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Designing a Digital Data Storage System for Pleurotus ostreatus
No full textSubstrates of Pleurotus ostreatus exhibit the necessary characteristics to encapsulate boolean logic gates, following principles of cellular automata. Boolean operations mined from the colony are stochastic, but some one-gate operations are more common. No attempt has been made to relay sets of gate-presenting substrates to engineer more complex logic gates. As fungal computers not only offer an alternative to silicon-based computers as an environmentally sustainable option but are seeing purpose in fields varying from residential construction to clothing manufacturing, research set to further applicability of fungal components will expand this nascent technology. The application of mycelium composites as atmospheric sensors has been posited, but integration with a stable memory system would need to be developed separately. This research sees to instilling a digital data storage system in the shape of a logical D flip-flop into a fungal colony of P. ostreatus. The prototype shows a working set of logic gates integrated to fungal colonies. Also shown is the substrate’s capability to store digital information independent of a silicon-based computer. The findings stated here impress on the practical application of mycelium composites in place of conventional computers for data automation or other instances where complex logic gates are applicable
Effect of Playing Soccer on Level of Visual Attention in High Schoolers
No full textSoccer is a great example of a sport that requires a high performing set of cognitive processes. Though it may vary depending on position, each player must be acutely aware of many players on the opposition and friendly sides at once, as well as the ball. This is why soccer players and players of other similarly interactive sports have been found to score higher on executive function tests. However, these tests, especially those for visual attention, are not standardized at all. Indeed there seems to be countless ways in which to test for visual attention, many of which are not considered very objective. The aim of this study was to optimize the involuntary OKN response as a means to objectively compare visual attention between a group of high school soccer players and a control group that did not play a team sport, meaning one that involves interacting with more than one other person during the sport. Ten participants for each group were recruited and viewed three different speeds of an OKN square grating at 60, 90, and 120°/sec. It was hypothesized that the soccer playing group would have a significantly greater OKN frequency and therefore visual attention than the control group. Each participant was instructed to “follow the lines across the screen” and did so three times for each of the three speeds. Each trial lasted for 15 seconds. After all recordings were collected, each trial was cut into a 10 second section and the completed OKN eye movements of each were then manually counted and the data was analyzed. The null hypothesis that the soccer playing group did not have a significantly higher OKN frequency was not able to be rejected for the 60°/sec and 90°/sec speeds, but was rejected for the 120°/sec speed. This study supports findings that soccer players have significantly greater visual attention than people who do not play team sports
Degration of Different Track Spikes on a Polyurethane Track Surface
No full textSports provide many opportunities for research as athletes strive to attain newer, more challenging goals. Track spikes have evolved over the years in many shapes, sizes, and materials in order to increase performance and achieve faster times. While many studies have tracked the energy return of different spikes, the goal of this study was to identify which of the most commonly used track spike designs (pyramid, needle, and christmas tree) were most effective in reducing damage and breakdown. The manufactured track spike length is 1⁄4 inches. Degradation of the spikes was tested by weighing the spikes then running on the spikes for 200 meters and weighing the spikes again. All tests were run on the same polyurethane track to ensure accurate results. The data collected from the results was compared by finding percent change as the different types of spikes had various weights. This use of percent change allowed data to be compared to find the spike with the least amount of degradation. This study showed that the needle spike degraded the most followed by the pyramid and then a distant third and the most durable christmas tree spike. The results of a one-way ANOVA test indicated no significance in the results, F(0.05) = 2.407, p = 3.15. As a result, it was concluded that there was no significant difference between the degradation of each track spike
The Effect of Lemna minor and Azolla ssp. on the Phytoremediation of Simulated Biomedical Waste
No full textDespite the fact that there has been much research conducted on removing various contaminants from bodies of water, there has been a significant increase in, specifically, biomedical waste contamination that current methods of decontamination are not sufficient enough for. These wastes, containing traces of blood, are typically disposed of by hospitals, which can pose many health risks to the environment if it were to contaminate water sources. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of two aquatic plants, Lemna minor and Azolla caroliniana, on the removal of simulated blood. It was hypothesized that if Lemna minor and Azolla caroliniana were placed in a solution of albumin, glucose, and Lactated Ringer\u27s solution for a period of two weeks, then Lemna minor would result in a lower absorbance reading on a spectrophotometer at the conclusion of the study because Lemna minor has been proven to have great potential to remove contaminants. Approximately 10 grams of each plant was exposed to the simulated blood for two weeks; concentrations of each of the following substances were measured three times during the duration of the experiment. The results of the MANOVA tests suggest that there was a significant change in the concentration of these three substances that were used to simulate blood from biomedical waste (p \u3c .001). Thus, it was concluded that there is sufficient evidence to suggest there is a difference in the removal of albumin, glucose, and Lactated Ringer’s solution when phytoremediation by Lemna minor and Azolla caroliniana plants
Collective Psychological Ownership Affecting High Schoolers\u27 Acceptance of Outsiders
No full textCollective psychological ownership (CPO) refers to people perceiving a place as belonging to their group. Existing research on CPO focuses on these feelings nationally but has recently narrowed down to smaller territories such as workplaces, neighborhoods, and parks. Previous literature also finds that children can experience the same understanding of territory as adults, but research on adolescents and CPO is lacking. The current study aims to investigate a construct aligned previously with CPO (exclusion of outsiders) in a new setting (high school) among an understudied group – adolescents ages 14-19 (N = 100). Additional constructs added include exclusive determination rights, group threat, and perceived acceptance. Participants in the survey were split into two groups, students who have lived in a town or the associated schooling system their whole lives and students who moved at some point. A follow-up survey was sent to the students who indicated they were willing to participate asking them if they had completed any of the outsider acceptance actions that they had previously stated they would do in Study 1. Statistical analyses using a chi-square test revealed significant differences in CPO scores among individuals who had moved to the town at some point versus others who had lived there their entire lives. The additional constructs revealed a consistency with previous research and responses regarding perceived acceptance by the people who had moved there revealed a discrepancy between the native students\u27 willingness to accept a new student versus how accepting they are
