Digital Commons Network^™

The Current - Volume 32 Issue 24, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Periodic Spatial Disturbances Alter The Expression Of Quorum Sensing Virulence Factors In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Laura García-Diéguez

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen associated with severe acute and chronic illnesses. Current antibiotic-based approaches fail to effectively treat P. aeruginosa infections due to the effectiveness and robustness of the quorum sensing signaling system (QS). Pathogenic bacteria, such as P. aeruginosa, employ this population density-dependent communication mechanism to confer antimicrobial resistance, propagate infection, and coordinate the expression of virulence factors, through the production and detection of autoinducing signaling molecules (AI). As such, there is a growing interest in developing novel non-antibiotic-based techniques to attenuate the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa by disrupting the functionality of its QS system. Previous …

Composition, Computers, And Covid-19: The Roles Of Multimodal Composition And Digital Technology In The Covid-19 Pandemic., Michael P. Lynn

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The shift toward remote and online learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on teaching multimodal composition at all levels. Part of this shift towards rethinking multimodal composition came from the challenges of moving what would be in person classes online. Drawing on the New London Group’s definition of multimodality (1996), this thesis examines the relationship between remote learning throughout the pandemic and the modalities and technologies used by composition instructors and students in first-year writing. Using interviews with six first-year writing instructors from a private university, this project explores how instructors encouraged students to …

A Spatial Assessment Of Impacts To The Flats Fishery By Recreational Boating In The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Kristin Anderson

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The recreational flats fishery in the Florida Keys is a significant component of the marine resource-based economy, exceeding $465 million (USD) in annual economic impact. Permit (Trachinotus falcatus), bonefish (Albula vulpes), and tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) are the three main species targeted by flat fishers. Those participating in this fishery generally practice catch-and-release angling therefore, the fishery is considered a more sustainable marine use compared to more traditional commercial fisheries. However, with population and tourism rising in South Florida, the fishery is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation and user conflicts. Ongoing revisions to the Florida …

A Discursive Approach To Analyzing The Social Construction Of Exercise During Pregnancy, Savanna Kerstiens

The Qualitative Report

While research has demonstrated that exercise is healthy for pregnant women (Ramirez-Velez et al., 2017), many pregnant women do not meet medical recommendations and hesitate to engage in exercise. This may be related to the dominant discourses circulating in society and popular media. For this study, I selected a sample of top-selling pregnancy books to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and ideas circulating in these texts surrounding exercise during pregnancy. I conducted a discourse analysis to deconstruct the meaning of the language used and the advice given. Throughout the analysis, a postmodern feminist epistemology is employed to consider the implications …

Encounters With Caqdas: Advice For Beginner Users Of Computer Software For Qualitative Research, Jakub Niedbalski, Izabela Ślęzak

The Qualitative Report

We intend this article to be predominantly for researchers who would like to use software of the CAQDAS family in their research projects. Our experience as researchers and CAQDAS instructors shows that the introduction of software into the analytic process often poses a challenge. This is true for both novice and more seasoned researchers with entrenched habits of conducting research in a traditional manner. The literature available provides few answers to the questions preoccupying inexperienced users; our aim is to close this gap by providing useful information. We discerned major problem areas for scholars who are just setting off on …

Characteristics Of Effectively Farmer Groups To Manage Agricultural Machinery Rental Business: A Multi-Case Study Approach, Sri Hanggana, Suwarto Suwarto, Bandi Bandi, Sapja Anantanyu

The Qualitative Report

The Ministry of Agriculture provides machinery grants to farmer groups to accelerate agricultural mechanization and rental business capital. Therefore, this study aims to identify the characteristics of farmer groups that were effective in managing agricultural machinery rental businesses. This study used qualitative methods, a multi-case approach, and thematic analysis. The locations were the farmer groups in Kebakkramat District. The Informants from agricultural extension civil servants were selected according to their place of duty. Informants from the chairpersons and members were determined using the snowball sampling method. The data collection techniques used in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. There were two …

Soundtracking: Method(Ological) Development Via Intuitive Feminist Inquiry, Maria P. Rybicki-Newman, Earle Reybold

The Qualitative Report

How does one be different, methodologically, and/or socially without being ignored, invalidated, or even erased? This is a conundrum for qualitative researchers who are with tasked with valuing difference within socio-political education systems fixed on ideas of truth, rightness, and validity. To explore these tensions, we provide an authentic and transparent illustration of how intuition, an often-invalidated way of knowing, instigated the development of a novel method(ology), soundtracking. Proceeding from an embodied, engaged feminist perspective, we re-conceptualized reflexive praxis as critical, compassionate, and actionable. We explored method(ological) development via layered reflexivity: self, epistemological witness, and social contexts. Through our inquiry …

The Current - Volume 32 Issue 23, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Sexual Orientation Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace: A Qualitative Study Of Lgb Inclusion In A Uk Public Sector Organisation, Ashley Williams, Neill Thompson, Binna Kandola

The Qualitative Report

Inclusion has been identified as a key component of successful approaches to organisational diversity management. To date, the inclusion literature has predominantly used quantitative methodology to study visible forms of diversity such as gender and ethnicity. Invisible forms of diversity, such as sexual orientation diversity, have received limited research attention, despite Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) employees facing significantly higher rates of bullying and discrimination in the workplace than their heterosexual colleagues. The current study uses semi-structured interviews and template analysis to investigate LGB employees’ experiences of workplace inclusion within a UK public sector organisation. Findings demonstrate that LGBs share …

Bilinguals Demonstrate Stronger Inhibitory Response Bias In Tasks Of Executive Function, Samruddhi Ayachit, Erika Cabrera Ranaldi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

From switching from one task to another or quickly memorizing a number to call, people use executive function daily. Executive function is thought to be controlled by frontal lobe inhibitory processes. Reportedly, people who speak more than one language also use the same frontal lobe processes to switch between languages. It is therefore believed that these inhibitory processes are more prominent in bilinguals because of the experience of controlling multiple languages. To test this theory, bilinguals and monolinguals were compared on executive function tasks. Participants were matched on demographic variables and fluid intelligence. To examine inhibition, participants were tested with …

Effects Of Water Hyacinth Management On Fish Populations, Sara Schutt, Mary Hill, Melanie Vasquez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) creates significant economic and ecological problems in Florida. Removal of this invader cost an estimated $4.19 million in the 2020 fiscal year. Water hyacinth has also been shown to alter water quality and chemistry and reduce fish populations. Current management strategies involve manual removal and the application of herbicide. New methods, including biological control, are being investigated to improve the efficiency of current management methods. Questions about the effects of these novel management strategies have emerged, including the response of fish populations to the new treatments. To answer these questions, we set up …

Substantiation And Validation Of The Benefits Of Cures In Stem Using A Combination Of Self-Reported Gains And Alignment With Learning Objectives, Monica Aguiar

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The implementation of the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) is an important resource that grants students the opportunity to develop research experience while working to earn their bachelor’s degree. Pre and post Participant Perception Indicator (PPI) surveys were made available to students to measure student improvement after taking the course. Growth in knowledge, experience, and confidence (KEC) was measured by comparing the pre-semester and post-semester PPI survey data. In addition to the self-reported data, the student learning objective mastery quantitatively using Anticipated Learning Outcomes (ALOs) designed specifically for the BASIL CURE curriculum. Likert scale-based …

The Impact Of Post-Traumatic Stress On Symptom Presentation Of Women With Gulf War Illness, Nandan Shastry, Esha Sultana

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a multi-symptomatic disorder characterized by fatigue, muscle pain, cognitive problems, gastrointestinal issues, etc. affecting an estimated 30% of the ~750,000 returning military Veterans of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. Female Veterans deployed to combat in this war report medical symptoms, involving cognition and respiratory troubles, at twice the rate compared to nondeployed female Veterans of the same era. The heterogeneity of GWI symptom presentation complicates diagnosis as well as the identification of effective treatments. This is exacerbated by the presence of comorbidities which may be alleviated by defining subgroups of the illness, such as an …

Tree Canopy Biodiversity In An Urban Forestry Setting On Nova Southeastern University's Main Campus, Katja Kramers, Mackenzie Soligon, Amber Orr, James Puentes

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) 314-acre main campus has many lush green spaces comprised of native, landscape, and educational garden areas. Understanding the biodiversity of the canopy and the overall composition of native and invasive species is important for measuring ecological health of the urban ecosystem, and to guide responsible grounds management practices. As the environment and landscape at NSU develops, it is important to keep records of these environmental changes over time. The purpose of the research is to investigate the biodiversity of the campus' green spaces and document the native species on campus. 10 zones were randomly selected from …

A Computational Analysis Of Structural Analogs Of Colchicineas Potential Microtubule Polymerization Inhibitors, Isadora Rocha De Abreu, Allison Barkdull

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Microtubules are structures important for cell survival and cell function. They are responsible for the formation of the cytoskeleton and mitotic spindles, they aid in cell movement, intracellular transport, amongst other functions. Microtubules are composed of the tubulin protein made of alpha-beta dimer proteins. During polymerization tubulin proteins experience phases of dynamic instability, characterized by microtubule growth and shrinkage at varying rates. Microtubule growth can be inhibited by compounds such as colchicine, a known microtubule destabilizing agent, that binds to tubulin inhibiting microtubule polymerization. Colchicine has limited clinical use due to its toxicity and low solubility. In this study we …

A Mathematical And Ergonomic Analysis Of Fundamental Laparoscopic Surgery Tools And Techniques, Joshua Bennett, Anneleissa Lugay, Daniel Celestino, Paula Veras

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Laparoscopic surgery is a means to perform procedures in a minimally invasive manner. For surgeons, this requires further training due to increased complexity and fatigue. The goal of these experiments was to study the ergonomics of laparoscopic tools and the physical and cognitive requirements of the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) tasks.

Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to measure muscle fatigue on the left and right trapezius and electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to record brain waves of the participants. The percent maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) concept was used to measure fatigue levels. Mean power spectral density was used to categorize …

A Novel Tcr Clustering Method For Sars-Cov-2 Epitopes, Naziba Akther Nuha

Undergraduate Student Symposium

T-cell epitopes are peptides generated from antigens that are presented by MHC class I and class II molecules to T-cells. These epitopes are usually identified by T-cell receptors (TCRs) of CD4 T-cells which then causes transformation of CD4 T-cells to helper or regulatory T cells. In this project, we look at the different TCR sequences of the same length that are activated by two different epitopes for the SARS-COV-2. Building on previous work using Principal component analysis to analyze twenty different physiochemical properties of amino acids, we convert the amino acids in the TCR sequences to numerical strings. We then …

Benefits Of Stem Mentorship: Introducing Microbiology Research To High School Students, Tassnime Sebaei, Katrina Maktaz, Varsha Chigurupati

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Bacteria Unearthed is an NSU initiative to bring together high school and college students to participate in Tiny Earth: an international consortia of researchers searching for novel microorganisms and antibiotics to combat antibiotic drug resistance. Our group developed a STEM mentor program as a catalyst for students to significantly increase academic performance. The program allows high schoolers to become part of the global research community. These high school students enrolled in their microbiology classes are supported by undergraduate students who have experience working with Tiny Earth. Through this experiential learning, it is expected that there will be improvements in …

Can Statins Mitigate Adverse Effects Of Hormone Replacement Therapy In Women?, Adhm Farid

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. One possible overlooked risk factor for heart disease in women is hormone replacement therapy(HRT). HRT is most often used to treat certain kinds of breast cancer that depend on sex hormones to grow or to supplement estrogen to women over 60 or who have had a hysterectomy. HRT has been found to increase levels of C-reactive protein(CRP), which is the bio-inflammatory marker that best predicts cardiovascular risk. Statin therapy has been found to decrease levels of C-reactive protein. Currently, CRP is not taken into consideration when …

Comparative Study Of Homocoupling Reactions To Create 2,2'-Bipyridine Adducts, Ethan Depry, Hoa Le

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The project focuses on investigating the synthesis of 2,2’-bipyridine adducts for potential use as ligands in novel organometallic ruthenium complexes. The bipyridine building blocks, based on their excellent bidentate ligands with complexing abilities, will be incorporated into ruthenium complexes in a collaborative project, increasing the photosensitivity of these complexes, and opening the doors for many applications, ranging from synthetic photovoltaics to anti-cancer activity.

The aim of this study was to optimize the preparation of the 2,2’-bipyridine adducts. Prior studies conducted in our lab have compared several homo and cross coupling reactions. It was determined that homocoupling offers a more efficient …

Effect Of Gamma Irradiation On Vitamin D Stability In Salmon, Varun Natarajan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Salmon and other finfish are one of the major dietary sources of vitamin D. However, the presence of pathogenic bacteria, such as vibrio sp and listeria sp, can lead to foodborne illnesses. In 2015, 18% of foodborne illnesses were attributed to finfish. Gamma irradiation can serve as an effective tool to minimize bioburden and thereby decrease the risk of foodborne illnesses. While gamma irradiation has been used on other types of food, including chicken and crustaceans, its effects on fresh finfish has not been studied. This project examines the effect of low dose gamma irradiation on the stability of vitamin …

Emotional Resilience Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On A College Campus, Jenna Binaco

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The perceptions of people during the Covid-19 pandemic cannot always be true. This is due to a life of uncertainty and for many people, fear. Since the pandemic has been around for about two years, this is an excellent opportunity to see how this pandemic has impacted people’s mental health. A way that this information can be recorded is with The Emotional Resilience scale of the Covid-19 Pandemic on a College Campus. Emotional resilience was measured in 1704 American university students, staff, and faculty in October to November 2021 of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was a transitional period for people …

Evaluation Of Mdm2 Regulation On Aurkb Expression In Lung Cancer, Karen Kameo, Alexandra Carbone

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Objective. This study was conducted to analyze the molecular mechanism of the MDM2 regulation on AURKB in lung cancer cells. Background. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death within the United States, with the 5-year survival rate at about 22%, indicating the need to develop different drugs and treatment strategies. This study focuses on understanding the mechanisms linking MDM2 and AURKB to develop new treatment strategies against lung cancer. Methods. The H446 cells were treated with RG7388 (2 μM), an MDM2 inhibitor, and Barasertib (50 nM), an AURKB inhibitor, including a combination of the two drugs for 24 …

Gadra's Allegory, Bianca Vucetich

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“Gadra’s Allegory” is a silent (with no dialogue, but music is utilized) short film that follows a modern day ‘prisoner’ who exemplifies how their society is chained to the screens that surrounds them. The film shows their journey from a repetitive, thoughtless, and disillusioned way of life, to a majestic awakening to the nature of reality. This film is based on and inspired by Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,”; though the main character of the film is based off the chained prisoner of the allegory, this alternate version shows another path to their own enlightenment and expresses their own internal …

Heavy Metal Contaminants In The Sciaenids From Lake Sabine, Katerina Sawickij

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Lake Sabine is a shallow, estuarine lake situated on the border between Texas and Louisiana with outflow to the Gulf of Mexico. The Louisiana side is a protected natural area while the Texas side is susceptible to pollution from several commercial industries as well as maintenance dredging. This study determined the concentrations of metal(loids) within commercially and economically important fish tissues and compared them intra- and inter-specifically using known diets and a range of sizes. Specimens were collected from Lake Sabine from April through October 2018 from four sciaenid fishes: Atlantic Croaker Micropogonias undulatus, Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus, …

How The Molecular Vibrations Of Water May Prevent Skin Cancer, Ramson Munoz Morales, Jenna Handal

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Studies have shown that when DNA absorbs ultraviolet light it can become structurally damaged leading to a mutation and possibly skin cancer. However, exposing skin to sunlight rarely leads to a mutation. This indicates that after the ultraviolet light is absorbed by the DNA the energy from the light can either cause a structural change to the DNA (a mutation) or be dissipated in a way that does not damage the DNA. Absorption of ultraviolet light causes molecular vibrations in DNA and these vibrations are what likely leads to structural changes in the DNA. One way the structural changes could …

Induction Of Necroptosis In Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells Through Caspase-Independent Mechanisms Following Saha Treatment, Grace Waldron

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Currently, many anti-cancer drugs are known to induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) through activation of intrinsic or extrinsic pathways. However, many types of cancer cells have acquired resistance to apoptosis-mediated cell death. Therefore, simultaneous induction of other forms of cell death in addition to apoptosis of cancer cells is becoming an attractive strategy. For this purpose, we initially explored the role of XIAP in caspase-dependent and caspase-independent mechanisms of cell death. Our western blot data revealed that RIPK3 and MLKL levels were significantly elevated in MCF-7 cells following SAHA treatment. During induction of SAHA-induced cell death, the XIAP levels were …

Inter-Limb Kinetic Asymmetries Differ Between Concentric And Eccentric Phases Of The Vertical Jump, Vanessa Alexandre

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Inter-limb asymmetries during the vertical jump (VJ) have been used to identify injury risk and performance deficits with >10% being a threshold. Force, or kinetic asymmetries have typically been studied for the concentric (propulsive) phase of the VJ while eccentric (loading) phase analyses are limited. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in inter-limb asymmetry (%) in impulse (force * time) and peak force between VJ eccentric and concentric phases. Results may inform coaches and sport healthcare providers. Participants were 60 highly skilled males (age, 22.7±1.1yrs.; height, 186.4±6.8cm; mass, 103±21.2kg) undergoing training for the National …

Investigating The Bouba-Kiki Phenomenon In Impression Formation, Pritika Shah

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Humans associate sounds and symbols in non-arbitrary ways. One example of this phenomenon is the Bouba/Kiki effect: the nonword “Bouba” is associated with rounder shapes, whereas “Kiki” is associated with sharper shapes. Although many studies have been done on the Bouba-Kiki effect, it has not been studied in the context of personality judgments and impression formation. Study 1 used a between-subjects design to test the Bouba/Kiki effect in this domain. A person named “Bouba” was rated as more moral than a person named “Kiki”, whereas “Kiki” was rated as more sociable, however no significant difference was found for competence ratings. …