The Evolution of the Modern Support Group
This research project examines the evolution of the modern medical support group as social media continues to take a more central part in support group activity. The purpose of this project is to determine whether online support groups are pushing the bounds of support groups or if they are evolving the very definition…
Determining the Toxicity of Natural Products on Caenorhabditis elegans in the Search for New Anthelmintic Drug Leads
This project aims to discover new molecules from microbial extracts that prove toxic to C. elegans yet harmless to mammals. First, fractionation of natural products produced by cultures of fungal and bacterial strains was performed and were analyzed using mass spectrometry…
MELK Inhibition in MLL-rearranged ALL
MLL-rearranged Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a subset of leukemia characterized by a translocation of the MLL gene and an aberrant gene expression profile. Patients with this type of ALL face a poorer prognosis and limited treatment options. One possible target for treatment is FLT3, a receptor tyrosine kinase frequently upregulated in MLL-r ALL…
Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Airway Inflammation in Individuals with Asthma
Chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma are highly vulnerable to exacerbations by psychological stress and have high comorbidity with mood and anxiety disorders. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), the leading meditation training in healthcare settings, has been shown to decrease stress, reduce psychological symptoms, and improve physical symptoms….
Alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulation of Descending Pain Control Pathways
The ventrolateral Periaqueductal Gray (vlPAG) is a midbrain structure in the descending pathway that modulates chronic and acute pain. vlPAG plays a critical role in pain transmission via projections to the Rostral Ventromedial Medulla (RVM), which projects to spinal cord. Existing research demonstrates that vlPAG neurons express α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs), and activation of these receptors produces anti-nociception with efficacy similar to opioids…
Wear-Resistant Coating of Copper for Energy Applications
Copper is a metal that is often used as a mold for the continuous casting where the application temperature is significantly high. Because it is hard to predict mechanical properties of Cooper at the elevated temperature, actual investigation on its properties should be entailed. High temperature mechanical performance and inter-diffusion effect of copper-based alloys that had Ni or Ni/Co as the coating were investigated to estimate changes of their structure at the elevated temperature, which is similar to the environment of their application.
A Walk in the Park or a Day at the Mall: The Effects of the Environment on Affect and Impulsivity
The external physical environment has been shown to have tangible effects on our health, cognitive abilities, and our emotions. Exposure to nature tends to have salutatory, or beneficial, effects on cognitive performance, while exposure to urban environments does not usually carry these same benefits. This study examined the connections between the environment and emotions…
Racial Disparities in Access to Mortgages
Despite the explicit prohibition of racial discrimination in the mortgage market, concerns about racial disparities in access to mortgages persist. Using loan-level data from 2018, I explore the relationship between race and mortgage application outcomes in the United States. To econometrically estimate how race is associated with mortgage access, two outcome variables are used: the probability of a loan application being denied and the interest rate of an originated loan…
Development of the Early Neural Tube During Chick Embryogenesis
In partnership with Dr. Timothy Sanders, MD, PhD, this study sought to further reveal the unknown mechanisms of neural tube closure in vertebrate embryos. As the neural tube develops, an array of complex morphogenetic movements leads to changes in cell morphology and cell fate. These changes result in epithelial fusion of opposing specialized structures known as neural folds, leading to the creation of two separate structures: the neural tube and the non-neural ectoderm.
Radiator Energy Modelling with Wireless Open-Source Sensors
The purpose of the research is to develop an efficient, economical method of determining the energy consumption of the steam radiators in Alumni Memorial Hall. Custom printed circuit boards (PCBs) were designed and assembled to act as sensors for measuring the air temperature of rooms and the surface temperature of radiators….
Aortic Surface Geometry as an Indicator of Successful Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair
Acute type B aortic dissections (TBAD) are a challenging clinical problem. Medical management has remained the mainstay treatment of uncomplicated TBAD for decades. With the advent of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), the role of surgery is increasing. A challenge with endovascular repairs, unlike traditional open operations, is monitoring aortic remodeling post-intervention…
Seeing Green: The Influence of Natural Environments on Restoring Visual Attention
Modern life typically involves high levels of visual attention, which can consequently become depleted and fatigued. According to Attention Restoration Theory nature can have a restorative effect on some forms of directed attention. These studies investigates whether virtual visual exposure to nature can have a restorative effect on visual attention…
Academic Buoyancy in Conceptually Difficult Math Learning: Exploring Students’ Self-Disclosed Emotions, Beliefs, and Perceptions
Academic Buoyancy (AB) is defined as a student’s ability to achieve favorable outcomes despite everyday academic stressors, such as poor performance on an assessment or receiving negative feedback. The study of AB is critical given that it has been shown to effectively mediate the effects of academic stress. While some measures of AB exist, none have incorporated student narratives as a means of identifying patterns of AB in classroom settings…
Role of Health Insurance Status in Perceived Barriers to Mammography Among African American Women
Breast cancer represents a major health concern in African American communities. In the United States, incidence rates of breast cancer tend to be higher in White women when compared to African American women. Yet, African American women still experience higher mortality rates on average. This disparity that affects these communities emphasizes the need to understand the barriers that individuals face in regard to accessing breast cancer screenings…
Language, Identity, and Summer Camp: A Comparative Study
In August of 2016, the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University published a survey of North American Jewish summer camps entitled Connection, Not Proficiency. Groundbreaking in its area of study, the report explains the religio-cultural as well as linguistic setting of Jewish summer camps, eventually concluding that the camps tend to focus on identity-reaffirmation rather than perfectionism…
Using Microfluidic Devices to Model and Investigate Leaky Gut Syndrome
Leaky Gut Syndrome develops when the permeability of the intestine increases allowing bacteria and toxins to leak into the bloodstream. Current methods used to investigate leaky gut are insufficient because they do not properly model the intestinal environment. Conversely, microfluidic devices are incredibly useful because the cells function better, the devices enable more efficient co-culture with other cells and bacteria, and only a small number of cells are required to obtain the results over traditional cultures…
Inverted Pendulum Aerofoil in a Flow-field
This project explores the dynamics of an unstable system which is a fluid dynamic equivalent to an inverted pendulum. We consider an aerofoil that can freely pitch about its trailing edge. The system was modelled using Theodorsen’s theory of unsteady aerodynamics. A controller is designed based on this model, which allows for the unstable system to be stabilized through heaving motion at the trailing edge. These controllers are tested on high fidelity numerical simulations to validate the viability of this approach…
Applying Machine Learning To Analyze Cell Deformation In Microchannels
This project seeks to investigate whether a machine learning algorithm is capable of differentiating cancer cells by their biomechanical properties as well as identify the type of microscopy best suited for this task. Microfluidics channels have been used to detect and analyze cell deformation that is highly dependent on cell type and health. HL-60 leukemia cell stiffness and biomechanics are known to be correlated to the stage and progression of the cancer…
Antiretroviral Medication Adherence in Shalom Delhi’s Home-Based Care Program
HIV/AIDS has been a significant public health issue for India since 1986. The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) was founded in 1992 to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. By 2004, NACO offered free antiretroviral treatment (ART) to all people living with HIV (PLWH) in India. Due to the program’s success, there was a 71% drop in HIV related mortalities between 1995 and 2017(Karade 2018). However, an estimated 0.21 % of people in India are still living with HIV as of 2017(naco.gov)…