The University of North Georgia is pleased to announce the 21st Annual Research Conference, a university-wide event for all campuses. This year, the conference will be held on Friday, March 25th, 2016 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on the Gainesville campus.
<h4>New this year – Best Presentation Prize for completed essays/posters</h4>
Students who wish to be considered for the Best Presentation Prize (a certificate and an iPad mini) should also upload their complete presentation essay and/or poster under the “Additional Files” tab by Friday, March 11, 2016. Additional smaller prizes will be awarded as well.
Transportation will be provided between campuses as requested for presenters. Please indicate when you submit whether you require transportation. Other students who require transportation should contact the CURCA office prior to the conference.

UNG Annual Research Conference 2016

ARC Program 2016

INTRODUCTION: Yoga Therapy research has recently become the focus of rigorous scientific inquiry in the interest of understanding and quantifying its benefits for a wide variety of medical conditions. There remains a disparity between segments of the population who can readily access yoga classes and therapies. For difficult to reach individuals, Yoga in an exergame format could be utilized in clinical or home environments. The purpose of this study was to analyze Yoga posture alignment using a gesture analysis program in order to produce a yoga exergame using the Microsoft Kinect. We captured six yoga postures demonstrated by an advanced yoga teacher, as a gold standard for comparison purposes. METHODS: Six yoga postures were selected for the basis of the training set using Microsoft Visual Gesture Builder (VGB). Programs utilized were included in Kinect version 2 SDK and ran on a PC. RESULTS: Three 3D video clips of the six yoga postures were captured from the yoga teacher, two for VGB training and one for validation. We found that adding the second training clip increased performance accuracy for four out of the six postures. The forward bend and arms up postures might improve with additional training clips. Our prior research has shown that the Kinect skeleton algorithms become confused with yoga postures that change the usual orientation of the head. A convenience sample of undergraduate students with various levels of yoga experience, were recorded executing the same 6 postures before, at the mid-point and at the conclusion of a 10-week yoga class series. We assessed the longitudinal correlation points between yoga experience level and VGB posture accuracy. CONCLUSION: Gesture analysis for yoga alignment training may be a useful tool for the development of home and clinical yoga therapy for hard to reach populations. The Kinect sensor provides a tool that could score the performance of yoga therapy and provide quantitate measures of posture adherence and improvement. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: We acknowledge partial support from 8G12MD007602, 8U54MD007588 to MSM from NIH/NIMHD, and the University of North Georgia.

41. Gesture Analysis For Yoga Alignment

This paper concerning aspects of Hispanic and Latino/a culture and identity in Quebec City, Canada is a result of research conducted during July 2015 while in Quebec City. The province of Quebec undoubtedly has its own culture unique to that of Anglophone Canada, and the research began by finding aspects of Hispanic culture within this culture québécoise (in popular culture, literature, media, etc.) Additionally, a group of six people originally from Latin America were interviewed as to why they chose to immigrate to Quebec City versus Anglophone Canada or the United States, and how they felt their culture was presented in Quebec. The results of this research showed that they felt a stronger cultural bond with the québécois versus those of Anglophone Canada due to: language (similarities between French and Spanish) and cultural identity and solidarity (the persons interviewed expressed sympathy with Quebec for feeling marginalized by Anglophones, as they feel their respective Latin American culture is marginalized by Anglophones as well). Likewise, a group of native Quebec residents were interviewed regarding the presence of Hispanic people and culture in Quebec City, and sentiments of both openness and resistance toward the influx of Latin American immigrants were observed. Overall, this paper attempts to shed light on this (fairly recent) cultural development in Quebec City regarding the new and growing presence of Hispanic culture and the development of Hispanic and Latino/a identity within the city.

Aspects of Hispanic Culture and Identity in Quebec City

Though tragic, the case of Florida’s Terri Schiavo offers an unprecedented case study. The instance's unique circumstances provide one with a valuable and tangible illustration of political theory and the formation of public policy. Despite national media attention and the infamous case’s lengthy court proceedings, the Terri Schiavo saga failed to make any legitimate national policy changes. The author examines how public policy’s Process Model, despite the case of Terri Schiavo and subsequent national concern, contributed to the stagnation of euthanasia legislation on a federal, state, and local level.

The Process Model and the Stagnation of New Public Policy:  An Analysis of the Terri Schiavo Case

What makes people “human,” and why is that important? Sympathy and rationality are marks of the humane in humanity. Although these traits can be overshadowed by our more violent and selfish tendencies, the desire to be orderly and kind is natural, not learned. Without these traits, people would be no more special than the rest of the mammals that inhabit the planet. World War I was a brutal affair that forced men to become killing machines, but despite the necessities of war, these men still clung to a sense of humanity and morality. Examination of this example is evidence of the value in preserving this aspect of humanity; the future of human society depends on it.

The Perseverance of Humanity in World War I

Chytridiomycosis is a fungal disease caused by the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which is a contributing factor to global amphibian population declines. Although Bd is distributed globally, little research has been conducted on north Georgia’s amphibian populations. We surveyed for the presence of Bd in amphibian populations in the northeast Georgia Piedmont region at 3 different locations using active night searches and passive sampling techniques from spring 2013 through fall 2015. During night searches, amphibians were located in wetlands and captured by hand. We used poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) pipe traps for passive sampling during the day. Following captures, we collected environmental and physical data from each individual, swabbed the skin for Bd detection using sterile polyester tipped swabs, and released individuals at their capture site. We changed gloves and disinfected equipment between each capture. Collected skin swabs were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to determine the presence of Bd. To date, PCR techniques have detected a positive Bd sample at one of the sites. Sampling, along with capture-mark-recapture methods will continue throughout 2016 to contribute to conservation efforts and knowledge of Bd in the region.

25. Field Surveys for the Detection of Chytridiomycosis in North Georgia Amphibian Populations

Abstract: Native American Rhetoric and Misinterpretations
Today in schools and textbooks across the nation, different stereotypes of Native Americans are being taught everyday. Due to the misinterpretations and lack of education of the Native American culture, Native Americans are considered savages that lack knowledge and communication skills. As Native American culture is diminished from generation to generation, reviving an entire culture that is lost in misconceptions seems almost impossible. However, this paper explains that the Native American perceptions of nature, culture, and community are a collective rhetorical value for the native people groups. In conducting this research, I will be exploring the identity of Native Americans through the use of their own languages by evaluating Meta Carstarphen’s article “Black Lines, White Spaces: Towards Decoding a Rhetoric of Indian Identity.” I will also be discussing and studying common stereotypes as examined from Native American activist and educator Makita Wilbur. And finally, I will be reviewing the Cherokee Nation language called “syllabary,” and surveying college student’s perceptions of Native Americans. I argue that understanding the overall importance of Native American culture and it’s intertwined concepts of rhetoric as nature, culture, and community will allow students and scholars to understand and appreciate Native American rhetoric. Therefore, when conducting this research and presenting it, the delusions of Native American rhetoric can dissolve and create a society that is more understanding and accepting of their art, music, and literature.

20. Native American Rhetoric and Misinterpretations

ABSTRACT
Aposematic traits such as bright contrasting coloration and gregarious feeding are often signals to predators that a potential prey is unpalatable. Larvae of Ceratomia catalpae, the catalpa sphinx, show aposematic traits and sequester catalpol, a secondary compound from their host plant Catalpa spp. Catalpol sequestration by other caterpillar species has been shown to deter both invertebrate and vertebrate predators, but the palatability of C. catalpae has not been explicitly tested. Choice tests with both spiders (Hogna carolinensis) and predatory hemipterans (Podisus maculiventris) showed that predators naïve to both C. catalpae and the alternate prey Trichoplusia ni and Manduca sexta preferred the alternate species, and that P. maculiventris that were exposed previously to T. ni also preferred T. ni. In non-choice tests, P. maculiventris grew significantly slower upon C. catalpae compared to M. sexta. These results suggest that C. catalpae, like other caterpillars that sequester catalpol, is unpalatable and that the catalpol is an effective chemical defense against invertebrate predators.

24. NON-PREFERENCE OF THE CATALPA SPHINX, CERATOMIA CATALPAE (LEPIDOPTERA: SPHINGIDAE) TO INVERTEBRATE PREDATORS

Testing livestock animals, as well as produce, for antibiotic resistant bacteria is an important component for insuring today’s products do not make people sick. Livestock yards can be filled with flies, as well as maggot colonies. Since these flies are often in contact with the animals themselves, testing them as vectors of antibiotic resistance is crucial to maintain the health of society. Flies and maggot masses were allowed to accumulate on 6 piglet cadavers from a local North Georgia farm, some of which had been treated with gentamycin. The flies, maggot masses and the piglets themselves were then swabbed. The swabs were then transferred to plates containing Gentamycin, Streptomycin and Ampicillin. After a 48-hour incubation period it was found that among the groups tested antibiotic resistant bacteria were present. Of the 6 cadavers, and 6 maggot colonies tested, all showed resistance to gentamycin, streptomycin and ampicillin. Of the 21 flies collected, only nine showed resistance. The bacteria found on cadavers, maggots and flies are currently being tested to ID. These findings reinforce the importance of controlled use of antibiotics on livestock. While only 42% of the flies carried antibiotic resistance, they can still act as vectors of resistance in the community. The continuation of research on livestock and other animals feeding on livestock as vectors for antibiotic resistant bacteria can add to an improvement in farming, as well as stricter regulations for the use of antibiotics in farming.

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria on Antibiotic Treated Piglets

Interactions between plants and insects can influence production of defensive chemicals within the plants. Presence of an herbivorous insect feeding on the leaf may illicit a response from the plant. Here we tested the hypothesis that herbivory by the catalpa sphinx, Ceratomia catalpae, a specialist herbivore of catalpa trees, Catalpa spp., affects production of the defensive compounds catalpol and catalposide. Catalpa leaves were collected over a 21-week span in 2015, spanning two generations of catalpa sphinx herbivory. Using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure catalpol and catalposide, the amounts will be compared over time and in the presence and absence of catalpa sphinx herbivory. These results can contribute to a growing body of evidence showing the ability of herbivores to influence the expression of plant defensive traits.

UNG Annual Research Conference 2016

New this year – Best Presentation Prize for completed essays/posters

Items in this collection

ARC Program 2016

41. Gesture Analysis For Yoga Alignment

Aspects of Hispanic Culture and Identity in Quebec City

The Process Model and the Stagnation of New Public Policy: An Analysis of the Terri Schiavo Case

The Perseverance of Humanity in World War I

25. Field Surveys for the Detection of Chytridiomycosis in North Georgia Amphibian Populations

20. Native American Rhetoric and Misinterpretations

24. NON-PREFERENCE OF THE CATALPA SPHINX, CERATOMIA CATALPAE (LEPIDOPTERA: SPHINGIDAE) TO INVERTEBRATE PREDATORS

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria on Antibiotic Treated Piglets

32. Effects of catalpa sphinx herbivory on defensive chemistry of catalpa trees

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Items in this collection

ARC Program 2016