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  Design of a Soft Robot Pneumatic Cushion for Bedsore Prevention in Persons with Paraplegia or Tetraplegia

  John M. Wischmeyer

  The University of Dayton Design of Innovative Machines Lab (DIMLab) is working in the area of soft robot design. In prior work, the DIMLab has investigated accurate CAD modeling of the PneuNet actuator, proposed by the Whitesides Research Group of Harvard University. PneuNet actuators are mainly used as soft robotic grippers capable of readily moving fragile or asymmetrical objects. The DIMLab has started to explore the use of soft robotics in a variety of fields, from medical to manufacturing. One potential novel application of soft robotic technology is in the prevention of pressure ulcers. Persons with para- or tetraplegia, and many of our elderly, are more likely to develop pressure ulcers from being in a seated position for longer periods of time. An assistive device that can safely and automatically mitigate pressure ulcer formation is clearly desirable. This honors thesis will explore the design and prototyping of the “Derri-Air” pneumatic cushion, capable of sensing and altering the pressure distribution applied to the user’s buttocks. Be it noted that the honors thesis will not require human test subjects from outside the University of Dayton. When a functioning model of the Derri-Air cushion is developed, only students working for the DIMLab will test the device for comfort and compatibility. An important step in achieving a working prototype is preliminary research into the continued development of PneuNet-like bending actuators, including their design, simulation, printing, and testing.

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  Determining Nitrate Sources Using Dual Nitrate Isotopes in Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed, Ohio

  Maria Isabel Schutte

  Grand Lake St. Marys, one of the largest lakes in Ohio, regularly experiences harmful algae blooms that disrupt access to drinking water and recreation. The Grand Lake St. Marys watershed, designated as a distressed watershed since 2011, is one of the most nutrient impacted lakes in Ohio with pollutants potentially originating from anthropogenic sources including organic and inorganic fertilizers, human wastes, and urban runoff. The eutrophication of the lake is in part caused by an excess of nitrate, which can come from these sources. The aim of this study is to identify and quantify the relative contributions of these anthropogenic sources of nitrate in the Grand Lake St. Marys watershed to better inform nutrient management decisions. We collected field environmental data and 43 water samples from the lake and all streams in the six sub-basins of the watershed. Samples were analyzed for nitrate concentration and isotope ratios of nitrogen and oxygen in nitrates. Dual isotope tracing of nitrate (δ15N and δ18O) allows us to determine nitrate sources based on isotope end-member values from those sources. But as δ15N of human and animal waste overlaps, further analysis of boron isotopes (δ11B) is used to distinguish anthropogenic sources from natural sources. Our results indicate that the main source of nitrate in this watershed is manure, which contributed 77-100% of all nitrate sources in the watershed. Although denitrification could increase the δ15N and δ18O values of nitrate and overlap with manure, based on high level of measured dissolved oxygen (DO) in the field and slope of δ15N and δ18O values, we were able to rule out this process. This research provides an initial nitrate contaminant source tracing data and helps to better inform state and local water quality and nutrient management planning.

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  Development of Melamine Derivatives as Flame Retardants for Thermoplastic and Thermoset Polymers

  Ryan J. Maguire

  Melamine is an aromatic, nitrogen-containing compound used to produce a myriad of items ranging from kitchenware to laminate. This project focused on the investigation of pathways to prepare melamine derivatives, which could function as potential reactive flame retardants. For that purpose, a set of bifunctional derivatives was prepared and characterized. Attempts to involve these compounds as co-monomers in the preparation of Nylon-type polymers is currently being studied.

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  DHL- Supply Chain Locus (Robots) Goes Green

  Brandon Richard Barhorst, Christian J. O'Connor, Kendall S. Schaffner, Allison M. Vanzant

  This project researches various opportunities to make the use of the warehouses picking robots more sustainable and supportive of the environment

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  Diabetes in Dayton, OH: a Focus on Free Healthcare Clinics

  Griffin Andrew Kirsch, Audrey Elizabeth Muck

  In less than a decade, the State of Ohio increased in rank from 19th to 13th in the United States of America for diabetes prevalence, according to a 2020 statistic from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (https://stateofchildhoodobesity.org/). The average diabetes prevalence rate in the United States is estimated to be 10.5%, whereas the prevalence rate for diabetes in Montgomery County is 13.6% (CDC, 2016-2017). This prevalence is well above national, state, and other surrounding county averages, and is also coupled with extreme racial data discrepancies. The diabetes mortality rate among black men is nearly two times the rate of other races in Montgomery County; furthermore, the rate of diabetes-related hospital visits is 1.5 times higher for black individuals than white individuals, according to the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association Healthcare Database (2018). In addition, racial and ethnic minority populations have a higher percentage of adults, adolescents, and children diagnosed with diabetes and are more likely to have poorer management of diabetes. An approach to preventing the progression of diabetes and decreasing mortality and hospital visit rates includes prioritizing and providing information and skills for people to manage their diabetes and related conditions at local health clinics that treat individuals at target risk. This approach includes a program known as the Diabetes SelfManagement Education and Support (DSMES) which yields effective results in managing diabetes (CDC, 2018). As a result of this approach, the mortality rate is declining. This poster will describe the prevalence of diabetes in Montgomery County, highlight racial disparities, review relevant social determinants of health, and discuss how a community can improve the outcomes of diabetes.

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  Direct polymerization of aliphatic bis-piperazine compounds and their non-antimicrobial properties

  Emilie A. Moses

  The piperazine functional group has found applications in the structure of novel antidepressants, chemotherapeutics, stimulants, and more recently as antimicrobial agents. Inclusion of piperazine in a material also leads to the chelation of metals (including toxic metals), which would have several environmental applications as fiber mats or bioengineering scaffolding materials. Thus, we synthesized the first aliphatic polyester polypiperazines directly from the Ti(IV) condensation of 1,4-bis(1-hexanol)piperazine with succinic acid. We characterized these novel polymeric materials using NMR, IR, and gel permeation chromatography. Since the biodegradation of these polymeric materials could lead to the release of a toxic by-product (the bis piperazine compounds), we analyzed the antimicrobial activities of the diol using AG100 E. coli as planktonic cultures (using the starting bis alcohols). We determined the antimicrobial activities using growth inhibition assays (with and without levofloxacin) as well as live/dead fluorescence staining of planktonic cells. We compared our growth inhibition results to 1-napthylmethylpiperazine and napthylmethylpiperazine derivatives. These collective data suggest polyester polypiperazines could be a novel thermoplastic, bioinert, biodegradable scaffolding material for tissue engineering and environmental applications.

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  Does a Required Nutritional Education Course Improve Overall Health in Undergraduate Students?

  Alexys N. Kidd, Gillian Losey, Clayton Richard Mathile

  The objective of this study is to investigate the nutritional knowledge of undergraduate students at the University of Dayton and how it affects their overall health. The study will be conducted through a survey that will be sent to undergraduate students at the University of Dayton. The participants will receive an electronic consent form and survey that contains questions about nutritional knowledge and personal prioritization of nutrition. Analyzed data will be used to answer questions like if a nutrition CAP requirement would be beneficial to students in college. The survey will be completed through a Google Form that will make it fluid for the researchers to quickly formulate the survey as well as distribute it to students in a timely manner. The questions that will be utilized in this study are to allow the researchers a better understanding of what undergraduate students at the University of Dayton know about the subject of nutrition. Ultimately, this study will show if there is a need for a nutrition curriculum to be added to course requirements. Data collection and results are forthcoming.

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  Does the Level of Caffeine Intake Relate to the Risk of Developing the Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety in College-aged Students?

  Laurel Catherine Bird, Brandon James Christopher, Haley Kate Gama, Marie A. Gross, Madeline Sarah Nichol

  Background: Caffeine consumption is common among college students for various reasons such as increasing studying time or partying situations. The consistent use of caffeine has been found to elicit the “fight or flight” response in the body which causes stress and can stimulate anxiety. This research investigates whether caffeine use is related to the signs and symptoms of anxiety in college students.

  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between caffeine consumption and signs and symptoms of anxiety in college students.

  Methods: Methods include the collection of data on caffeine intake and the signs and symptoms of anxiety. This information will be obtained via a self-report survey to college students at the University of Dayton to gauge what their caffeine intake habits are and what their levels of anxiety are during a typical two week period. Questions will be formulated based on GAD-7 for the anxiety portion of the survey. Additional questions about caffeine were formulated by the researchers based on previous studies and inquiries.

  Results: Data collection occurred March 28-April 4. Results are forthcoming.

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  Drosophila eye model to study the role of NAT9 in Alzheimer’s Disease related Dementia (ADRD)

  Prajakta D. Deshpande, Emily M. Snider

  Alzheimer's Disease (AD), an age-related progressive form of dementia, is characterized by a decline in cognitive function. Accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ42) plaques is one of the characteristics of AD. The accumulation of these Aβ42 plaques trigger the hyperphosphorylation of tau, a microtubule associated protein, which results in the intracellular accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) due to destabilization of microtubules. We employed the Gal4/UAS system in Drosophila melanogaster to misexpress human Aβ42 within the developing fly retina, exhibiting AD-like neuropathology. Accumulation of Aβ42 plaque(s) triggers the aberrant activation of signaling pathways like the JNK pathway resulting in neuronal cell death by unknown mechanism(s). Using candidate based forward genetic screening, we identified N-acetyltransferase 9 (NAT9) as one of the genetic modifiers of GMR>Aβ42 reduced eye phenotype. Previously NAT9 has been shown to stabilize microtubules by acetylation of tubulins, thereby inhibiting JNK signaling. This study aims to understand the role of NAT9 in Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration. The gain-of-function of NAT9 in GMR>Aβ42 background suppresses the Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration whereas loss-of-function of NAT9 in GMR>Aβ42 background enhances Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration. We have also found that the gain-of-function of human NAT9 also suppresses Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration suggesting the functional conservation. Interestingly, mutated NAT9 in the acetyl- CoA binding site shows similar phenotype as gain-of-function of NAT9 suggesting its function is independent of acetylation activity. Moreover, the eye antennal imaginal discs of loss-of-function of NAT9 in GMR>Aβ42 background shows the activation of JNK pathway by increased pJNK levels. Hence, here we propose that NAT9 downregulates JNK signaling pathway which can ameliorate Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration.

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  Effect of COVID-19 on mental health resources and symptom prevalence

  Shannon Patricia Camardese, Elli Jeannette Ertl, Paige Marie Kompa

  Crisis Text Line provides a free, 24/7 text-based mental health support and crisis intervention composed of trained volunteers. In 2020, 1.4 million interactions between the counselors and texters were exchanged, supporting 843,982 texters. This totaled to more than 48 million messages (Crisis Text Line, 2020). Data was collected by Crisis Text Line through 2019 and 2020 focusing on COVID-19 pandemic's most severe stages. Additional data was obtained through a local partner, University of Dayton's Counseling Center. In the fall of 2021, 2,890 UD students were seen in a clinical appointment setting; due to the overwhelming need for broader access, the Counseling Center added brief consultations, called “Let’s Talk Sessions”, allowing 240 more students to be seen in their time of need. Overall, 28.5% of UD students seen by the Counseling Center reported symptoms of depression and 52.8% reported excessive anxiety (University of Dayton Counseling Center, 2021). These results mirror those of Crisis Text Line that reported depression and anxiety as the top issues texters struggle with. This trend is also seen in the interactions of a crisis counselor. In conversations of one Crisis Text Line counselor (Paige Kompa) dating from April 2020 to present, 26.2% of texters reported experiencing anxiety and 35.0% dealt with depression (2022). The experiences of Americans and UD students alike show the vast impact of COVID-19 on mental health and demonstrates the need for mental health resources. This poster aims to discuss the effects of the pandemic on mental health and highlight what has been done to address the issue.

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  Effects and Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety on University of Dayton Upperclassmen Students

  Charles Vincent Bova, Catherine Aleta Fay, Grace Elizabeth Lewis

  The purpose of this study is to determine how upperclassmen at the University of Dayton develop depression and anxiety. This study aims to discover the prevalence of depression and anxiety amongst junior and senior undergraduate students, and what symptoms they predominantly exhibit. A thirteen-question survey will be distributed to each researcher's neighborhood block group chat. Participation will be confidential anonymous. Participants will only need to indicate their grade level to ensure all participants met the age criteria of third or fourth years at the University of Dayton. Data collection and result analysis will be occurring between March 22 and April 4.

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  Effects of the United States foster care system on juvenile delinquency

  Olivia Watson

  The United States foster care system was home to nearly 500,000 children in 2019. The link between the United States foster care system and juvenile delinquency is empirically under-explored and theoretically under-examined. Using data collected from the Pathways to Desistance study, the current study examines the relationships between drug and alcohol abuse, exposure to violence, and early onset behaviors with those who have been in the foster care system. Using a linear regression for the statistical analysis, findings show a significant association between exposure to violence and the foster care system. While there is no significant association between drug and alcohol abuse or early onset behaviors and the foster care system, the findings suggest a trend toward a positive relationship.

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  Electrically Injected GeSn Lasers towards Room Temperature

  Nicholas Saunders

  Use of group IV materials for semiconductors offers many benefits compared to traditional group III-V materials. Germanium tin (GeSn) in particular has a direct bandgap above 8% Sn composition, making it ideal for use in optoelectronic devices. GeSn is also complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible and has potential applications in infrared imaging and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology. However, electrically injected GeSn lasers have not yet been extensively researched. The operating temperatures for such devices are low, with the world record highest temperature at 110 K. Higher operating temperatures are desired to increase use in applications. A PIN-doped GeSn wafer was prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and wet etching. Electrodes were deposited and wire bonded to an Si carrier chip to form a PIN-diode. The sample was electrically injected using a pulsed voltage source. The electroluminescence (EL) spectra and light output versus current (LI) curves were measured. The device successfully lased with a wavelength of 2688 nm at the maximum temperature of 135 K. This beat the previous world record operating temperature by 25 K. The threshold current density was 701 A/cm2 at 77 K and 2813 A/cm2 at 135 K. Alterations in material growth and device structure need to be studied in order to further increase operating temperature to room temperature.

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  El Pueblo Unido: Diversity in Latin American Theatre

  Anna Ruzena Kopsick

  Latin American theatre is an art of culture and protest. Much of it is politically and socially-based and often provides commentary on society as a whole. Throughout history, different Latin American artists have utilized theatre to explore their struggles, identities, and hopes for the world. This research will discuss how Latin American theatre and performance bring forth, fight for, and support the common good in their societies. My sources will include the analysis of works by artists of the Latin American diaspora, including Augusto Boal, Sr. Juana Ines de la Cruz, and Quiaria Alegria Hudes.

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  Empirical Research Presentations in Economics

  Nathan Chase Arno, Samuel Francis Attea, Kelly J. Bailey, Jeffrey Allen Banis, Brock Daniel Bartley, Maria Louise Claiborne, Kaila Colacarro, Samuel A. Collins, Matthew Thomas Concannon, Nicholas Allen Cragon, Gabriel Joseph Davey, Joseph Dominic Demarco, Alexandra Catherine Edrington, Jack Christopher Gewinner, Alec W. Gizzie, Bin Guan, Tongyu Guo, Thanh H. Ha, Jacob Richard Hartness, Erik Elias Hauptmann Harryson, Claire Healy, Katharine Ann Heller, Bridget Marie Hendry, Andrew B. Hendy, Nolan Joseph Hutter, Jon Isaj, Megan Elise Kehres, Saisai Li, Wenjiong Li, Jake William Lofgren, Camille Rhiann Lubic, Chenzhao Ma, John F. Mccarthy, Daniel William Meehan, Jacob F. Meyer, Megan Suzanne Murphy, Nicholas G. Panson, Alexandra Rachel Patrick, Saraphina Ann Peters, Michael Nicholas Pitzaferro, Julius George Riske, Alec William Schnitker, Gavin T. Scott, Caroline M. Silvis, John Michael Timko, Joshua J. Trautman, Brian Joseph Walker, Elliot J. Walsh, Dylan Thomas Wolf

  Four years of coursework culminate in a written and oral presentation of an empirical research project during the senior capstone course. Students apply economic theory and econometric techniques to analyze data in order to answer an original research question.

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  Enabling Renewable Energy Investment with Bitcoin Mining and Community Impact

  Lu Hao

  Food desert, electricity power shortage and climate change are the current global issues we are facing. With cryptocurrency investment craze, Bitcoin is becoming more and more popular among young professionals or investors. Bitcoin mining currently consumes around 117 Terawatt Hours per year — 0.55% of global electricity production. Renewables account for just 39% of crypto mining's total energy consumption. As Bitcoin market grows, it is essential to insure power for BTC comes from renewable sources. The system we’ve devised for Dayton area includes: 1)Explore the viability of using landfill gas to produce electricity for mobile cryptocurrency mining containers. 2)Evaluate the potential for using waste heat from mining servers to heat mobile container farms. 3)Propose modular and cost effective design for Landfill Gas Generated Electricity -Cryptocurrency Mining-Indoor Farm system. According to Feeding America in 2019, almost 20% of Dayton is food insecure. From the indoor farm we can produce the nutritional crops 2~4 millions pounds. The payback period between 0.7 years and 2.4 years. Annual revenue by system will be $51M.

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  Establishing a Drosophila colon cancer model to study interactions and therapeutic targets of oncogenic pathways

  Kathleen McCaslin

  Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States, with an estimated 147,950 new cases in 2020. Current treatment varies based on severity of the cancer. If potentially curable, the patient may undergo surgery; in advanced cases, chemotherapy may improve and maintain quality of life. Both treatment options are invasive and target healthy cells as well as cancerous ones. Therefore, it is important to find therapeutic targets for less invasive and more effective treatment. The objective of this project is to develop CRC models in fruit flies to test the role of Hippo and Wnt pathways in gastrointestinal cancer as potential therapeutic targets. To do so, we have (a) developed a CRC model in flies, and (b) tested the levels of Hippo and Wnt pathway activity in this model. Using fly mutants and transgenic flies we have created small patches of cancerous cells in the fly intestine in which have activated oncogenic Ras (mutation RasV12) and dominant negative p53 (mutation UASp53H15N) together with loss of function of APC. This model allows evaluation of multiple genetic combinations (one-, two-, or three- hit models) to evaluate the induced tumor, its growth profile, and the effect of the drug on tumor growth. Here we present our progress with the establishment and analyses of this tumor model.

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  Establishing an Immunohistochemical Method to Assess Cell Activation in the Amphibian Nervous System

  Ben Klocke, Kaitlyn Martin, Augustine J. Miller, Jason Tornes

  According to the National Institute of Health, 185,000 people undergo amputations each year in the United States. Understanding the process of regeneration is imperative in order to develop novel therapies and treatments for these patients. Unlike most vertebrates, axolotls can fully regenerate their limbs when amputated. In the context of the current study, we established and tested a new immunohistochemical protocol in our lab by which we can track the activation of cell cycle in different tissues in the axolotl during regeneration upon injection of 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), a thymidine analogue which is incorporated into the DNA of dividing cells. Specifically, we utilized double immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy in paraffin sections to assess cell proliferation in specific cell types of interest. A new protocol was successfully established in our lab, and we are continuing data collection to study the implication of the nervous system in this remarkable process.

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  Establishing Drosophila Intestinal Tumor Models to Study Signaling interactions that regulate tumor growth.

  Sydney Anderson, Matthew T. Bilotti, Elizabeth Conley, Michael K. Gruhot, Anthony Latronica, Ryann A. Mann, Kathleen McCaslin, Arushi Rai, Jibriel Saqibuddin

  Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States, with an estimated 147,950 new cases in 2020. Some of the most common mutations found in patients with CRC are activation of oncogenic Ras, loss of function of APC, and dominant negative p53 mutations. We have developed a Drosophila melanogaster CRC model by integrating all three mutations in a single fly line. To understand the expression of each mutated gene on tumorigenesis, ‘one-’, ‘two-’, and ‘three-hit’ models were also made. Using these models we plan to establish how combinations of genetic alterations promote intestinal tumor growth, and understand the interactions between the molecular pathways of the mutated genes, understanding the expression of pathway specific target genes in the tumors, and understanding the progression of tumor formation in these CRC models.Our goal is to conduct a two part experiment using Gal4-UAS directly, where we will use esg-GAL4 to drive expression of tumor promoting genes specifically in intestinal stem cells. We will use a temperature sensitive GAL80 in combination with the esg-GAL4. This will allow temperature dependent control of GAL4 activity in the intestinal stem cells. Initially we plan to test the efficacy of GAL4 activity by testing the intestinal growth at room temperature (22℃) where the GAL4 is expected to remain inactive; and compare the phenotypes of intestinal growth with larvae grown at 29℃ where the GAL4 is active. First, we will look for survival rates in the larvae. Second, we will characterize the nature of the intestinal defects and check if the tumors are benign or malignant by dissecting the larvae, processing the intestines for antibody staining from 29℃ cultures. Our plan is to use anti-PH3 and anti- Dlg antibodies which will mark all dividing cells and cellular boundaries. This will allow us to determine if the tumors are also invasive or metastatic tumors. Based on these initial analyses, we will identify the potent combinations that cause metastatic tumors for further studies like assessment of MAPK, WNT and HIPPO pathway interactions. Here, we present our progress on the development and assessment of CRC models using the power of Drosophila.

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  Establishing Soft Robot Modeling and Simulation Fundamentals to Drive Smart Hose Design

  Patrick B. Hudak, Kyle Naumann, Bailey A. Reid

  Soft robotics is a rapidly growing field with numerous possible applications. In grinding applications, coolant flow must be perfectly directed onto a part to prevent defects. Frequent, manual adjustments must be performed by operators, generally by bending hard tubing. By developing a smart-hose that is controlled by varying the air pressure in a series of internal chambers, machine operators can make fine adjustments to the coolant flow without entering the machine's workspace and interrupting the process. To do so, fundamentals of modeling and simulation in Solidworks using real-world material data must be established. This is done by comparing tensile testing data from physical specimens with results from Solidworks simulations of the same test using a finite element analysis to determine if a correlation is present between the two stress-strain curves. Establishing this correlation is important for determining if Solidworks accurately simulates the behavior of the material used. If a strong correlation is found, simulations in Solidworks can be run with a high degree of confidence that they will reflect the behavior of the physical actuator made out of our researched materials. The design process can be accelerated through accurate simulation by allowing for rapid and frequent iteration and simulation without needing to physically test the actuators. A wider variety of designs can also be tested in parallel, further enabling more rapid design and exploration of different styles of actuators. Ultimately, establishment of modeling and design fundamentals will result in a smart-hose design capable of being manufactured and deployed effectively in real-world applications.

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  Evaluating Solar Array Positioning Designs for Small Satellites

  Mohamed Ali Alsadig Mohamed

  CubeSats are standard modular satellites mostly used for scientific research. Each unit (U) is 10 × 10 ×10 cm with a mass of up to 1.33 kg. Due to their reduced launch costs, standardized components, and shorter manufacturing lead time, CubeSats have become an attractive innovation in the space sector. However, the weight and size limitations of CubeSats reduce the available power budget and stored energy reserves, which limit their advanced capabilities and performance. This research studies the energy output from a 3U CubeSat in both Geosynchronous and Sun-synchronous orbits with several solar panel design configurations. The alternatives include rigidly mounted solar panels, deployable panels to optimum positioning angles, along with one and two degrees of freedom actuated panels. Commercially available orbital mechanics software, System Tool Kit, is used to validate the results for orbit parameters and energy generation for the rigid-mounted solar arrays. In addition, this research creates virtual models using SolidWorks software to simulate all the design alternatives to determine the weight penalty for advanced positioning devices and ensure the packaged size remains suitable for standard 3U CubeSat.

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  Evaluation of User Interface for Medical Applications

  Lakshmi Pratyusha Cheedella

  Virtual Medication Evaluation (ME) is a mobile application designed to help patients with discordant chronic conditions (DCCs) prioritize and adhere to their medication goals. DCCs are health conditions in which patients have multiple, often unrelated, chronic illnesses that may need to be addressed concurrently but may also be associated with conflicting treatment instructions. Virtual ME allows a user (patient with DCCs) to help a virtual version of themselves (avatar) attain a desirable state of being. They do this by setting and adhering to their medication plans (e.g., taking medications on time or reporting symptoms/side effects) and allow new plans to be set before their situation gets worse. Our work proposes a novel framework that integrates the avatar into the medications evaluation process. The avatars are composed of different expressions (representing different states/moods of a patient) to encourage the patient to take medications on the pretext of maintaining the state of the avatar. The medication prescriptions and prioritization are generated by the machine learning algorithms. We evaluated Virtual ME and interviewed users to learn whether avatars and applications interface might be effective for motivating users to prioritize prescriptions and medications adherence. Our results show that real users demonstrate the effectiveness of the application.

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  Examining Felony Disenfranchisement Laws, Voter Restoration, and U.S. Elections

  Macy Victoria Mcquinn

  Voter disenfranchisement for felony convictions in the United States has become an increasingly important target of criminal justice reform efforts. Although most states have established laws to restore voting rights upon the completion of a prison sentence, other states such as Ohio and Florida still restrict or prohibit felony offenders from voting in some manner. Using publicly available data provided by each state's official voter database, the research will examine voter registration, turnout, and party affiliation in Presidential elections during the years 2016, 2019, and 2020 across states where voter laws have recently changed, specifically Florida.

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  Exploration of Data Clustering within a Novel Multi-Scale Topology Optimization Framework

  Kevin Robert Lawson

  An advanced computational framework is needed to design next-generation aerospace structures capable of performing in increasingly extreme environments. Multi-scale topology optimization (TO) offers a solution in which a macroscale-level optimization conditions further optimizations at the mesoscale level, where designs for constitutive representative volume elements (voxels) are generated based on the properties called for at their location in the macroscale problem. As the desired properties of each macro voxel must be met through a unique, voxel-specific meso lattice architecture, the cost of large-scale design problems can be substantial. Aiming to increase efficiency without a significant loss in predictive fidelity, we explore the use of data clustering to reduce the number of targeted macro voxel properties and thus the number of homogenized meso lattice architectures needed to attain these properties. Four data clustering algorithms  k-means, spectral clustering, DBSCAN, and OPTICS  were implemented and gauged by their run time and variance from the unfiltered solution. A characterization of their performance reveals the most suitable grouping method and assesses the feasibility of clustering methods in a multi-scale TO framework. Preliminary results are presented for a three-point bend problem, which provides an ideal setting for experimental validation of the proposed computational methodology. With minimal variation from the optimized result, data clustering greatly reduces the computational cost of voxel design generation by lowering the number of unique designs. K-means clustering specifically has the lowest impact on the structural performance for a set number of groups, with a 97% reduction in voxel types with only an approximate 5% increase in compliance. The present work provides insight into how data clustering algorithms can be used to effectively pass data through a multi-scale TO framework, which will be particularly important as the framework evolves from a single anisotropic linear elastic material to multiple materials, inelastic deformations, and multi-physics loadings.

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  Exploring Barriers for Human Trafficking Victims Assistance and Assessing Disconnects Between Area Agencies in Ohio

  Laura Lee Franklin

  There are many key areas to assistance for human trafficked victims that should be met based on the Governor’s Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force Report (2019) and the National District Attorneys Association (2020). This research sought to determine if those who may possibly come in contact with trafficked victims have been adequately trained, if there are any barriers to serving victims, and if there is adequate communication between agencies who serve these victims. Utilizing a survey sent to my existing networks, reviewing agency directories, and referrals from existing contacts, I will utilized both qualitative and quantitative analysis to determine if training is being conducted, if victims’ needs are being met, and if agencies are communicating with one another.