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2014 Summer Research Symposium Abstract Book, Trinity College, Hartford Connecticut

Science Symposia Abstracts

2014 Summer volume of abstracts for science research projects conducted by students at Trinity College.

2014 Annual Research Symposium Abstract Book, Trinity College

Science Symposia Abstracts

2014 annual volume of abstracts for science research projects conducted by students at Trinity College.

The Project Of The Physician: An Inquiry Into The Nature Of Medicine, Alexander X. Shea

Senior Theses and Projects

The telos of this project is twofold – in Part I, I will attempt to solidify the goal of the physician in medical practice, and in Part II, I will examine the specific ways by which the doctor can actualize that goal. In other words, the central questions are: 1) What is the goal of the physician? and 2) How is the physician to accomplish or actualize that goal?

College Students’ Perceived Risks Of Ecstasy Use And The State Of Ecstasy Prevention, Maria Young

Senior Theses and Projects

National statistics reveal a startling trend concerning ecstasy use among high school students, with over 5% of 10^th graders and 8% of 12^th graders reporting lifetime use (Dennis & Ballard, 2002). Ecstasy use among college students is even higher, with some studies reporting rates up to 10% (Boyd et al., 2003). Although previous research has documented the prevalence and predictors of ecstasy use, there is a limited understanding of how college students’ perceptions of risk related to ecstasy use are formed. A focus group was conducted using a sample of Trinity College students. In addition, a brief online …

An Exploratory Study Of College Students’ Attitudes About Ecstasy, Rachel Reingold

Senior Theses and Projects

In a recent survey of 18-35 year olds, 15% reported using ecstasy (Businelle et al., 2009) and many emerging adults viewed it as “safer” than other illicit drugs, with limited negative consequences (Bahora et al., 2009). Although numerous quantitative studies have explored the topic of ecstasy use in college students, there is limited qualitative research, most of which is limited to users. Thus, in the current study, we used a focus group methodology to better understand users’ and nonusers’ knowledge, expectations, and perceived risks of ecstasy use, for the purpose of informing prevention efforts on college campuses. Twenty-four college students …

The Development Of A Synthetic Route For A Disubsitituted Diphenylacetylene And Its Conformational Characteristics Upon Coordination To Tungsten: A Prospect For Beta-Sheet Studies, Francis Herman

Senior Theses and Projects

The study of β-sheet mimetics represents an important step in understanding the structural and function of β-sheets. The purpose of this report was to develop a β-sheet mimetic through a diphenylacetylene backbone, coordinate the complex to tungsten and determine the structural and conformational characteristics of the complex. In order to characterize the different compounds ESI-MS, ¹HNMR, COSY NMR, NOESY NMR, and ROESY NMR were employed. The diphenylacetylene backbone contained two phenyl substituents with a peptide chain of two amino acids. The β-sheet mimetic 1 was successfully synthesized utilizing peptide coupling reactions and a Sonogashira coupling reaction. Previous research by …

Mindfulness And Its Ability To Alleviate State And Trait Anxiety In College Students, Kaitlyn Mascioli

Senior Theses and Projects

Society today puts extreme pressure on individuals to take on a magnitude of daily responsibilities in order to be successful. We are pushed beyond our limits both mentally and physically, which results in heightened state and trait anxiety. Adopting the theory of mindfulness teaches us to live in the present moment and not criticize our thoughts (Bormann et. al, 2013). The current study tests the effects of daily mindfulness meditation on state and trait anxiety as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Participants were Trinity College students that engaged in formal meditation sessions twice a week, but maintained the practice …

Gods' Diseases: Conceptualizing The Phenomenon Of Hybridity In Sri Lanka, Anfal Yesmien Nyhan

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Ketogenic Diet Alters Dopaminergic Activity In The Mouse Cortex [Post-Print], William H. Church, Ryan E. Adams, Livia S. Wyss

Faculty Scholarship

The present study was conducted to determine if the ketogenic diet altered basal levels of monoamineneurotransmitters in mice. The catecholamines dopamine (DA) and norephinephrine (NE) and the indolamine serotonin (5HT) were quantified postmortem in six different brain regions of adult mice fed a ketogenic diet for 3 weeks. The dopamine metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) and the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5HIAA) were also measured. Tissue punches were collected bilaterally from the motor cortex, somatosensory cortex,nucleus accumbens, anterior caudate–putamen, posterior caudate–putamen and the midbrain. Dopaminergic activity, as measured by the dopamine metabolites to dopamine content ratio …

Fmri Response During Figural Memory Task Performance In College Drinkers [Pre-Print], Alecia Dager, Sharma Jamadar, Michael Stevens, Rivkah I. Rosen, Rachel Jiantonio-Kelly, Jason-Flor Sisante, Sarah Raskin, Howard Tennen, Carol S. Austad, Rebecca Wood, Carolyn Fallahi, Godfrey D. Pearlson

Faculty Scholarship

Rationale: 18-25-year-olds show the highest rates of alcohol use disorders (AUD) and heavy drinking, which may have critical neurocognitive implications. Regions subserving memory may be particularly susceptible to alcohol-related impairments.

Objective: We used blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural correlates of visual encoding and recognition among heavy drinking college students. We predicted that heavy drinkers would show worse memory performance and increased frontal/parietal activation and decreased hippocampal response during encoding.

Methods: Participants were 23 heavy drinkers and 33 demographically matched light drinkers, ages 18-20, characterized using quantity/frequency of drinking and AUD diagnosis. Participants …