Digital Commons Network^™

Amber’S Crush, Afroza Khan, Titina Gist, Elizabeth Gist

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“Amber’s Crush" is a comedic short film about a girl who has a condition called dyspraxia. At the mere age of seven Amber was in a traumatic accident resulting in a fatal injury to her head. Due to the traumatic head injury, Amber was diagnosed with a condition known as Dyspraxia. Dyspraxia is the inability to perform coordinated movements. After years of therapy and home schooling, Amber decides to return to real world and start college. But her past comes back to haunt her when she realizes that she can’t hide from her true self.

Os Trigonum Syndrome In A High School Football Lineman, Tena Blackman

Undergraduate Student Symposium

During pre-season football practice a 15 year old, freshman, football lineman (mass 95.5kg, height 172.7cm) reported to the athletic training room complaining of right ankle/lower leg pain. Upon evaluation, the athlete reported generalized pain over the distal tibia and fibula, with isolated symptoms over the posterior calcaneous. The athlete reported insidious onset of pain, which was a 7/10 at rest and 9/10 during activity. No swelling/edema, deformity, tenderness, ecchymmosis or crepitus was evident and soft tissue and bony palpation was unremarkable. Fracture and ligamentous stress tests were normal; athlete presented with functional pes planus. Athlete was referred for X-rays and …

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, …

Positive Thinking: The Impact Of Positive Messages On Mood, Attitudes, Anxiety, Depression, And Self-Esteem, Denise Da Rosa

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between positive thinking and mood, attitudes, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. The study will analyze the effect of positive messages sent via cell phone text messaging to participants. Twenty students will receive positive messages for three days such as “wonderful things will happen to me today.” The other twenty participants will not receive any type of messages. At the end of the study, the researcher hopes to find that participants receiving positive messages will show an improvement in their mood, attitudes, and self-esteem. They will also show a lower level of …

Measuring Gender Specific Perceptions Of Gender-Neutral Behavior, Bridget Haley, Bianca Basile

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Past research on breaking gender norms, descriptive and prescriptive gender norms, and gender specific sports have all neglected gender-neutral behavior. The objective of the study is to investigate perception of gender-neutral scenarios as gender specific. Forty participants (24 women and 16 men) were recruited in academic lobbies of Nova Southeastern University. In a survey, participants rated the masculinity, femininity, manliness, and gender equity of gender-neutral, sports-related scenarios performed by either a male or female actor. Both men and women rated gender-neutral acts as more masculine if a man was the actor and more feminine if a woman was the actor. …

Long Term Investment -Investing For A Better Future, Afroza Khan, Sonya Chacko

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Personal financial planning is an important factor in everyday life. Financial planning consists of two main aspects which are budgeting and investing. Budgeting is when an individual balances their expenses according to their earnings. Investing is when an individual uses a part of their earnings to increase their future income. As students we have researched on this subject and found that numerous amounts of students and business professionals lack understand in financial planning. The purpose of this project is to find the cause of lack in financial planning and to derive the solutions to overcome the problem. This will help …

Minimum Wage/Living Wage: History Of, Kenrick Raza, Neeketa Sheth, Aisha Syed

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The purpose of this research was to explain the concepts of living wage as well as minimum wage in the State of Florida. The history, purpose, effects, differences and comparisons with the poverty level, as well as pros and cons were discovered in the process. The research shows whether or not the living wage is sufficient to provide for the average American looking into standard living costs and expenses through out one year. The conclusion of the research suggests that the living wage is not sufficient for the average American in Florida, and even more so for the average American …

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 …

Linkage Of Restriction Site Polymorphisms At The Minisatellite D1s80 Locus In A Tamil Population From India, Nick Rocco

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In this study, we report the distribution of these polymorphisms in a Tamil population from India. SNP analysis was performed by RT-PCR utilizing a TaqMan® SNP Genotyping Assays kit from Applied Biosystems. Data was collected on a Corbett Rotor-Gene 3000. For most alleles analyzed, the restriction site haplotype polymorphisms were consistent with the assigned older allele types, allele 18 and 24. Appropriate restriction enzymes were used for restricting the PCR products which confirmed all SNP designations. The interesting finding in this study is that 98.5 % (197/200) of the alleles tested have a linkage of two specific polymorphisms. If an …

Global Warming - How Fluorescent Lights And Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles Can Make A Difference, Melissa Corrao, Legna Castaneda, Debbie Ali, Alexandra Timis

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Global warming is a world wide epidemic caused by anthropogenic factors that can be reduced or even eliminated to alleviate the fast paced progression of this harmful phenomenon. Society as a whole can make numerous lifestyle changes, two of which include the use of fluorescent light blubs and plug in hybrid cars. Fluorescent lights as opposed to incandescent, reduce the amount of heat emitted to the environment and the amount of electricity usage, which overall reduces CO₂ emission. Plug-in hybrid vehicles utilize a more fuel efficient battery thus minimizing the amount of harmful gases released into the atmosphere.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Emotional Influences On Cognitive Processing In Hiv-Infected Women, Kristen Dealmeida, Lara Murphy

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Although emotional impairment and cognitive decline are both commonly observed in HIV positive individuals, it is currently unclear how these two states influence each other. Poor performance on a cognitive task is often attributed to cognitive deficits when the root problem lies in emotional disturbances, particularly for HIV-infected women. Here, we propose to 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 will use electroencephalographic (EEG) event related brain potentials (ERPs) as the primary index of the influence of emotional processing on cognitive …

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 …

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.

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.

Determining The Impact Of Mineral Carbonation On Decreasing The Harmful Effects Of Global Warming, Myra Rafi, Sarah Silverstein, Nergess Taheri

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Global warming is a major dilemma that our environment is currently facing. This research presents mineral carbonation as one innovative solution in alleviating this issue. The purpose of mineral carbonation is to lessen the harmful effects of global warming. This is done by combining carbon dioxide with magnesium or calcium silicate minerals through a chemical reaction. This process converts carbon dioxide gas into a solid carbonate compound. The reactions aim is to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in turn lessening its negative effects. Mineral carbonation appears to be an effective method to decrease the harmful effects …

Conservation Of Porbeagle Sharks (Lamna Nasus) Worldwide By Species And Population Dna Forensic Testing, Lara Murphy

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) is an oceanic species inhabiting the temperate North Atlantic and most of the southern oceans. The high commercial value of its fins has led to severe population depletion in the North Atlantic from overfishing. The population status of southern hemisphere porbeagles, however, is unknown due to lack of fisheries monitoring. Due to mounting concerns about fishing impacts, this shark was placed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2007. However, an international petition to get porbeagle sharks listed on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) to require worldwide monitoring …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Characterization Of Polynucleotide Phosphorylase (Pnpase) And The Virulence Of Streptococcus Pyogenes, Jessica Blanco, Nick Rocco

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) is a 3’-5’ exoribonuclease that phosphorylyticly degrades mRNA molecules in bacteria and in eukaryotic organelles. Streptococcus pyogenes (a group A streptococcus [GAS]) is a Gram-positive human pathogen responsible for a plethora of syndromes ranging from the less-invasive pharyngitis (a.k.a strep throat) to severely invasive cases such as necrotizing fascitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Recently, PNPase was shown to be required for the decay of 2 S. pyogenes transcripts during late exponential growth: sagA and sda. The aforementioned transcripts were found to be stabilized (more abundant) in a pnpA mutant strain. Furthermore, the pnpA transcript was …

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 …

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 …

Antimicrobial Properties Of A Recently Patented Formulation, Nick Rocco, Richard Wheeler

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The threat posed by bacteria to human health is more unique today than ever. Multiple drug resistant strains of bacterial pathogens are quite common and lurk in a plethora of environments. To prevent transmission of these microbes, numerous hand gels, primarily alcohol based, have been designed to kill transient flora acquired through fomites. Because of the need for a more rapid and sustained microbial killing of certain exposed surfaces, an antimicrobial formulation has been developed that relies on short chain surfactants. We sought to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of this formulation on known surrogates of clinical significance. Bacteria or B. …

A Political Analysis Of The Jungle, Michael Bergbauer

Undergraduate Student Symposium

One may surmise that Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is a political text disguised as a novel. Its anti-capitalist agenda is not hidden and appears at every opportunity in the text. However, it does an effective job of accomplishing its goals through its stark realism in its portrayal of the downfall of one immigrant family. Sinclair’s book The Jungle confirms Marxist political critical theory: capitalism is a morally and economically flawed system, which is better replaced with socialism. However, although The Jungle enacted a lot of change for its time, a re-read in the present would not spark any new change. …

A Dream, Amy Harvey

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Written by Amy Harvey in 1999, the poem was inspired by the concept of the author’s image of an angel. The author’s hope is that it evokes interest in the ongoing question: “Do angels exist?”

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.