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Lateral Epicondylitis, or more commonly known as Tennis Elbow, has an annual incidence of about 1-3% in the United States. Men and women are affected equally, with the injury being most prevalent in individuals above the age of 40. Patients describe pain and tenderness around the lateral epicondyle: the bony prominence on the lateral side of the elbow. This condition is prominent in 40-50% of tennis players and in 7.4% of industrial workers. Lateral Epicondylitis is caused by excessive strain to the forearm muscle and primarily the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) extensor. Contractile overloads that repeatedly stress the ECRB tendon are the primary cause of this injury; repeated motions such as extensive computer use, heavy lifting, forceful forearm supination and pronation, and repetitive vibrations. Tennis elbow is commonly caused by forceful wrist extension, wrist flexion, as well as reptitive gripping, which causes an tendinopathy injury - an overuse injury that causes tiny tears in the muscles that leads to a failed healing response. As of right now, there is no standardized treatment protocol for nonoperative treatments. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review current physical therapy treatments, as well as their effectiveness. Current physical therapy treatments for tennis elbow include home exercises like strengthening and stretching, nerve gliding exercises, manual stretching, shockwave therapy, ultrasonic therapy, electrical stimulation and TENS (transcutaneal electrical neuromuscular stimulation), peloid therapy, kinesiology taping, and stabilization along with RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate). Each treatment plan will be reviewed, explaining its advantages, disadvantages, and overall effectiveness.

Physical Therapy

How effective are physical therapy interventions in tennis elbow?

Over the years, the United States federal government has played a larger role in education. In 2010, the Common Core State Standards Initiative outlined national education standards for math and language arts for states to adopt. With regards to the best way to improve student achievement, this question has not been a new one. In fact, the Common Core arguably emerged, in part, as a response to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. NCLB, signed by President Bush in 2002, placed measures on states to institute their own standards and administer testing in reading and mathematics. Schools were held accountable for student performance and were expected to show progress each year, but if a school district failed to meet performance goals, they faced consequences. This bipartisan piece of legislation has gained increased criticism over its harsh requirements. For the purpose of this study, Pennsylvania has been chosen for analyzing the effects of NCLB. Pennsylvania did not have test-based accountability measures prior to NCLB, so it is assumed to have largely been affected by the act (States with school-accountability policies pre-NCLB have been observed to have remained largely unchanged). In addition, Pennsylvania has the second worst funding gap in the country according to Funding Gaps 2015 (The largest of states that did not have test-based accountability measures prior to NCLB) and one of the worst achievement gaps by economic status, race-ethnicity, and parent education. This paper investigates how student achievement scores in Pennsylvania pre-, during, and post-NCLB compare to national averages and vary among different demographics (race, students with disabilities, free/reduced lunch students, LEP/ELL). The analysis is conducted through the use of data on student test scores (8th grade mathematics) from the Nation’s Report Card, exploring the years 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2015. Finally, the paper examines how these relationships relate to state standards and Pennsylvania’s education system. A series of linear regression models are used to predict student achievement from other variables. The results of this research would be valuable in helping suggest tangible policy recommendations targeted at fostering student achievement within Pennsylvania.

educational psychology, education policy, multicultural education, motivation, belonging, racial/ethnic identity

How do student achievement scores in Pennsylvania pre-, during, and post-NCLB vary among different demographics, compare to national averages, and relate to state standards?

In my Polygence project, I am looking to discover how employment in a non-profit organization compares to that in a for-profit company in terms of its impact on employees. As someone who is looking to start their own business in the future, this topic feels interesting and relevant to me. Based on my research, the factors that affect employee satisfaction in non-profit and for-profit firms have not been clearly identified. Using a survey, I am going to identify the variables that play into worker satisfaction. I have created this survey with the mindset that stress levels, pay, environment, and more variables all have an affect on employee satisfaction. Through the data I collect in this survey, I am looking to discover which kind of business is more fulfilling, and the variables that play into those opinions. It is likely that employees working in non-profit organizations experience higher levels of personal satisfaction due to their contribution towards the betterment of society as a whole. Nevertheless, it is entirely possible that there may be a different outcome. I am looking forward to uncovering the answer to my research.

Organizational Psychology

How does the experience of working in a non-profit organization differ from that of working in a for-profit company in terms of its impact on an employee's satisfaction and sense of fulfillment?

CAR T cell therapy is a promising immunotherapy that has been approved by the FDA for use in blood cancers, but has yet to be efficacious in solid tumors due to limitations including antigen escape, on-target off-tumor effects, tumor infiltration challenges, toxicities, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Current strategies to overcome these obstacles are ongoing and include dual target CARs, combination therapy with checkpoint blockade, local CAR administration, and targeting immunosuppressive microenvironment cells. However, additional studies are still needed to continue to improve the efficacy of CAR T. In this proposal, we first review the function of T cells in the immune system, and discuss how CAR T cell therapy enhances immune response to cancer. We also review current strategies being tested to overcome limitations in CAR T cell therapy on solid tumors. We then propose a novel CAR design that targets HER2 on breast cancer and secretes a NBD peptide that is receptive to endocytosis into MDSCs through CD73. The NBD peptide blocks the Nf-Kb signaling pathway which reduces the immunosuppressive qualities of MDSCs in the tumor microenvironment. This design requires preclinical studies to validate its efficacy and safety before being used in clinical trials. If successful, this proposal could present a novel therapeutic option for patients with HER2 positive breast cancer that would then need to be followed up with clinical studies.

Designing, engineering, and testing cancer immunotherapies, biological and bioengineering research

Novel CAR design dually targets HER2+ breast cancer and MDSCs to improve efficacy in solid tumors

In CDC’s studies it has been revealed that individuals suffering from disabilities are less likely to engage in physical activity thus leading to more serious health conditions. These health conditions are chronic illnesses like diabetes,heart disease and strokes. In order to increase the percentage of exercise amongst the disabled we created a virtual reality application to see whether it can enable physically disabled individuals to partake in exercise. By utilizing Unity to import multiple assets and coding with C# scripts we created a virtual reality application that simulates a gym-like environment. The application contains several exercises and tutorials to help the individuals learn the exercises one by one. Then by surveying individuals that utilized the application we can gain more perspective of the effectiveness of this virtual reality tool.

artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, design, ui/ux

Does virtual reality enable physically disabled individuals to partake in exercise?

Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. With its dynamic nature and consistently changing genotypic level, it is notably difficult to find treatment for BC. However, with the emergence of organoids, scientists have potentially found the key to personalized breast cancer treatment. Organoids are three-dimensional, self-organized structures that replicate organs' complexity and function in vitro. They are derived from human tissue cells and give scientists a more accurate perception of how their parent tissue and tumor counterparts grow, function, and react to different treatments. These patient-derived organoids (PDOs) offer a new and unprecedented cancer model because of their ability to recapitulate tumor morphology, serving as the most reliable and intuitive model for individualized cancer research to date. This paper will discuss the process of cultivating organoid experimental models, the different drug screenings and tests performed on these models, and how data and study results display the efficacy of BC PDOs.

Neuroscience (Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration), Genetics, Stem Cells, Aging

Organoids In Personalized Breast Cancer Treatment

The objective of this project is to research and create a publication on the impact of environmental justice and disparities on breast cancer rates in three selected counties in Florida. The project aims to develop an understanding of the environmental factors and social inequities that contribute to these disparities and explore potential solutions. The student has identified key variables from the environments that may have an impact on cancer outcomes. From this publication, the student will create a secondary study using their high school as the experimental group to gauge their understanding of the interconnection of these variables.

cancer biology, bioinformatics, data analytics, public health, computer science, biology, coding

Can addressing migating factors involved with environmental justice aid in minimizing health disparities found in breast cancer?

Type 1 Diabetes is a disease in which insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells are destroyed by immune cells leading to high blood sugar levels. I propose a new treatment method in which nanoparticles are used to deliver insulin to treat type 1 diabetes. This will be achieved by successfully delivering nanoparticles into the lungs, leading to diffusion from the alveoli to the bloodstream allowing a sufficient release of insulin throughout the blood to establish and sustain a basal insulin concentration. This will combat high sugar levels which are an effect of insufficient insulin in the blood.

Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, Nanoparticles, Drug Delivery Systems

Nanoparticles Delivery as a New Method to Treat Type 1 Diabetes

In recent years, America has moved away from using traditional retributive justice models to prioritizing rehabilitation and reducing recidivism.  Rather than simply punish individuals, there is an emphasis on addressing the root factors contributing to criminal behavior and supporting these individuals to become productive members of society.  However, current efforts have yet to resolve a variety of issues including racial disparities and the role of mental illness within the juvenile justice system.  Thus, this paper aims to compare the effectiveness and limitations of the restorative justice, multisystemic therapy (MST), diversion programs, and wraparound services models to determine the most comprehensive approaches of addressing systemic factors and reducing recidivism.

Public Policy, Program Evaluation, Criminal Justice Reform, Prisoner Reentry, Education

Breaking the Cycle: A Comparative Review of Four Non-Retributive Juvenile Justice Models

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and affects more than 6 million people in the United States. There has been increased focus on potential lifestyle interventions that may slow disease progression or lower one's risk of disease. Meditation is one promising option that may promote brain health in late life. Abirham's research paper will summarize the current state of knowledge on the effects of meditation in the context of Alzheimer's disease, with a specific focus on gray matter atrophy.

sleep, dementia, neuroscience

Effects of meditation on gray matter atrophy in Alzheimer's disease

The record-high prices of concert tickets of 2023 on the primary market have frustrated millions of music fans with their fingers often pointing towards Live Nation Entertainment (LNE), the live entertainment conglomerate that resulted from Live Nation and Ticketmaster's 2010 merger. Since this merger, LNE has maintained a substantial market share that critics argue is the source of recent inefficiencies. However, there are many components contributing to the current conditions of the concert ticketing industry's primary market. After examining the 2010 merger's ramifications and the factors contributing to the aftereffects of the merger, I determined that pent-up demand, a pandemic-weakened supply chain, and rising concert production costs most accurately explain recent events, not LNE's market power. Despite claims, the average ticket price has not severely increased in 2023; the increase in ticket prices is gradual but is heavily concentrated among the top ten music tours of 2023 which is due to dynamic pricing that follows the latest trends in consumer demands. Demand for concerts is higher than ever and outweighs the effect of LNE’s potential stronghold over the market. Furthermore, economies of scale in the ticketing market explain why LNE’s presence is not detrimental but often beneficial to the live music industry.

Economics, Statistics, Data Science, Natural Language Processing, Labor Economics, Industrial Organization, Antitrust, Economics of Education,  AI/ML, Text Analysis, Macroeconomics

The Primary Market of Concert Ticketing: Evaluating Live Nation Entertainment's Involvement with Recent Inefficiencies

Physics, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Math, Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence

Community health needs assessments (CHNAs) in multiple American cities have repeatedly identified mental health problems, food insecurity, and a lack of stable housing as major barriers to healthcare access for low-income residents. Mental health problems can lead to difficulties in communication with medical professionals or discrimination within the community (HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center, 2021). Addressing food insecurity often comes as a priority above seeking medical care for those in poverty, even though a lack of nutritious food can worsen or cause medical problems (Seervai, 2018). A lack of stable housing can cause difficulties with insurance and billing, leading to further barriers in seeking and receiving healthcare. In the past, community health initiatives and community health workers have been keystones for the communities they serve, providing people with the resources and care they need. Thus, improving their effectiveness has the potential to drastically increase community health. In this paper, 5 community health needs assessments were reviewed, showing that mental health, food insecurity, and housing access were the most prevalent issues barring access to healthcare. 6 community health initiatives addressing these social determinants of health in low-income communities were studied in order to identify major obstacles in their implementation according to employees of these programs. The most common issues identified were employee turnover, burnout, inept management, and low pay for high caseloads. Next, possible ways to mitigate these issues were proposed, focusing on the potential of nonprofit hospitals and government agencies, as well as listening to the needs of employees. Reviews of community health programs and employee feedback identify inept management, burnout, and low pay as some of the most common problems within these initiatives. Increased support from nonprofit hospitals and government programs, along with restructuring management to prioritize people with experience within the field, were identified as key solutions to the root problems of a lack of resources and poor hiring practices.

infectious disease, harm reduction/substance use, unhoused populations, trauma-informed care

Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Community Health Initiatives to Address Social Determinants of Health

Organoids are a newfound way to model and recapitulate many aspects of various body systems and diseases in an *in vitro* setting. Described as mini organs in a dish, organoids are kept in 3D cultures and have successfully modeled diseases that currently have no cures. Currently, cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and Diabetes Mellitus are 3 of the top 7 leading medical causes of death1 and are all examples of the diseases these organoids can be used to model. For cancers, tumor organoids have already been able to model stomach, colorectal, liver, pancreatic, prostate, and breast cancers. Cerebral organoids can be used to model Alzheimer’s Disease pathologies, such as neurofibrillary tangles and beta-amyloid plaques, which have been a challenge to model for researchers in the past. Lastly, islet organoids used for modeling diabetes have grown to be the same size as their *in vivo* counterparts, making them easier to examine and study. While there are many benefits to using organoids as a way of modeling these diseases, there are some limitations. These limitations may include that organoids are still very rough representations of the organ system or disease that they are modeling and that they are hard to grow and maintain in a lab setting. Regardless, organoids have great potential since they model *in vivo* systems much more accurately than other types of 2D and animal models do. The impact of organoid research is seen in drug screening, immunotherapy, and even personalized medical treatments.

Bioengineering, Tissue Engineering, 3D Bioprinting, and Biology

Human Stem Cell-Derived Organoids Address Top Medical Leading Causes of Death in The US

CAR-T cells are an innovative anti-tumor therapy where a patient's own T cells are removed from their body and retooled with a CAR receptor that targets a tumor antigen. When added back into the patient, the CAR-T cells attack tumor cells, leaving the patient healthy. However, this process can be long and expensive, delaying treatment as the CAR-T cells are growing in the lab. An alternative solution would be to have "universal" CAR-T cells, where T cells are taken from a donor, rather than the patient themselves. This would allow for the production of CAR-T cells that are ready for infusion into a patient immediately, removing the weeks-long process of capturing a patient's own T cells, adding the CAR, and putting them back into the patient. However, in order to make universal CAR-T cells, it is imperative to make sure that donor CAR-T cells are not killed by the recipient, and that CAR-T cells do not kill the recipient's cells (outside of the cancer). To do this, gene editing can be used to knockout key immunity genes in the CAR-T cells, such as MHC, TCR, and PD-1. This project is to create this universal CAR-T cell by designing the gene editing tools needed to knockout the three genes.

Genome editing, genetics, Biology, Biomedical science, human sciences, genome editing

Designing Universal CAR-T cells

Melanoma is a cancer that takes over melanocytes, cells that give skin pigment and causes them to multiply continuously. This can lead to health problems because if melanoma starts spreading it can go into organs in your body and stop them from functioning properly. One immunotherapy that helps boost the immune system against melanoma skin cancer is an IV-administered drug called Nivolumab. Nivolumab is used to block the connection between PD1 and PDL1. PD1 is a protein on T cells and if connected to PDL1, a protein on cancerous cells, it allows the T cells to stop killing other cells including cancerous cells. The number of genes that are expressed tells whether the patient is getting affected negatively or positively. Although not all patients respond well to Nivolumab, we can hypothesize that gene expressions tell whether a patient responds well or not to treatment. In a recent experiment obtained from a website called ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, it was found that the melanoma patients who responded well to Nivolumab had specific patterns of gene expression. The patient's reactions included whether the disease was progressive, a partial response, a complete response, or a stable disease. Next, using the scikit-learn library and supervised learning algorithms such as nested logistic regression models, a machine-learning model was created to determine if the patient is likely to be benefited from using Nivolumab. The average accuracy of this model was 65%. The purpose of this research is to help doctors find out whether a patient with melanoma skin cancer will have a positive outcome if they are given Nivolumab. It would allow doctors to confidently notify their patient’s prognosis. For the patients that are not predicted to have a good response, doctors can decide to give an alternate therapy.

Machine learning for clinical applications, Protein engineering, Immunoengineering, Cancer immunotherapy, Medicine, Biology, Computer Science

Predicting Melanoma Patient's Responses to Nivolumab Immunotherapy Using Machine Learning Models

Shiv’s project will revolve around the vibrations of a drum belonging to the Indian musical family, the Mridangam. It is noted that these drums have harmonic overtones which is unusual for percussion instruments.  The presence of an applied mass on the membrane to change its density distribution. Shiv’s project will expand on a previous study that explores the transient response of the membrane under different excitations.  Shiv will be recreating the experiment using a vibrometer to measure vibrations of the left membrane surface as well as using different models/sizes of the instrument to plot the differences.

Environmental Engineering/ Nuclear engineering/ Mechanical engineering/ Computer programming/Music/3D modeling/ Robotics

The vibrational membranes of Mridangam

Kaavya is looking at different policies regarding period educations to see where areas of improvements can be made. We've also talked about increasing access to period products (such as pads and tampons). Additionally, we've discussed reducing stigma surrounding periods, especially among those who are male-identified. We're still flushing out some of the more refined details. 

Public health, reproductive health, sexual health, violence prevention, advocacy, clinical therapy

Stigma and Periods and Period Poverty

Studies show that Black women have a higher rate of maternal mortality than white women. A review of the causes of maternal deaths shows that many are preventable. Black women experience pregnancy complications at a higher rate and experience a difference in the quality of care they receive from medical professionals compared to white women due to stereotypes and implicit biases about Black women present in the medical field. This paper examines the societal and racial inequities that contribute to this difference in pregnancy experiences and highlights possible solutions. Strategies to reduce maternal mortality rates in Black women include increased awareness and preparation of healthcare providers of specific complications(such as cardiovascular-related problems) and a decrease in prejudiced interactions between healthcare providers and Black patients.

mental health, psychiatry, public health, health disparities, health inequity, medicine, reproductive health, maternal health,

Racial Disparities in Maternal Mortality: Social and Clinical Considerations

Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is a progressive and rare disease that is caused by a buildup of amyloid deposits of misfolded transthyretin (TTR) proteins in vital body organs such as the heart. Hepatocytes in the liver are the primary producers of these proteins. Groups of abnormal and misfolded TTR proteins called fibrils build up in the heart’s left ventricle causing difficulty in pumping blood to the rest of the body. The ER consists of a network of membranes in a cell’s cytoplasm that is the location of protein folding, and its dysfunction is implicated in ATTR pathogenesis. ER stress occurs when some factor leads to the accumulation of misfolded proteins. When stress in the ER increases, it can lead to energy depletion in the mitochondria. 

Mitochondria are membrane-bound organelles that generate chemical energy that the cell needs to function in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial dysfunction is a blanket term used to denote aberrant mitochondrial activity. ER stress is known to promote mitochondrial dysfunction and vice versa. However, in the context of ATTR, the link between mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress is not entirely defined. Our current hypothesis is that ER stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction is a principal mediator of ATTR. Herein we will discuss the mechanistic links between ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in ATTP pathogenesis.

Immunology, Biology, Cardiovascular Biology, Aging Biology, Basic Sciences, Mitochondria

What is the potential relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and ATTR amyloidosis? How does mitochondrial stress lead to the development of this condition?

Meet Polygence Scholars and explore their projects