Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

The Teacher, Amari Russell

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“The Teacher” is a short film about a professor who gets harassed by one of his former students. The film is directed by Amari Russell. Another crew member/actor includes Adam Deross.

The Universal Mass Function And Its Applicability To Organic Molecules, Gabrielle Biltgen-Morrissette

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The ability to predict the yield when synthesizing an organic molecule is a challenging issue in organic chemistry and a major obstacle when planning a multi-step organic synthesis. To choose the most time, money, and waste efficient way it will be beneficial to be able to predict the yield of the product. The Universal Mass Function (UMF) states that cosmic objects on all scales are in direct relation to each other. It shows that massive objects are much rarer than objects with lower masses. The following research aims to examine if the UMF theory is applicable to the field of …

Touch Sensitivity In College-Aged Adults, Hannah Laufenberg, Isabel De Angelis

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The present study aims to identify what factors influence pain perception. Previous studies have focused on the differences in pain tolerance between genders, but this difference could be due to differences in physiology. The COMT rs4680 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been implicated in stress and pain perception (Serrano et al., 2019, Hill et al., 2018). G/G/ allele carriers perform better under stressful conditions and perceive less pain relative to the A/- allele carriers. Here we examined how gender, body size, and genetic makeup influences pain intensity, pain threshold, and pain tolerance. Participants will be asked to passively drool into …

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 …

Understanding The Tradeoff Between Atp Metabolism And Growth In E. Coli, Naziba Nuha, Julia Gumirov, Ariane Kalifa

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The inoculum effect (IE) is a phenomenon in which the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of an antibiotic increases with the density of a bacterial population. IE has been observed for nearly all antibiotics, and has been shown to decrease antibiotic efficacy, prolong the recovery period and increase mortality rates. Despite its ubiquity in the clinic, a mechanism to explain IE for bacteria that expresses antibiotic resistant elements, such as β-lactamases, has yet to be identified. Interesting enough, recent work has shown that interactions between growth rate and metabolism, as determined through ATP production, affect IE for bacteria that lack a …

Using Social Media To Educate And Increase Awareness About The Harmful Effects Of Tobacco And Its Relationship With Covid-19, Rylee Azia Gardner, Tina Takla

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Tobacco use is the leading cause of deaths, diseases, and health care costs in our society. The Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program at Nova Southeastern University launched a pilot social media campaign in June 2021 to encourage widespread distribution of information on the harmful effects of tobacco use across multiple social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn). This initiative is student driven and faculty supported. Its goals are to increase social consciousness about the harmful effects of tobacco use through the widespread sharing of messaging and to motivate tobacco users to seek readily available cessation services provided through …

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 …

Molecular Biomarkers Of Ptsd: A Case For Measuring Psychotherapy Efficacy And Mtdna Cn Involvement, Ariana Ali, Aidan Kunju

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that occurs in individuals who witness or experience a traumatic event. Many PTSD treatments have a focus on direct alterations of emotion and thought responses due to trauma. Some of the leading psychotherapy treatments for ptsd include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Prolonged Exposure (PE). Eye Movement Desensitization and Realization (EMDR) Therapy has greater focus on altering memory storage in the brain. EMDR differs from other psychotherapies in that the reprocessing of trauma engages both hemispheres of the brain via bilateral stimulation. EMDR along with other psychotherapies …

Structural Identification Of Secondary Metabolites From Bacteria, Vijay Patel, Mark Sourial, Alana Bertrand

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Chronic misuse and abuse of antibiotics over the last century has led to an end of the golden age of antibiotics. However, we could turn to bacteria to find a solution to the current antibiotic resistance crisis. Bacteria are engaged in an endless arms race against each other, and humans can use the compounds bacteria produce as antibiotics. Our team isolated bacteria from local soil samples and aimed to identify and characterize these microbes. The two bacterial strains we were able to identify were Pseudomonas fulva and Plesiomonas shigelloides. P. fulva is an aerobic proteobacterium which produces secondary metabolites …

Synthesis Of Chelating Polymers Via Raft For Metal Extraction, Agustin Olivares, Blake Naar

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Heavy metal contamination in drinking water is known to cause damage to multiple organs and is one of the major causes of cancer. The presence of heavy metals in water has the ability to cause lifethreatening conditions. The purpose of our study is to synthesize metal binding polymers and to determine their efficiency at extracting heavy metals from contaminated water. Poly pentafluorophenyl acrylate (PPFPA) was synthesized via the employment of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using pentafluorophenyl acrylate (PFPA) as the monomer to create linear and hyperbranched polymers. RAFT polymerization allows control over molecular weight and the molecular architecture …

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, there is a rising problem especially prevalent among developed countries of a voluntarily under vaccinated population that do not believe these methods are safe or successful.

This delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of services is known as vaccine hesitancy. The COVID-19 pandemic sparked vaccine hesitancy throughout the United States, with an overabundance …

Elucidating The Function Of 3l1w, A Functionally Unknown Enzyme From Enterococcus Faecalis V583, Michael Egozi, Ethan Depry

Undergraduate Student Symposium

As of February 2022, there were 4057 protein structures with unknown functions in the Protein Data Bank. In all biological organisms there are a variety of enzymes that speed up key biochemical pathways. Despite having a known sequence and structure, many enzymes remain uncharacterized. One relevant enzyme identified is 3L1W, whose function has yet to be elucidated. The P.O.I. was isolated and imaged via Xray crystallography from the vancomycin resistant strain E. faecalis V583.

The purpose of this research was to provide an accurate characterization of 3L1W and its substrates, thus directing our approach of combining in silico and …

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 …

Investigating Polymer Metal Chelation Via Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Meha Pandya, Agustin Olivares

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Heavy metal contaminants in water are known to disrupt ecological systems and cause detrimental biophysical and physiological effects in living systems. Prominent metallic environmental contaminants include lead, cadmium, and zinc. Removing heavy metal contaminants is essential to enhance water quality and reduce heavy metal toxicity. Chelating polymers that contain functional groups such as carboxyls and amines, offer an inexpensive and efficient way to remove metals from solution. The purpose of our study is to develop a protocol to quantify metal binding efficiency of various polymers via Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Alginate and Chitosan, two bio derived polymers with known chelating …

Metanalysis Of Genome Editing Using Crispr/Cas9 Technology Towards Hiv-1 Treatment, Nitya Alaparthy

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Genome editing, also called gene editing is a new branch of research that aims to explore means to modify genes of living organisms. Genome editing appears to have a promising future for researchers as it will further help to understand the gene function and develop ways to treat genetic or acquired diseases. Moreover, gene editing such as CRISPR/Cas9 technology can aid in manipulating the genome sequence, thereby, advancing treatments that will improve patients’ life span and quality of life. CRISPR/Cas9 technology supports three main mechanisms for genome editing, including plasmids-based methods, the direct intracellular distribution of the Cas9 mRNA, and …

Understanding The Origin Of Mutations Using Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics, Supratik Pasupuleti, Anthony Bianco

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Proton transfer within DNA base pairs is a possible origin for mutations which can ultimately lead to cancer. To better understand this potential source of mutations we have modeled this process using Ab Initio molecular dynamics simulations of model systems for DNA base pairs in water. These simulations have provided insight into how often and when proton transfer occurs in these systems while also highlighting the relationship between the likelihood of a proton transfer event and the way the water molecules are coordinated around the model system for DNA. This in turn has allowed for a greater understanding of potential …

Who Stressed The Dogs Out: A Case For Studying Mitochondrial Dna As A Novel Biomarker For Stress In Canines, Aidan Kunju, Ariana Ali, Ritika Kothur, Olivia Singleton

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Canines transiting through animal shelters experience extreme stress that is subsequently ameliorated by adoption into loving (human) homes. These transitions provide exceptional opportunities to study links between social stress and physiological processes, and to develop biomarkers for stress and social bonding with applications in both animal welfare and human health. Here, we propose a novel approach to the study of shelter-related stress in dogs, and of stress reversals following adoption. Specifically, we will quantify mtDNA dynamics in buccal swabs sampled during shelter intakes of canines at the Broward County animal shelter, as well as samples collected after these animals’ adoptions …

A Preliminary Survey Of Dog-In-Prison Programs Across The Us, Isabella Defilippis, Janan Abushaban, Mariya Baig, Ariel Cherry, Naziha Mustafa, Trini Somasundaram, Ashesh Soni

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The molecular effects of canine-human bonding have not been well-studied, but both species are deeply driven to seek out prosocial interactions. We therefore expect to see quantitative changes in both physiological biomarkers (e.g. cell-level phenotypes linked to psychiatric disease) and animal behavior on both sides of the ancient (>15,000 year old) symbiosis between dogs and humans when dogs and people form interspecies dyads. A compelling context for studying this involves "dog-in-prison" programs, in which incarcerated humans help to train canines for future lives as companionship or service animals. Notably, both the incarcerated humans and orphaned/stray dogs within such programs …

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 β-Lactamase Expression And Varying Metabolism On The Inoculum Effect, Kielan Singh, Vijay Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Infections with antibiotic resistant bacteria pose a substantial challenge to the field of medicine. Accordingly, it is of the utmost importance that we understand the mechanisms by which bacteria resist antibiotics towards the development of novel drugs and treatment paradigms. One mechanism by which a population of bacteria can resist an antibiotic is the inoculum effect (IE). During IE, the initial density of the population determines the efficacy of the antibiotic; highly dense populations of bacteria require more antibiotics to kill the population as compared to less dense populations. One mechanism that has been proposed to explain IE is the …

Endoparasite Community Of Common Wood-Warblers (Family Parulidae) In Southeast Florida, Skylar Olsen

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Wood-warblers are small insectivorous passerine birds in the family Parulidae. They are among the first migratory birds in North America to begin their southward migration during the early autumn months and southeast Florida serves as a wintering ground. Although wood-warblers are common and widespread, knowledge of their endoparasite community composition is severely underrepresented in current literature. Carcasses were opportunistically collected from wildlife rescue centers in southeast Florida. The digestive tract of 90 birds representing 5 common wood-warbler species were examined for endoparasites: Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas), Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla), Black-and--White Warblers (Mniotilta varia), Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum), and American Redstarts …

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 Non-Profit Organizations Can Create A Hybrid Social Media Strategy Using Paid And Organic Posts, Samantha Carl Selorio

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The emergence of social media has changed the methods and approaches for communication between health agencies and their community. As such, non-profit organizations must learn to use social media to better promote their mission. Organizations can engage and capture the attention of their online target audience via paid posts. Broward Regional Health Planning Council (BRHPC), a non-profit organization, provides an analysis of how integrating social media tools has increased its social media presence. BRHPC already had an online presence on the social media sites Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. To increase the number of people in BRHPC’s intended audience who …

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 …

The Effects Of Herbal Products In Cartilage Healing And Reducing The Progression Of Osteoarthritis, Mariya Baig

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) is primarily aimed at symptom management and is generally limited with emphasis placed on therapy and drugs such as NSAIDs, opioids, and acetaminophen. However, these drugs pose health risks for long-term use including contraindications, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular issues. Thus, this systematic review of literature was conducted to evaluate the impact of the herbal products, turmeric and ginger, on reducing the progression of OA when utilized on both a short-term and long-term basis. After evaluating the content of several scholarly journals, it was found that turmeric and ginger can aid in symptom management of OA and promote …

Self-Portraits For Social Change: Audience Response To A Photovoice Exhibition By Women With Disability, Diane Macdonald, Angela Dew, Karen Fisher Assoc Prof, Katherine Boydell

The Qualitative Report

Negative attitudes about and behaviours towards women with disability are harmful and exclusionary, contributing to poorer health, income, educational, and employment outcomes. Our study focused on what audiences learnt, felt, and did (what changed) after viewing self-portraits and stories by women with disability. We questioned whether a public exhibition of their artworks, created through photovoice methodology, could be an effective platform to provoke social change and increase inclusion for people with disability. We collected audience response to our exhibition to address a research gap and to provide an example for other photovoice researchers. We employed interpretive thematic analysis through a …

Qualitative Data Analysis For Health Research: A Step-By-Step Example Of Phenomenological Interpretation, Sue Monaro, Janice Gullick, Sandra West

The Qualitative Report

Phenomenological studies have been critiqued when analytic activities and intersection with the underpinning philosophy lack clarity. This methodological discussion paper describes data analysis in hermeneutic interpretive phenomenology. Data management strategies (transcript preparation, coding, philosophy application, tabling/concept maps, and Microsoft Word) and data analysis processes (reduction, display, and conclusion drawing/verification) are illustrated. Deconstruction, reconstruction, and reorganisation of themes/subthemes using hierarchical heading styles to populate the navigation pane and philosophical tenets acted as analytic hooks. This paper has outlined data analysis in hermeneutic interpretive phenomenology, including the use of MS Word and its functionality, which was supported by other data display strategies …

"Ana Yahanu Faqat": A Phenomenological Study On The Performance Character And Life Success, Saiful Amien, Punaji Setyosari, Nurul Murtadho, Sulton Sulton

The Qualitative Report

Everyone can achieve life success if they can fulfil the prerequisites. There is no dominant factor that determines success, but the strength of character can be an essential asset that is not in doubt. This study aims to explore the Yahanu character strengths in the phenomenon of achieving life success of three santri, graduates of the same pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Indonesia. We design this research with a phenomenological approach. We collected the data through in-depth interviews, then transcribed it verbatim into a solid description, and analyzed it through descriptive-psychological phenomenological analysis procedures. The findings show that: (1) …

Feeling Socially Anxious At University: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Jennifer Lee, Daniel Waldeck, Andrew Holliman, Moitree Banerjee, Ian Tyndall

The Qualitative Report

For those with feelings of social anxiety, university can present unique challenges. Socially anxious students can face functional impairments such as interpersonal and academic deficits, as well as social maladjustment due to a shift in their social networks. Despite this, there is surprisingly little research exploring their experiences at university using qualitative designs. The present study set out to explore how a small sample of undergraduate students experienced feeling socially anxious at university. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight psychology undergraduates and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to explore their experiences and interpret deeper meaning. Five main themes emerged, …