Digital Commons Network^™

Public Opinion, Audrey Revercomb, Isabel Hodson, Andrew Porter

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

Previous research has found that many U.S. college students believe that politics is not about solving problems; rather, research has found that such students see politics as complicated, untrustworthy, pressuring, and often counterproductive to acting on the ills of society. There has been an array of survey research, policy analysis, and commentary that attempts to define, understand, and document the political engagement of young people since this portrayal of college students’ views of politics in the early 1990s. Some additional research has found that, among the greatest dangers for American political stability, is that politics in the minds and actions …

Voting Behavior In The U.S. House Of Representatives: What Factors Influence How Elected Officials Vote?, Natalie Harten, Michelle Abraham

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

What is the relationship between demographic characteristics (age, number of terms or tenure in office, marital status, urban/rural residence, previous military service, education, etc.) and other factors, such as related economic activities of the state from which the representative comes, immigrant populations in their state, etc., of elected U.S. Congressional representatives and the voting decision a representative makes? With sampling from California, Wisconsin and Texas, we will assess why their members of the House of Representatives voted as they did on S. 1252: Global Food Security Act of 2016.

Using Drone Acquired, High-Resolution, Multispectral Imaging To Predict And Monitor Coastal Dune Mobility: An Example From The Southeastern Shore Of Lake Michigan, Jacob T. Stid

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

Dune mobility can threaten human infrastructure but is essential to maintaining diverse ecological communities in coastal dunes. Only those patches on a dune with little or no vegetation will migrate. The size of these patches together with their shape, topographic position, and topographic orientation with respect to the direction of strong sand transporting winds affect the sensitivity of the dune surface to mobilization. Images acquired by drone flights over Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area will be used to analyze topography and extent of vegetation of the dune surfaces. The results will be used to create maps showing variations in the sensitivity …

Testing The Impact Of Prebiotics On Anxiety-Like Behaviors In Aged Male Rats, Nicholai Shaw, Marny Ehmann, Kenia Urena-Gonzalez, Anna Langholz, Peter Stewart, Jared Stygstra, Emily Zolman, Erin English, Alli Lindquist, Elizabeth Woodford

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

The composition of gut microbiota has direct impacts on neural structure, neurochemistry, and behavior. Specifically, the gut microbiota has been shown to modulate anxiety-like behaviors. In addition, administering prebiotics, compounds that promote the growth of commensal bacteria, has been demonstrated to reduce anxiety and anxiety-related behaviors. However, this effect has yet to be tested in older animals despite anxiety being implicated as a most common disorder in adult populations. Therefore, this study seeks to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the link between prebiotic interventions and anxiety-like behaviors in aged populations. It was hypothesized that older rats treated with the …

The Effect Of Air Quality On Us Labor Market Participation, Grant Taylor Miller

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

The adverse effects of deteriorating air quality on both human health and labor markets have become well-documented in epidemiological and economic literature. Health-conscious policymakers are presented with the challenge of implementing environmental regulations without causing substantial economic disturbance to industry employment, productivity, and wages. However, the social benefits of better health outcomes may correspond with economic benefits that outweigh the costs. Using data from the Current Population Survey and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index, this study uses a multivariate fixed effects regression approach to estimate the relationship between air quality and various measures of labor market participation across …

Wildlife Activity Patterns At A Constructed Wetland Based On Trail Cam Monitoring, Sally Hakim, Emily Hamilton, Sam Heilman, Marissa Lockwood

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

Wetland habitats fill vital environmental roles because they potentially increase wildlife diversity and provide important ecosystem services. During 2015, the Outdoor Discovery Center (ODC) in Holland began reconstructing a wetland from an agricultural field, hoping to improve wildlife diversity. However, this site is near a regional airport, which raised some concern regarding the potential for increased aviation collision risk. In order to evaluate the success of the wetland in attracting wildlife and the potential wildlife hazard to aviation, we analyzed over 600,000 trail cam photos from 4 camera stations operating continuously through the 2015 wetland construction, and for 2 years …

Casa Enrichment Program 2018, Elisabeth Cole

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

Children’s After School Achievement (CASA) is located on the Hope College campus, and it serves at-risk students in the community during an after-school enrichment program. Collaborating with special education teacher candidates, the CASA elementary children were assessed using the Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills subtests in WR (word recognition), OR (oral reading), and RC (reading comprehension) for the Fall of 2018. These same assessments were given to the identical CASA students by the same teacher candidates in the Spring of 2018. The purpose of this study was to examining the results from t-tests and an ANOVA (significant .05) to …

The Art Of Moving Across Borders: A Look Into Translanguage Literature, Sarah Herrera

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

“They might be talking in perfect latin tongue and without warning begin to talk in perfect anglo tongue and keep it up like that, alternating between a thing that believes itself to be perfect and a thing that believes itself to be perfect, morphing back and forth between two beasts until out of carelessness or clear intent they suddenly stop switching tongues and start speaking that other one. In it brims nostalgia for the land they left or never knew when they use the words with which they name objects; while actions are alluded to with an anglo verb conjugated …

The Fitzgeralds In France: A Life Of Splendor And Tragedy, Kaitlyn Rustemeyer, Rebecca Stanton

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda Sayre are well-known for the glamorous life they lived as they roamed throughout America and Europe. They met and befriended many other writers and artists during their travels, but never as many as they met in Paris, the center for expatriate Americans of the Lost Generation. This project is composed of three parts that focused on the Fitzgeralds’ lives through specific lenses. The first part is a Pecha Kucha presentation summarizing the lives of the Fitzgeralds and detailing their time in Paris. Part two is a Wordpress website analyzing the relationships that the …

Influences Of Corruption On Political Participation, Yung Yue Tneh

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

This project examines how political scandals and corruption in the government affect public opinion and political participation. I expect to find that while political scandals might have a negative impact on both public opinion and political participation it does not have a big impact because political scandals have become a natural element in the politics today.

Hope College And The Vietnam War Era: "We Only Started To Care When It Affected Us.", Halla Maas, Olivia Brickley

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

This project focuses on Hope College during the Vietnam War era. During this time, the draft created moral dilemmas for both students and faculty. When it started affecting themselves and people they knew, students felt that they needed to be educated about the war. The draft also meant that students sought deferments through such means as studying ministry, pre med, and other sciences. Hope students noticed that young men who were able to avoid the draft were usually privileged and not a part of the minority class. This led many Hope students to protest the draft and the war. These …

Biopsychosocial Correlates Of Sleep Hygiene In Preschoolers, Rebecca Messnick, Lauren Evert, Cameron Everse, Micha Manthei, Abby Rakus

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

Most children don’t get enough sleep (Dement, 2005; Maas, 2011), and 77% of preschoolers experience sleep related disruptive behaviors at least a few nights per week (National Sleep Foundation, 2004). Sleep is especially crucial during early development to promote health, education, brain development, physical growth, and quality of life. Insufficient sleep is a public health problem, and this is clearly true for young children (CDC, 2015). The National Institutes of Health reported that preschoolers need 11–12 hours of sleep daily (NIH, 2012). Good sleep hygiene includes consistent bedtimes and morning rising times, and avoiding large meals, caffeine, and light sources …

Integration Of Heterogeneous Functional Genomics Data In Gerontology Research To Find Genes And Pathway Underlying Aging Across Species., Jason A. Bubier, George L Sutphin, Timothy J Reynolds, Ron Korstanje, Axis Fuksman-Kumpa, Erich J Baker, Michael A Langston, Elissa J Chesler

Faculty Research 2019

Understanding the biological mechanisms behind aging, lifespan and healthspan is becoming increasingly important as the proportion of the world's population over the age of 65 grows, along with the cost and complexity of their care. BigData oriented approaches and analysis methods enable current and future bio-gerontologists to synthesize, distill and interpret vast, heterogeneous data from functional genomics studies of aging. GeneWeaver is an analysis system for integration of data that allows investigators to store, search, and analyze immense amounts of data including user-submitted experimental data, data from primary publications, and data in other databases. Aging related genome-wide gene sets from …

Mir-181a/B Downregulation Exerts A Protective Action On Mitochondrial Disease Models., Alessia Indrieri, Sabrina Carrella, Alessia Romano, Alessandra Spaziano, Elena Marrocco, Erika Fernandez-Vizarra, Sara Barbato, Mariateresa Pizzo, Yulia Ezhova, Francesca M Golia, Ludovica Ciampi, Roberta Tammaro, Jorge Henao-Mejia, Adam Williams, Richard A Flavell, Elvira De Leonibus, Massimo Zeviani, Enrico M Surace, Sandro Banfi, Brunella Franco

Faculty Research 2019

Mitochondrial diseases (MDs) are a heterogeneous group of devastating and often fatal disorders due to defective oxidative phosphorylation. Despite the recent advances in mitochondrial medicine, effective therapies are still not available for these conditions. Here, we demonstrate that the microRNAs miR-181a and miR-181b (miR-181a/b) regulate key genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and function and that downregulation of these miRNAs enhances mitochondrial turnover in the retina through the coordinated activation of mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy. We thus tested the effect of miR-181a/b inactivation in different animal models of MDs, such as microphthalmia with linear skin lesions and Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. …

Listening To What Students Are Asking: The Role Of An Academic Library In Institution-Wide Knowledge Management, Elizabeth Jardine

Publications and Research

Students at our public, urban community college were experiencing difficulties finding correct, consistent answers to their questions about navigating college processes, information students needed to succeed in school. These difficulties were fueled not only by our students’ backgrounds—they are often the first generation in their family to attend college, may require additional academic preparation, or lack support for their higher education dreams—but also by the siloed information environment prevalent in academia. When our college president realized the extent of student challenges in this area, she looked to the college’s librarians, campus experts in knowledge organization and provision, for direction with …

Titans "Unlock Opportunities" During All In For Wesleyan, John Twork

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Music Programs In Urban Schools, Mikayla Battistone

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

It is important to implement and maintain a music program within an urban school containing a high population of at-risk students. With the awareness of mental illness increasing, we are more knowledgeable of the cognitive deficits caused by ongoing abuse and neglect--often called complex trauma. The effects music can have on the brain combats the negative cognitive and emotional impacts of complex trauma, which is essentially the goal of music therapy. Not every child has the opportunity and/or means to experience music therapy. However, if music programs are offered in schools, kids can reap the positive benefits of music by …

Pyscan: Interfacing Laboratory Instruments With Python, Julian N. Payne, Peter E. Timperman

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

Laboratory instruments can be interfaced with and controlled from personal computers. Several programs to scan lasers and acquire data have been written by students in the Polik Lab. However, computer hardware and software change more rapidly (3-5 years) than instrument lifetime (20 years). Thus, programs must be replaced to run on modern computers and operating systems. This can be done to minimize dependence on specific hardware and software. PyScan is a laser instrument interface program intended to replace the Polik Lab’s current software. It allows the user to control the laser, setup a scan, acquire data, and store the data …

The Urban/Rural Divide, Emily Marino

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

The past several decades have revealed a dividing trend between the voting behavior of urban and rural areas within and among states. This project seeks to identify and explain factors that are causing urban areas to affiliate with the Democratic party and rural areas to affiliate with the Republican party. This trend of division, based on geography, has significant implications for the U.S. electoral system as it will greatly impact how, when, and where candidates campaign as well as the outcomes of elections. Such division amongst cities, towns, and even neighborhoods is creating communities isolated from the lifestyles, concerns, and …

Community Participation: Let’S Have A Party!, Reganne Diener, Jessica Mcalpine, Nicole Radgens

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

Post-secondary school outcomes have been dismal for individuals with exceptionalities. Because of these poor outcomes, the federal law entitled the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act put into place services to help these individuals develop vocational skills, independent living proficiency, and increased community participation. The purpose of this study was to identify if the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Halloween Party helped individuals with disabilities increase their level of social engagement and community participation. We also identified if engagement in activities by Hope College students increased the desirability of the activity. Both the residents from the group homes and the Hope …

2019-April-12-Academic Excellence Convocation, University Marketing And Communications, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.

2019-April-12-Appalachian Student Research Forum, University Marketing And Communications, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.

2019-April-12-Distinguished President's Trust, University Marketing And Communications, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.

2019-April-12-Small Business Innovation Research Workshop, University Marketing And Communications, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.

2019-April-12-Spring Train Excursion, University Marketing And Communications, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.

Eagles Sweep Courts Against App State, Georgia Southern University

Athletics: News & Publications

• Eagles Sweep Courts Against App State

Warhols Wake, Tiffany Gilliam

Communication Theses

The world of visual art has devolved into a commercial enterprise. Part of the decline in visual art arises from artist' surrender to media environment influence, as an exploration of the life and work of noteworthy artist Andy Warhol reveals. This study terms such artist surrender Warhols Wake and elucidates its features. However, by examining, through an interpretive biographic method, the life and work of 4 other artists who responded to media environment influence differently, we gain insight into how creative consciousness can gainfully resist Warhols Wake, in a move that Marshall McLuhan calls "anti-environmental."

The Serial Blocking Effect: A Testbed For The Neural Mechanisms Of Temporal-Difference Learning, Ashraf Mahmud, Petio Petrov, Guillem R. Esber, Mihaela D. Iordanova

Publications and Research

Temporal-difference (TD) learning models afford the neuroscientist a theory-driven roadmap in the quest for the neural mechanisms of reinforcement learning. The application of these models to understanding the role of phasic midbrain dopaminergic responses in reward prediction learning constitutes one of the greatest success stories in behavioural and cognitive neuroscience. Critically, the classic learning paradigms associated with TD are poorly suited to cast light on its neural implementation, thus hampering progress. Here, we present a serial blocking paradigm in rodents that overcomes these limitations and allows for the simultaneous investigation of two cardinal TD tenets; namely, that learning depends on …

Graphics Processing Units (Gpus) And Cuda, Josiah Brett, Josiah Brouwer

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

Computers almost always contain one or more central processing units (CPU), each of which processes information sequentially. While having multiple CPUs allow a computer to run several tasks in parallel, many computers also have a graphics processing unit (GPU) which contains hundreds to thousands of cores that allow it to execute many computations in parallel. In order to complete a larger task, GPUs run many subtasks concurrently. Each core performs the same instruction on different sets of data, making it useful for performing tasks such as calculating what each individual pixel displays on a screen. The purpose of this research …

Determining The Β Decay Strength Function Of 91rb, William Von Seeger, Jason Gombas

18th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2019)

The r-process predicts the formation of elements heavier than iron and occurs in neutron star mergers and supernovae. The β decay strength function reveals nuclear structure properties necessary to improve r-process models. Measurements of the 91Rb strength function, a nucleus involved in the r process, were made at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) this past July (2018). The 91Rb were made with the A1900 fragment recoil separator, then stopped in a long gas cell, and finally implanted in a mylar tape. Spectra and multiplicity of γ rays from the daughter, 91Sr, coincident with β particles from the decay of …