Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Social Humanoid Interaction Across Levels Of Trust, Persuasion, And Empathy, Expert Panel Survey Validation, Nitya Alaparthy, Brigitte Wodrich

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Social humanoids present a wide range of opportunities regarding interactions with humans with the purpose of using artificial intelligence systems to aid with day-to-day activities. Humanoids can be programmed to provide high levels of intelligence for task fulfillment such as assisting caregivers/patients, washing human limbs autonomously, assisting with lift-and-transfer patients, and even delivering blood samples. Additional tasks include carrying objects, opening doors, operating telehealth consultations, providing demonstrations, coaching, and serving companionship for any patients. Researchers are assessing the interactions between social humanoids and patients across levels of trust, persuasion, and empathy. This project aims to explore such interactions in the …

Assessment Of Brain Function And Putting Performance Of Collegiate Golfers, Marissa Bonsangue

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a noninvasive method for assessing brain activity. Significant correlation has been indicated between performance outcome and brain wave measures. During a putting sequence, a golfer requires significant focus to successfully perform the skill, therefore certain brain wave frequencies are more apparent. Male and female golfers (n = 11) from a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Program were asked to complete 10 putts at 5 varied hole distances (total- 50 putts) on an outdoor putting surface. EEG was recorded in 4-second epochs and assessed to the extent of power spectral density (PSD). Each epoch was classified …

Assessment Of Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) Activity And Faunal Diversity Associated With Tortoise Burrows Using Trail Cameras At Three South Florida Natural Areas, Reginald Kempson Iii, Indaya Byer, Grace Mikus, Emma Pinard, Hiba Ali

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a protected keystone species found in our area. The excavated burrows they create are shelter for hundreds of commensal species during wildfires and extreme heat. Nine motion-activated trail cameras (three at each site) were mounted outside burrows in three local natural areas (Fern Forest (FF), Military Trail (MT), and Deerfield Island Park (DI)). Pictures and videos of animals were recorded at burrow entrances intermittently over an 11-month period between January 2022 and November 2022. Cameras were left in the field between 15-30 days at a time before retrieval and exchange of SD …

Characterization Of Marine Communities Associated With Peanut Island Boulder Reefs: An Educational Outreach Project, Gabriel Droz, Andrew Kuntz, Elena Brooks, Emma Horton, James Puentes, Marlin Postlewait, Morgan Pfeifer

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Peanut Island attracts thousands of Florida residents and out of state visitors annually to enjoy the beaches and snorkel the nearshore marine habitat. The island was created from spoil dredged during the creation of Lake Worth Inlet. The periphery of the island was designated as a county park and includes a manmade boulder reef easily accessible from shore. Few resources are available for visitors to identify the various marine creatures. Surveys using Go Pro camera videos and photos were conducted monthly during high tide between August and November 2022. The data was used to identify and enumerate the fishes and …

Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy In Pregnant Women From Marginalized Communities, Leona Markose

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Vaccination is known to be one of the most successful public health measures currently available that decreases numbers of mortality and morbidity of various diseases across the globe. Despite the success that has been found in controlling infectious disease through herd immunity from vaccinations, a study published in 2021 in Nature Medicine shows willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine is higher in developing countries (80% of respondents) than in the US (65% of respondents). This demonstrates a rising problem especially prevalent among developed countries of a voluntarily under vaccinated population that do not believe vaccination is a method that is …

Do Intruders Behave Differently When Encountering An Experienced Winner Vs A Naive Fighter?, Naga Ganti, Zayna Motiwala

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Competing is an inherently risky endeavor, but it is a ubiquitous behavior throughout the animal kingdom and beyond. Aside from the factors that motivate competition (e.g. territory and other resources) there are many behavioral and physiological effects of winning and losing. Some of these effects are easily observed, while others require careful histological analyses. Still others are more obvious to the competitors than to any external observers. The Winner Effect is a common phenomenon that posits that experiencing victory increases the odds of winning future competitions. By testing experienced winners (females with three previous victories) and naïve residents with naïve …

Effect Of Animal-Assisted Prison Programs On Incarcerated Juveniles, Ariel Chery, Trini Somasundaram

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The psychological effect of canine-human bonding has been vastly studied due to the synergetic relationship both species offer to one another. The symbiotic relationship between canines and humans has been prevalent throughout history and is still shown in programs such as Animal Assisted Therapy where the dog and people interspecies dyads prosper. Using qualitative and quantitative data analyses, we expect to examine the symbiotic relationship between dogs and people and its ability to affect recidivism rates in incarcerated humans. This could be studied through canine-based prison programs in which incarcerated humans help train canines for future lives as companions or …

Endoparasites In Family Caprimulgidae Birds From Southeastern Florida (Usa), Briana Zaffiro, Caileigh Craddock

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The Caprimulgidae are nocturnal birds that mainly prey on insects, which serve as intermediate hosts to several terrestrial parasite life cycles. Information on parasitism in this family remains scarce, and endoparasite community composition and structure have never fully been surveyed. To address this knowledge gap, 68 caprimulgid birds from southeastern Florida (USA) were examined for endoparasites, including Chuck Will’s Widow (Antrostomus carolinensis, n = 44), Eastern Whip-Poor-Will (A. vociferus, n = 5), Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor, n = 16), and Lesser Nighthawk (C. acutipennis, n = 1). Frozen post-mortem at collaborating wildlife …

Investigating The Mechanisms Of Active Site Mutations To The It8g Wt Mcad Protein To Better Understand Medium Chain Acyl--Coa Dehydrogenase Deficiency (Mcadd), Omar Saleh, Rhea Khatiwala, Jeremy Ignatius

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The human disorder Medium-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MCADD) hinders β-oxidation (catabolizing one’s fats for energy), affecting approximately 1 in 17,000 people in the United States. Once mutated, the Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Medium-Chain (ACADM) gene, which is solely responsible for MCADD, is unable to produce enough MCAD enzymes to metabolize medium-chain fatty acids, causing fats to not catabolize, resulting in symptoms of lethargy and hypoglycemia, as well as damage to the brain and liver due to buildups of unused fatty tissue. The purpose of this project was to investigate the possible and known effects of different amino acid mutations on the human …

Tree Canopy Biodiversity In An Urban Forestry Setting On Nova Southeastern University's Main Campus, Corinne Renshaw, Mackenzie Soligon, Guenevere Coury, James Puentes

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Urban forests are important for the mitigation of flooding and dissipation of heat-island effects, resulting in the offset of energy costs for urban areas. An analysis of tree canopy biodiversity at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU’s) main campus was done to create a baseline of tree biodiversity and study how landscape management can become more sustainable. In 2022, 10 of the 36 zones, from a 2017 hurricane damage assessment map of NSU, were surveyed. In 2023, an additional 10 zones were surveyed, totaling 1,458 trees. The precise location of each tree was plotted on TreePlotter and the diversity data was analyzed …

Effects Of Sports Outcomes On Student-Athletes' Stress Biomarkers And Scholastic Performance, Juhi Dalal, Daniela Garcia Arregui, Sara Ali, Yebin Chung, Iftikharun Nissa, Shalet James, Amber Gulau

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The winner effect occurs when the probability of continuing to win increases after winning one game; it has also been shown to involve changes in the hormones and behaviors of winners and losers. Our poster outlines a new research program that we predict will test how winner effects influence stress and academic performance in student-athletes. We present lab validation of qPCR assays of a stressassociated biomarker (mitochondrial DNA copy number; mtDNA-CN), alongside a qualitative survey we developed to give athletes before and after each game. We predict that mtDNA-CN will covary with the recent game outcome(s), and that wins will …

Implications Of Covid-19 In Global Anatomy And Physiology Education: A Comprehensive Analysis, Sneh Patel, Sean Mahajan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Owing to the Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the higher education sector worldwide saw a significant disruption in several disciplines – especially the ones in STEM and healthcare sciences that require active, experiential learning via practical application of concepts centering around Anatomy and Physiology. Dynamic instructional and technological interventions took place rapidly in an effort to minimize the adverse repercussions of moving away from traditional means of education in these critical scientific fields. COVID-19 necessitated administrators, faculty, students, and interns at colleges, universities, medical/healthcare science programs and residencies to pursue teaching, learning, and assessment of Anatomy and Physiology courses/curricula through …

An Examination Of The Social Reponse Of Children With Autism, Shriya Reddy, Shreeya Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) lack the ability to engage with others and make correct social predictions. Therefore, they misinterpret cues and exhibit incorrect social responses. The study’s aim was to compare the response of children with neurotypical development and children with ASD when presented with a friendly social interaction stimulus. Neurotypical children and children with ASD were recruited from public events and educational programs. Data were collected using Tobii Pro Nano eye-tracking device to measure eye movement while children’s autism risk was assessed with the MCHAT tool. Eye-tracking data were analyzed using Tobii Pro lab and statistical data …

Analysis Of Errors In Ecgs Data Captured By Patients Using At-Home Device Compared To Qualified Healthcare Professionals, Colin Pulickathadam

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 17.3 million deaths per year. General at-home care has been proven to improve patient outcomes and decrease hospitalization rates. The purpose of this presentation is to present pilot data results comparing the electrocardiogram (ECG) readability from patients and their caregivers, who conducted at-home ECGs in the experimental group, versus data on ECG readability from patients at routine office visits, where a qualified healthcare professional takes the ECG readings as the control group. The pilot data involves a sample of 20 patients’ 105 ECG records analyzed using SPSS with …

Awareness Of Autism In Black And Brown Communities, Varun Kota

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects a multitude of races and ethnicities as its impact varies from person to person. ASD is typically diagnosed around the age of two to three years old since signs and symptoms of Autism become clinically apparent at that time. Increased reporting of Autism in local communities has surged from diagnostic tools and criteria. However, even with these advancements, the African American community suffers a delayed diagnosis of ASD. This issue poses problems for both the parents and children with Autism and has broader implications for the South Florida community; opportunities are limited for developmental services …

Associations Between Religion, Perceived Family Openness To Mental Health, And Mental Health Help-Seeking Among South Asians, Zahra Aziz, Shannon Parma, Samhita Doranala, Ariana Ali

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Comfortability in discussing mental health within families is a key determinant of help-seeking behaviors. This comfortability can be attributed to or dissociated from mental health stigma stemming from deep-rooted cultural and religious barriers. Research suggests that youth of South Asian descent, in particular, have one of the lowest rates of utilization of mental health resources. This study aims to investigate the relationship between both religious affiliation and family openness to conversations about mental health and help-seeking knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behavior among South Asians.

A cross-sectional study was conducted as part of a mental health literacy pilot project at a …

Association Between School Mental Health And Suicide Prevention Education Policies And Adolescent Suicide Attempts, Sonia Rao

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In the past ten years, the intensity and complexity of declining mental health has been on the rise among high school students. This increasing trend may impact the rates at which students consider or even attempt suicide. In 2019, 10,520 of high school students in the United States reported attempting suicide out of which 8,749 (83.2%) needed medical attention. The current ecological study investigates the association between state-level mental and emotional health education and suicide prevention education policies to suicide attempts among high school students. Secondary data collected from the CDC’s Youth Behavior Risk Surveillance System (YRBSS) and National Association …

Behavioral Responses Of Aplysia Californica To Three Amino Acids, Adrian Ditore

Undergraduate Student Symposium

For the sea slug Aplysia californica, chemical detection allows the location of food, avoidance of predators, and ability to encounter potential mates. This is an important sensory modality because other sensory structures (optical and acoustic) are limited. It is hypothesized that food is detected via concentration gradients of specific food-derived amino acids in the water column. This study examines the behavioral reactions of Aplysia to L-alanine, L-serine, and L-methionine at a concentration of 20 mM in contrast to a food stimulus. Test subjects were placed in an aquarium and 50 mL of the amino acid was added near the …

Body Composition Metrics In Offensive And Defensive Football Players Training For The Nfl Combine, Arzoo Hassanzada, Angie Dusak

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Previous research has examined body composition in football players. However, there is minimal research comparing body composition differences in offensive (O) and defensive (D) football players training for the NFL Combine. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare body composition in O and D football players. 28 football players (O n=13; D n = 15) were used for this study. Body composition testing was conducted using a non- invasive InBody (InBody770) scan as football players followed the manufacturer’s testing protocol. An independent samples T-Test was used to examine group differences. All statistics were analyzed using statistical analysis software …

Cocaine Use Among White Pregnant Women With Unmet Clinical Depression In The U.S., Calah Martin, Kristen Hay, Militza Mckissick

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Unmet clinical depression during pregnancy could lead women to have an increased risk and prevalence of misusing substances, including cocaine. This is significant in public health because cocaine misuse among pregnant women has been linked to extremely negative health consequences for women and their babies. The objective of this study is to interpret how unmet mental health needs, such as clinical depression, could lead to white pregnant women in the U.S. using cocaine during their pregnancy. It is hypothesized that cocaine misuse during pregnancy could be caused by increased pre-existing symptoms of depression before pregnancy, which then affects their emotional …

Comparing Effectiveness Of Aducanumab And Gantenurumab On Reducing Amyloid-Beta Plaques, Nikhila Paleati, Akhil Godbole, Pranav R. Neravetla

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a degenerative neurological disorder that destroys memory and other important cognitive functions. As time progresses, brain cell connections, as well as the brain cells themselves, atrophy and die. AD is caused by a missense mutation in the amyloid-beta peptide within the amyloid precursor protein (APP). The mutation results in glutamine being replaced with glutamic acid. Previously conducted studies showed that mutated forms of the amyloid-beta peptide fragment have a greater tendency to stick together and form protein clumps or aggregates. The abnormal build-up of aggregates in and around the brain cells has been found to be …

Comparison Of Two Methods Of Post-Activtion Performance Enhancement On Symmetry And Power Output In Elite American Football Players, Robert Rocanelli, Morgan Siegel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Post-activation potentiation performance enhancement (PAPE) refers to acute power increases after near maximal load exercise (e.g., jumps after heavy squats). Maximum effort (ME; low volume, slow bar speeds, high loads) and dynamic effort (DE; high volume, fast bar speeds, moderate loads) are two PAPE training methods. We sought to determine the influence of training method across sets in peak power (PP;W/kg), reactive strength (RS; m/s), jump height (JH; in.), and interlimb asymmetry in eccentric (EIA; %) and concentric (CIA; %) jump phases. Twenty-eight players training for the National Football League draft were separated into ME (n=13, age, 22.9 ±0.9 yrs, …

Countermovement Jump Strategy And Performance Persist During An In-Season Training Mesocycle In Ncaa Division Ii Women's Soccer Players, Harsh Soni

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Neuromuscular status (NS) may be impaired by training and competition and assessment informs coaches and sports medicine professionals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate neuromuscular status during an in-season training block (mesocycle) in university women’s soccer players. Sixteen players (age, 20.3±1.3 yrs; height, 167.6±7.4 cm; mass, 65.6±8.8 kg) performed 3 maximal effort CMJs on dual uniaxial force plates at pre-season and mid-season (after 10 matches). ForceDecks software was used to calculate jump height (JH), reactive strength (RS), peak power for eccentric (EPP) and concentric (CPP) phases, and impulse asymmetry for eccentric (EIA) and concentric (CIA) phases. Paired t-tests …

Effect Of Oral Microbiome Components On Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Alexandra Lugo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Using an in vitro infection model of SARS-CoV-2 infection utilizing pseudotype lentivirus, we aim to study the effects of the oral microbiome in COVID-19 infection. The model is based on the production of pseudotype lentivirus targeting 293 cell lines expressing the viral receptor Ace 2. Looking at extrinsic factors, it has been observed that bacteria exert an effect on viral infection. Common bacteria species found composing the oral microbiome include S. mitis, C. Gingivalis, A.a. 29523, A.a. Y4, S. gordoni, S. gordoni, Pi, and A. Odontitis were screened. Preliminary data shows that the oral microbiota …

Egg Laying Preference, Larval Survival, And Maturation Of Zebra Longwing, Heliconius Charithonia, On Native And Exotic Passiflora Species In South Florida, Alia Yiskis, Shelynne Restrepo, Melissa Intriago, Jasmyn Todaro

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In this study, three species of passion vine: bluecrown (Passiflora caerulea, exotic), corky (Passiflora suberosa, native), and maypop (Passiflora incarnata, native) were used as host plants to determine egg laying preference, larval survival, and maturation of zebra longwing (Heliconius charithonia), Florida’s state butterfly. The plants were left outdoors for several days to allow butterflies to lay eggs. The plants were then placed inside netted enclosures. The number of eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and adult butterflies were counted and recorded. After three trials, a total of 56 (bluecrown), 63 (corky), and 14 (maypop) eggs …

Identification Of Bacteria And Its Secondary Metabolites From Unique Paleosol, Alana Bertrand, Katrina Maktaz, Adam Sadik, Manas Peddiboyina

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The ‘Golden Age of Antibiotics’ is coming to an end due to chronic misuse and abuse of antibiotics. Bacteria produce novel chemical compounds as a means of defense against other competing bacteria in their natural soil environments. Humans can utilize these compounds as novel antibiotics, as a means of combating pathogens that developed mechanisms to oppose these commonly used antibiotics. Scientists have decided that exploring regions of the earth that have been minimally impacted by human interference may contain answers that the medical field has been after in terms of solving the antibiotic crisis. The answers may exist in soil …

Impacts Of Social Enrichment On Shelter Operations And Canine Welfare, Julia Capirano, Apoorva Bommanaveni, Robyn Hugh Sam, Emily Jiron, Raquel Walton

Undergraduate Student Symposium

~2,000,000 dogs are adopted from shelters each year; many have long and stressful residencies and ~10% are returned after adoptions for behavioral or other complications. Social enrichment programs aim to reduce shelter residencies and improve adoption placement success by providing stress-reducing social enrichment to resident animals. In this study, we test whether these programs measurably impact stress biomarkers in dogs, and whether they result in more rapid or successful adoption outcomes. We will use public data from Broward County Shelter (including the focal dogs’ in-shelter enrichment regimes), to test our hypothesis that enrichment expedites adoption and/or increases the likelihood of …

Influence Of Parental Voice Across Modalities In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Brooke Gallo, Preye Ford

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Premature infants are at risk for developing delays including impaired social language, linguistics, and cognitive competencies compared to infants who were born full term. This is primarily due to necessary medical and environmental factors. Premature infants can experience long periods of early separation from their parents and exposed to unnatural noxious auditory stimuli ( i.e. machine alarms). The purpose of this scoping review of the literature, is to determine if early consistent exposure to the parental voice in any communication capacity, including reading, singing, or speaking tasks, decease developmental delays in infants.

Scoping review revealed that early exposure to parental …

Investigating Structural Alterations In Antagonistic Peptides For The Development Of Orally Bioavailable Pcsk9 Inhibitors, Pritika Vemulapalli, Bhavya Soni

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal genetic disease that causes elevated blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). One of the leading causes of FH is gain-of-function mutations in the gene coding for proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9). The PCSK9 protein binds to LDL receptors (LDLR) on the surface of hepatocytes and promotes their degradation, preventing the recycling of LDLRs and thus increasing LDL blood levels. Monoclonal antibody therapies that bind to PCSK9 inhibiting LDLR binding are currently only available as an injection. However, several orally bioavailable PCSK9 inhibitors have been formulated and are undergoing clinical trials. One such therapy …

Mastering Aes: A Deep Dive Into The Advanced Encryption Standard, Diana Dancea

Undergraduate Student Symposium

AES stands for Advanced Encryption Standard, and it serves as the most popular symmetric encryption algorithm to date. The term ‘symmetric’ implies that the same key encrypts and decrypts; this is an important detail for the design and implementation of the algorithm. Encryption is crucial in today’s world since it plays an essential role in everyday life. Wi-Fi, Online Banking, and many more, all rely on encryption to keep them secure. Some of the more technical processes that AES typically works with include HTTPS and SSL/TLS protocols, since they handle the authenticity and data integrity part of digital certificates and …