Matching Items (337)
Description
In a COVID-19 world, student engagement has suffered drastically as organizations and universities shifted to an online format. Yet, there is still an opportunity and a space for digital content creation to bridge the gap in a virtual and hybrid university lifestyle. This project looks at how student groups can still engage students at ASU Tempe through digital content creation and which tools to use to enter the space.
ContributorsJavangula, Rahul (Author) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Thesis director) / Shipley, Austen (Committee member) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The modern web presents an opportunity for educators and researchers to create tools that are highly accessible. Because of the near-ubiquity of modern web browsers, developers who hope to create educational and analytical tools can reach a large au- dience by creating web applications. Using JavaScript, HTML, and other modern web development technologies, Genie was developed as a simulator to help educators in biology, genetics, and evolution classrooms teach their students about population genetics. Because Genie was designed for the modern web, it is highly accessible to both educators and students, who can access the web application using any modern web browser on virtually any device. Genie demonstrates the efficacy of web devel- opment technologies for demonstrating and simulating complex processes, and it will be a unique educational tool for educators who teach population genetics.
ContributorsRoos, Benjamin Hirsch (Author) / Cartwright, Reed (Thesis director) / Wilson Sayres, Melissa (Committee member) / Mayron, Liam (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The aim of this project was to conduct an investigation of the cosmetic industry, particularly the field encompassing Botox and dermal fillers. The research helped to identify the various types of fillers used in the market as well as to explore the potential advantages of mechanical injectors within the field. This research and an industry analysis was further used to investigate the necessary components that would best accommodate the patent for a mechanical hand-held injector for the injection of dermal fillers.
ContributorsJames, Merine (Author) / Martin, Thomas (Thesis director) / Devine, John (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Developments in commercial genetic testing have made it possible for people to find out a wealth of information that was previously difficult or impossible to obtain. Genetic testing is a novel solution to the adaptive problem of paternal uncertainty. We hypothesized that participants in the control condition would have greater interest in their paternal genetic information than their maternal genetic information and that participants who were cued to their dissimilarities with their father would seek out genetic information regarding their paternal side of the family above all other conditions. Neither of the two tested hypotheses were supported by the data. Analyses of several variables suggest that the manipulation did work to enhance perceptions of similarity and dissimilarity to parents, that participants were paying attention, and that the dependent variables were sensitive. Some incidental findings suggest that feelings of similarity, rather than dissimilarity, to father are related to interest in learning about paternal genealogy.
ContributorsSabree, Kaelyn Adele (Author) / Kenrick, Douglas (Thesis director) / Corbin, William (Committee member) / Neuberg, Steven (Committee member) / Ko, Ahra (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
The use of Artificial Intelligence in assistive systems is growing in application and efficiency. From self-driving cars, to medical and surgical robots and industrial tasked unsupervised co-robots; the use of AI and robotics to eliminate human error in high-stress environments and perform automated tasks is something that is advancing society’s status quo. Not only has the understanding of co-robotics exploded in the industrial world, but in research as well. The National Science Foundation (NSF) defines co-robots as the following: “...a robot whose main purpose is to work with people or other robots to accomplish a goal” (NSF, 1). The latest iteration of their National Robotics Initiative, NRI-2.0, focuses on efforts of creating co-robots optimized for ‘scalability, customizability, lowering barriers to entry, and societal impact’(NSF, 1). While many avenues have been explored for the implementation of co-robotics to create more efficient processes and sustainable lifestyles, this project’s focus was on societal impact co-robotics in the field of human safety and well-being. Introducing a co-robotics and computer vision AI solution for first responder assistance would help bring awareness and efficiency to public safety. The use of real-time identification techniques would create a greater range of awareness for first responders in high-stress situations. A combination of environmental features collected through sensors (camera and radar) could be used to identify people and objects within certain environments where visual impairments and obstructions are high (eg. burning buildings, smoke-filled rooms, ect.). Information about situational conditions (environmental readings, locations of other occupants, etc.) could be transmitted to first responders in emergency situations, maximizing situational awareness. This would not only aid first responders in the evaluation of emergency situations, but it would provide useful data for the first responder that would help materialize the most effective course of action for said situation.
ContributorsScott, Kylel D (Author) / Benjamin, Victor (Thesis director) / Liu, Xiao (Committee member) / Engineering Programs (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
Approximately 15,000 children die every day due to preventable illnesses (World Health Organization, 2016, 2017). Most of these deaths have been concentrated in developing countries and specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and to a lesser extent in Central Asia. Many studies have analyzed determinants of infant mortality rates across regions of South Asia. Despite neighboring South Asia, reasons for infant mortality in Central Asia do not seem to be as heavily researched. To investigate whether there are differences in the risk factors for infant mortality between South Asia and Central Asia, I analyzed data on 557,089 women and 1,272,916 children from Demographic Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys in 5 Central Asian (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan) and 5 South Asian (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan) countries. Binary logistic regression predicted whether a child was alive based on a number of maternal and child characteristics, including maternal age, maternal education, maternal residence, place of delivery, wealth, open defecation, prenatal care, and vaccinations. There were similarities along with differences in child survival outcomes between Central Asia and South Asia. Maternal age, maternal education, and the DPT 3 vaccination appeared to have protective effects on child survival rates in both Central Asia and South Asia whereas delivery outside of the hospital and open defecation have negative effects on child survival outcomes. Tetanus, polio 1, and the BCG vaccinations appeared to have a more pronounced positive effect on child survival in Central Asia whereas measles and polio 3 appear to have a more pronounced positive effect in South Asia. Wealth also appeared to have a greater protective effect in South Asia as opposed to Central Asia. More research needs to be conducted to elaborate on reasons for why there are differences between Central Asia and South Asia.
ContributorsAlam, Mariam (Author) / Hrsuchka, Daniel (Thesis director) / Gaughan, Monica (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Background
Improvements in sequencing technology now allow easy acquisition of large datasets; however, analyzing these data for phylogenetics can be challenging. We have developed a novel method to rapidly obtain homologous genomic data for phylogenetics directly from next-generation sequencing reads without the use of a reference genome. This software, called SISRS, avoids the time consuming steps of de novo whole genome assembly, multiple genome alignment, and annotation.
Results
For simulations SISRS is able to identify large numbers of loci containing variable sites with phylogenetic signal. For genomic data from apes, SISRS identified thousands of variable sites, from which we produced an accurate phylogeny. Finally, we used SISRS to identify phylogenetic markers that we used to estimate the phylogeny of placental mammals. We recovered eight phylogenies that resolved the basal relationships among mammals using datasets with different levels of missing data. The three alternate resolutions of the basal relationships are consistent with the major hypotheses for the relationships among mammals, all of which have been supported previously by different molecular datasets.
Conclusions
SISRS has the potential to transform phylogenetic research. This method eliminates the need for expensive marker development in many studies by using whole genome shotgun sequence data directly. SISRS is open source and freely available at https://github.com/rachelss/SISRS/releases.
Improvements in sequencing technology now allow easy acquisition of large datasets; however, analyzing these data for phylogenetics can be challenging. We have developed a novel method to rapidly obtain homologous genomic data for phylogenetics directly from next-generation sequencing reads without the use of a reference genome. This software, called SISRS, avoids the time consuming steps of de novo whole genome assembly, multiple genome alignment, and annotation.
Results
For simulations SISRS is able to identify large numbers of loci containing variable sites with phylogenetic signal. For genomic data from apes, SISRS identified thousands of variable sites, from which we produced an accurate phylogeny. Finally, we used SISRS to identify phylogenetic markers that we used to estimate the phylogeny of placental mammals. We recovered eight phylogenies that resolved the basal relationships among mammals using datasets with different levels of missing data. The three alternate resolutions of the basal relationships are consistent with the major hypotheses for the relationships among mammals, all of which have been supported previously by different molecular datasets.
Conclusions
SISRS has the potential to transform phylogenetic research. This method eliminates the need for expensive marker development in many studies by using whole genome shotgun sequence data directly. SISRS is open source and freely available at https://github.com/rachelss/SISRS/releases.
ContributorsSchwartz, Rachel (Author) / Harkins, Kelly (Author) / Stone, Anne (Author) / Cartwright, Reed (Author) / Biodesign Institute (Contributor) / Center for Evolution and Medicine (Contributor) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-06-11
Description
Premise of the study: Land-plant plastid genomes have only rarely undergone significant changes in gene content and order. Thus, discovery of additional examples adds power to tests for causes of such genome-scale structural changes.
Methods: Using next-generation sequence data, we assembled the plastid genome of saguaro cactus and probed the nuclear genome for transferred plastid genes and functionally related nuclear genes. We combined these results with available data across Cactaceae and seed plants more broadly to infer the history of gene loss and to assess the strength of phylogenetic association between gene loss and loss of the inverted repeat (IR).
Key results: The saguaro plastid genome is the smallest known for an obligately photosynthetic angiosperm (∼113 kb), having lost the IR and plastid ndh genes. This loss supports a statistically strong association across seed plants between the loss of ndh genes and the loss of the IR. Many nonplastid copies of plastid ndh genes were found in the nuclear genome, but none had intact reading frames; nor did three related nuclear-encoded subunits. However, nuclear pgr5, which functions in a partially redundant pathway, was intact.
Conclusions: The existence of an alternative pathway redundant with the function of the plastid NADH dehydrogenase-like complex (NDH) complex may permit loss of the plastid ndh gene suite in photoautotrophs like saguaro. Loss of these genes may be a recurring mechanism for overall plastid genome size reduction, especially in combination with loss of the IR.
Methods: Using next-generation sequence data, we assembled the plastid genome of saguaro cactus and probed the nuclear genome for transferred plastid genes and functionally related nuclear genes. We combined these results with available data across Cactaceae and seed plants more broadly to infer the history of gene loss and to assess the strength of phylogenetic association between gene loss and loss of the inverted repeat (IR).
Key results: The saguaro plastid genome is the smallest known for an obligately photosynthetic angiosperm (∼113 kb), having lost the IR and plastid ndh genes. This loss supports a statistically strong association across seed plants between the loss of ndh genes and the loss of the IR. Many nonplastid copies of plastid ndh genes were found in the nuclear genome, but none had intact reading frames; nor did three related nuclear-encoded subunits. However, nuclear pgr5, which functions in a partially redundant pathway, was intact.
Conclusions: The existence of an alternative pathway redundant with the function of the plastid NADH dehydrogenase-like complex (NDH) complex may permit loss of the plastid ndh gene suite in photoautotrophs like saguaro. Loss of these genes may be a recurring mechanism for overall plastid genome size reduction, especially in combination with loss of the IR.
ContributorsSanderson, Michael J. (Author) / Copetti, Dario (Author) / Burquez, Alberto (Author) / Bustamante, Enriquena (Author) / Charboneau, Joseph L. M. (Author) / Eguiarte, Luis E. (Author) / Kumar, Sudhir (Author) / Lee, Hyun Oh (Author) / Lee, Junki (Author) / McMahon, Michelle (Author) / Steele, Kelly (Author) / Wing, Rod (Author) / Yang, Tae-Jin (Author) / Zwickl, Derrick (Author) / Wojciechowski, Martin (Author) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-07-01
Description
Serial femtosecond crystallography requires reliable and efficient delivery of fresh crystals across the beam of an X-ray free-electron laser over the course of an experiment. We introduce a double-flow focusing nozzle to meet this challenge, with significantly reduced sample consumption, while improving jet stability over previous generations of nozzles. We demonstrate its use to determine the first room-temperature structure of RNA polymerase II at high resolution, revealing new structural details. Moreover, the double flow-focusing nozzles were successfully tested with three other protein samples and the first room temperature structure of an extradiol ring-cleaving dioxygenase was solved by utilizing the improved operation and characteristics of these devices.
ContributorsOberthuer, Dominik (Author) / Knoska, Juraj (Author) / Wiedorn, Max O. (Author) / Beyerlein, Kenneth R. (Author) / Bushnell, David A. (Author) / Kovaleva, Elena G. (Author) / Heymann, Michael (Author) / Gumprecht, Lars (Author) / Kirian, Richard (Author) / Barty, Anton (Author) / Mariani, Valerio (Author) / Tolstikova, Aleksandra (Author) / Adriano, Luigi (Author) / Awel, Salah (Author) / Barthelmess, Miriam (Author) / Dorner, Katerina (Author) / Xavier, P. Lourdu (Author) / Yefanov, Oleksandr (Author) / James, Daniel (Author) / Nelson, Garrett (Author) / Wang, Dingjie (Author) / Calvey, George (Author) / Chen, Yujie (Author) / Schmidt, Andrea (Author) / Szczepek, Michael (Author) / Frielingsdorf, Stefan (Author) / Lenz, Oliver (Author) / Snell, Edward (Author) / Robinson, Philip J. (Author) / Sarler, Bozidar (Author) / Belsak, Grega (Author) / Macek, Marjan (Author) / Wilde, Fabian (Author) / Aquila, Andrew (Author) / Boutet, Sebastien (Author) / Liang, Mengning (Author) / Hunter, Mark S. (Author) / Scheerer, Patrick (Author) / Lipscomb, John D. (Author) / Weierstall, Uwe (Author) / Kornberg, Roger D. (Author) / Spence, John (Author) / Pollack, Lois (Author) / Chapman, Henry N. (Author) / Bajt, Sasa (Author) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Physics (Contributor)
Created2017-03-16
Description
X-ray free-electron lasers provide novel opportunities to conduct single particle analysis on nanoscale particles. Coherent diffractive imaging experiments were performed at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Laboratory, exposing single inorganic core-shell nanoparticles to femtosecond hard-X-ray pulses. Each facetted nanoparticle consisted of a crystalline gold core and a differently shaped palladium shell. Scattered intensities were observed up to about 7 nm resolution. Analysis of the scattering patterns revealed the size distribution of the samples, which is consistent with that obtained from direct real-space imaging by electron microscopy. Scattering patterns resulting from single particles were selected and compiled into a dataset which can be valuable for algorithm developments in single particle scattering research.
ContributorsLi, Xuanxuan (Author) / Chiu, Chun-Ya (Author) / Wang, Hsiang-Ju (Author) / Kassemeyer, Stephan (Author) / Botha, Sabine (Author) / Shoeman, Robert L. (Author) / Lawrence, Robert (Author) / Kupitz, Christopher (Author) / Kirian, Richard (Author) / James, Daniel (Author) / Wang, Dingjie (Author) / Nelson, Garrett (Author) / Messerschmidt, Marc (Author) / Boutet, Sebastien (Author) / Williams, Garth J. (Author) / Hartman, Elisabeth (Author) / Jafarpour, Aliakbar (Author) / Foucar, Lutz M. (Author) / Barty, Anton (Author) / Chapman, Henry (Author) / Liang, Mengning (Author) / Menzel, Andreas (Author) / Wang, Fenglin (Author) / Basu, Shibom (Author) / Fromme, Raimund (Author) / Doak, R. Bruce (Author) / Fromme, Petra (Author) / Weierstall, Uwe (Author) / Huang, Michael H. (Author) / Spence, John (Author) / Schlichting, Ilme (Author) / Hogue, Brenda (Author) / Liu, Haiguang (Author) / ASU Biodesign Center Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy (Contributor) / Biodesign Institute (Contributor) / Applied Structural Discovery (Contributor) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Physics (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2017-04-11