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  Energy Analysis of a Two Degree of Freedom Robotic System

  Edward S Brinkerhoff

  Energy usage is increasing in manufacturing operations. One reason for the increase is the shift to automation and robotics. Robots use an array of motors to manipulate objects, and each motor uses energy to operate and move the robot. In most cases, the motors use energy even when holding an object still or while the robot sits idle between tasks. This project focuses on the design and efficiency of a robot that requires fewer motors than a typical industrial robot yet is capable of performing many of the same industrial tasks. A CAD model of the robot is developed to perform an energy analysis during a typical operation cycle and then to optimize this cycle. Additionally, experimentation will augment the analysis through the use of a microprocessor controlled motor to measure current requirements while performing specified motions.

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  Estimating Building Envelope Thermal Characteristics from Single-Point-in-Time Thermal Images

  Salahaldin F Alshatshati

  Energy efficiency programs implemented by utilities in the U.S. have rendered savings costing on average $0.03/kWh [1]. This cost is still well below energy generation costs. However, as the lowest cost energy efficiency measures are adopted, the cost effectiveness of further investment declines. Thus, there is a need to develop large-scale and relatively inexpensive energy auditing techniques to more efficiently find opportunities for savings. Currently, on-site building energy audits process are expensive, in the range of US$0.12/sf - $0.53/sf, and there is an insufficient number of professionals to perform the audits. Here we present research that addresses at community-wide scales the characterization of building envelope thermal characteristics via drive-by and fly-over GPS linked thermal imaging. A central question drives this research: Can single point-in-time thermal images be used to infer R-values and thermal capacitances of walls and roofs? Previous efforts to use thermal images to estimate R-values have been limited to stable exterior weather conditions. The approach posed here is based upon the development of a dynamic model of a building envelope component with unknown R-value and thermal capacitance. The weather conditions prior to the thermal image are used as inputs to the model. The model is solved to determine the exterior surface temperature, ultimately predicted the temperature at the thermal measurement time. The model R-value and thermal capacitance are tuned to force the error between the predicted surface temperature and the measured surface temperature from thermal imaging to be near zero. The results show that this methodology is capable of accurately estimating envelope thermal characteristics over a realistic spectrum of envelope R-values and thermal capacitance present in buildings nationally. With an assumed thermal image accuracy, thermal characteristics are predicted with a maximum error of respectively 20% and 14% for high and low R-values when the standard deviation of out¬¬side temperature over the previous 48 hours is as much as 5oC. Experimental validation on a test facility with variable surface materials was attempted under variable weather conditions, e.g., where the outdoor air temperature experiences varying fluctuations prior to imaging. The experimental validation realized errors less than 20% in predicting the R-value even when the standard deviation of outdoor temperature over the 48 hours prior to a measurement was approximately 5oC

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  Evaluation and Improvements on Stress and Anxiety Resources at UD

  Carolyn A Botti, Allison L Harmon, Katherine G Michel, Logan J Roebke

  Stress and anxiety come from a variety of factors in everyday life, and the ways in which individuals subsequently deal with these feelings have a direct effect on their mental and physical health. Chronic stress is especially toxic to the health of an individual and needs to be managed efficiently. The “college lifestyle” creates a breeding ground for stress and anxiety, and controlling an unhealthy accumulation can be difficult. The University of Dayton has instituted several services to reduce stress to help students manage stress. These resources were analyzed and evaluated for what is working along with how they can be improved. We divided the campus resources into 4 main sections; housing and residence life, campus recreation, tutoring and library services, and the counseling center. Within each section, we discussed the current benefits and suggested improvements. In many cases, stress-relief resources lacked effective advertisement; therefore,they were not utilized by many students. Our goal is to increase student use of these resources and ultimately improve stress management strategies on campus.

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  Examining the Relationship Between Academic Success and Campus Engagement Among International Students at the University of Dayton

  Andy S Badii

  On-campus activities, especially extra and co-curricular activities, can be a very important part of the university experience for many students. Several studies have been conducted to examine if or how these activities have any impact on the academic success of students. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational research study was to examine the relationship between academic success (GPA) and the number of hours of engagement among international students on the campus of the University of Dayton. The research sample included 32 students chosen using criterion and snowball sampling. To gather the information related to students, a questionnaire was created. This study is not only important to the University of Dayton but also to other institutions of higher education with a significant population of international students exploring the correlation between on-campus activities and academic success.

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  Executive Functioning Skills in Preschoolers with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Typically Developing Peers

  Kelsey A Clayback

  This study examined executive functioning (EF) skills of children ages 3 to 6 (M = 53.85 months; SD = 10.79 months) with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) compared to a control group of typically developing peers. Previous research has inconsistently noted EF deficits in children with HFASD compared to children with typical development (Corbett, Constantine, Hendren, Rocke & Ozonoff, 2009; Happé, Booth, Charlton & Hughes, 2006). This research sought to further examine EF in children with HFASD. Methods used to evaluate EF in both groups included the Day/Night Task (Gerstadt, Hong, & Diamond, 1994) to measure inhibitory control, the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS; Zelasko, 2006) to measure attentional shift and Corsi Blocks (Berch, Krikorian, & Huha, 1998) to measure working memory. Participants included children with HFASD (N = 12) ages 4 to 6 (M = 66.67 months; SD = 9.60 months) attending a clinical treatment program. A diagnosis of ASD was determined clinically using the ADI-R (total ADI-R M = 36.83; SD = 9.06); high-functioning was determined by an IQ greater than 70 measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV (M = 103.25; SD = 11.76). Additionally, participants included a comparison group of preschoolers (N = 57) ages 3 to 5 (M = 51.16 months; SD = 8.99 months) recruited from a midwestern metropolitan area. We controlled for age, gender and verbal abilities. Results indicated deficits in cognitive flexibility/attentional shift in the HFASD group when controlling for age, gender and language [F(1, 64) = 12.777, p < .001]. Differences in inhibitory control [F(1, 64) = .466, p = .497] and working memory [F(1, 64) = .255, p = .619] were not significant.This research has implications for the future direction of research on HFASD. Specifically, future research should further consider the nature of deficits in EF in order to better understand EF development in HFASD. Additionally, these research findings have implications for treatment and target skills for children with HFASD.

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  Exploring novel calcium-handling processes in the brain: a behavioral mouse phenotyping approach

  Aikaterini Britzolaki, Emily M Flaherty, Joseph E Saurine, Connor F Thelen

  Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis in the brain is critical for cell function and survival. Disruption of this balance elicits neuronal cell death, impaired long-term potentiation (LTP), and learning and memory deficits. Subsequently, abnormalities in cerebral Ca2+ handling are linked to numerous costly and devastating neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Research in our lab focuses on understanding the regulatory mechanisms of central Ca2+ handling. To this end, we have recently identified a novel Ca2+ regulatory protein that is expressed in the mouse brain. To understand the function of this gene in vivo, we are using a genetically modified mouse model that lacks the gene encoding for this protein. More specifically, mutant and wildtype (i.e., control) mice have undergone a series of behavioral tests to screen for potential phenotypical alterations caused by the genetic deletion of this gene. We have conducted behavioral tests to screen for anxiety (home-cage emergence test), grooming behavior (splash test) and memory consolidation (novel object recognition test). In this poster presentation, we will show compelling pilot data obtained by our group, indicating that loss of function of this novel Ca2+ regulatory protein in mice is accompanied by pronounced anxiolysis, enhanced grooming behavior and memory deficits.

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  Expression of the aquaglyceroporin, HC-3, in erythrocytes of Cope’s gray treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis

  Loren V McDaniel

  Cope’s gray treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis, is a freeze tolerant anuran that accumulates glycerol as a cryoprotectant during a period of cold acclimation in anticipation of freezing. Transmembrane flux of glycerol allows it to equilibrate between intra- and extracellular fluids. Glycerol functions by moderating the osmotic pressure that forms when free water forms ice in the extracellular fluid. The mechanism by which glycerol permeates cellular membranes is currently unknown. It is hypothesized that transmembrane glycerol flux may occur through the transmembrane channel protein, aquaglyceroporin, HC-3. It is known that HC-3 protein expression and membrane localization is enhanced in erythrocytes from cold-acclimated treefrogs as compared to warm-acclimated frogs, coinciding with elevated plasma glycerol level. However, the mechanism(s) that regulate the protein expression and subcellular localization of HC-3 in erythrocytes in cold-acclimated animals is not known. Freezing is likely to be a stressful event for the treefrogs, in which case stress neurohormone, epinephrine is involved. We hypothesize that HC-3 abundance and localization are regulated by epinephrine through a PKC-dependent cell signaling pathway. To test this hypothesis, erythrocytes from H. chrysoscelis, were cultured in the presence/absence of 0.5 and 1 M epinephrine with/without calphostin C, a PKC inhibitor, throughout a 2 hour time course. Fluorescent immunocytochemistry showed membrane localization of HC-3 when cells were cultured with epinephrine for 60 minutes. Western blotting showed enhanced HC-3 expression in cells cultured with epinephrine. These results show epinephrine is involved in increased HC-3 expression and membrane localization, a response observed in preparation of freezing.

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  Facilitating the Comprehension of Science Articles by Activating General Knowledge

  Yushu Sun

  Many students struggle to comprehend text material or other reading assignments. This study investigates how the activation of general knowledge can facilitate necessary inference-making while reading science articles. Three articles were written for use in this study. Each participant was asked to read the articles, each under one of the following conditions: (1) Knowledge Activation Before Reading; (2) Activation After Reading; and (3) No Activation. (Treatment condition, treatment order, and article are counterbalanced within each block of 6 participants.) Following each treatment participants rated (on a 0-10 scale) the extent to which they comprehended the article. Subsequently, they answered “True” or “False” to each of 9 statements and, following each response, used the same 0-10 scale to rate their confidence in being correct. Three categories (each with 3 statements) occurred: (1) explicit information found in the text; (2) “text-based inferences” (i.e., statements directly implied given information in the text); and (3) “evaluative inferences” (i.e., statements not directly implied with information provided but, rather, implied contingent upon the availability of general knowledge). Test scores were derived from the sum of weighted correct responses (+1 times the corresponding confidence rating) and weighted incorrect responses (-1 times the corresponding confidence rating). We predicted that activation of knowledge prior to reading would have the largest facilitative effect upon comprehension and test scores associated with evaluative inferences. We also predicted that little or no effect of knowledge activation would occur for responses to explicit statements. The effect of knowledge activation after reading is interesting from both a theoretical and practical standpoint. We believe that skilled reading requires the availability of general knowledge while reading. Otherwise, students are unable to draw necessary inferences. We discuss implications of these findings for students and teachers.

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  Feature Selection Based Clustering Approach for Computer Aided Detection of Lung Nodules on Chest Radiographs

  Barath Narayanan

  Early detection of pulmonary lung nodules plays a significant role in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Chest Radiographs (CRs) are currently being used by radiologists to detect such nodules. In this research, we present a novel cluster-based classifier architecture for lung nodule Computer Aided Detection (CAD) systems. We propose a novel optimized method of feature selection for both cluster and classifier components. For CRs, we make use of an independent database comprising of 160 cases with a total of 173 nodules for training purposes. Testing is implemented on a publicly available database created by the Standard Digital Image Database Project Team of the Scientific Committee of the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology (JRST). The JRST database comprises of 154 CRs containing one radiologist confirmed nodule in each. In this research, we exclude 14 cases from the JRST database that contain lung nodules in the retrocardiac and subdiaphramatic regions of the lung. Overall, with a specificity of 3 false positives per case/patient on average, we show a classifier performance boost of 7.7% for CRs when compared to a single aggregate classifier architecture.

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  Financial Sector Stocks: A Study in Portfolio Weighting Schemes 2006-2016

  Daniel E Wollenberg

  Because of the financial crisis in 2008, S&P 500 Financial stocks experienced both increased volatility and regulation in subsequent years, which had an important effect on financial stock prices and returns. In this study, I develop two portfolios of financial sector stocks that are weighed by return on equity (ROE). I construct the stock weights based on the premise that stocks with higher ROEs deserve higher weights. I also modify the weights by the standard deviations of the ROEs. I test the following hypotheses. (1) Risk adjusted ROE weighted portfolios outperform the S&P 500 Index (SPX) over the 2011-2016 time period. (2) Risk adjusted ROE portfolios outperform the market value weighted portfolio XLF over the 2011-2016 time period. Both buy and hold and rebalance strategies are used in the analysis of portfolio performance.

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  Finding ideal locations for wetland restoration in Ohio

  Erin C Rowekamp

  The objective of this research is to identify potential sites for wetland restoration through a multiple criteria analysis. Wetlands have numerous ecological and societal benefits. Wetlands serve as a habitat or resource for numerous species, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects for at least part of their life. This results in high species diversity in wetlands. Although often overlooked, wetlands also benefit society through flood control, the filtering of pollutants, and serving as a carbon sink. However, unfortunately the number of wetlands in the United States had declined by 54% as early as 1984. The government has responded with several wetland conservation programs through congressional bills and executive orders that have been passed regarding wetland conservation. As a result, the loss of the number of wetlands has slowed down, and wetland restoration is becoming more and more common. This study aims to examine how the number and total area of wetlands have changed through time in the state of Ohio. Additionally, this study will focus on areas that were previously wetlands that have been converted to other land uses as possible sites for wetland restoration. Clearly, due to a number of changes that can occur through time not all old wetland locations are good sites for wetland restoration efforts. This study will consider multiple factors such as the new land use type, new surrounding land use, soil type, slope and the depth of the water table in order to make recommendations on sites to serve as locations for wetland restoration.

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  Flow cytometry in evaluation of tumor cells using Drosophila cancer model

  Michael M Gilbert, Kirti Snigdha

  Cancer is characterized by rapid uncontrolled division of mutated tumor cells. These cells arise amidst the normal cells and differ from them in the DNA content, rate of cell division and proliferation. The presence of DNA aneuploidy and a high proportion of S-phase tumor cells have been associated with tumor malignancy and a poor prognosis. Our lab focuses on understanding how the tumor cells and normal cells interact in vivo using Drosophila melanogaster to drive the tumor survival and progression. Given to its well-studied genetics, low redundancy in genome, ease of maintenance and similarities in gene architecture, they have served as an excellent model system for many diseases including cancer. We hypothesize that the tumor and normal cell interact among each other through molecular signals and this aids in tumor progression. Identifying the key differences between normal and tumor cell will help us in better understanding the interactions happening between them. A flow cytometer is exceptionally useful with these observations including the detection of tumor cell DNA aneuploidy and the analysis of tumor cell proliferation. In this sophisticated technique we will be able to identify the changes in the cell cycle, and the amount of DNA content present in both the tumor cells and normal cells. It will also help in understanding the molecular basis of cell proliferation, and cell signaling. We have established epithelial tumor model in Drosophila wing imaginal disc in which the tumor cells are marked by green fluorescent protein and are surrounded by normal cells. We propose to use flow cytometry to identify the tumor cells from the normal cells based on the GFP expression. We intend to evaluate the changes in the tumor cell population, DNA content and cell cycle due to blocking of key signaling pathways between tumor cell and normal cell. Here we present our findings by using flow cytometry.

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  From Children to Friends: The Influence of Parental Relationships on the Developmental Journeys of Undergraduate Students

  Alexandra C Hall

  College has traditionally been a time when students become more independent from their parents as they transition to adulthood. However, today’s college students seem to be increasingly closer to, and in some cases dependent on, their parents. The purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to explore the influence that parental relationships have on undergraduate, traditional-aged college students at the University of Dayton (UD) in terms of their college experience and developmental transition to adulthood. The research question guiding the study asks, how do undergraduate, traditional-aged college seniors at UD describe their developmental journeys during their college years in the context of their parental relationships? To answer this question, qualitative data was collected via one on one, narrative interviews with a sample of six college students in their senior year at UD. The sample was obtained through the snowball sampling method. The findings in this study could help student affairs professionals better understand the relationship between college students and their parents, and how to best support students in navigating college life amidst these relationships. Findings could also help student affairs professionals recognize the role parents play in their college students' lives and how to best accommodate, include, and engage families in higher education for the benefit of the parents, the students, and the institution. Prevalent trends that were discovered in the data are presented and implications for future practice and research are addressed.

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  From Notebook to Report: How Notes Function in the Creation of Scientific Discourse

  William J Lawrence

  My project is an examination of the way in which scientific reports are written by students. Specifically, I am focusing on how the information inscribed in lab notebooks early in the report writing process is used as a resource in the final report product. My research will trace the development of a scientific report from the initial experiment and note-making to the final written product in order to determine how and when the notes are utilized.

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  Geostatistical Interpolation of Subsurface Geologic Structure in southeast Ohio and northwest West Virginia

  Graydon Leo Konzen

  The objective of this study is to constrain the spatial and temporal extent of subsurface geologic structures in an area along the Ohio River in Washington County, Ohio and adjacent West Virginia counties. The Ohio River section from New Martinsville to the Willow Island Dam is unusually straight and strikingly coincident with a major basement fault defining the northwestern margin of the Early Cambrian Rome Trough. We hypothesize that this river segment is structurally controlled, implying that the zone of basement structural disruption may extend vertically upward through the entire Paleozoic stratigraphic section. To test this hypothesis, we have employed geostatistical interpolation of Ohio DNR and West Virginia Geological Survey oil and gas well data to construct a series of structure contour and isopach maps at a range of stratigraphic levels, especially on the shale and sandstone formations that are economically important as reservoir horizons in Appalachian oil and gas plays. Specifically, the rock formations contoured using the ArcGIS geostatistical analyst extension include the Cow Run sandstone (Pennsylvanian), the Big Injun and Berea Sandstones (Mississippian), the Marcellus Shale and Oriskany Sandstone (Devonian),and the Utica Shale (Ordovician). These results indicate that a significant Paleozoic fold, the Burning Springs Arch, shows at least 5 km of right-lateral strike-slip displacement where it intersects the newly recognized Ohio River fault system. Consequently, additional work is justified to understand the possibility that this fault or related structures could be vulnerable to induced seismicity as oil and gas production via hydraulic fracturing expands into the area with attendant increases in the volumes of deep wastewater injection.

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  GIS Analysis of Impact of Climate Change on Agricultural Productivity in the Midwest United States

  Surya Margaret Freeman

  The objective of this project is to assess the historical trend of agricultural productivity in the Midwest, and examine how it is related to climate change. Climate change can have both positive and negative impacts on agriculture. Some positive impacts of climate change are longer growing seasons, average temperature increase, and higher CO2. On the other hand, some of the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture are extreme frost and heat stress periods, water shortages due to evaporation, and increased severe weather patterns. By analyzing climate data from weather stations around the Midwest United States and spatial agricultural data of two select crops, wheat and corn, we will examine the possible links between climate change and agricultural productivity. The climate data is collected from the National Centers for Environmental Information at NOAA, and the agricultural data comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) from the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Our results suggest that climate change have a mixed impact on agricultural productivity in the Midwest United States.

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  Give Your Best Advice: Advising Students in Crisis

  Ellie K Mulherin

  The purpose of this research was to study how academic advisors assist and advise students who have or are experiencing a crisis, by collecting best practices from advisors at two types of higher education institutions. To gain multiple perspectives, data was collected from a sample of six academic advisors with diversity in gender and race. Three participants were from the University of Dayton, a midsized private institution, and three were from Wright State University, a large public institution. The institutions serve distinct student populations; however, a consensus was evident about how students in crisis should be advised. A majority of the participants said that they feel a gap is present between academic and student affairs and would prefer more in-depth collaborations than merely individual relationship building. Based on these findings, I recommend that institutions should consider implementing workshops that help academic advisors give the appropriate response and advice to students in crisis

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  Growth regulatory pathway collaborates with axial patterning genes to regulate patterning and growth in Drosophila eye

  Neha Gogia

  In multicellular organisms, organogenesis requires axial patterning to determine Antero-Posterior (AP), Dorso-Ventral (DV), Proximo-Distal (PD) axes. Any deviation in these axes during development leads to congenital birth defects. In our model system, Drosophila melanogaster (a.k.a fruit fly), Dorso-Ventral (DV) patterning marks first lineage restriction event. We have identified defective proventriculus (dve-a Homeobox gene), an ortholog of SATB homeobox 1 (special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1), as new member of DV patterning gene hierarchy. We have shown that dve acts downstream of pannier (pnr, GATA-1 transcription factor), and upstream of wingless (wg) in dorsal gene hierarchy. Loss-of-function of dve, pnr results in dramatic dorsal eye enlargements, whereas gain-of-function suppresses the eye fate. We have demonstrated that Wg is downstream target of Hippo growth regulatory pathway (highly conserved) in eye. Furthermore, Wingless (Wg), which acts downstream of dve, also exhibits similar eye enlargement and suppression phenotypes and has been shown to play a role in growth. Here, we present that DV patterning genes interact with Hippo signaling to regulate the common downstream target, Wg during growth and patterning of developing Drosophila eye. Our data states (1) These two pathways interact antagonistically, and that (2) Activating Hippo signaling in dve, pnr expression domain results in change of head specific fate to an eye. We have tested retinal determination fate markers in these backgrounds. This study will address important questions, (1) Whether axial patterning genes (dve, pnr) and Hippo pathway regulates patterning, growth independently or in-coordination with each other by regulating Wg to form an eye/or any other organ, (2) Which of these pathways acts upstream and downstream, (3) During the development, whether growth regulatory pathways gets activated first and regulates patterning genes to form an organ or vice versa and (4) How the downstream targets are regulated, if these pathways are connected. The results from these studies will be presented.

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  Hall Effect Studies of LPCVD grown β-Ga2O3 on Sapphire

  Danielle E Smith

  With its ultra-wide bandgap of 4.5-4.9 eV and large breakdown electronic field, β-Ga2O3 has recently attracted attention because of its potential for next generation power electronics applications. The estimated breakdown field for β-Ga2O3 is 8 MV/cm, much larger than 2.5 MV/cm for 4H-SiC and 3.3 MV/cm for GaN, which could enable power electronics with larger power density and greater efficiency [1]. Also, Ga2O3 has the potential to be more cost-efficient in mass production than other wide bandgap materials due to its ability to be synthesized through standard melt growth methods [2]. With this motivation, this study examines the electronic properties of β-Ga2O3 via temperature dependent Hall effect measurements. The Ga2O3 was grown on c-face sapphire substrates via low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) using liquid metal gallium and oxygen precursors, with silicon dopants introduced via SiC4 gas. [3] Hall effect measurements were performed to determine carrier density and mobility as a function of temperature. The sign of the Hall voltage indicates that the Ga2O3 is an n-type material with electrons as majority carriers. The temperature dependence of the carrier density indicates activation energies of 10.7 meV and 10.1 meV for the Si dopant using samples with room temperature electron densities of 2×10 18 cm-3 and 3×10 18 cm-3 , respectively. Among several samples, the highest measured mobility was 34 cm2/Vs at room temperature and 40 cm2/Vs at 150K. These results indicate the potential of LPCVD grown Si-doped Ga2O3 for next generation semiconductor power electronics applications. [1] Applied Physics Letters 100, 013504 (2012) [2] Applied Physics Letters 103, 123511 (2013) [3] Applied Physics Letters 109, 132103 (2016)

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  Health-Related Quality of Life in Chronically-Ill College Students: Examining Influential Constructs

  Morgan E Longstreth

  The typical college student faces a number of challenges during their pursuit of higher education. Adding chronic illness to the fragile equation of identity development, establishing and fostering relationships, and academic pressures that occur during the college years provides significant impediment to such development. While academic functioning in these individuals is widely assessed, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is equally worthy of research and has arguably further reaching influence if better understood. There is little research examining how chronic symptoms affect the wellbeing of college students. Further investigation is needed in order to better understand and treat the difficulties these students face. Four HRQoL-related constructs hypothesized to have a special impact on those with chronic illnesses were selected to be studied in the present research: illness-related stigma, psychosocial functioning, coping skills, and psychological health (specifically depression and anxiety). Using an online survey platform, each construct is measured in individuals who self-identify as having a chronic illness. Constructs are examined using validated psychological measures, specifically with respect to symptom avoidance, illness intrusiveness, stigma, and mental health. Such research aims to provide insight into the college student’s illness experience, and how academicians, psychological and physical health care providers, and parents, peers, and students can better understand and meet the needs of the chronically ill college student.

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  Herbaceous layer species richness along forested headwater streams is negatively impacted by Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) invasion

  Mitchell J Kukla

  A major threat to forest ecosystems are invasive species such as Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle), a shrub that has been shown to greatly increase understory shading in forests. Our aim was to understand how herbaceous layer species richness and abundance are impacted by invasion of L. maackii along forested headwater streams in southwestern Ohio. The herbaceous layer was sampled in 60 1-m2 plots along 5 headwater streams representing a gradient of honeysuckle invasion intensity: reference, moderate, and heavy. Within 12 plots at each site, percent cover was estimated for each species in April, June, and August. For all three sampling dates, herbaceous cover did not differ significantly among sites. Significant differences in species richness were found in April and June (ANOVA; P < 0.001). The Englewood Reference site had significantly higher richness than the Aullwood Reference site in April and June (P < 0.005), which we believe was due to differences in environmental and soil properties between the sites. The Englewood Reference site also had significantly higher richness than the Englewood Moderate site in April (P = 0.024) and the heavily invaded Buckeye Trail site in June (P = 0.00083). Further, Floristic Quality Assessment Index values were examined in each site. In each month, zero non-native plants were found in the Englewood Reference and Englewood Moderate sites. In April and June, there were more non-native species present in the Buckeye Trail site than the Charleston Falls and Aullwood sites. In summary, these results suggest that Amur honeysuckle had a negative influence on herb layer diversity, but not cover. In addition, the increased presence of other non-native species in the heavily invaded site suggests that L. maackii may be altering the composition of the herbaceous layer. Further analyses will examine how herb community composition differs among sites using non-metric multidimensional scaling.

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  High-Speed Automatic Human Face Recognition System

  Sulaiman S Alhazzaa, Amani Alkhudair, Brian D Hartnett, Dexin Ren

  The purpose of this project is to help develop further techniques and uses of high speed automatic facial recognition. This technology is used to detect requested people, such as criminals and missing people. Our focus is face feature extraction which is broken down into three stages. The first stage is face detection which may be performed with issues under various environments such as different sizes of the input faces, difficult lighting conditions, and multiple camera angles. To tackle these issues, we found solutions as following: for different sizes of the input faces, we recorded training images with different sizes by adjusting the distance from the recorded face to the input camera; for lighting issues, we changed the lighting of the environment that the subject was in by overexposure and underexposure the image; for camera angles, we trained the system with a large amount of images related with assorted angles of the camera. Higher angles were focused on to simulate a surveillance camera in an environment like a store or shopping center. A combination of the issues tested the outer functional limits of the program. Tests were first conducted on the team members to understand the functionality of the program. After, more individuals were added to the database. We created design criteria and wanted the speed, reliability, its security, and its legality to be the most important aspect of the program. Another main feature of the program is to extract multiple images of the human face and place the images in a database created specifically for each person. The concluding feature of the program is to compare the images of the human subject against individuals already registered in the database to quickly and accurately identify the person. The team is continuing to research the most efficient way to implement this technology.

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  How carbon composite and plastic ankle foot orthoses influence balance in individuals with multiple sclerosis

  Anna K Benton, Sarah E Hollis, Gregory Lance Mahrer

  Mobility impairments are reported as the most debilitating symptoms for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Fatigue, a major issue, further affects mobility. Ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) are one potential solution to alleviate some of these mobility impairments; however, the effectiveness of AFOs for individuals with MS are still inconclusive and have known downfalls. Since the emergence of carbon fiber AFOs, which are lightweight and provide elastic energy storage, the use of AFOs to aid individuals with MS has become more promising; however, their high cost (approximately $300-$400) compared to traditional polypropylene AFOs (approximately $40) drive the need for further evaluation. We plan to take a comprehensive look at AFOs and examine the tradeoffs in wearing the polypropylene or carbon fiber AFOs with regard to gait, balance, strength, fatigue, and comfort. In collaboration with the University of Dayton’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program, our research group is now collecting this data from 20 participants with MS – each coming in on three separate occasions (no brace, plastic AFO, and carbon AFO). Participants completed various clinical assessments, the outcomes of which will be incorporated in the final overall conclusions on AFO effectiveness. The focus of this presentation will be on the more biomechanical aspects of the study in regards to the balance testing, which is done using two tests: the quiet standing posturography and limits of stability assessments. Five individuals have completed their study participation to date, so only the beginning stages of data analysis has been completed. Preliminary results suggest that the AFO conditions seem to positively affect side-to-side sway and that they do not restrict leaning. The completion of testing will hopefully give some insight and understanding into the effects of AFOs on gait, balance, and fatigue for those with Multiple Sclerosis.

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  How Mathematics Can Stop Crime

  William T Shovelton

  The Susceptible, Infected, and Recovered (SIR) Mathematical Model is widely used to study infectious diseases. Such models are also used to study predator-prey interactions, alcohol abuse, and social networks. Here, we will study a variation of SIR model for the interaction of police and gangs. In this work, we apply numerical techniques to simulate the solution of the model, which is a system of coupled ordinary differential equations. We compare the solution using various numerical techniques such as Euler’s Method, Runge-Kutta Methods, and Nonstandard Finite Difference Method.

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  Idealization, Maintenance Behaviors, and Infidelity Among Couples in Long Distance Relationships

  Ellen F Krueger, Angel Luis, Emily N Panella, Hind Sallih, Gabriella M Vargas

  Long distance relationships (LDR) are becoming more common, even though romantic partners are typically characterized as being closer in proximity. There are other reasons couples are in LDR other than separation or divorce, these include: attaining an educational degree, pursuing careers, military deployment, and emigration. Relational maintenance behaviors are used to preserve and improve the relationship and thus increase and maintain relationship satisfaction. Idealization is a specific maintenance behavior in which a partner unrealistically focuses on the positive aspects of their partner and relationship, remembering less disagreements or areas of contention. LDR couples tend to idealize each other more because of geographical distance and lack of physical proximity. Physical and/or emotional infidelity can be due to: sexuality, emotional satisfaction, social context, attitudes-norms, and revenge-hostility. From an evolutionary perspective, men have the opportunity to have a LDR with a partner but are also afforded the opportunity to cheat and “get away” with it, potentially having more chances at having viable offspring. This study examined how maintenance behaviors impact cheating in long distance relationships. The over-arching hypothesis for this study is even when engaging in maintenance behaviors (which increase or maintain relationship satisfaction) individuals in romantic relationships will still cheat on their partner. Additionally, a specific maintenance behavior, idealization, will an additionally mediate the relationship between maintenance behaviors. However we predict there will be gender differences such that males will idealize their partner less and be more likely engage in infidelity, whereas females will idealize their partner more and will engage in infidelity to a significantly lesser extent than males.