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  Using Transgenic Mouse Models to Dissect a Novel Calcium Signaling Pathway in the Mouse Brain

  Ben Klocke

  Calcium (Ca2+) ions comprise a critical second messenger involved in a constellation of cellular processes, including cell proliferation and death, metabolism, and gene expression. Naturally, neuronal Ca2+ signaling is vital in processes such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and synaptic transmission, among others. A critical key component of the neuronal Ca2+ handling toolkit is the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase 2 (SERCA) pump. Further, dysfunction of SERCA2 has been implicated in many brain pathologies. Interestingly, our group has identified a regulator of SERCA2 being expressed in the mouse thalamus; global genetic ablation of this gene (GKO) in mice results in an ADHD-like behavioral phenotype. Our lab has recently developed a novel Cre-LoxP conditional knockout mouse model (cKO) to assess the effects of this Ca2+-handling player in the brain. Behavioral analysis of cKO mice showed that they exhibit locomotor hyperactivity and altered sleep architecture. Further, testing in the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), a behavioral paradigm used to assess attentional capacity and impulsivity, showed that cKO mice exhibit impulsivity. Altogether, these findings strongly support a novel role for this Ca2+-handling player in the regulation of brain function and behavioral processes.

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  Using viral tracing methods to identify connectivity deficits between cerebellum and the thalamus in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down Syndrome

  FNU Mir Abbas Raza

  I.Objective: Down Syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder characterized by behavioral abnormalities in multiple brain regions. The cerebellum, a key area of the brain responsible for governing motor coordination and motor learning, has been implicated as being affected in many different Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs), including DS. The cerebellum forms an extensive network of connections with other brain regions during development - also known as the ‘cerebellar connectome’. If there is dysfunction in the cerebellum during critical periods of circuit formation, it could result in altered development and dysfunction of extracerebellar targets such as the thalamus. Therefore, it is crucial to examine the development of the cerebellar connectome in the context of complex disorders like DS. However, the connections between the cerebellum and other brain regions have not been systematically mapped out across postnatal development. Most importantly, potential disruption in these connections has not been mapped out at the synaptic level in DS. Our goal is to determine the connectivity between the cerebellum and one of its major targets - the thalamus across postnatal development and how this connectivity is potentially disrupted in a mouse model of DS.II.Methods: To visualize connections between the cerebellum and the thalamus, we will use a precise and efficient Cre-dependent viral tracing strategy. This will enable us to specifically target the cells in the cerebellar nuclei that project to the thalamus. To accomplish this, Cre-expressing promoter specific Adeno Associated Viral vectors along with Cre-dependent viral vector carrying the Double-floxed inverse open reading frame (DIO) system and Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) reporter gene will be injected into the cerebellar nuclei of the DS mouse model. This system will control the timing and specificity of gene expression, enabling the labeling of only the cells that have been infected with both viruses. The GFP reporter gene will allow for the visualization of the labeled cells and their projections. Histological analyses will be performed to visualize the GFP-labeled cells and their projections in thalamic nuclei. High-resolution images of the labeled cells and their projections will be obtained using confocal microscopy. The morphology of the labeled cells, including their dendritic and axonal arborization, as well as their connectivity patterns, will be analyzed using ImageJ and MATLAB.III.Significance: Although the prevalence of DS is on the rise, there has been little improvement in the development of innovative therapies to enhance behavioral outcomes for children with DS in recent times. One of the contributing factors to this lack of progress is the inadequate basic research on the neural connection deficits in the DS brain. The proposed study will help provide crucial data in understanding atypical brain development in DS, specifically, alterations in neural circuitry. Mapping connections between the cerebellum and the thalamus and studying the deficits in these connections during development in the Ts65Dn mouse brain will allow us to understand more deeply the underlying mechanism of dysfunction related to these regions and provide avenues to eventually develop targeted interventions towards treating deficits in children with DS.

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  Utilizing Deep Learning Methods and Semantic Segmentation to Detect and Map Glacial Lakes in the Central Himalayas

  Alison Hardie

  Glacial lakes provide insight into the melting rates of glaciers; thus, the ability to detect and map them opens possibilities for improved monitoring of the changing size of glacial lakes. An accurate automated method for glacial lake segmentation would provide the means to perform constant monitoring without the need for tedious manual labeling. This work utilizes a deep learning approach using semantic segmentation in MATLAB with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to automatically detect and map glacial lakes. This work can be used to produce quick estimates of lake areas in order to monitor changes in their size. The network inputs include Landsat 8 spectral bands, ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, which is processed into geomorphic features as an additional input into the network. Glacier outline data is sourced from the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) database; this data is processed into a glacier distance band and fed into the network. Lake polygon data is sourced from the Annual 30m Dataset for glacial lakes in High Mountain Asia from 2008 to 2017. These labels were loaded and the boundaries were reduced to remove edge and mixed pixels from the training data. The CNN used is DeepLab v3+ with the Resnet 18 backbone. This presentation will include a detailed concept of deep-learning based automated lake mapping and performance analysis, including quantitative result metrics and network output lake boundaries.

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  Validation of effective removal of PFAS from glassware sampling train used for evaluation of thermal treatment of PFAS

  Elizabeth Riedel

  Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic chemicals that are extremely stable and highly toxic to the environment and human health. PFAS are used in a myriad of common products including nonstick cookware, water-resistant fabrics, personal care products, cosmetics, and aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). Because of their widespread use and resistance to degradation, PFAS have infiltrated the environment, including drinking water sources. To combat the spread of PFAS, various methods for treatment and removal of PFAS are being researched. A promising solution that has been identified for PFAS removal is thermal treatment, where degradation of PFAS occurs after exposure to exceedingly high temperatures. However, chemical characteristics of certain PFAS create the potential for them to adhere to equipment used during experimentation. For proper assessment of PFAS removal, it is essential to confirm that there is no carry over from sampling or contamination on the experimental equipment. This paper evaluates two techniques for their potential to effectively eliminate PFAS carry over on glassware used in a sampling train for thermal treatment. The first is a procedure used to clean glassware in the field when sampling for PFAS. The second is a modified version of the glassware cleaning procedure recommended in the OTM 45 protocol from EPA for PFAS sampling. In this experiment, glass impingers contaminated with solutions containing two of the most prevalent PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), were cleaned following the two separate procedures. Results from an analytical laboratory following EPA Method 537 showed that the second cleaning procedure was approximately five times more effective at removing PFOA and about two times more effective than the first cleaning procedure at the removal of PFOS from the impingers. Therefore, the second cleaning procedure is recommended for glassware used in PFAS experimentation.

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  Vapor Diffusion Crystallography of the Polymerase Acidic Protein

  Juliano Aquilino

  Current treatments of an Influenza infection target frequently mutating surface proteins. This causes increased variability in the effectiveness of modern treatment methods, as a single mutation in the protein could cause the antiviral to be ineffective. A component of the RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase (RdRp) of the Influenza A virus, the Polymerase Acidic (PA) protein, is a promising antiviral target for a new generation of Influenza treatments because of its highly conserved nature. PA has been shown to have a similar structure and sequence across known strains of Influenza. Drug design research utilizes crystal structures to synthetically improve viral inhibitors through in silico analysis that can prevent the binding of PA to an additional protein, Polymerase Basic 1 (PB1). Years of research to make a soluble and pure PA sample that is binding-pocket solvent-exposed has led to the culmination of crystalizing the protein construct as the final step to capturing an image using X-ray crystallography. Various techniques involving a pure PA sample and many different thermodynamic conditions make forming a structure difficult and time-consuming. A large “shotgun” approach over a broad spectrum of reagents, concentration, pH, buffers, and the occasional additive help to narrow in on the highly specific mother liquor necessary to grow PA crystals. The presentation will discuss the current methodologies and chemical types and how they played a role in the vapor diffusion of PA Crystallography.

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  Vehicle Counting and Classification from Traffic Videos

  Jaswant Prabhakaran

  Using a trained neural network, counted and classified vehicles in different Vietnamese traffic conditions (day, night, rain, and flash floods). The algorithm automatically tracks and counts the number of vehicles passing through a specific area while also categorizing them as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. This provides an accurate representation of traffic patterns and flow for the specified region in Vietnam, under specific weather conditions and time of day. Another group then integrated this information into a traffic simulation system which allowed for improved traffic management strategies to be developed based on the accurate traffic flow data obtained from the simulation.

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  Virtual Mirror Illusion

  Lucy Kuempel

  Awareness of body and limb location typically comes from neural pathways within the skin, muscles, and joints as well as visual information from peripheral vision. This study employs a virtual version of the mirror illusion to examine the importance of visual and body-based information in spatial body awareness. In the mirror illusion, the seen location of the hand differs from the felt location of the hand. With this conflicting information, the perceived location of the hand is biased toward the visually-specified limb information. The current study extends this phenomenon into virtual reality to determine whether visual information in a virtual environment influences perceived body part location. Each participant is seated at a table, outfitted with a virtual reality (VR) helmet in which they view a virtual tabletop and a virtual depiction of their right hand. The participant’s actual right hand is positioned at a location that is either aligned or misaligned with the virtual right hand. After repeatedly flexing their right index finger while viewing a corresponding movement in VR, participants are asked to point with the left hand to the perceived location of their actual right hand. Errors in pointing to the hand location are compared in instances in which the virtual hand is aligned versus misaligned with the real hand. It is predicted that when the real and virtual hands are misaligned, participants will point closer to the seen virtual hand location than to the actual hand location. This suggests that body part awareness is dominated by visual information and suggests a sense of ownership of the virtual limb.

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  Visualizing Convex Regular-Faced Polyhedra through 3D Printing

  Elizabeth Paci

  Hilbert’s third problem asks whether two polyhedra of equal volume are scissors-congruent. In other words, is it possible to slice one of the polyhedra into a finite number of polyhedra and then rearrange them to form the other polyhedron. Dehn showed that this is not the case by creating a polyhedra invariant now named in his honor: the Dehn invariant. One may show that two polyhedra are scissors-congruent if and only if they have the same volume and Dehn invariant. A related topic concerns whether it’s possible to slice a convex regular-faced polyhedra into a finite number of solids which are themselves convex regular-faced polyhedra. Examples of regular-faced polyhedra include the Platonic, Archimedean, and Johnson solids. We will discuss how these and related ideas—including the nomenclature of polyhedra—can be visualized using 3d printing techniques.

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  Voices from UD Faculty: The Impact of COVID-19 on Productivity and Progress

  Eden Michelson

  We have all spent the last three years sharing our concerns, frustrations, and hopes with one another. By offering channels for faculty to specifically name the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their professional and personal lives, the 2022-23 Gender Equity Research Fellowship team hopes to stimulate tangible institutional change that will support faculty moving forward.Our project utilized a mixed methods approach, though the present research focuses on the qualitative research findings. The purpose of the qualitative data was to find commonalities between the responses that faculty provided when asked about the pandemic in relation to their role(s) at the university. Data collection included three focus groups and individual interviews. The sample for the one-on-one interviews consisted of 19 participants. The research team analyzed the data using two rounds of coding, and results found that participants experienced various challenges. Faculty’s primary roles at the university were shaped around professional duties, such as scholarship and being a resource for students, rather than responsibilities like parenting and caregiving. Many faculty members shared experiences related to exhaustion and burnout.Our findings have led us to suggestions that focus on improving faculty well-being by calling for a shift from focusing on productivity to emphasizing people, policies, and programs. Creating a space for participants to share their experiences brought new insights about the countless roles that faculty take on and how to best support them as we continue to navigate a post-quarantine world.

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  Water Evaporation Levels in Shade vs Direct Sun (Using Arduino Uno and IOT)

  Thomas Mansfield

  For my final goal, I would like to make a sensor that judges how fast water evaporates in each time frame. I would like to do this as I noticed water collects in our side yard on surfaces for days at a time. Using a water sensor, I would judge the amount of water that evaporates in sunlight and in shade by sending the information to my computer from the Arduino Uno to collect and analyze it.

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  Water Level Detection Sensor

  Brundha Reddy Naredla

  Water Level Detection SensorABSTARCTThe application, which is an ultrasonic tank level sensor, is used to measure the level of liquid or solid materials in a tank or container. It works by emitting high-frequency sound waves, which bounce off the surface of the material, and then detecting the echo of these sound waves to calculate the distance to the surface of the material. Ultrasonic tank level sensors are commonly used in industrial applications where it is necessary to accurately monitor the level of materials in tanks, silos, and other containers. This technology is a reliable and cost-effective solution for measuring the level of materials in tanks and containers, and is widely used in a variety of industrial applications.

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  Water Quality Monitoring System Using a TDS Sensor and Arduino

  Mahesh Babu Uppada

  This project presents the design and implementation of a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) sensor-based water quality monitoring system based on an Arduino platform. A given water sample will be used to calculate the total dissolved solids in the system, and the results will be displayed on a graphical user interface. The method is designed to be affordable, dependable, and simple to use. This project describes the system's design and execution, including its hardware components, software code, and graphical user interface. The accuracy and dependability of the system are also demonstrated in the project presentation of test results. The report concludes with recommendations for upcoming system improvement projects.

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  Watershed Analysis of the University of Dayton Campus

  Steven Shattuck

  The project seeks to create a watershed map of the University of Dayton campus through ArcGIS data and techniques. The campus has a network of stormwater drains that output directly to the river, with every area of campus having runoff that goes to specific drains. Using digital elevation model (DEM) data and GPS locations of stormwater drains, the campus will be divided into small parcels or mini watersheds displaying all of the area that flows to each drain. Any rain that falls in these regions will runoff to the drain associated with it. This knowledge could be used in future projects and research to evaluate the water management of the campus.

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  Watershed and Land-use Analysis in Harrison Township using ArcPro

  Sammy Miller

  The purpose of this project is to provide the planner(s) within the Harrison Township Government with a resource about their water systems and land-use to assist them in future decision-making processes. This includes creating a map, using ArcGIS ArcPro, that incorporates the delineation of watersheds, land-use information, and socioeconomic data. Locations of industries with National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits are also identified to indicate areas where the water quality could be negatively impacted. Special attention is given to watersheds that contain these industries. Furthermore, for these specific watersheds, the fraction of different types of land-use is calculated. Lastly, socioeconomic data is included in another layer to provide suggestions of potential environmental justice issues within the watersheds that have a larger percentage of industrial land usage.

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  Weather Simulation in Virtual City

  Umang Jain

  VR is a tool for showcasing urban designs while highlighting how people and the environment will be affected by their conversation. It can simulate these scenarios with VR technology and identify improvements and necessary changes. From traffic videos, this project investigates the detrimental impacts of weather conditions, specifically heavy rain and flooding, on their infrastructure and livelihoods. Through the use of a virtual city model, this project will simulate the various effects of rain and flooding on the city's transportation systems, and daily activities of its residents. By utilizing this virtual model, the project aims to provide valuable insights into how such extreme weather events can be better managed and mitigated in the future.

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  Website monitoring system

  Nikhil Suresh

  Develop a web application that allows users to monitor website status. The main functions of the application include the following:1) Monitor the website status2) Monitor the SSL Certificate expiration date3) Alert if the system goes down4) Dashboard to visualize the status and downtime.

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  What is the Reasoning & Ultimate Source Behind Supplementation Usage in College Athletes?

  Meghan Lorz

  Dietary supplement usage is a phenomenon that has become quite prevalent in our society. A dietary supplement can be defined as any category that contains one or more dietary factors including amino acids, minerals, vitamins, etc. They play a major role in exercising adolescents and college athletes, specifically in terms of gaining certain benefits. Individuals utilize dietary supplements for a variety of different reasons and benefits, and these individuals often hear about these supplements through a variety of sources. The purpose of this study is to investigate the reasoning and source behind supplement usage in college athletes. Previous research has implied that many college athletes take supplements to enhance performance or improve overall health. Conclusions are drawn from a survey completed that the University of Dayton and the results are analyzed about why college athletes use dietary supplements, and how they first heard of them.

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  What's in the Waste? Adventures of a Dumpster Diver

  Cassie Austin

  Did you know that UD generates over 3000 tons of waste each year? Join MPA Graduate Student Cassie Austin to learn about her journey last semester with "dumpster diving" through campus waste audits at UD and what the findings say about what can be done to reduce our waste footprint on campus.

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  When is Peace Not Peace? Conflict is an Opportunity for Deepening Relationships

  Grace Sutter, Robin Park, John East

  Drawing on the work of Kazu Haga, a Buddhist who offers training in Kingian nonviolence, this poster will describe ways conflict can be transformed into an occasion for uncovering obstacles and building deeper connections. In the face of so much conflict among us, what changes in ourselves and in our education will prepare us to engage conflict constructively?

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  Where Do Female Athletes Get Their Role Models? Exploring Women's Basketball In the U.S. From Inception to NIL

  Tierra Freeman

  The goal of this research is to look into where young female athletes get their role models from while focusing specifically on the marketing and promotion women receive in the industry compared to their male counterparts. I hypothesize that most older Gen Z players had a lack of exposure to female role models, yet many younger Gen Z players can identify more players and female influences, possibly due to increased social media usage and/or NIL.The question I ask for you all to keep in mind throughout this presentation is : As female athletics become more visible, how will that influence the next generation of female athletes?

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  Which Wounds Will be Redeemed? The Role of Disability, Suffering, and the Resurrection in Teresa of Avila's Spirituality

  Elise Abshire

  The objective of my presentation, "Which Wounds Will be Redeemed? The Role of Disability, Suffering, and the Resurrection in Teresa of Avila's Spirituality," is to engage in an historical investigation of redemptive suffering and Resurrected woundedness, especially for persons with disabilities. Teresa of Avila, with her embodiment of suffering, provides a first-hand example of the spiritual tension experienced when living with a disability. From the perspective of Teresa, her body was physically limiting her from fully serving God; "que servía mucho más a Dios con la salud" ["I would be able to serve God much better if I were in good health"] (Autobiography VI: 5). Thus, does disability or woundedness hinder one's relationship with God? Teresa reveals that she wishes her body was healed in order to serve God in a greater way. The main aspect of this project is to present the tension between these two approaches to suffering happening within the same person with special consideration of her early modern European social context. After setting a Christological foundation, I will combine the voice of Teresa of Avila with contemporary thinkers, such as Paul Gondreau and Miguel Romero, to arrive at the present conversation in theological disability studies. Through providing Teresa of Avila's first-hand account of embodiment of suffering with a disability while striving to live a spiritual life, this paper can help to fill a lacuna in current research on this historical religious woman and Resurrected bodies, suffering, and woundedness in disability.

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  Who Do We Include? Exploring Inequity in Least Restrictive Environments (LRE)

  Delaney Barga

  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) legally protects students’ access to the least restrictive learning environment (LRE). When possible, placing students with disabilities in general education classrooms with minimal intervention is required. The positive effects of inclusion have been supported in research over the years, yet schools continue to segregate classrooms in ways that are not aligned with the LRE guidance. This project explores the IDEA law, LRE guidance, and implementation of inclusion in schools.

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  Who’s “Smart” Enough for This Class? The Effect of Math Tracking on the Success of Students

  Libby Kreikemeier

  Tracking or the separation of students into different classrooms based on perceived ability, within the math classroom is often considered a norm today. Yet there is significant evidence pointing towards it being more harmful than helpful. This literature review explores the impact of math tracking on the success of students from middle school through higher education math.

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  Why You Should Care About Book Bans: Book Bans vs. Democracy

  Matthew Chandiles

  This project investigates the hindering effects of book bans as a constraint on the curriculum of real-world problems for America's youth. First, the cause-and-effect relationship of book bans under several rationales of protest, including political, personal, parental, or religious concerns are explored. Next a consideration of limiting the voices of marginalized and minoritized groups as a result of book bans is highlighted. Removing these literary resources and others in schools actively threatens a curriculum that promotes a holistic democratic education that prepares America's youth as informed, functional citizens.

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  Wind at UD Softball Stadium

  Jacob Sekerak

  The purpose of this project is to set up a sensor to collect meaningful data for the final project of ECE 520: Internet of Things. To accomplish this, I am going to record the behavior of wind during softball games at the University of Dayton’s softball stadium. This will be done by utilizing an embedded device along with a sensor that measures wind speed and direction. Wind can have a major impact on how fly balls especially behave during softball games and this could give the softball program better insight into how the wind is behaving just off the Great Miami River.