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2
Table of Contents
Schedule………...3
Welcome………..…4
Key to Abstract Numbers………...…..5
Abstracts Business……….…………..7
Education……….…………8
Engineering and Applied Science………...11
Letters, Arts and Sciences………...20
Nursing and Health Sciences………...………..33
Public Affairs………...….…….42
NISSSC Institute………45
Index of Authors………48
Featured Speakers………..54
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Mountain Lion Research Day 2013 Schedule
Presenter Registration
7:30-8:30 A.M.
Posters are available for
viewing all morning
Poster presentations
Research
announcement
8:30-11:30 A.M.
8:50-9:00 A.M.
Dr. Rebecca Webb
Featured Speaker
9:00-9:15 A.M.
Dr. Joe Zhou
Featured Speaker
10:00-10:15 A.M.
Dr. Rex Welshon
Featured Speaker
11:00-11:15 A.M.
Dr. Patrick McGuire
Luncheon
Welcome
Introduction of Travel
Grant recipients
Keynote speaker
11:30 A.M.-1:00 P.M.
Dr. Michael Larson
Dr. Kelli Klebe
Dr. Jessi L. Smith
Sponsored by El Pomar Institute for Innovation and
Commercialization (EPIIC) and the Office of Research
4 5th Annual Mountain Lion Research Day
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Welcome to the 5th annual Mountain Lion Research Day.
There are two major objectives for the Mountain Lion Research Day:
1. To allow UCCS faculty to become better acquainted with the research being conducted by colleagues at the University with the hope of stimulating cross-campus collaborations.
2. To introduce potential partners in the Pikes Peak region to the research happening at UCCS. As a "regional" university, it behooves UCCS researchers to engage with entities in Colorado Springs. UCCS is important to the future growth of Southern Colorado in many ways, not the least of which is by being a vibrant research university providing support for the companies who are already here or who may relocate here.
Research Day is a showcase of projects across the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus. Thanks to all faculty, students, and staff involved. Let me take this opportunity to greet you. Have a great and productive day. Thank you for participating in Mountain Lion Research Day.
Dr. Michael Larson
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and
Innovation
5 Key to Abstract Numbers Table
Code No. Category Discipline
2.01 Business Accounting
2.02 Business Business Administration
2.03 Business Business Communication
2.04 Business Business Law
2.05 Business Finance
2.06 Business Human Resource Management
2.07 Business Information Systems
2.08 Business International Business
2.09 Business Management
2.10 Business Marketing
2.11 Business Operations & Tech Management
2.12 Business Professional Golf Management
2.13 Business Quantitative Methods
2.14 Business Sport Management
3.01 Education Counseling & Human Services
3.02 Education Curriculum
3.03 Education Leadership
3.04 Education Special Education
3.05 Education Professional Teacher Education
4.01 Engineering & Applied Sci Computer Science 4.02 Engineering & Applied Sci Computer Security 4.03 Engineering & Applied Sci Electrical Engineering
4.04 Engineering & Applied Sci Game Design and Development 4.05 Engineering & Applied Sci Mechanical Engineering
4.06 Engineering & Applied Sci Space Operations 5.01 Letters, Arts & Sciences Anthropology
5.02 Letters, Arts & Sciences Biology and Biochemistry 5.03 Letters, Arts & Sciences Chemistry
5.04 Letters, Arts & Sciences Communication 5.05 Letters, Arts & Sciences Economics 5.06 Letters, Arts & Sciences English
5.07 Letters, Arts & Sciences Energy Science
5.08 Letters, Arts & Sciences Geography & Environmental Studies 5.09 Letters, Arts & Sciences Geology
5.10 Letters, Arts & Sciences Gerontology 5.11 Letters, Arts & Sciences History 5.12 Letters, Arts & Sciences Journalism
5.13 Letters, Arts & Sciences Languages and Culture 5.14 Letters, Arts & Sciences Library Science
5.15 Letters, Arts & Sciences Mathematics 5.16 Letters, Arts & Sciences Philosophy 5.17 Letters, Arts & Sciences Physics
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Code No. Category Discipline
5.18 Letters, Arts & Sciences Political Science 5.19 Letters, Arts & Sciences Psychology 5.20 Letters, Arts & Sciences Sociology
5.21 Letters, Arts & Sciences Sports & Leisure Studies 5.22 Letters, Arts & Sciences VAPA-Art
5.23 Letters, Arts & Sciences VAPA-Theatre 5.24 Letters, Arts & Sciences VAPA-Music
5.25 Letters, Arts & Sciences Women’s & Ethnic Studies 6.01 Nursing & Health Sciences Nursing
6.02 Nursing & Health Sciences Health Sciences 7.01 School of Public Affairs Criminal Justice 7.02 School of Public Affairs Public Administration 8.01 National Institute of Science,
Space, and Security Centers (NISSSC)
Center for Homeland Security (CHS)
8.02 National Institute of Science, Space, and Security Centers (NISSSC)
Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (CSTEME/PIPES) 8.03 National Institute of Science,
Space, and Security Centers (NISSSC)
Center for Space Studies (CSS)
8.04 National Institute of Science, Space, and Security Centers (NISSSC)
Trauma, Health and Hazards Center (THHC)
7 Business Accounting 2.01 Business Administration 2.02 Business Communications 2.03 Business Law2.04 Finance 2.05
Human Resource Management 2.06 International Business 2.08
Management 2.09 Marketing 2.10
Operations and Tech Management 2.11 Professional Golf Management 2.12 Quantitative Methods 2.13
8 Education
Counseling and Human Services 3.01
03.01.01 Juvenile Sex Offenders in the School System: What School Counselors Should Know Leann Morgan, faculty, Counseling and Human Services
Kristin Huber, student, Counseling and Human Services Jenna McCarty, student, Counseling and Human Services
In the past decade, 12,000 to 15,000 juveniles have been arrested for a sex offense within the United States (FBI, 2006). The issue of juveniles who commit sexual offenses remains a growing public concern within the community and it’s schools (Righthand & Welch, 2001; Zimring, 2004). There remains a need for universality among school systems, specifically school
counselors, and the way in which juvenile sex offenders are treated and approached. New reports suggest that school systems, boards and administrators have been inconsistent in their approach with the juvenile sex offenders. (Stover, 2005; McNeil, 2007). This study sets out to explore attitudes, knowledge, and concerns of the typical school counselor in East Texas, and their relation to working with juvenile sex offenders. The research highlighted such issues as: what school counselors may face when a JSO is enrolled in school; counselor and administrator perceptions regarding the school counselor’s responsibility to the JSO, to students, and to stakeholders in the school and community. The research team determined the following needs: the role of school counselors working with JSOs; education and training to equip school counselors to work with a JSO; work collaboratively to ensure a safe and productive learning environment; training the counselor to act as consultant to administrators and faculty members. There remains a direct correlation between juvenile sex offenders’ school success and a healthy school climate, with school counselors actively advocating for both.
03.01.02 Serial Repeaters or Free Thinkers?
Christine Braun, student, Counseling and Human Services Phillip Morris, faculty, Counseling and Human Services
Body image is an alarmingly strong obsession in America. Consumers are bombarded with pressure on their appearance from family, friends, books, music, television, and music. Most adults, young and old, have clear opinions about their appearances and are obviously influenced by societal messages. Did you know that even Preschoolers are aware of their appearances and make judgments on themselves? At an age when kids love dress up, coloring, and chocolate milk, they are already forming opinions about their appearances and self-worth. For this research, seventeen preschool and toddler age children were interviewed to gain their thoughts on being pretty or handsome. The good news is that all of the kids thought positively about themselves; the bad news, they are not looking at their personality in making this appraisal. Are kids able to reflect on their appearance and self to make a judgment or are they simply absorbing and repeating what they see and hear from others?
Curriculum in Education 3.02 Leadership 3.03
03.03.01 Censorship Policy and the Correctional Culture
Susan Jones, student, Education: Leadership, Research and Foundations
Corrine Harmon, faculty, Education: Leadership Research and Foundations
This qualitative research study examined the impact of the censorship policy for sexually explicit materials (pornography) upon the staff in a corrections system in the Western United States. This study examined this issue from the point of view of the staff who interacted in a
9 prison environment that included exposure to pornography on a frequent basis. The theoretical framework of Assimilation and Accommodation, as developed by Piaget, was found to be applicable in this context. Former correctional employees were interviewed to provide information regarding the impact of the censorship policy which allowed inmates to possess pornography. The findings indicate that most participants did not believe the policy achieved the purported goals; the participants believed that they were negatively affected by the exposure to pornography, and that they did not feel like they could work to change the policy, either through complaints or litigation. The adaptation process that these staff traveled to assimilate or to accommodate the corrections workplace was illuminated. The corrections culture was
identified as a major barrier to pursuing change in the censorship policy.
03.03.02 UCCS Collaborative Efforts: The Impact of Service Learning on Students and the Community
Sylvia Martinez, faculty, Education: Leadership, Research and Foundations Sarah Elsey, student, Education: Leadership, Research and Foundations Ian Ely-Cate, student, Education: Leadership, Research, and Foundations
In the Fall of 2012, the UCCS Student Government Association coordinated the Reach Higher-Reach Out Community Outreach Project in partnership with the Coalition for the Upper South Platte. All students were emailed about the opportunity and were asked to serve four hours with the Waldo Canyon burn area restoration or the Cragmor clean-up. Fifty-five undergraduate and graduate students participated. A mixed method evaluation of the service-learning experience was conducted through surveying and focus groups with student participants. Also, an interview was conducted with Lisa Patton from the Coalition for the Upper South Platte. Findings and implications will be discussed.
03.03.03 An investigation into ACT exemption using a regression-discontinuity design Grant Clayton, student, Education: Leadership, Research and Foundations
Corrine Harmon, faculty, Education: Leadership Research and Foundations
All high school juniors in the state of Colorado are expected to take the ACT as the summative portion of their comprehensive testing for K-12 achievement purposes. The scores from the ACT tests are frequently used a year later for many purposes including admissions into higher education, scholarships, and placement into course work. Often, low ACT scores mark a student for remedial classes and sometimes, they offer a possibility of credit much like Advanced
Placement (AP) scores do. Research using various statistical methods has been conducted on the implications of low ACT scores and the placement into remedial classes (Attewell et al., 2006; Leake & Lesik 2007; Maruyama et al., 2008; Maruyama, 2012). Conversely, little research is available on students who place out of the first class in a sequence through their ACT scores and how they perform in the subsequent class. Using a regression discontinuity design, this study finds that direct placement into the second class in an English sequence based on ACT has a modest but statistically significant negative effect on the subsequent course grade at a midsized public university.
03.03.04 Student Perspectives on Inclusive Classrooms: Exploring a Student Inclusiveness Survey
Helen Lahrman, student, Education: Leadership Research and Foundations Sylvia Martinez, faculty, Education: Leadership, Research and Foundations
10 to examine students’ perspectives on inclusive classrooms. Specifically, the faculty role of diversifying the curriculum and aiding in campus diversity and inclusiveness efforts are examined. A mixed method approach is used with OLS regression modeling and
phenomenological methods. Preliminary findings suggest that students see faculty as important brokers in diversity and inclusiveness knowledge but fail to have this experience across major. Special Education 3.04
11 Engineering and Applied Science
Computer Science 4.01
04.01.01 Preventing the Revealing of Online Passwords to Inappropriate Websites with Login Inspector
Chuan Yue, faculty, Computer Science
Modern Web browsers do not provide sufficient protection to prevent users from submitting their online passwords to inappropriate websites. As a result, users may accidentally reveal their passwords for high-security websites to inappropriate low-security websites or even phishing websites. In this paper, we address this limitation of modern browsers by proposing
LoginInspector, a profiling-based warning mechanism. The key idea of LoginInspector is to continuously monitor a user's login actions and securely store hashed domain-specific successful login information to an in-browser database. Later on, whenever the user attempts to log into a website that does not have the corresponding successful login record, LoginInspector will warn and enable the user to make an informed decision on whether to really send this login
information to the website. LoginInspector can also report users' insecure password practices to system administrators so that targeted training and technical assistance can be provided to
vulnerable users. We implemented LoginInspector as a Firefox browser extension and evaluated it on 30 popular legitimate websites, 30 sample phishing websites, and one new phishing scam discovered by M86 Security Labs. Our evaluation and analysis indicate that LoginInspector is a secure and useful mechanism that can be easily integrated into modern Web browsers to
complement their existing protection mechanisms. Security system administrators in our university commented that such a tool could be very helpful for them to strengthen campus IT security
04.01.02 All Your Browser-saved Passwords Could Belong to Us: a Security Analysis and a Cloud-based New Design
Rui Zhao, student, Computer Science Chuan Yue, faculty, Computer Science
Web users are confronted with the daunting challenges of creating, remembering, and using more and more strong passwords than ever before in order to protect their valuable assets on different websites. Password manager is one of the most popular approaches designed to address these challenges by saving users' passwords and later automatically filling the login forms on behalf of users. Fortunately, all the five most popular Web browsers have provided password managers as a useful built-in feature. Unfortunately, the designs of all those Browser-based Password Managers (BPMs) have severe security vulnerabilities. In this paper, we uncover the vulnerabilities of existing BPMs and analyze how they can be exploited by attackers to crack users' saved passwords. Moreover, we propose a novel
Cloud-based Storage-Free BPM (CSF-BPM) design to achieve a high level of security with the desired confidentiality, integrity, and availability properties. We have implemented
a CSF-BPM system into Firefox and evaluated its correctness and performance. We believe CSF-BPM is a rational design that can also be integrated into other popular Web browsers.
Computer Security 4.02
Electrical and Computer Engineering 4.03
04.03.01 An Information-theoretic Analysis of the Substitution Cipher with Noisy Channels Nathan Gross, student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
12 Willie Harrison, faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering
"The field of information theory provides the theoretical foundation for the analysis of cryptographic and communication systems. While information-theoretic models of many cryptographic systems are currently known, the modern ubiquitous adoption of wireless networks creates a need to model these systems with the additional consideration of noisy or unreliable communication channels. This study derives a theoretical measure of the strength of the simple substitution cipher in the presence of a noisy channel. An exact expression and bounds for this measure, called the equivocation, are formulated and proven. It is found that the presence of the noisy channel increases the strength of the overall system, and the results allow us to quantify this increase in security. We anticipate that modern cryptographic protocols will exhibit similar security enhancements when eavesdroppers can only access error-prone encrypted data."
04.03.02 Plasma Antenna For Future Advanced Communication Systems Ruwaybih Alsulami, student, Electrical and Computer Engineering Heather Song, faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Plasma antennas show many advantages over conventional metal antennas. These include being resistant to electronic warfare, becoming effectively invisible to radar, and exhibiting much less thermal noise thereby permitting faster data rates. They can be dynamically reconfigured for frequency, direction, bandwidth, gain, and beamwidth, so replacing the need for multiple antennas. A plasma antenna that is capable of producing advanced antenna characteristics compared to the conventional metal antennas is presented. A 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) electromagnetic solver-VORPAL is employed to simulate the plasma characteristics. A prototype antenna using a fluorescent lamp has been built. Preliminary measurement results will be compared with the theoretical predicted results.
04.03.03 A Novel Compact Elliptical Patch Resonator Filter with Tunable Bandwidth Ruwaybih Alsulami, student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Heather Song, faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering
A novel elliptical patch resonator for a compact bandpass filter with tunable bandwidth is presented. This bandpass filter has the advantage of great flexibility in which the center frequency can be changed easily. The bandwidth of this filter can be modified by simply changing one variable, and this makes the proposed design unique. The order of the elliptical patch resonator can be increased, and three types of different orders of the same design are compared. The proposed filter can be used for future compact advanced wireless communication systems.
04.03.04 Double-Sided Microstrip Circular Antenna Array for WLAN/WiMAX Applications Ruwaybih Alsulami, student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Heather Song, faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering
The design, fabrication, and characterization of the microstrip circular antenna arrays are presented. The proposed antennas were designed for single band at 2.45 GHz and dual bands at 3.3-3.6 and 5.0-6.0 GHz to support WLAN/WiMAX applications. The proposed single and dual band antennas showed
omnidirectional radiation pattern with the gain values of 3.5 dBi at 2.45 GHz, 4.0 dBi at 3.45 GHz, and 3.3 dBi at 5.5 GHz. The dual band antenna array was placed on both top and bottom layers to obtain the desired antenna characteristics. The proposed double-sided dual band antenna provides omnidirectional radiation pattern with high gain.
04.03.05 Tunable Patch Antenna with BST Capacitors Milad G. Hmeda, student, Electrical and Computer Engineering T.S. Kalkur, faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering
13 Recently there is increasing interetst in developing tunable circuits to implement multiband communication system. These include tunable filters, tunable amplifiers and antennas. Tunable ferroelectric capacitor fabricated with thin film bariun strontium titanate (BST) gives the
opportunity to fabricate these tunable circuit modules. In this paper, we present the results of tunable patch antenna with tunable ferroelectric capacitors. The patch antenna in the frequency range of 2-3 GHz was fabricated on FR-4 substrates. The parallel plate ferroelectric capacitors were fabricated on sapphire substrates. The performance of the patch antenna was studied with ferroelectric capacitor attached to the coplanar wave guide as well as readiated edge. The performance of the antenna was simulated using ADS and compared with experimental results. The radiation pattern of the antennas is studied in an enechoic chamber.
04.03.06 Distress Signal Wrist Wearable Antenna
Rifaah Alkhamis, student, Electrical and Computer Engineering Heather Song, faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Wearable antennas are widely used for different applications. Personal Locating Beacons (PLBs) are used to communicate with satellites to locate emergencies but they are hand-held and are not wearable. The goal of this thesis research is to design an antenna that transmits distress signals that is wrist wearable, which also connects to the Global Positioning System (GPS) for better locating and accurate positioning. The antenna is restricted to FCC regulations regarding heath issues for Body Area Network (BAN). Since the antenna transmits in two frequencies
406.05MHz (distress signal) and GPS in two different powers, a power switching mechanism will be integrated into the antenna to alternate between the radiation frequencies.
04.03.07 A Circuit-Based Approach for the Compensation of Self-Heating-Induced Errors in Bipolar Integrated Circuit Comparators
Kyle Webb, student, Electrical and Computer Engineering T.S. Kalkur, faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Voltage comparator circuits are common integrated circuit (IC) building blocks found in ICs used in a variety of applications, including test and measurement instruments, wireline communication systems, and data converters. High-performance comparators are often fabricated in high-bandwidth bipolar processes, which typically utilize trench-isolation to provide electrical isolation between transistors. Trench isolation also provides a high level of thermal isolation between devices, resulting in circuits that are very susceptible to the effects of self-heating. Self-heating-induced offset voltages occur due to signal-dependent temperature differentials between nominally-matched devices. In linear circuits, self-heating effects manifest themselves as slow thermal tails, while in digital circuits self-heating results in timing errors. Because the output of a comparator circuit is a digital signal, self-heating of the transistors in the comparator results in data-dependent jitter on the output signal. Though techniques exist for the compensation of self-heating effects in purely linear or purely digital circuits, the compensation of self-heating-induced errors in comparator circuits presents a particular challenge due to the inherently mixed-signal nature of comparators – comparator inputs are analog, their outputs are digital, and the nature of the transition between the two domains is a function of the input signal. This research seeks to develop a circuit-based approach, independent of process or layout, for the compensation of self-heating effects in integrated circuit bipolar comparators.
04.03.08 Performance Characteristics of Physical Layer Security Codes Roxanne Beem, student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
14 With the pervasiveness of wireless communications, and the vulnerability of transmitted data to eavesdropping, methods to protect these communications are desirable. Encrypting transmitted data can provide security to end-users, although often at the cost of complex encryption and decryption algorithms. For low-power wireless sensor networks, this may not be a viable option. Using error-correction coding for secrecy is a possible avenue that allows for lower complexity encoding and decoding. The first secrecy codes for practical use were developed within the last ten years, and thus, few real world implementations exist today. It is necessary to provide a proof-of-concept for this technology on real systems. Our research focuses on developing and demonstrating the usefulness of error-correcting codes for secrecy using low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. While these codes provide forward error-correction, they can also be used to render data received through eavesdropping effectively useless. We employ two eZ430-RF2500 development boards to demonstrate the effectiveness of coding for secrecy for low-power sensor networks. The technology developed in our research will provide for the testing of known codes under several varying scenarios, and allow future codes to easily be analyzed in a real network.
04.03.09 COGNITIVE RADIO NETWORKS: An Overview and Modeling with MATLAB Sim Events Kolawole Kazeem Oladapo, student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mark Wickert, faculty, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Due to the unrestrictive nature of wireless as a medium of transmission, especially as regards mobility, it is often preferred as the method of access in most networks. This has led to the proliferation of mobile wireless devices resulting in the need for more spectrum resources. The problem with having more access to the wireless is that rather than being unlimited it is actually a limited medium, especially in terms of the usable frequencies for information transfer and also hardware limitations on the mobile devices. Investigations over the years on the use of the wireless spectrum have revealed that some parts of the spectrum are underutilized or in some cases not used at all especially by the licensed owners or primary users. For such spaces in the wireless spectrum that are underutilized or empty, unlicensed users can make use of it provided they do not interfere with the licensed user or vacate the spectrum once the licensed user is detected. This is the idea behind cognitive radio.
An overview of cognitive radio networks is presented in this thesis with emphasis on sensing and detection methods at the physical layer. Cognitive radio is still undergoing standardization and research, so therefore available tools that help with studying aspects are also discussed in this thesis. Using a discrete event simulator from MATLAB, SimEvents, a model of a simple cognitive radio network is built to demonstrate and study the operation of a cognitive user alongside a licensed or primary user.
Mechanical Engineering 4.05
04.05.01 Temperature Diagnostic Technique for Quantification of Neutral Gas Optical Lattice Gas Heating
Jacob Graul, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Taylor Lilly, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Optical lattices, an interference pattern formed from the spatial and temporal superposition of high energy laser pulses, have been investigated as a means of producing high temperature gases. Circumventing the drawbacks and chemical byproducts associated with many gas heating
methods used today, this technology could potentially benefit allied fields from material synthesis, and high temperature chemical reaction and gas kinetic studies, to high temperature gas-surface interaction research. Qualitatively, prior research performed (here at UCCS) has
15 shown that optical lattices are a viable mechanism to non-resonantly facilitate energy deposition into a variety of gases. To date, however, quantification of this energy deposition in the form of a temperature change has been elusive. This research focuses on the development of a gas temperature measurement technique able to detect small temperature increases (ΔT≤~10K ) in atomic and molecular gases over nanosecond time scales. Once completed, this diagnostic technique will be applied to optical lattice gas heating; with the goal of temperature
quantification followed by a detailed study of maximizing optical lattice energy deposition into gases (maximizing temperature).
04.05.02 Computational Evaluation of the Effects of Voids on a Thermal Energy Storage System Using Molten Silicon as the Phase Change Material
Tom Amundson, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Rebecca Webb, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Latent heat energy storage is one of the most efficient ways to store solar thermal energy. A system capable of receiving, absorbing, and collecting solar energy and storing it within a high temperature phase change material, silicon, is evaluated computationally. The system employs thermophotovoltaic cells for the conversion of stored heat energy into electrical energy. The effect of a void, in the phase change material, on system temperature and the associated thermophotovoltaic power production is determined.
04.05.03 Solar Energy Transport with Fiber Optics
Mario Arias, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Rebecca Webb, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Due to the limitations of current batteries, finding new ways to capture and store solar energy for satellite use is an important topic. In order for satellites to operate while in the earth’s eclipse, they must have a reliable source of energy. This research proposes using fiber optics as a means of transporting solar energy to the phase change material of a thermal battery on a satellite. A proof of concept experiment includes a reflective parabolic dish functioning as a solar collector, concentrating solar energy onto a spot size of three millimeters in diameter and focusing the light onto a cluster of fiber optics of roughly the same diameter. The fibers transmit the solar radiation and focus it onto the material, causing the phase change process to occur, resulting in the storage of solar energy as latent heat. This experiment is predicted to produce enough power to melt 100 ml of paraffin wax, and to provide sufficient evidence that it should be evaluated at a larger scale for the use on a satellite.
04.05.04 Numerical Analysis of Micro-channel Heat Exchanger for Beamed Energy Applications
Dan Gould, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Rebecca Webb, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
The requirement that the propellants used in launch vehicle systems must also provide the thermal energy to be converted to kinetic energy in the rocket nozzle has plagued rocket designers since the dawn of the space age. Because of this requirement, modern bi-propellant launch systems must carry both a fuel and an oxidizer such as in the case of the space shuttle, which carries both Hydrogen and Oxygen. In addition to decreasing the Isp of the rocket below that of a system using hydrogen as its only propellant, one must also carry separate tanks, pumps, and plumbing if an oxidizer is to be carried in addition to the fuel. Beamed propulsion systems, however, avoid these constraints by placing the energy source on the ground and transmitting this energy to the spacecraft via microwaves. One of the difficulties with this approach, however,
16 is the absorption of the microwave energy by the vehicle. The use of a micro-channel hydrogen heat exchanger has been suggested overcome this problem. This work computationally models three different micro-channel designs for use in a beamed energy propelled spacecraft. It was found that despite the very small diameter of the micro-channels, each design produced extreme temperature gradients across the channel cross section.
04.05.05 Controlling Air Circulation Using an Electrostatic Fluid Accelerator Michael Arnold, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Jim Stevens, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
A high voltage potential between a point and a plane creates a corona at the point and ionizes the surrounding air molecules. The ionized molecules then accelerate towards the opposite potential creating a fluid flow in one direction. This phenomenon is known as a corona wind and a device that utilizes those principles is often called an electrostatic fluid accelerator. This kind of airflow is desirable in many different applications due to the simplicity of design. The lack of many moving parts allows this type of airflow to be installed into tight fitting and very compact places such as small tubes or ducts. The ability to manipulate the airflow in such a way as to make it spin also has multiple potential applications such as the removal of dust particles from air
systems and use in the study of open flames in low gravity situations. These two examples could have significant impacts on our society in the further development and study of computers and combustion engines. In order to manipulate the airflow in such a way a prototype was designed and constructed to spin the flat electrode in a circle while keeping the sharp point electrode stationary. The circular motion of the disk produced an initial circular airflow due to the shear forces between the surface of the disk and the air. The electron wind increased the initial circular airflow more than enough to visually compare the difference between the initial and final flow. 04.05.06 Evaluation of a High Energy Advanced Thermal Storage System
Faraz Saleem, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Rebecca Webb, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
With an increasing demand in energy needs, as well as a decrease in fossil fuel resources, alternative energies are being researched to accommodate the energy needs of the future. One method is to use solar energy which is a clean renewable energy. Solar energy’s main flaw is that it requires direct sunlight. The High Energy Advanced Thermal Storage (HEATS) project, researches storing thermal energy within a phase change material. Initially, the project was aimed to power a satellite in low Earth orbit but will hopefully be used for terrestrial
applications, like water heating for homes. The chosen phase change material is silicon due to its ability to store a high amount of thermal energy. The phase change material is to be stored within a silicon carbide container. Due to the high temperatures experienced during the phase change process, an investigation on the thermal stresses produced in the silicon carbide container was investigated. Both physical and numerical studies were performed to analyze the phase change mechanics of paraffin wax. The physical study results were then compared to the numerical results to ensure accuracy.
04.05.07 Computational Modeling of Intracranial Aneurysms Colin Curtis, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Michael Calvisi, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
An aneurysm is a weakness in a blood vessel that causes an outward bulging of the vessel wall. Intracranial aneurysms are especially severe and occur in up to one in fifteen people in the U.S. during their lifetime. In the case of rupture, fifty percent of people die within the first thirty days
17 and twenty five percent suffer permanent brain damage. The purpose of this research is to
develop models of intracranial aneurysms that will elucidate the interaction of the blood flow and the vessel wall to help predict aneurysm rupture and guide the development of minimally
invasive interventions. To achieve this goal, a simplified nonspherical, theoretical model of an intracranial aneurysm is developed to simulate small shape deformations. The blood is modeled as a viscous fluid undergoing a vortical flow. In addition, the computational software COMSOL Multiphysics, based on the finite element method, is used to compute the vessel wall stress and shape for larger deformations. Eventually, this research will enable the modeling of more realistic 3D geometries based on patient data.
04.05.08 Code for Large Array Statistical Simulation using DSMC Nathan Fadely, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Taylor Lilly, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
There are many situations in the fluid engineering community in which “traditional” fluid mechanic equations provide inaccurate results. One such situation is known as rarefied gas dynamics. Under these conditions, the Knudsen number, which represents the ratio of mean free path (distance between intermolecular collisions) to a characteristic length, is large, and therefore normal continuum mechanics equations cannot be used. In order to circumvent this problem, this research numerically analyzes some of these situations through the use of DSMC. DSMC, or Direct Simulation Monte Carlo, is a statistical technique which can be used to accurately predict situations in rarefied gas dynamics. This numerical solution is written as a computer program in FORTRAN, and built to run on a system of many processors. When complete, the program will be used to predict the effect of high intensity laser fields on gas systems.
04.05.09 Dynamic Observation and Control of Ultrasound Contrast Agent Microbubbles Sean Burritt, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Michael Calvisi, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles are microscopic gas-filled bubbles coated with a shell that are used intravenously to enhance the resolution of ultrasound images. More recently, researchers are exploring the use of these microbubbles for therapeutic purposes such as targeted drug delivery. To enhance our understanding of the dynamics of contrast agents subject to ultrasound, an experimental apparatus was constructed to isolate and visualize single bubbles. The experimental set-up works by using two opposing transducers to create a standing wave to suspend the microbubble in the middle of a water-filled chamber. The transducer frequency and pressure amplitude can be varied to excite the bubble to oscillate. The bubble's dynamic
responses are observed with a microscopic high-speed camera and a dynamic pressure sensor. One goal of these experiments is to validate a shelled bubble model for bubbles larger than clinical size. Additionally, these experiments build toward the eventual goal of modulating the dynamics of the microbubble using an external feedback controller.
04.05.10 A Numerical Modeling System for Cell Surface Receptor Reactions Josh Engle, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Jonathan Pugh, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Nicole Wilder, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Leal Lauderbaugh, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
The goal of this research is to model four or more cell surface receptors and the resulting reactions and interactions within the cell. In order to model the reactions that take place within
18 the cell a graphical user interface will be required along with a computational engine that is capable of high order differential equations. The graphical user interface will be built in the python programming language.
Within the python code, a chain of differential equations is ordered for each reaction. Points with the biggest deviation will be examined to determine what is happening within the chain. This will allow a keen insight into the portion of the reaction that affects the overall result the greatest. The computation begins with a chain of first order differential equations representing the reactions. This chain is written into Fortran and utilizes several differential equation solvers. The key to the success of the evaluations is to utilize an object-oriented approach in order to solve and then link the solutions back together.
In summary, the modeling of four simultaneous reactions will allow for many different applications including targeted pharmaceutical delivery. The complicated reactions that take place when a Ligund protein interacts with a receptor can be modeled using these methods and will offer a wealth of data not previously known.
04.05.11 Development of an Optical Stereoscopic Tracking System Austin Ventura, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Josh Engle, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Austen Knapp, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering John Wolford, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Andrew Ketsdever, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Swarm robotics seeks to automate large group of robotic vehicles (i.e. satellite constellations). An approach that uses a true biological model, known as biomimetics, may provide better swarm cohesion and survivability. Flocks of birds, schools of fish, and herds of mammals make ideal models for a swarm behavior algorithm. The challenge of replicating this swarm behavior properly is first understanding it. A system of two cameras that are properly synced and aligned produces stereo paired images that can be used to find the position of an object in all three dimensions. This work focuses on the development of a three dimensional visual tracking system that is capable high resolution position sensing and high speed tracking to enable the path and velocity of each target to be found. The design uses three cameras to achieve the optimum balance of resolution and frame rate. After obtaining the images, an in house computer vision code is used to find the 3D positions and track the targets through the footage.
04.05.12 Negative Thermophoresis in Radiometric Flows
Austin Ventura, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Andrew Ketsdever, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Thermophoretic force on a sphere in rarefied gas is studied experimentally and computationally for Knudsen numbers on the order of 0.1. Both experiment and numerical modeling have shown the force maximum for a Knudsen number of about 0.3 based on the sphere diameter. The measured and computed maxima agree within the error bars of the experiment and simulation. The phenomenon of negative thermophoresis, where the force on the sphere acts in the direction of temperature gradient (cold to hot) is established numerically and, for the first time,
experimentally.
04.05.13 Use of The Chamber for Atmospheric and Orbital Space Simulation (ChAOSS) Carlos Maldonado, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Andrew Ketsdever, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
19 provide a high fidelity testbed for space systems, components, and materials. Of particular interest to the aerospace community is the gas-surface interactions between orbiting spacecraft and the ambient neutral environment that can lead to material degradation, changes in absorptivity/emissivity, “shuttle glow” and result in spacecraft drag. In the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment, between 180 and 650 km altitude, neutral atomic oxygen is the predominant gas species. The orbital drag is a result of the momentum transfer between ambient thermal atomic oxygen particles and orbiting spacecraft traveling at approximately 7.8 km/s, where the relative energy of the particles impacting spacecraft surfaces is approximately 5 eV. Drag is dependent on several factors such as the particle density of the LEO environment, angle of attack, and material composition of the vehicle. For spacecraft operating in LEO, reducing the orbital drag would allow for longer duration missions by reducing propulsion requirements. Drag coefficients have been estimated using the known orbital decay of satellites and density of the atmosphere; however this method has been proven unreliable, therefore the use of the ChAOSS facility is proposed. The ability to measure momentum coefficients in a high fidelity ground-based space simulation facility will benefit the pursuit of low drag spacecraft through materials and systems research, while the knowledge gained will increase the ability to predict spacecraft orbits.
04.05.14 Evaluation of Microwave Lenses for use in beamed energy propulsion Systems Stephen Sloan, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Andrew Ketsdever, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Beamed energy propulsion methods are being investigated for their potential to decrease fuel mass storage and usage and increase specific impulse values without the significant addition of equipment to the propelled vehicle. One of the main concerns with this propulsion method is the efficiency at which energy can be beamed to the vehicle before utilization. It has been previously discovered that electromagnetic waves refract at a higher phase velocity when propagating between two conductive plates more than half a wavelength apart. Using this optical property for microwaves resonating from a 2.45 Gigahertz Magnetron, a line-focus metal lens was designed and fabricated to collimate beamed microwaves from a predetermined focal line. The lens was tested within an anechoic chamber using the necessary measurement instrumentation to quantify improvements in the power successfully transferred over varying distances. Data shows an average increase in microwave beam preservation of about 66% along the center of the beam up to 1.25 meters of propagation, showing the successful focusing action of the microwave metal lens created.
04.05.15 Modeling of Hypersonic Flows
Ryan Bosworth, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Andrew Ketsdever, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
In the modeling of non-equilibrium, hypersonic flow, great deals of different solution techniques are available. The aim of this work is to analyze and classify many of these techniques in terms of both their accuracy and required computational time. The accuracy of each method will be judged against a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) solution method which is known to be highly accurate but time intensive. Once differences in the solution methods are identified they will be assigned error values to coincide with the difference in results from the DSMC method. Finally, a ‘best’ solution method will be defined for each of a number of scenarios. This will be based on the fact that different methods will be better suited than others to accurately and expediently handle certain modeling situations.
20 Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Anthropology 5.01
05.01.01 LiDAR as a Tool for Archaeological Research Jim Schindling, student, Anthropology
Cerian Gibbes, faculty, Anthropology
Traditional archaeological site surveys are expensive endeavors with cost increasing in proportion to the difficulty of access to a given site and the remoteness of the site. Surveys are also somewhat hit-or-miss in their ability to identify all features at a given site.
Field work is further complicated by wooded and mountainous terrain where the
establishment of a survey grid can be very difficult. In these types of environments, even the identification of surface features can be difficult due to low brush, debris and other floor cover. In addition to the physical constraints working against traditional archaeological techniques, there have been recently created regulations that limit the amount of disturbance that can be caused to areas of potential historic or cultural significance.
This research investigates the use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), sometimes called Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS), as a technology that can be implemented to address the above mentioned obstacles to archaeological research.
Biology 5.02
05.02.01 Expression analyses indicate a role for the gene shep in the development of the central nervous system midline and trachea.
Ismail E. Sola, student, Biology
Eugenia Olesnicky Killian, faculty, Biology
Shep encodes a RNA binding protein conserved across multiple species including humans (RBMS1,2,3), zebrafish (RBMS 1a,3), mouse (RBMS 2,3), as well as many other species. Analysis of shep mRNA distribution in Drosophila embryos indicate cell specific expression starting at stage 11 in the central nervous system midline cells and later, at stage 15 in the ventral nerve cord, brain, and trachea. Interestingly, tracheal expression of shep indicates a role for shep in regulating cell movement or migration in the embryo. We hypothesize shep is involved in cell migration pathways in both the nervous system and the trachea.
05.02.02 Does Ginger Consumption Increase Resting Metabolic Rate? Jenifer Bunn, student, Biology
Andrew Subudhi, faculty, Biology
Ginger supplements are marketed as weight loss aids. To test the hypothesis that consumption of ginger increases resting metabolic rate (RMR), twelve students in Laboratory Methods in Human Physiology (BIOL 4790/5790) participated in a double blind placebo controlled trial. Methods: Subjects followed a water only fast for 12 hrs before the test. Subsequent to a 10-min resting period, RMR was recorded for 10-min using standard open-circuit indirect calorimetry techniques to assess PRE values. Ginger (250mg) or placebo (250mg sucrose) capsules were then taken with 175 ml of water. Subjects rested for an additional 20 min in a seated position to facilitate digestion. POST data was collected for 10 min in the supine position. This process was repeated for the second pill after a minimum of 24 hr rest. Results: Ginger had no effect RMR: Pre 1.05 ± 0.17 vs. Post 1.08 ± 0.31, (P = 0.31). Placebo increased RMR: Pre 1.05 ± 0.24 vs. Post 1.20 ± 0.19, (P = 0.01). The increase in RMR following placebo tended to be greater than after ginger (P = 0.09). Discussion: Our hypothesis that ginger would increase RMR was not supported by the data. On the contrary, RMR increased following placebo. We speculate that this
21 may have been due to the caloric value of the sucrose in the placebo. Conclusion: The commonly recommended dose of ginger advertised for weight loss does not increase RMR and thus is unlikely to affect weight loss.
05.02.03 Genetic Regulation of Class IV Dendtritic Aborization Neuros in Drosophilia Melanogaster
Mary Morton, student, Biology
Eugenia Olesnicky Killian, faculty, Biology
Class IV dentritic aborization (da) neurons are pain sensing neurons that are a part of the Drosophila Melanogaster larval peripheral nervous system. Class IV da neurons generat ~800 branched terms dendrites that are dedicated to sensing pain. Once a larvae perceives pain, the animal rolls in order to escape the painful stimuli. The Killian lab has found that by
independently inactivating the function of several genes including cg11505, bancal, caper, pitchoune and meicp26, it results in significantly decreased dendrite branching. Since dendrites mediate pain sensation, this may suggest that pain sensation is compromised in animals lacking functions cg11505, bancal, caper, pitchoune and meicp26. A series of behavioral analysis experiments were conducted in which various lines of animals, with each gene inactivated separately, were poked and the response was recorded as either a roll or no roll. A roll indicated that a sufficient amount of dendrites were present in order to react to the pain sensation;
conversely, no roll indicated that an insufficient amount of dendrites were present and the larvae failed to escape from the stimuli. My results show that each mutant showed a decreased roll percentage when compared to a control thus indicating that each gene plays a role in both the development of dendrites and facilitating escaping behavior.
05.02.04 Structure function analysis of the DNA checkpoint protein Rad26 Jordan Verlare, student, Biology
Tom Wolkow, faculty, Biology
Rad26 is a fission yeast DNA checkpoint protein with significant similarity to ATR-interacting-protein (ATRIP) that is responsible for regulating the p53 tumor suppressor pathway in humans. Rad26 forms a complex with Rad3 that binds DNA at DNA damage sites. Together, Rad26 and Rad3 signal the presence of DNA damage to downstream transducers. This subsequent
molecular signaling occurs between the Rad26-Rad3 complex and other DNA damage checkpoint proteins including Chk1 and results in the inhibition of mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase. This mitotic arrest prevents the damaged genotype from becoming fixed and passed on to daughter cells; in effect, it mitigates the amplificatory affect of potentially hazardous DNA damage. Rad26 is a 70 kDa protein with an N-terminal coiled-coil domain. Interestingly, Rad26 is toxic to cells when expressed at elevated levels from a synthetic promoter system. My
research is aimed at identifying the portion of Rad26 that imparts this toxicity. Toward this goal, I am using PCR methodologies to express different pieces of Rad26 in order to identify the piece that is toxic. Further biochemical analyses of this piece may reveal novel cellular functions of Rad26.
05.02.05 The Role of Cg11505 in Drosophila Neural Development Evelyn Garcia, student, Biology
Eugenia Olesnicky Killian, faculty, Biology
Our study focuses on the function of an unknown RNA binding protein, Cg11505, during neural development within Drosophila Melanogaster. Drosophila provides an ideal model system for neural development experimentation because of its widely available genetic manipulation techniques. cg11505 is highly conserved among a number of organisms, including humans. We
22 have found that loss of Drosophila cg11505 function results in severe defects in neuronal
structures, such as dendrites and axons, in sensory and motor neurons. Furthermore, using both loss and gain-of-function experiments we are investigating the role of cg11505 in brain
development. Our preliminary data shows that larval brains are enlarged when cg11505 function is abrogated. This result suggests that cg11505 normally plays a role in preventing brain tumor formation and/or aid in regulating the morphology of the brain and nervous system during development.
05.02.07 Molecular Evolution of Candidate Genes Involved in Postmating-Prezygotic Reproductive Isolation
Kim Hoang, student, Biology Jeremy Bono, faculty, Biology
The formation of new species involves reproductive incompatibilities between populations. Reproductive barriers can prevent the production of viable offspring or mating from occurring, leading to
distinguishable species that can no longer interbreed. Postmating-prezygotic (PMPZ) reproductive isolation arises when incompatibilities between components within the reproductive tracts prevent zygote formation. Even though evidence suggests PMPZ isolation has a significant role in the speciation process, the genes involved and their molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. A previous study examining transcript abundance in the reproductive tract of female Drosophila mojavensis identified a number of genes implicated in PMPZ isolation. These genes included those that are differentially expressed when D.
mojavensis females mate with either conspecific or heterospecific (D. arizonae) males, as well as
transcripts that are sent into the female reproductive tract by the male. Here we look at the molecular evolution of these genes to specify a set of candidates involved in PMPZ isolation and to further determine their functional significance.
05.02.08 Using Flow Cytometry to Analyze Neutral Lipids in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Polina Reynolds, student, Biology Sandy Berry-Lowe, faculty, Biology
Due to the rising costs of fossil fuels, renewable biofuels from a variety of sources are being explored as viable alternatives. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga that is a useful model organism for studying biofuel production because it can be cultivated in many environments, variegated mutants are available, and it is amenable to analysis by flow cytometry. Previous research has suggested that abiotic stress, such as nitrogen starvation and various
chemical compounds, can induce increased neutral lipid (triaglycerol/TAG) accumulation in lipid droplets. Oxamate is a pyruvate analog, known to be an inhibitor of lactate dehydrogenase and glycolate dehydrogenase. Due to its potential to inhibit glycolysis, oxamate may lead to metabolism disruption that is sufficient to cause lipid accumulation. Wild type, wall-less, and light sensitive algae strains were exposed to nitrogen deficient media, varying oxamate levels, and combinations of the two for 4-48 hours before being assessed for lipid content. Nile Red, a lipophilic stain, was used to fluorescently stain intracellular lipids and flow cytometry was used for high throughput detection and screening of live individual cells.
We thank Bill Townend and UCCS Biofrontiers for use of the flow cytometer. 05.02.09 Characterization of a genetic mutant in Drosophila melanogaster
Hannah Steinert, student, Biology Jeremy Bono, faculty, Biology
23 Although very little is known about the conserved RNA binding protein Cg11505, work in the Killian lab at UCCS has demonstrated that the mRNA is expressed in the central nervous system during development of Drosophila melanogaster and is required for formation of dendritic and axonal structures and may function in stem cell development. RNA interference (RNAi) has been used to disrupt expression of cg11505, but is not effective enough to eliminate all expression. The purpose of our work was to generate a mutant allele of cg11505 using a technique termed imprecise p-element excision. Over 100 potential mutant lines were initially generated, 2 of which were ultimately characterized in depth to determine whether or not a bona fide cg11505 mutant was generated. To determine if these two lines of mutant D. melanogaster, cg11505 del 69A and cg11505 del 69B, had disrupted the cg11505 gene, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis were performed and the mutation was verified through sequencing. We found that cg11505 del 69B experienced no disruption, while the mutation incurred in cg11505 del 69A completely removed the cg11505 gene as well as three genes others: cg17746, cg12078, and cg43389.
Chemistry and Biochemistry 5.03
05.03.01 Dispersed Liquid-Liquid Microextraction of Chlorogenic Acid from Peach Juice Santiago Bukovsky-Reyes, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Janel Owens, faculty, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chlorogenic acid is a secondary plant metabolite with potential anti-cancer activity. As a chemo-preventive agent, chlorogenic acid has been the focus of many studies. This compound has been found in peaches and plums. Efficient extraction techniques will need to be developed in order to isolate the compound from its known plant based sources. Dispersive liquid-liquid
microextraction (DLLME) is a technique that utilizes small sample amounts and reduced preparation time to isolate a compound from its sample matrix. The goal of this experiment was to determine an efficient extraction solvent, dispersive solvent, and appropriate volume to use in extraction of chlorogenic acid from peach juice.
05.03.02 A Comparison of Three Modifications of the van der Waals Equation of State Dustin DiSalle, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry
James Eberhart, faculty, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The equation of state (EOS) of a fluid not only provides the dependence of the fluid density on temperature and pressure, but is also a useful thermodynamic tool that enables the prediction of certain physical properties from the measurement of other properties. A popular starting point for the creation of new EsOS is the modification of the well-known, two-parameter van der Waals EOS. One approach is to replace one or both of the parameters with a function of temperature. In this study we have explored three different temperature-dependent attractive functions inspired by a hybrid of the Berthelot and van der Waals EsOS, and by the work of Prausnitz and of Soave. In each case a third constant parameter is introduced in the resulting EOS. The three parameters are evaluated using the experimental values of the critical
temperature and pressure as well as the Riedel factor, which is the tangent to the vapor pressure curve at the critical point. The accuracy of these three EsOS (as well as the original van der Waals EOS) are evaluated via the prediction of three different properties for simple fluids, namely, the critical value of the second virial coefficient, the Boyle temperature, and the zero-pressure inversion temperature. On the basis of these predictions, all three modified EsOS provide significant improvement over the original van der Waals EOS. The best of the three modifications is the hybrid of the Berthelot and van der Waals EsOS.
24 Michael Gardner, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Janel Owens, faculty, Chemistry and Biochemistry
A method for the isolation of fentanyl from an aqueous solution using dispersed liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been developed. Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate that is about 1000 times as powerful as morphine. Fentanyl is useful for the treatment of extreme chronic pain, such as the pain experienced by terminal cancer patients. Unfortunately, like other opiates, fentanyl also possesses a high potential for abuse. This creates a need for fast, precise, and accurate measurements of fentanyl to support forensic analytical studies. Traditional liquid-liquid extraction and solid-liquid-liquid extraction can take between hours to a day. The DLLME method can be completed in ~15 minutes. In addition to the time saved through this method, it is also a green method. Here we described the experimental parameters investigated to optimize this method.
05.03.04 Analysis of Pharmaceuticals by Dispersed Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Cynthia Ortega, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Janel Owens, faculty, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment is of growing concern. Thus, a method for determining the amounts of bioaccumulation of carbamazepine, 17α-ethynyl estradiol, and diclofenace was developed. Dispersed liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME), which is environmentally friendly and experimentally effective, was utilized to extraction the
pharmaceutical components prior to instrumental analysis. The following parameters were tested to determine extraction efficiency: salt levels, varying pH, varying dispersive solvents, varying amounts of chosen dispersive solvent, varying extraction solvents, varying amounts of chosen extraction solvent, and varying the sonication time. Analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV-Vis detection was then performed. The percent recoveries were improved, with the following parameters optimized: no salt addition, pH adjustment to 2, ethanol (50 μL) used as dispersive solvent, chloroform (200 μL) as the extraction solvent, and 6 min sonication time.
05.03.05 Hydraulic Fracturing: Developing an efficient technique for analysis of possible chemicals found in the hydraulic fracking fluids.
Eun Kim, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry Janel Owens, faculty, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a method of extracting natural gas from rock by applying pressurized fluid deep. The hydraulic fracturing is known to contain some chemicals that can have an impact on the environment. The objective of this experiment is to create an efficient technique utilizing green chemistry for analyzing possible chemicals found in the hydraulic fracturing fluids. Headspace liquid phase
microextraction (HS LPME) was used to extract benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, naphthalene, bronopol, 2-butoxyethanol and gasoline in water by using 1-octanol as solvent. The experimental conditions were dependent on the concentration of analyte, volume of water used, amount of sodium chloride added to sample, the temperature of the sample, distance of solvent from the sample in headspace, and the amount of 1-octanol utilized. The samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and the data analyzed using AMDIS (automated chromatography-mass spectral
deconvolution and identification software).
05.03.06 Rapid Determination of a Panel of Neurotransmitters in Human Urine Using Capillary Electrophoresis
25 Char Brecevic, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Morgan Pinto, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry David J. Weiss, faculty, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and epinephrine (E) have been linked to many neurological conditions. However, the relationship between these neurotransmitter concentrations and diseases is not well understood. A technique that offers rapid, non-invasive quantitative analysis of neurotransmitters could aid physicians and researchers when studying neurological diseases. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an effective method for small, charged molecules, like neurotransmitters. CE yields high peak efficiencies, and is environmentally friendly due to its minimal use of organic solvents. Presented here is a rapid method to identify and quantitate four neurotransmitters simultaneously in human urine. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for sample clean-up and preconcentration. UV/Vis detection was utilized for analysis of samples with elution times of approximately 10 minutes.
05.03.07 Microwave synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted triazoles Brayden Hamill, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry Allen Schoffstall, faculty, Chemistry and Biochemistry
One-pot Cu(I)-catalyzed decarboxylation of 2-alkynylcarboxylic acids and azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reactions were investigated under microwave-assisted (MW) heating conditions and the results compared to reactions heated conventionally. When 2-propynoic acids and organic azides were allowed to react under CuAAC conditions using MW heating,
decarboxylation occurred to form terminal alkynes, followed by the click reaction to produce 1,2,3-triazoles. The triazoles produced were found to be identical with those formed directly from the terminal alkynes. The advantages of the MW method will be presented.
05.03.08 Microwave synthesis of triazoles-sorting out the variables Chris Butler, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Allen Schoffstall, faculty, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Microwave (MW) syntheses in organic chemistry can accelerate reactions and give better yields overall than reactions carried out under conventional heating methods. Ordinary store-bought MW ovens are very effective heating devices, which shorten cooking times. Scientific MW devices offer this acceleration, but also offer the opportunity to carry out reactions in pressurized vessels. Thus, reactions in aqueous solution may be heated much higher than 100 oC using scientific MW devices, speeding up reactions even more. We have investigated a one-pot
synthesis of 1,2,3-1H-triazoles using three separate reactions in aqueous media. Decarboxylation of alkynyl carboxylic acids, azide formation from alkyl bromides and azide-alkyne cyclization reactions have been run together under various MW conditions. Azide-alkyne cyclizations afford 1,2,3-1H-triazoles, a class of molecules used extensively in a growing number of applications. Results are reported here.
Communication 5.04 Economics 5.05 English 5.06
05.06.01 Tangled up in the Disney Princess Mythos Benjamin Syn, faculty, English
This presentation interrogates Disney’s 50th
animated work, the 2010 film Tangled, to unpack how much and in what ways the Disney’s princess myth has evolved. While this movie’s protagonist, Rapunzel is a strong if not naïve female character and Flynn is a charming and not
