全國中小學科展

2019年

狡兔八窟

科展源自於一個數學專欄上的問題,是關於兔子藏於圖形的某一個頂點,則在兔子位置可能變動和有所限制的射擊規則下,求出每一次最少要同時對幾個頂點開槍,才能「保證」可以獵到兔子。原始題目設定的圖形為正六面體,而我們將其擴展為不同的圖形,利用S(G)≥δ(G)+1得出路徑(Pn)、圈(Cn)的最小射擊點數,利用帶寬及|N(S)|相等的排序條件得出矩形(Pm×Pn)、長方體(Pm×Pn×Pk)、n維立方體(Qn)的最小射擊點數、利用觀察配合可行射擊策略,推測出完滿k元樹(k–treeh)的遞迴關係式並得出上界,建構可行方法,並期望算出最小射擊次數。目前研究結果為上述圖形之最小所需射擊點數及可行射擊策略。

當機立「斷」—— 浮萍自裂脫險的機制與生態意義

浮萍在逆境下葉狀體會有分離的現象,本研究證實:浮萍透過葉狀體分離,增加逃離逆境的機率,提升族群生存率。此分離機制受到過氧化物質(H2O2)的調控,逆境下,浮萍母葉節處(node)的H2O2含量上升並誘導細胞死亡,進而造成連接構造斷裂,另能透過乙烯途徑活化纖維素分解酶使葉狀體分離。我們也發現青萍及紫萍具不同生存策略:青萍對H2O2的高敏感度使其能在逆境下快速分離,進而降低其葉狀體間的內聚力,更容易藉由風吹或水流加速逃離逆境;紫萍則對H2O2較不敏感且內聚力大,以較大的單一個體及對逆境的高耐受性來渡過危機。蛋白質含量極高的浮萍是蛋白質補給品的好原料,期待分離機制的深入研究能應用在浮萍種植上,使其快速分離提升產量,應對將到來的糧食危機。

微生物發酵法運用於蚓糞處理與雞場除臭之研究

本研究以不同微生物發酵方式(EM菌(Effective Microerganisms)、枯草桿菌(Bacillus subtilis)、蔡十八菌、木黴菌(Trichoderma))養殖蚯蚓,並固定牛糞、紙污泥與太空包與其他輔料(米糠、蔗渣、果皮、腐葉)成分(原料來自雲林縣工、農業廢棄物),並用本土種的掘穴環爪蚓(Perionyx excavates)分解,以室內分層式堆肥採收蚓糞,再用機械篩選出高純度蚓糞;以雲林縣農作物:小白菜(西螺鎮)、香瓜(二崙鄉)、番茄(口湖鄉)為實驗作物,探討蚓糞當有機肥,作物生長與甜度變化;並將蚓糞與剩料(純度較低)運用於雞場除臭功能,經實驗結果顯示,蚓糞用於農作物與除臭皆有顯著的效果呈現。

FAT10 Haplotypes as a Potential Biomarker for Cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death today[1], accounting for nearly 1 in 6 deaths worldwide. Despite this, diagnosis and treatment models for cancer are limited and as such, new methods to identify and treat susceptible patients are required urgently. HLAF- adjacent transcript 10 (FAT10) is an oncogene that is strongly implicated in the development of inflammation-associated cancers[2]. Previous research on this highly polymorphic gene has identified 2 haplotypes – the reference haplotype, which is found in both cancer patients and healthy individuals, as well as an additional haplotype that is occurs at higher frequency in cancer patients and is associated with higher odds of cancer. In this study, it was hypothesised that the cancer-associated FAT10 haplotype can better promote tumorigenicity and could thereby serve as a useful biomarker for cancer. Here, we functionally characterize the 2 FAT10 haplotypes to understand how they influence some of the hallmarks of cancer. The cancer-exclusive haplotype was observed to enhance hallmarks of cancer, namely uncontrolled cell growth, resisting cell death and anchorage-independent growth as compared to the reference haplotype. Moreover, we uncovered the differential gene expression patterns induced by each haplotype. Molecules involved in cell adhesion and proliferation, as well as transcription were upregulated by the cancer-associated haplotype and hence could have contributed to the increased tumourigenic potential of the cancer haplotype.

"turn" -on (free food and renewable energy )

Nowadays Electric energy is the most useful in the world because we use it every day for lightening, work, entertainment ext … but electric energy also can be expensive and it will pollute the air plus we all know that the air pollution is getting worse. Our world consumes a huge amount of electric energy . Also we know that the homelessness is getting higher all around the globe and it reached a high percentage. The high price and the sudden cut of the electric energy and with it the air pollution makes a big problem. That’s why we created this project named TURN ON which is a friend of the environment and a friend of the humans. Our product will help us to produce and create strong, clean and renewable energy plus it will help the homeless to have free food and free transport tickets. After doing a lot of researches we found that our new method of producing energy gives a great electric energy and limit pollution. The kinetic energy is produced using rotations. That’s why we used the rotations of motorbikes, bicycles, cars wheels and turn that mechanical energy (wm) into electrical energy (we) that we can easily use in our daily life plus we can help homeless by giving them food widgets… in exchange with the electrical energy that they produced while using bicycles…After performing several tests and taking notes, we are able to conclude that our apparatus is indeed efficient as it is able to convert the rotation into electronic energy that we can store and use in emergencies to solve this big problem and in the same time to limit air pollution with using bicycles and reducing hunger regarding homeless. This machine should be easy to implement, cheap, does not depend on any other parameters such as the wind. Any rotation in any place can be a source of Electrical Energy. To facilitate the use of this new device, A START UP will be launched to rent electric bikes for “free”, distribute free food, snacks, tickets to homeless regarding to the energy production.

A Modular Construction 3D Printer

The 3D printer that we created is able to print objects out of concrete and is modular, so it can be assembled the way it is needed.

The expansion of ticks in the valley of Poschiavo: a growing threat to the future?

In recent years, the ticks have reached the valley of Poschiavo and so far no study has been done to determine their diffusion. Recently, this presence has become a much discussed topic as these ticks can be carriers of pathogenes and represent a danger to humans. The goal of this work is to analyze the current situation in the valley of Poschiavo to understand in which areas the ticks are widespread, if they are carriers of pathogens and which factors could have an influence on their expansion. Several methods have been used for data collection. Ticks were found on ungulates killed during the high hunt in autumn 2016. In spring 2017, ticks were collected in various areas of the valley using the flag method that involves dragging a cotton cloth onto the ground. Some of the collected ticks were sent to a laboratory to identify the presence of the Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen responsible for Lyme borreliosis. To understand the evolution of the presence of ticks in the valley, the doctors and veterinarians were interviewed. Finally, to identify any climate changes related to the diffusion of ticks, the evolution of the tem-perature and relative humidity measured by two meteorological stations in the valley of Poschiavo since 1980 have been analyzed. Thanks to this study it was possible to highlight for the first time the presence in the valley of Poschiavo of ticks wich are bearer of the Borrelia burgdorferi. In fact, the bacterium was present in 26% of the analyzed ticks. Currently, the thicks populate the southern part of the valley, from the lake of Poschiavo to Campocologno, a small area in the central part of the valley and the area around Poschiavo and San Carlo. The interviews carried out showed that in recent years the ticks in the valley have increased and that the climate change could be a possible cause. In fact, since 1980 the temperature measured on the bottom of the valley has increased on average by 1.5 ° C and also the relative humidity has risen slightly. These changes could affect the diffusion of ticks in the valley of Poschiavo. In the future the temperatures will rise further and consequently the climate of the Poschiavo valley will most likely be more suited to the life of the ticks favoring their in-crease.

Beautiful Butterfly: The Physics Behind The Colors

Even as a child, I was fascinated by the colors in nature, such as rainbows, butterflies and flowers. This fascination developed into curiosity with age, and as my school studies developed, I became particularly interested in the scientific aspects of the origin and development of colors. I wanted to answer the question: How are the different colors of the butterfly wings related to the nanostructures of scales and pigments? The color on the butterfly wings results either from the pigmentation (chemical color) or from the structure (physical color) of the wing scales. Colors such as yellow, black, red and brown are mainly created by pigments. The interaction of light and structures in and on the surface of butterfly wings, often the size of the wavelength of the light, results in physical colors. These colors are usually bright and dependent on the viewing angle (unlike chemical pigments that spread light diffusely). The colors produced here are usually golden, green, purple and blue. But, where do these colors come from and why do certain species dazzle more than others? To get to the heart of the matter, I identified two key questions: • How are the different colors of the butterfly wings related to the nanostructures of scales and to the pigments? • Using the nanostructure, can you find out the wavelength of the reflected light? In this work, I focus on the structural colors of butterflies and study the physics behind them. This includes parachuting in areas such as diffraction gratings, scattering of light, interference in thin films, and multilayer interference. In order to experience the greatest possible diversity, I selected butterflies from different species for the measurements. Using the spectrometer, I measured the light reflected from butterflies. High-resolution microscopes such as the laser microscope and the scanning electron microscope gave me the opportunity to study the detailed nanostructures of the wing. In addition, I was able to analyze and evaluate my results using existing physical models and MATLAB simulations (Maxwell equations).

Multiple Time-step Predictive Models for Hurricanes in the North Atlantic Basin Based on Machine Learning Algorithms

The cost of damage caused by hurricanes in 2017 is estimated to be over 200 billion dollars. Quick and accurate prediction of the path of a hurricane and its strength would be very valuable in alleviating these losses. Machine learning based prediction models, in contrast to models based on physics, have been developed successfully in many problem domains. A machine learning system infers the modeling function from a training dataset. This project developed machine learning based prediction models to forecast the path and strength of hurricanes in the North Atlantic basin. Feature analysis was performed on the HURDAT2 dataset, which contains paths and strengths of past hurricanes. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Generalized Linear Model (GLM) approaches such as Tikhonov regularization were investigated to develop nine hurricane prediction models. Prediction accuracy of these models was compared using a testing dataset, disjoint from the training dataset. The coefficient of determination and the mean squared error were used as performance metrics. Post-processing metrics, such as geodesic error in path prediction and the mean wind speed error, were also used to compare different models. TLS linear regression model performed the best of out the nine models for one and two time steps, while the ANNs made more accurate predictions for longer periods. All models predicted location and strength with greater than .95 coefficient of determination for up to two days. My models predicted hurricane path in under a second with accuracy comparable to that of current models.

TCA cycle perturbation induces renal mitochondrial dysfunction and enhanced oxidative stress in diabetic nephropathy-1H NMR-based untargeted metabolomics analysis for potential biomarkers and the effe

本研究藉由基因誘導之第二型糖尿病小鼠(Male B6.BKS-Leprdb mice; db/db mice)做為動物模型,並利用氫質譜儀與代謝體學之平台(1H NMR-based untargeted metabolomics)了解第二型糖尿病所導致的腎病變之疾病進程中的代謝途徑變化,及白胺酸的介入對於疾病進程的影響。研究發現,三羧酸循環及支鍊胺基酸代謝途徑中的代謝物,在基因誘導之第二型糖尿病小鼠尿液中有顯著下降,此發現指出糖尿病腎病變所造成的粒線體能量代謝功能下降。在肝臟組織萃取中,脂化膽固醇(esterified cholesterol)的上升及 β-胡蘿蔔素(β-carotene)、維生素A(vitamin A)及維生素A酸(retinoic acid)的下降顯示肝臟產生脂肪肝及其氧化壓力之上升。白胺酸的介入對於減緩腎臟粒線體受損及降低脂肪肝與氧化壓力並無顯著功效,此現象可歸因於支鍊胺基酸啟動mTORC1代謝途徑。本研究所標定之代謝物可被應用於第二型糖尿病及其所導致之腎病變的生物指標。