University of South Alabama Undergraduate Symposium · The University of South Alabama’s Office...

18TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2016

Undergraduate Symposium 2018


Friday, November 16, 2018 12:30-3:00 PM

Student Center Ballroom

University of South Alabama

Office of Undergraduate Research

20th Annual Undergraduate Symposium

Welcome: Dr. Christy Wheeler West, Director of Undergraduate Research Welcome: Dr. Harold Pardue, Dean of the Graduate School

Introduction of Dr. G. David Johnson, Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs

Invited Student Presentations

Lydia Turner Foreign Languages Matthew Johnson Mechanical Engineering Sarah McWilliams Speech and Hearing Sciences Jeffrey Demeis Biology Samantha Darring Earth Sciences Peyton Posey Civil Engineering

Phi Kappa Phi Best Poster Award

SURF Best Presentation Award

Poster Session – Student Center 2nd floor lobby

Sponsored by: Alabama Space Grant Consortium, University of South Alabama

Academic Affairs, University of South Alabama Graduate School, College of Arts and Sciences, Mitchell College of Business, College of

Medicine, School of Computing, College of Education, College of Engineering, and

Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions


Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Oral Presentations

Lydia Turner. Shipwrecked: Spanish Explorers and the Construction of North America. Department of Foreign Language, History. Mentor: Dr. Zoya Khan, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, College of Arts and Sciences.

Matthew Johnson. Suture Techniques in ACL Reconstruction. Department of Mechanical Engineering. Mentor: Dr. David Nelson, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering.

Sarah McWilliams. Relationship Between Eye Movements During Reading and Severity of Language Impairment in Persons with Aphasia. Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Smith, Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, College of Allied Health Professions.

Jeffrey Demeis. Identifying Novel sdRNA Contributors to Lung Malignancy. Department of Biology. Mentor: Dr. Glen Borchert, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences.

Samantha Darring. Preferred Location for Sea and Bay Breeze-Driven Thunderstorm Formation. Department of Meteorology. Mentor: Dr. Sytske Kimball, Department of Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences.

Peyton Posey. Site Characterizations of Locations in Texas, Florida, and Alabama impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Nate. Department of Civil Engineering. Mentor: Dr. Stephanie Smallegan, Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering.

An extra special “Thank You!” to our panel of presentation judges!


Welcome!

At this 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of South Alabama, we gather to celebrate the efforts and achievements of 80 budding scholars. Whether you join us as a proud mentor or parent, a curious student or faculty member, or a University administrator or other guest, I know you will be impressed with all that these outstanding student researchers have accomplished.

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) seeks to promote scholarly and creative activity at the undergraduate level, and to thereby enhance critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and communication. In doing so, we take pride in our foundational role in developing the scholars and scientists of tomorrow. Our work would be empty, though, without the tremendous commitment of the faculty mentors who not only foster the progress of the research projects but also nurture the undergraduate researchers in their scholarly development.

We are grateful for the generous sponsorship of the Alabama Space Grant Consortium, the Academic Affairs Office, and individual colleges and departments. We also express our appreciation to the members of the University Committee on Undergraduate Research especially for their time and insight in support of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program.

Dr. Christy Wheeler West Director, Office of Undergraduate Research


Dear Friends and Colleagues:

Welcome to the Office of Undergraduate Research’s 20th

Undergraduate Research Symposium. Undergraduate research has been identified as a “high impact practice” in American higher education. Research has shown that students who participate in research under the guidance of faculty benefit greatly from the experience. They are more likely to earn their undergraduate degree in a timely manner, they learn more advanced skills, and their career prospects are enhanced. We are very proud of the undergraduate research program at South Alabama and feel that it is one of key assets that make USA a great university. Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) students get the opportunity to work with talented faculty, using state-of-the-art research instrumentation, and contribute to the discovery of new knowledge. These students have excelled at their studies, have already accomplished much, and we expect great things from them in the future. Thank you for joining us today, and please enjoy the Symposium.

Dr. G. David Johnson Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs


Welcome to the Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Research is, in part, about learning more and more about less and less. A willingness to do this is what sets all of you apart from the vast majority of people who are quite content to merely accept the benefits and influence of “magic” on their lives. When they use their smartphone for example, it is for them, magic. They accept there are mysterious forces beyond their understanding that daily conjures phenomena indispensable to their very existence. But this magic is only possible because someone like you was willing to learn a great deal about a very specific aspect of say, the physics of electromagnetic waves. It is with this knowledge and the sudden clarity of understanding that the real magic occurs, the magic of discovery. We recognize and applaud the long hours you spent to fully understand the sometimes incomprehensible minutia that, in the larger progression of humanity, enables the magic of science. Thank you for joining us today, and enjoy the Symposium!

Dr. Harold Pardue Dean of the Graduate School


UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

Program Director: Dr. Christy Wheeler West

COLLEGE MEMBER DEPARTMENT

Pat Capps Covey Julio Turrens Biomedical Sciences College of Allied Robin Mockett Biomedical Sciences Health

College of Arts and Sciences

Jason Coym Glen Borchert Zoya Khan Steven Schultze Rebecca Mindock Jack Shelley-Tremblay Kara Burns

Chemistry Biology Foreign Languages and Literatures Earth Sciences Music Psychology Visual Arts

Mitchell College of Kelly Woodford Management Business Al Chow Marketing

School of Computing Tom Johnsten Computer Science

College of Education Ryon McDermott Professional Studies and Professional Studies

College of Engineering Saami Yazdani Mechanical Engineering Silas Leavesley Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering

Honors College Doug Marshall Sociology

College of Medicine Thomas Rich Pharmacology

College of Nursing Rebecca Graves Research, Development, and Evaluation


Office of Undergraduate Research

The University of South Alabama’s Office of Undergraduate Research strives to foster a spirit of scholarship in the undergraduate culture at the University of South Alabama, to provide support for our undergraduate researchers, and to enhance scholarly research and creative activities across our campus through undergraduate research.

Director Dr. Christy Wheeler West

[email protected]

Secretary Megan McCrory

[email protected] (251) 341-3078

Located in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Shelby Hall, Room 4135

OUR Ambassadors

The OUR Ambassadors represent the Office of Undergraduate Research at official University functions, as well as at community events. The Ambassadors speak on student panels, assist in the recruitment of outstanding new students, attend USA Day, Move-In Day, Welcome Week, and many other campus events. OUR Ambassadors also perform high school and community outreach.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Monica Sai Pasala Ambassador and SOAR President, Monica Sai Pasala, is a senior pursing a major in biomedical science and a minor in computer science. She was born in India, and moved to America when she was 10 years old. Monica intends to go to medical school and pursue a career specializing in obstetrics and gynecology while conducting research in the field of metabolic oncology. She recently realized that her aspirations to become a physician

come with a passion for research. For the past two years Monica has been working under Dr. Aishwarya Prakash at the Mitchell Cancer Institute working with proteins involved in the base excision repair pathway. Monica says she thoroughly enjoys researching on the molecular level, and sees herself working as a clinician and a researcher. Along with serving the people, she hopes to make contributions to scientific and technological advances through research.

Austin Sanders Ambassador and SOAR Vice-President Austin Sanders is a first-generation college student at the University of South Alabama. Austin was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. He is a senior working towards two degrees: Marketing and Quantitative Methods with a concentration in International Business and Foreign Languages with a concentration in French. He plans to continue his education at the School of Computing at the University of South Alabama where he will continue to

work on his research thesis. His research interest is primarily in developing software for business purposes. After obtaining a PhD, Austin plans to continue research either in academia or industry. His other aspiration is to travel to explore different places and cultures. Austin works at JagSuccess as a JagPal and FYE mentor, tutoring students in a wide range of courses relating to business, social science, and humanities. Outside of the University, Austin is a server and pianist at Bangkok Thai Cuisine, as well as a pianist for the Community of Christ in Mobile and St. Thomas: The Apostle Catholic Church in Chickasaw.


Sri Prahadeeswaran Ambassador and SOAR Treasurer, Sri Prahadeeswaran, is a junior Biomedical Sciences student from Hoover, Alabama. He is in the College of Medicine's Early Acceptance Program. After graduation, Sri intends to pursue a career in medicine. His research interests are in kinesiology and sports medicine. Sri has been a part of Dr. Sandra Stenson’s research lab in the Department of Chemistry and is currently working under Dr. Neil Schwarz in the Department

of Health, Kinesiology and Sport. He is active in the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, as well as the Alpha Epsilon Delta pre-health honor society. Sri is also an Academic-Athletic Services Tutor. He enjoys playing sports, hanging out with friends, traveling, and fantasy football.

Krisha Amin

Ambassador and SOAR Secretary, Krisha Amin is a junior majoring in Biomedical Sciences and Philosophy at the University of South Alabama. She was born in Houston, Texas, but spent almost her entire childhood in Gadsden, Alabama. Krisha is currently doing genetic research with Dr. Glen Borchert at the USACOM on sdRNAs and their role within prostate malignancies. Krisha also works as a consultant at the USA Writing Center, an

experience which has so far influenced her desire to remain in academia. Krisha sees herself researching, teaching at a university setting, and hopefully practicing as a clinician in the foreseeable future. She also hopes to one day become editor-in-chief of a major medical journal.


RESEARCH ABSTRACTS


Abdullah Algady Major: Chemical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Kevin West Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering College of Engineering

Poster 1

Determination of Vapor Polarity Using Surface Solvatochromism

Solvatochromic compounds are chemical compounds that change color due to changes in the polarity of their environment. Literature shows that solvatochromic dyes have been used in a variety of experiments to measure the polarity of pure and mixed solvent. Researchers have also examined the effect of solvatochromic dyes as probed of surface polarity. However, no study has examined the effects of adsorbed vapors on a surface using solvatochromic dyes. In this work, we have deposited each of three different solvatochromic dyes into several surfaces and expose each of the surfaces to organic vapors to determine the polarity of each vapor. Reichardt’s dye, 2,6-diphenyl-4-(2,4,6-triphenyl-1-pyridinio)phenolate, Brooker’s dye, 1-methyl-4-[(oxocyclohexadienylidene)ethylidene]-1,4-dihydropyridine, and 4-4-diethyl-4-nitroaniline were each deposited into the following surfaces: Si-C18 (Carbon 17%), Si-Phenyl, Si-Triethylamine, Si-cyano non-endcapped, Si-carboxylic acid, Alumina basic, Alumina neutral, and Alumina acidic in order to detect the polarity of the following vapors: acetone, chloroform, ethanol, hexane, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), methanol, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and Toluene. This created 192 different combination of surfaces, solvatochromic dyes, and vapors. Each surface gives a specific response color when the dye has deposited on it, and when the surface is exposed to a vapor with different polar environment, the surface will have a color change. Thus, the dye is responding to combined surface+adsorbed species, creating unique combination which enable the discrimination, detection and subsequent identification of vapor and vapor mixtures. This work demonstrates the phenomena using colorimetric characterization and spectroscopic analysis of the dyes on a variety of surfaces combine with several vapors.


Krisha Amin Major: Biomedical Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Glen Borchert Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 2

Regulation of tp63 by sdRNA-38A

Within less than a decade since the sequencing of the human genome, it has become clear that over 90% of our genes that encode for RNA transcripts never actually end up being translated into proteins. This so-called cellular pool is referred to as non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNA), and it is highly complex with respect to its diversity and function. Within this group of non-protein-coding RNAs exists small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). snoRNA misregulations have been linked with prostate, breast, and lung tumorigenesis. In addition, recent reports indicate that snoRNAs can be processed into short stable microRNA-like fragments called snoRNA-derived RNAs (sdRNAs). Through computational analysis, we have identified 10 sdRNAs that exhibit significant correlations with prostate cancer malignances (sdRNA38A, sdRNA73B, sdRNA45C, sdRNA88A, sdRNA96A, sdRNA58C, sdRNA15B, sdRNA19, sdRNA82, and sdRNA52). Based on compelling alignment data, we predict sdRNA38A to target a known cancer gene called tumor protein 63 (TP63). TP63 is a transcription factor known to reduce the effect of epithelial and mesenchymal potential in an experimental prostate cell model. This coupled with the finding that TP63 inhibition is associated with high prostate cancer stem cell expression led us to study if this oncogene is regulated by sdRNA38A. Excitingly, our preliminary results indicate that sdRNA38A is in fact an endogenous regulator of TP63 in prostate cells. As such, we next plan to examine if this regulation directly contributes to the malignant phenotype of prostate cancer.


Kelly Badilla Nunez Major: Chemical Engineering


NASA SURF Poster 3

Thermodynamic Properties of Ionic Liquid-Aromatic Mixtures

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of chemical compounds composed entirely of ions that melt at temperatures below 100°C and exhibit interesting properties such as low volatilities and high thermal stability. The low volatilities of ILs mean that when compared to traditional solvents, ILs are less likely to volatilize which directly translates to lowered risk of emissions. The high thermal stability of ILs signify that the compounds should be able to withstand high temperatures for extended periods of time without decomposition. These two properties together make for an enabling technology that opens doors for other types of advancements, one being in the study of heat transfer fluids with high energy storing capabilities. Unfortunately, the temperatures at which most ILs decompose is lower than the temperature at which most heat transfer fluids would need to reach to be industrially practical. The goal of this study is to develop thermally robust ILs with phosphonium cations which have shown to have superior thermal stability and to further enhance those interesting properties of ILs by saturating them with aromatics. The metrics that determine whether the addition of the aromatic species to an IL is successful in improving the standalone IL are the melting point, decomposition point, heat of fusion, entropy of fusion and heat capacity; these are measured using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal-gravimetric analysis. To this end, the saturation of phosphonium cation ionic liquids with aromatics has shown to be successful in improving the properties that make ILs interesting.


Lauren Bassler Major: Chemical Engineering

Mentor: Pat Lampton Department of NASA Propulsion Academy Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Poster 4

Spyder Third Stage Solid Rocket Design

Currently, it is very expensive to launch small payloads into low earth orbit, and “piggy back” rides on large payload launches are difficult to obtain for the average CubeSat builder. Up Aerospace Inc. has contracted NASA to aid in the development of a four stage, solid-fueled launch vehicle intended to send a 6U CubeSat (13.3 lbs) to low earth orbit for a reasonable price, on demand. The purpose of this project was to characterize, design, and optimize the third stage motor. First, the optimum launch profile and the resulting motor characteristics were determined using industry design tools. To deliver the needed performance while minimizing inert mass, the motor will feature a composite case construction and additively manufactured components. Using these determined characteristics and materials decisions, the team designed and optimized the motor’s case and propellant grain geometry, insulation thickness, and nozzle assembly. The team also designed the propellant casting and composite wrapping tooling and delivered CAD models of all components.


Cosette Baumgarten Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Smith Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions

SURF Poster 5

Effects of Stimulus Presentation Timing on Multimodal Recognition in Younger, Normal Hearing Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of response-timing and presentation timing on degraded multimodal sentence recognition in college-aged, normal-hearing adults. Specifically, this study examined the effect of presentation timing of speech information relative to text information on the recognition of meaningful sentences in multimodal conditions by using five presentation conditions (i.e., speech presented prior to text presentation, speech presented at the beginning, middle, and end of the text presentation, and speech presented after the text is removed). In everyday life, people are often forced to understand both speech and text signals in degraded conditions. These conditions may not allow for either signal to be fully obtainable; thus, requiring individuals to rely on partial information to understand the degraded signal. Portions of speech or text information can be used to interpret signals, but immensely degraded conditions can decrease the successful integration of these signals. Supplementing speech information with visual cues such as text can aid in the understanding of degraded speech (e.g., Smith & Fogerty, 2015), just as understanding of degraded text can be improved by supplementing text with speech cues. It has been shown that multimodal processing of sensory stimuli is beneficial for both normal and disordered adults by enhancing signal detection and speech recognition (e.g., Lovelace, Stein, & Wallace, 2003), although our understanding of the factors that enhance processing of multimodal signals is limited. The multimodal data was analyzed by conducting a 3 (spoken response: simultaneous, delayed, silent) x 5 (speech presentation: prior, beginning, middle, end, after) repeated-measures analysis of variance. It is expected that presentation timing will have slightly increased accuracy when the speech is presented at the beginning of the text, followed by after, prior, end, and the middle will yield the lowest sentence recognition. It is also expected that there will be significant interaction between the response and presentation timing. It is expected that there will be significantly poorer performance for simultaneous response for the prior, beginning, middle, and end presentation times compared to delayed and silent responses.


Sophia Bentoumi Major: Nursing

Mentor: Dr. Susan McCready Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 6

The Rousseau Paradox: Theaters’ Role in The French Revolution

This paper is focuses on political and theatrical representation during the 18th century in France, and especially during the French Revolution 1789-1799. During that time, representation in the political sense was one of the most debated topics, since the Revolution was attempting to introduce representative government. At the same time, the Revolution introduced important reforms in theatrical representation, which had been strictly controlled under the ancient régime. A number of enlightenment philosophers addressed theatrical or political representation, sometimes both. Diderot, for example, approved of theatrical representation and unlike Plato, he thought that theater could be beneficial to a republic. Rousseau, on the other hand, hated theater as he thought that it only served to degrade the soul. This is the central paradox that this paper will explore: how is it that the anti-theatrical Rousseau, “Father of The French Revolution,” engendered a political movement in which theater would play an important role?


Jordan Blackmon Major: Civil Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Kevin White Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering

SURF Poster 7

Determination of Pollutant Load Reductions to Three Mile Creek as a Result of the Implementation of Storm Water Bio-Infiltration

Basins on the USA Campus

Three Mile Creek has been identified as an impaired urban stream and is now a priority for cleanup for both the City of Mobile and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). Methods to better manage storm water runoff on the USA campus have begun, with a goal to reduce sediment and nutrient inputs to Three Mile Creek. Both sediment and nutrient inputs to Three Mile Creek disrupt habitat and lower dissolved oxygen concentrations, which are detrimental to overall stream health. Low Impact Development (LID) strategies are an innovative way to use nature-like, green-infrastructures to minimize storm water runoff quantity and improve runoff quality. A specific type of Best Management Practices (BMPs), called bio-infiltration basins, have been installed on the University of South Alabama’s campus between Meisler Hall and the Admin Building to capture, store, and infiltrate storm water runoff before it reaches the stream inlet; therefore, reducing the quantiy and velocity of runoff and thus decreasing sedment loads to Three Mile Creek. This project has collected storm water runoff both upstream and downstream of the installed bio-infiltration basins to determine sediment concentrations, determine sediment and load reductions, and evaluate two BMP-load-reduction models to determine the most accurate predictor of load reductions, using actual sample data for comparison. Collected samples were analyzed for total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved phosphorus (P). The Region 5 and Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Load (STEPL) Models predicted a 75% reduction in sediment load to Three Mile Creek from the Meisler Commons BMP area. Our field results showed that the TSS tested on April 19 for the whole area was reduced by 82%. Over the past summer, the BMP basins have averaged about a 65% reduction. In conclusion, the installed BMPs are reducing sediment loads entering the creek at a significant rate, and this reduction is effectively predicted using the two models assessed.


Hanna Bobinger Major: Chemical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Thomas Rich Department of Pharmacology College of Medicine

Poster 8

Emission-and-Excitation-Based Hyperspectral Imaging of the Spatial Distribution of Calcium Signals in Human Airway Smooth Muscle Cells

Studying second messenger signaling and calcium signals in human airway smooth muscle cells (hASMC) and tissues involves mapping the significance of their spatial gradients. To this end, we have examined both emission- and excitation-based hyperspectral imaging techniques. The first spectral imaging system, emission-based hyperspectral imaging, is a commercially-available, 5-dimensional imaging approach on a Nikon A1R confocal microscope, which allows fluorescence measurement in three spatial dimensions (x, y, z), wavelength (λ), and time (t); this filters emitted light into 32 or more wavelength bands, allowing assessment of spectral emission on a pixel by pixel basis. The 3-dimensional component of emission-based hyperspectral imaging allows z-stacks to be taken of each hASMC area in 1 µm increments, but this limits the spatial resolution required by the Nyquist criterion. Although it allows measurement in 3 dimensions, which is a feature not yet possible on the second imaging approach, and although it illustrates gradients from the apical to the basolateral region of the cell that would otherwise be lost with a 2-dimensional technique, it is also slower than the second imaging approach we use, and photobleaching is more prominent. In contrast, the second imaging approach we utilize is a 2-dimensional, excitation-based hyperspectral imaging system (termed “HIFEX” for hyperspectral imaging fluorescence excitation) developed in-house on a Nikon TE2000 inverted fluorescence microscope; this system filters fluorescence excitation instead of fluorescence emission with a thin-film tunable excitation filter (TFTF) instead of filtering the emitted fluorescence, which provides for higher transmission (sensitivity), yielding a better spatial resolution than the excitation-based approach. It also requires shorter acquisition times and detects more light that is normally rejected by the filters in an emission-based approach, resulting in a high signal to noise ratio. However, at the moment, no 3-dimensional capabilities exist for this system, and since it was developed in-house, the software is unrefined and not commercially-available. Images taken using both imaging systems were processed using linear unmixing and reslicing algorithms using custom scripts written in MATLAB. To compare the effectiveness of both approaches, we assessed the spatial distributions of calcium gradients in response to different agonists and the intensity of these signals using GCaMP, an intensity-based probe.


Hunter Bormann Major: Business Administration

Mentor: Dr. Natalie Gassman Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 9

Enrichment of Mitochondrial DNA to Measure Damage

Mitochondria are crucial cellular organelles that produce ATP, providing the chemical energy needed to carry out many essential cellular processes. Interestingly, mitochondria contain their own DNA separate from the genomic DNA found in the nucleus. The localized environment within the mitochondria are rich in DNA damaging molecules that can mutate the mitochondrial DNA, which alters the mitochondrial health and function. Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with cancer development and progression, but the link between mitochondrial DNA damage and dysfunction is poorly understood because the methods available to assess mitochondrial DNA damage are extremely limited. This project looks to identify a streamlined method capable of purifying a large amount of mitochondrial DNA with minimal nuclear DNA contamination. This enriched mitochondrial DNA will then have the DNA damage level characterized using the novel Repair Assisted Damage Detection assay that was developed at the Mitchell Cancer Institute in the lab of Dr. Natalie Gassman. The RADD method exploits the action of DNA repair enzymes to identify, process, and tag DNA damage and provides a powerful new tool for characterizing mitochondrial DNA damage. Together these methods have the potential to offer new insights into how mitochondrial DNA is damaged and repaired.


Seth Young Major: Electrical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Thomas Thomas Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering College of Engineering

Poster 10

Development of Control Methods for an Unmanned Surface Manipulator Vehicle

Research into unmanned vehicles has been steadily rising with new and more accurate control approaches being published and implemented. This rise is due to companies and governments wanting to reduce human operation dependence for trivial tasks and to reduce the use of human operation in hazardous environments. While there has been a substantial increase in unmanned vehicle control, research in some areas such as unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) have been neglected. Recently, government agencies, such as the US Navy, have released detailed plans to increase support for research into expanding USV capabilities. This research will be focused on expanding USV capabilities by mounting a robotic manipulator to a USV and determining a control method for this vehicle. This craft will be referred to as an unmanned surface manipulator vehicle (USMV). The research described in this thesis will analyze the effects of roll, pitch, and heave motions of the vessel on the manipulator. The vessel dynamics will be simulated to gather preliminary data which will be used to develop a control approach for the manipulator. Once simulations are complete, a physical model will be constructed and tested. The results of the physical model vs. the simulation model will be compared and analyzed.


Bradley Brimmer Major: Chemical Engineering


Poster 11

Production of Antimicrobial Cotton Fabric

Cotton textiles enhanced with anti-microbial properties create opportunity to provide sanitary environments for military troops, hospital patients, and the general public. 5,5dimethylhydantion is a compound that, when charged with dilute bleach (sodium hypochlorite), can release low levels of molecular chlorine which provide antimicrobial properties. A derivative of this compound, allyl-5,5-dimethylhadantion (ADMH) maintains the ability for chlorine release with the potential to be bound to cotton. ADMH can be synthesized and purified using a modified techniques that reduce cost and time presented by the current literature synthesis. Using a proprietary process for covalently bonding the molecule to cotton, ADMH can be attached to the surface. Using generic household bleach, chlorine is attached and an attachment percentage is tested using a modified assay back titration method with a starch indicator. Using these chlorine percentages, it is possible to predict the time of chlorine release therefore showing the time interval before the need for chlorine regeneration in a bleach solution. In this work we detail the modified synthesis and purification and present results showing the amount of chlorine retained by the fabric, compared to an untreated control, and the longevity of the chlorination. Such a modified fabric could serve as a sterile fabric in the hospitals, an antiseptic bandage for the military in combat arenas and provide a fabric that would resist microbial growth for a variety of consumer applications.


Abigail Brockman Major: Computer Science

Mentor: Dr. Todd Andel Department of Computer Science School of Computing

NASA SURF Poster 12

Breaking the Unbreakable: Cracking into the Zero Touch Secure Provisioning Kit for AWS IoT

Cyber security is an important topic in today’s world as the use of technology is expanding, especially as the Internet of Things (IoT) is growing. Cryptography is put in place to secure the privacy of the users of each device. The Zero Touch Secure Provisioning Kit for AWS IoT is supposed to provide a secure way to connect IoT devices. The kit builds into the IoT device a keys generator. Using the ATECC508 chip, the kit creates its own keys, protecting the keys from outside eyes. Supposedly this is unbreakable. However, nothing is unbreakable, just a little harder to break than usual. This research aims to find vulnerabilities to the Zero Touch Secure Provisioning Kit for AWS IoT. By doing so, we can improve on the vulnerabilities and/or prepare for what the vulnerabilities may lead to.


Amanda Brown Major: Chemical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Christy West Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering College of Engineering

Poster 13

Attaching Nonpolar Functional Groups to Fabric

The same technology used to attach dyes to fabric was utilized to attach hexadecene, a strong nonpolar molecule, to fabric to give it nonpolar functionality. This fabric can be used to separate polar and nonpolar molecules, specifically oil and water in the case of oil spills. In the past, the use of fabric to separate oil and water has been tested and proved successful but has not been the most cost-effective option. The method discussed here is not only cost-effective but has given promising results. The bulk of the research conducted has been devoted to refining the pretreatment and attachment process, testing to find the most cost and time-saving method that still produces superhydrophobic and long-lasting results. “Click chemistry” is applied in this method and is a quick and simple way to attach functional groups to the fabric surface. Quantitative data of successful attachment of hexadecene to fabric was gathered using a goniometer. Treatment was considered successful if the measured water contact angle was greater than 150° (superhydrophobic), and this method was able to obtain contact angles up to 170°. Multiples trials have concluded that the fabric can be reused and still maintain a sufficient contact angle. This fabric was also tested to separate oil in water emulsions. The oil and water separate, and the oil can then be used in a refining process. Small samples of fabric have been tested for superhydrophobicity, and larger samples will need to be tested for future industrial use.


Alonna Brown Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Kendrea Garand Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions

SURF Poster 14

Temporal Characteristics of Bolus Airway Invasion in Healthy, Community-Dwelling Adults

Dysphagia, or swallowing impairment, is a growing concern in the United States as the number of age-related diseases with known risk of dysphagia has increased resulting from longer lifespan of Americans. Abnormal swallow physiology can result from entrance of the bolus (penetration/aspiration) into the airway, which can lead to devastating consequences, such as malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia. Evidence suggests, however, that healthy, non-dysphagic adults may experience bolus airway invasion. Furthermore, previous reports have demonstrated higher rates of airway invasion in the older populations that may result from presbyphagia – or subclinical changes affecting the swallowing mechanism resulting from typical aging. Unfortunately, the literature is scarce on when bolus airway invasion occurs during swallowing in healthy adults. This information can help clinicians identify true pathophysiology from normal variance in swallowing. Participants were extracted from a large normative study analyzing age-related effects on swallowing function in health, community-dwelling adults. Out of 118 swallows in which bolus airway invasion occurred, 2 (1.7%) had penetration/aspiration occur before the swallow, 116 (98.3%) occurred during the swallow, and 0 (0%) occurred after the swallow. Since the majority of the penetration/aspiration events (98.3%) was observed to occur during the swallow, this precluded statistical testing beyond report of descriptive statistics. These findings support that when a bolus airway invasion (penetration/aspiration) event is present in healthy, non-dysphagic adults, the event occurs during the swallow. This can further guide clinicians in identifying true pathophysiology from normal variations in swallowing.


Kindall Calhoun Major: Biology

Mentor: Dr. Timothy Sherman Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

Poster 15

Biology With a Concentration in Marine Biology and a Minor in Biomedical Sciences

With the global temperature increases that are expected to continue, it is important to understand the effects a shift in temperature will have on organisms. Ectothermic species, which rely on their environment to control their internal temperatures, will be more affected by a change in temperature than endothermic species. Reptiles are among the many ectothermic organisms that will be directly impacted by thermal changes. Surprisingly, subtle changes in temperature range experienced by these animals may well determine survival or not. As temperature changes will not be uniform globally, an understanding the thermal optima for reptiles will help us to predict where these organisms will do best. Identifying the thermal optimum and the amount of time the species spent in their thermal environment annually may allow for prediction of species survival. Here we worked with a basking turtle species, Pseduemys concinna concinna (LeConte), to obtain its thermal optima. Using a biochemical approach, the activity of metabolic enzyme NADH malate dehydrogenase (MDH) was used to determine the thermal dependencies of Km and Vmax. A Michaelis-Menten model was used to predict the reaction velocity across the temperature range of 10°C to 40°C. These data can be used to predict an optimal thermal range for these turtles and represents a first step in determining how they may be affected by climate change.


Lauren Carrubba Major: Economics and Finance

Mentor: Dr. Christoper Lawrey Department of Economics and Finance Mitchell College of Business

SURF Poster 16

The Impact of Beta Dispersion on Stock Returns

As any well-versed investor should know, there are many ways in which beta can be calculated based on factors such as the choice of time interval and market proxy used in the estimation process. Of course, this can lead to wide variation in beta estimates reported through publication sources. This paper will be a follow-up of a previous one of Drs. Lawrey, Lahtinen, and Hunsader in which portfolios were created based on the dispersion in the estimate of 27 different beta calculations. Defining stocks with higher variation in their beta estimated as higher risk, and consistent with risk-return theory, they found that portfolios of stocks with higher dispersion across beta estimates outperformed portfolios of stocks with low dispersion regardless of their level of systematic risk. In this study, we will expand on the previous by implementing the additional factor of beta dispersion in various pricing models to see if it yields return. Our hypothesis is that beta dispersion will be an important factor used in these models to explain pricing.


Rachel Chai Major: Civil Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Arka Pandit Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering

SURF Poster 17

Removal and Recovery of Phosphorus Using Permeable Reactive Barriers

Eutrophication is one of the more pressing challenges of this time. Coastal areas across the world, including the Gulf of Mexico have been experiencing one of the worst eutrophication problems over the last few years. There has been marked improvement in reactive phosphorus (P) removal technologies from point sources like municipal wastewater treatment plants. However, not much focus has been on nutrient removal and its possible recovery from non-point sources (NPS). Managing the influx of nutrient to watersheds from NPS has a significant potential to address the eutrophication of coastal areas. While precipitation, filtration, membrane processes, Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) and Physico-chemical (adsorption based) methods have been successfully used to effect P removal, application of these technologies to non-point sources has remained limited till date. This research proposes to develop a permeable reactive barrier for P adsorption from NPS pollution. Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) are subsurface passive treatment systems that require low to no periodic maintenance and are ideal for decentralized in-situ applications. This research uses spent alum sludge (SAS) as the primary reactive substance within the permeable reactive barriers. SAS is a by-product of potable water treatment process and is typically landfilled. While SAS has shown some promise in removing P from municipal wastewater its application has been limited in practice. This research will determine the efficacy of SAS in removing P from NPS at the bench scale. The research will conduct a set of experiments to determine the capacity of SAS for P adsorption, kinetics of P adsorption in an SAS PRB, and design criteria for SAS based PRBs. Based on the data obtained from these set of experiments, stakeholders will be able to design SAS based PRBs that have the potential to remove P from NPS pollution. Given the current eutrophication challenge in the Gulf of Mexico, this is a topical research problem that needs to be addressed.


Taylor Conatser Major: Civil Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Kevin White Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering

Poster 18

A Sustainable Construction Practice: Incorporating Recycled Glass in Concrete and Asphalt Pavement

Glass is typically a translucent and brittle commodity commonly used in industry and residence. The waste of glass after its service life imposes a great environmental impact, as evident by that about eight percent of the total domestic waste is glass. Glass that is recycled typically remain in waste centers from the non-versatile use, and there is an urgent need to reuse the recycled glass in civil infrastructures. As such, the goal of this research is to incorporate recycled waste glass as aggregates into concrete and asphalt pavement. A comprehensive literature review regarding the state-of-art use of recycled glass will be performed. Based on the literature review from similar experiments, the optimal recycled glass will be designed to incorporate into concrete and asphalt mixture, in a range from five to ten percent. Both concrete and asphalt mixture containing different dosages of recycled glass will be tested on strength and durability in accordance with standards. Challenge in the use of recycled glass in the concrete exist that the strength and durability may be compromised due to potential alkali-silica reactivity. On the other hand, the use of recycled glass in the asphalt pavement has “striping” issue related to bonding between glass and asphalt. To mitigate the potential negative effect of using recycled glass, innovative practices such as adding a hydrated lime or other additives will be introduced and investigated. If successful, this could economically change the demand for natural aggregate, use recycled glass in waste centers, and make common roadways more environment friendly. Upon the completion of all experiments, cost-benefit analysis and life cycle assessment will be performed to better see sustainability benefits of incorporating recycled glass in the civil infrastructure. This research will also cooperate with Mobile Recycling Center, and asphalt and concrete industry in Mobile, to further validate the feasibility of this green and sustainable construction practice.


Cody Conyers Major: Mechanical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Natalie Gassman Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

NASA SURF Poster 20

Characterizing DNA Repair Kinetics of Healthy and Cancerous Prostate Cells Using Laser Micro-irradiation

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in the United States and the most commonly diagnosed cancer in African-American males, who are 1.7 times more likely to develop PCa and 2.38 times more likely to die from it than their non-hispanic white counterparts. Although the exact mechanisms that drive prostate cancer development are poorly understood, one important underlying characteristic of all cancer types is genomic instability, defined by an accumulation of somatic mutations that alter the expression of key regulatory genes. Several DNA repair mechanisms are in place that recognize and repair damaged DNA to ensure genomic mutations are not introduced. One such gene, X-ray Repair Cross Complementing protein 1 (XRCC1), has no known enzymatic activity, but is responsible for coordinating DNA repair by acting as a scaffold to ensure appropriate protein-protein interactions occur during the repair process. Altered expression and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in XRCC1 are associated with many cancer types, including prostate, but no molecular mechanisms have been established that clarify these correlative studies. Toward that end, the purpose of this study was to characterize XRCC1 gene and protein expression levels and the dynamics of XRCC1 in DNA repair using a non-cancerous (RWPE-1) and cancerous (PC3) prostate cell models. The XRCC1 expression level differences between the cell lines were negligible but PC3 cells had more XRCC1 in the nuclear compartment relative to RWPE-1 cells. The DNA repair dynamics between the two cell lines had subtle differences with RWPE-1 cells eliciting a higher concentration of XRCC1 recruitment but PC3 cells sustained the damage signal longer.


Aaron Crosby Major: Biology

Mentor: Dr. Mary Kroetz Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

Poster 21

Emphasizing Transcriptional Pathways Necessary for Gonadal Development

We are interested in seeing how transcription factors interact during the development of the gonad. Our current model organism is the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, or C. elegans. C. elegans are transparent, have week-long generations, and their proteome contains homologues for about 60-80% of the human genome. Before reaching adulthood, they develop through 4 larval stages (L1-L4). They have two sexes: males which only have one sex chromosome (XO), and hermaphrodites (XX). Hermaphrodites are essentially females that can produce sperm for a limited time; they have a vulva and an organ that stores sperm called a spermatheca, which allows them to fertilize their eggs before laying them. Hermaphrodites only have a 0.02% chance of producing male offspring through self-fertilization. The development of the male gonad in C. elegans is dependent upon the transcription factor fkh-6. Fkh-6 protein represses areas downstream of fkh-6. Fkh-6 is a somatic gene that is limited to the gonad in C. elegans. This gene’s expression is known to occur periodically throughout the L1 and L2 stages in both sexes, with a reoccurrence in the L4 stage of the hermaphrodite. Without fkh-6 expression, males become feminized and hermaphrodites become sterile. In an experiment that was conducted earlier this year, different areas of the fkh-6 promoter region were deleted, except for the core promoter region. The experiment resulted in a single strain that only had hermaphrodites with an unusual phenotype. Since hermaphrodites have a low chance of producing males, we crossed these hermaphrodites with males from another strain that had a mutation which caused the hermaphrodites to have a higher chance of producing males. Male progeny from this cross displayed a similar phenotype to fkh-6 mutants. Their gonad became disorganized, and males almost always had a vulva. Further experimentation is being done to confirm the genotype of the offspring, and to see if the males are sterile.


Lindsey Culp Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Kendra Garand Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions

SURF Poster 22

Age-Related Effects on Esophageal Bolus Transit Time in the Upright Position Observed Under Videofluoroscopy

Presbyphagia refers to changes in swallowing function resulting from typical aging. These subclinical changes have been attributed to sarcopenia or the involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength as part of natural aging. Evidence supports that the muscles of the upper aerodigestive tract also experience age-related muscle loss leading to impaired sensorimotor interactions required to clear a bolus from the oropharynx through the esophagus and into the stomach. Limited evidence currently exists to provide normative measure for esophageal transit time (ETT) examined under videofluoroscopy across the adult lifespan. This research proposal examined the impact of aging on ETT observed during videofluoroscopy in the upright position during two swallowing trials (5-ml nectar-thickened liquid; 5-ml pudding) across four age categories: 21-39 years, 40-59 years, 60-79 years, and 80 years and older. Furthermore, we investigated the influence of sex on ETT. ETT findings were compared to Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP) Component 17 (Esophageal Clearance in the Upright Position) for each participant across each consistency (nectar; pudding). Inter-rater reliability was also calculated. Data was derived from a large normative database of 195 healthy, non-dysphagic and community-dwelling adults. In the 175 adults (98 females; 77 males) available for analysis with a mean age (±SD) of 46.3 (±17.2) years (range of 21 to 86 years), the mean (±SD) ETT for the 5 ml nectar-thickened liquid and 5 ml pudding trials were 6.7 (±2.8) and 8.2 (±4.2) seconds, respectively. Findings revealed no significant differences in ETT across age categories for either the nectar or pudding trial (p = 0.231 and p = 0.335, respectively). Similarly, no significant differences were observed between sexes in ETT for either the nectar or pudding trial (p = 0.182 and p = 0.819, respectively). Using a mixed effect model with sex, age category, and consistency as fixed effects and subjects as random effects, results revealed a significant difference between ETT between nectar and pudding trials (p <0.0001), with pudding ETT have an average longer duration of 0.278 seconds compared to nectar. Participants with a MBSImP Component 17 score of 1 (esophageal retention) had a higher mean ETT value than participants with a score of 0 (complete clearance; esophageal coating) (average: 0.229 seconds; p <0.0001).


Samantha Darring Major: Meteorology

Mentor: Dr. Sytske Kimball Department of Earth Sciences College of Arts and Sciences

NASA SURF Poster 23

Preferred location for sea and bay breeze-driven thunderstorm formation

Sea and bay breeze driven thunderstorms are a common occurrence along the Gulf of Mexico Coast every summer. These summertime thunderstorms pose a problem to forecasters, due to the difficulty of predicting the exact location of development. These storms can cause flash flooding, strong winds, and plentiful lightning, that can cause serious damage to property and even life. However, in terms of agriculture, these thunderstorms can be beneficial to farmers who count on this almost daily rain for their crops. This research will identify the most common location where these storms initiate due to sea or bay breezes in Mobile County, Alabama. In this project, sea and bay breeze driven convection (i.e. thunderstorms) will be identified for the years 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 using radar data from the Mobile Doppler weather radar (KMOB WSR-88D). Three different triggering mechanisms will be analyzed in order to identify the reasons why the convection might form in a given location. These mechanisms include the sea and bay breeze interaction with elevation, the collision of sea and bay breezes, and the vertices in the the sea or bay breeze formed by the natural shape of the coastline. The locations of all three of these convective initiation types were mapped using ArcGIS to help identify the most common location for the development of these summertime thunderstorms. The results indicate that most sea breeze driven thunderstorm storms occur in the lower part of Mobile County. From radar imagery, it was observed that two vertices typically occur in the sea breeze front in Mobile County. Convection was observed to form in these vertices as well as in the southeastern part of the count where the sea and bay breeze collide. The ArcGIS maps show that the vertices and the interaction between the sea and bay breeze are the most common producers of sea breeze or bay breeze driven convection. The sea or bay breeze interaction with elevation, as show in the ArcGIS maps, is not as evident as the vertex mechanism. This is possibly because the majority of the storms formed in the lower 13-15 miles of the country, before higher elevations occur.


Jeffrey Demeis Major: Biology

Mentor: Dr. Borchert Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 24

Identifying novel sdRNA contributors to lung malignancy

For decades, small nucleolar ribosomal RNAs (snoRNAs) were thought to function solely as housekeeping molecules that assist in the maturation of other ribosomal RNA species. However, several recent discoveries have revealed the existence of non-canonical roles for snoRNAs outside of their traditional housekeeping roles, including promoting various human malignancies. In fact, snoRNAs themselves can be processed into short stable microRNA-like fragments called sno-derived RNAs (sdRNAs). It is firmly established that miRNAs function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes (oncomiRs) by regulating numerous genes involved in human cancer progression, and several miRNA-targeted therapeutics are in clinical development. Remarkably, recent evidence from the Borchert lab and others strongly suggests that there are >1,200 currently unannotated human sdRNAs and that sdRNAs are functionally indistinguishable from traditional microRNAs and are very likely to possess unrecognized yet critical roles in neoplastic transformation and malignant progression. Importantly, the Borchert lab recently published the most definitive characterization of a direct involvement for sdRNAs in malignancy to date. In this work they showed that a microRNA-like fragment (sdRNA-93): (1) is specifically excised from SNORD-93, (2) is highly overexpressed in breast cancer cells (>75x normal cells), (3) complexes with the miRNA-associating protein Argonaute (Ago), (4) regulates cellular mRNAs through a RNAi-based mechanism, (5) can significantly influence cellular invasion, and (6) is characteristically overexpressed in Luminal B Her2+ tumors relative to normal tissues and other breast cancer subtypes. Collectively, these data raise the possibility that different human cancer subtypes may utilize their own sdRNA species to promote specific phenotypic aspects of malignant progression, and that sdRNAs could represent powerful new biomarkers for prognosis and therapy. Consistent with this possibility, we have recently identified sdRNAs recurrently overexpressed in prostate malignancy. Through analyzing the full complement of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) patient prostate tumor next-generation sequencing (NGS) datasets, our novel bioinformatic approaches have identified sdRNAs -38a, -58c, -73, and -88a as being highly overexpressed in prostate tumor samples relative to normal control tissues (little to no expression). This provides an extremely strong premise to sequence and annotate the human sdRNAome and functionally dissect how cancer-relevant sdRNAs contribute to malignant progression.


Emily Denison Major: Chemistry, Music

Mentor: Dr. Larry Yet Department of Chemistry College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 25

Multiple Synthetic Approaches to 7-Boc-8-methyl-3-(aryl)-1-oxa-2,7-diazaspiro[4.4]non-2-ene-8-carboxylate from Hetero(Aryl) Oximes

and Methylene Proline Methyl Ester

Though once lethal, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is treated as a chronic infection with Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART). HAART uses multiple kinds of drugs at once in order to target various steps in the HIV replication cycle, but it is not well-tolerated in patients due to the harsh side effects. This has led to the study of integrase (IN) inhibitors. HIV-1 IN not only catalyzes the insertion of viral DNA into the genome of a human cell, but studies have shown, through allosteric HIV-IN inhibitors, it also interacts with high affinity with viral RNA and binds the viral genome in virions. This discovery revealed a non-catalytic role of IN during the late steps of HIV-1 replication. The synthesis of a highly selective allosteric inhibitor of HIV-1 IN would further investigate the role of HIV-1 IN in biology and possibly serve in the development of new antiviral drugs. One of the potential targets is 7-Boc-8-methyl-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1oxa-2,7-diazaspiro[4.4]non-2-ene-7,8-dicarboxylate starting from the 1-oxa-2,7diazaspiro[4.4]non-2-ene scaffold. A model study using 4-nitrophenyloxime and Lproline methyl ester was employed to synthesize the spiroisoxazoline intermediate. It was prepared using di(acetoxy)iodosobenzene (DIB) with catalytic amounts of trifluoroacetic acid in moderate yields. With this model compound ready to be used as a reference, attempts were made to optimize the reaction conditions. Derivatives of the 1oxa-2, 7-diazaspiro[4.4]non-2-ene scaffold will be further reacted to form the potential targets once reaction yields are acceptable. These compounds will then be tested at the University of Southern Mississippi for their inhibitory activity against HIV-1 IN.


Krystian Doss Major: Biomedical Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Mary Kroetz Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 26

Characterization of the Role of a Choline Kinase in Gonadal Development in C. elegans

The mRNA transcript ckb-3, which is encoded by a choline kinase B gene, has been found to be highly expressed within the primordial gonadal cells of Caenorhabditis elegans. The role of this gene in the gonadal and sexual development of C. elegans is still not known. In order to determine the function of ckb-3, the gene will be disrupted within the genome using CRISPR-Cas9. The phenotypic defects caused by this knock-out mutation will be utilized in order to assess the roles ckb-3 plays within the gonadal primordium. Two DNA constructs were generated in order to accomplish this task. First, a DNA template was constructed in order to produce a guiding RNA needed for the CRISPR-Cas9 to cleave the genomic DNA upstream of the ckb-3 coding region. Second, a template plasmid was designed to repair the gap created by CRISPR-Cas9 with a self-excision cassette (SEC). The SEC contains several genes that express various selection markers to easily identify the small proportion of mutants with the desired insertion A total of 75 animals have been injected with the prerequisite materials needed for the CRISPR-Cas9 induced mutation. To date, a strain of animals with the desired mutation has not been observed. The lack of the proper mutation is likely due to the fact that CRISPR-Cas9 only has about a 10-15% efficacy rate, which among the 75 animals that were injected, between eight and eleven successful edits were expected. Additional injections will be performed in order to obtain animals with the ckb-3 knockout mutation.


Blair Doyle Major: Computer Science

Mentor: Dr. J. Todd McDonald Department of Computer Science School of Computing

SURF Poster 27

Rootkit Detection Using CPU Power Consumption and Phase Space Analysis

A rootkit is a type of malware that allows an unauthorized user to gain access or control of a computer system without being detected. In this paper, we build upon the prior use of nonlinear phase space analysis using rudimentary low-level CPU power measurements as means to detect rootkit execution. Of particular focus, we ask the question of whether such detection can take place when the rootkit is executing within a virtual machine, versus those that execute at the raw hardware level underneath a normal operating system. We perform a series of experiments which show that the phase space approach can be trained to recognize rootkits when they are executed in such environments. Initial results indicate that the virtual machine environment does not mask the underlying power signatures which rootkits are known to exhibit when they run in native operating systems. The data indicate a potentially new method for outof- band detection in cloud computing platforms.


Gerald Duck Major: Chemical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Sean Walker Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering College of Engineering

Poster 28

Proposed Life Cycle Analysis of Methanation as a Product of Organic Fermentation in Landfills

A life cycle analysis is the study of a product from its creation to its disposal, and all effects created by that product. Proposed in this document is a life cycle analysis of methanation as it pertains to use in generating power via methane capture from organic waste in landfills and the quantitative environmental impacts of a conventional landfill versus a landfill created for capturing methane produced via methanation. Processes and steps to be included in the life cycle analysis will include economic and environmental impacts of the following: machinery used in preparation of the land fill, power and materials used in preparation of the landfill, operating cost and maintenance materials for used continual operation of landfill, methane and other biproducts produced by methanation, effects of those products and biproducts on humans and environments, energy generated from the use of the products of methanation, long-term containment of fill and effects of unintended release of biological sources of methane, byproducts of methanation, and products used for methanation not normally found in a conventional landfill.


Kelsey Edwards Major: Business Administration

Mentor: Dr. Pennywell Department of Economics and Finance Mitchell College of Business

SURF Poster 29

A Pitman Closeness Evaluation of Range-based Volatility Estimators in Shortened Time Horizons

We extend the findings of previous studies using shortened time intervals to evaluate the performance of four range-based estimators of stock return volatility. Using the daily high, low, open and close data for the 30 DJIA component equities we compare the performance of the range-based estimators to the measured variances using Mean Squared Error, Mean Absolute Deviation, and Pitman Closeness Criterion to determine if and under what conditions one estimator may be superior to the others.


Wyatt Green Major: Computer Science

Mentor: Dr. Tom Johnsten Department of Computer Science School of Computing

SURF Poster 30

Anomoly Detection and Transition

- Data mining is the process of finding novel patterns in data. Some of the goals of data mining are to discover novel and potentially useful patterns from collections of data. In this research, the tool to discover novel patterns is referred to as action rule mining. Action rules are rules that state how manipulating certain attributes of an object can change its status from an undesirable state to a desirable state with respect to a decision attribute. Unlike common methods of generating actions rules, our research builds off Targeted Action Rule Discovery (TARD) that trades actions rules with high coverage of objects for actions rules that are specialized for one object. The goal of this research is to combine action rules and decision trees to detect and transition anomalous data. This approach will follow a three-step process that uses the decision tree to group data as normal or anomalous, learns desired behavior from the normal group, and generates action rules that indicate how an object in an anomalous group can transition into a normal group.


Addison Grissett Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Dahye Choi Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions SURF Poster 31

Sympathetic arousal in response to different mood induction methods in children

More than 70 million people worldwide stutter, but every individual has a stuttering pattern that varies across time and situations. No definite answer exists as to why this variation exists amongst individuals. The Dual Diathesis-Stressor (DD-S) model of childhood stuttering (Conture & Walden, 2012) attempts to account for the variability of stuttering by suggesting that exogenous emotional and linguistic stressors correlate with stuttering changes across time and situation. Though this model exists, few empirical studies have been conducted to investigate how emotional processes impact stuttering through sympathetic nervous system activity. Furthermore, previous studies on the impact of emotion on stuttering have reported little information regarding the intensity of an emotional stimulus and the persistence of its elicited emotion. Without knowing the magnitude of elicited emotions and the duration of induced emotional arousal, the true impact of emotion on stuttering cannot be fully explained. By using three varying modes of emotional stimuli in a random order, our study at the University of South Alabama Developmental Stuttering Laboratory sought to determine relative efficacy of different mood induction methods. Verbal report and psychophysiology (e.g., skin conductance & heart rate) were the two methods used to assess the impact and length of each emotional stimulus on study participants. These data points allow us to investigate the persistence of each induced mood, determine moderating factors that might affect individuals’ reactions to different mood induction methods, and establish a preliminary normal baseline of mood induction using typically developing children. Our study enrolled ten typically developing children ages 3 to 7 with no known or reported hearing, speech-language, neurological, developmental, academic, intellectual, or emotional problems. Each participant was seated in front of a computer monitor where they were exposed to three varying modes of emotional stimuli in a random order: 1) 4minute films that were created to elicit positive, neutral, or negative emotions, 2) slideshows with 30 photo images selected from The International Affective Picture System to induce positive, neutral, or negative emotions, and 3) use of an experimenter’s behavior (e.g., an experimenter telling the child “your speech will be evaluated later”). Each of these emotional stimuli likely produce a sympathetic arousal in typically developing children ages 3-7.


Nickolas Hacker Major: Mechanical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Hee-Seok Kim Department of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering

NASA SURF Poster 32

Design and demonstration of human-interfaced solid-state cooling device

The demand for cooling devices that do not damage tissues is increasing as medical equipment is innovated. Some surgical instruments used medically only leave as much as 0.5 mm in which to place cooling technology. Thermoelectric generators create a temperature cooling gradient based on the application of electric power. Closely packing a network of thermoelectric modules can be a solution to these issues as well as other applications. Thermoelectric generators having rigid designs can be very impractical for human interfacing. Having a flexible thermoelectric cooling network would assist in biomedical applications that require cooling to be applied to humans. This also opens up the possibility of ecofriendly electricity generation based off of expendable sources of heat. The goal of this project is to design a semi-flexible thermoelectric cooling device in its infant stage by connecting rigid modules in series and maximizing the theoretical output of electricity based off a temperature gradient. The nature of the conductors would allow for officials to conserve space during procedures while holding situations to precise temperatures. In future research, this will lead to a wearable thermoelectric module that can operate at a wide temperature range; also, other environments and complicated testing structures can be tested. The hope of this experiment is to pioneer a series of wearable thermoelectric devices that can assist in procedures and comfort systems at the University of South Alabama, and perhaps spark the development of wearable accessories that can charge devices.


Martin Thomas Harden Major: Mechanical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Gregory Poole Department of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering

NASA SURF Poster 33

Manipulation of the Mechanical Properties of PMMA Using Citrate-Based Plasticizers

Additive manufacturing (AM) methods are receiving immense attention across all materials classes due to the flexibility offered users in custom, one-off production of parts for which traditional manufacturing methods would make cost-prohibitive. In contrast to the “subtractive” manufacturing methods, whereby a component is cast and then machined into the final product, AM allows for direct production of the part with minimal waste and shorter design-to production times. AM produced parts are now being used in a number of various mission-critical systems in defense applications. NASA is also exploring AM for use in space exploration missions, as components will have to be produced on the spacecraft due to the cost and logistical prohibitions associated with resupply missions. While the first and second revolutions in AM were on ensuring shape and dimensional fidelity, a third revolution is now underway in manipulating the properties of produced components using mapping of structure– process–property relationships. For polymers, plasticizers have been used to alter the local order of the chains for over half a century, and are now being explored in the realm of AM. Ideally, plasticizers must possess high thermal stability, low vapor pressure (volatility), and low leachability. Little work has been done, however, on the study of plasticizing AM specimens. Citrate esters has recently been offered as an less biohazardous alternative. In this work, we present the preliminary results on altering the mechanical properties of citrate-plasticized PMMA using stereo-lithographic additive manufacturing.


Jazzlyn Hatcher Major: International Studies

Mentor: Dr. Hosik Min Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 34

The Effect of Religion on Suicide in South Korea

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the suicide rates in South Korea have been steadily rising since the 1980s. With a staggering 26.9 deaths per 100,000 people, South Korea has almost triple the rates of other countries in its region and the global average (WHO 2016). It has the highest suicide rates of all Organization for Economic Co-operation (OECD) countries as well as the highest suicide rates in the industrialized of all industrialized countries (OECD 2017). Suicide has become the 2nd most common cause of death in South Korea and the leading cause of death for people aged 29 to 39 age 75 and above (Hyun-Young Shin et. al 2016). The aim of this paper is to find a correlation between religion and suicidal tendencies in South Korea and establish which religious sect or affiliation is most successful at mediating the causes of suicide. It will mainly focus on Buddhism and Christianity, which must be split into two sects: Catholicism and Protestantism, as they are the two main religions in south Korea. The amount of required participation, salience, and core values of these religions regarding suicide will be evaluated. Hopefully through this study, a pattern between the method by which religion lessens the impact of suicide catalyst will appear and provide insight on how to combat South Korea’s growing suicide issue.


Tanner Hickman Major: Chemical Engineering


Poster 35

Characterization of Non-Volatile, Self-Neutralizing Acids Formed from Ionic Liquids and CO2

The principles of green chemistry have provided a framework around which chemists and engineers have focused their efforts to design safer and more environmentally benign syntheses and processes. Among its important tenets are: the prevention of wasteful byproducts, creating safer solvents and catalysts, designing energy efficient processes and developing less hazardous chemical syntheses. The work described here includes the characterization of a novel class of carbonic acid catalysts which embody all of these principles: self-neutralizing Brønsted acids formed from the reaction of carbon dioxide with tethered hydroxyls (-OH groups). The hydroxyls are tethered in that they are attached to either nonvolatile ionic liquids, metal oxide particles, or low volatility alcohols dissolved in ionic liquids. The carbonic acids form upon exposure of the alcohols to CO2 and decompose when the CO2 pressure is released, or upon gentle heating. Thus, they are self-neutralizing and can be stored as neutral substances. Furthermore, separation of product mixtures does not require a neutralizing base, eliminating byproduct salt waste, and separation from product mixtures can be accomplished via vaporization. The presence of the self-neutralizing acids from nonvolatile species has already been established, however, the strength of theses acids and their abilities to catalyze reaction remains unproven. Thus, the two main objectives of this research are: 1) characterization of the strength of several representative acids using the Hammett acidity function and 2) demonstrating that the acids can catalyze a model reaction. An indicator probe, 4-nitroaniline or a similar derivative, will be used to demonstrate the acidity of several representative acids formed from ionic liquids containing hydroxyls and CO2. This technique, which employs UV-Vis spectroscopy to determine the Hammett acidity function, is a well-known method for determining the relative acidity of non-aqueous or concentrated aqueous acids and has been used to measure the strength of dissolved acids (such as HCl) in ionic liquids.


Alexandria Hill Major: Political Science

Mentor: Dr. Scott Liebertz Department of Political Science College of Arts and Sciences

Poster 36

The Effects of Television News on Immigration Attitudes

The 2016 campaign arguably raised the political and media salience of immigration to new levels. I examine the effect of television news programs on public attitudes toward immigration policy. In particular, I analyze the varying effects of television news on individuals of different ages. While previous research demonstrates the influence of a particular media outlet or another, I model the effects of all three major 24-hour cable news stations as well as network news. Given the overt political orientation of their programming, I expect Fox News and MSNBC to have strong effects albeit in opposite directions, with CNN and Major Networks having less influence. I also hypothesize that television news programs will have a null effect on younger viewers’ opinions on immigration because they are more prone to tolerant attitudes. I use the 2016 American National Election Study (ANES), which contains data on the specific television news shows respondents watch. Results indicate that Fox News has the strongest and most consistent influence on immigration attitudes. Among young viewers, my hypothesis is not supported, as young viewers are more affected by Fox News than older viewers. The other networks do not seem to have differing effects across age groups.


Davina Ho Major: Biomedical Sciences

Mentor: Dr. W. Mathew Reichert Department of Chemistry Department College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 37

Printing Properties: Utilizing Additive Manufacturing for Functional Materials

Additive Manufacturing (AM), or 3-D printing, is a rapidly growing field of research because of its precise, rapid, and cost-efficient production of sophisticated geometric shapes. One of the limitations to many current methods of AM is the inability to incorporate other compounds into the product to give produced plastics the desired properties, such as flexibility and/or flame resistance. The Additive Manufacturing technique of stereolithography (SLA) opens up the possibility of incorporating compounds into the plastic in order to add properties to the material. One class of compounds, which can be incorporated into the plastic during the fabrication process, is ionic liquids (ILs). ILs offer a unique advantage over traditional organic compounds in that their properties can be tailored to suit a need. These ILs also possess low volatility, which means they will stay in the plastic longer, subsequently increasing the produced material’s lifetime of usability. Ionic liquids can contribute to current models of AM by furnishing the final 3-D printed product with a variety of properties, as well as enriching the chemical functionality of the embedded ionic liquid. This research project also focuses on ways to successfully print cellulose by utilizing the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) method. Initially, printing cellulose requires a manual method, but will hopefully transition to a more efficient, automated version. Achieving the optimal settings for the automated FDM printer relies on a set of standards taken from the process of manually printing cellulose. Many benefits arise from the ability to print with organic materials, which may revolutionize the way materials are manufactured if AM processes with ILs and cellulose are made efficient enough.


Bailey Hoffman Major: Biology

Mentor: Dr. Juan Mata Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

Poster 38

Determining the Location of Genes Sensitive to Bisphenol A

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in the synthesis of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins and is widely used as a plastic liner in aluminum cans and bottles to prevent corrosion and extend shelf life. Over 90% of the United States population is exposed to BPA, which is of concern because previous studies have found that exposure to BPA leads to reproductive abnormalities including increased meiotic defects and reduced oocyte quality in several different species, including humans, mice, and the model organism C. elegans. To understand the genetic variants that are involved in BPA toxicity, we will determine which genetic mutations have an increased sensitivity to BPA exposure. We conducted a genetic screen and mutagenized C. elegans with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). Out of 2000 individual mutant strains generated in this screen, forty strains were found to display reproductive or developmental abnormalities when exposed to BPA, but no abnormalities when exposed to a second, unrelated toxin. Therefore, the mutants are sensitive specifically to BPA and not sensitive to all drugs. The purpose of this current project is to identify the mutated gene causing the BPA sensitivity for each of the mutant strains. To begin this process, I will determine on which chromosome the mutation is located for thirty-five of the mutant strains. We have obtained a C. elegans strain engineered to have five distinct visible phenotypic markers located each on a different chromosome. I will perform a genetic cross with each of the thirty-five BPA sensitive mutants to the strain with the visible phenotypic markers. Two generations after the genetic cross, 25% of the progeny should be homozygous for the BPA sensitive mutation. The BPA sensitive mutants will have both copies of the chromosome containing the BPA sensitive gene and therefore no copies of the phenotypic marker chromosome, which will allow us to identify the chromosome on which the BPA sensitive mutation is located.


Ashley Hotaling Major: Chemistry

Mentor: Dr. Edward Duranty Department of Chemistry College of Arts and Sciences

Poster 39

Acoustic Levitation of Ionic Liquid Droplets

Chemical processes occurring in small volume containers have many benefits that have only recently become apparent. Acoustic levitation is one technique for the suspension of small volumes, most commonly droplets, in a “contact-free” container that preserves the droplet’s large surface area. In the Duranty group, students are coupling acoustic levitation and droplet chemistry with room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), which feature low vapor pressures. In this work we measure the temperature of acoustically-levitated droplets of deionized water, the low vapor pressure solvent toluene and 1butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BMP-BTI) ionic liquid. Preliminary results suggest that the BMP-BTI ionic liquid may be a more suitable media for solvating acoustically-levitated droplets as compared to water and toluene due the negligible evaporative cooling effect seen in BMP-BTI droplets, leading to droplet long persistence lifetimes and increased thermal stability.


Savannah Howie Major: Civil Engineering

Mentor: Dr. John Cleary Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering

NASA SURF Poster 40

Evaluation of Roof Covering Performance During Hurricane Harvey

On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane. While Hurricane Harvey was best known for the inconceivable amount of flooding due to rainwater, the hurricane also had devastating wind speeds just over 140 mph that caused substantial damage. After Harvey was over, a team of researchers funded through the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association performed a damage assessment and structural analysis on the residential homes around Port Aransas and Copano Bay. The team collected data on various aspects of the homes (i.e. roof framing, roof covering, walls, windows, etc.) and categorized the amount of damage done to the home into different percentage categories (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100%). The analysis for this study was focused specifically on the amount of damage done to roof coverings in the neighborhood of Key Allegro on Aransas Bay. The roof coverings were analyzed depending on the type of material used (i.e. asphalt shingles, concrete/clay tiles, or metal panels) and the percentage of damage. If there was 25% or more damage to the roof framing or sheathing, the home was not included in the analysis of the roof covering to avoid inaccurate data. The results from this research concluded that metal panels performed the best with over 80% of the metal panels reporting zero damage. Concrete/clay tiles performed the worst with just over 45% of the them having at least 25% of damage, and 40% of them having 50% or more damage. From this research, professionals will gain a better understanding of the performance of different roof coverings in design level wind events. Additionally, these results will allow industry professionals and researchers to improve building codes, improve the resiliency of structures, and improve the performance of specific roofing systems in high-wind situations.


Seth Jacoby Major: Chemistry, Math-Stat

Mentor: Dr. Larry Yet Department of Chemistry College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 42

The Construction of Diverse, Sterically Hindered Biaryls Through the Use of Novel Functionalized Phosphorous Imidazopyridine

Ligands in Palladium-Catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reactions

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions have found a plethora of use in the construction of previously inaccessible C-C, C-O, C-P, and C-N bonds. A library of functionalized phosphorous ligands based on imidazo[1,2-a]- and imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine scaffolds has been successfully synthesized and screened as potential ligands for the Suzuki-Miyaura (SM) cross-coupling reaction of sterically-hindered and unactivated aryl halides with aryl boronic acids. Specifically, 1-dicyclohexylphosphino-3-(2,6dimethoxyphenyl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine (C1) was identified as a strong candidate for such reactions, and a library of sterically hindered biaryls were successfully synthesized utilizing C1. Herein we present the screening to identify potentially active ligands, the subsequent optimization of reaction conditions, and finally their use to create a diverse set of sterically-hindered biaryls with varying electron-donating and -withdrawinggroups.


Ziyi Jiang Major: Mechanical Engineering

Mentor: Dr Hee-Seok Kim Department of Mechanical Engineering Engineering

Poster 43

Temperature-Gradient Dependent Performance Indicators of Thermoelectric Materials

In the past, thermoelectric conversion efficiency and output power density have been calculated using indicators such as the average figure-of-merit (ZT)avg and power factor (PF)avg over a large temperature range between the cold and hot sides, while assuming that the Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity are all temperature independent. This method gives an unreliable prediction of efficiency and output power density, especially when the difference between hot and cold sides is large. In addition, a non-linear correlation between the indicators and practical performance, leads to difficulty in the direct prediction of a material’s efficiency and power density, respectively. This study shows that the efficiency and output power density are linearly correlated to the engineering figure-of-merit (ZT)eng and the engineering power factor (PF)eng, respectively, in a wide range of materials and thermal conditions.


Yohany Jimenez Major: Chemical Engineering

Mentor: Dr Sean Walker Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering College of Engineering

Poster 44

Kinetics Study of CO2 Methanation Over Nickel/y-Al2O3 and Ru/y-Al2O3 Catalyst Using a Batch Reactor for Biogas Produced at Dairy

Farms

CO2 methanation (Sabatier reaction) and CO methanation is the production of methane (CH4) and water by reacting CO2, CO and H2, as well as CH4 already present in the biogas, to produce synthetic natural gas (SNG). The methanation of CO2 and CO is investigated using kinetics over commercial nickel-based and ruthenium-based catalyst using Aspen Plus simulations. The use of a batch reactor is necessary given the nature of how the organic material is obtained from dairy farms. The performance of both catalysts as well as their deactivation behavior is to be tested on different operating conditions. The experimental study will determine which catalyst provides the most optimum production, selectivity of CO2 methanation, and overall cost effectiveness of the implementation of both catalysts.


Matthew Johnson Major: Mechanical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. David Nelson Department of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering

SURF Poster 45

Suture techniques in ACL reconstruction

Over 175,000 people tear their anterior crucial ligament (ACL) each year (1). Expensive reconstructive surgery using hamstring autographs is required to repair this injury. Several types are sutures can be used for the autograph preparation. The SpeedWhip™ (Arthrex, Inc., Naples, FL) and modified Krackow are two techniques used for this procedure. The modified Krackow suturing technique has historically been used with reliable results. The SpeedWhip™ technique is faster and may offer a more cost-efficient alternative to the Krackow suture technique. As the billing rate for the operating room may be as much as $66/min, the time savings of just a few minutes per procedure could outweigh the higher material cost associated with the SpeedWhip™ method. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four bovine flexor tendons were randomly divided into 2 equal groups, to be sutured with either the Krackow or SpeedWhip™ technique. Fifteen orthopedic residents (year 1 through 5) and two orthopedic attending physicians were videoed and timed while suturing each tendon using both the Krackow and SpeedWhip™ suture techniques with No 2 fiber wire (Arthrex). Prior to testing each tendon was pre-tensioned at 89 N for 10 minutes using a graft preparation station (Arthrex). Using a felt marker and a micrometer, the tendon was marked at 8 cm. The tendons were clamped to the crosshead directly at the 8 cm mark and the suture was tied over a hook using a 6 throw surgeon knot. Then the tendons were cyclically loaded from 50 N to 200 N at 0.5 mm/sec for 100 cycles using the Tinius Olsen Super L universal testing machine with a 1,200lb load cell. The distance from the clamp to the end of the tendon was measured using a micrometer before and after cyclic loading. The tendons were then loaded to failure at 0.5 mm/sec. Failure was defined as suture pullout, suture breakage, or tendon breakage. Results and Discussion: The Krackow group took an average of 6.95 minutes (417 seconds) longer to complete than the SpeedWhip™ group. As it requires 4 sutures to clinically prepare an ACL hamstring graft, the money saved by using the SpeedWhip™ technique was $337 (p< 0.0001). The difference in elongation after cyclical loading of the tendons were not significantly different between groups, methods, or surgeons (p= 0.60). It was found that the load to failure of the Krackow averaged 312.67 ± 27.13 N and the SpeedWhip™ averaged 301.86 ± 42.79 N (p=0.71). The objective of this work is to determine (i) whether the SpeedWhip™ is a significantly faster suture method, compared with the Krackow stitch and (ii) whether the strength of SpeedWhip™ suture technique is comparable to that of the Krackow technique.


Derek Kelly Major: Civil Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Bret Webb Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering

SURF Poster 46

Estimating Wave Loads on Bridge Decks Due to Submergence

This research will look at wave induced forces on bridge decks as the bridge is submerged underwater. During Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, bridge decks along the Gulf Coast, especially along U.S. Highway 90, were moved off their bridge caps due to the storm surge waves hitting the bridge deck. The purpose of this research is to quantify the behavior of the wave loads after the bridge is underwater. The two current approved methods for predicting wave loads on bridge decks account for increasing wave induced forces, even after the bridge is submerged. These two methods have not been experimentally proven for the increase in load after submergence. This research consists of analyzing the loads at different water levels, but expects that the wave induced loads will decrease and be dominated by drag forces after submergence. Ultimately, the research will describe a function for change in loads based on water level and wave conditions, such as wave period and wave height. The experiment’s results can be used to better estimate actual loads on bridges caused by storms, like hurricanes. The tests that will be conducted will consist of different water levels, wave heights and wave periods. There will be one water level below the bridge deck, one at the bridge deck, and three above the bridge deck. At each water level, tests will run with seven different wave height and wave period combinations and will be consistently tested at each water level.


Hoang Le Major: Computer Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Samuel Russ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering College of Engineering

SURF Poster 47

Electrical Power System for University of South Alabama

Cube Satellites are small satellites used by NASA and other non-governmental space companies as a cost-effective means to get a payload into space to perform research and develop modern technologies. The JAGSAT 1 is a 2U CubeSat mission by the University of South Alabama to provide spatially resolved measurements of plasma density irregularities in the ionosphere. The satellite is a scientific investigation mission to measure plasma electron density at submeter level resolution. The science payload will be a fast Time Domain Impedance Probe (TDIP) designed to operate for measurements in the upper F-layer, between 400 km to 800 km and will make adequate measurements in the equatorial and mid-latitude ionosphere. JAGSAT carries a Time Domain Impedance Probe (TDIP) as instrumentation. It was selected in 2017 by NASA to be launched as part of the ELaNa program.


Lauren Lopansri Major: Biomedical Sciences

Mentor: Dr. David Forbes Department of Chemistry Department College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 48

Desymmetrization of Norcanthardin Derivatives

Phosphatases are strictly regulated in cell signaling cascades, however, aberrant regulation of phosphatases has been found to lead to metastatic cell growth. In specific, aberrant expression of protein phosphatase 5 (PP5) has been associated with glioma, colorectal, and prostate cancer cells. Our research group has identified a scaffold anhydride moiety that we work off of to synthesize a PP5 inhibitor, called norcanthardin. Thus far, our research group has synthesized different compounds that are selective and potent in inhibiting PP5, controlling its expression. However, these compounds were done so as racemic mixtures. Our current focus in this project is establishing a procedure that successfully separates the enantiomers of one of the norcanthardin derivatives. To do so, we have been focusing our efforts on producing a suitable inhibitor in the presence of enzyme Lipase B candida antartica to enrich the formation of one enantiomer of its complement. Preliminary results show slight enantiomeric enrichment, but do not show results of excess enantiomeric enrichment. In the future, we plan on separating the enantiomers of all of the previously synthesized compounds that have been tested. This will produce enantiomerically pure compounds which will be tested in the College of Medicine. In doing so, we hypothesize that the IC50 of all of the enantiomerically pure compounds will be half of their racemic counterparts.


Cody Martin Major: Computer Science, Math-Stat

Mentor: Dr. Steven Clontz Department of Mathematics and Statistics College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 49

An Investigation of Hemicompactness Using pi-Base

During the course of this project, sixty three peer reviewed articles, journal entries, and books were studied. Of these sixty three, thirteen were selected as being directly relevant to the study of the hemicompactness property. This work focuses on providing previously missing data to pi-Base. The pi-Base is a database organizing topological spaces, properties, and theorems that have been studied in peer-reviewed literature. From the thirteen selected texts, twenty six properties were isolated that are used in conjunction with hemicompactness to derive new proofs and implications. These properties were selected, along with hemicompactness as they were not represented in pi-Base. The culmination of this portion of the project can be observed as these properties are now components of pi-Base.


Parker Mason Major: Biology

Mentor: Dr. Juan Mata Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

Poster 50

Molecular and Morphological Studies on Marasmius Tropalis (Fungi), a Presumed New Species

The purpose of this project was to uncover the identity of a tropical mushroom species in the genus Marasmius. Mushrooms from this presumed new species have been called “tropalis” due to their growth habit of many caps bunched together representing a “troupe” and which have been collected in Costa Rica and Panama. Marasmius distinguish themselves from other similar mushrooms (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) by their ability to rehydrate after intense dry weather and still be able to produce spores for reproduction. Marasmius mushrooms are relatively small in size and grow on leaf litter in forested habitats. DNA was extracted from tissue samples either cut off from dried specimens or fresh specimens preserved in CTAB vials. Extracted DNA was then subjected to PCR using primers for the ITS region of the ribosome gene. Gel electrophoresis was done in each step to confirm presence of products. ITS-PCR products were purified and shipped away for sequencing. From a total of seven “tropalis” specimens used, only two came out with good quality. Those sequences were cleaned, edited, and then blasted in GenBank in search for matches, some of which were used to construct a phylogenetic tree. Previously generated sequences for M. tropalis and other species in this genus also were added. Results indicate that M. tropalis forms a distinct clade within Marasmius and its best match in GenBank is an undescribed species. Range of spore measurements for M. tropalis are 8.8-9.9 µm in length and 4.8-5 µm in width. Further analysis will be needed to solidify these findings.


Sarah McWilliams Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Kimberly G. Smith Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions

SURF Poster 51

Relationship between Eye Movements During Reading and Severity of Language Impairment in Persons with Aphasia

Eye movements are known to reflect the cognitive-linguistic processing of normal readers. In addition, eye movements have been used to examine language processing and reading in disordered populations including individuals with aphasia. A series of different eye movement measures taken during reading, most notably saccades, fixations, word skipping, and regressions, are associated with difficulty in language processing. This study aimed to examine the relationship between aphasia severity and reading skills of individuals with aphasia and eye movements observed during reading. Data previously collected from twenty-four individuals with aphasia was analyzed, and included behavioral assessment scores from the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WABR), Reading Comprehension Battery for Aphasia-2nd Edition (RCBA-2), Author’s Recognition Test (ART), and subtests from the Psycholinguistic Assessments of Language Processing in Aphasia (PALPA). The eye movement data was extracted from a connected text-reading task as part of a larger eye-tracking paradigm, and included mean fixation duration, mean saccade amplitude, number of regressive saccades, regression amplitude, and number of words skipped. The results indicated that frequency of regressions and word skipping were particularly predictive of scores on the RCBA-2, ART, and PALPA subtests: word classes, morphological structure, and non-words. Mean fixation duration, mean saccade amplitude, and regression amplitude were not predictive of either aphasia severity or reading ability.


Alyson Nguyen Major: Biomedical Sciences, Communication

Mentor: Dr. Dhananjay Tambe Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions

SURF Poster 52

A “snapchat filter” to visualize emergent patterns in cellular monolayer

In an endothelial monolayer, each cell transmits physical force to its neighbor. Adaptive response to these forces emerges into a pattern of cells with spatially correlated physical properties. To quantify the physical forces within the plane of the monolayer at any desired point, we recently developed onolayer Stress Microscopy (MSM). MSM revealed that physical forces across a cellular monolayer are remarkably heterogeneous. However, these heterogeneous forces self-organize into cooperative patterns which steer local cellular motion along the orientation that is suitable for a large number of neighboring cells. Such mechanism of migration is called plithotaxis, and it emphasizes the role of the properties that emerge from transmission of intercellular forces. Across the monolayer, these observations indicate that the subcellular properties are characterized by heterogeneity, whereas multicellular properties are characterized by cooperativity. Heterogeneous characteristics of the subcellular properties can be easily visualized using heat maps. However, such maps often miss the cooperative attributes of the multicellular properties. Moreover, physical forces are meaningful not only when quantified across a point along the intercellular adhesion but also when quantified for an entire cell in the form of a contractile moment of the cell. To visualize the multicellular patterns and to quantify cellular-level properties, we have developed an ImageJ-based toolkit. Using this toolkit, we have quantified novel physical properties including contractile moments and mechanical work. Our findings appear to question past conclusions of leader cells dragging follower cells and identifies the role of shear tractions across the intercellular adhesion. By quantifying relevant properties and painting them on the corresponding cell, akin to a “snapchat filter”, our toolkit makes the emergent characteristics of the monolayer visible.


Zachary Nix Major: Physics

Mentor: Dr. Charles Jenkins Department of Physics College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 53

The Search for Charged Lepton Flavor Violation at Mu2e

Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV), if detected, is evidence for Physics beyond the Standard Model. In the current Standard Model, the conversion of a muon in an atomic orbital is predicted to occur at undetectable rates of ~10-50. Observing this transition is evidence for Physics beyond the Standard Model. Many new physics models predict this transition will occur at small but detectable rates. Also, the existence of neutrino oscillations indicates CLFV should occur at the aforementioned rate of ~10-50. The Mu2e experiment seeks to observe or determine the upper limit of the coherent, neutrinoless conversion of stopped muons in the field of a nucleus into electrons. An intense, pulsed proton beam will be produced by the Fermilab accelerator complex and channeled to the Mu2e Experiment production target. The protons will hit the tungsten target contained in a cylindrical solenoid with a magnetic gradient along its axis. This will produce secondary particles which will be directed to an s-curved Transport Solenoid to the Mu2e Spectrometer contained in a cylindrical solenoid. Most of the secondary particles, while being transported, will decay into muons. Following a spiral path, the muons in the beam will stop in one of a series of thin Al target foils where they will bind to the nucleus in atomic orbital. After this, the muon can decay or interact with the nucleus. My mentor and I will help develop the Quality Assurance/Quality Control database for the Cosmic Ray Veto sub-detector. Cosmic rays, radiation from outer space, are a major potential source of background and must be rejected from the sample of conversion event candidates. I will help with the validation of entries into the database and the initial monitoring of the measurements of the various components.


Bradford Nolen Major: English

Mentor: Dr. Charlotte Pence Department of English College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 54

Midwinter Night’s Dream, The Cast

A Midwinter Night’s Dream is conceived of as a regionally interpreted play adaptation of William Shakespeare’s romantic farce, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This project was a utilization of the history and lore of the Mobile Bay area and its annual Mardi Gras celebration. The overall purpose of this preliminary, cornerstone research is that of character research and construction. The goal of this research was to craft, at minimum, ten (10) new characters for the play adaptation, with each character being founded upon one or more allusions to persons drawn from local history and/or legend. This research involved the review and annotation of selected texts of local history and folklore, as well as the successful creation of fourteen (14) characters for the play adaptation. The new, analog cast includes brief character studies, footnoted for historical reference. The cast of characters generated through this research exceeds the goals of the project, in both quantity and variety. Furthermore, this research affirms a natural and gratuitous correspondence between the Shakespearean work (MSND) and the local context to which it is to be adapted.


Anthony Pendleton, III Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Brooks Rabideau Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering College of Engineering

SURF Poster 19

Thermodynamics of Cellulose Dissolution with Ionic Liquids 1-Ethyl-3-Methylimidazolium Acetate and 1-Ethyl-2,3-

Dimethylimidazolium Acetate

Cellulose is an organic polymer formed by many complex hydrogen bond linkages between glucan chains found in biomass that make its conversion to biofuel difficult. While cellulose is insoluble in water and traditional organic solvents, a class of imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) have shown to be effective. The present study involved quantifying the thermodynamic driving force for 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate [EMIM]Ac and 1-ethyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium acetate [EDMIM]Ac at two distinct states: crystalline microfibril and an equidistant-glucan dissociated state. Laboratory experiments have shown [EMIM]Ac to solubilize cellulose (~20 wt. %) whereas [EDMIM]Ac did not (~0 wt. %). Note the change in solubility by the addition of a single methyl group present on the EDMIM+ cation. Therefore, quantifying the free energy (ΔG) of the system for each IL was of interest. Sampling was conducted at 400 K and 0.987 atm for 23 ns using all-atom molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. The average enthalpy and entropy of the system was calculated for all cases by averaging the thermodynamic values at every 1 ns in the found equilibrated region of 10-23 ns. The results of the simulations yielded a free energy of -1.63 kcal/mol and -1.47 kcal/mol for [EDMIM]Ac and [EMIM]Ac, respectively. Preliminary, the simulations appeared to have captured the phenomena as [EMIM]Ac was found to be more spontaneous (ΔG < 0) than [EDMIM]Ac; however, the free energy for [EDMIM]Ac should have appeared in the nonspontaneous region (ΔG > 0). Together, the results presented in this study concluded no notable differences between the two ILs and that laboratory experiments may need to be revisited, as sometimes these experiments can be affected by impurities. Also, sampling using an optimized force field specific to ILs should be considered.


Peyton Posey Major: Civil Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Stephanie Smallegan Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering

NASA SURF Poster 55

Site Characterizations of Locations in Texas, Florida, and Alabama impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Nate

Causing over $200 billion worth of damage (the most expensive on record) and affecting every state lining the Gulf of Mexico, the 2017 hurricane season was historical at the very least. For the first time since reliable weather records began nearly 150 years ago, two major hurricanes (greater than a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) made landfall on the continental United States. Hurricane Harvey and Irma, both a category 4, made landfall in Texas and Florida, respectively, within a month of each other. Later in the season, a weaker Hurricane Nate made landfall in Alabama. Surprisingly, the morphological damage caused by Nate was much greater than the damage caused by Harvey and Irma. Since all three of these storms made landfall in states along the Gulf Coast, a unique opportunity to cross-compare damage to sites arose. Site characteristics were both qualitatively and quantitatively recorded using aerial imagery provided by Google Earth Pro. Dune characteristics such as the width, depth, shape and vegetation density both before and after the storm were measured and recorded for all sites. Beach access point characteristics such as width, depth, material, surrounding infrastructure, and other observations were also measured and recorded both before and after the storm. Along with dune and beach access point characteristics, other observations were made regarding the beach width, sand characteristics, dune heights, etc. It was found in both Dauphin Island and Port Aransas that the beach access points seemed allow a path for the storm surge to channelize the flow of sediment through the dune field. Sombrero Beach did not have a developed dune field, and all vegetation and beach access points were just completely overwashed during Hurricane Irma. Because of this channelization, erosion of dunes and civil infrastructure (such as undercutting of paved roadways) was much greater around beach access points. If the beach access points were not there, the storm surge would have had to been higher than the height of the dunes to overwash the sediment. Signs of channelization of the surge receding back into the ocean through marks in the sand were also observed, mainly in Port Aransas (possibly because the imagery was taken right after the storm versus a month after in Dauphin Island). This study made it clear that beach access points play a critical role in the vulnerability of coastal environments. Future studies could use physical or computer modeling to study the channelization process to determine the governing parameters of the beach access points and how they play a part in the erosion of both natural coast line and civil infrastructure.


Srihari Prahadeeswaran Major: Biomedical Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Neil Schwarz Department of Health, Kinesiology and Sport College of Education and Professional Studies

SURF Poster 56

Effects of Four Weeks of Epicatechin Supplementation and Exercise on Ekeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Protein Content and Myostatin

Gene Expression

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of exercise training combined with (-)-epicatechin supplementation or placebo on protein content of cytochrome C (cytC), citrate synthase (CS), and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH); as well as myostatin gene expression in human skeletal muscle. Samples were collected at rest from the vastus lateralis before and after a four-week cycling protocol during which participants consumed 200 mg of (-)-epicatechin (n = 7; 3 men, 4 women) or placebo (n = 7; 2 men, 5 women) daily. Data were analyzed using a two-way mixed model ANOVA for each variable and alpha level was set at p ≤ .05. No significant interaction or main effect of time was observed for myostatin (p > .05). Likewise, no significant interaction or main effect of time was observed for cytC or CS (p > .05). A significant interaction effect was observed for SDH (p = .02). Skeletal muscle SDH content increased significantly for the placebo group (p = .03, partial η2 = .59), but not the (-)-epicatechin group (p = .81). Further, whereas no difference existed between groups for SDH at baseline (p = .23), SDH content was significantly greater in the placebo group at the post time point (p = .01). Our results indicate that (-)-epicatechin supplementation does not affect skeletal muscle myostatin gene expression, but potentially inhibits skeletal muscle mitochondrial adaptation to exercise training. These findings are in agreement with our previous findings that (-)-epicatechin prevents training-induced increases in relative peak oxygen consumption.


Kendall Principe Major: Geology

Mentor: Dr. William Jackson, Jr. Department of Earth Sciences College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 57

Investigating Gulf Coastal Plain Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary rocks exposed throughout western Alabama are assigned Late Cretaceous ages based on biostratigraphic assemblages. To advance our understanding of these units, we propose to date Late Cretaceous units in the area using detrital zircon (U-Pb) geochronology. This will allow for a quantitative age determination for each unit and provide additional data for use in regional correlations. We will use detrital zircon geochronology to establish the age of the Late Cretaceous units, specifically the Ripley Formation, in western Alabama.


James Prusak Major: Biology


SURF Poster 58

Changes in Gene Expression in Salmonella Enterica Induced by sRNA

Using current computational strategies and next-generation sequencing, new light has been shed on regions of the genome once believed to be gene-empty and hence nonfunctional. These areas have now been identified as regions of interest for discovery of novel RNA regulators in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. These small, noncoding RNA (sRNA) molecules have been shown capable of completely or partially binding to the target mRNA and subsequently acting as post-transcriptional regulators by either inhibiting or inducing transcription of given mRNA. Until recently, sRNAs have not been of particular interest when studying pathogenicity, survivablilty, or physical changes of bacteria, however, with the advent of modern high-throughput sequencing technologies, sRNA have been shown to play a multitude of roles throughout a bacterium’s life cycle. As bacteria are introduced to different environmental stressors such as nutrient availability, presence of antibiotics, and changes in the temperature or pH, their transcriptome undergoes dramatic changes, which are believed to be regulated by sRNA interactions. One great example of bacterium capable of utilizing this type of regulation is Salmonella typhimurium. Our lab recently identified 58 previously undescribed sRNAs that were only differentially expressed during the Starvation Stress Response (SSR)[1], which occurs in bacteria due to prolonged lack of nutrient availability, specifically carbon (C). As such, we believe that many of these sRNAs are involved in metabolism regulation to enhance its chances of survival. We have computationally identified several potential sRNA targets using IntaRNA and CopraRNA algorithms. Excitingly, targets for these sRNAs include csgD, a regulator in biofilm formation, and aphA1, a gene involved in resistance to the antibiotic Kanamycin[2]. In this study, we show that by manipulating the expression levels of the sRNA that is suspected to interact with aphA1 causes changes in survivability when mutants are exposed to Kanamycin.


Lyndsie Rhoden Major: Nursing

Mentor: Dr. Sharon Fruh Department of Nursing College of Nursing

SURF Poster 59

Perceived Barriers to Physical Activity in Nursing Students at the University of South Alabama

As healthcare professionals, it is imperative for nurses to engage in healthy behaviors. A recent study found that practicing nurses have higher rates of depression, compassion fatigue, burnout and exhibit unhealthy lifestyle behaviors (Melynk et al 2017). Researchers recommend the development of physical activity interventions that target the promotion of healthy lifestyles in future healthcare providers (FitzGerald, 2015). Nursing students were found to have higher levels of reported stress and many perceived barriers to exercise such as fatigue or lack of motivation and energy (Chan, 2014; Ebben & Brudzynski, 2008). This study focused specifically on the exercise behaviors of junior and senior nursing students, in order to uncover and address barriers to physical activity as well as highlight opportunities for future intervention(s). A preliminary survey was sent out by Dr. Fruh in the College of Nursing with questions regarding physical activity and barriers. The preliminary survey was analyzed and used in creating the second survey with questions regarding current exercise habits, preferences, and barriers with objective and qualitative responses. The research team also interviewed Sarah Schrenk, Fitness Coordinator/Exercise Physiologist at the university’s Recreation Center to discuss possible barriers to include in the survey. The online survey was administered to junior and senior undergraduate nursing students at the University of South Alabama via Qualtrics. The research team met weekly to discuss the results and begin analyzing the data. Preliminary descriptive variables have shown that 70% of participants have used the on-campus Recreation Center and are aware of the services available. However, a large number of participants identified barriers regarding the atmosphere of the Rec Center, including the male presence in the weight room and improper knowledge of machinery. Descriptive variables have also shown that the commitments of nursing school seem to be student’s largest time barrier. These results are based on 81 preliminary survey responses. The research team intends to keep the survey open until it reaches 200 responses. Due to the low response rate, the research team has added an addendum to the IRB to widen the participant population to students within psychology, computer science, and health, kinesiology, and sports departments. This would allow us to compare the nursing responses across these populations. Conclusion: In order to best equip nursing students for success in the workforce, it is essential to engage in further research regarding their current health behaviors. The results gained from this study will aid university educators in helping to create healthy lifestyles in current, and future nursing students in the hopes of enacting long-term change as these individuals enter the workforce.


Jason Riede Major: Electrical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Saeed Latif Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering College of Engineering

SURF Poster 60

5G Beamforming Network Design using MATLAB

Effectively implementing a beamforming network will improve the performance of fifth-generation (5G) hand-held devices. The MUSIC spectrum algorithm, a direction-ofarrival (DOA) estimation tool, may be the essential part of the beamforming network that produces an angular value which the antenna array elements would be steered to yielding the strong signal possible between the hand-held device and base-station. A MATLAB Simulink simulation has been created to show its capability to estimate the DOA of incoming signal(s) and compute the angle that will be used to steer each element in an antenna array. The simulation thus far has produced promising results but the network is not fully realized, once completed in software, the beamforming network can be implemented and coupled with the antenna array(s) for testing.


Joshua Robbins Major: Physics

Mentor: Dr. Martin Frank Department of Physics College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 61

The Search for Magnetic Monopoles at Extremely Slow Velocities

Magnetic monopoles have eluded physicists for centuries, as their behavior can be mysterious and very hard to observe. In order to study them closer, research and data analysis will be applied to observe these monopoles in a more efficient manner. The NOvA detector, located in Ash River, Minnesota, is the key to observing these elusive particles. This detector is a very large rectangular machine consisting of multiple smaller cells, evenly distributed about the detector, that are filled with scintillating oil. When a particle passes through a cell, it reacts with the oil, causing it to illuminate. These illuminations are known as hits. The NOvA detector is the prime location to observe these monopoles because it is located on the surface of the Earth, rather than deep underground. Therefore, the observation of particles traveling from the cosmos can be observed more frequently. By using an identification algorithm, the detector is able to detect and pinpoint the trajectories of particles. However, the current efficiency of the algorithm is small when attempting to detect phenomena at slow velocities, such as a tenthousandth of the speed of light. The goal is to improve this efficiency in order to study monopoles that are moving at these slow velocities. By injecting an artificial signal, with a speed of a ten-thousandth the speed of light, through the detector, a simulation of slowmoving phenomena is created. The algorithm then proceeds to classify hits that seem to follow a path, called a track, referring to a simulated monopole trajectory. However, a majority of these hits are lost, and monopole tracks fail to be reconstructed. In this study, the selection criteria for hits have been relaxed, causing a significant increase in the fraction of signal hits retained, while only moderately increasing the number of background hits.


Morgan Rogers Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Brenda Beverly Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions

SURF Poster 62

A Comparison of Language and Communication Outcomes of PCIT in Children

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a parent training program for treatment of disruptive behavior in young children, and researchers have investigated PCIT as an effective way to treat disruptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; Ginn, Clionsky, Eyberg, Warner-Metzger, & Abner, 2015; Zlomke, Jeter, & Murphy, 2017). As part of an ongoing collaboration (Beverly & Zlomke, in press) two children who received PCIT at USA’s Psychology Clinic participated. Conversation samples were 10 minutes of parent-child play before and again after the first phase of PCIT, Child Directed Interaction. During the 6-week intervention, parents were taught modeling language and expanding on children’s interests and utterances. Videotapes were transcribed using the conventions of Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts by the first author who was blind to participant characteristics and sample time (pre vs. post). Measures of interest were Number of Different Words (NDW), Number of Total Words (NTW), and Mean Length of Utterance (MLU). Contrary to the research hypothesis, results for the 3 year old with ASD and language impairment (population of interest) and the 4 year old with behavioral disorder (PCIT target population) showed decreased language skills for two of three measurements. One unaccounted for factor was poor speech intelligibility. The expressive language of the child with ASD showed increased spontaneous utterances, but partially unintelligible utterances cannot be analyzed. Perhaps study measures do not capture important communication changes. Also, modified PCIT coaching strategies could facilitate language development for children with ASD.


Andrew Russ Major: Mechanical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Edmund Spencer Department of Electrical Engineering College of Engineering

NASA USIP Poster 63

Motor Controller for Cubesat

South Alabama is designing a satellite to measure the properties of Earth’s ionosphere. The satellite’s orientation will be controlled by reaction wheels, which are flywheels that are normally driven by brushless DC (BLDC) motors. In order to understand how BLDC motors work for this application, a controller board from TI was purchased and connected to a brushless DC motor. Measurements of the performance of the motor, both with and without a flywheel, have been made.


Emily Russell Major: Leisure Studies

Mentor: Dr. Tracy O'Connor Department of Occupational Therapy Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions

SURF Poster 64

Fieldwork Educators’ Perspectives on Fieldwork Education

The purpose of this study was to gain fieldwork educators’ perspectives on different aspects of fieldwork education, including: challenges, expectations, and recommendations for Level II fieldwork supervision. An online survey, consisting of 35 questions was distributed via email to fieldwork supervisors who have supervised at least one fieldwork student within the past three years. Most participants expected students to take 10 minutes or less to complete a SOAP note at 3,6, 9, and 12 weeks. For evaluations, majority of supervisors expected students to take an hour or less for the first 6 weeks, and 30 minutes or less at 9 and 12 weeks. The most commonly reported reason students have difficulty grading activities was due to the missing of observational cues as indicators to change or grade the activity. Interpretation of this data provides useful information for this profession, notably academic programs, so that they can best prepare their students to be successful during fieldwork placements.


Austin Sanders Major: Foreign Language, Marketing

Mentor: Dr. David M. Bourrie Department of Information Systems and Technology School of Computing

SURF Poster 65

Personalized Menu Recommender System

This research is a continuation of an exploratory SURF 2017 study conducted by completed surveys from 377 students who had eaten at Quiznos in the Student Center on the campus of the University of South Alabama. The goal of the previous study was to understanding how individual differences (i.e., demographics, sensory perception, quality seeking, meat preference, sociability, and nutrition preference) relate to food ratings. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25. The results concludes that calories, fat, sugar, food quality, and nutrition label consideration significantly predicted nutrition based recommendation. Quiznos satisfaction predicted poultry rating and food quality. Marital status significantly predicted beef rating, beef preference, and food quality. Pork preference significantly predicted Quiznos satisfaction and nutrition based recommendation. While there is a general understanding of some influences of food preferences, there has not yet been a valid model which successfully explains individual food rating. To investigate this gap, our proposed research will extend a model presented by Shepherd that maps out factors relevant to food choice. This model will be extended by including the following validated constructs: Health, Mini-IPIP, Mood, Nutrition/ Nutrition Labels, Price, Sensory Appeal, Sociability, Social Image, VARSEEK, and Weight Control. Surveys will be distributed to test this new model with students at the newly revamped Food Court in the Student Center.


Zachary Sherman Major: Geology

Mentor: Dr. William Jackson Department of Earth Sciences College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 66

Development of a mathematical equation that can describe paleo-earthquake magnitudes in the Elk Basin

A primary objective for paleoseismic studies is to advance national and international earthquake hazard risk-assessments. A fundamental component of any paleoseismic analysis is determining the earthquake magnitude. For field investigations, earthquake magnitude determinations are based on the extent and size of liquefaction features such as clastic dikes. Paleoseismic field investigations are primarily conducted on Neogene or younger (2,000,000 years to present) sedimentary units in excavated trenches. Far less studies have focused on pre-Neogene (older than 2,000,000 years) paleoseismic features. In the northern Bighorn Basin of Wyoming and Montana, Late Cretaceous (85-80 million years old) paleoseismic features are present along the flanks of the Elk Basin anticline. Unlike younger features that are studied in trenches, the paleoseismic features in the Elk basin anticline provide a natural laboratory with 3-D exposures over an area of ~ 40 km2, thereby, providing the stimulus to advance our understanding of the relationship(s) between earthquake-magnitudes and paleoseismic features. By modifying mathematical equations that quantify paleo-earthquake magnitude(s), we reconstruct the intensity of paleo-seismicity responsible for producing the paleoseismic features in the Elk Basin anticline. To approach a realistic calculation, we incorporate various geological (lithology, sediment grain size, pore space, the presence of fractures) and geophysical (earthquake body and surface wave energy and propagation) parameters that may influence the production of paleoseismic features. Results from this study will be used to better understand the insights that paleoseismic features can provide for earthquake hazards risk assessments in modern-day, earthquake-prone regions.


Ashlyn Shirey Major: Meteorology

Mentor: Dr. Sytske Kimball Department of Earth Sciences College of Arts and Sciences

NASA SURF Poster 67

Thunderstorm Development at the Sea and Bay Breeze Collision Point in Mobile County

Sea breezes (SB) and bay breezes (BB) are common in the Mobile Bay region during the warm season: May through October. SBs and BBs form in response to a land-sea temperature gradient – a difference in temperature between land and water. SBs and BBs frequently occur at the same time in Mobile County due to land-sea temperature gradients between the land and the Gulf of Mexico and between the land and Mobile Bay. This occurrence leads to a collision between the SB and BB in the southeast corner of Mobile County that could lead to thunderstorm initiation at the collision zone. Thunderstorm (convection) development at the collision point depends on atmospheric instability, background environmental winds, and magnitudes of land-sea temperature gradients. In this study, KMOB radar data from the years 2010-2013 was examined to see which days had SBs and BBs. They were also categorized by whether convection developed or not. The number of non-convective days peaked during the months of September and October while the number of convective days peaked during July and August. The instability parameters, environmental winds, and land-sea temperature gradients were all calculated for each day. As expected, the convective days had instability parameters that indicated a more unstable environment compared to non-convective days that showed more stable conditions. Convection developing along SB and BB fronts is highly dependent on instability parameters, however land-sea temperature gradients and the speed and direction of the environmental flow seem to be of secondary importance. The instability of the atmosphere is crucial to thunderstorm development because even with strong temperature gradients and favorable wind patterns, if the environment is too stable then thunderstorms will not develop.


Payton Sibley Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Ishara Ramkissoon Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions

SURF Poster 68

Influence of Language Background & Cognition on Vocabulary, Phonological Skills, & Speech Recognition Ability in Children from

Non-English Speaking Backgrounds

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether the language background of children who are non-native speakers of English influenced their performance on vocabulary, phonological, and cognitive tests. In addition, this study examined whether language background or cognitive level influenced the children’s performance on hearing tests, in particular the Speech Recognition Threshold (SRT). Participants included 19 non-native English (NNE) speaking children and 19 age and gender matched native English (NE) speaking children. The mean age was 7.4 years for the NNE group and 7.1 years for the NE children. Vocabulary level was measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT; Dunn & Dunn, 2007), phonological skills was measured using the Nonword Repetition (NWR) subset of the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP; Wagner, Torgesen, & Rashotte, 1999), and cognition level was measured using a brief IQ screening, the Leiter Test (Roid & Miller, 1997). Participants also completed the following hearing tests: pure tone thresholds (PTA), SRT using typical English words (wSRT), and SRT using digit spondees (dSRT). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS, version 25. Independent samples t-tests revealed there were no differences in phonological skills and cognition level between the two groups of children. However, mean vocabulary level was significantly lower (M=81) for the NNE speaking group than the NE speaking (M=114.8) children. Regression analysis revealed no significant findings, indicating that vocabulary, phonological skills, and cognitive level did not predict performance on any of the hearing tests. The correlation analyses to examine the relationship among all variables also revealed no significant findings. In the current sample, NNE and NE speaking children had similar phonological skills and cognitive level. However, the NNE children had significantly lower vocabulary level than the NE children. While this vocabulary difference did not correlate with or predict the hearing results in the current sample of children, it is important to note that vocabulary knowledge and familiarity of test stimuli (spondee words) are crucial for valid and accurate tests of hearing.


Elora Somers Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Smith Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions

SURF Poster 69

Detailed Vision Screening Results from a Cohort of Individuals with Aphasia

Persons with aphasia may have visual deficits, however the incidence and characterization of these deficits are unknown. Although by definition a diagnosis of aphasia excludes general sensory and intellectual deficits (Chapey, 2001), aphasia is often accompanied by many sensory-motor problems, such as apraxia of speech, visual processing disorders (e.g., Dong et al., 2013; Ciuffreda et al., 2007; Sand et al., 2013), or cognitive deficits (e.g., Seniów et al., 2009; Murray, 2012). The prevalence of visual disorders in individuals with aphasia is currently unknown, likely due to under referral or patients’ difficulty communicating their symptoms. This study aims to demonstrate the utility of a detailed screening procedure for examining visual functioning in a cohort of individuals with aphasia. As part of a larger experimental protocol, each participant with aphasia completed a visual case history, the Visual Activities Questionnaire, and screening of the visual system. The screening took about thirty minutes in duration. Twenty-four individuals with varying subtypes of aphasia completed the screening protocol. All participants demonstrated normal visual attention, ocular alignment, and color perception. Less than 22% of the sample demonstrated deficits in near vision, color discrimination, ocular motility and ocular function. About half of the participants (between 43%-65%) demonstrated deficits in depth perception, peripheral vision, visual fields, and distance vision. Two-thirds or greater of the participants self-reported difficulties in spatial vision, visual search, and visual processing speed. Overall, the results suggest persons with aphasia may have deficits in visual functioning but the type and extent of deficit varies considerably among individuals.


Matthew Starke Major: Meteorology

Mentor: Dr. Wesley Terwey Department of Earth Sciences College of Arts and Sciences

NASA SURF Poster 70

Simulation of the 15 May 1998 Iowa/Minnesota Billion Dollar Derecho

On 15 May 1998, multiple thunderstorm complexes traversed Iowa and Minnesota, the most significant of which caused over $1 billion in damage, particularly across the Minneapolis – St. Paul greater metropolitan area. While this event produced over $1 billion in insured damage, little to no research has been done on this system as it was overshadowed by a similar event on 30-31 May 1998. Prior work by the mentor has explored the observed aspects of the pre-storm environment (large-scale and thermodynamic setups) and investigated the structure of the system from radar observations. This study will focus on reproducing the system in a numerical weather model to allow for a more detailed analysis of the dynamical and thermodynamical conditions that affected the evolution and structure of the storm complexes. We will use the Weather and Research Forecast (WRF) model, run on the Alabama Supercomputer (http://asc.edu), with a variety of parameterizations and grid systems to determine which set best reproduces the system’s structure as seen in radar, satellite, and surface observations. After setting up this simulation, we will begin analyzing the model simulation for clues to best determine the causes of the unique severe weather observed in this situation.


Joshua Strickland Major: Chemical Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Brooks Rabideau Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering College of Engineering

SURF Poster 71

The Effects of Polarity in Ionic Liquid Anions on Thermodynamic, Structural and Transport Properties

Ionic liquids (ILs) are defined as salts that remain liquids at or below 100°C. They have drawn a lot of interest in many different scientific fields because of their unique and potentially useful properties. These properties include low melting points, high thermal stability, low vapor pressure, and low reactivity, which would make them useful in a wide range of applications as solvents, catalysts, reagents and heat transfer fluids. Increasing the liquid range of these ionic liquids enables them to perform over a broader spectrum of applications. The possibilities for rearrangement and pairing are nearly limitless, therefore understanding how structural modifications can influence their properties is of incredible interest. In previous studies, it has been shown that adjusting the polarity of IL cation can lead lower melting points. In this study, we test if this methodology can be applied to IL anions, which would offer chemists an additional knob with which to tune IL properties. Specifically, increased polarity might lead to increased alignment between the ions, essentially lowering the enthalpy and subsequently lowering the melting point. We generate this alignment by inserting or removing electronegative atoms and rearranging them within the anion until the dipole is sufficient to cause alignment of the ILs. Beginning with the anion [SO3(CH2)5CH3]-, we successively replace the hydrogen atoms of each carbon with fluorine atoms, beginning at the carbon closest to the center and simulate these liquids using resources from the Alabama Supercomputing Center. In previous studies, it has been shown that adjusting the polarity of IL cation can lead lower melting points. In this study, we test if this methodology can be applied to IL anions, which would offer chemists an additional knob with which to tune IL properties. Specifically, increased polarity might lead to increased alignment between the ions, essentially lowering the enthalpy and subsequently lowering the melting point. We generate this alignment by inserting or removing electronegative atoms and rearranging them within the anion until the dipole is sufficient to cause alignment of the ILs. Beginning with the anion [SO3(CH2)5CH3]-, we successively replace the hydrogen atoms of each carbon with fluorine atoms, beginning at the carbon closest to the center and simulate these liquids using resources from the Alabama Supercomputing Center.


Omar Tahri Major: Civil Engineering

Mentor: Dr. Shenghua Wu Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering

Poster 72

Review of Graphene Family Nanomaterials forAsphalt Modification and Evaluation of Effectiveness of Bio-based Graphene Reinforced

Asphalt Pavement

With an increased awareness of sustainability in transportation infrastructure, there has been an increasing use of green, smart and sustainable materials in asphalt pavement. More than 90% of U.S. roads and highways are paved with asphalt, and more than 95% of roads in Alabama are asphalt pavement. One of biggest challenges that asphalt community is facing is how to ensure the durability of asphalt pavement and maintain its cost-effectiveness at the same time. There is an emerging interest in applying nanotechnology to asphalt materials to improve the performance of asphalt pavement. Graphene is one of the “superstar” nanomaterial that can potentially improve asphalt pavement. It is a single layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating pattern of hexagons. The thickness of graphene is a million times thinner than that of a paper. The major obstacle to limit the wide application of graphene is due to the high cost and few study in the use of graphene for civil infrastructure. Graphene family nanomaterials have been increasingly used in asphalt industry due to its superior mechanical properties. Various graphene synthesis methods (chemical vapor deposition, exfoliation, thermal decomposition, unzipping, and reduction of graphite oxide) and recent studies on typical graphene materials (nanotube, nanoplatelets, and graphene oxide) are used for the modification of asphalt. The effect of each graphene family nanomaterial on the rutting resistance (high temperature property), fatigue cracking resistance (intermediate temperature property), and thermal cracking resistance (low temperature property) are explored. This study also provides the first-time evaluation of the feasibility and effectiveness of bio-based graphene for asphalt mixture, which can be potentially used for asphalt pavement.


Emily Talbert Major: Anthropology

Mentor: Dr. Philip Carr Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 73

Functional Pottery Analysis of Bayou St. John Assemblage

The archaeological site Bayou St. John, located in Gulf Shores, Alabama, underwent a complete excavation in 2007, and produced a wealth of artifacts from the Woodland period (AD 200-1000) within the Weeden Island culture. Archaeological evidence from other areas indicates that the Woodland period was a time of population growth, increased pressure on food resources, and increased status differences among Native American groups (Anderson and Mainfort 2002). Due to the high volume of artifacts in this collection, it is a wonderful opportunity to gather information about the Late Woodland period and Weeden Island culture in Coastal Alabama. Samples for this research were selected from radiocarbon dated features that belonged to the Tates Hammock phase, the period of primary occupation of the site (Dumas 2009). This research intends to develop a picture of the ceramic assemblage of Bayou St. John during the Tates Hammock phase. It also will analyze the range of sizes within each vessel shape and if there is a connection to different cooking or eating activities. In addition, there is a pit feature that could possibly be connected to mound activities within the selected sample; therefore, this analysis will also compare the overall assemblage to the sub-assemblage found in this feature.


Andrew Theodore Major: Exercise Science

Mentor: Dr. Neil Schwarz Department of Health, Kinesiology and Sport College of Education and Professional Studies

SURF Poster 74

Effect of Acute Epicatechin Supplementation in Conjunction with Resistance Exercise on Brachial Artery Diameter and Plasma Nitric

Oxide Metabolites

Acute supplementation of (-)-epicatechin has been shown to increase arterial flow-mediated dilation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of acute (-)epicatechin supplementation on brachial artery diameter (BAD) and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) in response to resistance exercise. Eleven men completed two testing sessions in a double-blind, crossover fashion. Participants consumed 200 mg of (-)epicatechin or placebo 90 minutes before performing three sets of barbell curls with 30 seconds rest. Measurements of BAD and blood samples were obtained at baseline, 90 minutes after supplement ingestion (pre-exercise), immediately post-exercise, and 30 minutes post exercise. Data were analyzed using 2 x 4 (supplement x time) repeated-measures ANOVA with alpha level set at p ≤ 0.05. There was no significant interaction between supplement and time for BAD (p = .24). There was a significant main effect for time for BAD [p < .01, partial η2 = .86]. Immediately post-exercise, BAD was greater than all other time points (p < .01). At 30-min post-exercise, BAD was greater than baseline and pre-exercise (p < .01), but lower than immediately post-exercise (p < .01). A significant main effect for supplement existed for BAD [p = .02, partial η2 = .46]. Overall, BAD was higher for the (-)-epicatechin session.There was no significant interaction between supplement and time for NOx (p > .05). Additionally, no significant main effect for time or supplement was observed (p > .05). Acute (-)-epicatechin supplementation does not effect BAD or NOx responses to resistance exercise in healthy men.


Lydia Turner Major: Foreign Language, History

Mentor: Dr. Zoya Khan Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 75

Shipwrecked: Spanish Explorers and the Construction of North America

Combining concepts of spatiality and disorientation, this study compares the representation of Spanish Florida’s flora and people in the chronicles of two sixteenth-century Spanish explorers, Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and Hernando de Soto. The Spanish Florida territory included modern-day Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and other Gulf Coast states. I will discuss two accounts from Spain’s Florida expeditions-- The Journey of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, written by himself, and Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés’s A Narrative of De Soto’s Expedition Based on the Diary of Rodrigo Ranjel, His Private Secretary. Cabeza de Vaca’s literal shipwreck on the Gulf Coast obligated him to negotiate with the local peoples, and thus to privilege trade and exploration over plunder and conquest as a strategy for survival in an alien land. Following Cabeza de Vaca a decade later, Hernando de Soto was determined to find the gold that had evaded his precursors, so he approached Spanish Florida as a resource to plunder. I argue that these sixteenth-century constructions of Spanish Florida establish two models of engagement with the New World: one as a space of dialogue and the second as a site of extraction of resources. Thus, the European origins of the United States emerge not from British New World colonies but from the spatial constructions of Florida by these Spanish adventurers.


Braden Urban Major: Exercise Science

Mentor: Dr. Shelley Holden Department of Health, Kinesiology and Sport College of Education and Professional Studies

SURF Poster 76

Modification and Reformation of Sports Nutrition Knowledge Survey

The purpose of this study was to determine the nutritional knowledge of certified athletic trainers (ATCs). The Sports Nutrition Knowledge Survey (SNKS) used in this study and was proven reliable and valid (Holden & Schwarz, 2018). The instrument contains 60 questions that represented five areas of nutrition including general nutrition, hydration, competition (pre, during, and post) nutrition, supplements, and weight control. Also, demographic information such as: age, gender, height, weight, number of nutrition courses taken at the collegiate level, and whether or not they currently work as a college ATC were asked prior to taking the SNKS. The instrument is scored out of 85 and a passing score considered 70% or higher (Holden & Schwarz, 2018). Eleven of the 19 participants obtained passing scores while eight participants score fell below a passing cut off score of 70% (M=73.8%). Seven participants indicated they are current athletic trainers for college sports teams and six of these ATCs obtained a passing score while one did not. The age of the participants ranged from 22 to 66 years (M=36.1). When examining the number of nutrition classes taken (both undergraduate and graduate combined) an average of 1.79 classes was taken by participants. The high number taken was three and the lowest was zero. Participants who obtained a passing score on the instrument participants took at least one nutrition class with five taking of the 11 that scored above 70% indicated they had taken three classes while in college. Results of this study are preliminary as more data collection is required due to the limited sample size. However, the mean score in this sample does indicate that certified ATCs do have an acceptable level of sports nutrition knowledge. Future research could also examine the impact that formal nutrition courses have on sports nutrition knowledge.


Nicholas Wager Major: Information Technology

Mentor: Dr. Jordan Shropshire Department of Information Systems and Technology School of Computing

SURF Poster 77

Visualizing Virtual Machine Memory

As the Increasing Adoption and Reliance of Virtualization technology continues, virtual machines have become a prime target for cyber attacks. It is very important to have security tools for detecting malware and protecting vital virtual machines from security threats. Some of the most advanced cyber attacks consist of malware that exists only within memory leaving no files within a computer’s hard drive. These programs are virtually undetectable by traditional anti-malware programs. In this research project, we are building a new forensic security tool which can turn raw memory data into two-dimensional images which can then be analyzed for features in memory such as files and programs in order to detect malware within memory.


Jessica and Jennifer Walroth Major: Biology

Mentor: Dr. Ryan Littlefield Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences

Poster 78

Visualizing Cell Attachment Sites in Live C. Elegans Using CRISPR Gene Editing

Cell adhesions transmit biochemical and mechanical signals between cells and their environment. In animals, the integrin family of trans-membrane proteins form a wide variety of α/β heterodimers that mediate cell attachment to the extracellular matrix for different tissues. In contrast, because the roundworm C. elegans has only two α-integrin (pat-2 and ina-1) and one β-integrin (pat-3) genes, the possible number of integrin heterodimers is greatly simplified. Pat-2/Pat-3 heterodimers are important for the assembly and function of contractile myofibrils in body wall muscle (BWM) and other specialized muscle types, whereas Ina-1/Pat-3 heterodimers are important for non-muscle cell adhesion. To study the how adhesion sites form in live C. elegans, we used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to insert the coding sequence for a red fluorescent protein, mCherry (mCh), in frame with pat-2 and a green fluorescent protein (GFP) in frame with pat-3. We used spinning disk confocal microscopy to observe the distribution of the fluorescently-tagged Pat-2-mCh and Pat-3-GFP in the adhesion sites within live worms. Our results show that the modified Pat-2 and Pat-3 are prominently localized to dense bodies, M-lines, and intercellular junctions in BWM, and to the ends of myofibrils other muscle cells. Pat-3-GFP was also detected in additional locations consistent with expression in non-muscle cells. Furthermore, the transgenic worms showed no obvious signs of impaired development or behavior suggesting that the tagged integrins are fully functional. We conclude that Pat-2-mCh and Pat-3-GFP are faithful reporters for adhesion sites in a variety of cell types and will be suitable for studying their dynamics.


Brianna Watters Major: Biology


SURF Poster 79

Manipulating the Expression of Small RNAs in Salmonella through the use of Plasmids

Salmonella enterica serovars are rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacterium implicated in food-borne diarrheal and systemic disease, causing thousands of human deaths worldwide each year. After ingestion by a new host, most Salmonella serovars invade the mucosal epithelium of the small intestine to produce inflammation and diarrheal disease. Some serovars can spread beyond the intestinal immune tissue causing systemic infections (e.g., bacteremia and typhoid fever). Importantly, an almost wholly undescribed class of novel Salmonella genes, sRNAs, are now beginning to be identified that will almost certainly prove to be of significant pathophysiological relevance for virulence of Salmonella and perhaps many other bacterial species. Small RNAs (sRNAs) are short noncoding RNA sequences (50-200 base pairs) that regulate many cellular activities by binding to complementary target sequences. Until recently, prokaryotic sRNAs were largely unknown and unexplored, but they have now been shown to modulate numerous physiological mechanisms and pathways in several different organisms; thus sRNAs potentially represent an attractive new therapeutic target for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Of note, in 2016 the Borchert group characterized 58 entirely novel Salmonella sRNA genes directly contradicting the wide spread belief that virtually all Salmonella genes had been described. Excitingly, our more recent analyses suggest Salmonella enterica sRNAs likely number in the thousands. Thus far, traditional knockout methods have been used to determine the phenotypic effects of manipulating sRNA expressions, but these methods are expensive, time-consuming and impractical for high throughput characterization of the majority of newly described sRNAs. Knockdown using anti-sense RNAs (asRNAs) has also been attempted, but asRNAs have proven to be quickly diluted and highly unstable in bacteria. As such, we have now generated paired termini anti-sense RNA (PTasRNA) vectors as an alternative method for sRNA knockdown in bacteria. Using this strategy, we have successfully generated knockdowns of four novel sRNAs in Salmonella enterica (selected based on dynamic expression between log-phase and carbon starvation) and verified the effects of their manipulation via standard biochemical assays indicating that PTasRNA vectors can be utilized for sRNA characterization. Importantly, this represents the first time PTasRNA vectors have been utilized to knockdown anything other than mRNAs and suggests that this technology can be successfully employed to facilitate and expedite future sRNA knockdowns to determine their cellular roles and therapeutic potential.


Michael Weinzirl Major: Chemical Engineering


Poster 80

Binary Eutectic Behavior of Perarylphosphonium Salts with Molecular Aromatics

Ionic Liquids (ILs) are compounds composed of ions that melt under 100⁰C. Most ILs have essentially no vapor pressure and display densities and viscosities higher than water. Aromatic phosphonium and sulfonium ILs have been shown to have energy storage properties superior to molten salts currently used in industry while still displaying negligible vapor pressures. This research investigates the solid-liquid equilibrium behavior of binary mixtures of ILs with various organic aromatics and the feasibility of using the mixtures as a heat transfer fluid. The melting point of aromatic ILs can be depressed by mixing them with organic aromatics. Lowering the melting points of phosphonium and sulfonium ILs will increase the operating range of these compounds when used in any power generating cycle as a heat transfer fluid. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) can be used to find the eutectic composition which corresponds to the lowest mixture melting point. This work studies the solid liquid equilibrium of two binary systems consisting of tetraphenylphosphonium bistriflimide and the organic aromatics biphenyl and diphenyl ether.


Wayne Williams Major: Geography

Mentor: Dr. Steven Schultze Department of Earth Sciences College of Arts and Sciences

SURF Poster 81

Study on Feasibility and Viability of Growing Hops in the Southern Alabama Region

Humulus lupulus, or hops as known to many, are a plant species which grows on a vine and is used in the production of alcoholic beverages, mainly beer. These plants are generally grown in between the 35 and 55 degree latitude lines, and thrive greatly in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The goal of this experiment was to see if hops could in fact be grown in the lower Alabama region, closer to the 30 degree latitude line. In the first year(2017) of the experiment, we attempted to grow 15 hops vines. We were not able to obtain a crop due to many mistakes and unforeseen circumstances that had come about. This being the second year of production, things have drastically improved in every manner of the project. There has been a new irrigation system installed, and we have grown the hops and fertilized them in a completely different way. We have used the Chinook, Cascade, Kirin II, and Southern Brewer varieties of hops. We have have increased production from 15 vines to 48 vines. Every variety of plant has bloomed at some point, but some in different time stages than others. Many have been picked and have continually bloomed more hops after being picked. All of the crops are fresh and usable product, and 89% of the plants have produced hops. This was something we did not foresee working out as well as it did. By finding success, we have high outlooks for this experiment and bringing hops to our local economy in mass production someday in the future. Hops will be continued in research for years to come.

2017

Undergraduate Symposium

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