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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

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

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

Analysis Of Errors In Ecgs Data Captured By Patients Using At-Home Device Compared To Qualified Healthcare Professionals, Colin Pulickathadam

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 17.3 million deaths per year. General at-home care has been proven to improve patient outcomes and decrease hospitalization rates. The purpose of this presentation is to present preliminary results from a research study comparing the electrocardiograms (ECG) readability from patients and their caregivers, who conducted at-home ECGs in the experimental group, versus data on ECG readability from patients living in assisted living, nursing home facilities, and routine office visits, where a qualified healthcare professional takes the ECG readings as the control group. This research study will also evaluate …

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

Bioremediation Of Algae-Based Water Treatment: Analysis Of Algae Adsorption Of Heavy Metals Based On Ion Size And Covalent Indices, Samir Sakaria, Rebecca Mathew, Amelia Figueroa

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A previous published study completed at Nova Southeastern University determined that Neochloris alveolaris and Neochloris minuta algal strains which were grown in nitrogen-rich (+N) and nitrogen-depleted (-N) environments biosorbed Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ni²⁺ at varying concentrations. These algae biosorbed each metal differently based on their biomass composition (carbohydrates, fats, and lipids) and the type of hard or soft metal acids available, according to the Pearson theory of Hard Soft Acid Base (HSAB) definition. Given these promising findings, this study aimed to further analyze and determine the effect of hard …

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

Determinants Of Hospital Charges For Hospital Admissions And Readmissions In 2017 In The United States For Bronchitis And Asthma With Complications And Comorbidities (Drg = 202), Japjot Singh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Understanding hospital charges in the U.S. healthcare system is vital for value-based care, recovery, and socio-economic wellbeing of the public. Hospital charges vary across hospitals regionally as well as nationally. As per the clinical history of hospital in-patient care, there are several determinants of hospital charges that are specific to the patient, disease, hospital, or the chargemaster. Empirical research on hospital in-patient care has bolstered the extant knowledge on the factors that determine the healthcare cost and utilization, but research is limited on how hospital readmissions impact hospital charges. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed a …

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

Examining The Impact Of Mind Wandering On Task Performance: Does Task Difficulty Matter?, Kortne Bajor, Jozef Cruz, Amulya Chowd Koritala, Gargee Pandya

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Mind wandering is a phenomenon in which an individual’s thoughts drift from the current task to a task unrelated thought (TUT). It is known to be affected by various factors such as state of mind, neuroticism, and boredom which may differ for each individual. Task difficulty appears to impact mind wandering rates, such that mind wandering increases on tasks with lower difficulty (Seli et al., 2018). However, prior work has not examined how emotionally valenced mind wandering impact task performance at different levels of task difficulty. Mind wandering typically predicts poorer ongoing task performance (McVay & Kane, 2010) and negatively …

Exploring The Prevalence Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Cts) Symptoms In College Students, Kyrah Maduro

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) causes functional impairments and is prevalent in occupations involving repetitive hand movements. Given the extensive use of electronic devices for coursework, college students may be at risk for CTS. The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine the symptomology of CTS in college students, and to determine treatment strategies used by occupational therapists (OT) who treat college students with CTS. We developed and administered a 17-question College Student CTS Experiences Survey for students. Participants were recruited via flyers posted on a university campus. Inclusion criteria for responding included being a college student experiencing pain, tingling, …

Firearm-Related Injuries Rates From 2014 To 2017 Among Floridian Children, Joel Marlapudi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of firearm-related injuries among pediatric patients in Florida by age, race, and ethnicity.

Method: The dataset from the Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration from 2014-2017 was utilized for this analysis as well as the Florida Community Health Assessment and Resource Tool Set. The study included ambulatory ED-visits of Floridian patients (aged ≤ 19 years) who had firearm-related Principal Diagnosis coded using the International Classification of Diseases. Patients who reported race as White or Black and Ethnicity as Hispanic or non-Hispanics were included. Patients’ county was categorized into 11 regions defined by Florida Local Health …

Gadra's Allegory, Bianca Vucetich

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

Great Plains Midcontinental Loess Deposits Following Prehistoric Megadroughts And Climate-Change Related Ecosystem Collapse In The Badlands, Melanie Vasquez, Drew Tozer, Catherine Acosta

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Understanding effects of prehistoric extreme climate events on the environment is necessary to help predict effects of modern global climate change. Research shows prehistoric megadroughts caused the collapse of North American grassland ecosystems, allowing wind to erode soils and fined-grained sediment. Timing, severity, and regional extent of these megadroughts remain controversial, but research indicates at least three megadrought periods on the North American midcontinent over the last 20,000 years. Evidence for prehistoric megadroughts is preserved in dune fields and loess deposits throughout the North American Great Plains, including our field area in the Badlands of South Dakota. Loess, composed of …

Ha Ha Ha... Good One!... Not You Hmongs. Laughter, White Privilege, And "Othering" In Medical Cultures, Sarah Soliman

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The response to alternative medical approaches of underprivileged and underrepresented groups detailed by Anne Fadiman differ from the hegemonic alternative approaches exemplified by Norman Cousins. In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Fadiman describes the inadequate efforts made by healthcare professionals to communicate with the Lee family who did not understand English and had significantly different medicinal practices from Western biomedical practices. Rather than being met with respect and attentiveness, these medical professionals viewed this family as “difficult” and “stupid.” In comparison to the various mistreated groups of minorities, the Hmong are a minority within the minority …

Human Mtdna Copy Number Quantification, Leonardo Lacayo, Luzcarime Saco-Vertiz

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Our social worlds and physical health are profoundly intertwined, but we have limited tools for studying these important connections. Within the recent psychiatric literature, changes in mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) have been linked to a variety of socially influenced mental illnesses such as major depression. In principle, this biomarker may therefore also be responsive to more subtle changes in our social environments, including life events that attenuate stress.

This poster outlines plans for a novel molecular study of how interspecies social bonding impacts human cells. Specifically, we propose to use quantitative PCR to measure the abundances of (single copy) …

I Can Hear You, I Just Can't Remember You: Deconstructing The Sensory And Cognitive Components Of Hearing Loss, Pranay Narang, Hana Amireh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Hearing loss is commonly thought of as solely a sensory, not cognitive, problem. According to the effortfulness effect, however, those with presbycusis are burdened with an increased attentional cost for auditory processing, taxing the central executive such that working memory is impaired. The excess strain placed on the central executive to decode sensory noise ultimately impairs one’s capacity to attend to and consolidate memories, compromising retention. We hypothesize that the presence of white noise during encoding will mimic the effect of hearing loss sustained in older adults and will impair the retrieval of auditory information in those with normal hearing. …

Implications Of Covid-19 For Education And Research In Healthcare And Stem: Analysis Of Global Case Studies, Yumna Indorewala

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 has posed a major threat to global education and research in STEM and healthcare. Social distancing guidelines were initially recommended to refrain from face-to-face operations for preventing the transmission of the virus. As schools and higher academic institutions implemented multifarious methods to effectively transition to remote/online or hybrid educational formats, the Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic introduced further hurdles and necessitated designing, adopting, as well as evaluating the efficacy of new instructional approaches, especially for disciplines that require active, experiential learning such as healthcare and STEM. These effects are accentuated in less developed/developing nations or …

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

Investigating The Specific Phosphorylation Sites Of The Human Mineralocorticoid Receptor Using Phospho-Mapping, Valentina Guidi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this project is to confirm the specific sites where G protein receptor kinase 5 (GRK-5)- mediated phosphorylation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) of aldosterone occurs. The significance of the study stems from prior findings indicating that e-cigarette vapors induce lung inflammation and tissue destruction. While research has typically focused on the effects of tobacco use, the detrimental influence of e-cigarette vapors, which accumulate in the airway epithelium, must also be identified. This may include desensitization of the beta2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR), a protective receptor against airway inflammation and fibrosis and the only AR subtype expressed in human bronchial …

Measuring The Effect Of Methionine Deprivation In Genome Methylation Of Ccp Genes Within The Prolaris Molecular Score Along Prostate Cancer Cell Lines, Yatin Srinivash Ramesh Babu, Trevor Fuhriman Oms 2, Andy Aleman Espino Oms 2

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Impairment of physiological metabolism is the trademark of various cancers and cancer cells as a component of their mechanism which ultimately bolsters survival. While normal cells are highly regulated and follow a sophisticated mechanism of cellular metabolism to achieve their goals of survival, cancer cells take the dysregulated path for survival, ultimately robbing the overall vital energies of the entire organism. Unfortunately, only a limited number of uniform ways exist that permit for a complete cure of various presentations of cancers. The PC3 cell line has been reported to be dependent upon exogenous pools of methionine, whereas the DU-145 cell …

Minimal K-Blockers Of 123-Avoiding Permutation Matrices, Megan Bennett

Undergraduate Student Symposium

We investigate n × n (0, 1)-matrices A that avoid σk, where σk is the permutation {1, 2,…, k}, and we focus on 123-avoiding permutations. A k-blocker of 123-avoiding permutation matrices is a set of positions in an n × n matrix that intersect each 123-avoiding permutation matrix at least k times. The Hankel cyclic decomposition implies that each k-blockers must have cardinality at least kn. The dimensions of the k-blockers of all permutation matrices are determined by Fulkerson’s generalization of the Frobenius-König theorem: any r × s submatrix is a k-blocker of all permutation matrices if r …

Phage Hunters: The Discovery Of Two Novel Bacteriophages That Infect Gordonia Rubripertincta, Sarah Ballarin, Neel G. Balusa, Melissa Bell, Samia Caballero, Joshua Chan, Maria P. Farez, Ashley Guillen-Tapia, Nashrah Pierre-Louis, Victoria Polishuk, Bhavya Soni

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Antibiotic resistance is a global healthcare concern because it poses a threat to effectively treating bacterial infections and the need for alternative therapeutics are urgently required. Phage therapy, which uses viruses to treat bacterial infections, is a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics. Phages have also been widely used in the food industry to prevent microbial growth on certain foods and are currently being explored as a method for bioremediation of oil spills and wastewater treatment. Although phages are ubiquitous in nature, many have yet to be discovered. Through the SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) program …

Physiological Mechanisms Of Pregnancy: How The Kidneys And The Renin-Angiotensin System Protect The Fetus, Raghavi Vuppala, Crystal West

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Physiological changes concurrent with pregnancy include plasma volume expansion with increased sodium retention to enable normal development of the fetus. Expansion of plasma volume and sodium reabsorption are adaptive mechanisms that occur in response to the altered physiological state of pregnancy. These adaptations are mediated by the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and its primary hormone, angiotensin (Ang) II, acting on the kidney. The role of Ang II in the kidney also involves stimulation of aldosterone release from the adrenal gland, which promotes sodium retention by the kidney. Ang II activates its two main receptors in the kidneys: AT1 and AT2. The …

Raising Awareness About Recognizing Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Associated With Down Syndrome: Developing A Health Education Program, Mahima Dave

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Down syndrome (DS) is the most prevalent chromosomal disorder in which an extra copy of chromosome-21 disrupts the development of intellectual abilities. Unique physical manifestations places children with DS at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in which repeated blockages of the upper airway cause difficulty breathing during sleep. 80% of children with DS are afflicted with OSA compared to only 2-5% of the general pediatric population. OSA increases incidences of nocturnal sudden cardiac arrest by 2.57-fold compared to the general population. Common signs of OSA include snoring, restlessness during sleep, night waking, and daytime tiredness. Manifestations of OSA, …

Re-Discovery Of Microatolls In The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Amber Orr

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Microatolls are coral colonies with a signature ring-like shape. They form in shallow water where depth limits vertical growth, allowing them to be utilized as indicators of current and past sea level. Additional contributors to their formation include accumulation of sediment on the colonies which smothers corallites in the center of the structure, overgrowth by algae, and upper surface abrasion by bioeroding organisms. Microatolls occur at numerous locations in the Indo-West Pacific, however, they are reported at only two known locations in the tropical eastern Pacific: Caño Island, Costa Rica and the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. More than 50 Porites lobata …

Skill Football Players Outperform And "Outforce" Big-Skill And Big Players In The Vertical Jump, Jeffrey Marin, Erica Vazquez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Vertical jump (VJ) performance is critical for football players. Position demands vary and may influence VJ loading (eccentric) and propulsion (concentric) forces. Examining forces in addition to jump height (JH) informs training programs. We aimed to determine differences in VJ performance [reactive strength (RSImod, m/s); JH (cm)] and peack concentric (CON-PF) and eccentric (ECC-PF) forces between position groups. Sixty football players (age, 22.6±1.1yrs; ht, 186.4±6.8cm; mass, 103.6±21.2kg) representing three position groups, Skill, Big-Skill, and Big, performed VJ on dual uniaxial force plates. ForceDecks software allowed for calculation of the dependent variables. ECC-PF and CON-PF were normalized to body mass (N/kg). …

Social Vulnerability And Adult Obesity In The State Of Florida, Shreeya Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Introduction: Socioeconomic and racial disparities are prevalent regarding obesity rates, where race, income, and education are predictors of obesity. Social vulnerability, or a community's ability to respond to stressors on health, may be one explanation for these disparities. The purpose of this study is to examine the associations between social vulnerability and obesity among Florida counties. Methods: We conducted an ecological cross-sectional study among 67 Florida counties. To measure county-level social vulnerability, we utilized the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), which is composed of four themes. County-level adult obesity prevalence in 2017 was obtained from the UWPHI’s County Health Rankings. …

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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