25th Student Academic Conference Schedule

Chlorhexidine is a popular ingredient among oral health products; it is a solid foundation for treating gingivitis and other oral bacteria, as well as lowering inflammation and reducing gum bleeding. However, recent studies have taken interest in the possible downsides of using chlorhexidine. These studies include short term antibacterial effects, and a change in pH after extensive usage along with an increase in bacteria. In recent years and studies, cannabidiol (CBD) has been on the rise for safe and effective oral health care which can make for a viable substitute for chlorhexidine. CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid produced by cannabis sativa (C.sativa) that holds anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. Within the oral cavity there are an array of cannabinoid receptors such as cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) in the peripheral nervous system, these receptors could stand as a measure for treatment against oral diseases. CB2 receptors are activated by cannabinoids and studies have tied them to having a function in the immune system of eukaryotes. In recent studies, CBD components have been used in experiments to analyze its effectiveness in preventing and treating diseases. CBD oral studies have shown several benefits of its application in dental treatments some of which include; antifungal effects, potential against gingivitis, potential against oral cancer, synergistic effect, and anti-inflammatory properties for inflamed gums. The purpose of this experiment is to compare the antimicrobial effects of both Chlorhexidine and CBD against the mycobacterium strains Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans to determine if CBD is a worthy treatment plan. We expect to see greater inhibition of the bacteria colonies with the CBD treatment compared to chlorohexidine. With our expected results we can move forward to looking further into the mechanisms of cannabidiol inhibition of microbial growth.

Alcohol has had and continues to have, major influences in the shaping of Clay County Minnesota. Alcohol has a deep historical reach in the region, with the late 19th century and turn of the 20th century being one of the wettest times in the county. Saloon Row in Moorhead, so named from the outlawing of liquor establishments on the North Dakota side and subsequent move of business to the Minnesota side, is a prime example. On the West end of the county, alcohol was also influencing a blossoming railroad community called Winnipeg Junction. This small, but growing community had three saloons, likely catering to different clientele. This poster is a preliminary examination of a refuse pit from recent excavations at Winnipeg Junction and will look at comparisons in drinking culture between Winnipeg Junction and Saloon Row.

Cybersecurity is becoming bigger and bigger in our lives, yet not all of us know how cybersecurity started or even how our computers can be infected with viruses and malware. In a world where technology controls so much of our daily lives. I think it’s important to know how cybersecurity started and where the first viruses came from and how they have evolved over the years. Knowing the past of cybersecurity is also helps to show us what we need to improve in the future, and what the future of cybersecurity will look like. I’m hoping to educate myself and other on the importance of cybersecurity and look at where everything started in order to see where it’s headed. I will go over different major data breaches through history and how they were fixed and how it will also affect the future of cybersecurity.

This is part of a student-led analysis and assessment of the Broom Creek and Amsden Formations in the subsurface of the Williston Basin in west-central North Dakota.  The Broom Creek Formation has been selected a potential carbon storage unit because of the porosity and permeability of aeolian and nearshore sand facies commonly occurring in the upper part of the formation (which currently functions as a saline aquifer).  Project CarbonSAFE was an initiative sponsored by the DOE and local and state agencies and carried out by the EERC.  The Broom Creek was eventually selected as having a good potential for carbon storage because of the porosity and permeability of certain facies and because of the nature of overlying and underlying formations which have good characteristics to function as seals (siltstones and anhydrite layers).  The Broom Creek has never been exploited as a hydrocarbon reservoir, so the characteristics of the formation were largely unknown.  To rectify this lack of knowledge and explore the storage potential of this interval, the EERC supervised the coring of the Broom Creek, the description and analysis of these cores as well as a section of 3D Seismic in Mercer and Oliver Counties in North Dakota (near the potential carbon storage field).  The analysis of individual cores combined with analysis of the line of 3D seismic was good for a large-scale assessment of the carbon storage potential of the Broom Creek, but it may fail to recognize and characterize key surfaces that separate genetic packages of facies within the formation. A sequence stratigraphic analysis will recognize these surfaces and allow for a high-resolution constraint on the vertical and lateral distribution of key facies. This may reveal more about the geologic history of this formation and provide more information about potential storage volumes of interval of interest.

Predation by novel invasive species poses a significant threat to vulnerable isolated populations of fishes isolated in desert springs therefore knowledge of the risk assessment abilities of these fishes could be an important tool for the conservation and management of these species. Many fish species acquire predator recognition by pairing chemical alarm cues released by damaged skin with a novel stimulus connected to the predator. Here, we tested to see if desert pupfish can use this mechanism to acquire predator recognition of a novel predator. We presented predator-naïve pupfish with (1) water + odor of largemouth bass fed a diet of earthworms, (2) alarm cues from skin extract (epidermal alarm cues) + odor of bass fed a diet of earthworms, or (3) water + odor of bass fed a diet of pupfish (dietary alarm cues). Pupfish responded to the treatment containing skin extract with a significant reduction in vertical position and a significant reduction in activity relative to the other two treatments. The lack of a response to dietary alarm cues may be a result of long periods of isolation from fish predators (partial predator naïveté). Pupfish were retested 24 – 48 h later with bass odor fed an earthworm diet. Pupfish that had received skin extract + bass odor responded with a significant reduction in vertical position and a reduction in activity relative to the other two treatments. This is the first demonstration of acquired predator recognition in a pupfish, the first report of partial predator naïveté, and opens the possibility of predator-recognition training as a potential tool for management and conservation of endangered desert fishes.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in image recognition tasks has become increasingly popular, prompting the need to evaluate the performance of different AI classifiers in terms of accuracy and efficiency. This literature review examines various studies on AI classifiers and their effectiveness in image recognition tasks. The review highlights the limitations and challenges of AI classifiers in accurately identifying and removing hate speech online, the potential consequences of bias in AI algorithms, and the importance of transparency in AI systems. Additionally, the review includes studies that propose new classifier ensemble methodologies based on subspace learning, demonstrate the effectiveness of machine learning approaches using random forest classifiers, investigate the limitations of existing algorithms and propose modifications to improve performance, and present predictive classifiers for diseases based on stacking model fusion approaches. Finally, the review explores the use of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) in detecting and mitigating bias in COVID-19 CT-scan classifiers, demonstrating its potential to improve the accuracy and reliability of diagnostic tools. In conclusion, the review highlights the need for further research in developing AI classifiers that can overcome existing limitations and challenges.

The purpose of this project is to find alternatives to suspension and expulsion for special education students. Suspension and expulsion lead to less learning progress for students with disabilities. Effective alternatives will increase student engagement and learning outcomes. This project supports current and future professionals by providing positive strategies that can be used to help students with disabilities in schools.

In 2022, light-vehicle sales in the United States dropped by approximately 1.5 million units from 2021 to their lowest level in a decade (Singhi, 2023). The recent semiconductor shortage hinders automotive producers from meeting vehicle demand. A review of current literature and secondary data highlights conditions within the vehicle and semiconductor markets from January 2020 to December 2022, illustrating the impact of the semiconductor shortage on the automotive industry. While most previous studies consider automotive market conditions in a qualitative manner, this research employs regression analysis to quantify the relationship between US light-vehicle sales and independent variables representing semiconductor market conditions, economic factors, and demographic characteristics. The results of this research inform recommendations designed to mitigate negative impacts on vehicle producers and consumers.

The goal of this project is to determine exactly which properties make a given medium an effective neutron moderator. Having a firm grasp on these properties in question allows for extrapolation, which may lead to more effective or affordable moderators being identified for future use. Heat capacity should also be considered, which may require fundamentally differing reactor designs. The final product of this project should be a cited comprehensive overview of what makes a good moderator.

Information will be collected from a variety of sources, including those drawn from but not limited to that which is available at the MSUM Library. 

            This research is done on four models of disabilities, which are different ways we perceive people with disabilities. The four models of disability discussed in this research are the medical, social, capability, and biopsychosocial model. Like implicit biases, it is important to understand our assumptions about people with disabilities and know where they come from. Our beliefs can come from our culture, ideals, social status, and core values instilled deep within us. The medical model focuses on the ideology that assumes a person with disabilities is sick or incapable of having a good quality of life, while the social model assumes that disabilities are caused by society’s constructed expectations of ‘normal’. The capability model looks at the individual’s functional skills and how they are able to perform them, to determine if they have a disability in a given moment. Lastly, the biopsychosocial model is a combination of both the medical model and the social model. It recognizes the individual’s diagnosis and its limitations but offers support to take away the barrier of having a disability. This allows the person to be an active participant in society without any restrictions. These models all shape our view on people with disabilities and have an underlying impression on our thoughts and actions. It is important to realize what model we tend to focus on for ourselves and others because only seeing disabilities from one perspective can be problematic, causing a person to be closed minded or uninformed on what they believe about disabilities.

This project describes the influence of authoritarianism in Chilean film through the work of two directors: Alejandro Jodorowsky and Pablo Larraín. We chose this subject because we are interested in Latin American culture and cinema as well as our interest in being future directors. Through this project, we aim to gain a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of Chilean cinema and the directors that populate it. Our goal is to discover how each director approaches the subject of authoritarianism in his work, how accurate that depiction is to Chilean history, and how the style of each director differs. In the analysis of style, the project focuses on use of color and costuming in their films. In addition, we will compare themes presented in each film such as generational trauma and political issues. We are using a combination of films and peer reviewed articles to approach these ideas, using national cinema as our framework. The films we selected are considered Jodorowksy and Larraín’s most influential work and have an underlying theme of authoritarianism throughout them. 

Around a decade ago, scientists discovered a new technique in biotechnology that focused in the manipulate of an organism's DNA using to create new traits or functions. As a field of biotechnology, genetic engineering is a process that uses laboratory-based technologies to alter the DNA makeup of an organism. It can involve changing, deleting, or adding genes from different species or sources, such as bacteria, plants, or animals. Genetic engineering has many applications, such as improving crops, producing medicines, creating transgenic animals, and studying diseases.

Genetic engineering has many challenges in the health department that need to be addressed and regulated. Families who have watched their children suffer from catastrophic genetic disorders now have the option of editing nasty mutations out of the gene pool. One unanswered challenge is where to draw the boundary between illness treatment and augmentation, and how to enforce it in light of varied views regarding disorders like deafness. Our goal will be to get an answer to this question and found how medicine can use engineering to repair or replace a defective gene or introducing therapeutic genes to fight disease. By using gene targeting, nuclear transplantation, transfection of synthetic chromosomes or viral insertion we can expand our learning in genetics engineering far more than ever before.