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From the Vault: Furman\u27s Diamond F Logo Turns 50
Get PDFThe most recognized icon of the Furman brand took shape in a student\u27s sketch pad
Development of a 3D Printed Inverted Electrochemical Cell with a Hydrogel to Monitor and Improve Long-Term Stability of Nucleic Acid-Based Sensors
No full textIn vivo biosensing plays an important role in diagnostic medicine for real time monitoring, to better tailor treatments to individuals. The aim of this research is to develop a nucleic acid-based sensor, designed to detect molecular substances with extreme accuracy over prolonged periods of time, in vivo. Varieties of 3D printed inverted electrochemical cells, with and without a lid, were designed using Fusion 360. These cells were tested in a phosphate buffer solution, and results were analyzed with cyclic and square wave voltammograms, to detect solution loss and nucleic acid degradation. These results indicated that the degradation of the biosensors occurs at a rate unsuitable for molecular monitoring, so the addition of a hydrogel was implemented. Then, three different hydrogels, alginate, cysteine, and polyethylene glycol dimethyl acrylate mercaptohexanol doped alginate (PEG), were tested and it was concluded that alginate is to be used for future experiments, due to its success in preventing nucleic acid degradation (36% loss after 24 hours) in comparison to PEG (66% loss after 24 hours). To summarize, 3D printed electrochemical cells with lids retained the phosphate buffer solution for prolonged periods of time, allowing for continuous scans up to 48 hours. Alginate hydrogels were implemented and prevented significant nucleic acid degradation. Lastly, cysteine and PEG hydrogels were ineffective in retaining nucleic acids after electrochemical testing. These results can aid in the creation of a stable biosensor, that can be worn in vivo, and that monitors diseases that use nucleic acids as a biomarker
Correlations Between Parent and Child Confidence
No full textConfidence is the positive viewing of oneself and one’s abilities in a given situation. Someone who is confident can approach another person with fewer reservations or fear of rejection than someone who is not confident. This study’s definition of confidence is operationalized from the level of self-esteem one has, and one’s socially depicted self-image. This study believes that if the reports of the parents about their behavior are not congruent with the reports of the children about their parents’ behaviors, the child will be less confident in their daily life due to the parent and/or the child’s inability to accurately interpret the behaviors in the household. SC Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics students and their parents were given six different surveys, each collecting data for a specific facet of confidence. The surveys were as follows: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), Social Connectedness Scale Revised (SCS-R), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Cornell Parent Behavior Inventory (CPBI), Adolescents’ Interpretation and Belief Questionnaire (AIBQ), Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). The researchers believe the data will show that if a student perceives their parent’s behaviors to be too supportive or not supportive enough, the child’s data will suggest a low level of confidence. Furthermore, if the parent’s data suggests a low level of confidence, the child’s data will also suggest a low level of confidence
The Electoral College: Biased Explanations & Student Views
No full textThe issue of bias in the American news media and educational systems has been the topic of continuous heated debate in the United States. Biased information, particularly within educational materials, has been shown to negatively impact the audience\u27s ability to fully comprehend political and cultural issues. This bias can promulgate in various ways, including through biased diction or the omission of important information. This bias can mislead young people (of high school age) about a multitude of topics, though this study focuses specifically on the Electoral College. To evaluate the effect that biased information has on a student’s opinion and understanding of the system, the research question presented is, “To what extent does the presence of partisan bias in information about the Electoral College impact the political cognition and understanding of the Electoral College among high school students?” To accurately test this question, participants (students of Chapin High School) are asked to indicate their opinion, perceived understanding, and confidence in the opinion provided regarding the use of the Electoral College. After reading either a supportive, opposing, or neutral explanation, the questions are repeated and participants discuss their opinions in small groups. It is hypothesized that participants exposed to partisan bias in their assigned explanations of the Electoral College will be more likely to change their opinions to better align with the bias of the explanation (in their treatment). Specifically, it is expected that the opposition bias is the most effective due to the nature of the arguments asserted
Object Detection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
No full textThe rise in computer-vision-related tasks in recent years calls for further development and research in object detection and its various applications across different fields of study. Object Detection typically refers to three primary tasks: detection, localization, and classification. This study focuses on training the YOLOv7 object detection model to detect objects along railways for railway maintenance using drones. For the study, the website “Roboflow” was used to gather and annotate 700 images of objects scattered along railways for the dataset. After implementing the YOLOv7 commands in the terminal, the algorithm splits the data into three folders for training, validation, and testing. After 28 hours of training, the results indicated that the algorithm was efficient in detecting, localizing, and classifying the objects. One issue with the results is with the validation objectness data, in which the inaccuracy rate increases as the number of epochs increases. In consequence, the algorithm struggled to box in the object in the validation dataset accurately. One cause could be the size of the dataset; with more training, the validation objectness inaccuracy rate should go down. Overall, the results indicate a successful training of the algorithm. In the future, new datasets can be trained by researchers or engineers for other applications relating to environmental conservation or security surveillance
The Effect of Different Basketball Floorings on the Friction Produced on an Aerobic Shoe
No full textWith basketball season approaching the need for knowledge on courts is necessary. The purpose of this research was to see which type of court, polymer tiles, concrete, and traditional hardwood flooring would have the greater traction. It was hypothesized that concrete would have the most friction produced because of the rough texture, allowing for greater friction on the object it touches. The shoe was brand new for more accurate results and was placed on each flooring with a weight inside of it and the results were recorded
Analyzing Phytoremediation as an Oil Spill Contamination Response Within Coastal Wetlands
No full textOil spills pose a significant risk to biodiversity within various marine environments as petroleum molecules are high in toxicity and therefore poisonous towards organisms that ingest them. As estimated by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Deep Horizon Catastrophe likely harmed or killed about 82,000 birds of 102 species; about 6,165 sea turtles; as many as 25,900 marine mammals (Center for Biological Diversity, 2011). Traditionally, the response to oil spills is the utilization of chemical dispersants. However, these dispersants have been proven to pose long-term environmental harm to the ecosystems in which they are spread. Because of this harmful dispersion of chemical agents, the search for a sustainable response to oil spills is as imperative as ever. Because Phytoremediation methods are known to combat against toxicity, this environmentally friendly treatment option displays promise in mediating the negative effects of oil spills. The goal of this experiment is to test the extent to which phytoremediation, the use of plants to remediate contaminated environments, is effective in cleaning coastal wetlands contaminated by oil. In order to do this, three different hydrophytes that displayed promising characteristics for phytoremediation were tested in an oil-water solution along with a control group with no remedial agent. After 9 days, the amount of oil left in each solution was tested and compared to determine whether there is statistical significance between the control group and experimental groups