The National Junior Scienceand Humanities Symposium

Abstractsof the

Research Finalists

The abstracts in this publication include science research conducted by students

who participated in the 52nd National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

Washington, D.C. April 23-27, 2014

Sponsored by The Departments of the Army, Navy and Air Force

In cooperation with higher education

Administered by The Academy of Applied Science

Concord, NH 03301

The National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

Program Objectives

• Topromoteresearchandexperimentationinthesciences,mathematics,andengineeringatthehighschoollevel.

• Torecognizethesignificanceofresearchinhumanaffairs,andtheimportanceofhumaneandethicalprinciplesintheapplicationofresearchresults.

• Tosearchouttalentedyouthandtheirteachers,recognizetheiraccomplishmentsatsymposiaandencouragetheircontinuedinterestandparticipationinscience,mathematics,andengineering.

• Toexpandthehorizonsofresearch-orientedstudentsbyexposingthemtoopportunitiesintheacademic,industrial,andgovernmentalcommunities.

• Toincreasethenumberoffutureadultscapableofconductingresearchanddevelopment.

Table of Contents

DirectorsofRegionalSymposia SectionI

StudentParticipantsAttendingtheNationalJSHS SectionII

AbstractsofStudentPapers SectionIII

Alabama Alaska

CatherineShields Dr.AbelBult-ItoJeffersonCountyInt’lBaccalaureateSchool UniversityofAlaskaFairbanks6100OldLeedsRoad CSEM&DeptofBiologyandWildlifeBirmingham,AL35210 307CBunnellBuildingFairbanks,AK99775-6100

Arizona Arkansas

Dr.B.L.Ramakrishna Dr.RonaldJ.TackettSchoolofMaterials DepartmentofPhysicalScienceArizonaStateUniversity 1701NBoulderPOBox878706 ArkansasTechUniversityTempe,AZ85287 Russellville,AR72852

California, Northern & W. Nevada California, Southern

Mr.RogerE.Martin Dr.George&AnnMillerBayAreaScienceFair,Inc. DepartmentofChemistryLawrenceHallofScienceSanFrancisco UniversityofCaliforniaIrvineUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley Irvine,CA92697-2025Berkeley,CA94720-5200

Connecticut DoDS Europe

Dr.JoyErickson Mr.BrianZimmerChemistryDepartmentU3060 DoDDependentsSchools-EuropeUniversityofConnecticut PSC851Box69055NorthEaglevilleRoad APOAE09834Storrs,CT06269-3060

Florida Georgia

Dr.MaryJoKoroloy Dr.KarenShetterleyCenterforPre-collegiateEd&Training CenterforContinuingEducationUniversityofFlorida UniversityofGeorgia P.O.Box112010,334YonHall 1197SouthLumpkinSt.Gainesville,FL32611-2010 3900ReservoirRoadNW Athens,GA30602

Hawaii Illinois

Dr.AmandaLowrey Ms.StephanieEichholzHawaiiAcademyofScience CollegeofSciencec/oTheCollegeofEducation Mailcode4403,1245LincolnDrive1176UniversityAvenueUA-4-4 SouthernIllinoisUniversityCarbondaleHonolulu,HI96822 Carbondale,IL62901-4403

Section IThe National Junior Science and Humanities Symposia

Directors of Regional SymposiaAcademic Year 2013-2014

Illinois-Chicago Indiana

Mr.WilliamKroll Dr.DaveGrabowskiLoyolaUniversityChicago DeptofSciencesandMathematicsDeptofBiology SaintMaryoftheWoodsCollege6525NorthSheridanRd. SaintMaryoftheWoods,IN47876Chicago,IL60626

Intermountain Iowa

Mr.MateoRemsburg Dr.SusanAssoulineOfficeofStudentRecruitmentandHighSchoolServices Belin-BlankCenterforGiftedEducationUniversityofUtah TheUniversityofIowa200S.CentralCampusDr.,Rm80 600BlankHonorsCenterSaltLakeCity,UT84112-9104 IowaCity,Iowa52242

Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma Kentucky

Dr.JulieAngle Dr.WilliamThornburghScienceEducation UniversityofLouisville227WillardHall 1905S.1stStreet OklahomaStateUniversity Louisville,KY40292Stillwater,OK74078

Louisiana Maryland

Ms.ShannonCarlson Dr.CarlWhiteLouisianaStateUniversity-ContinuingEd MorganStateUniversity2234PleasantHall SchoolofEngineering/CAMRABatonRouge,LA70813 5200PerringPkway,Suite200 Baltimore,MD21251

Michigan, Southeastern

Dr.MariaFerreiraCollegeofEducation,Room281WayneStateUniversityDetroit,MI48202

Missouri New England, Northern and

Dr.TomSpudich NewEngland,SouthernMaryvilleUniversity Dr.SubhashMinocha650MaryvilleUniversityDrive UniversityofNewHampshireSt.Louis,MO63141 RudmanHall,46CollegeRd Durham,NH03824

New Jersey Monmouth New Jersey, Northern

Dr.DattaNaik Mr.JeanPatrickAntoineMonmouthJuniorScienceSymposium 98BrettRoadMonmouthUniversity RutgersUniversityWestLongBranch,NJ07764 Piscataway,NJ08854-8058

New York, Long Island New York, Metro

Dr.PanayiotisMeleties Dr.PanayiotisMeletiesCUNYYorkCollege CUNYYorkCollege94-20GuyBrewerBlvd. 94-20GuyBrewerBlvd.JamaicaQueens,NY11451 JamaicaQueens,NY11451

New York, Upstate North Carolina

Dr.DanielL.Wulff AlisaWickliffDept.ofBioSciences CenterforMath,Science&TechEducationUniversityatAlbany CollegeofEducationSuite2221400WashingtonAvenue Charlotte,NC28223-0001Albany,NY12222

North Central Ohio

Ms.LiseWeegman Dr.EmilioDuranMinnesotaAcademyofScience SchoolofTeachingandLearningEDHD8700West36thStreet 128LifeSciencesSuite114W BowlingGreenStateUniversitySt.LouisPark,MN55426 BowlingGreen,OH43403

Oregon DoDS Pacific

Dr.GeraldineRichmond Dr.SylviaGingrichUniversityofOregon StudentActivitiesCoordinatorChemistry,5219 DoDSPacific/DDESS-GuamEugene,OR97403-5219 Unit35007,APOAP96376-5007

Pennsylvania Puerto Rico

Dr.DavidB.Klindienst Dr.JuliodeJesusPennsylvaniaStateUniversity Intellexi,GraduateSchoolChambersBldg ofEnvironmentalSciencesUniversityPark,PA16802 UniversityofTurabo P.O.Box418 Gurabo,PR00778-00418

South Carolina Tennessee

Dr.DonJordan Dr.TheodoreLabotkaCenterforScienceEducation 315Earth&PlanetaryScienceUniversityofSouthCarolina UniversityofTennesseeSumwaltRoom323,1212GreenSt 1412CircleDriveColumbia,SC29208 Knoxville,TN37992-1410

Texas Virginia

Dr.NancyMagnussen Dr.ThomasC.&DoreenDeVoreCollegeofScience DepartmentofChemistryTexasA&MUniversity JamesMadisonUniversity3257TAMU,517BlockerBldg MSC4501CollegeStation,TX77843-3257 Harrisonburg,VA22807

Washington Washington, D.C.

Dr.RayMyers Ms.JoyP.WilliamsSeattlePacificUniversity SchoolofMedicine3307ThirdAve,West 3900ReservoirRoadNWPhysicsDepartment Washington,D.C.20057-1423Seattle,WA98119

West Virginia W. Wisconsin & Wisconsin

Dr.JeanneD.Sullivan Dr.GaryWillhite59CollegeAvenue DeptofEducationalStudiesWestVirginiaWesleyanCollege UniversityofWisconsinBiologyDepartment 300BMorrisHall,1725StateStreetBuckhannon,WV26201 LaCrosse,WI54601

Wyoming-Eastern Colorado

Dr.MarkLyfordLifeSciencesProgramUniversityofWyoming100E.UniversityAvenueDept3165Laramie,WY82071

Alabama

JoshuaC.Abreo................................................ 1KatelynneJ.Herron........................................... 1RupaPalanki..................................................... 2Rohan Palanki. ................................................. 2Lucas D. Riddle................................................ 2

Alaska

AbramHaas....................................................... 3Jake T. Herrmann. ............................................ 3SallyLianeKuhn................................................ 3William B. Mitchell, Jr.. .................................... 4RyanC.Nicholson............................................. 4

Arizona

IvyChang.......................................................... 5Dhruv Iyer. ........................................................ 5DeshnaJoe....................................................... 6Yuanqi Zhang. .................................................. 6

Arkansas

DhrubaDasgupta,Jr.......................................... 7NimitR.Gandhi................................................. 7SanjitKalapatapu.............................................. 8Hanya M. Qureshi. ........................................... 8Shruti Shah. ..................................................... 9

California (Northern & Western Nevada)

Shiloh S. Curtis. ............................................. 10Neil Movva. ..................................................... 10SwethaRevanur...............................................11ValliammaiVinaithirthan...................................11EmilyS.Wang..................................................11

California (Southern)

SaumyaR.Keremane..................................... 12Kevin K. Lee. .................................................. 12DanielShaw..................................................... 13Yousuf M. Soliman. ........................................ 13

Connecticut

DanielG.Giebisch........................................... 14Isabelle S. Goldstein. .................................... 14AndrewMa...................................................... 15AnubhutiMathur.............................................. 15Isha A. Walawalkar. ........................................ 16

DoD Dependent Schools (Europe)

Garrett Davidson. .......................................... 17Leif C. Gruetter............................................... 17AngelaJeanfrancois........................................ 18MichaelH.Leek,III.......................................... 18JessicaMorton................................................ 18

DoD Dependent Schools (Pacific)

JiS.Jeong....................................................... 19Brian Lee. ....................................................... 19Frederick J. Lee. ............................................ 20

Florida

AnaB.Corra.................................................... 21IsabellaV.Daza............................................... 21Owen R. Kelly. ................................................ 22Caitlyn Ralph. ................................................. 22AndreSanchez................................................ 23

Georgia

Sonam A. Brahmbhatt. .................................. 24MarissaL.Hernandez..................................... 24William H. Jin. ................................................ 25JordanA.McCray,Sr....................................... 25MollyG.Niemczyk........................................... 25

Greater Washington, D.C. Area

Megan Chao. .................................................. 26Kristi A. Kan. .................................................. 26CadenW.Petersmeyer.................................... 26

Hawaii

KealyssaM.Castillo-Martin............................. 27CharuJoserose............................................... 27Ariana Kim...................................................... 28Viola Mocz. ..................................................... 28

Participants Page Participants Page

Section IIStudent Participants Attending

The National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

Note: Presenter’s name appears in boldface.

Illinois

ChaseD.Latour............................................... 29Natalie A. Nickrent. ........................................ 29Conner T. Ruhl. .............................................. 29BrianJ.Suarez................................................ 30AndrewL.Woodruff......................................... 30

Illinois (Chicago)

Tushar Dwivedi. ............................................. 31Grace M. Niewijk. ........................................... 31PranavSivakumar........................................... 32TaliaE.Weiss.................................................. 32

Indiana

Jordan R. Cadle. ............................................ 33TingyueCui..................................................... 33Kamna Gupta. ................................................ 34KevinT.Hunckler............................................. 34KrishanS.Kumar............................................. 35

Intermountain (Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Nevada)

RyanBarney.................................................... 36Anthony Cheng. ............................................. 36Melissa S. Ivie. ............................................... 37DanielW.Liu................................................... 37EmmaJ.Mackey............................................. 37

Iowa

Aparna S. Ajjarapu. ....................................... 38ChristopherGrebner........................................ 38Breanna Kramer. ............................................ 38KarleighSchilling............................................. 39AbbyL.Walling................................................ 39

Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma

Hayden J. Allen. ............................................. 40Disha Dasgupta. ............................................ 40SarahL.Riley.................................................. 41

Kentucky

LekhaP.Devara.............................................. 42SeohyunIm..................................................... 42EllenK.Kendall............................................... 42Szofia E. Komaromy-Hiller. ........................... 43Sanjana J. Rane. ............................................ 43

Louisiana

Cole H. Evensky. ............................................ 44Nicholas A. Larsen. ....................................... 44MorniA.Modi................................................... 45NeilF.Nathan.................................................. 45VenkateshS.Sivaraman................................. 45

Maryland

Ayush Goyal. .................................................. 46IsobelA.Hawes............................................... 46John Mountain. .............................................. 47JerryL.Zhang................................................. 47

Michigan (Southeastern)

Ella M. Freudenburg. ..................................... 48BethelA.Mwenze............................................ 48SamNatla........................................................ 49AnuushK.Vejalla............................................ 49Frank Wang. ................................................... 50

Missouri

DanielM.Hall.................................................. 51Katherine E. Hufker. ...................................... 51JohnL.O’Keefe............................................... 52OliviaLong....................................................... 52Ezra Umen and Yang Liu. .............................. 52SydneyL.Zuraski............................................ 53

New Jersey (Monmouth)

AdedayoR.Gbadamosi.................................. 54Sang Hyun Kim. ............................................. 54DongyeonKim................................................. 55Kunal V. Singh. .............................................. 55TonyZheng...................................................... 55

New Jersey (Northern)

AdityaBalaji..................................................... 56LauraBethFulton............................................ 56Jiyoun J. Ha. .................................................. 57Paige Hammell. .............................................. 57JaesungSon.................................................... 57

New Mexico (Southwest)

SarahR.Dallo................................................. 58KathrynM.Harris............................................. 58SeanP.Palmer................................................ 59MelanieB.Schneider....................................... 59Katherine A. Schneider. ................................ 59Mary C. Spanjers. .......................................... 60SierraVenegas................................................ 60

Participants Page Participants Page

Note: Presenter’s name appears in boldface.

New York (Long Island)

Anthony R. Bisulco. ...................................... 61LeandraMeraglia-GarciaandDaphneChen... 61Matthew M. O’Connell. .................................. 62AnkoorTalwar.................................................. 62NeilM.Thivalapill............................................ 63

New York (Upstate)

MaximS.Diamond.......................................... 64StephanieDing................................................ 64Adam Z. Illowsky, Sr.. .................................... 65Jason S. Rosenberg. ..................................... 65AlexisA.Scott,Jr............................................. 66

New York City (Metro)

WaqarulB.Islam............................................. 67Alexandra L. LaGrassa.................................. 67Erica Lin. ........................................................ 68RasidhaRahman............................................. 68PraveenRammohan........................................ 68

North Carolina

Tian-Shun A. Jiang. ....................................... 69Megan E. Miller............................................... 69PranayOrugunta............................................. 69JosephH.Roberts........................................... 70JoshuaZhou.................................................... 70

North Central (Minnesota, N. & S. Dakota)

AlannaM.Bram............................................... 71Carolyn K. Jons. ............................................ 71MatthewT.Lerdahl.......................................... 72Timothy J. Renier. .......................................... 72KevinZheng.................................................... 72

Northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont)

Evan T. Brewer. .............................................. 73Deepika S. Kurup. .......................................... 73AndrewD.Sandweiss..................................... 74KeenanG.Wood............................................. 74

Ohio

Bluyé DeMessie. ............................................ 75ShaleenGoel................................................... 75Aditya Jog. ..................................................... 76RagaviLanka................................................... 76

Oregon

Valerie S. Ding................................................ 77Vinay S. Iyengar. ............................................ 77AlexandraUlmerandSarayuCaulfield........... 78

Pennsylvania

Glen S. Gallik. ................................................ 79HoangAnhT.Phan.......................................... 79PriyangaSelvakumar....................................... 79David R. Shipe. .............................................. 80SpencerYacuboski.......................................... 80

Puerto Rico

AngelicArzola.................................................. 81HennessyBas................................................. 81Waldemar Ortiz, III. ........................................ 81KenalyOrtiz..................................................... 82Jancel Taveras. .............................................. 82

South Carolina

KrishnaT.Gorrepati......................................... 83Bushra B. Islam. ............................................ 83Dana Krzyzaniak. ........................................... 84BrettWinters.................................................... 84

Southern New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island)

EastonJ.Ehlers.............................................. 85Katie Hudek. ................................................... 85Andrew F. Luo. ............................................... 85VivekSubramaniam........................................ 86SimiaoYou....................................................... 86

Tennessee

ZheerAhmed................................................... 87AmanyAlshibli................................................. 87Grace J. Baek. ................................................ 88Maria D’Azevedo. ........................................... 88VijayaR.Dasari............................................... 88

Texas

DaraW.Li........................................................ 89Lisa P. Michaels. ............................................ 89Michael N. Trinh. ............................................ 90

Virginia

Audrey L. Francis. ......................................... 91TarunV.Kamath.............................................. 91MichelleM.Marquez....................................... 92Samuel E. Rohrer. .......................................... 92

Participants Page Participants Page

Note: Presenter’s name appears in boldface.

Participants Page

Washington

MaeveW.Harris.............................................. 93Katherine Landoni. ........................................ 93IndiraRayala................................................... 94Meghal Sheth. ................................................ 94SwethaV.Shutthanandan............................... 95CarrieM.Stump.............................................. 95

Western Wisconsin, Upper Michigan

KaitlinM.Brueggen......................................... 96Ellie L. Hoopman. .......................................... 96Emily L. Hoopman. ........................................ 97CarrieA.Urbanek............................................ 97CaseyR.Urbanek........................................... 98

Wisconsin

JennaR.Lieungh............................................ 99Andrew K. Saydjari. ....................................... 99Sonali Srivastava. ........................................ 100ClariseE.White............................................. 100

Wyoming, Eastern Colorado

AlexL.HenkleandMasonSundstrom.......... 101So-YunKim.................................................... 101Stephen L. Parish ........................................ 102Ian J. Wilkins. ............................................... 102

Note: Presenter’s name appears in boldface.

Section III

Abstracts of Student Papers

1

Alabama

Development of a Novel Antimicrobial Polymer for Biomedical ApplicationsJoshua C. AbreoJames Clemens High School, Madison, AL, Alabama JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Emanuel Waddell, University of Alabama in Huntsville; Mrs. Robin Hodges, James Clemens High School; Mrs. Carol Bohatch, James Clemens High School

Polymersarefrequentlyusedinavarietyofmedicalapplicationsbecausetheyareversatileandflexible,butoneoftheirdrawbacksisthattheymakethepatientsusceptibletoinfections.Themajorgoalofthisworkwastodevelopanovelantimicrobialpolymer,createdbyattachingcoppertothepolymerpolydimethylsiloxane(PDMS).Oncethepolymeriscreated,irradiationofthepolymerunderanexcimerlampcausestheformationofcarboxylicgroups,andcopperionsareattachedtothesegroupswhenthePDMSisdippedinacopperacetatesolution.ThecopperionswereverifiedtohavebeenattachedtothePDMSusinginfraredspectroscopy(IR).TheIRreadingsofthecopperdippedirradiatedPDMShadreadingsthatwereacombinationofthebandsfoundintheoriginalPDMSandthebandsfoundintheCopperAcetate,showingthatthenewsurfacewascoatedwithcopper.ThismeantthatthePDMSwascoatedwithathinlayerofCopperions,causingittobeaneffectiveantimicrobialagent.BacterialgrowthonthecoppercoatedPDMSwasessentiallynonexistantforbothE.coliandS.epidermidis.Inaddition,theCopperinfusedPDMSisrelativelyinexpensive,costingonlyabout10%moretoproduce.

The Effects of Sedimentation on the Biodiversity of Benthic Macro-InvertebratesKatelynne J. HerronJefferson County International Baccalaureate, Irondale, AL, Alabama JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kelly Breland, Jefferson County International Baccalaureate

Thisstudywasperformedtoobservetheeffectsasourceofsedimentationinstreamsystem,specificallytheTurkeyCreekwatershed,wouldhaveonthebiodiversityofbenthicmacro-invertebrates.TurkeyCreekhasthreespeciesofcriticallyendangeredfishandonethreatenedspeciesofTurtle.TheTurkeyCreekwatershedistheonlyplaceintheworldwheretheVermilionDarterisfound,andoneofthefewknownenvironmentsfortheRushDarterandtheWatercressDarter.Themaindietsofthesefisharebenthicmacro-invertebrates.<br/>Fivetransectswerestudied:onetransectatasourceofsedimentation(BeaverCreek),twotransectsupstreamofthesource(Tapawingoarea),andtwotransectsdownstreamofthesource(TurkeyCreek).Depthofsedimentwasrecordedastocomparesedimentationtobiodiversity.Biodiversityofmacro-invertebratesdeclineddownstreamofthesourceofsedimentation,anddepthofsedimentrosesuggestingthatassedimentationrises,biodiversityofbenthicmacro-invertebratesdeclines.Thedownstreamtransectshadthehighestaveragedepthofsediment,(19.3cm,17.8cm)andhadthelowestbiodiversityratingontheSimpsonsIndex,(0.17,0.13).ThedownstreamtransectsalsoratedFAIRontheStreamQualityScale,bytheEPAtomeasurestreamqualitybydiversityofpollutiontolerantinvertebrates.

2

Thermoelectric Generator Using the Pyroelectric EffectRupa PalankiW.P. Davidson High School, Mobile, AL, Alabama JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Srinivas Palanki, University of South Alabama

Anenergyharvesterisdevelopedviathepyroelectriceffectthatutilizestemperaturefluctuationsduetothesunandthewindonalead-zirconate-titanate(PZT)disktogenerateenergyinthe100microJoulesrange.AlaboratoryapparatusisdesignedinSolidWorksandconstructedtosimulateatmosphericeffects.ALabViewprogramiswrittentoacquirevoltagedata.Itisshownthatthisapparatuscanprovidereproducibleresults.Theeffectofvaryingbulbpower(tosimulatesunnyandcloudydays)andfanspeed(tosimulateagustyandgentlewinds)onthevoltageproducedisstudied.ItisobservedthatincreasingbulbpowerandfanspeedresultsinanincreaseinthepeakvoltageproducedfromthePZTdisk.Thisdeviceproducesalternatingcurrent(AC)supplywhilemostdevicesoperateondirectcurrent(DC)supply.AsimplebridgerectifiercircuitisfabricatedtoconverttheACsupplytoDCsupply.Itisshownthatthisdeviceiscapableofproducingupto125mWofpowerwhenexposedtothesunandthewindfor10minutes.Thisissufficienttopowerwirelesssensornetworksthatareembeddedincivilstructuressuchastallbuildings,bridgesanddams.

Silver Nanoparticles for Skin Cancer Chemoprevention and TherapyRohan PalankiW.P. Davidson High School, Mobile, AL, Alabama JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Ajay P. Singh, Mitchell Cancer Institute

Eachyear,overtwomillionnewcasesofskincancerarediagnosed,whichisgreaterthanthecombinedincidenceofcancersofthebreast,prostate,lungandcolon.Therefore,preventionofskincancerfromtheharmfuleffectsofUVremainsapriorityareaofresearch.Inthisproject,theeffectofsilvernanoparticles(AgNPs)onskinepidermalimmortalized,non-tumorigenickeratinocytes(HaCaT)andepidermoidcarcinomaskincancercells(A431-NS)wastested.Achemicalmethodwassuccessfullyutilizedfortheproductionofsilvernanoparticles.TheeffectofsizeandconcentrationofAgNPswastestedforbothskincancertherapyaswellasskincancerchemopreventionagainstUV-inducedcelldamage.CellviabilityanalysisviacolorimetricassayindicatethatAgNPsinthesizerange10nmto100nmandconcentrationrange1mg/Lto10mg/LarenottoxictonontumerigenicHaCaTcellsbutaretoxictocarcinomaA431-NScells,therebyprovingthetherapeuticeffectofAgNPs.Furthermore,dot-blotassayresultsindicatethatUV-BradiationcausesconsiderableDNAdamagetoHaCaTcellsandthisdamageissignificantlyreducedinthepresenceofAgNPsinthesizerange10-40nm,therebyprovingthechemopreventiveeffectofAgNPs.

High Altitude Battery Charge Using Temperature Differential As Sole SourceLucas D. RiddleHewitt Trussville High School, Trussville, AL, Alabama JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Chris Bond, Hewitt Trussville High School

Manypeople,whileawayfrominstantaccesstoelectricityforanextendedperiodoftime,oftenstillrelyonelectricaldevices.ThesedevicesrangefromaflashlighttoGPS,cellphone,radiocommunication,camera,I-pod,etc.Whilecurrentsolutionsexistforrenewablesourcesofelectricity(mainlysolarpower),Ifoundthatmountainclimbersoranypersoninasub-freezingclimateoftenexperiencepoorweatherconditionsresultinginauselesssolarchargingdevice.Oneremainingresourceavailableinthesecircumstanceswouldbebodyheatproducedbytheindividual,pairedwiththeextremecoldexternalconditions,togethercreatingaheatdifferential.Peltiermodules,traditionallyusedasheatpumpsinsmallbutrealworldapplications,areconstructedverysimilarlytoathermocouple,whichmeasurestemperaturedifferentialbyproducingameasurablevoltage.TheSeebeckeffect,whichallowsavoltagetobedevelopedinathermocouple,allowsPeltiermodulestoberunbackwardsasthermoelectricgenerators.Utilizingtheseprinciples,IhavedesignedandtestedadevicethatutilizesPeltierdevicesincorporatedintoahikinghelmettoharnessthetemperaturedifferentialbetweenwearerandexternalenvironmentinordertochargeanexternalbattery.

3

Alaska

Use of Sodium Nitrite as a Corrosion Inhibitor on Pipeline SteelAbram HaasWest Valley High School, Fairbanks, AK, Alaska JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Gregory Kahoe

InthisprojectItestedasolutionofSodiumNitrite(NaNO2)asacorrosioninhibitorfortheTrans-AlaskaPipelineSystemindeadlegareas,orareasoflowoilflow.Ididthisbytaking20metalsamplesofthepipelineandsoakinghalfoftheminmyinhibitorforvaryingtimeperiods,andthensoakingalloftheminseawaterfora28-dayperiod.Myinitialhypothesiswasthatthemetalsamplesthatwerecoatedinsodiumnitritebeforeseawaterwillcorrodelessthantheonesunprotected.Iusedthemasslossdatacollectedafterthetimeperiod,tofindhowmuchoftheironthesampleslostduetocorrosion,Ifoundthatthesodiumnitritedidnotinhibitthecorrosionatall.Ididastatisticalanalysisofmydataintheformofa2SampleTTest,andfoundthatthemasslossofthemetalsamplesoriginallycoatedininhibitorversustheonesnotprotected,hadnostatisticaldifference.Myfailuretosupportmyinitialhypothesisismostlikelyduetoanerrorinapplyingtheinhibitortothemetalsamples,orpossiblythewaythatImeasuredcorrosion.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Primarily Statistical Approach to Chatbot DesignJake T. HerrmannWest Valley, Fairbanks, AK, Alaska JSHS

“Chatbots”arecomputerprogramsdesignedtoengageinconversation,andarebecomingincreasinglycommoninfieldssuchasentertainment,education,business,andlawenforcement.Mostchatbotseitherusestatisticstochooseappropriatereplies,orarepre-programmedtorecognizelanguagepatterns.Someresearchsuggeststhatstatisticsaloneareinsufficientasanapproachtochatbotdesign.Inordertotesttheeffectivenessofalearningchatbotthattakesastatisticalapproachtoconversation,Iwroteaprogramandtesteditagainst19humans.Usingits418-KB(180-page)memoryfile,mychatbotonlyachievedasuccessrateofabout26%.However,thechatbotbehavedmoreconvincinglywhenitfoundobviousmatcheswithauser’sinputinitsmemoryfile,soIhypothesizethatitssuccessratewillincreasedramaticallyifIaddmoreinformationtoitsmemory.Mychatbot’sprimaryweaknessisthatithasnoshort-termmemorywithwhichtocontextualizeconversations.Inthefuture,Iplantoconductseveralmoretrialstoclarifymyconclusions,andIplantoconduct“blind”trialsinwhichtheusersarenotawarethatthechatbotisnothuman.Iwillfocusfutureresearchontestingmyhypothesisthatsuccessrateincreaseswithmemorysize.

Cyanoacrylate (CA) vs. Iodine Fuming of Latent Fingerprints: A Comparative StudySally Liane KuhnWest Valley High School, Fairbanks, AKTeacher: Mr. Gregory Kahoe, West Valley High School, Mentor: Mr. Gregory Kahoe, West Valley High School

Thepurposeofthiscomparativestudywastoevaluatebothaphysicalandchemicalmethodoflatentfingerprintdevelopment.Ifingerprintedstandardglasslab-wareanddevelopedtheprintsthroughthetechniqueoffuming.IndifferenttrialsIusedairtightcontainersandhotplatestofumecyanoacrylate(CA)andiodinecrystals.Iusedascaleof0-5inordertoquantativlycomparetheresults.CAprovedtobethesuperiorsubstancetofumewithn=3andx=4.67.TheCAprintswerenotonlytheclearestbutwerenolongersusceptibletoenvironmentalfactorssuchaswaterandheat.Iodinewastheinferiorsubstancesincetheprintsfadedsoquicklytherewasnowaytoproperlyrecordthem,eventhroughpictures.Theiodineratingsweren=3withx=1.5.Aftercontrastingallfactorssuchascost,setup,timeandresults,IdeterminedthatCAwasthebestchoiceforfuminglatentfingerprintsonnon-poroussurfaces.InthefutureIwouldliketouseadyeinconjunctionwiththeCAtobetterdeveloplatentprintsonsurfacesofvaryingcolor.

4

Effects of Kerosene Co-contamination on Sulfolane BiodegradationWilliam B. Mitchell, Jr.West Valley High School, Fairbanks, AK, Alaska JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Cyndie Beale, West Valley High School; Chris Kasanke, Institute of Arctic Biology

Sulfolaneisanindustrialsolventusedtoseparatearomatichydrocarbonsfromcrudeoil.Sulfolaneandkerosenearebothenvironmentalpollutants.Thebiodegradationofsulfolaneinthepresenceofkerosenewasinvestigated.Thehypothesiswasthatkerosenewouldinhibitthebiodegradationofsulfolane.Sixtestgroupsofthreetofivereplicateseachcontainedcombinationsofsulfolane,kerosene,andsoilmicrobes.Groupsandtheirreplicateswereincubatedat4°Cforthedurationoftheexperiment.Samplestakenatdays0,9,and15wereanalyzedusinggaschromatography.Analysisofthetreatmentgroupsindicatedthatsoilmicrobeswereabletobiodegradesulfolane.Inaddition,thetestgroupcontainingmicrobesandsulfolanehadstatisticallysignificantgreatersulfolanebiodegradationonday9(p=0.020)andday15(p=0.038)comparedtothegroupwithmicrobes,sulfolane,andkerosene.Theseresultsconfirmedtheoriginalhypothesisthatkeroseneinhibitssulfolanebiodegradation.Thisisasignificantfindingbecausekerosene-likehydrocarbons,suchasthosefoundinjetfuel,arecommonco-contaminants.Thisindicatesthatsulfolanebiodegradationisinfluencedbysurroundingmaterials,apossiblefieldforfuturestudy.

Microfluidic Droplet-in-air Production Prototyping in Dry-film Photoresist Developed MicrochannelsRyan C. NicholsonWest Valley High School, Fairbanks, AK, Alaska JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Cheng-fu Chen, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Gregory Kahoe, West Valley High School; Cyndie Beale, West Valley High School

Microdialysis,aninvasivesamplingtechnique,iswidelyusedinthedeterminationofchemicalconstituentsofextracellularfluids,butisunabletobeextensivelyminiaturizedduetoascalingflowresistance.Iexploredthepossibilitiesofamicrofluidicdroplet-in-airproductionprocessthatwouldleadtotheeliminationofflowresistance.Mymentor,Dr.Cheng-fuChen(UAF),developedmicrochannelsutilizingaprototypingprocessthatusesadry-filmphotoresistasthestructuralmaterial,whichallowsmicrochannelcreationthroughUVlightexposureandbondingtopolydimethylsiloxane(PDMS).Fortesting,Ipumpedairandwaterthroughthechannelsandmodulatedtheairflowrate.Resultsindicatedthatdropletswerepossible,buttheairflowrateheavilydeterminedtheirsize,speed,andratesofcreation.Lowerairflowratesproduceddropletsthatweresixtimesslowerthanonesfromhigherflowrates,andthehigherflowsalsoproduceddropletsmorerapidly.Dropletsofsmallersizeandhigherspeedareessentialforuseinamicrodialysistechnique,withuniformitybeingofutmostimportanceinordertopreservespatialandtemporalresolutions.Thisstudyprovidesafoundationfromwhichfurthertestingforpromoteddropletcreationratesanduniformity,ortheeffectsoftemperatureondroplets,maybeexplored.

5

Arizona

Investigation of the Electrical Properties of Metal/Pyrite (FeS2) Junctions- Development Towards the Synthesis of Pyrite Solar CellsIvy ChangHamilton High School, Chandler, AZ, Arizona JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Debbie Nipar, Hamilton High School; Prof. Nathan Newman, Arizona State Univer-sity

ThenontoxicsemiconductorpyriteFeS₂appealstousasagoodcandidateforsolarcellsbecauseitcollectsmostofthesolarlightspectrumandiscomposedofinexpensivematerials.Astudyconducted(Wadiaetal,2009)showedthatthesubstitutionofsiliconwithpyriteasasolarcellmaterialwilltheoreticallydecreasetheaveragecostby100times.Tomeasurepyrite’spotentialasanalternatematerial,theelectricalpropertiesofmetal/pyritejunctionscharacterizethecontactandpyritematerialsparametersimportanttophotovoltaicresearch.Onlyrectifyingcontactswillbeabletobeimplementedinphotovoltaicapplication.Anumberofmetals(Al,Au,Cr,Fe,Ni)weredepositedonanaturalpyritesubstrateandthecurrent-voltagecharacteristicsofthemetal/pyritecontactsweremeasuredwithvarianceintemperature.Alldiodessuccessfullyshowedadecreaseincurrentwithtemperature.Goldandnickelexhibitedlow-resistance,non-rectifyingbehavior,makingthemexcellentcandidatesasOhmiccontactsinthefabricationofpyritesolarcells.Aluminum,chromiumandironformedrectifying,Schottkybarriers.Futurestudiesconsistofdepositingthesethreerectifying,semi-transparentmetals(~5nm)toenabletheentranceoflighttoquantifytheefficiencyofthephotovoltaicprocessesasaworkablephotovoltaiccell.

I2C: Devices for the DisabledDhruv IyerHamilton High School, Chandler, AZ, Arizona JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Bala Iyer, Hamilton High School; Brian Clark

Peoplewithseveremotordisabilitiescanoftenfeelsociallyisolated.Thepurposeofthisprojectwastobuildauserinterfaceforquadriplegicstointeractwithothersinavirtualsettingbyplayingcomputergames.Designcriteriaincludedrequirementsforspeed,accuracy,functionality,userexperience,andcost.Severalprototypeswerebuiltandtested:Mouse:MEMSGyroscopebasedheadtrackerArm-actuatedaccelerometerTongue-actuatedjoystickKeyboard:VoiceinputMEMSGyroscopebasedHead-trackerKeyboardtestingwasperformedusingaMinecraftobstaclecourse.Mouseemulationwastestedbyrequiringthesubjecttoclickanorderedpointonarandomgrid.Theprototypedesignsweretestedbothindividuallyandtogetherinkeyboard-mousecombinations.Theresultsshowedthatthehead-tracking/tongue-actuatedcombinationwasthebest,followedbyHead-tracking/Arm-actuated,Voice/Head-tracking,andVoice/Arm-actuated.FiveadditionalprototypeswerebuiltusingtheKinectforXbox360andKinectforWindowssensors.WiththeKinectXboxsensor,lackof“near-mode”operationwasasignificantlimitation.ThiswasaddressedwiththeuseoftheKinectWindowssensor,forwhichKeyboardandmouseemulationworkedwellseparatelybutgettingbothkeyboardandmouseemulationatthesametimeisstillworkinprogress

6

Parabolic Solar Water Heater For The Navajo NationDeshna JoeNavajo Preparatory School, Farmington, NM, Arizona JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Yolanda Flores, Navajo Preparatory School; Daniel Winarski, International Businesss Machines

Thepurposeofthissciencefairprojectistodesignaparabolamirrorwithcoppertubingatthefocus,anduseasolar-poweredpump,thatcanefficientlyheatwatersolelyfromsolarenergy.Likewise,togenerateasolarwaterheaterthatworkwithsolararraystotestinruralhomesoffthegrid.Thetargetofthisstudywasthesehomesinparticularbecauselivingonthereservationhasshownthatthisisanecessityformanypeoplewithoutmuchmoney.Thissciencefairprojectusesamirrorwithaparaboliccross-sectiontofocussunlightuponacopperpipe.Separately,solarphotovoltaiccellspowerapumptocirculatewaterthroughthecopperpipe.Theresultisatotallysolar-poweredwaterheater,whichcouldbeusedontheNavajoNationforhomeswhichareremoteand“offthegrid.”ThequestionofefficiencyisaddressedbydividingtheheatingofthewaterasmeasuredinWatts(Joules/second)bytheWattsreceivedfromthesun.Theprojectshowedanefficiencyof88%,whichprovedthataparabolicsolarwaterheaterwithcoppertubingatthefocus,andasolar-poweredpump,couldefficientlyheatwatersolelyfromsolarenergy.

3D Surface Fabrication Using Conformal GeometryYuanqi ZhangSaint Gregory College Preparatory School, Tucson, AZ, Arizona JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Xianfeng David Gu, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Thedeveloping3Dprintingtechnologyhasrevolutionizedthemanufacturingindustry.Althoughtheexisting3Dprintingmethodisusedinavarietyoffieldstoproducecompletemodelsinasingleprocess,itrequiresexpensivehardwareandsuccessivelayersofmaterials.Thispaperproposesanovelapproachforfabricating3Dshapesbasedonsurfacefoliationinconformalgeometry.AllorientedmetricsurfacesareRiemannsurfaces.TheholomorphicdifferentialsonaRiemannsurfaceinducehorizontalandverticaltrajectories.Thehorizontal(vertical)trajectoriesgiveafoliationofthesurfacesingularatzeros.Thesurfaceisdecomposedtotwofamiliesoforthogonalleaves,andcanbereconstructedbyweavingthetwofamiliesofleaves.Comparingtoconventional3Dprintingtechnologies,thismethodhasadvantages:1.General:themethodhandlessurfaceswithdifferenttopologies;2.Rigorous:themethodhasconcretefoundation;3.Automatic:thealgorithmisautomatic;4.Economical:themethodonlyrequirespaperandscissors.Themethodhaspotentialforfabricating3Dshapesinreallife.Keywords:3Dprinting;conformalgeometry;foliation;trajectory;holomorphicdifferential;fabrication

7

Arkansas

The Effects of the Work Function and Alignment On Organic Photovoltaic DevicesDhruba Dasgupta, Jr.Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, AR, Arkansas JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Beth Maris, Little Rock Central High School

Organicphotovoltaics(OPVs)areefficient,renewablesourcesofenergythatprovideaneconomicalternativetorelativelyexpensiveinorganicPVs.OPVsstillfaceweatheringproblems,therefore,researchovernoblemetalsandinverteddeviceshavesurfaced.Silver,anoblemetal,couldbeswappedoutforaluminum;however,theirworkfunctiondifferencecouldleadtoanefficiencychange.AlsobyinvertingOPVswithanoblemetalasabottomelectrode,devicescouldimprovetheirairstability.Twoexperimentswereconducted:onecomparingefficienciesofnormallyorienteddeviceswithaluminumorsilvercathodes,andcomparingefficienciesofinverteddevicesusingaluminumorsilveranodes.Fornormallyorienteddevices,itwashypothesizedifthecathode’sworkfunctionwasclosertothePCBM’sLUMO,thedevice’sefficiencieswouldbegreater.Forinverteddevices,itwashypothesizedtheclosertheanode’sworkfunctionistotheP3HT’sHOMO,thegreatertheefficiency.ThealuminumOPVshadagreateraverageefficiencyat1.83%PCE,thanthesilverdevicesat.263%PCE.TheinvertedOPVswithsilverhadanaverageefficiencyat0.06%whencomparedtothealuminumdevicesat0.05%.Therefore,normallyorientedOPVshavegreaterefficiencieswithaluminumratherthansilver,whileinverteddevicesneedmoreresearch.

Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Silicon Based Solar CellsNimit R. GandhiLittle Rock Central High School, Little Rock, AR, Arkansas JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Melissa Donham, Little Rock Central High School

AbstractThepurposeofthisresearchwastoachievephotovoltaicconversionfromhigh-densityp-njunctionsformedbetweensingle-walledcarbonnanotubes(SWNTs)andn-typesilicon(n-Si).Itwashypothesizedthattheuseofanitricacidtreatmentwouldimprovethepowerconversionefficiencyofthedevices,duetotheformationofnewfunctionalgroupsontheCNTs.Thiswastestedbyformingsilicondioxidethroughdryoxidationanddepositingtitaniumandgoldviavarioustechniques,uponwhichhydrofluoricacidandnitricacid-hydrochloricacidsolutionswereusedforetching,respectively.UponformingCNTfilmsofvariousvolumes,theywereliftedontothesiliconsubstrate.Current-voltagemeasurementsindicatedthatunderdarkconditions,thedevicesresembledp-ndiodes,indicatingthathighdensityp-njunctionsdidformthere.Device-1250(1250µLofCNTsolution)achievedthehighestpowerconversionefficiencybeforeandafterthenitricacidtreatmentduetoabalancebetweenconductionandtransparency.TheuseofthenitricacidtreatmentincreasedthepowerconversionefficiencyofDevice-1250bynearly83%.Thus,thehypothesiswassupportedashighdensityp-njunctions,decreaseinseriesresistance,andincreaseinshuntresistanceoccurredasaresultofthenitricacidtreatment.

8

Peak Wall Stress in Abdominal Aortic AneurysmSanjit KalapatapuPulaski Academy, Little Rock, AR, Arkansas JSHS

Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexaminethecorrelationofpeakwallstressinabdominalaorticaneurysmwiththemaximalaorticdiameter,extentofintraluminalthrombus,andaorticwallcalcium.Thehypothesisofthisexperimentpredictedthatallthreeofthesefactorswouldcorrelatewiththepeakwallstressinanabdominalaorticaneurysm.ComputerizedTomographyscans(CTscans)wereusedtocalculatethemaximalaorticdiameter,percentofintraluminalaorticthrombus,andpercentofaorticwallcalcium.PeakwallstresswascalculatedusingFiniteElementAnalysissoftwaretoconstructa3-DmodelofabdominalaorticaneurysmfromCTscans.Thenstatisticalanalysiswasperformedtoassessthecorrelationbetweenthesefactors.Thisstudypartiallysupportedourhypothesis,asitshowedthattherewasadirectcorrelationbetweenmaximalaorticdiameterandpeakwallstress,aweakerpositivecorrelationbetweenthrombusandpeakwallstress,andnocorrelationbetweencalciumandpeakwallstress.Thisstudywillhelpdoctorsprioritizetheearlytreatmentofpatientswithadnominalaorticaneurysmandlowerrupturerates.

Using Nanotechnology to Enhance Osteoblast Proliferation and Adhesion: Comparison of Different Implantable Biologically Inert Spinal Instrumentation MaterialsHanya M. QureshiPulaski Academy, Little Rock, AR, Arkansas JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Annice Steadman, Pulaski Academy; Dr. Ganesh Kannarpady, Ph.D., Center for Inte-grative Nanotechnology Sciences at the University of Arkansas Little Rock

Nanotechnologyismanipulationofmaterialsatatomic,molecularorsupramolecularlevels.ThisstudyexploressuchmanipulationofmaterialsusedinspinalfusionsuchasPEEK(Polyetheretherketone),CobaltChrome(CoCr),Titanium(Ti),andTitaniumAlloybycoatingwithSingle-WalledCarbonNanotubes(SWCNT)andTitaniumDioxide(TiO2)nanotubestostudyosteoblastproliferationandadhesion.BasedonmaterialpropertiesthehypothesiswasthatSWCNTwouldadherebettertoPEEKgiventheircarbonbasedstructure,andTiO2nanotubeswouldadherebettertoTisubstratesgiventheirtitaniumbasedstructure.Secondly,nanotubecoatingmayenhanceosteoblastproliferationandadhesion.Theexperimentwasrunintriplicateusinganestablishedmouseosteoblast(MC3T3-E1)cellline.TheresultsshowedthatosteoblastproliferationwasimpededontheSWCNT-coatedCoCrsubstrates(P=0.008),yetenhancedproliferationwasseenontheSWCNT-coatedTisubstrates(P=0.02).Incomparison,TiO2nanotube-coatedTiAlloysubstratesimpededosteoblastproliferation(P=0.011),whereasTiO2nanotube-coatedCoCrsubstratesenhancedosteoblastproliferation(P=0.005).PEEKsubstrateswereincompatiblewiththeTiO2treatment.Finally,cellmorphologydiffereddependingonthesubstrateused.Inconclusion,givenitshightensileandshearstrength,CoCristhebestsubstratewhencoatedwithTiO2nanotubestoenhanceosteoblastproliferationandultimately,spinalfusionresults.

9

Effect of Combined Inhibition of DNA Methylation and Histone Acetylation on Viability of Multiple Myeloma Cell LinesShruti ShahLittle Rock Central High School, Little Rock, AR, Arkansas JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Beth Maris, Little Rock Central High School; Mrs. Mary Parson, Little Rock Central High School; Dr. Christoph Heuck, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Ascarcinogenesisoccursandabnormalcellsbegintometastasizesuchasinmultiplemyeloma(MM),theycandeveloparesistancetochemotherapeuticdrugs.Therefore,toprolongthepatient’slife,oncologistsmustalterthetreatmentplan.Inmanypublications,theprocessofsynergismprovedtobeoptimalincancerssimilartoMM.Therefore,synergyofHDACcomplexesandDNAmethyltransferaseinhibitors,mechanismsthataffectgeneexpressionandthereforecellviability,couldpotentiallybeusedtotreatMM.CombinationsofDecitabine(DNAmethyltransferaseinhibitor)andVorinostat(HDACcomplex)andDecitabine(DNAmethyltransferaseinhibitor)andValnoctemide(HDACcomplex)werecarriedouttoinvestigatesynergyandinhibitionofcellviabilityinMMcelllinesH929andJJN3.TestcombinationsofDecitabineandValnoctemideproducedantagonisticeffectsincelllineH929,whereasinthecelllineJJN3,theeffectwasmainlyadditive.However,withDecitabineandVorinostat,incelllineH929,synergismwasshownathighconcentrationsofVorinostatbutatlowconcentrationstherewasantagonism.ThedataforthecombinationofDecitabineandVorinostatinJJN3showedsynergismformostoftheconcentrationstested.Withthesepromisingresults,synergyofDecitabineandVorinostatcouldofferanoveltherapeuticapproachforMMuponfurtherinvestigation.

10

California (Northern & Western Nevada)

Enabling Situational Awareness: A Hat-Based Hands-Free Haptic Navigational Aid for the Visually ImpairedShiloh S. CurtisLaughing Thunder Academy, Sunnyvale, CA, California (Northern & Western Nevada) JSHS

AccordingtotheAmericanFoundationfortheBlind,thereareover21.2millionvisuallyimpairedadultsintheU.S.However,almostallcommerciallyavailableaidsforthispopulation,suchasthewhitecane,mustbeconstantlyhand-held,deprivingusersofthefunctionalityofonehand.Guidedogscancost$60,000andhavesignificantcarerequirements.Commerciallyavailableaidshavelittleabilitytodetectfaceandtorsolevelobstaclessuchastreebranches.Toanswerthisneed,Idesignedandconstructedahands-freeassistivehat,theHapticNavigationalAidfortheVisually-Impaired(H-NAV),whichusesaLaserDistanceSensor(LDS)todetectnearbyobstaclesand12vibratingmotorsinsidethehatbandtoalerttheusertotheobstacles’presence.Themotorsalsoindicatetheapproximatedistancetotheobstacleusingthedurationofpulsedvibrations.TheH-NAVwasdesignedtofacilitatesituationalawarenessandenabletheusertoavoidfaceandtorsolevelobstacles.Theprototypewastestedbyassessingusers’abilitytoperformcommonnavigationaltaskswhileblindfoldedandwearingtheH-NAV,wheresuccessfulcompletionrequireddetectingandavoidingobstacleswithoutstrayingoffcourse.Almostalltaskstestedhadasuccessrateover80%,sotheH-NAVfunctionedasintended.

A Novel Use of Infrared Light in Eye Tracking SystemsNeil MovvaThe Harker School, San Jose, CA, California (Northern & Western Nevada) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Smriti Koodanjeri, The Harker School

Eyetrackingisarevolutionaryformofinput,allowinguserstocontrolcomputerssimplybyfocusingontargetelements.However,currentsolutionsrelyoninefficientsoftwaremethods,limitingoperability.Weproposeasolutioninintroducinginfrared(IR)lighting,ahardwareinnovationthatexpandsusabilityandenablesbreakthroughsoftwareefficiency.WedemonstrateconsistentisolationofthepupiluniquetoIR;littlelightescapesthedarkpupil,whileotherfacialelementsscatterIRandappeargray.Thisgreatlysimplifiessoftwaredesignandreducessusceptibilitytovisible-spectruminterference,suchasauser’siriscolor(darkirisesarenormallyindistinguishablefromthepupil).Furthermore,usingalocalIRsourceenablesconsistentoperationeveninpoorlighting.WestrobeourstrategicallyplacedIRemittersinsyncwithvideoframecapture,creatinganeasilyidentifiablepatterncenteredonthepupiltoassistintracking.Oursystemsuccessfullytracks91%ofinputframes,andisusablefortypingonanon-screenkeyboard.Finally,theadditionalhardware(IRLEDsandIRfilter,$5)carriedaninsignificantcostcomparedtothecamera($40).Insummation,usingIRlightinggreatlysimplifieseyetracking,andfurtherdevelopmentwillresultinsystemspotentiallyfarmorerobustthanconventional(visible-spectrumbased)setups.

11

Multi-Dimensional Genomic Data Analysis to Assess Correlation Across a Disease and Its ComorbiditiesSwetha RevanurEvergreen Valley High School, San Jose, CA, California (Northern & Western Nevada) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Barjinder Sabherwal, Evergreen Valley High School

HidradenitisSuppurativa(HS)isapoorlyunderstoodchronicskindiseasemarkedbypainfulcysts.Despiteaprevalenceofabout1%,nopotenttreatmentorcureexists.AmechanismwasdevelopedtoanalyzeHSwithrespecttoitscomorbidities(Crohn’sDisease,DownSyndrome,RheumatoidArthritis[RA],SquamousCellCarcinoma[SCC],andHypothyroidism)usingmulti-dimensionalgenomicdata.Gene,pathways,andmicroRNAprofileswerethedimensionsconsidered.Aquantitativemodelwasdefinedtocomputeanenrichedcorrelationindex;thisindexwasvalidatedusinggeneexpressionlevels.Theindexprovidesacalculationforthedistancebetweenadiseaseanditscomorbidities.ThisinvestigationrevealsmicroRNAbiomarkersthatcouldplayacausalroleinHS,andalsoprovidesevidencethatexplainsthepredominanceofHSamongthefemalepopulation.Moreover,pathwayanalysisidentifiedAlzheimer’sDiseaseasacomorbidityofHS.Thiscomprehensiveworkflowcanbeemployedtogainsimilarinsightsintoanydisease,tocommenceclinicalexperimentation,andtopavethepathtodrugrepositioning.

Active Magnetic Field Cancellation SystemValliammai VinaithirthanMonte Vista High School, Danville, CA, California (Northern & Western Nevada) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Wulf Tobias Hofbauer, Centre for Research and Applied Learning in Science

Fluctuationsoftheambientmagneticfieldarecommoninurbanandindustrialenvironments,principallycausedbythemagneticfieldassociatedwithelectriccurrentsinlinewiringandelectricalequipment,suchasmotorsandtransformers.WhilegenerallyweakcomparedtoEarth’snaturalmagneticfield,therapidfluctuationsofsuchstrayfields,typicallyduetothefrequencyoflocalpowerdistributionsystemsanditsmechanics,canhaveadevastatingeffectonsensitiveexperiments.TheActiveMagneticFieldCancellationSystemisadesignandimplementationofanactive,closed-loopsystemdesignedtocancelsuchmagneticfieldfluctuations.Theprincipalfunctionalgroupsinthisactivesystemaremagneticfieldsensors,magneticfieldactuators,andanelectronicclosed-loopfeedbacksystem.Inareal-worldapplicationscenario,thedesign,basedonhighschoolphysicsanddecidedlylow-cost,achieved>20dBattenuationofmagneticstrayfieldsatpowerlinefrequencies,vastlyenhancingtheusableresolutionofacommercialscanningelectronmicroscope.

Illuminating Disease Pathways: Developing Bright Fluorescent Proteins to Improve FRET BiosensingEmily S. WangHenry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto, CA, California (Northern & Western Nevada) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Jun Chu, Stanford University

Thediscoveryanddevelopmentoffluorescentproteins,recognizedbythe2008NobelPrizeinChemistry,enabledarevolutioninbiologicalmicroscopyandsensing.Biosensorsemployingfluorescenceresonanceenergytransfer(FRET)betweenfluorescentproteinsarepowerfultoolstonon-invasivelyreportbiochemicaleventswithinlivingcells.ThedevelopmentofnewFRETsensorsremainsdifficult,however,oftenduetolowFRETdynamicrange.Throughrandomandsite-directedmutagenesis,Idesignedandconstructedlibrariesofgreenandredfluorescentproteinmutants,whichwerescreenedforphotostability,quantumyield,andperformanceinaFRET-basedcalciumsensor.IhaveengineeredanewgreenfluorescentproteinClover3,whichisthebrightestmonomericfluorescentproteintodate.Clover3confersincreasedFRETdynamicrangeontobiosensorsandshowsimprovedphotostabilityandquantumyield.Moreover,IdevelopedanewredfluorescentproteinmRuby3,whichisthebrightestredfluorescentproteintodate.Withsuperioropticalcharacteristics,Clover3andmRuby3areexpectedtobenefitdiversebiomedicalapplications,includingtheimagingofneuralstructures,visualizationofcancermetastases,andmonitoringofsignalingpathwaystoelucidatediseasemechanisms.

12

California (Southern)

Gene silencing in Bactericera cockerelli, vector of tomato LiberibacterSaumya R. KeremaneMartin Luther King High School, Riverside, CA, California (Southern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Richard Lee, USDA ARS; Ms. Jennings, Martin Luther King High School

RNAinterference(RNAi)canbeusedtosilencegenesinasequencespecificmanner.Thismethodologycanbeusedtotargetcriticalgenesandcontrolplantpestsinaneco-friendlymanner.IntroductionofspecificdoublestrandedRNA(dsRNA)intocellsinitiatestheRNAiprocessanddegradesspecificmRNAsresultingingenesilencing.Manyeconomicallyimportantplantdiseasesarespreadbyinsectvectors.Psyllidsspreaddiseaseslikecitrusgreeningandtomatopsyllidyellows,associatedwithbacteria,CandidatusLiberibacterspp.Inthisstudy,Bactericeracockerelli,thevectoroftomatopsyllidyellowswasusedtoinvestigatethepossibilitiesofusingRNAiasamethodofdiseasemanagement.Agene,awd(abnormalwingdisc)isrequiredforproperdevelopmentofpsyllids.Inthisstudy,thesequenceofawdfromBactericerawasdetermined,dsRNAforawdwassynthesizedandappliedtopsyllidnymphs.Thetreatedpsyllidsshowedahighmortalityrate(lowerspopulationlevel)andabnormalwingdevelopment(affectsmobilityandtheabilityofpsyllidstospreadthepathogen),charactersusefulindiseasemitigation.Geneexpressionanalysisindicatedlowerlevelofexpressionofawdgeneinpsyllidsshowingabnormalwings.Debilitatingthepsyllidswillreducethespreadofdiseasesandreducetheirseverity.

Strongly Coupled Electromechanical Modeling of the Heart in Moving Domains Using the Phase-Field MethodKevin K. LeeUniversity High, Irvine, CA, California (Southern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Shannon Bunch, University High; John Lowengrub, University of California, Irvine

Computationalmodelsofthehearthaveprovenessentialtothestudyofcardiacarrhythmias,whicharepoorlyunderstoodyettheleadingcauseofdeathintheindustrializedworld.Existingmodelsprovideanunobstructedviewoftheheart’selectricalbehavioronboththesurfaceandinterior,buttheyhavenotbeenabletoefficientlyincorporatethebeatingoftheheartduetodifficultiesinhandlingthemovingdomainofthegoverningpartialdifferentialequationsystem.Here,Idevelopanovelmethodforstronglycouplingmechanicalcontractionfrombeatingwithelectricalpropagationusingthephase-fieldmethod.Irepresentthegeometryoftheheartwithadiffuse-domainapproximationandmodelthesoft-tissuemechanicsthroughDarcy’sLaw.IcouplemusclecontractionwiththepowerstrokeoftheactionpotentialandevolvetheshapethroughaCahn-Hilliardequation.Idemonstratethemodel’sconvergenceandthatitcapturesthedifferencesinelectricalpropagationduetoshape,evidenceofstrongcoupling.Thetheorydevelopedinthisworkefficientlyfacilitatesmorerealisticsimulationsoftheheart,thusgivingdrugdevelopersamorecompletetoolindesigningtherapiesforheartconditions,yieldingcriticalinsightonthemechanismsoffatalconditions,andenablingdramaticimprovementsintheirtreatmentandprevention.

13

Multi-agent Monte Carlo EquilibriumDaniel ShawUniversity High School, Irvine, CA, California (Southern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. James Li, Avid Academy; Shannon Bunch, University High School

Multi-Agentsystemsuseseveralinteractingagentsinanenvironmenttosimulateaprocess.Inparticular,processesthatcombinebothMulti-AgentsystemsandMonteCarlosimulations(MAMC)areexceptionallyusefulincalculatingtheresultofcomplexprocedures.However,amajordrawbackisthatMAMC,despiteitsaccuracy,iscomputationallyexpensive.Inmyproject,IintroduceanequilibriumstateandguidetheMAMCframeworktowardsthatstate.Usingthisapproach,Iamabletofactoradditionalofflineknowledgeintotheprocessthroughamaximumlikelihoodestimator.TheapproachalsousestheCrossEntropyMethod,whichsignificantlyminimizesthecomputationalcost.Unlikeotherparadigms,ourmodelcanusetheposteriordistributionofthepreviousMonteCarlomethodtogiveamoreaccurateresult.OurequilibriummethodgaveasubstantialimprovementinthequalityofMAMCresultswhentestedinartificialintelligenceGo.Myapproachis5timesfasterthanpreviousmodels.

Personalized Medical Treatments Using Novel Reinforcement Learning AlgorithmsYousuf M. SolimanCanyon Crest Academy, San Diego, CA, California (Southern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Wendy Slijk, Canyon Crest Academy

Duetotheneedforaneffectivepersonalizedmedicineengine,Iaimtofindanoptimalpersonalizedtreatmentpolicywhichisanon-deterministicfunctionofthepatientspecificcovariatedatathatmaximizestheexpectedsurvivaltimeorclinicaloutcome.Idevelopedanalgorithmicframeworktosolvemultistagedecisionproblemswithavaryingnumberofstagesthataresubjecttocensoringinwhichthe“rewards”areexpectedsurvivaltimes.Inspecific,IdevelopedanovelQ-learningalgorithmthatdynamicallyadjustsfortheseparameters.Tocombattheproblemofcensoreddata,IfirstbeganbydevelopedaunifiedapproachforSVMstomaintainaconstantbeliefstateaboutthepatient.Furthermore,Ifoundfiniteupperboundsonthegeneralizederrorofthetreatmentpathsconstructedbythisalgorithm.IhavealsoshownthatwhentheoptimalQ-functionisanelementoftheapproximationspace,theanticipatedsurvivaltimesforthetreatmentregimenconstructedbythealgorithmwillconvergetotheoptimaltreatmentpath.Idemonstratedtheperformanceoftheproposedalgorithmicframeworkthroughtheanalysisofchronicdepressiondataandahypotheticalcancertrial.ThecensoredQ-learningalgorithmIdevelopednotonlyoperatesinnon-optimalenvironments,butitismoreeffectivethanthestateoftheartclinicaldecisionsupportsystems.

14

Connecticut

Designing a Circuit Board to Wirelessly Power a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)Daniel G. GiebischAmity Regional High School, Woodbridge, CT, Connecticut JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Deborah Day, Amity Regional High School

Aleftventricularassistdevice(LVAD),aheartpumpthatmaintainsthecardiovascularsystemincasesofheartfailure,requiresenergyfromaninconvenientexternalbatterypackmodule.Unfortunately,thewireconnectingtheheartpumptothismoduleispronetohighrisksofinfection.Thesolutiontothisissueiswirelessenergytransfer,inwhichtheheartpumpreceivesenergywithoutawire.ThemajorrequisitetoawirelessLVADisaminiaturizedcircuitboardthatisimplantedalongsidetheheartpump.Thisstudyaimedtodesignsuchacircuitboard.Theprojectbeganwithabasicschematicthatledtotheselectionofspecificcomponents.Thesecomponentswerechosenforspaceandpowerefficiency.Then,AltiumDesigner,athreedimensionalmodelingprogram,wasusedtoproducetheprintedcircuitboardmodel.Theboardwassuccessfullyordered,soldered,andtestedforreliability.Thecircuittransfers15voltsofinputvoltagetothemotorfoundintheHeartmateII,themostcommonlyusedLVAD.Oncemanufacturedonalargescalebasis,thisnewcircuitrywillrealizeawirelessLVADthatcouldreplacehearttransplantsastheultimatetreatmentforsevereheartfailure.

Spectral and spatial analysis of Fermi Large Area Telescope observations to investigate Weakly Interacting Massive Particle dark matterIsabelle S. GoldsteinRidgefield High School, Ridgefield, CT, Connecticut JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Louis Strigari, Indiana University; Michael Yagid, Ridgefield High School

TheWeaklyInteractingMassiveParticle(WIMP)theoryfordarkmatterpredictstheproductionofgammaradiationfromWIMPannihilationanddecay.ToexaminethepossibilityofWIMPdarkmatter,gammaraysourcesfromM31arepartitionedfromtheFermiGamma-raySpaceTelescopefromtheLATinstrumentwith5yearsofcleanandultracleancut-datainthe1-300GeVrange.Background,halo,andpointsourcedistributionsarethenusedinaspectralandspatialanalysis.Thespectrumiswelldescribedbyapowerlaw,butthepolaraveragedradialdensityisagoodfitwithalineofsightintegralofthelinearandsquaredNavarro-Frenk-White(NFW)densityprofilewithanR2=0.9992.TheNFWfitalsoexhibitsasignificantlylargercontributioncoefficientfromdecayprocessesthanannihilation.ThecorrelationbetweentheoryandpredictionssuggeststhateitherWIMPsarethesourceoftheradiation,astrophysicalprocessesareinfluencedbydarkmatterthatfollowsthisdensityfalloff,orastrophysicalprocessesfollowthisprofilerandomly.Thesefindingsraisefundamentalquestionsontheoriginofgalactichalogammarays,andwarrantscontinuedresearchinthefield.

15

Temperature-Induced Concurrent Removal and Recovery of Wastewater Ammonia-NitrogenAndrew MaGreenwich High School, Greenwich, CT, Connecticut JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Andrew Bramante, Greenwich High School

Ammonia-nitrogen(NH4+andNH3)hasavarietyofimportantapplications.Whendischargedthroughwastewatereffluent,however,ammonia-nitrogencausesmanyenvironmentalproblems.Theobjectivesofthisresearchare:(1)designinganovelprocessandapparatusforwastewaterammonia-nitrogenremovalandrecoveryand(2)developinganoriginalmathematicalmodeltopredictremoval/recoveryresultsforallinput/controlledparameters.Inthenewly-designeddual-chamberapparatus,increasedtemperaturedrivesthefollowingnetreactions:(#1)NH4+(aq)->NH3(aq)+H+(aq),(#2)NH3(aq)->NH3(g);

#2isacceleratedbydepressurization.Together,thesereactionsconvertaqueouswastewaterammonia-nitrogentogaseousNH3,whichisreusable.Bothmathematicalmodelingandexperimentsusingsyntheticwastewatersolutionswithvaryingparametersdemonstratedeffectiveremovalandrecovery;virtuallyanychemicalconversionpercentagecanbeachieved.Comparedtoexistingremovalandrecoverytechniques,thisnewprocesshasmanyadvantages:itproducesunbonded,uncontaminatedammonia,doesnotrequirechemicalabsorptionforrecovery,doesnotdependonenvironmental/biologicalfactors,andutilizesasimplerandconcurrentmechanism.Furthermore,theprocessandapparatusengineeredinthisresearchcansimultaneouslyrecoverallvolatilecontaminants,includingVOCfuels.Overall,thisinnovationprovidesthedualenvironmentalbenefitsofeconomicallyincentivizedwastewaterpurificationandaviablealternativetoenergy-intensiveindustrialchemicalsynthesisprocesses.

The Synthesis and Characterization of EGCG-PLGA Conjugates and Mixtures for Applications in Tissue EngineeringAnubhuti MathurGlastonbury High School, Glastonbury, CT, Connecticut JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Ms. Diane Pintavalle, Glastonbury High School; Matthew Harmon, University of Con-necticut Health Center

Intissueengineering,developingmaterialswithdesiredphysicalpropertiesthatincorporatebiomoleculestoenhancebiologicalresponseisnecessary.Epigallocatechingallate,orEGCG,hasbeenusedinmedicalapplicationssuchasincancertherapeuticdrugs.ThegoalofthisprojectistoexploreEGCG’spotentialasabiomoleculeforenhancingthefunctionalityofstructurescalledscaffoldsfortissueregeneration.EGCGwasencapsulatedintoscaffoldscomposedofawellestablishedpolymercalledpoly(lactic-co-glycolicacid),orPLGA,ofthreetypes:microparticles,electrospunmatrices,andthinfilms.Analyticaltechniques,includingloadingefficiencyanalysis,FourierTransformInfraredSpectroscopy,andScanningElectronMicroscopyimaging,confirmedthepresenceofEGCGinthePLGAscaffolds.EGCGandPLGAwerealsochemicallyconjugated.ThechemicalconjugationwassupportedusingDifferentialScaningCalorimetry,throughwhichtheglasstransitiontemperatureoftheconjugatesandPLGAwereseentobedifferent.CartilagecellstudieswereconductedwithelectrospunmatricesencapsulatedwithEGCGfiberpropertiesthatincreasedthesurfaceareaofthematrixandcreatedamorefavorableenvironmentforcellstogrowon.CartilagecellsexhibitedgreaterconfluencyonEGCG-PLGAelectrospunthanonelectrospunmatricesofonlyPLGA.FuturestudiesincludeassessingcartilagecellperformanceofelectrospunmatricesofEGCG-PLGAchemicalconjugates.

16

Studying The Role Of Neutrophils In Preventing The Dissemination Of Oral Listeria Monocytogenes Infection In The Intestinal MucosaIsha A. WalawalkarGlastonbury High School, Glastonbury, CT, Connecticut JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Pablo Romagnoli, University of Connecticut Health Center; Ms. Diane Pintavalle, Glastonbury High School

Listeriamonocytogenes(Lm)isabacteriumthatcauseslisteriosis,afoodborneinfectionwithahighmortalityrate.IncontrasttopreviousmurinemodelsofinfectioninwhichLmhasbeenadministeredsystemically(i.e.intravenouslyorintraperitoneally),ourmorerelevantmodeloforalLminfectionhasshownthattheintestinalmucosaisactivelyinvolvedinbacterialcontainment.Inthisstudy,wetestedthehypothesisthatneutrophils,apopulationofwhitebloodcells,playasignificantroleinpreventingthedisseminationofsecondaryoralLminfectionintotheintestinallaminapropriaandconsequently,intothebloodstream.HereweshowedthatbacterialcountswithinthesmallintestinalduodenumfollowingoralLmrecallarehigherwhenneutrophilsaredepleted.Inaddition,usingconfocalmicroscopy,weobservedcellularaggregatesatthebasesofthesmallintestinalvilli1daypostrecall(d.p.r.)containinggamma-delta(γδ)Tcellsthathavebeenshowntoparticipateintherecruitmentofneutrophilstothesiteofanimmuneresponse.Inconclusion,theresultsofthisstudysuggestthatneutrophilsplayakeyroleinpreventingthepropagationofsecondaryoralLminfectionwithintheintestinalmucosa.

17

DoD Dependent Schools (Europe)

Can Mathematics Predict Popular Music?Garrett DavidsonBahrain School, Juffair, DoD Dependent Schools (Europe) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Brian Zimmer

Theresearchwasaquantificationofmanyattributesofsongsandsubsequentcomparisonbetweenpopularandunpopularsongs,namely:dothenumbersexhibitanidentifiablepattern?ScoreAHit,acompanyfoundeduponasimilargoal,usedmathematicsandmachinelearningtocomputeanalgorithmforpredictingwhetherasongwouldbecomepopular(i.e.makeittothetop10)followingitsrelease.Theirresearchpaperoutlinedtheirmethods,andtheiralgorithmprovidedabaselineforcomparison.Thisalgorithmclaimedapproximately60%accuracy,thoughtheirdatawerelimitedtopurelyacousticalattributes.Therefore,songs’lyricsandthepreviouspopularityoftheirartists,whicharealsoinfluentialfactors,werenotconsidered.Thispaperquantifiesthesefactorsamongbothpopularandunpopularsongstoidentifypatterns.Bytakingintoaccountfactorssuchastherepetitivenessofthelyrics,theuniquenessofthelanguageusedinthem,thepopularityoftheartistatthetimeofrelease,itwasfoundthatevenmoreaccuratepredictionsarepossiblethanthoseofScoreAHit.Definitivepatternswereidentifiedthatexposedattributesveryobviouslydifferentiatingsongswhicharepopularfromtheirunpopularrivals.Thesepatternscouldpotentiallybeusedtopredictthepopularityofasyetunreleasedsongs.

Lateral Line and Barbel Efficiency of Fish during Percussive and Electrical StimulationLeif C. GruetterRota Middle/High School, FPO, AE, DoD Dependent Schools (Europe) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kathleen Tierney, Rota Middle/High School

Thisexperimentisacontinuationofresearchtestingtheabilityofanimalstopredictearthquakes.FishandsubterraneanAnimaliaweretestedfortheirabilitytosensepercussiveshocksandelectricalimpulses,precursorstoimpendingearthquakes.ThisresearchdiscoveredthatsubterraneanAnimaliaweremoresensitivetoelectricalimpulseswhilethefishweremoresensitivetopercussiveshocks.Thecurrentresearchtestedreactionsoffishtopercussiveshocksandelectricalcurrentstojudgewhetherbarbelsorlaterallinesoffishweremoresensitivetothestimuli.Theaddedelectricalcurrentduringpercussiveshockresultedinreactionselongatedbyanaverageoftwoseconds.Percussiveshocksweresimulatedbydroppingathree-poundweightontothetablesupportingthefishtank.Theelectricalstimulationwasintroducedbyrunningacurrentthroughthetank.Thelaterallinewasmoreabletodetecttremorsthanthebarbels.Whenthebarbelsdiddetecttremorsthereactionsproducedweremoreaggressive.TheabilityoftheHoplocatfishtodetectstimulisurpassedthatoftheotherfish.TheanatomyoftheHoplocatfishissimilartothatoftheNamazucatfishwhichaccordingJapaneselegendisthesourceofearthquakes.Thebehaviorofthecatfishtestedcanpredictearthquakes.

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How Effective is an Individuals Birthdate to their PersonalityAngela JeanfrancoisWiesbaden High School, APO, AE, DoD Dependent Schools (Europe) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Craig, Wiesbaden High Shcool

Theresearcherperformedanexperimenttosearchforanyrelationsbetweenaperson’sbirthdateandhisorherpersonality.Inparticular,theresearcherlookedattheastrologicalsignoftheindividual.Heralternativehypothesisstatedthatifthereisadifferencebetweenthetraitsofpeoplebornunderaspecificsignfromtheidealtraitsforthatsign,thenthatdifferencewillbelessthanthatofpeoplenotbornunderthatsign.Toinvestigatethis,theresearcherconstructedasurveycontainingfortysixquestions;eachquestionpertainedtoaspecificcharacteristictrait.Ninety-fiveparticipants,ofagesfourteenandolder,wereincludedinthisexperiment.Aftertheinformationwasgatheredandanalyzed,theresearcherconcludedthattherewasnocorrelationbetweenaperson’sastrologicalsignandtheirhumanbehavior.SincemostofthedataproducedhighT-testvalues(averaging0.26),theresearcherwasledtorejectheralternativehypothesis,andacceptthenullhypothesisIfthereisadifferencebetweenthetraitsofpeoplebornunderaspecificsignfromtheidealtraitsforthatsign,thenthatdifferencewillbenolessthanthatofpeoplenotbornunderthatsignoritsidealtraits.

Observing The Effect of Diet on Heredity in Regards to Behavior, Fertility, and Cognitive Memory Using the Medium of Poecilia ReticulataMichael H. Leek, IIIMenwith Hill HS, Harrogate, DoD Dependent Schools (Europe) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Michelle Harrington, Menwith Hill HS; Mrs. Michelle Harrington

DiethasbeenknowntoaffecttheEpigenomeinsignificantwayssuchasdifferentiatingqueenandworkerbees.Twodifferentdietsweretested,oneprocessedtheothernatural.Theresearcherdefinedanaturaldietasadietwhichissimilartothatwhichanorganismwouldfindinitsnaturalhabitat.TheUSDAdefinesaprocessedfoodasafoodthathasbeencombinedwithanothersubstance.TheeffectofdietwasmeasuredusingPoeciliaReticulata(guppies).Theywereusedassubjectsbecauseoftheirshortgestationperiodandshortlifespan.Achangeinbehaviorormemoryisconsideredasignofsignificantepigeneticchange(UniversityofUtah).Fertilityisconsideredoneofthemostimportantfactorsregardingwhetheraspecieswillthriveorfail.Fertilitywasmeasuredbycountingoffspringproducedperbirth.Memorywastestedusingamazemadeoutofplastichamstertubing.Driedwormswereusedasanincentiveforthefish.Skypewasusedonalaptoptoviewthefishremotelyasthefishappearedanxiouswhilsthumanswereintheroom.Thedatashowssignsofanemergingpattern,howevermoredatawouldbeneededtodeterminethespecificsofthepattern.

Is Life on Mars Possible? An Experiment on the Effect of Plant Growth when Placed under Living Conditions Similiar to MarsJessica MortonRamstein High School, Ramstein, Germany, AE, DoD Dependent Schools (Europe) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Margaret Hess, Ramstein High School

Inthelast50years,Marshascomeintothespotlightoftheotherplanetsofoursolarsystem.Theresearcher’shypothesiswasthatifthegrowingconditionsofapintobeanplantwerechangedtosimulateMartiangrowingconditions,thenthepintobeanplant’smorphologywouldchangefromthatgrownunderEarthgrowingconditions.Theexperimentwasconductedincontrolledterrariums;whichcontrolledthetemperatures,carbondioxidelevels,soil,andamountoflightreceived.Forthisexperiment,theindependentvariablewasthegrowingconditionsofapintobeanplantandthedependentvariablewasthemorphologyofthepintobeanplants.Thehypothesisproposedbytheresearcherwasdisproven,astheplantsmorphologiesintheEarthterrariumandtheMarsterrariumhadundistinguishabledifferences.TheaveragegrowthoftheEarthterrariumplantswas21.39cm;whereastheaveragegrowthfortheMarsterrariumplantswere19.42cm.Ap-valueof.069andasignificancelevelof10%wehavemoderatelystrongevidenceagainsttheideathatthereisnodifferenceinplantgrowthbetweenthetwoenvironments.

19

DoD Dependent Schools (Pacific)

“Effectiveness of Nelumbo nucifera in Preventing Obesity in Sprague Dawley Rats”Ji S. JeongSeoul American High School, Seoul, DoD Dependent Schools (Pacific) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Scott Bittner; Dr. Schlenker; Korea Animal Medical Science Institute

Intheearly1960s,theaverageAmericanadultmaleweighed168pounds.Today,heweighsnearly180pounds.ThepurposeofthisexperimentwastotestwhethertheconsumptionofNelumbonuciferapowderwoulddecreaseobesitylevelsinnineSpragueDawleyrats.TheeffectivenessofN.nuciferapowderwasdeterminedbymeasuringthelevelsofcarbohydrates,triglycerides,high-densitylipoprotein,andlow-densitylipoproteininthenineratspriortoandsubsequenttoexperimentation.Thenineratsweredividedintothreegroupsandthefirstgroupwasfedanormaldiet,thesecondadietsupplementedwith45%highfatdiet,andthethirdahighfatdietsupplementedwithN.nuciferapowder.Theratswerefedthespecializeddietsforfourweeksandbloodtestswereconductedthefirstandfourthweektocomparethelevelsofcarbohydrates,triglycerides,HDL,andLDLpriortoandsubsequenttoexperimentation.Theresultsreflectedadecreasingtrendinthelevelsofcarbohydrates,triglycerides,andLDLintheratsthatwerefedthedietsupplementedwithN.nuciferapowder.ThisexperimentmayprovideanewbasisforfindingahealthysolutionforthegrowingobesityratesintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

The Effects of Utilizing Taxiphyllum barbieri on the Nitrification Rate of EffluentsBrian LeeSeoul American High School, APO, AE, DoD Dependent Schools (Pacific) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Scott Bittner, Seoul American High School

ThisresearchexaminesthenitrificationpotentialofTaxiphyllumbarbieriinthetreatmentofwastewater.Previousstudiesshowmossesnotonlyconsumepollutantsintheformofnutrients,butarealsodurableandlow-maintenanceplantsthatcouldpossiblyaidinoptimizingwastewatertreatmentinaquaculture.Fortheexperiment,asupplyofpollutedwaterwascreatedbyplacingagroupofCarassiusauratusintoaneighteengallontankofwaterinordertoraiseammonia,nitrite,andnitratelevelstoconcentrationsof1ppm,.5ppm,and15ppm,respectively.Inaddition,carbondioxideinjectionsalongwithphosphorusandchelatedironwereaddedintothewastewaterinordertofurtherimitatewastewaterconditions.TheeffectivenessoftheTaxiphyllumbarbieriwastestedbyplacingitinsideathree-stagedpowerfilterthatranonaportionofthepollutedwastewater.Therateofnitrificationinammonia,nitrite,andnitratelevelsusingthetreatmentfiltrationsystemwascomparedtothenitrificationrateusingthecontrolfiltrationsystem,whichexcludedTaxiphyllumbarbieri.RepeatedtrialsandacomparisonofregressionslopesbetweentreatmentandcontrolfiltrationsystemsverifiedthatTaxiphyllumbarbieriwasabletoincreasetherateofnitrification.However,atwoproportionttestusingα=0.05ofthedifferencesbetweentherateofnitrificationbetweenthecontrolandtreatmentgroupsrevealsPvaluesthatarestatisticallyinsignificant.Theseresultsledtothefailureofrejectingthenullhypothesis,whichstatesthattheratesofnitrificationbetweenthecontrolandtreatmentfiltrationsystemsarethesame.

20

Generalizing Polynomial Growth Functions of Generating Sets for the Standard Integer LatticeFrederick J. LeeSeoul American High School, APO, AE, DoD Dependent Schools (Pacific) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Moon Duchin, Tufts University; Mr. Scott Bittner, Seoul American High School

Althoughthegrowthfunctionsofgeneratingsetsareusefulforthemodernapproachtodeterminingthecomputationaltimeandcomplexityofcomputeralgorithms,apolynomialtodescribeallgrowthfunctionsofgeneratingsetsinZ2hasyettobefound.WhiletheEhrhartpolynomialaccuratelydescribesthegrowthfunctionsofgeneratingsetsthatcontainalllatticepointswithinaconvexhull,ageneratingsetSmaybemissingpointsinitsconvexhullsothattheEhrhartpolynomialdoesnotmatchthegrowthfunction.WeshowthatwhencertainfamiliesofgeneratingsetscanbedescribedbyexplicitpolynomialsequaltotheEhrhartpolynomial,aspecificsubsetCofScalledthecornersubsetisfilled.Thispaperalsocoversanovelmethodofcheckingwhetherlatticeconfigurationsarelineartransformationsofeachotherbycomparingtheirrespectivegrowthfunctionsandobservedtrendsinfamiliesofgeneratingsets.

21

Florida

Keeping Track of Biological Control: Attracting a Natural Enemy of Fruit FliesAna B. CorraWest Boca Raton High School, Boca Raton, FL, Florida JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kane More

Thepurposeofthisresearchwastofindpossibleattractantsandoviposition(egg-laying)stimulantsforthefruitflyparasitoidUtetesanastrephaeinordertoattractthemtolocationsandallowthemtonaturallycontrolthefruitflypestpopulation.ItwaspredictedthatUtetesanastrephaewouldrespondtosolutionsofpara-ethylacetophenone(alarvalodor)andlimonene(fruitcomponent),aswellastotheodorofwholeCitrussinensis(orange).Itwasalsopredictedthatthecompleteorangevolatilemightbemoreattractivethanlimonene,andthatfemaleswouldbemoreattractedtoPEA.AY-tubeolfactometertunnelbioassaywasdevelopedtodeterminetheresponseofUtetesanastrephaetothesesolutions.Theolfactometerwascheckedeveryhalfhourfromtheperiodof0900to1600hours.Apositiveresponsewasrecordedwhentherewasaparasitoidinoneofthearms.TherewereeightreplicateswithbothmaleandfemaleparasitoidswithCitrussinensisL(orange),apara-ethylacetophenoneconcentration(25ng/µl),andalimoneneconcentration(25µl/ml).Theresultsshowedthatbothmaleandfemaleparasitoidsmovedtowardthetreatmentvolatilessignificantlymoreoftenthantheydidtothecleanaircontrol.However,therewerenosignificantdifferencesintheresponsesbetweensexesnorweretheredifferencesamongtherelativeattractiveness(F=2.2,p=0.08).Theoverallhypothesiswassupportedbecausethevolatilesattractedmoreparasitoidsthanthecontrol.Evenso,thesecondpredictionaboutadifferenceintherelativeattractivenessbetweentheorangeandlimonenewasnotsupported.

Effects of Isaria fumosorosea on Yellowmargined Leaf Beetle When Applied to Host PlantsIsabella V. DazaHomeschool program under the Saint Lucie School Board, Port Saint Lucie, FL, Florida JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Pasco Avery, University of Florida, Indian River Research and Education Center; Angie Nino, University of Florida, Indian River Research and Education Center; Dr. Cave, University of Florida, Indian River Research and Education Center

Thepurposeofthisstudyistoobserveifthefungi,Isariafumosorosea(Wize),willhavetheeffectsofarepellentwhenspecificallyusedagainsttheMicrothecaorchrolomaStål(YellowmarginedLeafbeetle)whenappliedtotwodifferenthostplants.AchoicepreferencetestwasconductedtodeterminepreferenceofYellowmarginedLeafbeetleforcruciferplantsbokchoy(BrassicarapaL.var.BabyPakchoi)andturnips(BrassicaraparapaL.var.Seventop)treatedwithIsariafumosorosea(Wize)orplantstreatedwithdistilledwateronly.TheHypothesisconcludedisthatthefunguswillhaveeffectsofarepellent.Inthestudytheresearcherusedsixcagesandtwotypesofcruciferplants(bokchoy,andturnips);halfofthecagescontainbokchoyandtheotherhalfturnips.Studywassetupasarandomizedcompleteblockdesign.Theresearcherrantwotrialsthatwereoneweeklongeach.Theexperimentwasobservedatfourandsevendayspostrelease.LeafdamagewasrecordedthroughtheImageJsoftware.Thedataobtainedafterevaluationswereanalyzedusingone-waysanova.TreatmentswerecomparedusingTurkey-KramerHSDtests.Thetestsrejectedthehypothesis,however,therewasbeetlemortalityfromingestionofthefungus.

22

Comparison of Terrain Rendering Using Dynamic Versus Static Mesh Generation And ManagementOwen R. KellySpruce Creek High School, Port Orange, FL, Florida JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Ms. Anne Cooney, Spruce Creek High School

Thisstudywasconductedtocomparetwodifferentwaysofmanagingandgeneratinggraphicalpolygons.Thequadtreelevel-of-detailmethodinvolvesdynamicallychangingtheamountofpolygonsbasedonneed,andtheothermethod,thestaticmesh,isasimplebrute-forcestylepolygonrenderingwheretheamountofpolygonsremainsconstant.Thequadtreeorpolygonreductionmethodusesthepositionofthevirtualcameraandtheviewfrustum(viewingcone)todetermineifareasofameshrequiremoredetail.Thissystemismanagedusingaquadtree,whichallowsfortheexaminationofspecificareasofthemesh.Ifaparticularareaisdeterminedtorequiremoredetail,thequadrepresentingthatareaissplitintofoursmallerchildquads,eachwithasmanyverticesastheparentquad.Thestaticmeshmethodissimplyameshthatiscompletelycreatedatstart-upandishomogenouslydetailed.Inordertoeffectivelycomparetheperformanceofthesedynamicandstatictechniques,certainbenchmarkssuchasframe-rate,memoryconsumption,andstart-uptimeweretestedandevaluated.Resultsshowedthatalthoughtheuseofadynamiclevel-of-detailgenerationandmanagementsystemcausedslightstuttersinframe-rate,benefitssuchasverylowandefficientmemoryusageandmesh-sizeagnosticismgreatlyoutweighedtheslightbenefitsofusingastaticmesh.Furthermore,onecanconcludethatwithstillunknowntechnologicalinnovations,itiswastefultousepreciousmemoryandcomputationalpoweronextraneouspolygons,whenthatpowercouldeasilybeusedtosupportothergraphicseffects.

Exploring the Future of Education: Development of an Instructional Web-Based Application and Its Effect on Student Cognition and Performance (Year 3)Caitlyn RalphLake Howell High School, Winter Park, FL, Florida JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Vanessa Moosavifazel, Crooms Academy of Information Technology; Dr. Jennifer Vogel-Walcutt, Cognitive Performance Group

Associetyisreplacingtraditionalpracticeswithtechnologicaltechniques,researchmustbedonetoensurethesechangesarenotnegativelyaffectingeducation.Theaimwastodeterminewhetherconvertingapaper-basedprintout(traditionalmethod)intoaweb-basedapplication(technologicalmethod)wouldalterstudentlearning.Totestthis,130studentscompletedanactivitywiththetraditionalorthetechnologicalmethod.Thestudentsansweredquestionsthatassessedaccuracy(performance)andagermanecognitiveloadsurvey(Cheon&#38;Grant,2012)withattachedmentaleffortstatement(Paas,1992).Toquantifytheeffectofthisinstructionalstrategyonlearning,PaasandvanMerriënboer’s(1993)trainingefficiencyformulawasemployed.Afterconductingt-tests,theresultsfailtorejectthenullhypothesiswithcaution.Itwasfoundthatthestudents’germanecognitiveload,mentaleffort,andtrainingefficiencyhadnosignificantdifferencebetweenthemethods.However,performancehadasignificantdifferencesupportingtraditional.Theresultssuggestthatadvantageous,pedagogicaltechnologymaygraduallybeincorporatedwithinatraditionalclassroomframework,creatingablendedlearningenvironment.Studentsandteachersshouldbeeffectivelytrainedinthesenewinstrumentstoraisetheirperformance.Overall,researchneedstoguidetheefficaciousintroductionofinstructionaltechnologyintoeducation.

23

Novel Iron-Catalyzed Hetero Diels-Alder Reaction directed towards Natural Product SynthesisAndre SanchezManatee High School, Bradenton, FL, Florida JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Larry Gaudioso, Manatee High School; Dr. Scott Schaus, Boston University; Keith Barbato, Boston University

Thepurposeofthisresearchwastoinvestigatetheuseofaninsitugeneratedortho-quinonemethideintermediateasadienepartnerinaniron-catalyzedheteroDiels-Alderreactiondirectedtowardsnaturalproductsynthesis.Thegoaloftheinvestigationwastoestablishapracticalandcost-effectivesyntheticroutetoaccessthehexahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromenecoreandtosynthesizemarinemeroterpene(+)-conicol.Theresearchwasconductedinthreeindividualphases.Theoptimizationphasewasaccomplishedthroughaseriesofreactions,manipulatingparametersincludingstoichiometricratios,catalystconcentration,buffers,andduration(1).Thereactionsweremonitoredbysilica-gelthinlayerchromatography(TLC)andtheproductswereisolatedusingflashcolumnchromatography.TheDiels-Alderadductswerevalidatedwith1Hnuclearmagneticresonance(NMR)spectroscopy.Onceoptimalreactionconditionsweredetermined,aseriesofelectron-richdienophilesweresubstitutedintotheparentreaction(2).Optimalconditionsoftheparentreactionwerethenextendedtothesynthesisof(+)-conicol(3).Thereactionmethodologydirectedtowardsthesynthesisof(+)-conicolrevealedapracticalandcost-effectivepathway.TLCand1HNMRassessmentsrevealedamixtureof(+)-conicolandanimpurity.Futurestudieswillneedtobecompletedinordertooptimizethereactionandextenditspotential.

24

Georgia

Inducing Chondrocytic Phenotype Phase IISonam A. BrahmbhattRockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, Conyers, GA, Georgia JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Richard Steet, Complex Carbohydrates Research Center

Manyindividualsacquireosteoarthritisduetoprogressive,inevitablecartilagedegradation.Currenttreatmentsincludejointreplacements,whichleavepatientslessmobile.Cartilageculturingmethodsarebeingresearched.ThepurposeofPhaseIIofthisstudywastodeterminecombinedeffectsofgrowth-factorsandculturestructureonchondrogenicdifferentiationofbone-progenitorcellsoveratwo-weektimeperiod.Itwaspredictedthatcellsgrownintreatedmediain3DculturewouldproducethemostGAGs.Premature-bonecellswereculturedinconicalmicrofugetubesandwellplateswithregularDMEMmediaandmediatreatedwithgrowth-factorsTGF-1ß,dexamethasone,andascorbicacid.GAGassayswereconductedonday0,day6andday13.Theresultsofthepelletcultureexperimentwerestatisticallysignificant(p<0.001).Themonolayerexperimentyieldeddatawithhighvariabilityandnostatisticalsignificance(p=0.488).Thepresenceofgrowth-factorshadastatisticallysignificantimpactonGAGproductionbycellsculturedinpelletformonly.ANOVAresultscomparingculturestructuresdidnotmeettherequired99%confidencelevel,buttrendsshowthatpelletculturepromotedGAGproductionincellsgrownintreatedmedia.Itwasconcludedthatthecombinationofpelletcultureandtreatedmediaisfavorableforinducingchondrocyticphenotypeinbonemarrowprogenitorcells;furtherexperimentationisneededtosupporttheactionofculturestructureonGAGproduction.Notingthepositiveeffectsofcombininggrowth-factorswithpelletculturecanbeputtoapplicableuseindevelopingamethodforgrowingcartilagetissueinvitroforjointreplacementandosteoarthritisprevention.

A Walk in the Life of a Sibling of a Person with Down SyndromeMarissa L. HernandezRockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, Conyers, GA, Georgia JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Baskett

ThepurposeofthisprojectwastocomparethetypicalsiblingrelationshipwiththesiblingrelationshipofpeoplewithDownSyndrome.Thehypothesiswasthatthetwosiblingrelationshipswouldbedifferentintheirunderlyingthemes.Theprocedureinvolvedcomparingthemesofresponsesbetween100siblingsofpeoplewithDownSyndromeand70typicalsiblings,basedontheirsurveyanswers.Differencesbetweenthetwogroups’responseswerethenanalyzed.Themesbetweenbirthorderwerealsoexamined.Thetwosiblingrelationshipswereinfactdifferent.Thetypicalsiblingsseemedmoreself-concernedintheirresponsesandrelationshipswhilethesiblingsofpeoplewithDownSyndromeweremoreconcernedaboutthelifeandperceptionoftheirsibling.ThisindicatesthatsiblingsofpeoplewithDownSyndromedoexperienceadifferentsiblingrelationshipthanthatoftheaverageperson.ThiscouldbeusedtohelptheDownSyndromecommunity’ssiblingstorealizethattheyaredifferent,butitisokay.ItmayalsohelpthemrealizethatmostsiblingsdealingwithabrotherorsisterwithDownSyndromedoexperienceverysimilarfeelings,whichincreasestheirsenseofcommunity.

25

Novel pertussis Antibiotic Targets of Protein InteractionsWilliam H. JinGwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, Lawrenceville, GA, Georgia JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Emily Weinert, Emory University; Dr. Susan Kramer, GSMST

Biofilmsshowincreasedantibioticresistancethusnecessitatingnoveltherapeutics.ThepurposeofthisprojectwastoidentifykeytargetsofBpeGReg,aproteinshowntocauseB.pertussisbiofilms,thatwouldfurtherthedevelopmentofthosetherapeutics.Previously,onlytheH225residueofBpeGReghadbeenresearched;everythingelseremainedunknown.ByutilizingUV-spectroscopyinPhaseIofresearch,thisresearchelucidatedtheeffectsofmutationtokeyresidues_Y43FandS68A_onligandbindingandsignaltransmission.TheY43Fmutationresultedinauto-oxidationandlossofoxygenbinding,andtheS68Amutantweakenedoxygenbindingaffinityseventy-times.ThissupportsourdevelopedmodelwhereTyr43isahydrogen-bonddonorwhileSer68holdstheTyr(tyrosine).ThroughPhaseII’sHPLCactivity,interactionpull-downs,andnativegels,themiddledomainwasfoundtointeractwiththefull-lengthprotein.Thisinteractionhasgreatpotentialforcontrollingoligomerizationstates.GiventhatBpeGRegneedstobeinadimerformtobeactive,peptidessimulatingtheinteractingsurfaceofthemiddledomaincouldbeusedtopreventc-di-GMPformationandthusinhibitbiofilmformation.ThisresearchestablishesvitaltargetsoffutureB.pertussistreatmentthroughtheabilitytomodulateoligomerizationstatesandtargethemepocketoxygen-binding.

Incorporating Prebiotics into Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic UsageJordan A. McCray, Sr.Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, Conyers, GA, Georgia JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Baskett, Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology; Ms. Marshall, Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology

Thehumangutmicrobiomeprovidesbenefitsforthehumanbodysuchasinducinginnateimmunityandincreaseddigestionofcarbohydrates.Broad-spectrumantibioticsposeathreattothehumangutmicrobiomeastheytargetawiderangeofbacteria,whichcanincludethehelpfulbacteriainthegut.Thisprojectattemptedtofindanalternativemethodoftreatmentthatincorporatedprebioticsbytestingtheeffectsofvariousherbalmedicinesonthegrowthoftwomodelbacteria.Anabsorbancetestwithaneutralcontrol,apositivecontrol,and6herbalmedicineswasconducted.ThebacteriausedwerethebeneficialmodelLactobacillusacidophilusandthepathogenicmodelE.coli.Twotrialswerecompletedandveryinterestingdatawasshown.InbothLactobacillusacidophilusandE.coli,Chicorywastiedforthebestresultwithoneothertreatment.IttiedwithSt.John’sWortforhavingthehighestincreaseofgrowthonLactobacillusacidophilusanditwastiedwiththenegativecontrolDoxycyclineforhavingthehighestdecreaseofgrowthonE.coli.ThissuggeststhatChicorymaybeanalternativetostraightantibioticsandneedstobestudiedfurther.

In The Mind’s Eye: Studying the Gaze Events of Dyslexic AdultsMolly G. NiemczykRockdale Magnet School, Conyers, GA, Georgia JSHS

Dyslexiatestsaregenerallyexpensive,time-consuming,andtedious.Thisexperimentattemptedtousevideoasadiagnostictoolfordyslexia,asthiswouldbemoreappealing,lessexpensive,andmoreaccuratethanawrittentestthat’sresultsareultimatelybasedontest-takingskills,ratherthatquantitativenumericaldata.Itwasexpectedthat,ifbothdyslexicsandthosewithoutdyslexiawatchedthesamevideo,dyslexicswoulddisplaydifferenteyemovementsthanthosewithoutdyslexia.Theaveragegazeeventdurationoftheeyesof20participants(10withprimarydyslexia,10without)wasanalyzedbyaT120whiletheywatcheda5minutevideodisplayingrandomlymovingobjects.AnANOVAtestwasperformed,andthedatashowedaverysignificantdifferencebetweendyslexicandnondyslexiceyemovement(F=52976.1;df=1;p<.05).Dyslexicgazedurationswereshortermoreofthetimethannondyslexicgazedurations.Inaddition,theoverallgazeofdyslexicparticipantswaspreferentialtothetoprightcornerofthescreen;nondyslexicsfocusedmoreonthemiddle.Basedonapreliminarybellcurve,primarydyslexiacanbediagnosed95%ofthetimewithintwostandarddeviationsof53,827ms.Thisinformationcouldleadtotheutilizationofauniversaltestfordyslexia.

26

Greater Washington, D.C. Area

An Experimental Study of New and Existing Algorithms for Minimizing Busy Time on Multiple Parallel MachinesMegan ChaoMontgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD, Greater Washington, D.C. Area JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Samir Khuller, University of Maryland College Park

Weconductanexperimentalevaluationoftheperformanceofseveralapproximationalgorithmsforthebusytimeschedulingprobleminsituationswithmultipleparallelprocessingmachines.Thisproblemisofpracticalimportanceasitisrelatedtotheproblemsofminimizingtheswitchingcostsofopticalnetworksandreducingenergycostsincloudcomputing.Thebusytimeproblemassignsjobstomachineswhichcanprocessaninput-specifiedgnumberofjobsatonce.Ithastheobjectiveofminimizingthetotalbusytimeallthemachinesneededtoprocessallthejobs.SincethisproblemisknowntobeNP-hardevenwheng=2,itisunlikelythatonecanconstructapolynomial-timealgorithmwhichalwaysproducestheoptimum.Asaresult,thispaperfocusesonfindingapproximatesolutionsusingcomputationallytractablealgorithmswhichruninpolynomialtime.Wemaketwocontributionstothisbusytimeschedulingproblem.First,weproposeanewapproximationalgorithm,whichwecallGreedyParallelPursuit.Secondly,weconductanexperimentalstudycomparingGreedyParallelPursuittoexistingapproximationalgorithmsforthisproblem.Ourexperimentalresultsshowthat,relativetothealternativealgorithmsweconsider,GreedyParallelPursuitperformswellnotonlyonaveragebutalsointermsofoverallreliability.

The Effects of LED Light Exposure on Strawberry Quality in a Simulated Retail SettingKristi A. KanCentennial High School, Ellicott City, MD, Greater Washington, D.C. Area JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Yaguang Luo, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service; Ellen Turner, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service; Michelle Bagley, Centennial High School

Light-emittingdiodes(LEDs)aregainingpopularitybecauseoftheirhighenergyefficiency,butitisnotknownifLEDlightexposureaffectsstrawberryquality.ThisstudyinvestigatestheeffectsofLEDlightexposureonstrawberryquality.StrawberrieswereexposedtoeithercontinuousLED,fluorescent,ornolightat1°Cfortendaysandwereassessedfortissueelectrolyteleakage,color,firmness,andsensoryattributes(aroma,off-odor,overallvisualquality,andpurchaseintent)ondays0,2,4,7,and9.Whencomparedtostrawberriesfromthefluorescentornolighttreatment,strawberriesexposedtoLEDlighthadthehighestlevelsofelectrolyteleakageandscoredthehighestforoff-odoronday9.TheLEDstrawberriesalsohadthelowestpurchaseintent,visualquality,andaromascores,andtheyhadthelowestchromavaluesandweretheleastfirmonthelastevaluationday.TheseresultssuggestthatLEDlightexposureacceleratesspoilageandreducesmarketability,leadingtoincreasedfoodandfinanciallossforgrocers.

Fungi with previously uncharacterized enzymatic activity can digest polyurethane in soluble and insoluble formCaden W. PetersmeyerThe Potomac School, McLean, VA, Greater Washington, D.C. Area JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Isabelle Cohen, The Potomac School

Thediscoveryofmicroorganismsthatcanefficientlydegradepolyesterpolyurethane(PUR)hasbecomeapivotalgoalinpromotingbioremediationasanapplicablesolutiontoplasticwaste.ThisreportrevealsmembersoftheGlomerellaandCladosporiumgenerathatdisplaypreviouslyuncharacterizedenzymaticactivityforPURdegradation.Thedegradationwasmeasuredusingahaloassay,inwhichaclearringappearsaroundthefungalgrowthasthefungusdegradestheplastic.FungiwerealsotestedinaliquidmediumandeffectivelydegradedinsolublePURunderminimalconditions.Thisisaparticularpointofinterestduetothehighproportionofinsolubleplasticwastepresentintheenvironment.Takentogether,theisolationofthesefungihasthepotentialtoadvancethedevelopmentofthesustainabledisposalofplastics.

27

Hawaii

Effect of Microbially Fermented Morinda Citrifolia on Ovarian CancerKealyssa M. Castillo-MartinKamehameha Schools, Honolulu, HI, Hawaii JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Gail Ishimoto, Kamehameha Schools

Morindacitrifolia(noni)isafolkmedicineinmanycultures.OnetraditionalHawaiianpreparationisfermentation.Thisstudyexploredtheeffectoftraditionallypreparednonionovariancancerinvaryingconcentrationsandbacterialdiversityofnonithroughoutfermentation.SKOV-3cellsweretreatedwithfreshandfermentednoni,andgrowthwasmeasuredoverthreedays.Itwasfoundthatwhenfermentednoniisconcentratedbyevaporation,thecytotoxiccompoundalsobecomesmoreconcentrated,indicatingthatitisnotvolatile;however,thecytotoxiccompoundoffreshnoniisvolatile.Thestudyalsoexaminedthebacterialdiversityofnoniatdifferentstagesoffermentation.BacterialDNAwasisolatedfromfermentedsamplesofnoniandthe16SgenewasamplifiedusingPCR.Cyanobacteria(aerobicrespirators)wereidentifiedinfreshnonisamples.SequencesrelatedtoAeromonas,Enterobacteriaceae,Novosphingobium,Klebsiella,andAcinetobacter(anaerobicbacteriathatutilizefermentation)werefoundinfermentednonisamples.Inconclusion,thecytotoxiccompoundoffermentednoniismostlikelyaproductofthebacteriadrivingfermentation.Itispossiblethesebacteriaarefermentingpreexistingcompoundsofnonitocreatethecytotoxiceffect.Andbasedonsmallsamplesize,bacterialdiversityincreaseswithtimespentinfermentation.

The Role of Homalanthus nutans (G. Forst.) Guill., A Samoan Medicinal Plant, As an Insect Growth RegulatorCharu JoseroseTafuna High School, Pago Pago, Hawaii JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr.J.Jyothibhavan, Tafuna High School

TheextractfromthebarkofSamoanmedicinalplant‘mamala’(Homalanthusnutans),isusedtotreathepatitisinSamoanIslands.Itsactivecomponentisprostratin,anon-tumorpromotingphorbolesterandproteinkinaseC(PKC)activator,whichhasbeenshowntoflushtheHIV-AIDSlatentviralreservoirsinhumans.Thedevelopmentofinsectsisregulatedbyinsectgrowthhormones,suchasthejuvenilehormone,whichactsbyactivationofPKC-dependentsignaling.GiventheroleofprostratininPKCactivationanditsabundanceinmamala,ourresearchexplorestheputativerolesofthemamalabarkextractinregulatingthedevelopmentofthemosquitoAedespolynesiensis,themainvectorofthedenguevirusinthePacific.TheAe.polynesiensislarvaeweretreatedwithdifferentconcentrationsofmamalabarkextractandcomparedwithtwocommercialJuvenilehormoneanalogs(JHAs),Nyguard®andGentrol®.BothJHA’sandmamalabarkextract,inhibitedthesuccessfuladultemergence,inducedmortalityinlarvae,andpupaeinvaryingconcentrationsandtimeperiodscomparedtountreatedcontrol.WedeterminethatthemamalabarkextractisahighlypotentregulatorofAe.polynesiensisgrowthandassumethatthedevelopmentalabnormalitiesarecausedbytheprostratinpresentinthemamalaextract,needstobeconfirmed.

28

Microwire Biosensor: A Novel Detection of Escherichia coliAriana KimSt. Andrew's Priory, Honolulu, HI, Hawaii JSHS

MicrowireBiosensor:ANovelDetectionofEscherichiacoliArianaKimSt.Andrew’sPriory,Honolulu,HawaiiDr.SoojinJun,UniversityofHawai’iatManoaOutbreaksoffoodborneillnesslinkedtopathogenicbacteriasuchasEscherichiacolihaveattractedincreasingpublicattention.Traditionalculture-basedmethodsforpathogensidentificationaretime-consumingandlabor-intensive,raisingtheneedforfastandsensitivedetectiontechniques.Anovel,rapiddetectionmethodforE.coliperformedbyafunctionalizedmicrowiresensorwasdevelopedandevaluated.Agold-tungstenmicrowireimmobilizedwithanti-E.coli-antibodieswasusedtocaptureE.colibacterialcells.Cellsuspensionwithdielectrophoreticforcegeneratedbyanalternatingcurrentwithanelectricfieldwasused.Immobilizationofantibodiesusingconventionalmethodsisnon-compatiblewiththeDEPdrivenelectricfield,challengingthesurfacefunctionalization.Therefore,thisstudywasaimedtodevelopamicrowiresensorbasedonDEPandantigen-antibodyreactionforpathogendetectionandevaluatethesensor’sperformancetodetectEscherichiacoliK-12fromaliquidsample.Themicrowirewasmanipulatedbyanautomatedxyzstageandthesensingprocessincludedantibodiesimmobilization,bacteriadetectionandcellsquantification.FieldEmissionScanningElectronMicroscopefiguresandfluorescenceintensitiesofbacteriaonthewirevalidatedthesensingmechanism.Thedevelopedsensordemonstratedhighsensitivityandspecificitywithfastdetectionrate,whichshowsastrongpotentialfortheapplicationinfoodindustry.

Helicotoroidal Topology of Leptons, Quarks, and HadronsViola MoczMililani High School, Mililani, HI, Hawaii JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Nel Venzon, Mililani High School; Andre S. Bachmann, University of Hawaii at Hilo

Theinternalstructureofelementaryparticlesisnotyetfullyunderstood.Iformulateasemi-classicalwave-particlemodeltodescribesomefundamentalpropertiesofleptons,quarks,andhadronswithintheframeworkofmathematicalknots.Inthemodel,theparticleisconfinedinperiodicboundaryconditionsandthematerialwavepropagatesonclosedtoroidalpathscorrespondingtothestreamlinesofenergyflowoverthetoroidalsurface.Thewavemayalsobeviewedasaseriesofhelicaltubularsurfaces,thetrajectoryofwhichisthetorusoftheproposedmodel.Theparticle-wavetopologydependsonthenumberofradialoscillationsthroughthetorus-holeandazimuthalrevolutionsaroundthetorus.Eachpathisspecifiedbyatorusknotwhichisalsoassociatedwiththemass,spin,pathangularmomentum,andquiveringmotionnamedtheZitterbewegungoftheparticle.Thecomputedpathangularmomentumsuggeststhatleptonsmaybedescribedbydouble-loopedunknots,pseudoscalarmesonsbycircularloops,vectormesonsbyfigure-eightunknots,andbaryonsbyoverhandtrefoilknots.Quarksarenotsufficientinthemselvestocompleteaclosedloop,butwhencombinedtheycanformtheclosedloopsofhadrons.Theresultswarrantfurtherinvestigationoftheinternaltopologicalstructureofelementarymatter.

29

Illinois

MERG1a K+ Channel Decreases NF-kB Activity in Skeletal MuscleChase D. LatourCarbondale Community High School, Carbondale, IL, Illinois JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Stacey Massie, Carbondale Community High School; Stacey Massie, Carbondale Community High School

ERG1encodesaK+channel.ThePondlaboratoryhasshownthattheERG1channelparticipatesintheonsetofskeletalmuscleatrophybyincreasingubiquitinproteasomeproteolysis(UPP)activityandthatERG1up-regulationinducesexpressionofMuRF1,aUPPligase.WeknowthatMurf1expressionislinkedtoactivationofNF-kBtranscriptionfactorfamilymembersbyupstreamIKK-Bactivation.Wehypothesized,therefore,thatERG1expressionmayinduceNF-kBactivity.Thus,weectopicallyco-expressedmouseERG1(MERG1)andanNF-kBactivityluciferasereporterinleftgastrocnemiusmusclesofmicewhileco-expressingtheNF-kBreporterandacontrolemptyplasmidintherightgastrocnemiusmuscles(n=40).Wekilled5micedailyandharvestedallgastrocnemiusmusclesfor7days.ThedatashowthatMERG1expressiondecreasesNF-kBactivity.NF-kBactivitydecreased40.6%afterthefirstdayanddroppedby65%onday3afterwhichtheactivityincreased.ThisissurprisingbecauseNF-kBfactorsareknowntoinduceexpressionofatrophy-relatedgenes.Weconcludethat,becauseMERG1aexpressioncausesasignificantdecreaseinNF-kBtranscriptionfactoractivity,theMERG1aK+doesnotmodulateexpressionoftheMuRF1E3ligasethroughNF-kBtranscriptionfactors.

Cloning Ezh1: First Steps Toward an Analysis of Ezh1 FunctionNatalie A. NickrentCarbondale Community High School, Carbondale, IL, Illinois JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Stacy Massie

Ezh1,aproteininvolvedintheregulationofskeletalmuscledifferentiation,wasclonedintoavectorandanalyzed.Asamemberofthepolycombrepressivecomplex2(PRC2),Ezh1hasbeenshowntobeanearlycatalystinrecruitingthecomplextocells.Cancercells,however,exhibitanoverexpressionofPRC2,soanexcessoftheproteininacellcanultimatelyleadtocomplicationsanduncontrollableproliferation.AfterligatingandtransformingtheE.colicellswiththedesiredvectorandinsert,theplasmidswereextracted.Westerngelelectrophoresislaterprovedthattheproteinwassuccessfullyexpressedinthecell,whichenablesfurtherexperimentationontheproteintobeperformed.

A New General Method of Relational Heuristics Utilizing Agent-Based Collective IntelligenceConner T. RuhlThe Governor French Academy, Belleville, IL, Illinois JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Christine Stewart, The Governor French Academy

Amethodofidentifyingandutilizingrelationshipswithindatawascreated.Thissystemwasimplementedusingacollectionofagentsthathaveindividualizedgoalsandarecapableofself-determination.Theseagentsareassignedtofulfillvariousrequirementsofanalgorithm.Eachagentpossessestraitsthatmodifythequeriestheyperformontheirinitialbreadth-firstsearchforsolutionspertainingthealgorithm’sgoals.Theseattributesaresubjecttomodification,andrangefromthedepththeagentwillsearch,toitswillingnesstoselectsolutionsthathavealreadybeenexploredbyotheragents.Theresultsofeachofthesequeriesarethenaggregatedandexaminedbythealgorithmusingascoringsystemthattakesagentattributesintoconsideration.Alloftheseaspectsresultinasystemthatprovideshighlyunique,yetstructuredsolutionstoabroadrangeofproblems.Thesystemisapplicableinanyscenariowhereavarietyofdistinct,heuristicanswersarefavored.Examplesoftheseapplicationsincluderecommendationsystems,curriculumdevelopmentforindividualsorschools,orevenmedicaldiagnoses.Theagentmanagementalgorithmishighlycustomizable,allowingthesystemtobeadaptedforawiderangeofpurposeswithvaryingcomplexityandsize.

30

CycloAlkyl Flurophores: A Synthesis and AnalysisBrian J. SuarezCarbondale Community High School, Carbondale, IL, Illinois JSHS

SixfluorescencebasedprobesfortheopticaldetectionofpHweresynthesized,purified,andtested.TomakethesefluorescentprobesIusedrhodamine6GandrhodamineB.Theprobescontainacycloalkyl-aminemolecule,whichreactstodifferentpHlevels.TheprobesprovideasensitivemeasurementofpHbyundergoingacolorimetricandfluorescentchangeasanaqueousenvironmentchangesfrombasictoacidic.AthighpH,themethylaminogroupinteractswiththefluorophorebyformingacolorless,non-fluorescent,spiro-cyclicstructure.AsthepHislowered,nearthepKaofthemethylaminogroup,thespiro-amineisprotonatedandtheringopensresultinginabrightlycolored,highlyfluorescentspecies.Thisseriesofrhodaminederivativesdifferbythetypeofalkylsubstitutiononthemethylaminonitrogenatom.SpecificallythecyclicalkylsystemswerecomparedandcharacterizedtheeffectthosesystemshaveonthepKaofthespiro-amineringopeningprocess.ItwasfoundthattheseriesofcyclicaminespHresponsecorrelatedwellwiththeBaeyerstraintheoryonhowringstructureaffectsthebasicityofaminesbyshowingthatanincreaseinthesizeoftheringstructuredirectlyincreasesthebascicity.

Radio Static Random Number GenerationAndrew L. WoodruffMacomb Highschool, Macomb, IL; Michael Dofing, Macomb Highschool, Macomb, IL, Illinois JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Thomas Johnson, Macomb Highschool

Mostmoderncomputersrelyonsoftwarebasedpseudo-randomnumbergenerators,whicharegenerallyacceptedtobelesssecurethanthosebasedonphysicalphenomena.Inthisproposedsolution,anarduinounowasusedtocontrolandgatherstereodatafromaradioreceiver,inordertogatherandanalysetheresultingdata.Thistestwasmeantasaproofofconceptforusingradiostatictogeneraterandomnumbers,notasacryptographicallysecurerandomnumbergenerator.Thearduinocombinedbothsignalsandindirectlyconvertedthedataintobinaryinformationandperformedameanvaluetestononekilobitofdata.Ifthemeanvaluewascloseenoughto.5,thefrequencywasusedtofurthergenerate8032-bithexadecimalintegersandprintthemtotheserialconsole.Thisprocesswasrepeateduntilover2MBweregeneratedforuseinseveralmorerigorousstatisticalanalyses.TheinformationgatheredfromthesetestswasthencomparedagainstthetestrandomnumbersgeneratedbasedonatmosphericdataanddatafromFortran’srandfunction.Fromthesetestsitcanbeconcludedthatwhilegeneratingpseudo-randomnumbersfromradiostaticisviable,thesoftwareusedscreenfrequenciesandfilterthedatarequirefurtherrefinement.

31

Illinois (Chicago)

Lithium-Induced Neuroprotection is Associated with Epigenetic Modification of Specific BDNF Gene Promoter and Altered Expression of Apoptotic-Regulatory ProteinsTushar DwivediNeuqua Valley High School, Naperville, IL, Illinois (Chicago) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Hui Zhang, University of Illinois at Chicago

Lithium-InducedNeuroprotectionisAssociatedwithEpigeneticModificationofSpecificBDNFGenePromoterandAlteredExpressionofApoptotic-RegulatoryProteins

TusharDwivedi,NeuquaValleyHighSchool,Naperville,IllinoisMentor:Dr.HuiZhang,UniversityofIllinoisatChicagoBipolardisorder(BD),oneofthemostdebilitatingmentaldisorders,isassociatedwithincreasedmorbidityandmortality.LithiumisthefirstlineoftreatmentoptionforBDandisoftenusedformaintenancetherapy.Recently,theneuroprotectiveactionoflithiumhasgainedtremendousattention,giventhatBDisassociatedwithimbalanceincellularsignalingthatleadstoneurotoxicityandconsequentstructuralandfunctionalabnormalitiesofthebrain.However,theprecisemolecularmechanismbywhichlithiumexertsitsneuroprotectiveactionisnotclearlyunderstood.Thepresentstudyaimstoinvestigatesuchmechanisms.Inrathippocampalneurons,lithiumnotonlyincreaseddendriticlengthandnumber,butalsoneuronalviabilityagainstglutamate-inducedcytotoxicity.WhilelithiumincreasedtheexpressionofBDNF,ageneinvolvedinneuronalsurvivalandplasticity,aswellasgenesassociatedwithneuroprotectionsuchasBcl2andBcl-XL,itdecreasedtheexpressionofpro-apoptoticgenesBax,Bad,andcaspases3.Interestingly,lithiumactivatedtranscriptionofspecificexonIVtoinduceBDNFgeneexpression.ThiswasaccompaniedbyhypomethylationofBDNFexonIVpromoter,suggestingthatepigeneticmodificationsplayakeyroleininducingBDNFexpressionbylithium.Thisstudydelineatesnovelmechanismbywhichlithiummediatesitseffectsinprotectingneurons.

Creation of Novel Absorbent Antimicrobial Bandages and Ointment from the Slime of the Pacific Hagfish, Eptatretus stoutii, for Use on Burns and WoundsGrace M. NiewijkOak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park, IL, Illinois (Chicago) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Allison Hennings, R.N., B.S.N., M.A.T., Oak Park and River Forest High School; Doug-las Fudge, Ph.D., University of Guelph

Currentburntreatmentsaredeficientwithrespecttoantimicrobialeffectsandabsorptionofexudate.Threenewmaterialsweredevelopedfromhagfishslimecomponents.Allweretestedforabsorbencyandantimicrobialactivityinordertodeterminethesuitabilityforproductionofabandageorointment.Theexperimentalhypothesisproposedthatextractedslimecomponentswouldbeexceptionallyabsorbentduetotheabilityofhagfishslimetocaptureliquids,andthatthelysozymalantimicrobialpropertieswouldbepreservedinprocessedslime.Absorbencywastestedbysaturating1x1cmsamplesofdifferentbandagesandmeasuringpercentchangeinmassandvolumeabsorbed.Absorbencywastestedwithwater,tomimicplasmafoundinwoundexudate,andwithblood.Slime-basedbandagesweresignificantly(p≤0.000279)moreabsorbentthantheirrespectivecontrols.Itwasalsodetermined,throughbacterialproximitytestsandwoundreplicatesting,thattherewassignificantbactericidalandbacteriostaticactivityagainstMicrococcusluteus.Itwasconcluded,basedontheabsorbencyandantimicrobialproperties,thatslime-derivedmaterialsareidealbiomaterialstobeusedtomakethewoundenvironmentlesshospitabletobacterialinfection.Futureresearchbasedonthisstudyshouldrefineslime-derivedmaterials,developmethodsofmassproduction,andinvestigateactivityagainstotherbacteria.Keywords:biomaterialbandage,Eptatretusstoutii,slime,Micrococcusluteus,absorbency

32

Morphological Identification of Wide-Separation Gravitationally Lensed QuasarsPranav SivakumarBarrington High School, Barrington, IL, Illinois (Chicago) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Teacher: James A Hawrysko, Barrington High School; Mentor: Sivakumar Muthuswamy, Motorola Solutions, Inc.

AnovelmethodwasdevelopedtoidentifygravitationallylensedquasarsfromtheSloanDigitalSkySurvey(SDSS).Understandinggravitationallensinghelpsdecipherthepropertiesofdarkmatteranddarkenergy.ItishypothesizedthatifmultipleobjectsinanSDSSimagemeetbothphotometricandspectralcriteria,thentheseobjectsarelensedquasarcandidates.ThefirstphaseofthisprojectuseddatafromtheSDSSDataRelease9.Inthefollow-upstudy,anewidentificationalgorithmwasimplementedusingtheSDSSDataRelease10,whichincludeddataforover300,000quasars.ThedatawasretrievedandprocessedusingStructuredQueryLanguage(SQL)queries.Usingthisinformation,thealgorithmcomparedquasarstotheirneighborstodetermineiftheneighborswereimagesofthesamequasar.Theresultswerevalidatedagainstacontrolgroupoflensedquasarsfromtheliterature.Statisticalanalyseswereperformedtoensureconsistencyofvalidationcriteriaacrossthedataset.Acomparisonoftheproject'sresultswithpublishedlistsoflensedquasarsshowedthatthehypothesiswaswellsupported.Inadditiontoidentifyingamajorityofthequasarsinthecontrolgroup,thealgorithmalsoidentifiedadditionalhigh-probabilitylenscandidatesnotreportedintheliterature.

Environment and Variability of High Redshift X-Ray Bright Optically Normal GalaxiesTalia E. WeissEvanston Township High School, Evanston, IL, Illinois (Chicago) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Daryl Haggard, Northwestern University

Thisstudyexaminesasampleof48X-RayBrightOpticallyNormalGalaxies(XBONGs)toinvestigatetwoexplanationsfortheirabnormalcharacteristics:variabilityofActiveGalacticNuclei(AGN)andX-rayemissionsproducedbyextendedhotgashaloswithingalacticclustersandfossilgroups.XBONGcharacteristicsaremostcommonlyattributedtoaccretingsupermassiveblackholesthathaveradiativelyinefficientflowsoraredilutedbystarlightfromtheirhostgalaxies.UsingasampleofsourcesidentifiedasXBONGsbyTrumpetal.(2009),thisstudyexaminestheviabilityofmultipleexplanationsforXBONGs’X-raybrightnessandlackofopticalemissionlines.UnlikepreviousstudiesthatassumedthatXBONGsareAGNandattributedtheiruniquepropertiestolow-luminosityaccretiondiskphenomena,thisstudyfocusesonthelikelihoodthatXBONGcharacteristicsarecausedbychangesinAGNluminosityovertime(variability),aswellasthepossibilitythatXBONGsaregalaxieswithinactivegalacticcenterssurroundedbyhalosofhotgas.UsingdatafromtheChandraX-RayTelescope,Ideterminedthat18%ofmysampleshowedevidenceofvariability,andapproximately22%showedsignsofextension.TheseresultsindicatethatAGNvariabilityandextendedhotgasemissionsareviableexplanationsforXBONGs.

33

Indiana

“Utilizing the Isolated Components, Variation in Mammals, and Treatment Processes of Milk for Grain Yield Enhancement”Jordan R. CadlePaoli Junior/Senior High School, Paoli, IN, Indiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Laurie Jo Andry, Paoli High School; Kerry Wyatt, Paoli FFA

Thisprojectexploresanorganicallyfriendlyandgloballyaccessibleproductofmilktoincreasegrainyields.Thesupremeconceptsbehindtheideatousemilkaretoapplycarbohydrateenergyandcreateacanvaswithfattoincreasethegreenhouseeffect.Byapplyingsugar,fat,andproteintowheatinaLatinsquaredesign,thefatandsugarsshowedanincreaseoverthecontrolatthe90%confidenceinterval.Inanotherpart,camelmilkwasfoundtoexpressthehighestyieldsinwheatcomparedtogoat,sheep,andcow.Also,sour,pasteurized,andfreshmilksweretestedonwheatbutonlythefreshmilksawayieldincrease.Forthemilkbeingappliedtothewheat,yieldsvariedfromnochangeupto15.5%foraplantaverageyieldwithasugarapplication.A33%increaseincornyieldswasfoundbutlikelytoohighforcontinualexpectedresults.Basedontheseresults,farmerscanapplymilktograinsandseeayieldincreasebutthevalueoftheirmilkandlabormustbetakenintoconsiderationforeconomicalprofitability.

Factors that Influence Energies of Simple HydrocarbonsTingyue CuiTerre Haute South Vigo High School, Terre Haute, IN, Indiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Prof. Eric Glendening; Mrs. Melanie Huber

Thecomputationalchemistryresearchpresentedherefocusesonevaluatingthefactorsthataremostconsequentialtohydrocarbons’relativestabilities.Theenergyparametersforeachmodelwerefittedtobestrepresenttheatomizationenthalpies(AE)oftheC1-C6alkanes,calculatedbytheGaussianelectronicstructureprogram.Incontrasttooldermodelsthatgenerallylacktheoreticalsupport,thevicinalinteractionsmodel(VIM)proposedhereisjustifiedbynaturalbondorbital(NBO)analysisconfirmingthatvicinal,antiperiplanarbond-bondandbond-antibondinteractionsaremostconsequential.Asafairlysimpleadditivityschemebasedonbondenthalpiesandvicinal,antiperiplanarbondpairinteractions,theVIMmodelwascomparedtothelocalizedbondmodel(LBM)andgeminalinteractionsmodel(GIM).ParameterfittingsyieldedchisquaredvaluesfortheLBM,GIM,andVIMof15.26,12.04,7.68respectively.Asanticipated,theLBMfailedtoaccountfordifferingAEsasitwasonlyatwo-parameterfit.TheGIM,althoughexhibitinganimprovementovertheLBM,failedtodescribetheAEsofalkaneconformers.TheproposedVIM,ontheotherhand,generateduniqueAEsforeachC1-C6alkanes.Althoughpreliminary,theresultsofthisstudystronglysupporttheVIMasanewmodelforunderstandingthedifferingalkanestabilities.

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Elimination Of Positional Discontinuity In Regenerating LimbsKamna GuptaCarmel High School, Carmel, IN, Indiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. David L. Stocum, IUPUI; Anita Gupta, Carmel High School

ThesalamanderAmbystomamexicanum(axolotl)regeneratesamputatedlimbsbyreprogramminglimbcellstoformanundifferentiatedblastemathatgrowsandredifferentiatesintothemissinglimbparts.Thebaseoftheblastemacarriesapositionalidentityofitsoriginontheproximodistal(PD),anteroposterior(AP)anddorsoventral(DV)axesandfillsinallthedistalmissingpositionalidentitiesduringregeneration.ReversaloftheAPorDVaxesoftheblastemawithrespecttothelimbstumpcreatesdiscontinuitiesinpositionalidentityoneithersideofthelimbthatstimulateregenerationofsupernumerarylimbsfromthePDlevelofamputation.IhypothesizedthatthePDpositionalidentitiesofthereversedblastemaandlimbstumpmustnotbediscontinuousinorderforsuchsupernumerariestoform.Totestthishypothesis,Igrafteddistalzeugopodialblastemastomid-stylopodiallimbstumpswhilesimultaneouslyreversingtheirAPorDVaxis,thusmakingbothPDandAPorDVdiscontinuities.Theresultwasthatsupernumerariescouldnotformfromthemid-stylopodiallevel.Instead,thePDdiscontinuityfirsthadtobeeliminatedbyintercalationtotheleveloforiginofthegraftedblastema,whereuponsupernumerarydigitswerenowabletoform.ThisresultindicatesthateveryPDpositionalidentityhascorrespondingAPandDVidentitiesthatmustbe'matched'inorderforsupernumeraryformationtooccur.Thenecessityformatchinghelpsustounderstandthecellularinteractionsnecessaryforlimbregeneration.InthenextphaseofresearchIwouldliketore-conductthisexperimentbygraftingproximalblastema.

Identification of the Oxygen Sensing Mechanism in Hypoxic Vasodilation of Porcine Coronary ArteriesKevin T. HuncklerMarian High School, Mishawaka, IN, Indiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Ken Andrzejewski, Marian High School; Dr. Douglas Sisk, Marian High School; Dr. Kenneth Olson, Indiana University School of Medicine

Oxygendependencyisauniversalcharacteristicofalmostalllivinganimals.Tomaintainadequateoxygenflowthroughouttheirbodies,adecreaseorincreaseinoxygenmustfirstbedetected.Throughoutthebody,thereareoxygensensingmechanismsthatregulatebloodflowsothatanadequateamountisdelivered.Thesemechanismsallowvasodilationinhypoxic(lowoxygen)conditionsinreturnforincreasedbloodflow.However,thescientificcommunityhasnotconclusivelydecidedonadefinitesensingmechanism.Itishypothesizedthatthemetabolismofendogenouslyproducedhydrogensulfide(H2S)isinvolvedastheoxygensensingmechanismofporcinecoronaryarteries.Thiswastestedusingamyographtomeasurevasodilationofpigcoronaryarteriesinresponsetotheadditionofthedrugtempolandothervariousconditions.H2Swasfoundtoeffectivelydilatecoronaryarteriesineverysituation.TheresponsestotempolshowedthecriticaloxidizingaffectsitandenzymeslikeithaveonH2S.Furtherknowledgeofthesemechanismscouldleadtotheadvancementofmanytreatmentsforlowoxygenconditionswithinthebody.Cardiovasculardisease,sleepapnea,andcancercellsareonlyafewofthemanyconditionsthatcoulddirectlybeaffectedbyfurtheradvancementsinthisfield.

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Mapping the Discrete Lambert and finding its traceKrishan S. KumarSouth Vigo High School, Terre Haute, IN, Indiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Joshua Holden, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Mrs. Melanie Huber, South Vigo High School

Givenanumberx,weconsiderthedynamicsystemxgoestoxgxmod(pn),alsoknownastheDiscreteLambertequation.Inthisequation,allvariablesareknownotherthanx.TheDiscreteLambert(x)issodifficulttosolveforbecausethevariablep,whichisaprimenumber,maybehundredsofdigitslong,meaningthatevenwithacomputeritmighttakemanyyearstosolve.Tovisualizeaspecificcycle,anaccompanyingmapandmatrixmaybeillustrated.Themapshowswhichinputsgotowhichoutputs.Thegoalwastoextractanalgorithmtoallowanysuchmaptobedrawnwithaccuracywithouthavingtoplugineverynumberxintothegeneratorguntilapatternisdistinguished.Whenthemapisactuallydrawnout,certainnumbers,x,willformcontainedsets.Bynoticingapatterninthearrangementofnumbersinthesesetsandusingthepropertiesoflogs,proofsweredecipheredandanalgorithmwasdistinguished.TheDiscreteLambertproblemandsimilarexponentiationsareusedtoverifytheauthenticityoflegaldocuments,financialtransactions,andotherimportantcommunicationsandareavitalcomponentoftoday’ssociety.

36

Intermountain (Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Nevada)

Efficacy of Five Methods of Purifying Water and Their Possible Uses in Third-world CountriesRyan BarneyWasatch Jr. High, Salt Lake City, UT, Intermountain (Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Nevada) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kim Stucki, Wasatch Jr. High; Jordan Farr, Jordan Applied Technology Center

Everyyear,3.4millionpeople--mostlychildren--dieworldwideduetowaterborneillness.Thoughtherearemanyfacetsofthisproblem,Idecidedtostudywhichmethodsaremosteffectiveatpurifyinginfectedwater.Totestthis,Iusedagravityfilter,aUVpurifier,Iodinetablets,bleach,andboilingtotreatwaterinfectedwithEscherichiacoli,Serratialiquefaciens,andBacillusmegaterium.Mybacterialtestingshowedthatboilingwasthemosteffectivemethod,followedbythefilterandbleach.TheUVlampandIodinewerelesseffective.IthenusedaCost-effectivenessAnalysis(CEA)toanalyzetheoverallvalueofeachmethodcomparedtoitscost,indexedagainstaverageincomeinGhana.MyCEAshowedthatboilingwasstillbest,closelyfollowedbybleach.ThesewerealsotheonlymethodsthatmetalloftheUnitedNations’costandavailabilityguidelinesforwaterpurification.Boiling,however,hasrisksandcostsstemmingfromthefactthatthecookingfiresusedtoboilthewaterproducemuchsmokethatcancauseprematuredeathovertime.Firewoodisalsoneeded,addingtimeandeffort.Duetothis,Iconcludedthatbleachisthebestchoiceforwaterpurificationinthird-worldcountries.

Analysis of Montane Rainforest Dwellings using Computer VisionAnthony ChengHillcrest High School, Midvale, UT, Intermountain (Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Nevada) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Philip Dennison, University of Utah; Tolga Tasdizen, University of Utah

ThispaperdescribestheuseofComputerVisionalgorithmstoanalyzesatelliteimageryofdwellinglocationsinarainforestsetting.ResearchersarecurrentlytryingtodeterminetheimpactofpopulationmovementsontheenvironmentinareassuchastheGishwatiRainforestofRwanda.Themovementofpopulationscanbetrackedbylookingatthelocationofdwellings.Consideringthatthecurrentmethodofanalyzingthelocationofdwellingsisbyhand,thispaperdescribestheapproachesdevelopedinregardstothisproblemusingthemethodsofComputerVision,specificallyConnectedComponentslabeling.Theprototypeinitiallyusedasimplebinarythresholdandcontourdetectortodetecttheobjects,whilethefinalcodeusedHSVthresholdingandseveralotheralgorithmswithexperimentallydeterminedparametervalues.Combinationsofmanyalgorithmsweretestedforoptimalresults.Thecode,writteninJava,usedmethodsfromtheopen-sourceOpenCV(OpenComputerVision)library.ThesourceimageswerefromGoogleEarth.Thedesignwaslargelysuccessful;theprogramwasabletodetectnearlyallwhite-roofedhouses,afirststeptowardsafullyautomatedprogram.Thiscodecanpotentiallybeappliedtomanyothersettings,suchastraffic,vegetation,andwildfireanalysisinthegeographicfield.

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Networking Nuances: Creating Hardware and Software Solutions Using UDP/IP DatagramsMelissa S. IvieCopper Hills High School, West Jordan, UT, Intermountain (Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Nevada) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mary Meyer, Copper Hills High School; Brian Ivie, University of Utah; Dalton Horscroft, Entheos Academy

Theprimarypurposeofthisresearchandengineeringprojectwastodevelopasystemofproductstobeusedtoeasilyconnectdevicestoanethernetnetwork,includingfunctionsforhandlingtheTCP/IPprotocolsforInternetconnectivity.Thisprojecthastakenplaceoverthelast2-1/2years.IbeganbydevelopinganethernetshieldforusewiththeArduinomicrocontrollerplatformusingtheMicrochipENC28J60IC.IdevelopedaPCBlayoutandhadthedesignprofessionallyetched.IthendevelopedasimilarshieldforusewiththeTexasInstrumentsLaunchpadusingtheEnergiaplatformtoconvertArduinocodeforusewiththeLaunchpadhardware.Ialsodevelopedtestapplications,includingimplementingaRGBLEDthathadthebrightnessofthered,greenandblueelementscontrolledbypulsewidthmodulation,sothattheamountofred,greenorbluelightcouldbeadjustedfromaniPodTouchusingthestandardOpenSoundControl(OSC)protocoltosendUDP/IPdatagrampacketstothemicrocontrollerthroughtheethernetmodule.Iamcurrentlyimplementingmyworkinthedevelopmentofseveraldevicestomonitorenvironmentalconditionsoveranetwork,includingdevicestomonitortemperature,soilmoisture,humidity,airpollution,noisepollutionandotherenvironmentalfactors.

Recovering the Effective Thermal Conductivity of SIMBA Sea Ice with a Composite Material ModelDaniel W. LiuWest High School, Salt Lake City, UT, Intermountain (Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Nevada) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Todd Kassner, West High School; Kenneth Golden, University of Utah; Jingyi Zhu, Uni-versity of Utah

Thisstudyaimstofindacompositematerialmodelthatbestdescribestheheattransferwithinthemediumofseaicebysolvinganinverseproblem.Seaicetemperaturedatafromthe“SeaIceMassBalanceintheAntarctic”(SIMBA)projectaredividedintotwosetsandusedformodeltraining/validation.Thisstudyproposesseverallayereddiffusivitymodels.Foreachproposedmodel,anestimatedtemperatureprofileisrecoveredfromtheseaiceheatequationandiscomparedwiththetrainingdatatocalculatearootmeansquarederror(RMSE).TheNelder-MeadmethodisusedtofindtheoptimalmodelbyminimizingtheRMSE.TheoptimalmodelisverifiedbycalculatingitsvalidationRMSEusingthevalidationdata.Itisfoundthatafive-layermodelisthemosteffective.Theextremediffusivityvaluediscoveredinthebottomlayerofthemodelindicatesthattheremightbeconvectivepropertiesintheice.Toaccountforthis,theseaiceheatequationismodifiedtoincludeabrinemovementvelocityitemandthefive-layermodelisrefined.

Speed of Phytochrome Activation in Lactuca Sativa (Lettuce) SeedsEmma J. MackeyWasatch Jr. High School, Salt Lake City, UT, Intermountain (Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Nevada) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Ms. Stucki, Wasatch Jr. High School; Prof. Leslie Sieburth, University of Utah

Germinationistheprocessofaseedgivingrisetoafree-livingplant.MyquestionwashowlongmustaLactucaSativa(lettuce)seedimbibeinwaterbeforephytochromescandetectlightsothattheseedcanbecomemetabolicallyactive.Ihypothesizedthataseedwouldonlyneedtoimbibeinwaterforfiveminutesbeforephytochromesareactivated.Itestedtheseedsbyapplyingredorfar-redlightafterthespecificimbibitionperiod.Bothredandfar-redlightoccurinnature.Phytochromesdetectthesequalitiesoflightstoknowwhethertheoutsideconditionsarefavorableenoughtosurvive.Far-redlightstopsgerminationbecauseinnaturefar-redlightindicatesthattheseedisintheshadeandhasasmallchanceofsurvival.Myhypothesiswaspartiallycorrect.Ifoundthatthephytochromesbecameactivebetweenfiveandtenminutes.Thisisabiologicaladvantageforplantsbecausewhenconditionsarefavorableaseedneedstobeabletogerminateasquicklyaspossible.

38

Iowa

Isolation Of Escherichia Coli O157 Proteins That Interact With The Bovine Recto-anal Junction Squamous Epithelial (rse) CellsAparna S. AjjarapuAmes High School, Ames, IA, Iowa JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Indira Kudva, National Animal Disease Center; Uma Vithala, Ames High School

TheenterohemorrhagicstrainEscherichiacoliO157:H7ranksfourthamongtheagentscausinggastrointestinalillnessesinNorthAmerica.Cattlearethemainreservoirsforthishumanpathogenwiththerecto-analjunction(RAJ)servingastheprimarycolonizationsite.TheobjectiveofthisstudyistoexaminethemechanismbywhichE.coliO157adherestothesquamousepithelial(RSE)cellsatthebovinerecto-analjunction.AnadaptedprotocolwasdevelopedtoisolatetheE.coliO157bacterialproteinsthatinteractwiththeRSEcellmembraneproteins.AftercheckingtheRSEcellsforgoodmorphology,theRSEcellsurfaceproteinswereextractedandlabeledusingtheThermoScientificPiercecellsurfaceproteinisolationkit.TheE.coliO157proteinswereharvestedandinteractedwiththeRSEcellsurfaceproteinsinabiotincellproteincolumn.TheinteractingbacterialproteinswereelutedandthenquantitatedusingNanoDrop.Theseproteinsarecurrentlysentforbottom-upproteomicsanalysis.Afollowupexperiment,anadherence-inhibitionassay,wasconductedandtheresultsclearlyshowedthattheinteractingbacterialproteinsisolatedinthisexperimentplayaroleinE.coliO157adherencetotheRSEcellsattheRAJ.

The Effects of Cheese Sludge on Field CornChristopher GrebnerBeckman Catholic High School, Dyersville, IA, Iowa JSHS

Thewastewaterfromthecheesemakingprocessisfilledwithmanyvitalnutrientsthatcanbeusedtohelpgrowcropsbutisoftentimeslefttopolluteriversandlakes.Myinitialideawastodeterminewhetherornotthatthewasteleftoverfromcheese,alsoknownassludge,wouldaffectthegrowthofcorninapositiveway.Frompriorknowledgeandresearch,sludgewasknowntocontainNitrogen,Phosphorus,andPotassiumthatisneededbycornandmostothercropstogrow.Asaresult,sludgewasaddedtosoiltofertilizecorn.Afterapreliminaryinvestigation,acorrelationbetweentheamountofsludgeandgrowthofthecornarose.Uponfurtherexamination,anincreasedamountofgrowthwasnoticedinthefertilizedcorn.

Silver Nitrate’s Effect on Natural vs. Induced Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coliBreanna KramerCentral Lee High School, Donnellson, IA, Iowa JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Alicia Schiller, Central Lee High School

UsingtheKirbyBauerProtocol,myrecentfindingsshowsilverionscanoverrideantibioticresistanceinE.coli.ControltrialswereculturedE.colionMueller-Hintonagarwiththeadditionoftwoampicillinmagazines.After24hoursincubation,diameterswerecomparedtostandardizedcharts.Irepeatedthisprotocolwiththeadditionof30ulsilvernitrateontopofthemagazines.Resultingdiameterswerecomparedtopreviousexperiments.Thissamemethodwasusedwithinducedplasmidresistance,andnaturalresistancedevelopedthroughgradientampicillinagar.Diametersincreasedalmosttwo-foldinalltrials,suggestingsilverionsaffectcellsdifferentlythancommonantibiotics.Naturalandinducedplasmidresistancebothbeganwith10-11mmresistantdiameters;however,aftersilverexposurenaturalresistanceincreased12mm,whileinducedplasmidincreased9mm.IproposethesedifferencesareduetoplasmidinsertionthatpreparesE.coliforrelativelymoreextremeantimicrobialconditionsenablinglesspermeablemembranesduetomorphologicalchangesinproteins;moreprotectedenzymes;andDNAmorecapabletohandleantimicrobialproperties.Controlsincreased14mm,asDNAwasn’tmodifiedagainstantibacterialproperties.SilverionsdemonstrateabilitiestodestroyE.coliantibioticresistance.Perhapsit’stimetorediscoversilver’sremarkableapplicationstothemedicalcommunity’spatientswithantibioticresistance.

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The Effects of Urbanization on Water Quality of Streams in Linn County, IowaKarleigh SchillingPrairie High School, Cedar Rapids, IA, Iowa JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Keith Schilling, University of Iowa; Lori Danker, Prairie High School

UrbanizationisincreasinginmanyareasaroundtheUnitedStates,anditcanhaveseriouseffectsonwaterquality.Thepurposeofthisstudywastotesttheamountoftotaldissolvedsolids(TDS)invariousstreamswithinLinnCountytodeterminewhetherornoturbanizationinCedarRapidsisincreasingTDSlevels.Threemethodswereusedtotestthis:1)comparingtwodifferentpopulationsofurbanandruralstreams,2)testingonestreamasitflowsfromthecountryintothecity,and3)testingalargerrivertoseeiftheeffectwasstillobserved.Watersampleswerecollectedusingaspecificconductancemeter,sincespecificconductanceisproportionaltototaldissolvedsolidsanditiseasytomeasure.Studyresultsindicatedthaturbanizationcanaffectwaterquality.Allthreemethodsshowedadefiniteincreaseintotaldissolvedsolidsasthestreamflowedthroughacity.Thegreatesteffectwasobservedwhentwopopulationsweretested,andlesseffectwasevidentintheCedarRiver.Furthertestingisneededtoconfirmthecauseofthis,butroadsalts,fertilizers,andwastewatermaybecontributingfactors.

Waste No More: A Study of the Net Energy Gain of Cellulosic Ethanol from Recycled MatterAbby L. WallingIowa City West High School, Iowa City, IA, Iowa JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Carolyn Walling, Iowa City West High School

Theneedforalternativefuelsourcesisbecomingincreasinglyevidentduetotheclimatechangingeffectsofgasoline.Onepopularalternative,corn,maynotbebetterduetotheenergyrequiredproducingit.However,inthisexperiment,grass,newspaper,andpapertowelswerefermentedintoethanol.Theenergycontentofthesolidbyproductswasthentestedtodetermineifthebiomasscouldbeburnedtodistilltheethanolcreated.Thus,thenetenergygainofthecellulosicethanolwasfound.Afterfermentingthesamples,papertowelscreatedthehighestyieldofethanol(0.084%),comparedtograss(0.021%)andnewspaper(0.024%).Byusingacalorimeter,itwasalsodeterminedthatpapertowelshavethemostchemicalpotentialenergywith20,258kJperkg.Lastly,thenetenergygainofthecellulosicethanolwascalculatedbyaddingtheenergyintheethanoltotheleftoverenergyinthebyproduct(afterpartofthebiomasshypotheticallydistilledtheethanol).Papertowelshavethegreatestenergygainwith435.437kJperkgofcellulosefermented.Overall,papertowelscanbefermentedandthebyproductsburnedfordistillationtoresultinover400%moreenergythanneededtocreatetheethanol.

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Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma

A Novel Idea: the Development of a Photobioelectric Cell Utilizing an Agar Gel - Electrolyte MatrixHayden J. AllenCascia Hall Preparatory School, Tulsa, OK, Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Sally Fenska, Cascia Hall Preparatory School

Aninsurgenceofconcernfortheclimatehasacceleratedtherateatwhichresearchanddevelopmentoccursaroundtheworld.Thepurposeofthisprojectistodesignafuelcell,usingbiologicalprocessesthatwillcreateausableformofelectricitythatwillretaintheenergythatithascreated.Anelectrolyteagarwascreatedusing1.5%agaranda5MNaClsolution.Achloroplastextractwascreatedusingspinach,and0.5Msucrosesolution.Anenergyratetestwasconductedover15secondsimmediatelyfollowingtheintroductionofthechloroplaststothecell.Datawascollectedunderthreedifferentlightingconditions,individually,twoinseries,andthreeinseries.Thedatasuggeststhatthecreatedcellisbehavingmuchlikeanalkalinebattery,inthefactthatasmorecellsareaddedinseries,thevoltageincreases(GraphI,II,III).Undertestedconditions,thethreeLWCshadapeakaverageoutputof507mVunderdirectlighting.Anothertestwasruntodeterminehowlongthefuelcellwouldholdthecreatedchargeintheabsenceoflight.Thevoltagecontinuedtoincreasesteadilyinexcessof5hoursbeforepeakingandheldthischargefor24hours.

3PO and P301L Mutations of Tau Protein Cause Synaptic Aberrations in Cholinergic and GABAergic Neurons: A 2nd year study of Alzheimer’s disease pathology using C. elegans wormsDisha DasguptaOlathe North High School, Olathe, KS, Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Brian Ackley, University of Kansas (KU)

Thisprojectinvestigatedwhetherthe3PO/P301Lmutationsofthetauproteincauseaberrationsinthesynapticvesiclesofcholinergic/GABAergicneurons.CholinergicandGABAergicneuronscontainneurotransmittersthatareassociatedwithmemoryandcognition,functionswhichareimpairedinAlzheimer’spatients.The3PO/P301Ltaumutationsarealsoknowntocausememorydisorders.Hypothesis:Ifthegenesthatcodeforthe3PO/P301LmutationsoftauareexpressedinC.elegansworms,thenthecholinergic/GABAergicsynapticvesicleswilldisplayaberrations.MicroscopicC.eleganswormswereusedforthisstudy.Twostrainsofcontrolwormswithoutanytau,twostrainsofC.eleganswith3POtau,andtwostrainsofC.eleganswithP301Ltau,allwithcholinergic(lhIs13)orGABAergic(juIs1)cell-specificGreenFluorescentProtein(GFP)markers,wereselected.GFPMicroscopywasusedtoscreenthewormsinwhichwith3PO/P301Ltaugeneswereexpressed.Confocalmicroscopywasusedtoobtaindetailedimagesofsynapticvesiclesofthoseworms.ImageJsoftwarewasusedtomeasurethearea,perimeter,andcircularityofthesynapticvesicles.Imageanalysisfrom2890synapticvesiclessupportedthehypothesis-that3PO/P301Lmutationsoftauchangethearea,perimeter,andcircularityofthesynapticvesiclesofcholinergic/GABAergicneurons.

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A Fluid Idea A comparison of fluidized sand filters verses drip sand filters in the removal of dirt, bacteria, heavy metals, phosphates, and nitrates.Sarah L. RileyGrove High School, Grove, OK, Kansas-Nebraska-Oklahoma JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Keli Steen, Grove High School

Thepurposeofthisprojectistodeterminewhetherfluidizedsandfiltersaremoreefficientthandripsandfilters.Icreatedtwofluidizedsandfiltersandonedripsandfilter.Ithencomparedtheclarity,bacteria,phosphates,nitrates,andleadlevelsbeforeandaftereveryprocedure.Bycreatingfluidizedsandfiltersitishypothesizedthatitcancleanwaterquickerandmoreefficientlythandripsandfilters.Theresultsweretakenfromspectrophotometerreadings,petridishes,andcolorimeterreadings.Thedripsandfilterwasusedasthecontroltocomparethetwodifferentstylesoffluidizedsandfilters.Itestedclarityfirstwithjustdirtinthewater,thenbacteria(bothbeforeandafter),andthenlead,nitrates,andphosphatesalltogether.Theresultsvariedinmytesting.Overallthesecondfluidizedsandfiltercameupontopconfirmingmyhypothesis.Theonlyproblemwasthatitdidn’ttakeoutanynitrates.

42

Kentucky

Chemokine Expression in 3-LL vs. p-3LL Lung Cancer CellsLekha P. DevaraduPont Manual High School, Louisville, KY, Kentucky JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Glenn Zwanzig, duPont Manual High School; Robert Baar, duPont Manual High School; Dr. Rajesh Sharma, University of Louisville

LungCanceristheleadingcauseofcancerousdeathintheUnitedStates.Kentuckyinturnhasthehighestlungcancerincidenceinthecountry.90%oflungcancerrelateddeathsoccurduetometastasisofthetumortoothervitalorgansinthehumanbody.Chemokines,whichareasub-groupofcytokineproteins,haverecentlybeenfoundtoplayanimportantroleincancertranslocationthroughtheprocessofchemotaxis.Thisprojectexploresthedifferencesinvariouschemokineexpressionsbetween3-LLandp-3LLcancercellsfrombothculturesandtumorsamplesfrommurinemodels.Thesetwocelllinesarethesame,thoughthep-3LLisapassagedversion.Toobtainresults,RTPCRswereconducted.Theresultsarereportedandfoldchangeintheexpressionofchemokineswasusedasamethodofcomparison.ExperimentationshowedtrendsindifferencesbetweentheexpressionoftheCCL-2,CCL-3,CCL-4,CCL-5,CCL-7,CCL-8,CCL-17,andCCL-19chemokines.Resultsfromthisprojectcouldbeusedtotargetspecificchemokinesand/orchemokinereceptorstoreducetumorburdenandpreventlungcancermetastasis.

Magnetic Nanoparticles for Targeted HyperthermiaSeohyun ImduPont Manual High School, Louisville, KY, Kentucky JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Robert Baar, duPont Manual High School; Mr. Glenn Zwanzig, duPont Manual High School; Dr. Kyung A. Kang, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Louisville

Traditionalcancertreatmentmethods,e.g.,chemotherapy,radiationtherapy,immunotherapyhaveunhealthyside-effects(nausea,vomiting,hairloss,etc.)andareinvasive,therefore,beingunhealthyforpatients.Low-heathyperthermia,asaferalternativecancertreatment,heatsthecanceroustumortoatemperaturebetween40-45°C.Ironoxide(Fe3O4)nanoparticles(IONPs)havelowtoxicityandareusedinhyperthermiatoheattumors.AhyperthermiccancertreatmentmethodwasdesignedusingIONPswithanalternatingelectromagneticgenerator(AEM)fortumor-specificheating.Ahyperthermiastudywasconducted,observingtheheatingperformanceofIONPs(10nm,20nm,30nm,40nm)ofconcentrations(0.01%,0.03%,0.05%,0.08%,0.10%w/v%).EachsolutionofIONPandwaterwasplacedinaglassvialandheatedinthesolenoidprobeoftheAEMfor5min.at287KHzwithinsulation.Waterwasusedasthebaselinetoobservehowmuchtheglassvialheatedbyitselfandtoensureconsistencyoftheheatingperformanceofallsamples.AlineartrendwasobservedinthetemperatureincreaseofIONPs;asconcentrationincreased,temperatureincreased.IONPs20nmheatedthebestforallconcentrations.Thisminimallyinvasiveandsafehyperthermiccancertreatmentmethodhasgreatpotentialinadministeringsuccessfulcancertreatment.

Bioethanol Production from Encapsulated Active Dry YeastEllen K. KendallNotre Dame Academy, Park Hills, KY, Kentucky JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Sr. Mary Ethel Parrott, Notre Dame Academy

Calciumalginatebeadswerecreatedtoimmobilizeactivedryyeastcommonlyusedinyeastdoughinagrowthmedium.Afterinitialpipet-dripping,adevicewasdesignedtomakebeadsofuniformsizeautomaticallywithanoldfashionedIVdripandtubing.Asodiumalginateandyeastsolutiondrippedintoa0.05Mcalciumchloridesolution,formingbeadswithyeastencapsulatedinside.Thesebeadswerecombinedwitha15%glucosesolutioninaclosedcontainerwithanethanolsensortodetecttheproductionofethanol,abiofuel.Thebeadswereremoved,dried,andtestedagaintoseeiftheycouldsuccessfullyproduceethanolgoingthroughthefermentationprocessmultipletimes.Thebeadscontinuallyproducedethanolbutatreducedratesastheywerereusedsixtimes,showingthatthisresearchispromisingforfuturecontrolled,systematicproductionofthisimportantbiofuel.

43

The Effect of Concentration Gradient, Membrane Surface Area, and Temperature on Peak Osmotic Power in a Pressure Retarded Osmosis SystemSzofia E. Komaromy-HillerNotre Dame Academy, Park Hills, KY, Kentucky JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Sister Mary Ethel Parrott, Notre Dame Academy

Pressureretardedosmosis(PRO)providesrenewableenergywithnogreenhousegasemissions.Theefficiencyofanosmoticpowerplantisdependentuponthesemipermeablemembraneandtheosmoticpressuregradient.Thepurposeofthisexperimentwastostudytheeffectofsaltconcentrationgradient,membranesurfacearea,andtemperatureontheosmoticpressuregradientusingasimpleosmosissystem.Athree-levelfullfactorialdesignwithresponsesurfaceanalysiswasusedtooptimizetheindependentvariables.AU-shapedosmosisapparatuswasutilizedwithtapwaterasthefeedsolutionandasalinesolutionasthedrawsolution.Therateofwaterriseinthedrawsolutionwasmeasuredtodeterminewaterflux.ANOVAcalculationsandresponsesurfaceanalysesshowedthatallthreeindependentvariableswerestatisticallysignificantandthatnointeractiontermsbetweenthevariableswerestatisticallysignificant.Anincreaseofthethreeindependentvariablesleadstoincreasedwaterflux.Theeffectofthevariablesneedstobetakenintoconsiderationwhenbuildingosmoticplantsascoldertemperaturesathigherlatitudesandlowsaltconcentrationgradientswilldecreasetheefficiencyofanosmoticplant.Highmembranesurfaceareaandassociatedcostalsoneedtobecarefullybalanced.

Effects of the Environmental Pollutant Acrylic Aldehyde on Renal FibrosisSanjana J. RaneduPont Manual High School, Louisville, KY, Kentucky JSHS

Cigarettesmokehasbeenshowntopromoterenalfibrosisbutthedirecteffectsofacrolein(acrylicaldehyde),aconstituentofcigarettesmokehadnotbeendetermined.Heatshockprotein27(Hsp27)isknowntoregulaterenalfibrosisandNuclearFactorErythroidderivedProtein-2(NF-E2)isanovelHsp27bindingprotein.Therefore,Ihypothesizedthatacroleinwillinducerenalfibrosisbyalteringpro-fibroticCTGFexpressionandHK-11cellapoptosisinaNF-E2dependentmanner.HK-11cellswereexposedtovaryingconcentrationsofacrolein(10µM,25µM,50µM)for24hoursandcelllysateswereimmunoblottedwithanti-CTGF,anti-NF-E2,andanti-cleaved-caspase-3antisera.ExposureofHK-11cellstoacroleinsignificantlyinducedCTGFexpressioninadosedependentmannerwithaconcurrentdecreaseinNF-E2expression.IncreasedNF-E2expressionwasdetectedinacroleintreatedHK-11supernatants.Acroleinalsoinducedcaspase-3cleavageandnuclearcondensationindicativeofapoptosis.IncreasingacroleinconcentrationdecreasedHK-11cellviabilityasdocumentedbyMTTreduction.Over-expressionofNF-E2inhibitedCTGFexpressionandpreventedHK-11apoptosisbyinhibitingcaspase-3cleavage.Thus,mystudiesidentifiedNF-E2asnovelregulatorofacrolein-inducedCTGFexpressionandHK-11apoptosis.Therefore,inducersofNF-E2expressionmayserveatherapeuticroleintreatingrenalfibrosis.

44

Louisiana

The Effect of HPV16 on Host Cell Interactions with the Stromal MicroenvironmentCole H. EvenskyCaddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport, LA, Louisiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kris Clements, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

Interactionsbetweentumorsandthesurroundingstromalmicroenvironmentarenowknowntobeimportantincancerprogression,thoughlittleisknownaboutthemandtheyhaveneverbeenstudiedsystematicallyinhumanpapillomavirus-infectedcells.HPVissimilartocancerinthatitformslesionsandevadesimmunedetection.Stromalcells,likehostcells,canmediatelevelsofsignalingproteinsthatcarryoutfunctionsimportanttoviralsurvival.Toobservetheseinteractions,experimentswereconductedtomeasurechangesinsignalingproteinsinnon-infectedandinfectedkeratinocytes,withandwithoutfibroblasts,whichsimulatedastromalmicroenvironment.Thebroadapproachprovidesanswersandknowledgeabouttheseimportantinteractionsforfuturework.InterestingpatternsestablishasubstantialknowledgebaseabouthowstromalcellsinfluenceproductionofsignalingproteinsinHPVimportantforthingslikegrowth,immuneevasion,andangiogenesis.ProteinlevelsledtoobservationoftheNF-kBpathway,amajorimmuneregulator.kB,itsprimaryinhibitor,wasusedinqPCRtostudyhowpathwayactivityrelatedtolevelsofsignalingproteins.WherekBincreased,pro-inflammatorydownstreamtargetsofNF-kBwereinhibited.Inthefuture,theinhibitionoftheNF-kBpathway,implicatedbythisresearch,willbeinvestigatedinrelationtothepathogenesisofHPV16.

Exit Velocity of a Sphere Falling in Narrow TubesNicholas A. LarsenCaddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport, LA, Louisiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Julian Simeonov, Naval Research Laboratory

Understandingthehydrodynamicforcesoccurringduringparticle-particlecollisionsinviscousfluidsfurthersknowledgeinareassuchasindustrialfluidizedbedsandbedloadsedimenttransportation.Afluidizedbedreactorcanconvertsolidfuelssuchasbiomassorcoalintogasorotherliquidfuels,providingabetterenvironmentforprocessessuchascombustion,andresultinginlesspollutionandwaste.Modelingthehydrodynamicsofbedloadsedimenttransporthasapplicationsindredgingshippingchannels,buildingharbors,andpredictingerosion.Theparticle-ladenflowsofcommercialandgeophysicalsignificancearegenerallyturbulent.ADirectNumericalSimulationcollisionmodelcanaccountforthehydrodynamicforcesinaturbulentparticle-ladenflow,butitisveryexpensive,exceedingthecapacityofsuper-computers.Onemethodtoreducethecomputationalcostistousetheoreticalequationsfortheforcesoccurringwhenthegapbetweentwocollidingparticlesisverysmall.Todeterminethebestlaboratorysetupforexperimentstovalidatethesetheoreticalequations,amethodforcontrollingparticletrajectoriesandminimizingparticlerotationwastested.Water,afluidwithlowviscosity,wasfoundtobeunsuitableforcollisionexperiments.Itisrecommendedthatafluidwithahigherviscosity,suchasglycerol,beusedforfutureparticlecollisionexperiments.

45

Factors Influencing Canine Mammary NeoplasiaMorni A. ModiCaddo Magnet High School, Shreveport, LA, Louisiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kris Clements, Caddo Magnet High School

Thepurposeofthisretrospectivestudywastodeterminespecifichostfactorsinfluencingtheprognosisofcaninemammarytumors.Thisresearchisbeingconductedascurrentliteratureisinconclusiveregardingtheassociationbetweenspayingandmammarytumorsindogs.Itwashypothesizedthatintactfemaleswouldhaveincreasedriskofdevelopingmalignantmammarytumorcomparedtospayedfemales.Dataon709dogswithmammarytumorsfrom18differentsiteswerecollectedandanalyzed.Informationpertainingto:breed,dateofbirth,ageatthetimeofdiagnosis,weight,ovarianhysterectomystatus(spaystatus),surgerydate,lengthofstayinclinic,tumortype(benign/malignant),histopathologyresults,andsurvivalstatuswerecollectedonthedogs.Astatisticalanalysiswasperformedtoassessthesignificanceofovarianhysterectomiesonthedevelopmentoftumortype,mortalityandsurvivalrates.Thefindingssuggestthatnobreedismorepronetoacertainhistopathologicalsubtypeoftumor.Spayingfemaledogshasaprotectiveeffectfrombothmalignancyoftumorandmortality.Significantlyloweredmortalityrateswereobservedamongspayeddogsregardlessoftypetumor,malignantorbenign.Resultsalsosuggestthatspayingdogscanleadtoabetterpostsurgicalsurvival.

A Prospective Study of Logarithmic Spirals and HurricanesNeil F. NathanCaddo Magnet High School, Shreveport, LA, Louisiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kris Clements, Caddo Magnet High School

Thepurposeofthisprojectistodetermineifthepitchanglesoflogarithmicspiralsinhurricanescanbeusedtopredicthurricaneintensityprospectivelyandtodetermineiftheexternalpitchanglesaremoreaccuratethantheinternalpitchangles.Thehypothesisisthatthisispossibleusingthepitchanglescaledevisedinapreviousretrospectivestudythatshowedasignificantnegativecorrelation.Logarithmicspiralsweretracedinallhurricanesfromthe2012Atlantichurricaneseason.Pitchanglesweredrawnoneachhurricaneusingboththeexternalandinternallogarithmicspirals.Twopredictionsofultimatehurricaneintensityweremadeforeachhurricaneusingthepitchanglescale.Datawastabulatedandcomparedtoactualhurricaneintensity.StatisticalanalysiswasperformedusingSpearmanRankCorrelationAnalysisandWilcoxonSignedRankTest.Bothofthesetestsyieldedhighlysignificantresults.Thepvaluewas<.01whichisextremelysignificant.Itisconcludedthathurricaneintensitycanbepredictedbyusingthepitchanglescale.Externallogarithmicspiralsprovetobemoreaccuratethantheinternalspirals.Thismethodisveryreliableandsimpleandcanleadtosignificantsavingsintermsoflifeandpropertybyimprovinghurricanepreparedness.

SNAP: A Novel Algorithm for Fast Global Sequence Alignment and Database SearchVenkatesh S. SivaramanCaddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport, LA, Louisiana JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kris Clements, Caddo Parish Magnet High School; Dr. Marjan Trutschl, Louisiana State University at Shreveport

Therehasbeenanexplosionintheamountofgeneticdata(DNAandproteinsequences)availabletobiologistsinthepasttwodecades.Here,anewsequencealignmentalgorithmispresentedthatcomparesgeneticsequencesfasterthanexistingalgorithmswhilemaintainingaccuracy.Thenewalgorithm,calledSegmentedNumericalAlignmentPreprocessing(SNAP),dividesaminoacidsequencesintosmallsegments,thenconvertsthesegmentsintonumbersusinganovelapproximationmethod.Thisapproachsimplifiesthealignmentprocess,allowingmuchfasteranalysisatalower“resolution”thanothermethods.SNAPwastestedalongsidefourotheralgorithms:Needleman-Wunsch(thegoldstandardforaccuracy),simulatedannealing,ageneticmachinelearningalgorithm,andBLAST.Fortwotestdatasets,onecontaining189sequencesandtheotherwith6,724sequences,tenquerysequenceswereprocessedbyeachalgorithmtofindthehighest-scoringalignmentsinthedataset.Intermsofaccuracy,SNAPwassuperiortosimulatedannealingandthegeneticalgorithmandcomparabletoBLAST.Italsoperformedonaverage70timesfasterthanBLAST.Basedonthesefindings,itisproposedthatSNAPisaviablealternativetoBLASTforsearchingtoday’svastsequencedatabases.

46

Maryland

Implementing a Novel Approach for Inferring Haplotypes from Genotype Data while Modeling their Evolution in PopulationsAyush GoyalPoolesville High School, Poolesville, MD, Maryland JSHS

Theabilitytoaccuratelyandefficientlyinferhaplotypes,stringsofsingle-nucleotide-polymorphisms,givengenotypedataopensdoorsforamultitudeofcuresforgeneticallyinheriteddisease.Knowledgeoftheexacthaplotypesoftheindividualsinadiseasecarryingpopulationgiveslighttothespecificmutationsthathavecausedthediseasestooriginate.Distinguishingthesemutationswouldallowscientiststoanalyzetheirbiologicalmechanismsandmoreefficientlyandeffectivelyresolvetreatmentsandcures.However,haplotypeinferencehasbeenacontinuingeffortinoptimizingefficiencyandaccuracy.PreviousalgorithmssuchastheExpectationMaximizationalgorithmandClark’salgorithmhaveusedpurelymathematicalapproachestothecombattheinferenceissue,findinggreatefficiencybutfalteringintermsofaccuracy.ThisresearchproposesanewmethodofinferencewhichintroducesageneticcalculationofcoalescencewithaGibbs-Samplerstatisticalandcombinatoricbasistoimprovetheoverallprocess.Thecoalescencecalculationisessentiallyaprocessineachiterationofthealgorithmthatcheckswhetherornotagivenhaplotypecanexistbyreconstructingtheevolutionarytreeofalloftheknownhaplotypes.Aftertestingthealgorithmthroughmodeledhaplotypedataandstatisticaltests,thenewapproachprovedtobepromisinginitsabilitytoexciserareandnonexistenthaplotypes.Itwasabletonarrowdowntheamountofextraneoushaplotypesinferredineachtest.Thesepropertiesrevealedthatthisnewdirectioniseffectiveinmakingtheinferencemoreaccurate,butitmustcontinuetobeexploredandexpandedupon.

Microglial shape postnatal reward circuits through phagocytosis of presynaptic terminalsIsobel A. HawesScience and Mathematics Academy at Aberdeen High School, Aberdeen, MD, Maryland JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Lindsay De Biase, National Institute on Drug Abuse; Antonello Bonci, National Institute on Drug Abuse

MicrogliaareglialcellsthatwerelongthoughttofunctionmainlyinclearingcellulardebrisfromtheCNS.Duringdevelopment,excesssynapsesareremovedthroughaprocesscalledpruning,butmechanismsunderlyingthisprocessarepoorlydefined.Recentstudiesindicatethatmicrogliainthehippocampus(Paolicelli,2011)andvisualsystem(Schafer,2012)contributetosynapticpruningthroughphagocytosisofsynapses.Iinvestigatedwhethermicrogliaparticipateinpruninginthedevelopingrewardcircuitry,whichregulatesgoal-directedbehaviors.Incontrasttothevisualsystem,microgliainthenucleusaccumbens(NAc)phagocytoseVGlut2+terminalsthroughadolescence.Intheventraltegmentalarea(VTA),pruningtakesplaceoverashorterperiodoftimethantheNAc,butatamuchlatertimepointthanthevisualsystem.Pruningofinhibitorypresynapticinputstakesplaceinadifferentwaythanexcitatoryinputs.IntheNAc,VGATpruningtakespeaksatP22.Thesedatasuggestauniquetimecourseacrossbrainregionsandpopulationsofterminals,whichisanovelfinding.WhenmicrogliaareablatedinmiceatP22,theyshowastrongtrendtowardsanxiety-likebehaviorsanddysfunctionaladdictivebehaviors.Together,thesefindingsprovidethefirstevidenceofmicroglialinvolvementinmaturationoftherewardcircuitry.

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Creating a Synthetic Mitochondrial Genome: Validation of a Lithium Acetate Transformation Technique to Integrate Foreign DNA into Yeast MitochondriaJohn MountainBaltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore, MD, Maryland JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Pamela Meluh, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute; David Nelson, Baltimore Polytechnic Ingenuity Project; Jef Boeke, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute

Thegenomeofanorganism,allofitsDNA,isthedirectorofthecell’ssynthesis.BymodifyingthespecificnitrogenousbasesequencesintheDNA,cellpartscanberedesigned,eliminated,orcreated,allowingforcellandorganismspecializationforsocietalfunctions.AsignificantproblemthatscientistsdealwithinvolvinggenesequenceresearchisthedifficultyofgettingexternalDNAintocellstotestthefunctionalityoftheDNA.ThisprojectfocusesonachemicaltransformationprocedurethatcouldenterforeignDNAintothemitochondriaofyeastcells.AselectablemarkerARG8mwasligatedtoacarrierplasmid.Theparentalstrainofyeast,JMY001-C,lackstheARG8genethatisnecessarytobreakdowncarbonsources.ThechemicaltransformationswerecompletedtoinserttheARG8mmarkerintotheARG8-deficientcells.Thesetransformantswereplatedonplatesthatlackedarginine,sothatARG8deficientcellswoulddieandARG8positivecellswouldgrow.EachplategrewhundredsofARG8positivecells,supportingthatthechemicaltransformationtechniquewassuccessfulandeffectiveininsertingexternalDNAintotheyeastcells.

Control of the Massively Parallel Reliability SystemJerry L. ZhangPoolesville High School, Poolesville, MD, Maryland JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Zakarie Chbili, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Thegatedielectricreliabilityisakeyparameterintheviabilityofmetal-oxide-semiconductorfieldeffecttransistors(MOSFETs).Thecurrentmethodsfortestinggatedielectricsareexpensiveandrequirealargespace.Thisprojectsinvolvesworkingontheimplementationofanewsystemthatwouldallowforthereliabilitytestingofalargenumberofgatestackssimultaneouslyinaparallelfashion.Inadditiontothelargesavingsincostandspace,thesystemwouldallowforcustomizationintestsettingsanddataprocessing.

48

Michigan (Southeastern)

Reflection Functions as Approximants of Chebyshev PolynomialsElla M. FreudenburgKalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center, Kalamazoo, MI, Michigan (Southeastern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Gene Freudenburg, Western Michigan University

ThisprojectexploredtheconnectionbetweenreflectionfunctionsandChebyshevpolynomials.Reflectionfunctionsdescribethelawofreflectionfromphysics,andtheirdefinitionwasasignificantprojectoutcome.Anotherimportantresultwastheproofthat,likeChebyshevpolynomials,thesefunctionscommuteundercomposition.Otherproperties,suchasevenandoddpropertiesandparametrization,paralleledChebyshevpolynomialsaswell;essentially,itwasdeterminedthatreflectionfunctionsare“straight-lineversions”oftheseimportantpolynomials.Inaddition,followingtheworkofCherraultandMora,theprojectshowedthattheplanecurvesdefinedbyreflectionfunctionsareextremelyefficientdensifyingcurves.ByusingMaple16softwareandaphysicalmodel,theresearcherwasabletovisualizeandgaininsightsintoreflectionfunctions.Forexample,inthree-dimensionalspace,thecurvestheyparametrizearepiecewiselinearknots,andtheknottypeisthesameasthatdefinedbythecorrespondingChebyshevpolynomials.Reflectionfunctionshavemanyphysicalandpotentialapplications,mostnotablyincomputerscience.

The Effect of Seed Quality on the Foraging Behavior and Communication in the Black- Capped Chickadee Population.Bethel A. MwenzeKalamazoo Area Math and Science Center, Kalamazoo, MI, Michigan (Southeastern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. John Goudie, Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center; Dr. Sharon Gill, Depart-ment of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University

The“chick-a-dee”callofmanyParidaespeciestheseincludethechickadeesisstructurallycomplexandfunctionsinsocialcohesivenessandinteractions.Literaturesuggeststhatvocalizationsrelatetoawidevarietyofcontexts.TheBlack-cappedchickadeebirdspeciesvocalizescomplexcallswhentheydiscoverfoodsources.Thesecallsfunctiontocontact,recruitandoralertflockmembersaboutanewlyfoundfoodsource.ThisstudytestedtheeffectoffoodsourcequalityontheforagingcallsandhowthataffectedtheforagingbehavioroftheBlack-cappedChickadeepopulation.Byobservingtheinitialcallsmadeandobservingtheforagingbehaviorexhibited.Regardingthecommunicationofthechickadeepopulationthisobservationalfieldstudyfoundthetseetcontactcalltobethemostproducedcalldespitechangeinseedquality.Theforagingbehaviorofthechickadeesdidnotchangeastheseedqualityvariedwhichmakesthisstudycontrastthestudiesinliterature.Sincethisisapreliminarystudy,theresultsarenotconclusive.

49

The Knocking Down of Histone Acetyltransferase MOF is Insufficient to Suppress CGG Repeat-Induced Toxicity in the Fly Model of FXTASSam NatlaOkemos High School, Okemos, MI, Michigan (Southeastern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Fang He, University of Michigan; Peter Todd, University of Michigan; Andrew Moore, Okemos High School

InfragileX-associatedtremor/ataxiasyndrome(FXTAS),moderateCGGrepeatexpansioninthe5’UTRofFMR1leadstoneurodegenerationinhumans.TheisolatedCGGexpansioniscapableofelicitingtoxicityinDrosophila.FXTASiscausedbyelevatedCGGrepeat-containingFMR1transcription.Studiesshowthatelevatedhistoneacetylationbyhistoneacetyltransferases(HATs)isresponsibleforincreasedFMR1mRNAlevels.AcetylationofhistoneproteinsopenschromatinstructureandmakesgenesmoreaccessibletoRNApolymeraseIItostarttranscription.OverexpressionofexpandedCGGrepeatsissuppressedbyhighlevelofhistonedeacetylases(HDACs),showninDrosophila,indicatingthatsimilarhighlevelsofacetylationappearinDrosophila.WeutilizedtheflymodelofFXTAStoexploreanHATpotentiallyresponsibleforCGGrepeattoxicity.WefoundthatadecreaseofoneDrosophilaHAT,MOF,byRNAknockdown(RNAi)wasinsufficienttoreduceCGGrepeattoxicity.UsingqRT-PCR,weconfirmedthedecreaseofMOFgeneexpressioninRNAilinesandnoticedsuchadecreasewasnotabletodecreaseCGGrepeat-containingRNAexpression.Moreover,decreasedMOFexpressioncouldnotsuppressCGGrepeattoxicity.Thus,weareledtobelievethatotherHATsmayberesponsiblefortheincreasedacetylationandexpressionpresentinFXTAS.

The Toxin in Rice- Arsenic in Our Food: Developing a Novel Testing Method and Analyzing Arsenic Levels in RiceAnuush K. VejallaDetroit Country Day Upper School, Beverly Hills, MI, Michigan (Southeastern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr.Hanlan, Detroit Country Day Upper School; John Dougherty, Detroit Country Day Upper School

Theaimoftheprojectistounderstandthecontentofarsenicinriceandtofurnishrecommendationsbasedonstatisticalandexperimentalresultstobothgovernmentsandusersallovertheworld.Arsenicisadeadlytoxinthatleadstocancer,heartproblems,anddeath.Sincethereisnotanypublishedmethodtoquantifythelevelsofinorganicarsenicinrice,anoveltestingmethodwasdevelopedthroughexperimentalandtheoreticalmeans.Theformationofthericegraindependsonthesoil,fertilizer,water,pesticide,andthelocationofcultivation,whichallneedtobeconsideredtounderstandarseniclevelsinrice.Thustoverifyonehypothesis,thatricegrowndomesticallywouldcontainhigherlevelsofarsenicthanricegrowninforeigncountries,ricefromdifferentpartsoftheworldwastested.Anotherhypothesis,thatbrownricewouldhavehigherlevelsofarsenicthanwhiterice,wasverifiedbytestingbrown,black,andwhiterice.ThericehadfourtoninetimestheEPAlimitonarsenicinwater,10ppb.Theresultsshowthatbrownricehashigherlevelsofarsenicthanwhiterice,butthecorrelationbetweenwherethericeisgrownandthelevelofarsenicvaries.

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Functional Network Connectivity and Evoked Responses to Gaze Cueing: Possible Biomarkers to AutismFrank WangTroy High School, Troy, MI, Michigan (Southeastern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mentor - Susan Bowyer, Henry Ford Hospital

Autismisacomplexneurodevelopmentaldisorderthataffectssocialinteractionandcommunication,oftenimpairingindividualsforalifetime.Inthestudy,IusedMagnetoencephalography(MEG),anon-invasivebrainimagingtechnique,toidentifypossiblebiomarkers.Intherestingstatetest,patientslookedatanimagewhilebrainactivitywasrecorded.Intheevokedstatetest,responsestovisualeyegazecueswererecorded.Fortherestingstate,patientswithautismhadanabnormalconcentrationofactivityinthefrontallobewhilecontrolshadactivityconcentratedintheoccipitallobe.Controlsalsohadsignificantlyhighercoherencelevels.Ahighcoherenceindicatesthatthebrainiswellconnectedandcommunicatingwithmanyotherareasofthebrain.Inpatientswithautism,thefrontallobewasunusuallyactive.Thisareaistypicallyusedinhigher-levelcognition.Fortheevokedstudy,autisticshadnoticeablyhigheramplitudesinallregionsusedinthegazecueingprocess.Theseresultssuggestthattheautisticsweremorefocusedonanunknowntask,andusedmorebrainpowertocompleteadecisionintheevokedtasks.Theseregionsofabnormalbrainactivityindicatepossiblebiomarkersforautism.

51

Missouri

Determining the Effects of Oxidizing Graphene on the Efficiency of Dye Sensitized Solar CellsDaniel M. HallCamdenton High School, Camdenton, MO, Missouri JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Reeves, Camdenton High School

Aroundtheworld,theneedfornewformsofenergyisgrowing.Ashydrocarbonbasedformsofenergyarebecomingmoreexpensivefortheaverageconsumertobeabletoaffordpurchase,aneedforalternativeenergysourceshasrisen.OnesuchalternativeformofenergythatisbeingproposedisthatofDyeSensitizedSolarCells(DSSC).Muchresearchhasbeendonetoincreasetheefficiencyofthesecells;howeverresearchpertainingtooxidizinggrapheneinDSSCshasnotbeenextensivelyexplored.Thepurposeofthispaperistoexperimentandinvestigatetheeffectsofoxidizinggrapheneanditsefficiencycomparedtoplatinumandnon-oxidizedgraphene.Theoxidizedsolarcellscontainedgraphenethathadbeenoxidizedatseveraltimeintervals.Thiswastoexaminethedifferencesofefficiencyasthegraphenewasslowlyoxidized.Thecontrolgroupsthatwereusedtocomparetheoxidizedgraphenetowerethreesetsofregularnon-oxidizedgraphenecells,andthreeplatinumbasedcells.Resultsfromthisexperimentindicatethatoxidizinggrapheneusingheatdidnotimproveefficiencyofthecell.Thisisshownbythedropinvoltageasthegraphenewasoxidizedattheten,twenty,andthirtyminutemarks.

The Impact of Inclusion Programs for High School Students with and without Special NeedsKatherine E. HufkerLindbergh High School, St. Louis, MO, Missouri JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kimberley Dailey, Lindbergh High School; Megan Roegner, Lindbergh High School

Thisprojectsoughttoinvestigatetheimpactofaninclusionprogramwherestudentswithandwithoutdevelopmentaldisabilitieseatlunchtogethertwiceaweekonthesocialskillsandmentalwell-beingofthestudentswithdevelopmentaldisabilitiesandthetypicallydevelopingstudents’attitudestowardsspecialneeds.Scoreswereobtainedatthebeginningoftheschoolyearandaftersixweeksofparticipationornointervention.AsmeasuredusingtheAutismSpectrumQuotientQuestionnaire,therewaslittleimprovementinsocialskills,althoughthecontrolgroupshowedagreaterimprovementonthecommunicationsubscale(p=.016).AsmeasuredusingGoodman’sStrengthsandDifficultiesQuestionnaire,thecontrolgroupimprovedmoreontheemotionalsubscale(p=.029).Theinterventiongroupdidshowagreaterdecreaseinpeerproblems,butitwasnotstatisticallysignificant(p>.05).Finally,thenon-disabledpeersimprovedmorethanthecontrolgrouponthreeoffourfactorsoftheAttitudesTowardIntellectualDisabilityQuestionnaire,withasignificantdifference(p=.007)forknowledgeofcapacityandrights.Futureresearchshouldutilizealongerinterventionperiod.Thisresearchsupportsthatinclusionprogramsincreasethenon-disabledstudents’knowledgeofthecapacityofthosewithspecialneedsandmaydecreasepeerproblemsforthosewithspecialneeds.

52

Investigation of Enantioselective Solvation of Chiral &#945;-hydroxyphosphonates by Cinchona Alkaloids by Nuclear Magnetic Resolution SpectroscopyJohn L. O’KeefeMaplewood Richmond Heights, St. Louis, MO, Missouri JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Bruce Hamper, University of Missouri St. Louis; Kathleen Dwyer, Maplewood Rich-mond Heights

NuclearMagneticResonance(NMR)spectroscopywasusedtoobservethemolecularinteractionsbetweenchirala-hydroxyphosphonateestersandcinchonaalkaloids(quinineandquinidine).Evaluationofcinchonaalkaloidsasselectivechiralsolvatingagents(CSAs)forenantiomerica-hydroxyphosphonateswasdeterminedbymeasurementofthechemicalshiftofthephosphorusinthe31P-NMRspectra.Changesinchemicalshiftoftheenantiomericphosphonateestersweremeasuredrelativetotheconcentrationofthecinchonaalkaloids.DeterminationofthebindingconstantsKforeachphosphonateenantiomerwiththeCSAwasdeterminedbyevaluationofNMRtitrationdatausingadoubleinversionplot.Differencesinbindingenergyofthetwodiastereomericsolvatesweredetermineddirectlyfromthebindingconstants.

The Effect of Aging on the Differentiation Potentials of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal ProgenitorsOlivia LongJohn Burroughs School, Saint Louis, MO, Missouri JSHS

Amaincauseforage-dependentosteoporosisisdecreasedosteoblastnumberandfunction.However,itisnotclearwhetherthedeficiencyarisesfromintrinsicdefectsinprogenitorsorchangesinthebonemarrowmicroenvironment.Thepresentstudyutilizesbonemarrowprogenitorsfrommicetoinvestigateosteoblastdifferentiation.Furthermore,sincemorefatisobservedinthemarrowofolderpeople,Ihypothesizethatcellsfromoldermicedifferentiatelessefficientlyintoosteoblastsandmoreefficientlyintoadipocytes.Bonemarrowprogenitorcellsfrommiceaged2,5,12and24monthswereculturedinspecificmediatodifferentiatethemintoeitheradipocytesorosteoblasts.Stainingforalkalinephosphataseactivity,amarkerforosteoblasts,revealedthatcellsfromthe24-old-monthmiceshowedthegreatestextentofdifferentiation.qPCRforotherosteoblastmarkersconfirmedthisfinding.Moreover,qPCRanalysesforadipocytemarkersdidnotdetectanobviousincreaseinadipocytedifferentiationwithage.Therefore,bonemarrowprogenitorsfromtheoldestmicewerenotintrinsicallydeficientinosteoblastdifferentiation,norweretheymorepronetoadipocytedifferentiation.Thus,extrinsicfactorsmaybeamaindeterminantforage-dependentosteoporosis.

Generating And Computing Perfect Phylogenies Using Saturated ChainsEzra Umen and Yang LiuLadue Horton Watkins High School, Ladue, MO, Missouri JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: John Pais, Ladue Horton Watkins Highschool; James Umen, Danforth Plant Science Center

Aphylogenetictreeisarootedtreeinwhicheachcharacterlabelsexactlyoneedge(oronevertex)ofthetreeandeachtaxonisrepresentedbyauniquepathtoexactlyoneleafofthetree.Givenacollectionofcharactersandtaxa,thePerfectPhylogenyProblemistodeterminewhetherornotthereisaphylogenetictreethatfaithfullyrepresentsthisdata.Insteadofthestandardapproachusing0-1matrices,thispaperrecaststheproblemintermsofpartialordersofsetsofattributes(characters).Usingsaturatedchainsofsetsofattributes,aPhylogenyRepresentationTheoremisprovedforperfectphylogenies,andaPhylogenyEquivalenceTheoremisproveddemonstratingtheequivalencebetweenthesaturatedchainapproachandthestandardrepresentation.Furthermore,severalinterestingcombinatorialresultsusingStirlingNumbersandgeneratingfunctionsareprovedinanattempttoenumeratethenumberofpossible(extended)perfectphylogenies.Anothergoalofthisworkisthecomputationaltestingandvisualizationofphylogenetictrees.UsingLSDradixsort,versionsofGusfield’salgorithmsareimplementedintheJavaprogramminglanguageinordertocomputationallydeterminewhetherasetofattributes/traitscanformaperfectphylogeny,andiftheycan,howtoconstructthisperfectphylogeny.

53

Determining the Behavioral Response of Drosophila melanogaster to Blue Light (470nm) as a Wake Enhancing StimulusSydney L. ZuraskiCamdenton High School, Camdenton, MO, Missouri JSHS

Findingtimetosleepisbecomingstrenuous.Aphotopigmentintheeyewasdiscoveredtoberesponsibleforreactingtolight(Benowitz,2001).Technologyoutputslargeamountsofbluewavelengthsthroughscreens.(Cajochen,2011).Withbluewavelengthshypothesizedtoaffectourcircadianpatterns,useoftechnologyispotentiallyinitiatinglongerwakefulnessperiodswithaloweramountofmelatoninproduced.Bluewavelengthscouldplayavitalroleinthefutureinprovidingwakefulness.Thisexperimentattemptedtodeterminethebehavioraleffectsofbluewavelengthsaswakeenhancingstimuli.Atestingunitwascreatedwherebluelightandvisiblelightwereexposedtofruitflies.Fruitflieswerechosenduetotheirsimilaritiesinmammaliansleep(Cirelli,2006).Theseparatedchambersdisallowedlighttoescapefromindividualunits.Photosweretakenattimedintervalsofthefruitfliesdocumentingtheireffectstothewavelengths.Bluelighthadasignificant(p<0.05)effectonfruitflieswhenprovidingincreasedactivity.Resultsindicatethatexposuretobluelightcouldpossiblyplayanimportantroleinourliveswhenincorporatedinsituationswherewakefulnessiscrucial.Bluelightscouldrevolutionizenightshifts,andcollectedresultscouldinformpeopleofthepossibleeffectsofbluelight.

54

New Jersey (Monmouth)

Creating an Accurate Analytical Tool for the Efficiencies of Various Fuel CellsAdedayo R. GbadamosiMarine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, Manahawkin, NJ, New Jersey (Monmouth) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. John Wnek, Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science

Fuelcellsareelectrochemicaldevicesthatconvertchemicalenergyintoelectricitythroughachemicalreactionwithoxygenoranotheroxidizingagent.However,becauseofthedrasticvarietyinfueluse,analyticaltoolsusedtodeterminefuelcellefficienciesareoftengeneralizedacrossallfuelcells,thusrenderingtheminaccurate.Thisprojectdetailsthefabricationofananalyticaltoolusedtoaccuratelydeterminetheefficienciesofavarietyoffuelscells.Inaddition,theprojectdescribestheassessmentandcomparisonoftheefficienciesofvariousfuelcells.Subsequently,efficiencywascalculatedbytheratioofoutputreactionenergytoinputreactionenergy.Furthermore,thisstudycomparedtheefficienciesofthetwodifferentfuelcellsaswellasfoundacorrelationbetweenmethanolfuelconcentrationandfuelcellefficiencyforthedirectmethanolfuelcell(DMFC).TheresultsofthisresearchindicatethattheDMFCissignificantlymoreefficientthanaprotonexchangemembranefuelcell(PEMFC),andefficienciesofvariousfuelcellscanbemoreaccuratelydeterminedintheenergyindustrythroughthefabricationofamorepreciseanalyticaltool.Theresultsofthisprojectwillhelpreformtheenergyindustryincreatingmoreefficientsourcesofenergybothnationallyandglobally.

Investigating the Therapeutic Mechanism of Angiogenin in Alzheimer’s DiseaseSang Hyun KimBergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ, New Jersey (Monmouth) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Donna Leonardi, Bergen County Academies

InvestigatingtheTherapeuticMechanismofAngiogenininAlzheimer’sDiseaseSangHyunKimBergenCountyAcademies,Hackensack,NewJerseyMentor:Mrs.DonnaLeonardi,BergenCountyAcademiesAngiogenin,apotentagonistofneovascularization,hasbeenimplicatedinthepathogenesisofvariousneurodegenerativedisorders,includingParkinson’sdisease(PD)andamyotrophiclateralsclerosis(ALS).ArecentstudyhasshownthattheserumlevelofangiogeninisdirectlycorrelatedwiththecognitivefunctionsofpatientswithAlzheimer’sdisease(AD),suggestingthatangiogeninmayplayaroleinADaswell.However,itsmechanismofaction,independentofitsregulatoryeffectsonneovascularization,isunknown.UsinganinvitromodelsystemofAD,thisstudyidentifiedapossiblemechanismofactionofangiogenininvolvingboththelevelofphosphorylatedtauandbeta-amyloid(Aß)production,eachofwhichplayacriticalroleintheprogressionofthedisease.ExogenousangiogeninreducedtauphosphorylationandAßproductionwithstatisticalsignificance(p<0.05),byregulatingtheactivitiesofAKTandglycogensynthasekinase3ß(GSK3ß).Theseresultsprovidenewinsighttoangiogenin’spotentialasaviablemulti-targetedtherapeuticagentforAD.

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The Cellular Pathways Mediating the Anti-Tumor Effects of Paeonia suffruticosa on Human Breast Cancer CellsDongyeon KimBergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ, New Jersey (Monmouth) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Donna Leonardi, Bergen County Academies

ExtractsofPaeoniasuffruticosa,traditionallyusedinChineseherbalmedicine,havedemonstratedanti-tumor,anti-inflammatoryandanalgesiceffectsofunknownmechanisms.ThepresentinvestigationstudiedandelucidatedpotentialapoptoticmechanismsofaqueousextractofP.suffruticosa(0.3-8mg/mL)ontriplenegativebreastcancercells(MDA-MB-231).Analysisofcellviabilityrevealedabiphasicdose-responsewithproliferationatlowconcentrations(<0.6mg/mL)anddecreasedviabilityathighconcentrations(p<0.01).IL-6,IL-2,andTNF-alphasecretionlevelswereinverselyrelatedtoviability(p<0.05).CellcyclearrestatG0/G1wasdemonstrated.IL-24,atumorsuppressorprotein,increasedathighconcentrations(p<0.05),indicatingasignificantcellularmechanism.ThedecreaseinBcl-2:Baxratio(p<0.01)indicatedtheinductionofapoptosis.FasLigandproductionandcaspase9secretionlevelsdemonstratedanintrinsicmechanismofaction(p<0.05).ThereductionofpAKT(p<0.05)suggestedthemechanismofcelldeaththroughJNK1/2pathway.WhenevaluatedbyHPLC,resultsrevealedpenta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose(PGG),benzoicacidandpaeonolastheactiveconstituents.TheireffectsonviabilityshowedthatPGGandpaeonolmaybetheactiveingredientspromptingapoptosis.P.suffruticosaandPGGhasaselectiveeffectoncancercellsdemonstratedthroughitseffectonviabilityinkeratinocytes.P.suffruticosamightbeapromisingagentfortriplenegativebreastcancertreatmentorasanadjuncttoconventionaltherapies.

An Analysis of Tweets for the Presidential DebatesKunal V. SinghHigh Technology High School, Lincroft, NJ, New Jersey (Monmouth) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Michael T. Roche, High Technology High School

The2012U.S.presidentialelection,peopleusedTwittertorespondtothepresidentialdebates.GivenTwitter’s140-characterlimit,werepeopleabletorespondinanymeaningfulway?Mynullhypothesiswasthattherewasnocorrelationbetweenthenumberoftimesacandidatementionedatopicduringadebateandthenumberoftweetshereceivedaboutthattopic.Icollectedover2milliontweetsandthetranscriptsforthethreepresidentialdebatesheldinOctober2012.Iconstructedasetoftopicsbasedonthecontentdiscussedinthedebates.Ananalysisofthenumberofmentionsofatopicinthefirsttwodebatesbyacandidateandthenumberofmentionsofthattopicinthetweetsforthatcandidateshowsthattheyarepositivelycorrelated(Spearman’scoefficient:.8177)withap-value<0.0001,rejectingthenullhypothesis.Further,usingthefirsttwodebatesasthetrainingsetandthethirddebateasatestset,Idesignedpredictorsthatwillpredictthenumberoftweetsforatopicgiventhenumberofmentionsofthattopic.Myworkhelpstounderstandpeople’sresponsetothe2012presidentialdebatesandhasapplicationsinpredictingirregularactivityonTwitter.

Development and Analysis of a Double Displacement Method to Detect Nitrates, Sulfates, and Phosphates.Tony ZhengMarine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, Manahawkin, NJ, New Jersey (Monmouth) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: John Wnek, MATES Academy; Datta Naik, Monmouth University

Waterisvitalforlife,therefore,maintainingthehealthofourwaterisessential.Nutrientsareconsideredamajorthreattothehealthofwaterbodiesworldwide.Therearenumerousmethodsestablishedtodetectfornutrients;however,manyofthemareextremelycostlypertest,qualitative,takea2hourperiodorlonger,and/oraredifficulttofundforlongperiodsoftime.Thisstudyincludesthedevelopmentandevaluationofanovelmethodtodetectnutrients.Toassessthenovelmethod,SO2,NO,andPO3ionsweretestedandcompared.Forty-sixwatersamplesweregatheredfromtheMetedeconkRiver,NJandaBrickMUA,NJtapwatersource.SamplesweretestedusingthenovelmethodagainstaLaMotteSMART2Colorimeter.ResultswerethencomparedtotheBrickMUA’sstatelabtestmethods.Resultssuggestthatthenovelmethodwassixtimesmoreaccurateandover3,000timemorecostefficientcomparedtotheColorimeter.TheresultswerealsosignificantlysimilarastheBrickstatelaboratoryresultswithlesscost($0.005/testvs$50.00/test).Overall,resultssuggestthatthenovelmethodcouldbeapossiblemethodtodetectnutrientspresentinwaterbodies.

56

New Jersey (Northern)

Characterization of Nitrogen Plasma Treated and Amide Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Enhanced Photothermal ApplicationsAditya BalajiBergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ, New Jersey (Northern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Jean Patrick Antoine, Rutgers University

Multi-walledcarbonnanotubes(MWCNTs)canphotothermallykillcancercellsowingtotheirstrongabsorptioninthenear-infrared(NIR)region,thusavertingsomeofthesideeffectsofcurrentcancertreatments.Nitrogen-dopedMWCNTsviachemicalvapordepositionhavebeensuggestedasgoodcandidatesforhighNIRabsorption,butmassproductionofthesecouldbecost-prohibitive.Inthisstudy,alternativemethodsofincorporatingnitrogenintoMWCNTswereattemptedusingnitrogenplasmaandamidefunctionalization.NIRspectroscopyofnitrogenplasmaMWCNTsshowedapronouncedabsorptionpeakat959nm,whichcanbeattributedasathirdovertoneC≡Nstretch,whileamidefunctionalizedMWCNTsrevealedtheircharacteristicN-Hstretchingovertonefrom900nmtothevisiblerange.InordertoinvestigatethecorrelationbetweenNIRabsorptionandtemperatureincrease,threedifferentMWCNTs(nitrogenplasmatreated,amidefunctionalized,andplain;alldispersedinwaterandsurfactantat1mg/mLconcentration)wereexposedtobroadbandNIRradiationwhiletheirtemperaturesweremonitoredover15minutes.ThenitrogenplasmaMWCNTsgeneratedastatisticallysignificantincreaseintemperaturecomparedtoothers.TheresultssuggestthatnitrogenplasmatreatedMWCNTscancoupleenergymoreefficiently,andwarrantmorefutureinvestigation.NitrogenplasmatreatedMWCNTsmayprovetobekeyfactorinmakingphotothermaltherapyamorecost-effectiveandviableoptionforcancerpatients.

Development of a Novel, Safe Method for In Vitro Re-creation of the Tooth Enamel LayerLaura Beth FultonEgg Harbor Township High School, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, New Jersey (Northern) JSHS

Centeringontheinnovativeconceptofprovidingare-createdenamellayer,Iestablishedaviable,enamelsolutionwithabiologicallycompatiblebondingagent.Toothenamelprotectsunderlyingdentinagainstdentalcariesanderosionwhichpermanentlyexposeteethtodeterioration.Ameloblasts,cellsthatmaketoothenamel,areinertaftermatureenamelformation;nocurrentmethodshaveprovensuccessful,safeorcosteffectivetore-formtheenamellayeroncedamaged.Replicatingenamel’sstructureandbondprovesdifficult;enamel’scomposition-hydroxyapatite(HA),easilysynthesized,isachalkywhitepowderwithoutbondingability.Hypothesis:throughdevelopmentofanovelenamelsolutionusingabiologicallycompatiblebondingagent,artificialenamelcanbecreatedandappliedinsimulatedinvitroconditionsandassessedtodetermineefficacy.Chemicalcharacterizationandadherencetoteethwasdetermined:X-raydiffractionidentifiedchemicalcomposition;Microleakagetestsrevealedenamelbonddurabilityequivalenttonaturalenamel’s;VickersHardnessconcludedenamelanddentinbondstructurerivalstrue,naturalenamel;SEManalysisrevealedrod-bondedstructuresidenticaltonaturalenamel’s.Adherenceof30secondswhenphotoionized:decreasesbacterialinfectionrisk,increasesmicroleakageresistance.Thehypothesiswassupported.Re-createdenamelshieldsteethagainstcavities,providesinsulationtotemperature,protectsteethindailyuse,andimprovesoverallhealth.

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Visible Hertz-level optical beatsJiyoun J. HaTenafly High School, Tenafly, NJ, New Jersey (Northern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Helen Coyle, Tenafly High School; Professor Tanya Zelevinsky, Columbia Univer-sity

Toillustratethewavenatureoflight,physicsinstructorsareoftenlimitedtostaticdemonstrationsofalightinterferencepattern.Thisnovelprojectpresentsalecturehalldemonstrationofthewavelikenatureoflightcreatingavisiblebeatseffect.WhilethedemonstrationofvisibleHertz-levelopticalbeatshasbeenwrittenaboutbefore,thisstudypresentsanewdesignwherethedemonstrationwasbuiltsimply,compactly,andrelativelyinexpensivelybyusingopticalcomponentscommonlyfoundinmanylaserphysicslabswithouttheuseandexpenseofaphotodetector.AninterferometerintheMach-Zehnderconfigurationwasconstructedandmodifiedtoincorporateanacousto-opticmodulatorineachofthelegs.Theacousto-opticmodulatorDoppler-shiftsthefrequencyofincominglightbyscatteringphotonsfrommovingdiffractiongratingformedbyradiofrequency(RF)-inducedtravelingpressurewavesinacrystal,causingafrequencyshiftexactlyequaltoachosenRFdrivefrequencywhichwasaroundthevisible1Hz.Thisinterferometeralsoprovidesastrikingillustrationoflight’swavenatureasitstwoprojectionsareexactlyoutofphase.Thisdemonstrationwasconstructed,tested,andshowntobeaconvenientclassroomdemonstrationofopticalbeatfrequency,whichisrarelyseenoutsideaspecializedphysicslab.

Resistance of Long-Term Survival Phase Cells to Oxidative StressPaige HammellMontville Township High School, Montville, NJ, New Jersey (Northern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Salazar, Montville Township High School

RecentstudieshaveshownthatListeriabacteriaenterintoalong-termsurvival(LTS)phasewhennutrientsintheirenvironmentaredepleted.IthasalsobeenshownthatinthisLTSphase,Listeriaareresistanttomanyenvironmentalstresses,suchastemperatureandpressurestresses.TheobjectiveofmyresearchwastodetermineifLTSphasecellsofListeriaInnocua(LI)aremoreresistanttooxidativestressthanlogandstationaryphasecells.LIcellswereincubatedat35degreesCelsiusuntilthecellshadreachedlog,stationary,andLTSphase,thenweretreatedwithvariousconcentrationsofhydrogenperoxide(0.5%and1%)for30minutes.Contrarytoexpectations,LTSphasecellswerenotmoreresistanttothehydrogenperoxide;bothLTSandlogphasecellswerehighlysusceptibletothehydrogenperoxide.Interestingly,theseresultsindicatethatstationary,notLTS,phasecellswerethemostresistanttooxidativestress.

A New Fibonacci-Like Sequence Of Composite NumbersJaesung SonRidgewood High School, Ridgewood, NJ, New Jersey (Northern) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dan Ismailescu, Hofstra University

Anintegersequence(xn)n_0issaidtobeFibonacci-likeifitsatisfiesthebinaryrecurrencerelation

xn=xn–1+xn–2;n≥2.

In1960,Grahamprovedthatthereexistrelativelyprimepositiveintegersx0andx1suchthatthesequence(xn)n≥0definedbytherecurrenceabovecontainsnoprimenumbers:x0andx1have33and34digits,respectively.Graham’sconstructionwasgraduallyrefinedbyKnuth,Wilf,NicolandVsemirnov;thecurrentrecordisx0=106276436867,x1=35256392432,andwasfoundbyVsemirnovin2004.

Thecommonfeatureofalltheaboveconstructionsistheexistenceofafinitesetofprimes{p1;p2,…,pt}suchthatforeverypositiveintegern,thereexistsani∈ {1,2,,…,t}withxn_0(modpi).Wesaythat{p1,p2,…,pt}isacoveringsetforthesequence(xn)n≥0.

InthispaperweconstructaFibonacci-likesequenceofcompositenumbersforwhichsuchafinitecoveringsetdoesnotappeartoexist.

58

New Mexico (Southwest)

Phase IV: Revisiting Quorum Sensing and Investigating Bioluminescent Fluctuation in Marine DinoflagellatesSarah R. DalloAlbuquerque School of Excellence, Albuquerque, NM, New Mexico (Southwest) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Fahri Arik, Albuquerque School of Excellence

ProblemStatement

PartA.)Isitpossibleforisolatedgroupsofdinoflagellatestorespondtoflashesfromotherdinoflagellatesincloseproximity?

PartB.)Doeslimitinglightexposuretoanarrowbandwidthimpacttheluminosityofmarinedinoflagellates?

Hypothesis

PartA.)Dinoflagellateswillrespondtoeachother’sglowbecauseofobservationsinpreviousexperimentation.

PartB.)Changestothebandwidthoflightwillaffectthenormalglowfunctionindinoflagellates.Thelightwithashorterwavelengthwillmakethedinoflagellatesglowwithagreaterintensitybecausebluelightisthefrequencythattheynaturallyproduce.

Results

PartA.)P.lunulareactedtobothP.fusiformisandP.noctiluca.However,P.fusiformisandP.noctilucadidnotreactwitheachother.

PartB.)Longerwavelengthsproducebrighterglowindinoflagellates.BothredandgreenLED’sproducedgreaterintensity.

Conclusion

PartA.)Mydataconcludedthatdinoflagellatesrespondtoflashingfromotherspecies.

PartB.)Dinoflagellatesexposedtolongerwavelengthsincreasedluminosity.GreenLED’sproducedahigherluminosity,whichmaybeduetochlorophyllindinoflagellates.

New Generation of Hydrogen Storage Materials: From Synthesis to System IntegrationKathryn M. HarrisRio Rancho High School, Rio Rancho, NM, New Mexico (Southwest) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Robert Keeney

NewGenerationofHydrogenStorageMaterials:FromSynthesistoSystemIntegrationThepurposeofthisprojectistoseeifaMOF(MetalOrganicFramework)andCNT(Carbon-nanoTube)hybridmaterialfoundinscientificliteraturecanbereplicatedinordertostorehydrogen.IworkedalongsideDr.AlexeySerovformorethan48hoursinthelab.UNMprovidedknowledgeofsynthesisofCNTswhichgaveparameterstocomparemyproductto(40-70nm).Synthesisbeganwithaprocessofgrindingsilicaandcarbon.ProducingMOFswasmorecomplicatedinthatironandsilicawerecombinedaspowder.ThenDMFwasadded,butevaporationoccurredsoacondenserwasutilized.CNTandMOFmaterialswerethengroundtogether.Icaptureddetailedpictures(usingaScanningElectronMicroscope)demonstratingshapeandsizeofeachsample;MOFandCNTsseparatelyandcombined.AccordingtoSigma-Aldrich,myMOFs(110.8855sq.m/g)wasalittlelower,butwasexpected,thentheirfindings(~150sq.m/g).MyCNTswereinbetweenUNMparametersat50nm.Thesedatasuggestthetheoreticalstorageofhydrogen.Ifbothproductscanseparatelystorehydrogenatthosemeasurements,thenthehybridmaterialcouldabsorbsandreleasehydrogenefficientlyasafuel.

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Humidity vs. Radiation DetectionSean P. PalmerSanta Teresa High School, Santa Teresa, NM, New Mexico (Southwest) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Alicia Stevens, Santa Teresa High School

Anionizationchamberindirectlydetectsradiationviathemeasurementofionspresentintheairbycollectingionpairsandregisteringvoltage.Theproblemwithionchambersisthetendencyforinaccuracywhenexposedtohumidity.Thepurposeofthisprojectistotesttheeffectivenessoftheionchamberundervaryingdegreesofrelativehumidityinanefforttofindthetruereadingonahumidday.Accuracyinthedeviceisfundamentallycrucialtomaintainsafetyprecautions.Myhypothesiswasthatthegreaterthehumidity,thelowerthemeasurementwouldregisteronthemultimeter.Thetakenproceduresincludedmakingtheionchamber,makingthehygrometertoreadhumiditylevels,andtakingreadingsunderdifferentconditions.TwotrialsutilizedtheradioactiveisotopeAmericium-241,andanothertwotrialsutilizednaturalbackgroundradiation.Myhypothesiswassupportedineachtrial,namelytrial1inwhichtherelativehumidityrisesfrom23%to51%andthevoltagesdropfrom0.1to.044volts.Inenvironmentalsciences,thisprojectprovidesawaytofindthetruevoltagemeasurementonahumiddayandmaintaintheaccuracyaftermakinguseofpercenterrorcalculationsandexperimentalvoltagemeasurements.

Sound as Energy: pluggeDINMelanie B. SchneiderV. Sue Cleveland High School, Rio Rancho, NM, New Mexico (Southwest) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Angelica Lopez, V. Sue Cleveland High School

Duetotheworld’sincreasingpowerdemand,alternativesourcesneedtobedeveloped.Thisprojectwasengineeredwiththehopesofobtainingausableelectricalchargefromsoundwiththeintentionsofestablishinganotheralternativeenergy.Microphones,whichtransduceacousticenergytoanelectricsignal,wereusedtocapturethispower.Piezoelements,usedincontactmicrophonestoconvertpressuretoelectricity,wereconnectedinseriesandplacedatafocalpointofanellipticalstructuretonaturallyamplifythesoundavailableandtransducethissoundbasedpressure.Dynamicmicrophones,whichproduceachargewhenadiaphragmmovesacoilthroughamagneticfield,werealsousedinanattempttotransducesound.Theintentionofthisprojectwasmet,inthatvoltageswereproducedfromsound;however,theamountgeneratediscurrentlyindicativeofaninefficientsourceofpower.Inordertoproduceausablecharge,soundmustbefurtheramplified,aswellasthecurrentitproduces.Onalargerscale,withgreaterresources,theenergyofsoundcouldbeamplified,utilized,andelectrified.Itremainshopefulthatwecouldonedayplugintodin.

Measuring the Wave Function of a Quantum SystemKatherine A. SchneiderV. Sue Cleveland High School, Rio Rancho, NM, New Mexico (Southwest) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Ms. Angelica Lopez, V. Sue Cleveland High School

MeasuringtheWaveFunctionofaQuantumSystem,KatherineA.Schneider,V.SueClevelandHighSchool,RioRancho,NM;Sponsor:Ms.AngelicaLopezThetime-independentSchrödingerequation,whensolved,producesawavefunctionofferinginformationaboutaparticle’spositionvalues.Byapplyingthiswavefunctiontothefinitesquarewellconcept,it’spossibletopredictvaluesafterasingleparticleislocalized.Asresultsofotherstudiesmademequestionthepredictabilityofwavebehaviorsunderthewell,thegoalsofthisprojectaretodevelopawavesimulationundersetconditions,analyzinghowchangingconditionsaffectwavepatterns.Todothis,IusedaMicrosoftExcelspreadsheetcreatingthreedifferentfinitesquarewellmodels.Eachscenarioproducedawavefunctioninonedimensionwiththeenergy,differentialdistancestepvalue,anddepthofeachwellmanipulated.Numericalandgraphicalrepresentationsshowthewavebehaviorscorrelatingwiththeenergydifferenceofthesystemproducingpositionprobabilitiesforthewavefunctions.Thisyieldsthatwavestendedtoexistclosetotheirgroundstatesandcouldbefoundoutsideoffinitebarriersastheyreachedthewellwall(π)withverylowprobabilities.Thisvalidatesconsistentwavesunderspecificconstraintswithinawell,andtheabilitytopredictdiscretevaluesbasedonit.Futureresearchwillincludethestudyofquantumtunneling.

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Air-Baked Glass for Ultra-High VacuumMary C. SpanjersEast Mountain High School, Sandia Park, NM, New Mexico (Southwest) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Matthew Squires, Air Force Research Labratories

Beforeglasscanbeusedinavacuum,themoleculesmustberemovedfromthesurfaceoftheglassthroughtheprocessofoutgassing.However,whenmolecules,mostofwhicharewater,aredeeplyembeddedintheglasstheytakemuchlongertodiffusefromtheglass.Byairbakingglassbeforeoutgassingitmoreoftheseembeddedmoleculesmayberemoved.Thisexperimentinvolvedair-bakingglassathighertemperaturesbeforeenteringtheglassintoanoutgassingprocedurewithinavacuumchamber.Datacollecteddemonstratedadecreaseinthelevelsofwatermoleculesintheglasswhichhadbeenairbakedovertheglasswhichhadnotbeenairbaked.Inadditionairbakingperiodsof1to2dayswillproducetheimprovedresultsduringpumpdown.

Art, Personality, and the Mind: The Effect of Personality Type on the Liking of ArtSierra VenegasRio Rancho High School, Rio Rancho, NM, New Mexico (Southwest) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Miyashiro

Thepurposeofthisexperimentwastodetermineifpersonalitytypeaffectsthelikingofrepresentationalart.UsingtheNEOfive-factorpersonalitytest,Iwasabletotest35right-handedfemalesbetweentheagesof15-17.IhypothesizedthatthesubjectswithOpennesstoExperience,Agreeableness,andConscientiousnesswouldhavethehighestaverageratings.Ithendidacontrolledsurveytofindtheiraverageratingof25figurative/representationalimages.ThedatashowedthatthesubjectswithO-typesofpersonalityratedtheimageshigher(7.147).Theotherpersonalitytypesareasfollows:A(6.713),N(6.18),C(5.7),andE(5.36).TheANOVAp-valuewas0.039,makingtheseaveragesdifferwithpersonalitytypes.IconcludedthatthesubjectswiththeO-typepersonalityhadahigherratingoftherepresentationalartbecausetheyenjoythingsthatleadtocreative/intellectualadvancement.ThosewiththeC-typedidnothavethehighestratingasexpected,duetotheagerange.ItcanbeassumedusingresultsofpaststudiesthatsubjectswiththeO-typepersonalityhavehigheractivityintheleftcingulatedsulcus,bilateraloccipitalgyri,fusiformgyrus,andcerebellum.E-typepersonalitieshaveloweractivityinthecaudatenucleusandputamen.Possibleresearchapplicationsincludeimplementingmoreefficienttherapyforpatientswithdisordersintheabovelistedareasofthebrain.Byshowingpatientsdifferenttypesofartwork,youcanpotentiallystrengthencertainpartsoftheirbrain.Inthefuture,IwouldliketodoasimilarexperimentwithMRIscansandmoresubjects.

61

New York (Long Island)

A Practical Notification System to Identify Incoming Sudden Ionospheric DisturbancesAnthony R. BisulcoCommack High School, Commack, NY, New York (Long Island) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Richard Kurtz, Commack High School; Lorraine Solomon, Commack High School; Fred Kruger, Kruger Inc.

Solarflares,whicharethesuddenreleaseofhigh-energyparticlesfromthesun,areathreattoourvitalcommunicationandpowernetworksbecausetheyhavetheabilitytodisablethesesystems.Inthisinvestigationamethodtominimizethisthreatwasdevelopedandevaluated.ThecentralaspectofthismethodwascreatingasolarflareearlydetectionsystembasedonidentifyingthecharacteristicsofasolarflarethroughitseffectonVeryLowFrequency(VLF)radiosignalpropagation.WhenasolarflarehitstheionosphereitincreasesthereflectivityoftheDlayeroftheionosphere.ThiscausestheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)wavesthatpropagatethroughtheatmospheretoreflectwithattenuation.Therefore,ahighamplitudeVLFsignalcouldindicateasolarflare.ThedetectionandwarningsystemconsistedofconstructingandusingaloopantennathatdetectstheVLFwaves,apreamplifierandsoundcard,andMATLABRasoftwareprogramusedforwritingthecodethatprocessesthesignalandidentifiesthepotentialsolarflare.Asmartphoneapplicationhasbeenwrittenandimplementedtodelivertheinformationaboutapotentiallydisruptivesolarflaretovariouscommunicationdevices.

The Effects of PLGA and Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Endothelial Cell Proliferation. Implications for Angiogenesis.Leandra Meraglia-Garcia and Daphne ChenSt. Anthony’s High School, South Huntington, NY, New York (Long Island) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Miriam Rafailovich, Stony Brook University; Mr. Paul Paino, St. Anthony’s High School

Angiogenesisisthegrowthofbloodvesselsfrompreexistingvasculature.Itisvitaltowoundhealing,causingimprovedbloodflowandoxygen/nutrientdeliverytoinjuredtissue.Successfulangiogenesisrequirescelltractionandregulationofendothelialcellinteractionwiththeextracellularmatrix.ThisstudyexaminedtheeffectofPLGA(poly[lactic-co-glycolicacid)andTitaniumDioxide(TiO2)nanoparticlesonendothelialcellcytotoxicityandangiogenesis.PLGAwassynthesizedwithasurfactantstabilizerPF68(Pluronic-68).Theemulsionwascentrifuged,theisolatedpelletlyophilized,andnanoparticlesizedeterminedbyTransmissionElectronMicroscopy.PLGAconcentrationsof0.1mg/mL,0.4mg/mL,and1.0mg/mLwereusedforthecytotoxicitytests;0.1mg/mLand0.4mg/mLwereusedfortheangiogenesisassay.AnataseandRutileTiO2wereat0.1mg/ml.Cellcountingwasconductedattwentyfourandfortyeighthours.PLGAwascytotoxicandnotangiogenictoendothelialcells.RutileTiO2hadnonotableeffect.AnataseTiO2hadnocytotoxicitybuthadapositiveangiogeniceffect,exhibitingthegreatestmagnitudeoflargelatticeformation.AnataseTiO2canbeutilizedinangiogenicsubstancesontoscaffoldingmaterialsandforframeworksinwhichangiogenesisisappliedtoaidwoundhealing.

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Development of a Multi-Sensory System to Better Relay Pharmacotherapy InformationMatthew M. O’ConnellCommack High School, Commack, NY, New York (Long Island) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Richard Kurtz, Commack High School

Thepurposeofthisprojectwastodevelopaninteractivecomputer-basedsystemformedicationprescriberstobetterconvey,throughmulti-media,pharmaceuticalinstructionstotheirpatients.

Patientsworldwidecontinuallyfacethedangersofdosingerrorsresultingfrompoorunderstandingofmedicalinstructions.Retentionofmedicationinformationgivenverballyisminimalandlowliteracyskillscanfurtherimpedeunderstandingandrecall.Pictograms,translations,andorationsofmedicalinstructionswereprovidedbytheInternationalPharmaceuticalFederation(FIP)andcompiledintodatabases.AsoftwareprogramtitledThePrescriptionArchitect(TPA)wasdevelopedforprescribingmedicalprofessionalstocreatepictogramhandoutsandgeneratespokeninstructionforpatientprescriptions.TPAisdownloadableonlineforfreeanddoesnotrequireinternetaccesstouse.Additionally,newdata(translations,pictograms,&amp;orations)canbeappendedtotheprogram’sdatabases.TPAwaspresentedattheFIP’s2013worldconferenceinIrelandandhassincebeendownloadedbyover500individualsworldwide.TPAwillbeininfulluseafterFIPvalidation.Studiesarecurrentlybeingdevelopedand/orconductedtoevaluateusabilityofthesoftware.

An in vitro assessment of Nitric Oxide-Releasing Nanoparticles as a Potential Drug Delivery Vehicle for Treating Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Vascular InflammationAnkoor TalwarHerricks High School, New Hyde Park, NY, New York (Long Island) JSHS

Purpose:Pulmonaryvascularremodelingassociatedwithhypoxialeadstoelevationinpulmonaryvascularresistance,rightheartfailure,anddeath.MacrophageMigrationInhibitoryFactor(MIF)asacriticalmoleculeinhypoxia-inducedvascularremodeling,andthyroxine(T4)asanaturalinhibitorofMIFinflammatoryactivity.De-iodinase2(DIO2)catalyzesbreakdownofT4.Thus,DIO2expressionmaybeconsideredaproinflammatorymarkerundertheseconditions.Studiesalsosuggesttheinvolvementofubiquitin-proteasomesysteminremodeling.IevaluatedtheefficacyofnovelNitricOxide-releasingnanoparticles(NOnps)inlimitinghypoxia-inducedinflammationincellculturesthroughchangesintheseinflammatorymarkers.Methods:NOnpsusedwerebasedonahybridparticlecombininghydrogelpropertieswithastronghydrogenbondingnetworkthatlimitsNOreleaseuntiltheparticlesareexposedtowater.BothNOnpandnitrite-freenanoparticles(controlnanoparticles)wereaddedtoculturesofhumanlungfibroblasts(CCL210)undernormoxicorhypoxicconditions(1%O2concentration).MIFaccumulationwasassessedusingELISA,intracellularDIO2expressionbyWesternblot,andproteasomeactivitybyfluorometricsmallpeptidecleavageassay.Results:NOnpsignificantly(p<0.05)reducedMIFaccumulationcomparedtocontrolparticlesinbothnormoxia(253vs582pg/ml)andhypoxia(360vs668pg/ml).DIO2expressionwasalsosignificantlydecreasedinasimilarfashion.Inaddition,proteasomeactivityunderhypoxicconditionswassignificantlyincreased(p<0.05)inpresenceofNOnp(21.4vs19.2).Conclusions:ThisstudyrevealstheeffectofNOnp(anovelNOdeliverysystem)inattenuatingrelevantpro-inflammatorymarkersinhypoxia-inducedpulmonaryvascularinflammation,whichmayhavesignificantclinicalimplications.

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Design, Synthesis, and Testing of Novel Inhibitors Against InhA in Mycobacterium tuberculosisNeil M. ThivalapillGreat Neck South High School, Great Neck, NY, New York (Long Island) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Carol Hersh, Great Neck South High School; Lauren Spagnuolo, Institute of Chemi-cal Biology and Drug Discovery: Stony Brook University; Dr. Peter Tonge, Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery: Stony Brook University

Tuberculosisclaims2millionliveseachyear.Emergingmulti-drugresistantstrainshighlightstheneedfornewdrugstobedeveloped.Thecurrentlyexploitedtargetisthefattyacidbiosynthesispathwaythatproducesvitalcomponentsofthecellwall.Inthisstudy,fournovelinhibitorsofInhAweresynthesizedwhosestructuresvariedtodeterminestructureactivityrelationshipsbetweenthesedrugsandtheactivesiteofInhA.OntheA-ringofthedrugs,anethylgroup,acyclopentylgroupandacyclohexylgroupweresubstitutedinandamethylorcyanogroupwasaddedtotheB-ring.Kineticstudiesandthermodynamicconstantsweremeasuredtodetermineinvitroefficacy.Drug-likecharacteristicsoftheinhibitorswerealsocalculatedtopredictthecompounds’efficacyinvivo.ThestructureactivityrelationshipsshowedthattherewasasizelimittotheA-ringsubstituentandthatalesspolargroupontheB-ringwaspreferable.MoleculardockingstudiesweresubsequentlyexecutedtovalidateinvitrofindingsandMICdatawasusedtotranslateinvitroefficacyintoinvivoefficacyanddeterminetheoveralleffectivenessofthedrugs.ThesedrugspresentthemselvesasadvancementstounderstandingthestructureactivityrelationshipsbetweeninhibitorsandInhAinMycobacteriumtuberculosis.

64

New York (Upstate)

A Novel Device for Crowd-Sourced Road Quality MonitoringMaxim S. DiamondCroton Harmon High School, Croton on Hudson, NY, New York (Upstate) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Donna Light-Donovan, Croton Harmon High School; Anthony Rowe, Carnegie Mellon University

Whetherbycar,truck,orbus,roadtransportofpeopleandgoodsisanintegralaspectofmodernlife.Inurbanenvironments,roadswearoutquicklyandcausedamage,oftenataratethatishigherthancivilengineerscancompensate.Inruralenvironments,roadscandeteriorateasaresultofweatherfactors,cuttingoffremoteareasfromsupplyroutes.Toenableefficientroadmaintenance,civilengineersmustbesuppliedwithdatathatreflectscurrentroadqualityconditions.Tofacilitatethis,roadqualitymustbemonitoredfrequentlyinanefficientmanner.Previousresearchhasindicatedthatthiscanbedonebyutilizingaparticipatorysensingnetwork.Toevaluatesuchasystem,anoriginally-designedparticipatoryroadqualitysensingsystemwasdesignedandbuilt.ThissystemistermedPRAD-ParticipatoryRoadAnomalyDetection.PRADusesaGPSmoduleand3-axisaccelerometertorecordvehiclevibrationsresultantfromtheroadsurfaceincorrespondencetovehicle’slocation.Statisticalprocessesareusedtocalculateroadqualityfromthisdata.TestingresultsshowthatPRADiseffectiveatmonitoringroadqualitywhenGPSsignalstrengthpermits.Futureworkinvolvesalgorithmcreationtocorrectforvehicletiltandbehavioralanalysisofdriveractions.

Relative vs. absolute orientation judgments: a re-evaluation of some neural decoding modelsStephanie DingByram Hills High School, Armonk, NY, New York (Upstate) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Ning Qian, Columbia University

NeuronsinareaV1oftheoccipitallobearetunedtoorientationinexternalstimuli.Acertainorientationwillleadtoaspecificdegreeofresponseofacellintheformofactionpotentials.Thebrainisthusabletodeterminethevisualorientationofalineby&#8216;listening’toapopulationofcellresponses.ResearchershaveattemptedtomodelhowthebraindecodestheelectricalresponsesusingseveraldecodingtheoriessuchasMaximumLikelihoodTheory,BayesianTheory,andPopulationVector.Onecommonassumptionamongallthesetheoriesisthatourrelativejudgments(i.e.,comparisonoftwostimuli)arereferenceduponabsolutejudgments(i.e.,perceptionofeachstimulusalone).Accordingtothisassumption,ourrelativejudgmentsareslightlylessaccuratethanabsolutejudgments.However,intuitionimpliesthecontrarysincejudgmentbasedoncomparisoniseasiertoevaluatethanjudgmentofasingleitem.Resultsfromthisstudyindicatethatactualrelativejudgmentperformanceissignificantlybetterthanperformancepredictedbytheassumptionofthesethreetheories.Theresultofthisdemonstratesthattheassumptionofthesetheoriesisincorrectandthusdrawsattentiontotheneedforanadjustmenttothetheoriesforfuturestudiesandapplications.

65

The MAPT H1 haplotype is Associated with Increased Clinical and Neuropathological Severity of Chronic Traumatic EncephalopathyAdam Z. Illowsky, Sr.Ossining High School, Ossining, NY, New York (Upstate) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Angelo Piccirillo, Ossining High School; Valerie Holmes, Ossining High School

Post-mortemexaminationofbrainsfrompatientswithchronictraumaticencephalopathy(CTE)revealsmassiveaccumulationofneurofibrillarytangles(NFTs)throughoutthebraintheorizedtobeamanifestationofrepetitiveheadtrauma.ExtensiveexplorationoftheroleofMAPTintheonsetorseverityofCTEhasyettobeconducted.ThisstudyexaminedthepossibleassociationbetweentheMAPTgeneandtheseverityofclinicalandneuropathologicalfeaturesofCTE.MAPTgenotypingwasconductedon39CTEbrainsamplesfromprofessionalfootballplayers,professionalhockeyplayers,professionalwrestlers,mMilitaryVeteranspatients,and52controls.TheMAPTH2haplotypewasfoundtobeassociatedwithincreaseddiseasedurationamongstCTEpatientsinthisstudy(p=0.015).AgeofdeathoftheCTEpatientsinthisstudywasfoundtobeloweramongstMAPTH1homozygotesthanMAPTH2carriersbyapproximately9.2years,butthiswasnotastatisticallysignificantdifference(p=0.137)).Thestage/-ageratioofMAPTH2carrierswasfoundtobesignificantlylowerthanthatofthehomozygousH1carriers,indicatingamuchslowerprogressionofneurodegenerationamongstMAPTH2carriers(p=0.0184).Thus,theMAPTH12haplotypeseemstoleadtoamoresevmayserveandfasterasaprotectivefactorintheprogressionofCTEandhighlightsapotentialroleforgeneticfactorsinthedevelopmentofCTE.

An In Silico Model to Describe the Localized Dendritic Transport of &#946;-Actin mRNAJason S. RosenbergBlind Brook High School, Rye Brook, NY, New York (Upstate) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Michele Sugantino (teacher), Blind Brook High School; Dr. Robert Singer (mentor), Albert Einstein College of Medicine

mRNAtraffickingandlocaltranslationarephysiologicallyimportantprocessesinthefunctioningofmanycells,includingneurons.However,observationsoftheisolatedcontributionsofthecomplexmechanismsinvolvedinmRNAlocalizationhaveprovendifficultexperimentally.Here,singlemoleculeexperimentalandinsilicotechniquesareusedtocreateamodelofthedendritictraffickingofβ-actinmRNA.Inthismodel,createdusingtheVirtualCell,theindividualeffectsofthefactorsinfluencingmRNAtransportcanbequantified.Additionally,thelocaltransportofβ-actinmRNAintheabsenceofoneofitsregulatoryproteinsismodeled.ThemodelssuggestthatthedegreeofsomatodendritictaperinggreatlyaffectsmRNAdistribution.Themodelsalsorevealthatintheabsenceofaregulatoryprotein,diffusiveprocessesandincreasedtranscriptionratescanlargelycompensatefordecreasedactivetransportofmRNAinmaintainingproperdendriticmRNAdistributions.ComparisonsofthesemodelstoexperimentaldatasuggesttheutilityofinsilicomodelsofneuronalmRNAlocalization.Furthermore,themodelscanbereadilyadaptedtoinvestigatethetraffickingofmRNAspeciesotherthanβ-actinmRNA,includingthoseforwhichdefectsintheirneuronaltraffickinghavebeenimplicatedindiseasessuchasamyotrophiclateralsclerosisandfragileXsyndrome.

66

An Investigation Comparing the Flight Orientation of Lab-raised &amp; Wild-caught Migrating Monarch ButterfliesAlexis A. Scott, Jr.Burnt Hills - Ballston Lake High School, Burnt Hills, NY, New York (Upstate) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Regina Reals, Burnt Hills - Ballston Lake High School

Everyfall,theMonarchbutterflymakesitsannualmigrationfromnorthernNorthAmericatothemountainsofCentralMexicowheretheyhibernateduringthewinter.Thismigrationhasbeenmadeforcountlessyears,butisnowthreatenedasthespeciesundergoesadramaticpopulationdecline.Thespeciesisstrugglingtosurvivebecausethehabitatintheirwinteringsiteshasdecreased,globalclimatechangeisaffectingthetimingoftheirmigration,andtheirfoodsource,milkweed,isthreatenedbyexpandingagriculturaldevelopment.Effortstoreducetheimpactofthesefactorsmightcometoolateifthebutterflypopulationreachesacriticallylowlevel.ItmightbenecessarytoconservetheNorthAmericanmigratingMonarchsbyboostingtheirpopulationwithlab-raisedindividuals.Aflightsimulator,withsomemodificationsfromthebasicdesignbyMouritsenandFrost(2002),wasconstructedtorecordtheflight-orientationofMonarchbutterflies.Thesimulatorwillbeusedtoinvestigatethepotentialdifferencesandsimilaritiesoftheflight-orientationofwildandlab-raisedMonarchbutterflies.Ifanysimilaritiesoforientationbetweenwildandlab-raisedMonarchsareobserved,thenthereispotentialthatthemigratingNorthAmericanMonarchbutterflypopulationcanberevivedbythereleaseoflab-raisedMonarchs.

67

New York City (Metro)

Electrically Characterizing NbSe2 through Soft Micro-Stencil Lithography and Atomic Force MicroscopyWaqarul B. IslamStuyvesant High School, New York, NY, New York City (Metro) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Chul Ho Lee, Columbia University

Theelectricalcharacterizationofnewlydiscoverednanomaterialsallowsresearcherstodiscoverpropertiesthatmayprovideseveralnewapplicationsofnanomaterialsinelectronics.However,alargesubsetofnanomaterialscannotbeconventionallycharacterizedduetotheirincompatibilitywithorganiccompoundsthataretraditionallyrequiredforsuchelectricaltesting.Toalleviatethisissue,IworkedondevelopinganovelmicrofabricationprocedureaptlynamedSoftMicroStencil(SMS)lithography,whichemploysapolymerbasedstencilmaskthatispatternedusingelectronbeamlithography.ThisSMSprocedureprovidesforhighresolutionconstructionofnanodevicesonbothplanarandnon-planarsurfacesofnanomaterialsafeatthatexpandsthetoolsetofresearchersinnanoscience.TailoringSMSlithographytoNbSe2providesachemical-freeproceduretofabricatenanostructuresforelectricaltestingonthesurfaceofa20-30nmpieceofNbSe2withoutsurfacecontaminationorotherdamage.ThisstudyfurtherdetailsthedeteriorationofNbSe2inbothairandorganiccompoundssuchasacetoneusingatomicforcemicroscopy(AFM).RunningacurrentthroughlayersofNbSe2resultsinpropertiessimilartothoseofgraphene(asinglelayerofcarboninahexagonalpattern)intermsofsuperconductivitytherebyenablingthepotentialusageofNbSe2infutureelectronicsorexperiments.

Using Ligands to Control the Growth Kinetics of Cadmium Selenide ClustersAlexandra L. LaGrassaThe Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY, New York City (Metro) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Karen Fien, The Bronx High School of Science; Alexander Beecher, Columbia Uni-versity; Dr. Jonathan Owen, Columbia University

Althoughresearchershaveintenselystudiedcolloidalsemiconductingquantumdotsforthepasttwentyyearsrecognizingthattheiroptoelectronicproperties,especiallytheirnarrow,size-dependentemission,makethemidealforapplicationsinthefieldsoflighting,solarenergy,andbiolabeling,fundamentalstudieshavebeenlimitedbytheirinherentpolydispersity.Inparticular,kineticsoftheirgrowthprocessesisdifficulttostudywithoutaconsistent,atomicallydefinedstructure.Inthisstudy,cadmiumselenidequantizedgrowthclustersareemployedasmolecularlydefinedmodelsofquantumdotsthatgrowintodiscreteuniformsizes.Thedatashowsthatthemostimportantstepinthegrowthmechanismishighlysensitivetotheinteractionbetweentheligandandthesurfaceofthenanocrystal.Ahighconcentrationofbothligandsduringsynthesisfromtheprecursorsslowsdowntherateofthereaction.Kineticstudiesvaryingthestrengthofthechargedligand-surfacebonddemonstratesthatthereactionissignificantlyinfluencedbyelectronics.AHammettsigmaplotshowsthatthekeystepinthereactionhasabuild-upofnegativecharge,indicatingachargedliganddissociationstep.Thiskineticsstudyusingmolecularlydefinedclusterswithahighsurfaceareatovolumeratiorigorouslydemonstratescontroloverclustergrowthusingsurfacechemistry.

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Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition is a Key Factor of Perineural Invasion in Pancreatic AdenocarcinomaErica LinHunter College High School, New York, NY, New York City (Metro) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Chun-hao Chen, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Dr. Richard Wong, Me-morial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Ms. Gilana Reiss, Hunter College High School

Pancreaticadenocarcinomaisoneofthemostcommoncausesofcancer-relateddeath.Perineuralinvasion(PNI)occursfrequentlyinpancreaticadenocarcinomaandcorrelateswithpoorprognosis.EpithelialMesenchymalTransition(EMT)ofcarcinomacellsisassociatedwithincreasedmotilityandinvasiveness.Therelationshipbetweenthesetwoprocesseshasnotbeenestablished.ThestudyhypothesiswasthatEMTcontributestoPNI.Inordertotestthehypothesis,PANC-1cellsweretransfectedwithhumanTwist1genetoinduceEMT.Boydenchambermotilityassaysusingdorsalrootganglion(DRG)assubstractwereperformedtoevaluateforcellmotility.InvitroDRGmodelsofnerveinvasionwerealsoperformedtoevaluatecellinvasion.ThestudyresultsshowedthatEMTleadstoincreaseinmotilityandinvasivenessofpancreaticcarcinoma.CellswithEMTphenotypemovedthroughthemembraneintheBoydenchamberassayingreaternumberand,similarly,invadedDRGinhighernumberintheinvitroDRGmodelofnerveinvasionmodel.ThesefindingsindicatethatcellswithEMTphenotypehavegreatermotilityandinvasivenesspotentialforPNI.Therefore,inhibitionoftheEMTmechanismrepresentsapotentialtherapeutictargetthatcanbeusedtodecreasePNI,andthus,improvetheprognosisofpancreaticadenocarcinoma.

The Effect of Solvents on the Photorelease of a Model Drug from a New PhototriggerRasidha RahmanQueens High School for the Sciences at York College, Jamaica, NY, New York City (Metro) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Jong Ill Lee, York College CUNY; Shanaz Baksh, Queens High School for the Sci-ences

Thepurposeofthisresearchistotestthephotoreleaseefficiencyofthephototrigger,t-BocGABATriphenylEthanonewhichcanbeusedtotreatcancermoretargetedandeffectively.Acetonitrile-D3andChloroform-Dwerethesolventsthatwereusedforeachphotoreactionina300nmRayonetPhotoreactor.Theexperimentshowsthatphototriggersuccessfullydeliversdrugandisefficientduringphotoreleaseinanenvironmentthatcloselymimicsthehumanbody.ThephototriggerhadhigherphotoreleaseefficiencyinAcetonitrile-D3thaninChloroform-D.48.8%oft-BocGABAwasreleasedinChloroform-Dwhereas91.5%oft-BocGABAwasreleasedinAcetonitrile-D3.t-BocGABATriphenylEthanonehasahighphotoreleaseefficiencyandsolubilitywhichmakesitareliabledrugdeliverysystem.Inthelongrun,thedrugt-BocGABAcouldbereplacedwithothercancertreatmentdrugsinordertotreatcancermoreefficiently.

The Role of Serotonin in Impulsivity in MicePraveen RammohanBronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY, New York City (Metro) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Adam Kepecs, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Dr. Hyun Pi, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Mr. Richard Lee, Bronx High School of Science

Problemsinpatienceandimpulsivitycanleadtoseveraldisorders,includingsuicidalbehavior,attentiondeficitdisorder,drugaddictionandcriminalbehavior.Thisprojectinvestigatesthemechanismsbehindpatienceandimpulsivitybasedonthepreviouslysuggestedideathatserotoninhasacontrollingroleinimpulsivebehavior.Fourtransgenicblack-6miceweretrainedtoperformataskinwhichtheypokeaportforasetamountoftimetogetawaterreward.Thewaitingtimewasprogrammedtoautomaticallyincreaseinsmallintervalsaftereverysuccessfultrialsothatthemicewouldn’tperformpoorlyasaresultofalargedifferenceinwaitingtime.Afterthemicewereabletowaitforatleastasecondandcompletethetasksuccessfully,anopticfiberwasimplantedattheserotonin-neuron-densedorsalraphenucleusofthebrainsothatwhenablue-lightlaserwasshonethroughittheserotonergicneuronswereactivated.Themouse’sperformanceinstimulationandnonstimulationtrialswascompared.Theincrementaltaskhelpedthemiceincreasetheirwaitingtimegreatlyinashorttrainingperiod.Asforthestimulationandnon-stimulationdistinction,furtherexperimentationneedstobedonebeforeconcludingwhetherpatiencecanbeinducedoptically.

69

North Carolina

The Radio Number of Grid GraphsTian-Shun A. JiangNorth Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC, North Carolina JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Dan Teague, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Theradionumberproblemusesagraph-theoreticalmodeltosimulateoptimalfrequencyassignmentsonwirelessnetworks.Aradiolabelingofaconnectedgraphisafunctionsuchthatforeverypairofvertices,wehavewheredenotesthediameterofandthedistancebetweenverticesand.Letbethedifferencebetweenthegreatestlabelandleastlabelassignedto.Then,theradionumberofagraphisdefinedastheminimumvalueofoverallradiolabelingsof.Sofar,therehavebeenfewresultsontheradionumberofthegridgraph:In2009CallesandGomezgaveanupperandlowerboundforsquaregrids,andin2008FloresandLewiswereunabletocompletelydeterminetheradionumberoftheladdergraph(a2bygrid).Inthispaper,wecompletelydeterminetheradionumberofthegridgraphfor,characterizingthreesubcasesoftheproblemandprovidingaclosed-formsolutiontoeach.Theseresultshaveimplicationsintheoptimizationofradiofrequencyassignmentinwirelessnetworkssuchascelltowersandenvironmentalsensors.

Fuel Efficient Passive Flow Control for Class 8 Tractor TrailersMegan E. MillerWestern Alamance High School, Elon, NC, North Carolina JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: David Vernon, Western Alamance High School

Tractor-trailersuse13%oftheannualUSpetroleum.Dragbehindtherearofthetrailerortrailerbasedragconstitutesthegreatestportionofaerodynamicdragathighwayspeeds.Toperformdragtesting,a10meterlongbackyardwindtunnelwasoptimizedandvalidated.Usinggeneralphysicsprinciplesandcomputationalfluiddynamic(CFD)modeling,anopencircuit,pullfantunnelwasoptimizedbyaddingtwofansinsequencewithflowstraightenervanes,aroundedinletandalengtheneddiffuser.Theoptimumtunneldemonstrateda32%increaseinairflowwithimprovedlaminarflow.Trailerbasedragreductiontestinginvolvedrearmountedvortexdevicesona1:16tractortrailerscalemodelat1.8x105Reynoldsflow.Testingoccurredatsteadystateconditions,airdensityrange1.14-1.16kg/m3with5000datapointspertest.Theoptimumdevicesweretwo5mmspheresoneachsideofthetrailerbase,placedat5cmand10cmfromthetrailerbottom.Thisconfigurationunderwentreproducibilitytestingandanaverageof7%totaldragreductionwasfound.The5,10sphericalconfigurationrepresentsasimplevortexdevicewithapotentiallysignificant,costeffectivesolutiontotrailerbasedragonafull-scaleclass8tractortrailer.

Tracking Electron Density Change in a Photocatalyst and Exploring Replacement Central AtomsPranay OruguntaTeacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Jonathan Bennett, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Photocatalyticwateroxidationisanareaofstudythathasgainedrecentattentionduetointerestinhydrogenfuelcells.Weusecomputationalchemistryinordertomodeltheelectrondensityfluctuationsasacopperphotocatalystreduceswater.Wehopethiswillprovidesomeinsightintohowthephotocatalystcanbeoptimizedforreactionrates.WealsouseGaussiansoftwaretoreplacethecentralatomofthecatalysttofinddifferentactivationenergies,whichaffectstherateofthereaction.Fromourresults,wefindthatwecanmodelelectrondensitychangethisreaction,andthatthelocationofgreatestelectrondensitymovesfirstfromthephotocatalystintothewatermolecule.Then,densityslowlyflowsintothemorepolarbondsandthenbackintothephotocatalyst.SinceAuandCuphotocatalystsexhibitsimilarelectrondensitybehavior,werunenergycalculationsusingcopperandgoldasthecentralatom.Theactivationenergyforthetransitionstates,onaverage,forAuis25%lowerthanthatofCu.WecanconcludethatthereactionrateforAuis~23%fasterthanthatofthecopperphotocatalyst.Thisstudysuggeststhattheefficiencyofphotocatalystscanbeimprovedbysubstitutingdifferentcentralatomsandligands.

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Screening for endophytes that produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be used as biofuelsJoseph H. RobertsBrevard High School, Brevard, NC, North Carolina JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Jennifer Williams, Brevard High School

Biofuels(fuelsderivedfromplantoranimalmaterial)havebeenresearchedlatelybecauseoftheemphasisonrenewableenergy.Recently,anewfocusforbiofuelproductionhasbeenonfungithatproducevolatileorganiccompounds(VOCs).SomefungithatproduceVOCsareendophytes.Endophyteshavemutualisticrelationshipswiththeirhostplantandlivewithinandaroundthecellsoftheirhost.ThehypothesisforthisstudyisthatsometreespeciesthatemitabundantVOCsharborendophytesthatproduceVOCs.Thirty-eightendophytesisolatedfromtheleavesandbarksofeasternwhitepine,tulippoplar,magnolia,blackwalnut,andblackgum,wereculturedandidentified.ThesetreeswerechosenbecausetheyemitVOCsandarefoundinwesternNorthCarolina.Theendophytesweretestedfortheproductionofvolatilealcoholsusingacolorimetricdichromatereductionassay.AnisolateidentifiedasDiaporthesp.orPhomopsissp.fromblackgumbark,anisolateidentifiedasEntonaemasp.orXylariasp.fromblackwalnutleaf,andanisolateidentifiedasDiaporthesp.frommagnoliabarkproducedalcoholswhenculturedonrice.Theseresultssupportthehypothesisstatedaboveandsuggestthatthesethreefungalspeciescouldpotentiallybeusedforbiofuelproduction.

Mitigating the Neurodegenerative and Teratogenic Effects of Ziram with UVC WavesJoshua ZhouEast Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Wu Dong, Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment

Ziramisacommonpesticideandchemical,beingappliedonmostproduce,usedtomakemanyproductsforhomeconstruction,yards,papers,andplastics,andpresentinanimals,water,andsometimesair.Americaaloneuses2millionpoundsannually.Ziram,however,isacutelyandchronicallytoxictovitalorgansofcertainvertebrateanimals.Ziram’sharmismagnifiedbyitsreadyabsorptionupondermalcontactwithskinoil.Aquaticorganismscanaccumulateupto90timesasmuchziramastheamountpresentinsurroundingwater.Usingembryosofamodelvertebrateanimal,medakafish,thisstudyinvestigated(1)ifziramposesriskstovertebrateanimals,ingeneral,and(2)ifUVCwavescanquickly,cheaply,andsignificantlyreduceziram’sharm.ObservationsofmedakafishduringdevelopmentandafterfixedtissueunderwentAlcianBluecartilagestainingandTUNELstainingshowedthatziramwasextremelyimpairingin8significantaspects.Infact,3mgofaccumulatedziramcouldkill2000medakafish.AfterrelativelyshortexposuresofziramtoUVCwaves,however,therewassignificant,andoftencomplete,eliminationofziram’seffects.Throughasimilarmechanismofdecomposition,UVCwavescaneffectivelyeliminatetheharmofotherpotentchemicalsinapracticalmannerforreal-worldapplication.

71

North Central (Minnesota, N. & S. Dakota)

Determination of Factors that Impact Clearance of Suspended Particulate Matter (Dust) in AirAlanna M. BramJohn Marshall, Rochester, MN, North Central (Minnesota, N. & S. Dakota) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Richard Bram, John Marshall

Environmentaldustisdeleterioustohumanhealth,machinery,andagriculture.Multipleinterventionshavebeenusedtoreducedustlevels,includingfilteringtheair,andalteringlocalatmosphericconditions.Ihypothesizedthatfilteringwouldprovidethemosteffectivedecreaseinatmosphericdust,whilechangesinlocalhumidity,temperature,orionicchargeswouldbelesseffective.Totestthishypothesis,Idesignedandbuiltamicroprocessorcontrolleddustmeter,withsensorstoalsomeasuretemperature,humidity,time,andlocation.DustlevelsinRochester,MNweredeterminedtoidentifyareaswithhigherdustconcentrations.Toanalyzeeffectsofatmosphericconditions,dustfromsmokewasmonitoredinacontrolledenvironment.Ratesofdustdecayovertimeweredeterminedunderconditionsofvaryinghumidity,temperature,andionicchargepotential.Ifoundthatdustlevelsdecayedatreproducibleexponentialrates.Ialsotestedtheabilitiesofseveralmaterialstofilteroutdust.Surprisingly,themosteffectiveconditionthatremovedsuspendedparticulatematterwasthegenerationofnegativeions.Finally,acompactpersonaldustdetectorwasdesignedandbuilt,anddemonstratedtodetectdustlevels.Thismethodologymaybeusefulfordetectingharmfulatmosphericdustatlowcosttoimprovehealthandpreventdamagetomachinery.

Improved Efficiency of Seawater Steam Generation Using Carbon Nanoparticles Carolyn K. JonsEden Prairie High School, Eden Prairie, MN, North Central (Minnesota, N. & S. Dakota) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Christopher Hogan, University of Minnesota

Waterscarcityisaworldproblem.Althoughessentialforlife,almostonebillionpeoplelacksafedrinkingwater.RiceUniversity’sscientistsrecentlydiscoveredfocusedsunlightshoneonnanoparticles,inpurewater,generatessteamwithoutsubstantiallyraisingthesurroundingwatertemperature.Myresearchaimstodetermineifnanoparticlescanbeusedtogeneratesteam,withsimilarefficiency,fromseawater.Priortotesting,ahighintensity,focusedlightsourceandtestingapparatuswereconstructed,artificialseawatersolutionsweremade,andcarbonnanoparticlesweredispersed.Preliminarystudiesdemonstratednanoparticleswerenecessaryforefficientsteamgeneration.Thisstudyparticularlyfocusedoncomparingenergyefficienciesofsteamgenerationforpurewater,3.5%NaCl,and3.5%seawater,where“energyefficiency”isthefractionofenergyvaporizingwatercomparedtoenergyheatingthebulkfluid.At95%confidence,atwo-tailedt-testdemonstratedstatisticallygreatersteamgenerationefficiencyforwatercontainingNaClorseawater,ascomparedtopurewater.Thesteamgenerationefficienciesforseawaterandsaltwater(NaCl)werenotstatisticallydifferentat95%confidence.Laterextensionsfoundtop-surfaceilluminationachievedsubstantially(3X)greatersteamgenerationefficiencythanbulksolutionillumination.Anapplicationofthisresearchincludeswaterpurificationinsunrich,waterpoorregions.

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Biofeedback Controller: Virtual Training for Myoelectric Transradial ProsthesisMatthew T. LerdahlCoon Rapids High School, Coon Rapids, MN, North Central (Minnesota, N. & S. Dakota) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Gary Alexander, Coon Rapids High School

RoboticProstheticsofthemoderndayoftenutilizemyoelectriccontrol.Myoelectriccontroluseselectromyography,asystemofdetectingandquantifyingtheelectricalactivityofcontractingmusclesasawaytoactuatedexterousmovement.TheelectricalsignalquantifiedbyEMGsensorscanbetrainedandstrengthenedbyrepeatedcontraction.Usingtheextensorandflexormusclegroupsasisolatedmyoelectricsites,Icreatedadevicethatincorporatesmoderngamingtoincreasetheelectricthresholdofmusclescommonlyusedformyoelectriccontrol.WithcollaborativeeffortsfrombothAdvancedArmDynamicsandAdvancerTechnologies,thesystemcreatedmakesuseofAdvancerTechnologies’v3EMGsensorandemploysasensororientationthatiscapableoftrainingfourmusclegroupsatonce.UsingtheAdruinoUnoandthecorrespondingsoftwareasamicrocontroller,aninterfacewascreatedthatallowstheusertoplaymultiplescrollinggamessuchasMariousingonlymusclecontractionsascontrols.Thecurrentdevelopedprototypewouldcosttheuserundertwohundreddollarswhilecurrenttrainingdevicesrangefromupperhundredstothousandsofdollars.Thisdeviceiscapableofincreasingtheelectromyogramsignalexponentiallyandthereforeallowsclinicalprosthetiststoobtainmoreinformationfromthepatient’smuscles.

Hand Hygiene Gone Viral? A Study of Student Involvement in a Social Media Campaign as a Method of Bringing Hand Hygiene to the MassesTimothy J. RenierDuluth East High School, Duluth, MN, North Central (Minnesota, N. & S. Dakota) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Robin Churchill, Holy Rosary School; Dr. James Boulger Ph.D, University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth

Aim:Thisstudyaimedtopromotehandhygienebehaviorthroughoutahighschoolpopulationthroughstudentdevelopmentandsharingofasocialmediacampaign(SMC)(FacebookandTwitter).Methods:114consentedhighschoolstudentsparticipatedinanintervention(INT),receivingeducationandcreatingaSMC.308controlstudents(CON)weresurveyed.Assessmentsincludedanonymoussurveysabouthandhygienebehavior,socialmedia,andSMCreceptionforINT(weeks1(baseline),7,and12(follow-up))andCON(baselineandfollow-up).School-wide,lunchroomhandsanitizeruse(LHS)wascovertlyobserved(baseline,7,follow-up)andillness-relatedabsenteeismchangewascomparedwithacontrolhighschool.FacebookInsightsmeasuredviewership.Results:INThadsignificantimprovement(p<0.05)inhandwashingbeforeeating(LinearRegression),knowledgeofhandwashingtime,anddesiretoimprovehandhygienebehavior(LogisticRegression).30%ofCONviewedtheSMC.CONwhoviewedtheSMCimprovedhandwashingatschoolmorethanCONwhodidnot,withINTreportinggreaterimprovementthanCON.Significantpre-postSMCimprovementinLHSoccurredschool-wide(t-test).TheFacebookcampaignwasviewed13,292times,reaching2806people.Conclusion:TheSMCsignificantlyimpactedstudenthandhygieneandmayeffectivelycommunicatewithandchangehealthbehaviorsamongadolescents.

Creating a Cavity-Dumped Helium Neon LaserKevin ZhengWayzata High School, Plymouth, MN, North Central (Minnesota, N. & S. Dakota) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Martin Cohen, Stony Brook University; John Noé, Stony Brook University

Anacousto-opticmodulatorisusedtoquicklyextractcirculatingopticalpowerfromahome-built1.4mopen-cavityheliumneonlaser.100nspulseswithamaximumpeakpowerofapproximately2mWareextractedfromthelasercavityatarepetitionrateof100kHz.Repetitionratesofover1MHzareattainedwithdecreasedpeakpower.Atheoreticalmodelfortheshapeoftheextractedpulsesispresented.Theuniquehome-builtandadjustablenatureofthelasersuggestsitspedagogicalpotentialforintroductorylasersciencestudentsattheundergraduateorgraduatelevel.TheauthorwouldliketoacknowledgeSamGoldwasserforprovidingkeyequipment.ThisworkwassupportedbytheLaserTeachingCenteratStonyBrookUniversityandtheSimonsFoundation.

73

Northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont)

Nanofibrous Collagen Scaffold Production via Ice TemplatingEvan T. BrewerBangor High School, Bangor, ME, Northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Cary James, Bangor High School

TypeIcollagenisanextracellularmatrixstructuralproteinfoundinavarietyoftissues.Biomedicalcollagenscaffoldshavebeenformedinvitroviafreezingtechniquesfortissueregeneration.Currentmethodsofcreatingcollagenscaffoldsproduceaporousmonolithicmorphology,butnomethodofproducingnanofibrouscollagenscaffoldsexists.Theaimofthepresentworkistoadaptonesuchtechnique,previouslyutilizedtogeneratenanofibermatricesofwatersolublepolymers,andemployittoproducesimilarlystructuredcollagenscaffolds.Therapidfreezingmethoddirectsastreamofsolutioncontainingthetargetmaterialontoarotatingmetaldrumcooledwithliquidnitrogen.Asthesolutioncontactsthedrum,acontinuousfrozenribbonofmaterialisformed;theribbonissubsequentlyfreezedried.Therapidfreezingoftheaqueoussolutioncreatesdendriticicecrystalswithnanoscaledimensions,andphaseseparatesthedissolvedpolymeraroundthem,therebycreatingnanofibersofpolymer.CollageniswaterinsolubleatambientpHandassuchmustbesolubilizedinordertobeemployedintherapidfreezingtechnique.AceticacidisaknownpHmodifier,andassuchhasthepotentialtoaidincollagendissolutionatdecreasedpH.Additionally,aceticacidisvolatileandwouldberemovedinthefreezedryingprocessingstep-leavingapurecollagenscaffold.Thepresentworkhasproventhefeasibilityofdissolvingcollageninaceticacidmodifiedaqueoussolutions,andemployingtheresultingsolutionforcollagennanofiberformationviarapidfreezing.

Novel Silver Doped Photocatalytic Composites for Inactivation of Bacteria in WastewaterDeepika S. KurupNashua High School South, Nashua, NH, Northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Linda Polewarczyk, Nashua High School South; Ramaswamy Nagarajan, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Duetotheincreasingscarcityoffreshwaterresources,wastewatertreatmentforreuseisgainingconsiderableattention.Thegoalofthisresearchwastodevelopasafe,cost-effective,andeco-friendlymethodtoharnessultraviolet(UV)radiationandvisiblelightfromthesunforwastewaterremediation.SimplemethodologiesweredevelopedtosynthesizerobustandlightweightTiO2-ZnOandAg-TiO2-ZnOphotocatalyticcompositesusingtitaniumdioxide(TiO2),zincoxide(ZnO),silvernitrate(AgNO3),hollowglassmicrospheres,andahydrauliccementingbinder.Thecompositesweretestedtoevaluatebacterialinactivationinwastewaterunderdifferentlightexposureconditions(sunlight,visiblelight,anddark).ThebacterialinactivationbytheTiO2-ZnOphotocatalyticcompositewasprimarilyduetoUV-Aactivatedphotocatalysis,asshownbyitsefficacyindestroyingbacteriawhenexposedtosunlight.Ontheotherhand,theAg-TiO2-ZnOphotocatalyticcompositeexhibitedbactericidalpropertiesinsunlight,visiblelight,andinthedark.Therateofbacterialinactivationwasgreatestwhenexposedtosunlight,followedbyvisiblelightandfinallyinthedark.Thisprojectopensnumerouspossibilitiesforsustainable,economicallyviable,andeffectivewaterpurificationthatrequiresminimalresources.

74

Water Conservation and Climate Change in Northern PeruAndrew D. SandweissBangor High School, Bangor, ME, Northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Cary James, Bangor High School; Professor Shaleen Jain, University of Maine

ElNiño(ENSO)haslongbeenaconcernforfarmersintheextremedesertofnortherncoastalPeru.ClimatechangeispredictedtoincreaseENSOfrequencyandassociatedfloods,andtomeltAndeanglaciers,causinga40%reductioninaverageannualstreamflowinthisregion.ENSOcouldhelpmitigateflooddamagetoirrigationsystemsviaconstructionofmicrodamstoretainanddistributeENSO’srainfallforagricultureandtoproviderelieffrompermanentlossofstreamflowduetoglacialmelting.LookingatENSO’seffectsonstreamflow(datafromUCLAandPeru’sNationalWaterAuthority),precipitation(datafromtheWorldMeteorologicalAssociation),andcropproduction(datafromPeru’sMinistryofAgriculture)inthisEnvironmentalScienceprojectIusedMATLABandExceltocreateamodelthatcalculatespotentialdamagefromincreasedENSOfrequency.AnewlyidentifiedtypeofElNiño,ElNiñoModoki(EMI),isbecomingmorefrequent.EMIraisesSeaSurfaceTemperatures(SST’s)intheCentralPacificOcean,ratherthantheEasternPacific,wherenormalENSOsraiseSST’s.IconcludedthatENSOincreasesstreamflowandprecipitationwhiledecreasingcropproduction,butthatEMIcausesasignificantlylowerstreamflowthannormalyears,increasingtheneedforwaterconservationviatheproposedmicrodams.

Design of an Apparatus for the Efficient Radiation of Light within a Specified Wavelength RangeKeenan G. WoodBerlin High School, Berlin, NH, Northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mr. Kevin Carpenter, Berlin High School

Thegoalofthisengineeringprojectwastodesign,build,andtestanapparatusthatcouldefficientlyemitelectromagneticradiationofwavelengthswithinaspecifiedrange.Thelightsourcewasdesignedtobeanironcylinder,repelledaboveandawayfromthewallsofitscylindricalchamberviaelectricforces.Thetheorywasdevelopedfortheconversionofpowerfromasurroundingsolenoidatitsresonantfrequencytothefilamentthrougheddycurrentandhysteresislosses,andmethodsofchamberchargingandrareficationwereconsidered.Finally,usingthecriticalanglesandchromaticaberrationsofvariousdielectricmaterials(inthiscaseglasses),abulbgeometrywasdesignedtoreflectallradiationnotinthedesiredwavelengthrangebacktothefilament,andtoemitallradiationofthedesiredwavelengthsatapowerequaltotherateofenergytransferredtothefilamentfromthesolenoid.Ashortageoftimeandresourcespreventedtheconstructionandempiricalevaluationoftheapparatus,therebymakingtheproductionofaprototypethenextstepinresearch.

75

Ohio

Developing a Sustainable Water Cleaning System for use in Rural Areas of Low Income CountriesBluyé DeMessieWilliam Mason High School, Mason, OH, Ohio JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. George Sorial, University of Cincinnati

Adsorptionofheavymetalionsfrompollutedwaterwasstudiedusingdriedpowderedbananapeelsandpyrolyzedbananapeels(PBP).Testsincludedequilibriumadsorption,kineticsofadsorption,andcolumnstudies.Theresultswerecomparedwithadsorptionusingcommercialactivatedcarbon.Themorphology,physical,andchemicalpropertiesoftheadsorbentswerecharacterizedusingthermo-gravimetricanalysis,Fouriertransferinfraredspectroscopy,pHelectrophoresis,surfaceareaanalysis,scanningelectronmicroscopicimaging,andX-raydiffractionanalysis.PBPisaporous,largesurfaceareaadsorbent(50-60m^2/g),withnegativesurfacechargesresultinginincreasedadsorptioncapacity.TheadsorptioncapacityofCu(II)andPb(II)ionswere347.78and180.92mg/gforPBP,and28.24and3.22mg/gforclay.TheequilibriumadsorptiondatawasmodeledwiththeFreundlichandLangmuirisotherms.Adsorptionkineticsfollowedpseudo-secondordermodel.FixedbedcolumnstudieswereconductedtodeterminethefloweffectsandbreakthroughpointsfordifferentCu(II)andPb(II)concentrationsinthefeed.TheThomasmodelwasemployedtodeterminetheinfluenceofprocessparametersonadsorptionrateandadsorptioncapacity.IonexchangeandelectrostaticcomplexationofmetalionswithPBPwereproposedaspossibleadsorptionmechanisms.Theeffectivenessofsand-clay-PBPinreducingtotalsuspendedsolidswasalsotested.

Human Glioblastoma CellsShaleen GoelSylvania Southview High School, Toledo, OH, Ohio JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Blythe Tipping, Sylvania Southview High School

EffectsofAlkylationandPoly-ADPRibosePolymerase(PARP)InhibitionontheSurvivabilityofGlioblastomapatientshavelessthana3%fiveyearsurvivalrate.Currenttreatmentsincludeusingalkylationthroughtemozolomide(TMZ),towhichthecancereventuallybecomesresistant.Thealkylationinitiallykillscancerouscellsbecauseitinitiatesmismatchrepair(MMR),causingapoptosis.ItdoesnotkillhumancellsbecausetheyhaveMGMT,whichrepairsthealkylation.Glioblastomacellsbecomeresistantisby“losing”MMR,andthusnothavingapoptosisfollowingalkylations.PARPisaproteinintegraltotheDNArepairpathwayofbaseexcisionrepair(BER).BERisarepairpathwaywhichalsorepairsDNAalkylations.ThepurposewastofindoutifasyntheticlethalapproachusingalkylationandPARPinhibitionwillkillglioblastomacellsbothshortandlongterm.TherationalewasduetotheextremevolumeofmutationsintheTMZresistantglioblastoma.TheresultsshowedthatthesyntheticlethalapproachworkedtocausecelldeathinTMZresistantglioblastomacellsbothshortandlongterm.Therewasonlya0.5%cellsurvivalforthesyntheticlethalapproach,overfivetimeslessthanusinganalkylatingagent.Theoretically,thisprovidesanewapproachtotreatglioblastomatumorsinpatients,butfuturestudiesarerequiredtoextrapolatetheresults.

76

An Investigation of Electrowetting for Variable Focus Liquid LensesAditya JogWilliam Mason High School, Mason, OH, Ohio JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Karen Young, William Mason High School

Thefeasibilityofelectrowettingforcreatingvariablefocusliquidlenseswasinvestigated.Itwashypothesizedthatvoltageappliedtoaconductivedropplacedonadielectricsubstratewouldexperiencechangeinshapesufficienttocovertherangeoffocallengthstypicallyrequiredforvisioncorrection.Totestthehypothesis,asmalldroplet(diameterlessthancapillarylength)wasplacedonaglasssubstrateconsistingofanIndium-Tin-Oxideconductivelayerwith300-nm-thickParylene-HTdielectriccoating.Thedropletwasphotographedatdifferentappliedvoltagesandthecontactanglewasdeterminedbyimageprocessing.Theexperimentwasrepeatedwithanaddedsurfactantandawaterdropletimmersedinsiliconeoil.Thechangeintheradiusofcurvatureoftheoil-waterinterfaceandcorrespondingfocallengthoftheliquidlenswascalculated.Bychangingtheappliedvoltagefrom0to45Vthecontactanglechangedfrom65to48degreesforwater,35to22degreeswiththesurfactant,and109to70degreeswithoil.Basedonthecontactanglemeasurements,a25-mm-diameterwater-oillenscancover-4.5to4.5diopterswithverticalsides.Thisrangecanbeexpandedto-6.5to6.5dioptersbychangingsideanglesby+/-20degrees.

The Synthesis Of 6-deoxy Gulal Derivatives for the Stereoselective Synthesis of S-Linked DigitoxinRagavi LankaSylvania Southview High School, Sylvania, OH, Ohio JSHS

HeartdiseasesaretheleadingcauseofdeathintheUnitedStatesofAmerica;however,thenumberofcaseshasdeclinedsignificantlyduetopharmacologicaladvancementsinthestudyofcardiacglycosides,therapeuticagentsderivedfromnaturallyoccurringmaterials.Themostcommonlyusedcardiacglycosideisdigitoxin,whichisutilizedtotreatcardiacarrhythmia.Despiteitsusageasatreatment,digitoxinhasvariousnegativesideeffectsthathaveledtorenalkidneyfailure.Inordertoremovethesesymptoms,digitoxinhasbeenformedthroughthesynthesisofanalogs,syntheticmolecules;however,mostoftheseanalogscontinuetohaveadetrimentaleffectoncertainhumancelllines.Itwas,therefore,hypothesizedthatS-Linkeddigitoxin,ananalogueofdigitoxin,canbepreparedbyglycosylatingasimplethiolacceptorwith6-deoxygulaldonorthroughthecatalysisofmetalssuchasTintoformthioglycosidiclinkage.Theformationofgulaloccurredthroughaseven-stepreactionusinggalactosepentaacetateasthestartingmaterial,andthreetrialswerecompleted,resultingwith92percentyield.Thisprocessincludedvariousreactionmethodssuchasreduction,thioglycosylation,deacetylation,andFerrierrearrangement.Thus,thisimpliesthat6-deoxygulalcanbeusedtoformthethioglycosidiclinkagesinS-linkeddigitoxin.

77

Oregon

Novel Automated Next-Generation Multijunction Quantum Dot Solar Panel Designs Using Monte Carlo-Based ModelingValerie S. DingCatlin Gabel School, Portland, OR, Oregon JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Veronica Ledoux, Catlin Gabel School

Multijunctionquantumdotsolarcells(MJQDSCs),especiallythoseusingleadsulfide(PbS),arerapidlygainingattentionasapotentialeconomical,highly-efficientsolutionforsolarpower,duetotheirabilitytoutilizesamematerialswithbandgaptuning.However,workisprimarilyatthefeasibilitystage,aslittletheoreticalorexperimentalworkhasbeendonetounderstandexactlyhowtodesignefficientsystems.ThisworkaimedtoaddressthisgapbysystematicallyinvestigatinginteractionsbetweenquantumdotsandphotonsinMJQDSCsandidentifyingfundamentallimitsofsolarcellefficiency,utilizingcomputationalquantumphysicstodesignmaximum-efficiencysolar-harnessingtechnology.AutomaticallysearchingthroughPbSquantumdotsrangingfrom1to5nmindiametercorrespondingtoultravioletthroughinfraredregionsofthesolarspectrum,novelalgorithmswereprogrammedinJAVAtoconductstochasticMonteCarlosimulationstosimulate10millionincomingsolarphotonsandsortthroughagridofallpossiblequantumdotstackscombinationsin1through9-stackMJQDSCdesigns.Highest-efficiencyconfigurationswereidentifiedfor1through9-stackMJQDSCs.Theresultsoftheinvestigationindicatedthatefficiencycanbeincreasedupto2.23timesmaximum33.7%conventionalsingle-junctionsiliconsolarcellefficiency,to75.0%inthebest9-stackMJQDSCsdesign.

Hybridized Characteristic 3 Galois Field Arithmetic for Elliptic Curve CryptographyVinay S. IyengarOregon Episcopal School, Portland, OR, Oregon JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Bevin Daglen, Oregon Episcopal School

HybridizedCharacteristic3GaloisFieldArithmeticforEllipticCurveCryptographyVinayS.IyengarOregonEpiscopalSchool,Portland,OregonSponsor:Dr.BevinDaglen,OregonEpiscopalSchoolGivenarapidriseincybersecuritythreatsforInternetusers,corporations,andgovernments,thereisadireneedforsafercryptographicalgorithms.Galoisfieldsaremathematicalgroupsthatformthebasisoftoday’scutting-edgepublic-keycryptographyalgorithms.Thepurposeofthis3rdyearcapstoneprojectwastocreateahighlyefficientandscalablecharacteristic3Galoisfieldarithmeticalgorithmforhigh-securityellipticcurvecryptographyapplications.ByusinganovelcombinationoflogarithmtableandconventionalarithmeticalgorithmswithinGaloisextensionfields,anewalgorithmwasdeveloped.Whenevaluatedbasedontheoretical,computational,andstatisticalanalyses,thisalgorithmprovedtobemoreefficientthanthebestalgorithmspreviouslypresentedinliteratureintermsofpre-computationtimeandoperationspeed.Thishybridizedalgorithmspecificallyincreasedthespeedofellipticcurvescalarmultiplicationbyfactorsof7to26whilecuttingpre-computationcoststojustaroundamillisecond.Furthermore,thisalgorithmshowedadistinctapplicabilitytocreatingveryhigh-levelsecurityellipticcurvecryptosystemsandthereforehasmajorimplicationsforthefieldofcryptography.

78

Capacity Limits of Working Memory: The Impact of Multitasking on Cognitive Control and Emotion Recognition in the Adolescent MindAlexandra Ulmer and Sarayu CaulfieldOregon Episcopal School, Portland, OR, Oregon JSHS

Mediamultitaskingisincreasinglyprevalentinoursociety,especiallyamongtheyoung.Processingmultipleinformationstreamssimultaneously,however,challengescognitivefunctionandmayreduceperformance.Workingmemoryisthebrainfunctionresponsibleforprioritizingtasksandlimitingdistraction.Thisstudyexaminedtheeffectsofmultitaskingontheperformanceofworkingmemory.403participantswererandomlyassignedtoeitheramultitaskingornon-multitaskingroom;bothgroupscompletedaMediaMultitaskingIndexusedtoidentifygroupsofHighandLowMediaMultitaskers,teststoassesstheabilitytojuggletasksandfocus(AX-CPT)andtoassessemotionrecognition(DANVA2).Participantsinthemultitaskingroomcompletedthesestudiessimultaneouslywithadditionalcognitivetasks.Theresultssuggestthatthepatternofmediauseisreflectedintheperformanceoftheindividual’sabilitytoswitchbetweentasksandfilterirrelevantinformation.HighMediaMultitaskerswerebetterabletofilteroutdistractingirrelevanttasks(p=0.014),butsurprisinglyperformedworsewhentheywerenotpursuingmultipletasks.Theywerebetteratmultitasking,butperformedworsewhenmadetofocus.LowMediaMultitaskerswerelessabletofilteroutinterferencefromdistractingtasks,butwerebestabletofocusonsingletasks(p<0.0001).

79

Pennsylvania

Use of LED Lights as PhotovoltaicsGlen S. GallikLewisburg Area High School, Lewisburg, PA, Pennsylvania JSHSTeacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Wayne Latchford, Lewisburg Area High School

Renewableenergyistakinganincreasinglyimportantroleintheenergygrid.Solarenergyiscurrentlyoneofthemostpromisingandwidelyusedrenewableenergysources.MyresearchfocusedonthephotovoltaicpropertiesofcommonLEDlightsandtheirpotentialtobeusedtoproduceenergy.MyresearchfocusedonthepotentialforLEDlightstogeneratepoweratusable,storable,levels.Iconductedtestsonanarrayof150LEDlightsthatwereattachedtoarechargeablebatteryIcouldmonitor.IfoundthattheLEDlightarraywascapableofgeneratingbothamperageandvoltage,andthatthisenergycouldbeeasilystoredinbatteries.ThedataclearlyshowedpotentialforLEDlightstobeused.

The Effects of Caffeine on the Aggregation of Dictyostelium discoideumHoang Anh T. PhanWyoming Seminary, Kingston, PA, Pennsylvania JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Andrea Nerozzi, Wyoming Seminary; Ms. Renee Casterline, Wyoming Seminary

Dictyosteliumdiscoideumisacellularslimemoldthatcanaggregateunderspecialconditionssuchasstarvation.Inthisexperiment,theeffectofcaffeineontheaggregationofDictyosteliumdiscoideumwasexamined.Thehypothesisisthatthehighertheconcentrationofcaffeine,thegreaterthenumberofaggregatesandsmallerthesizeoftheparticles.Culturesweremaintainedatfourdifferentconcentrations(0mM,1mM,3mM,5mM)caffeine.AdigitalmicroscopeandMoticImagesPlus2.0softwarewasusedtocollectdata.AT-test:Two-SampleAssumingEqualVarianceswasperformedbetween6possiblepairsoutofthe4differentconcentrations.TheT-testindicatedasignificantdifferencebetweenthenumberofaggregatesinallpairs(|t|>|2.1009|),exceptforthe1mM-3mMcaffeine(t=|1.3606|<|2.1009|).AnANOVA:SingleFactortestindicatedasignificantdifferenceinaggregatesizesatdifferentcaffeineconcentrations(ANOVAp=0.000329<Alpha:0.05).TheseeffectswerelikelytheresultsofvariationincAMP,themostimportantsignalsindividualamoebasendsout,whichinterfereswiththeactivationofadenylylcyclaseandwithphosphodiesteraselevel.Theseresultsshowthatastheconcentrationincreasesfrom0mMto1mM,thenumberofaggregatesincreases.Thenumberofaggregatesisaboutthesamein1mMand3mMofcaffeinebutiftheconcentrationofcaffeinegoesuptohigh(5mM),littleornoaggregationhappens.Also,astheconcentrationincreases,theareaofaggregationdecreases.

Nano-Formulated Quercetin: A Novel Therapy for Neuroblastoma by the Re-expression of RIZ1Priyanga SelvakumarMarple Newtown High School, Newtown Square, PA, Pennsylvania JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Ashakumary Lakshmikuttyamma, Thomas Jefferson University; Mrs. Elizabeth Lan-des, Marple Newtown High School

Neuroblastomaisanaggressivepediatriccancerwithasurvivalrateoflessthan50%.Currentdrugscauseadversesideeffectswhichgreatlyaffectthedevelopmentalmilestonesinchildren.Therefore,anewtherapeuticdrugisneededtotreatneuroblastomaeffectivelyandreduceapatient’ssideeffects.RIZ1,atumorsuppressorgene,issilencedintheaggressiveformsofneuroblastomaduetopromotermethylation.Quercetin,anaturalflavonoid,re-expressedRIZ1andinhibitedthegrowthofneuroblastomacells.StudiesidentifiedthatQuercetindosedependentlyinhibitedtheDNMTenzyme.ThisisthefirstreportindicatingQuercetin’sabilitytoactasaDNMTinhibitor.Further,Quercetinwassuccessfullyencapsulatedintoachitosannanoparticle(Quercetin-CNP)whichresultedinasizeof152nmandanactionpotentialof43mV.TheQuercetin-CNPismoreeffectivethanQuercetinaloneindecreasingthecellsurvivalofneuroblastomacells.Nano-formulationofQuercetinhasagreatpotentialtodevelopintoadrugasmono-orincombinationtherapywithotherchemotherapeuticsdrugsforthefuturetreatmentofneuroblastoma.

80

Investigation of Aquatic Plants & Bacterial Solutions as Efficient Bio-filters to Remove Ammonia from WaterDavid R. ShipeFreeport Area Senior High School, Sarver, PA, Pennsylvania JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Donald Orlowski, Freeport Area Junior High School

Purpose:Theobjectiveofthisstudywastodeterminethemostefficientcombinationofaquaticplantsandcommerciallyavailablebacterialsolutionstocreateabio-filtertoremoveammoniaanditsbyproductsfromwater.Methods:9containerswerefilledwithspringwateranda1ppmsolutionofammonia(NH4OH).Twotypesofplants,waterlettuceandwaterhyacinth,andtwobacterialsolutions,NiteOutIIandFritzyme7,wereusedtocreatefourcombinationsofbio-filters.WatersamplesweretestedforpH,ammonia,nitrite,andnitratedailyfor8days.Results:ThepHremainedstableat7.0-7.4.BasedonprogressionofammoniaremovalthebacterialsolutionNite-OutIIwasmoreeffectivethantheFritzZyme7,andthewaterlettucewasmoreeffectivethanthewaterhyacinth.Concentrationsofnitrateandnitritewerenegligiblethroughoutthestudy.Conclusions:Bothbacterialsolutionsandaquaticplantsreducedammoniainwaterataconcentrationof1ppm.Ifscaledappropriatelybothaquaticplantsandbacterialsolutionscouldbeusedcommerciallytoremoveammoniafromwater.

The Effect of Varying Light Frequencies on Plant GrowthSpencer YacuboskiBerwick Area Senior High School, Berwick, PA, Pennsylvania JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Stephanie Rothery, Berwick Area Senior High School

Myexperimenttestedhowdifferinglightfrequenciesaffectedplantgrowth.Duringthelight-dependentreactionofphotosynthesis,plantsabsorblightenergytoaidintheproductionofglucose,themoleculebrokendownforcellularenergy.Myhypothesisstatedthatthecontrol(white)groupofplantswouldgrowththefastest,andthegreengroupwouldgrowtheslowest.Theoriginalhypothesiswassupported.

81

Puerto Rico

Earthquake Probability Based on the Position of the MoonAngelic ArzolaCROEM, Mayaguez, PR, Puerto Rico JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Elba Sepúlveda; Gilberto Jimenez

ThisresearchaimstofindifearthquakesareinfluencedbythegravitationalpulloftheMoon,andhowtocalculatetheprobabilitiesofittooccurconsideringtheeffecttheMoonhasontheEarth.Thisresearchstudiedwhetherthepositionofthemooncouldbeofinfluenceintheeruptionoftheseearthquakes.Earthquakesfrom2010to2013,mostwithamagnitudeof8.0MLormore,andsmallerearthquakesthathappenedbeforeandafter,wereselected.TheirmagnitudeswererelatedtothephaseoftheMoon,thelocationoftheMoonatthetimeoftheearthquake.Itrequiredtoconsiderhowclosertoperigeeorapogeeitwasandthelocationoftheearthquakeatthetimeithappened.Theresultswerelaiddownonagraph,wheretherelationscouldbeseen.Theexpectedresultswouldthenshowanincreaseand/ordecreaseinearthquakes,relatedtothepositionoftheMoon.Afterthis,aconclusionandapossible,moreaccuraterelationbetweentheMoonandtheeffectithasonearthquakesaretobedrawn.

Potential of Macroalgae for the Removal of Aluminium ion and Organic Pollutants from Natural WatersHennessy BasPa’ los Duros, Carolina, PR, Puerto Rico JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Yiria Muñiz; Dr. Liz M. Díaz

PreviousstudiesshowedthattheimmobilizedalgaeGlacilariaandSargassumabsorbsapercentageoftheemergentsemi-volatilepollutantsfoundinthePuertoNuevoRiver.ThisstudyaimstoabsorbapercentageofAluminum,thoughttobeoneofthecausesofAlzheimer;foundintheRioGrandeRiver,CarraizoReservoir,PithayaRiverandMaunaboRiverinPuertoRico,throughthealgae.Tocarryoutthisresearchweusedthealgae:GlacilariaandSargassum;thesearenotlaboratoryalgae.Thenitwasproceededtotheidentificationofthealuminuminwatersamplesandtheimmobilizationofthealgaewithsilica,forlatertoprecedewiththeabsorptionofthealuminum,bothasthealuminumsubstanceandtheriverwatersamples.FinallythedetectionofaluminuminthesampleswasrealizedbyacolorimetricmethodEDTAComplexometric.ThealgaewhichabsorbedmostthealuminumpresentinthesolutionwasGlacilaria,butitdidnotdifferedbymuchfromSargassum.Thealgaeabsorbed67and64%ofthealuminumpresentinthesolution.

The behavioral changes in Apis mellifera when infected with Nosema sporesWaldemar Ortiz, IIIJose E. Aponte HS, Carolina, PR, Puerto Rico JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Yiria Muñiz; Dr. Zachery Huang

ThegoalofthisresearchistoidentifythebehavioraldifferencescausedbyNosemainfectedbeestoaidtherecoveryofdeclininghoneybeepopulationsworldwide.TheNosemaparasitewasrecentlydiscoveredanditseffectsontheEuropeanhoneybee(Apismellifera)populationarestillunknown.WebegantestingwiththetwomainNosemaparasiteswhichwhereNosemaapisandNosemaceranae.MyhypothesisisthattheApismelliferawouldhavethecapacityadapttotheparasite’spresenceandpreferothertemperaturestoreduceorsuppresstheeffectsonthehoneybee.Webegantheexperimentationprocessbycreatingacanal/apparatusthatwouldhavethecapabilitytocreateatemperaturegradienttoobservethedifferenttemperaturepreferencesthatwouldbecausedbythebee.Thebeesusedintheexperimentareonethathaverecentlyemergedfromthebrood.Wethenstarvethebeesforaperiodof24hours,dividethebeesin3groupsandinfect2ofthemfeedingthemacertainquantityofNosemasporesandplacetheminanincubator.Wethenbeginathe6dayprocessofplacingthebeesinthetemperaturegradientcanalandrecordtheirpositionsaftera15minuteacclimationperiod.

82

The effect of the runoff water in the population of Pyrodinium bahamenseKenaly OrtizColegio de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro, Humacao, PR, Puerto Rico JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Lizbeth Delgado; Adolfo Rodriguez

InPuertoRico‘sbioluminescentlagoonshasbeenaffectedbythedeclineinpopulationsofPyrodiniumbahamensis.ThisresearchwillexploretheeffectofwaterrunoffonpopulationsofPyrodiniumbahamensis(dinoflagellates).Duringtheyears2012-13intheCabezasdeSanJuaninFajardo,PuertoMosquitoinViequesavisualinspectionoftheareawasperformedinordertoidentifypossiblechannelsformedbyrain.InadditionaqualitativeanalysisofpHwereconductedincludingqualityanalysis.Theseyieldedahigherconcentrationofnitrate,phosphateandsulfate,commonindetergents,insecticidesandpesticides.Thirtymillilitersofwaterwerefilteredeachsampletobeanalyzedunderanelectronmicroscope.Duringthecurrentyear(2014)thesameprocedurewasconductedinLaParguerainLajasinordertomakecomparisonsbetweenthethreewaterbodies.Itwasfoundthatsamplescollectedonrainydayscontainedfewerorganismsandpossessedinjury.Thethreesampleswiththehighestnumberofdamagedspecimensbecameanalyzedunderalasermicroscope.Changesinthecoveringoftheorganismsaredescribed.Osmoticconsiderationrelatedtopopulationdeclinearediscussed.

Synthesis Of Pd & Ni Catalytic Particles To Improve The Performance Of An Alkaline Media Fuel CellJancel TaverasUniversity Gardens HS, San Juan, PR, Puerto Rico JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Pablo J. Hernandez

Overthepastyears,fuelcellshaveemergedasamethodofrenewableenergy.Thisresearchisaboutthesynthesisofnano-particlescatalystsofPalladiumandNickeltoimprovetheperformanceofanalkalinemediafuelcell.Severaldyesweresynthesized:PtandPd,PdNi(75:25),PdNi(50:50)(100);eachwasreducedusingNaBH4.ThesedyeswerethenpaintedinaFAA-3membraneandwerepreparedfortestsinfuelcells.Thecatalystsweresynthesizedeffectively.TheywereanalyzedintheSEM,showingthattheparticleswereoflargesizewithanapproximatedifferenceof6000-27000nmcomparedtoPt.Performancetestswereconductedinacellstationandusedhydrogenasfuel.ResultsinproductionofcurrentweremuchlowercomparedtoPtanditwashighlyunlikelytoworkbetterwithammonia,possiblefueltobeused.Pd(100)obtained0-0.5(mA/cm2),PdNi(75:25)0-0.4(mA/cm2)andPdNi(50:50)3-6(mA/cm2)currentdensities.ComparedwithcommercialPt,whichisof200-250(mA/cm2)currentdensities,theperformanceofthecellisnotenhancedwhichstatesthatthehypothesisisrejected.

83

South Carolina

The effect of a n-type TiO2 photocathode with a wide band gap on a Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 microbial fuel cellKrishna T. GorrepatiSpring Valley Highschool, Columbia, SC, South Carolina JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dale Soblo, Spring Valley Highschool

Microbialfuelcells(MFCs)showpromiseasarenewableenergysourcethatcangenerateelectricitythroughmicrobes.Thepurposeofthisstudywastocomparen-typeTiO2with3.2-3.35eVbandgapcathodicelectrodeswithgraphitecathodicelectrodesinaMFC.ItwashypothesizedthattheTiO2electrodeswouldincreasevoltageoutputduetophotoirradiation.Twentytrialsandfourteentrialswereconductedforthegraphiteelectrodes(ControlMFC)andtheTiO2electrodes(TiO2MFCs)respectively.Ineachtrial,thevoltageoutputwascollectedeveryminuteforfivedays.Oncethebacteriumhadstabilized,themeanforeachtrialwascalculated.Usingatwo-samplet-Testwiththemeans,theresultsshowedthatControlandTiO2MFCswerefromthesamepopulation:t(32)=1.69,p>.05.However,withouttheoutliers,theresultsindicatedthatthetwopopulationsweresignificantlydifferent:t(30)=1.70,p<.05.TheTiO2MFCsalsohadgreaterQ1,median,andQ3valueswithandwithoutoutliers.Moreover,TiO2MFCshada10.3%increaseinvoltageoutputs.ThisfurthersupportedthatTiO2MFCsproducedgreatervoltageoutputsthanthecontrolMFCs.AsthepowerdensityofMFCscontinuetoincrease,theywillcontinuetobecomeamorereliableformofgreenenergy.

The Influence of Social Networking on Teenage Decision-MakingBushra B. IslamSpring Valley High School, Columbia, SC, South Carolina JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Michelle Wyatt, Spring Valley High School; Michelle Spigner, Spring Valley High School

Astheusageofsocialnetworkingwebsitesincreasesdramatically,itisimportanttoanalyzetheeffectsofsocialmedia.Thisexperiment’spurposewastodeterminetheinfluenceofsocialnetworkingwebsites,namely,FacebookandTwitter,onteenagedecision-makingregardingblooddonation.ItwashypothesizedthatteenagestudentsexposedtoFacebook/Twitterpostssupportingblooddonationwouldbemorelikelytodonateblood.ParticipantscompletedasurveyabouttheirsocialnetworkingusageandtheiropinionsregardingtheInternet’sinfluence.TheyalsoprovidedtheirTwitter/Facebookusernames,althoughtheywerenotinformedabouthowthisinformationwouldbeutilized;theresearcherutilizedthisinformationby“following”studentsonTwitter/“friending”themonFacebook.Afterparticipantswererandomlyplacedintotheexperimentalgroup,whoseparticipantswereexposedtopoststhatsupportedtheblooddrive,orthecontrolgroup,whoseparticipantswereblockedfromseeingsuchposts,socialnetworkingactivitywasmonitoredforonemonth.Attheblooddrive,thenumberofstudentsfrombothgroupswhovolunteeredtodonatebloodwascompared.StudentsweredebriefedandinformedthattheirTwitter/Facebookusernameswereutilizedtoallowexperimental-groupstudentstoseepostsabouttheblooddriveandblockcontrol-groupstudentsfromseeingthem.AChi-squaredtestforindependencewasconductedataconfidencelevelofα=0.05,x2(2,N=50)=9.93,andp<0.001;aparticipant’sdecisiontodonatebloodwasdependentupongroupplacement,ashypothesized.Participantsexposedtoencouragingpostsabouttheblooddriveweremorelikelytosuccumbtosocialnetworkinginfluenceandchoosetodonateblood.

84

Effects of Azadiractin, from the Neem Tree, on Colonization and Mortality of the Sweet Potato Whitefly Biotype B on CollardDana KrzyzaniakAcademic Magnet, North Charleston, SC, South Carolina JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Merle Shepard, Clemson Extension; Alvin Simmons, USDA; Katy Metzner-Roop, Aca-demic Magnet

Astudywasconductedtodeterminetheeffectsoffoliarspraysof1.25%AzadiractinoncolonizationanddevelopmentbytheB-biotypesweetpotatowhitefly(Bemisiatabaci)oncollards.Cagedchoice,cagedno-choice,andy-tubeolfactometerassayswereconductedonoviposition,survivalandadultbehaviorinresponsetoazadiractin.Datawasanalyzedusingat-test(p=0.05).Inthecagedchoicestudy,whitefliesmostoftenchosetocolonizeandlayeggsoncontrolplants.Decreasednumbersofwhiteflieswereabletocontinuedevelopmentinthetreatmentgroupsofthecagednochoicestudies,ascomparedtothecontrol.Y-tubeolfactometertestsindicatedthatazadiractinhasarepellencyeffectonwhiteflies.Thefindingsmaybeusefulinprovidingamoreecologicallysoundwaytomanagepopulationsofthesweetpotatowhitefly.

Effects of Genetically Engineered Maize and Glyphosate on Eisenia fetida Growth and ReproductionBrett WintersDutch Fork High School, Irmo, SC, South Carolina JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Ms. Elizabeth McShane, Dutch Fork High School; Ms. Tamara Turner, Dutch Fork High School

Biotechnologyhasprovidedapproximately144geneticallyengineered(GE)crops.BecauseGEfoodshaveonlybeenconsumedsince1994,thelong-termeffectsarevirtuallyunknown.Additionally,theincreaseduseofglyphosateherbicide,appliedtoRoundupReady®GEcrops,mayposehealthrisksuponingestion.ThisprojecttestedthegrowthandreproductioneffectsofGEmaizeandglyphosateonEiseniafetida.GEandnon-GEmaizeweregrown.GlyphosatewassprayedonhalftheRoundupReady®andBt/RoundupReady®plants.Ondays50and183,therewasanincreasedweightinthosefedRoundupReady®,Bt/RoundupReady®,andglyphosate-sprayedvariablesandadecreasedweightinthosefedtheBtmodification.Onday183,therewasagreaterweightincreaseinpopulationsfedGEmaizewithglyphosatesprayedcomparedtothosefednon-sprayedGEmaize.Nodifferenceswerenotedinmortalityorinthenumberofjuvenileshatchingfromcocoons.Asoilanalysisonday106revealedthatallsamplescontained38-80%decreasedbacterialcountcomparedtothecontrol.ThisexperimentrevealsthatsomevarietiesofGEmaizevegetationandglyphosatemayresultinweightgain.ResultssuggestthepotentialforGEproductsandglyphosatetocontributetoobesitybypossiblyalteringgutflora.

85

Southern New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island)

Change Agent Attribution in the Pacific Northwest using LandTrendr Label Interface, Version 1.1Easton J. EhlersManchester Essex Regional High School, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, Southern New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island) JSHS

Remotesensingisbecomingincreasinglymoreimportantintheenvironmentalsciencesbecauseanyareacanbeaccessedremotelyviasatellite.TheLandTrendrLabelInterface,Version1.1,rootedintheconceptofremotesensing,isaimingtodevelopanalgorithmtodetectuniversallandchangesasinfireandorharvesting.Theobjectiveisfortheinterfacetobecomedependentfromhumanattribution,atthemoment,thisprocessesisstillinprogress.Thequestionariseswhetherwhichchangeprocessisthemostprevalent;itisconditionallydependentonLandtrendr’scurrentfocuslocationofthePacificNorthwest.

A Novel Bioinformatics System to Aid Researchers in Using Computational Biology to Guide Pharmacological Research for Different Disease PathogensKatie HudekHudek Homeschool, Grafton, MA, Southern New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Gail Hudek, Hudek Homeschool

Inthispaper,amethodforusingcomputationalbiologytohelpguidepharmacologicalresearchwasdevelopedanddemonstrated.Additionally,anewbioinformaticssystemwasdesigned,developed,anddemonstratedwhichautomatesthisoverallmethodtoaidresearchersinfindingnewchemicalcompoundstotreatdisease.Computationalbiologyisarelativelynewfield,whichutilizesthedisciplineofbioinformatics.Bioinformaticsistheuseofcomputers,software,andmathematicalmodelstoprocessandintegratebiologicalinformation.Proteinsarethemainagentsofbiologicalfunction,makingthemidealsubjectsforstudyofdiseasedstates;protein-proteininteraction(PPI)maps,whichcanbeutilizedtoanalyzeproteinsandtheirinteractions,areusefultoolsinunderstandingthemolecularbasisofdisease.ThebioinformaticssystemwaswrittenusingtheJavaprogramminglanguage.Itusesnaturallanguageprocessingtechniquesforuserinput,andassiststheuserbyautomaticallysearchingweb-based,publiclyavailableproteindatabases,creatingPPImapsandaidingintheiranalysis,andsearchingpubliclyavailabledrugdatabaseinformationforchemicalcompoundsthattargetspecificproteinsofinterest.Thisbioinformaticssystemautomatesaprocessthatcanbeusedforanydiseasepathogen,andwassuccessfullytestedanddemonstratedusingboththeHIV-1andH1N1viruses.

Solving the Protein Structure of the Ultrasensitive Calcium Indicator Protein GCaMP6 and Designing New Calcium IndicatorsAndrew F. LuoLexington High School, Lexington, MA; JingJin Ding, National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Southern New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island) JSHS

Calciumisimportantfornumerousphysiologicalprocessesanditscytoplasmiclevelsreflectthecellularactivitylevels.GCaMPisthemostpopularlyusedcalciumindicatorincellbiologyandneuroscience.ThenewlydevelopedGCaMP6exhibitssuperiorbrightnessandultra-sensitivitytocalciumatphysiologicalconcentrations(Chenetal.Nature,2013).IworkedinabiochemistrylaboratoryandproposedtodeterminetheproteinstructureofGCaMP6(Ding&Luo,etal.,SCLS,2014).IpurifiedandcrystalizedGCaMP6manddeterminedthecrystalstructuresofCa2+boundGCaMP6attheresolutionof2.8Å.Alongwithmymentor,IpresenteddetailedstructuralanalysesandrevealedthestructuralbasisfortheoutperformanceofGCaMP6.Incomparisonwithitsparentversion,GCaMP6has3substitutionmutationsthatchangeslocalstructureandinteractiontoenhanceCa2+sensitivityandgreenfluorescenceintensity.SpecificsubstitutionsinthethreeversionsofGCaMP6arealsostructurallyconsistentwiththeirdifferentialsensitivityandintensity.Thisstudygivesusinsightonpotentialstrategiesforfurtherstructure-guidedoptimizationandthedesignofnovelcalciumindicators.

86

Engineering Novel Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery to Treat Cryptococcal InfectionsVivek SubramaniamWestborough High School, Westborough, MA, Southern New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Miriam Rafailovich, Stony Brook University; Mr. Mathew Desjardins, Westborough High School

Cryptococcusisaleadingcauseoffungalmeningoencephalitisworldwide,accountingforoverhalfmilliondeathsannually.Glucosylceramide,animportantglycosphingolipidpresentinCryptococcus,isessentialformembraneintegrityandpathogenicity.Auniquecharacteristicofthesefungiistheirproductionofanegativelychargedcapsulethatallowsthemtoresideunharmedwithinpulmonarymacrophages.AmphotericinB,theleadingdrugfortreatingCryptococcalinfectionsisexpensiveandnephrotoxic.Theobjectiveofthisresearchwastoengineeracosteffective,specificandsafedrug-deliverymechanismtotreatCryptococcosis.PromisingantifungaldrugcandidateN’-(3-bromo-4-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-methylbenzo-hydrazide(BHBM)wasencapsulatedinpoly(lactic-co-glycolicacid)(PLGA)nanoparticlestoallowdispersionofthehydrophobicdrugandforspecificityofthenanoparticles.ThePLGAnanoparticleswerecreatedwiththepositivelychargedsurfactantchitosanchloridefortargeteddrugdeliverybyelectrostaticattraction.Thedrugencapsulationwasconfirmedbynuclearmagneticresonance.Dynamiclightscatteringrevealedthezetapotentialoftheparticlesandtransmissionelectronmicroscopyrevealedtheirsphericalsizeandshape.Thedrug-loadednanoparticlesreducedintracellularCryptococcusinmacrophage-likecelllineJ774A.1andreducedsyncytiaformationwithoutaffectingmacrophageviabilityover72hourscomparedtodrug-freenanoparticles.Asfuturework,drugelutionandnanoparticledrugreleaseratescouldbestudied.

Developmental Effects of Correlated Color Temperature of Artificial Lights on Painted Lady Butterflies Vanessa carduiSimiao YouHolyoke Catholic High School, Chicopee, MA, Southern New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island) JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. L. LeTellier, Holyoke Catholic High School

Thisexperimentaimedtodeterminetheeffectsofartificialnightlightingonthelifecycleofbutterflies.Paintedladybutterflies,Vanessacardui,wereexposedtovariouslightsourceswithdifferentcorrelatedcolortemperature(CCT).Lightintensityandtemperatureweremonitoredbydatacollectiondevicesplacedineachexperimentalunit.Butterflydevelopmentandlifecyclestagelengthwereobservedandrecordedregularly.Thelarvaethatgrewunderartificialnightlight,whichhadhighCCT(5000Kand6500K),werewiderandlongerthanthelarvaethatgrewunderlowCCTlights(2700K).ThebutterfliesthatgrewunderhighCCTlightsourcespupatedandemergedfromchrysalidesearlierthantheonesthatwereunderlowCCTlights.Thisresearchsuggestedthatartificialnightlightstimulatesthedevelopmentofthepaintedladybutterflies.Whetherartificialnightlightinducessimilareffectsinotherspeciesofinsectsremainstobeexplored,butlightinducedchangesinphenologycouldhaveecosystemwideeffects.

87

Tennessee

A Study of the Biodegradation of Dimethyl Benzyl and Didecyl Dimethyl Quaternary Ammonia Compounds by Antibiotic Resistant BacteriaZheer AhmedMartin Luther King Magnet School, Nashville, TN, Tennessee JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Thomas Byl, US Geological Survey; Dr. Chand Desai, Martin Luther King Magnet School

QuaternaryAmmoniaCompoundsarecommonlyusedinindustrial,domestic,agricultural,andhealthcarerelatedfields;consequently,25%ofthesecompoundsaredischargedintowastewaterandlittleisknownabouttheirenvironmentalfateinecosystems.Despitethis,QACsarevulnerabletotheprocessofbiodegradation.TheobjectiveofthisprojectwastodeterminetheroleofbiofilmdevelopmentonbiodegradationratesofQACs(didecyldimethylanddimethylbenzylammoniumchloride).BacteriaresistanttoQACswerecollectedfromadecontaminationstationtotestwhetherbiofilmbacteriaorfree-livingnonsymbioticbacteriaweremoreefficientatbiodegradingQACs.Allmicrocosmsreceived250mLofthesamesolutioncontainingQACandbacteriaandwereallowedtoequilibratefor4weekstoaccountforsorptionandbiofilmdevelopment.TheQACconcentrationswereperiodicallymeasured(withthreereplicatesamples).Themicrocosmswithhighsurfaceareaandbiofilmdevelopmenthadhalf-livesof15dayswhiletheoneswithoutsurfaceareaforbiofilmdevelopmenthadQAChalf-livesof60days.Additionalexperimentsindicatedthatthebacteriawerethermophilic,gramnegative,andslightlyacidophilic.

Confirming next generation sequencing (NGS) data on the effects of NAG-1-induced cancer cellsAmany AlshibliFarragut High School, Knoxville, TN, Tennessee JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Seung J. Baek, University of Tennessee; Mrs. Neely Tonos, Farragut High School

Non-steroidalanti-inflammatorydrug-activatedgene(NAG-1)playsacomplexroleincancerdevelopmentasatumorinhibitor;itsmechanismofsuchactivity,however,isunknown.Onepossiblemechanismmaybethroughtheregulationofvariousgenes,producingacascadethatmayleadtothesuppressionoftumorgrowth.ThisstudysoughttoconfirmNGSdatawhichfoundthatNAG-1regulatestheexpressionof142genesinosteosarcoma(U2OS)cells.ThedatawasconfirmedthroughpolymerasechainreactionamplificationofgenesNRP1,HMGB1,ZMAT4,andIGFBP5.TheexpressionoftheseamplifiedgenesintheNAG-1-inducedU2OSandhumanembryonickidney(HEK)cellswasthencomparedtosimilaramplificationsinwildtypeU2OSandHEKcellsbyanalyzingagarosegelelectrophoresisimages.TheresultsshowedthatgenesZMAT4andHMGB1areup-regulatedinNAG-1-inducedU2OScells,confirmingNGSdataandsuggestingthatthesegenesmayinhibittumorgrowth.Additionally,NRP1andIGFBP5exhibiteddown-regulationinNAG-1-inducedHEKcells,suggestingthattheymaypromotetumorgrowth.ThesefindingsfurthertheinvestigationofthecentralcausesofNAG-1tumorsuppression,andsuggestfuturestudyoftheaforementionedgenesthatmayplaysignificantrolesincarcinogenesis.

88

Effect Of Artemesinin And Aleuropein Compounds In Colorectal Cancer Cell GrowthGrace J. BaekKnoxville, TN, Tennessee JSHS

EffectofartemesininandoleuropeincompoundsincolorectalcancercellgrowthNaturalcompoundsareaviable,cost-efficientoptionincancertreatmentcomparedtopotentiallyharmfulexistingtreatments.Artemesininandoleuropeinhavebeenshowntoinhibittumorgrowthinvariouswell-knowncancerssuchasbreast,liver,andleukemia.Artemesinin,acompoundderivedfromawoodyherbaceousplant,ArtemesiaAnnua,hasbeenrecognizedbytheWorldHealthOrganizationintreatingmalaria.Oleuropein,acompoundderivedfromtheolivetree,aplantthatiswidespreadaswellasreadilyavailableintheMediterraneanclimatesandfoodcultures.Ithasbeenshowntopreventatherosclerosis.Theexperimenttestedtoseeartemesininandoleuropein’seffectivenessbydosageindifferentbovineserumconcentrations.HCT-116(humancolorectaltumor)cellswereputthroughacellproliferationassaytomeasurecelldeathbyabsorbencyintwodifferentserumlevels.Versusthe10%serummedia,the2%serummediashowedtohavethemosteffectiveenvironmentforthetwocompounds,oleuropeinandartemesinin,ininitiatingcelldeath.Thisinnovativeresearchoffersaviewontheimportanceofmediaserumlevelsandcancerproliferationassays.

Prediction of Epileptic Seizures using an Android ApplicationMaria D’AzevedoOak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge, TN, Tennessee JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Tammy Carneim, Oak Ridge High School; Dr. Lee Hively, Oak Ridge National Labora-tory

Epilepsyafflicts50millionpeopleworldwide,andanytypeofseizurehasthepotentialtobedangerous,especiallyifthevictimisunprepared.Epilepticpatientsneedaneasyandconvenientwaytopredictseizureeventssothattheyhavesufficienttimetoprepare.WedevelopedanAndroidapplicationinordertoaddressthisneed.Theappreadsandanalyzeselectroencephalogram(EEG)data,andthengraphsandmeasuresthedissimilaritybetweenbaselineandcurrentdata.Afteranalysis,theprograminformsthepatientwhetheraseizureeventhasbeenpredicted.Itaccuratelypredictswhetherornotaseizurewilloccur58/60,or45/60,iftheprecisionofthedataishalvedinordertosavememory.Theappwillbenefitpatients,doctors,andinsurancecompanies.ItcanpotentiallybemodifiedtoworkonaniPhoneTMoroncheaperhandhelddevicesfordevelopingcountries,wherethevastmajorityofepilepticpatientshavenoaccesstotreatment.

Testing the Bayesian Model of Hypothesis EvaluationVijaya R. DasariWhite Station High School, Memphis, TN, Tennessee JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Nikki Marinsek, University of California, Santa Barbara; Maridee Cornell, White Station High School

Bayesianupdatingisamathematicaltheorythatdescribeshowindividualsupdateandrevisebeliefsbasedonnewobservations.Theaimofthisexperimentwasto1)determinehowwelltheBayesianmodelexplainssubjects’hypothesisevaluationand2)identifyinstances,ifany,wheresubjectsdeviatefromidealBayesianbehavior.Tothisend,weusedamodifiedversionoftheWisconsinCardSortingTestinwhichsubjectsguessedwhichstimuli,attribute,orrule,wasrelevantinagiventrialandweregivenfeedbackontheirguess.Additionally,weusedprobabilisticfeedbackto1)dissociatethereceiptofnegativefeedbackandarulechangeand2)simulatethereal-worlduncertaintyofevidence.WefoundthattheBayesianmodelaccuratelydescribeshigh-performingsubjects’beliefupdatingbehavior.Wecannowusethismodelinfuturestudiestopinpointtheareasthatsupporthypothesisevaluationandmakeimprovementsindelusionalpatientswhodonotideallyevaluatetheirhypotheses.

89

Texas

Enhanced Third-Generation Biofuel Production from Genetically Modified AlgaeDara W. LiJasper High School, Plano, TX, Texas JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Neil Milburn, Plano West Senior High School; Pat Kite, Jasper High School

Algaeareoneofthemostpromisingsourcesofbio-fuelsbecauseoftheirenvironmentalsustainability,andthedirectuseofalgallipidsasfuels.Traditionalmethodsofextractingtheselipids,however,preventalgalbiofuelsfrombeingacommerciallyviableoption.Thisprojectintroducesanoveltechniquethatcutscostsofbiofuelextractionthroughgeneticallymodifyingalgae.Asopposedtoconventionalhexaneextractionsthatbreakthecellwall,therebykillingthealgae,genemodificationsofacyl-acpsynthetaseandthioesteraseallowforautomaticexcretionoflipids.Inaddition,lipidproductionitselfwasalsooptimized.Ashypothesized,cellfunctionswerenotinhibitedbythetransformation;therefore,asinglecultureofalgaeisabletocontinuallyproducelipidsasopposedtore-culturing.Inordertomaintainhighalgaeculturesforlarge-scaleproduction,anoriginalracewaysystem,CACBA,wasdevelopedtoefficientlyculturealgaethroughspecificallyengineeredcultivationconditions.Thisbroughtthealgaecultureonparwiththebiofueldemand;eachcultureofalgaeholdsmillionsoflipid-excretingcells.Emissionstestswereconductedonbiofuel/fossilfuelmixturesforavisionofasmoothtransitionfrompetroleumtobiofuels.Itwasfoundthatasthepercentageofbiofuelincreased,theharmfulemissionscausingairpollutiondecreased.

Pan-Neuronal Over-Expression of the GCLc Gene to Mitigate Redox Stress and Mitochondrial ETC Complex Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s DiseaseLisa P. MichaelsPlano West Senior High School, Plano, TX, Texas JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Neil Milburn, Plano West Senior High School

EffectivetherapieshaveeludedAlzheimer’sdiseaseforoveracentury.Thismulti-phasedprojectinvestigatespotentialbiomarkers,cellularGlutathionelevelsandMitochondrialenzymeactivityfortheearlydetectionandtreatmentofAlzheimer’sdisease.TransgenicDrosophilamelanogasterwithpan-neuronalover-expressionoftheGCLcgenewerecreatedbycrossbreedingAlzheimerAbeta42(c155-elav/elavGAL4;UAS-Ab42/cyo)andantioxidantGCLc-GAL4flies.TheseAbeta42-GCLcDrosophilaweresubjectedtoredoxstressandtheirlifespancomparedwithyellow-whiteandAbeta42Drosophila.ThemitochondrialbioenergeticsoftheElectronTransportChaincomplexesoftheDrosophilagroupswasthenanalyzedattheGeneticsLabusingColorimetricEnzymaticAssays.ThelifespanofAbeta42-GCLcDrosophilaweresignificantlyandstatisticallyhigherat128%comparedtoAlzheimer’sflies,andupto136%higherunderredoxstress.TheMitochondrialETCactivitiesinallcomplexesweresignificantlylowerby40-70%intheAlzheimerfliescomparedtotheyellow-whites.Ineachmitochondrialcomplex,theAβ-GCLcflies’enzymeactivitydoubledascomparedtotheAlzheimer’sflies,especiallyincomplexesI,IIIandIVencodedbymitochondrialDNA.ThisPatentPendingresearchsuggestsdiagnosticprotocolsusingmitochondrialbioenergeticsandGlutathionelevelsasbiomarkersinAlzheimer’s.Itpointstothepotentialofneuro-specificgenetherapyforAlzheimer’sbyincreasingpan-neuronalin-vivoGlutathionesynthesis.

90

Novel Dilithium Phthalocyanine-Graphene Composite Electrodes for Hybrid Supercapacitor ApplicationsMichael N. TrinhPlano East Senior High School, Plano, TX, Texas JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Kenneth Balkus Jr., University of Texas at Dallas

Supercapacitorsareenergystoragedevicesthatfacilitatehigherpowerdensitiesthanthoseofbatteriesandfuelcellsandhigherenergydensitiesthanthoseofcapacitors.Duetotheirabilitytochargeanddischargequicklyandinhighmagnitude,supercapacitorsareanenticingsolutionfortheenergycrisis.Graphene,ansp2hybridizedcarbonallotropewithhighelectrostaticchargecapabilities,isextremelyconductivewhiledilithiumphthalocyanine,duetoitsredoxactivity,canprovidepseudocapacitance.Inthiswork,anovelhybridsupercapacitorisfabricatedwithelectrodesthatexploitthesynergybetweentheelectricdoublelayercapacitanceofgrapheneandthepseudocapacitanceofdilithiumphthalocyanineincompositeelectrodes.Itwashypothesizedthatcoincellsupercapacitorswithgraphene-dilithiumphthalocyaninecompositeelectrodescouldbesynthesizedviaultrasonicationandfiltrationtoyieldhigheroverallcapacitance,energydensity,andpowerdensitythanthoseofpuregraphenesupercapacitors.Itwasobservedthatwhentheconcentrationofphthalocyaninetographenewasat5%,therewasastatisticallysignificantdifferenceinperformanceofthecell.Therefore,itwasconcludedthatacheap(about20centsperunit),reusable,andflexiblecompositeelectrodecanmaximizequalityofasupercapacitor,whichsuggestsnovelfunctionswherepreviouslyinefficientsupercapacitorapplicationsweresubstandard.

91

Virginia

A Natural Way to Improve Chemotherapy: Investigating the effect of Biochanin A on the efficacy of Thapsigargin in a C. elegans cancer modelAudrey L. FrancisLoudoun Academy of Science, Sterling, VA, Virginia JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Julie Sohl, Loudoun Academy of Science

Multidrugresistanceisamajorobstacleinthetreatmentofcancer.OneofthemajorcausesofresistanceisP-glycoprotein,anATPbindingcassettetransporterthatbindsandremovestoxinsfromcells,enablingcellstoeliminatedrugsandtoxinsbeforedamageisincurred.ThisstudyaimedtotesttheeffectofapotentP-glycoproteininhibitor,BiochaninA,ontheefficacyofananticancerdrugcalledThapsigargin.Interestingly,ithasbeenfoundthatBiochaninAisabletospecificallytargetcellsthatoverexpressP-glycoprotein,potentiallyenablingittoincreasetheaccumulationofchemotherapeuticdrugsincancercellswithoutcausingfurtherharmtohealthycells.ThenematodeCaenorhabditiseleganshasbeenusedasanalternativecancermodelforcertaindrugssuchasThapsigarginbecauseitpossessesahomologforacalciumiontransporterthatistargetedbyThapsigargin.Inthisstudy,C.eleganswereusedtomodelcanceroustumorsandweretreatedwithThapsigargineitheraloneorincombinationwithBiochaninA.ItwasfoundthattreatingwormswithBiochaninAinconjunctionwithThapsigarginproducedsignificantlygreaterreductionsinpopulationthanThapsigarginalone,indicatingthatBiochaninAmaybeabletoimprovetheeffectivenessofchemotherapyandpreventorreversedrugresistance.Additionaltrialsarebeingconductedtoconfirmthesefindings.

The Impact of Community Acquired Ciprofloxacin-Resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Rates of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the hospitalTarun V. KamathThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA, Virginia JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Nancy Donnegan, Medstar Washington Hospital Center; Dr. Barbara Wood, Thom-as Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Inthisexperiment,thepercentageoccurrenceofciprofloxacinresistantPseudomonasaeruginosa(CRPA)incommunityandhospitalsettingsfrom1990to2013wasstudied.Thepurposewastodeterminetherelationshipbetweenthetwosettings.Thedataofhadbeenpreviouslycollected.Twostatisticalanalyseswereused:firstaFouriertransformofthedatawhichindicatedthatbothcommunityandhospitalgraphshadsimilarfrequencies.Secondmethodusedsuperpositiontodemonstratewhetherhospitalaffectedcommunityorviceversa.Forthis,thecurveswerestretchedtooverlayeachotherToshowthatthecurveswerestatisticallysimilar,thePearson’s‘r’valueofthetrendlineswerecalculatedandcomparedusingFisher’s‘r’to‘z’transformation.Itwasfoundthatthetwocurveswerestatisticallysimilar.Basedonabove,itcanbeconcludedthatatfirstthehospitalpercentageresistanceaffectedthecommunitypercentageresistance,howeverovertimepercentageresistancechangeswereintandem.Furthermore,whenthepercentageresistanceisindecline,itstartsatthecommunityandspreadstothehospitalwhereasintimesofresurgence,itismorelikelytobegininthecommunityandspreadtothehospital.

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THE PARADOX OF EMOTIONAL DIMENSIONALITY: The Effect of the Dimensionality of Audio Stimuli on the Brain’s Electrical Activity. - A Neuroscience Study -Michelle M. MarquezMath & Science High School at Clover Hill, Midlothian, VA, Virginia JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dana Johnson, Math & Science High School at Clover Hill; Dana Johnson, Math & Sci-ence High School at Clover Hill

Thereistangibleproofthatmusictherapyworksintreatingsymptomsofmooddisorders,neurologicaldisorders,andanxietydisorderssuchasPost-TraumaticStressDisorder.Themechanismsofactionandtheoriginsofthesephenomenapresentaconfusingpicturetoexpertsinthefield.ThepurposeofthisresearchstudywastofindamathematicalcorrelationbetweentheFractalDimension(Dimensionality)ofaudiostimuliandtheselectiveemotionsinducedbythestimuliandtomonitoriftheseresultswouldbeconfirmedandverifiedusingElectroencephalography.Thisstudyrevealsthattheinternalmathematicalstructureofthesound-stimuliitselfcouldberesponsiblefortheinductionofselectiveemotions.ThereisatrendbetweenlowFractalDimensionaudiostimuliandthe“positive”emotionalresponsesofjoyalongwithashorteningeffectontimeperception.Meanwhile,highFractalDimensionaudiostimuliwereshowntopredominantlytrigger“negative”emotionalresponsesoffearwithalengtheningeffectontimeperception.Theseresultssupporttheideathatprimaryemotionscouldbeuniversalacrossculturesandmayhaveanevolutionaryandbiologicalbasis.Thisstudyprovidesafundamentalunderstandingtoadvancethefieldsofbiomathematics,emotionalresearch,andmusictherapy.

A Novel Beamforming Approach to Stereo SoundSamuel E. RohrerThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Tech, Alexandria, VA, Virginia JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: David Bell

Thegoalofthisongoingprojectistodeterminethebestmethodofcreatingstereosoundandseparationwithinthefootprintofatabletinthenear-field(lessthansixfeetfromtheuser).Beamforming(creatingdirectionalwavefronts)wasusedtoachievethis;however,thebestmethodofnear-fieldbeamformingwasunknown.ThreetechniquesweresimulatedandcomparedusingMATLAB:pointandsum(anewmethoddevelopedduringresearch),delayandsumbeamforming,andnobeamforming.Simulationresultsshowedthatpointandsumbeamformingwasthesuperiormethod.Thistechniquewasthentestedinhardware.Todothis,thelogicfortheprocessingwasdefinedusingVHDLandsynthesizedontoaFieldProgrammableGateArray(FGPA).Onahigh-level,thisprocessingcircuitrysamplesallaudioinputsandthentransfersthedatatoamatrixofregisters.Thedatawasthenselectedfromtheregistersbasedonthedelaysthathadalreadybeencalculatedtocreatethebeamforming.Resultssuggestthesystemisfunctioningcorrectlybyseparatingthesoundasmanyusershaveconfirmed.Itisclearpointandsumbeamformingisthebestmethodfornear-fieldbeamformingandthatstereoseparationcanbecreatedinthefootprintofatablet.

93

Washington

Generation of Power Using Piezoelectric LeavesMaeve W. HarrisSequim High School, Sequim, WA, Washington JSHS

Thevibrationofleavesinthewindprovidesapotentialrenewableenergysource.Thegoalofmyprojectwastodesignanartificialleafsystemthatwouldmimictheoscillationofnaturalleaves.Newtechnologiessuchaspiezo-electricscouldconvertthissmall-scalevibrationalenergytoelectricalenergy.Iinitiallytestedninedifferentleafshapeswithvaryingpetioleconfigurations.IemployedaSlamStickaccelerometertorecordtheaccelerationing’sandthefrequencyinHz.IanalyzedthecollecteddatausingaFastFourierTransform(FFT)intheSlamStickSoftware.Resultsindicatedthattheoptimumsystemwasabirchleafwitharound,bent-wirepetiole4cmlongwiththeleaforiented30degreestothewind.Thissystemproducedanaverageof0.1389g’satanaverage35.9564(Hz).Iidentifiedapiezoelectric,VoltureVibrationEnergyHarvester,thatwouldoperatewithintheaccelerationandfrequencyindentifiedbytheSlamStick.IreplacedtheSlamStickwiththeenergyharvester.ItunedthepiezoelectricenergyharvestertotheoptimumfrequencywhichIthenconnectedtoarectifierboard.ThiscircuitwasattachedtoaVernierMeterandthedatawastransferredtotheLoggerProsoftwareonthecomputer.

M9 Earthquakes as a Basis for Soil Liquefaction AnalysisKatherine LandoniSequim High School, Sequim, WA, Washington JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Ms. Beckett, Sequim School District; Ron Tognazzini, Sequim Science Club

Earthquakeshavecausedpropertydamageandinfrastructuredamagefromsoilliquefaction.AnalyticalmethodsusedintheUnitedStatestopredictliquefactionpotentialweredevelopedwithdatafromsmallmagnitude,shortdurationearthquakes.TheMagnitude9subductionzoneearthquakeonMarch11,2011offthePacificCoastofJapanresultedinliquefaction.SimplifiedliquefactionanalyticalmethodsuseaMagnitudeScalingFactor(MSF)asaproxyfordurationduringanearthquake.ThepurposeofthisinvestigationistodevelopaDurationScalingFactor(DSF)basedonlargemagnitude,longdurationshakingfromsubductionzoneearthquakesandapplyittothesimplifiedliquefactionanalyticalmethod.Recordsofdigitizedaccelerationdatawithin30kmofstiesthatliquefiedduringfoursubductionzoneearthquakeswereobtained.IcalculatedthesignificantdurationofstronggroundshakingforeachrecordfromtheCumulativeAbsoluteVelocity(CAV).IdevelopedtheDSFfromaregressionanalysisofdurationandmagnitude,andcomparedliquefactionpotentialofthreesitesusingtheDSFandMSF.TheresultsindicatedthattheMSFisnotadequateasaproxyforDuration.ThisindicatesthattheuseofaDSFwouldpredictliquefactionpotentialatabout5%lowergroundshakingthanthestandardMSF.

94

Cranberry Extracts: A Quorum Sensing Inhibitor and the Novel Application of Cranberry Extracts as an Environmental Measure to Inhibit Pectobacterium carotovorum in Crops.Indira RayalaHenry M. Jackson High School, Mill Creek, WA, Washington JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Andrew Sevald, Henry M. Jackson High School; Carol Tanner, Henry M. Jackson High School

Bacteriaexhibitcomplexmethodsofcommunicationscalledquorumsensing.Quorumsensingallowsbacteriatochemicaldeterminewhenspeciesdensitybecomeshighenoughtoovercomethehostcellsabilitytoproduceaneffectiveimmuneresponse.Ifquorumsensingwastobeinhibitedthenbacteriawouldnotbeabletolaunchvirulence.Plantdiseaseisaneconomicproblemandthecurrentmethodstotreatplantpathogensarevariedandhazardoustotheenvironment.Nearlyallplantpathogenaregram-negativebacteriaanduseAHLautoinducerstolaunchvirulenceinthehost.CranberryExtracts(DehydratedCrushedCranberryPowderandcPACs)willbetestedfortheirpotentialasanenvironmentalantibioticforplantdisease.Theanti-quorumsensingabilitiesofCranberryExtractswereassessedwithaDiffusionAssayusingthebiosensorstrainAgrobacteriumtumefacienstomeasurebeta-galactosidaseactivityandshowedanti-quorumsensingabilities(p<.001).TheextractshadasignificanteffectontheintegrityonAHLs.(p<.05)CranberryExtractswereappliedtoPectobacteriumcarotovorumtomeasureinhibitionofbiofilmformation(p<.05).Theextract’sabilitytopreventpost-harvestlosseswasalsoassessedandresultsshowthattheCranberryExtractdiddisplayinhibitionofinfectioninpotatoes.(p<.05).

Does BPA Cause Hearing Loss? Assessing the Potential Ototoxicity Induced by Bisphenol-A in Danio rerio Lateral LineMeghal ShethCamas High School, Camas, WA, Washington JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Allison B. Coffin, Washington State University Vancouver; Mrs. Kimberly Newman, Camas High School

DoesBPACauseHearingLoss?AssessingthePotentialOtotoxicityInducedbyBisphenol-AinDaniorerioLateralLineMeghalShethCamasHighSchool,Camas,WAMentor,Dr.AllisonB.Coffin,WashingtonStateUniversityVancouverTeacher,Mrs.KimberlyNewmanCamasHighSchoolBisphenol-A,(BPA)isaplasticizerusedintheproductionofpolycarbonateplastics,epoxyresins,andthermalpaper.BPAhasbeenshowntocausemanyhealthdefects,whichiswhyresearchisbeingdonetolearnmoreabouttheadverseeffectsofBPA.Inmyresearch,IhavetestedfortheototoxiceffectsofBPA,andhavebeguntoidentifyhowBPAspecificallycauseshaircelldeathandhearingloss.Hearinglossisoftencausedbythelossofhaircells,whicharemechanosensorycellsinthecochleathatreceivesoundstimuliandtransferittothebrainviaauditorynerve.Thehumanbodyproducesabout15,000auditoryhaircellsandoncelost,haircellscannotbereplaced.Manyresearchersusezebrafishasamodelforhaircelltoxicitystudiesinvivobecausethelaterallinestructurealongthebodyofthefishcontainshaircellbearingorganscalledneuromaststhatallowfortheaccurateidentificationofdamagedhaircells.Ihaveconcludedthat24-hourexposuretoBPAcauseshaircelldeath,andthatcertaincompounds,likeantioxidants,canpreventthisdamageinhumans,whichcouldpotentiallyalterthewaythehouseholdconsumerviewsBPAandtheimportanceofhearing.

95

Synthesis, Characterization and Solar Cell Application of Zinc-Oxide Nano-StructuresSwetha V. ShutthanandanRichland High School, Richland, WA, Washington JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Vaithiyalingam Shutthanandan, Pacific Northwest National Lab

Thedyesensitizednanoparticlesolarcell(DSNSC)isoneofthenewtypesofsolartechnologythatconvertssolarenergyintoelectricalenergy.TiO2isthetypicalnanomaterialusedinDSNSC.However,becauseofitsverylowelectronmobility,TiO2basedsolarcellsufferfromelectronrecombinationeffectsatthecell.Thisreducestheoverallefficiency.Assuchscientistshavebeentryingtodiscovernewmaterialstoovercomethisissue.ZincOxidebasednanostructuresshowsomepromisingeffectsinthisdirection.Inthiswork,severaldifferentnanostructuresofZnOweresynthesizedusing“Self-CatalyticassistedVapor-Liquid-Solid”growthprocess.Differenttypesofnanostructuressuchaswires,rods,flowers,andsheetswereformedonthesubstratesdependingontheirlocationinthesynthesistube.ThesenanostructureswerecharacterizedbyusingX-RayPhotoelectronSpectroscopyforsurfacecomposition,RutherfordBackscatteringSpectrometryforbulkcomposition/porosity,andHeliumIonMicroscopyformorphology.FourdifferentDSNSCwerefabricatedusingthesenanostructures.Forcomparisonpurposes,twoadditionalDSNSCwerefabricatedusingcommerciallyavailableZnOandTiO2nanoparticles.TheI-Vcharacteristicsofthesecellswereobtainedfordifferentlightingconditions.DSNSCfabricatedfromZnOnano-wiresshowedthelargestefficiency,whilethecellsynthesizedfromnano-flowershowedtheleastefficiency.

The Effect of Body Mass Index on the Concentrations of Acetone, Isoprene, and 1-octene in Human BreathCarrie M. StumpColumbia River High School, Vancouver, WA, Washington JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Kelly Cameron, Columbia River High School; Todd Rogers, Columbia Basin College/Center for Laboratory Services at RJ Lee Group

ObesityisanepidemicintheUnitedStates;itisbecomingmorevitalthatadeeperunderstandingofhumanmetabolismbegained.NewtechnologiessuchasProtonTransferReaction-MassSpectrometry(PTR-MS)enableafasterandmorecosteffectiveanalysisofhumanbreathwherehumanbreathisexaminedunderthepremisethatitcontainsVolatileOrganicCompounds(VOCs)thataremetabolicbyproducts.Theresearchquestionis:Whatistheeffectofbodymassindex(BMI)ontheconcentrationofacetone,isopreneand1-octeneinhumanbreathsamples?

BreathsampleswerecollectedinTedlarBagsfrom31teachersofvaryingBMIsatColumbiaRiverHighSchool.Participantsinflatedthebag,whichwasthensealedandlockedfortransporttoColumbiaBasinCollegeandRJLeeGroupinPasco,WA.Heightsandweights,fromwhichBMIswerecalculated,weremeasured1-2dayslater.Isopreneconcentration,whichdemonstratedaweakpositivecorrelationwithBMI,hada95%significance.AcetoneconcentrationhadaweaknegativecorrelationwithBMIandaconfidenceof90%.1-octenedemonstratedalmostnocorrelationbetweenocteneconcentrationsandBMI.Overall,thestudywaslimitedbyalackofcontrolleddietandpotentialtimefromsamplecollectiontoPTR-MSanalysis.

96

Western Wisconsin, Upper Michigan

Evaluating the toxicity of triclocarban on a sensitive algal strain, Scenedesmus subspicatusKaitlin M. BrueggenWest Salem High School, West Salem, WI, Wisconsin JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Barb Thompson, West Salem High School

Triclocarban(TCC)isachemicalcompoundthatisoftenaddedtohouseholdproducts,suchashandanddishsoap,toimpartantimicrobialproperties.Antimicrobialproductsareusedtokillinfectiousmicrobes,buthavealsobeenshowntoleadtomanynegativeeffects,includingantimicrobialresistantbacteria,negativehealtheffects,andnegativeeffectsontheenvironment.LittleisknownaboutthetoxicityofTCCandhowitmayaffectalgaeifthecompoundweretocontaminateaquaticecosystems.TodetermineTCCtoxicity,thegreenalgaScenedesmussubspicatuswasgrowninsolutionscontainingdifferentconcentrationsofTCC.Bycountingthecellspresentineachflaskoveraperiodofthreedays,cellularreproductionwasmonitored.ItwasdeterminedthatS.subspicatuscannotgrowinconditionscontaining50.0ppbofTCC.BecauseTCChasbeenfoundtobetoxicatrelativelylowconcentrations,useofitinantimicrobialproductsshouldbeconsideredcarefully.

Comparing the Trophic Position of Burbot (Lota lota) in the Apostle Islands Archipelago (Lake Superior, USA) to Determine Factors Promoting Contaminant BioaccumulationEllie L. HoopmanBayfield High School, Bayfield, WI, Western Wisconsin, Upper Michigan JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Richard Erickson, Bayfield High School; Toben Lafrançois, Northland College; Bill Route, National Park Service

NearshorecoastalfisheriesofLakeSuperiorareunderstudiedrelativetotheireconomicandculturalimportance,yetstudiesofcontaminantbioaccumulationshowunexplainedpatternsacrossnearshoreenvironments.Thegoalofthisresearchistoidentifyspatialpatternsoffoodwebpositionusingelementalanalysisofburbot(Lotalota).Stableisotopeanalysisprovidesinsightintothefactorsthatinfluencepersistenttoxinbioaccumulationinapexpredators.Fiftyburbotweresampledfromcommercialfisheryby-catchalongagradientfrominnertoouterislandsinandneartheApostleIslandsNationalLakeshorearchipelago.Tissuebiopsiesweretakenforisotopeanalysisfromcaudalfins,pectoralfins,anddorsalmuscletissue.Otolithswerecollectedtodetermineage.Carbonandnitrogenisotoperatiosindorsalmuscletissueweresignificantlydifferentthanthosefoundinpectoralandcaudalfinclips.Linearregressionequationsweredevelopedtocorrelateisotoperatiosinburbotdorsalmuscletissuetofinclips.Carbonisotopesweresignificantlyhigherforburbotcaughtintheouterversusinnerislands,indicatingthatburbotintheouterislandswerefeedingonamorebenthic-dominatedfoodweb.Analysisoftheisotopeδ15Nindicatedtheburbotfromtheinnerandouterislandswerepositionedatapproximatelythesametrophiclevel(5.1).Resultsshowednostatisticalrelationshipbetweenstableisotopeaccumulationandage.DifferencesfoundinburbotbioaccumulationwillbeusedinongoingworktohelpdeterminesourcesandpathwaysofcontaminantsintheLakeSuperiornearshoreecosystemandtorefinemethodsofcomparingfoodwebstudiesthatusedifferenttissuesources.

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Planktonic Food Web Structure of Island Lagoons and Nearshore Waters: Tools for Determining Pathways of Contaminant Accumulation in Bald Eagles of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (USA)Emily L. HoopmanBayfield High School, Bayfield, WI, Western Wisconsin, Upper Michigan JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Richard Erickson, Bayfield High School; Toben Lafrançois, Northland College; Bill Route, National Park Service

DeterminingthestructureoflowertrophiclevelsoftheLakeSuperiorfoodwebisnecessaryforunderstandingpatternsofcontaminantaccumulationintop-levelpredators.Astudyofbaldeagles(Haliaeetusleucocephalus)oftheApostleIslandsindicatedthatnestlingsontheislandsfarthestfromthemainlandcontainedthehighestDDElevels.Thepurposeofthisprojectwastoanalyzethebottom-uppathwaysofcontaminantaccumulationbyquantifyingeffectsofdifferentnearshorehabitatsinstructuringthebaseofthefoodweb.PlanktonsampleswerecollectedinpairsfromLakeSuperiornearshoreandApostleIslandslagoons.Sampleswereanalyzedusingstableisotoperatiosofcarbonandnitrogentoidentifyvariancebetweenlocation,habitattype,andsizefraction(0to35µm,35to63µm,and>63µm).Analysisofδ13Candδ15Ndistributionsoverallsizefractionsshowedsignificantheterogeneityamongallinteractions.Analysisofzooplankton(63+µm)showedasignificantdifferenceinδ13C(p<0.001)andδ15N(p<0.001)betweenhabitattypes,aswellasaδ15Ndifferencebetweenlocations(p=0.012).Lagoonsitesweredepletedin13Candenrichedin15N,indicatingthatplanktonfromnearshoresiteswassituatedatalowertrophiclevelthatismorecharacteristicofabenthicfoodwebpathway.ProceedinganalysisofzooplanktoncommunitiessuggeststhatFCLislongerinthelagoonpelagiccommunitiesstudied.Thisresearchvalidatestheideathatthe“inner”and“outer”islandssupportmorethanoneprimaryfoodweb,andinformsongoingworktodeterminepathwaysofcontaminantaccumulation.

The Relationship between the use of Foliar Fungicides and the Improvement of Alfalfa Forage ProductionCarrie A. UrbanekCashton High School, Cashton, WI, Western Wisconsin, Upper Michigan JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Julie Lundeen, Cashton High School

Thisprojectwasconductedtoevaluatetheeffectofpopularfoliarfungicidesandinsecticidesonthequalityandquantityofalfalfa.Ihypothesizedthefungicideandinsecticidetreatedplotswouldgenerateahigherprofitthantheplotwithjusttheinsecticidetreatment,becauseofthepresenceoffungusandinsectsinitiallyobservedatthestartoftheproject.Ialsohypothesizedthesectiontreatedwithbothtreatmentswouldgeneratethehighestprofit,regardlessofthecostofthetreatment,becausetheprotectiononthealfalfaplantwouldgreatlyincreasetheyieldandqualityatharvest.Ascontrolvariablesinthisexperiment,thesamebrandofalfalfaseedwasused,alongwiththesamebrandsoffoliarfungicides.Theindependentvariablewasthetypeoftreatmentused.Thedependentvariablewasthequalityandyieldofalfalfa.Whenasignificantdifferencewasfoundinmydata,mostofthetimethefungicide+insecticidetreatmentgeneratedahigheryield,buttheinsecticidetreatmenthadbetterquality.Thisstudywillhelpfarmersmakeaneducateddecisiononwhetherfoliarfungicidesshouldbeappliedtotheiralfalfa,andwhichtreatmentismosteffective.

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Evaluating Differences in Electrolyte Concentration Among BeveragesCasey R. UrbanekCashton High School, Cashton, WI, Western Wisconsin, Upper Michigan JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Mrs. Julie Lundeen, Cashton High School

Eachyear,sportsdrinkcompaniesspendmillionsofdollarsadvertisingtheirproduct,butaresportsdrinksreallythebestchoiceforathletes?Inmyexperiment,Itestedtheelectrolyteconcentrationsofsportsdrinks,coconutwater,orangejuice,andmilk.Ihypothesizedthatthemilkwillhavethemostelectrolytesbecausemilkishypertonic,meaninghighinelectrolytecontent.Inaddition,Ihypothesizedthatorangejuiceandcoconutwaterwouldcontainmoreelectrolytesthansportsdrinksbecausetheyarehighinpotassiumwhichisanimportantionreleasedforelectrolytes.Inmyexperiment,theindependentvariablewasthebeveragetested;Iusedseveralsportsdrinks,fruitjuicesandmilktotestelectrolytecontent.Thedependentvariablewastheelectrolyteconcentrationofthedrink.Iuseddistilledwaterasacontrolvariabletocomparewithtestedelectrolytevalues.Myhypothesiswasincorrect,coconutwaterhadthehighestelectrolyteconcentration,butchocolatemilkwasalsohigh.Iconcludedthatchocolatemilkisthebestchoiceforexerciserecoverybecauseitisthehighinelectrolytesandcontainsmorebeneficialvitaminsandhigherlevelsofcalcium.

99

Wisconsin

L-selectin and α4β7 interactions with VCAM-1 cooperate in regulatory T cell adhesion under shear stressJenna R. LieunghDivine Savior Holy Angels High School, Milwaukee, WI, Wisconsin JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Douglas Steeber, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Jessica Loppnow, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Mrs. Betty Jo Azpell, Divine Savior Holy Angels High School

RegulatoryT(Treg)cellscanbebothbeneficialbysuppressingimmuneresponseanddetrimentalbypreventingbodilyeliminationoftumors.Tregcellmigrationandrecirculationareimportantforfacilitatingeffectivesuppressiveimmuneresponses.LymphocytemigrationismediatedbyadhesionmoleculesthatbindtoligandsontheendotheliumandregulateTregmovement.Specifically,L-selectinmediatescaptureofthecellsfromthebloodstreamandfacilitateshighvelocityrolling.Then,α4β7decreaseslymphocytevelocityandbindstoVCAM-1.TheroleofL-selectinandα4β7integrininTregrollingandadhesioniscurrentlyunknown.TodetermineifL-selectinandα4β7/VCAM-1interactionscooperatetofacilitateTregcelladhesion,aninvitroflowchamberassaywasused.LymphocytesfromperipheralmurinelymphnodeswerewithdrawnovertransfectedEA.hy926endothelialcelllines.Aftertreatmentoflymphocyteswithα4β7blockingantibody(DATK32),adhesionoftotallymphocytessignificantlydecreasedby54.0%.Inaddition,treatmentwithα4β7blockingantibodyresultedina42.0%reductioninTregcelladhesionafter10minutes.TheseresultsindicatecooperationbetweenL-selectinandα4β7/VCAM-1interactionsintotallymphocyteandTregadhesionundershearstress.FurtherstudiesofTregmigrationcouldpavethewayfornovelanti-cancertherapeuticstrategies.

Describing RuPAH Dye Excited-States In Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films: A Method For Absorbance CorrectionAndrew K. SaydjariLincoln High School, Wisconsin Rapids, WI, Wisconsin JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Blake Simpkins, Naval Research Lab

Rutheniumtrisbipyridinewascovalentlyboundtopoly(allylaminehydrochloride)(PAH)topromoteitsdirectincorporationintomultilayerfilmsconstructedvialayer-by-layerself-assemblywithpoly(sodium4-styrene–sulfonate)(PSS).Observationofspectralphenomenonsurroundingabsorptionofdyeinmultilayerfilmspromptedaninvestigationutilizingvariousionicdepositionconditions.Plotstrackingthemaximasofdyeabsorptionpeaksdisplayednon-linearoscillatorybehavior.Bothphysicalandspectralpropertiesoftheincorporatedrutheniumdyeofthefilmsweremonitoredviaatomicforcemicroscopy(AFM),UV-visabsorptionspectroscopy,andfluorescencespectroscopy.AFMprofilesindicateddespitespectralphenomenon,filmsgrewlinearly,behavingasexpectedphysically.Modulationoftheexpectedlinearabsorbanceincreasewasattributedtoanopticalinterferenceeffect.Amodelwasdevelopedtodescribethiseffectandamethodforcorrectionofabsorbancespectrawasproposedthatimprovesuponcurrentmethodology.Thismodelmayfacilitatefar-reachingapplicationsintechnologiesrangingthemedicalfieldtospacetravel.Emissionspectraweretentativelycategorizedbyionicchargeofdepositionsolution.ResultswereanalyzedwithrespecttoaninitialhypotheticalFranck-Condonbasedmechanism.

100

Immune Characterization of Conjunctiva-Associated Lymphoid Tissue(CALT)Sonali SrivastavaBrookfield East High School, Brookfield, WI, Wisconsin JSHS; Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Anthony J. St. Leger, National Institutes of Health (NEI-NIH); Mr. Ben Westphal, Brookfield East High School

Aberrantinflammationatmucosaltissuesroutinelyleadstodiscomfortandtissuedamageasseeninthewell-studiedinflammatoryboweldisease(IBD).Whileocularmanifestationsofinflammationarelesswell-studied,theramificationsarejustassevere.Forexample,ocularinflammationduetopathogensand/orallergenscanleadtoblindness.Manyproposethatlymphoidfolliclesresidinginocularmucosaltissue,otherwiseknownasconjunctivaassociatedlymphoidtissue(CALT),playafunctionalroleinoculardisease;however,theroleofCALTinthecontextofocularimmuneresponsesremainsunknown.Inthisstudy,weisolatedCALTfromWT,IL-10KO,andIL-22RKO,andC57BL/6micethatwerechallengedwithinnatereceptorstimulantstoassesstheocularimmuneresponse.Interestingly,ourresultsshowthatCALTharborsasignificantpopulationofinnatelymphoidcells(ILCs)whosedysregulationislinkedtogutinflammationanddisease.Uponstimulationwithcytokines,IL-1βandIL-23,thesecellsproducethepotentiallypathogeniccytokine,IL-17,suggestingaroleforILCsinocularinflammation.Inresponsetochallengewithinnatereceptorstimulants,micedeficientinregulatorycytokinesignaling(IL-10KOorIL-22RKO)hadelevatednumbersofIL-17+cells.ThesedatasuggestthatIL-10andIL-22signalingcouldhelpmaintainocularimmunehomeostasis.Consequently,thisdiscoveryopensupmodulationofIL-10,IL-17,andIL-22signalingasamechanismtocontrolocularinflammationduringeyeinfection,dryeyedisease,andautoimmunedisease.Additionally,thisstudyemphasizesapreviouslyunrecognizedroleofILCsininnateimmunesignaling,andinflammatoryresponseswithintheCALT.

Factors Affecting the Persistence of Quagga Mussel Shells in Lake MichiganClarise E. WhiteDivine Savior Holy Angels High School, Milwaukee, WI, Western Wisconsin, Upper Michigan JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Carmen Aguilar, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences; Dr. Russell Cuhel, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences; Betty Jo Azpell, Divine Savior Holy Angels High School

ThepurposeofthisresearchistoanalyzetherateatwhichquaggamusselshellsdissolveundervariousconditionsinordertodeterminetheresidencetimeoftheremainsandtheeffectofthemusselsonthechemicalcompositionofLakeMichigan’swater.Severalfactorsaffectingthepersistenceofquaggamusselswereexamined,suchasincubationtemperature,shellage,andsterilizationmethods.Thehypothesesareasfollowing:temperaturewillbeproportionaltotheshelldissolution;usingasterilizationmethodwillinhibitdissolutionoftheshells;shellsthatweredeadatcollectionwilldissolvemorereadilythanshellsthatwerefreshlydissected.Thequaggamusselshellswereincubatedinwaterinsyringesunderthevariousconditions,andwatersamplesweretakeneachweek.ThewatersampleswerethenusedforCO2testingwithaconductivitydetectorandcalciumtestingwithanatomicabsorptionspectrometerinordertodeterminetheamountofdissolutionperweek.Aspredictedinthehypotheses,thedataprovedthefollowing:incubationtemperatureisindeedproportionaltoshelldissolution;sterilizationmethodaffectsdissolutionat18°Cbutnotat8°C;musselshellsthatweredeadatcollectiondissolvedlessduetoadifferenceintheirsamplelocation.

101

Wyoming, Eastern Colorado

The Effect of Phytoremediation on Heavy MetalsAlex L. Henkle and Mason SundstromNewcastle High School, Newcastle, WY; Wyoming, Eastern Colorado JSHS

Thepurposeoftheexperimentwastofindoutwhichplantwouldphytoremediateleadoutofwaterthebestoutofourchoices:sunflower,hyacinth,ornamentalgrass,andalyssum.Itwashypothesizedthatiftheseplantsareused,thenthesunflowerwillphytoremediateleadthebestduetoitstendencytophytoremediatewell.Totestthis,thematerialsneededwereobtainedandbucketsofwaterwithsuspendedblocksofrockwoolwitheachseedtestandoneofnoseeds(control)growinginthemwereputinside.Thewaterwasthentestedforleadcontentaftertheplantshadgrown.Afterwateringtheplantswith4%leadwaterforafewdays,samplesofthewaterweretakentobetestedtoseeifleadwasstillpresent.Theresultwasthatthesunflowerphytoremediatethemostlead,resultingina0.8%concentration.Thehyacinthwasreallyclose,however,witha0.89%leadconcentration.Inconclusion,goingthroughthetestsandcollectingthedata,itwasfoundthatthesunflowerplantwasmosteffectiveatphytoremediate.Afterthedatawascollectedthehypothesis:ifthesunflowerplantisusedthenitwillphytoremediateleadoutofwaterbestduetoitstendencytophytoremdediateleadwellwassupported.

Effect of Oil and Gas Development on Atmospheric Levels of Hydrocarbons and Tropospheric OzoneSo-Yun KimFairview High School, Boulder, CO, Wyoming, Eastern Colorado JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Gabrielle Petrón, NOAA; Dr. Gregory Frost, NOAA

UnconventionaloilandnaturalgashavebeenanincreasinglysignificantsourceofenergyintheUnitedStatesduetomoderntechnologysuchashydraulicfracturing.Theconsequencesoftheproductionandprocessingofoilandgasdevelopmenttoclimateandairqualityareimperativetounderstand,especiallyinprevalentoilandgassiteslikeColorado,Wyoming,andUtah.Inthisstudy,thedatafromatowerobservatoryinColoradofrom2008to2012areutilizedtocharacterizechemicalcompositionofoilandgasemissionsandinvestigatetheimpactoftheseemissionsontroposphericozone.AlkaneandbenzenearesignificantlyenhancedintheairoriginatedfromoilandgasdevelopmentregioninDenver-JulesburgBasin,whichconfirmstheresultsinpreviousresearchesfordifferenttimeperiods.ThisstudyisthefirsttoexaminedirectrelationshipbetweenhydrocarbonsandconcurrentlymeasuredozoneinsummerinColorado.Undertheconditionsofhighhydrocarbonsconcentrations,ozoneconcentrationishighandtendstoincreaseashydrocarbonaccumulates.Chemicalanalysissuggestslargecontributionofpropaneandbutanefromoilandgasdevelopmenttoozone.Additionalstudiesonanationallevelarebeneficialtofullyunderstandtherelationshipbetweenhydrocarbonsfromoilandgasexplorationsandtroposphericozone.

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Network Response to Intrusion Detection: Probabilistic methods in machine informatics to secure multiple targetsStephen L. Parish, Home School, Colorado Springs, COWyoming, Eastern Colorado JSHS; Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Maureen Parish, Home School

Computernetworksecurityisanincreasinglyimportantconcerntobusiness,industry,defenseandgovernmentoperations.Currentnetworksecuritypracticeusesagenericmodelbasedonastaticnetworkdescriptionthatcharacterizestheriskfromfutureintrusionsbasedonpastexperience.Suchagenericmodelignoresnewandpresentthreatsandlosestheopportunitytolimitattacksin-progress.Moreover,fluidmobilenetworksquicklyobsoletesuchstaticanalyses.Theproblemisthatcurrentalgorithmsignorewhatnetworkengineersactuallydo.Networkengineerstypicallyworkwithindividualcomputersandspecificthreatsastheyidentifynetworkintrusions.Adynamicsolutionisneeded.Whenathreatissuspected,mysolutionistorapidlyapplymycomputer-drivenalgorithmsto:(1)buildatopologicaljunctiontreeofsubnets,(2)replicateacustomprobabilitymodelasanattackgraphthatappliescomputer-by-computer,(3)detecttheintrusionandisolateitfromspreadingintomoresubnets.Atthispointaffectedcomputerscanbecleanedandrecertifiedtocontinuenormaloperations.

MyprototypeNetworkResponsetoIntrusionDetection(NRID)softwarealgorithmswillkeepcyberattacksfromdecimatingentirecomputernetworks.Theinnovativealgorithmsusemathematicalhypergraphs,evaluateBayesianmathematicalmodelsonIndicatorsOfCompromise(IOCs),andgathercomputerevidenceusingmyownanalysissoftware.Myalgorithmswilldiscoveraminimalresponsesetthatwilldefeatanon-goingintrusionintoacomputernetwork.IcreateahypotheticalnetworkwhereIperformthetopologicalanalysis.Testingthisconceptshowsthatthealgorithmscanpotentiallybeappliedthroughoutanentirecomputernetwork.

Application of Biomimicry to 3D Printing: Creating Lighter, Stronger, and Cost Efficient StructuresIan J. WilkinsFairview High School, Boulder, CO, Wyoming, Eastern Colorado JSHS;Teacher/Mentor/Sponsor: Dr. Paul Strode, Fairview High School

3Dprintingisaprocessofmakingathree-dimensionalobjectthroughdepositionofsuccessivelayersofmaterial.Despitemanyadvantages,considerableroomexiststooptimizethecost,strength,andweightofdesigns.Biomimicryistheimitationofthemodels,systems,andelementsofnatureforthepurposeofsolvingcomplexhumanproblems.Thepresentresearchevaluatestheuseofhexagonalprisms,oftenfoundinnature,inthedesignofsandwichbeams.Theoreticalanalysisofthreepointloadingofsandwichbeamandsoliddesignswasconducted.Forexample,a10%increaseinweight(0.1coredensity),producedabeamwithmorethanseventimesthestiffnessandthreeandhalftimesthestrength.Conversely,reducedweightdesignswithcomparableorgreaterstiffnessarealsopossible.Forexample,aminimumweightdesign(constantcoredensityof0.1)reducedweightby76.2%,albeitwitha38.5%reductioninstrength.Analternativeoptimaldesignachieved106%greaterstiffness,witha70%weightreductionandstrengthcomparabletothesolidmodel.Afiniteelementanalysisofthesolidbeamand70%weightreductionbeamsconfirmedthetheoreticalresults.Biomimicryshowsconsiderablepromisetooptimize3Dprinting.Directionsforfutureworkarehighlighted.