101 Hospital Gowns; No Longer an Embarrassment
Marissa Bridges, Samantha Bochek, Kathryn Holm, Krystal Campbell, Lindsey Carrier
Advisor: Gindy Neidermyer
The last place a person wants to be is in a hospital and put in the discomfort of wearing a drafty hospital gown. There are many problems with today’s gowns and through this research a new and improved hospital gown that is both comfortable and functional has been developed. There have been a few attempts at updating the hospital gown but none have them have been successful. The reasons for this were investigated through interviews with nurses at the Red Cedar Hospital. Interviews with patients identified what would make them feel more comfortable. The result of this investigation is a new design that will please both the nurses and patients.
102 Medically Enhanced Army Uniform
Ashley Kolln, Amanda Johnston
Advisor: Gindy Neidermyer
This research explored the current basic Army uniform in relation to the medical issues facing the army soldier. The process of creating a prototype included investigations into fabrication, thermal regulation concerns, safety or visibility issues, noise reduction and medical procedures. Adaptations to the uniform include safety handles and casings. The outcome of the research is a medically enhanced basic Army uniform that incorporates new ways to medically assist a soldier while requiring them to carry fewer supplies.
103 Medical Scrubs with Function and Fit
Elizabeth Perren, Callie Overturf, Monica Magnan, Kathryn Lynch
Advisor: Gindy Neidermyer
Medical scrubs are worn by medical professionals for function and body mobility. Medical procedures, equipment and medical personnel have changed over time; however, the medical garments have not been adjusted to meet these changes. The research conducted addressed all functional requirements of current medical professionals, procedures and technology. The outcome of the research is a prototype that incorporates appropriate fabrication and trims, adjustability for fit to meet the needs of both males and females in varying medical scenarios, thermal regulation, and sanitation to protect the wearer and the patient.
104 Military Medic Uniform gets a 360°
Jenny Selner, Jesse Woodruff, Priti Pandit, Brittney Reilly, Ashley Potter
Gindy Neidermyer
Currently the military medic’s uniform and bag are insufficient mechanisms of distributing and organizing medical supplies on the body of a soldier. All supplies are currently carried on the back which may lead to serious medical problems for soldiers’ backs, knees, and shoulders. Further, in an emergency the supplies are difficult to access quickly and therefore the medical needs of injured soldiers may not be addressed as promptly as necessary. The outcome of this research was the redesign of the medic uniform to address these issues. In addition, thermal regulation, fastening systems, and impact resistance were also addressed to support and enhance the performance of the medic.
105 Games in Education
Cole Butterfield, Logan Moschkau, Dallas Rayburn, Evan Ziperski
Advisor: Sylvia Tiala
The Games in Education project is designed to demonstrate the efficacy of computer games as a pedagogical tool to teach specific educational concepts and meta-learning strategies. This is done by both having students develop their own computer games and by having students use pre-developed games.
106 LifeSync: A Personal Information Management System
Nick Sorrentino
Advisor: Uttam Kokil
A new Personal Information Management Interface (P.I.M.) needs to be developed for personal computer use on the World Wide Web. This program will organize contacts, emails, notes, projects, and tasks within a single interface. The main objective with this project is to create a high level of user-friendly interactivity that all users can relate to. This application needs to be intuitive, quick, and be accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection. With 81% of global executives saying they are connected to work through mobile devices, it is apparent that this interface needs to go mobile as well. Furthermore, visual design communicates the same message without the need for translation. Keeping this interface more graphic-based than text-based will allow it to appeal to a global market. LifeSync will take all of the user’s information and display it in a color-coded interactive timeline, creating an easier understanding of the users’ workflow. In addition, the user will be able to drag and drop items from one section to another creating an intuitive interface (i.e. drag a contact onto a task, that contact will now be assigned the owner of the task).
107 UW-Stout Alumni Follow-Up Survey
UW-Stout Applied Research Center
Meridith Wentz, Sally Bosshart, Tammy Cutsforth, Susan Greene, Wendy Marson
The UW-Stout Alumni Follow-Up Survey was developed by the Office of Budget, Planning and Analysis (BPA) and has been conducted since 1979. The survey contacts graduates of both undergraduate and graduate programs at one- and five-year periods following graduation to assess student satisfaction, measure educational effectiveness, and identify areas for improvement. If participants wish, their employers are also contacted to complete an employer survey. The poster provides detail about the project and significant results.
108 UW-Stout Student Engagement Survey
UW-Stout Applied Research Center
Meridith Wentz, Sally Bosshart, Tammy Cutsforth, Susan Greene, Wendy Marson
The UW-Stout Student Engagement Survey was developed by the Office of Budget, Planning and Analysis in collaboration with faculty from the Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center (NTLC). It began with a phenomenological study of student engagement, from which the survey was developed, using the language about engagement provided by the study participants. Results of this survey and its implications for student learning were co-presented by BPA and the NTLC at the Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum in Kansas City, MO in 2007. The poster provides detail about the project and the survey results.
109 UW-Stout Campus Violence Prevention Project Survey
UW-Stout Applied Research Center
Meridith Wentz, Sally Bosshart, Tammy Cutsforth, Susan Greene, Wendy Marson
The UW-Stout Campus Violence Prevention Project (CVPP) Survey was developed by UW-Stout staff in the Counseling Center, assisted by the Office of Budget, Planning and Analysis. The survey was administered twice, in 2005 and 2007, to determine their perceptions about campus violence, to describe what services they may have used on campus or in the community to report campus violence, and what resulted from their reporting. Results of the 2007 survey were jointly presented by BPA and the UW-Stout Counseling Center at the California Commission Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) conference in Washington, DC in 2008, and following the conference, UW-Stout ARC administered a version of the survey to students at Vassar College in spring 2008. The poster summarizes the survey results.
110 Investigating Time of Day Impact on Student Performance
Jongeun Rhee, Kim Hahn
The objectives of the study was (1) to examine how time of day influences student performance and (2) to examine how differently time of day influences student performance when different cognitive tasks concerned (i.e., general education vs. apparel courses). A sample was drawn from courses offering multiple (i.e., morning and afternoon) iterations of undergraduate courses using a convenience sampling method. Student performance was evaluated by final grades for classes and four student performance items. The level of student performance was significantly related to time of a course. Participants in morning iterations (m = 83.24) obtained significantly higher grades than participants in afternoon iterations (m = 82.0). To further examine whether different relationships exist between student performance and time of a course based on course types, participants were divided into two groups: the Intro Sociology and the Functional Clothing Design. For the Intro Sociology course, time of a course significantly influenced students' performances, whereas time of a course did not influence students' performances for the Functional Clothing Design course. The findings indicated that the impact of time of day on student performance is different based on a type of task even when tasks are similarly concerned with higher cognitive functions.
111 Learning Game Development with XNA Game Studio
Matthew Christian
Advisor: Sylvia Tiala
Game development is a tricky subject and can best even the greatest programmer. Microsoft recently created XNA Game Studio to help programmers of all skill levels easily create games and demos for PC and Xbox 360. This talk will focus on the trials and tribulations, ins and outs, of learning XNA Game Studio from the perspective of a new game development student.
111 Evaluating Database Vendor Replication Strategies
Sally Johnson, Mark Adler, Matthew Christian, Jon Lindbo, Peter Schooley, Derek Strelow, Justin Verhulst, Blong Yang
Advisor: Terry Mason
Database replication is the frequent electronic copying of data from a database in one computer or server to another. Database replication is used to prevent hardware failures. The purpose of this study was to compare database replication strategies between SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL. Using VMWare Server, six different virtual machines were run on the same hardware. Tuning options for each type of database and the differences between each were evaluated.
112 Database Replication Analysis
Joshua Oakgrove, John Manosky, Ben Matern, Michael DeWeese, Kalyan Thapa
Advisor: Terry Mason
The Advanced Software Engineering class is working in conjunction with Thompson Reuters to analyze current database management software. Of particular interest is the software's replication abilities. The process of developing a standard test that will find the time it takes to complete the replication of writes to various databases will be examined.
113 Building Informatics Support to Understand Antisense Sequence Characteristics
Ray Gross, Benedict Matern, Samir Raut
Advisors: Michael Pickart, Terry Mason
Antisense approaches for the manipulation of gene expression have greatly expanded over the last decade and have proven useful in applications for research and medicine. Despite the growing utility of antisense, challenges still remain including problems with efficacy, off-targeting, delivery, and side effects. In order to investigate the degree to which a specific antisense sequence contributes to efficacy, an informatics system is necessary to warehouse the many chemical, biological, genomic, and other parameters associated with this sequence. Toward that end, this ongoing study is implementing an informatics system to mine antisense sequence data for parameters to clarify design constraints and choices. With a relatively long history of success as a tool in zebrafish, sequence data for antisense morpholinos was downloaded into a MySQL database designed to efficiently encapsulate the sequence information and relationships with non-sequence data. Using primarily Perl, BioPerl, and PHP scripting languages, the morpholino data set was analyzed to identify specific sequence properties and correlate this information with Ensembl genomic data, efficacy, and off-targeting effects. The investigation of these relationships may ultimately prove valuable in understanding and predicting underlying mechanisms important for antisense efficacy and design considerations for gene therapy.
114 Distribution of Graph Roundness
Hannah Rosenthal, Eric Larose
Advisor: Matthew Horak
A mathematical “graph” is a network of points called “vertices” connected by lines called “edges”. Graphs are used in a variety of mathematical and real-world applications from analyzing communications networks to modeling algebraic phenomena. The "roundness" of a finite graph is a number that describes the smallest possible ratio of the lengths of diagonals to the lengths of edges of quadrilaterals appearing in the graph. This poster will focus on the definition of the roundness of a graph, and we will illustrate how to use the Java program we wrote for the ease of computation. In addition, there will be a discussion on the distribution of roundness amongst all of the connected graphs with 7, 8, and 9 vertices. With the data collected and distribution shown, we are able to make a conjecture that "most" connected graphs have a roundness of 1, and we will determine whether or not there are any gaps in the distribution.
115 The Roundness of a Graph
Jessica Moore, Michael Rooney
Advisor: Matthew Horak
In mathematics, a "graph" is a network of points (called vertices) connected by line segments (called edges). Graphs are found throughout mathematics science in applications such as modeling computer networks, modeling biological relationships or even describing abstract relationships between mathematical objects. The roundness of a finite graph is a numerical parameter, varying between 1 and 2, which describes in a very general way the possible shapes of quadrilaterals in the graph. In this research of roundness, it was found that the easiest way to increase understanding was to start with the exploration of the simplest graphs, cycles, and then move into more complicated classes such as cycles with center points, bisected cycles, and triangulated cycles. The proof and ideas involved in determining the roundness of graphs will be highlighted.
116 Mobile Device Development
Benjamin Koerner
Advisor: Diane Christie
This research examined the differences between application development for computers and mobile devices. The creation of code for a mobile device was attempted by starting with code written for a PC application. This research project provides an explanation for the basics of creating an application for a mobile device and the process of moving the application to the mobile device.
117 The Wisconsin Invasive Plant Species Education Kit
Wendy Sandstrom, Brittany Johnson
Advisor: Krista James
In the summer of 2008, a group of UW-Stout students and professors developed lessons and activities for the Wisconsin Invasive Plant Species (IPS) Education Kit. This kit is designed to be used by middle school and high school teachers to promote the awareness and importance of removing invasive plant species. Jean D’Angelo, an agriscience teacher at Menomonie High School and member of the IPS curriculum development team, supervised the testing of the lessons with a group of 17 high school seniors. The high school students experienced all readings, worksheets and activities implemented in the curriculum, including the removal of invasive plants on the school’s property. The students provided feedback throughout the teaching process and completed a survey regarding the ease of learning the material and their overall impression of the different lessons and activities. The results revealed that students understood the material and were able to apply what they learned during the restoration portion of the curriculum. A future goal for this project is to make the Wisconsin Invasive Plant Species Education kit available to all teachers interested in incorporating invasive plant species material into existing lesson plans. This project was funded through a 2008 Wisconsin Environmental Education Forestry Education grant.
118 Solid Waste and Recycling Pickup Right Outside Your Front Door
Nina Borchowiec
Advisor: Krista James
The Dunn County Division of Solid Waste (DCDSW) manages eight full service rural collection stations and one recycling drop-off. The objective of this research project was to collaborate with DCDSW to determine if the carbon footprint of transporting recyclables and solid waste from rural homes could be reduced through the implementation of roadside pickup. Currently, rural residents bring their solid waste and recyclables to their township collection station. Fuel cost and mileage data from Veolia Environmental Services to develop a carbon footprint analysis of the truck was obtained and will be used to compare it with the current system. In addition, clients who are using the current system for dropping off their waste and recyclables will be surveyed. All data will be integrated into ArcGIS to develop a comprehensive map which will be used as a tool to educate the DCDSW advisory board and general public. George Hayducsko, Director of Dunn County Solid Waste Division, co-advised on this research project.
119 Invasive Plant Species Removal and Restoration Land Management
Mark Baumgartner
Advisor: Krista James
The first objective of this research project was to provide hands-on invasive plant species management experiences for Menomonie High School and UW-Stout teachers and students. The second objective was to conduct longitudinal monitoring of two different urban forest communities before and after an invasive plant species removal project. FIrst, initial plant diversity and abundance within the two different study sites was determined using random plots. Each plot location was documented using Global Positioning System (GPS). Then, high school and college student-volunteers assisted in the removal of invasive plant species from the study areas. A majority of the invasive plants consisted of honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) and common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica). All data were integrated into ArcGIS to develop a comprehensive map which will be used as a tool to monitor the vegetation in the test site over time. The Dunn County DNR Forester and student volunteers will plant native tree seedlings in the study areas. A post-removal analysis of the site using the same methodology at the beginning of the study will be conducted. The longitudinal monitoring will be continued through spring 2010. This project is receiving funding from a Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (WEEB) Forest Education grant.
120 Insect Diversity of a Restored and Unrestored Trout Stream
Rebecca Basina
Advisor: Charles Bomar
Gilbert Creek, Dunn County WI, drains from the sandstone bluffs of the Knapp Hills. It is approximately 13.5 miles long, and over 20,000 feet of bank in the headwaters have been restored to enhance spawning habitat of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). This has been a continuing research area for UW-Stout over past 4 years. Vast amounts of data support the positive impacts of stream restoration. Aquatic invertebrates are the ultimate benchmark of restoration success. Surveys were completed monthly (June-September) at 2 restored and 6 unrestored locations from the headwaters to near the entrance of the Red Cedar River. The diversity and density are directly correlated to the impacts of restoration and the habitat it creates. The greatest density and diversity of invertebrates was found at the 2003 site, 5 years post-restoration, while the least diverse sites were those with no restoration and little habitat.
121 Possible Medicinal Aspectects of Hmong Plants
Brooke Koenig
Advisor: Kitrina Carlson
Investigation of how specific cultures use plants for medicine has been critical to the development of many important pharmaceutical products. At least 75% of all prescription medicines contain compounds originally derived from plant materials. The objective of this work is to develop plant compound extraction and screening protocols to assess medicinal potential of plants used by Wisconsin Hmong people. Methods for detection, identification and extraction of both alkaloids and glycosides will be presented. Additionally, novel screening strategies are being developed to investigate the potential bioactivity of isolated plant compounds and extracts. This screen includes assays for antimicrobial and anti-cancer activity, as well as broad based physiological activity, for example, evaluating capacity to alter vascular function in endothelial cell lines. Results from this work will contribute to a comprehensive database of Hmong medicinal plants which catalogues cultural uses of plants, including which plants are used, how they are used, why they are used, as well as data gathered through laboratory characterization of plants extracts, as described above.
123-125 Relationship of Soil Permeability Rate and Well Water Composition
Tyler Beaudette, Kalyan Adhikari, Elizabeth Faust, Blia Yang, Patricia Mancl
Advisor: Ana M.Q. Vande Linde
The rate in which water flows through the soil is referred to as the permeability rate or recharge rate. In Dunn County, the recharge rates of local soils vary from 0.20 inches per hour to 20 inches per hour. Areas with high recharge rates have the greatest potential risk of aquifer pollution from agricultural and other man-made pollutants thus contaminating the well water supply. In addition, the existence of several wells and septic fields in close proximity of each other, especially in high recharge rate areas, also run the risk of septic water entering the aquifer. To determine if variations in soil permeability rates affect well water composition in Dunn County, numerous well water samples from several private wells from areas with varying recharge rates were analyzed. The initial results of our study which include testing of coliform bacteria, pH, conductivity, nitrate, hardness, sodium, chloride, iron, orthophosphate and caffeine will be reported. Conclusions from this study will highlight the effects of different levels of these parameters on well water supply.
126 Identification and Quantification of Triclosan in Local Surface and Well Waters
Elbek Kurbanov
Advisor: Marcia Miller-Rodeberg
Pharmaceuticals and the active ingredients in personal care products (PPCPs) have been recognized as bioactive pollutants commonly found in surface and drinking (well) water. A primary source of PPCPs is waste water effluent. One PPCP compound commonly found in drinking water is triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol). Triclosan is an antimicrobial disinfectant agent used in a wide array of consumer products. Because triclosan is structurally related to one of the most carcinogenic families of compounds known, the dioxins, determining the level of contamination in local surface and drinking water supplies is critical for public and environmental health. The objective of this research is to measure triclosan levels in local surface and drinking (well) waters as well as in waste water effluent in the Menomonie, WI area. The analytical method utilizes solid-phase extraction (SPE) to concentrate the samples. The samples are then subjected to capillary gas chromatography coupled with electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This method will be developed, optimized and validated for the determination of triclosan in wastewater/sewage treatment plant (WSTP) effluent and local surface waters. Results concerning levels of triclosan in wastewater effluent and local surface waters in Menomonie area will be presented.
127 Zebrafish Embryo Small Molecule Chemical Library Screen
Chanelle Bailey
Advisor: Michael Pickart
Zebrafish are commonly used as model organisms because of intrinsic experimental and genetic advantages such as external development, large clutch size, amenability to mutagenesis, and extensive similarity with human genomes and expressed proteins. This latter advantage has facilitated development of a number of human disease models for Alzheimer’s disease, congenital heart disease, polycystic kidney disease and cancer for instance. Other models can be useful for pre-clinical animal testing of potential drugs as well. In this study, we investigated over 500 small molecules (chemicals with a molecular weight typically less than 1000) and evaluated their potential to alter normal development, survival, growth rate, and pigmentation up to 5 days following treatment. Embryos were placed in a 96 well plate with one to three embryos in each well and treated with chemicals from the Chembridge DIVERSet E small molecule chemical library. PTU was used as the positive control due to a known capacity to completely inhibit zebrafish pigment development. To date, at least two clear phenotypes have been observed with specific chemicals ranging from complete absence of pigment to absence in the trunk but not eyes. These results highlight the utility of zebrafish for chemical screening and drug discovery, as well as identifying compounds with potential as research tools, active ingredients in cosmetic products, and potential cancer treatments.
129 Evaluating a Novel Promoter for Genetic Modification of CHO-K1 Cells
Lance Gregorich, Megan Zemke, Heather Patnode
Advisor: Michael Pickart
Promoter regions are necessary to drive gene expression in cells. All organisms contain promoters and have potential for the creation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by promoting expression in species unrelated to their origin. In this study, an unidentified promoter region (UPR) provided by a Genomics Technology Access Core Facility (GTAC) client was ligated into the pGlow Topo promoter-less plasmid. Two control plasmids were also created by ligating an established effective promoter (CMV) into the pGlow Topo promoter-less plasmid (positive control) and by ligating the the pGlow Topo promoter-less plasmid with itself to create an empty vector (negative control). Successful ligation was determined by detecting GFP (green fluorescence protein) expression following transfection of CHO-K1 cells (hamster ovarian cells) using standard fluorescent microscopy. GFP expression was also analyzed in transiently transfected cells using RT-PCR and western blotting and compared among the plasmids tested. It is expected that the positive control will produce a high level of expression. This project will result in the creation of a vector that may be useful in biotechnological applications for research and laboratory classes through GTAC and may identify a novel function of a UPR with potential as a tool for the manipulation of gene expression in mammalian cells and ultimately the creation of GMOs.
130 Drug Discovery Cancer Screening in Human Cancer Cell Lines
Caitlin Gaffney
Advisor: Michael Pickart
Screening of natural or synthesized chemicals in cell culture can provide insight into unique chemical bioactivity, such as anti-cancer properties, and is an important part of the overall drug discovery process. This project utilized UW-Stout’s Genomics Technology Access Center (GTAC) drug discovery resources. The research focused on identifying novel anticancer activity from Chembridge Corporation’s DIVERSet E small molecule chemical library and compounds isolated from the Hmong medicinal plant project led by Dr. Carlson (Biology Department). Compounds are screened using standard methods to determine the average rate of cell proliferation and the percent survival of untreated and treated cells over a range of concentrations of test chemicals. Resulting growth and survival rates of untreated (control) cells are compared with rates of treated cells to determine if a compound exhibits anticancer potential. Current work is focused on establishing these methods to initiate an ongoing screening program at UW-Stout. Chemicals found to inhibit growth or decrease cell survival following treatment could lead to new treatment options for cancer patients with additional pre-clinical and clinical testing.
131 Chemical and Antimicrobial Properties Of Sauerkraut
Tucker Anderson, Thomas Gunn, Brandon Pierce
Advisor: Marcia Miller-Rodeburg
Fermented food products, such as kimchi and yogurt, are often considered "healthful" foods. In part, this belief may arise from the fact that the microbes fermenting the food release antimicrobial agents into the food. An antimicrobial agent is a substance that hinders or halts microbial growth. Antimicrobial agents may promote digestive health. Sauerkraut is also a fermented food product; the objective of the research presented here is to follow the chemical and antimicrobial properties of sauerkraut during the fermentation process. pH, protein content, carbohydrate content and antimicrobial properties will be analyzed through a 4-week fermentation process for sauerkraut. The results will be presented.
131 Cultivation of Melanocytes on Aluminum Oxide Substrates
Patrick Wears, Elizabeth Faust
Advisor: Michael Pickart
Current solar system technology employs expensive doped silicon and absorptive chemicals to convert radiation into electricity. It is proposed that the hydroxyindole polymers found in the skin pigment melanin may replace the silicon technology with an environmentally friendly and economically favorable biological solution if melanocytes are able to grow upon an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) substrate. The melanin containing melanocytes will be cultured in supplemented growth media on Al2O3-treated slides and plates. Melanocyte growth and attachment will be characterized using assays based changes in cell number, colony size, survival, morphology and melanin expression. It is expected that melanocytes will attach and survive on Al2O3 and potential changes in growth compared to untreated glass slides will be identified. Future experimentation centered on the study of electrical conductivity that is necessary to create a solar cell may provide a novel approach for solar technology development.
132 In situ Formation of L10 FePt Nanoclusters via Inert Gas Condensation
Aaron Cochran
Advisor: Marlann Patterson
FePt nanoclusters formed under inert gas condensation have attracted a lot of attention. The FePt clusters normally form with a magnetically soft, face-centered cubic (fcc) A1 structure, whereas the highly anisotropic L10 ordered structure is favorable. Our efforts have concentrated on developing ordered L10 FePt clusters in situ during inert gas condensation. The characteristics have been modified to increase ion density in the plasma. This increased ion density results in more cluster-ion collisions, allowing atomic rearrangement to form the ordered structure. Langmuir probe measurements indicated a two orders of magnitude increase in ion density under different processing parameters. The clusters formed with the high ion density had a coercivity of 1.1 kOe compared a few Oersteds for low ion-density clusters. The higher coercivity suggests that clusters formed with at least partial L10 ordering. Electron diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) also indicated the presence of L10 ordering. This structure was absent from the clusters formed with lower ion density, where the HRTEM revealed essentially single-crystalline clusters. The results indicate that the ion bombardment of the clusters when in an atmosphere of high ion concentration can be an effective route to forming ordered FePt clusters in situ.
133 Mechanical Strength of Colloidal Arrays
Brad Bondhus, Jack Stransky
Advisor: John Kirk
Colloidal arrays, composed of well-organized silica particles about a hundred nanometers in size, can be used to filter trace amounts of organic compounds. Strong arrays are necessary to withstand the force required to filter samples through the small pores of the array. Additionally, the organization of the array is an important factor in the efficiency of filtration. This research investigates the strength and organization of silica colloid arrays after sintering the array at high temperatures to form bonds between adjacent colloid. Increased strength from sintering is optimized using different temperatures, sintering times, and colloidal sizes. This strength, together with organization of the structure, is essential to form efficient silica colloid array nanofilters for small organic compounds that pose serious environmental and health risks.
134 Silica Colloid Nanofiltration System
Jack Stransky, Brad Bondhus
Advisor: John Kirk
Silica colloids are nano-scale spherical particles that can be used in a variety of applications such as catalysis, abrasive polishing, and refractories. The goal of this research is to use these silica colloids, in combination with gold colloids of similar size, to create a mixed colloidal array. This mixed colloidal array will act as a nanofiltration system through which extremely small amounts, on the order of a few parts per billion, of dangerous carcinogens and teratogens can be filtered, detected, and eliminated. The silica colloids are made using a combination of ammonia, water, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in an ethanol solution. By varying the concentration of these components within the ethanol, it is possible to make particles of specific, similar, sizes. This exacting control of size is important in controlling the pore size of the nanofilter to allow only the small molecules of interest through. Initial results using unoptimized synthesis conditions resulted in 200 nanometer diameter silica colloids as determined by scanning electron microscopy. This corresponds to pore sizes within the nanofilter of about 30 nanometers.
135 Characteristics of Memory-Guided Saccade Adaptation in Humans
Ashley Dillon, Cassey Haase
Advisor: Jo Hopp
Primates use saccades (fast, accurate eye movements) to scan their visual environment. The accuracy of saccades exists until late in life, despite possible physical or neurological damage. This evidence suggests that there may be a mechanism in the brain to maintain accuracy (saccade adaptation). This particular mechanism can be studied as a model for motor learning in primates. This study is interested in the neural mechanisms underlying the adaptation of memory-guided saccades, those made to remember target locations, in humans. A behavioral paradigm is used to induce memory-guided saccade adaptation, and to examine adaptation characteristics such as the time-course and degree of learning. A further interest of this study is the effect of a cognitive load on memory-guided adaptation. Characterizing adaptation of memory guided saccades with an understanding of how a cognitive task affects adaptation will allow for inferences to be made about the mechanisms and potential neural loci for memory-guided saccade adaptation in humans.
136 Anti-microbial Properties of Kimchi
Thomas Gunn, Jill LaPlante, Brandon Pierce
Advisor: Marcia Miller-Rodeberg
Kimchi is a spicy fermented cabbage dish that originates from Korea. In order to determine certain anti-microbial properties of Kimchi, protein content and pH were monitored during the fermentation process. Lactic acid content and microbial counts were analyzed. Results and conclusions will be presented.
137 Efficacy of Household Agents on E. coli from Produce
Mary McIlquham, Aaron Martin
Advisor: Kitrina Carlson
Common household chemicals may provide a safe and inexpensive option for use as agents to wash fresh produce and reduce the population of food borne pathogens such as E. coli. A comparison of the efficacy of two household agents on the reduction in E. coli population is reported here. A 0.01% concentration of bleach solution and a 5.00% acetic acid solution were used as washing agents on spinach and tomatoes that had been inoculated with E. coli. Comparisons of total E. coli and total aerobic bacteria following various washing techniques were made. Spinach treated with bleach or acetic acid produced little to no reduction of total bacteria in the population. Tomatoes treated with acetic acid showed a 30-95% reduction in total aerobic bacteria, while tomatoes treated with bleach showed no growth of bacteria following a 48 hour incubation period. Future work will investigate the use of a genetically modified E. coli isolate as an inoculum source to more effectively and efficiently distinguish E. coli from total aerobic bacteria.
138 Antimicrobial effect of Cranberry Powder on E.coli O157:H7 in Beef
Jane Palakeel
Advisor: Cynthia Rohrer
An alarming increase in the incidence of food borne illness especially in contaminated beef has been documented. Recent findings demonstrate that cranberry concentrate is effective in controlling microbial activity in ground beef. The objective of the study is to investigate the antimicrobial effect of cranberry protein powder on the growth of E. coli O157:H7 inoculated in 90 % lean ground beef. The organoleptic properties of cooked beef patties when mixed with the powder at different concentrations will also be evaluated. Ground beef will be individually inoculated with two different strains of E.coli O157:H7 (ATCC 35150 & ATCC 43888), and supplemented with cranberry protein powder at four different levels (0.0%, 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% w/w) followed by storage at 4ºC (refrigeration temperature) and incubation at 25°C (room temperature). Microbiological analysis will be carried out on days 0, 2, 4, 6 for a total storage of 6 days in order to analyze the entire growth phase of the microbe. At least fifty panelists will evaluate the beef patties supplemented with cranberry protein powder at different concentrations for appearance, sour taste, cooked beef flavor, cardboard flavor, grainy texture, and overall impression at day 0.
140 Moisture Sorption Characteristics and Crispness Loss of Puffed Rice
Prawesh Rijal
Advisor: Lamin Kassama
This study was carried out to find the moisture sorption isotherm of puffed rice and effect of the water activity in its sensory crispness. Static gravimetric method was used to determine the equilibrium moisture content in the range of 5- 85% R.H at 30 and 40 degree centigrade using saturated salt solutions. The Braunauer Emmet Teller (BET) and Guggenheim Anderson De Boer (GAB) sorption models were used to analyze data. Sensory evaluation was also conducted. Results will be presented. Babita Adhikari also advised this project.
141 Degradation Kinetics of Energy Bars in Different Packaging Materials
Rakesh Karki, Satish Reddy Seerapu, Nandan Kumar
Advisor: Lamin Kassama
Quality and shelf life retention is significant for long term marketability of food products. Temperature, water activity, relative humidity and the package barrier properties are factors that influence shelf life of products during marketing. The objective of this study is to identify an appropriate packaging material for homemade energy bars. Peroxide value was used as a determinant for quality deterioration factor. The energy bars were packaged in three different types of packaging materials (PE,35 Kraft/10PE/30F/15PE, Met OPP/PE and Oriented Polypropylene (OPP)). The barrier properties were determined based on the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) across the packaging materials, oil content, water activities and moisture gain/loss was determined after 18 days of storage in an environmental chamber set under the following conditions, 95% relative humidity and temperature at 38°C. Sensory analysis was conducted based on ranking test, to evaluate the overall acceptability of the products after the storage period. The peroxide values for the Met OPP and PE, 35 Kraft/10PE/30F/15PE and OPP were 12.9, 12.9 and 13.3 meq/Kg oil, respectively and were not significantly different (p > 0.05). Products packed in the PE,35 Kraft/10PE/30F/15PE were preferred over Met OPP/PE and the OPP by the sensory panelist. The WVTR (9.98 gram/square meter/day) was higher for OPP, and was shown to be less preferred by the sensory analysis. The accelerated shelf life under abusive condition was estimated to be 77 days.
142 Effect of High Humidity Tempering on Soaking Time and Quality of Red Kidney Beans
Nava Thapa, Andy Juelich
Advisor: Lamin Kassama
The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of high humidity tempering on soaking time and other quality attributes of dark red kidney beans. Trays of kidney beans were placed in environmental chamber of 95% relative humidity at 38 degrees Celsius for 24, 12 and 6 hours for tempering and then soaked for 1,2,3,4 and 5 hours in water at 24 degrees Celsius. The moisture content and bulk volumes were measured at different time interval of soaking by using the ASABE standard procedure and pycnometer respectively. The beans which were tempered for a long time increased its moisture content by 639, 671, 692, 712 and 755%. The volume of the beans were significantly (p
143 Fermentation and Manufacturing Process of Injera with Tef Flour Alternatives
Bikram Upadhyaya
Advisor: Lamin Kassama
Injera, a fluffy honey-comb structured flat bread, is a staple food in Ethiopia. Injera is mainly prepared from tef, (Eragrostis tef) an indigenous cereal grain. It is a popular and nutritious food that has a long shelf life, distinct textural characteristics and flavor, and is simple to prepare. Though injera is very popular in the US, especially in the East African communities, the tef flour is very expensive and not easily available in the market. Until such a time when the supply of tef increases, alternative cereal flour used for making injera is necessary. Injera can be prepared with other cereal flours from sorghum, barley, maize or wheat. Therefore, developing a new formulation from these alternative low cost flours mixed with tef, while maintaining its nutritional and organoleptic attributes will provide a new market for injera. The objectives of this research are to examine the composition of injera and to determine an appropriate formulation of tef with healthy ingredients from a cultural perspective. The new product will significantly contribute to providing a healthy and sustainable supply of food to the East African communities in the Midwest. The project is also optimizing the fermentation conditions to produce consistent quality products.
144 Glucose Repression of Various Yeast Strains during Fermentation of Brewer’s Wort
Matthew Schmick
Advisor: Marcia Miller-Rodeberg
During the fermentation process of brewer’s wort, the sugars sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, and maltotriose are fermented to produce ethanol, carbon dioxide, and flavor and aroma compounds. If large supplies of adjuncts are being used for brewing, there is a possibility of too much glucose or fructose in the brewer’s wort. This in turn could inhibit the yeast’s ability to metabolize maltose and maltotriose. This would result in a final product that is high in final gravity, off flavored, and not an ideal product to sell to consumers. The purpose of this research is to evaluate four yeast strains at their optimal fermentation temperature, using various ratios of sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, and maltotriose in brewer’s wort. The research will determine how much simple sugar each yeast strain can metabolize yet still be able to metabolize the more complex sugars in brewer’s wort. Determining the monosaccharide threshold of various yeast strains will will eliminate the deduction that is involved when formulating new fermented beverages such as beer. This information will ultimately help the brewing industry in determining the proper amount of monosaccharides to add to the brewer’s wort during the beer making process.
145 Comparing Antioxidants in Bottled and Fresh Prepared Green Tea
Tomomi Sakata
Advisor: Martin Ondrus
Green tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world due to its antioxidant polyphenol content. Recently, numerous green tea products have been developed. Many flavored green teas have become available in a variety of flavors and in decaffeinated and organic versions. These products are found on shelves next to bottled beverages and soft drinks. The number of people who consume green tea in one form or another is increasing. This study compared the polyphenol, vitamin C, and caffeine in bottled tea and fresh tea. HPLC was used to analyze these chemical components in all products studied. Results will be presented.
146 Black Beans as a Fat Substitute in Brownies
Sarah Andrews
Advisor: Hans Zoerb
A previous study has demonstrated that cannellini beans work as an acceptable fat substitute in brownies (bar cookies). The nutrient content of black beans is similar to the nutrient content of cannellini beans therefore, ipso facto; Black beans are an acceptable fat substitute in commercial box brownie mix. This study examined the acceptability of brownies made with pureed black beans in place of eggs and oil in commercial box brownie mix. Brownies were made with 100%, 50% and 0% Black beans. Untrained panelists used a five-point hedonic scale to evaluate brownie characteristics including appearance, tenderness, moistness, flavor and overall acceptability. Objective measurements were then collected and collated with sensory data. Final results have not yet been tabulated.
147 Evaluation of the Recipe Development Process
Jennifer Nicholson
Advisors: Carolyn Barnhart, Christina Dinauer
The purpose of this research is to define and evaluate the recipe development process. In order to publish a recipe it must be easy to follow and understand, standardized, and easily translatable. Many recipes do not meet these guidelines and are not published or pose legal and functional issues for both the readers and the publishing company. This study will look at the variables involved in recipes, identify what is required for smooth translation to other languages, a universal format for recipes, the intellectual property rights of recipes, and the future of the standardized recipe. This study will result in recommendations related to a standardized format for recipes especially for global translation.
148 Evaluating the Properties of Chocolate Truffles Added with Fish Oil
Kin Choong
Advisor: Cynthia Rohrer
This research was conducted to evaluate sensory characteristics of chocolate truffles prepared with fish oil as compared to butter. Additionally, water activity and moisture content, relevant properties for quality and safety issues were assessed. Three truffle variables were established; one with butter and no fish oil (Butter), one with lower butter content having 3000 mg fish oil (Low Fish Oil), and one with lower butter and having 6000 mg fish oil (High Fish Oil). All truffles were stored for 4 weeks. Consumer testing using a 5-point hedonic scale (1=dislike, 5=like extremely) was performed each storage week using 60-147 panelists. Results showed at week 0, creaminess, sweetness, chocolate flavor, and overall impression were not significantly different (p>0.05) for truffles with Butter and those with High Fish Oil. At week 2, High Fish Oil was comparable in sweetness to Butter truffles (3.3 and 3.8, respectively), while Low Fish Oil was significantly lowest for sweetness, chocolate flavor, hardness, creaminess and overall impression. Water activity and moisture content showed no significant differences for all truffles. Based on our consumer panel, 20 mg of fish oils could be incorporated into chocolate and stored for less than 4 weeks prior to consuming.
150 The Comprehension of Sodium Information on Food Labels by Consumers
Jenna Fortier
Advisor: Carolyn Barnhart
The average American consumes up to 75% of their sodium from processed foods, where sodium content is represented on the food label. A high sodium diet is associated with the number one and three leading causes of death in the United States, hypertension and stroke. The purpose of this research is to assess consumer’s ability to understand the food label in reference to sodium. Data was collected with a survey, which consisted of four demographic questions (gender, age, education level, and physical activity) and 12 questions aimed to assess understanding of the sodium information on food labels. Data collection was completed in November 2008, n=228, and was gathered at five Midwestern grocery stores. Analysis was done using ANOVA, t-tests, chi-square, and correlation. Results include a significant difference with those aged 45+ (significance=.003).and those with an education level of high school or less (significance=.000) having a lower total knowledge score. The conclusion of this study is that there is an overall lack of knowledge (44% average total knowledge score) especially in populations over 45 and with a high school education or less. This research will help to identify individuals that would benefit from added education and possible food label alterations.
151 Examination of Students' Food Label Use on Selection of Portion Size
Tomoko Tanaka
Advisor: Carol Seaborn
The use of the food label is thought to create awareness of portion distortions. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of label use with selected portion sizes. College students (n=112) were recruited and asked to select their typically consumed portion size from life-sized food photographs featuring four portions of seven different common food items. Students were asked about the frequencies of reading and using labels, ability to select the picture depicting the serving size on the label, their ability to calculate the calorie content of the foods using the Nutrition Facts label, and their typical portions consumed. Most students reported frequently reading serving size (83.9%) and calorie information (78.6%) and calculated the calorie content correctly (74.2%). However, fewer students reported actually using the serving size (51.8%) and calorie information (56.2%). Only 52.8% selected the picture depicting the serving size on the label. Over 39% of the students selected pictures depicting larger daily portions compared to the reference sizes. No significant relationships were found between selected portions and frequency of reading labels, correct identification of serving size, and calculation of correct calories, suggesting that students did not effectively interpret the label information for selection of portion sizes.
152 Pre-Meal Beverage Consumption Effects Hunger, Satiety, & Energy Intake
Robin Welcher
Advisor: Carol Seaborn
The purpose of this study is to determine if consuming orange juice, orange juice with added Benefiber, or 1% milk 30 minutes prior to a meal will significantly reduce subsequent energy intake compared to a control of no beverage. Twenty-five college students aged 19-28 years participated in the study. The subjects attended four different test meals. At each meal they were given one of the three different beverages. During the fourth test meal, they were not given a beverage. The subjects consumed the beverages, waited for 30 minutes, and were given a visual analog scale to rate their hunger, satiety, fullness, and desire for specific foods. The subjects were then given a large, pre-weighed bowl of oatmeal. The remaining oatmeal was then weighed to determine the amount of energy intake. Fiber has been shown to delay gastric emptying and increase satiety; therefore, it is expected that the orange juice with added Benefiber will increase satiety and decrease subsequent energy intake.
153 An Analysis of the Dietary Iron Intakes in Celiac Patients
Judy Kennedy
Advisor: Carol Seaborn
In the United States, one in 133 people considered not-at-risk may have celiac disease. With the only proven treatment for celiac disease being the removal of gluten from the diet and with grain products providing 43% of dietary iron, the purpose of this research was to examine the dietary iron intake and the number of grain servings consumed by celiac patients following a gluten-free diet. Food journals were collected from volunteers attending celiac support groups. The quantity of iron contributed by mineral supplements, by gluten-free foods, and by substituting comparable gluten-containing foods was evaluated. Results indicated that mineral supplements provided a statistically significant portion of dietary iron. Substituting gluten-containing foods also contributed a substantial amount of iron for participants over 50 years old. Excluding vitamin and mineral supplements from the food records of females 19-50 brought the mean percentage of the DRI for iron to 63.62%, indicating that iron supplements are justified for this group. All females consumed below the recommended number of grain servings. A moderately-strong positive Pearson correlation existed between iron intake and grain consumption, suggesting that emphasizing the consumption of fortified gluten-free products or gluten-free whole grains may be beneficial in the nutrition education of celiac patients.
154 Diet Therapy as a Form of Alternative Treatment for Autism
Gwenda Washnieski
Advisors: Carol Seaborn, Charlene Schmidt, Ruth Nyland
Autism is one of today’s most puzzling disorders. Though many studies have been conducted, the cause of autism is unknown, the diagnosis is not based on a clear cut test or examination, and there is currently no cure. This leaves the focus of intervention on the management of autism. Alternative treatments used by parents of children with autism include the use of gluten-free and casein-free diets. Though there have been significant self-reported discoveries on the effectiveness of nutrition intervention in children with autism, many barriers exist, preventing parents from trying the diets. Those who do implement the diets might not have access to reliable resources guiding them to accurately implement the diets, which could leave them without worthwhile results, and could possibly put the child at risk for malnourishment. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of parents of children with autism regarding nutritional intervention when used as a form of alternative treatment for autism. Through the use of surveys, food records, and behavior evaluations, the barriers to initiating and maintaining the diet(s), accuracy of implementation, perceived behavioral benefits, and parent preferences for receiving reliable information were evaluated.
155 New Approach for Providing Enteral Nutrition in Regional Burn Center
Stacey Nelson
Advisors: Carol Seaborn, Charlene Schmidt, Amy Gillett
Early and adequate enteral nutritional support is crucial in the care of burn patients. Because placement of small bowel feeding tubes (SBFT) blindly at bedside can be challenging, many different methods for and technology to aid in the placement of these SBFTs to deliver enteral nutrition have been described in previously published literature. The purpose of this study was to determine if using an electromagnetic tube placement device (ETPD) would be an effective way to place blind SBFTS in a regional Burn Center. After IRB approval, quality improvement (QI) data that had been collected on burn patients who required SBFT placement at a regional Burn Center before (control) and after (trial) the implementation of using an ETPD device for placement of SBFTs, July- December 2006 and all of 2007, were reviewed. The QI data was reviewed for rate of success of placements, number of x-rays to confirm placement, trips to fluoroscopy, and any potential complications associated with the blind bedside SBFT placement. Burn patient’s hospital charts that had SBFT placements during this time were also reviewed for age, BMI, inhalation injury, and type of burn injury.
156 The Impact of Macronutrient Intake on Body Image among Female College Undergraduate Students
Laurelyn Harper
Advisor: Carol Seaborn
Body image can greatly impact a person's daily life and health. A person with a distorted body image may be so preoccupied with how he or she looks that it interferes with the ability to study, sleep, and enjoy once pleasurable experiences. Some people with greater body dissatisfaction will go to drastic measures to achieve the ideal in which they strive. Certain foods may be eliminated from the diet or overall food intake may be reduced. Young women need proper nutrition to maintain a healthy body. The habits formed in early adulthood shape the rest of a person's life. Some research has shown that lower body satisfaction predicted higher levels of dieting, unhealthy and very unhealthy weight control behaviors and binge eating, and lower levels of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption. Data collection included height, weight, body fat percentage, and skinfold measurements, MBSRQ survey, 24 hour diet recall, and record of exercise. Results will identify potential relationships between macronutrient intake, exercise, and body image among female undergraduate college students.
157 A Study of the Attitudes toward Nutrition of Parents and Children
Charlotte Kassera
Advisor: Ann Parsons
Prevalence of obesity is at an all-time high in the United States. Identifying and understanding the attitudes of parents and children regarding nutrition will improve the effectiveness of intervention programs to increase healthy eating. The purpose of this research was to document whether correlations exist between pre and post obesity intervention attitudes toward healthy eating in children and parents in Menomonie, WI. Objectives of this study were to determine whether there is a relationship between healthy eating attitude (HEA) and gender, a relationship between HEA and age, a relationship between HEA of children and those of their parent(s), and whether an obesity intervention program had an impact on HEA. Results of this secondary analysis of data previously collected by University of Wisconsin-Stout graduate students will be presented.
158 BMI-for-age Categorization & Demographic Analysis of a Wisconsin Elementary School
Stephanie Kaltenberg
Advisor: Ann Parsons
Baseline data collection on K-4th grade elementary students (n=230), ages 6-11, attending a Midwest elementary school in Wisconsin included measuring heights and weights to calculate the BMI-for-age-by-gender percentile. Students were then classified as underweight if they were in the lowest 5th percentile, healthy weight (HW) if between the 5th and 85th, at risk of overweight between the 85th to 95th percentile, and overweight if equal to or greater than the 95th percentile. Only 7% of the students were overweight as compared to the national average of 18.8% (NHANES 2003-2004 study). As the grade level increased, the number of HW female students increased, plateauing out in 3rd and 4th grades (93% and 92% respectively), with corresponding decreases in the frequency of girls at risk for overweight or overweight. Percent frequencies of HW males ranged from 73-80% with the exception of 1st grade for which the frequency of HW males dropped to 64%. Interestingly, for males the highest percentage for HW (80%) occurred in kindergarten, while only 63% of the girls at this age were classified as HW. Future research will determine if these weight trends will continue. Analysis of healthy practices utilized to achieve these positive health outcomes is justified.
159 BMI and Nutrition Assessment of Elementary School Children and Parents
Kelly Samz
Advisor: Ann Parsons
In the United States, approximately 18.8% of children aged 6-11 years old were overweight in 2003-2004 (Ogden et al., 2006). The purpose of this study was to determine children’s weight status and to examine its relationship with nutrition knowledge, behavior, and intention. The relationship between children’s weight status, parents’ weight status, and parents’ perceptions of weight status were also assessed. Data was collected from parents or guardians (n=32) and their children (n=62) in grades 1, 3, and 5 at an elementary school in Menomonie, WI. Children’s BMI, BMI-for-age percentile, and weight status were determined by direct measurement of children’s height and weight. Parents’ BMI and weight status were determined with self-reported height and weight. Results indicated that 19.4% of children were overweight and 14.5% of children were obese. No significant differences were found between gender or grade and BMI-for-age percentile or weight status. For parents, 31.3% were overweight and 28.1% were obese. The Hearts n’ Parks survey and Child Feeding Questionnaire were administered to children and their parents, respectively. Additional statistical analyses will be run on data collected from surveys. Based on these findings, interventions could be developed and implemented through school and community-based programs to benefit children and families.
160 A Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Audit of Clark County, Wisconsin
Robyn Verschay
Advisor: Carol Seaborn
Only 40% of Americans eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day despite the numerous health benefits derived from these foods, including a reduced risk of obesity, cancer, and stroke. The Wisconsin Partnership for Activity and Nutrition (WIPAN) was developed to provide statewide leadership to improve the health of Wisconsin residents by decreasing obesity, improving nutrition, and increasing physical activity. In 2005, the Wisconsin Nutrition and Physical Activity State Plan was developed to prevent obesity and reduce chronic disease in Wisconsin. This study was conducted as part of the State Plan to assess the fruit and vegetable environment in Clark County, Wisconsin. To accomplish the study, audits were conducted of fresh fruit and vegetable outlets within the county. These outlets included grocery stores, convenience stores, farm stands, farmer’s markets, and food pantries. The audits were conducted in August 2008 and January 2009 through observation. A walk-through was conducted to collect the necessary data. An audit form was provided by WIPAN and was used to assess the availability, accessibility, and convenience of fresh produce. Prices of selected fruits and vegetables were also collected. Results of this study will be presented.
161 Informing the Development of the Family Table Project
Susan Krahn
Advisor: Carol Seaborn
Improving the diets of low-income populations requires changing environmental factors so that healthy foods are as accessible as unhealthy alternatives. This formative research was conducted to guide the development of the Family Table Project- a program that will increase accessibility to and consumption of healthy foods through a family-centered meal preparation program serving low-income families. A sample of low-income adults was recruited through the Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, and Rice Lake Head Start Program in Barron County, Wisconsin to participate in a survey and focus group discussions about food attainment and family meal routines. Frequency distributions were generated from survey data to identify common characteristics about family meal routines. A simple qualitative thematic coding technique was used to understand trends from focus group discussions. The analysis of focus group discussions will provide in-depth insight into current situations that low-income families face with regards to attainment and preparation of healthy meals. The data will offer valuable information, including types of skills and concepts that will need to be included in the curriculum. Conclusions from this study will have critical implications on the final design of Family Table Project.
162 The Relationship between Childhood Obesity and Social Interaction
Ashleigh Olson, Maggie McCarthy
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Childhood obesity has rapidly become one of the most alarming public health issues in the developing world. Although there are numerous studies about the physical effects of childhood obesity, there is little written about how childhood obesity contributes negatively to social interaction and development. This nonrandom pilot study investigated elementary school teacher attitudes about the relationship between obesity and social interaction in elementary school children. It was hypothesized that teachers would respond that obesity contributes negatively to a child’s social interaction. This prediction was informed by the Symbolic Interaction theory which assumes that how individuals interact with each other influences their behavior not only with themselves, but with others as well. Thus, how other children perceive obesity could influence their interaction with that obese child. Survey data will be statistically analyzed using frequencies, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
163 The Impact of Parental Drinking Habits on College Students
Kendra Pagel, Chris Yecke
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Parental drinking behavior, parents' alcohol related norms, and the quality of the parent-child relationship may all be related to early initiation of alcohol use among their offspring. Parents have an influence on how their children view alcohol and their drinking habits. Previous findings showed that alcohol use became more liberal and prevalent as siblings' and parents' alcohol use became more liberal. The modeling of parental drinking has an effect throughout the child’s lifespan. This nonrandom pilot study investigated the attitudes of general education college students ages 21 and older, comparing their self-identified drinking levels with their parents’ drinking habits. It was hypothesized that college students would report levels of drinking that were related to their parents’ drinking habits. This hypothesis is supported in the literature. Data will be analyzed using: frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons as well as a Chronbach's Alpha reliability analysis. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
164 Effects of Childcare on Child Development from the Parent Perspective
Megan Lieder Megan Lieder, Amanda Burggraff
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
The percentage of children in America who experience regular childcare prior to school entry has increased from under 25% to over 80%, with large numbers initially having such care in their first year or two of life. This nonrandom, pilot study investigated the effects of childcare on child development from the parent perspective by surveying 24 male and female parents at a childcare facility in Eastern Minnesota. Survey data was statistically analyzed using frequencies, means tables, and a reliability analysis. Most participants perceived childcare as positive in relation to child development. Findings are supported by the Family Ecology Theory that assumes families are influenced by the environments in which they live and in turn influence the wider environment. Recommendations for future research include a larger sample at a variety of childcare facilities with a diverse population.
165 Sticks and Stones may break my Bones: Peer Acceptance in Boys and Girls
Kaila Rabideau, Ashley Allen
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
The preschool and kindergarten years are years in which children are trying on different identities in order to be accepted by their peers. It is also vital that peer acceptance is investigated based on gender differences because preschool and kindergarten boys’ criteria for friendships, is different than criteria for preschool and kindergarten girls. This nonrandom pilot study investigated preschool and kindergarten teacher attitudes about the relationship between gender and peer-acceptance behaviors in preschool and kindergarten age children. It was hypothesized teachers would respond that preschool and kindergarten girls would tend to have more intimate friendships with their peers than boys. It was also hypothesized that preschool and kindergarten boys would be more physically aggressive than girls. This is based upon the literature and assumptions of both Social Exchange and Symbolic Interaction theory. Survey data will be statistically analyzed using frequencies, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
166 Services Needed for Young Mothers with Disabilities
Connie Christopherson, Sara Greening
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
More disabled women are choosing to become mothers. Therefore, the need for supportive services is on the rise. It has been found that disabled women decide to have a child are looked upon in a negative light. By raising awareness for the need for supportive services, the negative view that is preserved when a disabled women has a child can be changed. This nonrandom pilot study surveyed the attitudes of paraprofessionals working with teen mothers regarding the availability of supportive services to young mothers with disabilities. The hypothesis that participants will report that services are overall unavailable was supported by literature. Data will be analyzed using frequencies, mean comparisons, and Chronbach's alpha reliability analyses. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
167 Adoptive Parents’ Attitudes towards Children with Disabilities
Stacy Sinz, Andrew Marciniak
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Adoption and child services agencies are overloaded and children with disabilities make up a disproportionate percentage of those children who need permanent homes. This nonrandom pilot study investigated attitudes about the adoption of children with disabilities by surveying 15 parents who had previously adopted a child without a disability. Following the Social Exchange Theory, researchers hypothesized that adoptive parents would not feel the benefits of raising a child with a disability were worth the emotional, physical, and financial costs. Survey data was statistically analyzed using frequencies, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Results indicated that adoptive parents did feel that those benefits were worth the increased costs. Though literature on the topic is sparse, findings were supported in the literature that special needs and disabilities are strong factors in adoptive parents’ decisions to adopt. Implications for practitioners and future researchers are that education and research needs to be continued in order to serve this overrepresented and underserved group of children.
168 Current Attitudes of College Students towards the Disabled Population
Lorie Jensen
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Attitudes toward individuals with disabilities has been a topic of research for years. Nevertheless, there is a need for further investigation. Literature indicates that negative attitudes toward groups of individuals are thought to result in discriminatory behavior and stereotypical responses toward these individuals. This pilot study surveyed 100 undergraduate students to gain insight on their views of the disabled population in order to investigate current attitudes. It was predicted that current college students will have a positive attitude towards the disabled since having attended school at a time of mainstreaming. Survey data was statistically analyzed using frequencies, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Results reveal an overall positive attitude towards the disabled population in the workplace. However, less positive attitudes are noted in personal situations such as marriage and dating. Results support the hypothesis; however future efforts need to be made to increase the acceptance of the disabled population in intimate relationships. With increased knowledge about the current attitudes college students have toward the disabled population, practitioners will be increasingly able to meet the needs of, and advocate for, the disabled population.
169 College Students' Comfort Level with the Disabled
Lori A. Mieska, Rebekah J. Shearier
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Attitudes in our society towards the disabled have taken a positive shift due to the endorsement of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Despite this change, discrimination against the disabled continues to exist. Discrimination may have evolved to be less demonstrated as opposed to the obvious prejudice of America's past. This research investigated the relationship between the comfort level that college students have with the disabled and the social contexts in which they have had exposure to the disabled. Authors hypothesized that the more exposure an individual has to the disabled, the more positive their attitudes will be towards the disabled. The site of this study was at a Midwestern university. The participants surveyed were 145 male and female students. Survey data was statistically analyzed using frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Results indicated that there was a difference between the groups. It is recommended that practitioners encourage exposure and interaction between individuals with disabilities and nondisabled individuals in differing social contexts.
170 Correlation between Parent Communication Styles and College Student Attitudes about Sex
Diona Johnson, Taylor Thompson
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Contemporary adolescents are faced with potentially severe consequences for engaging in risky sexual behaviors. Research suggests that parents are a primary source of influence on adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior. This research examined the relationship between parent communication styles about sex and college students' attitudes about sexually responsible behavior. Participants included 141 undergraduate students from a small Midwestern university. The authors predicted that individuals in a home environment that promoted more open communication styles are more apt to be informed and engage in fewer high risk sexual behaviors in comparison to those in a home environment that utilized avoidant communication methods. Survey data was statistically analyzed using frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Results were mixed in support of the hypothesis. Parents need to be informed about current trends and possibly better educated on sex themselves in order to comfortably and accurately discuss sexual topics with their child.
171 Sexual Responsibility and Sex Education Methods
Kelly Morey, Gina Cadalbert
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
In our society, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy and a lack of sexual knowledge are highly prevalent among adolescents. This study investigates the perspective of teachers who teach in each of the methods and their attitudes of how sexually responsible they perceive their students to be upon graduation. This nonrandom pilot study surveyed the attitudes of high school teachers about abstinence-only and comprehensive sex-education. Literature supports the hypothesis that teachers who teach comprehensive sex-education will report that their students are more prepared to be sexually responsible. Data will be analyzed using frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, and Chronbach's Alpha reliability analysis. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
172 The Effect of Maturity on Female Intimate Relationship Satisfaction
Lindsey Johnson, Amanda McGeary
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
In a society so driven for physical and emotional well-being, emotional immaturity levels have been said to destroy intimate relationships. This nonrandom pilot study investigated the attitudes of female college students at different academic levels to assess their intimate relationship satisfaction with male partners. It was hypothesized that students of junior or senior academic status would respond with greater intensity to those factors promoting longer-lasting and satisfying relationships than those female students that are of freshman and sophomore statuses. This hypothesis is supported in the literature that age is linked with maturity. Data was analyzed using frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, and Chronbach's Alpha reliability analysis. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
173 College Students’ Gendered Differences on Emotional Abuse
Debra Richards, Trina Harper
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Emotional abuse has been defined in literature as a pattern of active, intentional berating, disparaging, or other abusive behavior that may not cause observable injury to the victim. The lack of recognition of the traits of emotional abuse is a problem in society today. Little has been published on this topic. In a small Midwestern university, 24 male and 33 female college students were surveyed. The authors hypothesized that females would respond with higher intensity to the survey statements than males. Survey data was statistically analyzed using frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Results were mixed showing a difference in the perceptions between genders regarding specific variables. Implications for teachers, counselors, and social workers are to educate society on the traits of emotional abuse in hopes that awareness would stop the cycle of emotional abuse. For future research, we would suggest the role of previous abuse history be taken into consideration.
174 The Relationship between Male Self-esteem & Verbal Aggression
Megan Ferge, Michelle Linnell
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Aggressive behavior in our society has been documented as a focal point for researchers in the Social Science field. Aggression has become a frequent and increasing problem in our society, particularly among young adult males. Clinical psychologists have proposed that low self esteem underlies aggression, either directly or indirectly. This nonrandom pilot study investigated attitudes about the relationship between self-esteem and verbal aggression by surveying college age males at a Midwestern college. It was hypothesized that low self esteem would be related to higher degrees of verbal aggressiveness; this prediction was informed by the literature. Survey data will be statistically analyzed using frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
175 College Athletics and Gendered Aggression
Shea Stori
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Athletes use aggressive behavior and attitudes to win. Society has allowed for a glorified approach to aggression, however it still considered a hostile act toward another individual. Aggression does not discriminate between genders; the only difference may be how he or she displays aggression. The central research question in this study was, “Is there a gendered difference between playing sports and aggressive attitudes?” This nonrandom pilot study was done at a Midwestern university with a sample of 29 undergraduate male and female student athletes. Data was statistically analysis using frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Results supported the hypothesis that there is a gendered relationship between playing sports and aggressive attitudes. Coaches can increase their awareness of how gendered aggression can transcend the field of play and affect other social interactions. Recommendations for future research include random sampling at a large urban campus.
176 The Relationship between Leadership Development & Participation in Youth Programs
Sarah Olson, Abby Grippo
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Given the current economic climate, many youth programs are at risk of being forced to close or make cuts given the decreased access to grant money. Therefore, it is important for youth programs to have evidence that they are being effective and are worthy to receive the funds for operation. This nonrandom pilot study investigated the attitudes of general education college students who have and have not been involved in youth programs, regarding how these programs facilitate the development of leadership skills. It was hypothesized that college students would report positive leadership skill development in accordance with their participation in youth programs. Data will be analyzed using frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, and a Chronbach's Alpha reliability analysis. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
178 Voices of the Homeless: Perspectives on Permanent Housing
Jane Salazar, Jessica Padellford
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Homelessness continues to be an incremental social issue in the United States. The number of homeless persons living the United States today has been documented to be higher than 3.5 million. This study aimed to answer the central research question- “What services do homeless individuals find helpful in achieving permanent housing, from the perspective of the homeless?” The author’s hypothesized that homeless individuals would find utilizing services essential in finding permanent housing. The study took place at a homeless shelter and an agency which provides services to the homeless in Midwestern Wisconsin. The participants surveyed were twelve homeless or previously homeless individuals. Survey data was statistically analyzed using frequencies, mean comparisons, and a reliability analysis. Results strongly supported the researchers’ hypothesis. These findings support the need to increase awareness of the general public, agencies, and policy makers regarding the most effective ways to assist families in providing services that will lead to permanent housing.
179 Healthy Coach-Athlete Relationships
Logan West, Janelle Peterson
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Coaching behaviors have been important in the field of sport literature when looking at the compatibility between the coach and the athlete. Considering the importance of the coach in determining the quality and success of an athlete's sport experience, surprisingly little research exists that identifies optimal coaching behaviors and factors that influence the effectiveness of particular behaviors. This nonrandom pilot study surveyed the attitudes of male and female track athletes to explore gender differences in what the athlete perceives as healthy athlete-coach relationship criteria. It was hypothesized that both male and female athletes would report that coaches with a supportive and positive attitude as well as a sense of humor would have healthier relationships with their athletes. This is supported in the literature. Data will be analyzed using: frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons, and a Chronbach's Alpha reliability analysis. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
180 High School Coaching Styles and Team Cohesion
Nicole Wyngaard, William Grimes
Advisor: Susan Wolfgram
Success as a coach will depend more on coaching philosophy or style than on any other factor. This nonrandom pilot study investigated high school coach attitudes about their self-identified coaching style and how they perceive it affects team cohesion at the high school level. Team cohesion is defined as the degree of unity between athletes and coaches, shown in leadership, performance, and interpersonal relationships. It was hypothesized that the more open and cooperative style of coaching would be related to greater team cohesion; this is supported in the literature. Groups will be compared based on coaching style. Data will be analyzed using: frequencies, cross-tabulations, mean comparisons as well as a Chronbach's Alpha reliability analysis. Implications for practitioners and future research will be discussed.
181-185 Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment: Medical Providers
Jenna Acker, Allison Bol, Megan Drews, Josh Hachermeister, Jenna Johnshoy, Brian Powers, Robert Spencer, Phil Tauchen, Christi Wasson, Angela Webb, Lynnea White, Michelle Young, Tina Velasquez
Advisor: Kristina Gorbatenko-Roth
As part of the Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment project, Pediatric and Family Medicine medical providers in Dunn County were interviewed. The survey queried respondents on their perceptions of need regarding weight, diet, and exercise in their patients. Information on their patients' barriers to better diet and exercise, as well as programming suggestions to combat obesity, was also gathered Results are reported and obesity prevention programming recommendations are provided.
181-185 Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment: School Personnel and Archival Data Review
Jenna Acker, Allison Bol, Megan Drews, Josh Hachermeister, Jenna Johnshoy, Brian Powers, Robert Spencer, Phil Tauchen, Christi Wasson, Angela Webb, Lynnea White, Michelle Young, Tina Velasquez
Advisor: Kristina Gorbatenko-Roth
As part of the Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment project, two separate methodologies involving the public schools were employed. Method 1: A sample of public school teachers in Dunn County were interviewed. The survey queried respondents on their perceptions of need regarding weight, diet, and exercise in their school's student body. Information on their student's perceived barriers to better diet and exercise, as well as programming suggestions to combat obesity, was also gathered. Method 2: Review of public school's existing records on student's weight, height, age and gender was done. For each student for whom objective data were available, a weight classification was determined (e.g. underweight, within normal weignt, overweight. For both methods, results are reported and obesity prevention programming recommendations are provided.
181-185 Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment: Hmong Community Leaders
Jenna Acker, Allison Bol, Megan Drews, Josh Hachermeister, Jenna Johnshoy, Brian Powers, Robert Spencer, Phil Tauchen, Christi Wasson, Angela Webb, Lynnea White, Michelle Young, Tina Velasquez
Advisor: Kristina Gorbatenko-Roth
As part of the Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment project, Hmong community leaders in Dunn County were interviewed to identify their perceptions of diet, exercise and obesity related need in the Hmong Community. Information on desirable programming to combat obesity was also gathered. Snow ball sampling was used to identify study participants. Results are reported and programming recommendations are provided.
181-185 Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment: Hmong Community Leaders
Jenna Acker, Allison Bol, Megan Drews, Josh Hachermeister, Jenna Johnshoy, Brian Powers, Robert Spencer, Phil Tauchen, Christi Wasson, Angela Webb, Lynnea White, Michelle Young, Tina Velasquez
Advisor: Kristina Gorbatenko-Roth
As part of the Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment project, heads of households in Dunn County completed an electronic survey. The survey queried respondents on their perceptions of need regarding weight, diet, and exercise in their household members. Information on barriers to better health; attitudes toward diet, exercise and weight; desirable programming to combat obesity and willingness to pariticpate in programming; and demographics was also gathered. To access subjects, a random sample of employers and all public school prinicipals in Dunn County were identified. Those identified were contacted and asked to collaborate in the study. Those willing to collaborate forwarded an electronic invitation to their employer/ school family email lists. Study participants were those willing to complete the electronic survey. Results are reported and obesity prevention programming recommendations are provided.
181-185 Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment: Community Observations
Jenna Acker, Allison Bol, Megan Drews, Josh Hachermeister, Jenna Johnshoy, Brian Powers, Robert Spencer, Phil Tauchen, Christi Wasson, Angela Webb, Lynnea White, Michelle Young, Tina Velasquez
Advisor: Kristina Gorbatenko-Roth
As part of the Dunn County Obesity Needs Assessment project, two separate methodologies involving community observations were done. Method 1: Various community assets for obesity prevention(e.g. public parks, restaurant access to healthy foods, cost of health and fitness facilities) in the city for Menomonie were identified and reviewed to determine which assets and barriers to healthy diet and exercise exist. Method 2: Observations of people entering grocery stores in the city of Menomonie were done, with attention focused on the subjective assessment of the observed person's gender, age category,race and weight classification(i.e. overweight, obese, normal). Two observers sat in cars in the parking lot; they used systematic methods and operationalized definitions for each measurement taken. For both methods, results are reported and obesity prevention programming recommendations are provided.
186 Brain Activation in Response to Faces and Caricatures
Blake Reitz, Alexander Lehmicke
Advisor: PeiZhong Li
The human brain has the unique ability to recognize and interpret faces. The means by which it accomplishes this task is still a matter of debate and discovery. Our study uses EEG to measure the neural activity while looking at photographs and caricatures of faces. We hypothesize that the N170 (an event-related potential connected to face activation in the brain) will show quicker activation for feature-specific caricatures over unaltered holistic faces.
187 The Effects of Massage Therapy on Autonomic Nervous System Activity
Christopher Moyer, Alexandra Andersen, Laura Annen, Amanda Simpson, Amy Spagnoletti, Angela Webb, Rachel Draheim, Ralph Hoffman
Massage therapy (MT), the manual manipulation of soft tissue to promote health and well-being, has documented health benefits, but the mechanisms that cause those benefits are not well understood. It is frequently theorized that MT produces health benefits by shifting the balance of autonomic nervous system activity, such that parasympathetic nervous system activity is increased and sympathetic nervous system activity is decreased. However, previous research has not tested this theory directly. In the present study, ten experienced MT recipients served as research participants, and agreed to complete six research appointments each. At four appointments, participants received a standardized 44-minute full-body massage performed by a trained therapist. At the other two appointments, which served as controls, participants lay on the massage table for the same amount of time, under the exact same conditions, but did not receive MT. Participants' heart rates, heart rate variability, and electrodermal activity were assessed continuously at every MT and control appointment. By subtracting each participant's averaged MT data from averaged control data, we will quantify the effect of MT on autonomic nervous system activity for each participant across time.
188 Gift Giving Anxieties as a Function of Recipient Characteristics
Miki Nomura
Advisor: Richard Tafalla
Previous research suggests that gift giving is a form of identity presentation that enables givers to create a desired image of themselves for gift recipients. Literature suggests that individuals may experience anxiety when selecting gifts that best reflect this desired identity. Furthermore, the influential power of the gift receiver can create mental stress for the giver. This stress may be reflected in greater physiological arousal and longer decision making time. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate physiologically the anxiety caused by gift giving to influential gift recipients. The results showed that the difficult recipient group registered the highest gifting anxiety as measured by electrodermal response. However the amount of time spent making gift purchasing decisions was influenced by emotional significance but not by types of recipients or emotional significance. Within the category of difficult recipients, in-laws created the most stress on givers, whereas children and same-gender friends produced the least stress.
189 Violent Video Games and Desensitization to Violence: An ERP Study
Veronica Sweeney, Kue Xiong, David Westmark, Justin Aoki
Advisor: Richard Tafalla
Much of the published literature examining the effects of violent media suggests that more exposure engenders more desensitization to violence and possibly an increase in aggressive behavior. However, very few studies have examined potential underlying brain processes for these effects. This study sought to expand on previous research that appears to have evinced a potential event related potential (ERP) index of desensitization to violent stimuli. To expand on this research, experimental conditions (playing non-violent vs. very violent video game) were implemented. The primary objective of this research was to replicate the ERP results found in previous research. It was predicted that the more violent a game is, the more desensitized a person would become too violent stimuli. Results will be presented.
190 The Desensitization Effect of Passive Viewing vs. Active Interaction with Violent Video Games
Laura Harstad, Eeva Kivisto
Advisor: Richard Tafalla
The influence of media violence on behavior is a highly controversial topic, especially due to recent technological advances. Popular media such as movies and video games are not only more violent, but have much more realistic and sophisticated graphics with special features such as vibrating controllers. It is believed that exposure to entertainment violence may alter cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes, possibly leading to desensitization. This study is designed to determine whether playing a violent video game is more desensitizing than passively viewing the violent video game being played. This study utilized a yoked subject methodology where participants were randomly assigned to two conditions, 1) actively playing the video game, or 2) passively viewing the game being played by the other participant. It was predicted that 1) exposure to violent video games whether actively playing or passively watching would decrease ERP response, greater desensitization and 2) participants in the active condition would have lowered ERP response than the passive participants.
191 Implicit Attitudes and Violent Video Game Performance
Andrew Nordstrom, Kue Xiong, Sarah Huckaby, Eric Mann
Advisor: Richard Tafalla
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether white participants commit more crime while playing a third person violent video game as an African American avatar and whether the level of negative implicit attitudes about race predicts how much crime one commits. Finally, this study examines whether electrodermal response (EDR) is related to negative implicit attitudes about race and is predictive of crime committed. Subjects were randomly assigned to play the violent video game Saint’s Row for 30 minutes as one of two racial avatars 1) African American or 2) Caucasian. Participants completed the Implicit Attitude Task (IAT) before the game. The IAT is a computer task where words and pictures of different races are presented and the participant responds on a key board with either positive or negative responses. The speed and accuracy of the response indicates the strength of the attitude. Electrodermal response was monitored continuously during the game. Data collection is ongoing, but early analyses shows that high association with Caucasians are related to lower crimes committed while playing as a white avatar and significantly more crimes are committed while playing as an African American avatar.
192 Violent Video Game and Presence
Kue Xiong, Andrew Nordstrom, David Westmark, Sarah Huckaby
Advisor: Richard Tafalla
Video games have improved greatly over the years in graphic quality and sound effects. With these improvements, the realism in the experience of playing video games has increased. The recent technology of a video game platform, Nintendo Wii, allows players to physically act out the actions by moving their arms while holding the controller. We want to see if adding the behavioral component, physical movements by playing the Nintendo Wii, increases the experience of "presence" compared to just playing the same game with a PlayStation controller. The definition of presence is the "sense of being there" in one place or environment such as a virtual environment even though they are physically in another. Participants will be randomly assigned to either play the violent video game, Manhunt 2, on the Nintendo Wii or the Playstation 2. After playing for 30 minutes, the participants will complete a questionnaire measuring presence and aggression. Results will be presented.
193 PowerPoint as a Facilitator of the Learning Benefits of Note-Taking
Kathryn Hamilton, Andrew Clemens
Note-taking is well documented as an aid to students’ understanding and comprehension of lectures. The widespread use of PowerPoint as a lecture aid leads to questions about how PowerPoint and note-taking interact to influence student learning. From one perspective, PowerPoint slides may free cognitive resources to promote encoding and comprehension of lecture material. From another perspective, efforts to copy PowerPoint slides may interfere with understanding and recall of lecture content. Either way, there are no data to about the issue. We will perform an experiment to test hypotheses about how note-taking may interact with viewing PowerPoint slides during a lecture. Half of our participants will view a lecture accompanied by a PowerPoint outline of the lecture; half will view the lecture only. Half of each group will take notes and half will not. We expect note-taking to enhance participants’ memory and comprehension of the lecture, but that PowerPoint slides alone will have little or no effect. However, we expect the note-taking with PowerPoint slides to produce the best performance by individuals in the four experimental groups. Results of this experiment will both inform PowerPoint use and offer understanding of cognitive mechanisms involved in PowerPoint’s and note-taking’s effects.
194 Implementing Lean Manufacturing in a Developing Country
Jason Statz, Scott Ward, Joseph Anderson
Advisor: Thomas Lacksonen
Manufacturing is a global activity, with suppliers, production, and customers located worldwide. Manufacturing engineers must understand how manufacturing practices differ throughout the world in order to design efficient manufacturing systems. Lean manufacturing practices are the foundation for an efficient facility; however, they must be manipulated depending on the company’s specific needs. This research is an expansion on research conducted in 2008. Students traveled to Kifas Ortopedik, a wheel chair manufacturing company in Ankara, Turkey. The current facility layout at Kifas is not capable of supporting their future production goals, the full implementation of a lean manufacturing system is essential to remain competitive in a global market. The primary purpose of this research was to examine the processes of Kifas Ortopedik in order to design a new lean facility layout and analyze the cost and necessity of purchasing new equipment to meet there production goals.
195 Medical Clinics in Ghana
Anthony Basley
Advisor: Thomas Lacksonen
Microclinics Inc. is funding the construction of 400 clinics in Ghana and will franchise them to local health care professionals. This will increase the availability of health care to the rural population of Ghana and help to reduce the exodus of health care professionals to other countries by creating opportunities in their home country. This field problem will select the location of up to 400 medical clinics in Ghana. Regional hubs that serve as distribution centers and laboratories for the clinics will also be selected. This study will utilize the criteria set by Microclinics Inc. and the pilot analysis completed by UW Stout to select the optimum locations for these clinics, thus maximizing the availability of health care to the people of Ghana. A computer model will be built in Microsoft Excel. This model will decide the optimum location for clinics and hubs. The terrain, transportation systems, political/tribal affiliations, population density, and currently available health care will be used as criteria for determining the location of the facilities.
196 A Coursework Needs Assessment of GIS at 2-Year Colleges Nationwide
Amelia A.A. Fox
Advisor: Howard D. Lee
The purpose of this study was to describe the number of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) educational offerings in community and technical colleges nationwide, to determine the awareness of the University Consortium GISciences-Body of Knowledge in those institutions, and to describe the capabilities of said programming and coursework to meet the GIS occupational demand of 2014. Four-hundred fifty-two surveys were sent to community and technical colleges nationwide during October of 2007. The findings of the survey suggest that the majority, or 89%, of responding two-year institutions offer GIS coursework, and this study infers that approximately 35% of the nation’s two-year institutions offer some GIS coursework. Furthermore, GIS coursework is most often housed in Geography, Geology, GIS, or Geoscience departments. Forty percent of responding two-year institutions offer a GIS certificate while only 21% offer a GIS associates degree. Only 33% percent of respondents were aware of the UCGIS-GIS&T-BoK suggestions for a Model Curriculum, and 80% of software products employed at responding institutions are created by the Environmental Systems Research Institutes in Redlands, California. Responding institutions offer up to 10 GIS courses with a 3.31 credit mean, and the majority of GIS faculty are adjunct and not full-time professional staff.
197 Identification of Leadership Competencies Essential for the Successful Completion of Succession Planning in Family Owned Businesses
Maureen Casey
Advisor: Renee Surdick
Family owned businesses often experience turmoil as the proprietor approaches the end of their career. It is essential for coaching professionals who help family business owners with succession planning to be able recognize the leadership qualities in the proprietor and successor which tend to result in successful succession. A contextual analysis was conducted in order to identify leadership competencies which are essential to successfully complete the succession process in family-owned businesses. Three approaches were utilized to collect input from family business owners in order to create a collection of more field-based competencies; focus groups and two review requests (mailed and e-mailed). This information was synthesized into a collection of 22 field-based competencies. A survey spanning four states will be used to identify the importance level of each competency during the succession process. From there a 360-degree instrument will be developed for Stout Technology Transfer Institute consultants to use with their clients.
198 UW-Stout/Dunn County Composting Initiative
Jordan Chabalowski
Advisor: Anne Hoel
The University of Wisconsin-Stout Dining Services currently disposes of its organic waste products (left over or discarded food) from the Mabel Tainter Commons, Price Commons, and University Catering with the rest of the trash produced. The last recent waste inventory, conducted in 2002, showed that between 2,000 to 8,000 pounds per month of scrap food waste was being produced. This measurement of the food waste did not include food that was taken off site and disposed of by students. Many universities nationwide have begun to compost their food waste. This research investigated numerous research questions and will assist the UW-Stout Dining Services in the adoption of a compost system for waste disposal.
Contact us:
Susan Krahn
Research Services
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715-232-2691
krahns@uwstout.edu
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