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  Research exercise: Method for Obtaining Germ-Free Drosophila melanogaster: A Tool for Investigating the Role Gut Microbes Play in Human Disease

  Ramyasri Matam, Joseph Ebersole, Kyle Murphy

  Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly, is commonly used in labs because approximately 75% of human disease-causing genes are believed to have a functional homolog in the fly (Pandey 2011). This close genetic makeup as well as minimal expense makes Drosophila an ideal model to investigate potential effects of gut microbiota in human disease. Gut microbes have been known to influence the host of diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and kidney disease (Musso 2010). In this study, a protocol for generating GR (germ free) D. melanogaster flies was developed and verified. This technique is crucial to investigating the role of commensal microbes in the genesis and progression of disease. We are investigating the effects of microbes in Alzheimer ’s disease using a Drosophila melanogaster strain expressing of human amyloid-β peptide in a temperature dependent manner (Singh 2013). By generating GF flies of this constructed strain we will be able to determine whether commensal microbes play a role in the expression of the amyloid-β peptide. This same technique could be used to study the role of commensal microbes on any human disease homolog in the fly.

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  Research exercise: of Object Saliency on Early Mathematics and Cognitive Skills

  Alejandro Trujillo

  The primary focus of our study is to explore the relationship between a child’s early mathematics skills and related cognitive skills and the representational status of the tools used to aid learning in these areas. By focusing on children’s ability to perform based on the nature of the tools given to them, the findings of this study will hopefully lead to a better understanding of the types of objects or learning aids that are most conducive to student learning in early childhood classrooms. Our work is guided heavily by the theory of graded representations, which offers that higher object saliency leads to a higher active representation of objects, and therefore takes away from a child’s executive function in keeping focus on a task (Munakata & Yerys, 2006). General mathematics skills will be tested both through the Approximate Number System—which looks at a child’s ability to distinguish larger numbers without counting—and the TEMA-3—which is a standardized test for purchase that assesses both formal and informal mathematics skills. Predictors of mathematics skills (i.e., executive functioning skills including working memory, inhibitory control, and attention shifting skills) will be assessed through two tasks. Children will be randomly assigned to different versions of these mathematics and executive functioning skills tasks that vary with respect to object saliency and object familiarity.

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  Research exercise: Overfishing: Don't Get Reeled Into the Lies

  Reine-Marie Hammonds

  According to the United Nations website, one out of 5 people rely on getting their protein from fish. Based on this fact, the fate of aquaculture in terms of overfishing could be devastating. Unfortunately, the overview of the United Nations Oceans and Law of the Sea does not explicitly detail the need for sustaining biodiversity within each State’s respective boundaries. Rather, it focuses on the ability of each State to control the usage of their waters’ resources and marine life. The most recent meeting on the Law of the Sea was dedicated to the determining the means by which are to be taken to solve international issues over water border issues and extraction of resources from other waters. There will be more violent disputes in the future if the issue of sustaining biodiversity of marine life is not addressed on a more international scale. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, just under three fourths of the world’s species are either fully exploited or depleted by legal and illegal fisheries. The United States and Ireland both require fisheries to submit how their practices will be affecting the ecosystems and environments. Taking this self-evaluation to the next level of implementing better controlled fishing techniques and monitoring (ex: biodegradable gear; selective fishing; regulated quotas), will allow for biodiversity to balance itself once again. Fisheries may be receiving much gain in the short term, but they fail to recognize the possible long term failure of aquaculture. I would like to do a comparative study between different fisheries and how much of international law has been implemented within these different cases. I would like to focus on different types of waters (such as, closed off—like gulfs; shared waters; and high traffic straights; etc.) and what can be done to further implement protection laws and rebuild marine biodiversity.

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  Research exercise: Press Access to Information Regarding National Security and Law Enforcement

  Michael Roche, Kayleigh Fladung, Caroline Parks

  Without access to information, the press cannot do its job serving the public. Although the First Amendment says that “no law” should abridge freedom of the press, government and institutions find ways to keep secret various matters of legitimate public concern. One paper explores how federal courts have interpreted the “national security” exception to the Freedom of Information Act. Another paper analyzes state open records laws and whether they apply to private universities’ police forces. Another paper looks at sealed documents, and how journalists can legally challenge those orders and get access.

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  Research exercise: Reading Interventions in Relation to the Ohio Third Grade Guarantee

  Kathryn Auletto

  Reading is one of the most critical skills that students learn in their first few years of education. A strong foundation in reading at the early childhood level can promote success in the rest of schooling and beyond. This is especially true for children of poverty; reading abilities and the strong education that follows provide students with opportunities to break the poverty cycle. The importance of reading achievement is a political dimension, as demonstrated by Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee. This legislation, which has many implications in education, requires that all third grade students who do not pass the Reading section of the Ohio Achievement Assessment must be retained until they are on reading level. In order to prevent this retention, teachers may choose to implement a reading intervention program with students who are at-risk of retention in third grade. The Ohio Department of Education provides districts with research-based reading instructional programs that may be implemented with these students. The list includes Reading Recovery and Orton Gillingham, two reading programs that use different approaches to literacy instruction. The research conducted in this study will look into the factors affecting a low-income school’s decision to select one of these two programs. The research will follow a dual case study format, in which interviews will be conducted with principals and teachers in the selected high poverty schools. The interviews, along with collected data about these schools and the two programs, will provide an illustration of how the Third Grade Reading Guarantee is affecting curriculum, as well as how schools are choosing these reading programs in accordance with the new legislation. The research may provide valuable information for low-income schools in this selection process for choosing the appropriate intervention for their struggling readers.

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  Research exercise: Research on Aspects of the Classroom Environment in P-12 Schools on Student Learning

  Nikole S. Kamp, Renee K. Brown, Moira M. Bonadonna, Bridget J. Bielski

  Standards for the teaching profession emphasize the importance of awareness, understanding, and integration into practice of current research in education. The goal of the EDT 110H1 class project was to explore different learning environments that affect student learning.

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  Research exercise: Research on Learning and the Brain

  Elizabeth Martin, Kira Ogburn

  Standards for the teaching profession emphasize the importance of awareness, understanding, and integration into practice of current research in education. The goal of the EDT 110H1 class project was to present syntheses of related literature on pertinent topics to p -12 education. Our research focuses on the brain's role learning in the areas of gender differences and the arts.

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  Research exercise: Research on Single Gender

  Elizabeth A. LaVigne, Katie M. Anderson

  Standards for the teaching profession emphasize the importance of awareness, understanding, and integration into practice of current research in education. The goal of the EDT 110H1 class project was to present syntheses of related literature on pertinent topics to p - 12 education, specifically the benefits of single gender environments on student achievement.

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  Research exercise: Research on Single Gender Environments

  Sarah E. McGrath, Miranda M. Melone

  Standards for the teaching profession emphasize the importance of awareness, understanding, and integration into practice of current research in education. The goal of the EDT 110H1 class project was to present syntheses of related literature on pertinent topics to p - 12 education, specifically the benefits of single gender environments on student achievement.

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  Research exercise: Research on Technology in P-12 Classrooms

  Courtney Arand, Rebekah Schwall, Gabi Sanfilippo

  Standards for the teaching profession emphasize the importance of awareness, understanding, and integration into practice and current research in education. The goal of the EDT 110-H1 poster is to discuss both the positives and the negatives associated with the evolving use of technology in the classroom

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  Research exercise: Research on the Approaches to School Safety

  Kelly Drayton, Jacob Criminski

  Standards for the teaching profession emphasize the importance of awareness, understanding, and integration into practice of current research in education.The purpose of this project is to discover different approaches to school safety.

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  Research exercise: Research on the Effect that Teacher Education Standards have on Teacher Formation in the United States and Finland

  Caroline Goodill, Callie Herrmann, Danielle Tout

  Standards for the teaching profession emphasize the importance of awareness, understanding, and integration into practice of current research in education. Our goal of the EDT 110H1 class project is to present syntheses of the effects on teacher professional development based on education standards in Finland and the United States.

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  Research exercise: Retrospective Analysis of a 5-Week Summer Sports Program Indicates Health Improvements in 9-16 Year Olds

  Chanelle Brown

  (N=271). All measures were made at registration (pre) and at camp’s end (post) by trained NYSP staff. Data presented as mean ± s.d. and compared pre and post with paired t-tests. BMI was significantly reduced (23.2 ± 0.4 kg/m2 vs 22.4 ± 0.3 kg/m2; p<0.05) due to increases in height (1.55 ± 0.007 m vs 1.57 ± 0.007 m; p<0.05) and a trend towards decreased body weight (56.1 ± 1.1 kg vs 55.8 ± 1.0 kg; p=0.07). Mean arterial pressure was also significantly reduced (81 ± 0.5 mmHg vs 76 ± 0.4 mmHg; p<0.05) due to lowered systolic blood pressure (107.9 ± 0.7 mmHg vs 103.1 ± 0.6 mmHg; p<0.05). This preliminary analysis supports beneficial health impacts of NYSP. Further studies with standardized and additional health-related measurements would allow for more comprehensive analysis and insight into the underlying mechanisms of improvement or lack thereof.

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  Research exercise: S&P 500 Sector Weights: The Case for Inverse Relative Price Strength

  Nate Huage

  In this study, I used a relative price strength model called the Inverse Relative Price Strength (IRPS) to develop a portfolio of 10 sector exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and then compared their performance to the overall market. I used the IRPS model as a proxy for the return risk optimizing process developed by Markowitz et, al. The hypothesis that I am testing is that sectors with lower relative prices compared to the market will have higher excess returns. The hypothesis is tested over the period 2008-2012. This particular period is highly volatile with large swings in both actual and relative prices. In addition, because this period covers the downswing period in 2008, the subsequent rebound period in 2009, and the continued upswing and trading range in 2010-2012, I will be able to evaluate the IRPS model's effectiveness in different phases of the market cycle for the overall portfolio as well as the individual sector ETFs.

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  Research exercise: Teaching English Learners with the Common Core State Standards

  Jenna M. Griffin

  As the world increasingly becomes more global, teaching English Learners (ELs) has presented a challenge for many educators who are unprepared for this type of diversity within the classroom. The drastic achievement gap between ELs and English-speaking students demand more attention to addressing this issue. However, as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are being adapted in nearly every state, the demand for a focus on academic language development shows progressive improvement. My research focuses on the impact that the implementation of the CCSS is having on ELs in our country, particularly on academic language. I will also examine effective instructional strategies, environmental structures and the learning needs of ELs in relation to their academic accomplishments.

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  Research exercise: The Future of Humanitarian Aid in Afghanistan: An Analysis of United Nations Humanitarian Aid from March, 2002 until March, 2014, and a Projection of Afghanistan's Future Humanitarian Climate

  Jeffrey Aubin

  At the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for an injection of 10 billion dollars of aid, over a ten-year period, into Afghanistan. Since March of 2002, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has facilitated the development and coordination of sustainable humanitarian initiatives in the country. This project will explore the extent, type, and effectiveness of international aid in Afghanistan since the arrival of UNAMA. The project intends to use the identified patterns and traits of this 12 year period to project the potential humanitarian landscape of Afghanistan moving forward.

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  Research exercise: The "Genocide" of Timor-Leste: A Study of Human Suffering and International Ignorance

  Molly Ledwith

  The Indonesian occupation of Timor-Leste in 1975 resulted in the deaths of an estimated 200,000 Timorese, which accounted for more than a quarter of the territory’s total population. Unfortunately, this terrible injustice went almost completely unrecognized by the international community. Even more disturbing, there is evidence to suggest that the United States was not only aware of these injustices, but perhaps encouraged the Indonesians’ violent invasion. A mass killing of this magnitude is normally dubbed ”genocide.” However, the situation that occurred in Timor-Leste has never been labeled as an actual “genocide,” most likely due to the involvement of the United States and other Western countries trying to avoid blame. In this presentation, I will explore the “genocide” of Timor-Leste and the level of involvement of other nations, specifically the United States, in this tragedy.

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  Research exercise: Timor-Leste, UN Women Peacekeepers, and the Gender Gap

  Frederick Amankona

  This presentation examines the role of women in United Nations peacekeeping operations, using the example of recent operations in Timor-Leste, and makes the case that there is a need for more female United Nations peacekeepers to partake in post conflict peacekeeping operations, democratization and social and political reconstruction in order to promote gender equality. Women are mostly sidelined or alienated in the participation of various peacebuilding and societal reconstruction. This creates a false conception that women are ignorant in such areas and have nothing to offer to peacekeeping efforts. However, women have played a vital role at the grassroots level in soliciting for peace building, reconciliation and the promotion and protection of their fundamental rights and freedoms. They actually undertake many activities dealing with post war and conflict peacebuilding and socio-economic reconstruction. Women resort to different techniques and strategies than men in undertaking these tasks, focusing on agricultural, cultural and moral sectors. Most countries have taken bold steps towards the adherence and the recognition of these gender inequalities. Some countries have then entrenched and enshrined these political and economic rights of women in their codified constitutions. But these have helped a little but have not been able to solve the entire problem due to cultural misconceptions and financial constraints in governmental affairs. Also, the hierarchical structure of various organizations and institutions does not allow for the true realization or implementation of these policies.

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  Research exercise: UD IET Dayton Most Metro Chef Ten Question Interview

  Gracelyn Key, Sushmitha Rayinadi, Emily Strobach, Daniel Williams

  Dayton Most Metro (DMM) is an online regional magazine which has created a ten question interview with local chefs. Currently 20 chef interviews have been completed and uploaded onto the website. DMM’s goal is to add to the amount of interviews posted online this spring 2014, but has run out of the manpower required to do so. The goal behind incorporating the Dayton IET 323 team is to aid DMM in accomplishing its goal. Our team will be conducting interviews with a minimum of eight Dayton area chefs which will be featured on the Dayton Most Metro site. In the interviews, the intention is to gain insight on the chef’s story and personality, relaying it in the report and sharing it with the people of Dayton. The project is to be completed in a seven phase process which includes; completing preliminary operation requirements for project direction, creating email, phone and in-person contact templates to support and make the effort flow easily, dividing the work into two person teams to equally distribute the work load, contacting chefs (if required, restaurant management for major food chain approval) and scheduling interviews, completing the interviews whether it be by email, phone or in-person, formatting and organizing all information for transfer to DMM.

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  Research exercise: Understanding the Common Core State Standards and their Role in Catholic Education

  Annemarie Fisher

  In 2009, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) revolutionized academic standards, providing a format adopted by states across America that focused on raising Math and English Language Arts standards as preparation for colleges and careers. In conjunction with the adoption and implementation of the CCSS across the United States, Catholic schools have worked towards the strengthening and advancement of their own educational systems. This thesis first examines the background of the CCSS, including implementation and professional development, as well as the opposition regarding the standards. The paper presents an overview of the history of academic standards in Catholic education and then explores the current role of the CCSS in Catholic schools. Through interviews with teachers, principals, and superintendents in Catholic education, the methodology examines how the standards are being understood and implemented in Catholic schools.

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  Research exercise: United Nations Reform: Inefficiencies of the Responsibility to Protect

  Bobby Powell

  The infant nation state of Timor Leste has faced many roadblocks in their short history of sovereignty, and the introduction of higher efficiency wood burning stoves can help reverse these trends. Timorese satisfy 95% of their energy needs by burning wood in personal stoves and generators, a trend that is leading to high rates of air pollution related health conditions and rapid deforestation. High efficiency stoves can reduce family energy costs by 40%, while greatly limiting carbon emissions in the home and dense urban areas. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has taken up the challenge of implementing these stoves in developing countries, but further research and funding is still needed to pull developmentally struggling nations up to a global standard. This study examines the impact of this program and the potential problems and benefits of implementation in Timor-Leste.

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  Revenue Momentum and Stock Price Movements for Flyer Fund Stocks: A Short Run Analysis

  Thomas Campbell, Bryan Thomas

  Many investment managers look for momentum in top line revenue growth to determine if they want to purchase a particular stock or a group of stocks. In this study, we looked at the last eight quarters of revenue data for 30 stocks currently in the Flyer Fund and determine their compound quarterly growth rate (COGR) for 4 quarters and 8 quarters of data. Using Bloomberg's database, our timeline is from August 31, 2011 through August 31,2013. Using cross sectional regression analysis we regressed the 4 quarter and 8 quarter CQGR's on the compound quarterly growth rate on price (CQGP) for each stock. We also took the rate of 4 quarter CQGR to the 8 quarter CQGR and regressed it on the value of the 4 quarter CQGP to the 8 quarter CQGP. The hypotheses to be tested is that stock price movements are directly related to the momentum levels of company revenues.

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  Serial Chains of Spherical Four-Bar Mechanisms to Achieve Design Helices

  Kevin S. Giaier

  This research presents a methodology for designing mechanical chains comprised of a large number of identical spherical four-bar mechanisms. Such a mechanical chain can achieve up to five prescribed helices. A spherical four-bar mechanism is a single degree of freedom device consisting of four revolute (R) joints whose rotational axes intersect at a common point. The mechanical chains are created by connecting the coupler of the prior spherical mechanism to the base link of the subsequent spherical mechanism. An extension on each mechanism will lie along the prescribed helices as the device moves. The methodology introduces a companion helix to each prescribed helix along which the intersection locations of each spherical mechanism's axes must lie. As the mechanisms are connected by rigid links, the distance between the intersection locations along each companion helix is the same. Additionally, an approach to actuating this mechanical chain with a single rotating input is presented.

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  Singularity-Free Synthesis of Coupler-Drivers for Actuating Single Degree-of-Freedom Mechanisms

  Hameed Juma

  The goal of this research is to advance the synthesis methodology for designing coupler-drivers for actuating single degree of freedom mechanisms. A planar coupler-driver is a chain consisting of a fixed revolute joint, an actuated prismatic joint, and a moving revolute joint connected to an ideal location on a previously synthesized planar mechanism. Although such a chain may be connected between any fixed point and any moving point on the mechanism, the synthesis challenge is determining the locations of these points such that the mechanism moves over its desired range of motion without reaching a singularity. A singularity is a configuration of the mechanism at which it ceases to move. A spatial coupler-driver is defined by a chain consisting of a fixed spherical joint, an actuated prismatic joint, and a moving spherical joint connected to an ideal location on a previously synthesized spatial mechanism. This work addresses both planar and spatial coupler-drivers and uncovers challenges unique to each case.

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  Social Justice Club – Miracle Makers

  Jenna Gerstle, Katy Garcia, Emmy Pickerill, Laura Komoroski, Ellie Grandi, Sam Santoro

  As members of the Social Justice Service Club our mission is to support the Building Communities through Social Justice Learning and Living Cohort (BCSJLLC)in order to advance the mission of literacy throughout the Greater Miami Valley Region. We are also charged with fulfilling a voluntary service learning commitment for our organization. This year we worked with the "Miracle Makers." This is an after-school program at the Ruskin Elementary School, one of the participants in the UD-Community School Partnership Program. Our service consisted of mentoring students, assisting them with their homework, and engaging them in group and one-on-one recreational activities. As a service club, we were able to complete 150 hours of service learning. Our presentation will focus on our service work and how it demonstrates and reinforces our commitment to the Marianist ideals of lead, learn, and serve.