Scholars Week

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https://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/handle/mtsu/4246

Scholars Week is a week-long showcase of academic pursuits and research among the academic departments. The week culminates in a university-wide Scholars Day Exposition held on the campus at Middle Tennessee State University. This event covers the scholarship conducted during the fall and spring semesters.

Scholars Day showcases the same academic rigor as Scholars Week, but instead is a one day event showcasing the academic pursuits and research during the summer semester.

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Browsing Scholars Week by Title

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    3D PRINTING BODY PARTS: AN OVERVIEW OF HOW ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IS SHAPING TISSUE ENGINEERING
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2014-2-23) Cross, Grant ; Boraiko, Carol ; Engineering Technology
    Additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as 3D printing, is a manufacturing technique that emerged in the 1980 s mainly focused on engineering prototyping. Recent advances in the precision and cost of the techniques, as well as the widespread use of 3D modeling have increased 3D printing s scope of use from high-end engineering prototypes to a large variety of uses in manufacturing. 3D printing has been shown to improve the processing time, reduce waste, and increase the level of customization of certain products by eliminating the need for the specialty tooling and dies that are traditionally used in manufacturing. Additionally, the ability to physically print complex shapes based on a computer model has given rise to new products that would otherwise be simply impossible to create. The field of tissue engineering has taken advantage of this technology by printing organic cells and inorganic biomaterials with levels of control and precision that surpass previous production techniques. Furthermore, 3D printing allows for applications that can be customized on a case-by-case basis to fit the needs of individual patients. This review will overview the 3D printing-based techniques being used in tissue engineering, and discuss the current applications and challenges of this rapidly advancing field.
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    A silver bullet for bullwhip effect: minimizing lead-time
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2016) Choi, Soochan ; Supply Chain Management
    The Bullwhip effect is information twisting that creates movement of wasteful products over what the market requires within a supply chain. There are four causes; demand signal processing, the rational game, batch ordering, and price variation (Lee at el, 2004). Current researchers are providing superior solutions, especially in coordination and information sharing methodology (Lee at el(1997), Moyaux at el(2007), Wu at ell(2006), Sahin at ell(2002), Disney at el(2008), Fiala at el(2005), Xu at el(2001) Paik at el(2007). However, the two prevailing solutions are required to “trust” to each other. Cooperation is hard to be accomplished until the companies fully open their information. In addition, the degree of trust is not easy to measure. Other problems arise when the trust is not fully accomplished. How could we measure cooperation? There are ways for measuring cooperation but it is not a general methods. In addition, it depends on analyzers point of view of cooperation. In this sense, I am going to provide another solution: decreasing lead time that it can be measured easily while proving that decreasing lead time is time saver and more cost effective than other suggested solutions.
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    Abstracts
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2017) Scholars Week
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    Abstracts
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2018) Scholars Week
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    Alternative mRNA Splicing Analysis of DAF-2 During Hydrogen Peroxide Stress
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2015) Akter, Mahmuda ; Davis-Farrow, Paige ; Seipelt-Thiemann, Rebecca ; Chemistry
    Alternative mRNA splicing is a mechanism of regulating gene expression accomplished by varying which protein-coding sequences are included in the mature mRNA. It is known that various types of stress influence alternative splicing. Thus, the concentration, variety, and functionality of proteins produced in a cell and organism. DAF-2 is a gene whose protein functions in the insulin pathway in many organisms including the nematode, C. elegans. This pathway is known to be altered during the stress response. Our hypothesis was that nematodes will alternatively splice DAF-2 mRNA in the region encoding the tyrosine kinase domain (exons 10-13) upon exposure to the environmental stressor, hydrogen peroxide. To test this hypothesis, nematodes were grown under standard conditions, isolated, and exposed to either 20 mM H2O2 or diluent only. RNA was isolated and analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The results were visualized following agarose gel electrophoresis. Four distinct and specific cDNA fragments were observed in the control sample indicating that the mRNA had been spliced in four different ways. Only one of these distinct and specific cDNA fragments was observed in stressed worms. This clearly indicated that alternative splicing had occurred due to the peroxide stress. The largest cDNA fragment is the size expected if all exons were included and thus the tyrosine kinase domain would be encoded. The smallest cDNA fragment is the size expected if exons 11 and 12 were skipped and thus the tyrosine kinase domain would be absent from the DAF-2 protein. The two middle size fragments were not predicted. These may represent skipping of exons 11 and 12 individually. Cloning and sequencing of the fragments should be done to confirm the identity of these assumptions. In addition, the experiment should also be performed with different peroxide concentrations and for varying times to analyze the kinetics and timing of alternative splicing in response to this stressor.
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    Centers, Institutes and Programs Abstracts 2011
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2011) Scholars Week
    Collection of the Centers, Institutes, and Programs at Scholars Week 2011
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    Centers, Institutes, and Programs Abstracts 2013
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2013) Scholars Week
    Collection of Centers, Institutes and Program abstracts from Scholars Week 2013.
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    A Comparison of Garbage Collected in Two Limited Income Communities
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2015-03-20) O'Dell, Joey ; Whitlock, Sydney ; Anthropology
    Garbology is the study of modern refuse in order to gain knowledge and understanding of modern society through material objects through a medium of something that is generally hidden from view: garbage. It is our contention that debris left over by two generationally diverse, yet economically similar, communities may give us insight into how the limited incomes of these two groups are being spent.
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    Deletion of Folate Biosynthesis Gene, ABZ1, Produces Transient Life-Span Extension in Budding Yeast
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2015-03-20) Qureshi, Nausheen ; Behavioral & Health Sciences
    Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is essential for cellular processes in many organisms, including humans and nematodes. A prior study found that reduced folate levels led to an increase in nematode lifespan. The purpose of this study was to determine if folate biosynthesis mutations could also affect lifespan in the model organism, budding yeast. Yeast have five folate biosynthesis genes, one
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    Does Sugar Help You Run?
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2014-2-18) Branstetter, Kelsey ; Robertson, Katelen ; Hartshorn, Emily ; Ridge, Brian ; Duncan, Dominique ; Health & Human Performance
    Context: Carbohydrates are the main source of energy used by the body when running; due to this, many endurance athletes take a supplement during competition. Numerous studies have observed long duration activities and the time frame to ingest supplementation for optimal effects. There has not been much research on the carbohydrate supplementation during middle distance running. Objective: Examine whether the addition of carbohydrate supplementation will yield performance improvement when compared to simply ingesting water during middle distance running, and if improved performance is effected by the type of carbohydrate supplementation. Design: Repeated Measure Design Methods: The participants (n=15) were volunteers from Middle Tennessee State University Womens Soccer team, ranging in age from 18-21| Participants were divided into three supplementation groups: 1) water, 2) Starburst, 3) Gatorade Chew. Each group ran a timed mile, followed by a 15-minute break to consume their assigned supplement, and then ran another timed mile.
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    Drug Discovery: Primary screening of Traditional Chinese Medicines for anti-cancer activity using high-throughput screening
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2014-2-25) Ridings, Amy ; Altman, Elliot ; Gao, Iris ; Biology
    Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been practiced in Asia for over two thousand years, however it has been mostly overlooked in drug discovery studies. Cancer is one the deadliest and most complicated diseases on the planet. Effective treatment usually involves highly toxic chemotherapies that reduce the patient s quality of life, and many cancers can develop resistance to currently available therapies. New drugs that eliminate these challenges are a must in order to treat cancer effectively. A handful of new drugs for cancer treatment such as Paclitaxel, Arsenic Trioxide and Camptothecin derivatives have come from the TCM vault, but there are thousands more remedies that have yet to be thoroughly studied as potential drugs for cancer treatment. The Tennessee Center for Botanical Medicine Research (TCBMR) has taken on the task of studying TCMs for their potential in the western drug market, and one of its goals is to find new drugs to fight cancer. One of the earliest steps in this process is primary screening, which involves in vitro testing of TCM extracts for cytotoxicity on lung and breast cancer cells and very low toxicity on healthy cells. Using a high-throughput screening technique and fluorescence indicator AlarmarBlue, the effectiveness of each extract sample can be characterized. High throughput screening will allow a large number of extracts and concentrations to be tested simultaneously. AlarmarBlue, which is initially blue in color will be converted to a highly fluorescent pink compound in the presence of viable cells. Completion of primary screening provides information needed for further study of promising extracts and advances them to the next step in the long process of drug discovery.
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    The Effects of Environmental Cues on Production of Dormant Eggs in an Exotic Zooplankton
    ( 2017) Gilley, Camille ; Pompilius, Melissa ; Fischer, Robert
    Daphnia lumholtzi is an invasive zooplankton species that has spread rapidly throughout the United States since its accidental introduction in 1989. Because of its ability to rapidly colonize diverse habitats, Daphnia lumholtzi provides a unique opportunity to investigate the traits that characterize successful aquatic invaders. One trait that may support rapid range expansion is the production of dormant eggs (DE’s) that can be dispersed to new environments by migratory animals and human activities. Some studies have suggested that D. lumholtzi produces more DE’s compared to native Daphnia, contributing to rapid expansion in this species. DE’s are typically produced when environmental cues induce a population of asexually reproducing females to generate males, which then fertilize the DE’s. While it isn’t clear which cues induce DE production by D. lumholtzi in new habitats, some studies suggest that multiple cues may be required, including changes in temperature, population density, and water quality. In this study, we investigated the effects of combined environmental cues on DE production in three distinct clones of D. lumholtzi by varying the initial population density coupled with changes in temperature to simulate cooling seasons (from 22°C to 16°C) or warming seasons (from 23°C to 30°C). Clones were kept in one liter aquaria and monitored for production of males, population growth, and DE production. Preliminary results show that low population density (5 individuals/L) plus warming temperatures stimulated population growth (10 individuals/L/day) by asexual reproduction, while high density (10 individuals/L) populations began producing males at moderate temperatures (17-23°C) and produced DE’s when temperatures were increasing (23-30°C). Experiments are underway to determine if there are differences in responses to these environmental cues among the three D. lumholtzi clones.
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    An Evolutionary Analysis of Membrane-Associated Guanylate Kinase Protein Family
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2016) Carr, Ryan ; Deal, Heather ; Seipelt-Thiemann, Rebecca ; Biology
    Gene families come into being through gene and/or genome duplication followed by mutation over time which results in the evolutionarily-related genes having somewhat different nucleotides, amino acids, gene structure, and functions. The membrane-associated guanylate kinase protein family has twelve members in humans: DLG1, DLG2, DLG3, DLG4, CASK, MPP1, MPP2, MPP3, MPP4, MPP5, MPP6, and MPP7. This gene/protein family is characterized by the presence of three specific protein domains: PDZ, SH3, and GUK, all of which aid in protein-protein interactions. These proteins are known to interact with cytoskeletal proteins and also are involved in signal transduction. A characteristic member of this family is the DLG3 gene, is responsible for encoding a synapse associated protein (SAP102). The goal of this study was to better understand the evolutionary relationships among the protein/gene family members. To attain this goal, two evolutionary investigations were undertaken. First, phylogenetic trees, which are the traditional method of analysis, were constructed using the amino acids. This analysis indicated evidence for three distinct sub-groups: group A contained CASK, MPP1, MPP2, MPP6; group B contained MPP3, MPP4, MPP5, MPP7; and group C contained DLG 1, DLG2, DLG3, DLG4. Next, the phylogenetic relationship based on the exon structure was undertaken. Briefly, multiple alignments were combined exon boundary information to generate a visual map of similarities and differences in exon structure among the gene family members. This visualization and its comparison to the traditional phylogenetic analysis will be presented.
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    An Examination of American Women's Participation in Pill Sharing Networks
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2015-03-20) Cynthia Bass-Thomas M.S. ; Amber J. Dorsey M.S. ; Norman Weatherby PhD. ; Health & Human Performance
    Background: In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported widespread prescription opioid use among reproductive-aged women, and these women have an increased risk of death from an overdose. Limited research is available regarding pill sharing networks and prescription drug abuse. Therefore, this study will examine the relationship between women’s participation in pill sharing
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    An Examination of Undergraduate ESL Preparation
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2014-2-24) Rodgers, Shunda ; Craig, Dorothy ; Educational Leadership
    Since the fall of 2004, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) has experienced a yearly increase in undergraduates, making MTSU the undergraduate college of Tennessee. MTSU offers a variety of different programs. While the education program teaches, addresses many factors in relation to the skills and techniques required and used in the classroom, it seems to lag in other areas- like ESL (English as a Second Language) education. ESL education is provided in schools across America to students that a have a native language other than English. Moreover, there are several education classes available at MTSU that address literacy in the classroom, practicums, and even a SPED (Special education) class that addresses the needs of special children. However, there is no program or class that addresses the needs of ESL children. So, are we truly preparing education majors for real life issues and situations in the classroom? In this action research, the researcher will interview twelve students, in different classifications, that are currently in the teacher education program. With the data retrieved, the researcher will report its findings to MTSU in hopes of creating a pilot program for ESL preparation for classrooms.
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    Experimental Realization of Extraordinary Acoustic Transmission Using Helmholtz Resonators
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2015-03-20) Crow, Brian ; Cullen, Jordan ; McKenzie, William ; Koju, Vijay ; Robertson, William ; Basic & Applied Sciences
    The experimental demonstration of near-perfect sound transmission through a solid barrier was accomplished through the use of a hollow chamber with two-necks—a Helmholtz resonator—embedded in the barrier. An audio signal was transmitted through a waveguide containing the resonator to a microphone. This signal was compared to a reference taken in the empty waveguide. Near perfect – 97.5% –
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    Faculty Abstracts 2011
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2011) Scholars Week
    Collection of faculty abstracts from Scholars Week 2011
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    Faculty Abstracts 2012
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2012) Scholars Week
    Collection of facultyt abstracts from Scholars Week 2012
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    Faculty Abstracts 2013
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2013) Scholars Week
    Collection of faculty abstracts from Scholars Week 2013
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    Folate Effects on Lifespan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2016) Hicks, Alesha ; O'Connell, Kayla O'Connell ; Seipelt-Thiemann, Rebecca ; Biology
    Dietary effects on lifespan have been studied for many years. The most well-known is that calorie restriction can increase longevity in many species. Previous research has also implicated restriction of certain nutrients in increasing lifespan. Reduction of folate has increased lifespan in C. elegans, both by feeding worms folate-deficient diets and biochemically inhibiting folate synthesis. Based on this research, it was hypothesized that budding yeast that are genetically deficient in the folate biosynthesis pathway would have a greater longevity than the wild type yeast. To test this hypothesis, wild type and yeast mutant in one folate biosynthesis gene, ABZ1, were aged for six consecutive weeks in rich (folate-containing) and folate-deficient media and tested for chronological lifespan using a growth assay. Final results were compared by t test to detect differences in average growth. Overall, there was no difference in growth between the wild type and mutant, rejecting our hypothesis that the ABZ1 mutant strain would have greater longevity. In addition, both yeast strains grew equally well in rich and folate-deficient media, rejecting our hypothesis that the SC medium would allow greater longevity in both yeast species. Therefore, our results did not support those from previous research in C. elegans, which indicated that reduction of folate biosynthesis has increased lifespan. As these long growth assays can be subject to contamination, it will be absolutely necessary to replicate the experiment to confirm these results.