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  Diffraction-limited optical focusing with arbitrarily oriented magnetic field

  Sichao Zhou

  In this work, an approach to create diffraction limited optical focal spots with arbitrarily oriented magnetic dipolar field components in 4Pi microscopy configuration is proposed. This is achieved by focusing two counter-propagating modulated vector beams consisting of complex intensity and polarization distribution. Through combining the magnetic dipole radiation pattern and the Richards-Wolf vectorial diffraction method, the required illuminations at the pupil plane of a 4Pi focusing configuration for the reconstruction of magnetic dipole focal field are found analytically. Furthermore, the orientation of the doughnut shape focal field can be rotated arbitrarily by modulating the pupil field distribution carefully. As an extension, a three-dimensional optical bubble encloses a transverse spin magnetic field can be obtained by introducing a second magnetic dipole oriented in the orthogonal plane with appropriate amplitude and phase differences

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  Disclosing Virtue

  Michael Ross Zahorec

  Why is telling stories such an effective method for communicating moral wisdom? Are there moral ideas that can only be revealed or understood as narratives? In this essay, I defend the idea that narrative is an irreplaceable component of our moral understanding and discourse. More importantly, I search for a meta-ethical conceptual framework that can meaningfully support this assertion. I aim to find a way to meaningfully discuss the ethical capabilities of narrative.

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  Discovering Antibiotics from UD's Soil

  Jackie Nicole Petrichevich

  The discovery of antibiotics has helped humans survive many diseases that were once deadly. But with the overuse of antibiotics in the medical field, some “superbugs” have evolved resistance to multiple antibiotics we utilize. The Tiny Earth Network and Small World Initiative have started a coalition of undergraduate students to help discover new antibiotics from different soils around the world. Over the past semester, I have been doing research to find microbes from soil outside of the Adele Center that has antimicrobial effects on known pathogens. This work is important because it could lead to the discovery of new antibiotics that can kill pathogens affecting humans. The bacteria that was collected was tested against the pathogens Acinetobacter baylyi and Enterococcus raffinosus to determine how efficient the antimicrobial properties were. Gram stains and biochemical tests were then used to help identify and characterize the bacteria we were working with. From there, I isolated antibiotic compounds and tested them against pathogens and eukaryotic cells. Overall, this work helps to support the Tiny Earth Network and Small World Initiative and will, hopefully, help to resolve the antibiotic crisis we are currently having.

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  Discovering Glioma Inhibitors via Chemical-genetic Screens in Drosophila Cancer Models

  Jordan M Terschluse

  Through all the medical advancements made in cancer detection and treatment over the centuries, there still is no cure for most cancer types. A class of chemicals called tyrosine kinase inhibitors seems the most promising, as most cancers show activation of tyrosine kinase dependent oncogenic pathways. However the efficacy of these drugs is poor, suggesting that new approaches like combination therapy need to be tested. In this approach, two drugs that show mild effects are tried in combination to check for additive effects or improved efficacy. In our lab, we analyzed the effects of both the promising class of tyrosine kinase inhibitors as well as Temozolomide, a chemical that has shown immense success in treating human glioma patients. These effects were analyzed using a Drosophila glioma model, due to Drosophila melanogaster having a high percentage of conserved genes that are known to cause diseases in humans. Using these orthologous genes, it is possible to model human diseases like glioma in flies, and the results from flies may be extrapolated to mammalian models. Results from these studies will be of immense importance to the medical field, specifically dealing with different treatment options for patients.

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  Disordered Eating at the University of Dayton

  Caroline Anne Calhoun, Brian Christopher Hughes, Dana Pamela Kieft

  Eating disorders, disordered eating, and concerning eating habits are common on college campuses among both men and women. Certain demographics are more likely to develop eating disorders or disordered eating habits than others; however, the issue is widespread and impacts many people. The increased stress, decreased supervision, and the need to develop new eating patterns in college create an environment where eating disorders or other disordered eating habits can be easily developed or go unnoticed. For this project, we researched University of Dayton’s (UD) resources available for students who may have disordered eating or diagnosed eating disorders. When students are facing issues at UD, they can talk to a counselor at the counselling center, go to the health center, women’s center, or even speak to an RA for example. However, we found few resources available specifically for eating disorders. We also analyzed other universities’ resources and materials, which showed that many other schools similar to UD in size and demographics had resources such as support groups, special events, and easily accessible information on eating disorders and related resources on the institution's website. For this project, we made recommendations for improving UD’s resources and we wrote and designed a fact sheet specifically for UD students that provides necessary information on eating disorders that could be made available at various locations on campus, such as academic buildings and residence halls.

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  Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) Simulations of Polymer-Filler Blends: Investigating the Dispersion and Hierarchical Structure formation in Polymer Nanocomposites

  Ashish Gogia

  Polymeric systems are modified routinely by addition of inorganic nanoparticles for enhanced properties and functionality. Such nanocomposites may contain fillers of varying miscibility, such as carbon black, silica, metal oxide, pigments, and /or various combinations thereof. However, on main impediment in the development of high-performance polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) are to realize a good dispersion of nanoparticles, owing to the strong interparticle interactions and weak polymer-nanoparticle interfacial interactions. Hence, the state of dispersion of the polymers and fillers is crucial to the behavior of polymer nanocomposites. To address this issue, in this research, we perform Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) simulation of these blends, varying polymer-polymer, filler-filler and polymer-filler interaction energy, to understand the hierarchical structure and dispersion over multiple length and time-scales. In addition, the simulation results are also validated experimentally through small angle x-ray scattering data to provide insight and understanding of how these complex structures develops in these multicomponent systems.

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  Distance Between Graphs

  Preston Reed Boorsma

  This is a project for MTH 466, Graph Theory and Combinatorics. A graph is a mathematical object that consists of two sets, a set of vertices and a set of edges. An edge joins two vertices and depicts a relationship between those vertices. Two graphs are said to be isomorphic if they have the same structure; their vertices can be relabeled and arranged so that the graphs look identical. This project investigates measures for determining how “close” two non-isomorphic graphs are to being isomorphic. We will explore questions such as whether two graphs can have a unique greatest common subgraph.

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  Drosophila Tumor Mosaic Models To Study Intercellular Interactions

  Minh T Ho

  Drosophila is a powerful genetic model system to study cancer. In patients, a small number of mutations accumulate in cells which change their growth characteristics and eventually lead to formation of tumors. These tumors are clonal in origin, meaning the cancer arose from proliferation of a single rogue cell. We have developed similar "clonal" cancer models in Drosophila wing and brain to study how tumor cells interact among each other and with their neighbors. My goal is to develop tools to manipulate either the tumor or the normal neighboring cells and test the effect of tumor growth and progression.

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  Educating the Whole Person

  Natalie Therese Eilerman, Samantha Bourelle Niewoehner, Mitchell Lee Shafer

  We are all concerned with improving aspects of students’ education. For one person, they are researching the negative effects of sex education discrepancies on students. For another person, they are researching the benefits of a STEAM education. Finally, another member is researching outdoor education in urban schools and its impact. Together, this combined research is aimed towards the education of the whole person. Both outdoor education and sex education are, in a way, a science. Regarding sex education, adolescents are informed about the importance of consent, physical safety, and emotional safety. Each of these aspects of sex education is founded in scientific research of the effects of adolescent sexual activity on the human body and mind. For outdoor education, a hands on education in science can increase intrinsic motivation both inside of the classroom and out. For STEAM education, students are taught a new approach to learning as a way to solve problems in their community. Ultimately, our combined research informs how to educate the whole person.

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  Education's Effect on Income Inequality in OECD countries.

  Jack Norman Smith

  This study investigates the impact of education on income inequality in OECD countries from 2000 to 2015. This study will be done using the dependent variable of GINI Coefficient, which will represent income inequality for the model, in a fixed mixture model with education being represented as below upper secondary, secondary, and tertiary as the three components of education. This study will use panel data to show how a higher tertiary education level will change the income inequality in both developed and developing countries that are in the OECD with development levels determined by GDP per capita of each nation. The variables of Percentage of GDP spent on education, percentage of population by age, and annual interest will be used to show how available education is to citizens of each nation.

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  Effect of a Novel Zinc Porphyrin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms Attached to Different Substrata

  Jessica Elizabeth Geyer

  Clearance of surface attached biofilms produced by bacterial colonization remains a relevant challenge in both industrial, and the biomedical communities. The difficult eradication of these biofilms rests in that bacteria produce an extracellular matrix that encases the cells; this acts as a scaffold for growth and imparts a form of protection. The matrix promotes resistance to treatment by physically blocking the passage of antibiotics to the bacterial cells. Work in our lab has produced a patented zinc porphyrin (ZnPor) which has the ability to disrupt attached biofilms on polyethylene by interacting with the base pairs of extracellular DNA found in the matrix. Biofilms disturbed by this porphyrin have been shown to become highly sensitive to antibiotics that previously had little to no effect. The objective of this project was to analyze the effect of ZnPor on removing biofilms attached to different surfaces. These data will set the stage for effective treatment of biofilms attached on a wide range of substrata: polyethylene (used in catheters), titanium (used in biomedical implants), hydroxyapatite (similar to bone) and borosilicate glass (control). This will be done by forming substrata into small coupons that will be placed into a CDC approved bioreactor. Pseudomonas aeruginosa will be inoculated into the bioreactor, and biofilms formed by 16~ 18 hours will then be treated by ZnPor followed by various antibiotics. The biofilms will be imaged with a LIVE/DEAD stain and analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The significance of our novel approach to antimicrobial management is that, unlike other protocols involving biofilm eradication, our strategy addresses the issue of resistance. The ability to disrupt the inherent matrix structure of biofilms and make cells accessible to antibiotic treatment promotes little resistance. Additionally, it decreases bacterial success in colonization of biomaterials and associated mortality rates in immunocompromised individuals.

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  Effect of inhibitors on Tyrosine kinase pathway in Drosophila model

  Claire Marie Feller, Cristina Sofia Flamand De Los Reyes, Karishma Sanjay Gangwani, Sara M Hubbell, Catherine E Martini, Isha Mishra, Kirti Snigdha, Jordan M Terschluse

  Glioma are glia-derived primary brain tumors with very poor prognosis. The standard of care is surgery followed by radio- and chemo/immuno-therapy, or combinations thereof, however, all patients with glioma ultimately die. Thus, there is a need to test if recently approved drugs can inhibit the growth and progression of this tumor. We have developed a Drosophila glioma model based on the two genetic/oncogenic pathways known to be most frequently activated in patients viz., the Ras/MAPK pathway and the PI3K pathway. Inhibitors of these two pathways do not help to limit the progression of glioma. Therefore, it is thought that other oncogenic pathways induce glioma growth and progression. We designed a chemical screen involving drugs targeting Tyrosine kinases (Selleck Biochem Chemical library) – key enzymes that are activated by oncogenic pathways. The chemical screen involves feeding glioma containing larvae 10uM and 300uM drugs from the library at early third instar stage, then allow these larvae to grow and mature to the third instar stage (120h of development), and then dissect the brain to study effects on glioma growth and track survival on days 5-7 when other glioma positive larvae die. Here, we present our progress from this screen focusing on the chemicals of rows E, F, G, and H of our inventory.

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  Effects of Police Interaction on Student Perception of Police and Campus Safety

  Jerami Paul Johnson

  This research seeks to understand the effect of police interaction on student perception around campus police and safety. Data was collected from two Midwestern institutions, one being a traditional 4 year residential campus and the other a community college. The study was conducted using a standard survey. The survey includes Likert-scale questions asking students to rank their feelings regarding their campus police officers as well as how students engage with these police officers. Students also identified alternate safety measures or protocols they utilize in lieu of police officers, based on their perceptions.

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  Effects of the Timing of Exercise on Quality of Night Sleep among College Students

  Brendan Michael Adler, Connor Anthony Hanson, Mary Kathryn Ireton, Casey Marie Kotoch, Kayla Janet Rhea-Bouscher

  Decreased quality of sleep can contribute to declined mental and physical health or functioning. The purpose of this study will be to explore the best time of day to exercise for college students in order to improve their sleep or get the best quality sleep. To gather data, a survey will be conducted with a sample of college students to obtain quantitative and qualitative results relating to sleep and exercise routines and changes. Possible results for this study may include increased adequate sleep, timing of exercise determined to be in late afternoon, decreased time to fall asleep, and decreased sleep disruptions. These findings will be useful for understanding the most beneficial and optimal time of day to exercise in order to improve the quality of sleep for college students.

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  EIO-LCA of writing utensils

  Eric David Belcik, Connor M Dushane, Ryan Ryan Kronk

  The goal our project is to conduct a life cycle assessment in order to determine which writing utensil--out of a choice of wooden pencils, plastic mechanical pencils, or plastic pens--is the most environmentally sustainable. With a variety of different styles of writing utensils currently on the market, understanding which one has the best long term effects on the environment would show how the market should be headed. So many individuals every day utilize some sort of writing utensil, and so the results could signify a need for drastic change in the industry. Sustainable Development Goal number twelve, responsible consumption and production, is a guiding principle to our research in that we would like to find the most responsible choice of the three options.The research was done using a combination of the Economic Input Output Life Cycle Analysis, as well as evaluating other metrics related to sustainability. Using this hybrid style of looking at the Life Cycle allows us to evaluate the utensils from multiple angles. Overall, this issue is extremely important as there are billions of pencils and are used almost universally, and making a more sustainable choice for one’s writing utensil could have a large impact on the planet.

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  Energy Analysis and Orbit Simulation of Actuated CubeSat Solar Arrays

  Justin Ehren

  CubeSats are used in space research to explore new technologies and detect data to gain a better understanding of various subjects affecting human life. CubeSats rely on a solar array to generate energy from the sun and perform their various functions in space. This research studies the energy capturing potential of various solar panel configurations and positioning devices for CubeSats. The location and orientation of a CubeSat is simulated in geo-synchronous and sun-synchronous orbits. Two degree-of-freedom (dof) positioning devices are sufficient to continuously adjust the photovoltaic array to face towards the sun. Lower dof systems are desired as they are less complex. Solar panel configurations included in the study are those affixed to the CubeSat sides, deployed into alternative stationary positions, and actuated with one dof, and with two-dof actuation with mechanical limitations. The energy captured over an annual cycle is determined for each case. For systems with fewer than two dof, optimal position settings are determined for the design parameters.

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  Enhancing Knowledge of Test Anxiety Resources at the University of Dayton

  Madison Natallia Marquart, Alexa Gabrielle Niceley, Nina Alaine Pappan, Olivia Marie Stanforth

  Test anxiety is a growing concern among college students. According to The American Test Anxiety Association, it is estimated that about 18% of young adults experience moderately high test anxiety. Specifically, at the University of Dayton, the number of students who need special accommodations for their text anxiety increases every year. For this project, resources provided by the University of Dayton were collected and analyzed for their effectiveness and access on campus. After compiling the university’s available options, we concluded that improvements could be made regarding content, accessibility, and awareness. A survey was circulated to UD students, and interviews were conducted with faculty of the Learning Teaching Center and the Counseling Center in order to gain more information on UD’s resources. Resources from other campuses were evaluated and considered in our data collection. Based off of the information we obtained, we created an original brochure for UD students containing a description of test anxiety, its symptoms, and available services for students on campus.

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  Entering the Brotherhood: Men of Color’s Experience in Historically White Fraternities

  Joseph J Moore

  This study seeks to understand the experiences of undergraduate men of color after they gain membership with a historically white, North American Interfraternity Conference fraternity. The significance of this study is derived from the lack of prominent research involving men of color and membership with historically white fraternities. This research allows for the advancement of the Fraternity and Sorority Life field by shedding light on a population of students that is misunderstood and in turn impacting the way professionals interact with students. This research study speaks to the intersection of both the male and student of color identity within the context of historically white fraternities by highlighting the lived experiences of those members. This study collected data through individual interviews with alumni members allowing for a deeper look into the subjects’ experiences. This study speaks to the lived experiences of the subjects’ around the themes of motivations to seek membership, experiences gaining membership, living in community, racial impact on experience, sense of belonging, senses of community and feeling othered.

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  Environmental Effects of Single Use Plastic Water Bottles Versus Reusable Water Bottles

  Joseph Salvatore Fraganato, Morgan Denise Henderson, Hannah Ruth Kelly

  While bottled water can be more convenient on the go, these plastic water bottles contain harmful substances called polyethlene terephtalate (PET) and bisphenol A (BPA), which are both extremely dangerous to human health and the environment. The production of one plastic bottle uses energy, emits toxins into the air and uses more water to produce than actually put in the bottle for drinking. The bottles take hundreds of years to decompose, filling our landfills at an alarming rate. 38 billion water bottles end up in U.S landfills each year, which equates to about two million tons. Reusable water bottles save fossil fuels. If you were to fill one disposable plastic bottle a quarter of the way up with oil, it would represent the amount to make it. With just one person switching to a reusable water bottle, it would keep 2580 balloons of CO2 out of the air per year. If Americans were to switch to reusable, you will feel better about your commitment to the Earth!

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  Environmental Racism In Montgomery County

  Jesse Taylor Carbonaro

  The objective of this study was to examine the environmental implications of interstates in Montgomery County on minority populations and the laws and policies that influence it.

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  Establishing the Effect of Ethanol on Listeria Infection

  Ryan E Restrepo

  Excessive alcohol consumption has long been an issue in the United States. Listeria monocytogenes (LM), a foodborne pathogen, was used as an experimental model to investigate the impact of alcohol consumption on opportunistic infections. During LM infections, LM can pass through the intestinal epithelial barrier and infiltrate immune macrophages tasked with preventing the spread of infection. Once inside the macrophages, LM produces the toxin Listeriolysin O (LLO) in order to proliferate in the host cell cytosol. Previous experiments have shown that alcohol consumption increases intestinal permeability for LM. Furthermore, in the presence of alcohol LM was shown to have a reduced LLO production. Through the use of RAW 264.7 macrophage cell cultures, the effect of alcohol on immune cell function was studied. These experiments were conducted in order to establish a more complete picture of the effect of alcohol on human susceptibility to LM infection.

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  Evolutionarily conserved Wingless signaling pathway is regulated by newly identified newt genes to trigger regeneration response in Drosophila.

  Abijeet Singh Mehta

  Notophthalmus viridescens possess amazing regeneration capabilities but due to lack of available genetic tools the mechanism driving such regeneration has not been well understood. Here we used Drosophila imaginal discs to study regenerative role of five newly identified newt proteins that have new sequence motifs. These proteins were identified by denovo assembly of newt transcriptome combined with proteomic validation. Using transgenic approach these genes were misexpressed in developing eye field of early as well as late eye Drosophila mutants where cell death was induced in photoreceptor cells during early 2nd instar (in early eye mutants) and late 3rd instar (in late eye mutants) stage, respectively. The penetrance of mutant phenotype was 0%. Strikingly, Newt genes when expressed in the background of such mutants show significant regeneration of missing eye tissue. Even more, these genes having signal peptides, exhibited non-autonomous regeneration as shown by domain specific misexpression on candidate genes, and flip out clones. Using Retinal determination (RD) fate markers, we demonstrated that regeneration response was restricted only to fly eye field. These regenerated tissues (eyes) showed 6 ± 1.5 folds increase in mitotic index as compared to the mutants. In comparison, there was only 1-fold downregulation of cell death, suggesting that newt regeneration genes employ cell proliferation function to promote regeneration. Additionally, downregulation in apoptosis is preventing regenerated tissue from further death. Using RNA sequencing, we identified the role of signaling pathway that has been perturbed by newt genes to induce regeneration in Drosophila. We found that member of evolutionarily conserved Wnt/Wingless (Wg) pathway exhibit 4-fold downregulation of expression. Additionally, the genes related to the molecular class of development, apoptosis and cell cycle were highly enriched. Using immunohistochemistry we verified RNA Seq results, and found that Wg is significantly downregulated by these newt genes to promote regeneration. Perturbing positive and negative regulators of Wg signaling pathway and blocking Wg transport revealed that newt genes regulate Wg/Wnt pathway in regenerative response. Our results demonstrate a unique class of genes present in Newts which employ conserved pathways to trigger regeneration response, and also provided a novel platform to bridge the gap of unraveling the mechanism behind regeneration tool kit from newts.

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  Examination of Intent of Cancer Rehabilitation Patients to Continue Exercise Utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior

  Megan Christine Taschner

  Exercise can result in both physiological and psychological benefits for cancer patients and can be an important addition to many cancer treatments. Cancer-related fatigue, physical functioning, and overall quality of life in oncology patients can be improved through exercise. However, studies have found that only half of oncology patients offered a supervised exercise program actually complete the program, and many times, withdraw from exercise programs is affected by their medical conditions and/or personal and social problems. This study will examine the factors, specifically the attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control, that motivate cancer rehabilitation patients to continue exercise after completing one full session of a supervised oncology rehabilitation exercise program by using the theoretical framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).

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  Examining the Impact of Narcissism and Academic Exaggeration on Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students

  Matthew Richard Faherty, Lindsay Maria Koeller, Josh David Pasek, Megan Elizabeth White

  Over the last several decades, researchers have found evidence that narcissism is increasing generationally such that older generations were less narcissistic when in college than college students are today. Narcissism consist of recurring patterns of grandiosity, constant need for admiration, and lack of empathy towards others. Students high in narcissism and egocentric self-views are have higher expectations of their academic performance in college, but these expectations may not necessarily correlate to actual academic performance. Previous research found that undergraduate students tend to exaggerate or inflate their grade point average (GPA). The current research examines the association between narcissism and academic exaggeration (reporting a higher GPA than their actual GPA), and subsequent academic performance. The current, longitudinal study recorded participants’ self-reported GPA and their official GPA at the start and end of the semester they participated in the study, as well as multiple measures of narcissism. It is predicted that the association between academic exaggeration and subsequent GPA will vary by narcissism, such that students with higher levels of narcissism who exaggerate their academic performance will have a lower subsequent GPA.

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  Expert Systems: Sentimental Analysis

  Kavyasri Kotireddy, Saranya Mohan

  Sentimental Analysis, a research technique for analyzing the textual content on the internet.Text mining is process of examining humongous unstructured text into structured data for analysis. It has become very evident that customer reviews are a great source of marketing.These reviews heavily influence the buying decision of the people in addition to look and feel of the product. They also influence the purchase and business decisions made by the organizations. However, spammers intentionally mislead the customers from a particular product thereby prohibiting the organizations from reshaping their businesses. In this poster, an in-depth analysis of customer reviews has been implemented by taking a sample data set using text mining and an insight to the spam detection models.