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  miR-277 targets hid to ameliorate Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration in Drosophila eye model of Alzheimer’s Disease

  Anuradha Venkatakrishnan, Prajakta D. Deshpande

  Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an age-related progressive neurodegenerative disorder, exhibits reduced cognitive functions with no cure to date. One of the reasons for AD is the extracellular accumulation of Amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ42) plaques. We misexpressed human Aβ42 in the developing retina of Drosophila, which exhibits AD-like neuropathology. Accumulation of Aβ42 plaque(s) triggers aberrant signaling resulting in neuronal cell death by unknown mechanism(s). We screened for microRNAs (miRNAs) which post-transcriptionally regulate expression of genes by degrading mRNA of the target genes. In a forward genetic screen with candidate miRNAs, we identified miR-277 as a genetic modifier of Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration. Gain-of-function of miR-277 rescues Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration whereas loss-of-function of miR-277 enhances Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration. Moreover, misexpression of higher levels of miR-277 in the GMR>Aβ42 background restores the retinal axonal targeting indicating functional rescue. Furthermore, we have identified head involution defective (hid) as one of the targets of miR-277 by Fly TargetScan and validated by luciferase assay and qPCR. The hid transcript levels are decreased by ̴2.3-fold when miR-277 is misexpressed in the GMR>Aβ42 background in comparison to the GMR>Aβ42 fly model. Hence, here we provide a mechanism of how miR-277 modulates Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration by regulating hid transcript levels and demonstrate its neuroprotective role in Aβ42-mediated neuropathology.

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  Mock Trial Team Presentation

  Lydia G. Artz, Nicholas Alexander Gregor, Katherine Jean Hoener, Arabella D. Loera, Madeleine Elizabeth Onderak, Jackson Fryer Prieto, Sydney R. Sparks

  Come watch the award-winning University of Dayton Mock Trial Team present their case: State of Midlands vs. Dakota Sutcliffe! Dakota Sutcliffe has been accused of committing aggravated arson for the burning of Chuggie's Sports Bar and the death of a local firefighter. Dayton Mock Trial will present portions of this case and answer any questions you might have. This will be a trial you won't want to miss!

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  Multifactor Portfolio Weighting Models for the Consumer Discretionary Sector: An Empirical Analysis of Portfolio Returns, 2009-2021

  Daniel Collins Montgomery, Paul Baraka Waweru

  Discretionary Sector with consumer spending the "state " economic variable and revenue per shareand gross operating profit per share the principal factor loadings. We test the hypothesis that our portfolio weighting models outperform the market over the period 2009-2021.

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  Multifactor Portfolio Weighting Models for the Health Care Sector: An Empirical Analysis of Portfolio Returns, 2009-2021

  Patrick James Burns, Alec W. Gizzie, Julia Catharine Reinker

  We construct portfolio weighting models for the S&P 500 Health Care sector with consumer spending the "state" economic variable and revenue per share and gross operating profits per share the principal loading factors. We test the hypothesis that our portfolio weighting models outperform the market over the period 2009-2021.

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  Multi-Robot Path Planning with Collision Avoidance

  Mohammad Zainullah Khan

  Integrating robotics into manufacturing tasks is now a decades-old practice with ongoing advances making robotics faster, cheaper, and more accurate on an almost daily basis. Individually, robots have become highly effective at performing tasks in isolation. The goal of this research is to advance automatic path planning for multiple robot agents to intelligently and cooperatively accomplish manufacturing tasks in close proximity. These robots can range from simple robot architectures to several 6-DOF articulated arms on mobile bases to be used for spray coating, pressure washing, media blasting, and sanding. These applications are low-volume, high-mix manufacturing environments where task variability renders human programming impractical. While addressing the possibility of collisions for multi-agents, practical manufacturing constraints also need to be considered. In additive manufacturing, for example, it is important that each raster be completed by a single agent to prevent undesirable tool retracts that will affect print quality. The methodology for addressing this research includes the development of optimization models that simultaneously incorporate both manufacturing process constraints and the manipulator's kinematics and collision constraints. This project proposes to develop coordination planning techniques for N overlapping robot architectures composed of 3 or more revolute and/or prismatic joints.

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  Navigating Burnout in Student Affairs Graduate Students

  Meg L. Austin

  As graduate students begin to enter the higher education and student affairs field, they are socialized to navigate their work successfully, which often includes over-involvement and over-commitment (Allen et al., 2020). Previous studies on student affairs burnout found that intense workloads, low salaries, conflicts between work and personal life, lack of advancement, and lack of continued passion contributed to burnout (Marshall et al., 2016; Mullen et al., 2018; Naifeh, 2019). Although there is a plethora of research on burnout and stress in student affairs professionals, research around student affairs graduate students is mostly absent. The purpose of this study is to discover how current full-time student affairs graduate students who hold assistantships navigate burnout, what factors cause burnout for graduate students, as well as the impacts of burnout before they obtain a full-time student affairs job. Data has been collected through qualitative research, interviewing 11 current full-time student affairs graduate students with graduate assistantships. Data shows that graduate students experience burnout due to lack of personal-professional boundaries, low-pay, and lack of support or recognition. These results can help the student affairs field positively impact retention rates, transform the culture of the profession, and better support graduate students.

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  Novel Phosphorus-Based Flame Retardant for High-Performance Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites

  Mustafa Mukhtar

  This study aims to determine the initial performance of a novel phosphorus-containing epoxy monomer that could be incorporated into conventional epoxy (DGEBA) formulations to produce high-performance carbon fiber epoxy composites with little or no compromise in processing, treatment, and mechanical characteristics. This poster outlines the results of an experimental study on a novel phosphorus-based flame retardant (Phosphorus-Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol A) (P-DGEBA), which was synthesized at U.D. and then blended into a traditional epoxy-amine resin formulation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to evaluate the curing behavior of P-DGEBA with epoxy resin. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was also used to investigate the thermal stability and thermal degradation behaviors of the P-DGEBA/DGEBA blends. The micro-combustion calorimeter (MCC) test results confirmed that 50% P-DGEBA was the optimal percentage for balancing the performance (low heat release, high char yield) and minimizing the use of the available material, which was in scarce supply. Next, a composite fabrication technique was developed to incorporate the P-DGEBA into woven carbon fiber laminates with minimal waste of the synthesized monomer. The panel fabrication approach successfully produced panels using the autoclave technique that meets aerospace quality specifications with a Vf of around 0.5, which is an acceptable result for a panel manufactured to form a woven carbon fabric. The findings of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) on composite coupons showed that the Tg of the baseline panel was 72 °C, while the Tg of P-DGEBA-containing panels was about 78 °C. According to Cone calorimeter results, P-DGEBA produced less heat while increasing smoke generation and lowering the effective heat of combustion. Interestingly, the inclusion of P-DGEBA in DGEBA resin composites reduced their flammability by up to 28% without degrading their mechanical qualities by raising the mixture's glass transition temperature.

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  ODW Logistics Truckload Cost Modeling

  Warith Ali Nasser Mohammed Al Wardi, Andrew Rowland Brucken, Mary L. Burrows, Marc Craine Daly

  This project researches the opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs associated with product logistics

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  Ohio Health Enterprise (PMO)Development of a MS Teams Project Management Toolkit

  Samuel Bowman Harris, Khalis E. Hicks, Daniel Honquest, Megan Marie Moore

  This project will create a "Tool Kit" of software tools/templates/processes within the MIS Teams software system to aid in the management of company projects. This tool is intended to help non project management professionals who are occasionally asked to manage a project within their own work area or department. This tool in not attended for larger projects which are best managed by the companies EPO (Enterprise Project Office).

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  Oklahoma SB 1470 and its Human Rights Implications

  Ryley Goles, Grace K. Hughes, Jacob E. Lunsford, Naumann

  Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 1470, titled the “Students’ Religious Belief Protection Act,” disproportionately silences students and employees in the Oklahoma public school system that are part of a religious minority. The bill states that Oklahoma public school employees cannot promote or teach ideas that contradict students’ religious beliefs. In addition, employees are subject to fines and/or termination for violating this bill. This legislation, if passed, would directly violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the First Amendment by suppressing freedom of thought and speech. This bill comes as one of a number of bills across the country that aim to control what is taught in schools. This piece of legislation holds the potential to change what is taught in schools and how certain controversial topics may be portrayed – or even silenced. This bill could create a snowball effect that leads to more legislation further limiting educators and suppressing instruction on certain topics. Ultimately, it could result in states controlling what and how students learn about certain topics.

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  Omega Point Through a Semiotic Lens

  Calli Fenik, Claire Mahoney, Daniel Peters, Isabelle Wolford, Peter Spesia

  In 1973, University of Dayton Performing and Visual Arts Department professor Henry C. Setter won a sculpture competition in Middletown, Ohio. His creation, Omega Point, has been on campus since then and the base was restored in 2009. Students analyze it from a semiotic perspective.

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  Open-source Stereo Digital Image Correlation Optimized for Large Deformation Soft Materials Testing: Development and Validation

  Joseph G. Beckett

  Stereo digital image correlation (DIC) is an optical measurement technique capable of producing contour plots of 3D deformations. These rich measurement capabilities – namely, the ability to capture local shape and volume changes in specimens undergoing complex 3D deformations during mechanical testing – make DIC a compelling research tool for characterizing the mechanical properties of numerous classes of materials. Soft materials, which typically exhibit large strains at fracture, present several major challenges to DIC measurements including pattern breakdown, saturated image regions from glare, and large fields of view. In this research, a DIC system is designed to overcome these obstacles in a cost-effective manner using commercially available equipment and Digital Image Correlation Engine (DICe) open-source processing software. High-aspect-ratio image sensors, cross polarization, and custom DIC patterning stamps are utilized to improve DIC imaging quality for soft materials testing. The system’s extensive validation is discussed to demonstrate the system’s ability to yield repeatable and accurate data and to identify current limitations of the system.

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  Opioid Epidemic Waves

  Chase Alexander Hoffman, David A. Somodi

  In 1999, Ohio saw only 327 overdose deaths. As of 2020, the number reported by the Ohio Department of Health was over 5000 deaths (Ohio University, 2021). The opioid epidemic can be traced in three significant “waves” as identified by the CDC: 1990s due to the over prescription of opioids, 2010 due to a rapid increase of overdoses involving heroin, 2013 due to the illicit production of fentanyl and its addition to heroin. As a result of the over prescription of opioids, new prescription laws in Ohio required physicians and pharmacies to log controlled substances into a database starting in 2006. Although there were new laws and regulations that were put in place, there was still rising cases of opioid overdoses. Additionally, there were significant cases of fentanyl being found in illicit drugs in lethal dosages. Currently, Fentanyl-related fatalities account for almost four out of five opioid overdose deaths (Georgetown Hospital 2021). Rehabilitation services are crucial to combatting addictive behaviors. During the pandemic, rehabilitation services addressing addiction were indefinitely suspended. As a result of this and other stresses that the pandemic placed on individuals and families, there was a significant rise in overdoses in Ohio (Perry, 2021). This poster explores the effect all these had on overdose deaths to determine which factors should receive the most attention.

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  Optimization Protection Coordination for Smart Microgrid

  Uchenna Nwaichi

  The increasing penetration of renewable energy resources into the power grid presents many challenges in terms of optimizing grid performance and ensuring effective operation. In the particular case of islanding microgrids, the coordination of microgrid protection schemes to provide adequate system protection during grid-connected fault conditions and to seamlessly accommodate the transition to islanded operation is of significant interest. Several recent studies have explored this problem characterizing the different fault regimes evident in islanded operation, and numerous approaches to resolving these challenges have been proposed ranging from adaptive protection methods, differential current methods, voltage droop and harmonic distortion approaches, and phasor-based and travelling wave methods. New approaches to this problem continue to be explored and some recent reports have demonstrated effective operation on model systems. In a robust microgrid with multiple sources, optimization of the microgrid protection scheme is necessary to avoid miscoordination due to the possibility of changes in microgrid load or power flow. In this work a smart approach of fault isolation and system protection using circuit segmentation is proposed. A mathematical model of the protection scheme is developed, and a coordinated protection system is designed with redundancies to ensure protection in the event of device failure. Optimization methods are explored where an objective function is minimized using, water cycle, particle swarm, genetic, simulated annealing and pattern search optimization algorithms. The design approach seeks to minimize the protection response time, minimizing the time from fault detection to system segmentation and isolation. A comparative assessment of the overall performance of the listed optimization approaches is presented based on performance metrics such as operating time and solution convergence.

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  Permeability measurement of 3D-printed controlled-porosity deltoid inserts for composite T-joints

  Khalid Aldhahri

  Liquid Composite Molding (LCM) processes are one of the most common ways to produce composite material structures for various high-performance industries, especially for aerospace applications. LCM processes include resin transfer molding (RTM) and vacuum assisted RTM (VARTM). A key challenge with the LCM process is how to fully impregnate the dry fiber preform with resin inside the mold. Limited research has been conducted to investigate the resin flow behavior in critical regions of complex geometry, such as the junction between the flange and web in T-joints (referred to as a deltoid). This area is very important to the structural integrity and long-term durability of the T-joint, yet it is often ignored, leading to a resin-rich area. This study describes initial work aimed at producing custom-designed deltoid inserts with controlled porosity using additive manufacturing. Two different porosity geometries were developed, and deltoid shapes were produced with each one. The density for each porosity type was parametrically varied from 30%–70% solid (infill density). This presentation will present and discuss the permeability measurements made for each one in the three principal directions (K1, K2, K3). The 3D printed insert will have a porosity that can optimize resin flow, while simultaneously providing perfect geometric support for the plies of fabric that come together in this region.

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  Police Investigators' Perceptions of Victim Involvement During the Investigation Process

  Kaylin G. Florentino

  Law enforcement officers handle various crimes and cases, many of which involve working with victims. However, most studies have focused on the perspective of the victim, their trauma, and the role they play within the investigation. The scarcity of research focusing on police perception of the victim’s involvement within the investigation process is important because few studies have been done. The current study used phenomenological approach to explore the perceptions of the police investigator about the victims’ role in the investigation process. Through snowball sampling, three police detectives from a Midwestern police agency volunteered for a semi-structured interview. The interviews were conducted via zoom and lasted an average of one hour and thirteen minutes. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, while simultaneously writing memos and thematic analysis was conducted. Preliminary findings indicate that police investigators encourage involvement from domestic violence and sex crime victims, whereas property crime victims are not seen as needed for the process. Detectives are looking for cooperation when appropriate and asked of the victim. Additionally, there were no explicit responses or implications that suggested victims of any kind should not have any involvement within the investigative process.

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  Political Polarization and its Effect on Political Participation

  Sean Matthew Feikes

  In recent years, perceived political division has risen in the United States at an astonishing rate. With the rise of social media in the last decade or so, political opinions and ideologies are able to reach more and more people than ever before. With this mass distribution of thoughts and ideas, political opinions are stronger and more divisive causing more polarization among citizens. The purpose of this research is to examine how political polarization affects political participation among college students. The method of analysis for this research question is a survey administered to UD students and distributed via email. The brief survey contains questions regarding their political identity and ideology, opinions on the current state of politics, and stance on some highly political topics. Results from the anonymous survey are contextualized within the existing literature.

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  Postpartum Depression: Its Impact and Tools for Diagnosis

  Madyson Alexis Maynard, Natalie R. Piraino

  According to data gathered in 2021, postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the most common complications that affects 10-15% of mothers worldwide (Amit, 2021). It is a leading cause of maternal perinatal mortality, accounting for about 20% of postpartum deaths (Amit, 2021). Postpartum depression is simply depression that occurs after childbirth. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, depressed mood or severe mood swings, insomnia, loss of appetite, intense irritability, and difficulty bonding with the baby (Mayo Clinic, 2018). If left untreated symptoms may worsen to severe anxiety, panic attacks, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide (Mayo Clinic, 2018). We found tools used to measure and diagnose PPD but are curious to seek why PPD remains a significant problem. The MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health mentions that the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is most commonly used (Nonacs, 2008). Another tool currently being used is an online resource through Mental Health America titled “Depression Test for New and Expecting Parents.” The use of current tools helps women recognize the symptoms of PPD and helps improve the diagnosis of PPD in patients and yet “only 50% of women with prominent symptoms are diagnosed with PPD,” (El-Hachem, Charline, et al., 2014). The purpose of this poster is to learn more about PPD, how it is currently being diagnosed, and to suggest alternative ways to increase new mothers’ awareness of PPD that could lead to better diagnosis and treatment.

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  Practice Public Speaking via Simulator

  Bao Truong

  This project aims to develop a public speaking simulation in virtual reality (VR) in order to help people with trouble or practice with public speaking and give them feedback. People often time do not have a place or a big crowd to practice public speaking except themselves and a mirror. This project will provide the speaker with a simulated stage and interactive audiences through VR. When the speaker is giving speech, the simulation is able to pick up and analyze voice into data. The analyzed data include the rate of speaking, pauses, filler words, grammar, among others.

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  Predicting Fading in Free Space Communication Channel Using Deep Learning

  Mohammad Albaqer Hammid Jwaid Al Ghezi

  Free space optical communication plays a role in daily communications and has the advantage that it does not need a huge infrastructure of cables. Due to that advantage it can be used to deliver the internet to urban as well as remote locations, in the communication with drones, etc. However, the optical signal propagating through the atmosphere gets distorted due to fluctuations in weather parameters such as temperature and wind speed, resulting in optical turbulence, which impacts the strength of the optical signal that is received. In our work, we will use a deep learning algorithm to predict when these distortions could happen based on optical turbulence and weather data. Deep learning algorithms will be trained on the weather data as an input and the intensity of the signal as an output. Knowing the potential fading in the signal can help us to prevent losing the connection with the receiver. For instance, if we control a drone with an optical communication channel then it is important to know the potential fading in the signal, since this can be helpful for the controller to take action to prevent losing the connection with the drone.

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  Preparing Collegiate EMS to be First Responders for Mental Health Emergencies

  Maggie M. Garcia, Hannah Jayne Lindenman

  University of Dayton Emergency Medical Services (UD EMS) is a student-run collegiate EMS organization comprised of around 60 full-time undergraduate students who volunteer to provide 24/7 prehospital care to their campus community as nationally and Ohio certified Emergency Medical Technicians. In January 2022, UD EMS experienced its highest volume of mental health-related calls in the organization’s history. Additionally, according to Riaz et. al, (2021), with the rapid expansion of collegiate EMS programs, there remains “a lack of research and evidence-based guidelines surrounding how we, [in collegiate ems] can best serve college students in need of behavioral health services.” With the increased incidence of mental health emergencies in our own campus community and in collegiate EMS as a whole, we will be exploring the prevalence of these behavioral health calls and summarize current research on how to improve protocols for responding to mental health calls. The purpose of this poster is to present these findings and recommendations related to improving current protocols for responding to mental health emergencies within collegiate EMS.

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  Probability Analysis of the Relationship Between Share Price and ESG Ratings in the Aerospace & Defense Industry

  John Richard Coffey

  ESG is an evolving niche in the financial markets, as investors attempt to identify the companies that best fit with their own values. Aerospace and Defense firms are under constant scrutiny for their involvement in global warfare and contributions to the airline industry, one of the most fuel-intensive industries outside of Oil and Gas. The objective of this research is to determine which metrics within ESG impact share prices for the Aerospace and Defense industry most and build a probability model to measure the potential impact ESG has on share price movement. ESG scores for individual metrics such as Air Quality and Energy Management in Environmental and Customer Welfare and Data Security in Social. Regressions were then run with the scores for each ESG metrics run against a firm’s share price to measure correlation. Correlation was generally weak across most metrics; metrics with above 50% correlation were chosen to develop the probability model. Highest correlation was found among Social metrics, likely explained by the social impact defense companies have on war torn countries. The correlations were used to build a conditional joint probability model that determined the likelihood that a change in share price was caused by changes in one of the key ESG scores. A probability was determined, however low correlations brought into question the accuracy of the model.

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  Procter & Gamble - Dayton Mixing Operations Customization Kitting Optimization

  Jeffrey Thomas Donahue, Claire Rose Esslinger, Robert Henry Magoto, Anderson Robert Ryan

  This project researches the various processes for improving the efficiencies of bringing materials and piece parts to the production assembly operation. These include direct material flow vs. pre-kitting of various materials/parts before production assembly.

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  Procter & Gamble Shipment Complexity Analysis and Scheduling

  Matthew Gerard Hackl, Trent Kingan, Evan S. Parker, Grace E. Yingling

  Research into opportunities to improve product shipping and scheduling

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  Propaganda Campaigns Analysis

  Brendan John Ochs, Michael Elijah Saylor, Katelyn M. Weidner

  We are confronted by a daily barrage of propaganda and disinformation messages. These manipulative efforts can take many forms on various mass media and social media channels. In our attempt to understand how these messages are constructed and how we as citizens can critically respond, our panelists will dissect several selected examples of propaganda campaigns from government sources as well as private businesses.