Stander Symposium Projects

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  Real-time 3D Scene Reconstruction with Surface Optimization

  Ruixu Liu

  A real-time 3D scene reconstruction system with surface optimization is proposed. The dense 3D point cloud model is created by utilizing rotation and orientation invariant feature matching along with loop-closure detection algorithm on RGB-D images in a mobile robot. The high resolution and smooth mesh model is implemented on a GPU based computer through wireless communication.

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  Real World Comparison of Modern Power v. Alternative "Green" Energy

  Davis R.C. Davis, Aaron Joseph Eversole, Daniel Thomas Vezdos

  Currently in the modern world we are faced with greater and greater evidence of the shortcomings in the conservation and protection of our shared earth. No place is this more evident than our reliance on the modern power cycle. In an effort to better understand the modern power cycle and the facts, both negative and positive, of “green” replacements we analyzed cradle to grave economic, environmental, and political impacts of said areas. All in an effort to finally settle the case of modern power v. alternative “green” energy.

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  Reducing Thermal Limitations of Flexible Electronics with Printed Architected Substrates

  Katherine Morris Burzynski

  Consumers and military personnel alike are demanding ubiquitous electronic devices which require enhanced flexibility and conformality of electronic materials and packaging, while maintaining device performance. Whether it be high-power devices for faster data speeds, such as fifth generation wireless communication technology or wearable sensors to facilitate the Internet of Things, the age of flexible, high performance electronic devices has begun. Managing the heat from flexible electronics is a fundamental challenge. Even on rigid substrates with significantly higher thermal conductivity than polymeric substrates, the full potential of semiconducting materials is often thermally limited. The flexible gallium nitride (GaN) transistors employed in this work are conventionally processed devices that can be released from their growth substrate and transferred to a variety of rigid and flexible substrates. Characterization of the GaN device behavior on the as-grown sapphire wafers provide a baseline for evaluation of engineered substrates. Thermal imaging of devices in operation reveals that the current passing through an as-grown GaN transistor reaches the target operating temperature at approximately five times the power of the same device transferred to a flexible substrate. Printable, thermally conductive nanocomposites integrating 1D, 2D, and 3D forms of carbon in a flexible polymer matrix, as well as metal nanoparticles, were developed to maximize heat transfer from electronic devices. The thermal conductivity of the candidate substrate materials was measured experimentally to have more than a 900 percent increase in thermal conductivity (from 0.2 to 1.7 W/mK), while maintaining desirable mechanical properties. The performance of devices transferred to these novel flexible composite substrates was characterized and used in computational simulations to predict flexible substrate architectures that effectively promote point-to-volume heat transfer to further improve device performance. Additive manufacturing for engineered architectures of the flexible, thermally conductive substrate materials was demonstrated to substantially reduce the thermal limitation of high-power flexible electronics.

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  Regression Analysis of United States Airfare

  Sarah Marie Hartness

  Millions of flights depart in the United States every year. Using a 10% sample of all flights tracked by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, we will study how much it costs on average to fly domestically and its distribution. We will also take the four most popular states to fly out of (California, Florida, Texas, and New York) and compare the costs people are paying to fly from these states and whether or not people are flying round trip from these states. Regression analysis will be used to study the relationship between several variables (for example, the number of passengers and the distance) and the cost of the flights. Finally, we will look at when people are flying most often. It is expected to be in the last quarter of the year due to the holiday season.

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  Relatedness and Well-being in the Digital Age

  Christopher Theodore Jurgens

  Research on online socialization and well-being has found positive as well as inverse relations. The present study (N = 200 Mechanical Turk participants) investigates online relatedness to others, which we expect to correlate positively with well-being and to be greater for users on forum platforms than for social networking sites (SNS) like Facebook. We also investigate well-being differences between online socialization platforms, which we expect to be higher for forum usage than for SNS usage. Finally, we examine mediating and moderating effects of online relatedness, such that (1) online forum relatedness mediates the relation between forum use and well-being and (2) participants with low SNS relatedness and high SNS usage report especially low levels of well-being than do participants with high SNS relatedness regardless of SNS usage.

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  Religiosity and Political Participation

  George Joseph Bommer, Claudia Nicole Dominique, Bea Mercedes Santos

  Religiosity can be described as the extent to which an individual is committed to their values, beliefs, and practices of, or related to, their faith. A person’s religiosity can impact many aspects of daily life, including their identity and attitudes towards politics. The relationship between religion and politics has been the focus of much research, with many studies examining the relationship between religiosity and political affiliation, or the political party with which a person most identifies. Data from the 2018 midterm elections (Pew, 2018) found that the candidate a person voted for was largely influenced by their religious affiliation, such that more religious people, in general, were more likely to vote for Republican candidates while less religious people were more likely to vote for Democratic candidates. Recently, however, studies have shifted their attention to the association between religiosity and politically-related civic engagement. While previous research finds that religiosity impacts who a person votes for, it does not speak to whether voting in elections, in general, differs by a person's religiosity. The current research seeks to contribute to this line of research by focusing on the extent to which an individual’s religiosity is associated with their political behavior, specifically whether they register to vote and whether they vote (if eligible and registered).

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  Resolution Exploration using Two-Dimensional Deep Learning Architectures

  Brandon Montel Payne

  The main objective of this research project is image resolution exploration for employing two-dimensional deep learning architectures and algorithms. This is to aid in military surveillance in either drones or ground robots that are used for collecting information to detect threat objects. The goal of the proposed research is to make the autonomous system be able to recognize certain objects in the field by using 2D machine learning resources, and to determine the resolution requirement in the imagery.

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  Resolution exploration using Two-Dimensional Deep Learning Architectures for Infrared Data Captures

  Jonathan Paul Schierl

  This project investigates the effectiveness of deep learning architecture as a means of object detection. To determine the accuracy of the developed algorithm, two-dimensional short-wave infrared aerial captures will be used as training data. By analyzing the accuracy of detection rates with varying resolutions, a baseline image quality for accurate detection will begin to emerge.

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  Resolving the Molecular Mechanisms by Which DNA Mutations Alter the Function of a Genetic Switch

  Michael Weinstein

  Animal genomes likely possesses anywhere from tens of thousands to more than a million mutations that are genetic baggage from DNA replication mistakes or “mutations” that occurred in the past. Each mutation can either improve, reduce, or have no effect on fitness. Moreover, the effects of such mutations can depend on the presence or absence of other mutations, so called epistatic interactions. A goal of evolutionary-developmental biology research is to identify the mutations responsible for the evolution of form and function, and to understand the molecular mechanisms of their effects. This goal remains out of reach, as the effects of mutations and epistatic interactions are difficult to predict without knowing the function of the DNA sequence they reside in. This difficulty is heightened for mutations occurring in cis-regulatory element sequences that act as switches to control gene transcription. We are using a fruit fly model to test hypotheses about the molecular mechanisms by which mutations alter a genetic switch’s activity, and whether these function-altering mutations are subjected to the tyranny of epistatic interactions. Specifically, we are investigating the Drosophila melanogaster dimorphic element that is a transcription-regulating switch for the bric-à-brac genes. Three mutations in the dimorphic element were identified that individually alter the level of bric-à-brac transcription. The presence or absence of epistatic interactions will be determined by measuring the activity of dimorphic elements from related species that have been engineered to possess the Drosophila melanogaster mutations. I will also test the hypothesis that these mutations impart their effects by creating or destroying binding sites for proteins known as transcription factors. The results will provide a sorely needed example where an understanding of molecular mechanisms bridges the gap between a cis-regulatory element’s DNA sequence and it’s in vivo function.

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  Revising a Document About Sugar and the Body for UD Intensive English Program Students

  Nicholas Bianco, Patrick William O'Brien, Katie Marie Perry, Janeta Y Yancheva

  Having adequate health literacy is important in order for someone to be able to understand medical information that is presented to them. On UD’s campus, a large number of international students speak English as their second language. For this project, we worked with the Intensive English Program (IEP) students to create a brochure about sugar and the body that is more understandable and usable for their literacy level. We met with the IEP students at the beginning of the project to see what they already understood and what they wanted to learn more about. While the average American reading level is 8th grade, the IEP students in this course read at approximately a 3rd-4th-grade level. The goal of our project was to modify an existing document to make it readable and usable for the IEP students. The document we chose came from betterhealth.vic.gov.au. We first analyzed the four domains of health literacy by performing a Health Literacy Load Analysis in order to improve the readability in our final brochure. We field tested the draft with the IEP students once more before finalizing the brochure to gain feedback on their understanding of the material. The completion of the final document was followed with a SMOG and Word test and determined that the reading level was reduced significantly. This project showed us that it is possible to reduce a health document to a lower reading level in order to more effectively communicate health information.

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  Risk in Fraternity and Sorority Life: the Policies, Experiences, and Opinions of the Students

  Ally Katherine Michalski

  At times it seems as if the word risk is synonymous with fraternity and sorority life. Are there more problems involving students in Greek organizations or does the media make it seem that way? Are female students in sororities more likely to feel unsafe or be subjected to dangerous behavior? Do men and women in fraternities and sororities get lower grades? The purpose of this study was to find out what kind of risk, if any, students in fraternities and sororities feel exist on their campus or nationally. This research was conducted with the intent to learn from students and understand what experiences they have had while participating in Greek-letter organizations. Interviews were conducted with current undergraduate students from two different institutions to find out their thoughts and opinions about risk and their experiences thus far as members of their organizations. The questions were created based off of three topics that were recurrent while preparing to conduct interviews, alcohol consumption, sexual encounters, and individual student development and academics. The conclusions of this research come from time spent with various students from their different respective councils. It shows that while they may have chosen different organizations based on values and needs, many of their experiences when it comes to risk, and as a whole, have been similar.

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  Role of calcium signaling in Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer’s disease

  Neha Gogia, Chris Y Kang, Dena M Schaeffer, Catherine Jean Yeates

  Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects more than five million individuals in the United States alone, where it is the sixth leading cause of death. While there is currently no cure for the disease, it is a highly investigated topic of research. The Drosophila melanogaster eye model is an excellent system to study AD, due to the highly conserved genetic machinery shared between flies and humans. We have developed a transgenic fly model of AD in which we use the GAL4/UAS system to misexpress high levels of human Aβ42 peptides in the differentiating photoreceptor neurons in the fly eye. We use this system to determine whether modulating the function of the calcium signaling pathway can modify Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. We used RNAi to knock down six components of the calcium signaling pathway (stim-RNAi, serca-RNAi, orai-RNAi, inx2-RNAi, ip3r-RNAi, and plc 21c-RNAi) in an Aβ42 background in the eye and observed the effects in both eye antennal imaginal discs and adult eyes. Our results showed evidence that knocking down components of the calcium signaling pathway may ameliorate the neurodegeneration mediated by Aβ42. Aberrant calcium signaling has also been implicated in cancer and other neurological diseases besides AD. Our research further implicates intracellular calcium signaling in neurodegenerative disorders such as AD. Further research will determine the molecular mechanisms linking calcium signaling with Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration.

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  Role of Hippo and Ecdysone Receptor Signaling in regulation of dronc.

  Karishma Sanjay Gangwani

  The Hippo pathway is an evolutionarily conserved pathway that regulates organ size and tissue homeostasis in Drosophila and mammals. The pathway functions by regulating the nuclear availability of transcriptional cofactor Yorkie (Yki), mammalian YAP, which is regulated by the activity of a core kinase cascade comprising the serine threonine kinases Hippo (Hpo) and Warts (Wts) and their accessory proteins. Yki binds with transcription factors like Scalloped (Sd) or Homothorax (Hth) to regulate target genes involved in cell proliferation and survival. Downregulation of the Hpo pathway causes increased cell proliferation and overgrowth, whereas hyperactivation of this pathway leads to cell death due to activation of caspases. Caspase proteins are cysteine aspartic proteases which play essential roles in cellular signaling and development via apoptosis. We showed that the initiator caspase dronc (mammalian Caspase 9) is a transcriptional target of Yki. We found that loss of Hippo signaling leads to downregulation of dronc expression, whereas downregulation of Sd resulted in derepression of dronc expression. We also found that known binding partners of Sd like E2F and Tgi are also involved in regulating dronc expression. Earlier studies have shown that dronc expression is regulated by the Ecdysone receptor (EcR) signaling pathway and mapped a EcR regulatory element on dronc promoter. We found that depletion of EcR or its corepressors like Smrter caused de-repression of dronc expression. Overexpression of Taiman (Tai) a binding partner of EcR and Yki also derepressed dronc expression. We hypothesize that dronc expression is regulated by the Hippo and EcR signaling pathways. Here, we present our work on the regulation of dronc by the Hippo and EcR signaling pathways, and its implications on development.

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  Role of Hippo Signaling in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) disease using Drosophila eye model

  Neha Gogia, Abijeet Singh Mehta

  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of cortical and spinal motor neurons with no known cure to-date. Mutations in genes including human Fused in Sarcoma (h-FUS), (caz in Drosophila), is a DNA/RNA binding protein, plays a crucial role in regulating nucleocytoplasmic RNA transport, alternative splicing and has known to be associated with causing ALS. It has been shown earlier that targeted misexpression of h-FUS or its mutants R518K and R521C (using GAL4/UAS system), in Drosophila melanogaster (a.k.a fruit fly) eye, causes accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins which enhances ALS mediated neurodegeneration. In order to 1. understand this process better, 2. search for genetic modifier of ALS and 3. to elucidate the mechanism of action by which FUS mediates neurodegeneration, we used this fruit fly eye model of ALS (as genetic machinery is conserved from fruit flies to humans) and, checked the effect of modulating the levels of Hippo (growth regulatory pathway, highly conserved) and c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling in h-FUS or its mutants R518K, R521C background and checked for their resultant phenotypes in 1. larval eye-antennal imaginal discs and 2. adult fly eyes. Results from our studies confirms that, Hippo (hpo), is a newly identified genetic modifier of ALS mediated neurodegeneration, and that activation of Hippo or JNK pathway in FUS background worsens FUS mediated neurodegeneration while their in-activation significantly rescues FUS mediated neurodegeneration in fly eye. The results were confirmed by checking 1. cell death (TUNEL assay), 2. axonal targeting (functionality of photoreceptor neurons) from the retina to the brain, 3. Q-PCR, Western blot analysis, and 4. by checking how downstream targets of Hippo and JNK pathway gets regulated in these backgrounds. Our data presents a model that upregulation of FUS or its mutants, results in activation of Hippo pathway, which further activates c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling and causes neurodegeneration/ photoreceptor neuronal cell death which ultimately causes ALS. This study helps in understanding the molecular genetic mechanism behind ALS associated h-FUS mediated neurodegeneration and finding effective, reliable future therapeutic targets that can modify the neurodegenerative behavior of ALS.

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  Role of Lunasin in Alzheimer’s disease

  Steven Gerard Borchers, Prajakta D Deshpande, Neha Gogia

  Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a common form of dementia and age related progressive neurodegenerative disorder, manifests as memory loss and reduced cognitive ability. One of the hallmarks of AD is the formation of the Amyloid-beta 42 (hereafter Aβ42) plaques, which triggers oxidative stress due to aberrant signaling and finally results in the death of neurons. However, the exact mechanism causing cell death is still not well understood. We misexpressed high levels of human Aβ42 protein in the developing fly retina, which mimics AD-like neuropathology. Recently, we found that a plant protein Lunasin can ameliorate Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration in the eye by blocking c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway. It is known that Immune deficiency (IMD) pathway, Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, Toll receptor pathway and JNK pathway crosstalk with each other in neurodegeneration. Here we test the role of IMD and NF-κB pathway in Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. Loss of function of Relish (Rel), a member of and NF-κB and its downstream gene- Diptericin rescues the small glazy eye phenotype. Our working model is that Lunasin might down-regulate JNK signalling pathway which in turn downregulates IMD pathway to ameliorate Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration.

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  Role of Relish/NFkB Apoptosis Pathway in Amyloid-beta 42 mediated neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease

  Steven Gerard Borchers, Prajakta D Deshpande, Neha Gogia

  Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is a neurodegenerative disease which affects mental functions of the patients. This disorder progresses with age and does not have a cure to-date. One of the reasons for the manifestation of AD is the accumulation of amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) proteins. In our study, we have used Drosophila as our model organism (as 75% of the genetic machinery is conserved between flies and humans), and have developed a model where when human Aβ42 is misexpressed in the differentiating eye, it triggers cell death in retinal neurons of the eye. We have identified that Lunasin (a soy-based anti-inflammatory protein), can block Aβ42 mediated cell death and thus wanted to test whether NFkB pathway (anti-inflammatory pathway, lead to translation of apoptotic proteins of jun-N Terminal Kinase, JNK pathway), helps lunasin blocking cell death. In order to test this, we developed transgenic flies which can produce human Aβ42 and Aβ42+Lunasin in Drosophila eye and checked the effect of modulating NFkB pathway in this background. Our hypothesis states that manipulating the levels of Relish (component of the Imd-NFkB pathway), could lead to activity variation in JNK pathway in Aβ42+Lunasin flies. To test our hypothesis, we used GAL4/UAS system genetic technique and misexpressed Relish and RelishRNAi in human Aβ42 and Aβ42+Lunasin background and checked for the resultant phenotypes in (1) larval eye discs and (2) adults. Our data shows that downregulation of Relish interferes with Lunasin’s ability to rescue Aβ42 phenotypes and thus leads to eye suppression phenotypes, which suggests that Imd-NFkB pathway plays a positive role in Lunasin’s ability to mitigate the neuronal cell death cause by the accumulation of Aβ42 plaques. These studies have significant bearing on the use of NFkB members as biomarkers or druggable targets and generate new insights into the mechanism by which Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration cell death can be blocked in future.

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  Roles for cell-cell signaling in the spread of Aβ42-mediated pathology in Drosophila eye model

  Prajakta D Deshpande, Catherine Jean Yeates

  Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder with no cure and few effective treatments. AD causes profound cognitive deficits and memory impairments. Here we use a Drosophila model of AD to study the interactions between diseased and healthy cells to better understand the spread of the disease through the brain. Accumulation of the peptide amyloid beta into plaques is one of the characteristics of the disease. A 42 amino acid peptide, Aβ42, is a cleavage product of Amyloid Precursor Protein. Aβ42 tends to aggregate and forms oligomers, eventually making up the plaques seen in the disease. Human Aβ42 can be expressed in the developing retinal cells of fruit flies. In this study we use twin-spot MARCM (Mosaic Analysis with a Repressible Cell Marker) with the FLP/FRT system to express Aβ42. This yields animals with GFP-negative WT cells adjacent to GFP-positive Aβ42-expressing cells in a heterozygous background. We found that populations of Aβ42-expressing cells are much larger than the adjacent populations of WT cells. This suggests that cell-cell signaling between the two populations may be either interfering with the proliferation of WT cells or inducing cell death at a later stage in development. Previous research has implicated Aβ42 in the aberrant activation of pathways leading to cell death. Here we present evidence that signaling between Aβ42-expressing cells and adjacent WT cells mediates neurodegeneration.

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  School Choice

  Madison Johanna Spicuzza, Emily M Sreenan

  One recent topic of controversy in the United States is the idea of “school choice” and whether the benefits of giving families the ability to choose any type of school truly outweighs the drawbacks. Financial stratification within school choice leads to lower income families and minority groups being limited in their choices, even if a child may benefit from a different type of school or type of education specifically. This project outlines the academic benefits and drawbacks, as well as the financial implications for families desiring to utilize school choice. It also examines Montessori education as an example of one option in school choice. Specifics of this type of schooling will be identified, such as the emotional benefits of having it as a choice for many students who would thrive under the individualized environment. However, the financial costs and demographics are also included to shed light on the possible discrimination of the choice system. Using Montessori education as an example aims to demonstrate the possible controversy regarding the idea of school choice, and whether there truly is a choice for all.

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  School Funding and Extracurricular Activities

  Andrew Michael Buchanan, Maria Christine DiFranco

  This poster describes the benefits of performing arts in students’ academics, as well as school funding policies that affect the overall success of students. Differences in funding by district and state are explored and how the unequal distribution contributes to school inequality. With the performing arts often being ignored, the importance of funding students’ artistic endeavors is explored, as well as how the performing arts increases students’ academic performance. The performing arts can benefit children in multiple different ways. One way is the use of theatre inside the classroom. Studies have shown that by integrating the arts in other subjects, students’ interest in school increases, and so their performance also benefits. The arts have been shown to increase language skills and interpersonal skills, which help underprivileged kids especially since often they are behind in these rudimentary skills. These skills do not have to be learned in a classroom, however, and can be learned if students participate in the performing arts outside of school as well. These theatre experiences show benefits such as cooperative skills and can be used in any grade. They should not be ignored in early childhood classes, but more frequently have been shown to decline in schools.

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  Self-Authorship and Meaning Making Through Tattoos

  Michael Andrew Detmer

  The role of the Student Affairs professional is to help students move towards self-authorship and independence, pushing them to become their most authentic self. A part of that process comes in the form of self-expression, and tattoos can be a large part of that. The questions that this study seeks to address are: How do students make meaning of the external and internal messages they receive about tattoos? To what extent do student describe getting a tattoo as connected to their identity development? The purpose of this study to explore how students who have tattoos, or those that are contemplating getting one, use tattoos to facilitate their movement towards self-authorship (or personal independence). This study seeks to examine tattooed students, or students strongly considering getting a tattoo, and how they make meaning of the external and internal messages they receive about them and if the tattoos they have (or will get) are connected to their identity development. Findings from this study emerge from interviews with tattooed University of Dayton students about the internal and external messages they have received about tattoos in a society that still connects tattoos with a negative stigma. Early findings suggest that students see their tattoos/the process of getting a tattoo as a way to let the world know that they are an individual, and can link it to some form of their identity. Other early findings suggest that the process of getting a tattoo can be some sort of healing process. Findings from this study can be used in practice by understanding if/why a student links their tattoo(s) to their identity, and offer them a space to open up and talk about what they mean and to help break the negative social stigma that comes with tattoos.

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  Self-Authorship and Queer Students of Color

  John Lewis McGee

  Self-authorship is an important concept which allows higher education professionals to see the development of students and how students make meaning and create relationships. Higher education for years has failed to examine queer students of color, grouping them under an operative assumption, which assumes that they develop the same way students of color or queer students do. This failure to recognize the intersections of racial and sexual identities has led to the lack of literature written and exploration of queer students of color and self-authorship. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which queer students of color develop self-authorship at predominantly White Institutions. Grounded in the constructivist paradigm, using the narrative inquiry, this study describes the cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal experiences of queer students of color in the Midwest. As this study demonstrates, intersectionality plays a critical role in how students identify, make meaning and create relationships often involving the feeling or a need to overcompensate in other aspects of life.

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  Serving the 6%: First Generation Students in a Multigenerational Campus Environment

  Ashantice De'Oun Johnson-Knox

  First generation college students (FGCS) often face hardships throughout their college experiences, from matriculation to graduation. The FGCS population is growing every year, which increases the urgent need to properly serve them. The University of Dayton is known for making their students feel at home on their campus. Although FGC students currently represent only 6% of the undergraduate student population at the University of Dayton, the university will soon be seeing an increase in this student population with the addition of Flyer Promise and the UD-Sinclair Academy. The demand for services and resources that fit the needs of these students will become increasingly urgent. By utilizing interviews with five current first-generation students, this study highlights the ways in which FGCS navigate an unfamiliar campus environment.

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  Shame on Me? Examining Impression Management and Appearance-Related Shame Across the Menstrual Cycle

  Nicole Beasley, Kala Marie Jablonski, Fiona Mairin O'Malley

  Impression management occurs most often in social interactions in which a person regulates and controls the information they share, usually to present themselves in a positive manner. The desire to make a positive impression on other people can impact the type of information a person shares with others as well as the amount of effort one puts into their physical appearance. Previous research finds that, at peak fertility, women tend to put more effort into their physical appearance than when they are at low fertility, at least in part, to appear more attractive to potential mates. However, failing to appear physically attractive or not trying to make a positive impression on potential mates by looking your best may lead to feelings of shame about one’s efforts at making a positive impression on others. The present research examines the association between fertility and appearance-related shame, and whether that association varies by impression management. It is predicted that women with higher levels of impression management will experience higher appearance-related shame at peak fertility than women lower in impression management.

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  SharkTank Deal Prediction: Dataset and Computational Model

  Thomas Sherk

  SharkTank is a television show where start-ups pitch their idea to a panel of five investors (sharks) in hopes of striking a deal in the form of equity or royalties for money and other business perks. Since its inception, SharkTank has been a center of discussion and analysis for fans, statisticians, and business people alike in hopes of cracking the code to the start-up world and figuring out the next big ‘thing’. Most of these discussions and analyses have come in the form of blogs, articles, and academic research. However, there has been a lack of complete datasets and application of computational models for further analysis. In this project, we investigate factors that play into the SharkTank deal. To this end, we first collect a new dataset, SharkTank Deal Dataset (STDD), by combining data from multiple public sources. The dataset includes descriptive features of each start-up and episode such as product category, team composition, valuation, equity offering, specific sharks that appear on that episode, and state origin. For the computational model, we propose the non-negative least square regression with regularization term to predict whether a start-up strikes a deal with a shark. We conduct experiments to demonstrate the superiority of our model over the baselines, namely, neural network, non-negative least square, ridge regression.

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  Simulation of the Impact of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles at a Signalized Intersection

  Hamad Bader Almobayedh

  The primary objective of this study is to simulate the potential impacts connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) may have on traffic flow and delay at a typical urban signalized intersection. Essentially, to use a microscopic traffic simulation software to test future CAV technology within a virtual environment, by examining different levels of CAVs with their associated behaviors across several scenarios to be simulated. This study is testing and simulating the impact of autonomous vehicles compared with conventional vehicles at the signalized intersection. Specifically, we are analyzing and comparing the operations of the signalized intersection when there are only conventional vehicles, conventional vehicles mixed with Autonomous vehicles, and when there are only Autonomous vehicles. Additionally, this study will show how Autonomous vehicles can improve and reduce traffic delay (congestion) by quantifying the extent the intersection can be improved. The most current PTV Vissim 11 software is being used for simulating different percentages of three different types of autonomous vehicles and conventional vehicles in the traffic stream at the intersection. There are three different levels of autonomous vehicles that are already installed in PTV Vissim 11, which are AV cautious, AV normal, and AV all-knowing. All these Autonomous vehicles are being tested in different scenarios in this study. Real data from an existing signalized intersection in the city of Dayton, Ohio are used in the PTV Vissim software simulation. The traffic count data being used in the Vissim network model are for morning and evening peak hours. Moreover, the existing signal timing data for the intersection are being used and signal timing was optimized using Synchro. The results attributes from Vissim outputs to be used to compare different scenarios are travel time, queue delay, queue length, stopped delay, and vehicle delay.