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  A Novel High Quality Factor Tunable Band-stop Filter for Microwave Applications

  Hailing Yue

  A band-stop filter is used to remove a narrow band of frequencies from the signal path of a receiver or a transmitter. For a conventional notch filter, the maximum attenuation (notch depth) occurs at a single frequency midway between the specified edges (3dB) of the lower and upper pass-bands, and the selectivity can be described as the ratio of the notch depth to the bandwidth between the edges of the pass-bands. The unloaded quality factor Q (Qu) of the filter's resonators limits both notch depth and selectivity. This proposal suggests an optimized version of varactor-tuned microwave band-stop filter designed using a novel inductive spiral signal line incorporated with shunt varactors featuring an expected Qu of ~110 and notch depth of ~30dB at center frequencies from 2GHz to 8GHz.

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  An Undivided Heart: How Mary Unites What Sin Divides According to John Paul II's Theology of the Body

  Ann M. Michalica

  Today, personhood is often threatened by the tendency to divide the human person into two contrasting parts: body and soul. Many times, this causes the human person to be reduced to a disembodied spiritual being or a disposable object rather than a whole person called to love and be loved. In his teachings known as the Theology of the Body, John Paul II uses a personalistic approach to illuminate the human person as the integration of body and soul. Scripturally based, Theology of the Body is the study of God’s reflection in the human body and human sexuality. Using John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and the Catholic Church's four Marian dogmas, this thesis will illustrate how the Blessed Virgin Mary gives humanity knowledge of the body as a personalistic integration of flesh and spirit intended for a self-giving relationship with both God and man.

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  A Performance Analysis of Concentrated Portfolios of High Quality Stocks over the Highly Volatile Market Period of 2007 – 2013

  Dede Ferry

  A number of investment managers use high quality stocks as a key to their investment strategy. In this study I want to look at the relative performance of concentrated portfolios (25-30 stocks) of high quality stocks compared to the S&P 500 (i.e. the benchmark portfolio). Using the S&P’s quality ratings of A- through A+, I developed the following concentrated portfolios: (1) Mega Large Cap (2) Large Cap and (3) Mid-Cap. Two time periods are evaluated performance wise: (1) 12-31-07 – 12-31-13 and (2) 3-31-09 – 12-31-13. The 07-13 time interval includes the steep down swing period in the market which occurred during 2008 and the first part of 2009. Due to the housing crisis, the economy was also in free fall in the same period of time. The 09-13 time interval represents a highly volatile but strong up swing, period of the market. In this study I use the following portfolio weighting strategies to develop the returns to the concentrated portfolios: (1) market value weight (2) equal dollar weight (3) relative strength – momentum weight and (4) relative strength – concentrated weight.

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  Application of a Cobalt Porphyrin and Catalyst in microbial Fuel Cells

  Weilong Wang

  A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a renewable energy device in which microorganisms consume organic matters to generate electricity. These devices have potential utility in wastewater treatment facilities to dually clean the water and generate part of the electricity needed for water treatment. The last decade has seen tremendous advancement in MFC technology, but many challenges remain, particularly with improving performance and efficiency of cathodes. The cathode reduces oxygen to water and traditionally has utilized precious metals as the primary catalytic compound. In these studies, the precious metal in the cathode has been replaced with alternative catalysts, cobalt porphyrins. Porphyrins may serve as an effective, low cost oxygen reducing catalyst capable of operating in air-cathode MFCs. Here, a cobalt-porphyrin complex compounded with carbon black support (porphyrin/C) was fabricated into an air-cathode for the MFC and its performance was tested. Various porphyrin loading densities were investigated in order to determine the optimal catalyst loading as determined by power production in MFCs. The cathodes were further examined by polarization curves and voltammetry tests to exam electrochemical performance of the cathodes.

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  A Room Full of Rocking Chairs: Urban Appalachian Student Experiences in Community College

  Rana Peake

  Urban Appalachian college students (UACS) face cultural and institutional barriers that impact their ability to persist and complete college. Designed to explore UACS experiences at a large urban community college, this study provides insight into Appalachian culture and identity as they impact their success in higher education. UACSs are more likely to come from a low-income family, and be the first in their family to attend college. First-generation college students more often lack the social and cultural capital needed to successfully navigate college, further increasing the risk of failure (Bradbury, 2009). Colleges and universities must seek out ways to improve the campus environment to reflect the needs and values of the students they serve and develop support systems that nurture the development of cultural capital needed to be successful in college and beyond (Oldfield, 2007).

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  A Semi-Empirical Prediction Model for the Discharge Line Temperature of Hermetic Compressors

  Chen Guan

  Predicting the discharge line temperature (DLT) of air conditioning and refrigeration compressors is important to ensure sufficient lubricant properties and proper performance of components that are positioned in the exhaust stream.Numerous comprehensive prediction models have been developed with excellent accuracy, but require many details of a particular compressor. This paper assesses various DLT prediction methods that do not compressor-specific parameters. It presents a semi-empirical model with a accuracy that significantly exceeds the other established methods. The model is applied to both traditional refrigeration and vapor-injected, economizer cycles. Lastly, a study was conducted to determine the relationship between the accuracy of the model and number of experimental points used to produce the model.

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  A Social Justice Learning and Living Community Service Project

  Maggie Cook, Pam Malone, Kelsey Radabaugh

  Through a Social Justice Living and Learning Community Project, researchers were given the opportunity to feed numerous families across the Dayton area. They worked with Food bank Inc. to help sort and repackage donated food to give to families in need. The Food bank provides food for approximately 70,000 different people annually.

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  Assessing Aesthetic Preferences for Faces with Measures of Ocular Gaze

  Hannah L. Lieber, Ashley Ann Marshall, Madeleine L. Schneider, Paulina E. Rosequist, Margaret Wedell

  Though one may assume that the reactions to two nearly identical works of art would be similar, the medium in which art is presented can influence an individual’s perception of the work (Locher et al., 2006). The present study evaluates aesthetic preferences for faces, specifically, relating to those influenced by art; this is done by comparing reactions when viewing classic portraits and photographic renderings of those portraits. Simultaneously portraits and photographs of faces, matched for variables such as gender, artistic medium, ethnicity, face shape, facial hair, hair color, eye color, and facial position (full or profile), are shown to participants while the participant is wearing an eye-tracker, which measures aesthetic pleasingness, based on points of interests on the portraits and photographs. Participants were assigned to one of two conditions; in Condition A, participants were asked which image they found more aesthetically pleasing, while in Condition B, participants were asked which image they would be more likely to purchase. We hypothesize that measures of ocular gaze (i.e., visual scan paths, fixation times, and pupil dilations) assessed by eye-tracking equipment will demonstrate that eye-scanning movements and eye-fixations will focus more on features of the portraits than on similar features in the photographs. This data should also correlate with the subjective ratings completed in an earlier experiment that measured subjective responses alone. In addition, participants should respond similarly in both conditions; portraits that are high in aesthetic pleasingness should also be high in likelihood of purchase. Results from this research have implications in marketing and product development, particularly in the realm of art. In addition, we have a better understanding of what is commonly considered “art” and how that consideration adds to perceived value. The comparison of the physiological measures and the subjective ratings allows for a better understanding of the relationship between body and mind.

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  Assessing the Energy Requirements of Actuators During Common Automation Tasks

  Mohamed Eltaeb

  Manufacturing operations is a major consumer of energy, with a large proportion being used to operate motors. The objective of this project is to create principles for the design of automation mechanisms that have reduced energy needs. As part of the project, an experimental study was performed to assess the energy required by industrial actuators for common automation tasks. The energy consumption is mapped to torque, motion and time on task. Using this information, the influence of mechanism architecture and dimensional synthesis of single-degree-of-freedom manufacturing devices can be assessed and design guidelines can be formulated.

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  As Stable as the Dollar Stretches: Foreign Aid and Social Stability in Jordan

  Jasmine Jordan

  After the fall out of the Arab Spring in 2010, most of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa region suffered from extreme political, social, and economical instability. Usually, the citizens of these counties were revolting against the authoritarian regimes that have held power for decades. Jordan stands as the only obvious exception. How has Jordan maintained relative economic stability where others have failed? I have found that it is hard to judge the economic or social stability of Jordan without recognizing the large amounts of foreign aid Jordan has received from the US. This thesis asks what the relationship exist between developmental US foreign aid and political stability in Jordan The basic argument is that foreign aid affects the economic, social, and governmental structure in a country, which decreases unrest in the population and increases political stability. This thesis looks at the relationship between these factors and their influence on each other.

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  Behavioral Activation in a Homeless Shelter: An Example of Engaged Scholarship

  Zach Glending, Christine Farmer, Jessalyn Crossman, Jacob DeBellis, Stephanie Rodriguez

  A Behavioral Activation Program is implemented and evaluated at a homeless shelter. Behavioral Activation, which is based on operant conditioning, refers to “...a therapeutic process that emphasizes structured attempts at engendering increases in overt behaviors that are likely to bring [the person] into contact with reinforcing environmental contingencies and produce corresponding improvements in thoughts, mood, and overall quality of life” (Hopko et al., 2003, p. 700). Guided by the Psycho-Ecological Systems Model (Reeb & Folger, 2013), this interdisciplinary research project utilizes the participatory community action research strategy (Reeb, 2006), the pedagogical technique of service-learning (Reeb, 2010), and multidimensional assessment. Hypotheses are as follows: (1) Outcomes (e.g., employment and recidivism rates) will be superior for men participating in Behavioral Activation, relative to outcomes of shelter guests prior to project implementation. (2) For men participating in Behavioral Activation, there will be improvements in psychosocial functioning (quality of life, hope, self-efficacy for coping, self-esteem, depressed mood, learned helplessness, anxiety, empowerment, social alienation, sense of purpose or meaning, social stigma concerns, job motivation, and inclinations for illegal behavior and substance use), and changes on these variables will predict long-term outcomes. (3) Over time, the shelter’s social climate will be perceived as increasingly more positive by shelter guests and staff. (4) Service-learning students (undergraduate and graduate) who assist with the project will show improvements in civic-related attitudes/beliefs. Behavioral activities include a mix of activities aimed at the enhancement of: (a) empowerment or self-sufficiency (e.g., GED preparation, computer training, job preparation); (b) coping (e.g., stress management, prevention programs); and (c) mood, quality of life, and social skills (e.g., game night). This project, which is supported in part by external funding, received full IRB approval at the University of Dayton, and was implemented in August of 2013.

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  Blur Processing Using Double Discrete Wavelet Transform

  Yi Zhang

  We propose a notion of double discrete wavelet transform (DDWT) that is designed to sparsify the blurred image and the blur kernel simultaneously. DDWT greatly enhances our ability to analyze, detect, and process blur kernels and blurry images—the proposed framework handles both global and spatially varying blur kernels seamlessly, and unifies the treatment of blur caused by object motion, optical defocus, and camera shake. To illustrate the potential of DDWT in computer vision and image processing, we develop example applications in blur kernel estimation, deblurring, and near-blur-invariant image feature extraction.

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  Brain Machine Interface for Controlling a Robotic Arm

  Kelly Cashion, Theus Aspiras, Carly Gross, David Fan, Yicong Gong, Nathaniel Maas, Ahmed Nasrallah

  This project takes Electroencephalography (EEG) data and correlates it with specific robotic actions. The process is implemented using a 3 phase system that includes EEG signal acquisition, data classification, and robotic action encoding. This project utilizes the Emotiv EPOC headset that uses 14 electrodes which detects brain activity and wirelessly transmits raw data to a personal computer. The project utilizes Emotiv software to classify and translate and encode this raw EEG signal into a command to control a robotic arm. This Brain Machine Interface (BMI) research has many potential applications; for example, it could help the handicapped use robots to complete various task, or help the user use only their mind to control multiple devices like Google Glass, cell phones, wheelchairs and air conditioners, etc.

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  But It's a Party School: The Impact of Alcohol Culture on Student Initial College Choice

  Leah Shamblin

  While many aspects can affect a student’s decision to attend a specific institution, a college’s alcohol culture can have a positive or negative effect on student choice. Research explains one of the biggest aspects to aid in a students’ decision to attend a university is the perception of alcohol culture on campus (Parker, 2009). Lifestyle choices can also affect this decision. Therefore, there is a need for an examination of why students select a college based on perceived drinking culture of that institution. This study will offer an insight into why first-year students in the fall of 2013 decided to attend University of Dayton as it relates to the perceived alcohol culture of the institution. Findings allow for a better understanding of how students perceive the alcohol culture on a campus and how much it affects their decision to attend an institution.

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  Can They Ever Feel at Home?: Saudi Student Experiences in Residence Halls

  Beth Cahill

  Saudi students are choosing to pursue higher education at institutions in the United States at an accelerated rate. As a result, it is essential that administration develop ways to better serve this population. The residence halls at American institutions provide a unique challenge for Saudi students because of certain elements of their culture including religion, gender dynamics, and more. Currently, there is a lack of research on this particular topic. In a one hour semi-structured interviews, participants reflected on their experience in the residence halls as well as provided suggestions for future programming and physical space. Information collected through this study provides considerations for college and university administrators when structuring the on-campus residential experience.

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  Catholic Social Ministry Gathering: Flyers Advocate for Justice

  Joseph Oliveri, Dominic Sanfilippo, Jack Welsh, Maggie Cook, Claudia Guzman, Abi Lambert, Alyssa Bovell

  On February 2nd, 2014, the University of Dayton sent a delegation of students and faculty to the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, DC. During this four day gathering of educators, policy makers, religious and lay people, and social justice advocates from all over the world, the group lobbied Congress on Capitol Hill, learned about the extensive civic engagement and advocacy work being done by agencies, academics, and workers of all stripes for the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, participated in policy sessions, plenary discussions, and dialogues about issues facing the world and Church today, and reflected on how the two pillars of the social teaching of the Church- justice and charity- are lived out on Dayton's own campus, in the city of Dayton, and beyond. This presentation explores and highlights some of the extraordinary lessons the delegation learned, and highlights the implications and steps forward they are taking to help improve Dayton's own community through "connecting, learning, praying, and advocating!"

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  Characterizing the Absorption Behavior of a Bovine Serum Albumin and a Novel Amino Acid onto Iron and Aluminum

  Yaqui Zhang

  The US Navy currently utilizes ultra-high pressure water jetting (UHPWJ) or grit-blasting for preparing steel surfaces for painting. Before a new coating/protective surface treatment can be applied, the cleaned surface usually is exposed to a humid environment for a significant amount time, which can cause corrosion. This corrosion activity is known as “flash rusting”. The corroded surface will shorten the lifetime of the new coating/surface treatment. The aim of the study is to have an aqueously soluble biopolymer based corrosion inhibitor system that can protect exposed steel surfaces during the paint removal process from the flash rusting, which is also environmentally friendly. In order to do this, it is first required to understand the adsorption behavior of biopolymers onto metal alloy surfaces. Using adsorption isotherm measurements, the adsorption behavior of biopolymers onto the metal substrates will be monitored using bulk solution concentration determinations. Based on the Langmuir theory, the maximum number of adsorption sites and the affinity constant can be calculated for each biopolymer-substrate interaction, thus the optimal solution concentration for maximum substrate coverage will be determined. The adsorption characteristics of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) and a novel amino acid (L-dopa) onto high strength steel (HY80) and 5083 aluminum alloy powders suspended in a buffer solution were measured by the Arnow assay for diphenols and the Bradford protein assay, respectively, to detect the bulk solution concentration of non-adsorbed protein as a function of time; the amount adsorbed from solution at equilibrium can then be determined. With the surface area of the metal powders known, it is then possible to calculate the amount of protein or amino acid adsorbed from solution per unit area of metal. Thus the number of adsorption sites and binding affinity for each adsorbate can be established.

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  Community Despite Contingency: Working Together, Achieving Together

  Carrie Rogan Floom

  In the changing context of higher education, many faculty members are experiencing an increased workload, more accountability, fewer resources, and a changing student demographic (Eddy & Garza-Mitchell, 2012), which can result in a faculty who feels overworked and disconnected. Learning Communities have been used as a way to meet the needs of faculty members by developing a sense of community and reinvigorating their scholarship of teaching (Cox, 2004). While learning communities can work well for faculty, the largest growing subset of the professoriate, adjunct faculty, often do not have this support. Adjunct faculty are generally not satisfied with the support that they are offered by the institution (Hoyt, et al., 2008) and are often not integrated into the institution (Hainline, et al., 2010). Adjunct faculty learning communities, if created using learning community best practices, can provide support to adjuncts and help them to fully connect with their the institution. CAW (2012). A portrait of part-time faculty members: A summary of findings on part-time faculty respondents to the coalition on the academic workforce survey of contingent faculty members and instructors. Retrieved from: http://www.academicworkforce.org/CAW_portrait_2012.pdf Cox, M.D. (2004). Introduction to faculty learning communities. In M. D. Cox & L. Richlin (Eds.). Building faculty learning communities. New Directions for Teaching and Learning,97, 5-23. Eddy, P.L. & Garza -Mitchell, R.L.G. (2012). Faculty as learners: Developing thinking communities. Innovations in Higher Education 37, 283-296. Hainline, L., Gaines, M., Long Feather, C., Padilla, E., & Terry, E. (2010). Changing students, faculty, and institutions in the Twenty-First Century. Peer Review, 12(3), 7-10. Hoyt, J. E., Howell, S. L., Glines, L. J., Johnson, C., Spackman, J. S., Thompson, C., & Rudd, C. (2008). Assessing part-time faculty job satisfaction in continuing higher education: Implications for the profession. Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 56(1), 27-38.

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  Community Residential Energy Reduction

  Kelly Vogeler

  This research evaluates the effectiveness of residential energy reduction programs aimed at cost effective, collective action. One of these energy reduction programs is Dropoly.com, an online game developed by the University of Dayton that aims to connect neighbors and allow them to compete against one another. The guiding question behind the research addresses how to reduce energy consumption in a community. My research presumes that effective community engagement is a central factor in achieving success and evaluates a variety of energy reduction programs based on certain criteria. The chosen criteria assess the programs’ effectiveness by focusing on different means of engaging the community. Results of this evaluation indicate the most successful programs at community engagement and opportunities for improvement.

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  Controlling the Corrosion of Metals with Polyphenolic Proteins

  William F. Nelson

  Flash rusting is a corrosion process in which steel rapidly oxidizes upon contact with air at a high relative humidity. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop a water-soluble and environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor that will inhibit flash rust on high strength steel (HY80). Several proteins involved in the formation of the adhesive byssal threads by the blue mussel Mytilus edulis L have been identified for their potential as corrosion inhibitors. The most important feature of these biomolecules for corrosion prevention applications is the presence of a post-translationally modified amino acid L-3, 4 dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa). L-dopa has a well characterized ability to form strong bonds with metal ions, thus stabilizing the metal surface and inhibiting corrosion. In addition, enzymatically treated L-dopa containing proteins can participate in crosslinking reactions, which have been shown to lead to a thicker and more durable protein layer. In this study, HY80 steel coupons were treated with varying amounts of MAP-1, the largest and most well-characterized of the five mussel proteins, in 0.05M phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 and exposed in an accelerated atmospheric corrosion chamber maintained at 40°C and 100% relative humidity. For comparison, identical HY80 samples were treated with a commercially available flash rust corrosion inhibitor under identical exposure conditions. The results indicate that the corrosion inhibiting behavior of the cross-linked protein may be contingent on the presence of an air-formed oxide layer. Current results suggest that the mussel protein is nearly as effective as the commercial inhibitor at a similar concentration, which shows that the protein could potentially serve as an environmentally friendly replacement for current flash rust inhibitors.

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  Cost Optimization with Solar and Conventional Energy Production, Energy Storage, and Real Time Pricing

  Ata Raziei

  Research is presented that investigates the potential for solar power generation with battery energy storage for reducing the effective cost of energy delivered to residential customers if real time pricing is present. A linear optimization approach is developed based upon a two-step process. In step one, given a specified solar array area and battery capacity, the optimal means to meet loads based upon grid power, solar power, and/or battery power is determined. This analysis considers an expected lifespan of the solar panel. With these results established,in the next step, the capital costs for the solar arrays and batteries are considered for each point (solar area and battery capacity) in the design space. Ultimately, the results illuminate the most cost effective means to provide power to customers for the chosen system.

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  Design and Assembly of a Spring-Powered Engine Starter Prototype

  Linda Leben

  Automotive starting systems require substantial amounts of mechanical energy in a short period of time. Lead-acid batteries have historically provided that energy through a starter motor. Springs have been identified as an alternative energy storage medium and are well suited to engine-starting applications due to their ability to rapidly deliver substantial mechanical power and their long service life. This project involves the development of a prototype of a spring-powered starter for a motorcycle engine. The focus was on the design and assembly of the complete system, including the design challenge of interfacing the starting mechanism with the motorcycle, designing the assembly such that all parts are aligned, manufacturing necessary parts, and assembling the mechanism.

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  Design and Characterization of Photo-responsive Supramolecular Aggregates

  Julie Fitz

  A supramolecular assembly is a complex of molecules held together by noncovalent interactions. The process by which supramolecular assemblies are formed is called “molecular self-assembly”, during which the molecules spontaneously aggregate in a specific manner, acquiring new properties. Incorporating photoisomerizable molecules into supramolecular assemblies offers considerable opportunities in developing new smart materials. Using UV-Vis and CD spectroscopy, we explored the propensity for a dicarboxylic acid derivatized azobenzene photoswitch (ADA) to form supramolecular aggregates and investigated the photochemical behavior of the system. ADA was shown to undergo cis-trans isomerization when irradiated in aqueous solution with visible and UV light. Upon reduction of the pH, the trans form of ADA aggregates in a chiral fashion. Homo-aggregation of the trans form of ADA was shown to prevent photoisomerization to the cis form. The feasibility of forming supramolecular heteroaggregates between ADA and other molecules, including water soluble porphyrins and poly (glutamic acid), was explored.

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  Design and Fabrication of Composite I-Beams for Bending Load Applications

  Punit Gupta

  Composite is a special type of material that combines the properties of two different constituents thereby, enhancing its mechanical properties. These constituents are generally a fiber and matrix. Fiber imparts stiffness and strength to the composite while the matrix holds the fiber in place, so that fiber property translation into composite properties is achieved. The objective of this poster is to establish a basic understanding of how to design and fabricate a composite I-beam i.e a carbon-fiber composite I-beam that can be used for bending load applications. It also focuses on the analysis of stresses in beam bending. By beam theory, I-beam is shown to be a very efficient form for carrying both shear and bending loads in the plane of the web but the inefficiency of the I-beam is because of its cross-section which has a reduced capacity in the transverse direction, and also its inefficiency in carrying torsion. The I-beam consists of a carbon fiber unidirectional and woven laminas, as well as high density polystyrene foam to stiffen the structure. It is manufactured using a wet layup technique and cured with the help of vacuum. Composite beams are tested using the 3 point bending test. The limit load for a composite I- beam under pure bending is determined experimentally and theoretically. Through analysis and testing, it is determined that web stability was the driving failure mode and many aspects can be improved through manufacturing techniques. Use of an autoclave as well as using metal molds for curing the beam dramatically increases load carrying capability.

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  Design of Variable-Geometry Dies for Polymer Extrusion

  Wesley P. Kramer, Mary Joy F. Cardilino

  Polymer extrusion is the process of forcing a melted plastic through a die to create a continuous part with a constant cross-section dictated by the die’s shape. The goal of this project is to develop a die that can change the cross-section created in the plastic during extrusion. This technology introduces extrusion to a host of products that historically have been manufactured by more expensive and time-consuming techniques like injection molding. Variables considered in order to make the dies both practical and efficient include limiting the degrees of freedom, managing unnecessary die openings, and creating joints that can act as revolute as well as prismatic joints. Design challenges include addressing the high pressures and temperatures present in extrusion die systems, minimizing material leakage in the die assembly, and creating the methodology and practice for designing dies that create the desired shape changes in the extrusion.