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  Trust in Government and Science during the COVID-19 Pandemic and 2020 Presidential Election

  Benjamin Joseph Crawford, Gillian R. Leone

  This panel includes two presentations and a moderated discussion:Paper 1 - “Political Passion, Engagement, and Trust—and Trump” by Ben CrawfordPaper 2 - “’My Body, My Choice’: Abortion Rights, Public Health, and Trust during the COVID-19 Pandemic” by Gillian LeoneThe period since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 has been unique in terms of trust (or mistrust) in government, science, and public health experts. The pandemic arrived during a particularly contentious time in our history, with a tumultuous and contested presidential election occurring in its midst. These two papers use 2020 American National Election Study data to explore topics related to trust in government and science, including the determinants of political trust, passion, and engagement; voting behavior; and attitudes on abortion rights, public health mandates, and vaccines. Ben’s paper began as an undergraduate Capstone project and continued as a graduate independent study, while Gillian’s paper began as a collective in-class project during POL 300 Religion and Politics in Fall 2021. Ultimately, the papers reinforce the democratic values of public trust, engagement, and respectful dialogue in society to weather political and medical crises (and crises of conscience).

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  UD Bookstore, Bookstore JIT Order - Delivery System

  Shannon Elizabeth Hirko, Sean Richard Mcgrail, Sophie E. Petras, Patrick F. Sandler, Daniel Franklin Sauder

  Research into opportunities to improved bookstore inventory management. Opportunities to reduce inventory costs and improve availability of text books and improved customer service.

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  UD Campus Sustainability: Report from the Fall 2021 Campus Survey on Beliefs, Knowledge, and Actions.

  Cassie Marie Austin, Darius Beckham, Benjamin Joseph Crawford, Nathaniel Steven Duran, Mason E. Gordon, Patricia L. Thomas, Dimitrios Anthony Toliopoulos

  Students conducted a campus-wide survey during Fall 2021 as part of UD's submission for The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) report. We examine the beliefs, knowledge, and actions of the UD campus community around issues of sustainability.

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  UD Dining Services Automation of Reusable Container Tracking System

  Kevin Padraic Cavanaugh, Jack Philip Chevalier, Patrick A. Downey, Michelle Hwang

  In partnership with the University of Dayton’s dining services team, we are developing aninventory tracking solution that will solve the issues within the current reusable containerprogram. During the pilot run of this program, which occurred last year (2020) in MarycrestDining Hall, the university ran into a huge problem with students failing to return the reusablecontainers; causing the university to lose over 70% of their inventory. Our solution will be a fulltracking system, with a central database, in which each container can be tracked from the pointof service to a proper return area. Successful completion and implementation of this system willallow the university to identify which student has a reusable container, where the container wasgiven out, and when/if the container has been properly returned. In doing so, we will not only behelping dining services save money but also helping to reduce waste on our campus and withinour community’s landfills. This system will also serve as a foundation in which dining servicescould utilize for any future advancements, such as being able to offer faculty, staff, and gueststhe ability to participate in the program.There are, however, several challenges that we anticipate facing regarding thedevelopment and success of our solution. Moving forward, the technicalities and logisticallimitations are one of the biggest challenges that we are preparing to overcome. We expect to runinto the most issues when it comes to the strict limits on the PCI environment and the types ofscanners we are able to utilize on the containers. We also have to take into account the potentialburdens that our system would be placing on the student and cashier along with a concernregarding the training and additional equipment expenses.Reviewed and approved by Joan Bauman (Executive Director of Dining Service) on 22 September 2021

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  UD Students Engaging the Laudato Si Action Platform: An Opportunity for Collaborative Impact

  Andrew William Bartsch, Eric Hayes Litterer, Kahra Gikanga Loding, Elizabeth E. Miles-Flynn, Leonard Patrick O'Connor, Lizbeth Marie Ramos-Ortiz, Samantha S. Trajcevski

  Aligned with the University of Dayton (UD)’s vision for the common good and the Characteristics of Marianist Universities (https://marianistuniversities.org), UD pledged commitment to the Laudato si Action Platform (LSAP), (https://laudatosiactionplatform.org) journey in October 2021. The LSAP integrates the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), and Catholic social teaching as outlined in Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’. Universities are one of the seven major LSAP sectors (https://laudatosiuniversities.com), giving students a unique opportunity to impact change both locally and globally. UD has many student-led organizations dedicated to environmental sustainability, human rights, Marianist community, social justice, advocacy, and more. While many groups engage in outreach, advocacy and activism, the collective impact could be furthered by greater sharing of resources, ideas, and skills around common goals. This interactive session gathers UD student leaders and attendees to share perspectives on how UD can best engage the LSAP goals (caring for the earth, aiding the marginalized, ecological education, economics and spirituality; sustainable living, and community empowerment.) Brief background presentations on the LSAP and the new Marianist Family Encounter Project will be followed by organization leaders sharing how their group’s missions are already achieving aspects of the LSAP goals. In breakout groups, all participants will explore the various ways they can contribute to accomplishing these goals, as well as building upon campus initiatives. They will also share experiences of successful collaboration and envision how student, faculty, and staff collaboration around LSAP goals could create greater collective impact in all aspects of university life and in UD’s relationship with the greater Dayton community. Students will be called to action to create a unifying body to promote coordination between students, faculty, and staff in pursuit of the LSAP goals to amplify UD’s impact on our campus, in our Marianist family, church, and world.

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  Undergraduate Campus Involvement and Perceptions of On-Campus Safety: Applying Durkheim’s Theory of Social Integration to the University Environment

  Rachel M. Veneman

  The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between the social involvement of University of Dayton undergraduate students and their perceptions of safety on campus. The study hypothesizes that students more involved on campus will have higher perceptions of safety and a lower fear of crime on campus. Previous research shows that social involvement in groups aids in the social integration of an individual into a community. Perceptions of safety and the level of social integration are linked by studies of various communities, but research has overlooked how this plays out in the setting of a college campus with unique involvement opportunities and experiences of crime. Variables such as gender and race are expected to reflect in perceptions of safety, as previous literature shows women and racial minorities tend to have lower perceptions of safety and higher fear of victimization of crime due to various factors besides social involvement. This study employs a survey sent to undergraduate on-campus residents living in university-owned housing that asks about their demographics, on-campus involvement, and perceptions of safety in various ways. The survey was conducted via Qualtrics and retrieved responses anonymously. Responses were analyzed using quantitative data analysis through SPSS. The results identify trends of student safety perceptions based on involvement as well as various demographic factors.

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  Understanding the role of miRNA-277 in the growth and survival

  Prajakta D. Deshpande, Esther Lu Lu Seng Labya

  Cell size plays an important role in the cellular processes and function of a cell. Hence cell size and growth need to be maintained properly. Gene regulation plays an important role in regulating gene expression of different cellular processes like apoptosis, cell growth, etc. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small single-stranded RNAs, regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally by binding to the 3’untranslated region of their target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), degrading their target and hence silencing their gene expression. Our lab has identified that miRNA-277 (miR-277) inhibits apoptosis in the Drosophila eye model. We employed the Gal4-UAS system in Drosophila melanogaster to misexpress head involution defective (hid), a pro-apoptotic factor, within the developing fly retina, exhibits reduced eye phenotype. Hid expression is regulated during embryogenesis, larval development, and metamorphosis. Hid is known to be regulated by the Hippo pathway, miRNAs, etc. Our lab found that gain-of-function of miR-277 in the background of GMR>hid rescues the reduced eye phenotype. Furthermore, hid plays a role in programmed cell death (PCD) during pupal development by removing extra-interommatidial cells. The previous study shows that in the hippo (hpo) mutants, hid transcript levels were reduced in interommatidial cells and failed to undergo PCD. The question remains unanswered how hpo modulates hid expression during pupal development. We hypothesize that miR-277 can provide a link since miR-277 inhibits hid mRNA expression. Furthermore, our preliminary data suggest that the gain-of-function of miR-277 in the GMR>hpo background rescues Hpo-mediated cell death. Our working model suggests that miR-277 regulates cell growth by modulating Hippo pathway.

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  U.S. Government Debt, Safe Rates and Stock Returns: An Empirical Analysis, 2009-2019 Abstract

  Fouad O. Saleh

  In this study, using a two step regression model, I develop the functional relationship between (1) U.S. govt. debt and safe interest rates (T20 govt. bond) and safe interest rates and 6 sector etf' price indexes. The regression models are run over the period 2009-2019 with quarterly data. I test two key hypotheses: (1) U.S. government debt growth is inversely related to safe interest rates and (2) safe interest rates are inversely related to sector returns.Using the slope coefficients from the safe rate regressions on S&P 500 sector price indexes, I also develop a 6 sector portfolio weighting model and test the hypothesis that safe rates are a priced in risk factor in the equity market i.e., the 6 sector portfolio weighting model outperforms the broad equity market over the long term period,2009-2019.

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  Using a Drosophila Glioma Model to Study Signaling Pathways

  Jibriel Saqibuddin

  Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal genetic model for studying early changes in tumor cells for diseases such as Glioblastoma (GBM) for which there are no current treatment options. A large percent of GBM patients show excess EGFR signaling due to amplification of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-VIII (EGFR-VIII), and activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. Using mutations to activate the PI3K and EGFR receptors in Drosophila, we have modeled GBM in the fly brain using the GAL4-UAS system.My project involves genetic crosses that will produce larvae with GBM, the dissections of the larval brains, and performing immunohistochemistry to study changes in signaling pathways that promote GBM growth. To do so, I will be studying the early time points to decipher the roles of signaling pathways like MAPK, Hippo and WNT in promoting GBM growth and/or inhibiting cell death. A comparison between our GBM models and experimental controls will provide the initial data for designing further genetic experiments to narrow down specific signaling interactions that affect cell death and proliferation.

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  Using a New Conditional Knock-out Mouse Model to Investigate Novel Calcium Signaling Pathways in the Brain

  Aikaterini Britzolaki, Ben Klocke

  Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects over 8% of individuals in the US, according to the NIH. In addition to impaired attention and locomotor hyperactivity, symptoms often include enhanced impulsivity and memory deficits. The etiology of ADHD is elusive, but one proposed mechanism behind this and many other brain disorders is the dysregulation of intracellular calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis. Ca2+ is a critical second messenger for 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. Interestingly, our lab has identified a new calcium-handling regulator to be expressed in the mouse brain, and that global genetic ablation of this gene in mice results in the manifestation of an ADHD-like behavioral phenotype. Our lab has recently generated a novel conditional knockout (cKO) mouse model of this gene, that also exhibits locomotor hyperactivity, a cardinal ADHD-like behavior. Further, we have employed the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), a state-of-the-art behavioral paradigm to assess attentional capacity and impulsivity, two other core symptoms of ADHD. Interestingly, preliminary data from our lab show that the cKO mice exhibit impaired attention in this paradigm. Altogether, these findings strongly support a novel role for this gene in the manifestation of ADHD-like behaviors.

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  Using in silico and in vivo approaches to reveal the gene regulatory network responsible for the development and evolution of a fruit fly trait

  Matthew Dennis Spangler, Michael Weinstein

  Animal traits develop through the expressions and actions of numerous genes that comprise a gene regulatory network (GRN). For each GRN, its underlying patterns of expression are controlled by combinations of transcription factor proteins interacting with binding site sequences within cis-regulatory elements (CREs). These interactions drive cell-type and developmental stage-specific transcriptional activation or repression. Function altering mutations in CREs are suspected to be a common source of phenotypic variation within a species, and for the origin, modifications, and losses of traits that differentiate species. Unfortunately, for any trait and its generative GRN, finding CREs remains a slow and resource intensive endeavor. In this study, we sought to better understand the GRN responsible for the male-specific (dimorphic) pattern of abdomen pigmentation of Drosophila (D.) melanogaster fruit flies. This pigmentation trait is a leading model for evolution and development (evo-devo) as variation exists within this species, and between related species. We used an in silico approach to identify predicted CREs (pCREs) that control novel genes within this GRN. Through in vivo assays we demonstrated that many pCREs activate expression in the fruit fly abdomen at the correct developmental stage. Through CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, we aim to demonstratewhether some of these pCREs are necessary for the D. melanogaster trait, and which gene’s expression they regulate. By reporter transgene assays, we will compare the CRE activity of related sequences from fruit fly species with the derived (dimorphic) and ancestral (monomorphic) pigmentation. This will reveal whether the CRE activities are old and conserved, or modern and perhaps represent some of the GRN modifications responsible for the dimorphic trait. Ultimately, this work will expand the understanding of a leading evo-devo model trait, and perhaps demonstrate an experimental framework by which animal trait evolution can be routinely studied.

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  Vartek School Technical Coach Tracker

  Jenna N. Patino, William Shattuck, Joncarlo Soto, Brendan J. Steffen

  The overall objective of this project is to document, collect, and analyze data of a teacher’s progress toward set goals from their coaches. A subset of that goal is to develop a technology integration plan that combines instructional and technology goals. When talking about how Vartek would like to go forward to complete these goals, we thought of challenges that might come to surface. Misty said that Vartek’s preference to complete this project is to not have a budget, however she is open to a possible budget if money is needed to supply the best solution. Another challenge will be migrating all of the data into one platform because 4 teams of coaches are tracking the teachers in different forms. Coaches have set subjective goals for their teachers which are customized to fulfill the teacher’s needs and this creates an issue because there is no standardization across a big data set. Finally, Misty said that they are open to having a cloud data server to hold all of their information and tracking but has concerns over information security and who will be able to access the notes.

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  Virtual Reality Technology Enhances Use of Facial and Body Cues to Detect Deception

  Connor Brooks Hagan, Nicholas James Patritti, Ian Rasaan Robinson

  This study examined whether Virtual Reality technology would have an impact on deception detection when using direct or indirect questions about honesty. Our goal was to identify if someone who feels like they are with a person in a virtual reality world can better perceive facial and body language cues that, when paired with indirect questions, will enhance deception detection. Research has shown that participants are more aware of their surroundings and recognize slight changes more readily in virtual reality. Additionally, much research (e.g., Hippel, 2015; ten Brinke, 2014; Manstead 1984) indicate that indirect questions (focused on a person's jobs, character, and what actions they would take in a given scenario) are more useful than direct questions (e.g., targeted specifically to the honesty of a person) in determining deception. Analyses of data in the present study identified a reliable enhancement effect of virtual reality on body language cues (e.g., facial emotions, fidgeting, posture) as compared with verbal language cues in indicating honesty and deception.

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  What Do Students at a PWI Know about Redlining?

  Gabrielle Nicole Bryson

  Redlining, the process of denying government backed housing loans from the 1930s until the 1970s, is still reflected in our society today. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether undergraduate students at a predominantly white institution were aware of the topic of redlining based on characteristics such as gender, race, and school year. The aim of this study was to collect the data from the UnDesign the Redline exhibit here at the University of Dayton and through secondary data I was able to find a conclusion to my research question.

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  W.S. McIntosh: His Legacy at the University of Dayton

  Kevin Formato Brian O’Neill George Icart Mark Mahoney and Kieran Kilbride

  William Sumpter McIntosh was a veteran of the U.S. Navy before residing in Dayton for 33 years. He served as the local director of the Congress of Racial Equality and acted as an advisor to the Dayton chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. More than 600 people gathered for a public viewing to honor their civil rights leader, and the State Rep. C.J. McLin told the crowd, “He carried a torch. When Mac died, the torch never touched the ground. It is out there for all of us to grab.” That was what he was able to leave behind in his memory. The University of Dayton offers the W.S. McIntosh Memorial Leadership Award to incoming African American freshmen who reside in Montgomery County.

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  Yorkie dependent transcriptional network promotes tumor growth.

  Arushi Rai

  Studies in Drosophila and other tumor models have revealed cancer promoting signaling interactions and transcriptional addictions in tumors cells. The Hippo pathway effector, Yorkie (Yki) is a key mediator of such interactions and presents an attractive opportunity to study transcriptional dependencies in cancer cells. The RasV12 scrib-/- tumor mosaic model is well-established and shows activation of oncogenic Ras in the background of impaired apical-basal polarity. This model is widely used study molecular mechanisms and signaling events downstream of the oncogenic Ras and Ras-mediated Yorkie (Yki) activation in RasV12, scrib-/- tumor cells. Previously, we have shown that in RasV12, scrib-/- cells Wingless (Wg), Caspases (e.g., the initiator caspase Dronc) and JNK are activated to promote tumorigenesis through their non-apoptotic roles. Amongst these, Wg/Wnt pathway is known to act via canonical and non-canonical pathways during development and cancer, and interact with Yki to promote cancer growth. Genetic epistasis showed that Wg acts upstream of Caspases, JNK and Yki, and downregulation of Wg reduced tumor growth by downregulation of Caspases, JNK and Yki reporters. Our goal is to further understand how the two evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways i.e., Hippo and Wingless crosstalk and interact with each other to regulate tumor growth. To understand this intricate wiring of Wingless-Yorkie during tumor growth and invasion, we will use the RasV12, scrib-/- tumor model in Drosophila imaginal discs. Preliminary data showed that wg transcriptional reporters are upregulated in RasV12, scrib-/- cells, suggesting that increased accumulation of Wg may be due to increased transcription. In other contexts, wg is shown as a transcriptional target of Yki. Therefore, we will test for (a) the effects of Yorkie protein, the main effector molecule of Hippo pathway, on wg transcription and expression of other Wg pathway components by reporter assays, and qRT-PCR- based approaches, and (b) feedback interactions that promote tumorigenesis using genetic epistasis-, and immunohistochemistry-based approaches. Here, we present our progress on the organization of the molecular network involving Wingless and Yorkie.

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  ZFP36 Ring Finger Protein Like 1 (ZFP36L1) knockdown significantly reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory cytokine expression

  Tooba Shafeeque Ahmed Momin, Andrew Villasenor

  CCCH-Type Zinc finger proteins(CCCH-ZFP) are small protein domains that are structurally maintained by zinc ions. Zinc ions coordinate the protein structure in a tetrahedral geometry by biding cysteines or cysteines and histidine amino acids. The unique structure of CCCH-ZFP enables it to interact with a wide variety of molecules such as DNA, RNA, or cellular proteins and thus modulate several cellular processes including host immune response and virus replication. For the current study, we screened 68 CCCH type zinc finger proteins using a literature search for their antiviral as well as immunomodulatory properties along with their expression in human cells and their potential to interact with SARS-CoV-2 RNA using RNA-Protein Interaction Prediction (RPISeq) software. Using this strategy, we selected ZFP36 Ring Finger Protein Like 1 (ZFP36L1) which scored a higher point to interact with SARS-CoV-2 RNA and modulate host immune response as compared to other CCCH type zinc finger proteins. Before measuring the effect of ZFP36L1 expression on SARS-CoV-2 replication, we aimed to determine the effect of ZFP36L1 expression on host innate immune response. We overexpressed or knockdown ZFP36L1 in HEK 293T cells as well as in Raw 264.7 macrophage. Our preliminary results showed that knocking down ZFP36L1 significantly reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mediated tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF alpha) expression (p<0.05). However, we still need to measure the effect of ZFP36L1 overexpression or knockdown on LPS induced TNF alpha at earlier timepoints.

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  Bidirectional associations between adjustment and academic achievement: Testing the adjustment erosion and academic incompetence hypotheses

  Abigail Stover

  Abigail Lou Stover

  An association between academic incompetence and behavior problems exists. There are two frameworks to explain this association: the adjustment erosion and academic incompetence hypotheses (Van der Ende et al., 2016). These hypotheses relate to the directionality of the association between academic incompetence and behavior problems. The adjustment erosion hypothesis predicts that internalizing or externalizing problems lead to academic problems, whereas the academic incompetence hypothesis predicts that academic problems lead to internalizing or externalizing problems (Van der Ende et al., 2016). This study examines links between externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and academic performance, looking at bidirectional pathways between these variables, while controlling for confounding family background variables. This study uses previously collected longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample. Analyses included between 1,117 and 1,258 participating families. Reading and math achievement from children ages 5 to 14 were measured using the Peabody Individual Achievement Tests. Externalizing and internalizing behaviors were measured using the Behavior Problem Index completed by mothers during the same age range. Multiple regression analyses were used to test whether externalizing and internalizing problems at ages 5/6 predicted math and reading abilities at ages 13/14, and whether math and reading abilities at ages 5/6 predicted internalizing and externalizing problems at ages 13/14. Analyses controlled for maternal IQ, delinquency, highest grade, age at childbirth, family income, biological sex of the child, and the age 5/6 value of the age 13/14 dependent variable. Externalizing and internalizing problems in early childhood were found to significantly predict math and reading achievement at age 13/14. Math and reading achievement at age 5/6 were found to significantly predict externalizing and internalizing problems at age 13/14. Support was found for the adjustment erosion and academic incompetence hypotheses. These findings suggest that addressing academic deficits could aid later adjustment and addressing adjustment problems could improve academic performance.