Digital Commons Network^™

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 Impact Of Doula Support On Maternal Mental Health, Neonatal Outcomes, And Epidural Use: Correlation With Mental Health Inventory-5 And Apgar Scores, Katherine Dookhan, Eesha Ramisetti, Rosselyn Perez, Rhea Hede-Sakhardande

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Maternal and neonatal health disparities disproportionately affect Black and biracial women in underserved communities, with higher rates of mental health challenges and adverse neonatal outcomes. This longitudinal cohort study examines the impact of doula support on maternal mental health, neonatal outcomes, and epidural use during labor. Participants are recruited from the Urban League of Broward County and the Broward Healthy Start Coalition in Florida and divided into two groups: those receiving doula support from 16 weeks of pregnancy to one month postpartum and those receiving standard care. Outcomes are assessed using the Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5) for maternal mental health, …

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 …

Training Alters Joint Power Distributions During Running In National Football League Draft Preparation Players, Jacob Haberer

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The aim of this study was to compare joint-specific contributions to total lower limb joint power during a speed run in American style football players before and after a 6-week National Football League (NFL) draft preparation camp. Fifty-two players performed one 5-second treadmill run at 5.5 – 6.5 m/s before and after camp. Speed was consistent between tests. Bilateral hip, knee, and ankle power generation (positive) and absorption (negative) were calculated from kinematics and kinetics using inverse dynamics. Negative total limb power decreased for both limbs, significantly for the left (Z = - 2.113, p = .035, r = …

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 …

Understanding The Healthcare Needs Of Lgbtq+ Adults In South Florida, Vir Patel, Emilee Tennen, Christina Bedley, Dhruv Edamadaka

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Adults over the age of 65 represent 18% of Broward County's population. Over 886,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) individuals live in Florida, with 43,000 LGBTQ+ seniors residing in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Lifetime stigma, discrimination, and structural stressors impacting their social determinants of health (SDOH) engender negative long-term health outcomes, such as elevated rates of mental health and substance abuse issues, among LGBTQ+ adults. The purpose of this study is to assess the SDOH that affect LGBTQ+ adults in South Florida and their interests in community health events. 110 LGBTQ+ adults who attended either the …

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, …

Write To Calm: How College Students Use Writing To Manage Stress And Anxiety, Tanvi Rudrangi

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Writing has gained attention for its mental health benefits, particularly among high-stress populations, such as adolescents and young adults. College students, facing academic pressures, social challenges, and transitions to adulthood, are an ideal group for studying the potential therapeutic impact of this practice. This study explores how college students use writing as a tool to manage stress and anxiety. The different forms of writing therapy, a technique involving writing to process emotions and experiences, that are explored in this study include free-form journaling, expressive writing (e.g., letters, personal essays, etc.), creative writing (e.g., poetry, stories, etc.), and structured writing, which …

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 …

Growth And Survival Of Sexually Propagated Land-Reared Brain Corals During An Intermediate Offshore Nursery Phase, Emma Horton

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Florida’s Coral Reef has degraded from significant stony coral loss due to global and local stressors, including heat stress, disease, and coastal development, leading to reduced natural coral recruitment. Assisted sexual propagation in land-based nurseries can increase the number of genetically unique corals available for restoration efforts. A grow-out phase, in which land-reared corals are placed into an offshore nursery before outplanting on the reef, is often employed to allow corals time to grow and acclimate to the ocean environment. However, research on the performance of recruits within offshore nursery settings remains limited. Here we examine the growth and survival …

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 …

Volleyball Serve Analysis Using A Wearable Electroencephalograph (Eeg) Device In Collegiate Athletes, Taylor Stockman

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The volleyball serve is a crucial skill within the sport. Service errors drastically change the momentum of the game, and understanding how to reduce these errors could create positive outcomes for players. The study will utilize the electroencephalograph (EEG) device to analyze brain activity and record the four types of brain waves: alpha, beta, theta, and delta. The added component of the self-report survey will aid in exploring individual differences of athlete’s connection between brain function and volleyball serves. The purpose of this study is to assess collegiate volleyball players brain function during volleyball serves using a wearable EEG. Participants …

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 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 …

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 …

Media Representation And Public Perception Of Supreme Court Decisions, Estrella G. Romero Barriola

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This research project explores how inadequate, or oversimplified media portrayals can distort public understanding of the United States Supreme Court’s (the Court) intricate decisions. Through a close examination of notable cases like Bush v. Gore and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in addition to other important rulings from the current 6-3 Court majority, the study investigates how partisan narratives and selective information shape public perception. It examines how media framing can obscure essential legal principles and foster misunderstandings about the judiciary’s function and neutrality. Furthermore, the project considers how the current Court, frequently viewed as favoring a particular ideological …

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 …

The Secret Service Industry: Reimagining Trade Secret Protections To Curb Exploitation In The Hospitality Industry, Caleb Graham

Georgia Journal of Law & Technology

This paper observes and analyzes the current discussion around the exuberant use of non-compete clauses in the business world by placing a focus on the hospitality industry and why, in an time where we are witnessing the demonization of non-competes it might be prudent to revisit and enhance trade secret laws to make them better equipped to handle the caseload that would inevitably come should non-competes be banned by the FTC. While the near-ban or complete ban of non-competes would certainly affect other industry fields and bodies of law, the hospitality industry is one that has been particularly scrutinized as …

The Effects Of Preventing Dephosphorylation Of Iqg1 On Cytokinesis, Jenna L. Mueller, Katie Shannon

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Ally Confrontation On Target Outcomes, Sophie Firle, Gemma Flores-Olivas

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Fractional Brownian Motion With Mean-Density Interaction, Jonathan House, Skirmantas Janusonis, Ralf Metzler, Thomas Vojta

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of An Iqg1 Phosphorylation Mutant, Lindsay Scheider, Alexis Ham, Katie Shannon

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

What's That Sound?: Characterizing Chemical Signals In Bradyrhizobium Japonicum Strains, Sophia Nicolette Militante

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

2025 - 1st Annual Miners Solving For Tomorrow Research Conference, Ellen Afful, Ashish Kumar Kakoria, Michael S. Moats, Guang Xu, Mohammad Hossein Afsharmovahed, Ritesh Sharma, Nguyen Son, Genda Chen, Joseph Akor, Varuni Abhayaratne, Tong Zhou, Sophia Yang, Honglan Shi, Joel Gerard Burken, Paul Ki-Souk Nam, Mahmuda Aktar, Debjyoti Sengupta, Anurag Satpathy, Sajal K. Das, Milad Aghayi Anaraki, Amitava Choudhury, Mobashir Ahmed, Cianne Arnau, Davide Vigano, Carson Arnold, S. Koju, David D. Duvernell, Kolawole Arowoogun, Katherine R. Grote, Jeremy Maurer, Amaneh Babaee, Grace Hall, Daniel Burton Shank, Casey I. Canfield, Parker Barnes, Phillip R. Mulligan, Avery Lyons, Markus Baur, Sutapa Bhattacharya, Aleksandr V. Chernatynskiy, Amitava Choudhury, Shane Cairns, Leonardo Enzo Brito Da Salva, Sasha Petrenko, Donald C. Wunsch, Bahaa Chammout, Islam H. El-Adaway, William Charlesworth, Prithbay Dey, David Lee Enke, Allie Dingfield, Alexandar Djidjev, Nathan Hellwege, Aidan Dollar, Effat Eskandari, Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Godwin Ifeanyi Ogbuehi, Steven Achterberg, Monday Uchenna Okoronkwo, Philip D. Whitefield, Alireza Fallahi, David Bayless, Ali Fasihi, Nicolas Ali Libre, Sophie Firle, Gemma Flores-Olivas, Celia Freed, Clair Reynolds Kueny, Love Gami, Collin Gentry, Kamdem George, Stephen Y. Owusu, A. B. M. Shaheen Ud Doulah, Vaibhav A. Edlabadkar, Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis, Eyuel Getahun, Jessica Cundiff, Jenny Davis, Carter Glynn, Nick Graham, Katharine Gray, Katie Shannon, Lucas Greiner, Charmayne E. Lonergan, Jennifer Harrell, Matthew S. Thimgan, Milo Hathaway, Justin Pope, Jacob Hauck, Yafang Hei, Ahmad Heidari, Matik Heskin, K. Chandrashekhara, Richard Billo, Ming-Chuan Leu, Thomas P. Schuman, Cole Hopper, Jonathan House, Skirmantas Jano'sonis, Ralf Metzler, Thomas Vojta, Aamir Iqbar, Syed Tahla Riaz, Ashish Kakoria, Rajarshi Kar, Amideddin Nouralishashi, Harish Singh, Manashi Nath, Emma Kettler, Mariam K. Al-Lami, Joel G. Burken, Carter Lawson, Haodao Li, Hossein Libre, William Petzoldt, Sara Mccauley, Julia Mcintyre, Jennifer J. Harrell, Gracie M. James, Danielle Gines, Catherine E. Johnson, Julie A. Semon, Sophia Nicolette Militante, Jenna Mueller, Kiernan O'Boyle, Yaqi Zhu, Landon Oelschlaeger, Gayla R. Olbricht, V. A. Samaranayake, Adeyinka Olaseinde, Emmanuel Olugbade, Nuzaer Omar, Maryam Shariff Paroushi, Megan Percy, Galayna Baur, Elizabeth Pritchett, William Fahrenholtz, Greg Hilmas, Steven M. Smith, Abid Hasan Rafi, David W. Lipke, Jeremy Lee Watts, Syed Talha Riaz, Cole Rischbieter, Caleb Roberts, Tyler Rowden, Stephen Sankpill, Joshua Santy, Lindsay Schneider, Alexis Ham, Anna Schroeter, Amitav Sen, Ace Cannon, Aidan Sengupta, Noah Sparks, Lei Xu, Hu Yang, Nathan Tibbetts, Satish Puri, Nathan Truong, Punit Turtapati, Lucas Ethington, Lana Herkenhoff, Braden Stillmaker, Joseph Villarreal, Victoria Wegley, R. Joe Stanley, Jason Hagerty, Henry M. Willie, Jarod Wortmann, Khosro Ghorbani Zadeh, Yun Seong Song, Songtao Zhang, Jun Yao, Pengfei Wen, Xinyu Fen, Jiaxing Ban, Siqi Zhang, Geoffrey Sunahara, Wen Ni, Tong Zhou, Varuni Abhayarayne, Joseph Akor, John Yang

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Vibration Amplitude In The Escape-Hatching Response Of Red-Eyed Treefrog Embryos, Julie Jung, Michael S. Caldwell, Gregrory Mcdaniel, Karen Warkentin

Biology Faculty Publications

Red-eyed treefrogs hatch early when attacked by snake or wasp egg predators. They use vibrations generated by attacks to identify these threats but other, harmless environmental disturbances also produce strong vibrations within egg clutches. This study examines the complex ways embryos use vibrations amplitude information to ensure they hatch only when a real threat is present.

Elucidating The Antibiofilm Characteristics Of A Carbon Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Surface And A Copper-Coated Carbon Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Surface, Lucy Christena Bowden

Theses and Dissertations

Post-surgical implant-associated infections cause considerable patient morbidity and mortality. These infections are often caused by biofilm-forming bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Bacterial biofilms are resistant to immune clearance and are a reservoir of antibiotic resistance. Implant materials that resist bacterial colonization may be able to improve patient outcomes. Carbon infiltrated carbon nanotubes (CICNT) are a potential surface modification for medical implants. The work presented in this dissertation focuses on characterizing the antibiofilm effect of the CICNT surface, better understanding its mechanism of action, and characterizing the enhanced antibiofilm effect of a copper-coated CICNT surface. S. aureus biofilms …

Are We There Yet? A Maturity Model For Continuous Process Monitoring And Learning In Biologics Manufacturing, Jack Prior

Microbial Engineering III (MEIII)

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract.