Sample SSC Abstracts​

College of Business


Reality TV:  Has it become a mainstream advertising opportunity?

Lauren Brassfield, Taylor Mathias, Keri Seel, Jenna Seliskar, Christina Terry


Reality TV has grown in popularity in the past several years.  While some programs, like Dancing with the Stars, could be considered mainstream, other programs like Honey Boo Boo seem to be rather narrow in their potential target market viewership. In order to better understand the type of advertisers found on a variety of reality shows, each student in the class gathered a variety of information on two different reality TV shows.  The spreadsheet had almost 1700 data points. Data gathered included type of show (dancing, makeover, etc.), industry, product/service, date, day of week and time of day, along with the network, type of advertising used (fear, humor, slice of life, etc.) among other variables.   Analysis was then done on the data to report any patterns as well as observations.

 

College of Education


Foundations of Support: What Creates Success in Online Educational Communities.

Sara Postic


A common issue among new teachers is isolation. Often, new teachers feel alone and without resources when first in the classroom. Online communities may be a way to address this issue. Yet, not all communities are created equal and it can be difficult to discern which ones are helpful. Considering the vast amount of variation, there is debate over what the precise combination of characteristics in an online community that make them successful. Overall, some of the scholars who study online communities would suggest they require a high degree of discussion about completing lesson plans. While this is true, further primary research into the topic shows that the supportive community elements cultivated through organization in communities are significant to success as well.

 

College of Health Professions


The Use of Foot Orthoses among High School Students in Northwest Ohio.

Chris Sullivan, Brad Reinhard, Andy Schulze, Shane Rieke, COHP

 

Orthoses can be used for a variety of reasons. Athletes and individuals with biomechanical problems that need correcting are most often the populations that use orthoses. There may be others who could benefit from the use of orthoses for preventative means, such as high school students. However, no research has been conducted that considers the use of orthoses among high school-aged individuals in general. The purpose of this study was to examine whether there is a need to educate this sample on foot orthoses. A survey was conducted among freshman English classes from high schools chosen through a sample of convenience and the results of this investigation will be discussed.

 

College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences​

Example #1

Prior to the Presidency: John F. Kennedy and PT-109

Miranda Roehler

 

Many have wondered how the course of history would have been altered if John F. Kennedy had died prior to being elected President in 1960. This is a legitimate question to ponder, as Kennedy cheated death several times in his life before his luck ran out on Nov. 22, 1963. Childhood health issues and complications from surgeries had attempted to claim Kennedy’s life and failed. Yet Kennedy never came closer to death than he did during his service in World War II, when the PT boat under his command was sunk by the Japanese. However, death was not ready to claim him at that time, and he would eventually go on to become the 35th President of the United States. During his short term in office, Kennedy would become known for his powerful leadership skills. Though what many are unaware of is that Kennedy also exhibited strong leadership skills prior to the presidency during his closest brush with death, the PT-109 incident.

 

Example #2

Finding Our Digital Place: Re-envisioning the Classroom Web Space

Lauren Salisbury

 

While digital modality continues to move to the forefront of theory and practice in composition studies, there is little focus on the way the digital spaces instructors create can affect the learning outcomes and success of our courses. As more courses move to either exclusively virtual environments, or hybrid forms utilizing Course Management Systems (CMSs) and face-to-face interactions, composition teachers must consider the ways in which CMSs either enhance or limit the effectiveness of their web presence, as well as ways in which classrooms can move beyond the CMS to create a web space. With a focus on CMSs, web-based learning environments, and the studies of student and instructor opinion in regards to these environments, the presenter explored the need for a shift in understanding the scope of the composition classroom online.

 

College of Pharmacy

Example #1

COX-2 Induced by COX-2 Selective Inhibitors, Celecoxib and Etodolac and Non-selective inhibitor, Ibuprofen in Several Human Tumor Cell Lines

Ian T. Miller, Mackenzie M. Renz, Tawna L. Whited, Lindsay Y. Kim, Bryce R. Adams

 

The COX-2 selective inhibitor, Celecoxib, causes cancer cell death in vitro.  We demonstrated that Celecoxib treatment induces Caspase-dependent apoptosis in several human tumor cell lines (A375 melanoma, HT-29 colon carcinoma and CRL-1620 glioblastoma).  We hypothesized that the apoptotic effects of Celecoxib may be in part due to COX-2 inhibition.  However, western blotting for COX-2 in A375, HT-29 and CRL-1620 cells treated with Celecoxib for 24 hours revealed a surprising result.  Celecoxib induced COX-2 levels in each of these lines in a dose-dependent manner.  To determine whether this is a class effect, we tested the COX-2 selective inhibitor, Etodolac and the non-selective COX inhibitor, Ibuprofen.  Both Etodolac and Ibuprofen treatment for 24 hours induced COX-2 protein levels. These data demonstrated that specific and non-COX specific NSAIDs induced COX-2 expression.

 

Example #2

Assessment of the Stigma of Mental Illness Among University of Findlay Healthcare Students

Christopher Triscari

 

Stigma associated with mental health disorders acts as a major barrier to optimal healthcare. Widespread stigma can have many negative consequences, including increased substance abuse and self-medication, refusal of treatment, and a worse prognosis. It is imperative for healthcare education to minimize and eliminate the stigma toward this patient population because every healthcare professional will interact with mental health patients throughout their career. This study utilized the Opinions About Mental Illness scale (OMI) to quantify the stigma of participants. The data obtained was used to determine if differences exist in the stigma of mental illness between students enrolled in different healthcare profession programs at The University of Findlay. In addition, the study analyzed how the required mental health courses within each profession are impacting stigma scores.

 

 

College of Science

Example #1

Phylogeography of a Small-Ranged Plethodontid Salamander Species, Webster’s Salamander, Plethodon Websteri

Caitlin Amiot, Caitlyn Gasser, Christina Maurer

 

Plethodon websteri (Webster’s Salamander) is a small woodland salamander in Plethodontidae, which is the largest salamander family with more than 350 species. Plethodon websteri is endemic to the southeastern United States and has an isolated distribution with populations scattered from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Plethodon websteri prefers hardwood-forested hillsides and is usually found under logs and rocks and in leaf litter. To date, little information is known about the level of gene flow among these isolated populations of P. websteri. The aim of this study was to investigate the phylogeographic patterning among these isolated populations across the southeastern United States. In order to identify the actual level of gene flow and potential barriers of gene flow, both nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences were used. Phylogenetic hypothesis were estimated using maximum likelihood methods and bootstrap values and population genetics questions were answered using modern techniques.

 

Example #2

The Effects of Glutathione and N-Acetyl-Cysteine Supplementation to the Thawing Media Of Frozen-Thawed Boar Semen Casey Durfey

 

The freezing and thawing of boar semen produces large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that negatively affect spermatozoa quality prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Antioxidants supplemented to semen extenders have been shown to lessen the harmful effects of ROS. Frozen boar semen samples (n = 36) were thawed in PBS supplemented with either 5.0 mM glutathione (GSH), 5.0 mM N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) or 5.0 mM GSH and 5.0 mM NAC. It was hypothesized that the supplementation of both GSH and NAC will create a favorable thawing environment to reduce oxidative stress and improve spermatozoa quality. Supplementing with 5.0 mM GSH (50.0 ± 6.2%) or 5.0 mM GSH and NAC (75.8 ± 6.8%) significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the number of motile spermatozoa after thawing, compared to no supplementation. Results indicate that supplementing NAC to the media reduces the oxidative stress associated with semen thawing in boars.