Digital Commons Network^™

Team Maggot: Designing A Better Bait Cup, Kristi Bugajski, Jordan Corsolini, Chris Henning, Tori Tamburrino

Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

Forensic entomology is the application of data from arthropods for investigative purposes in the criminal justice system. This study examined blow fly oviposition (egg laying) rates on chicken liver. The purpose of this experiment was to create a more effective bait cup for a higher percent yield in oviposition. The three main questions studied were: “does the weight of the liver affect oviposition?”, “does the location of the bait cup affect the occurrence of oviposition?” and, “is a foil or a plastic cup more attractive for oviposition?” A one way ANOVA showed a significant difference in the amount of oviposition …

Solar Thermal Decoupled Electrolysis: Reaction Mechanism Of Cobalt Oxidation, William Prusinski, Daniel Kotfer, Joshua Grade

Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

The oxidation of Co(OH)₂ at the anode of the H₂ producing electrolytic cell was investigated via cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronocoulometry to develop an explicit description of the reaction mechanism. It was found that the behavior at the anode is very complex; by varying the switching potentials and number of cycles in the CV, the shapes of the voltammograms change. Chronocoulometry studies provide evidence of surface adsorption. From the CV studies, it was also discovered that Co(OH)₂ is oxidized to CoOOH at a potential close to the thermodynamically predicted value of -0.112 V vs Ag/AgCl (3M NaCl) …

Acid Induced Dna Binding Of Cooa, Rachael Devries, Brian R. Weaver

Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

A bacterial heme protein, CooA, changes shape to bind DNA and activate transcription. Previous research indicated gas molecule (e.g. carbon monoxide) binding to CooA is essential to initiate protein shape change, but recent studies suggested the protein may be able to bind DNA without gas in acidic conditions. To investigate this, CooA was subjected to an acid range of 4-10 pH units and DNA binding was measured via a fluorescence anisotropy assay. From these studies, pH dependent DNA binding was observed, and optimal binding was achieved in the pH 4-6 range. Addition of gas did not improve DNA binding at …

Transformation Of Organic Pollutants Using Novel Nanomaterials, Abby Beavan

Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

A novel photocatalytic nanomaterial composed of semiconductor-graphene oxide-metal films (SGM) has been developed for the detection and destruction of organic contaminants in both air and water matrices. The TiO₂-graphene-Ag films were prepared and dried under vacuum, and the catalytic performance was compared to TiO₂ films. Aqueous solutions of propylene glycol phenyl ether (PPh), one of the contaminants of the 2014 chemical spill in Elk Lake, Virginia, were used to test the catalytic performance of the SGM films. The solutions containing the films were exposed to light from a xenon (Xe) lamp, and a lamp with a filter …

Testing The D-Band Model For Propane Dehydrogenation On Sub-Nanometer Transition Metal Clusters, Stephen Place

Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

The d-band model has been useful in understanding how adsorbate molecules form bonds and interact with a transition metal catalyst surface. Recent research has shown that it is possible to apply the model to nanocluster catalysts on a support structure, but the d-band model has not yet been tested for sub-nanometer clusters. For this research, four atom transition metal clusters are used as catalysts to study bond formation in the dehydrogenation reaction of propane (C­3H8) to propene (C­3H6). Testing whether the d-band model applies for these clusters is a step toward developing possible descriptors of their catalytic activity. Our ultimate …

Fungal Bioremediation Of Human Solid Waste, Alexander Mehreteab, John Stewart, Mark Johnson, Micheal Kevin Watters

Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

The accumulation of solid human waste is a major problem for long-term space expeditions. Fungal bioremediation of solid waste could provide a solution to this problem. Filamentous fungi can be used to biodegrade human solid waste. We report here the comparison of a variety of wild-type filamentous fungi for their ability to rapidly degrade solid waste. Certain strains of wild-type filamentous fungi, such a Neurospora crassa and Gelanispora cerealis, yielded waste to fungal-mass conversion rates of over 60 percent in seven days. Several strains, includingNeurospora crassa, are edible and average about 50 percent amino acid content by …

Synthesis And Characterization Of An Unnatural Fluorescent Amino Acid, Yeongseo An, Blagojce Trimoski

Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

The goal of this project is to chemically synthesize a fluorescent amino acid that will later be used to build a protein that glows in the dark. Glow-in-the-dark proteins are of great value to biologists because fluorescent microscopy can then be used to observe the protein’s spatial and temporal location within a living cell. The specific objective of this project is to synthesize a 4-(N,N-dimethylamino) phthalimide-based environment-sensitive fluorescent amino acid. This will be accomplished by synthesizing two separate building blocks, 4-N,N-dimethylaminophthalic anhydride and allyl N-α-Fmoc-N-β-L-diaminopropionate, coupling them together and finally removing a protecting group. Synthesis of the pure anhydride required …

Explorations In Real-Time Pcr, Claire C. Mammoser

Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

Real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a method by which a specific segment of DNA can be replicated and the results of this amplification viewed both in real time and quantitatively using fluorescence. We have used Real-Time PCR to test the identity and genetic composition of various food samples, and to quantify the amout of this DNA present in the food samples. Another goal of this project was to learn more about the process and instrumentation for PCR and its uses in research. Using and Rt-PCR SYBRgreen kit from BioRad, we tested commercially available corn-based snack foods for the presence …

Product Yield Determination Via An Integrated 13c Spectra, Riley N. Zimmer

Fall Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

The goal of this research was to further develop an experiment that will allow organic chemistry students to compare the ring-opening reaction behavior of propylene oxide using methanol as the nucleophile under both acidic and basic conditions. The composition of the product mixtures was determined using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) via an Inverse Gated 13C spectra. Naphthalene was used as an internal standard. Propylene oxide was refluxed in methanol under acidic conditions to produce a 50:50 ratio of the two possible products (1-methoxy-2-propanol and 2-methoxy-1-propanol) at a 68% yield. Basic conditions resulted in a 67% yield with a 99:1 product …

Estimating Joint Contributions In Function Motions To Create A Metric For Injury Prevention Using Motion Capture And Opensim: A Preliminary Study, Alexander Kozlowski, Rebekah Koehn, Lauren Knop, Kelly Helm Phd, Luis Prato Pt, Anthony Levenda Md, Craig M. Goehler Phd

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

A heightened awareness of athletic safety in the field of sports has increased the development of various injury prevention studies. The predominant injury type in sports occurs with overuse and fatigue. Current methods use qualitative screening tests to determine injury proneness. However, these screening tests are subjective to each assessor, resulting in human error, inconsistent scoring and misdiagnosis of the motion. The main objective of this project is to utilize quantitative techniques to measure human movement and develop training protocols that will result in a reduced risk of athletic injury and increased performance. To develop the testing protocol, four subjects …

Receiver Heat Transfer Model, Nicholas Sondag, Jacob Yager

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

We are developing a solar process for producing magnesium (Mg) from magnesium oxide (MgO) via electrolysis in a molten salt. Magensium is a valuable commodity with an increasing demand currently produced in fossil fuel and electric energy intensive processes that significantly contribute to global climate change. Our process reduces the electric energy required by operating at high temperature and also displaces electric energy with solar thermal energy, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. In order to effectively deliver the solar thermal energy to the MgO electrolysis process, we propose the Active Reflux Sodium Heat Pipe Receiver. In this concept, sodium is evaporated …

Design And Manufacturing Of An Mg Electrolytic Cell, Clint Tres, Daniel White, Ian Schult

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

In 2011 Valparaiso University was awarded a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) ARPA-E program to produce magnesium (Mg) from magnesium oxide (MgO). The majority of Mg in the world is produced in China via the Pidgeon Process. The Pidgeon Process uses thermal reduction to produce Mg at high temperatures and is very harmful to the environment due to the burning of large amounts of fossil fuels. An alternative process to produce Mg is through the electrolysis of magnesium chloride. US Magnesium is the only North American producer of Mg that electrolyzes magnesium chloride. Our process uses both a …

Rhetoric Of Restoration And Reform: Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1932 Campaign For The Presidency, Alexander K. Uryga

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Oftentimes, President Franklin Roosevelt's first One Hundred Days in office and his New Deal are treated as a rupture, according to the most recent histories. But did Franklin D. Roosevelt frame his 1932 campaign for the presidency as a revolution and rupture or a restoration and reforming of the American republic? Therefore, this paper undergoes a thorough rhetorical analysis of speeches made by Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the 1932 campaign as Roosevelt tries to send a message of why the American people should vote for him. This paper will show that Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1932 campaign for the presidency employed …

Acts Of Defiance: Symbols Of Liberty, Alexander K. Uryga

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Major national symbols that represent both freedom and United States identity include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Fourth of July. Yet acts of defiance against these obvious national symbols also provide the public with important symbols of American liberty. Failing to consider these more complex symbolic acts leaves out a large part of what makes liberty truly liberty and America truly America. Studying such defiant acts allows people to understand the powerful status of the destructive acts as symbols of freedom, and the special image that America has as a bastion of liberty. The acts of defiance …

Endurance Of Sybr Safe In Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, Michelle B. Sopetti, Lauren J. Hargrave

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

SYBR Safe is used for the detection of DNA. SYBR Safe is a safe alternative to ethidium bromide and it is more cost effective. The endurance of SYBR Safe is of special interest to teaching labs, like Valparaiso University. 0.7% agarose gels were poured with SYBR Safe, electrophoresed, and examined under Ultraviolet light to detect fluorescent DNA bands. When poured under ambient light, all of the bands could be visually detected up to three days after a gel was poured. When poured in the dark, all DNA bands were detectable for up to five days after the gel was poured. …

Somite-Notochord Spreading In Xenopus Laevis, Sophia L. Robinson

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

The vertebrate embryo's first organ is the notochord, a stiffening rod later replaced by the backbone. Cells fated to become notochord first rearrange themselves extensively as their array changes from wider than long to much longer than wide. The cause of this presumptive notochord elongation was investigated in gastrulating frog embryos. Somite-notochord spreading (SNS) theory suggests that presumptive notochord cells and neighboring presumptive somatic cells will rearrange to increase their cell-to-cell contact with one another. If so, destroying the middle but leaving the notochord-somite boundaries intact should not inhibit gastrulation. This is in opposition with the theory of convergent extension …

Valpo-Sat: The Rotator Software And Hardware For The Satnogs Open-Sourced Satellite Ground Station, Kaitlin M. Werth, Elise R. Devol, Zach D. Scheve

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

This project attempts to utilize the open-sourced SatNOGS project in order to create and operate a satellite communications ground station at Valparaiso University, IN. SatNOGS is an open source ground station, optimized for modularity, and is built from readily available and affordable tools and resources. The long term goal of SatNOGS is to establish a world-wide network of operator-less ground stations.

As part of implementing the SatNOGS project at Valparaiso, Zach Scheve is ordering a thermoplastic box as well as trying to find a suitable source that other teams could use. The thermoplastic box is used to house the stepper …

Indie Labs, Jessica Sunblade

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

My submission is a website entitled Indielabs.com. The purpose of the website is to display projects being developed by engineers on a single website. This site serves to be a platform in which engineers from Valparaiso University can collaborate on their designs/projects. Also, it can display student projects and serve as an example to what prospective student engineers can expect. Much like Facebook, groups and projects will have their own profile pages to display their projects. Within these profile pages, students will display videos, summaries, and photos of their work as well as kick-start links to make contributions to the …

Valpo-Sat: The Software And 3d Models For The Satnogs Open-Sourced Satellite Ground Station, Michael Good, Joshua Wawak

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

This project attempts to utilize the open-sourced SatNOGS project in order to create and operate a satellite communications ground station at Valparaiso University, IN. SatNOGS is an open source ground station, optimized for modularity, and is built from readily available and affordable tools and resources. The long term goal of SatNOGS is to establish a world-wide network of operator-less ground stations.

As part of implementing the SatNOGS project at Valparaiso, Joshua Wawak is re-designing the 3D models for the mechanical components in order to optimize them for the northwest Indiana climate. Michael Good is assembling, programming, and maintaining the single …

Accomplished And Noxious: The Legacy And Image Of President Richard M. Nixon From 1974 To 2014, Alexander K. Uryga

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Overall, what is President Richard M. Nixon's lasting legacy? The public, consisting of historians, journalists, scholars, and other writers, have retrospectively, written about President Richard M. Nixon and what his contribution, impact, or lasting legacy is to America since his resignation over 40 years ago. At one point in time or another, the perception of President Richard M. Nixon has been either good, favorable, and positive because of his fighting instincts, or bad, negative, and unfavorable because of the scandal known as Watergate. But what most of these accounts fail to address is whether or not there has been a …

The Effect Of Education On Compassion Fatigue As Experienced By Staff Nurses, Katie Zehr

Graduate Academic Symposium

Historically, nursing has been perceived as a highly rewarding profession. Yet, due to the increasing complexity of today’s healthcare, nurses are faced with greater challenges in their work environments. Additionally, registered nurses who work in tertiary care settings are exposed to disturbing patient situations that can be taxing on psychological health. Some examples include trauma, death, abuse, or chronic disease. Joinson (1992) described this experience as compassion fatigue (CF) and explains that those who experience CF may have symptoms such as headaches, short attention span, or fatigue. The purpose of this EBP project was to increase awareness about CF risks, …