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  The Effect of Music Tempo on Running Performance in College Students

  Christian Umberto Fay, Chelsea Renee Jones, Alexandra Nicole Malsch, Megan Estelle Murray

  This research aims to determine a relationship between music tempo and running performance. It has been concluded that the presence of music correlates with lower rating of perceived exertion and more positive affect than the absence of music (Hutchinson, Karageorghis, & Jones, 2014). The findings of this study would be of interest to any college student interested in learning whether his or her music choice can improve running performance. Participants will complete three, one mile runs, each with a randomly assigned condition. The conditions include listening to fast tempo music, slow tempo music, or no music. The pace of a fast-tempo song is measured at 200 beats per minute and the pace of a slow-tempo song is measured at 70 beats per minute (Edworthy & Waring, 2006). Athletic performance will be assessed by measuring mile time, rating of perceived exertion using the Borg scale, and post-workout heart rate. We hypothesize that the higher-tempo music will result in the participant to perform better on their running pace. The study is in progress and the findings will be reported at the symposium.

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  The Effect of Porosity on Short Beam Shear Strength of Fiberglass Composites

  Kyle Alexander Lach

  The presence of porosity is a well known and difficult-to-avoid defect in laminated composite materials. Excessive porosity can significantly reduce the mechanical properties of composite structures and is therefore a source of concern. In this study we investigated methods of preparing fiberglass/epoxy composite panels with the goal of being able to control the amount of porosity in the final panel, e.g. some panels with low porosity, some with high porosity. The panels were then tested for short beam shear strength, which is a property that is usually heavily influenced by interlaminar porosity. Our results indicated that, for the material system tested, the strength values were reduced only when the amount of porosity achieved a very high level. This implies that a low level of porosity can be tolerated with this material system.

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  The Effect of Quadriceps Strength on Abnormal Movement Patterns After ACL Reconstruction; A Systematic Review

  Mark D Bugada

  The current literature is replete with evidence of quadriceps femoris strength deficits after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), but there is a lack of clear understanding about its relationship to movement patterns following ACLR. Elucidating the role of quadriceps strength relative to movement patterns is a vital step for improving the rehabilitation process. As a systematic review, this study aims to identify, assess, and synthesize the evidence regarding the relationship between quadriceps femoris strength and abnormal movement patterns in patients after ACLR. To achieve this, PubMEd and EBSCOhost (SPORTDiscus) databases were searched to identify studies for this review based on the following eligibility criteria: 1) available in English, 2) human subjects following an ACLR, and 3) original research examining the relationship between quadriceps femoris strength and dynamic movement patterns. From these criteria, the reviewed articles were selected, data was extracted, and results were synthesized to draw conclusions. This study found that the majority of the literature on this topic shows that quadriceps strength is related to abnormal movement patterns, with increasing strength leading to increasing in performance or decreases in asymmetry. However, the results yielded variable outcomes for lower dynamic patterns, such as walking gait, and patterns where body positioning has a greater impact on the results, like the horizontal hop and Y-Balance tests. The results of this systematic review increases understanding on the information in present literature on how quadriceps femoris strength deficits after ACLR affect movement patterns following ACLR. Understanding this relationship is vital for clinicians to develop and improve rehabilitation protocols to increase success in patient outcome.

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  The Effects of Adolescent Housing Condition and Voluntary Exercise on Alcohol Intake and Stress Response in Male Long-Evans Rats

  Caroline A Lynch

  Can regular exercise during adolescence, combined with living in a social environment, decrease both the negative effects of chronic stress and alcohol intake later in life? The aim of this research is to answer this question using a rat model that introduces a novel behavioral intervention in the form of regular voluntary exercise in order to counteract the negative effects of chronic stress caused by socially-isolated housing during adolescence. Chronic stress has been linked to the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in humans, and this study attempts to both model and hamper this phenomenon in rats using voluntary exercise. Gaining an understanding of how housing conditions and exercise can play a role in subsequent alcohol intake and stress hormone levels may be useful for the advent of new pharmacotherapies for individuals with an AUD.

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  The Effects of Oral Rehydration Solutions (Sports Drinks) on Strength, Speed, and Endurance - A Field Study

  Andrea Lynn Wisniewski

  This project will study the effects of orally consumed sports drinks on physical performance on field-based tests. Dehydration happens quickly during intense exercise in hot, humid environments. Mild dehydration, noticed by a 2% drop in body weight, can cause a decrease in performance. Intense dehydration, a 10% drop in body weight, causes death. Because athletes and military personnel experience dehydration on a regular basis, having a better understanding of the best sports drinks will lead to better rehydrating programs and potentially save lives. Most sports drinks contain carbohydrates and ions to refuel the body after it burns through its endogenous stores. Gatorade, the most popular commercially available drink, is mostly table sugar, salt, and potassium. This study will into how if CeraSport can prevent dehydration better than Gatorade. CeraSport is not commercially available and uses rice-sugar instead of table sugar. By putting athletic, college-aged men through a series of field tests over three consecutive weekends and feeding them just an ion drink with no sugar, Gatorade, and CeraSport, will help demonstrate if there is a difference in performance. After a 12-hour fast, all participants will be given a standardized breakfast then will run for 90 minutes will a 40-pound pack, do sets of push-ups, a 40-yard dash, vertical leap and finally, run a mile. During this, weight, and urine output will be measured. Each weekend the participants will be given a different drink and who receives what will be randomized throughout the trials. To make sure all participants are fit enough to complete the protocol, they will be pre-screened with a body-fat percentage measured and endurance test.

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  The Effects of Short Chain Fatty Acids on the Ability of Listeria monocytogenes to Form Biofilm

  Jake Edward Thomas

  Introduction. Listeria monocytogenes is a common food borne pathogen that can be fatal to those who with compromised immune systems. To combat food borne pathogens, short chain fatty acids are added as food to preservatives. Purpose. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes. Specifically, this research looked at the impact of varying amounts of acetate, butyrate, and propionate on the ability of Listeria to grow in a biofilm, both aerobically and anaerobically, in polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) in microwell plates. Results. Under anaerobic, but not aerobic, conditions, Listeria planktonic growth increased when SCFAs were added in the culture medium. However, I did not detect consistent results when Listeria was growing in the microwell plates. Conclusion. As indicated by these results, Listeria monocytogenes planktonic growth can be increased when grown anaerobically with SCFAs. However, future research is necessary to assess the effects of SCFAs on biofilm growth.

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  The Effects of State Anxiety on Olfactory Function in Healthy Young Adults

  Lauren Taylor Olson

  The specificity of the interaction between the olfactory and emotional systems in the human brain remains unclear due to contradictory research findings. Prior studies have found both positive and negative associations between levels of anxiety and odor detection sensitivity, identification ability, and hedonic ratings. To address this lack of conclusive findings, the present study utilized a within- and between-subjects experimental design to investigate the effects of anxiety induction on olfactory threshold, identification accuracy, and hedonic ratings among 40 undergraduate University of Dayton students. The experimental procedure tested several hypotheses regarding changes in measures from baseline to post-induction: Participants in the anxiety induction group will exhibit a significant decrease in post-induction odor threshold scores, compared to baseline scores, while odor threshold scores will remain stable in the control group,. Participants in the anxiety induction group will exhibit a significant increase in their post-induction odor identification accuracy scores, compared to baseline scores, while odor identification accuracy will remain stable in the control group. Participants in the anxiety induction group will rate post-induction neutral odors as significantly more unpleasant compared to control ratings. Understanding the specific effects of anxiety on olfactory perception is critical in expanding the understanding of reactive emotional processes and may help future researchers who wish to study anxiety and emotional dysfunction in relation to perceptual processes.

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  The Effects of Tsetse Fly Beta 2 Tubulin on the Fruit Fly Axoneme

  Elizabeth Marie Kramer

  There are constraints on the evolutionary process. A big question is how nature can generate alternate forms of a protein without interfering with its function. The beta tubulin protein of the fruit fly spermtail is an example of a protein that has not evolved for millions of years. The ultimate goal of this research is to determine how it evolves when it does. To do this, we need to first determine if beta tubulin tolerates change by testing the ability of a related but different beta tubulin to support the fruit fly sperm tail. In this case, the goal is to determine if Glossina morsitans (tsetse fly) beta 2, which is 14 amino acids different, can replace Drosophila beta 2 and generate motile sperm. Using genetic techniques we have expressed tsetse fly beta 2 in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We now need to selectively mate fruit flies to generate a fly that is a homozygote for both tsetse fly B2 and the null mutation for fruit fly B2. These flies will then be tested for fertility, TEM cross sections will be taken of the testis, and the testis morphology will be analyzed. If the resulting fruit flies are infertile with immotile sperm, then it is likely that the beta protein co-evolved with another component of the sperm tail. Having to wait for a second protein to evolve would slow the evolutionary process and explain why beta 2 has not evolved for 60 million years. But if the resulting fruit flies are fertile, then evolution took a very narrow path that maintained D. melanogaster beta 2 function in the face of 14 amino acid changes.

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  The Enhancement of Saudi Soft Power Under the Vision 2030

  Amal M Alrasheed

  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undertaking a revolutionary political and socio-economic transformation. Saudi Arabia adopted the vision 2030 program in 2016, and these reforms are receiving a great deal of attention from analysts and international experts, given the scope and depth of the transformation and its impact on the Saudi economy and society. Many scholars have focused on the economic aspects of the vision, but have left out the political and social aspects. This research focuses on how the reforms are going to impact the Saudi Arabia’s Soft power? Moreover, the research covers diverse questions about the emergence of the vision, how is it going to be implemented, and what are the domestic and international perspectives on this vision of the future of Saudi Arabia?

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  The Experience of Interaction With and Reporting To the Dean of Students Office among African American Law Students at a Private, Midwestern University

  Nikeya Lynn Sharp

  The Dean of Students office is a primary advocate for students, providing services and programming that support students in achieving academic and personal success. The office utilizes several departments that it houses as means to connect with and support students. These resources include the offices of Advocacy and Intervention, Community Standards and Civility, Sexual Violence Prevention Education, LGBTQ+ Services, and the Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Resources and Education. Methods for reaching out to and engaging students within each of these offices look different, but all of them include educational programming and unique supports for students. Ideally, these resources would be utilized by all students; however, there seem to be sub-populations of students who tend to take advantage of these services less frequently. One such sub-population is African American law students. Williams (2000) found that African Americans have difficulty reaching out for help from resources due to the fear of being labeled on top of current race related stigmas (p. 243). This purpose of this qualitative, survey research study is to explore the experiences of reporting to and interaction with the Dean of Students office, or reasoning for the lack thereof, among African American law students at private, religiously-affiliated, mid-sized, Midwestern research university. The findings of this anonymous online survey provide helpful indicators for how we can better support these students and ensure they are receiving adequate and equitable support. Having a case management position located within the university Law School could make students more inclined towards reporting concerns of crisis as well as feel more supported.

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  The FUN(gi) Kind of Colonization: effects of micronutrients on mycorrhizal association with little blue stem.

  Kiersten Paige Angelos, Beth Margaret Fuchs, Kaitlin Marie Gawkins, Shania E Hurst, Emily E Jones, Ryan William Reihart

  Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ubiquitous throughout the plant kingdom, and particularly important in grasslands. AM fungi deliver mineral nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to plants in exchange for carbohydrates. Despite this important role in N and P cycling, their interactions with micronutrients, like calcium, are largely unexplored. Interactions with calcium (Ca) may be particularly important because of its role in the intracellular signaling system that helps hyphal tip growth. We determined how additions of Ca both alone and in conjunction with N and P affect the colonization rates of AM fungi in little blue stem (Schizachyrium scoparium). This perennial grass is a dominant graminoid in prairies across the US, including our study site, a coastal tallgrass prairie in Texas. Using a carbon steel soil auger (7.2cm diameter), we sampled S. scoparium roots in a large-scale (30m x 30m plots), factorial-designed fertilization experiment that manipulated Ca and N&P (n=8 replicate plots x 4 S. scoparium individuals x 4 treatments=128 total root samples). Each sample was washed to isolate root samples and stained with trypan blue, and we determined AM fungal colonization by quantifying the number of arbuscules, hyphae, and vesicles for each individual. We saw that Ca with N&P had significant effects on the overall rate of AM fungal colonization. We also saw independent effects of each nutrient on the degree of hyphal and vesicle colonization in the roots of S. scoparium. Taken together, these results suggest that AM fungi may benefit from Ca inputs, but this does not extend to an increased positive effect on the plant. Better understanding its role in belowground and aboveground processes is crucial to maintaining ecosystem functioning. This work represents an important first step to understand more fully the effects of micronutrients on mycorrhizal fungi in terrestrial ecosystems.

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  The GEMnasium Experience: Creating a Recycling Enterprise for Individuals in Recovery

  Abby Schubert Lisjak

  Throughout the Spring semester, Engineering Analysis students have worked in the GEMnasium to explore the creation of a recycling enterprise for individuals in recovery from addiction. This project aims to demonstrate the process taken by the class to design an enterprise that merges wellness activities with work responsibilities. It explores how the enterprise can assist with re-entry as well as the continuation of the recovery process. Wellness, job training, funding, and community input were considered throughout the design process. The recycling enterprise will be presented to Montgomery County officials with the hope to implement the designed program in the county.

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  The History of Physical Education-Activity, Sport, and Related Disciplines: Stories for the Ages and Lessons from the Legends of Memorable Moments, Events, Trends, Tales, Phenomena, and Famous Women and Men: Their Teams and Times - From the Marianists to the Moderns: Year 12

  Abdulla Jasem Hasan Alhosani, Hamad Mohammad H Alshawi, Alexa Christine Amato, Tanner Rea Ayers, Samantha Lynn Bagdasarian, Marisa Miceli Banke, Ryan James Barnes, Preston Scott Bartlett, Mary Elizabeth Bayer, Aidan Bean, Christi Michelle Begeman, Austin Bergman, Matt Brandeis, Kailee Ann Budicin, Mark D Bugada, Zachary John Burneka, Austin Waide Cline, Trina A Coleman, Isabelle M Connolly, Melanie Hope Craft, Julianna Lillian Curry, George M DeMarco, Audrey Lynn Eisenmann, Kelly Ann Evers, Kelly A Fitzgerald, Nolan Joseph Francis, Monica E Friedl, Lenny Michael Froehlich, Kate S Galfano, Lance Paul Gaspar, Megan Elizabeth Gerrity, Adam Joseph Goettemoeller, Troy Grabowski, Megan Irene Grace, Matt Mark Groeber, Kayla P Haberstich, Tate Joseph Hagan, Connor Anthony Hanson, Bauer Daniel Harris, Max Anderson Hawthorne, Nathan Thomas Helfferich, Aaron Matthew Horn, Kylie Renae Huesman, Brantley B Johnson, Quin George Kane, Mattea Kilstofte, Benjamin Klocke, Jessica Marie Koverman, Caroline Elizabeth Krumme, Henry A Kuechly, Shane William Lefever, Justin T Longbrake, Reilly Alexzandra Madsen, Keegan Michael McCafferty, Samantha Marie McDermott, Kevin Patrick McNamara, Alex George Medich, Jack Francis Monahan, Brandon Paul Moore, Josh Jacob Nixon, Tyler P Obear, Kayla Pariser, Lydia Christine Payton, Jamie Lynn Peterson, Tiaera Phillips, Sierra Bianca Pla, Sara Emily Robertson, Trent D Rothert, Alexandra A Rubin, Danielle Marie Ruffolo, Benjamin Nicholas Schmeusser, Brandon Michael Smith, Kelly Marie Sonnefeld, Christine E Szabo, Jake Edward Thomas, Alec N Trautman, Michael Joseph Turner, Samuel Tutu, Lauren Nicole Van Oss, Kyle Vassilo, Robert Joseph Wagner, Diandra A Walker, Jack Christopher Walsh, Marie Theresa Weckesser, Ellison Wenzinger, Tre Alexander Whittaker, Meghan E Wilke, Connor Redmon Wilson, Takahiro Yamada

  The purpose of these studies was to describe/interpret major events, trends, phenomena, and the lives and times of significant individuals in the history of sport and physical education-activity throughout the millennia. Interesting, inspirational, edifying, and enlightening, the stories told by the Teaching Assistants (N=11) and students (N= 60) of two (2) separate sections of the course HSS 275 - History of Physical Education/Activity and Sport – during the spring semester of 2018 speak powerfully to the transcendent nature of sport and physical activity across all generations, cultures, and topical interests. This year’s project titles include: 1. The History of the Department of Health-Physical Education-Sport Science at UD: 1850-2018 2. John F. Kennedy’s Influence on Physical Fitness and Sport: 1960-1963 3. The History of Women’s Baseball 4. The Life and Times of Rick Ankiel: A Comeback Story 5. The Life and Times of Jim Spoerl: A Flyer Forever These original research projects utilized an array of primary and secondary sources, including interviews, personal narrative, documents, print media, photographs, artifacts, and vintage video to bring alive the past to teach anew life's lessons from the worlds of sport and physical activity to inform, inspire, enlighten, and edify attendees of the 2018 Stander Symposium.

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  The Impact of Benzene as a Chaotropic Agent in Surfactant Based Multicomponent Self-Assembling Systems

  Sean Ernest Cedeno, Kasia Maria Solomianko

  Self-assembly is a fascinating field that provides endless possibilities for chemical manipulation. This experiment investigates what effect benzene has during the self-assembly of micelles in various carbon chain solutions. Upon omission of delivering benzene from the solution, the system displayed the formation of an irreversible liquid crystal relatively quickly. IR spectroscopy was performed on one solution with benzene and one solution without benzene to try to understand what kind of role benzene plays within the system. Upon examination of the IR spectra, there was a clear difference in IR peaks. It was theorized that benzene has some sort of interaction with the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) that allows the system to form micelles that can reverse when left alone. Future experiments may include investigating the effect of water on the system as well as the effect of stirring on the system.

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  The Impact of External Stimuli on the Molecular Trajectory of Micelles Residing at the Stability Boundary

  Joshua Killian, Jiaxi Xie

  Self-assembly is the potential key to understanding how we can build useful chemical and biochemical systems from individual molecules up to macro structures. The modification of the makeup of a micellular solution and observation of some of the physical and chemical properties of the solution was the goal and purpose of this research. Specifically, the purpose was to determine the molecular trajectory of the formation of the micelles in solution and to attempt to explain different kinetic and thermodynamic pathways. This research explored the nature of surfactant micellular solutions that contained a headgroup of ammonium with a chloride counter-ion in three different tail-group compositions. The three solutions were cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, tetradecyltrimethylammonium chloride, and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride. The solutions were modified by the addition of various species, most significantly, decyl alcohol, tetraethylorthosilicate, and benzene. They were subject to heating, cooling, and shaking to form different micelles. The solutions were tested by various methods, including IR runs and particle size analysis, of the clear, shaken cloudy, and temperature manipulated cloudy states. The results of this research showed that there were two pathways of micellular composition, a kinetic and a thermodynamic pathway. Future research could involve the further modifying the makeup of different micellular solutions by the addition of different types of alcohols, aromatic compounds, or silicate groups to determine if these trends are consistent across different micelle formations.

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  The impact of soil micronutrients on the gut microbiome of orthopterans

  Melani Katharine Muratore, Caitlin Joanne Schneider

  Nutrient limitation and nutrient-related stress can impact animal growth and abundance. An animal’s microbiome can also be affected by environmental and population constraints. The aim of our study is to investigate the role of both macronutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and micronutrients, including sodium, calcium, and potassium, in shaping the gut microbiome of grasshoppers and other orthopterans. Grasshopper and katydid species were obtained from a coastal tall grass prairie in Texas, which was part of a multifactorial fertilization experiment manipulating the presence of macronutrients and sodium, calcium and potassium in all possible combinations, and dissected to harvest the gut, from the crop to the hind gut. We then extracted DNA from 75 orthopteran gut samples and submitted the sames for high throughput 16s and 18s sequencing with plastid filtration by Zymo Research. The sequencing results indicated a wide range of species diversity both within individuals and between them. Alpha diversity rarefraction calculations confirmed sequencing saturation in all samples. Results show a relative abundance of Erwinia, a genus that includes many plant pathogens. Preliminary analysis suggests a relationship specifically between the presence of sodium, coupled with nitrogen and phosphorus and the relative abundance of Erwinia, as well as other taxa. There also appear to be microbiome composition differences between species that are strict herbivores and those that are omnivorous. Our results indicate that both macro and micro nutrients affected the composition of the gut microbiome of these orthopterans and highlight the potential role of the orthopterans in the transmission of plant pathogens.

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  The Impact of the 515nm Effect on Singlet Oxygen Quenching in Photosynthesis: Model System Studies Using β –Carotene–Acid Complexes

  Lauren Arlene Hoody, Caoqinglong Huang, Ashlee Elizabeth Wertz

  β-carotene (βC) is an orange biological pigment present in green plants, where it plays a protective role against the potential harmful effects of light. βC does this by deactivating “singlet oxygen”, which is a toxic molecule generated during photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, βC temporarily converts from its native orange state to a pink state. We hypothesized that pink βC reacts with singlet oxygen less efficiently than native orange βC. To test this hypothesis, we chemically modeled βC’s pink state with blue βC–acid complexes, which are chemically similar to pink βC, created by reacting βC with trichloroacetic acid (TCA). βC’s efficiency at deactivating singlet oxygen was characterized by measuring the rate of degradation of 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF), which has a high reactivity towards singlet oxygen and is used to detect the amount of singlet oxygen in a solution. Our DPBF–based results to date indicate that native orange βC and blue βC–TCA complexes quench singlet oxygen with roughly equal efficiency. In future studies, we intend to confirm our DPBF–based results by monitoring the impact of βC and βC–TCA complexes on the 1270 nm (near–infrared) emission of singlet oxygen using a state–of–the–art, time–resolved near–infrared spectrometer; the UD Chemistry Department hopes to purchase this instrument in the near future. The results from this research could facilitate the development of solar energy devices with greater long-term stability.

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  The Impact of Visual Aids for English Language Learners

  Sarah Mary Scoville

  English Language Learners have a unique set of learning needs and learning challenges. This review of the research literature explores addressing those needs by using visual aids. The guiding research question is how do the various types of visual aids influence English Language Learners? Visual aids can come in numerous forms and be used for all ages. Visual aids help students by scaffolding and encouraging increase in self-esteem. Students perform better when using visual aids and overall benefit from them personally and academically.

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  The Impacts of White Flight in Urban Neighborhoods of Dayton

  Aaron Joseph Pirc

  The challenges that face Dayton’s public schools are the product of a number of historical events, including segregation, block busting, and white flight. Drawing on the Facing Project Narratives, news articles from the city of Dayton, and social science literature, I describe these challenges. This poster presentation raises awareness on the issues students face. In addition, programs that have attempted to improve educational outcomes in Dayton (such as Dayton Early College Academy) will be discussed.

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  The Importance of Technology in the Classroom for English Language Learners

  Brittany Nicole Resar

  There are various forms of technology that can benefit English Language Learners’ (ELLs) success in the classroom. This literature review explores three forms of technology: interactive white boards, iPads, and computer technology and how these forms of technology can impact ELL students in the classroom. Interactive white boards can be used to provide images and videos to help ELLs learn vocabulary terms, as well as giving the entire class the same opportunity to engage with technology. When ELLs use iPads, they can work at their own pace and use a variety of features on the iPad to support their learning, such as a translator. Computer technology supplements the learning of ELLs because of a wide range of available software and computer programs. The ability to use technology to advance learning also provides motivation and new experiences for the students to keep them engaged. However, teachers must ensure that the technology is enhancing the learning of the ELL students. Some issues that teachers might face include a lack of resources, difficulty incorporating the technology into the curriculum, and language barriers when students try to understand instructions while using the technology.

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  The Influence of Self-Esteem and Stress on Academic Performance in College Students

  Angel Joshua Pagan

  The proposed research seeks to examine the association self-esteem, how one perceives their abilities and worthiness in society, on the human stress hormone, cortisol. According to Lazarus & Folkman (1984), stress occurs when perceived environmental demands exceed one’s ability to cope with them. The majority of research available pertains to elevated levels of the hormone due to physical, external and internal stressors, but lack in the dimension of investigating self-esteem. The proposed research seeks to expand the body of work regarding the causes of stress and self-esteem on academic performance. Current research states if an individual does not believe he or she is competent, significant or worthy, heightened appraised stress can be expected to occur (Eisenbarth, 2012); therefore, it is hypothesized that an individual who has a perceived low self worth (low self-esteem) will have increased levels of cortisol, leading to lower academic performance. In contrast, individuals with high-perceived self worth (high self-esteem) will have lower levels of cortisol, which will contribute to higher academic performance. The proposed two-part study will use the data collected to find the association between self-esteem and stress, via the steroid hormone cortisol, on the participant's actual academic performance. These findings will be compared to illustrate the correlation between the variables to add to the body of work pertaining to factors that influence academic performance.

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  The Integration of Spirituality, Movement, and Cursive to Enhance Learning

  Emma Grace Geckle, Carolyn M Karutz, Jennifer Anne Malashevitz

  This presentation will examine spirituality, movement, and cursive writing in the classroom and its effects on the learning environment. Benefits and consequences of each classroom initiative that influences learning will be reviewed. The findings in this study could influence instruction in K-12 education.

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  The Inverse of the Coefficient of Variation as a Portfolio Weighting Factor: An Empirical Analysis of Returns for the Consumer Discretionary Sector 2019-2017

  Emily Marie Teutsch

  Portfolio stock weights based on the mean-variance proposition suggests that investors for any given level of risk will attempt to maximize returns and for any given level of return, will attempt to minimize risk. In this study, I used the inverse of the coefficient of variation (COV) as a proxy for the investor’s return/risk ratio. Using 1/COV, I develop portfolio stock weights for the 20 top stocks by market value in the SPDR Consumer Discretionary sector ETF (XLY). I give higher weights to stocks with higher return/risk ratios and rebalance these ratios annually. I use a 3-year moving average of stock returns to capture the return/risk ratios. Performance is calculated for the years 2009-2017. The benchmark is the S&P 500 SPDR ETF SPX.

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  The Irish Question: Woodrow Wilson, the Irish, and Irish-American Diplomacy.

  Ryan Joseph Westerbeck

  The Irish Question was the title often given to nationalist and independence movements in Ireland in the early 20th century. Several attempts were made to secure Ireland's independence in the early 1900's, the most famous of which is the Easter Rising in 1916. This thesis concerns the period immediately following those events, from 1916 through 1920. The end of the Great War caused many nations to look for independence and international recognition at the Paris Peace Conference, often due to President Wilson’s own words. During this period, several prominent Irishmen and Irish Americans attempted to reach out to President Wilson to support the Irish independence movement. These attempts were unsuccessful. The following thesis will explain how the representatives of the Irish cause attempted to convince Wilson and the reasons why they failed in securing the support of the United States government.

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  The medial prefrontal cortex is a sex-specific mediator of ketamine’s antidepressant action

  Emily Margaret Flaherty, Joey Edward Saurine, Connor F Thelen

  Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has steadily been increasing in recent years and by 2030 this neuropsychiatric disease is projected to be the leading cause of disease burden world-wide. While MDD is more prevalent than ever before, new treatment options are being explored to provide rapid and long-lasting relief. One of the most promising candidates is the non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine. This drug, in low doses, has been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression within hours in both animal models and treatment-resistant depressed patients. Despite this revolutionary finding, research focusing on the effects of ketamine has been predominantly conducted in males. What’s more, recent studies have identified a sex-specific antidepressant response to ketamine making the need for further investigation imperative to ketamine’s future role as an effective treatment option for both males and females. In this study, the role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in mediating ketamine’s antidepressant response was assessed in stress-naïve male and female C57BL/6J mice. It was discovered that ketamine induced male-specific neuromolecular alterations in the mPFC that may underlie the drug’s therapeutic effects; these same alterations in protein expression and synaptic spine density were not present in females. Taken together, the data supports that the mPFC may be more important in regulating the male antidepressant response to ketamine whereas other brain regions may play a greater role in orchestrating ketamine’s beneficial effects in females.