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Spatial Analysis Of Uniform Crime Reports, Crime Clearance Rates, And Office Entry-Level Salaries, Laraysa Nugent Apr 2015

Spatial Analysis Of Uniform Crime Reports, Crime Clearance Rates, And Office Entry-Level Salaries, Laraysa Nugent

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this project is to apply environmental criminology theories to spatially examine the distribution of 2013 Part 1 Uniform Crime Report (UCR) offenses and Crime Clearance Rates (CCRs) by Florida judicial circuits (n=20). The goal is to identify judicial circuits with the highest and lowest CCRs; and present a spatial analysis that visually represents statistically significant judicial circuits for the criminal offenses of murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle thefts. Additionally, the current study identifies and analyzes cities (n=30) within the 11 th judicial circuit (Miami-Dade county) because it had the lowest CCR; …

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The Dark Side Of Mind Wandering: Examining The Impact Of Emotionally Valenced Task Unrelated Thoughts On Working Memory, Audrey Hood, Samantha Gestido, Abraham Yacaman Apr 2015

The Dark Side Of Mind Wandering: Examining The Impact Of Emotionally Valenced Task Unrelated Thoughts On Working Memory, Audrey Hood, Samantha Gestido, Abraham Yacaman

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Working memory (WM) is a dynamic system responsible for maintaining and processing information, and controlling attention (Engle & Kane, 2004). Although WM remains stable during adulthood, it is altered by a variety of factors including affect (Ilkowska & Engle, 2010). However, there remains debate regarding whether the impact of affect on working memory is driven by positive or negative affect. For instance, negative affect impairs WM performance due to increases in Task Unrelated Thoughts (TUTs; Curci, Lanciano, Soleti & Rime, 2013). High levels of TUTs reduce performance on a variety of cognitive functions, including sustained attention (McVay & Kane, 2009) …

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The Devil's Due, Ricardo Lugo Apr 2015

The Devil's Due, Ricardo Lugo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“The Devil’s Due” is a short film about a husband desperately trying to save his dying wife. He finds a solution, but what will he be willing to sacrifice? The film is written and directed by Ricardo Lugo. Other crew members and actors include Alex Lugo, Andrew McGarrett, Lauren McGarrett, Aaron M. Abelto, Laura Ten Zijthoff, and Addys M. Guerra.

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The Function Of Yawning In Reducing Acute Hyperthermia Following Physiological Stressors, Melissa Dauzonne, Yana Prilutskaya, Daniel Garcia, Amani Al Barghouti Apr 2015

The Function Of Yawning In Reducing Acute Hyperthermia Following Physiological Stressors, Melissa Dauzonne, Yana Prilutskaya, Daniel Garcia, Amani Al Barghouti

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The present study attempts to look at the extent to which yawning reduces stress induced acute hyperthermia. When stressed socially or physiologically, body temperature rises with the stressed subject experiencing acute hyperthermia, essentially inducing a brief fever. Thus, after the removal of the stress stimulus, body temperature should begin to decrease and return to baseline conditions, which may be achieved through various thermoregulatory mechanisms. One such mechanism is yawning. Yawning is a deep inhalation of air accompanied by rapid increases in blood flow around the face head and neck. As supported in recent research across a wide range of taxa, …

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Walking With Liz, Paola Zaidi Apr 2015

Walking With Liz, Paola Zaidi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“Walking with Liz” is a short film documentary about Elizabeth Burbano, an NSU student with a physical disability. Liz´s life has been an arduous journey to overcome the challenges posed by her disability. However, the surgeries, therapies and pain she has had to endure have not been able to slow her down on the road to achieving her dreams. The documentary is directed by Paola Zaidi.

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Water-A Source Of Life And Disease: The Evolution Of Water Quality In London, Lisa Marie Pace Apr 2015

Water-A Source Of Life And Disease: The Evolution Of Water Quality In London, Lisa Marie Pace

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this research was to explore the many impacts and changes that have occurred over time due to the quality of water, and the introduction of public sewer systems. This research begins historically in the city of London, focusing on the Thames River, public wells, and the many rivers that provided a source of water to the citizens of London and branches out into modern day water quality in London. If clean water was made accessible to the citizens of London previously many epidemic diseases, such as Cholera, could have been avoided. By providing clean water many lives …

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What Has Been The Impact Of The Passage Of Policies That Regulate Physician Assisted Suicide In Oregon And The Netherlands?, Chantel Grant Apr 2015

What Has Been The Impact Of The Passage Of Policies That Regulate Physician Assisted Suicide In Oregon And The Netherlands?, Chantel Grant

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this research is to identify the impact of the passage of policies that regulate physician assisted suicide in Oregon and the Netherlands. In the case of Oregon, data was collected from the Oregon State Health Department and was used to identify the number of participants, demographics, and number of deaths as a result of physician assisted suicide. In the case of the Netherlands, data was collected from a Dutch online publication known as Statline and supplementary information was gathered from an evaluation titled “Law Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide”, which was done with the …

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A Comparative Study Of Microorganism Populations From Storm Water Treatment Areas And Select South Florida Locations, Sabina Joseph, Tamara Gali Apr 2015

A Comparative Study Of Microorganism Populations From Storm Water Treatment Areas And Select South Florida Locations, Sabina Joseph, Tamara Gali

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Nova Southeastern University (NSU) faculty and students are collaborating with Yale University to discover novel antibiotics produced by soil dwelling microorganisms. Pathogens responsible for many hospital-acquired infections are increasingly resistant to several antibiotics, driving the need for novel antibiotics. Antibiotic producing microorganisms present in soils should change with the concentrations of nutrients found in the soil or interstitial water in soils. To test this hypothesis, we screened for bacteria in samples from nutrient-poor soils in Davie and nutrient-rich soils in storm water treatment areas (STAs) in the Everglades. Soil samples were obtained, serially diluted and then plated on different media. …

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A Novel Assay To Screen Drugs That Target Bacterial Type Iii Secretion Systems, Poorandai Sanicharran, Joanna Theodorou Apr 2015

A Novel Assay To Screen Drugs That Target Bacterial Type Iii Secretion Systems, Poorandai Sanicharran, Joanna Theodorou

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In recent years antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria have increasingly become a problem and pose a global threat. Several problematic bacteria utilize a type III secretion system (T3SS) to infect their host. T3SSs are needle-like appendages on the bacteria used to inject the host cell with toxins which disrupts the cell's defense. Hence, the T3SS would be agood target for a novel antibiotic drug. The goal of this study is to develop an assay to screen for compounds that inhibit bacterial T3SSs. Y. enterocolitica uses a T3SS to cause gastroenteritis and will be utilized as the test organism. A disc …

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Agricom: A Soil Nutrient Additive And Its Effect On Soil Microbial Growth And Tomato Plants, Lisa Marie Pace Apr 2015

Agricom: A Soil Nutrient Additive And Its Effect On Soil Microbial Growth And Tomato Plants, Lisa Marie Pace

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of these experiments was to assess the efficacy of a novel nutrient stimulant in enhancing the growth of plants in the absence of fertilizer. Agricom is a natural mixture that works to increase the nitrogen fixation capabilities of the bacteria in the soil, thus aiding in the growth of the plants. Prior to working with the plants, the growth of the soil bacteria, in the presence of Agricom, was tested using respirometry. Agricom produced a significant positive effect on the overall growth rate of the soil bacteria that had been treated. Next, a series of four different groups …

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An Unusual Meeting, Alessandra Sironi Apr 2015

An Unusual Meeting, Alessandra Sironi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“An Unusual Meeting” is a short film about two strangers who happen to be living the same lifestyle. These two characters have a similar routine every morning; they wake up, stretch, brush their teeth, make coffee, read magazines, navigate the internet, and drink the same brand of coffee, “Café Bustelo.” The two characters live near each other, and they meet while shopping for coffee at the grocery store. The universe and the coincidence of being coffee-holics leads them to fall in love at first sight. The film is directed by Alessandra Sironi. Andres Martinez Paz serves as the principal actor …

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Exhausted From Decision Fatigue: Do Personality Differences Influence Decision Making?, Basmatee Manohar Apr 2015

Exhausted From Decision Fatigue: Do Personality Differences Influence Decision Making?, Basmatee Manohar

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Making lots of decisions can result in what is known as decision fatigue. As past research has indicated, decision fatigue happens after contemplating choices while making decisions; this ultimately inhibits our ability to self-regulate and follow through on undesirable tasks. However, there is limited research that shows how the number of decisions people make impacts self-control. In this study, participants either rated how appealing food images looked or made a choice between two food images; the number of ratings/choices was either 10 or 30. Participants then engaged in the self-regulatory task of solving a difficult riddle. We hypothesized that participants …

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Hangings And Body Snatchings: The Exploitation Of Humans In 18th Century London In The Name Of Medicine, Chanice Allen Apr 2015

Hangings And Body Snatchings: The Exploitation Of Humans In 18th Century London In The Name Of Medicine, Chanice Allen

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This project is an exploration into the cultural and sociological intricacies of 18th century London that allowed for and even necessitated the practice of the procurement of human bodies via public execution, grave robbing, and murder in the name of medicine. This uncommon glance at medicine examines aspects such as economic benefits of the black market activities of body purchasing and grave robbing by the medical profession, how the social hierarchy (and, inherently, religion) of pre-modern London played into corpse selection, and the juxtaposition of the attainment of corpses by medical professionals to the regulation of social order. This …

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Hypoxia Inducible Factor Mediated Human Angiotensinogen Gene Regulation, Nida Rizvi Apr 2015

Hypoxia Inducible Factor Mediated Human Angiotensinogen Gene Regulation, Nida Rizvi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Alcohol usage is linked to increased blood pressure and fibrotic transformation of the liver. Angiotensinogen (AGT) is the source of Ang II which regulates blood pressure and participates in fibrotic transformation of the liver after the hepatocyte death. Ang II is produced from AGT by sequential action of renin followed by angiotensin converting enzyme. The levels of AGT are less than the MichaelisMenten constant of renin. Therefore, an increase in blood AGT levels would result into corresponding increase in Ang II levels that might affect blood pressure regulation and liver fibrogenic processes.

Alcohol metabolism by the liver produces oxidative stress …

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Invegstigating The Causes Of Antibiotic Resistance In A Periodic Environment, Haley Mckissack, Uzair Mohammed, Kyle Cahill, Steven Thomas Apr 2015

Invegstigating The Causes Of Antibiotic Resistance In A Periodic Environment, Haley Mckissack, Uzair Mohammed, Kyle Cahill, Steven Thomas

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Misuse of antibiotics, coupled with a lack of new antibiotics being discovered, has threatened our ability to treat bacterial infections. Confounding our ability to effectively combat antibiotic resistance is the myriad of ways in which bacteria can resist antibiotic treatment. One mechanism is the inoculum effect, a phenomenon in which the inhibitory concentration of an antibiotic increases with initial cell density. Previously acquired data has indicated a mutation exclusive mechanism by which resistance arises. However, it is currently unknown as to whether or not the generation of antibiotic resistant bacteria due to spontaneous mutation plays a role in the inoculum …

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Journey Of A Thousand Miles, Cerone White Apr 2015

Journey Of A Thousand Miles, Cerone White

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“Journey of a Thousand Miles” is a short documentary film about two gay African-American men who have been living with HIV for over 30 years combined. This documentary will serve to highlight the journey of these two men, focusing on their triumphs and struggles endured when they were first diagnosed. This film will also take us on a journey documenting the progress on the HIV/AIDS epidemic then and now, examining how far we as a society have travelled over time. The hope for this film is to shine a spotlight on men who are HIV-positive and living life to the …

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Induction Of Apoptosis By Jfd-Ws In Human Breast Adenocarcinoma Xenograft Implanted Athymic Nude Mice, Janelle Alvarez, Meera Bhalani, Thanigaivelan Kanagasabai Ph.D., Sivanesan Dhandayuthapani Ph.D., Appu Rathinavelu Ph.D. Apr 2015

Induction Of Apoptosis By Jfd-Ws In Human Breast Adenocarcinoma Xenograft Implanted Athymic Nude Mice, Janelle Alvarez, Meera Bhalani, Thanigaivelan Kanagasabai Ph.D., Sivanesan Dhandayuthapani Ph.D., Appu Rathinavelu Ph.D.

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) can be stimulated when a cell has reached its pre-determined lifespan. The intrinsic pathway is typically activated for cell cycle regulation, thus preventing tumor formation. Bcl-2 family proteins can play a pro or anti-apoptotic role by regulating the expression levels and modes of action of other proteins such as caspases, which cleave cell parts until the cell is no longer functional. Many studies are focusing on proteins that regulate the apoptotic pathway, as anomalies may lead to tumor formation. The purpose of this study was to assess effects of a novel water-soluble cancer drug, known as …

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Morphological Variation Of The Penis And Cirral As Well As Potential Denticulated Bristle Function In The Barnacle, Chthamalus Stellatus, Dan Schneck Apr 2015

Morphological Variation Of The Penis And Cirral As Well As Potential Denticulated Bristle Function In The Barnacle, Chthamalus Stellatus, Dan Schneck

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Many barnacles have phenotypically plastic cirri and penises. We studied this ability in Chthamalus stellatus over a range of wave exposure, height and population density along the John U. Lloyd State Park jetty. We also examined specialized, serrated bristles found on the cirri to determine functionality of these bristles, as well as to document any variation. We observed no meaningful variation in penis or cirrus morphology with wave exposure, height or crowding. However both correlate with body size, which is greatest in the middle of their vertical range. Barnacles in the middle of their vertical range also had more denticulate …

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Neural Stem Cell Proliferation, Differentiation, And Survival In Response To At1 And At2 Angiotensin Ii Receptor-Specific Agonism, Puja Patel, Sujay Kamisetty, Brigitte Blanco, Leena Couling Apr 2015

Neural Stem Cell Proliferation, Differentiation, And Survival In Response To At1 And At2 Angiotensin Ii Receptor-Specific Agonism, Puja Patel, Sujay Kamisetty, Brigitte Blanco, Leena Couling

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Major components of the brain Renin‐Angiotensin System may provide modes of therapy for impaired neurons. Angiotensin II via its receptors, AT1 and AT2, induces proliferation and differentiation of rodent neural stem cells. This study was undertaken to determine if AT1 and AT2 receptor stimulation by Angiotensin II induces proliferation and differentiation of human neural stem cells (hNSC). This study will assess whether selective agonism of AT1 and AT2 receptors on hNSC could possibly induce proliferation and differentiation in damaged areas of the brain caused by stroke, traumatic brain injury, and several neurodegenerative diseases in a therapeutic manner. Using hNSC, this …

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Spiritual And Supernatural Elements Of English Theatre (1550-1612), Mariah Busk Apr 2015

Spiritual And Supernatural Elements Of English Theatre (1550-1612), Mariah Busk

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In “Spiritual and Supernatural Elements of English Theatre (1550-1612)”, I use four plays to examine the secularization of supernatural elements of English theatre during the High Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. My research shows that in Everyman (c.1500) by Anonymous, The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus (c. 1588) by Christopher Marlowe, Hamlet (c. 1600) by William Shakespeare, and The White Devil (c.1612) by John Webster good and evil characters digress from being religious, spiritual figures to being humanized representations of these figures. Corresponding to this secularization is the loss of a God-like figure and a more common use …

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Synthesis And Characterization Of Oxindole Derivatives, Armando Perez, Kaitlyn Pope, Palina Woodhouse Apr 2015

Synthesis And Characterization Of Oxindole Derivatives, Armando Perez, Kaitlyn Pope, Palina Woodhouse

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Uncaria Tomentosa (Cat’s Claw), a plant well known to yield potent antibacterial compounds that contain Indolin-2-one (2-oxindole) as the common moiety has instigated the medicinal chemists to develop broad spectrum antibiotics. Researchers around the world have focused on methodical modification at several key locations of this molecule with the intent of studying the biological activities. In that line, this research focuses on the synthesis of Knoevenagel adducts at the carbon -3. We have synthesized over twenty five analogues starting from Indolin-2-one and substituted aryl aldehydes by condensation reaction in basic ethanolic medium. Reaction conditions needed to be tuned to improve …

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The Impact Of The Affordable Care Act On Small Businesses Of Varying Sizes, Franklin Saunders Hiffernan Apr 2015

The Impact Of The Affordable Care Act On Small Businesses Of Varying Sizes, Franklin Saunders Hiffernan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Small businesses face many posing costs when conforming their entire insurance infrastructure to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. This survey of the literature includes key information on the implications of the ACA on small businesses, providing detailed cost and benefit potential over a range of circumstances. The purpose of this research was to open up the complicated text of the ACA itself and provide true to life situations where the implications can be visualized and better understood. Due to the complicated terminology of the ACA, many Americans are still improperly informed as to how the reform will take …

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Wildfires, Fireworks, And Air Quality: Episodic Events With Impactful Consequences, Aarabhi Rajagopal Apr 2015

Wildfires, Fireworks, And Air Quality: Episodic Events With Impactful Consequences, Aarabhi Rajagopal

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This study aims to identify and quantify the impact of episodic pollution sources, in particular fireworks and wildfire, on the air quality and public health in South Florida. Specifically, two case studies demonstrated the critical impact of episodic events on the regional air quality with long-range and/or regional transport of air parcels. In May 2007, the infamous Bugaboo Scrub Fire at the Florida-Georgia border generated a substantial amount of smoke, significantly increasing the concentration of atmospheric particulate matter (PM 2.5). Detailed meteorological analyses, such as NOAA’s HYSPLIT trajectory modeling, showed that certain wind conditions carried the smoke plume over 400 …

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Women Of The 1950s: American Housewives And The Outrageous Expectations, Jordyn Hughes Apr 2015

Women Of The 1950s: American Housewives And The Outrageous Expectations, Jordyn Hughes

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The 1950’s was a time when companies took advantage of the sexist and domesticated view that society had on women, they began aiming their advertisements at women and how products would help them please their husbands. These advertisements made people believe they would not be happy or comfortable without the product shown.

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Study On The Effects Of Tulsi On Lncap Cells And The Mechanism Used To Induce Apoptosis, Omar Garcia, Omar Viqar Apr 2015

Study On The Effects Of Tulsi On Lncap Cells And The Mechanism Used To Induce Apoptosis, Omar Garcia, Omar Viqar

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Homeostasis is a major property that entails the regulation of internal conditions to maintain stability in the human body. A key aspect of regulation is the removal of unwanted cells. Critical diseases such as cancer may occur due to excess cell proliferation. Inducing apoptosis can be a significant method of treating cancer. Understanding the mechanisms of apoptosis can be advantageous towards combating diseases in which cells are unnecessarily proliferating. Tulsi (Holy Basil) is a plant that has shown many therapeutic properties. Furthermore, it has shown to contain significant antitumor agents. Analyzing the level of expression of proteins when cancer cells …

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Temperature Dependent Variation In Self-Reported Contagious Yawning Within A Single Season, Melissa Dauzonne, Yana Prilutskaya, Daniel Garcia, Amani Al Barghouti Apr 2015

Temperature Dependent Variation In Self-Reported Contagious Yawning Within A Single Season, Melissa Dauzonne, Yana Prilutskaya, Daniel Garcia, Amani Al Barghouti

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Previous cross-cultural research on humans has shown that self-reported contagious yawning frequency varies between distinct seasons and climate conditions. However, it remains possible that differences in yawning across seasons may be a result of physiological circadian changes across the year. In attempt to address this question, here we discuss the results of a study investigating the variation in the frequency of self-reported contagious yawning within a single season in one geographic location. A total of 142 pedestrians were recruited outdoors during an 18-day period over the summer in an equatorial monsoon climate in southern Florida, USA. Consistent with the thermoregulatory …

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The Potential Effects Of Caffeine, Energy Drinks, And Alcoholic Drinks On Gene Expression Using The Yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) Model System, Amal Bhullar, Ashley Chang-Story Apr 2015

The Potential Effects Of Caffeine, Energy Drinks, And Alcoholic Drinks On Gene Expression Using The Yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) Model System, Amal Bhullar, Ashley Chang-Story

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Especially while in college, young people are supplementing their diets with various additives including caffeine in the forms of pills and energy drinks, in addition to consuming alcoholic beverages. This project aims to investigate the effects of three concentrations (low, medium, and high) of various caffeinated and alcoholic dietary additives/beverages on gene expression. Since yeast share approximately 30% of their genome with humans several conserved genes belonging to various functional groups (digestion, cell cycle, ion channel, molecular chaperone, kinases and transcription) were selectively targeted in this study. High, medium and low concentrations of caffeine tablets, energy drinks (Red Bull energy …

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Understanding The Mysteries Of African Ancestry Along My Maternal Lineage, Natalie Negrón Apr 2015

Understanding The Mysteries Of African Ancestry Along My Maternal Lineage, Natalie Negrón

Undergraduate Student Symposium

People have often been interested in their ancestral roots, and the ability to document ancestry via the use of genetic tools has never been greater and more economical. Inspired by the Human Genographic Project, the purpose of this study was to better understand the historical links connecting African ancestry to Puerto Rican individuals along their maternal lineage. Previous research had shown that the researcher’s maternal ancestry was linked to Haplogroup L1, which is one of the human subpopulations to have more recently migrated from Africa. For this project, DNA samples were collected from cheek swabs of both the researcher and …

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Viral Videos: Random Phenomena Or Reproducible Templates?, Marisa Oleski Apr 2015

Viral Videos: Random Phenomena Or Reproducible Templates?, Marisa Oleski

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this research is to identify the impact of the passage of policies that regulate physician assisted suicide in Oregon and the Netherlands. In the case of Oregon, data was collected from the Oregon State Health Department and was used to identify the number of participants, demographics, and number of deaths as a result of physician assisted suicide. In the case of the Netherlands, data was collected from a Dutch online publication known as Statline and supplementary information was gathered from an evaluation titled “Law Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide”, which was done with the …

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A Guide To Exoplanets: Observed Properties, Classification, And Habitability Of Alien Worlds, Rosario Echeguren Apr 2015

A Guide To Exoplanets: Observed Properties, Classification, And Habitability Of Alien Worlds, Rosario Echeguren

Undergraduate Student Symposium

We present a study of exoplanets. Exoplanets are planets orbiting not our sun but other host stars. The thousands of known exoplanets are extremely diverse in terms of mass, orbit, and host-star type. This study will examine the physical properties of exoplanets and their characterization, as well as exoplanetary habitability through the lens of the emerging discipline of astrobiology. The goal of this study is to create a guidebook, which will act as a unique and engaging reference guide for future space travelers.

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