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Validation Of An Alternative Microbiological Method For Nutritional Supplements And Over-The- Counter Drugs, William Oliver Apr 2011

Validation Of An Alternative Microbiological Method For Nutritional Supplements And Over-The- Counter Drugs, William Oliver

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This project is focused on determining the efficacy of the alternative microbiological plate counting method, the 3M Petri-Film plate reading device. The 3M plate reader device is used for high volume microbial enumeration of food products in large food manufacturing facilities. This device claims to increase operator speed by 3 times providing considerable cost savings to companies performing 100+ microbiological tests daily. This study was conducted to validate this device for use in tablet, capsule, liquid, semi-solid dosage forms, cleaning validations, and water sample testing. With this project we were compared plate counts on the Petri film device to plate …

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Total Synthesis Of Functionalized Acenes, Sose Tokatlian Apr 2011

Total Synthesis Of Functionalized Acenes, Sose Tokatlian

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This research project is focused on the total synthesis of three different acene dinitriles. With the understanding that syntheses of such acenes are affected by chemoselectivity, it is imperative that proper protocol be followed in order to produce the desired acenes in a favorable and useful yield. By means of Wittig reactions, condensation and reduction reactions the final product will be formed. Acene-2,3- dicarbaldehyde is utilized as a starting compound undergoing a Witting reaction and a consecutive Aldol reaction to produce a second ring with diester functionalities. Following reduction to a dialdehyde a modified Wittig reaction and consecutive Aldol reaction …

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The Relationship Between Number Of Facebook Friends And Self-Esteem, Kelsey Cortez, Jerilyn De Los Rios, Keren Moros, Veronica Quintanilla Apr 2011

The Relationship Between Number Of Facebook Friends And Self-Esteem, Kelsey Cortez, Jerilyn De Los Rios, Keren Moros, Veronica Quintanilla

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Previous studies have identified relationships between social networking sites (SNSs) and the variables of its users such as age, gender and personality type. The growing popularity of SNSs has prompted the initiation of the current study which seeks to identify if a relationship exists between a Facebook user’s number of online friends and his/her level of self-esteem. A Facebook Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R) will be administered to a sample of students and adults ages 13 to 55.

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Isolating And Characterizing Natural Products From Fruits And Vegetables By Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy, Andrew Lister Apr 2011

Isolating And Characterizing Natural Products From Fruits And Vegetables By Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy, Andrew Lister

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Natural products of fruits and vegetables play important roles in human health. Due to their benefits, researchers have tried to identify specific natural compounds within a single fruit or vegetable. These are technically demanding experiments because of the complex sample matrix and the need for a sensitive chemical analysis technique. This research project presents optimized protocols for the organic extraction and separation of multiple natural products of fruits and vegetables. The compounds were analyzed, and characterized by using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and cross referenced with journal articles that have previously reported these products.

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Investigation Of A Crime Scene: Applying Biological And Chemical Forensic Techniques, Jennifer Marcelin, Jorge Leal, Sagir Patel, Lindsey Nowland Apr 2011

Investigation Of A Crime Scene: Applying Biological And Chemical Forensic Techniques, Jennifer Marcelin, Jorge Leal, Sagir Patel, Lindsey Nowland

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this experiment was to explore the principles of investigating a crime scene; utilizing both biological and chemical laboratory techniques. Collecting proper evidence is crucial to crime scene investigation. The insight that an investigator may gain about a perpetrator can be determined by analyzing the physical evidence obtained at the scene, and therefore an investigator must carefully examine numerous pieces of evidence found at a crime scene. However, the knowledge and education of the investigator are able to elucidate both the obvious and the obscure. Each piece of evidence may provide a clue to who committed the crime …

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Influence Of Hardbottom Availability On A Nearshore Fish Community, Jesse Secord, Angelica Garcia, Rocio Masgoret, Kaitlyn Brucker Apr 2011

Influence Of Hardbottom Availability On A Nearshore Fish Community, Jesse Secord, Angelica Garcia, Rocio Masgoret, Kaitlyn Brucker

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this project is to determine if hard bottom availability affects the fish abundance and species richness of a nearshore community. The research was conducted on the northeast side of Hillsboro Inlet in Broward County, Florida. The Rover Diving Technique was used to conduct visual fish counts while snorkeling within four 30 m2 areas. Quantification of hard bottom and sand substrates were also performed within these areas using transect lines. The majority of data collection occurred on a weekly basis from February 21, 2010 to October 10, 2010. We hypothesized there would be a direct correlation between …

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Improvement Of Trauma Symptoms In A Male Dual-Diagnosis Outpatient Treatment, Brittney Tamayo Apr 2011

Improvement Of Trauma Symptoms In A Male Dual-Diagnosis Outpatient Treatment, Brittney Tamayo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Traditionally, treatment aimed at helping those with both trauma related symptoms and substance abuse issues has first addressed the substance-related issues and then, after the client obtains abstinence, provided treatment to address the trauma-related issues. A more recent trend, the ‘traumaddiction’ model, suggests that psychological trauma and substance abuse can and should be treated concurrently. Support for this simultaneous treatment model has largely been limited to research in residential treatment settings. The current study set out to determine whether the integration of therapy for both trauma and substance abuse can be effective in an outpatient treatment setting as well. Specifically, …

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Expression Of At1, At2 Receptors And A Non-At1, Non-At2 Angiotensin Ii Binding Site In Rat Brain After Endothelin-1 Induced Ischemic Stroke, Luz Gonzalez Reiley, Aisha Haniff Apr 2011

Expression Of At1, At2 Receptors And A Non-At1, Non-At2 Angiotensin Ii Binding Site In Rat Brain After Endothelin-1 Induced Ischemic Stroke, Luz Gonzalez Reiley, Aisha Haniff

Undergraduate Student Symposium

New findings suggest that the activation AT1 receptor decreases cerebral perfusion after an ischemic stroke in the brain while the activation of AT2 receptor opposes those actions providing neuroprotective effects. Recent discoveries reveal the existence of a novel non-AT1, non-AT2 binding site for angiotensin II (Ang II) in the brain which may indicate additional effects of the brain angiotensin system after ischemic damage. To assess this, 5 rats were microinjected with 3 μM of 80 μM endothelin-1 (ET-1) to stimulate middle cerebral artery occlusion in the right hemisphere of the forebrain. 24 hours later, the rats were sacrificed and the …

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Exploring The Phylogeny Of Helicosporidium Using The Cyst Gene, Vanessa Anaya Apr 2011

Exploring The Phylogeny Of Helicosporidium Using The Cyst Gene, Vanessa Anaya

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Helicosporidium is a unique pathogen that can infect the larvae of mosquitoes. Phylogenetic analyses show promise of establishing a relationship between Helicosporidium and other species. Observation of species from the Aunexochlorella and Prototheca genera will provide an exact taxonomic classification and assist with identifying the closest relative to the genus Helicosporidium. Since it has been shown that the Helicosporidium shows effects on the larvae of mosquitos, this can be a potential organism of interest in the use as an alternative to common chemical insecticides. The confirmation of the relationship was found by performing sequencing of the ribosomal DNA of …

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Experimental And Numerical Determination Of Phase Synchronization Between A Chua System And An External Periodic Signal, Yaneve Shemesh Apr 2011

Experimental And Numerical Determination Of Phase Synchronization Between A Chua System And An External Periodic Signal, Yaneve Shemesh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

We present our first experimental results in relation to the phase synchronization of a single sinusoidal function to a Chua oscillator. We approached the synchronization process with real time observation. We were able to observe that a Chua oscillator will stay phase synchronized if the periodic signal has the appropriate amplitude and frequency, i.e., falls inside a synchronization tongue (Arnold Tongue). These early results will be compared in the future with numerical simulations.

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Event Related Potentials As A Measure Of Neural Inhibition Resulting From Bilingualism, Alicia Harnisch, Daniela Padron Apr 2011

Event Related Potentials As A Measure Of Neural Inhibition Resulting From Bilingualism, Alicia Harnisch, Daniela Padron

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Research suggests that there is a link between bilingualism and neural inhibition. Findings reveal that bilinguals more efficiently and effectively switch between cognitive tasks and ignore irrelevant aspects of a stimulus than monolinguals. According to the Inhibitory Control model of bilingualism, a mechanism is in place which allows bilinguals to suppress one language while using the other. This mechanism also mediates non-linguistic inhibition, which allows bilinguals to outperform monolinguals on these tasks. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies comparing monolinguals and bilinguals on non-language tasks suggest that these two groups utilize different frontal lobe areas when performing non-language cognitive tasks. The …

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Electrophysiological And Neuropsychological Correlates Of Emotion Regulation, Anita Singh Apr 2011

Electrophysiological And Neuropsychological Correlates Of Emotion Regulation, Anita Singh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Avoidance or escape from emotionally negative events is associated with poor psychological health outcomes. Importantly, humans can influence how emotions are experienced or expressed through emotion regulation (ER) strategies. ER strategies have been shown to alter the expression of emotions in individual with differing levels of experiential avoidance (as indexed by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, or AAQ). Here, we are comparing a control group of participants who do not show emotional avoidance with a group of participants who score high on emotional avoidance. To that end, we are assessing neurophysiological and behavioral responses to emotional vs. non emotional pictures …

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Effects Of Daxx And Il-8 Gene Expression On Tumor Growth, Sakthi Murugan, Ryan Smith Apr 2011

Effects Of Daxx And Il-8 Gene Expression On Tumor Growth, Sakthi Murugan, Ryan Smith

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is an important factor that regulates tumor cell growth and angiogenesis. Tumor angiogenesis results in the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tumor cells, enabling further growth. Various genes in the genetic sequence contribute differently, and affect this process by either promoting or inhibiting further angiogenesis. Among these genes are DAXX and IL-8. DAXX gene, which encodes Death Domain Associated protein, can enhance FAS mediated apoptosis, by activating the Jun N-Terminal Kinase (JNK). MDM2 is an oncogenic protein, that is believed to ubiquinate DAXX and reduce its level when it is overly expressed; HAUSP …

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Complete Protection And Glycosylation Of Hydroxylysine, Lindsey Nowland, Stephanie Cirillo Apr 2011

Complete Protection And Glycosylation Of Hydroxylysine, Lindsey Nowland, Stephanie Cirillo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

One of the most common types of cardiovascular disease is the coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis. Adiponectin, a protein hormone, has been shown to play a role in preventing the development of atherosclerosis. Modification of this compound could help to produce more beneficial effects. One of the amino acids in adiponectin, Hydroxylysine (HYL), can often undergo posttranslational modifications, such as glycosylation.

The aim of the intended research is to protect specific functional groups of the amino acid to make it suitable for peptide synthesis. Total synthetic route will entail a differential protection of the amino acid, and addition of specific sugar …

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Can Ya Hear Me Now?, Aishah Thompkins Apr 2011

Can Ya Hear Me Now?, Aishah Thompkins

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“Can Ya Hear Me Now?” is a short film about a married young couple who are madly in love with each other. Michael wants nothing more than to serve God and to love his wife, Daysha. Michael works hard, and when he comes home he gives Daysha his undivided attention. And Daysha wants to please her husband and to stand by him. But Daysha has a dark secret; she is sometimes drawn to her not-so-distant past lifestyle, which involved parties, drugs, sex and clubs. Clear communication is a challenge for Daysha. Can Michael’s relationship with Daysha survive? Can Daysha’s love …

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Bystanders To Evil: The Failure Of The United States’ Foreign Policy Towards Genocide, Anam Ismail Apr 2011

Bystanders To Evil: The Failure Of The United States’ Foreign Policy Towards Genocide, Anam Ismail

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Since the Armenian Genocide in the early twentieth century, the United States’ policy towards genocide has been, at best, delayed and, at worst, intentionally indifferent. This study will examine America’s historic reaction to genocide, as well as the radically different results that might have been achieved with even minimal efforts. To understand American action, research will focus on four examples of mass killing: the extermination of Jews and other undesirables by Nazi Germany, the widespread ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims by Serbian nationalists, the conflict between rivaling Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda, and the ongoing war plaguing Southern Sudan. The …

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A Look Into Abstinence Only Sex Education Vs. Comprehensive Sex Education, Katrin Scheurer Apr 2011

A Look Into Abstinence Only Sex Education Vs. Comprehensive Sex Education, Katrin Scheurer

Undergraduate Student Symposium

For almost two decades between the years of 1990 and 2010, many schools in the US were educating their young people on sex via abstinence only programs. Abstinence only sex education means that when students are taught in school about sex that they are taught abstinence is the only way (Barnett & Hurst, 2003). In comprehensive sex education the students would be taught more information about different contraceptives, sexual health and sexual decision making (Barnett & Hurst, 2003). In February, 2010, after years of federal funding for abstinence only sex education, President Obama cut this budget by $170 million. The …

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The Widening Spectrum Of Celiac Disease, Mary-Catherine Fleck Apr 2011

The Widening Spectrum Of Celiac Disease, Mary-Catherine Fleck

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Celiac Disease or Celiac Sprue is a chronic autoimmune disorder with a genetic component. Gluten or gliadin is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Ingestion by genetically susceptible individuals, under certain conditions such as surgery, infection, or severe emotional stress can trigger the onset of Celiac Disease, the production of anti-gliadin antibodies, which destroy the villi lining the lower intestines. This is where most of the nutrients for sustenance are absorbed and hence can lead to malnutrition, diarrhea, anemia and fatigue; the villi gradually get restored, only upon exclusion of gluten from the diet. What was once only …

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Construction Of A Polyphosphate Kinase Gene Deletion In Yersenia Spp., Shan Desai Apr 2011

Construction Of A Polyphosphate Kinase Gene Deletion In Yersenia Spp., Shan Desai

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The goal of this experiment is to study the bacteria, Yersinia pestis, Yersenia enterocolitica, and Yersenia pseudotuberculosis, and the possible role of the enzyme polyphosphate kinase (PPK) in pathogenicity, motility, and gene expression. PPK is an enzyme that produces inorganic polyphosphate, which is universal and found in all forms of life from prokaryotic bacteria to eukaryotic mammals. The PPK enzyme has been shown to be required for motility and virulence of several pathogenic bacteria. Yersinia spp. are diverse bacteria that cause diseases ranging from gastrointestinal diseases to bubonic plaque; however, the role of PPK is unknown. …

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Project Braille: The Implementation Of The Seeing-Eye Computer, Jeremy Cantor Apr 2011

Project Braille: The Implementation Of The Seeing-Eye Computer, Jeremy Cantor

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The goal of this project is to provide convenient access to all of the printed materials to the visually impaired by utilizing functional senses other than sight. The proposed solution involves the use of modern technology to convert printed text into computer readable text through optical character recognition and later narrating the text using modern text-to-speech conversion (TTS). The process of converting books into an audio version via computer is currently in its infancy stage of development. There are several major issues that must be addressed in this conversion process. Today’s systems that are devoted to the TTS conversion process …

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The Influence Of Emotional Regulation On Response Inhibition, Alexandra Srour Apr 2011

The Influence Of Emotional Regulation On Response Inhibition, Alexandra Srour

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The relationship between emotional regulation and response inhibition is examined. The presentation of highly arousing emotional pictures interferes with ongoing cognitive processes such as one’s ability to inhibit an unwanted response. In study 1, we measured emotional regulation and response inhibition independently. Results indicated that low emotional regulators exhibited faster reaction times. However, we did not find a correlation between emotional regulation and response inhibition. In study 2, we will examine the collective influences of emotional regulation and response inhibition. Participants will be trained to either up-regulate or down-regulate their emotional reactivity to highly-arousing negative stimuli. We predict that participants …

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Implicit Bias And Public Policy Recommendations, Alyssa Mineo Apr 2011

Implicit Bias And Public Policy Recommendations, Alyssa Mineo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

We intend to measure implicit (as opposed to self-reported) attitudes towards gay people, specifically in the context of adoption rights. Opponents of gay adoption rights persist in arguing that having gay parents is harmful to the children and for this reason should be opposed. However, if the position is based exclusively on concern for the welfare of the children rather than (entirely or partially) on the parents’ sexual orientation per se, it should follow that any individual who acts out of this concern would be equally concerned with the welfare of the children adopted by heterosexual parents. Whatever restrictions …

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Renovatio, Amrish Ramnarine Apr 2011

Renovatio, Amrish Ramnarine

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“Renovatio” is a short film about a couple of individuals who engage one another due to eerie occurrences in their vicinity. As each character bonds with the other, they begin to share emotions and choose sides. In this web of deception, secrets are revealed that confound even the most rational characters, ultimately concluding with their “rebirth.” The film is directed by Amrish Ramnarine. Other crew members and actors include Ximena Raquel Alvarez, Monica Lynne Herrera, Calista Siobhan Ming.

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Change And Stop-Signal Paradigms With Hands And Feet, Terrence Singh Apr 2011

Change And Stop-Signal Paradigms With Hands And Feet, Terrence Singh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Hands and feet are useful in most sports but they are even more important when driving. The present study aims to find the time it takes to stop or switch a hand or foot movement. Researchers have noted that it takes longer to stop a hand than it does an eye, but little if any research has been done on foot movement. We are currently collecting data in the stop-signal paradigm in which subjects are to strike one of two keys when they see the corresponding visual stimulus unless an auditory signal is presented. Data are also being collected on …

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The Universe Divine, Alyiece Moretto Apr 2011

The Universe Divine, Alyiece Moretto

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“The Universe Divine” is a short film that follows Sam, a passionate young man at an important crossroads in his life. After an unsettling dream, we see that the Universe may have different plans for Sam than those he envisioned for himself. The film is directed by Alyiece Moretto. Other crew members and actors include Patrick Watkins, Cohen Robinson, Kathleen Bushong, and Jamie Mattocks.

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The Real Within The Dream, Jessica Furth, Christopher Garcia, Natasha Matijasevic Apr 2011

The Real Within The Dream, Jessica Furth, Christopher Garcia, Natasha Matijasevic

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Latin American modernist authors were inspired by European surrealists to craft their own experimental style, magical realism. In his short story, “The Night Face Up” ("La Noche Boca Arriba"), Argentine author Julio Cortázar employs magical realism to alter the reader’s perception of the “real” and the “dream” world. The story opens with an unnamed protagonist who gets into a motorcycle accident. The remainder of the story alternates between scenes from his hospital bed and scenes from a presumed dream, where he is a Motecan warrior running from the Aztecs. The reader is expected to believe that the hospital scene constitutes …

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Kazal Serine Protease Inhibitors And Their Role In Prototheca Wickerhamii Pathogenicity, Norberto Mancera Apr 2011

Kazal Serine Protease Inhibitors And Their Role In Prototheca Wickerhamii Pathogenicity, Norberto Mancera

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Several genes are known to be involved in pathogenic processes. Among these, Kazal serine protease inhibitors (InterPro IPR002350) have been shown to be recurrently used by pathogenic eukaryotes. Kazal serine protease inhibitors are involved in the pathogenicity of Plasmodium falciparum by providing protection to parasitic proteins from the host’s defenses. Although Kazal protease inhibitors have been associated with the pathogenicity of several eukaryotic microbes, it is unclear if they are involved in Prototheca wickerhamii infection. Prototheca wickerhamii is an achlorophyllic green alga known to cause infections in humans. Olecranon bursitis, cutaneous, and bilateral choroiditis are three types of clinical infections …

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Independence From The Operating System, Thomas Sylvester Apr 2011

Independence From The Operating System, Thomas Sylvester

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Virtualization is almost as old as mainframe computers, when a large computer was shared by several different users. Computer engineers have also struggled with many different Operating Systems (OS) that traditionally worked on specialized hardware. Usually only one OS could be loaded on one physical machine at one time. This posed a significant barrier to experimentation and testing of multi-OS environments.

These VMs can relieve instructors and students of the configuration issues across different physical machines; every class's VM can be loaded the same way. These VMs have additional benefits. Dedicated VMs can be created to address OS, software and …

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Externship In Graz, Austria: Research Opportunities, Nergess Taheri, Corynne Dignan Apr 2011

Externship In Graz, Austria: Research Opportunities, Nergess Taheri, Corynne Dignan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and the Medical University of Graz, Austria (MUG) formed a unique externship opportunity. The opportunity is only awarded to two undergraduate students at NSU annually. The six week externship in 2010 consisted of two research opportunities. The first experiment consists of studying the effects of different preservation methods on pig liver explantations and the second studies the impact of Sanopal on Cyclosporin-A induced nephropathy in rats. Prior to beginning the research we underwent training in the different techniques involved in each experiment as well as the ethical situations faced when conducting the experiments. The techniques we …

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Exploring The Formation Of Novel Organic Compounds In Urban Atmosphere, Melanie Campbell Apr 2011

Exploring The Formation Of Novel Organic Compounds In Urban Atmosphere, Melanie Campbell

Undergraduate Student Symposium

It has been reported that the atmosphere surrounding Shanghai and other eastern Asian cities contain a surprisingly large amount of formaldehyde and other carbonyl compounds as well as amines, which are the byproducts of industrial sources. In theory, formaldehyde can react with primary or secondary amines and these additional carbonyl compounds containing acidic protons to form novel organic compounds, such as organic salts, through a process known as a Mannich reaction. In this research project, different types of Mannich reactions were performed in the lab by using several organic precursor compounds, some readily found in the atmosphere in Shanghai, to …

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