Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Classroom Management In Kentucky, Sarah Miller, Kim Nettleton

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Classroom management is a skill many incoming teachers struggle to balance while teaching. Good classroom management aids in establishing a learning environment that encourages both social and academic learning. The case studies recorded examine the classroom management methods of a select group of educators. These subjects described their methods of classroom management, whether self-made or research-based, through a series of interview questions. The interview questions establish an understanding of current practice of classroom management regarding rules, procedures, positive relationships, and classroom arrangement. In evaluating different variations of classroom management, the effectiveness, and advantages and disadvantages of different classroom management methods …

Love And Education In Plato's Symposium, Brooke Boggs, Timothy L. Simpson

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

This paper seeks to illuminate the significance of Socrates' entrance into a series of speeches by exploring the connection between love and learning in Plato's Symposium. We begin by presenting historical and social contexts relevant to the dialogue and its author. We then turn to the dialogue, outlining the fundamental components of each speech and, moreover, analyzing each speech with the aim of eliciting educational implications which are later highlighted and expanded on by Socrates. We examine these pedagogical connotations through a thorough investigation of each speech, keeping a keen eye on Socrates. We approach our examination of Socrates’ speech …

Telehealth As A Preventative And Quality Control Measure For Hospital Readmissions And Comprehensive Health Factors: A Quality Improvement Project, Miracle Thacker, Randa Thompson, Madison Whitenack, Elizabeth Williams, Kaitlyn Workman, Suzi White

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Exploring Telehealth as a tool for reducing hospital readmission rates and improving client long-term health. Findings are to be shared with staff nurses to improve client outcomes.

A Meta-Analysis Of Quantitative Collecting Techniques For Spiders, Eliana Eldridge, Joshua Hicks, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Quantitative sampling of organisms is often used to provide information in ecological studies, monitor populations, and aid in biodiversity projects. Many studies involve the quantitative sampling of spiders. In this meta-analysis study, 207 peer-reviewed journal articles formed the basis of an initial data set for a quantitative analysis of spider collection techniques. Data collected included country of study, mode of study, trapping techniques used, spider diversity, and number of specimens collected. Our meta-analysis gathered research articles that included 33 different countries of study. Trapping techniques greatly vary depending on the habitat in which spiders dwell. These were divided into aerial, …

A Preliminary Survey On The Biodiversity Of Wasps In Eastern Kentucky, Lorien Molstad, Zoe Baker, Julia Fitzpatrick, Bethany Lucio, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Biodiversity is the measure of variability of interactions between living organisms within an area. Biodiversity contributes significantly to the production of different life sustaining resources and supports a diversity of ecological life. A greater biodiverse area can help maintain environmental balance and maintain ecological diversity and health. There are multiple economic, cultural, and scientific reasons as to why biodiversity is important. When assessing biodiversity, mammals and birds are commonly used as surrogates. The problem with mammals and birds is that there are relatively few species and relatively few individuals in an area, so quantitative assessment can be difficult. However, insects …

Photography Practicum: Learning The Basics Of Managing A Fine Art Photography Darkroom, Brooklin Routt, Allison Jones, Frazier Pack, Robyn Moore

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The photography practicum provides Art and Design student researchers with the practical experience of managing a fine art photography studio. Students learn how to operate, manage, and maintain industry-standard fine art archival inkjet printers as well as a fourteen-station traditional black and white darkroom. This project provides essential expertise and knowledge that students, as lab monitors, both share with other students and incorporate into their own fine art practice and professional activities. Student researchers learn how to mix, store, and dispose of photographic chemistry, provide daily assistance to undergraduate and graduate photography students, and generate ideas for improvements to the …

Survey Of Spiders Within Eastern Kentucky, Mercy Hailu, Bailey Bullock, Joshua Hicks, Eliana Eldridge, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Biodiversity is known to be the variation of living organisms compromising several levels, beginning from genes, then species, communities, then finally ecosystems. Biodiversity is crucial in maintaining ecological balance, boosting ecosystem productivity, and determining the quality of ecosystem services such as pest management in agriculture. Being aware of biodiversity's importance can also help with the prevention of continuous threats to biodiversity and be best prepared to manage conservation challenges. Typically, mammals, birds, and plants are used to assess biodiversity. However, spiders may be effective in indicating environmental change because they are taxonomically quite diverse, species fill a variety of ecological …

Creating The First Genetically Engineered Eukaryote With Circular Chromosomes, Duncan Mcginnis, Melissa Mefford

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Prokaryotes and eukaryotes differ in their chromosome structure; prokaryotes have a single circular chromosome, while eukaryotes have multiple circular chromosomes. Linear chromosomes are more complex than circular ones and create problems for eukaryotes. Many of these issues are solved by telomeres—long, repetitive sequences of DNA found on the ends of most eukaryotic chromosomes. They protect the ends from harm and limit how many times a cell can divide. Two of our greatest medical challenges, cancer and aging, are closely related to telomeres; most cancers upregulate telomerase, and aging human cells display shorter telomeres. To investigate the evolution and function of …

Fungi In A Warmer World: Middle Miocene Fungal Assemblages And Diversity From Alum Bluff, Florida, Savannah Jones, Taylor Horsfall, Laikin Tarlton, Abigayle Caldwell, Liberty Smallwood, Jolene Fairchild, Libby Lennex-Stone, Alyssa Patel, Olivia Vanderespt, Ingrid Romero, Jennifer O'Keefe, Noelia Nunez Otano, Sophie Warny, Matthew Pound

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Fungi play a key role in the terrestrial carbon cycle, soil formation, and overall plant growth as terrestrial decomposers (1, 2). Thus, the study of fungi, especially in the fossil record, is critical to understanding how fungal assemblages will react to future warming events. Fossil fungi provide a large-scale, long-term dataset unavailable from modern records, allowing for the generation of viable paleoclimate reconstructions and predictions (3, 4). Despite their importance and advantages in forming ecological and climatological interpretations, deep-time fungi have been underutilized (3). The Fungi in a Warmer World (FiaWW) project aims to deliver the first global view of …

Risky Behaviors In Central Appalachia/Eastern Kentucky: Teen Pregnancy And Sexually Transmitted Infections, Allison Hyden, Lisa Shannon

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2017), Central Appalachia had a teen birth rate 63% higher than the national rate. In the Big Sandy Region of Kentucky, the teen pregnancy rates per 1,000 females ages 15-19 were Floyd at 55.9, Johnson at 30.3, Magoffin at 57.3, Martin at 50.7, and Pike at 38.2. These were more than double the national rate (16.9) (Centers for Disease Control, 2021). Sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates within the area were also high. Chlamydia increased 200%, and syphilis increased 300% between 2011 and 2017; many of these cases were in young adults (Meehan, 2018). …

The Craft Academy Robotics Project, Daniel Brooks, Josh Day, Brianna Kayatin, Logan Lee, Shawn Nelson, Brady Sammons, Paul Zigo, Rachel Rodgers

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

To begin, the team’s research project consisted of a robot that could compete on a 12-foot by 12-foot playing field alongside 3 other robots. The robot had to fit within an 18in-by-18in limit, it could be made of a variety of materials and motors specified in the game manual to help it achieve the most amount of points possible. There are many ways to earn points in Freight Frenzy divided into 3 sections, Autonomous, Tele-Operation or “Op” for short, and End-Game: In the Autonomous section, the match starts with a 30-second Autonomous Period where Robots are operated only via pre-programmed …

Fungi In A Warmer World - Fungal Diversity From The Peak Warming Of The Miocene Climate Optimum As Recorded In The Latah Formation, Clarkia, Idaho, Usa, J. Fairchild, I. C. Romero, N. B. Nunez Otano, S. Warny, M. J. Pound, J. M. K. O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Microfungi are a vital part of ecosystems as they help with key processes, such as carbon and nutrient cycling, especially through the actions of mycorrhizal and saprotrophic members (Nuñez Otaño et al., 2015, 2021; Willis et al., 2018). Microfungi can also be good indicators of plant biodiversity in an area because many fungal taxa are host-specific (Rutten et al., 2021; Francioli et al., 2021; Hu et al., 2021; Wijayawardene et al., 2022 ). Despite being crucial components in ecosystems, they are often overlooked. In the fossil record, microfungi have a high preserva􀆟on rate and they are often preserved close to …

Processing Seismic, Gravity And Magnetic Data Over Diebold Knoll On Juan De Fuca Plate, Md Ariful Islam, Irina Filina

UNL Student Research Days Posters, Graduate

The Juan de Fuca plate is subducting beneath the North American plate along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The CSZ is associated with multiple earthquakes, although compared to other subduction zones, it is less active. Many studies suggest that subduction will cause major mega thrust earthquake in near future, while others oppose this view. This project is focused on the Diebold Knoll on the JdF plate Various geophysical methods will be integrated to determine its origin and tectonic history.

Lyapunov-Based Economic Model Predictive Control For Detecting And Handling Actuator And Simultaneous Sensor/Actuator Cyberattacks On Process Control Systems, Henrique Oyama, Dominic Messina, Keshav Kasturi Rangan, Helen Durand

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Faculty Research Publications

The controllers for a cyber-physical system may be impacted by sensor measurement cyberattacks, actuator signal cyberattacks, or both types of attacks. Prior work in our group has developed a theory for handling cyberattacks on process sensors. However, sensor and actuator cyberattacks have a different character from one another. Specifically, sensor measurement attacks prevent proper inputs from being applied to the process by manipulating the measurements that the controller receives, so that the control law plays a role in the impact of a given sensor measurement cyberattack on a process. In contrast, actuator signal attacks prevent proper inputs from being applied …

College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, March & April 2022, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Volume 3, Issue 3

Page 1 Dean's Message
Page 2-3 Awards and Recognition
Page 4 2022 URSCAD - CNS Snaps
Page 5 Geography Convention Recap
Page 6 Attention Students!
Page 7-8 Media Coverage of CNS
Page 9 Spring Break Outreach, Adopt the Pantry,
Page 10 Discovery on Tap Event
Page 11 CNS Students Visit State Capital
Page 12 Celebrating 50 Years of Sally
Page 13 Open PRAIRIE Data
Page 14 Grants Awarded and Bio-Micro Day of Scholars
Page 15 -17 2022 Geography Convention Snaps
Page 18 Sally Krueger's 50th Work Anniversary

Why Rectified Linear Unit Is Efficient In Machine Learning: One More Explanation, Barnabas Bede, Vladik Kreinovich, Uyen Pham

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many applications, in particular, in econometric application, deep learning techniques are very effective. In this paper, we provide a new explanation for why rectified linear units -- the main units of deep learning -- are so effective. This explanation is similar to the usual explanation of why Gaussian (normal) distributions are ubiquitous -- namely, it is based on an appropriate limit theorem.

When Is Deep Learning Better And When Is Shallow Learning Better: Qualitative Analysis, Salvador Robles Herrera, Martine Ceberio, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many practical situations, deep neural networks work better than the traditional "shallow" ones, however, in some cases, the shallow neural networks lead to better results. At present, deciding which type of neural networks will work better is mostly done by trial and error. It is therefore desirable to come up with some criterion of when deep learning is better and when shallow is better. In this paper, we argue that this depends on whether the corresponding situation has natural symmetries: if it does, we expect deep learning to work better, otherwise we expect shallow learning to be more effective. …

Why Constraint Interval Arithmetic Works Well: A Theorem Explains Empirical Success, Barnabas Bede, Marina Tuyako Mizukoshi, Weldon Lodwick, Martine Ceberio, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Often, we are interested in a quantity that is difficult or impossible to measure directly, e.g., tomorrow's temperature. To estimate this quantity, we measure auxiliary easier-to-measure quantities that are related to the desired ones by a known dependence, and use the known relation to estimate the desired quantity. Measurements are never absolutely accurate, there is always a measurement error, i.e., a non-zero difference between the measurement result and the actual (unknown) value of the corresponding quantity. In many practical situations, the only information that we have about each measurement error is the bound on its absolute value. In such situations, …

The Analysis Of Microplastics Found In The Flowers Of Rhode Island, Hailey Hendricks, Matthew Kiesewetter

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of The Headspace Gases Formed From The Fermentation Of Barley, Ken Overway, Cassie Taylor

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

Volatile compounds are compounds that can exist in a gaseous state at room temperature. These compounds contribute to the aromas that are associated with mixtures. The analysis of these gases can be completed using a gas chromatograph to provide a sort of fingerprint identification. The analysis of the volatile compounds for barley fermentation samples was completed by collecting the gas above the fermenting solution, the headspace gas, and injecting this gas into the gas chromatograph. These fermentation samples showed predominantly the formation of carbon dioxide for a significant length of time before finally ethanol was detected. A subsequent of the …

Identification And Quantification Of Atrazine In The North River Using Spe And Hplc, Kenneth Scott Overway, Youmna Moawad

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is utilized for the separation, purification, and quantification of viscous and complex analyte mixtures. It is important in that it can analyze and detect low analyte concentrations, which can be useful in many industries, such as food and pharmaceutical industries, as well analyzing environmental samples. The purpose of this project was to identify and quantitate atrazine, an herbicide, in a water sample from the North River (Bridgewater, VA) using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and HPLC.

Extraction & Purification Of Ppix Using Hplc & Fplc, Ken Overway, Grace Rilee

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

Porphyrins, an organic molecule, are a possible sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) because of their strong absorption in the visible spectrum. One naturally occurring porphyrin is protoporphyrin IX (PPIX), which can be found in brown eggshells. There are two reasons why PPIX is the ideal sensitizer. (1) The absorbance spectrum of PPIX can be modified by changing ring substituents, thus tuning the absorbance to the solar spectrum. (2) PPIX allows for direct attachment to the DSSC due to the carboxylic acid substituents on PPIX and the TiO₂ of the DSSC. The HPLC was used to develop a chromatographic …

Covid-19 Pandemic Effects On The Environment, Ken Overway, Phillips Lane

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a constant in everyone’s lives for almost the past three years now and has embedded itself into basically every part of global society and norms. The main areas where this is evident are in the major disruptions in the economic, social, and public health sectors of the world. There is one other area that has been affected by this prolonged pandemic in a multitude of ways, the environment. Our environment, both globally and regionally, has seen both positive and negative effects throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in a variety of different areas. …

Making Forests, Making Communities: An Ethnography Of Reforestation In Monteverde, Costa Rica, Megan Brown

Anthropology Theses and Dissertations

Reforestation is not just planting trees in the ground. More than net increase in forest cover, reforestation is a complex political endeavor undertaken by both humans and non-humans and a popular climate change mitigation tactic. However, little research has examined the dynamics between selection of specific reforestation strategies, health, and community resilience, particularly with attention to entanglements between the lives of both human and non-human forest dwellers. This ethnographic work, based on six months of in-person fieldwork and six months of digital ethnography, examines reforestation and forest relations in Costa Rica’s Monte Verde zone, a region which experienced widespread deforestation, …

Measurement Of The Branching Fraction And Cp Asymmetry For B → D ¯ 0Π Decays, T. Bloomfield, M. E. Sevior, I. Adachi, H. Aihara, S. Al Said, D. M. Asner, V. Aulchenko, T. Aushev, R. Ayad, V. Babu, S. Bahinipati, P. Behera, J. Bennett, M. Bessner, T. Bilka, J. Biswal, A. Bobrov, G. Bonvicini, A. Bozek

Faculty and Student Publications

We measure the branching fractions and CP asymmetries for the decays B0→D¯0π0 and B+→D¯0π+, using a data sample of 772×106 BB¯ pairs collected at the (4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e+e- collider. The branching fractions obtained and direct CP asymmetries are B(B0→D¯0π0)=[2.70±0.06(stat)±0.10(syst)]×10-4, B(B+→D¯0π+)=[4.53±0.02(stat)±0.15(syst)]×10-3, ACP(B0→D¯0π0)=[+0.42±2.05(stat)±1.22(syst)]%, and ACP(B+→D¯0π+)=[+0.19±0.36(stat)±0.57(syst)]%. The measurements of B are the most precise to date and are in good agreement with previous results, as is the measurement of ACP(B+→D¯0π+). The measurement of ACP for B0→D¯0π0 is the first for this mode, and the value is consistent with Standard Model expectations.

Species Diversity And Barcoding Of Macroinvertebrates From The San Antonio River, Gabrielle Silva

Student Research Symposium 2022

Macroinvertebrates are important biological indicators of health and ecological change within aquatic ecosystems. Macroinvertebrate diversity of the San Antonio (SA) River Watershed (Texas), which traverses rural and urban regions (Bexar County, TX), remains understudied compared to vertebrate counterparts of economic and conservation importance. The SA River hosts a diversity of crustaceans (crayfish), insects (beetles, dragonflies), annelids (leeches), and unidentified larvae at intermediate developmental stages. To improve ecological records of the SA River, an integrative approach is used to establish a reference macroinvertebrate species inventory and a genetic barcoding database (mitochondrial COI and/or 16S rRNA) for the SA River Mission Reach …

The Case For Space Environmentalism, Andy Lawrence, Meredith L. Rawls, Moriba Jah, Aaron Boley, Federico Di Vruno, Simon Garrington, Michael Kramer, Samantha Lawler, James Lowenthal, Jonathan Mcdowell, Mark Mccaughrean

Astronomy: Faculty Publications

The shell bound by the Karman line at a height of ~80–100 km above the Earth’s surface and geosynchronous orbit at ~36,000 km is defined as the orbital space surrounding the Earth. It is within this region, and especially in low Earth orbit, where environmental issues are becoming urgent because of the rapid growth of the anthropogenic space object population, including satellite ‘mega-constellations’. In this Perspective, we summarize the case for considering the orbital space around the Earth as an additional ecosystem, subject to the same care and concerns, and the same broad regulations as the oceans and the atmosphere, …

An Exploration Of Bedtime Music Genres And Sleep Quality, Hannah Bell, Macie Culberston, Hannah Foss, Devyn Prater

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Various studies have been conducted to research beneficial sleep practices including audio, such as music or white noise. Younger individuals have access to phones and unique sleep aids that claim to benefit one’s sleep quality. It’s a common enough practice to turn on music to alleviate the mind, guiding it towards relaxation. Surprisingly, there is a lack of consensus on the helpfulness of music, with some studies finding it harms rather than aids. Seeing as sleep is a crucial factor of healthy living, it’s a worthwhile pursuit to discover whether music can improve sleep quality and duration. Our study aimed …

Comparing And Contrasting Therapeutic Drugs Vs. Lifestyle Changes That Combattype-Ii Diabetes, Alexander Cline Helmuth

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

In this thesis, I will be presenting various preventive approaches to combat type-II diabetes. The focus of this paper will be comparing and contrasting therapeutic drug targets such as Metformin and Sulfonylureas that are prescribed for type-II diabetic patients versus taking preventative steps such as making lifestyle changes including weight management, physical activity, and having a balanced diet that prevents onset of type-II diabetes or helps patients manage type-II diabetes. From this paper, one will gain insight on how there are multiple approaches to combat type-II diabetes that are not in the form of the pill.

Microfluidic Paper Analytical Devices, Madison Page

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

Microfluidic paper analytical devices (µPADs) are small, paper-based matrices similar to Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC). They are capable of semi-quantitative analysis, with applications ranging from medical to environmental to food and beverage testing. Important to improving point-of-care devices (POCs), various techniques have been integrated into µPADs to customize analysis and fit different clinical situations.