Undergraduate Research Posters 2017

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  Synthesis of Sialic Acid Derivatives and Their Immune Cells Modulation

  Joseph Keil, Lei Yuan, and Yu Zhao

  The exterior cell surfaces of macrophages express a dense layer of glycans which are often terminated by sialic acid. Sialic acid is an acidic monosaccharide whose presence on the terminal ends of glycans affects cellular function and properties. In particular, due to its hydrophilic and electronegative features, SAs play important roles in both physiological and pathological processes, such as in regulating cellular interactions with ligands, microbes and neighboring cells and in controlling cellular activation, differentiation, transformation and migration. In this study two sialic acid derivatives were synthesized and characterized, the ... Read More

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  Going Green: Experimental Adaptation of Scenedesmus Dimorphus to Marine Conditions

  Mohammed Khalil

  Algae has gained some interest as the need for alternative fuels becomes more pressing. Reliance on fossil fuels is causing our environment and economy harm, and is not sustainable moving forward. Lipid rich algae strains can be used in the production of biofuels, and provide an alternative fuel source. One challenge facing the prospect of algae as a fuel source is that lipid rich algae grows exclusively in freshwater. Considering the scarcity and cost to use freshwater for algae growth, interest has grown in the possibility of adapting lipid rich, ... Read More

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  P1: Measuring Wind using a Hovering Drone Network: Met-Masts on the Go

  Mohamad Khattab and Hassan Jaroudi

  Renewable energy has grown considerably over the past years, with a projected growth of $460 billion per year by 2030. One of these renewable energies is deploying wind turbines to harvest wind energy. Knowledge of wind speed and direction is critical to determine the appropriate site to place wind turbines. The current method of collecting wind data primarily by installing stationary meteorological towers is expensive and limited, because met masts are fixed once built. This research aims at using a network of hovering drones as a platform to measure wind ... Read More

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  Development of the Parenting Style and Practice Scale (PSPS) in examining parenting practices and children's academic performance

  Morgan Kubisch, Danieele Poissant, and Beth Friedman-Romell

  What roles do parents play in fostering children's academic success in school? There is a general consensus that confirms the importance of parenting styles and practices on children's academic performance (e.g., Pinquart, 2015). However, there is a lack of up-to-date systematic parenting scales with acceptable validity and reliability. For this reason, it limits our understanding of parenting related studies in the current context. Developing a questionnaire is critical to conduct cross diverse comparisons which would broaden the generalizability of the related research. Adopting the review of literature research approach, the ... Read More

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  Evaluation of cetane values of glycerolipids extracted from algae Scenedesmus dimorphus grown in various salinity concentrations using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS)

  Paul Lin and Chandana Mannem

  Algae's ability to store lipids, renewability, and potentially safer for the environment has made it a promising alternative fuel source. An industry rating for a biofuel's potential is the cetane value, which is a measure of a fuel's quality related to various glycerolipid concentrations. Growing conditions will affect lipid profile in algae, thereby affecting the cetane value. This project will attempt to identify changes in the centane value of the algae Scenedesmus dimorphus grown in various salinity concentrations. Scenedesmus dimorphus is the algae chosen for this experiment because of its ... Read More

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  express recombinant Tb12990 protein from E. coli for DNA binding analysis

  Alex Lotozynski

  Trypanosoma brucei is a parasitic protozoan species, causing sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock. Its vector, the tsetse fly, feeds on an infected host and passes the parasites into the bloodstream of other mammalian hosts. The unique challenge for elimination is its complex process of antigenic variation, where the parasite regularly switches its major surface antigen, VSG. When the parasite enters the mammalian host, the host responds by making a corresponding antibody against its major surface antigen, VSG. However, although most parasites are eliminated, a small population can ... Read More

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  Phosphorus variations in Lake Erie and its Major Tributaries

  Shiying Lu

  As a recurring symptom of eutrophication in Lake Erie, massive blooms of harmful algae pose a threat to safe drinking water supply and recreational water use. Causes of the recent re-eutrophication in the lake include changes in the tributary phosphorus loading and/or increases in the internal nutrient loading potentially mediated by the colonization of zebra and quagga mussels. This study is to investigate the phosphorus variations in different nearshore locations of the lake and its major tributaries for a better understanding of the lake's trophic conditions. A total of 21 ... Read More

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  P1: Dispersion and Characterization of Boron Nitride Nanotubes Stabilized by DNA

  Camerin McDonald

  Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are newly emerging nanomaterials with extraordinary mechanical properties as well as thermal and chemical stability. There have been growing interests in both fundamental studies and technological development of BNNTs such as protective coatings for high temperature and hazardous environments due to recent success in large scale synthesis of BNNTs. In this work, various DNA sequences were utilized to stabilize aqueous dispersions of BNNTs. First, we determined the optimum mass ratio of 1:1 for BNNTs:DNA using (GT)20 by UV-vis absorbance measurements. Second, the DNA length effect on ... Read More

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  BUDDY: A Virtual Reality Based Computer System for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

  Missy Montague and Gabriel Madison

  Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder, and it has two essential domains of symptoms: (1) restrictive and repetitive behaviors, such as having a lasting and intense interest in certain topics, and sensory challenges; (2) social impairment and communication difficulties. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 68 children has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and the prevalence increased by 119.4% from 2000 to 2010. In the US alone, there are more than 3.5 million people who suffer from ... Read More

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  An Exploration of Cleveland After School and Summer Programs

  Alissa Mullen and Ashley Wilson

  Increasing rates of homicide and crimes in Cleveland in recent years among young adults suggests a need to improve efforts for early prevention and intervention. After school programming may provide one such opportunity. The first goal of this study was to compile information on community after-school programs available to Cleveland youth, particularly those with an aim to reduce risk behavior related to juvenile delinquency. The second goal was to document which programs focus on the four factors shown to most reduce juvenile delinquency: building positive peer relationships, emphasis on drug ... Read More

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  Achieving Atomically Smooth Surfaces and Ultra Sharp Platinum-Iridium Tips for Deposition of Organic Molecules

  William Myers

  Organic materials are used in traditional solar cells and in flexible electronics. Unfortunately, the conductivities of organic semiconductors are significantly lower than their inorganic counterparts. This project examines the crucial first steps to enhancing the conductivities of these organic materials by crystallization via surface reconstructions. For this, the surface must be not only atomically smooth, but also atomically clean because there must be both enough room for the molecule to lie on and no possible adsorbates for the deposited material to react with. In this work, we looked at two ... Read More

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  Effects of Palatal Anesthesia on Timing of Muscle Contraction During Suckling Infant Pigs

  Nadet Najjar

  Abstract not provided

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  P1: Salt Concentration and pH Affect the Size of Elastin-Like Polypeptide Nanoparticles

  Bryce Noe, Ilona Tsuper, Daniel Terano, and Richard Schmitt

  The transport of therapeutic drugs to specific tissues in the body can be accomplished using nanoparticles that encapsulate the drugs. Elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) is a class of materials that can reversibly form such nanoparticles in response to environmental cues. FLPs transition from soluble compounds to a phase separated system under particular solution conditions and have been used to produce temperature responsive surfactants. When these ELP surfactants are above their transition temperature, they spontaneously form energetically stable spherical micelles. When the temperature drops below the transition temperature, the micelles break apart ... Read More

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  Identification of selective anti-trypanosome agents from compound library LOPAC

  Cody M. Orahoske and Myah S. Marbury

  Sleeping sickness disease (human African trypanosomiasis) is still a major health threat to a large number of people in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, the estimated infection cases in these areas are between 300,000 and 500,000. Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense are the pathogens of sleeping sickness in humans. These parasites live and proliferate mainly in the blood and tissue fluids of the infected mammals and are transmitted by tsetse flies (Glossina spp.). The disease starts from a bite by an infected tsetse fly and goes through ... Read More

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  Fabricating non-close packed colloidal monolayers for ion irradiation templates

  Nandini Padaraju

  Due to their unique properties, anisotropic nanoparticles are desirable components for future applications yet there are few processes capable of fabricating nanoparticle impregnated coatings for the manufacturing environment. Our work seeks to develop new masking techniques for the production of the templated substrates that will induce ordered nanoparticle films. Specifically, we are fabricating non-close packed colloidal monolayers onto silicon substrates, which then serve as the template for ion irradiation. The first steps to creating this monolayer are obtaining a spin-coated poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) thin film of ~200 nm and a ... Read More

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  Fungal colonization of the invasive plant, lesser celandine

  Allison Paoluccis and David Burke

  Lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) is an invasive spring ephemeral in Northeast Ohio. This problematic invasive plant forms a dense vegetative mat on forest floors. As a result, R. ficaria prevents the establish of many native species of flora. Despite, the growing concerns about the impacts of this species, little is known about the mechanisms underlying its variable success. This study focuses on determining the presence of beneficial fungal associations as a possible explanation for enhanced plant performance. Samples were gathered from eight sites in the Rocky River Metroparks, Ohio along ... Read More

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  The Factor Structure of Time Beliefs and Perceptions: Predicting Punctuality, Procrastination, And The Use Of Time.

  Michelle M. Paul, Maria Rowlett, Steve Slane, Katrina Slivka, and Sierra Bonifant

  The purpose of this research on time and personality is to evaluate one's perception of time and how behavior plays a role with procrastination. In addition, time can also coincide with personality factors, such as vigilance, compulsiveness, avoidance, and the Big 5. Substantial evidence has concluded that time perception and behavior are important factors that play into, and give value to, personality. A principal factor analysis concerning the perception of time and measurement of behavior resulted in a six-factor solution: Negative View of the Past, Sluggishness, Goal Setting, Risk Taking, ... Read More

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  Bisexuals' Partnerships: The Link Between Binegativity and Relationship Satisfaction

  Emily Pohorence

  Bisexual individuals face a number of distinct forms of discrimination compared to heterosexual, lesbian, and gay individuals. Further, bisexual individuals face a double discrimination where not only do heterosexual individuals discriminate against bisexual people, but individuals identifying as a sexual minority also perpetuate this stigma. This can be seem even more so in partnerships. This form of discrimination is known as binegativity, or the view of bisexual people as a lesser value, more likely to be bad partners, and several other negative opinions. The purpose of this study was to ... Read More

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  Identifying Potential Causes of Human Birth Defects through Genetic Studies of Worm Development

  Solomiya Pushchak and Kaveri Khanna

  We will use the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans to study the process of meiosis, which is involved in the formation of gametes (sperm and eggs). Its small size, rapid life cycle, transparency and well-annotated genome allows researchers to track the effects of mutations that disrupt gametogenesis. Our preliminary data demonstrated that a genetic screen for mutations that increase the viability of embryos produced by worms lacking SPO-11, a critical factor regulating meiotic chromosomal inheritance, can identify genes required for the accurate transmission of the genome from one generation to the next. ... Read More

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  Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation for the Production of Functional Motion of a Human Arm

  Kyra Ruby

  Persons with tetraplegia experience little to no function in their arms and are therefore unable to perform reaching tasks without assistance. While functional electrical stimulation (FES) has shown promise for restoring motion to paralyzed limbs, it is limited by issues such as muscle fatigue and atrophy. A control strategy robust enough to overcome these issues has yet to be developed and some motions are not feasible even with the most sophisticated FES control strategy. In theory, a powered exoskeleton could be used in concert with an FES system to increase ... Read More

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  P3: DOES LEXICALITY AFFECT CLASSIFICATION PERFORMANCE OF TWO-LETTER STRINGS?

  Nicole Russo and Lea Araya

  Some models of word identification hypotheses units responsive to bigrams—letter pairs—that may not be adjacent in a letter-string stimulus. Grainger, Mathot, and Vitu (2014) and Palinski (2016) found, for words, responding was more efficient when flanking bigrams contained target-string letters than when they did not. They also found that responding was more efficient when flanking bigrams contained letters ordered as in the target than switched but whether flanking bigrams were ordered as in the target did not affect performance. Palinski (2016) replicated the results of Grainger et al. (2014) and ... Read More

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  P1: ADJACENT-LETTER FLANKING BIGRAMS AFFECT LEXICAL DECISION PERFORMANCE

  Nicole M. Russo and Lea G. Araya

  In a lexical decision task in which target strings were flanked by pairs of bigrams, Grainger, Mathot, and Vitu (Acta Psychologica, 2014) found, for words, better performance when flanking bigrams contained target-string letters (e.g., BI BIRD RD; RD BIRD BI; IB BIRD DR; DR BIRD IB) than when they did not (e.g., CE BIRD NT); better performance when flanking bigrams contained letters ordered as in the target (e.g., BI BIRD RD; RD BIRD BI) than switched (e.g., IB BIRD DR; DR BIRD IB); and that only letter order within bigrams—not ... Read More

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  The Effects of Cell Cycle Position on Skeletal Myoblast Differentiation or Apoptosis

  Asma Saleh and Briana Boslett

  Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is induced by the same culture conditions as differentiation in skeletal myoblasts, yet these processes result in mutually exclusive physiological endpoints. Dissecting this coordinate regulation could enable selective manipulation relevant to the alleviation of muscle degeneration, the effectiveness of regeneration, or treatment utilizing skeletal myoblast transfer. Analysis of asynchronous cultures of myoblasts in growth media (GM) were determined to have 50% of cells in G1 phase, 30% of cells in S phase and 20% of cells in G2/M phase. When skeletal myoblasts in GM are switched ... Read More

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  Experimental Analysis of Catalytic Gasification of Waste Polymers

  Samuel O. Sanya, UC Obiako, Aliandra Barbutti, Stephen Reeves, Eric M. Lange, and Jade Moten

  This research focuses on advancing the current knowledge of a catalytic gasification process as a potential in-situ resource utilization and waste management system. This research has significance in a variety of engineering applications, but is of particular relevance towards municipal waste management and advancing space exploration. In this technology, typically referred to as Trash to Supply Gas (TtSG), liquid phase oxidation reactions produce carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water. The oxidation reactions are complemented by two gas-phase reactions: the Water Gas Shift (WGS) and the Sabatier (or methanation) reaction, the ... Read More

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  Connected FPGA Thermal Monitoring

  John Schultz

  Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) are configurable integrated circuits. One area that is very important in integrated circuits is temperature control. Improper heat control can lead to a decreased lifespan and possible failure of the device. Many different circuits can be created on the FPGA to suit a specific project or need. Due to FGPAs being configurable, it is hard to create efficient cooling methods. Our project seeks to monitor the FGPA's temperature with different configurations to eventually increase the efficiency of the thermal management system. To accomplish this, we ... Read More