Schedule of Events

Climate change is influencing biotic factors (such as soil microbes) and abiotic factors (such as salinity or heat stress) which has a huge impact on the environment. Previous studies have found that salinity is a stress factor for soil microbes; therefore, having a negative shift on metabolic functions, nutrient up-take, and limits water up-take. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship that rising sea levels, which causes salinity levels to increase, have on biogeochemical responses in microbes. The study site corridors are Beaver Creek, WA; Mission River, TX; Eel River, MA; and Mad River, CA. Files were transferred from JGI server to KBase in a fastqc format. Each metagenome was analyzed individually using a data and analysis tool called The Department of Energy Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase). Four metagenomes were classified and assembled into bins. The bins were then annotated into metabolic functions present within each metagenome sequence. Metabolic functions observed were carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZY), nitrogen metabolism, sulfur metabolism, methanogenesis and methanotrophy, and short chain fatty acid (SFCA) and alcohol conversions. The results of taxonomic classification depicted Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria as the most abundant throughout corridors at the phylum level, with Beaver creek having the highest percentage present of about 52%. From the 13S sequence within bin 7 there was 84% of antibiotic resistance present and 91.7% of CAZY present. Ordinations and permanova will be performed to determine statistical differences in sample (dis)similarity based on inferred functional traits and field metadata.  

Studies have shown that microfibers are a prevalent issue found in our oceans, marine sediments, and in filter-feeding organisms such as the common mussel and clam. While being no longer than five millimeters in length, over two million tonnes of these fibers are released into marine ecosystems yearly via domestic laundering, illegal landfills, dumping, and fragmentation of large plastics. The goal of this research was to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the microfibers present in Emerita analoga. This research aims to broaden our knowledge by examining if microfiber pollutants negatively impact the indicator species of Emerita analoga. Since Emerita analoga rely on filter-feeding techniques, it is expected that there will be the presence of microfiber pollutants inside the organisms tested. In total, 300 crabs were collected from Sycamore Canyon watershed in Ventura County California and were immediately put on ice in preparation for the filtration process. Dissection was performed on 15 crabs per-sample x4 through disembowelment and then were proceeded to be ground up using a mortar and pestle. Samples were viewed under a light microscope after the filtration process. A total of 217 microfibers were found in 300 crabs with the largest portion of fibers being black and blue. This research aims to improve our overall understanding of the impact that the transfer of these microfibers have on different trophic levels in the marine ecosystems. This is because Emerita analoga are one of the most important herbivores on the beach, and a vital link in the sandy beach food web.

Cancer is an ever-present disease in humans and the second leading cause of death in the United States. Even with modern medical research and development, advancements in the field of treating, preventing, and curing cancer continue to be investigated. Biologically active compounds produced by plants have been found to have direct or indirect effects on proliferation or survival of cancer cells in vitro. S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC) is an organosulfur molecule found in garlic. We aimed to examine the effects of S-allyl-L-cysteine on the SH- SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line proliferation, survival, and colony-forming ability. Cells were grown and treated with the reagent over periods of one to three weeks. We predicted that if the SH-SY5Y cell line is treated with S-allyl-L-cysteine in varying concentrations, then the cell line will show decreased growth in a dose-dependent manner. We plan to test S-allyl-L- cysteine in other cell types, namely the MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cell line.

With the advent of video gaming in the late 1970s, games have progressed from text-based (Adventure) to 2D scrollers (Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda), to 3D worlds (Fortnite, Call of Duty). In this project I am investigating the development of a three-dimensional video game using the open-source Unity engine in the style of a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) video game. Many MOBA style games have been created in the past using a classic format. However, this project uses a couple of different features to alter the classic design of MOBA style games to bring a new way to play. Concepts such as procedural map generation and squad selection/adaptation help this game to feel different from the rest in the genre. Though the gameplay will be similar to other MOBA style games, such as League of Legends or Dota 2, the added elements will allow for a different experience for the players. The main purpose of this project was to not only explore and learn a new coding language but to further develop my skills for creating, implementing and testing algorithms.

Microfibers are small (<5mm) fibers made of synthetic materials that are ubiquitous in the environment. The purpose of this observational study was to quantify the number of microfibers in marine sediments to understand the dispersal patterns so that we can make the public aware of how we are polluting our environment and what locations have the highest risk for this type of pollution. We sampled sediment from four locations (Sycamore Watershed, Newport Beach Harbor, Ventura State Beach Jetty (CA), Oahu (HI)) to determine which had the highest number of microfibers. We hypothesized that we would find microfibers at each sample site and that there would be the most microfibers found at Sycamore Watershed. The microfibers were separated from the sediment through a process of stratification and filtration and analyzed by an ANOVA and t-test. We found a total of 3,984 microfibers from all four sample sites. Analysis revealed that Sycamore Watershed had significantly more microfibers than any other site (p<.05). On average there were more microfibers found in California than in Hawaii (p<.05). Multiple factors influence microfiber contamination levels, such as proximity to sources of effluent discharge, nearby human activity, and geography. It is likely that Sycamore Watershed had the most microfibers because of its proximity to a sewage-sludge disposal site that contains the polluted water from our washing machines. In conclusion, microfibers are polluting the sediments in harbors, jetties, and watersheds in California, as well as the coastlines of Hawaii, negatively affecting the ecosystems in these areas.

The writing process can be improved by virtue of an author obtaining relevant feedback on the quality of a story. This project facilitates this improvement by providing a mobile app that allows stories to be sent to a file, given a title and a short description, and uploaded to a database. These stories can then be accessed, read, rated, and reviewed by other users on the app. This project grants prospective authors a place to showcase their work and share it with others who have an interest in both writing and reading, creating a community of upcoming authors and readers. It also presents an opportunity for these authors’ work to be commented on and critiqued, creating an environment in which informal peer review can take place. This allows writers to learn what aspects of their work were done well and which ones could be improved, helping them refine their craft.

As computer scientists, much of our time is spent studying the software side of computers, but considering the hardware is also essential to the study and practice of computer science. All parts of the hardware must be designed and connected correctly, and the software at the low level must have the ability to read signals from, interpret, and send signals to the hardware, such as when a button is pressed or when a light should be triggered. We don't usually spend much time considering these things, as most everything we work with is designed to consider them for us, allowing us to focus on the high level concepts of application functionality rather than questions of how to even get input from the user. In order to study how all the parts of a computer system work together, the Computer Science Club has created a project from start to finish, including hardware, input and output devices, and software (programmed in C++, which is not part of the required curriculum for computer science majors at CLU). Our wired circuits, communication standards, and code have largely been created from scratch, all to implement an otherwise-simple game: Tetris.

In an increasingly online world, security is more important than ever. Strong passwords and code that is resistant to exploits are important, but they're only part of the system. How do we save confidential data so that no one can access them? More importantly, how do we transmit that data from the user's computer to the web service without risking it being intercepted in transit? The answer is encryption. Much of the web is now encrypted---any website beginning with HTTPS, for example, communicates over an encrypted connection. However, not all devices communicate over secure connections. Off-brand home cameras and baby monitors are a popular target, as are smart fridges with cameras and anything that has a speaker and a WiFi connection. While there are many solutions to make these systems more secure (secure the client, secure the server, various means of encryption), I have chosen to explore adding secure encryption to the client application by utilizing the open-source Signal Protocol (an encryption protocol for communications over the internet) to secure communication on a simple client-server system.

Video Gaming is a constantly expanding industry. As new platforms for involvement emerge, new opportunities for players to participate have been made available. With the advancements in technology seen in recent years, including User Interface (UI) interaction, the potential for innovative, interactive games has increased. Players are able to immerse themselves into the storyline of the video game. There are many aspects considered when developing a video game. This project focuses on creating a top-down roguelike video game. Different methods, such as random level generation, player movement, and combat will be used. The focus of this game challenges the player to escape danger and survive the journey. Artwork, story/world creation, and weapon customization will be applied to distinguish and produce a unique roguelike video game.

Superconductors are materials that have zero electrical resistance for temperatures below the transition temperature.  Many materials containing copper and iron are known to be superconductors. Since nickel is near these elements in the periodic table, this has led to a search for nickel-based superconducting materials. 

Purpose:  Nickelates - compounds that contain nickel and oxygen atoms bound together - have been shown to display superconducting properties at low temperatures, but the properties suggest they may be a potential material for superconductivity at elevated temperatures. I modeled the subatomic/atomic properties of nickelates to further characterize their properties so that researchers can have a better understanding of how these materials work, and be potentially improved. 

Methods:  I computer simulated a model for nickel compounds using square and cubic lattices of atoms.  For nickel, the 3d orbitals are partially filled and therefore most responsible for its electrical properties. In this superconducting compound, it is believed that the xy, x2-y2, and z2 orbitals are the most important, so I focused on these. 

Results:  I calculated the Fermi level, the magnetization of the compound in an external magnetic field, and the band structure. The simulation predicted that the magnetization decreases as temperature increases.  This highlighted how nickel’s three orbitals change in energy moving through the different momentum states. My results are consistent with the electron behavior suggested by previously published work.

Conclusion:  This study affirmed a model that accurately describes electronic states in a nickel compound. This is a first step in examining superconducting behavior.

Long snapping is found in American football, and the goal is to have the ball reach the punter as quickly and accurately as possible so they can kick the ball downfield with minimal interference from the opposing team. The purpose of this study is to describe differences in angular impulse between high school and college athletes during long snapping. This study compared high school long snappers (n=5) and college long snappers (n=5). Whole group average age (18.9 ± 1.3 years), years of long snapping experience (5.1 ± 1.65 years), and body mass (99.6 ± 7.5 kg) were measured. One force plate was located under each foot (Kistler, 1200 Hz), and a left sagittal video (Apple, 30 Hz) was taken. Center of mass (CM) was calculated according to de Leva’s body segment parameters (1996). The interval of interest began with a rise in posterior force and ended as posterior force decreased to zero. Sagittal plane resultant force and kinematic data were used to calculate whole body moments about the center of mass. The area under the moment-time curve defined angular impulse and was normalized by mass. Independent t-tests were used to determine differences between college and high school athletes (α = 0.05). The whole body angular impulse observed was positive – rotating the body counterclockwise to throw the ball posteriorly between the legs. There is a difference in how the two groups generated this counterclockwise motion. Future research could provide insights into more effective strategies for long snapping.

Purpose: This study aims to discover the potential benefits of acute yoga practice on perceived stress and blood pressure amongst college age individuals. This can provide a potential method for college students to manage their stress. 
Design/Method: An analysis of 15 published articles was conducted as the basis for the methods of this experiment. Data collection began after informed consent was given. Participants were asked to perform yoga and meditation. Pre intervention height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and perceived stress were collected. Post intervention blood pressure, heart rate, and perceived stress were measured. The same yoga and meditation videos were distributed to all 44 participants. 
Results: Results of this study are to be determined after analysis of the collected data.
Conclusions: There are many methods for college students to manage their stress levels, with yoga being one of those methods. More research is needed on the effects of long term yoga practice on blood pressure and stress in college students. 

In order to gain a better understanding of the possibilities of interactive technologies, this project’s main purpose was to create a virtual instrument in a 3D environment that a user can interact with without the use of a traditional keyboard or mouse. The methods used include ultra leap motion sensors interacting in a Unity environment. This was done by implementing motion sensor technology to create hands-free control and giving the user a visual representation of the instrument and their hands in the simulated space in a new and intuitive way. Developing virtual musical instruments increases accessibility to users, allows for more creativity, and also provides a satisfying, artistic experience.

Over the past decade, the interest in marine microfiber research has grown substantially, along with the scientific understanding of its impact on various ecosystems. Microfibers are a type of microplastic that is shed from synthetic fabrics made from materials (i.e. nylon) that frequently pollute various waterways and their inhabitants. Despite the great amount of attention towards research on a multitude of fish and filter feeder species, this research focuses on Loligo opalescens (California market squid), a tertiary consumer and a keystone species for many marine and land species found along the coast of Southern California. The purpose of this study was to confirm the presence of microfibers in the respiratory tract (gill tissue) of the squid and to compare the findings with the quantities observed in the squid’s gastrointestinal tract (guts). The number of microfibers were quantified under a light microscope for each sample after the dissection and vacuum filtration of the guts and/or gill tissue. The results indicate that the gut tissue samples contain three times the amount of microfibers found in gill samples on average. These findings suggest that California market squid has been significantly impacted by microfiber pollution present in its ecosystem, especially when compared to similar organisms like Argonauta nuoryi. The squid’s role as a keystone species and the theory of microfiber trophic transfer may also be indicative of the similar impact that other members of its ecosystem may be enduring.
Keywords: microfiber, California market squid, guts, gastrointestinal, respiratory, gills, quantity

The study of epigenetics and transgenic expression has been explored in the model organism Drosophilia melanogaster. The mutation extra eye, found in Drosophilia melanogaster, has variable expression, leading researchers to believe this mutation is caused by the presence of a P-transposable element. Utilizing bio informatics protocols, the fly lines KW003, an line from Brazil, and DM15 have been studied using techniques such as Splinkerette PCR and utilizing online databases to locate regions where p-elements are located in the genome of these lines. The bio informatics work has allowed cytogenetic maps to be created for these lines showing where in the genome these elements are located. The work done in this project allows for comparison of data and for further research to be conducted on the genomic level for future projects to be carried out.

 

Gaming has gained tons of traction over the past decade, currently one of the fastest growing industries. As such, it has become sought after by many prospective designers and developers looking to make it big in the industry. However, it is also demanding, requiring problem solving of many practical issues such as modeling, graphic design, and character animation. In addition, software engineering plays a vital role in game design using real-world application to expose designers to a different side of programming not normally seen. In this undertaking, I will be breaking down the various components of how a game project is created, developed, and play tested using modern tools such as Unity and Visual Studio to program and build art for the game. I will also be going over the experience of developing such a game over the course of a semester by breaking down the project into manageable ‘sprints’ and applying the skills learned in Game Design over the past year from early core fundamentals to refinement of games and making them as efficient as possible.

Introduction: Studies have shown that caffeine increases heart rate (HR) and improves exercise performance.  Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of caffeine on heart rate recovery (HRR) after a bout of cardiovascular exercise, with and without the consumption of Celsius ® Fitness Drinks. It was expected that the trial with caffeine would correlate to a longer HRR.  Methods: A total of 40 CLU students were invited to participate in the study (males and females, ages 18-23 years old), but due to several factors, 23 successfully completed the study.  The same group of participants completed two different trials, with and without caffeine. For each trial, participants collected their RHR, performed a 10-minute warm-up on a treadmill, followed by a 15-minute run at their own vigorous intensity, immediately collected their after-exercise HR, then collected their HR’s in 10-minute intervals until RHR was achieved again. For the second trial, participants were asked to consume 3.3 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight, 15 minutes before their warm-up. Data was analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, using SPSS Mac version 27. Results: There was a small difference in HRR, but there was no statistical difference between the trials using caffeine versus no caffeine (p=0.582). Discussion and Conclusion: While there was no significant difference in HRR, there was still a small increase with caffeine. Studies have shown that caffeine increases HR during exercise and enhances performance, which means this topic should be further studied.

In the world nowadays, everything is digitized and on the internet. A full stack web application is an application that has a front-end known as a client and a backend known as a server. The full stack web app that I have made is called Rent It. Rent It is an online application that allows users to rent out items like equipment, materials, etc. In order to use Rent It, a user first has to create an account. After the account is created, a user can see all of the available items to rent out, along with their price and where they can be picked up from. When a user decides they want to rent an item, they can add it to a cart and when they are done browsing for items, can pay for and schedule a time to pick up the items.

Many amateur to intermediate computer science students are under the misconception that creating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) in any programming language is a hassle to organize and create in code plus adding other software or programming languages to implement other features. I decided to tackle and find out for myself how difficult it is in 2022 to create a GUI from scratch that has a client-server aspect to it to store and retrieve inputted data. Initially, it was challenging finding a project that demonstrated how to start a GUI project from scratch as all the tutorials I found utilized a Layout generated by the IDE. What pre-existing tutorials and documentation failed to mention is that if you want to create a project from scratch, all you need to do is add the APIs as libraries to give your IDE the ability to utilize the APIs required to create the file types needed to be able to create the GUIs. The tools (mySQL and scenebuilder) made my unit testing a lot faster and more manageable than through conventional coding purely by hand; additionally, these tools also helped more quickly visualize how I wanted my GUIs and database tables to work and interact with one another. All in all, I found that even for a fairly intermediate programmer, creating and managing a GUI with multiple features and aspects to it is definitely doable, and you can do it however you’d like, whether from scratch or with some assistance from the IDE.
 

Given the observed density of matter in the universe, we expect to see gravitational lensing in most regions of the sky. Scientists have used the observations from deep sky surveys to image gravitational lensing, which provides evidence for the presence of dark matter. Manual analysis of data consisting of thousands of images captured by large research-grade telescopes can lead to a non-efficient way to process such large datasets and can be time-consuming. Many contemporary machine learning research challenges are addressed by astronomy applications, including learning from biased data and coping with object identification issues. In this project, I developed a computer program that uses the concepts of Fourier transforms and edge detection to simplify the processing of the large dataset and receive results free from contamination from other non-gravitational lensing objects. Further, to test and confirm the efficiency of such a computational method, I am working on turning the physical model into a machine learning model, where the neural network is trained with 80% images with known gravitational lensing and then tested on the remaining 20% of those images. By combining the fields of Astronomy, Optics, and Computer Science, I am pushing the boundaries of data analysis.

I have a very large family and we live in several different states in the U.S. To keep Christmas gifts simple, all the adults participate in a game of Secret Santa. The game of Secret Santa is a holiday gift giving activity. It consists of randomly assigning players to each other before the party without the players knowing who their Secret Santa is. The players then buy a gift for their recipient, which is to be opened during the festivities. There are some issues with this approach. One being that it is very hard for us to get together to draw names out of a hat, as is traditional with a game of Secret Santa. Another issue is that there is always one person who knows who everybody’s Secret Santa is. This is done so that wish lists can be distributed and players can be notified who they are buying for. To solve these issues, I am developing the Secret Santa Management System, which is a client server system where users can log in and enter items on their wish list. The users are then assigned to each other and can view what items are on their recipient’s wish list. The system also sends out e-mail notifications when milestones occur, such as when names have been drawn and when a user’s recipient confirms their wish list.

With the rise of the pandemic, businesses in the web development industry have flourished to even greater heights than the pre-COVID-19 era. Businesses that want to stay competitive after COVID-19 will figure out how to offer online services which is why web developers are highly sought out in order to create E-commerce stores, which is a highly functioning and engaging website that attracts customers and allows users to purchase items online instead of in person. In addition, being a web developer requires a creative mind to create aesthetically pleasing front-end design and problem-solving skills to build, adjust, and maintain the website efficiently from the back-end. The web application that I created is called G-Essentials, which will offer gaming accessories at specific prices. In order to purchase any products, the user has to add products to the shopping cart and input their personal information, including their credit card and where they live for a shipping fee. After the user finalizes their purchase, an email confirmation receipt will be sent to them.

Staying physically fit through workouts in a gym has become a popular activity. It is most effective when paired with a personal trainer/coach, but one is not always available. The goal of this project is to create a virtual AI gym coach to help people workout in proper form and keep track of their workout history. Using the technology of computer vision, the application will be able to track the body form and movements from a regular video camera or video stream. By analyzing the data of the body form and movements, the application will give scores to each repetition of the workout and log the workout. The user will receive real-time feedback from the application by visual notification and sound notification. The user can also check their workout history, and keep track of workout progress and improvements over time.