Digital Commons Network^™

Methyl Group Substituent Effect On The Basicity Of Meso-Substituted Porphyrins, Krisha Patel, Rochelle Avezki, Tej Chaudhari, Alex Arshavsky

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Titration studies of three freebase porphyrins (meso-tetra-2-methylphenyl, meso-tetra-3-methylphenyl, meso-tetra-4-methylphenyl) were carried out to determine the corresponding basicity in solution with a nonpolar solvent (toluene). The differences in the porphyrin structure lie within the position of the substituents, specifically the position of the methyl group. In each trial, protonation of the porphyrins was reached through the repeated addition of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). In examining the protonation of these different isomers, the pKa values were determined through a spectrophotometric analysis. The apparent pKa values were found using the modified Henderson-Hasselbalch equation.

Modeling The Function Of Ryanodine Receptor 2 And Its Role In Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (Cpvt) Heart Disease, Harani Athwale, Dillen-Preetesh Patel, Sai Puneeth Kothuru

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT) is a potentially fatal condition linked to a mutation in the Ryanodine receptor (RyR2), the largest calcium ion channel known, which is crucial for heart function. The RyR2 protein is made of four similar subunits. Mutations in RyR2 can cause the channels to "leak," disrupting normal heart rhythms. In individuals with this mutation, the combination of caffeine intake and exercise can worsen these effects, leading to sudden cardiac arrest. With the RyR2 receptor located on the sarcoplasmic reticulum of cardiac muscle, the mutation prevents the receptor from fully closing, which hyperpolarizes the membrane and disrupts …

Olive Oil To Carbon Dots: A Renewable Pathway In Green Chemistry, Srika Saai Talanki, Amaan Khan, Aryan Rathi, María Guillén-Méndez, Tasfia Tazri Howlader, Pierce Canavan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Olive oil, rich in triglycerides like oleic acid, is well-known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, yet its potential in nanoparticle synthesis is underexplored. This study focuses on synthesizing fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) from extra virgin olive oil using a bottom-up approach. Cdots are valued for their unique optical, physical, and chemical properties, making them suitable for applications in semiconductors, biomedical research, food packaging, and LED technology. The synthesis involved heating a mixture of olive oil, citric acid, and ethylenediamine at 180°C for 72 hours. The resulting C-dots underwent purification through liquid-liquid extraction and freeze-drying, yielding water-free, oily fluorescent carbon …

Persistent Organic Pollutants (Pops) Profiling Of Alaskan Pink Salmon, Tulsi Modi, Aleena Thomas, Tejaswi Achanta

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxins that bioaccumulate in the environment and are resistant to degradation. Of the POPs, there are 209 congeners each of either polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), contributing to human detriment and dysfunction to vital organs in the human body. Individual POPs have been completely banned by the 2004 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, however, levels have remained consistent over the years. The pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) samples used in this study are acquired from three different river locations: Hilda Creek, Salmon River, and Sheep Creek. Hilda Creek is in …

Predictive Toxicological Analysis Of Novel Prostate Cancer Drug, Dani Sheil

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in men in the United States, claiming approximately 1 in 44 lives. While novel cancer therapies aim to selectively target cancer cells, minimizing damage to healthy tissues, these treatments can still cause significant side effects. The drug discovery process remains costly and time-intensive, with only 10-20% of compounds making it from clinical trials to market, often due to toxicity issues that arise during later-stage testing. To address this, computational methods in predictive toxicology can expedite drug development by assessing potential toxic effects early, reducing costs and risks. In this study, we …

Quantifying Coral Live Tissue Cover At Cano Island, Costa Rica, Tehya Fulcher, Abigayle Groth

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Coral reefs are essential marine ecosystems, serving as a reservoir of biodiversity while providing habitat and nourishment for associated benthic and demersal species. This research quantifies scleractinian coral live tissue cover at Caño Island, Costa Rica. Two study sites encompassing 225m², one shallow (4m depth) and one deep (11m depth), were each surveyed in January 2024 using GoPro Hero 11 cameras. Two photomosaics were created from several thousand smaller images (3,644 shallow and 3,888 deep) using AgisoftMetashape. Live coral tissue area was calculated using TagLab, documenting 53.09 m² and 58.16 m² in the shallow and deep …

Reproductive Outcomes In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Melanie Mendonca, Esperanza Barrios, Chana Vogel, Victoria Pulido-Correa

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease lacking effective treatment. Despite women having 2x greater risk for developing AD, few studies have investigated the sex-specific factors that influence AD risk. Reports show a difference in the risk and progression of AD in parents and nonparents, suggesting motherhood may mitigate the risk and impacts of AD, but alternative explanations could play a role. For example, healthier and wealthier people may have more reproductive opportunities and less disease risk. Moreover, genes that alter disease risk could also modify fertility/fecundity, such as APOE4, a gene that increases both AD risk and fertility. …

Seizure Vulnerability In A C. Elegans Obesity Model, Carina Pavlov, Jeremy Ignatius, Scarlet Jinhong Park Ph.D.

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, characterized by hyperglycemia due to defects in insulin secretion, affect millions of people and increasingly more. Epidemiological studies have shown that individuals with diabetes have a higher risk of developing epilepsy, a neurological disorder where recurrent seizures occur. Conversely, many antiepileptics affect glucose and lipid metabolism.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a model organism suited for studying metabolic and neurological disorders, due to its genetic tractability, short life cycle, and conserved signaling pathways. Although previous studies have developed and used genetic and diet-induced obesity models in C. elegans, none …

Size At Sexual Maturity Of The Bluntnose Stingray (Hypanus Say) And The Atlantic Stingray (Hypanus Sabinus) From The Indian River Lagoon, Florida, Katelyn Mckimmy, Jordan Zulli, Jessica Schieber

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Bluntnose (Hypanus say) and Atlantic (Hypanus sabinus) stingrays in Family Dasyatidae are benthic species found in abundant numbers in the Indian River Lagoon, a major estuarine ecosystem along the Atlantic coast of Florida. Although the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem is experiencing increasing anthropogenic pressures and effects on local habitats from climate change, data specifically regarding H. say and H. sabinus life histories are currently lacking. Using specimens collected monthly from a collaboration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, average size at sexual maturity was assessed for both sexes of H. say (n = 126) …

Social Humanoids And Human Interactions: Investigating The Role Of Trust, Persuasion, And Empathy In Fostering Healthy Behaviors Among College Students, Nitya Alaparthy, Anvita Kalepalli, Walter Chang, Vinay Manlapudi, Savri Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The exposure of social humanoid robots introduces a wide variety of interactive opportunities by utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered automatons/automated machines to enhance both the quality and simplicity of human lives. Using AI systems, humanoid robots can be programmed to execute various tasks autonomously, ranging from assisting with administrative and clerical tasks, clinical and healthcare tasks, social interaction and emotional support tasks, as well as educational and training tasks, amongst others. With successful integration into healthcare settings, current research explores employing social humanoids to add social dimensions to patient care, fostering human-like interactions. Researchers are assessing the quality of interactions between …

The Brain's Plasticity Past The Cortex: Investigating The Portrayal Of Glial Cells In Neuroplasticity And Disease Rehabilitation, Sofia Valladares

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Neuroplasticity, the brain’s capability to reorganize and create new neural connections, has consistently been assigned to neurons. Still, up-and-coming research highlights the important role of glial cells: astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes, in adjusting synaptic plasticity, carrying out neuronal survival, and clearing the way for network reconstruction. This research aims to investigate how glial cells influence and contribute to the brain’s flexible response and evaluate their possible future as therapeutic targets for conditions like traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease. Glial cells have proved to regulate neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity, and neuronal network reconstruction, proposing their potential as treatment objectives. By …

The Effects Of Lysogenic Bacteriophages On Gordonia Rubripertincta Superinfection Immunity, Nathalia Gonzalez, Harami Athwale, Joshua Dinh, Rithvik Jarugula, Julian Oliver Bozek, Julia St. Clair, Mitchell Thenor

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern in the field of medicine, making an increasing demand for alternative treatments to antibiotics. One option is phage therapy, the use of viruses that specifically kill bacteria. Bacteriophages present two life cycles: lytic, where they rupture the cell, and lysogenic, where they sneak into the host's DNA and remain dormant. Temperate phage can alternate between the two life cycles and when lysogenic can prevent other phages from infecting the bacteria, providing the bacteria with superinfection immunity. This lowers phage therapy’s effectiveness. Our goal is to determine if novel phages that infect Gordonia rubripertincta, …

The Impact Of A Healthy Intervention And Psychotherapy On Cardiovascular Disease In Ptsd Individuals, Radiah Patwary

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Significant research indicates a relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Those affected with PTSD have been found to show higher patterns of CVD risk earlier in life compared to the general population. Interventions need to be developed to reduce the risk of CVD in PTSD individuals. Although there has been research regarding the elevated CVD risk in PTSD, little research has been done addressing CVD risk reduction in the same population. To tackle this issue, adjunctive treatments, such as health behavior interventions, may be required in addition to traditional psychotherapy for PTSD to reduce overall …

The Role Of Future Time Perspective And Social Support In Shaping Psychological Well-Being During Emerging Adulthood, Amala Vadukumcherry, Japji G. Madan, Kaleigh Cummings, Riya Vadaliya

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The present study explores the associations between future time perspective and perceptions of social support and their influence on psychological well-being in emerging adulthood. The sample consisted of 334 emerging-adults between the ages of 18-25(average-age18.76years, 267women). Subjects completed self-report measures of future time perspective, perceptions of social support, and psychological well-being.

Regression-results indicate that social-support and future time perspective together predict psychological well-being. Follow up tests using the procedures recommended by Aiken and West (1991) indicate that social support moderated the links between future time perspective and psychological well-being.

Specifically, emerging-adults with low-medium family support who see their future as …

The Universal Mass Function And Its Applicability To Organic Molecules, Gabrielle Andrews, Taylor Butler

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The ability to predict the yield when synthesizing an organic molecule is a challenging issue in organic chemistry and a major obstacle when planning multi-step organic synthesis. The Universal Mass Function (UMF) states that cosmic objects are in direct relation to each other and suggests that massive objects are much rarer than objects with lower masses. As a result, the following research aims to examine if the UMF theory is applicable to the field of organic chemistry, specifically to the yield prediction. The primary reaction conducted was completed in an aprotic environment. This reduction was performed on several different ketone …

Trends And Disparities In Preventative Oral Health Across Demographics: Unveiling And Analyzing 24 Years Of Data In The Us (1999-2023), Tania Anousheh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Oral health is a fundamental component of our overall well-being. Not only can it greatly influence our physical health but also the emotional, psychological, and socioeconomic aspects of our lives. Despite advancements in dental care, we have noted that there is limited research on how demographic factors impact our oral health behaviors, with underrepresented populations often excluded from large-scale studies. Recognizing this critical gap, we will examine trends in oral health preventive behaviors in the United States from 1999 through 2023, using data from over 106,289 surveys in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We will use RStudio …

Uncovering Alzheimer's One Sense At A Time, Maya Totev, Marcus Marek Tortorella, Dylan Kurni

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting 55 million people worldwide and is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. Without effective interventions, diagnoses are expected to quadruple by 2050. One major barrier to treatment is the difficulty of detecting AD early, limiting the opportunity for timely intervention prior to the accumulation of significant, irreversible brain pathology. Therefore, developing specific, sensitive biomarkers is crucial for early diagnosis as it enables timely intervention and can potentially slow disease progression. Electronic-senses (E-senses) technology, which mimic human senses like olfaction and gustation, show promise in detecting changes in health …

Unraveling The Complexities Of Gulf War Illness: Insights From Symptom Clustering And Laboratory Analysis, Anushka Agrawal

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic condition impacting a subset of veterans who served during the Gulf War of 1990–1991. Exposure to extreme stress, endocrine-disrupting chemical agents, and mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) has been implicated in the development of persistent and overlapping symptoms. Understanding the associations between symptoms and laboratory findings is critical for developing more effective therapeutic strategies.

In this study, observational analysis was conducted on a cohort of GWI veterans to explore potential biomarkers and symptom patterns. The dataset included self-reported health surveys (SF36, MFI-100), laboratory panels (cortisol stress tests, cytokine profiles, CD cells, lymphocytes, monocytes, …

Yoga Nidra As A Non-Pharmacological Intervention For Improving Mood, Bharath Kumar, Reddy Burri, Shravya Konatam

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Yoga Nidra, a meditative practice blending relaxation and guided imagery, has shown potential as a non-invasive, accessible intervention for stress and mood disorders. This study investigated the effects of Yoga Nidra (iRest) on psychological mood and physiological markers, focusing on its neural engagement and sleep modulation in a sample of 21 college-age participants (6 males). Participants completed a Yoga Nidra condition involving EEG and EDA monitoring, followed by mood assessments using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Neural activity patterns indicated that higher alpha and beta wave engagement during Yoga Nidra were associated with improved vigor and reduced fatigue and …

Percent Cover Of Porifera Species On Red Mangrove Roots In Key Largo, Lindsay Scherer, Jayleen Spaulding, Charlotte Gifford, Marissa Langnickel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Sponges (Porifera) and mangroves (Rhizophoraceae) have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship: the mangrove provides a stable habitat for the sponge and carbon needed for sponge growth, while the sponge provides inorganic nitrogen necessary for mangrove development. Understanding the relationship between these species is important because this relationship allows both to grow faster and thrive in their environment. This study used photographs of quadrats framing the target species to investigate the percent coverage of Porifera on mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) roots in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Florida. It was expected that there …

The Therapeutic Potential Of Telmisartan On Male And Female Mice Subjected To A High Fat Diet, Julianna Bonetti, Ariana Hernandez, Iliana Uribe, Victoria Pulido-Correa, Chana Vogel, Natalia Noto

Undergraduate Student Symposium

A high-fat diet gives rise to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors for developing obesity, type II diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia resulting in cardiovascular disease. Overactivation of the brain renin-angiotensin system (b-RAS), mainly through the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT₁R), causes vasoconstriction and neuroinflammation, thereby increasing the likelihood of neurodegenerative disorders. Telmisartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) that is selective for the AT₁R type, typically used to treat hypertension, can also reduce weight gain, while improving dyslipidemia and glucose metabolism in male mice fed a high-fat diet. However, whether telmisartan can reverse behavioral changes …

Women Reclaiming Identity In A Dehumanizing Healthcare System, Neelima Tyagi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This examination of two-twentieth century pathographies explores the transformative role of narrative in reclaiming identity within a dehumanizing healthcare system, with a focus on women’s experiences. By analyzing Cortney Davis’s essay, “Becoming Flora: When the Written Narrative Is Our Own,” and Amy Haddad’s poem, “What If They Said?” the comparative review underscores how women’s narratives of illness illuminate the challenges of navigating the roles of caregiver and patient. Davis recounts her personal journey as a caregiver crossing the fragile boundary into patienthood, emphasizing shared vulnerability and empathy as a means of redefining identity. Conversely, Haddad uses vivid metaphors to portray …

Spend/Thrift, Jocelyn Saccucci, Mia Alvarado, Matthew Mccall

Undergraduate Student Symposium

In this short documentary, Mako TV talks to college-age South Florida locals to find out why thrifting is becoming popular among them. People cite many different reasons for wanting to purchase items secondhand, with the most prevalent being the lower cost. Many individuals struggle with financial hardships and find thrifting an easier solution than buying items from firsthand stores. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic, there are unique difficulties that owners of local thrift stores face with keeping their stores open. The documentary shows that any stigma that previous generations may have had about thrift stores is not as common with …

The Role Of Attachment And Self-Esteem In Identity Development Among Emerging Adults, Akhila Nalluri, Preetham Gopu, Charvi Thumati

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Emerging adulthood, a transitive period between 18 and 25 years, is widely considered a period marked by change, experimentation, exploration, and development. Attachment theory postulates that relationships between children and their caregivers are crucial for the organization/representation of the self. Extant research indicates that secure parent-child-relationships and identity-development co-exist during emerging-adulthood. Self-esteem has also been associated with secure identity-formation. While there is considerable research on the associations between parent-child relationships and identity formation, as well as self-esteem and identity-formation, relatively little is known about the combined effects of parent-child relationships and self-esteem on identity-development during emerging-adulthood.

The present study explores …

A Man In The Woods: Individual Differences In Women's Distress Response To Unknown Men, Tamara Bogdanova, Brianna Muñoz, Ned Vaitkevicius

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between distress and perceived danger in modern humans since previous research has shown that threats have various effects on an individual’s thoughts and behaviors. We hypothesized that women would report greater changes in distress after reading a story in which they are confronted with an unknown man compared to after reading a story in which they interact with a friend. Additionally, we hypothesized that women’s change in distress would be moderated by individual difference variables such as mate value. Using an experimental vignette methodology, data provide preliminary support for both …

Effect Of Dopamine On Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activity And Thiol Metabolites In Human Thp-1 Macrophages, Grace K. Wong, Emily H. Guirguis

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Neuroinflammation plays an important role in aging and neurological disorders across the lifespan and the NLRP3 inflammasome has been closely linked to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases and is a potential target for therapy. The neurotransmitter dopamine regulates production of inflammatory cytokines in an age-dependent manner and in neurons dopamine is stored in a complex with ATP and both are released during neuronal activity. ATP promotes NLRP3 inflammasome activity via the P2X7 receptor. However, the combined influence of dopamine and ATP on inflammasome activity has not been previously investigated. The goal of this study was to examine lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NLRP3 …

Effects Of Reproductive Experience On Cognitive-Behavioral Outcomes In Mouse Models Of Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias, Chana Vogel, Esperanza Barrios, Ariana Hernandez, Natalia Noto

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, are devastating conditions lacking safe and effective treatments. Despite the striking sex/gender difference in the prevalence of dementia, few studies have investigated sex-specific factors that may influence the greater risk and faster progression of disease in females. These factors include but are not limited to prior pregnancy and motherhood. Women with children have slower rates of cognitive decline and lower risk for developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia than women with no children. However, other studies have reported mixed results, suggesting that the influence of reproductive/maternal experience may depend on an individual’s number …

Evaluating Diagnostic And Treatment Timelines For Alk-Positive Nsclc Patients: Results From A Global Registry For Consideration In The Journal Of Clinical Lung Cancer, Swara Chindhade, Aula Alqased

Undergraduate Student Symposium

ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is an aggressive subtype affecting younger, nonsmoking individuals. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are essential treatments; however, global data on comorbidities, diagnosis, treatment, and intervals from initial medical visits to TKI treatment remain limited. This study examines symptoms, comorbidities, and treatment timelines to identify factors contributing to delays in TKI treatment. We conducted a longitudinal observational study using a global registry of ALK-positive NSCLC patients via online surveys from September 2022 to November 2024. Participants were recruited through support groups, patient newsletters, and oncologist referrals. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analyses evaluated the impact of …

Examining The Impact Of Volleyball-Specific Movements On Landing Using Vert Wearable Technology, Camille Fonseca

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The sport of volleyball involves constant vertical and lateral motion, as it requires players to attack, block, or serve a ball. The frequency of jumps and landings creates stress on the body, predisposing female athletes to lower extremity injuries. Additionally, volleyball-specific movements such as the slide, swing block, and 7-ball, may cause injury. The purpose of this study is to assess jumps and landings from volleyball-specific movements in female collegiate volleyball athletes using VERT wearable technology. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Volleyball athletes wore the VERT device collecting data on performance and workload during team practices and games including …

Exploring Dual-Language Testing And Verbal Ability Performance In Non-Native English Speakers, Jaylyn Marte, Andrea Fajardo Aguilar

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Research suggests that Spanish/English bilinguals do not perform as well as English-speaking monolinguals on tests of verbal ability. Even when born, raised, and educated in the US, Spanish/English bilinguals do not perform as well as monolinguals. The current study was designed to investigate whether: (1) Spanish/English bilingual college students improve their performance on verbal ability tests when given the opportunity to respond in either of their two languages relative to responding only in English; and (2) do they perform similar to monolinguals under dual language testing. A previous study from our laboratory used the Bilingual Verbal Ability Test (BVAT) which …