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National Coral Reef Management Fellows Newsletter Volume 4 | Issue 1, National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) Coral Reef Conservation Program

National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Beliefs About Safe Traffic Behaviors Among Male High School Students In Hamadan, Iran: A Qualitative Study Based On The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Vahid Ranaei, Alireza Shahab Jahanlu, Laleh Hassani, Ghodratollah Roshanaei, Kristin Haglund, Jagnoor Jagnoor, Forouzan Rezapur Shahkolaei

The Qualitative Report

Road traffic injuries are public health challenges with heavy economic and social burdens. Road traffic injuries are common in developing countries and occur disproportionately with adolescents. This study aimed to elicit beliefs about traffic behaviors based on the theory of planned behavior among male high school students in Hamadan, Iran. We used a constructivist-interpretive qualitative design with directional content analysis. Interviews were conducted with 19 adolescent males in Hamadan, Iran. Analysis revealed that theory of planned behavior fit well to explain how perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs influenced traffic behaviors. Perceived subjective norms in the forms of parental encouragement, traffic rules …

Nsu Huizenga College Of Business And Entrepreneurship 2022-2023 Graduate Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

Huizenga Postgraduate Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Programas De Bienestar En Microempresas, Pequeñas Y Medianas Empresas De Puerto Rico: Facilitadores Y Obstáculos Para Su Implementación, Elsie Rodriguez Berdiel Nsu Florida

Theses and Dissertations

La salud del empleado en estos tiempos ha cobrado gran relevancia. La literatura menciona que los empresarios están creando programas de bienestar laboral en sus empresas con la finalidad de mejorar la motivación, satisfacción laboral, productividad, el clima y la cultura organizacional. La mayoría de los empresarios que están tomando medidas para promover el bienestar laboral, son los propietarios de las grandes empresas. Para las PyMEs el tema de bienestar laboral es un aspecto difícil de trabajar.

Este estudio pretendía identificar las condiciones existentes en las PyMEs para implementar programas de bienestar. Se realizó un cuestionario para recolectar la data. …

The Microbiome Characterization And Comparison Of Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Green (Chelonia Mydas) Sea Turtle Eggs In Broward County, Florida, Colleen Mcmaken

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

All seven extant species of sea turtles are classified as threatened or endangered due to natural and anthropogenic impacts. Sea turtle conservation efforts are largely dedicated to ensuring healthy nesting activity. Hatching success of sea turtle eggs can be affected by several factors including the proliferation of pathogenic microbes. However, it is unclear as to which microbes have the most impact on hatching success and how they are transmitted into the eggs. The primary aims of this study characterized and compared the bacterial communities (microbiomes) from the i) cloaca of nesting sea turtles; ii) sand within and surrounding the nests …

The Current - Volume 32 Issue 24, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Periodic Spatial Disturbances Alter The Expression Of Quorum Sensing Virulence Factors In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Laura García-Diéguez

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen associated with severe acute and chronic illnesses. Current antibiotic-based approaches fail to effectively treat P. aeruginosa infections due to the effectiveness and robustness of the quorum sensing signaling system (QS). Pathogenic bacteria, such as P. aeruginosa, employ this population density-dependent communication mechanism to confer antimicrobial resistance, propagate infection, and coordinate the expression of virulence factors, through the production and detection of autoinducing signaling molecules (AI). As such, there is a growing interest in developing novel non-antibiotic-based techniques to attenuate the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa by disrupting the functionality of its QS system. Previous …

Composition, Computers, And Covid-19: The Roles Of Multimodal Composition And Digital Technology In The Covid-19 Pandemic., Michael P. Lynn

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The shift toward remote and online learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on teaching multimodal composition at all levels. Part of this shift towards rethinking multimodal composition came from the challenges of moving what would be in person classes online. Drawing on the New London Group’s definition of multimodality (1996), this thesis examines the relationship between remote learning throughout the pandemic and the modalities and technologies used by composition instructors and students in first-year writing. Using interviews with six first-year writing instructors from a private university, this project explores how instructors encouraged students to …

Characteristics Of Effectively Farmer Groups To Manage Agricultural Machinery Rental Business: A Multi-Case Study Approach, Sri Hanggana, Suwarto Suwarto, Bandi Bandi, Sapja Anantanyu

The Qualitative Report

The Ministry of Agriculture provides machinery grants to farmer groups to accelerate agricultural mechanization and rental business capital. Therefore, this study aims to identify the characteristics of farmer groups that were effective in managing agricultural machinery rental businesses. This study used qualitative methods, a multi-case approach, and thematic analysis. The locations were the farmer groups in Kebakkramat District. The Informants from agricultural extension civil servants were selected according to their place of duty. Informants from the chairpersons and members were determined using the snowball sampling method. The data collection techniques used in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. There were two …

A Discursive Approach To Analyzing The Social Construction Of Exercise During Pregnancy, Savanna Kerstiens

The Qualitative Report

While research has demonstrated that exercise is healthy for pregnant women (Ramirez-Velez et al., 2017), many pregnant women do not meet medical recommendations and hesitate to engage in exercise. This may be related to the dominant discourses circulating in society and popular media. For this study, I selected a sample of top-selling pregnancy books to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and ideas circulating in these texts surrounding exercise during pregnancy. I conducted a discourse analysis to deconstruct the meaning of the language used and the advice given. Throughout the analysis, a postmodern feminist epistemology is employed to consider the implications …

Impact Of Interleukin-34 On The Promotion Of Bone Osteolysis And Neuroinflammation In Experimental Models Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Anny Ho

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a growing health concern and is the most common type of dementia worldwide. Emerging evidence indicates that aggregated amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides, one of the hallmark features of AD neuropathology, can increase RANKL-mediated osteoclast activity leading to the prevalence and severity of inflammatory osteolysis, e.g., osteoporosis and periodontal bone loss. Conversely, osteolytic lesions are associated with increased risk of dementia diagnosis indicating that there is a direct link between dementia and inflammatory osteolysis. It was demonstrated that the neuronal cells primarily produce interleukin-34 (IL-34) and microglia, macrophages, and osteoclast precursors express colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF-1R), a …

Evaluation Of Nutrition Intervention In The Senior Population, Stephanie K. Fonseca

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Average life expectancy has steadily increased with each passing year and is estimated to continue increasing in years to come. Reports show that the number of people aged 65 or older has increased from 6% of the population in the 1960’s, to 12% in the year 2000, to 16% of the total population in 2015.¹ This number is expected to increase to almost 20% of the population by the year 2050.¹ Striving towards healthy aging can help the growing senior population to live the best possible life in their later years. Nutrition education is one area of learning …

The Current - Volume 32 Issue 23, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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). …

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 …

The Impact Of Post-Traumatic Stress On Symptom Presentation Of Women With Gulf War Illness, Nandan Shastry, Esha Sultana

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a multi-symptomatic disorder characterized by fatigue, muscle pain, cognitive problems, gastrointestinal issues, etc. affecting an estimated 30% of the ~750,000 returning military Veterans of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. Female Veterans deployed to combat in this war report medical symptoms, involving cognition and respiratory troubles, at twice the rate compared to nondeployed female Veterans of the same era. The heterogeneity of GWI symptom presentation complicates diagnosis as well as the identification of effective treatments. This is exacerbated by the presence of comorbidities which may be alleviated by defining subgroups of the illness, such as an …

Tree Canopy Biodiversity In An Urban Forestry Setting On Nova Southeastern University's Main Campus, Katja Kramers, Mackenzie Soligon, Amber Orr, James Puentes

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) 314-acre main campus has many lush green spaces comprised of native, landscape, and educational garden areas. Understanding the biodiversity of the canopy and the overall composition of native and invasive species is important for measuring ecological health of the urban ecosystem, and to guide responsible grounds management practices. As the environment and landscape at NSU develops, it is important to keep records of these environmental changes over time. The purpose of the research is to investigate the biodiversity of the campus' green spaces and document the native species on campus. 10 zones were randomly selected from …

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

Induction Of Necroptosis In Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells Through Caspase-Independent Mechanisms Following Saha Treatment, Grace Waldron

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Currently, many anti-cancer drugs are known to induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) through activation of intrinsic or extrinsic pathways. However, many types of cancer cells have acquired resistance to apoptosis-mediated cell death. Therefore, simultaneous induction of other forms of cell death in addition to apoptosis of cancer cells is becoming an attractive strategy. For this purpose, we initially explored the role of XIAP in caspase-dependent and caspase-independent mechanisms of cell death. Our western blot data revealed that RIPK3 and MLKL levels were significantly elevated in MCF-7 cells following SAHA treatment. During induction of SAHA-induced cell death, the XIAP levels were …

A Computational Analysis Of Structural Analogs Of Colchicineas Potential Microtubule Polymerization Inhibitors, Isadora Rocha De Abreu, Allison Barkdull

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Microtubules are structures important for cell survival and cell function. They are responsible for the formation of the cytoskeleton and mitotic spindles, they aid in cell movement, intracellular transport, amongst other functions. Microtubules are composed of the tubulin protein made of alpha-beta dimer proteins. During polymerization tubulin proteins experience phases of dynamic instability, characterized by microtubule growth and shrinkage at varying rates. Microtubule growth can be inhibited by compounds such as colchicine, a known microtubule destabilizing agent, that binds to tubulin inhibiting microtubule polymerization. Colchicine has limited clinical use due to its toxicity and low solubility. In this study we …

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 …

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

Undergraduate Student Symposium

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

An Episodic Study Of Hospital Charges For Hospital Admissions And Readmissions In 2017 In The United States For Degenerative Nerve Systems Disorders (Drg = 056), Esha Sultana

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Understanding hospital charges upon admission as well as readmissions is critical for value-based care. The extant literature focuses on patient-specific, disease-specific, and hospital-specific factors to explain the variance in hospital charges across the United States. Studies have mainly examined hospital charges upon admissions but there has been lack of empirical research on examining hospital charges upon readmissions. This has resulted in ambiguity in understanding the primary determinants of hospital charges upon readmissions. To address this gap, the federal agency AHRQ developed the HCUP hospital readmissions database that produces nationally representative information about hospital readmissions. This study utilizes the AHRQ 2017 …

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 …