Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Strategies For Identifying Important Residues In The Trna Modification Protein Trm732, Alex K. Mullins, Natalie N. Creech, Holly Funk, Michael Guy

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Post-transcriptional tRNA modifications are required for efficient protein translation. In yeast, the Trm7 methyltransferase forms a complex with Trm732 to modify tRNA at position 32. In humans, lack of the human homolog for Trm7, FTSJ1, causes intellectual disability. Little is known about the function of Trm732, although we have shown that one conserved motif in Trm732 is important for tRNA modification. We have identified other residues important for function using two strategies. First, we compared Trm732 proteins of different organisms using protein alignments to determine conserved regions to mutate for testing. We have generated four new Trm732 variants and have …

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts Econcrete Resource Analysis, Guianina Ferrari, Shervon Stephens, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy impacted 443,000 people and caused nearly $19 billion (about $58 per person in the US) worth of damage within New York City. As part of the New York City infrastructure reparation plan, the Living Breakwaters project in Tottenville addressed coastal resilience, allocating $100M of public funds to a series of artificial breakwaters by the southwest coast of Staten Island. Each breakwater is constructed and designed to mitigate water flow in storm events. ECOncrete, a primary element of the breakwater, is a specialty cast cementitious product that is marine organism-friendly that encourages biocalcification and photosynthesis. …

From Computer Curriculum That Works For The Use Of Computer Intellignece Computer Science, Malachi B. Bacchus

Publications and Research

Computer interconnection can link different networks by using electrical artificial flow ways that can travel through different connections. these are called data network which travels through different sectors of the network simulation of service computer network using artificial intelligence to enhanced further understanding the computations, I've also demonstrated knowing by using the network to get better understanding of how ethical computing can be learned through universities and collegiate that can help established knowledge and healthy computer information. The main tools for the research are using data networking, ethical learning and translation towards different computer systems.

Is It Useful? Orthophosphate Mapping Of An Excavated Cellar Of A Mid 1700’S Tavern In New London Va, Thomas M. Bender, Randy Lichtenberger

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The partially backfilled cellar of Mead’s Tavern (VDHR # 015-0120) a circa 1760’s building in New London Virginia, was studied by orthophosphate (PO₄³) mapping of the recently exposed, culturally sterile, subsoil floor. Prior studies of the cellar had exposed a hearth along with features that were speculated to be wall partitions for subdivision of the cellar. The full intended purpose for those exposed features is unknown. To further probe that exposed subsoil prior to a major engineering stabilization of the tavern’s foundation, a chemical mapping of surface PO₄^3- levels in the cellar was done. The …

Fluid Inclusion Analysis Of Halite: A Snapshot Of The Cambrian Explosion, Amy R.A. Lefebvre

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This research focused on obtaining a brief overview of information preserved within evaporite samples formed during the Early Cambrian. With the help of halite screening methods, fluid and gas analysis, through a micro thermometer and mass spectrometer, respectively, as well as trace element analysis conducted by Act Labs, results reflecting Earth's climate over 500 million years ago were obtained. These indicated the approximate weather conditions, and atmospheric composition, during this time period, within an intracontinental dessert location. Specifically, these results reflects a global warming period, with daily variations. Although much more research is needed in order to validate this summer's …

Uncovering The Mysteries Of Retention Ponds: Comparing The Abundance And Type Of Microplastics In Storm Water Ponds In London Ontario, Natalie Rose Minda

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Microplastics are plastics <5 mm (Liu, 2019; Arthur et al., 2009). They are created in two ways: Intentionally or from the fragmentation of larger pieces of plastic (National Ocean Service, 2021). They can negatively impact human, wildlife and ecosystem health in many ways depending on the exposure, type, size, and shape of the microplastic (Campanale, 2020). Retention ponds are often created in neighborhoods to collect water in order to prevent flooding. They also often serve as habitat for wildlife. Sediment samples were collected in two ponds in London Ontario both dredged in 2016. Samples were processed in the lab and further analyzed under the microscope to isolate the microplastics. Results have not been determined yet, but the abundance and type of microplastic varies in both ponds. Plastic pollution in retention ponds should be considered more, as it poses a threat to human and ecosystem health.

Using Stable-Isotopes To Determine The Effects Of Land-Use Change On Carbon Storage, Morgan Basile

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Over the last century, there has been drastic conversion of natural vegetation to agriculture. The decomposition of plant tissue is transformed into soil organic matter that is rich in carbon and stored within soil aggregates. This research examines the effects of land-use change on carbon storage by using stable-isotopes of organic matter. The stable-isotopes of organic matter within aggregates will be used to quantify the amount of carbon that has been added to the soil after a change in land-use (e.g. restoration of agricultural land to grassland).

Meteorite Investigation And Classification, Olivia N. Benest

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Several meteorites arrive on Earth every day, but only a small percentage of them are found. They are easiest to spot on deserts or frozen ice. Western has a large number of unclassified meteorites found in the Northwest Africa (NWA) and Oman deserts. These meteorites include chondrites, achondrites, irons, and even Lunar and Martian meteorites. Classifying a meteorite requires detailed examination by optical microscopy, as well as micro X-ray diffraction (µXRD), and Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA), to observe their mineralogy (metal, oxide, sulfide, and silicate mineral phases), textures (e.g. chondrules, CAIs) and composition, in order to classify their petrologic type …

Development Of High-Resolution Meteor Spectra Analysis, Zhangqing Yang

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Meteoroids are often billions of years old and as they ablate and ionize in the atmosphere, they give off light leaving us clues to the history of our solar system. In addition, their presence imposes serious risks to our equipment and astronauts in space. My research deals with analyzing High-Resolution Meteor Spectra, which are obtained by separating the light Meteors give off through a Diffraction Grating. Firstly, as the Meteor’s speed during ablation affects its spectrum, the position, speed, and trajectory of 40 well-tracked Meteors (picked from over 500) were determined using the programs Metal and Mirfit. Then, the spectra …

Simulating Salience: Developing A Model Of Choice In The Visual Coordination Game, Adib Sedig

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This project is primarily inspired by three papers: Colin Camerer and Xiaomin Li’s (2019 working paper)—Using Visual Salience in Empirical Game Theory, Ryan Oprea’s (2020)—What Makes a Rule Complex?, and Caplin et. al.’s (2011)—Search and Satisficing. Over the summer, I worked towards constructing a model of choice for the visual coordination game that can model player behavior more accurately than traditional game theoretic predictions. It attempts to do so by incorporating a degree of bias towards salience into a cellular automaton search algorithm and utilizing it alongside a sequential search mechanism of satisficing. This …

Code Cyber: A Curated Collection Of Cybersecurity Career Learning And Preparation Resources, Kazi Tasin, Ethan Pruzhansky, Jason Lin, Tanvir Rahman, Patrick J. Slattery

Publications and Research

Since we are living in a digital age, the need to protect ourselves and those who are vulnerable to cyber-attacks is paramount to prevent cyber attacks that steal information such as banking accounts and important sensitive information.

Our research team extensively investigated the five aspects of cybersecurity such as identity, protection, detection, and response. By conducting various interviews with cybersecurity professionals, we gathered information about these five aspects for example security intelligence or security operations and response, (thread hunting, response orchestration) identity access management, (identity management, and data protection), and risks (risk perspective). Our main goal is to look into …

Fluorinated Molecularly Imprinted Polymer - Monomer And Polymer Synthesis For Pfoa Sorption, Sean Durbin

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts: Conceptual Scheduling, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy caused nearly $19 billion in damages in New York City including 69,000 residential units across the five boroughs. This disaster precipitated a post-disaster-rebuilding (PDR) project including roughly $4.2 billion in a Community Development Block Grant allocated towards PDR projects. A portion of the grant was used to construct a living breakwater in Tottenville, Staten Island, consisting of a resiliency approach to risk reduction through erosion prevention, wave energy attenuation, and enhancement of ecosystems and social resiliency to improve resistance to storms for the community of Tottenville. The ridges of each breakwater are designed with …

To Adopt Blockchain Technology Or Not: Is The Decision-Making Process Immune To Covid-19?, Rebecca Jauch

Thinking Matters Symposium

Blockchain technology has been shown to have advantages in improving the effectiveness of supply chain management. We use the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework with Threat-Rigidity Theory (TRT) to determine the factors that lead U.S. businesses to adopt blockchain technology, the factors that act as barriers to adoption, and the disruptive effect of COVID-19 on the rate of blockchain adoption

Phishing For Fun, Madeline Moran

Computer Science Research Seminars and Symposia

The process of a phishing experiment that will be used to investigate a possible correlation between a person thinking style and their susceptibility to phishing scams.

An Exploration Of A Year At The Ursinus Food Forest, Victoria Bearden

Environmental Studies Presentations

The Ursinus Food Forest began a commitment to a new form of sustainable land management at Whittaker Environmental Research Station. This management integrates lessons from urban agriculture, urban forestry, and agroforestry (see Clark & Nichols 2013) with principles of permaculture (Jacke et al 2005). Begun in 2017, and this past fall marked 2 years since the planting of phase one in 2019. In the fall of 2021 students, faculty, facilities, and volunteers planted the second phase of the food forest site, which added 7 new food producing species. Including this, many projects were created to enhance the site throughout the …

Corrosion Prevention Of Aluminum Alloy, Andrea Brenner

Symposium of Student Scholars

Aluminum alloy (Al-alloy) is a widely used metal in construction, aerospace, aviation, and other necessary fields due to its lightweight and tweakable properties. However, corrosion is inevitable on metals and alloys, and that causes millions of dollars of revenue loss every year. Therefore, we propose to research fabricating coating to prevent corrosion on Al-alloy. This study uses an iron-based metal-organic framework (MOF) and polyurethane (PU) based composite coating to prevent corrosion on the Al-alloy. The makeup of the composite material is changed by varying the percentage of MOF. In addition, a binder is also used to enhance the homogenization between …

Historical Investigation Of New London Alum Springs Through Elemental Analysis, Chloe Vernon, Asia Eskaros

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Textual or Investigative

Casein Kinases Are Required For The Stability Of The Glucose Sensing Receptor Rgt2 In Yeast, Danny Bloor

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Utilization Of Solid-State Catalysis For Screening Of Peroxidase Library, Zachariah Hutcheon, Alexa Deckert

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Analysis Of Common Adulterants, Madison Landreth, Elijah Deyoung, Jedidiah Black, Lynza Osorio

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Synthesis Of Re(Co)3[1,2-C5h3(Coc4h3s)2], Chloe Vernon, Ryan Renfro, Wilmar Janusz

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Inhibiting Nitroso Related Methylation Of Guanine Using Dietary Supplements And Flavonoids, Hannah Klose, Madeline Mccoy, Mary Hall

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Synthesis Of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer For The Detection Of Perfluorooctanoic Acid, Yuqi Wang, Hannah Rhodes

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

The Effect Of Coca-Cola™ On Fresh And Latent Blood Stains, Brittany Johnson, Bethany Smith, Katie Steigerwald, Rachel Eberle

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Basic

Synthesis And Characterization Of 5,6-Fused Ring Pyridazines, William Hobbs, Joshua Bird, Stephen Carter

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Rotoscoping Image Processing, David J. Blackstone

Student Scholar Showcase

I wrote a program to perform rotoscoping image processing. Rotoscoping is an animation technique that is used to turn real images into cartoon images. This is a lengthy process to do by hand, taking hundreds of hours. To make this job easier, I have written a program to do automated rotoscoping. This program uses many algorithms and techniques such as edge detection, blurring, directional detection, and edge tracking. What once would take hours by hand, takes seconds!

Mapping The Impact Of A Trailway System On The Amount Of Trash Present Within Two Watersheds Of Lynchburg City, Virginia, Lillian Smith

Student Scholar Showcase

Transportation of trash debris within water systems is a prominent occurrence which has been linked to natural and artificial processes such as wind, rain, and littering. Recreational areas, such as activities along greenway trails, have been determined to be a source of debris found in waterways. This study examines whether the presence of an established recreational trail system limits trash accumulation in the entirety of a watershed. Trash data collected at Blackwater Creek, which contains an established trail system, was compared to trash data collected at Fishing Creek, containing a non-established trail system, to answer this hypothesis. A distance of …

Mathematical Model Of Devil Facial Tumor Disease (Dftd) Spread In Tasmanian Devils, Abigail Collins

Scholars Week

Applications of disease models can lead to insight on spread of diseases, population movements, and wildlife health safety. This exploration of mathematical models sought to determine the spread of wildlife disease, specifically devil facial tumor disease (DFTD). Tasmanian devil populations have been negatively affected by DFTD. The basic SIR disease model was modified to better fit the spread of DFTD, along with a network model to inspect the rate of infectivity. It was found that the population of Tasmanian devils will continue to decrease in size and multiple populations are connected to each other. Models of wildlife disease have the …

Probing Small Heat Shock Protein Chaperoning Activity Through The Interaction Between Myoglobin And Guanidine Hydrochloride, Jacob Mcdowell

Celebration of Research

Myoglobin is a small biological protein found in most muscle tissues. When in the proper form (native/folded), myoglobin can serve its primary function: binding oxygen. However, like all proteins, myoglobin can denature through a variety of processes into a form that no longer binds oxygen. One denaturant, guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl), is the biological product of protein metabolism. Another class of biological proteins is small heat shock proteins (sHSPs), which have the function of chaperoning other proteins to prevent the denaturing process. Previously, in physical chemistry lab, we explored the GuHCl-induced denaturing of myoglobin. Former Northwestern students used fluorescence correlation spectroscopy …