2019 Undergraduate Research Day Program

Luke GuerdanAugmented Resource Allocation inDisaster ScenariosLate in the afternoon on Sunday, May 22, 2011, acatastrophic EF5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri,leaving over 1,100 injured and causing nearly 2.8billion dollars in damage. In disaster scenarios such asthese that require real-time response to multipleincidents in a limited period of time, the importanceof efficient allocation of resources such as paramedicsand supplies becomes crucial. Yet, this need is oftencomplicated by the dynamic nature of emergencies,with differing levels of patient priority andaccessibility, damage to internet and radioinfrastructure, and varying numbers of availableresponders all contributing to the complexity of thesituation.We present Augmented Resource Allocation (ARA), acomputational framework for efficiently managingresponders, supplies, and resources during disasterscenarios within a mobile cloud environment. Ourframework leverages human knowledge of thesituation, existing dynamic routing algorithms, andcentralized information storage at the mobile edgenetwork to augment disaster response coordination.We apply our ARA methodology in a real-worldmobile cloud computing application, Panacea’s Cloud,using experiments and simulations to show how westreamline information flows for disaster responsecoordination. ARA is shown to be an effectiveframework for improving disaster managementoutcomes during a pilot test with Task Force Once,Missouri’s leading disaster response team. Specifically,ARA is shown to decrease disaster response time bynearly fifty percent compared with current responsepractices.St. Charles, MissouriSenate District 23House District 106MajorComputer Science &PsychologyFaculty MentorPrasad CalyamMentor’s DepartmentElectrical Engineeringand Computer ScienceFunding SourceNSFPoster Number 21

Brittney MarshallThe Effects of Soy-Based Estrogens onBehavior and Gut HealthRepublic, MissouriSenate District 20House District 140MajorBiological SciencesFaculty MentorCheryl RosenfeldMentor’s DepartmentBiomedical SciencesFunding SourceNIH, National Instituteof Environmental HealthSciencesPoster Number 25Soy and other foods contain compounds calledphytoestrogens, whose molecules are shaped likeestrogen and can mimic this hormone in the body.These compounds have shown benefits formetabolism and behavior. However, there are alsoconcerns that these chemicals can disrupt thebody’s natural estrogen systems and affect guthealth, similarly to the effects of BPA in plastics.These effects may contribute to rising negativeoutcomes such as autism-like social and cognitivedeficits. Last year, the CDC increased their estimateof the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder by15%, to a current incidence of 1 in 59 children.Parental diet can have a significant impact on thegut health of offspring. This study used mousemodels to examine the effects of chronic prenatalexposure to phytoestrogens on offspring behaviorand gut health, compared with a control diet. Uponweaning, mouse pups were tested for sociablebehaviors with novel “stranger” mice. The pupswere then removed from the strangers and isolated,and their vocalizations were recorded. Fecalsamples were also taken to examine thecomposition of bacteria and metabolic compounds.Female pups were less likely to interact with novelmice, while male and female pups both hadincreased delays in their first vocalization afterisolation, suggesting reduced sociability and similarto effects seen with BPA. Stark differences in thespecies and metabolites of fecal bacteria were alsoevident between diet groups. Understanding therelationships between these results could helpagricultural engineers maximize the benefits of soywhile reducing the risks.

Garren PowellImproving Crop Nutrition and Research toIncrease Iron in Corn Using Common SoilBacteriaMalnutrition, especially iron deficiency in diets, is thecause of 11% of global illness, making it the numberone risk factor impacting human health worldwide.On any given day, two billion people across the globeare afflicted with some form of malnutrition. Itclaims the lives of 2.6 million children each yearwhere 45% of child deaths are under the age of 5. Asthe global population continues to rise, researchersaround the world struggle to improve cropnutritional content to combat global malnutrition.This grim landscape drives plant scientists at theUniversity of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) toseek solutions. From out of the blue glow of thiscountry’s largest university-owned nuclear reactorcomes research ingenuity and science discoveryunparalleled by any other research facility in plantscience. Our group examines the biological functionsof several common soil bacteria such as Azospirillumbrasilense, which colonize the surfaces of roots formany grasses including maize, this country’s largestgrain crop. We leverage MURR’s unique capabilitiesin radioisotope production and nuclear-basedtechnologies including imaging to gain insight intohow these microorganisms influence their host’smetabolic and physiological state while helping itassimilate more iron from the soil improving plantgrowth, crop yield and crop nutritional content. Ourhopes are that science discoveries made in thelaboratory today will reshape the future of farming,and in turn help solve global issues in food insecurityand nutrition.Hughesville, MissouriSenate District 28House District 51MajorBiochemistryFaculty MentorRichard FerrieriMentor’s DepartmentMU Research Reactor(MURR)Funding SourceAgriculture and FoodResearch Initiative fromUSDA National Instituteof Food and AgriculturePoster Number 29

Stephanie ScottImproving Crop Nutrition and Research toIncrease Iron in Corn Using Common SoilBacteriaJefferson City,MissouriSenate District 6House District 60MajorBiochemistryFaculty MentorRichard FerrieriMentor’s DepartmentMU Research Reactor(MURR)Funding SourceAgriculture and FoodResearch Initiative fromUSDA National Instituteof Food and AgriculturePoster Number 29Malnutrition, especially iron deficiency in diets, isthe cause of 11% of global illness, making it thenumber one risk factor impacting human healthworldwide. On any given day, two billion peopleacross the globe are afflicted with some form ofmalnutrition. It claims the lives of 2.6 millionchildren each year where 45% of child deaths areunder the age of 5. As the global populationcontinues to rise, researchers around the worldstruggle to improve crop nutritional content tocombat global malnutrition. This grim landscapedrives plant scientists at the University of MissouriResearch Reactor (MURR) to seek solutions. Fromout of the blue glow of this country’s largestuniversity-owned nuclear reactor comes researchingenuity and science discovery unparalleled by anyother research facility in plant science. Our groupexamines the biological functions of severalcommon soil bacteria such as Azospirillumbrasilense, which colonize the surfaces of roots formany grasses including maize, this country’s largestgrain crop. We leverage MURR’s unique capabilitiesin radioisotope production and nuclear-basedtechnologies including imaging to gain insight intohow these microorganisms influence their host’smetabolic and physiological state while helping itassimilate more iron from the soil improving plantgrowth, crop yield and crop nutritional content.Our hopes are that science discoveries made in thelaboratory today will reshape the future of farming,and in turn help solve global issues in foodinsecurity and nutrition.

Alec WilkenWhy Do Lizard Skulls Matter?During the 2016-2017 athletic season, 3,868 MOstudents suffered from traumatic head injuries.Although many vertebrates, like mammals andcrocodiles, evolved a rigid, immobile skull toprotect the brain, several animals, like lizards andbirds, evolved more flexible skulls capable of cranialkinesis, or movement between bones of the skullother than at the jaw joint. Much remains to belearned about how these flexible skulls evolved,how they protect the brain, and the potentialapplication to issues such as traumatic head injuries.While all lizards possess the mobile joints used forcranial kinesis, not all lizards seem to be capable ofcranial kinesis, making them an ideal animal forstudying cranial form and function. To do this, wecreated an engineering model to simulate differentjoint tissue and muscle forces in a lizard skull. Wefound that different joint tissues behavemechanically the same and palatal muscles work tostabilize cranial joints.Understanding the evolution of these complexsystems in lizards provides new insights into thefunction and evolution of joints. Lizards and otheranimals challenge our ideas of how anatomicalstructures are meant to behave. Studying theevolution of the rich diversity of vertebrate lifeprovides innovative ways to understand ouranatomy and the medical problems facing oursociety.Sedalia, MissouriSenate District 28House District 52MajorBiological SciencesFaculty MentorCasey HollidayMentor’s DepartmentPathology & AnatomicalSciencesFunding SourceNSF, Life SciencesUndergraduate ResearchOpportunity Program(LS UROP)Poster Number 33

Julie YoungersLanguage Development in Infancy: IndividualDifferences MatterAny parent can attest that one of a toddler’sfavorite words is “Mine”. But why is this wordused by some children earlier than others? In thisstudy, we looked for factors that affect 19-monthold infants’ ability to understand an experimenter’sclaim that an object belongs to her. Identifyingthese factors can inform our knowledge of normallanguage acquisition and thus allow us to diagnoseatypical language development.Kansas City, MissouriSenate District 157House District 38MajorPsychologyFaculty MentorYuyan LuoMentor’s DepartmentDevelopmentalPsychologyFunding SourceHonors CollegeDiscovery Fellows, A&SUndergraduate ResearchMentorship ProgramPoster Number 37Infants, like adults, tend to look relatively longer atevents they find surprising than events they findunsurprising. In our experiment, infants first watchan experimenter reach for a toy and say, “It’smine!” Next, a second toy is introduced and theexperimenter alternates between reaching for thisnew toy and the original toy. If infants understandthe original toy belongs to the experimenter, theyshould be surprised (and thus look longer) whenshe chooses the new toy.We find that 19-month-old infants, on average, arenot surprised when the experimenter reaches forthe new toy, indicating that they do not yetunderstand the phrase “It’s mine!” at 19-months.However, 19-month-old infants do seem tounderstand the phrase when they have largervocabularies than their peers, have a toy they areparticularly attached to (for example, a securityblanket), or do not have older siblings. Thus, it isimportant to consider factors that may createindividual differences in children’s development.

Joe BeanRegulation of the Sleep Cycle by anUnexpected Yet Common Biological ProcessThe sleep cycle, or circadian rhythm, is animportant biological process conserved betweenmany higher order animals. While it normallyensures that we sleep at consistent times day to day,this cycle can be inexplicably disrupted in a numberof neurodegenerative diseases, includingParkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, andSpinocerebellar Ataxia-7 (SCA7)- the focus of ourlab. Understanding what controls the circadianrhythm allows us to draw closer to amelioratingthese sleep disturbances in individuals afflicted withsuch diseases. While researching SCA7 and some ofthe proteins that cause this disease, we found acommon protein modification and control systemubiquitination- to be changing with the circadianrhythm. Ubiquitination is a process wherein smallproteins called ubiquitin are attached to a protein inorder to initiate the break down of that protein.Further, it was found that flies with a mutationwhich affected their ability to regulate theirubiquitination process had abnormal circadianactivity patterns. Our work suggests thatubiquitination serves to control the circadianrhythm, and provides a possible understanding forwhy many neurodegenerative disease may includesleep disturbances as secondary symptoms. Bybetter understanding the circadian rhythm, we cancome to a fuller understanding of these sleepdisturbances and, eventually, the diseases thatinclude them.Omaha, Nebraskaresiding in Kansas City, MissouriSenate District 21House District 54MajorBiology and MedicineFaculty MentorRyan MohanMentor’s DepartmentBiologyPoster Number 2

Alexandra CutterInvestigation of Structural Requirements forProper Trafficking of Drosophila TribblesSt. Louis, MissouriSenate District 22House District 2MajorBiological SciencesFaculty MentorLeonard DobensMentor’s DepartmentBiologyPoster Number 6Using the model organism Drosophilamelanogaster, otherwise known as a fruit fly, ourlab is studying the gene Tribbles. Tribbles is ahighly conserved pseudokinase that plays roles incell migration, differentiation, proliferation, andmetabolism. Previously, we mutated a unique,strongly conserved SLE motif and observed astrong redistribution of the protein from thenucleus to the cortex of larval fat body tissue with aconcurrent increase in Trbl protein stability. Inaddition, structural work on human Trib1 suggestthat this motif interacts with a conserved alpha Chelix in the protein structure. This led us to designa complementary mutation on the alpha C helix weexpected will mimic the SLE mutant phenotype.However, our alpha C helix mutants failed to copythe original phenotype. Going forward, we plan todesign different alpha C helix mutants using onlineprotein databases, structural analysis, and Tribblessequence alignments. Further investigation of thisphenotype will help us understand Trbl proteinfunction, trafficking, and stability, possibly sheddinginsight on autoimmune and prion illnesses.

Sami GulHow Do Education Levels Affect PublicPerception of Corruption?How does education level impact a person’sperception of corruption within their state? In thisstudy, we draw on cross-national and crosstemporal survey data of 30 European states whichwas produced by the Inter-University Consortiumfor Political and Social Research (ICPSR) andLeibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (GESIS).We examine the relationship between educationlevels and perceived corruption in 24,276responses. We find that there is a statisticallysignificant negative relationship between arespondent’s level of education and the corruptionthat they perceive in their state. Moreover, wefound that there is no significant effect of educationon perceived political corruption.Ankara, Turkeyresiding in Kansas City, MissouriSenate District 9House District 26MajorPolitical Science & Mathand StatisticsFaculty MentorDebra LeiterMentor’s DepartmentPolitical ScienceFunding SourceUMKC Search GrantPoster Number 10

Anum KhalidThe Effect of Self Regulation Development onProsocial Decision Making of 5-8 Year OldChildrenLee’s Summit, MissouriSenate District 8House District 35MajorPsychologyFaculty MentorOh-Ryeong HaMentor’s DepartmentPsychologyFunding SourceUMKC Search GrantPoster Number 14Children who have efficient and flexible selfregulation skills are more proficient in regulatingtheir behavioral repertoire (Campos et al., 2004;Carver & Scheier, 2012; Eisenberg & Spinrad,2004). Efficient self-regulation skills are related to agood quality of social interaction such as highinterpersonal sensitivity and prosociality in adults(Lopes, Salovey, Cote, & Beers, 2005). In contrast,aggression and behavioral problems were negativelyrelated to prosociality in young children (Yarrow etal., 1976). To better understand the effect of selfregulation development on young children’sprosocial behaviors, this study examined howchildren’s self-regulation development, indicated byemotional and behavioral competence, was relatedto prosocial decision-making in 5-8 year oldchildren. It was hypothesized that children withhigher behavior problems (inefficient self-regulationskills) are more likely to make more egocentric, lessprosocial decisions.

Brandon LandaverryCharacterization of Aeolian Source Materialfrom the Al-Jafr Basin, Jordan Using GrainSize, X-Ray Diffraction, Geochemical Analysisand SEMThis research project characterizes the texture,morphology, composition, mineralogy andgeochemical of dune sediments from the Al-JafrBasin, Jordan. The research consists of the firstdune samples to be analyzed from the largest basinon the Jordan Plateau. Using various analyticalmethods reveal the paleoenvironmental processesdominating landscape formation at this location.Microscope examination revealed presence ofvegetation and fossils. Grain size results throughoutthe sand dune samples identified the sediment aspredominately silt size particles, predominately finesilt. This indicates moderate and steady wind energyto transport these particles.Lee’s Summit, MissouriSenate District 9House District 26MajorEnvironmentalEngineeringFaculty MentorCaroline DavisMentor’s DepartmentGeosciencesFunding SourceSummer UndergraduateResearch OpportunityProgramPoster Number 18

Celine LimHeat Transfer Enhancement of Phase ChangeMaterials for Thermal Energy Storage SystemsSelangor, Malaysiaresiding in Kansas City, MissouriSenate District 9House District 26MajorMechanical EngineeringFaculty MentorSarvenaz SobhansarbandiMentor’s DepartmentCivil and MechanicalEngineeringFunding SourceUMKC Search GrantPoster Number 22Solar water heaters (SWHs) are a well-establishedrenewable energy technology that has been widelyadopted around the world. The most importantcomponent of the SWHs is the solar collector thatabsorbs the solar radiation from the sun andtransfers it to some transfer medium such as water,which delivers the heat as hot water to a house orto a heat storage unit. Among different types ofsolar collectors, one example of an advanced andhighly effective type of solar collector is theEvacuated Tube solar Collectors (ETCs). In therecent work of Dr. Sobhansarbandi, my supervisorand director of UMKC Renewable Energy ResearchLaboratory, a novel method of integrating phasechange materials (PCMs) within the evacuated solartube collectors for solar water heaters (SWHs) hasbeen studied which show efficiency improvementof 26% for the normal operation and 66% for thestagnation mode, compared with standard solarwater heaters that lack phase change materials.Phase change materials are latent heat storagematerials. The thermal energy transfer occurs whenthe material changes from solid to liquid, or liquidto solid phase. By performing thermal analysis ofPCMs, we are able to monitor their phase changeprocess, as well as their thermophysical propertiesvariation. In order to overcome the shortcoming ofPCMs, we are planning to incorporate somematerials with high heat transfer capacity and highthermal conductivity in conjunction with PCMswhich can lead to a fast energy transfer to the PCMlayers.

Carrie MerrittMidwestern Climate Modelling and Analysis:An Examination of the Impact of Mitigation onFuture ClimateThis study is a continuation of Midwestern ClimateModelling and Analysis: An Examination ofClimate Patterns, Trends, and Sensitivities. The aimof the study is to examine what the change could beglobally, and in the Midwest, if humans made acollective effort through collaborations andagreements across countries to mitigate and reducefossil fuel emissions (and other major sources ofGHGs) by focusing on RCP4.5 temperaturechanges. This project will expand on the “businessas-usual” (RCP8.5) warming projectio

character of each president using the same character traits used for the content analysis: trustworthy, compassionate, just, humble, brave, patient, and generous for positive character traits and untrustworthy, indifferent, biased, arrogant, cowardly, short-tempered, and greedy for negative character traits.