Intersections is CWRU's Undergraduate Poster Session which features undergraduates presenting their research and creative projects. This work spans across many disciplines: Arts and Humanities, Engineering, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences.
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EpiSleeve: Multimodal Night-time Seizure Detection
Jorge Mirabelli, Sophia Hall, Dylan Rasmussen, Luca Lin, and Devin Lewis
This project involves the creation of a nighttime wearable device that can measure heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, temperature, motion, and skin resistivity using sensors placed on the upper and lower arm. Incorporating a wide variety of sensors allows for detection of focal and generalized epilepsy. These sensors will be used to collect data to wirelessly (via Bluetooth) transmit to a separate base station for processing to determine if a seizure has occurred. If a seizure is detected for a specified period of time, the base station can call (via cellular communications) for medical aid to prevent harm to users. Once this device is validated, the technology will help users track seizures better and grant peace of mind if a seizure were to occur.
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The Effects of Personality, Conformity, and Online Dating Platforms on the Perceptions of Sexual Attraction Amongst Young Adults
Anil Nayak
The process of dating has changed significantly in the past three decades. This has left people, especially young adults, confused, and unsure of what has changed or how to act. This literature review aims to explain the factors that have caused the "dating game" to change in regards to perceptions of sexual attraction, mainly the shift of personality preferences away from evolutionary characteristics, the decrease in conformity in today's society, and the recent rise of online dating. A brief overview of the timeless evolutionary factors, which have affected attraction for centuries, will set the stage for how these factors are no longer as essential towards sexual attraction in the current time. A thorough comparison of attractive personality preferences from before 1990 and after 1990 will highlight the change that has occurred. Using the same before and after method, a decrease in conformity in today's society will also be demonstrated regarding preferred personality preferences. Furthermore, the effect of online dating becoming more popular will be explained in its relevance to the change in perceptions of sexual attraction. Finally, the significance of these findings will be analyzed, and advice will be offered to the current generation concerning how to proceed in these perilous times.
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Engineering Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles for Bacterial Biofilm Treatment
Massado Ngompe, Yu Hsin Tsai, Nathalie Milbrandt, Zhuoying Jiang, Xiong Yu, and Anna Cristina S. Samia
Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are non-toxic and biocompatible materials that are used for a wide range of applications such as pigments, sunscreens, cosmetics, and food colorings. TiO2 possesses a large band gap (3.2 eV) which, by heteroatom doping or by molten salt/hydrogen assisted reduction, can be narrowed to allow for activity within the visible light spectrum making them optimal candidates for use in bacterial biofilm eradication. Nitrogen-doped and reduced TiO2 NPs have been explored in this study due to their narrowed band gap. The narrowed band gap allows for the formation of excitons upon the absorption of light within the visible range. The excited charge carriers are transported to the NP surface where they react to form reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS interact with microbial membranes and cause cell wall damage, resulting in cell death. A study by the Samia Lab exploited and improved existing synthetic approaches and post-synthetic processing techniques to produce TiO2 NPs with enhanced visible light photoactivity for anti-biofilm applications using the mode of action described above. The most effective disruption of S. aureus biofilm was observed with the use of treated Nitrogen-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2), which included Magnesium-reduced (Mg-N-TiO2) and Hydrogen annealed Mg-N-TiO2 NPs (H-Mg-N-TiO2 NPs), under visible irradiation over 30 minutes. Future studies hope to expand upon these results with the optimization of reduced N-TiO2 concentration, light excitation intensity, and duration of treatment for a variety of bacterial biofilms.
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Plasmas for Clean Water: Elucidation of Radical Species in an Electrolytic Non-equilibrium Plasma-Water System
Kevin Pataroque
Plasma water treatment (PWT) is an emerging water treatment technology that utilizes electrical discharges in gases to degrade aqueous contaminants. Prior work has demonstrated that PWT is capable of degrading perfluorooctanoic acid, a widespread contaminant that is unable to be degraded by denitrification or UV processes that wastewater facilities currently employ. In addition, unlike other approaches, PWT forms energetic species directly from water, eliminating the need for additional chemicals or catalysts. However, internal mechanisms within PWT treatment process, such as the production of different radical species are not well understood. Characterization of the species and their role in degradation is necessary to optimize the process. A challenge is that PWTs generate ultraviolet radiation, electrons, ions, and other non-equilibrium species, and these species are extremely short-lived and recombine or react within nanoseconds of formation. As a result, these species cannot be detected using analytical chemical techniques alone. In this work, we generated an argon-based, non-equilibrium plasma at the gas-liquid interface of aqueous solutions. Using PFOA as a model contaminant at environmentally-relevant concentrations from 0.02 mM to 1 mM, we demonstrate degradation with a maximum of 29% after 2 hours of treatment. To understand the degradation mechanism, we applied a chemical probe, terephthalic acid (TPA), which can specifically react with hydroxyl radicals (OH) and form a fluorescent compound, 2-hydroxyterephthalate (HTPA), that can be optically detected. While we observed the formation of OH, as the exposure to the plasma increased from 10 minutes to 4 hours, the intensity of the fluorescent peak was found to rapidly decrease. Using a control experiment, we show that the plasma is capable of degrading HTPA. These results indicate that chemical probes and their products are susceptible to species produced by the plasma which can compromise this technique. In the future, stable chemical probes or process conditions which avoid their degradation are required.
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Determination of Potential Azotobacter vinelandii Bacteriophage Gene Sequences: A Bioinformatics Approach
Anish Reddy and Sarah Bagby
Microbial communities play a key role in shaping many diverse ecosystems through their biogeochemical contributions. These communities comprise not only bacteria and archaea but also their viruses, whose reproduction profoundly affects host cell biology. While many bacterial species have been well characterized, the challenges of isolation and sequencing have hampered the study of environmental viruses such as bacteriophages. The model organism Azotobacter vinelandii is a common nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium. To our knowledge, no Azotobacter phages currently exist in culture. However, modern bioinformatic and database approaches can be used to identify the metagenomic sequences that may derive from bacteriophages that infect Azotobacter. We have developed a pipeline that scans metagenomic samples from the IMG JGI database to identify phage sequences whose abundance co-varies with Azotobacter vinelandii abundance. The viral sequences identified can be grouped into clusters, and the resulting clusters can then be analyzed for auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs). These candidate sequences may then be used to guide phage isolation strategies and predict phage ecological impact.
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MD Mouse: Integrated Blood Pressure Device
Anand Shah, Jamila McKenzie, Rex Weinstein, Noelle Nelson, and Clayton Goertemiller
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a public health concern due to both its pervasiveness and the significant risk of disability, stroke, or heart attack that can occur years after high blood pressure is detected. Furthermore, new pandemic statistics suggest that patients with hypertension experience greater health consequences of COVID-19, indicating that the condition is more circumstantially deadly. Occasional visits to a doctor's office, the most common method to measure blood pressure, only provide a snapshot of a person's blood pressure and are not an accurate characterization. This is because blood pressure can fluctuate based on daily changes to the user's environment, nutrition, and emotional state. There is then a need for a personal blood pressure monitoring device, that can increase the frequency of blood pressure measurement while mitigating negative environmental factors. These factors include white coat hypertension and masked hypertension. The MDMouse®, a computer mouse and vital sign monitor hybrid, aims to be an efficient personal device that accurately monitors blood pressure. The mouse will be used by the general public, particularly individuals in workplaces, to be a preventive healthcare device. The current iteration of the device suffers from attenuation in the signal ranges of pre-hypertension and hypertension (SBP>130mmHg), preventing accurate readings in the most critical measurement range. Our focus is mitigating the signal attenuation and increasing the reliability of hypertension detection.
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Nuclear Shape of ER+ Breast Tumor Whole Slide Images Predict Recurrence and Survival
Daniel Shao
Axillary Lymph Node involvement is the most important prognostic factor in the assessment of Estrogen Receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer (BCa) patients. Patients with evidence of metastatic disease in axillary lymph nodes positive (LN+) patients have poorer survival prospects and higher likelihood of metastasis. Standard clinical treatment for LN+ patients includes adjuvant chemotherapy, though not all LN+ patients will benefit from it. Although the absence of axillary lymph node involvement at initial diagnosis typically indicates lower risk, 30% of these LN-, ER+ BCa patients will ultimately die from breast cancer metastasis, even with optimal treatment. There is no standard criteria for identifying high-risk LN- tumors that require adjuvant treatment. The ability to prognosticate risk of recurrence and mortality with respect to LN status would enable physicians to develop more appropriate treatment plans for their patients. This study uses the machine learning approach, Multiple Instance Learning (MIL), to identify the prognostic ability of computer extracted feature of cancer nuclei on H&E images for predicting short-term (
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Effect of High Energy Ball Milling on Transformation Temperature of Cr2Nb
Jackson Smith
The focus of this research was to determine a milling procedure to help facilitate the Cr2Nb transformation. The metric to evaluate a facilitated phase transformation was a reduction in endothermic onset temperature during Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The transformation of the Cr+Nb powder to Cr2Nb alloy is diffusion dependent, therefore by creating more intimate contact the elements will be closer together. A reduction in spatial distance for a diffusion-based reaction will lead to a reduction in total time for the reaction to complete. The design of a multi-stage milling process allows the refinement of the powder particle size so that diffusion can more easily occur at a lower temperature. The effectiveness in powder size reduction was tested for two bearing sizes to determine the required milling time for each stage. It was determined that dry milling elemental Cr powder for 5 minutes with 4.88mm bearings and then wet milling for 3 minutes with 2.47mm bearings produced a size distribution with a D90 less than 25ðœ‡m. After determining this 2-step milling procedure, a mixture of Cr+Nb powder was milled with the 2-step process and compared with Cr+Nb powder that had been milled with a 1-step process. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) was done on the mixtures before DSC and the results showed the presence of elemental Cr and Nb. These two mixtures were then exposed to a controlled heating rate of 20 degrees C per minute up to 1400C in a Netzsch Pegasus 404 F1 DSC and then cooled. Post-DSC, the XRD results showed a significant increase in the presence of Cr2Nb alloy. Therefore, the endothermic reaction visible in the DSC results must have been the phase transformation from elemental Cr and Nb to Cr2Nb alloy. In comparing the 1-step and 2-step milling processes, the DSC results show that the transition temperature of the Cr+Nb powder was reduced from 1229C to 1089C when the milling was changed from 1-step to 2-step. Future research will investigate the effects of such milling on the in-situ formation of Cr2Nbduring additive manufacturing processes.
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Changes in Meiotic Crossover Distribution and Frequency In Response to Chromosome Structural Variants
Christiana Wang and Nicole Crown
Meiosis is an important mechanism that generates genetic variation for sexually reproducing organisms through recombination. In order for an organism to successfully propagate its genetic material from one generation to the next, its genome must be properly delivered as gametes. Meiotic crossing over of DNA ensures proper homolog segregation by repairing programmed double-stranded breaks. Meiotic defects caused by chromosome structural variants are detrimental to reproduction. During the interchromosomal effect, heterozygous inversions suppress crossing over between affected chromosomes while increasing crossing over between normal chromosome pairs. These defects in chromosomal dynamics trigger the pachytene checkpoint, leading to a delay in prophase progression. It has been suggested that this delay in prophase causes the interchromosomal effect on recombination. However, whether the interchromosomal effect on crossing over is caused directly by defects in chromosome dynamics or indirectly by the delay in prophase remains unclear. We are distinguishing between these two hypotheses by investigating the distributions and frequencies of crossovers in Drosophila mutants when prophase is extended by utilizing maelstrom mutants that trigger the pachytene checkpoint independently of chromosome defects. We are analyzing the changes in crossover distribution and frequencies in these mutants using recessive markers on unaffected chromosome. We are also collecting confocal imaging data of the mutants’ germarium to visualize the effects of maelstrom mutations on meiosis. Our data will provide insights into the mechanisms of the interchromosomal effect and reveal whether or not the interchromosomal effect is directly mediated by a delay in pachytene or, alternatively, mediated by disrupted crossover control mechanisms.
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AvatarAudiometer: An Online Simulation Platform for Pure-tone Audiometry
Daniel Weidman and Lauren Calandruccio
Simulation education for medical and health professional training bridges classroom learning and training in a clinical environment. Its use has been increasing over the past two decades. Guidance to avoid in-person contact due to SARS-CoV-2 has further increased demand. Pure-tone audiometry is part of an audiometric test battery used to evaluate the auditory system. At Case Western Reserve University, students typically learn to conduct audiometry in COSI 370: Introduction to Audiology. Under current pandemic circumstances, students are unable to gain in-person experience using standard hardware (an audiometer and calibrated headphones). AvatarAudiometer solves this problem via an interactive online tool that mimics a real audiometer and simulates patient responses. The system consists of a simulation of pure-tone audiometry and a tool for graphing results on a standard audiogram interface. AvatarAudiometer allows students to measure unmasked air- and bone-conduction thresholds for each ear at octave and interoctave frequencies, 250-8000 Hz. The virtual patients' responses to tones are based on their individual hearing level thresholds. Because real humans are inconsistent in their responding, AvatarAudiometer patients differ from one another in their frequency of false positive/negative responses, range of reaction times, and duration of holding down the virtual response button. Two sources of patient audiometric profiles are included: 1) curated audiograms simulating specific types, configurations, and severities of hearing loss, along with a description of each virtual patient's case history, and 2) a sample of 5470 audiograms representative of the United States' population by age and sex selected from the CDC's NHANES database. AvatarAudiometer includes a tutorial that demonstrates functions and settings of a standard audiometer. Students can complete numerous pure-tone audiometric exams and screen large cohorts of virtual patients to simulate a hearing-screening protocol. After testing is complete, an interface for plotting, editing, and downloading corresponding pure-tone audiometric results on an audiogram is shown. A professor may have students self-grade their audiograms by comparing the student-measured audiograms with those of the patient's "true" simulated pure-tone thresholds.
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Optimizing Aplysia californica's Living Conditions
Ruiying Xu
The marine mollusk Aplysia californica is an important model organism for neuroscience research. In laboratory aquaria, animal waste may accumulate and harm animals unless water is replaced frequently. To keep animals healthy for longer, we have designed a marine environment that replicates the natural nitrogen cycle. Our animals' holding tanks have two compartments: a main compartment for animals and a refugium for macroalgae. We are studying whether ammonia and nitrate derived from animal waste cause illness in Aplysia, and whether macroalgae can sequester nitrates and reverse illness. We measured increases in nitrate and ammonia in the absence of macroalgae. We also tracked markers of poor health in animals as waste products increased. We hypothesized that macroalgae sequesters nitrates, and the accumulation of nitrate can lead to health problems of Aplysia.
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3D Printability Study on Commercial Construction Adhesives
Matthew Yang, Chase Breting, Fazley Elahee, Lihan Rong, and Rigoberto Advincula
3D Printing, or additive manufacturing, is a novel approach to manufacturing simple and complex structures. 3D printing uses digital models and g-code to build these parts layer by layer. This method can allow for more freedom of part design with regard to complexity of shape, and can reduce material waste compared to other manufacturing methods. This project explores the 3D printability of common caulking materials, cements, adhesives, and other pastes. These materials are low-cost and present high printability. Experiments are underway to determine the thermomechanical properties of these 3D printed materials and the effects of nanomaterial additives in low loading (1% by weight or less) in these materials. The additives being tested are carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide, and silica nanoparticles. They have the potential to improve the thermal and electrical conductivity of these materials as well as the thermomechanical properties. Aging studies using high temperature, pressure and moisture are being utilized to test the long term viability of these materials as well.
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The Relationship Between Behavioral Inhibition System Sensitivity and Neuroticism
Yuhan Zhang, Rock Lim, Amanda R. Merner, and Heath A. Demaree
Neuroticism is one of the dimensions of the Big Five personality model that measures different personality traits. Individuals who score high on the scale of neuroticism are more likely to experience negative emotions such as anxiety or fear, and these individuals are prone to lacking adaptive coping skills when dealing with stressors (Widiger, 2009). Another method to better appreciate differences in personality is known as the Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS). Higher BIS scores are associated with increased sensitivity to punishments and increased experience of negative emotions such as anxiety and guilt (Carver &White, 1994). The relationship between neuroticism and BIS sensitivity was investigated in this study. My hypothesis was that individuals who score higher on neuroticism will also have greater BIS sensitivity. A Pearson correlation was performed using Neuroticism ad BIS data and a significant relationship was uncovered, r(112)=0.68, p
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An All-In-One NLP Stock Market Backtester
Shaochen Zhong, Jiaqi Yu, and Mocun Ye
Despite the popularity, we noticed that it is rather hard to verify a NLP/text-mining like stock prediction model's performance due to the amount of "groundwork" needed. It is very typical a researcher will have to gather the plain text data, the company info, the stock market data, and categorize them in a way that is communicable with each other and the model; then the researcher will need to build a virtual trading platform that keeps track of all the trading signals generated by the model, log the activities in a certain way, then do some kinds of visualization for evaluations. To implement all these steps from ground up, it is required for a researcher to have certain level of proficiency on skills which are, from a research stand-point, fairly deviated from the nature of the NLP/text-mining model itself (like scraping a website and understanding the fundamental mechanism of trading in stock market). Thus, we like to build a set of lightweight tools that may automate such process to a certain degree.