Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Peer Influence On Adolescents And Adults, Melody Q. Xiong, Hillary C. Vang

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Peers are a huge part of life and affect people in many different ways. In adolescence and adulthood, peers have different kinds of impacts. The researchers chose to research how peer influence can affect the decisions, performance and attitudes of adolescents and adults. Specifically, researchers analyzed how lifestyle decisions influenced by peers affect mental health and how the effects differ from gender and age. Participants of the study were selected to fit the three age groups needed for this study and responses were collected via electronic survey. Throughout this study, the relationship that peer influence has with mental health, positive …

Dynamic Connection Of Mental Health And Sports In College, Terrence Jordan, Mckinley Egland-Young, Kendrick Maynor Jr.

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Throughout universities around the world, every day, the mental health of college students is tested. Specifically, collegiate athletes may feel uncomfortable, or uncertain seeking out resources to assess their overall mental health. There are numerous reasons athletes may be either comfortable or uncomfortable seeking out these resources. Some reasons can include being seen as a sign of weakness, there being no resources for athletes, or they are uncertain about what resources are available to them. The researchers chose to investigate the mental health of two different sports teams at a university. Specifically, the researchers explored these athletes and their mental …

Fema: A Gene Necessary For High Levels Of Methicillin Resistance In All Staphylococcus Aureus, Faith Moua

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the largest leading causes of skin and tissue infections that leads to boils, cellulitis, etc. On a more serious note, it can cause bacteremia, pneumonia, and many other serious conditions that could lead to death. S. aureus can be spread through skin-to-skin contact which makes it more susceptible to high levels of infection and variability. What causes more variability in S. aureus infections are due to virulence factors that S. aureus carry.

Fema And Its Effects On Staphylococcus Aureus And Staphylococcus Epidermidis., Txiajmeng Lee

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that may lead to sickness and in some extreme cases death. It is a cocci shaped gram positive bacteria that is found in many places including nose, ground, water, and eben in the air. Staphylococcus is encoded with many different types of genes. This list includes Selx, alpha, nuc, SEA, SEB, SEA, and FemA. Staphylococcus is known for it’s infection rate. It is known to cause the most amount infections and diseases in humans.

Increased Risk Of S. Aureus Carriage Based On Duration Of Student Athlete Career At Csp, Drake Teal

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Swabs were taken at random and were processed to determine if the swab carried S. aureus. The goal of this poster was to compare the carriage of S. aureus in student athletes and non student athletes over the time spent at CSP to see if there was a notable comparison. The poster also finds which toxins were most commonly matched to the student athletes that had full genomic sequencing done on the swabs taken from them.

Csp Athlete's Who Live On Campus Have A Higher Percentage Of Staphylococcus Aureus Compared To Those Who Live Off Campus, Casni Lee

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

In order to get more information about S. aureus, nasal swab participants were willingly swabbed for samples. For this research we were looking to see who was negative or positive for having S. aureus. Each participant filled out a survey, which included a variety of questions. One of the questions asking if they are a student athlete at Concordia University. The purpose of this study was to look at the difference between the student athlete results, compared to those that are not.

Staphylococcus Enterotoxins That Are Prevalent In Different Ethnic Groups, Raida Sugule

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

No abstract provided.

Staphylococcus Aureus Strains Exhibit Exclusivity In Regards To It’S Toxin Prevalence, Especially With Toxins Responsible For Food Poisoning And Necrotizing Pneumonia, Malia Braiedy, Taylor Mach, Amanda Brosnahan

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that can exist asymptomatically, but can be dangerous due to it’s individual toxin profile. These various toxins, however, seem to be mutually exclusive from another in some cases. Samples of S. aureus often have superantigen SELX and some samples have Staphylococcal Enterotoxin (SE) A, B, or C. Through the use of Airtable and various methods of data organization and comparison on the strains we’ve collected on campus, we found that SELX exhibits an inverse relationship with SE- A/B/C, and that SE- A/B/C also exhibits exclusivity between the three toxins. Through thorough research on S. aureus, …

Turmeric And Resveratrol Effect On Hela Cell Viability, Julian Yang, Kler G. Paw, Xou Xiong, Nay H. Paw

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Cancer is a major health concern worldwide, and the development of effective treatments is a top priority in the scientific community. Turmeric and resveratrol are natural compounds derived from plants, and previous studies have shown promise in their anticancer properties. This study aims to investigate turmeric and resveratrol's effectiveness in reducing the viability of human cervical cancer cells, specifically HeLa cells. We hypothesize that both turmeric and resveratrol will be more effective at reducing HeLa cell viability at increasing concentration.

Effects Of Ginseng Supplements On Human Cervical Cancer Cells (Hela), Amber Intanavong, Courtney Mensah

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Ginseng is a herbal supplement that helps support the body’s immune system, which can be promoted to help improve physical performance and in combination with anticancer drugs (1). Ginseng contains many different active components including ginsenosides and ginseng polysaccharides which have contributed to anticancer effects (2). It was hypothesized that more concentration added to HeLa cells, will result in a decrease of cell viability and proliferation showing that Ginseng is effective against cancer. Three trials of CellTiter cytotoxicity screening assays were conducted to discover the cell viability for each of the four concentrations. Our results after the experiment supported that …

Ebola Virus- A Public Health Menace, Mariah Valentine, Raegan Alexander, Chidera Osuoha, Hafsa Jamaa, Myrna Rezcallah

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Ebola is a serious disease in West Africa. It has a mortality rate of 70 percent and can be transmitted through close body contact. There is one certified vaccine called the Ervebo vaccine which has been proven to be effective against only certain strains. The virus first infects the dendritic cells, compromising them to show the disease to T cells. A recent report by Sankaran shows the reemergence of Ebola Viral disease in monkeys who have been treated with antibodies from the infection in the past. These findings suggest that the virus can hide and persist in specific body regions, …

The Effect Of Vitamin C On Hela Cell Proliferation, James D. Dinger, Allysa C. Steinhaus, Anna Charleen Horn, Isabella Mc Dory

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

In this study, we investigated the impact of vitamin C on cervical cancer cells at varying concentrations. After adding vitamin C reagent to plated HeLa cells, we performed cytotoxicity assays to measure cell viability. We hypothesized that higher concentrations of vitamin C would lead to lower cell viability, as vitamin C is predicted to cause cell death in cancer cells. Our results indicated that higher concentrations of vitamin C do not necessarily correlate with lower cell viability of cervical cancer cells.

Nipah Virus: A Rare Infection On The Rise, Vivian Vang, Shyanne Garrett, Presztyigei Pachan, Myrna Rezcallah

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Nipah virus has caused recurrent outbreaks in Bangladesh and Western India and the most recent outbreak in Kerala in 2018 was the first recorded in Southern India. Some of these outbreaks involved human-to-human transmission, showing the risk of this virus becoming more widespread. It is however a zoonotic disease so it can spread between animals and people. Fruit bats of the Pteropus genus, or flying foxes, are the main reservoir for NiV. Agricultural practices are also key factors in the disease spreading to humans. For example, in Malaysia, the first reported Nipah outbreak led to 265 human cases and 105 …

The Rise Of Candida Auris: A Drug-Resistant Fatal Fungus, Amber Intanavong, Melina Yang, Payton Stier

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Candida auris is a fungus that is creating a significant public health threat, causing severe healthcare associated infections. Commonly misidentified in laboratories, C. auris is extremely resistant to most antifungal medications. C. auris infections are most commonly identified through a culture of the blood or other bodily fluid, but can be misidentified for other Candida strains. The most reliable way to accurately identify C. auris is through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF MS). One of the biggest challenges of managing C. auris is differentiating it quickly enough from other Candida species in order to treat it appropriately. C. …

The Dangers Of Dengue Fever, Katherine Yungazaca, Jayleen Pena, Connor Nicolay, Lexine Swaray

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Dengue Fever or also known as breakbone fever is a viral infection that is spread from mosquitoes to people. The first isolation of Dengue Fever was in 1943 Japan and 1945 in Hawaii, the first two dengue viruses were isolated and named DENV1 and DENV2. There are 4 variations of Dengue, DENV 1-4. Each year there are about 50 million dengue infections and of those about 500,000 individuals are hospitalized with hemorrhagic dengue fever. It is estimated that 2.5 billion people are at risk of contracting dengue, Brazil is among the countries most affected by this terrible viral disease, with …

Lassa Fever: From A Nigerian Town To A Global Threat, Ranya Almasaoudy, Joshelin G. Lopez, Juliana A. Rounds, Margarita Avlarado

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Lassa fever is associated with high morbidity and mortality rate. This is due to the primary host of Lassa virus being a rodent of the genus Mastomy’s, also referred to as ‘multimammate rat’. Once infected, Mastomy’s rats do not become ill but can shed the virus in their urine and feces. Thus, there has been a call for educational interventions to improve the knowledge of Lassa fever among community members. It is important to point out that health workers have a prominent role to play in realizing this. In conclusion, Lassa Fever hasn't been a main global threat in the …

Chill Out! The Impact Of Stress Hormones On Cancer Cells In Vitro, Carly Hocum, Malia Braiedy, Lillian Walesheck, Ashley Bloomer

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Norepinephrine, the neurotransmitter responsible for
stress response, is known to increase the life span of
cancer cells in the human body. By administering
norepinephrine directly to HeLa cells in vitro, we were
able to track the impact that this neurotransmitter has
on the proliferation cancer cells. In our study, we found
that norepinephrine actually had a negative impact on
the proliferation of HeLa cells in vitro, but our results
are deemed inconclusive due to possible experimental
errors.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever: A Tick-Borne Killer, Deisy Reyes Andrade, Sofia Dodge, Basheer Alam

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne virus. It was first identified in Crimea in 1944 and was later detected in Congo in 1969. It is endemic where it is mainly located in regions such as Africa, Europe, and Asia. CCHF is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected tick, however direct contact with bodily fluids can also be another route of transmission. Specifically, Hyalomma ticks are the main reservoirs and vectors of CCHF. Symptoms may range from asymptomatic to severe development of hemorrhage, with a fatality rate of up to 40%. Initial symptoms include headaches, high fevers, body …

The Effects Of Oxybenzone & Lactic Acid On Epidermal Cells, Isabelle Boudreau, Jarrid Pizel, Basheer Alam, Faith Moua

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

The objective of the experiment was to see how oxybenzone and lactic acid would affect the proliferation of the REK cells. The reasons for the following reagents was that humans can find either or on the body at some time of their day/life. So, as a group we wanted to know how Lactic acid and Oxybenzone would affect the proliferation of the REK cells. The method that was used was very similar to the methods that were explained in the lab notebook which consisted of splitting the cells, adding the cells to the wells, adding the concentration of each reagent, …

Identification Of The Presence Of Staphylococcus Enterotoxin A In Positive S. Aureus Samples, Nimo Ahmed

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal bacterium found in the nares, skin, and mucosal membranes. In most cases, it causes no harm, but there are instances where it can become pathogenic and produce toxins that have superantigenic activity. Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), when ingested, is the causative agent responsible for classical food poisoning symptoms such as emesis, nausea, and others. When SEA enters the bloodstream, it can cause toxic shock due to mass T cell proliferation and cytokine storm. In order to determine if positive Staphylococcus aureus samples contain the SEA gene, DNA was purified and amplified using PCR. DNA gel …

Acinetobacter Baumannii - The Perfect Pathogen, Jesse Guzik, Myrna Rezcallah, Alexcia Zeller, Kaite Mattson

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Acinetobacter was discovered in 1911 by Martinus Beijerinck. Acinetobacter baumannii didn't receive its scientific name until 1986. A. baumannii is now commonly referred to as "Iraqibacter" due to a rise in infections among US military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. After the Iraq War began in 2003, the frequency of cases began to rise, especially among patients in intensive care units. Patients using ventilators, catheters, have postoperative wounds, stay in the hospital for an extended period of time, or are immunocompromised are at a considerably higher risk of getting A. baumannii. Because of its large number of virulence …

Confirming The Presence Of Staphylococcus Aureus Enterotoxin Seb From Campus Wide Swabbing, Isabella Mc Dory, Amanda Brosnahan, Taylor Mach

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Samples taken from the CSP community were previously isolated and characterized as Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, the DNA from those positive samples were purified through a genomic prep and ran through a polymerase chain reaction for the SEB toxin gene. A DNA gel electrophoresis was ran and imaged displaying the results.

The Effectiveness Of Ethanol-Based Sanitizer And Antibacterial Hand Soap On Staphylococcus Aureus, Ranya Almasaoudy

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

No abstract provided.

Tsst-1 Superantigen Is Present At Low Levels In Staphylococcus Aureus, Clara Hipp, Amanda Brosnahan, Taylor Mach

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

No abstract provided.

Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (Seb) Is More Prevalent In Healthcare Workers Than Non-Healthcare Workers, Courtney Mensah

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

The purpose of this study was to assess the carriage rate of Staphylococcus aureus within the CSP community and gain scientific knowledge on how prevalent this common bacterium is. With the data collected, many forms of S. aureus proved to be prevalent, for example, Staphylococcal enterotoxin B, also known as SEB. This form of S. aureus is a well-known contributor to food poisoning. It was identified in the data collected that this toxin was more pervasive in healthcare workers than non-healthcare workers.

Low Prevalence Of Sec Detected In Various Staphylococcus Aureus Strains., Mackenzie Leibiger, Taylor Mach, Amanda Brosnahan

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from bacteria swabs collected from participants at Concordia University St. Paul for this study. Isolated Staphylococcus aureus was then run through genomic prep to gather DNA from each strain. Collected DNA was amplified using PCR with specific primers to the targeted sec gene. The amplified sec gene was then transferred to gel electrophoresis, establishing whether the original strain contained the sec gene.

Mlb 2023 Season Attendance Predictions, Sophia Andersen, Anna Tollette, Hannah Clinton

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

The goal of this project was to predict home game attendance for all 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in their 2023 season. Researching and understanding that data as well as identifying influential factors of attendance were key factors before building a predictive model. Both the given material and data sets from MinneMUDAC, the competition organizer, was used as well as some outside sources. Finally, a predictive model was coded in Python which gave attendance predictions for every MLB game scheduled in 2023. From these results, insights could be offered to Major League Baseball or each team individually, to help …

Impact Of Coping Styles On Perceptions Of Grief, Marissa Providence

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Abstract

Human and pet bereavement tend to have contrasting views as pet loss still has yet to be acknowledged and has caused some pet owners to grieve in isolation. This is commonly called disenfranchised grief. Bereavement can, in turn, involve a variety of symptoms such as loneliness, hope, and in most cases prolonged grief disorder. Given the substantial impact of loss as well as potential differences in perceptions of grief for different types of losses, the current study sought out to examine how perceptions of grief are impacted by the type of loss and coping style. Participants viewed an online …

College Students' Perceptions Of Depression Among College Students And Non-College Students, Hafsa Ali

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Abstract

Depression is a serious mental illness which is becoming increasingly prevalent among college-age individuals and the general public. Depression and other mental illnesses have come under increasing concern in the United States overall and on college campuses in particular. Given concerns regarding depression among college students, it is important to examine college students’ perceptions of depression among college students versus non-college students. The current study examined and compared college students’ perceptions of depression among college students versus non-college-attending individuals. Participants viewed an online survey which included one of two versions of a vignette which described “Sam,” a “hardworking individual” …

Exploring The Relationship Between Religious Strength, Academic Performance, And Mental Health, Makenna Berger

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Religiosity is an area of the human psyche that can establish peoples’ perceptions of the world. Most people in the world believe in a higher power, and there are many psychological benefits to this. According to literature in the field, some of these benefits include constructive coping strategies (DeRosset et al., 2021), high self-efficacy (Florin et al., 2021), improved academic performance (Henning et al., 2015), and better overall mental wellbeing (Tamkeen et al., 2021). The goal of this study was to explore the potential correlations between Religious Strength/Affiliation and Academic Performance and Religious Strength/Affiliation and Mental Wellbeing. Another purpose that …