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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Research Exercise: Perceptions Of Meaning In Liturgical Music In Christian Church Communities Of Various Denominational Identities Apr 2015

Research Exercise: Perceptions Of Meaning In Liturgical Music In Christian Church Communities Of Various Denominational Identities

Stander Symposium Projects

Music is a primary part of worship in most Christian churches around the world. Music, however, holds different meaning and serves a variety of purposes and functions within each Christian denomination. As a part of an independent study course focused on topics related to contemporary liturgical music repertoire, I chose to investigate how Ministers of Music in several different denominations of the Christian faith assigned meaning and purpose to music in the context of worship, and what particular styles they found to resonate most with their own congregations. In order to do this, I interviewed Ministers of Music from the …


Do You See What I See? Perceiving Distances From Another’S Perspective Apr 2015

Do You See What I See? Perceiving Distances From Another’S Perspective

Stander Symposium Projects

The ability to accurately perceive distances between the self and objects/targets underlies action-guidance and spatial navigation. While one can easily and accurately judge distances from his or her own perspective, it is largely unknown whether distance judgments from an imagined perspective are as accurate as from one’s own viewpoint. This study will investigate the accuracy of distance judgments made from another person’s viewpoint. To do so, participants will be asked to either adopt a confederate’s viewpoint or to imagine standing in a different location (without a confederate acting as a stand-in) and to estimate distance from these novel perspectives. As …


Research Exercise: Solving Crime Using Mathematics Apr 2015

Research Exercise: Solving Crime Using Mathematics

Stander Symposium Projects

Mathematics is used in almost every area of life. With the development of modern computers, mathematical modelling and numerical simulation is new synergy in scientific discovery. In this work nonlinear equations are solved in order to determine the time of death to solve a crime. The equations are solved with few methods and we compare the accuracy of methods.


Food And Beverage Trends In Sports And Entertainment Apr 2015

Food And Beverage Trends In Sports And Entertainment

Stander Symposium Projects

Food and beverage service is a significant revenue driver for sport and entertainment venues and recently, it has become a critical opportunity to add value and elevate consumer experiences, particularly in premium seating areas. Professional teams are signing contracts with food and beverage vendors for large guaranteed sums, like the 2012 contacts between the San Francisco 49ers and Centerplate where the 49ers receive 55% of concessions sales, a minimum of $6.8 million (San Francisco Business Times, 2012). Interviews were conducted with industry professionals to gain a better understanding of the current state of food and beverage service and trends for …


Executive Functioning Games At Home Apr 2015

Executive Functioning Games At Home

Stander Symposium Projects

The research problem we are studying is if classroom-based games used to boost children’s cognitive skills can be adapted to an at-home format. These games have been shown to boost the executive functioning skills (working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control) of young children when played in the classroom (Schmitt et al., 2014). This is important because executive functioning skills help children to adapt to an early learning environment and become ready to learn academic skills (Fuhs, Nesbitt, Farran, & Dong, 2014). Children growing up in poverty are more likely to struggle with executive functioning skills (Noble, Norman, & Farrah, …


Examining The Effects Of Self-Regulation On Self-Enhancement. Apr 2015

Examining The Effects Of Self-Regulation On Self-Enhancement.

Stander Symposium Projects

Self-regulation plays a critical role in self-presentation. The present research further examines the association between self-regulation and self-presentation by examining the role of self-regulation in self-enhancement. Research examining self-enhancement consistently finds it to be costly for self-presentation if done so in a blatant (as opposed to subtle) manner. Therefore, a common challenge faced regarding self-presentation is how to balance the desire to have and maintain a positive sense of self (i.e., self-enhance) while concurrently making a positive impression on others. Avoiding blatant self-enhancement, though, requires self-regulatory resources and depleting such resources should therefore influence the ability to fend off blatant …


Research Exercise: Animal-Assisted Intervention In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review Apr 2015

Research Exercise: Animal-Assisted Intervention In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review

Stander Symposium Projects

Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) is a general term which includes the subcategories of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and animal-assisted activity (AAA). AAI has been implemented for several centuries within both the medical and psychology fields, but there is not yet an evidence-based consensus for its use. This literature review critically examines current research on the efficacy of AAI as an intervention method for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.


Under Pressure? The Relationship Between Reciprocity, Intimacy, And Obligation In Self-Disclosure Apr 2015

Under Pressure? The Relationship Between Reciprocity, Intimacy, And Obligation In Self-Disclosure

Stander Symposium Projects

Studies of self-disclosure conducted in the lab report that individuals report greater liking for those who disclose highly intimate information; whereas field studies report that individuals report greater liking for those who disclose information of lower intimacy. One possible explanation for such inconsistent findings is that laboratory studies typically create a scenario where the recipient of self-disclosed information is expected and obligated to reciprocate. Field studies, however, remove the obligation for the participant to reciprocate, thus creating an unbiased evaluation. Thus far, research has not directly compared the level of intimacy with whether the participant is obligated to respond or …


The Relationship Of Primary And Secondary Psychopathy To Different Types Of Empathetic Deficits Apr 2015

The Relationship Of Primary And Secondary Psychopathy To Different Types Of Empathetic Deficits

Stander Symposium Projects

The present study examines the relationship between the constructs of psychopathy and empathy in 180 undergraduate students. This study attempts to address discrepancies in previous research concerning these constructs by assessing a number of different types of empathy concurrently. Participants were asked to complete measures of psychopathy, implicit and explicit cognitive and affective empathy, social desirability, and anxiety. To measure affective implicit empathy, participants listened to a mock news broadcast that is empathy evoking. While listening to the broadcast, the participants wore a heart rate monitor to determine if the individual experienced an increase in heart rate in response to …


The State Of El Salvador: Human Rights And Violence In The Post-War Era Apr 2015

The State Of El Salvador: Human Rights And Violence In The Post-War Era

Stander Symposium Projects

During the Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992), the government of El Salvador knowingly used forms of political violence such as disappearances and torture against the political opposition and other innocent civilians, including women and children. With the signing of the Peace Accords in 1992, El Salvador has since transitioned from an authoritarian regime to a democracy. This project focuses on how the change in regime type influenced the level of repression and respect for human rights in El Salvador. The research analyzes two conflict resolution mechanisms, the Peace Accords and Truth Commission, and the implementation of democratic practices such as elections …


Clothing Type Versus Color: Understanding The Role Of Dress And Ovulation On Mate-Attraction Effectiveness And Mate-Guarding. Apr 2015

Clothing Type Versus Color: Understanding The Role Of Dress And Ovulation On Mate-Attraction Effectiveness And Mate-Guarding.

Stander Symposium Projects

The dual-mating hypothesis suggests that mating strategies adopted by women vary across the menstrual cycle. While women are usually attracted to men who exhibit strong potential as a provider, at peak fertility women are attracted to men who exhibit stronger genes. To attract genetically strong men at peak fertility, research shows that women will alter their behavior in ways that make them more attractive to members of the opposite sex. For example, women tend to wear red clothing and clothing that shows more skin at peak fertility in an effort to attract a mate. These mate-attraction strategies not only increase …


Retrofitting Retiring Coal Fired Power Plants To Burn Rubber Tire Scraps Apr 2015

Retrofitting Retiring Coal Fired Power Plants To Burn Rubber Tire Scraps

Stander Symposium Projects

New legislation passed by United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2011 requires fossil-fuel fired electric generation units to limit the amount of toxic emissions releases by combustion. Two most important measures, known as Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards, will effect roughly 1,100 coal-fired electric generation units. These facilities are forced to decide between investing in scrubbing technology to reduce their emission rates and retiring. The number of facilities retiring is unknown but many predictions expect severe electric generation capacity reductions in regions that rely heavily on coal-fired generation. The amount of planned electric capacity …


Research Exercise: Closed Loop Container Glass Recycling In The State Of Ohio Apr 2015

Research Exercise: Closed Loop Container Glass Recycling In The State Of Ohio

Stander Symposium Projects

Glass recycling is one of the fastest growing recycled materials in the country; however, there is a lot that comes into play in order to determine the efficiency of glass recycling. The state of Ohio is in a unique situation due to the fact that it is in close proximity to a large amount of glass production facilities, both in state and nearby out of state. This allows glass recycling facilities to achieve a high rate of production, as well as keep a relatively high efficiency rate due to low transportation cost. That being said, there is still much that …


Research Exercise: Ethos - Appropriate Solar Technology For Bihar, India Apr 2015

Research Exercise: Ethos - Appropriate Solar Technology For Bihar, India

Stander Symposium Projects

An investigation of the potential for appropriate solar technology in Bihar, India, including solar thermal refrigeration systems. The feasibility of solar PV cells within a micro grid system was studied for applications to existing refrigerators. This is pre-work for an upcoming ETHOS immersion in Bihar, India.


Are Young Children’S Music Preferences Associated With The Singer’S Race? Apr 2015

Are Young Children’S Music Preferences Associated With The Singer’S Race?

Stander Symposium Projects

Few studies have examined Racial/Ethnic (R/E) Identity in early childhood. The current study utilizes a novel approach to measuring this construct and, further, investigates whether R/E Identity is related to cross-race acceptance. African American and White kindergarten children were asked to rate the quality of 4 female and 4 male singers, each of whom is depicted on a video clip. Among the 8 video clips are 2 pairs of female singers and 2 pairs of male singers. Within each pair of same-sex singers, one is Black and the other is White. The same sound track is used for each pair. …


An Examination Of The Relationship Between Perceived Social Support And Medication Adherence In Uninsured Patients With Hypertension Apr 2015

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Perceived Social Support And Medication Adherence In Uninsured Patients With Hypertension

Stander Symposium Projects

Hypertension is a relatively common chronic condition that affects approximately one in three Americans. Successful management and treatment often requires individuals to take antihypertensive medications regularly. However, non-adherence to varying levels and for different reasons is rather common. Untreated hypertension can lead to serious health consequences including heart attacks, heart disease, and kidney damage. Additionally, individuals without health insurance are more likely to have uncontrolled levels of high blood pressure than those with health insurance. It was predicted that increased perceptions of social support would be correlated with higher levels of antihypertensive medication adherence. 79 uninsured individuals with at least …


Risk And Resilience: A Prospective Analysis Of The Complex Effects Of Internalizing Problems On Alcohol Use In Adolescence Apr 2015

Risk And Resilience: A Prospective Analysis Of The Complex Effects Of Internalizing Problems On Alcohol Use In Adolescence

Stander Symposium Projects

Previous research suggests that there exist both risk and protective mechanisms for the relationship between internalizing problems and alcohol use outcomes. The present study aims to determine whether deviant peer affiliations and risk aversion are two protective mediating mechanisms of this relationship. A risk mechanism of high negative emotionality, consistent with the tension reduction hypothesis, will also be investigated. For exploratory purposes, the mediators will be tested on three separate alcohol use outcomes: frequency of use, frequency of heavy use, and problematic use. Data from age cohorts 9, 12, and 15 (N=2,339) of the Project on Human Development in Chicago …


Postsecondary Transition For Young Adults With Traumatic Brain Injuries Apr 2015

Postsecondary Transition For Young Adults With Traumatic Brain Injuries

Stander Symposium Projects

Many students with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) face difficulty transitioning from high school to postsecondary settings. This presentation will share results of a study that examined the transition experience of young adults with TBIs, from the perspective of the students and their parents. Participants will learn about the transition experiences of students who sustained TBIs and discuss services that can be provided to high school students with TBIs to promote a successful transition to a postsecondary setting.


Muscle Activity With The Use Of A Compact Elliptical Trainer Apr 2015

Muscle Activity With The Use Of A Compact Elliptical Trainer

Stander Symposium Projects

Neurological disorders such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis are a leading cause of long-term disability. As a result, individuals with neurological disorders often have low activity levels and have difficulty participating in regular exercise to maintain health and fitness. Some of these barriers include safety, transportation and cost. As a result, finding a safe and effective means of exercise is difficult. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an affordable home exercise device for promoting muscle activity in the lower extremities. Ten individuals without neurological disorders were tested in this pilot investigation. Subjects used …


Sector Allocation And Stock Selection For The Flyer Fund: A Study In Propagation And Attribution Analysis For The Year 2014: Part 2 Apr 2015

Sector Allocation And Stock Selection For The Flyer Fund: A Study In Propagation And Attribution Analysis For The Year 2014: Part 2

Stander Symposium Projects

This Research Project extends the work of Eric Flanigan on Stock Selection and Attribution Analysis for the UD Flyer Fund. Flanigan used Bloomberg’s Propagation Analysis model to generate alternate stock selections for the Flyer Fund based on certain assumptions about the US macroeconomy. He assumed that oil prices would fall, interest rates would fall, and market volatility would fall with the continued steady growth for the US Economy. I build on his research by rebalancing his alternate portfolios of stocks at the end of each quarter. I also extended the analysis to include the first two months of 2015, which …


Characterization And Application Of Bubbles During Thermal Blooming In A Thermal Medium Apr 2015

Characterization And Application Of Bubbles During Thermal Blooming In A Thermal Medium

Stander Symposium Projects

When a highly absorbing thermal medium is heated with a focused laser pump beam, diffraction ring patterns can be observed due to self-phase modulation. When the laser power increases, the usual self-phase modulation diffraction patterns change due to bubble formation inside the thermal lens created by the focused beam. This phenomenon is called thermal blooming and can be considered as the next step to self-phase modulation. A stable bubble is formed using a focused laser beam, and the bubble is characterized using holograms made with a probe beam. A 532 nm Argon-Ion laser is used as the pump and a …


Brain Machine Interface For A Robotic Arm Apr 2015

Brain Machine Interface For A Robotic Arm

Stander Symposium Projects

The purpose of this project is to expand the capabilities of an existing interface of controlling a static robotic arm with brainwaves. Brainwaves are collected with an Emotiv EPOC headset. The Emotiv headset utilizes electroencephalography (EEG) to collect the brain signals. This project makes use of the Emotiv software suites to classify the thoughts of a subject as a specific action. The software then sends a keystroke to the robotic interface to control the robotic arm. The team is to identify actions for mapping, implement these chosen actions, and evaluate the system’s performance. The actions chosen and their implementation would …


Automatic Perception And Target Detection In Lidar Data Apr 2015

Automatic Perception And Target Detection In Lidar Data

Stander Symposium Projects

LiDAR is a remote sensing technology which uses a set of 3D geo-referenced points in order to describe a scene. Aerial LiDAR is often collected using UAVs or airplanes which can passively collect data over a short period of time, often over several miles. This can result in millions of points used to describe a scene. LiDAR data is often used for surveillance and military applications and because of the large amount of data and varying resolutions it can be difficult for analysts to recognize and identify mission critical targets within the scene. The goal of this project is to …


Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization Applied To Aircraft Control Apr 2015

Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization Applied To Aircraft Control

Stander Symposium Projects

For the longitudinal dynamics of a fixed wing aircraft with rigid frame, a Proportional-Integral (PI) controller for controlling the forward velocity of the aircraft and a gain-scheduled Proportional-Integral-Differential (PID) like controller, with the forward velocity used as the scheduling variable, for controlling the flight path angle of the aircraft are designed. For a set of working PI gains, previously found through an experienced-based design, derivation and tuning of PID gains for a select number of forward velocities is computationally achieved through the use of a stable Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. Several performance measures, normalized so as to suppress differences …


“Optimization Of The Hydro Thermal Liquefaction Process For Increased Yields, And For Both Energy And Cost Efficient Production Of A Cleaner Bio-Crude Suitable For Refineries” Apr 2015

“Optimization Of The Hydro Thermal Liquefaction Process For Increased Yields, And For Both Energy And Cost Efficient Production Of A Cleaner Bio-Crude Suitable For Refineries”

Stander Symposium Projects

Increased use and limited reserves of fossil fuels have increased interest in renewable fuels. Algae biomass has been identified as a viable renewable fuel feedstock for biofuel (green diesel / jet fuel) generation. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising energy efficient technology for converting wet-algae biomass into energy dense “bio-crude” suitable for use in refineries and recycling nutrients for growing algae. The composition of the bio-crude affects the quality and the process economics involved in converting the bio-crude to commercial fuel. Both the process operating conditions and the algal HTL feedstock composition affect the bio-crude composition. Thus, the proposed effort …


A Match Or A Mismatch: Comparing College Stated Learning Goals To Student Learning Goals And Perception Of Educational Quality Apr 2015

A Match Or A Mismatch: Comparing College Stated Learning Goals To Student Learning Goals And Perception Of Educational Quality

Stander Symposium Projects

An institution’s ability to meet students’ learning expectations influences student perceptions of educational quality and usefulness. Currently, colleges and universities are trying to provide evidence of these attributes through various summative assessment instruments. However, the content and structure of most assessment instruments measures what students have retained, not actual cognitive change or instances of goal achievement. This study surveyed a random sample of students at a four-year liberal arts college asking them to describe their personal learning goals and quantify the quality and usefulness of the education they received. The students’ goals were then compared to the stated goals of …


A Personal Touch To Advising: A Comparison Of Two Academic Advising Models At A Mid-Western Catholic Institution Apr 2015

A Personal Touch To Advising: A Comparison Of Two Academic Advising Models At A Mid-Western Catholic Institution

Stander Symposium Projects

This research explored the differences between advisers in the school of business and the engineering department. It provides an interactive opportunity for participants to share their opinions. The significance of this qualitative study is to help higher education institutions continue to develop an environment, which will best fit students with their different needs. According to the research that has been found, both faculty and professional advisers have positive and negative attributes (Filson 2011). This research shows that it is vital for student affairs professionals to take a closer look at the effect academic advisers have on the student experience.


School-Books On Tape: The Tensile And Adhesive Strength Of Duct Tape In A College Backpack Apr 2015

School-Books On Tape: The Tensile And Adhesive Strength Of Duct Tape In A College Backpack

Stander Symposium Projects

Two general categories were used to assess the strength of duct tape constructions: adhesive strength and tensile strength. Previously made duct tape backpacks frequently suffered from adhesive failure around the narrowest portion of the shoulder straps, and where small cosmetic patches were applied. When a backpack is lifted, it experiences a force which is greater than the resting weight.The hypothesis states that there is an area of application between two pieces of duct tape such that they will behave as a uniform piece and experience tensile failure, that two sufficiently overlapped pieces can hold within 5% of the load carried …


Rural Area Microgrid Implementation Repository (Ramir): A Tool For Integrating Economic, Environmental, And Societal Aspects Of Microgrid Systems Implementation. Apr 2015

Rural Area Microgrid Implementation Repository (Ramir): A Tool For Integrating Economic, Environmental, And Societal Aspects Of Microgrid Systems Implementation.

Stander Symposium Projects

Installing an efficient power generation infrastructure requires sensible selection strategies to consider significant variations of planning requirements for specific geographical regions. There has been a growing effort of research to provide a technically sounds and economically feasible source of electricity to underdeveloped regions through microgrid systems. However, there has been little effort to provide information through easily accessible web spaces or repositories to locate relevant research for rural area microgrid development. The main intention of this research project is to generate an open source web based tool named the Rural Area Microgrid Implementation Repository (RAMIR) to support microgrid implementation for …


Enhanced Physiological Microenvironment For Improved Evaluation Of Nanoparticle Behavior Apr 2015

Enhanced Physiological Microenvironment For Improved Evaluation Of Nanoparticle Behavior

Stander Symposium Projects

Due to their distinctive physicochemical properties, nanoparticles (NPs) have proven to be extremely advantageous for product and application development, but are capable of inducing detrimental outcomes in biological systems. Standard in vitro methodologies are currently the primary means for evaluating NP safety, as vast quantities of particles exist that require appraisal. Here, we developed an enhanced in vitro model that retains the advantages of cell culture, but introduces the key physiological variables of accurate biological fluid and dynamic flow. As NP behavior and subsequent bioresponses are highly dependent upon their surroundings, this developed microenvironment provides a more relevant system to …