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This research is exploring the way Otome/J-Romantic games reflect the progression of Mainstream's expectations on women. The rapid growth of the Internet and the economic recovery after World War II in Japan have given people a heightened emotional needs and Otome Games as a typical subculture has taken advantage of this opportunity to grow.
paragraph for her assignment.

Children's Clinical psychology, Risk and resilience, Trauma, Personality Disorders, Gun Violence, Video Games

Otome/J-Romantic games and the development of Japanese women's consciousness

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide, responsible for the death of 1 in 39 women. Key developmental stages such as puberty are times when the breast is more likely to be affected by environmental toxins. Recent studies show that exposure to environmental toxins during puberty may increase the risk of developing breast cancer later in
life. Some environmental toxins include everyday items used in the past and present such as Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). This review illuminates often-neglected risk factors tied to breast cancer, aiming to enhance awareness, particularly among women. It emphasizes the lasting impact of toxin exposure during puberty on subsequent breast cancer
development.

biology, cancer biology

How does exposure to environmental toxins during key developmental stages affect one's risk of getting breast cancer later in life?

computer science (Python, C++, Java), data science and machine learning (Scikit-Learn, numpy, Keras, Pandas, TensorFlow)

needs to be filled out

The goal of my research paper is to determine the effects of physical activity on Tourette's symptoms and to compare its efficacy with that of pharmacological treatments. The most commonly prescribed treatments are dopamine antagonists that work to higher dopamine levels, reducing tics. Another prevalent treatment is habit reversal thrapy, which is non-pharmalogical, and works to develop an opposite response to certain tics. The research in non-pharmalogical therapies to cope with Tourettes symptoms has just began to develop, such as exercise therapy. Researching non-pharmalogical solutions to Tourettes is important as a patient might become resistant to drugs over time and develop dependance. Additionally, there are a plethora of side affects with these drugs, especially as 90% of Tourettes patients have co-morbities such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) an General Anxiety Disorder, which means they are taking multiple different drugs that come with multiple side effects. Exploring physical therapy, like exercises are important as they release the tension associated with tics. The only way for people to release that tension, other than exercise, is to act out their tic. Not only can exercise help reduce tic rate, it can relieve anxiety, stress and other co-morbidities associated with tics. It is important to keep researching alternative physical therapies as many may also have a distrust with drugs or going to a doctore and seek a more natural alternative. This research paper is important as it will address both physical therapies and pharmacological treatments by comparing both and highlighting the pros and cons of each. Taking detailed accounts of research in both topics will allow me to have a diverse data set to pull from. Having a diverse data set will lay out how these different treatments work on different lifestyles, ages, and people.

sensory system neuroscience, neuroscience research tools, cognition and perception (sensory illusions), behavioral neuroscience

The effects of Exercise Therapy on Tourettes Syndrome and Tics

Government spending is an important and complex part of any economy, and impacts on (i) the GDP available to the private sector for consumption and saving/investment via taxation, (ii) credit markets and the interest rate of borrowing via the sales of government bonds in credit markets, (iii) price level and rate of inflation via issuance of government currency and monetary policy, (iv) technological efficiency of capital and labor via investment into infrastructure and education, (v) labor markets and unemployment rate via government employment programs and government demand for labor. The goal of this project is to extend the workhorse Solow model of growth to incorporate government spending and various macroeconomic markets (e.g., money, credit, labor) in order to characterize the effects of government spending (and deficit, if financed through borrowing) on key economic variables listed above.

Econometrics, Statistics, Machine Learning, Probability Theory, Mathematical Analysis, Scientific Computing

The Effect of Government spending on GDP growth, interest rates, inflation, unemployment

This research paper provides a comprehensive legal analysis of insider trading in the United States through the lens of the Martha Stewart insider trading scandal. The paper begins by offering a brief introduction to the evolution of insider trading in the United States, outlining the key legislative and regulatory developments that have shaped the legal framework governing insider trading over time.

The case study of the Martha Stewart and ImClone insider trading case provides a detailed analysis of the parties involved, the legal procedure, facts of the case, arguments presented by the prosecution and the defense, the legal conclusions reached by the district and appeals courts, and the final judgment.

The paper examines the various legal issues raised by the case, including questions about the nature of insider trading, the duties owed by corporate insiders to their shareholders, and the proper application of criminal and civil penalties in cases of securities fraud.

Through this analysis, the paper offers insights into the complexities and nuances of insider trading law in the United States, as well as the broader legal and ethical issues surrounding corporate governance and accountability.

Overall, this research paper offers a valuable contribution to the literature on insider trading and corporate governance, providing a detailed and insightful examination of one of the most high-profile insider trading cases in recent history.

Entrepreneurship, Startups, Venture Capital, Corporate Law, Business Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity

A Legal Analysis of Insider Trading in the United States through the lens of the Martha Stewart Insider Trading Scandal

**In the near future, humans will go to Mars. During these interplanetary journeys, astronaut safety will be paramount. Our objective was to determine whether the astronauts will be able to launch safely from Mars in a space shuttle taking off perpendicularly. This study used high school kinematics along with equations for the atmospheric density and total force applied on the spacecraft, evaluating these values for each atmospheric layer. The software Onshape was used to find the cross-sectional front-view area of the spacecraft. Approximations were made for the spacecraft’s dimensions and the drag coefficient where verifiable data was unavailable. The total force was found to be significantly lower than 3Gs which ensures a safe take-off for the astronauts and saves money in manufacturing costs for assembling new rockets.**

Astrophysics, solar cells, semiconductor devices, optoelectrical devices

Can a space shuttle withstand a perpendicular launch from Mars?

I plan to explore the current state of hydropower. I’m also going to compare different turbines and use physics to show why one is better than the other. I also plan on talking about how we can implement new systems like pumped-storage into old dams and how much of an improvement this could be for those dams.

Engineering, renewable energy, energy storage, energy policy, electricity markets, mechanical design, fabrication and design for manufacture

Drought Disaster

Dhruv is further developing the wearable ASL glove from a previous project. The glove is made for users to translate American Sign Language for non-ASL fluid individual. The project is focused on further developing the glove by making it more compact and adding arm and hand gesture sensing mechanism. An accelerometer will be used to measure arm and hand gesture. Position estimation and correction algorithm will be implemented. The project will potentially have 2 gloves (based on how much time is left) for each hand to maximize accuracy and decode more signs. The entire design of the glove is aimed to be compact and user-friendly.

Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Design, AI/ML, Arts, Film, Animation, Graphic design, Illustration

Wearable ASL Glove

My project was chosen for the sole purpose of helping impaired people communicate better with others. This project was chosen due to the facts that it has an important impact on others, helps less fortunate people in countless ways, it is a manageable project. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Over 5% of the world’s population – or 430 million people – require rehabilitation to address their ‘disabling’ hearing loss (432 million adults and 34 million children). It is estimated that by 2050 over 700 million people – or one in every ten people – will have disabling hearing loss.” Hearing loss grows at a rapid pace, and never stops, so we need to be prepared for the future. One way to take on the effects of hearing loss is to make communicating with others, who might not know sign language, better. A method found to do this is to connect a glove which can detect and recognize sign language, with a phone, which is able to speak the words and/or letters signed. Some benefits of the glove would be that other people wouldn’t need anything, instead only the person with impaired hearing would need the product. This would solve the problem of people with hearing loss not being able to communicate clearly and effectively. The results of the product were amazing. The gloves worked, but the problem was that the gloves were very expensive ranging from 500-2000 euros (520-2080 usd). Some other, broader ways of helping communication might be an app which can sense sign language and translate video feed of sign language into words and letters. Some problems with this might be that someone else might not have the app. Another problem with this is that the other person might not recognize what you are doing is sign language as they probably do not know what sign language is. 

[Source, who.int, wearable.com, asl translator]

Mechanical Engineering, Rehabilitation Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, Surgical Robotics, Design for Wearable Devices

How can wearable technology help people with hearing loss communicate better?

The amygdala is one of various brain regions that tend to be pathological in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a prevalent and heterogeneous developmental disorder affecting all ethnic and socioeconomic groups and consists of a broad range of severity, etiology and behavioral symptoms. Common features of ASD include but are not limited to repetitive behaviors, obsessive interests and anxiety. Neuroscientists view the amygdala as the core of the neural system that regulates behavioral responses to anxiogenic and threatening stimuli. Despite this consensus, many previous studies and literature reviews on the amygdala’s alterations in individuals with ASD have reported inconsistent findings. In this review, we will address these conflicts by highlighting recent studies which reveal that anatomical and related socio-emotional differences detected between individuals with and without ASD are highly age-dependent. We will specifically discuss studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), structural MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to provide insights into the neuroanatomical substrates of ASD across development, with a focus on amygdala volumes, cell densities, and connectivity.



Age-Dependent Anatomical Abnormalities of the Amygdala in Autism Spectrum Disorder and their Implications for Altered Socio-Emotional Development

Neurons in the periphery are highly adept at regenerating after injury, but neurons of the central nervous system fail to regenerate or die following trauma or in neurodegenerative disease. There is evidence that the cells that surround neurons, rather than the neurons themselves, are responsible for this difference. Here, Tarun will provide an overview of the different injury responses of glial cells in the central nervous system vs peripheral nervous system and explain how these differences may explain the inability of CNS neurons to survive trauma.

Neuroscience, Genetics, Biology, Neurodegenerative Disease

Why do neurons of the CNS not regenerate? A focus on glial cells.

Vitiligo, a prevalent depigmenting skin condition, currently affects up to 2 percent of people worldwide. The disease often displays chalky-white macules on the skin’s surface caused by melanocytes lost during disease progression. Vitiligo is often genetic and can be expressed in the skin, hair, and nails of the human body. The condition is known to be categorized into two main groups; segmental and nonsegmental. The former group, segmental vitiligo, refers to asymmetrical pigmentation of the skin that doesn’t cross the midline of the body. The latter, nonsegmental vitiligo, is much more symmetrical and the depigmented macules are distributed more evenly around the body. Due to the said appearances of depigmented macules on the skin, vitiligo is frequently written off as a cosmetic issue. However, it can have terrible psychological implications and significantly interfere with daily living. In vitiligo, melanocytes trigger autoimmunity due to their elevated stress response. This causes them to become targeted and destroyed by autoreactive CD8+ T cells; which leads to visible depigmentation. This condition has no cure yet, but has treatments to reduce its appearance. Active research is being conducted on light therapy aimed at reducing the the appearance of depigmented macules associated with vitiligo. Other treatments and interventions such as camouflage therapy and surgery also exist, but are either less effective or doubted to be legitimate. This review compiles the most recent information about vitiligo and makes an effort to provide a summary of the etiology, pathogenesis, and physical and psychological effects of the disorder as well as current treatment investigations.

drug delivery, synthetic biology, genetic engineering, protein engineering, the human microbiome

A Review on Vitiligo: Pathogenesis, Etiology, Psychological Impacts, and Treatments.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and annually affects 3% of the population around the age of 60 years old. PD is a progressive disorder that occurs from the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Symptoms such as tremors, involuntary movement, bradykinesia, or rigidity are common in patients with PD. Many people continue to suffer from this disorder, a prominent example being Muhammad Ali who retired from his boxing career in his late 30s. Over the years, treatments to remedy the symptoms of the disease have been manufactured, such as Levodopa, dopamine agonists, and various types of inhibitors. Although Levodopa has been the prime treatment for Parkinson’s for over 40 years, complications have risen in long-term levodopa therapy where patients displayed symptoms such as dyskinesia, dystonia, and speech impairment. In order to treat these side effects, scientists have developed dopamine agents to play an adjunctive role in the treatment process which temporarily prevent these symptoms from appearing. Moreover, scientists are still designing new methods to counter the symptoms of PD, such as enteral infusion of levodopa gel and ion channel fibers which are more effective than the treatments utilized today. All in all, in this paper I present an overview of the mechanisms and advantages/disadvantages of levodopa, dopamine agonists, and various inhibitors while also mentioning new techniques that will be exploited in the future.

nanotechnology; medicine; microbiology; brain disease; diseases of the mom, fetus, or infant

Historical, Current, and Future Therapeutic Strategies to treat Parkinson’s Disease

Music has always been used to alter our moods on a day to day basis, but in recent years music therapy has become increasingly more popular in the scientific field as it has helped many widespread populations. Specifically, I investigate how different methodologies of music therapy impact children with special needs. By reviewing music therapy journals, developmental research, and autism research, I found that music therapy has proven useful for helping children with special needs develop better social responsiveness, cognitive skills, physical development, communication abilities, and behavioral and joint attention skills. These sources provide a deep look into multiple case studies that experiment with the effectiveness of music therapy through how music therapy impacts therapist-child connections, family-child connections, and the child itself. When these connections are successfully fostered, they have been found to aid children with special needs learn new behaviors and become more active participants in the therapy as they grow out of their introverted shell. Therefore, music therapy has proven to be very helpful for this population and has led to the positive growth of numerous children with special needs. This information should be used by clinical music therapists to enhance the effectiveness of their sessions. 

Music Theory; Music Cognition; Music Psychology; Linguistics; Media Studies

Music Therapy's Effectiveness for Children on the Autism Spectrum

SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that causes respiratory infections in humans. Studies investigating the psychological and physiological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection have found that many side effects are related to disturbances in the Central Nervous System (CNS) by SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 causes inflammation and neuronal damage within the CNS. Thus, it is no surprise that in the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, prescriptions for sleep medication significantly increased.

Biochemistry, Biophysics, Genetics, English, Data Science

Sar-CoV-2 affecting sleep

Wound healing is the reparative and restorative process that dermal tissue undergoes after an injury or infection. The successive stages involved include coagulation, which is the process of blood cells clotting together into a semi-solid state to prevent excessive bleeding,  inflammation, which is when re the body reacts to the injury by becoming swollen and painful, then  resolution of inflammation, which occurs when the  reddened and inflamed area abates, and finally, remodeling which is when the injury heals and forms a layer of skin on top. During this process, it is essential to prevent the introduction of pathogens during any of the healing phases so that tissue regeneration of the wound is accomplished in a timely manner. As a result, wound dressing materials are crucial. However, with the global move towards sustainability and reduced reliance on fossil fuels an issue that arises is that there are few wound healing options available on the market that are fully biodegradable, adjustable, attractive, or implement the healing powers of an ointment made from natural ingredients for effective reduction of inflammation and improved recovery time. 



Therefore, this research examines the development of a microbial-based textile layer made from symbiotic cultures of bacterial yeast (“SCOBY”) and the addition of a plant-based healing ointment made from olive oil, aloe vera gel, and coconut oil as a sustainable and biodegradable wound based alternative.  SCOBY is also known as “tea fungus” since it is a probiotic bacteria that is grown by adding its culture to brewed tea. After some time, a thin culture is created that is a strong and flexible leather-like base made to hold the product and the plant-based healing ointment together, and is fully biodegradable. In this paper the SCOBY based material is referred to as “SCOBY Skin.”A 1.75 inch by 4 inch flexible bandage, lined with soft gauze, and natural ingredients known to benefit wound healing. Based on the findings of this research SCOBY Skin proves to be a suitable alternative to conventional band-aids. Plastic was eliminated from this device because microplastics can harm the area of injury by entering the skin tissue. After use, and upon disposal, plastic harms the planet due to the fact that they are not biodegradable.

engineering design loop, water purification technology, sustainable design, green chemistry, 3D printing, environmental justice

SCOBY Skin: a probiotic-induced bioengineered microbial-based textile adhesive for wound healing

Michael is writing a paper on how eating disorders present differently in men and thus how they must be diagnosed and treated differently than they are in women.

Biology, public health, health care ethics, medicine, health care policy

Eating Disorders in Men vs. Women

For several years, society has faced climate change catastrophes ranging from wildfires to rising sea levels. To combat these effects, researchers have been focusing on creating technological and societal shifts. However, an area often overlooked and can provide greater benefit is understanding an individual's behavior and attempting to influence them. Pro-environmental Behavior, or PEB, is an individual's behavior that consciously reduces negative environmental impacts while improving environmental conditions. Research has shown the advantages of using behavioral and neuroeconomics to deepen our understanding of PEB to promote and nudge PEB. Though this interdisciplinary approach to climate change is relatively new and unexplored, researchers reveal it is a growing field.

This literature review provides an overview of PEB in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and marketing. The paper first examines the psychological factors, such as personality and motivation, that influence PEB and pro-environmental attitudes (PEA). It then analyzes neuroscience findings based on an individual's brain size and brain activation when engaging in sustainable behavior. Lastly, the paper applies the neuro findings to construct efficient marketing techniques for firms to apply to consumers and nudge sustainable behavior.

Neuroscience, Consumer Behavior & Insights, Research Methods, Study Design & Data Collection, Psychology, Biology, Network Building & Connection Management

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