Proceedings 2022: 18th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects

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Board Members for 2022 GRASP Symposium



Amy Bauman, President, Graduate Student Council

George Dehner, Associate Professor, History

Deepak Gupta, Associate Professor & Associate Chair, Industrial, Systems, and Manufacturing Engineering

Bryan Lehecka, Associate Professor, Physical Therapy

Susan Matveyeva, Associate Professor, University Libraries

Anthony May , Associate Professor, Finance Real Estate & Decision Science

Cynthia Richburg, Professor & Graduate Coordinator of Audiology, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Heidi VanRavenhorst-Bell, Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator, Human Performance Studies

John Watkins, Professor, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

With much appreciation to Sheree Smith, Graduate Student Success Specialist, for her substantial administrative contributions.

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Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 50
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    Mental health and suicidal ideation among people incarcerated with HIV in Namibia
    (Wichita State University, 2022-04-29) Witherspoon, Shea; Kalomo, Eveline N.
    INTRODUCTION: The protection and promotion of human rights are vital in preventing the spread and mitigating the impacts of HIV worldwide. Incarceration is also widely accepted as being a human rights issue, partly due to health inequities faced by incarcerated individuals. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is said to be the epicenter of the HIV epidemic. Despite the prevalence of HIV among prison populations in SSA research related to this population, especially in Namibia, is quite limited. Emerging research suggests that for incarcerated individuals living with HIV, issues related to mental health are likely exacerbated. PURPOSE: To date, no studies have examined the impacts of mental health issues on suicidality among incarcerated individuals living with HIV in Namibia, Africa. Thus, the current study aimed to fill this gap. METHODS: This cross-sectional study utilized a purposive sampling method to survey 154 incarcerated adults living with HIV in Namibia. We tested three hypotheses: (H1) Higher levels of PTSD will be associated with an increase in suicidality; (H2) Higher levels of depressive symptoms will be related to an increase in suicidality; and (H3) Individuals with a history of mental health issues prior to incarceration will be related to an increase in suicidality. RESULTS: Supportive of H1, a logistic multivariate regression models revealed that higher levels of PTSD were significantly associated with higher levels of suicidality. And supportive of H2, higher levels of depressive symptoms were significantly related to higher levels of suicidality. There was no support found for H3. Additionally, we found unmarried prisoners were more likely to report suicidal ideation than prisoners with other marital statuses and male prisoners were more likely to report suicidal ideation than female prisoners. CONCLUSION: These findings call for culturally appropriate interventions to support this population in improving mental health and are especially important given that social workers in Namibia are increasingly being called to work with individuals living with HIV.
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    Characterization of PET tracer Flutemetamol (GE-067) binding to Aβ1-40 fibrils
    (Wichita State University, 2022-04-29) Wijegunawardena, Gayani; Duan, Pu; Kelly, J. Chen; Aurelio, J. Dregni; Harrison, K. Wang; Hong, Mei; Wu, Haifan
    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disorder and the most common cause of dementia. One of the major pathological hallmarks of AD is the deposition of amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) into plaques. In the past decade, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) has been used to detect plaques in patients for diagnosis. Although several PET tracers including Flutemetamol (GE-067) have been developed and approved by FDA, their interaction with Aβ fibrils at molecular level is not fully understood. In this study, we aim to characterize the binding of GE-067 to Aβ1-40 fibrils in detail. We developed a binding assay based on HPLC quantification. Using Aβ1-40 fibrils prepared in vitro, we determined the binding stoichiometry of 1:4.6 (GE-067 to Aβ1-40 as a monomer). In collaboration with Prof. Hong, solid-state NMR and molecular docking were used to determine the binding sites of flutemetamol using $^{13}C$, $^{15}N$-labeled Aβ1-40. Our data support multiple binding sites for flutemetamol in Aβ1-40 fibrils. We believe our binding study will guide the effort to further optimize these amyloid PET tracers for higher affinity and selectivity.
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    Technological innovation and diffusion: Exploring AM adoption from a collaboration perspective
    (Wichita State University, 2022-04-29) Trevaskiss, Cailyn; Shen, Ruowen; Hwang, Gisuk
    INTRODUCTION: Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D-printing, is a key technology to achieve innovation in Industry 4.0. This technology has not been widely adopted by industry, government, and the larger public. Understanding how to accelerate AM adoption has become a central issue. Wide adoption would benefit from a societal transformation process that requires the cross-sector collaboration of a network of players including governments, universities, private industry, and citizen groups. PURPOSE: To understand the mechanisms of collaboration and their impact on AM adoption, as well as the key factors that are contributing to exchange. METHODS: This research uses semi-structured interviews with prescient individuals in the additive manufacturing field and fields affected by AM with expertise and experience. It uses snowball sampling, where each interviewee recommends further interviewees. Then content analysis is conducted through NVIVO, a software that uses coding to see patterns in the responses. CONCLUSION: Low adoption is the result of limiting factors like expensive upfront costs and lack of training, as well as fear of poor investment and changing technologies. Establishing a collaborative mechanism is essential for achieving wider adoption of AM. However, the current collaborative mechanism is ineffective. Different sectors collaborating differently, lack of a quality control standard and a common language, and the market limits due to information ambiguity and an absence of mutual trust all prevent effective collaboration. Future AM collaboration adoption would be aided by the establishment of support networks and collaborative mechanisms that enable sharing and accessibility of knowledge- likely facilitated by government.
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    STEAM education: GeoGebra in 3D printing
    (Wichita State University, 2022-04-29) Uppala, Taraka Rama; Alagic, Mara
    This research is investigating what Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) concepts and skills can be developed through the use of GeoGebra in 3D printing for learners at all levels, starting from elementary to the university level. Special attention is given to the mathematical concepts and processes as well as to engineering design behind the GeoGebra 3D constructions and consequent 3D printing contributing to interactive ways of teaching rather than the traditional lecturing. GeoGebra (geogebra.com) is a free, dynamic mathematics software for all levels of STEAM education that brings together geometry, algebra, spreadsheets, graphing, statistics, and calculus in one engine. During the design process, students learn how to create models for 3D printing while further developing their critical and creative thinking as well as conceptual understanding of underlying mathematical concepts. So, instructional design research - from GeoGebra to 3D printing - for mathematical investigations, demonstrates how by identifying different problems around them and finding useful and creative 3D printed solutions, learners understand the significant role of STEAM education in becoming responsible citizens ready to live and work in the digital age. Furthermore, animations are designed to capture and demonstrate all the steps in the process, from the idea of an object to its 3D printed production.
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    The effects of vestibular training in a balance program in the general population versus a post-concussive population
    (Wichita State University, 2022-04-29) Vernon, Victoria; Strickler, Kaden; Uphaus, Blake; Ashbrook, Christina
    INTRODUCTION: Concussions cause symptoms such as confusion, dizziness, vertigo, and cognitive disturbances. Long-term complications such as balance and vestibular dysfunction associated with concussion require further investigation. Research is limited on benefits of vestibular training post-concussion. PURPOSE: This research study examined the effects of a vestibular rehabilitation protocol in conjunction with a balance training program in the general and post-concussive populations. METHODS: Participants were 18 to 40 years of age who sustained a concussion within the past three years, or who were individuals in the general population. Pretest and posttest measures of balance and dizziness with daily function for this study include the following outcome measures: Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), Y-Balance Test, and Dizziness Handicap Index (DHI). Individuals were randomly assigned to the experimental group performing balance training program with a vestibular protocol or the control group completed balance training alone. Both groups completed exercises 3-4 times per week for 8 consecutive weeks. RESULTS:. Results from 29 participants from general population were analyzed using a mixed ANOVA set at a 95% confidence interval (p=0.05) to determine significance from pretest to posttest. Data exclusion occurred with 1 participant with concussion due to insufficient sample size. No significant differences were found upon data analysis from the three outcome measures. CONCLUSION: Our study found no significance between pretest and posttest measures in the general population. Additional research is warranted to further assess the impact of vestibular rehabilitation included in balance training for post-concussive populations. Recommendations for future studies include increased recruitment of post-concussive individuals and more challenging tests.