Stander Symposium Projects

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  Efflux Pump Inhibition in Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

  C.J. Roger Moellering

  Over the past few decades, bacteria have become resistant to multiple antibiotics due to humans misusing and overusing antibiotics. Over-expression of bacterial efflux pumps has been identified as a key player in bacterial drug resistance. Over-expression of these pumps essentially allows bacteria to transport antibiotics from their intracellular space to their extracellular space before the antibiotics can effectively act on the organisms. To combat multiple drug resistance in bacteria, this research aimed to find natural, plant-derived inhibitors of an efflux pump in E. coli called the AcrAB-TolC pump. Cinnamon, cranberry, pumpkin seeds, thyme, black tea, and oolong tea were chosen for testing for inhibition of this pump. These items were ground, dried, and put in an extractor to isolate polar compounds which were eventually introduced into a bacterial fluorescence assay. Ultimately, the oolong tea was the only extract tested that led to a positive fluorescence reading, reflecting potential inhibition of the AcrAB-TolC pump. Isolation and purification of the active compound within oolong tea still an ongoing area of investigation.

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  Electrokinetic Desalinization of Kaolin Soil with Acetic Acid

  Ronald Christopher Knapp

  Sodium and chloride both dissolve in water and are carried into the ground by precipitation runoff. This runoff pollutes the soil, negatively impacting wildlife and vegetation. The use of electrokinetic remediation (EKR) techniques has been demonstrated to remove salt, heavy metals, and other contaminates from soil. One issue during the process is that chloride ions buildup near the anode, and are not removed. This experiment was performed to determine if using acetic acid as the cathode fluid during EKR would remove this buildup and increase the total amount of chloride removed. Three acrylic tubes were packed with kaolin clay with an initial concentration of 8000ppm NaCl. Each tube used tap water as the anode purge solution. The cathode purge solution was initially tap water; after two days, the purge solution for Tubes 2 and 3 were switched to 0.1M acetic acid and 0.5M acetic acid, respectively. The electrodes were flushed at a rate of 50.00μL/min. The tubes were hooked up to a DC power source providing 15V for 11.5 days. Ion selective electrodes, a spear-tipped pH probe, and a handheld multi-meter were used to collect data. 55.8% of the chloride ions were removed from Tube 1, 56.7% from Tube 2, and 53.1% from Tube 3. Tube 3 also had the greatest concentration of chloride ions remaining near the anode at 9220ppm. As the concentration of acetic acid increased, the amount of chloride remaining near the anode increased. The use of acetic acid did not affect the overall removal of chloride ions.

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  Electronic communication and social media in organizations

  Shuo Du, Patrick Flynn Duggan, Micaela H Foley, James M Gates, Michael Dean Glaser, Katie Elizabeth Hathaway, Cameron Michael Hendershot, Daniel Patrick Kelly Jennrich, David Philip Kelley, Tillie Jean Kummerer, Carl J Legrett, Xiaoli Li, Kevin James Lynch, Mario Mathew Manta, Heather Elizabeth May, Ashley Elizabeth Mercs, Stephanie Adele Moline, P.J. Anthony Randazzo, Jack William Reilley, Jack D Schafer, Robert Conway Smyjunas, Xuanheng Wang, Conor Patrick Wood

  Students in ENG 372 Business & Professional Writing classes participated in a virtual business professional project that involves almost 600 students in 96 teams from 14 universities in 7 countries. All teams were asked to identify an organization that has a robust online presence, such as a web page, Facebook page, Twitter feed, customer blog, and so on. Then the team analyzed the quality of these mechanisms in terms of building and maintaining the organization’s reputation. They identified major conclusions about this company’s online presence. Finally they wrote a report that introduces the organization and its online communication tools, provides an analysis of its online presence, and offers recommendations for improvements. They evaluated the company’s reputation (built in or bolted on) and provided evidence for their conclusions. The report identified whether the organization is conveying its core values through its social media use and provide recommendations how the company can improve its online presence that address each of the conclusions. This project emphasizes the development of critical-thinking, cross-cultural communication in global contexts, and virtual collaboration and team-building skills.

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  Energy GPA in Student Neighborhood

  Saroj Bhattarai

  The University of Dayton houses almost 90% undergraduate student in on-campus residence. The university charges a fixed amount to every student for a semester, that amount covers the utility bills for that semester and no penalty charges even if they waste energy. This may lead to unnecessary use of energy like turning light on when the residence is empty and setting the thermostat set point constant every time. These behaviors can be controlled if an incentive is offered to the students that motivate them to use energy efficiently. This is possible in UD due to unique nature of university housing with separate gas and electric meter. A mathematical model is developed in R-software using the historical electrical and gas usage data from utility provider DP&L and Vectren respectively. This model helps to disaggregate the weather dependent and weather independent energy use. The actual energy use is compared with the baseline, heating and cooling energy use of the student residence. A report card is developed to provide the student with the feedback about their energy usage status and their residence’s energy saving level in the student neighborhood. This energy performance report card is sent to every resident via email which contains energy grade for natural gas, electricity and overall energy grade, residence rank in student neighborhood for energy saving, winning residence, and tips for improving the energy grade in the successive months. The residents of the winning residence are awarded a t-shirt and an article of the winning residents in a flyer news as a part of this program to incentivize them. After the implementation of this program, 5 to 10% of carbon emission saving is achieved through natural gas saving and some carbon emission saving in available from electricity saving due to change in student behavior toward energy use.

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  Epitaxial titanium nitride on sapphire: Effects of substrate temperature on microstructure and optical properties

  Hadley Anna Smith

  Titanium Nitride (TiN) is a mechanically-robust, high-temperature stable, metallic material receiving considerable attention for resilient plasmonics. In this work, we fabricated six hetero-epitaxial TiN films on sapphire using controllably unbalanced reactive magnetron sputtering. We examined the effect of substrate growth temperature on the plasmonic and crystalline quality of the film. Optical properties of all films were obtained from spectroscopic ellipsometry; plasmonic quality factors were determined from the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function. We determined crystallinity using X-ray diffraction and surface morphology using atomic force microscopy. X-ray diffraction showed (111) TiN peaks with Pendellösung fringes indicating consistent hetero-epitaxy. Atomic force microscopy showed smooth surfaces with RMS surface roughness ranging from 0.2-2.6 nm. Based on this characterization, we determined that the substrate deposition temperature of 550˚C yielded (111)-oriented hetero-epitaxial TiN with minimal surface roughness. We found that 550˚C also gave highest plasmonic quality factors for all wavelengths, approaching the values of today’s best plasmonic materials (such as Au and Ag). Further, the Q-factors at wavelength 1550 nm inversely correlated with calculated lattice constants indicating stoichiometric tuning of plasmonic properties. Our results indicate that the plasmonic response of TiN is directly linked with structural quality and stoichiometry of the film.

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  Ethical Issues in Journalism: Minimizing Harm when Reporting on Children

  Meg Elizabeth Gramza, William Lawrence Wharton

  Meg Gramza explores the ethical challenges the press faces when reporting on sex trafficking, especially when victims are children. She recommends how journalists can meet their obligation to report truth and do so thoroughly, while minimizing risks of additional harm to the victims. William Wharton explores the ethics involved in photographing children who have been victims of crime and how photojournalists can avoid adding to children’s trauma.

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  Ethic Issues in Journalism: How Much is Too Much to Report?

  Tyler Kent Jones, Kelsey Elizabeth Kramb

  Tyler Jones looks at the public's right to information about government, journalists’ duty to serve the public, and government's need to keep secrets in the national interest. Jones examines when, how and to what extent journalists should disclose classified material. Kelsey Kramb looks at the ethical minefields that arise during breaking news events. She examines how the reporters can adhere to journalistic values and ethics in situations where truth is not always immediately apparent. When and how much information should journalists disclose in such cases?

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  Ethic Issues in Journalism: Interviewing Victims

  Molly Marie Clayton, Elizabeth C Dolehide, Caitlin Rebecca Marshall

  Molly Clayton, Elizabeth Dolehide and Caitlin Marshall examine ethical challenges that arise when journalists interview people who have been involved in tragic events, children who have been victims of crime, and people who have been sexually assaulted. The interviewing process can be cathartic for the interviewees, but it also can provoke traumatizing memories. Clayton, Dolehide and Marshall look at journalists’ interviewing techniques in these specific situations, explore the potential problems, and suggest ways that journalists can be more sensitive in their interviews while still meeting their obligations to report the truth and serve the public.

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  Ethic Issues in Journalism: Maintaining Journalistic Independence

  Christopher James Lareau, Emily M Lawton

  Christopher LaReau examines sports journalism and conflicts that arise when journalists report on hometown and favored sports teams. He identifies how journalists can maintain their objectivity in order to report fully and truthfully. Emily Lawton examines the challenges that arise when news organizations’ business interests become news. She identifies how journalists can maintain their journalistic integrity while reporting on their own employers.

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  Ethic Issues in Journalism: Reporting Truth while Respecting Privacy

  Elizabeth Grace Elward, Mari Margaret Fazio

  Mari Fazio looks at how the press covers private individuals who have been thrust into the public limelight through, for example, natural disasters. Fazio addresses how journalists can report the news and still respect people’s privacy. Elizabeth Elward considers the long-standing debate in journalism on when, if ever, the press should identify victims of sexual assault. Elward explores the ethical issues involved, especially in light of today’s openness, and what might be the best course of action today.

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  Evaluation of a School-Based Tier Two Anxiety Intervention: The Worry Box Technique

  Katrina Olimpia Aguenza Lazarte

  School practitioners frequently learn about intervention strategies on websites, blogs, and social media, yet these strategies often lack empirical support. One such technique, the worry box, is a cognitive–behavioral strategy that may be implemented as a Tier 2 intervention for students with anxiety. This poster presentation will share the results of a study that examined the effectiveness and feasibility of the worry box technique for children with anxiety in a school setting.

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  Examining the Experience of Choosing a Major among First-Year, First-Generation, Undecided Undergraduates at the University of Dayton

  Adam Thomas Solomon

  Over half of all students who withdraw from college do so within their first year, resulting in a first-year attrition rate of over 25% at four-year institutions, and roughly 50% at two-year institutions (Cuseo, 2005). Undecided students and first-generation students represent two populations who are at the greatest risk of attrition. Since the 1980s, both populations of students have increasingly become the focus of study in the retention literature, and yet little has been written about the intersection of these two student characteristics. This qualitative, phenomenological study attempts to address this intersectionality by highlighting the experience of decision-making around choice of major among first-year, first-generation, undecided undergraduates at the University of Dayton. Data collected via one-on-one interviews with participants reveal their extrinsic and intrinsic motivations for choosing a particular course of study, how they conceptualize choosing a major based on post-college aspirations, concerns about being undecided, and key figures who helped guide them through the process of choosing a major.

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  Examining the Stability of the Purrsonality of Felis catus, the Domestic House Cat.

  Taylor Nicole Chambers, Alexander N Lawriw

  People have a tendency to believe that their beloved furry felines have their own unique personalities. However, according to the traditional definition of personality, a set of characteristics that are stable across both time and different circumstances, this may not entirely be true. Previous research into this area has resulted in dimensional groupings of cat personality traits similar to those found within the well-known human equivalent, the Big Five (Feaver, Mendl & Bateson, 1986; Karsh & Turner, 1988; Bennett, Rutter, Woodhead & Howell, 2017; Ha & Ha, 2017). While the number of labels and dimensions discovered typically differs, these studies have all come to the conclusion that cat personality traits do exist, and that they vary from individual to individual. Yet, none of these studies have intentionally examined the stability of these traits, a key component of overall personality. The current study addresses this issue by asking primary caregivers of cats to rate, on a scale from one to five, how well 29 adjectives (taken from Bennett et al, 2017) describe their cat in three different situations and at two periods of time. The 29 adjectives rated by the participants were scored on the six dimensions of cat personality (playfulness, nervousness, amiability, dominance, demandingness, and gullibility) following the method of Bennett el al. (2017). Separate repeated measure ANOVAs were conducted with either situation or time as the independent variable. A Bonferroni adjusted α level of .05 / 6 = .00833 was used. Significant effects of situation were found for playfulness, nervousness, amiability, dominance and demandingness. Gullibility was not statistically significant. Significant effects of time were found for amiability, dominance, and demandingness. Playfulness, nervousness, and gullibility were not statistically significant at the Bonferroni corrected α level. In conclusion, while certain personality traits were found to be stable either across time or across situations, others were not; therefore, overall personality was not stable.

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  Experimental Validation and Reliability Testing for Center of Mass Body Tracking

  Kevin Michael Brand

  Determining and then tracking the center of mass is difficult for a connected system of segments, such as a human, animal, or humanoid robot. Available techniques to perform these operations are complicated, time-consuming, or expensive. The technique known as Statically Equivalent Serial Chain (SESC) modeling promises to be inexpensive, using only an Xbox Kinect and a Wii Balance Board for equipment, and quick because only a modest number of subject poses are needed. Although SESC models have previously proven to reasonably estimate the center of mass (CoM) of systems of bodies from a limited number of experiments, recent validation testing shows the capacity for significant improvement. This research aimed to improve upon current testing protocols, reduce sensor error through improved calibration, and refine the algorithm employed to produce more meaningful parameters. As the CoM is an important parameter in gait analysis, SESC methods are prominent when considering in-home rehabilitation techniques that are versatile enough to improve potentially offset CoM problems for people of differing body types and sizes. Due to this significance, the research performed continued the development of the SESC technique toward its use in individualized rehabilitation protocols.

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  Exploring Issues Pertaining to Bilingual Education

  Natalie Elizabeth Blank, Taylor Lou Flight

  This presentation will discuss the tactics and overall benefits of bilingual and immersive education. In addition, cost and accessibility of these types of programs will be discussed.

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  Exploring the impact of El Niño and La Niña on δD and δ18O patterns in global precipitation using ArcGIS software

  Amber Johnson

  This study aims to determine the impact of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events on the environmental factors (including temperature, latitude, elevation and precipitation amount) controlling stable isotopes in precipitation utilizing regression models in the ArcGIS software. Stable isotope ratios (δD and δ18O) of precipitation have been documented to be directly dependent on changes in temperature and precipitation amount in temperate and tropical regions of the world, respectively (Dansgaard, 1964). During El Niño and La Niña Southern Oscillation events, many regions of the world experience changes to temperature and precipitation amount, with some regions becoming cooler and wetter, others becoming warmer and drier, and many others experiencing patterns in between (Trenberth, 1997). Using ArcGIS, global maps will be created showing the variation in δ18O, temperature, latitude, elevation and precipitation amount for six selected years corresponding to strong El Niño, strong La Niña, and normal climatic conditions. Regression models will be performed by climate zone of the world (temperate, tropical, polar) to determine the relationship between environmental factors and δ18O. For normal years, the relationship between temperature and δ18O in temperate regions should be approximately linear (R2~1) and a positive trend, while the relationship between precipitation amount and δ18O in tropical regions should show a negative trend. The δ18O ratios in regions of the world that become cooler and wetter during ENSO events could be more depleted than during normal years, while regions that become warmer and drier will have more enriched ratios than during normal years. This project has immense significance in its potential to predict future patterns of δ18O globally during ENSO events, impact groundwater mass balance models, influence resource allocation in regions heavily impacted by ENSO events, and produce more accurate isotope-based paleoclimatic reconstruction models.

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  Exploring the knowledge and attitudes toward concussions among college football players

  Ian James Chennell, Megan Irene Grace, Marissa Ann Melaragno, Jamie Grace Squillante

  There have been increasing concerns on the issue of concussion in the world of football. The concussion effects are becoming more evident as the players get older and the more technology grows. Because of this, we wanted to look into the knowledge level and attitudes about concussions. Our study looks at multiple college football players and what their knowledge level and attitudes are about concussions. We will measure this by conducting interviews and administering surveys based on "Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey (RoCKAS)". We also took aspects of the Planned Behavior Theory and related them to our findings. The Planned Behavior Theory looks at an individual's drive and motivation to engage in a specific behavior. Specifically, we are interested in seeing if the knowledge level or attitudes about football among college football players would play a part in their athletic performance.

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  Exploring Undergraduate, International Student Retention at the University of Dayton

  Emily Mitolo Grasso

  The purpose of this qualitative, case study is to explore the challenges, responses and best practices of academic units in the retention of undergraduate, international students moving from their first to second year at the University of Dayton. The Deans’ offices were surveyed (n = 4) and interviewed (n = 4) electronically, revealing that there are not current retention initiatives for this student population within the academic units. The findings will be shared with the units as well as other support services across campus who may be able to take action to increase persistence of undergraduate, international students past their first year.

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  Extracellular biofilm polysaccharides-mediated antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

  Celeste Claire Bergman

  High density surface-attached growth of bacteria are called biofilms. This bacterial community secrete extracellular matrix materials, of which the major components are polysaccharides. The polysaccharides serve as adhesion molecules as well as a protective barrier against antibiotics and other antimicrobial compounds. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen, and its propensity to grow biofilms in infected sites causes serious medical problems, often untreatable due to their antibiotic resistance properties. The two major biofilm polysaccharides of P. aeruginosa are the PEL and PSL polysaccharides. In this project, we show the relationships between antibiotic resistance and PEL/PSL polysaccharides of P. aeruginosa biofilms.

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  Factors that Affect Students in an Urban Educational Setting

  Jack M Dalton, Natalie Grace Kremer, Brittany K Mason, Grace C Takacs

  This presentation explores how factors such as grade retention, food insecurity, drug use, and the school-to-prison pipeline affect students in an urban educational setting.

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  Fault Lines: Geopolitical Rivalry in the East China Sea

  Nicholas Alexander Dalton

  The Senkaku Islands dispute in the East China Sea stands as a major territorial dispute between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Japan. This dispute has periodically reemerged in the interactions between these two states between 1895, when the Senkaku Islands were definitively administered by Japan, and the present day. The dispute has undergone significant changes in its emphasis by both the PRC and Japan, as well as what the dispute is about. At its early stages, the Senkaku Islands dispute was largely ignored by both China and Japan. Even between 1971 and 1978, when the Senkaku Islands dispute entered its modern form, the dispute was deemphasized to promote normalization of relations between the PRC and Japan. However, after the 1980s, with a rising PRC and somewhat economically and militarily weaker Japan, the dispute emerged with new intensity. In turning to the focus of the Senkaku Islands dispute, this has involved both economic interests, such as the resources in and around the adjacent seabed, as well as elements of popular nationalism. The Senkaku Islands dispute has created significant tensions and military development between Japan and the PRC. This paper examines how the Senkaku Islands dispute has driven militarization between the PRC and Japan.

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  Fear no weevil: insect communities as indicators of restoration in an urban prairie network

  Erin Butrica, Amanda N Finke

  Tallgrass prairies are one of North America’s most threatened ecosystems, having been depleted to 4% of its original range. Because of this, conservationists have been working to protect the remaining prairies, as well as restoring and constructing new ones. However, studies are showing that these restored and constructed prairies may not support the same biodiversity and ecosystem services as natural prairies. Most of the biodiversity within these prairies is composed of arthropods. We determined how insect communities from remnant prairies (n=5) compare to that of constructed prairies (n=5) and old fields (n=4). At each site, we collected 4 samples of arthropods by sweepnetting 25 times each, pooling samples, and identifying all individuals to order. We also sampled plant and soil community characteristics. We saw that habitat type affected the number of Coleoptera (beetles), with more beetles in remnant prairies than restored or constructed prairies. Individuals from this order were identified to family, and we saw higher numbers of Phalacridae (shining flower beetles) and Curculionidae (weevils) in the remnant prairie sites. Because few studies look at organisms other than plants to determine success of restoration efforts, we see these beetles as potential indicator species that may help land managers in determining the success of prairie restorations.

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  Feeding the City: Food Access and Grocery Stores

  Tiffany Erin Hendricks

  Several areas of Dayton are considered “food deserts,” meaning that fresh fruit and vegetables, along with other healthful whole foods, are largely unavailable in these areas. Drawing on Facing Project Narratives in Dayton as well as social science literature, the purpose of this research poster is to investigate food access in the City of Dayton. More specifically, thise poster will highlight the causes, conditions, and effects of food deserts and how the presence of a food desert can be representative of the inequalities present in Dayton citizens’ lives. Additionally, connection between poverty and food access is discussed as well as current and potential efforts to combat this issue such as the Urban Renewal Farm, government-subsidized grocery stores, food cooperatives, and increasing the size and resources available for urban growing.

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  Feeding the City: Food Access and Grocery Stores

  Tiffany Erin Hendricks

  Several areas of Dayton are considered “food deserts,” meaning that fresh fruit and vegetables, along with other healthful whole foods, are largely unavailable in these areas. Drawing on Facing Project Narratives in Dayton as well as social science literature, the purpose of this research poster is to investigate food access in the City of Dayton. More specifically, thise poster will highlight the causes, conditions, and effects of food deserts and how the presence of a food desert can be representative of the inequalities present in Dayton citizens’ lives. Additionally, connection between poverty and food access is discussed as well as current and po­tential efforts to combat this issue such as the Urban Renewal Farm, government-subsidized grocery stores, food cooperatives, and increasing the size and resources available for urban growing.

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  Final High School GPA, What's the Big Deal?

  Katelyn Brohman

  This quantitative survey-based study explores whether or not there is a statistically significant correlation between final-year high-school GPA and first-semester college GPA among undergraduate students at the University of Dayton. The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not a final high school GPA is related to success in college. It is not rare for high school students to believe their GPA in high school directly relates to their ability to succeed in college; as a high school teacher, I believe this is incorrect. We put so much stress on high school GPA only for some students to be under-prepared when arriving at college. This study also explores the difference between students' first-semester college GPAs based on their self-identification as (a) not at all confident, (b) somewhat confident, (c) confident, or (d) very confident about being successful in college before they started as undergraduates at the University of Dayton.