Digital Commons Network^™

Nothing To Hide, Nothing To Fear? Tools And Suggestions For Digital Data Protection, Jedidiah C. Anderson, Erik Skare, Courtney Dorroll

The Qualitative Report

The developing cyber-infrastructure has provided new tools, methods, and opportunities to conduct research. However, the Snowden leaks and subsequent developments proved that the same infrastructure has made all-encompassing surveillance possible – posing new challenges for researchers when engaging with those they are obligated to protect. As the cyber-infrastructure simultaneously opens up new possibility-spaces for circumventing structures of surveillance, while drawing on the authors’ own experiences, this article presents a number of tools and suggestions that will aid the researcher to engage more responsibly and safely with the research subject digitally.

Factors Affecting Teachers’ Implementation Of Communicative Language Teaching Curriculum In Secondary Schools In Bangladesh, Mohammad Mosiur Rahman, Ambigapathy Pandian, Manjet Kaur

The Qualitative Report

This study focuses on the selected factors affecting teachers’ implementation of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) curriculum in secondary schools in Bangladesh. The study is explorative, interpretivist, and qualitative in nature. A phenomenology approach, under qualitative method, was adopted to explore how teachers experience the phenomenon of CLT based curriculum change. Four schools were chosen, two from Dhaka (Urban), the capital of the country, and two from the villages in Chandpur (Rural). Eight selected participants were chosen from these schools based on a purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews, classroom observation and document analysis of curriculum, assessment, and teaching materials were the …

Colonialism And Peace And Conflict Studies, Sean Byrne, Mary Anne Clarke, Aziz Rahman

Peace and Conflict Studies

The nature of colonialism is examined in this comparison of British colonial policy in Ireland and Canada toward Indigenous people. The histories and realities of Indigenous peoples’ experiences of colonizing violence are not adequately addressed by the dominant approaches of the democratic peace theory’s universalist neoliberal technocratic values, expectations, and assumptions (see Mac Ginty, 2013). PACS scholars and practitioners need new interpretive frames to make sense of the impact and consequences of colonialism and the intent of genocidal destruction across different colonial contexts in order to understand the deep roots of conflict (economic exploitation, internalization of oppression, racist ideology), and …

Teachers’ Perspectives Regarding The Impacts Of The Secondary Education Expansion Policy On Students’ Self-Regulatory Learning Experiences In Tanzania, Godlove Lawrent

The Qualitative Report

Since 2004, the Tanzania secondary education sector has witnessed a significant increase in the number of new schools and enrolment rates. At the same time, academic results have indicated an increase in poor student performance. The assumption has been that the expansion policy brought about devastating consequences for student learning. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the perceptions of teachers in relation to the impacts of the government’s secondary education expansion policy on students, especially their self-regulatory learning. A qualitative case study approach was employed, and interviews were used as data gathering tools. Thirty respondents were purposively …

Disclosing An Eating Disorder: A Situational Analysis Of Online Accounts, Emily P. Williams, Shelly Russell-Mayhew, Alana Ireland

The Qualitative Report

Disclosing a mental illness can be difficult, especially for those affected by eating disorders. Individuals impacted by eating disorders often worry that disclosing their situation may lead to fear, judgment, and stigmatization. Online eating disorder communities have become increasingly popular, hosting thousands of users worldwide, and may be safe places for individuals with eating disorders to communicate and connect. In this postmodern study, we utilized situational analysis to examine online accounts on publically accessible websites where individuals discussed disclosing eating disorders. Situational Analysis utilizes illustrative mapping techniques to demonstrate the complexity of the situation of inquiry, allowing researchers to highlight …

What The Grandfathers Taught Me: Lessons For An Indian Country Researcher, Stephanie Masta

The Qualitative Report

Native scholars face several challenges when they enter research spaces. These challenges include difficulty in engaging with the broader research community because of the social and educational urgency of tribal-focused research, discouragement from using Indigenous methodologies because they are not “widely recognized,” and resisting positivist and postpositivist methodologies that marginalize Native populations. Using an autoethnographic approach, I make meaning of how the Seven Grandfathers lessons from my childhood inform my research practice. I also discuss how these lessons give me the tools to address the challenges I experience as a Native scholar and provide a holistic approach to the process …

Developing Classroom Management Strategies In Non-Native Culture: A Single Case Study, Xianquan Liu, Wayne A. Babchuk

The Qualitative Report

This single case study explored the practicum and student teaching experience of a native Chinese pre-service language teacher in order to better understand her process of developing classroom management strategies and the difficulties and challenges emerged in that process. In a broader sense, the case study aims to inform teacher preparation programs in terms of preparing Chinese teachers for secondary public schools in the U.S. The longitudinal study employed semi-structured interviews, classroom observation notes, teaching reflections and documents. Six themes — instructional challenges, coping strategies, cultural difference, language frustration, attitudes and feelings, and improvement — emerged from constant comparative analysis. …

#Hadtopostthis: Instagram, Community Building, And Digital Literacies In Freshman Seminar, Janine Morris

CAHSS Faculty Presentations, Proceedings, Lectures, and Symposia

No abstract provided.

Women – Filmed, Rarely Filming, Devon Frazier

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Behind the camera, the Hollywood of today is predominantly male, despite a growing number of women filmmakers in all aspects of the industry. Many capable women filmmakers are marginalized and often confined to making independent films and working in television and streaming media. This sexist bias limits creativity, and the variety of stories that could come out of Hollywood, which in turns robs viewers of varied and fresh storytelling on film.

By exploring the role of women in the Hollywood film industry from its infancy to the present, and highlighting the work of three contemporary directors—Kathryn Bigelow, Sofia Coppola, and …

The True Green Lantern: Algae And Its Ability To Remove Heavy Metals From Polluted Waters, Nikhil Nagabandi, Justin Gaffney

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A growing issue in our society is the contamination of our fresh water sources from pollutants such as heavy metals. Algae have recently been examined as a cost effective method to remove these metals from solution, when compared to the various methods that are used by waste removal facilities. This presentation will focus on the biosorption of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni) by two species of algae, Neochloris minuta and Neochloris alveolaris. Each species was grown in two separate environments, one with nitrate as the nitrogen source (+N) and another without it (-N); the algae grown without nitrogen …

Walkabout Cognition, Andrew Bowen

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Previous research has shown the benefits of exercise. The neurophysiological effects of exercise include angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and synaptogenesis in the brain. Exercise can also reduce anxiety and improve cognitive functioning. The aim of the current study was to determine the effects of exercisingindoors or outdoors on one’s anxiety and cognitive processing. We hypothesized that exercising leads to greater inhibitory control, especially when done outside. We also hypothesized that personality dimensions would impact measures of impulsivity. Participants either walked or sat (exercise condition) for twenty minutes. A stop-signal task used to measure inhibitory control allowed for the measurement of both stopping …

The Shortage Of Affordable Workforce Housing, Natalie Ramirez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This research involves an investigation into the shortage of affordable workforce housing in the United States. While the workforce continues to grow, housing development has not kept up for households inthe middle quintiles of their area’s median income, or AMI. Affordability and distance from work arethe main factors the workforce considers important in deciding where to live. The affordable workforce housing shortage is clearly an economic and political issue. Supply and demand dynamics drive up the price of land where it is most sought after, and yet creative solutions exist to offset the increased demand of the workforce. Various government …

The Effects Of Growth Rate On Antibiotic Resistance In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Laura Enzinna

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis. The overuse of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections has led to rapid pathogen adaptation, which has resulted in reduced treatment efficacy. This, in turn, can lead to adverse consequences such as prolonging the duration and expense of a patient’s hospital stay,infecting immunocompromised individuals leading to further health complications, and increasing the occurrence and severity of side effects due to necessitated use of higher doses of medications. One opportunistic pathogen that has shown increased resistance to several antibiotics is the biofilm forming bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In order to grow, and resist antibiotics, P. aeruginosa …

The Effects Of A Pre-Workout Supplement On Strength, Endurance And Mood, Cassandra Evans

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this study was to assess the acute effects of consuming a pre-workout supplement on indices of muscular strength, endurance and mood states. Background. Earlier research has shown that various pre-workout supplements may aid exercise performance; however, when the placebo is matched for caffeine content with a supplement, it is not known if an ergogenic effect may occur. Methods. Fourteen exercise-trained subjects (7 female, 7 male) participated in this investigation. Subjects came to the lab twice with at least 7 days between testing sessions. The consumption of product or placebo was randomized. They arrived at the lab 3 …

The Balance Of Public And Private Benefits Determines Sensitivity To Catastrophic Population Collapse In A Microbial Volunteer’S Dilemma, Aimee Doiron, Rodrigo Muzquiz, Tom Abraham

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Cooperation plays important roles in bacteria, plant, animal, and human ecosystems. Cheaters, who garner public benefits without paying the associated costs, often outcompete cooperators. One mechanism of cooperation is the production of a public good. This seems evolutionarily unstable, because cooperation tends to decrease the fitness of the individual, while promoting the fitness of cheaters. However, cooperation can persist even in the presence of cheaters, as long as a private benefit is retained by the cooperator. While theoretical and experimental studies have examined the use of public goods in cooperation, research has yet to determine how the ratio of public …

Synthesis Of Mof-Templated Mixed-Metal Oxides For Catalytic Carbon Monoxide Oxidation, Jake Bence

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF) are highly crystalline, porous coordination polymers formed from metal nodes connected by organic bridging ligands. Recently, a cerium-based MOF, UiO-67, was utilized as a sacrificial template for synthesizing novel CuO/CeO2 catalysts through pyrolysis under air, as the support in a metal oxide catalyst is known to dramatically influence the performance. In this work, we attempted the solvothermal synthesis of a mixed-metal hafnium/cerium UiO-67 to create mixed hafnium-oxide/cerium-oxide materials as a metal oxide support for catalytic carbon monoxide oxidation. X-Ray powder diffraction (XRPD) patterns support that (Hf) UiO-67 was synthesized with phase purity. XRPD patterns of the …

Modeling The Conversion Of Normal Protein Prpc Into The Mutated Prpsc In A Prion Disease, Allan Barraza, Hoang (Gwen) Bui

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker (GSS) is a rare, genetically inherited prion disease caused by a mutation in the prion gene (PRNP). Carriers begin to experience GSS symptoms (similar to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's) during their 30s and 40s. While molecular details concerning the progression of GSS remain largely unknown, the altered conformation of the prion could be directly involved in the aggregation of plaques contributing to progression of the disease. In collaboration with the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) Center for Biomolecular Modeling - Students Modeling A Research Topic (CBM-SMART) program, we used 3-D modeling and printing technology to examine relationships between this normal …

Porphyrin Tautomerization For The 5,15-Dibromo-10,20-Diphenylporphine And 5 Bromo-10,15,20- Triphenylporphine Using Vt H1nmr, Anthony Sangermano

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Variable-temperature proton NMR spectroscopy, as well as theoretical studies, will be used to compare the reported free energy of activation value of the tetra phenyl porphyrin (12.2 kcal/mol), the 5, 15 phenyls substituted porphyrin with an in-plane distortion (11.6 kcal/mol) with the 5,15-dibromo-10,20- diphenylporphine and 5 bromo-10,15,20-triphenylporphine. The experimental determination of tautomerization using VT H1NMR of both porphyrins is to be compared to the molecular modeling analysis of the porphyrin structure using MM+.

I'Ll Give This A Try., Morgan Will

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Arothron meleagris is an obligate corallivorous pufferfish that scrapes tissue off the coral skeleton with its parrot-like beak. It is a common member of coral communities in the Galápagos Islands where it predominantly feeds on zooxanthellate scleractinian corals. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between frequency of Arothron meleagris bite marks and location on ridged vs. smooth portions of massive Porites lobata colonies. Differences may then be related to greater feeding efficiency. Images of coral colonies that have A. meleagris bites were taken off of Darwin Island, Galápagos, Ecuador in 2012. These images …

Relationship Of Reactive Strength To Body Composition Measures In Elite American Football Players, Christopher Horn, Daniel Klahr

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Reactive strength (RS) represents function of a muscle’s stretch shortening cycle, or the ability torapidly change from an eccentric contraction to a concentric contraction. RS is important in sports requiring explosive movements such as cutting, jumping, sprinting, and is commonly a focus of strength and conditioning programs. RS may be influenced by body composition as lighter mass basketball players have shown superior RS over higher mass players. This relationship in elite American football players in unknown. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to determine if body mass (BM), lean body mass percent, (LBM), or fat mass percent (FM) were …

Screening For Type Iii Secretion System Inhibitors, Samir Nacer, Michael Mcdonough

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Commonly used antibiotics are becoming less effective since overuse creates a selective pressure forbacteria to become resistant, leading to the formation of “super bugs”. Some of these pathogenicbacteria include E. coli, Salmonella, Chlamydia and Yersinia species. These species utilize a type III secretion system (T3SS), which are needle-like structures on their surface used to inject host cells with toxins to evade our immune system and cause infection. The goal of this research was to screen for antimicrobials produced by soil bacteria that may target T3SSs. Many species of bacteria found in soil produce antimicrobials to compete for nutrients and space. …

Power Profiles Of Vertical And Drop Jumps In Elite American Football Players By Position, Daniel Klahr, Christopher Horn

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Athletes seeking to be drafted by the NFL must demonstrate peak performance on a test battery that includes jumping. Jumping is modulated by rate of force development, air-time, and time from initiating the jump to take-off, and indicates an athlete’s ability to produce power. Despite providing insightallowing for diagnosing jumping inefficiencies and/or to monitor training progressions, published data from NFL combine hopefuls is rare. Therefore, this descriptive study aims to present power components of selected jumping tasks in elite American football players training for the NFL combine. Thirty-one males (age, 22.5+0.8 yrs; ht, 1.86+0.08m; mass, 100.81+14.04kg) performed the following tests …

Bilingualism And Wandering Thoughts: Does Bilingualism Protect Against Mind Wandering?, Maria Morales, Jordana Arauz, Alejandra Quintero, Abraham Yacaman

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Previous research demonstrates that the benefits of speaking two languages extend beyond verbal communication to non-linguistic, executive function (EF) abilities. One component of EF, the ability to inhibit or ignore distracting information, has been shown to be better developed in bilinguals relative to monolinguals. However, little is known whether speaking two languages also enhances the ability to inhibit unwanted or intrusive thoughts. These intrusive thoughts, or mind wandering, have been shown to negatively impact performance on tasks of EF. Thus, the purpose of our study was to compare monolinguals and bilinguals on a self-report measure of mind wandering and performance …

Investigation And Characterization Of Metabolic Rates Of Angiotensin Ii And Associated Bioactive Derivatives In The Renin-Angiotensin System, Chelsea Mathews

Undergraduate Student Symposium

To maintain homeostasis, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) works to regulate the cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, and neurological systems of the body through activation of both the vasoconstrictive and proliferative arm of ACE/Ang II/AT1R and the vasodilative and antiproliferative arm of ACE- 2/Ang(1-7)/Mas axis. To better understand their interaction, the components of the alternate RAS and the classical RAS in the homeostatic systems of the body are researched and analyzed. One of the significant constituents of the classical pathway is the octapeptide hormone angiotensin II (Ang II). It is a major contributor to vasoconstriction and peripheral vascular resistance through the activation of …

Investigating The Anti-Parasitic Veterinary Drug, Imizol, And Its Potential Use For Treatment Of Bacterial Infections, Michael Mcdonough

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Imizol is a veterinary drug used to treat protozoan, mainly Babesia spp., parasitic infections found in both horses and dogs. The active ingredient in this medicine is imidocarb dipropionate. This compound has traditionally been used in the veterinary field for treating parasitic infections; however, it has also been shown to inhibit the Yersinia pestis type III secretion system (T3SS) and therefore may have a dual-purpose as an antibacterial drug. T3SSs are found in several pathogenic bacteria and function as adefense against the host’s immune response. Although dipropionate is a known T3SS inhibitor, the exactmechanism it uses to inhibit the T3SS …

Impact Of Mdm2 Oncogene On Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition And Metastasis Of Prostate Cancer Cells, Simran Agarwal, Deepthi Gangaram, Priya Dondapati

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Murine Double Minute 2 (MDM2) gene containing E3 ubiquitin ligase is overexpressed in nearly 40- 80% of late-stage metastatic cancers. MDM2 acts as a negative regulator of p53 by inhibiting its transcriptional activation and inducing proteasomal degradation by ubiquitination. Hence, MDM2 overexpression is often associated with increased Tumor Angiogenesis, Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), drug resistance, and aggressiveness. EMT is a morphologic cellular program simply defined as the phenotypic transition from an epithelial to a mesenchymal state, including gain of invasive and migratory properties, and thus, is critical for the conversion of early-stage tumors into metastatic malignancies. The primary focus …

Identifying Neuronal Damage Biomarkers In Bortezomib-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (Bipn), Vineela Nagamalla, Jay Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological cancer of plasma cells. Bortezomib (BTZ) is a proteasome complex inhibitor commonly used as a chemotherapeutic agent to treat multiple myeloma patients. However, it also known to cause a dose-limiting toxicity known as BTZ-induced peripheral neuropathy (BIPN). The aim of this study is to determine the BTZ-induced neuronal damage, identifying biomarkers of neurotoxicity, and testing novel strategies for its prevention or reversal. In our preliminary studies, we utilized PC12 cells as the in vitro neuronal model. These studies included culturing and differentiating PC12 cells using nerve growth factor (NGF) at 100 ng/ml …

Effectiveness Of A Functional Movement Screen® Corrective Exercise Program As A Means Of Preventing Injury In Collegiate Swimmers, Lindsay Nicole Tactac

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The Functional Movement Screen® (FMS) is a test designed to identify asymmetries and dysfunctions in movement patterns with the goal of injury risk prevention. This screen and its subsequent corrective programming have potential to benefit collegiate swimmers in reducing the frequency of injuries. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of implementation of an FMS-basedcorrective exercise program on injury reduction in collegiate swimmers. 62 NCAA Division II male and female swimmers underwent FMS testing at their pre-participation examination in 8/2017. A significant interaction was found (χ2(1)=4.38, p=.036). 22.9% of 2016 swimmers (no corrective exercises) sustained an …

Developing A Molecular Model To Explain The Role Of O-Glcnac Transferase (Ogt) In O- Glcnacylation, Viviana Perez Hernandez, Sophia Nguyen, Alesa Chabbra

Undergraduate Student Symposium

O-GlcNAcylation is a post-translational modification similar in importance to the mechanism of phosphorylation in its ability to affect signal transduction. This process is mediated by the enzyme, O- GlcNAc transferase (OGT). OGT catalyzes the addition of the sugar, N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) from the carrier molecule uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) to certain serine or threonine residues in more than a thousand target substrate proteins. The TAB1 (transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 binding protein) substrate was fused to OGT. GlcNAc was shown binding to three serine residues in TAB1. Six tetratricopeptide (TPR) repeats were identified. These alpha helical paired repeats fold together to …

Computational Flow Study Of A Simon Nitinol® Inferior Vena Cava Filter, Cheyenne Doyle, Kaija Ranglin, Felipe Souza, Nicole Staley

Undergraduate Student Symposium

More than 60,000 people die from pulmonary embolism every year in the US. Conventional treatments for embolisms include anti-coagulant drugs (Warfarin® or Heparin®), clot anti-thrombotic therapy (streptokinase®), bypass surgery, and thrombo-aspiration. In cases where the patient shows contraindication, failure or complication to anticoagulation drugs, the patient usually receives an inferior vena cava filter (IVCF). 8. Despite its increase in popularity, complete and exhaustive blood flow analysis need to be performed for scenarios that can lead to IVCFs failure. Such scenarios include basket over-filling and filter tilting, among others. In this study, we wanted to compare the behavior of blood flow …