Undergraduate Research Day Student Projects

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10657/2213

This collection gathers research posters presented at the UH Honors College's annual Undergraduate Research Day, beginning with the 2017 cohort of projects.

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Assessing the Vasculature Changes in Murine Fetal Brain Upon Alcohol Exposure
(2017-10-12) Nguyen, Jennifer; Raghunathan, Raksha; Wu, Chen; Singh, Manmohan; Liu, Chih-Hao
Fetal Alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) refers to a broad spectrum of abnormalities that arise due to prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). The severity of the abnormality depends on the amount of alcohol consumed and period of consumption during gestation. A large number of women continue to consume alcohol even during the second trimester of pregnancy, a critical period for fetal neurogenesis and angiogenesis. OCT is an optical analog of ultrasound. 3D non-invasive imaging technique with high spatial resolution. OCT has shown to be extremely useful in embryonic imaging. Speckle variance OCT (SVOCT), is a functional extension of OCT that has been used to study vasculature development in embryos. We use SVOCT, to detect vasculature changes in the embryonic brain in utero, minutes after maternal alcohol consumption. The results show that there is a decrease in fetal vessel diameter within the first 10 minutes and it persisted for 45 minutes after maternal alcohol consumption, indicating that ethanol is a possible vasoconstrictor on the fetal brain. This project was completed with contributions from Rajesh C. Miranda from the Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M Health Science Center.
The Impact of Discrimination in Relation to Suicide Ideation among 1st and 2nd Generation Asian American Individuals: The Moderating Role of Religiosity
(2017-10-12) Essa, Saman; Talavera, David; Hong, Judy
Available literature suggests that Asian Americans are more likely to develop suicidal thoughts compared to White/European Americans (Kisch, Leino, Silverman, 2005). Additionally, existing research indicates that suicide ideation manifests differentially based on self-reported measure of religiosity (Koenig, McCullough, Larson, 2001). Studies demonstrate a clear link between discrimination and suicide ideation across racial/ethnic minorities (Gomez, Miranda, Polanco, 2011). This study examined how the association between discrimination and suicide ideation differed as a function of religiosity for multi-generational Asian Americans. The data showed that as discrimination increased, those with lower levels of religiosity experienced higher levels of suicidal ideation. These findings are in line with previous research showing discrimination being directly and indirectly associated with suicide ideation (Walker, Salami, Carter, & Flowers, 2014) among ethno-racial minority populations.
Anxiety Sensitivity and Sleep Problems among Homeless Adults
(2017-10-12) Bhavsar, Shaili; Okamoto, Hiroe; Kendzor, Darla E.; Zvolensky, Michael J.
Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a transdiagnostic individual difference factor, reflecting amplified fear about the negative consequences of anxiety-related autonomic arousal. AS has been linked to sleep problems and serious mental/physical health conditions in the domiciled population. No previous research has examined how AS affects sleep among homeless adults who are vulnerable to health disparities and living in harsh environments that may, by their nature, compromise sleep integrity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between AS and sleep-related problems among homeless adults. AS was significantly associated with more days of inadequate sleep (p < 0.001), fewer hours of sleep per day (p < 0.01), unintentionally falling asleep (p ≤ 0.01) in this convenience sample of predominately male homeless adults. See Tables 1 and 2. Results suggest that AS may be a risk factor conferring additional vulnerability to sleep- related problems among homeless adults. This project was completed with contributions from Michael S. Businelle from the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Real-time Monitoring in Drilling: Current Practice and Data Analysis
(2017-10-12) Zhao, Zhizhong
Viking Royal Power in Tenth Century Denmark
(2017-10-12) Evans, Brian
The 10th century Danish constructs are clearly implementations of royal power and so, if carefully examined, can give us insight into the development of royal power in Viking Denmark. Key findings: The five ring fortresses reveal a focus on controlling and protecting trade and transportation routes. As well as possibly the intent to collect tolls and taxes. The erection of the Jelling Stone in 965 is a declaration of the ideals of the Danish royalty. It suggests a desire to elevate dynastic rule, to gain tributes from others and most importantly it shows an embracing of sacral kingship. The improvements to the Danevirke and Hedeby cast the town as highly valuable to both Germans and Danes and supports the theory that Denmark in the 10th century relied on long range trade through the Viking trade network in the East. It suggests controlling trade was a high priority for Viking royal power in Denmark.
Oyster Restoration in Galveston Bay: Can citizen scientists help monitor spat recruitment?
(2017-10-12) Miller, Erin A.
Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) provide many services for Galveston Bay, Texas (Fig 1.) but have been in decline; there are currently efforts being made to restore historic sites of oyster reefs. Citizen science projects use individual volunteers in the public, working with professional scientists, to collect large amounts of data and has a lower associated cost. This study is one of the first to examine the feasibility of a citizen scientist project that could quantify long term larval recruitment for oysters within Galveston Bay and the importance of recruitment for reef structure. Discussion. The highest density was observed on one of the oldest reefs however, the highest recruitment was observed on one of the newer reefs. Spat observed on trays on reef one were also the largest which could correlate to survivorship; more research is needed. Similar sizes of spat were recorded between trays and racks for the same time period indicating successful recording of spat recruitment of similar growth rates. More research is necessary to draw appropriate conclusions.
What's In Your Soil: Investigation of Pathogenic CDI in Soil
(2017-10-12) Al Ameri, May; McPherson, Jacob; Lancaster, Chris; Alam, Jahangair
Clostridium deficile (CD) is anaerobic bacteria that consider as a normal intestinal micro flora. It is the primary cause of nosocomial diarrhea in industrialized countries. We herein hypothesized that fecal contamination in the soil results in a higher percentage of toxigenic strains of CD in topsoil and in areas with a large amount of animal fecal matter. Based on prior studies on survival rates of other microorganisms, we hypothesize that around 50% of the topsoil samples and only 20% of the subsoil samples will contain toxigenic strains of CDI.
Auto Isolation: The Reshaping of Infrastructure, Society, and Space with Autonomous Cars
(2017-10-12) Thomson, Megan
The car was a vital part of American society and identity. Traditionally, driving one signified one’s right of passage and allowed the user freedom and status. Cities have evolved around automobiles with freeways and parking lots dictating the spaces of human participation. According to theorist Jane Jacobs, this independence produced a detrimental result: social isolation. The development of autonomous vehicles presents a potential remedy to this problem via the decrease in spatial needs of cars. Autonomous vehicles liberate space to find new purpose devoted to people and public life. By examining various examples of human and car occupied urban space in Houston on multiple levels, along with the time and productivity lost in commutes, the impact of autonomous vehicles on the future development of cities may be seen. The autonomous vehicle disrupts the current norm of city growth, allowing people to rethink the future development of space in American cities. When the need for location based use as well as ownership is no longer required, car storage and maintenance can become centralized, freeing up valuable space for the occupation of humans. The application of this research proposes a design solution that addresses the liberated space in the city of Houston.
Integral Transforms, Anomalous Diffusion, and the Central Limit Theorem
(2017-10-12) Pandya, Nikhil N.; Williams, Cameron L.; Bodmann, Bernhard G.; Yao, Jie
We present new connections among anomalous diffusion (AD), normal diffusion (ND) and the Central Limit Theorem (CLT). This is done by defining new canonical Cartesian-like position and Cartesian-like momentum variables and canonically quantizing these according to Dirac to define generalized negative semi-definite and selfadjoint Laplacian operators. These lead to new generalized Fourier transformations (GFT) and associated generalized probability distributions, which are form invariant under the corresponding transform. The new Laplacians also lead us to postulate generalized diffusion equations (GDE), which imply a connection to the CLT. We show that the derived diffusion equations have the O’Shaughnessy-Procaccia equations (OPE) as a special case. We also show that AD in the original, physical position is actually ND when viewed in terms of displacements in an appropriately transformed position variable. These tools allow us to prove the CLT for this class of diffusion equations.
Gas Analysis using Auroral Spectroscopy
(2017-10-12) Medellin, Michel; Thomas, George
The Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Project (USIP) at the University of Houston is sending an Auroral Spectroscopy team to Alaska in March 2017. The team has designed a balloon-borne payload that contains a spectroscope connected to a Newtonian telescope to analyze the light gathered from the aurora. The light gathered will be lead through a set of 1 inch lenses towards a 1200 grooves/mm grating. The grating will separate the light into its visible components at a specific angle towards the Sony Alpha A6000. Once the pictures are retrieved from the camera, they will be analyzed through MATLAB. Using the Boltzmann factor and the Saha equation, the team will analyze the gathered spectral line data to determine the temperature of excited gasses.
Two-Phase Instabilities in a Microchannel Heat Sink
(2017-10-12) Sun, Tiehao
Flowing boiling in microchannels has attacked significant attention as a potential technology for high heat flux dissipation. Its main advantage is the possibility of achieving high heat transfer coefficients using low coolant flow rates. However, the main disadvantage are two-phase flow instabilities and back flow reversals. These instabilities with characteristic pressure drop and flow rate oscillation are undesirable, which is the main idea of our research. Predictions of the boiling heat transfer coefficient in the selected from correlation models are followed by both subcooled and saturated boiling regimes. In particular, the results from the proposed model are elaborated, and the validity of the model for predicting the saturated boiling heat transfer coefficient is assessed by comparison against the experimental data.
Tobacco Dependence Education for Staff and Clinicians at Behavioral Health Centers: Knowledge Gained and Lessons Learned by Delivery Modality
(2017-10-12) Buoy, Sheila; Okamoto, Hiroe; O'Connor, Daniel P.; Wilson, William; Correa-Fernández, Virmarie
Smoking is the top preventable cause of death and disability in the U.S. About 14% of adults in Texas currently smoke, but the prevalence of smoking among behavioral health clientele ranges between 40-75%. The Taking Texas Tobacco Free (TTTF) program assists behavioral health clinics across Texas in the adoption of a multi-component program including education on tobacco dependence to all non- clinical staff and clinicians. This study contrasts two modalities for education delivery used in TTTF - face-to-face on-site education vs live webinar-based education via Zoom online video – with regard to knowledge gained by attendees and pros and cons of each.
Measuring the Impact of Utilizing Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in the Classroom on Student Success in a First-Year Engineering Course
(2017-10-12) Dorali, Poria
As of the Summer 2016 onwards, all “Computing and Problem Solving for Engineers” courses were consolidated into one ENGI 1331 course. One difference between these versions was the use of multiple undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) in a single classroom, a model that has been successful in the past (Brent, Maners, Raubenheimer, Craig 2007 & Phillip, Tretter, Rich 2016, Boeding & Vattano 1976). Students were matched to UTA groups based on the following two factors in order of importance: The major of the student /UTA. The gender of the student/UTA. There was a statistically significant increase in a student’s perception of UTAs helpfulness and availability in the consolidated ENGI 1331 version of the course. A statistically significant increase is present in a student’s perception of their UTA’s caring when the student is of different gender than their UTA. This is due to the male student population. There was no statistical significant results when it came to major-matched and non major-matched students when it came to UTA impact or achievement. Gender matching did not effect achievement of students.
Response of Astrocytes to Pressure
(2017-10-12) Singh, Devanshi; Shah, Vrutant; Ulrich, Christina H.
Astrocytes are the most abundant cell type in mammalian brain; however their function in the response to brain injury are poorly understood. Reactive astrocytes mediate the response to neural injury in two waves; initially they eliminate damaged neurons and alert the immune system to the injury. Following this, astrocytes begin the formation of the glial scar. To study the role of astrocytes, we observe changes in gene expression, physiological changes, and behavioral changes in Xenopus laevis tadpoles after brain injury occurs. There was no difference in death rates between the pressure and the control groups. The behavior analysis between the control group and the brain injury (pressure) group shows an alteration in behavior pattern as early as 48 hours. However, these differences minimizes with longer hours of recovery. The exact role and mechanism of astrocyte to reactive astrocyte remains unclear in Xenopus laevis. Further study will be designed using a transgenic line where response to an injury can be monitored “live” with a particular astrocyte marker.
The Heart of the Home: Television, shared experiences and space
(2017-10-12) Bautista-Aguilera, Mayen
For previous generations, television has been an integral part of human life during the modern period. Shared experiences driven by television were there from first memories of watching Saturday morning cartoons to the Super Bowl. As new technologies fragment and take away the essence of what television once was in our homes, what will be the new heart of our homes? The unrealized impact of this technology on American society is currently underappreciated, unless one lived through its heyday during the 1950’s and 1960’s. This research looks at the history of television, the different broadcasting systems and networks, and how the physical components of television have evolved since the 1900’s to the present day. Over time television technology has grown exponentially not only in the United States but across the World. Television became an information provider and after its invention it became a gateway into places people had never seen before. It also became a cyclical framework in people’s lives and it created social norms that heavily influenced the standards of beauty and fashion.
Genetic Variation in Host Tolerance of an Invading Transposon in Drosophila melanogaster
(2017-10-12) Ahern, Elizabeth; Akoma, Uche; Chen, Vivian; Hubbard, Donald; Jaweria Jaweria; Mathur, Sushreyta; Ortega, Lily; Tasnim, Sadia; Tang, Wenpei; Srivastav, Satyam
Transposable Elements (TEs) are both important drivers of genome evolution and genetic parasites with potentially dramatic consequences for host fitness, including insertional inactivation of functional sequences and genomic instability (Reviewed in Hedges and Deininger 2007). Although host genomes minimize these deleterious eff¬ects by regulating the activity of resident TEs, they are often invaded by new TE families, which they are unable to control (Reviewed in Wallau et al. 2012). We are taking advantage of the historical invasion of the Drosophila melanogaster genome by P-elements (Reviewed in Engels 2003), a family of autonomous DNA transposons, to understand the impact that invading TEs have on their hosts, and the mechanisms through which TE regulation evolves. Using a panel of recombinant inbred lines (RILs), which were generated from naïve genotypes isolated from nature before P-element invasion (King et al. 2012), we have identified genetic variants that allow for tolerance or control of P-element activity. Such variants could have been beneficial after P-elements invaded D. melanogaster genomes ~1950, thereby contributing to the evolution of tolerance of the transposable element by its host.
Fractal Behavior of Smart Materials
(2017-10-12) Solheim, Hannah; Stanisauskis, Eugenia
Active structures allow for real time control of a structure’s shape, stiffness, and damping. Accurately characterizing the mechanical response of smart materials enhances their implementation into active structures. Research was conducted to determine whether the fractional order of a material corresponds to measurable physical properties for a more accurate model. There is a potential relationship between a material’s mechanical properties and its fractal structure. Implementing fractal order mathematics to model these materials could be useful in consideration of sensors, structures, and product development in the fields such as impact absorption and water filtration. This project was completed with contributions from William Oates, Paul Miles, and Wei Gao from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Florida State University.
Corrosion in Produced Water Desalination and Treatment Facilities
(2017-10-12) Furrh, Jacob; Kiaghadi, Amin
Circle of Willis: Accessing the Possibility of Ruptured Aneurysm
(2017-10-12) Bui, Vinh
Increasing Student Retention in the Course of Data Structure Through the Implementation of Data Mining
(2017-10-12) Tian, Yilei
With its strong commitment in supporting students to complete a high quality education within four years, this research wishes to extend this commitment and shed light on improving students' performances in class. In doing so, it is going to use the data collected from the course "Data Structure" to examine students' sense of their own achievement, in order to better understand their learning outcomes. It aims to propose a framework to predict individual's class performance, so instructors can take early actions and provide students with the help needed to succeed. This research shows that despite the exam difficulties, students have a general idea how well they will perform on the exam. This means the likelihood for un-prepared students to have good fortune and receive exceptionally good grades is extremely low. Thus, low self-assessment responses give out the first signs of dropping and failing, and students should trust their intuitions and hold themselves responsible for seeking help. On the other hand, students with high self-assessment responses and an accurate sense of how well they will perform, tend to have stable performance over time.

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