After spending a semester assisting Dr. Hardin’s research regarding the Supernatural fandom, I have conducted my own research to answer the question regarding opposition in fandom. While using platforms online such as Reddit in addition to Dr. Hardin’s interviews with members of the Supernatural fandom, to conduct the research for both audience analysis and discourse […]
A32: Changes in Accessing Services for Children with Autism in the European Union; A Focus on Luxembourg
My project for the 2022 University Research Forum encompasses changes in accessing services for children with autism in the European Union, specifically, Luxembourg. As a Global Health minor, I completed an immersion experience. Mine took place last semester at Fondation Autisme Luxembourg, an organization that has three care centers for children and adults on the […]
A33: “Will they have to miss school again?”: Overarching Concerns with Childhood Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic
As a global health minor, I have spent the past year completing my global health immersion experience as a COVID-19 contact tracer in Butler County. In conjunction with my experience, I have worked alongside Dr. M. Cameron Hay and Dr. Paul Flaspohler to take further steps to explore childhood wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic and […]
A34: COVID-19 and Mental Health: Quarantine, Isolation and Social Stigma in the U.S.
These past two years the pandemic has taken a devastating toll both globally and nationally. In order to combat disease spread, we have seen global lockdowns, stay-at-home orders and social distancing efforts in an attempt to contain this infectious disease. Contact tracing projects have been implemented nationwide as a public health tool to slow the […]
A35: Clustering Individual Differences in Decision Making and Comparing Computational Model Performance
Irrational decision making, specifically preference reversals, have received a significant amount of attention from decision researchers. Though considered a universal phenomenon, not everyone displays the same proportion of the main three types of preference reversals. This may be because the attribute values are not created sensitive to individuals’ preferences, or due to individual differences in […]
A37: Investigating A Novel Family Of Proteins in Ancient Cyanobacteria
We investigate a family of proteins called pentapeptide repeat proteins in attempt to solve their structures and functions within cyanobacteria. We attempt to solve protein structures through protein X-ray crystallography and attempt to solve the function of our proteins through various methods including generating growth curves, filament length distributions, monitoring heterocyst formation frequencies and patterns, […]
A38: Quantum Phase Transition In Partially Cu-doped ZrNi2-xCuxGa Heusler Alloys
Quantum phase transitions are changes in the solid state of a material that result from quantum fluctuations instead of temperature changes. These fluctuations are influenced by factors such as pressure, magnetic field, or, in our case, the composition of the material. In superconductors, such as the ZrNi2Ga, alloy, a sharp phase transition occurs at a […]
A39: Dysregulated Fear in Preschoolers and a Correlation to Anxiety
9.4% of children ages 3-17 have been diagnosed with an Anxiety disorder. An illness so prevalent in our society’s youth should have an effective method for identifying it. Some behaviors have been identified to suggest potential early flags among children developing anxious behavioral patterns. Inhibited temperament is a behavior that in literature has been found […]
A40: Role of Nitric Oxide in Immune and Behavioral Responses in Acheta domesticus
Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous signaling molecule synthesized by the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS). NO functions as a brain neurotransmitter and immune system defense molecule. Animals undergoing an inflammatory response, such as from bacterial infection, exhibit changes in behavior. We are using the cricket Acheta domesticus to explore the role NO may play […]
A41: ATP Binding and Hydrolysis of ER Protein-Folding Chaperones BiP and JB11
Molecular chaperones are abundant and conserved proteins in the cytosol, mitochondria, nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum that help protein clients fold to their active conformation known as the native state. The structure and mechanism of these chaperones holds significance because of their association with cancer and metabolic disease. The heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) family of […]