Abstracts

In May 2018, the Trump administration implemented a “zero-tolerance” policy on immigration, essentially treating asylum seekers as criminals and creating a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Parents and children were separated, causing outrage among the general population. In response, the zero-t...

#youronlinebaggage is a collaborate, socially engaged art project that aims to educate college-aged students in contentious topics around social media. This includes privacy concerns, cyberbullying, and the long-term impact their posts can have on their futures. We will achieve this by engaging stud...

Testing for and diagnosing cancer is a notoriously invasive and time-consuming procedure, especially using tissue biopsy. Tissue biopsy also relies on physical indicators, such as tumors, and this makes certain cancers very difficult to diagnose. Successful cancer treatment lies in detecting the can...

Rejection sensitive people tend to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to rejection. This disposition has been associated with maladaptive behavioral responses and poor relationship outcomes. To date, the rejection sensitivity (RS) literature has focused on romantic relationships in yo...

Additive manufacturing of metals (AMM) is an emerging technology capable of producing complex geometries having significant advantages compared to subtractive machining, including up to 95% reduction in number of parts in subassemblies [1], 88% reduced lead times [2], and 40% reduced part weights [1...

Aging Farmers Study Abstract: Using Rapid Rural Assessment this study examined the assets and needs of aging farmers. The following questions structured this research: 1) How are aging farmers in Maine adapting to age-related embodied changes? 2) What unmet needs do Aging Farmers have and how can Ma...

Caseous lymphadenitis (CL) is a chronic disease of sheep and goats caused by the pathogenic bacterium, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (Cp). The disease is characterized by the formation of “caseous” abscesses which cause significant decreases in wool, meat, and milk production of these anima...

In 2011, the Gulf of Maine’s northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) population reached an unprecedented low due to harvesting and climate change. For decades Maine shrimp were a complement to the iconic Maine lobster. In response to the decimated population, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commi...

Abstract Molecular photoswitches are playing increasingly central roles in interrogating the functions of chemical systems by allowing for selective conversion between two distinct states [1]. With applications in fields including but not limited to; neurobiology [2], chemical synthesis, and even...

Recent field observations in the Damariscotta River have suggested that floating oyster farms impose surface friction that results in elevated surface mixing and altered tidal flow. The resulting hydrodynamic impact, including its influence on long-term material transport is important to understand....

  Graphene is a singularly unique material. Composed of single sheets of carbon arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice, graphene is essentially a two-dimensional material. Due to its composition and structure, graphene has nearly limitless potential for application in multiple fields.   It is ...

    The greatest barrier to growth in the salmon aquaculture industry is infestation by parasitic copepods known as sea lice. Sea lice can render fish unmarketable or vulnerable to secondary infections by feeding on the blood, skin, and muscle tissue of their host. In the infective copepodid stage...

Marine kelp farming is an increasingly popular practice along temperate coastlines in the western hemisphere but developing in different manner than the seaweed aquaculture across Asia. Comparing the potential environmental and social impacts of this young kelp farming industry against those observe...

An important ecological question is how different environments can influence infectious disease dynamics. In particular, anthropogenic factors, such as land use, may play a role in altering nesting and foraging habitats of wild birds, thereby affecting transmission and individual susceptibility to ...

Sleep disturbance is common and has been found to lead to neurocognitive dysfunctions such as attention problems, depression, anxiety, stress and a lack of impulse control[1]. In order to fully investigate these cognitive and emotional domains, clinicians and researchers rely on self-report measures...

Abstract   It is well known that television sitcoms do not always reflect reality (e.g., McLanahan & Percheski, 2008; Pomerantz, 2004), but it is not clear how far such shows are from reality. This study used content analysis to compare the portrayal of families in the most popular television fami...

Background: Having a negative problem orientation (NPO; viewing problems as unsolvable) plays a significant mediating role in the impact of stressful life events on depression (D’Zurilla & Nezu, 2010). In the relational/problem-solving model of stress and wellbeing (D’Zurilla & Nezu, 2001), ...

The human muscular system is an incredibly complex, multilayered mesh of bundled muscle tissue that works together to move the body. Learning the inner workings of this system can be very difficult through just traditional lecturing and memorization methods that are currently in use. This is due ...

    This project centers around the world language teaching shortage in Maine public high schools, which is creating critical difficulties in ensuring the resources to meet standards and student educational needs. As a teacher candidate in the French language, this topic is immediately relevant pe...

Ecosystem services are an emergent tool that provide a framework for decision making in managing public lands as a socio-ecological system. Broadly, ecosystem services are defined as the benefits that the environment provides to humans for free. Understanding how new developments on public lands im...

In this study, Native American researchers analyzed the cultural relevance of The National Youth Tobacco Survey in order to design, implement, and evaluate comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs for Native youth. The purpose of the study was to understand how different populations of ...

  The vasculature of the circulatory system represents an extensive and established network of vessels that travel throughout the body. The potential of this network for direct drug delivery applications has not been fully realized. This project investigates the viability of using blood vessels as ...

Anaerobic digestion is a waste recovery alternative to incineration and landfilling for food waste. Anaerobic digestion uses anaerobic microbes called methanogens to create methane from complex organic matter, like food waste. The end products, biogas and residual sludge, are both useable products. ...

One major component of a sustainable timber harvest is the trees left behind after the harvest. Depending on landowner objectives, these residual trees may be intended for future growth in value, wildlife habitat promotion, seed supply, or general aesthetics. With large mechanized harvesting equipme...

This project will work to determine ways to utilize aronia berries for consumption. The abstract explains that, allthough, this berry is packed with numerous health benefits, due to it's large amounts of astrigency, it is rarely consumed. This experiment will use the pomace and juice from the aronia...

In recent years, a third of all teachers leave their job within three years and almost half of all teachers leave within five years (Brill & McCartney, 2008). Current literature points to a variety of reasons that teachers change jobs and leave the profession including: money (Ingersol, 2001), worki...

Aquaculture in Maine is an industry with an important contribution to the state economy. The most common farming products are shellfish, seaweed, and finfish, where usually farmers deploy catenary mooring systems relying on concrete or granite blocks, mushroom anchors, and drag embedment anchors. Th...

The Intergenerational Adult Day Services (ADS) Needs Assessment Project grew out of a collaboration of stakeholders interested in creating an intergenerational ADS program in the greater Bangor area. The need for this program became evident through focus group research conducted in 2016, in which pa...

Changing water supplies have been and continue to be a critical issue causing cultural shifts and forcing human migration across geo-political boundaries. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted that water stressors will increase in both frequency and amplitude due to...

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is one of the most abundant proteoglycan carbohydrate biopolymers in the body and may contain hundreds of repeating disaccharide units. Atomic-resolution simulations of large systems are computationally taxing so we aimed to find a more efficient method of modeling biolog...

Candida albicans is a commensal yet opportunistic pathogen. Candida albicans is found in 70% of adults, but can be fatal in immunocompromised individuals. The innate immune system is the first line of defense when foreign bodies enter a system. It recognizes a threat as soon as possible and recruits...

Peripheral innervation of adipose tissue, both white (energy storing) and brown (energy expending) depots, is crucial for maintaining healthy metabolic function and energy balance. Important processes such as lipid breakdown, production of new adipocytes, thermogenesis, and browning (conversion of w...

Caseous lymphadenitis (CL), a disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, causes dry abscesses of the lymph nodes and internal organs of small ruminants. C. pseudotuberculosis is a facultative intracellular parasite, meaning it can live and reproduce inside and outside of ...

Retaining providers has been an increasing issue in Maine specifically in rural parts of the state. Part of the problem lies in the shortage Maine is facing with primary care providers and with that comes the long hours, over-worked and under-appreciated providers. At a time where fewer people are c...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread issue across the United States. Using psychotherapy alone is a common practice of intervention and healing for survivors of IPV. However, research suggests that a single method may not be the most effective approach. People of all identities experience...

  Bacteriophage are the viruses that infect bacteria and are the most abundant biological entity on Earth. There are 5,633 phage sequences in GenBank and one third of these were isolated from a single bacterial species, Mycobacterium smegmatis. In contrast, there are only 142 phages isolated using ...

In marine applications, the undesirable attachment and accumulation of bacteria, diatoms, algae and invertebrates on submerged structures is known as biofouling. This phenomenon promotes the spread of invasive species and causes increased hydrodynamic drag on ships, resulting in lower speed and high...

Arsenic (As), a metalloid, is one of the most prominent toxins in Maine drinking water. There are approximately 86,500 Maine citizens exposed to water containing arsenic over the maximum contamination level which can result in adverse effects including nausea, multiple cancers, and a reduction of f...

Camera trapping is one of the best research methods for surveying carnivore populations, and non-invasive survey methods are rapidly increasing in popularity. Detection probability is one of the most important parameters in estimating detection probability. The use of attractants with remote camer...

Coffee is a staple in the daily life of a typical American. Although coffee by itself is typically seen as beneficial if used in moderation, the addition of sugar, cream, and other additives can change this potentially healthy drink into one which helps contribute to the many health issues currently...