Digital Commons Network^™

Increased Vancomycin Resistance Exhibited By Staphylococcus Aureus Grown Together With Candida Albicans Within Mixed Species Biofilms, Fabrice Auguste, Shardul Koppar, John Seymour

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Biofilms are multicellular communities of microorganisms that characteristically attach to some surface, produce and encase themselves within a thick polysaccharide matrix, and resist physical insults and treatment with anti-microbial drugs. The studies described here focus on characterizing the physical interactions between a bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus) and fungus (Candida albicans) in the context of a mixed biofilm. Both of these organisms are common human pathogens that cause a variety of human disease. Previous findings in our lab have suggested that C. albicans and S. aureus interact with one another and alter the other’s ability to attach and …

Genetic Characterization Of The Yersiniae Cold Growth Phenomenon, Richard Wheeler, Nick Rocco

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The yersinaie are psychotropic (able to grow at cold temperatures) Gram negative enterobacteriae that include 3 human pathogens: Yersinia pestis (the etiological agent of the black-death), Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (both causing self-limiting gastro-intestinal disorders). Y. enterocolitica, in particular, is an emerging food-borne illness and threat in the U.S. Since refrigeration is the dominant method of food preservation, an examination of the genetic basis of the yersiniae cold adaptation characteristics could yield considerable benefit. Recently, it has been shown that PNPase, an mRNA degrading exoribonuclease, is required for the yersinaie to grow at cold temperatures (~4-10°C). Furthermore, a …

Expression Of Multidrug Efflux Pumps In Porphyromonas Gingivalis, Kristina Christoph

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Periodontal disease is a well known threat to the bones and ligaments that support teeth. Ongoing studies are linking periodontal disease to coronary artery disease, diabetes, and pneumonia. Treatment of the disease involves controlling the bacteria that cause the inflammatory response and tissue destruction. Porphyromonas gingivalis is a periodontal pathogen found in sites having greater progression of the disease. P. gingivalis grows together with many other bacterial species in a complex community called a biofilm. Growing in the context of a biofilm is known to protect bacteria and make them more resistant to antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents. However, the …

Association Of Synesthesia And Creativity Amongst A General Population, Samantha Domingo, Laxmi Lalwani

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Synesthesia occurs when a single stimulus triggers two or more sensations simultaneously in different modalities. Ramachandran and Hubbard (2001) have identified two types of grapheme(alphanumeric)-color synesthetes. The first, known as ‘lower synesthetes’ or ‘projectors’ report actually seeing the colors when visually encountering letters or numbers. The second type, known as ‘higher synesthetes’, report only experiencing the colors “in the mind’s eye”, which indicates the color is evoked simply by numerical concept, as opposed to visual appearance alone. Creativity’s relationship to synesthesia has been the subject of interest of many experts in the field. Here, we evaluated the frequency of …

Expression And Purification Of His-Tag Thioredoxin Protein, Charlene Bernard, Viral Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The molecular biology techniques can be used for making proteins in bacteria. In this study, we have used E. coli expression system to make a His-tag thioredoxin protein. Making use of His-tag, thioredoxin was purified from bacterial proteins using affinity chromatography. SDS-PAGE was applied to develop a purification protocol. The MW of purified protein was estimated by comparing its mobility on the gel with those standard proteins. The purified protein was pure as shown by the appearance of a single band on the gel. To further identify the purified protein, western blot technique was employed using a His-tag antibody. The …

Self Image: Juxtapose, Iva Christina Marc

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The name of my film is Self Image: Juxtapose. The theme of the film explores the emotions of negative and positive self image. This is an Avant Garde film. The purpose of this film is about moving toward self love. My principle cast member is Iva Marc. My crewmembers are Katrina Jackson and Nerissa Street.

Construction And Configuration Of Mpi Cluster, Dimitri Tyryshkin, Brett C. Stephen, Carolina Usbeck, Mubashir Hassan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A computer cluster consists of a number of computers that are coupled to solve complex problems in parallel. They provide a single front-end so that they can be managed and used from a single user interface. The cluster not only provides a excellent cost-performance trade-off compared to a super computer but it also provides the flexibility of using less power when the computational load is lower. Its performance is about the same as a super computer having computational power equal to combined computational capacity of all the computers in the cluster, but at a much lower cost.

This project provides …

Don't Look At Me, Iva Christina Marc

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The name of my poem is Don’t Look at Me. The theme of Don’t Look at Me is dark and insecure. The purpose of this poem is to explore the negative emotion when self love is not present.

Streptococcus Pyogenes: A Versatile Human Pathogen, Maria E. Cevallos

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Streptococcus pyogenes is one of the most medically relevant genera of Gram positive bacteria. S. pyogenes belongs to group A streptococcus (GAS), the most pathogenic streptococci. S. pyogenes is exclusively a notorious human pathogen that is known for its ability to cause a wide array of infections ranging from superficial pharyngitis and impetigo to evasive and life threatening conditions including septicemia, necrotizing fasciitis, and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. The dissemination of S. pyogenes within a human host is dependent upon virulence factors aimed at host immune system evasion leading to infection. More specifically, S. pyogenes’ virulence factors are required for …

Anatomy Cat Dissection Software: Developing A Study Resource Cd-Rom For Physiology Students, Nick Rocco

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this research project is to develop an interactive CD-ROM study tool, specifically designed for cat dissections. A team of NSU Pre-Medical Students will be performing dissections on triple injected cats as well as gathering data to study the effectiveness of the program on student’s lab performance. The students will be taking still pictures along with interactive video to demonstrate various dissection procedures in addition to viewing anatomical structures. Dr. Paul Arena will be the advising professor along with Dr. Robin Sherman who will be assisting in the dissection process and providing her expertise in mammalian dissections. The …

The Use Of Cardiac Stem Cells For Myocardial Regeneration, Jenet George

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading killers in the western world. Because of its prevalence in society and the human heart’s questionable ability to repair itself, thousands of researchers have begun the lengthy process of myocardial research. They are analyzing different types of stem cells for their benefits and side effects, while trying to determine if the human heart is capable of regenerating itself. For the purposes of this literature review, several recent clinical and experimental trials will be analyzed to ascertain the feasibility of using cardiac stem cells in clinical practice. The harmful side effects of each main …

Leap Of Faith, Chana F. Dukes

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Leap of Faith is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale and a nod to the original tale, before it was rearranged for the ears of children. I attempted to create a dream-like quality in the poem, using strong imagery and broken up stanzas to convey the impression of the dreaming child who is knocked from her slumber and into a harsh reality by her rape. I also attempted to create a sense of timelessness, because this is a story which occurs not once upon a time in a land far, far away, but all around us and throughout the …

My Vow, Amy Carol Harvey

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This poem’s collection of words has been chosen carefully in order to administer to the reader, a strong sense of dedication of love. The words induce the most significant emotions felt by the author on her wedding day. This poem was featured in the wedding program as a gift to the author’s husband on the day of their wedding.

Is There A Gender Difference Regarding Perceived Efficacy Of Openly Gay Tutors?, Randy Denis

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Research has shown that many college students have more negative attitudes toward homosexuals than toward other minority groups (Liang and Alimo, 2005), even when they do not openly endorse homophobic attitudes (Nosek, 2007). For example, lectures given by homosexuals were rated as having lower quality than identical lectures given by heterosexuals, possibly demonstrating subtle prejudice (Ewing, Stukas and Sheehan, 2003). In addition, recent findings indicate that heterosexual women tend to have a more favorable perception than heterosexual men of male homosexuality (Herek, 1998). In a between-participants design, forty heterosexual undergraduate students will be exposed to a male tutor with a …

Austen’S Male Subordinates: Equality By Imbalance, Ryan Frabizio

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In Jane Austen’s novels, the female characters are often the focus of critical study. This essay instead examines several minor male characters in her novels, such as Henry Crawford, Mr. Woodhouse, and Sir Walter Elliot, who deviate from conventional ideas of men in early eighteenth-century English society. The male characters studied lack independence or personal strength, and even lack dominance over female characters. However, they are still significant characters because they serve integral roles in the plot, and serve as vehicles for Austen’s ideas. The imbalances of power between Austen’s characters, even to the point of bringing male characters into …

Rapid Polymerase Chain Reaction Based Assay For The Identification Of The Highly Endangered Small Tooth Sawfish (Pristis Pectinata), Hayley Oligane, Vince Richards

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Globally, populations of sawfish (family: Pristidae) have become highly endangered to the point of extinction, and have suffered a decline grater than 90% over the last century. The principal threat to sawfish is fishing and habitat degradation. In the United States most Pristidae species have become completely exasperated. Previously, only two species were reported in US waters (Pristis pectinata and Pristis perotteti), and it’s now believed that Pristis perotteti is virtually extinct. Furthermore, the range of Pristis Pectinata has now been reduced to South Florida and has declined to 5 percent of its original population size. In 2007, …

Fear Of Change: The Salem Witch-Hunt Of 1692, Melanie Cucurullo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This paper examines the fears that sparked the witchcraft accusations in late- seventeenth century Salem, Massachusetts. Historians writing about the witch-hunt in colonial New England have suggested these “witches” challenged social traditions and orthodox ways of thinking.

Eighty percent of accused “witches” were women, which suggest that gender played an important role in allegations of witchcraft. A close look at historical records shows that the behavior displayed by Bridget Bishop, Sarah Good, and Anne Hutchinson convinced New Englanders that these women were a threat to society. The problem was not just a new way of thinking but rather the way …

Effects Of Colored Words On Memory Retention, Adriana Gutierrez

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Color seems to have an impact in our everyday lives. Memory color is a phenomenon in which an object's characteristic color enhances our memory retention. The objective of the present study is to examine which color can best facilitate memory retention. A sample of 30 participants (15 males and 15 females) were recruited from Nova Southeastern University. The participants were tested on their ability to recall a list of 20 words in the colors blue, green, orange, and red. Participants were also tested to determine what color they would be able to best recall. The list of 20 words included …

Dehumanization Results In Atrocities, Raquel Sanchez, Marina Dunn

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This study attempts to explain how dehumanization is the main factor in the acceptance of atrocities towards stigmatized groups in American society today, by implementing Daniel Goldhagen’s Theory in our research design. The premise of Daniel Goldhagen’s theory is about the dehumanization of Jewish people during the Holocaust in which ordinary Germans became Hitler’s aids. This study will measure the acceptance of atrocities towards African Americans and Arabs from the undergraduate student body at Nova Southeastern University. Based on Stanley Milgram’s famous obedience study, this study will use a video reenactment in combination with a follow-up questionnaire to measure the …

The Wonderful World Of Mathematica, Latisha Gaither

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Mathematica is computer software that can be used to perform a variety of functions. These functions include: mathematics and algorithms, system interface and deployment, visualization and graphics, dynamic interactivity, and several other functions. The initial idea came from a man by the name of Stephen Wolfram. It was further developed by a team of mathematicians, and first released in 1988. This computer software was originally developed for the fields of math and science. Mathematica has been used in many disciplines which include physical science, engineering, financial modeling, accounting, research, and many more. However, this software has been transformed and is …

Comparison Of The Assignment Testing Capabilities Of The Population Structure Programs Baps And Structure Using Microsatellite Data From Tiger Sharks, Justin Chambers

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Although the practice of shark finning has been banned in multiple oceans worldwide, the practice continues to proliferate, with as many as 73 million sharks being killed each year for their fins. Since the legality of shark finning varies from ocean to ocean, methods to accurately determine not only the species of shark, but also the origin, need to be developed to help curtail this practice. This problem can be addressed through assignment testing—statistical methods that utilize genetic information to determine the population origin of individuals. Various software programs have been developed for population structure analysis. The goal of this …

Effectiveness Analysis Of Email Marketing Campaigns, Kiyo Walker

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Businesses usually spend significant time, effort and money on e-mail marketing campaigns. They are interested in evaluating the effectiveness of their campaigns, so that future campaigns can be optimized. In this project, we analyze e-mail based advertisement campaign or a specific business. We investigate the relationship between the number of links and the number of clicks in each e-mail campaign using the Pearson and Spearman statistical tests. We show that adding more links in a given e-mail campaign does not increase the user’s interest. We also calculate summary statistics for the number of links and clicks.

The Truth About Deception, Natalia Carrillo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Deception is a prevalent form of communication. This paper explores, based on research taken from deception theorists, the many different types of deception, the strategies and motives in mind used by individuals while performing deception, and the positive and negative consequences of deception. Understanding why individuals rely on personal relationships is crucial to understanding the types of closeness they can develop with others and why deception takes place in these types of relationships. The paper then applies these factors by utilizing a television episode of King of Queens as an illustration of deception in a married couple’s life.

The Real Antagonist In Jane Austen’S Northanger Abbey, Trevor Borg

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Northanger Abbey is so loaded with irony that its main antagonist is someone we would never suspect. This hidden adversary maneuvers Catherine Morland into a conflict. The conflict seems a creation of the protagonist’s overactive imagination. However, the novel drops enough clues to indicate Henry Tilney willfully manipulates Catherine to produce the conflict. Finally, several hints in the novel suggest this same person also narrates it, thus sealing the novel’s irony.

Synthesis Of New Ruthenium (Ii) Complex, [Ru(Bipycn)2]2+ And Its Interactions With Dna, Terry-Ann Dawes

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A new Ru(II) complex, [Ru(bipyCN)₂]²⁺ (where bpyCN is 4,4'-Bis(cyanomethyl)- 2,2'-bipyridine), was synthesized and characterized, and the effect on the emission spectra of the complex was studied. The interaction of the complex with DNA was investigated by UV–visible and emission spectroscopy.

The Real World: Differential Equations, Tania Lopez, Brandy Shafer, Bryan Candela, Gerardo Davila, Andrew Dweck

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Mathematics can be used, and is used, to describe the physical phenomena of the world we live in. Differential equations are an application of the ideas of calculus to our everyday lives. In differential equations we seek to model real-life situations in Mathematical terms. Thus, differential equations are used for scientific modeling to describe the dynamics of diverse state variables, such as daily temperature, proportion of a population infected by influenza, chemical concentration in a tank, or stock prices by observing real-time data. Once the model is created it is used as a representation of the real-world system and predictions …

The Effects Of Laughter On Attention, Raquel Sanchez, Marcia Garcia

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Laughter is a cardinal part of human behavior: it is rooted within personality, functions within social dynamics, and is mediated through a species physiological form. Numerous studies have depicted the benefits of laughter (Martin, 2002; Kimata, 2007), but none have thoroughly analyzed its role within cognition. Cognition is required to incite laughter in the instances where humor appreciation must be delineated. Accordingly, in instances where a cognitive task occurs concurrently with humorous stimuli, there is potentially a competition for attentional resources, thereby reducing cognitive abilities during humor processing. The primary goal of the current proposal is to utilize brain electroencephalographic …

Yersiniae Virulence Factors: Type Iii Secretion System, Jessica Blanco

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Several Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria have evolved a complex protein secretion system termed the Type Three Secretion System (TTSS) to deliver bacterial effector proteins into host cells that then modulate host cellular functions. These bacterial devices are evolutionarily related to the flagellar apparatus. Although the TTSSs are substantially conserved among different species, the effector molecules they deliver are species unique. There exist three human pathogenic Yersiniae. Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis cause self-limiting gastro-enteric diseases and infect mesenteric lymph nodes, while Yersinia pestis is transmitted by fleas and can be aerosolized, causing the lethal disease known as plague (also know …

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Possible Alternatives For The Chemical Triclosan, Besty Jacob

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The chemical Triclosan is currently being used in a variety of household products. Soap, shampoo, dishwashing solution, detergents, cosmetics and lotions all utilize this product. These and other similar products market Triclosan as a bactericide. However Triclosan may not be as effective at killing bacteria when combined with these commercial products as advertised. There may potentially be safer and more effective alternatives. A potential problem with the overuse of Triclosan, is current and potential bacterial resistance. For instance, some strains of MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Auereus) have already developed resistance to this chemical. On the other hand, there are …

Magical Math: Debunking A Web-Posed Prestidigitation, Case Warshall

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The website Mystical Ball.com (http://www.mysticalball.com/) presents a compelling and mysterious “magic trick” that appears to read our mind every time we engage in the “trick”: “Choose any two digit number, add together both digits then subtract the total from your original number. When you have the final number look it up on the chart and find the relevant symbol. Concentrate on the symbol and when you have it clearly in your mind click on the crystal ball and it will show you the symbol you are thinking of... .” The trick appears to work every time the user participates. This …