Course Description

Science Research Program – Grades 9, 10, 11, 12


Full Year – Level H: Incoming freshman and sophomore students must apply for admission to this program in January of the prior academic year. Acceptance into the program will be based on a science teacher recommendation, a written essay, and excellent academic grades.


This is an ongoing program that is taken in conjunction with the student’s regular science course. There are several tiers to the program. During Year 1 students learn the components of scientific research including the scientific method and apply these concepts in various settings including designing and conducting an authentic science research project and communicating results by participation in at least one local science fair. Students also explore various applications of science topics through field trips, guest speakers and class projects. Advanced students (Years 2-4) select their science research topic, locate an out-of-school mentor (either in industry or at a local university) and compete in a variety of science fairs including the CT State Science Fair, Southern CT Invitational Science and Engineering Fair (SCSEF) and the CT Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (CT JSHS). Advanced students pursue their selected research in depth, perform statistical analysis and compete at a number of local and/or national science fairs and competitions. In Years 2, 3, and 4 students are grouped together in a non-traditional classroom setting and are required to meet individually outside of class with their Science Research Instructor biweekly to review individual goals and assess progress. All students participate in the culminating annual activity, Amity’s Science Symposium.


Monday, November 4, 2013

2013-14 Advanced SRP Research Proposals

Please place your 2013-14 Research Proposal on this Post. Proposals should be approximately 250 words. Be sure to include your name (or initials) and research title followed by a single paragraph including:

Background/Motivation

Research Question
Hypothesis
Variables
Methods
Location/Mentor 

Your name (if posting as anonymous)

51 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vimratha Teepireddy

    Investigating the Relationship between Self-Concept and Academic Levels


    Self-concept is a term referring to how a person sees or evaluates themselves. Academic levels in Amity High School consist of levels honors, advanced placement, 1, 2, and 3. Advanced placement being the level that requires most independent work done by students and level three being the level in which the students tend to learn at a slower pace than the other levels. Researchers Herbert W. Marsh and Marjorie Seaton have suggested in their literary work (2007, University of Western Sydney) that both academic self-concept and academic achievements are interrelated and that both had a significant effect on the each other. Research conducted at the University of Georgia, by Joseph C. Bledsoe, suggests that in grades four and six the students have low yet positive correlation between their self-concept and their academic achievement. This study will investigate whether or not a student’s idea of self-concept affects/ is affected by the class levels that s/he is placed in? It is hypothesized that students placed in lower levels will have a more negative sense of self-concept than those in higher levels. The independent variable in this experiment would be the class level. The dependent variable would be the sense of self-concept. To conduct this study, students from three different class levels, of the same subject, will be given a questionnaire to complete. The questionnaire will be developed from credible self-concept tools that were used in prior studies in this field. The questionnaire will ask questions that reflect upon the students’ position academically. The questionnaires will then be collected and analyzed statistically, possibly by a linear regression or ANOVA. The research will be conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Sudha Sreenivasan.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Leah Miller
    The Relationship between Marsh Grass Stem Density
    and Biomass in Elevated Temperatures
    This project is a continuation of the Effects of Warming on Marsh Grass (Spartina patens) Stem Density project, in which it was found elevated temperatures had a negative effect on the stem density of marsh grass. This project will explore the relationship between the stem density of marsh grass, Spartina patens and the biomass of the same grass, when samples are grown in a warmer climate compared to a regular marsh climate. The independent variable is whether the samples are from a sheltered plot or not. The dependent variable is the stem density and species biomass of the samples. It is hypothesized that the species biomass and density of marsh grass in elevated temperatures are correlated. This project would be completed in marshes along the Long Island Coast, each with 10-20 plots planned, half sheltered like a greenhouse to raise the temperature, the others unsheltered at marsh temperature, controls. Subplots of grass will be cut from these plots, labeled, dried, and counted. Densities will be calculated with ecology density, in number of stems per unit area, or square meter. Densities will be found of samples taken in two separate seasons, at two times, mid-season and late-season. These measurements will be compared to biomass measurements taken of the same samples of grass. This project will take place at home and at the marshes of the Long Island Sound. The mentor for this project will be Mary Beth Decker, a researcher at Yale.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Effect of Bisphosphonates on Dental Patients with Osteoporosis after a Dental Extraction

    The motivation for this study is to learn more about how the mouth heals. If dental patients take bisphosphonates, then the healing in the mouth after an extraction will be slower. Bisphosphonates are commonly given to postmenopausal women to help increase their bone density so as to prevent fractures as they age. A side effect of bisphosphonate however is slow wound healing in the dental patient after dental surgery especially a dental extraction. This study will try to determine if there is a correlation between wound healing efficacy in two different groups, one that is taking bisphosphonates and one, which has not been taking bisphosphonates. The Mayo Clinic found that 60% of jaw osteonecrosis cases occur after a dental extraction, root canal surgery, dental implant, or another dental surgery. Bisphosphonates are known to slow the natural process that is involved in wound healing in the mouth. The independent variable is the group of patients with osteoporosis taking bisphosphonates after an extraction. The dependent variable is the healing of the patient’s extraction sites. The control is the group of patients that don’t take bisphosphonates. After a patient from the independent group receives a dental extraction a written description and a photograph will be taken. The patient will later come back for a follow up appointment in which follow up descriptions and another picture of the extraction site will be taken. The same procedure will be undertaken with the patients in the control group. This experiment will require patients, dental instruments, paper, pencil, and a dental operatory. The experiment results will determine if there is a positive correlation between bisphosphonates and slower healing in patients with osteoporosis. My mentor for this study will be Dr. Kenneth Oleynik DMD. He owns a private office in Shelton, Connecticut.

    -Ryan Oleynik

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Effect of Low pH on the Mass of American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana)

    In Connecticut, Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are a quite common species of frog. Healthy populations of them indicate a thriving ecosystem. They are usually located in swamplands or larger, permanent ponds. These ponds may acquire different types of pollution from run off and other sources, such as acid rain. What is being considered is the possible impact of this pollution on frog size. The research question is ‘how do varying pH levels impact frog size?’ The hypothesis is if bullfrogs are in water with overly acidic pH, growth will be stunted. The mass of the frog (in grams) will be measured instead of any sort of length of width because a higher mass generally means a healthier diet for the frog, indicating the pollutant’s effect on the ecosystem as a whole rather than just the bullfrogs. This would be a correlation, with the variables being observed being the pH and the average mass of the frogs in grams. The planned method would be to go to many different sites to get a wide range of water pollutants and take samples. Frogs will be caught and placed on a scale, with special care taken not to repeat a capture. Tests will be for nitrite, phosphate, ammonia, and pH, though nitrite and phosphate tests will only be used to make sure the levels are constant. A large number of bullfrogs will be collected. The averages for each level of pollutant (e.g. pH 7.0) will be input into a scatter plot, as this is a correlation.
    Mentor: Megan McLean

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The Correlation between Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide and Cutaneous Allodynia in High-Frequency Episodic Migraine Patients

    Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptides (CGRP) are a special group of neurotransmitters that have been observed to be a major cause of pain in both episodic and chronic migraines. Cutaneous Allodynia (CA) is a comorbid condition present during migraine attacks. It hyper sensitizes the head and neck region, causing pain when any contact is made. This study’s purpose is to test if CGRP is the leading cause of CA in migraine patients. AMGEN, a pharmaceutical company, engineered the monoclonal antibody, AMG-334, with the sole task of binding to CGRP receptors in the brain to nullify migraines. It is hypothesized that if high-frequency migraine patients (10-14 headaches per month) are given AMG-334, then their CA will fade due to their CGRP receptors being blocked. The patients gathered will receive either AMG-334 or an empty placebo over the course of three-five months. No one will know which group they belong in. Every three-four weeks, the participants will be given a Quantative Sensory Test (QST) to record any changes of their CA. After the indicated time, it will be revealed which participants were given the antibody or placebo and a statistical analysis will be done based on the results gathered by the QST to determine the correlation CGRP has on CA. The independent variable is if the volunteers are given the monoclonal antibody. The dependent variable is the CA being resolved. The constants are the type of migraine being tested, AMG-334, the method of administration and the amount per dose. Since the results will show if the CA is gone or not, there is no control. This investigation will be done along with AMGEN’s own CGRP study. The materials and participants will be gathered through Dr. Peter McAllister, a neurologist and researcher on the AMGEN investigation.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Exploring the Impact of the Development of Ego-Identity under Stress on Self-Esteem
    J.Zhu

    Previous research has shown that Asian American ego-identity development is influenced by parents, society, and academics. In a study conducted by Jean S. Phinney in 1989, 53.3% of Asian Americans stated they wished to be part of another ethnicity group. The purpose of the study is to observe the impact of the development of ego identity on self-esteem in Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Youth. Ego-identity is self-identity, and is influenced by stresses from parents, society and academics. It is believed that if the pressure placed on the AAPI youth is heavy, then the development of the ego-identity will be hindered, and will impact negatively the self-esteem of the AAPI youth.
    A group of AAPI youth, between the ages of 16-26, was recruited to participate in a pile sort and in – depth interview. It is difficult to determine an independent variable and dependent variable to this exploration, as no student can be given an amount of stress. The only constants are that the participants are between the ages of 16 and 26, and that they are AAPI youth. Informed consent will be given, and participants will be allowed to leave the study at any point. The pile-sort will be online, and participants will be asked to sort three piles of cards into self-made categories. The in-depth interviews will be conducted one-on-one between participant and researcher, and anonymity will be given, as the interviews will be recorded and then transcribed into text on a word document. The qualitative data will then be analyzed using codes for each type of stress and impact on self-esteem and ego-identity.
    Research conducted could provide insight into how AAPI youth develop their self-esteem under pressure and stress from others.
    The location of the study was the Institute for Community Research in Hartford. My mentor was Dr. Jianghong Li, as well as Ms. Irene Shaver.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Real World Design Challenge (RWDC)

    Unmanned Aircraft System Challenge: Precision Agriculture

    Levi Santos, Matt McKenna, Kimberly Liang

    Precision Agriculture (PA) is a method of farming whose purpose is to optimize crop yield, protect the environment, improve agricultural profitability and sustainability, and augment product quality. In a world with a rapidly growing population, it is important to have a steady food supply that is at the highest quality possible. With technology quickly advancing, it seems practical to design and implement an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to support precision agriculture. The specific scenario for this challenge is to target the European Corn Borer, one of the many pests that farmers in Iowa must control in order to increase crop yield. The UAS will monitor and assess the crop condition in attempt to increase crop yield. The Amity Aviation Team 1 will apply a variety of engineering designs and integrate them to reinforce the work as a business case. The team must research how the pest affects the corn, how to identify a borer and its effects the corn, create or refine a vehicle design, develop a search pattern of the area of interest, identify the optimal altitude for the collections based on sensor and platform performance, and the associated ground control system, analysis, and crew requirements. The process will be split into four sections: task analysis, strategy and design, costs, and alternative uses of the created system. PTC Creo 2.0 Student Edition, PTC Mathcad Prime 2.0, and PTC Windchill PDM Project are the computer programs that will be used to virtually construct the UAS. The independent variable will be the construction of the UAS, and the dependent variables will be the effectiveness of the UAS and its cost. The mentor for the Aviation team is Scott DeMeo, and the majority of the work for the project will be done in meetings after school. Since we will be following an engineering design process for this challenge, a hypothesis and other variables will not be present.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cindy Guo
    Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer
    Lung cancer remains the leading cause of world-wide cancer related deaths. There are two classifications of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer (85%) and small cell lung cancer (15%). The Kirsten rat sarcoma, or the KRAS oncogene, derived over 30 years ago is a mutation that has been identified for driving 25% of non-small cell cancers and remains ‘undruggable’. Since the discovery of the cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) through the KRAS pathway and its overexpression in lung cancer, there have been efforts to limit its abilities to suppress apoptosis and drive tumorigenesis. Researchers have developed a CREB inhibitor (CREBi) which has proven effective in inhibiting CREB expression. Several molecular pathways were additionally examined to determine their roles in conjunction with CREBi, specifically heat shock proteins. Heat shock proteins (HSP) are molecular chaperones that prevent protein misfolding and aggregation. Its functions become subverted in oncogenesis making malignant transformations possible. Two specific heat shock proteins, HSP90 and HSP70, have displayed upregulation in cancer. It was hypothesized that the CREBi would inhibit CREB expression as well as HSP70 expression. Past research has shown effective inhibition of HSP90 expression, but not HSP70 expression. HSP70 acts as a critical chaperone in delivering client proteins to HSP90, which alone can disrupt HSP90. Results thus far show that CREBi was able to inhibit expression of HSP70, but not HSP90 in the A549 cancer cell line. Given this, future directions will include looking at the effects of combining the CREBi and an additional HSP90 inhibitor.
    This project will be completed under my mentor, Sin Ai Pak at Yale University.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The impact of a family member suffering from chronic pain on teens and adolescents.

    Gabrielle Totten

    Mentor: Dr. Cary Reid

    Awareness of chronic pain among individuals has been increasing along with advancements in the areas of chronic pain prevention and treatment. Chronic pain affects individuals of all ages but disproportionally affects older adults. While much is known about the impact of chronic pain on individuals with this condition, little research has focused on the impact of chronic pain among affected individuals’ family members. Thus, the effect of having a family member with chronic pain on teens and adolescents is largely unstudied. The purpose of this study is to leverage social media to determine the extent to which chronic pain of a family member impacts adolescents (ages 10-19) and teens (ages 13-19) within the family of the sufferer, both socially and emotionally. Based on a literature review, it is hypothesized that a teen or adolescent can be affected positively, negatively, or both, by having a family member who suffers from chronic pain. A survey will be developed for access on various social networking websites (e.g. Facebook) by prospective respondents (individuals between the ages of 10-19). Survey questions will include questions about respondents’ demographic information (e.g. gender, race/ethnicity, town of residence) status, family composition and whether respondents live with a family member who has chronic pain and type of pain experienced by the family member (e.g. arthritis, back pain, neuropathic pain). Finally, the role of chronic pain in respondents’ lives will be assessed. Participants will be asked about the effect (e.g. social, emotional) of having a family member with chronic pain, the degree of contact they have with the family member with chronic pain, and the perceived impact on their daily lives using a likert scale rating of 1-5.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Harsha Lingareddy, Teddy Hague, Josh Crow, Ben Staniewicz, Shaunak Pandit

    Amity Sikorsky Challange

    The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. It was one of the most effective aircraft of its time and had an 11:1 kill death ratio against Japanese Zeros. It had one of the most powerful engines of its time: the Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18 Cylinder Radial Engine and, in 1940, was the first single engine aircraft to exceed 400 miles per hour. Using the engineering design process, students will redesign the landing gear of the Corsair, bringing it up to modern standards and using new technology. The 3-D modeling program, SolidWorks, will be used to digitally apply forces to the structure and to test for their effects. Certain mechanical features will be altered that will ultimately better the efficiency and safety of the landing gear, and the jet itself. Depending on which force or aspect of physics the STEM Sikorsky Challenge administrators would like us research and beneficially apply to the landing gear, we may be measuring anything from air drag and aerodynamics to impulse of the aircraft’s landing. We will be using Connecticut Innovations (CT iHub), a website where we can submit assignments and communicate with our mentors. Although we have access to several mentors, we will primarily work with Ron Novick, an Avionic Systems Engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Lamisa Mannan
    The Collemobola Consumes the Fungi: Interaction Between Two Important Soil Species

    In ecology, functional response is the intake rate of a consumer as the density of food increases or decreases. Collembola, which are commonly known as Springtails, are hexapods that are decomposers. Collembola feed on fungus, among other things. The purpose of this project is to measure the functional response of collembola. This could have wider implications in the world of weight and obesity. The results could demonstrate the impact of the organisms’ feeding patterns on the environment as a whole. If the organisms consume more when more is made available, there could be detrimental effects on the ecosystem. That is, the project will see whether collembola consume more fungus as more fungus is made available to them. It is hypothesized that as more fungus grows, and therefore more food is introduced to their environment, the collembola will consume more fungus. In this case, the independent variable is the amount of fungus (food source) in the collembola’s environment. The dependent variable is the amount of fungus the collembola consume. In order to carry out the project, forty soil trays must first be set up. Then, wood blocks containing fungus will be placed in all of the trays and allowed to grow for a week. Collembola will then be placed in half of the trays, and every week the amount of fungus consumed will be measured (the amount of fungus gone in trays with collembola compared to the trays with no collembola). Three times a week, the trays will be photographed and a program will be used to measure how much fungus is left in pixels. At the end of the project, when all data is collected, statistics will be run to decide if the data is statistically significant.

    Mentor: Dr. Oswald Schmitz at Greeley Laboratory, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science

    ReplyDelete
  18. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The Nepali Project: The Impact of Soil Degradation on Soil Fertility in Nepal

    Matt Whitehill

    Junior

    Nepal is a land locked country in the Himalayan region, just north of India. It is a developing country, since the majority of the population still lives off under a dollar a day. One of the major sources of income is through agriculture. More than 90% of the population is dependent upon the land for their fulfillment of basic needs. Land use changes caused by development include increased urbanization in the Kathmandu region, as wells as deforestation to make room for more farms and to gather wood. Both of these changes in land use, as shown in the past, have adverse effects on the nutrients in the soil. So which changes in land use have the most impact on the fertility of Nepali Soil: Deforestation or Urbanization? It is hypothesized that if urbanization and deforestation have an effect on the presence of nutrients in Nepali soil, then soil in deforested areas will be more degraded. The independent variable in this experiment will be the area of the soil sample (land use type). The dependent variable will be the soil fertility. To measure the soil fertility, the Cation Exchange Capacity and pH of the soil will be found, which reflect the nutrients and the capacity of nutrients in the soil. Ten samples will be extracted from each area in a hexagonal pattern to maintain an adequate deviation. The results from each area will be averaged and then compared to each other. Multiple trials will be conducted by taking more than one sample in each individual area to ensure data accuracy. Then the average of all trials will be averaged into grand averages. These grand averages will be analyzed to reflect which land use change is worse. It is important to know which is worse for the soil because with a country so dependent on its agriculture, the fertility of soil is essential to how people shape their lives.

    I will gather data in Nepal with my mentor and leader of the ANSAB program Bhishma Subedi and Deepika Adhikari, then analyze my data at home with Dr. Mark Bradford of the Yale Forestry School.


    ReplyDelete
  21. Targeting microglial specific H4 receptors to determine the role of microglia on behavioural disorders

    Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a neurological anxiety disorder in which people have repeated and unwanted feelings or sensations that drive them to do something. In mice, OCD is characterized with excessive grooming. Microglia are the primary macrophages in the brain, but they are also found in the spinal cord. They act as the premier immune defense cells. Limited research with microglia has made it unclear whether microglia have any direct influence on behaviour. In this study, microglia in the brain will be targeted using histamine H4 receptor antagonist, JNJ 7777120, and a selective H4 receptor agonist, 4-methylhistamine. Previous research indicates a relationship between histamine expression and symptoms of eczema. The behavioural effects, tics and grooming, on the mice will be measured, determining whether H4 receptor expression affects grooming. It is hypothesized that the lack of expression of the H4 receptor will ameliorate the symptoms of OCD at the behavioural level, in which mice will be scored as excessive grooming. The independent variable will be the expression of the H4 receptor of neural microglia. The dependent variable will be the grooming tendencies. Wild type mice will be the control. If, in fact, H4 receptors do have a relationship with grooming behaviour, perhaps manipulation to microglial populations within the brain and the rest of the central nervous system, can serve as a method to combat and treat the effects of behavioural disorders, such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tourette’s syndrome.

    Dr. Luciana Frick, Pittenger Lab at the Connecticut Mental Health Centre

    ReplyDelete
  22. Victoria Li

    The Effect of Parental Reading Behavior on Child’s Reading Behavior

    How do young children learn? Parents’ actions are a possible everyday influence on them, but does it impact the way they behave? Studies have shown that parents’ decisions affect their child’s choice of decisions too, in either a negative or positive way. Parents, who abuse substances, as shown by Rutgers, can cause their child to become smokers or drinkers in later life. A study done by the Journal of Pediatrics showed that increased physical activity in parents encouraged increased physical activity in their daughters as well. The research question asked was “does a parent’s reading behavior impact their child’s reading behavior?” Based on the studies conducted, it is hypothesized that if the parents have a certain reading behavior (i.e. genre, time spent reading, iPad, nook), then their child will show many of the same habits. In this experiment, the independent variable is the parents reading behavior, and the dependent variable is their child’s behavior. There would be no control group because the different behaviors being compared to each other do not have a control. Parents of children in grades 3-4 at Beecher Road Elementary would first be given a survey to fill out with the first part regarding their reading habits (i.e., their book preference, how long they spend reading, etc.). The second part of the book would be regarding their child’s reading behavior with the same questions. The data would then be analyzed to compare the child and parent’s similarities. Data would be put into a table to compare how similar the results were. Statistical analysis would be done to determine if the results were significant.

    Dr. Cheryl C. Durwin, Professor of Psychology at Southern Connecticut State University

    ReplyDelete
  23. Daniel Giebisch
    Research Proposal

    Redesigning a circuit board to wirelessly power a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

    A left ventricular assist device is used to temporarily replace a failing or weak heart to pump blood. It requires a large control module and battery pack that connect to the pump through an implanted wire. The Free-range Resonant Electrical Energy Delivery (FREED) is a concept for a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that removes need for wired pump delivery found in traditional VADs. FREED uses magnetically coupled resonators to efficiently transfer power across meter distances to the artificial heart. In other words, power is wirelessly transmitted from magnetic transmitter coils in walls, beds, and other furniture to a smaller receiver coil worn by the patient. Such a system creates a comfortable LVAD system. More importantly, it reduces the possibility of infection in blood passages throughout the cardiovascular system.

    One of the major requisites of the FREED system is a miniaturized circuit board that can be implanted into the cardiovascular area, alongside the pump. This study aims to redesign the previous LVAD circuit board to size it appropriately for placement inside a heart transplant. This miniaturization process will begin by gaining a basic understanding of electrical circuitry and soldering. Then, three dimensional modeling software will be used to develop a new circuit design on a circular board with a 2.5 cm radius. Finally, the new circuit board will be tested for effectiveness and safety. Testing will be conducted at Yale University under the tutelage of Sam Asgari.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Noah Gallant

    Construction of a Renewable Energy Generator from Recycled Materials; A Study on Windbelts

    As the world’s supply of oil and coal begins to deplete, and global climate change worries people, renewable energy systems become more popular and useful. Renewable energy is not only important to the first-world, but its use in third-world communities as a source of power for cooking, heating, cooling and charging communication devices is very promising. However, many renewable energy systems today are expensive, such as solar panels and micro wind-turbines, and difficult to transport. As well, a large amount of outdated, e-waste electronics is piling up around the world, with many of it in developing nations. My project aims to construct a Windbelt generator made entirely of recyclable, easy-to-access, cheap or free materials that can serve to generate electricity in remote areas or in countries lacking electricity service. The windbelt works with a frame holding a aeroelastic material which vibrates in the wind, moving magnets near or inside copper coils to generate electricity and charge something like a lithium-ion battery for later use. This experiment will consist of testing different frame materials and ribbon materials for their electrical output. One frame will be constructed with wood and one with cardboard, both in a triangular shape. Using a multimeter, each configuration will be tested for the Wattage output with different ribbon materials. These materials will include common Scotch tape, polypropylene tape, and camera film, all known to exhibit aeroelasticity and commonly found nearly everywhere across the world. Each frame will be tested with each tape. The results will be recorded in Wattage at varying wind speeds including 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 miles per hour. After these results are recorded, the configurations will be tested in a real-world situation. An iPhone 4 will have a full battery, running a consistent operating system (iOS 6.1.3) and repeating the same processes using the XCode software provided by Apple. It will be plugged into a external battery charger (2600mAh External Power Bank) starting at a full charge and receiving power from a Windbelt. The iPhone 4, using the XCode program, will send a signal to a computer when the charging has stopped so constant monitoring and using battery life to turn on the screen is not necessary. The results will be recorded in hours at the wind speeds 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 miles per hour. Each of the configurations will be tested three times in the Wattage test, and each of the configurations will be tested twice in the external battery test. The results of the experiment will be analyzed and the overall practicality of each windbelt configuration will be evaluated using the wattage and iPhone tests. The experiment will be conducted at Noah Gallant’s home. The mentor of the study is Nancy Bruce.

    ReplyDelete
  25. H19 lncRNA-Mediated Regulation of Aromatase Expression in Granulosa Cells
    Arpita Jajoo

    H19 is a paternally-imprinted gene which encodes for long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and has a variety of roles in the regulation of various tumor-suppressors. Aromatase is an enzyme that has been found to increase estrogen levels and in turn cancerous growths. This project aims to identify whether H19 can be used to regulate aromatase expression and potentially suppress cancerous growths. It is hypothesized that if H19 is overexpressed, then levels of aromatase will increase. The independent variable is the expression of H19, and the dependent variable is the regulation of aromatase. This project will be tested by culturing lines of KGN cells, granulosa cells that are stable enough in a simulated environment to be able to over or under express different induced genes. Once confluent, the KGN cells will be transfected to either overexpress H19 or a control gene. Western blot will be conducted on half of the transfected cells to determine whether increased levels of aromatase show up in protein signals 48 hours post-H19 induction. PCR will be also be conducted after 48 hours on the other half of the cells to amplify the DNA signals and quantify the levels of aromatase. This study will be conducted in a Dr. Yingqun Huang’s OB/GYN lab at the Yale School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Amanda Kallen. It is hoped that this experiment will provide a better understanding of the regulation of aromatase as a potential cancer preventative.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Helen Liu
    Differentially expressed genes involved in Paget's disease of bone in response to SQSTM1 status

    Paget's Disease of Bone (PDB) is the second most common metabolic bone disease. PDB resembles normal bone remodeling where first the bone is first broken down by osteoclasts, then osteoblasts produce new bone but in PDB, the new bone is structurally weak. Patients experience bone pain and fracture. The genetic factor accounting for most familial cases is an inherited mutation in Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1/p62). However, information on the genetic causes of PDB where the SQSTM1 is wildtype (normal) is unknown. The question being researched is what is causing Paget’s Disease in SQSTM1wt cases? The goal of this project is to use Systems Biology and Pathway analysis methods to look at the changes in gene expression in the pagetic bone in both SQSTM1wt and SQSTM1mut cases. If Paget’s Disease of Bone is a heterogeneous disease (alternative genetic), then there is more than one underlying gene that causes the disease SQSTM1wt. The independent variable is the Paget’s disease type, SQSTM1wt and SQSTM1mut. The dependent variables are the relative expression of the genes in the pagetic bone samples. The data will be gathered through data mining first with expression data software, GeneSifter, which will cluster genes to show those that have been disregulated. Next, the list of disregulated genes will be put into the DAVID database, a gene annotation software package which will then tell the how significant the gene changes are in response to the disease state. Finally, the list will be put into GeneMania, a systems biology analysis software package, which will give a visual representation of the interactions and relationships between the genes that are differentially expressed in response to the SQSTM1wt and SQSTM1mut state. This research will be mentored by Dr. Marc Hansen, a Professor in the Center for Molecular Medicine at UConn Health Center.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Owais Khan

    The Effect if DNA Methylation on ZBP1 and GIMAP4 Gene Expression Reduction


    Asthma is influenced by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors mediated by epigenetics. Last year, research on determining a genomic correlation between asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) was conducted. The reasoning behind this study was that Asthma and COPD exhibited extremely comparable symptoms but shared no similar factors of causation. If one was able to determine genes that existed in both conditions and exhibited different regulatory patterns, one theoretically gained knowledge of the genetic cause behind the asthma symptom phenotype. Through thorough statistical analysis, ZBP1 and GIMAP4 were determined to be the desired genes. Interestingly enough, these two genes expressed a 150%-175% gene expression in moderate asthma and COPD as compared to severe asthma and COPD. This suggested the reduced gene expression of these two genes in asthma is the underlying cause behind its severity. The next step is to validate these results through the use of biological samples and to figure out what causes this gene expression reduction. A study performed by ATS Journals, “Environmental Epigenetics and Asthma: Current Concepts and Call for Studies,” suggests epigenetic regulation directly influences asthmatic risk. This regulation includes DNA methylation, which is a process by which methyl groups attach themselves to DNA base cytosine at CPG sites. Such a process results in a literal physical obstruction to parts of the DNA, thus severely limiting gene expression production. The prospect of this epigenetic phenomena being the root cause behind asthma is quite possible due to the relatively new revelation that asthma is epigenetic. To test this relationship, a constant amount of mice will be subjected to artificially induced, environmental asthma. The three groups will consist of severe asthmatic mice, moderate asthmatic mice, and non-asthmatic mice. After being induced with asthma, pure DNA from the lungs will be extracted through the Norgen Genomic DNA isolation kit. After isolation, the gene expression of the aforementioned genes will be measured. Then the DNA will be digested by a methylation inhibiting enzyme using the defined Methylation Analysis Protocol. The gene expression will be measured again and it will be determined through statistical analysis whether or not DNA methylation truly is the underlying cause behind asthma symptoms. The Independent variable is the asthmatic rats. The dependent variable is the gene expression change. The control is the rats with no asthma and some constants include the gene expression analyzing software (GeneSpring), and the asthma inducing method. This research will be conducted at the Yale Anlyan Center.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sricharan Kadimi

    Scaling of Biologically Inspired Nanostructured Anti-Reflective Coatings to Optimize Solar Cell Efficiency

    A major hindrance to the efficiency of silicon solar cells (SC) is the reflection of incident light from the surface of the cell. This is a direct result of the light-absorbent materials used for solar cells. The conventional method of using single layered, thin-film antireflective (AR) coatings is not applicable at all wavelengths and angles of incident light, due to the abrupt change in refractive index (RI) between the silicon substrate and the thin film. A more effective alternative to thin films are moth-eye inspired nano-scale patterns (of tapered hexagonal pillars), where the RI of the material is gradually changed from the air-filled medium to the silicon substrate, resulting in a broadband antireflection scheme. This study is designed to determine how the scaling of the patterns of a nano-scale AR coating can be utilized to enable greater conversion efficiency in SC. Also, a more widespread alternative to the previously researched SiO2 or TiO2, the thermoplastic poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), could be utilized due to its relatively low RI, and its abundance in everyday plastic bottles. The experiment will be conducted by using a nanoimprint lithography technique to layer SiO2, TiO2, and PET on SC in tapered hexagonal pillars at varying heights and widths - from 0 to 500 nm in intervals of 100 nm. The solar cells will be exposed to sunlight and their efficiency quantified and analyzed to determine if a statistically significant relationship existed between pillar size and solar cell efficiency. It is hypothesized that a pillar height of about 300 nm and width of 200 nm will produced the greatest efficiency for the solar cell. This experiment will be conducted at the Yale Transformative Materials and Devices Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Andre Taylor.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Determining the Effects of Cyberknife Radiosurgery on Trigeminal Neuralgia Part 2
    Dana Chung
    Mentor: Dr. Shane Lloyd
    Yale New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus

    Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is a debilitating neuropathic facial disorder characterized by sharp, stabbing pain originating from the fifth cranial nerve. Cyberknife Radiosurgery is a new image guided robotic system that delivers precisely focused megavoltage photon radiation to a 6mm segment of the trigeminal nerve. Last year a medical record review (MRR) of 39 patients with TN was conducted. Based on the MRR it was concluded that 92% of patients (CI 0.79130, 0.98385) obtained pain relief after Cyberknife Radiosurgery treatment. This year, the outcome of 60 patients will be assessed using the Barrow Neurologic Institute Pain Intensity Score Questionnaire. Patients will be asked to rate their level of pain before and after treatment. This will provide us with a true objective measurement directly from patients. It is hypothesized that based on the questionnaire patients will report having high relief of pain after treatments with Cyberknife Radiosurgery. The independent variable is the method of treatment on Trigeminal Neuralgia, while the dependent variable is the overall score of the Barrow Neurologic Institute Pain Intensity questionnaire (see attached for sample of questionnaire). The score from the questionnaire will create a universal pain scale, creating an objective data set (whereas last year’s data was based on a MRR). Outcomes will be presented in an abstract form and will be submitted to two medical conferences in Fall, 2013. The project will also be submitted to a medical journal in manuscript form in Spring, 2014. This study will be conducted at Yale New Haven Hospital, Saint Raphael campus with mentor, Dr. Shane Lloyd.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Vinnie Silverman
    11/04/13

    Temperature and Sun Exposure and their Combined Effects on Solar Panel Output

    Solar energy is one of the most relevant new forms of energy, and researchers are constantly looking for new ways to increase solar efficiency. Researchers already know that heat inversely affects the power output of solar panels. However, not much is known about how the time of day affects that same output. It is hypothesized when the sun is positioned directly above the solar panels, the solar panels will produce the most power. It is also hypothesized that the temperature will inversely affect the output of the solar panels, but by a lesser factor than the positioning of the sun. The independent variable for this experiment will be the sun exposure to the panels, as well as the daytime temperature. The dependent variable will be the output of the solar panels in kilowatt hours. The solar panels, which are set on the roof, are currently being used to supply power to the Amity Teen Center, which records the power output in kilowatt hours hourly, daily, weekly and monthly. The power output per hour will be recorded daily, and will be organized by the angle of sun exposure, and will be compared to the temperature at that time for the corresponding day. The angle of the sun’s rays will be calculated by comparing the time of sunrise and sunset, which are constant at 90 degrees from the zenith, to the time at which the data is collected. This will result in a series of data points containing the date, time of day (on the hour), temperature and power output of the solar panels for each hour of daylight. Data will continue to be collected in this way until March. The data will be analyzed by determining the factor by which each of the independent variables affects the dependent variable, and comparing them. The data will be collected at the Amity Teen Center, and will be viewed and analyzed from home. The mentor for this project will be Jennifer Romanoff, who works at the Teen Center and helps collect data from the solar panels.

    ReplyDelete
  31. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  32. The Effect of Asymmetric Division on Memory B Cell Development

    This study hopes to determine the significance of asymmetric division during the early stages of an immune response. When the mice are immunized with a virus, T and B lymphocytes begin to proliferate and differentiate to become memory cells capable of persisting for long periods of time. Past research shows evidence that some B-cells in the follicles of lymphoid tissue will stop proliferating and become quiescent, for an unknown reason. Past research also show preliminary evidence that some B cells within follicles will sometimes divide asymmetrically. This study will monitor asymmetric division during the earliest cell divisions and determine if there is a connection between asymmetric division and eventual quiescence. It is possible that there is a pattern of asymmetric divisions and symmetric divisions that will eventually lead to quiescence. To accomplish this study, indicators were used to determine the cell’s stage in the cell cycle. Sections of spleen tissue were stained with fluorescent antibody indicators and then analyzed under a confocal microscope. Spleen tissue was analyzed at 0, 12 hours, 24 hours, and 36 hours after immunization. pRb is an indicator that the cell is able to divide. Without the presence of pRb, the cells will not be able to divide. In the first stages of division, pRb was distributed asymmetrically between the daughter cells of some dividing B-cells. Further research needs to be conducted to determine if the cells are actually dividing asymmetrically, or if they are just two B-cells situated next to each other. Cells that are dividing will contain the protein alpha-tubulin. When the cells are in the very latest stages of division, where asymmetric division is most clear, the pattern of alpha tubulin will become distinctly concentrated at both ends of the dividing cells. Further studies with in vivo B-cells are needed to determine if after a series of asymmetric divisions, some daughter cells will become quiescent and others will become memory B-cells. This research is ongoing under the supervision of Dr. Ann Haberman in the Yale School of Medicine Department of Laboratory Medicine.
    -Kristin Zakoworotny

    ReplyDelete

  33. The Effect of Ketamine and Time Delay on Spatial Memory

    This study, The Effect of Ketamine and Time Delay on Spatial Memory, is a sub-study under Dr. James J. Chrobak and Doctoral student Jennifer A. Corriveau. The purpose of this study is to learn more information about the hippocampal functions in schizophrenic animal models. The hypothesis was that the longer the time delay, the more errors made by the rats treated with ketamine; causing spatial memory to weaken. For three weeks, 18 rats were tested in a dark room in a radial water maze with different time delays. 9 of the rats were treated with ketamine every day for two weeks while the other 9 rats were treated with saline. Researchers were not able to know which were treated with ketamine and which were not, except for the head researcher. Each rat went through two different time delay sessions every day, and ten trials per week. Rats would go through the eight arm radial water maze in the dark to find the first goal platform will all arms closed except the goal arm and the arm the rat was placed in. Each rat would have the same time delay and then be put back into the water maze to find a new goal with all arms open. Data will analyze the types and amount of errors the rats made, as well as which rats were treated with ketamine or saline for two weeks, using a split-plot RMANOVA. Part of study was already completed over the summer at UConn Psychology lab in Storrs, CT.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Arvene Golbazi

    Exploring the Storage Capacities of Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Based Capacitors

    Graphene and carbon nanotubes are materials composed of pure carbon. Graphene is made up of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal shapes, while carbon nanotubes can be single or multi-walled, and have a cylindrical nanostructure. Both materials have various unique properties which make them extremely useful in the fields of optics, electronics, and manufacturing. As of a 2009 study, graphene had a breaking strength 300 times greater than steel film of the same size, the highest breaking strength of any material ever synthesized. Carbon nanotubes, meanwhile, have the highest tensile strength of any material, amounting to 63 GPa (gigapascals) Preliminary tests have shown graphene's ideal strength to be around 110-121 GPa compared to carbon nanotube’s ~100 GPa. Both materials also have an extremely high conductivity and storage capacity ratings. This is the leading property which allows these two nanomaterials to be used as extremely efficient storage capacitors. The question being explored in this study is which material is a more effective capacitor in terms of storage capacity, graphene or carbon nanotubes. It is hypothesized that because carbon nanotubes have a unique structure which allows for extremely high electron mobility and density in comparison to graphene, the nanotubes will have a higher storage capacity. The independent variable in this study will be the type of capacitor used (graphene or carbon nanotube based). The dependent variable will be the storage capacity, measured in watt-hours. In order to conduct this study, 4 graphene based capacitors must be made with proper conductive plates, as well as 4 carbon nanotube based capacitors. A digital multimeter will be used to first measure the voltage and amperage of the graphene based capacitor when attached to a load for every 10 minutes until the charge of the battery runs out. Next, the same will be done for the carbon nanotube capacitor. This process will be repeated three more times for repeated trials. Adding the watts (amps multiplied by volts) for each 10 minute interval will give the watt-hours for each battery/capacitor, allowing for comparisons in storage capacity to be made. Further research may be done to find which of the two capacitors is more easily disposed of, and which has a longer lifespan.

    Mentor: Dr. Saion K. Sinha

    Location: University of New Haven

    ReplyDelete
  35. Effectiveness of Big Data Analysis Compared to Human
    Jacob Gibbons-Morales
    Big data analysis is commonly used to collect data about people, often for the purpose of creating advertisements or profiles of people for the prevention of terrorist attacks. The purpose of this experiment would be to test the effectiveness of the data collection on finding basic attributes compared to a human’s effectiveness. The hypothesis is that the computer will have a greater accuracy rate than a human. This is not certain because the human brain can interpret data and understand words that indicate the connection between groups of words, such as disjunction. The independent variable would be the method for how the data is interpreted, either by a computer or a human. The dependent variable would be the amount of correct answers compared to a roster. For example the computer and the human will try to find the position of a player and then the response would be compared to a roster, which is a table with basic information. The specifics of the procedure are still being refined. First, a program would be created to extract clusters of 10 words before and after the targeted name from 500 soccer related news article from web sites like mlssoccer.com and ESPN. A list of 30 players last names would be created. Then a simple program using python language would be made to search the names of those 30 players and find basic attributes like position and team they played for. This data would be put into a chart to see the accuracy compared to the actual answers found from the roster. Next a human participant would then be given the same amount of text the text and given five minutes to try to sift through the same basic information that the computer searched for. The data would then be analyzed. The implications would be since now many humans are being replaced by computer for the purpose of analysis, it must be determined if computers are as accurate. My mentor is Phil Gibbons.

    ReplyDelete
  36. The Effect of Goal Setting on the Mood and Loneliness of Senior Citizens

    Senior citizens often live solitary lives. According to a study conducted in 2009 by Archana Singh and Nishi Misra from the Industrial Psychiatry Journal of India, loneliness in old age often inhibits people from participating in community activities. The impact of being unable to interact with new people changes people’s capacity to live happily. Therefore, reduced loneliness can promote a happier and more sociable life for the elderly. Similarly, a 2007 study from the JAMA Psychiatry shows that loneliness can result in an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, which cannot be cured, but behavioral and psychiatric symptoms can be reduced. According to a recent study done in 2011 by the Routledge Taylor and Francis Group from Southern Connecticut State University, game playing decreases loneliness and creates a more positive mood. The participants that played the Wii game had decreased loneliness when compared to the participants that didn’t play the game, but rather watched television. Thus, the research question in this experiment is: Does goal setting while learning a new task like playing the Wii, benefit senior citizens? The purpose of this project is to offer senior citizens an opportunity to set and achieve their goals through novel skill building while engaged in activities such as the Wii. It is hypothesized that if the Wii is played without goal setting, then it will create a more positive mood and decrease loneliness. This hypothesis is based off the study done by Georgette K. Maroldo from the Texan Lutheran College. They study states that if society increases completion, then individual will become shyer which results in greater loneliness. Skill building without goal setting would be the better option because it will allow the participants to relax and play a friendly, uncompetitive game. There will be no control in this experiment because it is a correlation study which examines the relationship between goal setting and the mood/loneliness. To achieve this, twenty participants will be recruited from Silverbrook Estates in Orange CT. Ten of the participants will play the Wii with goal setting, and the other ten will play without goal settings. Before playing, the participants will be required to fill out a UCLA loneliness scale and a mood scale provided by mentor so their mood and loneliness can be measured. The participants will be required to do the same after playing. The data collected and analyzed will be the change from the pretest to the posttest. This study will be conducted under the guidance of Dr. Patricia Kahlbaugh, Southern Connecticut State University.


    My mentor is Patricia Kahlbaugh. She is a psychologist from Southern Connecticut State University.

    -Harika Lingareddy

    ReplyDelete
  37. The Effect of Hearing Aids on Self-Esteem in Different Age Groups

    Hearing loss is a serious issue that affects around 4000 people in the USA annually. It can be the result of an ear infection, punctured eardrum, or heredity. There are a few ways to correct damage to hearing once it has occurred. However, hearing aids can be used to deal with this issue, and advancements in this technology has created a way to alleviate hearing loss for those who are hearing impaired. The purpose of this study is to find out how wearing a hearing aid impacts confidence and comfort of the person wearing it in public and to compare the amount of self-esteem within different age groups. It is hypothesized that if a hearing aid is worn, then it will negatively impact confidence the most in teenagers. A previous study was done on women's impression of the amount of self-consciousness present while using hearing aids. Different age groups were compared, and it was found that the younger women were more insecure than the older women when it came to their perception. The independent variable is the participants, and their use of a hearing aid. The dependent variable is the survey results, which is the amount of self-esteem that the participants have. The constants are the questionnaire, number of participants, and the location of where the experiment will be performed. The control group is made up of the participants that do not use the hearing aid, and test trials will be based on multiple participants and the type of hearing aids they wear. Many participants will be gathered, and they will generally vary in age. New owners of hearing aids, who have owned a hearing aid less than a year, will be used in this study.Data will be collected through the survey results. Surveys from past studies will be looked at and modified for the questionnaire. Harter's self-image scale is a method of measuring self-confidence that can possibly be used. The results will determine the impact of hearing aids on confidence, and whether the impact or effect is negative or positive. The degree of effect will also be compared between different age groups to determine if age impacts confidence with wearing a medical device such as a hearing aid. The mentor for this project will be Dr. Sara Alavi MD, from Yale New Haven Hospital.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Katie Meehan

    The Effects of Alkali Injuries on Eye Health

    It has been known for long that alkali injuries to the eye can cause irreversible blindness. Alkali is a very corrosive chemical and accidental exposure of eye tissue to this caustic chemical requires immediate washing and medical treatment. Alkali can dissolve all types of soft tissues and rapidly enters the internal aspects of the eye. Hence, alkali can cause retinal blindness and disfigurement in serious cases. These accidents mostly occur in industrial workplaces, but they can also occur at home with strong cleaning agents. This project will test how alkali injuries affect the cornea’s transparency and its health. It is hypothesized that the longer the alkali compound is left in the eye, the worse the injury will be. A major problem with alkali injuries is that many people do not seek the appropriate level of emergency care and some may also not have ready access to the necessary medical treatment. Hopefully, the results of this experiment will show how serious these injuries can be and help others realize that immediate medical attention is necessary. Materials necessary to conduct this experiment are egg whites, an alkali compound similar to a drain cleaner, saline solution, a camera to record the results, and gloves and goggles for personal safety. This experiment will be conducted by first setting up 10 eggs whites. Egg whites can be used to simulate eye tissue because both are made of the same type of protein, albumin. One eye will have a drop of alkali compound put on it, left on it for 1 minute and then washed off with a saline solution until the pH balance is neutral. This process will be repeated with the time increasing by increments of one minute for each sample. Pictures will be taken before and after each sample. The egg whites will be examined for extent of damage. The independent variable is how long the alkali compound is left on the eye before being washed off. The dependent variable is how transparent the cornea is after it has been in contact with the alkali compound. The controls are, a saline only treated eye, the type of alkali compound used, the type of eye being used, and the methods of experimentation.

    Mentor: Dr. Royce Mohan
    Location: University of Connecticut Health Center

    ReplyDelete
  39. Mentor: Dr. John DeFrancesco
    Location: American International College

    The Correlation between Age and the Likelihood of Bullying in School

    Thomas Boutros
    Bullying is defined as the usage of intimidation, harassment, or rumors of someone by any means. As students age, and are more exposed to more social situations, are occurrences more likely to happen in school? Additionally, what age range is at a greater risk for this? (Elementary, Junior High, High School) It is hypothesized that in junior high, bullying is more likely to occur, as those students are starting to become adults, and are dealing with the problems of life for the first time.
    An eight year-long study by the University of Turku in Finland showed that as males get older, that there is a two percent decline in victimization in bullying and in depression, but as females reach adolescence, they were five percent more likely to experience victimization and depression than they were eight years later. However, the participants in this study had experienced harsh bullying, and sought counseling for it. So, from this study, it is clear that the participants struggled a great deal. The study shows that overall, the rate of severe bullying can fluctuate among males or females as time goes on, but it relates to the study at hand because it would consult all types of bullying, but hopefully none as severe as the ones observed in Finland.
    First, a few schools would be surveyed, but the exact schools are to be determined. The participants being surveyed would range from kindergarten to twelfth grade, and would be in a public school setting. Prior to the study, the superintendent/administration of each school would be asked distribute the survey to the students. Parental consent would also be asked for. The students would be given an online survey, asked for their age and grade, if they had heard of bullying to begin with, and if they had heard of it occurring in their schools at all. Another question would be if there are any organizations, techniques, or skills that they know of that help advocate against bullying. They would then rate on how effective the program or technique is. The responses will be analyzed, and from this data, it may show a trend in the data, for example, bullying is more likely to occur in middle school-aged students.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Eli Silvert & George Zhang

    Does Musical Training Affect Multi-Channel Sensory Integration?

    The McGurk Effect is a phenomenon that occurs when the auditory component of one sound is paired with the visual component of another. It demonstrates the interaction between hearing and seeing during speech perception. For the general population, the visual effect overrides processing of the auditory stimulus; the individual subconsciously bases the sound off what he/she sees, not what he/she hears. However, do individuals with enhanced auditory processing capacity exhibit less susceptibility to the McGurk Effect? It is hypothesized that if individuals have early musical training, then, as an indication of experience-dependent plasticity of auditory cortices during musical training, they will be less susceptible to the influence of visual input during the McGurk task. The independent variable will be early exposure to musical training (four or more years of musical training before age 13) and the dependent variable will be McGurk task accuracy. Using a between-group design, McGurk task accuracy will be compared in 20 students who meet the criterion for early musical training to 20 students with no experience playing an instrument outside of the required school curriculum. The control consists of this latter group. First, a sample of 100 students will be surveyed about musical experience. The survey will ask how many years, if any, the participant has played an instrument for. Based off these findings, participants will be selected for each group. Then, the McGurk task will be administered individually to the participants in Room 128. The participants will be told to respond by button press using 1 of 4 keyboard buttons labeled B (“ba”), D (“da”), G (fusion of “ba” and “da” perceived as “ga”), or O (other), without further instruction. Participants will be asked to make phonemic judgments in the McGurk task, which will consist of 3 experimental conditions: auditory presentation (A), visual presentation (V), and multi-channel presentation (AV). Every participant will take each of the 3 conditions twice across two experimental blocks that differ in order of presentation of “A” and “V” as follows: Order 1 = A – V – AV, Order 2 = V – A – AV. Block order will be randomized across participants. Trials will consist of two phonemic stimuli, “ba” and “da”, presented as a vocal stimuli by headphone (A condition) or as a video of a speaker’s vocal production of the same stimuli with the auditory channel removed (V condition). In the AV condition, trials will consist of equal numbers of congruent and incongruent stimuli pairs (i.e. ba/ba; ba/da; da/da; da/ba) presented at random. After testing, the two groups will be compared by analyzing accuracy on each of the three conditions. The approximate age of participants (9th-12th grade), the video used, the tone of the sounds, and the directions given will be kept constant. Necessary materials include a computer to display the video, a four-button keyboard, Room 128 at Amity High School, 100 participants (only 40 will do the McGurk task), and headphones.
    Mentor: Dr. Johannesen
    Location: Room 128 at Amity High School

    ReplyDelete
  41. Helen Ruckes
    Finding the Normal Balance Range for Children Between the Ages of Eight and Seventeen


    According to the Zurich Conference consensus statement (2008), athletes who experienced a “blow to the head, face, neck, or elsewhere on the body with an ‘impulsive’ force transmitted to the head” may have a traumatic brain injury (TBI). One classification of a TBI is a concussion also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). People who have experienced this may have to be tested for an mTBI. These types of tests may include neuroimaging, objective balance assessment, neuropsychological assessment (NP testing), and/or even genetic testing. Children and adolescents down to the age of 10 years have different concussion symptoms than adults and would require different, age appropriate symptom checklists as a component of assessment.” Although an objective balance assessment is not the only test for concussion management, it is “considered a reliable and valid addition to the assessment of athletes suffering from a concussion,” unlike neuroimaging or genetic testing, which are still being investigated and are not valid at this point. It hypothesized that if a child or teenager takes the balance test, then they will get a better score than an older adult. There is no independent variable because this is a correlation study. There would not be a control. The constants would be the type of test, the amount of time spent warming up, the amount of time spent on the balance machine, the stance on the balance machine, the amount of participants, the survey, and the age group (8 to 17 years old). First the participants would answer a short survey about what sports the athlete participated in and if there were any injuries and the type of injuries. Second, the participant would spend three trials of 20 seconds each warming up on the postural stability balance test on the Biodex Balance System. Next the participant will perform three trials of 20 seconds each on a stability level of eight for the general postural stability balance testing. After the three rounds have been completed, the data will be saved and analyzed, as well as printed out for the participants so that they may give it to their physician to be used as baseline information for future use. To oversee this experiment, Dr. Axtell from Southern Connecticut State University will be present. The participants will come from Amity High School, the Amity Middle Schools, and Orange elementary schools. This experiment will take place during school year of 2013 and will be planned to be finished by mid- January.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Celina Deng
    Advanced
    Period 8




    Comparing Nutrient Content of Aerobic and Anaerobic Composting Methods


    Yale produces 12-42 tons of food waste weekly. This waste is sent to New Milford Farms where it is composted, as opposed to being incinerated. Yale pays for management of the waste from dining hall to farm, which is expensive and uses a lot of gas. If Yale could compost some of its own waste on campus, it would greatly reduce emissions and cost. Since 60-70% of solid waste is organic, and compostable. Anaerobic activity of rotting plant matter produces methane, which is 25 times more damaging in terms of global warming to CO2 that would be produced by aerobic composting. Traditional composting takes a year, however the Berkeley Method allows compost to be made in 30 days. Three plots of food waste each one cubic meter in volume will be composted over the course of 30 days. At the end of 30 days each of the soils will be tested at Yale with mentor chemical analyst Dr. Helmut Ernstberger for nutrient and mineral content. The compost feedstock will be built according to the feedstock of Common Ground’s food waste compost. It is hypothesized that compost can be made just as nutrient dense in a much shorter time. The independent variable will be the method of composting. The dependent variable will be the quality of the compost. The control is Common Ground’s compost, and the nutrient contents will be compared.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Samantha Austin

    Ilio-sacral and Ilio-femoral Joint Placement in the Positioning of Iguanas in the Lizard Tree of Life

    Traditionally, based on morphological analysis, lizards were thought be divided into two groups, the iguanians and scleroglossans. However, with the publishing of the “Deep Scaly” Tree of Life Project, disparity emerged in which some believed iguanians were nested high in lizard phylogeny, closely related to anguimorphs and snakes. Conflict arose as molecular phylonology (DNA) seemed to disprove the positions of species in the morphological phylonology Tree of Life. Thus, the research question posed is: Is the position of the ilio-sacral joint in comparison to the ilio-femoral joint a viable means of proving the positioning of specie on the Tree of Life? It is hypothesized that this characteristic can be used to support the believed position of Iguanas on the lizard Tree of Life. The independent variable is where the ilio-sacral joint lies in location compared to the ilio-femoral joint. The dependent variable is where the species lies on the lizard tree of life. Samples from 200 lizard species will be examined using a SZH10 Research Stereo Microscope. The location of ilio-sacral joint in comparison to the ilio-femoral joint will be noted by a 0 if it is overlapping and a 1 if they are separate. This evidence will then be combined with the ~1,000 morphological characters already assembled to see how closely it matches the trees derived from these data. It will then be known if it supports or denies the hypothesized position of Iguanas in the lizard Tree of Life.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Ben Ewing

    The effectiveness of Pivotal Response Treatment on the communication and socialization skills of children with Autism.

    Autism is a social disorder that cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be treated. One treatment is the Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). One of the ways of diagnosing the severity of a child’s Autism is by using the Vineland Adaptive Behavioral Scales (VAB). These scales measure the communication and socialization of the children. The scales give the age equivalent based on the adaptive behaviors that the child actually completes. The purpose of this research is to find out if the PRT improves children with Autism’s socialization and communication skills. The hypothesis is that if a child is treated using the PRT, than their VAB score will be higher afterwards. The independent variable is the use of the PRT, and the dependent variable is the child’s VAB scores. The methods for this experiment are as follows. First, the parents of the child will fill out the VAB. Then the child will receive the PRT treatment. After which, the parents will fill out another VAB. The data will be analyzed by comparing the pre- and post- VAB. Also, the data from the differing VAB tests will be compared using paired T- tests.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Folate Deficiency During Pregnancy on Preterm Delivery and Low Birth Weight of Newborns in China

    In China, many women do not get as many nutrients as they need during their pregnancy. One of the many is folic acid, which is commonly fortified into many foods, such as bread and cereal, in America. Thus far, a definite connection has been drawn between a folate deficiency during pregnancy and neural tube defects in the newborn, but evidence from a study done at Trinity College in Ireland suggests that it could have an effect on preterm delivery (birth of a baby of less than 36 weeks gestational age) and low birth weight (<2500 g), too. The problem statement for this study is – is there a connection between folate intake insufficiency in pregnant women and rate of preterm delivery and low birth weight of their newborns? It is hypothesized that a folate deficiency in pregnant women will contribute to a newborn’s early gestational age and low birth weight. Since this study is looking for a correlation between folate deficiency and two other factors, there are no independent and dependent variables and control. To conduct this study, data would first be extracted from the database containing all the data from my mentor’s longitudinal study in China (2010-2012) of 10,005 pregnant women. Data regarding women marked with factors such as lack of folate in diet (particularly dark, leafy, and green vegetables) and multivitamin and folate supplements insufficiency, before and during all trimesters, will be utilized. Women affected by factors already known to lead to preterm delivery and low birth weight (some including maternity tobacco smoking, elevated blood pressure, intrauterine growth restriction) will not be included in the dataset. The data will then be entered into statistical software, SAS, for analyzing. Dr. Yawei Zhang will be of assistance throughout this research process.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Characterizing Electromagnetic Exposure to Thin-Films

    There are many novel forms of nanotechnology requiring high maintenance in order to function properly. Monitoring the decomposition of these materials often requires high-precision microscopy, as well as the powerful coolants needed to create a vacuum. These methods are highly expensive and make these thin-film materials much less viable. Is it possible to optimize the decay-detection process of thin-film materials? It is hypothesized that if thin-films are exposed to an electromagnetic field, then the material's Barkhausen noise would consistently detect impurities in the films. SInce this study is a correlation study between a material's decomposition and its Barkhausen noise, independent and dependent variables are not established in this experiment. In this experiment, thin film materials (provided by UConn) will be exposed to an increasingly powerful magnetic field and will be hooked up to a setup in which the Barkhausen noise will be amplified. The volume of the noise will be amplified, and the volume will be recorded. This study will take place in UConn, under the guidance of Dr. Jason Hancock.

    ~Joseph Neumann

    ReplyDelete
  47. Assessing the Correlation Between a Folate Deficiency During Pregnancy and Preterm Delivery and Low Birth Weight of Newborns in China

    In China, many women do not get as many nutrients as they need during their pregnancy. One of the many is folic acid, which is commonly fortified into many foods, such as bread and cereal, in America. Thus far, a definite connection has been drawn between a folate deficiency during pregnancy and neural tube defects in the newborn, but evidence from a study done at Trinity College in Ireland suggests that it could have an effect on preterm delivery (birth of a baby of less than 36 weeks gestational age) and low birth weight (<2500 g) of the newborn after full-term a pregnancy (37 weeks). The problem statement for this study is – is there a connection between folate intake insufficiency in pregnant women and rate of preterm delivery and low birth weight, after a full term pregnancy, of their newborns? It is hypothesized that a folate deficiency in pregnant women will contribute to a newborn’s early gestational age and low birth weight. Since this study is looking for a correlation between folate deficiency and two other factors, there are no independent and dependent variables and control. To conduct this study, data would first be extracted from the database containing all the data from my mentor’s longitudinal study in China (2010-2012) of 10,005 pregnant women. Data regarding women marked with factors such as lack of folate in diet (particularly dark, leafy, and green vegetables) and multivitamin and folate supplements insufficiency, before and during all trimesters, will be utilized. Women affected by factors already known to lead to preterm delivery and low birth weight (some including maternity tobacco smoking, elevated blood pressure, intrauterine growth restriction) will not be included in the dataset. The data will then be entered into statistical software, SAS, for analyzing. Dr. Yawei Zhang of the Yale School of Public Health will be of assistance throughout this research process.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Cindy Guo
    Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer
    Lung cancer remains the leading cause of world-wide cancer related deaths. There are two classifications of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer (85%) and small cell lung cancer (15%). The Kirsten rat sarcoma, or the KRAS oncogene, derived over 30 years ago is a mutation that has been identified for driving 25% of non-small cell cancers and remains ‘undruggable’. Since the discovery of the cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) through the KRAS pathway and its overexpression in lung cancer, there have been efforts to limit its abilities to suppress apoptosis and drive tumorigenesis. Development of a CREB inhibitor (CREBi) has proven effective in inhibiting CREB expression in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Several molecular pathways were additionally examined to determine their roles in conjunction with CREBi, specifically heat shock proteins. Heat shock proteins (HSP) are molecular chaperones that prevent protein misfolding and aggregation. Its functions become subverted in oncogenesis making malignant transformations possible. HSP70 acts as a critical chaperone in delivering client proteins to HSP90, which alone can disrupt HSP90. Two specific heat shock proteins, HSP70 and HSP90, have displayed upregulation in cancer. It was hypothesized that the CREBi would inhibit CREB expression as well as HSP70 expression. Through cell harvesting, the western blot protocol, and qPCR Analysis, experiments will be conducted to examine the role of CREBi in HSP70 and HSP90 inhibition. Results thus far show that CREBi was able to inhibit expression of HSP70, but not HSP90 in the A549 and H441 cancer cell line.

    ReplyDelete
  49. The Effect of Noise Color on Creativity
    White noise is a “heterogeneous mixture of sound waves extending over a wide frequency range” (Webster) basically meaning that it is the combination of all noises being heard together at once. Pink noise is “a mixture of sound waves with an intensity that diminishes proportionally with frequency to yield approximately equal energy per octave” (Webster) and is more commonly found in the natural world. And ambient noise is the background noise heard in a specific location. Because of white noise’s and pink noise’s characteristics it can “drown out” ambient noise in an environment. Studies have suggested that ambient noise can be detrimental to one’s overall cognitive functioning. Thus, for example, the use of white or pink noise may be helpful in eliminating distractions for a student while studying. Numerous apps and advertisements currently exist promoting them as a concentration and creativity booster. The proposed study will examine the true effectiveness of such noise. Therefore, a hypothesis was produced that if the type of noise affects creativity, then white noise will cause the greatest positive effect on creativity. The independent variable is the type of noise, and the dependent variables are the scores on the divergent thinking tasks. These tasks were designed by the mentor overseeing this study, Dr. Baptiste Barbot. To test the hypothesis, an experiment will be made where human participants are exposed to white noise, pink noise or close to no noise while completing divergent thinking tasks. Differences in the participants’ overall scores, as a function of the noise condition, will indicate the effectiveness of each noise. This study will take place within the school. The findings resulting from the completion of this study will prove that environmental factors can help improve cognitive functions, and lead to higher creative potential.
    -Barak Davidi

    ReplyDelete
  50. The Effect of Ketamine and Time Delay on Spatial Memory
    This study, The Effect of Ketamine and Time Delay on Spatial Memory, is a sub-study under Dr. James J. Chrobak and Doctoral student Jennifer A. Corriveau. The purpose of this study is to learn more information about the hippocampal functions in schizophrenic animal models. Ketamine is used to induce schizophrenic- like symptoms in animal models like hallucinations and a decrease in spatial memory function. Time delays in this study are defined as the specific amount of waiting time between two tests. The hypothesis was that the longer the time delay, the more errors made by the rats treated with ketamine; causing spatial memory to weaken. For three weeks, 18 rats were tested in a dark room in a radial water maze with different time delays. 9 of the rats were treated with ketamine every day for two weeks while the other 9 rats were treated with saline. Researchers were not able to know which were treated with ketamine and which were not, except for the head researcher. Each rat went through two different time delay sessions every day, and ten trials per week. Rats would go through the eight arm radial water maze in the dark to find the first goal platform with all arms closed except the goal arm and the arm the rat was placed in. Each rat would have the same time delay and then be put back into the water maze to find a new goal with all arms open. There were two different types of time delays used in this study. One was a sample trial with one time delay, either 5 minutes or 60 minutes, and then a test trial was given. Another was a sample trial with a time delay of either a 60 minutes or 30 minutes, another sample test with either a 5 minute or 30 minute time delay, and then a test trial. Data will analyze the types and amount of errors the rats made, as well as which rats were treated with ketamine or saline for two weeks, using a split-plot RMANOVA. Part of study was already completed over the summer at UConn Psychology lab in Storrs, CT.

    ReplyDelete
  51. The Effect of Goal Setting on the Mood and Loneliness of Senior Citizens

    Senior citizens often live solitary lives. According to Singh and Misra (2009), loneliness in old age often inhibits people from participating in community activities. The impact of being unable to interact with new people changes people’s capacity to live happily. Therefore, reduced loneliness can promote a happier and more sociable life for the elderly. According to a recent study by Kahlbaugh, Sperandio, Carlson and Hauselt (2011), game playing decreased reported loneliness and increased positive mood compared to watching TV. Thus, the research question in this experiment is: Does goal setting while learning a new task like playing the Wii, benefit senior citizens? The purpose of this project is to offer senior citizens an opportunity to set and achieve their goals through novel skill building while engaged in activities such as the Wii. It is hypothesized that if the Wii is played without goal setting, then it will create a more positive mood and decrease loneliness. This hypothesis is based off the study done by Georgette K. Maroldo which states that if society increases competition, the individual will become shyer resulting in greater loneliness. Skill building without goal setting would be the better option because it will allow the participants to relax and play a friendly game. There will be no control in this experiment. To achieve this, twenty participants will be recruited from Silverbrook Estates in Orange CT. Five of the participants will play the Wii with goal setting, and the other five will play without goal setting. Before playing, the participants will be required to fill out a UCLA loneliness scale and a mood scale. The participants will be required to do the same after playing for two sessions. The data collected and analyzed will be the change from the pretest to the posttest. This study will be conducted under the guidance of Dr. Patricia Kahlbaugh, Southern Connecticut State University.

    Harika Lingareddy

    ReplyDelete