Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Diet-Induced Obesity And Metabolic Syndrome On The Structural Composition Of Extraocular Muscle (Eom) In Ossabaw Pigs, Alexandra Timis

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Ossabaw swine placed on a high fat/fructose (H) diet inclined toward developing obesity and metabolic syndrome, while the lean, active swine on the control (C) diet remained on the healthier end of the spectrum. There were a total of eight samples used: four from the H diet and four from the C diet. The purpose of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome would cause an increase in intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) accumulation and change fiber type composition/fiber size in extraocular muscles (EOM) of Ossabaw swine. The rectus medius of the EOM was studied for …

The Correlation Of High Self-Esteem And Aggression In Adolescents, Sabrina Smith, Janessa Dominguez, Cody Potter

Undergraduate Student Symposium

High self-esteem has frequently been regarded as a vital component in an adolescent‘sdevelopment, and has often been linked to positive adjustment outcomes such as academic achievement, positive peer relationships, lower internalizing and externalizing behaviors etc. Although paired with good aspects, recent research suggests that high self- esteem may also be linked to unfavorable outcomes such as aggression, avoidance of the mother, and other antisocial behaviors. This line of research suggests that people with high self-esteem are intolerant of threats to the self, and vigorously strive to maintain or restore their high sense of self-worth when it is threatened. Research has …

The Attitudes And Roles Of Indigenous People Of Veracruz, Mexico Towards Manatees, Sylvia Duluc-Silva, Christina Ledon

Undergraduate Student Symposium

During a Nova Southeastern University sponsored investigation, principal investigators Dr. Edward Keith and Dr. Eileen M. Smith-Cavros will be conducting research entitled "CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE OF MANATEES AT EL MANATÍ, VERACRUZ, MEXICO" with the assistance of undergraduate researchers (Sylvia Duluc-Silva and Christina Ledon). The fieldwork research will be conducted in order to obtain data regarding the history of the Veracruz manatees that appear to have played an important cultural role to the indigenous peoples of Veracruz. Once the basic interviews with the people are performed for the purposes of the primary research, the undergraduate researchers and the principal investigators …

Powering Up A Detergent For The Modern Industrial Sector, Ivana Gagula, Jeff Hsu, Arash Nasajpour, Darshan Solanki

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The chemistry of soaps and detergents was examined to assess the extent of their applicability in the industrial sector. Soaps become less effective in hard water as the higher solute ions interfere with intermolecular forces between soap and water. Detergents, as an alternative to soaps, act as a surfactant to facilitate the cohesive hydrogen bonding of water molecules into an adhesive force on surface abrasions. Chemical analysis of soaps and detergents may yield a new type of compound that is highly effective in cleaning industrial residue. An ideal detergent for cleaning sludge off of industrial machines was devised.

Now Playing, Alyiece Moretto, Patrick Watkins, Jessica Nelson, Katie Keenan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

"Now Playing" is a short film centered around one long music montage, the soundtrack to an isolated girl‘s life. This girl has built walls around her heart, and she has sunk deep into a life she never wanted. In an attempt to control every aspect of her life, with the help of her I-pod, she chooses what to listen to, what to let in and what to close out. The film is directed by Alyiece Moretto. Other crew members include Patrick Watkins, Jessica Nelson, Katie Keenan, and Nick Schanze. Patrick Watkins and Katie Keenan are the starring actors.

Nothing More Powerful Than Love, Corynne Dignan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The unquestionable power love has over all things is illuminated in early world literature. Emotional control is lost as characters misbehave under the domination of love. In the story of Ceres and Proserpina from Ovid's Metamorphoses, the cravings of love instilled by Cupid make individuals act selfishly and out of character to fulfill their passion, going to any lengths to accomplish their desires. Both maternal and romantic love instill a form of madness that causes characters to harm others. Still, stories such as those in Metamorphoses offer reassurance that powerful emotion endures, even in a contemporary world that privileges …

Melanoma Increase/Decrease Among Floridians In Years 2000 And 2008, Lindsay Frady

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Melanoma is a cancer that affects over 32,000 new individuals per year. Melanoma is a cancer that is within the melanocytes, under the skin, that produce and move the pigment of melanin. Melanin is an especially important pigment because of the protection it provides the human skin. Of the skin cancers that are present within the population, Melanoma accounts for only about five percent, but it is responsible for seventy-five percent of all skin cancer fatalities. In this project, statistical techniques are used to study if there is any change in the number of skin cancer among different age groups …

Implementation Of Open Source Web Service Environment Software Appliance, Carolina Usbeck

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Modern software installations are complex. They require many independent "web services" and applications that usually run on many different machines to work together and collaborate. In the past implementing such an environment was time consuming and took many weeks to implement and test such an application. In this project we showed that the implementation times could be reduced significantly to just a few hours, by using virtualization, by testing the installation on a single machine that has many virtual machines running. Once the installation has been tested, it can be deployed rapidly in the real environment on multiple machines.

Idiopathic Ankle Pain: A Case Of Uncharacteristic Paresthesia, Katie Crowley

Undergraduate Student Symposium

An anomalous disorder that is often misdiagnosed is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CPRS). CPRS has two classifications (Type I & II) and is generally characterized by a combination of sensory, autonomic, trophic, and motor signs and symptoms. The most common ones include: severe pain that is disproportionate to the cause, joint stiffness, abnormal skin appearance, swelling, muscle weakness, and changes in sweating. This condition is most typically seen in the shoulder and ankle. The literature review demonstrated that there is no definite testing that can be done to diagnose this condition. In 1994 the International Association for the Study of …

Health Care Delivery Systems: A Comparison Of Today’S Health Care Delivery Systems Between The U.S.A And Austria, Carlos Haderspock

Undergraduate Student Symposium

According to the 2000 World Health Organization report on comparing the health care systems, Austria with a population of 8,316,487, is ranked 9^th in overall health system performance ^{[4] [6]}. The United States of America, on the other hand, with a population of 305,012,000 is ranked 37^th in overall health system performance ^{[4] [5]}. The main criteria upon which the member countries were ranked upon were good health, responsiveness and fairness in financing ^[2]. A country is first considered to have a good health care system, when its health care status is as positive as …

Hand Hygiene, Ryan Bhagwandin, Akash Patel, Zil Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this project was to determine if the NSU community on main campus displayed proper hand washing techniques. The observations were conducted in the University Center and Parker building restrooms at the main campus of Nova Southeastern University. Over 35 days a total of 149 individuals were observed. Surprisingly, a total of 29% of those observed did not wash their hands at all. Of those who did wash their hands only 73% used a disinfectant. There were also gender differences in hand washing techniques. Eighty-five percent of all males washed their hands and of those 80% used a …

"Green Gasoline" - Biofuels From Sugar, A Sweet Idea, Megan Christopher, Sagir Patel, Case Warshall

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Biofuels are fuels made from agricultural sources offering a viable and earth-friendly alternative to fossil fuels, such as petroleum. The use of sugar and its products to produce "green gasoline" – biofuels to replace fossil fuels, is being investigated. Recent research has sought to advance the production of biofuels for use as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. An explanation of the chemical and biological processes used to convert sugars into biofuels, and a review of the most current research seeking to advance the field, is presented.

Determining The Presence And Localization Of Nckx5 In Retinal Pigment Epithelium, Myra Rafi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

SLC24A5 is a gene that has been recently discovered and is linked to differences in skin color. This gene encodes for a potassium-dependent sodium, calcium exchanger (Na:Ca:K isofrom 5) known as NCKX5. This protein has been found to play a major role in melanin production. Since NCKX5 (slc24a5) has been linked to play a significant role in melanin production and skin color, the goal of this project was to determine its impact and correlation on the susceptibility of age related macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people who are fifty years or older …

Correlating Heme Potentials To The Physico-Chemical Properties Of Their Binding Sites And Their Structural Distortion In Cytochromes By Clustering, Samar Abdel-Jabbar, Jessica Blanco

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In this paper, a clustering method was used to find out why the heme cofactor exhibits different potentials in cytochromes with a known 3-D structure. We have tried to find a relationship between heme potential in these proteins and the physico-chemical properties of amino acids in contact with their heme. We have also considered heme distortion which is a measure of out-of-plane distortion as another factor that can be induced by the protein structure. Heme proteins, particularly cytochrome b and cytochrome c, have been analyzed. Their ligand interaction sequences i.e. amino acids in contact with heme, were first determined by …

Avulsion Fracture Of The Medial Epicondyle Of The Humerus And Ulnar Nerve Neurolysis In A Male Soccer Player—A Case Study, Meagan Taylor

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Objective: The purpose of this case study is to educate the sports medicine community about serious orthopedic injuries that occur to non-dominant areas of the body that are not required for the athlete to compete in that sport. The knowledge and preparedness to handle a wide variety of injuries allows the sports medicine professional to provide a higher standard of care.

Background: A 15 year old male soccer player jumps up for a ball, collides with a fellow player, and falls down catching himself on his left elbow. He has been playing soccer for 5 years on club teams and …

Solitude Rx, Alexandra Goldstein

Undergraduate Student Symposium

"Solitude Rx" is a short film about a bereaved woman who is struggling to let go of the memory of her partner and the issues surrounding his death. In an effort to deal with her emotions, she resorts to moments of self-prescribed solitude, during which the truth about the past and her journey to forgiveness unfolds. The film is directed by Alexandra Goldstein. Other crew members include Flavia Peixoto, Jonathan Goldstein, Simone Rodriguez, and Danny Angelone.

Seasonal Manatee Sightings In Port Everglades, Melissa Paschke

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Due to a decrease in ambient water temperatures during the winter months in Florida, the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) will seek warm water refuge in power plants and natural springs throughout both north and south Florida. Port Everglades is an important haven for these animals in south Florida, providing warm water as well as a food supply. The goal of this research is to examine the correlation between the number of manatees spotted in Port Everglades versus the year, water temperature, and location in the port. Since 2006, data has been collected on the manatees in Port Everglades and …

Identification Of Natural Extracts That Function As Ultraviolet Light Blocking Agents, Michelle Mi-Le Kim

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Cosmetic products such as moisturizers, shampoos, make-up, colognes and many others became part of our daily grooming habits. The American Academy of Dermatology reports the average adults use at least seven different cosmetic products each day. As more people use cosmetics, chemical ingredients included in those products are causing more allergic reactions and side effects. Sun block is essential for everyone from infants to elders. It is applied directly onto skin in order to block the harmful effects of UV light; however, many of its ingredients are chemicals that can harm the environment and cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals. …

Gender Differences In The Perception Of Homosexual And Heterosexual Men, Randy Denis

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Some homosexual men continue to face various challenges in their task to diminish prejudicial beliefs and attitudes (Berkman & Zingberg, 1997). In comparison to heterosexual women, the literature depicts heterosexual men as having more negative views of homosexual men (Herek, 1998). A total of 26 heterosexual participants (11 men, 15 women) viewed profiles of three target males who were described as being in either a heterosexual or homosexual relationship. Participants subsequently rated each target on a variety of social and personality characteristics, including willingness to work, likability, and confidence. Preliminary results suggest heterosexual men, in comparison to heterosexual women, perceived …

Examination Stress Can Enhance Long Term Memory Performance, Randy Denis, Kara Faso

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The literature is currently unclear regarding the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation during examination periods. In addition, it is uncertain if a potential increase in cortisol influences memory processes during an academic examination. Here, we seek to better understand the complex relationship between examination stress and memory by testing both short-term and long-term memory 3 weeks prior to an examination period and then 15 minutes prior to an examination. We also assessed subjective measures of stress through self- report assessment of stress and physiological measures of stress through salivary cortisol levels during both periods. We found that participants reported to be …

Establishing A Control Of Gene Expression In Yeast Exposed To A Standard Environment As A Comparison To Yeast Exposed To Flu Vaccine With And Without Thimerosal, Christie Rubio

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker‘s yeast) was assessed using microarray technology. After growing the yeast in standard conditions (YEPD media), the total RNA was extracted using the Ambion RiboPure Yeast Kit. The quality and quantity of the RNA was assessed using gel electrophoresis and UV spectrophotometry. Next, mRNA (approximately 1% of the total RNA) was isolated using reverse transcription reactions. cDNA was made from the mRNA by amplifying a gene that should always be expressed (TDHI) using Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Several key genes that are hypothesized to be affected by thimerosal in vaccines were also tested …

Dna Fingerprinting And Whole Genome Replication For The Identification Of Bacteria, Justin Piacentino, Shilpa Kailas

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Prokaryotes are typically clonal in nature due to their rapid reproduction by binary fission, but some molecular genetics methods exist to differentiate various bacterial species. In this experiment, common bacteria were grown in nutrient broth before their DNA was extracted. Repetitive DNA sequences that are universal to a variety of bacteria were then targeted in the polymerase chain reaction (REP-PCR) using ERIC primers.The bacterial DNA was then quantified using gel electrophoresis to form a ―fingerprint‖of distinct bands for each bacterial species. The Repli-g procedure was then performed to amplify the amount of DNA going into the REP-PCR replication, while testing …

Coral Cover Of Diaseris Distorta And Porites Sverdrupi At Isla Catalana, Gulf Of California, Mary Crider

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Diaseris distorta is a free-living, solitary fungiid coral that mostly inhabits sand or mud habitats surrounding coral reefs. It is distributed throughout the tropical waters of the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. Data on this species' population densityand surface area was collected at its northern-most limit of distribution in the Eastern Pacific off the coast of Isla Catalana in the Gulf of California. Thirty randomly located 0.25m² photo quadrats (7.5m² total area) were analyzed using CPCe software. The mean surface area of Diaseris distorta was 1.6cm² ± 0.4 s.d. per individual, and the mean number …

Comparisons Of Nearshore Artificial And Natural Reef Fish Assemblages In Southeast Florida Using Three Visual Census Methods With Snorkel Gear, Benedict Z. Choi, Kelly Kostner, Tandace L. Burkhart

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The nearshore environment of Broward and Palm Beach counties are characterized by the presence of both natural and artificial reefs. The natural reef area surveyed in this experiment is located in northern Broward County just south of Commercial Blvd. The natural reef is a composed of a mix of hardbottom and sabellarid worm rock habitats. The artificial reef surveyed in this experiment is located in southern Palm Beach County, immediately south of Boca Raton Inlet. This reef consists of large, concrete boulders scattered over an area of a tenth of a mile. The two goals of this study were to …

Cultural Diversity, Erica Falk

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A collaboration of a myriad of short poetry on the beautiful surroundings of cultural diversity will be discussed and further articulated. The style will be written in couplet format and have an appropriate ab rhyme scheme. It will also introduce the wonderful work of artists both painters and writers who utilized cultural diversity in the theme of their work. Cultural diversity is a prominent issue in the twenty-first century and has become a critical issue of our nation. The luxury and great appreciation of diverse multitudes of race, religion, and ethnicity help to paint a world full of vibrant colors. …

Bohemian Classicism: An Analysis And Performance Of Jiri Georg Benda’S Piano Sonatina In A Minor, Michelle Mi-Le Kim

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The piano sonatinas of Bohemian composer Jiri Georg Benda occupy animportant place in Benda‘s compositional output. This poster will explore theessential parts of sonatina form and include an analysis that shows the unique way in which Benda‘s sonatina in A minor exemplifies the form. This presentation willinclude a recording of the author‘s performance of the piece as informed by her theoretical analysis.

Blockage Of Vegf-Induced Angiogenesis With A Novel Anti-Angiogenic (Jfd) Drug, Crystal Romero

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is frequently expressed in several pathological tissues and is known to promote angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in highly metastatic cancers. The purpose of this experiment was to re-evaluate the efficiency of JFD drug, in varying concentrations, on the capillary formation by HUVEC cells. To accomplish the intended purpose an In-Vitro Angiogenesis assay kit was utilized to examine capillary formation by HUVEC cells. Approximately 5 x 10³ HUVEC cells were seeded into matrigel, which simulates an endothelial cell matrix, on a Petri- dish. To these plates different concentrations (0.1μM, 0.25 μM, 0.5 μM, 2.5 μM, and …

An Examination Of The Specific Functions Of Three Cancer Drugs (Methotrexate, Fluorouracil, And Taxol) And Their Expected Effects On Gene Expression, Neena Chandrasekaran

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Cancer is a term used to define many diseases in which a group of cells exhibit uncontrolled growth, invasion, and sometimes metastasis. In this literature review project, the mechanisms of action for three drugs used to treat cancer by inhibiting cell division: Ledertrexate (methotrexate), Fluorouracil (adrucil), and Paclitaxel (taxol) are examined. Methotrexate inhibits an enzyme called dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) that catalyses the conversion of dihydrofolate to folic acid, needed for the synthesis of the nucleoside thymidine, and also purines which are required for DNA synthesis. Fluorouracil functions as a thymidylate synthase inhibitor by stopping the synthesis of the pyrimidine, thymidine, …

A Study Of New Porous Molecular Frameworks And Their Adsorption And Desorption Properties, Sam Aminov, Jennifer Tejada

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Metal-organic Frameworks (MOF‘s) are porous materials comprised of organic buildingblocks bound to metal atoms. These compounds are finding applications in various fields of study including gas absorption, catalysis of specific reactions, and in drug delivery among others. Our emphasis has been placed on synthesizing and characterizing new frameworks with the use of bisl(arylimino)isoindolines (BAII‘s) as building blocks. Oneof these, NBAII(CuOAc), produced by reaction of NBAII with copper acetate, was analyzed for small molecular absorption and desorption. This particular framework was successful in the absorption of carbon tetrachloride and chloroform but failed to absorb pentane and toluene, while other organic solvents …

Acid Rain: Adversity On Atmospheric Carbon, Andrew Lister, Hannah Bromberg, Kayla Mancuso

Undergraduate Student Symposium

―Acid Rain is the deposition of wet and dry acidic pollutants that have been shown tocause damage to the environment. Dissolved atmospheric carbon dioxide in clouds and rain undergoes a chemical reaction with water to form carbonic acid, thereby changing the pH of unpolluted rain water from 7.0 to 5.7. When unpolluted rain acquires additional acidity through the reactions of air pollutants with water, stronger acids are formed. Deposits from acid rain on the earth‘s surface have adverse effects on oceans,forests, soils, organisms, buildings and mankind. Acid rain clearly has an adverse affect on the carbon cycle of the atmosphere.