Student Academic Conference 2021 Presentations

Real estate is confusing and it’s often tough to find a place to start. Big numbers might scare you, but we’re here to break it down to show you how accessible the real estate market can be.  We will offer a user interface that will give you an all in one solution to learn, browse and invest in the real estate market. We used the lean canvas startup method to interview 15 customers composed of consumers, experts, and leaders in the field to develop our model. By educating novice investors and providing attainable solutions we aim to simplify the investing process to make investing in property a reality for everyone.

Starting the spring semester of 2021, I began working on a monthly YouTube video series called What’s Up for the MSUM Planetarium. This is an ongoing project that focuses on the different events that occur in the sky each month. I select about four different events to highlight for the month and do research on them. This project highlights the activity that takes place at different times of the year and gives some explanation about the individual activities.

The purpose of this single-subject research was to examine the effects of token systems on behavior in a preschool classroom. Two students at Noah’s Ark Preschool were observed before, during, and after the implementation of a token system to find the effects on off-task behavior. During the intervention the student received one poker chip as a token for every five minutes without displaying any instances of the four off-task behaviors targeted in this study. At the end of the class day, the student was able to trade five poker chips for a sticker. The two students were observed for off-task behaviors during one following class session. The results and discussion review the effects of a token system at the preschool level as well as the persistence of effects after the token system is removed.

The purpose of this research was to use computational chemistry to model the decomposition of pentafluoroethane (C2F5H) into HF and C2F4. Both the energetics and dynamics of this reaction were investigated with the DFT B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) level of theory and basis set. The electronic structure calculations were performed using NWChem software. The energetics were investigated by computing the optimized geometries and vibrational frequencies of the reactants, products, and transition state, followed by computing the minimum energy path for the reaction. The barrier height and enthalpy change calculated with this level of theory and basis set were found to be somewhat close to experimental literature values, but not within experimental error. The dynamics were investigated using a mixed quantum-classical model. The frequency and curvature coupling for each vibrational mode and the potential energy along the minimum energy path were fit to Eckart and Gaussian functions to use as input for the dynamics calculation. The main results of the dynamics calculation were the partitioning of the potential energy along the reaction path to the product degrees of freedom and the populations of molecules in vibrational quantum states v = 0 through v = 4 at the end of the reaction. Although the majority of the potential energy released as relative translational energy of the products, a significant fraction was also partitioned to product vibration. The populations in each vibrational quantum state for the HF product were found to be in excellent agreement with experimental values. 

Planetariums are typically spaces for gathering audiences for education and entertainment. Since we have been unable to physically gather audiences at the MSUM Planetarium, we have been pursuing virtual content options and preparing for eventual reopening. 

Seasonal holiday shows are highlights of our yearly programming, so executing virtual versions was a high priority. A Christmas themed constellation show was created with custom artwork. A Valentine’s video was recorded with the goal to teach audiences how to find constellations on their own. These presentations were done with Stellarium software and offered opportunity to familiarize ourselves with this software.

Other than video content, visual media can connect with audiences online. A weekly series was launched, called Watercolor Wednesdays, in which an original astronomy-themed artwork was shared on social media along with an informative caption. This connected the arts to the sciences in a way that is interesting and informative to online audiences.

In preparation for eventually reopening, we have been preparing to offer exciting presentations and activities. One of the activities we want to offer again is the use of the Artemis Spaceship Bridge simulator. This game allows participants to command and operate their own spaceship, with each person taking on a role and collaborating to complete objectives. The Artemis game setup was first used at MSUM in 2015 but hasn’t seen frequent use since then. This game can be offered to student organizations on campus looking for team-building activities, summer programs for kids, private groups, and public events.

For the past 12 months SARS-CoV-19 has been a prominent scientific topic in both the United States and the world due to its relatively high mortality rate and ability to spread efficiently and unpredictably. The effects of this viral agent have been the cause of many hospitalizations that include the placement of some of the infected individuals in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The question being asked in this statistical analysis is does the percentage of infected individuals placed in statewide hospital’s ICUs differ due to state’s latitudinal location over a 12-month period? The data being analyzed in this experiment will come from the Minnesota and Alabama Covid-19 datasets at The COVID Tracking Project. During this exploratory data analysis, I will be comparing the percentage of infected individuals placed in an ICU due to SARS-CoV-19 in the States of Minnesota & Alabama due to their different latitudinal location within the United States and similar population size. During this analysis, recorded data over the course of a roughly 12-month period from 2/2020 to 2/2021 in quartered increments of 3 months will be used. A possible result that may be concluded from this statistical analysis is that there will be a difference in the percentage of SARS-Cov-19 infected individuals sent to ICUs between Minnesota and Alabama.

Detecting and avoiding predators is an important part of the ecology of small fish. We tested Zebrafish (Danio rerio), a group of fish that belong to the Superorder Ostariophysi (a group of fish known for being able to hear frequencies) to explore how they associate predation risk with auditory stimuli. Zebrafish were conditioned simultaneously exposing them to chemical alarm cues (released from skin extract, simulating cues released during an attack) and auditory stimuli to associate the two together. They were then retested using just the auditory stimuli alone to see if they would react in a similar manner without the presence of the alarm cues. Zebrafish demonstrated that they learned to associate fear with an auditory stimulus after a single simultaneous pairing with skin extract. We then tested whether zebrafish learning was specific to the frequency of the tone used in the conditioning trial, or if they showed generalized learning to associate fear with tones of any frequency. Zebrafish were conditioned the same way as previously mentioned; except this time during the testing phase, the Zebrafish were tested using a different tone frequency. Zebrafish responses were consistent with association of fear with specific tone frequencies, and not a generalized fear response to any tone frequency. This is the first known research done on learned specialization between two notes and its correlation to a predatory risk in response to a chemical alarm cue. This raises questions as to how far this range of specialization can go following the spectrum of sound.

Detecting and avoiding predators is an important part of the ecology of small fish. We are testing Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna), a group of fish that does not belong to the Superorder Ostariophysi (a group of fish known for being able to hear sounds and frequencies) but still communicates through means of grunt and croaks without possessing the organs needed to hear frequencies. We are going to explore how they associate predation risk with auditory stimuli without being able to hear. Honey Gourami were conditioned simultaneously exposing them to chemical alarm cues (released from skin extract, simulating cues released be a predator attack) and auditory stimuli to associate the two together. They will then be retested using just the auditory stimuli alone to see if they would react in a similar manner without the presence of the alarm cues. We are hoping that the Honey Gouramis demonstrate that they learned to associate fear with an auditory stimulus after a single simultaneous pairing with skin extract. This will show that they are still able to hear croaks from another Gourami and associate it with the chemical stimulus. This will be the first known research done on learned association between Gourami croaks and its correlation to a predatory risk in response to a chemical alarm cue. This raises questions as to how far this range of association can go between different audio tracks of Gourami croaks to see if they can learn to associate a certain pattern with the alarm cue.

Abstract

The impact of COVID-19 on the world is unprecedented in modern times. With more than 2 million deaths and 100 million cases worldwide, the race to deliver a vaccine is of utmost importance. The decision to approve vaccines, which ordinarily takes years, is reduced to a few weeks to control the virus. Our presentation will review five main sections: The first part is a general understanding of COVID-19. Next is the developmental stage of vaccine production. The third is the manufacturing of the COVID-19 vaccine. Fourth is the vaccine's distribution process throughout the United States and, lastly, the vaccines' administration and its challenges. We will also use Descriptive, Prescriptive, and Predictive Analytics to understand the sections and the disease better.

The purpose of this literature review was to explore the use of video modeling as an intervention approach targeting social communication skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A search of electronic databases for relevant peer-reviewed journal articles was conducted. This poster describes the evidence supporting video modeling as an effective intervention approach. An overview of the four types of video modeling and their strengths/limitations outlined with ideas for practical implementation of video modeling provided.  

The purpose of this study was to look at the efficacy of Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Sexual?Violence?prevention?program.?The?data?collected?will be?used to?inform future directions of?the program.?The program, “In Their?Shoes and Bystander?Intervention?Overview”?was?presented to?542?freshman students in the First Year Experience course?in?the spring semester?of 2018?and fall semester of 2019.?Participants in the study were MSUM students over the age of 18. No identifiable information?was?collected from?students. The students took the survey on paper before and after the?program?measuring each question with a 4-point?likert?scale. The survey included measures of knowledge surrounding?intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and victim blaming. It?measured?comfortability?in?having?conversations?about those?topics, getting help/resources, and having the knowledge and skills to intervene in?situations?of intimate?partner?and sexual violence.?Lastly,?the survey?measured the belief?in the possibility?of?preventing?intimate partner?violence?and having the ability to positively impact campus culture. It is expected that?the program will be shown as effective in?comparing surveys before and after the program. Ineffective components of the program?will be addressed and improved upon. 

Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect and replicate within bacterial cells. They exist in a multitude of habitats wherever bacteria are found. However, most phages can only infect a subset of bacterial species. Phages have proteins on their tail fibers that bind with specific receptors on a bacteria outer membrane, which is what specifies a phage for a bacterium. Many phages have adapted to extreme conditions because of the wide range of conditions they must endure. The pH of a phage’s surroundings can play a vital role in its ability to thrive at a location.  Like most microorganisms, phages typically thrive at a pH ranging from 6-8, however there are those that can survive at higher and lower pH (extremophiles). The purpose of this study is to determine if there is any evidence of immunity by Escherichia coli when infected by the T4 bacteriophage at altered pH levels. E. coli will be culturedand inoculated with the phage under different pH conditions. We expect to see a difference in the plaque assays at different pH levels. It has been shown that pH affects the stability of the phage, which in turn will affect the bacteria and phage interaction. In conclusion, we will alter the pH of the growth media and observe the effects on the bacteria and phage interaction within a specific time period, while gaining insights into bacterial immunity against phage infection. The importance of this study is to gain knowledge on the effects of environmental pH change and how that effects immunity to phages. 
 
 
 

The chemical ecology of predator-prey relationships is a well-studied topic in the field of biology. When predators damage prey during a predation attempt, the damaged tissue of the prey releases a chemical alarm cue into the surrounding water and this serves as a reliable indicator of risk to nearby prey. The quantity of alarm cue released during one of these events has not been determined. This question in the context of large predators is even more complex. Large fish consume prey by suction feeding, the opening of their mouth pulls in the fish and the water surrounding it. This inhalation means there is no direct contact between predator and prey until the prey is swallowed. We demonstrated that largemouth bass can engulf a zebrafish without releasing a detectable amount of chemical alarm cue and continued by performing a separate gastric lavage experiment to demonstrate that the inhalation does not cause epidermal damage to the prey. 

Queer feminist artists utilize photography as a tool to challenge the patriarchal view of how women see themselves as well as how others view them. Photography is a powerful tool to express a sense of self and can be used to explore queer identities, experiences, and to document history. Two pioneering artists who promote gender conscious art are Catherine Opie and Corrinne Tee. These women utilize the camera to create politically charged work to fashion imagery and narratives that address the body. A goal of feminist queer art is to create imagery of women, by women, for women. Their portraits of others and themselves represent the ambiguities and fluidity of sexuality and gender identity. The way in which they capture queer bodies challenges and confronts viewers about their assumptions on gender binaries and patriarchal power. 

   From the Palmer Penguins site, there were two datasets that could be explored. The penguin dataset is what is going to be explored for this project. The main purpose of this dataset is to give an example of great data to use for analysis and visualization. Many different variables are provided when the data is being presented. It is important to be able to  compare the size measurements of three different species of penguins on three different islands in Antarctica. To be specific this project will be more focused on how the size measurements vary compared to what islands that they live on. To accomplish this goal, the data analysis software of RStudio will be utilized. This will be helpful when downloading all of the data that is needed and when creating graphs to compare measurements. From there, the next step would be to have one measurement on the x-axis and one measurement on the y-axis and then add what islands the penguins are located on to see if there is a correlation.  

The Relationship between Race/Ethnicity and Death Percentages

Covid-19, also known as a newly discovered coronavirus, is an infectious disease that is expressed through moderate respiratory illness spreading by droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. Individuals with a higher risk to contracting Covid-19 include people with pre-existing conditions such as, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer, but not limited to just this group. I am curious to know the population to death ratio of the different ethnicities due to covid-19. The dataset that will be used to explore this question is “The Covid Tracking Project” from The Atlantic. I will compare the percentage of each ethnicity per state with the amount of deaths of each ethnicity using exploratory data analysis before modeling on graphs. Expected results would be that, some ethnicities have a higher population to death ratio. This information could help in the future to plan which groups of individuals will be more greatly affected by similar infectious diseases.  

Title: Differences in Immune Responses to Aspergillus fumigatus exposure between Female and Male Juvenile Mice 

Author names: Andrea Wells, Fathi Abdullahi, Yasmin Mohammed

Affiliation: Biosciences Department, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, 

                 MN-56563

Many studies have configured immunological responses to Aspergillus fumigatus in mice, leading to advanced understandings. However, the comparisons of the immune responses between juvenile (younger than 6 weeks) male and female C57BL/6J mice after A. fumigatus exposure, remains uninvestigated. In this study, we will intranasally inoculate juvenile mice with  Aspergillus fumigatus spores dilution of 2 106spores per 40 l on both male and female juvenile mice. They will be exposed to the allergen once a week for 8 consecutive weeks and euthanized on day 28 post the last inoculation. To compare the immune response, we will analyze Bronchoalveolar lavage cell counts to detect macrophages, lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and monocytes after quick dip staining. We will also detect IgE levels using an ELISA kit to see the allergic response from the repeated exposure of Aspergillus fumigatus. We predict significant differences between the two sexes, in which the female mice would be more susceptible to developing a greater immune response. We also suspect a greater abundance of lymphocytes and macrophages to be present in BAL counts and an elevated IgE level in the treated mice compared to the naive group. At the end of the study, our data could indicate that sex differences could be an important factor in shaping the immune response of mice against A. fumigatus which could benefit the design of diagnostics and therapeutics for allergic asthma treatments.

I will be making a simple python application that detects human faces from photos and cameras using ML Kit's face detection API. With this API an application can detect multiple faces from the single image frame, identifies facial features, and get contours of detected faces. The main purpose of this proposal is to understand the basic machine learning algorithms and terms and concepts used in human face detection.

The purpose of this study was to observe patterns in eating and body image within the older population. Research (Peat et al., 2008) suggests that body dissatisfaction has become a socially normative feeling and that older women, in particular, are pressured to alter their appearance to adhere to society’s beauty standards. Because of these feelings of dissatisfaction, older adults are at an increased risk of developing eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder (Peat et al., 2008; Phillips, 2014). This study utilized a phenomenological approach to observe lived experiences related to patterns in older adults’ body image and eating patterns throughout the lifetime.

This content analysis will study the TV show Criminal Minds and its portrayal of violent offenders. A sample of forty offenders will be compared using their demographic and mental health information, violent actions, and the character’s fate after the show ends.  This analysis will investigate the differences in portrayal between diagnosed mentally ill offenders and neuro-typical offenders, where it is expected that the mentally ill demographic will be portrayed as having more violent offenses and more female offenders than the neuro-typical demographic.  The types of violent crimes committed will be further analyzed to determine whether characters with mental illnesses are portrayed as more violent than those who are neuro-typical. These findings may help advance our understanding of biased media portrayals of the mentally ill, as well as inform potential future changes to be made in the media’s treatment of the mentally ill.

Working with the planetarium, we modified existing presentations in order to update show accuracy and relevance, and to create more reference materials for show developers and presenters. The modification of these shows also improved the progression of content and worked to increase audience involvement. We also worked on development of new show materials based on improved planetarium technology. The aim of this part of the project was to develop an integrated show based on an updated planetarium software. The developed show combined the subjects of history and science, connecting the passage of time to distance through space. This topic explained how distance in space is related to time and the movement of light, a concept that is incredibly complex and often misunderstood. With the combination of these disciplines, the show aims to encourage a wide range of audience members, and educate the public on this complex topic.

Almost everybody has extra cords they’d like to keep organized and out of the way. However, there have been no companies that have created a successful product that has saturated the market for this need. Our product would create a simple but useful solution to keep cords organized, out of the way, and tangle free. In order to resolve this problem, our product will contribute to our customers everyday lives by being small, compact, and safe for cords, while locking in place for optimal use. To achieve this goal, we will be interviewing fifteen potential customers with a precise list of questions. Our retract-A-cord helps unorganized students who want a better solution to declutter by sorting cords in an organized manner and extending the life of each individual cord. Unlike simple solutions like twist-ties and Velcro.

Hello, my name is Aubrie Vivant and I am a Film Production student at Minnesota State University. I also work as a Scholar's Apprentice in the Planetarium on campus. This semester, along with editing for my fellow Planetarium Staff members' webisodes, I will be producing my own webisode series. Space Chase is a kids video series which will take kids through our Solar System, planet by planet. From information and fun facts to stories and demonstrations, Space Chase is a great way for kids to learn about the planets! The show will be uploaded to the MSUM Planetarium Kids YouTube channel as well as sent to schoolteachers in the F-M Area and beyond.

Past studies have found that Afrocentric facial features play a key role in racial categorization over skin color (Kleider-Offutt, 2019; Stepanova & Strobe, 2012); however, there are little to no studies that investigate this relationship in a mock jury setting. The current study will examine the effects of skin color and facial features on guiltiness ratings in a mock jury. It is expected that Caucasian and African American individuals with Afrocentric features will have a higher guiltiness rating compared to Caucasian and African American individuals with Eurocentric features. This is a between-subjects factorial study where undergraduate college students will be randomly assigned to one of four conditions. They will be asked to view the defendant’s photo, read facts from a mock trial, and provide a guilt rating. If the hypothesis is supported, results will have implications on how racial bias impact juror decisions. 

One of the fastest-growing technologies that many people are unaware of is the world of cloud computing. Having started in 2006, it is a relatively new technological advancement in the computer industry. The major branch of cloud computing that I decided to focus on was big data. I decided to research this topic to better understand what its current uses are, to see what the future holds for Big Data and cloud computing and because it is a growing, significant piece of technology being used in our society today. Big data and cloud computing are very important industries and have a bright future in the tech industry.

 
In fall of 2020, I worked on a semester long video project called “Stellar Stories” for the MSUM Planetarium. It was a series of short YouTube videos that analyzed the use of stars in literature. My goal with this project was to use social media as a tool for education. I looked at how stars are used as a symbol of fate in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and how they showed loneliness in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince. The series also covered other literary elements such as tone, plot, and setting. The project ended up consisting of five videos and covered seven texts.
This spring, I worked on a project called “Moony Mondays” on the MSUM Planetarium’s Instagram. Similar to “Stellar Stories”, this project aimed to use technology and social media to educate our audience on various topics relating to the moon. I presented information on the moon cycle, different full moons, and moon stories from various cultures through a series of Instagram posts.

Phage Antibiotic Synergy is a growing area of interest in the fight against antibiotic resistance bacterial strains. Having a better understanding of PAS treatments will aid in the further development in this field of research. Our study will focus on the unique interactions that exist between a specific bacteriophage (phage) and its host bacteria in the presence of antibiotics. This relationship is referred to as antibiotic phage synergy (PAS). Our first goal is to determine the zone of inhibition of each antibiotic. We will be looking at three antibiotics that either inhibit cell wall synthesis, inhibit protein synthesis, or inhibit DNA gyrase. This is done by coating a small piece of paper in antibiotics and placing it on an agar plate that contains Eschericha coli (E. coli) and letting it incubate for a set period of time. The zone of inhibition is then measured and provides information about what antibiotic is most effective. Next, we will find the minimum inhibitory concentration of each antibiotic so that we know the most effective concentrations. Then we will collect a titer from the phage sample which is a quantifiable method to understand the amount of phage particles present in the sample. Lastly, we will execute the PAS treatment groups and create a one-step growth curve to give a visual representation of the bacterial growth. PAS is important for the future because it will help the fight against antibiotic resistant bacterial strains.

Bacteriophages are a type of virus that prays on a host bacterium to reproduce itself. Each phage is specialized in targeting one type of bacterial host. With the idea of each phage being specialized I ask, is there a significant difference in the genes of phages with different hosts? To discover the answer to this question, I will be using genomic data of phages with different hosts from phagesdb. I will use exploratory data analysis to clean, visualize, transform, and model the data at hand. I will use the GC%, that is how much the nucleotides G and C appear in DNA, to find the average GC% in phages between hosts and compare these averages. The results from this analysis could be used to further understand phage DNA in which there are still countless unknowns. 

The purpose of this project is to use UV radiation to induce random mutagenesis in the genome of Microbacterium foliorum and to test a bacteriophage, which is known to infect this bacteria, to see if it is still prolific in infection. Our reasoning for this experiment is to not only discover specific genes in the bacteria, but also to see if a phage can adapt to the ever evolving bacteria. We will be using UV light to mutate the bacteria’s DNA, from this we will test the infectivity of our bacteriophage by introducing it to the mutated bacteria as well as a control. Comparing the two infections we can either confirm or deny that something changed to cause a difference in infection. We will conclude with sequencing the DNA of the mutated bacteria to further confirm our findings. Using the sequenced DNA we can compare it to a non-mutated DNA and finally come to the conclusion that we caused a mutation that caused a change in infectivity. This research can lead to understanding and discovering the proteins bacteriophages use to manipulate the bacteria.

I will be presenting a report on Virtual Private Network(VPN).

The investment strategy of short selling stock generates controversy among investors.  Some individuals argue that short selling stock can diminish stock price while others defend the action as a necessary price correction mechanism.  Short selling occurs when an investor borrows stock, sells it on the market, and later buys it back from the market to return to its original owner. This strategy prompts the question: Can large short positions decrease the earnings and returns of a stock? This research uses publicly available data associated with the trading environments of shorted stocks in a regression analysis to gauge their returns and earnings performance. An improved understanding of the relationship between short selling activity and stock performance enhances investors’ abilities to forecast in volatile trading environments.

Brandi Anderson 
Casie Floberg 
Samantha Johansen 
Professor Siwei Zhu
Anytime, Anywhere: Road Trip Saver
            People need a fast, reliable, emergency roadside car repair service at any time and any place. However, Triple A emergency roadside services have a long wait time that customers do not appreciate. Our application will provide a GPS location that will connect a saver with the stranded customer to ensure fast repair and maintenance. After interviewing 15 customers, we focused on the “must haves” that are important to the customers and the employees (savers) and incorporated those aspects into the Road Trip Saver application. Our goal is to make an application that will provide the emergency services fast while also employing reliable and trusting savers to provide the emergency repair.

Objective: To examine the role of the school-based Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) when working with students with a mild TBI (mTBI).
Research design: Systematic literature review.
Methods: Five electronic databases relevant to the fields of communication disorders, school settings, and medical settings were searched between 1990–2020. In addition, qualitative journals and references from articles were hand-searched for further literature. Search results were screened independently for relevance. 
Results: Eleven articles were used for review, including cross-sectional studies, surveys, literature reviews, and expert opinion articles. Information from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention was also used. Three main aspects were examined for a school-based SLP working with students with mTBI, including their comfort and knowledge of providing intervention, two common areas for mTBI service delivery, and best practice considerations. These considerations include collaborating with other professionals and implementing academic accommodations as needed.  
Conclusions: The majority of school-based SLPs feel knowledgeable and comfortable enough to provide services for students with mTBI, however, about a quarter of school-based SLPs do not. About the same percentage of SLPs reported not feeling qualified to participate on a student’s TBI interdisciplinary team and collaborate with other professionals. SLPs feel the most comfortable providing cognitive services to students with mTBI. Further, well-designed qualitative studies examining school SLPs’ experiences and support needs are required.

This project is intended to provide an overview of CAS and identify evidence-based intervention models specific to or applicable to children with Down syndrome for practicing SLPs by systematically reviewing available research studies that examined the motor speech error patterns in children with Down syndrome in comparison to characteristics of apraxia of speech. This study aims to provide a description of motor speech characteristics commonly seen with CAS and provide SLPs with a deeper understanding of the importance of addressing motor speech skills in children who have Down syndrome and potential implications for treatment decisions.

Toricelli’s Law states that the exit velocity of a liquid (in this case water) which is non-viscous, cannot be compressed, and has laminar flow, will be equal to the velocity if it “fell” from the height of the water in the container, to the exit hole. The water must follow these characteristics in order to apply Bernoulli’s principle which is used to derive Toricelli’s Law. The method used to test this law is by placing several holes of varying height in the container and comparing the velocity of the water leaving each hole. Each hole in succession from the top will have greater velocity than the last. The direction of flow has no effect on the speed the liquid leaves the container, which will be shown by placing a hole at the bottom of the container pointing down, and one pointing out, and comparing the speed at which they drain. The importance of this law is that it shows containers will be able to be drained faster if they are built with greater height than width.

Often times when people think of public health, the home you live in does not come to mind. But many people all over the country and in Minnesota have severe housing problems, a home with severe housing problems are households with at least 1 of 4 housing problems: overcrowding, high housing costs, lack of kitchen facilities, or lack of plumbing facilities. So, the question I have is, do severe housing problems have an effect on your overall health and your life expectancy? I will be using data from the Minnesota Health Outcomes data set, from countyhealthrankings.org.  My exploratory data analysis will compare the variables of percentage of Severe Housing problems with Life expectancy among counties in Minnesota. I believe the results of this analysis will help medical workers and public health workers better focus on simple things like where people eat, sleep, play to help diagnose and treat people’s health issues and keep people as healthy as possible.

Key Principles of Constraint-Induced Therapy Abstract

Aphasia is an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write resulting from damage to the language-dominant hemisphere of the brain (National Aphasia Association, n.d.). While some language function recovers spontaneously in the first few weeks following damage, some aphasia remains and requires therapeutic intervention. Conventional treatments have proved to be effective, however, they lack generalization of treatment effects to improvements of functional communication in everyday life (Balardin & Miotto, 2009). Thus, Pulvermüller et al. developed a treatment, constraint-induced aphasia therapy (CIAT), which promotes improved functions in less time than conventional therapy, even in chronic stroke patients, within a pragmatic therapeutic environment (Balardin & Miotto, 2009). CIAT is a treatment that relies on the principles of massed practice, shaping, and constraint of compensatory communication strategies (Balardin & Miotto, 2009). This project is composed of a literature review examining the effects of the principles of CIAT, as well as comparing their efficacy to conventional therapy.

Over the years koala populations have been decreasing, this led them to be listed as a threatened species. Due to the recent brush fires that happened in Australia in 2020, news articles have stated that koalas could be facing extinction in New South Wales Australia by the year 2050. But the questions are, how much have the koala species declined over the past five years? Is there a change of location? and what are the reasons on why the koalas left the original location. I will be using data called Rinat to help me answer these questions. I plan on using this data to show how much the population has decreased. I will also use this data locate where koala populations have occurred on a map and to see if there was a change in location due to factors affecting the koala population. I plan to use exploratory data analysis to search for my answers by visualizing, transforming, and modeling the data. My hypothesis is that there will be a change of location due to factors such as brush fires. This will help me understand why they left that location and how I can help raise awareness to slow the decline of koala populations.

              It is an age of communication over the Internet. This includes the devices that are an everyday part of our lives. Internet of things (IoT) describes devices that use sensors, software, and other various technologies to exchange data over the Internet. With the use of a Raspberry Pi computer and a temperature and soil moisture sensor, the everyday household plants can be saved from underwatering and overwatering as well as making sure they’re in an appropriate temperature range for the plant being catered to. This data will then be streamed to a dashboard online for easy viewing of the information produced by the Raspberry Pi. This ease of use device is supposed to act as a guide for the appropriate level of care to give the monitored house plant.

When Amanda Gorman stood up and read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, she highlighted the place of poetry for a 21st century audience.  Amanda comes from a long line of female poets, who emphasize the importance of poetry by sharing their voice with others.  This paper will analyze the poem of an earlier poet:  Sara Teasdale (1884-1933). Sara’s poem "I Am Not Yours" focuses on the complex and intense feelings of longing for an enveloping love. The paper will examine the expression of the poet’s message, as well as the historical context of the piece. The analysis will include a consideration of figurative language, including metaphors, similes, diction, repetition, and imagery. The paper will also emphasize the importance of the female poet’s voice in the 20th and 21st century. 

In recent years, gender orientation has surpassed its binary definition and expanded to encompass a variety of new terms. One of these terms arising and becoming more commonplace is the term ‘transgender’. To be transgender is to identify with a sex that differs from one assigned at birth (Sirin, Polat, and Alioglu, 2020). For many transgender individuals, finding appropriate, competent, and effective healthcare can be difficult. Some of these services being sought out may include transgender voice therapy from a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). A trend has been identified in which SLP’s felt that transgender voice and communication was rarely or poorly addressed in their education and training (Hancock and Haskin, 2015). 

This paper explores the current research and best practices available for transgender voice therapy in addition to its effect on quality of life for this population. Among the most important treatment targets discussed were pitch, resonance, and intonation as well as discussion on the efficacy of involving non-verbal characteristics, breathiness, and vocal function exercises (Hyung-Tae, 2020). Many studies identified a correlation between improving quality of life in transgender individuals with time and success in voice therapy. They additionally emphasize the importance of observing both client satisfaction and self-view as a treatment element (Dacakis, Oates and Douglas, 2017). It is concluded that transgender voice therapy can have a valuable impact on this population’s quality of life and encourages improved education and competence in this area of voice treatment.

Economic agglomeration refers to an urbanized area, such as a city, in which businesses and residents in close proximity constitute a hub of economic activity. In addition to influencing productivity and profits in the short run, agglomerative effects also contribute to the survival of businesses in the long run. This research uses SWOT analysis to evaluate economic research from the past two decades focused on agglomerative effects. Results demonstrate the survivability functions of firms and offer insights to people searching for careers within agglomerative cities. An updated understanding of agglomerative effects can lead to future prosperity for individuals and businesses alike.

Since early 2020, COVID-19, coronavirus has spread rapidly across the world in a manner unseen in generations.  While coronavirus has been linked to over 500,000 deaths in the United States, some 30 million Americans have been individually infected by the virus. Many of those being seniors, who are at risk for further complications (Østergaard, 2021).  The long-term effects of COVID-19 pose an ongoing risk to individuals and future healthcare professionals. This report aims to explore the relationship between COVID-19 and delirium with possible extensions to dementia-related disease.  

While dementia and other cognitive concerns can be debilitating, the impacts of COVID-19 and delirium are anticipated to create additional strain on individuals with compromising conditions and post-surgical occurrences (Arnold 2020). Factors that can lead to alterations to mental cognition can result in increased susceptibility to further decline.  It is important to explore the major challenges ahead for medical professionals and the increasing concerns with mental changes during and after infection with COVID-19 (Rozzini et al., 2020). With many hospitals and nursing homes pushed to capacity during the pandemic, healthcare workers should be prepared for the possible changes ahead and a new wave of cognitive health concerns. 

This project explores the psychosocial effects of a total laryngectomy. According to the National Cancer Institute (2020), approximately .3 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with laryngeal cancer at some point in their lifetime (Howlader, N., et al., 2020). Mertl, Zácková, & Repová (2017) found that speech and the ability to communicate play a large role in an individual's quality of life. Through the examination of effects, I discuss the factors that contribute to these psychosocial responses, coping mechanisms and adjustment, the importance of social support, how mental disorders play a role, and suggested best practices with individuals following a total laryngectomy.

Technology-enabled challengers pose threats to incumbent firms in the Financial Services, Hotel, and Entertainment industries.  These challengers employ innovative technological platforms that enable micro-suppliers to compete in a direct manner with incumbent firms. Industry statistics expose an evolving marketplace characterized by decentralization as small, individual competitors challenge large, established firms across multiple industries. This market analysis evaluates how incumbent firms in the Financial Services, Hotel, and Entertainment industries responded to disruptions that occurred between 2010 and 2018. This research expands on the current understanding of these industries by revealing how technology negates barriers to entry, adapts market structure, and influences incumbent firms’ behaviors.

This essay will discuss the ways in which parisian women participated in the French Revolution and how the societal expectations of women at that time affected their methods of activism. Expected to only concern themselves with tending to the home and their children, women of this time were excluded from the realm of politics. At the heart of the revolutionary movement, Paris was home to a variety of female led movements that functioned despite the societal implications of women actively participating in politics . Often left out of the historical timeline of the French Revolution, the women of Paris played a significant role in revolutionary movements. Through examining key revolutionary figures as well as women dominated political clubs, this essay will outline the ways in which women participated in the Revolution and how their activism fit into the historical timeline of the French Revolution. To further examine the ways in which women participated in the French Revolution, this paper will compare the roles of lower working class parisian women to upper middle class parisian women. Although united under the common goal of fighting for the betterment of life, the social class of women revolutionaries often determined the motivations and methods of participation. 

Soil contains numerous elements that help with the growth and development of plants. One such element is copper which plays an important role in photosynthesis, respiration and the formation of lignin in woody plants. However, copper poisoning occurs when plants take in excess copper that has been introduced into the soil. Copper accumulates in the soil due to the application of sewage sludge, pollution from copper and brass production facilities, pig slurries and persistent use of copper-containing fungicides or fertilizers. Copper concentrations for healthy and productive soil should be 2-50 mg/kg. However, excess copper can prevent root growth and consumption of such plants can lead to copper poisoning in animals. Copper poisoning in animals causes several symptoms, up to organ failure and death. Sheep are particularly sensitive to excess copper, and an autopsy revealed copper toxicity as the cause of death in one of the author’s sheep. The main aim of this project is to analyze the concentration of copper in 3 different soil samples. The soil samples were obtained from 3 different locations which varied by land use (roadside crop field, forest, and composed feedlot soil). A flame atomic absorption spectrometer was used for this analysis.

Effect of phage infection on biofilm forming Escherichia coli

Chloe Askdal, Carly Jo Gamrath, Olivia Light, Samuel Henning

Biofilms are a community of microbes that work together for the benefit of its members. An extracellular structure called exopolysaccharides holds the biofilms together. A constant threat to bacteria and biofilms are bacteriophages. Being single-celled, bacteria uses innate immune mechanisms to defend against bacteriophages in the environment. In this study we will compare the impact of bacteriophages on planktonic and biofilm forming Escherichia coli and T4R+coliphage. To assay our bacterial growth we will use crystal violet spectroscopy methods. This model will allow us to easily quantify the effect of bacteriophages, and could lead to various biofilm treatments that are desperately needed in the medical field. Bacteriophages could be used in anti-microbial cleaning materials in hospitals.

After researching various individuals, our group has an awareness that large families with children have can have issues keeping their car clean and organized, as well as providing entertainment for the children. 

However, as individuals who do not have children, we are unaware of what age range this product would be most efficient for, what the most common forms of amusement for children are, and what general disorganization is from a parent’s perspective. 

We’ve constructed the “Traveling Tray” to deliver entertainment and organization in your family’s transportation experience. This product is user friendly and has the ability to move around the vehicle. It also will include room for garbage and storage to ensure tidiness. 

Parents are seeking an affordable product to help make their car a more entertainable place when traveling with their little ones, along with keeping the car neater for everyone to be a part of a pleasurable traveling experience.  

Our “Traveling Tray” helps busy parents who want to maximize their car’s cleanliness by reducing clutter and providing a clearer mind while driving, unlike normal storage 

The speed at which a signal goes through a wire is related to the permittivity constant of the object it’s going through. In the case of a cable that would be teflon. An experiment to test if the permittivity constant of teflon is truly 2.1 was set up by adding length of cable to the end of a cable. And measuring the additional amount of time needed to see the reflection in the wire. From this the permittivity constant of teflon was calculated to be 1.582 +/- .007. This gave a significance ratio of 66.4. So our model is likely not accounting for something in the cable.

The effects of foodborne toxins upon ingestion being well known. However, toxins can also be inhaled, and their pulmonary effects are relatively less studied. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a common mycotoxin produced by a fungus called Fusarium, that grows on grains. Farmers and other field workers may inhale the airborne toxin.  Previous studies have found this toxin to increase cytokine concentration in cell cultures. To further explore the inhalation effects of DON, A549 cell cultures will be used. 6 total cultures, with three being control cultures, and three being cultures exposed to 2μM of DON. After the exposure to DON, the cultures will undergo RNA extractions. Once the RNA extractions are complete, they will be sent for library preparation and sequencing. We expect to see differential gene expression changes between the control and the treated group and analysis of specific pathways, would provide insights on underlying mechanisms. The data from such studies can inform guidelines and policies for mycotoxin exposure in agricultural settings.

With the overall destruction of COVID-19 and the symptoms of the upper respiratory system, another key disease during this time of year is influenza A and B. Both of these diseases are highly spreadable between person-to-person contact, coughing, and touching similar objects. The overall question is to see if there is a difference in trends of infection between influenza A and B compared to COVID-19. We will be using data from the Center of Disease Control and John Hopkins University in order to make these key comparisons between the two factors. With the data that we do have, we will be doing an exploratory analysis to truly understand if there is a diminishing trend in the number of infections of influenza while the COVID-19 numbers went up over time. With these expected results we can determine the plan of action not only to be prepared for flu season next year, but to see how diseases play a role in our society.

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is the combination of multiple modes of communication including gestures, topic/picture boards, picture symbols, and speech-generating devices. Many young children may use AAC in their early years of language and speech development. There are a variety of concerns about providing a young child with AAC. These concerns include hindering natural speech, relying solely on the AAC, and creating minimal effort to communicate by the user. There are an abundance of studies and literature pieces that provide evidence as to why AAC is beneficial to young children. This review of the literature discusses several studies that have shown success with areas of natural speech, language and literacy development, and pragmatics or social skills with the use of AAC.  

For species without parental care, developing embryos have few defenses against predation other than to hatch prematurely. However, the benefits of escaping the confines of the chorion trade off with increased risk of predation to predators of larvae is the hatchlings are underdeveloped and swim poorly. Here, we incubated developing zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and exposed them to either chemical cues from crushed embryos (simulating egg predation) or to blank water control. Embryos exposed to alarm cues hatched in a shorter time. Principle components analysis of larval form showed that hatchlings from the alarm cue treatment had larger yolk sacs (unabsorbed), and underdeveloped fins relative to larvae from the water treatment. Burst swimming speed was significantly slower for larvae that hatched from the alarm cue treatment than for larvae from water control treatment group. These data indicate that zebrafish embryos respond to ambient indicators of predation risk with phenotypic plasticity in time to hatch, and consequently, the behavioral phenotype of the hatchling larvae that trades off risk of predation between two phases of their life history.

David Juarez 

                                                                                       Status and Stature: Women in Renaissance Portraiture 

            Portraiture has been a staple in art that has existed for thousands of years, with some of the first examples produced in ancient Egypt.  From ancient Egypt through the middle ages, portraiture was centered on figures from the nobility or religious institutions.  However, during the Italian Renaissance the market for portraiture expanded and became accessible to those in the middle-class. Although portraits were available to a larger audience, they still held a level of prestige; with most patrons belonging to the nobility or the bourgeoise.  

            In my paper, I will investigate how women were portrayed in Italian Renaissance portraiture and address their function within that society.  I will identify important correlations between status and function of the portrait.  I also want to explore any manipulation of images that portray the women as more desirable in the eyes of men in a society regulated by men. Women during the Renaissance were assigned a limited number of roles in the male dominated society that was reinforced in Humanist literature, Christian customs, as well as local and regional laws. 

   Advancing Women Artists (AWA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring art works in Florence created by women during the Renaissance. The organization brings these works out of storage, restores them, and displays the works in exhibitions. Extensive research is carried out on each artist and each piece is carefully documented and archived. Founded in 2009 by Jane Fortune, the AWA has been supported by women and the international art community ever since. As of this summer, the AWA will have restored 70 pieces by women artists whose works span around five centuries. 
   I will examine some of the restoration projects sponsored by the AWA and ask why this work is important for the history of women artists and the city of Florence.  In addition to identifying some of the overlooked women artists in the Renaissance targeted by the AWA, I will examine the scope and funding of the AWA’s projects and reveal what the restoration process looks like.  Finally, I will compare the AWA to other organizations that advance research of women artists and ask why the AWA has decided to close their doors after 10 years of success. 

Established small businesses need help standing out online against competition.  However, we don't know exactly how each company wants to be represented online. We want to create a service that gives small businesses the flare and personality to stand out against competition with creative, humorous content.  We will tap into each business's needs by conducting interviews with 15 unique businesses in different industries.  We will create high quality, entertaining content that will help to create Big Time Small Business.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports over 4.5 million people employed in computer and mathematical occupations in February 2021. Despite Data USA asserting that 41,793 computer science degrees were awarded in 2017 and the number of computer science graduates was expected to grow 18.3% annually, a sizeable difference between available jobs and number of graduates remains.  The number of computer scientists trained informally also fails to close the gap despite rising wages for both formally and informally trained workers.  When the number of computer science jobs exceeds the number of computer scientists on an ongoing basis, this labor shortage results in unrealized gains in productivity and economic growth spanning multiple industries and sectors of the economy.  Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2014-2019, this labor market analysis examines factors influencing the supply and demand of computer scientists.  Students entering the job market, employers interested in hiring computer scientists, and industries interested in reducing this labor market mismatch can utilize research findings to their benefit moving forward.   

The question that will be being addressed is MSUM student related I naturalist data. I naturalist is a program that allows people to track sightings of local fauna on an online database. This online data base allows people to identify these sightings from all over the world. The data set being used will be from I naturalist and it will be using data specifically from clay county. This exploratory data analysis will be analyzing how MSUM students contribute to observations. Contributions being measured will be how many students use iNaturalist  outside of class, how many observations are made outside of projects, and what species were first observed by MSUM students, all within Clay County.

“Masculine? Feminine? But it depends on the situation. Neuter is the only gender that always suits me.” Claude Cahun (1894 – 1954) was a French photographer and writer working in the early twentieth century, whose self-portraits explored the tensions between self and expression, viewer and object, and sincerity and performance. In these poignant photographs, Cahun wore costumes, masks, and makeup to enact various dramatized characters and capture the performative nature of gender. As a Surrealist artist, Cahun’s work was broadly a part of an attempt to uncover new symbols and aesthetics for representing unconscious truths, and for questioning social and artistic values. In this paper, I will address how Cahun’s use of personas in their self-portraits are both a critique of traditional binary gender roles, and a thoughtful exploration of the possibilities of identity when one looks beyond social values and into the subconcious.

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are social, diurnal ground squirrels that live in colonies.  This species exhibits sexual dimorphism with males being larger than females.  Differences in skull measurements and body weights have been documented in the literature, but no studies have been done where multiple body features of the same animals are compared between males and females.  For this study, we compared body weight, body length, dried eye-lens weight, zygomatic breadth, greatest skull length, least inter-orbital breath, and humerus length between males and females of the same age.  Skulls, humeri, and eyeballs from prairie dogs were collected from late May to late July 1977 from Billings County, North Dakota, and body weights and lengths were recorded.  Bone materials were cleaned, dried, and measured with calipers to one-hundredth of a mm.  Eyeballs were fixed in formalin, then lenses were removed and dried to constant weight to the nearest mg.  Specimens were divided into two groups, yearlings and 2+ year-olds so that females and males were compared with those of a comparable age.  Pups were not included in this analysis.  Preliminary results indicated that sexual dimorphism was more pronounced in yearlings than in older age classes.  In yearlings, zygomatic breadth, skull length, and humerus length showed the greatest differences between females and males with males having slightly higher means for these parameters.  For animals two years or older, males had a slightly higher dry eye lens weight than did females.  Analyses will continue, perhaps dividing specimens into more distinct age groups.

Of the 56 million children who attend school in the United States (Weir, 2020), nearly 93% reported some form of engagement in distance learning between the spring and fall of 2020 due to the COVID-19 educational shift (McElrath, 2020).With this shift, families were faced with additional time management and motivational challenges for their students who were now learning remotely. The current study analyzes the effects one family observed with their implementation of a visual schedule and positive reinforcement intervention on their third grade student during distance learning in March of 2020. Results showed a total decrease of 69 average minutes spent on schoolwork after the addition of both the visual schedule and the reinforcement interventions. It appeared that the student benefitted from the introduction of these classroom interventions into their distance learning routine in a home setting.

The United States remains the only industrialized country to retain and apply capital punishment, along with Iran, Russia, and China, among others. Despite the advancements made in the standards of decency and punishment over the last several decades, the US death penalty remains a relic of the past with very little understanding of what happens behind closed doors. One major part of that story is what occurs while a prisoner awaits their fate on death row, a time period, on average, of 10-15 years. There is very little existing research that shares the story of life on death row from the perspective of the 2,500 people living there; this study attempts to address that gap. We originally set out to understand what life on death row is like from the perspective of up to three pen pals we were exchanging letters with living on death row in a southern state. Various logistical issues have prevented us from starting a pen pal exchange with one, maintaining a pen pal exchange with another, and securing informed consent from a third who routinely expressed excitement to participate in past letters. These various logistical issues have shifted our focus to understanding and reflecting on our experiences attempting to conduct research with participants incarcerated on death row, which we learned has a direct connection to the lack of academic research in this area.

Children who read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to graduate from high school (Hernandez, 2011). This school-based project explored the effects of Horizons Fast Track A-B phonics intervention on oral reading fluency (ORF) progress of three second grade students. Students received 40-minute lessons, twice a week for three weeks. Lesson activities ranged from identifying letter sounds to story comprehension. Students were progress monitored weekly at the second-grade level using one-minute ORF probes. It appeared that the intervention was not beneficial for these students. Discussion includes possible changes that could have been made to make the intervention effective for the students.

Poverty is an issue all around the world and I wanted to see what the specifics were like in my home state. I wanted to see if some of the causes for it had a major effect on it as well. I aimed to see if there was any connection to the poverty and unemployment rates in Minnesota. I examined how poverty is affected and thought that unemployment could be a good example to use. For my experiment, I will be using R Studio to look at the different datasets I have and create graphs out of them. I got the population poverty rates from the KIDS COUNT data center. I got the unemployment rates from the Minnesota Employment and Economic Development site. My hypothesis is that the poverty and unemployment rates have a relationship and progress along with each other. I expect the rates for both poverty and unemployment to correlate with each other during the years. Meaning that if one goes down, I expect the other to follow. And vice versa if one increases. Poverty and unemployment are both issues that everyday people have to deal with. I just aspired to see if these two issues somehow had a connection with each other.

The Poverty Point World Heritage Site, at more than 3000 years in age (ca. 1700-1100 BC), is the largest and most complex Archaic Period (ca. 8000-1000 B.C.) site in North America. Located in northeast Louisiana, Poverty Point is known for its monumental mounds, series of concentric earthen ridges, and large central plaza. While archaeologists have worked at Poverty Point since the early 1900s, there is still much to be learned about its construction and use. Our research is focused on a low (ca. 1 m) rise within the central plaza known as the West Plaza Rise. Its central location, elevation above an otherwise flat plaza, and position along a ridge that appears to connect two mounds, along with results found through exploratory coring and downhole geophysical tests, suggest that it is a constructed feature. We are part of a team that will collect and analyze soil cores and conduct minimally-invasive geophysical tests to further explore the feature and surrounding areas of the plaza. These investigations will involve the collection of 20-30 additional soil cores and the measuring of magnetic susceptibility within the cored holes. This data will allow a better understanding of the origin of this feature (whether natural, culturally-constructed, or both) and its relationship to the rest of the plaza as well as an enhanced understanding of the site as a whole.

The Biesterfeldt site is an archaeological site in southeastern North Dakota. It is a large early historic period (circa 1724-1780) Indian village that lies on an alluvial terrace on the southern perimeter of an abandoned meander scar of the Sheyenne River. The village consisted of approximately seventy circular earthen lodges, with a central plaza that is surrounded by a ditch. This site was previously studied by Lewis, Strong, Wood, and Michlovic et al. Early investigations came to the conclusion that the site was occupied by an Algonquian group known as the Cheyenne. Michlovic et al. recently undertook new archaeological research on the site as well as restudying the previous investigations. This poster reexamines Wood and Michlovic et al., tests Wood’s Cheyenne hypothesis, and proposes alternative possibilities for the Biesterfeldt site. Through an analysis on location, houses, ceramics, historical records, and linguistics, we will examine each possibility. From our research, we consider four possibilities for the Biesterfeldt site. The first possibility is that the origins of the village are Arikara. The second is it was a multi-tribal trading center. The third is it was a refugee community and the final possibility we address is that its origin is Cheyenne as proposed by Wood.

Using computer modeling software, the energy released by the decomposition of bromoethane into HBr and ethene was calculated using a mixed quantum-classical model. The reactant, product, and transition state geometries were optimized and the minimum energy path was computed using NWChem at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory. The overall energy partitioning was determined, along with the energy in each vibrational mode. A significant portion of the potential energy released into the products was found to be converted into vibrational energy, with the HBr bond vibration receiving the most. This is consistent with other computational studies that examined other haloalkanes such as fluoroethane and chloroethane. The populations of the first four excited vibrational states of HBr were also found to be similar to experimental results.

In the 2016 US Presidential Election, 206 counties that voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012 voted for President Trump. In 2020 President Trump retained 181 of these pivot counties, while the other 25 counties voted for President Biden. In An Economic Theory of Democracy, Anthony Downs posits that a rational voter who believes their vote will not influence the outcome of the election will not expend the effort to vote. This research investigates voter turnout in identified pivot counties to determine if voter participation is higher in previously competitive counties. Using publicly available election and demographic data, this research relies on regression analysis to examine the relationship between the competitiveness of previous elections and voter turnout. In the framework of the median voter theorem, this research benefits politicians and political parties interested in increasing voter turnout, retention, and engagement.

Under the Strong Scholarship, research was conducted on the use of formative assessment in the planetarium setting. Recordings of learning events in planetariums were analyzed for the presence and depth of formative assessment used by planetarium educators. The recordings were analyzed under the ESRU cycle of formative assessment model developed by Ruiz-Primo and Furtak. This research found that although varying levels of educator-student/presenter-audience interactivity are present in the planetarium setting, formative assessment is uncommon. This research highlighted a need to educate planetarium educators of formative assessment and of how to apply it in their planetariums.

The Collatz conjecture is the statement that every positive integer x will return to 1 if the Collatz function is repeatedly composed with itself. The Collatz function for this paper is defined as F=fx where the coefficient f=1/2 if x is even and f=3+1/x if x is odd. A Collatz cycle is a set of numbers such that repeatedly composing the Collatz function on any number in the cycle returns all the numbers in the set and only these numbers. The only known Collatz cycle with positive integers is the set {1, 2, 4}, called the trivial cycle. Showing that there exists a Collatz cycle other than the trivial cycle disproves the Collatz conjecture. This paper shows that for a cycle containing n positive integer elements of which p are odd, there is an upper and lower bound on the ratio n/p, shown to be ln(6)/ln(2)<n/p<ln(2/Q+6)/ln(2), where Q is the largest odd number such that all numbers lower than Q (besides 1) have been found to not be an element of a Collatz cycle.

Bacteriophages are viruses that are capable of infecting specific bacterial hosts, and they stand as one of the most fascinating research topics today. Due to their ability to affect specific hosts, this means that each phage that is discovered is truly unique; no two phages are completely alike. For this project, I want to statistically quantify what the differences between phages in a similar Cluster looked like. I will use the Clusters of EG and EE, as they are both capable of infecting the host Microbacterium foliorum. For each Cluster, I chose 5 phages to compare: for Cluster EG, I chose BabyDotz, Marcie, Blab, Jehoshaphat, and RobinRose; For Cluster EE, I chose Gardevoir, BarBear, BoomRoasted, WolfPack, and YertPhresh. The data and FASTA files for these phages will all be accessible and downloaded through the Actinobacteriophage Database. Using exploratory data analysis, I will compare each phage to one another in a cluster, to compare the genetic differences between them. I will also compare these results to the phages in the other cluster, to see the genetic differences between the separate clusters. The results from this data analysis could be used to continue quantification of phage differences, and to compare differences between cluster and host differences. 

            During the past fall semester, I started a programming project called Rayon which is designed to be a realistic physics engine implementation that runs alongside the videogame Minecraft. It is a library which Minecraft mod developers can use to implement realistic entity movement into their own mods. Rayon, being entirely written in the Java programming language, currently uses a port of the Bullet physics engine called JBullet which is very outdated and no longer being maintained. To find a more performant solution, I have set out to replace JBullet with an alternative library called LibBulletJME which is designed to interface with the original Bullet library written in C++ (generally a faster programming language). Preliminary results have been very promising since a significant performance increase has been observed.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was created to record information on extinction risk statuses for plants, animals, and fungi. It includes information about population sizes, threats, and ecology of each animal that is considered threatened. This project will serve to analyze the geographical distribution of mammals noted by the Red List as threatened or higher in status and determine if there is a significant trend in regions of the world and extinction risk. The data set being used to determine this was collected from GBIF and is called the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The data will be taken and exploratory data analysis will be used to find mammals that are listed as threatened or higher on the Red List and then quantitatively summarize their geographic distribution in comparison to their extinction risk. By the end of this analysis, a conclusion will be drawn about whether there is a significant correlation between geographic location and extinction risk.

There are two theories that currently work to describe the relationship between metabolism and body mass, the 2/3rd power law and the 3/4th power law. The goal of this experiment is to compare experimental findings of metabolic rate related to body mass to the theories of 2/3rd power law and the 3/4th power law. Metabolism is not able to be directly measured without advanced technology, so instead an ECG will be used to measure dipole moment of a human subject. The dipole moment will be used in a series of calculations, along with voltage readings, to calculate an average metabolic rate for the subject. The metabolic data that was produced was compared to other non-human subjects from another paper, and then graphed against body mass. The data was linearized to make findings intuitive. The slope found represents the value of power law that applies to the data. The slope found was 0.77 +/- 0.03 A*m/Kg. The experimental findings are significant with both theories but support the 3/4th power law best.

This study investigates the top-down effects of language on visual perception and organization.  Previous research has shown an effect of language (Winawer et al., 2007), but methodologies require subjects that speak different languages and often use measures that allow for internal dialogue to be confounded with the perceptual experience (Talukdar & Das, 2021).  Language satiation is a phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds.  This study tests the hypothesis that semantic satiation will allow for the use of subjects that speak a common language, while also reducing the potential for internal dialogue to influence the decision making process.  Participants engaged in a color discrimination task before and after satiation, in which they were asked to match sample colors with target colors.  Color matches were made across- (ie blue/green) and within- (ie dark blue/light blue; dark green/light green) color categories while reaction times (RT) were recorded.  It was hypothesized that across-category matches would be made faster than within-category matches prior to satiation, and this effect would be diminished following satiation.  Results indicate that the hypotheses were supported, thereby opening additional avenues of investigation into linguistic relativity while also creating new potential to control for certain methodological issues.

Sharks are the apex predators of the sea. They are part of a group of elasmobranch fish with a cartilaginous skeleton and five to seven gill slits on the side of the head. The initial data set had 16 variables out of which I selected 8 variables that were more suited to my analysis, which were Year (the attack occurred), Kind of Assault (provoked vs. unprovoked), Country, City, Location, Victim's conduct was engaged when the attack occurred, Injury, and how fatal was the attack. The data in this project originated from a worldwide shark attack archive dating back to the 1500s, which can be found here in Kaggle. I was able to describe the geographic patterns where each variable of interest occurs by making leaflet plots of the position of each attack. By making leaflet plots of the position of each attack, I was able to describe the geographic patterns where each variable of interest occurs. Typically, shark attacks occur in the same global areas, although there are minor location-based trends for attacks that were deadly or happened when the victim was engaged in the operation of Board Involved, Fishing Involved Swimming/Diving. In addition, the logistic regression model for predicting the fatality of an attack (using Behavior, Location, and Type) correctly predicted a fatal attack 70% of the time.

I will dedicate this assignment to getting to know more about the ebird dataset. The ebird dataset is a complete raw of bird observations. The dataset is a combination of location, date, time, and bird species, which makes the ebird data collectively large dataset. I downloaded the dataset from the actual website of E-bird. I planned to research how birds appear in certain places, how many they appear, and also identify which of the lists contain the species and which ones are not. I’ll also research where in the US they spend most of the time within the year, considering how the seasons may vary. I will mainly explore data analysis from local counties and the country.

It has become critical to develop alternative methods to treat bacterial infections. Bacteriophages are potential alternatives for antimicrobial therapy due to their distinct advantages: they are low cost, have an ease of isolation, safe profile compared to other antibiotics, and a specificity of the host (Ross et al. 2016). The potential of this project is promising for the future treatment of Cutibacterium acnes. This project could not only change the vision of the cosmetology field for acne, but also the medical field since Cutibacterium acnes is connected to many other medical conditions. We will be extracting phages from the epidermis of the human face and testing to see if there are any available that can infect Cutibacterium acnes. This bacterium has already been grown and we predict that a suitable phage will be found from the skin samples. With our project still in progression, we have learned that Cutibactierum acnes grows anaerobically in solid media, and grows aerobically in liquid media. As we continue with our research, we will have further data on whether or not certain phages are able to use Cutibacterium acnes as a host.

For decades, strong women have been pushing to normalize the female body and menstruation; however, the long-lasting stigma behind periods still burdens young females. Because there is a societal attitude that needs an adjustment, we are introducing an accessory line to embrace femineity through concealment or revealment. We will continue to follow the Lean Startup method by prioritizing our customer’s opinions. Throughout fifteen interviews with customers, we have begun developing customer relationships, in which we are finding the proper direction of our business model. They have expressed a need for safe and secure methods of carrying menstruation items that has recognizable features for other women to notice in case of emergencies. Also, our customers need a product that offers inclusivity to all genders and encourages self-expression. Our accessory line helps young females who want to empower their relationship with their periods by reducing embarrassment and increasing confidence (unlike traditional period products). 

Transgender athlete participation in sport is prevalent in today’s society, yet it still lacks the necessary research and policies to accommodate transgender individuals. Currently, three types of policies set standards in school and athletic settings, acknowledging transgender individuals; restrictive policy, full inclusive policy; and partially inclusive policy. Each policy type determines the extent to which a transgender athlete is offered the choice to compete on the team they feel best identifies with their gender identity, as well as the surrounding regulations associated with that choice. Policy development is an important step in limiting the discrimination, stereotyping, victimization, and bullying that these athletes commonly experience. This literature review examined the proper use of pronouns and terminology, currently implemented policies, policy development, perceptions of the healthcare professional, best practice guidelines, mental health considerations, suicide prevention education, and research deficits pertaining to transgender athlete participation in sport.

Antipyrine, a 5-membered pyrazolone ring including two nitrogens and a carbonyl, has been identified by colleagues at Mayo as an early-stage drug candidate for treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).  Our group is synthesizing analogs of antipyrine to better understand and optimize the spatial and polarity dimensions of the drug for improved IPF treatment.

Antipyrine has a C5-methyl group, an N2-phenyl, and a double bond between C4 and C5.  I will report optimization studies for the preparation of single-bonded dihydro analogs.  The process allows for phenyl-substituted analogs, and for replacement of either methyl group.

I have worked out a procedure in which methyl hydrazine adds to 2-butenoic acid to give 1,5-dimethylpyrazolidinone in good yield.  N2-arylation by iodobenzene is catalyzed by a novel copper(I) iodide-diamine catalyst.  I will report on a series of optimization experiments that screened the impacts of time, temperature, solvent, oxygen, workup, scale, and product purification.  The current process appears to be very practical, scalable, and efficient in yield and purity.  Procedural details and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance structural characterization will be presented. 

I will also report on preparation of the 5-ethyl analog by use of 2-pentenoic acid instead of 2-butenoic acid. 

Preliminary results in which the N2-phenyl group or the N1-methyl group are modified may also be reported.

Housing price are trending, and it is not only a concern for buyer or sellers. Prices are usually subject to change and depend on several variables such as number of bedroom or bathroom etc., change in prices also indicate the current economic situation. This project efforts are concentrated on predicting housing prices using linear regression with Python. This system aims to model its prediction of house prices based on other variables. With the implementation of linear regression for its dataset we expect good accuracy.

The organism that’s understudy is Merlin (Falco columbarius), which is a small, dashing falcon that breeds throughout the northern forests and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. My question is to confirm if there really is a pattern of more Merlins nesting in urban areas. This question will be answered with the Species Distribution Model. This is a quantitative tool used by many ecologists which helps one find a relationship between a variable and probability of occurrence. EBird database will be used to obtain data for this project. My variables will consist of either “present” or “absent” at a given location. Exploratory data analysis will be used since it permits us to examine the data without making any assumptions. A prediction that can be made based on our knowledge on Merlins is that, if an area is too industrialized, then not many Merlins will be present. Merlins also need open areas to hunt, so an area with innumerable buildings and much noise will make it challenging for them to hunt. Once I have a map with predicted abundance, it will help us launch other projects regarding Merlins and help us study them even better because we will have a better understanding of where they are and which areas they prefer to nest in.

The goal of this study is to computationally model the energy disposal dynamics of HCl elimination from chloroethylene. First, the geometries of the reactant, products, and transition state were optimized using the B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) level of theory with NWChem, followed by computing the minimum energy path. A mixed quantum-classical method was used to simulate the energy disposal dynamics. The results will be the energetic parameters for the reaction and vibrational state populations of the products, which will be compared to other experimental and theoretical results.

According to the International Monetary Fund, foreign direct investment (FDI) occurs when an individual or a business has minimum ownership of 10% in a foreign company. FDI fosters economic growth by creating job opportunities and introducing world-class technologies and technical expertise in the host country. Over the past three decades, many developing countries relied on FDI to promote ?economic growth. In 2017, developing countries received 47% of total global FDI; yet, only $42 of $671 billion was invested in African countries (i.e. 2.9% of total global FDI). These low investment levels prompt two questions:  What are African countries lacking to be the primary targets of foreign investors?  How could FDI contribute to economic growth in Africa?  Using publicly available data, this research examines the effect of foreign direct investment on economic growth in Ivory Coast from 2000 to 2020. The results enable Ivory Coast to target its efforts to better utilize and attract additional FDI inflows.   

The Kent site (21WL71) was first documented during a Phase 1 reconnaissance survey of Whiskey Creek in Wilkin County, Minnesota. Believed to be associated with an undefined Initial Woodland phase titled “Dahnke” in the Red River Valley, this site demands a reassessment of the Initial Woodland period in the Valley. The Kent site was exposed by river action and yielded a large sample of artifacts on the surface, including net-impressed pottery and material suggestive of a winter occupation. Using Carbon-14 dating, a date of 420 -560AD was obtained from faunal remains at the site that suggests a late Initial Woodland occupation. The Kent site ceramics are compared here with other Dahnke phase sites in the region and the Dahnke phase is assessed regarding its temporal placement. 

In the computer science field, a common issue that has always plagued developers is the software bug. A software bug is an error, flaw, or fault in a computer program or system that causes an unexpected result. Bugs, if not managed properly, can cause developers various issues ranging from small programming flaws to system breaking errors. To help manage these bugs I have created a bug tracker web application that can keep track of bugs for specific projects. Users can create projects and assign bugs to them so that other users, that have been allowed, can look at the detected bugs and start fixing them if necessary. If a user associated with a project wants to start working on resolving a bug, they can indicate to the other users that they are either currently working on or have completed it by setting the status next to the reported bug. By programming my own bug tracking application I can reduce development time, create better communication between developers, and deliver a higher quality product.     

U.S. military veterans represented nearly 6% of the 2018 U.S. population, but experienced unemployment at a rate of 5.93% compared to 3.53% for non-veterans.  While some military roles do not align with civilian careers, additional challenges associated with re-entering the labor force may be influencing the employment of veterans.  If left unaddressed, this labor market penalty could deter some individuals from serving in the U.S. military moving forward.  This research uses data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Census Bureau within an OLS regression to identify factors that affect veterans' employment in different states.  Research findings illustrate the effectiveness of existing labor market policies and suggest how these policies could be modified to decrease veterans' unemployment rate.  In addition to lowering the unemployment rate among those who have served their country, improved labor market policies geared toward veterans could also strengthen the nation's GDP and eliminate a disincentive toward voluntary military service. 

The Olympic games are the most watched sporting event in the world, and hosting them is seen as a privilege by many countries. This essay will be a comparative analysis on how the olympics have impacted their host cities in an attempt to determine if hosting the Olympics really is worth the money spent. It will look at a wide range of cities ranging anywhere from the 1936 Berlin Olympics to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Among other things the topics to be covered in this essay include the impact on the environment, the economy, tourism, infrastructure, and the effect it has had on poor people and minority communities.

Great Britain’s Industrial Revolution is typically considered as a period of new technological innovations and advances. Although industrialization supplied the country’s citizens with different means of employment and allowed for more efficiency, the revolution failed to positively enact complete change within the working classes. Instead, it produced strenuous work, destitute living conditions, and child labor, amongst other atrocities.

 The presentation analyzes the revolution and discusses how it negatively affected London’s working class. A variety of primary and secondary sources were utilized in order to explore not only how poor men, women, and children were harmed by industrialization but also how they lived day-to-day. 

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) must be well versed in language and neurobiological development. Development knowledge is fundamental when working with maltreated children. Maltreated children often have less access to appropriate language models. They may also have altered developmental trajectories due to neglectful or abusive environments. Understanding the environmental differences between children who experience maltreatment and those who do not (e.g., hearing less spoken language) is also crucial when working with this population. Acknowledging suspected abuse or neglect and reporting suspicions are within the scope of practice of an SLP as mandated reporters. Additionally, evidence-based practice is an essential component of the speech-language pathology field. The SLP must look at current research regarding strategies and programs such as early intervention to benefit the child.

Infant mortality in the United States is one of the less discussed topics in general. However, it affects a lot of families and communities in the country. In this report, infant mortality based on the data from the year 2018 by age, maternal race, gestational age and maternal state of residence have been investigated. Descriptive tabulations as well as graphs are reported and interpreted for infant death mortality using the 2018 period linked birth/infant datafile that is based on birth and death certificates registered in all states and the district of Columbia. More than 20,000 infant deaths were reported in 2018. The infant mortality rate declined by 4 % in comparison to 2017, and regardless of the differences investigated, in general the mortality rate has been trending down since 1995. I will do an exploratory analysis to investigate the relation between race, gestational age and state of residence with infant mortality.

Cortisol is a stress hormone that increases blood sugar levels and limits functioning of nonessential mechanisms in order to provide the organism with the best opportunity in a high-stress situation. Small fish experience stress when they detect chemical cues released from damaged skin of their species becuse it indicates the presence of an actively foraging predator. These "alarm cues" trigger an increase in cortisol levels. Chondroitin sulfate has been identified as a component of alarm cue and therefore we predict that it should trigger a cortisol response. In this experiment, we will expose zebrafish (Danio rerio) to three test solutions: (1) deionized water (negative control), (2) alarm cue (positive control) and (3) chondroitin sulfate. We will measure activity before and after introducing each solution and then euthanize and freeze the fish. Cortisol will be isolated from each fish and prepared in a PBS and run ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) test to test for cortisol concentration. The results from this experiment will tell whether or not chondroitin sulfate is the main chemical cue released during a predation event, or if there are more chemical cues present.

In 1968, the Houston Oilers (Tennessee Titans) became the first National Football League (NFL) team to play their home games in a dome stadium. Although American Football often associates itself with the raw elements, the popularity of playing NFL games in climate-controlled environments continues to increase. Eleven of 32 NFL teams played home games in an indoor facility during the 2020 - 2021 season. Anecdotal evidence suggests NFL teams playing home games indoors are at a competitive disadvantage when playing opponents outdoors on the road. This paper analyses this claim for selected NFL teams using weather data (www.profootballarchives.com) and performance statistics (www.pro-football-reference.com) within ordinary least squares regression models.  This research informs NFL teams and teams in other outdoor sports leagues (Major League Baseball, English Premier League Soccer, NCAA football, etc.) considering a move to or from an indoor facility. Findings may also result in economic benefit in the context of sports wagering, although this author claims no responsibility in this context.

Research has indicated that the use of smartphones while engaging in dyadic conversation leaves the persons less satisfied with the quality of their conversations (Dwyer, Kushlev, & Dunn, 2017). Excessive smartphone usage within these encounters has been shown to hinder the satisfaction of the overall relationship. This study examined the effects of a smartphone within a dyadic conversational encounter. College-aged participants were observed on head movements, automated phone checking behaviors, and amount of eye-contact when placed in a room with a confederate whom either had no smartphone present, smartphone visible but on silent, or smartphone visible and audible. It is predicted that participants in either of the smartphone present conditions will be less interactive during the conversation than those within the no smartphone condition. It is also predicted that self-reported conversation quality will be lower when in either of the smartphone present conditions than those in the no smartphone condition.

Research has indicated that the use of smartphones while engaging in dyadic conversation leaves the persons less satisfied with the quality of their conversations (Dwyer, Kushlev, & Dunn, 2017). Excessive smartphone usage within these encounters has been shown to hinder the satisfaction of the overall relationship. This study examined the effects of a smartphone within a dyadic conversational encounter. College-aged participants were observed on head movements, automated phone checking behaviors, and amount of eye-contact when placed in a room with a confederate whom either had no smartphone present, smartphone visible but on silent, or smartphone visible and audible. It is predicted that participants in either of the smartphone present conditions will be less interactive during the conversation than those within the no smartphone condition. It is also predicted that self-reported conversation quality will be lower when in either of the smartphone present conditions than those in the no smartphone condition.

In the state of Minnesota, a larger percentage of children who use a language other than English and who are between the ages of 5 and 17 years were reported to speak English less than “very well” than the overall Minnesota population of individuals who speak a language other than English (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in schools within this region provide services to both monolingual and bilingual children. Researchers state there is no “gold standard” (Verdon, McLeod, & Wong, 2013) and the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) has no established Preferred Practices (ASHA, 2020) for the treatment of speech-language disorders for children who are bilingual. This study investigated the current practices for treating speech-language disorders in this population by SLPs working in schools. Survey participants were selected by a delineated region within the state of Minnesota and North Dakota from the ASHA database. Results will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and discussion points will be formulated. Clinical implications related to the importance of educating SLPs and developing a base of research in intervention strategies for speech-language disorders for children who are bilingual will be discussed.

Our presentation is Finding Refuge/ Wild inspired, an app developed using ArcGIS, a geographic information system (GIS) for working with maps and geographic information maintained by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri). this project will allow students and other refuge visitors to create works of art, such as photographs or poems, and geo-locate their creations to an online map. Allowing others to share creative work as an interactive experience at beautiful scenery locations, at Tamarac Wildlife Refuge. We have developed this GIS based site, for casual visitor’s, content creators, and students. So, when they do visit in person they can use their creativity to inspire others.

West Fargo Public Schools kindergarten teachers conduct skills assessments for students at the beginning of the year and three times thereafter during the school year. The skills assessment report has been traditionally kept on paper and stored in a binder. This project is a graphical user interface software that makes the skill assessment report more user-friendly and takes the “paper reporting” out of the loop if you will. Moreover, this software will have a positive impact on the elementary schools of a local public school system by making one aspect of the incredibly demanding jobs of today’s educators just a little easier.

Purpose: The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) utilizes interdisciplinary practices by SLPs, respiratory therapists, physicians, nurses, families, and more. By understanding the instrumentation commonly used in the NICU, SLPs and other professionals can execute as a successful team while better serving the neonates on their caseload. The purpose of this literature review is to identify the pros and cons of swallowing instrumentation for infants in the NICU, inform the reader of instrumentation used by other disciplines as it directly relates to SLPs, and highlight interdisciplinary practice in the NICU.

Design: The design of this study is a literature review from peer-reviewed sources located through searches of databases such as ComDisDome, CINAHL Plus, and ProQuest Nursing. Search terms included NICU or neonatal intensive care unit or premature; instrumentation; videofluoroscopy; FEES or fibro-endoscopic evaluation of swallowing; respiratory intervention; tube feeding; oxygen sensors. The researcher will choose 12 to 16 research studies that meet the criteria of being published in a peer-reviewed journal with preference given to most recent publications.

Findings: Instrumentation used in the NICU as it pertains to SLP practice include ventilation systems, intubation techniques, oxygen sensors, and swallowing studies including VFSS and FEES. The most utilized ventilation systems are mechanical ventilation (Bacci, 2019). Intubation techniques vary based on each case with the most common type used as supraglottic airway (Raymond, 2019). To encourage consistent oxygen levels, pulse oximetry is utilized to monitor neonates’ oxygen status (Rubortone, 2012). With regards to swallowing instrumentation, fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is becoming the most utilized choice for swallowing studies as there are fewer limitations such as being portable which allows use in the same feeding environment while breastfeeding, no exposure to radiation or barium, and allows a view of pharyngeal and laryngeal anatomy compared to videofluoroscopy swallow studies (VFSS) (Suterwala, 2017). 

This study is completed. Data collection concluded in August 2020. Results were analyzed by October 2020.

Karen Karnes (1925-2016) is considered one of the most important artists contributing to American Post-World War Art. While many see Karnes as an influential ceramic artist, few know the lengths she went to create art unapologetically. She lived in a tent, sold handmade casserole dishes, and melded different ceramic processes together to create a unique body of work. This paper explores the unconventional approaches one woman used to create art, and the institutional systems that forced her to invent solutions for herself. Karnes was shaped by her experiences growing up in New York City, her university studies, and her experiences in Italy, where she learned to use the potter’s wheel. She consistently chose her own path despite having almost no institutional support backing her art. I will show that Karnes artistic success was achieved because of her absolute refusal to quit and her unwavering artistic confidence. While her male counterparts at the time were given encouragement and resources to pursue their interests, she had to rely on herself to make her career. Rejecting the strict rules associated with male-dominated Modernist art which promoted certain aesthetic norms, Karnes produced art under the category of craft which was often shunned by Modernists as it was deemed less ambitious or less serious. Despite these biases, Karnes is now considered one of the most formidable ceramic artists in America.

Bald Eagles have been on the endangered species list for many years but have recently been removed from the list. The recovery of Bald Eagles from endangerment shows the logistic growth of a species. Their population growth can be modeled by a differential equation. This equation involves the population, carrying capacity, and growth rate. We will be able to compare real life population data with predicted data by solving the differential equation that models logistic population growth. We will look at the population growth of Bald Eagle nesting pairs in Minnesota over a period of thirty years starting from 1990. 

The state of Minnesota is ranked number 10 in the United States for Health care and ranked number 18 for its economic status. These are some very great and very high numbers but how do the counties fair on an individual level? The number 1 county in overall health in Minnesota as of right now is Carver county while the lowest ranked county is Mahnomen county. I plan to do an exploratory data analysis and compare these two counties in their Social and economic factors and their quality of life to see if there is a correlation between the two. The data set that i will be obtaining this information from is County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. With my results from this, I plan to see whether or not the economic and social factors in counties play a role in quality of life.

The course of vaccinations recommended by the Center for Disease Control for children is vigorous with numerous vaccination series starting in the first months of life to protect from potentially life-threatening infections. Efforts such as the Childhood Immunization Initiative have pushed to make recommended immunizations more affordable and accessible for families with children. I will use data from the Center for Disease Control’s National Immunization Surveys in order to answer the question: how has the relationship between socioeconomic status and vaccinations in children changed in recent years? Exploratory data analysis will be performed to understand the relationship between socioeconomic status and children who received the recommended course of vaccinations and how this relationship evolves over time. These results will be useful to dictate the target populations for future vaccination initiatives.  

CG9_6 and CG23_3 are bacterial isolates from a supraglacial stream on the Cotton Glacier in Antarctica. CG9_6 and CG23_3 are gram-positive, catalase positive, rod-shaped psychrophilic bacteria with pink and white pigmentation, respectively. DNA was sequenced using Nanopore technology to produce long-read data and Illumina technology to produce short-read data. Hybrid assembler Unicycler was used to assemble the genomes of Cryobacterium sp. st. CG9_6 and Janthinobacterium sp. st. CG23_3. Comprehensive genome analyses found that both genomes were of good quality. The assembled genome of CG9_6 contained 325 contigs and had a length of 3,270,075 base pairs, and the assembled genome of CG23_3 contained 8 contigs with a length of 6,075,363 base pairs. Results presented will include details regarding the genome assembly and analyses of the assembled genomes. 

This poster project will provide a comparison of formal language assessments available for individuals using America Sign Language (ASL) and discuss the role of the SLP in diagnosing a signed language disorder for an individual using ASL and the importance of cultural knowledge. A review of the literature of the available peer-reviewed articles on formal assessments in ASL and cultural competence for the d/Deaf community will provide education to SLPs on the scope of resources available for working with this population and suggestions for demonstrating cultural competence during assessment within the d/Deaf cultures.

The process and result of the development of a character generation system with GUI for d20 RPGs focusing on D&D and PF

Due to my love of endangered species I've decided to construct a study of the territorial routes and tagging of one of the most iconic Giant lizards on Planet Earth, The Komodo Dragon. Data on this includes daily movement, Exploration, and Dispersal Mark and Recapture data, all with the same goal of deciphering the cause of reduced movement in Island Komodos. My question of this being is human interference, climate change, habitat loss, or all of the above the cause of this. The data mentioned before came from a similar journal article titled, Exploring mechanisms and origins of reduced dispersal in island Komodo dragons, Although, I will be mainly using the Dispersal Mark and Recapture Data. With the use of exploratory data analysis, I will compare the Habitat Quality, Body condition, Prey bio, and Density all by the age of the Komodo Dragon to see if the aforementioned, possible causes influenced the Dragons at any point in their lives, Whether the effects are positive or negative. My Null hypothesis for this study is that the Komodo Dragons are not affected by human interference, and the Alternative is that Human interference and habitat loss is indeed the cause of Minimized dispersal in Island Komodo Dragons. 

Tele-practice has become an essential, effective and innovative way to provide speech and language intervention to a wide range of clients. Continued research on the efficacy of tele-practice intervention is in high demand, especially for those individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication. When providing intervention via tele-practice with individuals who use ACC, also known as tele-AAC, there are important considerations to decide if tele-AAC is appropriate and best practice for an individual. Best Practice in Tele-practice with AAC Clients looks at the client candidacy, environmental needs, the importance of connectivity and the use of facilitators to help provide the most ethical, and effective intervention possible for individuals who use AAC. Continued research is needed in the area of tele-AAC to create evidence-based practice. 

The well conversed Corona Virus, SARS-CoV-2, has hit the world at a fast pace leaving many individuals in a state of distress and panic as it proceeds to cause mild to moderate respiratory illnesses. Although some cases are not deadly, many elderly individuals and individuals with underlying medical illnesses may experience a more severe to deadly effect from the virus. This infectious virus is known to have been commonly spread through droplets of saliva or nose discharge when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. Such droplets are usually subject to traveling a few feet away from the initial exposure position within a matter of seconds. Knowing this, a multitude of states have passed mandates such as the continuous wear of face masks and the spacious nature of 6 feet apart in hopes of lessening the spread of this virus. Inquisitive nature has led me to question withier the extremities of each states’ mandates had an affect on the number of infected individuals as well as the survival and death rates of the infected. All of my data will be collected from “The COVID Tracking Project” at The Atlantic, which is data connected directly from the websites of state/territory public health authorities. I will be embarking upon exploratory data analysis from both North Dakota and Minnesota data sets in order to identify which state had the most incline in cases. I will also be using exploratory data analysis from the North Dakota and Minnesota data sets in order to identify which state had the most total deaths per infected individual. This will then allow me to identify how each states’ mandates had aided in the prevention of the COVID-19 spread. By identifying the extremities each state had embarked upon, I will be able to further analyze what preventative measures were justifiable to lessening the spread of the Corona Virus.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the number of officers in a department and the ability of a department to acquire body cameras. The data came from the Department of Justice’s dataset titled “Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics Body-Worn Camera Supplement” which was collected in 2016 and updated in 2019. The sample was taken from the Law Enforcement Agency Roster. The sample size was 4976 agencies. 3707 of those were local and county police departments, 1220 were sheriff’s offices, and 49 were state police agencies. The original study used web-based and mail surveys, supplemented with phone surveys when more information was needed.

            In this research paper, chi-square tests and crosstabulations were used to test four hypotheses. One hypothesis was supported, and the other three were partially supported. All four hypotheses were statistically significant. The research showed that the inability to acquire body cameras due to the cost of hardware was the most related to the number of officers in a department as it showed a decrease in percentage as the number of officers increased. The other three were partially supported, however did not follow a pattern. The departments with 50-99 officers were the most affected by lack of funding and lack of data storage.  Departments with one sworn officer were less affected by the cost of hardware and lack of funding than most of the other categories.

The COVID pandemic changed things for everyone.  Social distancing and quarantine kept people from doing what they normally do.  During this time, MSUM Planetarium moved its content online, kept students involved, and learned how to reach their audience like never before. In this presentation I aim to educate my audience on how the pandemic has affected a solely in-person organization, how technology has been both helpful and harmful, and some online tools that may help others.  I will include statistics reflecting our before and after COVID audience, short videos as examples of our online content, and a comparison of our social media content pre-pandemic and now. 

The behavioral immune system has been implicated in both adaptive and maladaptive social judgements and behaviors affecting a social environment (Murray & Schaller 2016).  As new norms change in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, how will covering the nose and mouth—with face coverings as a preventative measure to limit COVID-19 community spread—impact social environments?  The proposed study seeks to investigate whether face coverings influence affect, social comfort, and judgments of trust.  Undergraduate college students will be shown images of target faces with and without face coverings which impede configural face processing.  It is expected that face coverings which obscure the nose and mouth will affect judgements of trust, social distance comfort, and fear differently than face coverings which obstruct the eyes.  Results from this study are intended to shed light on potential cognitive and social impacts of widespread use of face coverings.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused massive shutdowns across the globe, as many countries tried to mitigate the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. This upper respiratory infecting virus has caused millions of deaths globally since its first discovery in 2019. Within many countries, mandates and restrictions were put in place to protect their populations, whereas in the United States, the states were given authority over their restrictions. How effective were each states restrictions, in slowing the spread of the virus, more specifically, how did the stricter restrictions of states like Minnesota, and California, compare to the states with more relaxed restrictions, such as South Dakota, and Texas, in their effectiveness against the spread of the virus? To further study and find answers to this question I will be analyzing the state data from each of the above-mentioned states, from The COVID Tracking Project. To fully interpret the data, I will be using RStudio, in conjugation with exploratory data analysis, to compare the infection rate over time of states with stricter restrictions, Minnesota and California, to states with more relaxed restrictions, South Dakota, and Texas. The comparisons and analyses done in this study, may allow for future lawmakers to make more rapid decisions in response to infectious disease possibly saving millions of lives.

The human epithelia encounters thousands of pathogens daily and in response has evolved many strategies against these invaders, but these pathogens have also evolved mechanisms that counter the strategies of the human epithelia. Cytokines are one of the strategies epithelium cells evolved, and these proinflammatory macromolecules allow for intercellular communication between epithelial cells and immune cells within the body. Some fungal pathogens, evolved to produce mycotoxins that prevent the production of cytokines. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of gliotoxin, a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus fumigatus, on interleukin-6, a proinflammatory cytokine, production in human epithelial cell line A549. The A549 cells will be cultured in tissue culture flasks prior to testing. After culture, the cells will be transferred to 96 well plates and designated into five separate groups. One group will be the negative control, no exposure, another will be exposed to dead Staphylococcus aureus with no gliotoxin. The last three groups will be exposed to 20 μg/mL, 40 μg/L, and 80 μg/mL of gliotoxin respectively, before being exposed to dead Staphylococcus aureus. All of the above mentioned that are exposed to Staphylococcus aureus, will be exposed to a dosage of 100 CFU/mL. After twenty-four hours the levels of interleukin-6 will be analyzed in each group via Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Other research has suggested the presence of mycotoxins inhibits the production of cytokines in epithelial cells, so we are expecting the cells exposed to higher levels of gliotoxin will have decreased productions of interleukin-6 when subsequently exposed to the dead Staphylococcus aureus. Understanding the effect of mycotoxins on intercellular communication between immune cells, will allow for a better understanding of how pathogens infect the body.

An increased emergence and acceptance of transgender people in U.S. society highlights shortcomings of U.S. public data collections to track their economic progression. Some governmental data sources make no distinction between the experiences of transgender and cisgender people with respect to their earnings and standard of living measures. This research reviews literature and public data sources to discern data availability for constructing economic quality-of-life indices for transgender and cisgender individuals. Quality-of-life indices can be useful to policy makers and activists addressing the issues facing transgender people. Results can inform both transgender and cisgender people as they use this information to build a more inclusive economy for all. 
 
 
 
 

The Finding Refuge grant is a digital humanities project being conducted by MSUM faculty members and student interns in collaboration with the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR).  Development of a GIS app, Wild Inspired, allows individuals to upload digital media documenting their experience within the TNWR.  This presentation showcases our involvement as marketing interns on the Finding Refuge grant.  Principle marketing tasks completed while serving as interns include developing content and launching social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram), interviewing grant participants, and hosting podcasts to introduce a digital audience to Finding Refuge and the associated app Wild Inspired.  Our experiences highlight the value of undergraduate students collaborating with faculty members on grants and research.   

The speed of a signal through a cable is a very important aspect in today's age of high-speed information transfer. The objective of this experiment was to determine the speed of the electrical signal in a coaxial cable. A digital oscilloscope was used to measure the range of time from the beginning of the signal to the reflection of the signal. A total of six spools of coaxial cables were used to measure different time range. The speed of the signal was found to be with a significance ratio of 14.3 which did not support the hypothesis that the signal travels 2/3 of the speed of light. 

Creating an online multiplayer game, and teaching the computer to play competitively. This project is relevent to the Computer Science and Information Systems department.  The main research will be testing different methods of teaching the computer to play a game with advanced controls. 

Climate change here on Earth is at an alarming stage, with a steady increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide affecting how plants photosynthesis to the unbalanced situations in climatic conditions, some places prolonged droughts and in others increased flooding is causing major problems for plant species. Climate change is defined as a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates. Just with this definition, we can hypothesis that as climate change slowly changes Earth’s local, regional and global climates plant species will be affected in some way. In this research project, I will be answering how climate change is affecting these plant species based on their plant distribution, abundance, and traits. To define plant distribution I will be looking at two locations, one where I think they would be increasing and another where I think they would be decreasing. I will be using the Botanical Information and Ecology Network (BIEN) package to look at all of the data and the BIEN data will be the data presented.

The purpose of this project was to create an app that serves as a way to find media (TV shows, movies, games, books) to consume based on user selected criteria. For example, say a user is looking for a somewhat short series to watch and have about an hour to spare for watching an episode of the show. In that case, the idea would be to have the user enter the time they have to watch and to search for a “short” series (1 or 2 seasons). In addition, there are more in-depth search options (genres, a way to rank interest, etc.), as well as a more streamlined search (similar to Google’s “I’m Feeling Lucky”). The user’s backlog would consist of various types of media that they would add with a search feature that would query various data sources to retrieve the information on runtime, genre, etc. instead of having the user enter every piece of information manually.  The initial idea came from the many recommendations for shows, movies and games that my friends would give me. Given the sheer number of items in my own personal backlog and the limited time I have to experience them, I thought having a way of efficiently managing that would be a good tool to have. 

As a continuation of our software development as part of the TESS ground-based follow-up network, we have been able to produce the data products necessary for a TESS submission. Currently, we are able to produce a photometry measurement table, light curve, seeing profile, a field of labeled apertures, and corresponding measurement files. We have made three successful submissions to TESS, and we are now working on streamlining the analysis process for other submissions along with the analysis of other targets. 

The maximum dipole moment and the orientation was the primary goal of this experiment, and the dipole moment was also compared with different heart masses. The dipole moment was found using an oscilloscope, which acted as an EKG, with a difference amplifier to make the signal clear. The average maximum value of the dipole moment was found to be (1.0 ± 0.2) ∗ 10−12 ?? ∗ ??, and the orientation of the max dipole moment was found to be 88 ± 2°. The dipole moment increased as heart mass increased and this was shown when the data was compared to other dipole moments from hearts of different sizes. The dipole moment was compared with two different laws and both of the significance ratios was under 3, therefore meaning the values were not significantly different and the electric signal from the subject’s heart was accurately measured. 

 Due to our recent decrease of in-person shows in the planetarium, I needed to find a way to interact with our audience in a safe way. Now, every week I record videos of myself reading children's books about space out loud. I post these videos online for our younger audience to listen to and follow along with. I always had a passion for reading and sharing my love of reading, so when I was asked to take on this project, I said yes immediately. There were moments where I wasn't able to record the videos and post them, so I would have to postpone them, or other times someone else would record the video for that week until I could take over again. Despite some of these challenges, the space story videos were successful and received a good response from our audience. 

Purpose: The demand for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) is on the rise as is the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, often referred to as Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type, DAT, for short. SLPs implement various treatment strategies during therapy when working with individuals with the diagnosis of DAT, specifically, a diagnosis of early-onset DAT. The purpose of this literature review is to better understand the therapy strategies implemented by SLPs as they provide services to these individuals and if these strategies require additional research pertaining to the specific diagnosis of early-onset DAT.

Design: The design of this study is a literature review of peer-reviewed sources.

Findings: The therapy strategies implemented by an SLP can vary depending on the individual and the diagnosis. Each individual will have an individualized treatment plan, unique to only them. An SLP will work as part of an interdisciplinary team when providing these skilled services. Studies showed that use of cognitive stimulation, relearning face-name associations, visualization and word recall, verbal play, and environmental factors can all be used in therapy. In regards to the current research, it is limited regarding SLPs providing services to individuals with a diagnosis of early-onset DAT. The findings in this literature suggest that although there is substantial research backing therapy strategies practiced by SLPs on those with DAT, more research is needed as most studies widely focused on DAT in the progressive stages rather than early-onset DAT.

Parallel computing has always fascinated me since I became aware of it. I think it is the only
path forward if we are to build and make a super-fast computer in days to come. For my senior
seminar, I want to build a simple framework of the parallel system and dig deeper into potential
benefits and drawbacks of using a parallel system compared to the serial computing that is still
pervasive in today’s modern technology

Energy drinks claim to increase energy, reduce fatigue, and to help boost sports performance in athletes, however, the average person is unaware of the side effects that may occur after consuming an energy drink. This literature review highlights the history, brands, ingredients, effects, injuries, prevention and education associated with energy drinks. A major concern with energy drinks is overconsumption of these types of products, especially when it involves ingestion over a short period of time. Additionally, there is debate regarding age restrictions for purchasing energy drinks, specifically for adolescents. A primary goal of this literature review is to provide users with correct information regarding energy drinks, and to create awareness of energy drink product labeling. Avoiding potential bodily harm from overuse of energy drink products is a positive outcome when correct information is delivered to the public, and awareness is realized.

My name is MJ West. I am a Biochemistry/Biotechnology major with an emphasis in Molecular Biochemistry and a work-study student at the planetarium.  With Covid 19 being so prevalent and we can’t do in-person shows, so this semester I have been posting short entertaining and informational clips about the mythology associated with the constellations in our night sky on the popular social media site TikTok. I use scripts written by other planetarium staff plus my own research and condense the information into family-friendly sixty-second skits that anyone can have access to. In this presentation, I will discuss my approach to these videos, the challenges and successes I have had, and what has come out of doing them.

Throughout this project, I hope to find a correlation between state poverty levels and the years that those levels take place. The question I am asking is, how did the year compare to the level of poverty in different states throughout the country and was this nationwide or state specific. I am asking this question to see which states have the highest and lowest poverty levels, and if these were in the same years or not. I am also interested in looking at different data sets along this line of questioning such as: drop-out rates, food prices, and children or adults without health insurance and seeing if there is a relationship. I am using data titled, “Entire Population Living in Poverty” provided by the US census to conduct this test. I am analyzing all fifty states from the year 2009 through 2018. For my hypothesis I expect there to be a relationship between poverty levels in the country and the different data sets mentioned earlier. 

In hopes of finding why metastasis is so common in breast cancers, we will be looking into the differences in the mutations of genes in metastatic breast cancer and primary breast cancer. Metastasis is the spread of tumor cells from the initial site to other parts of  the body. After identifying genes that have significant differences between primary and metastatic breast cancer, we will examine the immunobiological mechanisms behind these genes leading to metastasis. To begin our research, genomic profiles of people diagnosed with primary and metastatic breast cancer were obtained from the cBioPortal Cancer Genomic database. The metastatic breast cancer group contained 1,350 samples and the primary breast cancer group contained 4,796 samples. Our hypothesis is that some genes will be the same in both metastatic and nonmetastatic/primary, while others will be more concentrated in one. We think that the immunobiological mechanisms underlying metastasis will be similar irrespective of the genes we choose to investigate. After identifying genes in the patient’s samples, we found that there were multiple genes that were involved in both, but that were more significant in metastatic than primary breast cancer. Understanding both the genetic differences and immunobiological mechanisms that lead to the metastasis of breast cancer will help us recognize why these changes occur and help inform the therapeutics and diagnostics for breast cancer.

This poster outlines the effects traumatic brain injury (TBI) has on learning in the classroom, Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) role in treating school-aged children following a TBI, the importance of collaboration, and what we as SLPs can do to provide continuous education to educators from peer-reviewed literature and SLP community forums. Given the prevalence of school-aged children with TBI, this poster seeks to provide an overview of strategies and resources available for educators to better serve this population in the classroom and bridge the gap between healthcare and school personnel.

Long-term studies of the presence and distribution of species within an ecosystem can provide an understanding of the health of that ecosystem over time, thus aiding researchers in assessing the necessity of conservation efforts for those species, and in determining the efficacy of previously implemented conservation efforts. For the past three years, students in the Geospatial Ecology Lab have been conducting breeding bird surveys at the MSUM Regional Science Center, and my goal is to conduct an exploratory data analysis to determine if any patterns have begun to emerge by looking at broad population movement in space and time, as well as patterns in behavior and habitat selection within individual species. Specifically, I will look at the distribution of the Black-billed Cuckoo and assess what environmental variables might affect its habitat selection, as this pertains directly to research that I will be conducting this summer. With only three years of data, it might be too soon to make any significant assumptions about longitudinal changes in populations, however I am hoping to get a good idea of the distribution of various species with regard to location, habitat, and the time of day/year they are most likely to be observed. Having this information will provide the basis for asking more specific research questions in the future, and beginning a broad analysis at this stage in the project can make it easier to make comparisons to future data about the state of the ecosystem at the Regional Science Center.

Merlins (Falco columbarius) are a small falcon that have begun breeding in more urban areas in the Northern Great Plains over the last forty years, and I am curious about why this is happening. This spring, I will be conducting two different types of surveys, nest surveys to determine likely nest sites and playback surveys to determine presence of Merlins, in order to get an idea of where Merlins are nesting here in Moorhead, MN. I have two main goals in my analysis of the data I collect. The first will be to compare the data between the two types of survey to assess whether the winter nest surveys were useful in determining where Merlins actually chose to nest. The second will be to look for patterns in the environmental factors associated with the Merlin nest sites (i.e. tree type, neighborhood, presence of bird feeders, presence of open areas, etc.) in order to get an idea of Merlin preferences when it comes to nest site selection. Information gleaned from this analysis will guide us in the right direction in how we design future studies in order to begin answering the question of why Merlins are nesting in urban areas and what that might mean for the conservation of Merlins and other species. 

In the United States, 38,000 blood donations support life-saving treatments and services each day. These donations aid individuals demanding blood when they undergo surgeries, cancer treatments, or organ transplants, recover from traumatic injuries, or give birth. In the absence of a substitute for the donated blood supply, an ongoing need for both frequent and healthy donors exists. An unreliable blood supply introduces uncertainty in normal times, and in particular during a public health emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Using data from America’s Blood Centers, this research uses descriptive analysis of the blood supply industry to evaluate market conditions pre-Covid to present. The research findings characterize whether the United States was prepared for such an occurrence prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and assesses the stability of the blood supply moving forward.

While many cultures have their own unique folk music, the Russian people have a unique situation. Their folk music was significantly altered during the years of the Communist government, and as such, the world's perception of Russian culture and Russian folk music was changed. My paper explores the major changes to folk music brought about by communism following the Bolshevik revolution. Whether the initial ban on folklore, the reclassification of peasants and folklore as important to industry, or the subsequent decision by Stalin's government to promote folk music as a national hobby for all citizens and a tool of re-education, to name a few, there were many elements to the re-structuring of Russian society through music that have been largely unexplored.

Out- of- this- world arts& crafts abstract

Megan Kucera

Hello! My name is Megan Kucera, I am a senior studying art education and minoring in art therapy.  My project for the planetarium is coordinating arts & crafts activities for kids of all ages interested in outer space. In the last semester or so, we have had guided video activities on our Youtube channel with an array of arts and crafts. Some of my favorites were jet packs made from recycled materials, galaxy playdough, and constellation greeting cards. I also try to incorporate other opportunities like the NASA space art challenges and including important historical information in my lessons, like the Kathrine Johnson space activity for Black History month.

This project has been a great learning experience for me, and has its own successes and challenges.  This presentation will discuss what went in to developing this series.  I will address what I have learned and gotten our of this experience as well as successes and challenges I have experienced along the way.

A speech-language pathologist’s (SLP’s) primary role in working with people with aphasia (PWA) is to improve and supplement communication. PWA’s communication deficits often can lead to social isolation, affecting an individual’s psychosocial wellbeing. Although SLPs find addressing psychosocial wellbeing important, many do not feel confident directly targeting this issue (Simmons-Mackie & Damico, 2011).  Additionally, SLPs' confidence in addressing this matter may impact the therapy approach they decide to take. Aphasia therapy is often implemented with the thought that through improving communication, psychosocial wellbeing will also improve. There is limited research on therapy approaches that target improving psychosocial wellbeing specifically. Indirect therapy approaches addressing social participation include aphasia group therapy, and communication partner training. Direct therapy approaches include the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Aphasia Action Success (ASK) programme. Group therapy and communication partner training are well-established social approaches. Though it is hypothesized that these approaches would improve psychosocial wellbeing, there is little evidence to support this hypothesis. Similarly, the SFBT and ASK approaches target psychosocial wellbeing specifically but do not have enough research to show significant correlations to improving a PWA’s psychosocial wellbeing. This lack of research indicates that although the SLP field views psychosocial wellbeing as important, the role that SLPs play is still largely unclear. With further research and collaboration, SLPs will be able to address PWAs' psychosocial needs more confidently and help them recover to their best ability.

I used my personal experience of being a small business owner and leveraged what I learned in the field of computer science to create software that caters to a small business. My small business is very small and it would be hard to justify paying for an enterprise software platform to keep business records, perform billing, and output end of year statements for tax purposes.

I created a lightweight enterprise software platform that provides the basics for a small business, but creates value and efficiency for the small business owner. The software package provides the ability to store customer information and complete billing history using a standard relational database. Keeping track of customers and their billing history is a very basic practice for small business owners. With the billing history stored in one table, it makes it easy for harvesting information that is needed when doing end of year reporting.

The lightweight software will also store product information along with details that go along with each product. For example, product type (labor/dry goods), model number, vendor, wholesale cost, MSRP, etc. Utilizing the product information, creates the ability to produce invoices for the customers.

In conclusion, my lightweight software package is intended to meet only the basic needs of a small business. My intention is to fill a need for inexpensive business software, but allow small business owners to automate and expediate their bookkeeping tasks with the use of technology.

Arctic Sea Ice is all the cumulative ice that floats on top of the Arctic Ocean. The importance of the Arctic Sea ice varies to many reasons such as the maintenance of ocean water levels and allows species native to the arctic circle to get to their destinations with ease and gives them better access to hunting, which in return, prolongs their overall survival. In fact, one of the reasons the polar bear population is at a steady decrease is due to the decrease of ice levels in the arctic circle which has extremely limited their time span of hunting. My question is how much has Arctic Sea Level concentrations decreased overtime? To answer this, I will be using data provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Two variables that I will be working with to understand the data I am working with is Ice Level Concentration and the corresponding Heat Index at the time given. I think what I might find in this research is going to help raise awareness on how much Arctic Sea Ice has been lost overtime and give an indication on how it may look for the future generations ahead. 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I and many others were driven online to communicate with family and friends. Due to social distancing, my friends and I missed playing group games together in person. To recreate this experience online and make a fun environment to socialize in, I looked to Discord, the popular online communication platform designed for creating communities. Using a combination of community development tools and Discord’s platform developers can create bots to enhance their communication environment. While a plethora of Discord bots already exist, I wanted to create my own Discord bot tailored to the needs and wants of my friends and me. This project is about creating a Discord bot and customization you can add to enhance the online communication experience. By programming my own Discord bot, I can recreate an environment where my friends and I can play games, share videos, and communicate while social distancing.

Epidermal club cells found in various fish, have had a lengthy and controversial evolution in the scientific literature. While previous studies have focused specifically on the role of club cells as a source of alarm substance cues, recent studies have suggested their role in innate immunity. With this project, we aim to address two questions related to club cells. First, does cortisol (a stress hormone) exposure affect club cell density in zebrafish? Second, does club cell density vary in the skin of fathead minnows obtained from  EPA certified vendor versus that obtained from a pet store?. We expect there to be a lower club cell count in the cortisol-treated fish, which would be in line with cortisol’s purported role as an immunosuppressant. We also expect that EPA-certified minnows will have a higher epidermal club cell count than pet store minnows which would correlate with their health status (well-fed and free from parasites). We hope to add valuable evidence for the role of epidermal club cells in fish’s innate immune system.

This project is being conducted by reviewing literature available that examines the perceptions that teachers have about students who are dysfluent, the mental health of individuals who stutter, and the Speech-Language Pathologist’s role in relation to educating teachers on dysfluency. This poster will synthesize recent literature pertaining to teacher perceptions of students who are dys- fluent, and discuss how SLPs may play a role to address current perceptions. Current best prac- tice for intervention to address teacher perceptions will be summarized.

The application to be displayed will employ good UI design that will make user interaction simple and efficient. The app will be using a SQL database whereas the user will be able to manage. Therefore, the user will be able to modify changes to the database through the app. The app will use android navigation that allows users easily navigate through sections of the app. API features especially the google API will be implemented in the application as well

Food residue remains in the bristles of current dish scrubbing utensils resulting in an inefficient cleaning of dish-ware. Upper class college age students in the F/M area need a durable alternative to a dish scrubbing utensil that remains sanitary through multiple uses in order to attain optimal cleanliness. Our idea for this alternative would be a device that consists of a sustainable brush paired with a multipurpose tray that cleans your dish scrubbing brush after every use. In order to test our idea we will be following the Lean Start-Up method which consists of testing multiple iterations of our product while simultaneously interviewing 15 potential customers. Through this method we will collect valuable insights that will drive innovation. Our Dish Dazzler helps upper-class college students who want to effectively clean their dishes by avoiding unsanitary dish scrubbing utensils and increasing cleanliness unlike traditional sponges.

SAC Abstract

Title: 

Response of pulmonary epithelial cells when exposed to microbial toxin, Deoxynivalenol.

Author names: Morgan Heinen, Lance Leonard, Jajai Hang

Affiliation: Biosciences Department, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, 

                 MN-56563

The average human takes in a breath more than twenty thousand times per day resulting in the circulation of more than ten thousand liters of air. As a result, the lungs are exposed to a vast variety of microbes, airborne allergens, and harmful pathogens. The epithelium lining the respiratory tract is the first contact point for inhaled microorganisms. Studies have shown that exposure to deoxynivalenol (DON), a type B trichothecene mycotoxin, can have harmful effects on the intestinal cells of farmers working around grain dust. This study will investigate if the effects are similar in the epithelial cells in the respiratory epithelium. We will subject A549 human carcinoma lung epithelial cells to varying concentrations of deoxynivalenol, and assess the cell viability using MTT viability assay. This spectrophotometric assay provides a readout of cell viability and growth by measuring cell metabolic activity. We hypothesize that higher concentrations of deoxynivalenol will result in an exponential decrease in A549 cell viability. Cell death can result in the release of Damage Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs), which are recognized by Pattern Recognition Receptors on immune cells, thereby resulting in immune system activation. The information gathered from this experiment will be used to assess other immunological parameters and elucidate the role of pulmonary epithelial cells in defense against mycotoxins. 

The goal of this project is to explore and discuss a common mechanic used in video game development, Field of View, and common related concepts and considerations. This project involves using Unity Engine, a commonly used development environment in the video game industry, as well as the C# programming language for the implementation. In this project, a simple visualization consisting of a player object, play area, obstacles, and a number of target objects is created. In this visualization, the player object is able to move around the environment in conjunction with a “field of view” representation in order to illustrate how the field can be used to detect objects within its range, as well as how the field itself is affected by objects designed to obstruct it. Using this environment, some of the challenges and considerations involved in implementing such a feature, as well as their solutions, are discussed.

An Analytical Data Analysis of Antarctic Penguins   

The Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) study area is an area west of Antarctica. It is one of the three existing research facilities that the United States has to analyze Antarctic marine ecosystems. One of the organisms investigated by the biologists in this facility is the penguin. Observations of the Chinstrap, Adélie, and Gentoo penguins have been recorded on three islands with various measurements in the size, length, region, sex, stage, etc. The health of penguins is often determined by their size especially during their different stages of life. It is for this reason that I want to determine if there is a significant difference in the size of the penguins on each island for different stages in their lives. To do this I will use exploratory data analysis to determine this. I plan to compare the body mass of each species of penguins to the reproductive stage that they are in. I will then determine the number of each penguin species for each island. With this data analysis, I hope draw conclusions to if there is a link between size of the penguins at each stage and the number of each penguins on each island.   

Food waste has been one of the greatest problems all over the world. Between one third to one half of the food gets wasted globally. In the United States only, up to 40 percent of the food is never eaten. At the same time, one in eight Americans struggles to put enough food on the table. Wasted food isn't just a social or humanitarian concern, it is impacting the environment in a bad way. Wasting food means wasting all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. And if food goes to the landfill, it produces methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. About 11% of all the greenhouse gas emissions that come from the food system. In the US alone, the production of wasted food generates the equivalent of 37 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions. Technology, on the other hand has solved and is in the process of addressing many problems like this. This paper focuses on reviewing literatures that has worked on solving food waste problem through technology. Emerging technologies like mobile application, Internet of things (IoT), Image processing and many more are helping to save food from getting wasted. Many countries including Dubai and Malaysia have already been able to reduce the food waste through those techniques.

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) population has severely declined over the past two decades. On 26 August 2020, Cass County Vector Control (in Fargo) scheduled an aerial spraying for adult mosquitos over the Fargo-Moorhead area to prevent the spread of West Nile virus. After the spraying, dead monarch butterflies and other species were reported in the community. For this study, I conducted a community-based research survey in order to quantify the deaths of monarch butterflies in the Fargo-Moorhead area. The survey was posted on Facebook or emailed using contact lists from Minnesota State University Moorhead, North Dakota State University, and Concordia College. Of the 141 survey responses, 87% of participants witnessed dead monarchs in Fargo-Moorhead neighborhoods after the 26 August aerial spraying. Participants in the survey documented discovering nontarget species like bumblebees, grasshoppers, dragonflies, mammals, and birds. From the surveys, it was estimated that nearly 2,000 dead monarch butterflies were found within the Fargo-Moorhead neighborhoods. The impact these numbers have on overall monarch population are probably vastly underestimated but can be used as a model to understand the multifaceted population decline of monarch butterflies across North America. This survey can be used to recognize how local communities contribute to a decline of a species across a nation and demand the need for support of monarch butterflies in local environments in the future.

Title: Effects of Aspergillus fumigatus exposure on TL1-A protein in mice. 
Author names: Omar Bishar, Hassan Bare, Esther Bagula 
Affiliation: Biosciences Department, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead,  
                 MN-56563 
 
               The purpose of this project is to investigate the role of TL1-A protein in the immune response of mice against Aspergillus fumigatus exposure. The protein called TL1A can act on immune cells involved in allergic reactions and drive those immune cells to make pro-inflammatory molecules. We will acquire two groups of male mice, A. fumigatus exposed and unexposed. To investigate the presence of TL1-A protein, we will use mouse TL1-A specific Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).  We predict that TL1A-levels will be elevated in the bronchoalveolar lavage and serum of mice challenged with A. fumigatus at day 28 post challenge but not in the unexposed mice. The observed effects of A. fumigatus on TL1-A will create new design experiments and diagnostics for similar TNF- associated proteins within the innate immune system.

Previous studies have shown that faster moving objects are perceived to last longer yet it is not completely understood how this illusion occurs. With the top-down processing model, early visual neural correlates have been shown to play a role. Which ones specifically though and how do they work together? To further explore past findings, this study investigates the relationship between time dilation and color perception regarding temporal frequency. METHODS/STIMULI: In this study, participants were asked to watch a set of multiple brief stimuli all similar in length, and to estimate the amount of time each stimulus spent on the screen. There were six different stimuli presented to participants 10 times each varying in temporal frequency and chromaticity: slow chromatic changing, medium chromatic changing, fast chromatic changing, achromatic changing, static chromatic, and static achromatic. The average perceived times of each stimulus were collected and compared. It was hypothesized that faster chromatic changes would cause longer measures of perceived time (fast=longest, Med=middle, slow=shortest) and that stationary control conditions would also cause longer measures of perceived time compared to the dynamic conditions. RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Preliminary data indicate a main effect of condition in which estimated times varied as a function of frequency of the chromatic stimuli. These results suggest that frequency of chromatic changes in the visual environment may serve as a low-level neural mechanism for time dilation. 

The “Houston Property” is a former one hundred acre field at the Minnesota State University Moorhead Regional Science Center (RSC) that was established as a prairie restoration site in 2016 by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with a grant from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. Samples from all over the restoration are needed, each year, to document changes in the plant community over time. Collecting species diversity and percent cover data throughout the entire restoration also provides a more complete measure of the restoration’s success. In 2020, relative amounts of plant species were surveyed throughout the restoration using established protocols and piloting new methodologies. We collected and will analyze species diversity data from within our thirty centrally-located plots, and from the twenty-four plots along six line transects located throughout the entire restoration. We will compare species observed with species planted as part of the restoration as a measure of its success. Setting up a long-term monitoring protocol is important to making prairie restoration management decisions and could potentially inform the RSC and DNR of these management plans.

POSTER -   SAC on 20 April 2021 – Final Abstract submitted on 28 Feb 2021

Physical Characteristics of Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) and Associated Habitat Features of Trap Sites in Sloughs in Clay County, Minnesota

Paul A. Ofstedal, and Donna M. Bruns Stockrahm,  Minnesota State University Moorhead, 1104 7th Avenue South, Biosciences Department, Moorhead, MN 56563, paul.ofstedal@go.mnstate.edu, 701-541-3183

In our long-term study (2001-2019), western painted turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) have been live-trapped with basking traps near Rollag, Minnesota, in Clay County to study population characteristics and behaviors.  Captured turtles were weighed, sexed, measured, notched, and PIT-tagged for individual identification.  All turtles were released at a fixed-point on the shoreline of the slough where captured.  Since 2011, three sloughs with less than one km between the two most distant sloughs have been trapped.  Habitat features of the live-trap locations were measured and recorded, including water depth, water clarity, distance of the trap from the nearest shoreline, and vegetation density.  For this poster, data were analyzed from May-August during 2015-2019. The poster will examine the relationships that exist between physical characteristics of turtles (i.e., sex and size as an indicator of age) and the trap location characteristics at which turtles were captured.  I will especially look at habitat features of turtle trapping “hotspots,” i.e., where many turtles were trapped to determine if certain habitat features were associated with these “hotspots” and if particular sexes or sizes of turtles are associated with them.   Knowledge of what impacts trapping rates can improve trapping efficiency in the future. 

195 words

Health Factors is a way to measure the overall health of a specific population. Two things that contribute to Health Factors are socioeconomics and health behaviors. For my project I plan on exploring how socioeconomic variables correlate with negative health behaviors across the counties of North Dakota. I plan to study variables such as obesity, excessive drinking, and adult smoking and how they could potentially be derived from socioeconomic variables. I expect to see a direct correlation of my variables, if this is found it would allow us to be able to create support centers in the counties that need it. 

Cognitive-communication difficulties are the most common communication impairment that occurs as a result of a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). While rehabilitation helps the individual improve after their TBI the individual may still experience communication challenges with their communication partners. This paper responded to these communication challenges by investigating the role of technology and its effect on cognitive-communication following a traumatic brain injury. The main construct of this paper is its focus on the benefits of Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) regarding an individual with a TBI. It further defines the terms AAC and TBI, the role of AAC in the recovery process, and cognitive impairments that affect AAC intervention. It also takes into consideration how AAC can help individuals and the different types of modalities that work best for individuals with TBI. This paper discusses current and past research of the use of AAC in the stages of the recovery process, navigating an AAC device, and the individual's acceptance and use of the device.
   Keywords: augmentative alternative communication (AAC), traumatic brain injury, cognition, acquired disabilities, communication impairments

In 1920, Margaret Sanger published a book in which she declared, “No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother.” Unfortunately, this reality has not been historically afforded to all Americans. In the early years of the birth control movement, this activist hoped that birth control methods would be a great liberator for women. Although Sanger wanted to give women the freedom to choose, birth control methods would be used heavily in later decades to take away a woman’s right to decide whether or not she would have more, or any, children through forced sterilizations during the 1950s and the 1970s. The victims of forced sterilizations during this time period were overwhelmingly poor women of color. A few ways in which these sterilizations were forced on to women was through doctor coercion, misinformation about the permanence of the procedure, and performance of the surgery without their consent or knowledge. Two specific groups that would go on to receive much attention as their cases became public were African Americans and Puerto Ricans. Why were the reproductive choices of women of color often taken away from them in large numbers in the United States and Puerto Rico during the 1950s through the 1970s? The main reasons for this were the birth control movement’s connection to eugenic ideology, the criminalization of the poor, and white disregard for the health of women of color.

The four-centered elimination of HF from fluoroethylene (C2H3F) was modeled using computational chemistry. The structures of the products, reactant, and transition state were optimized and the minimum energy path was calculated at the B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) level of theory using NWChem. A mixed quantum-classical dynamics calculation was performed to determine energy partitioning to the products. The energetics of the reaction and vibrational state populations were analyzed and compared to experimental data. The results for the energetics were in good agreement with other experimental and theoretical studies, but the HF vibrational distribution showed less excitation than experiment, which is consistent with the application of this method to similar reactions. 

The topic of the project is password encryption. In the growing digital age, people are more involved with technology in their daily lives than ever before. Everyone is storing their pictures, files, banking information either in their physical devices (computer, hard drives) or cloud-based storage. One can buy a laptop for just a couple of hundred dollars but the information and work being done on it might be worth millions and it is very important that it is protected and no one is able to access it. This is where password-encryption takes place. Password encryption is the process of encrypting the plain text-based password to another form, a ciphertext that can only be accessed by an authorized user. With this, if anyone wants to access a person’s data then they would not be able to without the right credentials making it very secure. The project will feature the types of encryptions present in the market, which one is widely used and preferred by the general public and businesses, with the math behind it. There will also be information on how it all started, the current severity of cybercrimes that are occurring, showing the need for concern and the value of password encryption.

There are a large number of international students from India and China who are facing difficulty finding the food that is authentic in taste from their country in fargo-moorhead area. Here, there is a lack of an application that gives you the exact restaurants and recipes of authentic foods from India and China. This application will help students effortlessly find 7restaurants with spice level and provide a list of ingredients which can be found locally as per the recipes. Food Finder does not require you to create an account to use it but we do have an option to create an account with the application if you want to. It’s an easy two click application where you just have to type the name of the food and click search, then it will show the location of the restaurants and stores with recipes and their ingredients. We also have a spice level system where the level ranges from 1-10. By creating the application, it will give a solution to numerous students from India and China who are looking to find the food they love in the Fargo/Moorhead area. Even being in a different country thousands of miles away they can still feel at home.

The purpose of this study was to determine if differentiated instruction and multiintelligences
theory could increase students’ motivation and achievement in the classroom. The
study took place at a small, rural school in Northwest Minnesota. Student motivation is crucial
for student success. Eighth grade students filled out student interest surveys to find interests and
possible learning topics. Students also took a multiple intelligence direct to consider their
preferred method of learning. Eighth-grade students read an appropriate Lexile scored work to
read and answer standard-based questions to be scored with a rubric. This rubric was used to
compare students’ scores on lessons based on lessons differentiated by readiness, interest, and
learning profiles. Over the course of eight weeks, students were surveyed on their interest and
comfort level of the instruction. The intended benefit of the study is to increase student
motivation, confidence, and skilled students need to be successful.

This presentation will be focused on the practice of redlining in the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in the state of Minnesota, more specifically, the Rondo neighborhood in Saint Paul, a center of the African American community in that area. This presentation shall include analysis of the building of a highway through this area and how this project was used to aid the marginalization of the housing system that the population of this area are forced to live in.

My project includes the creation of a card game that can be accessed by users via internet download from a created webpage. On the webpage, users can view various statistics from the game that have been stored in a database. Once the game is downloaded, it will be accessible from the user's computer. The game will contain options to play either against an AI bot (the computer) or another live player. The player search will be done using a basic multiplayer server.

COVID-19 is a viral pathogen that is spread person to person typically via respiratory droplets. This virus was officially announced as a pandemic by the WHO (World Health Organization) in March of 2020. In this data analysis, I will try to answer the question of  “did legislative steps like mask madidates and stay at home orders reduce the infectious rates of COVID-19 in MN?”. The data I will be analyzing came from The COVID Tracking Project presented by The Atlantic specifically using data from Minnesota. I plan to do an exploratory data analysis by associating the timeline of the legislative steps and comparing that to the rates of infection and the percent positive rates. By doing this, I will be able to get a visual representation and make conclusions of whether these legislative steps had an effect on the rates of inflection or not. This type of data analysis is important so that in the future, if there is another pandemic, infection rate methods from the past can be evaluated to see whether the same or different techniques should be used. 

The simplest definition of a neural network is given by the inventor of one of the first scientists who advanced this field. Dr Robert Hecht-Neilson says that neural networks are a computing system made up of a number of simple and highly interconnected processing elements which process information by their dynamic state response to external inputs.

   Neural networks and deep learning, a computing function that imitates the workings of a human brain have proven to become one of the most importnat discoveries of the 21st century. This report reviews the workings of neural networks and how it is capable of previously impossible feats in the computing fields like image recognition and speech recognition with such ease. The report reviews on what goes on inside the computer when a neural network computation is taking place. 

I would like to develop a program that aids in the process of the initial setup and continued play of poker games played at home with friends.I will ask the user to enter the amount of players, and the amount every player puts in the pot(The Buy-In). Then The user will input the amount of each color of chip in their standard poker set (number of Black, Green, Blue, Red, and White chips). The last variable entered by the user is what monetary value they want each of the six colors of chips to hold. The program will then calculate the optimal amount of chips for each player using the Buy-In as a maximum chip value. After the program tells the user to hand out the chips the screen will display a poker hand strength chart that the users can look at to determine who wins a hand if it is a tricky one. The last thing the program will provide as an optional feature will be to run timers in the background to remind players to increase the blinds(Or Ante bet).

The learning of human gross anatomy through the use of human cadaver dissection provides an intellectual, emotional and once in a lifetime learning experience. With human cadaver use being such an imperative method to learn human anatomy, many students are beginning to increasingly get this opportunity which equates into a multitude of different emotional responses amongst students of various different gender’s, religions and socio-demographics. Wisenden PA et al. (2018) study on the emotional response to human cadaver use, found that although all individuals initially responded to cadaver use with an increase in anxiety level(s), students that self-identified as white adjusted to cadaver dissection by the six-week mark in the semester. Whereas, those individuals who self-identified as non-white had an increased level of anxiety throughout the whole semester (approximately 16 weeks).

Each donor comes with a medical and social history including occupation. These histories ‘humanize’ the cadavers by letting us know about their lives. Medical history includes cause of death as well as all known surgeries and issues in the donors past done by systems (e.g. issues with breathing due to smoking; 4 heart attack and pacemaker implantation). Social history of the donors includes activities the donor partook in such as birdwatching, crafts and sports. Medical and social history of the donors are not directly in the teaching of Human Anatomy and Physiology (HAP). This current study is to measure the emotional impact of cadaver dissection in nursing students that are given the medical and social history of each donor (humanizing cadavers) compared to nursing students that are not given information (non-humanizing cadavers). The study will utilize both a survey and an interviewing process.

Quantum comuting is considered to be the future of computers and is believed to solve so many problems that our classical computers couldn't solve. Quantum computing works by incorporating concepts of quantum mechanics to be able to transmit data and potentially replace the 1 bit system that we currently have. Superposition and entanglement two of the most prominent quantum mechanics concepts that are used in quantum computing. Applications of quantum computing include: chemical simulations, biological simulation, cryptography and so many more. Quantum computer is at a very early stage and there are many problems such as decoherence that need to be solved before the quantum computers can be used at its full potential.

The use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for voice disorders (dysphonia) alongside traditional therapy techniques has become an increasing area of study in the profession of speech-language pathology. The existing research stemmed from the study of NMES efficacy NMES for swallowing disorders (dysphagia).  Swallowing and speaking use the same anatomy. Consequently, a tie to the implications of NMES for voice and swallowing disorders.  Neuromuscular electrical stimulation uses a device to sends electrical impulses through cutaneous or subcutaneous electrodes to target the neuron motor unit. Electrical stimulation has been shown to increase strength and range of motion, offsetting effects of disuse and disease. This is of particular importance as this therapy technique can reduce the need for surgical or more invasive methodology for voice disorders such as vocal nodules, muscle tension dysphonia, and vocal paralysis as it aims to achieve strength during phonation, improve nerve function, and regenerate efficiency in damaged muscles (El-Banna et. al, 2016).

At this current time, more research is warranted to formulate a protocol for the use of NMES for voice disorders as current use of this treatment is based primarily on the needs of the individual. More valid and reliable studies are needed to determine the use of NMES with traditional voice therapy protocols.

Background:  Interprofessional education and practice (IPE/IPP) have been identified as best practice in speech-language pathology, however “practice within school settings remains inconsistent” (Ludwig & Kerins, 2019).  Primary barriers to collaboration include time constraints and resistance from other professionals (Pfeiffer, Pavaelko, Hahs-Vaugn, & Dudding, 2019).  These factors are likely compounded for rural school-based SLPs due to geographic and professional isolation, but have not been studied with a specific focus on the rural setting (Blood, Thomas, Ridenour, Qualls, & Hammer, 2002).

Methods and Procedures:  A cross-sectional survey was utilized to gather information from rural school-based SLPs in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota regarding their current experiences and practices along with perceived facilitators and barriers to effective SLP and classroom teacher collaboration.  The survey also sought SLP’s perspectives on the unique benefits and challenges associated with collaborating in the rural school setting.  Seventy-eight participants completed the survey via Qualtrics which consisted of multiple choice, multiple-select, numerical entry, and open-ended questions.   

Outcomes and Results:  Participants indicated facilitators to collaboration were communication, understanding of each person’s roles and responsibilities, and mutual respect and shared values; while barriers to collaboration were time constraints/scheduling, workload size, and caseload size.  Participants shared that a sense of community and familiarity were among the unique benefits of collaborating in a rural school, and lack of time and diversity of professional demands were unique challenges.  Fifty of 78 participants indicated they had received no education or training related to working in collaborative teams with classroom teachers.

Conclusions:  The results indicate many barriers and unique challenges for SLPs collaborating in rural schools but also highlight the benefits of the core components of IPE/IPP.  Further research is warranted to study the correlation of education and training in IPE/IPP and effectiveness of collaboration, particularly in the rural school setting.

This study resulted from a reviewal of recent literature pertaining to the arguments on the use of antipsychotics for treating the symptomatic behaviors of persons with dementia. The information includes a perspective on either the positive or negative effects of antipsychotics on individuals with dementia. Discussed information will include insights on the previous and current uses of antipsychotics, alternative methods to the use of antipsychotics, as well as assessing the potential impact that these behavior altering drugs may have on individuals with dementia and their loved ones. 

Late language emergence (LLE) is a term used to describe a delay in expressive language development in children with no co-existing disorders or deficits that are neurological, cognitive, or sensory-related. Children between the ages of 18-35 months who present with LLE are referred to as late talkers (LT). The characteristics of LT differ across all individuals, making it difficult to accurately identify children as LT and predict long-term language outcomes. This research reviews the existing literature on the identifying characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes of LT. A comprehensive view of the LT population is necessary to fully understand these children so that speech-language pathologists may make informed clinical decisions when working with them.

Community of Creation is a documentary project created under the film production program. The documentary itself focuses on the ideas of local art, fellowship, and adaptibility throughout a small community gallery located in Rochester, Mn named SEMVA. This presentation will focus on the communal influence of local art and the impact it had on the unique production of the documentary.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the newly discovered coronavirus. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes. In the Us, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO in March 2020. What is the effect of COVID-19 testing on the spread of the virus? In this study, we are going to evaluate this question using Texas as a case study. Using exploratory data analysis, I am going to compare the number of patients hospitalized to the number of deaths recorded. From the results of this data analysis, I should be able to conclude what type of correlation exists between the total number of patients hospitalized and mortality.

The Computer Science and Information Systems Department at Minnesota State University Moorhead needs an advising program. This will allow the department to advise students in a more efficient way, plan for future course offerings, and keep track of each student’s graduation path. To create an effective advising program, a strong and robust backend database is required. The database design will be created and modeled using an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) and will be continuously revised and reviewed before any coding takes place. Once this is complete, a backend database will be created using Microsoft’s Structured Queried Language (SQL) Server. This will be the backbone for another user in the future to finish the advising database using front-end services. However, for the purpose of demonstration, I will run example queries in SQL Server, and I will show a prototype of what the front-end of the database may look like in the future. 

This long-term study on western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) ecology began in 2001 and continued through 2019, where turtle populations have been sampled from three sloughs near Rollag, MN using basking traps. Data collected from captured turtles included weight, sex, carapace and plastron length, and carapace curvature. Pit tags and scute notches were used to identify which turtles had been captured previously and which were caught for the first time.  Using this information and the data collected from 2015 through 2019, this project aims to analyze factors that might have affected which turtles were trapped repeatedly compared to those that are only trapped once. Specifically, I am looking at whether male and female turtles are captured equally or if one sex is trapped more often than the other. Additionally, I am looking for any patterns in body size (as an indicator of age) affecting trappability. Preliminary results indicate that males seem to be recaptured more often than females, but statistical analyses have not been completed so these results might not be statistically significant. 

I am using a model from hugginface which is trained and fined tune for the question answering of the passage. The main use of the app will be the program will try to answer the question for the given passage. The model itself is trained on squad data set which have 1.3B of data of passages, questions and answers. The program itself can be very usefull to create a chat bot like environment where it can answer the questions regard ing the paragraph or text provided. 

This literature review discusses the progressive neurodegenerative disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The slow death of motor neurons located in the cerebral cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord directly impacts one’s ability to carry out tasks such as walking, talking, eating, swallowing, breathing, and more. Many are believed to feel a sense of loss, stripped of their true identity when facing this terminal disease. This review highlights the influence this diagnosis has on one’s communication and the important role augmentation and alternative communication (AAC) plays. Proper implementation of AAC is imperative and must be completed in a timely manner when faced with a time-sensitive diagnosis. Existing research supports that factors contributing to delayed implementation of AAC include limited knowledge base, limited access to adequate assistive technology, and individuals who are reluctant to comply with the process. AAC has been demonstrated to serve as an effective intervention to increase quality of life in many individuals across the lifespan. It is now more important than ever to increase education in the field of speech-language pathology regarding AAC including voice and message banking to advocate for all individuals served regardless of prognosis and work towards decreasing the stigmas associated with AAC as an intervention. 

Circadian rhythms, sleep quality, and sleep hygiene are major factors that can affect sleep and inhibit athletic performance. This literature review is an analysis of these specific factors. Jet lag, an extreme tiredness, along with other physical effects felt by a person after a long flight across several time zones, is a condition that can affect sleep quality and sleep hygiene for athletes when traveling across countries or traveling internationally to compete in sport events. A primary focus of this literature review was to identify the individual effects of sleep deprivation and how circadian rhythm disruption can affect bodily functions. Gross motor function was shown to remain relatively normal, but fine motor function and split decision making was shown to be altered. Various recommendations were suggested to maintain circadian rhythm, to improve sleep quality, and boost cognitive function.

Individuals who sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) often have alterations in their social behavior and communication. This literature review aims to determine the best speech and language intervention for individual’s social behavior following a TBI. Social skills are important for individuals to participate in a society. Each individual can exhibit different symptoms from a TBI, and it is our job as Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) conduct an evaluation to determine where the deficits occur. According to literature review, it is not only important to provide services to the individual with a TBI but also his/her family members and caregivers as well. 

This is a project on how bitcoin protocol and mining works. I will be specifically researching on the mathematical concept (algorithm) behind the mining process and how it gets executed using the programming language, python. I will also be presenting on bitcoin protocol and it's source code. The study will also include how bitcoin although a revolutionary decentralized system could also have it's set back through privacy issues. 

Volume forecast model is a model developed by collecting data of the financial markets by scrapping the web. Then the data is cleaned and formatted properly in a csv file. The data analyst then makes a data report and then make the model through trial and error by finding coorelation between data points. After the highest correlation is obtained, the model is developed to forecast future demand and supply of the instrument.

   Corita Kent (1918-86) was an American nun, artist, activist, and educator who achieved substantial fame and celebrity in her lifetime. As her fame grew, she experienced considerable friction with church leaders who sought to tamper her radical approach to religion and culture. While she left her religious order in 1968, spiritual themes persisted in her prints.
   The secular, consumerist imagery that Kent embraces is imbued with spiritual and religious themes, providing commentary on religion, culture, and recent changes in both. This paper will examine Kent’s place in national and church politics amidst the changes of the Second Vatican Council and the turbulence of postwar America. Her practice raises the following questions: how did the church hierarchy receive Corita and her work? How was she received by national media and the greater culture? This paper also aims to contextualize Kent’s work in the Pop Art movement, proving that her methodology and subject matter place her firmly in the movement. 

I will be doing a presentation on von Neumann computer architecture, and how it pertains to computer hardware and software, and the programming of both from high and low-level languages down to machine code.  Along with my report, I will be using PowerPoint slides for my presentation, which will include the use of text, pictures, graphs, diagrams, code examples, and possibly short video clips.  I am doing a report because physically presenting this entire concept model would be impossible, and a written report along with the PowerPoint presentation will allow me the ability to explain the entire process in reasonable depth.

The Achilles tendon is the thickest and strongest tendon in the human body. At times during athletic activities, stress on the Achilles tendon can reach up to ten times the body’s weight. Achilles tendon injury can be acute or chronic, and can broadly be defined as a form of tendinopathy. Tendinopathy is the term that indicates tendinitis, tendinosis, and tenosynovitis. This literature review examines the Achilles tendon anatomy, etiology associated with the Achilles tendon, signs and symptoms common with tendinopathies, and treatments utilized to assist in the healing process with Achilles tendinopathies. Achilles tendinopathy is often related to increased physical activity and a failed healing response from a previous Achilles tendon injury – an injury that can include both intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors. The common mechanism of injury/etiology is generally unknown. Common treatments are therapeutic ultrasound, extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT), eccentric exercise, platelet-rich plasma injection, surgical treatment, and/or a combination of them. Many are relatively new and need further study for standardization.

In the United States, 68 percent of four-year-old children and 86 percent of five-year-old children were enrolled in a preprimary program in 2017 (Institute of Education Sciences [IES], 2019). Preprimary programs are defined as programs that provide educational instruction and childcare, which includes both preschool and kindergarten. Because children entering kindergarten have a diverse array of experiences due to their home environments and previous experience in childcare, they have varying abilities when it comes to skills in language and literacy. Language can be defined as the words that are used to share information and how they are used to communicate, whereas literacy refers to the use and understanding of written language (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], n.d.a). Kindergarten teachers are tasked with evaluating and teaching language and literacy skills to their students each year. In order to understand the experience of kindergarten teachers in evaluating and teaching language and literacy skills, as well as how expectations and performance of children have changed over time, the researcher conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with kindergarten teachers who have been teaching for more than 10 years. Results revealed that kindergarten teachers’ expectations for language and literacy skills upon entrance to kindergarten have increased over the last 10 years, and teachers perceive that their students, particularly students of the 2019-2020 school year, have a wide range in skills and abilities when it comes to language and literacy, causing milestones to be met inconsistently.

Keywords: language, literacy, development, milestones, kindergarten, teachers

References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). (n.d.a). What is speech? What is language? Retrieved from https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Speech-and-Language/

Institute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). The condition of education. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cfa .asp.

This qualitative study aimed to explore attitudes and perceptions of faculty towards inclusion of

interprofessional education (IPE) in healthcare curriculum. Efforts were made to explore faculty

members’ definition of IPE, significance of including IPE in content and curriculum and

resources available to implement such initiatives in healthcare education programs. Further,

challenges faced while including IPE in curriculum were also explored. Face to face semi

structured interviews were conducted, and a six-step thematic analysis framework was utilized to

analyze the collected data. Further, four dimension criteria was utilized to establish the rigor of

the study. Eleven participants across undergraduate and graduate health profession programs

participated in in-depth semi structured interviews. Findings suggest that faculty defined IPE

through the framework of teamwork, the integration of clinical and non-clinical health-based

disciplines, and as a means to foster experiential learning. Faculty identified organizational

support, culture, the healthcare industry, administration, and accreditation as both resources and

barriers to the successful implementation of IPE. Because there is paucity of research on IPE in

clinical and non-clinical health disciplines, this research can provide practical tips to both

academic administrators and faculty members.

Solidago altissima is a Northern American species of goldenrod plant. They are often found across large areas of the United States, northern parts of Mexico, and Canada. Solidago altissima is unique due to its tolerance of landscapes which have had human disturbance. This unique trait has allowed the plant to grow widespread in the North American/Canadian region. The question I will answer explores if there is a higher frequency of solidago altissima plants in areas of the United States compared to Canada. Data being used for this question comes from the “BIEN” database, which is the “Botanical Information and Ecology Network”. Within this database, there is an option to search for worldwide data observations on a specific plant species. I will use exploratory data analysis to answer my question. The two variables that will be compared in the dataset are the observations, and the country. I will separate the observations variable by “specimen” and the country variable by “United States” and “Canada”. The purpose of this research question would relate to ecological conservation and in what human disturbed areas solidago altissima growth frequency is higher. As well as, studying how plants can better adapt to the rapidly growing human disturbed areas. I predict that the frequency of solidago altissima will be higher in the region of Canada, due to less human disturbed areas.

This will be our fifth year of following protocols and contributing data to the Nutrient Network, a global research network of over 140 sites around the world studying grassland ecology. Our site, ‘North Pond’ was established in 2016 on a 20+ year prairie restoration at MSUM’s Regional Science Center is part of a ten-year commitment to the network. Along with global research, independent local research projects have been established at North Pond. This includes a project examining the frequency of galls on goldenrod plants in fertilized vs unfertilized plots. According to NutNet protocols (Nutrient Network 2016), each NutNet site is split into three blocks, each with 10 5x5 m plots for a total of 30 plots. Factorial combinations of nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium - NPK) will be added for the fifth year to designated 5x5 m plots at both sites in spring. We will be measuring plant biomass, species diversity, light intensity, and abundance using NutNet protocols for the North Pond site (Nutrient Network 2016). So far, our data have shown an increase in biomass and a decrease in plant species diversity in the fertilized plots, a typical result of other NutNet sites across the globe (Nutrient Network 2016).

Escherichia coli K-12 is a gram-negative bacteria that is a commonly used model organism in bacterial research. E. coli K-12 contains many surface receptor proteins, which serve transportive and osmoregulatory functions. Specifically, OmpC is a porin protein in the outer membrane of E. coli K-12 that transports ions and other nutrients. Although these proteins have important functions, they can be utilized by phages for attachment. The T4 bacteriophage uses OmpC to attach to E. coli K-12 and initiate the lytic cycle. However, many bacterial organisms, like Escherichia coli K-12, can combat phage attachment by inducing a bacterial immune response, known as surface modification. Surface modification is a form of bacterial immunity homologous to the innate immune system of eukaryotes that allows bacteria to alter their receptor proteins. Previous studies in bacterial immunity have shown that repeated phage exposure to bacterial surface receptor proteins resulted in surface modification, preventing future phage attachment. Although, this process can affect E. coli K-12’s antibiotic resistance. Additionally, research on the relationship between surface modification and antibiotic resistance is currently ongoing as a new topic of interest. In this study, we will measure the antibiotic resistance and expression of OmpC in E. coli K-12 after exposure to T4 bacteriophage and antibiotics. We expect our results to concur with previous studies that repeated exposures to phages can alter OmpC expression in bacteria, and increase antibiotic susceptibility. Our study strives to provide further insight into the role of OmpC expression in bacterial resistance to antibiotics and phage infection. 

   A worm is a computer program that can infect and spread from computer to computer
without any user interaction. One way a worm can spread is through the exploitation of a
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. Some worms that have specifically exploited XSS
vulnerabilities are the Sammy worm, the Orkut worm, and the SpaceFlash worms. Each of these
exploited a weakness in code in order to inject malicious code into websites and allow further
propagation to other hosts. XSS is one of OWASP’s Top Ten web application security risks. In
XSS attacks, a vulnerable web site is exploited, enabling an attacker to inject malicious code
such as JavaScript into the web pages. When JavaScript is run on a host computer, it can be
used to set the stage for the worm to spread through use of mechanisms like XMLHttp (Ajax)
Requests sending scrupulous requests under the guise of the current host. There exists many
ways to detect, mitigate, and prevent XSS attacks. In this work, we will look at several of these
methodologies, specifically, several client-side XSS mitigation, prevention, and detection
methodologies and determine their applicability in mitigating, preventing, and detecting attacks
JS XSS Worms.

The Effect of Semantic Satiation on the Perception of Bistable Images 
The theory of linguistic relativity states that language influences the way we organize thoughts and ultimately perceive the world. Bistable images can be seen in one of two ways, and this experiment aimed to determine the degree that language may influence this perception. Semantic satiation is a technique in which the meanings of repeated words are left unavailable to the user, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds. Participants were asked to identify which version of several bistable images they perceived before and after semantic satiation. In this experiment there were three bistable images used:  The “duck/bunny” image, the “old/young woman” image, and the “face/vase image". It was predicted that the time to make a perceptual decision based on an image would increase following satiation to one of the categories included in the image (I.E. “face” or “vase”). Initial results show reaction decreased rather than increasing, which indicates that the semantic satiation technique may initiate categorical priming rather than satiation in the context of bistable images. This suggests that bistable images may be unique among visual stimuli, and this could represent a separate mechanism of top-down perceptual influence.  

Student Academic Conference Abstract

Title: Priming of behavioral responses to risk: post-traumatic stress in zebrafish 

Author names : Yasmin Mohammed and Esther Bagula

Affiliation: Biosciences Department, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, 

                 MN-56563

Behavioral decision-making in fish and other aquatic life creatures is led by chemical compounds dissolved in water. Fishes use their sense of smell to find mates, find food and detect the presence of  predators. When a fish gets eaten by a predator, chemicals from the prey that act as alarm cues are released into the water which alerts other nearby prey of the presence of danger. In this study, we will be exposing zebrafish Danio rerio to either chemical alarm cues from conspecifics, or water (control). The fishes will be observed and tested for behavior and cortisol levels after 5 min, 30 min and 60 min. We will also be measuring the duration of the cortisol response and compare it to the duration of the behavioral response. We predict that alarmed fish will sustain elevated cortisol levels for up to an hour, long after a behavioral response has subsided. If our predictions are supported by our data, this would indicate that fish have recovered from a stressful event and remain in a state of physiological hyper-reactivity in case another attack arrives. This is equivalent to PTSD in humans that have experienced trauma. Since it is unethical to experimentally subject humans to stress to measure their responses, we are able to study the effects indirectly by studying the stress response in zebrafish because the biochemistry is the same for zebrafish as it is for humans.

Presented here is a project to develop a program that can collect US stock market data, sort the collected data in a readable format, and output the data as a CSV file for use in data analysis.

During the cold winter months people are suffering from cold feet. As of now there isn't a consistent way to keep your feet warm. We are here to supply an insole that covers the whole foot and is Bluetooth compatible. We want to create a line of affordable insoles that are comfortable plus keep your shoes and feet warm all winter long. Our heated insoles help people in cold climates who want to keep their feet warm at an affordable price by eliminating cold feet and providing easy access to controls, unlike our expensive competitors.