Student-Faculty Research Projects

Dealing With Romantic Break-Up and Rejection: Understanding the Nature of Relationships and Romantic Break-Up

Boyan Robak et al. — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:27:10 PDT

The study sought to better understand the psychological variables affecting romantic break-up and romantic rejection. Individuals who reported higher self-esteem, less rejection sensitivity, and lower levels of attachment anxiety reported less adverse effects to break-up. Contrary to predictions, who initiated the break-up did not result in significant differences in adverse symptoms. Moreover, no gender differences were found for response to break-up, nor rejection. Comparing grief symptoms for romantic break-up and those who experienced a loss through death indicates that in a normal population of young adults the former experience plays a more pronounced role in their lives.

Acetylcholinesterase Isozyme Banding May Be Useful in Revealing Heart Failure

Cherelle Palmer et al. — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:27:09 PDT

Cardiopathology provides insights into the functioning heart and its circulatory vessels. Recent studies have proposed a critical role for esterases in heart failure (Dunlop et. al. 2003). Evidence points to a loss of vagal (parasympathetic) control and a parallel increase in sympathetic activity as the disease progresses. Other researchers (Ojaimi et.al. 2007) used microarray technique on tissues from canine paced heart failure models to show selective re-regulation of genes as the pathology developed. To further explore this connection, a pilot project comparing the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from normal (N) and heart failure (HF) specimens was designed. Non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) separated the isoenzyme components. Diazonium salts stained and identified the resulting enzyme/substrate banding patterns. The present study refines previous work by examining AChE activity of non-denatured protein from N and HF tissues. In addition, a variety of non-cardiac tissues and organs were examined to determine the extent of pathological changes in AChE isoenzymes.

Impact of the Great Recession on Middle Class Americans

Joseph Morreale et al. — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:27:08 PDT

This research paper studies the effect of the Great Recession (Late-2000s Recession) on middle-class Americans. It will analyze and cover the extent of the impact through evaluating data on several factors, such as the percent of the middle class in college, percent female participation rate, single parent households (female householder), middle class income, unemployment rate, and several other factors from the years 1970 to 2010. This research will offer insight into the extent of the Great Recession’s impact on the middle-class and identify which key factors had the most significant effect.

Mobile Technology and Sustainability

Meghan Kenny et al. — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:27:07 PDT

65 million years ago, the dinosaurs were exterminated. Today more than 6 billion people depend primarily on non-renewable resources for survival. What many fail to recognize is that burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is reaching a dead end and also has debilitating immediate effects on our surroundings. The “environment” is no longer limited to species’ natural habitat, where one solely imagines the seven biomes. Instead it encompasses human interaction within the biotic, abiotic, cultural, and social worlds. Dirty energy sources are a major example of how humans drastically alter not only the physical environment, but the economy as well. While the increase of forest fires, heat waves, droughts, floods, heavy precipitation and disease is a reality for most, others still deem Global Warming as a myth. In order to make the Earth’s population more aware of these dramatic consequences and how to contribute to avoiding them, mobile technology can play an important role. Mobile technology comprises mobile applications, (iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Java ME), mobile web sites, SMS and voice solutions. Mobile phones are always at an arm distance of their owners and have the potential to reach masses of people and thus, make a difference. More specifically, they can be used to educate users about anything related to going green in an entertaining or serious way, on the fly or in a studious environment. In this research, we are studying how mobile technology can be used to create a more sustainable future.