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  The Values of Modern Eugenics

  James Leftwich

  The Values of Modern Eugenics In this project I will compare the values that influenced the eugenics movement of the early 1900s and the current movement to eradicate certain syndromes. I examine the work of Charles Davenport who was extremely influential in the Eugenics movement in the US. He was motivated by the goals of bettering humanity to create a super-race, solving social problems such as prostitution, alcoholism, criminality, and eliminating mental and bodily illnesses. He believed he could achieve them by means of forced sterilization, to prevent undesirable traits from being passed on to the next generation, and antiimmigration laws, to prevent immigration of people deemed inferior. These goals and the means for achieving them were based on the value of the superior Nordic European type of people, the ideal of an able body and mind, and a productive and efficient society. I compare the case of eugenics with the current movements to eradicate phenotypes that my lead to mental or bodily illnesses. I examine a famous program from Iceland that uses pre-natal screening technologies to help expecting mothers to test their fetuses for the Down syndrome and then decide whether to abort them. The program has nearly eradicated babies with the Down syndrome. This program is not mandatory. Supporters of the program argue that it makes the lives of the parents easier and helps to eliminate the financial burden on parents, especially those who cannot afford the extra care needed. I show that the values that underlie this program are trying to decrease the perceived burden these illnesses pose on society. I conclude by showing that the current programs to eradicate undesired syndromes assume values that are like the eugenics movement, but are dissimilar due to being voluntary, yet social expectations incentivize participation in them.

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  The Vulnerable Dark Triad and Empathy: Two Moderated-Mediation Models

  Elizabeth Bond

  The vulnerable dark triad (VDT) is a group of maladaptive personality styles consisting of vulnerable narcissism, secondary psychopathy, and borderline personality disorder, which has been found to be associated with empathic deficits. Past research has investigated a wide range of factors that may contribute to these deficits, such as alexithymia (the inability to identify or describe one’s own emotions), an invalidating childhood environment, negative mood state, anxiety, and self-compassion. However, a cohesive model linking these factors together has not yet been developed and investigated. The current study tested two moderated-mediation models with the goal of further understanding the association between the VDT and empathic deficits. In the first model, we hypothesized that alexithymia would mediate the relationship between the VDT and empathy (HY1), and that invalidating childhood environment would moderate the path from the VDT to alexithymia (HY2). In the second model, we hypothesized that negative mood states and state anxiety would mediate the relationship between the VDT and empathy (HY3), and that state self-compassion would moderate the path from the VDT to negative mood states and state anxiety. These models were tested using a college student sample of 236 participants who completed a collection of self-report measures online. Results partially supported Hypothesis 1, as alexithymia was found to mediate the relationship between both BPD tendencies and vulnerable narcissism, and affective empathy. The results of remaining mediation and moderated-mediation analyses did not support Hypotheses 2, 3, or 4.

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  The Wedding at Cana

  Sarah West, Kristeena Bright, Liana Yara

  Students in the CMM 357 Religious Rhetoric course were given the choice to choose a statue, building, space/place on campus that is marked as a religious text/artifact or propose a new object of visual rhetoric in order to analyze using the rhetorical theories from class. Thier analyses employ a variety of rhetorical theories and concepts discussed in class during the semester. Each group collaborated to answer the question: how does this artifact/text rhetorically communicate and construct religious identity at UD?

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  Think Fast Before You Jump

  Caleb Hoch, Gretchen Obergefell

  We will explore fire safety techniques for multistory buildings. In order to problem solve we will incorporate the physics topics of impulse and momentum. Students will have to explore the mathematical inverse relationship between force and time. Students will explore the safety of families when escaping a burning building. Students will have to design a device that can decrease the force or increase the impact time. This device must be able to support the fall of a family of two adults and two children from the average height of a two story window. This will help students connect the physics concept of impulse to real-world situations and help others.

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  Tilt Angle Optimization for Bifacial Solar in an Array for Every County of the United States

  Sidhanth Venkatasubramaniam, Sabin Satheesh

  In the 21st century, governments worldwide are striving to become more reliant on renewable energy technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, address climate change, and decrease their carbon footprint. Photovoltaic (PV) technology is gaining more attention, despite PV panels consuming significant land resources, while expanding populations require more land for agriculture. In this research, we focus on bifacial solar panels, as they generate relatively high power per square area, reducing the payback period. Bifacial panels can convert the irradiances falling on both the front and back surfaces into electricity. Although there are many studies in the field of tilt optimization and types of PV panels used, there is a lack of research focusing on a bifacial panel array. Our primary objective is to develop a model of bifacial panels to predict the power generated, and our secondary objective is to use that model to find the optimum tilt for every county in the United States and explore the effects of climate, temperature, and latitude. To calculate the ideal tilt angle for various locations across the country, we used a combination of modeling and simulation techniques in Python, including a Python optimization tool. Our findings indicate that the ideal tilt angle for bifacial solar panels in an array varies considerably depending on the location. Our data can be used to optimize the setup and operation of bifacial solar panels in the US, resulting in more cost-effective and efficient energy production.

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  Tree-ring analysis of larch dynamics following stand replacing fire in the Siberian arctic

  Anna Pallone

  Larix cajanderi (Mayr; Cajander larch) is the northernmost occurring tree in the world and is an important species in northeastern Siberia, a region that has experienced rapid rates of warming due to climate change. In many areas of the geographic distribution of this species, it overlays carbon rich permafrost, and the dynamics of this species can influence carbon release in these rapidly changing ecosystems, thus understanding establishment dynamics in this species has strong implications for forest ecology. Forest dynamics in stands of L. cajanderi are thought to be driven by regeneration in high light and optimal soil conditions that are created following stand-replacing fires. Here we used tree-ring analysis to document long-term establishment and growth dynamics in L. cajanderi. Tree core samples were collected in 2019 from 44 L. cajanderi trees located along the northern portion of the Kolyma River (69.5477°N 161.3641°E) south of where the river enters the Arctic Ocean. Samples were surfaced and images were created, then analyzed to collect tree growth measurements. We assessed stand dynamics and were specifically interested in using patterns of establishment and growth to infer stand conditions necessary for regeneration and canopy accession. The oldest stem in the site initiated in 1797 and we found evidence of sporadic establishment punctuated with a pulse of trees initiating ca. 1930. Nearly all trees in our collection exhibited rapid early growth indicating establishment in high-light conditions; however, older stems in the stand demonstrated some evidence of suppression and release during canopy development. Overall, these data suggest the potential for complex linkages between forest regeneration, establishment, and canopy formation. Future work is needed to link these patterns to disturbance processes including fire and to develop recommendations for forest management in the under-studied L. cajanderi forests of the Siberian Arctic.

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  Type and Timing of Traumatic Experiences: Influence on Distress Tolerance

  Lucas Marinack

  Background: Traumatic experiences are linked to a multitude of negative outcomes with many potential mediators. Distress tolerance (DT), has emerged to be strongly associated with a plethora of trauma-related outcomes. DT is defined as one’s perceived or actual ability to withstand negative internal states such as feeling frustrated or worried (Berenz et al., 2017). DT can be measured both subjectively and behaviorally. Specifics of traumatic experiences such as the nature or type of the traumatic event (Berenz et al., 2017), one’s age at the time of the trauma exposure (Dunn et al., 2018), and the relationship to your perpetrator if applicable (Gamache Martin et al., 2016) may be related to DT. This study will analyze: 1) The effect of type and timing of a traumatic event on DT 2) Among victims of interpersonal violence, if the relationship to the perpetrator affects DT. 3) If findings are consistent for subjective and behavioral DT measures. Methods: Participants in this study were recruited using multiple participant recruitment methods. Undergraduate students and a community sample were recruited to participate via the SONA system and ResearchMatch respectively. Participants completed the secured electronic survey materials online along with providing demographic information. Participants completed a questionnaire asking about past traumatic experiences including the type of event(s), age at the time of event(s), and relationship to the perpetrator of violence where applicable. Participants also completed the Distress Tolerance Scale, and the Mirror Tracing Persistence Task to assess subjective and behavioral DT respectively Significance: Despite the link between trauma and many negative outcomes via DT, there is a stark paucity in the literature on what generally influences DT, and even less regarding traumatic experiences’ influence on DT. Understanding how this transdiagnostic mechanism is developed and maintained may give us additional insight into how traumatic experiences lead to negative outcomes.

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  Ultrasonic Nest Security System

  Srinivasa Prabhat Josyula

  The Ultrasonic Nest Security System works similar to the Google Nest. Nest, as we know it, is used to arm and disarm an alarm, but in this case, I will use a buzzer. This device is useful to prevent unauthorized entry or movement after a particular period of time and it also prevents thefts from happening. So, with the security system in place, people can be sure that their house is well protected. In this project, I will make use of Arduino UNO R3 as the embedded system. An Ultrasonic sensor will also be installed to detect if there is any movement of the object if it passes the sensor. I will also make use of a buzzer which is a digital component that is connected to digital outputs to generate a sound. In this case, the buzzer will produce a sound when it is triggered. This buzzer is connected to the Arduino UNO R3 and it beeps when an object crosses the threshold. The code will be written in Arduino IDE. I will implement this model on Node-Red and then send the data that is collected by the Ultrasonic Sensor which detects movements and alerts people to Adafruit.io. Adafruit.io is used to read and analyze data in the form of charts, bar graphs etc. With this information, I will be able to improve the security system in my house by installing more CCTVs and take more measures from any unfortunate situations to arise.

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  Un-bee-lievable Ways Location Impacts Pollinators: Identifying Key Geographical Features That Promote Insect Pollinator Activity at Existing Agricultural Sites in an Urban Environment.

  Samantha Urquidez

  Background/Questions/Methods:On a global level, urbanization is increasing exponentially. As urban centers expand, agricultural areas are broken up and oftentimes overlap with urban and peri-urban areas. With urban agriculture becoming more prevalent, there is concern regarding the impact on insect pollinator biodiversity and abundance in these urban environments. There is currently little research looking at the classification of agriculture within urban and peri-urban areas as well as the land use surrounding these areas and how these factors impact pollinator activity. In the area surrounding Dayton, Ohio, 15 agricultural sites will be classified based on surrounding population density and land use. Using ArcGIS, data from the National Land Cover Database 2019, and the most up-to-date Census block group data for the counties of Miami, Montgomery, and Greene. Agricultural sites will be classified into urban, peri-urban, and rural based on population density, and the land use surrounding each site will be calculated into percentages based on developed areas, pollinator habitat, and water. Biological data will also be collected at each of these sites to estimate pollinator activity in the form of timed observations, pan traps, and passive netting. Each of these classifications will help us understand how geographical features impact insect pollinators in an urban agricultural setting. Results: The results suggest land use rather than population density shows a larger impact on pollinator activity at agricultural sites. Areas, where the surrounding area provided stable resources such as habitat and water, showed higher pollinator abundance than areas surrounded by developed urban areas with limited resources. Having water in the surrounding area of the agricultural sites also resulted in higher pollinator activity than in areas without a stable water resource. It is important to know what geographical factors impact pollinator activity levels so they can be considered when suggesting sites for future urban agriculture endeavors.

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  Understanding Cryptocurrency Price via Contextual Information

  Rupal Dubey

  In today's economic market, the determination to purchase or trade cryptocurrency is an exciting challenge encountered by day traders. The prices of cryptocurrencies depend on technical progress, internal contest, market intimidation, financial problems, safety issues, political elements, etc. Therefore, their increased volatility guides the great possibility of high profit if intelligent inventing methods are taken. Unfortunately, compared to conventional financial projections like stock market predictions, cryptocurrencies are relatively challenging to predict because they lack indexes. In the past, the research community only considered cryptocurrencies for predicting crypto prices. A systematic publications review procedure is used to identify relevant peer-reviewed journal articles from the past twenty years, evaluate and categorize studies with identical strategies and contexts, and then resemble the reflections in each class to specify common findings, unique findings, constraints, and areas that need further investigation. This will provide artificial intelligence and finance researchers with guidance for future research into using ML techniques to predict stock market index importance and trends. In this work, I am taking other stocks, i.e., Gasoline, Oil, Gold, Silver, and all Big IT firms, along with the ten cryptocurrencies, into our consideration for predicting the crypto prices.I am building a model which will give insight to the investors and traders not only in the cryptocurrency market but in others contextual market also. I have introduced a few new methods in building the machine learning model for the forecasting of cryptocurrency. This model can incorporate other stocks, i.e., Gasoline, Oil, Gold, Silver, and all Big IT firms' stocks.

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  Understanding the Barrier to Integrating Empathy Education into Pre-Medical Curriculum

  Angela Galluzzo

  The overwhelming consensus in healthcare research over the past two decades supports that healthcare providers demonstrating empathy is an integral component of quality of care and health outcomes (Reiss). The benefits of empathy in patient-provider relationships range from stronger immune responses from patients to a lowered burden on the healthcare system to fewer malpractice lawsuits against providers (Reiss). Even with this research suggesting that providers should be empathetic in patient interactions, there are barriers to implementation. The barrier that my research will focus on is time–specifically how time constraints throughout professional schooling prevent a broad education that would teach providers how to best demonstrate empathy to patients. My work focuses on a literature review to understand why empathy should be studied as the marker for success in patient-provider relationships and how empathy competency is being taught and subsequently measured in clinical practice. I, then, investigate time as the inescapable barrier to empathy education. With this foundational knowledge, I propose a recommendation that focuses on integrating empathy education, focusing on empathy as an attainable, measurable skill, into the pre-medical curriculum at universities.

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  Unintentional Overdose Deaths in Ohio before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

  Hailey Hogan, Tyler Yeary

  The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the availability of healthcare treatment across the United States. This impact on treatment can be seen in the dramatic rise in all-cause deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic (Faust, 2021). Lack of available treatment poses a major challenge for populations that have historically been vulnerable to opioid abuse, including the state of Ohio. Since 2000, Ohio has seen a statistically significant increasing trend in unintentional drug overdose deaths from 1999 to 2016 with different rates of change over time. (CDC, 2016). Many that have lived in Montgomery County for extended periods of time have known people that have fallen victim to the Opioid epidemic. This poster will take a look at how the statistics have changed since the COVID-19 Pandemic and what factors exacerbated the upward trend in unintentional opioid deaths. The purpose of this poster is to compile these statistics in order to help raise awareness and promote greater resource allocation towards unintentional opioid overdose prevention in Montgomery County and the state of Ohio as a whole. All data referenced in this poster is publicly available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Ohio Department of Public Health (ODH).

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  University Libraries Dean's Showcase Exhibiting Excellence: A New Special Collection in University Archives

  Sara Wolf, Elena Bellisario

  Professor Suki Kwon from the Department of Art and Design, and students Sara Wolf and Elena Bellisario are engaged in an independent study of a new special collection held in University Archives. An artist’s book is a medium of artistic expression that uses the form or function of “book” as inspiration. It is the artistic initiative seen in the illustration, choice of materials, creation process, layout and design that makes it an art object. The University Libraries acquired the collection this summer and since then Suki has been working with Sara and Elena to create a catalog of the books and to plan for an exhibit that will be held in the Rose Gallery.

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  University Libraries Dean’s Showcase Exhibiting Excellence: Juggling for Mary: Vocation, Gifts, and Performing for Our Lady (Clown of God)

  Kendall Kiss, Mary Horvath, Brynne Kessler

  Students from several disciplines became involved with the Marian Library’s 2022 Christmas exhibit, Juggling for Mary: Vocation, Gifts, and Performing for Our Lady. Centered on a medieval story about a humble juggler in a monastery who struggles to find an appropriate Christmas gift to present to the Virgin Mary, the tale has been adapted and retold through operas, movies, and in contemporary times, many children’s stories. The students in Professor Mary-Kate Sableski and Jennifer Adams course, Foundations of Literacy through Literature, engaged in several experiential learning activities connected to the exhibit. They examined versions of the story from different time periods to explore how the language, morals, and illustrations of children’s literature has evolved. They performed read-alouds in the exhibit space for visiting school groups, selecting books to connect to diverse audiences. Finally, they created a StoryWalk, combining literacy and physical activity, with panels of Tomie dePaola’s Clown of God and activity prompts displayed across campus.

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  University Libraries Dean's Showcase Exhibiting Excellence: Juggling for Mary: Vocation, Gifts, and Performing for Our Lady (Simple Gifts)

  Logan Groff

  Students from several disciplines became involved with the Marian Library’s 2022 Christmas exhibit, Juggling for Mary: Vocation, Gifts, and Performing for Our Lady. Centered on a medieval story about a humble juggler in a monastery who struggles to find an appropriate Christmas gift to present to the Virgin Mary, the tale has been adapted and retold through operas, movies, and in contemporary times, many children’s stories. Inspired by the theme of gifts, Professor Jerome Yorke directed a new play, titled “Simple Gifts,” which was actually a pop-up performance in the Rose Gallery exhibit space for two nights in November. A cast and crew of UD students interacted with the audience in a performance that included everything from popcorn to puppetry.

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  University Libraries Dean's Showcase Exhibiting Excellence: Rituals of Healing: Body, Mind, Spirit

  Joseph Giagrande, Kevin Brun, Madelaine Sprinkle, Kaden Riggins

  This exhibit Rituals of Healing: Body, Mind, Spirit is a collaboration between assistant professor of English, Liz Hutter, and the University Libraries. This project is the result of over two years of planning that began after Professor Hutter brought her research writing seminar class to the Marian Library in the spring of 2020. Students explored primary source artifacts connected to aspects of health and healing right before students at UD were sent home due to the coronavirus pandemic.While practicing writing as a model of inquiry and discovery, students from Hutter’s first year writing seminar course in Fall 2022 curated this selection of artifacts and wrote narratives to explore what individuals or groups believe about religion, medical expertise, and healing of the body, mind and spirit.

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  University Students' Perceptions of Non-Native Speaking Teachers of English: A Step Towards Social Justice

  Alaa Bader

  English is the global language taught throughout the world by native speakers; however, it is also increasingly taught by multilingual teachers for whom English is not their first language. Problems can arise in TESOL classrooms when students question an international instructor’s qualifications; some evenly prefer native-speaking English teachers despite the knowledge and expertise of their international TESOL instructors. TESOL teachers also encounter other kinds of bias related to their race, ethnicity, or different religious practices. These forms of prejudice can be overtly expressed in the classroom but can also be evidenced in teaching evaluations. Such experiences can lead an instructor to question whether their pedagogies are out of alignment, or if the source of students' negative perceptions might create an overwhelming and unhealthy environment. Therefore, it is worth knowing whether the attitudes or behaviors students display in a non-native English teacher's class seem to be particularly inflected with potential connections with racism, and how teachers might reduce student bias of American English speakers and the “native” identity as a marker of professional excellence. The author collected data from her personal vignettes and Students Evaluation of Teachers (SET) of her two composition classes in the 2021 Fall semester. The data were examined using an autoethnographic methodology, and they demonstrate the existence of both explicit and implicit bias toward the teacher. The project concludes with some recommendations for ways to offer support and resources to TESOL faculty in higher education.

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  Unveil

  Kurtis Neiman

  This project shines a light on internal struggles that many of us deal with daily, yet are rarely acknowledged. On the surface people present the best version of themselves, for work, for family, for friends. Many of us have to find moments alone to process and understand our experiences. This project creates space for people and encourages normalizing sharing your struggles with others. The images are backlit with a pulsing light - acting as a metaphor that illustrates how struggles come and go from the forefront to the background unnoticeable but always lingering. The exhibition's dark lighting creates a vulnerable space for these struggles and invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences within the images. My goal for this project is to invite people to normalize talking about their struggles so everyone can get the help they deserve. NO ONE IS ALONE!

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  Urban Structures’ Effect on Seed-Eating Predators at Old River Park

  Grace Litavsky, Leeha Calaff Marrero, Ailish Luby

  Old River Park is a park located in Dayton, Ohio, an ecosystem supporting many types of life. Within the park, the company, National Cash Registry (NCR), used to have a recreational area for employees to use, but it is no longer managed and has naturally grown over with naturally colonizing plants and wildlife. Some of the man-made structures within the NCR park are still there but have been adopted into the natural woodland ecosystem around it. Because of this, we sought to understand how accustomed to the man-made structures the species living in this area are, and we decided to ask the question of whether seed-eating animals that live in this area have a preference for where they collect and/or eat their food. We hypothesized that seed predators would prefer and take more seeds from the natural areas compared to the man-made structures. We set out ten total bowls of 2,000 seeds, each in different locations, five at other man-made structures, and five in natural wooded areas without structures. We counted how many seeds were eaten from each bowl after two days. This process was repeated twice for a total of three replicates. This study is important because it gives insight into urban ecology and how the human footprint that is left on different environments can impact predation.

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  Use of Additive Manufacturing in Developing Advanced Composite Structures Fabricated by Resin Transfer Molding

  Khalid Aldhahri

  Resin transfer molding (RTM) is a manufacturing process used to produce high-quality composite parts that offer exceptional high strength-to-weight ratios, superb stiffness, and excellent resistance to corrosion and fatigue. These composites are typically comprised of carbon or glass fibers infused with a liquid thermosetting resin that hardens during a high temperature cure cycle. To produce RTM products, a matched metal mold is usually required. The mold cavity is shaped to the desired geometry of the finished composite part, and channels or gates allow resin to flow into it. In reference to cavity mold design, there are many challenges in terms of resin injection gates, vents, and resin flow directions, both in terms of filling time and the flow dynamics of the materials. These issues often require many costly iterations to perfect the cavity design for a given part. This study focuses on the use of AM in developing and fabricating plastic prototype molds that can be used to produce a limited number of finished composite parts, such as T-joints, canted T-joints, and I-beams. This approach allows for rapid and low-cost iteration of composite designs prior to investing in expensive finished metal tooling.

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  Use sensors, measure temperature and humidity, collect sensor data, and visualize and analyze data on IoT platforms

  Haolin Liu

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  Using a Drosophila melanogaster Model to Study the Effects of Nanoparticle Ingestion on Survival and Development

  Brandon Clark; other authors: Arushi Rai, Soubantika Palchoudahry, Madhuri Kango-Singh

  Nanoparticles are tiny (in the range of 5–100 nm) particles composed of inorganic (e.g., metals, oxide compounds, carbon-based nanotubes) and/or organic substances. They hold potential as small, biologically-compatible particles to which drugs and other chemicals could be attached. The eukaryotic model organism Drosophila melanogaster (aka the fruit fly) has a genome that is over 60% homologous to that of humans, with about 75% of human disease-causing genes having homologs in flies. With a brief generation time of only 12 days and high female fecundity (about 100 eggs per day), D. melanogaster is a convenient model to study development in the context of genetics and also effects of chemical exposure/toxicity on development. We are using this model organism to test nanoparticles and their biological effects on different stages of life and survival. For this study, gold (Au), iron oxide (Fe2O3), zinc oxide (ZnO), and poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (pHEMA) were selected for testing in Canton-S fruit flies. Nanoparticle concentrations of 50 mg, 100 mg, and 200 mg were fed to first instar larvae by layering the nano-materials on the fly food to test for any toxic effects or changes in survival following ingestion or prolonged exposure in comparison to control flies. At all concentrations, there was no significant effect on the survival of nanoparticle-fed larvae in comparison to the control (non-fed larvae). In the future, we will use a food dye to mark nanomaterials, and use immunohistochemistry and confocal imaging in the third instar larva stage to analyze the effects of nanoparticle exposure on several tissues, including the intestinal gut, salivary glands, and the fat body. We will also study whether larvae fed nanoparticles show developmental delays in comparison to control flies. Overall, this system provides a platform for testing toxicity in a simple whole-organism model system.

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  Using an Active Buzzer and an Ultrasonic Sensor to create a proximity alarm from live data as part of IoT

  John Sheehan

  The aim of this project is to design and develop a proximity alarm system using an ultrasonic sensor and an active buzzer, controlled by an Arduino Elegoo microcontroller. The proximity alarm system will be capable of detecting the distance between the sensor and an object in its vicinity and produce an alarm sound through the active buzzer when the object approaches a set distance limit. The project will involve the design of a simple circuit consisting of the sensor and buzzer, which will be interfaced with the Arduino Elegoo board. The code will be written in Arduino IDE and will include the necessary functions to read the sensor's data and generate an alarm sound through the buzzer. The project's overall goal is to demonstrate the application of an ultrasonic sensor and an active buzzer to create a proximity alarm system using Arduino technology, which can be used in various fields, such as security systems and robotics.

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  Using an Arduino to regulate fan speed in accordance with temperature

  Swecha Dorepally

  One of the biggest issues we currently have is energy waste. We frequently neglect to turn off the fan. This occurs as a result of carelessness, forgetting to turn off the fan, or being in a rush. Therefore, in this project, we consider how to solve this issue.The temperature sensor is employed in this endeavor to regulate the fan's speed. Therefore, the fan does not turn on when the room's temperature is below the minimum temperature specified in advance, and it turns on when the room's temperature is higher than the minimum temperature. This can be used for other electronic appliances, such as an air conditioner or heater, decreasing energy waste.

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  Using the Five-Choice Serial Reaction Time Test (5CSRTT) to Assess the Behavioral Impact of Chronic SERCA Activation in Mice

  Ben Klocke, Hayden Ott

  Calcium (Ca2+) is a critical ionic messenger implicated in a wide variety of cellular processes including gene transcription, muscle contraction, and neurotransmitter release. A Ca2+-handling player of particular interest is the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA), an intracellular regulator of Ca2+ homeostasis that functions by sequestering Ca2+ into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Indeed, previous research has implicated dysfunction of SERCA regulation as a contributor to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and neurodevelopmental disorders including Autism-spectrum disorder (ASD). In the current study, we sought to investigate how chronic pharmacological activation of SERCA may affect executive functioning in mice. Mice of both sexes were chronically administered the small allosteric SERCA activator CDN1163 and were then subjected to behavioral testing by use of the five-choice serial reaction time test (5CSRTT), a learned task that can be used to assess behaviors including attention and impulsivity. The results of this study contribute to our ongoing investigations into the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms implicating SERCA in the underlying mechanisms of complex neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders.