Digital Commons Network^™

Solar Hydrogen Production By Solar Thermal Decoupled Electrolysis: Analysis Of Fe3o4 In Solution, Jordan Otto, Evan Beyers, Carol Larson, Jonathan Schoer, Robert Palumbo

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

The Valparaiso University Solar Research Project utilizes a solar thermal decoupled electrolysis process for the production of H₂ from water. This study focuses on the electrochemical conversion of magnetite to hematite during the H₂ production process. Laboratory experiments show that the expected amount of H₂ gas forms at the cathode of the electrolytic cell, but we have encountered difficulties recovering the expected amount of solid hematite at the anode. An intensive study of the complex solution chemistry using cyclic voltammetry, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and solubility modeling showed that several dissolved iron species potentially exist in solution. Further work …

Application Of Neurospora Crassa In The Treatment Of Waste, Matthew Przybyla, John Wunderlich

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

The nutrient requirements of the fast growing filamentous fungi Neurospora crassa to convert animal waste into an edible product containing high amounts of protein were assessed by selectively excluding nutrients from supplemental solutions of Vogel salts and trace elements added to the waste. When individual chemical components were omitted from the supplemental solutions, varying levels of growth were observed. However, there was no statistically significant difference. Similar results were obtained when groups of selected compounds were omitted from the supplemental solutions. Overall, these results suggest that the nutritional requirements for sustainably growing Neurospora crassa on animal waste may not be …

Strengthening Your Hip Muscles: Some Exercises May Be Better Than Others, Amanda Ulin, Kelsey Draper, Kaylee Draper

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Weak hip muscles lead to poor hip motion, and poor hip motion can cause knee, hip, and back pain. Strengthening hip muscles that control how hips move may reduce pain in these parts of the body. This undergraduate research project compared hip abductor muscle activity during selected exercises using electromyography in order to determine which exercises are best for activating the gluteus medius and the superior portion of the gluteus maximus, while minimizing activity of the tensor fascia lata. Participants in this study included nine healthy female soccer players between the ages of 18 and 21. Using an electromyogram (EMG), …

The Psychological Parameters And Sports-Related Injuries Of Female Collegiate Athletes, Courtenay Stewart

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Athletic injury is a common occurrence and a concern for those who participate in sports. The past 15 years has produced a substantial body of literature confirming that psychological factors play a significant role in sports injuries. Many athletes devote years to practice in order to perfect their talents and even a minor injury can have a major impact resulting in physical pain and also psychological suffering. The purpose of this study is to determine if psychological parameters previous to injury had any impact on injury in female collegiate athletes. Participants in this study are female athletes from various teams …

Heritability Of Seed Size In Different Successions Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Emmily Shanks, Gerald Nwanne, Ann L. Carlson, Rob Swanson, Hui Gong

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Seed size is an important aspect in agricultural development, yet the genotypic effects are poorly understood. Populations of seed from recombinant inbred lines from the species Arabidopsis thaliana were measured in order to perform an ANOVA and calculate broad sense heritability of seed size. One hundred seeds per plant were scanned and measured using the software Image J. The obtained calculations gave 50.59 percent of broad sense heritability. This data is currently being used to map the genes responsible for the phenotypic output.

Seed Dispersal Of Native And Non-Native Fruiting Plants By Birds In Northwest Indiana Landscape, Kaitlin Rogers, Heather Albertson, Mary-Ann Craft

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Birds disperse fruiting plants by feeding on fruits and later defecating whole intact seeds. Fruit-bearing non-native plants use this method to invade new habitats and may compete with native species for dispersal services. We studied the nature of this competitive interaction by examining the proportion of seeds in the fecal material of birds compared to the proportion of fruit available in the landscape. Sixteen fecal traps were placed in open fields surrounded by second growth vegetation at two study sites in Porter County, Indiana. A fecal trap consisted of a horizontal perch atop a 2m post placed out away from …

Study Of Ligand Binding Reactions Of Bis-Aminemetalloporphyrins, Frank Wang

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Porphyrins are molecular complexes that are critical for the proper functioning of many important biological macromolecules such as hemoglobin and myoglobin. The goal of this research is to monitor the transformations and differences that occur with the addition of metals and ligands to a model porphyrin compound called tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP). During this work, a series of metalloporphyrin complexes were prepared, with changes to both metal centers and ligand attachments at those centers. Specifically, iron, zinc, cobalt and manganese metalloporphyrins have been synthesized and identities verified via electronic absorption spectroscopy. Ligand binding studies have begun with the addition of piperidine and …

“Col/Ler Number Of Fruits Per Main Stem” Qtl Mapping, Elias Argueta, Ann L. Carlson, Hui Gong, Robert Swanson

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Understanding fruit yield is important to the agricultural economy. The genetics of fruit production have not been fully defined for any plant. In order to identify the gene responsible for fruit production, we used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of plants from the species Arabidopsis thaliana. We counted the number of fruit on each line and an ANOVA was performed in order to calculate the heritability for fruit production. We will report on our composite interval mapping experiment using this data.

Resistance To Botrytis Cinerea In Solanum Lycopersicoides Involves Widespread Transcriptional Reprogramming., Jonathon E. Smith, Bemnet Mengesha, Hua Tang, Tesfaye Mengiste, Burton H. Bluhm

Department of Botany and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Background

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), one of the world’s most important vegetable crops, is highly susceptible to necrotrophic fungal pathogens such as Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria solani. Improving resistance through conventional breeding has been hampered by a shortage of resistant germplasm and difficulties in introgressing resistance into elite germplasm without linkage drag. The goal of this study was to explore natural variation among wild Solanum species to identify new sources of resistance to necrotrophic fungi and dissect mechanisms underlying resistance againstB. cinerea.

Results

Among eight wild species evaluated for resistance against B. cinerea and A. solani …

The Murray Ledger And Times, May 3-4, 2014, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

Characterizing And Improving The Oral Sensations And Preference Of Polyphenol-Rich Aronia Berry Juice, Jeeha Park

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Aronia berries (chokeberries) have very high levels of health-promoting polyphenols yet cause "choking" sensations due to bitterness and astringency. We aimed to describe oral sensations and palatability of aronia juice by variations in harvest time and oral sensory phenotype. Sensory blocking combinations were tested to improve juice acceptability. Methods: Ripe aronia berries were harvested at 7 time points and juiced for oral sampling by 50 adults who underwent bitter taste phenotyping. The adults reported quality intensities of prototypical tastes, foods, and aronia juices. Ethyl butyrate (10ppm) and/or sucrose (0.15 and 0.3M) were added to prototypical oral stimuli and aronia …

Comparison Of Odonata Populations In Natural And Constructed Emergent Wetlands In The Bluegrass Region Of Kentucky, Brittany Brookshire

University Presentation Showcase Event

BIOLOGY OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARD WINNER!

Wetlands provide valuable hydrological functions and provide valuable niches for many small species of animals, including dragonflies (Biebighauser 2011). Without wetlands serving as reproductive habitat the dragonfly population would decrease exponentially. Research has shown that in the past forty years Kentucky has lost up to 80% of its own natural wetlands (Brown & Richter 2012).

Wetlands provide: §Niches for small mammals, insects, amphibians and birds §Hydrology and flood prevention for surrounding areas §Habitat and resting areas for Migratory Waterfowl.

Odonates could be important to discovering many of the variations between natural and artificial …

Cc Nebraska's Agriculture, Duane A. Olson, Ralph D. Johnson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Campaign Circular 290: This circular is about the major agricultural industries in Nebraska. It also discusses Nebraska’s population changes, agricultural efficiency, and agricultural characteristics. It contains several graphs and charts detailing these statistics.

Celebration Schedule 2014 (Friday), Provost's Office

Celebration

Full presentation schedule for Celebration, Friday, May 2, 2014

High School Student Information Access And Engineering Design Performance, Nathan Mentzer

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Developing solutions to engineering design problems requires access to information. Research has shown that appropriately accessing and using information in the design process improves solution quality. This quasi-experimental study provides two groups of high school students with a design problem in a three hour design experience. One group has access to the internet while the other does not. Quality of design solution was measured and the two groups were compared. Solution quality did not change significantly. Student information requests were categorized and the most commonly requested piece of information related to cost of materials. Students spent substantially more time in …

Shoot For The Moon! The Mentors And The Middle Schoolers Explore The Intersection Of Design Thinking And Stem, Maureen P. Carroll Ph.D.

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

This paper describes the journey of a group of university students as they worked with underserved middle school students as mentors in a STEM-based afterschool program. Design thinking provided a frame within which students learned how to be mentors, how to create user-centered learning experiences, and how to share their experiences as developing STEM professionals with middle school students.

Peer Victimization And Identity Development In Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Youth: The Moderating Role Of Family Resources, Hoa Thi Lam

Open Access Theses

This study examined peer victimization (general and sexuality-specific victimization) and family resources (general family resources and sexuality-specific support) and their associations with sexual identity development in sexual minority youth. A multi-ethnic sample of 171 youth, ranging from in age 14 to 26 years, was recruited (mean age = 19.5 years). Descriptive information was collected regarding peer victimization (overt, relational, reputational, cyber, and sexuality related victimization) rates in the sample. Additionally, a model was tested using structural equation modeling that examined general family resources and sexuality-specific family support as a potential moderator of the relationships between a) general peer victimization and …

05-02-2014 Swosu Biology Students Win Awards, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2014

Southwestern Oklahoma State University’s Biological Sciences Department recently held its annual honors banquet on the Weatherford campus. Scholarships and awards were presented to outstanding biology students at the end-of-year ceremony.

Nanotoxicity In Cells Of The Immune System, Jonathan J. Pelc

Science Scholars

Nanoparticles (NPs) provide a new medical approach to drug therapy. As with every new approach, safety precautions need to be taken, and the immediate and long-term effects for many NPs are still unclear. When administering a medical treatment into the human body, the first issue that needs to be addressed is host detection of the medicine and inflammation as a possible result of the treatment. If a new NP treatment causes inflammation before it releases its medicine, that treatment may be ineffective, even damaging to the patient. Small metallic and organic particles have been shown to elicit an inflammatory responses …

Campus Report, Vol. 41, No. 8, University Of Dayton

Campus Report

The publication for faculty and staff of the University of Dayton. This issue includes information on chapel renovations, the Stokes's Mary Gardens collection, and upcoming attractions.

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Baccalaureates, May 2, 2014, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

President's Fellow Medallion - Stuart Silverman; Outstanding Graduate - Dazaun Soleyn; King O'Neal Scholars - Katherine Allen, Nicholas Arnal, Adrienne Barrett, Donna Barth, Lisa Bejos, William Bentley, Anesta Boice, Charles Bonfield, Nicholas Gunther, Kristen Hanenian, Avery Johnson, Andrew Krajewski, Stefanie Kwit, Shaina Maldonado, Jolene Neuman, Theresa Novak, Colleen Pascalli, Madison Wahler, and Stephanie Wilson

Agenda And Minutes, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg General Education Committee Meeting, May 2, 2014, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg. Faculty Senate. General Education Committee

USF St. Petersburg General Education Committee Meetings

Agenda and minutes from the May 2, 2014, meeting of the General Education Committee of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg's Faculty Senate.

Fathoming Huntington’S Disease, Genetic Testing And The Biotechnological Era In An Academic Setting, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Osthole Activates Glucose Uptake But Blocks Full Activation In L929 Fibroblast Cells, And Inhibits Uptake In Hcle Cells, Ola D. Alabi, Stephen M. Gunnink, Benjamin D. Kuiper, Samuel A. Kerk

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Aims Osthole, a coumarin derivative, has been used in Chinese medicine and studies have suggested a potential use in treatment of diabetes and cancers. Therefore, we investigated the effects of osthole and other coumarins on GLUT1 activity in two cell lines that exclusively express GLUT1. Main methods We measured the magnitude and time frame of the effects of osthole and related coumarins on glucose uptake in two cells lines; L929 fibroblast cells which have low GLUT1 expression levels and low basal glucose uptake and HCLE cells which have high GLUT1 concentrations and high basal uptake. We also explored the effects …

Diversity In Times Of Austerity: Documenting Resistance In The Academy, David Moscowitz, Terri Jett, Terri Carney, Tamara Leech, Ann M. Savage

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

What happens to feminism in the university is parallel to what happens to feminism in other venues under economic restructuring: while the impoverished nation is forced to cut social services and thereby send women back to the hierarchy of the family, the academy likewise reduces its footprint in interdisciplinary structures and contains academic feminists back to the hierarchy of departments and disciplines. When the family and the department become powerful arbiters of cultural values, women and feminist academics by and large suffer: they either accept a diminished role or are pushed to compete in a system they recognize as antithetical …

El Niño-Southern Oscillation Is Linked To Decreased Energetic Condition In Long-Distance Migrants, Kristina Paxton, Emily B. Cohen, Zoltán Németh, Frank R. Moore

Faculty Publications

Predicting how migratory animals respond to changing climatic conditions requires knowledge of how climatic events affect each phase of the annual cycle and how those effects carry-over to subsequent phases. We utilized a 17-year migration dataset to examine how El Niño-Southern Oscillation climatic events in geographically different regions of the Western hemisphere carry-over to impact the stopover biology of several intercontinental migratory bird species. We found that migratory birds that over-wintered in South America experienced significantly drier environments during El Niño years, as reflected by reduced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values, and arrived at stopover sites in reduced energetic …

Vocal Jazz In Concert, Alexandra Blum, Samantha Dominguez, Megan Sola-Guinto, Shayda Khorosani, Mathew Grifka, Bronwyn Warzeniak, Donner Hanson, Greg Jasperse, Vivian Lu, Albert Alva, Lauren Potts

Printed Performance Programs (PDF Format)

No abstract provided.

Beating South Africa's Endless Plague: Making Life Easier For Hiv/Aids Orphans, Shannon Garrity

Honors Program Theses and Projects

There are many modern beauties on this earth, including the incredible power of twenty-first century science and technology. But, due to many socio-economic injustices and current wars, these modern ‘beauties’ do not reach everyone. The spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa is a pertinent example of a social and public health issue disabling millions of people from obtaining their basic necessities. Although South Africa is the richest country on the African continent, it continues to contain the highest number of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS worldwide. One out of five adults is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in South Africa; this has left over …

Integration Of Reaction Kinetics Theory And Gene Expression Programming To Infer Reaction Mechanism, Jason R. White

Doctoral Dissertations

Mechanistic mathematical models of biological systems have been used to describe biological phenomena, including human disease, in the hope that one day these models may be used to better understand diseases, as well as to develop and optimize therapeutic strategies. Evolutionary algorithms, such as genetic programming, may be used to symbolically regress mathematical models describing chemical and biochemical species for which kinetic data are available. However, current evolutionary algorithms are restricted to the formulation of simple or approximate models due to the computational cost of evolving mechanistic models for more complex systems.

It was hypothesized that chemical reaction kinetic theory …

How To Lie With (Fda) Statistics, Fred D. Ledley

Natural & Applied Sciences Faculty Publications

The FDA approved 27 new drugs in 2013. Is this a downward trend? Is it an upward trend? Does it suggest that the pharmaceutical industry is failing, or that genomics is finally paying dividends? We revisit Darrell Huff’s 1954 classic How to Lie with Statistics for insights into these pressing questions.