low activity levels and have difficulty participating in regular exercise to maintain health and fitness. Some of these barriers include safety, transportation and cost. As a result, finding a safe and effective means of exercise is difficult. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an affordable home exercise device for promoting muscle activity in the lower extremities. Ten individuals without neurological disorders were tested in this pilot investigation. Subjects used the elliptical trainer under eight different conditions in a randomized order. During each condition, muscle activity of the lower extremity was measured using surface electromyography (EMG) to determine which condition elicited the greatest muscle activity. Data from this investigation will be useful in future trials involving individuals with neurological disorders.

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  Muslim Saudi Female Student Development, Successes, and Learning Experience at a Catholic Institution

  Bayan K. Almrowis

  The number of Muslim Saudi female students is increasing at American institutions. This qualitative research explored the Muslim Saudi female student’s development, successes, and learning experiences at a Catholic institution. The main purpose of the research is to assist Privet Catholic institution in the United States to support the essential needs of Muslim Saudi female students. This research is going to provide valuable information which will help administrators, professors and students to understand the Muslim Saudi female student. Themes included: respect of other religions, meaning in catholic universities engaging Muslim Saudi female students, and the influence of the Intensive English program in helping Muslim Saudi female students. Challenges included: The language barrier; adjusting to the life style and the environment surrounding, developing and engaging at the university campus. Findings can be utilized to better support this growing group of students to ensure their assimilation into campus life while achieving their articulated academic goals.

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  Nano-scale patterns of molybdenum on glass substrate for use in super-resolution imaging with metamaterials.

  Han Li

  Photolithography is widely used to transfer a geometric pattern from a mask to a photoresist film, but the minimum feature sizes are limited by diffraction through the mask. Focused ion beam and electron beam lithography can be used when higher resolution is desired, but the write times are long and costly. Deep ultraviolet interference lithography, which is a maskless technique, can be used as an alternative to produce high resolution patterns with feature sizes as small as 100 nm. Since double negative metamaterial superlenses can be used for super-resolving and imaging sub-wavelength objects, there is a need for fabricating such objects to characterize the performance of these metamaterials. In this paper, simulations using standard finite element methods are first used to verify super-resolution and near-field imaging at 405 nm for such objects using a metamaterial superlens previously fabricated from silver and silicon carbide nanoparticles. Thereafter, results of fabrication and characterization of sub-wavelength objects using molybdenum of typical thickness 50 nm initially sputtered on a glass substrate is presented. A deep ultraviolet laser source at 266 nm is used. An anti-reflection layer followed by a high resolution negative tone photoresist is coated on the top of the molybdenum film. The cross-linked photoresist created after the development and bake processes is used as a mask for etching. Fabrication of the sub-wavelength object is completed using reactive ion etching in fluorinated plasma. Both 1D and 2D patterns are fabricated. The quality of the sub-wavelength objects during fabrication is checked using scanning electron microscopy, and the 1D object is characterized using TE and TM polarized illumination.