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Impact of Cannabidol (CBD) on Daphnia magna Heart Rate
Get PDFIn 2023, Ohio legalized recreational cannabis use for adults over 21; however, research on the physiological effectsof cannabis-derived compounds, particularly cannabidiol (CBD), remains limited due to i ts narcotics classification.While CBD is known to antagonize Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CB1), a receptor found in the cardiac tissue of a numberof organisms, the effects on cardiac activity are not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the impact ofCBD on heart rate in Daphnia magna. The hypothesis posited that CBD would increase heart rate in Daphnia byantagonizing CB1 receptors or equivalent G-protein-coupled receptors. The subjects were exposed to threetreatments: control (dechlorinated water), 2% ethanol, and a 0.6 mM CBD solution in 2% ethanol. Results showed nosignificant difference between the control and ethanol groups, but the CBD group exhibited a significant decrease inheart rate compared to the control. These findings suggest a complex interaction between CBD , ethanol, and thecardiac system in Daphnia magna, warranting further investigation in order to establish Daphnia magna as a modelorganism for the study of CBD effects
Zips Baja ZB25 Frame
Get PDFThis report outlines the design and validation of a new frame for the University of Akron Zips Baja team’s 2025 competition vehicle. This project represents the first comprehensive redesign of the frame in over a decade, addressing critical issues such as weight and manufacturability identified in previous designs. Utilizing SolidWorks for 3D modeling and Ansys for static simulations, the frame was iteratively improved to ensure structural integrity and compliance with SAE competition rules. The final design achieved a weight reduction of approximately 10 pounds compared to the previous frame while maintaining required safety factors in frontal, rear, rollover, and torsional impact scenarios. The design also leveraged the high strength-to-weight ratio of 4130 Chromoly steel, utilizing the team’s existing stockpile to optimize costs. The comprehensive documentation and analysis provided in this report supports the manufacturing and competitive success of the Zips Baja team
Importance of Wrap-Around Services in Primary Schools
Get PDFOur project will include an explanation of wrap-around services available for primary students and their families. We will start by explaining what a wrap-around service is and why they are important. We will do this through a secondary literature review including grouping services into the tiers in Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In three sections, we will focus on aspects of Maslow’s hierarchy and how the wrap-around services relate to those needs. The tiers include physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Physiological needs include food, water, and shelter. Safety makes sure that individuals can focus on their health, family, and stability. Love and belonging involve a sense of community such as joining organizations or creating friendships. Self-esteem includes developing individuality, respect for others, and confidence. Lastly, self-actualization is the need to fulfill one’s potential. All five of these tiers allow one to connect with themselves and the world around them, which is important for students to grow as individuals. After going into detail on each component of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we will conclude our paper with a reiteration of the order of these needs and how they impact children’s schooling and academic success
Assessing the Effectiveness of Natural Wood Treatments Against Eastern Subterranean Termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) Damage: A Comparative Study
Get PDFThis research is to discover alternative natural chemical cues to the use of borates to deter Eastern Subterranean Termites (R. flavipes) that remain in place in areas of high moisture content. Common sources of food for Eastern Subterranean Termites include materials that are high in cellulose content. As one of these sources, wood, is an abundantly used material in society such as in home construction, research into potential methods to make this material less susceptible to termite predation is an area of public interest. The current method of deterrence is pressure treatment of wood with Borates as they disrupt the metabolic function of the termite’s symbiotes and prevent them from processing cellulose; When effective, this may cause a colony to die off from starvation. The caveat to this system however is that borates are highly water-soluble and will wash away when in contact with moisture making outdoor and foundational structures particularly susceptible, and poses serious structural safety concerns should an infestation take place. In this experiment, several samples of the same general type of wood will be treated with various other potential methods of deterrence, and compared as to how each treatment affected the amount of consumption by the termites
From Fixed to Growth: How a Mindset Transforms Student Learning
Get PDFPlacing labels onto young learners, such as “smart” and “gifted,” impacts their brain growth and mental health tremendously; rarely in a positive manner. This way of thinking, formed by separating students into “accelerated” and “normal” categories, can instill what is known as a fixed mindset of learning. Believing that there is no room to grow, or being afraid to make mistakes, largely due to the impact of these labels, learners quickly become less likely to attempt more challenging tasks; as well as persevere through difficult obstacles. Through extensive research within the Akron-Summit County Public Library, The University of Akron’s Bierce Library, the Akron ZipSearch Engine, as well as Google Scholar, attaining reliable, valid, and scholarly journals, readings, and articles. the true extent which mindsets hold on learning outcomes will be determined. When educators, parents, and students all work to highlight learning and education in a positive manner, become accepting of mistakes, learn to persevere through challenging tasks, and grow to understand that disequilibrium leads to true wisdom and brain development, will children be far more successful in promoting their learning, motivation, and self-esteem? Analyzing this research, accounting for studies regarding the correlation of these mindsets in relation to student achievement, participation in high level courses, as well as drop-out rates; this review details the impact which thinking has on student learning. Along with this, an analysis of specific instructional strategies and methodologies which promote a growth mindset within my paper will enlighten both current and future educators on the true power of mindsets of learning, instilling beliefs of positivity, enthusiasm, acceptance, and growth; as well as implanting critical techniques for educators to continue to pass this knowledge on to every generation. To conduct and complete my literature review, the 8-step process as described by Borg, Borg, and Gall (2006) will be utilized
Threading the Needle in Extreme Partisan Gerrymandering Cases
Get PDFRecent Supreme Court jurisprudence paints a grim picture for future reform to address extreme partisan gerrymandering. The decisions in Rucho v. Common Cause and Moore v. Harper appear to foreclose progress at both the federal and state level. Reformers must neither create unmanageable legal standards for adjudication in federal litigation, nor ask state courts to transgress ordinary bounds of judicial review when interpreting state laws that might address gerrymandering. But there remains a path forward that focuses on clear and detailed state constitutional mandates to curb gerrymandering practices. Beneath their rhetoric, these decisions support clear legal rules over broader democratic principles or flexible constitutional standards. They provide space for state courts to interpret state laws that limit the worst gerrymandering behaviors of state legislators. And they also imply that the current Justices are motivated to create avenues for gerrymandering reform. Opponents of extreme partisan gerrymandering can thread the needle between Rucho’s rule-based rhetoric and Moore’s manageability masquerade
Artificial Intelligence Models May Not Have Owners
Get PDFWhile new artificial intelligence models see unprecedented investment, serious questions exist about the ownership of the models themselves under existing intellectual property structures. AI models, as compilations of information created largely autonomously by algorithms from sets of training data, may not be suited for the subject matter and inventorship/authorship requirements of traditional patent and copyright protection. The literature assumes that trade secrecy will protect AI models, which are largely kept secret on remote servers away from direct inspection by users, but model extraction attack methods known since 2016 are effective in copying any AI model that can be queried. This potential for copying compromises the viability of trade secrecy as an intellectual property framework for AI models. Model extraction attacks can also extract substantial amounts of training data that the model memorizes during its training period, potentially also compromising the trade secrecy of any proprietary training data. With protection for AI models by other avenues-patent and copyright-also in doubt, it is possible that AI models are not protectable or owned under current law
Zebrafish electroretinogram responses
Get PDFThe goal of this project is to be able to streamline a protocol for conducting ERGs on zebrafish from mice ERG protocol already present in Dr. Renna’s lab. The objective is to create a protocol specifically for zebrafish and to eliminate any issues that occur when transiting from a mice ERG protocol to a zebrafish ERG protocol and to obtain a light response from zebrafish retinae in differing light intensities. Dr. Renna’s lab has designed an Ex Vivo ERG system with less electrical interference creating defined electrical responses from mouse retina. The setup allows for continual perfusion of the retinal tissue with chemical blockers to isolate specific components of the light response. The ERG is a commonly used method to investigate the visual system in both clinical and scientific settings to study the neurotransmission of the retina. Zebrafish are quickly becoming a good model organism for studying the visual system due to their utilization of cone dominated vision and their similar spectral sensitives to humans. I will test the hypothesis that an Ex Vivo ERG can be conducted on zebrafish retinae, a light response can be obtained, and a concise protocol can be created for zebrafish ERGs
Comprehensive Network Redundancy Implementation and Cybersecurity Hardening Project: Ensuring Resilience and Defending Against DHCP Starvation, STP Man-in-the-Middle, and Brute Force Attacks
Get PDFI have created a network topology that contains three Cisco routers, three Cisco switches, and three endpoints. The network has been built using the software GNS-3. The endpoints on the topology include one VPC, one Kali Linux VM, and one Ubuntu Server VM. The main purpose of this network topology is to show the skills I have learned during my tenure at The University of Akron. This will be done by hardening this network to ensure that the network is impervious to cyber-attacks. The Kali Linux VM will act as the attacker on the network and conduct three attacks: STP man-in-the-middle, DHCP starvation, and a brute force attack against an SSH connection. The Ubuntu Server VM is configured as a Web Server hosting a website created by me called “SportsBallStore.” SSH is configured and secured on the Ubuntu server as well. To obtain the Cisco router and switch images, the Cisco Modeling Labs – Personal license was purchased by me. The routers have been configured with hostnames, encrypted passwords, static IP addresses, OSPF, and DHCP. The three switches have been configured with hostnames, encrypted passwords, static IP addresses, and STP. These protocols have been properly configured and secured on each device. This report will discuss the background, problems, processes, and results of this topology, its configurations, and the attacks in detail
Propulsion Heat Analysis Nuclear Trajectory Optimization (PHANTOM)
Get PDFInterplanetary Travel requirements necessitate the use of increasingly complex propulsion systems. Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) is a cutting-edge concept that holds immense potential for the future of space exploration. By utilizing nuclear fission to heat a propellant and generate thrust, NTP offers the potential for unprecedented efficiency, enabling faster interplanetary travel and extended mission capabilities. A nuclear thermal rocket engine is a type of propulsion system that utilizes the heat generated by a nuclear reactor to heat and expel a propellant, typically hydrogen, at high velocities to produce thrust. The engine consists of three main subsystems: the nuclear reactor, the propellant flow system, and the nozzle.
Testing remains the gold standard of system verification. However, the complexity, cost, and risk associated with NTP testing, both on ground and in space, create the need for improved modeling of NTP systems. This project will focus on the development of a thermal hydraulic model created in MATLAB to analyze NTP system performance characteristics, the use of orbital mechanics software for the evaluation of Venusian flight trajectories utilizing NTP, and the use of CAD modelling software to demonstrate the integration of NTP system components