Engineering Commons^™

Using Information Theory To Extract Patterns From Categorical Raster Data, David Percy

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Information theory -- Reconstructability Analysis (RA) implemented in the Occam software -- was used to extract patterns from National Land Cover Data. The aim was to predict temporal change in evergreen forests from time-lagged and spatially adjacent states. The NLCD satellite data were preprocessed with Python and submitted to Occam for analysis, and Occam output was also explored with R-studio. The effectiveness of RA methodology for the analysis of this type of categorical space-time grid data was demonstrated.

A Novel Jumbo Phage Phima05 Inhibits Harmful Microcystis Sp., Ampapan Naknaen, Oramas Suttinun, Komwit Surachat, Eakalak Khan, Rattanaruji Pomwised

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Microcystis poses a concern because of its potential contribution to eutrophication and production of microcystins (MCs). Phage treatment has been proposed as a novel biocontrol method for Microcystis. Here, we isolated a lytic cyanophage named PhiMa05 with high efficiency against MCs-producing Microcystis strains. Its burst size was large, with approximately 127 phage particles/infected cell, a short latent period (1 day), and high stability to broad salinity, pH and temperature ranges. The PhiMa05 structure was composed of an icosahedral capsid (100 nm) and tail (120 nm), suggesting that the PhiMa05 belongs to the Myoviridae family. PhiMa05 inhibited both planktonic and aggregated …

Surface-Eroding Drug Delivery Films For Sequential And/Or Intermittent Release Of Psychoactive Drugs, Jason Price

Honors Theses

ABSTRACT JASON BLAKE PRICE: Surface-Eroding Drug Delivery Films for Sequential and/or

Intermittent Release of Psychoactive Drugs For patients with psychiatric diseases, adherence to medication schedules, medication

errors, and abuse are common issues. Promising new forms of therapy for these patients, such as micro-dosed lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), where patients receive 10-20% of a full dose every third day, present further drug delivery challenges. Sequential or intermittent release of drugs from an implanted device could ensure long-term drug compliance, automate drug dosing during the life of the implant, and eliminate potential for abuse and medication errors. To this end, we generated …

Understanding The Effect Of Adaptive Mutations On The Three-Dimensional Structure Of Rna, Justin Cook

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are variations in the genome where one base pair can differ between individuals.¹ SNPs occur throughout the genome and can correlate to a disease-state if they occur in a functional region of DNA.¹According to the central dogma of molecular biology, any variation in the DNA sequence will have a direct effect on the RNA sequence and will potentially alter the identity or conformation of a protein product. A single RNA molecule, due to intramolecular base pairing, can acquire a plethora of 3-D conformations that are described by its structural ensemble. One SNP, rs12477830, which …

Developing A Multimedia Interface For Electrical Biosignal Interpretation, Christopher Cox

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

In the last ten years, a great deal of interest has been generated around the practice of using plants’ electrical signals to create sound or music. In order to render biosignals capable of producing sound electronically, some kind of interface is necessary that converts a plant’s natural electrical signals into data that a computer can understand. Existing commercial interfaces cost at minimum $3001,2 . Worse yet, two popular off-the-shelf interfaces conform their output signals to stereotypical human notions of what a plant might “sound like”. In this project we fabricated a simple but high-performance interface for less than $5 in …

Project Alien, Rebecca Mccallin, Madelyn Hoying, Alex Evans, Matthew Nestler, Karli Rae Sutton, Garett Craig, Lucia Secaia Del Cid, Alexander Guy, Rachel Fernandez, Amanda Trusiak, Paige Aley, Ingabire Gakwerere, Nina Dorfner, Maria Mosbacher, Mary Flavin, Selvin Hernandez, Audrey Steen, Benjamin Kazimer

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Project ALIEN is a comprehensive plan to send humans to Mars to look for life on the Martian surface while exploring the viability and adaptability of terrestrial microbes in Martian atmospheric conditions. ALIEN will use a ballistic capture trajectory to get to Mars and stay in aerostationary orbit for a 30-day surface mission, during which two surface crewmembers will perform a variety of experiments to achieve the mission’s goals of Martian microbial discovery within brines of the Gale Crater and terrestrial microbe adaptability and viability to Martian conditions. Experimentation is based on the presumption that Martian microbes are metabolically similar …

"Inclusive Inquiry." 14th Annual Research Week: Event Proceedings, University Of The Incarnate Word

Excellence Summit (Research Week) Archived Proceedings

Presentations of completed and ongoing research activity conducted by graduate and undergraduate students and faculty at University of the Incarnate Word. Coordinated and presented by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.

Ceramic Studio Assistant, Allison Jones, Adam Yungbluth

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

The research project will focus on learning the various activities involved in running a college level Ceramics Studio. Activities will include clay mixing for Ceramics 1 courses, mixing studio glazes & slips, firing bisque, reduction, soda, & wood kiln, and other activities to improve the Ceramics Studio.

The Art Of Preservation, Sinclaire Dorsey, Melissa Yungbluth

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Proper preservation of creative works is imperative to sustaining documentation for future generations’ education. Exhibition designers, such as the students awarded with the undergraduate research fellowship for the Golding-Yang gallery, must be mindful of the environmental factors that impact creative works. For instance, light sensitivity of the materials can be overwhelmed by ultraviolet and infrared radiation produced by the sun. Atmospheric humidity, when not regulated, will destroy irreplaceable artwork that could provide future historians a better understanding of modern culture. Extreme temperatures are devastating to the preservation of artistic works. The regulation of these environmental factors will provide future generations …

Low Stress Handling Techniques In Shelter Animals And The Overall Effects On Physiological Parameters, Ashley Swim, Courtney Smart, Amy Staton

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Animal shelters tend to be a very stressful environment for dogs as there are many new sounds, smells, and animals. This stress is not only bad for their psychological health and can lead to behavioral issues, but it can also have an impact on their physical health. Stress impacts multiple systems of the body, resulting in increased heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature and even blood glucose levels in dogs. The impact stress has on these systems can lead to a compromised immune system and increases the probabilities of the dog becoming ill. However, by using Fear Free methods, …

Adverse Experiences, Depression, And Parenting Sensitivity., Lauren Oldiges, Savannah Gillis, Tiffany Hicks, Shari Kidwell

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Parental sensitivity is a key determinant of attachment security and child well-being. Yet many parents in our region face challenges to parenting, such as increased exposure to adverse experiences and depression. Both cumulative exposure to adverse experiences and depression symptoms have been associated with increased risk to parenting (Hays-Grudo & Wilson, 2020). The present study explores connections between parents’ sensitivity/synchrony scores on the Toddler CARE-Index (TCI: Crittenden, 2007), Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) amongst parents, and parental depression. As part of a larger longitudinal study of Eastern Kentucky families, 35 children (mean age 4.5 years) and their parents participated in the …

French Textbook Illustrations, Abigail Hall, Nicholas Anderson, Karen Taylor

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

This project has been an update of an introductory French textbook in order to make the work more cohesive illustratively. Each week we were given a drawing task to go with a chapter or vocabulary assignment to replace, revamp or develop new art work of greater value than the preexisting illustrations.

Relation Among Potential Predictors Of Drug Abuse Risk In Rats, Emma Brock

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Animal models have been used to investigate behavioral processes and mechanisms that underlie addiction. A variety of measures have been developed for rats that are modest predictors of drug abuse risk. The purpose of this pilot study was to begin to assess whether several established and potential measures of drug abuse vulnerability were correlated. The subjects were eight adult male Wistar rats. The rats were run on procedures that yielded measures of anxiety, sensation seeking, short term responsive to acutely administered drug, and sensitivity to conditioned stimuli. These measures were correlated with a potential new measure of drug abuse vulnerability—withdrawal …

Improving Patient Outcomes With High Nurse To Patient Ratios: A Quality Improvement Study, Alexis Bradshaw, Morgan Minton, Brenna Murphy, Abigail Ross, Hannah Dorton, Carson Jones, Cierra Connelly, Haley Nyderek

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

According to the United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast: A Revisit published in the May/June 2018 issue of the American Journal of Medical Quality, a shortage of registered nurses is projected to spread across the country between 2016 and 2030. Surveyed nurses see the shortage in the future as a catalyst for increasing stress on nurses (98%), lowering patient care quality (93%) and causing nurses to leave the profession (93%) (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2021). A thorough literature review was conducted, and 40 studies were reviewed. Common themes that emerged include: high nurse to …

The Impact Of Power Yoga Training On Baseball Throwing Velocity, John Bakke

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of yoga on baseball pitching velocity, and the factors that affect throwing velocity such as power, flexibility, speed, and mobility. Thirteen volunteer collegiate baseball pitchers were pre-tested on their power, flexibility, speed, mobility, and throwing velocity. The intervention included a 10-week yoga training, with the goal of three sessions per week. Participants were then post-tested under the same conditions. Analysis included dependent t-tests for each of the fitness assessments, with alpha set at .05 a priori. The group was unable to reach the goal of three yoga sessions per week, …

Increasing Student Engagement In Introductory Physics Hybrid Classes, Breanna Epperson

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

The demand for online instruction is on the rise. In a classroom setting, research shows that student interactions are important for overcoming common misconceptions, but it is challenging to achieve the same level of engagement in an online setting. To try to improve online interactions in a hybrid physics class at Morehead State University, the Fall 2020 online class was required to post a total of three times about a closed, multiple choice, conceptual physics question in each assignment while following certain criteria. In the Spring of 2021, the discussion format was kept the same, but was moved to a …

Genetically Screening For Gain Of Function Mutations In Telomerase Rna, Jose Childers

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Telomeres are DNA structures located at the ends of linear chromosomes. They function, in part, to allow DNA ends to be copied before cells divide. Since the standard DNA replication machinery can’t fully copy telomeres, most eukaryotic cells require the vital ribonucleoprotein enzyme telomerase. Telomerase is composed of a TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase protein) and telomerase RNA. As we age, telomeres shorten since most human cells do not express telomerase. If telomeres grow too short, it triggers a cell-cycle arrest known as senescence, which can ultimately result in cell death. On the other hand, >85% of human cancers show over-expression …

A Portable Analyzer For Rapid And Sensitive Protein Detection By Ac Electrokinetics Capacitive Sensing, Allie Skaggs

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Capacitive bioparticle detection is a promising method for point-of-care diagnosis. There are a wide range of applications for such a device: diagnostics, pharmacology, and medical science. The end goal of this project is to develop a portable capacitive sensing platform for rapid and sensitive bioparticles detection. When bioparticles bind to receptors located on the surface of the electrode there would be a change in the interfacial capacitance, which indicate the presence of the bioparticle. The ADuCM355 – a precision analog microcontroller with a chemical sensor interface – is being used to perform biased electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). An AC potential …

Preservation Of Morehead State History, Jacob Bush

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

This project is being undertaken in an effort to preserve the buildings and history of Morehead State University. It is the goal of this project to make additions to the historic district of MSU by adding qualifying buildings to the National Register of Historic Places. By adding buildings to the Register, they would be recognized on the federal level as historic sites and receive support for their preservation. The Register seeks to protect sites of importance through many ways including the gifting of funding to ensure preservation. The goals of this project will be achieved using historical texts from our …

Analytical Method Development For The Analysis Of Biomass Degradation Products, Calista Dean

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

The goal of this project is to study the kinetics of hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass. Biomass contains stored chemical energy that can be converted to renewable liquid and gaseous fuels through various processes, but an in-depth understanding of the kinetics of these processes is important in order for them to be feasible on a large scale. Since biomass degradation products depend on the type of biomass used as well as the reaction conditions, this task can be quite complicated. To minimize complications in our initial studies, we will use D-glucose as the starting material. To better understand the degradation pathway’s …

Comparing Growth Of Mutant Strains Of Acinetobacter Baumannii To Wild Type After Treatment With Mitomycin C, Kaylee Compton, Deborah Cook

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

In Acinetocbacter baumannii bacteria, an error-prone DNA damage repair response is induced by the self-cleavage of the UmuDAb protein. Previous experiments indicating that a ddrR mutant becomes growth sensitive after DNA damage suggested that ddrR is also involved in this process. To explore this relationship, eight mutant strains of A. baumannii were made with different combinations of mutations in either ddrR and/or the adjacent gene, A1S_3662. Our experiment compared the growth of wild type cells to strains containing various mutations: DC4 (no gene mutations, just an antibiotic resistance marker, Kanr), DC5 (stop codon mutation in ddrR), and DC6 (both the …

Ekap Update: Rethinking The Presentation Of Historic Sites, Elizabeth Debord

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

The Eastern Kentucky Art Project was founded in 2007 as a way to connect communities with resources pertaining to visual arts and music in Eastern Kentucky. One significant type of resources EKAP features is information regarding historic architecture in Eastern Kentucky. Understanding cultural landmarks in people’s own communities can foster an inclusive and healthy community identity, but it became clear through recent efforts to update the EKAP website that information surrounding the preservation of historic sites is often difficult to access and understand for a general audience. Previous efforts to educate and encourage preservation of important sites was often tied …

The Editorial Process Of The Kentucky Philological Review, Jalyn Findley

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

The Kentucky Philological Review (KPR) is the official journal of the Kentucky Philological Association, published annually. This journal contains essays, book reviews, and creative work selected by the Editorial Committee from the Best of Section papers presented during the prior year’s spring conference. These submissions are then edited by this committee and editorial assistants through MLA format, grammar, syntax, and overall cohesion of themes by correspondence with the authors throughout the year. As editorial assistants of the KPA Editorial Committee, we attended the 2020 KPA conference, organized contact information from the presenters, and began initial readings of their papers and …

Evidence Based Evaluation Of A Ventilator Management Clinical Practice Protocol, Kyle Mills

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Nursing care and management of mechanically ventilated patients requires specific care elements to be achieved in order for optimal patient outcomes. The ventilator management policy guides nursing care for this select group of patients. The ventilator management policy of a rural community acute healthcare facility was evaluated for evidence-base and validity using the AGREE GRS rating scale. The evaluation process included interview of the director of the inpatient unit responsible for care of ventilator patients, as well as review of the most current evidence-based practice protocols. Evaluation results indicate the facility’s policy met the needs of the patients, and incorporated …

Data Acquisition For Physics With Arduino, Kyle Litton

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Arduino is an open-source electronics microcontroller board that allows us to marry technology with our environment. There are countless modules commercially available that can be easily manipulated with programs written in the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE), giving users full control of input and output. Several of these modules naturally relate to physics and data acquisition. Since physics analyses rely on data, the Arduino is a natural choice for a system where the user has full control of data collection methods. This poster will present our development of a data acquisition system that integrates equipment commonly found in physics laboratories. …

“The Never Ending Story:” Circularizing Ch. Viii In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Chisom Iloegbunam

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Chromosomes are molecules of DNA that hold large quantities of genetic material in an organism. Generally in nature, eukaryotic chromosomes are linear while prokaryotic chromosomes are circular. Since they are linear, eukaryotic chromosomes possess telomeres, or repetitive nucleotide sequences, on their ends. This significant difference in structure requires different additions to the basic replication process. In prokaryotes, replication starts at a single point on the chromosome and continues until the whole chromosome has been copied. In eukaryotes, replication happens in fragments with multiple starting points. Because of this more complicated replication, the free 3’ ends cannot be fully copied. Unchecked, …

A Lifetime Of Purpose: The Rock Fork Community Center, The Rock Fork Attic, The Attic, Cheyenne Smith, Joy Gritton

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

A strong sense of community is a hard thing to come by these days, knowing the history of a place that used to be the center of a now sparse community is even harder. This presentation will explore one such history in the hope of inspiring community building through essential common spaces. The Rock Fork Community Center, now simply known as Rock Fork Attic or just The Attic, began as a place for the small community of Rock Fork in Knott County, Kentucky, to gather. For many years the community came together there for social events, fund raisers, school activities, …

Effects Of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy On Intraocular Pressure In Dogs, Sierra Ott

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a method in which pressurized oxygen is used to improve oxygen delivery to tissues. This treatment has been found to be effective in a variety of disorders in human and animal medicine, however it is underutilized in small animal medicine, in part because veterinary professionals may not be adequately familiar with how it works and when it is worthwhile. There has been hesitancy to utilize this method of treatment due to the fear of the unknowns, one example being a potential for an increase in intraocular. The mission of this project was to expand knowledge …

Backyard Bio Security: How Social Media Bridges The Gap Between Urban Chicken Farmers, Carrie Sorrell

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Urban chicken farming, defined as the practice of keeping a small flock of chickens in an urban or suburban setting for the purpose of this study, has increased in popularity in recent years. The purpose of this study is to examine how well-equipped urban chicken farmers are to care for their chickens, where they get information from, and how they judge that information to be credible. Specifically, the research looks at two diseases, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and Virulent Newcastle disease, and whether these urban farmers know about the diseases and can deal with them appropriately based on the …

Preventing Needle Stick Injuries: A Quality Improvement Project, Adrianna Kerns, Emilea Pitts, Grace Richman, Katie Rawlings, Megan Riley

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

"Needlestick injuries (NSI) affect approximately 1,000 people per day across U.S. hospitals. Needlestick injuries cost an estimated $3,042 per victim annually, according to the report. The costs go toward laboratory fees for testing exposed employees, associated labor and counseling and post-exposure follow-ups." (Beckner's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control, 2020). It was noted at an urban teaching hospital that needlestick injuries are an issue. Researchers believe this number is an underestimate of the actual amount of needle stick injuries. The purpose is to increase the education of staff nurses on the topic of needle stick injuries. We thoroughly reviewed 56 studies …