Showcase

The Latinx community experiences disparities accessing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnostic and intervention services. Research suggests language proficiency and limited ASD knowledge contribute substantial amounts of caregiver stress when recei ... ving an ASD diagnosis and navigating post- diagnostic care. This project describes the experiences of Spanish-speaking Latinx caregivers in obtaining an ASD diagnosis for their child and whether demographic factors influenced responses on a caregiver- report survey. Participants were 12 Spanish-speaking Latinx mothers (M= 41 years, SD=4; M=17 years in US, SD=9; 67% limited or no English proficiency) of 13 children with ASD (M=12 years SD=4; 77% male; 33% mild, 58% moderate, 8% severe ASD impairment) who completed a survey on experiences obtaining an ASD diagnostic evaluation (86 items across 8 domains rated on 4-point Likert scale: “definitely disagree” to “definitely agree”) and demographic questionnaire. Results suggest that Spanish-speaking Latinx communities experience challenges in evidence-based information about ASD and access to post-diagnostic services. These findings highlight the need to develop “plain-language” resources on ASD, obtaining a diagnosis, and next steps information. Spanish-speaking families would also benefit from improved care navigation post-diagnosis. Read more

Bone formation and resorption are conducted, respectively, by bone cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Failure in the functionality of these cells has the potential of causing two main diseases: osteoporosis and osteopetrosis. These diseases, h ... owever, are quite the opposite of each other, with osteoporosis being characterized by weak bone that lacks density, and osteopetrosis being characterized by thick, dense bone. Though some treatment strategies are available in order to combat these diseases (mainly osteoporosis), there is still much more to be learned about their mechanisms and what might affect the cells that control them. The drug 'Kinesore' was chosen to be explored, as studies have shown that it reorganizes the microtubule network of cells, affecting the relative location of different organelles, particularly lysosomes, that play a role in bone resorption. This information provided evidence that the drug would affect the functionality of bone cells. Osteoblasts, from the OB6 cell line, and osteoclasts, from the bone marrow of mice, were treated with three different doses of the drug and a vehicle control, along with conducting a cell proliferation study. After treatment, cell staining and gene expression analysis was performed in order to assess the drug's overall effect. Read more

Our group previously tested whether sub-occipital release (SOR), a muscle relaxation technique used to relieve skeletomuscular problems, affects “fight or flight” body processes like blood flow to the skin. We identified that cold stress decreased sk ... in blood flow and increased a measure of variability associated with the “fight or flight” response, but there was no difference between SOR and a control technique. We previously concluded that SOR is not able to modulate skin blood flow in either normal or cold stress conditions. Our previous analysis used Fast Fourier Transform and spectral power analysis to change the domain (x-axis) of the blood flow data from time to frequency. We binned the frequency data into standard ranges (high, low, and very low frequency) associated with different factors that explain the cause of the variability. However, a second binning system with slightly different ranges is also used for this type of analysis. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that the two systems would have similar results. Both systems identified increases in low frequency spectral power during cold stress, indicating increased “fight or flight” activity. Neither system identified differences between SOR and control techniques. Thus, both systems are appropriate for this research. Read more

The Biospecimen Collection and Banking Core collects healthy and cancerous biospecimen and stores them for researchers to use today, or in the near future. The Biospecimen Collection and Banking Core is embedded within IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer C ... enter and focuses on bringing together patients diagnosed with cancer and healthy individuals with scientists looking for a cure. My day-to-day tasks include observing the process of specimen collection as well as scanning consents into the database. Read more

The goal of this project was to create a website to inform the public about plants that could potentially be dangerous if handled improperly. This website also shows how some of these plants may have medicinal properties and could potentially be used ... for culinary purposes. Read more

In coordination with our project sponsors, Dr. Smith and Dr. Holland, our team worked to create a device that could interface with a bioreactor and appropriately hold an ultrasound probe to measure Doppler flow rates along with imaging tissue structu ... res. The current procedure to obtain these measurements and images involves removing the bioreactor from the favorable environment within the incubator. It is also difficult to set up and can disturb the cellular structures within the bioreactor. Our device is capable of directly mounting onto the bioreactor and interfacing the ultrasound probe to the bioreactor, all from within the incubator. This will reduce any mechanical disturbances that can occur when removing the bioreactor from the incubator, along with keeping the cells in a favorable environment within the incubator. Read more

A way to keep preterm infact patients at normal body temperature during inter-hospital transport to prevent both hyperthermia and hypothermia, as those lead to organ failure and death

Senior capstone design is a two-semester course sequence (BME 491/492) that guides student teams as they approach complex engineering problems through a major design experience with conceptualization, requirements generation, and system design. Stude ... nt Groups compile and showcase their research on the BME Capstone website. Select the website's Capstone Project tab to navigate the ePortfolio pages for each group. Read more

This project was done in ENG-W 231: Professional Writing Skills. Our community client is the Hoosier Herpetology Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the education of its membership and the conservation of all reptiles and amphibians. Their ... issue they brought to us was increasing their membership. Read more