Ithaca College

Tozlowski, Kate

Iceman, Emma

Never Have I Ever Been Called a Hero
Whalen Symposium Abstract
By Kate Tozlowski and Emma Iceman
This piece was created to explore what it means to be a hero in a piece of scripted media
and to analyze what makes the main character of the Netflix show Never Have I Ever, Devi, the
main character and how do we know this. In addition, this piece highlights how the pilot episode
uses a lot of social commentary by commenting on issues like casual racism, internalized racism,
and immigrants struggling with identity. This show was chosen to be analyzed since it’s unique
in the sense that it blends comedy with serious issues and comments on racial stereotypes and
issues immigrants face. Never Have I Ever has been praised for breaking South Asian
stereotypes and it does an incredible job of staging an interesting coming-of-age story for a
young Indian girl.
The pilot script was used to understand the episode more, co-written by Mindy Kaling,
the creator of this series. Kaling created this series based around her own childhood experiences,
which provides a realistic view of the societal issues in the series. The book, Heroes and Villains
by Michael Alsford was used as the basis for this analysis. In this book, Alsford describes what
kinds of characteristics make a hero and what kinds of characteristics make a villain and how an
audience member can distinguish the two. Alsford explains how a typical hero is presented in the
media, and that most heroes have a sense of “otherness”. This means that while a hero is part of
the world, they also seem to stand outside of the world. Alsford’s closer analysis of heroes makes
it easy to understand that a hero of a story isn’t always going to be just like Superman. In the
pilot episode of Never Have I Ever, Devi is the hero because despite all her flaws, she is
immersed in a world she feels separated from. Devi doesn’t always make good decisions, which
makes her an unlikely hero. She feels isolated from everyone because of her Indian heritage and
the strange and horrible things that have happened to her. She doesn’t have any special powers
and isn’t trying to save the world like Superman either- she is simply trying to save herself by
solving the internal conflicts that come with the journey of growing up.
The essay will be presented to the audience in the form of an oral presentation with a
slideshow. One presenter will be in-person, while the other will be on Zoom. This essay proposes
open conversations about multiple racial issues within the media. Television and movies have
been white-washed for so long, and Never Have I Ever is a breakthrough from this common
issue. Television should be diverse and should highlight societal issues instead of ignoring them.
Additionally, the idea of an unlikely hero adds an interesting perspective to characters. It
introduces the idea that humans are not perfect by any means, but making a few mistakes does
not automatically make someone a villain and makes writers think about what makes a character
a hero or a villain. Thinking about characters in this way can lead to more well developed and
well rounded characters that show characteristics of both heroes and villains, much like Devi,
who is seen to have characteristics of both throughout the pilot episode.
Bibliography
Alsford, Mike. Heroes and Villains. Baylor University Press, 2006.
Gross, Terry. “Mindy Kaling Brings a New Nerd to TV, and Finds She 'Was Not Alone' as a
Teen.” NPR, NPR, 27 Apr. 2020,
https://www.npr.org/2020/04/27/845440741/mindy-kaling-brings-a-new-nerd-to-tv-and-fi
nds-she-was-not-alone-as-a-teen.
Kaling, Mindy, and Lang Fisher. “Never Have I Ever: ‘Pilot.’” Netflix, season 1, episode 1.


English

Never Have I Ever Been Called a Hero

Williams, Massey

Yiddish in English: How In the Image Trains the Reader to Read Religiously

Wright, Sara

Sara Wright  
Spring 2022 
Abstract  
 Circadian rhythms are the internal biological clock that cues for many life activities, such 
as the sleep-wake cycle in humans. One of the main zeitgebers, or environmental cues that 
calibrate biological clocks, is the diurnal light/dark cycle from the sun. Flora and fauna in aquatic 
environments rely on sunlight to cue circadian rhythms, but light travels differently through 
water than air. For example, in pure water, blue and green light wavelengths travel much deeper 
than red light wavelengths. One organism that has shown responses to light color in past studies 
is the small crustacean Daphnia pulicaria (1-3mm adult size). Daphnia are zooplankton that are 
important for freshwater ecosystems: they are a primary consumer that represent an important 
food-web connection between photosynthesizing algae (their food) and larger organisms like fish 
that consume them (Miner et al. 2012). Previous research has indicated that Daphnia likely have 
an innate biological clock, but finding direct evidence of circadian activity patterns in the 
absence of external cues has eluded researchers to date. The Daphnia genome contains several 
genes that are involved in circadian timekeeping, and they also produce melatonin, a hormone 
involved in circadian regulation in other organisms (Schwarzenberger and Wacker 2015). 
In nature, Daphnia species often exhibit a phenomenon known as diel vertical migration 
(DVM): they swim down to deep water during the daytime, then swim up to shallower areas 
during the nighttime (Lampert 1989). Past experiments have shown Daphnia having a response 
to different light intensities and wavelengths as well. Animals swam down with an increase light 
intensity, and swim up with a decrease light intensity (Harris and Mason 1956). Furthermore, 
different colors of light have been shown to affect swimming behavior as well. For example, a 
study using different colors of light resulted in Daphnia swimming horizontally more often in 
white and violet light, while the rest of the color spectrum prompted an increase in vertical 
swimming of the Daphnia (Stearns 1975). Another experiment found that Daphnia specifically 
responded to blue and red light: animals were more agitated when in blue light, and much calmer 
in red light (Smith and Baylor 1953). 
Inspired by this previous research, I thought it would be interesting to measure swimming 
activity of Daphnia under both 1) diurnal light-dark conditions and 2) constant (24-hour) light 
conditions under either red light, blue light, or both. I used an experimental apparatus (Fig. 1) 
with a well plate, a flask containing artificial pond water, tubing, and a pump to cycle the water. 
A camera mounted above the well plate recorded the Daphnia individuals, and a python program 
tracked the swimming activity of the animals throughout the day and night. I used a photoperiod 
of sixteen hours of light (07:00-23:00 hours) and eight hours of dark to imitate environmental 
conditions during summer. At the start of each trial, I exposed animals to both red and blue light 
during the daytime hours. After three days, I changed the light environment to either blue light 
only, or red light only. I then compared activity patterns across multiple trials with different 
individuals (12 animals per trial). Based on previous research discussed above, I hypothesized 
that Daphnia would exhibit greater swimming activity under blue light than under red light. Data 
from our recent initial trial supports this hypothesis (Fig. 2). 
 
 
Figure 1. Photographs of the experimental apparatus. Top: apparatus under white light. Bottom: 
apparatus when the experiment is running with both blue and red light provided. 
  
Figure 2. Average activity of 12 Daphnia individuals over a 3.5-day period. The x-axis 
represents time (in days), with gray bars indicating when the apparatus was dark and white bars 
indicating when the apparatus was lit. Data to the right of the red vertical line is when only red 
light was provided. 
 
 
Reference scited 
 
Harris JE, Mason P. 1956. Vertical Migration in Eyeless Daphnia. 145(919):280–290. 
Lampert W. 1989. The Adaptive Significance of Diel Vertical Migration of Zooplankton. Funct 
Ecol. 3(1):21–27.  
Miner BE, De Meester L, Pfrender ME, Lampert W, Hairston NG. 2012. Linking genes to 
communities and ecosystems: Daphnia as an ecogenomic model. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci. 
279(1735):1873–1882.  
Schwarzenberger A, Wacker A. 2015. Melatonin synthesis follows a daily cycle in Daphnia. J 
Plankton Res. 37(3):636–644.  
Smith FE, Baylor ER. 1953. Color Responses in the Cladocera and Their Ecological 
Significance. Am Nat. 87(832):49–55. 
Stearns SC. 1975. Light responses of Daphnia pulex: Daphnia light responses. Limnol Oceanogr. 
20(4):564–570. 
 


Daphnia Activity in Different Colors of Light

Peloso, Nicholas

Meidenbauer, Kurt

DeRagon, Alice

Irvin, Robert

Martin, Drew

Greenleaf, Dan

Florentin, David

Ghalayini, Samir

Original Music Composition Composed and Performed by 8 Music Students

Martinez, Madison

Bilateral Asymmetry of a Body Weight Squat – Biomechanics Study  
Ithaca College Movement Analysis Lab, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY, United States  
By: Madison Martinez 
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Deborah King 
 
I am a junior pre-medicine student majoring in Exercise Science with a Medical Science 
Concentration and a Chemistry Minor. In addition, I am a member of the varsity women’s track 
and field team as a hurdler. Over this past summer I had the opportunity to use my in-depth 
knowledge of exercise science to work with Dr. Deborah King and complete a research study on 
bilateral asymmetry of knee flexion in a body weight squat. 
 
Abstract: 
1. Background:  
There has been extensive research completed about bilateral asymmetry in joint torque during 
squat exercises of high performing athletes as well as the biomechanics of the knee during a 
dynamic squat exercise. The purpose of this research study is to determine the bilateral 
asymmetry of knee flexion during a body weight squat and use asymmetry data to develop new 
normative results for return to activity after rehabilitation. By researching a new asymmetrical 
norm for knee flexion bilateral asymmetry, physicians, therapists, and athletic trainers can create 
a more accurate knee rehabilitation assessment standard. In addition, this study was performed 
on a healthy college aged population instead of professional athletes. This is important because 
athletes may have more strict normative values they must reach before returning to play, whereas 
non-athletes are not performing as strenuous activity and may be allowed to return to activity 
sooner based upon the data calculated in this study. The question this study intends to answer is: 
Is 0% asymmetry an accurate normative value to continue to rehabilitate knee flexion bilateral 
asymmetry to for healthy college aged individuals before returning to activity, or is that an 
unachievable value if the human body is physiologically bilaterally asymmetric?  
2. Methods:  
During the 2018 spring semester, sixty-five healthy college aged individuals were selected to 
perform six simple exercises – including: body weight squats, step downs, standing long jumps, 
single leg hops, and lunges. The Vicon Nexus motion capture system was used to record and 
evaluate the data captured. Reflective markers were placed on the anterior superior iliac spines, 
iliac crests, lateral and medial epicondyles of the knee, and the lateral and medial malleolus. 
These reflectors converted physical movement into characters on the computer in which joint 
asymmetry could be calculated. Out of the sixty-five participants, thirty participants were chosen 
to be examined based on the body squat bilateral asymmetry. The thirty individuals were 
selected from the general exercise database based upon prior lower extremity pathology and 
accuracy of evaluation via the Vicon system.  The data collected in 2018 was run through Visual 
3D to calculate joint angles, joint torques, asymmetries, power, and ground reaction force. Only 
asymmetry and bilateral asymmetry calculations were used in evaluating the results of this 
research study.  
3. Results:  
To calculate knee flexion asymmetry of the body weight squat the equation of bilateral 
asymmetry is used. Percent Bilateral Asymmetry = (Maximum value of (Flexion Angle of Right 
Knee, Flexion Angle of Left Knee) – Minimum value of (Flexion Angle of Right Knee, Flexion 
Angle of Left Knee)) / Minimum value of (Flexion Angle of Right Knee, Flexion Angle of Left 
Knee) x 100. It is determined that a normative asymmetrical range for knee flexion in a body 
weight squat is one to nine percent bilateral asymmetry. The median value of this data is three 
percent bilateral asymmetry for knee flexion in a body weight squat. From this data it is 
determined that when individuals are returning to normal activity, health professionals should 
aim for approximately three percent bilateral asymmetry before clearing their patients. In 
addition, health professionals should not be concerned if their patients present one to nine 
percent bilateral asymmetry before clearance. If a patient presents more than nine percent 
bilateral asymmetry, there is a higher probability that they need to continue rehabilitation before 
returning to normal activity.  
4. Discussion and Conclusions:  
A normative asymmetrical range for knee flexion in a body weight squat is one to nine percent 
asymmetry. The median value of this data is three percent asymmetry for knee flexion in a body 
weight squat. With this given data, health professionals, especially physical therapists, can aim 
for the range of one to nine percent bilateral asymmetry instead of a perfect zero percent 
asymmetry. This can save time for a patient currently rehabbing a knee injury, especially a knee 
injury that inhibits knee flexion.  
5. Bibliography/Works Cited
 
% Bilateral Asymmetry= (MAX(Flexion Angle of Right Knee, Flexion Angle of Left Knee) – 
MIN (Flexion Angle of Right Knee, Flexion Angle of Left Knee)) / MIN (Flexion Angle of 
Right Knee, Flexion Angle of Left Knee) x 100 
  
Works Cited 
Bell, D. R., Sanfilippo, J. L., Binkley, N., & Heiderscheit, B. C. (2014). Lean Mass 
Asymmetry Influences Force and Power Asymmetry during Jumping in Collegiate 
Athletes. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 28(4), 884–891. 
"Brozgol, M., Arbiv, M., Mirelman, A., Herman, T., Hausdorff, J. M., & Vaisman, N. (2017). 
Vertical Ground Reaction Force During Standing and Walking: Are They Related to Bone 
Mineral Density Left-Right Asymmetries? Gait & Posture, 54, 174–177. " 
Carpes, Felipe & Bini, Rodrigo & Mota, Carlos. (2008). Training Level, Perception and 
Bilateral Asymmetry During Multijoint Leg-Press Exercise. Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity. 
2. 51-62.  
Escamilla, R. F. (2001). Knee Biomechanics of the Dynamic Squat Exercise. Medicine & 
Science in Sports & Exercise, 33(1), 127–141. 
Flanagan, S. P., & Salem, G. J. (2007). Bilateral Differences in the Net Joint Torques During 
the Squat Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 21(4), 1220–1226. 
 
Girard, O., Brocherie, F., Morin, J.-B., & Millet, G. P. (2017). Lower Limb Mechanical 
Asymmetry During Repeated Treadmill Sprints. Human Movement Science, 52, 203–214. 
Jafarnezhadgero, A., Madadi-Shad, M., Esker, F. S., & Robertson, D. G. E. (2018). Do 
Different Methods for Measuring Joint Moment Asymmetry Give the Same Results? Journal of 
Bodywork & Movement Therapies, 22(3), 741–746. 
 
Kobayashi, Y., Kubo, J., Matsuo, A., Matsubayashi, T., Kobayashi, K., & Ishii, N. (2010). 
Bilateral Asymmetry in Joint Torque during Squat Exercise Performed by Long 
Jumpers. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(10), 2826–2830. 
Kurki, H. K. (2017). Bilateral Asymmetry in the Human Pelvis. Anatomical Record, 300(4, Sp. 
Iss. SI), 653–665. 
Lathrop-Lambach, R. L., Asay, J. L., Jamison, S. T., Pan, X., Schmitt, L. C., Blazek, K., 
Siston, R. A., Andriacchi, T. P., & Chaudhari, A. M. W. (2014). Evidence for Joint Moment 
Asymmetry in Healthy Populations During Gait. Gait & Posture, 40(4), 526–531. 
Longman, D., Stock, J. T., & Wells, J. C. K. (2011). Fluctuating Asymmetry as a Predictor for 
Rowing Ergometer Performance. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 32(8), 606–610. " 
Newton, R. U., Gerber, A., Nimphius, S., Shim, J. K., Doan, B. K., Robertson, M., Pearson, D. 
R., Craig, B. W., Hakkinen, K., & Kraemer, W. J. (2006). Determination of Functional 
Strength Imbalance of the Lower Extremities. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 
20(4), 971–977. 
Pierre, M. A., Zurakowski, D., Nazarian, A., Hauser-Kara, D. A., & Snyder, B. D. (2010). 
Assessment of the Bilateral Asymmetry of Human Femurs Based on Physical, Densitometric, 
and Structural Rigidity Characteristics. Journal of Biomechanics, 43(11), 2228–2236. 
 
Read, P. J., McAuliffe, S., Bishop, C., Oliver, J. L., Graham-Smith, P., & Farooq, M. A. 
(2021). Asymmetry Thresholds for Common Screening Tests and Their Effects on Jump 
Performance in Professional Soccer Players. Journal of Athletic Training (Allen Press), 56(1), 
46–53. 
 
Stodółka, J., & Sobera, M. (2017). Symmetry of Lower Limb Loading in Healthy Adults 
During Normal and Abnormal Stance. Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics, 19(3), 93–
100. 
 
Toumazou, M. C., Flavell, C. A., & Gordon, S. J. (2018). Measurement of Lumbar Multifidus 
Asymmetry in Amateur Cricket Pace Bowlers using Real-Time Ultrasound. International 
Journal of Exercise Science, 11(3), 875–885. 
Zhang, J., Gai, Y., Cui, X., & Li, G. (2020). Measuring Symmetry and Asymmetry of 
Multiplicative Distortion Measurement Errors Data. Brazilian Journal of Probability and 
Statistics, 34(2), 370. 
 
 


Bilateral Asymmetry of a Body Weight Squat - Biomechanics Study

Goore, Shelby

Title: Novel Physical Therapy Intervention for Pediatric Bell’s Palsy: A Case Report   
Author: Shelby Goore, SPT  
Research Mentor: Kristopher Bosela, PT, DPT, OCS  
Presentation Type: Award Consideration – Oral  
ABSTRACT:  
Background and Purpose:   
Bell’s Palsy is a rapid, idiopathic, and unilateral weakness or paralysis of the face due to 
peripheral damage of the facial nerve on the affected side1,2,3. Bell’s Palsy usually results from a 
virus 2,3,4. Typical symptoms include pain, facial drooping, weakness of facial muscles innervated 
by the facial nerve, inability to close eyelid on the involved side, dryness of mouth and eye, as 
well as many other varying symptoms based on the patient1,2,4. The presentation of Bell’s Palsy is 
usually temporary and is associated with those who are pregnant, have a virus, or are immune 
compromised 1,5. The general age of those impacted tends to be between the ages of 15-45 1,5. 
There are no consistent treatment strategies recommended for physical therapy interventions to 
treat Bell’s Palsy 1. Even so, physical therapy is often prescribed. The most common physical 
therapy treatment is mime therapy, which includes massage, relaxation exercises, inhibition of 
synkinesis, and expression exercises with the use of mirrors to help execute movements for 
biofeedback and prevent synkinesis1,6. Many patients will show recovery of the facial nerve 
function without having any interventions 1,2. There is a new device on the market called the 
NEUBIE (patent pending) by Neufit, which is an electrical stimulation machine. Most 
neuromuscular stimulation machines utilize alternating current (AC) and there aren't many 
devices that use a direct current (DC) method. The NEUBIE utilizes a DC electrical stimulation 
intended to provide neuromuscular re-education, improve mobility, reduce pain, and has been 
shown to decrease recovery time by at least 50% for many different injuries and post-surgical 
conditions 7. The purpose of this case report is to present a treatment intervention strategy of 
using the NEUBIE (patent pending) DC stimulation device in a pediatric patient with Bell’s 
Palsy.  
Case Description:   
The patient was a 12-year-old female who presented to outpatient physical therapy with a 
diagnosis of idiopathic right sided Bell’s Palsy. She was diagnosed by a physician a month prior 
before beginning physical therapy. The patient had no other medical concerns to note. The 
patient lived at home with her family and was currently in middle school. The patient was also 
regularly active and played softball. Her main concerns were the right sided drooping of her face, 
difficulty closing her right eye, facial weakness, pain, and difficulty with drinking from a cup 
and chewing due to poor muscle coordination. Her facial muscle function was tested and resulted 
in being moderately severe, severe, or total dysfunction of the muscles. Physical therapy 
interventions included manual therapy, NEUBIE electrical stimulation, therapeutic exercise, and 
motor control exercises for 13 weeks.  
Outcomes:   
The patient had positive improvements in her primary concerns by the end of her 
treatment. At discharge, the patient had either normal, mild, or moderate dysfunction of the 
different facial muscles evaluated. From the Sunnybrook facial grading scale, the patient 
improved from 17% at initial evaluation to 85% at discharge for the composite score. This 
showed significant improvements in facial symmetry at rest, during movements, and synkinesis.  
Discussion:   
The patient did make improvements with facial function and symmetry over the course of her 
treatment. It is unclear if this specific treatment plan enhanced or accelerated the recovery 
process of Bell’s Palsy since it was implemented on a single patient.  It is possible these 
improvements occurred in conjunction with the natural recovery of the facial nerve without a 
meaningful improvement due to the intervention strategy. The NEUBIE shows promise with 
targeting the facial nerve for recovery from Bell’s Palsy due to the use of the DC targeting the 
nervous system and decreasing recovery times for injuries. More research is warranted to 
determine whether the NEUBIE stimulation machine is more effective than other treatment 
strategies or just waiting for the natural recovery to occur. This would help determine if this 
could potentially become part of standardized care for patients with Bell’s Palsy.  
  
References:  
1. Baugh RF, Basura GJ, Ishii LE, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Bell’s Palsy. 
Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 2013;149(3_suppl):S1-S27. 
doi:10.1177/0194599813505967  
2. de Almeida JR, Guyatt GH, Sud S, et al. Management of Bell palsy: clinical 
practice guideline. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. 
2014;186(12):917-922. doi:10.1503/cmaj.131801  
3. Gupta S, Jawanda MK, Taneja N, Taneja T. A systematic review of Bell’s Palsy 
as the only major neurological manifestation in COVID-19 patients. Journal of 
clinical neuroscience: official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. 
2021;90:284-292. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2021.06.016  
4. Nicastri M, Mancini P, De Seta D, et al. Efficacy of early physical therapy in 
severe Bell’s palsy: a randomized controlled trial. Neurorehabilitation and neural 
repair. 2013;27(6):542-551. doi:10.1177/1545968313481280  
5. Burelo-Peregrino EG, Salas-Magaña M, Arias-Vázquez PI, et al. Efficacy of 
electrotherapy in Bell’s palsy treatment: A systematic review. Journal of back and 
musculoskeletal rehabilitation. 2020;33(5):865-874. doi:10.3233/BMR-171031  
6. Pereira L, Obara K, Dias J, Menacho M, Lavado E, Cardoso J. Facial exercise 
therapy for facial palsy: systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Rehabilitation. 
2011;25(7):649-658. doi:10.1177/0269215510395634  
7. Salpeter G. NEUBIE A New Paradigm in Electrical Stimulation. Neubie; 2021. 
Accessed September 23, 2021. https://neu.fit/wp-
content/uploads/2021/04/Neubie_Whitepaper_011320.pdf   
8. Fattah AY. Facial nerve grading instruments: systematic review of the literature 
and suggestion for uniformity. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015;135(2):569-579. 
doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000000905  
9. Neely JG. Sunnybrook facial grading system: Reliability and criteria for 
grading. The Laryngoscope. 2010;120(5):NA-NA. doi:10.1002/lary.20868  
10. Coulson SE. Reliability of the “Sydney,” “Sunnybrook,” and “House Brackmann” 
Facial Grading Systems to Assess Voluntary Movement and Synkinesis after Facial 
Nerve Paralysis. Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery. 2005;132(4):543-549. 
doi:10.1016/j.otohns.2005.01.027  
11. Reitzen SD, Babb JS, Lalwani AK. Significance and reliability of the House-
Brackmann grading system for regional facial nerve function. Otolaryngol Head Neck 
Surg. 2009;140(2):154-158. doi:10.1016/j.otohns.2008.11.021  
12. VanSwearingen, J. M. (1996). The Facial Disability Index: Reliability and 
Validity of a Disability Assessment Instrument for Disorders of the Facial 
Neuromuscular System. Physical Therapy: Journal of the American Physical Therapy 
Association., 76(12), 1288–1298. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/76.12.1288  
 


Novel Physical Therapy Intervention for Pediatric Bell’s Palsy: A Case Report

Leach, Emily

Title: Creation of Soft Core-Shell Colloidal Particles 
Emily Leach 
Faculty Sponsor: Jerome Fung 
Colloids are a type of mixture of small solid particles in a solvent. They are useful as model atoms for 
studying phenomena like the glass transition since the colloids are large enough, compared to real 
atoms, to be seen under a microscope. In previous research, both hard sphere and soft sphere particles 
have been created. Hard sphere particles are useful because their interactions are easy to model since 
they have no interpenetration. However, soft sphere particles are more important because, despite the 
increased difficulty in modeling their interactions due to interpenetration, the soft shell particles act 
more similar to real atoms.  The particles being studied in my research are different from previous 
colloid particles because they are thermally responsive. This means that they change size based on the 
temperature of the mixture, which indicates the volume fraction changes and consequently that their 
phase behavior can be controlled to make them solid, liquid, or glass. Since particles with these 
properties are not commercially available, I have focused on the creation of these particles in the lab.  
The particles were created in two parts, the hard core first and then the soft shell surrounding it. Both 
components were grown through a radical polymerization reaction and then placed in dialysis for a 
week to remove impurities. The cores were also synthesized with a fluorescent dye, Nile Red, so they 
could be seen under a fluorescent microscope. After the completed reaction the particles were analyzed 
using dynamic light scattering (DLS) to find that the particles were stably monodispersed. The size of the 
particles and the temperature dependence of the size was also found using DLS. In the future, the 
interaction potential of the particles will be found using optical tweezers and the rheology of the 
particles will also be measured. 


Creation of Soft Core-Shell Colloidal Particles

Sen, Antara

Investigating Properties of the Hitomezashi
Sashiko Pattern
Antara Sen and Megan Martinez
Dept. of Mathematics, Ithaca College
March 11, 2022
Hitomezashi Sashiko pattern is an embroidery practice from Japan. It is made by
stitching discrete line segments on a piece of cloth (see Fig. 1; all figures are at the end
of the document). The rows and columns are stitched separately. The stitches alternate
between the front and the back of the cloth, thus leaving alternating gaps and visible
stitches on either side of the cloth.
Mathematically, this pattern can be encoded by two binary strings: one that describes the
horizontal pattern, and the other that describes the vertical pattern. The rules of conver-
sion from binary string to pattern are as follows:
• For any ‘0’ in the string, the first line segment corresponding to that position must
go through the back of the cloth, leaving the space in the front blank. This then
alternates.
• For any ‘1’ in the string, the first line segment corresponding to that position must
go through the front of the cloth, leaving the space in the back blank. This then
alternates.
I coded these rules from the perspective of the “front” of the cloth. An example of this is
shown in Fig. 2.
Then, by defining the sequence of 1s and 0s that encode the horizontal stitches and
vertical stitches separately, I determined what kind of sequences lead to which kind of
symmetries in the resulting pattern. These include patterns symmetric about the middle
horizontal line, the middle vertical line, both diagonals (for square grids), and rotational
symmetries. For example, the pattern in Fig. 2 is symmetric about the horizontal and the
vertical. It is also symmetric when it is rotated by 180°. The main result of my work is
classifying symmetries of the Sashiko pattern based solely on the properties of the
binary sequences. In this example, the special property of the horizontal and vertical
binary sequences is that they are both palindromic. I worked out several such arguments
for various symmetries of the finite Sashiko patterns.
1
I then used these results to answer the following question: “What would happen if I
physically flip the fabric over to see the back?” It’s interesting that flipping a pattern isn’t
the same as just looking through to the other side. Imagine that you are holding a piece
of cloth with your left hand gripping the middle of the left edge and your right hand
holding the middle of the right edge. Now, imagine flipping it over like you would the
page of a book. This then combines a reflection and also turns over the fabric – it is a
compound motion!
Once I had intuition about the physical process undertaken for each transformation, I
was able to use geometric arguments to determine how these would affect an arbitrary
Sashiko pattern. I am currently working on using these ideas to generate rules for how
finite Sashiko grids can be used to tile the infinite plane. Then, the ultimate goal is to
classify the resulting infinite patterns into one of 17 possible wallpaper groups (Williams
1987) based on the binary strings which are repeated infinitely.
Figure 1: Example of the Hitomezashi Sashiko pattern. Image credit: Romor Designs.
2
Figure 2: Example of the Hitomezashi Sashiko pattern generated using binary strings.
References
Williams, H. (1987), ‘Tilings and patterns, by b. grunbaum and gc shephard. pp 700.£ 54·
95. isbn 0-7167-1193-1 (hardback)(freeman)’, The Mathematical Gazette 71(458), 347–348.
3


Investigating Properties of Hitomezashi Sashiko

Lewis, Amanda

Winegard, Annalese

When conducting diagnostic evaluations, mental health professionals will often utilize self-
reported data to gain an understanding of potential symptoms to arrive at an accurate diagnosis. 
However, some individuals may attempt to malinger (e.g., fake or exaggerate) symptoms to 
receive accommodations at their academic or professional setting. Individuals who malinger a 
mental health diagnosis may also receive prescription medication that they could use 
recreationally or sell to others. Given the potential consequences of receiving a diagnosis, 
understanding how those who successfully malinger mental health symptoms, such as Attention 
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is important. ADHD is a mental health diagnosis that is 
often characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (American Psychiatric 
Association, 2013). Some research indicates that 2 to 8% of college students meet diagnostic 
criteria for ADHD (as cited in Green & Rabiner, 2012), while other research suggests that 25-
31% of college students use non-prescription stimulants (as cited in Wilens et al., 2016). Given 
both the frequency of the diagnosis, as well as how often individuals may attempt to malinger 
ADHD, understanding how individuals attempt to fake or exaggerate ADHD symptoms is 
important to ensuring that accurate diagnoses are made. As the internet becomes more accessible 
and the information about mental health diagnoses becomes more extensive, individuals have a 
variety of options regarding websites they could use to access information about mental health 
symptoms, such as ADHD, to feign or exaggerate symptoms. Although content analyses have 
provided information regarding online content for various mental health diagnoses, previous 
research has focused on websites identified by researchers (e.g., Lissman & Boehnlein, 2001, 
Mitchell et al., 2016). This research can provide an overview of online content, but the strategies 
researchers utilized to identify relevant websites may differ from the search terms used by those 
seeking information to malinger a mental health diagnosis which may limit the generalizability 
of prior research. This project is the first to conduct a content analysis of websites identified by 
individuals attempting to malinger ADHD which may provide a more accurate understanding of 
the content individuals utilize when malingering compared to previous research.  
   
The present study will complete a content analysis of 61 websites participants utilized in a 
previous study (Davis & Lovett, unpublished manuscript) when asked to malinger ADHD. After 
constructing a coding rubric, the authors coded information regarding the type of website, the 
professional background of the website's author, the degree to which the website included 
diagnostic criteria for ADHD, and information regarding potentially co-occurring mental health 
diagnoses, evaluation strategies, and accommodations. It was hypothesized that professional 
websites would provide more comprehensive information regarding diagnostic criteria, 
evaluation strategies, and accommodations compared to websites authored by laypersons. It was 
also hypothesized that laypersons’ websites would contain more inaccurate information than 
professional websites. In addition to providing descriptive statistics regarding websites’ content, 
results from analyses comparing the content on professional versus laypersons’ websites will 
also be presented. Understanding the content of online sources regarding ADHD is important as 
it can help to identify the degree to which websites are providing accurate and inaccurate 
information. Additionally, knowing the type of information individuals may utilize when 
malingering ADHD is important as such information could be used by evaluators to determine 
the extent to which a patient is malingering or presenting with genuine symptoms to ensure that 
accurate diagnoses are being made.    
 
 
 
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental 
disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 
Davis, K. M., & Lovett, B., J. (unpublished manuscript). The impact of internet searches on the 
malingering of adult ADHD. 
Lissman, T. I., & Boehnlein, J. K. (2001). A critical review of internet information about 
depression. Psychiatric Services, 52, 1046 – 1050.  
Mitchell, J.H., Sweitzer, M. M., Tunno, A. M., Kollins, S. H., McClernon, F. J. (2016). “I use 
weed for my ADHD:” A qualitative analysis of online forum discussions on cannabis use 
and ADHD. PLOS ONE, 1 – 13, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156614 
Wilens, T., Zulauf, C., Martelon, M., Morrison, N. R., Yule, A., & Anselmo, R. (2016). 
Nonmedical stimulant use in college students: Association with attention-
deficit/hyperactivity and other disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 77, 940 –947. 
doi:10.4088/JCP.14m09559. 
 
 


An Content Analysis of Websites Utilized to Malinger ADHD

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Never Have I Ever Been Called a Hero

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Daphnia Activity in Different Colors of Light

Original Music Composition Composed and Performed by 8 Music Students

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Original Music Composition Composed and Performed by 8 Music Students

An Content Analysis of Websites Utilized to Malinger ADHD

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