Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Emotional Influences On Cognitive Processing, Kristen Dealmeida

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Although cognition and emotion are well researched topics, it is currently unclear how these two states influence each other. Here, we begin to untangle this complex relationship by assessing cognitive functioning while we simultaneously manipulate emotional state through the use of emotionally negative or neutral pictures. We hypothesize that the negative pictures will increase the demand on emotional resources, and as a consequence, limit cognitive processing. The electroencephalographic (EEG) event related brain potential (ERP) P3 component is used as the primary index of the influence of emotional processing on cognitive functioning. The results of this study will help to clarify …

The Effect Of Examination Stress On Tobacco Usage Amongst Undergraduate Smokers, Randy Denis, Lissette Cortes, Lauren Delucca, Giovanna Rivano

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Previous studies have revealed that tobacco contains chemicals known to reduce stress and anxiety (Kenney, 2006). Indeed, smokers claim to use tobacco as a tool to enhance mood and improve task performance (Croghan, 2006). This is especially true of college students who have the highest amount of tobacco usage and whose tobacco use increases during academic examination periods (Oaten & Cheng, 2005). In this study, we will test the relationship between examination stress and levels of tobacco use. Sixty undergraduate smokers will be tested twice, one month prior to class examination (baseline) and then twenty minutes prior to the final …

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 …

Surface Bacteria Distribution On Campus And The Potential Health Impacts Of Exposure, Rachel Sewnarine, Yusra Quadri, Sonya Chacko

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Have you ever wondered what's in the air we breathe, on the tables we touch or on the things that help keep us clean? A previous pilot study conducted last year at NSU provided a glimpse into the presence of bacteria on campus. The goal of this study was to provide additional data on this important topic by increasing the number of sites sampled, the total number of replicates, as well as provide insight into the types of bacteria that are sampled. Gram staining procedures, as well as specific identification kits are planned on pure bacterial cultures to aid in …

Social Support And Psychosocial Health Among Hiv-Seropositive Individuals, Lydia Malcolm, Maria Marcoulli, Dyona Augustin, Vera Lopez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Existing literature has documented a positive correlation between social support and adjustment to illness among HIV/AIDS. However, there is limited research focusing exclusively on the influence of family support on psychosocial health in this population. This study sought to examine the influence of family support on psychosocial health among substance users with HIV/AIDS. Thirty-one African-American HIV-positive substance users (M ± SD age = 41 ± 8; 55% women) were recruited from clinics. Demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral data were collected via face-to-face interviews. The independent variable was family support. The dependent variables were HIV/AIDS knowledge, HIV attitude, HIV related physical …

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 …

Metagenomic Analysis To Determine Habitat And Abundance Of Helicosporidium, Christian Benitez, Alyssa Fernandez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Helicosporidium are parasitic, non-photosynthetic green algae shown to have potential in providing biological control against mosquito larvae. By determining where Helicosporidium resides, this organism can be more abundantly studied to gain a better understanding of its life cycle, transmission, and potential effects as biological control agents. Therefore, the isolation and study of Helicosporidium shows promise in the fields of biology and environmental science. In this research project, environmental water samples were obtained and analyzed to determine if any Helicosporidium inhabited the sample. Using a metagenomics approach, DNA extraction of all the microorganisms residing in the water samples were conducted followed …

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 …

Mechanisms Of Vancomycin Resistance In Mixed Species Biofilms, Lina Alsad, Leslie Nevarez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The studies conducted are aimed at determining the interactions between Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus in a mixed biofilm. Microbes generally prefer to grow as part of a biofilm, as opposed to individual planktonic cells, in order to communicate, share nutrients, and gain protection from environmental stresses. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and the fungus Candida albicans are the most common microbes found to grow within biofilms in humans and are among the leading causes of infectious disease. Previous research in our lab has indicated that S. aureus is less susceptible to the antibiotic vancomycin when grown in a mixed biofilm. …

Lament, Michael Mcgregor

Undergraduate Student Symposium

"Lament" is a story of one brother's journey to grow and let go of a battle between him and his brother. After he discovers the passing of his brother, he begins to look back at their relationship. It's a story that shows that family is stronger than anything, and although his older brother is homosexual, it doesn't change the fact that they are brothers. The film is directed by Mike McGregor. Other crew members include Philip Ortiz and Adam Walters.

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.

Effects Of Periodic Acceleration (Pgz) On Cardiovascular Health, Sam Aminov

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Heart disease is among the leading killers of both men and women in the United States. Periodic acceleration (pGz) is a promising non-invasive treatment that induces the expr ess io n o f mult ip le ca rd iop rotec t ive med ia tors t hat funct io n i n myocard ia l preservation, ischemia and reperfusion, and post-ischemic injuries. In this literature review the expression of nitric oxide synthase in endomyocardium and the implications of periodic acceleration on overall cardiovascular health were examined. Periodic acceleration increases pulsatile sheer stress on the vascular endothelium leading to the release …

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 …

Tax Havens: The Art Of Avoidance, Michael Rasmussen, Ryan Nicol

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Tax Havens: The Art of Avoidance is a symposium based on the essay: "Evasive Maneuvers: Tax Havens, Tax Evasion, Tax Avoidance, and the Future of Tax Law in America." Rarely do intriguing or titillating issues of tax law present themselves and tax havens are no exception. This symposium looks to change this perception; tax havens are interesting! The symposium has two objectives (1) discuss and define what tax havens are and (2) illustrate the struggle the United States has in dealing with them.

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 …

Reading The Pattern In "The Yellow Wallpaper", Sarah Silverstein

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This paper is a literary analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman‘s short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper." In the story the unnamed protagonist is diagnosed with a "nervous disease" and confined to a nursery/bedroom in "ancestral halls" (253). Ironically, it is through this nursery that serves as a prison cell for the captive and ill woman that she finds her voice and her freedom. This paper examines the symbolic devices and imagery that reflect her struggle and provide an escape route for women confined to an oppressive child-like status. Her diary entries are the mechanism whereby she records her observations and examines …

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 …

Examining Adhesion Of Lysozyme And Transferrin To Omafilcon A Contact Lenses, Neena Chandrasekaran, Shan Desai, Darshan Solanki

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Contact lenses induce the formation of human tears, which contain approximately 60 different proteins, when worn on the naked eye. We examined the adhesion of human transferrin to FDA Group II Omafilcon A contact lenses, fabricated from a biomimetic material whose interaction with tear proteins is not well understood. Furthermore, the consequences of protein accumulation are uncertain. Experimental procedure included incubation of Omafilcon A lenses in human transferrin for five days. Protein adhesion was determined by bicinchoninic acid colorimetry on a daily basis through spectrophotometry. As a result, transferrin adhered to the Omafilcon A lenses to a lesser extent (~10%) …