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Book Review: Duran, C. S. (2017). Language And Literacy In Refugee Families. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan., Minjung Ryu

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

Book Review by Minjung Ryu: Duran, C. S. (2017). Language and Literacy in Refugee Families. United Kingdom, UK: Palgrave MacMillan.

Questions That Only Mom Can Answer, Shannon Moore

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

Deconstructing The Societal Conventions Of Spring And Condemning Its Misrepresentation In Traditional Springtime Poetry, Bri Carmichael

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

Understanding Humanity Through Negation In Crime And Punishment, Sarah Davis

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

Lunar, Rinnah Shaw

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

A Family Venture, Brady Miller

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

The Implications Of Psychopathy And Sociopathy In Shakespeare, Bella Mcgill

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

An Unsatisfying Savior: Shylock As Failed Christ In The Merchant Of Venice, Anelise Ramsay Leishman

BYU English Symposium

Given the play’s themes of justice, mercy, and sacrifice, it seems natural to examine Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice within the allegorical framework of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Some Shakespearean scholars have endeavored to assign a redemptive Christ role in the play; however, such comparisons can feel incomplete when considering the complexities of Christian atonement theology and the religious tensions central to the play’s interpretation.

What if, then, we search for a different type of Christ? Such a figure can be found in perhaps the most unique character out of all of Shakespeare’s comedies: Shylock. Throughout the play, the …

Forensics Analysis For Bone Pair Matching Using Bipartite Graphs In Commingled Remains, Ryan Ernst

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Identification of missing prisoners of war is a complex and time consuming task. There are many missing soldiers whose remains have yet to be returned to their families and loved ones. This nation has a solemn obligation to its soldiers and their families who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. There are currently over 82,000 unidentified prisoners of war which are identified at a rate of 100+ per year. At this rate it would take 300+ years to complete the identification process. Previously, anthropologists used excel spreadsheets to sort through skeletal data. This project aims to streamline the …

Revenge Pornography: An Analysis Of Privacy, Obscenity, And The First Amendment, Kamrin Baker

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

An important issue in modern communication law and policy is the emergence of harassment via the Internet and social media. One form of such harassment is revenge pornography, the sharing of sexual images or videos without the consent of the individual depicted, usually at the hands of an ex-lover. In punishing the posters and purveyors of revenge pornography, perpetrators are often convicted of unrelated crimes such as identify theft or fraud, furthering the silence of revenge pornography. This new challenge in law raises some serious questions about the intersections of obscenity, privacy and the First Amendment in the effort to …

Investigating Comt Influence On The Proactive-Reactive Stress Coping Axis In Zebrafish, Sean T. Bresnahan, Ryan Y. Wong

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Individuals of the same species often display differences in correlated suites of behaviors which are made conspicuous when challenges – stressful, fear-inducing, etc. – are presented. In many species, a specific suite of behaviors (risk-aversion, aggression, exploration, learning, and memory) characterize an alternative set of stress coping styles (proactive and reactive). Such behaviors are regulated in the brain by specific neurotransmitters along with proteins that regulate them. One neurotransmitter regulator protein, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) shows higher baseline whole-brain expression in proactive relative to reactive animals. However, it is not known whether its expression is a cause or a consequence of the …

Targeted Therapy For The Future: The Use Of Novel Antimicrobial Peptides Against P. Aeurginosa, Matthew Froid

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Pathogenic bacteria, such as the gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are becoming resistant to our current arsenal of antibiotics at an alarming rate. P. aeruginosa is a leading cause of nosocomial acquired infections and is a primary co-morbidity in patients with compromised immune systems. One potential source of new antibiotic agents is antimicrobial peptides. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small proteins, and some have shown a high degree of efficacy and broad-spectrum activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. An experimental AMP that has been developed by Dr. Wang at UNMC, DASamp2, has shown to be effective against virulent bacteria, including P. …

Analysis Of Clustering Algorithms, Ethan Summers

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

In Bioinformatics, choosing the right algorithm for a problem is very important. Choosing the wrong algorithm or one that is less efficient can make or break a project. Analyzing algorithms beforehand is key. The goal of this project is to analyze three clustering algorithms for protein protein interaction networks and compare their function and results. A clustering algorithm takes a dataset, in this case a simulated PPI (protein-protein interaction) network and groups together similar data points based on some similarity criteria. It is important to know the difference between these algorithms to get the desired results.

An Electrooculography Prosthetic Control System, Walker Arce

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

For many surface EMG (sEMG) prosthetic control systems, the muscles on the affected limb are used to trigger the control system. This can lead to fatigue in the user as they have to maintain continuous muscle activation and coactivation in order to achieve prosthetic control [3]. The crux of any prosthetic control system is the human machine interface that is developed, and at present many control systems have complicated interfaces that limit the degrees of freedom of the prosthetics. This study focuses on the development of a low-cost prosthetic control peripheral that is compatible with the prosthetics developed by Dr. …

Cloud Control And Monitoring: Personal Food Computer Version 2.0, Deepika Angelene Jantz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Trends in Agricultural development and growth rates in crop yields have slowed down due to harsh weather conditions. Also, use of pesticides, fertilizers and genetically modified organisms in food(GM0) has caused attenuation of nutrition, thus giving rise to Food Crisis. To address this concern, Caleb Harper, Principal Research Scientist at MIT shares his vision of “Food Computer” through an initiative called OpenAg, that dwells upon the concept of Controlled Environment for the growth of the plant. The objective of this research is to bring awareness in the young minds – the kids at K12 level to get familiar with current …

Day To Day And Leg To Leg Variation In Gene Expression, Zohal Alizai

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle biopsies are extensively used in research to determine the effects of exercise. Usually, sequential biopsies are taken before and after exercise in order to determine the influence of exercise on gene expression. Often it is not clear if the results are due to exercise or as a result of damage cause by the biopsy to the muscle. Previous studies have proven that multiple biopsies in the same leg cause stress to the muscle and such stress leads to inflammation and other response pathways that alter the gene expression. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine …

Applicant Reactions To Gendered Wording In Job Advertisements, Sahra Kaboli-Nejad, Eric Scheller, Carey Ryan

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Women account for only 28% of the STEM workforce (Neuhauser, 2014). One contributing factor may be gendered wording in advertisements (e.g., the use of more masculine wording in male-dominated fields). Masculine wording may discourage women from applying for male-dominated STEM careers. Research has shown, for example, that participants perceive there to be more men in occupations that use more masculine than feminine wording in their advertisements, resulting in women finding the jobs less appealing (Gaucher et al., 2011; Horvath & Sczesnya, 2016).

The present research examined whether gendered wording in an advertisement for a male-dominated STEM career affects perceptions of …

Investigating Nutrient Solubility And Retention In No Till And Tilled Agricultural Soils, Dillon Klein

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

FUSE Grant

Gait Alterations In Peripheral Arterial Disease Are Not Worsened By The Presence Of Diabetes, Hafizur Rahman

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a vascular disease where atherosclerotic blockages restrict blood flow to muscles in the lower extremities. Diabetes is a common co-morbid condition in PAD and has been shown to increase the risk of lower extremity amputation compared to PAD without diabetes. Although there is a clear pathological relationship between diabetes and PAD, the gait mechanics involved remain indistinct. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether the presence of diabetes in addition to PAD results in greater functional impairment during ambulation. Twenty-three subjects with PAD and twelve controls consented to participate in the research. …

Use Of Exploratory Data Analysis And Visualization In Identification Of Commingled Human Remains, Vivek Bhat Hosmat

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The field of Exploratory data analysis and Visualization is revolutionizing the way we perceive things. At times, Visualization is seen as a subset of Exploratory data analysis and then there are branches in Visualization, types, technologies, tools which makes one feel that Visualization is a standalone pillar. Either way, they both work well together to extract meaningful information from almost any kind of data. These fields can very well be the stepping stone for in-depth or conclusive research. They can direct research based on facts and observations rather than one’s intuition or even a brute force technique. This project was …

A Voice Activated Prosthetic Mode Of Control, Will Picken

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

There are many options for a prosthetic mode of control. The most commonly created modes of control involve surface EMG (sEMG) and require that the user have well defined muscle activation in order to trigger the movement of the prosthetic. Unfortunately, many prosthetic users do not have the required muscle tone or strength to trigger these sensors, so the need for a control mechanism that doesn’t rely on sEMG is clear. This study focuses on the development of a low-cost, voice activated prosthetic mode of control compatible with the prosthetics developed by Dr. Zuniga and his research team.

The printed …

Precision Medicine: Bioinformatics Assists In Finding Accurate Treatment For Her2+ Breast Cancer In Humans, Elizabeth Russman

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a gene located on chromosome 17q12 (Ferrari et al., 2016). A HER2 mutation is known to cause breast cancer, and is responsible for approximately 20% of all breast cancers.

In this project, HER2 positive breast cancer will be examined. The goal of this project is to understand the complicated gene, HER2, and how treatment needs to be more individualized and precise using bioinformatics.

Trying To Save The Game(R): Understanding The Meaning-Making Process Of Youtube Subscribers Surrounding Mental Health And Video Game Vlogging, Maria Mickles

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Through technological innovation and the rise of digital media platforms, many young adults are afforded the opportunity to spend their lives on the Internet. Not only is a large amount of time spent on the Internet by most people, but young adults are making media sharing-platforms, specifically YouTube, part of their daily lives (Westenberg, 2016, p. 8). YouTube allows content creators to produce videos that not only attract audiences of different ages and geographic location, but, too, create an intimate bond between creator and subscriber, allowing each party to communicate and engage in content related activities through the comments section …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Instrumented Helmets To Assess Concussions In High School Football Athletics, Alyssa Irby

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Approximately 300,000 high school students experience a concussion yearly and are the third most common injury for youth football players accounting for 9.6% of all injuries. The current concussion monitoring systems are subjective and rely heavily on symptom recognition by players and coaches. Instrumented helmets fill a gap when subjective monitoring systems fail to recognize concussions. The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of instrumented helmets and the effectiveness of alerting for a concussion in a youth population. Fifty-five football players from a local high school during the 2018 season who wore instrumented helmets participated. Impact …

Summer Camp And Experiential Learning – A Qualitative Study Exploring The Perspectives Of Selected Participants, Living In Poverty, While Attending A Sleep-Away Summer Camp In Northern Minnesota, Mary Achelpohl

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Summer breaks vary in length and depth of experiences for many children and families. The summer learning gap has been widely researched as problematic to the cognitive, social, and emotional development for many children, especially children living in poverty. At the same time, best practices in summer learning initiatives have a narrow research scope. This qualitative phenomenological research study explores participants’ perceptions of their time at a sleep-away summer camp in Northern Minnesota. All participants were living in poverty during their time at summer camp. A major focus will examine summer learning opportunities and the importance of creating experiences for …

The Effects Of A 12-Week Jump Rope Exercise Program On Abdominal Adiposity, Vasoactive Substances, Inflammation & Vascular Function In Prehypertensive Adolescent Girls, Ronald Headid

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Childhood obesity is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. It is necessary to combat unfavorable outcomes of obesity at a young age by utilizing effective interventions, such as exercise. Purpose: We sought to examine the effects of a jump rope exercise program on CVD risk factors, including body composition, vasoactive substances, inflammation, and vascular function in prehypertensive adolescent girls. Methods: Forty girls (age 14-16) were recruited and randomly assigned to a jump rope exercise group (EX, n=20) or control group (CON, n=20). Body composition, nitrate and nitrite levels, endothelin-1 (ET-1), c-reactive protein (CRP), systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood …

The Effect Of Self-Myofascial Release With A Foam Roller On Running Economy, Christos Ziliaskoudis

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

BACKGROUND: Running economy is defined as the steady-state O₂ consumption for a determined, constant, submaximal speed. It has been described as a complex and multifactorial measure with the ability to explain distance running performance variations that other conventional measures did not. Increased flexibility, as expressed by range of motion, has been related with impaired running economy. Self-myofascial release with foam rollers is gaining popularity in the distance running community as a rehabilitative and performance-enhancing intervention with either acute or systematic application proposing flexibility increases. Although flexibility and running economy have been inversely related and foam rolling interventions are proposing …

The Effects Of Swimming Training On Arterial Stiffness, Muscular Strength And Cardiorespiratory Endurance In Postmenopausal Women With Stage 2 Hypertension, Steven Scott

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Objective:

Aging is associated with progressive decreases in arterial health and function as well as overall fitness. It is crucial to prevent or reduce the negative effects of aging on vasculature and fitness components by implementing appropriate lifestyle interventions, such as exercise training. We examined the effects of a swimming (SWM) regimen on arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity, PWV), blood pressure (BP), wave reflection (AIx), muscle strength and aerobic capacity in postmenopausal women with stage 2 hypertension.

Methods:

Using a parallel experimental design, participants were randomly assigned to either a SWM (n=52) or non-exercising control group (n=48) for 20 weeks. …

Division I Collegiate Male Basketball Player Post-Surgical Cai With Bone Spur Excision: A Case Report, Jacqueline Gutierrez

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

A Division I basketball player planted his foot and injured his ankle. He had a significant history of repeated lateral ankle sprains and was evaluated as having a grade 2 ankle sprain. He was referred for imaging revealing significant damage to a variety of tissues including a talar osteochondral defect and joint degeneration. He opted for surgical repair, however, post-surgical rehabilitation did not improve the athlete and a secondary procedure was necessary to correct complications. The initial procedure was successful to repair ligamentous stability of the joint. But was not sufficient to fully restore the joint to full function.

Investigating The Effect Of Induced Stress On Dual-Task Performance, Farahnaz Fallah Tafti

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Doing two tasks concurrently is an inevitable situation that occurs in daily life. Several factors such as pathological conditions, the aging process, and even stress may have a detrimental effect on both tasks’ performances. The aim of this study was to monitor perceived stress during dual-task to investigate how inducing stress affects dual-task performance. Eighteen healthy young participants, (24.76±3.56 years; 68.85 ±11.85 kg; 1.72±0.07 m) were recruited. Participants were asked to perform a single task (no secondary task) and DTs (wire maze with or without buzzer) randomly while standing on a firm surface. Perceived stress was obtained after each trial …